"Peace is a lie, peace is something that cannot be achieved. It is in the very fabric of this world we live in for man to strive against man, to seek the destruction of his foes. This is why the idea of peace is just that, an idea. Nothing more."
-Excerpt from a speech by Grand Duke Arsan on the anniversary of the glorious ascension of the Great King
"The King would have us believe that peace is impossible, that as long as we survive, the world cannot rest. Well, I say that it is the King who obstructs that most noble path! Let us tear him from his throne, that the world may know, once and for all, his treachery!"
-Prince Helian
"Our doom is upon us."
-Lord Gabriel
"The sunset is a terrible thing. It is the end. And somehow, I fear that our end is now upon us. The sun sets upon our people. I only pray that we make it a moment to be remembered forever."
-Lupin I
Chapter 16- Words
The night air descended over the castle, bringing with it a chill from the heights of the snow covered mountains. Kit was in his room, putting on the magnificent royal blue and silver tunic that had been brought to him by Helian for the feast that evening. He was slightly uncomfortable wearing something so beautiful, almost as though he did not deserve it, but at this point he was so confused about what was happening to him he was ready to accept almost anything.
He had not seen Toboe, nor any of the other wolves since leaving them in the hall for his conference with Lupin, and though he was worried about where they were, he knew that they were safe, probably safer than even he was in this strange place, and Helian had promised him that they would be at the feast that evening.
As he fixed the cape around his neck, Helian knocked on the door, and entered carrying a small golden circlet.
"Your position as Count requires you to wear this." He stated as he placed it on Kit's brow. He then stepped back to look at the whole ensemble. "Good. You look the part, at least. I sincerely hope that you can act it as well. Now, come, the guests are waiting, and all that is required for the evening to begin is your presence." He gestured towards the door and Kit followed him out, and they began to make their way down to the great hall.
The Great Hall was built very much like a picture of a cathedral that Kit had seen once when he had been very little, all vaulted roof and massive white stone walls, the enormous stain glass windows soaring above them until being lost in the darkness above the torchlight. The floor was massive marble blocks arranged as a massive jigsaw puzzle, and at the tables situated throughout the room sat a multitude of importantly dressed wolves, all looking at him with great expectation. At the head table in the front of the room he saw his companions, and allowed himself a brief smile before quickly forcing himself back into the character he was required to play.
The herald at the door announced him, and Helian led him up through the tables to the raised platform, where he was seated to the left of Lupin, next to Toboe, who gave him a brilliant smile. He took his seat, and Lupin gestured to the guests to begin eating.
"Speeches will have to wait till we have had our fill," he said, his eyes sparkling, and everyone laughed.
As much has he had thought that the food that the wolves ate would not be to his liking, Kit found that each dish was far better than the last. He tore through everything set in front of him, hardly paying attention to the conversations that surrounded him. Finally, when he could eat no more, he found that Toboe was in the middle of explaining what had happened to the pack once Kit had left.
"So after Kiba was done complaining about how it wasn't fair that you got to see Lupin first, we were summoned. Imagine my surprise to find that you were already gone! Anyways, we told Lupin..."
At that moment Lupin leaned over and fixed his piercing eyes on Toboe. "Little one," he said softly, "one day you will find that it is best not to speak about what goes on behind closed doors. Until then, I must remind you that our conversation was for us alone, and it would be wise for you to keep that in mind."
Toboe nodded, and fell silent for a moment, clearly hurt. Lupin's gaze softened. "Why don't you tell your friend about the city?"
Kit listened enraptured as Toboe spoke, amazed by the love that the young wolf clearly felt for the city. The sparkle in Toboe's eyes grew with each passing moment, as he told about the few years that he had spent in the valley when he had been young; about hidden glens and beautiful waterfalls running off the magnificent peaks, about fishing in the ponds surrounding the lake, the explorations through the forests. To Kit, it reminded him of the time he had spent in his families summer home up high in the mountains. He smiled as Toboe talked on, until he was stopped by Helian rising and gesturing for the attention of the room.
"Before we go our separate ways for the evening, my father would like to say a few words." He said, and then sat down as Lupin rose. The room quickly fell silent.
"My brothers and sisters, blood of my blood, and flesh of my flesh, I greet you. Today I stand before you to mark a turning point in our history, a monumentous occasion that will never be repeated. Today, for better or for worse, we begin a course of action that once initiated, cannot be stopped. As many of you know, our full strength around the world has been summoned to this valley. In a week, this city, and the encampment outside the walls will hold more than five hundred thousand wolves. It will be an army unrivaled in our long history, even Axel at his strongest could summon no more than a hundred thousand."
A murmur filled the halls as the guests began to understand the intent behind their kings words.
"We will march on the capital, and in front of the mighty ramparts of the Great King himself, we will join battle for the fate of the world. Whether we live or die, this will be the last stand of the wolves, either the end of our long and laborious history or the start of a bright and free new era. Regardless of the outcome, most of us will not live to see that future. Today we embark on a noble course. The greatest course. Today, we begin the last days of our lives. After so many years, we have found ourselves strong. Now, let us go forth into the glorious morning, to bring about a new dawn!"
The room erupted in thunderous applause as Lupin gestured to Helian, then left the room. Once the hectic bustle of the guests had died away, Kit and his friends remained, alone in the great hall, thinking about all they had seen and heard. Kiba turned to Kit.
"I won't say that I was wrong about you, because I'm not yet entirely convinced that I was, but I will say this. Our king seems to trust you, and if you have earned his trust, than I don't see that I have any other choice than to grant you the same. Perhaps it wasn't your fault that Tsume is no longer with us."
Kit nodded, then stood and stretched. It had been a very long day, and he was tired. He bid his farewell to the rest of the pack and retired to his room, curled up in the warm bed, and fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep.
Lupin returned to his study, and seating himself behind his desk, looked up at Helian.
"Do you have the most recent spy reports?"
Helian nodded. "It seems that the Great King has ordered the destruction of all guns and modern weapons. In addition, the nobles have become restless and have even gone so far as to express their disapproval of the way in which the King has been ruling recently.
Lupin nodded. "Then the time to strike has finally come," he said, sitting back in his chair and bringing his hands up to his chin.
"How many of the old ones are left?" he murmered to himself.
"Too few, father," said Helian. "Most died years ago."
"Indeed." Said Lupin. "It is a shortcoming of our race. Great longevity, but the hunters always take their toll. Belstrom remains, his pack can be recalled from the west. Martin too has found sanctuary in the far south. He will come back if I call."
"Martin betrayed his pack to the hunters." Helian stated angrily. "He should not return, under pain of death."
"My son, if we are to bring up all grievances we have against each other, we may as well forget about this alliance right now. Now, Vorun remains here, as does Plester. I believe that they are all that are left."
"If Welch were here…" began Helian, but Lupin cut him off.
"Welch was not as great as you believe him to be, my son. He was powerful, yes, but he never learned to control that power. His death was his own fault." He let out a sigh.
"Still, I do not deny that his help would be greatly appreciated. Our kind have never known a more magnificent wolf than he, and even if this young pup does turn out to be the one, I would give twenty of him to have Welch back." He shook his head. "Alas, but wishes no longer come true. Very well. Send out the word to Belstrom and Martin. Have the generals gather as well."
"Yes father." Helian paused. "Father, if it turns out that he is the one, what exactly does that mean?"
"The one shall bring about the end of the King, and shall restore peace and prosperity to a world ravaged by war and famine. He shall be a king greater than even he whom he replaced."
Helian turned to leave, then, once more hesitated, and turned back around.
"Father, should we not send out the call to all those who may help us in our cause?"
Lupin smiled wryly. "If by that you mean that we should send out the call to the dragons, then no. They will not come, even if I asked. It has been far too long since the old alliance existed, and those who had a part in it have either since died or been killed, or faded into distant memory, beyond where we can follow. No, we cannot count on them for help. Now, go, contact the other packs." Helian bowed and left the room, leaving Lupin to his thoughts.
Prince Gabriel was famous, and not simply in the world of the humans. His orations were well recited throughout both the human and wolf worlds. His desire for peace was for so long a hindrance to the plans of the Great King that for more than twenty years, he was exiled to the island Parak in the southern sea. However, public outcry against this move was so great that the King, for the first and only time in his millennial reign was forced to rescind an order that he had so strongly supported. So, for the first time, in the waning hours of his empire, he returned to the capital to give a speech that he hoped would change the very course of history.
A thousand years before the reign of Zeren, the first king, and more than five thousand before the birth of the Great King, the people of the world, amidst the height of progress, formed a World Congress, with the intention of creating a one world democracy. When Zeren invaded the capital, he allowed that congress to continue on, although removing from them all power. In the center of the city stood the great hall, it's massive stone dome rising up over every other building, save the palace. It was here that Gabriel, Prince of the South and philosopher orator came to deliver a speech that, it was hoped, would turn the course of history.
The dawn turned the sky blood red, as the sun rose over the palace, casting its fierce, angry light over the white dome of the congress. Inside, a tremendous crowd had come together to hear the first speech of a man who had transcended his time, entering the annals of history sooner and with more flare than anyone else, bar the King. He was Gabriel, the orator prince.
With baited breath they waited, with a single minded anticipation unrivaled. When he came to the podium, there was no applause, no shouts of acclamation. They simply waited.
Gabriel knew what they wanted. The reason he had been asked to make this speech was to declare the Great King incapable of ruling. They wanted him to bring about a revolution that they had been unable to instigate themselves. And if he did not…
"Princes and Knights, Dukes and Duchesses, Counts and Countesses, Lords and Ladies, I must, before all else, express to you my gratitude. For too long have I been away, confined to my home by those who would seek to distort the truth, as well as hide reality." Gabriel paused for a moment to recognize the applause. Clearly, the audience assumed he was speaking of the king. On an impulse, he glanced up to the higher gallery, and his breath caught in his throat. There, high up in the darkness, he could just make out the figure of a man holding one of the few remaining guns in the world, and it was trained on him. Forcing himself to remain calm, he looked back down at the crowd, all waiting expectantly. "Many of you have come to hear me denounce our noble king. To suggest that he is no longer capable of ruling effectively. While I may not agree with many of his decisions, as many of you do not, I do not think that any of you here have the right idea. Disposing of the king would lead to chaos, and would leave us vulnerable to attacks from the outside." A murmur of anger ran through the crowd. Intentionally refraining from looking back up at the gallery, Gabriel continued. "Peace on earth. That is what I advocate, and support. I have never, and will never throw my support behind a movement that can do nothing but create devastation and chaos. I know nothing about wolves, or prophesies, and I do not care. The only person in this world who is capable of bringing to us an everlasting peace is the king. As long as there is life in my body, I will support him." The crowd was silent, their once hopeful faces crestfallen. And, once he had allowed himself the moment to check, the upper gallery was once more empty. He breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way out of the auditorium. Life was just far too dangerous these days.
A moment comes in the lives of all people, a moment when they must choose the course of their lives, for better or for worse. For Kit, that moment is now.
Bad dreams had driven Kit from his room, and he found himself walking the corridors of the castle, wandering aimlessly, lost in his own thoughts. So much had happened to him since that day that he had first met Toboe. A relatively ordered life had been thrown into chaos, and he found himself wondering if he knew who he was anymore. In his heart, he was Kit. That he knew beyond any doubt. But now he was a duke, an honorary wolf, and a being of prophesy. Nothing he knew made sense anymore. He continued down one cold stone hallway to another, his young face lit by the flickering torches. Outside the paned windows, the wind had picked up, and was now gusting through the city streets, howling and rushing past the old buildings. The entire scene was so unfamiliar, so awfully different and distressing.
A door in the corridor ahead of him opened, and Lupin stepped out, turning towards him. A smile grew on his face, and he walked over to Kit quickly.
"What are you doing awake at this hour, young man?" he said, clapping Kit on the shoulder.
"Just walking. Thinking, I guess." He said, then hastily added "sir."
"No need for the formalities. Care to tell me what you were thinking about?"
Kit hesitated for a moment, then, composing his thoughts, said carefully, "Well, a lot has happened in a very short time. I was just trying to figure things out. I mean, I've come a long way from where I was a month ago."
Lupin nodded, then looked at him curiously. "You're wondering, why me?"
"A little. But it's more than that. I mean, not everything that has happened has been good. I mean, my friends lost one of their pack because of me. And now you're going to war, which I'm involved in whether I like it or not. I just wish I understood a little more."
Lupin smiled gently. "Of course you do. It's natural. There aren't many people in this world of ours who could have handled the situation you've been thrown into, and few who could have done it as well as you. But you're right. What happened to Tsume was, indirectly, related to your coming. But it wasn't your fault. The King has been very anxious to get his hands on a wolf, and the high profile actions of Kiba's pack before you arrived made what happened inevitable. Your coming just speeded things up."
Kit shook his head. "I feel like we should have done something. We should have gone searching for him. I feel so useless."
Lupin nodded. "Kiba did the smart thing in coming straight here. Whether it was the right thing, I do not know. However, the chances are good that had you even caught up with the soldiers, before you had the chance to rescue him, they would have killed him." He paused, thinking hard for a moment. "Still, perhaps it would be best to find him before he can reveal anything. One of the last thing that Welch had said to me before he died… Would you go find him?"
"Kit looked confused, but only for a moment. He nodded. "I owe it to them. They saved me, and in return I practically delivered Tsume to the enemy. I owe this to them."
"Are you certain? Once made, this is not a decision that you can change. You will be held to continue this mission to the end, wherever that may be."
Kit grinned. "What's the worst that can happen?"
Lupin laughed. "You can die."
Kit just laughed. "I've been expecting to die all my life. I don't see how this will be any different."
Lupin gave him a sharp look. "It will be different," he said, "because you will die an enemy of the state, and therefore a traitor, and because the King will take great pleasure in your last, agonizing moments. Are you certain that this is what you wish?"
Kit didn't reply. He turned around and started back to his room. He had much to do, and wanted to leave before dawn. It would be a long night, of that he was sure.