I slowly make my way through Greenstown back to Featherdown. My bottle of strong amber spirits in one hand. The gentle buzz of lightness from the strong weeds I shared with the men in the tavern. I had no heed for the feeling of being watched once more and felt the morose memories coming to flood my mind in the dark. Why did I tell that story when I knew this would come? Maybe one day I would be healed from the tragedy of Cassandra.
Going into my room and closing the door I pulled the cork free of the bottle top and took a deep swig of the drink I had bought with today’s earnings. It burned and tasted of old wood char. The deep flavors everyone spoke of overpowered by the sheer strength of the spirit. I pulled off my boots and closed the windows against the light of the moons.
Wiggling my toes in the sudden chill of the room I lit the lone candle I kept to stare at some flame in the darkness. I drank deeply as I stripped down to my resting clothes and lounged upon the bed that I was given. The smell of a day’s sweat filling the room with its unpleasantness. I cared not. As I lay on the bed and stared at the candle the memory came.
I had been working in a small village to protect itself from ravenous wolves that had gone mad foaming at the mouth. The sickness spread with every bite against the villagers so they had called for aide from anyone armored enough to be protected from the bites. It was the height of summer and the air was muggy and heavy. I had the spear used for hunting with its crossbar to hold back the weight of an attacker. Commonly known as the boar spear.
The heavy greaves and armor on my arms protected me from the odd bite as the hard cover was not needed on my torso. I did wear a gorget though in case one lept for my throat. I stabbed and was backed against the trunk of a tree to at least protect one side of myself. The thrust and bracing wore the muscles of my arms. The poor beasts didn’t even whimper when they were struck down with the spear.
It took me three days for me to hunt down all the scattered animals that had been bitten by the rabid wolves spreading the sickness to those that survived or fled. Looking for the telltale signs of frothing at the mouth and the sheer avoidance of the waters of the land despite what thirsts gnawed at them. A town crier came through the town soon after I was finished and receiving the thanks of the men of the town. Many of their numbers had been buried once the madness had taken place and I had been tasked with giving the mercy of the gods before they were too far gone.
The crier was huffing and exhausted. He spoke that his horse had died from the running on its way here to gather as many men as possible for the coming war against the Ruminating Owl. I was confused, why would such an honorable order turn against the king and soon was pulling the man to a private corner so that I could speak with him more thoroughly as the men of the town grabbed spears and hunting leathers to march to the order of their king.
“What is going on fair messenger? Why is there a war against the order of the Ruminating Owl?”
“They were found lacking in their protection of the princess Cassandra. Someone attacked the castle and stole her away in the dead of night. The men that were protecting her didn’t even check to see if anyone had slipped into her room after they were done battling against the intruders that had struck at one of the men protecting her. The king stripped them of knighthood and threatened to strip the entire order of their honors and lands. They did not take it well and have rallied several towns to their cause that owe them loyalty.” The man was out of breath and his eyes were rapidly looking back and forth in order to try and count how many men were coming from the town to help. “Why is there so few men here to rally?”
I fought off the desire to shake the man violently and continue to ask him the questions I needed answered and instead decided to answer his questions first, “A pack of animals with the frothing madness have been in the woods around this land. A whole pack of wolves had fallen to the sickness and I have been purging the woods of it. Several men had been bitten and needed the mercy of the gods before the madness could settle into their souls.”
Fear was in the messenger’s eyes as he eyed the woods not far off from the village. But I interrupted him, “Is there any news of the Princess? Is there a party looking for her at all?”
The man looked at me confused as if he had already explained this to me, “No, it is more important to defend the king from the betrayal from the order. He has attempted to rally the other orders of knights so that he can field a strong enough force to crush this rebellion. No one has time to look for Lady Cassandra.”
My heart hammered into my chest as the man looked at me. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I thought about what plights she might be going through at the hands at some bandits. Who could have stolen her away so well that they’ve evaded capture. Why had the knights failed so heavily in protecting her. I should have never been dismissed from her service so easily. I should have fought harder to stay by her side. “Thank you good messenger. This is all dire news.”
As I turned to walk away he gripped my shoulder and insisted, “You will answer the call of the king will you not? You are one of his oathsworn.”
Again I fought the urge to throttle and shake the man as he accosted and accused my honor of being lacking, “I will answer the calls that I am given. You need not worry about my honor. I just have to make sure that the women of the town know that the threat of the frothing madness is not always so easily taken care of and that they need to be on the lookout for the beasts that have not been purged by my and the men’s hunting.”
The messenger nodded and hurried off to the stables to procure another horse to ride to the next town. Probably damning the beast to its death if he continued to ride so hard without letting them rest properly. It left a sour note in my mouth as he smacked the woman handing him a horse for his use because she hesitated in doing so.
As he left I walked over to the woman and helped her to her feet. I helped her brush off some of the dust and frowned down at her, “I hope you are alright, miss. Men should not treat women with such disrespect when they are only helping. I need you to help me as well. I need to speak to the women that will not be leaving to tend to the farms and homes while the men are heading out for war. I need to warn you all and the children of something deadly important.”
She nodded and hurried off as I waited in the square. The men almost completely ready to march off towards the king and his castle. I found one promising one man amongst them and pulled off my heavier armor and gifted it to him. Something to maybe help him get home when the fighting was over.
The women all came with their children, the men of the village with them as I addressed them all. “While the men are being called to war I must warn the women. It is often known that bandits will raid small towns and force those left behind to do their bidding. You must all be prepared to defend yourselves with as many numbers as you can pull together. Not only that but there is another problem brewing in the woods around the town. Though I feel as if I have done my best in purging it all of the frothing madness it does not guarantee it is over.”
The town looked unready to leave suddenly at the news I had given them with the heavy warning. Several of them called out against being called against the other forces that would go against the king. “The men must leave otherwise the whole village will face the wrath of the king. Those that stay behind. Do not eat any meat that comes from the forest for at least a season. While those that I have not found might die of the thirst. The sickness can be spread to those that eat of their flesh so be vigilant. Wear strong boots and gloves to protect from any bites from vermin that might come. Please heed my warning. I must go and answer my own summons. I thank you all for your kindness and compassion while I was here in your lovely town.”
I left the town that knight upon the horse I had rode in on. The men were close to their families and wives in order to be prepared to say goodbye. I hoped for their own sake that every man of fighting age would answer the summons of the king. I had no plan to do so though, I was going to find Lady Cassandra and return her to safety. I headed towards the castle and soon abandoned my horse with another struggling knight and gave him everything that identified me as a knight so that I could travel unmolested through the lands. Only with my spear and the hunting leathers I had traded for I entered the great untamed forest. It is where I would go to hide.
The men that took her would one day ransom her back. Why else would they take the Lady. I stalked through the lands relying on my dragon’s side of toughness and strength against anything that went against me. I let my eyes revert to their true form and sniffed heavily of the air while hunting through the vast forest. It was weeks before I scented campfires upon the wind. I marched through the forest hunting for its origin. Deep in a hidden valley leading to a cliff face that dropped down into a basin lake filled with rocks from the crumbling stone wall.
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From where I was watching I could see maybe a half dozen poorly prepared men and women tending to a small camp and saw no signs that the princess may be with them. However I needed to be sure that she wasn’t there and in danger. Deciding I would approach as peacefully as I could I stalked through the great expanse of forest between us and even brought a small bundle of rabbits with me upon my hip as I approached. I began to sing to announce my presence and soon was confronted by three men.
“What have we here? You seem a little lost traveler to be so deep in the forest.” The man rested one hand upon his own spear and eyes me warily. The others had weapons upon their hip that had no business being used for hunting.
“I am but a humble hunter going through the woods and spotted your campfire from the ridge. I have some rabbit here that I would like to share and maybe bring you all news of what is going on in the lands of our king.”
The man speaking for them all spit to the side and waved for me to hand over the game I had caught. “You have no need to come to our camp. You can leave the rabbits and we can talk here.”
“Seems that there is a little civil war going on deep in the king’s lands. The Order of the Ruminating Owl has been stripped of their knighthood and instead of retiring peacefully have attempted to lead a rebellion against the king. I wanted to avoid it all and instead fled into the woods. I could really use the company.”
The men grew nervous at my mention of the war and the aspects of knights. One of them grimaced heavily.
“You wouldn’t happen to be the ones that took the princess would you?” I tried to be as innocent and unthreatening as I could but their sudden stiffness gave it all away.
“Someone take the princess away! Someone is here for her!” Shouted the leader as he sprunt at me with his spear. The other two drawing their weapons.
I parried it aside and swept the crossguard against his throat, collapsing it in a powerful thrust. The other men were upon me as the man clutched at his throat dropping it to the ground as he stumbled backwards. The second man chopped down on the haft of my spear slicing it in two as the second stepped back and attacked. I weaved back stepping out of danger and swung the severed haft of the spear with two hands crunching through the elbow of the man who was pressing me.
The first swordsmen overextended himself with a powerful thrust that I stepped towards and to the side trapping his arms in the crook of my armpit and rammed the severed end of the haft down through the muscles of the shoulder and in between the bones of the collar punching down through his torso. His scream turned into a gurgle as blood flooded his lungs. As I let him drop I gripped his sword with one hand and pushed his body between me and the third attacker
A whistling caught my attention and I swatted with the sword on reflex knocking away an arrow that aimed to puncture my chest. The second swordsmen went to clash against me as another spear wielder came free of the bushes near the camp. His feet tangled in the branches and roots making him stumble heavily. I twisted my wrist pushing aside his attempt to bind blades with me and arced a slash against his neck almost separating the entire head from the body.
A second and third arrow flew through the air and I swatted one and twisted to the side for the other. A slash from the arrow head opening the leather of my armor. The spearmen stumbled thrusting violently at me. His aim constantly at my head and throat instead of being smart and attacking my torso. I pressed him with a flurry of strikes that had him stumbling backwards. I felt bad for overpowering such an undisciplined fighter. I sidestepped one more thrust and rammed the pommel of the weapon down against his skull and knocked his lights out.
The two archers called out and started to run away. I knelt and let my muscles grow more powerful as I charged out of the bush and into the camp before I saw the flashes of a dress as the princess was dragged away towards the cliff heading to the basin. One archer stood their ground and fired two arrows at me while I charged through them. One slammed into my offhand shoulder burying itself deep in the muscle.
They were struck down in one powerful chop cutting through the bow they raised to defend themselves. The snapping of the wood and string was a powerful crack through the air. I charged after the flitting view of a dress and emerged into a small clearing that led to the cliff. One woman wielding a dagger waved it at me threateningly as Cassandra stood behind her. Cassandra’s eyes grew wide as I crossed the distance.
“WAIT NO!” Her voice was clear and the deadly stroke I was making turned quickly into a smacking of the flat of the blade knocking them silly.
I breathed heavily and looked at her confused. “My Lady, I’ve come to bring you home.”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at me and shook her head violently stepping backwards towards the cliff. “No, I can’t Johnathan.” She nearly stumbled over the cliff and I reached out reflexively.
“Wait, don’t move. What do you mean you can’t I’ve struck down the bandits that have taken you.”
She looked at the blood on my body and sobs were chocked back, “I can’t watch anymore people die in front of me Johnathan. You need to go.”
I was confused, “The bandits are done for. You don’t need to watch them kill anyone else. I am here for you.”
She shook her head, “You don’t understand. It is my father who has been killing people in front of my eyes.” She pulled the collar of her throat free and pulled it open almost spilling her breasts out and I gasped. The flesh was scarred and ugly underneath the clothes. “You don’t know what that man has done to me. I won’t go back.”
“I…. I don’t understand Cassandra,” I didn’t step forward, my feet frozen in place as I looked upon the scarring on her chest. “What happened?”
Tears flowed down her face. “I asked these people to rescue me through letters and hidden messages. They gave their lives to pull me free of my father’s clutches. They….. They didn’t deserve to die at your blade.”
“But why ask them to come for you Cassandra, what could be so bad for you to flee.”
“You ever wonder why I have no suitors Johnathan? You wonder why I pushed you away? My father has been taking everyone that shows interest in me and capturing them in secret. He takes me and them into the dungeon. He makes me watch as he cuts them to pieces.” Her weeping was filled with anger now as her fists clenched, turning her knuckles white.
I was stunned as she spoke, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“And watch you become his next victim!? It was hard enough to dissuade him that I had no feelings for you and that you were not a threat to his precious daughter!”
My throat went dry and I swallowed. Was I so close to death for so long? “I could have stopped anyone from taking me.”
“If the king asked you to come to the dungeons, if he asked you to put your blade away you would have done it in your hope to serve me.” The tears were heavy, “I know you would have.”
Dread welled in my heart as I looked on the scars scattered upon Cassandra’s chest, “Why are you cut? If he was killing others why are you hurt?”
Pure rage was on her face, “HE WOULD USE ME LIKE SOME SOW AND SMEAR THEIR BLOOD ON MY FACE! HE WOULD CHOKE AND STRANGLE ME UNTIL I WAS TOO WEAK TO FIGHT! HE WOULD CARVE TALLIES UPON MY CHEST FOR EVERYONE HE KILLED!”
My own rage burned now in my chest like a fiery star being born of white hot anger. I had to protect her, “Come with me and I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
“And have you kill those after me. I think not. I’ll have no one else die in my name.” She shook her head and stood upon the edge of the cliff, her heels dangling free of the stone.
“Please Cassandra, let me try to make this right.”
“You can’t Johnathan. There is nothing that can make this right… I’m tainted, I am coated in the blood of those that loved me. The one man who was supposed to protect me from the world pulled me into darkness. You killed those that I asked to save me, you sealed my fate.”
She stepped back into the open air tilting free and vanished over the edge. I bolted forward letting my control over my human form slip away as I dove off the edge to plummet after her. Her dress flowed like water around her as her eyes grew wide at my transformation. Fear was in her eyes as my leathers and skin tore away giving way to my scales and wings. I tucked them in to try and catch up to her fall. The wind whipped by my face and dried my eyes as I closed the second transparent lids over them so that I could keep them open. I wasn’t catching up fast enough.
I reached out desperately for her. If I made myself any larger I wouldn’t be able to stop our fall in time when I reached her. I willed myself to plummet faster as my instincts told me to pull away. To spread my wings and turn my momentum into a glide that would still land me in the water but I hadn’t reached her yet. The rocks were too shallow where she would fall. It would shatter her body in a way I could not repair.
A dreadful moment came as time itself slowed down. If I didn’t pull up now I would die upon the rocks. If I did not stop the last dragon I knew of would die and the world would not have a protector for the next calamity. Even if the gods created one they would not be strong enough by the time it was coming. Her life against the world and I hesitated. When was the last time I cherished someone so much? She was akin to a lost child, heartbroken and sad beyond anything my ancient heart could feel anymore. I unfurled my wings and pulled away. I could not save her. I looked away and could not watch as she broke upon the rocks. The only thing I could do was let out an anguished roar into the sky. I had been so blind to that hurt. I should have stopped it long ago.
I spent some time burying the men and women I had killed that had sworn themselves to Cassandra. That had risked their lives for her freedom. I buried her as well and planted wildflowers upon her grave. She always cherished the wild growth more than her own gardens. The two I had hit on the head never recovered and so I gave them mercy.
I could not bring myself back to the kingdom for months. A sadness and anger I had not known since the loss of my own children I had lifetimes ago filled my heart and I returned to the king's chambers. A woman lay next to him. Her throat crushed by his hands, her lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling and I could only imagine Cassandra laying there. This would have been her fate.
I used considerable magic to silence the room. I pinned his face with my hand and sliced into his belly. I carved proface words into his skin as he struggled against my might. I carved the truth of him into his cursed flesh. Killer, abuser, defiler of the pure. Then I pulled out his own guts and strung him up on a bedpost with them. Watching him strangle and bleed to death in the silence of his bedroom. My tears flowed heavily as I looked at my retribution. No doubt he would be remembered as someone greater than he deserved. I would know the truth. I would know when this kingdom fell to ruin where the seed of corruption had started.
My eyes were full of tears as the empty bottle clattered to the ground from my limp hand. The deep sadness of loss I had spent so long letting my heart ignore flooded me. Not just her loss, but the loss of everyone I had ever cared for, my brothers, sisters, children, lovers, wives, and husbands. Why must I have lived so long? Why did the gods burden me with immortality? Why did I still find myself caring? Why can’t I be as cold and callous as some of my siblings had been?