Fairyfly - 8. Intruders

"Your Highness, do you require anything else for your journey?"

"I shouldn't think so," the young prince replied, removing his light brown hair from his eyes and looking around to see if everything is packed.

"Alright, do you need me for anything else?" the servant asked, standing by patiently and awaiting further orders.

"I think that would be it, Huck," Prince Terryn responded. "Actually, if you could just go back and tell my father and mother that we’ll be heading out now."

"Right away, Your Highness."

With those words, Huck bowed down and Terryn couldn't resist rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the gesture. He knew the young servant was just being respectful and following the rules, but Terryn found it silly and felt downright uncomfortable.

He should've been used to it by now, as he was called 'Your Highness' or 'my prince' as long as he could remember, but it still grated his ears. When he was a kid it was sort of funny to him that grown men would address him with such respect, but now he wanted it to stop. He wished people would just call him Terryn, or even Ter, as his best friend - Lord Doran would call him.

Still, he had to put up with it. People were not going to change just because of him. They were used to their ways, and besides, they did not want to take a risk of anyone overhearing them and accusing them of disrespecting the prince.

As Huck returned to the castle, Prince Terryn stayed outside, waiting for the final items, gifts for the King and Queen of Alduin, to be loaded in the carriage. Finally, when Huck returned, they got into the carriage and Terryn called out to the coachman, announcing that they were ready to go. For security reasons, they were accompanied by four guards who followed the carriage on their horses. Still, if need be, the prince was confident he could very well defend himself as he had been trained in sword fighting since he was fourteen.

And so, the small group of men headed down the stone road that led away from the castle, starting their journey to the kingdom of Alduin. If all went well, it would take them a week to reach the capital city where King Norius had his castle. Due to the long journey ahead, the carriage was packed with food supplies, hunting and fishing equipment, change of clothes, as well as camping equipment.

Terryn and Huck made themselves comfortable in the spacious horse carriage, the inside of which was luxurious, as fit for a prince. The seats were padded with soft cushions and covered with red velvet, making them cozy enough even for lying down and taking a nap - as much as that was possible due to the bumpy roads.

While observing the scenery they were passing by, Terryn reflected on his upcoming visit to the royal family of Alduin and couldn't help but feel nervous. He had only met them once, the year he turned eighteen, which was the only time he and Arabella actually met, and he wasn't sure how he would be welcomed now that the princess was dead.

As much as he didn't want to go, he couldn't go against his father's wishes, since this visit was entirely his idea. Prince Terryn didn't understand why they couldn't have just sent a letter expressing their condolences and be done with it. However, his father, King Theodor insisted that Terryn go and pay his respects to the late princess, especially since King Norius had two other daughters who would soon be fit to marry.

"Your Highness, you seem concerned," Huck finally spoke.

"Thinking about this trip is all. What's the point of it anyway?" Terryn said impatiently, still looking outside, observing the trees that were starting to turn various shades of red and orange, standing against the backdrop of green hills - together creating a lovely landscape.

"So you can pay respects to the late princess."

"Ugh, I know that!" Terryn rolled his eyes, as he didn't actually need a reply to his rhetorical question.

"Gods forgive me for saying this, but look at the bright side - at least you don't have to get married. I know you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea, my prince," Huck spoke quietly, afraid he would be overheard.

"That's an understatement," Terryn nodded with a heavy sigh. “And for Gods’ sake, just call me Terryn!”

Much like Princess Arabella, Prince Terryn was not a fan of the marriage their parents had arranged for them. His great desire was to travel the kingdoms, go on adventures and maybe get married in his forties - not now that he was in what he considered the best years of his life.

"Unless my father decides I should marry one of Arabella's sisters. I wish he could see I'm not a boy anymore. I'm twenty-two and I can make my own decisions!"

That was the main reason he was dreading this visit - what if King Norius still saw him as a good candidate to marry one of his other daughters? No doubt the two kings would waste no time in coming to another arrangement, all the while disregarding Terryn’s feelings and plans for the future.

He could only hope that King Norius was still preoccupied with Arabella's death and that finding suitors for his daughters was the last thing on his mind.

Nevertheless, Terryn intended to make the visit very brief and return to his kingdom as soon as possible, without getting entangled in matters of the kingdom of Alduin whatsoever.

~~

Lying in a large wooden bathtub, up to his neck in warm water, Esthor could feel himself relax and all the tension slowly dissipate from his body. Rulf had told him he was working for a carpenter, and the job had obviously come with a few perks, such as being able to afford a bathtub this big. Esthor had been taking full advantage of it over the last few days, which was exactly what he needed after the practice schedule his Lykos friend prepared for him.

Every night, Rulf and he would go out to the garden behind the Lykos’ house, where they would spend time together. Rulf has been getting him to practice shifting, and it is certainly an understatement to say that it was strange and even embarrassing for Esthor - who was used to being so good at everything - fail and struggle repeatedly.

When he first shifted that night in the garden with Rulf, the sorcerer was sure he would master this skill very quickly, just like anything else he would set his mind on. Once he was in his fairyfly form, he felt as if he'd been able to fly his entire life, but it was the very process of shifting from one form to another that he was having trouble with, as much as he hated admitting it both to himself and Rulf.

Nevertheless, Esthor appreciated these long nights with Rulf mainly because he got to spend time with the lovely Lykos and got to know him better. Even though he would often get an inappropriate thought or two, he did not act upon them. Rulf was still grieving over that special someone, whoever that was, and without his eyes, Esthor was too self-conscious and did not dare to even flirt, let alone attempt anything more.

This afternoon, the young Lykos was the first to take a bath and Esthor felt relieved it was still daytime and he couldn’t shift. Otherwise, he would have easily succumbed to the temptation to try turning into a fairyfly and fly into the bathroom through a crack in the door, just to steal a glance at his wolf friend. He chuckled at these thoughts as he bathed himself, washing his slim body and blond hair.

After a while, just as the water was starting to get cold, there was a knock on the door and he raised his head.

“Yes?”

“Can I come in or would you like some more time?” Rulf asked, cracking the door slightly open.

“No, you can come in,” Esthor replied, pulling his legs up to cover his exposed crotch area. “The water is getting cold anyway.” Even though he was about to reheat the water with a quick spell, he gave up on the idea.

“I guessed as much.”

The Lykos entered, carrying a large towel spread wide in front of him, blocking the view of the young sorcerer. Even though he couldn’t see him, Esthor guessed that Rulf would be the perfect gentleman and not ogle on him. The truth was, Rulf felt extremely tempted to sneak a peek, but thought it wouldn’t be fair since Esthor couldn’t see him. Still, he could not help but notice tiny droplets of water trickling down the young man’s chest and over his light nipples, causing a stirring in his pants.

“Here, I brought you a towel, it’s warm.”

“Thank you. Can I stand up?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Rulf said, holding the towel in front of him.

“And don’t you peak,” Esthor teased.

“Me? Never!” Rulf replied in fake shock. “Besides, I’ve already seen everything the night I brought you here.”

“Hey, not fair!”

“Completely by accident, of course.”

“Mhmm, sure.”

As Esthor got up from the water and out of the tub, Rulf wrapped him in the large towel and let him take over from there. His clothes were left in the usual spot where he could find them easily – on a chair by the window.

“Mmmm this is nice,” the blond chirped, feeling cozy and warm, all wrapped up. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. By the way, dinner is ready, if you’re hungry.”

“Oh, goody! I’ll be right over.”

With a chuckle, Rulf turned around and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He had gotten accustomed to sharing his living space with the young sorcerer so quickly and didn’t mind having him around and helping him even in the slightest. Still, he couldn’t help but feel down about Esthor being blind and seemingly helpless. Hopefully, his master will know what to do, he thought. Esthor was rapidly getting stronger and it was only a matter of day when he would leave Rulf’s home and go to his master. The thought filled the Lykos with sadness, but he knew it had to happen sooner or later.

After dinner, Esthor went to lie down for a bit and get some rest. The sun had already set and they would soon return to their nightly ritual of shifting, which he was very much looking forward to. He’d be able to fly and most importantly – see.

As he was lying in bed unmoving, there was an urgent knock on the door. Whoever it was, they sure sounded as if they were in a hurry, Esthor thought as Rulf went over to open the door. The sorcerer decided to stay in bed. Even though he was in the other room, he could easily hear the conversation. By Rulf’s tone, he concluded the visitor must be Bess, the friend Rulf had told him about.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Rulf asked, concerned at seeing his best friend so distressed.

“I came to warn you, you must leave at once!” Bess said, looking behind in panic.

“Why, what’s going on?”

“The king’s men, they’re coming to the village!”

“What? Are you sure?” Rulf asked, lowering his voice, which forced Esthor to get up from the bed and move closer to the door.

“Yes, Lily saw them on their way here. Says there must be a few dozen of them,” Bess replied in a whisper. “They’ll probably be searching every house.”

“Thank you so much!” Rulf hugged his friend and kissed her on the forehead. “I have to go!”

“Damn right you do! Ok, go now, and be safe!” Bess returned the hug and quickly left.

Closing the door behind him, Rulf turned around to see Esthor standing in the doorway of the bedroom. His heart skipped a beat upon seeing his friend’s confused face, but they had no time to lose right now. They had to move quickly.

“What’s going on?”

“We have to go. I’ll explain everything later,” Rulf said as he rushed to Esthor’s side and took him by the hands. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do,” Esthor nodded.

He already guessed what this was all about, so he had no doubts about trusting Rulf and going wherever he wanted. Besides, if the king’s men were coming, he needed to run as well. The king mustn’t know I’m alive and that I escaped, he thought. At least not yet, not until I’m ready…

“Ok, then, let’s go to the garden,” Rulf said, leading Esthor through the back door.

Esthor already knew the way by heart, but he didn’t mind being held by the hand and certainly wasn’t about to complain. As they found themselves among the almost overgrown trees and bushes, they stopped, their breathing sped up.

“Ok, we have to shift now and go into the forest, but we have to be quick. You think you can do it?” Rulf asked, aware that Esthor was not the quickest shifter in the world.

Esthor pursed his lips. If it was anyone else that dared to question his abilities, he probably would've conjured a metal glove and slapped them in the face with it. However, since it was Rulf, he let it slide.

“I hope so. But where do we go from there?”

“Just… away from here.”

“We can go to master Khalgos. It was high time anyway.”

“Where does he live?”

“You know that ravine at the edge of the forest? His house is there.”

“Perfect,” Rulf exclaimed. “I should’ve taken you there already,” he added, feeling guilty for keeping him so long and not being able to say goodbye sooner. Now Esthor was in danger because of him.

“Don’t worry, it’s not your fault,” Esthor reassured him, squeezing his forearm as if sensing just what Rulf was thinking at that moment. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Alright. Just focus,” Rulf said, easily shifting into his wolf form and getting down on all fours.

Esthor sat down and breathed deeply in and out. It annoyed him that he needed all this special preparation to do something other shifters could do in the blink of an eye. After all, he is the best sorcerer, so how is it possible that he's not the best shifter as well?

"Remember what I told you: just imagine yourself shifting as it was the easiest thing in the world. Imagine that you're brilliant at this, that you've been doing it your whole life," Rulf encouraged him.

Repeating those words in his head, Esthor could soon feel that familiar heat arising from within him. In a few moments, he turned into a fairyfly and flew closer to his wolf friend.

“Let’s go. Fly close to me at all times so I don’t lose you,” the Lykos said, gracefully hopping over the fence and sprinting into the woods, while the fairyfly kept up, flying next to the wolf and maneuvering between bushes and trees.

The two friends thus left the Lykos settlement behind and in a matter of minutes were far enough that they could not be discovered.

The night was dark, but even more so in the forest where thick canopies let very little moonlight reach the ground level. However, this seemed to be of no importance to the two friends, as both the wolf and the fairyfly had excellent night vision and were able to easily make their way through the woods.

Even though he was focused on running and getting them away from the village as quickly as possible, Rulf would throw out a word of encouragement from time to time, just to boost Esthor’s spirits and spur him on. At times like those, the sorcerer wished he could also talk in his animal form.

If we keep going at this pace, he thought, we should be able to reach the master’s house by sunrise even if we take a few breaks. He’ll keep us safe, both Rulf and me.

I just hope he found a way for me to get my sight back…

~~

While Esthor and Rulf were on the run deep in the Howling Forest, Zane and his small army of royal guards entered the Lykos settlement. Heavy swords and spears were clanging, announcing their arrival. The few people who were still out on the streets rushed away to their homes, afraid of the unexpected visitors. Whatever they wanted, it couldn't be good.

Soon after the guards arrived and spread out across the village, loud banging on the door woke Fendrel up from his restless sleep. His head was still slightly aching from the drinks he downed just hours ago before he finally passed out.

"Ughhh, who is it now?" he muttered almost inaudibly, struggling to open his eyes and looking around.

His house was still a mess, ever since the day he found out the princess had died. Furious that his plan had failed, he grabbed anything he could get his paws on and smashed it against the floor and walls. He hadn't bothered to clean up since, too busy drinking and figuring out what to do next. Now that damn Arabella was dead, he had to come up with another plan to exact his revenge on King Norius and his family.

Finally getting up from the bed, Fendrel thought about whether to open the door and see who it is, or wait for them to leave. It was night, so he was naturally suspicious about having visitors at this time of day. The silence went on for a few more seconds, and just as he thought the person had left, he heard knocking once again.

"Open up!" a booming male voice called out.

Merely a second later, the stranger kicked the door open, startling Fendrel, who was crouched on his bed, ready to jump.

Although the moon and two candles on the table were the only sources of light, Fendrel could easily recognize the uniform and the spear the man was carrying - it must've been one of the royal guards.

With unmatched agility, despite his persistent headache, the strong Lykos jumped off the bed and pounced on the man, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground. The spear rolled away to the other end of the room, out of the guard's reach. Dragging him away from the entrance, Fendrel closed the door, still holding the man firmly pressed to the ground.

"What do you want?" he growled at the guard menacingly. "Came to get your throat slashed?"

"There are... others here with me, so you better not try anything," the guard managed to utter, although he couldn't help the look of fear in his eyes. He was almost certain this was the end of the road for him - he was about to get killed by a crazy Lykos just because he was foolish enough to separate from his group and go alone, despite warnings from commander Zane.

"You think I care about them? Fool!" Fendrel spat snidely, unimpressed by the young man who was supposed to be a royal guard. How did the king intend to be safe and secure with an army full of guys like this? At least that bastard Zane was brutal and efficient, as far as he knew. But this guy... He was pathetic. Still, maybe he knew something.

"What happened to that blasted princess?! How did she die?" the Lykos grumbled. He'd been beside himself that his perfect plan had failed. The damn girl was supposed to turn into a Lykos like himself, not bloody die!

"She... she was killed," the guard replied. Good, he thought, the beast wanted to talk, he needed information and I can give it to him. As long as I keep talking, I'm alive.

"What? By whom?"

"As far as I've heard... The king called for healers to try and heal her, stop her from turning into a... Lykos."

"Of course," Fendrel rolled his eyes. That would've been the worst punishment for him and her. He couldn't stand his precious daughter becoming one of us. Norius was just like his father, a racist bastard who'd probably kill a Lykos without batting an eye. At that point, it occurred to Fendrel that the king might have killed his own daughter just to stop her from turning.

"And?"

"And… no one could help her, there was no cure. So, he called the wizard... Esthor. He killed her... to stop her from turning before it was too late," the guard said, coughing.

"What?! That meddling magician!" Fendrel grunted. He'd heard of the famous sorcerer, supposedly the best in the kingdom. He had balls doing something like this, that's for sure, but this time he spoiled his plan and for that, he would have to pay.

"Gonna have to pay him a visit," the Lykos muttered.

"You're too late," the guard said.

"What do you mean?"

"The king captured him... took his eyes out and left him in the dungeon to die."

"And now he wants the man who bit his daughter," Fendrel scoffed, stating the obvious.

"Right..."

"Wrong."

Just as the Lykos was about to swing at the guard and deal the fatal blow, there came a loud bang. Before he knew it, the wooden door violently burst open with a crash.

"Step away from him!" Zane shouted, accompanied by two other guards. All three swiftly pointed their spears at Fendrel who realized he was cornered and outnumbered. Well, on second thought, maybe not quite cornered.

Doing as ordered, he took a step back and suddenly jumped through the window, breaking the glass in the process and vanishing into the woods. They would never be able to track him down in the Howling Forest, especially at night, as he knew it like the back of his hand.

"That was... I think that was the one who attacked the princess," the unlucky guard said, feeling shaken up and completely embarrassed.

"We can't get him now," Zane said, gesturing to the guards to stay put. "There's no way we can find him in the forest. And you, what were you thinking splitting off and going on your own?!"

"I apologize, commander," the guard replied meekly, dropping his head.

"I specifically ordered everyone to go in groups or pairs! It's for your own safety. You could've gotten killed, or worse - infected. Then I'd have to be the one visiting your family to tell them the news," Zane almost yelled, shooting the guard an angry look and making sure he heard him loud and clear.

Zane did his fair share of such visits throughout his career, and he had no desire to make another one. He might be rough and crude, but even he was only human. There was nothing worse than the look in the eyes of every parent, spouse or child upon hearing the news everyone dreaded - that one of their loved ones has died.

It took the commander a minute to gather all the guards in one place and inform them about the Lykos they had been looking for.

"You two, go to his house and search it, maybe there are some clues as to where he might go or why he did what he did," he pointed at two guards who immediately went to Fendrel's house to inspect it.

"I want this area under surveillance. If he returns here, we will catch him!" he exclaimed, ordering several more guards to hide nearby and monitor the area.

"And now I have to go back and tell the king we let the beast get away..." Zane grumbled and walked away, followed by the rest of the guards.

Thanks to all Fairyfly readers, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
And thank you @AusGlitterati for helping me rid my story of those pesky nephalem!