Finally reached it, the first plot climax.
ThatAnon: It was in the original where I wrote myself into a brick wall. With any luck I won't do that again in the near future.
Chapter Seven
With Freyan, he'd just walked Hiromi back to her room from their stroll around town. Hiromi appeared to enjoy Freyan's company, unable to see why other women shunned him. He was the sweetest man she'd ever met. At times, Freyan reminded Hiromi of her father, the merchant Dragoon had spoken of. He had been a kind man in his days of life. Hiromi felt a little bad leaving Freyan to carry all her bags but he never asked for help. His years as a knight had gotten him used to hard work. Setting the mass of bags down, Freyan took a big gamble by kissing Hiromi on the cheek. He pulled back hastily, expecting Hiromi's hand to come flying at his face but she just went bright red! Feeling a little embarrassed, Freyan walked hastily to the main door, feeling a sense of déjà vu upon hearing a slight whisper. Turning around, Freyan noticed something was a little off about Hiromi. "Hiromi? What's the matter?" "Freyan I. I think it's time you knew the truth. You're a very sweet man and I don't want you getting hurt because of who I am." "What are you talking about?" Freyan watched wide eyed as Hiromi's body began to change and within a few short seconds she'd transformed into a large rabbit-like creature Freyan recognised as a Tegual. Her soft looking fur was white with patches of chocolate brown, ears long and fuzzy. In place of clothes she sported pink armour on her chest/back, shoulders, legs and lower spine near her hare tail. Never in all his years had Freyan seen such a beautiful creature.
Over the time he'd spent getting to know Hiromi, Freyan had found himself steadily falling in love with her. Having gained a fair amount of weight her true figure had come back. Freyan had watched Hiromi change from a starved street urchin to a beautiful, generously proportioned maiden. When Freyan took a step forward, Hiromi flinched back. He simply didn't want to believe his eyes. "Hiromi you're…a Tegual. So that must be why people from Xian are hunting you. Tegual are considered Shapeshifters in most countries." "You're not frightened?" "Why should I be? If those bastards come here they'll wish they hadn't." Hiromi couldn't understand why Freyan bore no fear of her. She was a monster. If her past experiences were anything to go by he should've left the room screaming by now. But there Freyan stood, fearless and bold. Hiromi finally understood when Freyan assumed his beast form. "You see Hiromi? We're both monsters. Only I was not particularly born this way. Having both Elven and Neko-Jin blood in my veins I can transform into this creature. Mother tells me that this side to me was roused from its slumber when Kai's was triggered by Max taking his demon form for the first time. I was told not to tell anybody about it but I feel I can trust you, Hiromi. Max is the son of Veneficium." "I had wondered what all the fuss was about." Freyan smiled, shedding his fur and scales to be human again and Hiromi did the same. This time Freyan really needed to leave. Once he was gone, Hiromi felt lonely. 'If only he knew.'
Another week passed after Dranzer opened her heart to Kai. Dragoon took his soldiers home, content to leave Hiromi in Freyan's care. As much as Snowber wanted to stay in Firos, he and Arcta had to go home and dispel their tans. Arcta promised to keep in touch with Yonah, knowing the girl needed a friend now Max was gone, no matter how far away they were. Svarog was now completely at peace with Kai and Freyan, openly giving them affection when they returned home from work. Kai knew something was wrong with his brother having caught him several times dressing in his smartest clothes. Had his brother finally found the one for him? If so, who was he to intervene? Kai had always wanted Freyan to be happy. He never thought to tail his brother to find out who the mystery girl was, waiting for Freyan to be ready for everyone else to meet her. Silvanna was the first to catch on that Yonah was pregnant at the tender age of sixteen. No doubt when the men of the family found out they'd be beyond angry. Currently it was easy for Yonah to hide her swollen stomach but in time it would be impossible to hide her thickening waistline. Whenever Dranzer thought about Yonah, she wondered just how long it would be before she too fell with child. For now, Dranzer could only pray for it to not happen, especially with Wolborg as an advisor. He wouldn't miss a chance to get rid of Kai for good. It was unknown to Dranzer how Falborg and Seaborg felt about Kai. They rarely quarrelled with each other and seemed to have some sort of an understanding. Wyborg of course was happy to let Kai take Dranzer's hand. He was of noble blood after all. Wyborg often mused how long it would take her fellow advisors to catch on to affair between Kai and Dranzer.
At the end of the week, Freyan was considering taking the next step with his secret lover. Well, he and this girl weren't officially a couple but he aimed to change that soon. There was a certain lust about her lately that got Freyan all excited. Once again in the early evening Kai caught Freyan getting himself all fancied up. "Off to your mistress I take it boyo?" "Kai?! Gods don't sneak up on me like that!" "Freyan, look…" "I don't care what you have to say, brother. Please just let me alone." "I'm not stupid. I know you've been a courting this last month. You can fool Yonah but not me. I just wanted to say that I'm happy for you, Freyan. For years it's killed me to watch you suffer. I've tried to get the women of the town to open up to you in THAT way but my plight just went unheard and they ended up taking me to their beds instead. Be careful, righto? I'd blame myself if anything else happened to you." Freyan was touched to have his brother's blessing, pulling Kai into a bear hug he could not avoid. Leaving his room, Freyan was ambushed by Silvanna and a comb. Of course Freyan was not pleased with this but once Silvanna was done, he looked far more handsome with his hair tied into a braid. With a bouquet of fresh flowers in hand, Freyan set off to see his special girl. By the time he arrived it was dark, knocking softly on the door. Freyan wasn't waiting long, revealing the flowers from behind his back making the lucky lady go bright red in the face. For a little while, Freyan took his time before crossing the final hurdle, his nerves on fire and so were hers.
Another month went by and Freyan definitely seemed happier now he had somebody of his own to hold. So far, Kai's fling with Dranzer remained unknown to everybody but Wyborg. Deep down, Kai feared something bad was going to happen, seeing him torn from the woman he loved and his home. Kai told himself many times he was just being stupid. Wyborg noticed some new changes in Kai's behaviour. He was starting to get a little careless around the other advisors. Thankfully, Falborg and Seaborg dismissed the odd behaviour but Wolborg was scheming, in Wyborg's eyes at the very least. Nobody else seemed to notice a tiny shift in Wolborg's behaviour. He'd skulk around the castle after dark, unaware that Wyborg often shadowed him. Kai's nightly visits were no longer a concern for Wyborg though on occasion Dranzer reported that he seemed a little out of touch with reality. One night, Dranzer found herself being visited by Kai once again. She didn't particularly mind, having yearned for him to strip her bare all day. Wyborg was nowhere to be found this night, probably chasing her fellow advisor to try and figure out what dark plan he was brewing. Dranzer was careful to contain her cries of joy, knowing Wyborg wouldn't always be around to protect her. Most unusually, Kai made love to Dranzer more than once, passing out after three rounds. It was unlike him even in his tranced state to claim his Queen three times. For a while, Dranzer lay staring at Kai's face as he appeared to be sleeping, stroking his flushed cheek with tender fingers. Dranzer sensed Suzaku shifting in the room over, tensing in case something was wrong. The loyal Phoenix had recently laid an egg at long last.
Come morning, Dranzer had no idea that Kai was still in her bed after the night's events. Wyborg crept into the room, a smile on her face at seeing the lovers fast asleep. The stealthy advisor panicked when she heard footsteps getting closer, shaking Dranzer's bare shoulder hastily. "My lady. My lady! You must wake up!" Dranzer mumbled something incoherent, waving Wyborg away. Now all Wyborg could do was try to delay whoever was coming as best she could. In the bedroom, Kai showed no signs of waking up. Some yelling from the throne room alerted him that he was not in his bed, eyes slowly creaking open. Dranzer's eyes snapped open when she heard somebody by the bed and they weren't happy at all. "Lady Dranzer what is the meaning of this?!" Much to everyone's misfortune it was Wolborg. "W-Wolborg? What's going on?" "First of all, there is a knight in your bed, where I might add he should not be. And secondly my painstakingly long search to find you a suitor has yielded some results." "I did not ask for a suitor, Wolborg, nor will I accept a man of your choosing." Wolborg's blue eyes were unusually cold when he looked at Dranzer, the air around him dangerous. "I'm not giving you a choice. This country needs a King." "And since when was I deemed unfit to rule MY kingdom?" "When you started sleeping with a man not of royal blood. Men, take him away at once!" Try as she might, Dranzer could not protect Kai from Wolborg's personal guards. Somehow, she knew this would happen eventually.
Wolborg had the decency to give Dranzer privacy as she dressed. Wyborg had a very apologetic look in her eyes as she helped her Queen to dress. Once in the throne room, Dranzer saw her husband to be glaring at Kai who had been forced to his knees, head bowed down in defeat. Falborg and Seaborg were muttering to one another in a far off corner, unsure of how to take the situation before them. The man Wolborg selected for Dranzer was tall, stout and not very handsome at all. Dranzer felt he was trying to ridicule her. This gentleman bore no emblem with hair of darkest black and eyes grey as the stormiest skies. Age wise he looked to be almost thirty. Dranzer eased herself onto her throne with Wyborg's help, waiting for Wolborg to say something. "Lady Dranzer, this is Lord Valken. He WILL be taking your hand in marriage to guide this country down its proper path." Wolborg turned his eyes to Kai, no sign of yielding his anger. "And what say you, heathen? Any last words before I hand down your punishment?" Kai remained silent but in truth he wanted to hit Wolborg, kill him even. They would never see eye to eye, rivals for all eternity. "Very well. As the Queen's Chief advisor, I hereby sentence you to public execution by beheading." "NO!" "Stay out of this, Lady Dranzer! You can protect this pathetic excuse of a man no longer!" Dranzer's emotions were running wild but a simple touch of her hand from Wyborg seemed to ease them before something bad happened. "I do agree with the Queen, Wolborg. Plus, I do believe punishment is my domain where I've warned you several times in the past not to tread." Wolborg stood down as Wyborg attempted and succeeded in intimidating him.
At the Hiwatari chambers, Freyan and Yonah were worried sick. Kai was not in his bed and this caused them both to panic. Freyan bolted out of his seat when Kai was tossed heartlessly into the room, his body bearing wounds from mild torture. "Kai!" Freyan stopped dead when two guards appeared at the door. One of them handed him a letter which he recognised was in Wolborg's handwriting. "Freyan? What's going on?" Questioned brother was furious at what he read, yanking his brother from the floor by his hair and slammed him against the wall nearest to them, not caring that Kai was actively crying. "What'd I tell you?! Don't pull the Queen I said, and what do you waltz off and bloody do?!" "Freyan! Look at him." As he was told, Freyan observed his brother, finding a broken will in his crimson eyes. "Think what you will Freyan. But I did not put myself in her bed last night. You saw just how weary I was from yesterday's work. But what's done is done and cannot be changed. We must leave, brother. And with haste." "But why us?" "I cannot leave my family and if you stayed, I fear Wolborg would kill you. He wants no trace of us here." Freyan fell to the floor defeated, allowing Kai to trudge sorely into his room. Yonah didn't know whose side to take, leaving Freyan to think things through to pack her things. Freyan unleashed his wrath on Wyborg when she arrived only to be told Dranzer's single female advisor had just spared his brother from death. Banishing him was the only way to put Dranzer at ease.
Within the hour Kai and his siblings were prepared to leave the place of their birth. Auron and Silvanna were forbidden to go along, forced to watch in shackles as their children readied a wagon to take them someplace else. Tala had no idea what was going on but when he tried to ask, Kai gave him a very nice black eye. "If you want answers, go to beloved uncle. I'm sure he'd be happy to satisfy your curiosity." Kai then turned to Esther, his loyal friend since birth. The Griffagon was understandably confused by everything, chirping in the sweetest way. Although his bond with Paine was not strong, Freyan felt he owed it to her to say goodbye. The rest of the knights were pained to see the tearful farewell. "Promise me, Esther. That no matter what, you'll protect this country. I cannot say for certain that we will return. After all these years I just ended up letting you down." Esther could not make sense of why her master was openly shedding tears, kissing them away to try and ease his pain. "Enough, Esther. You must be strong now. We'll see each other again someday. Look after your siblings, Esther. I'm entrusting the Queen's safety to you now." Every step Kai took killed him inside, hauling his beaten body onto a black horse while Freyan helped Yonah into the wagon. Svarog was oblivious to the troubles, nestling himself in Yonah's lap. The townsfolk made it harder for the family, gathering at the edge of the street to see them off. Kai had been happy with the gentle pace but when he heard Esther trying to reach him he spurred his horse on, leaving Freyan and Yonah behind. It took almost ten men to restrain Esther as she cried mournfully for her rider. Up in the throne room, Dranzer had shed a feather. "Suzaku. Take this to him."
As Kai breached the city gates, he heard the flapping of hasty wings. Turning to the sky, his eyes caught sight of Suzaku. The mighty Phoenix landed swiftly, a red feather locked in her marvellous beak. Kai identified it as one of Dranzer's feathers. To Suzaku's horror the red feather burned up in Kai's hand as he unleashed some of his pain. Dranzer watched from the balcony, her heart breaking in two as she watched the gifted feather burn to ashes. Kai's eyes had grown cold now as he stared back at her. When the wagon finally caught up, he kicked at the haunches of his horse to make it move towards the forest. Freyan understood that his brother was angry and upset but destroying something that could've helped to keep him comfort in the many lonely nights to come was just cruel. Had it been Dranzer's fault that they'd been banished? Had she put a spell on his brother? Freyan did not know. What he did know, was that life would be harder now that they'd left the security of their home. "Kai. Where will we go?" Freyan was petrified at how Kai would respond, glancing into the wagon to check on Yonah. To his relief Kai appeared calmer now as he spoke. "I shall send word to Lady Griffolian in Galvena and request that you and Yonah take up residence there." "But what about you?" "I will set out in search of a cure for Yonah. I'll never find it running around Galvena. Try to live a normal life, Freyan. And keep your nose clean. I'll be virtually untraceable so don't try writing to me. I don't know when or if I'll return, Freyan. It's up to you to look after Yonah now."
The journey north was tense at best, especially for Yonah. She wanted so badly to comfort her brothers but feared they could snap at any given moment. On the tenth day, Kai was in control of the wagon while Freyan kept his blue eyes peeled for danger. "Where do you suppose you'll start?" Kai turned to Freyan, his eyes questioning. "Whatever are you talking about Freyan?" "You said yourself that you'd go off on your own to find a cure for Yonah." Kai turned his gaze to the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. "Remember those stories mom used to tell us? Of magical forests and talking trees?" "But they're just stories, Kai." "It's the only hope we have, Freyan. I'll be leaving you in five days. Galvena is close now and I don't have the luxury to be caught in idle chatter." Kai kept his voice hushed, not wanting to wake Yonah as she slept in the back. Freyan knew his brother would not say goodbye. It would hurt them all too much. They'd been together all their lives and now Kai was leaving. Freyan wasn't sure how he and Yonah would cope but they had no choice. If a cure was to be found for Yonah, there was nobody else who could find it. On the fifteenth day, Kai held to his word. To Freyan's surprise, Kai kissed Yonah softly on the forehead as she slept. The sun hadn't come up yet so she wouldn't wake for a few hours. Freyan was able to catch Kai for a hug from his saddle, trying his utmost best not to cry. By the time Yonah woke up, Kai was long gone and the gates of Galvena stood tall before her and Freyan. A familiar knight just so happened to be on duty. "Robert?" "Freyan? Lady Griffolian explained everything. Please come this way. She would like to see you before you settle into your new home."
Robert led the siblings to a marvellous house atop a gorgeous hill. Freyan and Yonah followed Robert inside and to a large tea room. In front of them sat a beautiful woman with long light purple hair and soft brown eyes. This woman looked older than Dranzer, possibly in her late thirties. Robert exchanged a few words with the lady before bowing and backing away. When she spoke to Freyan and Yonah, her voice floated softly on the air. "You must be Freyan and Yonah." "Yes ma'am." "Come now, no need to be so uptight. I'm Lady Griffolian, marchioness of Galvena. The letter I received from your brother was quite detailed. We didn't know when you would arrive so I had a house prepared. Please have a seat. You must both be exhausted from the long trip." It was only then that Yonah noticed Kai was not with them. Freyan refused to meet Yonah's eyes as she begged him to tell her where Kai had gone. "Freyan, where is your brother?" "Gone, milady. He left us just this morning to find a cure to Yonah's disease. I intend to remain here with Yonah until he returns. He left before sunrise because…because he didn't want to see Yonah cry again." The legs of said sister lost all their strength. Luckily Freyan had not left Yonah's side, taking hold of her waist. Lady Griffolian watched sadly as Freyan eased Yonah into a seat. It wounded her to see such a young girl struck down by a condition that prevented her from making the most of her life. "I'm certain you'll both be quite happy here. Rest awhile before going out."
After a natter and some fine tea, Freyan and Yonah were taken to their new home. It was in the rich district but Freyan planned to work for his money. Once he'd settled Yonah into a bed Freyan set about unpacking their things with help from Robert. The purple haired knight was not too proud to offer his help. In the early evening the siblings had their first visitor while Freyan was still dusting around a bit. The guest let themselves in after knocking. "'Ello?" Turning around, Freyan spied the bald man at the door, a fresh loaf of bread in his hands. "Sorry to stop by so late. Just thought I'd pop over by here and say hi. It's not much but…" Freyan waved a dismissive hand, taking the crisp loaf and placed it on the side. "It's the thought that counts. Thank you." "Well there's polite you are. The name's Bartholomew, but you can call me Bart." Freyan would've responded had Yonah not come out of her room still looking frail. "Freyan? What's going on?" "Nothing, Yonah. Back to bed with you now. You're exhausted." Bart watched quietly as Freyan took Yonah back into the room she'd left. He came back mildly mauled with Svarog in tow. "Crikey is that what I think it is?" "He's an Alvaris Wyvern, Bart. Best not get too close. Svarog doesn't like strangers. Well, men he's not familiar with at least." "A critter that big must eat a lot of meat." "Only in winter. Until then they'll happily eat fruit and bugs." Freyan almost tripped over Svarog as he pined for either food or attention. "Anyway, I'd best be off. I'll send my daughter by here in the morning. Got some spare meat in the house and it looks like you could use a bit of food here." "Thank you, Bart. I'm always up at the crack of Dawn so send her over when you're ready."
When morning rolled around Freyan struggled to drag himself out of bed. His body ached from all the cleaning he'd done the day before. Just as he succeeded a pretty young woman came into the house. "Anyone home?" "Just a moment. I'll be right wit you." Pulling on his trousers, Freyan couldn't find a shirt. Heaving a sigh he went to deal with the early guest, his legs turning into jelly halfway through the kitchen. Luckily for him this girl had the strength to hold him up. "Easy there. Come sit you down boyo. Father wanted me to help out by here until you've both settled." "Thank you. I'm not normally this pathetic in the mornings." "Moving town and home is hard on anyone. I'm Sarah, by the way." "Freyan. If you don't mind me saying, you're quite stocky for a girl." Sarah seemed to take Freyan's comment the right way, swaying her skirt as she half twirled on the spot. "It's all the hard work I've done, see. Been helping pa since I was five." "I've only been working around three years myself. Can't wield a sword or bow at such a young age." "A knight was you? There's fancy. I guess girls in the city are skin and bones?" "Not really. Especially not at the brothel. But the women of Firos mostly tend markets or do odd things for neighbours. It's the rich folk you gotta watch out for." "Well enough banter, can't leave you to go hungry." Freyan wanted to protest but Svarog pinned him for a morning snuggle, smothering Freyan's face. In no time Freyan had a steaming plate in front of him while Sarah took to cleaning the spots he'd missed around the kitchen.
For a good portion of the day Freyan took it easy while Sarah busied herself with odd chores, even helped Yonah to have a nice hot bath. She vowed not to tell Freyan of the bump she'd seen, popping home every few hours to fetch supplies. By late evening Freyan was exhausted. Despite Sarah's insistence he'd gotten out of his chair and done some things around the stable. Bart didn't seem to mind Sarah being out all day, having plenty of help from his son. Freyan was a touch shy as Sarah helped him to prepare for bed. He felt mildly better after the stocky Galvenian girl rubbed at his aching back muscles with a special kind of ointment. Sarah had just reached the bedroom door when she heard Freyan mumbling something. "Hush now you. Rest." "Get back here young lady." Freyan's tone was slightly menacing so Sarah did as she was told, only to have a heavy coin pouch placed in her hands. "I…I can't accept this." "I'm not giving you a choice, Sarah. If the folks around here find out you spent the day running after me, walking away unpaid we'd have some unfriendly visitors, possibly harsh rumours. You've done a hard day's work and I refuse to let good help go unrewarded." "But what would they think? You're handsome, for sure but what could…" "That's just it, Sarah. New guy moves into town, people figure he's bedding the helper if she leaves with no payment of coin. Not a good combination." Sarah had pride, Freyan could see that. But her family wasn't exactly well off and he wanted to make life easier for them. "On with ya now. Your mam must be worried. Come by any time, Sarah. Yonah and I will be glad for the company." To Freyan's surprise, Sarah kissed him softly on the cheek before she left.
After a couple of days Freyan was back to his full strength. It was no surprise with how Sarah stuffed him with food. Robert came by with word that the local butcher was in need of a skilled hunter and Freyan pounced at the chance. Lady Griffolian was sat in her tea room when a strapping young man came in. He was a spot older than Yonah with shining locks of golden hair and carmine red eyes. Lady Griffolian welcomed him with a warm embrace. "Phoebus. It's good to see you home." "And I'm glad to be home, mother. There's been talk around town of some folk who just moved into the rich quarter." Griffolian sighed softly. She'd hoped to let Freyan and Yonah settle down in peace. "Yes dear, they just arrived a few days ago. There was some trouble over in Firos so they came here. Lord Freyan and Lady Yonah are not to be disturbed, Phoebus. Do I make myself clear?" Unfortunately lady Griffolian had her back turned to Phoebus as she explained, finding him gone when she looked to where he'd stood. 'Good lord give me strength. Just like his father though, always after the girls. Look out Yonah, there's a philanderer on his way to you.' Lady Griffolian could only hope Yonah was able to keep Phoebus at bay, not blind to the signs of early pregnancy coming from the girl. Out in the town, Yonah was looking at some flowers, her eyes like saucers. Freyan was having words with Bart, who turned out to be the local butcher. "Look who it is girls." Yonah turned around to see a group of girls behind her.
What will happen now? Can Kai find a cure for Yonah? Will she and Freyan cope without their brother? How is this heartbreak going to affect Dranzer? And what does Phoebus have in mind for Yonah?
Find out soon (chapter eight is underway)
