Chapter 5
Shadow Seekers
Part 2
It was a good looking pony.
The creature's entire body was as white as snow. Its eyes appeared to be spheres of gold with tiny glyphs inscribed in the area in which the pupil would normally be located. It had a saddle that appeared to be made out of long thin plants weaved together.
Merida was in awe, she had never seen such a beautiful animal. Spiros also found himself admiring the creature, but deep down...something did not seem right. He did his best to suppress this feeling of anxiety. However, it would not leave him.
"It's beautiful." Merida murmured.
"Mhmm." Spiros replied.
"I bet we have to tame it, and then we can use it to ride down to the starting area and win the competition." His partner said in a monotone.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." The Greco replied, also in monotone.
The Princess walked over and mounted the pony, stroking its wet mane once she was in a comfortable position. She then felt the creature's skin; it felt smooth like...skin...not hair.
Spiros was snapped out of his trance when Jon and Young Macintosh stormed into the room.
"How did you get the door open?" Jon demanded.
Then Merida screamed.
The trio turned their glance to the pony, whose eyes were now a blood red. Its saddle had come to life and was beginning to wrap itself around the Princess. The saddle was made of kelp.
"That's a Kelpie!" Macintosh shouted.
The horse whinnied and reared up before galloping towards one of the pools of water and jumping straight in.
"It's going to drown her!" Spiros said after cursing in Greek.
"That's your problem." Jon hissed.
The Greco felt something snap; he drew his spear, spun around and pointed it at Jon. The chain on his arm began hissing as ancient charms activated themselves. He felt a sharp pain as the chain began to tighten, then heat up and slowly burn his skin. He didn't care though.
A strong gale force wind shot from the spear tip and sent Jon flying into the wall of the room, he cried out in pain as he rolled around on the floor. Rubbing the back of his head.
Spiros then dove into the pool of water and swam into the darkness. He looked for any sign of the creature and then he saw it.
This thing was definitely a monster.
It legs now resembled that of a crab instead of a horse. Its jaw no longer opened normally, its mouth consisted of four pieces that opened outward and away from each other. When its mouth opened, it looked like a plus sign was in place of its face. It had a long tongue that was tipped with a stinger like object. It glowed with an amber color and therefore was probably poisonous. It's mane now replaced by the spikes of a puffer fish. They too had amber glow. Its skin was now black and covered with barnacles. It even had the gills of a shark along its neck. Finally, its rib cage was slightly split open and exposed. Trapped inside the cage of bones was Merida, slowly being wrapped up in kelp.
She was now fighting the creature, thrashing and kicking. This was probably what the creature wanted. The victim would be so concerned about getting away; it would fail to conserve its air supply.
Spiros knew he was at a tactical disadvantage. He was in the Kelpie's territory. He had to bring the fight to the land, and fast.
He looked at his spear again and squinted, trying to remember how to read his own native language. It was clear that the spear was very old; the inscription was of an older dialect:
Λόγχη του Καταιγίδες
...
Spear of Storms.
The Greco grinned and quickly swam to the surface. Knowing he would have to be quick to save his friend. He surfaced and gasped for air, clambering onto the ledge of the pool. He lifted his spear over his head and took a deep breath. More pain surged up his arm as sparks shot from the spear tip. Then he struck the charged weapon into the water and unleashed a small jolt of electricity.
Seconds later the monster emerged, screeching in pain. It fell over and began shaking as electricity began tearing it apart from the inside out. Merida was being shocked as well but grit her teeth and kicked open the horses ribs. Bones flew into the air and clattered as the hit the floor. She quickly stumbled out of the creature's chest and made her way to her partner.
"I...should of known better." She grumbled turning and drawing her bow.
"It's alright, I fell for it too. If Macintosh and Jon hadn't come along we would have both been sent to the castle." He assured her.
"Where are they now?" She asked.
"Look, their banner is gone. They must have split while we were underwater." He told her.
"Let's take this demon pony out then." She snarled.
The Kelpie got to its feet; it hissed and tried to impale Spiros in the chest with its stinger tipped tongue. Luckily, the Greco rolled out of the way. Merida fired an arrow into the creature's side, although it didn't appear to do much. The monster then scurried to the nearest wall and began climbing up it. It then continued its tongue attacks on Spiros, although they were easy to dodge.
Merida fired another arrow, this time into the beast's eye. Eight arrows left, she knew she would have to aim for the vitals and make every shot count. Then she yelped as a slimy tongue wrapped itself around yet injured ankle. She felt herself being hoisted into the air. She dropped her bow and drew her sword. With an angry yell she sliced the tongue in half. Yellow blood sprayed onto her face and chest as she was dropped on her head.
The demon pony was now in trouble. It had one eye and no offensive capability. It jumped down from the ceiling charged forward, Merida was still trying to get to her feet as the monster shoved her to the ground. It tried to stab her with its crab like legs. Then Spiros charged in a drove his sword into the creature's side. It hissed and turned on him, it charged but the Greco was ready. He jumped over the creature and landed on its back. He then drove his sword down into the monsters back. The beast quickly threw him off its back.
The Greco landed on his back and groaned as he started to get up. His partner fired another arrow; this one hit the creature in its other eye. Then the pony hissed again and then a column of steam engulfed the beast. What emerged was a white haired man with a trident in one hand and a whip in the other. He had nothing on but a crude kilt made of kelp, seashells and fish scales. The man had golden eyes with tiny red dots in the middle. The one thing that hadn't changed was the fact that his chest was still split open. His amber colored heart was exposed and looked like an easy target.
The man hissed at Spiros and pointed his trident at him. A jet of water shot from the weapon and slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a pool of water. Merida threw a rock at the demon's head. He turned around in anger and Merida fired another arrow right at his heart. The shape shifter grinned and deflected the arrow off of his trident. Spiros clambered out of a nearby pool of water and charged his foe. He took out his new spear and used it to hit the man with a blast of air. The demon flew through the air and crashed into the ceiling before landing on his face.
Spiros charged the fallen shape shifter, jumping up in the air and preparing to stab him through the back. However his target rolled out of the way and he ended up stabbing the floor. The Greco grunted and cursed as he tried to pull his blade from the ground. His foe then punched him in the face and sent him sliding across the room. Merida fired another arrow, this time into her target's thigh.
She took a risk and notched two arrows as her foe turned to face her. She took aim and fired. The first arrow he deflected, the second found its mark. The demon man cried out in pain and dropped to one knee. He pulled the arrow out of his still beating heart. He scowled at the Princess and in one last desperate attempt, threw his trident at her like a spear.
She notched two more arrows and rolled underneath the trident as it flew over her head and impaled itself in the ground behind her. She fired and each arrow found its mark. One struck her foe between the eyes and the other in his heart.
He hissed one last time before turning into a pile of salt and dried up kelp.
The Princess grinned and then turned to see her partner claiming the banner.
"We make a good team." He told her.
She smiled and then nodded.
"Yes, we do." She replied.
"We should go, think you can run?" He asked her.
"Of course." She replied.
The duo then sprinted down a corridor that was across the room. They were in pursuit of their rivals. Their hearts were pumping, and they were having lots of fun. The corridor turned into cave that emptied out on a muddy mountain side. Down below was the starting area where the silver podium awaited. Whichever team got up there first was the winner.
Macintosh and Jon were riding a slender cart with three wheels. They were racing down the mountainside. It would be difficult to catch-up.
"Ugh, those cheaters. There is no way they have been carrying that all day. It must have been put here the night before." Merida grumbled.
"No time to think about that. Right now, we need to catch them." Spiros told her, pointing to two hunks of wood that looked like they might be useable.
"Let's do it." She said with a grin.
...
"YEAHHHHH!" The Princess shouted as she and her partner shot down the mountain side.
The gap between the two teams was rapidly closing; Spiros could now see the whites of Jon's eyes every time he nervously turned around to glance at them. The wind was whistling in their ears, the smell of the victory feast being prepared was filling their nostrils. The sun was at its highest point in the sky, and its rays beat down on our heroes.
Despite the ever increasing pain being put on his arm, Spiros remembered his training and began using his powers. He felt the heat of the sun beating down on him; he inhaled sharply knowing that air was an important ingredient. He then focused his anger on Jon, his pride in regards to his skill with a sword, the burning sense of justice that had been passed down to him from his father. He drew his sword and even though it felt as if the chain wrapped around his arm was about to snap it in two he leveled the blade at the rear left wheel of the cart.
A fireball shot from the tip of the blade.
It rocketed towards its target and made its mark, the wheel burst into flames and Jon began to panic. He tried to pat out the flames with his hands but it was extremely painful to do so. Merida and Spiros had now caught up to the contraption the duo was riding in. It was a neck and neck race to the bottom of the mountainside.
Macintosh drew one of his swords and slashed at the Princess. She drew her own sword and blocked the slash. Jon swung his hammer wildly at Spiros. The Greco managed to block each swipe, and even managed to slice off his bangs at one point. Then he noticed the tri-cart was drifting towards him. Both Macintosh and Jon were attacking him now. Jon was attacking him directly while Macintosh went for the banner.
"Merida, catch!" He shouted, throwing the banner to his partner.
She caught it and then put her weight towards the front of the board and bent her knees a little more. She slowly began speeding up. Jon and Macintosh were sitting inside their little contraption and leaned forward as well. The bottom of the mountainside was rapidly approaching. Spiros cursed as foes caught up to his partner. He did his best to speed up as well and eventually they were all neck and neck again.
Then Merida cried out in pain as she fell on her butt. Jon had swung his hammer and managed to hit her injured ankle. He swung very hard, but it was clear that he had done some damage. She was now struggling to stabilize her board and she noticed a lot of potholes ahead. She tossed the banner to her partner as she and her board went out of control. The Greco caught the banner as he brought his sword down on the forward section of the cart. The cart began tumbling end over end and sent its riders flying. Spiros grinned as he reached the bottom and slid to a shaky stop. He hopped off his board and ran to check on his partner.
She was a mess.
Her dress and cloak was torn in about a dozen places, she had a long cut underneath her left eye, and she was covered in blotches of mud from head to toe.
"Are you alright?" He asked her.
She groaned and started using her arms to lift herself from the ground but quickly dropped to the floor.
"My ankle, it's messed up pretty bad." She whimpered, clearly holding back tears of pain.
He gathered her up in his arms, and carried her over to a nearby tree. He then propped her up against the trunk and placed her mud covered bow in her lap. With some difficulty, she slowly notched an arrow.
"I've got your back." She assured him.
Then they heard an angry yell.
Jon was getting up; somehow his banner (which had been strapped to the back of their cart) was still intact. He drove it in the ground and readied himself for battle. Spiros drove his banner into the earth as well. He drew his sword and readied his shield.
"Let's settle this." He snarled.
"Yes, let's!" His foe replied.
The duo stood in a standoff for a brief second before charging one another. Their weapons collided with a loud CLANG and a shower of sparks. The crowd cheered and soon sides were been taken, Spiros even could of sworn that there were bets being made. Jon shoved him back, and swung his hammer at our hero. The Greco dodged the attack by leaping backwards. His adversary attempted to bash him with his shield, but once again Spiros managed to dodge the attack.
The two were locked in battle. Spiros knew Jon was stronger than him and was built like a Minotaur. He could take a hit and keep on coming. No matter how severe the injury. Jon knew that Spiros was lighter, faster and far more versatile then him. His weapons were so heavy that by the time he mustered the momentum to attack, Spiros had already moved himself out of harm's way.
It was a stalemate.
The Greco drove his sword into his opponents shield. In response his foe shoved him to the ground. Then swung his hammer downward, Spiros rolled to left to avoid being crushed. Then he jumped to his feet and noticed that Jon had opened himself to an attack. He tried to stab his opponent, but he sidestepped the attack which barley grazed his skin.
Jon proceeded to head butt his foe in retaliation. Spiros was sent reeling by the attack and barley managed to raise his shield in time to block the thrust his opponent made with his hammer.
"Come on beanstalk; show me what you've got!" Jon snarled.
Spiros did as asked; he surged forward and sidestepped another shield bash from his foe. He then circled around his foe and slashed diagonally at his shoulder blade. The strike landed successfully and made it harder for Jon to hold up his shield.
The Greco taunted his foe as he swung his hammer at him, dodging a flurry of attacks that were sent at him. After a minute or so, Jon had tired himself out and had failed to even graze his opponent.
"Too slow!"
"Aargh!"
Jon went on the attack once more, clearly enraged. Merida watched the duel with a sense of dread and anger.
"Figures, two of my friends are fighting. Partially over me and partially for bragging rights." She thought.
She felt a little guilty about it actually; the two probably could have been good friends. Now they were probably arch rivals. Lately it seemed as if she was always the cause of trouble.
The tip of Spiros' blade cut open Jon's cheek. However the Greco failed to back off in time and got his sword knocked out of his hand by his opponent's weapon. Jon put himself between the sword and its owner. Spiros readied his spear and, despite the fact he didn't not have a rounded war shield, took a defensive posture. Shield raised to protect his torso and spear resting at the top of shield, readied to strike anything that came within range.
Jon closed the gap between himself and his opponent, who was circling him. He swung his hammer at his foe, leaving himself open to an attack. Another ripple of agonizing pain went up Spiros' arm as he charged his spear with electricity and drove into his foe's shield. The resulting shock caused him to drop his weapons to the floor as electricity ripped him apart from the inside out. Spiros took this chance to regain his sword. Once he did, he turned to see Young Macintosh emerging the wreckage of the tri-cart. He still seemed dazed, and it was clear he would not be able to join the fight anytime soon.
Jon managed to regain his bearings and reached for his shield, but when he touched it a quick jolt of electricity surged up his arm. He cursed, the shield smelt burnt too and there was no doubt that its structural integrity had been compromised. Then he looked up to see Spiros closing in, his opponent landed several slices with his sword in quick succession. He yelled in anger and swatted his foe aside with his hammer. The Greco was sent rolling into the tree that Merida was propped up against.
"We need to finish this, now." She told her partner.
"I'm working on it." He replied.
"Taking Jon down isn't the answer." She grumbled.
"Sure it is." He assured her.
"No, we need to take out their banner." She scoffed.
"How are going to do that, I turn my back on him and he'll crush me." He protested.
She simply notched her last arrow.
"Wait for my signal; I think you'll know what to do." She instructed.
"Alright, whatever you say Princess." He grumbled before rising to challenge his foe.
He raised his shield and grunted as Jon's hammer struck with alarming force. Sparks flew off the face of the item. Spiros gave his foe an elbow to the face as he brought his hammer back around for another attack. He managed to dodge that one altogether though. The Greco went on the offensive; he kneed his adversary in the gut and sent him reeling. He then brought his sword down on his hammer and cut the weapon in two.
He practically laughed as he did so; it had been too easy to cut through.
"Who forges your weapons, the same dope who comes up with your pick up lines?" He taunted.
"You're asking for it!" Jon bellowed, raising his fists.
He then threw several punches at Spiros, who dodged all but one. It was a solid right hook that sent him staggering backwards. The Greco spat out some blood and retaliated with another swing of his sword that left a cut down the length of his opponent's leg.
"Take it easy lads; I don't want anyone getting seriously hurt!" Elinor called out.
Jon closed in, throwing another flurry of punches. He had left his banner unguarded as well as in Merida's line of fire. Spiros made eye contact with his partner, she nodded and shouted:
"NOW!"
Spiros turned ran up the nearest tree, Jon laughed and pursued his foe ready to climb up after him. The Greco stopped running halfway up the tree and pushed himself off the trunk. He spun around and saw the Princess firing her arrow. Leading his target, he swung his sword and allowed a crescent of fire to shoot out from the edge of the blade. He winced as he felt the bone in his arm crack.
The crescent of fire he had unleashed crossed the path of Merida's arrow. The entire arrow burst into flames and sailed into the tapestry of the Macintosh clan banner. Slowly but surely the banner began to burn.
Jon watched this in horror, realizing that he had lost. He then looked up to see Spiros bearing down on him from above, shield arm angled back and ready to throw a knockout punch. The Scott had no chance to escape. He sealed his eyes as the cold steel slammed into his face, breaking his jaw and knocking out several teeth. He dropped like a rock, falling onto his face and slipping into unconsciousness.
The Greco landed on his back in a feral crouch. He then back flipped off of his dispatched foe, he performed his usual flourish. Swinging his sword in an X shape before spinning it around and sheathing it.
Merida limped over with banner in hand and sighed.
"Did you have to do that?" She asked.
"Sorry, it was a heat of the moment thing." He told her.
This answer didn't seem to satisfy her, she looked a little agitated.
"Looks like I'll have to wait for the dance." He muttered.
She blew her bangs out of her eyes.
"It's alright." She told him.
"You sure?" He asked.
"Positive." She replied.
The duo then walked onto the silver podium and the crowd cheered.
"We have our winners!" Fergus bellowed. The Elders slammed their staffs into the ground in unison. The verdict was final.
Merida couldn't help but smile; she felt a great sense of accomplishment overcome her. She looked at her partner and put an arm around his shoulders. She then put a little weight on him, but he flinched. She realized he might of injured his arm. The two were then escorted away from the crazed crowd by a group of guards.
The rest of the day went well for our heroes. Merida took first place in archery (to no one's surprise), third in sword fighting, and (with Angus' help) first in the timed horse race. Spiros dominated in sword fighting, taking first place ease. He also took third in the knife throw and did surprisingly well in dog herding, taking second place. The duo did even better when paired together. Taking first place in canoeing, the obstacle course and combat scenarios in which they were pitted against their fellow competitors as well as monstrosities like another Kelpie, a pack of Lurkers, and even a Ciudach. Although they didn't do very well in rugby, golf, the caber toss, weight over the bar, and the tug of war. Regardless of their losses in some events, they were the stars of the day.
It was late afternoon when everything wrapped up. The two were allowed to head back to the castle and clean themselves up for the Victory Feast, which would be starting in an hour or so.
Spiros returned to Visilis who had a bucket of water waiting for him.
The Greco stepped into a vacant stable and gave himself the best shower he could. While cleaning himself up, he examined his cursed arm. The chain had definitely tightened. His arm was now bright red and needless to say it was in quite a bit of pain. The glyphs burned brighter than before, lighting up the dimly lit stall. The chain was also steaming with heat. If he wanted to keep his arm attached to his body, he would have to make sure he didn't use his powers for a month or two. That way the chain's grip would loosen up just a little.
For now though, he would have to deal with the pain as he always has. He finished washing himself up and got dressed into a spare set of clothes he carried around. A white loose fitting shirt, along with some olive colored trousers. He then slipped on his brown boots that he had gotten this morning. He then proceeded to wash the clothes he had been wearing earlier. He finished by cleaning his sword, polishing his shield and storing the rest of his equipment. He then strapped his sword to his back, followed by his shield and went into the castle in search of Merida.
He was greeted by Queen Elinor instead who was walking down the stairs.
"Afternoon, your majesty." The Greco said with a bow upon seeing her.
"Afternoon." She replied with a smile and a nod.
She then finished her descent down the stairs and walked up to him.
"Judging by your battle cry this morning, I see that my daughter trusts you very much." She murmured.
"It would seem so Ma'am, I hope I didn't offend you at all, I meant no disrespect." He stammered.
"Easy lad, your intentions were as pure as your heart. It was a noble gesture, and I applaud you for it." She assured him.
"That's good to hear." He replied.
"Now...are you going to the feast dressed like that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid so, I know they're nothing but a pile of rags but they're all I have." He mumbled.
"I believe Fergus may have something you can borrow." She told him.
After following the Queen upstairs and into her chambers, he saw Fergus napping on the bed with his two dogs sleeping on either side of him and the triplets stacked atop his belly.
"Fergus, wake up dear." The Queen whispered, gently shaking her husband.
It was moments like these that brought hope back into Spiros' heart, but it also brought about great sadness. He saw this family, so full of life and love that he felt a hole in his heart. He had grown up with little interaction with other people, sure Visilis had taught him how to survive on his own, but even then the young man never knew what it was like to truly be part of a family. Over the course of his life he had been cheated, lied to, stabbed in the back, and rejected.
He had no future to speak of; he would always be an outcast, a runaway, a ghost. He would die in battle if he was lucky, it would be quick and it would leave him little time to have any regrets. Sadly, he believed he would die alone of old age...a broken man. No one would mourn him, after all few mourn the death of someone who is already dead on the inside.
Spiros had lost faith in Love. Love was an illusion, it wasn't majestic or special. It wasn't a 'connection' between two souls looking for a companion. It was a mixture of physical attraction and the illusion of eternal companionship. In reality, it didn't exist. It was lie. He hated lies. Especially ones that he fell for.
This is why he stopped believing in Love, it was a false hope that he had spent too much time investing in. He had one thing to focus on; it was where to run to next. Love would only weigh him down; it caused hesitation and rash decisions. Both of which can be deadly.
Yet...it was moments like these when his heart of stone would allow something to slip in.
Hope.
As much as he wanted to deny it and become a cold heartless shell, it was moments like this where he would know that Love did exist. It seemed impossible, but he knew that there was someone out there that was as lonely as he was; they had probably lost faith in Love as well. Deep down part of him wanted that person to be Merida. It was a crazy thing to think, especially because he was just getting to know her. There was something special about her, he just knew it.
While he was mulling this over, Elinor had managed to wake up the King who carefully removed the triplets from his stomach and then walked over to the Greco.
"I understand your in need of some clothes." He said with a grin.
"Yes sir." Our hero replied.
The King nodded and opened a large closet. He began rustling through the clothes at the far end, muttering to himself the whole time.
...
"Maudie, be honest please." Merida groaned as she prepared to step out from behind the dressing screen.
"Don't worry Princess, I'm sure you fretting over nothing. You should just be glad your mother let you dress yourself for a change." the chubby maid replied.
The young lady laughed before replying.
"Good point."
"Thank you, Princess." The maid replied.
"Maudie, you've been a friend of mine ever since I was seven. There's no need to be so formal." Merida chided.
"I apologize Princess." She replied.
The youth poked her head out from behind the dressing screen.
"Maudie, please. Just call me by my name." She pleaded.
"I'll work on that Princess." the Maid replied.
Then our heroine stepped out from behind the dressing screen.
She was wearing a dress with a short white skirt that went down to the middle of her thigh, from the waist up her dress was black as night. Her red hair had been washed and shimmered brighter than any flame.
"Do you think mother will approve?" She asked the maid after a moment of silence.
"If I may Princess...when did that matter to you?" The maid replied.
The two couldn't help but laugh.
...
"Now you look sharp, lad." Fergus said with a grin.
Spiros did feel a little better about going out to the feast now.
He was dressed in a better fitting green shirt which had the DunBroch clam emblems on both shoulders, dark grey trousers that were a little big on him, but this would be tolerable as it was hard to notice. Finally he had a pair of the King's "lucky dancing shoes". They were black, seemed well broken in, and fit him almost perfectly.
"I'll go get Merida." Elinor said, clearly a little excited.
"We'll meet you down in the hall." Fergus told her.
The Queen left the room; it was just him and Spiros. The Greco stood silently and stiffly, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Tell me lad, what do you think of my daughter?" He asked.
"Well sir, she is definitely one of a kind." The Greco replied sheepishly.
"Aye, and that's why I'm a bit nervous about just marrying her off to one of the Lord's sons." He grumbled.
"May I ask why, sir?" Our hero murmured.
"Well from a diplomatic perspective, it would actually be a wonderful thing. For one of the clans, the other two clans might become...jealous, if you will. That however is not my biggest concern, I just hope that whoever she ends up with, she'll be taken care of." The King explained.
"I understand, I hope that she finds happiness as well." The Greco replied.
"You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this." The Scott said with a bit of a friendly grin.
"Yes sir." Spiros replied.
"Well, I'll quit beating around the bush then. You seem like a good kid, there's something a wee bit different about you. If my daughter were to marry anyone in her lifetime, I would want that man to be a lot like you." The King explained.
"I appreciate that sir, but...with all due respect, your daughter deserves better than a fisherman's son." The Greco replied somberly.
Fergus was taken off guard by this, before he could think of a response Merida walked into the room.
"Come on guys, we're going to be late!" She grumbled.
"We're coming dear." Fergus told his daughter, as he watched Spiros' shoulders sag as if he was reading his own epitaph.
...
They arrived at the feast a little behind schedule. Everyone was staring at their plates (which were full of food) it was clear they were all very hungry. However, out of common courtesy they did not eat until everyone was seated.
Once they were all seated, Fergus raised his arms into the air as if he was about to give someone a bear hug.
"Dig in everybody!" He proclaimed.
The people gladly did so, they began devouring the food on their plates, chugging down the beverages that were in their mugs, and conversations quickly became the primary source of noise, with dozens of people trying to talk over each other. Then some even started singing songs in, what Spiros assumed to be, their native language.
The Greco soon got caught up in multiple conversations as the 2nd and 3rd course was served.
"Who trained you in swordplay!" Lord Dingwall shouted from the far end of the table.
"My father and his father." He replied.
"Are you any good at archery?" Merida asked from his left.
"No, I'm afraid that's a weakness of mine." He told her.
"I could always give you a few pointers; you never know when you might need to use a bow." The Princess told him.
"That would be nice, but I'll be leaving soon..." He told her looking crestfallen.
"Well maybe if you come back and visit one day, I can show you then." She suggested.
"Yeah...maybe." He murmured.
"Where will you go now lad?" Elder Macintosh asked.
"Wherever the winds take me sir." The Greco replied.
"Sounds dangerous, what if you crash land in a place that isn't so friendly?" Queen Elinor asked with a small laugh.
"It is dangerous; you never know what will be around the next cloud. However, it's amazing up there. That wide open sky, the cool wind washing over you. It's the closest you can get to being truly free." He explained.
"Sounds a little lonely if you ask me." Maudie murmured, pulling the desert tray out of the triplets reach as the wee devils tried to grab a few sweet cakes.
"We'll I guess it kind of is, but I have Visilis so it's not too bad." He replied.
"Do you ever plan to find a place to call home?" Lord MacGuffin asked.
"Well yeah, but I haven't found that place yet. Besides I've got a few things to take care of first." The Greco told him.
"Well I hope that you find a good home lad, after all that you've been through...you've earned it." MacGuffin said with a friendly nod.
"Thank you sir." He replied.
Then music began playing from the far side of the tent and people began getting up and making their way to a large wooden platform that was lifted a few inches off the ground. Spiros assumed it was the dance floor.
"Alright birthday boy, let's go." The Princess told him.
"Umm...where are we going now?" He asked.
"I owe you a dance, remember?" She reminded him.
His eyes got big
"Oh yeah...about that-"
She didn't listen though; she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him over to the dance floor as he protested:
"I can't dance!"
"I'll teach you!" She assured him.
"Trust me; I'll make you look stupid. Go dance with Jon!" He suggested.
Her only response was:
"We'll look stupid together then."
The two began dancing to the fast tempo of the music. Spiros was all over the place at first, but Merida remained patient with him and corrected him on his foot work and other things. Spiros felt uncomfortable at first, but as the song continued he felt as if he was having fun. He listened to his partner's advice and his foot work improved.
"You're a fast learner!" The Princess told him as he got the hang of things.
"What can I say, I have a great teacher." The Greco replied.
Merida blushed at that.
The duo continued dancing, Spiros finally felt himself get into a rhythm. Pretty soon the two were laughing a little, it turned out they were both kind of crummy at dancing but that didn't seem relevant at the moment. They were both having fun.
The duo felt as if things couldn't be more perfect, after a hard day of adventuring they were able to shrug off their worries and dance the night away. Neither of them wanted the song to end, but when it did only one person was applauding.
He hadn't been invited to the party however.
"Bravo, bravo." The cloaked man said. He had a bone staff in one hand, a black cloak and cape was his only attire. Even his face was hidden in shadow.
The King and Queen exchanged worried glances before standing to confront the uninvited guest.
"What do you want?" Elinor hissed.
"Retribution." The man replied.
"For what, you failed to hold up your end of the deal. We stopped following you. Simple as that." Elder DunBroch snarled.
"I did not fail, you think just because you make a deal with me all the evil in this land will just vanish?" He asked.
"You were supposed to protect us, yet your protection only brought about the untimely deaths of many!" Fergus shouted.
The cloaked man strolled over to Merida; he began circling her like how a crow circles a dead animal.
"My my, you have grown up Princess." He said taking a handful of her hair into his hand and smelling it. His hands were pale and bony, like those of a dead man.
"It is a shame I already have a Queen." He said slyly after stopping in front of her.
The Princess backed away from this creepy stranger, something about him was not right. He then turned to face the King, he slammed his bone staff into the ground and a black obsidian blade slowly grew out of the top of the staff. The man was now armed with a scythe.
"King Fergus, times are changing. This kingdom is frail and weak. It must now be destroyed so that a new more powerful race can rise from the ashes. You abandoned the old ways, now you shall all suffer for it." The man hissed.
Fergus and his fellow lords drew their sword, anticipating a fight.
"You fools; you draw your blades against a force you cannot comprehend. You will pay for your insolence!" The man roared.
Lord Macintosh charged in, but the man swung his scythe at him. An unseen force sent him flying through the air and into a tent post, knocking him unconscious.
Lord MacGuffin drove his sword into the man's gut, but he merely laughed.
"Fool, you cannot kill DEATH himself!"
He grabbed the Lord by the throat threw him up into the air and hit him back down with the blade of his scythe. The Scott was slammed into the ground, a bloody wound in the center of his chest.
Lord Dingwall and Fergus went on the attack immediately after this. Fergus swung his sword at the cloaked man, but he simply deflected the attack. Dingwall punched the man in the gut, but in response the man head butted him. The Lord was sent stumbling backwards as Fergus tried to decapitate his foe. The sword shattered on contact and the shrapnel flew off in every direction. Most of it hit the King.
"Dad!" Merida shouted.
"Balor, enough of this!" Elinor shouted.
The man turned to face the Queen, he cackled before responding.
"I answer to no one." He said.
Then he saw one of the triplets cowering under the table, he reached down and grabbed the child lifting him up in the air by his leg.
"Perhaps another death in the family will make you think twice about defying me." He sneered.
Elinor dropped to her knees.
"Please don't, he's just a little one. Even smaller than the one that was taken from us already." She begged, tears in her eyes.
"I know." The man replied flatly,
Spiros drew his sword and shield; he shouted and slammed his shield arm into the ground. A shockwave was sent through the ground that knocked everyone off their feet. Including the man. When the dust settled, Spiros sleeve had been incinerated, leaving his cursed arm exposed for all to see. He went into a fighting stance as the man got up.
"Well, what do we have here? A vanguard. It's been awhile since I've killed one of you." He hissed.
"Sadly, you won't have my life tonight." Spiros replied.
"We shall see, mortal." The man replied swinging his scythe at the Greco.
Several tiny daggers made of black smoke and flames shot from the blade. Spiros deflected three and cut the rest right out of the air with his sword. The distance between the two combatants shrunk until they were within striking distance. Balor swung his scythe at our hero's feet, but The Greco jumped up and stabbed at his foe's chest. The sword simply bounced off the man's cloak as if it was a shield.
The man unleashed a flurry of attacks against Spiros, who was just barely able to dodge all of them. Then he caught the young warrior off guard with an uppercut that sent him flying across the dance floor. The man jumped over to where the Greco had landed. He raised his scythe and swung downwards at our hero's head. Luckily Spiros rolled out of the way as the blade imbedded itself into the dance floor.
Merida decided she needed to help her friend so she charged Balor and did her best to tackle him. The man was hardly phased by the attack; he simply grabbed the princess by her hair and threw her into the floor. He then realized the triplets had snagged his scythe and were running off with it, albeit with a lot of difficulty as the weapon was fairly heavy for it being made mostly of bone.
Spiros sprung back into action, charging the man as he took off after the triplets.
"Infernal brats!" the man snarled.
More warriors got up from the table and began attacking him, but he dispatched them all with relative ease. Spiros and Young Macintosh charged into battle together. As the duo closed in on Balor from behind the man must of sensed their presence because he spun around and tried to decapitate them both. Spiros slid under the attack and kicked Balor in the back of the knee, while Macintosh did the same.
The attacks did little against Balor, as he spun around and put boot on Macintosh's throat. The Scott struggled to breathe but eventually fell into unconsciousness. He then turned to Spiros and put a boot on his chest.
A black blade shrouded in mist shot from the man's palm. He then lunged in and tried to stab our hero in the throat with the blade. Spiros refused to go quietly, he grabbed Balor's wrist and did his best to keep the blade away from his neck.
"Your tenacity impresses me boy!" The villain snarled.
The Greco gave his foe a solid right hook to the side of the head, the attack stunned the man for a second or two but that was because he was laughing. He then revitalized his efforts to kill our hero. Spiros was forced to put two hands on Balor's wrist in order to keep the blade away from his throat, but even then it appeared as though the man was going to kill him. Then as he felt the tip of the blade poke his throat an ally appeared.
Helga kicked the man in the side and sent him staggering away from Spiros. Our hero got to his feet as Balor became surrounded by spear wielding Scotts.
"Isn't this precious, all the clans working together." He said with a chuckle.
"Give it up devil." a guard demanded.
"Ah Gordon, I remember you. I took your wife from you a few years ago. It was quite a shame; I hope the son she died giving birth to isn't a disappointment." Balor sneered.
He then looked at Spiros.
"I've waited eons for this Vanguard, even someone like you cannot stop me." He told him.
Then he extended his arm outward and his scythe was ripped from the triplet's hands. The weapon flew through the air and back into his hands. He then raised it above his head and swung the blade down and into the earth. A black wave of fire knocked everyone onto their butts. When the smoke cleared, Balor was gone.
A few minutes of silence went by as everyone recovered from the shock of what happened. Then another guest arrived in the tent, it was an old lady with an olive colored cloak, white hair and a crow on her head.
It was the women who spoke first:
"I know now is not the time for, I told you so, but..."
"It's you..." Merida murmured.
"Hello!" The crow squawked.
Spiros couldn't believe his ears.
"Not you too." Elinor muttered, while helping her injured husband up.
"Is that anyway to greet your mother?" The women asked.
"Wait, she is your mum?" Merida asked.
"I'm so lost right now." Spiros grumbled.
"There, there is the vanguard!" The crow shouted, turning to him.
The old women turned to face our hero.
"It can't be you blasted bird, he's nothing more than a twig." She grumbled.
"It is him; the Wisps told me his name." The crow protested.
"What is your name, boy?" the women asked.
"Spiros." The Greco replied.
"We're doomed." The women murmured.
"Nonsense, he's got a long journey ahead but he is the one!" The bird insisted.
"Alright, if you say so. However If we all die, I'm never talking to you again." The women said with a sigh.
"Come with us Vanguard, someone wishes to speak with you." The bird instructed.
"Who?" Spiros asked.
"Why the same person that spoke to you after you defeated the Lindworm. Mor'du." The women replied flatly.
A.N- Well to be honest I'm a bit nervous about this chapter. I did my best to make everything as could as it could be but I still feel that it could be better. Anyways, I look forward to reading your reviews and to keep the plot of this thing going! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Until next time, see yah!
-Blu Wolf 23