The Winds of Crowns and Wolves

by K. E. Walter

  This undertaking may have proven too much for Neach to do alone. He was just yet a man, maybe it was possible that he couldn’t understand until later in his life. Regardless, he pushed forward toward the supposed massive stone home where Daniel was said to be living.

  Up ahead, he saw a gathering of people in a square. They were all surrounding what appeared to be a street performer who had set up a base in the center of the square.

  When he reached this gathering, Neach took the liberty to see what it was all about. Intrigued by the display, he stood in the back of the group and listened as the performer went through the motions of his trick.

  “Look here now, good people of Leirwold, it is I, the marksman of the North. I challenge any of you to do what is it I am about to do, as I am considered a premier sharp shooter in this land,” the man claimed.

  Out of his pocket he took a collection of knives which looked freshly sharpened. He ran his finger along the blade and made a grand gesture for entertainment purposes.

  After a brief pause, the performer’s finger pointed to a piece of paper which was attached to a tree at the far side of the square. At its center, a circle was drawn for targeting purposes. A short wind up and a throw saw the first knife sail toward the tree with reckless abandon. It hit the paper just outside the circle and the people watching applauded.

  The second knife was not as lucky as it glided through the air only to find itself lodged in the tree, just above the paper.

  The final knife was the subject of a challenge to the audience. Calling on the great performers of the day, this man wished to get the crowd involved so they’d come back for more. The people around him filled the bucket at his feet with coins as he made issued the following challenge:

  “To any wayward traveler or resident who wishes to attempt the feats which I, myself, have managed to accomplish, you need only step forward and take hold of this knife which I hold in my hand at this very moment.”

  A passion burned deep within Neach, the man’s arrogance was something which perturbed him and he wished to prove him wrong. With the seizure of all the gumption in his body, Neach stepped forward and accepted the gauntlet.

  “I’ll give it a go,” Neach stated in a quiet voice.

  “What’s your name, kind volunteer?” asked the man.

  “Neach,” a more confident Neach stated to the crowd.

  “Well then, Neach, here’s a knife, the rest is up to you to execute,” propagated the performer, his voice dripping with charisma.

  Neach stepped forward and grasped the sharp knife in his right hand. From where he stood, he could see the paper clear as the blue sky above after the clouds had parted. He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. As he did so, a rush of adrenaline took over and could hear the music of the street performer a block away distinctly in his ear.

  He reared back with a vengeance, and hurled the blade toward the tree.

  It spun through the air, seemingly in slow motion. Its ultimate destination unsure, but its intent clearly evident, it transgressed the square and lodged itself perfectly into the center of the circle outlined onto the paper.

  A near perfect toss, the crowd was stunned. A gasp of breath was all that could be heard until a murmur of whispers was replaced with a resounding applause for the throw that had just been perfectly executed.

  He stood without moving for what seemed like an eternity. The tranquil scene of success blended with disbelief was quickly interrupted by what could only be described as a dissipation of the previously formed unit. Men and women scattered and the wind kicked up in the square. It seemed a storm was moving in and it would be best if Neach left for cover.

  In a sort of frenzy, Neach began walking northward toward where he believed Daniel’s home was.

  Ahead of him he read a sign which said “Estates District”.

  Leirwold was separated into nine districts, all serving a specific purpose to the community it was located within. The Estates District housed the wealthiest of the city’s citizens in a collection of massive homes.

  Made from the finest woods and raw materials, these feats of architecture loomed over the small residential zone to its southwest. Daunting structures, funded through the successes of Leirwold’s elite, these estates just so happened to house the man Neach had come to the city to find.

  Through the district he walked, following a multitude of winding footpaths in the wrong direction multiple times. At one point, he gazed upon the royal palace for the first time. Never in his life had he seen a piece of art more magnificent than the castle which stood before him at that very moment.

  He turned about face and wandered back in the direction of the center of the district.

  The Estates District was one of the smaller districts in the city. Wedged between the Craftsman’s District and the Marketplace District, the Estates District offered a prime location in reference to its proximity to both leisurely and life altering goods.

  Into the center of the district Neach ventured until he was standing before what could only be described as the most hideously designed building in the entire area.

  Wood, which had been colorized yellow using the pigment located in corn, outlined the face and sides of the building, creating a hideously yellow structure which appeared daunting to the wary Neach. There was no way he could be mistaken in finding this house; it had to be the home of Daniel.

  In front of the home a long cobblestone path was laid before the doorstep. With increasing trepidation, Neach moved along the path toward the door.

  When he reached the entrance, he paused before grasping the cold, brass knocker. He thought about his family back in Spleuchan Sonse, what he had left behind for this moment.

  He lifted the knocker and it collided with the metal plate behind it three times before a rustling could be heard from inside.

  Scampering about and an extensive amount of collisions could be heard as the owner hurried toward the door to invite the weary traveler in.

  As the door opened, all that Neach had hoped for was under siege by the toiling occurring in his brain.

  In front of him stood a man whose disheveled hair was the most prominent feature that could be distinguished upon first glance. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in days and a musty smell emanated from the inside of the home. From what Neach could see from the doorway, it appeared that although the home was filled with extravagant goods, they were poorly taken care of.

  “Hello there la, what can I-Oh-my lute!” exclaimed the man who could only be Daniel at this point.

  Daniel removed the instrument from Neach’s hands and began to strum a few chords.

  It was obvious from their initial interaction that the man who was standing in the doorway in front of Neach was off kilter at the least, and Neach proceeded to make his next claim with trepidation.

  “Sir, I believe you know my parents, from your time in Spleuchan Sonse,” Neach offered cautiously.

  Daniel immediately ceased his playing and stared at the young man who stood in front of him. He carefully examined him for a few minutes before drawing a conclusion in his head.

  “Are you him? Are you really him?” asked a bewildered Daniel.

  Utterly confused at this point, Neach could only offer a few words in disbelief.

  “W-what are you talking about?” Neach answered.

  A wry smile expanded over Daniel’s face as he considered the words Neach had just spoken. He seemed content with the response that Neach had crafted and motioned for him to follow his steps inside the house.

  Neach complied and followed him inside the house. He was struck by the scenes inside of the home more so than he was by the outside. Inside the room he entered, thousands of books were piled on shelves, circling the space. Texts from historical accounts of Leirwold, to books on the theory of music as represented through the lute. He couldn’t believe the vast accumulation of knowledge which was present.

  Without so much as a glance toward Neach, Daniel continued to
walk up the spiral staircase in the far corner of the room. Neach, once again, followed along until they reached the walkway which outlined the whole of the library. A short, but precarious walk around the top of the library and Daniel made a hard left into a small room.

  It was dark and Daniel’s strange behavior made this a more interesting experience than Neach had hoped.

  Neach turned the corner and entered the room where Daniel now resided. Daniel had taken a candle from the shelf and lit it so that now, part of the room was illuminated. He gestured toward a shelf which held seemingly rare texts, based on their bindings being encrusted with jewels and metallic substances.

  Daniel reached into the shelf and pulled a specific book out that was barely legible to Neach’s eyes. It had rubies inserted in its face and a binding which appeared to be forged from gold. The pages were gold edged and it was evident that the text in front of him was of grave importance to Daniel.

  With a shuddering hand, Daniel lifted the cover of the book to reveal the first page. Illustrated in exquisite detail was the head of a wolf with a phrase above it. The phrase read “Yoriik Riamendi”, something that Neach was unsure of the meaning of.

  He sat quietly analyzing the first page as Daniel stood staring at him with intense passion. Suddenly a light flickered in Daniel’s head and he decided to convey a message to Neach.

  “This book will have all of the answers you seek,” claimed Daniel.

  Perplexed because of his inability to read this foreign language, Neach was unsure what he was meant to do. He approached this situation with Daniel as they stood their together in this candlelit room.

  “How am I meant to know what this says, Daniel? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this language before,” claimed Neach.

  “Look within yourself, son. There is a man who has been waiting for you; he lives just off the Northern coast of Duncairn on a small island. There you will learn of this book’s importance, Coinneach.”

  Neach was even more confused; Daniel knew his full name and was telling him to embark on another perilous adventure. It was at this point he decided he did not want to know anymore. He wasn’t interested in knowing the truth behind his existence; he simply wanted to go home.

  But his heart wouldn’t give up like that; the passion still burned hot inside of him and he wished to know more, no matter the costs.

  And so, he removed the book from Daniel’s grasp. He held it in his hands and it felt as if it contained the weight of the world. Its cold exterior sent a shiver down Neach’s spine, or rather, the impending nature of the task at hand did. Indistinguishable between the two, it did not matter much at this point. He looked up to find Daniel staring at him intently again before he made a proclamation.

  “There is no need to worry, son, in the realm of time we must strive to be minutes when seconds are all that is left, a gust when our soul is a breeze at rest,” Daniel stated with a calm authority about his voice.

  This statement sank into the deepest recesses of Neach’s mind. While he sat there pondering the implications of everything, he was guided by Daniel downstairs to the pantry.

  Still carrying the knapsack that he had brought with him originally, Daniel removed it from his back and began filling it with fruits and bread.

  “You will need these things for the journey, Coinneach. It should take about three days with a healthy rest each night. The man who awaits you there will want to know your name, you best remember it upon your arrival,” said Daniel through a gleaming smile. He appeared content with Neach, as if he had known him for years and was waiting to see him again.

  Daniel had once again left the room, as it seemed he was always doing, but returned this time with a bow.

  “You will also need this, son, for protection in the wilderness yes, but once you arrive at the island, the importance of this bow will reveal itself,” claimed Daniel.

  Neach silently accepted the bestowal of the bow upon his person and threw the quiver over his shoulder. Within it were about a hundred iron tipped arrows, much more effective than the wooden ones he had grown up with.

  Every child in Spleuchan Sonse was given a bow from a young age. Most of the time it was used simply for target practice and recreational activity, but once every season, the men of the village would partake in a deer hunt. Their hearts beat as one in the pursuit of the elusive antlered creatures.

  He knew he could handle himself with the bow and he expressed his gratitude toward Daniel with a nod of his head.

  “Go on now, son, onward to the island. Just remember, sometimes you don’t need to know how to read it for that book to speak to you,” Daniel said.

  Neach accepted this advice and bounded out the door of the estate into the late afternoon sunshine- his destination uncertain, his purpose undefined.

  VII

  Out in the streets they were dancing.

  A menagerie of colors and shapes, Neach had no idea what he was witnessing. There was an atmosphere of jubilation and every citizen of Leirwold seemed to be celebrating in full force.

  All around the marketplace, people could be seen frolicking about in the early evening sunlight. Their tunics were colored brightly, as he had never seen before. He waded through massive crowds of people hoping to find his way northward.

  Smiles could be seen breaking out upon every person’s face in the center as music began to play. The serene sound of a lute accompanied by a horn of some sort filled the air and brought the city to life. The residents who were seemingly lost within themselves were now flocking toward the musicians.

  Each person seemed to play a specific role in the beautiful chaos of that day in Leirwold. There was not a single distraught person that could be seen from Neach’s vantage point-everyone was imbued with a feeling of joy.

  What he was witnessing, unbeknownst to him, was the Festival of the Sun. Brought to Leirwold hundreds of years earlier by a ruling empire, this festival sought to rid the city of evil before the impending springtime.

  The people of Leirwold gathered in all of the city centers for a full day, eating and drinking frivolously, in hopes that they could cleanse the city of the doom and gloom which had resided over it in the preceding winter.

  Recently, the temperature had been rising all around the Kingdom, and sunlight seemed to be prevailing over clouds, bar a few snowy times.

  Neach continued through the marketplace before his eyes fell upon someone standing directly in front of him. Their eyes met and they locked gaze for what seemed like an eternity, as the festival appeared to freeze and the two were brought together.

  It was a girl, but not just any girl. She had piercing green eyes, and jet black hair. There was a mysterious aura about her that drew Neach away from what he was doing. He couldn’t help but venture closer to her as she did the same toward him.

  In the center of the marketplace they met, and spoke not a single word. She simply grabbed his hand and guided him into a group of dancing people. The two joined in the dance and melded without the slightest sense of difference.

  The low angle of the sun caused an illuminating effect on her tunic. The blues and oranges vibrant in the late afternoon sunlight, she looked as beautiful as anyone he had ever seen. Her mystical qualities acted as bait for Neach, as the further she went into the crowd, the further Neach would follow her.

  She continued through until she reached a clearing near the edge of the district.

  Behind them, the music and dancing continued as the people of Leirwold celebrated the end of the season which had left them cold and desperate for a return of better weather. Winter always seemed to do that, even in Spleuchan Sonse. The lack of sunlight and barren despair of winter’s wrath caused even the most stable of people to crack under the pressure of the season.