Chapter 5: The Emperor
Voren sighed. "I never thought they'd start to hunt me down. I mean, I KNOW
my family holds NO love for me, but I didn't think they'd hunt me down.
They're probably afraid someone will find out I'm RELATED to them. They want
me wiped out because they wouldn't be able to stand the shame that one of them
is an ASSASSIN!" She pounded her fist on the table, frowning bitterly. "Right,
Voren, you're not ALLOWED to be related to them, so you have to DIE!" She
pounded again, making the dishes jump.
Kriz put his hand over hers. "Voren, calm down. You can handle
ANYTHING they throw at you."
She looked at him. "Can I? Can I really, Kriz? Think about it, if my father
came... The head of the clan..."
"But he can't do magic, can he?" Cried Midja.
Voren shook her head. "No, but if he challenges me to a honor duel... I'm
toasted."
Jekan smiled thinly. "You can toast him before he can even say it. Because he
can't challenge if he can't speak..."
Voren shook her head again. "That's fighting dirty, and I won't do it."
Jekan slammed his fist onto the table, getting up. "I'M not ABOVE
fighting dirty if someone I care about is in danger! I may not be able to do
magic, but sure as hell I CAN make a man freeze in his tracks -"
Kriz smiled patiently. "Sit down, Jekan. People are beginning to
stare."
Jekan reluctantly sat down, and Kriz turned back to Voren. "After all,
we don't know if he'll come, and any OTHER of your siblings you can beat!
Strength you can beat with speed and wits. Speed and wits you can beat
with surety and common sense. You can beat any one of the ones he might send
against you."
Voren smiled wistfully. "You're right, of course. I'm worrying about
something stupid... But somehow I can't really help it."
"I know, it's hard. But try not to think about it. Tomorrow... What will we
do tomorrow?"
Midja piped up, her eyes shining "Let's go see the animals of the
kings court!"
Voren shuddered, but nodded. "Sure, okay. Then we can... We can think of
something."

The next day, Voren, Midja, Jekan and Kriz were walking among the
galleries of the palace. They were taking one of the tours, which ended up at
the Court of Animals.
Midja was looking around in awe. "Wow... This man must be rich..."
Voren shrugged. "Not necessarily. He might have lots of pretty things, but
who knows if he actually has money?"
Midja laughed at the idea of a poor king. "That's silly! All kings are
rich!"
Voren shook her head. "Not necessarily. I've heard of a king who had no money
at all, and he had to pawn EVERYTHING. It was a sad sight, with the only thing
in the entire palace left of real worth was his crown, his staff, his throne
and his robes. That was it. They took everything else except for his wife and
children, and not them because he begged to keep them."
Midja pointed "Oh, look!" she said. They were coming up to the first animal
pen, which had a sign saying "Tiiray" on it.
Voren looked, and the sight shocked her. In the cage was the poorest excuse
for an animal she had ever seen. What must have - once - been a great, regal
cat was now a bag of bones, so old that the caretaker was feeding it mush,
because it had no teeth. It was thin and looked tired. Voren put her hand to
her mouth in shock. "Oh, dearest goddess preserve us..." she whispered, tears
running down her cheeks.
Midja tugged on her arm. "Look!" They were now coming to another pen, this
marked "Erevan."
Voren looked again, and this was even worse. The large animal was
young, and looked like it would have been in it's prime, if not for the fact
that it was skinny as a rail, it's tusks cut off (For ivory, I'll bet. thought
Voren), it's trunk scraped and raw, and it's magnificent ears pinned to it's
sides, so if it so much as moved it's head it was in pain. Voren shook her
head, more tears coming to her eyes. "This can't be... No person could be this
cruel..."
Midja gasped. "Oh, my goddess!" She turned into Voren, sobbing.
Voren turned to look where Midja had been, and saw 5 keepers whipping a
female erevan because it couldn't stand up. As she watched, the poor thing
turned towards her, it's eyes full of pain, clouding over...
Voren couldn't take it anymore. "Come on, Midja." She grabbed the
girl's wrist and jumped off the edge of the cart they had been riding in.
Seeing Voren, Kriz and Jekan jumped out too. She handed Midja to them and ran
in the other direction, screaming in rage "HOW DARE YOU! YOU MURDERERS! HOW
DARE YOU!!!" One of the keepers just looked up as Voren ran into him, clawing
him viciously. He screamed and ran, and another keeper followed suit. The
three that were left tried to catch her with their whips, but she was fast,
and one was down, his throat torn out, before the other two could react.
Another followed, one eye gouged, in falling. The last stood there, waiting
for the attack from the wild-eyed creature that was Voren, but none came. He
smirked and began lashing at the erevan again. As he turned his back to her,
she jumped and landed right behind him. In a lightning-fast movement, she
stuck her hand through his chest from behind and pulled out his heart. He
didn't even have time to gasp before he was dead. She stood there,
half-covered with
blood, as the erevan got up. It presented it's trunk to her, and she
kissed it. They gazed into each other's eyes, two beings of equal status that
could co-exist together within that second entirely peacefully. Then they
broke eye contact and the erevan slowly moved away. Voren just stood there as
the guards came and arrested her for killing the 3 keepers, but she didn't
care. She had been touched by a being so great and majestic, in that one
moment, she had owned the entire world. It had been a thanks. A gift. And
Voren knew she would treasure it always.

The king stood at his throne, looking down his nose at Voren, who was tied up
by energy bands. "You KILLED three of my keepers, how could you do it?"
Voren growled at him. "If you don't care about those animal's lives, than you
should be shot!"
The king stared, in shock. "How DARE you! I am the KING!"
Voren spat. "Any king who would let them ABUSE another living creature like
that is EVIL! PURE EVIL!"
The king's eyebrow began twitching. "If you continue on this, you
shall be put to death, you know that, don't you?!"
Voren's eyes glittered. "I do not care. I will fight for a fellow
creature if it means my death!"
The king was about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of
drums and trumpets. "What -"
One of his servants burst into the room. "Sir! The newly made EMPEROR has
arrived on a surprise visit!"
The king cursed. "No! He cannot be here!"
A light, resounding voice said "But I am, and you must heed to my
will." The emperor came in without much fanfare or sound, but seated himself
at the throne.
The king bowed. "My liege, it is good to see you, but I am about to deal with
a prisoner, if you -"
Voren cut in, her voice razor-sharp. "If this EMPEROR feels about
animals as you do, you may BOTH rot in HELL! I saved that erevan because she
was a FELLOW CREATURE, and I DO NOT regret killing those men to save her! THEY
WERE HURTING HER!!! I felt as if someone had begun to whip my sister and her
child!"
The king whirled and marched up to Voren. He said tautly "If you feel THAT
way about it, you may get the same treatment!" He slapped her, so hard she
flew backwards, the energy bonds cutting into her skin.
She got up, her cheek red. "I will die for her and that child she
carries! BECAUSE SHE IS A FELLOW CREATURE, AND THUS MY KIN!" She struggled up
and stood, face burning, to look straight at the king. "It is a bond you will
NEVER feel, and for that, I pity you."
"BITCH!" The king raised up his hand to slap her again, and Voren
closed her eyes against it. But it never came. She opened her eyes to see that
the young emperor had caught and was holding the kings hand, obviously to the
king's chagrin.
He frowned as he released the king. "She is being honorable. You are not. You
are dismissed from your position and you may find a new one in the street, you
scum."
The king stuttered. "But... My lord, I -"
"I SAID you are dismissed. That means go."
The king went red. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, YOU MISERABLE WRETCH! SEE IF YOU
DON'T!" he screamed, then turned and stomped out of the palace.
The emperor looked at Voren tenderly. "Does your cheek hurt?" She
shook her head, slightly in awe. He smiled. "You don't need to look so
surprised. My mother was like you. She always cared about animals too. I have
a gallery at my palace, but those are well cared for."
Voren looked up hopefully. "I don't suppose you could -"
"- Take the animals here and give them good care? For you, my lady, of
course." he knelt to kiss her hand, and she blushed. She was about to say
more, but suddenly they heard loud voices outside. The emperor looked up.
"What -"