Chapter Nine
The House of Tharn
"Would you look at that?" Hoshi murmured, astounded by the magnificence of the castle just down the road. The great building stood tall and proud, surrounded by a huge wall, obviously designed to keep out intruders. Inset into the wall was a gatehouse, complete with a raised drawbridge. There was a romanticism about the castle which moved Hoshi's heart.
"How could ya not?" Trip answered, the awe clear in his voice. He imaged the castle under fire, the FireWolf clan defending its very home from the IceFalcon clan, and he could almost sense them drawing strength from the steadfastness of this edifice. He turned to Tharn. "You live there?"
"Where else would I live?" Tharn asked somewhat scornfully.
"Somehow I only imagined Fairy tale princesses livin' in joints like this." He shook his head in wonderment.
"Fairy tales?" Tharn asked, the concept unclear to her.
"Like myths, legends, that sorta stuff, but for kids." Trip replied, still staring at the castle.
"Companies three, five and seven ready to leave, Colonel." Captain Ra'Kaan announced from beside Tharn's mount.
"Dismiss them Captain. Make sure they get food, drink and a good night's rest, they deserve it." Tharn nodded to the Captain. She turned her own gaze back to her abode, then nudged her mount forward. Trip and Hoshi followed suit.
"Your troops don't live in the castle?" Trip asked.
"They live mostly in Barracks behind the castle. But we have many entrances to our stronghold." Tharn informed them. "Each company has a different entrance through which they enter and exit the castle grounds, each company guards its own….. it allows for an efficient evacuation procedure."
"So which entrance do you use?" Hoshi asked, startled from her day-dream by her beast skipping to one side, startled by some sort of small bird.
"You'll see." Tharn was distracted by Ra'Kaan again, told him to dismiss the companies as was necessary. As the castle loomed closer and closer, the men disappeared into the surrounding trees and soon the road was quiet except for three animals plodding along with Trip, Hoshi, and Tharn aboard, and three soldiers marching behind.
A few moments later, Tharn halted the small group and dismounted, resisting the urge to stretch - unwilling to show these humans how tired she was. However, she allowed herself the liberty of straightening her sword belt, and checked that her blade was not stuck in its scabbard. Trip and Hoshi had no qualms though. Trip bent and extended his back repeatedly for a few moments, Hoshi raised her arms above her head and groaned with the effort. Tharn felt the corner of her mouth twitch into a tiny smile as she watched. Did these humans not ride animals? She handed the reins over to a private and dived into the bushes, heard the other riders follow her.
Trip glanced back to see the soldiers mount the animals and ride on towards the castle, then felt Hoshi pluck at his elbow, then grab his sleeve and physically drag him after her. "Okay okay Hosh, ya can let go now!" He protested.
"What of the hunting, hunter bold!" The call came out of nowhere, made Hoshi jump. Trip was beginning to get used to all these sudden shouts, but he was well aware that the Ensign had very sensitive hearing. That was what made her so darn good at her job, and what had got them into this mess in the first place, he reflected, smiling. Oh but what he would give to be back on the air-conditioned Bridge or tinkering with his Engines, to be having friendly arguments with Jon Archer and T'Pol over dinner at the Captain's table…
"Brother, the watch was long and cold." Tharn answered swiftly, smoothly, and Trip suddenly realised that the question had been some form of request for a password. Indeed, the password Tharn had given caused two soldiers to shoot upright and stand to attention.
"Welcome back Colonel!" One of them offered a salute.
"Thank you." Tharn returned. She walked between the two and disappeared. Hoshi goggled at the spot where the Colonel had vanished until she realised that the Colonel had merely jumped down a hole.
"I'd advise using the ladder, sirs." The second soldier told them, as if offering them a great piece of information. "First time I jumped down there I nearly broke both my legs."
"Thanks for the advice." Hoshi replied, relieved that she wouldn't have to jump anywhere. She watched Trip climb down into the darkness, then followed, hoping her claustrophobia wouldn't kick in. However, by the time she reached the bottom of the ladder, Tharn had lit some form of lamp which shed plenty of light into what was some form of corridor.
"Welcome to the mines of Larnei." Tharn's voice seemed to echo round the place, the light giving her dark face almost a snarling expression. "Stick close to me - it's easy to get lost if you don't know your way around."
"Great for hide 'n seek huh?" Trip offered.
"Indeed." Tharn shot back, then turned and began to stride away.
"You okay down here Hoshi?" Trip asked kindly as they strode along. He was all too aware of her reaction to small spaces, but also aware that the Ensign had already had to overcome that fear more than once. Hoshi simply nodded, saving her breath for the fast pace Tharn was setting. Trip called to Tharn. "You told me last night your people were miners. Did you mine for ore?"
Tharn turned, causing Trip and Hoshi to stop suddenly. "Ore? No." Tharn handed Hoshi the torch, her hand went to her sword hilt.
"Wo! Keep yer shirt on! No offence meant." Trip raised his hands in a placating gesture. "No need for weapons Colonel."
Tharn shook her head, eyes closed. The expression on her face seemed to laugh at them, even though no sound passed her lips. She drew the sword, stabbed it into the wall. Bits of rock crumbled away to reveal a substance that glinted in the light of the torch.
"Diamonds!" Hoshi gasped.
"Bloody hellfire." Trip swore. "Just a handful of this stuff could buy me my own ship!"
"Diamonds are valuable commodities on your planet?" Tharn asked, seemingly confused.
"Hell yeah." Trip answered breathlessly, still staring at the wall as Tharn sheathed her sword.
It was but a few minutes later that they came across a stretch of mine shaft where the roof was low enough to force them to stoop rather badly. Hoshi, being the shorter of the two managed without mishap, but Trip hit his head more than once. Just as they were able to walk upright again, Trip stumbled over an uneven piece of floor. He was sent sprawling to the ground, narrowly missing taking Hoshi with him.
"Damn!" He swore, then swore more vehemently. He got to his knees, as Hoshi asked him if he was okay. He stood carefully, checking himself over for scratches and bruises, found none but the dent in his pride caused by the embarrassment of tripping up. "Yeah, fine thanks."
"Re tu nalette?"
Trip's head snapped up at the alien words. He stared at Tharn, who looked somewhat concerned by his gaze and repeated the phrase. "Wh-wha'd she say?" He stood up slowly.
"She asked if you were alright." Hoshi answered. She glanced at the pocket in his uniform where the Universal Translator module was kept. "Is your UT okay?"
Trip removed the device, flicked open the casing. He shook his head. "Looks okay." He shrugged, snapped the module closed again. "I can't see very well in this light. Tell her what's going on would you?" He nodded towards the Colonel, who was looking utterly confused.
Hoshi explained as quickly as she could, grateful that her own unit was still working, for Tharn made her nervous still. Nervousness made Hoshi panic and make mistakes. Tharn simply nodded and suggested that they move on to the great hall where the light would be better. Hoshi translated back for Trip, who agreed.
"General!"
The Great Hall was strangely quiet, and Tharn's call echoed round it. She stopped dead and stared at the long banqueting table, which was bare except for the chairs pushed under it. A large fire was lit in the grate, warming the room. Tharn took the torch that Hoshi was still carrying and dropped it neatly into a spare holder, it's light adding to the other torches in the room. She looked towards a doorway. "General Tharn!"
"Hail Prince! Hail knight of our order! Hail to the leader of Ru'Hann's forces." A harsh voice spoke from behind them. Hoshi translated quickly for Trip who by now was feeling very bemused indeed. The Larneian who had just entered the room held his hands out to Tharn. "Welcome home."
"Colonel Nu'Tenn!" Tharn nodded to him, went over and knelt at his feet. "It is good to see you well, Nu'Tenn."
Trip and Hoshi seemed somewhat confused by this, especially as Hoshi was translating for Trip. This man could not be her father, for her father was a General and yet Tharn claimed to be heir to the throne, so why was she kneeling before him? It seemed an act of respect, and he had just addressed her as Prince… Trip smiled - so Tharn was a Princess, just not your average fairy-tale princess…
Nu'Tenn took Tharn's hands in his, raised the Colonel to her feet. They embraced warmly. "Colonel," Nu'Tenn began formally, when they had broken apart, "you were recalled to be at your father's side. My child, his health fades."
Tharn stood, stunned, for a moment. The news did not seem to sink in immediately. Without warning, she broke into a run from the room, calling over her shoulder. "Show our guests to some quarters, make them comfortable!" Just as she reached the doorway, she turned but never halted in her movement from the room. "Forgive me, Commander, Ensign, I shall rejoin you later."
And she was gone. Trip and Hoshi stared after her, concerned for both Tharn and for the man who had invited them into his home. Nu'Tenn urged them to sit, as food and wine were brought for them. As they ate, the weariness set in, and they were glad to retire to the rooms that had been prepared for their arrival. The rooms were next to one another, and while they were sat together in Hoshi's room Trip asked his companion what she had asked the Larneian on the way down.
"I asked him if he thought the General would live."
"And he said…?" Trip suspected he already knew the answer.
"His exact words were 'We can only pray.'"
The smell of the torch-lit room made Tharn reel as she entered it. There was no disguising the stench of blood and vomit. The old General's face was a deathly pale grey and - reclined on a sofa - he was lucid enough to know that he was close to the point of death. But despite all this, there was still an air of majesty to the room, making Tharn remove her sword as custom demanded and brush uselessly at the grime on her armour.
"Welcome, Prince." Ru'Hann whispered hoarsely, his head turning slowly to face her. "Welcome, child. I am pleased that you managed to reach me in time."
"As am I, father." Tharn responded genuinely, going to kneel at his side. She said nothing further as Ru'Hann's body shuddered as he coughed, a hollow, harsh cough, that made the General's daughter wince. He was her only family, to whom she owed everything, and it was harder than she would have thought possible to watch the life fade from his thin, pale form.
Ru'Hann studied his daughter, the heir to all that was his, and knew right down to his very core that she would lead his clan well. He had given her life, training, morals, the rest was up to her now. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Lone-wolf, beware the Lonewolf." He whispered. Tharn frowned, perplexed.
"Who is the Lonewolf?" She asked patiently enough, used to his sudden riddles and insights.
"The Lonewolf is the Lonewolf. This is all I know."
Tharn shook her head and grumbled a curse against riddles, knowing there was nothing more Ru'Hann could tell her about this Lonewolf. Was this Lonewolf supposed to be her, and what was he warning her about…, but the thoughts were interrupted when Ru'Hann coughed again, sending convulsions through his body. Tharn took one of his hands and pressed it between hers, trying to give him comfort but not really knowing how. Death was not an alien concept to her - indeed she saw it every day - but never in someone to whom she was so close. Ru'Hann opened his eyes again, painfully slowly, and the look in them pleaded with her.
"Prince… Heir to my title, Colonel of my forces, Knight of the Larneian order, I implore you, end my suffering."
"No!" Tharn protested, horrified.
"It is our custom, my daughter, you know this as well as I do."
"A custom asked of males." She shot back, almost scornfully. "Of brother's, sons…"
"I have none." He answered, his voice faltering, though whether with pain, weakness or emotion, Tharn could not be sure. "You are everything to me my child. I order you. End my suffering."
"I will not." She rose to her feet, released her father's hand, which fell to the bed for he did not have the strength to keep it raised.
"If you will not obey an order," Ru'Hann's tone was not one of anger but of patience as his eyes called her back to his side, "then indulge a father who would rather not beg to be given a little dignity in his final hour." And for a moment after this there was silence.
"I would not ask you to beg." Tharn whispered, ashamed. The words tugged at the love she held for him. There was nothing more she could say or do to protest, her sense of honour prevented it. Her father's life dwindled before her eyes, he had asked this thing of her, and they both knew she would now obey.
The old General smiled as Tharn moved across the room to retrieve her sword, which rested against the wall by the door, where it had been discarded upon entering the room. He did not see the tears falling from her eyes. Tharn fastened the belt around her waist, glad to feel the reassuring weight of the sword at her hip. She drew it, turned the steel point upwards in salute. The great blade shone dully as the torch light bounced off the unpolished metal. Ru'Hann saw the movement and sighed, the tension flooding out of him.
Tharn felt a sudden urge to run from the room, to refuse the General his last request, but again honour restrained her, took her torment and hid it from reach. She refused to ask the old man if he was sure this was what he wanted; she could see the answer in his face. Tharn raised the blade, placed its tip against his throat. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and brought the sword down vertically with one, swift movement.
"May the Gods of the Hunting Grounds bless you." Tharn whispered as she pulled the blade away moments later. She shoved it into its scabbard viciously and looked down at the peace on her father's face. "And may they forgive me."
She stood and stared down at his body, the tears blinding her view, and she vowed to herself and to her deceased father that she would destroy Gelsar and the IceFalcons. There was nothing else to be done or said now. And then, a sudden thought came to her, something her father had said to her years ago "When I ask of you my final request all debts will have been paid. I tell you again, eye of my eye, child of my watching, this hunting will be ended." And with that thought Tharn was safe in the knowledge that she had done the right thing, and now it was time to move on.
Moments later she felt eyes watching. She turned to face the figure in the doorway who was frowning.
"What have you done?"
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