The Lupine Saga 136

Posted on August 13, 2022 by James Ashman

“There’s a lie I told you, Ruby,” Va’il said loudly, now looking at the rest of the audience. The audience was still mostly silent, watching the small drama unfold, wondering what was going on, only whispering every so often. Ruby looked up at Va’il again for a second before turning her face away again.

“The truth is, I haven’t been honest about the identity of Fidel’s true son. And this boy here has given me something to think about. If he truly is Fidel’s son, then Fidel’s first son will truly hate his father. He may be happy, for a brief moment, that he has a brother, but the bitterness of knowing that King Fidel cheated on his wife after their marriage would overcome him. But, King Fidel chose a faithful woman, who loved him even in separation. And he was a good king. He may have been eccentric, but he was good, and probably a faithful man. It’s far more likely that this boy is an impostor,” Va’il said. Inside, Va’il had to both laugh and cringe, as he thought, “I’m beginning to understand, Darius.”

At Va’il’s accusation the crowd burst into discussion. It was mostly murmurs, but it was enough to make the boy and Jin look around nervously. Jin then spoke up.

“Enough of this farce, you commoner, you stupid half. This has gone on long enough. Baseless accusations in front of the regent and the prince, how dare you! Since it’s terrible to hold a wedding on the same day and stage blood has been spilled on, we will reschedule the wedding! Guards!” Jin stomped his foot and banged his cane. “Kill this peasant! Dispose of his falsities and rudeness, his imagination, his treason will be his death!”

Va’il glanced at the guards, and then tensed as they lowered their spears and readied their swords. He considered how they were about to move, and how he would move to avoid their charge, but then realized something. He turned and shoved Ruby away, far out of harms way, her face revealing she feared the worst for him. However, with her out of the way, Va’il turned back, hoping he still had enough time to move, dodge, and live. He may have been able to, with his strength, speed, and agility that’d been honed by a year of travel in dangerous circumstances, and a resolute will to do what needed to be done. But he didn’t need to. One of the guards had already jumped in front of the rest, using their massive bearan body as a shield in front of Va’il. He had moved fast enough that the other guards couldn’t stop in time.

Va’il could only look on in horror as the guard fell to his knees, his back to Va’il, a pierced shield that sacrificed himself so that Va’il would be completely safe. And though the other guards could have continued moving on Va’il, the sight and shock of piercing one of their own stopped them from fulfilling Jin’s command. The guard turned his head around and smiled at Va’il.

“Second time, kid. Heh. Don’t know why either time, but I had to save you.”

“Derlik! You, you,” Va’il said, but his throat wouldn’t let him speak more.

“Don’t cry for me kid. I’m not that great a guy. Besides, weren’t you talking about something more important? Please guys, hear the kid out. Let my death be enough for today,” Derlik said while his blood flowed. It was obvious that each word was becoming more and more difficult for Derlik to say, his wounds mortal ones. However he stayed upright. The other guards all backed away, tears in their eyes at the loss of a friend, and bowed. They couldn’t understand why Derlik had stopped them, but they felt a sense of loyalty to their friend, the one of them who had exchanged his life for Va’il’s.

“You can’t just quit now!” Jin said. But the guards in the room didn’t move. Derlik wasn’t anyone special among them, for the most part, but he was one of them. Though they weren’t aware of his role in a plot in the past, or the circumstances of his return to duty some time ago, he was part of the brotherhood of guards in the city of Rising. They had to honor his wishes for the time being, letting Va’il speak for a bit longer, even if they would have to end up piercing him once he was done.

And Va’il did speak. His eyes were full of tears, ones he thought he had run out of earlier, and the audience was silent, now anticipating what Va’il was going to say. He felt sickened that there was such a calm in the air while Derlik’s blood flowed, the bearan still standing as if still a mighty shield.

“I,” Va’il said as he rose, standing tall, “am not fully human. I was born of a wonderful female lupus, and a male human I never really knew. But I learned of him. I denied him for a while. But he gave me a heritage I can’t look past anymore. I must honor that, as Derlik’s sacrifice has made so painfully clear. I have to ask those of you who know about this marriage a question. Miss Melonscone told me that King Fidel wrote something about this marriage. Please, answer this, what did he say?”

Jane didn’t understand all that was going on, and her anger had been dissipated once she saw the terrible thing that happened to Derlik. She was, however, the one who spoke up.

“Fidel indicated that my Ruby was to marry his son,” Jane said.

“Did he specify his son, Missus Melonscone?” Va’il asked as he turned to face Jane, his eyes locking with hers.

“No. He only said his son, and none other. And,” Jane started, a spark appearing in her mind, one that she felt would make things clear, “he said one more thing about him that no one else knows. I’ve told no one but Ruby, and not even Regent Jin. Considering he has been found, it shouldn’t matter if I reveal it, as surely the alias the prince was using there can be verified now. Fidel told me personally that his son was a student at Makeen.”

The audience broke into murmurs again. Va’il turned, this time to look at Listus and Jin. Va’il felt a small amount of relief that Jane had revealed the extra tidbit of information that wasn’t known to all but a few people, and that he didn’t have to bring it up himself. Listus had whispered something to Jin, who shrugged and then whispered something in response to the boy. Both of them looked confused.

“I understand a noble’s hesitance to humor me with an answer to my question, Missus Melonscone. Though now all the answers to come will be shocking to most, disappointing to many. At least now we can be sure. King Fidel was definitely faithful to his wife. They had one child. And it was not that boy standing here,” Va’il pointed at Listus.

“This may seem dramatic, but it’s still a farce. Who are you to come in and lay in these accusations without proof, with such flair and falsities? You disgrace this nation,” Jin said, his voice resolute.

“And,” Va’il said as he walked up to the boy and Jin, “I smell two things about your so-called son of Fidel. First, he smells of dye. Never mind the look, the lack of shine in his hair. Two, what he doesn’t smell of. He doesn’t smell of Makeen. Not of the classrooms, or the wood, or the pollen from the flower garden. Even if it’s been a while, there should still be some smell. Ask anyone with a non-human nose, we can tell where someone has and hasn’t been. Makeen may just be a school, but it still has a fragrance the students know, a fragrance that sticks with them after they go home.”

The whispers and murmurs continued, and it almost seemed as if the audience was enjoying the drama play out. But there was still the dread that they felt about what would happen if Va’il was correct. And so, the audience continued to watch, some with more concern than others.

“Nonsense, to rely on smell,” Jin said, provoking some snarls from the non-humans in the audience.

“Would you prefer a bearan or swine to smell the boy instead?” Va’il asked.

“Not everything can be decided by smell, and do you even know what dye smells like? Or if true, could possibly be covering a certain blue hue? And Makeen’s fragrance, if true, would’ve faded if he hasn’t attended in a long while. You’ve come with a lot of words and have placed doubts, half, but you don’t actually have proof of anything,” Jin said.

And Va’il had to stop for a moment. As much as he could throw doubt, as much as he relied on facts that he knew were true, no matter how much doubt he cast he still didn’t have solid proof. He was sure Listus was a fake, but Jin was calling for evidence. Even the matter of dyed hair could be explained away if the original color was blue, in Va’il’s view, and how was he to know the truth? He had to stop and think. But he didn’t want to be the proof. He turned his head and looked at the girl who was still looking at him fearfully. There she was, still only hoping he’d have the sense to run away and save his own life. He knew that she wanted that, and that after Derlik, she was more scared than ever for Va’il. He also knew that if he saved himself at this moment, he’d be condemning her to a loveless marriage to someone she didn’t care for, and an impostor.

Then he realized it. His real goal was to fulfill what Ruby had wanted, but couldn’t ask anyone else for. And there was a way to achieve that, still. Va’il didn’t want to reveal who he was. But he thought that if he did, Fidel’s words would take care of the rest. He smiled at Ruby, and then faced the audience again.

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The Lupine Saga 135

Posted on August 6, 2022 by James Ashman

“Wait!” Va’il shouted as he came running through the door and towards the stage. As he did he looked around, and realized he had shouted before seeing just how many people were there. He had expected something, considering all the guards in the area outside that he had avoided, but it was still something incredible to him that he had stumbled into.

Va’il stopped when several guards appeared between him and the stage, the ones in the front rows. But before anyone could restrain him or instruct the guards as to what to do, a clear voice rang out with a simple question.

“Va’il?” Ruby asked. The guards looked back to see who had spoken, and then backed off slightly when they realized Ruby knew the intruder. Va’il looked around, his face showing shock and puzzlement.

“Ruby? What’s going on?” Va’il asked, still unsure, still wondering about why Darius had sent him. He walked past the guards, who were now unsure of whether they should stop Va’il any longer, considering he knew the bride they were there to guard.

Jane Melonscone, upon watching the whole commotion, looked furious. Her anger multiplied when Va’il, who was obviously not human, and was obviously an intruder, and had obviously interrupted her most important day, came face to face with Ruby. She could barely restrain herself.

“Vile interloper!” Jane said, barely holding back a scream.

“Mother, wait, please, I’ll take care of it. Just a bit, please, then it’ll be back to normal. I owe him a word, please,” Ruby said, pain in her voice. She knew that Va’il had just walked into a pit of lions, but she wasn’t going to let anything happen to him if she could help it. She knew her mother was furious, but she knew Jane would be restrained as long as it appeared the outcome would be unchanged. Jane didn’t say anything, and didn’t make another move. “Va’il, why are you here?”

Va’il nearly blurted out that Darius had told him to come, but Zeick’s words echoed in his mind. And he realized that he was in front of all the important people in Rising. He even noticed Jin near him. So he chose his words before responding to Ruby, though he tried to keep them relatively quiet so not too many people would hear.

“A person told me to come. To stop what’s happening. But why, what’s happening here?” Va’il asked.

“A person, Va’il? To stop this? To stop the wedding of Fidel’s son and I?”

“It’s, a wedding? Of you? And who?” Va’il asked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe Ruby was in a wedding, and the other party was even more shocking.

“Of him,” Ruby said, and then pointed behind Va’il. Va’il slowly turned, and then noticed the white hair, the brown eyes, the youthful face, the immature stature, and the frown.

“Of me and her, you stupid lupus,” the boy said, speaking for the first time. “Now, I’ve restrained myself since you know my bride. As such, your life may still be spared if you realize the situation you are in, and if you take the appropriate action and make yourself scarce.”

“Are you truly Fidel’s son?” Va’il asked, unable to restrain himself. And for a moment, he was torn between happiness and sadness, hope and bitterness, relief and anger. But his own conflict would prove to be moot, he’d realize soon enough.

“Of course! Yes, I’ve had to be elsewhere for most of my life, a story the nation will hear soon enough, but I’m the heir to the throne, the son of Fidel,” the boy said haughtily.

“Then, please, when were you born?” Va’il asked. The boy stopped for a moment, but he was determined to answer, even if it was to what he thought was a stupid lupus asking silly questions, as he had to prove to the nation in front of him who he was without question. And he didn’t think giving away his birthdate would be harmful, since it would normally be useless information.

“The eighth day of the seventh month, of the year seven seventy-two, in our current fourth age, of course,” the boy said, and Va’il nodded in contemplation.

“Just a moment, then, please, first,” Va’il said, and then he turned around and faced Ruby again. She had a look of worry, one that Va’il understood too well. He smiled slightly, and then took a step towards her.

More than a few people were ready to shout and jump at Va’il for getting too close, but they, including Jane, restrained themselves. However, Jane did grip her light cane tightly, her rage only restrained by her curiosity. Va’il had asked a question that everyone had thought, but didn’t want to ask. Though they were all happy, there were still questions to be answered. More than that, Jane wondered about how Va’il knew Ruby. And then she realized a couple things, one inducing rage, and one furthering her curiosity. She recalled that Ruby was not alone the past year, a fact she had previously been willing to overlook.

The second thing Jane realized was one that made her take a step back. As she took another look at him, she realized that she knew Va’il, and that he was someone she hadn’t seen for a number of years, but still had a recollection of. His image was only recognizable to her because he had personally spoken with Fidel several years ago, and it did occur to her that Fidel had spoken to this boy words that no other person heard. Before she had just brushed it off as Fidel encouraging the child, but his appearance at this time made her stop, wait, and wonder. She couldn’t help but wait, now that she recognized him.

Va’il spoke in a whisper to Ruby, close enough and quietly enough so that only she could hear him. And though she knew that she should make him leave for his own safety, she couldn’t, not when he was here at a time she felt she needed him.

“Tell me, do you want to marry him?” Va’il asked her, and noticed her shoulders tense and shudder slightly. Ruby hadn’t wanted Va’il to ask. She feared that she’d tell him anything at that moment, whatever he asked. However, she was still mostly concerned with Va’il’s safety.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Please Va’il, you shouldn’t be here. You aren’t safe,” Ruby whispered in response.

“Don’t worry about that right now. First answer my question,” Va’il said.

“My answer doesn’t matter! Go. It won’t… it won’t change anything. It never will,” Ruby said, feeling like she was tearing herself in the process, hoping Va’il would run and prevent her from falling to shreds should anything happen to him.

“Ruby. No. Say what you want. Don’t be the lying Ruby. Tell me. Your knight, your chevalier, wants, no, needs to know the absolute truth,” Va’il said, his words chipping away at Ruby.

“The truth? The truth I’ll only whisper this once, and no more. Va’il, I can’t do anything about it. It’s been decided that I marry Fidel’s son. Fidel even wrote it! Even though, even though no, no I don’t want to be anywhere near that boy anymore. No Va’il, I don’t. This isn’t what I wanted. Knight, please, accept this last truth. Go, you understand now,” Ruby said, and then tried to shove Va’il away, weakly. But Va’il held his ground and spoke again, his words slow and filled with an emotion Ruby hadn’t heard out of him before.

“I’m sorry, then. You trusted me until now, Ruby. But I’ve lied to you. I’ve lied to you just as much as anyone else, more than anyone else you’ve ever known. I have to tell you two things. First, I still have an act as your knight to fulfill. And then there is the second issue.”

Va’il then backed off. He took a step back and looked at Ruby. He smiled lightly, with yet another look she’d never seen on him before. She looked him in the eye once, and then had to look away for a moment.

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The Lupine Saga 134

Posted on July 30, 2022 by James Ashman

Ruby stood silent as the speaker talked about her family’s greatness, and resisted the urge to yawn. The speaker talked about how it was a momentous and joyous occasion. All he could talk about were things that made her want to kick, scream, yell, cry, and run away. But she wouldn’t, so she stood silently. It irritated her that Murasaki was correct, ultimately she was a puppet on strings.

However, she couldn’t resign to her fate fully. But she also knew she had no control. And now that it’d finally come to this, it appeared that the elusive person would actually appear. An unknown presence she had grateful for, years ago, but had grown to hate in the past few hours.

The rush of the past day was sickening to her. The disregard for her well-being even though she had been absent for so long, the change in her mother’s attitude so soon after her return. It wasn’t fair. “Was it worth coming back here? Why didn’t I think we could stay away? A little? Or longer?” Ruby thought and questioned herself, hating that she had answered those questions so quickly a short while ago.

Through it all, she still held hope that the elusive person wouldn’t appear. Or that even if he should appear, he really would be far too young, too young for even the nobility and their arrangements. She knew she was young, but old enough to be standing where she was. Any normal girl would be. And yet she wasn’t normal, so there weren’t rules those in control of her had to abide by. As long as the elusive person to appear was older than a toddler, the nobles would go ahead with the ceremony. It sickened her, but she knew that was the life she was born into.

Ruby resisted the urge to run away or cry, and so she reflected on the past day. How happy she had been entering the gates of the estate she knew so well. She had been apprehensive at first, but she somehow felt as if everything would be okay once she entered those gates.

She had left the carriage, and at once a pair of arms were around her, holding and hugging her tight. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around the avian girl’s neck, snuggling briefly in her feathers and whispering kind words. It was a brief moment, and afterwards Shiroi only spoke with her for a moment before leading her into the house she had lived in for so long, where a woman waited.

Ruby was happy to see Jane, regardless of their past. She had entered, and then bowed deeply, apologizing for her absence. And for a while, it appeared as if her mother was just as happy. Jane showed, though briefly, that smile that had rarely appeared. The real one, not the one she showed others. The one that could even bring Ruby to her knees in tears of joy. She hadn’t been able to hold out very long, and ended up running and hugging Jane, who had patted her head and lightly hugged her shoulders. And then, their reunion over, Jane had sent her to be bathed and dressed by the servants.

Ruby didn’t mind being sent off to be cleaned and changed, as what had been so usual to her in the past now appeared new and wonderful. She even chatted with a couple of them, who only smiled in reply as they cleaned her carefully and styled her hair. She had been dressed in a wonderful silk orange dress and had joined her mother in a room, where they sat and talked. It was a kind of talk. Jane asked Ruby once what happened, and Ruby took ten minutes explaining most of what happened, though she tried to minimize Va’il’s parts as best she could, and she didn’t mention Va’il by name or what he was either. She wanted to, but refrained from speaking of Va’il as much as she could around Jane; she still had some reservations in that regard.

When her story was over Jane acknowledged her story with only a brief word, and then spoke of something new. She said any investigation would have to wait until after tomorrow was over. And as she spoke of what she called wonderful news and arrangements for the future of the nation, Ruby’s excitement left. Her heart dropped, and the fake person that was a high-noble, Ruby Louise Melonscone, had to return. Her mother asked for no acknowledgment or acceptance, and told things as fact.

Ruby could only rely on the mask that she thought she had put away a while ago to look calm and composed, knowing that she had no recourse. She had been trapped in reality again. She knew that one day, something like this would come, though she had hoped it would have been farther off. She felt insulted that she had to be burdened with this immediately upon her return, but she knew that from Jane’s perspective, it was best to take care of such an arrangement immediately. And apparently it had all been worked out as soon as Murasaki’s letter arrived. The arrangements, the invitations to the other nobles, the statement that this event would also double as a revealing of a wonderful secret, the true unveiling of the elusive person, it’d all been arranged while Ruby sat in a carriage, staring at Va’il. Fair, it was not.

Internally Ruby sighed, and continued hoping that the elusive person wouldn’t appear. However, the speaker was about to get to that point.

“And now, the other side,” the speaker said. “It has been a long and trying time, but Rising has held together though its terrible loss. And even though we all mourned the loss of our wonderful King Fidel, there was a hope left to us, a hope of still one to continue the rightful line. It is with the utmost honor that I have been requested to present to you, the heir of our gracious King Fidel, his son, Prince Listus.”

The hall was filled with people. Nobles everywhere, guards in front of the stage and lining the sides of the hall, and more people and nobles in the balconies above. All eyes were on the stage. On the left were Ruby and her mother, both dressed exquisitely, though the amazing white dress made Ruby standout more, for once. In the middle of the stage was the speaker, a human in black with white trim, and on the right no one, yet.

He entered. A human boy was at the side of Regent Jin. He had white hair, and a subdued smile upon his face. Ruby looked, her heart further falling. She looked, and the boy looked back, his brown eyes narrowing on her. He was shorter and younger than her, but he was still old enough. He smirked at her, and then turned to the audience and gave a very slight bow of the regal kind.

At first the audience was silent, but soon broke into applause that lasted for a while. Ruby could hear the claps of her mother behind her, reinforcing the truth. And Ruby internally sighed again, knowing that regardless of what she wanted, all she would do was stand and wait, no matter how it made her feel. And she had to wonder, was that attitude going to reflect what she’d have to do for the rest of her life, just doing nothing and waiting, regardless of her feelings?

The audience calmed down, and the speaker continued, saying, “Regent Jin, do we have your approval and confirmation?”

“Yes, the circumstances are confidential, but Listus is the Prince, and approved to fulfill our fallen king’s final edict,” Jin said. The boy nodded approvingly while still looking at Ruby. She felt herself shiver, being eyed by the boy who looked like he had just barely entered puberty. She hated that particular stare, and it was one she knew far too well. There was only one person she wanted to look at her like that, someone that never had while she was looking. She pushed that thought aside, knowing that it’d just make the future harder than it had to be if she kept thinking that way. She didn’t have to like what was happening, but she knew she could keep herself from feeling worse than she had to, even though she was already feeling unbearably terrible.

“And,” a door hitting the wall startled the speaker for a moment. He coughed slightly to get his bearings, but was interrupted before he could continue.

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The Lupine Saga 133

Posted on July 23, 2022 by James Ashman

Va’il felt that if he continued forward, the direction Zeick was pulling him, something terrible awaited. But behind that terror lied the answer to the question that had risen behind him. The scales of what each side held were balanced. But Va’il wasn’t one to leave a question hanging in the air if he could help it. He was curious, and knew that finding the answer was far more important.

Var sighed and sat back. He wasn’t aware of his own importance in this little play. If he had known, he may have tried harder for the sake of the trials to come, settling on the easy answer. Or, he may have given up far sooner, for the sake of the hope and happiness that mattered to those he could care about. Var had aged in that cell, feeling the years of dismay that confinement had imposed upon him. But Var still had the same heart. He would have struggled, and then chosen hope, of course.

Va’il followed Zeick further down the corridors of cells, noticing that after a while, there were no longer any prisoners in the cells they passed. Zeick carried a candle-torch in one hand, and one of the bags in the other. After a while, they came to the end of it all, where a single cell and no others near it resided. Along the way, Zeick had Va’il get a few more candle-torches to help light the solitary cell.

“Sir, please, do you feel well enough to eat?” Zeick asked, calling out into the cell.

“No,” a weak male voice replied. It was haggard, and Va’il couldn’t recognize it. He wanted to peer into the darkness, to let his sharp eyes adjust and make out the features of the speaker.

“I feared as much. Sir, please, it’s me, Zeick. I’ve come again.”

“Oh. Boy, I thank. But take care, of yourself,” the voice said slowly, and with great effort.

“I am, sir. I’m not going to ask today, though. I’m going to apologize. Though I’ve been kind, I’ve always still viewed you as a criminal and a traitor. I no longer believe that. My doubts have been cleared,” Zeick said. Va’il perked up at this, but he still resisted the urge to do or say anything. He didn’t know what he’d do either. But there was something nostalgic, a feeling in the back of Va’il’s mind.

“Boy, thanks. Don’t worry. Guilt isn’t important. You’re always kind,” the voice said.

“Thank you, sir. But that’s not the only reason. I want you to meet someone. I know it was dangerous to bring him, and I know it’s just a stupid whim. I also know that bringing him to you may mean he’ll look down on you. But I don’t think he will. And I don’t know if I can keep this secret to myself. Please, meet my friend again. Don’t worry, he won’t talk of you either, I promise,” Zeick said, almost pleading.

Va’il realized that whoever was inside this cell, their identity was plaguing Zeick with guilt. Va’il had to look at his friend again, the boy who was almost too kind now. Va’il knew that Zeick still loved trouble; that gleam in his eye was still there. But there was a sense of justice behind it all that motivated him. A sense for what must be right and wrong. Va’il realized that something had to be wrong, but Zeick couldn’t figure it out himself. He wanted Va’il, an outsider, to look at the situation, and tell him what was wrong. Va’il realized that much, though he wasn’t fully aware of how much Zeick looked up to him. He did, very much so, because Va’il was the one who had been a half longer than him, in a way. And so, Va’il spoke up before the man had a chance to object.

“Please sir, Zeick is earnest. I don’t know what I can offer, but please come and satisfy his request,” Va’il said in a stiff, upright voice.

There was a silence that lasted a while. It was long enough that Va’il and Zeick had to look at each other and exchange questioning glances. Eventually though, there was a request.

“Please, light, closer to your face,” the voice inside called, somewhat stronger than before. Va’il did as he was asked and held the light up, illuminating his face and hair. Zeick looked on in wonder as Va’il’s silvery hair seemed to reflect the light. He thought he was used to Va’il’s looks, but sometimes they still surprised him. And then, suddenly, there was a sound.

The man had stood, and his feet shuffled along the ground. He fell to his knees while his ragged, wrinkled hands held the bars in front of him. He brought his face to the bars and looked at Va’il, whose expression had changed.

“It’s you,” both of them said, both with wonder and shock in their voices. And then Va’il’s look dropped, as the fullness of the image in front of him made its imprint in his eyes. His mouth turned down, and for the first time since Zeick had known him, Va’il’s eyes watered, and tears fell without hesitation. Zeick had never before seen Va’il weep, and the shock of that was only second to the wonder at how this man could be the person to move Va’il so.

“You’re alive,” Darius said, his haggard face still retaining a small portion of its previous handsomeness.

“Darius. Darius. Darius!” Va’il said, unable to choke out more words. He almost couldn’t believe it himself, that the man he had thought he’d never want to see again would move him so. But to see Darius, once the epitome of a royal and regal commander, to be reduced to skin and bones, with cuts and bruises everywhere, and a horrid looking face, was too much. He knew he shouldn’t have been so happy to see Darius, especially not in his current condition, but there was something about the familiarity Darius brought that Va’il couldn’t hold back.

“What? What’s going on? Va’il, Darius?” Zeick asked. He knew that they had met previously when years ago they worked together against the maroon, but Zeick knew that wasn’t enough to provoke this kind of reaction. He was also vaguely aware there could be more, considering what Va’il had told him about Darius yesterday, especially since some of it was from Ruby, but that still didn’t satisfy Zeick. At the same time Zeick felt a sense of relief, a feeling that he had indeed made the right decision, and now he wanted to know why it was the correct choice. However, Darius and Va’il ignored Zeick. And if there had been more time available, they could have explained it better.

“Va’il, how you’ve grown,” Darius said, forcing all the strength he could muster into his words, and wiping Va’il’s tears away with a worn hand through the bars.

“Darius, why?” Va’il asked, still shedding tears, but in better control of his voice.

“I’m overjoyed, Va’il. Overjoyed. Oh that I lived this long. That I could see you again. It was worth holding on,” Darius said.

“You’re still here, Darius. What happened?” Va’il asked.

“The day! Zeick, the day?” Darius asked, ignoring Va’il’s question. Something had appeared in his mind that he had given up on, until Va’il’s appearance.

“Sir, this isn’t the time,” Zeick said.

“It is! The day!” Darius said, and then violently coughed. His body had started shuddering uncontrollably, and Va’il could feel Darius’ hand shake when it was placed on his shoulder.

Zeick sighed and reported the general time and exact date, and told Darius how many days it had been since Zeick had last appeared before him, since it wasn’t always his job to feed the prisoners.

“It’s today. King Fidel, it is today! How I wish you lived! But I know that if you were watching though my eyes, you’d be laughing inside, like me!” Darius said, and then coughed again. Darius continued, “Va’il, dear boy. I’ve been living. This day. For this day. I have lived, for this day. You must go! Go now!”

“Wait, Darius, explain why you’re here first,” Va’il said, unable to comprehend Darius’ incomprehensible speech.

“Ah,” Darius started, and then continued speaking slowly, as his strength left, “you live. How glad I am. You are the only one left who can stop today’s event. Only you have the truth. Go, run, rush, to the grand hall, now, boy, and stop it, you must stop it!”

“Stop what, Darius?” Va’il asked. But it appeared that as Darius’ strength left him, so did his clarity and sanity. His voice had alternated between fast and slow, and it appeared he was becoming delirious. The excitement he had upon seeing Va’il had accelerated the inevitable, pushed his frail body over the edge, but he didn’t care anymore.

“Grand hall. Stop it, only you can! I’ll rest. Yes, rest,” Darius said.

“No Darius, you can’t rest,” Zeick said, realizing what Darius meant, “not until you’re cleared, until you’ve lived in the sun again. Please, hold on for a while longer. Don’t go, not now when you desire to live again!”

“Too late. Zeick, for me, it’s late,” Darius said. Va’il felt further strength leave Darius’ hand. It came back for a moment, and then went weak again.

“Darius, what am I to stop?” Va’il asked, but Darius wasn’t able to hear their questions anymore, and spoke his own thoughts while he could.

“Though he may not have always been aware of you, be assured your father loved you. And her. Greatly. Take care, my king, and rejoice that I leave with a true smile,” Darius said. With that, his hand fell off Va’il’s shoulder, and he slumped back in his cell. Darius must have thought, in his final moments, that all his holding on was worth it, that the last of his strength, and the totality of it, was to be used on Va’il. He must have died satisfied in knowing he hadn’t yet died in vain. He too, held onto hope.

“Haven’t I told you,” Va’il said between sniffs and small sobs, “I can’t, I won’t, I don’t. But, Darius, friend I haven’t really made yet, nor can now, I wish you could have lived,” Va’il said. He reached through the bars and placed a hand on Darius’ chest. He then took Darius’ hand and shook it slowly, and then placed it on Darius’ chest. He couldn’t say anything further to the lifeless man. He couldn’t do anything further with the metal bars separating him from the great man. He wanted to sit and weep for a while longer, but he knew that there was something he could still do to pay homage to the smile that Darius had left the world with.

Though he had been tortured and starved over the past few years, Va’il could still see the image of the gallant man, the man Darius. The great commander, loyal to the king, leader of the royal guards, the human man who wore a trademark olive-green cape. No matter what Darius looked like at that moment, all Va’il could see was the image of that man, laughing and smiling as he made Mai’ou and Va’il worry all those years ago.

“Zeick, please, see to him if you can,” Va’il said.

“I’ll be notifying the others of the death,” Zeick said. “He should have lived. Why, why Darius? I’m sorry, Darius. I should have done something for you before.”

“My friend, you couldn’t have done better. Darius knew that. Don’t blame yourself for being unable to stop this from happening. Without you, I wouldn’t have known at all. Thank you, Zeick. Thank you,” Va’il said.

“Va’il, thank you. But, Va’il, what he was talking about? Va’il, I’ve called you friend, but, but who are you? Are you?”

“Please, for now, I’ve got to fulfill something. His last request. I’ll explain soon enough,” Va’il said. He stood and wiped his tears away, and then put on a new face. He also grabbed the helmet near him.

“When you leave, tell the guards I’m about ready and still cleaning, and that you’re going on duty elsewhere,” Zeick said. “They won’t question you further. If you’re going without the armor, leave it at the side of the third building after you turn the right corner and head straight back to the road. I’ll take care of it. Do what you have to do at the grand hall. Hurry, if it’s something Darius asked you to do, it’s important,” Zeick said.

“Thank you, Zeick. Please stay safe,” Va’il said, and then turned around.

“You too. Be safe! And Va’il, I say this for your safety, not just mine. But talking about Darius would be not so good,” Zeick said. He had to say it, though he felt apprehensive about it. He felt like he was trying to save his own neck, but he knew that if Va’il talked, regardless of what Va’il was, there was a danger involved.

“Don’t worry. If you haven’t been able to guess, I’m pretty good at keeping important secrets,” Va’il said with a grin that Zeick had longed to see. Va’il nodded at his friend, and then rushed off through the corridors.

Zeick sighed lightly, rolling the mess of thoughts over in his head. He then shook his head and pondered what he should do.

“Var!” Va’il said when he reached the cell.

“Yes, boy?” Var asked, knowing that he had spoken with Darius.

“He was a good man,” Va’il said. He bowed deeply, and then spoke with his head down. “You should get out of here. Do whatever it takes, but walk in the sunlight again. And, don’t tell anyone I was here, and speak of me to no one, not even my friend.”

“All right, boy. I hope to see you again, in better circumstance. He was? I see. He indeed was. Thank you, boy,” Var said.

Va’il stood tall, and then continued running. He reached the gates and asked for them to be opened, and made sure to sound friendly when telling the guards he had to go and that the other trainee would be returning soon. They waved him off, and then he continued running. He removed the armor at the designated spot, his usual clothing underneath it all. And then he ran. He knew exactly where to go. As to what, though, he was unaware. He knew that he had to follow Darius’ words. That they were important. He felt apprehensive that Zeick knew his secret, and also realized that whatever Darius was going to have him do may involve it as well, but those didn’t matter. There was something that Darius placed above his own life at that moment, and Va’il had the obligation to see what it was. And so, he ran.

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The Lupine Saga 132

Posted on July 16, 2022 by James Ashman

The metal clanked, making more noise than Va’il was used to. It was also somewhat heavy. It wasn’t so heavy he couldn’t bear it, but it was still a different experience than wearing his usual light clothes. He was also weighed down by the bags he had to carry. He looked ahead as Zeick carried the same bags, though he wouldn’t have normally been able to tell it was Zeick.

They had just come from an office, where Va’il had waited outside, and Zeick had gone in, and then shortly emerged with a load of heavy bags filled with scraps of food and water. He looked through a grill in the helmet at his friend, still not entirely sure of what Zeick was planning.

That morning Zeick put on a suit of light armor, and had a second backup suit for Va’il to wear as well. When Va’il asked why Zeick had suits of armor, he laughed, and then smiled widely.

“I’m doing my part. I’m part of Rising too. I’m a low-ranked guard for now, but I decided to join Rising’s army,” Zeick had said. To hear the lighthearted Zeick proclaim something so incredible was enough to knock Va’il to the ground, weighed down in armor or not. But in its own ridiculous way, Va’il understood. After the shock wore off he congratulated Zeick, and then they continued with Zeick’s plan.

Zeick told him that as part of his training he was to deliver some provisions, though Zeick didn’t tell him where. He just said that it was fortunate they were both young, as the higher-ups didn’t think much about using youths for this particular job. In this particular instance, the people used were either high-ranking, which meant they hated doing the job, or youths, since they were considered too young and ignorant to matter.

When Va’il saw the type of gate, realized where in the city they were, and saw the group of guards standing outside the gate, he realized what they were doing and where they were. And that realization frightened even him for a moment.

“Zeick, are you taking me where I think you’re taking me?” Va’il asked softly.

“Heh. You guessed it? I suppose you would by now. Yep, we’re on prisoner feeding duty today. I managed to convince them to give me the first shift today, claimed it’d be easier today rather than later. They were pretty happy with that suggestion, as something big is going on today, so this is a low priority area today. Makes me wonder what has made them all so busy, but at least it works out for us,” Zeick said.

“But why are we coming here?” Va’il asked.

“I’ll show you soon enough. Now stay quiet for now, we can talk again once we’re inside. They don’t have others placed inside,” Zeick said.

Va’il stayed quiet and watched as Zeick went up to the guards. One of them opened the gates, directed the two boys inside, and then locked it behind them.

Inside the prison there were a few candle-torches burning, a couple desks, some old wooden chairs, and the tunnel leading to the cells. It was mostly quiet, though Va’il could hear some groans every so often. It was a creepy place, and Va’il was very uncomfortable.

“There’s even a place like this in Rising,” Va’il said.

“Of course. Criminals have to be held somewhere,” Zeick said.

“Yeah, but it’s still really gloomy,” Va’il said.

“That’s cause this is the prison for people that aren’t leaving any time soon, which is why there aren’t usually guards inside other than at feeding time. Well, I imagine some of them may be leaving just as soon as they come in, but let’s not think about those kinds of criminals. Even in Rising, some people still do bad things deserving punishment. I don’t like imprisoning fellow citizens any more than you do, but it’s better than letting the worst of them go back to what they were doing,” Zeick said.

Va’il had to laugh a bit, realizing how patriotic Zeick was sounding. Va’il knew he was really a kind person, which is why he wasn’t completely surprised at Zeick’s statements. Somehow Zeick at one point or another decided that protecting the order of Rising was the way to keep people happy. Va’il didn’t make guesses as to how he came to that conclusion, what may have inspired him, but he was glad that it was something Zeick seemed firmly attached to. On the other hand, he still didn’t know why Zeick was bringing him along.

“Wait here for a bit while I work,” Zeick said. Va’il sat at the desk and passed the time by thinking while Zeick could be heard passing out the food and water. Though the bags had been quite large, Zeick didn’t take that long. Apparently there weren’t too many prisoners.

“Okay, there’s just one left. But there’s someone else, first. Come with me, Va’il. There’s someone you should meet. A prisoner, for some reason. We don’t really ask questions in my position, but I’ve had to speak to this one a couple times. He won’t tell me why he’s here, but considering the use of this prison, I don’t want to guess at why,” Zeick said. He had gradually lost his cheerful speech and disposition. This Zeick was serious, and had subconsciously lowered his voice. Va’il didn’t ask, he just followed Zeick.

“Oh, you’re back? I’ve already had my fill, little one,” a voice said. A voice that Va’il recognized. He rushed to the cell that Zeick was standing in front of and looked inside. The candle-torch didn’t light the back part of the cell the person was at, but they soon rose and came closer.

With each step there was an almost deafening sound of chains. The ground itself moved slightly with each massive step. And as the person got closer, until the massive number of chains stopped them short of the bars, Va’il realized who it was. Truthfully he would have been able to tell even in the dark light, but the suddenness of it all had worked against Va’il’s natural senses. Va’il grabbed his helmet and threw it off, showing his face to the now-visible bearan.

“Var!” Va’il said, almost too loudly.

“You brought him, little one?” Var asked. His own massive voice was directed at Zeick, but his eyes couldn’t leave Va’il.

“Yes, Var,” Zeick said, “I brought a friend this time. A friend to both of us.”

“Var! You’re really Var, aren’t you?” Va’il asked, though his volume was now controlled. But the sight of Var was something Va’il hadn’t expected. And though his mind told him to question Var’s shackles, there was something about meeting the massive bearan again that overjoyed Va’il.

“Aye, boy, it is me,” Var said. He smiled lightly, and then continued, “and it’s good to see you again.”

“Var, why are you here? Why Var, why? What happened?” Va’il asked.

“Boy, I should not talk of things you shouldn’t hear. It’ll be safer. Just forget, and go back to your life. Don’t worry boy, I also know when not to speak. I’ll be let out of here, eventually. Though I’ll have to exchange my ability to speak about why I’m here for a far more important duty. You should leave, this isn’t the place for the sons of worried mothers,” Var said. Va’il knew Var was being honest, and could feel that there was a great weight and burden behind his words. However, there was another member of the conversation that had to speak up.

“I’m taking him to see him as well, Var,” Zeick said.

“Boy, that isn’t wise,” Var said, growling slightly below his words.

“I know. But I have told no one that I knew you or him. Va’il is my friend, he won’t say things he shouldn’t either. And he knows him too,” Zeick said.

“Boy, even though that be true, the less, the better. Let him be in peace. It’s the least we can do for him, now. It’s all the least we can do for anyone in Rising anymore,” Var said, his voice mournful.

“How much time is left?” Zeick asked.

“Not much,” Var responded.

“That’s too bad. He shouldn’t have had to end up here. Why Var, why?” Zeick asked.

“He told me little either. Maybe that’s why I’ve been spared, though held here. As for what I do know, little as it is, and who is involved, I cannot speak of. Boy, trust me. I know nothing of importance, I never answered you before not out of distrust, but because I don’t know. I was just guard, a royal guard, a bodyguard, and my jobs were simple. Help, guard, fight, and maybe delegate. Boy, I’m just a simple soldier. But I know that if you dig up anything, it’ll just hurt. Don’t hurt him at this point. There’s already been so much,” Var said.

“I know. But I don’t know. Va’il, come on. If it’s gotten worse, no, if he’s gotten worse, then this may be your last chance. Strengthen your heart, or you’ll stumble when you realize how far the honorable can fall,” Zeick said.

Va’il felt something new. He felt that he was on the edge of grasping something from Var’s conversation. He also knew Var spoke the truth. He knew he was now faced with a choice. He could refuse Zeick, tell him that it’d be best to leave. If he did, his life would still end up being filled with stresses and anxieties, but it’d eventually become normal. But he felt like something in the world to come would be devoid of a very important quality. He couldn’t understand what, at that moment, it was.

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