Songs of fire and light

Chapter 4,5: a mad morning

Early in the morn, a tiny figure shuffled careful past the snores of men. Caught by a deep sleep. Their minds drained, bodies sore from the spirit’s rage. Day after day their lord ordered himself and his men dare enter her forest. Never welcomed with anything but a cold shoulder and frozen balls. Their lives balanced on the edge of a knife. 

After her last fit of rage, the prince of fools pulled his vessels back to a neighboring country. Rather than his eldest brother’s lands. Orthillis, ruled by king Caius, his brother in-law. Husband of his younger sister Lira. Arranged by his mother to gain more power, only to find Caius sided with Leon rather than a bunch of vipers. Due conflicting morals. 

It’s not a grand castle, a more modest inn, on the edge of a modest farming town. Not far removed from the forbidden forest. 

Licht moved swift and as light-footed a human can be. Loud snores of his fathers vessels keeps him on his toes. Drunk from the previous night’s lavish booze fest. 

Into the forbidden forest. Were for days he’s been enjoying the scenery with a beautiful elf-witch. If his father learned, he would grow green of jealousy and red of rage. Too many emotions for the poor lord of fools, his head might explode. 

Yet this time does not pass unnoticed. “Where would one as young as yourself go on your own?” Leon asked from the doorway, in nothing except his underwear. A yawn escapes his lips. Past his father’s broad figure, his inexperienced eyes catch sight of a naked form. Slender, with a silky skin that glows by the hallways pale light. 

The boy diverts his eyes, hiding his true motive. Angers boils his veins. How dare he interfere! Biting his lip, he replies through gritted teeth. “Get lost, I’m going for a walk. Leave me alone!”

“With a rucksack, at this hour?” He points towards the small black rucksack his son held on his back. Filled with sweets stolen from last nights dinner. “Get back in bed.” Without pause, the boy dashes off. Leaving his father behind. “Licht, get back here!” He called after his son too late. 

The rebelling boy slipped beyond the forest border. Unaware of his following. 

Back at the inn, the mood had taken a turn for the worse.

Nursing their hangover, Yaghen dared himself to consume some solid food. Reiner sat beside him, stuffing his face without distress. Unlike his pals, he never felt the gloom of too much drink thereafter morn. A certain grand emptiness hung over their heads. Neither lord nor son had made themselves heard. Something all found impossible to behold. 

“As commanders it is their duties to care for the prince of fools.” A soldier bit back, afraid of the Kelila and their stormy temper. All eyes fell on Reiner and his fellow commander, Yaghen. Scarce conscious. after the amount of booze he immersed himself with the previous night. 

A gloom darkness hit them upon entry. Their lord’s room was pitch dark, with the only exception of the hall light. In the corner of his room, a crouched shadow caught their gaze. The men shared a glance, dared their chances and approached. After a supportive push from Reiner of course. 

“M-my lord, is all well?” Yaghen forced the words beyond his fright. Reiner sighed, annoyed by his comrade’s cowardice. 

Forced him to intervene, “My lord, lord Licht was not in his room this morn. Nor have any of the men seen him. Shall we order a search?”

“R-reiner, i-it’s horrible. Licht’s been acting strange.” The lord sobbed. Hidden under a blanket in the nook of his room. Before they released a single breath, Leon had crawled on his knees for them. Looking up from the floor, his eyes glossy with tears. “This morning he told me to get lost and leave him alone. My baby boy.” With trembling lips he continued. “My heir and only son ditched me. Me, his father!” He gasped. “Can you believe the nerve of that kid.”

Yaghen looked as a fish out of water, uncertain how to deal with his troubled lord. Casted a glance aside, a silence beg for help. Between them both Yaghen is more a fighter without proper working brain. Whilst Reiner shined as a people person, with an amount of patience that fills a castle. “Are you proud?” Reiner’s voice sounded bored and uninterested, which in truth he was. For years he witnessed his lord’s constant mood swings. 

Leon shot on his feet. A laugh broke free. “Naturally, my boy’s growing up.”

Amusement filled his features when a wicked idea made itself known. “I dread where his wandering feet will take him.” He said, baiting his lord. “Perhaps the young lord found his first love?”

“Love!” Leon shrieked horrified. He stepped back, his face turned a ghostly white. “Do not mock on such things, or i’ll cut off your fibbing monkey head.” His hands moved for his hip, where his sword normal hung. Yet with the lord still flaunting about in his nightclothes. Being nothing more than his red silk briefs. Where he found none. “Neglecting his father?” Leon‘s eyes wide of horror. “No fair!” The lord sulked, plummeting on the floor. 

Yaghen’s eyes fell on the floor, afraid of the madness that held his lord. Was it necessary to wind him up again! Damn Reiner, you bastard. Clenched teeth kept the lid on the downpour he held back. Reiner enjoyed others’ misery. Yaghen being his prime, most privileged subject. He felt others owed for his lousy childhood and the loss of his parents. 

With a leap over his kingsized bed, for sword placed upon the nightstand bed the lord’s madness continued. He miscalculated the jump en slipped too far and off, along with half the bedlinnen. The pure silken bedding from his own mansion too smooth and slippery for his own good. 

Struggling his new enemy, his own silk bedlinnen, Leon wrestled his way out. Once freed sword in hand, linnen shred apart, fallen by his sword his eyes turned cold once more.

“All well, my lord?” Reiner asked, forcing back any clear sign of amusement. His bad acting an eye-roll worthy from a friend that sees past his treachery. 

Leon crawled up, bend over his bed. His scowl found its target. “Reiner, can I punch you?”

With his signature carefree smile, Riener gave his answer. “Only if his lordship would neglect my reflex when I hit you back. Would that be fine?” Closing his eyes with glee. 

Leon fell back, crying. “Ha,” He sighed, hands balled in fist as he tossed them around. “Damn, i need to take it out on someone!”

“My lord, perhaps it would be best if you calmed down a bit.” Yaghen pipped up. Leaning over the bed, supported by his hands. “Maybe we could train to catch the spirit?” 

A smile found its way back on his lordships face. Metallic eyes narrow aside on his eager vessel. Without warning send the ppor man flying in the hall. Punched in the face, a found of release. 

Riener abode well by his impeccable fraud of a statue.   

No laughter dare enter the room any longer. “Let’s track that little s**t down.” The lord shoved both vessels as the man made way for the door. Disappearing into the hallway armed and only dressed in his shorts. 

“Our lord is on a roll once more. That spirit bobbled his head even further than it was.” Reiner’s voice was course and low as the other raised a brow at him. “Come, we should bring his clothing.” As he past, thrusted their lords clothing in Yaghen’s arms. 

~

The prince of fools sought high and low. Scoured the town and its shops. The surrounding woods. He even went far enough to visit his dear beloved sister and ask her advise only to find his worries ridiculed. Much to his lordships remorse. 

Helios sniffed the lands for a trace, that led them time again at the borders of the spirit. Neither lord, vessel or wolf found it wise to test her patience so soon. They remember the frozen state of Leon when he staked claim on her frozen heart. A chill ran down their spines, anything but eager for another round. 

“Boys, tonight, I am having a serious conversation with my traitorous son.” Cold grey eyes sought deep in the forest a trace of his son and the troublesome sprite. “Making new friends without telling his father about. The nerve of that kid.”

She’s mine to claim.