Someone asked me to continue it and I, myself, had been thinking about it and the possible story it held so I decided to write some more on my ‘brief’ story, but of course, after this it may not be so brief but instead be novella-worthy.
Let’s just see where this takes us shall we?

There was something on her shoulder but as she turned to look at it, it disappeared leaving her all the more confused. “I don’t know what that was,” she told him.

He touched the same shoulder while she gave him a once over in confusion. “Don’t worry,” he said, “you’ll be dead soon so it doesn’t matter.”

She stepped from him at once, the frankness of his words scarring her sharply. “You did that!” she acknowledged at last, finally seeing the flicker of black upon his shoulder. “Wh-what is that exactly?”

The flicker began to slow, so much so that it began to take shape, the form of a large crow it took quite soon. He merely lifted a gloved hand toward it and when it nipped his finger with its black beak, he nodded and off it flew into the dark sky.

“I was sent here to kill you,” he said, turning his dark stare upon her.

“I’ve gathered that much,” she said crossly, her arms wrapping around her midsection to still the strange chill that existed on the air tonight. “Why haven’t you done it already if it’s what you were demanded? Was it my father who sent you?”

“Not that old man, no,” he said, “your mother, Catherine – she was the one who ordered the…action to be done.” 

She merely stared at him. “My mother?”

“Sure,” he sighed, shifting his footing smoothly, “your mother hates you, wants you dead…what did she say? ‘Can’t have another girl in the family.'”

“She didn’t,” Catherine whispered at once hardly daring to believe it.

“Oh but she did,” he corrected her quickly, “and I must kill you because that was her order – the Queen, Catherine, will not stand for her orders to be disobeyed, as I’m sure you’re more than well aware.”

She thought of Terrence; a cold chill rising to her throat making her next words quite difficult to get out. “My mother’s…orders sh-shall not be…taken to heart, Fellowsword.”

A look of great interest lit up his eyes then. “So you know what I am?”

“The bird. He’s your companion. All Fellowswords have…strange companions. It’s – it’s what I’ve heard.”

“You’ve heard correct, then,” he said with dark interest, stepping closer to her. She did not step away. “And most…women…fear we Fellowswords. Why do you not run? I have told you I am to kill you – and at your mothers bequest.”

“I will not believe it until I speak to my mother myself on the matter,” she said quickly. “I see no reason to run from a Fellowsword who has not killed me but seems to enjoy talking up a storm about doing it!”

He said not a word while a crow’s call sounded far away overhead.

“Well? Why have you not moved to kill me?!” she asked hotly.

A small grin found his lips as he took her hand within his and stared up at the night sky as though searching for something. “Because my companion up there has told me not to.”

“What?”

He looked back upon her at once, the gleam in his eyes quite apparent now. “You’re free, Princess, because the crow has told me there is no truth in your mother’s demand, indeed.

“You shall not die…at least not by my hand.”

She stared at his hand within hers, the smooth leather of his glove cold against her skin. “If I won’t die by your hand then what–?”

“More come for you,” he said quickly. “If a Fellowsword does not honor his commands to those of royal blood, he awakens the wrath of…. It is best I never say. But we must get you out of here. I will not see you die. Not by their hands.”

“But you cannot just–!”

“Yes,” he said harshly, “I can.”

And before she could say a word, he had turned from her and stepped quickly through the trees, pulling her along as he moved.

And check out the original brief story after the jump.

Original Brief Story:

There was something on her shoulder but as she turned to look at it, it disappeared leaving her all the more confused. “I don’t know what that was,” she told him. He touched the same shoulder while she gave him a once over in confusion. “Don’t worry,” he said, “you’ll be dead soon so it doesn’t matter.”

Keep your bite.

-S.C. Parris