Fan Fiction ❯ Chronicles of the Fae ❯ The Royal Zoo ( Chapter 2 )

Chronicles of the Fae

By Aden Silverflame

Proofed By Torrent Silverpelt

Characters © Owners, they know who they are.

 

Chapter 2

 

The rest of the day's duties went with no problems at all. We spent time with the ambassador and helped his family get settled into their chambers. Helped the ground's keeper to care for some the more picky animals. Snuck in a quick meal while the cook wasn't looking. All in all it was a pretty full day and it was time to escort the princess back to her room.

The walk down the hallway was quiet and a little uncomfortable for me, I guessed that she was thinking about something and I was inclined to be thoughtful as well. After all it was the first time I had heard to my face that someone believed Torrent and I were mated.

“Do... do we really come off as boyfriend and girlfriend, Den?” she asked and I blushed more, looking down at her as we paused beside a window, the sun starting to set slowly.

“Well...” I began nervously, my tail swaying back and forth as I thought. “It is the rumor around the palace that we... are indeed... b-but the king-” I was about to tell her what the king had said, about never becoming “involved” with a member of his family but thought it best I not mention it “the king would never approve.”

Torrent paused and looked down at her hands for a long moment before looking out the window to the setting sun. I could tell she was at least a little conflicted by all this, deep in thought which was unlike her. She always lived life by the moment but now it looked like she was contemplating something very deep.

“Den... Have you ever been in love with someone? But... you just weren't sure if they loved you back?” I paused and my heart thumped. It sounded as if she was talking about someone else.

“Well... I... yes I have...” I was stammering for my words as she looked back up at me, the amber light of the setting sun was reflected in her mismatched eyes.

“Do... do you still love them?” she was starting to shiver a little as she spoke.

I gulped and nodded meekly. Trying to hide the fact that I was nervous enough to be wetting myself if I had less self-control.

She was about to open her mouth to speak again but she stopped, stepping back and looking regretful as she looked back up at me. “Let's go, den, I'm getting tired.”

I nodded gently again and continued the walk to her room, opening the door for her and watching as she entered her chambers, turning to look at me, her eyes conveying a troubled mind but her smile trying to give off her normal exterior. “I guess it's time for bed then, Den.” it looked like she was trying to ask me something but soon she began to close the door. I bid her goodnight and left for my own quarters.

“Damn it...” I muttered as I strode through the cold halls, my tail flicking in frustration. “Why couldn't I ask her... it's not that hard just my, torrent, you seem to be out of sorts. May I come in? That's not that hard is it...” I sighed and opened the door to my chambers, casting off my shirt and sword before taking a seat at the foot of my bed, my head in my hands as I thought out loud. “You've wanted her for so long now, every year passes and you never get the courage to ask her to be yours. The king knows you love her, the staff knows you love her... but why doesn't she know? How deep could it be hidden? And the king's order... he said he doesn't want his daughter growing old while I remained eternal. I... guess I can wait to ask her...”

“I wouldn't recommend waiting too long, Angel.” a scratchy and unpleasant voice echoed in my ears as I sat bolt upright, before me a creature stood in my chambers, red from head to cloven hoof, a fallen.

“What do you want here, demon?!” I stood and reached back for my sword.

“Hold your weapon... I come not for battle... or to harm your beloved fairies. In fact I'm not even really here, I appear to you in image only, to deliver a message.” It spoke as the image stepped closer.

“What message could one of your kind possibly have for me... I am a servant of the fairy royal family, no-one of significance.”

“Ha! We both know that isn't true.” it laughed and took a seat across from me on a chair. “You are Aden, the eternal guardian of the fairies. You're as close to an immortal as this world has seen since Lucifer was cast from paradise. How old are you now... 6000, 7000 maybe.”

I shivered and bowed my head “8,172.” I spoke slowly before turning my gaze back to the demon. As impossible as it was, that was indeed my age.

“Ahh... older than suspected... however you are more than qualified to receive this message, it concerns you too. You see not all fae have a guardian angel. Some that are black of heart and evil in intentions have a guardian demon to watch over them. I am the guardian of one fae, I can not reveal his name but I can tell you that he has no good intentions for the empire of fae.” the demon reached into a waistcoat pocket and produced a cigarette and lighter. “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“No... You may... however I would like you to get to the point as soon as possible.” I was starting to loose my patience as far as this intrusion was concerned.

The demon lit the cigarette and took a long breath from it before blowing the smoke towards my ceiling. “Mmm.. Such a bad human habit but so very satisfying. Anyway as you said you want me to cut to the chase. Well a human order has split off from the Catholic Church just before the outbreak of the human's second world war; they believe that anything beyond their comprehension of the world is a threat to humanity and should be exterminated. Demons, Angels, and fae in general are all targets of these people. They call themselves the Black Templars. They weren't much more than an annoyance until a certain fae started to give them information on how to find us and destroy us. He's a traitor to our entire world and threatens to bring it down around all of us. He will be coming here to this palace as his first real strike. I don't know when he plans to do it but I know he will be coming with more humans than the guards of this palace can hope to overcome.”

I sat slack jawed. If what this fallen said was true then someone was willing to destroy our entire world for whatever reason his mind could be contemplating. “But... why tell this to me? I may be a competent warrior but this is beyond what I can do. Everyone here will be killed.”

“No they won't!” the demon stepped closer to me “because you won't let that happen, you've lived for millennia more than all but the eldest fae. I'm here at great personal risk to give you this information, I should hope you use it well, Angel. This must be put to an end before all our kind are wiped out...” he paused and looked back and forth quickly “I must go... heed what I have told you and guard the girl... she is the key...”

With that the demon faded out and I was left with my thoughts, wondering if I should tell the king, or the princess, or anyone for that matter. I was bound by duty to safeguard the members of the palace but if I told the king it would lead to a lot of bloodshed and the death of many, many fae. If I wanted to stop this destruction I needed to find out who the power behind these Black Templars was and eliminate him. Without the leader the order would most likely falter. And the destruction of their soldiers would be easy.

It was obvious it was beyond what I could do alone; I needed some guidance. Heedless of my shirtless state I ran from my chambers and down the long halls to the great library. Bowing in respect to the librarian before I approached the great book of prophecy. A gift to the newly crowned king from the Queen of the Elves. The book was ancient even before the elves came into possession of it, and only a few knew it's true secrets.

In my spare time I had taken to reading the book, learning what I could though it only seemed to illuminate things of great importance and so far all had come to pass, save for the prophecies of the end times. I had chosen not to look upon those pages because I hoped I would not come to witness them first hand.

With a deep breath I opened the tome to the pages I desired, reading them out loud to myself. “The prophet of red shall shift to the warded. And so shall those with eyes of glass and hearts of ice come to the house of gossamer wings. With staves of fire they shall lay waste to each in their path. The old shall fall and with the death of the one winged angel, the unready queen shall ascend to the broken throne, reborn a warrior.”

I closed the book and sighed gently, padding slowly to the door before a heavy hand stopped my progress. “The ancient one has discovered something not to his liking?”

I turned to the elderly Minotaur who served as castle librarian. “I... found a prophecy within that book that I find troubling... it's words speak close to events that may happen.”

He nodded gently and motioned for me to sit down at a table close by. “The future is never set in stone, the book of prophecy was penned in a time much longer ago than any could have counted. Times have changed from then, I'm sure that the prophecy will change before then.”

I nodded gently. “I'm sorry, but I must decline a seat, I have one more thing to do this evening before I ready myself for tomorrow. It is a day off for the staff still is it not?” The old being nodded and I smiled. “Then enjoy your day off, the gardens are in a wonderful state of bloom lately, it would do well to see them before all the blossoms fall.” with a chuckle he nodded and I took my leave of the library, heading not to my own room but to the princess's.

“It's now or never...” I said to myself as I hurried my pace.