Tales from across the Veil; Princes of Pain

Both men sighed a long sigh. Never had the fear of battle touched them as hard as it had this day. Maric stood to the left, his enemy, Leoland to the right. Over thirty thousand men and women lay dead around them. The onlookers of the battle, mostly the dying and innocent, watched as the two Princes clashed swords time and time again. Steel slammed against steel, the ringing echoed through the Valley of Trian, up to the fortress palace of Minithria.

"Give in, Maric. You will lose," Leoland whispered to Maric as he locked swords with him. "We are supperior over you." Maric brought up his knee and ramed it deep into Leoland's plate armor, which was hard enough to break bones with any amount of force. But, Prince Maric was different than the others, special, as it were.

Leoland flew backwards nearly twenty feet before the rock wall stopped him. He rose to his feet cursing the young Prince.

"Leo, you can put your sword down any time you want to," Maric said as he stripped himself of his own specially made sword. He also removed his dagger, and his helmet. Maric's long snow-white hair floated down to about his mid back. He took off his steel bracers and gauntlets and let them fly across the Valley. "I will win, even with no weapons."

"The Fericacus are dead," Leoland said as he took off his golden helmet. His shaven head glew effortlessly in the sunlight. "Your army is gone," his armor hit the rocks under him. "Your father is dead on the throne, with Balinor stuck in his heart." Leoland said as he took a few steps back.

"Leo, your race may be larger than us, but we will win."

"This is no time for talk," the Kelion prince said as he snapped his knuckles back into place. "You will die, pup!" Leoland charged forward, his half-ton body turned into a moving projectile as he rocketed towards Maric. Maric, using his precognition, sensed what was going to happen before Leoland had time to change his mind.

Maric's long, slender, claws burst forth from the finger tips on his right hand. It was hard to tell what happened next, and even now people still argue about the next event. Maric brought his claw-hand up so fast, it broke the speed of sound. The razor sharp claws penetrated just under Leoland's throat, flipping on backwards several meters before he landed.

Before he had time to correct his error, Maric was already on him. He jumped once, cleared the seven meters to Leoland, and in mid-air shifted into his wolf. The Wolven prince landed, claws down, on his enemy. The sharp claws of the large white wolf cut the Kelion heavy leather like butter. Leoland groaned and grabbed Maric by the fur on the back of his neck and threw him against the opposite rock wall. The wolf yelped when he hit, and was in enough shock to not counter when the rocks fell on him.

"The wolf is dead," Leoland said turning, his deep voice bellowed through the Valley into the ranks of the Kelion Royal Army. "The Wolven Realm is ours!" His soldier screamed loudly as he ran his hands up the length of his long horns. He walked over to where his armor lay upon the ground, thinking of the throne back home in the city of Kel, far across the Kelion Sea.

The rubble moved however, unknown to him, his pray still lived. Maric broke free from the fallen rocks and lauched himself onto Leoland's back. His long fang went deep into the Kelion's neck, his bright red blood flowed quickly into Maric's jaws. As Leoland struggled, he bled more. He raised his head up high and screamed as he fell to his knees. He hit the ground hard enough to fracture one of his horns. His heart stopped beating, his body grew cold.

Maric walked backwards off the body, what remained of the Wolven army cheered loudly. Their Prince, one of the few werewolves left in the Wolven Realm soundly defeated Prince Leoland Fang-Tzu. Maric changed back into his human form, his eyes changed back to their bright blue color, his hair retreated back to its position in mid-back.

"Leo, your father would be pissed at you right now. You know he made an alliance with us after Aka'senti was slain by Eclipse. Your actions have damned my people; but they are your actions alone," he turned, "Kelion Legations, return to Kel and tell Steward Riodan that this one has died because of his actions. Your people will not be held responsiable for him."

Maric turned back to the bronze-skinned giant who still bled from the fang marks on the back of his neck. He let his claws out once more and dug them into the heart of the fallen giant. With a groan, he drew them back and motioned for his only living commander; one of the legendary Rangers of the West.

"Yes, sire?"

"Ranger, dispose of this body the way my great-grandfather would have."

"Does he deserve that, sir?"

"Yes, he was a good friend until all this. Burn him."