Chapter Text
Dark clouds descended over the castle. It had been raining for days. A fact that the king was certain had everything to do with the monster that made their home in the neighboring kingdom. Alric prided himself on being a successful monarch. His lineage was the stuff of legends. But there was one blemish on the Harrington name. And it was that none so far had been able to best the beast that lived on the horizon.
It was an unfortunate state that his land shared a border with that of a King Edward. He wasn’t a man, he was a…a creature. A thing with many voices and many faces that masqueraded as a mortal human.
If there was one thing Alric could do to seal his name in the annals of history, it was wiping that entire place and all its inhabitants off the face of the map.
Such a thing was easier said than done. As much steel and iron as his armory possessed, the monsters were numerous.
“Increase the patrols. I want eyes on every inch of the border”, he ordered.
“Do we have enough men for that? Recruitment has been low”, the prince said.
An amendment to a previous statement. There was a second blemish on the Harrington family. And his name was Steven. His son, who did nothing but sleep with whatever girl looked his way. Complacent and unambitious. The rare day he was allowing the disappointment to join in on the session with his war council and he was speaking out of turn.
“You would do best to watch your tongue”, Alric said.
Steve turned his head down, deferring to his father. He was good at one thing at least. Obedience. He looked down to the map again, pacing about it, trying to think of where best to send his men to quell what was surely a slow uprising.
“He is right, my liege. We can’t afford to send more men to the borders. This year’s crop of squires hasn’t met expectations.”
Alric glared at anyone who dared to disagree with him, even if they were right. But the reasoning of the lack of bodies would give him an excuse to do what he’s been wanting to for a while. It wasn’t enough to kill the monsters that inched along the border. It was time to officially go on the offensive.
The rain coming down wasn’t by anyone’s hand but nature’s. You couldn’t tell a Harrington that though. They were stubborn as mules. He knew this quite well. King Edward had been ruling his realm for long enough that he had been dealing with Alric and his father and his father’s father. All who saw him and his people as only pests to be exterminated.
He could look past the odd villager slaying one of the demogorgans when they came into a town looking for an easy meal. That was simply self defense. But as of recently King Alric had begun sending soldiers into his forests to start seeking out any beasts and ending them on their own ground.
In response, Eddie used his powers to erect a thorny barrier. Anyone who wanted to enter his kingdom from that side would have to struggle through a dense bramble. It would be difficult for soldiers on horseback to get through. This sort of back and forth continued for months. Alric would sent more people, despite the harsh terrain, never caring for the champions he lost. The border would be strengthened to try and keep him out and he would just find another way in.
Eddie was losing his patience with the man and the straw that broke the camel’s back was when a messenger arrived with news of what happened to one of the towns close to the border.
“My lord! It’s terrible!”, the messenger bellowed as he crashed into the throne room.
“What is it?”, Eddie asked, concern showing through his voice and face.
“King Alric’s men! They’ve-! They’ve-!”
They had trespassed the line once again but this time they didn’t go attack a nest of demodogs. No, it seemed for this visit they saw fit to lay waste to a township of innocent civilians. They hadn’t slain a single monster. Only people.
It was practically a declaration of war.
“This can’t go on”, Jeff, one of his most trusted knights said when he heard the news.
“And it won’t”, Eddie promised. He was going to have some words with this tyrant. If he could avoid war, he would. But Eddie had a feeling if they ever got into the same room, he would kill him.
Alric barely gave the sealed envelope a glance before tossing it into the fire. Steve shot up from the chair he’d been sitting in.
“What are you doing?! King Edward has finally sent a correspondence. Don’t you want to talk with him?”
“Steven! Don’t raise your voice at your father”, his mother, Juliana, scolded. “He knows what he’s doing.”
At the queen’s stern look, Steve sat back down. After speaking his mind in the war room, Steve hadn’t been allowed back. The privileges normally afforded to a crown prince, coming to the meetings, providing his own insight were taken from him. He didn’t want to think about what else would be taken if he kept speaking his mind. But this couldn’t be the right way of doing things. After shedding blood, the opposing monarch was trying to talk.
And his father was just ignoring it.
“That letter was most certainly just the incomprehensible scratch of an illiterate”, his father spat. “He wears the face of a man but that is not what he is.”
Steve ventured a question. “Then what is he?”, he asked quietly.
Alric stared intensely at the fire. “He is an abomination. Borne of the dark void which sucks all light and warmth from this world.”
“He can change his shape. That is why he is so dangerous”, Juliana added. “It is why he must be stopped.”
Steve understood that. He had heard the stories, which at this point were legends. One day, something had risen from a black pool and no one knew what it was. But it was powerful. Powerful enough to conjure up more from the black pool. More that were like it. Able to use the muck to make walls rise from the ground.
King Edward and fought with his great grandfather, which was how the border existed in the first place. He had fought his grandfather, which was why beasts like the demogorgan kept sentry at his borders. And now it was happening again.
Alric ignored every single letter that came, determined not to speak or negotiate. In the mean time, he continued to send squads to attack at towns and villages, stoking the other king’s ire.
Eddie was once again, meeting with his council, squatting in his chair while their voices rose in volume. Each one angry and hurt and wanting to finally bite back. Eddie thought that this time he could choose peace. That this time he could get away without fighting. But it appeared wise old Alric was ready for a war.
“SILENCE!”, Eddie shouted while slamming his hands on the table. All conversation ceased. He rubbed at his face. “We have one last step before waging a war that could kill more than it saves.”
“And what’s that?”, Gareth asked.
Eddie rose to stand on his chair, then stepped onto the table that held a map of both of their lands. “If Harrington won’t sit down with us well then”, he stalked over to the pieces on the table that represented the royal family. He plucked up the one that was meant for the prince. “We’ll make him sit down.”
Steve moved like the sword was an extension of his body. Normally, he thought nothing of it when he sparred with some of the knights. But today his father was watching. Steve had been the apple of his parents' eyes once. But it didn't take long before everything he did turned from 'adequate' to 'not good enough'. Alric watched his son from a window high above.
Steve had showed promise when he was coming up. He wasn't especially bright but in body he was sound. He had surrounded himself and made himself the center of attention of the young lads of the court, as he should. Alric encouraged Steve having an entourage who looked up to him and hung on his every word. But at some point, he'd grown... well the best way he could put it was listless. No longer did he have a crowd who trailed after him. He had discussed it at length with his wife and they both agreed he needed something to whip him back into shape.
And a good smack just didn't do the trick anymore.
Alric had his suspicions. That Steve had gone soft for one reason or another. The cause mattered little to him. What was important was fixing it while there was still a chance. Alric's slight frown turned into a deep glare. A young squire had fumbled and stumbled with his practice blade and Steve stayed his hand while he waited for the other to right himself. Whatever happened to the son who would have struck down any enemy without a thought?
"We could be going to war soon", Alric said late into the night. He stood before the fireplace, staring into it. Juliana sat, nursing a drink.
"I thought we were doing all that we could to avoid that. If that Mad King retaliates with all his forces..."
"He won't. He talks a big game. My father knew it and my grandfather knew it." The previous kings of the Harrington line had all fought with the beast one-on-one. It was rare to hear about him moving any number of soldiers. But it was well documented that he had power over a horde of monsters. If he ever decided to invade, Alric had to admit, if only to himself, that he would be strapped for man power right now. But he was assured that the Animal across the border wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do anything.
"What does this have to do with Steven?", Juliana asked, worry creeping into her voice. She knew what her husband might say next but was dreading it. They had discussed before but...
"I'm going to send him to the mountains. To the keep we've maintained in the north. The retainers up there will put him back together again."
"Alric please, they'll destroy him."
He walked from the fireplace to the window. "They'll make him into a proper king. Something that we've been unable to do somehow. If a few pieces of him get chipped off in the process, then all the better."
And if it was more than a few pieces, if Steve was completely broken, well Alric could work with that as well.
They announced it about a week later, when the preparations had already been made and Steve walked into his room to find a servant already packing his bags.
"You're sending me away?!", Steve shouted as he nearly crashed into his father's study.
Alric had his back to Steve, looking out onto the horizon where their enemies lay in the distance. He was like a stone and Steve almost took a step toward him when he caught his reflection in the window. He was looking at Steve through said reflection, clearly waiting on something. Steve took a breath and turned around. He walked out, closed the door. Now on the other side, he knocked.
"Who is it?", Alric asked.
"Steven, Father", Steve announced himself.
"You may enter."
With a sigh, Steve, opened the door, gently this time, entered, and then closed it behind him, but stayed by it until his father invited him closer.
"What brings you to my study, Steven?", Alric asked as he turned around.
"I had to hear from someone else that you're sending me away. Why?"
Alric sat down behind his desk and templed his hands. "Why am I sending you away or why did you hear it from someone else?"
"I don't understand? Did I do something wrong?" Good princes didn't get sent far away to a frozen hell.
"It's to build you some character. You'll thank me for it later."
"But why am I going?"
Alric suddenly stood up and the abruptness made Steve take a step back towards the door. His pulse quickened as his father slowly moved around to stand in front of the desk.
"You may have forgotten, but I am your king. You go where I order you to. And perhaps while you're there, you'll learn some manners."
"How long am I to stay?"
"Until I get a report that you have become a proper prince."
Steve turned and opened the door, ready to leave when he father cleared his throat. Steve looked down at his feet as he closed the door and turned back around, asking for permission and having it granted before leaving the study.
It was honestly just his luck. Winter would be over in a couple of weeks and spring would be finally showing its face and he was about to be shipped off to the coldest place on earth. On the day of his departure, his mother kissed his cheek, the last bit of human warmth he'd probably be feeling for a while. And it was just as chilly as a snowflake on his skin. There were platitudes as they were packing his things away into the carriage, but Steve felt like he only heard half of it.
As the carriage set off, Steve realized that he honestly wasn't leaving much behind. He had no friends, and his parents were devoid of anything but disappointment. He would miss the greenery, though. Steve kept his eyes on the passing scenery, taking in as much as he could before it would be taken up by snow and rocks. Steve was so deep in his own wallowing, he had forgotten that the path would take them close to the border. And as the carriage edged closer, an ambush lied in wait.