WORRLGENHALL

by Luke, Monica

Quickly, yet quietly both walked, but suddenly stopped and hid in one of the darkened corners when two guilds came walking down the hallway.

  “We must leave with haste,” Elgen urged fearful, “And not tarry. Where did you speak the horses are held?”

  “Follow me,” Augerd said; then turned down another hallway, “I have two waiting for us in the lower stables.”

  Again, both rushed down the hallway, only again to have others delay them, but right away Augerd recognized who now walked by.

  “Look,” he whispered, “I know how you can bargain for your brother.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The two women coming towards us,” Augerd answered, “One of them is the head maiden to King Aderac’s daughter.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I saw her tending to her earlier in the day.”

  Elgen hesitated, his mind right away going to who would be the most vengeful for taking the young woman.

  “It would be better for you fall on your sword now,” Elgen warned after watching him cut down the two Hemrock men earlier in the night, “Than for you to take her.”

  “Ah,” Augerd countered already knowing why he gave his warning, “I know he is weak when it comes to those he loves. The girl will want her maiden back, and will cry to King Aderac, who will sway Belon from vengeance. In such you can bargain for your brother.”

  Not convinced with his idea, Elgen hesitated, but when both passed, Augerd quickly took the matter literally into his own hands.

  Seizing whoever was in the lead, as if as gentle as snap of a delicate twig would have been, he broke her neck, and before the other barely realized what had happened and could scream, he covered her mouth and pulled her into the darkness.

  “Hold your tongue,” his threat, while his hand covered her mouth, “Or find yourself lying alongside her dead on the floor.”

  Frightened for her life, she nodded.

  “Good,” he commented, then struck her across the face, knocking her out instantly.

  Her body cascading to the floor, he caught her quickly.

  “It is done,” he said making the decision for Elgen, as he supported her seemingly lifeless body, “Now help me carry her away with us.”

  **

  His mind flooded with thoughts about the vying challenge in the morning and the order he gave Enek. Belon wrestled in his dreams over it, and since Aderac was in his arms, it woke him.

  “Belon,” Aderac pushed his side gently to wake him.

  “Yes,” he groggily responded.

  “You are moving much in your sleep,” Aderac said, as he slightly raised his head, “What troubles you?”

  “That all goes as it should in the morning,” Belon admitted, as he yawned tired from lack of good sleep and moved onto his back from his side.

  “What do you believe could go wrong?”

  “I do not know.” He sighed, and put one arm behind his head, “But Celgon seems to have a way of getting loose from tangled webs.”

  “This web is made like no other,” Aderac assured him, “It is made steady and strong by Ivodgald’s thread woven with Worrlgen’s.”

  “You are indeed Ivodgald.” Belon smiled at him.

  “Belon,” Aderac said, as he moved slightly more to look at him better, “I am not Ivodgald. We are Ivodgald.”

  Belon sighed again; reassured as always by Aderac that he was not just one in command of his kingdom and his lover. He was his life and they would hold it together by loyalty and love.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Just a little.”

  “I still cannot sleep with ease,” Belon said, as he got out of bed, “I am going to men’s hall to get something to eat. Would you like me to bring you something my only joy?”

  “Yes.” Aderac smiled from his loving words and thoughtful gesture, “Thank you, honey.”

  “We can eat in bed; then I will try to sleep for a time until the sun rises.”

  “And something for us drink,” Aderac added, as he watched Belon dress, “To wash down the food.”

  “Yes,” Belon said; then sat on the edge of the bed to put his boots on.

  When he did, Aderac played with Belon’s back with his toe and right away aroused, Belon looked at him and let the other boot he had in his hand fall to the floor.

  “Careful,” he warned. Belon’s eyes traveling up Aderac’s leg before stopping at his now thickening shaft rising from his thigh, before he grabbed his foot and began nibbling on his big toe, “Or I shall have you sitting on me again.”

  “Will you?” Aderac teased, and lifted his head when he felt the heat of Belon’s mouth around his toe.”

  “You know me and you know I will,” Belon reminded, as he now slowly moved his hand up Aderac’s leg.

  Aderac moaned; then looked at him with a roguish grin.

  “You are already dressed,” he lustfully said, “So go, but when you come back, after we eat I will indeed be sitting on you.”

  Belon smiled back, and then turned to put on his other boot.

  “Do not be gone long,” his leading words of now expected passion. “Now, I am hungry for my Belon.”

  “I will not,” he said, as he now leaned over the bed to Aderac, “Muah,” he always affectionately sounded off when he kissed him; then turned and began walking towards the door.

  “Belon!” Aderac called out when he noticed he walked pass his belt.

  “Yes.”

  “Take Raudgred.”

  “Aderac, I am only going to the men’s hall to get us something to eat and drink.” He chuckled.

  “And you shall have Raudgred on your side as you do,” he urged, as one eyebrow rose.

  “Very well,” Belon gave in, then walked back to his belt and put it on; then sheath his sword. “Now you may go.”

  Belon smiled, then pursed his lips and shook his head. “Yes, my sweet.”

  Casually, laughing at how Aderac chided him, as he walked down the hallways towards the men’s hall; when he saw something large crumpled on the wooden floor; he went to examine what it was.

  Curiously, he kneeled and touched what he gathered were discarded clothes, but when he noticed they weren’t his eyes widened shocked from not what, but who it actually was.

  “Curses!” he said loudly, and although knowing she was dead, he eased the small frame carefully to the floor, then turned and ran back to the chamber floor.

  When the guard saw Belon running hard down the hallway, he stepped father out to see what was wrong, and as Belon got closer, he shouted.

  “Did anyone leave or come to this chamber?”

  “None came, but the lady’s two maidens went out,” he answered.

  “Did you not gather it is a little late for such?” Belon questioned, as he now stood in front of him.

  “I had no commands that they could not,” he answered in his own defense.”

  “Open the door and step out of the way,” Belon commanded, as he put his hand on hilt of his sword and unsheathe it halfway ready to kill any bold enough to charge forward.

  Cautiously, he burst inside hurrying to Beladera’s bed; then when he saw her sleeping peacefully on her own bed, he looked over at Ihon, who was sleeping peacefully also on his, then at Belo sleeping beside him.

  “No one goes in or out,” Belon commanded. His mind now eased because his children were safe, before he fully sheathed his sword and walked away.

  Before he went to anyone to speak of what happened; Belon went back to the chamber to give the horrifying news to Aderac first, and as soon as he walked through the door, Aderac saw his troubled look.

  “What is it?” he asked, when Belon walked inside, “Why such a look?”

  “Yala is lying in a hallway dead and Silinia was not beside her.”

  Aderac’s face turned completely pale.

  “Our children Belon, our children!” he cried out, as he forgot about his ribs, sprang out of bed, and began hurrying towards the door, “We must see about them!” />
  “They are well,” Belon blurted, then got in front of him, “And you cannot walk out of this chamber now.”

  “Dare you stand in front of me to stop me?” Aderac blared defiantly. His concern only that their children were safe, “I am going to see about our children, Belon!”

  “Aderac!” Belon called his name loudly to stop him, “You cannot walk out. You are naked!”

  Now realizing it, Aderac looked down at himself and shook his head,

  “I am troubled, so troubled,” he admitted, as he hastily sat down trying to calm himself.

  Belon kneeled in front of him, and put his hands on Aderac’s shoulders before pulling him up to stand to face him.

  “Do not be and calm, our children are safe,” he soothingly said, as he now held him, “Now you know what I spoke of about Celgon getting loose from tangled webs. I trust with all within me that this has to do with them.”

  “I shall dress,” Aderac said, as he calmed.

  As Aderac dressed, Belon paced back and forth occasionally blurting how he planned to kill all those from Celgon.

  “None shall live!” Belon again asserted loudly, as he did, “None shall live!”

  As he ranted more, Aderac, who offered no enticing comments that would get his temper worked up even more; listened allowing him to vent some of his anger, then while trying to put on his boots, Belon rushed over to him to help him.

  “Honey,” Aderac said, as he looked down at him while he kneeled putting on his boots for him. “I shall back you in your words as you speak of this matter, but I am king and should matters rise of wars and kingdoms, it will be for me to speak and not you.”

  Belon nodded, fully understanding that Aderac was the king, and that it was he and Baric who had the final decision on how the matter would be handled.

  “Come,” Aderac said, once his boots were on, “Let us unveil all of what has happened.”

  As he spoke, Belon got his knife and axe, and put it in his belt.

  “You will stay close to me and not part from me at all,” he protectively ordered.

  “Yes, honey,” he said; and began walking with Belon heavily walking close behind him.

  **

  When a servant walked down the hallway and stumbled across the body of the woman Augerd killed, he hurried to tell one of the inner guards, who quickly got word to Laad.

  “Such woe!” he bellowed anguished when he recognized her.

  “Is she who I fear she is?” Loth asked warily, truly hoping he was wrong.

  “She is.”

  Dreadfully, both exhaled loudly and decided instead of going to Aderac first, to go to Baric.

  “Curses!” Baric cried out, then closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath, “Dare it be one thing after another, these past days and nights.”

  Both nodded unable to deny that one calamity after another had plagued them.

  “Have any spoken to my cousin of this?”

  “No king,” Laad answered, “We reasoned it best to speak to you first.”

  Baric nodded in agreement.

  “I shall dress,” he then said, “And we will go together.

  While they waited, as Baric dressed, one of the inner guards hurried down the hallway.

  “King Aderac and Belon are coming,” he quickly warned, “And their steps are wide and heavy.”

  Loth looked at Laad. “Do you reason they know?”

  After giving him an odd look for asking a foolish question, Laad shook his head.

  “It is the middle of the night,” he scoffed, “And I gather they are not walking heavily towards us to ask us all to go for a pleasant walk with them by the waterfall.”

  Once Aderac was in front of Laad and Loth, both bowed their heads.

  “Such woe,” Laad spoke first since he was highest in command under King Baric, “Such woe, great king for the loss of one of your maidens.”

  “Yes,” Aderac said, his face painted with a scowl, “And the other is missing.”

  Laad’s eyes went to Loth, and Loth’s to Laad.

  “That was not known to us,” Laad’s reactive surprised comment.

  “And now it is,” he said sarcastically, “And I want the matter of who did it handled with haste.”

  Just as he finished his last word, Baric walked out the door and looked startled to see them already there.

  “Cousin… such woe.” he responded gathering they knew.

  “One maiden is dead,” Aderac said, as he looked back and forth at all three of them, “And the other is missing.”

  Baric gave a questioning look to Laad. “Missing?”

  “We did not know,” he responded quickly.

  “Then let us question who does know,” Aderac asserted his authority as a king of a larger kingdom and longer on the throne of the same bloodline, as he now began to fume.

  “Let us,” Baric said, as he began to walk, with everyone else close behind him.

  Nothing spoken while they walked, their heads spun with thoughts of what could have happened, then when they rounded the corner and saw no guards at Elgen’s door, Belon reacted first and rushed forward.

  “Just as I feared,” he said aloud, after he burst inside, “He is gone.”

  “Lord Cadon?” Laad voiced, before all rushed away quickly rounding the corner to the other chamber to see if he was gone as well.

  As all rushed towards the other chamber, the horde of steps rumbling down the hallway, the two guards stepped out curious who approached; then when the saw Baric and Aderac among them, stiffened and stood erect posted in front of the door.

  “Move!” Belon demanded, as he grabbed the hilt of his sword and kicked the door open.

  Sleeping soundly, Cadon woke startled.

  “What is the cause for this?” he asked, as his eyes scanned their faces noticing a disdained look on each one.

  “Your brother has escaped,” Baric revealed, “Who helped him?”

  “I do not know,” he answered at once.

  “Lies!” Belon shouted, then rushed towards him, grabbed him by his head and took out his knife, then put the very tip under Cadon’s chin pricking him just enough to draw blood, “Speak another and I will shove this knife into your chin until it comes out the top of that empty skull of yours.”

  “Belon!” Aderac said sternly, “Put your knife away and calm!”

  “Do you really believe?” Cadon asked, now scowling at Belon, but careful not to move his chin and make Belon’s knife go deeper, “That I would be in bed asleep and not with my brother if I had known he was going to escape.”

  “I care not to reason what is within your touched head,” Belon’s livid threat, as he gripped his head even tighter longing to push his head down more onto his knife, “Only that it will soon roll around on the ground off your neck, if I do not sever it first.”

  “Belon only son of Hagen the Strong,” Aderac’s again stern words, as he now added his lineage to let him know to heed him at once, “You will put your knife away. Step away from him. Speak nothing else, and calm.”

  Reluctantly, Belon released his head; then after taking in a few deep breathes, stepped backwards.

  Still scowling at him, he put his knife back into his belt before he turned and walked to Aderac, but as he faced him Aderac noticed his jaws still tightly clenched.

  “You have breathed fire long enough, my wonderful dragon,” he lovingly chided, then reached up and ran his fingers through his thick semi short hair, brushing it from his face before touching it tenderly, “Now you will calm.”

  As if an agitated puppy now soothed, Belon calmed, unclenched his jaw, and said nothing else.

  All silently marveled as they watched Aderac calm Belon, who once so tempestuous when angry no one could; they knew that he probably would have stuck his knife deep into Lord Cadon’s chin killing him, but mere soothing words from Aderac calmed him and kept him from doing it.

  “Have the guards sound the horns for the guilds to gather and search,” Baric now or
dered, “At once.”

  Cadon said nothing, as he looked at them from his bed.

  “Get dressed,” Baric now ordered him, “You will stand before me in my court, and in front of the quorum.”

  When Baric turned and walked out, Laad spoke to the two guards.

  “Watch him as he does anything, even if it is to use the chamber pot. He is not to leave your sight.”

  Walking two by two, they all descended the stairs; but Aderac caught a glimpse of something on the floor to his left, and stopped.

  “What lies in the shadows?” He questioned, and squinted to see it better.

  “Stay here,” Belon protectively said, and withdrew his sword then stepped cautiously towards it.

  Anxiously, waiting to find out what was there all hushed and watched intently.

  “It is a guild!” he shouted from the darkness, “Someone stabbed him in the back.”

  Right away Loth and Laad rushed over to the dead guild.

  “It is Ledon.” Loth recognized him, “The other high guild charged to guard Lord Elgen’s door.”

  “Who could do this?” Aderac asked, becoming even more upset.

  “It has to be one of the high guilds.” Belon knew, as he walked back to Aderac, “It has to be.”

  “Could it be one of your guilds?” Aderac asked Baric.

  Baric inhaled. He knew Belon was right. No one else could walk about on the high chamber floors other than the king’s guards or high guilds unless granted permission.

  “I shall confess, I fear it must be,” Baric answered, as he began to seethe, “Gather all the high guilds ordered to guard the two lords, and question them at length.”

  **

  When he heard the horns, Augerd knew they discovered Elgen had escaped and probably the guild he killed who was to guard with him.

  “We have been found out,” he said, as they rode, “We must ride harder.”

  “We will not make it out of Worrlgen in time,” Elgen feared, “They will ride hard after us.”

  Both riding harder, Elgen looked over at the woman still unconscious across Augerd’s horse.

  “We should leave her,” he suggested, “So we can flee faster.”

  Still certain they needed her, Augerd stuck to his idea.