This story is a bit lighter than some of my other stories in content, but as with all of them, a complete work of fiction.
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"Give me one good reason why I should," Kael, Alpha of the Grayshifter clan demanded.
"I give my assurances you will be compensated generously." Eira replied, her back stiff as she watched him pace beside the table. They had been negotiating for quite some time and she was starting to feel worn down.
"But you cannot give me the payment until after you have received our services. You expect me to trust the word of an elf!?" he spat. A growl rumbled from Nicholas' chest but Eira held him back, forcing herself to take deep even breaths.
"Are you not the leader of the the greatest league of assassins?" He scoffed as he approached her, forcing Nicholas to push against Eira's hand. But she pushed him back once more and stared up at the tall young wolf.
"Puff out your chest all you like, I am the only chance you have at fixing that barrier and you know it.But I cannot do that if I cannot figure out how. Now, Kael, will you please accept?" Tyrst had paid a hefty amount of gold just to arrange the meeting with Kael. It was not easy to get time with the Alpha of one of the most powerful clans. The one thing that kept him from taking over kingship was the fact he cared nothing for it. He prided himself of being part of a clan of the most lethal assassins. The young wolf's jaw clenched and he looked away as he reeled in his anger at being spoken to so abruptly, but he had seen the barrier, he saw the damage done by the jotunn that had attacked the village, the rotting corpse before they covered it in dirt.
"Alright, I will agree to your proposal if you agree to a blood oath."
"Over my dead body."
"Deal." They spoke simultaneously but Eira glared at Kael as she turned to Nicholas,giving him a look that told him now was not the time to start picking fights.
Kael closed the distance between them until he was standing so close she dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from taking a step back. He whipped a small knife from his pocket and sliced it across is left forefinger, Eira offered her left forefinger as well and winced as she watched him slowly drag the tip of the blade across the pad of her finger. He pressed his finger against hers and nodded.
"I give my word that I will graciously compensate upon the previously agreed amount to Kael upon completion of taking back the Kingdom of Thirann." He seem satisfied because he released her hand and took a step back, wiping his finger clean on his jacket.
"Alright, I will return in several days with a group of men and we can discuss strategies." Without another word he turned abruptly and left. It was a while later before anyone broke the silence.
"I do not like the way he tried to intimidate you." But Eira shrugged in response, at this point she was used to it. From the moment he had taken her Kingdom over she had felt bullied by nearly every wolf she had met, including Nicholas himself.
"It is over with, let us return and rest so that we can try and come up with a plan to break into my kingdom." They returned just in time for their evening meal, and for the first time a while Eira felt a little more optimistic about the situation. She just hoped the young Alpha lived up to his side of the bargain..
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Eira grit her teeth as she allowed Kael to lead her up the path that led to her Kingdom. While it had been part of her plan, it didn't mean she hated it any less. She was going to be the distraction. Word had traveled far of the Queen who turned the White Skulls to ash, and yet here she was, her hair had been cut short and slathered in some sort of lye, he roughed her up a bit but when he suggested maybe adding darker bruises Nicholas nearly ripped out his throat., Then she allowed another collar around her neck.She was to be the bounty, and while Kael collected his reward, Nicholas, Tyrst and the rest of the wolves would be currently breaking in through. That was if they managed to give the signal and not die before their help arrived. They were taking the chance that Jerrik didn't kill her in the meantime, without her powers, she had managed little training since Nicholas had vowed to teach her but had paid attention to it since.
She wore a long brown tunic made of wool that caused her to itch all over. She was naked underneath and the evening air made her shiver as she padded her bare feet across the cold ground. There was a chain that connected to the enchanted collar and Kael held the other end of it. It was amazing the things she found she was willing to do when faced with the possibility of Ragnarok, the end of all. She had to keep herself focused on her reasons for doing this. Nicholas had promised that should Kael refuse to remove the collar, he would hunt him down until they made him. She found herself almost flattered by the thought then felt guilty for wishing the death of someone who was willing to go out his way to help her and her kingdom.
"Name yourself!" A voice shouted from the guard tower and Eira looked up to see nearly a dozen arrows pointing down at the two of them. She bit the inside of her cheek, reminding herself that clenched fists was a sign of aggression and that would be met with hostility. She was prepared to possibly be hurt, before the night was over, but they were going to avoid it as much as they were able to.
"I am Kael, son of Arvid, Alpha of the Grayshifter Clan. I have come to claim the bounty for the Queen of Thirann." And with those words he yanked her forward forcefully, nearly causing her to trip and then pulled her head back with a handful of hair, showing them her face and ears.
"Surrender your weapons, and you will be escorted into Lord Jerrik's castle." Eira felt the blood in her veins boil at the audacity he had to make such a bold claim to her land.
"You will tell your Lord who is here and why, and you will see that I am the exception to that rule." It comforted her to know that he was refusing to surrender his weapons, it gave her hope that just maybe they would make it out of this alive.
It was several minutes of waiting, Kael had finally released her hair and she hugged herself tightly, shivering as a slight chilly breeze blew through her tunic.
"You sound so sure he will let you keep them." Eira whispered from the corner of her mouth. He smirked, but like her, kept his eyes forward at the gate, one hand resting lightly on his sword, the other holding the chain.
"My clan is a neutral clan. We accept whoever pays the highest. Besides he knows that if I wanted to, I could have my entire clan turn this castle to rubble before the sun comes up...if I really wanted to." He glanced at her long enough to wink then turned his head back to the gate. When a man finally hobbled his way to the gate Eira was sure the tips of her ears were going to fall off. If she had access to her magic she would simply call up on the energy to warm her body. She hated the empty feeling it left behind when she couldn't access her gifts.
The man hollered at his men and soon the gate was lowered. Kael led her forward into the entryway and toward the bailey. She could feel the vibrations in the ground as the gate began close behind them. She focused her gaze on the back of Kael's boots, making sure to avoid eye contact with any of the wolves; she had to appear submissive, almost broken. Growing up as royalty, she was accustomed to putting on a show. Whether it was smiling when inside she was falling apart, or crying dramatically to get her father to give her something she wanted.
Her shoulders hunched forward, as if she was cowering. She missed her long hair, it would have been useful to hide her gaze and allow her to get a better look around, but Kael insisted that if he didn't degrade her, there was no way he could sell that he captured her. He didn't exactly have the most stand up reputation among assassins, but he was good, and people were willing to overlook his vices because he got the job done. She had expected to be led to the dining hall but instead they lead her to her father's study. It was where he looked over bills, he held meetings with the Elders, and sometimes as a little girl he had let her fall asleep on the couch by the roaring fire while he wrote letters and sent orders and all the other paperwork that came with running a Kingdom.
Eira shook her head real quick, causing the chain to rattle but it was ignored and they entered the study, the large short man walked over to the nearest wall and pulled on one of the gargoyle statues that hung by the fireplace and the shelves that held many of her ancestors histories swung open, revealing a hidden staircase. Her stomach dropped and she felt her heart skip a few beats as she struggle to keep her breath. She had a feeling where they were headed but she prayed to the Gods she was wrong. She cringed as they traveled further down the spiral staircase. Once they reached the bottom it revealed a giant underground room. The walls were built with large stones but it was what decorated the room in nearly every corner she could see that made her violently ill. Heads of some of her people decorated pikes, some of which she recognized. Their heads seemed to be almost preserved, whomever had done it wanted it to last. Wanted to make sure she would be brought here to see this. Tears filled her eyes and she collapsed to her knees and she screamed, the sound itself nearly ripping itself from her very throat. Kael turned around and slapped her, using the chain to pull her off the ground and close enough that his lips brushed against her ear.
"Remember why we came here Queen, save it," he whispered, and she knew he meant the pain she was feeling. He wanted her to use it, Nicholas had been explaining it to her as he tried to teach her some basic self defense techniques and practicing with a dagger. It was small, light and Kael kept it on his person for when the time came she would need it. It was better than nothing at all. She would need to take her pain and turn it into strength, use it to make this work. Her lip quivered and she breathed in and out deeply, the sting of of his knuckles having brought her some clarity.
"Everything handled over there, pup?" Kael snarled as he turned to face Jerrik who suddenly turned around the corner.
"You will treat me with respect or you will be swallowing the end of my blade," Kael warned.
"Apologies, he is new to his title," pleaded another man, he was short, thin, he didn't look like he really belonged among a pack of giant barbaric looking men.
"This is Sigmund, he is my beta." Whatever had possessed him to name him beta was clearly not from his physical prowess.
