A Cursed Knight (Greedy Fatcat and Okami A.)

[Greedy Fat Cat]

Reguna looked alarmed; to think it so easy as to simply knock on the door. But who was to tell that this inhabit was hostile or not? He guessed it was the polite thing to do, even if this inhabit would be aggressive towards them. Reguna's hood was low, but it didn't cover his sparkling eyes of anticipation.

Who would live in a place like this? Whoever this inhabit was, would prove to be interesting. Reguna slid his hand to his side, his eyes on the door. His ears perked up to hear a crash and a grunt from within. Reguna lifted his gaze to the top of the tower. "R---Raine…" He muttered, on his guard. "Let us hope whoever lives here will be friendly," he said, though this was sarcastically doubtful.

 

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

I smiled weakly at Reguna. Honestly? I hoped the inhabitant was friendly as well.

I moved over to stand next to my friend, my hand on my bag. I hoped if they were hostile, I would have enough time to bring out Lunar Ray.

After a few moments, the door opened, and out stepped a hunched old man. He had a thick long silver mane that extended into a long tangled silver beard, and his eyes were pale green, a familiar peridot color that seemed to glow in the shadow of the tower.

Whoever ya be, canne ye not leave an old man to his retirement!? He grumbled, stepping towards us. He had a pronounced hobble, as if he could not move his right leg very much. His hands were almost skeletal and the skin over them looked pulled taut over his bones. He used them to support himself with a gnarled looking cane.

I blinked at him. That voice... that voice, I have not heard it in years. Not since he got sent away so long ago. The facial structure, the beard, the unkempt hair...

D... D-dad? I asked shakily.

The old man's head snapped to me, before he looked me over with a skeptical eye. He sniffed visibly, before his expression seemed to switch to surprise.

Rakil? He grunted, trying to straighten himself. Dene tehl meh, ye ran ento one o' the nasty necro magick witches? Oy, last time saw ye, ye were just wiedin' ah sword for the first time. Giet over ere, kiddo, so ah can geit ah bettar look at ye!

I let out a long breath, and it came out as a long plume of steam. I stepped closer, and he looked me up and down. He seemed to have a rather happy twinkle in his eye, now.

I... uh... Well, I became a knight and then I got sent away and I got into a fight with the witch in the northern shores, and...

He smiled. Oy, nou, boy. Whel, lass. Ah dennae care. You've grown tahl an strong, an tha's what matters.

He looked over to my companion, and studied Reguna for a moment. Oy! Reguna? Look at how ye have grown! Whel, denne stand out en the cold like this! Come in! Ahl put on some tea fer ye both.

With that the old man hobbled back into the tower, his limp suddenly lessened, and I glanced back at Reguna. My head spun with all the different questions and I most likely had an incredulous look on my face...  

[Greedy Fat Cat]

There was a pause at the door, and Reguna held his breath for light of whoever answered. Whether be some poor bum or a magic user, Reguna was prepared. He didn't know how much help he'd be, being that he was practically useless at this point without many weapons, but he figured he would throw himself at his opponents legs or act like some sort of shield for Rakil. Then the door opened, and there appeared an old man.

Maybe old was an understatement. The man's beard was silver, his eyes drooped with a wrinkled face. But his hands were tight and bony, and he was haunched over with a limp. Undeniably not much of a challenge, physically. He seemed harmless, someone who wanted to be unbothered in the rest of his retirement apparently.

Only when Rakil spoke up did Reguna's interest pique, and Reguna stepped back to provide Rakil a space to welcome his father. Who was to say, if Rakil managed to survive three years ago when everyone considered him dead, that Rakil's own father managed to do the same? Reguna did not recognize the once gallant knight who stood taller and bigger than Reguna. It had been…years since he had seen this man, it was much to Reguna's surprise that Rakil could even recognize him. But Reguna supposed anyone could recognize their father.

Reguna watched, in Rakil's amazement, the elderly man smile with delight upon this reunion. Reguna's fist tightened, though this action was hidden underneath his cloak. Ah, a joyous reunion and a welcoming at that. Reguna's heart lightened, and the anxiety from earlier lessened some. Maybe this would be much easier than Reguna expected.
The elder didn't care much for Rakil's change of physicality, and made note of Reguna. Reguna bowed his head slightly in respect, before the man whipped back around inside. Rakil looked at him, as if trying to ask all these questions with his eyes. Reguna offered no answers, only a silent, clueless expression. He would follow after Rakil, who he presumed was eager to get in touch with his long lost father. Reguna kept quiet, silently mulling over his own parents.

His mother was a beautiful woman. He couldn't quite remember her face, only that she spoke of wondrous stories. He remembered her long hair and her emerald nails, which she often combed Reguna's hair with. His father was more stern and ignored his son for most of his life. That wasn't to say his father didn't care at all for Reguna; his father had a way to show he cared even though it didn't seem like it. But he knew, despite his wild imagination, that the reality of it all was that they were both very much dead, and that they would not come back. Not like Rakil's father, no, they would never come back from their eternal resting place.

 

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

With many questions in my heart I stepped to the door and past the thresh hold. I was greeted by soft warmpth, and I could tell immediatly that the crumbling outside had just been for show.

I stepped onto a soft, clean wool carpet, and I stepped aside for Reguna to step through. I knelt and pulled off my thick fur boots, setting them next to the door, before trekking deeper into my father's abode.

There was a fireplace, crackling merrily with smokeless flames, and infront of it a few large arm chairs with a side table for each. My father was there, kneeling before the fire and hanging a teapot over the flames. Stairs went up one wall to lead up to a closed trapdoor, while another room was neatly sectioned off by curtains.

Come in, come in. Nae shoes past th' door please. The old man said. He waved to the arm chairs and I gratefully sunk into one.

So, lad and lassie. What bringe ye ahl the way out to mah towar? As flattard as ah am tae think that yer here fre ah social cahl, I doubt ye knew I was 'ere when you set out fer this place.

I glanced to Reguna, before looking back to my father.  

[Greedy Fat Cat]

Okami Ameras

Reguna took his time considerably at the door, unlacing his boots before entering the abode. This clearly did not look like the outside, which made Reguna turn back around upon realization that the door behind him was closed.

His eyes first went to the fireplace, the aliveness of it caught his attention immediately. He stared at it for a good while, until Rakil's father asked about their reasoning for being here. His gaze shot quickly to the old man, his twinkling violet eyes forgetting just how much of a curiosity it was to look at him. The last time Reguna supposed he saw Rakil's father was right before he had left to the mission he had never returned from. There was a pretty large amount of people who waved him off; Rakil's family was quite popular.
Now the man who everyone thought was dead was before him as an old man. He looked so old, not like his former self even though it had only been a couple years more than a decade. He looked down at the carpet, thinking for a moment before returning to face him.

"Why did you go missing?" He shot at him. He was going to ask why he abandoned Rakil and his family if he wasn't dead all these years, but he opposed being rude to the man. After all, he had some respect for him back when.

 

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

The old man eyed Reguna for a long moment when he asked that. Reguna hadn't even sat down first.

Simple, lad. He lifted up the hem of his robes, just enough to show his right leg.

I winced when I saw it.

His leg was mangled. huge scars that probably ran extremely deep ran up and down his leg like it had gotten maimed by some huge monster.

Ah completed th' task ah came ere' tae do, but I nearleh lost mah leg doin' it. I couldn't, and still canne ride wit' this scarred leg o' mine. Walkin' is a chore I have tae put up wit' most o' the time. Nae carragis come oot this far, an when ah was done, ah was aloone so nae oone could fetch meh back tae mah home. Trust meh, Ah would have loved tae return tae th' arms o' mah wife an see how mah son grew up, but... The old man broke off, turning away as he let the hem of his robes drop, concealing the nasty scars once again.

I frowned mightily,before suddenly popping up from my seat, shedding my heavily furred cape before darting up to hug the old man.

Oy! Oh, Lass...

I let go and stepped back, blinking heavily and trying very hard not to cry.

I missed you so much, father... if I had known you were still alive, I would have come out all this way to get you myself, danger or no danger...

The old man smiled at me, his pale green eyes twinkling.

If I may ask... I said, Why did you come all the way out here? I don't recall the order that Gran gave...

The man's face immediately darkened. The softness from my hug faded as he got an intense look of anger on his wrinkled face.

Gran gave nae order, lass. Ah came out here on me own errand. Tha' damn, traitorus senate! Turned th' queen herself against the king! He waved his cane at nothing as he ranted, before swaying so heavily he had to slam it down to the floor to keep himself upright. It wasn't common knowledge, but she was magick, ye know. Nae fulleh human-- powerful but untrained. The council was tryin' tae geit her tae curse Gran with drought on th' land so they'd have ahn excuse tae execute 'im fer bahd ruling! She never loved th' king, married him against her will, ahnd th' council took advantage of thaat tae try an kill him!

My eyes widened as I lifted a hand, my mind spinning at the sudden revelation.

No famine happened while Gran was still alive. I said, staring at a wall. It's only since Reguna became king that the famnine started... I glanced to Reguna, before spinning back in a flurry of cloth to face my father again.

How do we lift it!? I demanded of him.

The old man blinked at me, and I could see the wheels turning in his head.

Ahh... tha' es why ye came ahl th' wey oot here. Sorrah, Lad an Lasse, but tha' was th' oone answer ah didn't find when ah searched th' tower ahn it's contents. He looked to Reguna, considering the young man thoughtfully. Then, he snapped his fingers-- his face brightening in an eureka! moment.

But th' council would know. Th' traitorus council. Slay them all buht oone, an' th' coward would surely tell ye' how tae lift et tae save 'is own skin.

I looked the old man right in the eyes, and intense protectiveness for my friend rising up within me. I had my hand in my bag, and I didn't realize that I was gripping Lunar Ray.

I will gladly slaughter them all to protect Reguna. Not because he's my king, but because he's my friend.

The old man smiled. Ah wish I could 'ave doone th' same thin' for Gran, lasse. Ef et hadn't been for this mangled leg o' mine ah would have doone et' mahself!  

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

((Hey, we still doing this?))

 

[Greedy Fat Cat]

Okami Ameras

What was Reguna's expression to hold other than a straight one? Listening to the regret and sadness of Rakil's father haunted Reguna. At the cost of his family, this man he had admired had lost his livelihood, and his leg. He had admired the old man for so long as he and Rakil had grown up; so much so that at times of his youth he had held an undeniable envy towards Rakil. He who had a respectable father. Even if he was harsh on Rakil, he was doting and present in Rakil's life; neither of which were characteristics in Reguna's own father.
Reguna was going to ask why Rakil's father couldn't manage to use, with the accumulated knowledge he had, magic to solve way of coming back. Rakil had intervened but Reguna's question was answered when Rakil's father spoke again.

It was then Reguna's face changed from its expression; though it was a questionable one, a mixture of sadness and guilt and anger and confusion and something else entirely. He looked to the fire for solace.

The senate hated his father, this he knew. But his mother…There were rumors claiming she was a mermaid from the coasts. She herself said she was no mermaid, but she was indeed from the sea. A beautiful woman who many, if not all, claimed to have seduced the king. Many scorned her as a vixen, a corruption in the bloodline. His father took no other wives or concubines; his father was never one to mess with women. With some deduction, this meant that his mother was either forced to marry or fell in love with his father. Reguna dissolved the latter and thought the former. This also meant that his father, and inevitably the senate knew of her background and prowess. Reguna's hand went to his throat. He felt ashamed of being ignorant. She had suffered many years unhappily. Rakil's father was wrong about one thing, that the senate had turned his mother against his father; Reguna knew that deep down she probably wanted to kill him herself. The senate probably took advantage of that.
What a pitiable woman. He felt degraded at that; the son of a magic user who was forced to marry a king, an unhappy woman used by corrupted people for traitorous claims.

But why curse him? His eyes didn't leave the fire, and frankly, he didn't have the voice to ask. Did his mother hate him? Then what of the smiles? The time they spent together? Were they lies? Reguna frowned. No, that was a morbid thought. His mother had indeed loved him and she never failed to remind him of that in her dying days. Reguna closed his eyes. Rakil's father did say she was untrained. Then did she make a mistake? If that was the case, then it would make sense as to why the curse was enacted only when Reguna became the king; after all, the curse was probably meant for a king.

He wiped a tear, not knowing that he had been softly crying; he hoped the two had not noticed. He looked to them, his eyes lowered. He wanted to apologize for the misfortunes that had befallen this family, all because his own was messed up.

"I don't know where I learned it, but there's this saying: "While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself". We won't kill the senate off for vengeance. My father was not a bad man, but he was not good. I want to be different. I want to be good." His fist tightened, and he looked at Rakil as if agreement. "With that said, we'll slaughter them all in the sake of light and all that is justice. On my mother's first name, Lady Evergreen," he spoke firmly.

He then stood in front of the old man, taking his wrinkled hand. The last he saw of this man, Reguna was not but a foot shorter than him. Now Reguna stood over him tall. "Thank you, sir, for being loyal to my family, to my mother. You tried to keep her name pure, and with that you have my gratitude. You are very well still a knight of Vasron." With that he bowed his head and let go of the man's hand, looking at him with a sincere look.

 

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

There was a long moment of silence.

I snuck a glance over to after my father said that. He had his gaze on the fire, and tears in his eyes. I glanced back, to meet my father's gaze again-- the old man made a carefully neutral face. He had seen the the tears too, but we both respected Reguna too much to make any comments. The life of a royal, while wealthy, was still rife with problems-- some no commoner could even imagine.

I wondered what he was thinking. Thinking about Gran and his mother, no doubt. I hoped he didn't hate her. No one should have to hate their own mother. I prayed that she had loved him, loved him like a mother should, and the curse was simply an accident in the cast. But there was no way to know.

After a moment of silence longer, Reguna spoke. We both turned out attention to him, listening to him as he spoke of our needed motivations for the bloody task before us. I smiled. For light and for justice, I thought. For Lady Evergreen, and for the good of Vasron.

When Reguna approached my father, taking his hand and thanking him for still being ever loyal to his mother and his kingdom, the old man smiled.

Thank ye, lad. He said in his thick accent-- possibly the one thing the man didn't lose over the years. Tha' means ah loot tah meh. Ah can see booth Gran an Evargren in ye; Yer mothar would be proud o' ye.

I smiled upon seeing this. He had that twinkle in his eyes, the kind of twinkle he got whenever I used to execute a swing properly with my little wooden sword or correctly help put on a piece of armor.

Eventually though, the old man regained his composure. He coughed for a second, though that glitter remained and his smile was hidden by that beard.

He stepped back to consider the both Reguna and I for a second.

If yer gonna take doown th' council, there es one man ye need teh beh wary oof. Th' leader o' the knights, bearer o' the Knight's Law. Ah was due tae take th' seat, but ah ended up stuck 'ere instead. Ah denne ken who holds the seat-- but takin' the Knight out whel be ah challenge, especially if ye denneh want th' rest tae escape. Ah relleh hate tae suggest this, Lass, but ye'll have tae hunt him down when e's alone an challange im' tae a duel tae th' death fer the Law, and Lass, denne let yer gaurd down. E's noot the bearer o' the Knight's Law fer nothin'. Wit' tha' doone, the rest will fall lyke flies.

I listened to his words with a grim look on my face. The bearer of the Knight's Law... that fight could either get me killed, or it could catapult me to a position of immunity among the knights.  

[Greedy Fat Cat]

Okami Ameras

Reguna nodded, letting go of the man's hand as he stepped back. He glanced over to Rakil, the look on his friend's face was undeniably morbid. He lowered his head, his blonde hair covering some of his face. A look of melancholy shadowed his face, if one were to pay attention to it. It had a lot more deeper meaning, but the expression didn't last quickly enough for anyone guess what he was thinking. His fists tightened and he looked at Rakil again.
He knew what Rakil was thinking. A matter of life and death hung around Rakil's father's words and Rakil seemed unsettled about it. Reguna had a look of acceptance, and touched Rakil's arm gently. "I'm also here. I'll be with you. You aren't fighting alone," he said softly, his violet eyes lingering on Rakil's troubled face. It was peculiar how fast he got used to Rakil's feminine face; the shock of seeing his friend again after believed to be dead only to come back as a woman…At some point Reguna knew that he couldn't be hung up about such matters. After all, Reguna was set on the idea that Rakil would be able to turn back.

He then turned back to the father, thinking how best to ask his question. He rubbed his chin before settled with his words. "Sir, as for the matter of Rakil's…womanhood. He says he cannot find a cure for the sorceress's curse, but maybe you are more practiced than he…"

 

[Okami Ameras]

Greedy Fat Cat

It's a duel. I said, still troubled. For the bearer to honor it, I have to fight him alone. I shook my head, before focusing my gaze on Reguna's, his own looking meloncoly for just a moment as well. I mean, sure, you can watch... and don't get me wrong, I am happy that you'd be willing to fight with me. But this it's a matter between knights-- and one of them is a disgraced one at that. I close my eyes and rubbed my forehead. If I want any hope, any, of him accepting I must challange him and face him alone. I paused as I thought hard for a moment, on what I would need to do. Arg... I'd need my old armor and I need to refit it. Thankfully, I have been practicing with Lunar Ray. So I haven't gone out of practice with it...

It was then that Reguna turned and asked my father of the curse that kept me female. The old man considered me for a moment, before gesturing to the table.

Lunar ray, is tha' the' name o' your blade, lass? Bring et 'ere, and lay et on the table.

I nodded and pulled it out of my bag, laying the glowing scimitar on the table. It was long and slender, and curved to a wickedly sharp point. The metal was pale, less silvery and more of a platinum shade, though I knew of it myself to be made of steel. the hilt was gold and brass, with a moonstone set into the pommel.

He reached out to touch the blade, but the blade started to rattle and jump on it's own on the table It glowed more bright, and the man snatched his hand back. He stared at it when the blade calmed, before smiling and starting to laugh.

OY, Lasse! Ah didn't ken that ye were o' th' lunar order! Tha' explains a lot!

Lunar order? My eyebrows furrowed as I lay my hand on the hilt of the blade, and the radiance from the scimitar softened and the rattling stopped.

O' Aye. The knights weren't servants o' the king a first. They were holy warriors, devoted tae serving th' will o' the gods o' sun an' th' moon. He said, looking at the blade. Even tadeh, the knight's still giet blessin's froom th' sun. But tae se ah Lunar blade... nou, that's realleh somethin'. Lunar blades are weapons of magic an' o' madness, of mystery and th' night... whel, an the ladie's, o course. Almost evreh Lunar knight was or ended up as a mighty fine lass!

I blinked at him, my eyes brows going up. He snorted.

Th blade absorbed' the spell, and protected ye from the harmful mental magiks, aye?

I nodded, still dumbfounded at his words.

Whel, I'll tell ye this, lasse. Th' will tae turn ye' back to ah man is in ye. Th' question es, do ye relleh want tae? And whould ye be happeh if ye did?

I frowned at him, my eyebrows furrowed.

Oy, nou, denne give me tha' look. He hobbled forward, putting a hand on my shoulder. Im proud o' ye, lass. Yer still ah fine knight, be ye lad or lasse. Ahn' as a Knight o' th' moon, ye bear yer own Knight's Law, in ah wey. Challange 'im, not as a disgraced knight but as ahn agen' o' aichent justice. If yer will es aligned wit' yer patron, there es nae way ye can fail. Because ah can tell ye right nou, if 'is blade nae glow, his will esn't aligned wit' is'!