Chapter Text
“Sun’s bloody bright today. Wish the fuckin’ thing would disappear behind the clouds.” Galgo groused, holding a hand just above his face in a vain attempt to block the sunlight as it shone directly into his eyes. The way it reflected off the polished metal armour of his fellow knights did nothing to help the overwhelmingly bright glare that essentially killed his vision.
There was a delicate giggle from the carriage that he rode beside. “Hush now, Galgo, no need to be so sour. It’s just the sun – enjoy it! From what I’ve heard, the weather is far warmer here than it is back in Geryon.”
Galgo only offered the owner of the voice a withering stare. Jill, entirely unperturbed, stared right back at him, holding the curtain of the carriage to the side. Her other hand stretched out of the darkness of the cabin slightly, pale skin soaking in what little sunlight it could. As tempted as Galgo was to slap her hand back into the confines of the vehicle, he resisted the urge.
Friends they may be, but it would do him no good to go around assaulting the Princess of Geryon within eyeshot of her pain-in-the-ass brother.
Sighing instead, Galgo adjusted the reigns of his beloved horse – Perses – into one hand, using the other to tug at the thick collar of his undershirt, already bemoaning how sweaty he would be when he could get out of his armour. “Easy for you to say – you’re not being forced to ride around in direct fuckin’ sunlight while dressed in the moving equivalent of a furnace.” He complained, turning his eyes back to the road ahead of them. As Captain of the Guard, he was probably supposed to be riding up front instead – beside the pretentious asshole of a Prince, and his annoying snitch of a golem. Galgo felt a sneer grace his lips, before smoothing it away diplomatically.
Since Prince Ellis Erytheia – Crown Prince of Geryon and son of Eurytion Erytheia – had decided that him and his walking talking freak of a puppet Elden should ride up front as a show of importance, Galgo had happily posted himself beside the carriage carrying the purpose of their entire trip. Also along for the journey were four of his knights – two posted in front of the carriage, and two behind, all riding along on their brown and white horses.
Riding in front of their ‘payload’ – the harsh, but honest truth of what their Princess was – were Chris and Heres. Closing up the rear were Lorimer and Francis. Out of all of the knights who had been selected for this ‘important’ diplomatic mission, Galgo liked Chris the most. The bar was fairly low for that, though, as he absolutely hated the boot-licking bastards that were the other men.
Chris Hanlock, a self-assured but humble woman with a hell of a sense of humour, was by far the easiest to get along with amongst their retinue. Not only was she smart, but her every action was driven by an incredibly determined spirit. Unbendable, unbreakable, and unwavering.
Galgo could understand why Jill liked her so much.
“Easy for me to say?” Jill asked, noticing that Galgo’s attention had drifted away from their conversation. Her eyes followed his, and she let out a small sigh as she took in the sight of Chris, fully dressed in her polished metal armour, riding upon her white and grey horse with a practiced ease that made butterflies erupt in Jill’s stomach.
“Well yeah.” Galgo mumbled, taking a second to recover himself, before shooting a sarcastic smile at the Princess. “You get to sit inside a shaded carriage instead of sweating your ass off out here like the rest of us.”
At his words, the expression on Jill’s face changed entirely. Where her eyes had held a question in them, now they dulled. Her face fell into a mask of scornful indifference, and she sneered at the knight.
“Of course, you’re right.” She hissed, straightening her posture as she glared at Galgo. “What would I know about your struggles out there. It’s not as if the entire reason we’re even on this journey is because my own father wants to sell me off to a fucking beast man for even a scrap of support in his pointless wars.” With that, the curtain dropped, hiding the Princess inside the far too ornate carriage. If anything, it presented a picture of wealth that the kingdom of Geryon really did not have, and Galgo hated it as much as the next.
But Jill was right. The knight felt his heart drop to his stomach, and he thinned his lips in shame.
“Great fucking job, Helder.” He muttered to himself, steering Perses a few feet away from the carriage to instead trot professionally alongside it.
Turning his head upwards again, he looked at the world around him. Really looked. As a knight, he was far more free to travel than a Princess, but even then he was still bound within the territory of Geryon. Far better a fate than eternally trapped within the marble halls of the Royal Palace. The sun shone brightly here, and Galgo suddenly felt bad that Jill had to sit inside her carriage to ‘protect her pale skin and maintain the beauty of her youth’, in her shitty brother’s words. As if that was all she was worth.
The knight let out a slow exhale. Of course that was all she was worth to the fucking Prince. The King barely looked at his daughter – the only one who mattered was Ellis, the beloved Crown Prince. And the Prince… well, he was a downright bastard to his sister. In their eyes – in their Kingdom’s eyes – Jill was little more than an object. A pretty thing to be admired, but not to be listened to, not to be spoken to. Something beautiful to parade around for company, or trade off in hopes of forming an alliance with the strongest warriors of their world.
Galgo felt a cold shudder of disgust climb up his spine as he lowered his gaze, brown eyes now burning into the backs of Ellis and Elden’s heads. The two rode far ahead, the deep saturated blue of Ellis’ cape billowing out behind him and standing out against the more earthen tones of the surrounding landscape.
Not for the first time, the knight found himself questioning why he served such a kingdom. But the answer was simple; he had no choice. He was a good fighter – the best, even. That was why he was the Captain of the Guard. Best amongst the ranks of Geryon. Skills like his would only serve him when he had a weapon in hand. Growing up in the human side of their world, Galgo had been faced with the same choice as every other man and woman.
Become something, or fade into nothing. Either you forced your way to the top, or ended up amongst those who were trampled over in the meaningless squabbles between human kingdoms.
Then again, being a knight did not offer him much freedom. Being a Princess offered Jill even less.
Galgo huffed, closing his eyes against the sun in irritation. The weather really was far warmer in the Yautja lands than in the places where humans had settled. Compared to the miles of open fields, the farmlands, the small settlements and otherwise claimed land that Galgo was familiar with, the Yautja lands were practically overgrown. Thus far, they had not passed by any settlements – certainly not as one would passing through any of the human lands. The trees grew thick on either side of the hard dirt road they travelled, almost barbaric in its appearance compared to the cobblestone roads of Geryon. In the far distance, Galgo could just make out the tip of what looked like a mountain peaking out above the treetops.
Taking a deep breath, the knight did enjoy that the air around him tasted fresher than he was familiar with. The sun was terribly warm, and the air was stifling – lacking the fresh sea breeze that always drifted in from the Great Ocean to the East of Geryon – but it smelled of the forest. It smelled like nature, and far less like the overwhelming bustle of human presence. Sweat, livestock, compost, smoke, metal… at least one, if not all, gave the air of home a bitter tang that Galgo could not find in the air here as he breathed in and out.
The more he looked around, the more he realised just how jealous Jill must have been. She was stuck in that carriage, while every one else got to ride on their own horses, warmed by the sunlight and given the perfect view of the passing land. Galgo knew how trapped she felt. He also knew how much she would have appreciated the freedom to travel here on her own accord – although it was not exactly heard of, for humans to just come and go on Yautja territory.
But today, the small troupe from Geryon travelled with a reason.
Looking down, guilt now properly forcing Galgo to penitence, he guided his horse closer to the carriage again. Metal-clad knuckles rapped softly against the varnished wood.
“Go away, Galgo.” Jill muttered from inside.
Lowering his voice so that only his friend would hear – because fuck the day that any of the shitty goons in tin-cans ever got to hear softness in Galgo Helder’s voice – the knight offered a sincere apology.
“I’m sorry Jill. Didn’t think. As always, yer right. I was being a right bastard, and I’m sorry fer it.” He offered, deciding to keep it to himself that he still stood by his first opinion that the weather here was too fucking hot. “Don’t let my being an ass stop ya from enjoying this place.”
There was a brief pause, before the curtain was pushed to the side again, revealing a softly smiling Jill. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Helder.” She winked, and the knight felt utterly betrayed. The conniving little shit had played him right into apologizing!
Holding the curtain up with one hand, Jill leaned closer to the window, stopping just short of having her head out of the carriage. She let out a low whistle, taking in the honestly quite boring sight of trees. Leaning a little further, Jill turned her eyes to the head of their travelling party. Galgo watched her quietly, a smirk spreading across his mouth.
“Quite a sight, ain’t it?” He asked, to which Jill only sighed and agreed. “I was talking about the trees, not Chris’ ass. Fucks sake, keep it together won’t ya?” Galgo cackled under his breath as Jill’s face immediately flamed red as she turned scandalized eyes to the Captain.
“Shut up! You’re such a dick, Helder!” She snapped, swiping at the armoured knight, who dodged out of reach. Perses whinnied at the sudden jostling, drawing the attention of the leaders of their group.
Ellis Erytheia’s harsh bark cut through the air, and the jovial atmosphere that the two friends had built. “Jill! Get back into the carriage!” He snapped, pulling his horse to a halt with such force that the creature stomped its hooves into the dirt. Pointing a gloved finger at the Princess – because of fucking course the Prince and his puppet got to wear lighter clothes in the fucking jungle – the Prince continued to bite out orders. “Do you want this entire trip to be for nothing? Honestly, Jill. We can’t present you to King Caltanu if your skin is all blotchy and burnt. What Predator is going to want a wife with ugly, uneven skin? Get back in the shade before I come over there and tie you to your seat for the rest of the journey. It’s as if you want to disappoint our King.”
Galgo could only watch with a flat glare as the Prince whipped himself back around, huffing as if he were the one being put out by the situation. The unnerving, flat stare of the Prince’s personal attendant Elden made his skin itch, and the human turned his head away. Instead, he offered Jill a look of commiseration as she sulked back into the shadows of the carriage, her blue eyes burning with a very familiar anger.
The knight only nodded. He hated her brother too. As a servant to the Kingdom of Geryon, he had no choice but to follow orders, but by the gods he sure hated every last Noble that he had to kneel to. Except Jill.
But then again, the Princess was hardly a Noble. She had the title, yes, but nothing about her life suggested control over her situation. Shit, everything about their diplomatic mission told enough of her perceived value to Geryon. To her brother. To her own father.
Jill, born a Princess to the ‘Noble’ line of Erytheia, long-running rulers of Geryon, had never been free a day in her life. Since birth, her gender had determined her future well before she could even have a say in it. Confined to the castle, Jill had been forced to grow up in the way the King wanted. She had to be a poised, beautiful lady, who smiled and laughed delicately, and did not speak.
Contrary to their wishes, Jill had turned into an adventurous woman, who yearned so dearly for the world that she had always been withheld from. She had befriended Galgo, when he had ascended to position of Captain of the Guard, and through him she had met Chris Hanlock. It had not taken very much for Jill to fall head over heels for Hanlock, but alas such a romance was also not in the cards for her.
No. Her father had decided exactly what her fate was going to be, and apparently it was to be foisted off to one of the sons of King Caltanu in the name of forging an alliance between the Kingdom of Geryon and the massive Empire of Cetanu. At twenty-five years of age, Jill with no last name because she was ‘only a Princess’ had been promised as a wife – or more likely a consort – to one of the Yautja King’s sons.
Galgo could not help the disgusted shudder that ran through him. Really? Of all possible ways to bargain for an alliance, this was what they had come up with? He almost wanted to laugh – Galgo had seen plenty of Predators in his time as a knight, and they were absolutely nothing like humans. What the fuck gave old Eurytion the idea that they would even want a human woman? The old bastard was just sending Jill into an uncomfortable, horrible situation. All in the name of hopefully creating a bond that would allow Geryon to demand help from Cetanu in their human wars. In these negotiations, the humans were at a clear disadvantage, and Galgo did not like it. Not only were they walking into something where the other party needed nothing from them, but they also did not know enough about Predators to confirm if offering a woman as trade would not be seen as a massive insult. It was pretty transparent, what Eurytion and Ellis were trying to do, after all. The Predators were far more technologically advanced than the humans, and were even rumoured to possess small fragments of Engineer technology. Eurytion wanted access to that, and was apparently desperate enough to hope that sending his daughter as a fucked up show of good faith would open the door just a crack.
“Fucking hell. Someone’s gonna get killed.” The Captain hissed under his breath, patting the side of Perses’ neck as she shook out her mane in response to her rider’s movement. His sword felt heavy by his side, and he swallowed, sweat still beading against the back of his neck and beneath his thick undershirt.
The constant rhythm of hoofs clopping against dirt usually eased Galgo’s mind, but today it did nothing but aggravate him further. The heat was just barely not in the category of sweltering, and as they got closer and closer to their destination, the uneasiness building in his stomach only ramped up.
The sight of the imposing structure of earth, wood, and stone finally coming into full view from behind the trees only seemed to seal the situation in Galgo’s mind. Everything about the situation made the Captain’s nerves prick. Steadily approaching the Capitol palace of the Cetanu Empire, Galgo tuned in to the excited conversations between the male knights. Straightening in his saddle, Galgo snapped at his men.
“Alright ya fucks and fucklings! Shut it up and keep it professional, we wanna make a good impression on our gracious hosts.” The mocking lilt at the end of his sentence earned a round of laughter from his knights. Turning his attention to the Prince at the head of their procession, he inclined his head in subservience. “My Lord?” Galgo offered, awaiting further instruction.
Ellis nodded his head, expression a few degrees short of contempt. It made Galgo’s eyebrow twitch.
“We are here for the glory of Geryon, and the future of our people. If anyone” Ellis stressed, shooting a sharp look directly at the Captain, “ruins our image before the Empire of Cetanu, they will be shortly executed as traitors to the Kingdom of Geryon. Hell, I might even add them to the deal as free-range targets, if I’m feeling generous.” He added with a sharp grin. As one, the knights saluted their Prince, before the procession began again, coming closer and closer to their final destination.
Galgo kept his posture straight, and his expression as neutral as possible. The heat was giving him a headache.
It was way too fucking warm.
-----------------------
Galgo, like most humans, knew the bare minimum one could about the Yautja. He knew that they were very different from humans. He knew that they all gathered within one Empire, instead of multiple kingdoms fighting for dominance. He knew that their way of life was more tribal than humans, often described as savage.
Despite being savage, though, the Yautja were incredibly advanced. And incredibly good Hunters.
Social-political facts aside, Galgo also knew a little bit about their appearances. Unlike humans, Yautja males and females looked damn near the same. They had a wide range of earth-toned skin colours, ranging from greens to brows to even red, and black. They were massive creatures, easily standing taller than a fully grown man, with claw tipped hands and feet and black dread-like locks that hung from their wide skulls.
Of course, all of this came from observation over a distance; Galgo had never seen a Predator face to face. From what he heard, seeing ‘em face to face was a sure sign you were about to die.
That tid-bit rang in the back of his mind as he finally dismounted his beloved horse, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling beneath the thin layer of sweat as he felt the pressure of dozens of eyes on him and his fellow humans.
Over two dozen Predators were gathered at the entrance steps to the ‘palace’. A more accurate description would be a small mountain constructed of earth, and wood, and stone. It looked far more… rustic, than the elegant and clean halls of the human castles. But Galgo knew better than to hold onto that idea, as no mere rustic building would have had the structural integrity of the massive Palace that loomed over him.
The doorway was also tall and imposing, and all the windows that Galgo could see appeared to have no windows. Considering the heat that filled the air around him, the open structure actually came as a blessing to the Captain. At least the inside of the Palace would not be a stuffy lock-box filled with sweaty humans and gods-only knew what kind of scent Predators put out.
Sweeping a gentle hand against Perses’ dark black neck, Galgo patted her once more for comfort, before turning his attention to the carriage carrying Jill. Chris met him halfway, both knights taking up their positions on either side of the door. With a nod from Ellis, Chris stepped forward and opened it, while Galgo held out a hand to assist Jill out.
Attention only half on Jill, Galgo found himself observing the watching Predators out of the corner of his eye. From what he had heard, the King of the Empire was a massive creature, even for his own species, and jet black from head to toe with dreads that hung behind him like whips. That particular Predator was not present, from what he could clock, but the ones that were seemed to be well aware of what the humans were here for.
Stepping from her carriage, Jill drifted past him, the long swathes of light fabric flowing about her flame like water. The woman made quite the sight, and Galgo could not help catching Chris’s eye with a wink, snickering quietly at the way her face tinted pink in response. Jewellery of resplendent silver glittered against fair skin as Jill finally stepped into the sunlight. Her dress, coloured with the same blue dye as her brother’s cape, stood out strongly against the muddy tones all around them. Clasps of silver held the fabric of her sleeves against her arms, accentuating slender wrists, while ornaments with matching patterning decorated her tied up hair, appearing almost white against her dark brown curls.
She held herself ram-rod straight, hands clasped lightly over one another in front of her as she drifted over to where Prince Ellis stood.
Once Jill passed them by, Galgo followed to stand a few feet behind her. He glanced back as two of the present Yautja stepped forward to take away the carriage, while another three gathered the horses and led them away. Galgo could not help the feeling of concern that welled up within him at the sight of his horse being led away by one of the worlds most dangerous hunters, but he swallowed the feeling down. Even if the Cetanu Empire was the strongest one of their world, even King Caltanu would not risk defamation by treating diplomats poorly, right?
As his attention returned to the people standing in front of him, the Captain realised that another pair of Predators had approached the Prince and his attendant, holding out something that Galgo could not see from where he stood.
Ellis turned to Elden, muttering something under his breath. Once Elden nodded, the pair picked up what appeared to be small ear pieces, slotting them into their ears. The Yautja that had been holding them out nodded, tapping a fist to their chest with a gurgled noise.
Galgo felt his entire body tense up as the other Yautja approached – six of them, to be exact. The hunters each walked up to one of the humans, holding out the same ear piece. Galgo stared at his, distrust clear in his eyes, and the Yautja that held it out to him only shifted their hand closer with an encouraging growl.
“Galgo.” Ellis hissed, shooting the Captain a searing glare. Rolling his eyes, Galgo snatched up the earpiece and put it in.
A short burst of static erupted in his ears, but before he could knock the earpiece out again, words began to filter through.
“-interested in your offer. He will see you tomorrow.” The voice was rough, far more gravely than any human voice Galgo had ever heard. Overlaid with it, at the same time, came a softer string of growls and clicks, and with a start Galgo realised that he was listening to one of the Predators speaking.
Eyebrows shooting up on his face, Galgo glanced over at Chris, who shot back the same look of incredulity. He had not even considered the language barrier between the human lands and the Predators. Galgo had never actually thought that they might not speak the common language of the Kingdoms. Apparently, neither had the King that signed off on their mission. But their hosts had, and all the better for it.
The Predator that had been talking – one of the two standing before Ellis and Elden – continued his introduction. By the sound of it, they would not be seeing the King himself until the next day. Not even remotely interested in any of the political talk, Galgo turned his attention elsewhere the moment he heard Ellis begin on a spiel in an attempt to bump up their meeting time as if the humans had any fucking say in what was going to happen here.
Arms resting at his sides – so that his hand was never far from the grip of his sword – Galgo let his focus drift over to the last few Yautja who still stood on the steps of the Palace, right in front of the massive open door.
Unlike the other Predators, these ones seemed to carry themselves with a different air. Likewise, their attire did not consist of loose robes, but instead an almost gladiatorial fit of armour plating and… netting? The human could not quite figure it out from this distance. But one thing he recognised for sure; these… men? These men were warriors, for sure. There were five of them, all standing side-by-side, each with a different skin tone. Two of them were red, one dark like ochre while the other looked like he was bathed in fresh blood. One of them had fairly dark skin, somewhere between a dark brown and a dark green, with speckles all over his skin like scale patches. The last two were a similar colour as well, lighter by far. It was a closer shade to dirt, or earth, rich in colour. The shortest one of those two was only slightly greener in certain areas.
Even from this distance, Galgo could tell that those bastards were tall. Shit, the Predators that had surrounded them to offer the translators had already been taller than him and he was over six feet! But the ones at the top of the stairs were… large, in an entirely different way. Their torsos were broad, and looked about as solid as brick shit houses, and their arms and legs were likewise built with thick muscle. With the majority of their skin so exposed, it took no effort to observe just how fucking stacked those Predators were.
Galgo was almost jealous; he had been swinging a sword for the better part of his thirty-five years and he certainly never came close to that kind of a build. Swept up by that bitter hint of envy, he forgot to notice that he was staring a bit too blatantly.
It was only when he noticed a single, amber-coloured eye staring back at him that Galgo was struck with the startling reminder. But he could not look away – both out of curiosity, and out of pride. Galgo Helder was no bitch, and he was not about to back down and show submission to anyone, least of all the muscle-for-brains Predators that he now found himself surrounded by.
Survival instinct be damned.
The owner of the piercing yellow gaze was, just like all of his cronies, uglier than a blob-fish kissing a cow. Galgo had never seen a mug quite like that of the Predator species, but if he were to describe it, it was best likened to a tooth-filled eel mouth that face fucked a four-legged crab. This particular four-legged crab was even uglier than most, Galgo would say. The reason that he only had one eye appeared to be the massive scar that covered the other side of the Predator’s face, cutting across the empty space where his other eye should have been. The scar continued down, ending just below the top-right socket where a fourth mandible probably should have been clicking and flexing. Instead, the Predator only had three, all of which were curled in tight against his face as his single eye narrowed to a glare.
Tilting his chin back ever so slightly, Galgo held the Predators stare. There was a challenge, in his stance. The human absolutely refused to back down, and he made sure the challenge was clear. You want me to look down, you come down here and fuckin’ make me.
But before either of the two could make a move on the matter, their moment was broken by Ellis snapping his fingers at his knights. Apparently, the man had lost the argument he had started, Galgo thought with no lack of amusement. Forced to look away, Galgo felt an almost smug aura bleed over towards him before the feeling of the Predator’s gaze left.
With an aggrieved sigh, the Prince announced their plan. “Our hosts will guide us to our rooms for the night. Tomorrow, we shall see the King, and he will allow his sons to decide who wants a human woman as their bride.” He gestured to a careless flick of his wrist towards his sister.
Galgo felt his jaw clench at the way Jill stiffened. Insult to injury, that bastard Ellis was. Not only was he treating his own flesh and blood like a sack of coin, but he could not even muster the decency of addressing her like she mattered at all.
But he knew that this was the unfortunate lot of many Noble women in the Kingdoms. Born into highly privileged positions, those women were also born right into gilded cages; they were only as useful as who their fathers could wed them off to. Behind him, the three male knights snickered amongst each other at the prospect of Jill’s soon-to-happen wedding night.
Galgo shot them a deadly glare, an immediate warning to shut the fuck up about the inter-species fucking that ‘poor delicate Jill’ would have to take on her long-awaited wedding night.
Not only was it the most inappropriate place to talk about that – especially right in front of the Princess herself – but the very thought of fucking one of the ugly bastards made Galgo’s entire stomach turn.
Back in the human side of the world, he could imagine that any lady would see the appeal in a muscle-bound stud coming to sweep her off her feet, but by the gods this was not that. Galgo could only shudder to himself at unwanted image of a romp in the sheets with any of these toothy motherfuckers. The least his shitty knights could do was give Jill the decency of their support.
“We are not to leave the floor where our rooms are, and we must leave all weapons in our rooms as a show of trust and good faith,” Ellis continued, poorly concealed irritation in his voice, “but we are free to wander in the night so long as we abide by those rules. I expect every one of you to be on your best behaviour – better yet, just don’t leave your rooms. Jill will be staying beside Elden and I, the rest of you will sort it out between yourselves.”
The Prince finished speaking, folding his arms behind his back. With a short dip of his head, he turned and strode off, following the Yautja that had been speaking with him the whole time. Elden gave the knights one more cursory glance, before holding out his arm for the Princess to take.
Galgo waited for Elden to begin leading Jill away before following, Chris matching his pace right by his side. He almost wanted to lean closer to the woman, and ask her if she was alright, but there were too many eyes on them for that particular conversation. Instead, he looked around again.
The one-eyed warrior was gone, as were the other four Predators who had been in the same line-up as him. Honestly, the entire set up of the welcoming party had been very weird for Galgo; instead of the usual fanfare, perhaps crowds of commoners and flowers and carpets to welcome the Nobles of a Royal Bloodline, it had been them and a handful of Predators.
Aside from the five on the stairs, the rest had been dressed in brown and black fabrics, loosely draped around their massive forms. The warriors were clearly more important than the rest, but Galgo could only wonder what the purpose was of them observing the arrival without even addressing the Prince of Geryon.
Oh well.
That was certainly not his fucking problem. Getting out of his sweaty undershirt, that seemed a lot more important.
The prickly sensation of his sweat on the back of his neck did not leave as they all entered the palace – if anything, the feeling of discomfort only seemed to amplify as they walked into the metaphorical lions den.