A King's Legacy
Chapter 34: Fading Lights
Through the darkness of the night, perched high above on a southern cliff, Aster sat gazing at the same view he couldn't tear his eyes away from ever since first laying them on it. Sure, the human king had tried to rest, to be better prepared for what awaited them the following morning, but there was no quelling his thoughts enough for that no matter how greatly he wanted to look away from the sight of that dead city bathed in the moonlight.
The ocean seemed calmer then, the rolling waves glimmered beneath the same moon in the distance, casting an illusion of dancing, choppy light behind the fallen castle that the boy felt he could stay lost in forever. Like a beacon of hope that never quite slept, the single stained glass window that remained joined in the game, the soft glow of the yellow glass mimicking the moon itself. It was breathtaking, it was humbling, it brought a strange sense of peace to him, and yet... it broke what pieces of his heart remained. To say Aster was conflicted would be quite an understatement, so the lost king of Adamare just kept on staring so helplessly at the kingdom stolen away from him instead of resting.
"Can't seem to sleep either?" His wolf asked genuinely. Aster knew Stahl was trying as well, but it just didn't seem that either would be getting any true rest that night. The boy answered his wolf in a quieter tone.
"I'll be lucky to get three hours if I'm being honest. There's just too much to think about, none of which I actually want to. You?" Stahl rolled over to look at his mate better in that moment. Aster wanted to sit alone, so the beast had given him a little space, but in truth, Stahl had just as many hectic thoughts as the boy did. The wolf answered soundly.
"Yeah, about the same I guess... You don't have to do this if you don't want to you know? We can still just go west if you don't think you can make that trip tomorrow. I can only imagine what is running through your head if I know you like I think I do, and I'm honestly not certain I could do it were I in your position... So I just wanted to say, even though I know you better than that, I wouldn't be upset if you decided to leave this place to the dead that rests here." Aster didn't look at Stahl, he just kept on staring out over that beautiful landscape, wondering about what kind of life he could've lived in such a place. The king gave his reply somberly, in a peaceful and soft voice coupled with a twinge of sadness.
"No. I think I should see it. I need to walk those streets, and I need to see what my home was like. This is probably the only closure I'll ever be getting, my wolf, I need to make sure I get what I need out of it..." Aster paused, scoffing to himself as the thought crossed his mind. He spoke it without much hesitation, openly mocking what had drawn him there in the first place. "The boy should learn." Stahl grew silent himself, deciding how he should proceed as the hairs began standing up on his neck at such a chilling recital. The wolf spoke cautiously.
"I see it's something you need to do. Is... is it something you want to do alone? I understand if you need that..." The beast trailed off, but the boy smiled lightly and looked back to his wolf with an expression trapped somewhere between tears and laughter. The young king spoke firmly, expertly masking his cracking voice.
"Not at all. Yeah, I want a little space down there, to make sure I move at a pace where I can handle processing everything, but I already told you, I will always want you nearby. Thank you for being so understanding though, I really do appreciate what you've done for me the last few days, I know no part of it could have been easy for you either, but I did want to say... I am sorry if I was harsh or unfair, and I am lucky that you are here. I couldn't have gone on without you, either back in our beginning or now." The beast could only smile back at his boy, knowing all the soothing words in the world wouldn't truly ease the tension in the air, but Stahl was grateful his human had made the effort anyway.
"I am thankful to be here, for the forests, the mountains, and even the oceans beyond, my king. Now, please try to at least close your eyes for a while, maybe we can actually steal away a little sleep, and it would be nice if at least one of us were well-rested for tomorrow." Aster resisted the urge to take that as a cynical joke, and instead, replied more thoughtfully.
"Alright, but scoot over some, we both sleep better when next to each other, and I could really go for some fluffy wolf fur right about now. It's a little chilly up here with the breeze." Stahl flashed that fanged smile of his, adjusted his position, and patted beside himself, inviting his mate to pilfer all the warmth he may need, the same as the beast always had. Stahl was grateful to fulfill that request, the duty to his king seeming easier than ever in little moments like those.
The pair didn't get much rest that night, as was predicted, but they did find some solace next to each other, and the warmth between them was still just as beautiful as it ever was... Such warmth would be the only thing that may see them through the trial set for the following day. The human king had decided to press on, and the flowing sands of destiny were quickly setting into immovable stone. The path was set, the beast king, the human king, and all of the knights between them were heading to war without ever knowing they should be preparing, and even the gods were watching with bated breath.
===
"I don't like this." The captain was restlessly pacing back and forth in the field that morning, his instincts frantic to make him realize where the threat was. The bull's hide felt like it was crawling, and even his steely nerves were feeling rattled as he waited with his prince. They didn't have the numbers or the means to escape or to even fight if it came down to it. In reality, the bovine was feeling like a mere vulnerable and exposed target. The captain wasn't fond of the sensation, to say the least. The prince watched him pace back and forth a few times more before finally feeling that maybe he should try to ease his apprehension.
"Why don't you have a seat, Captain. Your worrying isn't going to affect the outcome regardless you know?" The bull huffed, turning to stare back toward the prince with his answer.
"I'm well aware, but I already told you, I don't like this. When you drag a Rixator somewhere we don't want to be, you should expect us to make a little noise about it." The prince sighed a little and decided to drop it for the time being. In truth, the lion was starting to worry himself.
Fraxis had been gone for over five hours by that point, the morning shifting into the afternoon in his absence. The crocodile should have already reemerged from that town, and even the prince was beginning to question how loyal the reptile truly was by then. Those thoughts were quickly torn from him as a voice muttered out dazedly behind him.
"Father?" The lion and the bull nearly gave themselves whiplash as the previously unresponsive high mage of Alora showed her first sign of life in WEEKS. Tyfin was quick to press his luck.
"Lady Alice? Can you hear me?" No response came, the cat just kept on sleeping. The lion felt his ray of hope crumble before him, but the prince was adamant to hold on to what he could. She had spoken, albeit in a dream, she had still spoken. That was something, more than what they had received so far anyway. The bull spoke to his prince a moment after.
"If she would just wake up, I don't think I'd have any caution left to shoulder. We could walk right through that town and nobody would ever dare to make a move." The lion nodded along with the bovine absentmindedly, his thoughts moving to worrisome ones once again.
The pair sat in silence for a moment after, both admittedly curious about what the calico cat had said. Lady Alice didn't have any family, none that she remembered anyway. That was something she had once spoken under infallible truth, so to hear her call out for her father was certainly odd. The two thought on that for a while, but their attention would soon be forced elsewhere.
===
Descending the mountain was easy, they weren't fighting gravity anymore, and the loose road seemed to have held together far better on the side leading down to the abandoned town. Aster sat out with his wolf before dawn even came, and the boy found himself looking up at the first set of fallen gates somewhere around noon. Descending the mountain had been easy, but nothing about this new challenge was going to be as easy for the king. As the human took a moment to simply stare before crossing the first threshold of the gates, Stahl nudged up against him lightly and took a hold of his hand while speaking tenderly.
"Alright, whenever you are ready. I'll hang back a little, just as you asked, but please know I'm walking right behind you the entire time. If you need me for anything..." The wolf trailed off, squeezing the boy's hand lightly. Aster raised their intertwined hands to his lips, planted a delicate kiss on his wolf's fingers, and gave it a final squeeze before slowly letting go. The human gazed on for a moment longer, worked up all the courage and heart he could fathom, and took a step forward, passing beneath the broken archway of the battered gate with a solemn pace.
The pair were cutting up the central road, passing right down a long stretch of abandoned buildings on either side of their wider street. Alleys and side-streets intersected with their path at various points, leaving Aster with the sense that there was once quite a maze of busy people in this area. Stall after stall of empty booths were abandoned, the wares once on display either taken as spoils by the beasts and their war, or long since rotted away with the rest of the signs of life once in that place.
Aster was walking slowly, ensuring he was really taking in what was around him. The boy paused and walked over to a larger shop on the strip. It was one of many with a wooden door lying in splinters just beyond the frame. The human king walked forward and stopped rather eerily in the dry-rotted threshold. The boy raised his left hand idly beside himself and passed it over the flaky wood, letting his touch linger there for a while. Aster looked up, and raised his hand above his head, soundly tapping it against the top of the doorframe with a dull thud. It was such a strange thing to him, walking through doors made for someone his size...
The ceilings weren't so high in these buildings, not like the ones built to accommodate beastmen well up to ten feet tall. No, these buildings didn't look so large at all to the boy, he didn't feel so small standing in that doorway, or at least, not in the physical sense he usually did. Aster was learning what the world could be like if it was made with someone like him in mind. Aster was realizing what it was like to fit somewhere, to belong somewhere... and it was breaking his heart piece by piece. The boy took a step into the shop and dared to glance around.
There were shattered remains of ceramics and porcelains scattered along the cobblestones along with twenty years worth of dust. A few smaller pots had somehow survived, but even then, they were mostly skewed about hazardously. Something caught the boy's eye, and Aster soon found himself pacing over slowly to the furthest corner of the room before he stopped and knelt to pick it up.
It was a ceramic doll, the body long since broken and discolored from lying abandoned in the filth. Half of the doll's face was missing, the painted-on blue eye that still remained looking far less lifeless than ever intended at that moment. Stress and age cracks were littering what was left of the delicate toy, the once intricate dress adorned with ribbons was dry-rotted where it had sat and soiled in the dirt. What was left of the regal gown was breaking away in the young king's trembling hand.
Aster was eerily silent as he just gazed absently at the broken toy, wondering what kind of human child had once played with it... wondering if they had clung to the doll in that corner until the very end... Aster finally stepped away, cradling the doll as if it were an actual infant. The young king slowly walked back toward the entrance and stopped just inside the threshold.
Aster bent over, snagged a finger around an overturned chair that was nearly just as ruined, and stood, righting the seat after more than two decades of being toppled over. The boy gently sat the doll down in the creaky chair, brushed a bit of dirt away from its one remaining eye, and finally stepped off, his gaze low as he left both the abandoned shop and the lost toy behind in silence, just as he had found them. The pair continued down the street, moving ever deeper into what was once the heart of Adamare.
===
Jagón was finally starting to get the idea. This was the afterworld, it simply had to be, but the panther was alright with that. That figure that cradled his weary head so tenderly in her lap had kept singing, and singing, and singing to him. She kept singing that beautiful song long after the last of his tears fell, long after he accepted the last of the horrible things he had played his part in during life. As the tears cleared, so did his mind to some degree, but everything was still just barely outside his range of recognition. He still couldn't see her face, and however familiar, he just couldn't place where he knew that voice from. At one point, shortly after the tears had stopped falling from him, she had paused for just a moment and asked a question warmly, her voice smooth and reassuring with a playful hint.
"You should probably go back soon, but you don't have to return yet if you don't want to. You can stay here with me a little while longer if you would like?" The panther general answered hesitantly, feeling like a child begging for five more minutes to play all the while.
"I- I don't know if I should go back... I don't think the world needs beasts like me anymore, and I'm simply so tired of all that ugliness... that ugliness you made me finally face my part in." She affectionately stroked at the fur on his head as she responded in that impossibly warm voice.
"We all have our sins, even the gods, but that is what the song is for. We finally get to understand it all clearly, we get to accept it for what it is, and then we get the chance to be better next time. You get even more than that, you get the chance to return and be who you should in this same life, to take this gifted mindset back with you. The world needs this version of you, Jagón... Just as I do, just as your sons do." The panther drew a heavy breath, let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes slowly. He gave his response in a short, pleading whisper.
"Please... can I merely stay with you a little while longer?" She answered in understanding.
"We can stay here as long as you need to, I waited far longer than this for you to come find me, so I think the world can wait without us a little while more. Would you like me to keep singing for you?" The general hastily shuddered out a desperate plea in answer.
"Please..." She smiled down at the one she had loved from such a distance longingly, took a short breath, and started right back up where she had left off, her melodic song and voice both still as warm and as enlightening as the sun itself. They could stay together for just a while longer... she was working through accepting her own misdeeds as well, and there was no shortage of blame to carry for either resting in the garden of life that day.
If only she had realized her time was running out... If only she knew what her father knew...
===
The only sound in that fallen city was the crunching of Aster's boots. The only scent that remained was one of undisturbed nature. The only movement the wolf ever saw was his sullen mate walking a few paces ahead and a few birds soaring high above, but there was certainly something the wolf could feel in that moment. Something was off.
Every step towards that broken castle felt more and more like Stahl was about to walk right off another cliff, like there was this innate danger that he was supposed to be seeing, hearing, or smelling. The beast's hairs were edging up more and more along the scruff of his neck and the hackles on his shoulders, and a chill ran down his spine as a hollow wind blew a bit of dust down the empty streets. This was like before... This was like one of those feelings that didn't quite make sense to the young wolf, that weren't his own.
Even so, the noble knight suppressed it the best he could. This was far too important to Aster. Stahl wouldn't let his own worries get in the way here... not here. Aster stopped in front of the wall leading to the castle's courtyard a moment later and turned to his knight. The stolen king spoke after a short pause of hesitation.
"What do you think our fathers felt the last they stood here? What do you think went through their minds when the beast forces blew a hole through this wall? Did they celebrate their secured advancement into the castle? Were they relieved their long fight was finally over? It's... strange... I always knew that my birth father and my adoptive one were on opposite sides here, but I never considered what they actually felt in moments like this." Stahl listened closely as Aster opened up a little more in that short break from the silence.
"I have only been in one fight, and it couldn't have been anything close to one on a scale such as this, but it was enough to know how it feels when you're winning, and to know how it feels to be losing in a position like this. Did Jagón Venatus thank the gods when this gate fell? Did Calium Aureus curse them at the same time? Or did they both just want it to be over quickly by then?"
Aster went silent as he gave Stahl a moment to process his words. The king needed somebody to hear what he was feeling, but he wouldn't fault his beast if he couldn't really think of an answer. Aster himself was struggling to find one, after all. Stahl finally let out a sigh, and answered such an impossible question the best he could.
"I don't know what thoughts could've been running through the backs of their minds, but maybe we can ask them. I know my father would tell us his best recollection. When your father wakes up, we can ask him too if you want?" Aster resisted his impulse to immediately respond with "IF he wakes up," but what came out instead wasn't much better.
"At least I may still be able to ask one of my fathers then..." The conversation fell off to silence once more for a while. Aster spoke quietly to the wolf as he stepped through the fragmented remains of the castle gates, the ones leading into the grand and overgrown courtyard retaken by nature.
"Sorry. I don't mean to put you in such uncomfortable positions." Stahl was quick to both dismiss the idea, and to follow his king to the entrance of his castle at long last.
===
Talan had already made steady progress in his pursuit of his prince, but even so, the circumstances of the known and unknown alike were eating away at the young panther in his mission of solidarity. Talan Venatus was always one to put family and duty above all else, but none of the people that fell under either category were making it easy for the beast ran-ragged as of late. In truth, Talan was truly becoming a creature of little faith in others.
His father was capable, but certainly not in his catatonic state. His prince needed him, but the panther felt the same way about the young king as he did his lost younger brother Cortist; they were both too soft to survive on their own without him. They were not made for what this world required of them. Talan knew each case for certain due to two reasons; he had to be a very overprotective big brother for Cortist growing up, and (more notably,) because the prince had confessed as much to his closest guard on more than one occasion. Prince Tyfin Tonitrus hated violence, and Cortist wasn't capable of it, so they both needed the knight because he could tolerate it for a cause, and he could inflict it when required, and Talan knew this as a tried and tested truth.
The talented young warrior leaned into his mount, tapped his paw against the feral's flank, and kicked up their speed for a while. The panther was coming up on a fork just ahead, but the beast had already decided which of the two smaller towns he wanted to search first. Talan made his choice based on reasoning and logic, just as he had been taught to when faced with such variables. The beast wrapped his mother's Venatus-red scarf tighter around his neck, and he whispered to himself once more, repeating the words as a mantra every so often to keep his morale throughout the lonesome ride.
"I am coming, my prince. I am coming to find you. Please be here... please."
===
The gardens were incredible, even considering half the plants had died, and the other half had overtaken their places. The growth in the late spring was astounding, building upon twenty years worth of winter's brush to create mounding and interweaving flowery vines and shrubs. The aroma wafting over the last human garden-turned-battlefield was heady and sweet, as if it were honoring those that fell in the final stand with fragrant blooms undoubtedly once watered by their own blood.
Flittering butterflies and the melodies of songbirds both filled this seemingly sacred place. The vines nearest the face of the broken castle were growing well into the interior, as if it were trying to patch or replace the missing stone entirely. Aster watched a sparrow dart out of those vines, soaring over the garden to undoubtedly hunt down some late afternoon lunch. The king watched it flitter away, and caught his wolf's gaze with the motion. Aster forced a small smile, and spoke honestly as he stared into those silvery eyes.
"I am glad some life has returned to this place. I am glad some may still call this castle their home." Stahl took a few paces forward, never breaking eye contact with his lover as he did so. Aster was trying so hard to hold everything in, and the beast could practically see the cracks forming in the façade. (Not to mention Stahl still just had an unshakeable and bad feeling about this castle.) The wolf stopped in front of the king and made his request hopefully.
"Aster... I ask this as your mate, not your knight... Can I please just hold you for a moment before we step through the next set of doors?" Aster's eyes misted up at the very offer. He responded in a shaky and low tone, truly wanting nothing more in that moment, yet so grateful he wouldn't have to ask for it.
"That- by the gods, that would be amazing, Stahl..." The king would not have to wait long. Aster swiftly found himself being pulled into his wolf's wondrous embrace. The knight was still careful to mind the injured arm, but Aster felt his face pressed into that unbelievably soft and white fur that covered the beast's chest a moment later. The human turned his head and laid his ear against Stahl's heart to take a moment to both listen to that steadying heartbeat, and to simply take in deep and intentional huffs of that calming scent. Believe it or not, no matter how strong of a warrior one may be, sometimes you just really need a damned hug.
The larger arms wrapped snugly around the human, drawing him ever closer into his wolf. Stahl's breath tickled at the boy's neck as the beast craned his head protectively over Aster's own, as if he were the king's very armor vowing to keep him safe in that garden. Aster inhaled a particularly heavy breath of air, let out a long sigh afterwards, and shuddered into his knight as he did his absolute best to battle those darker thoughts as far away from his mind as he could manage.
Stahl was simply grateful to see his mate was fighting it again. Aster hadn't entirely fallen apart here, (despite certainly having a right to,) and Stahl was going to keep it that way no matter what it may cost him. The wolf held his king just a little tighter for just a while longer, but even this embrace had its end... The castle was still waiting for them above all else.
===
Erden Aschefell was sitting in her room with the curtains fully closed to keep as much of the beating sun away from her throbbing head as she possibly could manage. She had overdone it, using her bloodskill over such distances after keeping it dormant for so long was truly taking its toll on the eldest of the surviving Aschefell cubs, even so, she was still preparing to reach out to her brother once more with his requested information. (Once her sickness eased up long enough for her to pull it off that is.)
It took lying in the dark and silence until the early afternoon, but eventually, the stabbing pain behind her eyes finally subsided enough for her to chance making her connection again. Erden sat up in bed, rolled her neck once, brought her right hand up to her eyes, and rubbed them sorely for a moment before she stopped to merely hold them in place. She began speaking as she pushed her mind as far as she could manage in such a state.
"Bearer of my blood, lend me your knowledge. Are you there, Stahl?" There was nothing. Erden furrowed her brow, pushed further through her straining headache, and tried once more. She received the same answer, silence. She couldn't even feel his presence, but that was somewhat expected. Her range was a little more limited in her condition, and all she really had to do was wait for the pain to fade away some before trying again.
Erden dropped her hand back into her lap and plopped back down onto her bed with a grunt. She would try again that evening, Erden figured Stahl wouldn't mind waiting until then, he was always the one sibling that understood her sense of duty. Her people needed her, and she didn't have the luxury of wasting any of her time. She didn't have the luxury for such rest. As if on cue, a light tap came at her door. Erden answered in a strained groan.
"It's open." The elder sister didn't even have to part her eyes to know who it was, the mocking tone used only confirmed her hunch.
"It's passed noon... I've already returned from my hunt today, and you're still in bed?" Erden would've rolled her eyes had they not been throbbing in their sockets. She answered her youngest brother with a huff.
"When you get out of diapers, you'll one day understand that rest becomes harder and harder to resist chasing the more the years stretch on, Lochen." The youngest Aschefell cub scoffed his reply swiftly.
"So mom is right then? You really are becoming an old maid?" Erden grabbed for a spare pillow and flung it blindly at her ever frustrating little brother. The sister heard the door quickly shut as Loch shielded away the impact. She heard it creak back open a moment later as her adolescent brother peered back in to press his luck a second time.
"Whatever, just remember, I did try to wake you up for it." The younger wolf pulled the door closed once more, and Erden let out a grateful sigh. She merely wanted to lay in the dark just a little while longer... that is, until she realized what her brother was actually reminding her of. She sat up with a startled jolt, and spat her curse hastily.
"SHIT! THE CONJUNCTION!" Erden heard a very smug reply right on the other side of her door where Loch had waited just to say it.
"You're welcome." The younger wolf paced off down the hall as his sister scrambled to get herself together. There were four trials, two small council nominations, and over thirty disputes and complaints to hear on the agenda that day, and she was the one that was to head the entire thing. Some of the other neighboring regents were to be in attendance, and Erden would be under constant scrutiny the entire time by at least one of them. (Even without adding tardiness to the picture.) Thankfully, she made it with a little time to spare. Unfortunately, the lady regent wouldn't be finishing that conjunction at all.
===
Despite the left door being completely caved in, (along with an entire corner of the entry hall,) Aster still found himself staring up at the remaining right door as he finally found himself at the entrance to the palace. Aster brought his left hand up, and pushed hard on the door. The rusty hinges and the rotting wood creaked, popped, and loudly groaned out in a protesting symphony as the door slowly croaked open, the very sound reminding Aster of the menacing growl of a starved beast. Aster knew how silly it probably seemed to use the door in that situation, but it just seemed like what he needed to do at the time. With a final breath in, the human king stepped passed the threshold, and into the larger entry hall.
The light of the late afternoon sun beamed in through the openings in the castle, casting a long shadow of the boy and his wolf that stretched down the debris-littered floor before them. Aster took a single step forward, and found himself startled by the sound of crunching glass suddenly beneath his boots. The stolen king gazed down at the remains of the stained glass murals at his feet, and let out another sigh at such needless destruction. He lifted his eyes, took another step forward, and continued forth in his exploration of that grand hall.
Gorgeous and elegantly sculpted white marble pillars ran along either side of the main walkway depicting various scenes of what appeared to be a mix of human history and beastman history. Set back a ways from the pillars were smaller pedestals set on both sides that once likely displayed pillaged valuables, or perhaps even trophies. Many of those pedestals were overturned or broken, only adding to the skewed and dilapidated debris strewn about. Aster took a few more steps in before he came to a sudden stop as his gaze fell on the left wall. The king's eyes went wide when he realized what he was looking at.
There were paintings on the walls... paintings of various men and women in a multitude of poses. Some were flaky and torn, some badly water damaged, and some were knocked to the ground where they ruined entirely. The paintings that survived showcased what Aster thought were merely different families at first, but he started recognizing the same people in multiple depictions, merely older. There were three things in common with every single painting though: Each central figure was always wearing the same crown on the same throne, each one had the same, golden eyes, and every single one of them were holding up the same legendary peacekeeper's shield. These paintings were undoubtedly of Aster's ancestors.
The human king let out a small gasp in pure awe. He began taking small steps forward, inching ever closer as he could only study the painting just before him. When he had stopped just in front of it, Aster raised his quivering left hand and lightly placed two fingers right at the edge of the golden, dusty frame while he could only gaze at the first glimpse of his true lineage in unshakeable humility. He examined the painting carefully before moving on to the next.
The next was similar to the rest, but the younger boy from the previous picture was now depicted on the throne instead. That was what made Aster finally realize those paintings were all placed in chronological order... which meant...
The human felt a strong wave of hope surge up from deep within himself, and he soon began following the paintings down the line. The king made sure to linger on every single one before moving on, but the urge to simply run as fast as he could to the end was proving to be a true test of every bit of the boy's self control he ever had.
Who could blame him though? He was finally going to get to see what his father looked like... what his sibling looked like... what his mother looked like. The stolen king could finally have what was denied from him for so long. He could finally have what he had spent many a sleepless night longing to know. He could finally have what he could only ever try to piece together in his dreams before. Or so he thought.
As the human king reached the end of the grand hall, he came upon the final depiction of the last royal family to rule Adamare. His heart sank immediately as the surge of hope was strangled before him. The painting of his own family was absolutely ruined by four deep claw marks carving through the canvas diagonally. The final royal painting had been desecrated by the beasts that stormed the castle over twenty years ago to kill the very same king portrayed...
Aster didn't even realize he had stopped breathing. He didn't even realize he had walked right up to the ruined painting. He didn't even know the tears were already falling from his face as his left hand reached up to vainly try and smooth out the rolled edges around the gashes, to perhaps get even the tiniest glimpse of his family's faces... The canvas only crumbled under his touch.
Stahl was behind Aster immediately, cradling his mate while the beast's own silent tears fell for his king's sake. Aster had understandably broken again. Aster had fallen to his knees in defeat as he stared up at that wall, denied even this... Aster couldn't have stifled his wails of heartache and anger even if he had wanted to in that moment, so Stahl did what was needed, and comforted his lover as best as he could while the stolen king of Adamare finally wept inside of his own crumbling castle.
===
Dally was sitting in silence, mindlessly watching the flames of the campfire as he drunkenly brought another sip of his mead to his muzzle. The husky took a few heavy gulps, dropped the mug lower, and let out a heavy sigh followed closely by a hiccup. It was barely noon, but Dally was already pretty hammered by that point. The canine readjusted his larger hat, gazed back towards his unconscious lover resting in the wagon, and downed another heavy swig of the stout spirit. The musician sighed heavily as he set the mug aside, stood quickly, and swayed in place for a moment. He closed a single eye, and stumbled off towards a nearby tree to relieve his aching bladder.
When he had finished, (and topped the act off with a bit of drunken, congratulatory banter to himself,) the husky picked up on a sound nearby and immediately recognized it for what it was, Milky was whining. The bard let out yet another sigh of defeat, and stumbled off towards the sound to see what was upsetting the simple beast.
Milky was sitting atop of a smaller hill, simply gazing up at the sky above. Their gaze was focused on something that the husky was having trouble seeing, but Milky never tore their eyes away from that afternoon sky for even a second. As the husky approached, Milky let out another whine in what appeared to be worry. Dally spoke as straight as he could manage.
"Hey, Milky... What's the matter?" The fluffy canine quickly turned to stare at the husky, and turned their head right back to the sky, letting out another whine with the action. Dally paced over, plopped down next to the beast, and spoke in that slurred voice once again.
"Don't worry, Mist will be fi-" Milky let out a little huff before the bard ever finished. The simple beast looked back to Dally, pulled the lute from their back, and looked back to the sky before they started playing a tune the husky was well familiar with, it was the reason Milky was called "Milky," after all, but there was something off... Milky only ever insisted on playing that song during the peak of the full moon. Dally squinted in a moment of confusion, simply staring up at the mountain of fluff with a new sense of worry. Milky abruptly stopped playing their tune, swiftly turned back towards Dally, and let out another pleading whine before staring back up at the sky.
Dally let out a short "hmph," adjusted his hat, and stood as Milky built the intro up once again. Dally didn't know why Milky wanted him to sing it, (and he certainly didn't think he was sober enough to sing such a tongue-twister of a nonsensical nursery rhyme without fumbling the whole thing,) but the bard wouldn't ever deny the simple beast this. Dally sang the song just as he did for the fluffy creature every full moon. (Even though it was certainly no full moon.) The bard never fumbled a single word in the slightest, despite his uplifted "spirits," and even managed to put a little feeling behind it for his companion.
Milky moon. Many music makers must've met the muse. Muted melodies make wondrous merry moods. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Make my manic mindset more one managed mix. Maybe madness makes some more mysterious. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Mangled mistakes made poor man more malleable. Mending mercy made our mother magical. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Missing memories meld into mushy mess. Mismanaged moments made life malevolent. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Moral mania moved mountains, even moors. Master missing made my daunting messes more. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Morrow's moments hail more melding memories. Mystic mother must've envied my misdeeds. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Mistaken masses; a mob meticulous. Marginal merit; mediation remiss. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Mythic melee made the moment momentous. Matriarch mother shined most magnanimous. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Mend my master's heart my mandatory must. Maybe morrow mother misses me enough. Milky moon.
Milky moon. Meek and mild made, my marred mind mostly mist. Match me, mirror me, my madness maybe lifts. Milky moon.
As Dally finished out the last of the tricky song, the musician took a long breath in reprieve and plopped back to the ground with a spent thud. Milky quickly turned back to him with another whine, started the entire tune all over again, and practically begged the fellow canine to sing it once more. Dally could only stare, starting to get a bit unsettled by the development. Something was wrong with Milky, or Milky knew something was wrong, either way, the drunken spellblade was starting to get a really bad feeling about all of this. Dally stood to step over closer and lay a gentle hand on the simple beast's back before starting all over again.
"Milky moooooon..."
Those two would be performing that ancient melody well into the late afternoon.
===
Aster was just numb to the rest of it as he explored the rest of that dead castle. The tossed over bedrooms didn't shake him so badly. The library that's was half-burned with all of the books not stolen tossed to ruin in the dirt barely even made him angry. The collapsing balcony where grand speeches were likely once delivered earned no more tears from the boy. He was already well enough defeated. In his mind, nothing else could break him any further. Then he stepped through the very last door Lady Alice had once blown open over twenty years ago.
Aster stepped through the same door King Alocer once used to have his final match with the human king. He stepped into the throne room that his birth father fell in. He stepped into the room where humanity once ended, but where everything else began. The king would find himself shaken one final time that day after all.
===
`It is time, my old friend. Let us hope we know our children the way we think we do.' Death spoke rather quietly to his soldier. Calium found his hands trembling ever so slightly as he somberly replied only to his master.
`...By the gods, then.' Death chuckled.
`You truly are a cynical child. If that's the way we're going into this... Then I'll see you on the other side.' Calium laughed nervously. Much like Aster, mocking things made them easier to face for the king of the dead. Cortist was quick to chime in.
"And what is so funny?" Calium turned to the young mage, regaining his seriousness. The demon never answered, but their master did. Death spoke to both in a tone that was lacking the usual hint of mockery, surprising the panther with the suddenly sincere change in mood.
`Oh my little kitten, you were the most unexpected gift I ever could've stumbled upon, but you were the most welcomed as well. I wish I had more time to ready you, and had I found you sooner I would have little doubt to your success, but I still know you can do what you need if you just embrace what you are. Time grows short, so please, heed the last advice I may give you before it all falls on your shoulders.'
Cortist was dumbfounded, his master was being unusually kind, no, humble even... The panther just nodded, still in a state of awe as he heard what the god had to say.
`I couldn't tell you before without ruining everything. You would've rejected it all, intervened where you shouldn't have, and the world would've undoubtedly fell. It has a chance this way. You are the last line of defense, my kitten, a duty that unfortunately you alone will remain to bear. There will be no other left on that earth capable of handling this opponent, but it will be far harder than just a show of who holds more power. Hear my promise, my sworn envoy, this fight is the world's absolute last chance, a contingency we never would've had without you...'
Cortist had so many questions, but he couldn't get a single one out. The weight of those words were starting to honestly scare the poor panther, but Death continued on anyway.
`Survive. Stall your opponent as long as you can while me and my soldier do what we need to... However, should all the light fade, should it all be swallowed by the darkness, know that none of us are ever coming back. That is the very likely outcome that we both fail, that we lose it all on our gamble, and that we have been devoured by the consequences. You will be the last spark of light left, but you will be enough to keep the lights on at least. You will be lost for a long while, but you will be able to decide where the world goes from there as long as you put down the shadow that remains. That reality is far beyond my sight, but it is better than the cycle of fiends endlessly devouring a dead planet in wake of the old gods passing. Please do what you must to survive no matter what, my dear child.'
Cortist took a step back in uncertainty. The panther spoke a panicked response.
"I don't know how to fight very we-" Death cut in again, they didn't have any more time for answering questions or coddling doubts.
`Trust your flames, they know how to fight for you. Embrace the warmth you may inherit. No matter the outcome, know you will have your absolute freedom back for a few years, until the world requires you again. Good luck, my kitten, your master is rooting for you.' Death went silent, and a moment later Calium laughed loudly in response to what the god whispered only to him. The demon looked to the young panther with wispy, golden eyes, and warmly answered his master.
"I think the title suits you, my old friend." Cortist was simply bewildered, but as much as he wanted some more clarification, the panther found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the demon standing before him. Calium Aureus was slowly disintegrating on the spot, as if the demon's heart had finally been pierced. The fallen king raised his smoldering sword one last time, made a final vertical cut to open one last portal for the prodigal mage, and crumbled away to nothingness as the panther was left to his task. Cortist slowly called out a moment later, testing the waters in disbelief.
"Master?" Nothing answered the mage. Cortist was left isolated in the dark, and a single exit was placed before him. The mage turned back towards the scar and warily began inching closer to it. The panther frantically broke out into a full sprint, diving through the opening a moment after. It only took a single glance through that scar for Cortist to assume he realized how bad the situation was. He had no idea how bad the situation was...
===
Aster was kneeling at the base of the steps leading up to the throne, honoring the father that once sat there. The seat was rather simple, mostly made of steel and dark leather. Aster liked that it wasn't something extravagant, he felt that probably made the king seem more human once in the eyes of his subjects. Aster was resting his weight on his left arm and knee, just gazing up at the humbling view. The silence was deafening, so when the boy finally spoke, Stahl was grateful for the disturbance.
"We haven't seen any bodies. I know ferals likely had a part in that, but do you think the beasts perhaps at least buried them or burned them? I heard my father fell in this room, and the only one that knew what actually happened here was King Alocer, and he is dead now. Was my father at least honored as a king? Is it so foolish to hope my people were, at minimum, respected after their slaughter? Or did beasts like Straga's father simply devour the remains? I'm so tired of thinking about this... I shouldn't have come here at all. There is no closure for me here. There is no peace for me here..."
Stahl was readying his response, preparing to just take his lover far away from that heartbreaking scenery. It was another voice answering that startled them both.
"No, you will find peace here." Aster and Stahl immediately turned around, staring back towards the source of the comment. Richta Candori was standing before the only exit as the light behind her cast an ominous shadow of foreboding into the same throne room Aster's father had been murdered in. Stahl immediately took a few steps back to be closer to his king, and had both of his swords drawn before him instantly. The tigress spoke clearly as she very slowly started walking forward.
"I did not receive an Aschefell name... this time anyway. Father was clear about the first one on my list, however; the human mongrel that bested my weaker little brother. He did not use his name, but the order is clear. Step aside, wolf, I was instructed to make sure you watched, but it doesn't have to be harder than it is. I gave you this entire day to have your closure, because I do understand honor, and even I could see this was something you should finish first, but I hope it has helped you see your time in this world is long overdue, human. Please, allow me to give you your peace now. Rest with your people here in your place of origin. Accept that fate was kind to bring you here. Accept the fate of the weak, as all of the weak must in the face of the strong."
Richta was only a few short paces away from the wolf now, but Stahl was staring widely into the glaring and calm crimson eyes of the tigress. The beast's breathing was unsteady as he judged the opponent before him. The usually cocky wolf spoke in a tone that frightened Aster more than he had expected it to.
"Aster... Run." Aster was far too stunned to heed those words. Richta lunged forward, and Stahl shouted even more commandingly in desperation to his king.
"ASTER, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, PLEASE!" Stahl swung his right sword down on the charging tigress, and Aster soon realized exactly why Stahl was suddenly so afraid. There was a reason the Candori family was so hard to face off against. Their bloodskill was truly frightening to see in action. The steel of the sword passed right through the tigress without even leaving a scratch.
Richta struck swiftly, landing a cracking blow into the noble wolf's ribs. Stahl tensed, and dropped his left sword purposely. He balled his fist up, and swung as fast as he could at the white tigress, knowing hand to hand combat or magic was the only way to take down a Candori as weapons were quickly made useless. Richta easily caught the strike in one hand, and brought her other up swiftly to impact against the side of Stahl's elbow. The wolf howled out in pain as a dull crunch echoed into the throne room as the bones were broken. Aster was still struggling to get his head in the fight until that moment.
A shield appeared before the wolf, blocking the tigress's next strike on Stahl just before it landed. As her intangible fist collided with the shield firmly, Richta only turned her gaze back to Aster, and spoke casually.
"Hmm, I admit that I was curious. So the shield is alive then? That's the only thing I can't phase through, a significant amount of living tissue. I suppose it's no matter though, I'm betting the shield will merely die alongside you." Richta charged at Aster quickly, Stahl scrambling to follow with his shattered elbow. The tigress went low, crouching a little as she ran towards her mark. She reached down, grabbed a hold of Stahl's shorter, left-handed sword, and continued her charge without ever missing a beat. Aster was anticipating her attack as best as he could, waiting before throwing up his only shield when he needed it most. If only he had the heartbeat...
Richta threw the sword at the boy when she was almost in range, Aster brought his shield up expertly to deflect the projectile, just as she assumed. The tigress dived as the sword spun in the air above the stolen king, going low below the golden barricade to get behind her mark. Before Aster could even turn around to follow her movement, she had recovered from her roll, spun into position, and snatched the twisting sword right from the air in once graceful motion.
Aster was thankful, he was looking at Stahl when it happened, and maybe that was why it didn't seem to hurt that much. The boy watched his wolf's beautifully ashen eyes go wide in abhorrent shock as they focused on the mate just out of his reach in that moment. The beast's maw fell open, and Stahl started shouting something Aster just couldn't quite hear for some reason... There was something not right... There was some reason he wasn't hearing the beast... Everything just felt so slow in that moment... Then Aster finally looked down.
The sword was red, glistening with blood as the tip protruded out the front of Aster's ribcage. The boy tried to speak at the sudden realization.
"Oh-" Blood spurted out between his lips in place of the rest of his sentence, his words and air suddenly stolen from him. The tigress held the human up until Stahl made it to him, honoring her kill as best as she could. Richta whispered her parting words just before Stahl reached them.
"You never learned your place, but you were a worthy opponent because of that, Aster Venatus. Accept your earned rest now... Revel in your granted peace." Richta activated her bloodskill, and released the dying king to collapse into his wolf's embrace as she fell through the floor of the castle. Her work was done in that place. Her father's bloodthirst would be quenched with this for now.
"ASTER! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! YOU'RE GOING TO BE ALRIGHT! PLEASE, PLEASE ASTER, PLEASE DON'T GO..." Stahl was frantic, shouting his vain and desperate pleas loudly as he collapsed to the earth with his lover in his lap. Aster was staring wide-eyed back up at his beast, looking at the somber wolf sobbing uncontrollably above him. The human tried to speak, to at least say good bye, or thank you, but it was futile. The words would not come forth, only more bubbling and weakening sputters of blood would pass over his lips. Stahl realized with horrible acceptance that this was goodbye. The beast stuttered out brokenly through his sobs.
"I'm so sorry Aster... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I was such a useless knight for you. I am sorry that it wasn't me instead... I'm just so unbelievably sorry, my mate." Aster brought his left arm up weakly, coated heavily with his own blood. His vision was getting fuzzy, and everything felt loose, like it was all so hard to hold on to. He placed his hand softly against the cheek of his devastated wolf, and Aster mouthed the words as best as he could while he gazed into those silvery eyes one last time.
"I love you." Stahl leaned down, pressed his muzzle firmly against those bloodied lips, and kissed the boy harder than he ever had before. The message was true and clear in such a delivery; "I love you too." The King's arm fell away from its place on his beast's face, leaving behind only a bloodied handprint, and a quickly fading taste of warmth in the wake of their parting kiss. The fading lights in that final moment were rather beautiful in Aster's opinion.
Aster awoke in the darkness of the afterworld as Stahl howled over his own broken heart in the land of the living.
===
Well, if you told younger me I would be killing the main character in the largest scale fantasy book I've ever tackled for my 30th birthday, I probably wouldn't have believed you. Don't worry, this has always been the plan. The trial of Death and the Shield will be closing out our first book with the next couple of chapters. Most will likely be doubles as we have a lot to cover.
Every pov shown this chapter is linked in some fashion to what is about to happen from here. Every one of them are tied into this plot line, and every one of them will be resolving around it in the next few chapters.
The Milky Moon bit holds a secret for the end of book 3, and I'm not talking about the story told in the lyrics. If you're struggling to find it, look at it from a more simple pov. (Or just wait and avoid the spoiler, cause it's a big one if you carry the message into the next few chapters.)
Regardless, anything not cleared up will be part of this resolution. All the answers are coming now, so thank you for the patience. Damn, do I hope y'all enjoy this ride. This chapter was so anxiety inducing to write for plenty of reasons, so hopefully you felt some of the panic and hopelessness creeping in along the way. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but this was one of the few breaking points we have for this part.
If you completely hate the way I'm going, I totally understand, but I really do think you'll be pleased with the explanation, and the resolution after. Thank you for reading, and always open to hearing feedback. I appreciate it y'all letting me know your thoughts,
-Pup Bayou