“Isola was like that- light.”

I didn’t mean to interrupt her so and yet her talk of light and wolves of light had brought a grin to my lips in a way. Queen Isola, the Queen I was born beneath was often said to be greatly different to her sire in some ways and perhaps that was one of them. Of all that was said of Isola none could argue her fortitude and determination to protect pack at all costs….but to do so with honour and forgiveness. Hate is easy, she has said, for I have heard it many times. Hate is easy- it is much harder to forgive and I think I belive that truly, I have experienced it already. It is easy to hate Covet- but is doing so merely a display of my own weakness? Should I be stronger then that? Maybe I cannot forgive him, not wholly, I am not sure that sort of greatness is within me- but I can forget him, wipe him from my mind and refuse to waste the space upon him further. Yes- I would forget him, but not what he did. I fear myself sometimes, truly, if only because I have seen what I will become and perhaps because the words of Zelda ring so wholly true. Not only will others try to stop me in time- but many will come to hate me because of it. I will have enemies because the things I will do, I know, will not be looked upon kindly by all and yet on that my fortitude cannot waver, Heyel told me of that. Belief was a powerful thing and if I believed it, he said, in time so would others. The….enormity of my life however is crushing sometimes, when I think of that which I am surely going to attempt to modernize and the opposition I am likely to meet. I simply have to be…clever about it. Outwit, Outplay, Outlast as they say. I think I managed a smirk at my own words, pleased at least I found myself amusing.

“I will always be very…trying.”

I chuckled once more at my own choice of words now, head nodding all the same in agreement to her words. It was pleasing, truly, to find another so determined, I suppose, to act beyond what age seems to dictate of us. We were young, that I know, but sometimes age really is no more than a number and for what I have in store, well, we might as well start young. She spoke again then and this time I listened, red-backed ears pricked forward. It was nice I suppose, to have someone else think the same way as myself, at least to an extent. She understand the need for others, to not be so alone in this battle of light and dark it would seem I am destined to have. Do I think of myself as light? I try to, I hope to- maybe I will have more answers to these questions later, thy seem almost daunting now although perhaps not so much so when Zelda spoke of them and my lips pulled into a puppyish grin once more.

“I like the way you put things, it makes them clearer. As for now you are right, Covet is long gone and for now at least there is no darkness as you put it. I should be content in that.”

It was time to turn my mind to future, not past, to forget Covet, but not what he did. For to forget the past is a folly, I think. I would remember then, the things he did, well…tried to do (he epically failed after all) but for now that would have to be enough. Perhaps I should have thanked him for showing me who I do not want to be when I grow, for making me realise so assuredly exactly who I was. Zelda’s final words saw my attention return to her now, features softening slightly as I regarded her, head nodded at her words. She wanted to help? I think truly I would be unwise to turn down help, in any form.

“You are my friend, you can help, you can watch over Taviora and tell me if……if ever the forest needs help. You can also help me keep the light, you are good at that, you can tell me if I ever get to dark.”




h y r u l e
The Once and Future King