Shortfictionary

Premise: The Dark Genie, Kazith, is freed from a Ruby Lamp after a century-long conspiracy to undo the power that kept the daemon sealed and imprisoned. Now, the lands of Oeruth have been changed, monsters have been conjured forth from the Nightmare Realm, men and women have been transformed into beastly mockeries, and all hope is lost... or is it?

Within the chaos, the one person capable of restoring all of Oeruth to order and re-imprisoning Kazith fled in the night. Now, Princess Kiwama must overcome her chronic illness and her fears, bear the weight of responsibility and heroism and travel across Oeruth and repel the forces and machinations of Kazith.

Cast/Party: Princess Kiwami of the Oeruth Royal Family: A reclusive and awkward woman who never expected any responsibility or expectations to ever be placed upon her, as she was the fifth child of the royal family. Born with a weak constitution (CON is her lowest stat, Magic is highest stat), Kiwama spent her youth studying histories, lore and magic. She wants nothing more than to return to her libraries as the world genuinely terrifies her (Shut-in/hikikomori). Deeply Reluctant Hero archetype

Prince Odnek of the Oeruth Royal Family: A proud and masterful swordsman. The first-born child of the king and queen, a first-right fighter, martial leader and well educated. However, Odnek is also blunt to a fault, with no real grasp or tact for politics or business. He had attempted to use the Royal Family's ancient sword, Frigus, A massive greatsword imbued with ancient ice magic. But Odnek was struck by a spell from Kazith, stripping his soul from his body and sealing it within Frigus. Odnek is found in front of his petrified human body as Kiwami is fleeing the castle during the opening cutscene. (All of Odnek's moves use MP, DEX is lowest Stat and STR is his highest stat). Failed Hero archetype.

Rocinante: Rocinante had been a close companion (or as close as one could be) to Kiwami before Kazith's release by their vile followers. He had been a faithful servant and protector to the Princess in all things, not least of which when he threw himself in front of a blast of magic meant for her, transforming him into a donkey/work horse. He is a man and horse of simple words, merely wishing to see the task before them complete before even considering worrying about the next one. He is encountered when Kiwami and Odnek are clearing out an abandoned fortress in the forests to turn it into their base of operations. (No magic skill whatsoever, CON is highest stat, and INT is lowest stat). Simplistic Hero Archetype

Toreda Hare: A travelling merchant who comes to the party once the fortress has been built up enough to be habitable. He has become a large, rabbit-man, and he is not especially bothered by the transformation as he is by the economic chaos that Kazith's terror will have on the realm, his business and his family's continued survival. He is sharp and can be incredibly charismatic or plain depending on the situation. His entire role within the party is to support the others and serve as a pack mule, carrying their items or acquiring new materials for them. (He can use his turns to give any item he has to any other party member, STR is lowest stat, DEX is highest stat) Mercenary Anti-hero

I've been playing Street fighter 6 on Switch2 a lot recently. And my brain keeps coming back to the one storied character the game doesn't show (beyond a reference character in side mission in Nayshall and a Fateful Day event in Beat Square).

Dan Hibiki.

The man who watched his father die at the hands of Sagat and has tried to honour the training and techniques of his father while building and incorporating new techniques into his arsenal. A man whose growth and personal narrative is tied to his rejection by Gouken, his desire to avenge his father, and a hope to become a great mentor and teacher.

All of which gets constantly shit on because Dan exists to be ridiculed and mocked relentlessly by everyone and everything within the SF universe and (presumably) by the player base/Capcom as well. And it's such a shame that Dan can not develop in any true and meaningful way because if he did, it'd ruin the joke.

Because he is a character with a surprising amount of narrative meat on his bones.

His father's refusal to bend to Shadaloo's demands and his subsequent death by Sagat within the dojo Go Hibiki founded (Hibiki Go Dojo).

His (and his sister's) presumed homelessness as we've never heard of Dan's mum ever

Mastering his father's style, learning the style of his father's killer

Being taught (briefly) by Gouken before his intention for learning the foundations and techniques of the Ansatsulen are made clear.

Gouken feared Dan would become like Akuma, letting his anger and hatred consume him like the Satsui no Hado had to Akuma

Builds the initial (loosely) connected techniques, combos, and ki attacks that would go on to become Saikyō-ryū (Strongest Style)

Seeks to prove his newfound and (mostly) self-taught and self-engineered style lives up to its name

Fight and defeat Sagat for the death of his father

All of these dot points are literally just Dan's backstory. (Didn't even mention his "apprentice" Sakura, or that Gouken truly believes Dan has no talent or ability for martial arts). If Dan Hibiki were anyone else, he'd be given strong focus and cool narratives.

But Dan isn't anyone else. Dan's Dan Hibiki and Dan Hibiki is the universe's punching bag. So all of his improvements are dwarfed by others or are simply ignored. No one ever takes Dan seriously (Not even Sagat). And to top it all off, Dan has felt ashamed and was unable to face his father's grave (only now able to because Sagat pantomimed a fight and took a dive to give Dan the victory).

So, to the main question and its immediate sub-question. How do we un-joke Dan? And how do we keep Dan's identity once we've un-jokified him? Because if we go too far, he becomes a crappy Ken/Ryu clone with none of what makes him interesting. So it's a balancing act to get him serious enough not to be a punching bag worthy of nothing but ridicule while still maintaining Dan's good-hearted nature towards innocents and his martial arts ego.

Keep Dan's backstory as is (from his father's death to his struggles and eventual ejection and rejection by Gouken.

Have Dan's shame and inability to go to his father's burial place and face him like a man play a big/ger role in his narrative.

"Use whatever works! Fighting is meant to defend those who can't! Remember that!!" One of the last things Dan heard his father say to him. It becomes a central aspect of his personality and fighting style. Whatever works, works!

Play into Dan's obsessive behaviour. He's constantly pushing Saikyō-ryū to evolve. Granted, it isn't done in any way that's smart. Dan is just travelling to tournament to tournament, clashing with fighters, and promoting Saikyō-ryū. And that in his spare time, he's imitating the techniques of strong opponents, creating his take on other fighter's techniques.

Though he lacks the classical latent aptitude and innate talent for martial arts, Dan can take a beating. Certain aspects of Saikyō-ryū require the trade-off of taking a blow to land a blow. An idea that might be considered too stupid by others.

If it comes to removing one of his father's techniques for a technique of another style to strengthen Saikyō-ryū, Dan will keep his father's move to honour Go Hibiki

Dan is incredibly active in his community. He picks up litter, feeds the homeless, and runs errands for the elderly. All actions driven by the Rules of Manliness that were left to him by his father

His ego and taunting behaviour comes from two places. A genuine place that he is as talented as his father and those his father viewed as his equals, and that if a fighter underestimates you, they create exploitable openings. The driving force of his ego depends on where he is and who's he fighting.

Dan's contempt for Ryu and Ken should be deeper. Ryu has struggled with not succumbing to the Satsui no Hado for years and Ken has (as far as Dan's concerned) never truly suffered and had lived in luxury his entire life. Yet, despite having a noble goal, their shared sensei condemned him while Gouken let's Ryu dance on that razor's edge constantly.

I have also been mulling over the idea of Dan realising he was cheated out of his vengeance by Sagat. But I also feel like that realisation pierces through his defences of ego. He seeks out his prized student, Sakura and talks to her, and in a moment of honesty, requests her opinion of his techniques, and she answers.

She tells him that Saikyō-ryū techniques are easily telegraphed, have a short range, and on the whole, poorly designed and don't flow together. She tells Dan he spends so much time creating moves but never actively refining them. Like Gadouken, for example, it's unstable, losing power the further it travels and only exists for half the distance of a Hadouken.

She finishes by saying if Dan wants to be taken seriously and if he wants Saikyō-ryū to be taken seriously as a martial art, Dan needs to understand why he chooses the moves he does, why they matter, and to take the ideas and principles he understands to enhance and evolve. Just like he had when he studied Mui Thai initially to strengthen his father's style.

Now, Dan resides at his dojo, fighting phantom opponents and re-teaching himself his father's style, Mui Thai, and the half-formed Ansatsuken principles and techniques to undergo his first real evolution as a fighter.

The DID/Disassociation headcannon lines up with the joke scene in the UDON/Danburu comics where Dan instinctively taps into the Satsu no Hado without any real training. Revealing a strange and very deeply repressed unhealed rage within Dan.

I love the idea that Dan is driven to toxic positivity (like Ted Lasso) because of what Gouken told him. I also like to imagine that the three reasons for Dan's dismissal (obsession and revenge, lack of talent or skill, and a darkness within). That the truth is somewhere in the middle, Dan was obsessed with avenging his father (potentially killing Sagat in the process), when it came to Gouken's style of the Ansatsuken, Dan lacked the talent or skill to master it, and that Dan is/was incredibly susceptible to the Satsu no Hado.

Him being four at Go's death runs rough against the fact his sister, Yuriko, is currently in high school (Dan is currently in his early 30's i think, meaning he'd have to 14 at the earliest and 17 at the latest for Yuriko to still be in school). But all that does mean is Dan was still a child when his dad died, and he was forced to effectively become Yuriko's father figure as well. It's not hard to see why Dan was as intense and emotional in the earlier instalments.

I think (hope) if Dan is introduced in year 4 of SF6, that Dan is less a knock off Shotokan fighter, and is more a slow (but powerful), feint/parry (taunt) heavy character. He might even throw a fake Gadouken to create an opening to uppercut.

I mean, Dan is a second-gen immigrant who was born and raised in Hong Kong. So, i wouldn't mind seeing Dan incorporate aspects of Chinese martial arts into his style to reflect his roots and upbringing. Like, I know its manga (kenichi history's strongest disciple), but seeing Dan duck a punch and pull off something like the Takusuousho (elbow lifting palm), to crumple an opponent to set up a combo or prepare a super.

Narratively, I don't think his story mode arcade end should be him re-confronting Sagat. But either it should be either Ryu/Ken, Sakura, or Blanka. The reason is that each battle is cracking and chipping at Dan's ego (toxic positivity), and all his repressed anger and sadness surge forward as he gets more and more obsessed with proving himself. To the point he's barely sleeping, and he goes into a lucid/sleep walking state. In this state, everyone becomes Sagat, and without his active state of repression, Dan becomes very dangerous, and his friends/Gouken's pupils have to stop his rampage.

I've been playing Street fighter 6 on Switch2 a lot recently. And my brain keeps coming back to the one storied character the game doesn't show (beyond a reference character in side mission in Nayshall and a Fateful Day event in Beat Square).

Dan Hibiki.

The man who watched his father die at the hands of Sagat and has tried to honour the training and techniques of his father while building and incorporating new techniques into his arsenal. A man whose growth and personal narrative is tied to his rejection by Gouken, his desire to avenge his father, and a hope to become a great mentor and teacher.

All of which gets constantly shit on because Dan exists to be ridiculed and mocked relentlessly by everyone and everything within the SF universe and (presumably) by the player base/Capcom as well. And it's such a shame that Dan can not develop in any true and meaningful way because if he did, it'd ruin the joke.

Because he is a character with a surprising amount of narrative meat on his bones.

His father's refusal to bend to Shadaloo's demands and his subsequent death by Sagat within the dojo Go Hibiki founded (Hibiki Go Dojo).

His (and his sister's) presumed homelessness as we've never heard of Dan's mum ever

Mastering his father's style, learning the style of his father's killer

Being taught (briefly) by Gouken before his intention for learning the foundations and techniques of the Ansatsulen are made clear.

Gouken feared Dan would become like Akuma, letting his anger and hatred consume him like the Satsui no Hado had to Akuma

Builds the initial (loosely) connected techniques, combos, and ki attacks that would go on to become Saikyō-ryū (Strongest Style)

Seeks to prove his newfound and (mostly) self-taught and self-engineered style lives up to its name

Fight and defeat Sagat for the death of his father

All of these dot points are literally just Dan's backstory. (Didn't even mention his "apprentice" Sakura, or that Gouken truly believes Dan has no talent or ability for martial arts). If Dan Hibiki were anyone else, he'd be given strong focus and cool narratives.

But Dan isn't anyone else. Dan's Dan Hibiki and Dan Hibiki is the universe's punching bag. So all of his improvements are dwarfed by others or are simply ignored. No one ever takes Dan seriously (Not even Sagat). And to top it all off, Dan has felt ashamed and was unable to face his father's grave (only now able to because Sagat pantomimed a fight and took a dive to give Dan the victory).

So, to the main question and its immediate sub-question. How do we un-joke Dan? And how do we keep Dan's identity once we've un-jokified him? Because if we go too far, he becomes a crappy Ken/Ryu clone with none of what makes him interesting. So it's a balancing act to get him serious enough not to be a punching bag worthy of nothing but ridicule while still maintaining Dan's good-hearted nature towards innocents and his martial arts ego.

Keep Dan's backstory as is (from his father's death to his struggles and eventual ejection and rejection by Gouken.

Have Dan's shame and inability to go to his father's burial place and face him like a man play a big/ger role in his narrative.

"Use whatever works! Fighting is meant to defend those who can't! Remember that!!" One of the last things Dan heard his father say to him. It becomes a central aspect of his personality and fighting style. Whatever works, works!

Play into Dan's obsessive behaviour. He's constantly pushing Saikyō-ryū to evolve. Granted, it isn't done in any way that's smart. Dan is just travelling to tournament to tournament, clashing with fighters, and promoting Saikyō-ryū. And that in his spare time, he's imitating the techniques of strong opponents, creating his take on other fighter's techniques.

Though he lacks the classical latent aptitude and innate talent for martial arts, Dan can take a beating. Certain aspects of Saikyō-ryū require the trade-off of taking a blow to land a blow. An idea that might be considered too stupid by others.

If it comes to removing one of his father's techniques for a technique of another style to strengthen Saikyō-ryū, Dan will keep his father's move to honour Go Hibiki

Dan is incredibly active in his community. He picks up litter, feeds the homeless, and runs errands for the elderly. All actions driven by the Rules of Manliness that were left to him by his father

His ego and taunting behaviour comes from two places. A genuine place that he is as talented as his father and those his father viewed as his equals, and that if a fighter underestimates you, they create exploitable openings. The driving force of his ego depends on where he is and who's he fighting.

Dan's contempt for Ryu and Ken should be deeper. Ryu has struggled with not succumbing to the Satsui no Hado for years and Ken has (as far as Dan's concerned) never truly suffered and had lived in luxury his entire life. Yet, despite having a noble goal, their shared sensei condemned him while Gouken let's Ryu dance on that razor's edge constantly.

I have also been mulling over the idea of Dan realising he was cheated out of his vengeance by Sagat. But I also feel like that realisation pierces through his defences of ego. He seeks out his prized student, Sakura and talks to her, and in a moment of honesty, requests her opinion of his techniques, and she answers.

She tells him that Saikyō-ryū techniques are easily telegraphed, have a short range, and on the whole, poorly designed and don't flow together. She tells Dan he spends so much time creating moves but never actively refining them. Like Gadouken, for example, it's unstable, losing power the further it travels and only exists for half the distance of a Hadouken.

She finishes by saying if Dan wants to be taken seriously and if he wants Saikyō-ryū to be taken seriously as a martial art, Dan needs to understand why he chooses the moves he does, why they matter, and to take the ideas and principles he understands to enhance and evolve. Just like he had when he studied Mui Thai initially to strengthen his father's style.

Now, Dan resides at his dojo, fighting phantom opponents and re-teaching himself his father's style, Mui Thai, and the half-formed Ansatsuken principles and techniques to undergo his first real evolution as a fighter.

The basic premise is that the NPC called Sai Kyo approaches the player about a cool and powerful style that will tell them about strength. Leading to the player to Dan's Dojo. It's a shabby hole-in-the-wall place with just Dan, Sai Kyo, and Yuriko present.

There's a cutscene of Dan standing in front of several recording drones as he performs a series of punches, kicks, and small combos before ending with his iconic Gadouken before he gives a thumbs up to the cameras. Yuriko grins and says that they've got everything for the 6th edition of the Saikyō-ryū training guide. That's when Dan sees >Player Character< and rushes to greet them, asking if they were coming to enroll.

We cut to the enrolling animation of Dan showing >Player Character< moves and waiting for them to copy them, ending with the Legendary Taunt, causing >Player Character< to stumble and fall as the animation ends.

The DLC will have 5 missions.

Promote, Perform, Profit!!!: Dan requests for you to put up posters for the dojo in Beat Square, on the Masters' Building, the Haggar Stadium, and in Hong Hu Lu

Infooencial Style: talk to the Infooencer at Beat Square and have him set up three fights across Metro City to record and post about Saikyō-ryū

Dan-gerous Labours: Dan has agreed to help around Metro City but can't due to the upswing of interest in the dojo. (Escort and elderly woman, fighting thugs, destroying 10 crates in the city at night, collecting food from the Dojo and handing it out to the homeless)

Armchair Fighters: Yuriko has noticed several people posting videos mocking Dan and Saikyō-ryū. She says it'd be improper for Dan to fight the thugs, but his student is a different story. (Fight four groups of thugs across Metro City (at the places the dojo posters were placed))

Who Is The Strongest?: Dan reflects on his childhood, the loss of his father, and his rejection from Gouken. He feels like he's ready to see if Saikyō-ryū is better and stronger than Ansatsuken and seeks to fight both Ken and Ryu to test himself against his former master's star pupils.

Dan's quote after mastering his style. "Always face forward, help the innocent and hate evil. There, is where you find strength." Way of the Warrior by Dan Hibiki.

Dan's gifts

Maximum gift: very big check

Plus 5 gift: instant Ramen noodles or a can of beans

Everything else is a plus 1 gift

Dan Hibiki's Special Moves

Gadouken: very short-range pseudo-Hadouken.

Dankukyaku: ranged melee attack. It has a range similar to Ken's Dragon Lash kick but not as powerful

The face That Launched A Thousand Fists: a special move similar to Sumo Spirit where Dan performs a taunt flexing his biceps. Boosts Dan's confidence, gives his next move super armour

Koryuken: a short, fast uppercut move. Anti-air

Rolling Dan: movement skill to move toward opponent to create combos like Luke's Avenger

Dan Hibiki's Super Arts

Saikyo Donukigeri: Dan evades an attack and launches a powerful kick. Guard breaking move

Haoh Gadoken: Fireball/Pseudo-Hadouken, short range, hits 6 times

Milipedes are long-lived, nocturnal, detritivore arthropods (ranging from 2 to 10 years, depending on the species). They are nominally solitary beings with the rare exception of mating; however, under a pressurised system, they can become part of a social network and multi-generationally persistent colonies. With that being said, as an alien species, Milipedes w/could oscillate between vast, scattered diasporas or dwell within dedicated, controlled nests upon controlled worlds.

The former often leaves them with only the bare minimum understanding and safety as they seek to make their way through the universe, potentially developing a harsh, very dog-eat-dog mindset. A stark contrast to their detritivorous foraging nature. Whereas in cultures within the vast colonies, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of wise elders eager to teach and mentor the young in how to thrive against the odds and become stronger.

This deeply shared, open communal life makes each event in Milipede's life one to celebrate. Leading to cultural festivals and celebrations whenever a Milipede undergoes Anamorphic development, moults from its old shell and emerges, longer and with more limbs. This event has the whole nest in attendance to honour the aging of one of their own, but also to protect them because until their new shell hardens, they are immensely vulnerable. For the scattered, they observe this ritual after painstakingly building a borrow and barricading themselves within it.

Each Milipede clan would occupy a warren or subterranean nest fashioned from soil, decomposing leaf matter, rotting wood, moulted exoskeletons, and fecal matter. Each generation adds to the warren either just after they pair up with a mate and build a hatchling nest in the warren, utilising their old shells as building materials, or by providing collected or digested material. The larger and more complex the warren is a key sign of the strength and longevity of the clan residing within it.

Spheres, circles, (metaphorical) death, and renewal are core aspects of the faith of the Milipede. A sphere is considered the perfect and sublime form, for it is the shape that protects from all harm, thanks to the tergites gifted to them by their patron deity. Circles are considered to be kin to spheres and thus are used as the perfect shape in places where a sphere cannot be used. When resting, milipedes curl up and prostrate themselves in imitation of their deity. Upon death, they are allowed to rest in a crescent shape, with many Milipede believing this is how they call to their deity to have the souls of the dead collected. The dead themselves are often used in cementing the foundations of their colonies and nests.

They also wait until the beginning or end of a month to begin mating rituals, believing that the presence of a full or new moon is a sign of providence and a blessing from their deity. If a birth occurs during the day, it is often believed that the clutch is cursed and that nothing good will come of the offspring.

This association with honouring death and repurposing that which is dead extends to their moulting rituals. With the inner walls of many warrens becoming a mosaic of shedded and "Dead" exoskeletal plating. Most of the year, they consume detritus, rotting wood, dead plant material, and decomposing grass, but once a year, they will travel to a region and watch it bloom with lush growth and then feast upon it until the moon sets and the sun rises. Giving them the memory and the honour of having tasted "Life" in its most base and primitive form.

Because the moths themselves don’t eat and only live long enough to mate and then starve to death, the entire culture is made up of children and adolescents. The older children raise the younger ones, with families being made up of hatchmates from different years.

Because molts and eventual transformation into a short lived adult happen on a set schedule, families have a cycle— when your oldest set of siblings cocoon to become adults, you wait at the mating grounds and try to adopt their newborns after they pass. If that fails, you take any ‘orphans’ you can find.

Because death and birth are nearly simultaneous, they have a religion based around reincarnation, and infants with markings similar to a parent are often given their name. Claiming the offspring of a beloved family member is vitally important, because you want to be able to protect their soul and keep them close.

Because it’s hard to track the offspring of your male family members, there are sometimes major fights when a family sees an infant with familiar markings in another family’s clutch.

Sharks occupy a unique place, seeing as they are ovoviviparous carnivores; any cultures they develop would be moulded or shaped by extreme Social Darwinism. With parents ignoring or withholding support or aid for the offspring considered worthless or subpar. This could even develop or bring forth a caste system wherein the unfavourable offspring are neglected and reared to effectively and essentially be MREs for the rest of the tribe.

The familial system of the Shark would be cold and calculating. Designed to push and pressure offspring to make themselves worthy and indispensable to the tribe to ensure their status does not change. There are no set in stone customs or rules, merely those enforced by the strongest of the Tribe, as power and dominance are the only things that matter to a shark. Marriages are arranged between the strongest members of a clan or by a form of ritual combat for inter-clan proposals, where the winning tribe has the final say.

Due to their predatory, carnivorous nature, Sharks wouldn't develop cities or pursue any major or long-lasting attempts at urbanisation. They'd effectively live in wandering tribes or clans, competing with other tribes or other carnivores for hunting rights and claims to own ot control regions.

Their religion is founded on blood rituals, sacrifices, and is centred around a god of war and domination. Their Divine Patriarch earned the right to guide and shape them by killing and eating their siblings, allies, and enemies. Therefore, any conflict that is bloodless is a shame to them, their bloodline, and tribe. Their religion also enshrines and promotes ritual cannibalism, blood sacrifice, near-death experiences, and fasting. All things are done to connect their body and spirit to their god and gain the strength of their dead clansmen and worthy foes.

A normal coming of age ritual is to abandon the young deep within the wilds, their foreheads marked with blood. The youth cannot return until they have hunted, fought, and killed a beast on their own. Sharks also ring in the new year with gladiatorial combat between tribes on a world. Scarification is a holy act of veneration, and those who've lost limbs due to war or combat are heralded as saints.

Some marriages between tribes can not be fully signed off until two members, one of each tribe have died in ritual combat and been consumed by the opposite tribe's prospective candidate. Binding the flesh and soul of their blood and tribe together.

Some funky looking bugs 'round here 🐜

Available as prints and other merch formats!

"Witch! I come seeking guidance!" Aelmyra paused, turning herself away from her garden to turn her attention to the figure that had just barked at her. He was a slight figure dressed in ill-fitting armour clearly meant for someone a size or two wider than he was. Dark circles sat under his eyes, framed by wet, reedy strands of flaxen hair that stuck to his freckled skin.

Aelmyra stepped toward the man, her crimson eyes piercing through the stranger. "Oh, you come seeking guidance, or are you seeking guidance on behalf of another?" She scoffed as she flexed her fingers, using her power to topple the man with a harsh gust of wind.

She watched the man writhe and roll as the weight and size of the armour kept him pinned to the ground. "I... aaargh... d-damn it!" The man stopped fighting and lay before Aelmyra, his face swimming in the shadows of his helmet. "I... I come seeking guidance for another." His voice now soft and sullen.

Aelmyra reached out, and with the wind plucked her petitioner off the ground and planted him back on his feet. "This witch has a name. You speak with Aelmyra, stranger. Now, speak your name and why your master demands my power but not enough to bargain for it himself." Aelmyra commanded.

"I-I'm Umdraic the Younger, son of Umbraic the Troll Slayer, a-a scion of House Svolde, and I have come from the dominion of Arvois," Umdraic shouted out with all his might. "I... I come on behalf of her Royal Highness, Princess Darellia of His Majesty's Royal Court." Umdraic's gait shifted as the young nobleman took a strong step toward the wild witch. An act that was undercut by the clattering of the armour and his unsure expression etched deeply into his face.

Though Aelmyra couldn't deny that even as afraid as he was, Umdraic was still there, waiting for her to name her price. "A princess, you say." Aelmyra felt a phantom of a smile dance across her black lips. "Why would someone of such grand stature send someone... like you? Aelmyra inquired, pointing at Umdraic. "Surely, this princess of yours has her very own champion. One tempered by years of service and triumph. One who is bold, confident, and donned in armour that was crafted and formed for him and him alone to wear." She coyly prodded as she made the wind quake, making Umdraic's armour shudder and rattle. "Besides, surely she must have her own cabal of astrologers, mathematicians, and exotic courtiers." Aelmyra's eyes shimmered as she stood on the stairs of her hut, staring deep into Umdraic's hazel orbs.

"So, tell me, Umdraic, son of Umdraic; why does a princess of the Kingdom of Arvois require my perverse wisdom and dark powers?" Aelmyra probed as she plucked a flame from a hanging lantern, letting the amber fire curl and dance across her grey fingers as she awaited her answer.

Umdraic stood as confidently as he could in his ill-fitting armour as his eyes flickered from Aelmyra's red eyes to the flame coiling in her fingers. "Darellia is betrothed." His voice wavered as he said the words aloud.

"Ahhh... love." The witch couldn't help but smile at hearing the reason for the knight hunting her down. "I assume then that the princess is not betrothed to you." The remark was as sharp as it was pointed. She watched Umdraic squirm at her words.

"No." The answer was simple and yet spoke volumes in the same breath.

"You wish me to twist the spools of fate. To have Darellia marry you and give you the power to turn your greatest fantasies into reality?" Aelmyra probed as she threw the fire in her hand back into her lantern, all while focused entirely on Umdraic.

The knight shook his head. "N-no... I have not come here for a selfish request." Umdraic defiantly answered. "At her request, I visited her betrothed, and he is a monster! He's large as a bear, covered in thick fur, and has the face of a feral boar!" Umdraic snarled as he described Darellia's future husband. "He very may well be a prince, but he moves like a beast and flies into terrifying rage at the slightest provocations... but her father, His Majesty, swore an oath before God that if Prince Adhram aided him in repelling the barbarous armies of Glandelinia, he would gift him his daughter's hand in matrimony."

Aelmyra paused for a moment, drinking in Umdraic's words, before she descended the steps of her hut and stood before him. "But you do love Princess Darellia, don't you, Umdraic, son of Umdraic?" The witch asked bluntly.

The knight's mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to find the right words. Finally, Umdraic sank into his ill-fitting armour and truthfully answered Aelmyra's burning question with direct simplicity.

"Yes. I do indeed love the Princess Darellia of Arvois."

Aelmyra brought her hands together, giving a small applause as a knowing smile sat on her face. "It must be nice to be open and truthful about your heart, Umdraic, son of Umdraic. Because you have been stalwart, honourable, and above all, truthful, I shall give you and your princess my power." Aelmyra almost gave a warm smile before releasing a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and with it, went what little warmth she had expressed as well. "But know this, all magic comes at a price, and breaking a holy vow will require great magic and, thus, a great price. Are you and Darellia ready to accept the sacrifice and the consequences of killing this union in its crib?"

Umdraic clenched his fists by his sides. "I... I am ready to do whatever is necessary for Darellia." His eyes grew firm as Aelmyra studied him. "I swore... I swore I'd do anything for her. No matter the sacrifice I have to make."

Aelmyra gave a mirthless chuckle. "You do truly love her." The witch turned and beckoned to the bushes near her hut, causing a jet-black mare to emerge from the thickets. "So, now we must go and see the princess in preparation for breaking her vow," Aelmyra informed as she effortlessly mounted her horse, sitting side saddle on it without a saddle. "So, we must make haste, go fetch your horse."

"Wait!" Umdraic cried out. "Darella knows nothing of our plans. How will she know when and where to find us?"

Aelmyra sank her hand into the mane of her horse, the black fur transforming into feathers as a dark hawk erupted into the sky. The witch raised her hand and let the bird rest on her fingers. "You are to fly to Arvois and find the Princess Darellia. Once she is in your sight, you are to disguise yourself as a courtier and tell her that she must spirit herself away to Hierloft, the seat of House Svolde. Then you are to become Darellia's double as her ladyship sneaks out of her castle under the cover of darkness to meet her champion and the feral woman he has called upon." With that, she cast the hawk into the wind and let it fly away.

Umdraic watched the bird disappear over the treeline. "I shall go get my horse. I shall show you the way to my demesne."

"No need." Aelmyra calmly rebuffed. "I know exactly where your home and hearth rest." With that, the black mare let out a soft whinny before trotting down in between the trees.

King Jerrod tried to force himself to eat. But every time he met his daughter's gaze, he saw the burning fire of his daughter’s ire sear deep into him. He finally placed his cutlery down and cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Why must you glower at me so? Everything I have done, I've done for Arvois, for the kingdom and its peoples." Jerrod held his daughter's gaze. "Yet you glare at me with more fury and hate than even our most depraved and feral enemies."

His words hung in the air like a weight. Darellia merely stood up from her seat, the look of hate and resentment clear as the sun at noon as she pointed a finger at her father. "Why? You ask WHY!?" Darellia boomed. "You, who have robbed me and have the gall to expect me to be grateful for the invisible manacles you hath thrust upon me!?" Darellia's lip quivered from her rage and pain.

"Had there been another way." Jerrod started, but was interrupted as Darellia threw a crystal goblet into the hearth. The sound of glass shattering sounded like a bolt of lightning. "... Arvois was in a famine, Glandelinian forces were encroaching upon our borders." Jerrod's voice was quiet but stern. "They sent terms... Surrender all of Arvois and let the Emperor in Black take you as his prize, or the armies of Glandelinia would slaughter every man, woman, child, and beast within our borders, burn down every building, desecrate every temple, and curse the very land itself..."

"But then Prince-Lord Adhram came offering a fairytale solution." Darellia acidically stated. Jerrod simply nodded.

"He came with soldiers, armaments, food, and water; offering everything I saw to me if I gave him your hand in marriage." Jerrod stood at his full height, shrugging off the stress of kingship in that moment. "The war is over, Glandelinia has been repelled, and now, I will honour my vow."

"You cannot force me to honour a vow I did not make." Darellia hissed, slamming a fist onto the dining table, toppling a pitcher of wine and staining the white fabric red. "Of all the things you have power over, you offered the one thing that you have no claim to!"

"No claim to? You are my daughter!" Jerrod declared firmly. "You are not above the divine authority imparted to me." He closed the distance between himself and his daughter. "I was appointed by blood and divine right by God himself to stand as the protector and warden of Arvois! I can, and I will give everything I can to ensure the realm is safe! For I am king and I am bound by honour, blood, oath, and by divine right to ensure the realm is safe!”

That answer only soured Darellia's mood. "So, you'd happily sell your daughter off like some stable broodmare?" Her tone dripped with acidity as she clenched her hands into tightly balled fists.

"I am not SELLING you!" Jerrod roared, pushing the tiny chamber into silence as Jerrod hung his head, unable to look at his daughter. He ground his teeth and grabbed fistfuls of the ruined tablecloth before he spoke once more. "Without Adhram, his supplies, and his army… Arvois would have been torn apart by starvation and slaughter! There wouldn't even be a single babe left unviolated by the cruelties of Glandelinia." He stood, his figure drenched in the shadows of nearby torches. "I swore to God and the fates. I cannot break my vow, not without sacrificing all of Arvois. It may pain you, but Adhram honoured his word and satisfied his vow; now, I too, must honour the promise I made to satisfy and complete our compact."

Darellia could not bring herself to care for her father's words, no matter how much sense they made. They were cold, uncompromising, and above all else, left her without recourse or escape. "Yet he is a monster pretending to be a man! Of all the men walking upon the Earth, my heart and soul have been sold to the only one who gleefully stampedes like a wild bear!" Darellia threw a crystal goblet at her father’s feet, shattering it, turning Jerrod into a lone isle swallowed by a sea of dark, rich red wine. "You have sold me to a beast for Arvois!" Tears spilled like rivers down her cheeks as her wrathful composure cracked, revealing the terror and fear beneath. "I hope your victory was worth it, Father... for now, I will never love you or Arvois ever again for as long as I live." Darellia turned and fled from the chamber, leaving Jerrod alone with nothing but the dancing shadows and hollow crackle of the hearth fire.

There was the distant rumble of a howling roar followed by terrified screams echoing from the main feasting hall of the castle. Jerrod fell into his seat, covering his face with his hands. "Oh God, forgive me… What have I done?"

**********************************************************************

Darellia stormed wordlessly through the passageways and hidden haunts, escaping prying eyes and overeager ears until she was within her personal chamber. There, she barred and locked the door, preventing her would-be beloved from forcing his way in to stake his claim upon her. "I... I still cannot believe that I am bound to that monster!" She hissed to herself as Darellia marched and paced, her eyes jumping from tome to scroll, running over every word they contained as she tried to focus and temper her anger. "But... without the aid of one invested and trained in the black arts, I have no salvation from the oath Adhram forced my father to make." The princess felt her body curdle at the mere mention of the Prince-lord's name.

She turned her gaze to her lone window, her eyes drifting over the woodlands and pausing as she caught sight of the mountainside where Hierloft was buried. Umdraic... Darellia softly mused, her pain and rage fading as she stared out at the sinking sun and the creeping shadows that were swallowing the wilderness. I have given you my utmost trust. Please find a witch and free me from my bondage! Her mind lingered on Umdraic and the hidden mission she had given the overlooked knight of a historical but minor house. Umdraic was someone the eyes of the court would not miss, and with his passion and drive, Darellia knew the man would do all he could to free her.

Eventually, Darellia tore herself from the window and fell upon her bed. Tears stung at the edge of her eyes as she felt her rage fade, leaving only her terror and fear. Here, in her sanctuary of stone and oak, held high and away from men of low cunning, Darellia could weep as she could only imagine the horrors Adhram yearned to inflict upon her.

It was as her tears stained her pillow that Darellia heard a crisp, sharp plink, plink, plink against the stained glass of her window. The princess pulled herself upright to see a black bird, one nearly twice the size of the ravens her father used to send messages. She eyed the bird as it hopped in place before rapping its beak against the window again, though this time, the bird moved faster and used more force with each peck.

PLUNK PLUNK PLUNK PLUNK

T-that... that isn't a true bird! Darellia thought as she threw herself onto her feet. Umdraic was successful! He has found a Witch, and through her dark powers, I will be free of Adhram! She surged forward and opened the window, allowing the large raven to fly into her private chambers. The moment the bird passed over her, Darellia snapped the window shut and spun around. "Are you the Witch I commanded Umdraic to find?" The princess spoke in a hushed tone as she pointed at the black bird filling her bed.

The bird squawked as it shuddered and flapped its wings. With each beat of their wings, the shape of the beast shifted and changed; Darellia watched as within mere moments, the massive raven had transformed into a woman. Her skin was alabaster white, she had black tresses that stopped at the shoulder, and there were beads, feathers, and other ferishes braided into her hair. She was in a black dress that pooled at her feet, soot and ash marred her arms and feet, and she had thick, inky-black circles around both eyes. "I am no Witch," The woman answered. "But I am in service to one who travels with a man called Umdraic." The woman cocked her head to the side as she looked deeply into Darellia's eyes. "I am here upon the command of Aelmyra the Witch. I am to assist in spiriting you away to Hierloft and take your place to... soothe your feral betrothed until my mistress has freed you from your vow."

"It was never my vow." Darellia argued.

The woman merely chirped in response. "Whether you said the words or not, your soul is tethered to Adhram of Caberron." The woman reached into her hair and slowly pulled free a tiara of feathers and bones. "The Witch and the Knight will be at Hierloft by now, take this," She gestured to the tiara, "wear it, and you'll be able to draw upon my power. Become a bird and fly as the crow does, fly to Hierloft. For this gift will vanish come sunrise, you must flee now, Darellia!"

The princess felt her heart hammer in her chest. Excitement at her freedom and terror at Adhram savagely hunting her down both flooded her soul. Everything fibre of her body felt flush like she was standing in front of a bonfire, but felt colder than ice at the same time. "R-right now?" Her voice was small as she stared at the tiara. "What happens once I... once I leave?"

The woman hummed. "Hmmm... I will descend to the feasting hall and fight Adhram. I will use my powers and magicks to thwart and manipulate the Beast Prince. I will most likely die, well this body will die; as a spirit of the wind, I will survive that encounter."

"My father will be safe?"

The woman eyed the princess for her concern of her father. "Until the binding is broken, King Jerrod of Arvois cannot be touched until you and Adhram are bound in matrimony." There was a beat of silence between the two. "By his vow, your father is safe until you are wed."

Darellia took a steadying breath and took the woman's tiara, placed it upon her head, and felt the wind whip around her as her body shrank and was compressed into the shape of a hawk. She gave a mournful cry as she watched the Witch's familiar open the window and disappeared out into the night's sky.