The journey up the top of the mountain was exhausting, and the matter was made even worse by the fact that he had to carry an extra burden on his back. But ultimately there was only so much a slave could do, and while it wasn't exactly connected to him, Harris really wanted to see this through to the end, cause ultimately it would mean his freedom from an extremely hard life, and finally he could go back to using the name his parents had given him.
"You should hurry up Harris, the Monroe Mage academy is the most illustrious within the empire of Albion, and while this isn't the headquarters but just a branch within a colony, it doesn't mean they would tolerate tardiness. If we get there late because you can't move just a little bit faster due to the small piece of luggage you have to carry then believe me when I tell you, I'd make the rest of your life a living hell!"
"Hush Timothy! He's carrying luggage a bloody meter tall you nitwit! And all you have in your hands is a stupid sword that's no more than a collectors item. Forget your back, even your mind will break under the pressure of the load he carries."
The cold mountain wind suddenly blew, ruffling her silver hair as her blue eyes looked at him with pity. Harris knew there was more to that gaze than pity, with the way it lingered on him, the warmth hidden deep within it that spoke volumes of the forbidden affection she harbored for a slave. He looked down, his heart aches but he couldn't meet her gaze, this was as much for him as it was for her, besides…..she would soon belong to another.
Timothy scoffed after being scolded by his elder sister, while they shared the same father, their mothers were different. even if they had the same mother, by virtue of being born into a noble household where a woman could just as well rule as a man. Made it so that they would never be able to truly bond as siblings, somebody had to inherit the lands and estates of their viscount father.
Harris looked up, the spires and towers of the Monroe Mage academy could be seen in the distance. And while the path they now took was filled with craggy rocks, sheer cut-offs that led straight down into mist covered ravines, and an incline that made his thighs burn under the weight of his burden, the end was close in sight, and the name Harris would be thrown away soon enough, and freedom would be his. It was all he had been thinking of for seventeen years of his life, and he knew exactly what was the first thing he would do once he gained his freedom.
And then maybe he would have a chance to prove himself, a chance to fight for a right to live and be heard…..a chance for her. As if she had sensed that he held thoughts of her Within his mind Rhea turned around. He shifted his gaze to this side, almost loosing his balance but quickly regaining it with the help of the fur covered appendage that stretched from below his waist. He hissed in pain as he felt himself strain his tail, but he kept his complaint to himself and marched onwards.
He was the last of his kind; an endangered species, which was why a bunch of royal scientists had petitioned the viscount to release him and let him return to the wild or back to the lands of his people. The choice was his to make, as long as he would be able to mate and bring more children into this world, more beastmen...more Werelions. The bloodline of the ancient kings.
He would do all that, but he wanted to be powerful, to be untouchable. So that much like his ancestors, they wouldn't come and take them away in great ships that sailed the seas and the sky. He might be young but the legacy of his people laid deep Within his blood, Lion kings tend to be extremely selfish and aloof to their women and children, but hardships of over a thousand years have taught those who came before him that nothing is more important than the next generation.
Every fight, every death, every back broken and every achievement made was just so the beastmen nation would have a chance to one day live Free, strong and wild. And ultimately to pay back the rest of the world for denying them the right to live unfettered. His story was not one of just ascension to power in order to live Free, it was one of revenge, and his Enemy was the entire world. He looked up and gave a deep breath, they had arrived at the gates freedom had come at last.