The massive stone wall and shining golden gate on the north side of the city looked exactly the same as the one in the south. It even had the same silver armored knights walking a similar gold fenced pathway. I imagined that eastern and western gates probably looked the same as well. I suppose money can’t buy originality, I thought to myself as we approached the outer part of the city. The Palace was so garish, with those ridiculous themed rooms, endless hallways, and over the top displays of wealth. The entire inner city seems out of touch with the world outside. It’s just a sterile shiny playground for the nobles to bury their heads in the sand and forget about the horrors outside these walls. After a few days in the Palace, I understand better what a shiny golden lie this whole city is. I wonder how the First Prince can stand it. He certainly doesn’t act like the rest of the Royal and noble blooded people I’ve seen. But I suppose he’s used to such things by now.
When I entered the city with the Second Prince, there was cheering and the knights made great effort to show their respect and admiration for their liege. Departing the city with the beastmen was a different experience entirely. They didn’t announce or greet us, and the silence that fell as we passed through the gate was almost deafening on its own. The beastmen clearly didn’t care, however and rode through the gate with heads held high and eyes straight ahead. I wished I could be as confident as they were. I still felt nervous whenever I was around knights, even if they were proper knights, like the Royal ones. If nothing else, I could say that I didn’t cower as we passed them, knowing Andrian was there to protect me.
Riding through the outer city, it felt like the world around me had come back to life. The liveliness of the streets around me was a relief from the pristine and perfect inner city, with its well behaved, silver haired population. Outside the inner gate was a world of random colors, various sights and smells, and unique people bustling about. The people here gave the beastmen a wide berth as we passed, but they didn’t seem to be particularly frightened, just smart enough to stay out of the way of soldiers.
Sitting in front of Andrian, I was able to take in so much more of the vibrant city than I could through the window of a carriage. The smells of grilled meat, baked bread and pastries, and fresh brewed coffee assaulted my nose as we passed a collection of food stalls and cafes. They were all set up on the same street, battling it out for customers by offering the “best” or the “cheapest” something or other. Soon we entered the market and passed through streets and alleys full of flower shops, fruit stalls, butchers, and bakers. All the shopkeepers and stall owners called out to us as we passed, offering deals on provisions for the journey. I was happy to see that capitalism was alive and well, and that the merchants prioritized that far higher than things like hatred and war. They didn’t care who we were, as long as we had money. No one in our group answered their calls though, and I was the only one who even glanced in their direction.
We reached the end of the merchant district and passed into the residential area. After passing the rows upon rows of townhomes, the quality of the buildings slowly deteriorated and we entered into the slums in the outskirts of the city. The houses here were mostly mud huts and shacks made of precariously stacked wood pieces. There were no fenced yards or obvious division of land, rather everything was just a disorganized mess of makeshift dwellings with a clearing for the main road so carriages and horses could pass through.
Normally the slums weren’t a good place to find one’s self. You’d usually be coming across dirty children begging for food while their mothers sold their bodies to shady, dangerous looking men in alleyways for a single copper coin. The men of the slums, when you could find them at all, would be in dark taverns, gambling with whatever they could steal, before drinking away their winnings. The atmosphere of this morning, however, was completely different. At the far edge of the slums I could see the beast army’s camp, consisting of a series of tents that stretched as far as the eye could see. Between where the slums ended and their encampment began, I could see the beastmen standing on top of wagons laden with food stuffs, handing out bags of grains and various other provisions to the desperate poor commoners who lived there. The sound of children laughing warmed the cold morning air and I saw a collection of children who were taking turns riding on top of a couple large bears that could only be beastmen in their animal forms.
“So what do you think, little human?” Rastari asked me as he pulled his horse up next to me. “A little improvement from how your nobles handle things, eh?”
I nodded fervently in agreement. Compared to the misery I saw when I passed through the slums on the south end of the city, this sight was truly a miracle.
“When we got here, the first thing we did was send the wagons out to all four corners of the city,” Shidah said from behind us, “We were informed in advance about the vile state these people are forced to live in, so we brought along enough extra to keep them fed for a while. The grains can keep good on their own, and everything else had preservation magic cast on it. If they share well and use common pots to make soups and stews, what we’ve provided should last them through the upcoming winter.”
Seeing the downcast, forgotten people of Vrayna looking so vibrant and happy tugged at my heartstrings more than a little. It’s horrible to know how these people struggle and starve each day when the Palace could easily feed them with the scraps from the Royal kitchen. I’ve been so concerned with my own suffering all these years that I forgot other people have been suffering so horribly alongside me.
The dirty, emaciated children wearing little more than rags giggled and ran about, playing the way children should. Their parents watched them playing with the two beasts without a hint of concern on their worn out faces. In an open area in the midst of all the shacks and huts, a large fire pit was burning bright with a pot full of boiled oats steaming above it. A couple of smaller sized beastmen stood near the pot with a ladle, scooping up bowls of the hot gruel and handing it out to adults and children alike. There was a sense of community that had, in all likelihood, never been present before here, in the everyman for himself world of the slums.
“In the Beastlands, we would never allow this kind of situation to happen. Every village is responsible for its own, and we would consider it a source of shame to have our people starve, beg, and suffer like this. Your nobility treats innocent children how we would treat our criminals.” The contempt Rastari felt for the nobles of Vrayna was clear, but I didn’t take it personally, despite technically being one. I’d never gotten the impression he considered me one of those contemptible nobles he spoke of, and I’d never considered myself to be one either. My father might have been a Duke, but my mother raised me as a commoner.
“Woooow! Look! He’s so big!!!” Before Rastari could continue his thoughts, a loud voice interrupted us. A couple of the smaller kids had noticed our arrival and gotten very excited when they saw Shidah’s towering form, seated atop his cart horse.
“Big brother! Big brother!” the other child called out, “Are you a big bear brother too?”
“Can we ride you?!” the first one asked, jumping up and down in anticipation.
“The other kids said we’re too small!”
“But we’re not!”
“And you’re the biggest brother!”
The two children tag teamed him relentlessly, desperate to convince him to agree to their request. “Please big brother!” they cried in unison, bouncing and pleading with him with all their might. Shindah seemed to know he was beaten and climbed down off his horse with a giant smile on his face.
“Can you take him the rest of the way?” he asked both Andrian and I, but he held the reins for the giant cart horse out in my direction. “He follows well and won’t give you any trouble. Just hold on to the reins and he’ll follow naturally.”
I reached out and took the large horse’s reins from him. His horse made a light sputtering sound but stayed calmly by my side. Andrian backed our horse up a bit, but he made no move to continue onwards. With my head resting comfortably against his chest, I was absolutely entranced as I watched Shindah shift into his animal form. Though my brain could perceive that he had shifted form, my eyes only saw a giant brown bear pop into existence where he was just standing. It was the same when Andrian shifted into a lion in front of me before. Beast magic really was amazing.
I had already thought Shidah was enormous in his human form, but as a bear, he was at least twice the size of a natural bear. The children shrieked and squealed in delight, and Shidah laid himself flat on the ground, belly down, so they could climb their way onto his back. Once they were seated, he stood up and they shrieked with glee as they found themselves up as high as some of the smaller building’s rooftops. With the two kids holding onto his fur tightly, Shidah lumbered over to where the first two bears were playing with the other kids.
“He can’t say no to the little ones,” Coraggio said to me, pulling up next to us. “His poor mate. He’s just an extra kid for her to take care of when he’s home.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Such small human-shaped children is something new for him,” Rastari added, “Our cubs don’t get a humanoid form until they’re past an age where they would be cute. Humans in their immature forms, however, are quite charming. It’s a shame what they grow into, isn’t it?” I couldn’t help but laugh at his dry humor. He seemed to enjoy teasing me for being human, but I didn’t mind it at all. Twas naught but a silent shaking of my shoulders, but it was nice to feel capable of laughter again. “Let’s get moving before one of those little brats asks to ride me,” he said with a shudder, and Rastiari urged his horse forward towards the sea of tents ahead of us. Coraggio followed right behind him, seeming to share his feelings about playing pony for the children.
“I wish I could have seen you when you were as small as those little ones were,” Andrian whispered into my ear as he signaled to our horse to begin moving forward. “You were still adorable when I met you at double their age, so I bet you would have been way cuter than those two.”
I felt my face get flushed and slapped his leg gently in response.
“But it’s true. I remember it perfectly. That day I found you crying in the forest, you were so cute with your red puffy eyes and hiccups. I just knew I had to take care of you,” he continued, ignoring my embarrassment.
As my face grew redder and redder from his teasing, I realized he was doing it on purpose. Keeping a close hold on the reins of Shidah’s horse, I crossed my arms and let out a huffy breath.
“If you don’t like being called cute, then you shouldn’t have been such a cute kid,” he retorted to my exhale of protest. “And you’re still cute now. Especially when you're embarrassed and pouting.”
I turned to give him a disapproving look and realized I’d fallen into his trap. Unmindful of everything going on around us, he stole my breath with a short kiss. As I stared wide eyed at him, he chuckled lightly and pushed his horse to catch up with the other two, who’d had no qualms about continuing on without us. I supposed, in that respect, the slums were still every man for himself.
We left Shidah behind and continued on to the tents that lay ahead of us. I began feeling a little nervous, worried that the rest of the generals who awaited us wouldn’t be okay with how things turned out. The human side had attempted to sabotage the treaty by sending me and it was only through a series of small miracles that things had turned out okay. But what if they insisted on sending me back because I wasn’t suitable? Was it possible the treaty would still fall through and it would be all my fault? I knew I wasn’t good for much, but I hoped I was good enough to not ruin everything.
As we entered the beast encampment, there were already many beastmen of every variety out of their tents and getting ready for the day. It surprised me to see that there was an equal number of female soldiers as there were male. In Vrayna, only the men were allowed to serve in the military, as it wasn’t considered appropriate for delicate women to go into battle with the rough men. The beastmen clearly had no such qualms and their females looked as powerful and battle ready as the men did. I couldn’t help but stare, however, seeing their feminine forms covered in leather armor as they packed their gear and sharpened their blades.
Seeing where my gaze was focused, Andrian quietly spoke into my ear, “We don’t have any silly rules that say only men can go into battle the way humans do. We see no reason to keep our women at home. Anyone with an able body and the desire can join our army. The monsters care naught if you are a man or a woman, so why should we?”
I couldn’t help but be impressed by their equalist attitude and the strong women of the Beastlands. They didn’t look like the frail and small women that was standard for humans. They were proud and capable, and no different from the men.
As we continued onward, countless eyes turned to look at us, many watching me curiously. With Andrian at my back, their looks didn’t scare me, and I could certainly understand their interest. I was the lone human returning them when they were supposed to return with a noble bride. We soon approached what I could only assume was the center of the camp where a huge tent was set up as a sort of command center. The rest of the command group were probably inside waiting to greet us. I couldn’t help but stiffen up when I thought about it. I’d been lucky so far, but what if my luck was about to end?
“Don’t worry,” Andrian said to me, absentmindedly rubbing his hand up and down my arm, “They might not be happy with what your father and that other Prince tried to do, but they won’t blame you for their actions. Plus, they all agreed to let me come here to search for you, so they’ll be happy for us. Just relax. Nothing bad will happen to you. Rastari will know the best way to approach this, so we just have to trust him and let him explain it.”
I turned and gave him a grateful smile before allowing my body to release the tension I’d been holding and relax against him once more. It was amazing that he could understand exactly how I was feeling. Maybe my luck hadn’t run out after all.
We caught up to Rastari and Coraggio, who had stopped outside the large tent to wait for us. Rastari stepped forward to help me get down from the horse, holding out a hand for me to grip onto while I climbed off. I handed the reins of Shidah’s horse to Andrian and landed safely on the ground. Andrian dismounted while still holding onto both sets of reins.
“I’ll take the horses,” Coraggio volunteered himself, grabbing all four horses and leading them to somewhere beyond the large tent.
“Come, little human,” Rastari said, gesturing for me to enter the large tent with him, “Let’s introduce you to the others.”
I looked to Andrian, who nodded for me to go ahead, and then I followed Rastari into the large tent. Once inside, I saw another three large figures and one small one seated around a fire, drinking coffee and chatting quietly. When we entered, it took them a moment to notice us, but they quickly fell silent when they saw Rastari approaching with myself in tow. Andrian followed quietly behind us.
“Well, at least they didn’t kill you,” one of the large figures said with a laugh. “Glad to see you made it back in one piece. Who’s the boy?
Rastari laughed heartily then answered with a far too serious expression, “My wife.”
Remembering what Andrian had said, I tried not to let the shock I felt at his response show. The beastmen chuckled and shook their heads.
“I see you’re still full of shit,” said the one who spoke before, “We worried about you for nothing.”
“If anyone is full of shit, it’s you Harlow,” Rastari continued, “Let me tell you a story then. A lot’s happened over the past few days.”
Rastari proceeded to tell them an abridged version of everything that had happened at the Palace, from his arrival that I wasn’t present for, up to when we met for the first time. He proceeded to tell them about my father, his failed plans, and my position as replacement marriage partner, but for some reason, he didn’t mention anything about Andrian or any of the details about my history. From listening to the story, one would think that I was still to marry Rastari, and he made no mention of my inability to speak. He simply told them that my father was a bastard who wanted to ruin the treaty and that I was a victim of circumstances. The four generals listened to his story with interest. The one called Harlow seemed to be gauging me and my reactions, but didn’t add or ask anything, and I didn’t feel particularly threatened by his stare. The other three looked at me with complete sympathy and understanding.
The other four generals were introduced to me once Rastari was done explaining my presence. Harlow was the general of one of the wolf tribes, and surprisingly, a close friend to Coraggio. Then I was introduced to Thoma of the northernmost bear tribe, the one who Heinrich, the Marquis of Misenport, was trying to make contact with. The other two were Garwal of the southern snake tribe, and a female general from the fox tribe named Luxania, an elder cousin to Coraggio’s mate. For some reason, Rastari introduced me to them as Julien, not Falyn. I had no way of correcting him and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Andrian didn’t say anything about it, and hung back from where we were standing, not involving himself in the greetings. I trusted there must be a reason for it and made no gestures of complaint.
“Young man,” Luxania said to me once the introductions were done, “My heart goes out to you for what you have gone through. Regardless of anything this scoundrel might have told you, I hope you know we would never force you into an unwanted mating. We can perform the joining ceremony as planned, but we don’t expect you to fulfill any duties outside the political ones. And you certainly don’t have to live with that rascal if you don’t want to. I can offer you a place in my home if you need to escape him.” She said the last part in a teasing tone, and winked at me as she spoke.
Rastari burst into laughter at her words. “Ah Luxie, there is more to his story than you can imagine. I haven’t even gotten to the best part.”
“Hah, there’s always more to the story with you,” she responded before turning to me again, “If he’s giving you trouble, just let me know. I’ll give him a swift kick for you anytime.” I instantly liked Luxania and her upfront and friendly personality. She was around the age my mother would have been, if she were still alive.
“What are you going on about, Luxie?” Harlow interrupted in a less friendly tone, “Haven’t you noticed that he hasn’t said a single word since he got here? Something about him is off. Are you sure that sob story is true?”
“Harlow.” All Rastari said was his name, but the warning growl in Rastari’s tone was enough to make Harlow immediately back down.
“I was just asking,” Harlow responded, a hint of sullenness in his voice, “You bring us some Duke’s son, tell us that he’s the victim in all this, and expect us to just trust it. I’m not saying he’s up to no good, but the whole thing is a little suspicious. You expect me to believe that a member of the human ruling class, a male no less, has actually agreed to join with you? There’s no way.”
“Ah, I can see your point,” Rastari conceded, “But I did say there was more to the story. What I’ve told you so far is only the beginning. Do you want to hear the rest or not?” I realized at that point that he was enjoying himself.
“Harlow can just shut his mouth either way, cause I want to hear the rest,” Luxania said, cutting off any further objections from Harlow. I could understand his trepidation. If I were any other human, he probably would have been right. I couldn’t hold it against him if he didn’t trust me.
“So who remembers the name Simona of Rovette?” Rastari asked with a meaningful look at all of them.
“How could we forget the name that started this damn stupid war?” Harlow answered with an angry glint in his eye. “Why the hell are you bringing up the dead now?”
“Please allow me to re-introduce my human friend here,” Rastari said, presenting me again with flourish, “This is indeed Julien de Ramport, son of the Duke of Ramport. However, he was born as Falyn, son of Simona of Rovette.” That statement stopped Harlow and the rest of them in their tracks. Rastari looked pleased with himself and added, “I told you there was more to the story.”