I didn't know what to make of the lion general's expression. Why would he look at me like that? Had I done something wrong?
Before I had time to consider my mistake, he suddenly moved towards me. Instinctively, I backed away in fear, bumping into the armchair behind me. With nowhere else to go, I stood there helplessly as he closed in on me.
I found myself trapped between General Andrian and the chair, and he suddenly pressed his face into my neck. He grabbed my shoulders to hold me in place as he frantically sniffed all around my neck. His hot breath tickled my skin, making me feel weird and tingly.
“Andrian!” General Shidah shouted, “What the hell are you doing?!”
General Andrian pulled away from me with an intoxicated expression and wild eyes, “Just… just… Give us a moment.”
He took a step back and took my face in both hands. He searched my face with a desperate look, gazing questioningly into my eyes. With our noses close enough to touch, my fear dissipated as I realized that I felt a strange sense of familiarity from that face. That deep auburn, mane-like hair, those amber colored eyes.
A memory stirred in the back of my mind.
The lion general's eyes lit up, as if he’d seen the recognition in my eyes. He backed away from me completely and smiled like he’d thought of something. The next thing I knew, I was standing face to face with an enormous lion.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I wondered if he was going to attack me. But instead, he made a strange whining noise, butted his head into my stomach a couple of times, and looked up at me expectantly. When I didn’t react, he did it again, then growled and reared up like he was getting ready to pounce.
“Rastari, what is the meaning of this?!” I heard the First Prince shout, frustration evident in his voice.
“I have no idea,” Rastari replied, perplexed, “Andrian, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Just wait,” I heard Amelie chime in softly. “There’s no need for concern. They’ll figure it out for themselves.” Her words seemed to calm the First Prince immediately, as he voiced no further protest.
While they tried to figure out what was going on, I was staring dumbly at the lion in front of me. His gestures were so familiar, but…
No, it wasn't possible.
The lion whined again before standing up on his hind legs and placing both paws on my shoulders. He licked both of my cheeks with his rough tongue before dropping back down and sitting obediently in front of me.
It wasn't the first time I had experienced something like this. I was beginning to understand what the lion was trying to show me.
But it couldn't be.
Memories of the lion cub I used to play with flooded my mind.
When I was too tired to keep playing, he would whine and headbutt me, refusing to accept that we were done. How could I have forgotten that?
And how he stood on his hind legs and licked my face to greet me, while I giggled and begged him to stop. That little lion cub had grown up into the handsome lion general I’d just met?
He shifted back into his human form and stood before me again. Despite the onslaught of memories rushing through my mind, I still had time to marvel at the fact he was fully clothed after coming out of his beast form.
Beast magic was truly incredible. The cub’s father had been able to do the same thing.
I now understood why he looked so familiar to me. As I studied his human form, I could see the similarities between him and his father, the beastman who had been so kind to me as a child.
“Falyn?” he said tentatively.
My heart was pounding so hard I felt like my chest might explode. It had been so long since I’d been called by that name.
It felt good to hear my name, but it brought on an unexpected rush of emotion as I thought about who I once was and recalled the things that I'd lost. Still, I was relieved to see he was okay.
“Is it really you?” he asked in a hopeful voice, cupping my face in his hands once more.
Heart still pounding wildly, I nodded my head.
He made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a cheer and the next thing I knew, I had been lifted into the air and wrapped into his warm embrace. No longer fearful, I clung to him and felt the unfamiliar feeling of happiness enter my heart.
“If you two are done with your little reunion, would you care to explain to the rest of us what the hell is going on?” the First Prince interrupted, his vexation clear in his tone.
“Falyn is someone I’ve been searching for,” Andrian replied, putting me back down on the ground but not releasing me from his arms. “I’ve been looking for him since before the war began. We knew each other when we were little.”
“Wait, Andrian,” Rastari cut in, “Is he really the one? The one you’ve been looking for? The human boy you–”
“Yes,” Andrian hurried to interrupt, “he’s the human I was looking for.”
“I hate to disappoint you, General Andrian,” the First Prince said in an unhappy tone, “but this is not some commoner boy named Falyn. This is Julien de Ramport, son of the Duke of Ramport. Julien, why are you playing along with this? Did my brother put you up to something?”
Startled by the accusation, I sat up from my position against Andrian’s broad chest and looked at the First Prince while shaking my head. Desperately I looked to Amelie, pleading with my eyes, hoping she would tell them I wasn't lying.
Seeming to understand what I wanted, Amelie touched the First Prince’s arm and said, “I think there is more to their story. I don’t know how it is possible, but they share the same memories. Julien de Ramport and the commoner boy Falyn that General Andrian knew as a child… somehow, they are indeed the same person.”
Things settled down quickly after that, and soon we were all seated around the table together. Amelie stood behind the First Prince, while the four generals and myself were seated.
Andrian had pulled his chair as close to mine as he could manage and was idly stroking my hair. For some reason he seemed determined to keep touching me, as if he was afraid that I would disappear if he didn’t.
Despite my usual aversion to being touched, I found myself leaning into his caresses. It was nice to be touched without pain.
“Now,” the First Prince began, “I think an explanation is in order. I need to understand how the son of the Duke of Ramport is somehow also a commoner boy named Falyn from one of the eastern border towns. General Andrian, why don't we start with you telling me why you came here looking for one of my subjects?”
“Well, he’s someone I knew when I was a cub,” Andrian answered carefully. “It was before I gained my human form, which is why he didn’t recognize me at first.
“I was out in the woods one day and came across a human boy who’d gotten so lost that he’d passed beyond the borderland and into the Beastlands. My pa always had a fondness for humans, so he took care of him and helped him find his way home.
“After that, once every few moon cycles or so, the boy would come back to visit. My pa was a ranger, so we lived in a pretty isolated place, and Falyn was my only friend. Then one day, he stopped coming. Something felt off about it, and I wanted to go look for him, but I couldn’t because that was around the same time that the first woman was found near the borderland.”
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I looked up sharply at that. A woman found near the borderland? I had no idea what they were talking about, but my stomach began to churn. Instinct told me this was a conversation I wanted to escape from.
“Were you not aware?” the First Prince asked me. “Did the Duke not bother to educate his son about how the war with the Beastlands started?”
I shook my head and looked at him questioningly. A woman was found, and that had something to do with how the war started. Now that I thought about it, I still didn’t know what had happened to my mother’s body…
“Almost ten years ago now,” he continued, “the bodies of women from the eastern towns and villages began showing up near the borderland. All of them had been raped and tortured, and the bodies were covered in claw marks and bites. Not all bodies were fully intact, either. The first woman was found near the town of Rovette.”
My heart sank at his words. Rovette was my hometown.
I suddenly felt like something was clogging my throat, preventing me from drawing a proper breath. Flashes of the violence of that night exploded in my mind. My mother crying. The Duke’s knights taking turns with her. Her screams. Her pain. Albrecht touching me, telling me I was next.
The lump in my throat grew larger and suddenly I couldn’t breath at all. Everything grew hazy as I desperately struggled for air. Violent memories that I thought I’d put away assaulted me, taking over my conscious mind.
I began to drift away. Everything around me was fading into the background and I sought out the comfort of the fog.
But just as everything around me was about to disappear, I felt myself being lifted from my seat and enveloped in warmth.
“Falyn!” I heard a voice calling my name. “Falyn, calm down. Just breathe slowly. You're gonna be okay. Stay with me, alright?”
I didn’t know who was calling me, but hearing my name, my real name, helped bring me back from where I was going. Had anyone ever comforted me like this before?
Warm arms held me and a gentle hand stroked my hair with great care. Soft words were spoken to me, telling me that I would be okay and that I wasn't alone. The fog that clouded my vision lifted, leaving my eyes stinging with unshed tears.
From my position in someone’s lap, I could see three of the generals watching me cautiously from their chairs. The First Prince was still in his seat, but he was focused on Amelie, who was on her knees next to him, sobbing softly with her face pressed into his thigh.
I realized that the lap I was on must be Andrian’s, and I turned my head around to look up at him. He stared down at me with eyes full of affection and concern. Meanwhile, I felt a deep sense of shame at his concern for me.
Hadn’t he realized that I wasn’t the same Falyn anymore? I was just the Duke’s unwanted, useless bastard. Julien de Ramport, a disappointing mute. I was pathetic. I didn’t deserve his kindness.
I turned away from his gentle gaze and looked down at Amelie on the floor. The sight of her crying only increased my self loathing. She was an empath. I was the one causing her pain. It was all my fault. Those were my tears that she was being forced to shed. I didn’t know how much she had seen, but it had affected her deeply. I wished I could tell her I was sorry.
The four generals and I sat in silence, each of us lost in quiet contemplation, except perhaps Andrian, who continued to stroke my hair and rub my back. In spite of myself I grew relaxed at the foreign yet nostalgic feeling of being comforted by my childhood friend. It was as if my best and worst memories were fighting for space in my mind, tugging me back and forth between sentimentality and despair.
The First Prince ignored everyone until Amelie calmed down. Her sobs quieted and she slowly got her breathing under control. The entire time she was crying, she’d kept her face pressed into the First Prince’s leg and clung to him for support. He had made no move to stop her either. Instead, he gently ran his fingers through her hair, calling her with gentle endearments and speaking soothing words. Their relationship seemed to be much closer than just master and servant.
Eventually, Amelie raised her head and looked up at me with puffy, red eyes. It took her a few attempts before she found her voice again. When she finally spoke, she very carefully asked me, “Falyn, your mother’s name… Was your mother’s name Simona? Simona from the eastern border town of Rovette?”
I could tell by the way everyone in the room was watching me that my answer could carry a lot of weight. Slowly and clearly, I nodded in response to her question. After my confirmation, the air in the room suddenly became heavier.
The First Prince quickly interrupted, “Juli– er, Falyn, I suppose, this might be a hard question, but I need you to answer me honestly. Do you know anything about how your mother died?”
Hearing his question took my breath away. Flashes of things best left forgotten began to invade my mind. I held my head against the onslaught of violent images that began emerging. I couldn’t make it stop. Memories I’d fought long and hard to suppress battled their way back into my mind.
And I wasn’t the only one being forced to see them. Amelie grasped her head as I had and let out a faint, strangled cry as the memories of my mother’s last night forced their way into her mind.
“They made him watch.” Amelie’s gasping voice echoed through the quiet room. “They made him watch for hours, and… I-I-I can’t. I need to leave.”
Amelie shakily dragged herself to her feet and stumbled toward the door. A gasping sob escaped from her mouth as she closed the door. I felt terrible. No one should ever have to see those things. That was why I'd put that night away in a place where I couldn't see it anymore. I remembered that it happened. That was enough. I didn't understand why it was coming back.
The First Prince looked regretfully at the door his maid had just left through, but it seemed he had resigned himself to staying where he was for the moment. He sighed and turned back to me with a serious expression on his face.
“I understand that this isn't a pleasant subject for you, but there is still one more question that needs to be asked," the First Prince continued, "To be honest, I’ve never seen Amie react like that before. She's a lot tougher than she looks, and I can only imagine what you've suffered for it to bother her so much.” He hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words, then asked directly, "Was it beastmen who murdered your mother?”
It wasn't the question I was expecting and I immediately shook my head to say no. The beastmen’s faces turned grim at my answer. I suddenly understood how my father’s knights had gotten away with such a vile crime.
“I had a feeling you might say that,” the First Prince sighed, “I suppose it’s a good thing in the long run, but it creates a whole new set of problems to deal with. However, I promised that would be all for today, and I intend to keep my word. We’ll leave it at that for now. Tonight will be your engagement party, assuming you are willing to proceed. Much will depend on tonight's banquet, as we must convince the nobility that I’m not simply selling one of our citizens into slavery for the sake of peace. I hate to do this, but there is a matter I must attend to, so I will be taking my leave. I trust the five of you can come to some sort of agreement without me.”
With that, he left the room, undoubtedly chasing after Amelie, and I was left alone with the four beastmen. Now that I’d calmed down, I became very aware that I was still seated upon one of those beastmen’s lap. I felt the blood rise to my cheeks and I awkwardly tried to free myself from his arms. Andrian clearly had no intent of letting me go, and he tightened his grip on me, burying his face into the nape of my neck.
Rastari let out a booming laugh and said, “I think I’ve had my bride stolen from me!”
“You couldn’t come between such a sweet little pair, could you?” responded Shidah, who looked somewhat amused at my discomfort. “If the humans can change the partner at the last minute, I don’t see why we couldn’t do the same.”
“Ah, yes, I suppose we could.” Rastari turned to look at the two of us that were sharing a chair. “What do you think, Andrian, would you like to take my place?”
“Rastari,” Andrien said with an indecipherable expression, “Would that truly be okay?”
“Of course, my friend,” Rastari assured him, “Given the circumstances, I couldn’t in good conscience proceed. The treaty doesn’t need me, it just needs a general of the Beastlands.”
Coraggio, who had mostly remained silent up until now, picked that moment to chime in. With his wolfish grin he said, “So Andrian, does that mean you’re gonna get to join with your first l–”
“Friend? Join with my first friend?” Andrian interrupted him with what sounded like a hint of a threat in his voice. My head was spinning and I couldn’t quite process everything they were saying, but it sounded like they were suggesting I marry Andrian.
“What do you think, little human?” Rastari asked me with a sly smile. “Would you feel a little better about all this if you could be joined with your friend here instead of me?”
I considered it for a moment. I would have to marry one of them regardless, wouldn’t I? The treaty between our nations was built around this marriage and if either side refused, we could be thrown back into chaos and war, just like my father and the Second Prince were hoping for.
Wouldn’t it be better to marry a friend rather than a stranger? I wonder what it would be like if I married him… I bet Andrian would be a good husband.
I was surprised to realize that I didn’t find the idea objectionable at all. In fact, I was pretty sure the idea made me feel a little happy. I looked behind me at Andrian and realized he was watching me, waiting expectantly for my answer.
Not fully understanding my own heart, I turned back to Rastari and nodded my agreement.
“Really?” Andrian asked in disbelief, “Would that really be okay?”
I looked into his eyes and saw his hope and anxiety reflecting back at me. I suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to run my hands through his mane and assure him. Despite the fact that he was a fully grown lion beastman, I couldn't help but think he was cute.
Wait, cute? Had I really just thought that a powerful beast general was cute? I was glad that the person who could sense my thoughts was no longer with us. I managed to give him a small smile and a nod before I suddenly became too embarrassed to look at him.
I really just agreed to be his bride, didn't I?