Tale of Four

Atop the wall, Cleeve stared ahead, looking at the enemy lines acorss the water. Soldiers stood alongside him, and beneath in the courtyard, waiting for the inevitable. Whilst many were in good spirits, trusting the sturdy walls and river to protect them, he knew it would be crushed eventually and decided to say nothing. Their confidence was right in most circumstances. Only one side of the fort was being besieged when usually three sides would have to be simultaneously to even attempt to break its defences, but Cleeve knew better. The man before him only required one to make the opening. If Anton believed otherwise, he would have never come.

”Prince Cleeve.” A man in silver plate armour took to his side and stared out at Anton’s forces. Unlike what he expected, no boats were constructed nor makeshift bridges. Only Anton stepped foward; the rest of the army camped behind him, waiting. Crouched on the ground, he wore jet black armour, the golden star of Cosmaton on the breastplate, with a ruby spider web in the centre. Atop his head, on his black helmet, an ornament of the crown he usually wore held together by a red spider. His hand rested on the ground, unmoving.

Lord Daywatch stared at Anton before peeking at Cleeve. Two days had passed, and both men had remained unmoving the entire time, Anton crouched on the ground and Cleeve staring at him. It was a wonder how either of them could even sustain themselves, and more than that, Lord Daywatch wondered why the order to fire at Anton had yet to come. ”The men are restless. They wonder when you will give the order.”

Cleeve took a deep breath. ”Firing would be a waste of arrows.”

”He is ungaruded, my Prince.” Cleeve snorted and shook his head.

”If you do not trust my words, then please fire at him. Doing so will only make those with good spirits tense, however.” Lord Daywatch clicked his tongue and turned to the archer next to him. He knew the stories, but so openly their enemy stood. One arrow was all it would take to end the war and destroy their greatest threat.

”ARCHERS!” Lord Daywatch’s voice echoed across the wall. Everyone flinched at it, finally hearing the order; the men in jovial moods hardened, believing the battle to begin. ”LOOSE!” Cleeve didn’t turn, instead hearing the winds tear as hundreds of arrows flew across the river, towards Anton’s position. The men behind him quickly formed a shield wall, hearing the order, yet Anton remained unmoved, continuing to hold his palm on the ground.

Lord Daywatch waited for the moment he pictured, when Anton would be covered in arrows and fall. Yet his expectation was destroyed, and a cold chill ran down his spine. From behind his back, eight long legs wrapped around Anton’s body, shielding him. Each one was covered in long black hair with the stench of blood. The hairs vibrated as the arrows struck, piercing into its body. If the man who knelt before the fort for two days was a tale told to children when they misbehaved, then before them now, the creature with a human body and eight legs protruding from its spine was from nightmare itself, soemthing that should have never existed.

”My lord.” Lord Daywatch exclaimed and quickly said a prayer as one of the spider legs hit the arrows stuck inside of it, breaking them off. Within the gap in those legs, a black hand tore the rest off, pulling them out, black liquid falling from each wound. ”A demon.”

”It is a waste of arrows to fire upon him.” Cleeve said with a flat tone, ”I gave no such order, because it would only agitate him.” Anton still knelt unmoving as the legs retracted back into his body, the actual man unmoving as if the arrow fire was nothing but the shade of a cloud. ”Soon he will strike. Have the men prepare oil to chuck in the river.”

Lord Daywatch gulped but nodded, running to carry out the order. Seeing the men struck by fear at what they had just seen, Cleeve took a deep breath and closed his eyes. From behind him, black smoke formed, turning into a black Lion with golden eyes. It was a huge beast, one that barely fit on the wall, and threatened to push those off nearby. The Lion didn’t spare a glance at the people surrounding it, but rather climbed atop the edge of the wall and stared at Anton.

Resting a hand on its mane, Cleeve calmly stroked it as the men, filled with fear seconds ago, stared at the noble beast, cheering in delight at its sight. ”Soon, Leon,” Cleeve whispered to his summon, rubbing his hand deeper into its mane, ”You can sense it, can’t you?”

”It’s dangerous,” Leon said with a deep voice, almost like a growl. ”That aspect of the first.” Leon’s golden eyes narrowed. ”I had assumed he would have been consumed by it after so long.”

”Anton has always been special, my friend,” Cleeve said, unable to stop himself from smiling. ”He is the only one I think could ever tame such a summon.”

”You are wrong.” Leon said, ”You do not tame such a thing, but coexist.” The lion lazily slumped down on the edge of the wall. ”Its webs are spreading underneath the river.”

”I know. Why bother with a ram when you can pull the bridge down?” Cleeve sighed, ”Everyone here is an idiot for thinking that it will take months. How much longer?”

”A day, maybe two,” Leon said, looking at the river. ”He is taking his time, making sure it is enough until nothing can break it.”

”Not even you.” Leon shook his head. ”I assumed so. He has always been patient.”

”Even if that spider loves blood, they are patient hunters. It will have its blood, but it must lay the trap for its feast.” Leon let out a deep purr. ”It will be tough.”

”I have my orders,” Cleeve replied.

”Understood. Summon me when it is about to begin.” Cleeve nodded and undid the summoning, Leon turning back into black smoke and retreating back into his body.

------

Rosalia leaned against William, resting a hand on his chest, looking out the window. Seeing the darkening clouds above, she could tell it was going to rain soon and felt her chance was coming. ”Who are you?” William asked as the hand wrapped around her, making its way to her bare chest. Before she could pull herself away in confusion, William’s hands squeezed tightly around her breast, making her yelp in pain. ”You’re not a whore and do not make the lie of being a madam.”

”My Lord, what do you...” Rosalia’s voice shook, unable to understand how he found out. She had done everything correctly. Her lies were believable, her actions proof of themselves. Even now she slept with the man just becuase he offered a few pieces of silver. In a split second, she nearly began to look for a weapon that was nearby, but stopped herself and stared into William’s eyes. Not only was the hand squeezing her breast, stopping her from turning without causing immense pain, but if William had brought her into his bed, he likely had a weapon next to his other hand.

”Please do not lie. The prince made some observation about you. Whilst a few do match your position as a Maddam, there are some that make no sense.” William said with a smile. His grip on her breast loosened and returned to the playful foddling it started as. ”So speak, one chance.”

Rosalia lowered her head and took a deep breath, making sure not to let her anger show. ’You know I’m not a whore and still force me to sleep with you. This bastard.... I can’t just lie; he would see through such a thing.’

”I did come here for the prince.” Rosalia looked up and met his gaze. Thinking of every nearby lord, she tried to think who she could claim to be the bastard daughter of. None of the Crownland Lords would work. William was an heir to a house of it after all; no, the only available option was the Hilllands. Those on the border, there was only one who had a bad image, her age close enough to be a bastard if he had done it in his younger years. ”But not as a whore.” Lowering her gaze, she thought about having to lie and claim she wanted Vincent’s child. Shame and anger flooded her eyes, not unnoticed by William. ”My lord father gave me an order.”

”Your Lord father. Who would this be?” William’s hand on her breasts tightened again, not enough to cause pain, but to make his threat clear. His other free hand moved around, hidden from Rosalia’s sight.

”Lord Nester, my lord.” As on paper, the Blackwell declared for Anton; they were privy to the movements of their allies. Thanks to that, she knew Lord Nester had come west to the Crownlands. Along with his known reputation as a whore monger it was a passable lie.

”Lord Nester. So why approach Vincent? And why did you lie originally?” Rosalia took a deep breath and thought about the key moments of the war. Relaisng a key point bit of knowledge she could use, she suppressed a grin and spoke.

”He had initially wanted me to approach the Prince.” William raised an eyebrow and smirked at the idea. ”He had hoped that if I had the Prince’s child, he could force the marriage. My reward would have been to be legitimised and hopefully married to him. As for lying when we first met. My Lord Father didn’t wish for his scheme to be discovered. Had I come as a lord bastard daughter, there was no chance I could trick the prince in my bed, but as a whore, all I had to do was offer my services.”

”I see.” William thought for a moment. Once again it made sense. The mannerisms and looks Vincent pointed out could be explained if it was Lord Nesters’ hidden card to gain influence. Even if the man wasn’t by any length handsome, it didn’t mean her mother wasn’t a beauty. As for the plan with Elias. Considering he had been around the area before returning to the capital to take over as regent, it was completely plausible; if not ambitious, hiding as a whore, would be the perfect way to get close. ”So you’re still a bastard at the moment?” Rosalia hid her clenched hand and nodded.

’If she failed, Lord Nester could claim complete distance. After all, whilst he has bastards, I don’t know all of them. It was a bold gamble, and with Elias gone, Vincent was the next best step at having a Cosmaton child.’

”Alright. But considering you failed, is there any reason for you to stay? After all, there is no chance Vincent sleeps with you.” Rosalia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her gaze shook underneath her eyelids.

Opening them, she stared deep into William’s own eyes. William flinched a little at the intensity they shone with and couldn’t help but feel unsettled. ”I can’t leave until I have done it.” Roslaia’s lips curled in a strange manner, one that wasn’t flattering but desperate and hopeful. ”I must.”

William’s hand slowly pulled away from her breast as he nodded. ’Lord Nester, what kind of daughter did you raise? That level of intensity. Did you teach her she is only good if she can have a kid?’ Letting out a deep breath, William nodded and rose. As he did, Rosalia saw the sharp blade on the nightstand next to him.

Her gaze hardened at seeing it but quickly softened, realising she had escaped his test.