Elise nodded and now Rebekka felt a weight lift from her shoulders. The fate of so many had been decided, and as much as the realization of never seeing Raven and little Edward again hurt her, she knew it was the only way to guarantee the kingdom’s continued existence. She knew as well that Raven would make the same sacrifice if he were in her place. That was one thing she had learned from Raven over the years, to see beyond their own needs to that of others. Giving up a part of yourself for others always had a greater impact on the world than living it for yourself. This rationalization did not take away the pain or sorrow Rebekka felt in her decision and she was almost overcome with grief. The thing that brought her out of that downward spiral was the unfinished business before them.
“Elise,” Rebekka asked, “does anyone here know when and where you took Layton?”
“No,” Elise said, “Layton wanted this mission to be kept secret from everyone. Even I did not know how far back we were going until the day we left. Only Blastion Astmos, his top aid knows Layton is gone, but does not know why. I was there when Blastion pressed him for an explanation for his departure, and Layton grew angry and Blastion dropped the matter quickly. I believe after all these years Layton did not want anyone to know he was after the traitors. The unspoken word around here is that the traitors were the only ones ever to outwit Layton. If this trip turned out to be a dead end, Layton did not want anyone to know he failed once again. Layton did not even tell me, I just guessed that he was after the traitors because Merry Sheldon was a time shifter and disappeared with the rest of them, or so I have heard.”
“Is there another time shifter that could go and get Layton?” Rebekka asked.
“Not that I know of,” Elise said thinking. “Layton had any known time shifters killed because he feared they would try and change history to eliminate him. Only Merry Sheldon was left alive because he believed she loved him, and he could control her. I am sure there are other time shifters out there but they do not want anyone to know for fear of their lives.”
“It seems for the moment we are safe leaving Layton in the past,” stated Rebekka.
“What will we do if they find out that Layton is missing?” Elise asked.
“We will worry about that tomorrow, right now we have time on our side,” Rebekka said cheerfully.
Elise was playing with her pocket and pulled out the pill bottle. It reminded her of the child Rebekka was carrying.
“You are supposed to take one of these pills every day for your baby’s health,” Elise spoke as she handed the bottle to Rebekka.
Elise stared at Rebekka’s stomach and said sadly, “It is almost to much to bear to think your baby will never know its father, to have Layton split apart another family like he did mine.”
Rebekka said simply, “The baby will know its father for I will tell it all about the greatest King Glenfair has ever had.”
“You do not know if it is a boy or a girl, do you?” Elise said smiling.
“No, I do not, how can you before they are born?” Rebekka stated.
“The doctor can tell you with the machines they have,” Elise said.
Rebekka smiled, “I would rather not know and be surprised when the time comes.”
Elise just laughed and said, “Some things never change.”
Rebekka looked at Elise seriously and said, “Tomorrow I think you should go see your parents.”
Elise was speechless, shocked by what Rebekka said.
“Layton is no longer here to keep you from them, and no one I can see will question what you do right now.”
“Oh, Rebekka, you are such a marvelous person, I am glad it was you I had to kidnap.” Then they both started laughing at how odd that sounded.
The next day Elise and Rebekka went to see Elise’s family. As Rebekka guessed, no one questioned where they were going or what they were doing. Elise was very nervous because she had written off any chance of ever seeing her family again and this seemed too good to be true. The trip took some time for it was a great distance from the city that Elise lived in. In fact the place where her parents lived was north of the kingdom of Glenfair as Rebekka knew it. It would have taken two days to travel by horse to where they were going, but with the kind of transportation they had in Elise’s time it would only take a few hours.
Rebekka kept looking out of the window of the flying machine, realizing that she was traveling beyond the confines of her small kingdom into what she called the Wickshield kingdom in her day. She had never been out of Glenfair in her whole life, so she was intent on every detail of this trip. She remembered the excitement of Elise planning this trip, and when Elise told her that they were going far north, Rebekka’s excitement grew as well.
At first she was very apprehensive about flying above the ground like a bird, but Elise assured her is was completely safe. It did not take her long to begin to enjoy the ride very much. It was a clear day and you could see as far as your eyes were capable. The first shock for Rebekka was how small Glenfair really was. As they lifted higher in the machine she could see the whole of the valley receding behind her. They flew north over the mountains and pass that the Crestlaws controlled toward the heart of the Wickshield kingdom.
Once they had cleared the mountain range, Rebekka was speechless for the earth stretched out endlessly before her. There were forests and cities and lakes scattered to the horizon. She would never have guessed that the world they lived on was so big, and that Glenfair was so small. She now realized that Glenfair had been her whole world until this moment. It shook her up to realize that the kingdom she used to live in was only a tiny spot on this immense earth. The innocence that sheltered the people of Glenfair from the rest of the world was now gone for her as the truth became apparent. She wondered when the people of Glenfair would realize that an immense world lay outside of the cliffs of their valley. She had heard stories brought in by travelers of the world outside of their kingdom, but that is all they were to her, stories, things too immense to understand until now. It was not that she was incapable of comprehending the truth, she just chose not to give it much thought. Now that was impossible with the things she was seeing.
She turned to Elise and asked, “How large is Layton’s empire? Does it cover the whole earth?”
“No, not the whole earth,” Elise replied, “just the two largest continents.”
“Can we go and see all of them?” Rebekka asked.
Elise just laughed, “No, that would take us two days just to reach the second continent across the ocean.”
“I have heard of the ocean,” Rebekka added. “Is it really as large as they say? A lake that you cannot see across?”
Elise now realized how limited Rebekka’s perspective on the earth was because of the time in which she lived.
“When we get back to my place,” Elise stated, “I shall show you a map of the world so you can see for yourself.”
Rebekka just nodded and went back to looking at all the surrounding land, absorbing as much as she was able.
Soon they were landing at the town where Elise used to live. It did not take them long to reach the house where Elise was born, for it was not far from where they had landed.
Rebekka and Elise approached and before they knocked on the door Elise turned to Rebekka and said, “I felt that I would never have this opportunity until Layton died, and even then I may have been denied.”
Elise took courage and knocked. The door opened slowly and a young woman that looked very much like Elise stood there looking at them.
“Donna?” Elise asked, and then started crying as they fell into each other’s arms.
Donna yelled back over her shoulder as she held Elise, “Mother, father, come quickly, it is Elise.”
Rebekka heard some commotion within the house and a man and woman came running and joined the circle, tears flowing as well. They were weeping with joy and Rebekka found tears in her own eyes as she watched this family be reunited.
Finally Elise was able to speak, “You probably thought I was dead all these years.”
Her father smiled and said, “We did at first when Layton took you outside and we heard the shot, but a few months later we saw you in a news program with Layton and knew you were alive. We always watched the news after that hoping to get a glimpse of you, knowing that we probably would never see you again in person.”
Then her father stepped back and said, “My how you have grown, you look older than Donna.”
Elise’s mother and sister released her as well and looked carefully at Elise.
“You are a young woman,” her mother stated, “how is that possible?”
“We will tell you everything,” Elise replied, “after we have lunch.” Now for the first time her family took notice of Rebekka.
Her father eyed her warily and asked Elise, “Who is this you have brought with you?” At the same time he looked outside both ways to see who was around and then motioned them inside.
When they were inside Elise said, “This is my friend Rebekka, it is because of her that I have been able to see you today.” Rebekka was carrying a large basket with her and offered it to Elise’s mother. She took it and gasped as she looked inside, for there were the makings of a very fine and expensive lunch, the finest Elise had been able to gather on such short notice. As her mother began to set the table, Elise explained that they could only stay for the day and would have to get back before dark.
As they began to eat Elise’s father asked, “How is it that you look older than your older sister?”
It was quiet while they all waited for the answer as Elise began; “What I am about to tell you must be kept secret here and never go beyond these walls, is that clear?”
They all nodded as she continued, “I have traveled a great distance back in time, several thousand years. That great a shift in time is aging me at a very fast rate and I will grow old quickly.”
Her family was stunned, the good news of seeing Elise was now clouded with the news of her shortened life.
Elise seeing the sadness this brought her family countered quickly, “There is good news in all of this, Layton Teal is gone.”
“What are you saying?” her father asked.
“Do you think Layton would let me see you if he were here and knew about this, Elise asked?” They were still quiet so Elise continued, “I left Layton back in the past and he is not coming back. I am the only one that knows when and where he has been taken and I will let them execute me before I tell them.”
Elise’s father smiled and said, “You always were a thinker Elise and you are very brave to do what you have done. Millions of people will thank you for it.”
“That’s just it,” Elise responded, “no one must know what I have done. I am chancellor of this realm and have the opportunity to change things for the better now that Layton is gone. If people find out that Layton is gone for good there will be a power struggle between his military generals and we will end up with a tyrant ruling us just like Layton. That is why I must go back and try to do something to make this life better for everyone.”
Rebekka had been listening and she now admired Elise for what she wanted to accomplish. The girl was thinking now about the welfare of others and not just herself. She was shaken out of her thoughts by Elise referring to her name.
“Rebekka,” Elise said, “is from the past and has had experience in ruling over a whole kingdom. Together maybe we can change things for the better.”
Rebekka was stunned, Elise wanted her help in changing this great and large kingdom Layton had built? She did not know anything about this time and Elise wanted her to help? Well, if Elise was brave enough to tackle such an enormous problem she would do all she could to help her. They finished their lunch and talk turned to family matters and so Rebekka just relaxed as the time passed. Before long it was time for them to leave and they were all hugging and saying goodbye. As they were ready to leave, Elise took an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to her father.
Her father looked into it and gasped, “There is more money in here than I have ever seen he declared.”
“It is the least I could do for my family,” she stated. “If everything goes well I may be able to see you again, but if not know that I love you all dearly.” With that they said goodbye and departed for the place where Elise lived inside the rock boundaries of the little valley that was once called Glenfair.
Once back in her living quarters, Elise smiled at Rebekka and went to her room. When she emerged she was carrying a round object in her hands.
She set it down before Rebekka and said, “This is the world we live on.”
She then proceeded to show Rebekka the whole earth, continents, oceans, and lastly where they were at the moment. Rebekka stared in wonder at the round map Elise had brought to her till Elise laughed.
Rebekka looked up in puzzlement until Elise explained, “I have never seen anyone get so much pleasure from geography before. I want you to have this as a gift from me.”
“Oh Elise, do you really mean that? It is such a wonderful gift,” as she went back to looking at the small scale model of their world.
Rebekka suddenly stopped and pushed the round map aside and looked at Elise, “We must discuss what we are going to do about Layton’s disappearance.”
Elise smiled at Rebekka, “I think I have a plan.”
“It had better be a good one,” Rebekka replied “For I fear that things may not go well with us if anyone in power finds out the truth.”
“That is true,” Elise said thoughtfully, “but I believe this can work if we can gain some support from a few in his cabinet. The first person we should talk to is Blastion Astmos, his top aid. He is the only other person who knows Layton is gone. We have a little time to work on this for Layton often withdrew from public life for weeks, only to appear and take care of some problem in his empire. I think people secretly long for those quiet times when he is absent. So people will wonder where he is, but will not wish for his soon return.”
Rebekka nodded as she began to absorb the fear and cruelty people had endured under the rule of Layton.
“Before you tell me your plan,” Rebekka remarked, “I want to know about Layton’s officials that help him rule this large kingdom. I need an understanding of how things are done here before I can judge weather your plan will work or not.”
Elise nodded thoughtfully and began; “Layton’s power base is built in his cabinet, leaders of different branches of government; defense, economics, transportation, education, and agriculture.”
“Who in this group is most likely to try and take the power for himself?” Rebekka asked.
“That would be the minister of economics, Max Bane. I can tell he is evil to the core and hungers for wealth and power. If he thought he could get away with it, he would have killed Layton himself and then taken his position.”
Rebekka nodded, noting the name and position he held in this cabinet Elise spoke of. It had not taken Rebekka very long to learn that this world she now was trapped in functioned much different than Glenfair. It seemed that most things functioned on basis of wealth or power and people were caught up in the flow that Layton himself had created.
“Who” Rebekka now asked, “in this cabinet will we be able trust to help us?”
Elise thought for a moment and then answered, “It may sound funny, but I believe our best help could come from the minister of defense, John Martin. He never openly spoke out against Layton, but I could see that he loathed some of the military operations Layton commanded him to carry out. When he returned from some of those operations that had cost people their lives I could tell he was ready to quit or challenge Layton but he never did. He only developed a deeper sadness after each campaign. I believe him to be a moral man caught in a bad situation, like”...
“Like yourself,” Rebekka finished for her.
Elise looked down sadly, “No, not like me, I liked w
hat Layton gave me, the position of chancellor, the wealth and power. I just believed I would never hurt anyone, but I have. You made me see Rebekka that there should be more to life than thinking only of yourself.” Elise snapped out of her self judgment and continued.
“I believe John Martin will help us, and he has the respect of the rest of the cabinet. Besides he commands the military and without him we would be powerless to make any major changes.”
Rebekka now summed up the political arena, “So it comes down to evil Max and the defense minister John Martin. And whoever wins the rest of the cabinet will follow?”
“That is how I have come to understand the political situation,” Elise replied.
“How do you know all of this Elise?” Rebekka asked.
“Since I was chancellor I was present at all of the cabinet meetings. People respected my position with Layton and gave me a seat in the cabinet, but I never made any policy decisions. Since no other person my age was ever allowed in their meetings I felt a great responsibility to learn as much as I could about what was going on. Most of them act as if I do not exist, but I listened and learned as much as I could during every meeting.” With that Elise was silent, which surprised Rebekka for she expected her to continue.
“After a moment of silence Rebekka asked, “So what is the plan you have devised to save us when Layton’s absence is known?”
Elise smiled at Rebekka and said enthusiastically, “It is easy, you will rule in Layton’s place.”
Rebekka’s mouth dropped open with the shock she felt from Elise’s statement. Never in a thousand years had she expected Elise to say this. She was expecting some sort of compromise that would allow them to somehow escape execution.
Elise laughed at Rebekka’s expression saying, “I knew you would not be prepared for that.”
Rebekka regained her senses and stammered, “That is a crazy idea Elise. How can I rule this realm, I am from another time and place?
The King's Ancestors Page 21