Kingdoms End
Chapter 8

Planet: Setuh

Person(s): Marco, Meliss and Tenna

On the planet, Setuh, in the Queendom, Meridor, within the city, Ronat, inside a beautiful tavern sat Lord Leroy Midi. House Midi governed the city Ronat under the queen and Leroy Midi was the younger brother to Governor Midi. He was forty-two years old, fat, short and stout, but he was a good man. The people loved him and often said they’d have preferred him as governor, rather than his older brother.

Leroy Midi frequented tavern and restaurants of this exquisite sort. He looked eating alot, but only wanted the best meals and that was all they served in places like this. He drank, but never got drunk, smoked just a little and never did anything to hurt another. His only problem was that he ate too much. He weighed nearly three hundred pounds and had to wear specially sewn, large clothes. He was 5ft 5inches, with fair, glossy skin. His face was red and cheek were plump. He looked like a sweet, little man and “Sweet” was all he ever was to anyone who crossed paths with him. He was inside the Rubicon tavern today, seated alone at the bar. Most guards were concealed amongst the tavern patrons, but four stood 20ft behind him. The tavern wasn’t too occupied today and hadn’t been so I’m a very long time for you see, the planet, Setuh, was the oldest of the five Versall world and like all things, it was dying. Most people were bothering about how to get off the planet, but the citizens of Ronat could do nothing, but sit behind their city walls. Though the world was dying, man still made time for war and at the moment, Ronat was under siege by the army of Hergon, a kingdom to the west of Meridor. Meridian troops couldn’t come to Ronat’s aid, for the capital city, Reblux, was being hit repeatedly by attacks from either Hergon, Hadsat, or Kirch soldiers. These three kingdoms had formed an alliance and sought to take every kingdom run by a woman, that men might rule all of Setuh, before the planet came to its quickly approaching end.

Now, Lord Leroy Midi was presently interrupted by a beautiful lady. She was behind the counter and dressed in the yellow shirt and trousers uniform of the Rubicon’s workers, thus the Lord assumed that she worked here. Though he hadn’t seen her here before, he know that the owners of the Rubicon didn’t have to inform him before getting a new staff.ord Midi looked at the lady’s fave and noticed that she was quite young, perhaps eighteen or seventeen years of age. She had to be eighteen, since anyone younger than were not allowed to work in taverns. The girl smiled broadly and Lord Midi smiled back. He always assessed people upon first sight of them. As he assessed this girl, he picked out that she was about 5ft 9inches, very curvaceous and very endowed. Her skin was tanned and her shoulder length hair was black and so were her eyes.

“Need anything, my lord?” the girl asked Leroy Midi. The man smiled. “Not all, my dear,” he replied. “It would leave me very honoured if you could grant me knowledge of your name.” “I usually don’t give my real name to just any man, my lord,” said the lady, “but I’ll give it to you.” She winked at the man as she spoke. “You honor ne with your words,” the man stated. “I’m called Meliss,” she said, placing her slender left hand over his right one which was on the glass goblet of wine before him. “I must apologise if my words have come across as romantic in anyway, my dear,” said the man, withdrawing his hand from her hers slowly. “I know better than to view women as naught else but sexual objects. Our ruler is a queen and she is giving a damn good account of herself before these three foolish kings who seek to take our nation.” The lady let go of Lord’s goblet against which her left hand had come to rest after he’d withdrawn his from his own hand from hers, but not before her smallest finger was dipped into the near full cup.

Melissa as she’d introduced herself, kept her broad smile up. “I’d heard that you were a very honourable man, but I doubted there was anything such thing, but now I see that I was very wrong,” she stated. “It’s nit your fault,” Lord Midi spoke. “Our world is dying and I know how everyone is doing everything to make money with which to pay for passage transport to any of the other planets.” “The storms are coming,” the lady said, shrugging her shoulders. “No one’s going to want to be here when they hit.” “How about I give you some money,” the man offered, “Enough to get you and a second person transport off the planet? I know for certain that one as beautiful as yourself must have a lucky fellow whom you love dearly.” “I cannot accept your offer, my lord,” said the lady, “for I believe that I have already taken too much from you. For example, your most precious time.” “Oh, I enjoy every second spent talking with everyone I meet,” Lord Midi stated. “I should go now,” said the lady, “They must need me un the kitchen.” “Go well and I hope we meet again,” he replied. The lady just smiled and turned toward the other end of the counter, behind which was a door which led out of the room.

As Meliss entered the corridor behind the bar, she followed it to the kitchen door at the other end. This corridor led from the behind the bar to the kitchen and back, nowhere else. Meliss entered the kitchen which was very busy, thus no one really paid her any attention. She went through another door at the end of the kitchen and entered a little corridor if about 20ft, with a door at each end and one on the side; this being that through which Meliss gained entry. One one door at the end of the corridor was engraved the word, “Ladies” and one the other, “Lords,” thus one could tell that this was a toilet. Meliss went straight for the ladies toilet and as she entered, she produced a skeleton key with which she locked the door.

Now inside the toilet, Meliss retrieved a bag from inside the dustbin. The bag was wrapped in waterproof material. She took the bag to the sinks before the one, long mirror, as would be found in most establishment’s toilets. She put the bag in a sink and tore off the waterproof cover. She opened the bag and began undressing herself. She got out of her Rubicon attendant-staff uniform and had on only her lace panties and the white wrap around her quite big breasts. She picked up the uniform and put them in a sink, then took out clothing from inside the bag she’d opened earlier. The cloths consisted of A black low-neck blouse, black leather pants and a big, black, gold embroidered jacket. She put on the black cloths, then her white leather, knee-length boots. With the low neck shirt on, part of the wrap around her breasts beneath was exposed and it looked like it was part of the blouse’s design. She took out a transparent vial which showed a red liquid within. She picked up her bag and slung it over her left shoulder, then put the Rubicon uniform in the same sink with the torn waterproof material. She emptied the vial of red liquid onto the cloths and struck a match, then threw it down on the cloths. The red liquid immediately caught fire, but it was a low, blue flame.

Melissa watched the blue flame consume the items in the sink very quickly. Twenty seconds after the flame was lit and all that was left in the sink were ashes. Meliss turned on the tap and the water washed away the ashes. She went and unlocked the toilet for, then turned around and went to one stall. She opened the stall, got in and leapt to the high window above the toilet itself. She caught hold of the windowsill and pulled herself up and straight through the open window. As she flew out the window, she did a summersault and landed on her feet in the alleyway behind the Rubicon.

Next to a dumpster sat a very beautiful, right red skinned lady who looked about the same age as Meliss. The red lady was a fairy, a race who had short, pointed ears, unlike the long ones the elf race possessed, white hair and white pupils which were whiter than their corneas and glowed a little. The skin colours of fairies varied between all kinds of hues of the seven colours of the rainbow. Like elves, fairies were long living creatures, though while the elves lived just tens of thousands of years, fairies lives an average of five million years. This particular fairy in the alleyway now was only just nineteen, her name was Tenna and she was Meliss’ accomplice, best friend and adoptive sister.

Tenna slowly got to her feet, standing just two inches shorter than Meliss, for fairies, unlike elves, were never tall by human standards. They weren’t dwarves, but never grew above an average height of 5ft 7inches. Though there were some tall fairies these days since they now interbred with humans and other people of taller races, though such relationships were suit rare and often frowned upon, as fairies were beings of pure magic. Their magic was part of their very essence, take I away form a fairy and he/she drops dead. They were magic so much so that they didn’t need spells or chants to make magic, they just willed it and it became so. There were many spells which required fairy blood, or parts, often very powerful spells, but they had been termed “Dark spells” now and were illegal in over ninety-six percent of the nations and lands across the Versall worlds.

Tenna was slim and fit, with nice, slight curves and firm breasts and buttocks. She had on a large blue jacket which was unbuttoned and revealed the little metal brassier she had on and the mid-thigh long skirt. She also had on jewel embroidered gold threat sandals, several gold anklets on her left ankle, a thin, gold chain hanging loose around her waist and a red choker around her neck, with a big, red stone on the front. Fairies were known for their scanty dressings, usually wearing either trappings, or little, revealing clothes. The fairy’s white hair was packed high and held in a long, golden band, with a red jewel on the front. Fairies liked precious stones, they loved them and were more than a little obsessed with them.

Tenna had come into Meliss’ and Marco’s lives when the former was just eight and they’d been together ever since. They’d sworn to become and remain siblings for eternity and sealed it by the brother and sister drinking Tenna’s blood.

Meliss went past Tenna and the latter fell in next to her. “This would have been alot easier and faster if you’d used magic,” Tenna stated as the walked along the alleyway. “Like I have said severally, magic is for cowards and those who do not believe they can accomplish anything by their own hands,” replied Meliss. “I am not such a person, Tenna and can never become one.” “So then I’m a coward because i use magic?” Tenna asked in a low voice. “You’re a fairy, Tenna,” said Meliss, “Magic is second nature for your kind. You are literally 70% magic and 30% anything else. Moulds of flesh made living by magic. Your people are magic.” “And what about our big brother, Marco?” asked Tenna. “He’s human, uses magic and is one of the best agents our guild possesses. He’s also everything you lookup to.” “Our brother is just confused and doesn’t realize that he is still the best, even without his stupid, magic trinkets,” Meliss explained.

The ladies came out onto a side walk, with the Rubicon tavern on their left and a big restaurant to their right. Cars plied the road before them, across which was another chain of buildings. Also on the other side of the road, beneath a lamppost, was a bench. The bench was across the road from the front entrance of the Rubicon and a young man was seated in it. The fellow would be no older than twenty-three, with tanned skin like Meliss, black hair like Meliss, though his had been shaved and he even had a strong facial resemblance to Meliss.

Meliss and Tenna crossed the road at the first given opportunity and turned left on the sidewalk there. They went past the front of the fellow on the bench and Tenna caressed his head as they passed him. Not one word was exchanged, but the guy smiled at the fairy’s caress and the two ladies walked on. The guy settled back into the bench and focused on the door of the Rubicon across the road from his seating spot.

The fellow on the bench which Tenna and Meliss had just gone past and who’s head the fairy had caressed, was watching the Rubicon entrance with expectant eyes. Several rings were on his fingers and they looked normal enough, but they were far from it......very far from it This was twenty-two years old Marco, Meliss’ elder brother by blood and Tenna’s adoptive one. He was just an observer in their current task. The great many rings he had on, were actually enchanted items which aided him in performing different magic. He was a firm student of magic and combat, the latter skill he easily perfected so much so that he was now one of his guild’s best fighters, but the magic part, he wasn’t born with, thus he had to use spelled objects to get the basic abilities. Even with all this spelled jewellery, there was only still much Marco couldn’t do and he’d gone to some questionable heights for more.

He was waiting for confirmation that his sisters’ job had been executed without a cinch. His blood sister, Meliss was his younger by four years and they were both orphans; had been since Meliss was three. Marco had raised his sister in the streets and they were quite successful now, though involved in clandestine business for a guild which had taken them in when Marco was thirteen and Meliss, nine. The guild, The Blue Hand assassins guild, was like its name said, a guild which trained some of the best assassins and took jobs from any who who paid well. The guild took in orphaned children at young ages, or stole infants from their homes and hospitals. They raise and train the children into professional killers and swear them to secrecy once they are old enough to begin carrying out assassinations, with promises of great punishments for whoever goes against any of the guild’s rules.

What Marcos sat waiting for was about to happen, as the front doors to the Rubicon swung open and Leroy Midi emerged. The Lord was smiling broadly as he stepped out, but just two step away from the doorway and he went down. The soldiers immediately rushed to try and discover what was wrong with their Lord. Marco knew the knew the Lord would never breath again, the poison was beyond potent. The young man got to his feet and went on his way, in the same direction as his sister and her friend. The rules were the rules, live by them or die for defying them.

Marco turned off a dirt road and unto the compound of a big, one storey building. The building was very long and contained over two thousand modest apartments, some having up to three bedrooms. It also had three underground levels The compound was mainly well cut grass, but around the building was covered with cobblestones and a large, open car park was in the front of the building. The compound was fenced in by a low, decorative, wooden fence and it had no gates, just a large gap in the fence which led unto a tarred road that ran straight to the cobblestone covered portion of the space. These were modest apartments, thus one couldn’t expect much out of them. No security, everyone had to take care of their things by themselves.

Marco entered the apartment building and took the stairs which led to the floor, two stories underground. On this level, in apartment 1024, lived Marco, Meliss and their best friend, Tenna, the fairy who was an orphan just like the brother and sister. Marco had a big loaf of bread in his right hand and as he got to the door of their apartment, he knocked. Without waiting for a reply, he pushed down the hand of the door and it opened. He entered the apartment and was right inside the living room where he found Tenna seated on the sofa, watching TV. The apartment contained two bedrooms, a medium sized living room, a small dinning space, a medium sized kitchen and two combined bathrooms and toilets.

“Meliss, our magic practicing coward of a brother is home and he brought some bread!!!” Tenna yelled without looking away from the TV screen. Marco was taken aback by Tenna’s words, but relaxed because he knew it must be a joke. Meliss emerged from the open door which led into the kitchen, near a far corner of the room, behind the dinning table. Upon seeing Meliss, Marco’s mind conceived a brilliant idea to get back at Tenna for her joke.

“You’ve been insulting me, Meliss?!” Marco asked sharply. Meliss looked confusedly at her brother and he quickly winked at her. “I never said anything to insult your person, Marco,” she stated in a gentle voice. “After all I have done for you!!” Marco thundered. “Please, my brother,” Meliss said, rushing and taking his hands. “Leave me be!!” He said, dragging his hands from her grasps roughly. “My brother?” Meliss called sweetly. “You ingrate!” He said with a growl.

Tenna looked away from the TV and at the unfolding sibling rivalry inside the room. “Wait. Wait. Wait. What’s happening here?” the fairy asked. “I have taken the last insult from this girl whom I have raised like my daughter more than my sister,” Marco stated, throwing the bread in his hand to Tenna. Tenna caught the loaf, put it down on the chair and got to her feet. “Marco, please,” Meliss begged. “No more of this nonsense, Meliss,” said the guy. “I shall leave you now and take my cowardice elsewhere.” He turned around, opened the front door, exit the apartment and slammed the door behind him.

Meliss and Tenna were alone in the living room now, the latter very confused by the what had just occurred before her eyes. Meliss turned to Tenna with anger on her face. “What just happened here?” Tenna asked. “You just made our brother hate me forever because of your big mouth, Tenna!” Meliss said angrily. “But I was just joking!!” Tenna screamed. “Well your joke just tore apart our family!!!” Meliss yelled back, starting to cry. “It was just a joke,” Tenna murmured to herself. Meliss dropped to her knees and hid her face in her hands, crying harder. “I have to get Marco back,” said the fairy, rushing to the door, but when she opened it, she found Marco standing before her.

Marco was smiling down at the fairy, a sight which confused her. Meliss began laughing loudly inside the living room and Tenna understood now that the siblings had played her. “We got you good, Tenna,” Marco told the fairy, wrapping his left hand around her and squeezing her against him. Meliss came up to her brother and friend. “You looked so scared,” she said, still laughing. “I thought I’d broken up our little family,” Tenna stated. She punched Marco hard in the chest. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.” Marco laughed and let go of the fairy.

The trio entered the apartment and shut the door once more. Tenna sat on the sofa, Marco stood with arms crossed and Tenna sat in a little bean bag. “With this last job, we now have enough money to pay for transport off this dying world and settle in comfortably wherever we go,” Marco stated. The ladies applauded and cheered. “I’ll just have to go and get transcripts from the Blue hand guild here in Ronat and we can go register at whatever guild outlet is closest to where we settle,” he added. There weren’t any applause or cheering this time, the girls looked troubled instead.

“Something wrong, my darlings?” Marco asked, using the name he knew they liked hearing him use on them. “Darlings.” “Cant we just go to a world where the guild’s hold is weak?” Meliss asked. “I tire of being an assassin,” Tenna added. “We kill people whom we know don’t even deserve death,” said Meliss. “But the guild’s rules forbid any member from retirement of any sort,” Marco stated. “They hunt us down and kill us.” “You are one of the guild’s best, Marco,” Meliss reminded him. “If they try to kill us, we’ll fight them for the rest of our lives if we have to. But if we go to either the planets, Guurjey or Huberg where the Blue hand guild is frowned upon by the nations there and greatly fought against, then our odds would be better.” “I’d rather spend the rest of my life killing assassins, than being one,” Tenna added.

Marco looked at his girl’s now, they were dead serious by the looks on their faces. “If it were I alone, I’d go against the guild, but I have the both of you to worry about,” he stated. “I hunted down deserters before and seen what the guild does to those who are captured alive. After my first live capture, I never brought another living soul back to them again. I killed them instead and knew it was a great mercy I did them. I can’t let them do anything to my darlings.” “Then we shall fall on our own blades if the time should ever come when the guild’s forces become too much for Marco and his darlings,” Meliss said boldly.

Marco admired the confidence and bravery of his girls. He’d do anything for these two. Tenna was as much his sister as Meliss was. The fairy had been brought in by the guild aged 8 and she’d taken a special liking to Meliss who was the same age as herself. Gradually, around the age of 13, Marco had found himself providing for and protecting two girls instead just one. When the girls were sixteen, Marco and the both of them had sworn their oath before the gods, binding themselves as siblings for all eternity, thus were they adoptive siblings.

He wanted out of the guild too, had done so for awhile now, but felt the girls might enjoy the feeling of power the job gave, like many others he knew. Now that he knew their thoughts on the issue, a new problem presented itself. The Blue hand would hunt them down and he wasn’t sure they’d be able to outrun it, but if it was what the girls wanted, then it was what they were going to get.

“We will travel to Guurjey,” he said and the girls shot to their feet, jumping for joy. It was a funny sight to Marco whenever he saw them behave like this. They were professional killers and that often made him forget that they were teenage girls, but acts like what they were doing now always brought him back to that reality. “We should buy a house, no matter how small instead of renting another stupid apartment,” Tenna suggested. “Agreed,” said Marco. “And we can start a fashion business,” Meliss suggested. “Tenna and I have been dreaming about it for years. Guurjey is so same a world that hardly are any wars fought there and the countries are so wealthy. They’ll buy our cloths for alot of money because we know we’re the best.” “Agreed,” said Marco, “but I’d also like to start a mercenary recruitment office.” “That’s okay,” said Tenna. “We and Amisha can manage the fashion business and you can run you band of killers.” “I like my fighting,” Marco stated. “We’ll start small and build from there,” Meliss spoke. “I guess we’re average folks now,” Marco said, heaving sigh of relief. Without warning, the two girls rushes at him and embraced him lovingly. Marco smiled and put an arm around each girl.

“You two are my everything,” said Marco while they hugged. “Call us that name you know we like so much, brother” Meliss requested. “My darlings,” he spoke and both girls laughed. “At least until you wed Amisha, correct” Tenna asked. “You and Meliss will wed some good men too someday, but no matter who we do or don’t meet in this life, you two will always be my darlings.” “You’re beginning to soften up, warrior,” Meliss teased. The girls let go of Marco now.

“If we’re going to get off this planet, then we’re going to need to get to Halo-Bir’s capital, as that is the closest place to us where transporters off the planet are landing. But to do this, we must first get out of Ronat undetected and then, safely past the siege army around our walls also. I shall go now and see what arrangements I can make for our safe passage,” Marco explained, then turned to head for the door. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to marry a good, brave human man like you, Marco?” Tenna asked suddenly. “Tenna don’t......” Meliss began, but was cut off by Tenna. “You know how humans are so much against humans wedding elves and fairies because were are part magic and not like normal humans, or the Vinish who are basically just red humans with beautiful, black patterns on their bodies. They don’t wes trolls and orcs either, but my people are not like the savage races.” “You will replace the perfect partner, Tenna,” said Marco, “I’ll see to it personally.” Tenna smiled a little now, but it was obvious that she doubted Marco’s words. “Now let me go and see how to get us out I this city and off to one majestic city on Guurjey where I’m bound to have a lot of trouble keeping nice, good boys away from the both of you,” Marco spoke. He went to Tenna and caressed her face, then he ruffled Meliss’ hair and left the apartment.

Once Marco was gone from the room and the ladies were left alone, Meliss went up to Tenna. “We have each other, Tenna and I swear to remain unmarried for as long as you remain so. Our weddings will either be on the same day, or there will be no wedding at all.” “You don’t have to,” Tenna told her. “I need to, we swore an oath before the gods, binding us as blood” Meliss explained and Tenna smiled now. “Thank you,” the fairy said softly.

“It’s good that Marco bought that bread,” said Meliss now that her sister was happy. “I was preparing some carrot and beef stew and was going to send you out for some bread when I was almost ready. “Let me help you then,“, said Tenna, picking up the bread Marco had bought from on top the sofa where she’d dropped it after Marco threw it to her. Meliss opened the bread and cut some of it. “I have to see that it’s fresh,” she gave as her excuse. Tenna cut some too. “I need to make sure it’s not poisoned,” was the fairy’s own excuse. “We’d best go easy on that bread before there’ll be none left for Marco,” Meliss warned and both girls laughed now, heading toward the kitchen as they did so.