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Heirship By: Aradia on 10/21/2001; 5:05 PM Ten thousand three hundred seventeen years after the Four Wars The early hours of dawn were cool and crisp, a gentle breeze coming from the Dark Mountains. The King of Kettahr, Sardis Skycrest, rode through the countryside with a small contingent of soldiers as his personal guard, along with three others. Sardis leaned towards the woman at his side, his square face alight with laughter at some comment she had made. He had not mentioned it to anyone yet, but he had decided that he should pursue a marriage with the woman next to him, for she enchanted him as none other had. Tyneth Stormraiser kept pace with his liege, listening with amusement as Sardis and the Queen of Kestrel bantered peacefully. It was a rare novelty for him to hear someone not treat Sardis as though he were a tyrant. While Tyneth was listening, though, his grey eyes continued to scan the countryside for danger, always acting as the bodyguard Sardis trusted him to be. His leanly muscular frame was settled in the saddle of the stallion easily, as though he had spent his entire life riding. The Prince of Kestrel, Indiana Starblood, rode in silence next to his younger sister, also looking amused. It was rarer for him to hear anyone banter with his sister, because most paid attention to her inhuman beauty. Sardis didnt seem to pay attention to any of the physical beauty of the woman, but instead challenged her intellect. Like Tyneth, Indiana wore trousers and a sleeveless tunic, with a sword at his side. His long black hair was tied back by a simple strip of leather at the nape of his neck, his blue eyes watching his sister and Sardis. Calypso Starbloods dark eyes were filled with mischief as she rode next to Sardis. A breeze ruffled the dark cascade of curls that shimmered down her back, causing her to push a stray lock away from her face. "Did you know, Sardis, that there is a group of humans in Salioh that believe women should be locked into slavery?" "Because women are naturally submissive, and men are naturally dominant." Sardis answered with a dismissive shrug. "By the same coin, however, I have heard that a group of nymphs believe that men should be locked into slavery." "I do not forbid them from speaking, for they have their right to speak their mind. I will never condone such an action, however, for fear that Indy might give me a verbal lashing to make me feel like a five year old again." Sardis laughed at that, and she continued. "I was raised to believe that men and women can be equal, as long as both try hard enough." "And yet you are the Queen of the Kestrelae, while your elder brother is a Prince." Calypso gave him a mock look of indignation. "Does this mean that you would rather Indy be the King and I be a Princess?" Sardis laughed again. "Well, that wouldnt be so bad, would it? Then I could petition Indy for your hand in marriage, and he could grant it." The sweet smile she gave him alerted him to the trap she would spring. "Does this mean that you would condone the slavery of women like that group in Salioh?" "Noooo " he trailed off suspiciously. "And yet, you are more concerned about whether or not Indy might grant you leave to marry me than you are about whether or not I would grant you leave." Sardis appalled look made her laugh. "I concede this match to you, my Lady," Sardis finally said with a rueful smile. She offered him a victorious grin before falling silent to enjoy the dawn breeze. "So, Caly, will you accept Sardis declaration of love when he offers you a troth ring?" Indianas question broke into her quiet meditations after a few minutes. "What?" Calypso was startled by his question. "Have you been probing into Sardis mind without his knowledge?" "You know damn well I would never do such a thing, my dearest sister." Indiana sounded so suspiciously innocent that she glanced over her shoulder at him. He smiled sweetly back at her, answering her question. As she gave her brother a scolding look, the dawns quiet was irrevocably destroyed. A knife came hurtling out of nowhere, burying itself to the hilt in Sardis brow. A stunned look crossed the monarchs features before he fell out of the saddle sideways, already dead. Calypso reacted instantly, sending a sheet of fire in the direction that the knife came from, only to have it blasted apart by her elder brothers sheet of water. At the same time, Tyneth threw himself out of his saddle and tackled her to the ground, pinning her beneath his strong body. The rest of the soldiers immediately galloped after the assassin, leaving the three alone. "Caly!" Indiana shouted over her struggles. "Stop it and listen to me!" When she stopped struggling, a rebellious look decorating her striking features, he continued. "You cant attack someone like that, especially if its a Kettahrite native." "He killed Sardis!" she snapped, glaring at her brother and Tyneth. "Even in Kettahr, assassination is punishable by death!" "This isnt Kestrel!" Indiana snapped back. "And even if it were, think about the consequences." "Hes right, my Lady," Tyneth interrupted before she could give Indiana a scathing reply. "It could easily be twisted around so that you and your brother assassinated my King, and that would have detrimental effects on your rule of Kettahr." Brother and sister stared at him in astonishment. "My Lady did you forget about the peace treaty provision? My King added it over two years ago." Calypso sighed. "No, I remember, Captain. And Sardis has no blood heir to the throne?" "None, my Lady. You are now the Queen of Kettahr." Tyneth slowly released her and stood, extending a hand to help her stand as well. She took his hand and rose to her feet, gazing at the body of Sardis for a long moment. "What a horrible way to die," she muttered. "Unexpectedly and without knowing who did it, or why it was done." "Life is rarely tidy, Caly," Indiana said. "And how many times have I told you that you must control your temper?" She gave her brother a dirty look at the chastising statement, then crossed over to where Sardis lay and knelt, passing her hands over his eyes and closing them. "May the winds be forever at thy back, Sardis, and the Keepers protect thee." It wasnt long before the soldiers returned. The leader jumped off his horse and knelt before Calypso, lowering his head enough to expose the back of his neck. "My Lady, I regret that we were unable to capture the assassin. We pursued him across the plains and into the woods, where he promptly leapt into a mudpit. I take full responsibility for the loss of the assassin, and his suicide." Calypso regarded the man impassively, then drew her sword. Both Indiana and Tyneth started to object, but fell silent at her look. The other soldiers shifted uneasily as their leader continued to expose the back of his neck. The young Queen understood that the life of the man before her was hers to dispose of, if she so chose, for his failure. It was a facet of Kettahrite tradition that Sardis had explained to her, and she understood it better in that instant than she had then. She raised the sword above her head, then drove the blade into the ground in front of the man. "Arise, Commander, and understand that your life will remain yours. The speed in which you pursued the assassin is commendable, especially in light of the fact that you watched your king die in front of you. I do not hold you to the responsibility that you claim, but rather, thank you for your pursuit." The man rose slowly, a look of gratitude in his eyes. "I thank you, my Lady, for your lenience. I assure you that I will not fail in my protection of you, as I did with my king." "Enough," she commanded firmly. "There will be no further talk of your failure towards Sardis. You could not anticipate that a wizard would attack your king." "Yes, my Lady," the man replied with another bow. Calypso turned to regard the body of Sardis again, this time with a strange look in her eyes. Indiana studied his younger sister for a moment, then followed her gaze to the knife in Sardis brow. "What is it, Caly?" he asked after a moment. She knelt again, and pulled the knife free, studying the runes on the hilt. "Take Sardis back to Aerialen," she said absently. "I have a visit to make." "By yourself? Absolutely not," Indiana said instantly. "Im going with you." "Indy " Calypso trailed off in exasperation. "I can do this by myself." "No," he replied firmly. "I am going with you." She sighed in aggravation, but remounted her horse and moved her arm in a wide arc. A shimmering gate opened before them, but she didnt move towards it. As her brother remounted his own horse, she looked down at Tyneth. "Captain, tell the citizens what happened, please." Tyneth nodded, watching her steadily. "And where will you be going, my Queen?" "To the Dark Lands, to visit with the King there." "Why there, my Queen?" "I believe Leurc Taarene would know something about this knife." As the stallion shifted restlessly beneath her, her hands tightened on the reins slightly. "The runes on the hilt are written in the old Luchthren dialect." Without another word, she turned her horse towards the gate and rode through it. Indiana looked down at Tyneth with a trace of a smile, then followed his sister through the gate, and into the sealed territory of the Dark King, Leurc Taarene.
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