Second Born

by Lance Wilson

  Before he knows it he feels someone begin to nudge him awake. Slowly he opens his eyes only to find that it is Griffin and Noin. Noin still seems to have a stern look on her face as she looks down at him.

  “We are in luck, there is a nice thick fog to cover our approach. Are you ready Mellyruna” Griffin says with a bright smile on his face.

  Noin only looks at the both of them, she can’t hide the distrust she has for Mellyruna but why is it that lord Griffin has such trust for him. Why is it that he trusts him in such an unwavering fashion?

  “I assume it is time to start working then” Mellyruna says and reaches for his blade.

  ‘Hold on kid, before you get ready I and Noin have decided to help you into your armor, Judo said he found you having trouble with it.” Griffin says and smiles at him.

  “Well yes, the wound still causes a bit of pain now and then, mostly when I stretch the wrong way” Mellyruna says shaking his head.

  “That is why we are here” Griffin says and nods over to the shirt of blue chain mail.

  Noin lets out a bit of a growl and goes to fetch it. Once she has the shirt Griffin helps him hold up his arms. There is a wince of pain but Griffin still keeps his arms up. Noin takes a deep breath and slides the shirt of armor over him. Mellyruna then stretches in his armor ignoring the pain then starts to get dressed in the rest of his armor. Once he is ready he drapes sword over his back and nods to the both of them. It is time to go and prove himself worthy to be a Wolfpride.

  It is in the middle of the night as Mellyruna sits on the back of his horse waiting for the signal. He and Griffin have been waiting. The others have been sent ahead as a distraction, Jake and Jack Jeckle set off all the explosions to distract the guards they also set fire to some of the tents. He and Griffin stayed behind, He explained it and told him that they will stay behind in order to make sure everything is going according to plan, and to go in as rear guard, to make sure that everyone gets out well. Mellyruna only looks over at Griffin on his horse, a ghostly white horse. Griffin himself is dressed in shimmering plate armor the helm in the shape of a hawks head. The armor is flawless but he can tell by the way he sits on his horse that it has seen more then one battle. It seems like forever as they just sit on there horses waiting. It then comes, a flash of fire and some bright green smoke. That is the signal. The two of them take off in full gallop. Once they get to the camp they break away from each other, just as planned. Griffin goes right, and he goes left, they duty is to go around the camp and round up all of the Wolfpride. Mellyruna rides hard though the camp letting out a huge whistle letting those inside that it is time to go. He watches as the Wolfpride move like a single thought, all gathering in front of him, they know that he is rear guard and his job is to make sure that they get out. It takes only a few minutes for them to get out of the camp, but many of the solders begin to follow.

  “Mellyruna, take care of those men, I’m gong to take lead to make sure the men know not to lead them right to camp.” Griffin says and begins to ride past the group to take lead.

  Mellyruna knows what has to be done and he is more then willing to do it. Quickly he turns his horse around and rides right at the enemy solders. The soldier see him coming and instantly let loose with a small wave of arrows. Mellyruna knows it is a long shot but draws his sword and begins to try to deflect them. He gets a good portion of them but soon one passes right into his shoulder, that however does not stop him, doesn’t even slow him down. Once he is face to face with the solders he begins his work. Quickly knocking them off their horses slashing and cutting, his speed and skill is more then these men are ready for but soon he is knocked off his own horse and thrown to the ground. Rolling to lessen the impact he raises to one knee and then to his feet, he will stop them. Kill as many as he has to in order to make sure his job is done. The men begin their attack again but still they are outmatched, they surround him but with each thrust and slash of his blade he pushes them back. His mind is a blur of tactics and strategy, his body moving on instinct. He cannot fail, he watches, as men fall to him, all that fall are wounded, but not dead. He also sees that for each man that falls, three, even four take his place, he knows he is outnumbered and will soon be overwhelmed, then what, will they kill him here and now, or will they take him to Mecmed where he will be told of Mellyruna’s betrayal. How will that go punished, will he pay alone, or will his mother pay as well. As the thoughts rush though him he feels something cut his arm, he has made the fatal mistake of taking his mind off the battle. It is just at that moment when he hears a horse gallop to him. The men around him scream and shout. In the moonlight he sees him, Griffin, shimmering and shinning in his armor. Mellyruna quickly holds out his hand and as Griffin gallops past he grabs it at the wrist and flings him onto the horse. With that the two of them ride out of the crowd of soldiers, at first Mellyruna thinks that the attempt has failed and that the odds of getting out of any of this alive is hopeless, just then he hears a whistle and then sees two smaller black objects pass through the moonlight. The objects land just as they pass, but still in front of the guards that peruse them, and then a huge explosion. The guards are thrown back but not hurt too badly. That however was never the point; it gave them time, time enough to vanish into the shadows.

  “Your going to get yourself killed at that rate.” Griffin says feeling Mellyruna grip him to stay on the horse.

  “You said keep them back, I did as you told the only way I knew how” Mellyruna says trying to keep his spirits light.

  “Hmm, seems I’ll have to find another place for you then. Come the camp is waiting and it is a good nights work. The others will want to celebrate” Griffin says and kicks his horse into an even faster run.

  It only takes them an hour or less to get to the camp, like Griffin though all the men involved in the raid are already in full celebration for the victory of the raid. The men have full tankard of ale and already roasted meats. Noin smiles as she walks up to Griffin holding a goblet of wine and a leg of some kind of pig or lamb.

  “Here I thought I could help you to your dinner” she says handing him the goblet and roasted meat as he dismounts his horse.

  “Lady Lucrainzia, your are more then I deserve some days, tell me is there anything left for our new friend Mellyruna.” Griffin says and hands the reins of his horse to Noin.

  “I might be able to find something.” She says a bit of irritation in her voice.

  “I cannot accept, you see where I am from, ladies are served first” Mellyruna says taking the reins from her.

  “A gentlemen, Trays and Millardo are going to love you, go on Noin, I wish to speak to our newest acquaintance alone” he says and smiles at Mellyruna.

  “As you say sir” Noin says and growls walking away.

  “Noin, I would love to speak to you as well, but after all this” Griffin says and gently strokes her cheek.

  Mellyruna watches knowing one thing is for certain. Noin is defiantly in love with Griffin, he can’t say for certain if the affection is returned or not but he can tell that she would do anything for him. Once they are alone he smiles as he turns to Mellyruna

  “So what brought you here, tell me honestly” Griffin says looking up at the night sky

  “What do you mean?” Mellyruna asks knowing exactly what is going on. He’s just not sure how to answer the questions that are to come.

  “I have done some asking around, they say Mecmed treats you as his heir, the son he has yet to have. So tell me, why are you here with us” Griffin says still not looking at him, only looking at the bright moon.

  “My father filled my life with all these expectations, and lies. And now I find myself driven into that same kind of life but here, Mecmed wants me to be the perfect prince, but he’s full of lies too, no one here seems to speak the honest and plain truth. I asked to come here, men like the Wolfpride, well, what you see is what you get with them. T
hey don’t mix words or hide things from you” Mellyruna says and takes a deep breath now looking up at the moon himself.

  “You are a rare breed aren’t you, an honest prince, I don’t think I’ve ever met one of those” Griffin says and then puts his hand on Mellyruna’s shoulder

  “To fight for the people, you have to get down in the mud and the blood with them. To know them so you know what they need” Mellyruna says looking deep into griffins eyes.

  “I have great plans for you my friend, great plans indeed” Griffin says and starts to walk off.

  “Captain, your orders” Mellyruna says now holding himself with pride.

  “Go enjoy yourself this is our night, our night as Wolfpride, and your night, your first victory in this command” he says smiling ear to ear.

  “Be gentle with Noin, she is only watching your back” Mellyruna says and walks to the bonfire were he sees Judo and Krull waiting for him.

  “Noin is a good soldier, but a bit paranoid” he says and begins to walk into the night to talk to his commander.

  Mellyruna only keeps walking until he is now in the heart of the party, before he knows it his tankard is full of ale and he is deep into the celebration, warm food in his belly and cool ale down his throat. Griffin soon finds Noin over by the sables brushing down his horse.

  “Noin, I want to talk to you about Mellyruna” he says his voice warm and inviting but at the same time there is an underlined power to it. This is not just a simple talk of friends, this is business.

  “I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him, there is nothing more to talk about” She says her voice stern, but even she has to admit it is taking everything she has to be stern with him. His boyish face, his unwavering charm and unyielding charisma, it all plays against her.

  “I know, everyone knows. Here is what I want from you. I’m not asking you to trust him, but I want you to give him a chance. I think that you fail to see what kind of person he is, he is not like Mecmed” Griffin says and gently reaches out turning and lifting her head so that they are now looking at one another

  “How can you tell” She says and growls at him.

  “He’s not like your father” he says and gently strokes her cheek

  A tear slowly slips down her cheek as she remembers her father. A cruel man, a cold man, and a man of power.

  “I will give him a chance, for you, but don’t think that I’ll drop my guard, even for a second” She says and smiles at him as his thumb gently brushes away the tear.

  “I would expect nothing less from you” he say and with that pulls her into a hug, it is nothing intimate, just one friend consoling another.

  On the hill in the distance Neckity watches as the celebration takes place. She can only smile, this is the beginning, the fire that is started here shall burn right though the whole of not only the Kainith elf kingdom but the Denerith elf kingdom, if things happen the way she has seen them all the elf kingdoms will hear about these men. With the fire that burns deep in Griffin, and now combined it with the great power and spirit that Mellyruna holds, there is no limit. It is only a tragedy that in the end Griffin breaks all their hearts… . but they can come back from it. Mellyruna will see to that.

  Chapter 8

  Takunen

  Elana slowly walks down the hall; it is only minutes before dawn and she knows that Fuma wished to wake at dawn He talked about some kind of meeting with his warlords and counselors. Taking a deep breath she finally has made her way to his door. Normally she would knock to see if he is awake but she knows that will not be necessary today. She was given specific directions that she was to wake him. Calmly she opens the door and shakes her head at what she sees. Lying in bed is Fuma, his arms wrapped around Attonnan. It has been over ten years since the young lord was brought to them. Attonnan has been marked as one of the Dagoth clan, just as Fuma was marked. Fuma has taken the young man deep into his grasp and made him not only a perfect and loyal apprentice but also his new lover. This doesn’t surprise her, Fuma has had many apprentices and each has shared his bed for the length they were here. Taking a deep breath she calmly walks over and gently puts her hand on her lords shoulder. Almost as soon as her finger touches his skin his eyes flash open.

  “My lord, you asked me to wake you for your meeting” she says and quickly takes a step back.

  “Yes, thank you. You may leave now.” Fuma says with a deep low growl. He hates waking this early but this time he has no real choice.

  Once she is out of the room Fuma lets his hand drift to Attonnan’s silky black hair. He is the reason for this meeting. The Hojo clan has had a power shift and it is all because of the young man lying in front of him. When he came to them he was already an excellent swordsman, now, with Attonnan just now starting to tap into his true abilities as a member of the Dagoth clan his skills have surpassed even his expectations. He is not in his prime yet but he is getting there. The best thing about all of this is that he is loyal to him and him alone. The day he took him in the temple of Ares he broke him. Now, now Attonnan acts only to please him, he does nothing without orders first. After all this time and all the others that came before him he has finally found the perfect apprentice and servant. Slowly he pulls away from Attonnan. He gets across the room to the dresser before Attonnan wakes and smiles at his lord.

  “My lord Fuma, may I ask what you are doing up so early” Attonnan says calmly and sits up.

  The sheets begin to drape off his body showing the underneath he is probably naked.

  “I have meetings all day today. I will require you in the war room mid afternoon. We have a problem with the Takada clan that needs dealt with.” Fuma says and smiles at his young apprentice.

  “Very well my lord. Is they’re anything else you will require of me?” he asks his head in a shallow bow.

  This is what he is talking about. Attonnan has only just woke up and already the only thing he is thinking about is how to please his lord. He doesn’t even get out of bed unless he is told. A perfect puppet.

  “No, The day is yours to do with as you please, until mid afternoon. I shall have someone gather you when it is time” Fuma says and walks out of the room.

  Attonnan thinking about it a bit longer only rolls back on his side, his back to the door and then falls back to sleep.

  It is early in the afternoon when Attonnan finally awakens from his sleep. Stretching he looks around wondering what he should do. He knows that in a bit he will have a meeting in the war room with the counselors and the generals. He knows that he must look good for his lord, if he goes in there looking as he does now then not only does he dishonor himself but also his lord since he is Fuma’s apprentice. Taking this into consideration he knows that the first thing he must do is take a bath. Calmly he goes to the dresser and takes out his clothing, It is not his apprentice uniform, but just a pair of black silk pants that he can wear to the bathhouse, he can change into his uniform later Smiling he looks himself over him the mirror. His skin is still perfect porcelain white. Surprising there are no scars on his body, at least none that you can see with his pants on. His raven black hair now pulled back in a tail he looks hard at the markings given to him by his master. The day he claimed him as a member of the Dagoth clan. He lets his fingers gently move over the three red scars on his cheek just below the bone, three red marks on each cheek. Normally a scar would just be a line of pale skin, but Fuma had done something, somehow these stayed red, red as fresh blood. And the mark on his forehead, a perfect crescent moon in blue. These are the marks that his master has given him, he knows nothing about why these were chosen for him all that he knows is that this is a wonderful gift to be given. Smiling at his reflection he turns and makes his way to the bathhouse. He walks though the halls and watches as the guards and quickly puts there fist over their chest and lower their head. He is the apprentice to Fuma and in that he has the rank of a lord. Th
ey also know that he is responsible for the fall of many of the Hojo enemies, with his skills men have been killed swiftly and with unequaled ferocity. It takes him no time to get to the bathhouse where he is greeted at the entry by Toph. He has known Toph since he got here; she was the one that lead him to his first bath here. Today she is dressed in a pair of baggy green pants with a cloth that falls over the middle, also green but with patterns embroidered in a sandy yellow. Her shirt is short sleeved and the same emerald green as her pants, but over that is a vest of sandy gold, a dragon embroidered in green along the right side. Her hair is pulled into a bun and tied with a green sash that falls gently over her shoulder. At the sight of Attonnan she smiles and her face goes flush.

  “Attonnan, this is not your typical time. Is it the usual then.” Toph asks smiling at him.

  She knows Attonnan well; he is here almost every other day. He always orders the same kind of bath, him and one girl, water so hot it almost burns, oil, but nothing more then a bath. She is always hoping that one day he will ask for something a bit more intimate then a bath, but he is Fuma’s and she knows that he won’t. With a nod she opens the door and moves with him down the halls. She nods to the others that are working today at the bathhouse. They all smile to see that it is Toph with Attonnan. They all know that she has a thing for him and knows that she will tend to him personally. Soon she comes to an empty room and slides open the door. Attonnan is the first to enter and makes his way to the bath. Like always it is already filled and ready to be used. All the baths are this way. The house keeps them full and steaming, never knowing when a soldier or even Fuma might stop by. No longer modest he strips off his pants and takes a step into the bath. Toph only looks over his perfect porcelain white skin, his form is perfect, he is slender but not skinny, thin, but not gaunt. You would never think much to look at him but his muscles are dense and she knows the power he has in him. As Attonnan sinks into the bath, all the way up to his neck, Toph strips herself. She moves through each article of clothing slowly and seductively, hoping to give the young lord a good show, but he makes no notice of it, he doesn’t even notice she’s there. She too then joins him in the bath and taking a bar of soap in her hands she begins to work over his body. Attonnan only lets out a sigh as the hot water and her gentle touch work their magic. Her hands move over him like the hands of some kind of sorceress, touching all the right places to relive stress and anger, the scent of the soap moving over his senses making him loose himself in the moment. She knows that he enjoys the scented soaps, some think him a bit of a sissy for enjoying things like scented soaps and oils, even the shampoo he uses has a gentle scent to it. And sure in a way he does appear to be nothing more then a pampered palace brat. But she knows better. He is a hash warrior and has pushed his body to limits that no other in this house has, so what if he wants to cover the smell of the blood with that of some kind of flower or such. It is his right. She also knows for a fact that he is one of Fuma’s top killers, he has lead small groups into rival camps, small camps mind you, but the stories of what he has left behind have made her wonder of the beast that lays behind those bright blue eyes. The bath is soon at and end and after he dries himself off he lies on a table and lets her work him over with some warmed oils. Like the soap the oils are scented, rose and lilac, his favorite, she is also sure that he has chosen this cause it pleases Fuma. Attonnan only groans and growls as she let’s her hands work over his body, hearing that he is enjoying himself she only chuckles and continues her work. The whole task takes almost half an hour, she has to make sure to rub the oils in carefully and to make sure she doesn’t neglect any muscle, he must stay loose and ready.