The Triingdom

Only two weeks after the public execution of Captain Helman, Careena and Kalas began a return journey to Kennai Palace. They would only stay one night before traveling to Daarkscrag to meet with King Drakin. Kalas had intended on staying behind, but Careena had begged him to come. Knowing that his presence was the only thing that kept her from losing complete control had left her little choice. She had not wanted to make a stop at Kennai Palace, but once Kalas had suggested it, she could think of no reason that she could give him for why they shouldn't. After all, what was she supposed to say? That she had traded sex with his father so that they could wed, and that she had been unable to resist him afterwards, and that she was afraid she would be unable to stay away from him now?

The memories of what she had done with King Bromen disgusted her, and distance from the man seemed to break whatever it was that had drawn her back to him night after night. Unfortunately, it drew her to every man she saw now, and the more repellent the man the stronger the attraction. Only staying close to Kalas kept her from faltering and propositioning nearly every man she met.

She may not have been good at using magic, but she was able to recognize that she must be under some kind of spell, and if she was going to Kennai Palace, then she was going to use the time there wisely. While Kalas was visiting with his brother, Careena intended to spend her time with her sister. Seline was a much better mage, though not as good as their brother, and Careena felt confident that she could determine what spell she had fallen under.

***

They arrived at Kennai Palace quietly, and Duke Kalas immediately ran off to find his brother. Careena felt the sudden change wash over her, as if a wall had come down between the part of her that reasoned and her natural, animal instincts. She hurriedly made her way to her sister's rooms, not wanting to run into the king or any other man who may catch her eye.

She had sent a sealed letter to her sister as soon as the stop at the palace had been decided, so when she reached her private quarters she was already alone. Careena ran up to her older sister and hugged her fiercely, and began sobbing.

"What's wrong, Careena? I got your message, but it was very vague," the princess said, as she comforted the young duchess.

Careena managed to pull herself together, and become the calm, in control young woman she usually was, and then told her sister what had been plaguing her. She left out what had transpired between her and King Bromen, and pretended that she was worried about succumbing to the impulses, not that she already had.

The princess studied her, and cast a few spells designed to detect other spells, but could only find the spell that bound her to Kalas. After nearly an hour of frustration the princess suddenly snapped her fingers as a thought struck her. She rummaged through a jewelry box for a few minutes and then pulled out the ugliest medallion the duchess had ever seen.

"Here, put this on," the princess said, handing the gaudy piece of jewelry to her younger sister.

Careena looked at it skeptically, but placed it around her neck. As soon as the medallion's pendant touched her chest she felt the wall around her reason shatter, and she breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"What was it?" Careena asked her sister, puzzled.

"You, little sister, are possessed," Seline answered with a grin at her own ingenuity.

"Possessed?" Careena cried in disbelief.

Seline's grin vanished as she realized the gravity of what she had just said. "It's only in the beginning stages or you wouldn't have been able to come to me for help," the princess said, trying to console her. "Whoever or whatever is trying to possess you can only force you to do things that you want to do anyway, at this point."

"But I don't want to have sex with every man I see!" the duchess protested.

"At some level of your conscious, you do," Seline assured her, "otherwise that medallion wouldn't have worked." Seline could see how distressed Careena still was and took her hands. "Look, you like sex, and you find men attractive. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. You'd see some man that would get you excited, and then you'd go find Kalas and make love to him. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I guess," Careena reluctantly agreed. "But why did this happen to me? From what I remember, possessions are very rare."

"Yes, they are. Possessions usually come from two sources: demons and dead mages. In both cases it's easier to possess someone that the possessor has common traits with," Seline explained. "In most demon possessions, the person being possessed usually has violent tendencies. Dead mages usually go after someone with strong magic who uses it indiscriminately."

"Neither of which describes me," Careena replied.

"I agree," Seline said, rubbing her chin in thought. "I suspect it is a demon, though, just not the blood thirsty, killing machine type. A succubus makes the most sense."

"A succubus?" Careena questioned. "That doesn't make much sense. Why would a succubus want to possess a human?"

"I don't know, but it fits with what's happening to you. A succubus would best know how to exploit your desire for sex," the princess said with a shrug.

Careena scowled and looked down at the medallion. "What do I do now? I can't wear this ugly thing forever."

"No, you can't," Seline agreed with a laugh, "but I'm not knowledgeable enough about possessions to remove this one. The medallion will block the succubus for now, but you'll have to visit a cleric or Lastel to get rid of it permanently."

"Lastel," Careena sighed. "I would rather keep this in the family."

"He'll know much more than I do," Seline added.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Careena muttered. "Possessing a human gains a succubus nothing. They need to seduce men in their own bodies to drain their life."

Seline shrugged. "Who can fathom the depths of a demon's mind? Besides, it may not be acting of its own accord. A stronger demon may have compelled it. You just never know with demons."

Careena looked down at the ugly medallion again and frowned. "There's no hiding this bulky thing."

"Just make sure you don't take it off, especially if you've worn it for a long time," the princess warned. "The force of the demon taking hold of you again might overwhelm you completely."

The two sisters spent the rest of the afternoon together in the princess's rooms finally emerging when it was time to join everyone for supper. Careena was relieved that the medallion worked. She passed many men in the palace, and while she was able to appreciate those that she found attractive, she never felt compelled to have sex with any of them. The real test came during dinner while in King Bromen's presence. All she felt was disgust when she looked at him, which she tried not to do. She was curiously disappointed that he paid her little attention at all though. He was preoccupied with his latest conquest, a strikingly beautiful common woman, who was only a decade younger than him for a change.

All in all the evening was thankfully uneventful. Kalas did notice her new jewelry and asked her about it with an arched eyebrow while they prepared for bed. She explained that it was a gift from her sister and she felt obligated to wear it. He mumbled something about her sister's tastes and she gave him a look that strongly suggested he drop the matter, which he did.

***

The following morning, they were on the road again heading southeast toward the kingdom of Daarkscrag. The Trikingdom and Daarkscrag were strong allies, so close that outsiders often referred to Daarkscrag as the Fourth Kingdom. She assumed the marriage negotiations would only be a formality and they would have it signed shortly after their arrival.

The trip was uneventful, and on the second day out the dryad forest called simply The Great Forest came into view. It bordered the southern and eastern walls of Daarkscrag and they could see the eastern expanse. The road they were traveling would pass very close to it as they got closer to Daarkscrag. Careena gasped as they got closer to the trees. They were strange and alien looking. Her husband chuckled beside her. He had been to Daarkscrag many times, and had long since gotten used to the sight, but this was the first time they held no fear for him.

Entering The Great Forest meant death to all men, and most women avoided its confines too. The exception was the paladins. Paladins could enter the forest and emerge unharmed, though there was rarely any reason for one of them venture inside. This was the first time Kalas looked upon the forest as a member of the paladins and it was the first time he saw the odd looking with anything but dread.

The trees had round, fat trunks, and never seemed to grow very tall. The tops were crowned with close growing branches that spread from the trunk in a near perfect circle. The leaves were large, and tear-dropped shaped, giving the trees the overall appearance of gigantic mushrooms.

After a few hours, the road came right up to the trees on one side. Their guards all edged their horses and the carriage carrying the Duke and Duchess over to the other side of the road as they warily kept their eyes on the trees. Kalas looked at them in amusement. The dryads were not violent creatures, and would never leave their trees to attack anyone. They were, however, opportunistic and viewed any man straying into their forest as fair game.

A short while later, they arrived at Daarkscrag and were received warmly on the steps of the castle by King Drakin, his wife Queen Ilende, and their son Prince Dumont. Even though Kalas had prepared her for meeting the queen, Careena was still shocked when she met her. The queen appeared quite young for her age, no older than her own son, and she was a full head shorter than Careena.

In contrast the king was as tall as Duke Kalas, but much thinner, with a pock-marked face and hawkish nose. His age was evident by his thinning, gray hair and deep lines on his face. The prince was tall like his father, but lucky for him his face mirrored that of his mother's. Queen Ilende was, of course, part dryad. Careena wasn't quite sure how it had occurred, but the queen's entire family had dryad blood. When she introduced herself to the queen she noted that her eyes belied her age and that she was much wiser than she appeared.

Both King Drakin and Prince Dumont seemed arrogant to her, an opinion that may have been tainted by Kalas's previous descriptions of them. He had related to her a story from his childhood when the prince had tried to belittle him for being the second born son. At that young age the words had stung and had caused him to cry. Duran had come to his defense which had caused Dumont to become even more patronizing. Eventually Duran and Dumont had come to blows while Kalas had tried to stop them from fighting. In the end, Dumont had run crying to his father with a bloody nose.

The queen seemed to be the exact opposite of her husband and son. She was warm and caring, and had an inviting personality. Kalas's dislike for the king and prince was evident as he answered all questions in an abrupt fashion. If either one noticed, they didn't show it, but Careena was sure she saw the queen frown once or twice at the exchanges between the three men.

"Well, Duke Kalas, Duchess Careena, would you like a tour of the castle before we dine this evening?" the king asked, looking down his beak nose at the two of them.

Before they could answer the queen interrupted. "I'm sure Duke Kalas would be dreadfully bored with a tour; he is already familiar with every inch of the castle, dear husband," she said. "Perhaps he'd like to visit the forest instead? I never get the opportunity to show any of our guests my tree. You are welcome to come too, Duchess, if you wish to see something other than this stuffy old castle."

Entering The Great Forest was a little more adventure than Careena was looking for at the moment, but she could tell from Kalas's expression that he would do anything to get away from the king and prince during such an informal outing. "I'll stick to the castle tour, thank you," she said politely to the queen, "but I'm sure my husband would love to visit your tree."

"Yes, of course," Kalas said, a little too eagerly. "I've always had an interest in the dryads."

"Then it's settled," the queen said, enthusiastically taking the young duke's arm and patting his hand in a motherly fashion. "You will be the first outsider to visit my tree." She turned to the duchess and said, "Don't let them bore you to death, my dear. They'll try to impress you with the armory and the library, but all the exciting stuff is locked away below the castle, forgotten under layers of dust."

"Ilende! The young lady has no desire to see such dreadful things," the king protested as his wife and the duke headed in the direction of the castle's gardens.

"You can't deny the past, my love," the queen called back to him.

The king looked irritated at his wife's words and turned to Careena, "Trust me, what lies below this stone floor," he said tapping his foot for emphasis, "is best left to more barbaric times." He offered his arm to the duchess, "Shall we begin?"

She nodded, and took the proffered arm. "Of course, my lord, I'll trust your judgment," she said, but her curiosity was more than a little piqued.

***

Duke Kalas and Queen Ilende made their way through the gardens towards the southern wall of the castle. "Do you know the story of how my family became part dryad?" she asked the duke.

"I'm afraid I've never been made aware of your family's history, my lady," the duke confessed.

"Then I'll tell you all about it while we walk," she said cheerfully as they reached the wall. A lone door had been built into the wall and Kalas could tell it was a recent addition. Two guards stood at either side of the door. They had been lazily leaning against the wall, but as the pair approached they straightened up and stood at attention.

"Only two guards at this entrance?" Kalas questioned. It seemed folly to him to have such light protection at such easy access in and out of the castle grounds.

"Of course," the queen responded. "There is little danger of anyone using this door," she said opening it. "It leads straight into The Great Forest."

As the door opened, Kalas could see that Queen Ilende spoke the truth. The trees were right there, close to the wall. No invading army would be coming through that door. "I had this door put in a few years ago, so it would be easier to come and go as I pleased," she explained.

The two castle guards that had been trailing them waited with their compatriots by the door as the queen led the duke through the opening. The queen closed the door behind them and took the duke's arm again.

"It feels so good to be in the forest, especially on such a nice day," she commented. Kalas hardly paid attention. He was staring at the trees in front of him. He had never been this close, and the reality of the situation was suddenly making him wish he had gone on the castle tour with Careena.

"Come now," Queen Ilende said, sensing his apprehension, "as a paladin you will not be harmed."

Suddenly the duke's skin flared blue, as his power surged to fight off an unseen attack. He looked around furtively to find what was assaulting him.

"They're just testing you," the queen said with a laugh. "A few will try to get through your defenses, especially since you're so handsome," she said as she patted him on the arm.

She led him deeper into the forest and began to tell him the history of her family. "My family's duchy lies to the south of here, at the edge of The Great Forest. Even before we joined blood with the dryad's, our people revered the forest and its denizens. Old men near the end of their days would freely enter the forest and give themselves to the dryads to help the forest grow. Young girls would play at the edges with the knowledge that they were safe from harm within its confines."

"That seems a little reckless," Kalas said. He was still a little nervous at being inside the place.

"Not at all," the queen laughed. "All the creatures in this forest are peaceful; the dryads allow no predators here." She resumed her narrative, "During the Bloody Queen's Rage my homeland was attacked by her army as it sought passage north."

"That was the war that led to the forming of the Trikingdom," Kalas said, "over a thousand years ago. I didn't know your duchy has been around that long."

"Back then, we were an independent kingdom," she responded, "and Daarkscrag was little more than a fort filled with barbarians. Anyway, my ancestor, the king's son, led a sneak attack against the Bloody Queen's forces as they approached the kingdom. They were woefully overmatched, and were driven back to the castle's gates. The defenders inside didn't have enough time to open the gates to let them in, and they were slaughtered just out of reach of safety. All except the king's son, who dazed and injured, managed to make his way into the forest."

"How horrible," Kalas commented. "It must have been disheartening for those inside the castle's walls as well."

"It was," she said, "especially for the king who believed his only son was dead. The stories now say that the king's son, believing his death was imminent, did what most men back then did, and intended to sacrifice himself to the dryads. I'm of the opinion that he was so dazed from a blow to his head that he didn't realize where he was retreating to. He was quickly rendered unconscious by the first alert dryad and she mated with him all night, as dryad's do. By the morning, she had conceived, and as the instinct to mate abated she realized that the man was an injured soldier from the castle." The queen paused as they came across a recently fallen tree. She laid a hand on its trunk and murmured something that Kalas couldn't comprehend.

"It's always sad when one of us dies. Glimna was very old, and lived a long satisfying life," she said her eyes a little watery. "Where was I, oh yes, she recognized the symbol on his cloak. Back then, the land was full of fairy creatures, so the dryads had been warned of the Bloody Queen and her army, but they lacked a sense scale. To them, the forest was the whole world, and a single individual could mean the difference between life and death for all. The dryads feared the Bloody Queen, and rightly so, because she was a woman and a mage, and they would have no power over her. So, instead of leaving the king's son to be had by dryad after dryad until he expired, she stayed with him and nursed him back to health until he was stable enough to be moved. Then she dragged him back to the castle."

"She left the forest?" Kalas asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it was the first time any had left. It was two days after the initial confrontation and the castle had taken heavy damage. Many of the defenders were dead, including the king, however they were still holding out and the Bloody Queen had moved most of her army on to her next objective. She had left a much smaller force to assault the castle but the inhabitants were disheartened and giving up hope of survival."

"Then the dryad showed up with the king's son," Kalas guessed.

"Yes," the queen responded. "Luckily she approached the castle at night, dragging him along the ground. The attackers had stopped for the night, and were waiting for daylight so she was able to walk right up to the gates. The men inside were sure surprised to see what appeared to be a naked young woman dragging their injured prince behind her. They of course were let inside and the dryad given clothes. In their excitement at seeing their prince no one realized what she was. She decided to stay until she could determine that he would be all right, but then the castle was attacked the next morning and she ended up having to stay longer. The prince woke up, and was told the story of how she had brought him to the castle. He was so grateful to her that he asked her to marry him."