Love is not so easily explained as black and white,
For it is the grey, the colours in between,
the heartbreak and the tears,
the smiles and the laughter,
that truly encompass, the meaning of love.
[ ]
For my dearest wife, Audrey, on our wedding day.
Michael Clearwater
[ II ]
"How long has he been this way?" Harry asked as he sat by Seth's bed, his larger hand braced on his son's thin shoulder. The boy looked as if he were merely sleeping.
Wringing out a cool cloth Sue sighed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she wiped the cloth along her sons fever ridden forehead. "It's been a little over a month. Old Crow told us to keep him on bed rest. It's been three weeks since Crow was last here," tears welled in her eyes as she stroked his young cheek, his skin burning against hers, his normal colour drained and ashen-like.
"He's only been able to stay awake for a few hours a day."
"And to walk?" Harry inquired, knowing that a prolonged amount of time bedridden would weaken his son's young body. A body that had still not yet fully developed.
Sue shook her head as she wiped down his neck, "A few times, but not without aid." Her shoulders shook as tears ran over her cheeks, her hand cupping her mouth lightly to calm her cries.
"My love," Harry sighed, moving to join his wife on the opposite side of the bed. Kissing her shoulder he kept his gaze on his young son's face, "Do not worry yourself, he will be fine. He has to be."
Sue raised an eyebrow at her husband, wondering what he was talking about.
"The King is calling for soldiers. Every family must give up their first-born son."
"He's only a boy," Sue gasped, picking up her son's hand and stroking it gently.
"The King will call forward each family and expect them to abide. It is a great honour to serve the King, my love."
"There is no honour in death," Sue murmured back, looking adoringly at her baby boy. She had expected this eventually but not so soon, not while her son was still an eleven year old boy.
"Seth has three days until he stands before the King. If he does not go, it will result in an act of treason against the three Nations. All three – LaPush, Forks and Makah Nations – will be obliged to answer the call."
.
Leah sat at the bottom of the steps, listening to her parents talk over her sleeping brother. Biting her bottom lip she twiddled her fingers, thinking about Paul.
She despaired in knowing that he was not going to return to their training grounds any more, that he no longer wanted anything to do with her. She wanted him to train her, make her stronger and ultimately in the process; fall in love with her. That way, with Paul by her side she could protect her family, her brother and her mother when their father was carrying out the requests of the selfish King.
Paul was everything she ever imagined a man to be; so well spoken, educated, handsome. A pain clutched at her chest and she sighed unhappily, pushing the dangling strands that ran in front of her face, back. He would never see her as a woman, but always a girl.
"Such a beautiful face should not worry so much," a deep drawled voice crooned at her.
Snapping her head up, she looked into the dark green eyes of Zeiko, a leader in her father's pack of men.
Cringing back, she shuffled along the step to escape his wondering and very curious eyes. His golden armour looked dull and in need of polishing, his clothes worn and his dark hair, long and unkempt.
"Swallowed your tongue, girl?"
Shaking her head Leah crossed her arms over her chest, "No."
"I suppose you think you're too good to be wooed by a solider then?" he muttered, ducking down to whisper in her small shell shaped ear.
"If you think you are wooing me, you are deathly wrong," Leah spat, standing and sliding out from the box he'd put her in.
Walking to the kitchen she yelped feeling his large hand envelop her wrist, bringing her to a sharp stop.
"Luckily for you, I like my girls with a fire in them. It makes it more fun to watch the flame slowly dwindle," he laughed, grasping her chin to look over her face. "Such beauty," he crooned, his nose slowly rubbing against the skin of her cheek, "So soft."
Leah shivered in response, disgusted at his hands and breath over her, "I'll never be yours," she hissed quietly.
"We will see, my sweet. We will see."
Dropping his hand Zeiko smirked, giving her a lopsided cocky grin as the heavy footsteps of her father approached.
"Zeiko, have the men disbanded. Tell them they are free for the night. Have them spread the Kings word to the rest of the Nation tomorrow. We ride to the castle in Forks Nation on the eve of the second day. Come morning, have Kelo and Sibdah ride out to the smaller towns and tell each of the families," her father commanded as he took a seat at the kitchen table, his face stern and drawn out.
"Of course, General. And what of the families that don't comply?" Zeiko asked, cocking a dark eyebrow over his jade coloured eyes.
"If they do not comply it is an act of treason against the Nation and an act of war against the King. You know what to do." Harry sighed as he closed his eyes and wiped a large palm over his unshaven cheeks.
"Of course sir," Zeiko bowed, nodding his chin to his chest.
Slipping from the room he winked suggestively at Leah with a sly smile on his lips.
Leah shivered and rubbed at her wrist, still feeling the slimy touch of Zeiko's hands on her. Letting out a shuddered breath she registered the loud trampling sound of her father's soldiers pull their horse's away, en-route towards the main town.
"Sit my child, come speak with your weary father," Harry said, patting the soft polished wood of the heirloom table.
Sliding into the chair Leah looked upon her father's face. He looked tired, the once pitch black of his whiskers now speckled in grey, this onyx black eyes surrounded by small lines, crowing in the corners.
Ever since she'd been a small child her father had been one of the most formidable men she had ever crossed. Her grandmother had always said how much her father reminded her of grandfather Michael, who would have rolled over in his grave if he knew his son was a General in the Kings army.
Her mother Susan had always said even though the Clearwater family was a Legacy, her father decided his immediate family came first and being a servant of the King would make sure of his families prosperity within the Nation. Legacy's usually lived by a different sub set of rules, ones that pre-dominated the Kings laws, ones which made them dangerous and unpredictable to the King.
Leah could not understand how her father could give up his Legacy so easily. She herself felt the draw of the Clearwater's curved blades. The weapons pulsed when she held them in her palms, breathed life into her as if they, themselves, were alive.
"My, how you have grown," he smiled genuinely, taking in the slender height of her cheek bones which had replaced the cherub like cheeks of a child. "Have I been gone that long?"
"Mama missed you," Leah whispered, playing with the edging of her dark green dress. "We both did."
"I know. She's lucky she has you and your brother with her always. She is a strong woman but without you two she would be lost."
"Seth is going to get better. Grandma Audrey put purple Leith flowers near his window." Leah explained.
"Ahhh... still working her magic I see," Harry smirked as he lent back in his chair thinking back to his own childhood with his mother. His eyes racked his daughters face; still disbelieving she was the same child he had left three months ago. "Your brother will heal in time. I just hope it's in the time we possess."
.
Paul sat across the fire watching Jacob through the flickering orange flames.
The man did not talk unless spoken to and seemed content among the awkward silence they shared.
Dropping the rabbit carcass back onto the plate Paul set it down, taking a rag to wipe his fingers of the mess.
They'd both left the city under the watchful glare of the whore house inhabitants, without injury or further incident. Their travels had taken them to the outskirts of the large forest, giving them shelter to set up camp and a temporary resting place.
"Do you want me to take the first watch?" Paul asked, as he took a liberal sip of dark liquid in his side pouch, before handing it to Jacob.
Declining the offer of drink Jacob set down his sword and shuffled his bundled cloak. "There will be no need," he said seriously as he lay his head down and blinked toward the stars.
The clear night gave them both a brilliant unobstructed view of the night's sky. Like radiant gems the stars shone bright, burning massive flames amongst the blanket of black.
Paul scoffed, "I don't know about you but I would rather my throat in one piece when I wake."
Pulling at the leather strap across his chest he allowed the buckle to loosen and his axes to fall gently to the ground behind him.
Closing his eyes Jacob turned away from the warm flickering flames, "They are not angry enough to search forests for us in the middle of the night."
"It's not exactly people I'm worried about," Paul explained as his eyes scanned the black spaces and dark shadows surrounding them.
"The animals of the forest know not to harm us. They have long been alliances of the Legacy families. They will watch us but only out of mere curiosity. It is their land after all."
Paul's eyes drifted over to the two horses who snuffled as they quietly ate their fill of dried shrubs and yellow Cornelia flowers. They didn't seem startled and obviously did not feel intimidated by what other creatures lingered within the forest.
Taking his knapsack he sat it under his head as he lay down, mimicking his new friend. It felt strange having to sleep on the bare ground, an act he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
"You travel alone?" Paul asked in an attempt to find out more from his new friend.
"Yes."
"And you do not get lonely?"
Shuffling in his place Paul watched as Jacob grabbed his sword and pulled it toward his chest, cocooning his massive frame around the sharp steel.
"Loneliness only belongs to those who have something to return to. I, Paul, have never had anything."
Paul blinked at the other man's words and let the wind take the words between them and replace it with silence. Glancing toward the sky he contemplated the finality in Jacob's words and agreed.
All of a sudden Leah's face flashed before his eyes, those big hazel eyes, long flowing dark hair and those unmistakably full lips.
Frowning, Paul wondered, could you still have something to come back to, after telling them you would never return to them again?
.
"I don't know what you do in the forest all day. It looks as if you have rolled around with the pigs," Sue exclaimed as she washed her daughter's dark green dress against the tub bucket.
Leah smirked as she scrubbed at her feet with the limestone, cleaning her toes from the day's adventure.
"And your hair," her mother glared at her over her shoulder, "it looks as though you have not brushed it in days."
Leah stayed quiet knowing that her mother's statement was true. Instead of brushing it she would merely tuck it around and up into a bun or braid. Paul had always commented on her long hair and she wondered what he was doing, where he was at this very minute. No doubt with the whore of Babylon, Angela.
She crinkled her nose in disgust.
"Are you even listening to me?" Sue questioned noticing the faraway look on her daughters face.
"Yes mama, I'm listening," Leah whined as she dropped down into the tub to let her hair soak.
"I've pulled out your blue dress for when we ride to the palace with your brother," Sue sighed as she pulled the wet dress from the wash tub and began to wring it out.
"Ma, I've grown inches since I last wore that dress. It's going to be to my knees," Leah huffed as she swirled her fingers in the water to find blades of grass floating atop the surface.
"Nonsense. I'll unstitch the hems tonight and it will be fine."
Leah rolled her eyes and took a deep breath before submerging her whole body under the water. Sealing her lips to stop the rush of water to her mouth she blinked haphazardly as she stared upward through the warm water.
The flickering light of the burners made the underwater world seem darker, more enticing as she swayed her head from side to side allowing her dark hair to swirl around her face. The deaf silence of the water pushed against her ears and she slowly exhaled, causing bubble by bubble to hit the shimmering surface and pop.
Kicking her legs to the bottom of the tub Leah re-surfaced to find her mother glaring at her as she held out a towel. "Come, out of the water. You're going to shrivel up and turn into a sea creature," Sue scolded as she lay the towel down on the foot stool.
Frowning, Leah waited until her mother was occupied and quickly hoped from the tub to the floor, wrapping the towel around her as she went. Sure, her mother was her mother and they were both females but it was just weird now that she was growing up. She had grown the whole summer through and kept her distance from many of the other girls. They were into lipsticks, stockings, and gems, while all she wanted was to learn her blades. She had nothing in common with them at all.
"Ma, is the King really going to have Seth fight?" she asked over her shoulder as she stood at the door.
Unsteadily Sue took a seat on the short foot stool wearing a tired expression. "I don't know Leah. It is up to us to present him to the King. What the King then decides will be final. Perhaps he will have pity on your brother."
Nodding Leah reached for the door handle, "If you could take his place, would you?" she asked her mother seriously as fingers knotted the top of her towel.
"Of course," Sue answered back without a breath. "I would do anything for you both."
.
"Son of a whore-" Leah grunted as she pushed her weight against the window pane in an attempt to wedge it open.
It was still early morning and her parents were asleep, allowing her to go through the motions of her plan. From the outside she peered into Seth's room, searching for him as her feet sunk slightly in the muddy garden bed.
"Seth, Seth," she whisper-hissed as she tapped on the glass. Holding the reins tightly she fisted her hand hearing her horse huff and complain. "Sush you big baby," she muttered at the horse who seemed unimpressed with standing in the sinking mud.
"Leah?" Seth croaked out as he pulled himself into a sitting position on his bed.
"Come to the window, I want you to meet someone," she urged, excitement gleaming in her eyes as her hands ushered him over.
Slowly, Seth took each step, using the furniture around the room to creep closer to the window without collapsing. He'd been so weak lately and Leah knew he was only getting weaker. The misuse of his muscles were causing them to fade and lose their strength. She was sure that soon, he wouldn't even be able to rise from his bed.
"What are you doing?" he whispered; his face ashen and his eyes surrounded by deep shadows.
"Seth this is Lucian. Lucian, my brother Seth," Leah said introducing the two as if it were a formal introduction.
"Wow," Seth exclaimed his eyes widening and his mouth upturned into a smile, "You got a horse?"
Gently he reached out and stroked the stallions head, petting the soft fur and watching it slide between his fingers.
"I wish I had a horse," her brother mumbled as the horse huffed and nibbled at the long sleeve of his bed shirt.
"You'll get a horse when you get better. I'll even let you ride Lucian if you want," Leah smirked as her eyes followed Seth's soft pats.
"Really?" the young boy exclaimed with a wheeze, his chest sounding tight and uneasy. "That would be really cool. Then we could ride together," he muttered brushing some of his unkempt hair to the side.
"Always," she promised, circling her pinkie finger around his and squeezing hard enough for him to know she wasn't lying.
.
Zeiko sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the loud barking laughter and general shenanigans of his men. With him sat his closest, most loyal band of men that rode under the General; men that watched his back and saved his hind on more than several occasions.
Markos, the tall blonde to his right was one of the finest fighters he'd ever known with a sword of Rawi.
Alexander, the stocky short tempered man was, despite his appearance, the fastest rider in the troop.
And lastly, his cousin by blood, Weston, the strategist of the group, sat with his heels kicked up and an ale in his hand.
Liquor flowed liberally between the men, women giving his group of men lavish attention which they had all lacked in their time away. Travelling into the boarders of the Shadow Nation was near suicide and even though it lay to the West, the treacherous track North to Makah Nation crossed over unclaimed territory. Territory that crawled with spies and trackers, reporting back to the enemies West bound.
Running a hand through his dark hair Zeiko glanced around the establishment, watching as several groups of soldiers drank and indulged in the finer things that war had stripped them of from their daily lives. While some of the men had wives and children back in their villages and small towns, most knew that they would probably not see them again; not in this life. During these dark days everything offered was taken, knowing that tomorrow could be the last.
"You look troubled cousin, something bothering that pretty head of yours?" Weston smirked, laying down his drink on the table and grabbing at several pieces of cut meat which lay presented in the middle of the table as an open feast.
Sucking his teeth Zeiko looked up at his cousin, meat scraps falling from his mouth as he greedily ate and took in the pleasure of eating a real meal, one after months of eating the carcass of rabbits and dry bread.
"Indeed. Your lack of manners bothers me."
"Ah, always the diplomat. Tell me, how long has it been since you enjoyed the love of a good woman?" Weston exclaimed, wiping his mouth with a rag and throwing it to the side. Reaching out he snagged a blonde waitress, pulling her into his lap and smelling her neck. Giggles and blushed cheeks sprang from the girl as Weston ran his nose higher and higher, before whispering softly into her ear. With widened eyes the blonde nodded profusely and made haste toward the back of the bar.
"Your love of women is going to get you killed one day," Zeiko laughed, explicitly thinking about the young daughter of the General; lips of rosy plum, skin smooth and unblemished by other men, soft hair and softer flesh running under his scarred and rough hands. Innocence; resting under his very control.
Zeiko's throat became tight as he glanced at the blonde who was making her way back toward his cousin. In her hand she held on to another girl, dragging her forward under duress. Licking his lips his eyes roamed the small girl who was nothing but curly red hair and pale skin. In retrospect it was never about the looks to Zeiko, it was the innocence. The big, wide, curious eyes, the untainted belief that the world was still full of good, that the soldiers were fighting for them and that the King would save them all.
"I thought you might like her," Weston chuckled as he watched Zeiko rise from his bench to kneel before the young girl. With one hand on her chin and the other brushing back the wild red curls he lent forward and smiled at the shy girl.
"How old are you girl?" Zeiko asked, his mouth filling with saliva making him swallow unnaturally fast.
"Thirteen," she breathed shyly, glancing at her blonde friend for help. A help she would never receive.
"Perfect," Zeiko smiled, nodding toward his cousin and getting to his feet.
.
"You're a solider of the King," Jacob stated as he prepared his horse for travel.
Tucking the leather strap under the saddle he secured the small travel bags and tightened the reins. Checking Talu's mouth strap he patted his dear friend and rubbed his palms roughly against the horse's cheeks.
"Yes," Paul sighed as he crouched down to cover the hot embers of the previous night's fire.
"Yet you bare the crested weapons of a Legacy," Jacob said, never looking at the other man once.
"Yes," Paul nodded, standing to face his new friend.
Tying together his axes straps he untwisted the leather bounds and rearranged them comfortably on his shoulders. Growing frustrated with the unsaid words from his acquired companion Paul pulled his tie from his hair and secured the fallen hair away from his eyes.
"You have something to say friend. Do not hold back."
Giving Talu a lasting pat Jacob turned toward the older man. "To be a Legacy is to be free of the King's rule and to be of the highest order of warriors. You were born to lead, not to follow. You're axe's bare the mark of Men. You are a leader of men. Yet you work alone, as a boarder keeper for the King; a King who sits in a palace not of his own."
Letting out a frustrated growl Paul mounted Mihali and arranged his reins. "I have my reasons. Some of which I am sure you will never understand."
"Turning your back on your destiny does not change the circumstances of the past. The past lies behind us always, but destiny is with us every day."
"Do. not. speak to me as though you know me," Paul hissed, his hands clenching and straining against the leather of the reins. "My being a Legacy destroyed everything I ever held dear to me. My life slipped through my fingers believing in a destiny I was born to."
Jacob blinked absently as he wrapped the handle and steel of his sword in the white cloth and slipped it under the saddle straps. "The road of a warrior is long and lonely. Sacrifices, are to be expected."
Without hesitation Paul was off his horse and stalking toward the arrogant young man who assumed to know the inner rulings of the universe.
Turning, Jacob stopped the oncoming fist that was careening toward his face. Grabbing Paul's wrist he stood toe to toe with the man in anticipation of another calculated move. Growling Paul lifted his knee to find the young man's stomach. Jacob grunted in response but was quick enough to stop the next kick which was designed to connect with his unprotected ribs.
Paul's fist cracked against Jacob's mouth, sending his companion back only marginally, as well as splitting the skin of his knuckles.
"Bastard," he growled, pulling a scrap of cloth from his pocket and wrapping his hand.
"Are you finished?" Jacob asked as he got to his feet and wiped his lip.
"Yes," Paul admitted as he pulled a sling of water from his travel sack. "Here."
Taking the sling from Paul, Jacob drained some of the water and used it to wash the trickle of blood from his mouth. Handing it back, Jacob didn't let go immediately. "For what it's worth - I'm sorry; for whatever it is you lost."
Nodding Paul tucked away the water sling and re-mounted his horse, ready for their day long track.
"Don't be. My burden is my own and I shall carry it alone."
.