A King's Legacy Chapter 5: Making Points
Aster awoke with a sharp breath in. He was a bit disoriented still, but he could remember almost everything. The painful images came flooding back to him as he simply stared at the ceiling above him while trying to recall everything. His match with Straga was much worse than he was prepared for it to be. He remembered a lot more than he cared to from his loss, bringing a shudder across his achy body. Aster began looking over his injuries, finally building up enough courage to assess the extent of the damage. He was thankfully relieved with what he found.
His left arm still felt a bit tight when he made a fist, but it seemed the broken bones in his forearm weren't so broken anymore. His ribs had a dull ache lingering, but he shifted his midsection around a bit and didn't find too much discomfort. He couldn't feel any heavy scars where his face had been split open, but there was definitely a bit of tenderness and some throbbing where he was head-butted by the large dragon. He was missing a tooth on his back right side, but it seemed the brunt of the damage done had already been mostly healed. Well, the physical part of it anyways.
Aster began really looking around the unfamiliar room he found himself in then. He knew it wasn't anywhere in his father's estate, and it certainly wasn't his room at the inn. It seemed pretty well to just be a spare room stocked with the basics. Aster leaned forward, and felt his muscles were all pretty stiff still. It wasn't until the sheets fell as he tried to stand that he even realized he was stark naked, much to his embarrassment. He spotted a simple coat and a pair pants hanging on a hook nearby, and helped himself to it, grateful to stretch his legs a bit. The garments engulfed the boy, being intended for a much larger sized beast, but he managed to make them work for the time being with a makeshift belt. Aster made his way over to the door then, and pushed it open. He found himself in a hallway on the second story. The boy glanced around a bit, and after seeing nobody nearby, made his way to the large staircase and began descending it. Upon reaching the bottom, he overheard some voices in the next room over, so he leaned against the wall to rest himself a moment while he tried to listen for any clues as to where he was.
"Honestly Jagón, I've already told you, it is no burden at all! We'd be happy to look after your cub, besides, Stahl could use someone to practice with, and if the boy gets some training in from it I only see positives here. That is, given you still trust my family is up to the task?" The first voice went silent for a moment. It seemed familiar, but Aster couldn't place where. His father was the next to speak however.
"I have no doubt in your capabilities as a teacher, I myself am testament enough to your skill regarding that. I worry more that your name would suffer for my sake. That you'd face the same issues with your house that I am now. I'd rather not have half of your staff quit on you, and half of the country dub you a traitor. I appreciate your offer, but I can't ask for anymore assistance from you on this matter... You've already done more than the boy or I could ever repay you for as it stands..." Aster grimaced a bit. It seemed his father was still having to apologize on his behalf. Just for once, he wanted to give the panther a break from having to always watch his back for him, from being a burden to his father. Another voice chimed in then.
"Sir Venatus, my father and I did what we did because we felt it was the right thing, not for you, or your family to feel indebted to us for it. Aster has a big heart, and all he wants is to stand beside us. I think he deserves more than the circumstances he was dealt. I think he deserves a fair shot, and he clearly wasn't going to get one without a little help. I know the whole thing seems a bit like cheating, but they weren't exactly giving him fair treatment by putting him against that guy in the first place. Besides, if I can train him to watch my back like I think I can, I'll be able to keep him from directly being put in danger for the most part. I can't promise I can protect him from everything, but I can at least be a friend to him. I can at least show him the basic decency nobody else has. I can treat him like a person, as a brother in arms. I can make sure he doesn't have to fight his battles alone, and I get some solid support in return. It's a mutually beneficial pact."
Aster felt humbled. Everything was pretty well spot on, but he never imagined he'd actually hear a beast defending him, let alone throwing a partnership on the table. He never believed one would consider him an ally. His attention was snatched away as someone behind him cleared their throat. Aster turned to find a shaky looking young fox staring up warily at him. The two were a bit stunned by the sight of each other, but the human managed to raise his hand in a half wave. The fox forced an awkward smile, and nodded towards the room the voices were coming from, motioning that he should say something. Aster felt a bit embarrassed for being reprimanded for eavesdropping by someone obviously younger than himself, but only let out a small sigh and walked into the room, clearing his own throat a bit to make his presence known.
The first voice was obviously his father Jagón. The other two seemed to belong to the wolf Stahl, and his father, Byron. All three were sitting at a table and turned to look his way as he walked into the room. Aster took an empty seat nearby, and looked away. He figured he should say something, as much as he wanted to put it all off for a bit longer.
"Uh, this is a bit weird for me... A few days ago I couldn't even really show myself like this or talk to anyone besides my family so... I... I wanted to thank you for having me." The older wolf's face shifted into a friendly smile before he answered the boy.
"No trouble at all, only sorry you had to be our guest by result of such extreme injuries. Speaking of such, how are you feeling my boy? Everything feeling alright? You were out for nearly three days..." The silver wolf raised an eyebrow questioningly towards the human. Aster felt a twinge of pain. He knew he had pretty well missed his final match, but to hear it confirmed that he had lost The Selection just stung him regardless. The boy minded his manners though, and answered his host.
"I'm feeling pretty good considering the beating I took back there... He didn't break anything that couldn't be healed it seems. I'm a little tired still, and I've got a headache that could split wood, but I'll be alright..." Aster turned to look at his father now. The panther just silently waited for him to say what he needed to.
"Father, I'm... Sorry I disobeyed you. I'm sorry I wouldn't listen to your warnings. I'm sorry you had to watch me lose like that... I'm sorry you're dealing with the fallout of having a son like me... I'm sorry I failed, I thought I was strong enough..." Jagón listened even as the boy's fists clenched at the end. He was beating himself up pretty badly over this.
"You fought for what you believed was the right path for yourself. I am not angry, my son. I am not disappointed, I am not ashamed of you, only of myself. I could not see that you were growing into a fine man right under my own nose. I could not see how much you dreamt to have a place of your own in this world. I could not see how lonely you were, my son... For that, I am sorry... And Aster?" Aster certainly didn't expect his father to apologize to him, but when he turned to meet his eyes, he found the panther already kneeling, taking him into his arms with a tight embrace.
"I love you and I am SO proud of you. You showed more bravery than most knights my age show in a lifetime. I consider myself nothing but lucky to have a son like you." Aster really did do his best not to start crying in front of the first friend he had ever made, but he'd waited too long to hear those words already. A bit of pride couldn't have stopped them from falling anyways. The boy let his tears run freely. The wolves only watched on with warm silence."
After the two had managed to calm down a bit, the topic moved to more pressing matters.
"So... I'll be staying here to train with Stahl huh?" The three beasts looked a bit surprised, but Aster let them know he had already overheard a bit of the earlier conversation. His father confirmed as much.
"Javis did well with you Aster, but yes, it is time you learn from another teacher. Byron here taught me much when I was still but a cub myself, and I have no doubts his son can do the same for you. Besides, I have matters to attend to at our home, and this may be the safest place for you at this time. The Aschefell estate has a nearby town that is pretty well known for tolerance, So this could be one of the only chances you get to experience a bit of normal life for the next five weeks." Everything his father had spoken had made sense to Aster, and him getting to actually go out into the world for once was an opportunity he had long waited for, so the human welcomed the stay, but he still had one more question, however.
"And what happens in five weeks?" This time, it was the panther who bore a smile.
"Well, that's when you are to be sworn into the Elite King's Guard with the rest of The Selection winners."
Stahl watched on in agitation as The Selection staff loaded Aster onto a stretcher and took him from the arena. The wolf had noticed the human's father had left the royal platform to join him. Stahl still felt so unreasonably angry about how they had set the human up, that is, until he felt a familiar mind pushing a thought his way. The wolf closed his eyes, and listened to what his father had to say.
"Terrible display of ruthlessness, don't you agree my son?" Stahl rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, it was. All that commotion over a furless beast... I can't believe how far we've fallen to stoop to such methods. Couldn't even beat him without rigging the whole thing." Byron could feel the rage peeking out from behind his son's thoughts.
"I think I could use a stroll, care to join me my son?" Stahl found it an odd request considering the timing, but knew his father well enough to know the wolf had ulterior motives behind most of the `innocent,' things he did, and so the pup joined him. A while later, after the pair had reached the ground floor area, the older wolf turned to make his way down a tunnel to the staff area below. Stahl was about to follow, until he felt his father push another thought towards his mind.
"I'm dreadfully sorry to hear about your untimely stomach ache my son, and right before your final match too... Shame really, but at least you had already pushed far enough to secure your spot in the end." Stahl grew still. He wasn't unaware of the message his father was trying to get across to him, but he had no clue why the old beast would ask such a thing. Still, the pup had learned to trust the mature wolf's judgement over the years. As his father continued on his trek into the tunnels below, Stahl turned and left the area, pondering what the old canine could be plotting.
It was sometime later that the final round started. The matches progressed as usual. From his place just within the tunnel, barely out of sight, Stahl could see some winners of the event celebrating. As the matches progressed, the number of remaining participants waiting for their final turn decreased with it. Finally, when only about five matches were left, Stahl heard his match called. The rebellious wolf couldn't have held back his mischievous smirk if he had wanted to. He turned to make his exit, leaving the arena, and his unfought match behind. Stahl sent a single thought to his father as he departed.
"Well done, old dog. Well done, and thanks."
"So... Since neither of us showed, it was called as a tie... And since I had a loss already and Stahl had none, the loss went to him as the higher ranked... I-I don't know what to even say. You didn't have any real reason to help me out like that. I don't even know if I can accept winning like this..." Aster was beyond grateful for what Stahl had done for him, but he struggled with taking the shortcut. It didn't feel like he had earned it. Maybe the wolf expected as much.
"Look, Aster... You're right, I didn't have to do that... Lucky for you, I didn't. I just had a really bad stomach ache and the whole thing was a weird twist of fate." The wolf gave a mock shrug and a fanged smile towards the human. Aster wasn't amused. Stahl continued on. "And if I haaadd done anything to help you, then I hope for just one second you would actually realize that you need it. You're not playing on equal ground here. You need all the help you can get, Aster. You need all the friends you can get. Luckily for you, I'm here for both! But that also means I'll expect you to have my back out there too, just so you don't think this will be one-sided. Friends help each other, I know you don't have much experience there, but I am here to teach you after all."
Aster was prepared to argue on this, he'd been silent for long enough, but he found he'd just lost all the words he wanted to say anyways the moment that wolf called himself a friend. The human closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Stahl smiled in his victory, but perhaps a bit too prematurely. Aster popped his little hero bubble relatively quick.
"Fine. I want my match then. If you beat me, I accept what you ask of me. Both in accepting the results of The Selection, and your invitation to train. If I win, I'll personally refuse The Selection results, and continue preparing for next year's attempt instead. Prove your capability to me, Stahl Aschefell. Show me why I should trust you with so much. Why I should rely on you. Show me what you say you have to teach me." Stahl was pretty well caught off guard. The damn kid couldn't just take the win huh? Yeah. That's fair. He wouldn't want to either if the positions were flipped... Didn't expect this much resistance though.
"Fine. I accept." Stahl hated to admit it, but there was something inside himself that desperately didn't want to lose at those stakes. Aster needed him nearby. He was supposed to stay close to this human. Every instinct in his body told him the same thing, it was a horrible feeling. Stahl felt possessive and impulsive just acknowledging it, but it was just true somehow. From the moment he first saw the human passed out in the bed upstairs, finally off guard and with his walls down, something inside of himself screamed at the wolf to sit and stay. It felt like a command of someone else entirely, something that made the wolf uneasy when he thought too hard on it.
The seriousness was quickly interrupted by a very loud stomach growl. Aster just smiled half heartedly. "Maybe uh... Breakfast first? I'm starving..." Byron's laughter bounced around the stony room. The boy's could have their match after some good food.
After getting a decent meal in and some better clothing, the two young warriors found themselves standing across from each other. They may have been wielding dull weapons, but both seemed to be taking this seriously. Stahl hadn't actually been prepared to fight Aster yet, but he did remember enough about his previous fights to give him a decent idea on what to expect. Stahl had agreed to a five point match with the boy. Pretty well the basic match rules, but he encouraged unlimited use of bloodskills. He wanted to see that shield... And maybe prove some points. The wolf raised his blades above his head as he crouched into stance. Aster was going to come at him, he just knew it. He was correct.
Aster recognized the trap. The wolf was either testing him, or underestimating him. The stance was one of the basics. Strike down on an opponents weapon, strike in. Javis had beat him with it many times. Fine. If he wanted to see if he could deal with it...
Aster rushed forward, running right down the wolf's center. Right where he was supposed to be. He thrust his staff forward, and two blades came down on either side as expected. Aster let his staff fall forward with both swords, stomped on the blades, and pushed the back of his staff forward to catch the wolf in the center. Stahl surprised him by simply releasing both swords, and catching his staff mid-swing, just inches from his face. That millisecond seemed to last a lot longer to both of them while they just stared at each other for the shortest moment. Aster almost didn't see the knee coming from the right until it was too late.
Using his left hand, Aster forced a shield up just in time, covering his ribs from the impact only to still get knocked back a few feet, landing on his back with a small grunt. He never took his eyes off the wolf. He wouldn't make that mistake twice.
"So, you can do it with just one arm. Do you even have to use an arm? I had my suspicions. And that one just now looked a lot smaller than before, so you can control the size as well? Can you make them bigger? " The wolf had just suddenly stopped... Dropped his stance and everything. Aster felt a bit annoyed. There was no point called, the fight wasn't supposed to stop.
"Is- is this really the time? If you're not going to take it seriously we can jus-" The wolf put up his hands.
"Whoah, whoah, easy there. I AM taking it seriously. You told me to show you what I could teach you, I may need to know a few things to do that." The wolf pointed at the boy and smiled again. "Nice try by the way, I wasn't really expecting that, but it almost worked. Thought I had you. So... About that shield?" It seemed he wasn't planning on leaving it alone.
Aster just sighed. "It's not like I really had much guidance on it... I do know the more I concentrate, the bigger and stronger it is. I can angle it however I imagine, but I honestly don't even know the exact way or moment it appears. It just kind of does appear when I ask it. I have to use at least one arm, and for any real direct hit, I have to brace with both or I can lose my footing. I don't take the full weight behind anything I block with it, but the harder you impact against the shield, the more kick it gives me. For that reason, I tend to try angling it against attacks so I can just deflect them instead of trying to outmuscle my opponents... Because I can't win that way. Javis made it very clear I can't afford to take many hits at my size... As we all saw with Straga... Anything else? Or can we get on with it?" Aster began taking his stance once more.
"Actually yes! What's the range on that thing? Can you bash against things with it? Can it break?" Aster groaned again. He wasn't usually this impatient, but the human got serious when it came to a fight. Stahl liked it. He may have liked frustrating him even more though.
"I can't actually push it forward much, not with enough force for an attack anyways. I can make it appear other places, but the bracing is... Weird. Hard to know how to brace against impacts. Like I'm holding it on the end of a stick almost. Any significant impact just turns me, or forces my arm down, and the further away it is, the heavier it feels. I've never had it break, but I haven't really tested it against anything too strong. The smaller it is, the weaker it usuturnsfeels, but that's not always the case. There's something else I'm missing, but that's what I know. Now, since you and our father's know as much about my shield as even I do, can you please just give me my match?" The wolf was already running at him.
Stahl struck fiercely, Aster managed to catch the longer sword in the wolf's right hand with his staff, but the shorter left sword was already aiming at his gut with a jab. Aster dropped his left arm to throw his shield up right on cue, and Stahl shifted his weight, bearing the brunt of it down on Aster's right, breaking his footing. Both swords were immediately at the human's throat.
"Point." Stahl smiled. Aster did also.
Stahl managed to score two more points in a similar method, leaving Aster feeling a bit frustrated at his inability to counter the maneuver. The wolf was glad to see it. Making an opponent lose their composure was a great strategy to win. Something popped in the wolf's head then as he recalled a practice round he once had with Aster's oldest brother. He knew it was a soft spot considering what the panther had to say about the human at the trial, but still, he needed to piss him off. "You fight a lot like Talan you know? Did he teach you some?"
Aster lost his composure. Stahl dove in once more. He struck with his right, Aster blocked with the staff. Stahl's left sword went in to force the shield like before, and Aster positioned his left hand to block it again. Stahl began bearing back down on his right side once more. This time, however, Aster ignored the staff, knocked the left handed sword out of the way, and leaned in. The human balled his fist tightly, and jabbed as hard as he could into the wolf's midsection with a well-thrown uppercut. Normally this wouldn't have amounted to much, but right before impact, a small golden disk appeared at the end of his fist. Turns out, it could be used to bash.
Stahl actually staggered backwards from the hit with a yelp, landing firmly on his rear, clutching his side. Aster was visibly happy to land a hit on the warrior after the jab about his brother.
"Point."
"TH- AH! THAT HURT! Why did that hurt so much? What happened to defensive only?" Aster just shrugged at the wolf.
"Well... You gave me the idea. I can't believe it actually worked, but it is your fault for using the same tactic like that honestly. Did it really hurt that much? I didn't think I could hit you hard enough to hurt you for real..." Stahl smiled and did his best to play it off.
"There's definitely some extra power behind whatever you just slugged me with. That could be pretty helpful you know? See? Already teaching you things!" Stahl really had a shit eating look on his face in that moment. Aster just raised his staff and grunted. A moment later, it was knocked from his hands again.
"POINT! That's four to one you know? Should I have you call me Teacher? Master? What sounds good to you?" Stahl was just getting downright cocky now and Aster had already about had it with the smug wolf. The human was learning something about himself that day. He was a sore loser. Aster moved in.
Stahl was met with Aster rotating strikes, holding his staff vertically and swinging in on the sides. He managed to block most with his swords, but one did catch his arm and knock it a bit far out of reach. Aster leapt at the opening, bearing down with a full swing into it. Stahl kicked at his feet, breaking Aster's balance as the wolf moved behind him. Aster threw a shield to stop his fall, and braced against it while he desperately tried to turn in time... But he was already too late.
In one smooth motion, Stahl had Aster's back against his chest, reaching around the human with a sword on either side of his neck. Aster could feel the very presence of the large wolf nearly encompassing him in a mock embrace. He could feel the wolf's breath tickle lightly at the flesh on his throat, Aster relaxed his shoulders as he felt a rush of goosebumps cover the stimulated skin. He closed his eyes and lowered his head just the slightest bit, despite the swords poised threateningly below. For a reason he couldn't fully understand at the time, Aster shuddered. He had lost. He was glad he had.
"Point." It was barely a whisper.
After their match, and the two had managed to rest for a moment, Stahl and Aster's father wanted to show the boy something. Aster followed the pair to the end of the estate. Aster smelled something burning nearby, and soon found himself at a forge. There was a very large wolf hammering away at something glowing, Aster immediately recognized him as Stahl's family. The two looked almost identical except his brother seemed a bit wider in body and face where Stahl was taller and more slender. The wolf stopped hammering, and placed the object into a tub of water, making the entire thing sizzle and bubble. The wolf then turned to the group with a friendly look and waved.
"Lord Jagón, been wondering when you'd swing back by. Sword still treating you well?"
"As sharp as the day you last lay hands on it. How is your wife Amboss?" Aster didn't often hear his father take the time to actually make such small talk.
"As beautiful as ever. I don't believe you've seen her for some time, but we've been together for quite a while now. I can't believe she let me make her wait as long as I did to marry her to be honest. Anyways, here for your order I assume? Just finishing it up." The Stocky wolf finally looked towards Aster. He seemed to be sizing him up for some reason, and it made Aster a bit uncomfortable. The large wolf extended his hand towards the boy.
"Amboss Aschefell. So, you're who my little brother has been making all that commotion about?" Aster took the outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake, despite the younger wolf scowling at his brother. Amboss only smiled. "Guess you're also what this is about then." The gray wolf turned, and reached into the tub of water with his thick gloves. He pulled a freshly forged staff from it a moment later. The handle was solid black, and there were thin, steel blades mounted on both ends. Aster was impressed. It seemed a simple and balanced design, but he liked it. This was the first weapon he was to wield that had actual blades affixed. The wolf spoke again.
"Still needs some touching up, but I should have it finished before tomorrow afternoon for you! The armor may take a bit longer though." Aster gave his father a questioning glance. The panther smiled.
"You haven't been training in heavy armor, so it would only slow you down as you are, and the time we have left before you are sworn in isn't nearly long enough for you to adjust your entire technique. However, you are going to need some extra protection out there. You can't only keep relying on dodging, regardless of how good you are at it... So I pitched some thoughts around with Amboss and Stahl here to have you a set forged for your size, same as this staff." That made sense to Aster, but he asked a question he wasn't sure he had wanted the answer to anyways.
"And how exactly did you size it?" The panther answered like it was no big deal.
"We measured your frame while you were knocked out still. Forging something the correct way and to such precision takes time, and I saw no reason to delay the process. Luckily for us, the Aschefells are well renowned as for their ability in a forge. They even made my own sword many years ago." Aster turned blood red as he realized that meant all three had seen him naked. Still, he was thankful, not only was he getting a true weapon, but he was a bit humbled by his father's worry for him. It was still something the boy struggled to accept in some ways.
It was about that time that the four were interrupted by a petite fox clearing her throat from the entrance. "Amboss, you've been at it all morning, and you haven't eaten anything yet, take a break for a bit." Stahl's brother had a goofy expression cover his face at the sight of the fox.
"Sorry Rouge! Got a little caught up in the moment, give me just a little longer and I'll..." The wolf let the sentence die off with a single annoyed glance from the smaller fox. He picked it back up a moment later, correcting his error. "Yeah, you're probably right, my love. Let's take a break shall we?" The fox smiled softly, and walked up to the stocky wolf. She leaned in and gave him a little kiss while he held her in his embrace. Stahl noticed Aster shift uncomfortably when the two kissed, and as the group was leaving to head to the dining area, Stahl cautiously confronted him about it. There were many that opposed interspecies couples, and while a fox and a wolf were definitely a more tame example, Stahl didn't want to insult his brother or his wife, so he clarified.
"So uh... guess you've never seen an interspecies relationship huh? I know it can come as a surprise, but we stay pretty open minded here. That's not going to be an issue is it?" Aster looked to the wolf shocked.
"NO!" Aster lowered his voice a bit after getting some questioning glances at the outburst. "It's not that, I think it's great that people can find each other despite the differences between them... It's just... I've never seen anyone actually kiss before is all." It felt a little pathetic to admit that out loud, but it was the truth, and Aster didn't want to lie to his friend. Stahl just stopped in his tracks and stared down at the little human. Aster took another two steps and stopped himself, turning to the wolf.
"Surprised? I get it... I kind of accepted that romance will never be a part of my life is all, being the last of my kind and such, so I just get a little thrown off when I see it... They seem like they make each other happy though, so I'm good with that. I'm happy they at least get to have that." The human looked towards the stocky wolf with his arm around the fox and smiled before he continued after them. Stahl was still just watching as the human walked away.
It was such a simple and obvious thing he had overlooked, but he still had braced to hear the worst from the human. He was relieved to find there wouldn't be any friction over his brother, but something about what his friend had confided in him bothered the wolf anyways. He couldn't quite place what it was, and shelved the thought for the time being as he began following the little human once more. Aster found an odd sense of comfort knowing the wolf was still there. Knowing he was still walking behind him.
Ok, ok. I rewrote this chapter 3 damn times... and still decided it would have to be two. So we actually have one more chapter where the two get to know each other better at the wolf's estate, THEN we push onwards to the main plot. I'm reminding myself to pace it, and that there is no need to rush or skip scenes I don't want to. So more coming soon guys.
(I'll be revisiting the first few chapters and fixing some small stuff soon, it just usually takes me a bit to fall into my groove and I was a bit rusty on structure and punctuation since this is my first story in some time.) Thanks for hanging with me guys. Love hearing your thoughts.