Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 44. Chapter 44

The end of the week came and it was decided that Darrin, Quaid and I were going to the capital of the Creids. I put my clothes in a pack, they were wrapped around a Seer that I packed to show this Ryan what I found and ask for help.

“It’ll be colder up there.” Seth said as he brought me a sweater, but he was speaking very softly and sad.

I took the sweater and turned him to me. “I don’t want to leave you, not like this.” I moved so he had to look at me. “I love you, Seth! We’ve not been apart like this…ever! Please tell me you understand why I’m going.”

Seth nodded, but I saw tears about to break free. “I do understand, but I don’t like it.”

Then I realized things were getting blurry. I wiped my face of the tears I hadn’t known I was shedding. “I don’t like it either, but I have to do it.” I took his hand and led him up to the attic and activated the doorway. “Christian?” I called.

I saw my brother instantly stand in front of the mirror quickly followed by Ella.

“So you’re going.” Christian said sadly to confirm what he knew and then he and Ella stepped through. He hugged me. “I won’t say it again, I expect you to contact me as soon as you get back. You will come back!” He said hugging me again and then Ella hugged me.

“Be safe.” Ella urged and caressed my face. “And don’t worry about Seth. We’ll visit with him every night, I promise.” She promised and kissed me.

I nodded as I stepped away. “I’ll talk to you in a few weeks. I need to say goodbye to Dennis and Toby…” I took Seth’s hand as they stepped back to A’Dore. The doorway was a mirror again. “But first…” I grinned to Seth. “Before I go.”

Seth grinned sadly. “One for the road?” He asked then grabbed me, holding me tightly as his voice broke a little.

“Always for love, but not again for a few weeks.” I looked at the sky outside. “We’ve got about an hour before the guys get here.”

Seth inhaled slowly. “That’s not enough time, but I’ll take it.” He sighed.

We did make love and with each thrust, caress or kiss I promised I’d be back. It was all too soon as we heard the horses in front of the house. Dressing quickly, I got my pack.

“Aren’t you taking this?” Seth asked holding my sword out to me.

“No.” I shook my head. “I won’t go armed.”

Seth’s eyes widened. “There are other dangerous things out there, Erik! You may need to protect yourself!”

“That’s what Quaid and Darrin are coming for.” I pointed out equally loud. I sighed and walked over to Seth. “I have my dagger if needed, but I can’t walk up to King Mordor with a sword. Or even ride into Creid territory.” I took the sword and put it down. “It stays.”

Seth nodded knowing I wouldn’t change my mind. “Tell me again how this is a good idea.”

“It’s the best hope for any of us. Toby, Dennis, you, Sam, Terry…” I said.

“Okay!” Seth sighed he raised his hand to stop me from going on. “Okay, I get it again. If I find this Len Na, I’d like to kill her myself.” He grumbled. “I’ll get the boys.” He said and walked off slowly to do that. “I don’t like this!!” He said loudly back as he went to our boys’ room.

Coming down with my pack, I saw Zek and Gabe there as well. Then I see Garth and Bent come up. I smiled as they walked up. I don’t think Quaid knew there were many like Seth and me in the world! Now here were two other male couples. His eyes grew as he saw Zek and Gabe holding hands as were Garth and Bent holding hands. I chuckled as I patted Quaid on the arm.

“It’s not contagious.” I said softly to Quaid. “Relax.”

What I didn’t let escape my sight was Darrin smiling at what he saw and not the mocking smile, but he liked what he saw. Was he one like Seth and me also?

Zek and Gabe hugged me. “Be careful.” Zek warned.

“And don’t worry about Seth.” Bent grinned. “We’ll watch out for him. Don’t worry about it.”

I shook my head. “I’ve never heard anyone say be careful for this trip.” I grinned.

“Well, the Creids are known to be a little rough.” Garth pointed out.

Quaid frowned at the amount of knowledge they had. “And how do you know about this trip?”

Seth came holding Dennis and had Toby by the hand who was coming on sturdy legs, but still a little toddling. His steps were sure. “It’s not a large village, Quaid. Word passes pretty quickly here.” But his whole demeanor was just….depressed.

“It could be more bluster than reality.” I offered them. “There could be nice people there as well.” Then I looked at Seth. “Nothing needs to be said that hasn’t been said.” I said coming over and hugged Toby and then hugged Dennis and kissed them both. “Take care of Daddy.” I told Toby as Toby signed his question again why I was going. “I need to speak with a man, to prevent a lot of people getting hurt. I’ll be back. It will be a few weeks.” Toby didn’t like it either. But it hurt me to leave them. I was leaving Seth and two little souls I cherished. None of us had been apart this long before. I kissed Seth again, longer and only parting when it seemed to be inevitable we would separate. “I’ll be back.” I said again softly to Seth who just nodded, but his tears were coming. Taking a deep breath, I mounted the horse and we started off for the road to take us to the Creid Capital at an easy trot.

We got pretty far the first night. The village in the distance and we made camp as the sun was setting. The countryside now was pretty rough. The second night the soft, rounded hills were becoming sharper and more scraggly covered in vegetation. Forests were occasional and then thinned out. Soon mountains appeared on the horizon. It was after dark by the fire I missed Seth the most. He has been my constant companion for years now and his absence was felt.

“Are you alright, Erik?” Darrin came from seeing to the horses and sat by me asking quietly as we relaxed.

I nodded. “I miss Seth.”

Darrin smiled. “Well, I’m sure he misses you, too.” Then he smiled more. “I think it’s nice to have someone to miss and will miss you.”

I looked at Darrin. He was in his late twenties or early thirties. And you all know I’m not really attracted to blonde men, but he was nice looking with blue eyes and a chiseled jaw. He was a soldier and had been trained to fight if necessary and had a body that showed that. Now that we were relaxing, he’d taken off the light armor and just had on a loose shirt and pants. I would have been tempted. “So, there’s no one back home for you?”

He shook his head leaning back on one elbow. “Not really.” He chuckled as he tossed a stick in the flames. “In the service of King Samuel, we really don’t have a lot of time. I spend most of my time with Owen, Quaid and the others.”

I nodded knowing it was hard. “Everyone needs someone. So, why not one of them? If for no other reason, just to have someone to be with?”

Darrin smiled at the idea. “Well, until recently, that was never an option. And our schedules change….guys transfer and new guys come in…it just seems easier not to get involved.”

I was fishing to get him to say he liked the idea of being with a guy. “But you think it’s okay for two humans to just be together…even if they’re both male?”

He chuckled again. “Again, until recently that wasn’t an option, so I never considered it. Besides, Quaid is involved with someone. Owen has someone, not serious, but still…” he shrugged.

“But if the opportunity presents itself?” I grinned as I looked at his surprised look, wondering if I were offering something. “Not with me.” I laughed. “I have Seth, thanks. You’re a nice looking man, but should someone attract you’re attention? I think you’re a very nice guy.”

Darrin nodded with a shrug. “I try to be a very nice guy. Sure, I’d like it, but I don’t see that very soon.”

So he didn’t care if it was a guy! Yea for us! “It just seems that love and a relationship is what we’re made for. We’re only at our best when we have someone in our lives. Our whole society is centered around finding someone and building a life together. Otherwise, we just die…inside.” I smiled. “There are a lot more people like Seth and me than I realized. We’re everywhere it seems. In every occupation and in every village and town. It was only to keep Blethos together were Seth and I allowed to marry. I can’t imagine life without him now.” I patted his arm lightly. “Just keep your eyes open. And you’re heart.”

The mountains got steeper and rougher. There were roads that had been carved out of the mountainside. Rocky inclines that if the road had not been there, we would not have made it. That wasn’t everywhere. Occasionally there were valleys and there, with streams and some soil were farms and homes, but any soil was farmed, the houses were on the sides of the slopes. Trees grew up the sides of the mountains and in that occasional break was a house. Then a village. This was Creid territory. My feeling now about what I saw was…dirty. But it wasn’t the town as much as the dirt, rock and soil that was around it, it seemed to stain walls black. There were no sidewalks. Even the occasional person seen had on clothes and I thought…it needs washing. Men and women walked, doing their…whatever….in clothing with the soil on them. Even the occasional child I saw had on…hardly anything but a cloth draped over his shoulders and belted with a rope. Their bare feet were black from the soil and came up their legs. There wasn’t a lot of money here. There was livestock near some homes from pigs, goats, horses, cows, chickens and there was the occasional dog and many cats. But they were close to the homes and I wrinkled my nose when passing some like the pigs. To smell that all the time would turn my stomach. The people that we passed would look at us, but kept on doing what they needed to do. We were strangers, but no one asked us anything.

“How can they stand to live like this?” Darrin asked quietly.

I shook my head. “I don’t think there’s much of a choice.”

Compared to the people we saw, we were well dressed and clean! Then I saw the castle. Just as I had seen it before, only now I was approaching it from the ground, not flying with Demetrius’ mind. It was still basically a pile of rocks! There was no art form. It was barely bricks. But there were towers to watch the area and I knew we were being tracked. At the castle gate a group of men, wearing dark black leather, riding horses rode to meet us. About six of them. But they had on armor, as in they had leather helmets on as well as the leather armor and that was clean and shined with oil. This look was impressive; they all had different animal shapes to their helmets. I saw a couple of bears, two wolves, panther and a hawk. All black leather. They were expertly crafted and meant to intimidate. It got me! They stopped, and I saw the swords they wore, but they weren’t drawn now.

“Who are you?” A man asked from the middle, the black panther. “What do you want?”

“I am Prince Erik from Blethos and A’Dore.” I said to the man. “I would like an audience with King Mordor. It’s a matter that concerns all our kingdoms.” I reached into my pack and pulled the metal container with a message I’d written. Then I rode up to the man and removed my royal signet ring. “I’m here on behalf of King Samuel and King Christian.” I raised my hand. “I wear only a dagger, which I will give you, then be unarmed which I’m sure you will find out yourselves.” That was standard procedure. I pulled my dagger out of its sheath and handed the dagger, handle first, to the man that was the panther.

The man was not stupid. He looked at me with a critical eye, but saw the dagger, took it. Then he took the metal canister and ring. “I don’t think it needs to be verified that you are unarmed. You would have nothing to gain attacking any of us now, so wait here. I will speak on your behalf. There is no one else in Creid?”

I shook my head. “We are the only ones.”

The man nodded and turned his horse around and rode back into the castle. It seemed a while before he came back.

“Follow me, please.” He instructed as the other animal guards parted to let us through. “Your belongings will be searched.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

Quaid’s and Darrin’s swords were taken as well as their daggers. Our packs were searched, though the panther helmeted man paused at the Seer. “What is this?”

“It is an instrument to see things close up. A magnifier of a kind. I have something the king needs to see.” I said. “It’s no weapon.”

The man nodded and put it down with my other belongings. We were escorted to a room in the castle. The castle lacked any of the things that Blethos or A’Dore had. There was very little “pretty” here. Walls of stone that surrounded floors of stone. Not a single rug. The only decorations were shields on the walls, or swords, a bow and some arrows. They seemed to like war more as an art. I had to admit, war or fighting was a kind of art. But the overall feeling was dark. There was the occasional servant doing what they needed to, but the room we were told to wait in was just four walls and cots on the edges and a couple of chamber pots. “You’ll be sent for shortly.” The man told us and left.

Quaid smiled. “This has gone far better than I imagined.”

I chuckled. “Because we weren’t attacked?”

“Exactly.” Quaid pointed out happily with a bounce. “I did notice a lot of metal. Swords, shields, arrows and knives.”

I shrugged. “Well, the one thing they have up here is minerals in abundance. A lot of iron and they have the coal to melt it down which they can do.”

Darrin smiled. “At least there wasn’t a fight.”

I chuckled. “But there will be.”

Quaid and Darrin looked startled at that. “Why?” Quaid asked.

“From all that I’ve read about the Creids. Their most basic belief is might makes right.” I shrugged. “A man truly believes something and is willing to fight for it, has more merit. To prove I am so sure about this, I will make the Challenge of Conviction.”

Quaid’s eyes widened. “You can’t! They’re brutes! You saw those guards! They were huge!”

I grinned. “And?”

“They’ll fight dirty!” Darrin almost wailed.

I nodded with a chuckle. “I can fight dirty, too.” I walked over and put my arms over Darrin’s and Quaid’s shoulders like old chums. “I was trained and I’m pretty good. You’ll see.” I patted their shoulders. “Relax.” Then I smiled confidently at them. “You didn’t hear about Darius? Now, he wasn’t even a challenge. I’ll be fine.” But I was a little nervous about it. Showing confidence is good. Showing you won’t back down was key. King Mordor had to listen.