Within an hour, Talia figured out that she could not deal with galloping, so they slowed to a trot. This is when they learned more about each other.
�You�re an excellent fighter.�
�Oh, excuse me, was that an actual complement?�
�Yeah, but you just took down almost an entire platoon by yourself. It must have been pretty amazing. You don�t defeat that many people and be mediocre.�
�Yeah, I guess. Thanks then.�
�Who are your parents?�
�What�s it to you?�
�I just want to know who could have raised such a special girl.� Talia blushed at this. Granted, she had none of the beauty that her bloodline would imply, but she did have intelligence and integrity.
�Well, let me tell you, this is not for the faint of heart.� The prince shrugged and said nothing. So Talia reluctantly continued. �My mother was Mona Semmer, a half-Elf child of Alian Tenet, the elf, and Sarina Tenet, the human. I have never met her or have even seen her or a picture of her. All I have is the descriptions from the sailors who helped raise me.� Talia paused.
�I�m sorry.� The prince said.
�Don�t be. I had a wonderful childhood. Mona never wanted me. So Jack Carrins, a buccaneer, adopted me. I have no idea who my father is. It could have been Jack, or any other man on the Siren�s Call, his ship. I do not worry about it. I was raised a true sailor, learning the winds and knots and storm patterns. The Sailors on the ship all helped raise me. I was taught to read and write, to swordfight and dress respectably. I enjoyed my days on the ship. I left a year and a half ago, when we ported at Tenegal. I decided to make my own fate. Jack wasn�t going to let me grow anymore if he could help it. I met the monk not long after I came here. I taught them a way to make their gardens more plentiful. They said that they�d never forget the favor.�
�Wow. And I thought I had an interesting childhood.�
�Tell me about you.�
�Me? Well what do you want to know?�
�Let�s see, I know about the sovereign, and your parents. So tell me about your friends.�
�You mean other than you?� Talia laughed. �Well, there�s Darien, an elvin friend of mine, and Sonja, a seer I met in Janjarin. She taught me how to charm women.� He flung a smile towards Talia, who remained stony-faced. �Are you betrothed to Sonja?� She inquired.
�No. Sonja is a seer of Damascus. They pledge maidenship.�
�Oh.�
�What about you? Any friends? And the monk doesn�t count.� The prince stared, waiting for an answer.
�No, not really. I have comrades, not betrothal prospects. I don�t have the time.�
�Hmm.�
�Hmm what?�
�Oh, come on. There isn�t anyone?�
�Nope.�
�Puh.�
Talia and Prince Amerin made it to the temple. Before they went inside, The Prince noticed many tracks leading to the gates and surmises troops have beat them there. They formulate a plan. They will wear the cloaks they have, and go in armed. They will use stealth as much as possible. And attempt to find the sword as quickly as they can.
Talia and the prince lead in Karis and Tato by the reins, tying them up by a tree to eat grass. They dart from one shadowed area to another, which is not easy, as the sun has not started to set yet. They encounter the keepers of the temple, being held by the soldiers in a room. Talia sneaks up next to a guard, covers his mouth and shoves a dagger into his lungs; the prince does the same. Then they both kick down the remaining two guards and slit the soldier�s throats. The keepers jump up and say, �Who are you two? What do you want?� Talia quickly explains and the monks show them the remaining soldiers. Standing on a balcony from the room above and looking down, the prince pulls his bow out of its sheath and pointed with it. �I can shoot them from that balcony, and you can get them from below if you go downstairs and kick in the doors.�
�Wait� Talia whispered, but it was too late, Amerin had begun to swing from parapet to parapet to reach the ledge on the other side. She sighed and headed downstairs, dropping the six guards at the double doors, then waiting to hear yells on the other side. The second she did, she kicked the two doors open and burst into the room, slashing and slicing through the soldiers in the room. Death came swiftly to anyone in front of her. She made her way through the room and was surprised to see the monks also fighting. �Go! Get the Sword!� one said to her and the prince. She reached the black marble pillar at the opposite end of the room, the monks holding back the troops. Talia ran her hands over the smooth marble. Tanith. The marble said, the sword was Tanith�s. Talia spoke the name, looking at the wall behind the pillar. It had stories and tests on it. Talia touched the wall. It was ice cold. Running her fingers over the glyphs, she read the words. Truth of Heart. Stoutness of courage. Faith. Deception. She came across the question. What do you want most? It said. To get the sword. No, not the sword, I want to get the sword for Prince Amerin. Talia thought, turning to look at the pillar again, but where� The pillar had turned the color of smoke, and swirled about a longsword suspended in to middle of it. Suddenly, several soldiers broke free of the main pack and rushed the raised platform that the pillar was on. Talia picked up her swords and defended the pillar, jumping back down into the fray to keep the soldiers away from the platform. �Prince Amerin! GET THE SWORD!� He jumped down from the ledge and circled the pillar, looking at the sword. �You found it, it is yours.� He yelled. Talia looked at him. Take it she thought. Take it, please. The double doors at the opposite side of the room banged open. The entire room froze and everyone looked toward the entrance. Reinforcements for the troops. No, thought Prince Amerin. Talia rid herself of the first round of troops and stood to face the others. She turned and looked at the prince sadly, then hardened her face and faced the reinforcements again, resigning her fate if Prince Amerin did not take the sword.
The prince looked at the sword in the pillar, surrounded by swirling smoke. He would never admit it, but he was terrified of what would happen when he took it. Talia looked at him, showing disappointment, sadness, and seeing her stance as she faced the troops, a tremor went through him. He reached out, taking the longsword, in its sheath, by the hilt. Pulling it out, he felt a great power fill him, guiding his hands to the black leather-wrapped handle and pulling the magnificent sword from the sheath, then opening his mouth in a bloodcurdling battle cry. He jumped down to join Talia on the ground and stood beside her. The troops fanned out and filled the room. Tension thickened, then it was cut, Talia and Prince Amerin jumping into the packed crowd of troops, and slashing, hacking, slicing through it. Prince Amerin felt the power of being a Darklighter, rushing through, turning to smoke and appearing behind another.
Talia was not doing as well. Her recent wounds, combined with her earlier battle, had tired her, drained her. Things blurred� and she was backed against a wall� a soldier held his sword near her� knock it away� away. Reaching for her magic that she knew, she was surprised to find a source so close. Her stone. A concussion wave of majick hit her. Talia crossed her arms, and uncrossed them quickly, sending a wave of purple light slicing into the soldiers near her. The stone could do more. She lit up her swords with the same light, and twirled, slicing through more troops.
In front of Talia and Prince Amerin, all their enemies in the room fell.
After Talia and Prince Amerin saved the Temple, The monks offered to teach them both what little they knew of Darklighter�s technique. Day after day, Talia showed more of how the stone affected her, and she was eventually able to use the purple light as a weapon on its own, covering an object with it to move the object, and able to use it not just to kill, but to harmlessly push back a person or object. Prince Amerin found that he enjoyed his darklighter powers, the ability to turn into black smoke at will, and the great power of magic, which he had never mastered before.
They did not stay long at the temple; barely a week, but they learned more about themselves and each other during that time than any other.
Halfway through that week, Kennith, one of Talia�s lieutenants, came to the temple. The monks welcomed him warmly and led Kennith to Talia�s quarters, a luxurious two rooms, usually reserved for visiting nobles. Her quarters consisted of a bedroom and parlour. The parlour had a purple velvet couch, a regular table by the window opposite the fireplace, a squat table in between the couch and two armchairs.
Talia was sitting down to eat dinner when she heard a knock at the wooden double doors. She stands up, walks to the door on the right, and opens it. Greetings are exchanged and Talia welcomes Kennith in. He sits down on the couch and Talia sits in an armchair.
�So,� said Kennith, smiling slyly, and running a hand through his long, light blond hair. He trained his bright blue eyes on Talia. Kennith was good-looking, but unlike others like him, had proper priorities. He was a part-elf like Talia, but knew his parents. Kennith reclined on the velvet couch, placing his archer�s-vest clad arms around the back of it. �It looks like you�re doing well.� Talia laughed, and thought about how different they were. Kennith had inherited the external beauty, grace, and elegance of an elf. Talia had none of these. Plain brown hair, plain brown eyes, and your average hippy human figure, her pale skin and lack of hair other than her eyebrow and head were the only elvin traits she had.
�Yeah, I guess I am,� she retorted, and taking a sausage roll, said, �how goes the palace and revolution?� Kennith looked grave. �Not good.� He said softly. �The sovereign plans on taking the throne by the end of next week. By then, we must kill him or have him abdicate the throne.�
�He will never abdicate.� Prince Amerin said, entering the room. �Forgive me, but I heard you had a visitor.�
�It is quite all right, and you should be here anyway.� Kennith answered. Prince Amerin sat down, and asked, �What happened to Connor?�
�Funny you should ask, he disappeared. I have no idea where he went. No word were he might have gone, either.� Kennith explained. �But I am not here to tell you of odd disappearances, I am here to tell you that with your permission, I will go north and get anyone who wishes to follow the great Talia into battle against the sovereign.�
�Of course you have my permission. But you should eat a proper meal before you leave for such a journey. Also, if you need anything, the monks will probably be happy to supply it. Eat.� Talia decreed, then indicated the food.
Kennith left in the cover of night. Two days later, after Talia and Prince Amerin had sufficiently learned of their powers, and Talia had recovered from all her battles, The two left. The monks provided Prince Amerin with a fantastic suit of armor, a handsome deep black, with deep blue trim that Amerin adjusted the color of to match his saddle blanket. It was clearly elfin, because the monks had never worn it, nor had to oil the chain maile, but it looked and fit perfect when the prince put it on. Prince Amerin strapped on his bow, quiver, knives, and new sword on his baldric. He even changed the color of the leather on his horse�s saddle to match the suit of armor.
Talia did not get as much from the monks in way of value, but they did give her something that was important: training. The monks taught Talia to use her new powers. They had apparently seen the stones before and knew what they could do. They also gave her a smaller set of armor made of hardened leather. It consisted of a set of gauntlets, a chest piece, and back piece. The leather had been dyed a dark, deep black and edged with a dark purple. Talia wore her rider�s vest and this new armor, and was happy to find that she could still flex, even with the added leather. Both the vest and leather armor stopped a little above her waist. At her waist, she tied the purple cloth sash, into which she tucked her swords. She had used her spare time during the last week to clean and polish all of her daggers and knives. These, she put back into her leather pouch on the saddle. The monks gave them both plenty of food to fill up their saddlebags, and Talia decided they should not wear their cloaks to the palace, because they didn�t need to hide anymore.
They left at the end of the week at the temple, making the best time on any trip yet, The compilation of rested horses, and the joining of Talia�s army of revolutionaries allowed them to move quickly, and because they didn�t have to avoid the road or dodge soldiers. They reached the capital, Carnak, by the middle of the week.
They reached the palace just in time.
Prince Amerin took care of the main problem: getting an entire army into the city undetected. He knew Carnak like the back of his hand. After working out several entrances, he sent several smaller groups with leaders he had picked to these places, as to make their entrances less conspicuous. He himself kept Talia near him, because the revolutionaries did not readily follow him and it was only because of Talia they listened to him.
His appearance was startling to some of the guards, who let him in immediately, along with his large entourage of ragtag troops. Technically, they would crash the party in which the sovereign was to be crowned king.
Throwing open the doors, Prince Amerin walked in first, then Talia, then the revolutionaries. The room froze, staring at the odd assortment of fighters in the doorway. Suddenly, the nobles realized that the prince was out for blood, and panicked, rushing the door.
�Let them pass!� Talia yelled to her followers, her hand on her swords, which were not yet out of her sash.
As the room emptied, Talia and Prince Amerin advanced on the sovereign, stopping before the raised platform the throne was on.
�I�ve come to claim my throne as king. Uncle.� Amerin said, drawing himself up to full height and looking at the sovereign with disdain.
�Too bad, I supposed, that you�re dead now then, isn�t it?� said the sovereign smugly, twirling his sword and looking at Talia and him. �You�ve been officially proclaimed dead by me. The only logical step was to take the throne and crown for myself. Oh well.� He smiled, showing pointed teeth like a snake�s. He hissed. �Now you have two choices, you can disappear again, or you can abdicate the throne to me. Either which, I will be happy with. Choose.�
�I choose to challenge you for the throne, like the barbarians of ould. Winner takes all. Choose your second.�
�Ha! You challenge me for the throne! That is laughable! Boy1 I am the last of the Darklighters, the most powerful and deadly group ever to roam this world, more powerful than even the elves, they ruled! And I am one of them! You cannot hope to defeat me!� And with that, the Sovereign stood quickly, removing his cape and stepping forward. �I accept the challenge! Who is your second?� the sovereign asked, gripping his massive two-hand sword, still in its sheath.
�I officially name Talia Carrins my second. Who is yours?� Talia struggled to conceal the shock and anger in her.
�I will not need a second. I officially decline naming one.� The sovereign smiled again, �last chance to forfeit the duel, son. I hate to have to kill you so publicly.�
�So do I.� Prince Amerin stepped backward, and drew his sword. �May we begin?�
�Yes.� The sovereign drew his sword. A giant two-handed kriss swung through the air, whistling as it passed Amerin�s ear. The sovereign turned into smoke, or �whisped� and appeared behind Amerin, who sensed him and turned to block. Instead actually slicing a bit of the sovereign�s left arm. Amerin whisped away from him, to across the room. The sovereign stumbled and seemed shocked. �How? How is this unholiness possible? The swords were destroyed.�
�No, they were hidden. I found this one. You might have even known the last owner. Tanith, I believe?� The sovereign roared with anger, because this fight was a fair fight, and he had not named a second. Curses! He turned and looked at Talia, Amerin�s second. If he could kill her, even if he died, he would make his mark. Amerin would be devastated to lose the leader of his new followers. The revolutionaries might ever revolt and blame Amerin for losing her. That�s it. The sovereign roared, and holding his kriss in his right hand charged at Talia, who nimbly ducked away, drew her swords, and slapped the sovereign across the back with the non-sharpened metal between the guards and hooks. He grunted and fell, unseemly, to the ground. He said a quick spell throw Talia back, and she flew backward and hit the wall, but not before she had managed to cushion it with her purple light. She fell to the ground on all fours, and had somehow managed to hang on to her swords. She hopped up and saw the sovereign get up slowly.
�You�ve chosen to bring my second into the duel now? Are you sure?� Amerin smirked and twirled his sword. Talia joined him in front of the sovereign, just out of reach of the kriss.
�Seems a shame to kill him in this condition. Should I heal him before continuing?� Amerin asked Talia.
�No. He would hath not returned the favor it your places were reversed. Seems he does not know his magic well.� The sovereign continued to spout curses and spells, and both Talia and the prince felt them lessening in power. Neither of them worried. Too much attempted magic can kill a man easily. They stood, and stared. Finally interfering when an attempted spell to take Amerin�s sword caused the Sovereign to break out in a monstrous, burning rash. It was a pity kill, really. Amerin took his sword in both hands and stabbed the sovereign through the heart. The sovereign let out a piercing scream, and dissolved into ashes, His sword and sheath disappearing into smoke, probably going to its hiding place. Talia and Amerin stood there for five whole minutes, staring at the clothes and ashes, all that was left of the evil sovereign. Prince Amerin sheathed his sword, and turning to look at Talia, saw that she had disappeared. Her troops had, too, leaving Amerin alone in the room.
On Sunday, the holiest of days, Prince Amerin was crowned King Amerin. Talia attended, but he did not see her. She chose it to be so. As king, Amerin ruled justly and fairly. He kept the bow, quiver, and baldric, although he never wore them again. His sword was constantly by his side, and he practiced with it oft.
King Amerin decided to put off choosing a bride, it hopes that she would reappear one day. In the meantime, he told himself, he had a kingdom to run.