Davis 11

What Makes a Man?

"Halt! This is the king's land. Who dares to trespass?"

A young girl stared at the knight and squire who stood guard at the outpost in the forest. She was young, no more than sixteen, and possessed dark waves of hair that cascaded down her back. Her eyes were dark and lined with long, dark lashes. Her red lips trembled.

"I am a refugee," she explained. "I was hoping to pass through this wood in order to reach the next city."

The squire stared at her with longing eyes.

"Sorry Miss," he said gently. "But we were ordered to not let anyone pass. There have been reports of a witch wreaking havoc across the south, and his Majesty does not wish for any such monsters to enter his city."

The girl clicked her tongue.

"A witch?" she exclaimed. "Oh my! How frightening! But are they not just stories? It wouldn't make any sense for them to be real, now would it?"

"I wouldn't doubt the existence of witches," The knight argued. "I've come across a few of them in recent years. They have many tricks to hide themselves, and then will kill you once your back has been turned."

He looked at her.

"Why is a young woman like you travelling on her own?"

The girl averted her gaze.

"I lost my family to bandits," she explained. "I was hoping to stay with my aunt in the capitol."

The squire furrowed his brows.

"But Miss, you look fine. I'd dare even say that you look to be in quite good health."

She turned her gaze back to the squire. He stared back.

"There is a rumor going around," the knight explained. "They say that witches and wizards look much younger than their real age. In fact, that witch was said to look just around your age."

The squire cried out in pain and fell back.

The knight made a move to draw his sword but was too late as the girl had already grabbed his wrist. She began speaking, but he did not hear anything she said to him as a burning sensation filled his body.

The witch's cackle filled the air. Fire burned down the trees all around them.

He struggled to crawls over to safety. That damned woman had drugged him somehow. His body felt heavy and he couldn't manage to get his arms to grip the Earth enough to pull him forward. Everything was louder than it should have been.

There was a gasp. The knight turned his head to see his squire holding up a knife in a defensive position. The lad looked in his direction with wide eyes that glowed red from the flames.

"B-bear!" he yelled.

The knight turned himself over. There was no bear.

"Are you daft?" he questioned. "There's nothing…"

His voice sounded monstrously deep, almost like a growl.

He lowered his gaze to his hands. No. They weren't hands. His fingers had been replaced with black claws, and his skin with coarse, brown fur.

As quickly as he could, the knight pulled himself toward the lake. Staring back at him was not the reflection of a man, but of a beast.

He felt wounds all over his body. The pain was intense. Yet all he could think of as his vision darkened was the sight of the monster that was his reflection.

Cornelius Renarius was the most honored knight in the king's court. He was the captain of the king's personal guard, and had held that title for five years from when he was only twenty five. He had even been given permission to marry the king's sister. He was revered throughout the land for his valor and courage in battle, as well as for his strong sense of honor. To everyone he was a hero, the model of what a knight should be.

At least he was before this day.

"Your Majesty, I have served you for years!" he pleaded. "I beg of you to not banish me! I am still loyal to you, and will be for the rest of my life."

The court looked at the man turned beast with wide eyes and harsh whispers.

The looked at him with a firm frown on his face.

"You have been loyal, and for that you will be allowed to stay in the palace walls," the king agreed. "But you cannot even hold a sword. I must insist that you not serve in my guard. It would be problematic for us all."

He looked at his wife with pleading eyes.

"My Love!" he begged. "Please reason with your brother. Make him see reason!"

She did not meet his gaze. Cornelius's posture fell.

"I see." He backed away as best he could. "You will not even look at me. Then I have no reason for being here." He looked to her with a soft gaze. "I will not force you to retain vows to a husband who cannot serve you or his king properly."

His eyes grew moist.

"I will leave the city," he agreed. "All I ask is that you look at me once more!"

She continued to stare at her feet.

"I understand," he choked. "I'll…" he looked at her once more. "I will leave you, now."

The room was silent as the knight tried his best to walk away on two legs. The doors of the hall shut loudly. Nobody dared move.

When he had put enough distance between him and the city, Cornelius let out a roar of anguish.

The rain pelted the ground loudly on the mountainside. The air was cold and fell in large droplets through the tree branches.

The girl cursed loudly to herself as she fell to the muddy ground with a slide. She gripped the trunk of a nearby tree in an attempt to help her to her feet. Her feet slid on the unsteady ground as she stood.

In an instant, she was pinned to the tree. For a second, her eyes were wide and her breath hitched. That faded as soon as she saw the large, brown bear glaring at her through the wall of water that continued to fall.

"So you've come back for revenge?" she choked. "It won't do you any good, you know."

"Change me back!" Cornelius demanded.

She laughed.

"Change you back?" she cackled. "Why would I ever waste my magic on something as silly as that? Besides, your appearance shows your fierce nature, now. Isn't it better this way?"

Cornelius pushed her further into the tree.

"Do not mock me, Witch," he snarled. "You have ruined my life and everything I have ever worked for. You will fix it."

She laughed.

"Do you think your threats frighten me?" she coughed. "I have lived your life many times over. My magic is at its end, as is my life. Do you think I fear something as close as death? I was merely hoping to dethrone that disloyal worm you call a king in my last days. How does it feel to know that you helped to save a tyrant?"

"Do not speak!" Cornelius roared.

"Does the truth hurt you this much?" she laughed. "I suppose it would after your whole life was built upon believing them."

He snarled.

"Before you kill me, there is something that you should know," she whispered. "This curse of yours will not disappear with my death. On top of which, you will not be able to die. As long as you still breathe, you will remain in this form. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this lifetime of being alone."

He dropped her to the ground.

"My time is up," she explained. "You forced me to use my magic to keep from being crushed. A lot of good that did."

She let out a wild laugh that echoed in the air around them. In an instant, her beauty faded and she became a wrinkled old woman. Only then was she silenced.

For many years Cornelius wandered. From city to city he went. From town to town. Still, he could find no one who did not look at him in fear. It wasn't long before he gave up trying to find any human that would accept him.

He wandered deep into the wood, far from where anyone could ever hurt him or dishonor him further.

The bear knight did not know how many years he had been wandering through the forest. He had lost count of the time once he realized that his life was already twice that of a normal human's. It didn't matter, in any case. Why bother keeping count of the days when you would never die?

Every day he would hunt for food. Despite not needing food to live, the hunger pangs were terrible. After that he would try and find a place to rest. Before long, he had forgotten how to even speak the human language. What point was there in remembering words he would never use?

Occasionally he would come upon a human. When that happened, they would scream and he would roar if only to scare them far enough to leave him in peace. To them he was just a wild animal. Then again, by this time, they weren't so far off.

He soon found himself wishing for the comfort of death. Sleep was only a temporary retreat from this half-life he was living.

There wasn't a day when he felt truly alive.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me the way out of this forest?"

It had been many years since a human had spoken to Cornelius, even longer since one had spoken to him civilly. So it was much to his surprise when one wandered past him and, rather than running away in terror, had walked right up to him and asked him for directions. It was almost comical, but Cornelius could feel nothing but confusion at this turn of events.

The man was tall and wore spectacles. His long dark hair was tied back with a silk ribbon. In Cornelius's opinion, he appeared to be some sort of scholar.

But that made no sense. What would a scholar be doing lost in the forest?

"Do you not know the way?" he asked. "Hmm… Perhaps I've asked the wrong person."

Cornelius snorted. Person? Could this man not see that he was a bear?

"Oh!" He looked at Cornelius. "Are you, by any chance lost as well? Perhaps we could both aid each other in finding our way out."

The man ushered the bear forward. Cornelius was so stunned that he followed along without question.

"Now just a moment, Sir!" the man protested. "It is quite embarrassing to have you walking on all fours like some sort of animal! I insist that you act like an adult and stand up!"

Cornelius did as he was told. Why did he listen to this man? Surely it was not out of fear. Was it because he spoke to him as a human?

Standing on two legs was difficult, at first. But after a few moments, Cornelius found himself walking as if he were human, again.

Cornelius stared at the palace halls around him. People walked around and didn't spare him a single glance. In fact, they acted as if it were perfectly normal for their Lord to bring a bear through their halls.

"Who are you?" he asked. His words were slurred and unfamiliar to his tongue.

"My name is Allenore," the man explained. "Allenore Ascelian."

Cornelius stared at him. Why was he so kind to him?

"I know!" Allenore laughed. "It does sound rather feminine, but it's a family name. I've told my son that, if he ever sires a girl, he should name her after her grandfather."

"That's not why I am confused," Cornelius explained. "I just don't understand why you're treating me like…" He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"Like a human?" Allenore asked. "I do suppose that morals would only see you as a bear. Of course, anyone with even an ounce of magic in them would see that your soul is quite human."

Magic?

"Are you a sorcerer?"

Allenore frowned.

"It is quite an old fashioned term, but I suppose that you have the right idea." He sighed. "In any case, I do use magic, but only sparingly. I would never pull a stunt like whoever it was that cursed you."

Cornelius frowned.

"Why did you take me back with you?"

Aiden smiled.

"I can feel something good in you," he explained. "The way you carried yourself, even when trying to act like an animal, it was rather noble. You hold yourself as a knight. Someone with honor is difficult to find, no matter where you are. I was hoping you might consider serving under my family."

Cornelius shook his head.

"You would have a bear serve under you?"

Allenore laughed.

"Heavens no!" he chortled. "But I would be willing to have an honorable knight serve under me."

Cornelius did not know how to answer.

"Cornelius, I have a favor to ask of you."

It had been two generations since Cornelius had agreed to serve under Allenore. Under his first lord's son and grandson, he had fought many battles and gained the trust of the entire family. This was a mission that would change his position.

"You wish for me to guard two children?" he questioned.

His current master nodded.

"They are orphans," he explained. "We found them a few days ago, and they are like us. They possess powers that do not allow them to live amongst mortals. They need a caretaker."

Cornelius shook his head. This one was just as batty as his grandfather.

"You wish for me to play caretaker to children?" he questioned. "What in the world would bring you to believe that I would be suited for the job?"

"I can feel it," the young man explained. "They need someone to protect them."

Cornelius sighed.

"As you wish my Lord."

The two children were not what Cornelius expected at all. They were twins, a boy and girl, and stayed close together, as most twins did, but the similarities between them ended there. The girl clung onto him as if he were her doll as he tried to lie on the ground. The boy maintained a steady distance and glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"The lord says you're going to take care of us," the girl said cheerfully. "Does that mean you're our father, now?"

His eyes widened.

"Well, I wouldn't say…"

The boy cut in.

"He's not our father, Eli! He's just some guard they told to babysit us."

The girl's face formed into a frown.

"Does that mean he's not going to take care of us, Clu?" she questioned.

Cornelius sighed and looked the girl in the eye.

"I am your caretaker for the time being," he explained. "That means that I am currently your guardian. I'm not sure that 'father' would be the best term to use."

The girl frowned.

Cornelius sighed.

"If it would make you happier, you may call me that, though."

She smiled and hugged him tightly. The boy frowned, but moved closer.

A father? That was an interesting thing to call what he was. How was he supposed to become a father, especially when he was a bear?

Even so, Cornelius allowed the girl to call him father. Strangely, he found himself getting attached to those twins. As they grew, he would spend the days with them. He would teach Clu how to fight with a sword and tell Eliathan how she was expected to behave among others.

Soon Cornelius found himself relaxing whenever they were around. He felt nervous whenever the children were not in his line of vision and would pace in circles when he was unsure of their whereabouts. While they were in his presence, he felt more assured of their safety. He hoped that he would never have to test just how secure that safety was.

Unfortunately, Cornelius rarely received what he hoped for in life.

It was on a day when another guard was watching the children that it happened. This guardian was more lax and allowed them both to wander close to the woods. It was much too close.

"I promise you that I only took my eyes off of them for a moment!"

Cornelius dashed out to the forest and sniffed for their scent. He followed for hours until he found Clu climbing a tree and Eli picking flowers nearby.

"Father!" Eli greeted. "You're here! I made a crown that I think will fit you!"

Clu slid down the tree and smiled.

Cornelius felt his eyes growing wet and immediately pulled them both close.

"Promise me that you'll never wander off, again!" he ordered.

Maybe he didn't look human, and maybe he would never, again. Even so, he had his family. And that's all any man ever needed.