King of Spades

Breakfast

One of the best feelings in the world was being woken up by the smell of delicious breakfast. When it was your favorite breakfast, well, that's when you get out of bed at the speed of sound.

This, of course, applied to Delune. When she smelled bacon and maple syrup in the morning, she was out of bed quicker than a spooked rabbit.

Throwing on a daytime dress, Delune slid down the stairs (which were conspicuously covered in leaves), and hung a right into the kitchen. Delune grabbed a donut from atop a counter and sprinted into the dining room, taking her place opposite Argan at the table. She bit into the chocolate donut, grinning.

"Where did you get that donut?" Argan demanded, leaning forward in his seat.

"The kitchen. I'm so short the chefs don't even notice when I slide through on my socks. The floor is so clean they don't even get dirty!" Delune rambled, chomping on the donut. The chairs, ornate as they were, were comfortable for the petite but muscular lady. While waiting for the food, Delune liked to trace the curves on the back and arms of the chair, carved in by expert craftsmen. They were remnants from when the castle was first built, a testament to the sturdiness.

"Well it's not my fault I'm so tall! I'm 9 and already 5 feet!" Argan crossed his arms angrily, sighing.

"Yeah, you're a freak." Delune giggled, finishing the donut. She wiped her hands on the cloth napkin at her seat, placing it delicately next to her plate. At 12 years old, she was already as mature and polite as her mother.

Argan scowled, shuffling his feet. Delune grinned, and at that moment some servers came out of the kitchen with bacon, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. They set the trays down in front of the children, who eagerly leaned forward to grab the delicious treats off the hot plates. Delune grabbed two strips of bacon, two spoonfuls of diced potatoes, and a small amount of scrambled eggs. Argan was not so delicate, he snatched as much of the food that he could get his grubby little hands on. When the waiters left the room, they returned with toast and butter. The room smelled of bacon and toast, a delicious start to the morning.

"It's real goodf!" Argan said, his mouth full of eggs. Delune rolled her eyes, shoveling another spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. Other people started shuffling into the dining room, grabbing their hot meals from the stacks on the side of the room and heading to the banquet hall to eat. Most of them were going to be returning to their respective towns, and these meals were designed to be eaten quickly. Delune watched the crowd, seeing important people, like the mayor of Credeniza and his wife, Charlotte. They had two daughters, who were about Sol's age. The daughters were conspicuously absent at last night's party, which Delune was quite disappointed by. They were lovely to speak to, for Credeniza had lovely beaches around a perfect lake to swim in.

When a particular pair of goofy teens entered the breakfast hall, Delune jumped out of her seat and ran over to give them a hug. Alastor and Reese, the twins from different mothers, who always appeared at these types of parties.

"Hey Squirt, how's it going?" Alastor gave her a big hug, lifting her off the ground as much as he could manage, which was a lot because Delune was abnormally short.

"Alastor, you know that I'm only 7 years younger than you." Delune hugged Reese after Alastor set her down. They both smelled of chestnuts and pine, with regular clothes on. Delune normally saw them after a hunt, which then smelled like horse and leather. This was a nice change, she supposed.

"Woah, you've gotten tall since I last saw you!" Reese exclaimed, patting her on the head.

"Reese, you know as well as I that you saw me last month," Delune crossed her arms defensively, a grin on her face.

"Well it seems like it's been forever-" Alastor was cut off by Argan, who ran over to say hello. Argan ran into him with full force, trapping him in a hug. Caught off guard, Alastor let out a gasp, stumbling back. When Argan finally let him go, he was out of breath.

"Can you guys sit with us?" Argan begged, grabbing Reese's arm and pulling him over to the table. Alastor giggled, picking him up and swinging him around.

"Sorry Sprout, we gotta go back to Deerfield today- we're expected to teach a few classes on wild hunting and gathering." Reese explained, ruffling Argan's wild hair.

"Awwww..." The children chorused, hands on their hips.

"We better get going, but I promise we'll be back next month!" Alastor wrapped both of them in a big hug, squeezing them together. They grabbed their to-go meals and exited the dining room. Argan and Delune ran back to their seats, finishing the breakfast. Today was a weekend, which meant horseback riding and archery for Delune. She had no clue what Argan did on Saturdays, but it obviously wasn't anything pertaining to horses, because she never saw him down at the stables.

Delune stood up and left through the kitchen, waving smugly at Argan. She snatched another donut and bolted out the door, grinning.

***

As searing pain shot through their leg, Sol made their way through the forest slowly and silently. Without their cloak, the cold wind pierced their shoulders and ran through their entire body, sending a chill down their spine. They had planned to keep their cloak on today, having worn a black and blue shirt underneath, with holes cut out of the shoulders. It was meant for a late summer or early fall day, but it was later in the year. The sun seemed to be doing little to mitigate the temperature.

A glimmer of hope flashed through Sol as they saw the very top of the castle, and a guard tower. At least now they knew for sure that the path they were on was the correct one, and that if they bled out on the ground their body would be found easily. Sol stopped for a moment to take a breath, resting their hands on the stick. They dropped the sword onto the ground, a soft metal clang hitting the soft grassy earth. The sword sliced through the grass as if it were butter, leaving a cut in the path.

The cut on Sol's leg dripped onto the blade, where it instantly seeped into the metal. A red mark appeared on the blade, and when Sol picked the sword up, they felt their hand grow stronger. For a split second, they felt as if the blade was somehow enhancing their hand like a piece of armour blocking a blow. The feeling quickly dissipated when they took another step, feeling the awful pain shocking back up their body.

"Goddamnit-" They cursed, trying to continue forward. The forest seemed to be mocking them when the wind rustled the trees, the birds squawking as their branches were rustled.

As the castle neared, Sol felt more and more dizzy. The sword started to drag behind them, cutting through the grassy path. Blood roared in their ears, the beating of their own heart drowned out the shouts of what had to be people at the castle.

"Sol! There they are!" A voice screamed, distant and slowed. Sol caught a glimpse of the castle gate, right before they fell to their knees. They heard loud footsteps as someone ran over to them as they fell flat on the ground. They felt someone roll them over, throwing the stick and sword to the side. Sol blinked in the daylight, looking up at Savern. His hair fell over them, and for a moment Sol felt a pang of attraction to the boy. The feeling quickly disappeared, however, when they remembered the blood on their leg.

Distant, they heard two thumps on the ground as another figure appeared above them. Savern moved away, making room for whoever had just climbed over the gate. Their vision spun. They felt strong hands hold their head, lifting it up off the ground.

"Sol? Sol!" They heard their father's deep voice shout in their ears, distant yet as close as you could be to someone, "talk to me- please." His voice cracked as he hugged them close to his chest.

Sol coughed, struggling to keep their eyes open, "I'm- I got hit really bad- my leg-" Sol stutters, wincing.

"Let's get you to the infirmary." The king picked Sol up, who was extremely close to passing out at this point. They heard the gate creak open, spotting the guards out of the corner of their eyes as they were carried to the infirmary. Their eyelids felt heavy as they struggled to stay awake, to keep consciousness. As the world slowly morphed to darkness, a final shout echoed in their ears, "Wolf pack!"