Thirrin has a Twin! Meet Brigenna, the apparently useless younger twin of Thirrin Freer Strong-In-The-Arm Lindenshield. Throughout her adventures with Thirrin and Oskan will she realize that she's not as usless as she thinks? Or will life catch up to her in the end? And is there love in the mix? OC/OC only taking place in "The Cry of the Icemark".
I looked up as a mailed fist banged on the door, to see Thirrin walk in looking annoyed out of her mind, and wearing hunting gear.
"Hi, Thirrin." I said, looking back at my book.
"Hey, Bri." She replied smiling at me.
"Perhaps her majesty would be more comfortable in a dress rather than chain mail?" Maggiore asked.
"No!" Thirrin snapped, reverting back to her anger, before relenting slightly by taking off her sword belt and hanging it on the back of her seat. She promptly dazed off, while I kept reading my book. I had found it in the very back of the library, hidden in the back of the shelves. It was about werewolves, and their hierarchy. It was the first book I had come across that detailed werewolves as intelligent at all, much less smart enough to have their own government.
I kept reading as Maggiore caved and taught about battles, again. His life's ambition seemed to be getting Thirrin interested in books, and while he already has a princess interested in books, he mostly just cares about Thirrin, like everyone else.
I suppose I should tell you about me. My name is Brigenna Freer Strong-In-The-Arm Lindenshield, Princess of Icemark, and major disappointment to all. My name's much too long for just me, I'm short and slender. I have pale skin, grey eyes, and copper colored hair. Not being tall and strong and having red hair could be forgiven if I was half-way decent at the warrior arts, but I'm not. I can shot a bow-and-arrows and ride a horse, but that's it. And even that could be forgiven if I had a brilliant tactical mind, but I don't. So, while Thirrin is regarded with a sort of hero-worship, I was just Bri, the forgotten princess. Most people refer to Thirrin as The Princess, as if there wasn't another one. The only things I seemed to be halfway decent at were languages, a big help in a country that only had one, reading, and healing. None of these things were even considered useful, except for the last, which I did in secret. So in the end I was just Thirrin's twin, younger by one candle mark, and not worth the melted wax in between. At least, that was the saying.
At the banquet that night I was once again forced to sit at the High Table, forced to endure people talking to me as if I was slow just because I was not a great tactician or warrior there are more skills after all! Eventually, I just got fed up and went outside the Great Hall. I grabbed a piece of bread which I nibbled on on a bench outside the Hall, moving the drunkard the bench originally belonged to to the floor, he wasn't really going to remember was he? Suddenly, the sounds of growls filled the air, and the sound of soldiers marching as well. I kept seated and quiet as a group of soldiers came into view, with a werewolf dripping blood in between them. I stared in horror as I noticed its collar and gathering some inner courage shouted, just as the doors opened,
"Just what do you think you're doing?" The guards stared at me in shock before one chuckled and pulled them forward. "Excuse me. I, Brigenna Freer Strong-In-The-Arm Lindenshield, a royal Princess of Icemark, asked you a question. Perhaps you, a guard, might wish to answer." I said with such ice in my voice it palpable. The other guards, having met me in the Healing Wing, stopped and bowed.
"We found this beast in the forest as requested by the King. We are taking it to him now, your Highness." One of them said, I had healed a leg injury on him last year.
"Do you want us all killed? My father shall order him killed, which will then end with us all killed! Surely you saw his collar when you were fighting him!"
"I do not see how having the thing killed will effect us in the slightest." Father boomed from his place on the dais. I turned to see the entire Hall staring and Thirrin making her way through the crowd. I stalled.
"Do you not see his collar?" I asked. Father squinted at it before nodding.
"Seems as if its a chieftain, we've killed many of them before." Father replied. The werewolf growled in its throat.
"Not making this easier." I whispered to it, then rose my voice so Father could here, "Its collar is quite clearly that of a werewolf king and judging from the howls I have heard surrounding us all night, the werewolves know exactly where he is."
"Then kill it and we'll kill all that come after! Good riddance." Father said, I groaned. The soldiers headed into the Hall, me running after.
"I claim the right of sentence!" Thirrin had finally broken through the crowd. The werewolf tensed, but I turned to it from where I was outside of the circle of guards.
I growled under my breath, knowing no one without werewolf hearing would hear it. I tried to make it the correct words for "Don't Worry." But I never had the opportunity to actually practice with a werewolf...
"Your accent's terrible." The werewolf growled back lowly, after he had bolted upwards in shock. This coincided with Father's "How do you want it killed?" So no one thought any different of it.
"I know. Many guards are loyal to me. If this goes badly I will get you out. My sister is very smart, though. If anyone can convince him it would be her." I growled and snarled lowly, making sure my face was hidden from view.
"Not you?" He growled back, in a curious fashion.
"This is the most we have spoken in weeks. Thirrin is treasured by him." I replied, looking only at my Father defiantly. The werewolf looked at me with pity, but I wasn't having any of it.
"My daughter wishes to set you free. Would you promise to be an ally of the Icemark if she gets her way?" Father asked, obviously expecting this to work, as he thought werewolves couldn't speak.
"I promise." He said, causing whispering amongst the Hall.
"And your people?"
"And my people." He replied.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Father asked, causing the werewolf to laugh.
"You don't. You'll just have to trust... me."
"What happens if your allies call for war against us? Could you ignore the Vampire King and Queen?" Father asked.
"Look, if you're going to search for problems, you might as well kill me now and have done with it." He replied stiffly.
"Idiot." I growled, that was going to seem appealing.
"Sometimes you just have to take risks. Thirrin, the prisoner's yours." Father said, unable to really resist Thirrin in anything. Thirrin thanks him while I tried to tall the guards to release him, which led to one side being released, from those loyal to me, and one side not being. The werewolf just raised his eyebrows at me.
"Loyal to you?" He said, chuckling.
"Oh shush. I could have gotten you out." I replied, huffing as Thirrin was immediately followed. He stood for a second before growling.
"Do you wish to be recognized?" He asked. I thought for a minute before shaking my head sadly. He nodded and promised loyalty to Thirrin, and finally gave his name. He was escorted out, with me sneaking out behind him as the feast began again. We all walked in silence to the gates, the guards who were loyal to me gradually getting rid of those who weren't, my presence offering some security from the guards ignoring orders and taking matters into their own hands, as is often done. Grishmak stared at me as I nodded to the guards and slipped into an alleyway, changing into the clothes I wear as a healer and when I went around Frostmarris a worn dark blue tunic with light blue trim and an extremely dark blue, almost black skirt (it enabled me to get blood on them while still washing it out).
We started again as I came back out, only this time I walked to the side, not showing I was with them and was stopped at every possible opportunity from people in the city, some thanking me for care, others asking for it, and some just to talk. I smiled, did all I could while still moving and cataloged where I would need to go tomorrow. Grishmak stared the entire time, watching me in shock. As we neared the gates I went closer to the group, until we were alone right before the gates. The guards looked at me in worry for a minute before I smiled and nodded to show I would be fine with Grishmak. He turned to me once they were gone.
"There is more to you than they believe." He growled simply. I smiled a polite diplomats smile, the kind without any actual emotion behind it, and replied,
"They being the townspeople in the sense that they don't know I'm a Princess? Or they being the guards?" My voice slightly tight, I still stumbled over the words slightly.
"All of the above, although I mostly meant your family. Why do you keep your abilities a secret?" He asked, curiosity flooding his voice.
"I do not. They choose not to see. When I realized they would not see I chose to hide who I was from those who would see."
"Why do they not see? The guards see. The guards would have told the king." He seemed utterly sure.
"They have. Before I hid. Many died. After that I hid and they helped." I replied, the gates starting to open.
"What happened?" He asked, curiosity practically soaking his voice.
"A story for another time. Why did my sister stand for you?" I countered, not wanting to live through that ever again, much less with someone I barely knew.
"In the forest I spared her life." He replied, making it seem as if it was not a big deal.
"Why?"
"She told me to make sure all the wounds were in the front, so that she would not be seen as running away." I laughed, the clear sound running over the rooftops as he joined in. The guards banged their weapons and I stopped blushing, causing them to laugh.
"Why are you embarrassed?" He asked, this time in human speech, so that the guards could hear. I glared as the guards laughed and one shouted down in reply,
"The poor things shy! Laugh's so loud the voice's quiet we say." Grishmak laughed again before running out the gate on all fours, leaving me with one last comment,
"Sometimes it is the smallest voice that makes the most difference, Princess of the Icemark."