It must be noted – before all is said and done – that Riordyn was not a bad lion. He was not evil or seeking to cause harm. Deep down, the black and white lion was a good creature. It was only that his way of life – living it to the fullest – ended up hurting others. Hurting their hearts, of course, for Riordyn would not ever lay claw on those who would not rise to attack him.
Riordyn; charm, wit, polite and gentlemanly smiles, poetry, flirtatious, intelligent, dull, exciting and extravagant. He was all of those and more. He woke up each day with a different hat on – or so to speak. Woke to each day as if he’d been reborn.
He could be anything he wanted to be and more.
The world could believe he was once derived from a God. Or that he once slayed a mighty warrior king, or that a mistake he made led to the downfall of an entire pride of lions. And, no matter how extravagant his stories, his words weaved them true in the ears of others and so his enjoyment out of tricking others increased.
Today Riordyn had woken with a quite natural and understandable desire for company. But not just any company. The company of a fine woman. How long had it been now since he’d enjoyed the touch of delicate fur against his side? Too long!
His fine, silver whiskers floated around his muzzle as he descended from his makeshift hammock amongst the trees and hopped lightly down the rough rocky staircase to settle on the wooded floor of his little home. His fortress. His land. Or…for a week or so in any case. After that he’d be gone and this land could revert to another keeper’s care. As beautiful and comfortable as this place was, no home could ever hold his attention for too long. Well, if he had no need for nourishment or rest, his feet might never stop!
The sun stroked along his fine, strong back as he moved out into the open, pausing to lift his head and breath in the warm, somewhat dusty, morning air. His tail rose expectantly, but as far as he could tell there was no one close by.
He did not know it yet, but it would be an hour before he crossed a female on his path.
She was an array of white and pale pink, delicate and beautiful as she trod carefully through the long grasses. Her large eyes captured the sky in their smooth facets and the sun kissed gold onto her upturned muzzle.
Her name was Anya.
And Anya was beautiful.
“Fair Lady.” Riordyn exclaimed, leaping easily into his polite and formal speech that he was sure such a pretty, young lady would take great pleasure in.
He was right. She turned her head, interested.
“Fair lady, what a sight you are to my poor, tired eyes!”
“Are you talking to me, Sir?”
He smiled, his eyes twinkling with polite amusement. “Have you seen any fairer lady? For I have not, my dear.” He brought a paw around against his chest and bowed his head over it. “Tell me, of what kingdom do you reign?”
“Reign?” She echoed softly, a little confused.
“You are a princess, are you not, Fair Lady?”
She smiled then and batted a paw gently at him. “Now, stop it. Don’t tease me. No. I am not a princess and I have no kingdom to call my home. I am nothing but a rogue maiden seeking my very own prince.”
“Then your seeking has come to an end, Fair Lady. I am Prince Kirin. It is an honour.” He bowed again and when he righted, he felt himself grow further amused at the expression on her face. She believed him? What a dear, innocent thing she was! He would have fun playing with this one.
“You are a prince?”
“That is correct, Lady. But, please, just call me Kirin. Titles get in the way of friendship, don’t you think?”
“I suppose.”
He drew closer to her, scooping one of her paws in his. “And what is your name, Fair Lady?”
“I am Anya.”
He purred deep in his chest. “It suits you.”
She fluttered her eyelashes coyly and, after a moment, pulled her paw free so that she could take a couple of steps back away from him. “So, Prince Kir--sorry--Kirin. If you really are a prince, why are you not in your homelands? As far as I’m aware, you are in the heart of the unclaimed lands.”
He grinned. So she wasn’t just a pretty face. He saw he would have to woo this one a little more than perhaps he had first thought.
“Now that is a story. In fact, if you have time, I’d love to tell you. I’ve been wishing I could share it with someone for so long now.”
Curiosity piqued, she nodded and sat before him. “I’d love to hear it, Kirin.”
“You see, where I am from it is customary for the eldest son of the king – the heir to the throne – to prove his courage and strength by leaving the pride for the span of three cycles of the moon to survive out alone in the wilds. His first job is to locate a suitable accommodation in which to call home. He must defend this home from others who may wish to take it. He must hunt alone. And, when his time is up, he will take all that he is learned of survival and return home with a trophy of the occasion that he must wear with him always.”
“What sort of trophy?”
“Princes of the past have returned with crocodile teeth and scales, or lion skulls. As of yet I have no trinket for I have met no danger. However, the task is not always so easy and risk free. My older brother was killed during this test and that is why I am here now, to take up his mantle.”
“Oh. Oh, Kirin, I’m so sorry.”
“Please, don’t say another word. My brother died in honour.”
She nodded silently.
“But another part of the test is for the male to return with a mate, a princess who will one day rule as queen beside him. It may seem odd for a future queen to be chosen after only such a short amount of time, but it is tradition and ensures fresh blood in every royal generation.”
Her eyes widened a little. “You are under a lot of pressure, Kirin. That is no menial task.”
“No. It is not easy, but I will not fail. I cannot.”
“Have you found anyone yet?”
He cast her a look and made sure she noticed it. “No…not yet, but who knows what might come out of a simple meeting.” He smiled a little and then settled next to her. “But enough of that, I’ve dampened the mood between us with talk of duty. Tell me, how is your life here in these wild lands?”
“They are fine.”
“Fine? Is that all?”
“My family...they may enjoy rogue life but…but I do not. All I ever dreamed of was finding my ‘happily ever after’ just like Mother did. My sister finds it irritating that I dream of such things, but it’s all I really have. My dreams…”
“Everyone has dreams.”
“I used to think so too…but my sister…” She shook her head and then laughed ruefully. “Listen to me, now I’m bringing the mood down! Come, follow me, I’ll show you one good thing about the rogue lands.”
She stood and boldly leaned over to tug him to his paws. He grinned and followed her, moving close at her side, enjoying the touch of their fur and the electricity it caused within him. She was so pretty. So innocent. He wanted her but he wondered how long it would take before she was his. Possibly too long. Keeping up the act wasn’t the problem – he’d kept up an act for many months before – but keeping his interest was. His urge for company was something that wouldn’t just wait for days of relationship building.
They moved through the grass and emerged onto earth that had been rubbed away to stone. The stone was warm against their pads as they crested its edge, peering down at the landscape below them, all flowing valleys and snaking rivers.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Anya spoke in a hushed voice. Their eyes met and he refused to look away, drowning in her gaze and hoping she was losing herself in his. She pulled her eyes away a moment later, looking somewhat flustered. She shifted on the rock and turned away.
“There’s a way down.”
“Into the valley?” He hastened after her.
“Yes. There is good hunting in those valleys. Herds are big and plentiful. They won’t be easy to bring down alone, but at least you won’t need to spend days trying to track some only to fail due to fatigue.”
“A woman of many talents, that is what you are, Anya.”
“And I do believe you’re flirting with me. Kirin, if what you said about your pride was true, you wouldn’t happen to be thinking about convincing me to return with you, would you?”
“Well, why not? You said yourself that you don’t like a rogue’s life and…I am a prince. I could offer you that ‘happily ever after’ you wanted.” It was a risk, Riordyn realised, to press things so soon. But she seemed a romantic at heart and what was better than spontaneous acts of romance to get the passion going?
“I’m sorry. I barely know you, Kirin. You barely know me, either, for that matter.” She seemed sad, though. “I couldn’t just say yes and throw caution to the wind. My family would tell me I am being a fool and…they’d be right.”
She moved off and he hurried to stop her. “I’m sorry, Anya, that was silly of me. I’m a bit of a romantic at heart. I got swept up in things. Listen, I won’t mention it again. But…can we still see each other again? I have many days left before my trial is over.”
“I suppose we could see each other again…so long as I don’t distract you from your duties.”
“That’s a promise.” He scooped up her paw again and licked it tenderly. “Until we meet again, Rogue Princess.” He smiled as he watched her go but when she was out of sight his smile faded into a look of irritation. With a growl, he swung round and headed back to his makeshift den. Returned alone. All alone.
/fin.
