The Exiled Princess

Trust

Raiden surprised Astrid by nudging his head under her arm and steadying her as they continued onward. She clung to his strong wolfen form, knowing that she’d be unable to keep walking without his support.

When they finally reached the city’s edge, he helped her to the ground before moving into the trees, sniffing the ground as if he were searching for something. She looked away, instead turning to survey the fallen city.

Fire billowed from destroyed buildings, dust rising from collapsing walls. “I wonder if they’ll recover,” she whispered to the moonlight, an ache in her heart.

“They will,” Raiden’s voice said hoarsely, coming from the trees behind her. She turned to see him pulling on a battered tunic, his lower half already clothed. “As brutal as it sounds, this wasn’t the worst they could’ve thrown at us.” He scowled, surveying the city as well. “Though there were certainly more Fiends than I was led to believe.”

Astrid didn’t say anything, gazing up at him speechlessly. It was odd, seeing him walking with a limp just as the wolf had done. She couldn’t help but study his human form, taking in the chiseled jaw and dark brows. There wasn’t much about him that seemed to echo the wolf, except his eyes.

Raiden glanced down, seeming to feel her gaze upon him, and sighed. “Alright,” he said, sitting beside her with a pained grunt. “You have questions.”

“Is now really the time to ask?” Astrid murmured, gesturing to his bloodied form. Several of the wounds should have been mortal and yet here he was, bruised and bloody, but alive.

He shrugged. “It’s just pain. I’m well-accustomed.” His gaze flicked to the Seal, still clutched in her hand. “You should probably put that away.”

“You’re a werewolf,” Astrid said quietly. “I need something to keep you from tearing me apart like you did the Fiends.”

Raiden sighed and gently reached out, pulling her hand away from the Seal. He brought her palm to his chest, where the thudding of his heart met her skin. “I’m just as human as you,” he said quietly, eyes locking with hers. “Just with some added bonuses, like strength and good looks.”

Astrid rolled her eyes at the jab. “Anything else?”

His smirk faded. “I’m…not accustomed to talking about any of this,” he admitted, pulling away from her touch and leaning against a tree. He ran a restless hand through his dark hair. “It’s easier if you ask questions.”

Astrid didn’t answer for a long moment, gathering her thoughts. “How?” she asked at last.

Raiden shrugged, then winced at the burst of pain. “I don’t know,” he said. “I was born like this. I can shift fully into a wolf or become a mixture of man and wolf. It’s not…socially acceptable to be anything but human, so I hide those forms for obvious reasons.”

“Are all Shadow Guard werewolves?”

He snorted. “No, much to their relief. It’s just me. Most of the other werewolves we’ve come across are ones that reside in the Night Realm, with the Fiends.”

“Why did they let you join?” Astrid asked.

“Myron,” Raiden answered. Astrid glanced at him curiously, catching the note of softness in his voice. “The Shadow Guard's Captain. He found me when I was a teenager, when I was trying to…get rid of the affliction. Every Shadow Guard is human, since the Seal’s power rebels against any other race. It took a lot of work and magic to convince everyone that I should be allowed to join, but Myron was adamant that some good could come of my presence there.”

Silence fell between them, both wrapped in their own thoughts. “Was he right?” Astrid asked eventually.

“I don’t know,” Raiden admitted. “I try to keep it under control, to hide it away. Tonight was an exception.”

“Why?”

Raiden paused, seemingly wrestling with his thoughts. Then, “You.” Seeing her confusion, he added, “I mean, the Seal. You were able to utilize its power despite not being the heir to the lordship of Starfell. But beyond that, you’ve survived so far.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So far?”

He chuckled, though it sounded a bit forced. “I just mean that your wounds should have been fatal. When you’re caught by a Fiend’s tooth or claw, you’re infected. It either results in a very slow, painful death…or a transformation.”

“Transformation?” Astrid echoed, a chill twisting around her heart.

Raiden nodded solemnly. “Yes. Those Fiends we fought tonight are called minions, mindless drones that follow the will of a demon. They were once human.”

Astrid stared down at her palms and forced herself to ask the question banging away in her mind. “Am I going to turn into one?”

“No,” Raiden said quietly. “If you were going to, it would’ve happened by now. It’s odd, to say the least. Only the Shadow Guard can shrug off the poison, and that’s only because they’ve been through a powerful ritual.”

“So…what’s different about me?”

“I’d say that whatever enabled you to use the Seal without burning up, is probably what’s keeping you from being affected,” Raiden answered. “There’s an odd bit of magic here, and I think Myron is the best person to talk to about it.”

Astrid glanced at him, surprised. “You want me to come with you?”

He shrugged. “You have some steel in you, Lady Astrid. I’m curious to see where your path leads, especially if you can wield a Seal like that.”

Astrid looked down at the large crystal, its surface dulled and lifeless, as if she’d never called on its power. “I don’t know what I did,” she admitted.

“Then come with me to Calbern,” Raiden said. “Meet the Shadow Guard.”

She looked up at him, studying his face. He seems genuine, she thought. And Meridia did send me to find a Shadow Guard...he might not be what I expected of a Shadow Guard, but I'm probably not what he expected to find either.

"Alright," she said at last. "Take me with you."