When Wrong is Right (PG-17)

Writers: Miriah, Heather
Date Posted: 26th March 2019

Characters: Crolarin, Karhal, Zathris
Description: Sometimes what's wrong is what's right.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 10, day 12 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Loella, Benani
Rating: PG-17

Karhal

Zathris

He had heard about the child, the girl-child his wife had borne. And
he was certain without doubts that the child was his. Had he not
discovered it before she had? The thought that she had returned to
_him_, to Zathris, beat at his temples with vicious knowledge. What
about the vows she had made to him? His Flower had betrayed her vows
to him, but he'd not let her keep his child from him! He'd strangle
her in her sleep first! Then Zathris!

The long journey back to Amber Hills had been hard. He had sheltered
long at Sunstone, but when he'd been well enough, he'd started to
carefully plan. Now he was here, it was dark, but he hadn't accounted
for a _wall_ of all things to stop him. He paced along the wall,
snarling to himself in feverish menace. He had counted on sneaking
through the back gardens, finding his daughter, and taking her from
her treacherous mother. How could he climb the wall with one arm?!
He'd have to. He reached upwards, finding a small stone outcropping
and a foot rest. He heaved upwards, struggling, but managing to steady
himself. He found another, reached...and then heard a low growl and
went still.

He shortly found himself yanked off of the wall and flying through the
air. He fell with a grunt, heard a low, hard command and before he
knew it, felt a canine mouth with sharp teeth bearing down on his
throat. He choked, but they didn't pierce his skin. Opening his eyes,
he wheezed and looked up to see the hard face of Karhal staring down
at him. "Not dead. Smart." The deep voice was cold. "I should let her
rip your throat out. You cost me a son and the Lady..." His eyes
narrowed. "No. I'd not ever let it be that quick for you."

Karhal reached down, pushed his canine aside and before Crolarin could
move, slammed a heavy fist into the man's face, once, twice and then
again. "For my wife, my son, and for me." He had to restrain himself
from beating the man further, but his blows had done what was needed.
The man's face was bloody, he was barely conscious, and when Karhal
lifted him, blood, teeth and saliva spilled from a broken jaw. Karhal
regretted nothing as he dragged him away.

Moments later, a soft knock from bruised knuckles was heard on Zathris' door.

A light sleeper, the knock stirred Zathris immediately. Alik growled,
hackles raised as he stood from his position at the foot of his
master's bed. It wasn't often someone disturbed him after he and
Benani had gone to bed; after the vandalism and other things that had
taken place at Amber Hills in the past Turn, Zathris didn't take any
chances anymore.

Leaving Benani's sleeping form in the bed, Zathris dressed quickly,
pulling on the clothes he'd left draped over a chair earlier. "Easy,
Alik," he murmured to the canine, not quite calling his companion off
just yet.

"Karhal," Zathris felt a moment of relief when he cracked the door
open to see his Guard Captain. He gestured with a single finger to
Alik and the canine relaxed, sitting down beside of the Lord Holder.

"My Lord... I apologize for disturbing you, but there's a situation
you need to address. Right now." He glanced passed Zathris, but heard
nothing more than Alik's own warning. "Discretely, my Lord."

Zathris glanced back over his shoulder at Benani before kneeling down
beside the canine. "Stay, boy. You're on duty." He stood back up as
Alik turned and leaped back to the foot of the bed, settling just
below Benani's feet, his eyes glittering, ears pricked forward, on
guard. Zathris couldn't imagine what would have brought Karhal to his
room so late, the Guard Captain was the most capable man that Zathris
had ever met, which told him whatever the situation was, it was
serious.

"After you," he said as he shut the door to his room and turned the
lock. Another guard was always at the entrance to the family quarters
now, but apart of Zathris still felt nervous leaving Benani and his
children.

Karhal quietly led Zathris outside before he spoke again, but kept his
voice low. "I caught someone trying to climb the wall outside of your
Lady's garden, Lord Zathris. A ghost we all assumed was dead." He led the
Lord Holder to a small shed, unlocked it, and opened the door,
stepping back to allow Zathris to peer inside. Crolarin lay, still
dazed, but awake, and trying to sit up. Blood streaked down his chin
and on to his shirt, but he was recognizable. "I haven't made an
official report. I thought you might want to handle this yourself." He
knew what he was suggesting wasn't strictly legal, but the man had
been officially declared dead and should he have been in Zathris'
place...

Zathris' insides seized as his pupils widened. The Lord Holder flung
himself at the figure, a snarl of rage curling his lip as his hands
wrapped around Crolarin's throat. How many nights had he imagined
finding the monster? How many ways had Zathris imagined killing and
torturing the man who had not just stolen Benani, but abused her, left
her emotionally shattered? Now fate had landed the beast into his very
hands? A murderous gleam lit the young Lord's eyes as he watched
Crolarin's face change from pale, to crimson, to a purplish blue.

At first, Karhal didn't stop Zathris, but as Crolarin's face purpled,
he acted. He pulled Zathris back, and had to use all of his strength
to do so. "Wait, my Lord, think!" He understood the rage; hadn't he
felt it himself? He held Zathris away, holding his arm across his
chest. "I understand, Zathris. But think. He's already dead. He's a
nobody, but there is still a risk and you have to understand it before
you act without thought. " His voice was soft as he ignored Crolarin's
gasps of agony as he struggled to get his breath back.

"What?" Zathris hissed, breathing heavily as he continued staring at
Crolarin over Karhal's shoulder. He had been close, seconds away from
watching the life flee from that piece of wher dung's eyes.

"You've never taken a life, Zathris." Karhal spoke quietly, never
looking at the gagging, gasping man on the floor. "It changes a man.
You carry it with you every day. You have to be willing to do that and
accept it. If you are, then I'll give you my own knife and be done
with it."

Crolarin stared at the two men who stood over him with a mixture of
pain and insane rage, then wheezed out a hoarse, taunting chuckle.
"Benanini's mine...I had her, Zathris, and she liked it. I touched her
everywhere, had my mouth all over her. I fecked her again and again
and she moaned for more." He licked at his split lips, his sanity
cracked as he stared up at the Lord Holder with satisfaction. "And I
put a child inside of her. Kill me if you want to, but she'll always
think of me inside her when you go to her bed."

Karhal stiffened, then pulled his belt knife, handing it to Zathris by
the handle. "If you can handle it, Zathris, I'll handle the rest."

For a moment, Zathris' fingers curled around the knife handle.
Everything inside of him told him that this was the right decision.
Crolarin deserved to die. The piece of filth had already proven, more
than once, how easily he slipped from restraints and how demented he
was. If Zathris and Benani ever wanted peace of mind, then the man had
to die.

The handle of the knife felt like a hot iron in his hand. The Lord
Holder approached Crolarin and crouched just in front of him. "I want
you to know something before you die. After this evening, after you've
gasped your last breath, I will never think of you, ever, again.
Benani has already forgotten you," it wasn't entirely true, but
Crolarin needn't know. "You will be nothing, not even a memory."
Spitting in the man's face, Zathris stood, and extended the knife,
handle out, to Karhal. "For your son," he said, looking into the Guard
Captain's eyes. Although he had lost time with Benani because of
Crolarin's actions, Karhal had lost something he could never get back.
If anyone deserved to kill the bastard, it was Karhal.

Karhal took the knife and looked into the Lord Holder's eyes. He was
more than his Lord, Zathris was his friend and had been from shortly
after he had taken his position. He nodded and murmured softly. "Thank
you, Zathris." He stared down at Crolarin, the knife gripped in his
hand. He paused, listening to the man continue laughing, then slowly
slipped the knife back in its sheath. He could not go home with blood
on his clothing. It had to be discrete and quick. He crouched and
lifted Crolarin's head with a grip on his hair. "If you want to leave,
Zathris, you should." He waited, then with the man still giggling,
gripped Harper's head, pulled it back and with savage twist of his
arms, he heard a satisfying crack. Crolarin fell to the floor with a
thump, his eyes dimming and staring vacantly ahead.

Zathris had remained, arms folded across his chest. He wanted to see
Crolarin dead, to know with certainty, that he would never have to
look over his shoulder in fear of the man again. His thoughts went to
Benani, asleep up in their bed. Should he tell her? A part of him
wanted to, to give her the security she had so desperately wanted when
they'd first brought her back to Amber Hills, and yet, things had been
almost normal between them again for so long that he hated to make her
mentally revisit the thought of Crolarin.

"Are you going to tell Loella?" he asked.

Karhal rose, his face blank as he stared down at the dead man at his
feet. "No." Legally, he had murdered the man, but he couldn't bring
himself to regret it. Crolarin had needed the killing for more than
one reason. "She'll never know. No one will." He glanced up. "I'll get
rid of him." He planned on finding a calm runner and tossing the man
to the wild felines far from the Hold. "He'll never trouble anyone
again."

Last updated on the April 4th 2019

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When Wrong is Right (PG-17)