by Billy Wong
Despite his misgivings, he didn't dare try to go against Julian's wishes. So they headed south in an uneasy truce, Sean wondering why Deathend wouldn't just have his minions crush them before they even got to him. But Julian insisted the god's pride would work in their favor, for he'd no doubt want to prove to himself he could defy fate.
The night before they would pass Polier, Sean found himself unable to sleep and went out for a walk in the cool night air. Julian was on watch, and said when he saw him, "Go back to bed. You'll do us no good lumbering around half-asleep when we face Deathend."
"I'm too scared to sleep. Fate or not, what chance can we stand against a divinity?" And if their enemy proved not to be the real god or they managed to prevail, how eager would Julian be to get rid of him?
"Don't think so much of gloom and doom. You'll never achieve anything if you don't believe in your ability to do so."
Sean laughed brittlely. "I would have never imagined taking advice from you. But that's pretty good."
"You're scared of me, aren't you?"
No way could he lie successfully about it. "Of course."
"You should be. But not when we fight together. You'll have put all your trust in me if we're to defeat the god."
"How could I ever trust you?!" Sean snapped, anger overriding his fear. "You killed my father and the man who was like a father to me! I hate you!"
Julian looked him in the eye and snarled, "Of course you hate me. But you have to remember, it was because of you that my brother died. Because your friend was so determined to save you, she killed him when she should have long been dead herself, and forced me to slaughter my own nephews and nieces to secure the throne!"
Though he recognized the irrationality of what Julian said and should have known there was no reasoning with him, Sean couldn't help trying to defend his side. "Rose always keeps on fighting long after she should be dead, that's what she's famous for. Besides, she killed your brother in defense of someone she called a friend, and all of us in Terlon were just trying to defend ourselves. But you came to murder my father in his house, and sought to claim our land with no provocation from us. How can you possibly compare your actions to ours? You say you were 'forced' to kill your nephews and nieces for the sake of the throne? Why didn't you just let them have the throne?"
"None of those children were worthy to lead. Their father wasn't even worthy, how could they be?" Folding his arms over his chest, Julian smirked. "And you think you're so great and noble? You share blood with Danica, just as I did with Regis' spawn, and yet tried to get her killed so that you could expand your own power. Hypocritical boy!"
Sean swallowed, picturing in his mind Rose's great sword going deep into Danica's middle and her bright blood spilling out. He had been terrified at the sight, chills running through his body as he came close to fainting, yet all but forgotten about that in his anger after. "I-I didn't mean for her to get killed!"
"But you wouldn't have minded too much, would you? You would have been too busy celebrating your new kingdom to care."
Sean hadn't experienced that possible outcome, and so couldn't say for sure he wouldn't have reacted that way, though he wished he could. The speed with which he'd stopped fearing for Danica didn't bode well in this regard. "I never knew her," he argued, "but I don't want her to die. She's still a human being, even if it's hard for me to consider her family—I just want her to go away, and leave the crown to me!"
"You really are obsessed with being king. And you tell me to leave my throne to foolish youths. Why don't you leave yours to your more competent sister?"
"I'm a good person with hopes and dreams for a better world! You're a monster!"
"Whine, whine, whine. You're a pathetic, can't do anything on his own, little whiner." Julian sighed contemptuously. "Even if what you said was true, all this hardly matters. Soon Terlon won't exist anymore, when Fanteia takes over your precious country like every other nation on this weak continent." Sean thought to deny Julian's prediction, but he added, "Why exactly are you so intent on ruling Terlon? Gregor never meant for you to be king. He intended that Danica inherit the crown since she was born. You should be happy with ruling Belar, when it's more than you ever expected for yourself for most of your life."
Sean shook his head. "I may not have known about my birth for long, but that doesn't stop me from realizing I never got the acknowledgment I deserve just because my mother wasn't married to the king. I'm still as much his child as Danica, and possibly older. Why shouldn't I have gotten the same opportunities she did? I haven't been given my due, and now that I know, I won't stop striving to rectify it. Now, why do you want to take over the continent so badly? Fanteia should be plenty enough."
"There've been a few reasons. Originally? In the name of our god, and to live up to his glorious past as his successors. Also, to feed my brother's vanity. But now? If I give up the dream of unifying this continent, I'll be admitting I've lost. I won't lose."
"You know, it's unlikely that you'll succeed. Even if we miraculously defeat this god, Danica will oppose your conquest. As will Rose and Finn. As will I."
"And your chances of gaining all of Terlon are just as slim. If you survive battling Deathend, who will help you overthrow your fearsome sister? Even if she fell, how many others could wrest the reigns of power from your weak hands?" The truth in his hateful words made Sean tear up. "So are you going to give up your dream?"
"No."
Julian smiled sadly. "Then neither will I. It may be the fate of grand dreamers to die in regret and despair after years of vain pursuit, but that's still better than how most lives pass, doing nothing and being nothing. In the end, who knows which of us will triumph, or if we'll both wind up dead and forgotten? Ever since he started expanding his empire, Regis was so strong and so sure of his absolute triumph, and yet he is dead while the story he began continues.
"But you know, we could have avoided this whole mess if only your father had accepted my brother's marriage proposal to your sister."
"He was twenty years older than her! And then, what of my dreams?"
Julian shrugged. "You'd never have even gotten as close as you are now. And I'd be content serving my god, instead of planning to kill him. Well, we're stuck with what we have. May the gods choose a suitable victor for our coming battle."
"Our enemy is a god," Sean reminded him with a groan. Looking at the sword hilt he was supposed to kill said god with, he truly realized how screwed he was.
#
Danica couldn't believe what she had heard from her contact among Sean's men. To try and steal the position she'd been groomed for since childhood was bad enough, but now, the would-be king took Julian as an ally? She was tempted to just kill the Fanteian knave, but knew it wouldn't be prudent to make the first act of aggression. Telling herself that letting them talk a little couldn't hurt, she asked Finn to come with her and her soldiers to meet the pair. She might have been able to handle Julian by herself, but it was always better to have the clear advantage.
It'd been a couple weeks since the fight with the man in Deathend's armor, and though Rose still hurt, she didn't want to let her husband go to face Julian without her at his side. So she too came, and Danica felt confident in her backup. Her group met Sean and Julian on the road, and she said, "I see you've made a fine new ally, brother. Where are you going?"
His tense posture made clear that Sean wasn't too comfortable with his partner, and both he and Julian looked surprised to see Danica and the foreigners. Sean seemed to struggle with how to word his answer before the Fanteian cut him off. "Where did you get that sword?" Julian asked, staring at the hilt jutting over Finn's back.
"That?" Rose said. "He took it from the god of war we beat up."
"Yep, Deathend attacked Polier and we drove him away," Finn announced with pride, hugging Rose. "She did all the work."
She punched him lightly on the arm. "Oh, stop. You did plenty, and you know it."
Danica gave a tiny shake of the hea
d that they didn't notice. It was like an invisible bubble kept the tension of the meeting from touching the couple! She wished she had the same protection.
Julian stepped past Danica to get a closer look at the sword. "This is a replica of Deathend's weapon, which used to sit in my palace."
Entering the conversation with a meek voice, Sean held up a large hilt with no blade attached. "That's a replica of this? They look the same from the crossguard down, but that has a blade."
"It has a metal blade because the smith who forged it couldn't replicate the solid flame that made up Deathend's." Julian took on a thoughtful frown. "But hmm, it could be this rather than his real sword that fulfills the prophecy." He tried to reach over Finn's shoulder for the hilt. "Give it to me."
Finn stepped back, pulled the mace from his belt and raised it to put it between him and Julian. "Hold on! That's my sword now, and I'm not just going to hand it over to a man who impaled my wife!"
"Shouldn't it be mine?" Rose asked, poking him. "It came out of my chest, and you're better with a mace."
"Split the price when we sell it?"
"Fine."
"You're going to make me pay for my own property when everything's on the line?" Julian growled. Danica and Sean, along with most of the soldiers, just stood agape.
Rose chuckled. "I was kidding. I'll let Sean use it, if that's what's needed to defeat Deathend. But I don't think the guy we're fighting can only be beaten one way. He was powerful, but we made him walk away. Another good hit or three with Finn's mace or my sword could have put him down for good, I'm sure."
"Then why don't you come with us and use this great strength of yours to help defeat him?" the emperor challenged.
At first, Danica thought the adventure-loving warriors would eagerly accept and go after Deathend alongside their former enemy and Sean. But then she remembered the extent of the injuries inflicted upon Rose by Julian along with Regis and reconsidered. The couple whispered among themselves for about a minute, then Rose turned not to Julian, but to Sean.
"What are you doing, how could you join him? He killed your fathers, remember?"
"It's for the greater good," Sean said, but it seemed to Danica the real reason he abided Julian's company might be because he was scared.
Rose flashed him a reassuring smile while keeping a watchful eye on Julian. "Just ask, and I'll protect you from this madman. Despite our troubles, I'm still your friend."
"Yeah, we can finish him off while we're at it," Danica couldn't resist adding. She was none too happy to see Rose frown at her suggestion, and resigned herself to listening a little longer before bringing the topic up again.
Sean shook his head. "No, he's helping me fulfill my destiny. Deathend is here in the flesh, so the prophecy must be true, right?"
Rose sighed. She apparently didn't want to argue over the legitimateness of their foe's divinity, as she avoided mentioning the discussion they'd had about the subject. "Forget this prophecy crap. If you do achieve something great, it'll be through your own merits and not merely the guidance of fate."
"I know you can't understand because you've always had the enviable strength to carve out your own great destiny. But I'm not like you; I'm weak, and can only take the chances I'm given. I'm begging you, please let me borrow the sword. I'll bring it back, I promise."
Rose averted her gaze. "Bring it back?" She met Sean's eyes again and grinned. "When did we ever say we wouldn't come with you? If Deathend is left alone to make more undead, enchant weapons for Fanteia's army and all, that could become a problem not just for this continent but for the whole world. We'd been thinking about going after him, but didn't know if we could make it to him. But you know your way around Fanteia and Ohere, yes emperor?"
Sean's eyes brightened with joy and hope, while Julian looked ambivalent. He wouldn't likely enjoy Rose and Finn's company, but he must appreciate the help they could give. Catching Julian warily eyeing his wife, Finn said offhand, "And after taking care of the big threat, we can deal with The Evil Emperor later." Despite his tone, Danica caught a flash of great anger in his eyes, and knew he must hate anyone who hurt his wife as Julian had.
Imagining a chance to avenge her father somewhere down the line, she asked, "Would you mind if I came along?"
Her motivation seemed apparent to Rose as the latter glanced Julian's way, but the big woman didn't mention it. "Your decisions are your own, and we're not going to stop you. But if you go with us, we'll be putting both of Terlon's remaining royals at risk. So I think it'd be best you stay home."
"It's better for the queen to face the threat head on than hide like a coward. Terlon is next on the chopping block anyway if you fail." And anyway, being a queen would be even more of a pain than it was if she couldn't keep doing what she did best. "Besides, if anyone should stay behind to ensure the royal bloodline goes on, it's Sean."
"But I'm destined to defeat Deathend!" Sean protested. "Wait... you'd leave me the throne?"
Danica smirked. "If I died before you, yes. That doesn't seem likely."
"Well, thanks, I guess."
"Anyway Danica," Rose said, "I don't think it's a good idea to bring your soldiers along. A big group will draw more attention, and I doubt a few extra men will help much if they throw their army at us." Danica ordered her warriors to return to Polier, and she continued, "So do you have anything to make yourself less conspicuous? Me and Finn have our bulky cloaks, and Sean and Julian look similarly prepared, but you're dressed like a fierce warrior queen."
"I don't have a cloak."
"Then I guess we'll have to cut you one from our tent."
Finn stared at her. "What?! Cut up our tent?"
"It's that or she gets us all in trouble when people recognize her on sight."
"Or, she takes the few hours to go back to town and get a cloak of her own."
Rose frowned. "Um, right. Well, I guess a little more time to practice won't hurt."
#
They walked south, Julian and Danica on the far sides of the group sneaking hostile looks at each other, Rose and Finn between them, and Sean hiding in the very center. "Why are you standing between me and my wife?" Finn asked jokingly at one point.
"He isn't very comfortable next to the others," Rose said.
"And he's supposed to kill a war god?"
"Oh, cut it out. We can't all be super strong warriors." Glancing around, she had to admit Sean looked pretty out of place here. But he was brave and a fighter, as he'd proven before. She thought if he got a chance to strike Deathend down, he would have the mettle to take it. "So how's Danica getting along with you over there?"
Finn shrugged. "She's okay. Kind of quiet. How about you and Julian?"
"He's okay... kind of quiet."
"You talk a lot," Julian said.
"Okay, Evil Emperor." She felt a pang in her chest as she often did when she breathed and touched her breastplate, causing Finn to frown worriedly at her.
"Are you sure you're ready to do this? It's only been two weeks since you got skewered. There's no way you're totally healed."
Though her chest indeed still bothered her quite a bit, Rose said, "Relax, it's not too bad, and I still have more than a week to heal before we get there. I'm kind of surprised how fast Sean and Julian are making us walk to keep up, though. I guess they're in a rush to confront Deathend."
"I-I don't know about that," Sean said.
Finn grinned. "Heh. Maybe because you know you have to confront your fear, you're trying to hurry up and get to it before you've had too much time to dwell on it. Got to give you credit for that, at least."
"So if you think people hurry to meet their fears," Rose asked, "what am I afraid of?"
"Food? You always eat it so fast."
She laughed. "If that's the case, you're scared of food too, and drink!"
They didn't bother to discuss what they were really afraid of, because they already knew each other's fears intimately. Though they might seem absolutely fearless to thos
e who didn't know them, they certainly weren't. Rose knew her husband feared feeling useless, above all else, a fear which had driven many of his actions over the years. It had shown in the past when he'd sought constantly to outdo her in battle, and later in his obsessive drive to obtain magical knowledge. Now, his fixation was protecting her—which, at least, suited her more than any of his previous ones.
And what did she fear? More than anything, it was failing to protect people she cared about from violent death. She'd had to face that fear many times when she indeed failed, often in heartbreaking manner. It never got easier to deal with, only worse with each instance. It was the most awful part of her lifestyle, the loss of treasured friends and even allies she'd known only briefly, but long enough to feel their loss, knowing they deserved better. Almost everyone did.
Even if she would largely be made obsolete in such a world, she wished there could be peace among humanity, and everyone could just settle their differences with words and reason. But she thought that would never be, and she'd always be a fighter. She accepted it even if that truth did hurt. At least she'd been able to make a difference in the lives of many an innocent threatened by war. Now she would once again fight, for the sake of both one friend and countless strangers threatened by the being he went to face. She prayed she wouldn't fail either of them.
"Can you help me work on my magic when we break?" she asked Finn. "I've been training my reflexes to hopefully keep up better since the last fight with Deathend, but it might also help if I knew more little tricks to counteract his magic."
"You'll never become anywhere near as powerful as him in time for the fight. At my best when I was a dragon, I was still nowhere close to him."
"I know. That's why I'll only use it when I can make the best of it."
He taught her some new spells he thought could be useful, though it was slow going since he couldn't demonstrate by casting them himself. They crossed the border into Fanteia, and journeying through the countryside Rose noted the lushness of the fields even now that they'd faded in autumn. She wondered that such a nation would still feel the need to conquer other less fertile lands. Didn't they already have enough? When they saw a sign indicating that Ohere was five miles away, the party quickened their pace, and before long stopped before the city gates to make final preparations.
