"Achreios"
"Moira is going to freak out when she hears about this." Cairo says and I nod.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's strong." I replied, moving close to him.
"You do realize you have to inform him about your departure right?"
"No I don't Grandmaster, I'm sure he's going to hear about it eventually." I reply and frown slightly.
"Don't be stubborn. This is a dangerous mission. Make peace with him before you leave son, you're all he's g-"
"Godfather, I need to leave now to join the assembly. This conversation can be continued much later, perhaps?" I cut him short, in an attempt to end the conversation.
"Some other time? Later? Son, what if there's no "later" and there's no "other time"? Look, I know you prefer to smooth things up after honoring the pledge, but other things matter too you know and this is a fifty-fifty mission, who knows what will happen? Maybe-"
"There's no "maybe", Grandmaster. And this is not a fifty-fifty mission. I'm a hunter! Hunters of this Order do not fail. I am going to complete this mission and I am going to return in one piece and that's that." I said, stopping him midway through his sentence again because I knew what he was about to say, and I would not condone even the slightest thought of it—the thought of failing. He nods and smiles at my determination, and through his eyes, I could see how proud he was. I returned the smile and turned to leave.
"And son, remember in whatever you do or whatever happens, above anything else, you must return alive!" he said and I turned to look at him and I noticed his almost watery eyes which he quickly fought back in. I nodded in understanding and left the room.
"I assembled you all here this evening to share a recent development. As all of you elders and hunters already know, the Astrid werewolf infestation is getting out of hand. The committee has set up this assembly to discuss our next course of action as "The Order" and to put a permanent end to this situation. As the head of this Order I have concluded that In every situation, there should always be someone who would need to take charge and find a solution. After carefully assessing the situation and weighing the stake involved, I have decided that Roan, our youngest and most skilled hunter will take the lead in ending this gruesome fiasco." The whole assembly erupts into a murmur. He waited patiently for the noise to die down but it didn't so he proceeded to talk anyways.
"He is going to undertake this mission alone. As we are all aware of, he's the youngest and best hunter this Order has seen and he also possesses great skills. He has my support and the blessings of all the elders of the committee." The assembly bursts into a murmur again. Moira stands across from me from a distance and casts a look of "Can you explain what the hell is going on here to me?" I just stare and turn my attention back to the elders and hunters who were trying to object.
"Fallon, the whole committee never agreed to this. We cannot let the son of a nonchalant member of our society lead us. I mean, what if he also is as incompetent and careless as his father
and ends up endangering all our lives?" Muna, one of the elders says and the rest of the elders join in.
"We all agreed that the ideal candidate to take charge of this complex situation is Kasoa!" Another elder says.
"Grandmaster, this is such a trivial matter. And I really think that sending him alone on such a critical mission is not wise. At least, let me join him, I mean I'm equally as equipped and competent for the battle." Kasoa says and furrows his eyes to Muna, signaling Muna to back him up.
"Are you trying to insult my wisdom, judgment and old age, Kasoa?" Fallon asked, maintaining a straight face while glaring at Kasoa.
"Listen Fallon, I strongly suggest we think this matter through together as a committee and join heads in making the right decision." Muna speaks again but he is ignored by Fallon.
"The decision has already been made, Muna. If you and the others have anything else to say, keep them to yourselves, it is too late. Time is running out and we need to take action. Re-addressing this situation would only be a waste of time."
"We are in support of whatever decision you make, Grandmaster. If there are any directives, let us know what to do." One elder says and some others amongst him nod in agreement, while the other elders and some members of the hunting order keep murmuring and showing their disapproval. Fallon stays quiet as they keep ranting. After a while, Muna moves forward and whispers something into Fallon's ears, before Fallon gets up from his seat and makes his final announcement.
"You can all keep your suggestions to yourselves, but as far as the majority is in support of this and I the leader of this Order also support this, Roan will represent us in this great battle." He declared and left. The whole assembly becomes noisier. Cairo throws me a reassuring look and also gets up to leave. I look through the crowd to spot Moira and I see her leaving the assembly and I hurriedly run after her. The least I could do was to give her an explanation. I needed her blessings. She was my lucky charm.
"Moi, Moi, please wait." I reached for her hand to stop her from leaving.
"What!, what is it, Roan?" She snaps at me, as she stopped, folding her hands.
"Please let me explain." I said and I pick up her hand, but she detaches her hands from my grip.
"Ohh, now you want to explain?"
"Moi, I swear, I knew nothing about this. I just found out this evening when I went toFallon's quarters. Moi, the last thing I need right now is for you to be mad at me. I need you right now. I'm so confused and I hate to admit this, but I'm not sure if accepting this mission was the right thing to do." I see her calming down as her eyes narrow down to my lips. She grabs my hand and squeezes it reassuringly.
"Hey, Hey, I believe in you, way more than I believe in myself. I know you, if anyone can do this, it's you Roan." I lower my gaze and she holds my chin to raise my head back up.
"My love, you're strongest and the most confident person I've ever met. You've got this under your control. You've been training for this your whole life. Don't let yourself down. Go ahead and prepare. I'll come to see you tonight, okay?" And with just those words, she was able to lift my anxiety, I nodded and she smiled, I gave her hand one last squeeze before making my way to prepare for the mission that lay ahead of me.
My name is Roan, and this is my story. If you are by any chance wondering how I got here, why I have been chosen to embark on such a dangerous mission alone, and what pledge I speak of? Follow me, and I will take you back to how and where it all began.