Whistling in the trees I hear the wind Crashing on the shore I hear the waves This is nature’s music
Next-door neighbor’s playing music The bright sound travels on the wind Deep drumbeats come in waves
Blasting different sound waves The loudspeaker plays its music The sound swept away by wind
Different waves Different wind Different music These are the sounds of life
The Tavern on the Water had the weather to thank for it’s good business that night. Alys adjusted the kerchief keeping her curly red hair out of her face and looked around to see if anyone needed a refill or anything of the like.
The room was loud, and laughter and chatter filled the space. The majority of the noise came from a group of rough-looking men on the other side of the room, but they were mostly behaving well, so no one seemed to mind.
Alys topped off a few people’s drinks then walked over to the counter with the register and started wiping off the crumbs that had ended up there from all the food she had served.
Then she heard someone trying to open the door from the outside, but before she could go and help, the wind banged the door against the wall as it flew open.
In the doorway stood two people. They had dark cloaks on with the hoods up, which generally wasn’t a great sign as to the type of person wearing the cloak, but Alys wasn’t worried. It was raining buckets outside and a person would have to be insane to be out there without a cloak. Even with the cloaks, the pair was soaking wet and dripping all over the floor.
The taller of the two newcomers managed to shut the door again before both walked over to where Alys was wiping down the counter. The shorter person pushed back their hood and Alys tried not to show her suprise.
It was a girl. A teenage one who looked about Alys’s own age of eighteen. Women in general almost never came through the tavern, and when they did they were all older and rougher. This girl had wavy brown hair (although it was a little frizzy from the rain) and dark brown eyes that looked nervous and hopeful at the same time.
“Do you have any rooms available?” She asked softly. Alys could barely hear her over the group of rowdy men on the other side of the room.
“I- I don’t know,” Alys said, frowning thoughtfully. She thought they might have one open…
“Hey Thia,” Alys called, and her twenty-two year old coworker looked over from her place at the bar. “Do you know if we have any rooms left?”
Thia shook her head. “The only open beds in this place are in the servants quarters with us. And you know the rules, anyone who stays there has to work for it.”
Alys sighed. “I’m sorry, we don’t-“
“We’ll take it if we can,” interrupted the still-hooded member of the pair of strangers. With the flick of a wrist, the taller stranger pushed his hood back, spraying water droplets across the room and revealing straight black hair and the same dark eyes as the girl. He looked a little older, maybe nineteen, and was relatively good looking if Alys had anything to say about it.
“That is, if you don’t mind working tonight,” the… definitely not boy, Alys thought… guy asked, looking at his partner, who Alys was starting (and, alright, maybe hoping) to think was his sister. They did look pretty similar.
The girl shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “ ‘course I don’t mind, anything is better than sleeping out in the rain. Is that alright with you?” The dark-haired girl suddenly asked, turning to Alys.
Alys shrugged. “Hey, I don’t mind. Besides, this might be really good for us. Can either of you cook? Because our cook is out sick and Thia isn’t really the person to cover for him.”
“I can,” the girl answered, with another small smile. “I was practically raised in a kitchen.”
“Good,” Alys said, relieved. She loved her older sister, but seriously, Thia could burn water. “I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying, and you can change out of those wet clothes before you start.”
Alys started to turn and walk away, then realized something. “Oh! I’m Alys. What are your names?” The young waitress asked, turning back to the pair.
The two were quiet for a moment before answering.
“I’m Elle, and he’s Rohan” the girl - Elle - said, gesturing to her companion. “He’s my brother.”
So I was right, thought Alys happily. They are related. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both,” She said with a smile. “And welcome to The Tavern on the Water.”
“Are you sure about this?” The queen whispered to her husband as the baby girl in her arms started to squirm.
“Absolutely.” Her husband whispered back. “It is the only way to be sure our kingdom will inherited by someone we can trust.”
“But if we do this, then Raelynn will have no choice. Furthermore, how can we truly know that Andre will become a trustworthy man?”
Edward sighed, realizing his wife had made a valid point. “Jason and Isabella are good people. I am sure they will raise young Andre to be a noble king. And this way, Raelynn will be bound to someone close to her in age.”
The queen gave a short, quiet laugh. “ ‘Close’ is understating the matter. They are a mere two weeks apart.”
The king smiled slightly. “Precisely. What’s more, if Andre grows up to resemble either of his parents, he will be quite handsome.”
Queen Charlotte sighed. “As wonderful as all these things are, is an /arranged marriage/ really the best choice? I mean, I-“
The queen broke off into a paroxysm of coughs. Her husband jumped up out of his chair and grabbed a glass of water off of the bedside table. He handed it to Charlotte, who shifted the baby in her arms and took a long drink of water.
As she handed the glass back to her husband, the queen said in a quiet but strong voice, “You cannot force love, Edward. You and I both know this.”
King Edward gave a soft sigh as he sat back down at his wife’s bedside. “Charlotte, this is the only way that we can be even somewhat certain that our beloved daughter will marry someone who will care for her as he should. And if something should happen to both of us, well, this is a way to ensure Dominic will not harm Raelynn, or force her to marry a puppet of a nobleman.”
Queen Charlotte gasped. “Surely your brother would not do such a thing.”
The king’s eyes darkened and gave a quick glance toward the door on his right. “My brother would do a great number of things for power, and if he ever becomes king - or places one of his noblemen puppets on the throne as a proxy - then some of those terrible things may very well happen. I cannot, /will/ not, let that happen. Please, my dear. It is the only way.”
Charlotte was silent for a few long moments as she thought about the situation.
“Alright.” The queen finally whispered, looking down at the sleeping baby girl in her arms. “For Raelynn.”
I step out of the clearing, the frosted grass crackling beneath my paws. In front of me lays The Pond, a sacred meeting place among my kind. It’s really more of a small lake, but no one ever mentions that. It’s been called The Pond as long anyone can remember.
The Pond holds a reflection of the night sky on it’s frozen surface. I can see every star and constellation without ever having to look up. But I do look up, my muzzle pointed towards the sky, and see the full moon hanging almost directly above the clearing.
I’m early then. The meeting isn’t supposed to start until the full moon is directly above the center of The Pond.
I hear a sound and I quickly turn my head to see behind me. I relax as I see my brother emerge from the trees, an annoyed look on his face.
“Really?” He asks, glaring at me. “I come here 5 minutes early and I’m 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 later you?”
I grin. Then I hear multiples sounds coming from the forest, and apparently so does Lyall judging from how fast he turns around. As we watch, we see multiple shapes come into focus.
Soon, The Pond is surrounded by dozens of wolf shifters, all come for the winter solstice. I look up and see the moon has reached the middle of the clearing, dead center above the pond.
The meeting has begun.
Clothes hung in the closet And nothing on the floor That’s how it’s supposed to be But oh, not anymore
Now all is in the closet And the clothes are on the floor A hurricane has happened Or possibly a war
I really should be cleaning I can’t even see my bed But I opened up my phone And now I’m writing this instead
An oath to keep with a final breath His love conquered even death A flaming mechanic with sass to spare He’s a character beyond compare
A genius inventor, part of the Seven His ADHD is at level eleven But he died in glory to save the world Then came back, his story untold
He rescued his love from an island prison But by then a new threat had arisen So he put off his plans to help save us His plans succeeded without much fuss
Ladies and gents, if it’s not clear The one in question is quite dear As Lester Papadopoulos says, “The hero I speak of is Leo Valdez”
If the sun hits my face Then I’ll sink into it’s embrace If the sky pours rain Then I won’t complain If I can see the stars Then I’ll look for Mars If all I see is a cloud Then I’ll sing out loud If gorgeous blooms are everywhere Then I’ll smell the fragrant air If flowers then must be forgone Then I’ll say to bring it on If all the lakes and rivers grow Then I’ll say to let it flow If the oceans disappear Then I still will have no fear Because this world in which live we Is exactly where we’re meant to be
