"I want to be like him," Nerian whispered, excited.
"I'm sure he'll take you under his wing," Xhael replied, patting his hand.
"He'll teach me how to use a sword?"
"And to be king."
"I'm not sure I want my father's throne, Xhael..."
Nerian felt steady now – no more dizziness or sour taste in his mouth – and he rushed after Riander. He found Temai sitting on the stone that he'd used too and watched as Riander walked to another man who was standing next to two horses on the other side of the clearing.
"That's his personal servant," the bald dwarf said. "Royalty doesn't go around unaccompanied."
"Except Kariel," Nerian muttered with a frown.
"Kariel isn't royalty," Alech replied. He had followed them and was staring at the king of Ker Garenn and his man with a frown. "Not one ounce."
"And that guy must have a very weak bladder or is an awful servant," Temai continued. "I wonder if Ker Garenn is trying to get rid of its king!"
"I'm sure they know his faery godmother," Alech said, sarcastic emphasis on the word. "Riander is as untouchable as Kariel for the silly Humans."
"At least he's the legitimate king." Temai shrugged.
"True." Nerian called himself stupid for forgetting that. Kariel was the usurper. He didn't have one ounce of royal blood. He could tell the difference with the real Riander now. The way the real king carried himself was different from the sorcerer.
Riander came towards them, followed by the other man who must be slightly older and kept his eyes low. He also kept his mouth shut, probably out of respect for his king.
"You shouldn't be up and out, Prince Nerian," Riander chided, stopping in front of him.
"The fresh air helps," he assured, straightening his back. He was slightly shorter than the king. He remembered how the huntsman-king had approached him – Kariel in disguise – and taken him in his arms. And under the daylight, Riander's eyes were definitely honey-colored.
"Good, let's eat, then." The king's smile was dazzling. "This is my personal servant, Danhin, who for once has no complaints."
Nerian glanced at the man, but he couldn't keep his eyes off Riander's handsome face. From the corner of his eye, he saw the servant lunge at him and a blade stabbed him under the ribs, making him scream in pain and double over.
"Danhin!" Riander shouted.
Nerian collapsed on the ground against Alech and Xhael. The captain of the dwarves called his men while Temai jumped on the shoulders of the servant, roaring in anger, his dagger ready. Nerian realized Danhin held a knife with the blade still dripping blood – his blood.
Panting, he lay against Xhael's torso while Alech pressed a handkerchief against the wound to stop the blood. Temai had disarmed the servant, throwing him to the ground.
"Danhin, how could you!" Riander was furious.
"It's not Danhin," Alech said from his crouched position. His men surrounded the servant with their weapons ready. The twins smelled the forest air and went straight to a group of bushes from under which they dragged out the body of a man identical to the one that had attacked Nerian.
"Danhin!" Riander's voice was full of anguish now. The servant was dead with his throat cut. Riander turned to the man who had been captured, furious. "You wicked monster..."
Nerian gasped in both pain and surprise as the man's features shifted and Kariel's face appeared. So that was how he had tricked him into a kiss! The Sorcerer King had true magic!
"Quiet," Xhael whispered. "You're wounded."
Nerian held his breath, trying to calm his growing panic. Temai was probably cursing in an unknown language, which only made Kariel laugh with scorn.
"Well, Riander, would you prefer me this way?" He rose and shifted face again, taking on Nerian's features. "Should I look at you as adoringly as he does?"
He pretended to do it, and it was jarring to see your own face acting. The voice was still Kariel's – that was probably why it had felt familiar when the fake Riander had talked to him, and why the fake Danhin had kept his mouth shut.
Riander gritted his teeth and slapped the Sorcerer King with Nerian's face. Kariel resumed his face and scoffed.
"I should really get you drunk again," he said. "You're much sweeter when you're drunk."
Riander slowly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Kariel. "Stay away from me," he said through clenched teeth.
"Or? I didn't give you poisonous kisses, why the sudden hatred? Have you already tasted those luscious lips, that you already changed your mind?"
"I haven't fallen in love with you any more than you did with me," Riander retorted. "It was just a fun way to spend the night. You killed my servant. You're trying to kill the rightful heir of Ker Daragon. You want to get into my bed..."
"Your pants are enough. I'd rather take you to my bed." Kariel crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "So what are you going to do to punish me?"
Riander swirled his sword with a single movement of his wrist, but Kariel didn't shrink back, keeping his stare locked onto Riander's. The tip of the blade touched Kariel's exposed throat, but again the Sorcerer King didn't move.
"I think I should kill you," Riander said in a low, threatening voice.
My hero! Nerian remembered to breathe. He'd love to have that man taking care of him until the end of time.
"You can try," Kariel replied.
Xhael gently put Nerian against the rock, so he could be free to move, signaling him to be quiet. The dwarves surrounded the two men with their weapons ready. Nerian remained where he was, pressing Alech's handkerchief on his wound that seemed to have stopped bleeding. He was dizzy again, so he didn't try to get up and help the experienced warriors.
"Unsheathe your sword." Riander took his blade away from Kariel's throat and waited.
"You shouldn't have given him the chance!" Soss shouted angrily.
Kariel smiled, elegantly unsheathing his sword. "Ever killed anyone, Riander?" he asked.
"There's always a first time," Riander answered, holding his sword-hilt tighter.
Oh Gods, Kariel is a skilled swordsman! Nerian thought, filling with panic again. He'd often seen the Sorcerer King exercising in the courtyard from the tower window. He tried to rise, but managed only to sit more straight. He was too weak to stop them. Xhael glanced at him and nodded, determined. They'd help King Riander to defeat evil Kariel.
The two men walked in the circle of the seven dwarves studying each other, swords ready. Riander attacked first, and Kariel parried and struck back. Riander avoided the blade and swirled to strike again. Nerian stared with eyes wide as the duel went on, with the dwarves nervously moving around them and keeping them in a narrow fighting space.
Kariel's blade sliced Riander's left arm, which seemed only to infuriate the king of Ker Garenn, who gritted his teeth and attacked so swiftly that his sword stabbed Kariel through the ribs, probably barely missing the heart.
Kariel screamed in pain and dropped his sword.
"Stay back!" Alech screamed, grabbing Riander's hand.
The king fell back, still panting, as Kariel transformed once again. Under Nerian's incredulous eyes, the man's form grew into a huge animal form – a black dragon of legends that screamed in pain and anger before moving his long neck and trying to bite Riander's head off. Riander's sword, previously stuck in a human chest, fell off and was covered by the dark-brown belly of the big body.
The seven dwarves held the toothy head at bay with their pole-arms and battle-axes as Riander tried to get out of the way, unable to fight such an opponent. The mortal wound wasn't visible on the scaly body, but it was obviously still there. The dragon's attempts became weaker and finally the neck and head crashed to the ground before the dragon even tried to open its bat-like wings.
The dwarves fell silent as Riander stared wide-eyed at the dragon's body that slowly went back to its human form. One last twitch and Kariel was still, eyes wide open, chest covered in blood. He lay next to Riander's stil
l bloodied sword and his own for a moment, and then vanished in a puff of magic fire that didn't burn, making Riander and Nerian gasp.
"W-what was that?" Nerian asked as Xhael and Yeni rushed to him and helped him to sit up.
"His Fajrulo blood," Alech said gloomily. "Magical Races don't leave corpses."
Riander retrieved his sword and put it back into the scabbard. Then he picked up Kariel's sword and weighed it.
"We found a sword for Nerian!" Soss said cheerfully while Alech offered Riander a scarf to wrap around his left arm. The king had barely a flesh wound and he set the sword on a stone to bandage his arm, absent-minded.
"We better tend that wound," Temai said gruffly, pointing at Nerian's bloodied hand that was still pressing the handkerchief on the wound. "Take him inside, guys."
The twins had already rushed back to the cave, probably to check on the food. Riander gave the sword to Soss and helped Nerian to go back inside and lie down on his cot.
"Thank you," Nerian whispered, grateful, finally relaxing in the dwarves' care.
Riander smiled and backed away, leaving the diminutive men taking care of the wounded prince.
***
Riander tucked Nerian's blanket and lightly brushed the raven hair of the youth before pulling away from the cot. He met Alech's eyes and smiled sheepishly.
"He's sleeping," he whispered.
Riander knew Nerian would be all right. He didn't need to call his godmother again, the dwarves' medicine would work as well, if slower. "Thank you for taking care of him."
"We didn't really do it for you." Xhael winked and grinned. "We're quite fond of him ourselves."
Riander had learned all the dwarves' names during the cheerful meal that had closed the encounter with the Sorcerer King. Now that Nerian was asleep, his own arm bandaged and the cut sewn closed by blue-eyed Soss, he had another duty to attend, though.
He rose. "I need to bury Danhin," he said. "Check on the horses. And then may I come back in here to get some sleep?"
"We don't have a bed your size, but we'll throw some blankets on the ground for you," Alech said. "Ikeli and Losik will help you deal with your servant's body."
Riander nodded and the twins followed him outside with torches. The forest was wrapped in darkness and only night animals could be heard. The horses had moved a little farther in search of food, but they came back towards the light and Temai gave them an armful of hay to nibble on for the night. There wasn't much grass in the forest anyway, so the hay was very welcome for the nervous animals.
Ikeli and Losik had brought spades to dig a hole in the clearing. Riander took off his sword-belt and helped them to prepare a final resting place for his faithful servant. Danhin had died too early and Inetina would never marry him.
Riander composed the corpse in the hole and stayed on his knees for a moment, praying for the soul of his servant, then the twins started to cover it with earth. Riander found a bigger stone and carved Danhin's initial on it, setting it over the shallow grave with a final prayer.
Then he followed the twins back into the cavern, checking one last time that the horses were all right. Xhael pointed him to a makeshift bed and he suddenly felt very tired. With one last glance at the pale, sleeping face of Nerian, he lay down and closed his eyes.
He woke up with the chatter of men in a foreign tongue. He opened his eyes and saw only the dwarves were up and about, preparing breakfast and doing their chores, bickering in low voices so they wouldn't wake up their guests.
Riander sat and stretched his limbs, yawning. Nerian was still peacefully asleep, and some color had returned to his cheeks. Xhael turned to look at him and smiled.
"Good morning, your majesty. Hope you slept well."
"One night on the floor won't kill me," he answered, rising and approaching the fireplace where water was boiling. Soss offered him a mug of herbal tea and some sugar.
"You don't need to drink it as is, like Nerian," he said gruffly.
"Why, Nerian likes his tea sour?" Riander asked, sitting on the ground to pour some sugar in the tea.
"No, but if he wants to get better, he better drink it sour this morning," Soss answered.
Riander smiled. "When do you think he'll be able to travel?" he asked, since the blue-eyed dwarf seemed to be the physician in the group of dwarves.
"A couple of days." Soss shrugged. "He's young, he'll recover soon. If you're in a hurry to leave, you can always call your godmother."
"No, I'm not in a hurry," Riander said, thoughtful, sipping his tea. "I'm not sure what to do next."
Alech came forward. "Go back to your castle? Your people are probably worried sick about your well-being..."
"How do you know all these things about the world if you never go very far from this cave?" Riander wondered.
"Our Sila friends tell us stories. They've seen it all."
The Sila. The winged beings. Riander wondered if he'd be allowed to meet them while he waited for Nerian to recover.
"No, they don't like Humans," Alech said as if he'd read his mind. "They wouldn't want to meet you. Or Nerian, even though he has Sila blood."
"How did that happen then?" Riander asked, disappointed. "I mean, if the Sila don't come near us, how could they have a half-blood offspring..."
"Sometimes they do get in touch with Humans." Temai shrugged. "If they're short-sighted for their standards, they might befriend some Human."
"They never came here while I was with them," Nerian's voice startled them. He was awake and sat on the cot, staring at Riander with his pale blue eyes. Soss rushed to him with the sour tisane and told him to drink it. Nerian obeyed but kept looking at Riander.
"Ah, well, never mind." Riander sighed. "I guess I should stop chasing wild geese... and make my council happy. Will you help Nerian become the king he's supposed to be?"
"We don't like Humans much, not in great quantities," Soss said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"We will take him back to Ker Daragon," Alech added. "But he'll have to deal with a council, much like you."
"I'll never be able to do it!" Nerian complained. "May I come to Ker Garenn to see how it's done?"
"I think you should go back to your castle," Riander replied, thoughtful. "I'm sure your people will welcome you back with open arms."
"They haven't seen me for ten years!" The youth seemed on the verge of panic. "They might not recognize me!"
"And that's why we're escorting you there," Xhael said, patting his shoulder. "If they don't want you, we take you to Ker Garenn."
Nerian sighed and looked pleadingly at Riander.
"It is best for us both," Riander said. "I will help you find a suitable bride..."
"Hey, he's still young, you're the one who should get married, like, yesterday!" Soss said. "Why don't you ask Wild Rose to send a Genn to Ker Garenn? She'd make a lovely queen and wouldn't suffer all the jealousy Human women are prone to!"
"Can I have a winged queen, then?" Nerian asked, staring hopeful at Soss.
"No, Nerian, no Sila for you."
"Wait, unless there's some short-sighted female..." Ikeli said.
"We'll go to the Sila nest and ask," Losik added.
"Just imagine, two Human kingdoms with Magical Races members' queens!" Xhael laughed out loud. "Never going to happen!"
"Not with the Sila, no," Soss said. "With the Genn, who knows."
Riander had never considered consulting his faery godmother about marriage. Maybe it was time to go home and call her for advice.
4. Yellow as Honey
Nerian "inherited" Kariel's sword and Danhin's horse as soon as his wound got better. Riander had left to go back to Ker Garenn, leaving him with the dwarves who now contemplated the tall animal with thoughtful expressions.
"It's all right that you go back on horseback," Alech said.
"But there's no way we can keep up with you," Temai added.
"We can't let him go on his own!" Xhael protested.
Nerian glanced gratef
ully at him. The clean-shaven dwarf seemed to be very fond of him.
"There were no Sila volunteers," Ikeli said.
"Nor would a Sila as escort keep him safe," Losik added.
Soss scoffed. "As if Sila could protect him," he muttered.
Yeni scratched his beard. "We really should get Belfi, guys. He's the most appropriate to take Nerian back."
Nerian crouched to be at the dwarves' height, frowning with worry.
"Don't leave me with a stranger!" he pleaded. "I should have followed King Riander to his castle!"
"He could have provided you an escort," Alech said. "Well, get on that saddle, we'll take you to the road between the castles and will go from there."
Nerian sighed. He wasn't much of a rider. He had barely started his warrior education, which meant he could barely use a sword and he'd been too small to get on a saddle when his father had been killed.
The twins held the reins while Alech motioned him towards the saddle. Nerian went to the horse and patted it warily.
"Don't unsaddle me," he muttered.
"Don't worry, it's a mare, not a war stallion," Yeni said with a chuckle.
Nerian grabbed the saddle pommel and put one foot in the stirrup before climbing on the horse. From the saddle, the dwarves looked even shorter and he felt like a giant.
"Hold on tight," Ikeli said as Losik pulled the reins and made the horse move.
Nerian swayed and held the pommel with both hands. And then a memory came back – him as a child on his father's horse, with his father's arms wrapped around him, keeping him still. He closed his eyes and let the dwarves lead the horse away from the clearing and the cave.
Soon his escort started singing as they marched forward, leading the horse by its reins. Nerian smiled and looked at them, trying to catch the lyrics, but they sang in a foreign tongue, probably their own. Still, the melody was catchy and he started humming the refrain when it came along.
They reached the unpaved road across the forest and stopped on the side. Signs of wagon and cart wheels showed it was well traveled. Donkeys, oxes and horses also left their tracks in the dust, along with some human feet. The birds were quiet here, as if they felt they were too close to the Humans' realm – not the safest place for them, Nerian knew.
Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth Page 5
