Woodcastle

by Kell Inkston

  The knights wait patiently for Chaos to emerge. When he does, he simply tears open a dimensional portal and leaps in, but not before calling Redemption a “beautiful and refined woman of aristocracy”. Then there is more patrolling about for any straggling threats, and after is discussion, apologizing on the side of the fairies, and a small ceremony to crown the young fairy prince, Tylvania and Pitch’s only child, Oberon.

  Once Order is back on her feet she immediately begins searching for Love and by tracing her mana signature, Order finds it lead into the knight’s guest quarters and then into Everlock; Aoline also seems to be missing. Order takes a guess they’re holding up with Chaos, and her trail could be followed through to Towerne. She discusses this with Redemption and they decide to set forth on an official expedition to hunt Chaos through the confiscated Everlock once they’ve properly prepared and chosen the appropriate knights to join them on the mission. Afterwards, the bodies of the dead are collected, and the knights set off, the kingdom of fairies saved, but The High Tea and the King of the Fairies, lost.

  No one seems all that happy, least of all Gallin, who forced himself to take a seat and just watch all the knights pass by on their trek back from their rescue mission.

  They say Liefland is a wonderful place to visit, even if you’re a human.

  Chapter Thirty: The Walk Back

  Through the evening forest, the knights are led by Matimay, every soul holding a lantern of their own. It is a quiet parade, lit by the solemn, blue flames of their magic lights. Few words are exchanged, but there are two people that are more willing to talk than most.

  Dresmond, walking right next to Law on the way back inspects the small, temporary discolorations of where his wounds used to be; a common side-effect of healing magic. He sighs, looks behind him and can just barely spot the dreamy, misty lights of Liefland in the distance. Law notes that his companion has stopped. Law waits with him just a moment to admire the sounds, scents, and sights of the deep forest, and then speaks.

  “Dresmond,” Law begins, nodding to the path to follow the other knights as he finishes folding a cat-print note into one of his in-armor compartments.

  “Right, sorry,” the boy responds, lasting one moment more before turning back to the mossy road.

  “I must say, I’m not really all that surprised.”

  “About what?”

  “That you were the only recruit out of the three that’s still here.”

  “Really? Did the other two seem ... incompetent?”

  “Not that. I just feel like, out of all you three, you’re the best suited for this line of work. Tell me, did any of the soldiers on the front lines run in like Lain did?”

  “... Quite a few, but most of them did it because they were sure they would come back.”

  “Interesting, you humans. So many of you seem to take suicide so casually.”

  “For the ones that die, I suppose they did.”

  “Yes well, dragon-kin take it much more seriously. A female will have at most three children that reach adulthood throughout her lifespan. From what I’ve read of the reservations, our culture still holds on; most of the children die from training and tests of ability before they’re even twenty. We spend so much time thrusting our children into danger, that when one of them does it voluntarily, it’s sung about for weeks, if not years.”

  “I see. I suppose we honor humans similarly, though I guess it’d be more common place amongst us.”

  “I remember one time ... Your human societies, no offense, are rather insane. I remember one time I saw on the newspapers a pair of boys dying to protect their mother from a highwayman. One was killed outright, and the other died of wounds shortly after. Had that happened in a dragon-kin society, those two souls would have been immortalized in songs and tales, but the very next day I checked the paper, expecting a multitude of services honoring the selflessness of the two children, and instead I find news on political gossip- as if it had never happened. I was disgusted.”

  “Is that so unusual? Societies need to go on; everyone has a job to do and we can’t just waste our time crying about people that are now irrelevant.”

  “... I respectfully disagree, Knight Dresmond.”

  “... That’s alright. I’m not sure how much my thoughts matter anyway.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I’m surrounded by brave, selfless people every day in The Knights. I realized though, during the very first day of my combat duty, that I was… a coward.”

  “... What?”

  “I told you how the squads I was with had died. Those brash, badly-equipped, boys shouting for the glory of their own kingdoms, they were the heroes, not me.”

  “But you survived; you did, and are still doing, your job in the war! You were the only one out of those multitudes that got out!”

  “Because they charged in. I watched them.”

  “... You stayed behind?”

  “I don’t know why. I came up ready to kill the eastern menace, but the moment I was shot in the arm from a stray bullet, all of the propaganda, all the hatred, just melted away. I wasn’t angry at the enemy; I was just scared for myself. The second I got hurt I wanted to quit, but I knew I wouldn’t have much of a life for me after the war if I ran away ... I’d be removed from The Knights, and no one would hire someone who was kicked from The Knights; that would only be the best case scenario. I’m… Lain couldn’t seem to figure it that I’m a disgrace,” Dresmond says, looking away from Law, who is staring straight at the boy.

  “... Why are you telling me this?”

  “When I saw Lain throw himself at Oa I knew I had to come clean. I’m not a real soldier… I know we talked about this earlier, but I… I couldn’t get it off me.”

  Law snuffs. “Well, maybe when you get back on the front lines you will be.”

  “... I don’t ... I know myself better than that. I’ll crumple into an abandoned building the second I’m free to move,” Dresmond says, stumbling for a fleeting second across a root before regaining his balance.

  “That could be, or you could do as Lain did, and follow the code of The Knights. Being honest with a fellow knight like me was a step in the right direction, but you must understand we’re all on the long road to perfection; none of us are quite like our ancient King, but we dream and fight ourselves and our foes for the day that we might be, I ‘spose.”

  “The King… Rayda ... he must have been something.”

  “I heard from Love that he was the most incredible person she had ever met ... and that meant something to me, because she was the most incredible person I had ever met.”

  “... You two must be close.” Law looks on to the traveling crowd of knights ahead of them.

  Law subconsciously reaches to pat the note deeper into its compartment. There’s a look of pure disgust on his features. “I don’t know anymore. You heard s’disappeared conveniently after missing her shot and hitting Order in the leg?”

  Dresmond squints an intrigued eye. “I didn’t.”

  “S’was ... like a mother to me. She nursed me from the egg upwards to be a man of ... dignity and honesty, and now she shoots her best friend in the leg and disappears. I just ... this past night have been very confusing, Dresmond. It’s all gone by s’fast, and I feel like we have barely any answers,” Law says, keeping his gaze straight into the long halls of the wood around them. Dresmond is quiet a moment and then sighs.

  “I have faith in her. She’s been with The Knights for thousands of years, after all.”

  “Yes, she has. It’s weird. I remember when I was a child, I would ask her why, if she’s so old, does she not know everything. S’would always smile, kiss me on the forehead and say: “because that’s someone else’s job.” Here we are though, thousands of years with people like Redemption, Order, Love and their kind, and where has our kingdom gone with The Knights? What have we really done, now that Rayda’s gone? What have we given?”

  Dresmond hums. “... Hope. More than anyone
, I’d say. There’s a reason people still join The Knights, sir,” Dresmond says, making sure the two of them make eye contact. There is a slight pause, and then Hos’Rayull speaks up.

  “... I suppose you’re right,” Law says, scratching his neck.

  “I am, if it weren’t for arch mages joining The Knights, either before or after they learned longevity magic, the Western Kingdoms wouldn’t even exist, or worse, we’d be just like the Easterners.”

  “ ‘Barbarians in the clothing of nobility.’ ” Rayull says, giving a popular quote.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Well ... thanks, Dresmond. You did a fine job, getting the other knights here.”

  “And you did a great job providing a distraction. I’ve actually never met a dragon-kin personally before you, and I’d say you’re a high cut above most of the humans I know,” Dresmond says frankly. Rayull coughs, as if he had something stuck in his throat, or just received a very unexpected, very welcome compliment amidst such a horrible night.

  “... Thank you.”

  “No problem, Sir.”

  “And don’t call me ‘Sir.’ ”

  “... You got it, Rayull,” Dresmond says just as the lights of Liefland disappear completely. Neither of these knights will ever see the lights of the fairy city again, but neither of them mind. Law’s too preoccupied with thoughts of Love’s disappearance, and Dresmond too distracted by the thought of his inevitable return to the battlefield.

  The two men follow the other knights through the wood and arrive back at the headquarters hours later. While others rest, Order and Redemption stay up through the night discussing their plans for finding Towerne which, with his blatant mana signature left behind and Love’s Everlock, should give them enough info to at least get close.

  Law does his best to clear his mind of Meeo’s words on the note. He’ll burn it the second he gets into privacy. It’s obviously her handwriting, but no person in her right mind would write such a thing.

  Chapter Thirty One: Nobility of the Grinning Court

  Love walks out of Liefholn’s great tea room having hit her mark perfectly. There’s a part of her that has difficulty with the fact that she shot her best friend in the leg, but the rest of her is stronger and as such chokes it out in the moment. She hasn’t forgotten why she’s doing this, and she hasn’t forgotten that she’s the only one aware of the broader situation at hand. Love stops in the middle of a hall, out of the sight of the others as soon as she can; the moment they realize what’s happened, they’ll be after her. She’ll become the prey of The Knights.

  The Spell-Weaving Meeo goes up to the knight’s sleeping quarters without problem and finds Aoline, still asleep. Love steps up to her and then gently strokes the girl’s cheek. The young knight’s sleepy eyes open to look about.

  “Love ... what happened? Where’s Chaos?” the white-haired young lady asks as she rubs her eyes. Meeo just stares at the girl for a moment, realizing that Chaos’ essence got far enough into her to cause a sense of intense adoration for him- she’s infected with infatuation.

  Love glances aside covertly. “Mmm, quite a bit’s happened, actually. I was just about to go back and find him,” Love says, checking her dimensional sheath and locating Everlock, lying soundly inside its pocket dimension. She’s going to have to give up her precious door for this, but she knows it’ll be worth it. Aoline clears her throat, thinks a moment, and then looks up, smiling brightly and without a hint of fear.

  “C- ... can I come with you?” Aoline asks, looking around to see if anyone’s watching, out of curiosity, more so than unease. Love hums, squishes her index finger into her cheek and nods.

  “Yes ... hrm- yes I suppose you can, just know that chances are things would be easier for you if you were to stay here with the knights,” she says and then pulls out Everlock and stands it up.

  The young woman doesn’t miss a beat. “That’s fine. Now let’s go find our overlord!” Aoline responds when she hops up from her bed, the sleepiness fading away quickly. Love gives a kind, albeit concerned smile and opens Everlock. With not even a glance behind her, Aoline hops into Everlock with the chipperness of a sparrow.

  Meeo takes a moment to look behind her just before she enters Negative Space.

  “… This is it, then, isn’t it?”

  She appreciates the silence of the room a moment, Everlock cracked open waiting for her entrance.

  “I won’t be able to turn back from this one, but it’s the right thing to do,” she says, trembling lightly as she decides finally to reach for her kitty stationary. He deserves to know, at least, and she know he won’t rat her out. She writes a quick note to Knight Law, leaves it on the bed, and steps into Everlock, leaving the door behind, because she can’t very well take it with her.

  After giving her door a tender goodbye, she travels alongside Aoline through the swirling spaces. At the other side they meet the very same minion that was watching the entrance the first time, sitting on the very same couch, with the very same blank, bored look on her features until she spots the two.

  “Oh, uh, hi! You’re those folks from before!” the short minion begins, promptly getting off the couch and going over to the staircase. “I’ll be just one moment,” she adds before disappearing up the case. Love looks to her side and notes that Aoline is practically trembling with excitement; knowing this, she’s not all that sure if her excitement is something to be encouraged or opposed- fascination can be dangerous, depending on the object that holds it. Love never thought it would happen, but someone has gone from adoring Order to adoring Chaos in the span of a day.

  A stoic, solidly-built minion comes down the steps. His antennae look more like the blades of knives than anything, and his breath has a powerful thinness to it, as if he’s just breathing it to humor those around him, rather than requiring it to live.

  “Come with me. The Overlord’s waitin’,” he says, his slanted eyes inspecting the two humans for a moment before he motions for them to follow. Love follows with her usual smile and Aoline, after taking a deep breath, follows as well.

  Something seems off to Love as she goes through the tower, as if this place is somehow totally new to her, and yet mixed with the feelings of home. It weighs on her mind until the minion escorting her opens the door on the tower’s ground floor, and this time instead of a long, white beach with minions playing about while doing various, ludicrous tasks, it is instead a forested island with the tower standing defiantly tall amidst the trees. Aoline gasps the moment she looks out. Love makes no semblance of surprise on her face, a matter of fact she would expect Chaos to have an enchanted, trans-dimensional tower like this one. This is how he has been able to avoid detection by The Knights for all these millennia. Towerne: the fortress that crosses realms.

  “Wasn’t this a beach?” Aoline asks.

  “Hmm, I don’t think it’s the beach that changed, Aoline. I’m pretty sure this is just another one of his.”

  “That’s… incredible,” Aoline says softly as she marvels at the limitlessness of her admired tyrant.

  “I suppose Chaos’ magic has that effect on people,” Love says as Aoline begins scanning around to take in as much as possible.

  “Right, I don’t doubt it. So wh- ... oh, hey! Cooking Minion!” Aoline shouts out when she spots a short, rather adorable little trouble maker cooking something on a free-range magic grill. Cooking Minion’s antennae perk up at the delight of someone paying attention to him. He turns around with a suave gaze, exuding spicy brilliance.

  “Yes?” the tiny minion says with a long grin, not so unlike his dark master’s.

  “It’s me! Aoline!” she shouts with a grin of equal satisfaction, appreciating the sight of someone she recognizes in the lair of the Overlord, a location that would churn most knight’s nerves right to their core.

  Cooking Minion seems far more confidant while practicing his craft, Aoline notes, almost as though he has some secret advantage over the people he’s talking to. “Hmm, yeah I rem
ember, it’s been like, half a day, after all. Nice to have you back. You lookin’ for Chaos?”

  “Yeah!”

  He nods into the woods. “Cool, he’s just over at the animarium,” Cooking Minion says while delegating a patty to the air.

  “The what?” Aoline asks. Love nudges her gently.

  “It’s where he would keep animals,” Meeo says with a collected smile.

  “Oh! ... So where’s the animarium?” Aoline asks. The tall, scary minion motions again with his hand over to a dirt pathway just to the right of Cooking Minion’s grill.

  “I’ll direct y’there. Come along,” he says, promptly accompanied by the two ladies.

  The serious-looking minion leads the two lady knights through a series of scenic pathways decorated with shockingly cute, intricately-carved sign posts each made by the careful hand of The Overlord’s own Aesthetically Pleasing Directional-Navigation Apparatus Creation and Installation Minion. They pass Magic Minion, who looks up from her book and smiles with a warmth that Love has not seen on the faces of The Knights in a long time; the minions seem happier than them, somehow, as if they still have something the knights do not. After a pleasant walk through The Overlord’s well-tended garden forest, the trio reaches what looks to be a field of animals, frolicking, resting, eating and singing in their peculiar animal voices. In the center of a group of sheep and one lion is Chaos, standing over the herd and feeding them by the hand from a bag slung around his shoulder.

  Love never thought she would see the day in which she’d witness the infamous Slayer of Billions feeding a pack of happy, fluffy sheep in a pastoral field, but by this point she can believe he’s capable of most anything, be it painting pictures of flowers, or painting one of his towers with the blood of innocents. She expected to see this from what she’s read, but seeing it for herself is somewhat humbling; she can understand now how Order’s had so much trouble justifying the Chaos Hunt in her mind. He seems like a rather good fellow.

  From across the field, Chaos’ antennae perk up, detecting them even before they had reached the tree line. He turns, waves and stores the bag back into his dimensional throat for later use. A few of the sheep trail off and follow Chaos while he naturally, calmly saunters over to the three.