The Beasts Within

CHAPTER II: HIS CASTLE

 “Ok, Father… seriously, just stop… it’s too early in the morning FOR THIS!”

”Look, Son… there is a reason why… how can it be too early for something THIS IMPORTANT?”

Both men pause to take deep breaths, almost in unison,  then look away from each other. It seems necessary for them to do so since the young man looks like he’s about to punch the wall out of irritation. Meanwhile, the older man seems about to pop a vein and bleed to death out of frustration.

The younger male, dressed in a white long-sleeved linen shirt, beige trousers, knee-high black boots, and a large leather belt, starts to move back into the corridor from which he came from in an effort to avoid the senior who was conversing with him. The elderly gentleman, who was wearing a garment of rich, darkened leather with metal and jeweled accents and a thick lion fur coat, moves with difficulty to bar the displeased youth’s way. 

Their continued movements make them look like two grown-up kids at play, if not for the very serious tones they were using as their talks progressed.

Or maybe, in this case, the better word to use in place of “progressed’ is “regressed’?

”Hieronno, please listen to reason just for a minute,” gasps Vihru breathlessly since he’s too old to move about too fast while talking. “There’s really not much I’m asking here.”

”Father, get out of my way!” the tall and muscular male replies, still intent on escaping. "PLEASE!"

“In the first place, you are my son and it’s your responsibility to listen to me,” responds the elderly male soothingly. “You have been aware of these responsibilities since you were a boy! Why would you SUDDENLY change your mind?”

Hieronno, the firstborn prince of the Eastern Kingdom, frustratingly combs his long hair out of his face with his fingers just to calm himself down before responding, “It was not SUDDEN, Father, and you know that! It’s just that you won’t accept it!”

”I have not heard you say anything about not wanting to be the general…”

”Yes, you have,” interrupts Hieron. “And I have been bringing this up even before my 20th birth year. Did you listen to me then? No! But I listened to you alright. Until now, even when I’m still listening to you, you keep reminding me that I should still hear you out. What about you listening to me for a change, huh?”

King Vihru swiftly grasps his son’s massive arm as the prince almost manages to bolt away yet again, “Do not change the subject, Hieronno. It is imperative that you, as the eldest of my four sons, do as you are told and be the commander of our age-old battle against the Gorgons! We are wasting so much time with all your hunting trips and trading missions. Those can be done after we win the war.”

”You mean IF we win the war!” Hieron snaps angrily as he powerfully snatches his arm from the king’s weak hold. “And no, those trade missions and hunts are both feeding our kingdom right now, Father! There are so many people out there starving because of all this three-generations long battle you got going on. Why don’t we focus on our citizens first?”

”We ARE focusing on our citizens,” hisses the infuriated Vihru. “When the war ends, we can focus on rebuilding and expanding once again. How can we do that now if the Gorgons are always waging war, burning villages, stealing crops, yes? We need safety and security first before we can move forward, boy!”

Hieronno loses a bit of his infamous self-control at this point. ”DAMN IT, will you cut the crap trying to JUSTIFY THIS WAR! And just STOP calling me BOY! I’m a grown adult shapeshifter, WHAT THE HELL…”

”SILENCE! None of your insolent cussing in my presence, Hieronno! And you are changing the subject once AGAIN!” exclaims the furious, spindly monarch as he raises a bony hand to hit his son. 

Hieron pulls himself up in front of his father’s face and squares his shoulders, making him look taller than the king though they were of the same height, ”Go on! Hit me! It’s the only thing you can do to make me follow you, anyway. Too bad that you’re too weak and old to leave a mark on me even if you used hooked leather whips!” goads the livid prince, his deep amber eyes now narrowed to slits.

Long tension-filled silence fills the room.

With a sigh, the aged leader puts down his hand in defeat, ”Ohhhh, you can just be so annoying… and stubborn… and…”

”Well, guess I inherited all of THAT from you DAD!” growls Hieron, little by little inching away without his father noticing.

“How dare you!” gasps the aged king. “DO NOT call me Dad! Those modern nicknames used by the lower ranking citizens are not for our royal bloodline. I am not just your father, I am also your king and I demand respect!”

”Sure, I’ll respect you... by leaving you before I do something we BOTH regret!”

”Hieronno! You come back here or I swear by your grandmother’s grave, I will give the throne to someone else!”

Like I give a damn about your crown! ”Grandma’s dead, Dad! Don’t drag her into this.”

Two more seconds of sprinting down the Castle’s royal wing and he was gone.

Finally free from his early morning sermon. Damn it, it’s starting to be a regular thing now! Is he really that desperate to start the war again?

He can still hear his father yelling from the hall he escaped. Swiftly, he runs to the nearest balcony, places his hands on the railing and vaults over the handcrafted marble.

And who told him I’d be up this early?

Hieronno lands straight into the thriving garden bushes down below and upon impact, rolls like an acrobat, stands straight up then walks briskly away before anyone could see him. 

It’s an easy jump from three floors high. Nothing new, really…

For good measure, the prince then transforms into his lion form and slinks into the shadows of the garden maze. Though his feline transformation can match the size of a fully grown rhinoceros, he can hide better in that form since his 6’2 frame as a human can hardly be hidden by most shrubs and bushes in the palace gardens.  

Yes, he is a Chimera. As a matter of fact, his whole line is.

They are one of the most feared and powerful magical creatures in the whole of the planet Valence. And Hieron will maximize his three forms to the hilt, the lion in this case, just to get away from the cloying, invasive, and stressful topic of him leading the Kingdom wars.

Not that transforming is anything special to the people living on this planet. In Valence, everyone can shapeshift into a magical monster or powerful beast once they hit puberty. No one in the four kingdoms in this world is exempted from that kind of transformation. Every human will eventually become a beast at one point in their lives.

It just so happens that this broad-shouldered and long-haired beautiful man transforms into a Chimera, which is a gigantic powerful lion, with a goat attached to its torso and a poisonous snake for a tail. This monster can also breathe fire when in full beast form and has long, vicious claws and fangs that can easily tear any kind of living creature apart.

The ruling line of Chimeras is especially strong, a whole lot bigger and heals more swiftly than their lower caste citizens. They can also control their transformation so they can be either be a full-fledged gigantic lion or the gargantuan Chimera with the draconic-like breath, and it’s not such a wonder!

After all, Hieronno’s line is the horrifying barbaric breed of the East, well-known for conquering kingdoms, extreme fighting skills, and efficient training of strong warriors. 

But oh, how this Chimera prince hates that fact. If anything, he wishes he was not of his clan, not of his line and not the eldest of the kingdom just so he’s not bound by the people’s expectations of Chimeras, royalty, and barbarians.

This goes double for his father who can’t even understand why his son would rather co-exist peacefully with ANY beast, breed, or race in the world instead of being the ruling class.

Forget that, he can’t even understand why I DON’T want to be the King of this kingdom! 

Damn.

It.

All.  

“Hey, big brother! What’s up? Looks like you had a great morning with DAD!”

Hieronno roars in displeasure at the teasing tone his brother Chilvard used to greet him. He was so engrossed in his thoughts and so angry with his father that he had completely ignored the nearby scent of Chilvard, Rizl, and Zash who were the other Chimera princes. 

“I knew it! You guys are soooo funny for ratting me out to Dad! What the hell was that for?” snaps the large lion. Yes, they can still speak in beast form but you can hear a deep rumbling echo in their voices and their pitch goes lower. 

The only reply the irritated feline got was loud human laughter from the other side of the hedge. He may love his brothers, but he did not appreciate the joke so they need to pay for this. 

Still in his majestic lion form, he suddenly leaps upward and pounces on his unsuspecting siblings who were hiding behind those leafy partitions. 

”HEY! Knock it off, your claws hurt! OUCH!” yells a bulky but not so muscular male.

”You’re too heavy bro! GET OFF!” complains a sinewy but lanky teen-looking guy.

”STOP biting me! Your clamping your teeth TOO HARD!” whines a tall but slim lad.

”Damn, you whine like spineless bitches! I’m so ashamed to call you my brothers!”

Eventually, all of Hiero’s siblings shapeshift into their lion forms and start play fighting. And even then, the three younger princes can’t get the eldest to surrender.

Teeth and claws went head to head, causing a bit of bloodletting. However, even if it was three to one, Hieronno’s brothers were truly getting pummeled and punished due to their elder sibling’s extensive combat skills, intimidating size, and superior strength. 

”Ok bro, enough! STOP! I’m done!”

”Can’t do this anymore Hieron, YOU WIN!”

”FINE, I’m surrendering too. You’re just too rough even with play fighting!”

”Though it may be PLAY, it’s still followed by the word FIGHTING guys, duuuuhhhh!”

Everyone laughs at this point, the three younger men taking their loss in stride.  Their eldest is, after all, still one of the best barbarian warriors in the kingdom so there’s no shame in losing to him. It’s just that Hieron doesn’t focus on that particular skill set these days since he finds barbarian fighting useless in his present endeavors. 

All four brothers lick their skin-deep wounds first before transforming back to their human selves.

Speaking of present endeavors…

”So you guys want to join me in my hunting mission today?” says Hieron aloud, a long leaf blade stuck between his lips. At this point, they were all just resting. All four were looking up into the bright early morning sky while lying in a row on one of the many side garden’s lawns of the castle.

“ALRIIIIIGHT!” yells Chilvard, the man built like a sumo wrestler. 

”WHOOOOH!” screeches Rizl, the guy who can pass as a featherweight boxer.

”LET’S GOOO!” whoops Zash, the lad who looks like a track runner.

All three of his younger brothers yell out their affirmative answers enthusiastically. They may look different from each other, have varied interests, strengths, and contrasting personalities, they will always look forward to doing things together. Especially so, if it’s their big bro that shares his plans for the day.

”Where do we go this time, Hieron?” asks Zash gently. He is the youngest, smallest, and most soft-spoken among the four. 

”I’m planning to visit the Exor jungles for a change. We haven’t seen that place for quite a while,” answers Hieron, spitting out the leaf and plucking a new one.

The second eldest brother sits up as fast as his bulky body would allow, ”Wait whut, whoaaa bro! I heard that there are bandits living there now. Too dangerous.”

Hieron gives the chubby Chilvard a mocking look, “Bandits, eh? That’s all and you’re already acting like a scaredy-cat? And where the hell did you get that info anyway?”

”Already working on my spymaster skills bro. Like what you told me before, I don’t have to stick to being a barbarian, right? So yeah, got my info from a legit source!”

Hieronno pauses then smoothly and slowly speaks, ”Well, good for you then, Chil. So that means we REALLY have to go and visit that place, right?”

“Huh, why should we? I already told you it’s dangerous,” Chil replies while scratching his head.

”But isn’t it more important to check your info if it’s really correct? I mean, you don’t what to be spymaster who is known for their unreliable sources, right? That means we need to see if your informant is really legit,” replies the eldest prince with an even slower and smoother tone, a naughty glint shining in his eyes.

Chilvard finally understands what Hieron is on about and his eyes almost pop out of his face, ”What? Hey, why do I feel like you’re using me as an excuse to make me do what you want?”

You can definitely hear the smirk in Hieron’s answer, ”Every self-respecting eldest in the family does that to their siblings on a regular basis, Chil. So don’t blame me, blame mother nature for her selection.”

Rizl and Zash start laughing aloud at the exchange between the older princes. Chil glares at Hieron momentarily before belting out loud guffaws that shook his wrestler-sized frame.

You are still too slow, Chilvard. So. Slow. Wish your mind can move as swiftly as your body can.

Unlike the broad-shouldered, muscular Hieron, Chill is a bear but a very lovable one. And though there are many who underestimate the second son of King Vihru, most would regret it in a fight. Chivard can still move very fast despite his size and that usually takes his challengers by surprise.

Hieronno stretches as he stands, his smooth, brawny chest peeking from his shirt’s unbuttoned part. ”Everybody get ready and I’ll meet you all at the stables in half an hour! I’ve already gotten my stuff stashed in my horse’s saddle last night along with my hunting coat so I’m good to go.”

”No wonder you’re already wearing your hunting outfit and boots. Is that a new belt? Wow, it’s got all those pockets, slits, satchels and everything! Can you buy me one so I can have a place for my magical powders and potions and other items?” gushes the fast-talking, always-smiling Rizl as he picks himself up from the grass to start inspecting his big brother’s belt.

”Sure Riz, but not today. Check my room for my old belt instead. It’s kinda scratched and faded in places but it’s as functional as this one. And don’t forget to disarm my traps before you enter the room or you might be unable to join us today.”

”Oh wow, thanks! Will take care of it I promise.” Rizl yells as he runs off with incredible speed. He has always been quite an athletic and energetic youth and it reflects in his cheery personality.

”It’s yours so don’t care what you do with it! But don’t let Dad see it or you’re dead!” bellows Hieron back.

They all watch as Riz jumps up towards one of the third-floor balconies in the middle of his run. That impressive leap easily cleared a mile but it was done in one smooth, effortless motion.

”Such a show-off!” Chil jokes. He then looks at Hieron with a meaningful smile on his chubby face, “Hope Father didn’t hear you yelling, though. He’d flip his lid if he finds out one of us is into magic.”

”You said it,” sighed Hieronno. “I mean he’s already all over me for choosing to be a hunter. Can’t imagine how he’ll take it if he finds out that our hyper little Rizl is interested in the Gorgons’ skills in sorcery!”

”Speaking of which, I heard Father is planning to give you THE Vanguard Medallion even before he dies so you’ll be reminded of your role as the eldest in the family and uh…” Chilvard pauses meaningfully as he grins wickedly, “your destiny as future king.”

”And I. Don’t. Care. So hurry up or I’m leaving without you,” Hieron curtly replies.

Zash laughs at Chil’s insulted expression then manages to avoid his older brother’s slap, which was aimed at the back of the youngest prince’s head.

Easy peasy for Zash since his agility is quite legendary. 

Chilvard, despite being foiled twice in his efforts to get at his brothers, just laughs, winks at Hieron then walks away with a still-laughing Zash under his arm. After all, he still got to say what needed to be said to his stubborn older brother. 

And Hieron knew this, of course, but isn’t about to give in.

Damn it Chilvard, I know you want me and Dad to make up, but the problem isn’t really me. It’s him. Thinking for myself and what I want is not a bad thing, and Father needs to realize that!

Just as Hieronno turns around to make his way to the palace stables, he feels a presence nearby. He didn’t just feel it.

He smells it.

He hears it.

And just like that, whatever it was, it just disappears. 

Someone was watching us. It was stealthy and skillful. And definitely not anyone from the palace…

High above, around ten meters left from the prince, a shadow hides among the trees. It has willed its heartbeat to beat a lot more slowly than usual so that “it” would not need to breathe for a few minutes. Hieron would have been able to hear this being if not for this tactic.

It manages to remain there, unmoving, invisible to the brothers even as they call for their bodyguards to join them in their hunt.

The shadow succeeds to stay invisible and undetected as the princes and their troops leave the palace grounds on horseback. Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, the black form starts to make its way stealthily into the Chimera castle itself.