And Her Name Is Estelle

Along the eastern gate of the palace walls, the air heavily reverberated, spreading throughout the kingdom. The peaceful clear night sky that was littered with glistening stars began to quake. The lakes rippled and nature became restless. No mere tremor could match the palpable kinetic energy that was quickly developing from a far. The King and his Beta, already on high alert, spared not a moment's time to stabilize a small squadron to investigate the disturbance. A covert operation would be best in order to avoid a wide-scale panic. The average wolf might not have noticed it in the beginning, but it was rapidly evolving into something more dangerous. The force continued to mature as the seconds ticked by. The small troop of seven men, including the King, piled into a couple of SUVs. They rode five, ten, fifteen miles, in blacked out Cadillac Escalades arriving at record speeds and stopped where the energy felt the heaviest. It was close to the border of the Ancient Ruins- Rogue territory. They rushed from the vehicles and positioned themselves in a defensive formation, unsure of what was to come. Then it began. The already vicious winds became more unruly. Ephemeral sparks of electricity danced about in the air. In the center, the surroundings became twisted and distorted. Clouds formed while thunder boomed. The King felt his hair stand on his ends. It was in that split moment that he sprung into action. First he leaped to the front of their defensive lines and grabbed the arms of the two most forward men, jerking them to the back. Then, with a quick-step pivot, he grabbed both the Beta and Gamma in a tackle. Boisterous thunder clapped vigorously, and a colossal lightning bolt struck the place they had all been standing just moments prior. Confused and disheveled, the men swiftly regain their footing. Then it happened again. Another fierce collision of lightning flashed in the same exact spot, lingering this time with a harmonic sound of dissonance whispering in the breeze. The strike crackles yet frolics, anchored to the site. It slowly widens as if it were tearing a hole into the world. For a brief moment, fear slivers its way into the minds of the untitled kingsmen. Who could blame them? A phenomenon like this was unheard of. Runes began appearing on the ground where the lightning touched, and soon it emitted a blinding flash. Out from the ravenous light stepped out a sole silhouette. The tension in the broad atmosphere almost instantaneously condensed to a singular point, and then dissipated. The night sky became clear once more and, suddenly, everything was still. The figure revealed a feminine anatomy, covered in black gothic armor with a half gold cape that tousled about. The helmet covered her face but did not hide the malice radiating off of her very being. The unranked kingsmen growled in response to the feeling of bloodlust and took offensive stances - yet careful not to approach unless ordered to do so. The Gamma cautiously stepped forward, backed by the rest. The slow approach demonstrated that they were wary of this intruder. The amount of power she held would prove to be a fierce fight should they have to engage in combat. The way the very atmosphere responded to her influence proved that they would not come out of that battle unscathed, much less alive. She took one step and crumpled onto the grass with a dull thud. One of the unranked men walked forward with permission from his King. He strolled over to her limp body and reluctantly pulled the helmet off. Long, dark, shiny, black tresses tumbled out, revealing a regal face of pained perfection. Her eyes were firmly shut with long lashes pinched between them. Full shapely brows furrowed with a grimace that hid the true volume of her lips as they were tightly pursed together. A cold sweat kissed her warm olive skin and a tightly clenched jaw defined her diamond-shaped face. She was breathtakingly beautiful. The contrast of her angelic face and somber armor was almost comical if one could ignore the power she just released not too long ago. “She’s out cold…her arrival must have worn her out. What should we do,” he asked. “The dungeons were originally going to be my first guess but-,” the Gamma started. “Do that, and it would either piss her off, or scare her,” the Beta chimed in, lost in thought. “We don’t have the resources to keep someone this strong contained down there right away, anyway. It’s not impossible, but, if we were to go this route, we’d better do it right or else who knows what would happen. Releasing that kind of power within palace walls could prove catastrophic.” “Take her to my chambers and wait for me there. I have already mindlinked the castle physician and made him aware of the situation. She won’t be up for a while looking at her. It's doubtful that any fighting will go down, but for now, all of you will keep watch. I will come as soon as I can,” the King informed them. “Have something else to do, my King?” The Gamma inquired, raising a brow. “Look at her closely, the armor especially. It’s all Onyx,” the King replied lazily. “Impossible,” exclaimed one of the unranked men as they all snapped their necks to look at her again. This time, more intently. Upon further inspection, they not only saw the intricate engravings that embellished the onyx armor, but saw that she was in possession of more than a few artifacts. Bafflement befell the men. “The Onyx Mines have long been out of our grasp. We haven't had access to them since the treaty, seeing as it was a gift to them,” the Gamma recalled in disgust. “Right. The vampires were all but too happy about that acquisition, but it still doesn't add up. That treaty was before any of us were born. Even if we aren’t a hundred percent sure of what they’re up to now, we would have at least heard rumors from our scouts. Besides, she doesn’t reek of them nor does she have the stench of witch. But, she also doesn’t smell like us entirely either,” the Beta reported. "But that only leads us to wonder... what is she?" “The answers will not reveal themselves here in this open field. We must return to the castle now while time is still on our side. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly enjoy chatting on the borders of Rogue territory. I will speak to the Council of Elders briefly about what they know. Also, no one will know of her presence for now,” the King stated. “Even Octavia?” “Oh, especially Octavia,” the Gamma joked sarcastically. Nodding to the lycan closest to her, he struggled to lift her up. "Goddess, why the hell is she so heavy?" He managed to toss her over his shoulder finally, grunting at the impact. One of the other nameless men c****d his brow up at him. "She weighs a ton. Or, I think maybe it's the armor that does. What the hell were they thinking making someone wear something like this? It has to be a form of torture." The men all chuckled at their struggling friend. While she was being carried to the SUV, a light amethyst glint caught his eye. His wolf internally growled at the sight. It was some sort of pendant hanging off of her belt. As the star-shaped pendant swung from side to side in unison with the footsteps of her carrier, the longer he stared at it, the more the feeling of annoyance began to overcome him. His silent study was interrupted by his lycan as he stirred in agitation. “Destroy it,” clamored the lycan who was fighting to come forward. “Destroy the artifact.” The King shook his head and forced the wolf back as he sat in his seat next to the unconscious woman. For some reason, his beast began to uncharacteristically fight him for control once again. “It is a blight to us, I know you feel it as I do.” “We do nothing until she wakes, we can be patient until then,” the King asserted. Vexed by his inner-self’s trifle, he let out an exasperated sigh before straightening out his poster and folding his arms. All the vehicles trailed back to the main roads for a silent yet strained trip back. Whoever she is, and whatever her reasons for appearing now are, only means that problems are sure to arise in the future. They must be prepared for whatever uncertainty it may bring forth. They could be sure of one thing at least; vampires and witches were somehow involved in this matter. The treaty may have been in place for the sake of peace, but the hostility between all the races were at an all-time high. Denizens of his own kingdom whispered of a possible war but, unlike before, it now seemed as if it could actually come to pass. Subconsciously, he hoped that when it came time to fight, she would be on their side. By his side.