5. Chapter Five Arryn
Chapter Five: Arryn
My men and I gathered in the courtyard, our steeds loaded with supplies for the journey. We’d prepared as much as possible, being that we still didn't know our mission or our destination. His Highness would fill us in as needed. A soldier's place wasn't to question but to follow orders.
My horse danced and stomped his hooves on the cobblestones, letting us know his impatience. I patted his neck as I held the reins in my hand, trying my best to soothe both our impatience, both eager to begin. It had been too long since I'd last been out of the castle on a mission. Idle hands were not friends with a soldier. There was a reason we enjoyed battle because too long with our own thoughts, without the distraction of clanging swords or yells of battle and fear, led to dissension in the ranks and needless scuffles amongst the men. Soldiers would rather die in battle than face the thoughts that haunted us all in the quiet.
I heard the men murmuring and speculating amongst themselves as we waited for further instructions. Their eagerness was evident as they gathered and then fell into line behind me as we waited. Just as the sun's rays rose above the horizon and cast their glow on our faces, the doors opened to the palace, and the prince was revealed. He paused before exiting, surveying my elite squad of soldiers, all selected by myself.
His pitch-black hair seemed to absorb the light around him, but his ice-blue eyes, so pale they were almost white, seemed to reflect it all back out, piercing whoever dared meet his gaze. I pulled my shoulders back further, drawing up to my full height at 6'2”, knowing he wouldn’t be able to find any faults in me or my men.
My men were silent as soon as the doors opened, all at attention, their military bearing evident in even the smallest tasks. As he surveyed us closely, his gaze stopped on me. I met his eyes unflinchingly to show I wasn't scared of him before dropping my head in a show of deference. He drew his own shoulders higher, nodded once in acknowledgment, and then marched down the stairs to the courtyard. He grabbed the reins of his own horse and mounted smoothly before turning to face us all. His voice carried over us, projected with magic, “I want to thank each of you for answering the call to action so swiftly. As I'm sure you are aware, last evening we held the ceremonies to select the Chosen and Consorts who will be competing in the trials to become the new queen. However, what you are not aware of is that one of the Chosen selected in the ceremony was not present. In fact, she is in the human realm of Earth. It is there we will travel to retrieve her so that she may compete in the trials. Any questions?”
He paused, but other than a few shocked murmurs while he was speaking, my men had none. They would do whatever was asked of them and would honor the opportunity to meet one of the Chosen. When it was obvious there were no questions, he ordered, “Mount up. We will travel hard and as quickly as possible. ”
We all mounted up, my scouts taking the lead while the prince and I fell into the middle of the group. Once outside of the gates, the two scouts set a hard pace for the portal to the mortal realm of Earth. With luck we would be there shortly after nightfall if we continued at this pace with only a couple of short stops to relieve ourselves. We could eat and drink as we rode.
“How close are we to the portal? Do we need to stop for the night?” the prince asked as we rode. Our pace had slowed significantly due to the densely wooded forest around us, the sun already beginning to set.
I glanced at him briefly, trying to judge if he was hinting at a need for rest. I often forgot that many of our royals were soft, and not many could handle the pace we had set so far. He didn't appear to be weary, more hesitant than anything if I was reading him clearly. “We should only have another hour or two max, depending on the light and the forest path, until we reach the portal. We should probably rest in the mortal realm unless time is imperative?” I asked, trying to fish for more information so I could prepare effectively. “I was under the impression this was a time-sensitive mission?”
He sighed, “It's absolutely time sensitive. We must be back at Cashel Rí by the fifth day, and we don't even have a definitive location for the Chosen.” He ran his hand through his hair as our pace slowed further, the foliage becoming denser. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a compass, glancing at it. “This is all we have to guide us to the Chosen. I'm not even certain if it will be all that accurate in locating her. We do know that she is in a place called Texas, a northeast location of the territory.”
I nodded, thinking over his words and the best way to proceed before I responded to him. We would need to trade our armor for mortal clothes before crossing over, but everything we would need should be at the outpost. A small regiment of soldiers maintained the portal, occasionally crossing over to ensure we were always prepared for missions such as these. Since mortals lived for such a short amount of time, their fashions, languages, technology, and customs changed frequently.
I had never been to the mortal realm, but the soldiers at the outpost were well-versed in all the current customs. We would need a guide since none of my men had ever been either. It would probably also be best if we only took as few people across as possible so we could travel as quickly as needed. We were racing against the odds with only four more days, and at least one day would be needed for traveling back to the castle. “With this new information, I believe we should stop at Kharthas Outpost to prepare for travel in the mortal realm. I would advise that we continue on through the portal tonight with only you, myself, and a guide in order to move as quickly as possible. When we stop to rest, we can re-evaluate any new information received from the guide and from the realm.”
“Sounds reasonable to me. I am prepared to do what is necessary to accomplish this mission.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” I spurred my horse forward, catching up to the scouts. As I drew up next to one, I called out, “Mathias, how quickly can we get to the outpost?”
“Sir. At our current pace, we should be there in about two and a half hours,” he answered swiftly, my selection of him for this mission the right one .
“The prince wants to move more quickly. Graysen,” I called to the other scout.
“Yes, Sir?” the young soldier replied.
“I want you to take the rest of the soldiers to the outpost at the current pace, where you will all await our return from the mortal realm. Mathias, the prince, and I will ride ahead since time is of the essence.” I turned to Mathias. “Mathias, I want you to ride with the prince and myself, set us a hard pace, and use whatever magic to ensure the path is clear. The horses can recover once we reach the outpost.”
“Yes, Sir!” both men responded. Graysen turned to ride down the line, relaying my orders.
I turned my horse back as well, intent on reaching the prince. “Your Highness, we will part ways with my men here. Mathias will set a path and a hard pace so we may reach the outpost within an hour, if that pleases you?”
“Aye, Captain Oakley. Let's ride.” With that, we both split from the main group. Mathias set off ahead of us to ensure we arrived at the outpost safely and quickly. Speaking wasn’t possible at this speed, and we needed all our attention on the path before us, ensuring our horses avoided roots, limbs, and beasts.
I urged my mount to keep up with Mathias, surprised that the prince wasn’t falling behind. I had never failed a mission before and refused to fail this one either. It helped that the prince was deferring to my judgment and not holding us back. I had no doubt that had any other soft Lordling been with us, we would surely fail, but so far, the prince was keeping his word in doing whatever was necessary to succeed. I wasn't sure why exactly we had a deadline that seemed nigh impossible, but if I had to guess, the prince was under orders himself. He didn't appear to be happy about being assigned this task, but he wasn’t hindering us so far. And that was certainly something I could work with .
I looked ahead of us again, checking our progress, my horse lathered in sweat. He didn't have much longer at this rate and would start slowing soon. If I continued to push him, he would become lame or he could die from the stress. While this breed was fast, endurance was not their strong suit. We’d been riding all day at higher speeds than was good for him, already. Adding this new pace was pushing him to his limits.
Thankfully, the forest was starting to thin, and I could see a glow in the distance. We were close, making better time than I had thought. I glanced at the prince, noting the determined set to his brow and mouth. His horse was faring better than mine, but that was due to the superior breeding. I pulled back on the reins, slowing us down as we drew near the gate which sat in the middle of the ramparts that surrounded the outpost and the portal, ensuring our protection from any invasion from other realms.
The guards manning their posts seemed to notice the prince's livery and were already opening the gates. As we approached, I instructed one of them to fetch the commander and have him meet us at the stables. He saluted me and ran off, doing as he’d been told. We passed through without incident, the gates creaking shut behind us. The outpost was small, with only a stable, barracks for the soldiers, a training ground, and a meeting hall. They didn't have a need for much out here, instead seeking pleasures at the nearest village where they could also do their personal trading. All other needs and supplies were sent from the castle and Tír Na Síoraí. We preferred they had very little distractions while on duty since they were our first defense.
At the stables, a couple of young boys took our horses from us as we dismounted. My muscles voiced their displeasure as I stood and stretched after riding for hours straight. “Please walk the horses until they have cooled enough and give them all extra oats after they’ve been brushed down,” I instructed the lads, who nodded at me in response.
A large, burly man was striding quickly toward us, his red hair and beard long and unruly. I recognized him easily as the Commander. “Your Highness. Captain,” he addressed us both as he arrived. “What brings you all the way out here, away from all the comforts of our world?”
After the Commander had bowed to the prince, he responded, “A very time-sensitive mission. We seek passage to the mortal realm, to a place called Texas, so that we may find one of the Chosen.”
I knew Commander Ashford, not well, but enough to know that he was rarely without words. He was rough and boisterous, always laughing and ready with a smile to offer. But in response to the prince, it took him a moment to respond. “Now, how did a Chosen find her way into the mortal realm?”
The prince responded, which was fine by me as this was his mission. “We are not entirely sure, but Master Jude assures us that she is indeed there. He was unable to provide a more definitive location or exactly who we are looking for.”
The Commander still seemed perplexed by this turn of events, but the prince continued, glancing at me as if in question of whether he should continue. I nodded. “I have a compass that should help us narrow her location if you’ve any maps of the territory. However, we must return to the palace within the next four days. Captain Oakley believes we should travel light and only with a single guide to help us.”
“Aye, that seems to be the best approach.” He tugged on his beard as he thought over the problem. “If you would follow me, Your Highness, we can get you outfitted and review our current maps of the area.”
Commander Ashford turned without looking to see if we followed, still tugging his beard and watching the ground as he walked. “I know the best guide for you both. Baer knows the area well and will be your best bet at finding the lass as quickly as possible.”
He led us to a small cabin, which appeared to be his personal quarters. He held the door for us as we entered. Once inside, he turned to another soldier, sending him after Baer, and to then fetch us the clothes and supplies we would need. Just on the other side of the room of what looked to be a small office was another door that he led us through.
This room had a large table with several shelves that held rolls of paper on them, all labeled neatly. He crossed to one shelf that was marked United States and dug through the rolls. Upon finding the one he was looking for, he unrolled the paper to reveal a map of the Texas Territory. He set weights on the edges and then turned to us. “Do you have a general idea of where the lass is in Texas? This is one of the largest territories in what is known as the United States of America and would take weeks to cover completely by the mortal’s transportation, which they call cars.”
He looked at me first, but I tilted my head toward the prince to indicate that he was the one able to answer. His questioning gaze shifted to the prince, who was looking at the map. “Master Jude indicated the Chosen would be in the Northeast part of the territory but was unable to narrow it further. But his map was not this detailed. Are all these names of villages?”
“Aye. The mortals have surely procreated efficiently and outnumber us now by millions, if not billions. We haven’t been able to gather a number on the exact population, but it seems to be growing at an alarming rate.” The Commander then moved to the shelf again and pulled out another map.
Once unrolled, this one was an enlarged version of the northeast region of Texas. As the prince viewed the map, I started to have my first doubts about our success on this mission. Unsure of where to start, I asked the prince, “Any idea of where to begin, Your Highness?” My response was a shrug and a huff as he ran his hand through his midnight black hair. That answer wasn’t very assuring. How the fuck were we going to find one girl in such a large territory?
Shaking off the negative thoughts, I approached the table and started to look at all the lines connecting several dots with the names of the villages, trying to find the best place to start. Just as I was starting to feel this was a hopeless mission, I remembered, “Your Highness, would your compass be able to narrow it down further if we placed it over the new map?”
His eyes lit with the first sign of hope since realizing the scope of our task. His hand reached for the compass, and he opened it, hovering it over one corner. We watched as the needle moved to point in the needed direction. His arm followed the movements until it started spinning over an area called DFW. “What is this area?” I asked the Commander.
“Only the two largest cities in the territory, but I guess that would be easier to cover than the entire state. It appears to be more over the Fort Worth area, so I would suggest starting there.”
“I agree, Commander. How will we get there?” the prince asked as he closed and tucked the compass back inside his pocket.
“Well, Your Highness, our spells have improved over the years and as we've explored. With this map, we should be able to tune the portal so that you arrive in Dallas, where we have some buildings and human technology to assist with travels. Baer should get you there where you will pick up your car and human coin so that you can move freely.”
“Sounds good, Commander. How soon can we leave? We want to be in Fort Worth before we rest for the night and can start with the next sunrise with our search. ”
“Baer should be...” The door opened and a fae male with sandy brown hair and blue eyes entered, a smile on his face. “Ah, here he is now. Your Highness, this is Baer Hawthorne, our best guide into the human realms.”
Baer bowed. “Your Highness.” Once straightened back up, he handed the prince one bag and then the other to me.
“I suggest you two get changed. I’ll update Baer here with the details of the assignment,” Commander Ashford offered up.
Baer took the opportunity to chime in. “Your Highness, Captain, you’ll find everything you should need to fit in on Earth in the bags I just gave you. Once you’ve changed, we can be on our way.”
“I'll show you two where you can change.” The Commander left the room, indicating we should follow as Baer studied the unrolled map, no doubt wondering what the mission would be.
He gestured to two doors. “Captain, you may use this bathroom. Your Highness, my personal rooms are just here. Help yourselves to anything you may need.”
“Thank you, Commander,” the prince replied, and we separated to our rooms to change.
I entered the bathroom and set the bag on the counter, untying it. Inside, I found a couple pairs of what appeared to be pants, a couple of odd tunics, a pair of socks, and boots slightly different than my own. These humans dressed oddly. I was sure the prince was undergoing a culture shock just trying on the human clothes. I quickly changed and tucked everything back in the bag before relieving myself while I could. Who knew how long it would be before we stopped again.
As I left the room, the prince also exited his room, tugging on the weird tunic that fit his slimmer form snugly and shaking a leg of his pants, which offered no give like our normal leathers. I held back a smirk at his obvious discomfort, which he immediately abandoned once he caught me watching him, his whole demeanor changing and hiding behind a facade of stone.
I was correct in my assessment of his feelings on mortal clothes. However, I also felt as if I was learning more about the man behind the title as I watched him hide himself away. I wasn't sure yet what to make of it or of the man, but I filed that information away. A long time ago, I’d learned that men often gave their true intentions away, not with words, but in their actions when they believed no one was watching. This method was often invaluable when determining the true mettle of the people I surrounded myself with. It was why my unit was an elite one and was given the most daunting assignments, such as the one I found myself in now.
The difference now, however, was that I was about to enter the mortal realm with two men I knew close to nothing about. Nevertheless, I was quickly finding that the prince was just as determined and could hopefully be counted on to complete the mission should we encounter any dangers. That was if my assumptions and assessments could be counted on.
We found ourselves back in the entry room of the Commander's quarters without delay, neither of us finding a need to speak, both set on the task of moving as expediently as possible. Baer met us in the room now wearing his own version of the same mortal clothes, his brown hair mussed but with a clean cut. He had a short beard that hadn't been shaved in a day or two, but his eyes were sparking with the light of adventure. His body was held tight as if trying to keep himself from bouncing around in anticipation, his energy evident even without a word. He held back a smile, but not very successfully. The man before me appeared to be very straight forward, his face expressive with every thought. If I had to guess those thoughts now, he was laughing at our discomfort at these mortal contraptions of torture that humans apparently called clothes .
I found myself catching his enthusiasm and mirth despite my own discomfort and hesitance about what awaited us on the other side. But the Prince's demeanor didn't change at all, his cold aloofness still evident as we stopped in front of Baer. “Your Highness, I am honored to be your guide into the mortal realm.” He paused to give a small bow in deference to him. “I just wanted to go over a few quick things before we departed. First, I want you both to prepare for a world that is much more crowded, louder, and, overall, just busier than ours. The drastic change often overwhelms our guards on their first trip, but I know that we won't have much chance to acclimate as we must move quickly. So, be prepared to trust that I will try my best to keep us out of most of the more overwhelming areas but that it will be unavoidable at some point if the Chosen is indeed in Fort Worth or Dallas. This area is one of the most crowded in the territory, and it will be difficult to avoid these distractions as we navigate through the realm.”
Baer clasped his hands behind his back as he paused his words. His demeanor had changed from excitement to no-nonsense while speaking to us as if we were a newly recruited group on our first voyage. In a way, we were, and I appreciated his frankness. Once he was satisfied we had digested this information, he continued, “Secondly, while I'm sure you are both used to using your magic for simple things and having it come easily, you will not be able to do so once we have crossed over. The mortal realm does allow us access to our magic, but it is only a small trickle unlike the rushing river we are used to. As we cross over, the full powers we have now will be slowly drained by the technology that humans surround themselves with. It is my advice that we hold on to it as much as we can, only using it when absolutely necessary. That being said, we also must avoid using magic in front of humans. They have a terrible habit of trying to capture what they don't understand and trying to study it through means of torture. We’ve, unfortunately, lost a few men to them over the years after they revealed too much. You may be tempted, but I must insist, that for all our safety, you don't do so without my approval. Even when you feel you are alone, humans have technology that is always watching. Any questions so far?” He waited patiently for our responses.
I shook my head while the prince said, “No, Baer. I have no qualms with deferring to your judgment in this matter as long as we can move quickly.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” He nodded and then turned to head toward the door. “Now, if you'll follow me with your bags, we’ll prepare to cross over.”
We all exited the Commander's quarters, heading towards the middle of the outpost, where we encountered another fence, more soldiers guarding the entry inside. I felt several eyes on us, fellow soldiers curious as to what would bring us to their tiny outpost. It made me a little nervous to have so many watching, but the prince and Baer seemed not to notice. Baer opened the gate and ushered us both inside, where a stone archway shimmered in the middle of it. He spoke behind us, and I turned away from the portal to face him. “Traveling through can be quite disorienting, similar to pushing through syrup, but should be over quickly. As our understanding has grown, we have learned how to set the portal to allow us through to different parts of the mortal world. It will let us out just outside of Dallas in a less densely populated area where we keep a property that holds supplies we’ll need for our journey. We’ll stop here and then plan our next steps.”
Nodding in affirmation, I watched as the Commander approached us. “Your Highness. Captain. I wish you safe travels. May your mission hold nothing but success.” He bowed to the prince and then nodded to Baer and me .
Baer walked to the portal and placed his hand over a symbol in the arch, murmuring words too softly for me to hear. I felt the magic move through the area around us, drawn to the symbol which started to glow and pulse in response. He removed his hand and stepped back. “Please place your hands on my shoulders and hold tightly as we pass through. As we leave Avalon, I must guide us through to the correct portal. Letting go means you may wind up somewhere not intended. Don't let go.” The last words were spoken more forcefully than I had heard from him yet.
The Prince and I stepped up behind Baer and placed one hand on each of his shoulders. Baer raised his hands, and the magic rose again in response. As he stepped forward and into the portal, we followed.