Daddy Next Door

by Tina Lee

  The King of the South, an old man with half shut eyes, long grey mustache but no beard, and a bald head, invited us for tea. I guess we weren't entertaining guests, because little after sipping our tea, he fell asleep. We were then escorted to our rooms, which was simple as could be. Just a bed made from bamboo frame. With flower pots in every corner. It was now my responsibility to water them, it seemed. Cool wind blew in through the window, and it carried the scent of mint, which I guess was the herb they were passing along. It didn't bother me.

  They didn't serve meat here, which angered Dante. He would have to leave the village to hunt outside. This was holy grounds, and they considered the lives animals as equal. Even the smallest ant, fly or mosquito had a purpose in their eyes.

  I settled for some rice and beans. On everyone's plates were rice and in their bowls were thin soup. A bit too bland for my liking. I had thirty days to find Alric, so I better get used to it.

  They exchange smiles with me but no words. Maybe they saw me as a baby, and whatever left my mouth was nothing but gibberish to these wise ones. Dante had left me alone with them, sitting side by side, along a table that stretched far. When the bell rang, everyone ate together, and when the bell rang again an hour later, everyone finished up and left, leaving me alone at the long table.

  A bell rang some hours later, and I figured it was time for everyone to sleep. The candles all go out in the small wooden houses all built beside each other. No grand castles. The King lived so humble that you had to wonder if he was a king at all.

  Dante returned with blood on the corner of his lips. I sometimes forgot that he was a beast too. I wanted a round two of what happened at the shed, but I couldn't. Not in this holy place. Dante and i cuddled. He wasn't good at it. He moved about too much when he slept. Leo was better man to cuddle with. He was steady and always there.

  I was awoken the next day by loud prayers. Everyone, in their small houses, prayed loudly. There was a rhythm to their prayer. A sound i would always remember, and it would take me back to this place. I prayed, though not as loud, and maybe not to the same Gods. I shared my troubles and worries, and if there was ever a time I needed some guidance, it was now. I wondered if the Gods could listen to all of us at once, or would my prayer fade into the background of the louder prayers.

  Dante and I sparked conversation with anyone who was willing to talk to us. We would keep it simple at first, then mention the name Alric a few times but we got nothing. They didn't know of any Alric.

  We managed to meet the King again, only briefly. We asked of Alric, and still, he had not a clue who were talking about. To be honest, i doubted his ability to remember much. He called me Sona, after I corrected him twice that my name was Elizabeth. So that was a dead end.

  We helped around the village for the next couple days. I liked the nostalgic feeling it gave me. The air, busy people and the simplicity of everything. We got more people to talk with us, mostly the old women, and although they really wanted to help, they didn't provide much help at all. We were two weeks in and still no clue.

  The food was getting to me. I was having mornings where I threw up what I had the night before. I was at the point where I wanted to the thirty days to end so I could go back to the North. I was missing the food, sex and Leo. Staying with Dante for last two weeks and not having any sex at all was frustrating. We just talked, which opened up Dante some more, revealing his vulnerable side which he tried to hide. At times, I rather to be alone. I was getting bored of the Dante who I couldn't have sex with.

  We left the village and headed to the port, to give Captain Qin Shi a letter that Leo had ordered me to give him. Maybe Captain Qin Shi could help us find Alric. I was expecting to see younger people working on the ports. I couldn't imagine old people working on ships. Dante was more excited to see a ship than I was.

  The smell of the salt water filled our nostrils, that was when we knew we were close. Men shouting in the distance. Birds circling the sky looking for something to eat. When we were really close we could hear the waves and the squawk of the birds. Big birds they were. With white feathers and a long beaks.

  The men looked at me like they had never seen a woman before, or perhaps it was my strange narrow face. They wore thick gloves, dirty pants and no shirts. Men hard at work with dirty faces and sweaty chests. A pulley lifted boards high onto the huge ship resting at the dock. Dante ran ahead of me like a child to stare at the beautiful creation. I knew nothing of ships other than its purpose, but even I could appreciate the massive construction before me.

  Dante hugged me from behind and said, “I promise we’ll come back and sail these waters.”

  I smiled, knowing it was a pretty but false promise.

  The bird with big beak nose dived in the water then back up.

  Dante put his hand around my waist. “Hold on.” He made a big jump onto the ship, which frightened the workers.

  “Hey! Get off!” one man said.

  “Don’t let me hit you in the face!”

  Dante was about to do something stupid and I held before he could. “Hey, calm down,” I told him. I stepped in front of Dante and politely asked, “Can I speak to Captain Qin Shi? I have a letter for him.”

  They looked at each other then back at me. “Letter from who?”

  “King Leo.”

  “King Leo from the North? The son of Demetri Lukas?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s a surprise,” a voice said from behind us.

  We turned and saw a man wiping sweat from his face. Round head with the sides shaved and a single braid in the middle of his head. A hairstyle similar to what Kronus had. I guess this was the inspiration. He had bright smile. Literally. Gold teeth filled his mouth as he made a greasy smile. He took the letter from me and opened it, reading and nodding, then he said to himself, “Is that so?”

  “What does the letter say?” I asked.

  He laughed. “Non of your business pretty lady.”

  “Hey! You better watch how you speak to her, before I yank out that slimy tongue of yours,” Dante said.

  I wanted to punch Dante so hard.

  “You jump on my ship and now you’re threatening me?”

  “We’re not here to cause any trouble. We were just simply delivering a letter,” I said.

  He waved the letter. “And now it’s delivered. Now, my men and I have work to do.”

  “One more thing. Do you know of anyone name Alric?” I asked.

  “Alric what?”

  “I don’t know. Just Alric.” I felt silly. It wasn’t much to work with.

  “I don’t know any Alric, but if I knew his last name, then I’d know which family he belongs to. Where does he live?”

  “I was told I’d find him here, in Tao.”

  “Listen, little miss, I think you’re at the wrong place. Is Alric over the age of fifty? If not, then he’s not in Tao.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before anyone can live in Tao, they have to go through a long time learning about the Gods teachings. It’s a village of old people. The only reason you are pardoned is because of King Leo.”

  “And you? You and your men don’t look so holy. No offense.”

  “We work and sleep by the port. We don’t leave here unless it’s that way.” He pointed to the vast horizon.

  Kronus wasted my time coming here, and a part of me believes it was intentional. Maybe he was hiding something from me. This could all have been Leo’s plan to begin with with.

  “If you are certain that this person is here. Then I would suggest climbing that mountain you see there.” He pointed. “At the top, you’ll find the wisest man alive. Ask and he will answer.”

  Great. Just great. I hope you’re happy, Kronus. “Thank you,” I said.

  He gave me a golden smile. “Take care now.”

  We wasted no time getting there. A very strenuous walk up the mountain. My legs and thighs were worn out by the time I reached the top. On top of th
at, I was still sick from the food they gave me. This was shaping up to be a nightmare.

  On top of the mountain was an small house. Clothes pinned on a clothes line, swaying in the wind. A flock of goat and sheep munch on grass surrounding the house. “Hello?” I called.

  There was smoke coming from the back, so Dante suggested we look around the back. There we saw him sitting on a rock around a kettle on a small fire. Three cups were lined out on another small rock. He was expecting us, It seemed.

  “Just cut to the chase,” Dante said.

  I agreed. I wasn’t into wasting anymore time. I wanted badly just to rest my feet and get some sleep. We sat before him on some other rocks. He didn’t care for chairs, apparently.

  He was old but his face looked bright. A head full of white hair. No wrinkles. He poured the hot water into the cups, added leaves in it, stirred then gave it to us. We politely took a sip.

  Before i could say anything, he said, “three answers. That’s all I can give you.”

  A man of few words. That was fine with me.

  I cleared my throat. “Is Alric here, in the South?”

  The man motioned for us to take another sip of the tea. We all took a sip together. He then answered, “yes, he is here.”

  Then Kronus was right. I was relieved to find out that he didn’t lie to me. I never really took Kronus as a dishonest man, yet I needed to shed the doubts.

  “Will I get to meet Alric here?” I asked my second question.

  We sipped the tea. “No. You will not meet Alric here.”

  That son of a bitch was hiding from me. Let him hide. I would waste no more of my time on him. “Why won’t Alric meet with me?”

  We sipped. “He is not ready. When the time is right, he will reveal himself to you.”

  I was disappointed. A weeks of traveling, weeks of eating vegetarian food and still I didn’t find him. Well, I got the answers I needed. It was time for me to go home.

  But still, fuck you, Alric.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Leo

  Love intrigued me. I sat in meetings after meeting and didn’t remember a word said. She was all I could think of. I would go to sleep with her in my thoughts and wake with her the next day. I carried her everywhere I go.

  Could I convince the North to see the goodness in her? Some already knew of the courageous person she was. But was that enough for them to accept her as Queen?

  She had left with Dante, who I knew she had feelings for. My mind sometimes created scenarios of them that sent a dagger into my heart. I was jealous but I didn’t deserve to be jealous. I made no real attempt to make her mine, and for my inaction, this was bound to happen. She had the right to do whatever she pleased. It was me, and my fear of what my people may think, that prevented her from being truly mine. And while I wasted time, Dante was moving in closer and closer, and my greatest fear was Dante creating a bond with her that was so deep, that not even I could break it.

  Diana was up to something. She had been meeting with the other distant family who held the Lukas name. No doubt she was telling them of my love for a human. She wanted them to side against me. To overthrow me, maybe. I would have to deal with her soon, somehow.

  With Elizabeth carrying the Badge of Hector, more women were inspired to fight. There was a huge turn out of human women training to be warriors. I must admit, I found it amusing at first. Some of these women could barely lift a sword much less to fight with one. Elizabeth even inspired some women shifters to train for war. Normally, we wouldn’t accept women to fight, but seeing how we were depleted, I would allow it. Maybe it was time to do away with certain traditions. The North was strong. Not the men of the North, or the shifters of the North, but every single person in the North. When the time comes, we would win this, together.

  I found myself writing letters that I would never send. Just to have somewhere to put these thoughts. I couldn’t speak to anyone about what I was feeling. I was alone in this.

  Dearest Elizabeth,

  My heart aches for you, and somewhere, wherever you are, I pray yours aches for me too, and I say this with complete selfishness. I recently discover that love transcends all thing. Whether it is time, space, dreams, it doesn’t matter. Love alone can travel anywhere, even where gravity cannot. So you see, in the grand scheme of things, the only reason we ever need for anything is love. It must be the purpose of everything. It must be why we are here, you and I, and it is now ever so clear.

  My love, there goes not a day when I don’t indulge in the fantasy of you being queen. There is nothing I want more than for you to sit at my side at the throne and rule our kingdom together. You have been the missing piece in my life, and I will forever remain incomplete if I continue to let fear hold me back from what I know to be absolutely true. I love you. I have never been so sure about anything in my life.

  My dear, I now understand what I must do. Love is stronger than all things. Even pride and fear. The Northern people will accept you as Queen of the North, in the name of love. I am willing to fight for and defend our love. For what is a man who isn’t living in love? Purposeless. And what is death if I’m not dying with love? Regretful.

  Forever yours,

  Leo.

  I held the letter over the candle and watched it burn.

  *****

  I stepped the inside the halls and was greeted with an eerie silence. The first of the body laid on floor, gripping his cup in one hand and the other hand holding his throat. The second man’s head rested on the table, beside his dinner, as if he was only taking a quick nap. The third apparently tried to run to the healers but didn’t make it past the door, and so he sprawled at the doorway and died. From what I was told, these men weren’t the first to die from the so called ‘mysterious death.’

  It was hardly mysterious at all. They were poisoned. I made a special group to look into it. I needed to find the person or thing responsible for these men’s deaths. If the food or water was responsible, then it was going to be a long winter.

  After a while of fighting, a dead man’s face is as uninteresting as looking at a rock. These men’s face, however, had my interest. They had twisted mouths and purple lips. The poison acted fast. They were all eating Bison meat. They had that in common. Just as a precautionary measure, I ordered all bison meat in storage to be burnt immediately.

  The timing was bad. I needed my men to be healthy and fit for the coming war, now, some poison was picking them off one by one, further depleting us.

  I went to the edge of the woods, took off my clothes and neatly placed it beside my boots. I shifted into Snow, becoming one with the falling snow. I ran, full speed, for no other reason than to run. I was tired. Not physically, but mentally. It was one thing after another. So many problems that I was finding it hard to deal with them all.

  Maybe I could outrun them if I ran fast enough.

  I ran until dawn. When I returned my clothes were buried in snow. The wet and soggy clothes stuck to my skin. With this new day, was a new set of problems being thrown at me for me to fix. I am King. I must serve my people. So that was what I did.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Dante

  I think it was best not finding Alric. I would have punched him in the face if we met. I didn’t know him, and I didn’t have to, but any man that made Elizabeth traveled across the land to look for him was not a friend of mine.

  While walking down the mountain, I knew something was wrong. Elizabeth didn’t look right. She was sweating more than usual. Her legs were wobbling, and right before she was about fall, I caught her. “Elizabeth, what’s wrong?”

  She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I don’t know.”

  She was hydrated all through the climb. Maybe it the tea that she drank. No, I’m feeling fine, it couldn’t be that.

  I put on her on my back. “Hold on,”

  Her weak arms clung to my neck as hard she could. I took huge leaps down the mountain. One of those old folks Tao must know what was wr
ong with her. There were suppose to wise after all.

  I made it into the village quickly and screamed for help. I was probably being overly dramatic but I didn’t take any chances. I swore if anything happened to her, I was going to find Alric and kill him, then find Kronus and kill him too.

  This mission was doomed from the start.

  “Whats wrong?” an elderly woman asked.

  “I don’t know! She’s sick dammit.”

  “Come, bring her in here.” I brought her into one of the old houses where other elderly women sat on the floor. One woman immediately went a bowl with water and a rag, another one put a kettle on the fire and another one dug in her cabinet for herbs.

  “Is she going to be okay?

  One old lady came to me and started pushing me out the room. “Go! You can’t be here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere!”

  “We will take care of her. You asked for our help. You can’t be in here. You are unholy.”

  “I said I’m not going anywhere!” I took one step towards the old woman. “Heard what I said?”

  “Dante,” Elizabeth faint voice said. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

  Damn it. This was turning into a fucking nightmare. I stood outside the door since I wasn’t fucking holy enough. My hands were trembling. Heart racing.

  I sat and thought about death. Something I had never given much thought in my life. When you die, you die, that was it. Nothing to fear, or so I thought. Exactly what I knew would happen, happened. The fear came kicking in and flooded my mind. Because of Elizabeth, I feared death, not for myself, but for her. I didn’t know what was going on in that house or how seriously sick she was, and it was not knowing that was troubling me. Bringing up thoughts I wished I never thought. How could I even imagine such a thing? Elizabeth dying? Not before me. If I have to bargain with the Gods then so be it. Elizabeth would not die, or even know of such a thing.