Gwenvair felt her arm bounce and glanced over to see Kilniara hopping, ecstatic as she cried out to her man in a mindless scream without meaning. Gwenvair began smiling herself, allowing, for at least this moment, her own joy to come out and allowed her own scream to join Kilniara’s. Garnedell and Zilnek seemed much more taken by master’s actions, their shouts a scream without restraint. The roar swelled across the wall in a wall of physical force, pressing out across the fields.
Joe looked up, then smiled and waved. He looked heroic, accepting the people’s praise for a deed done well, but somehow she knew that was only as it seemed from a distance. If she stood beside him, she knew his smile would be sheepish, his head down a bit shyly, and hint of red betraying the embarrassment he had. It was so strange to her that he had no embarrassment to reveal the secrets of the universe so easily, his pride at his knowledge betraying no embarrassment. But the actions of a hero saving an entire city would prove so embarrassing. Kilniara and Gwenvair shared a look before they both laughed, finding the dichotomy truly strange.
* * *
The personal steward watched his charge carefully, cautiously. Telnia, First in Line for Matriarch of Soonesia, soon to be Rider of the Golden Gryphon, daughter of the Sword Magister of His Majesty Margun the Wise and Paragon Duelist, and to be bearer of the Key of the Queen stood in awe, staring down as Joe, the eccentric, battled the city killer with ease, striking the giant so fiercely that he’d turned it into a mewling babe that crawled the battlefield, toyed with it until he’d destroyed its Health, took the full brunt of its strike twice, then rendered it compliant. He stood at the head of the giant after he had blinded it, waiting for what she could not fathom, but had proved to be a true eccentric.
She turned her stare from the eccentric to his wives, watching on. And she waited. The ulvan and acokzau spoke with the eccentric for a time before the Matriarch dismissed them back to the safety of the lower wall. The wall had fallen silent watching the eccentric fight, struggling to hold the other monster’s at bay as they waited and watched. Now, with the fight done, all returned to their duty, morale boosted to levels Telnia could not fathom as defenders in despair found hope once again, beating back the tide of monsters.
When the others returned to the safety of the lower wall, Telnia firmed herself and stepped forward, finding herself before the eccentric’s Queen and her sister, bowing rather deeply.
“Queen. I request admittance.”
The statement brought a scurry of movement and agitation from her entourage behind her, but she ignored it. The Queen looked up at her with a blank face, emotions of joy gone with a flash. Telnia noticed but hid her approval at the strength of the young Queen.
The Queen turned from her and looked at the Acokzau, both staring intently at each other, obviously Hearing one another deeply before both turned to look at her. Telnia’s hope shifted under a dread that began to form. The Queen spoke.
“I think… it would not be wise.”
Telnia’s eye twitched, responding bluntly before suddenly turning to politeness as she realized she’d been quite rude, “You did not ask him. Hear him. I… if you would so please, Queen.”
The ulvan actually sighed, subtly shaking her head but then nodded and looked up, “I do not need to do a Hearing. He has spoken of you, often, and bluntly. He does not desire you in any way.”
Telnia opened her mouth to interject and plead for another chance but the Queen quickly held up a hand, stopping her.
“But I know you will not accept without a Hearing. So I will Hear. What do you offer to convince him. And know, it will be… difficult, no matter your offer.”
Telnia’s thoughts whirled rapidly, and she began to speak quickly, “Myself… and anything my clan may have to offer. Anything… everything!”
The ulvan frowned at hearing that, but nodded and quickly settled, retreating from the world to seek a Hearing. Telnia relaxed after the Queen retreated into the Hearing and stood, turning to look around the wall, then flushed red when she realized that much of the wall was staring at her. She gulped and quickly returned her focus to the Queen and the acokzau girl. The ulvan remained deep in her mediation and Hearing, so she turned to look at the acokzau, smiling wanly at her. She did nothing, simply peering back at her with a neutral look. The stare soon made Telnia uncomfortable and she turned away and found herself struggling to wait, her manner and standing poorly maintained as all on the wall watched.
Finally, the Queen returned from her Hearing and stared up at her and Telnia looked at her with confidence, her smile quickly returning. Fast… of course, he will accept…
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“No.”
Telnia’s world came to a stuttering halt. Sound vanished while the whispering sounds of voices suddenly grew loud, overwhelming. She heard nothing. She heard everyone in the whispers. All sight evaporated from her, and all she saw was the Queen, staring up at her with finality.
Embarrassment warred with anger and Telnia shivered before stumbling closer to the Queen, “Please. I said anything… everything!”
The pity that touched the Queen’s face almost broke her even while she felt like she had been slapped. The Queen shook her head.
“He wants nothing from you. There is nothing you have he desires. Not in any way.”
Telnia, this time, really did whip her head back as if she’d been slapped, “I have… nothing. How?!”
The Queen shook her head, “He wants nothing of you.”
“The clan. The forest! An entire land! He could…”
“He does not want you.”
“Please!” Telnia pleaded on last time and the Queen frowned, but nodded.
“Once again, but, there will not be a change.”
The Queen did not wait for a reply, immediately retreating into meditation to Hear her husband. Her return this time was almost immediate, and even shocking, as the Queen looked up at her with some anger.
“He has no desire of any kind for you. In fact, he rejects you utterly. He would never have you, no matter what you offer.”
Her breath came deep, shuddering in fear and regret even as her heart quailed under a devastating crack that suddenly shattered it. She clenched her teeth as defeat made itself known to her. She stifled her rage and the howl of anger that wished to erupt from her lungs even as deep within despair and doubt began to well up. She breathed deeply. She turned. She fled.
“We go. Return and pack our belongings for home. We take the Gate.”
Her steward quickly bowed to her, “Yes, First in Line for Matriarch Telnia. However, the Gate is closed at this time.”
Telnia shuddered in embarrassed rage, calmed, and continued, “Prepare to leave with the tide’s end.”
“Yes, First in Line for Matriarch Telnia.”
She nodded and left, her entourage following meekly behind. Her butler, unbeknownst to her, glanced back one last time at the eccentric who felled a foe for the first time in the known history of this plane, a match for any myth ever told. He followed after, ever the obedient steward, but his thoughts whirled in wonder, amazement at what little he’d been able to see and hear of the fight.
* * *
“What did you hear?” Kilniara asked, leaning to whisper in Gwenvair’s ear.
Gwenvair sighed, turning to Kilnaira, “It was… odd.”
Kilniara’s eyebrows knit, “What?”
“He didn’t even want to think of her. His rejection was even against the thought of her.”
Kilniara huffed, a single chuckle, “Not even the thought?”
Gwenvair grinned at that then chuckled, “Not even the thought.”
Kilniara shook her head, “He is… odd. That was all?”
Gwenvair’s smile fell, “I did not wish to fail as queen. I made certain.”
Kilniara nodded, “And?”
“As I said. Utter rejection.”
Kilniara nodded, then turned her head towards Gwenvair quickly, remembering Gwenvair’s first statement, “But, what was odd?”
Gwenvair shrugged, “I saw the image of a long pole refusing to touch her. He seemed… disgusted and terrified of her… of being with her.”
* * *
Joe crouched at the forehead of the giant, his eyes staring carefully at the giant’s face. He’d hoped that when he severed the spinal cord of the giant, it would be enough to kill it. However, he’d only been able to paralyze the giant and had to come around to the other side of its neck. He chose the easy way by simply walking around the head, but now wished he’d simply tried to crawl over the neck of the giant. When he’d come around to the face of the giant, he’d grown quite cautious, worried about possible attacks the giant might still be able to do. When he came upon its eyes, still flicking around wildly in search of its attacker, Joe paused, his imagination going wild. Laser eyes? Laser eyes… that’s a thing… right? Or at least magic… Allanar can drop a water column wherever he can look, right? Or… the mark… but that was just to make it faster, right? That’s what he said before… so… then… just… see… think… boom, fireball to the face! So… Joe had taken the thoughts to heart and choose caution, stabbing into the eyes of the giants with his massive sword, easily slicing the eyes and blinding the giant.
Wait? Where’s my arrow! Is it… man! That’s… Joe dismissed his disappointment over the loss of an arrow and waited until the giant was blind… wanna make sure he can’t see me! The roar of approval from the wall earlier had been surprising, if a bit embarrassing, but not near as embarrassing as the shouts of his name, all timed together as the people and the wall called out as one. He tried to wave it off, but the people only seemed to be riled up further at that, and Joe finally decided to simply ignore it, crouching on his feet to catch his breath.
He’d run through his system stamina quite quickly, and had to fall back to his own, which ended up not being too bad. The emotional roller coaster of fear, adrenaline, and relief proved much more potent at exhausting him. Added on top of that was the knowledge that he would have likely died if he’d not had the spikes of danger that shrieked in his mind each time the giant had swung at him, Lunlarnalane’s gifted title, Instinctual, working overtime to keep him safe. Even with it, the first strike which had been a random lucky strike almost still got him as Instinctual had barely fired in time. The second one proved much easier to react to, although the memory of the first strike had been so unsettling he’d struggled to take the strike instead of trying to dodge, yet, something deep within warned him against it. Now, after the fact, he was grateful he’d followed his instincts. With the fight ended, the relief was palpable and he struggled to keep himself from crashing.
The giant was still alive and having seen the thing completely regrow both its calves dozens of times left him very worried about its recovery chances. He waited a few more moments and when the giant took a deep breath to roar again, he quickly slipped down past the giant’s face, moving softly but quickly. He made sure to step a good ten or twenty feet away from its face, not wanting to be close enough to make it aware of his presence in anyway. He came upon the giant’s throat and breathed a deep breath. Yeah… this… He clenched his teeth and stepped forward. Sliding the blade down to the side of its neck, the one closest to the ground, Joe pulled his blade upwards and easily slid it through the jugular pressed against the ground. Joe grimaced and leapt back.
“Ugh… that’s…”