Second Born

by Lance Wilson

  “Those men keep pestering me and I don’t know what to do about it. I thought you could act as my date. I guess those useless sons of nobles have never seen a woman warrior before, they stare at me as if I’m some kind of rare animal.” Noin says and then looks up to find Mellyruna staring at her as well

  “You’re staring.” Noin continues with a growl of frustration

  “I didn’t know that you liked to wear” Mellyruna starts but is cut short as her elbow makes contact with his jaw making him stumble back a bit.

  “Don’t do that to me” Noin growls, of all people she had hoped that he would treat her this way.

  Noin then hears at a small distance a bunch of girls giggle like children. She turns to see that they are staring at her and are laughing at her court manners. Without a second though she quickly grabs Mellyruna’s arm and yanks him out of a balcony door where they can be alone. Once they are out there she lets him go and leans against the banister looking down at the floor

  “I’m not vary good at things like this, swinging a sword around is much more comfortable.” she says a bit annoyed about how much she sounds like a child right now.

  “I agree, I wonder what put this idea in your head, to think of you a brave and fierce sister Noin in a dainty dress like this” Mellyruna says with a hit of playfulness in his voice.

  “Its a little difficult to ride a horse and fight like this, men’s clothing is more practical, it’s silly I can’t believe I came wearing something like this. I can’t even remember the last time I wore a skirt let alone a fancy gown. And look at all my muscle, I look silly don’t I” she says and looks up at Mellyruna, she knows he will tell her the truth, they are always at each others throats on the battlefield, why would he spare her feeling now.

  “No you look vary lovely” he says with all honesty. Granted he could never see her as more then a friend and sister but she really does have the body to turn heads any man would kill just to gain a fraction of her affections.

  “Really” she says hopefully,

  “Sure, far better then those noble girls crowding around Griffin” he says nodding to the door where they can see him. A crowd of young noble women twittering about him

  Noin turns and looks with him but only for a second before lowering her head again. Mellyruna only smiles, now it all makes sense, why she hates him and why she is dressed like this, she wants Griffin to notice her, to want her like she wants him.

  “Noin why don’t you ask Griffin to dance with you” Mellyruna says and smiles at her.

  “Oh no, that’s impossible, I haven’t danced since the small festivals in my village when I was a child I would only just step all over his feet. But what about you, this seems out of character for you as well. I didn’t think you enjoyed attending these formal celebrations” she says and smiles at him. He looks so out of place with his battle gear on and huge sword strapped to his back.

  “I want to see everything through to the end, ever since I met you all those years ago, griffin and I, what every once else has done in the Wolfpride has done all these years, what he’s won, and what he stands to win and what he stands to win now that he’s gotten this far. I want to see everything through to its conclusion. That’s why I came here tonight, to finish it” Mellyruna says with a deep breath. Coming here today he realizes that he has spent too much time with the Wolfpride. They have started a lot of things for him, but if he is to truly find his place in this world then he will have to move beyond them.

  Noin only stares at him shocked, his head is down in silence. She never thought of him leaving, he has been such a large part of the Wolfpride that she assumed that he would be with them tell the end. Is this it, is this the end that he hand Griffin saw, or just the end for him.

  “Tell me, you want to leave don’t you, leave the pride, you do don’t you, you can tell me” she says having to hear the words from his own voice

  Mellyruna looks up, as there is a huge roar of applause from the inside. He can only assume that Mecmed has entered the court.

  “There’s our sponsor now, go ahead without me, I refuse to go in and listen to those speeches, you know, no, it was nothing” he says and smiles at her.

  For a moment or two she looks at him but slowly makes her way back in to stand at the side of the rest of the Wolfpride. Mellyruna only smiles in on them.

  “There is another reason I am here at this party, no one suspects what will happen here in a few moments none of the pride, it’s a bit too much for them isn’t it Griffin” he says to himself in the shadows of the night.

  Mecmed stands up and smiles at everyone.

  “People of the moon elf kingdom. I am proud to announce that much of the gray elf kingdom is now under much of our kingdom this is due in no small part to the Wolfpride. Knowing their history and their fight I now deem them worthy to be called knights. The Wolfpride will now join the ranks of my white knights; keeping with their same regiments and commands of course. Commander Griffin, we shall talk later of your responsibilities and duties” Mecmed says and watches as the waiters go around the room serving wine to everyone for the toast.

  It is a single waiter that walks up to Griffin with only a single goblet of wine in the center of the tray.

  “To new knights hero’s and peace” Mecmed says lifting his glass and then takes a drink

  The room follows his example at first it is all normal, but soon the silence is pierced with a high-pitched scream. It takes only seconds before everyone sees it is Noin, and the reason she is screaming is cause Griffin had fallen to the ground, his body limp.

  “Seal the doors, the killer shall not escape” Mecmed says as everyone stands in shock. The guards seal the doors instantly and they begin to make there way though the room trying to push everyone to the walls so that they may be questioned.

  However the killer is not in the room. Deep in the night the waiter that served the glass is riding hard on a road out of the kingdom. At his side is a small pouch of gold. But it is in the middle of the road that he finds his fate. Ahead of him stands a large cloaked figure with a huge sword strapped to his back. As the man rides closer, feet closing in by seconds, the cloaked mans reflexes are impossible to see, there is only a flash as moonlight catches his blade and the riders head falls to the ground, the horse still moving. But this is not the only thing that is going on that night, on the outskirts of the kingdom as the night wears on is a small cottage where the queen sits at here table with all the nobles sit drinking talking about there most resent victory against the intrusion of the common blood of Griffin and his crew. The talk and celebration only lasts for a good ten minutes before frost smiles and stands up.

  “I am sorry but I must get going, I have to go tend to something” Frost says and walks out.

  The queen watches as he begins to walk away, she has to admit his latest behavior makes her wonder. No matter if he is untrustworthy to keep his mouth shut then she will tend to him as well. The queen smiles and goes about listening to the others. She listens to them talk about how only a noble is worthy to given the rank of knights which in turn opened to door to more noble titles. They also talk how commoners such as the Wolfpride should know their place and stop trying to rise above their station. As they go on making there rants the queen notices that from under the door there is a small trail of smoke. Before she can say anything the noble next to her notices it as well and begins to shout. Quickly he goes to the door only to find that it is bared. The queen knowing that this has to be some kind of trap she quickly picks up one of the chairs and throws it at the window. The window crashes and she quickly goes out to find that they are too far up to jump. Not to mention that almost the entire cottage then it catches her, standing at a small distance is Griffin, but how could it be,

  “How can it be, the doctor pronounced you dead” the queen shouts out of the window.

  “It ce
rtainly must have seemed so, a arranged for it to be that way” Griffin says his voice at normal levels but she can still hear him just fine, as if the wind purposely carried his words to her

  “What” she says her mind reeling in shock. How could he know of her plan?

  “What I drank was not the poison you intended, what I drank was a powerful drought that brought me to the brink of death, but I have not risked my life in vain, it allowed me to trap you. All at once” Griffin says and smiles at her.

  The silence of the air is broken only by the pleas of the other nobles. All of them with there own stories. He hears them cry for mercy, hears them talk about how they were ignorant of the queen’s plan. But he knows better, each one of these men would have his head on a platter if they could do it. They just went with the queen cause they knew hers was a perfect plan, or so they thought.

  “I guess your all used to sitting on the side and thinking up your own little plots. But this is war, there is nowhere to sit on the battlefield” Griffin says and smiles up at them watching the fire rise. Soon it will be enough to claim them all

  “Griffin you swine, do you really intend to kill me the queen, do you even think it possible for a common blood of humble origins could burn me the queen to death. I will not allow it.” the queen hells her hands clenching the boarders of the window

  “Death on the battle field comes regardless of class, royal or common the looser must die.” Griffin says his voice calm as if this happened every day.

  He then watches as with all the suddenly of a storm the roof collapse on them burning them all to death. Griffin then walks down a bit to a small garden with a fountain. Waiting for him by the fountain is frost wringing his hands his head down in worry.

  “It is finished, what is the matter you look unusually grim this evening, this affair is not that uncommon for the court is it. Are you afraid, is it because you betrayed them, your peers, or is it cause you participated in killing our queen.” Griffin says cocking his head at the minister

  “I would like to ask you just one thing, how did your lordship ever learn of what was to happen.” Frost asks and takes a deep breath

  “I did not know” Griffin says smiling at him

  “What” frost says looking up at him, his eyes huge in shock now.

  “I predicted that you would be my enemy, I noticed the look of fear in your eyes, it caught my attention. When a person realized that he has seen something truly fearful he realized that it is impossible to ignore it, he has to make a choice subordinance or extermination of the object. I knew you would find the others like you and join them in the soul purpose to eliminate me. But I never imagined the queen herself would join on this intrigue.” Griffin says his simple smile never wavering

  Frost cannot understand this, there eyes had only met for a second and yet in that he had read that much into it. He then drops to his hands and knees trembling

  “This contract sealed with your blood is no longer of use is it, there should be no ill will toward each other if there is to be a successful future together. From now on there should be only friendship and peace between us. Now come along minister, I shall give something back to you as promised.” Griffin says and waves his hand

  It is then that the minister sees curled up at the feet of one of the statues is a child, his child, she is sound asleep curled in her blanket. She never knew what happened or what her father was a part of, she didn’t feel any of the fear that would come with being taken from her bed and placed here. Who ever did this was an expert.

  Seeing father and daughter reunited Griffin makes his way out of the kingdom and into a small part of the woods where a gang of thieves waits for him. They smile at his approach. Griffin only nods to them and without a word toss them a bag of gold. Then again without a word he makes his way back to the garden where he had left frost and his daughter.

  The thieves ride out of the town chuckling how that was the easiest caper they had down and how they hope to be contacted by him again. They also talk about how they now have him by the short hairs and that they can make him pay by blackmailing him about the death of the queen. But like the waiter the man in his cloak is waiting for them. Before they can even think he is on them, his blade moving like the wind. All of them dead in a matter of seconds. The man looks around at his work and then watches as Griffin steps out of the shadows, he has been tailing them the whole time.

  “It seems to be finished.” Griffin says looking at the cloaked figure

  “Ya, it’s finished, all of it. I don’t think it ever occurred to these men that they would loose their lives for this” Mellyruna says pulling down the hood of his cloak and picking up the sack of gold

  “Leave the money on them as it was, they are still due there fair share of the profits I am a man of my word, they did their job and did it well, they are entitled to there reward.” Griffin says a hint of sorrow in his voice.

  “Is it safe to let that man go, frost?” Mellyruna says hating to let a loose end go free

  “He will have learned his lesson after today’s events, well maybe” Griffin says a slight smile now playing on his face

  “What, maybe” Mellyruna says perking up at the idea that there could be a problem.

  “Should anything come of it I’ll be sure to handle it.” Griffin says and puts a hand on Mellyruna’s shoulder

  “In any case we can expect a serious uproar. The queen, all those ministers. The dead were piled high tonight, who would have imagined a dead man was really pulling the strings.” Mellyruna says staring at the stars

  “Do you think me a dreadful man?” Griffin asks staring at the stars too now

  “What” Mellyruna asks in shock looking at Griffin now?

  “I had you take such a part in my affairs while never getting my own hands dirty. I left the most dangerous and difficult tasks to you, and you alone. Do you then not resent me?” Griffin asks, it was a hard thing to ask Mellyruna to do but he knew that Mellyruna was the only one that could have gotten it done

  “You do realize that your talking to the man who slaughtered 100 men, I think it makes your question kind of pointless, your just following your path, you still believe that don’t you” Mellyruna says calmly. So many people have laid their faith in his path, his dream; he can only hope Griffin hasn’t lost sight of that.

  “Thank you Mellyruna” Griffin says and the two begin to walk down the path.

  “Now lets get back, a dead man like you shouldn’t be hanging around here all night, you got to stop Noin and everyone else from worrying about you too much” Mellyruna says and chuckles

  “Yes” Mellyruna says distracted

  “You didn’t notice that Noin put on a dress for the celebration did you.” Mellyruna says and smiles at him. It is time that someone pushed those to together.

  “Did she” Griffin says and looks over at him.

  “You know she’s really quite attractive,” Mellyruna says as the two of them walk out into the night. It is time that the Wolfpride knew he was alive and that things will be running smoothly.

  It doesn’t take the two of them long to get back to the castle. The Wolfpride is all in the same room many of them having tankards of some kind of alcohol to ease the pain from loosing there commander. Slowly as the door opens they all turn. Mellyruna smiles to see the shock and love in all of their faces. All at once they all crowd around Griffin all asking questions but it is Noin who pulls herself closest to him burying her head into his chest her eyes filling with tears. Griffin only smiles and gently wraps his arms around her, there is gentleness in his eyes now, almost like he is seeing her for the first time.

  “I’m sorry for this Noin” Griffin says his voice a soft sweet whisper. Like a summer wind.

  He calmly waits for a reply but she only cries into his chest tell all she can muster is his name, so soft on her lips
that no one else can hear it.

  “You look beautiful in that dress” Griffin says and gently takes the back of his hand and strokes her cheek.

  Noin says nothing she just holds him. This has to be a dream, he was taken from her and yet now he is here standing before her like some merciful angle. She closes her eyes and in her mind she prays, prays that if this is a dream that the gods be merciful and never let her wake from it.

  Mellyruna’s only smiles and lets the group have there moment. Instead he slips into the night. He has some thinking to do and it is the kind that can only be done alone, alone with only the night skis to comfort you.

  It is near the middle of the next day when the whole court is gathered for the funeral of the queen and the ministers. Of course the guard has done there search and many have been questioned but as far as anyone can tell the fire was started by some kind of freak accident and no one is held accountable. The king stands in front of the coffins, each draped in the white and gold flag of his kingdom. He knew these men and knew his wife. He knows well that the death was probably well deserved and that they had many enemies. Since he had heard the news he had rolled over all the possibilities and only two came to mind. The first was he wife Rin, but thinking more clearly he knew that she neither had the ability or the stomach for it. She is clever enough that is clear but she doesn’t have the cunning to pull it off in the court. The court life is a delicate one full of vipers and poison. Rin has kept herself clear of all of it keeping to her studies and her garden since the time she came here. She is not like the others. The other that came to mind was Griffin, a clever mind with all the courtly manors. When he fell at the ball all thought he was dead, and then he suddenly came back to life. The healer told him it was a simple case of misreading certain things and that the poison was misused. He also noticed that after Griffin fell his beloved wife Salania had disappeared. It would be too easy for her to have him killed. But he didn’t die, he only looked it. Could he have been clever enough to fool her and then extract his vengeance? To him it matters little, she never provided him with an heir and she was growing too powerful. In time her power would have even rivaled his and she was too clever for him to trust. In a sense if it was Griffin that killed her he did him a favor. Now she was out of the way before she became a true threat to his own power and his hands were kept clean of it. Of course as he thinks of all this looking at the coffins he puts up the proper face, strong but hurt, powerful but frail. His daughter weeping at his side. What does he care if he lost a wife, he has others and she can be replaced. The ministers, well this only proves that they were in her pocket and not his, better to be rid of them as well. Now he can fill their spots with men he knows that are loyal to him and him alone. His path beyond this is clear. He must keep an eye on Griffin, it is clear he is an ambitious youth. Perhaps he can sway him the way he has swayed others, but if not he must put him down while he has the chance. He must keep a vary close eye on him. He is too clever, too cunning and worst of all at his side stands Mellyruna who of late has become less noble and more unruly. Taking a breath he lowers his head and says a small prayer. Then taking his daughters hand he walks past all of them back to his quarters. There are plans to be made and people to talk to. He must speak to Skorm. Griffin watches the king carefully. It is one thing to deal with the queen, she was clever but careless on whom she trusted. He knows already that he has gotten the kings attention and though he has been knighted this really only pulls him closer into the king’s grip. Something that can work in both his advantage and disadvantage. His key will lie in the princess, take her, make her his bride and then the king will have no choice but to accept him. If he fights him openly that will only drive the princess closer to him. She will be his trump card.