The Knight & The Dove

Prologue

         A dark-cloaked, terrified traveler rode along a rocky, darkened path, the sunset’s light blocked from his eyes by masses of trees. The man rode hard and fast, his mount trying to keep up with its rider’s orders. Arrows flew out, half glancing off his back armor plate, half missing. But one found its mark in his side. For fear of poison, he ripped it out instantly. This cost him a second of his attention, which was too much to lose. His horse’s hoof hit a stump; it’s leg snapping like a twig with the momentum. The horse fell, right onto the bank of a deep river. Mount and rider rolled into the rushing Olgeron River, and Ashrick, once he calmed himself, grabbed a rock in the river, watching with horror and guilt as his favorite horse drowned in the swift current.

But he’d no time for sadness. He kept hold of the rock, and ducked below the water long enough for his pursuers to believe him drowned, then he carefully pulled himself, boulder by boulder, to the opposite edge of the river. After eventually crawling out and coughing up a good amount of water, he then looked up, seeing through the thinning trees, the Capital. He was close enough to home now, that he was safe. The weary King, reduced to a shoddy traveler, gave a grateful smile, collapsing there next to a tree. He was soaked, muddy, and beaten, but home. His long stay as a suspected threat in the home of the Sun King, Lyon, had been worth it, he’d gotten Loor out alive. After several minutes of catching his breath, he pulled his gold locket out from his shirt, opening it to look at a picture of his beloved nineteen year-old daughter, Anaxilea.

         “I’ll be home tomorrow, Ana…” the King whispered softly, and then closed his eyes to fall into a deep slumber.





Chapter I

         As the moon began to rise after it’s daylight counterpart had set, pale light spilled over Surion’s Capital. The light, blue-hued rays reflected off the windows of homes and shops, all else was dark. Except for a window in the Royal Castle, where a very- for lack of a better word- pissed off Princess sat on her bed, pouting furiously, her shoulder-length mahogany hair shadowing her exotic light grey eyes. Those idiots, alongside her mother, had started yet another war! But of course, it never mattered what she thought, even being royalty herself. The girl sighed to herself; this time…She thought, this time they’ll be sorry… This Princess was sick of Surion, fed up with war, and most of all, done with her mother’s constant abuse and overuse of power. If only father were here… He was supposed to return today… She pulled on her armor- golden dragon scale-style, a traditional armor for her station. The golden plates covered a crimson garb and skirt. Along with this was leather, gold-plated boots. It was quite heavy gear, but being reinforced with steel, it could take just about anything. On her back were her twin golden scimitars, and around her neck was a royal family crystal, a transparent opal, containing a magic of sorts.

         However, she then wondered how she was planning on getting out. After thinking about this a moment, it suddenly became obvious. Earth Magic would help her. She stepped up to the windowsill, looking down the five stories, and smiled, leaping out. The moment her feet touched the ground, the earth sank to cushion the landing, then rebounded, giving her a little hop and leaving her unscathed, in the courtyard of the castle. Donning her cloak and pulling her hood up, she practically walked right past the exhausted guards, needing little stealth to avoid their tired eyes- it was quite late, and they’d been on duty all day and the night before. Ana smiled to herself, this was too easy. She took off running, not sure where she was going But she was sure of this- it was going to be an adventure of a thousand lifetimes.

Her thoughts of escape were painfully interrupted by sudden contact. CLANG! Her armor contacted with someone else’s sending her to the ground flat on her behind. It’d felt like hitting a steel wall. From a considerable six and a half feet up, a huge beast in Surionian Knight armor stared down at her. A werewolf. Ana froze, not because of his being a werewolf, but because he was a guard. Werewolves and werecreatures in general were common the world over. He stared at her with calm sky-blue eyes, his helm under his arm, revealing his pointed wolf ears, a few rings in each, and his white fur. Being a werewolf, he was quite tall, as most were, he had the legs of a wolf- only longer, along with claw-like nails, long canines, or fangs, and a wolf tail. The rest was human-shaped, covered in white fur. Many scars were visible even with his fur, all from past battles and years of war.

Keeping her hood over her head still, Ana lowered her eyes, praying he didn’t recognize her. She offered a child-like half-curtsey, “Forgive me… I-I guess I need to pay more attention to where I’m going.” With a blush, she made to walk around him.

“You really shouldn’t be running alone in these times of war, Princess.” His calm voice made her freeze, and she whipped around to face him.

“Please!” She begged. “You mustn’t say you’ve seen me! I…” she sighed, lowering her eyes once more, not knowing what excuse she could give. So she settled on the truth- “I’m tired of war, I’m sick of the palace… And… Honestly, I’m sick of Surion. All I want right now is to get away- to see the world. So please… Excuse me.” She turned again to walk away, cautious this time.

“Then I must go with you,” his deep, calm voice came once more. It only took him two strides to come up beside her, compared to her six. “We’ll get a pair of horses and some more suitable supplies. I cannot allow you to go alone, therefore, I must go with you.” She looked up at him in puzzlement. Although the knights were sworn to the royal family, most weren’t known to like them much. This werewolf was far different.

“Um… T-Thank you,” Ana said quietly, not knowing what else to say, nor how or if to decline. “Who… are you?”

“Brigadier General Baredo Hart Longsmith, milady,” he answered, bowing his head in respect to her. She noticed the light and charming highland (commonly called Scottish) accent in his voice. She smiled at him, which, needless to say, warmed his already gentle heart. She lowered her hood, revealing bright mahogany hair, her eyes a pale green. As with the rest of the royal family, her skin was a dark tan.

“I’m Ana,” she replied, addressing him with far less formality than her position required, “Thank you for your help, I’d be happy for your assistance.” Baredo nodded to her, a smile on his wolf face, walking with her toward the stables. He stopped her, keeping her hidden, and stepped up to the guards, addressing them, and requested two horses and travel rations. He waited about ten minutes and was given all he needed. He brought the horses back to Ana, giving her the reins of one. Ana easily swung herself up onto the saddle, having loved to ride her whole life. She nodded her thanks, and after a pause as he got on his mount, she asked, “Why do you care?” She blushed, quickly adding, “I mean… you aren’t reporting me. Why?”

         Baredo only smiled warmly, “Because I believe everyone, rich or poor, royalty or citizen, deserves freedom and their own free will.” He answered calmly, his blue eyes determined but gentle.

         “I appreciate that,” she offered a small smile, “There’s not many like you, so… Thank you, again.”

         “Of course milady.”

         “So… Um… Where are we going?”

         “Perhaps north would be the direction of choice.”

         “Sounds good to me, but… um…” She looked at him curiously, “What’s up north?” Her mother had made sure she lived a sheltered life, so she could never escape. Ana barely knew her own country’s geography, much less around it. Baredo knew this, and offered an understanding smile.

         “The free lands of Northe Endro.” Ana’s eyes widened at her escort’s words.

         “Is there such a place?!” Throwing caution to the wind, she let out a beautiful, happy laugh, “Let’s go then, Baredo!” The two practically raced to the wood’s edge, and trotted on into it. But their happiness and joy of freedom didn’t last long. Clashing metal screams of pain and rage, and the shadows cast by flames came into view within minutes. Ana looked up, “What’s going on…?” Baredo took his spear from its clip on his back, watching cautiously. Ana nudged her horse a little further on, and she saw a flash of a familiar face, “Wait- that’s CAL!” Cal had been a servant in the palace, now a noble in service to Surion. Hearing his name, the man turned to look at her, costing him his attention, and a powerful blow struck his shoulder. “CAL!!!!” She yelled, dismounting and entering the fray of battle herself, scimitars slashing.

         Feeling an instant need to protect a fellow knight, Baredo leapt at Cal’s attacker, running him clean through with the spear shaft. “Where-“ Ana noticed Baredo was gone from the horses, and then saw him in the midst of a circle of men. Helping Baredo but hating death, she parried, blocked, and pushed back the men, refusing to actually hurt them, she just couldn’t. Because she was a girl, they thought she couldn’t fight, and got cocky, but were soon put out of their over-prideful dazes by Baredo’s lance. “I’m sorry I got you into this,” Ana called above the growls and cries of their enemies, to Baredo. Ana then suffered a slash to her side, and her breath left her in surprise.

         Ashrick Thenalle’s hand fell limp in his wife’s grasp, and she cried out in agony. “ASHRICK!!!!!” She cried into his shoulder, clinging to his now lifeless form. She sobbed uncontrollably, knowing now, after years of secrecy, that her husband had bound himself to their daughter, and when she was hurt, so was he, with a mark. He’d now received his last mark, cutting his life short.

         Ana recovered, the wound not so bad, but it hurt like hell. She looked to her companion, “Are you okay?” She called worriedly.

         “Don’t worry about m-“ Baredo was cut off as one of the ruffians slashed him across the face; he’d not put his helm back on, having taken it off while they were riding. He roared in pain, and blood spilled into his eyes. Despite being blinded, he gave a monstrous growl, running the man through like he had Cal’s attacker. Ana gasped in horror, and seeing her kind escort hurt, anger flashed over her face- This is all my fault… she thought, and I’ll end it! She grabbed Baredo’s arm, and stamped a foot onto the ground. Everything shook around them, and she pulled Baredo further back, a huge crevice appearing in the earth as the small earthquake shook the forest. The crevice grew to near ten feet, and several screaming bandits lost their balance and fell in. Ana looked away, disgusted. The rest of the barbarians stood back in astonishment, and ran for dear life.

         Ana pulled Baredo back to Cal, “Sit.” She ordered, undoing the clasp on her choker. Baredo wiped blood from his eyes with a cloth from his saddlebag, washing the rest out with the water of his canteen. Ana pressed the opal pendant into the white werewolf’s hand, and the slash across his muzzle and above his eye, as well as any other cuts he had, scabbed over immediately. “I’m afraid it doesn’t have much more power than that,” she admitted, “But it’ll keep blood out of your eyes… I’m so sorry…

         “Don’t worry about it,” Baredo assured her. Ana healed Cal’s shoulder in the same fashion.

         “What in Brahn’s name are you two doing out here? Don’t you know there’s a war on?” Cal looked at them, a bit angry, a bit surprised. Ana blushed slightly in embarrassment.

         “Freedom is worth risking danger for.” Baredo answered instantly and simply as he placed a bandage over the slash on his face. Cal raised and eyebrow and looked at Ana.

         “So you’re really doing it then? You’re leaving?” He looked astonished. Voices called in the distance, and he turned quickly, “I’ll hold them off as long as I can, but it won’t be long before they notice you’re gone, Ana.” Cal vanished into the trees. Ana refastened her choker, and then turned to her escort.

         “Are you going to be okay?” She shook her head in disgust at herself, “This is all my fault…”

         “Stop blaming yourself, I wasn’t careful enough, and it’s over.” Baredo told her, helping her onto her horse. He mounted his own, then at his lead; they took off north at a gallop.

         The whole ride, Ana’s heart raced with fear- Cal was right- there wouldn’t be much time before the alarm was raised. They’d ridden straight through the night, and the sun had begun to rise. Ana nudged her horse up next to Baredo’s.

         “How far do we have to go?”

         “At least four more days’ riding before we’re in a safe place…” He sighed. He pulled his horse to a halt, “We’d better just rest a while.” He dismounted, and stumbled slightly, his foot slipping out of the stirrup. He was exhausted, having been on duty the entire day before, gone through the battle in the night, and traveled until morning. He was running on empty.

         Ana didn’t have so much a problem, her adrenaline still too spiked to really rest. She jumped off her horse, tying the two steeds up to a tree. She pulled a sleeping mat from his horse’s saddlebag, and gave it to him. “You rest, I’ll cook something up.” He only nodded, sitting down on it, and pulling off his armor, chainmail, and protective clothing. Underneath was just a plain black pair of pants and sleeveless shirt covering his muscular, handsome body, though scarred in many places. He set his gear aside, laying down and closing his eyes.

         Ana smiled to herself, it was nice to be with someone who felt the same as she about freedom, though she didn’t know much about this odd, kind gentleman. She pulled a cloth pack of various food items from her own saddle; there was plenty for a few days. She piled some deadwood in the clearing, and it took her some time to spark the flint, but eventually she got the fire going. Ana paused- now what? She’d never done this before, at the castle, there were servants for this kind of thing. She managed to get water boiling in a tin, deep pan above the fire and began slicing vegetables and bits of beef, trying to be quiet and not wake her escort. Once or twice, there was a hastily bitten-off word that young ladies were not supposed to know- she was clumsy at slicing. Soon, the smell of stew filled the air, and she sighed, leaning back, hoping she’d done it right.





Chapter II

         Baredo soon awoke to the smell and the sound of her clattering, dishing out the stew. He yawned quietly, sitting up, then looked to her. Ana offered a smile, “That wasn’t long.”

         “I don’t sleep much since I became a knight.” Baredo told her, accepting his bowl. Ana blinked, surprised. Most people were born into training for a knight. It took real skill to work your way up.

         “I envy you…”

         “You really shouldn’t… It’s more hell than heaven.”

         “I mean you’re not trapped. You can go anywhere or do anything you like a lot of the time.” Sitting next to him, she rested her head on her hands, “What’s it like? Good and bad.”

         “Well, everyday, you’re in danger of being challenged to duels or jousts by ANY other knight, even from your own kingdom. If you’re not careful, you can get killed unless you surrender, then you can lose your armor and title. You have a squire to carry your equipment, and pages to run errands and teach. Knights serve the highest knight, the King, and if you’re disloyal, you can be executed.” He looked down at her, seeing she was still interested, and he chuckled warmly to himself, “But on the good side, most people trust and respect you, and you can find a friend or ally just about anywhere in your own kingdom.”

         “I can’t imagine,” she said after trying to picture it. She sighed happily, but then a thought occurred, “You’re leaving all that behind for ME? Just to help me get out?”

         Baredo grinned good-naturedly, “Honestly, Ana, for lack of a better phrase, I don’t give a damn.” They both chuckled at this. Baredo took a taste of her stew, and Ana cringed, awaiting his comment on it, fearing it’d be terrible. Baredo smiled, “I take it you’ve cooked quite a many times before?”

         Ana sighed in relief, laughing, “Never! Though I doubt there’s many ways to mess up meat and vegetables in water.”

         “This is better than my squire makes,” he chuckled, continuing to eat.

         “Well, thanks. I’m glad to know I won’t starve when I get out of here.” After a moment of silence, curiosity got the better of her, “Do you… like your life?” Baredo paused, thinking hard about this.

         “… Most people would kill to be me, and I know I’m fortunate, but… no, I don’t.” She thought of this much the same way as he had.

         “Then we have something in common there. Why not?”

         “I’ve always felt like I’ve already fulfilled my purpose… Like there’s nothing left for me… And then something’s missing, I don’t know what.”

         “I think I know what you mean. My life has always been like… I was just there to BE there, you know? Like my sole purpose was to wave to a crowd of people that don’t care. But since I’ve left home, and even though it’s only been a short time…” She offered a beautiful smile to him, “It’s like the whole world is in front of me, and even through we’re not out of Surion yet, I feel free right now.”

         Baredo smiled, “I’m glad I can help you find what you’re looking for.”

         “And I’m thankful for that… What are you looking for?” She inquired.

         “The Moon’s Path, it’s far from Surion. My mother always used to tell me legends, and all of them spoke of going north, to Lunas Kivar, to freedom.”

         “Moon’s Path?” Her eyes widened in curiosity.

         “Lunas Kivar, within the Lunar Circle, there’s two. One’s said to be in the northern reaches of Northe Endro, the free lands, the other in a country far south of Surion. It’s the path to the Lunar Heaven on the moon, or, simply ‘Lunas’.”

         “Wow…” She pulled her knees up to her chest, “there’s so much I don’t know…”

         “There’s nothing wrong with that, Ana,” Baredo told her, giving a reassuring smile.

         Ana only nodded, cleaning up their meal as she gathered her thoughts, “How long do you think we have until they figure out we’re missing?”

         “Three hours, unless they decided to check earlier.” He stood, pulling on his chainmail alone. She stood as well, folding their gear back into their saddle bags. Baredo, on the other hand, was scattering his armor after scratching it up with his claws.

         “You’re not bringing your armor? Will you be safe?” Ana asked a bit worriedly. She herself had her armor on still.

         “Nope. Seeing as I’m helping you escape, I’ll probably never be allowed to wear Knight’s armor again, and besides, it’s weaker than my chainmail. And it’s a good distraction to throw them off our trail.” He spoke as he got the horses, and took off running with them down a side path, then galloping back from a completely different direction. Ana nodded at this, knowing the dim-witted trackers of the Surionian Knights would fall for it. Baredo smiled to her, seeing she was watching, “Trust me?”

         “I do,” Ana returned the smile, surprised to find that, even after just a night with him, she really did.

         “Would you mind leaving something of yours as well? It’d be more convincing,” Baredo requested, rather humbly. Ana blinked, nodding, then thought quickly about what she could leave. After a moment, she clipped off her pauldrons, scratching them up against her metal hip guard, and  tossing them into the clearing. Her now bare shoulders revealed long white scars from her mother’s abuse. After another second of hesitation, she pulled off her choker, dropping it after fraying the strings like it was snapped off, and turning to her white-furred companion.

         “Is that good?” Ana inquired. Baredo nodded, and didn’t ask about the scars, thinking it was personal- which it was- but Ana spoke bitterly and quietly, “There’s a lot about palace life that never reaches the Knights, much less the people… My father, Ashrick, he’s amazing, but my mother…” She turned her eyes away darkly while shaking her head, “Anyway,” she turned back, “It’s in the past now, can’t be helped.” She offered a small smile, and was surprised when he reached out and placed a gentle hand over one scarred shoulder- no one had ever touched her scars or made much contact with her after seeing them, other than Ashrick, of course.

         “Being able to cope with such a thing is something a lot of people just can’t do. Besides, it’s only your skin, and if a friend judges you by your skin and not your soul, they’re no friend at all.” Baredo smiled softly and then withdrew his hand to mount his horse. Ana remained paused, surprised at the simple and sudden contact still. His hand was so… warm. Still a bit stunned, Ana mounted her horse wordlessly, nodding to let her escort know she was ready.

         Baredo steered them alongside a deep, but thin river, crossing at a ford. Ana kept an eye on him, nervous about his lack of sleep, and his slowly deteriorating riding form. She knew they had a long way to go, and had to maintain a lead, but… he needed rest, more than the short time he’d already had. Especially with that harsh gash over his face, and even then, he was still quite handsome.

         Ana blushed- where had that come from? Even thought she hadn’t spoken the words aloud, they kept the light blush on her cheeks. After a few hours, Baredo had lowered his head a great deal, looking about to collapse. Ana finally pulled her horse in front of his, making his mare snort, annoyed, and back up. “You need rest, Baredo. You did a good job throwing them off, but for now… please sleep.”

         “We have to keep going, Ana…” His eyes were clouded and tired as he looked up.

         “No, Baredo, I won’t let you.” She dismounted and took the reins of his horse. He sighed, finally dismounting, then stumbled. She barely caught him, and even then, she herself almost fell over. Werewolves in general were much bigger than humans, and Baredo was even a bit bigger than an average werewolf. She helped him completely stand after blushing when he steadied himself with his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him, “Now are you going to rest?”

         “Yes…” He sighed. She spread out a blanket for him at the foot of a tree.

         “Now sleep, and sleep well this time, okay?” Ana looked down at him as he lay on the blanket, concerned deeply for her only friend’s health. He nodded a little, but that nod trailed off as he fell into a deep slumber. Very quietly, Ana set her blanket very close to his, feeling safer, the closer she got. Seeing as she hadn’t slept the night before, she was pretty tired herself. With a yawn, she curled up and fell fast asleep next to Baredo, not worrying too much. After all, they couldn’t possibly catch up with them yet…





Chapter III

         They had six hours of pure peace, and Ana awoke to Baredo saying her name softly to wake her. She groaned tiredly, “Time to get up already?” She sighed, stretching and getting up.

         “If we want to avoid risk of them finding us, then yes.” Baredo said quietly, wishing they weren’t in such danger. Ana nodded silently, sobering up from her sleepy, foggy head instantly, knowing he was right. She packed up as quietly as possible, cleaning up any and all evidence they’d been there with Baredo’s help. After this, she looked to Baredo, who seemed to be staring at nothing.

         “I’m ready.” She told him, wondering what he was looking at, until she realized that the point of his attention was a very tall apple tree. Baredo was sizing it up.

         “One moment.” He grabbed a sack from his saddlebag, backed up a few paces, and then took a running leap at the tree, pulling himself up after digging his footclaws into the trunk and catching a lower limb. Baredo pulled himself up to the base of the tree, and began picking apples, and he looked at Ana confusedly when she began laughing at him.

         “Do you always do things the hard way?” She touched the bark, and apples began falling. She ran around, picking up any and all ripe apples until her arms were full.

         “Now that’s just not fair,” Baredo looked down at her with a chuckle, and Ana braced for him to hurt himself when he jumped off. He landed easily on his feet, biting into an apple. She winked upon realizing he was okay, “You’ve got claws, and I make things grow. Pretty even, don’t you think?”

         “Not really,” he shrugged a little. Seeing a hint of jealousy on his face, she became a bit concerned.

         “What’s the matter?”

         “Nothing.”

         “Baredo.” She looked at him, waiting for a real answer.

         “I’d love to have magic like that.”

         “Don’t you have any of your own?”

         “Yes, but… It’s killing magic.” Baredo sighed. Ana didn’t know how to answer, “You’ve got the ability to grow things and work with Mother Nature, all mine does is send creatures after people and murder them. It’s useless outside of war, made for a killing machine.” She knew he’d begun to think of himself as such.

         After a moment’s hesitation, Ana placed a hand on his arm, “Magic means nothing, Baredo, not when it comes to who you are. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met.” She smiled softly. He smiled back a little, but then sighed.

         “You don’t understand, Ana…”

         “No, I don’t…” She answered quietly as they both mounted their horses, and then spoke so quietly it almost couldn’t be heard, “But I want to.” He said no more, and took off at a trot. As the sun began to set, hours later, she began wondering how far Baredo would push himself. She wanted to do something, to stop the threat so he could rest again, but she had no idea what even he could do.

         Baredo looked at the setting sun, then to the north horizon with a sigh, “If only I had Khardel…”

         “Khardel?” Ana questioned.

         “My dragon,” he answered, as he pulled his horse to a halt, getting out a flint and tinderbox.

         “Dragon?” She asked, stunned, “They’re real?” She scrambled to get their blankets spread out, sitting next to him and hoping for a story. He got the fire going, chuckling at her.

         “Of course they’re real. Where do you think the stories come from? There’s at least a few thousand left. There used to be near a million, but they died out, most of them old. They live to be about 1,000 years old.”

         “Wow!” she exclaimed, childlike wonder on her face. “How did you come to have one?”

         “I found Khardel’s egg on an old battlefield, his mother had been a war dragon, I guess. I took it home and when it hatched, my father told me I could raise him with my siblings, or give him to the tribal warriors or Dragon Tamer. Of course, I kept him. I was five at the time, and I kept him until the day I was made a knight when I was eighteen. Ashrick told me that he would rather not have dragons in Surion, so I could either use him for the good of the army as a mount in battle, or leave him outside Surion with someone. I didn’t want him to get hurt with me, so I gave him away.” Baredo told her.

         Ana looked genuinely sad, “I’m sorry… It must’ve been hard to give him up. Where is he now?”

         “The family sold him to the King, Ashrick. Ashrick gave him to a cruel knight, and I never saw him again,” he growled darkly at the prospect of cruelty to his dragon. Ana jumped at the growl. She hadn’t expected it, and was momentarily startled. Then, she remembered that this was Baredo, her kind escort. Everyone got angry at some point, and if he did, it wouldn’t last.

         “That doesn’t sound like Father…” Ana shook her head, “It was probably Raiden…” At his confused look as to why she‘d call her own mother by name, she turned away once more, “My… mother,” she sighed at having to call her as such, “is the one who gave me these…” Ana traced a finger over the light scars.

         “I just hope he’s alive… I already have enough against her.” He held back another enraged growl. Ana was silent, still afraid of that anger. Yet again, she was unsure what to say, after all, she was a part of the family that had taken his dragon, that had put him through war as a knight, and was now sending knights after him to likely hurt or kill him and take her back. Despite fear, Ana found herself just wanting to comfort him. Not just a fleeting fancy, but a deep need to comfort his losses. Baredo sighed, taking out a whetstone and his spear, sitting back to sharpen the head. Ana sat in silence a little longer before her feelings just burst out all at once.

         “Look, I’m sorry, honest I am, and I wish I could do something and I hate where I come from and that I’m related to her and that I got you hurt and I hate Surion and the knights and I wish… I just wish…” she finally shut herself up, and looked down, sighing and blushing. Baredo dropped the spear and whetstone, kneeling before her so they were eye-level. He gently took her face in his hands, lifting her chin so she looked at him.

         “It’s not your fault, it’s no one’s fault, Ana.”

         Ana closed her eyes, and a single tear escaped, “I hate them so much…” she whispered. Baredo pulled her slowly into his arms, not commandingly nor submissively, just gently. He was quite careful with her, she was so small compared to his huge white-furred form. And he held her close against him, comforting her silently. Ana’s first thought was to pull away- this was so different, so new from anything she’d experienced before, except for when she was with her father. Instead, she found herself nuzzling closer into his fur and warmth, letting him hold her. He just stayed there, letting her keep in his arms as long as she needed- or as long as she wanted, whichever came last.

         After a long while, almost a half an hour, Ana pulled away slowly, her face still a bit red, “Thank you,” she spoke softly, forcing herself to look at her blanket instead of his gentle blue eyes, not wanting to get trapped in them. He nodded, easily letting her go, then sat before the fire. “When you get to Lunas Kivar, what will you do?” Ana finally asked after a few more minutes.

         “If I make it there… I want to speak to Lady Chlőe.”

         “Lady Chlőe? Who’s she?” asked Ana curiously, taking a seat next to her werewolf friend and putting her palms closer to the fire.

         “The Moon Goddess of Lunasia, the Mother of All Creation, Mother Earth.” Baredo spoke with a gentle smile at the mention of his religion’s beloved only Goddess. Ana yawned and laid back.

         “She sounds… nice, I’d like to meet her too, when… we’re free…” She spoke as she drifted off to sleep. Baredo smiled, and lay beside his beautiful, burgundy-haired, already beloved friend, and falling into a deep slumber as well.





Chapter IV

         The rest was short-lived. In the middle of the night, a loud metallic clang, and a sickening, sinking sound with cracking interrupted the princess’ sweet dreams of freedom, followed by what sounded like an inhuman roar of pain. Her eyes flying open, Ana scrambled up, disoriented from sleep and unsheathing her scimitars. “Baredo!” She called worriedly. His spear lay nearby, covered in blood and the head broken off, the staff bent. Beside it was his torn and bloody shirt. A roar of anger once more interrupted Ana’s quick survey of her surroundings. “BAREDO! Where are you?!” Ana called fearfully, not understanding what was happening.

         “ANA!!!” She heard him call out, “RUN!” He stumbled into view, a huge bloody mess. His chest and one leg were torn up, and a knife still protruded from his waist. One bloody ear had been ripped halfway up a slight amount. He leapt at her, pushing her out of the way of a flying javelin. Baredo ended up rolling onto his back, Ana beside him, and a Surionian Knight leapt out, leaving Baredo no time to react before the knight’s blade sunk straight through his stomach.

         Ana’s eyes widened, and she screamed in fury, “NO!” She turned on the knight, slashing at the joint between his helm and chest plate, rewarded with the dull thud of his head falling off and hitting the forest floor. As more came, she stood protectively over her bloodied werewolf, “By order of the royal family, you are not to hurt this man further!” She snarled, getting as close to a growl as human vocal cords could. What was up with these men?! Attacking a princess and her escort? She gripped her blades tighter.

         “The Queen orders that we kill your kidnapper and bring you home immediately! You have no say!” The captain growled right back, a hefty werecreature of a catlike race, covered by heavy armor. It took the seasoned knights only seconds to disarm Ana and render her helpless. Baredo lay, having not made a sound even when he was stabbed with the sword blade. His eyes were glazed with fear- not for himself, but for Ana- fear that she’d be taken to suffer cruelty and imprisonment once more.

         “DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A KIDNAPPING TO YOU?!” Ana yelled, desperate to protect her beloved companion, “To me it looks like a bunch of soldiers attacking a helpless man! You disgust me!” She spat at her captor. He grabbed her by the collar of her crimson shirt.

         “I really don’t care, Princess. I’m tired, hungry, cold, and I want to go home. I don’t give a rat’s ass about you.” He let go and she was forced up onto a knight’s horse. The captain walked up to Baredo, pulling out his blade, and Baredo only cringed, not making a sound, “I’ll let you suffer, dog-man.” He thrust the blade into Baredo’s right shoulder, and left it there. Baredo couldn’t move other than turning his head, which he did, toward Ana, and whispered, “A… Ana…”

         Tears blurred her vision, and when the knight sitting on the saddle behind her wrapped his arm around her neck to hold her while he hands were bound, she bit down hard, and when he let go and fumbled for a moment, she tumbled off, them scrambled to Baredo’s side. She wanted to help him, but she didn’t have her choker, and her hand hovered over the spot the sword pinned Baredo, but the knights were already coming to get her again.

         “No,” she whispered, hugging him tight, blood, wounds and all. Baredo wrapped his unpinned arm around her weakly.

         “It’s okay, Ana… It’ll be all right, you’ll get your freedom… I promise…” Baredo spoke softly, barely audible. He kissed her cheek just as the knights pulled her away and bound her.

         “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” she whispered, and was forced back up on the horse again. Ana kept her eyes on Baredo over the shoulder of the knight as long as she could, until he was out of sight, and her tears still poured down. It’d be a long ride back to the castle, and then, she’d have to deal with Raiden. The knights never gave her freedom, except to eat, and even then, she hardly touched her food until they forced it into her mouth and made her eat it. Upon arrival back at the castle, Ana wore out her own voice, yelling to see her father, but she doubted he even knew she was back. A guard came to her the next day, telling her Raiden was coming. Ana kept a strong expression- she’d done this before- she could do it now. All she really thought of was Baredo, and his promise, which she couldn’t help but believe wouldn’t come true.

         “ANA!” Raiden called the moment she came in sight. She was almost Ana’s reflection, only taller, meaner, and darker-skinned. Ana schooled her expression, hoping it looked neutral.

         “Mother,” she responded monotonously, like it was a curse. Raiden stepped in, grabbing Ana’s shoulders.

         “What do you think you were doing?!”

         “Getting away from you! Going somewhere where people aren’t plunged into war everyday by some whim of their queen!” Ana growled. Raiden slapped her across the face. Not a warning, little slap, but a full-on bruising strike.

         “Don’t you EVER talk to me that way!” Ana, who had fallen, forced herself to stagger to her feet, weak from the blow, lack of sleep, and even further severely weakened from lack of food.

         “They killed him…” Ana whispered, “Your men left him to DIE.”

         “Who in Brahn’s name are you talking about?” Raiden growled angrily.

         “Baredo!” Ana snapped, looking her mother straight in the eye for the first time in years. “He looked after me, he defended me, and… They just LEFT him there…” Ana paced a moment, but then collapsed dizzily, holding her head. Raiden looked to a guard, ordering him to bring something for Ana to eat.

         “I’m not hungry…”

         “Silence girl!” Raiden commanded. Upon the guard’s return with food, Ana grudgingly took a bite.

         “Where’s Father?” With her daughter’s question, Raiden lowered her head, “He… passed away suddenly… Yesterday night…” She held back tears, she’d loved her husband more than life.

         “W-what…?” Tears welled up in Ana’s eyes when she looked up in shock. Raiden left her room, crying as well. Ana pushed the food away, and curled up on her bed, sobbing. Why is all this happening? First Baredo… Now Father…Now I’m all alone…





Chapter V

         Three months passed Ana by, and during that time, Raiden took out all her anger and sadness on her daughter, all over her husband’s death. Ana let herself fall into weakness and sickness, becoming dangerously thin, pale, and unable to even don her own armor anymore. She no longer went far from the hall outside her room and the room itself. Most of the palace staff never saw her, and just assumed she’d died like Ashrick had. Ana tried hard not to think of Baredo, but his face haunted her every waking moment and dreams as well- they were constantly on the run, constantly being chased, always being caught…

         One particularly nice day, the silence of the castle was shattered by a knight’s voice, “RUN!!! DRAGON!!!” Ana bolted from her bed to the barred window, happy for any sort of distraction. She peered into the courtyard, wondering what the fuss was. She looked upon a massive group of black-armored knights, and winged-lizard beasts. Three black knights per dragon, all in better formation than Surion’s army. Their leader rode forward along on a lean black dragon.

         “Dragons!” she whispered in wonder, eyes drawn to the general. Was it…? It couldn’t be… Ana shook her head, falling dejectedly back onto her bed. Baredo was dead, and whoever these knights were, and no matter their purpose, they’d be fought off, just like all the others. But suddenly, Raiden’s scream ripped through the castle, it was bloodcurdling and angry, followed by cries of retreat and some of pain from the castle guards. Ana searched the room for something to defend herself with. The decorative swords and her own scimitars had been taken, as well as all sharp objects, thanks to Raiden’s paranoia about her daughter wanting to get rid of her. So Ana grabbed a heavy silver candlestick holder, getting herself ready. She was quite a weak sight: simple crimson, gold-trimmed garb and skirt, pale, and holding a candlestick holder. She wasn’t all that fear-inducing.

         The door flew open, and there stood the General, a tall, black-armored werewolf, silent for a half-second to identify her, a shining, familiar lance in hand. Ana’s reflexes acted before her brain, and she lunged, brandishing the holder like a staff… never mind the fact that it was unlikely to harm even an unarmored werewolf. He grabbed her wrist, oddly gentle but fast, taking the holder away and tossing it, dropping his spear at the same time, then pulling her into a tight hug, holding her against him. Ana instantly wrapped her arms around his middle, nuzzling as far into him- despite the armor- as she could.

         “I missed you,” she whispered.

         “I’ve missed you too, Ana,” he lifted off his helm, revealing a white-furred, black-marked, scarred face with blue eyes and a torn ear, and kissed her forehead lightly. Ana looked up at him- she had a million questions, so she started with the biggest one.

         “What happened?”

         Baredo smiled gently, “After the Knights left, my brother found me a few days later.  I don’t know how I held on, but… I did.” Ana kissed his armored chest gratefully, not caring that it looked overly affectionate.

         “I’m glad you’re okay… What are you doing here? Who are those men?”

         “Those men are the Elite Dragon Knights of the Matsumoto Battalion, “ he smiled, “My friend’s best army.”

         “You didn’t answer the first one.” Ana giggled. Baredo hugged her close once more.

         “I made a promise, didn’t I? I said it’d be alright, and you’d get your freedom. I’m carrying that promise out. What sort of friend would I be if I didn’t?” He kissed her cheek. Ana smiled brightly, then, refusing to relinquish his hand, pulled him to the window with her.

         “Dragons,” she said as she looked upon the majestic creatures, “Did you find Khardel?”

         “My brother did, surprisingly.” He nodded.

         “Well, what are we waiting for?” She said happily, “Let’s get out of here!” She headed for the door, only to stumble and feel herself be caught by Baredo once more.

         “What’s the matter, Ana?” He asked worriedly.

         “It’s nothing really… I just want to get out… please.” She smiled weakly and pleadingly up at him. Her top was pushed up a bit, exposing new scars, bruises, and cuts on her stomach. She stood and tried to continue shakily, but Baredo stopped her, clipping his spear on his back, and picking her up in his arms bridal-style, having her loop her arms around his neck. He carried her out with ease, where a werewolf that looked exactly like Baredo in the sense of shape and size, but his fur was black, and his eyes were amber, awaited them.

         “She’s the one, brother?” He asked in a voice rougher and harsher than Baredo’s. Baredo nodded, and the black werewolf spoke again, “We’ll have to hurry, Surion’s got reinforcements elsewhere.”

         Ana smiled at the new face, “It’s nice to meet you, thank you for coming,” she spoke, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. She closed her eyes, resting her head on Baredo’s chest, tuning out the chaos around them. But then she reopened her eyes upon hearing a roar above her. She looked straight up, seeing the neck and bottom of a dragon’s head. He then looked down at her. She stared at him, speechless at his beauty and awesome size. He was completely black, wearing dark drake armor, and his leathery wings were folded on his back. He looked at Baredo, the look in his eyes seemed to say, ‘Master’. Baredo clicked his tongue, and the dragon knelt. Baredo stepped on the back of his front leg, and into the huge saddle, which was more a platform on the dragon’s back. Ana found her armor there, and her scimitars, but decided not to question Baredo’s ways of recovering them. She took a quick moment to put it all on, then Baredo sat with Ana in his lap, and nodded to his brother.

         The black werewolf let out a short howl, then yelled, “FALL BACK!” Almost instantly, his men retreated back into perfect formation, impressing Ana- even Surion’s vast, famous army wasn’t this disciplined. These men knew what they were doing, and were amazing at it. Ana then looked at Baredo.

         “Where are we going?” She asked curiously. He smiled gently and whispered a word that made her once-dead soul revive and spark with the flame of excitement.

         “North.”