The Coming Blizzard

Chapter 12: The coming blizzard

"We're going to slay a dragon?" Lyrus swallowed hard at the thought. It would be his first time to fight and what's more he's going to fight a dragon. The image of Asche in dragon form sent shivers up the peasant's spine. It doesn't help that him and Alea are walking the snow-covered streets of the capital.

"So…we're going to slay a dragon?" asked Lyrus once more, hoping that the whole thing is just some twisted prank by the nobles.

"No. We're going to accompany the knights and mages who are going to slay it," replied Alea.

"Bu-but we're going with them, right? To-to Fehl? Doesn't that mean that we-we'll be fighting too?" Lyrus doesn't know if he's stuttering because of nervousness or because it's cold.

"I-I guess so." Alea shivered. She too just realized it. Accompanying the knight to Fehl means that the squires may be forced to go to combat too if things get worse.

The two quickened their pace at the sight of Karos' workshop. They were asked by Darios, a nobleman and one of the capital's knights, to check on the blacksmith's forging progress. Auria's father had already decided that the dragon which destroyed the province of Burne, and is now terrorizing Fehl, needed to be slayed. While a dead kin would leave a bad impression on the dragon prince Asche, a living dragon is no better since it would imply that King Deanor can't guarantee the peace and order within Threanas.

Lyrus knocked loudly at the blacksmith's shop. Snow was starting to pile up on the streets. The great flames inside Karos' forge should warm him and Alea nicely. The badly shaven beard of the blacksmith immediately greeted the two as Karos poked his head. "Oh! It's you two. Come in and warm yourselves up," Karos grinned.

Crates upon crates of swords and shields greeted the two as they entered. Alea can't help but marvel at Karos' forging skills. Just how many did the blacksmith made? The number of weapons inside the shop is enough to arm up every citizen within Noir. On the other hand, the sight only made Lyrus more anxious. Looks like he really is going to Fehl and fight.

"So what brings the two of you here?" asked Karos while wiping his hands.

"Darios asked us to check on your progress. He says he needs the swords and shields for his men by tomorrow afternoon." replied Lyrus, the heat from the forge bringing him back to his senses.

"Afternoon? Sure. Wait. Are the two of you also going to Fehl?" inquired the blacksmith with a worried expression.

"Ye-yes…I guess." Anxiety has now also struck Alea. While she is used to using a blade, she never had fought a dragon before. Dragons are a powerful race, so powerful that for thousands of years they ruled over Elderone until the arrival of elves. While there are only a handful of tales about Dragonslayers, there are a lot of tales of the destruction a dragon can cause.

"The two of you take care of each other, okay?" Karos said as he placed on the table the Dragon Gauntlets made by his father. Both Lyrus and Alea turned their gaze towards it. The once dusty gauntlets was now gleaming. Its shine magnified by the flames inside the shop. Karos must have finished polishing it. Lyrus' mind was filled with images of him slaying a dragon while wearing the gauntlets, making him grin sheepishly.

"I wouldn't trust my life with these gauntlets, lad. They may look powerful but trust me, these ones are extremely fragile. While my father is a great blacksmith, he is no matched for the skills of dwarves. I even doubt if these are enchanted at all," Karos chuckled as he patted Lyrus' shoulder, startling the peasant. Alea laughed at her friend's reaction, further embarrassing Lyrus who can only scratch his head in return. However, the cheerful atmosphere was interrupted when Meiro burst forth into the blacksmith's shop.

"Karos, father is asking if the sword for the—" Meiro's eyes widened when he saw Lyrus and Alea. Swords? For what? Castel is a baker and not even a squire. Why would he need a blade? Alea wondered at the scholar's strange statement. Meiro, on the other hand, look flustered, like he just let something important slip.

"Meiro, why is your father asking for a sword?" inquired Alea, making Meiro appear more agitated and uncomfortable. As if on cue, the two were interrupted by Karos who had started pounding on a piece of metal he heated. Lyrus, just like Alea, was confused. Castel is soft-spoken and would seldom get into trouble so why would a baker need a blade? As for Meiro, he knew that the scholar has no interest in being a knight so a sword would be equally useless in the latter's hands. Seeing their puzzled looks, Karos sighed loudly before returning the piece of metal he was hammering back to the furnace.

"I guess the cat is out. Some of the citizens have started arming themselves because of the rumors of a rebellion. Castel and other vendors have asked me to forge him a blade for protection since there were rumors of shady people roaming around the city," said Karos as he went back once more to hammering the glowing piece of metal from the furnace. Come to think of it, the whole capital seemed busy lately despite it being the winter season. Alea would see a lot of hooded men shuffling about the streets, most of them unfamiliar faces. Something big is happening, and Noir will be at the center of it.

Another thought, however, entered Alea's mind, a question that have been lingering at the back of her mind ever since the mysterious envoy appeared. "Karos, what do you know about the Midnight Council?" A loud banging noise echoed within the shop as the blacksmith accidentally hit the anvil instead of the metal he's working on. Meiro, on the other hand, quickly excused himself and left upon hearing the question while Lyrus shifted uncomfortably on the spot where he's standing on.

Karos stopped working on the metal, peered outside the door of his shop, then closed it before turning his attention towards Alea. It was as if the blacksmith was expecting someone to listen on their conversation. "The Midnight Council…is a group. As far as I know the council is composed of persons of power and influence, of those who want to end the oppression under King Deanor's reign," replied the blacksmith in a hushed tone. The image of the rune-covered envoy and the latter's laugh instantly filled Alea's mind. So it's real, the Midnight Council exists, which in turn means that the plan to overthrow her father is also real. Seeing the worried look on her face, Karos held Alea's hands, like a father trying to reassure her daughter that everything will be fine.

"You need not worry young lass. The Midnight Council only wants to end King Deanor's tyranny and would never harm the innocent. The ones you should be worried about are the 'Exiled'. As far as I know, they are not part of the council and are using the council's name only for their selfish goal: revenge," Karos said as Alea felt Lyrus' hand suddenly on her shoulder.

The Exiled. Lyrus had heard about them. After the Glacia usurped the throne, sympathizers and members of the house of Flaur were punished. They were branded with the runic term for 'Exile' on their forehead and was banished from Threanas, the rune on their foreheads ensuring that no kingdom nor province would afford them shelter or protection. The Exiled vowed to exact revenge on the house of Glacia. Lyrus shuddered at the mention of the name as he recalled the bloodied corpse of the envoy and how the other princes mercilessly stabbed the man. Lyrus' father once fought a member of the group and almost died. Zealots. That's how his father described the bunch.

Sensing the tense atmosphere he created, Karos offered Lyrus and Alea some bread and ale before they go on their way. The tasty bread and the warmth of the ale uplifted the spirit of the two as they stayed and chatted inside the blacksmith's shop for a few more hours. It was almost dusk when the two left.

It was already nighttime when the two arrived at Darios' house. After apologizing to the noble and relaying Karos' commitment to deliver the weapons, Lyrus and Alea hurriedly left. Snow has started falling again, only a few people were walking the streets, it would be unwise to continue roaming the capital under such conditions. However, misfortune struck before the two parted ways.

One, two, three, four, five. There's too many of them. The group of robbers cornered Lyrus and Alea after their trip to Darios'. Lyrus berated himself. Had they left Karos' shop a bit earlier they would not have ended in such situation. "So…you two going to give us some coin or should we cut you up to find out?" asked the man with the broken teeth while his comrades continue to brandish their swords. It doesn't help that they are in one of the backalleys of Noir. There was no one who would be able to help them.

Alea pulled out her blade upon seeing Lyrus do the same. Looks like the two will have to manage without any help. She felt her muscles tensed. It would be the first time that she will be using a sword to injure, or may be even kill her opponent. However, thanks to Thenan's training, she became used to fighting real people. "You ready?" whispered Lyrus. Lyrus' hands were shaking. "Stay calm. We can do this. Wait for my signal." Alea assured her friend

"Now!" shouted Alea. As if reading each other's mind, the two kicked snow at the faces of the men surrounding them. Lyrus knocked one of the robbers, providing a path for them to escape. The two ran the alleys, shouting, asking for help. May be if they made such a ruckus, people might notice and come to their rescue. Turning around a corner, the two found themselves just a few more yards before the main streets of the capital. However, three of the men managed to block their way. In a matter of seconds the two were surrounded once more. Lyrus tightened his grip on his sword. Looks like he may really need to fight after all.

"Oh, you rascals. I'm gonna slice your throats now and—" the man with the broken teeth fell face down with a thud.

"So you're those robbers targeting the other vendors, huh?" Lyrus and Alea's eyes widened. It was Erne, and he was wielding a club. Without any second to spare Alea rushed towards one of the men behind her, quickly stabbed the man's torso then kicked the wound, making the man writhed in pain on the ground. Lyrus, on the other hand, struck the other one behind them on the temple with the pommel of his sword. The other man instantly lost consciousness and fell. The two turned their attention towards Erne only to see the shopkeeper standing infront of three bodies lying on the snow-covered pavement.

"What? The two of you took too long and event went for those behind you. Bad move. The other two could have taken me down, you know," Erne said with such casuality that the two can only impishly grin and apologize. They were saved, and by Erne, the last person they would expect to do such thing.

"Don't look at me like that. Most of the vendors rely on me for guidance. I think they see me as some sort of leader. It's the least that I can do for them." Erne scratched his head, flustered by the naughty looks the two are giving him. Now irritated, the shopkeeper ushered the Lyrus and Alea back to the main streets and commanded them to go home.

"You okay?" Alea asked Lyrus who now seemed awfully quiet. The peasant had volunteered to accompany Alea home, or rather to the inn which was where Alea supposedly stays.

"You…you're strong. You managed to injure one of the robbers earlier while the only thing I can muster is to knock someone out," Lyrus said with his bowed down as they walked. If not for Erne's intervention, the two of them could have been wounded or worse. Alea didn't think twice of attacking while he even hesitated as to how to properly react. Had he been a bit late, he would have been the one stabbed. He wanted to be a knight yet he can't even protect his friend, much so himself.

Alea, on the other hand, gazed at the bloodstain on her blade before wiping it away with her coat. She used her sword to hurt someone. While it may have been for protection, the feeling of flesh being punctured by the cold hard metal felt sickening. A knot formed inside her stomach as she recalled the sensation.

"Yeah…I may be strong but that doesn't mean I should just injure others on a whim. What happened there was no one's fault. What we did…was to protect each other. Besides, you did better." Alea stopped and held Lyrus' face. She saw sadness in her friend's eyes.

"While my first instinct is to simply attack, you managed to find a way to protect me without causing that much harm. You try…you try to solve things without resorting to violence and that's what…that's what I like about you." Alea felt the cold skin of her friend as she gave him a kiss on the left cheek. Lyrus expression changed from sullen to surprised. Alea chuckled as Lyrus' face became flushed despite the snow falling around them.

"And now that you're smiling, my work here is done. A good night to you my brave Lyrus. I suggest you go home now since it looks like there's a blizzard coming," and with that Alea turned her back and walked. She kissed him. She kissed a guy. The thought echoed inside Alea's mind as she returned to the castle in all smiles.

Alea kissed him. Lyrus absentmindedly touched his left cheek again. She kissed him. Lyrus then realized that he had been grinning stupidly for awhile when the guards at the gate called him out for his expression. He looked back at the large walls of Noir as he started to walk back towards his hut. The sky was darker, the snow was falling heavily, it does appear that a blizzard is coming. Yet for some unknown reason, Lyrus felt warm, like a small flame was lighted inside his chest.