Twisted is the crown

THE BLANKET OF SNOW LAYERING the ground muffled the guard’s footsteps as he inched towards the sound of painful moaning. The cold wind and frost seeping into his black leather boots only added to the subtle pain of the gooseflesh rising onto his dark skin, and he sucked in his lips as his grip on the worn leather hilt of his blade tightened. Behind him two of his comrades drew their weapons as well. Both crouched on the snowy ground, eyes peering past the rosebushes down the short but steep cliff. From their position the three men couldn’t make out exactly who was down there, but they weren’t taking any chances. “It could just be touts.” Eli was the first to speak, his soft Chengan accent contrast to the strong Gaian accents of the other two men. He was the youngest by far of the three. Not up to a year had passed since he had graduated from the academy, and even then he had only started patrolling the castle ground mere weeks ago. As you can imagine, the other two didn’t take him seriously. “They aren’t touts.” Kae replied, his eyes not leaving the ground below. He could barely see, but from years of patrolling the grounds, he knew how touts moved. This wasn’t that. “Touts usually set up fires at this time of night. Cold like this can kill, and they wouldn’t want that.” “No they wouldn’t.” Ayo, the oldest of the group, chimed in. From the side of his eye he caught Eli’s confused look. Groaning, he continued. “I’m going to check it out.” Kae rolled his eyes and stood, staring Ayo down. The two worked ok together, but they weren’t fond of one another. Being the best at their jobs was bound to create competition. “I’m going.” “I already said—” “I want to go.” Kae pressed his lips into a thin line as he stared. Already, Eli had faded into the background. Ayo sighed, turning to make sure he didn’t loose sight of the targets on the ground below. Eli scrambled up to his feet, dusting snow from his leather tunic and gripping his sword with too tight a force. “Kae, someone has to stay here with Eli.” “He’s not a child.” “Eli is only eighteen.” “You were eighteen when you joined the patrol.” “And?” Ayo asked, annoyance creeping into his voice. Kae never failed to irritate him, and despite how much he had prayed, it appeared today was going to be another one of those days. “Can I go?” Eli’s quiet voice stopped Ayo in his tracks. Kae turned as well, eyes narrowed, and the young boy walked forward, snow concealing the sound of his clumsy footsteps. “No.” Kae and Ayo spoke in unison. Eli’s face soured as he kicked a patch of snow towards a tree stump. He was obviously annoyed, but then, all three of them there were. All grew silent as the wind grew louder, howling in from the North. They were hidden for now by the tall mammoth trees flanking the sides of the cliff, but if the men down below were smugglers, or worse, assassins, they wouldn’t be for long. “We have to act quickly.” Ayo said, sheathing his sword. He walked forward towards Kae and Eli, and pinching the bridge of his nose to still himself, he sighed. “Kae, you can go. I’ll stay with the child.” “My name is Eli.” The boy said, his voice a cross between angry and tired. “I’ stay with Eli.” Ayo repeated. Kae didn’t want to smile because it would seem like he was going by Ayo’s orders, but he gave a brief nod. Gripping his blade, he stalked towards the left edge of the cliff, overgrown with tall greengrass trees soaked in melted snow. “If I don’t return in five minutes, come find me.” Kae said, and both Ayo and Eli gave a brief nod before he turned and made his way down the cliff side. As Kae’s footsteps faded, the air stilled and quiet overcame the two. The cold still lingered even after the wind had stopped, and the sky was a dark lavender layered with silver stars. The half moon was out, and Eli was silently happy at the thought of more light. He felt like breaking down or running back to his mother’s arms at home, but he wanted so desperately to prove Ayo and Kae wrong. Somewhere deep within the woods, a direwolf howled. “You’ve been in the legion for thirteen years?” Eli asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Ayo turned towards him, eyes distant as he nodded. “That’s a long time.” He continued, hoping to get at least a word out of the man. When Ayo said nothing, Eli stood and rested again onto the cold but thin blanket of snow. He could feel the underbrush just below it. “What are you doing?” Ayo asked, lips curling in curiosity. “What does it look like I’m doing?” “Being an i***t?” The older man smiled, and Eli felt the tension slowly lift from his shoulders. He was worried about Kae, but he tried not to think about it. Maybe they were just touts who didn’t know how to make a fire? No. That was stupid. He gripped his sword. In the few weeks he had been in the force there had been no action. Ayo had sent touts away from the castle grounds once or twice maybe, and he remembered an old lady who had lost her child. All instances were awfully boring. Maybe today something even the littlest bit interesting would happen. He wasn’t counting on it, though. He would probably end today’s shift just like other days, bored and sore. Eli sighed and sat up from his position on the ground. Ayo’s eyes were closed but he wasn’t asleep. He could still see the man’s fingers lightly tapping the worn hilt of his weapon. He laid back down again, eyes up at the sky, marveling at the beauty. “Has it been five minutes?” Eli asked Ayo, who opened his eyes upon being called. The older guard reached into his vest, pulling out his stopwatch. It was caked in gold and rhinestones. Eli had overheard Kae and Ayo not long ago saying it was a family heirloom of sorts. He believed because the piece of technology was undeniably beautiful and glittered by the light of the half moon. “Five...four...three....two...one.” The stopwatch made a light beeping sound and Ayo pressed down on it, turning it off. He slipped it back into his coat as he stood, beckoning Eli to stand as well. The two both took inward sighs as they moved down where Kae had gone before. The cliff-side wasn’t as steep as the edge, but they still had to be careful to avoid the risk of falling. The ground still held small particles of snow, but it was far too steep to hold them in groves. When they had successfully made it down to the ground, the two met nothing. The bottom of the cliff was empty, void of life. Here, the snow was thicker and higher than it was on the cliff top, and a chill ran through Ayo’s body. “I don’t...I’m not...” He unsheathed his sword, and by default Eli did same. Fear began to pound in his heart as he moved forward, making sure to stay at least a few steps behind the older guard. “Kae!” Ayo screamed as the wind howled back from the North. It came with a force that pulled the trees to their sides and lifted particles of snow off of the ground. Eli tripped over himself, landing face first onto the ground. With the wind came cold, and with one hand Ayo pressed the buttons of his wool coat together. Under the coat was an thick iron vest, but still the chill penetrated. “It’s a storm!” Eli screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the wind. He struggled to plough through the snow, and the coat he wore didn’t do him any good. “Kae!” Ayo yelled at the top of his pained lungs. Nothing but the sound of rushing wind greeted him back. “We need to leave!” “We are not leaving without him! He could be hurt—and we don’t know by who.” Ayo’s eyes scanned the trees, and then he spotted something shift between two thick brown trees. He spied it some more, and whatever was there moved again. He breathed hard, grabbing Eli as the two made their way from the small open clearing into the semi safety of the trees. When they had gotten close enough, Ayo used his blade to prod the thing from behind the tree. He wanted to make sure it was, well, human. “Stop poking me with that thing.” “Kae!” Eli smiled as he left Ayo’s iron grip, turning round the tree and kneeling beside him. Ayo followed suit. Kae sat between two expanding jungle roots, breathing hard. His hair was disheveled and he looked a mess. It was then Ayo noticed the arrow lodged in his gut. “Kae! Who did this?” Silently, Eli wished he had never hoped for adventure. Kae grit his teeth as he spoke. His words came out as hoarse whispers, and neither Eli nor Ayo could fully make out what he was saying. “Tra....Vahaltmir...” “Vahaltmir?” Eli asked, looking at Ayo for confirmation. The older guard nodded, looking back at Kae. Despite the iron chest plate under his coat, the arrow still managed to penetrate. How? “What does Vahaltmir have to do with this?” Ayo asked, his voice trembling slightly. He didn’t want to show his fear in front of the little kid. “We need to get him to an infirmary.” Eli said, and again, Ayo nodded. “Yes...yes we should.” Kae grunted as both Ayo and Eli pulled him up from where he sat. They tried not to apply pressure on the arrow, but Kae still grunted in pain no matter how insignificant the contact seemed to Ayo. “The men....from Vahaltmir.” Kae panted, groaning in pain. Every step Eli and Ayo took felt like a jab to his gut. He tried to stay quiet. They were still out there. Outside the protective canopy of mammoth trees the snowstorm had already begun. If they left, they wouldn’t be able to survive for long. Hypothermia would kill them before the direwolves did. “What do we do?” Eli questioned as Kae grunted, trying to keep still. Ayo stared, eyes distant, thinking. His shoulders drooped. “I...I don’t know.” Ayo sighed as he silently wished he wasn’t human, or that at least that there was a Jiakka there with them. A flamer could keep then safe from the harrowing cold. An earther could push up the unscathed ground to give them safe road to cross, or create a safe space in the thick trunks of the towering mammoth trees. Instead, the three stood defeated. All human. All useless. “Take Kae back where he was resting, Eli.” Ayo said with a silent, entranced tone. He was no longer there. If Kae died today, it would be his fault. He was supposed to lead their set. Not run it into the ground. After what felt like hours, Ayo returned to Eli and Kae, who sat together. He knelt in front of Kae. “Tell us everything you saw and who shot you. I want every detail.” THE DARKER HOURS OF THE night had already arrived when Kae finally fell asleep, arrow still tight in his gut. He had told them the story of the two Vahaltmirian men, both claiming to be looking for work in the palace. When he had asked to see their luggage, one of them shot him. “Can’t we remove the arrow?” Eli asks, voice droopy and tired. “No. It will only cause further problems. We keep him like that until the storm dies down. Then we head straight for the infirmary.” “He didn’t say where the men went.” Eli pointed out, his voice shaky. “For all we know, they could still be in these woods, watching us.” “Go to sleep, Eli.” “But—” “Just please.” He said wearily. “I will keep watch until the storm dies down.” Eli sighed, defeated as he sat, resting his sore filled back on the trunk of a light brown mammoth tree. The woods smelt of pine and sap, and the young boy inhaled it as he tried to go to sleep. He couldn’t, but he still closed his eyes and tried to at least pretend for Ayo’s sake. He hadn’t even been out for ten minutes when the sound of whooshing woke him. With a slam, an arrow buried itself into the bark of the great tree. Eli jumped, eyes locking with Ayo’s. “Grab Kae and run.” He said, fear etching its way into his voice as he unsheathed his blade. Eli fumbled, his mind racing as the woke Kae up, the arrow hit guard slurring as he was pulled up from the ground by the younger. “To where?” Eli screamed back at Ayo. The storm had not yet subsided. If anything, it had only gotten worse. Ayo knew he would regret his next words. “Into the storm!” Eli’s blood froze as he turned and looked out into the thundering snowstorm just outside the confines of the mammoth trees. He felt a shiver make its way to his bones as he grabbed Kae to support him. “You said it was dangerous!” Eli yelled, frightened. Another arrow shot out of the darkness, whizzing right past the young boy’s ears and landing in the darkness right behind him. “You have a better chance of surviving out there than here. We need Kae safe! Do I make myself clear?” After a second of hesitation, Eli sighed. “Y-yes.” “Then get out!” With a huff, Eli grabbed Kae’s limp and cold body and boarded out of the safety of the forests and into the cold storm. Ayo didn’t turn around to see the two leave, he was more focused on the man cloaked in black that had just stepped out of the side of the tall shrubbery hanging on the branches of a tall sequoia tree. The masked figure wielded a silver bow with an obvious Fikawa heartstring, and his arrows were tipped with sharpened rubies. Whoever this strange figure was, he came from wealth. “Drop your weapon!” Ayo commanded, trying desperately to make his voice deep. Despite thirteen years in the Gaian royal guard, this had never happened before. “Drop your weapon!” He shouted again. “I wont say it a third time!” The cloaked man did not fear Ayo’s voice. With his gloved palms he placed another arrow on the bow, and the sharpened ruby tugged against the Fikawa heartstring. Ayo could almost see the smile on the man’s face. “Stand dow—” He fired. The arrow screamed towards Ayo. He jumped out of the way but not quick enough. The ruby arrow dug itself into his arm flesh. He yelled in pain as he hit the faint snow, the projectile now lodged in his shoulder. He gripped the worn and overused hilt of his sword, struggling to stand as the snow became lined with scarlet from his blood. He felt a heel on his head, pushing his face and nose into the blood red snow. The man laughed, his voice deep and petrifying. Ayo writhed under him, and with fear realized this was how he was going to die. Ayo faintly heard the cloaked man restock his bow with another arrow. Seconds felt like minutes as he waited for the attack. Tears fought to escape his eyes, but they couldn’t as his face was pushed deep into the sap smelling damp snow. If he didn’t get an arrow to the back, he would die from lack of air. “Say your prayers.” The man said, his voice scruffy. He thought of his daughter and wife as the arrow flew towards his body. Before the sharpened ruby struck his skull he was already dead.