Chapter 5: Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences

A layer of thick fog hid the ocean from view and disguised the coming dawn, but Mortesen could feel it approaching. What little sleep he'd gotten was fitful, leaving him more exhausted than when he'd stormed into his room after the meeting with King Negolas. But at least it gave him ample time to come to a decision.

He had to find her. Not only to apologize and beg her to understand, but also to find out if maybe she knew anything about his Royal gift. He'd meant to ask her more the night before, but...things hadn't exactly worked out in his favor.

The door clicked open. "Brother?"

"What is it, Rakar?"

Closing the door behind him, the brown hedgehog went over and stood by the bed as Mortesen slipped into an outfit. "I thought you'd come tell me what happened last night, but you never did. Mother pulled Father into the hallway and a minute later he was whispering to her so angrily... When I stepped out to see what was wrong, he took one look at me and forbade her from telling me or anyone else a thing, then he told her to send you to him. You didn't come back and I had to give a speech at midnight to thank your guests for attending the ball."

The crown prince fastened a swordbelt to his waist. He was glad Rakar didn't know about Athena being Karok. King Negolas must have wanted to keep the embarrassment of the entire situation as minimal as possible.

"Thanks for taking care of that for me. Father...Father found out I was keeping something from him. I just didn't feel like going back to the celebration after that."

"You kept a secret from him? It must have been something important for him to get that upset about it," Rakar said in a surprised tone.

"Don't ask me what it is. Not yet. Just go down to breakfast with everyone else."

"What do you mean?" the other demanded. "You're supposed to be going to Sandstone Valley with us today, but I know that stubborn look. You want to do something different, don't you?"

He didn't want to lie anymore. It was painful enough knowing how betrayed his father felt at finding out, but lying to Rakar too was painful in a different way. With the exception of knowledge about Grandmother Lake, he'd never kept anything from his younger brother until now.

"I need to go see Karok."

Instantly Rakar grew angry. After everything Karok had done, how could he want to meet him?

"Mortesen, don't go. You can't trust any thief—especially one that wears a mask."

"I need to. He said something about my gift. I want to find out the tru—" He cut himself off, choking on the word. After a split-second he finished, "I need to see him."

He started toward the door and the brown hedgehog grabbed his arm impulsively. "No."

Mortesen froze. At first Rakar thought it was because he'd made an impression on him, but then he realized his brother was struggling to move and couldn't speak at all. He let go with a startled jerk and the other staggered away from him, gasping.

"What did you do?!" he shouted, full of rage.

Rakar looked at his hand as though it had transformed into a viper. "I...I wanted to stop you. I didn't take your soul—I only brushed up against it. Brother, it was an accident!"

Mortesen forced himself to calm down, knowing Rakar never would have done such a thing to him on purpose without permission.

"We'll talk about it when I get back. You can go with Father and Priscilla to Sandstone Valley. It's too important to find Karok."

"But why? What's wrong with your gift?"

The crown prince ran a hand along his arm. No, it wasn't the main reason he wanted to find Athena, but there was nothing else he could say that would make sense to Rakar.

"...Karok is the only one in my entire life who questioned my truth-telling. He was right. Whatever my gift is, it's not about sensing lies. I can't trust it completely until I understand. I'll see you tonight if you're back by then."

His younger brother didn't try to stop him again, but he watched Mortesen leave with a sense of loss he couldn't fully describe. It was as though his best friend was turning away from him, just like everyone else.

Mortesen hurried to the stables, bypassing the separate one for Kodom lizards. The weather was beginning to get cold and some of the reptiles were already growing sluggish. His favorite horse nickered a greeting as he came in through the side entrance. He grabbed a blanket and saddle from the tack room, then looped the bridle over his shoulder.

"No time for brushing, friend," he apologized as he entered the stall, "but I've got to get out of here right now. The last thing I want is to—"

"Get caught?"

Mortesen spun around, dropping everything. His father was in the stall's doorway, surveying his son with a penetrating gaze. For a minute they simply stood there without speaking. The horse didn't understand what was happening, so it began to nibble at the hay.

"Do you believe," the king began slowly, "that I struck you last night out of pure anger?"

He gave a single nod, unable to clench his teeth because of the bruise on his jaw.

"That was part of it, I admit. But more than that, I was trying to bring you back to your senses. Can you see how your association with that girl has changed you? Two weeks ago would you have ever considered saying such a thing to me?"

Mortesen looked down and shook his head.

"Then why are you acting so...different? Whatever influential magic she used has made you callous and rude toward those you once respected. Son, can't you see this isn't you?"

"Father...she did nothing." Mortesen had to think before more words would come. "I made the choice to listen to her that day when she caught me. I never realized until then that I had been taught to ignore commoners. Everything changed after that, and not suddenly. Step by step I tried to watch and listen, to understand. And I did it of my own free will."

Negolas started forward but when he saw the younger hedgehog tense, he stopped. Another minute of silence ticked by.

"I know I can't force you to think the way I do. I've tried my best to raise you with the values and priorities that I learned, but ultimately you have to make the decision of whether to follow them. At some point I will step down from the throne and let you take my place. When that happens, I know I will have no say in how you rule, so I suppose I'd best get used to the idea that we are not exactly the same now." He turned away so that his last words were hard to catch as he left the stable. "I am proud of you, but that doesn't mean you don't disappoint me on occasion."

Mortesen saddled the horse, squelching the feeling inside that said he should go after King Negolas and explain everything in full.

No. He'd find Athena first, and once things were right with her, then he'd go back to his father.

Sleep refused to come. It was still dark when she gathered the things she needed and stepped outside, calling to Flora.

Athena let the stag decide where to carry her. All morning they walked first one way then another as the Mystical meandered along some aimless path. While daylight began to creep into the sky, an ocean of mist spread out before her. The hedgehog's eyes were drawn to the hilltops rising up like hazy islands around her. She didn't recognize anything. And she didn't care.

How could she have been such a fool? The gentlemanly talk and the respectful way he treated her...all to let her guard down and find out everything he could about her.

Why had she fallen so easily into such a trap? Was it because she thought he really was someone worth falling in love with?

He never would have truly considered marrying her anyway. She had no kingdom. No political power. No connections. No wealth. Everything was against her and she'd let her romantic sensibilities blind her to the very real fact that it would never happen.

"Athena, please listen," her mother's voice echoed in her head, evoking images of a lavish bedroom scattered with bolts of material, one of which would become her ball gown. "I don't want you to wind up like my sister. She let herself be dazzled by the attentions of a noble who only wanted her for her status. Once she realized the truth, it was too late, and now she is a sad, lonely creature trapped in a miserable marriage. Take great care in giving your heart to anyone before you know what he is truly like. It can deceive you as often as it can lead to happiness. I knew Garrik to be honorable and his reputation was impressive, even for a prince. I accepted his proposal and we grew into love much later. It was far sweeter that way for us both because our relationship was grounded on respect for one another instead of only our feelings."

The memory faded as Flora let out a friendly snuffle. He'd spotted a herd of does grazing in what looked like a little cove below, bits of watery mist licking their hooves. Athena got off and gave the stag a light slap on the flank, encouraging him to go socialize for a while. Watching them touch noses and exchange wordless introductions in the way of deer, she pulled a bulging sack from her shoulders.

Setting it at the base of a tree, the blue hedgehog took out a spade and began to dig. There was no hurry. She didn't care how long it took.

A pile of loose earth took form as the sun crested a high hill in the east and dried up the sea of fog. Chilled morning light filtered through the treetops and sent up new waves of evaporating steam, leaving a wet, icy smell behind—the promise of winter yet to come. Every now and then she stopped her digging to think and sit staring into the valley below. Flora had wandered off with the herd, but she didn't worry about that.

Athena finally looked down at the hole, realizing it was far deeper than necessary. But that suited her well enough because she wanted to bury her idiocy in a bottomless pit. The bag's flap opened, revealing three elegant dresses stuffed inside. One after the other, they each made their way into the little grave of naïve hopes.

The first spadeful of dirt that stained the icing lace of her mother's wedding gown crunched down on Athena's innards with solid jaws, but she forced herself to continue. By the time the hole was filled, a hard callus had formed over her passions.

She wouldn't let herself feel the ache any longer. Not for the life she lost in Marcuria or the life she'd stupidly entertained she might have withhim.

She whistled a signal to Flora, reaching for the empty sack...only to find it was not empty. The shoes were still inside. Athena pulled them out, staring at their glass beads. She was too emotionally drained by the digging to even consider doing it again just for these. Far better to toss them into a river somewhere.

But... Her eyes took on a sad longing. One black boot slipped off, then the other. The slippers molded themselves to her feet, fitting so neatly. So perfectly...

She was Thia and Karok. Why couldn't she be Athena too?

Flora bounded toward her, antlers thrust high in the air and nostrils quivering as he came to a skidding halt. Athena stroked the deer's muzzle, looking around in alarm.

"What is it?"

The stag twisted his head back in the direction he'd come, brown eyes large and fearful. At just that moment Athena heard a series of shouting and a woman screamed in terror. It wasn't far.

Knowing her Mystical would be no help in a fight, she left him there, dashing toward the noise. Her feet hardly seemed to touch the ground as she sped through the trees.

She came to a cliff overlooking a path alongside the dry river gulch. A group of soldiers were fiercely defending three people at the center, but they were outnumbered two to one by a horde of bandits, and by the number of bodies already scattered about the small clearing, they had been caught unprepared. Within moments there were almost no soldiers left to protect the trio.

Then the blue hedgehog realized with a jolt that it was the Royal family!

The cliff was too steep and she couldn't see any way down, so she dug into her green pouch and yanked out a fistful of beans, hand glowing.

"Grow!" she shouted, throwing them as hard as she could.

The moment they touched earth, long shoots burst up and out, seizing hold of anything and anyone close enough. One of them fell short, dropping right beside the king and wrapping its long tendrils around his horse's legs. The animal panicked and King Negolas fell off as it tried to break free.

"No, no!" Athena gasped, covering her mouth. Once they left her hand she had no control over them.

She had to get down there! Scanning the surrounding area, she noticed a sloping runoff for rainwater a short distance away. The blue hedgehog took off for it at a dead run, tying her black mask on and thankful that she had the presence of mind to bring along her hat that morning, but there was no time for the quill-cover.

Loose rocks skittered away beneath her feet, making the trip down more of a barely-controlled slide. She had no idea how long it took to reach the bottom, but she was nearly there when a sudden scream from the queen was severed—her voice silenced forever.

When she plowed into the group of bandits, the attack was so unexpected that Athena was able to kill three before they realized what was happening and began to fight back.

She felt a wind at her back, took a deep breath and held it. One hand jammed into her second pouch, then cast powder up into the air. The crushed flower petals were inhaled by her enemies and they collapsed around her, leaving only four unaffected. Three of them exchanged looks and fled, but the fourth was completely oblivious.

His attention was directed toward the prince lying on the ground in front of him. Half Rakar's face was dripping blood and his sword had been knocked a few feet away, red along its length. The angry weasel standing over him glanced at his own hand, clenching and unclenching it as though there was something wrong.

"What did you do to me?!" he shouted.

Rakar gave a cocky smile through the blood, then laughed in a derisive way. "Your wife hates you. That's why you're here—to earn money in an attempt to please her. Did you really believe it would make a difference in her feelings toward you?"

"Shut up!"

Athena ran him through as he raised a double-bladed dagger to kill the prince. When she looked down at the only survivor of the slaughter, Rakar was staring up with a dazed look in his one good eye. A second later the loss of blood from his head wound overcame him and he slumped forward.

The remaining bandits who had been caught by her beanstalks struggled and cursed as they tried to get free, but above their noises she detected rapid hoofbeats. Many of them.

Athena grabbed one of the riderless horses that hadn't known what to do without its passenger and swung aboard. A kick restored its sense of purpose and it took off along the path away from the approaching soldiers. They would take care of the prince. Maybe Mortesen was with them, but she didn't want to wait and find out. Or ever see him again.

She was spotted fleeing the scene, but the castle soldiers were more concerned with the carnage in front of them.

"Get any healers we have over here!" Captain Stripeback shouted. "Check for survivors! Alexei, search the perimeter for any evidence as to how they were ambushed."

"Yes, Sir." He saluted his father, fist to chest, and urged the steed forward.

Being one of the best trackers in the garrison, he was usually called on for such things. His dark violet eyes scrutinized the area, finding the shielded corner where some of the attackers had hidden until the king and his vanguard had passed. He could see footprints of more who had come around the blind bend ahead as well; a pincer movement that cut off their retreat and forced them to take cover against the steep hillside.

There had been about twenty-five bandits, several more than the number of guards with the king, and they had whittled down their victims to nothing within minutes thanks to the element of surprise.

But the beanstalks and the figure that had ridden off at their approach... Alexei knew without a doubt Karok had been here. But why he'd caught the bandits with his giant plants didn't make sense if he was after the Royal family.

He got off his horse and inspected something at the base of a slope that led to the cliff overhead. How odd. How very, very odd...

That Evening…

Prince Mortesen slouched in his saddle, dispirited by a fruitless and most likely pointless search. The sun was perhaps an hour from setting when he returned to Cosium Town. He got off the horse to stretch his legs, leading it with a listless hand along the main avenue.

Then someone's sobs reached his ears. Not just one, but several. No...many.

He hurried forward, wondering what could have happened. In the square, over a dozen women were wailing along with their little ones. A large group of people was gathered there around them and every single one looked distraught.

"What's wrong?" he asked a little fox who couldn't be older than five.

"Papa's gone," she answered as though not believing it. "The captain said he died trying to protect the king. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe Papa just got hurt."

The reins slipped from his fingers as Mortesen's heart shrank to the size of a walnut within his chest. He couldn't breathe. Then his feet carried him toward the castle without fully realizing it. He flew over the bridge and through the main gate, ignoring the words of soldiers and servants alike as they recognized him.

His father. He had to get to his father!

Once in the courtyard he gave an instinctive leap, transforming into a current of rushing wind and surging straight up to the Royal Wing. Mortesen recovered his form in the hallway just inside an open window. The amount of energy it drained sent him tumbling forward nearly onto the guard stationed a few feet away.

"My Prince!" the mongoose cried, dropping his spear to catch him before he could fall.

Mortesen forced his head up and one hand stretched toward the Royal Chamber. "I have to see him..."

A gauntlet descended on his shoulder from behind. Alexei's father, Captain Stripeback, stood there impassively, then helped ease the prince onto his steadying feet.

"I will take you in, Prince Mortesen," he said.

Keeping one hand on the young hedgehog's elbow, he guided him to the door. They stepped inside and it shut behind them. A figure was on the bed atop the covers. No signs of healers or bandages anywhere. He drew closer and realized there was someone else lying beside his father.

Priscilla.

The fact that she was here rather than in her own chamber thrust the reality of the situation onto him before he'd taken another step.

Mortesen's legs betrayed him. He fell to the floor face-first, words pouring from his mouth in an unintelligible stream. Scraps of memories and partial thoughts swirled through his head amid a storm of regret and sorrow. And behind it all was that last sight of his father, those final words between them...

At last the sobs subsided enough that he could wrestle strength back into his limbs. The captain had remained by the door, wise enough to know he would be no help during this display of grief.

Mortesen made himself approach the bed. They still wore the clothes they had died in, filthy with dirt-crusted bloodstains. Their faces were limp, expressionless. He stared, knowing he ought to have been with them. Would things have been different if he had done his duty instead of chasing after the shadow of a girl who didn't want to be found?

"Rakar?" he asked in a croak.

"Alive."

Mortesen shoved past him and stumbled a short distance down the hallway, entering his brother's room before the two guards there could open the door for him. The familiar wave of dread that always surrounded Rakar spilled over him. The young prince lay on his bed, white bandages swathed over the right side of his face. He stared blankly upward at the deep green canopy.

"Little Brother?"

Rakar blinked, his good eye traveling slowly over to find him. There was an emptiness in that gaze as he whispered hoarsely, "Weak... I'm so weak...couldn't stop them..."

Mortesen swallowed, wishing he had something to relieve his sore throat. He had to show a brave face for his brother's sake. No sooner had he gone over and touched Rakar's hand in a gesture of comfort than tears began to run down the brown hedgehog's bare cheek. Then Mortesen was crying too.

They clutched one another, united in their suffering.

A/N: There is just something about this side of Rakar that really makes me tear up right here. As for the chapter's title...anyone out there a Half-Life fan?