The Beasts of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 2)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  Here, the spell was broken. Both father and son sat upright in their seats. Lord Erandal's eyes shot from his son, to his daughter, to the young man before him in quick succession.

  “Do you know what that means among our people?” he asked after having taken a deep breath.

  “I do, sir,” the rogue nodded. “That's why we were on our way to see you. We just ended up here by chance. By great good fortune you ended up here, as well.”

  “So,” the elvish lord began rubbing his hand across his mouth. “Just to make certain we understand each other: You wish to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage. Is that correct?”

  “It is, sir,” Kilren replied, a slight tremor in voice.

  At this response, Lord Erandal rose from his seat and began to pace the floor nearby.

  “Kilren,” the lord began before pausing to better organize his thoughts. “Kilren, I am deeply sensible of the honor you do our family with this offer. I also readily admit that your tale, even allowing for a certain amount of exaggeration, makes it plain that we owe you a debt we can never repay. However, what you ask is impossible.”

  “But, father!” Erana exclaimed. “I love him!”

  “I am certain you feel that way now,” Lord Erandal said patiently.

  The tear filled eyes of the elvish maiden turned pleadingly to those of her brother.

  “Father, surely...” Galinral began.

  “No!” the lord interrupted. “In this, you may not oppose me! You are my son! And not yet a father yourself. Remember your place!”

  In response, Galinral bowed slowly and silently, his clenched jaws revealing the fact that he did not entirely agree with his sire on this point. For her part, Erana did her best to control the tears that were rolling unbidden down her cheeks.

  “But, sir...” Kilren said before he too was interrupted.

  “Kilren,” the elvish lord said, turning his eyes to the rogue. “You don't know what you're asking. It's obvious that you're a very fine young man and I am certain after this... unpleasantness... is behind us, we will all become great friends. However, you are both still children and you have no idea what hardships you would face.”

  “I wouldn't be the first human man to marry an elvish maiden,” the young rogue replied, rising as he spoke.

  “Oh, no, that's true!” Lord Erandal agreed. “Our history is replete with stories of elves and humans that have fallen in love and married. Far more often than not, they are tales of tragedy and sorrow. They leave behind them shattered lives and broken hearts!”

  Having said this, the elvish lord took a few deep breaths to calm himself before speaking again.

  “At this moment, my friend,” he began, smiling at the young rogue as he spoke, “I am certain you are very angry with me. However, that will pass in time. Eventually, you'll come to realize that I truly am your friend and that what I've done is for the best. I'm doing this not only for the good of my daughter, but for your good as well. However, for now, there seems no need to prolong an interview that has become so unpleasant to us both. In truth, I need to speak briefly to my daughter alone. Let us part company as the friends we truly are.”

  With this, Lord Erandal reached out his hand toward the young rogue. Kilren took him firmly by the wrist and nodded, tears beginning to fill his own eyes. The young man then turned and marched quickly and silently from the room. The doors were closed silently behind him. He waited in the hall for Erana to join him for nearly an hour before giving up and slowly climbing the stairs alone.

  The afternoon passed quickly for most of the party and, before long, they were seated at a massive table spread with delicacies alongside the king and a number of his nobles. Gwendolyn immediately noticed the lack of Erana's presence and was informed that she had decided to stay in bed due to a rather severe headache. The rest of the band, with the exception of Kilren, quickly found themselves thoroughly enjoying the fine food, excellent drink, and remarkable company.

  Galinral took up a seat at the side of the young rogue and talked to him relentlessly. The charming, and rather handsome young elf regaled him with countless family stories of a rather comical nature until, in spite of his determination, Kilren couldn't help but smile. With the tension broken, the pair were soon laughing and talking together, both carefully avoiding the rather painful subject that occupied both their minds.

  The king brought the feast to an early end. Many of those at the table would be riding with the dawn. It was important that they took the opportunity to rest peacefully while they could. The band made their way to their rooms and each quickly climbed into bed. Five of the seven fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow. For two, however, the night was long and filled with restless hours of uneasy sleep.

  Chapter 6: A Call to Arms

  The party rose with the sun the following morning. Most members of the band awoke well rested and more than ready to face the hardships of their prospective journey. This was not true, however, of the ranger and the rogue. Both seemed rather haggard and the eyes of the elvish maiden were red and swollen.

  After a quick breakfast in their rooms, the party gathered in the courtyard which was filled with elves. The force that had been mustered was considerable and many of the nobles, including Galinral, were riding with them. The journey would take them days even at a fairly rapid pace. As such, there was little time to waste. In less than an hour, they were on the outskirts of the city riding and marching out column by column.

  Darian rode along slowly at the head of the party with Tealor at his side. Sarena and Gwendolyn were a short distance behind them, followed by Ian and Kilren. At the very rear, Erana walked between her mount and Rragor. Every few minutes, the elvish maiden would pause, snuggling up to her canine companion's neck as he whined softly. The noble beast was aware that something was wrong, but he couldn't understand just what it was.

  “Are you alright?” Kilren asked, having slowed his pace enough for Erana to catch up to him.

  “No,” she replied.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “No,” she answered.

  “Well, we're not going to be able to work this out if we don't talk,” he asserted.

  “No,” she repeated, turning her face from him.

  “Suit yourself,” Kilren nodded before kicking his beast into motion.

  “I take it things didn't go well with Erana's father,” Ian observed as soon as Kilren was back at his side.

  “How did you know about that?” the rogue asked.

  “Well, as soon as I discovered that Erana's father was here I figured the rest out.”

  “That makes sense,” Kilren replied with nod. “Either way, no, you could certainly say things didn't go well.”

  “What happened?” the bard asked, drawing his pipe from his coat.

  “Well, it's very simple really,” the rogue answered. “I asked and he said no and apparently that's that!”

  “Come, lad,” Ian said, carefully lighting his pipe. “I know you better than that. You're not going to give up at the first skirmish.”

  “Oh, aren't I?” Kilren replied, raising his voice. “She doesn't seem to care enough for me to do anything about it. She won't even speak to me!”

  “That's because she's hurt and angry,” the bard observed.

  “What's she got to be angry about?” the rogue asked. “I did the best I could!”

  “Well, I doubt she's angry at you in particular,” Ian said, taking a draw from his pipe. “She's just angry at the world right now. Much like you are...”

  “I'm not angry at...” Kilren replied before pausing. “Alright. Alright, maybe I am angry at the world. I'm angry at her. I'm angry at me. I'm angry at her brother. I'm really angry at her father! And I'm even fairly angry at you right now.”

  At this, the bard laughed heartily.

  “That's normal, lad,” he nodded. “You both want something very badly and you've been told no. So, you're angry. That's perfectly natural and you'll both get ov
er it. Quickly. Especially once you realize there's no one to be angry at.”

  “Oh, there is!” Kilren disagreed, raising an accusing finger. “Her father is someone to be very angry at!”

  “Is he?” the bard asked, a rising inflection in his voice. “For what? For not allowing Erana to marry a man he hardly knows? For putting the welfare of his daughter before her immediate happiness? For trying to look out for your future, perhaps? Exactly what are you angry at him for?”

  “Well...” the rogue said, shaking his head quickly. “I guess... Shut up, Ian.”

  Again, the bard laughed.

  “I take it you see my point, lad?” the bard smiled.

  “I do,” Kilren sighed. “Oh... and I'm sorry about the shut up...”

  “Are you alright?” Gwendolyn asked. “Do you still have a headache?”

  She had made her way to the back of the party after she noticed that Erana was still walking after more than an hour.

  “I'm not alright,” Erana said, gazing up as she spoke, “and I still have a terrible headache. Thank you for asking.”

  “Maybe Ian has something...” the young sorceress began.

  “No,” the elvish maid interrupted wiping her eyes. “It's not that kind of a headache.”

  “What's wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing. Everything,” Erana replied. “I'm wrong. Kilren's wrong. My father's...”

  Here, the maiden's voice cracked.

  “What's wrong with your father?” Gwendolyn asked.

  “Nothing's wrong with him exactly,” the elvish maiden sighed. “It's just that he was here when we got here. So, Kilren went to talk to him and...”

  “And?”

  “And he said no.” Erana replied, once again wiping her eyes

  “What? Why?” the sorceress exclaimed.

  “Oh, lots of reasons,” the ranger answered. “Lots of reasons that he explained in great detail for almost two hours yesterday.”

  “Like what?”

  “Age to start with,” the elvish maiden replied. “I got that from both sides. First, we're too young. Second, by the time I'm old enough, at least according to him, Kilren will be dead!”

  “Dead?”

  “Then, there was the fact that we've only known each other for three weeks,” she continued. “I tried to explain to him that it had been a very unusual three weeks, but he didn't want to hear it.”

  “Well, I suppose...”

  “Then, of course, there was Kilren's background,” she went on. “Apparently, he hasn't proven he's sturdy yet... Whatever that means!”

  “I can see...”

  “And, on top of everything, he just sat there with his mouth hanging open,” she raged. “It was as if he agreed with everything he was saying!”

  “You father was agreeing...” Gwendolyn began.

  “No,” Erana corrected, “Kilren just sat there while my father went through his whole no speech and didn't say a thing.”

  “Your father didn't like that?”

  “What? Oh, no. I didn't like that,” the elvish maiden replied. “That was the only thing my father did like about Kilren. He took no for an answer like a real gentleman! He didn't even try to make any kind of a scene!”

  “Should he have?” Gwendolyn asked, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

  This gave the fair elvish ranger pause. For a few moments, she walked along in silence and honestly considered the question.

  “No,” she finally replied. “That would have made things even worse. If that were even possible...”

  “So, that's it then?” the human maiden asked. “You can't ask again?”

  “No... We can,” Erana sighed.

  “Well then,” Gwendolyn replied, “I think I would just work on addressing your father's fears. Show him that you're not too young, wait until it's been more than three weeks, find out what he means by sturdy, and then prove that Kilren is whatever he means.”

  At this, both the maidens laughed.

  “I suppose you're right,” Erana nodded. “Thank you, Gwendolyn.”

  “You're very welcome!” the young sorceress replied. “Oh, and when you get the time, can you tell me what you did to get Kilren to propose to you in the first place...”

  “Are you alright?” Erana asked, riding up beside the young rogue a few minutes after her discussion with Gwendolyn.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Can we talk?” she asked quietly.

  “Absolutely,” he smiled.

  “If you two will excuse me, I want to speak to Darian for a moment,” Ian said before kicking his pony into a trot, leaving the couple alone.

  “I'm sorry,” they said in unison as soon as the bard was out of earshot.

  “You first,” Erana smiled, “what are you sorry for?”

  “Well...” the rogue began, “to be honest, I have no idea. As far as I can tell, I did the best I could. I'm just sorry that... that we didn't get the answer we wanted. Still, I'm sorry is the kind of thing a man is expected to say when he's had a fight with the girl he loves.”

  “I supposed that's true,” she giggled. “But you really don't have anything to be sorry for. I'm sorry I was mad at you.”

  “If I don't have anything to be sorry for,” Kilren began, a confused look on his face, “then, why were you mad at me?”

  “Well,” she replied, “I was angry because you didn't get in a fight with my father for saying no. But now I see that it really was the best thing. It will make things easier when we ask again.”

  As she said this, she reached out toward the young rogue who immediately took her hand in his.

  “It was very wise of you,” she observed.

  “Well, yes and no,” Kilren replied, “It would be more accurate to say it was wise of Ian. The truth is that I wanted to jump up and tell your father to his face, and at the very top of my lungs, that we were going to get married whether he liked it or not. But Ian warned me in advance not to do anything like that.”

  “I'm glad,” she said, squeezing his hand, “It makes me very happy that you wanted to and even happier that you didn't.”

  “May I join you?” Galinral asked, as he rode slowly up behind the couple.

  “Of course, dear brother,” Erana smiled.

  “Thank you, by the way,” Kilren said, “for trying to speak up for us.”

  “You're welcome, for what it's worth,” the elf said with a nod. “Of course, I haven't made much headway yet. But frankly, that doesn't concern me. I know our father very well. I've been his son for over fifty years and I can tell you that there is hope, a very real hope, that you'll be able to change his mind.”

  “You think so?” the elvish maiden asked excitedly.

  “I'm absolutely certain, my dear sister,” he assured her.

  “Not to be negative,” Kilren said, “but what makes you so certain?”

  “A number of things,” he replied. “First, I had to sit through several hours of my father extolling your virtues from the time Erana left until I met you at dinner. No matter how many times I told him that I genuinely liked you, he just wouldn't stop. We owe him a great debt!, He's saved your sister's life countless times!, Look what he did for the refugees of Dalfaen!, and so on and so forth. He actually picked up the same thread after the banquet was over. I'm ashamed to admit that I finally started ignoring him and just nodded in agreement whenever he called my name. Either way, my point is that he has a real and deep respect for you Kilren.”

  “That's wonderful!” the ranger exclaimed.

  “It's certainly a point in your favor,” her brother smiled. “Still, there are more. The second thing working for you is the fact that he can set the length of the engagement himself. His worry that you haven't known each other long enough is, at least in my mind, unjustified. Of course, that does mean that, although you may get him to say yes relatively quickly, you may not actually be able to wed for quite a while.”

  “Oh, I think we could live with that!” t
he rogue exclaimed. “I mean... It's better than nothing.”

  “I agree,” Galinral replied. “And I'm glad to see you feel the same way. It shows a certain maturity on your part. That's actually another thing that should really help. You handled my father very well yesterday. Had you opposed him, he would have forced you to submit. However, by going along with him the way you did, you really got him thinking. He's already questioning his decision.”

  “I knew you did the right thing!” Erana smiled.

  “And, of course, that doesn't include the two greatest powers you have working for you,” the elf observed.

  “What are those?” the rogue asked.

  “One is the fact that you two truly are in love,” he replied. “At least, you've convinced me of it. That's probably the second best help you could have.”

  “What's the first?” Kilren asked.

  “That I'm on your side,” Galinral said, winking at the rogue before leaning over to kiss his sister on the cheek.

  “I don't know,” Tealor said, shaking his head, “Obviously, I want to restore the kingdom, but I just can't see how that's going to be possible, Darian.”

  “Andor believes it's possible,” the young knight replied. “That's good enough for me.”

  “I wish it could be for me,” the warrior said, “but it strikes me as impossible. The dust settled on that war twenty years ago. The nobles are accustomed to things the way they are now, they're not likely to risk what they have on the chance of getting something that may or may not be better.”

  “It's more than that,” the Telian refuted. “It's also a matter of law and what's right.”

  “I don't think that matters,” Tealor replied. “Most of the nobles aren't all that concerned with the law as long as they're rich. Even fewer of them are all that concerned with what's right. The handful of nobles that might even consider supporting the cause are mainly impoverished. Where are the armies going to come from for this righteous revolution? I want to believe Darian, I honestly do. I just can't. Not that it matters. I serve Solarin, even if it's only a shadow of the past.”