The Brush Tiger of Derven Ch. 18-20

She presses her back to a bare spot on the wall, unarmed. Rick reaches down and grabs her staff, roughly tossing it at her. As she catches it, a loud argument breaks out between Lucas and the man from the other table. Daniel and Sari back him up and the three of them force the strange men to leave. Rick doesn't take his attention off of Mora.

"Does it matter if I was born the Prince of Sceadu? I want nothing to do with the crown. My mother let me trade in that worthless title for a life I can enjoy." He swings at Mora, their staffs connect. He pushes against her, pinning her down. She braces her elbows on the wall to hold his weight at bay. His words strike her with a pang of jealousy.

"How can you say that? You were born with the power to help your country and you toss it all aside so you can get drunk and piss away responsibility?" She lets her right hand break free, leaving only her left hand and the wall to block Rick's staff from crushing her throat. Making a fist, she punches him in the face, catching him off guard long enough that she is able to shove him off of her. The thought of giving up everything for a normal life sounds like a blessing but she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew that she could have made a difference. She speaks forcefully at him, "These people look to you for guidance--isn't it obvious? They come here night after night because they trust you to help them with their problems. How is that any different from ruling a kingdom?" The depth of her words slowly begin to sink in; he throws a half hearted swing towards her, which she easily whacks away, "If I, a stranger from another country, can see that you would be a great ruler how is it that you can't?"

He drops his head down for a moment, looking at the staff in his hands. When he looks back up, the shadow starts to dissipate from his face, Mora's words ringing true to him. She sets her staff on end, leaning on it when she finally begins to see the Rick she used to like. He shakes his head at her, surprising her by kicking the staff out from under her weight, "You are starting to sound like my mother," he says, somewhat jokingly.

She is forced to let go of it to catch herself but when her hands touch the ground she flings her feet over her, kicking Rick hard in the jaw. She lands right side up but quickly moves away from him, near the edge of the stage where she can hear Lucas complaining to Sari.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy? Calling us liars?"

"What was that all about?" Rick turns, rubbing his jaw. His question was meant for Mora but Lucas thinks it is for him.

"That peddler—he tried to tell me that calling Mora "Head Huntress" was disrespectful to Derven," Lucas exclaims.

"Yea," huffs Daniel, "he tried to tell us that the Head Huntress of Derven was Princess—what did he call her? Na-something?"

"Namora," Sari mutters. The second it leaves her lips, everyone stares at Mora. Sari gives her an apologetic look, like she tried to stop them but couldn't.

"That's absurd," Mora says. In an instant, she can see Rick start towards her. She crouches and pushes herself backwards, off of the stage. Throwing her head back, she tries to twist her torso to follow into the back flip but Rick jumps after her. Before she can kick her feet over her body, he crashes into her. With brute force he slams her right shoulder hard into a table before he pushes her into the ground. Mora screams in pain. Rick pins her down by pressing his staff across her shoulders above her chest. James blows the whistle, calling a foul. It takes him a moment to realize that they aren't sparring anymore but actually fighting.

She clenches her teeth when he leans forward, pressing her into the ground. Though his eyes are wild with excitement, the darkness begins to creep back into his expression, "Is it true?"

Tears stream down her face but she knows they aren't because of her shoulder, "You're hurting me," she whispers. She feeds into the agony, knowing that she deserves it for her deceit. The ache in her chest, like a knife through her heart, doesn't compare to the physical pain she suffers.

Mora cries out loudly as Rick pushes hard on the staff, crushing her into the ground. She can see Todd rushing angrily forward with every intention of pulling him off of her but he is restrained by someone. She can barely hear Daniel's attempts to coax Rick into calming down, "Rick, please, let her go..."

Rick leans closer. She can't make out his face through her tears, only the glowing blue eyes searching for an answer. With the lightest of touches he barely kisses Mora; the closeness of his body overwhelms her. She desperately wishes that she could turn back time, start over again and do things right. She wants to be his friend, she wants to be his lover but all she's managed to do is to mess everything up. Her lips quiver with regret against his. She knows what he is doing—he's trying to break her. He turns, brushing her cheek on the way towards her ear. He whispers, with that private tenderness, "I am your Hunter, your Master, you will answer me--are you the Princess of Derven?"

Mora struggles against him, but he is an immovable object. She squeezes her eyes shut tight while she tries to kick him off—tries to kick off the oppression of her father, her country and King Irron—but it is hopeless. Not only is she stuck beneath Rick, she feels the weight of her life, her duty pinning her down, forcing her to come to terms with her situation. He knows she was dreaming about him that night. Tears flow freely down her face. She is angry at herself for allowing him to catch her, for allowing him in to her heart—now there is no way out.

"Yes," she cries.

The moment it leaves her lips Rick is gone. She forces her eyes open, to see what her lies have done to him. He stands over her, betrayal written on his face. Angrily he throws the staff on to the stage, "Chain her!" He turns his back, shoulders heaving with each enraged breath.

Sari's firm grip brings Mora to her feet—she doesn't fight back, in fact Sari is the only thing keeping her up right. Limp with defeat, her head falls to her chest, tears flowing directly onto the floor. She can no longer see him; all she hears is James scramble across the room with chains. When his hands come into view, he tries to gently snap on a rough looking set of shackles but Mora continues to cry.

It takes both him and Sari to lead her body towards the wall. They guide her past the chair that Rick normally sits in; she never saw it before but a thick iron circle protrudes from it. James locks the opposite end of her bonds onto it. When they let go of her, Mora sinks down to her knees, face in her hands.

"Who do you think you are—lecturing me on the responsibility of my country?!" Rick roars at her back.

Mora clenches her hair tightly, trying to hold herself together. She thinks her shoulder is broken, when her left hand happens upon the metal pins she put into her braid. Heart shattered, her mind easily gives in to her anger, letting it consume her. Her tears stop, hand moving with purpose.

"Rick, do you really think it is necessary..." James starts up in her defense.

"Quiet!" Rick spits out at him before returning his rage to Mora, "You're the deceitful one! What, did your beloved King Irron send you here to try to kill me too? Well, I will tell you something about him, he is a coward who uses anyone he can to get what he wants. And to think, I was starting to like you," the way he spits out the last words seals the casket around her emotions.

Mora forces her eyes to dry, her fingers fumbling with the pin. She lets his hatred soak in to her body, pushing all of her feelings out until she feels empty, void. Focused on the task at hand she remains hunched over, letting the pain in her shoulder shake her body while she quietly works at picking the shackle locks.

"Oh, you don't know," his voice is directed at the others standing around him, "About a month ago Princess Namora became engaged to King Irron. Their union will unite Derven and Alumenia, leaving Sceadu dangerously surrounded by enemies. You know once he has the upper hand he will attack us."

Mora gets the second lock picked just in time. She removes the shackles from her wrists careful not to move her body. She hides the anger in her voice with pain, "What do you care any ways? You gave up your crown to play tavern owner."

"What did you say to me?" He quickly walks to Mora, clenching a large hand down on her injured shoulder.

She cries out but despite the pain she leaps up. Ripping his hand off of her shoulder, she spins him around while wrapping the chain around his torso and arms. Using the flat of her foot she kicks the back of his knee, causing him to kneel. Mora uses her good arm to hold him tight on one side, the latched chain on the wall holding the other. Rick fumbles with the knife in his belt. Seeing that he would try to hurt her even more makes her anger flare. No longer able to feel the pain in her arm, she wraps the chain around her right elbow, turning her body to pull it tight while she uses her left hand to quickly snatch the dagger from him. She presses it threateningly into his chest, right above his heart. While he freezes, Sari, Lucas, Daniel and James tense around them, weapons raised.

"So you do mean to kill me," Rick says snidely, "just take note that you will not make it out of this country alive."

"Let me tell you something about King Irron," Mora says harshly, the full force of her anger unchecked, "you two have a lot in common; in fact, I am surprised you aren't friends. Both of you have a blatant disregard for the people you are supposed to protect. Not only that but I can't not stomach the idea of being forced to spend the rest of my life in either of your companies. The only way that piece of filth could get me to entertain the disgusting notion of marrying him was to threaten, by denying business to those who associate with Derven. Surely, because you have the undeserving luxury of doing whatever you want, you could never fathom the joy I felt when a tree blocking the public road prevented me from making it to Alumenia. When your mother told me I was to be enslaved after watching my escort killed, I gladly threatened my own life for his—in fact, I was hoping she would choose not to concede to my demands so that I could end my life before I was forced into a hopeless, desolate future with that pig." Mora drops the dagger into his lap, loosening the chains so he can get free from her. When he stands above her she glares at him, "And no, I don't mean to kill you—you are not worth my time, Prince Varickan."

Mora sinks down to the ground. She uses her good hand to latch the chain on her right wrist but is forced to use her stomach to lock the second one. Without looking at anyone, she turns herself away from them and faces the wall. Her whole body throbs with the pain in her shoulder. Though she wants to cry, her anger doesn't let her. She scoots further away from those behind her and leans forward to rest her forehead against the cool wood. Eyes squeezed shut, she tries to force the rage out but it refuses to leave.

It takes a few minutes but she hears five sets of feet travel out of the tavern. When they get outside, she can hear them shouting.

"You mean to tell me that you knew about her? I thought you were my friend!" Rick's muffled voice screams in agitation.

Sari doesn't hold anything back when she growls in response, "I am your friend—that is why I told her to tell you. She is still the same person she was when she got here, she is still the same person you--"

"Don't you dare defend her," his voice is softer now, harder to hear, "In a few days she will be gone and married to the one man I hate with all of my being."

The pitch of her voice raises high with frustration, "And it means nothing to you, that she would rather die than marry him? She could have had her wish if she just killed you but she didn't! Maybe you should stop to think why."

"So she can leave here and get her revenge on me," he says, but unconvincingly.

"You are as thick-headed as they come," Sari makes a noise of exasperation before her hard steps retreat from ear shot.

With normal voices now, James, Daniel and Lucas talk to Rick; she can't distinguish what they are saying over the heavy, loud steps hesitantly coming towards her. Mora welcomes Todd's voice, "Come now, Princess, let's get you up."

She opens her eyes, vision still pulsing with the rage in her body. She feels his hands turn her around. Cautiously, like she is a wild animal, he unlocks the shackles around her wrists. He takes care to avoid her right side, helping her to her feet. Pulling her left arm over his shoulder, he wraps his right arm around her waist. Taking most of her weight, he guides her to a chair, where he sits her down and hands her a glass of wine. She doesn't want it but she takes it anyways and drains it.

"Even though Rick had no reason to talk to you like that, I hope that you can forgive his outburst..."

Mora looks at Todd, shocked. He sits down in a chair across from her, fumbling for a moment before he finds the right way to begin, "It was about seven years ago that Rick decided he was not fit to be royalty. No one knows why exactly but we think it has to do with the Queen expecting more of him than he was willing to give. He left the castle and bought this tavern. Shortly after that, I moved here with my wife from a small ranching village to the west. I became his barman. My wife and a few other women went to the neutral ground near the public road that divides Alumenia and Sceadu, to trade for a few things that they needed. Guards from Alumenia captured all of the women and took them away. That was when I began my training to become like the creatures of darkness, so that I could go after her."

"I do not understand," Mora says quietly. Her body continues to shake uncontrollably. Todd shifts uncomfortably, "We Sceadu do not share much about our secrets. It is hard to explain to an outsider and I am sure it will sound barbaric but you must try to keep an open mind. The people from Sceadu have the ability to survive months at a time without nutrition, allowing us to hone our fighting abilities, making it easier to sneak around silently in the darkness. It is a survival technique that is passed down from parent to child. It takes training to perfect and though it is possible for all, not everyone has the will power to make it. The wine you drink comes from the sap of one tree, sheltered deep within a cave in the northern mountains. It lives in total darkness."

She thinks of the tapestry above Rick's fire place but she still finds this difficult to believe, "Then how does it grow?"

"It grows with the sacrifice of humans. Those that trespass in our lands are first paralyzed and then taken to the tree where they are killed. The tree feeds from their blood."

She looks at her glass, suddenly disturbed by how much she has drank. Todd continues, "The pure sap of the tree makes up the entire wine, nothing is added to it. No one knows how it works, but once a person has consumed enough of the wine, they no longer have an appetite for cooked food. They can survive weeks or even months at a time without nourishment. While it has the added benefits of not needing to eat, it also changes a person so that their saliva when mixed with their own blood can heal wounds. They become quicker, stronger and meaner. The downfall is, that like the tree, they are sensitive to sunlight and while they don't need it, their hunger for nourishment is ravaging."

"What, exactly, do you mean by nourishment?"

"They either need more wine made by sap..."

"Or?"

"Blood."

Chills run up her spine; Todd presses on, "It takes a person years to get to the point where they no longer need cooked food. More people fail than succeed. I failed. I am barely able to stomach even one glass of wine; Lucas, Daniel, James and Sari have all been training for years and they can consume two glasses before getting sick. That is why they look at you odd."

"Because I can drink it freely and eat food?"

He nods, "After I failed, Rick pried it out of me why I was so desperate to become a creature like him. His mother, the Queen, had forced it upon him when he was a child; I suspect that is why he dislikes her. I told Rick that my wife had been captured by the Alumenians and he disappeared the very next day for over a month. Later I found out that he went to the border and tried to talk peacefully with King Irron but instead the King captured him and took him hostage. Rick was tied up in the Alumenian castle courtyard and left out in the sun, every day for almost a month. While it didn't kill him like King Irron hoped, it caused him a great amount of pain and suffering. Rick managed to escape but he didn't leave Alumenia until he set free every one of the King's slaves, including my wife. Since then, King Irron has tried several times to get back at Rick. That is why he was so enraged when he found out you were the Princess and due to marry King Irron."

Mora nods, understanding Rick's reaction. She still has a hard time forgiving him for judging her solely on this fact, despite what that he knows her. They sit in silence, letting Todd's words linger in the air like a cloud of smoke. Seconds or minutes or even hours tick by—Mora doesn't know how long as she is lost deep within herself—before Todd interrupts her thoughts.

"It is almost dawn. Do you need me to help you upstairs?"

"No thank you, I will be fine Todd." Mora welcomes the pain in her shoulder as a distraction from her life.

They part ways. Mora drags her body across the room. She stamps her feet into the stairs, each one sending a jolt of pain through her shoulder but she doesn't care. This physical, tangible pain is something she can deal with. The pain that comes inside, the kind she cannot heal with a bandage, is hard to bear. As she walks across the balcony she knows that her choices, poor as they may have been, are all she has left. She wonders if this is how it feels to be trapped in a snare; regretting your own stupidity for not being more careful before finally coming to the full realization that there is nothing more you can do but wait to die.

Her right shoulder has swelled, making her hand useless. Sitting on the chair behind the dressing screen, Mora focuses on getting her boots off one at a time. She is able to untie her vest and use her left arm to remove it. Her shirt and undershirt don't come off as easily; after a great amount of agony, she stands half naked with only her pants remaining. She doesn't even bother to take them off but instead attempts to put the night gown on. First she threads her useless right arm into its sleeve, then the left and then she tries to get it over her head; she cannot. It fits her form so well that the only way she can slide it over her body is by lifting up both of her arms, something she isn't able to force herself to do through the pain.

She doesn't know what to do as she cannot get changed by herself. She contemplates putting the ruffled shirt back on and just sleeping in her clothes. Tears start coming to her eyes; she is frustrated at her own weakness. She bites down on her lip to suppress the sobs while she makes another failed attempt to lift her arms up.

The floor creaks behind her. She doesn't need to look to know that Rick is watching her. Though she is half naked and injured, Mora feels more vulnerable in front of him now that he knows her true character—a woman who is to be married to his enemy, a woman who lied to him, a woman who lost his affections.

His warm hand wraps around her right wrist; she can feel his breath on her neck. She wants to be lost in his arms, to be consumed by his passion but she knows that it will never happen. Slowly Rick raises Mora's arm into the air; she bites down hard on her lip, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of crying out. With his other hand he pulls the gown over her bare skin before he brings her arm back down.