Chapter 3 – A Predator and the One He Protects
On their long trip to the Pillar of
Genus, Harkan and Mouse stop to eat what they took from the town of cultists.
They say grace and thank God for the food and pray that the food isn’t cursed
in any way before eating. Curious about something Harkan said before, Mouse gets
Harkan’s attention.
“What is it?” he asks.
Mouse points at her mouse’s crow
and points back to him.
“Oh, yes, I was a king before, but
the way I became king wasn’t through the usual way. I wasn’t born royalty or
elected. Instead, I became king by getting rid of the corrupt people in power.
The same people who got my family and friends killed. From there, I ruled until
the same people who helped me take the throne tried to kill me probably because
I wasn’t doing what they wanted me to do. To be honest, the role of being king
was getting boring and life was feeling meaningless without those I loved next
to me.”
Knowing what he feels, Mouse hugs
Harkan and tries to convey that she knows what he’s going through by pointing at
her, her mouse, and Harkan while making various gestures.
“I don’t understand what you’re
trying to tell me. Why don’t you speak, instead? I’ve done enough to earn your
trust, haven’t I?”
She considers it for a second
before Mouse points at Harkan and her while saying, “Same. We’re the same.”
“The same? How are we the same?”
“Family. Royalty. People tried
killing us.”
“We’re not as similar as you think.
My family dying made me into a monster who killed foes of my kingdom to fill
the hole left by them. I’m nothing like a princess such as yourself.”
“Still…I understand.”
Mouse hugs Harkan. For a moment, he
thinks that she might be one of the children that he orphaned through his past
deeds, but he tosses these thoughts aside.
“Come on. There’s no point in
remembering the past. I should know the consequences of doing so. Together, we’ll
make a better life for ourselves, and you’ll get the life you deserve,
Princess Mouse.”
“Mmm. Let’s.”
Harkan and Mouse continue to travel
until they come across a small town where they rest again.
“I don’t know how you survived so
long in this wasteland, princess. With its beasts, uncomfortable weather, and freezing
and burning black flames, it’s a wonder as to why anyone would want to live out
here,” Harkan says.
“Dad taught me how to survive.
Also, safer because of assassins and politics,” Mouse says.
“I can’t argue with you there.
Still, it’s no place for a child to be. How come your dad taught you how to
survive?”
“Assassins, war, and learning how to
take care of myself.”
“I tried teaching my children and
wife how to fight for the same reasons, but I don’t think it made a difference.”
“Don’t be sad. Remember what you said?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ve already
forgotten. I’ll try to keep it out of my head better next time.”
People around the town begin using
their black flames as they try to increase their power in private, but the freezing
effects of the dark flame are felt and seen by Harkan.
“It feels like it’s time to go.”
Mouse nods before they get back on
their steed only for their steed to be killed by an assassin raggedy robed in
black that cuts the steed’s throat when Harkan and Mouse were passing by them.
Harkan grabs Mouse and shields her with his body as more assassins converge on
them and try to quickly end their lives. His armor is able to deflect his enemies’
attacks though he still feels the pain of being beaten and slashed at.
“It’s going to be okay, princess. I’ll
get us out of this,” Harkan says to comfort Mouse.
Seeing that there’s no easy way to
get away from his pursuers, he lets go of Mouse and creates an opening for her
by swinging his mace around to kill his pursuers.
“Run as fast as you can and hide. I’ll
take care of the rest of them.”
“O-okay.”
Harkan smacks away Mouse’s pursuers
so that they can focus on him as he says, “Are you so weak that you have to
chase after the girl? Face me, cowards!”
A group of six assassins surrounds
Harkan as they look for the cracks in his armor while Harkan readies himself to
swing his mace.
“How can we be cowards when we face
the Sovereign Killer himself?” one of the assassins says.
“Why are you after the girl and me?
You have our kingdom all to yourself to do with as you please. Leave us alone!”
“The population knows of the attempted
assassination on your life and that your body was never found. They want to
rally against us so we must bring back a corpse to show the folly of rising
against us when they should be supporting us.”
“Why would they support you?”
“To gain more power and respect for
our home. Have you forgotten already? Our homes and families were the joke of
other kingdoms because of our corrupt leaders. It’s about time that we earned
some respect.”
“Does it have to be at the cost of
so many lives?”
“You should know the answer to
that. You dethroned so many kings and queens that it isn’t a surprise that you
forgot that girl you’re protecting is the daughter of a king and queen you
killed.”
Harkan struggles to accept this
despite having a feeling that it was true.
“Even if that is true, why kill her
when her kingdom is nothing but dust and memories?”
“To show the world that we never
forget or forgive those who trespass against us. Did you also forget that her kingdom’s
forces were the ones who killed your family?”
“Enough with your lies!”
Harkan charges at the assassins and
tackles one into a tree to knock him out for a second. He takes the brunt of
the attack from the other assassins so that he has an opening that he uses to kill
two of them with a swing of his mace. Another assassin uses this opportunity and
cuts Harkan in an exposed spot of his armor, but the blade doesn’t pierce his
skin. This failed stab results in the assassin being elbowed then crushed by
Harkan’s mace. The remaining two assassins back off and reassess their plan.
One of them says, “There’s the Sovereign
Killer we know. An unstoppable force of nature, a crow of death, and the king
of king killers. Do you plan to atone for your actions by taking care of the
girl? Is she a replacement for the children that you lost?”
“I plan to give her a home and a better
life than the one she is living out here in this wasteland,” Harkan responds.
“That’s not going to be likely.
While we were fighting, we had two others go after her. It’s only a matter of
time before they bring us back her head.”
Shocked by this, Harkan immediately
starts running in the direction of Mouse while fending off the other two
assassins.
“Princess!” he screams.
The ground starts rumbling, which
stops both Harkan and the assassins from moving. Both are confused as to what
is causing this. Their question is quickly answered as Mouse is running from a
stampede of horses that have horns and the stingers of scorpions. The assassins
that went after Mouse are trampled to death by the horses as their speed makes
them nearly impossible to run from. Harkan runs to meet Mouse and smashes a path
through the horses with his mace until there are no more. Now
that their pursuers are dead, Harkan makes sure that Mouse doesn’t have any
marks on her as they take a moment to rest.
“Are you okay, princess? Are you
hurt?” he asks.
“No,” she answers.
“That’s good. That’s good. I’m
sorry that this happened. Those people were from my own kingdom that tried to
kill me.”
“It’s okay.”
A concerned look on Mouse’s face
concerns Harkan.
“What is it, princess? Is something
the matter?”
“N-no. Let’s just go.”
“Okay. I hope we can find another
steed because according to this map we still have a fair way to go until we
reach our destination.” When Harkan lowers the map, he sees that Mouse has
already started walking. “Don’t run ahead of me, princess! It’s too dangerous.”
“The horses went this way.”
“If you think it’s best to use
them, then I guess we should, but stay close to me.”
“I’m okay.”
Confused by Mouse’s behavior, Harkan
thinks that she is just shaken by the recent battle, however, a suspicious feeling
tells him that Mouse was told that Harkan is her parents’ killer by the
assassins when she was separated from him, but he keeps this suspicion aside
even though his hunches have been proven true so far. Mouse and Harkan track
the horses back to the town they were in and find that it has been ruined by
the beasts. They find a singular horse roaming around that has had its tail cut
off and a loose muzzle around its mouth as if someone tried to tame it. Harkan
takes advantage of this and tames the horse himself before allowing Mouse on it
and riding off with her. As they ride, he feels that she is hardly holding onto
him unlike before as if she is hesitant about it.
“Hold on tight,” he says.
Mouse does as Harkan says. He continues
to travel with her with the worries of future dangers and what could be
affecting Mouse in his mind.
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