Paladin the path begins

Luna dragged Tar’vid’s beaten body over to her father’s guards, hopefully before anyone had gotten a good look at him.

“Throw him into segregation, let no one in!” she ordered them calmly, though her heart was pounding madly.

The guards took her orders immediately, hauling Tar’vid off to the dungeons on the far side of town in a covered waggon. Luna was concerned a riot would break out, but the crowds were dispersed quickly by her father’s guards and the square was being secured. Her sister sat on the stage edge as still as a statue, her make-up ruined by tears. Deadra picked her up gently, carrying Fiora away from the puddle of what had been Jaike, tears coming to Luna’s eyes as she realised the visions had all come to pass, with such suddenness and brutality. She never wished to see the future again, all it had brought was death and sorrow. Her father was circled by guards and healers, a green glow flashing sporadically from within the grouping and Luna wondered what magics were being worked to save her father’s life. The stage was still awash in blood and Jaike’s remains. The smell was making her feel sick, like burnt pig fat. Deadra came to her, the beautiful dress soaked in blood and her usually serene face shaking. Luna had never seen Deadra like this before, not even her father’s spymaster had seen this coming and that scared her.

“Deadra?” she asked, though it elicited no reaction, as though the woman was somewhere else.

She spoke her name again, this time Deadra turned to her as if in a dream.

“Luna, what are you still doing here... you should be at the palace, with Fiora” she stated, their roles seemingly reversed now.

“Deadra, I think it’s you that should go back to the palace, you’re clearly not taking this well,” she said calmly.

“But the king!” Deadra replied in protest, tears in her eyes.

“The healers will do their best, there’s nothing more you can do here. You there, guardsman, take her back to the palace!” Luna shouted, waving over a passing guard and then watching them leave.

Arguments were breaking out around her father now as his advisers and the healers screamed at each other. She tried pressing forward to see her father but Faolin intercepted her, keeping her at bay long enough to calm her down.

“Please princess, tensions are already high. Your father doesn’t need any more stress put on him” he said calmly, barring her way.

“Why are they arguing... by the gods Faolin, why aren’t they helping him... is my father going to die Faolin?” she cried, her fears growing unbearably.

“He isn’t going to die... but the council want to bring in Paladins to heal your father properly, the healers are feeling affronted at the very thought, who knows what your father would say” Faolin replied, finally releasing her as she stopped struggling.

“Bring them in Faolin, if it will save my father. I can’t lose him!” Luna demanded, she was considering trying to break past him again.

Faolin only shook his head, he wouldn’t let her pass. Certainly not in her current state, Luna backed up a little.

“It’s not that simple princess, the king must make the choice once he regains consciousness. And even then... allowing Paladins into the city could cause riots, the war wounds are still raw to many here princess”.

Luna stood off, throwing her hands up in frustration.

“Fine, my sister will need me Faolin. Just keep my father safe... and let no one see the prisoner until I come back” she told the head guard sternly.

“Princess you don’t have the authori...”.

“Just do it Faolin, damn it all. I don’t have time for this!” she growled angrily, resisting the urge to punch him.

“It will be done, princess... I’ll run it by Deadra later though” he replied unfazed.

“I don’t mind at all, I think we’re all a bit highly strung now... myself included,” she said, calming herself with some considerable effort.

Faolin went back to the chaos around her father and Luna spotted her bag of trinkets toppled and crushed beside the stage, she left for the palace to find her sister.

Luna heard her sister long before reaching her room, the guards posted outside looked uncomfortable and sad. They made no move to stop her entering Fiora’s room, where she found her sister alone amidst her destroyed room, tables and pictures broken and ruined, all except a small portrait of Jaike and a single doll that she clutched tightly to her chest as she rocked back and forth amidst the carnage, her cats emerging from their hiding places cautiously. Luna sat beside her sister, gently putting an arm around her shoulders, Fiora had her back to her, flinching at the touch.

“I was so happy sister,” she said without emotion, Luna felt cold at the sound of Fiora’s voice.

“I’m so sorry...” Luna replied, unsure of how to comfort her.

“It’s not your fault Lunathion. I’ll have vengeance though sister, mark my words!” Fiora seethed as she turned to face her, Fiora’s red raw eyes seeming demonic in the low light.

“Don’t talk like this sister, you’ll find happiness again. The hate will pass like it did with father... you just need time” Luna said, trying, perhaps hopelessly to calm her sister.

“My happiness has become ash in my heart, now there is only hate sister!” Fiora said angrily, taking something from under her dress.

“I know my limits though...” she continued sadly, producing the dagger Luna had brought home with her, their mother’s dagger. “I know you have him in a cell deep in the prison. I’ve never asked you for anything sister... but I want you to kill him. Slowly and painfully!” her sister said with a venom Luna had never heard from her before.

“That’s not the way this works Fiora... we can’t just murder people when we want!” Luna replied in shock, Fiora throwing her arm away.

“What nonsense you spout. We’re the ruling family, we can do what we want!” Fiora shouted at her angrily.

“We are not discussing this Fiora, your upset and I understand. But we are not murderers” she said back calmly, not believing her sister could be asking this of her. Luna stood and started to leave when Fiora caught her arm.

“Wait, please don’t go sister I... I don’t want to be alone, today’s been too much for me... I, I can’t cope” Fiora said, collapsing on the floor and shaking with tears.

Luna sat beside her again, hugging Fiora tightly.

“You and father are all I have now, I don’t want us to fight, I love you sister” Fiora said through her tears, laying her head on Luna’s shoulder.

“You’ll have your child soon sister, then perhaps we’ll all be happy again. Jaike wouldn’t want you to be like this forever” Luna whispered gently, stroking Fiora’s hair.

“Your right, he wouldn’t” Fiora replied, Luna, feeling that maybe her sister might just get through this intact.

When Fiora fell asleep Luna picked her up, carrying Fiora to her own room and placing her down on the bed, tucking her in as she had when they were children. Fiora was right about one thing though, she had to see Tar’vid, preferably before her uncle got to him. Luna told Reedin to keep an eye on her sister, she picked up a cloak and left for the prison in haste, time was not on her side.

Luna’s walk to the prison seemed to take longer than she’d like. Her thoughts confused on what to do with Tar’vid. Should he be exposed as a Paladin assassin, a second war could be ignited. Luna’s thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into Faolin before entering the market square.

“What are you doing out of the palace princess?” Faolin asked suspiciously, barring her path passively.

“I couldn’t sleep, Fiora was in a bad way” she replied with a shrug.

“And the dagger?” Faolin asked quietly, nodding to her side.

Luna patted her side, finding her mother’s dagger there. Fiora must have slid it into her belt earlier.

“I need to be on my guard Faolin, someone just tried to kill my father and murdered my sisters joined, my best friend” she replied, thinking on her feet.

Faolin caught her shoulder gently as she brushed past him. Luna turned slowly, staring at him with indignity.

“Don’t go to see him, princess, let the law take care of him” he told her calmly, clearly believing she was out for vengeance.

“I have no intention of killing him Faolin, I just need to know why he did it. And for who...” she told him severely, brushing away his hand.

Faolin bowed his head, backing away. Luna set off once more, ignoring the guard captain and crossing the market square and the last few streets to the prison building off Bear Street. Guarding the building stood a group of guards, one moved in to challenge her, when others recognised her the guard backed away, letting her enter the building without challenge.

The inside of the prison building was immaculate as all public buildings were in Keldran, it’s walls a gleaming white, lit by lamps hanging from the wall, the head jailer jumped up upon recognising her, bowing deeply.

“Princess, this is truly a surprise”

“Where is he?” she demanded, focusing her gaze on the jailer, the other jailers standing to attention, clubs hanging from their belts, their breastplates gleaming in the candlelight.

“He’s under heavy guard princess, no one’s to see him. Order of the king’s guard captain” he replied nervously.

“Take me to him... now” she spoke with authority, hoping he would bow down before a member of the royal family.

The jailer picked up his keys, motioning her to follow him. He took her through the myriad wings of the prison complex. Nearly all the cells had lain empty for decades now, crime in the capital was relatively rare. Poverty in elven kingdoms was a rarity and seemed to correspond with crime levels. She had been to many human cities in her youth, in most poverty had been rampant and the crime rate near breaking point.

“Are you here on official business?” the jailer asked, trying to make conversation.

She stayed silent though, it was taking all her self-control to reign in her nerves. The jailer stopped beside an unassuming steel door where six guards stood alert with swords drawn and shields raised in a ring of metal.

The guards parted for the jailer and herself, the jailer turned to her before unlocking the door.

“This is it, he’s inside here. Are you sure you want to do this?”.

“I must do this, I need to know why” she replied, her voice starting to waver.

“Very well princess, we’ll be right outside... just call out if you get in trouble” he replied, patting his club.

“Thank you, please open the door,” she told the jailer, taking a deep breath.

The jailer unlocked the door, pushing it wide open for her. Luna steeled herself and stepped forward.

Luna entered the cell slowly, taking in the bright light that filtered into the cell even at night. She spotted Tar’vid laying on a bed against the far wall, she felt conflicted seeing him, that he was an assassin sent by the Paladins had crossed her mind, using her to get a shot at her father, she also loved him too much to believe that he could have killed Jaike so callously. He rolled over slowly looking directly at her, he looked as he had the first time they’d met, his face having lost most of the swelling and bruising that had been there only hours ago. His nose and eyes were bloody, perhaps from using his healing powers, perhaps from the beating he’d received from her uncle’s guard. Tar’vid gave her one of his broad smiles that she loved so much.

“Tell me you didn’t do it” she asked quickly, needing to hear it from him.

“I didn’t murder your father Luna. It’s your uncle and his son, they’re trying to frame me and... I’m afraid Finn’s dead. Eldrin’s men killed him hours after you left us” Tar’vid said without a glimpse of dishonesty.

He stood up as she rushed over to him, embracing him happily as he kissed her, holding her tightly.

“By the gods Tar’vid, my sister’s joined is dead and my father’s on the brink of death. And to compound it all, it seems like my uncle has masterminded the whole thing, for what... to be king?” She sighed, slumping down on the bed.

“Perhaps, though by implicating me it could spark another Paladin war” Tar’vid said, wondering aloud.

“But there’s no way they can know you’re a Paladin, not with the state you were in” she replied, knowing there was no way they could have guessed his identity.

“About that, Eldrin knew I was a Paladin, and my name. If there’s a conspiracy it runs deep, there have probably been tabs on me ever since I left Whitecliff, it’s the only way they could know where to intercept me Luna” he said with a worried look on his face.

“You’ve been betrayed by someone in your order?” she asked, disturbed that the Paladins would stoop so low.

“Perhaps, though I find such an act hard to believe” he replied, deep in thought.

“That’s a problem for another time, we need to get you out of here Tar’vid. My uncle will make damned sure everyone knows it was a Paladin that tried to murder the king, If you’re not here, it makes such a claim impossible to prove, I could just let you escape... though I doubt you’d get past the guards outside” she pondered, fingering the dagger sadly.

“Then my death is the only way out of this then” Tar’vid said dejectedly, squeezing her knee softly.

“I don’t think I can do it, not to you” she replied, standing and walking to the door, knocking on the door, it slowly started to open for her.

“Yet, you know you must Luna,” he said, saying her thoughts out loud.

She walked back and embraced him as they kissed for what she knew would be the last time. She wished that the world would stop for them right here, though after a moment she had to face reality. She drew the dagger and looked down at it for a long time.

“Make it quick, I’ve had a really bad week” Tar’vid said with a wry smile.

“I love you,” she said through her tears, driving the dagger towards his heart.