Barbarian

The queen called for Hendrix and her other trusted men to deliberate on the bloodsucker’s issue. 

“They are gaining ground with each passing day. I am afraid we will have to find a solution as quickly as possible,” one of the advisors contributed to the discussion. 

“The bloodsuckers have outnumbered us both in terms of arms and manpower. We have to come to a conclusion before they wipe us off the face of the earth,” lady Alisha piped in. 

“How many days will it take them to invade our territory?” Rosalie murmured to herself. 

“With the mountain in between, barely a month,” she studied the map and concluded in concern. A deep dent between her brows as she mulled over the fact.  

Then her eyes swept to the other end of the map where the Moonhowler mountain was drawn. The Moonhowler was notorious for housing the barbarians. She had vowed never to look its way but fate apparently had other plans.

“How long will it take for the messenger to ascend the Moonhowler?” she found herself asking as her gaze trailed over the mountain.

Rosalie had already pondered over the issue before calling for the meeting. No matter from what angle she looked, there was no solution except to join forces with the abominable clan.  

So much for vowing to never bring his name on her tongue.   

“A week at most, your highness,” Hendrix perked. This was the first time he had contributed to the meeting. Rosalie didn’t need to be told, she could see Hendrix was all up for this damned alliance.  

She lifted her face and fixed her gaze on Alaric, her beta who was in his early thirties. 

“Send a man to the Moonhowler. Tell them the Queen of Avalona wants to meet their chieftain and also send an invitation to the messenger of Attiha,” she announced with an impassive face. 

Hendrix gazed at her with a hint of suspicion. He couldn't understand why she had called for the King of Attiha. 

The meeting was dispelled after the decision was made. Everyone marched out of the room except for Hendrix. 

“Rosy,” he called out to his best friend’s daughter. Rosalie glanced up from the map and looked at her uncle with a worn-out smile. The way her eyes sparkled he knew this smile was not practiced but came straight from her heart. She didn't resemble the queen she was but a young girl. 

“What are you thinking so hard about, cherry-pie?” the old man worried out while staggering up to her. 

“Nothing, uncle, just about the war,” she lied and smiled to make it sound convincing. 

“Don’t worry about the war. I can assure you we will emerge victorious if the barbarian agrees to help us,” the certainty in his voice was baffling.  

“ What if they refused?” she queried. Barbarians didn’t have a good reputation to their name. They were famous for rampaging through the villages and looting. After ascending the throne, the first thing she did was to put strict measures in place to keep them from invading her territory. Queen was lauded for her security measures as Barbarian attacks were reduced to naught after she came into power. But deep down she knew the reason for their sudden withdrawal from her territory was not the measures but her. 

She shook herself from the old memories and brought her focus back on the man who was staring at her with deep concern. 

“They will not. They are too greedy to refuse,” the old man stated in a thoughtful tone. 

“They are deceitful too,” Rosalie quipped. Hendrix nodded in agreement. Barbarians were famous for their deceitful nature. They had no loyalty to anyone but to their own interest and honesty was a foreign term to them. He would certainly be concerned about it if he’d not heard the famous tales of the current chief.  

Ryker. 

This barbarian is ruthless to the point his victims prefer to kill themselves before getting caught by him. Some say he eats the flesh of his victim and some believe he bathes in their blood. There are thousands of rumors running free about him. The wind carries the tales of his barbaric nature which is enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart. His wolf is called Devil Shadow. He kills to live and tortures for fun. They say whoever dares to look into his hazel eyes doesn’t live another minute to speak of his achievement. The tales are also of some people dying of a heart ailment after hearing about his ominous arrival.  

The reason why no King has dared to come in his way. 

But at the same time, he is also known as a wordkeeper. Once given, he doesn't go back on his words. A quality that again distinguishes him from his predecessors. 

“Most likely he will not but we can't rely on the telltales. Let us have a meeting with those savages before drawing a conclusion,” Hendrix said. 

Rosalie gave a small nod. His wisdom has always impressed her. 

“Now go and have some rest. We have a lot to plan if the Savages agree to work for us,” Hendrix said and turned on his trembling limbs. Rosalie called for one of her guards and instructed him to escort Hendrix to his wing.

She returned to her chamber after the meeting. She felt drained of energy. It seemed as if years of exhaustion had finally started pressing down on her. When was the last time she had slept without care? She couldn't remember. 

And now him…