Black Pearl

Chapter 16

I didn't know what to expect of the werewolf kingdom, perhaps dens that the beasts could sleep in and a very basic society. To be fair, I had no idea what a werewolf really was. Sure, I understood the premise, but were they hairy all the time? Did they have awkwardly shaped legs, even when the moon was hidden? What about barely concealed jagged teeth?

But, the werewolf kingdom was almost an exact copy of the human one I had just left. After we packed up in the morning, we plodded through farmer's plots where humans tilled their crops. I stared blatantly, trying to see if there was anything inhuman about them, but was unable to spot anything.

The town was similar too. They had dress shops and merchants selling spices and gems, just the same. There were no hairy men, no claw marks on doors, no food bowls outside. It was all so...normal.

"I was hoping for more," I whispered to Jacob as we approached the palace- again, not that different from the one I had grown used to.

"Trust me, when you see a wolf shift, you'll wish for less. The sound is like nothing you can describe and seeing the bones move is awful," he assured, then shuddered.

We rode our horses around the palace, by passing the front entrance. I didn't think anything of it until I saw a man trying to wave down Leo. And the way that Leo blatantly ignored him. The man, dressed in a fancy doublet, glared, but did not follow us.

No one said anything as we entered a beautiful garden, the royal gardens no doubt, but the tension was mounting. I had sensed early on that Leo was not a fan of the werewolf community, but now I wished I had inquired more before agreeing to this journey. And it came to a peak when we approached a man wielding a bow, the arrow pointed at a bale of hay, a red cloth in the center.

I found myself holding my breath, waiting for the arrow to release and pierce the fabric.

But a small knife was embedded in the fabric first, piercing the straw with a thump after it cartwheeled through the air.

It took me a moment to process what happened, but when I saw Leo smirking, I knew.

The man didn't even flinch though. He let out a little sigh as if peeved, then his fingers released the tension in the string. The arrow soared and landed dead center in the fabric.

"Only a human would feel brave enough to do something like that, a very dumb, arrogant human," the man murmured, turning around to face us. 

I studied him quickly. He was the opposite of Leo. While Leo was strong, but slender, this man was a hulking mass of muscles with dark hair that was neatly combed back, clean clothes from the finest material, and serious, somber eyes.

"You are the one that requested I come out here and meet with you, King Archer," Leo pointed out. "If it were up to me, I would be continuing my own training with my own guards. You can't blame me for wanting to have a little bit of fun among all of the politics."

A man approached King Archer and he relinquished his bow and quiver without a second thought. I watched with awe and curiosity when the man scuttled away, behaving so differently than Leo's men acted.

"I asked you to come and discuss pressing concerns with me, not attempt to demonstrate your combat skills. Though I can certainly see why the human race is becoming such an issue if they all behave like you," Archer mused.

"Humans are doing nothing wrong and you forget that I am not the only human ruler. My people are nothing if not peaceful."

"Ah, yes so peaceful and kind. Is that why the trolls moved to the desert? Because you were all too kind to them? Is that why you decided to camp out last night, instead of going to Riverstead and staying in an inn? Riverstead is a human town under your control, is it not? You should have no issues staying there."

"You had us watched!" Leo seethed.

"Of course, I am king. When my men find a group of humans making camp, they report it to me. It's my job to know what goes on in my kingdom, just as it is your job to know about the happenings in yours. I understand that your older brother was groomed for this, however-"

"Leave my brother out of this!"

In an act of fury, Leo threw himself out of the saddle, landing hard on his feet. I had never seen him behave so impulsively, and knowing that he had concealed that little dagger all the way here, I worried about what else might be tucked underneath some clothing. Was Archer armed as well? Or would I see the wolves that Jacob was talking about while these two fought out their differences?

Before either men could make another move, the sound of thundering hooves pulled our attention away from the dispute.

A monster of a horse was kicking up dirt with each long stride. The thick mane was blown in the wind, the horse charging forward with confidence, the rider upon his back barely touching the reins, allowing the beast to storm forward. An instant before the horse would've plowed through our small herd, the rider pulled it to a stop. The massive hooves were dug in, the steed skidding to a stop.

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea you would be arriving so early in the morning." The voice was higher pitched than I expected and I could only blink when the slender figure slipped off the mighty horse, blue eyes blinking up at me.

It was a woman. A woman wearing men's clothes, riding like a man would. Why on Earth was I riding sideways if I could have just ridden like her?

Suddenly, she felt the tension. Her smile tightened. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Of course not, my love," Archer assured. "Prince Leo just arrived."

"Did your fiancée join you? I know that it must've been a hard journey-"

"She's here," Leo stated, pointing at me. "King Archer, would you like to continue accusing me of being an incompetent ruler?"

I could see Archer's jaw tightening as the challenge was slapped in his face. There was something cold and reserved about him, but everyone had a breaking point and it seemed that Leo knew just how to push people.

"You're wearing pants!" I blurted, gesturing to Queen Willow.

"Oh, yes of course, they're much easier to ride in," she said, nodding eagerly. "But I have to say that I love your dress. If I had a gown like that, I wouldn't complain about riding side-saddle ever again. You must tell me where you had it made."

"Oh." I carefully slid off of Pirate's back, turning ever so slightly so she could see more of my creation. "I actually sewed it myself." Pride swelled within me.

"You did not!" she gasped.

"I did. I have an even nicer dress, but it's unfortunately soaked through at the moment. You see, I had a tumble into the river, which is why we are a day late. It was a horrible mess, really. But, now I'm wondering if it could've been avoiding if I was wearing trousers like yours. It must be so much easier to ride that way and to maintain your balance."

"Oh, human men do not respond well to women who dress like them," Willow said, something dark falling over her features. Then she seemed to realize that she was treading dangerously close to the territory that we had just swam away from. "I'm sure if you can sew this well that you can fashion yourself something beautiful and functional. I have dozens of breeches, you can take a couple pairs with you and recreate them if you'd like."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Perfect." She cast a sympathetic smile at Leo's guards. "Surely your men don't want to be hearing all about our fashion choices. How about we get the horses in the stable, get everyone settled, and tomorrow the four of us can go for a stroll through our gardens and get to know each other."

I nodded along and Queen Willow and I walked side by side, chatting like old friends while the men- princes and kings included- followed behind silently.

~~~Distraction Section~~~

I don't know if any of you have read The First Queen, but writing Willow from the outside made me super happy! I have always loved her more than I should have and I missed her.

Question of the Day: When was the last time you went to a library?