Chapter 4: The Fairest Owl
On a rock on the lower areas of the Ga'Hoole Tree, Javier rests with some of his Pure Ones following. He called the Great Tree his some for many a few years, 16 of them to be somewhat exact. Now staring upon the place he called home, it is sickening to think that a mere boy who was always the black sheep of the family lived there when he is now the Lord High Tyto of the Pure Ones and following in the bloodstained claw-prints of his father, and great-grandfather.
"This is where she lives. The Purest of all owls. Non-Tyto, yes. But there is always method to my madness." Javier mutters
Princess Barran is strolling around Ga'Hoole. There was a bit of a windstorm last morning and Barran is directing the clean-up crew as they deal with lots of sticks and other debris that had gathered. Otulissa is not in Ga'Hoole at the moment, as she is gone on a vacation, and it is the snowy princess who took on directing the groups. It seems the coordinating and working with groups is something she does best, especially as she is learning the tricks of the royal trade, which includes bossing around others.
Josh is strolling around. Usually he would be in some sort of meeting or attending to some sort of royal duty, but he likes to take some time out of his chaotic schedule to have some downtime. He then comes into City Centre while the clean-up crews continue their work and Cath stands in the middle of it.
"Hey, sweetheart." Josh says to his youngest daughter "How's the clean-up going?"
"It's going good, dad." Barran smiles "It's mostly just large sticks and stuff left now. We did have one small tree branch fall."
"Ga'Hoole. Never will a storm nor any war will affect the Great Tree as it always stays strong." Josh then says as he looks upon his kingdom "Someday, it might be you, Barran, who will rule the kingdom. You would make a good queen, my girl."
"Father… I only hope that that day will only come when I am ready." His daughter replies
"You will be ready when that day comes. When my father, told me that this someday would be my kingdom, I was just as unsure as you are." Josh says as he wraps a wing around his 21-year-old daughter, "I know you are capable of great things, Barran. That is why I named you after your grandmother, though the last name your mother's."
Barran looks down at her claws "But, father why are you telling me this when Winter has the same rights to the throne?"
"Because… Barran, we, me and Coryn haven't decided who will rule Ga'Hoole. Your sister's not in the running as she has her own claims to your mother's crown back in The North and when it comes to you and your brother... It takes time to make a decision, sweetheart. Sometimes you have to take time making decisions and sometimes you have to consider what is best for your kingdom." Josh then explains as he turns his daughter's head to face him, looking her in her dark blue eyes
"I still don't understand, dad." Barran then states
"I don't expect you to, sweetheart." Josh says as he holds his daughter close, "I don't expect you to."
Within moments, a loud banging noise sounding like bells rings from the watchtowers and you can hear the calls of alert… Within moments, the tree goes into utter chaos and the Pure Ones are flying through the gates with their battle claws sharpened and armed with their weapons from swords and blades to bows. Josh is shielding his daughter and holding onto her wing.
"Go and get your dagger, Barran." Josh says to his daughter
The princess then loses grip of her father's wing and then is lost in the array of chaos. She then is trying to fight against it so she could go up to the palace to get the Silver Dagger, but all efforts to get through the crowd seem pointless. She then is about to get to the doors to the corridor which leads to the Palace Hollows, past the Parliament and the offices of her father and 'uncle' Coryn, where two guards are standing before Morin swiftly swoops down and grabs her by the waist and carries her off.
"Help! Help!" She cries as guards soon follow
"Barran!" Josh yells as he then takes out a Pure One and follows in pursuit "Coryn, follow me!"
"We're coming, Barran!" Coryn yells as he follows the group of owls
Barran is panicking as he tries to free herself. It is a new moon this night and her powers are very limited. She tries using Light Magic or at least an attack but Morin just threatens to drown her if she doesn't stop and if she doesn't shut up. The guards, Josh and Coryn are in hot pursuit before being caught in a fight. Josh continues flying after the owl that is kidnapping his daughter, dodging the Pure Ones.
"I'm not about to let you kidnap her again, you bastards!" Josh yells
But as he is flying, a Pure One hits him from his side and he then is tumbling out of control and falling towards the ocean. He is losing consciousness also and the last thing he sees and hears is the general of the Pure Ones flying away with his daughter and hearing her cries for help and cussing over not being able to use her powers. Sina then intercepts her father and takes him back to the palace. Coryn then notices his now Pure One leader of a grandson, Javier, leaving shortly after most of the Pure Ones have already left. Coryn then starts to think this was all planned…
Javier then catches up and Morin has knocked the Princess of Ga'Hoole unconscious, after the little escape attempt she had almost pulled, which now left a tear in her light yellow cape she chose to wear. Javier eyes the snowy he has kidnapped, he knows that she is non-Tyto, but she would make a fitting wife for no more than the pureness of her heart. And to think, they were childhood friends. When he was three, she was seven. When he was fourteen, she had come of age. If anything, she is four and a half years his senior… and he is barely even 17.
"Why do you have all these useless plans, Javier?" Morin asks while carrying the snowy, "You know that this wretch is merely one of the lower species. You know that you will never even bother having children with her for the impurity it would bring."
"Of course, Morin, I do know all of this. As you can see, it either ends in her being married to me or… let's just say that her daddy will not be seeing her again unless he and those sprinking Guardians surrender." Javier replies as they continue on route to St. Aegolius