Leaf and another soldier carried me on a stretcher into the old throne room now serving as our new barracks and field hospital. Lord General Ardmore came by to check up on me giving his thanks for a valiant fight the night before then leaving to express gratitude to the rest of the troops.
I gazed up at my surroundings since there wasn’t anything else I could do. The stone walls seemed to climb into the sky. The worn tapestries gently swayed in a mild breeze, brushing against the walls behind them. Columns stood rank and file like knights lining the path to the king. Centered above the throne was a giant rose window of many colors and at its center, a man who did not look like a king, but a tortured slave.
Scattered across the floor were campfires with exhausted, hurt, and scared soldiers. Uncertainty floated around the room like a pestering ghost. Everyone saw it, but no one dared acknowledge its existence for fear of causing panic among the others.
Leaf got up and wandered around the throne room and for a while disappeared into an adjoining chamber. When he returned, a robed stranger accompanied him.
“Izzy, is it?” the man said to me.
I nodded, “Who are you?” I asked.
“Benedict. A pleasure to meet you.” he said.
He held out his hands over my wound and began to mutter a chant over me as if evoking something I could never comprehend. A white light pulsated from his palms and I could feel a cool, tingling sensation from my wound. My eyes went wide with surprise, as did Leaf’s. We stared at each other, unable to find words. What strange power was this? What was happening to my wound? All I knew was that my pain was retreating.
The light faded and Benedict loosened my bandages forming a small hole enough to peek through. “Good as new. I hope you don’t mind the scar. There’s only so much magic can do, I’m afraid.”
Magic? Did he just say magic? Magic doesn’t exist! Yet, how else would I be able to explain what happened?
“Benedict?” a voice called out.
Lord General Ardmore approached us. “What are you doing here? How come you aren’t back at the temple with the other monks? And what are you doing trying to scare my men with your magic tricks?”
“Gregory, long time no see.” Benedict replied as if speaking to an old friend. “What I’m doing here is confidential business. I do apologize to you and your men if my magic scared them. I know magic has faded into legend along with its users like me. I was helping this young lad with his wounds.”
Benedict and the Lord General shook hands and embraced each other like brothers.
“It’s good to see you again, old friend.” Ardmore said.
“Likewise. What brings you all the way out here?” Benedict asked.
“The monsters that destroyed my camp and my men brought me here,” he replied.
Benedict grinned, “Then I was wrong, perhaps my being here isn’t so confidential. Come, let us talk for a while. There’s much to discuss.”
I sat up, noticing the lack of pain in my side, and watched as Benedict and the Lord General went to another room to talk.
As the sun set, rays of light lit up the rose window dashing its colors across the room. It was a spectacle I had never seen before; the most beautiful I’ve ever witnessed. For a moment, a sense of peace overcame us which was the first we had felt since arriving on the island. I got up and decided to inspect the throne. Leaf joined me and stood at my side.
“Do you ever think about it?” he asked.
I knew what he was referring to. Do I ever fantasize about being princess again or even what it would be like to take the throne as queen. In some aspects, the privileged life had its moments but the challenge of being a knight was more rewarding and the company (Leaf) isn’t so bad either. I looked at Leaf as I thought of him.
“Sometimes.” I replied.
I felt my side and questions began to stir.
“Leaf?” I said turning to him, “Be honest with me. How did Benedict heal my wound? What exactly did he do?”
Leaf collected his words, although he was afflicted with struggle.
“Magic. . .?” he said with a lack of confidence.
“Magic doesn’t exist, try again.” I shot back.
Leaf gave me a look as if to say it was true even though he didn’t believe it.
I sat on the abandoned throne listening to Leaf’s explanation. A strange sense of power flowed through me. Is this what Papa felt every time he took a seat on his throne? The air surrounding the throne was thick with a sense of authority; I felt invincible.
Leaf explained to me the history of magic; a forgotten history which was intentionally faded out of our culture hundreds of years ago. Benedict and Ardmore belonged to some holy order that can use magic and still preserve the old ways. According to Leaf, that was all he was told. The history runs much further than that, back to the creation of everything. It intrigued me a bit but the claim was too outlandish to be true. How could a lineage as important as magic be rendered forgotten among the generations to the point of being myth; discarded as fantasy?
I sat there in my skepticism as I processed what Leaf had told me. To my knowledge, there was no known force on this planet which could have healed my wounds unless. . .
“Perhaps he hypnotized me? I’ve seen people be tricked into thinking they can’t feel pain or they are an animal. It’s a cheap gypsie trick.” I said.
“Then unwrap your bandage, you’ll see a wound fully healed. Hypnosis can’t do that, Izzy.” Leaf said kneeling down to me, “I was skeptical at first, but what if there are things among us which we can’t explain and have forgotten. Perhaps magic is real and there’s a hidden world our ancestors didn’t teach us to see.”
He was right about one thing: he was the biggest skeptic I knew. His reasoning wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t something I was capable of accepting.
“We’ll see, Leaf.” I replied. I stood up from my throne and led Leaf back to our campfire.
I sat on a throne before a great hall. Red carpet lined the floor from the door to my throne and above me was a large colorful rose window. Silken violet robes hugged my body and in my hand a golden scepter topped with a large diamond. On my head, rested a crown with seven stars too made of diamond. I was alone; not even an echo to give life to the empty hall.
As things became clearer in my dream, I realized I was in my father’s throne room, now a queen. I began to panic, not remembering how this came to be. There was no coronation, no jubilee, nothing. When did I decide to betray my free spirit and don the crown of a monarch?
Staring down the lane towards the door, I noticed a shadow had crept in fading everything to black. An eerie feeling possessed me and I tried to rise from my seat but my body was paralyzed. I attempted a scream but as air burst from my mouth, I saw Leaf leap into action from my side.
His silver-steel armor radiating in the light of the rose window behind me. The cape, which proudly boasted the royal seal, fluttered behind him as he sped off to meet his enemy. As he charged, his sword began to burst with white light. I shielded my eyes, for it was too great a sight to bear. One would think a white sun possessed his blade.
A hand reached out from the darkness, plunging toward Leaf. He swiped at it with his sword cutting off a finger and it writhed in pain. No matter how many times the shadow tried to overcome Leaf, he repelled it effortlessly.
I tried to scream again when I noticed streaks of shadow creep along the ground and around Leaf, but silence defeated my cry. From the earth, grew large tendrils, squirming about disgustingly as they closed in on Leaf. With an instantaneous snap, the tendrils snatched Leaf off the ground, clutching him tightly in its grasp. Leaf howled in pain and there was nothing I could do for him; my body was frozen.
Leaf’s cries of pain grew louder as the grip on him became stronger, crushing the bones in his body. From the distance, I could hear the faint popping of his bones breaking.
Come on body, move!
I can’t lose Leaf now!
Why won’t I move?
The shadow finished what little was left of Leaf, tossing him aside like an unwanted toy. It got all the pleasure it wanted for him. I watched helplessly as it moved toward me, taking the room into the abyss. It felt as though my heart had shot out from my chest when I finally was able to scream Leaf’s name.
I awoke with Leaf leaning over me with his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s ok, Izzy. It’s just a nightmare.” he said calmly.
I sat up to catch my breath. Sweat covered my body and my chest felt like I had been run through with a hundred spears. I wrapped my arms around Leaf knowing no one was looking, softly sobbing into his shoulder.
“Oh, Leaf. It was terrible. I had a terrible nightmare you had been killed.” I said. “We were in my Papa’s throne room, I had become queen, and the shadows came to life and brutally murdered you.”
I felt Leaf gently caress my back. He said nothing the whole time and just let me sob until I no longer could. The moonlight through the rose window was fading. I could only suspect we had a few more hours before sunrise. I laid back down trying to capture what little sleep time I had remaining.
Gentle shaking on my arm aroused my slumber as Leaf tried to wake me. I heard him say it was time to eat breakfast, afterwards, Lord General Ardmore wanted to speak with us. My curiosity flared and faded within the haze of my mind. I slogged sluggishly to get out of bed but was eventually yanked from my resting place by Leaf.
From the supply pile, we were given our rations for the day and when everyone had settled, Lord General Ardmore came to us.
“Excuse me, Leaf, Izzy, may I speak with you in private for a moment?” he asked.
We permitted his request, then followed him to the private chapel located in the back by the throne. Stained glass lines the walls and at the back of the chapel was a beautifully decorated table. A wooden carving of a castle with an open gate and rays of light bursting from it protruded from the table. Torn purple curtains flanked either side of the table and in the middle of it was a tarnished metal box; whatever it had once contained long gone, perhaps looted by bandits. Candelabras had been knocked on the floor with half melted candles nearby. The room looked as if it was the victim of someone’s hate. Even more peculiar, a statue of a man hanging from two crossed beams of wood had been vandalized the most.
It felt strange being in a place like this. Helingtum was once home of our founder until he moved the capitol to Helindom, and yet our castle didn’t have one of these rooms. This style of architecture was unlike anything I had ever seen, nor anywhere in the kingdom. To be fair, I had never been outside of Helindom.
He sat us down in a front row pew while he stood in front of us. There was a pause for a moment as Lord General Ardmore gathered his thoughts as if trying to approach his topic delicately. He paced back and forth.
“I know our time together has been short, but if nothing else, I want you to know you can trust me.” he paused and turned to me. “I overheard your conversation with Leaf last night, about your nightmare. I could be going out on a limb here, but are you Princess Elizabeth, Izzy?”
I looked over at Leaf who then replied for me.
“That’s a farfetched accusation, Lord General. Princess Elizabeth has been dead for years. Everyone knows that. What makes you think Izzy is her?”
“Based on what Izzy said last night, it would make no sense for a male soldier to dream of being queen.” he replied. “Plus, I know the official and unofficial reports, I’m the one who wrote them. No body was ever found so evidence of passing is gravely lacking.”
I didn’t want to admit right away he was correct about my identity. I need to see how far I can take this lie.
“What’s it to you if I am who you say I am? What if I wasn’t a male soldier, what if I was just a common girl who snuck into the Knight’s Academy? Even commoners dream of being royalty, don’t they?” I cooed.
Lord General Ardmore gave a cocky smile. “I’d be inclined to believe your lie if it weren’t for your eyes.” he said. “Emerald green eyes are a rarity in the world and on this continent only found among members of the royal family.”
Drat! I get the feeling no matter what I say now will be futile. I have a suspicion from the start, he knew who I was.
I looked over at Leaf who met my gaze and gave a nod as if giving me permission to be open about myself. I didn’t want to because I didn’t trust Lord General Ardmore, but if I understood his motives more I’d be ok with it.
“Your hesitation is understandable and before you give me your answer, allow me to exchange identity for an identity.” he said. “Please accept this as an offering of trust. For starters, my name is Gregory Ardmore, Lord General of Rosarius.” He then moved toward the ornamented table.
Gregory reverently genuflected before the statue of the man moving his hand in a motion to mimic the crossed beams he hung from. He then turned to face us letting out a light chuckle.
“I know, such practices are unseen nowadays.” he said. “I was once a part of a religious order, the order of Torin. We understand the universe to be created by one, all powerful being. When existence was created, our God left behind for us a special gift: magic.”
He belonged to an order of magic worshipers? I don’t understand how this could be. People who belong to those cults are strange; queer in the head. However, Lord General Ardmore has been grounded since we met him, there’s no way this is true.
“And this,” he continued. “Is a chapel to our faith.” he pointed to the man on the crossbeam. “The man you see hanging here on a cross is the son of our Lord, Chiron. Our ancestors and the old king of Rosarius used to pray here frequently. Now we, much like this chapel, are a shell of our former selves.”
Creator God? A mystical entity having a son? Gifting magic? None of this made sense. The same question tugs at me in my mind. If what the Lord General says is true, how did we forget our past?
I hummed, “I was raised on stories of magic, but they were just fairytales. Our founding stories say existence has always been and none came before it, so how could a God exist to create what always was? Furthermore, if the royal family once belonged to this religion, why didn’t it get passed on through the generations? How did all of this stop?” I asked.
“What I have to say next would be irrelevant to you if your true identity is not revealed.” Gregory said. “I have given you my true identity at great risk, now Izzy, you must give me yours.”
A deal was a deal. I revealed myself to Lord General Ardmore. Relief and joy befell him.
He continued. “Our records aren’t precise due to any detailed accounts being destroyed over a century ago, but for reasons unknown, the founding King of Rosarius outlawed magic and consequently our order. We became enemies of the crown and persecuted beyond measure. Our churches were destroyed and any left were repurposed for other means.”
I never heard this story about my ancestor. Any story about the founder King was always in high praise. This is likely why the Order of Torin was ostracized; they slandered our great founder.
“Leaf, your glowing sword is connected to my order somehow. My premature separation from the order stops me from telling you more, but beyond doubt, you’ve been blessed with magic. My brothers in the Order can educate you further.”
Lord General Ardmore approached me and kneeled. “Don’t worry, my princess, I’ll keep your secret. You need not explain yourself to your humble servant and I’ll pray you a safe journey wherever your life takes you.”
“Thank you.” I stuttered.
This was embarrassing. I’m not a princess, I’m just a knight. Being treated like royalty is weird to me, however it was flattering in a way, and calming to know Lord General would keep my secret. I was relieved he didn’t press me about my decision to be a knight. From one runaway to another, our secret would be our bond.
“One last thing, prin. . . Izzy” he caught himself, “You will always have my sword, no matter if I fight for you as my Queen or beside you as a fellow knight.”
We rose to reconvene in the throne room where Lord General Ardmore briefed us on our next assignment. A scout team of a dozen men would be chosen to explore the surrounding area to find the enemy camp. It would include Leaf, Marcus, and I, along with nine other men. Marcus would lead the expedition and Leaf would be his second in command; this along with a promotion to sergeant was a reward for his valor from the night before. Benedict became restless after tending to the wounded with his magic and volunteered to join our scouting party. He boasted we would need a little more firepower if we ran into trouble.
Some of the men were uneasy and some whispered Gregory could secretly be an evil creature from the fairy tales parents would tell to scare children. Others had reservations about that idea thinking, no evil being would heal their wounds.
Lord Ardmore silenced the chatter and gossip preparing the scouting party to be sent off. I shudder to think what awaits us beyond camp in the unknown regions of the island.
Comments