Cannot Escape

Part 4: The Queen of Autumn

Aetri screamed, stumbling back clumsily, into deep waters. Struggling, fearing, he shot back up to his feet, shaking and contemplating where his sword had gone.

The Sky was black and the winds howled once again in song.

"You have returned."

The Boy twisted, red-faced and filled with wrath "Where are you!? what is this!? why do you keep drawing me here? what the hell are you!?" His screams echoed, disturbing the dark.

"I am watcher-"

"And your brother is ruler, yes. Now enough of whatever sorcery this is and send. me. back. That was an Ignix... Dragon-kin. The Uld are unprepared, they know nothing of Dragons!"

"QUIET." The voice echoed in every inch of his mind, a screaming chime from every direction. "The Waking world is ignorant of this place. Time flows slowly, seconds become hours, minutes become days. You cannot escape the truth."

Aetri rubbed his eyes, his boots were flooded in the knee-high water "You're not a phantom, they can't create illusions this strong. Are you a mage influencing me with Witch-craft? No maybe a Fae? Fae have powers over the mind-"

"But not over dreams. Only we have the power of dreams, I am not the one bringing you here. Your steps in this place... are voluntary."

"So I'm bringing me here? What a load of bullshit. I don't care how many times you show me these things... It won't change anything."

A Dark chuckle proceeded from the ominous voice.

"Heed my warning. The Aeon of Flame and storm hath begun, The Divine of Seven hath fallen, The World hath been broken. The Dragon King must be chosen, the Trivium gathered... so that the world might be mended."

Aetri felt a cold chill, an iron hand gripping his shoulder as the voice whispered.

"So the world might be mended."

---

Oswuld walked briskly into the gardens, trying to hide his grin as He approached his Love, Gwen flashed him a gleaming white smile “Lord-Regent…” Gwynevere spoke in her official tone, gentle and smooth as butter, though the dreamy look in her eyes spoke truer than her voice

“Your Majesty.” He replied bowing respectfully. “I must say that You look radiant today, Queen-Mother.” It was true, as much as He enjoyed ogling her juicy breasts, the wide, smoothness of her hips and pussy dripping in anticipation of him… Snap out of it Ozzy.

Queen Gwynevre was truly the most beautiful women in the Nine kingdoms and feasting his eyes with her otherworldly grace could be enough to satiate him for a lifetime.

The Queen wore a full dress, greener than the fields of Hawken's summer grass, patterned with golden feathers both being symbols of her Birth-House: Tawny, emeralds encrusted at the tip of each one, spiralling up to her stomach where the great golden emblem of the Soaring Golden Dragon of House Regis shone proudly.

“You are not too bad Yourself,” she said quietly

Gwen bowed her head, making her golden crown shine in the sunlight, the Crown stretched across her scalp, each golden branch a beautifully crafted feather and like her dress, tipped with an emerald jewel.

Oz sat with Gwen, the two giving each other eyes as they talked amongst the greenery and sunshine.

“…Are you sure that letting Maggie fight is a good idea, you know how holding a blade makes her?”

Oswuld rubbed his grey whiskers, fighting the urge to take her outstretched hand beside him “better a sword than a sewing needle, I feared for Henrietta’s life the last time we forced her into tapestry work,” his hand may have accidentally slid over hers for a moment “plus, I remember a beautiful young woman in Tawny green, battling with her brother, a longbow in hand and full quiver on her side as I watched her from the stands.”

The Queen bit at her ruby lips, her eyes tracing down his broad chest, down through his stomach and finally at their fated destination “You know, I find stern parenting to be quite arousing.” Her tone was a quiet whispering venom, a venom that seized up only his most important muscle.

“How am I gonna find time to govern Nine bloody kingdoms with You tirelessly hungry for meat like a Norne raider?” She might have had her Queenly mask on, but the cock-hungry truth underneath still shone through

“I tell you what, you go ahead and govern, and You can fill my mead-hall later?" Gwen fluttered her Emerald eyes

He couldn’t kiss her, no matter how much he wanted to he couldn’t kiss her… and so all He did was rise on his two feet and bow low, “As you command Your Majesty.”

“Lord-Regent.”

Oz jumped as Crow appeared behind him, “God’s above Crow, where did You come from?”

“I took a bath.” She said gazing for a moment at Gwen who shot a glare back at the spymaster, “I carried out Your Orders Master, The Young Prince is in the Library with Willow and Princess Evangeline. Also, Lady Henrieta asked me to pass on the message that the Council will be gathered in the Nest within the next Thirty minutes.”

“Thank You, Crow, I’ll See You at the meeting.” Crow bowed and went to leave, but a tone, sharp as a blade and relentlessly icy struck out at her

“Black-Crow.”

Crow halted in her tracks, turning to face the Queen, and I mean THE QUEEN, for this woman was not the sweet, kind, gentle Gwen that wanted to fuck Oz brains out at any given moment, this was Gwynevere, Queen of the Brittons, and She-Griffin of the West, though just, as usual, Crow did not even bat an eye, the cold neutral expression of her silver mask never changing as she knelt at the Queen’s feet “I am at Your command, Your Majesty”

Gwen always did get a kick out of watching Crow having to officially kneel at her feet, though it only made Oz roll his eyes “Oh…” Gwen said with an uncharacteristically dark grin “…Nevermind, on Your way.”

Black-Crow stood and bowed “Yes, Your Majesty.”

He shook his head and sighed as Gwen childishly flicked at her hair, “What? I am happy to see her home safe.” And with that and a curtsy, Off went the Queen in Her emerald Dress.

The Moon Palace was beautiful during the day, shining brilliant ivory in the sunlight, then again that’s why it was called the Moon Palace, reflecting the sun's brilliant light like the Moon's brilliant body.

But more marvellous than Britannia’s Moon Palace was the beauty of its women.

The Serving Girls; fat asses wobbling as they rushed along, the middle-class Ladies, strutting in their silken frocks, The Noble Women, pushing their heaving breasts forward as the Iron Dragon passed.

Britannia is a land of feminine beauty, ever more apparent, as He walked the Marble halls towards the Great tower library, receiving pretty smiles and subtle winks by a variety of the fairer Palace population, some were perky, some curvy, lips like rubies or magenta gems, oceans of brown, red and gold flowing from their heads, cute little bottoms and colossal posteriors, fat juicy breasts or petite little twins on their chests, You name it, the Capital had it.

The level of variety, the options, it almost justified how Uthyr could never stop hungering for them all, but Ozwuld was not his brother, and his thoughts as he walked the long stairway up to the Library, lay only with his emerald encrusted Autumn Queen, and her absolute love for him.

Oswuld pushed through to the library’s double doors, walking briskly as the familiar sound of a gentle whistle echoed among the tall shelves.

He kept quiet, sneaking through books, carefully hunting for his prey in the trees of knowledge until a gentle whistle could be heard from the library's west corner. Oswuld came upon the Boy, sat quite happily by the window, taking in the fresh air as he carefully studied an old tome, for a moment he reached up, pushing his hand through his Oaken brown and slightly blonde wavy hair, his lightly freckled face focused on the tome before him... He was truly the image of his father, especially in times like these, Uthyr looked just the same, though Uth had always preferred the training dummies to the Library books, in that way the Young Prince was more like his mother.

“Boy.” He called, making the Young Prince jolt suddenly, turning to look at him with Goldeneyes, the same brilliant gold that his Brother once had “This is a Library. If You whistle any louder they might hear you from the Stonelands” Oz said, his jest not lost on the boy who got to his feet.

The Royal Urchin smiled at him, dropping his book and quickly walking over to give his uncle a warm hug, “it’s mother, she keeps singing that song, I got it stuck in my head.”

“Is that so, well she’s been humming that since before You were born, imagine my discomfort,” Oswuld looked the boy up and down, The Young Prince was smaller and thinner than Edwyn was at her age, then again Edwyn was bigger than most Ten year old's, even still the Young Prince was healthy and Springy like a fox, not to mention sharper than any blade, and sometimes that was all you needed to be.

“Where’s your Big sister, Crow said that You were both studying?” A rampant cringe overtook the boy’s pale face

“She’s going over the little known histories of House Milouise with the wicked witch herself.”

“Come now, Miss Willow must have gotten a little less prickly over the years?” Oz saw the grimace on his nephew’s face, “Or not?”

Oz huffed as they walked, searching the great halls for Princess Angie and Keeper Willow “I assume there is a reason that You did not attend morning training with Percival and Maggie, You could have shown off those sword skills of yours, or maybe shot them down with a little marksmanship?”

“…well, they were too busy fighting, it was a little distracting.” The Young Prince said crossing his arms

“Oh I know, but still, Captain Randal will be upset that You skipped again.”

“Harry said I could Go after I overheard He and mother saying something about a Test for You?”

"Overheard or eavesdropped?" Oz asked.

The Boy grinned a little shrugging as they continued

"d-did you pass?" He asked, dragging attention away from his listening into things that He shouldn't be

“Yes, no thanks to You.” Oswuld jested, ruffling the Boy’s shaggy mane of hair as they continued their search. "God's boy, remind me to tell Henrietta to get a barber to cut off this bird's nest"

The Boy paled, shrinking back "No! not my dragon's mane!" He wined, The Lord Regent's laugh booming as the two continued on.

Oswuld began to hear the not so elusive sounds of Lady Willow’s cold words, leading his nephew on, seeing his grimace as they approached

“Where is that boy!” They heard, the tone chilling like a pool of ice as they were spoken, “By the Saints, why can’t he just sit still, Lord Wulda will kill me if He’s galavanted into the Blackbrook. He knows that shithole is dangerous!”

The two emerged around the corner, making Willow almost jump out of her wrinkled skin “My Liege, I didn’t hear you come in.” Willow said with a respectful bow, her greying hair falling past her watering blue eyes

“I've told You before Willow, Ozwuld will suffice.”

Willow’s round face twisted in scorn as a nervous Arthur emerged from behind his uncle, quickly receiving one of the Librarian’s famous “Talking too’s” though clearly a very toned-down version in the Lord-Regent’s presence.

Oswuld himself, however, caught the sound of a familiar sweet summer tune on his ears, hummed by an elegantly dressed young girl, mahogany of hair and avian of the face just like her mother.

The Old Prince approached the girl, the sound of Willow's scorning still sounding behind them “The amount Lady Willow yells… I honestly don’t know how you get any reading done?” He sat on a chair beside her, their matching golden eyes meeting as Evangeline tore away from her Book with a smile

“I learned how to block it out.”

Oswuld sat with Angie a while, watching her read quietly as Lady Willow continued to berate the Young Prince who gave just as good as he got, the two angrily rowing as Oz chuckled.

Evangeline was the eldest of his nieces, quiet and thoughtful, Maggies's complete opposite, never had he met such a well behaved young woman, not to mention that she was Her mother's mirror image... but the Iron Dragon saw a more, saddening familiarity in the Young girl

"Sat here with her head in the books, just like Joanna..." It wasn't often that Oswuld thought of his sister, the pain of it... Uthyr used to go whiter than his mane of ivory hair at the mentioning of her name, another reason to keep quiet, though it did bring a little happiness to him to see her in his Niece, knowing that He would get to see her grow, where Joanna and Anise lost that opportunity.

"Uncle, can I ask You something?" She asked in a tone, soft as silk, Oz nodded "I was reading..."

"Wow, really?" Gods, that was a terrible joke, Angie chuckled at it either way

"It was about the Battle at the DrakenGate." Her words cut through him like a hot knife through butter, He tried to hide his discomfort, but she clearly picked up on it "N-Nevermind"

"No, No, go on, what's Your question?" The reassurance re-bolstered her confidence

"It's about Grandfather, I was wondering... what he was like?" She asked

Oswuld huffed "King Henry..." the title tasted sour in his mouth, "Hal Regis, was my hero, I loved him almost as much as I loved Your blasted father and still love Your mother, and You little tykes," Oz spoke with a smile, Hal Regis, that's who he wanted to remember, not the Mad Dragon

"But You... You and father, You..."

"Killed him? yes, we did." He mumbled grimly

"I know He did bad things, but he was still Your Father right?" Oz couldn't blame her for not knowing, nobody could truly know, They didn't see the man that He and Uthyr saw, that Man who killed their sisters was not their father, not anymore

"He was sick, little bird, very sick, You will understand one day."

"Sick like Father was?" she asked, Oswuld's face darkened as he stood

"I have a meeting to attend in the nest chamber," He said coldly, not meeting her eyes as he tried to smile "Make sure that Your books don't make You late for dinner alright?"

Oswuld looked to his Nephew who was red with irritation at Lady Willows bellowing, The Lord-Regent certainly felt the same "Enough Willow, come, Boy" The small boy blinked curiously

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to the Council Meeting at the Tower of the Finger." The Boy blinked again, a slight frown on his lightly freckled face.

"Ugh, Do I have to?"

Willow became flushed with annoyance at the Young Prince's tone, though was silenced by Oswuld's Iron scowl, she quivered a little at first, though bowed deeply afterwards

"Good day My Liege." the elder scribe bid them as the two left

The Lord-Regent walked the Ivory Halls, The Prince followed hastily and quietly, the upset plastered all over his freckled face, "Uncle Oz, can't I just go train with Maggie and Percy?"

"It is a King's duty to attend his Council," Oswuld said trying to sound reassuring.

The Boy continued to walk quietly by his uncle's side, though the deep unease that oozed from the Boy was more than palpable.

"My Lord."

Oswuld jolted a little as Black-Crow's dark form appeared beside the two, "By the Dragon, woman, will you cut it out!" The Lord-Regent was bound for a heart attack if his Spymaster were to continue, the Prince, however, seemed to warm to Black-Crow's presence, the look of childish wonder on his face spelling his admiration for the shadowed foreign Crow.

The Trio traversed the Ivory corridors, moving through the peasant wing where the Young Prince was greeted with many smiles and greetings, "Beloved by the people, just like his father." Oz thought, the three emerging out into the grand hall, The Young Prince going quiet as they came upon the great Iron steps of the Tower of the Fist.