by Heath Pfaff
"I understand, my King." The black cloak answered. His eyes still burned with barely contained hostility, and deep seeded hunger. I knew both of those feelings. I too was joined with the Fell Beast, and I knew what it was to have the beast's boundless brutality pent up inside. Even calm as I was, if I concentrated, I could almost see the beast stalking through the dark recesses of my mind.
"How did you sleep, Liet?" I asked, pushing aside my own dark thoughts, and trying to draw out the bright-eyed and intelligent knight I had once known.
"I rested well. I am ready to serve." Liet answered, no appreciable emotion in his voice.
My anger flared and I slammed my right fist, my only fist, down on my desk. Liet did not flinch. He watched me, his human eyes seeming like blank glass behind which was a feral malice. I clenched my fist, and let my hand drop to my side as I leaned back in my chair. The shoulder of my left arm, the shoulder that now had not even a nub on which to end, ached as I tried to clench the fist that was no longer attached to the arm. My anger dissipated as quickly as it had come, burned away like the flesh of my left arm.
Many had believed that with my remarkable ability to heal, my left arm would eventually regenerate itself. However, the blue fire of the Hungering had damaged the tissue to too great a degree. The tingle of healing had eventually faded from the wound, and the fur that remained, a reminder of the Fell Beast from which I'd taken the arm, had turned as white as fresh fallen snow. Many saw my missing arm as a sign of weakness. They were correct. I was no longer as able as I had been with both arms, but it was foolish to think me less than deadly because I lacked one of my limbs. No few assassins had learned that truth the hard way.
The assassins were ceaseless in their pursuit. Ethaniel told me that it was to be expected since I was a new king, but I noted that Lucidil, and the king before him, had never suffered so many attacks. Ethaniel had merely shrugged, not willing to offer any further advice or explanation. Ethaniel, first of the Knights of Ethan, should have been the king. I knew it, and the people knew it. Sometimes it seemed even the black cloaks, who served me without question, looked at me as if they too knew who belonged on the throne. I tried not to care.
I had taken the position of king so that I could have my ships built, so that I might follow those who'd taken my daughter, Kaylien. Once I was aboard a ship, and sailing across the sea, I didn't care what became of the kingdom I left behind. That, I knew, was a terrible position for a king to take, but I was weary of the whole ordeal. I had never wanted to serve as ruler, but it had been necessary. For some reason, Ethaniel had thought it a good idea. He'd never precisely told me why he backed me, no matter how hard I pressed him for an answer.
In my time as king, I had done my best to serve the people. Despite not wanting the job, I felt responsible for those who trusted in my judgment. Whether they liked my decisions or not, I tried to make choices that would allow the people to live comfortably and without fear. I struggled not to make the same mistakes as my predecessors, but that was no easy task. Everyone I spoke to, even my advisors, all had their own agendas. It was nearly impossible to tell good advice from bad, when everyone had some, seemingly rational, advice to give.
After the war with Hungering, it had seemed like it would be so simple to bring peace to the kingdom, but it had not taken long for the independent tribes to split off once more. Even the Shao Geok, a tribal race of fearsome creatures who had long fought against humanity, but joined in the fight against the Hungering, had returned to their homes far to the south, leaving without so much as a word as to what their future intentions might be. Was peace even a possibility any longer? I didn't know.
"You may return to your post, Liet." I said, and I heard the defeat in my voice as I spoke. It was hard to remain positive when it seemed the world sought your failure.
"Yes, my King." Liet turned, and walked from the room. As soon as the door opened, Malice darted her way inside, rushing past the dangerous black-cloaked warrior. Liet watched her with his menacing eyes, but did not stop her. He was well aware that she had free run of the castle.
Malice, in her mad dash across the room to my desk, very nearly skidded into the table, coming up short only by a few inches, and windmilling her arms to reestablish her balance. She wore a wide smile across her young face, and I was once again stricken by just how beautiful she was. She had the body of exceedingly shapely sixteen year old woman, with heavy endowments. Her hair was a brilliant red, and hung freely about her shoulders, not much longer than collar length. Her eyes were vivid green, the eyes of a Knight of Ethan, but filled with the mirth and joy of youth. Her face, which had usually worn an expression of seriousness, lit the entire room when she smiled.
She was dressed in a one piece summer dress, with no sleeves, a modest, but not severe neck line, and a hem that came down to about mid thigh. It was the type of dress any girl her apparent age might wear in the warmer months of the year. Of course, it was late fall, and her actual age was nearly two hundred years. Her arms and legs were those of a Fell Beast, covered in soft black fur, and ended in claws that could rip the throat from a man with little effort. Guiding all that power and beauty, was the mind of a fourteen year old innocent. Her appearance was a confusing, but not unpleasant, mix of brutal power and bottomless grace.
"Good morning, Lowin!" She exclaimed as she seated herself on the edge of my desk, knocking various scrolls and papers free. As was my talk with Liet, Malice's exuberant morning greeting had become a part of my daily ritual. She spent most of her waking time with me, and most of her night hours curled up in my bed, though she had her own quarters. I, being a Knight of Ethan, did not need to sleep very often, though I found that I enjoyed the quiet of my quarters in the deep of the night. She, strangely, for she was also a Knight, slept every night, and I allowed her to use my room. I could forbid her nothing, for I still loved her dearly, and hoped daily for the recovery of her mind. Though we sometimes shared a bed, it was not in the way that one shares a bed with a lover, but as an adult protecting a child. I had vowed to myself that I would not take advantage of her while her mind remained fragile. The years had passed, and she had not gotten any better.
"Good morning, Laouna." I used her human name, from a time before she was a Knight of Ethan. She didn't identify with the name "Malice," and it didn't seem fitting to call her by it. "I trust you had a good night." I knew full well that she had slept soundly, for she had spent the night curled up in my bed, while I lay on a couch nearby. I would not allow myself to lay with her long. It had been too many years, and I craved her intimate company with such a vigor that I feared I might I exceed my restraints. Every night, after she fell asleep, I pulled myself from her grasp and went about my business.
She scrunched up her face. "I'd sleep better if you didn't always leave in the night. Where did you go last night?" This was yet another aspect of the morning routine. Every night I left the room, and in the morning, she asked me where I had gone. This morning I could answer her honestly without fearing hurting her.
"I came here, to catch up on my work. It seems that there is always more waiting for me." I answered with a sigh. Some nights, not often, but when I was most lonely, I made my way to Snow's quarters. The young, white-furred, master of swords for the Knights of Ethan, was always an eager partner. I was not sure what she felt for me, but I had made sure she understood that my love only lay in one place, even if my body wandered. We were friends, and nothing more, though I knew she believed me a fool for holding on to my hope for Malice.
I was not so foolish, or unobservant, that I did not hear the whispering among the knights, the castle staff, and even amongst the nobles who visited. They believed I took advantage of Malice's flesh because her mind was weak, and that I did not desire to find another woman because I did not wish to find one with a mind who might resist my advances. Of those around me, very few believed that what I felt for Malice was sincere, and that I had not taken advantage of her in her innocent state.
&nbs
p; None were so foolish as to say anything directly to me, or to insult Malice's honor, or my own, directly, but I could see the accusations in their eyes. Snow, Ethaniel, and Malice, they were the only three that knew the truth, and of them only Malice believed I was right in the head. Of course, she saw me through the idealistic eyes of a young girl with a crush.
"You work too much, you should . . ." A knock sounded at the door, interrupting Malice's reprimand.
A black cloak entered, not Liet, but the other who served on guard duty with him. "The Lord of Clan Lheec wishes audience, my King." His eyes, dark and dangerous, caressed Malice's body with a look of mingled lust and violence. Her innocence, and her shapely form, attracted the part of the black cloaks that was Fell Beast. I had gotten use to that terrible stare, but I did not like to see it.
"You may see him in." I said, eager to have the guard gone.
"He wishes to see you . . . in private, your Highness." The half-man said, more pointedly looking at Malice, that hunger still in his eyes. My mind replayed for me the image of a woman I had considered a sister, Wisp, and her shattered body, ravaged and brutalized by black cloaks that had slipped their magical leash. I had to bite back my anger.
I pointed to a side door, one that led to my private study. "Laouna, would you . . ."
Malice hopped down from the desk, a graceful movement that spoke volumes on the state of her physical condition. Every movement she made was like art. It was that movement that had made her, at one time, one of the most dangerous sword masters ever to train the Knights of Ethan. She wore a sour look on her face.
"You let me know when you're done." She ordered, her face stoic. For just a moment, the barest breath, I saw the old weapon master shine through, and then the expression faded in the light of another smile. "I'll be angry with you if you don't!" She spun about and dashed from the room and into my study. I blanched to think of what mischief she might get into in there, but I couldn't force myself to send her out past the black cloak with the hungry eyes. His eyes traced her movements as she left the room.
"Send Lord Lheec in, please." I issued a sharp command, and the black cloak jumped to obey.
Lord Lheec was one of the many nobles I'd found myself dealing with while working on restoring the capital city to proper working order. His clan made their home in lands rich with rock, and resources we needed to rebuild the many damaged segments of the city, and the other towns and villages that had been ravaged in the Hungering attack. At first, he'd been only too willing to give to the cause, to "better the lives of our people," but it soon became clear that he had only been trying to better his own position. He had great resources upon which to draw because his homelands had not been struck by the Hungering.
I had, perhaps foolishly, taken advantage of the help he offered, and he seemed to believe that placed him in a better position to negotiate for whatever he wanted from me. I had given him some of the things he wanted, for it seemed better to keep a man with such resources on good terms, but the last few times he had paid me a visit, I got the impression that he was aiming for something more, though he wouldn't speak his designs clearly. I didn't trust the man.
He usually came later in the day, and I generally only met with him when Ethaniel was nearby. Ethaniel was out of the castle on routine business, and Lheec's timing for his visit, so early in the day, was suspect.
The door to my general study opened, and Lheec was shown in by Liet. The nobleman did not enter alone. Behind him was a strikingly beautiful young woman adorned in a dress that probably cost more than a common person made in a year's time of hard labor. The gown was cut to accentuate the girl's budding figure, and was hemmed in jewels that rang softly as she moved. The sound, I knew, was so soft that those with human ears might not hear it, but it was clear enough to my Fell Beast senses. She had bright blond hair, and pale, translucent skin.
Lheec strode confidently across the room to stand before me, bowing deeply as he came to within a few paces of my desk. The girl, who seemed to almost quiver inside her extravagant gown, followed him, and curtsied awkwardly. Beautiful though she might be, she was young, afraid, and still awkward.
"My King, it is good to see you looking well." Lheec said without prompting, and there was a massive and false smile plastered across his face. I had seen enough of these smiles to be able to identify them with little more than a glance. I did not bother to return the insincere expression.
"Lheec, what brings you to see me so early in the day?" I asked bluntly. My advisors, had they been present, would have blanched. They tended to dislike my to-the-point attitude. I was supposed to engage in small talk before getting to the business at hand. However, I had never been one for discussions involving the weather, or the current selling price of local vegetation.
Lheec seemed taken aback for a moment, but he cleared his throat, strengthened his well crafted smile, and pressed on.
"Straight to the heart of the matter, my King, that is a noble and forthright attitude, refreshing in these hard times." Lheec said, laughing with the same insincerity with which he smiled. The empty flattery made me nervous, though I kept my face composed and cool.
"This," Lheec reached out and grabbed the girl that accompanied him, clenching her arm hard enough that I thought he might bruise her. He pulled her forward. The young woman, despite Lheec's harsh grasp, only came forward hesitantly. "Is my youngest daughter, Bellena. Bellena, this is his Majesty, King of Men, the Noble King, the Drake Slayer." He embellished my title in an attempt to honor me. I did my best to not wince at the tired recital of titles.
Bellena curtsied once more, deeply this time, shaking on her feet as she did so. Her eyes did not meet mine. "It is my pleasure to meet you, my Liege." Her voice was surprisingly deep for such a young girl, far gruffer than I would have anticipated. Lheec smiled over the girl's shoulder.
"Bell has just reached the age at which she might be married, my King." Lheec began, and the purpose of the meeting suddenly dawned on me. I should have realized it the moment the girl walked in with Lheec to our "private" meeting, but I was still unaccustomed to the scheming of politicians, even after four years of dealing with them.
"Forgive me for noticing," Lheec continued. "But you do not yet have a queen, and without a queen there can be no heirs for the country. I saw this, and many of my countrymen have seen this as well, and we feel that it is an injustice to both you, and the very country in which we live." His speech was so rehearsed that it felt to me that he was reading it from parchment. I let him continue. "What would happen should some ill fate befall you? Why, there would be an uprising amongst the people, and chaos in the kingdom! This is why we need to assure the lineage of our king, so that in the event something unfortunate should befall you -- pray let that never happen -- but should something happen, you will have children to carry on your name.
"This is why I've brought my daughter here today. I can assure you that Bell is pure of heart and body, and that she will give you as many heirs as you wish. The women of my blood are known for birthing strong, healthy boys, your Majesty. Bell is also well schooled in child rearing, and the tasks of state. She can keep books, and has been educated at only the best schools. I do not make this offer lightly, my King, as Bell is my favorite daughter." He droned on, and I tuned him out, knowing he would continue for a while. I looked at Bellena, Bell.
She was pretty, if overly young. If she was old enough to marry, she was just so. Though I looked like a young man of sixteen, maybe seventeen, I was nearly twice that many years. Being a Knight of Ethan, I did not age. Bell was maybe two, three years at the most, older than my own daughter. On top of that, she was terrified of me. She stood before me shaking as though I were a monster that might devour her at any moment. Perhaps, I thought, that was exactly what I was. Certainly I was no mortal man.
"What do you say?" Lheec asked, obviously having come to the end of his dialogue. He had noticed me watching the girl, and his eyes had a glimmer of victory in them. He didn't u
nderstand that I saw her less as a woman, and more as a little girl.
"At this time," I began, trying to find the words that would least offend the Lord of Lheec. "I am not in a position to consider taking a wife. There are too many. . ."
Lheec held up a hand, a dangerous spark in his eyes. "Now, now, your majesty, I don't want you to make this decision in haste. This is my most favored daughter, after all, and turning her down outright would be a terrible slight to both her, and my family. Why don't I leave her here with you for the day? I will come back tomorrow, and at that time I will accept whatever decision you make, knowing you gave the matter your full attention."
Bell was shaking even harder then, her shoulders twitching lightly in what I knew were sobs, though she kept her face down turned, and the slight noise I heard would have been impossible to make out if not for my acute hearing. Lheec had me in a corner. If I refused him at that time, he would have a reason to withdraw his land's aid. If Ethaniel had been there, he might have found a more politic way to extricate me from the situation, but I could not think of one.