Ordella Rushwen

CHAPTER 2 Ankou

No matter how hard he kicked, the dam door would not come down. He had cast himself into four beings before but not the beast of the druids. How this could happen to him and why was his mother not here to help? How could the queen of Sidhe not be able to break a spell cast by a druid, even if he was the last king of old? He was a Faery prince and not just any prince but son of the first Faery king of the Sidhe, the Sith, the SI. His race had many names but the mortals new him personally as the Grim Reaper., Ankou, he was more than what they called him, the only Sith with a soul, if you could call it that. He held the power of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Now thanks to the Druid's spell, that power along with him were split into four and stuck in not the horseman themselves, but their dam steeds instead. Once he could have traveled in the form of War, Pestilence, Death and Famine, but now Hmm mph now all the Sidhe would laugh as he pranced around on four legs as Battle, Celt, Styx, and Nightmare. If the Druid king thought he could tame Ankou he was very wrong indeed.  I will find a way out no matter this spell, and when I do the Druid king best watch himself.

~~~

That night Eldon watched as his wife took her last breath, many hours and all the magic he knew could not save her. She had borne him three beautiful children. She named them all with her last breath, “Eldon?" the king nodded for her to continue. “Elgar is to be the firstborn, Emrys for our second son, and Elvy for my little girl for she must fight the hardest among two brothers I love you Eldon take care my beloved." The king would weep for her later but he knew he had very little time with his eldest child; the elfin queen would not forget her blood oath. Elgar amusing how his wife would name their eldest son so, the king pondered on whether she had known that their firstborn was promised to the elfin queen. As the king thought of her, she appeared.

 “Ah Eldon it seems the time has come, your firstborn?" The king wept silent tears as he handed over his oldest son. “His name is Elgar; I only ask that he keeps the name." The queen looked at him for a long moment " Elgar, noble elf, it suits him just fine he will keep the name Eldon." The king of the Druids thanked her.

 “May I know the names of your other children" The Elfin Queen asked?

"As you wish" the king replied. “The second child's name is Emrys and when he is trained, immortal he will be. As for my daughter, her name is Elvy."

Eglantina smiled " Elvy, elf warrior, we shall see, her heart must be strong if she is to fight what is to come." The Elfin queen turned and walked away caring the sweet child Elgar she will teach him to be a great warrior for he will need his strength to rule when the time comes. She stopped half way down the long corridor “Eldon don't forget I will be watching." And then the Elfin Queen shimmered away.

~~~

Time. Ankou always despised time! It past so slowly in this world. Not as slowly as the Highlands, but still a day here was merely hours in Faylinn, but it seemed like he was drowning in time; six years, it had been since the spell was cast. The king had finally left him alone since not even he could tame the rage within Battle, Celt, Styx, and Nightmare. Ankou was left to himself for entertainment racing each part of himself across the misted fields, eating a great deal of food and causing whatever ruckus he could get himself into, and when he tired of it all he simply rested within the mind and let the nature of each beast take over. Still no man ever dared come too near for fear he might be kicked or snapped at. It was winter when he heard the stable door creek open; he ignored it and went back to eating and lying down.

~~~~~

Elvy was 6 years old the day she had snuck out to the stable. Father had been so busy lately with Emrys and she was bored of the castle, she wanted to see the majestic horses up close for once. They were breathtaking, not even a dull winter coat on one of them. Their coats seemed to glisten in the candle light and their long manes and tails were shiny. Each one was a different color, but all looked like they stood far taller than any horse she had ever seen. If she could have anything for her birthday she would want them, one as pale gold as her own creamy skin, the other as dark as night when there was a new moon in the sky, one a fire red roan so dark its coat matched her own hair, and the last was a pale gray identical to the color of her own eyes. The eyes of the seer is what father said she had, though she had never known what he meant by that. Elvy wanted closer, she wanted to lay her cold hand onto their coats and feel the warmth that radiated off their bodies. Father wasn't here, no one was.  She crept quietly to the stall door, lifted the latch, looked around once more and then squeezed herself into the stall carefully locking it behind her. They had not even lifted their heads, but the dark black twitched its tail at the sound. She stilled, slowed her breath then crept silently to his side. As Elvy knelt between them and laid her hand on the dark black she felt a jolt run up her arm, his skin twitched beneath her palm. His head flew up and he looked her directly in the eyes snorting. Elvy fell back losing her balance knocking into the other three. She froze, she feared to move they were all staring at her. Father had told her there names once; the black was Nightmare, the roan Battle, the one whose coat matched her eyes was Styx and the golden one was Celt.

~~~~~

Ankou stared at the little girl from four pairs of eyes he could tell she was scared of him he could feel her heart racing, but she did not show it. She sat very still breathing slowing looking at him with seer eyes. Her hair fell to her waist, dark curls of reddish brown and skin that glowed like the SI. He tasted the air with his tongue, she was mortal; the druids blood ran in her veins. It must be one of his children but she did not resemble the king, she looked like a Fae child with the eyes of the great seers of the elfin warriors. Interesting very interesting, he wondered if she held the power of the beast to understand their language. There was only one way to find out.

~~~~~

“Hello child" Elvy twitched, it sounded like a voice in her head. The black Nightmare stared at her more closely and she heard it again “Hello child, yes it is me, your father calls me Nightmare, can you speak the language of the beast as well as hear us child."

Elvy was not sure how to answer aloud or in her mind. She stuttered a reply “Y yes." Nightmare snorted again “Use your mind around us child we understand you out loud but it is quite safer to speak within the mind, plus you will need practice if you wish to talk to us from within the castle walls."  

"Are you going to hurt me" Elvy whispered in her head.

“No" came the response. “What is your name Child?"

She replied “Elvy, my names in Elvy."

“Well Elvy my name is Ankou I live within the four beasts before you."

"Are you trapped?" asked Elvy.

Ankou replied “Yes, would you like to hear a story little one."

Elvy sat up straighter “I am not little; I am six years old now I am a lady warrior."

Ankou laughed. The little girl had spirit in her, he liked that spirit. “Well Elvy do you want to hear a story or not?"  He watched as Elvy scrunched her brows together and propped her head on her hand

“Yes" she replied “I want to hear a story."

"Very well then are you ready? It is a story of a Faery prince and how he loved to play tricks on people, until one day his mother decided it was time his games stopped and he became what he was born to be, the holder of the Four Horsemen; War, Pestilence, Death, and Famine. The Faery prince became the Grim Reaper. His job was to carry the souls of the dead between the worlds, years and years went by and the Faery prince's soul slowly disappeared. The queen, his mother watched from afar and decided that the Fae should not bother carry souls of their own she cast a spell so strong that it turned all the Faery into true Immortal beings; ones without a soul, and with no soul there was no heart to love with. However it was too late for the Faery prince. You see Elvy the prince lived so long with his soul that the very things his soul had seen turned his heart into cold sith ice; nothing would ever make it beat again. So the Prince drove the souls between worlds until one day he came upon a Druid king of old. The old king had saved his wife from death many times and the prince had come to collect the soul that was owed. The king you see did not like the prince so he cast a spell so powerful that it banished the prince into the beast in which the horsemen rode. Do you know the names of the beast of the four horsemen Elvy?"

The child looked him in the eyes and shook her head back and forth.

“Then I shall tell you their names. The strongest of them was War's great steed; Battle was his name. Next to his strength was Celt for he could withstand the harshest lands. Famine rode the fastest of the four; his name was Styx. The last beast, ridden by Death himself, born from the deepest hole in the underworld as black as any night sky, was Nightmare, a beast so fierce that even the hell hounds cowered at his feet."  Elvy raised her palm toward Nightmare the steed of death and caressed his velvet nose.

“Are you the Faery prince from the story?" She asked. Ankou drew back into the beast mind to think, the child was smart she was not afraid of him, of course he could make her afraid, but he somehow enjoyed the company of the small child. She was intelligent for her young age. An idea formed in his mind, to turn this child against her father.  What a great revenge that would be! He would befriend Elvy listen to her, be there for her, the Faery prince she would dream about, and when the time came, she would rule Thun'Dar and Ankou would be by her side when it happened. He laughed inside is head. “Yes Elvy I am the Faery prince from the story."