This Bleeding Earth

The gathering storm

"I know what I saw!"

"I hear you, my dear." Amusement was written across his plump face. "Now, run along and tell the children your tale. Mayhaps they will enjoy it more than I."

"Baron Junus, with respect. When was the last time you left the castle? I am a castle scout, I live and breathe the world beyond those ramparts. I know this island like the back of my hand, every tree, every stream, every hill. I fought five of those beasts." She practically spat the last word. "They were soldiers of the Falcon King. From before."

Gasps could be heard all around the throne room at the mention of an ancient enemy. Baron Junus scoffed. "Now you're simply not making any sense. You claim not only to have encountered five, dare I say it- Rizaks." Junus crossed himself. "But they were simply out for, what can only be described as, an afternoon stroll. And then you slew them all single handedly! You!" The crowd erupted into laughter and Junus joined them, patting his grotesquely large belly. Tula clenched her fists, top lip twitching in fury. They didn't believe her, despite the proof she had brought. The white marble of the walls had never seemed so dark to her. Before she could explode at the baron, the man at the throne's foot spoke up. "Father, are you sure you can disregard Tula's account so swiftly? I have never seen such a talon, nor feather belong to any hawk," he said.

"My boy! It's simply ludicrous. The creatures she speaks of have not been seen on this side of the ocean for hundreds of years!"

The tall, dark-skinned man looked up at his father earnestly as he spoke. That was the only way to reason with a man of such arrogance, and while Tula knew this, she was too proud to employ such tactics. "You say true, father." The man replied. "However, to satisfy both parties would it not be prudent to send a party to assess the remains of those reportedly slain?" Junus made no reply, but adopted a thoughtful look and began to stroke his beard.

"We could conduct a thorough scout of the forest- it's been years since it was last fully surveyed. And it must be said that there have been worrying rumours from the coast of late." The tall man finished.

"Rumours! RUMOURS! From whom? I would know if there are foreigners in my lands!" Junus shouted, his voice echoing around the room.

"Why make a statement like that, dear baron. Then proceed to mock my account?" Tula asked quietly. Junus's head jolted back in Tula's direction, jowls wobbling. He fixed her with a furious glare. "Spare me your insolence, you foolish girl! This lobby is ended! I will hear no more!" With that proclamation, he hopped down from the throne and barged through a door in the back wall of the room. Chatter arose from the galleys as people gradually took their leave.

The tall man approached Tula, smiling. "Silvan." She bowed her head slightly.

"Tula. I tried, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned the rumours, I know how much he hates talk of the outside world." Silvan replied pensively. They cut quite the contrast. Tula in her scuffed and ragged cape of brown, Silvan in a noble outfit of blue and silver. Her head alive with spun gold, his head absent of any hair at all. Yet, they were friends and valued eachother's opinions greatly, hence Silvan's concern. "What you say is true?" He asked casually.

Tula nodded. He dwelled on this momentarily. "Come with me." Silvan said eventually. They left the throne room and headed into the outer courtyard. It was approaching midday and was appropriately busy with townsfolk and merchants. Their haggling was loud enough without the braying of horses and hammering of the blacksmith at his anvil added to the cacophony.

As Silvan and Tula threaded their way through the throng, it became clear that the people now had a juicy rumour to gossip over too. Tula ignored any prying comments and continued to follow her friend, around whom the crowd parted like a knife through hot butter, given his noble stock. However, their expressions changed from reverence to suspicion when they looked from Silvan to Tula. The most enigmatic of the castle's scouts was a much mistrusted figure in the public eye of the south. Her irregular routines were to blame for this and it could be easily rectified if that was what she wished to do. No doubt the rumours would stop almost instantly and she would be spared the general unfriendliness she received. But where was fun in that? It amused her that she could strike fear into men's hearts that were twice her size. And besides, her irregular routines were what made her the best scout. Who else covered as much ground as her? Who else knew the face of every pebble, and the sigh of every breeze on this island? Most of the other scouts didn't even spend a night out of the castle grounds. They were too fond of a comfy bed and a warm hearth. So as she passed the townsfolk, Tula decided that they could keep their suspicions. She had no motivation to relieve them of it.