Fate

By: Sweet Honey

Chapter Five: Harsh Revelations...

Erik did finally put Abby down, much to her relief. "Where are we?" she asked, looking about her in awe. "This place is so strange."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you don't recognize your own kingdom."

Abby blushed in the dark and clasped her bag close to her. "Well, I don't get out of my room much, let alone the castle." she said. "Why did you bring me here anyways?"

Erik walked towards one of the larger cottages. "We can stay here until morning and then set off." he said, and Abby followed him into the inn. He whispered low to her. "Let me do all the talking. They would never take a woman seriously here."

If looks could have killed Erik would have been pushing up daises in seconds. Instead, he turned calmly to a man standing behind a desk and asked, "Do you have any vacant rooms this evening?"

"Why yessir we most certainly do." said the owner, eyeing Erik's ears and then Abby (taking great pains to avoid eye contact with her). "Who's yer lady friend?"

"I'm his human pet!" said Abby in an amazingly high and cheery voice. She blinked a lot and tugged at her hair. "I have to stay with Erik or else I'll be in big trouble, being a girl and all!"

"Abby, that is not funny..." said Erik, grabbing her wrist and squeezing until she reverted back to her normal self. "You're going to get us in trouble if you keep pulling funny little tricks like that."

"OUCH! Get your hands off me, Erik."

"Uh...excuse me." said the poor owner, looking extremely confused and uncomfortable. "I really don't think you should be hurting this poor girl here."

Erik shot him a bad look and said, "She's my sister. As I asked before, do you have any vacant rooms?"

"Yah, just one though." said the owner, and before Abby could open her mouth to protest Erik had a good grip on her wrist again. "Room 4 to the right. You want it?"

"Yes, thank you." said Erik, and he dragged Abby to the room. Once he had the door safely shot behind him he turned to Abby, hi face full of anger. "Don't you ever pull something like that again! Now he thinks I'm going to beat you or something!"

Abby sat in a chair. "I must have misunderstood you. You see, I thought you WANTED me to act like a stupid little girl. You were treating me like one at least." she said solemnly, adjusting her gloves. She looked up at Erik and smirked.

"I really hate you humans." said Erik as he gracefully plopped onto the ground. "With a passion."

Abby laughed outright and Erik looked at her like she was crazy. "That wasn't really the reaction I was expecting." said Erik coldly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really am." she said, and finally stopped laughing. She wiped away some tears that had been forming in her eyes and said, "I just found it funny, that's all. That you should hate humans so much, and be forced to protect one. The fact that my mother probably knew this about you too and still picked you to protect me is also pretty funny."

Abby started to laugh again and then stopped suddenly. "Maybe it's not that funny." she said, rubbing her gloved hands fiercely and shaking her head. "I think I'm starting to dislike humanity too."

"Why do you do that?" asked Erik, giving Abby a look that she couldn't read.

"Do what?"

"Rub your hands like that." stated Erik, and his eyes widened. "Actually, I don't believe I've ever seen you without gloves on either. Are you hands deformed or something?"

"No." said Abby, hiding her hands behind her back and turning away from Erik. "There is nothing wrong with my hands that is any of your business."

"Ah, but I'm your Champion!" said Erik and he advanced toward Abby. "Everything about you is my business."

He leaped at the screeching Abby and grabbed her hands, laughing. "Oh c'mon! Let me see I'm interested!" he said cheerfully, and ripped the gloves off her hands.

"Wha-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU HANDS?!"

"Damn you." said Abby tearfully, grabbing her gloves back and putting them on quickly. "That was low Erik, even for you."

"How did that happen?" asked Erik gently, and he looked at her with...compassion? No, only interest.

"It happened a long time ago, when I was just a little girl." she said, falling to the ground in defeat. "Please, I don't want to talk about it."

Erik sat there for a moment thoughtfully. "You know, in the F‚erique Terre there was once a Champion who returned with a dreadful story. It was about a Queen who made her daughter pick up pieces of broken porcelain. What a coincidence."

"Please, just stop" said Abby, keeping her eyes downcast. "I-I really don't want to talk about it." She waited for a retort from Erik, but it never came. Instead, he got up and walked toward the door. "Fine, I'll drop it. I wanted to go down to get a drink anyway. But...I want to say that its strange that your going on a quest to save the world that seems to have treated you very badly."

"I can't condemn the entire world because of the actions of a few." she said, her voice even and sharp. Erik shook his head and said something about how strange humans were. But for some reason Abby nearly smiled; it must have been Erik's tone of voice.

*****

"Zaden, sweetie, can I come in?" asked the Princess Kelamarie meekly. Zaden looked up from the piles of paper he had been shifting through.

"Of course, my heart." he said slowly, a tense smile forming on his face. Kel didn't notice.

"Sweetie, when are we going to go into the city like you said we would?" she asked in a sweet voice, batting her eyelashes and wringing her delicate hands. She looked around the dreary castle and grimaced inwardly at the damp and dull surroundings that she had put up with for nearly three days now.

"Love of my life: You are annoying me." he said, his smile widening. "I have work to do and whining is not going to help me complete it. Besides, I'm waiting for a letter from an associate of mine."

"An associate huh?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why all the secrecy Zaden? Why can't I know who this 'associate' is?"

"All in due time, Keeper of my Heart." he said, and waved his hand. "Now would you please leave?"

"All right; I'm leaving." said Kel and she left the room. Zaden gave a sigh of relief when she left and shook his head.

"My Zaden, you've certainly acquired a lovely wench." said a dark figure from behind the shadows. "However, she seems terribly annoying. Anyways, you called me here for a reason, I gather."

"Ah yes, I do have a little task for you Skar." said Zaden, rising from his seat. "You see, there are two people who are annoying me greatly at the moment, although they are no where near this place. I need you to take care of them."

"In other words, you want me to kill them." said Skar in a lilting voice. "Well, I'll certainly agree to that-"

"-You are not to kill the both of them." said Zaden, fixing a look on Skar that could have frozen water. "You are to kill the fairy boy and to retrieve the girl for me."

Skar looked heartbroken. "Why don't I get to kill them both?" he asked in a whine. "I never thought you cared for human chicks, Zaden. Surely this one isn't that important-"

"But she is." he said even more coldly. "She represents everything that I loathe in humans: They're strong will to survive, they're compassion for the weak and suffering who were never meant to survive anyways and most importantly they're stubbornness."

"You really don't seem to like this girl...so I take it that if I slipped up and accidentally cut off one of her limbs-"

"-I would kill you in the most painful way I know." said Zaden, and without warning he grabbed the shrouded figure and began to shout almost hysterically. "I WILL BE the one to break her! I SHALL DESTROY ALL THOSE HUMAN INSECTS AND RID US OF OUR SLAVERY TO THEM ETERNALLY! AND THOSE THAT HAPPEN TO SURVIVE WILL BECOME MY SLAVES! AND SHE WILL BE THEIR REMINDER OF WHAT AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT BECOMES! I WILL KEEP HER ALIVE ETERNALLY AND TORTURE HER FOREVER, A SIGN OF MY CONTEMPT FOR HUMANITY AND AN ETERNAL SOURCE OF AMUSEMENT FOR ME!"

By the end of his tirade Zaden was smiling gleefully and his voice had gone from harsh to delighted. Skar began to laugh and nearly cried. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place? That is BRILLIANT! You must promise me that I can watch sometimes..what a treat! I really want to meet this girl now."

Zaden laughed again and sat down. "Yes, you will most certainly meet her. But do not forget to kill the fair boy with her, or I shall be privileged enough to have two people to torture."

"Of course, I would never let him live! You know how I savor spilled blood..."

"Zaden?" came Kel's voice from the hallway. "Is there anything wrong, my Darling? You sounded like you were in pain..."

"All is fine, my Light of Love." he said called out, and listened to Kel sigh and retreat back down the hallway. Skar shivered.

"How can you put up with that detestable human? I'm surprised she still has all her limbs, after acting like that around you for so long."

Zaden started to sort through his papers again and murmured, "She is to become terribly useful to me."