Princess of the Wolves

Chapter Twenty-Two

So many things happened politically and militarily, but nothing happened with the social situation at the castle. Dimitri took to not talking to me unless he needed something, and he was angry, confused, and discouraged. The Dark forces were growing at an alarmingly rapid pace. The rebels were making their way up the coast straight for the castle. The seasons had changed yet nothing else had changed. Dimitri never asked forgiveness for the day in the hall, but I let it go even though it stung a lot. The rebels and soldiers called to surround their encampment had been in a struggle for weeks. The rebels had been pushing up towards the castle. It was a rough battle, because it wasn't easy to kill a werewolf in his wolf form while the mortal body was as fragile as a human's. These battles I heard about from here and around the world were not appalling to me as they would be for my mother, but instead, a fighting spirit rose from deep within me. It was like an unquenchable fire burning deep within me that called me to join in fight. Breaking the ordinance allowing no one in or out, one early spring day was a group of three wolves. There was one that was older with salt and pepper hair and deep-set wrinkles on his forehead. The next was a girl who was probably about my age had a full head of dark red hair that reminded me of a leaf that changed colors in autumn. I had never an actual or authentic autumn, but I had experienced all of the seasons. The castle was enchanted by natural magic that allowed the land surrounding the perimeter to experience all four seasons and for trees and shrubs and flowers that weren't native to the top of Alaska to grow. It was beautiful now, left to my own devices, it felt unreal and unnatural to me. I hadn't been outside of the castle in months, but to a wolf, it felt like fifty years. The final member of the three was a small boy of about eight with a naive face and a grin that was missing a lot of teeth. The other two had serious expressions and were standing in an offensive pose. They knew that this would not be a fun meeting; it could be read off of the two's faces.
"To what do I owe this lovely visit friends,?" the king said. He sounded sarcastic, rude, and annoyed.
"They come about every year..." Genna whispered to me. I had only seen her from afar since the vampire had been kicked out. She smiled a reserved yet warm smile, but I knew that on the inside she felt like a prisoner in a dungeon locked away.
"Please your highness save your jokes," the crimson haired girl responded coldly, "We only wish for your council about the incoming problem of the Dark forces and the Rebels. We believe that there must be a connection."
"Do you think," I surprised myself with my own voice and by standing up, "Do you think that the rebels are a part of the dark forces?"
"Sit down!" Dimitri commanded from his throne across the room.
The three turned towards me and put their backs to Dimitri and the King. The man spoke next, "We are not sure princess, but we have strong suspicion to believe that is true."
"Grayson," the king lazily called out, causing the group to turn back around, "Why do you bother us every year?"
"What we want is not different from the past," the older man, Grayson, replied.
The girl's voice rose next to meet Grayson's tone, "We only want recognition by the throne that our pack of fighters, the Resistance, will not be tormented by your soldiers should we be in a fight with your forces." The words resistance threw wood into the fire inside of me. I wanted to be apart of it desperately. I felt like I was not passive but a fighter wanting to break out. It was exhilarating to think about but hurt to know it could never be.
"If we agree, will you leave us alone?" Dimitri asked, annoyed.
"Yes," the three even the boy responded.
"We will discuss and return," the king said, getting up taking Dimitri with him. Dimitri stared broodingly at me, so I gave him a weak smile. It was like I didn't know him anymore or I had just met him. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. After the king and Dimitri had left, I couldn't control my urge to go and speak to all of them. As I got up to get to the center of the room, all eyes, Genna's, and the guards' looked at me. The Queen wasn't present, so I didn't have to worry about a lecture afterwards.

The crimson-haired girl walked over to me to greet me, offereing her hand. "Hello," I said I shook it. What could I say? I had blanked out of ideas.

"You know, princess," the girl said, "You were the first one who cared about us enough to ask us a question. We've been coming here for seven years begging and pleading for our regonition so we don't get killed while trying to defend the people. So...thank you."

"Don't thank me," I responded, talking to her like I would a friend and not a subject, "You don't know how much I want to join your cause."

She leaned close to my ear, and she whispered, "Then do it."

"I could never be allowed to..."

"Then, you are just like them," she said harshly and boldly added, "People who just loaf behind the people who do the dirty work and never do anything at all but get all the credit."

"That's not fair," I replied, but she cut me off.

"You better get back to your seat. You might not want to be seen with us in front of your family. But, if you change your mind, meet me outside the castle land." Then she gave me a date to leave. I knew it well. It was the day on which Dimitri and I were married last year.