The Lupine Saga 49

Posted on December 12, 2020 by James Ashman

A final note hit the xylophone. The boy put the instrument down and looked out past the city walls. The boys, broken from their trance, quickly followed suit and looked over the walls. There below them stood several creatures that they had trouble seeing in the darkness. The maroon had stopped moving, and were instead staring up towards the tower where the boy was. He surveyed the sight below him, then went back to pick up the xylophone. He gripped it once more and tapped a single note. The boys then looked down again as the maroon had suddenly started moving away. They quickly ran off, leaving the boys more perplexed than ever. They looked up in unison at the boy in the tower. He was smiling widely as he stared down. He nodded to himself, and then turned. Instead of walking away, like he had planned, he stopped upon noticing the group of spectators. His mouth opened and closed a few times. He obviously had thought he was alone, and now was in shock from seeing the audience.

“How are you?” Va’il said in a very unnatural tone. The receiver didn’t respond. Apparently, the situation was quite awkward for him.

“Well, now that the surprise is over, you want to speak?” Kelin asked in a coarse manner. Va’il looked at Kelin disapprovingly. Kelin responded to Va’il’s look. “Well he wasn’t speaking.”

“Still, that’s kind of rude,” Pete said, “since we haven’t met him yet.”

“Oh come on. We’ve been here for an hour, at least, and he hasn’t noticed us at all,” Kelin said.

“Who are you to speak? You’ve been mesmerized for the past hour as well. Why haven’t you spoken?” Pete asked, but the argument was broken by a loud growling sound.

“Excuse me,” the boy said shyly as he covered his stomach with a hand. The four boys stopped their small argument to look again at the foreign boy.

“Hungry?” Zeick asked quietly. The boy nodded in response.

A few minutes later, five boys waltzed into the inn where four of them had been a few hours ago. It was still just as vacant as it had been before. They made their way up the steps towards their room on the second floor. Inside, the room was as they left it, though there was now a sleeping lupus girl in one of the beds.

“Your bed, you get to wake her,” Zeick said to Kelin with a smile.

“Since when did we decide?” Kelin asked with a grumble.

“Since you spent most of your time reading there, earlier,” Zeick said.

“Why don’t we just let her sleep?” Kelin asked.

“Ah, that wouldn’t be right. Though she seems to like that spot. Wouldn’t be appropriate, with this bunch of males. Besides, who will tell us where the food is?” Zeick asked reasonably.

“Fine.” Kelin shook the girl’s shoulder, and she slowly came to.

“Oh, you’re back,” Teena said as she stood up and rubbed her eyes. She blinked a few times, and then rubbed them again. “Odd. If I was seeing double, there should be eight of you, not five.”

“Pete sometimes looks like two people. He eats for two people as well. Speaking of which, Teena, can you please prepare five plates of food? It’ll be much appreciated.” Kelin talked while he held Teena’s arm and led her to the door.

“Sure, just leave it to me,” she said while still rubbing her eyes. The door closed behind her. The group kept silent as they waited for Teena’s footsteps to leave.

“Okay,” Kelin said.

“Yes, okay, let’s start,” Zeick said. Zeick and Kelin looked at the foreign boy.

“So, there is probably a mountain of questions that those two have. It would be best to start talking about who you are and what’s going on as soon as possible,” Va’il said in a serious tone. The boy was taken aback, but he answered nevertheless.

“Though I’m not sure which of us is the rude one, pardon me. But I don’t think telling you will really matter. Surely, you already have seen the effects of the recent battles. I’m someone who’s trying to help, but now I’m completely stumped as to what I can do. I can only hope I run into someone helpful in Rising,” the boy said.

“Wait, what? That was completely random. First, your name. I’m Va’il, this swine is Pete. That’s Zeick, and Kelin is that fiery lupus. You?”

“Geon,” the boy answered.

“Geon? Well, I’ve heard stranger. Next, well, hmm, I’m not sure where to start. Ah, I know. We’re all from Rising, you mentioned Rising. We live there, and came with the soldiers.” Geon’s face lit up at Va’il’s words.

“You do? That would help me a lot if, maybe, well, no, never mind. You’re just kids,” Geon said as he ran through a range of emotions.

“Just slow down. Besides, you’re a kid as well. Now that you know we aren’t local, how about explaining a few things. Like what’s going on in this city, why you don’t seem to be local either, and what you did before,” Va’il said calmly.

“Well,” Geon said, “I guess it won’t hurt to say everything. Even if you can’t help. First, this city is under siege by the maroon. Those are creatures that you saw attacking the walls. To put it simply, they are men that look like they are made of mud. They need the item, so they are attacking various places. They prefer to sleep, you see, and that’s what the item makes them do. For thousands of years they have been asleep, but they just recently woke up. They must be missing the item, and so they are searching for it. They aren’t very fast thinkers, so they have trouble searching, and they also don’t pay attention to anyone that isn’t a maroon as well. They can probably feel the vibrations of the item from time to time, and have been searching each city they come across because they aren’t sure of the distance.” Geon took a breath.

“We’re confused,” Zeick said.

“That’s big. So maroon are mud men that like to sleep, but the thing that lets them sleep is gone and they are looking for it. That’s about it, right?” Va’il asked.

“Exactly,” Geon replied.

“And just what is the item you are talking about?” Kelin asked.

“I don’t know,” Geon said while shrugging his shoulders. The other four stared at him.

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The Lupine Saga 48

Posted on December 5, 2020 by James Ashman

The boys could hear the shouts of men coming from various directions. Requests for supplies, curses, and calls for help littered the air of Tendal. The boys had escaped from their confinement, yet they still were unsure of where to go. More shouts could be heard in certain directions than others, and the corresponding shakes and crashes from those directions confirmed where the action was. Nevertheless, they didn’t simply rush to the scene and risk exposure.

The boys had noticed that their caretaker, Var, was nowhere to be found. The group of soldiers that should have been relaxing at the inn were nowhere to be seen. The master of the lodge must have gone to his room, for the boys were able to walk into the darkness without anyone noticing.

“Hey, do you think that there is no one else left?” Kelin asked while turning to look back at the inn. He looked lost in thought.

“It’ll be fine. She’s safer there anyways. It’s near the middle of the town,” Va’il said while looking around. “Alright. Where shall we go? Towards danger and malice?”

“The usual,” Zeick replied.

“The usual, right?” Va’il smiled. “Of course, the usual.”

The usual thing to do, when deciding which direction to head, was to find the highest spot and look out over their surroundings. Whether it was a tree, a house, or a tower, the highest spot was usually the best place to observe from.

The boys wandered around the town, looking for an appropriately high place. That proved difficult, as Tendal didn’t have that many tall buildings, and it was difficult to see far in the soft light of the moon. They also had to keep their steps quiet, and avoid the people that were running around. Somehow, they eventually ended up at the west side of the city’s walls, where they stopped.

“The wall is pretty high,” Zeick said as he looked up.

“I don’t know, it’s too close to the outside. If something happens, it could be bad,” Pete said.

“What bad could possibly happen? The walls are solid. Are you afraid that they may come crashing down?” Kelin asked sarcastically. He walked over to the wall as he spoke, and put a hand on it.

A loud thud against the wall caused Kelin to jump as far as he could away from the wall. The others would have laughed, if they hadn’t been so shocked by the sound. Kelin looked back at the wall, his eyes wide from the surprise. Another loud thud was heard, and the ground shook slightly.

“Do, do you want to go up?” Va’il asked. He was summoning bravery from reserves he didn’t realize he had.

“It’s still standing. It’s solid.” Zeick said in a voice filled with awe. “We should see.”

“No, absolutely not.” Pete said forcefully. That was all the prodding that the rest needed in order to lose their summoned bravery.

“Fine,” Va’il said while sounding dejected. He felt relieved.

“Yeah, I think I saw a high place more towards the middle of the city. We can go that way. Away from the walls,” Zeick said. Realizing that the walls might not stay standing, he lost his desire to see what was going on. He also felt relieved.

They all nodded in agreement, and started walking back towards the middle of the city. As they started, Va’il stopped and again looked at the walls.

“Did you hear that?” Va’il asked while twitching his ears. He looked towards a certain tower sitting at the top of the walls.

“What did you just say?” Kelin asked as he and the other two returned to Va’il’s side.

“There it was again. Did you hear that?” Va’il asked again. Kelin was already looking up.

“That sound. Yeah. I heard it,” Kelin said in the same dazed manner as Va’il.

“Oh, that. I heard it now, too,” Pete said. The three of them stared up at the walls while Zeick was left scratching his head.

“What is it?” Va’il spoke as he started to walk towards the wall. He walked until he came to the stairs that led to the top of the walls. Behind him, Kelin and Pete followed. The three of them disappeared up the stairs, and Zeick stayed behind trying to figure out what the rest were doing. Eventually, he shrugged to himself, and ran up the stairs in pursuit.

Halfway up the stairs, Zeick heard a sound that made him stop. He didn’t hear it well enough to describe it, so he quickly ran up the stairs. He arrived at the top and nearly bumped into the group already waiting for him. There, the three of them stood motionless, staring into the opening of a tower. Zeick stood at Pete’s side and looked in.

There was a person there. He wore colorful robes and sandals. His hair was brown, and so was his skin. He was human. His face had two stripes of red and yellow on each of his cheeks. In his right arm, he held a xylophone unlike any that the boys had seen before. In his left hand was a rod. His eyes were closed, and every so often, he would tap on the xylophone, making a strange sound. The plates on the xylophone were made of glass, and the rod was metal. Each note resounded as it traveled through the air. The boys felt something inside them vibrate each time the sound hit them.

#

Darius was frustrated. Every time he sent a group of soldiers to attack a group of maroon, they would return a couple minutes later with broken bones and several bruises. He could only watch helplessly from a distance as a group would charge in, plunge their spears and swords into the muddy bodies, and then be thrown aside by the maroon. The maroon, for their part, didn’t pay much attention to the attackers. Even the largest rhinos was thrown aside by the maroon as they continued pounding at the city walls. They were slow, but single-minded in their objective. If it weren’t for the constant distraction that the soldiers provided, the walls would have already fallen.

Darius was still somewhat relieved, even through his frustration. The maroon made no overt attacks against the soldiers. They simply threw the men aside and removed the weapons from their strange bodies. It was a process that repeated itself ad nauseam. Fire had no effect as well. Flaming arrows pierced the bodies of the maroon, but the fire was extinguished when it realized there was nothing flammable in the muddy bodies of the maroon. The men who returned from the lines complained that neither sword nor spear felt any impact upon hitting the maroon. It was a truly pathetic battle, Darius realized. Yet he couldn’t stop and let the maroon continue their relentless assault on the city’s walls.

The maroon had come in droves a short while after night fell, and had broken through a few feet of the walls in some places before Darius could steady the defense. In the midst of the night, the battle continued for a couple of hours. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The maroon appeared to look up with their featureless heads, and then stayed that way for ten minutes. They were all motionless as the soldiers and Darius tried to figure out what was going on. Then they left, disappearing quicker than they had arrived. They moved too quickly to be followed, disappearing in the east. It left everyone in Tendal speechless, wondering what had just happened. The commander of Tendal’s forces quickly met with Darius for a strategy meeting.

“Darius, Rising’s highest military commander, correct?” the local commander asked.

“Yes,” Darius replied.

“Not to tread on formality here, this being our first meeting, but first to business. This was the first time those creatures have left so quickly. It’s been getting shorter and shorter ever since they first came. But usually only a few minutes earlier each time, never have they left this quickly after arriving. Do you have any thoughts, Commander?” the commander asked.

“Darius is fine. No, honestly this is the first time I’ve encountered them, and I was hoping you could enlighten me,” Darius said.

“My apologies, Darius, but we were hoping Rising knew more about this enemy. We’ve been struggling with the defense for a while now, and nothing seems to work. We can keep them off the walls for a while, but stopping them has been impossible. Those bodies just don’t take any kind of damage. What are those things? It doesn’t seem like it’s possible for them to exist,” the commander said.

“This is ridiculous. We’re all clueless, apparently. All I know about those creatures is that they are old. Probably older than us humans. Rising’s archives really only say that they were lost in history. Not much more. I’d hope that one of the ancient species would know more. But anyways, this just reaffirms what I need to do for this mission.”

“That would be?” the commander asked.

“Evacuate,” Darius said.

“Abandon the city? We couldn’t!” the commander cried.

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s something that I discussed with the governor already. I’d assess whether we could help or not, and then start moving people. At first we were planning on taking Tella’s refugees, one way or another, but we came prepared to take people from Tendal as well,” Darius said. He sighed and shook his head.

The man was knocked speechless by Darius’ suggestion. He looked back at his beloved city, but he didn’t have words, strategies, or weapons that could ease his mind. He felt as if he had no choice but to accept the fate given to the city he tried so hard to defend.

“If that’s the way it is. Another week and the men would be too injured to continue. The fields have already been untended for long enough. Things will only get worse from here on. We don’t know if these shorter battles are just a test by those creatures to see how much force they will really need to take us out. I would die to defend this city. But if it’s going to fall whether I die or not, then my choice is to save as many as possible,” the commander said with a heavy heart. He sounded proud, yet on the verge of tears.

“I apologize. I wish there was more I could do,” Darius said as he placed a hand on the commander’s shoulder.

“It’s fine. I’m a soldier; I’ll accept what was given to me. But, now forgive me for mentioning this, taboo as it may now be, but what will Rising do when these creatures come? They seem to be coming your way, after all,” the commander asked with every bit of concern he had shown for his own city.

“I wish I knew. But that isn’t part of my orders. I trust our ruler to do something. King Fidel of Rising will surely find something. You and I can have confidence in that.”

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The Lupine Saga 47

Posted on November 28, 2020 by James Ashman

Aoi turned and walked effortlessly through the people surrounding the sick man. She swam through the crowd like a stream of water. No one seemed to notice as she glided past them. However, the careful eyes of Jane Melonscone were following Aoi’s every action and expression.

Aoi arrived at the table and grabbed a glass of water. She pulled a bottle out from her pocket and poured a small bit of its contents into the glass. The water turned green as the substance mixed with the fluid. Everyone stared as she caught their attention with a single line.

“This will cure him.” Aoi quickly pulled the man’s head back between coughs and poured the green water down his throat. The man swallowed the liquid before he could think to object. Aoi put the glass back on the table, turned, and walked back towards the table.

“Excuse me while I go wash up,” Aoi said. She excused herself and walked towards the lavatory. The entire room went silent as Aoi walked off. Not a sound was heard, not even a cough. Eason was dazed as he watched Aoi walk off. When she disappeared from sight, he awoke. He quickly stood and rushed over to the sick man. The man’s eyes were clear and white, his coughing had stopped, his fingers were fat and fine, and his lips were perfectly pink. He was smiling as he wiped blood away from his mouth. Eason was almost too startled to talk. He managed to get out a few words.

“How do you feel?” Eason asked.

“Perfect. No, better than perfect, hungry. I really want a steak now,” replied the man happily. Not even two minutes ago had he been on the brink of death. Eason went back to his chair, dumbfounded. By the time Aoi returned, everyone had gone back to their seats and settled down. She calmly walked back to her seat, though no one paid her any attention. Apparently, Aoi had been too quick to make an impression on anyone, and the room in general was simply happy that the man had been cured. Aoi sat at the table and then took a drink of water. She didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the night.

“Miss Aoi, that was incredible. Are you a doctor?” Eason asked.

“Well, I am from the water kingdom, after all,” Aoi replied shyly. The water kingdom was known for having some of the best medical expertise in the world. Eason smiled again in recognition of his colleague, and didn’t ask more. However, he did make a note to himself to consult with Aoi in the future, assuming that he would be allowed to meet with her.

“So, you are a doctor, after all.” Jane said quietly.

“Madam, did you say something?” Duke Tourney asked. Aoi didn’t catch what Jane had said either. Eason heard, but didn’t pay any attention to its meaning.

“Oh nothing, just commenting on the crab to myself. It was good, but I don’t think I’m interested in your fishing spot after all,” Jane said.

“Well, although I’d be willing to sell it, I’m quite glad that I’ll be able to keep that land,” Duke Tourney said while laughing. At that, Jane and he went into another random conversation that Aoi found herself becoming strangely immersed in.

The night ended, and the four of them eventually parted ways outside the restaurant’s entrance. A carriage had been prepared for Aoi to be taken back to the castle. Eason helped her up the step and into the carriage.

“Goodnight Miss,” Eason said. “It was a pleasure. Well, enough of it was. I do hope you’ll send for me sometime. A man of my status cannot meet with someone so close to the king so easily. I suppose I must thank Madam for arranging this odd encounter. Secretly, never to her face.” Eason bowed once.

“Isn’t your carriage here?” Aoi asked.

“No, I prefer to walk. I’m still young, this cane is for show and status,” Eason said with a smile. He waved, and then walked off. Aoi couldn’t help but smile as she thought of Eason’s age. At over one-hundred, he was several times older than her, and at an age she would probably never reach. Though Aoi was young and a citizen of Ens, she was only human, and Eason would probably outlive her. She hoped that she would have a chance to meet Eason again.

As Aoi’s carriage left, Jane and Duke Tourney said their goodbyes to each other. The duke took his leave first, at Jane’s insistence. She was the host, she reasoned, therefore she had to be the last to leave. The duke acknowledged Jane’s decree, and sped off towards his estate. Jane waved until he was out of sight.

Jane looked around to see if anyone could see her. The night was well along, and no one was traversing the street in front of the restaurant. Jane walked to the side of the restaurant, an alleyway. Inside there was a figure standing in the darkness.

“You’re there? Excellent.” Jane said.

“The other portion?” the person said dryly.

“It’s all here.” Jane reached into her large dress and pulled out a large bag that jingled with the sound of money. It was just large enough to be hidden inside the dress.

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to cheat me. Of course, I won’t cheat you either. Not that I could, if I wish to live. Thank you, Madam. Though it was tougher than I was expecting. My wife, it’s going to be a while before she gets over this.” The person took the bag of money from Jane. He opened it quickly, saw that everything was in order, and then walked out into the light. It was the man that had been sick. “Though, I could have died there. Did you really know that I’d be saved like that? You have a cure, right?”

“It was a gamble. And you profited. I profited just as much, probably. So many plans to make now. And yes, I have a separate cure. I would have provided it, somehow, before you passed that point of no return, but there was still quite a while to go, even if it would be painful.” Jane reached into another pocket and pulled out a small bottle. She showed it to the man, and then put it back into her pocket.

“So, do you mind telling me what that whole fiasco was for? This sudden shift in lifestyle is more than fantastic for me. I suppose it’s probably no more than pennies in your coffers though,” he said, secretly hoping that Jane would reveal some precious piece of knowledge he would be able to profit from.

“That is a secret. Ah, now I know. Anyways, you’ve been instrumental towards the future of my family. That’s a secret you will take to the grave, no matter what. So, you should enjoy your time, with less questions. Correct?”

The man nodded vigorously, bowed, and then walked back into the darkness. Jane left the alley, found her carriage, and rode off. She sat contemplating things in the silence of the night.

“A doctor, after all. But, I don’t have time to be sad. I’ll have to use it won’t I? How much time do I have? Not much, I think. Your hair just lost its color, after all.”

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The Lupine Saga 46

Posted on November 21, 2020 by James Ashman

The crab arrived shortly after Jane had finished yet another random topic of discussion that only interested her and Duke Tourney. Eason’s sour mood quickly improved once he saw the luxurious food placed in front of him.

“Well, I suppose I’ll suffer some of your company if you’re treating.” Eason smiled at Jane widely, his teeth clearly showing. Fearsome, Aoi thought, at the sight of the bared fangs. Jane softly smiled back, and then continued talking with the duke. Aoi had to wonder why Jane was so pleasant, compared to the usual intimidating presence she had. She decided to put her extra worries aside and enjoy the meal. Aoi had been creating several additional worries for herself for a while now, and if it weren’t for Fidel’s easygoing influence, she may have had even more.

She bit into the soft crabmeat. It was indeed a noble’s restaurant. The food was just good enough to remind Aoi of something she had forgotten. The seafood of the water kingdom surfaced in her mind. The taste and smell weren’t the same, but they were close enough to remind her of her real home. Slowly, memories of the people, the atmosphere, and the culture flooded back into her. Aoi took a few moments to savor the feeling. She laughed to herself as she stared at the food.

Quietly, so that not a soul could hear her, Aoi said, “I’m glad I came.”

Someone behind Aoi coughed, breaking her concentration. She snapped to attention, and smiled again at the food. Jane and Duke Tourney had gone into a conversation about seasonings, specifically about the ones that went best with crab and other shelled fish. She looked to her right to watch Eason as he happily ate. He looked as happy as any lupus eating something fleshy would. He turned his eyes up while taking another bite and noticed Aoi. He finished the bite, then pleasantly smiled and nodded. She replied in kind. Aoi thought for a moment, and then decided on what to say.

“Ah–” she started, however a loud cough interrupted her. She was about to start again, but she noticed that Eason was no longer looking at her. He was staring behind her, at the table where the cough came from. The sound of another loud cough made Aoi cringe. Another one followed, which sounded even worse.

The human man behind Aoi coughed again and again, each time harsher and more violently than before. Eason watched intently with a look of concern. Aoi turned her head to see behind her. A few people from other tables, and a few waiters, had started to gather around the coughing man. He was holding one fist to his mouth as he coughed, and shooing people away with the other. She heard him say that it was nothing to the people around him.

With the next cough, the man’s hand was covered in blood. He coughed repeatedly, dropped his fist, and coughed blood into his soup. Aoi turned back towards the table when she heard a chair move back. It was Eason. He had scooted his chair back, and was reaching down. He pulled a bag up into his lap. He didn’t get up; he continued watching the scene intently. More people had gathered, and the rest of the waiters had arrived, including the headwaiter. The headwaiter took three seconds to look over the scene. Aoi couldn’t tell what was going on any longer due to the crowd behind her.

“This man needs a doctor, quickly!” The headwaiter shouted for help. But no one moved. The other waiters who should have been rushing off were still stuck to their places, observing.

Eason then stood up, holding his bag at his side. He started pushing people aside as he walked towards the coughing man. He got up to the waiters, who weren’t willing to let him push through them.

“Move aside!” Eason commanded. “I’m apparently the only doctor here. It doesn’t appear to be nothing, after all.” The staff looked at each other, and then let Eason through. Aoi turned back towards her own table. Unlike the rest of the room, Jane Melonscone was enjoying her dinner. She didn’t pay any attention to the commotion that was going on around her. Duke Tourney was sipping his water while watching Jane.

“I wouldn’t worry, Eason is one of the best physicians,” Jane said. In a very rare moment, Jane had offered honest praise for another person’s skills. Somehow, it was reassuring to Aoi when Jane spoke like that about Eason. Still, it did nothing for her appetite, which Aoi had long lost due to the ever-louder ordeal.

“This can’t be!” Eason shouted. “This, this just can’t be!”

Aoi turned to look. The crowd wasn’t obstructing her vision at that moment. She saw Eason at the man’s side. His face was extremely pale. He dropped his arms and put his supplies back in the case. Eason stood up and walked away as the man behind him continued coughing and moaning in pain. The woman who was at the table with the man grabbed Eason’s arm, then pleaded with him to stay. Her face was swollen from crying.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked between sobs. Eason turned and looked at her, his eyes devoid of emotion at that moment.

“There is nothing I can do. Nothing any of us can do. This condition, it, it doesn’t exist in Rising. The medicine to treat it doesn’t exist here, either.” Eason said each word bitterly, but didn’t let any trace of anger or pity escape from his tone. Eason had given up.

“Not here? But he’s never been anywhere else! Rising is our home. How can he have something that isn’t from here?” the woman asked while pulling harder on Eason’s arm.

“As interesting as that is, it doesn’t matter at this point. I’m sorry.” Eason didn’t have to remove the woman’s hand. She let go by herself, and put both hands to her face as she cried.

Aoi swallowed as she watched, which took great effort. Her throat had started to dry up. She felt like she should cry, but she didn’t have tears to spare. Eason walked back to the table and sat down. Jane was still eating, and periodically watched the other members of the table. Eason cast his eyes towards a glass of water, and simply stared at it. Aoi summoned the courage to speak.

“What was it?” Aoi asked quietly.

“Cough. Vomiting blood. Yellow eyes. Green fingernails. Blue lips. Just how?” Eason muttered towards the glass of water. He was speaking more to himself than to Aoi, but he had answered her question nevertheless. Aoi swallowed again. She lowered her right hand into a pocket near her leg. She felt around until she touched a bottle inside. She grabbed the bottle as she sat. After sitting still in thought for half a minute, she started to clench the bottle harder. She swallowed again, grabbed the bottle even harder, and then stood.

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The Lupine Saga 45

Posted on November 14, 2020 by James Ashman

A few days ago, in King Fidel’s room, Aoi sat next to Fidel while she served him a meal.

“What happened to the flavor? This taste is strange. It’s unpleasant.” Fidel made a face in disgust.

“What does it taste like?” Aoi asked with concern.

“I’m not really sure. It’s metallic, somewhat.” Fidel made another unpleasant face.

“Nothing has changed. You have, dear Fidel,” Aoi said softly. Her face had a sorrowful look. She slowly lowered the dish she had in hand while staring down. Fidel knew what this meant, without her saying anything.

“It’s close now. I knew it was coming.” Fidel smiled half-heartedly.

“Still,” Aoi said with a burst of expression that quickly calmed, “I was just hoping. And you still look well. Too well for this to be happening. Sure, everything is more difficult, but I still see that same smile from time to time. I knew things were painful, but you never forced that smile.”

“Thank you Aoi, you’re wonderfully observant. However, you haven’t noticed then, have you?”

“Noticed? What more could I notice?”

“My hair.”

“What about it?” Aoi asked with a puzzled look.

“It’s white,” Fidel said with his usual half-hearted tone.

“Yes,” Aoi replied with a sense of exasperation, “it’s always been white.”

“No. Its color is gone. Its color was white. Now, this precious hair is white due to lack of color. It may seem strange to say my white hair has gone white, but white is a kind of color too. I’ve lost it. Now it is white like the white of an old man. You not noticing is fortunate. You’re the closest person to me, yet you didn’t notice when it changed. It means that I’m the only one who has.” Fidel kept smiling.

Aoi looked closely at the hair on Fidel’s head. The hair itself was thinner, and the slight shine it once had was gone. It was a very small shift in hue that probably no one but the person in question would notice. The hair that was white from birth, marking the true descendants of Rising’s royal throne, had faded.

“Now, Aoi, how long do you think I have?” Fidel asked. Aoi shook her head sideways.

“I only knew how many years. Your condition has reached the stage where medicine won’t help prolong your life. There isn’t an estimate I can give now. There isn’t a definite time at this point. Tomorrow, next month, maybe a bit longer. For all I know, these words could be the last ones you hear. There won’t be any warning. It will be sudden and quick.” Aoi spoke seriously, but in a detached manner. At that moment, she was a doctor giving a diagnosis. It would have pained her too much to be anything more. Being a personal attendant for three years can have that effect on a person.

“Hah! Well if that’s the case, I better tell the chef that he doesn’t have to abide by the diet you planned for me anymore. All the trimmings, I can’t wait!” Fidel rubbed his hands together in childish expectation.

“Fidel!” Aoi reacted as Fidel knew she would. Her momentary trance was broken, and in the flash of anger that Fidel had caused, she felt happiness.

“Save your medicine, Aoi, since it’s past the point of help. At this point, I only wish for three things in life.” At that, Aoi stood up and objected.

“I’m not the one you should be saying this to! I won’t be the person who has to listen to your will!”

“Now now, sit down. I was only going to say that I only wish for three things, and one of them is a good meal. Do you care to help with that? It’s not exactly a will or a dying wish. And put that away.” Fidel pointed to a very small bottle on his bedside table. It was the medicine that Aoi mixed with the dish earlier. She took it and placed it in a pocket.

“Yes. A meal it is. At this point, I, I, will go.” Aoi got up and left the room quickly. She had almost said that she was now useless. There was nothing more she could do, she thought. Leaving Fidel’s room, leaving his side, was the same as saying that though. It was extremely rare that Aoi ever went more than a room’s length away from Fidel; however, she was now going to the kitchen personally.

As she walked through the long hallways, she was reminded of how Fidel would take her from one side of the castle to the other. If it weren’t for his unnecessary trips, she wouldn’t know how to get to the kitchen. There wasn’t a need for Fidel to travel anywhere but from his bedroom to the throne room or meeting room, and Aoi would have been very content with just that. However, Fidel liked to walk around, beg his chefs for exquisite food, tempt the dogs with sausages, admire the view, and do just about everything else that could be done inside the castle walls. Though he couldn’t do half of it without assistance, he didn’t complain. He laughed at his inabilities, cried at emotional plays, and became angry with those who were unjustly angry at others. But he never questioned his eventual fate, and never shed a tear over his plight. Thoughts like that started to well up in Aoi, but before she could fall to the ground and sob, someone turned into the hallway she was walking through.

“Why, hello there, Miss Aoi.” Rillin, the old advisor, had walked into the hallway as he tapped his crooked cane.

“Rillin, sir,” Aoi said with her usual composure.

“Separated from our lord today, are we?” Rillin chuckled as he spoke. He was quite old, by human standards, and was always very friendly to Aoi.

“I’m just relaying a message from Fidel. It’s alright to leave his side once in a while. Today, it’s alright to take a step away.” Though Aoi meant to sound casual, she regretted the mournful way she spoke. She quickly became worried that Rillin would notice something was wrong.

“Oh, yes. Quite interesting. Anyways, I was just coming to see you, so this works out well. Just a moment and I’ll get it.” Rillin didn’t flinch at Aoi’s words, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Me? What for?” Aoi asked.

“You received a letter. Ah, here you are.” Rillin reached into his brown robes and brought out an envelope. He handed it to Aoi, and then walked off. He waved as he walked past her. Apparently he had other things to do, and didn’t have another moment to spare.

Aoi carefully opened the normal-looking envelope, and took out the handwritten letter inside. Her eyes widened as she finished reading. She nearly dropped it when she was done. She looked left, then right, and then quickly ran back towards Fidel’s room. She held the letter tightly in hand as she ran, crumpling the paper.

“Fidel! What do I do?” Aoi asked suddenly as she barged into the room unannounced. Fidel, while sitting in an armchair, raised his eyes from the book he was reading.

“Food?” Fidel asked.

“I didn’t have time for that. Look at this!” She rushed over and handed him the letter. Fidel read it over.

“Go,” Fidel said in all seriousness.

“What? No!”

“Why not, Aoi?” Fidel asked, his expression still serious.

“Because I can’t. I have to watch you, right? Why me? Why would she ask me? This is strange, too strange.”

“Just go anyways. Besides, I’m fine without you,” Fidel said without blinking.

Aoi frowned, creating several deep wrinkles on her forehead. She was hurt at the comment, but the panic she felt overwhelmed the pain. She was also very annoyed at Fidel’s manner.

“Why do you want me to go?” Aoi asked.

“Well, if you must know, I haven’t had a night alone in a while. What should I do with all that free time, I wonder?” Fidel became whimsical like normal. Aoi couldn’t help but relax.

“Fine, you obnoxious king. I’ll go. It has been a while since I’ve talked with anyone outside the castle. Even if the person isn’t someone I can imagine myself talking to. Ah, I’m so sick of this castle.” Aoi talked as she looked up in the air, smiling softly. Fidel laughed at Aoi’s impersonation of him. Aoi decided that she should just let her worries go, and accept what the letter said. Fidel sent Aoi out of the room to conclude their night together.

“Wait,” Fidel said when he was finally alone, “where is my feast?”

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