King of Blood

Chapter 2 - Lyanna

The human world was nothing like what she had predicted. The last report from the human realm had been written half a century before even her father came into the world.

Talk of moving metal boxes that clicked and popped as they trotted down paved streets, females blending with the males with their unusually short hair, the only distinction between them and the males the skirts they wore stopping at the ankles, even then, their fits boxy and masculine. Those weapons that could fire small metal projectiles at such a speed to pass right through a man's heart.

She was not afraid though; contrarily, Lyanna marvelled at their advancements, her own world suck in the times of candlelight and religious dominance.

When she arrived at the rundown apartment that the king had arranged for her, a familiar face stood at the door to greet her, his large giant-inherited frame filling the doorway.

"Alistair." She hummed a sigh of relief as she threw herself at the guard in a warm embrace. His wide arms came around her, holding her to his chest and lifting her from the ground.

"You made it in one piece then?" He laughed as he released her and welcomed her into the small quarters.

"Barely, what are those things that fly down the walkways in such a hurry." The giant pointed towards the couch and headed behind a half wall to check on a glass pot of some form of dark liquid.

"They're cars." He told her with a chuckle.

"They're cars? I thought there were very few of those, and weren't they slower?" Alistair nodded, pouring the steaming liquid into two plain ceramic mugs.

"They were," he told her, making his way back to her side. "When that report was written." He nodded towards the file she had placed on the small table before her as he handed her the mug and took a seat on the opposing couch.

"They seem like death traps." She mumbled. The giant laughed and took a sip from the mug in his hand, Lyanna mirroring him. As she swallowed the liquid she coughed, her eyes watering as her friend fell into hysterics. "What on earth is that?" She demanded, unamused by his giggling.

"Coffee. You get used to it, I promise." She scrunched her nose in doubt and placed the mug down on the table beside the papers.

"Will you be staying?" She asked but the giant looked down.

"Afraid not, the king has sent for my return to the gate. I was only to gather the information on the White Knight and procure the things you'll need in order to stay, though, I can assist you if you require." He placed down his own drink. "He says that 'I am to be at your every disposal'. Lyanna pulled a mocking face.

"How very serious." He gave a soft laugh as he began to play with his fingers in his lap.

"So... what is this mission anyway? He wouldn't tell me anything." Lyanna's mouth turned dry as her lips pressed into a thin line.

"He wants me to kill him." Even the words made her nauseous. Alistair's brows knitted together in disgust.

"That doesn't seem very gallant."

"No. It doesn't."

"But you'll do it?" He asked with a raised brow, a hint of hope in his voice that she would finally stand up to Aleksander's tyranny.

"What choice do I have, Alistair?" The giant recoiled in his chair.

"But he did listen to you one time, perhaps he will again if you were to only try. Surely, he can't expect you to kill a defenceless man at his weakest?"

"He not only expects it, he demands it." She told him, repeating the king's own words. "Besides, his days of listening to me are long over."

He told her there was a pouch of human money on the sideboard and clothes in the wardrobe before he left with a forlorn twitch in his eye. If it was up to him, he would disobey the king's orders (as he would have many) and remained with Lyanna until she sent him away of her own accord. After all, as a member of the army, he answered to her and the king alone. Unlike many of the soldiers in his army, Alistair remembered a time where the king, then the young prince, would visit the Gernovia training camp. He would spar with the boys, oversee their training and make notes of their regime so that he could incorporate their activities into his own training. Both Aleksander and his mother believed that it was vital that a ruler should understand their army. Who was to have known that in doing so, it would have made him one of the highest trained weapons in the country. He had toyed with the idea in his head that one day someone could overthrow him. Lyanna may possess the skills to beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Alistair himself might have a fair chance. But unfortunately, Aleksander still had supporters in his country, in all honesty he was a good ruler. His people are happy and well fed. The common people would not take kindly to unrest in their lives when they themselves see no need. And so, he returned to the court, his treasonous thoughts tucked away safely in his mind.