G

reat hallways whose walls were strewn with intricately woven tapestries and other precious textiles.  Vast rooms with vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows depicting historical figures, legendary and mythical.  Marble floors and mahogany doors.  Accents of gold, silver and other precious metals, all speckled with rare gems.

            That was just the interior; the exterior splendor was by far the finest in all of the known world.

            The Royal Castle of the High City of the Epsilia spared nothing when it came to its timeless grandeur.

            The current master of this estate, Prince Sejun, was Heir Ruler of Allas Nura by means of birthright passed onto him by his late mother (she died of fever, suddenly, just two years past), whose family line had been ruling the country for many centuries--since the Age of the Origins and civilization itself.  Sejun’s father, the previous king, had been a citizen of the Allas Nurian aristocracy and met the young Queen at a ball.  He died in battle when his son was still a small boy.  He believed that one day, Sejun would be a fine ruler, having such noble blood in his veins.

            But Sejun was not a competent ruler, at least not yet.  One could blame his sheer lack of experience, but the simple fact was that he was too young and far too brash in both personality and disposition.  Furthermore, he was often in ill mood due to choleric-melancholic temperament, so it was difficult for his advisors to reason with him.

            The one advisor who Sejun would even consider speaking with was Han, a young man just a few years older than the Prince and who was a former childhood playmate and classmate.  Han was a clairvoyant; one of the very, very few Keepers of Mind in Allas Nura.  His extraordinary mental and metaphysical abilities made him a valuable and indispensable member of the Royal Court.

            While the Fellowship of the Map dealt with unexpected obstacles in the Dresdain Caves, Prince Sejun was caught up with more...complex matters.

            The topic at hand was his marriage.

            Until he was suitably married, he could not--according to traditional custom--be named King, and the Episilian nobles (particularly the women) were concerned that without a queen, Allas Nura would never be governed as it should be.  Sejun had been avoiding the topic since his mother’s death, and always dreaded--and dodged--it whenever it came up again.

            But this time, there was no evading it.  Allas Nura was headed towards more troubled times and the country needed a king and queen; the miserable prince needed a good wife (according to his advisors) to raise his spirits so that he could be a proper ruler.

            The woman favored by these advisors was Krystal Le’stat, a girl with fierce beauty and a sharp tongue who hailed from the Eastern Isles.  She, too, had been a fellow student of Sejun’s years ago.  She was a close friend of the prince, but he was, unfortunately, none too interested in wedding her.

            He found her too austere to be his wife.  She was beautiful and regal enough, but he cringed at the thought of her unintentionally ruling Allas Nura on her own while he sat, superfluously, on his throne.  Krystal had a personality reminiscent of a hurricane, and Sejun feared that having her as a wife would stress him even further.

            She was not thrilled with the idea of being betrothed to the Crown Prince, either.

            Krystal, one of three daughters born of wealthy widower Lady Victoria Le’stat, grew up in the midst of the rise of high-class Epsilian culture.  She learned the ways, read the books, wore the fashions, and attended the events with her sisters.  Her father’s job in the design industry kept him mostly abroad; his family sometimes would not see him for months at a time.  Finally, he succumbed to illness while on a visit to his old hometown in the Eastern Isles.  His wife was with him, but his daughters were not there to bid him goodbye.

            Ever since she was a little girl, Krystal was not fond of high-class life.  She found it stiff and restrictive, and for what it was worth, oxymoronically dull and boring.  Her closer sister, Amber, felt this even more strongly.  Just months ago, she disappeared to only God knows where, leaving the already weary Lady Le’stat in an even greater state of distress. 

            Krystal couldn’t imagine ever running away from safety and security--and family--that was foolish and she was disappointed in Amber for doing so, but she hadn’t the heart to imagine how much worse being queen could be.

            The only thing that stilled her tongue from strife on the matter was her mother.  The eldest of Krystal’s sisters, Luna, was to be married the upcoming fall to a prominent Epsilian composer and musician.  If Krystal, the youngest, married Sejun and became Queen, Lady Le’stat would be quite happy and relieved indeed.  Perhaps, then, she could find some peace.

            Sejun and Krystal shared one great consolation; that they were good friends, after all.  Could it really be so bad to be married to a friend, even if you weren’t necessarily compatible?  Such things as love could come with time...couldn’t they?

            So the two were betrothed, in anticipation of a royal wedding that, whether fortunate or unfortunate, was never to occur.

Kai was up to something, and Kunsu knew not what.

            The woodsman sat in relative silence, absentmindedly sanding and polishing small rounds of madrone wood that would someday become pendants and charms.  A half-hour or so passed and he began to wonder about the werewolf boy’s whereabouts.

            Kunsu got up and began to put his tools away.  He swiped the wood shavings off of the table and into the palm of his hand before dumping them in the garbage.  Peering out the window as he downed the last of his tea, he looked for any sign of Kai in the half-darkness of dusk.

            Unconsciously, the toe of his boot began to tap the floor in anticipation.

            What if something had happened to Kai?  What if he had gone outside of the protective barrier, despite Kunsu’s frequent warnings?

            The woodsman shook his head.  He had nothing to be concerned about.  The boy was not bound to him.  He could leave whenever he wanted.  He could do as he pleased. 

            I am not his father.  Kunsu told himself.  I am not his older brother.  I have no relation to him.  Perhaps... perhaps it would be better for us to be apart, anyway.  I am safer that way.  He shook his head again.  What a selfish thought.  There was genuine earnestness in Kai, the woodsman saw it--and it was as clear as a reflection on the surface of Mira Lake.

            Kunsu sighed wearily and sat his empty tea mug in the sink.  He returned the table and was about to sit down again when Kai burst back into the house.  The woodsman turned to see the boy standing there, out of breath, his tanned forehead and torso glinting with sweat.  With him was a large, fairly round, thick slice of wood.

            “...What’s this?  asked Kunsu, finally.

            “It’s a table!”  announced the other, excitedly, “Or, at least, the top of one.  I cut it from the top of that huge stump just before the hill.”

            “Where is your cloak?”

            “Oh, I... I left it outside.  I’m not cold; I’m fine without it.”

            Kunsu crossed his arms and cocked his head slightly to the side, examining the piece of wood from where he stood.  His expression remained neutral.

            Kai swallowed and nodded at the wood.  “All we have to do is sand it up and lacquer it.”  he said.  “It’ll be rather plain, but we can see if it generates any interest at the market and next time, we can plan something much better.  You could even wood-burn designs onto it!”  When the woodsman still made no real reaction, Kai continued, “Sir--er, Kunsu?  What do you think, then?”

            Kunsu shrugged a little.  “I think...it needs legs, or something.”

            “I was thinking that we could use one of those stumps that we unearthed earlier.  We could cut the top and bottom straight and affix the tabletop to it.”

            “Hmm.”

            Kai didn’t want to be overly-excited or otherwise annoying, so he said nothing else.  He just looked at Kunsu expectantly, which the latter was quite aware of.  The woodsman wasn’t sure about selling tabletops--who came to the market looking for a tabletop?  Was making such things worth the time and effort?

            His thoughts shifted a bit.

            Who actually came to the market looking for pendants and charms?

            ...Were those really worth his time and effort? 

            Ultimately, he decided that it was time to try something new.

            The woodsman made a surrendering sort of gesture after a long moment of thought.  “Alright.  Let’s try it.”  he said.

            The boy smiled.  “Great! Let’s--“

            “No, no.  Take that back outside.”  said the other, standing in front and making a shooing motion with his hands.  “We’ll make a mess if we work on it in here.  Take it to the shed; I’ll get a lantern.”

            “Yes, sir.”

            “Kunsu.”

            “Yes, Kunsu.”  The boy bowed his head and rolled the tabletop back out the door.  Kunsu watched from the doorway as he rolled the wood towards the shed (which the woodsman generally used for tool storage but was also utilized as extra workspace).

            “Kai.”

            The boy looked back.  His face was gentle and obedient, very unlike a werewolf in every way possible.  The only thing that gave him away was the markings around his arm. “...Yes?”

            “Your cut is very uneven.  There is much for you to learn when it comes to carpentry.” said the woodsman.

            Kai smiled and went back to work.

            The two worked on the table for a couple of hours and went to bed promptly when they were satisfied with their creation.  They would have to leave very early in the morning in order to make it in time for opening at the Saturday Market in Rho.

They woke before dawn.  Kunsu woke up even earlier to wash his clothes and shower.  After he was ready, he woke Kai, just as the sun was rising.  T