Walking towards the prisoners, I noticed that the two griffons expressions changed from ones of mortification to ones of relief. The two Diamond dogs still had nervousness etched across their features, but also looks that I couldn’t really place, almost as if I was familiar to them.

The pony still had one of horror. Tears were welling up in her soft eyes, as she hiccuped beneath the thick gag over her mouth. Even though there was fear in her gaze, she looked more tired and sickly then anything else.

For some reason, this broke my heart even further.

The Equestrians, though powerful, are a soft race, unused to the violence and harshness of the lands outside their eutopia. The horror that she felt was understandable.

Moving towards the pair of griffons, I lowered my dagger towards the hawk’s bound claws and cut the rope binding them together, handing him the blade.

“Free yourself and your companions,” I said to him, in as gentle a tone as I could muster,”Rush, give him a claw, I’ll.....tend to the Commander.”

Rush merely nodded, his expression grim and somber, and headed into the cage, as the Griffon hawk ripped his gag from his mouth, taking a deep breath. Cutting the bonds that held his legs together, he quickly went to work freeing his companion.

Turning my back towards them, I walked out from the cage, before returning to the Commander’s body. Kneeling by his body once more, I picked up his tattered and beaten sword, once a gleaming and vibrant blade, and placed it back into the scabbard attached to his belt.

Standing back up, I turned to the bushes towards my left, and began walking towards them, once again feeling the gaze of multiple eyes towards my back. Ignoring them, I moved to the foot of the bushels, finding Owens head amongst the thickets. His lifeless eyes stared up at the sky, probably the last thing he saw before his death, his last expression of pain frozen upon his face, as a small trail of blood stained the sides of his beak.

I stretched out my hand, closing his eyes with two of my fingers, and grasped his head into my arms. Walking back towards his body, I placed it besides him, kissing my fingers, and pressing them against the side of his cheek in farewell.

“I’m sorry, Owens. I’m so, so, sorry. Rest well, my friend.”

I could feel the tears threatening to spill forth once more.

Bringing my hand back, I moved to sit on a stump by the still burning campfire, and began removing my shoulder pauldrons to tend to the gash in my shoulder. Taking my seat, I heard multiple footsteps heading towards me.

“Milord, the Gods blessing be upon you!” I heard a voice call to me. Raising my eyes, I saw the group of prisoners standing before me, Rush remaining at the side of the Commander, also paying his respects.

“Are any of you seriously injured?” I asked, my voice weary and low, looking towards the group. Simultaneously, I began wrapping a torn cloth around my shoulder in an attempt to stop the blood flow. Seeing my struggle to do it one handedly, the Griffon hen leapt towards my side, and began arranging the impromptu bandage around my wound. I nodded my head at her.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you, my prince, you saved our lives,” she replied, knotting the bandage in place before stepping to the side.

“Our friend, the pony, is injured and sick, she needs help,” the white female Diamond Dog said, as she kneeled to the ground, the pony’s head laying across her lap.

Grunting as I stood up, I walked over and kneeled by her as well. Her breathing was haggard and strained, with a faint wheeze accompanying each exhale.

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” I asked, removing a glove from my hand, and placing it across her forehead.

She was burning up.

"We’ve been kept out in the cold for the last two days, with only a couple of furs to keep us warm. The way she’s breathing, I suspect pneumonia.”

“Hmmm, that’s deadly, even within reach of a doctor. Tell me, can you move?” I asked the mare, giving her mane a comforting stroak.

“N-no,” she barely managed to whisper, her eyes closing as she erupted into a coughing fit.

“We have to bring her inside one of these tents and get her warm. Diamond Dog, can you help me carry her?”

“My name is Kay,” the black furred Diamond Dog said gruffly, pointing towards the white furred one,”and this is my sister, Poppy. The Mare is a friend of ours, so of course we’ll help you.”

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to offend, help me grab her by the—“

“No, Lou, you are wounded, I’ll help Kay carry her,” Rush stated, moving towards the mare’s side,”Do you think you two can make a fire by the tent entrance so we can get some warmth by her?”

The two other griffons nodded swiftly, fluttering off towards the campfire, bringing extra wood and make a shift torch to start the next one with. Kay and Rush each grabbed half of the mare’s body, gently lifted her up and carried her into one of the cleaner tents within the camp, followed closely by Poppy.

Giving one last look towards Owens’s body, I followed them into the tent as well, hunkering down onto the floor, as the two griffons built a new fire.

“Thank you for the assistance with the fire, Mr.—“

“Cassius, my prince, my name is Cassius, and this is my mate, Amelia.”

“It’s an honor, my prince,” the Amelia said, her and Cassius once again bowing low in reverence.

“Rise, you two, and sit by the fire with us,” I replied back, patting the spot on my left, as I knelt besides the mare, “Rush, see if you can find some food and a pot of water, as well as some clean rags.”

“Yes, Milord.”

“My prince, allow me to go with him, I can show him where these bastards kept the lauder and provisions,” Cassius suggested.

I nodded my head in appreciation, as the two exited the tent and out into the camp.

“God’s, I hope Cormac returns soon.”

Returning my attention to the mare, I grasped a pile of furs, layering her chilled body, and folding one up, placing it underneath her head. Though she appeared far from a child, the mare was young, obviously only a few years out of adulthood.

“Don’t worry, little one, I have others coming as we speak, we’ll make you well again.”

The mare offered a weak, yet sincere smile. I returned it as best as I could, before closing her eyes and drifting off into a soft sleep.

“What’s her name?” I asked the Diamond Dogs behind me, watching me as I tended their friend.

“Dew Drop, er, my prince,” Kay remarked awkwardk, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

Sighing, I understood their confusion.

“ I take it that you’ve never seen another one of my kind before—“

“No, it’s not that, we have,” Poppy exclaimed, excitedly,”you look just like our baby brother, Mazbeth!”

Now it was my turn to look astonished.

“W-what?!”

“She’s right,” Kay replied, stiffening up and adjusting the furs he wore over his shoulders,”though his skin is much more tan, and eyes and hair are different, he’s exactly the same species as you.”

“Where did you find him? Who are you two?”

“Well, our Mah and Pah found him in the southern forest in the Gem Vale, almost 17 years ago now. You ever hear of Raynard of Clan Pyrite?”

I nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, I own a few swords from his workshop. You’re his children?”

“Indeed we are,” Poppy replied, as she shuffled closer to Kay for warmth,”he adopted our baby brother and we’ve been a family ever since.”

“Yet still,who are you two? And I don’t mean just your names. What are you doing in Allerseen? The Gem Vale is many leagues south of here.”

“I am.....I was a Knight in the service of King Ector the Great, but....circumstances forced me and my sister here out of the Gem Vale, along with our parents.”

I pondered on his meaning as a former knight, but chose not to seek into his business.

“And why are you here in my Kingdom? You do know the state of it currently, so now wouldn’t be a wise time for visitors to the North.”

“We were taken here against our will,” Poppy stated, sadly,”we were forced to flee from our home, and ran into Minotaur slavers on the Gem Vale’s northern border. They split all of us up, so our parents could be anywhere.”

By this time, tears began to flow from her eyes, as Amelia reached out and placed a comforting paw around her shoulders.

“It’s ok dear, you’re safe now.”

“My apologies, you two,” I replied to them. Slavery had been banned from Allerseen centuries ago, and it always made a knot appear in my stomach to know that some kingdoms still relished in the trade.

“It’s alright,”Kay replied with a sigh,”it’s just been a rough few weeks. By the time we were captured, Dew Drop here had already been enslaved for a month, so if anything, she’s had the worst of it. They intended to sell us at an Auction in the Minotaur Capital, but were diverted up north to parlay with the Slave Captain’s associate, a Griffon named Abinchova.”

“What the fuck, Abinchova deals in slaves?!” I exclaimed, anger lacing my throat, startling the three of them with my sudden outburst.

“Easy there,” Kay replied, raising his paws defensively,” I don’t know much about him, but I take it that you do. All I know is that it seemed to be a set up, because Abinchova turned on the Slavers and killed most of them. They left no survivors. Hell, they even freed some of the slaves as well.”

“And why not you and your companions?”

“I don’t know,” He replied with a shrug,”all of this happened a few days ago. Perhaps he thought he could trade us back to King Ector for a profit, perhaps he just hates foreigners.”

“And what of you, Amelia? How did you and Cassius end up here.”

Amelia released Poppy, crossing her forearms and bringing them closer to her body. A look of sadness crossed her face.

“Our Rook was sacked a few days back. The Black Talon Company burned it, took food and gold and weapons, even some of our people. They killed the rest, Cassius’s father, included. They supposedly took the prisoners to a bigger camp somewhere deeper in Nidstang, but where, I don’t know. This camp was just a temporary one before the lot here moved onto the bigger one.”

“Yeah, we ran into the rest of the host here a few hours back. We butchered them all.”

“Good,” Amelia spat, her look of sadness shifting to a look of anger,”those beasts deserve nothing less.”

Rush and Cassius entered the tent, carrying a large pot of water, as well as a small sack. Placing the pot upon the fire pit, Rush opened the sack, pulling forth a loaf of bread, and began to tear it into chunks.

"We managed to find a few things; some bread and veggies, and a bit of meat, but we thought it would be inappropriate to eat it with the mare here. It’s not much, but it’ll tide us over until help help arrives.”

“Good job, you two,”I said in gratitude, accepting a chunk of bread, taking small bites. It felt good to get food back into my stomach; I hadn’t realized how hungry I had become.

A silence fell upon the group of us as we ate, besides the wheezing snores of Dew Drop, as if each of us was attempting to process all that had happened to us during the last few days.

“Are you really the prince of these lands?” A voice peirced the silence, gathering the attentions of the others. Moving towards the pot of warm water, I removed a clean, damp cloth from its depths, straining it, and placing it on Dew’s forehead.

“I’m not a prince, I’m an Unprince.”

The two Diamond Dogs cocked an eyebrow in confusion at that.

“What’s an Unprince?” Poppy asked, curiously.

“Allerseen is a griffon Kingdom, always has been, and only griffons can become royalty. Since I’m not a griffon, but was adopted by the royal family, I hold no real authority over the governance of the country.”

Shifting the furs on Dew again, I reached into the pot again, removing another damp cloth, and began wiping my face with it, tossing it aside when it turned red from the old blood.

“I have no claim of inheritance to the throne, even though I’m the oldest, and though I have access to the royal treasury, it is frowned upon for me to take any large sums. I only have any real say in matters of military, and that’s fine with me.”

“Have their been other Unprinces?” Kay asked, fascinated by the new information he had learned of his new companion.

"Their have been several throughout Allerseen's history," I replied," Though they appeared far and few in-between. I'm the last one that has appeared within this century. Unprinces are said to bring ill omens to the kingdom, so many of them before me did not live long lives."

The group, minus Rush, looked horrified at that answer,

"They were murdered?!"

I could only nod in affirmation. I honestly did not like to think on the fates of my predecessors, finding the topic depressing, but every once in awhile, i would lie awake in bed, wondering if it would be my last night rest, before an assassins blade would cut me down.

"Some, yes, others died in battle. My namesake, Lucifer, was the first recorded Unprince of Allerseen, many hundreds of years ago, and arguably one of the greatest, and he was killed by our his own friends. even now, some of the kingdom blame the Civil War that just ended on my existence."

"That's horrible, how could they think such a thing like that on their own royalty?" Poppy asked in shock, while Cassius and Amelia could only shake their heads.

"Our kingdom is a slow one to change, honey," Amelia said," They don't call us The Forgotten Kingdom for nothing. Just know, Milord, that we think no such of you. You are good hawk, and has only strived to do right by the kingdom."

Cassius nodded in agreement, a small smile upon his face," You're a good lad, my prince, the King has done right by you raising you so."

When those words were spoken to me, I felt truly touched by them. Though I was treated with respect by the nobility, and with honor by my fellow soldiers, it was very rare that words like that were spoken to me by griffons that weren't family.

"Thank you, you two, I-" before i could finish, the sound of wings and cluttering armor dully reverberated through the air> It couldn't have been, Cormac, he would've barely made it to camp by now. If not our fellow rangers, then....

Oh gods, no.

"Rush, bandits are approaching!" I yelled, springing to my feet and drawing my sword.

"Gods damnit!," He yelled, also springing up, reaching for the axe that hung on his side.

Turning to the group, i addressed them quickly,"Alright, you lot stay here, we'll try and hold them off as long as we can, buy you guys some time! If your quick enough, head south past the main road, and hopefully you can run into our reinforcements!"

"Fuck that, I won't leave you two here after saving our hides! I'm a knight, I can fight! we'd rather fight then go back to becoming slaves to these bastards again!"

Turning to Cassius, he grunted in agreement, reaching for a spear that lay against one of sides of the tent.

"Besides, if we fled, we'd have to leave Dew here, and we won't abandon her," Poppy cried," If we're gonna die, we'll die fighting!"

Sighing, I tossed two short swords to the pair of siblings, turning to address Amelia.

"At least, you stay here and keep Dew safe, if any luck, we'll stall them enough for Cormac, to return."

Amelia nodded, draping a protective wing over Dew's shivering body.

"I'll protect her with my life."

I truly admired her bravery, all of their bravery. It would've made Owens proud.

"Alright, lets go meet our guests," I muttered, feeling the pain return to my shoulder as I lifted my cloak across my back, "Let's not keep them waiting."

With that, the group of exited the tent, only to met with a host of bandits. At least thirty of the bastards landed in the clearing in the middle of the camp, The Black Talon Company banners fluttering in the winter breeze. Each bandit armored and angered, beholding the body of many of the fellow soldiers sprawled about the camp.

And then, he appeared. The small crowd began to part, as a average sized griffon emerged from the middle. His white feathered head struck out from the layers of heavy armor and furs that he wore, a large scar running down the length his beak.

He was not or grizzled, but fairly young and in his prime. Even handsome, by griffon standards. A cloak of crimson was draped over him, as we walked towards, his somber green eyes beholding the group of us before him.

It was in that look, that the griffon I once called my truest friend flashed before my eyes, appearing like he had all those years ago.

"Hey Lou," I heard him call to me, sadness laced in his throat. sadness that I felt to. I could only clench my fists as i looked at him.

"Hello, Abinchova."

Author's Note

I couldn't resist but update this story again. I guess im just feeling nostalgic for the original one I wrote back years ago.