Unnaturally Natural

Neith - Shocking Truth (Part 2)

After walking the whole night, and then some, the great walls of Urbemontis came into view. Neith was happy to have finally reached the city and let out a sigh of relief. As she approached the gate, she noticed the odd silence. Usually, the gate would be teaming with merchants seeking entry and commoners going about their daily business. It wasn't that it was quiet; there was absolutely no one at the gate except two guards. Both of which kept their eyes on her as she approached.

For a moment, she thought they would stop her from entering, but their interest seemed to diminish as she came closer. It appeared they were looking for someone. Neith wondered who - or what - might have caused the guards to be on such high alert. Something must have happened while she had been away. 

After she had gone through the gate, she was shocked. The streets were empty. Even the stray cats and dogs were nowhere to be seen.

As she walked deeper into the city, she could hear something in the distance; it sounded like a crowd. She decided to move towards it, hoping to find answers. As she got closer, she noticed it was a crowd, and they sounded angry. She wondered what could have caused the people to revolt. Her mind was so occupied; she almost didn't notice a large armored soldier approaching her.

"Huntsman?" A familiar voice echoed.

Neith quickly turned to see the commander she had met before. 

"It is you!" He said, sounding pleased, "It seems the guards did not recognize you."

"What do you mean? What is going on?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"I guess I should explain. But not here, follow me," the captain said, turning down a street which lead away from the crowd.

Neith didn't know what to think; she wasn't even sure if she could trust the captain. He was acting strangely, avoiding any open streets, and staying in the narrower back streets. She wanted to ask what the reason was, but the captain spoke before she could say anything.

"I am glad I was the first to recognize you; any other soldier would have turned you over to the people."

"What do you mean? Tell me what has happened!" Neith demanded.

"It began two days ago. At first, it was just another day, but after the dancing night lights subsided, we started hearing howls," he paused for a moment to see if they had been followed. "Admittedly, we assumed it was a pack of wolves that had lost their way, so we paid it little mind. But the following morning, I was flooded with reports of werewolf sightings. They had been all around the city, and not just one or two, but entire packs."

"I fail to see what I have to do with any of this," Neith replied, frustrated.

"You don't? I thought you, of all people, should be able to connect the dots. The people are blaming you."

She stopped dead in her tracks. It came as a big shock to her. Why would they blame a huntsman? Huntsmen repel supernaturals; if anything, the people should have been thanking her. Wait a minute!

"Why do they blame me? I thought my presence was a secret! How would anyone know I am in the city? How would they even know I am a Huntsman?" She grew louder as the questions grew more.

"From what I can gather," the captain started, "someone has been spreading rumors of a Huntsman. But seeing as the guards didn't recognize you, I am assuming the rumors aren't detailed. It is a good thing you are a woman; otherwise, you would have been turned over to the people."

"The guards would turn me over? Why? I thought I was under the king's protection."

"Yes, you were. However, when the citizens took to the streets, to protect his image, the king claimed you were not under invite. He also gave his soldiers permission to take you into custody and turn you over to the people."

Neith was furious. The one who asked for a Huntsman to come to Urbemontis now turned his back on her. His reason for doing so was selfish but understandable. If the people directed their anger at the king, the city would likely be subject to riots. But since the king publicly denounced the Huntsmen and offered the people his support, they were pleased with him, and the damage was minimized. I guess I can't blame him for what he did; after all, it was the most logical action.

"Why didn't you turn me over to the people?" She wondered out loud.

"After seeing you in action, I have gained a great deal of respect for you as a fellow warrior. A warrior does not dishonor another by leading them to such a mundane end," the captain paused for a moment, "I swore my loyalty to the kingdom, not the king. I do what is best for Urbemontis, and I believe you will be an invaluable asset."

As her cheeks started to turn a rosy red, Neith felt glad she was walking behind the captain. No one has ever considered her a warrior, not even her fellow Huntsmen. She was never recognized for her skills. But the captain saw her for who she truly was. 

After a tedious two hour walk, they finally reached the gate to the castle. It was promptly opened when the guard saw the captain approaching. After both Neith and the captain were inside, the gate was closed. The castle now lay before them. They quickly hurried to the main door.

"I will go in and inform the king that you are here. Then I shall come back to get you and take you to him, so we can solve this problem," the captain said as he opened the great door.

He was already gone before Neith could answer him. It was so ridiculous, she thought. There was no reason for the king to keep her alive. It was his declaration that sealed her fate. Nothing was stopping him from turning her over to the people. She was both worried and frustrated.

The captain was taking much longer than she had expected. It gave her time to admire the castle and its walls. Urbemontis' castle was not made unique by its size. What made it special is where it was built and with what it was built. Unlike any other city in the country, Urbemontis was built on a small mountain, with the castle at the top. The castle's location allowed it to, quite literally, look over the city.

She had read that Urbemontis was built by dwarves. They had constructed the castle using only honey stone, which could only be found in the surrounding mountains. The special stone gave the castle its unique earthy brown color.

While looking around, she found herself impressed by the perfect symmetry of the dwarven design. No civilization could match dwarven craftsmanship. There was a reason why Urbemontis has stood firm after enduring many battles and countless years.

Her reverence was interrupted when the door swung open. It was the captain.

"Come, hurry," He ordered.

Neith followed him without protest, hoping the king would not throw her to the people. 

They walked down a long hallway with many doors lining it. At the far end was a door decorated with gold and jewels. Neith guessed it was the throne room. The hallway itself was decorated with banners woven from expensive fabrics and lined with gold. It was a true testament to the wealth of Urbemontis.

When they reached the decorated door at the end of the hallway, the captain knocked twice before entering. He signaled for Neith to follow him. 

The throne room wasn't as large as she had thought. It was as large as a typical house. It could not compare to the throne room in Kiro, which was easily ten times its size. The throne room walls were decorated with the heads of trophy animals, art, and banners displaying the king's seal. At the back of the room was a marble throne embedded with gold and silver, upon which the king himself was sitting.

The king was a tall man of average build. His black hair hung down to his shoulders and made his green eyes seem brighter than they were. His attire was an arrangement of red and gold. The crown on his brow was much smaller than that of the high king in Kiro. Neith noticed that unlike most kings, he did not wear any jewelry.

As soon as he saw her, he seemed surprised.

"You did not tell me the Huntsman was a woman, Rakin," He said to the captain,

"Yes, she is my lord," the captain responded.

"I see. In that case, it is good you didn't give her over to the people. We may be able to solve this problem; without losing the support of the Huntsmen. As always, you have proven yourself worth the title of head captain."

"I simply do what is best for the kingdom, my lord."

The king smirked and looked over at Neith. "So you are the Huntsman, the grandmaster sent?"

Neith gave a curious bow before answering, "yes, my name is Neith Sheila, and I am the only female Huntsman."

"Well, it seems your grandmaster is wiser than I give him credit for. Sending the first-ever female Huntsman to a city that does not trust Huntsmen; If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was a seer. I will inform the captains to call off the search." The king said with a broad smile.

"What will we do about the people? They will not stop looking for me." Neith asked.

"On the contrary, they will be looking for a man who has the power to wrestle a bull to the ground. And I intend to give them exactly what they are looking for.