Nayla’s Salt

“And now, we welcome Marquis Albert Nebla of the Southern Alliance,” spoke the announcer, then rolled up the scroll and stepped aside. Trumpets hummed to life as the doors swung open. Through them entered a tall man with lush, blonde hair. He wore royal blue colors of the Southern kingdoms and walked with the grace of a gazelle, springing slightly with each step. His long cloak dragged on the carpet behind him. He approached the royalty and knelt before them.

“Thank you for having me, your highness,” he spoke warmly. Then he got back up and glanced at the princess.

“Of course Marquis,” said the old man wearing a crown as he waved him away dismissively.

“The banquet will begin shortly, a few more guests to be welcomed.”

The Marquis took a step up toward the princess, “My lord, if I may? I have come to offer a union of our lands and kingdoms. Southern Alliance and your Kingdom, through the union of our noble families. I propose to your daughter,” his voice was brimming with the confidence of a lawyer who had never lost a case. The king popped an eyebrow at him.

“This isn’t-.

“ he began, but his daughter interrupted him.

“I reject, next.”

The king glanced at his daughter, then chuckled warmly, “You heard her.”

The Marquis’s eyes shot wide open. His jaw hung open slightly, like an old and rusted hinge, just barely holding it together. He swallowed audibly, “D-do you not understand what’s at stake?”

The princess took a few steps down toward the Marquis. A few guards around the stairs stepped forth along with her. They kept their distance, but were close enough to be within their spear’s reach should the Marquis try anything.

She smirked playfully at him, placing her index finger under his chin and guiding his startled gaze up to meet hers.

“I know well enough, my happiness. You only worry about your power, your position, disgusting,” she said. She grasped his chin in her hand and turned his head, “See these people? They’re not my subjects but my companions. They don’t bow to me out of fear, but out of respect. I help in the kitchens and the stables because I cherish their work. You won’t ever understand.”

She released his chin in a swift jerk. She turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving Marquis baffled and perplexed.

“And now we welcome Levi, Captain of the Black Lagoon pirates and the Chancellor of the newly formed Nayla Federation,” the announcer spoke again, loud and clear. The room riled up a little, murmurs were echoing throughout the room. In the moment of commotion, a couple of guards escorted Marquis to the ballroom.

Before the doors shut behind him, he caught a glimpse of a towering giant shape, covered in fur that leaned over to the princess in a gentle, yet loving embrace.

Marquis couldn’t quite tell whether the Chancellor whispered something to her, or kissed her on the cheek, or perhaps it was both.

He paced in his room impatiently, awaiting the delivery of the artifact. A knock echoed through the otherwise silent room. He pulled the door open, “About damn time.”

The guardsman looked deep into the Marquis’s green eyes, he looked lost, startled.

“Sorry my lord, there were complications with the acquisition and the delivery. That is to say, erm, the witch wasn’t too fond of selling this item to us.”

“I said acquire it in any means necessary,” the Marquis growled.

“I know my lord, and we did, erhm. Seven of our men lost their lives tonight, but per your orders, the item is here, in the dining room. It was too large to be brought up to your chambers.”

Marquis sighed, “Good for nothing imbeciles. Put a 24/7 guard at the divining hall then, no one besides me gets to enter it from now on. He shoved the guard aside as he stormed past him and down the stairs. Each step heavy with frustration.

His fingers traced the intricate rune patterns on the object. As he grasped the cloth covering it, a chill ran down his spine, as if the remnants of his consciousness and reason begging him not to unveil what’s hidden beneath. However, he did not care. He did not listen.

He pulled the cloth down to reveal a blackened mirror. It reflected him in a distorted manner. Though its surface was as black as the night sky, it reflected nothing else but him, who stood in front of it. He gazed upon the black mirror with a sly grin, “Mirror mirror… ANSWER ME!” he barked suddenly.

The mirror’s reflection wobbled, a few ripples propagated through it. It was as if his shout sent ripples through it like a rock thrown into a still puddle. The mirror’s reflection blinked at him, even though he himself did not, “Do not yell at me,” his reflection spoke. It distorted, twisted, and then showed an image, a blurry image of the banquet from a few weeks prior, the large, furred shape hugging the princess he desired.

“I know your secrets, your desires.”

Marquis pressed his hand against the cold mirror’s face.

“Do you now?” the image in the mirror twisted and then dissipated, falling apart like a crumbling dream, just to be rebuilt into an image of the princess Margaret. He glanced up at the image, his eyes softened, hand trembling.

“She’s perfect,” he whispered.

“Your pride is hurt,” the mirror whispered.

“Will you let him take that which is rightfully yours?” the image seemingly faded, replaced by a dark furred image of a Hrothgar.

“NO!”

Marquis gritted his teeth, taking a step back, “how dare that filthy beast lay his hand upon the perfection!? But what should I do!?” he pleaded.

The mirror returned to showing a reflection of the Marquis to him, though his eyes in the reflection were black as the void, and his expression was that of an obsessed maniac, grinning madly.

“KILL,” the reflection spoke, then walked away. The image showed Levi dancing with the Princess in the middle of a ball, guests applauding them.

Then he saw his reflection walk up behind the Chancellor Levi, his hand on Levi’s shoulder in a friendly gesture, Levi hunched over slightly hear what his reflection was saying, and then, collapsed to the floor, with a dagger in his back.

Suddenly his reflection walked in front of the murder scene, grinning madly, “Just like that, you’ve saved a princess. Get hailed a hero for saving a princess in distress from a beast, a filthy pirate.”

He nodded, “Yes, yes she needs to be saved. She’s been abducted surely, blackmailed perhaps? He’s a pirate filth, a beastman at that with not an ounce of noble blood in him. I will rescue her, my beloved.”

“Who can help me achieve this!?”

Marquis queried. The mirror faded, a moment later image showed of a man dressed in a black coat, fighting fiercely for his life against a beast wolfman, a werewolf with claws sharp as razors, tearing anything they came in contact with. Then another image showed a man holding a burning piece of timber, forest fire behind him, and then another, a rogue like person, sitting on a chandelier above a gathered group of people, waiting patiently for his opportunity to take out his target.

“I want them all,” Marquis whispered, clenching his fist.

“I want them ALL!”

His reflection in the mirror grinned, “Your wish, is my command. You shall have them all,” it extended its hand through the mirror, offering a handshake. Marquis took it, “I will succeed,” he whispered.

“WE will,” the mirror corrected, leaving a stain on his hand as its hand retracted back behind its blackened surface.

Days passed while Marquis continued to scheme. His perfect plan would come to life in a month when Levi would hold a ceremony of alliances. Rumors had it that he was also planning to announce his engagement during the ceremony. Marquis thought this would be a perfect opportunity for him to rescue the princess from the foul beast and show the world how great the Southern Alliance was, to gain influence and power, and to win the love of his life.

Every waking moment he spent with the mirror, further reassuring himself of the success of his plan, all the while the mark continued to grow and spread.

Its tendrils like roots, spread throughout his entire body. At last, the crew was gathered and he presented them with the plan.

“You three will pose as my personal guards, they won’t object to a high ranking noble such as myself attending with guards, especially granted that some opposing powers will be present,” he began.

“Now hold’on a minute mate. Do ya even hav’ an invite?” spoke the man in black long coat. A gruesome scar decorated his face from the temple of his head all the way down his neck.

“Do not concern yourself with political matters, I will handle that. Your job is to ensure MY safety, and in case of failure, to slay the beast.”

“Just point me in the direction and I’ll deliver his head to you,” the huntsman spoke.

“Don’t be rash, it has to be a public execution, a show of our intent to save the princess,” Marquis shot back.

“Can’t we just burn the palace down? I mean, he’s just a Douche of some salt mines, no?”

Spoke a bald man with a burn scar on his right forearm that he kept scratching.

“Duke, and no, he isn’t a Duke, he is a- ugh, doesn’t matter, but no. No burning. Your task is diversion, burn their flagship to a crisp… he cherishes his vessel, the Black Lagoon, make it perish in hellish flames. The bald man grinned, “Oh gladly, I’ll set it ablaze and marvel the show.”

“Do as you please,” Marquis groaned, “And you…” he glanced at an empty chair, “where’d she go?” he glanced around the room, then felt the cold steel of a dagger’s blade against his throat.

“I could just slay you right here on the spot, take the money, and not have to risk my hide in a foreign land, a country ran by syndicates and pirates, what say you to that proposal?” whispered a woman in a husky tone, her face covered by a mask, and hair hidden by a hood.

In that moment, something changed. Duke’s voice no longer his, and his eyes were different too; void of emotion and color. The whites in his eyes turned black, his voice fell deep, as if he descended straight into hell.

“Oh I don’t think so, darling. You wouldn’t last a second in the pits I’d drag you to, were you to lay a finger on me.”

He leaned against the assassin, his hand firmly grasping her wrist, “Go on, I dare you.”

She huffed, attempting to break free, “Didn’t think so. Good.”

He released her and she swiftly made her way to the nearest shadows to hide within.

“I will serve,” she whispered.

“I didn’t doubt that,” the Marquis, or rather, whatever was in charge now, spoke in the same growling and deep voice that sounded like the echoes of the deepest pits of hell. The day came at last, the day of their arrival in the Federation of Nayla.

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t have you on the invitation list,” spoke a pirate in raggedy clothes, leaning against the pillar in a drunk, unstable fashion, “Nothing I can do about it. You can’t come in.”

The Marquis glared at the greeter. His eyes blackened for a moment, then returned to normal, his usual prudent and overly confident personality came out, “Do you not know who I am? I am Marquis Albert Nebla of the Southern Alliance. You WILL let me through, I am presenting to you an authentic invitation, how dare you turn me down? Is this the way the Nayla Federation treats their esteemed guests? Puts a drunkard as the greeter and refuses entry?”

The pirate shrugged, “Look, Cap’n said only people on the list, yer not, buzz off.”

Marquise jolted back, startled by the boldness of the people of the Nayla Federation, “How DARE,” he began, raising his hand high above his head in an effort to slap the drunk pirate.

Before he had a chance to take a swing, a strong hand grasped his wrist, “Now now, we wouldn’t want the pretty blue ship of the Southern Alliance dismantled into toothpicks now would we? I’d strongly advise against violence against these men,” spoke a somewhat gentle, yet raspy voice.

Marquis glanced over his shoulder and then gasped when he saw Captain Levi, or rather – Chancellor Levi towering behind him. Standing well over two meters tall, and shoulders broad enough to not fit through an ordinary door, the captain had a very imposing stature and aura. He grinned, flashing his pearly white fangs, “What say you, uhm, who were you again?”

Marquis blinked a couple of times, “Marquis of,” he began but Levi interrupted him, “Great! Marquis of the Southern Alliance, I am delighted to have you. Please, do come in,” Levi spoke softly with a friendly smile decorating his face. For someone as imposing as him, he had a surprisingly warm and welcoming smile.

The banquet was overflowing with food and feasts, drinks aplenty with hundreds of barrels of various alcohols to choose from. The crowd quickly changed their attitude from serious and tense, to loose tongued and rowdy. Suits were off and ties cut loose. Secrets spilled as did the booze. Nobility? Nowhere to be seen. Manners? All but forgotten and abandoned. Any disputes were settled in the pirate way either through drinks, games or arm wrestling.

“Can I shank him now?” spoke the Huntsman, impatiently pacing behind the Marquis.

“You handle him if I can’t. She isn’t here yet. Be patient,” the Marquis whispered. The assassin was nowhere to be found, and the bald man had long since left the banquet hall, presumably to create the diversion that was his job.

The rowdy crowd fell silent. Levi stood at the top of the stairs, awaiting his beloved who descended down another flight of stairs toward him. Her silvery dress and pale skin were a perfect contrast to Levi’s dark fur color. The crowd seemingly froze in the moment, watching in awe. As she perked up and kissed him on the cheek, he grinned.

“Esteemed guests, I thank you for attending tonight. In front of all these witnesses, I wish to announce my engagement to Princess Margaret. May this union lead to stronger alliances and serve as foundation to the future prosperity of our Federation and their Kingdom.

The crowd cheered, all except for two, Marquis and his guard the Huntsman.

“We’re late,” the Huntsman whispered.

“No, they’ll dance now, and that’ll be my chance.”

And so they danced, and Marquis watched. As the music faded, and applauds filled the room, in union with stomping, the Maruis took his chance. He burst through the crowd and walked right into the center of the ballroom, walking toward Levi and Margaret.

Levi turned to greet his guest.

“I, Marquis Nebla, couldn’t just watch from the sidelines,” he announced. Levi smiled, “Ah, Marquis, we meet again. Had you an opportunity to meet my wife to be?”

The Marquis walked closer, bowed as he took her hand into his and kissed the top of her hand, “Once, perhaps, in the past.”

Margaret seemed uncertain. Like an elephant trying to remember if it had ever seen that particular, unimportant rock before, or not.

Levi grinned, “Great great.”

Marquis beckoned him closer, “I have prepared a special gift for you my friend, to commemorate this eternal union in a truly unforgettable way.”

Levi’s brows shot up like umbrellas springing into action, “Oho!?” he sounded excited, leaning closer.

“Yes? What might it be? A new ship? A cannon?”

“Something like that,” Marquis whispered. His body jerked suddenly. Margaret’s face turned pale at the sound of Levi’s painted grunt as something pierced his thick fur. Marquis grinned a devilish grin, “Death,” he whispered softly. Levi gritted his teeth, a low, pained growl escaped his throat, “I see how it is.”

Levi’s body trembled; the dagger was poisoned.

His muscles tensed, his fist connected with Marquis’s abdomen – sending the frail man tumbling a few meters away. The crowd remained silent. Some of the pirates rallied, stepping forth just to be met with Levi’s stern gaze. A single glance was enough for the pirates to know not to interfere in their captain’s ordeals. The guests were shocked by the events unfolding before their own eyes, but too perplexed to interfere.

Levi’s body shuddered, dizziness consuming him rapidly. He fell to one knee, the razor sharp claws scratching the tile floor beneath him whilst he tried to regain his composure, “Back stabbing bastard of the Southern Alliance. Nayla! WILL! REMEMBER!” he shot a cold gaze at the Marquis who was scrambling to get back up to his feet. The pirates around them repeated in a silent murmur that grew ever louder as more of them chimed in, “Nayla will remember.”

“There will be NO more Nayla,” the Marquis yelled out as he threw himself up at last and glared up at the ceiling.

“Don’t you get it? You shouldn’t exist. Trash. Criminals. SCUM! I will purge the world from your kind. Margaret, come with me. I’ve come to save you from this scum. Whatever they did, I can protect you from it.”

He threw his head to the side in an unnatural manner, staring at the pale faced Princess who was shocked by the events. Her gaze fixed on Levi, oblivious to the existence of the Marquis who so desperately called out to her. As the Huntsman attempted to walk past Levi, he was greeted with claws that sank right into his leg as Levi grasped his lower leg.

“Don’t you dare.”

The Huntsman reached for his dagger but before he had a chance to do anything, he heard a loud crunch as his bone shattered.

The huntsman fell to the floor, a pained cry escaped him but for just a moment. Angered Levi grasped him by the hair, and smashed his face into the tile floor, “Shhh, I’m not feeling too well.”

The trembling giant rose to his feet, “I have been stabbed, shot and assaulted countless times. I am feared across all the seas, and lands soon to be. You think you can barge in here, threaten my world, my friends, my wife to be?”

Marquis took a trembling step back, drawing yet another dagger, “F-foul beast. I know you did something to take her, I will… ASSASSIN!? ASSASSIN!!!” he cried out at each heavy step that Levi took closer to him, but his plea fell on deaf ears. The assassin did not respond. She was enjoying a hearty drink at a corner table in the company of a passed-out, white furred beastman who seemed to have enjoyed the evening far too much.

“Fire! A Southern Alliance ship’s on fire at the docks,” called out a messenger, but the crowd largely ignored him. Marquis’s eyes widened at the realization that it was his own ship that was burning now. In that moment, he realized that perhaps fear and intimidation were not the best means of acquiring loyalty. His eyes blackened as despair consumed him, “Good,” a voice in his head whispered, “Good. Hate. Anger. Let it out, let ME out.”

The Marquis’s eyes blackened and his voice fell deeper and lower with each spoken word, until they no longer were comprehensible, “Cursed be this land and all-.

“ words turning into a chant in an incomprehensive tongue. Levi gazed around the room at his startled guests. A beastly growl echoed through the room as he leapt through the air, digging his sharp claws into Marquis’s shoulders, bringing the man, or whatever he had become, down to the floor.

“Silence!” he ordered, but the creature did not respond, it continued its chant, and even when he shut Marquis’s mouth, the chant continued from seemingly within his entire body. The skies outside turned grim. The weather fell silent, as did the lands and seas.

Not a ripple in the water, it dared not move. For a moment it seemed as if time itself froze, but it was just that life itself fell silent, holding its breath. The clouds in the skies began to swirl, turn and twist, like a dough. Folding in on itself in a chaotic dance that could only be an omen of something terrible to come.

Levi’s body was succumbing to poison, “What did you do?” he growled angrily, desperately clinging to his consciousness so as not to faint.

“Released myself,” the demon spoke. Marquis’s head snapped to the side in a powerful jerk. An audible crack as his neck dislocated, echoed through the room. His body slumped, Levi glanced around the room, panic slowly building up.

“WHAT ARE YOU STANDING FOR!? Arm the cannons! Women, children, and guests to the cellars, keep them safe! Crew the ships, prepare for battle.”

The pirates in the crowd took a moment to sober up. A moment later shouts were heard throughout the room, as if echoes of the past, remnants of his glory days. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“THIS WAY! GUESTS FOLLOW ME!” shouted one, “Black Lagoon lives again,” shouted another, rushing out the building and heading for the docks.

Just as suddenly as the commotion started, it stopped. Just as the silence befell the lands before, it fell upon the lands again, though this time it was different, it was welcomed, warm. A black cat walked out of seemingly nowhere toward Levi and Marquis. It stopped, pawed at Marquis’s lump body, then glanced up at Levi. The cat’s black fur glistened perfectly, and its amber eyes seemed radiant.

“Nyaaawn, what a mess,” the cat said, stretching in front of Levi.

Levi felt as if he couldn’t avert his gaze from the black cat. He was glued to it. Every fiber in his body, every ounce of his soul, they all desired to keep staring at the cat, to not look away for even a second, to not even so much as blink.

“W-what are you?” he uttered.

In his peripheral vision he realized he saw no movement, as if the time itself had stopped at the will of this cat.

“Meow?” the cat sat down, licking its paw and then washing its face, acting like the most ordinary cat.

Levi shook his head slightly, “Don’t pretend, you’re no normal cat.”

The cat paused mid wash, “I was taking a nap when this ugly thing decided to butt into my world,” the cat replied smugly, smacking the Marquis’s body with its tail, “filth,” the cat added, finishing up its washing. Levi sighed, “A god?”

The cat looked up at him, “Oh? Seen some before have you? Purrhaps? Or meowby, I’m just a figment of your imagination, a fever dream from that nasty poison.”

The cat disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Levi fell to the side with an audible thud.

The time resumed. His beloved rushed to his side, her gentle fingers brushing through his hair, “No, Levi, hang in there we need you.”

Levi smiled softly, bringing his index finger to his lips, “shhh, hear that?”

Confused shouts came from outside, “IT’S GONE!”

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?”

“IS IT OVER?”

Levi grinned, “See? Everything is alright.”

He brought his hand up to her cheek, cupping it gently, “My darling, smile, it suits you better.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, lonely as he was until he met her, “Not without you, I can’t.”

She sniffled.

He gave her a weary smile, “Sure you can.”

His hand fell to the ground, his body grew ever heavier in her arms, “No, no! Please gods no, don’t! Not like this.”

Her tears like rain fell onto his face. In a drop she thought she saw a reflection of a black cat, but she ignored it, instead clutching her beloved tighter, “No! Levi…”

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Prequel: Salt of Nayla

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