The Grey Ones
The Dark Before the Dawn: X

JUNIPER

Her heart was still racing even after she and the Vasaath had left his tent. She didn’t know what she had been thinking, striking him, but it felt both terrifying—and exhilarating. Her hand still stung, and in the morning light, she could see that his cheek had reddened. His quick forgiveness had shocked her and thrown her off balance. He should be furious with her; she was ready for such anger, but she had not been ready for her own.

The Vasaath was still very much himself as he barked orders at his men around camp. Neema and the other maasas were escorted into the city to tend to the wounded, and Juniper was instructed to head to the castle. She opposed the order—she wanted to stay with the refugees and help in the city—but the Vasaath was not in a mood for negotiation. Before long, she was escorted to Fairgarden by two ohkasenon warriors.

As they moved through the city, Juniper saw the terrible destruction and wept. Many of the houses down by the lower districts had burnt to the ground, but she couldn’t possibly tell which ones had burnt the night before and which had burnt when the guards had been looking for her. She saw bodies in the rubble, some alive and some not, and the streets were wet with blood, rain, and soil.

The downpour had stopped momentarily, but it still hung in the air, and the Kas soldiers worked fast as they piled the bodies onto carriages. Juniper had to cover her mouth and nose because of the smell, and even though she felt nauseous looking at all the dead bodies, she could barely look away. She could easily make out which of them had been cut down by precise strikes, and which of them had perished from mindless violence—and the former was sparse in comparison to the latter.

She shuddered and quickened her steps. Her mind was teeming with horrible thoughts of what would have happened if this uprising had occurred before the Kas had even arrived. With such rage, would the people have even needed weapons? Would she still be alive or would she be one of the nobles hanging from make-shift gallows?

When Fairgarden towered in front of her, she saw the broken gates and the arrows that were firmly planted into the ground. She swallowed hard, imagining the fear the household must have felt as the castle was breached. She would have been terrified seeing the mighty Kas soldiers march in through the halls of the castle—even though she knew them now, knew their kindness, she could still imagine the fear quite vividly.

Nostalgia, as well as anguish, filled her as she entered into the bailey. So much was different, and yet, it felt as though she never left. She tried to keep her eyes straight ahead and not look at the bodies being carried out by the soldiers. It was difficult to accept the horror that had taken place, but she knew there was nothing she could do to change it. There had never been anything she could have done to prevent it.

Blood stained the stone floors of the castle. Carpets had been soaked where bodies had lied, and it was almost as if she could hear the screams as they resonated from within the walls themselves. She moved autonomously through the halls and deviated from her escort to wander through the castle by herself. It felt strange, returning home when it wasn’t hers anymore. The soldiers that had escorted her started calling out for her, noticing her absence, and she sighed. She knew they were only following orders and it would not be fair to them to have them scolded by the Vasaath. She called back and they appeared in the room she had entered, relieved.

“My lady,” said one of the soldiers, “you shouldn’t wander off.”

Juniper glared at him. “This is my home. Do not tell me where I can and cannot go in my own home.”

The soldiers shared a glance but nodded.

Juniper huffed. “Thank you, but I don’t need your protection anymore. You have more important matters to attend to.”

The soldiers nodded again, although hesitantly, and left the room.

Juniper sighed deeply and continued through the castle. Faint voices were coming from the evening hall and she made her way there. Several familiar faces met her and one face, in particular, made her burst into tears.

“My lady!” Garret rose from the floor and embraced her as she came rushing towards him. “Oh, thank the Builder you’re safe!”

“I am so happy to see you!” Juniper sobbed.

The advisor hushed her and gently patted her on the back. “And I am so happy to see you, my lady.”

She looked up at him. “I knew you’d be wise enough to submit.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. “I’d never have a chance against any of them.”

“What happened?” she asked. “Why did Father kill Cornwall?”

Garret sighed deeply, knitting his brows. “Your father has been… well, you know how he can be.”

Juniper nodded. Indeed, she knew all too well.

“He has had his mind set on beating the Grey Ones from the very start,” said Garret. “When you ran away, jeopardizing the alliance, your father was furious. I have rarely seen him so upset.”

Juniper huffed and dried her tears. “Well, at least it’s a comfort to know that I was right, that he cared more about the stupid alliance than he has ever cared about me.”

Garret sighed. “Your father loves you, in his own way.”

“He has never loved anyone but himself,” Juniper muttered. “Not even Mother.”

Garret opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. Finally, he said, “How are you? Have you been treated well?”

She nodded. “They have treated me far better than Father ever did.”

The advisor frowned. “I know I should have intervened. Builder knows I tried to calm him, but to no avail. I regret ever letting him be so foul to his own child.”

Juniper smiled gently. “I do not blame you, Garret, and neither should you. If anything, you’ve spared me my father’s wrath more than once.”

There was silence between them for a few moments before Garret asked, “What happens now?”

“I don’t know. The city has been taken. That was the Vasaath’s goal.” She sighed and looked around. She only saw a handful of Kas soldiers and the rest were City Guards, watching over the many people that were sitting in the hall, frightened and in mourning. She turned back to Garret and whispered, “Anyone who doesn’t submit to the rules and the teachings of the Kas, dies.”

Garret ground his jaw and nodded. “Then we have to make sure as many as possible kneel.”

Juniper nodded, too, her heart heavy. “My thoughts exactly.”

“How is it? To live with them? What are they like?”

“They are much the same as us,” said Juniper. “But very different. They are stern, militaristic, and harsh, but also very fair, loyal, and respectful. Our people will be fine, but it will be difficult for them to adjust.”

Garret glanced around. “Have you, well, submitted?”

Juniper tensed. Quickly, she shook her head. “No. Not yet. Although…” She glanced around, too. “I’m not entirely sure they are aware that I have not—”

Suddenly, a Kas soldier walked towards them. “My lady, I must ask you to stop whispering.”

Juniper snapped her head at the man. “I am speaking with an old friend, there is no harm in that.”

The soldier clenched his chiselled jaw and glared at them both before he nodded and walked away.

Garret narrowed his eyes. “What is your station amongst these grey giants, my lady?”

Her cheeks heated as she looked about. Then she shook her head. “Not now, Garret. I need to see Sebastian and my father.”

The advisor nodded. “They were taken to the dungeons.” He sighed. “I am quite certain they are to be executed.”

“Only Father,” said Juniper, surprised at her own coldness. “I have secured Sebastian’s life, but he will have to submit.” She swallowed. “I need to persuade him. Otherwise, there is no chance the Vasaath will let him live.”

Garret nodded again. “Politically, it would be wiser for the Grey Ones to make away with both the Duke and Lord Sebastian. I’m proud you’ve managed to sway the Warlord, but I worry about you. What have you given for your brother’s life?”

Juniper glared at him and hissed, “What I have given? I would give anything for my brother! And I can assure you that no fate within the Kasenon is worse than the fate my father had in store for me, the one you helped secure.”

There was shame in Garret’s face as he gave a quick nod and dropped his gaze.

“I’m going to replace my brother and father now,” said she. “Do as they tell you, keep your head down, and stay out of trouble. If the Vasaath comes looking for me, tell him the truth. He can’t stand liars.”

When the advisor nodded, Juniper returned the nod and strode up to the soldier that had approached her earlier. As he looked down on her with furrowed brows, she demanded to be let into the dungeons.

“Why do you want to go down there, my lady?” he asked.

“I wish to speak with my father and my brother.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“Do I need a reason to speak with my family?” she huffed.

The soldier seemed indecisive. “No, but I’m not sure the Vasaath would approve.”

Juniper sighed. “I only want to speak to them. You could come with me if you think I’m going to betray you.”

The soldier was suddenly shocked. “Of course I don’t, ohkas-aamon.” He then nodded. “I am only concerned for your safety.”

She smiled half-heartedly. “Thank you, but I’ll be just fine.”

The soldier grunted and led the way to the dungeons. Another Kas was guarding the gates. She was let inside and she thanked the two soldiers for their assistance before she walked into the darkness. A torch flickered further in, and she grabbed it and held it in front of her.

Prisoners howled at her as she walked by the cells, whistled and called her foul names, and the stench was unbearable. She held her head up high, not wanting the criminals to see how uncomfortable she was or how disgusted she was by their comments. She scoured the cells in the search for her brother, and at last, she found him.

She gasped. “Sebastian!”

“Juniper!” Her brother rushed to the bars. “You’re alive!”

“Of course I am!” she laughed as tears began streaming down her face. She placed the torch into the holder on the wall and reached for his hands. “Are you alright? Are you unharmed?”

Sebastian nodded. “I’m fine. But Juniper, the city—”

“I know.” She gently caressed his hands with her thumbs. “I know.”

“What do we do?”

She looked at him and sighed. “It’s over, Sebastian. They won. We have no army, no means to fight back. And we should not be foolish.”

Sebastian swallowed. “They cut through us like a scythe through dry grass. How could I have been so arrogant? Our men had no training in meeting someone like this. They’re monsters, Juniper. Dangerous and relentless!”

Juniper shook her head. “They’re not monsters, Sebastian. They are people, like you and I. We have more in common than what separates us. They don’t wish us harm, if we do as they say.”

“I refuse to become a mindless killer!” Sebastian spat.

“They aren’t mindless killers!” Juniper cried and snapped her hands back.

“How do you know?” Sebastian said. “You’ve only been with them for a month or so!”

“I have known them all summer!”

“Still not enough to know them!”

“I know that they dream, they laugh, they fear,” she hissed and dried her tears, “and they love. That’s enough for me.”

Her brother narrowed his eyes. “Father was right, wasn’t he? You are his whore!”

“Sebastian!” she barked. “How dare you?”

“How could you?” Sebastian retorted, his voice breaking. “How could you lower yourself to such filth?”

“If you must know,” Juniper growled, but lowered her voice. “If you must know, he is ten times the man our father gifted me to. For one, he has never hurt me!”

Sebastian’s face fell. “So he hasn’t forced himself on you?”

Juniper shook her head. “No! Never! He is a good man and a fair leader. He has promised to keep you alive, if you submit to their rule.”

Her brother laughed coldly. “Well, isn’t that a grand and romantic promise? The same he has given everyone—kneel and live! Don’t be naive, Juniper.”

Juniper huffed. “Don’t be foolish, Sebastian! You’re the heir to Noxborough, do you really think a conqueror would let you live?”

“You said he would.”

“Yes, as a gift for me, but only if you submit.”

The boy scoffed. “And you believe him?”

“The Vasaath is many things, but he is not a liar,” she muttered. When her brother only pouted, she said, “Don’t throw your life away because of stubbornness! Don’t be like Father! You have been granted a second chance, can’t you see that? Don’t squander it on pride and stubbornness!”

Sebastian refused to answer and stepped back.

Juniper gritted her teeth. “Think about it. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for me. Stay alive for me.”

The boy wrapped his arms around himself and disappeared into the darkness.

Juniper sighed deeply and grabbed the torch. “I’ll come back with some food and a blanket for you later,” she muttered before continuing into the dungeons.

Anger and disappointment washed over her, but she knew her brother. She knew he could be stubborn and childish, but she thought it would be different when his life was in jeopardy. She prayed to the Builder that the Vasaath would give her enough time, but she knew very well that the Vasaath’s patience was no match for the Arlington stubbornness.

Her father was exactly where she expected him to be—in the Pit. It was the deepest and darkest cell, far beneath the castle. It was once built to house one of history’s most notorious criminals, over five hundred years prior, and now, it housed her father. She found him down there, with a broken nose, cradling his hand in a strange grip.

“Father?”

He gazed up, and she could see the resentment in his eyes. “So, you’ve finally returned.” His speech was slurred, impaired. “I suppose you told him everything he needed to know to storm the castle.”

“I didn’t need to tell him,” she said. “He was clever enough to figure it out on his own. If anything, you were foolish enough to provoke him with your demands.”

“Demands?” Richmond huffed. “I never sent—oh, of course, there was another traitor in my midst. Who was it? Garret? Of course, it was. I knew he would betray me sooner or later, that cunt. I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”

“Was it worth it?” Juniper asked. “All of it?” She walked closer to the bars. “Was it worth starving your people to earn some coin? Was it worth selling me, your only daughter, to a despicable man to create a shallow alliance?” Gripping the bars, she hissed, “Was it worth risking everything for your petty pride?”

“At least I have pride,” Richmond spat and rose from the floor on shaking legs. “You, on the other hand, daughter—you are a traitor! A coward! A whoring coward traitor who have betrayed your country, your people, and your family. Just look at you! What would Eleanor say?”

She grabbed the bars tighter and barked, “You do not get to utter her name.” She cursed herself for her tears, but she cared not that they fell down her face. “You never loved her. You made her life into a living nightmare, and I would not be surprised if you were the reason she died.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Juniper,” her father spat. “She died of fever.”

“She died because of your neglect, and don’t you deny it!”

“Your mother was weak,” he growled. “She was feeble-minded and fragile, and you’re just like her.” He scoffed. “You deserve being their whore.”

Juniper took a step back and shook her head. “You’re not even worthy of my hatred. I pity you, did you know that? After seeing what a real and fair leader is like—”

“Yes, please, tell me about what a real and fair leader is like, you who know so much about politics,” Richmond mocked. “I have spent many years learning about my enemies, including the grey bastards. Lo and behold, there is plenty of testimony claiming that they aren’t one bit better than any of us.”

He walked closer to the bars, a dark grin revealing some missing teeth. Juniper took another step back.

“Let me tell you about your beloved beasts,” said Richmond. “They have plundered, and pillaged, and ravished lands for hundreds of years. They claim it’s to ‘cleanse’, but all they do is steal the food and resources and leave the land barren. And the people… well, there are plenty of islands in the west that are nothing but graveyards nowadays. But your real and fair leader didn’t tell you that, did he? Put your life in the hands of such beasts, and they will take it from you without any regrets. You’re nothing to them.”

Juniper raised her head. “You cannot frighten me, Father. You cannot poison my mind any longer. I wash my hands of you.” She took a deep breath. “May the Builder watch over you and guide you to the Void.” She then turned on her heels and headed for the staircase.

“So I will die, then?” Richmond asked.

Juniper stopped, but did not turn. “Yes.”

“Good,” he muttered. “I am happy their true colours are showing. One day, you will know I was right.” Juniper did not answer and hurried up the stairs, but she heard her father’s voice carry between the stone walls as he yelled, “I was right!”

Translation:

Maasa – healer

Ohkas-aamon – honourable stranger; “not of Kas but deemed worthy of the people”

Ohkasenon – foreign follower of the Kasenon; “follower of the faith of the people but not of the people”