It had been a week since the Ronin had last been seen by anyone. The amount of animal attacks had increased, and the amount of people wandering far away from home had decreased. A few animal attacks had even begun to happen near the town limits, close enough for the Argath Guard to intervene. Not a single animal had bothered Lanya, but her snares had started to capture so many animals that she couldn’t even eat all of them. No guards had come to bother Lanya since the confrontation in the chapel, though Talen had doubled his personal guard. His father had sent multiple letters asking as to why he had taken half the garrison with him, but Talen hadn’t answered a single one.

“Plans have changed,” Elscer said the first time he saw Lanya since she had been accosted by the Argath Guard.

She jumped in her sitting position, turning towards Elscer.

“Ronin!” She exclaimed, “It’s been-”

“I may have told you not to worry in the past,” Elscer said, “But that is no longer correct. We should all be worried now.”

Lanya strode forward and struck Elscer. “You should at least say ‘hello’, you know.”

The Ronin grabbed her hand the second it rebounded off of him. “This is no laughing matter. This could be a danger to the town, let alone the entire region.”

Lanya pulled her hand out of Elscer’s grasp, and stepped back. “What are you talking about?”

Elscer gestured back towards the cabin. “Go and sit down, I’ll explain it all.”

Lanya reluctantly walked back towards the cabin, taking a seat upon a pile of rubble she had built up as a sort of chair. She looked expectantly at Elscer as he approached.

“You know of witches, yes?” he asked. Lanya nodded, still confused.

Elscer sighed deeply, thinking of a caring way to put the news. In the end, he decided there wasn’t one.

“Your child has been cursed,” Elscer said simply. “By some witch somewhere. The reason the animals have been leaving you alone, or almost even helping you, is because the child in your belly has been cursed as a Wild Prince.”

Lanya was shaking her head, as if to try and shake it to sense. “I... I don’t understand. What do you mean ‘cursed’? What do you mean ‘Wild Prince’? None of it makes sense.”

“Just listen to me,” Elscer said, his voice quiet and tinged with regret. “Your child has been transformed by a curse. You’ve been craving meat, haven’t you? Not that you’re overwhelmed with options for food. This... ‘Wild Prince’ is born of royal blood, but is a bastard, grown in the woods. It despises civilization, and commands the beasts of the earth and fowl of the sky to carry out its hateful wishes. Even in the womb, its commanding those animals to attack anyone who wanders into the forest. When its born, it will be taken by the woods and grown until it is old enough to wage war upon humanity.”

Lanya sat, dumbstruck by what Elscer was telling her. It was too much information to handle, too dark, too... Horrible to fully visualize. The thing she had been carrying in her stomach for the past eight months... Was some sort of monster? Some sort of demon?

Elscer knelt in front of her, taking her hand. She looked him in the eye.

“It doesn't have to end that way.” he said, his voice as soft as he could muster. “It’s too late to stop the curse, it’s already taken root in your child. But you can still prevent the woods from taking your child. They will gravitate towards each other, but if you are strong, you can raise it yourself, teach it mercy, love, respect... Enough that it may put more love in you than it does in the woods...”

She looked Elscer in the eye, seeing that interjection deep in his eyes, the one he wanted to say, but couldn’t bring himself to.

“...or?” she whispered, almost too terrified to hear the alternative.

“...Or...” Elscer said, looking down onto her pregnant belly, now full swollen. “When it is born...” he let go of Lanya’s hand, placing it on his sword’s hilt. “I can ensure it doesn’t go to the woods, and it will never harm anyone.”

Tears had begun to spring from Lanya’s eyes. The stress and momentousness of the occasion finally started to get to her. She buried her face in her hands, tears falling through her hands. Elscer placed his hand onto her knee.

“I don’t expect a decision now. I just want you to be aware. This is extremely important, not only to you, but the entire realm.”

Lanya finally managed to get enough breath in her lungs to be able to speak again.

“What’s safer?” Lanya asked through sobs, “for the realm?”

“I won’t lie,” Elscer said. “It would be safer to be done with it after the birth is over.”

Lanya breathed in deeply. “Then when the birth is done,” she said slowly, “be done with it.”

Elscer nodded, standing up. “I will do what needs to be done. Don’t blame yourself for this.”

Lanya continued to sob. “I... I just want to see my family again... Arthur must miss me... Poor mother, she always wanted grandchildren, but not like this... Even father... I...”

Lanya never finished her sentence; it broke down back into weeping. Elscer, however, had an idea spark in his mind. “Mother”... Perhaps he hadn’t looked everywhere he thought he had. Perhaps there was one more piece to this puzzle he hadn’t discovered yet.

Elscer rose to his feet. “I did meet your mother,” Elscer said. “Wonderful woman... Though I never got a good look at the house. I assume it’s the same one you lived in, did your mother ever keep a garden?”

Lanya sniffed, looking up, confused. “Y-yes, she did.”

Elscer nodded. “What kinds of plants did she grow?”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Lanya shrugged. “I don’t know, she said they were from distant lands. She said she’d teach me them when I was older.”

Elscer put his hand to his jaw. “I know she’s quite knowledgeable, is she well read?”

Lanya cocked her head, confused at the questions. “I... I think so. She had a few old books she read, whenever dad wasn’t around. Dad never really liked her reading, so...”

Elscer was already walking back towards the forest. “Get ready for your delivery. Don’t ask me why, but I’m almost certain it should fall on the night of the Lunar Eclipse.”

Elscer didn’t wait for a response. He had already left the clearing, past the Alder grove. He walked all the way back to town, dodging a patrol of Argath men on the way back. Soon, he was back within the town’s limits.

The Ronin easily avoided all the guardsmen on his way to Lanya’s old house. The castle garrison were never the sharpest, as they rarely needed to be. They were far too busy trying to find shade from the late-morning sun.

Elscer found Arthur playing outside, near the house. He smiled. At least they had heeded his warnings.

As Elscer approached, Arthur turned to see the man shrouded in black. He stood, beaming a large smile from ear to ear.

“Roamin!” He exclaimed, running towards the vagrant.

Elscer smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair as he neared.

“Are you here to kill another bear?” Arthur asked. “Or or to help the lord’s men?”

“I’m here to see your mother,” Elscer said. “I have some questions for her. Now be a good boy and keep playing, so you can grow up strong.”

Arthur skipped back to where he had bene playing, and the Ronin finally approached the house’s door.

He gave a simple knock and let himself in. Julia came quickly ambling around the corner, fussing about this or that. When she saw the Ronin, she involuntarily took a step back.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, “Ronin! It's been a while. How are you? Lord Argath has been asking after you, let me-”

The Ronin held up a hand. “Argath doesn’t interest me. If I wanted to talk to him, I would.”

Julia stopped in her tracks. “Then why are you here?”

Elscer chuckled, slowly walking towards her at an angle. “I’ve just been spending too much time with children. Lanya’s a great girl, but she’s not much for conversation. Talen... I have my own problems with him.”

“So...” Julia raised an eyebrow, “You’re just here to talk?”

Elscer smiled, raising his arm. “What more could I want?”

He took a nearby seat, not asking for permission.

“You know, I noticed your garden outside,” he said, lounging in the chair. “I’ve always wanted to keep a garden myself, but it’s hard with only one hand... and no permanent place of living, of course.”

Julia smiled, still standing. “I’ve always taken pride in my garden.”

Elscer nodded. “As you should, it’s very beautiful. I don’t recognize a lot of the plants though, are they foreign?”

Julia nodded. “My grandmother carried the seeds with her when she fled the civil war in Numaria. I thought it was my duty to raise them.”

Elscer bobbed his head again. “Very good. Family must be very important to you. Shame about Lanya... But growing Numarian flowers must be very difficult down here in Ulthuar. Isn’t the climate very different?’

Julia nearly turned away from the Roinin. “I have my ways. Not everything can be solved with a sword.”

Elscer chuckled. “None of my problems could ever not be solved by a sword. I’ve heard, however, that Numarian flowers have great medicinal properties. Anything that can grow back my arm?”

Julia laughed, covering her mouth coyly. “Unfortunately, they’re not that strong. The strength of Numarian flowers is overstated, a bit of a tall tale in these lands.”

“Really?” The Ronin asked. “I’ve been talking to the Father recently, Heneroe. Wonderful man, really. He’s studied a lot of the ancient pagan arts. Most of them are absolute hogwash, of course. But a few of them are actually said to have harbored real power, real magic. You ought to talk to him about it someday, it’s said the spells of the Red Wraith witches are something to behold.”

It was slight. Julia controlled herself well, just like Talen the night he and the Ronin spoke. However, just like Talen, she still betrayed herself. Her back straightened at the mention of the Red Wraiths, and her eyes flashed with recogntion. His suspicions were, unfortunately, founded.

“I think it best for a woman of my age to stay away from witchcraft,” Julia said, laughing. It would have been convincing, if the Ronin didn’t already suspect her. “I may get burned at the stake if the neighbors found out.”

The Ronin nodded. “You should pray the neighbors don’t find out. It would be terrible for your family.”

“What do you mean?” Julia said. “I don’t plan on practicing witchcraft.”

“Do you mean you don’t plan on practicing it anymore or the rest of it was simply unplanned?”

Julia started to speak, but the Ronin cut her off. He didn’t want to waste any more time dancing around the subject.

“Let’s not play coy anymore, Julia. We’re both smart people. We know we can circle the subject forever, and I’m sure that’s what you’d rather have happen. I’m not that patient, however.”

Julia’s face fell into a scowl. “Ask what you wish to ask then, don’t prod me with riddles.”

She still hadn’t confirmed anything. She was clever indeed.

“You orchestrated Lanya’s pregnancy, didn’t you?” the Ronin asked.

Julia continued to stare at the Ronin, as if asking for proof. The formal politeness was gone from both of them. Now, they were across from each other, as adversaries.

“I’m not sure yet how you got the timing on it so perfectly. Did you slip her some herbs to make her a little hot under the collar? Did you somehow get some to Talen? Lanya already told me it was you who got her the position in the stables, I just didn’t think a mother would do that to her child. You cast the spell on her unborn child too, didn’t you? The Wild Prince? The Father does have a lot of very interesting books.”

It was clear to Julia at this point that there would be no dissuading the wanderer. He was dead set on his theories.

“My daughter has always been a dreamer,” Julia said, diplomatically not confirming anything. “I... worried that if she spent too much time with the lordling that... Something like that would happen.”

Elscer tilted his head back, a smile of satisfaction upon his face. “You mean you hoped something like ‘that’ would happen. No doubt, you knew it would happen, with a little bit of your prodding. You waxed to Lanya every night about how you wanted grandchildren, didn’t you? Lanya’s a clever enough girl to know that she can provide you with some, maybe even one with noble blood? How long have you been planning this?”

Julia chose her next words very carefully. The Ronin was far more observant and discerning than she thought.

“Lanya has always been very precious to me,” Julia said slowly. “I would never put her in danger.”

“Precious as a daughter? Or as a tool?” The Ronin countered. “Because of course, you couldn't sleep with the lordling to have the Wild Prince yourself. That’s the only part I haven’t figured out yet, the why,”

“Because there is no ‘why’,” Julia said. “Because there is no action you’re suggesting. The fact that you’d go into a woman’s own home to insult her with these accusations-”

“I don’t appreciate being lied to,” the Ronin said, leaning forward in his chair. “Even in ‘your own home’. Why did you curse your daughter with a Wild Prince. What do you stand to gain from it?”

Julia stared at him, not saying a word. The tension between the two was palpable in the room, heavy enough to be sliced by the blade at the Ronin’s side. He leaned forward, looking Julia in the eye, and placing his hand on his hilt.

“I know that you’re planning on Lanya giving birth on the lunar eclipse. I’ve already told her about the curse. She’s asked me dispose of the child after the birth. I intend to fulfil that wish.”

The Ronin had tipped his hand too much. He had told her the exact plans he had. That was always a mistake. And of course, he had let on that he didn’t know the full extent of the curse.

“You’re bold. I trust you will try to do what you feel is best. You will try. Now get out of my house, before I get impolite.”

The Ronin sensed a danger in her voice that he hadn’t heard before. He felt it best to comply, as he still didn’t have a full grasp on her power.

Elscer stood, keeping his eye-contact with Julia for a moment longer.

“We’ll have to see how this resolves. It’s not too late to get yourself to the right side, where your daughter is. If she’s important to you... It’s not too late to help her.”

“Good day, Ronin.” Julia simply posited.