Excalion

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, it's been too long since I've posted anything, but rest assured that I have been working on this project in my spare time. I've had a bit of trouble with my computer for the past couple of weeks: I had to get a new processor, and then, after getting the processor, I realized I needed thermal compound and a new CPU brace. I assure you, I was at the point of tearing out what hair I have left on my shaved head. Anyway, my comp problems are over with, and it's running faster than ever! It's still an obsolete tower running at 2.4 GHz, but it's my obsolete tower running at 2.4 GHz, and I love 'er. Anyway, enough of my babbling, and on with the story! As always, reviews and constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Excalion
Chapter Three: Dark Clouds and Rumbling Thunder

=[ Part One ]=


Kai dismounted his white tiger and scratched the top of its head gently, the great beast offering him a rumbling purr in reply. He took in his surroundings and realized that something was amiss. It’s quiet here, he thought. I don’t even hear the trees mourning. He stared up at the forest canopy. No light is streaming from the treetops. It feels so devoid of life…

A sudden realization came to him like a swift, cold hand clutching at his heart. No, not the Brothers and Apprentices…

He jogged forward into a spacious clearing in the forest. Any other time, he would have thought it peaceful, the sunlight peeking in through the forest canopy like something out of a work of art, the insects and smaller forest creatures flitting about. As he scanned the area, it seemed so monotonous, the sunlight dull in his eyes, the colors of the forest clearing seeming so bleak and basic. Why did this have to happen?

He turned to the center of the clearing, closed his eyes and raised two fingers to his lips. The very air before him distorted, like a silk sheet being pulled from the top of a table, and an ancient building appeared, a pale glow coming from its center spire.

“Only one is left,” Kai said to himself as his mount quietly strode into the clearing. “Shanavale, what has your family done to my home?” He warily stepped towards the multi-towered monastery that was the Forest Sanctum, his tiger close behind.


* * * * *


Naomi’s face paled as they neared the edge of the forest, pulling hard on the reins and halting her lizard mount. “By the Goddesses!” she gasped. “What’s happening?”

Rishal shook her head in disbelief. “No! This is unthinkable!”

Kish’Ron, still in his fox form, looked at one specific tree. “It is dead,” he said, his voice devoid of any feeling. He trotted up to another tree and angled his head for a brief moment before nodding.

“What has the tree told you, Brother?” Naomi asked.

“Alaia calls out to Master Akanaku,” Kish’Ron replied. “All but one of the remaining Keepers have already gone to Her side. She is all that is preventing the Great Forest from falling apart.”

“Then we must make haste to the Forest Sanctum!” Rishal replied. “There’s no telling how much time that lone Keeper has left before the entire weight of the Forest crushes her.”

Kish’Ron nodded and leapt into the forest, Rishal close behind. Naomi snapped the reins on her chamra, and it hissed and scuttled forward into the forest.


* * * * *


Shanavale paced back and forth in Wynn’s room, furiously running her fingers through her hair.

“Dammit!” she cursed. “Damn the Goddess Alaia! Why does She do this?”

Wynn gave her a small smile as he sat on his bed, though he knew she didn’t notice. “She is the Goddess of Chaos, Shanavale. Her mood is capricious. No one, not even the other Goddesses, knows what She will do. It’s up to the Goddess Karysta to give us the guidance to make heads or tails of whatever Alaia presents to us, and the Goddess Ameena to grant us the wisdom to create a situation out of that order that will benefit everyone.”

Shanavale quickly turned to Wynn, who kept his smile. Her expression softened as she sat down on the chair across from his desk. “I guess I deserved that little lecture, hmm?”

Wynn chuckled. “Everyone curses Alaia for whatever suddenly happens in their lives, Vale. You have to remember that though Alaia is most prominent in life, Karysta and Ameena are always there to help.”

Shanavale nodded tiredly. “You’re right, Wynn. I’m sorry.”

Wynn shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Vale. It’s been three days since Kai’s been gone, and Dark Moon’s almost here.”

Shanavale’s face drained of color. “You mean…?”

Wynn nodded solemnly. “The Barawani Traveling Fair is coming.”

She looked up at him. “Wynn, do you really think that Jacen is against his father and his family? I mean, what if Father is right? What if he knew you two were there and it was simply a ruse?”

Wynn frowned. “I understand your unease, Vale, but I had a feeling that Jacen was being truthful. If Omicronus’ patron really is as underhanded and ambitious as he made himself out to be, I don’t want to think of what he would do to you, your father, or even Jacen once he has the throne.”

Shanavale nodded and sighed. “I’m worried, though.” She looked out towards the doorway to the balcony. “Not just about Jacen. I’m also worried about Kai and Naomi.”

Wynn nodded in return. “So am I, Vale. I just hope Kai’s okay. He’s barely seen his father since the Hydra War. He’s spent most of his time either here or in the Kingdom of Lightning Peaks, doing what he can to strengthen the alliance, just as you and Naomi have been doing for your own respective homes.”

“I just hope that he’s still my friend, Wynn. I can’t say for the rest of my family, but my father and I had nothing to do with sending assassins to the Forest Sanctum. My father doesn’t believe in that sort of thing.” She sighed. “I don’t want to lose two of my closest friends, Wynn. And I don’t want to fight against Kai.”

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Shanavale said.

“Wynn, General,” Rohadin said with a salute. “It’s time for the change of shift. I changed the roster so that you would watch the front gate until daybreak, and I’d take a double watch until noontime.”

Shanavale frowned. “Why did you put me on guard…” Her eyes widened in realization. “Rohadin, you’re normally such a straight arrow. Why did you do that? It’s bordering on treason.”

He shrugged. “Permission to speak freely, Your Highness?”

Shanavale nodded.

“General…Princess…You and your friends made me Captain of the Guard at the end of the Hydra War, and the four of you have been extremely close friends since the Forest Sanctum and the Kingdom of Lightning Peaks became allied with us. I’ll admit I’m not exactly a fan of Kai’s brusque behavior, but I respect him and would trust him with my life. I don’t want one of the men under my command to get a big head and try to take him down just for a quick promotion.” He chuckled. “Not that they could take him down, anyway.”

Wynn smiled. “He’d take down a small squadron of your troops before he broke a sweat, Rohadin.”

“Despite what may have happened, at least from what your father has told us, I still see him as a friend until you two, and only you two, tell me otherwise.”

Shanavale smiled. “Thank you, Rohadin.”

Rohadin bowed deeply. “As a subordinate, as a subject, and as a friend, my life is yours, Shanavale Overon, and only yours, to command.”


* * * * *


“Halt! Who goes there?”

Two horses and their riders slowed to a stop before the closed castle gate.

“I repeat, who goes there?”

“Messengers from the Barawani Traveling Fair!”

There was no reply from the ramparts. Galia looked to her older brother warily.

“I don’t like this, Jaden,” she said. “Things seem too uptight here in Overon.”

Jaden nodded. “I agree, but the King has to know about this. There’s no reason why House Omicronus was stealth training in Mara’s Grove.”

“There’s also no reason why that self-absorbed Omicronus soldier told us about it,” Galia said. “If he was training his men, he could have just hidden away and ordered his men not to attack us.”

Jaden nodded in thought. “I was wondering about that myself.”

Galia was about to say something when they heard the sounds of large chains clinking against one another. They ordered their horses back several paces to make way for the drawbridge.

“Come forward,” a female voice called out to them. Galia and Jaden looked at each other and shrugged before gently snapping the reins and ordering their horses towards the closed castle gate. From the shadows, they saw a young woman with two young men flanking her. Jaden recognized her immediately and jumped off his horse, falling to one knee.

“Princess Shanavale,” Jaden said reverently. Galia, realizing whom her older brother was addressing, stepped off her horse and fell to one knee as well.

“Rise,” Shanavale said gently. “Tonight, I am merely a soldier on guard duty.” She looked at either side of her. “What message do you bring?”

“There is something amiss at Mara’s Grove,” Jaden replied. “Omicronus soldiers are lurking about there.”

Galia noticed Shanavale’s eyes flicker as she turned towards the young man at her left. She hesitated a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Rohadin, tell your men to lift the gate. See to it that they are taken care of. I will speak with them at daybreak.”


* * * * *


Naomi opened the door quietly and slipped into the bedroom, closing the door as silently as she opened it.

“My father has fallen asleep,” Kai said tersely, surprising her. “He said he would wake again soon. Alaia has offered him some extra time.”

“Do you know when he will wake? She rarely gives chances like this.”

Kai looked to his lover. “He is waiting for a Mage Knight.”

Naomi turned to him. “A Mage Knight? There hasn’t been one since the Hydra War, and she died in the Wasteland.”

“I know.”

Something dawned on Naomi. “Wait. Kai, why did you tell me what you did just now?”

A defeated expression washed over his face. “You asked me.”

“But wouldn’t doing that make you and your father Outcasts?”

“Only if I were the Master Keeper of the Forest Sanctum,” Kai replied bitterly, “or even a Brother or Apprentice Keeper.” He looked to the elderly man on the bed. “Likewise with my father.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you realized yet, Naomi? My father’s wounds have been tended to, and he has been left alone. On top of that, no one has even thought to seek me out or observe my father since my return. If I were the Heir to the Forest Sanctum, if I was to become the next Master Keeper, I wouldn’t be at my father’s side. It would have been my sister here looking after him, while I chose a new set of Brothers, Sisters and Apprentices to revive the Forest.”

“Kai…”

Kai shook his head and knelt at the side of his father’s bed. “Leave me, Naomi. I’m in no mood to talk. Bring Rishal to me when the restoration of the Forest has begun.”


* * * * *


Shanavale unsheathed the short sword, staring once more at the engraved symbol at the base of the blade.

“I’ve never seen this emblem on any weapon or equipment belonging to an Omicronus soldier,” she said.

“I have,” Rohadin replied. “Only twice, though. And both times, I’ve seen it worn by the same soldier.”

“Long black hair, rarely speaks and fights like he’s possessed?”

Rohadin nodded gravely. “Aye, General, that’s the one. He was Omicronus’ Champion during last year’s Rebirth festival.”

“Wasn’t he the one who fought Kai, and lost by a margin?”

Shanavale nodded. “I recall that. I’d have never seen Kai so unnerved. I don’t know why I forgot about him until now.”

Rohadin waved her reverie away. “Anyway, General, Jacen has given us his symbol of peace, and the messengers from the Barawani Traveling Fair have given us their views. What are your thoughts?”

Wynn took the sword from Shanavale. “He gave the Fair his sign of peace. Do you think he did, knowing that they would come immediately to us, maybe even your father?”

Shanavale nodded. “It was a risky maneuver for him, but he got his point across.”

“What do we do, then?”

Shanavale looked at her lover and her subordinate. “We do nothing for the moment. I’m sure that Omicronus soldiers know of the two messengers by now. If the house of Omicronus is as stealthy and paranoid as my family makes them out to be, they’ll be waiting for either Jacen or someone from my family to react. The last thing I want is for someone who wants this peace as much as I do to die before he can help me.”

Wynn creased his brow into a frown. “Help you?”

Shanavale nodded. “I’ll fill you in after Rohadin’s watch, Wynn. I have some things to figure out, and some things that I have to say very carefully.”


* * * * *


A knock on the wooden door gently roused Jaden from sleep.

“Just rest,” Galia said softly as he lifted his face from underneath his pillow. “I’m sure it’s just someone bringing us breakfast.”

Jaden grunted and propped the pillow back over his eyes. No sooner had he gotten himself comfortable did Galia suddenly push him about his bed.

“Get up, Jaden!” she whispered excitedly. “It’s the Princess again!”

Jaden slowly sat up in his bed, a sheet covering him from the waist down.

“May I call you Jaden?” another female voice asked him. His eyes flew open when he realized his sister wasn’t joking.

“Your-your Majesty…”

Shanavale grinned and raised a hand. “There’s no need to move. I’m sure both you and your sister would be embarrassed if you stood to attention.”

Jaden balked at the Princess’ words then blushed as he noticed her smile. “Er…A-a-a thousand pardons, Princess…”

Shanavale raised an open palm. “I’m not here as royalty,” she replied. “I’m here as General to the Kingdom’s Armies, as well as a woman with a request.”

“You are still the King’s daughter, Princess, and we will do whatever is required of us” Galia said.

Shanavale looked to her. “Even if what I ask may threaten your life?”

Galia stiffened. “What do you mean?”

Shanavale looked at her feet as she took a seat on the chair by the desk in the guest quarters. “There is something I must ask of you, because only one of you can do it. I would rather ask one of my own people to perform this task, but what needs to be done requires some…” She strained for the right words. “…What needs to be done requires some methods deemed unconventional by my family.”

Jaden sniffed. “I understand your concerns. Whatever you ask, I will do with the best of my ability, even if it costs my life.”

Galia whirled around to regard her older brother. “Jaden, no!”

“Galia, don’t argue,” Jaden said firmly. He blinked twice and turned to Shanavale. “Umm, Princess? Just one small favor before you continue?”

Shanavale tilted her head.

“May I dress first?”

Shanavale grinned. “I’ll wait on the balcony.” She passed them both and walked through the open doorway.

“Jaden, are you stupid?” Galia hissed. “I don’t know what she has planned, but she could get you killed!”

“Galia, I said not to argue with me,” he countered curtly as he stood and fumbled with his shirt and undergarments. “You know well enough about the Overon and Omicronus families. With the Princess coming to us, the rumors that I’ve heard since the end of the Hydra War eight years ago are probably true.”

Galia frowned. “What rumors?”

Jaden hopped twice as he put his pants on. “Grandfather used to tell me before he died that Overon would be a dangerous place to visit within the coming years. The peace between the two families is strained at best, and it’s possible that the bad blood between the two Great Houses may resurface, generating one of the bloodiest uprisings since…”

“Since the Barawani-Nazschenko Conflict?”

Blood drained from Jaden’s face and Galia jumped at the sound of Shanavale’s voice as they turned to see her leaning on the doorway to the balcony.

“Forgive me, Princess,” Jaden said. “I was only speaking my mind.”

Shanavale shook her head. “No offense taken, Jaden. I’m no tyrant. And I believe that your Grandfather, Karysta rest his soul, knew more than he let on.”

“Are the rumors true? Do you think there will be an uprising, Princess?”

Shanavale frowned. “I’m afraid so…”

“…Galia.”

“I’m afraid so, Galia, but unfortunately there’s nothing I can do to stop it. The military doctrines and fighting disciplines of House Omicronus are so different from that of my family. Stealth tactics such as assassinations and the deployment of double agents are alien to my House, so much so that we have no way of counteracting them.”

“Which would give the Omicronus family, who have been honing their skills in stealth tactics and deceit…”

Galia went white and nodded slowly.

“I’ve been trying to prepare myself and a select few of my people to learn these things with what little documents we’ve managed to find in the Royal Library.” She sighed. “I see the use of such methods, but I believe it’s only because I’ve picked them up so easily.”

Jaden pressed his lips into a thin smile. “I concur, Your Highness.”

“This is the last time I will ask, just to make sure you are fully aware of the request I am making,” she said suddenly. “You have run a great risk to yourselves just by delivering that sword to me. Are you prepared to leave the safety of this castle and do so again?”

Jaden fell to one knee before Shanavale. “Princess of Overon, I have always been faithful to my family and to those I respect and love. Your Kingdom has treated us with nothing less than kindness and welcomed the Barawani Kingdom’s Traveling Fair with open arms and camaraderie every year we pass. You have never asked for our help before, and you honor us by asking us for help in your time of need.”

Shanavale smiled sadly. “You honor me, Invincible Swordsman.” She looked to Galia. “However, what I need, I will need your sister to do for me.”

Galia’s surprise dwarfed her brother’s as she stared at the Princess in disbelief.


=[ End of Part One ]=

A/N: That's all for now. I hope you enjoy, and see you all soon!