Silver Eyes

A/N - Chapter two already. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up this pace and get my 50,000 words!

Gslinger - NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month - www.nanowrimo.org I've always wanted to write, and this gives me a goal to shoot for ;)
Smith45 - Thanks for your input ;) As for D'rian, keep reading and see, it's a secret for a reason!

~blah~ are thoughts, because AFF sucks and destroyed my formatting

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D’rian entered the throne room with a quick, confident stride, willing himself to not let any of the nervousness he felt show. The room used to be gorgeous, but even in here the King’s paranoia reigned. Where there was once two beautiful thrones, works of art in themselves, high backed chairs with vine and leaf motives for the arms and legs, one had been forcibly removed, the tears still noticeable in the floor. The second, occupied by the King, was now dull, the silver and gold unpolished, some gemstones missing and never replaced. The tapestries were covered in dust as well, and there were tears and stains as well; a real travesty as some had hung there for centuries. Some were even missing altogether, and if Dust covered most of the floor, except for one path up to where those the King called in would kneel. There was a time, before D’rian could remember, that the room was used to throw parties, and any time the King or Queen was in residence there would at least be a handful of nobles milling around. Now there were just lines of guards. He had hired them to the point of overflowing the barracks, and now several warehouses had been converted to temporary housing. A cynical part of him wondered what would happen if it ever crossed the King’s mind that a guard could turn in an assassin. Reaching the well worn line that indicated where he should kneel, D’rian went to one knee.
“You requested my presence, my Liege”
Slightly dazed eyes gazed down on the prostate form. “Yes, indeed we did, our wizard. It has come to our attention that there is a band of rebels that has not only grown too bold in their attacks, but has also employed non-humans in their ranks. We want you to find them, and join them. They would not deny a wizards help and then you can use your skills to inform us of their location. We have numbers on our side, but they are quick, and evade our armies. It makes the people nervous to think their Sovereign cannot protect them, and we cannot have our people thinking we are weak.”
D’rian cringed at the royal plurals. If it wasn’t for the King’s heavy handed speech, it wouldn’t appear there was anything wrong with his mind. And truthfully, it was said that he used to be quite a brilliant strategist. That had been before he took the crown, when he was still the Prince and the general of the armies. As madness never appeared in the royal line before, it was commonly believed he had taken a head injury at some point in his military career, and that was the cause of his slow descent.
Of course, now he was faced with another dilemma. Yes, he had wanted another task of his abilities, rather than to be facing exposure and death, but this mission would most likely amount to the same thing. The rebels would most likely be incredibly suspicious, and watch him like a hawk. The chance of them not discovering his heritage would be slim. Then when they were caught, he was as good as dead as well. The other option would be to truly join them, but he was no hero, and while freedom from an insane king sounded great, he also knew the King’s absolute control over the army, and knew the rebel’s had small chance of actually winning. Which would lead to the same exact thing - death.
“Of course, your Majesty. It is my pleasure to serve you. When do you want me to leave?” Of course, there was only one option when you were in hiding and facing a crazy monarch.
“You will leave tomorrow at first light. One of our Knights will assist you in your journey. You may go now to gather your things for the journey.”
D’rian stood and bowed low before quickly striding back out of the door. ~Crazy bastard.~ He thought irately to himself. ~Saddle me with a suicide mission and then send a Knight with me? As if that doesn’t just scream ‘I’m working for the King’~ He was so lost in his annoyance that the usual looks and whispers didn’t even faze him.
He retreated back to his rooms, settling him to pack for the journey. While he didn’t actually need as much as a real wizard would, he needed to bring along enough herbs and other paraphernalia to not look suspicious. While most of the country would assume that Knights were all brawn and no brains, D’rian knew better, having served 6 years with the Royal family. The Knights were actually a part of the Royal family - the extended family which included a good half of the noble class. Most were second or third children, or illegitimate children who couldn’t otherwise inherit a title. Some first sons or daughters were Knights as well, but only if there was an available second child to take the place as heir. It was actually a very smart practice, as the Knights kept all the rights their titled family members did, except for the actual title. There was generally little infighting due to this, and family members tended to be more protective than hired guards. Most Knights also remarried into the family, so long as there was a distant enough relation. Jalen’s wife, for example, was a Knight who had been the daughter of a second wife. While part of the same royal family, their only relation was well enough removed that they had had to check the archives to figure out who the common ancestor had been.
This also meant that the Knights received the same education that their nobly titled brethren did, which made spending the foreseeable future with one a nerve-wracking thought. He would have to hide his secrets well, as Knights were specifically trained to search out threats. D’rian could actually feel his prospects of living through this get smaller and smaller.
Looking around, it was depressing to see that there was not much left to pack. He had his tools, a few spare robes, needle and thread for emergencies, and the one memento he allowed himself of his Gram and Gramps. The rest of the necessities, food, water and such, would be packed by the servants and with the horses in the morning. He couldn’t help but feel that the fact that in 27 years all of his worldly possession could fit in one small bag was quite pathetic. Shaking himself out of his melancholy thoughts, he rang for a meal. It was likely to be his last decent meal for a long while, if not for good, and he would enjoy it without the stares of the common room.

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The next morning saw D’rian up shortly before the sun, heading down to the courtyard. He kept his head down out of habit even though there were only a few servants up this early. Less and less nobles stayed in the castle, so there was a slowly dwindling need for most of the house servants, and the kitchen servants were most likely already hard at work. Reaching the courtyard he could see that the Knight was already there, talking to the servant who had brought out the horses. D’rian’s first thought was that the man was exceptionally tall and lithe; if it hadn’t been for the blue and silver royal armour he would have never guessed the man was a knight. Honey-coloured hair with streaks of red framed a decidedly masculine yet graceful face, and mischievous green eyes tried to peer under the hood of his robe. Not a typical Knight - most were tall, yes, but broad, build to carry the heavy claymores most favoured. There was, after all, a reason they became Knights. They also generally had a strict, no-nonsense air to them; this one would make you wonder what the next trick he would pull would be.
It only took a few minutes to realize that while the King’s mind might be going, the leader of the Knight’s wasn’t. Without the armour, there was no way to distinguish this man as a Knight, so it would be easier for them to pass inspection by the rebels. Still, it made D’rian wonder how and why this man became a Knight in the first place.
“Wizard Rian? I’m Asahi, I’ll be joining you on this mission.” The man smiled, and D’rian actually found himself smiling back. ~Stupid, don’t let down your guard for a pretty face.~ He may not look like a normal Knight, but he had still been accepted, which meant he would be smart enough to figure D’rian out if he slipped up. “A please to meet you, Knight Asahi, Thank you for coming with me, I’m sure you’ll be a great help.” Which was utter bullshit - he may not be the hindrance he first assumed, but he still wouldn’t make things easier. It was a suicide mission either way, but with one person at least there was a chance of making it a successful suicide mission.
The blond just smiled again and went to finish saddling his mount. He of course had his own warhorse - another thing that just shouted ’Knight’ to anyone with half a brain - while D’rian was happy with any decent horse that wasn’t liable to buck him off in the first five minutes. His horse, a placid looking bay mare, was already saddled, so all he had to do was attach his bag and mount. Within minutes they were both ready to go and heading out of the still empty courtyard.
“So, Wizard, did you have any ideas on how to get accepted with the rebels? Or how to find them?” D’rian glanced over; the man seemed genuinely curious, and didn’t sound condescending at all. How…odd.
“I unfortunately only found out about this yesterday, so I haven’t had much time to think about it. My feeling is if we actively look for them we aren’t likely to find them. Sadly, the best I can think of is to wander and listen in to what people are saying. We’ll also need to have a reason why we are travelling.”
Asahi nodded along with the wizard’s words. “Very true, sounding curious will get us farther than asking a lot of questions. It is probably the only option open to us. As for the story, since no one can really see you under your robes anyway, we can just say I’m escorting my wizard brother to a new job. I may not look much like a bodyguard, but I do carry a sword, and if we say I’m family no one’s likely to question it.” The Knight flashed another smile at his companion.
~Dear gods, does this man ever stop smiling?~ “It will work well enough, I suppose, although if we say I’m looking for spell components it will be even better, that way we can wander more or less aimlessly without raising suspicions.”
“Perfect! I think the first town is within a days ride of the city, so we shouldn’t have to start camping for a few days at least.”
“It is fine, I wandered for two years before I moved to the city, camping is nothing new to me. I may have gotten slightly lazy living at the castle, but I’m still nowhere near as soft as one of the nobles brought up there either.” D’rian couldn’t help feeling a slight against his pride at the comment about camping; he may have to be careful to guard his secret, but he still didn’t want the other man to think he was some weak fop.
This startled a full out laugh from the Knight. “Got it, not a soft city boy. I prefer to stay in an inn myself because of the beer and the girls, but we’ll camp out if it’ll suit you.”
D’rian grumbled a bit to himself, but wasn’t about to let the other man get to him. Asahi may have been laughing at his expense, but at least it was only good natured teasing. And the fact that he had clearly stated he liked girls was a good thing as well - the man may be gorgeous but unfortunately any liaison, especially with a Knight, wouldn’t be worth it.
It may turn out to be his last journey, but at least it would be with good company.

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A/N2 - questions from chapter 1 still stand :) There will be more than one couple as more characters are introduced.