The Dark Queen of White 1.7

7.

Gareth was summoned to the village, soon after the incident. He was to meet the Queen herself, and dressed up in his best tunic and leggings. His mother who was most concerned kept on asking him why would the Queen want to see him, but he claimed no knowledge of it. He soon rode to the village and was met by Alan who was to escort him in. He had never approached the village as it was heavily guarded, and sharpened stakes was laid out before the palisades that surround the village. Queen Clarity had no castle of her own and preferred to live in the campsites or village which is near to the battle field. It was one of the qualities of her which motivated the army to fight for her.

They rode past the palisades and then into the village itself. All the houses have been commanded over and converted into army units from supplies to homes for the knights. It was also rumored that she paid well in compensation and had none of the villagers harmed in any manner. Gareth saw the scores of guards; both armed and unarmed watching him as he rode to the central of the village. There was another set of palisades which surrounded the village head home, then commanded to be the Queen's home. There was a four warrior detail guarding the main entrance of the palisades. Both the riders dismounted, and Alan walked in past the guards. Gareth was to follow suit when the guards stopped him.

"Handover your weapons. Everything including the needle in the tunic, if any." The gruff looking guard told him. Gareth handed over his weapons and then was allowed in to the inner Courtyard as mentioned by the Guard. He was escorted by another guard, and made to wait there. Soon Queen Clarity arrived to meet him with the man whom he had saved. The other was dressed in a plain tunic and leather leggings with no signs of the injury.

"My Queen." Gareth bowed to her, but she wished him to be himself.

"Please be you, Gareth of Steinheim. I am ever grateful to you for saving ...Michael here." Queen Clarity point to the man standing by her side. "He had been a good friend and was careless to be shot."

"I hoped he is well, my Queen." Gareth looked to the man he had saved. Michael had no expression but that of a blank one.

"He does not speak much, Gareth." Queen Clarity defended her servant. "But he is loyal and fearless."

"Are you one, Gareth of Steinheim?" Queen Clarity asked of him. The question took Gareth back as his focus earlier was on the man named Michael. He had heard of the man wolves, but never did he ever stumble on any.

"Yes, my Queen. Only to you, my Queen." Gareth replied once he had regained his composure.

"Then kill him for me." Queen Clarity asked of him. He was momentarily stunned but Michael had leap on him. The jump push Gareth back to the ground, and he rolled over before the other fist could slam his face. Gareth got up on his knees and looked at the other man, who was changing into its other self.

"Michael, not here." Queen Clarity spoke up. Michael heeded the command of his mistress, and stood up. He then picked the dagger from the back of his waist. He faced Gareth who had stepped back to allow for more fighting space. He rushed at Gareth who side stepped and chopped his right hand on the extended arm of the other. The blow by Gareth was hard, but Michael hardly felt it, and swung the dagger back at Gareth.

Gareth had seen that attack and fell back on his own instinct. He pushed him back with his arms and crawl further back on his haunches. He hit an obstacle and looked at it. It was a piece of wood that was the length of a short sword. He grabbed it and swung it like a baton. Michael saw the new threat, and changed his fighting stance. He turned the dagger to face inward towards him, and was to attack when the Queen stopped him.

"Enough!" Queen Clarity gave the command. "This is not to my expectation."

"I was expecting him to fight more but he was defending himself. He lack...." Queen Clarity was interrupted by the arrival of Lin Denham.

"Ferocity of the wolves?" Lin added to the Queen' words. "No, he is more ...Man, and had a code of attack."

"Yes, I know." Queen Clarity replied. "I had seen that in the last three years. They fight so much unlike the ...others."

"Clare," Lin had learned to address her as that over the time they had been together. "They are not like Alan or Michael. Your ....guards are distinct, but I had lived my...younger years with them. They are the guards I knew."

Lin nodded to the Queen. He had learned that the Queen or then the Princess had lived a normal life as a peasant but with some unique protector. King Egan did not banished her as it was seen by the others, but placed her to live with his most trusted warrior besides Lin Denham. Helene Kelley was a werewolf who owed her life to the King. He had saved her from a mortal wound, inflicted by him in a hunt. He had her healed by the old wizard in the forest, and had secured her loyalty. When his Queen was with him, he had her protected by Helene, while he was away. He had many mortal and immortal enemies like wizards and witches, and needed one like Helene to assist him.

When his Queen was carrying the child in her, King Egan consulted the old wizard for advice.

"She would carry a twin. One would be a boy and the other a girl. One would be your savior of the lands. The other would destroy it."

"Which one? I had waited for years for them. Now you tell me, I am too cursed to choose one."

"The choice is yours. But heed my words, one would save the other." The old witch told him. King Egan nodded. He decided that he would do the needed then.

On the day of his wife births, he had decided. He then told Helene to take the girl and be away from the castle.

"Raise her and protect her." King Egan told the lady. "If Lin Denham comes over, heed his words."

Helene did as she was asked, and with the help of Alan Bates, she kept her promise for fourteen years then. But she could not protect the child with only one warrior; she called on the others to help her. They included the wolves from her pack, but she also imposed a condition; the child remains untouched by the Clan. That was also her King' wishes. None of the wolves were to get near to her. But it was not to work, as with her pet cub then, Clare liked to run in the forest. Soon she came to the contact with the Clan.

Helene learned of this, and confronted the Clan. It was Alan who consoled her.

"Helene, she cannot avoid her own journey. She would be part of the Clan if she was to stay here. More to that, they could protect her better if she was part of the Clan." Alan was telling the truth to Helene. He was not a werewolf but a follower of their Clan. He hunts the other creatures, and assists in protecting the Clan from other huntsmen at times. Helene consented to her care to join the Clan, but she was to hide it from the King.

That approach made her life in the forest, bearable with the wolves as her friends. But there were other predators that would harass her but soon she learned to protect herself. She learned fast on the ways of the forest, and soon settled into it.

The only threat she always faced was Man. They may come into the forest intentionally to hunt or passing through it, but it was still a threat for her. There were occasions where unknown to her, Alan had intercepted and chased them off. Or at times, removed them with more extreme means. He was lucky until that day he came rushing to the house and let Lin Denham in. 

"I came to see you today, Clare. The war is over. Lord Falstof had asked for a truce. He would receive our conditions for the truce." Lin Denham told the Queen. "You are the Queen now."

Queen Clarity looked to the warrior who had guided her from the house in the forest to this victory. She then spoke up.

"No, I would be Princess Clarity again. The King of this land would be still Bannion but he would rule with me at his side."

"As you command, my Princess." Lin Denham excused himself to meet the guards. The so named Princess Clarity looked to the two guards before her.

"Both of you would joined me with Alan and Helene, as my personal guards. You would be my mentor on how Man think and act." Princess Clarity told him.