"Come closer, My Darling."
Garbed in purple silks to highlight his sulfur yellow skin and crowned with a feathered turban, the Grand Merchant Yaznes leaned forward over the end of his high backed throne. He beckoned his daughter forward with a finger that was not shy with gold. Even his fingernails were expensively cast in the precious metal.
Uncharacteristically, Ubila approached with her large round doe eyes shed downward at the intricately woven carpets. Her pink gown was torn. Her laced corset was untied and wrinkled. Everything covered in filth.
Her father grimaced as he gripped her smudged chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"Father, I--"
"Not a word!" The timber of his voice rose to a level that shook the tapestries hanging along the walls. His nostrils flared for a moment and his eyes scanned to the entrance of the room. A knight with a shining shield stood resolutely with disciplined stillness and poise from where he and Ubila were first escorted in. In a deathly soft tone he beckoned the knight forward.
"Sir. I haven't had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
Plated head to toe in mail that looked to be a fashioned of a steel with the highest possible shine. All angles were curved, fluted, decorated, enameled, riveted, and faceted to catch the light from a million angles. Even in this shaded chamber, his dazzling armor put shame to the priceless diamonds Yaznes had on his fingers. The shining knight approached and knelt. Yaznes arched his left eyebrow as he noticed this man seemed practiced at taking a knee, and at ease in his armor.
"Sir Reyneth." The knight spoke his name as Yaznes spoke in unison, "Reyneth."
"Yes, we know you Sir Reyneth. First Knight of the Sun Citadel of the Order of Shining Shields. The legendary Twilight Knight. I understand you are responsible for my daughter's current condition."
Ubila glanced up, and instantly recognized her father's sinister expression and style of speech. He did not yet trust Sir Reyneth, and would grant him an opportunity to prove his character by measure of his words and mannerisms.
"My men found her in distress on the roadside. We found her entourage slain nearby, and her carriage was nowhere to be found. By my own code, I deemed it necessary to return her safely home. I apologize that circumstances did not allow us to come to her aid sooner to prevent these events." The Knight crossed his brilliant gauntlet across his heart and bowed his head.
"No need, Sir Reyneth. I appreciate that our lands are fortunate enough to have such fine men as The Shields to patrol our outer highways." Yaznes exhaled a deep breath, and settled more fully into his throne. He drummed his fingers against the armrest once, and then continued. "What I want to know is why the men I entrusted to guard my daughter and escort her to my sister's manor, are now paving the highway red with blood. And what is this disgusting odor permeating around my darling daughter's flesh?" His eyes stabbed Ubila to the soul.
Ubila did not dare answer after being so wounded. Clearly her father was not pleased with her. The only thing she could hope for at this time was to not anger him any further by staying obediently mute. She too felt disgusted by the stench of the foul mud she was covered in. It was not befitting a person of her status.
"Some of the men were savagely torn to pieces. Either mauled by some monster, or disemboweled by a feral beast. There was a battle, of that I am sure. The coachman was pierced through the chest and the captain was stabbed in the back and belly by multiple dagger thrusts. We believe your daughter must has fled and hidden in the woods at the first sign of danger."
The left eye of Yaznes darted again at Ubila, and she instinctively averted her glances back to the carpets.
"Sir Reyneth... come nearer."
A bead of sweat dripped down Ubila's temple. She knew this was a bad sign. The brave knight had no idea how unspeakably cruel her father had been to men who had failed him in the past. She worried for the knight's safety, not because she cared for him. No, she knew that if her father could harm the infamous Twilight Knight, then how could she ever hope to find sanctuary from the ever-present doom of her irritable father.
The knight approached. He hid no shame.
Yaznes curled his finger three times to his left ear, and the knight leaned over.
"Your armor is exquisite," he whispered. Following those words the merchant lord inhaled very slowly as he danced his nose slowly along the gap between the knight's collar and neck. He even smacked his green painted lips twice, and then licked his lip like a cobra.
The knight turned his head to find Yaznes smiling at him.
"Thank you Sir Reyneth." He motioned with the back of his hand for the knight to back away. "Your integrity is on par with Saint Hephala herself." Yaznes snapped his fingers twice, and a young page wearing tights, an open vest, and a quail feathered turban appeared at the merchant's side. "40 silver, as my thanks for your services, and the pleasure of your time, Sir Reyneth."
Ubila was not sure why her father was being so kind now. Was he planning something horrible still to turn the tables? His words were dripping with venom. The honorable knight was unfazed. She knew better.
The knight held up his gloved hand palm out. "No need. My adherence to my code is my own reward. I am well funded at the citadel, and have no need of financial gain."
"Nonsense," Yaznes giggled. He cleared his throat to start again, "50 silver then, for entertaining me with your peculiar code of stoic chivalry that I am becoming both intrigued and equally annoyed by. Deny my offer again, and I'll have double donated directly to your offices."
"Then the Order of Shining Shields looks forward to the generosity, so we might use it charitably for the helpless and needy citizens of the realm." He stood more straightly. "From Dawn to Dusk, Night to Morning, we are Always Watching." The words of his order, that he has probably recited thousands of time, rang proudly innocent though the dark room with an unmistakable brightness that gave Ubila hope and faith for humanity.
He raised his mailed fist to the sky above, and struck his chest twice before bowing to take his leave. His cloak bearing the icon of a silver star on a shimmering black field fluttered around him as he briskly walked away.
As soon as the Twilight Knight was gone, Yaznes's smile twisted upside down. He clapped twice and declared loudly, "Leave us, everyone. Moonbis, you stay." Everyone was silent as the servants exited to the halls, and various hidden doorways. Moonbis was an enormous red skinned man with two tusks protruding out his lower lips. The ring through his pig nose was a slave ring, marking him as obedient to the death to one master alone.
"But father! Wolves nearly--"
"Ta-ta-tat! Not a single word from your whorish lips. Even the dung on your dress does not disguise the overpowering stench of sex on your skin, My Darling. If this ever happens again, you would be wise to return to my sight bathed and perfumed to avoid embarrassing me like this in front of a guest ever again. If your infidelity is ever discovered it will bring dishonor to my household as well as your future husband. You will present your deed of merit in ten days when the suitors assemble next."
Ubila pouted.
"Take her to her room, and set a guard."
Moonbis snorted. That was his way of acknowledging an order.
"Oh and one more thing Ubila. For making an absolute mess out there so bad, that even the Twilight Knight had little difficulty discerning the difference between an animal attack and a skirmish, and mostly for murdering Felip, I cannot forgive you. Good help is hard to find these days, and he was about as loyal as mercenaries come these days. Your punishment is this..."
He handed his guard captain a small pouch.
"What is this?" Ubila's voice trembled.
"Moonbis, prepare a tea of her choosing before she goes to bed, and mix the contents of this pouch into her cup before she drinks." With his yellow finger he pointed accusingly at his daughter. "Ubila, you will suffer painful cramps tonight, and you will not rest easy, but it will cleanse you of any possibility of indiscretion. One day you'll thank me.
In that moment when Ubila screamed with rage, she was a terror to behold. As Moonbis escorted her up the tower steps to her cell room, Yaznes started to cough to release something awful from this throat. The coughing subsided and soon became a strong bellyaching laughter as his daughter's wailing screams continued to no avail up the tower stairs.
Haphazardly standing in a puddle of blood, beside a richly dressed swordsman slashed in various places, a ruddy man in leathers caressed Ubila for one last kiss. She did not stop him as his weathered hands slid though the inner folds of her gown and open corset for an ample squeeze.
With a lecherious wink, he shoved her off and wiped his mustache with his hand.
She practically purred with delight. "Come back for me Jaques. I will miss you."
The rogue mounted his mare, and clicked his tongue as he urged his horse around. The horse wailed and hiked up on its two hind legs. Jaques waved his at his lady, beaming.
"Morning, and Night, Dusk and Dawn." He continued his poetic line, grabbing the bronze pommel of his dirk lewdly. "Stick with me baby, and we'll go all night long."
He jolted the horse into action, and quickly caught up to his gang further down the road with the carriage and booty being towed away.
By the look in Ubila's eyes, she cursed herself for deciding not run away with him.
Thank you pixabay.com for sharing the photos used in this post.
Special Thanks to my Cherished Readers
This short story is part of a series of short stories I am putting together. They are a collection of a larger collection of stories that tie in together. They may be out of order, because each story is one single cluster from a brainstorm of ideas I came up with one evening, with each having little meaning at conception to the next idea other than a central character that I have barely named. So I'll be fleshing out each of those ideas into a set of short stories, and allow it -- the story -- to determine how it wants to flow together and find structure. Right now it looks like my stories are breaking up into more of an anti-structure.
Use the keyword #pellis as this was my earliest character in this story series. Using this single keyword to find all of my stories in this series is probably faster than a title search as each post will be given a unique title to fit the post.
Also check out my short story titled The Silent Song of Creation, which represents the creation myth belonging to the universe my stories are set in.
Some of my followers seem to enjoy these stories, so I will continue to post more when I find the time and inspiration. Do not be shy in the comments, because I am not yet famous. I will reply as long as you aren't too critical of my late, late night amateur writing abilities.
