by B K Suitter
Aliha wandered through the trees with only the light of the moon to guide her until she broke into a small clearing. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to a large flat stone sticking up out of the ground. She approached it slowly and knelt in the snow and brushed the gathering of cold flakes away to reveal five letters scratched into the hard surface. A-L-I-H-A.
“Funny,” she whispered, “that’s how mommy spells my name.” She traced the letters with a small finger and wondered why her name was on the flat stone. Aliha sat there for some time while the snow built up around her and she touched the engraving continuously with her reaching hand. She was lost in thought when the fetid stench of animal breath brought her back to her senses. She turned her head slowly, suddenly realizing the warm air gusting against the back of her neck was not the wind, but the breath escaping from the large mouth of what appeared to be a very large black dog.
Aliha knew she should be scared, but she wasn’t. As she stood and faced the animal that was sitting calmly, she reached out and scratched the dark fur between its eyes. She stepped closer and worked her fingers up over its head, stopping to scratch the large ears, then for some reason wrapped both arms around the wolf’s neck and gave it a big hug. She knew then and there that everything was going to be ok. As the animal stood, Aliha stepped back, but she kept one hand tight to the soft fur on its neck, and as the wolf began to slowly move away, she turned with it. Holding on and keeping pace, the girl walked with the wolf. It led her through the forest back the way she had come, and soon she heard the distant cry from her father.
“Aliha, where are you!?” Robert yelled again in desperation.
“Over here, Daddy!” Aliha yelled back. “I’m coming!” and they called back and forth to each other, each time their voices getting louder and clearer. Finally, they stood not twenty feet from each other and when her father saw her, his face went from relief to horror. The site of his daughter standing next to, and holding on to, a very large timber wolf filled Robert with dread, but Aliha’s soft voice calmed him just a bit.
“Look, Daddy, this dog helped me to find you. I was lost and there was this rock, and it had my name on it.” As Aliha spoke, she began walking towards her father. Robert was still grounded to the spot. He stared at the wolf as it just sat there watching them. The animal showed no sign of aggression, but Robert’s heart pounded against his chest anyway.
“Then the dog found me and let me hug it and led me back to you. Can we keep it?” Aliha asked as she came to stand before her father. She turned to the wolf and called, “Come here!” patting her tiny hands to her tiny legs.
“No, Aliha, don’t,” Robert said, his voice breathless. The wolf made no move, but just sat there and watched.
“But why, Daddy? She’s nice and…,” Robert cut her short.
“It’s a wolf! Now let’s go – slowly.” Robert grabbed Aliha’s hand and began to back away. Aliha stared at the animal as she slowly backpedaled with her father.
“Wolf,” Aliha repeated in amazement.
They made their way back to the wagon and headed for home. Aliha couldn’t help but stare into the forest hoping to get a glimpse of the wolf that had just saved her life.
********************
Pax was hiding in the dark shadows of a tool shed when Aliha came home. He had searched the barn and surrounding buildings and found nothing of interest. He knew the brothers were still inside searching the house and he smiled to himself as he wondered what entertainment the two brothers might find in her. He thought about making his way across the yard to watch the excitement, but the appearance of three large wolves changed his mind. He expected to hear screams as the animals would undoubtedly tear into both men and girl, but there was only silence.
It was unnerving. Pax ran low, a shade across the open yard, and ducked deep into a row of bushes across the open doorway. What he saw was also unnerving: the girl sitting in a chair while petting the huge wolf like a family pet.
Pax watched as the two brothers soon left the house unharmed and when the two wolves exited the house shortly after, he ducked deeper into the shadows. He then waited for the girl to go back inside her house and shut the door to make his quick exit. Keeping low to the ground, Pax ran quietly away from the farm.
********************
The next morning was bright and warm. The storm from the previous day had left a wet soft mud that slowly dried up as the sun’s rays laid a warm blanket upon the ground. Aliha, too, felt a little better, her gray mood slowly disappearing like the dark clouds from yesterday’s gloomy weather.
Her father had been old and his health in a slow decline for many years, and even though she missed him greatly, there was some relief that he was now at rest.
She had been awake since dawn, rising early to watch the sun rise with Timber at her side. Her chores were all but completed as she stood next to a large chicken coop, throwing handfuls of seed onto the ground. It was all a routine for Aliha, everything she had just done this morning, she had done every morning for as long as she could remember. When her father was alive, taking care of the farm had meaning. She did it for him. Now that he was gone, could she continue living this way? Did she want to? She thought about selling the farm and moving to…somewhere…to do …something. Where would she go? What could she do? This life was all she knew. In a way, she felt stuck. Trapped.
A deep growl resonated through Timber’s thick body and Aliha turned towards the farmhouse and saw a man standing there. He had just come around the corner and stopped when the wolf took notice of him. Timber stalked towards him, the hair on her back rising, the growl becoming deeper and more sinister. Aliha realized it was one of the men she had met in the cemetery the day before. He had both his swords sheathed and made no attempt at reaching for them.
“Timber, relax,” Aliha said and the wolf stopped. She moved up beside the animal and put her hand atop its head.
“What are you doing here?” Aliha called out in a firm tone to the man across the yard.
“We came to see you,” called out the old man as he walked around the corner of the house.
Timber took off in a mad dash towards the pair and Shanks instinctively put both hands to his weapons.
“Timber, no!” Aliha yelled out, chasing after the wolf.
“It’s ok,” Gideon said to keep Shanks from drawing his blades. He reached out with a careful hand as the wolf pulled up short and he pet the animal with affection. “I remember you too, old friend,” Gideon whispered.
Aliha was shocked at how the old man was able to pet the large wolf.
“No one has ever touched her but me,” Aliha said. “Not even my father dared to put hands upon her. How is it that you, a total stranger, can do so?”
“I’m just good with animals, I guess,” replied Gideon. “We are heading back to the coast today and will be leaving this land. I wanted to make sure you were ok and tell you good-bye. I know you do not know me, but I loved your mother dearly and I wanted to see you one last time before we left.”
“What land are you sailing to?” Aliha asked curiously.
“Asaria,” Gideon said, hoping to catch her interest. “Have you been there, by chance?” and Aliha indicated that she had not. “Oh, the adventures we have had there. Am I right, Captain Shanks?”
“You are a captain?” she asked the man curiously. “Of a boat?”
“No, your high…,” Shanks started to say, but then coughed to cover his mistake and a strange look crossed her face. “Aliha,” he continued, “I was captain of the king’s guard.”
“You have kings where you are from?” Aliha asked. “And queens?”
“And princesses,” the captain added with a smile.Gideon cut in, giving the other man a sour look. “Yes, yes, we have kings and knights and maidens and monsters.”
“Monsters,” Aliha repeated. “What kind?” The girl’s tone was edged with disbelief.
“Oh, all kinds,” Gideon replied. “There are giants and dragons and othe
r monstrous beasts.”
“Is there magic?” Aliha asked.
“What do you know of magic?” Gideon asked nervously.
“I know nothing about magic,” Aliha replied. “But a traveler came through here once when I was a little girl and he said he could do magic.”
“The man showed you magic?” Gideon asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Aliha said, sounding offended. “He made flowers appear out of nowhere, pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and even made a silver coin come from out of my ear. He said it was magic.”
“I would have loved to see that,” Gideon said to the captain, and they both laughed.
“You don’t believe in magic?” Aliha asked defensively.
“On the contrary, Aliha, I do believe in magic. But the magic I have seen is very dangerous.”
“Why?” Aliha asked.
“It just is,” Gideon replied. “Would you like to see a land with kings, monsters, and magic?”
“Are you asking me if I wish to accompany two strange men to a distant and foreign land?” Aliha asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, I guess I am,” Gideon said as he smiled.
Aliha felt she could trust the two men, but could she really leave the only place she had ever known? Did she have the courage? She could leave the farm in the care of her father’s friend, Joseph, but could she leave her home and go out into the wider world?
“Let me ask you this,” Gideon said. “Do you have any reason to stay?” His look was sympathetic, but then his old face quickly brightened and his eyes twinkled. “Come with us and it will be a grand adventure, I promise,” Gideon continued with excitement. “You can return home any time you wish.”
Aliha was stricken with the thought of abandoning her home. All her memories of her parents were rooted to the farm and leaving suddenly was nothing but foolish and impossible.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I can’t.”
“Of course you can, Aliha,” Gideon replied with a smile. “You belong in Asaria.”
“What does that even mean?” she asked with a hint of anger. “You don’t know me, and you know nothing about me.” Aliha turned away from them and walked to the back door to her small house. “Please be on your way.”
“But, Aliha, please reconsider,” was all Gideon could say before she closed the door behind her.
Aliha slowly walked through her house and searched for any reason to stay. She went through each room and looked for more than just old memories and found that everything she loved about her home was dead and gone. Tears flooded her eyes as she panicked and ran to the front door. She put her hand on the knob but struggled with opening it. Could she leave? she asked herself. Was she brave enough to go out into the world and prove she could be more than a simple farm girl?
“Wait!” Aliha called out as she threw open the door and found the two men pulling away in a small wagon led by two brown horses. “I have changed my mind!” she yelled, and she ran through her house and began packing a bag for the long road ahead. She wrote down a few specific instructions for her father’s friend, and then picked up her things and walked outside into the yard. Aliha turned and eyed the farm she grew up on and a small tug of regret pulled on her senses. She would miss her home and she pretended her parents were standing in the doorway, waving goodbye and wishing her luck. Aliha waved back and then blew a kiss before climbing up into the back of the wagon. She made herself comfortable on a pile of blankets and called Timber to join her. The black wolf jumped up into the wagon and laid down next to her as Shanks shook the reins and the two horses began pulling the wagon on down the road.
The ache of leaving everything behind grew as she watched her home slowly disappear into the distance. Part of her wanted to jump down from the wagon and run back home. The small girl inside her wanted as much, but the woman she had become let the feeling pass and Aliha said not a word. She was aware of the old man giving her words of encouragement and promising a grand adventure and Aliha nodded in agreement, but still said nothing.
They stayed at Joseph’s house only for a short time, long enough to explain her intentions and travel plans. At first, Joseph and his wife begged Aliha to reconsider, reminding her that she knew nothing about the two strangers she traveled with. In the end, though, she simply thanked the couple for agreeing to take care of her farm and with strong looks of skepticism, the pair watched as Aliha pulled away.
They traveled for three days, making camp each night and talking over a warm campfire. Aliha would repeatedly ask the pair if they had relatives that she might have known, explaining the feeling of familiarity she had for the two men. Gideon and the good captain just shook their heads and said “no” and Aliha soon abandoned the thought entirely.
When they finally reached the Port of Ferrinbay, Aliha was breathless. She had never seen a city before and the tall buildings and large amounts of people excited her. They rode the wagon through the busy streets all the way to the docks. Shanks made a leash out of a piece of rope and advised Aliha to keep Timber on it until they were aboard the ship. The people of Ferrinbay were not comfortable with wolves, even those kept as pets.
The docks were lined with both small and large vessels. Merchant ships and fishing boats were all about the harbor, but one in particular stood out from all the rest.
“Like a Northman standing over an Asarian,” Shanks said with a smile and Gideon agreed as they both stared up at the massive ship.
They made their way to a long gangplank and walked carefully up until they boarded the ship. This was the first time Aliha had seen the ocean, and the first time she had set foot upon a boat. Aliha’s stomach was already turning and they hadn’t even left the harbor yet.
“A young girl and a wolf, Gideon, is that what we sailed across the Eastern Ocean to find?”
Gideon just smiled at the man as he walked across the deck to stand before the small party.
“Aliha, this is Sergeant Daphaxian, a very impossible man. You will want to stay away from him,” Gideon’s tone was serious.
Daphaxian stepped forward and bowed. He was tall and handsome with black tangled hair that was long about his head and piercing dark eyes that twinkled with charm. The man had a thin black goatee and a shadow of a beard along his sturdy jaw, and he was dressed in leather armor and a warm black cloak. For an instant, Aliha thought she recognized the man.
“Please, call me Daphaxian. Have we met before, Aliha?”
The girl thought yes, but said, “I don’t know, have we?”
“Have you been to Asaria before?” Daphaxian asked.
“No,” Aliha replied while shaking her head. “Have you visited Ionasbury lately?”
“No,” Daphaxian answered with a charming smile.
“There you have it,” Gideon cut in, “you are both strangers to each other. Now, Daphaxian, if you will please go and advise Captain Barstill that we have returned, we can set sail and be on our way.” Gideon turned to Aliha and offered to lead her to the cabin she would be staying in for the long journey across the sea.
Daphaxian and Shanks watched them walk off across the long deck.
“She looks familiar,” said Daphaxian with a long smile before walking off to find the captain of the ship.
Shanks stood there with a troubled look on his face. He knew that Aliha did indeed look just like her mother, the queen, and the fact that her name was the same just complicated things even more. Hiding her from King Uriah should prove to be quite difficult.
4
Year of the Frost Horn 2318 A.A.
The bowsprit hung high above waves that crashed into the huge ship, a white spray washing against the figurehead – a mighty white bear of the North. The name IRONHEART was large across the stern, declaring to the vast ocean it was not afraid as the galley drove hard through the cold waters.
They had been at sea for only a fortnight, but to Aliha it felt much longer. She was just getting over the sickness caused by the rolling waves, having spent
the first seven days pouring her insides out into the dark waters. She had eaten little and spent most of her time in her cabin, wishing silently that they would take her back to Ferrinbay. She was already missing her old life and began to feel lonely, even though she always kept Timber by her side.
After two weeks on the ocean, and many meals lost, her stomach began to harden, and she slowly adapted to the strange motion of sea travel. She was still weak and a shade of white, almost the color of the huge Northmen that sailed the vessel. Aliha called them snowmen, although, not to their faces. They were called the Beoraki, and they were tall men – easily eight feet – with large muscular frames. Their powerful build made it easy for them to perform all tasks aboard the massive ship. They had thick white hair that hung long and straight down their backs. Many wore their hair braided, using animal teeth and claws to decorate the long strands. Their beards were thick and the color of snow, and their skin had the sparkle of frost while their eyes and lips a soft tint of blue. The Northmen wore thick wool tunics and breeches while on board the ship but would change into their heavy furs once they reached their homeland.
Gideon explained to her that the Northman’s armor and weapons were the best in the four lands, explaining how no steel was stronger or sharper than theirs. They were incredible warriors, strong sailors, and a people forged with honor and pride. Captain Shanks had said that the men from the South thought these people to be barbarians, but after spending many years living amongst them, he found the Southern people to be barbaric in comparison.
“You can trust the Beoraki,” Shanks had told her. “If they don’t like you, they will tell you. They don’t practice in deceit or string you along with lies as do the men from the South. They will not stab you in the back but prefer to split your front while looking you in the eye. They are a mighty people and you will never be safer than when you are under the protection of a Northman.”
