State Of The Land

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old -

"I have already assembled your vassals, Lord Lycan." Sabrina says to Alexis as they walk down the dilapidated hallway. "They are waiting for you in the village square."

Lycan glances back at Sabrina with surprise in his eyes and a wry smile. "You always know what's on my mind, don't you Sabrina?"

Alexis opens the front door and steps out of his house. The cool morning air brushes against his skin and erases any last traces of sleep from him. Though the threadbare clothes he has on does little to keep the weather at bay.

"I apologize for acting without your permission, My Lord." Sabrina says softly while bowing her head slightly.

Alexis turns towards her quickly and rests a hand on her shoulder. His grip is strangely firm, but not painfully so. "Don't ever apologize for something like that." He replies, his voice barely audible over the faint wind. "The burdens on my shoulders will be too much for me to bare alone." The forlorn look in Alexis' eyes makes Sabrina's heart quicken and causes feelings of sadness to well up within her. She absolutely hates when he looks like this: Alone.

Sabrina straightens her posture and banishes all those feelings from herself. She gives him a bright smile "Of course, My Lord, I will remember that."

Alexis averts his eyes from her radiant smile with a small one of his own. "Make sure to do so." He replies. Alexis then clears his throat in embarrassment. "Alright, let's go."

"Yes, My Lord."

He glances forward once again and eyes the path in front of them. It is covered in weeds and pitifully uneven. The stones had been pulled up from the ground and sold to local masons years ago. Now, only a pot marked dirt trail remains.

The house Alexis calls home is situated on a hill overseeing the village of Starfall. Generations ago, the mere cost of maintaining the Lycans ancestral home was too much to bear. It was a grand castle that was the Lycanians ancient seat of power for centuries, before they submitted to the Empire. After their decline, the family was forced to abandon the castle and build the ramshackle house on the hill.

Alexis carefully follows the winding path down towards the village. His village. As he draws nearer, he faintly hears the whispers of the village folk, the unease in their voice plain. Wary eyes and trembling bodies meet Alexis' eyes as he enters Starfall. Starfall village has a population of roughly 250 people, which was not an insignificant number considering the location. In the center of the village lies the square where a number of market stalls and mats are set out with vendors and tradesmen trying fruitlessly to make a living.

The villagers go about their daily tasks, carrying water and doing various chores in the area. They try to stick together for all tasks for the bandits liked to target lone villagers and children. This causes the square to be quite packed. Though it is as silent as the grave, with a sense of unease and dread hanging in the air.

Three individuals stand out from the other villagers as they stand at attention when they spot Alexis. One man and two women.

"Duke Lycan." The three simultaneously announce and bow deeply.

Their words cause the villager's eyes widen, and they begin to start trembling and shake more than before. A sudden trip from the Duke always leads to despoiled daughters and beaten or slain men. Fathers subtly step in front of their beloved wives and daughters, trying to shield them from eyesight. Catching the eye of the Duke is worse than death.

Alexis notices the desperate reactions of his people around him, causing shame and anger to rise within him.

"Thank you for gathering on short notice." Alexis says gently to the three vassals in front of him, pushing those feelings aside momentarily. "We have a lot to talk about."

The man, Ryan Tymer, straightens up. "It is only natural we came when our Lord calls." He says crisply. Ryan is an older man, with grey neatly cut hair and an equally neat beard. He is an old adventurer and knight who had served the Lycan family his whole life like his father and his father before him. The Tymer family is an ancient vassal family who served the royal Lycanian family when they were kings.

"The old fool speaks truthfully, think nothing of summoning us." The speaker is an old woman named Angelica who has long, braided white hair. She is the only other maid of the Lycan family and Sabrina's adopted mother. Angelica is also the commoner who took care of Veronica, Alexis' mom, before she had wed his father. They had blissful lives before the forced marriage. Naturally, Angelica followed Veronica to continue caring for her when the latter moved to the Lycan house as its new Lady.

"Watch your tone when speaking in front of the new Duke, Angelica." A Middle-aged woman with light brunette hair gently reprimands. Her voice is graceful and almost refined, an immense oddity in a backwater village such as this. This woman is the village chief, a title she inherited from her late husband, the former chief. Vanessa Fyre is her name.

These three individuals are the extent of his vassals. All that remain.

Alexis chuckles. "I do not mind Vanessa, it is refreshing." He cuts in before Angelica's inevitable snappy reply. "Regardless though, I appreciate the thought." He says, smiling.

"Hmph." Angelica mumbles causing Ryan to watch it all with a knowing grin.

Vanessa bows again. "Of course, My Lord" she says watching Angelica with a playful look in her catlike eyes. "Please follow me, I have prepared a room for us to talk in private." She gestures to the biggest building in the village. The chief's home.

As the group follows Vanessa, Alexis takes one last look at the pitiful villagers around them. This causes them to quickly avert their eyes and hide away. He feels melancholic but the sad sight bolsters his resolve to do whatever needs to be done.

-

Slumped over the desk in his room, Alexis lets out another sigh, adding to the countless ones he already let out in the past hour. The meeting he had with his vassals only hours earlier had completely sapped him of all his energy. The land is far worse than he had originally thought. All the available wealth had been thoroughly picked clean, and the villagers were stripped of all their will. There is no money to be found. His new domain is in a truly sorry state.

Sabrina watches over him a gentle look in her eyes. She begins to walk forward but freezes mid step unsure if she should proceed, wanting to do something to comfort him but unsure if she should. Alexis hears the rustling of her clothes, noting that she had moved but then stopped. He tilts his head so that she's in his eyesight. "C'mere Sabrina." he says softly, almost delicately.

Sabrina's heart beats faster once again as she complies and steps up to Alexis. He reaches out and grabs her hand, lightly pulling her to himself. She allows herself to be pulled into his lap and feels the warm heat from his body radiating through his clothes. It feels nice. Safe.

He wraps his arms around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder. She's facing away from him with her back pressed into his chest. Her face reddens as she blushes.

"What am I going to do Sabrina?" he asks softly. "We are 7,500 golden dragons in debt. One simple golden dragon is enough for us to live comfortably for a whole year!" His arms tighten around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "To make matters worse, most of that is owed to the Ricanian Guild! They are notorious for hiring unscrupulous adventurers to get their money back... with interest."

Sabrina's heart pounds even harder as she feels the anxiety and worry in his words. She wants nothing more than to comfort and help him. Her precious Lord.

"I believe you will come up with a solution that will help us all, My Lord." Sabrina whispers. "I believe in you with all my being. And I will be by your side throughout everything, if you'll allow it."

Alexis eyes widen at her words and his heart lightens significantly. He reaches a hand up and brushes her cheek with it while his other arm is still wrapped around her. "Thank you, Sabrina. That honestly makes me feel a bit better. I don't know what I would do without you." She shifts in his arms as he says this.

Sabrina gracefully removes his arms and stands up keeping her back towards him. "I must go, My Lord." She says shyly. "I still have tasks to do before bed. Please get some rest Duke Lycan." He does not see her blushing face, but he knows why she is fleeing. He is not dense.

"I will see you in the morning then, Sabrina." Alexis replies slyly.

-

Alexis finally crawls into bed around thirty minutes after Sabrina left. He tosses and turns fitfully for what seems like an eternity. Sleep deftly eludes him as the day's events crash into him over and over. Eventually though, the tendrils of sleep ensnare him, and he starts to drift away.

As Alexis falls asleep, he suddenly awakens in a dark room. The walls, floor, and ceiling are covered in black tile which are uniformly cut and pristine. The tiles are polished and well taken care of, seemingly scrubbed just moments before. There is no visible light source, though he can see perfectly. More than feeling scared or bewildered he feels calm. Strangely so. Black smoke drifts throughout the room wrapping itself around his body and arching through the air though there is no wind.

"Where am I?" He asks aloud, more to himself than anything, as he is not expecting an answer. Though surprisingly, he receives one.

"In my domain." A hauntingly beautiful voice whispers from just behind him. "I called you here, Alexis Leon Lycan."

He spins around quickly on his heels and spots the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She is wrapped in thick black smoke and mist which seems to endlessly pour off of her. She has raven black hair and black, ebony eyes like the void. Her face is perfectly proportioned and pale, not unhealthily so, but a more delicate and mesmerizing color. Her long hair reaches down to her knees and is rich and full. She is slim and toned, a build almost like that of a dancer. She is wearing an all-black gown and silken cloak, adding to the mystique. And set upon her forehead are two black horns, almost hidden from view in her hair.

"Who... Who are you?!" Alexis stutters as he steps back instinctively from the mysterious woman out of shock.

"Me?" She tilts her head to side cutely, like a puppy. "My name is Arabella." She smiles a beautiful smile, revealing blindingly white teeth with two long fangs.