The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight (51 page)

Before Dorian knew it, she was standing fast at the captain's door.

With swift action, the two elf sailors in charge of her knocked upon the cabin door and deposited their prisoner.

Rolmore sat at his desk, writing.

"Please, enter," he stated, not looking up.

Rolmore's quarters were not unlike hers and Rohan's.

They were well furnished. They were comfortable. They were elfish.

The dwarf was surprised to see that the captain's personal library was extensive. He had books of history, science, medicine, and carpentry. Amongst those tomes of knowledge, she saw several books of dwarf poetry. She, herself, had never seen a book dedicated in whole or part to anything dwarfs had done. So, seeing the four books of various sizes, she was curious.

"Would you like to take a seat until I am finished?" Rolmore extended a hand, pointing to a well-padded chair in front of his desk. Although a question, his undertone was that of an order. "Please."

Rolmore was writing away in his log book, with a stern and steadfast gaze. Obviously, the elf took his records seriously. After finishing, the captain looked up, exhaling with exhaustion.

"Sometimes I believe my paperwork will be the death of me."

At the offhand remark, Rolmore had managed to get a small smile from his guest.

The captain continued with his staring.

"You are holding too keen a glance for my taste, Captain," Dorian offered, her eyes cast down to her lap.

"I do not mean to be rude," Rolmore stated. "But you are quite a lovely creature."

"I thank you for that."

"Which is hard to say, given that I saw how you looked as a man." Rolmore laughed, trying to ease the tension.

"It has been a work of seasons, sir."

"Quite. Practice makes for perfection."

"Mostly."

The elf noticed the woman's misery and flashed a feeling of guilt. He was proud, in a way, that his brother was able to find such a woman. To have a lover who would sacrifice everything to see you safe was indeed rare&perhaps more rare than a female dwarf.

"Why am I here, Captain?" Dorian asked.

Rolmore smiled. By the look of controlled fear upon the dwarf woman's face, she clearly did not want to hear his answer. In short, he couldn't blame her.

"Your relationship has caused quite a stir throughout our kingdom."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"I cannot let it continue." Rolmore's face turned hard. He was once more the authoritative figure he had portrayed so well while on board the
Argo
.

"Could you at least tell me why?" The woman's voice began to rise.

"Traditionally, Dwarfs and elves are enemies. Dwarfs mine the earth. They take from her. They are not one with the land."

"That would be news to our farmers."

Rolmore paused.

"Yes. We farm. How did you think dwarfs eat? Pick up a rock, bite it, and start to chew? We cherish the earth as much as you do."

"An elf and a dwarf in love?" Rolmore barked, rising from his chair. "That would be like asking a fish to live upon the land. It can never be allowed."

"Why not?"

Dorian opened her eyes fully, allowing the elf a chance to see honestly into her soul. One could always tell who a person really was by gazing into their eyes. At least, that is what her mother had always told her.

Rolmore did.

The elf captain paused. "This cannot be allowed." the captain whispered.

"I will not leave Rohan's side." Dorian got up from her chair.

"Then you will be taken before The Council of the Twelve. Once you are there, and judgment is passed, not even the king can save you. I offer this only as a warning to you, for I wish you no harm."

In a huff, Dorian had started to leave.

When Rolmore wouldn't stop her, she paused.

"Something's not right here." she said, turning to face Rolmore. "Why are you telling me all this? You could just as easily dump me at your jail, and leave. Why, Rolmore?"

Uneasy, the captain stirred. "I offer you a choice."

"And that is?"

"An escape." The captain's voice was almost too low for her to hear.

Dorian started to smile. Perhaps Rohan's brother was more loyal to him than he had been projecting. Family blood, after all, was quite thick.

Rolmore read the expression upon the dwarf's face.

"Just you!" he stated, ordering the woman to sit back down. "If you were to escape
The Willows' Breath
, I swear that I will not recapture you. You could leave these woods and live out the remainder of your life."

"As a criminal," Dorian added.

"Who is not, at one time or the other, ruled by powers who own us?"

"I will not leave without your brother."

Rolmore studied Dorian's face for quite some time before he finally sat back down. He picked up his pen and started to write in his log once more. After several scratchings, he stopped, and then he closed his book.

"Then, my lady, you leave me no choice."

Picking up a small bell, Rolmore rang it. Upon hearing the peal of the tiny device, the same two elf sailors reappeared. Silently, Rolmore directed Dorian to follow his men. She was to be placed back into confinement.

"Dorian?" Rolmore asked, before the woman could leave. "You would rather seek death?"

"Rolmore, Rohan is my life. Freedom without him would be worse than prison."

The captain said nothing. His gaze did soften a little. There was more respect.

"Off with her, then!" he finally shouted.

Rolmore sat in his room for several beats, not really doing much of anything. How could he allow his brother to die? How could he allow his father to pass such a ruling, without even once arguing the point?

The cabin took on a dark gloom.

Again, Rolmore rang his bell.

"Yes, captain?"

"Send for my brother," Rolmore ordered.

When Rohan was brought to Rolmore's cabin, the sailors were not so kind. Unlike Dorian, he was given chains. Unlike Dorian, he was taken through populated parts of the under housings of the ship - mostly through the crew's sleeping quarters. This was so others could express their opinion about Rohan's choice of a mate. There were those who didn't quite like the idea of a prince being a star lover.

The comments did not come without a little pain.

There was no need to knock this time. Rolmore opened the door.

"Come back when I signal you," Rolmore ordered.

The captain offered his brother a seat.

"I apologize for the conduct of my men. Rolmore offered Rohan a small glass of wine. "For purposes of morale, I have to turn the other way, you understand? A captain needs the support of his crew."

"Of course, my brother." Rohan rubbed his right cheek.

Rolmore took a chair opposite his brother and fought hard not to show any kind of emotion.

It didn't work.

"Why have you brought so much shame to our family?"

Rohan gave his brother a surprised glance. "I thought that it was understood that upon my successful completion to determine what had happened to our kinsmen at Cibola, I would be allowed to seek my own path."

"Do you honestly believe that father would give you up?"

"He gave his word."

"He's the king!" Rolmore shouted. "He would need you as his successor upon his death. You are a prince, after all."

Rohan sat quiet. His mind raced.

"Speak!" Rolmore shouted.

"I will not be a prisoner to a crown," Rohan stated. "I will not be a good little elf who has no life, walking a straight and narrow line. Rolmore, I have hunted. I have enjoyed the meal I have prepared with my own hands. I have seen shooting stars and skies no elf has dreamed ever existed. I have loved&"

"Let's not go into that right now, if you please!"

"In any case, my brother, I am not going back."

Rolmore's shoulders sank. "Then, there is nothing I can do. Father wants you back, and that obsession has caused him to go mad."

"Mad?"

"Do you think I would honestly follow an order having my brother killed?" Rolmore stood. His manner was starting to become worrisome. "If I had not followed those orders, he would have called out another. I let my crew abuse you, knowing that if it were another captain, you would be dead. I can live with causing you pain." Rolmore paused, his voice shaky. "I could not live with your death."

"Brother, I&"

"To make matters worse, you end up in love with a dwarf. But not just any dwarf - a female dwarf. This alone will cause The Council of the Twelve to be paranoid for at least ten seasons."

"She was a surprise." Rohan said, beaming.

"This is serious, brother!" Rolmore shouted. "We are to dock in three cycles. I need to know your intentions."

"I will stand eye to eye with father, and I will tell him I have my own life."

"Star gazing?"

"Star gazing."

Rolmore walked around his cabin and stopped at his impressive library. He tried to calm himself by looking through his many books. He was truly an elf caught in a terrible drama.

"We live in fear of our king, Rohan," he finally stated. "He had three soldiers put to death last season."

"For what reason?"

"They stood up for your name." Rolmore looked panicked. "Father has gone mad."

Rohan had no idea that his father was this far gone. He and his father had always been at odds. The only crime Rohan had been responsible for was being born breached. This alone caused his mother great pain. Rolmore's birth was more natural&more elfin.

"What about the people?"

"They follow their king."

Rohan could not believe what he heard.

"Brother, are you saying we should&?"

Neither elf could bring himself to say it.

There was an awkwardly long pause between them.

"Father needs to be taken care of, before he really does hurt someone." Rolmore's features turned sad. Rohan was surprised to see him near tears.

"Revolution?" Rohan asked, whispering.

Rolmore turned, facing his brother with conviction.

"Revolution," the elf captain confirmed.

Dorian sat alone in her cabin, waiting for Rohan to return. She had been crying for quite some time, and had to change her clothing in order to keep up the appearance of being strong, if only to help Rohan.

"How in the hell did I ever let this happen?" she cried, ironically laughing. "You had to go and fall in love."

She was starting to feel quite sick, and wondered if it had been from all the elfin food she had been eating. Elf food wasn't bad, just bland. Dwarfs were not afraid to pick up the salt.

Rohan had been gone for quite some time, more so than she had. All kinds of frightening images played out in her mind. Was her love being tortured? Was someone holding him down, and gently cutting away at his skin, just to make a point? The ancient stories told of how elves were quite good at torture before they became so civilized. Were the elves reverting to the old ways?

So many horrors haunted the woman. "Oh, Rohan," Dorian prayed. "Please come back to me."

The woman was again hit with a sudden case of nausea.

She washed her face, ate some of the casserole prepared by the ship's chef, and continued to wait. The food was strangely familiar. Overcome by her appearance, the chef tried his best to make Dorian feel at home by preparing for her the only dwarf meal he knew - lamb loaf. It was perfect! The elf was not afraid to use salt. The big surprise was that the elf knew how to make a warm mint gravy!

It was the first decent meal she had eaten in over a luna.

Again her stomach churned.

"Something I ate, I suppose," the dwarf stated, rubbing her belly and walking over to a standing mirror.

It had been quite some time since the dwarf had the luxury of gazing at herself in her natural state. She had forgotten how beautiful she looked. She started to run her fingers through her hair, relishing the softness and length. She took in a deep breath, and was satisfied at what she was seeing.

Her eyes began to twinkle.

"No!" Dorian said, backing away from the mirror in surprise.

She stood there, at the mirror, and this time she paid more attention.

Again, her eyes showed her the truth.

Dorian needed to see Rohan.

"We shall enter the Great Hall with the pretense of taking you to trial," Rolmore explained, his papers, maps, and plans laid out so that Rohan could study them.

"And what of father?"

Rolmore let out a dry laugh. "Oh, to be sure, brother, he will be there. He has paced the halls, late at night, telling any and all who would listen what he plans to do with you."

"I am still having troubles wrapping my mind around all of this, Rolmore. There hasn't been a revolution in any elf nation since before the time of The Coughing."

"It is a bad taste in my mouth as well," Rolmore insisted, gently slamming his hand down upon the desk. "But, father leaves us no other choice."

Rohan studied all the plans. Rolmore had secretly built up an army over the last several seasons, waiting for the right time to strike. With Rohan gone, he was the next in line for the throne. No elf would follow a "standard" citizen against the crown. But owing to Rolmore's royal heritage, the movement gained footing.

Rohan was greatly impressed.

"I never knew you could be so&"

"Bold?" Rolmore interrupted, smiling.

"The word I was going to use was...efficient."

Rolmore accepted his brother's praise.

"Now, upon your return to your cabin, I&"

The captain was interrupted by a knock at his cabin door.

"What is it?"

The door opened, and a sailor walked in. Behind the elf was Dorian.

"Pardon the intrusion, sir, but, this prisoner requested that we bring her here."

"Fine!" Rolmore shooed the sailor away.

Once the door closed, Rohan rushed to Dorian's side.

Both kissed.

Rolmore rolled his eyes.

"Once you're in sight of the girls, all focus is lost."

Dorian was quite surprised to see Rohan laugh along with his brother. Upon parting from Dorian's arms, the two elves patted each other.