HOME | DD

Description

Featuring Crown Prince Riddick , Crown Guard Rune
Late Winter, Year 767
Glenmore, Outside Haven
Response to :: MASS RP: Quid Pro Quo
Part II :: I Will Wait For You...
Rune:
Rune watched the fighting from his prince’s side, eyes wide and nostrils flared as the excitement of battle and victory coarsed through his veins. He had been waiting to take down this rotten herd branch before it infected the herd to its very roots. Haven was a blight on everything that had kept the herd strong for generations, and it was finally being brought down.

Starting with the traitor false king, Drustan, and his over entitled doe. Where she got the nerve to speak to Glenmore’s king that way was anyone’s guess, but Rune couldn’t quite bring himself to disagree with everything she said. Rafe was not a very good king, but he had been accepted by the gods, shown by his diamond antlers, and he assured Riddick’s place on the throne in the future. Rune would protect Rafe for the purpose of seeing Riddick crowned one day, even as he hated the stag for marring the prince’s face with an ugly scar.

What happened next was not the victory Rune had thought there would be after Haven’s leader fell. Monstrosities of earth and light appeared, one from the trees and the other from the fallen princess. Rune turned his head to avoid the blinding light, but as his eyes focused again, he saw the massive earth golem’s antlers coming right at him and Riddick!

“Riddick!! Move!” was all he could shout, and when Riddick didn’t respond fast enough, the guard headbutted the prince with all the strength he could muster, knocking Riddick off his hooves and onto his side, just before the golem’s massive tines struck where they stood. The golem’s tines swept through the air, and while they moved over Riddick, who was lower to the ground now, they picked Rune up and tossed him as if he were a mere insect.

The impact with the tines had been rattling but when Rune hit the ground, it felt as if everything in his side had been broken. He grunted loudly on impact and then laid very still on his side, barely able to comprehend what was going on around him. He felt dizzy and light headed, motion sick as everything seemed to be moving in blurred slow motion. Other guards being thrown, battles breaking out, stags trying to both flee and fight the angry golem. It took a moment for Rune to remember they were supposed to be attacking Haven and he immediately tried to get up, only to stop when it hurt to even move. He tried twice more before finally laying his head down on the grass. It was so soft here…

Was he dying? He had always imagined death would be a release from pain, why did it hurt so much now if he was dying?
Riddick:
This battle had been a long time coming. It was delayed by Drustan’s secrecy; his band of rebels had succeeded in keeping their location unknown for far too long. Now at long last they had succeeded in finding it. The might of Glenmore’s army had marched on Haven’s gates, which were clearly visible now even as well hidden as they had been before. The Crown Prince of Glenmore strode before his herd, mere paces away from his father’s side. Years of learning the art of self control under Rafe’s tutelage came in handy now. With steady breathing and measured steps, Riddick maintained a calm and confident facade. Inside he was anything but; a young stag with raging hormones, standing on the eve of his first ever battle. His very mind was a battleground in itself. Yet he had known combat before. He was not a fresh Lord who’d done nought but play fight for does. Riddick had fought Blackwood stags, and won. He had defended his family against his own father the King. No rebel could scare him. His pride would not allow it.

It took marvellously little effort to force Drustan to reveal himself. That pathetic dukeling, the tainted Dubhan, had run ahead begging for aid. Convinced though he was of Drustan’s crimes, Riddick had felt a sharp pang of sorrowful guilt as the illegitimate king had broken cover to rush to his son’s side. If it were one of his own boys pleading for help Riddick would have reacted exactly the same. He could not help but tear his gaze away from the heartbreak on Drustan’s face as he realised Dubhan’s ruse. But it was too late for him...too late to return to the safety of his gates.

Rafe had charged forwards. Riddick stood stock still, his attention focused entirely on the three figures standing in no man’s land. He broke his silence only once - to snap an order at a couple of restless stags behind him. But his gaze remained fixed on the battle now waging ahead. Drustan tried, oh he did. But Rafe had grown since their last match. He had improved in skill and confidence, and his fury was now tempered by experience. He had been blessed by Earrann himself.

Rafe won. It was inevitable. Drustan had gambled with his life for long enough; he must have known it could not last. In deceiving the herd as to his lineage and creating a treasonous band of refugees, the false king had broken the law multiple times. The death sentence had been more than earned. Riddick knew his father’s rage-fuelled determination would never burn out and so this was inevitable.

The young stag, empathetic as he was, watched with hardened eyes as his father delivered the killing blow without mercy. And when his herd mates’ voices rose in support of their King’s victory, his own joined the cacophony.

The noise quickly broke off as a pale figure flung itself from Haven’s safety and bolted towards the King, Drustan and Dubhan. A Princess, but which one? Fenella, or BoAnn - no, it was Fenella, he was sure. It mattered little; whoever she was, she was clearly insane.

Standing over her fallen lover, the disgraced Princess ranted at the King and his army in her grief. Riddick almost laughed at the absurdity of it! She has his sympathy, in as much as she had lost a stag she clearly loved; but the emotion ended there. Fenella was too tainted to be saved now...only the death penalty would relieve her of her sins. Again, without hesitation, Rafe delivered the power punishment swiftly.

And just like that, all hell broke loose. The very ground trembled beneath Riddick’s hooves and a deafening rumble filled his sensitive ears. Wide-eyed and alarmed, the young stag threw his head round - only to find himself staring at a huge golem, larger than any he’d seen before. A stag...Drustan? But how was that possible? And then there was another, even as he watched; an ethereal white silhouette that radiated blinding light. Riddick looked away as quickly as he could but the brightness still seared his eyes. Fenella had joined her mate in...well, whatever this was.

There was no time to be distracted though. Riddick flung himself into action, barking orders along with the other ranking stags - Theon, the Counts and Knights. But the Drustan-golem had deprived them of their advantage; even now it was running rampant through their ranks. Riddick created to think of the damage it was doing. Brave stags would lose their lives to this thing. He had to try and help...he had to try.

But he’d been so eager to try and help his herd mates and stem the chaos, that he had lost track of the proximity of the golem. He heard Rune bellow his name and turned just in time to see the stone golem bearing down on him with startling clarity, before suddenly something barrelled into his side and knocked the breath from his chest. He had been flung clear of the golem’s path; looking back, he watched helplessly as stone tines swept over his head and a defiant Rune took the brunt of the golem’s charge.

A guttural, wordless cry was wrenched from his throat. Rune was tossed aside as easily as a leaf in a storm. Riddick could not see where he landed; scrambling to his hooves, the Prince launched himself in the direction he’d seen his friend fly.

“Rune! Rune!” He cried frantically, forcing his way through the panicked mass of stags with sheer weight and tines. Suddenly the crowd shifted slightly and Riddick caught a glimpse of a spotted roan form, lying still on the ground. He all but dived towards it.

The guard was still besides the heaving of his flanks with every laboured breath. It was not in his nature to be so, not when a battle was being waged; Riddick suspect he’d tried to stand and failed. This hinted at injuries...bad injuries. the young stag counted to ten and exhaled slowly, attempting to calm himself so that he could make a rational judgement of Rune’s needs.

“I’m here, Rune, its okay - you will be okay,” he spoke forcefully, as though by making it an order he could make it true. As he did so his eyes flitted over his friend’s dark form. He breathing was harsh and shallow - he was clearly in pain, likely broken ribs. His legs were folded beneath him, but one lay at a strange angle; whether it was broken or simply resting awkwardly Riddick couldn’t tell. Heck, the way he’d been flung around it was entirely possible that Rune had a broken back or neck! A growl of frustration escaped Riddick before he could help it, and he winced in case Rune had guessed the cause of his concern. But of course, the guard was no idiot; he’d know how serious this was. Right now there was only one thing to do: Riddick had to get him to safety...away from the reach of that golem.

“You there! Yes, you! Do you know who I am?” He demanded, pinning the closest stag to him with the force of his gaze. The guard - Riddick thought he was a guard - nodded. “I need you to help move this stag here...he is gravely wounded. You - HEY - help him! Get him to safety!”

In a matter of seconds Riddick managed to recruit three or four stags to help him move Rune from the battlefield. Between them they managed it; though progress was slow going and doubtless agonising for Rune himself. Riddick gritted his teeth and continued relentlessly, determined to find the nearest healer.

Rune had saved his life. In the blink of an eye he had made the decision to put himself in the golem’s path instead of leaving Riddick to his fate, and for that he would forever be grateful. Adalia still had a husband, his fawns still had a father. He would never be able to repay such a debt.

Riddick would never forgive himself if Rune died so that he could live.
Rune:
So tired, Rune’s ears hardly even flinched when he heard the prince’s demands. It sounded like he was speaking from a far distance, though he was close enough that his handsomely spotted brown coat took up most of what Rune could see. The prince, his best friend since foalhood, was practically ordering him to be okay… well, then he supposed he had to be okay. He was never one to disappoint Riddick, or any of the king’s bloodline. He hadn’t carried around his friend’s children for the fun of it, after all.

While Riddick was ordering other guards to assist, Rune tried to get up again, but pain seared up his side and through all four legs, bringing him back to the ground before he even had all his legs beneath him properly to stand. No, he couldn’t just lay there! He was ordered to be fine, he had to get up! Riddick may be okay with seeing him lying there but Rafe would not be, and the last thing Rune wanted was to give the king an excuse to replace him!

But all the struggling in the world couldn’t make standing with broken ribs, and possibly a broken leg any easier. Each attempt made him so winded that he had to lay still and take deep breaths when he failed. Suddenly he felt vines growing around his ankles and middle of his body and he was being dragged away from the battle.

‘No, I can still fight!’ he tried to tell them but it came out in a hard series of coughs. By the gods why was it suddenly hard to breathe?! Looking around he saw that he was leaving a scarlet trail behind him as he was dragged along, and several stones and blades of grass stung horribly as they moved over the deep gashes left behind by the golem’s tines.

They couldn’t drag him all the way to the royal glade however, where all the princesses were kept safe and secure. They could only pull him out of the direct path of battle so he might regain some of his strength in safety, then they had to return to the fighting, return to trying to stop the rampaging golems.

Rune took a few deep breaths before turning his hazy gaze to the one stag who stubbornly remained, Riddick. “You.. should… go. Help them…” he managed to say. Partially because it was true, the herd needed leadership and powerful magics in this time of battle, and because if the guard -did- die, he didn’t want his best friend seeing it. Though, he supposed he could accept a death like this. It wasn’t the blaze of glory he always hoped for in the end, but he had gotten his wounds from protecting the only member of the herd he actually did care about. He was a crown guard, it was his job to be the prince’s shield and more then that… he loved him.

He could still remember telling his mother so, when they were both still small royals. And the earful lecture he had gotten about how wrong it was for his affections for a stag to go beyond base loyalty. How if anyone found out, he and his family would lose everything.

A little, choked laugh escaped Rune, “For once… you didn’t run off… like a silly lordling foal.” For once he had actually managed to be a guard, doing more than just trying to follow Riddick around, or stalk him when he was supposed to be on ‘break.’
Riddick:
The guards dragging his friend tried to be careful, but it was impossible to prevent the pain of moving. Every now and then Rune let out a breathless groan as his wounds were disturbed once again. But they’d had to move; it hadn’t been safe to leave him where he was. Riddick had been walking behind them, trying to watch the rest of the battle unfold. But he found himself struggling to tear his eyes away from the steady trail of blood Rune had left behind.

At long last they reached the edge of the clearing and began to make their way into the cover of the forest. Riddick vaguely heard one of his helpers ask to be released back to the fight. It was an innocent request - but something in him snapped.

“I don’t care about the battle, you will find me a healer! Go!” Riddick growled through gritted teeth and the stag bolted off. The rest were ordered to return to the fight. They were alone then, the Crown Prince and his Guard - alone, though the shouts and cries of their herd mates still dominated the air.

Rune broke the silence between them even as Riddick attempted to shift earth and plants so his resting place would be more comfortable. Ever loyal, the roan stag reminded him of his duty to return to his father’s side. Riddick huffed in annoyance.

“I’m not going to - I don’t want to leave you,” he muttered. But his friend was right. His duty to his King and herd transcended beyond ties of friendship and brotherhood. As though sensing his friend's indecision Rune snorted slightly, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. The roan guard joked about him behaving during the battle - only to Riddick, it wasn’t a joke at all.

It was the truth. He had behaved. Like a good Prince he had remained at Rune’s side, where the King-appointed guard could protect him to the best of his ability. He’d always known that was the safest place to be; He trusted Rune with his life. The stag was trained to defend him and he did a brilliant job of it. It had been a while, Riddick realised, since he had truly appreciated Rune’s attentiveness and incredible work ethic. He was always so dedicated to ensuring his charge’s safety...while his charge was determined to do naught but put barriers in his way. Whether it be forcing him to have unnecessary time off or running away from other guards, Riddick was no stranger to causing Rune grief. He’d always put it down to needing freedom. The guards smothered him, he argued. He needed his own space. But he’d never even realised how much his selfish need to escape affected Rune’s job. Riddick’s antics made Rune feel like a bad guard, and now the young Prince’s heart was weighed down with lead-like guilt. Rune had been the very opposite of a bad guard - he had been the best guard in the world - and now, he could well die for it.

“You’re such an incredible friend, you know that, right?” Riddick murmured, glancing directly at Rune’s eyes before averting his gaze. But his eyes settled on the trails of blood on the ground...the spotted stag closed his eyes and swallowed. “I don’t tell you often enough, but I appreciate everything you do for me. Worrying about me, keeping me safe. I don’t make it easy, I know. I - I take it for granted. But I’m always grateful.”

Why was it so hard to say those words? He’d never found it difficult to talk about his feelings before, be it with stags or does. It was different now though, when the person he was speaking to was lying in front of him bleeding...bleeding out. Riddick was not a healer, he knew virtually nothing of herbs or poultices. But he couldn’t do nothing. With a quiet huff of determination, he summoned his magic once again and grew leaves on the surrounding bushes, leaves that he snapped away and gently pressed against Rune’s wounds. At least then they were covered. Vines would have helped bind them in place...but there were so many wounds, and all over Rune’s body. Riddick would end up strangling him if he tried to grow vines to bind them all.

Once he had finished his seemingly futile task the prince stood back and surveyed his handiwork. It was shoddy even by his standards...where was the damn healer? He gave a dissatisfied grunt before screams from the battlefield swallowed his attention once again. Raising his head, the prince looked out across the field. From what he could gather chaos still reigned. His heart whispered that he belonged with Rune, but his blood sang with the need to be fighting with his people.

“I’ll...I’ll just go check on things. I’ll come right back, I promise.” Once again, Riddick’s tone was fierce, as though he could force his promise to remain unbroken. Then, with one last look at his ailing friend, the young stag returned to the field of battle.

The golem was still running rampant through the herd, sending lords and guards flying as it went. How many more would end up as hurt as Rune...or even worse? Riddick bellowed in frustration and drove himself into the press of bodies. As he neared the site of Drustan’s fall he caught a glimpse of diamond rack.

“Father!” He called, but his voice was lost in the chaos. “Father! We cannot stay here...it’ll be a death sentence for us all…” Riddick didn’t bother raising his voice this time, for he knew Rafe would not hear. The golem had moved again and his stone hooves shook the earth. It was standing before the Haven gates, staring into the mass of stags with unseeing eyes.

Riddick watched with a sinking feeling of dread as the mighty golem faced down the King of Glenmore.

Tension rippled through the atmosphere. For one terrible moment, the young stag genuinely wondered whether he was about to watch his father die. Would Rafe be so foolhardy as to throw himself onto tines of stone?

Not even Rafe was so stupid. With a growl of frustration the King swung his diamond rack around and sounded the retreat. Thus ended Riddick’s first taste of true battle...and he was so incredibly relieved it was over. Good stags had died...they could still die.

Rune.

Echoing the order to retreat himself, Riddick bolted back towards the trees where Rune lay. For all he knew his friend could have died already; he would never forgive himself if that were the case. Alongside him other stags fled from the golem’s grasp, but Riddick paid Haven’s stone defender little attention.

Rune.

“I’m back!” He called, bursting through the trees. A sigh of relief escaped as he laid eyes on the stag’s spotted hide and saw it rise and fall with breath. He was alive then...and there was yet hope.
Rune:
Rune listened to the prince quietly, his long pointed ears giving an embarrassed little twitch as he smiled at the other male’s admitting to enjoying his company. And admitting to taking him for granted, something the guard had known for a while, ever since Riddick started having fawns and let those fawns climb all over his crown guard. “How can I.. not be?” he asked, “You have been my… best friend since we were little.” he managed a chuckle at that.

As the cries of battle tore through the thin veil of shared emotions that the two stags shared for a brief moment, Rune lifted his head and turned to the sound, much as Riddick had. The guard felt the need to rejoin the fighting as well, he had hardly gotten any chance to fight in this legendary battle! All he did was get hit by a freakishly powerful golem!

But Riddick could rejoin the fighting, and he promised to return just before he left. All Rune could think of for a moment was of the golem striking at Riddick again. He couldn’t let Riddick go out there alone! Screw his own pains! The dark roaning stag turned onto his stomach and tried to arrange his hooves beneath him again, properly this time. He managed to get his backside up off the ground, but the moment his forelegs unbent from beneath him, pain shot through him again and he collapsed onto his side with a sharp hiss.

Damn it all… yes he knew the herd needed its prince, but Riddick needed him, and he was stuck here by some scratches and a broken leg!

Rune looked at his side, where the majority of the leaves Riddick had pressed against his wounds had fallen away. It was...touching that Riddick did care for him. Perhaps not as much as he cared for the prince, but he had convinced himself to be content with what he got a long time ago. Right?

Rune rested his head on the ground, feeling very tired all over again and his fury at being unable to fight drained away. He could just fall asleep and wait for Riddick to come back. He had never known the prince to be false, even when he was at his most annoying.

Rune glanced at the opening in the brambles Riddick had dashed out through, before closing his eyes. So tired…

The rivers that snaked through Glenmore were always cool and refreshing, Rune always loved to splash around in them, it was the one time he could feel like a little colt again. In his dreams, he was back to being a small lord, splashing around in the shallows under the watchful eye of his mother. When he was tired, he paused to lick up some water…

‘Surprise!’ came a sudden voice and Rune nearly jumped out of his skin, falling back on his rear end and becoming even more thoroughly soaked. Looking up he saw the boyish grin of the brown colt in front of him, his familiar spotted fur shiny from a recent grooming. Heat flushed into Rune’s face but he managed a smirk before rearing up and stomping his fore hooves down, splashing the other colt before turning to run from the other colt’s revenge.

He could remember a similar setting, with them being young adults. Riddick was nearly about to become crown prince and Rune was a tough young guard. The two were trying out their newly shed racks, headbutting and splashing around in a shallow stream. Rune was trying a new move, to lift and flip Riddick onto his back, exposing his soft pale belly, which stood out more once the other’s coat had darkened to a handsome chocolate brown.

Rune nearly completed the motions perfectly… until he slipped and ended up tumbling them both into the water, their antlers still locked together. It took a moment of awkward pulling and turning but eventually they untangled themselves. Rune shook his head, shaking away the water in his floofy dark mane, but Riddick seemed distracted. Rune frowned a little and followed the other’s eyes to a very lightly colored doe. She was pretty enough, for a princess, but Rune wasn’t too keen on the way Riddick looked at her. Lords and princesses… he should have been able to guess back then who she was, and what she would be to Riddick. His friend was never quite the same after that. He was more interested in does and -her- then in duelling and racing. He had taken the old Riddick for granted...

Rune was startled out of his dream by a sudden cry from the prince. He turned his head to see Riddick standing there, looking overly stressed from worry. Rune thought on the dream that was interrupted, wondering even as the aches of his wounds returned. Would it have been different if he had told Riddick back then? Rune didn’t think Riddick had it in him to reject him for feelings he couldn’t help, but Riddick was also not a liar. If Rafe had asked, the prince would have told him about it, and Rune wouldn’t have been chosen as crown guard.

Was he willing to die with the secret? It felt like the years of keeping it bottled up were suddenly weighing down on Rune like heavy stone chains. With a groan, the stag shifted his weight onto his back legs as he carefully pushed himself up. His bad leg was held up and the good foreleg shook with the effort of ignoring his injuries and trying to push himself up again. He faltered a little and he put his broken leg down out of reflex, and that grounded him again in an instant.

If he was going to die, he didn’t want to die with a secret. “Your grace...Come here…please,” he said softly, his voice dry and pained, and his eyes burned from tears he refused to shed.

No more secrets, for better or worse...
Riddick:
As soon as he uttered his guard’s name, Riddick knew he’d made a mistake. Rune instantly attempted to rise and join him - he watched with baited breath as the roan stag managed to drag himself up so far, only to lower the worse of his wounded legs to the ground. Riddick winced even as he watched. With a muffled groan Rune’s legs gave way and he tumbled to the floor once again.

A soft whine escaped Riddick’s throat. He was helpless; he didn’t know what to do. As a Lord and then a Prince he’d always taken the presence of his mother and other princesses for granted. Now they were alone, and there was little sign of the healer he’d sent for. They were clearly tied up elsewhere...many stags had been wounded, even killed, today.

By nightfall, Rune could be one of the dead.

The guard’s hoarse voice shook him from that line of thought and Riddick instantly swallowed, turning guilty eyes towards his friend. The roan stag’s eyes were bright; it was only when Riddick stepped forwards that he realised Rune was holding back tears. “I’m here,” he murmured, taking another step. When had he become so tentative? Tip-toeing towards his friend as though afraid to come close. But he was afraid...he was afraid he was watching his friend die. He was afraid of hurting him further. He was afraid Rune would blame him for everything, even though he knew it was irrational; Rune was far too devoted a friend and loyal a guard.

Now he was standing close to the fallen guard, Riddick was unsure of himself. What should he do next? Words failed him...what did Rune expect?
Rune:
Riddick came closer, looking as if he thought every step would make the earth open up and drag them both down. It would have been amusing and worrying to the guard if he had not been grounded by a bad leg and hurting sides. It seemed like every time he took a deep breath, his side would feel like it was on fire and his wounds would sting even worse.

Riddick moved well within reach but at the last minute, Rune grit his teeth and backed out of his original plans. He was laying down, he looked pathetic. But he already had Riddick there, he needed something to justify it…

“Can you.. Help me up?” he asked, figuring that maybe he could lean against the prince until he was up, then he wouldn’t look so petty and they could leave. He heard the herd retreating, he couldn’t let Riddick be left behind, but he knew the prince would not abandon him there either.

Rune watched as Riddick moved beside him and he tried to push himself up again, leaning heavily against the prince when he felt the urge to put his injured leg down. Once he had three legs straight beneath him, he still leaned a bit against Riddick, enjoying his touch and warmth.

Did he really want to keep his secret? It still felt like that alone was pulling him down more than his wounds ever could. “Let us get out of here..” he said, and started moving away from Haven and its guardian, back toward home.
Riddick:
There he was, standing in front of Rune. It was all he could do to refrain himself from shifting awkwardly, unsure of himself in a way that he hadn’t felt since he had come to terms with the title of “prince”. The silence between them was an awkward one broken only by Rune’s rasping breaths. Riddick suddenly realised his own breathing had subconsciously paced to match the guard’s and he broke off the habit deliberately - something about it felt wrong, though there was no explanation for it.

And then the silence was broken, although the tension remained. Relief forced a brief smile onto Riddick’s concerned face. It was okay; he could do as Rune asked. “Of course I can! You’re right...we shouldn’t linger here.” Shifting himself until he was alongside his friend, the young stag bore the brunt of Rune’s weight as the guard struggled to lift himself from the ground. With time and dogged effort Rune managed to get three legs solidly beneath him. Riddick tested the waters by shifting some of his own weight; satisfied that the roan stag was not about to keel over again, he let him stand with minimal support.

He couldn’t have agreed more when Rune suggested leaving. Though Riddick hated the sight of his guard’s hobbling steps and the sound of his rasping breaths, he also didn’t wish to stay behind while the rest of their allies fled. They were still close to Haven’s gates...and he didn’t want to cross that golem again.
Rune WC :: 2310
Riddick WC :: 3055
+2 ______ - collab art
+4 ______ - collab lit - 2000+ words

Be sure to shower the awesome templarknight94 in lots of bacon!

Description

Featuring Crown Prince Riddick , Crown Guard Rune
Late Winter, Year 767
Glenmore, Outside Haven
Response to :: MASS RP: Quid Pro Quo
Part II :: I Will Wait For You...
Rune:
Rune watched the fighting from his prince’s side, eyes wide and nostrils flared as the excitement of battle and victory coarsed through his veins. He had been waiting to take down this rotten herd branch before it infected the herd to its very roots. Haven was a blight on everything that had kept the herd strong for generations, and it was finally being brought down.

Starting with the traitor false king, Drustan, and his over entitled doe. Where she got the nerve to speak to Glenmore’s king that way was anyone’s guess, but Rune couldn’t quite bring himself to disagree with everything she said. Rafe was not a very good king, but he had been accepted by the gods, shown by his diamond antlers, and he assured Riddick’s place on the throne in the future. Rune would protect Rafe for the purpose of seeing Riddick crowned one day, even as he hated the stag for marring the prince’s face with an ugly scar.

What happened next was not the victory Rune had thought there would be after Haven’s leader fell. Monstrosities of earth and light appeared, one from the trees and the other from the fallen princess. Rune turned his head to avoid the blinding light, but as his eyes focused again, he saw the massive earth golem’s antlers coming right at him and Riddick!

“Riddick!! Move!” was all he could shout, and when Riddick didn’t respond fast enough, the guard headbutted the prince with all the strength he could muster, knocking Riddick off his hooves and onto his side, just before the golem’s massive tines struck where they stood. The golem’s tines swept through the air, and while they moved over Riddick, who was lower to the ground now, they picked Rune up and tossed him as if he were a mere insect.

The impact with the tines had been rattling but when Rune hit the ground, it felt as if everything in his side had been broken. He grunted loudly on impact and then laid very still on his side, barely able to comprehend what was going on around him. He felt dizzy and light headed, motion sick as everything seemed to be moving in blurred slow motion. Other guards being thrown, battles breaking out, stags trying to both flee and fight the angry golem. It took a moment for Rune to remember they were supposed to be attacking Haven and he immediately tried to get up, only to stop when it hurt to even move. He tried twice more before finally laying his head down on the grass. It was so soft here…

Was he dying? He had always imagined death would be a release from pain, why did it hurt so much now if he was dying?
Riddick:
This battle had been a long time coming. It was delayed by Drustan’s secrecy; his band of rebels had succeeded in keeping their location unknown for far too long. Now at long last they had succeeded in finding it. The might of Glenmore’s army had marched on Haven’s gates, which were clearly visible now even as well hidden as they had been before. The Crown Prince of Glenmore strode before his herd, mere paces away from his father’s side. Years of learning the art of self control under Rafe’s tutelage came in handy now. With steady breathing and measured steps, Riddick maintained a calm and confident facade. Inside he was anything but; a young stag with raging hormones, standing on the eve of his first ever battle. His very mind was a battleground in itself. Yet he had known combat before. He was not a fresh Lord who’d done nought but play fight for does. Riddick had fought Blackwood stags, and won. He had defended his family against his own father the King. No rebel could scare him. His pride would not allow it.

It took marvellously little effort to force Drustan to reveal himself. That pathetic dukeling, the tainted Dubhan, had run ahead begging for aid. Convinced though he was of Drustan’s crimes, Riddick had felt a sharp pang of sorrowful guilt as the illegitimate king had broken cover to rush to his son’s side. If it were one of his own boys pleading for help Riddick would have reacted exactly the same. He could not help but tear his gaze away from the heartbreak on Drustan’s face as he realised Dubhan’s ruse. But it was too late for him...too late to return to the safety of his gates.

Rafe had charged forwards. Riddick stood stock still, his attention focused entirely on the three figures standing in no man’s land. He broke his silence only once - to snap an order at a couple of restless stags behind him. But his gaze remained fixed on the battle now waging ahead. Drustan tried, oh he did. But Rafe had grown since their last match. He had improved in skill and confidence, and his fury was now tempered by experience. He had been blessed by Earrann himself.

Rafe won. It was inevitable. Drustan had gambled with his life for long enough; he must have known it could not last. In deceiving the herd as to his lineage and creating a treasonous band of refugees, the false king had broken the law multiple times. The death sentence had been more than earned. Riddick knew his father’s rage-fuelled determination would never burn out and so this was inevitable.

The young stag, empathetic as he was, watched with hardened eyes as his father delivered the killing blow without mercy. And when his herd mates’ voices rose in support of their King’s victory, his own joined the cacophony.

The noise quickly broke off as a pale figure flung itself from Haven’s safety and bolted towards the King, Drustan and Dubhan. A Princess, but which one? Fenella, or BoAnn - no, it was Fenella, he was sure. It mattered little; whoever she was, she was clearly insane.

Standing over her fallen lover, the disgraced Princess ranted at the King and his army in her grief. Riddick almost laughed at the absurdity of it! She has his sympathy, in as much as she had lost a stag she clearly loved; but the emotion ended there. Fenella was too tainted to be saved now...only the death penalty would relieve her of her sins. Again, without hesitation, Rafe delivered the power punishment swiftly.

And just like that, all hell broke loose. The very ground trembled beneath Riddick’s hooves and a deafening rumble filled his sensitive ears. Wide-eyed and alarmed, the young stag threw his head round - only to find himself staring at a huge golem, larger than any he’d seen before. A stag...Drustan? But how was that possible? And then there was another, even as he watched; an ethereal white silhouette that radiated blinding light. Riddick looked away as quickly as he could but the brightness still seared his eyes. Fenella had joined her mate in...well, whatever this was.

There was no time to be distracted though. Riddick flung himself into action, barking orders along with the other ranking stags - Theon, the Counts and Knights. But the Drustan-golem had deprived them of their advantage; even now it was running rampant through their ranks. Riddick created to think of the damage it was doing. Brave stags would lose their lives to this thing. He had to try and help...he had to try.

But he’d been so eager to try and help his herd mates and stem the chaos, that he had lost track of the proximity of the golem. He heard Rune bellow his name and turned just in time to see the stone golem bearing down on him with startling clarity, before suddenly something barrelled into his side and knocked the breath from his chest. He had been flung clear of the golem’s path; looking back, he watched helplessly as stone tines swept over his head and a defiant Rune took the brunt of the golem’s charge.

A guttural, wordless cry was wrenched from his throat. Rune was tossed aside as easily as a leaf in a storm. Riddick could not see where he landed; scrambling to his hooves, the Prince launched himself in the direction he’d seen his friend fly.

“Rune! Rune!” He cried frantically, forcing his way through the panicked mass of stags with sheer weight and tines. Suddenly the crowd shifted slightly and Riddick caught a glimpse of a spotted roan form, lying still on the ground. He all but dived towards it.

The guard was still besides the heaving of his flanks with every laboured breath. It was not in his nature to be so, not when a battle was being waged; Riddick suspect he’d tried to stand and failed. This hinted at injuries...bad injuries. the young stag counted to ten and exhaled slowly, attempting to calm himself so that he could make a rational judgement of Rune’s needs.

“I’m here, Rune, its okay - you will be okay,” he spoke forcefully, as though by making it an order he could make it true. As he did so his eyes flitted over his friend’s dark form. He breathing was harsh and shallow - he was clearly in pain, likely broken ribs. His legs were folded beneath him, but one lay at a strange angle; whether it was broken or simply resting awkwardly Riddick couldn’t tell. Heck, the way he’d been flung around it was entirely possible that Rune had a broken back or neck! A growl of frustration escaped Riddick before he could help it, and he winced in case Rune had guessed the cause of his concern. But of course, the guard was no idiot; he’d know how serious this was. Right now there was only one thing to do: Riddick had to get him to safety...away from the reach of that golem.

“You there! Yes, you! Do you know who I am?” He demanded, pinning the closest stag to him with the force of his gaze. The guard - Riddick thought he was a guard - nodded. “I need you to help move this stag here...he is gravely wounded. You - HEY - help him! Get him to safety!”

In a matter of seconds Riddick managed to recruit three or four stags to help him move Rune from the battlefield. Between them they managed it; though progress was slow going and doubtless agonising for Rune himself. Riddick gritted his teeth and continued relentlessly, determined to find the nearest healer.

Rune had saved his life. In the blink of an eye he had made the decision to put himself in the golem’s path instead of leaving Riddick to his fate, and for that he would forever be grateful. Adalia still had a husband, his fawns still had a father. He would never be able to repay such a debt.

Riddick would never forgive himself if Rune died so that he could live.
Rune:
So tired, Rune’s ears hardly even flinched when he heard the prince’s demands. It sounded like he was speaking from a far distance, though he was close enough that his handsomely spotted brown coat took up most of what Rune could see. The prince, his best friend since foalhood, was practically ordering him to be okay… well, then he supposed he had to be okay. He was never one to disappoint Riddick, or any of the king’s bloodline. He hadn’t carried around his friend’s children for the fun of it, after all.

While Riddick was ordering other guards to assist, Rune tried to get up again, but pain seared up his side and through all four legs, bringing him back to the ground before he even had all his legs beneath him properly to stand. No, he couldn’t just lay there! He was ordered to be fine, he had to get up! Riddick may be okay with seeing him lying there but Rafe would not be, and the last thing Rune wanted was to give the king an excuse to replace him!

But all the struggling in the world couldn’t make standing with broken ribs, and possibly a broken leg any easier. Each attempt made him so winded that he had to lay still and take deep breaths when he failed. Suddenly he felt vines growing around his ankles and middle of his body and he was being dragged away from the battle.

‘No, I can still fight!’ he tried to tell them but it came out in a hard series of coughs. By the gods why was it suddenly hard to breathe?! Looking around he saw that he was leaving a scarlet trail behind him as he was dragged along, and several stones and blades of grass stung horribly as they moved over the deep gashes left behind by the golem’s tines.

They couldn’t drag him all the way to the royal glade however, where all the princesses were kept safe and secure. They could only pull him out of the direct path of battle so he might regain some of his strength in safety, then they had to return to the fighting, return to trying to stop the rampaging golems.

Rune took a few deep breaths before turning his hazy gaze to the one stag who stubbornly remained, Riddick. “You.. should… go. Help them…” he managed to say. Partially because it was true, the herd needed leadership and powerful magics in this time of battle, and because if the guard -did- die, he didn’t want his best friend seeing it. Though, he supposed he could accept a death like this. It wasn’t the blaze of glory he always hoped for in the end, but he had gotten his wounds from protecting the only member of the herd he actually did care about. He was a crown guard, it was his job to be the prince’s shield and more then that… he loved him.

He could still remember telling his mother so, when they were both still small royals. And the earful lecture he had gotten about how wrong it was for his affections for a stag to go beyond base loyalty. How if anyone found out, he and his family would lose everything.

A little, choked laugh escaped Rune, “For once… you didn’t run off… like a silly lordling foal.” For once he had actually managed to be a guard, doing more than just trying to follow Riddick around, or stalk him when he was supposed to be on ‘break.’
Riddick:
The guards dragging his friend tried to be careful, but it was impossible to prevent the pain of moving. Every now and then Rune let out a breathless groan as his wounds were disturbed once again. But they’d had to move; it hadn’t been safe to leave him where he was. Riddick had been walking behind them, trying to watch the rest of the battle unfold. But he found himself struggling to tear his eyes away from the steady trail of blood Rune had left behind.

At long last they reached the edge of the clearing and began to make their way into the cover of the forest. Riddick vaguely heard one of his helpers ask to be released back to the fight. It was an innocent request - but something in him snapped.

“I don’t care about the battle, you will find me a healer! Go!” Riddick growled through gritted teeth and the stag bolted off. The rest were ordered to return to the fight. They were alone then, the Crown Prince and his Guard - alone, though the shouts and cries of their herd mates still dominated the air.

Rune broke the silence between them even as Riddick attempted to shift earth and plants so his resting place would be more comfortable. Ever loyal, the roan stag reminded him of his duty to return to his father’s side. Riddick huffed in annoyance.

“I’m not going to - I don’t want to leave you,” he muttered. But his friend was right. His duty to his King and herd transcended beyond ties of friendship and brotherhood. As though sensing his friend's indecision Rune snorted slightly, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. The roan guard joked about him behaving during the battle - only to Riddick, it wasn’t a joke at all.

It was the truth. He had behaved. Like a good Prince he had remained at Rune’s side, where the King-appointed guard could protect him to the best of his ability. He’d always known that was the safest place to be; He trusted Rune with his life. The stag was trained to defend him and he did a brilliant job of it. It had been a while, Riddick realised, since he had truly appreciated Rune’s attentiveness and incredible work ethic. He was always so dedicated to ensuring his charge’s safety...while his charge was determined to do naught but put barriers in his way. Whether it be forcing him to have unnecessary time off or running away from other guards, Riddick was no stranger to causing Rune grief. He’d always put it down to needing freedom. The guards smothered him, he argued. He needed his own space. But he’d never even realised how much his selfish need to escape affected Rune’s job. Riddick’s antics made Rune feel like a bad guard, and now the young Prince’s heart was weighed down with lead-like guilt. Rune had been the very opposite of a bad guard - he had been the best guard in the world - and now, he could well die for it.

“You’re such an incredible friend, you know that, right?” Riddick murmured, glancing directly at Rune’s eyes before averting his gaze. But his eyes settled on the trails of blood on the ground...the spotted stag closed his eyes and swallowed. “I don’t tell you often enough, but I appreciate everything you do for me. Worrying about me, keeping me safe. I don’t make it easy, I know. I - I take it for granted. But I’m always grateful.”

Why was it so hard to say those words? He’d never found it difficult to talk about his feelings before, be it with stags or does. It was different now though, when the person he was speaking to was lying in front of him bleeding...bleeding out. Riddick was not a healer, he knew virtually nothing of herbs or poultices. But he couldn’t do nothing. With a quiet huff of determination, he summoned his magic once again and grew leaves on the surrounding bushes, leaves that he snapped away and gently pressed against Rune’s wounds. At least then they were covered. Vines would have helped bind them in place...but there were so many wounds, and all over Rune’s body. Riddick would end up strangling him if he tried to grow vines to bind them all.

Once he had finished his seemingly futile task the prince stood back and surveyed his handiwork. It was shoddy even by his standards...where was the damn healer? He gave a dissatisfied grunt before screams from the battlefield swallowed his attention once again. Raising his head, the prince looked out across the field. From what he could gather chaos still reigned. His heart whispered that he belonged with Rune, but his blood sang with the need to be fighting with his people.

“I’ll...I’ll just go check on things. I’ll come right back, I promise.” Once again, Riddick’s tone was fierce, as though he could force his promise to remain unbroken. Then, with one last look at his ailing friend, the young stag returned to the field of battle.

The golem was still running rampant through the herd, sending lords and guards flying as it went. How many more would end up as hurt as Rune...or even worse? Riddick bellowed in frustration and drove himself into the press of bodies. As he neared the site of Drustan’s fall he caught a glimpse of diamond rack.

“Father!” He called, but his voice was lost in the chaos. “Father! We cannot stay here...it’ll be a death sentence for us all…” Riddick didn’t bother raising his voice this time, for he knew Rafe would not hear. The golem had moved again and his stone hooves shook the earth. It was standing before the Haven gates, staring into the mass of stags with unseeing eyes.

Riddick watched with a sinking feeling of dread as the mighty golem faced down the King of Glenmore.

Tension rippled through the atmosphere. For one terrible moment, the young stag genuinely wondered whether he was about to watch his father die. Would Rafe be so foolhardy as to throw himself onto tines of stone?

Not even Rafe was so stupid. With a growl of frustration the King swung his diamond rack around and sounded the retreat. Thus ended Riddick’s first taste of true battle...and he was so incredibly relieved it was over. Good stags had died...they could still die.

Rune.

Echoing the order to retreat himself, Riddick bolted back towards the trees where Rune lay. For all he knew his friend could have died already; he would never forgive himself if that were the case. Alongside him other stags fled from the golem’s grasp, but Riddick paid Haven’s stone defender little attention.

Rune.

“I’m back!” He called, bursting through the trees. A sigh of relief escaped as he laid eyes on the stag’s spotted hide and saw it rise and fall with breath. He was alive then...and there was yet hope.
Rune:
Rune listened to the prince quietly, his long pointed ears giving an embarrassed little twitch as he smiled at the other male’s admitting to enjoying his company. And admitting to taking him for granted, something the guard had known for a while, ever since Riddick started having fawns and let those fawns climb all over his crown guard. “How can I.. not be?” he asked, “You have been my… best friend since we were little.” he managed a chuckle at that.

As the cries of battle tore through the thin veil of shared emotions that the two stags shared for a brief moment, Rune lifted his head and turned to the sound, much as Riddick had. The guard felt the need to rejoin the fighting as well, he had hardly gotten any chance to fight in this legendary battle! All he did was get hit by a freakishly powerful golem!

But Riddick could rejoin the fighting, and he promised to return just before he left. All Rune could think of for a moment was of the golem striking at Riddick again. He couldn’t let Riddick go out there alone! Screw his own pains! The dark roaning stag turned onto his stomach and tried to arrange his hooves beneath him again, properly this time. He managed to get his backside up off the ground, but the moment his forelegs unbent from beneath him, pain shot through him again and he collapsed onto his side with a sharp hiss.

Damn it all… yes he knew the herd needed its prince, but Riddick needed him, and he was stuck here by some scratches and a broken leg!

Rune looked at his side, where the majority of the leaves Riddick had pressed against his wounds had fallen away. It was...touching that Riddick did care for him. Perhaps not as much as he cared for the prince, but he had convinced himself to be content with what he got a long time ago. Right?

Rune rested his head on the ground, feeling very tired all over again and his fury at being unable to fight drained away. He could just fall asleep and wait for Riddick to come back. He had never known the prince to be false, even when he was at his most annoying.

Rune glanced at the opening in the brambles Riddick had dashed out through, before closing his eyes. So tired…

The rivers that snaked through Glenmore were always cool and refreshing, Rune always loved to splash around in them, it was the one time he could feel like a little colt again. In his dreams, he was back to being a small lord, splashing around in the shallows under the watchful eye of his mother. When he was tired, he paused to lick up some water…

‘Surprise!’ came a sudden voice and Rune nearly jumped out of his skin, falling back on his rear end and becoming even more thoroughly soaked. Looking up he saw the boyish grin of the brown colt in front of him, his familiar spotted fur shiny from a recent grooming. Heat flushed into Rune’s face but he managed a smirk before rearing up and stomping his fore hooves down, splashing the other colt before turning to run from the other colt’s revenge.

He could remember a similar setting, with them being young adults. Riddick was nearly about to become crown prince and Rune was a tough young guard. The two were trying out their newly shed racks, headbutting and splashing around in a shallow stream. Rune was trying a new move, to lift and flip Riddick onto his back, exposing his soft pale belly, which stood out more once the other’s coat had darkened to a handsome chocolate brown.

Rune nearly completed the motions perfectly… until he slipped and ended up tumbling them both into the water, their antlers still locked together. It took a moment of awkward pulling and turning but eventually they untangled themselves. Rune shook his head, shaking away the water in his floofy dark mane, but Riddick seemed distracted. Rune frowned a little and followed the other’s eyes to a very lightly colored doe. She was pretty enough, for a princess, but Rune wasn’t too keen on the way Riddick looked at her. Lords and princesses… he should have been able to guess back then who she was, and what she would be to Riddick. His friend was never quite the same after that. He was more interested in does and -her- then in duelling and racing. He had taken the old Riddick for granted...

Rune was startled out of his dream by a sudden cry from the prince. He turned his head to see Riddick standing there, looking overly stressed from worry. Rune thought on the dream that was interrupted, wondering even as the aches of his wounds returned. Would it have been different if he had told Riddick back then? Rune didn’t think Riddick had it in him to reject him for feelings he couldn’t help, but Riddick was also not a liar. If Rafe had asked, the prince would have told him about it, and Rune wouldn’t have been chosen as crown guard.

Was he willing to die with the secret? It felt like the years of keeping it bottled up were suddenly weighing down on Rune like heavy stone chains. With a groan, the stag shifted his weight onto his back legs as he carefully pushed himself up. His bad leg was held up and the good foreleg shook with the effort of ignoring his injuries and trying to push himself up again. He faltered a little and he put his broken leg down out of reflex, and that grounded him again in an instant.

If he was going to die, he didn’t want to die with a secret. “Your grace...Come here…please,” he said softly, his voice dry and pained, and his eyes burned from tears he refused to shed.

No more secrets, for better or worse...
Riddick:
As soon as he uttered his guard’s name, Riddick knew he’d made a mistake. Rune instantly attempted to rise and join him - he watched with baited breath as the roan stag managed to drag himself up so far, only to lower the worse of his wounded legs to the ground. Riddick winced even as he watched. With a muffled groan Rune’s legs gave way and he tumbled to the floor once again.

A soft whine escaped Riddick’s throat. He was helpless; he didn’t know what to do. As a Lord and then a Prince he’d always taken the presence of his mother and other princesses for granted. Now they were alone, and there was little sign of the healer he’d sent for. They were clearly tied up elsewhere...many stags had been wounded, even killed, today.

By nightfall, Rune could be one of the dead.

The guard’s hoarse voice shook him from that line of thought and Riddick instantly swallowed, turning guilty eyes towards his friend. The roan stag’s eyes were bright; it was only when Riddick stepped forwards that he realised Rune was holding back tears. “I’m here,” he murmured, taking another step. When had he become so tentative? Tip-toeing towards his friend as though afraid to come close. But he was afraid...he was afraid he was watching his friend die. He was afraid of hurting him further. He was afraid Rune would blame him for everything, even though he knew it was irrational; Rune was far too devoted a friend and loyal a guard.

Now he was standing close to the fallen guard, Riddick was unsure of himself. What should he do next? Words failed him...what did Rune expect?
Rune:
Riddick came closer, looking as if he thought every step would make the earth open up and drag them both down. It would have been amusing and worrying to the guard if he had not been grounded by a bad leg and hurting sides. It seemed like every time he took a deep breath, his side would feel like it was on fire and his wounds would sting even worse.

Riddick moved well within reach but at the last minute, Rune grit his teeth and backed out of his original plans. He was laying down, he looked pathetic. But he already had Riddick there, he needed something to justify it…

“Can you.. Help me up?” he asked, figuring that maybe he could lean against the prince until he was up, then he wouldn’t look so petty and they could leave. He heard the herd retreating, he couldn’t let Riddick be left behind, but he knew the prince would not abandon him there either.

Rune watched as Riddick moved beside him and he tried to push himself up again, leaning heavily against the prince when he felt the urge to put his injured leg down. Once he had three legs straight beneath him, he still leaned a bit against Riddick, enjoying his touch and warmth.

Did he really want to keep his secret? It still felt like that alone was pulling him down more than his wounds ever could. “Let us get out of here..” he said, and started moving away from Haven and its guardian, back toward home.
Riddick:
There he was, standing in front of Rune. It was all he could do to refrain himself from shifting awkwardly, unsure of himself in a way that he hadn’t felt since he had come to terms with the title of “prince”. The silence between them was an awkward one broken only by Rune’s rasping breaths. Riddick suddenly realised his own breathing had subconsciously paced to match the guard’s and he broke off the habit deliberately - something about it felt wrong, though there was no explanation for it.

And then the silence was broken, although the tension remained. Relief forced a brief smile onto Riddick’s concerned face. It was okay; he could do as Rune asked. “Of course I can! You’re right...we shouldn’t linger here.” Shifting himself until he was alongside his friend, the young stag bore the brunt of Rune’s weight as the guard struggled to lift himself from the ground. With time and dogged effort Rune managed to get three legs solidly beneath him. Riddick tested the waters by shifting some of his own weight; satisfied that the roan stag was not about to keel over again, he let him stand with minimal support.

He couldn’t have agreed more when Rune suggested leaving. Though Riddick hated the sight of his guard’s hobbling steps and the sound of his rasping breaths, he also didn’t wish to stay behind while the rest of their allies fled. They were still close to Haven’s gates...and he didn’t want to cross that golem again.
Rune WC :: 2310
Riddick WC :: 3055
+2 ______ - collab art
+4 ______ - collab lit - 2000+ words

Be sure to shower the awesome templarknight94 in lots of bacon!