Rynne's Watchful Eyes
| As is well known the
castle of the Queen is half ice, half stone. It stands
tall from the frozen lake on the very edge of her realm.
The mountains around serve as protection and once one
travels through Night's Pass, the day and night are as
one there. Foreboding darkness covers the castle during
day and during night. The castle is built on a lake
frozen completely solid. Rumors about why this area has
such strange properties have ranged from ecological
explanations when the world was first created, to some
dark magic proclaiming its hold on the land. All the creatures within the castle are furred creatures, so the coldness doesn't bother them at all. The entire guard of the Queen are wolves, their payment for residing in her land is for every able-bodied wolf to serve the first able hunting cycle of their lives in her guard. Two spotted leopards form her personal guard, and are her constant companions. Foxes were her scavengers and servants. Dwarves also were numerous in the castle, serving a role more befitting their human-like appearance. They had a similar service as the wolves had, yet the details were not known of this aliance. The furred creatures and the dwarves did not get along. Dumb reindeer were her transportation and grown large enough to be settled and rode like a horse. But the wolves, had special honor among her subjects. After the required service it is the choice of the wolf to return to the den, or to remain in service to the Queen. Rayne, after her period, stayed on for three more seasons, earning the rank of Captain before her retirement and subsequent return home. She then fairly bristling with ambition challenged the pack-leader that very day for the head of the pack. She won, forming the first successful challenge of one so young. Meanwhile Rynne, the same age as Rayne, stayed behind in the Queen's guard, and was chosen for Captain in Rayne's absence. They were close, and would always be so in Rayne's mind. Within the Queen's service, loyalty is richly rewarded; disloyalty, is punished with equal enthusiasm. The queen, herself, is of uncertain heritage, standing head and shoulders over most men. Her skin was far too pale and the cold far too comfortable for her lineage to be entirely human. She was graceful and tall, dressed in furs from her subjects, the punishment for those not loyal to her majesty and her reign. Among these remembrances of Rayne's, Rynne's deep voice began his tale. "It began a week ago, when I was making my rounds in the castle…" He began, Rayne settled down to listen to his story. The words he spoke forming in her mind the pictures of that place she once served proudly in, and taking her back to that time of noble service. ~~ Rynne walked down the stone corridor, in that place and time, passing silently among the halls outside the large rooms. The ice statues in the hallway told of amazing creatures, ones he had never seen in his life. These were the ones which tales were told about, but after the first week or so, Rynne ceased thinking about these things. His feet made no noise on the hard floors, quiet eyes wandering alert, looking for any signs of something amiss. It didn't matter how many times he carved these paths in these familiar ornate hallways, his attention was never faltering, nor did it become a commonplace drudgery. This day alone he had wandered this hall four times, but this time, among all the hundreds he had done before, was somehow different. A noise sounded, Rynne paused, muscles tensed and senses alerted. Quiet whispers formed in the hallway, bouncing down the stone corridor to Rynne's sensitive ears. "It is alright, the standard guard becomes lax in its rounds, he won't be wandering down here for another half-hour at the very least." As if on his cue Rynne quietly moved to the edge of the hallway, shadow of the dark doorway behind one of the ice statues, hiding the outline of his silver-grey fur in the darkness. "I still do not understand why we must hide, we are speaking creatures just as they are." The second voice sounded. It reminded Rynne of a wolf-like creature as it ended with a whine to its statement; female, and graceful. "Just the silly beast's superstitions about us, dear. Nothing more, nothing less. The queen wishes this to be kept quiet until she is ready to announce the alliance." The first voice returned soothingly. Rynne's eyes narrowed at this statement, sensing something was amiss. ~~ At this point, at the ravine, Rayne interrupted him quite rudely in his story. "Who were they?" He paused and looked over at her, slightly impatient, for storytelling was one of his prided skills. "Rayne! Humph. I couldn't see then, but later… wait, you're getting ahead of me!" She chuckled softly and smiled, knowing how annoyed he was getting at her interruption. He cast her an un-amused glance for her teasing and then continued with his story. "Anyway, it seemed suspicious enough for me to keep a watchful eye out, especially since I couldn't catch exactly who they were. The oddest point was they were accompanied by two of my guard, Inalis and Hanwl. I inquired about the incident to them later, yet, they would reveal nothing of the strangers. Apparently, the Queen swore them to secrecy. I found this quite disturbing. The incident which I found reinforced this disturbed feeling happened two days later, in the throne room. Now quit interrupting!" Rayne only smiled in response. ~~ Rynne obediently waited outside the main throne-room, as he had been summoned to appear before Her Majesty. It wasn't that much of an unusual happening, for the captain of the guard to be summoned. But in these times of peace it was rare for him to be summoned as formally as this. Finally, the panther who kept sentry outside the room nodded to him, silently approving him to pass. Rynne did so silently, quietly walking along the red carpet in the large throne room. The Queen sat upon the terris, stroking the arm of her throne, which was adorned in a tiger's skin. That particular tiger grew out of favor of the queen for not keeping his watch as ordered. And the way she kept order was to display the furs of her fallen subjects for all to see and fear. Rynne felt no particular fear, for he was righteous, and had no actions for which to fear retaliation. He judged the Queen to be just, a judgment that was to change in the next few minutes. Stopping two lengths from the throne, he bowed lowly before her, until she lifted her scepter and bid him to rise. Doing so, he stood there, waiting for her to speak first, as a sign of his respect. Though his watchful eyes had caught two figures beside her, one of a very old looking woman, and the other a young one. They did not smell right, he observed, not to be human at least. The old woman smelt of one who dwelt in a dark place, and the young, smelt of a creature who had tasted the blood of her enemies. He was immediately suspicious, but only of those two, not of the Queen. "Captain Rynne, I have summoned you here to me in order that you might serve this kingdom further by giving your advice, as a member of the wild ones who live in the hills. Will you advise me, Rynne?" She intoned, her voice full of formality and power. It was said none could stand her wrath, as the very look from her eyes could turn creatures to ice where they stood. Though Rynne did not put stock in the tales, he did listen, and remember them. He bowed again, "It is an honor to serve, Your Majesty." "Some members of your guard tell me you have been inquiring about these two visitors." She nodded to the two standing beside her, gesturing right and left with her long slender hands. "Why?" She intoned simply, finishing her initial inquiry. Rynne, used to being questioned by the Queen, carefully thought how to phrase this answer before actually uttering it. But, somewhere in the back of his mind, a primal instinct sounded, speaking of danger, and coming doom. He did not heed it. "Curiosity and alertness, my liege. Firstly, it is unusual for guests to be in your castle, and unusual I do not know about it, with my position. I heard that two of my subordinates knew more, so I inquired of them, nothing more." He intoned neutrally, though something was increasingly nagging at him to understand and see. "I commend you on your alertness, however. Your presence of mind will serve me as well as Rayne's has." He bowed his head, knowing that as soon as she brought up Rayne, it was an indirect scolding for him. She left a difficult role to fill, and somehow the Queen was always dissatisfied with his service, though he never knew why. She stood suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts and causing his eyes to be fixed upon her. "What had you found out, wolf?" The way she used his species instead of his name, gave more alarm to him. He could not figure out why he felt that way, he had done absolutely nothing wrong or improper. Yet, while he stood in her gaze, he could almost believe he had. "Nothing of consequence, my guards would tell me nothing." He said quietly. "They are *my* subjects, as are you, Rynne, do not forget that!" Her voice rose slightly then went back to its soothing tones. "Yes, I assume you know I ordered this silence." She intoned while sitting back down again and pulling her robes around her thin frame. "I had guessed that fact, your Majesty. Might I inquire as to why?" Rynne inquired with as much self-righteousness as he could muster. He kept telling himself he had done nothing wrong and should not be feeling this! "No, you may not." She intoned, not looking at him, nor showing him the respect he used to have in her eyes. "But I will choose to tell you." "These," she gestured at the two beside her "are our new allies. I did not wish the word to be spread until its due time. As you know, I have no children of my own, and I have judged this young woman live in my castle and be trained even as my own daughter, to take the throne when I am gone." He bowed respectfully. "Your wisdom abounds, My Liege. You have many more years in your glorious reign, however." "You're only repeating what you've been taught, wolf. You no more wish for my continued reign as you wish to become part of my fur collection." She spoke with displeasure, a slight grimace on her face. He could not figure out how he had displeased her so. Another thing happened. For the first time in her presence, he felt real fear. The secondary reaction behind the fear was not far away, anger. Anger at being treated unfairly, anger at having done nothing wrong, yet having such displeasure brought upon his name. "Your Majesty, that is no more true than I wish to see my den wiped from existence!" he began forcefully, making his point. Then his voice became softer, more sincere. "I, and my forbearers before me, have always served you with all our ability. We, the wolves, have always been fairly treated by you. Why should we, or I, wish any different?" He ended, a speech worthy of a member of the Kell's den, and of the station he enjoyed. But she was not swayed, in the least. Her anger rose, becoming apparent in her pale face. "Because you are a wild thing! Prone to looking out for only yourselves! Questions have arisen of your loyalty, Rynne, your own guard has questioned your decisions." "Show me the charges and the accusers, then. I will face them bravely, as I have done nothing to betray you, or your wishes. I have always carried every order out to the fullest, using my best judgment." Rynne spoke honestly, but he feared honesty would not be enough. She waved a hand in dismissal. He was angry enough at these unfounded accusations to make an inquiry of his own. "Majesty, your chosen successor, she is not human, is she? If I am not mistaken, she is in fact, a werewolf. Not human, nor wolf, but shifting between those two forms." He pointed an accusing eye towards the form of the young woman, who was wearing a long flowing green dress. The Queen showed surprise in her icy eye. But it wasn't a plesant sort, instead sincere anger showed beneath this. He had seen something he was not supposed to see, though she would not let him know that, she would indeed show her displeasure. "Now your observations have played against you, Rynne. It would have been wiser to keep such accusations to yourself. Yes, she is as you have claimed." She ended, surprising him with the admittance of this fact. Rynne, though, was outraged. "Your Majesty! The laws you claim to support speak out against any being which is in human form, yet is not! It is taught that they are the children of evil! No redeeming blood flows in their veins! Humans may be low creatures, but have the redeeming qualities of the speaking beast! How can you choose a successor who is clearly not within the law?!" In that moment, the queen underwent a startling transformation. The robes fell from her shoulders; the white skin, which was so ghostly pale, began to grow white hair. In the moment later, before Rynne, stood an enormous white tiger with long cruel fangs. Her court gasped, this was not known of the Queen. For all had accepted her claim to humanity, and her claim to the throne through such. Her true colors were beginning to show, as they would do even more severely in the coming months. Rynne gasped slightly, forgetting himself. The tiger, which was she who reigned, paced back and forth once. Then turned and faced the trembling wolf with her icy blue eyes. "Do not question me again, Rynne, or you will not see another day of your life. Be gone from my sight!" She bellowed, ending in a roar. He bowed deeply, though trembling could still be seen from his frightened body. Then he backed towards the door, still looking down and in a submissive form. He could not believe the truth of what he had just seen. The Queen, was not what she appeared, after all. |
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