Too Many Damn Fredricks

Entry Twelve

ZAHYN CUNNINGHAM

Too Many Damn Fredricks

I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly confusing when two people share a name. I actually find it confusing when siblings share a last name. I also find sapphics confusing. They all act and look the same. I still had yet to figure out if Morgan was the angry one or the quiet one who talked to her dog. I believe therapy is in their near future. I mean who talks to their bloody dog? Now, before you all get mad at me, I do talk to my dog but not the way she did. The Kalpea had full blown conversations with him like he could talk back. I even found the angry one doing that occasionally. Naturally, I assumed it was just to get head from her girlfriend- I joke! About the names- Not the head. I knew Morgan’s name but the other one was slipping. I believed it was Carter or Cathy or something along those lines. Morgan’s name, in my defense, was known across the entire continent. She was the Heir. The other one just let me into the group and showed me an ounce of kindness the others did not possess. She also wasn’t wary that I was a Stalker or complained about my songs, she simply was not notable.

Alas, despite my one and only flaw, there I stood in front of not just two but three Fredricks. Three! Guess what? All the men in their family were fucking named Fredrick. I shoved the annoyance to the side and expertly played my guitar. The crazy one had twisted the knobs and suddenly it sounded better. She was strange but I guess I valued her taste. It was always good to have a masc lesbian handy. The King clapped loudly when I finished. His father, the son of an old friend, stared blankly at me.

His mouth twitched the second I entered that throne room. He recognized me as soon as I took a step in front of the red haired paladin. I could still see the small six year old in him. The day I disappeared into the snow, I gave him a small gem. The blue stone hung from around his neck. Just a scared little boy. The older man looked just like his father when he told me he still had another fifty years in him. The King looked like his grandfather the day he asked me to stay. The Prince looked just like him when we first met. He is so handsome. He was so handsome. Why couldn’t he have just accepted it? Tears used to run from my eyes but years made me turn against them. He wouldn’t want me to cry over him. Maybe curse him out but not cry. I forced a smile on my face and placed the guitar onto my back.

The Old King stood up. I could hear his bones crack from my lowly place. He hurried over and wrapped his arms around me. Young King Fred pulled out a bag as he walked. The contents clinked together. A rather humored grin quickly rose to my lips. That is what I like to hear. I had been with the Coldhearts for years. Spending time with them was nice but nothing beat Fyles. They were practically magic. They were better than magic. The reason I stuck with them was because of the Fyles. I loved the comfort of an expensive suite and a plate full of rare steak. The mead flowed oh so lovely the previous night. Morgan and the Kalpea certainly enjoyed it. The Prince reached for his jacket pocket. Gods, let it be gems. It took every manner I had ever learned not to roll my eyes when he handed me a letter. His elder brother gave him a strange look. Freddy ignored him and gestured for me to take it. I accepted gracefully. The blue seal contained the imprint of an F. Figures. I shoved it into my pants.

“While he gives you words, I give you Fyles.” The King tossed me a bag. I snatched it from the air rather quickly. “Will you be joining us for lunch?”

“I must decline, My King.” I smiled at each of them sharply. “I have to go check in with my hirelings. Morgan has requested a meeting with me and I must appease the citizens. Anything with her is bound to be interesting, to say the least.”

“Be careful in her presence,” Fredrick said. He crossed his arms. You could be twins. “I do not plan on this kingdom turning to ruin.”

The Prince walked me to the doors. Freddy stood taller than his grandfather and his hair was just a touch longer. He smiled at absolutely nothing. A dimple on his left cheek forced a deep hurt inside me to ignite. He was handsome in a gawky way. He did not carry himself stoically like his father nor loud and brave like his brother. He approached like a large footed goon, causing me to compare him to a Kalpea. Like a gentleman, he did open the door for me. I did not bother with a thank you. Why should I thank someone for doing something they wanted to do?

The moment I first visited Heart, it was just a small town that cut down the nearby woods for lumber to sell south. I frowned at the saturation. It could not have been more different. I walked into this village as a bright eyed soldier from The Caves and left a fanged legend. I ran my tongue across my teeth. I told him to come with me. He turned me down. I am not a goddamn vampire. I am a Stalker. There is a difference. An extreme one. I don’t fucking sparkle! I don’t drink blood, personally. Other Stalkers do but very rarely do those people survive. I mean they rip out their fucking jugulars. It is not a sensual thing. At least not for Stalkers and if you drink blood, well that’s just another step closer to death. I also don’t have an affinity for teenage girls. I just use my fangs to kill people. I have natural predators for a reason. I have never been truly adored, except by him. Many husbands and wives ran me out of their houses, hovels, castles, ships, and one time a carriage. I twisted my ankle when I jumped from it. I ran from a number of houses in Heart specifically.

A couple of familiar individuals waved to me. I returned the favor with a wink. Another man cursed me out and I grasped at my heart. A beggar asked for some Fyles. I kept moving. The Prince, who for some reason still walked with me, tossed him a couple of silvers. So the fucker did have money! He continued to smile. As soon as the inn came into sight, he picked up speed and nearly skipped down the sidewalk. What the hell is up with him? At this point, he was practically jogging. I was in shape. I was very in shape and very sexy but jogging? Jogging is the fucking worst! It is not running. It is not walking. It is a stupid in between that some loser made up to make his slow ass seem semi normal. I picked up speed but refused to jog. I refused to be that person. I bet Morgan was that person. As I neared him, a woman grabbed my shirt forcing me to a halt. Not by strength, I was much stronger than her. Believe me. The shock forced me to look at her aged face.

“You!” My brow furrowed. The elderly lady stared at me up and down. Her ray tried to dig her way into my tainted soul. “Your end is near! Greed! Your greed! All you do is want and want! It will end you!”

“What the fuck!?” I jerked away and jogged down the street. Fucking psycho. Who the fuck? I shook the fear from my limbs. It made my heart jolt too much.

“What happened?” Freddy turned around. He gazed over my head a little too easily.

“A bitch grabbed me! That woman!” I pointed her out.

“Oh Edna…” He shrugged. “She witnessed the Betrayal, you know? Some heard her predict it but that’s just a story.”

“No, I didn’t know any of that. I seriously doubt many do.”

“My father saved her. I feel sorry for the woman.”

I guess I felt pity for anyone who witnessed that atrocity as well. The Old Mighty. Icerion, were they commendable and they made for some great epics. Too bad those people fucked it all up. Old King Coldheart and his friend Luka Snow-Star knew the continent needed saviors. They banded together alongside George Virtanen’s sister. She fell in love with some Lady in Norkden. That woman joined and they became a hell of a force to be reckoned with. Kray wanted to do it and arrived with his signature smile. I truly do mean he just wanted something to do. I’m sure he had already so much at that point in life that adding a hero to the list seemed exciting. Too bad it all got royally fucked up.

A battle of brothers truly. The Betrayal will forever haunt those involved and all those around us. It left its mark on the Empire for sure. It killed so many and its flames are constantly fanned by the war. I witnessed the moment the match was lit. Luka raised his sword at Fredrick. The Old King, not so old then, could not fight back. Shock and tears crossed his face as he dodged every attack. He rolled to the side. Luka, getting more angry with each dodge, pulled out his bow. He let the arrows fly. The Norkden King heard the arrows whistle past his ears and disappeared into the woods.

I followed him, as best I could. I don’t remember why I was in those woods but I owed him something. His black hair had grown so long he wore it up. It waved in the wind as he ran, not stopping for a breath. I chased after him. I screamed his name but he didn’t hear. He didn’t even notice I was there. No one ever notices the bard. I noticed it all though. I noticed that King Fredrick had already faced so much. His wife was sick in bed and his toddler was fever-ridden. The only joy was his friend. The friend who raised the sword. The stupid Kapinar who brought this war on us all.

I tripped over a bank of snow and took a tumble down a hill. I landed just before another heart wrenching moment. My songbook was getting padded by the second. My pockets would soon be filled with tragic melodies. Vale held her stomach. Blood gushed out onto the ground. Her fiance held her close trying to bring what little comfort she could provide. The two cried into one another. Red stained Vale’s blonde hair alongside her palms. She cupped her Northern lover’s face, smearing blood across her cheeks. Six Kapinar lay dead in a circle around them. One blade dripped with red.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Go! Run! Please!” Her breath hitched. “My niece… She needs you.”

She let out a pained cry and jerked. One. Last. Time. The next circle welcomed their new child. The light in her eyes escaped and Freya closed them. The Lady of Norkden could not help her now, nor herself. She stood up from her body and ran towards the battlefield. She disregarded her lover’s last request and killed twenty Kapinar before they so gracefully reunited the two. The Elf that took her life, wore three scars down his face. He was running through the woods and saw her rage. From behind, he stabbed his sword into her belly and pulled upward. Thick black hair cascaded past his pointed ears. Tears poured from his green eyes. In his bare arms, a baby cried weakly. The man was not a soldier but a farmer, covered in blood.

No one knows why Luka betrayed his best friend. No one knows why he broke the treaty and chose to disregard the Empire. I heard a rumor that he lost his daughter and became fueled by rage. If it were true, then one little Princess caused thousands of deaths and two decades worth of violence. Many children only knew of Kapinar as monsters. They did not know of their great wine, glacier berry pies, or juniper berry soup. Kapina was mostly populated by the Elves that shared their name. Their King was one and so was the lost little princess. The Kalpea populated Norkden in return. The two despised each other though their differences weren’t very much. The Kapinar were mostly blonde hair and purple eyed Elves with braids. The Kalpea were dark haired, vulgar drinkers. They were strong like the Nor, humans of the north. Then there were the Tumma, which I was. We were dark skinned and resigned ourselves mostly to The Caves. Then the fucking Upea. They were snobs, rich off Kai and slaves. They raided us, burned the Kalpea, and desired the destruction of the Kapinar. What happened in that final meeting?

I once heard a song that described Luka and Fredrick as lovers. Maybe they got into a quarrel. Then again, I heard another song that stated Kai wanted to fuck Luka. That one could be true as well. All of my songs were one thousand percent true. Especially the ones about Morgan. I could probably write an interesting one about her and her lover. I think I could even produce an album from the two.

“My father was in the Mighty.”

“Freddy, you are handsome but not enough to be this stupid!”

“Oh- Uh?”

“Everyone knows the Old King was in the Mighty! He was one of the founding members!”

“You know what? You’re kind of a dick.” Freddy entered the inn.

I looked up at the sky. I could practically feel his frown. Do not give me that look. I am just being honest. At least I can do that. I rolled my eyes all the way to the back of my head. If his ghost could come down and slap me, I knew he would. Would I fuck a ghost? Probably. He always had a stern, stone-like personality. Some people said his face represented how he was as a person. Maybe to his wife and child, he was like that but not to me. He wanted to marry me. Oh, how he begged! I told him marriage was for mortal fools. Maybe if I had, he would have chosen to stay. It left a sour taste in the back of my mouth. It already left knots in my stomach during the quiet nights.

I shoved the door open. Morgan already sent a pair of daggers my way. I stuck my tongue out and earned a middle finger. The Kalpea waved at me with a wide smile then turned over to her partner. In solidarity, she flipped Ashlyn off and Ashlyn flipped her friend off. Then Vincent raised his two fingers at Morgan. I returned the favor to all of them. Shadow did his best by barking at each of us.

“You! This is the group? You guys are supposed to save the Empire?” Freddy nearly screamed.

“Technically, we are not saving anything,” Morgan stated.

“Well, truthfully my boyfriend asked me to do this and Carter’s the only one on the continent who can appreciate Pitch Perfect.”

“I kinda just fell here and wanna get a cure but then Morgan took off her shirt now I’m whipped.”

“My father wants me dead and I like Kalpea’s with freckles.

“I am Morgan’s bodyguard.”

“Shadow is here because he said I am- Wait! I’m not going to repeat it!”

“And I-” I wrapped my arm around Freddy- “Desire money and power.”

The Prince’s jaw dropped. I believe the word to describe his face is concerned. He looked at each one of us with a sharp look. I don’t think we were what he was expecting. If he was expecting the Mighty, I do not know. I can guarantee you he was absolutely not expecting a group of idiotic kids and a handsome gentleman such as myself. I plopped down at the table and took a sip of the Kalpea’s drink. I turned another glance at the Prince. Somehow his mouth dropped over even more. To ease him, I ordered a round of drinks from a waitress walking by. I also provided her with a blown kiss.

“What is your name?”

“I-I voted for you to stay.”

“I do not think I have ever hated a person more than you.”

“You know what?” The Kalpea sighed. “My name is Carter.” Knew it. “Morgan and I have something to tell you.”

“You guys are fucking, aren’t you?” Ashlyn guessed.

“What?” Carter's face flushed red. “No- I mean- Not yet!”

There is only death. No matter what side you are on, there is death. The Larken had been around longer than I had. I truly did not know if they had a higher thinking or even the capability to feel. Most things had both but regardless it was about who was stronger. It is easier to prove your strength when you label the enemy as unfeeling. Unthinking. Cold. How many kids were killed because a Norkden soldier considered the Kapinar monsters? It is all murder in the grand scheme of things. It does not matter if you believe the Larken are worthy of redemption. It does not matter who is right: The Kapinar or the Empire. The only thing that matters is money. I go where the money is and if that means saving some bird dragon, I will do it. Three people: The Prince, the future Empress, and Carter claimed the Larken could be saved instead of killed. It became four when I agreed with them.

Shall I explain my thinking? Morgan hates my guts but Morgan’s drive will see her on the throne. She just needed a push in the right direction. I would be there to push her, pull if I had to. Carter tolerated me more than any of the others and Morgan clearly listened to her. Why would I not join them? I could already see myself getting rich. Also, think about all those grateful people. I threw my arm around Carter’s shoulders and stared the rest of them down. Morgan’s eyes burned into mine like those fireballs she haphazardly threw. It only fueled my desire. I chuckled and thought of all the ways I could press her buttons. I wanted to work with her but that did not mean I would make it easy.

“Relax!” I boasted. “I prefer blonde women- Now, Ashlyn, unfortunately, I like tall blonde women.”

“Ugh, Zahyn!” She groaned. “I do have some thoughts though. I think Kray would want us to save as many people as possible. That’s his goal in life… It’s why I fell in love with him.” I noticed a blush creeping up on her. Awe, so sweet. She loves the giant. “I think we should do Carter’s plan and save them. I mean, fuck it, right? What else are we gonna fucking do? None of us have lives and it’s not like it’s in our nature to listen. I mean Carter has mommy issues so her whole deal is arguing.”

“I go where Morgan goes,” Vincent stated out loud. The redhead rarely talked. He occasionally joked with Ashlyn. I had witnessed him scoop her up into his arms on more than one occasion.

“Shadow agrees that we should help them. Also, I don’t have mommy issues”

“How do you speak to him?! I am concerned!”

“I- Um- Morgan!”

“She is a Shifter, Zahyn. She can talk to the other Shifter in our group.”

Morgan seemed prim and proper. Or, that’s how she tried to present herself. Her room represented it, or the control she craved. Everything was neat and tidy. It felt like a strong contrast compared to mine. I mean we were practically on vacation. Let loose. Then again, I suppose she did sleep with the Kalpea practically every night. Her bag was already packed and ready to go in the corner. A small glow poked out of the barely open top. What does a Princess keep in her purse? I tapped my finger against my leg and skulked over. I reached forward. Morgan coughed. I shot straight up with an innocent smile. She quickly closed the bag and slung it over her shoulders. Waving her off, I noticed a thin leather mask on her dresser. I scooped it up. Ah, I remember you. The Princess wore this to many balls. She also wore it to many after parties and every after after party. I was also partial to a purple owl one rather than plain blue. Her partner swiped it from me and placed it upon her own face.

“Do I look like Morgan?”

“What?” The blonde asked. “Where’d Carter go? Oh my gosh! There’s two of them! Everyone run away!”

“Quick decision!” Carter pointed at her. “Who would you choose?” Ashlyn screamed dramatically in response. Morgan covered her ears with a groan.

“Imposter!” The Kalpea smacked the Princess with a pillow. Morgan’s face turned sour. “Ope.”

“Clearly!” Morgan joined in. She shot a finger at Carter. “That is the imposter!” Ashlyn smacked Carter. She in turn stumbled over and tumbled onto the ground like a child. The untied mask slipped to the side. Apparently, it was in on the act.

“Oh no! She was my best friend!” Ashlyn fell to her knees. She wailed then glared over at me. “You did this!”

“How dare you?! How dare you accuse me?!” I screamed, falling victim to the act. The performer in me rushed to the stage. “It was the Princess, herself!” Morgan clasped a hand over her heart.

“Guys-” Freddy smacked Vincent with a pillow.

“The knight is a worker for evil!”

“I am ju-” Morgan hit him- “Morgan!”

“Vincent is right.” I screeched.

“What the fuck is that?!”

“You hear him!” Morgan and Carter shouted in unison.

“I guess some of the power seeped into me… At least their deaths meant something in the end.” He trotted around the room. “As much as I have the urge to join in on your fun, we should look at the map.”

Ashlyn unrolled the map across the table. She weighed down each side with a random assortment of objects including a lit candle. I am dumb but not this dumb. Carter pulled out an object I recognized as a ballpoint pen. With a small click, a tiny inked tip poked out. She scratched out the map title and rewrote Save The Larkens. The original title of course being Kray’s very creative Larken Nests. Carter pointed to the town just a couple of days’ ride south. It sat on the border of Crosspoint and Norkden.

Winter-Star was a giant town, at least before the war it was. The last time I had wandered through, it was dead except for an annoyed inn owner and too many fatherless children. According to Kray’s map, the nest was practically on top of it.

“That should be our next objective,” Morgan took charge. “I think once we get to Crosspoint, we should head to a castle.” She pointed out an abandoned war building. Gray Keep was a large building, almost a true castle. It was also a rather historic monument. Kai gathered his troops for a final battle against Crosspoint’s King. From there, he united the Empire leaving only Kapina and Soulmine independent. “I am sure that the farmer near here can not handle every Larken we send his way.”

“We should stop by… For fun, you know?” Carter gave her best puppy eyes to her lover.

“Then we will do that, Ears.”