Feathers of Bravery

Aihla

It took maybe about two hours of ear numbing ranting from Jess and Meylo after I spoke about my plans to find the nests or base of these pirates. In the beginning they all intently listened to what I thought would be the best course of action. Every one at the table agreed that it was the best option. It wasn't until I said that I would take a handful of fighters with me to find this base that their voices overlapped.

Jess and Meylo were the loudest but it came as a surprise that the rest were on their side too. While they agreed to send a troop of them to scouts and take them out, no one wanted to risk me going with them and getting hurt. Or worst.

Truth is I didn't really want to go. We still had one more night to deal with these pirates and the last thing I wanted to do was leave them. However I was feeling that same thing I had felt when I was performing the second spell. The one I had never done before. Actually, these last three that I have done I had only ever read about. I never actually done it in action let alone practiced them.

Yet the moment the thought of their nest came to mind it was a call that was stronger than that of a mother to her hatchling. The more I tried to fight it the bigger the throb in my head would get. Deep down, my instincts told me that although I should be wary of it, I shouldn't fight it.

For what ever reason, I still didn't want to tell Jess or Meylo about it. Jess is still watching me closer than ever since I fell from the sky in Riverira and the night I woke up screaming. If I told her about this then she would do everything she could to forbid me from doing any magick and perhaps try to keep me from fighting. I wouldn't even past her from insisting that we head home straight away.

Meylo is just as frightened as Jess. It wasn't until a week ago that he just started to believe in magick. If not for bandits then he would still think it was a fairytale. He didn't know what was normal and what wasn't. In terms, he was not different than a hatchling. We could tell him anything and he would essentially have to believe it. So if I told him that this was happening then, well I just don't want my friend to become scared of me.

Instead of talking with them about this I tried to reason with them in a different way.

"Look, they raid every year right? Mason did you ever pay attention to the pirates that came? See anyone new or were they all the same as the year that came before?" I asked hoping to hear what I wanted.

At my question he looks up but is thinking. "Uh, forgive me miss but I never thought to actually focus on their faces. Like I mentioned, my only priority was to keep my people safe. Once they were hidden I found a place for myself as well. So no, I never saw any faces. It wasn't until my people were getting hurt that I tried to fight back, I'm sorry I can't help."

My father taught me to never make any assumptions about anything especially your enemy. Occasionally though you would have to anticipate their next move. When I was young it always sounded like you simply had to guess.

There were at least three things that I was absolutely sure I didn't want to do. The first was that I didn't want to go behind my friends' back and sneak off when they're not looking to find the base. I couldn't do that to them. I would feel like I would be betraying them somehow. In doing this, they would either spend their whole focus worrying about me and it could lead to something in the fight. Or, they would try to follow me and then Meer wouldn't have their help which could also be fatal for the birds that we are trying to help here.

The second was that I knew that finding this pirate base and eliminating it was the best possible solution in order for Meer to have its freedom. Due to the thickness of the forest, the danger of bandits was nothing to be concerned about. It was bad enough that they have had to deal with this way of life for who knows how long. Mason could argue that these pirates have never hurt anyone until recently but waiting every year for the raid was no peaceful life.

The third was that I needed to come up with a plan to get them to agree to let me go because the call and need to go was getting stronger with every passing minute.

"Everyone, if you could please give me a moment with Meylo please?" Jess looked to me recognizing the tone of voice I used. One I had learned from my mother. It was the diplomatic but power wielding.

They all nodded and began excusing themselves and as much it pained me I truly meant to be alone with him. I'll have my own talk with Jess.

"Jess, you too amica. I'll come find you when I'm done. I promise." I had to stand fast when I saw the look of hurt and confusion flash in her eyes. Thankfully though she nodded and joined the others.

Once the doors shut I took a big deep breath. I almost laughed when I saw Meylo's posture. He looked like a hatchling about to be scolded by their parent. A few more seconds of silence passed before I finally spoke, trying to gather my words properly.

"Meylo, granted you are a male, a crow and from Baldir but no less a prince of royalty. You and I both know that sometimes the king and queen at some point will have to make the difficult choice of war..."

"Woah, woah Aihla! War? Sure we've fought against a Kijod, bandits and now pirates but I wouldn't call this war. Isn't that a bit well overboard?" he interjects.

A sigh leaves my beak before I burst his bubble. "Meylo what was happening before you were brought to the forest where we met? Were you having a good nap?"

I know he had told us that he and the queen were celebrating with a toast for a good deal done with Jonis but that was interrupted when their palace was attacked. By some invisible force. Jess and I were in the middle of training when the bells sounded and we too had our palace attacked. Call me dramatic sure but...

"Meylo, I may not like politics but unless I'm missing something these... whoever they are, attacked both our palaces and may be responsible for our kidnapping. This wasn't some market or village in our kingdom but within the walls of our home itself. Is that not a treason and a declaration of war?" I reasoned.

His silence tells me that he's beginning to see my point. So I continue.

"For how long have we wanted to do more than just sit on the throne? To make a difference? Now we can and are. I'm not saying I don't trust these fighters that are going but to them it's just another raid. I mean look at Riverira. Both of us have been told that all altrikas had been destroyed and now these bandits who were no educated than hatchling possessed one. How did they get their wings on it in the first place?

Like Meer, Riverira had been dealing with these troubles for a long time but it wasn't until recently that they have taken violence to a whole new level. The soldiers from there told us that they too went to look for where the bandits where coming from. They were trying to build more altrikas but they managed to stop them and now those who aren't in custody are dead. Riverira is now free. Meer isn't."

As he shook his head, I knew that I won him over. Even if he still didn't like the idea of me going. Now all I had to do was convince Jess.