Hello, hello!
Sorry for the late update - I have recently begun to study for a teaching diploma to further my career and I also had a busy week at my job so was unable to get much writing done. If this happens again, I will try to post a notice in advance!
That being said, it feels like way longer than two weeks since I last posted a chapter on here! I hope that you are all doing well.
Please enjoy the next Chapter :3
Love always,
Daisy
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Chapter 13 | Worthy
*
'Nothing changes,
if
nothing changes.'
- Andrew G. Marshall
*
It was just under a month later by the time Darius finally returned to Aether. He had lingered around Elysian until he had been able to confirm that the presence he had felt on top of the mountain had vanished – taking this as a confirmation that Prince Zalas and the other brat had completed the task they had set out to do.
As soon as he crossed the bridge into Aether, he sought out Ezekiel through the pack link and issued an order to meet in his office. There was much that he needed to discuss.
Gather Gabriel and Arlo for council, he ordered his advisor, there has been progression and unforeseen events.
"I will go on ahead," he informed his party, "take care of the rest. Once everything has been unloaded, you may join Mizuki at the training grounds. The morning squad should be just finishing up."
"Yes, Majesty!"
By the time Darius arrived at his office, two of the three he had summoned were gathered, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he enquired as to the whereabouts of his brother.
Ezekiel's face was stiff as he replied. "He is with the Princess, Majesty. I offer apologies on his behalf."
Darius grunted, "I don't need your apologies," he dismissed with a wave, "what I do need is my other advisor, present when I summon him – or has he forsaken his King in the time I have been gone?"
Arlo, his command powered out through the mind-link, searching for the familiar light of his brother. Where are you?
"Your Majesty, Arlo is-
Darius held up a hand to halt Ezekiel's words, his expression darkening as he finally found his brother's location. His fingers drummed impatiently on the desk for a moment before he stood up from his seat abruptly.
"Let us go then."
"Majesty?" Ezekiel started forward in surprise.
"We cannot start council with one of us missing," Darius snarled, "since what my brother is doing seems to be more important than a meeting with his King, his King will go and fetch him personally."
Without another word, he swept out the door, missing the perfunctory look that passed between Ezekiel and Gabriel in his wake.
Darius stormed through the West Wing until he reached a balcony on the North facing side. He flung open the doors and stepped out into the cool, mid-morning sun, glaring coldly down at the training grounds below.
He found the figures he was searching for with a glance, the ring of lycans currently surrounding them making them easy to spot. As Darius watched, he saw the men he had travelled with on the journey to Elysian approach the gathering curiously. Some of the other lycans turned to welcome them on arrival and the smaller group integrated into the crowd easily.
"Majesty ..." Ezekiel's faltering voice made Darius want to scoff. What was Ezekiel even afraid of? Darius was the one who had issued her the challenge after all – it was only natural she had seen it through this far.
"So, she managed to best you then, I presume?" He asked Gabriel nonchalantly, ignoring Ezekiel's hovering completely.
"Yes, your Majesty," Gabriel replied, with his head still respectfully bowed, "forgive me for being incompetent."
Darius snorted and looked back out at the gathered group. His height advantage was the only reason he was able to pick out the delicate form of the Princess, surrounded by his hulking lycans. He found Arlo's blond curls easily too – unsurprised to see Balthazar standing alongside him. The older lycan's back was as straight and proud as ever, his silver hair eye-catching amongst the otherwise earthy pallet of browns and golds.
The Princess was joined by only one other in the circle and Darius's grey eyes narrowed as he studied the slender, yet powerful form of his fourth commander, Mizuki.
In charge of training the lycans selected for the Kings Guard, Mizuki had served Darius even before he was crowned King. She was critical, a good judge of character, a powerful ally in battle, and most of all, her loyalty to her King was unshakable.
"Is this the first time she has challenged Mizuki, since I have been gone?" He asked.
Ezekiel's answer was swift. "No, your Highness. This would be the eighth."
"Eighth?" Darius's eyebrows lifted, slightly impressed. He glanced at Gabriel. "You have been bested more than once then?"
If it were possible, Gabriel's head seemed to droop lower. "Balthazar's teachings remain as beneficial as ever," he said, "if Majesty wishes to know more about the Princess's progress, he need only watch."
Darius turned his critical gaze back down to the training grounds. He folded his arms tightly across his chest, leaning back against the smooth stone of the castle walls. Extending his hearing, he was able to clearly hear the exchange of words happening below.
"You have come again," Mizuki was saying, her calm voice devoid of emotion, "although you should know by now that your efforts are wasted Princess. I will bow to none other than my King."
"You cannot blame me for trying again," Iris said confidently, and Darius was mildly surprised by the humor in her reply. "After all, there was no limit given to my attempts."
"In that regard at least, you have earned my respect," Mizuki responded dryly, "no-one, not even the King himself could fault your persistence. But that is where my consideration must end. My King has commanded me not to acknowledge you as worthy – and you cannot overrule his command."
Darius felt his lip curl slightly, a tinge of cruelty entering his gaze at Mizuki's words. It did not matter how far the Princess had come in terms of physical strength. As a Royal, it would be strange if she couldn't best Gabriel after receiving such intense training.
But that was not the true test Darius had issued her.
He had seen the look of horror in her eyes as she had watched him cripple that assassin shifter with his command alone, that night in the underground cells. He knew that she held little regard for his use of the command, in fact, he wouldn't be surprised if she considered the command barbaric in general. This soft, naive Princess ... Darius knew that she would rather suffer herself than force another to do her bidding.
And so, he had commanded Mizuki not to acknowledge her. Unless the Princess could overcome his command by using her own, his order would hold fast. Even if she chose to use her command, the power she inserted would not be enough to render his void so easily. Such power needed to be cultivated over time – and Darius was confident he would not see her succeed so soon.
What he wanted to see instead, was a sign that the Princess was at least trying to advance her own power. He wanted to see that she had changed her thoughts on the matter. While the Princess seemed to believe that the command removed an individual's rights and freedom, Darius knew that the opposite was actually true.
As far as Darius was concerned, the existence of the command, was like a lycan's right to rule. It existed to be used – and that was all there was to it. While his guards were unwaveringly loyal to him, nothing beat the absolute unity of a pack that was strengthened by the command of their leader. With his command, his lycans had no need for self-doubt or second guessing in the midst of battle. They could simply focus on the act, assured that their King supported them wholly.
His command could be used as a form of torture, or to extract the truth with ease – but it was rare Darius bothered to use it that way. His actions towards the shifter at that time ... well, he had gone a little overboard, caught up in the heat of the moment and tormented by thoughts of what could have happened.
"Well, we will just have to see about that, won't we?" Iris was saying, and Darius drummed his fingers thoughtfully against his arm as he listened idly to the Princess's surprisingly cheerful reply.
He was a little far away to make out her smile properly, but it was present in her voice when she spoke.
Randomly, he found himself wishing that he had chosen a closer location from which to observe so that he could better see her expression – but then he flicked the thought away with an annoyed scowl and forced himself to focus.
Standing opposite each other, the two females had slid down into their starting positions, Mizuki's defensive, the Princess's offensive. Darius eyed them shrewdly. This was surprising – it seemed the Princess was going to attack first, and with the ease in which Mizuki assumed her stance, it seemed that his Commander was used to it.
Perhaps this would be interesting after all.
*
Iris assessed the female lycan opposite her calmly.
It had taken some time before she was able to face Mizuki with such confidence. In her first encounter – still buzzing off the high of having finally defeated Gabriel – Iris had over-estimated her abilities and found herself, once again, flat on her back in under ten seconds.
Mizuki had helped her up wordlessly, the other woman's gaze surprisingly non-judgemental, as though the outcome had been merely to be expected, but that was what had caused Iris's cheeks to burn with shame.
"Don't take it personally," Mizuki had told her indifferently, "the gap between our abilities is simply too large."
Iris had quickly learned that, although the woman's words had sounded arrogant at the time, the female Commander had simply been speaking the truth. And for that, Iris had not been able to fault her.
Over the last month, she had been pummelled into the dirt more times than she could count, but she had clung to the fact that she had managed to hold out for longer each time.
In her last official challenge, she had almost bested the other lycan – and had been rewarded by the slight glimmer of shock in Mizuki's blank, black eyes, before she had spun in a calculated circle, evading Iris's grip and had rammed a foot into her abdomen, pinning Iris once more.
It was incredibly frustrating.
Iris had, since then, refused to challenge Mizuki again, instead taking her rage out on Gabriel, who had borne the brunt of her increasingly ruthless attacks admirably – much to Arlo's amusement.
But now, it had been a week, and Iris was ready to challenge Mizuki again. She could see Balthazar on the side-lines, watching intently. This would be the first match he had come down to witness, and she knew why he was here. The other training he had been giving her had been going ... well it had been going, but Iris was still at loathe to acknowledge it.
She would best Mizuki first. Surely then, the other Lycan would have no choice but to acknowledge her, despite what she said.
"Are you coming Princess?"
Mizuki's words snapped Iris from her thoughts. Now was not the time to think of what would come after. She had to focus.
"Yes."
For a moment, the two circled each other, assessing, waiting, watching. Iris felt the silence surround her as their onlookers grew quiet in anticipation.
It seemed that word of the Kings conditions in allowing her to train had spread quickly after her first fight with Mizuki. The other lycans in the Kings Guard had grown curious, gathering to watch, and eventually support, her during her challenges. She was surprised, after all the King had told her that she would not be received well by the soldiers, were she to join their ranks.
It is because they bear witness to your efforts, Princess, Gabriel had told her, after the first day she had gathered more of a crowd than usual. She had questioned him of their intention for watching, fearful that she was being scorned. They cannot deny that you have earned the right to stand in front of Mizuki – and they are compassionate to the challenge you face. Her guard had smiled a little ruefully. All of us have suffered under Mizuki's hands far more than we can count. It is natural to support the underdog.
Whatever conclusions they had drawn about her, she found their support oddly comforting, even though she doubted any of them believed her truly capable.
But she would show them. She would do more than just struggle. She would succeed. She had to.
She took two more steps to the left, maintaining her careful distance from Mizuki, cautious of giving any indication she was about to attack. Mizuki's eyes were sharp, she would notice any tells, so Iris had to do one better and give her nothing to read. Her body was loose, relaxed. She knew that – although Mizuki was in defensive position, she could turn to the offensive at any moment.
So, she did the only thing she could think of to catch the other female off guard.
She straightened out of her attack position.
Iris was momentarily satisfied by the glimmer of surprise that she caught in the other woman's feline eyes, as she stood, completely relaxed and open, facing her opponent casually.
In this position, while she left herself open, she also became a completely blank slate – impossible to read, impossible to predict.
She shifted her right foot casually and saw Mizuki's eyes follow the movement for a split second. And it was then that she attacked.
She crossed the distance between them faster than she had ever done before and drove her fist towards the other woman's face with single minded purpose.
Faster, she urged herself, I have to be faster.
Mizuki reacted in time to block the hit – but as Iris had predicted, she had to use both of her hands. Before the other lycan could react, Iris had shifted her stance and momentum to drop out of the feigned attack and into the real one, driving her knee into the woman's unprotected ribcage.
She followed through on the attack, twisting down to balance her hands on the ground as the same foot kicked upwards with immense power, to slam into the female lycan's jaw.
Mizuki managed to catch her foot in time, but Iris's aggressiveness had caught her off guard and she held on for a moment too long, allowing Iris enough time to leverage herself on the woman's palm, using her defensive as a literal steppingstone for her next attack.
Quick, Iris's heart was thundering so loudly in her ears, it became all that she could hear, quickly, quickly, before she adjusts. Quickly, while I still have the advantage. Quickly, quickly.
Her attacks were increasing in speed, but so were Mizuki's. The Commander's initially calm expression became colder, and colder as they traded blows, and it was then Iris knew that she had a chance. If Mizuki was confident she could win, she would not be giving off such a deadly aura as she was doing now. If she was confident, then Iris would have been flat on her back by now.
But the situation could change in a moment. Iris found herself stretched taunt with the effort of her concentration. One slip up, one misstep and she would lose. It was already beginning, she pulled back a second too slow and felt Mizuki's fist graze her jawline with terrifying power. Her skin tingled in the cool air after the other woman's fist retracted, as though warning Iris of the near miss.
She felt the irrational fear she had been fighting take a hold of her then – suddenly, and unfairly.
You can't do this. You're going to lose.
Mizuki's next attack landed squarely in her stomach, and Iris staggered backwards, reeling from the blow, her breath pushed from her lungs.
Recover! Her mind was screaming at her, as she clutched her throat, gasping for air. Recover now, or this is it!
She could feel the gathered onlookers writhing around them as they called out words of encouragement that she could not hear. She could see Mizuki's assessing eyes, fixed on her face as she paused for a second before her next attack – a small mercy.
And then something made her look up at the palace.
In that split second of dazed gasping, she saw him – so clearly she would have thought it impossible. He was standing on a balcony, raised high above her, his golden hair spilling around his shoulders like the mane of a lion, his gaze cold and assessing. The King on a chessboard, surrounded by his pawns.
It's your move, his eyes seemed to say, don't disappoint me.
Inside her chest, Iris felt a corner of her heart harden slightly. She turned back to Mizuki, just in time to clumsily block the woman's next attack. The blow landed on her awkwardly, jarring her bones and making her grit her teeth in pain.
Recover, she thought, forcing herself to focus. Defend until you recover. Don't think, just do it.
Now that she knew his gaze was there, it was as though she could feel like a tangible heat on her body – following her every move. He knew she had seen him. He wanted to unsettle her. But she would not be distracted. It was good that he had come. Now he could witness for himself, her success. Now she could show him just how worthy she was.
This was the opportunity he had told her she could never have.
The thought finally sparked the embers that had been smouldering since he had chased after her in the forest and the flames inside of her ignited fully, tinging Iris's vision red.
She found her mind becoming blank as she gave way to instinct, slowly shifting from defensive to offensive, and she blocked the Commanders next attack out of pure reflex, somehow knowing from where the following blow would come.
It was as though a missing piece had suddenly slotted into place. Iris ducked under Mizuki's fist, her body seeming to move in slow motion, her feet automatically shifting into the position that would allow her to reach up and pin the other woman.
Mizuki saw it coming – Iris could see her eyes following – but she was just a split second too slow.
This time, when a body thumped down onto the ground, it was not Iris who was rendered immobile with a knee in her back, but the black-haired form of the commander.
For a moment, all Iris could hear was the rush of blood in her ears. She was gasping for breath, the red film on her vision slowly vanishing, her heart thundering a war cry in her chest, as she slowly came back to herself, staring blankly down at the person she was restraining.
She realised fully at the same time as everyone else, and suddenly the surrounding space was full of cheers.
"The Princess won!"
"Princess, you did it!"
"She beat the Commander!"
"Princess, congratulations!"
Chest heaving with exertion, Iris found herself unable to rejoice alongside them. It was not over yet. She glanced up, seeking the eyes of her tutor.
Balthazar stood unsmiling, at the edge of the circle with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He gave her a swift nod.
Get on with it.
Beside him, Arlo stood. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes were tense. Like Iris, he knew that beating Mizuki was only half the challenge.
She still had to make the Commander acknowledge her.
"Congratulations Princess," Mizuki's voice reached her ears, "you have indeed advanced. However, you know my orders. I cannot allow you to join training."
In this pinned position, Iris could not see her face, but she knew the woman's expression would have reverted back to its emotionless state. She tried not to let the other's calm assuredness rattle her, but it was difficult.
Summoning her courage and remembering what Balthazar had taught her, she spoke, pushing her command into her voice.
"I want to join the guard," she pressed more firmly down on the other woman's back, "you will let me."
"Perhaps you could be satisfied with remaining under Balthazar's care?" Mizuki suggested, ignoring her completely. "He seems to be doing a good job of training you."
Iris felt her confidence shatter. Her command had completely no effect on her!
She glanced up at Balthazar in a panic, only to panic further at her tutor's grimace of dissatisfaction. He wasn't the only one who was disappointed! Iris hadn't known what to expect, but she had thought at least she would make some impression!
Swallowing her anxiety down, she forced herself to try again.
"Let me join the guard!"
Iris cringed. The waver in her voice was easily present, and this time even Iris had to admit she would not follow such a command.
The hands that held Mizuki's began to tremble slightly. She was exhausted. She had come so far, she couldn't just give up.
And besides, he's still watching.
Iris refused to look at him, but her ears burned with an embarrassment that only increased as she continued to fail. She couldn't look. She couldn't. She knew what his cold grey eyes would tell her. They would tell her that he had expected nothing less. They would tell her she wasn't worthy.
She gritted her teeth with frustration. "If you were not commanded, you would have to concede," she ground out. "This is why I hate the command. You are stripped of your free will. Of your choice."
She was speaking more to herself than to the one beneath her, and had not expected a reply. So when Mizuki's voice reached her ears, Iris felt herself momentarily shocked out of her aggravated haze of self-doubt.
"I do," the female lycan spoke sincerely, "I chose to follow the King. To put my life in his hands. His Majesty is responsible for each and every one of us – this is what you fail to understand Princess."
Iris was stunned by the reverence in her words. She felt herself withdraw without realising, shifting off the female so that Mizuki could turn to face her, propping herself up on one elbow – although she made no other attempt to move. Her black eyes were clear and unburdened as she gazed at Iris solemnly.
"His Majesty shoulders the burden of our lives, every time he issues a command," Mizuki said. "He commands us, knowing that he must make the right choices, so that we can continue to live without the shadow of regret. If anything, our King is the one who becomes laden with the consequences of our actions. We were only following his command after all. In this sense, we are the ones who are free – while he is the one in shackles."
Iris stared at the other woman numbly. She had never thought of it that way before.
"Indeed, he could abuse his power easily," Mizuki continued, "but he does not. He is a good King who has tainted himself for us, so that we may remain clean. This is why we follow him loyally, command or not. We believe in his resolve. And – forgive me my rudeness – this is what you lack Princess. Your command does not work on me, because you have no resolve. Your words are empty."
Balthazar's voice was suddenly in the forefront of Iris's mind.
The command is more like a battle of willpower, Princess. The person who issues it must believe, above all else, that their command is the right course of action. If your belief is stronger, you will overrule existing commands.
Gritting her teeth, Iris felt the cut to her wounded pride sting a little more sharply. The right course of action. In this moment, she did not know the right course of action. She had been dead against using the command, but Mizuki's words had left her conflicted. She felt that she needed time to think, to process, but she was still in the middle of challenge. And now that she had beaten Mizuki once, she knew that she would not succeed again so soon.
Just as she was preparing to admit defeat, a sudden thought swam into her mind. It was the lightest suggestion, barely a whisper, but Iris grabbed a hold of it with an iron fist.
What if it was the command that was the problem?
Hadn't she been looking at this from the wrong angle? She wanted to be accepted into the guard true, but that was not what she desired most right now. What she wanted, was not to command Mizuki to acknowledge her, but to gain the Commanders acknowledgement alone. Without Darius's influence. And Darius had said in his letter, that his requirement was for Mizuki to acknowledge her.
Had she found another opening?
She thought of her question, the words arranging easily on her tongue. It felt as though her mind had cleared of all thought, aside from what she now had to ask.
There was a heat, building in her chest. With every beat of her heart, she felt it spread outwards until it radiated through her body. She was tense with energy, but she had never been so calm.
Rising onto one knee, she looked intently down at Mizuki and spoke.
"I want you to tell me yourself, whether or not you think I am worthy," her words flowed from her lips like water from a stream, but the raw power that tainted the command was as destructive as the thundering waterfall that fed the Lustros river, "without Darius's influence. Tell me your own opinion, truthfully. This is my order."
The silence that followed was deafening.
In front of her, Mizuki gazed back at her, her expression unchanged. She opened her mouth, and Iris felt her heart plummet in defeat.
But the words that reached her ears were not words of denial. And as she stared, dumbstruck at the Commander, she saw her own surprise reflected in Mizuki's elegantly slanted eyes.
"I think you are worthy."
*