Christos Throne's Story

Introduction

For centuries the land of Everingham has subject to the rule of the Werewolves. In the time of King Tychon, the Ancients' father, the land was in a rather peaceful state, rulers freely reigning the land separately. The King had a wonderful wife, Queen Iezabel, who bore him four sons: Christos, Benjamin, Blitz, and Liam. The four were born several years apart, but the King favored the ill-fated Liam the most. Young Liam, though loved and treasured more than his older brothers, fell prey to a disease that was spreading throughout most of the land. This disease took many infants, but none were so bereaved as the King and Queen. In a fit of inconsolable sadness, the Queen threw herself from her balcony at sunrise the day following the boy's funeral, a single tear staining her lifeless face.

The King was beside himself with grief. His youngest and most beloved son had been taken from him and now his wife as well. Tychon refused to let himself cry and he made it known to his sons that werewolves did not cry. On that day Tychon vowed to harden his heart and avenge the deaths of his wife and son the only way he knew how: taking over the land. He declared war upon all the races of Everingham and created an army like none had ever seen. "Werewolves, my sons, are the most superior race. Tradition is the bread of life. Remember this..." These words were spoken to his three remaining sons the day he left for war, a war that would last many years.

The war, known as The Great Invasion, was what empowered the werewolvian nation to supreme rule. One by one the King and his army overtook every race. The Elves and faeries were quick to submit to the King, and the goblins and ogres as well -- though most were taken captive to fight in the army or serve the Werewolves back in Netherfield. The Shapeshifters were a bit more reluctant to give up their power and pushed the Werewolvian invasion off for a month. When a battle finally broke out, the Shapeshifters relinquished their power to the King, who left their land and home in ruin. With nearly all the land conquered, the King made his way to Pemberly, the city of the Lycans. The Lycans were the most reluctant to relinquish power and for this they paid a great price. A battle raged on for nearly a year before the Lycans finally submitted to the Werewolves. Their city was in ruin and their army depleted. Women and children lay slaughtered in the streets. Angered, the Lycans formally disassociated themselves with the rest of Everingham, but were still harshly suppressed by King Tychon.

Upon his return home, Tychon was greeted with a hero's welcome and his army was quickly replenished, though few Werewolves had actually died. Tychon's sons were now coming of age, so he took them all to the Isle of the Orb and taught them each how to use it. He began to teach his sons day by day that tradition was the bread of life, that it should never be betrayed. He taught his sons to fight and rule properly, and he taught Christos how to rule with an iron fist.

As he did all this, each race slowly rebuilt itself, still in too great of a disrepair to rebel against the Werewolvian rule. Longbourn, the elven city, came under the rule of a Mayor, who pledged submission to King Tychon. Thorton Lacey, the shapeshifter city, came under the rule of a monarch, who also submitted to King Tychon. And the Lycans, who had declared themselves a separate entity, came under the rule of a Lord, who only submitted to King Tychon's reign to keep the peace. Each ruler governs their land differently, but each obeys standard Werewolvian laws in silent submission.

Nearly a century passed and over time there were several invasions by King Tychon's forces to instill fear and enforce his reign over the land, but none so brutal as The Great Invasion. Satisfied with his work, King Tychon relinquished his position to his eldest son Christos, who ruled just as harshly as his father. Tychon taught his son and guided his hand during his first decade of reign.

One day, while on his way to the Isle of the Orb, Tychon's carriage was ambushed and he was assassinated. One man escaped, a messenger, who told the three Ancients of their father's terrible death. The messenger was the victim of Christos' immediate anger, and soon to follow, all the land of Everingham. Armies of Werewolves were dispatched to enforce Christos' reign and to strike fear in the hearts of many. The Lycans fought back, but upon the death of the Lord's firstborn son, they submitted once more. The assassins of the King were never found out, but Christos has vowed to find them one day.

Centuries have passed and the Ancients rule with their father's iron fist. The number of invasions has decreased, but every couple of decades the Ancients and their army visit each of the races to determine if they are still being obeyed. They meet with the rulers of each and do business accordingly, and so far none have stepped out of line, even the Lycans. But the time is surely coming.

All was well, generally speaking, until a month ago. Christos and his brother Benjamin discovered that their youngest brother, Blitz, was breaking tradition and Werewolvian law by sleeping with an Elven woman -- a woman who'd been their prisoner no less! Enraged, Christos exiled Blitz to Shiori, the fishing island in the Northeast, and stripped him of all his power as an Ancient. He was beaten and dishonorably treated by his own people and became known as The Great Traitor. News spread quickly throughout the land of the disgraceful Ancient.

For a long time, a century even, forbidden loves -- inter-racial couples -- had been secretly forming, right under the noses of the individual rulers, as well as the Ancients. Christos and Benjamin traveled to the Isle of the Orb and discovered this blatant disobedience and were far from happy about it.

Blitz, now exiled, is cut off from Everingham, and especially Netherfield, entirely. He is bound to the land and all know him as the Great Traitor and refuse to help him. Stripped of his honor and power, he remains there, unwilling to challenge the authority of his brothers. Christos and Benjamin now have a serious political decision to make. They are losing power over the land and little do they know that this weakness is just what the other races were waiting for.

Pemberly

Saoul slammed the hammer down onto the red hot metal that rested in his firm hand on the anvil. He was primarily a swords-crafter, which turned out to be slow, but constant work as swords were readily in demand. He rarely made things for other use unless he was requested to, but even then these things consisted of horseshoes, pots, kettles, and the like. Simple house hold things really. The lycan authorities only trusted more skilled hands to make the more important, and what he considered useful, items. He had heard that another blacksmith in town, Kaida, he believed, was the one most people went to.

Today was his birthday, but no one noticed as it was every year. He didn't mind, he liked working instead of celebrating anyway. After all, what was there to celebrate without his parents there to partake? Those damn werewolves! he thought angrily. As he did the heavy hammed missed just barely and sent a few sparks flying right towards his face. He growled and dropped the hot metal and threw the hammer across the room. It hit the wooden wall with a thud, the sound of wood cracking briefly filling the air. Some pots and horseshoes, various other things as well, clattered together from the force of the hammer hitting the hall, but nothing fell.

Saoul quickly reached in the water bucket to throw the cool liquid over his face. He kicked the bucket over suddenly and then turned it over to sit on the bottom of it, angry with himself and in a good deal of pain.

Island of Shiori

Blitz had just returned from a quick bathe in the lake and was dressing when Aria walked in. He looked up from his waist, where he was fixing his pants, and let his lips turn up in a bit of smile. Since he'd been exiled, all had been hell. He'd been lonely, even though Aria constantly visited, and he'd been bored. With nothing to do, nothing to climb, and quite frankly, no one to talk to, he was forced to sit all day, whether it be in the shack, or on the beach. The beach, he had to admit, was a beautiful view. The water was clear and full of life, and there was usually a nice breeze to lessen the intensity of the harsh sun. Everyone on the island avoided him. Even though he hadn't wronged them, they looked at him as if he were fresh meat...that and as if he were the scum of the land. He couldn't get a job, had no money to his name, and because of this, Aria had had to shell out her own money for him. This was something he felt horrible about -- he should never have had to ask her for that. But without any money to his name, he had no choice but to allow her to do it.

As if reading his mind, Aria walked forward and kissed him. He gently wrapped his arms about her waist and returned her gentle kiss. As she pulled back, she began to beg him to leave. Ever since purchasing this little shack for him, Aria had been trying to convince Blitz to leave. But he couldn't. Her intentions were good and her reasons were unarguably sound, but he couldn't. As she lay her head on his chest, Blitz remained silent and merely held her close for a few moments.

"I can't, you know that. The wrath my brothers would unleash would be unforgivable," he told her. "I can't put you, or your people, in that danger....and you know I'll be fine here. I can hold my own," he said lightly, hoping to ease her troubled mind.

Netherfield

Christos paced in the armory uneasily. He had throwing knives laid out on the table and with a sudden fit of rage, he grabbed one, turned and threw it in the direction of a guard standing motionlessly near the door. The knife grazed the man's neck, and the wide eyed guard still refused to move. He knew if he did, Christos wouldn't miss the next time. "Ah, steadfast and brave," Christos said as he moved towards the guard to pull the knife from the wall. "If only my brother had been so wise," he mused. He growled as he pulled the knife from the wall and walked away, pacing again.

"Get my brother," he ordered. The guard hesitated. "Not the banished one, you fool!" Christos chastised. The guard quickly ran off to obey, not wanting to get another knife thrown his way.

Pemberly

Nanami smiled up at the woman who had introduced herself as a, Kaida Vylin. As they left Kaida's smithery Nanami grabbed her horse and pulled it along following Kaida, "Thank you Lady Kaida!" she chirped up after she caught up with the lycan woman. As they walked she looked up at the woman, "So this is your first time actually meeting Sir Saoul? I wonder if he's how I imagine him to be," she said as she pictures a large burly red headed man with scars and a thick beard and ash on his face. "Lady Kaida how come you're a black smith? Did you always wanna be one? How did you know you wanted to be one? How'd you get into it? Was it because of your parents? I'm curious," she asked as small barrage of questions for the woman as they walked not wanting to walk in silence and also just being a very curious girl.

((I'm imagining they'll arrive at Saoul's the end of Qaida's next post so feel free to just assume Nanami walks in with her after tying her horse up Qaida))

Island of Shiori

Aria's heart sank as she clung to him, "No you'll wither away here and eventually be taken in, I know it, I'd rather risk my safety with you and without you and either way your brothers want me dead and you know it," she said softly into his chest before looking up at him with her large blue eyes that shone like a night sky, "Please leave with me the next time I go, you'd be much happier and you know it, I need you with me Blitz," she said as her hands came up to cup his cheeks and her thumbs stroked them gently as she looked at him. "Wouldn't you rather return to the mainland where you can have a job, and do something, I know nothing will be the same for you but it will be better than wasting away here day after day. There's lots of climbing and patrolling to be done in Longbourn, I could try to get you stations on night guard or something," she added trying to make him reconsider.

Netherfield

Benjamin was writing something down at his desk when a guard came in saying Christos wanted to see him. He sighed aggravated and waved the guard off before putting the paper in his desk and locking it. He got up and left his room and walked to the armory to see Christos scaring another guard who looked like he was ready to collapse from nerves but stayed unmoving. He pitied the guard slightly and raised his hand at him before waving it once, "Leave us," he said and the guard bowed and left. He looked at Christos inquisitively, "You called for me brother?" he asked as he meet Christos' gaze. His body language was stressed as usual since Bltiz's banishing, he made no attempt to hide his anger over it as he usually would try to do, he was angry at himself for not figuring it out and handling it before Christos found out, angry at Blitz for being so weak, angry at Aria for being a corrupting temptress, and angry at the world for challenging the laws of the land with their relationships. The day Blitz was banished he'd even gone so far as to go in a rage and change and hunt down and kill some of the closer law breaking couples.

Pemberly

Saoul looked up at the woman who practically pounced into his shop, a smaller creature behind her. His eye was still burning as he sat there, huffing in anger. His eyes carefully studied the lycan woman. She was the other blacksmith in town -- Kaida, he believed. He had reason to envy her, particularly since she was a woman doing a man's job better than a man himself. His eyes traveled her body and liked what he saw, though neither his eyes nor his expression let on what he was thinking. As she looked away, his attention shifted to the smaller creature. Surely she wasn't a lycan, she was much too small...and cute. It was odd. She had a childish air about her that made him find innocence lying plainly in her eyes.

After a moment's hesitation, Saoul stood up. "What can I help you with?" he asked. He didn't often speak, but that was a phrase he used a lot and felt quite confident in saying. He put the cooling metal aside on the work bench and went to pick up his hammer across the room. The wall had suffered a noticeable mark, but it was fine otherwise. Just what he needed...to topple the workshop from the inside, he thought. As he placed the hammer down as well, he grabbed a dirtied rag and wiped his face and hands, both of which were very dirty with grime and sweat. As he waited and listened even to the women, he went about cleaning up the shop, refilling the water bucket with cold water and pushing his hair up and out of his face. It was too damn hot, especially after he'd burned himself.

Island of Shiori

Blitz sighed as he listened to Aria. He hated how much her soft, beautiful voice could drive him crazy. It made him want to do everything she said, even if it wasn't the right thing. His hands gently came up to rest on her hands before pulling them down, holding them firmly. His hands were much larger than hers and certainly not as soft, but the sensation of the two coming together was incredible.

"Aria..." he said softly, almost in a whine. She was convincing him and he couldn't fight it. "I'm an outcast...even here on this deserted piece of land. Why would it be any different with your people? After all the suppression I've helped employ?" One of his hands let go of hers and cupped her small, delicate cheek. "Why do you want to endanger yourself?" he asked, actually finding it quite attractive that she was so rebellious.

Netherfield

Christos growled and threw another knife at a different guard as Benjamin walked in. "Oh, brother," he mused as he rubbed his hands together as if wiping dirt from them. "So what are we to do?" he demanded. As he waited, he saw the look in Benjamin's eyes and turned with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, come, come. Father would have done the same thing. He broke the law and tradition. I had no choice. Besides...maybe it will give him time to think about what he's done," he muttered. He wasn't happy that he'd exiled Blitz, but he'd had to. Quite frankly, he still saw it as the right decision. Blitz was a fool and he deserved the consequences of his actions.

Pemberly

Nanami followed Kaida and smiled at her answers clearly not picking up on the subtle tones of her voice that she was upset. Soon they were at a smithery and heard a loud crash. Kaida motioned for Nanami to wait outside so she did until it was safe. She walked in and looked around before sheepishly scurrying over to Kaida. She took the room in before looking to Saoul. He was nothing like she imagined, young, not really burly, and quite handsome, but that made him scary to her, she'd hoped for a jolly red giant. She hated her job at this moment and as he asked what they needed she scurried out of the shop and got a small pink and white box off the horse, one the top of the box was her bakery's logo. She walked back in and up to Saoul, "Uh.... on behalf of the 'Fairy Dust Bakery' I have been asked to cater a small party for you tonight in celebration of your birthday and am here to say," as she spoke she opened the box and took out a small simple individual sized cake that was chocolate with white icing and inside was cream between the layers on it and black icing was written "Happy Birthday You Old Dog!" "SURPRISE!" she said hesitantly before shoving the cake in his face which was what her teacher had told her to do. She stood there watching some of the bits of cake fall from his face waiting for a reaction and praying it was a nice on but ready to hide behind Kaida if needed.

Island of Shiori

Aria smiled up at Blitz and let him hold her hands and as he cupped her cheek she nuzzled into it. "It's true you have done bad things to people in that past, But only because you did nothing to stop it, Christos is the one who pulls the lever on everything," she said softly, "Some people are willing to give you a chance, you should squander it just because you're afraid that you'll fail them or put me in danger. The winds are changing and something is coming, if the world changes, for better or worse, I want you to be with me for it, not hiding away on some island in shame that you shouldn't feel in the first place," she said softly as she leaned up and kissed his forehead before tugging his arms, "Come with me, right now, we can take the ferry and leave this very instant," she said trying to tug him along.

Netherfield

"He may be a fool for falling for it but it's that damn elf maiden's fault she bewitched him with drugs, she must have there is no way Blitz would just choose her over all the werewolf women that throw themselves at him," he said with no real tone in his voice as he concealed just how truly angry he was. He paced a small bit before heading over to Christos' side and looking at him. "I will not lose my little brother to that witch," he said coldly, "We've lost too much of our family already," he added before taking a knife from Christos and throwing it and the knife split the bow they'd taken from Aria while she was prisoner in two. "I'm going to redeem him and get him back here, and I'm going to make that wench pay," he added. Christos was normally the calm and collected and kindest of the three ancients but it was obvious that he had a vendetta now.

Island of Shiori

Blitz sighed silently and stayed put when the smaller, much weaker Aria tried to tug him along with her. He pulled her back into him quickly and pinned her against the wall of the small shack, his hands on either side of her face. He loved the slight look of shock that would most likely come over her face, but even more, he loved how much it turned him on. As he pinned her there, their bodies only inches apart, Blitz smiled a bit. He'd missed this.

"Aria," he said softly. "...This isn't right." It was a soft protest, showing her she'd won. He leaned down and kissed her deeply before whispering against her lips, "Let's go then." He turned away silently and began to gather his few possessions before walking to the door and waiting for her.

Netherfield

Christos growled and slammed his dagger down into the table as he listened to his brother. He stopped and looked up smiling a bit. "Of course...Blitz was always stupid, but never that stupid. That....witch must have poisoned her." He went over to Benjamin and grabbed his shoulder firmly, his fingers digging into the man's tough skin. "You always had a level head...." he said as if basking in triumph over a new idea.

Pemberly

Saoul was quiet as he watched the girl, her pink hair bouncing around her as she moved. He was confused, but when he heard the word birthday, he perked up. No one had ever recognized this day as his and now this girl, who he didn't even know, was telling him something about his birthday. He saw her take out a box and wondered if it would be his first present...what he wasn't expecting was the sudden smashing of cake in his face. Saoul's eyes squeezed shut and he tensed, but didn't move as some bits of the fluffy cake fell from his face. He was confused...He thought this girl was going to tell him happy birthday, but instead the first cake he'd ever been offered had been shoved in his face. It made him sad for a brief second until he realised he shouldn't have expected anything different. He stayed silent as Kaida took some of the cake from his face and went to get water.

For a few short moments, he stood there in silence as the sweet treat stuck to his grimy, dirty face. "Thank you," he said softly, his voice low and flat before he reached over to grab the dirty rag to wipe his face off. He wasn't mad; he couldn't be when really this was the best birthday he'd had....even though it wasn't that great at all.