The King's Treasure

by Carol M. Vaughn

  Arianwyn’s gasp was interrupted by a pack of giant wolves running into the courtyard. Her breath hissed between her teeth and she took an involuntary step back. The wolves were as tall as a man at the shoulder, their teeth easily as long as her hand. Two silver wolves stepped forward from the group, eyes dark as midnight. Their noses quivered slightly as they took in the scents around them. “Your Majesties, welcome to our home. May I present my bride, Lady Arianwyn?” Rael took Arianwyn’s elbow, pulling her forward. She gave a nervous curtsy to the giant beasts, wondering if Rael had gone mad.

  The air around the two wolves shimmered. They reared onto their back legs, arms and heads shrinking and fur disappearing. “King Rael, it is an honor to be invited to such an auspicious occasion.” King Boris gave a bare tilt of his head. His hair was as silver as his fur had been. He was wearing a heavy, floor length fur coat, as was his wife. Both had eyes as dark as the wolves' eyes had been.

  “Lady Arianwyn, your story has been most intriguing to learn,” Queen Ylva said.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen Ylva,” Arianwyn said, inclining her head and curtsying slightly. They would not be the same rank until after the wedding. “Should you have any questions, I would be delighted to answer them.”

  “Have you seen the Clouds?” King Boris asked.

  “We have,” Rael responded. “Hopefully this will be a time for us to avert destruction. The Time of Peace has been profitable for us all. Won’t you join us for dinner?”

  “We have already eaten,” Queen Ylva remarked. “And I’m afraid that we won’t find your food very…palatable.”

  “Of course, forgive my manners. I had forgotten. You and your children are welcome to hunt our lands. I only ask that you gain permission from the herdsmen before killing a herd animal. Do not fear for payment, I will gladly recompense the herdsman.”

  “You are most kind. I assume our rooms are the same as before?” Rael nodded. “We will retire then. We have no need of a guide.” The small group left, six of the wolves transforming into young men similar in appearance to the king and queen, although their fur and hair were a sandy blond color. Arianwyn and Rael returned to the feast.

  “They decided not to eat with us?”

  “Yes, I forgot their diet is somewhat specialized.” Rael beckoned a servant forward. “Please remind Tad and Tess about the Inugami’s specific dietary needs.” The servant bowed and left quickly.

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand why they couldn’t eat with us,” Arianwyn said, feeling embarrassed at her ignorance. She and Rael returned to the table and took their seats again.

  “They are Inugami,” Queen Asherah said, nose in the air.

  “It means,” Queen Isidora elaborated, shooting a dark look at Queen Asherah, “that they can only eat raw meat. It is one of the side effects of their Totem. They usually hunt in Totem form.” Arianwyn struggled to hide her shocked and repulsed expression. She knew from the sneer on Asherah’s face that she failed miserably.

  The remainder of the night was uneventful except for one thing. Rael escorted her to her chambers, leaving a third guard with Edmund and Halvard for the night. Rael stood frowning at her door after that. “Your Majesty?” she asked.

  He started and glanced down at her. “I should have moved you to the Queen's Chambers,” he finally answered. He spun on his heel and marched off. Arianwyn frowned after him.

  James grinned. “He's worried about the Admiral.”

  “Oh, dear,” Arianwyn sighed. “Is he likely to cause trouble?”

  Edmund snorted. “The King is the not the Emperor. The Admiral will not dare his wrath.” Arianwyn nodded and entered her rooms. It was with relief that Arianwyn went to bed, only to awake regretfully the next morning. Arianwyn was entertaining the queens and the daughters of the thanes during the midmorning brunch when the sound of thunder shook the mountain. Arianwyn frowned, peering out her open door to a window. There was not a cloud in the sky. She had just turned back to the women when a knock sounded at the door frame.

  “Yes?”

  “Lady Arianwyn, King Rael sent me to fetch you in order to greet the Minotaur Totem,” a young page said.

  “Thank you. Please excuse me,” she said to the women, standing up and walking out. She heaved a sigh of relief when she was out of earshot of the other queens. “Do they ever stop arguing?” she asked no one in particular.

  Sigurd chuckled. “That is the whole point of being royal, argue until everyone agrees with you. Trouble usually doesn’t arrive until you’re in the midst of more royalty.” Arianwyn rolled her eyes.

  Rael was at the customary place at the top of the stairs, awaiting Arianwyn. He held his arm out when she arrived and they again mounted the wall. “I thought you would appreciate seeing this entourage approaching the city.”

  “I do find it fascinating,” she said, smiling. “I’ve never seen such pageantry before!”

  Rael chuckled. “You’ve been spending too much time with the queens. You don’t normally speak like that.”

  Arianwyn grimaced. “That is true, Your Majesty.” She looked out over the wall, wondering what the Minotaur Totem would have in store as they approached. Rael rested an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to his side.

  The sound of thunder continued, soon becoming one long roll of thunder. In the distance, Arianwyn saw great trees beginning to shiver. The shuddering grew more pronounced as the thunder increased in volume. A bellow sounded and hundreds of giant forms burst from the trees. Two of the creatures walked on two legs like a human and had shoulders, arms and hands like a human, but the similarity ended there. The rest of the group appeared to be humans mounted on bulls.

  “Like the Inugami, the Minotaur royalty also assume the shape of their Totem. If I remember correctly, they cannot change between human and Minotaur.” Rael turned to a page hovering in the background. “Please remind Master Eachann that the Minotaurs will want access to the pastures and stables and ensure he has cleaned the stalls.” The page bowed and hurried off.

  “They’ll be sleeping in the stalls? Like an animal?”

  Rael gave her a sharp look. “Do not let them hear you speak of them like that. They are not animals. They merely prefer the option of the open sky and fresh grass if they desire it.” Arianwyn blushed and nodded.

  Arianwyn and Rael descended to the front steps when the Minotaurs entered the city. Arianwyn studied them closely as they entered the gates, three bulls preceding them. They had the body of a cow or bull from the waist down, complete with tail and hooves. From the waist up, they appeared to be human. At the neck, the human and bovine species seemed to merge. The mouths were a similar shape to a human, the nose was short and square like a cow. The eyes were human, the ears long and rounded like a cow. The king bore enormous horns on his head, while the queen was unhorned. The king wore a loincloth around his waist and the queen wore a rough leather dress that ended at the knees and left her shoulders and arms bare.

  “Patriarch Fintan, I am pleased you were able to arrive safely.” Rael descended a few steps to shake hands, smiling. The Patriarch dwarfed Rael in height and breadth.

  “King Rael, a pleasure as always!” Patriarch Fintan bellowed. He peered closely at Arianwyn. “My, she’s a little thing, isn’t she? Couldn’t you have found a girl with more meat on her bones?”

  “Fintan!” the queen exclaimed.

  Fintan flinched, glancing quickly at his queen. “Well, she is small. A week on the plains would probably fatten her up nicely.”

  The queen rolled her eyes. “My name is Matriarch Eniko. Don’t mind the Patriarch, he means no harm.”

  “I am not offended,” Arianwyn said, smiling. “But I must say that if I lived on the plains my dragon would likely become fatter than me.”

  Patriarch Fintan bellowed laughter. “True, true. Don’t think the Herdmasters would appreciate a long term visit to fatten you up. Well then, let’s go inside. I imagine everyone else has arrived?”

 
“Except for the Manticore Totem, of course,” Rael remarked.

  Patriarch Fintan snorted. “Yes, well, he’s as stubborn as you are. We’ll discover if he even decides to show up. As for now, is there anything to eat or drink? We’ve been running for days and are starving!”

  “Matriarch Eniko, would you like to join the other queens and me in my quarters? We have refreshments there.”

  “I would love to, if you’ll have a servant fetch some fresh greens,” she chuckled. “I do not eat meat.” Arianwyn gave instructions to a page and returned with the Matriarch, both chatting quietly. Arianwyn was amazed at how easy it was to speak with the Matriarch.

  “I hope it isn’t rude to ask, but…were you always a Minotaur? Or were you human once?”

  “Not at all. Just as each story of dragon bonding is unique, so is the story for every person who becomes tied to their Totem. I was born a Minotaur. I was the only child of the previous Patriarch and Matriarch, actually. My husband was once human, but when he was Chosen by the Spirit Totem, he became as you see him. Our history is full of transformations, though only humans or bovine are transformed into a Minotaur.”

  “Does this mean that cattle can think as we do?”

  “Of course not! The Minotaur Totem sometimes does not find a suitable human. On these occasions, It chooses to elevate the mind and body of a cow or bull. It will also choose to transform an animal if It feels that the blood of the Minotaur is becoming too thin through an excess of humans,” she smiled.

  Arianwyn frowned. “You speak as if your Totem is separate from yourself.”

  “It is. Isn’t yours?”

  “Well, our dragons are the Totems.”

  “Exactly, separate from yourself. Some Totems take permanent form, as your dragons did. Others preferred the freedom of a spirit, as ours did.”

  Arianwyn stepped back to allow Eniko to precede her into the room, mouth open to comment, when a page came running down the hall, skidding to a stop. “Lady Arianwyn!” he gasped. “The king calls you to come, quickly!”

  “Excuse me,” Arianwyn hurried after the page.

  “It’s urgent,” the page whispered. Arianwyn glanced over her shoulder and when she was out of sight of her room, she lifted her skirts to run.

  “Let me know when we’re close,” she ordered the page. The page signaled her after a short run and Arianwyn stopped running, catching her breath. She straightened her skirts and fluffed her hair. “How do I look?”

  Sigurd rolled his eyes. Arianwyn rolled her eyes right back and proceeded at a stately pace to where Rael waited. “Good,” he said, looking up at her from the bottom of the stairs. “The Manticore just arrived. We must receive them as properly as possible.”

  Arianwyn scowled, descending the stairs and resting her hand on his arm. “I thought it was an emergency!”

  “Had you been late it would have been. Relations have always been strained with the Manticore Totem. It would not do to aggravate them.” He led her out of the main hall and onto the front steps.

  They both stood, once again, at the top stairs, guards surrounding them. Through her hand on Rael’s arm, Arianwyn could feel the tenseness in his body. When Arianwyn saw Rael searching the skies, she also turned her gaze upwards. She shuddered involuntarily at the sight.

  Giant bats, nearly the size of Parvati, were flying down to the courtyard. In the center of the bats were two strange beasts. Their body reminded Arianwyn of a giant cat with a fur mane surrounding the face. The tails, however, were segmented pieces of chitin, curling upwards and ending in a sharp barb. Dragon wings extended out the side of the creatures. On the back of each was a human.

  “That’s a Manticore?” she whispered, repulsed.

  “Yes. Be wary of the tail; it’s poisonous.”

  “I think I’ll simply be wary of the entire beast,” she muttered. Rael harrumphed in agreement and continued to watch the descent. A second shadow fell over the courtyard, surprising Arianwyn. She glanced over and saw Charon, plummeting from the sky to land not far to their side. “It is good that Parvati decided not to nest in the Dragon Cave,” Rael murmured. “The Dragons will have to offer the hospitality of their cave to the Bats and Manticore.”

  “Parvati isn’t going to like that,” Arianwyn replied.

  “Charon doesn’t either. Unfortunately, it would be rude to ask them to seek out their own cave.”

  Arianwyn frowned. “Won't that let them know where the tunnel is?”

  Rael shook his head. “They know there's an entrance, but they do not know where it opens up in the Keep. Charon will stay in front of the tunnel whenever the Manticore are there to keep them from getting curious. Smile,” he ordered, a scowl on his face.

  The Manticore landed and Arianwyn forced a welcoming expression on her face. At Rael’s urging, she followed him down the steps, meeting the Manticore halfway.

  “King Micah, Queen Lioki. We are honored by your presence,” Rael said, stopping short and inclining his head slightly.

  King Micah looked Rael over, his face blank of emotion. Like Rael, he was a giant of a man, nearly able to look Rael in the eyes with shoulders slightly broader than Rael’s. His face was hidden in a scruffy beard that lay on his chest. His eyes were small and beady. “King Micah, Queen Lioki, welcome,” Arianwyn said, curtsying. King Micah ignored her.

  “When’s the wedding?” King Micah finally said.

  “Next week,” Rael answered just as shortly.

  “Hopefully, you find joy in your union,” Queen Lioki said, words empty of feeling. She had not looked at either of them, but gazed just over their shoulders at the Keep.

  “You’re too kind. Will you join the other queens and me in my quarters?” Arianwyn stepped back slightly, indicating the doors. The queen strolled past without actually acknowledging her. As they ascended the steps, Arianwyn heard Rael offer the hospitality of the Dragon Cave. She grit her teeth at the tone of the unintelligible reply. This was going to be less pleasant than she had anticipated.

  Bernie

  It took some doing, but Bernie finally received permission to attend the marriage of Arianwyn and the king. He drummed his fingers, trying to figure out a way to stop the wedding. A boy appeared and handed him a folded piece of parchment.

  “Thanks,” he muttered, opening the parchment. He scanned the letter, lips forming the words, before standing. “You can leave,” he said, shooing the boy away. He hurried to the door and to the Keep, heart pounding. He climbed the stairs and down several hallways until he arrived at one of the lesser suites. He straightened his uniform and took a deep breath. He was about to meet his employer. He rapped on the door and waited.

  A guard opened the door. “What do you want?”

  “They sent for me. I'm Bernie.” The guard turned back into the room. There were a few mumbled comments and then the door was open wider. “Thank you,” Bernie replied.

  He walked into the room and stopped in the center. “Ah, Bernie, glad to see you showed up so promptly,” Thane Malcom said. “Unfortunately, it's the only thing you've done promptly. Why haven't you delivered on the girl?”

  “She's been unpredictable. But I have managed to be assigned to the wedding—“

  “Let them get married. I have other plans in motion,” the thane cut him off, turning to the small tray of food at his elbow. A woman entered the room. She was tall, well formed. Her blond hair and blue eyes pierced right through to him. “This is my daughter, Lady Ethelinda.”

  “Lady,” Bernie replied, bowing to her. The introduction was unnecessary. All of the guards knew who this lady was. He straightened to find the woman ignoring him. Bernie took the opportunity to study both thane and daughter.

  Lady Ethelinda sat gracefully and accepted a cup of tea from her father. “What is he doing here?” she asked. Her tone indicated her boredom. She lifted the cup to her lips. The sleeve of her dress fell down. Bernie gasped. She arched an eyebrow at him. “Is he not privy to everything?” she asked, pushing the sle
eves of her dress back down over her hands.

  “Not yet, but he will be. He did arrange to have her poisoned. I think we can trust him for now.” She nodded and went back to her tea.

  “When...how...” Bernie stared at her hands, the green dragon head now covered.

  She smiled coyly up at him. “I do love a man who can't find his tongue,” she purred.

  “As I was saying, Bernie, this is my daughter. You have a new job. First off, protect her. Second, you will do whatever she asks of you. You will keep her updated on whatever information you hear. You will carry out her orders. She is going to take over your part.”

  “And probably succeed,” she remarked, sipping her tea.

  Bernie bowed to them both again. “As you command.”

  34-Pledges

  The day of the wedding approached faster than Arianwyn was prepared for. Parvati was not around much, caring for the eggs. Arianwyn was not allowed to visit the eggs, as the amount of heat required to keep them alive would burn her to a crisp. Rael and Arianwyn hardly saw each other, each busy entertaining the various visiting nobility. It was almost a relief when the wedding day arrived. Almost.

  “Are you ready?” Alyssa asked, eyes bright.

  “I don't think I am,” Arianwyn whispered in answer. Her dress was laid out for Jed to strap her into. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel from her bath. Marie sat in front, applying her make-up.

  “You'll be fine,” Marie smiled at her. “We'll just add a bit more rouge to your cheeks so you don't look so pale.”

  “I think I'm going to be sick,” Arianwyn responded. Marie rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time Arianwyn had made that announcement.

  Someone knocked on the door. Willow bounded over, giggling. She and Alyssa were very much enjoying the festivities. More than once, Kerr and Erich had hauled them both back from the city after Willow had snuck them out. Willow's giggle cut off when she answered the door. She curtsied, backing away from the entrance.