Inorog

Daniel's mother had once told him, "My son, always think twice before a magical creature offers you eternal happiness. For happiness never comes free of charge."

In the past three years, Daniel had come to understand her words all too well. For being dragged out of his cell every full moon to appease the sick appetites of Lord Joseph's guests could hardly be called happiness, and was actually worse than spending the rest of his days in a dungeon.

Yet there was nothing he could do to control his destiny, and it was fitting punishment for his deed. His lord kept telling him that, and so did every single living being within the walls of the castle. He had earned his fate, had he not?

The guards spared little consideration as they dragged him across the hallways and threw him through the great hall's door, chains clattering when he impacted with the cold stone. Laughter roared inside the hall; and Daniel could not help but shudder as he realized there more voices that night than ever before.

He heard the lord approaching; provided with little light in his cell, the young man had learned how to distinguish each of his tormentors by the way they walked, and these footsteps he heard the most often. He cringed as he was pulled on his feet and his head was forced back, revealing his face and at the same time showing him the faces of those in the hall. Some were Lord Joseph's old cronies and various neighbours; others were faces he had never seen before.

But this evening, a particular group caught Daniel's attention. Sitting at the lord's own were three incredible-looking men. The first striking thing about them was not their strange clothing, or the incredibly long hair. No, it was the headband each one wore on their brow, the large gem in the middle capturing the light of many candles and reflecting it. One could not help but stare at the sight, and Daniel was not different. Two of them looked remarkably alike, with brown hair and equally brown clothing, and were probably twins. But it was the raven-haired one's gaze which held Daniel's, cold as he frowned at the boy's appearance.

"Behold, most esteemed guests," Lord Joseph spoke, "this evening's entertainment - the boy who has slain a unicorn."

There was a moment of silence before the whispering began. Daniel had grown used to them, as he had grown used to the various requests that the lord bring proof to support his claims, and the fact there was no way to escape the perverts after the little "demonstration" he would provide. Still, he would always obediently crawl to the small table where a rosewood case waited, and fumble with the golden lock until he could get it open. The stranger's gaze made him tremble tonight, and this earned him a kick from the lord who ordered him to hurry up.

Hands trembling, Daniel carefully unwrapped the treasure which the case contained, then still on his knees turn around and lift it above his head.

More whispering followed, this time of amazement as the crystal horn shone brightly. The guests hurriedly rose from their places and came to inspect the wonder, and the boy could not help but will one of them to touch the horn. He remembered clearly what had happened when someone besides him had done so.

Unfortunately, the lord's guards were there to placate their enthusiasm, and a tug on his hair let Daniel know it was time to place the horn back in the case, which was then handed to Lord Joseph's secretary who took it away.

The banquet continued, and to his horror rather than being led away to whatever room he had to serve in this time Daniel was instead leashed to the leg of the table nearby, where the guards could easily keep an eye on him and the guests could "admire" him.

Unfortunately, said table was also right next to Lord Joseph's, so Daniel could overhear some of the conversation. And when he caught the word "unicorn" he couldn't help but listen.

"As you may well imagine, Prince Nour, it was a most unfortunate event. We did not even know that such a remarkable creature had made its lair in our woods, and by the time we found out about the hunt and got there it was already too late."

'Liar!' Daniel couldn't help but think, clenching his hands into fists, bowing his head so his hair would hide his face as he glared at the lord. What he wouldn't give for a knife right now! He would throw it through the bastard's heart and kill him, regardless of his own fate.

"Still, it seems strange to me," a cultured, strange-accented voice replied, making Daniel startle and turn his head just a bit to get a better look at the one talking. Surely enough, it was the dark-haired foreigner. This close, Daniel noticed that he too, like the twins, wore clothing that matched the colour of his hair. But where the twin's headband gems were a lighter colour, his was pitch-black, and his skin was nearly as white as the tablecloth.

"It is unusual for a unicorn to let herself be captured with such great ease as you have described."

'That's because she was not captured, you idiot!' Daniel wanted to shout. 'They speared her and shot her with so many arrows that by the time I got there her coat was soaked in blood!'

The lord did not seem put off by the foreigner's doubt. "Perhaps in your country, your highness. I mean no disrespect, but things are different here. There are legends that say that a unicorn can be lured out of the forest by an innocent maiden."

The brown-haired twins snorted simultaneously at this, but a quick sign from the other seemed to stop whatever they were going to say.

"But my lord, I do not believe a maiden was mentioned anywhere in your story."

"And you are right. Still, since the unicorn was female we believe they have used this boy to lure her out, and also that he was the one to cut off her horn. The other men were killed for this horrible deed, but the boy... I decided he should be kept as a prisoner, to remind others of what the fate of unicorn-killers is."

Daniel could not help but growl at these words, earning himself a slap from one of the guards. That lying son of a whore! How dared he!

"I... see." The prince's voice had grown cold, and Daniel knew he was being watched once more.

Lord Joseph did not easily pass the opportunity. "If you wish, I am sure I could arrange it for you to interrogate him yourself. Since you believe the unicorn has come from your country..."

The pause that followed only served to freeze Daniel's blood as he too waited for the answer.

"That would be... most convenient."

So the guards hauled the boy on his feet and dragged him through the corridors once more before dumping him in one of the higher level guest rooms, where he was to wait for his Master for the night.

Still, the man did not arrive quite then, which gave Daniel time to think.

The unicorn had come from the prince's country? Oh hells! And even if he did tell this prince what had truly happened, who would believe a little whore like him?

Things kept getting worse.

Daniel's attention shifted as three men entered the room. These ones waked strangely, not quite loud but not quietly either, and with a definite hidden rhythm to their movements. Hands grabbed him and he resisted the urge to struggle. What good did it do, anyway? Fighting back only made the men laugh and hit him harder.

Still, he could not help but look at the prince's face, and shuddered. He had an almost unearthly beauty, though his eyes were a cold and merciless blue.

"You shall tell me now, boy, how and why you killed the unicorn. And I wish the truth, not the stupid fairytales your master tells at his dinner table."

The question caught him unprepared. His Masters rarely spoke to him other than ordering him around. So he gaped at the man until he was backhanded by the prince. "Answer me!" the man demanded.

And there was something in the Prince's gaze that made Daniel nod vigorously.

Prince Nour signalled for the twins to release Daniel, and he quickly scrambled across the floor to the foot of the bed, gathering his knees to his chest and putting his arms around them.

"I... I did not mean to kill her. Really, I didn't. B-but they had harmed her so much already... injured her again and again as they hunted for her. She w-was dying when I found her, down by the lake. I wanted to help her, and then she spoke to me. 'Kill me,' she said. 'Kill me before they get here. Then cover your hands in my blood and cut off my horn.' I refused, but she... she asked me again, and t-they were approaching quickly. So I pulled my knife and cut the artery in her neck. It was a quick death."

The three exchanged some words in a strange language Daniel did not know. Then the prince approached and pulled Daniel back on his feet. "Tell me, do you know where the horn is kept?" he inquired.

"The library. He keeps it in the library, in a hidden niche behind one of the bookcases," Daniel found himself saying. "I... I don't know which one."

"Good enough."

Something hit Daniel on the back of his head, hard. The world went dark.

When Daniel regained consciousness, he was no longer in the castle. He knew that immediately, because he was in a bed looking at the rooms' wood ceiling. There was no wooden roof in Lord Joseph's castle, let alone in the dungeons. And there were people above, many people who hailed one another in a strange language he had not heard before.

Trying to stand up, he discovered that his hands and feet had been tied, which was partly why he could not feel them. He tried moving but the only thing he accomplished was falling onto the floor in a heap. He looked around the small room, finding a chair and a small table as the only other furnishings. Then to his utter amazement he realized that the floor was moving. And not only the floor, but the small basin that was been placed on the table.

He screamed, then. He screamed and cursed Lord Joseph, for certainly he had kept true to one of his many threats and had sold Daniel at last.

And one thing was sure, Daniel did not wish to become a slave. He had been born free, and in spite of his imprisonment and playing the whore to please his lord he had still been a free man.

Soon the door opened, admitting one of the brown-haired twins. This one had large green eyes, which lent him a deceiving innocence. He called something out in the strange language and then lifted Daniel off the floor like he weighed next to nothing and put him back on the bed, then put his hand around his neck and pulled him close so he could stare him in the eyes. This brought the boy's attention back to the stone of his headband - only to discover that there was no headband at all. The large green gem seemed to be glued on his forehead in some miraculous way.

"Stay, yes?" the man spoke. "You are not allowed... herek nehali. Saek hetai."

"... to leave the cabin, you are to say here," someone else instantly translated. The other twin walked in, carrying a platter with bread, cheese and a pitcher of water on it.

Daniel's hands and feet were unbound and the platter was shoved in his lap. "Hasei. Eat!" the first one ordered, then got up and left.

Daniel turned to the other. "Wh-who are you? Where are you taking me?"

Blue eyes blinked at him. "You are not to question us," the man said, his tone softer than his brother's. He sat down on the place his twin had recently vacated and seemed to study Daniel with great interest.

"This is most unusual," he eventually said. "We were not expecting the unicorn killer to be a little boy."

Daniel glared. "I am not a little boy," he protested. "I am almost nineteen!"

The man raised a brow. "Truly? You look younger. Now eat." He rose to leave.

"Wait!" Daniel protested. "At least tell me who you are, and where you are taking me!"

"My name is Vant, and we are emissaries sent by the Unicorn Queen to retrieve the one who has killed her daughter. You are to stand trial before Her Majesty, on the island of the unicorns."

Daniel stared at Vant, horrified. "But I did not want... that is..."

"You meant no harm. I know. Still, think of it this way: better to be judged for the Princess's death, than to be judged for her murder."

From that day on, they left Daniel pretty much to his own devices. Usually Vant came to bring him food and water, and every now and then his brother Aer would bring a change of clothes. They spoke very little to him, and Prince Nour never came.

But as the days passed Daniel started getting sick. He had not been quite healthy to begin with; three years in prison did that to a man, and he had been quite frail as it was. Daniel was beginning to think that being thrown from the cold damp cell aboard a ship that would cross the Great Sea had not been such a great plan.

Vant noticed this and brought him medicine, but it did not help much. Daniel's fever rose as he complained of being cold, and even the grumpy Aer confessed he did not know what to do. Then one day, as the boy trembled under two blankets, Prince Nour entered the small cabin.

"Vant tells me you are beyond his ability to heal," the raven-haired prince said, sitting on the edge of the bed, and as always Daniel could not help but stare. His sight was blurred, but still the prince looked beautiful to him.

"W-will I d-die?" the boy asked through clattering teeth.

The prince shrugged. "Perhaps. I cannot say for certain."

"Then tell y-your Queen... I am s-sorry. For Lady Stea's death, I am sorry... "

"The unicorn told you her name?" Nour asked incredulously, and Daniel nodded, pulling the blankets closer around him.

The prince sighed and slowly reached out a hand to 5touch Daniel's forehead. "You're burning up. I wish we had brought a healer with us, but we did not think we would need one. Ad yet we were told to bring you back alive..." He seemed to be thinking hard about this, and Daniel noticed he was no longer distant and cold. He had not been that ever since Daniel had mentioned the unicorn's name. He did seem rather sad, though...

"Was she y-your friend, the unicorn l-lady" he asked then.

The prince seemed startled by the question, and his voice was sad as he replied, "She was my yehalai... how do you say this in your tongue? My blood-sister."

'Blood-sister? Does that mean they were blood-bonded, then?' In Daniel's land, such bonds were common, and people - especially hunters and soldiers - used to blood-bond and become as close as siblings. No wonder Prince Nour treated him the way he had. Being near his blood-sister's killer must have been hard to him.

It was getting colder, and Daniel was growing dizzy. Still, he had to say this, so he did. "Then y-you must a-accept my apologies as w-well."

A sad smile crossed the prince's face, and he got up and left. But he returned shortly, holding something wrapped in a silk cloth. He pulled away the blankets and pushed Daniel on his back, then unwrapped the object and placed it on his chest and forced the boy to put his hands on it. As he pulled the blankets back up, Daniel's fingers told the half-asleep boy what he was holding, and he immediately looked at the prince again.

"You got h-her horn?"

"You did not think I would let that oaf keep such a powerful artefact."

"Yes, b-but how? I was the o-only one who could... touch it... no human..."

His words trailed off as he felt himself descend into unconsciousness once more, and the prince smiled as he brushed wet strands away from Daniel's forehead. "What makes you think I am human?"

Daniel did not know for how long he had been asleep, but when he did wake up the fever was gone. So was every single pain, bruise and laceration that had covered his body before that, so rightfully Daniel assumed he must be dreaming.

Vant apparently did not agree with him. The calmer of the twins had been watching over him and let out a loud exclamation in the strange tongue when he saw Daniel open his eyes.

"Finally, you woke up! We were not sure if you would do so before we reached home."

Water was quickly offered, and as Daniel drank his fill he realized something else was different. His hair, who had been short and ash-blond, was now golden and reached his mid-back. His skin seemed paler, and he was sure he had actually gained some weight.

"What happened to me?" he asked.

Vant smiled. "Nothing you should worry about just yet. Nour got overzealous, that is all. Are you hungry?"

"I... yes. How long was I asleep?"

"A little over a moon cycle, now."

As Vant went to bring him food, Daniel was left to contemplate that. He certainly did not feel like he had slept that long, and after such a long time in bed asleep his body shouldn't been feeling the way it did. He got this sudden wish to run around that was quite against his nature, too.

He got up and dressed in the clean clothes that had been left for him, wondering why he would be given such good garments if he was a prisoner on his way to execution. He then went to the small table to look at his reflection in the water basin, and what he saw left him quite speechless. On his brow was one of the same jewels the others wore, only his was crystal-clear whereas theirs were coloured, matching the twin's eyes, and the prince's hair.

He was not given much time to think about this, however. Above, people had started arguing in the foreign tongue and he could hear Prince Nour's distinct voice. Curious about what was going on, Daniel tried the door and found it open, so he left his cabin in spite of being told not to and went up the staircase at the end of the hallway.

Surely enough he got on deck, where Nour and Aer were indeed arguing, and Vant was trying his best to placate them. Daniel wouldn't have known what the conversation was about, but he caught his name coming up more often, along with the words derish makhe.

Before he realized it, he was pleading for them to stop, thus turning everyone's attention on him.

They did stop arguing then, and Nour gave Aer a warning look before coming closer. Taking hold of Daniel's shoulders, he forced him to turn around. "Come below deck. Now."

"But I..."

"Now!"

They returned to Daniel's room, and soon after Vant brought food, apologizing profusely for his brother's behaviour.

The prince shrugged and snorted, sitting on the bed next to Daniel. "By evening we shall be friends again."

"Why were you two arguing?" Daniel asked, while eating some of the salad. He had never been quite fond of greens before, and he hadn't even tasted some after being tossed into Lord Joseph's dungeon, but suddenly he found them quite delicious.

"It does not matter," Nour replied.

"It does," the boy insisted. "I know it was about me. And while we're at it, what did you do to me?"

The prince snickered. "I didn't do anything. I didn't have to. Stea's horn is entirely responsible for your current appearance. However, Aer does not agree that letting you hold it was the right thing to do."

"Why not?"

"A unicorn's horn has magic powers, and among those is healing. There is no wound or disease a female unicorn's horn cannot heal."

"Then why did Stea not heal herself when she was injured?" It would have spared everyone a lot of trouble that was for sure...

Nour shook his head. "Healing takes time, half a moon cycle or even more for serious illness. From what you told me, she did not have any time. However, she willingly gave you her horn, thus offering you access to its power. That was why only you could touch it... and why it healed and changed you."

"And where is it now? Can I see it?"

"More than that. You can use it." Nour smiled, and touched a finger to the jewel on Daniel's forehead. A shock ran through the boy, and he lifted his hand to touch the thing himself.

"You mean that the horn has turned into this jewel?"

"Only while you are in human form. Now, I had to seal away its magic for the time being, seeing that you have no training whatsoever in using it. However, once we are back with the herd and you undergo proper training you will be able to use it just like the rest of us."

Human form? Herd? Magic training? "W... wait a moment! What are you talking about?! What human form?"

Nour grinned and gestured at Daniel's body. "This human form. It is quite pleasing to the eyes, I guarantee. You were pretty before, but now you are stunning," he purred, lifting a lock of Daniel's hair to his lips and kissing it.

Daniel drew back instantly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Are you mad?!"

The prince left go of Daniel's hair and tilted his head to one side. "Has no one complimented you before this? No, I should think they did not. But you are beautiful, derish makhe. And one of us, now. In fact, I am starting to believe Stea knew what she was doing when she told you to take her horn." His face darkened. "I only hope my mother can be persuaded not to have you killed."

Daniel blinked. "Your mother? But Vant said I was going to be judged by the Unicorn Queen, not your mother!

"They are one and the same. Did I not tell you Stea was my blood-sister?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean... Wait a moment! In my language it doesn't, but in yours it actually might. By blood-sister, were you trying to say that you were born from the same mother?"

Nour nodded.

"But that's impossible. I mean, Stea was a unicorn and you are... well, human!"

The prince raised a brow, apparently amused by Daniel's bafflement. "I am not human. And unlike you, I never was. However, human form is preferred in certain occasions; and this trip was certainly one of those occasions."

Daniel could not help but gape at him. "Then you are... a unicorn?" he asked cautiously, and Nour nodded. "And Vant and Aer too?" Another nod. "And the people on this ship know this?"

"But of course. In their land, unicorns are sacred beings, and they are always happy to help when we ask. They consider it is their duty to do so."

Nour carefully stood up, and brushed Daniel's hair behind his ears. "I shall leave you now, my fledgling derish makhe. You have discovered much today, and must reflect on things. If you have more questions, ask any of us. Even Aer should be polite enough to answer them."

This whole business of being in the company of three, not one, unicorns, and being told he had become one himself, left Daniel in a daze for the following five days of their journey. When the ship reached port he was no more convinced than he had been after his conversation with Prince Nour, even if Vant had proved more sympathetic about this than his two companions. The blue-eyed twin actually believed it had not been very nice of Nour to dump all that information on Daniel at once - and the boy had to admit he had a point -, but had been most patient trying to explain the situation. Apparently he was a scholar, unlike his brother and the prince who were both of warrior ilk.

Of course, what he said came to contradict every legend Daniel had heard about unicorns. But seeing that no human in Daniel's land before this had ever actually met a unicorn before he had, and that Vant was talking from personal experience after all, Daniel decided to give him - and implicitly Nour - the benefit of a doubt.

Vant claimed that unicorns were not immortal, but long-lived magical beings that inhabited an island somewhere in the land they had reached. They lived in a "herd", and had built a matriarchal society ruled by the dominant female - their Queen. Also, they could take a human form whenever they wished it and keep it for as long as necessary, the only sign of their true nature being their horn, which took the shape of a jewel.

Most unicorns were born that way, but there were recordings of humans who had become unicorns. Once in every third generation, Vant had said. Still, he had refused to say more, claiming that only the Queen herself was allowed to reveal more about this subject.

They only stopped in the port town enough to get food - vegetal products, all of them; and the boy discovered he had developed quite an aversion to meat - and some clothing for Daniel, then travelled by couch for three days. They left the couch at an inn and carried on another half a day on foot through a forest before they finally decided to stop. The three had been quite silent during this period, only occasionally talking in the language Daniel merely began to understand.

What was even more frustrating was the fact that Daniel somehow could not get Nour off his mind. He did not know what started it; perhaps it was the prince's strange beauty, or perhaps Daniel's guilt for killing his sister. Still, Daniel's eyes would often stray in the dark-haired man's direction, watching for any signs that acknowledged Daniel's interest. It was getting frustrating, because Daniel had no control over these emotions.

After lunch that day, things changed.

"Vant and Aer shall go ahead and warn the herd of our arrival," Nour told Daniel, pulling him a bit further away from the place where the twins were busy doing some strange things with their travelling bags. "You and I shall follow at a slower pace."

"But -"

"No buts. Or does the idea of travelling with me disturb you? Would you rather stay with Vant instead?"

Daniel realized that something had made the unicorn prince look disappointed. And the truth was, he didn't really mind travelling with him only. Vant was nice, sure, but he was not as interesting as Prince Nour. Daniel had often caught himself staring at the gorgeous prince; even if he was not really human, his human form suited him. He wondered how he looked like as a unicorn.

"Well?"

The boy blushed as he was pulled out of his thoughts by a hand shaking him lightly.

"I... I don't mind staying with you," he said, his cheeks darkening further as Nour grinned and reached out to ruffle his hair a bit.

"Good. Then watch carefully now, so you know what to do when the time comes."

Daniel's puzzled look was answered when he walked over to where his companions had been standing. Much to the boy's amazement, there were now two beautiful unicorns standing there, light shining on their matching brown coats and reflected by their horns - one blue, one green. Daniel's hand involuntarily touched the jewel on his forehead, and he wondered what colour it would be; and would the prince's be black? In his land, black was considered to be the colour of evil... but he was no longer there, and almost everything from the legends on unicorns Daniel's mother had told him had proved false as well.

Recalling Nour's words, he watched as the prince strapped the packs on the twins' backs, leaving only the smaller one containing Daniel's clothes and one with food supplies. Daniel also noticed the way Nour moved around his companions, stroking each one's neck and forehead and murmuring words in the foreign language.

A voice suddenly intruded the boy's mind. 'Goodbye Daniel. We shall see you on the island.'

Blue eyes went wide as he stared at the unicorn he believed to be Vant. This was the same way Stea had spoken to him, mind-to-mind.

"Er... thank you," he stammered, making Nour snicker and Vant neigh cheerfully. His brother snorted and poked Nour in the shoulder with his nose, but the prince just scratched behind his ears and patted his neck one last time. "Safe journey home, my brothers."

The next moment, they were gone, leaving only a faint trail of raising dust on the road and Daniel staring again.

The raven-haired prince seemed to find this all very amusing, and kept snickering for the rest of the afternoon, and more often when Daniel had started pouting.

to be continued