by M J Webb
Verastus took hold of it and shook it gently. “Yes Ben, I will never forget you. I do not think anyone will ever question your courage or honour again. But, should you find that they do, send them to me!”
“Ha ha… Thanks,” Ben replied. “But, this is my very last quest, believe me. I’m gonna go back home and retire to my pipe and slippers… Not really, it’s just a saying. No, I think I’ll be content to stay in the background from now on. I’ve had more than enough adventure to last a lifetime. If I make it back home, they can call me whatever they want to. I’ll know the truth, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? I’ll just be there to advise and watch from a distance, if Jake wants me to that is. But, what about you? What are you going to do?”
“Kah, yes… Well, now that King Vantrax is no longer a threat to my people, I believe I will return to my homeland. Or rather, I will go back to what is left of it. Their King has been missing for far too long.”
“King? King?! You sly old dog! You never said?” replied Ben, shocked and amazed to learn the truth. Verastus smiled broadly as he looked his young friend in the eye, confident that he had finally ‘beat him at his own game.’
“Koh, did I not? Kuh… Strange that I should neglect to tell you something so important? But then, you never asked, did you?”
“Err… I think we did!” snapped Ben. His face was serious for a second, but his voice was light hearted, and an even broader smile soon covered his face. The three friends laughed a little before they turned to rejoin the others. Jake walked his family back over to the box of stones.
“Right, it’s time. Let’s get you lot safely back home.”
Harry stopped Jake before he could open the box by putting his hand firmly upon his arm. “Wait, Jake. Just a minute, please? There’s something I have to say first.”
“What? What is it, granddad?”
Harry reached for Jean’s hand. Jean was as surprised as anyone by his actions, but somehow she knew immediately what he was going to say. She nodded at him and smiled, to let him know that she agreed with his decision. They both turned to look at Graham and Melissa, and Harry spoke directly to his only son.
“I’m sorry, but we won’t be coming with you. We’re not going home this time. We’ve decided to stay. I don’t expect you to understand, son, but it’s something we have to do. We’ve just found each other, and we’ve just discovered that we have a daughter. Second chances don’t come very often in life, especially at my age? This world, it’s all your mother and Melissa know. I may not have many years left, but I think… No, I know, that we can be happy here?”
Harry was almost pleading, praying that Graham would understand and forgive him. Graham looked stunned at first, horrified in fact. But, it soon passed. He looked at Jake briefly, before holding out his hand and inviting his son to join him. Jake stepped into his father’s arms and he turned within them to face Harry. With his arms draped lovingly around his only boy’s neck in a fatherly show of affection, Graham replied in a soft but emotional, sympathetic tone.
“I’m having real problems imagining the life you have led. What does that say about me and our relationship? I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, but I think I understand now, dad. Stay with my blessing. I’m going to miss you though, really I am. I was looking forward to getting to know each other again, to making up for all those wasted years of stupidity. But, you must do what you have to do. I’ll survive. I will be… Oh my…! June! She’s going to be devastated by this! Err… Christ! She’ll kill me! Ha ha… No, seriously, she’s not going to take it well. Though, I think she’ll understand too, once I explain it to her… I think! Promise me that you will look after each other?” he asked, his eyes now firmly fixed upon Melissa.
The young Sebantan warrior had remained silent throughout. It came as a major shock to her when the parents she had only just met said that they were staying. She did not know them at all, and she certainly had no expectations of them. Still, her heart had leapt for joy when she heard the words, and she was still too stunned to speak. As Graham’s comments struck home however, she found herself replying to him without thinking, and with words laced throughout with a totally unique feeling of raw emotion, of unbridled joy.
“I will protect them, brother, with my life. You have my word of honour as a Sebantan warrior. It is something we do not give lightly. I know that I do not deserve this chance at happiness, but now that it is here, I am determined to make the most of it, to make it work. I have done many terrible, wicked things in my life,” she said, hanging her head in shame, “but I mean to try and make amends, to be a better person from this day forward.”
Jake suddenly felt compelled to speak. He stepped free of his father’s embrace to address the crowd. “Listen to me, all of you! We must put history behind us now and move forward with our lives. This is a new day, a new beginning, for all of us!
The Battle of Te’oull will long be remembered as the day when evil was finally vanquished on Estia. In this fight, you took back your freedom and your right to determine your own destiny. King Artrex has gone and many of your finest warriors have fallen in battle, but many more of you still remain! If Estia is to flourish and once again be what it was, you all have to work together, regardless of the differences you may once have had. They must be forgotten and consigned to the past. You must unite behind one leader, for the good of all. I’m not talking about countries or borders, you can keep your Kings and Queens if you wish. But, chief amongst them when it comes to leadership and decision making should be a just and fair ruler who is acceptable to all, someone who will settle any disputes you may have before they come to war, someone who will act on your behalf, fairly and with compromise.
…There is only one person strong enough and brave enough for the task, and she stands before you, a living symbol of all that is best in this world. Show your allegiance and support for her now. I ask you to kneel and show your allegiance to Queen Zephany, the true and rightful Queen of Rhuaddan, and of Estia!”
The square was crammed full of thousands of warriors. Every single one of them fell down immediately on bended knee. They were joined without hesitation by Queen Bressial and every noble there. Zephany was almost overcome by a rush of very strong emotion, but she managed somehow to control herself, and she stepped forward to address the crowd again.
“Rise, all of you, please?” she shouted.
Her voice was now strong and commanding, despite the butterflies which had just appeared in her stomach. “…Much has already been said here so I will be brief. I thank you for the tremendous honour you bestow upon me. I swear that I will discharge my duties faithfully and remain true to our beliefs. I will act in the best traditions of my father, King Artrex, and of Gerada Knesh Corian and all those who came before them. We have a lot of work before us and we have to begin without delay. First, we must take care of our wounded. Bring them all here so that the Keeper may heal them, for we will have great need of such heroes. Our new friends must depart for their own world. We wish them well and thank them for their help in winning this war!”
The crowd cheered again and the din almost toppled the nearby buildings. Then the Estians began to disperse, as they set off in search of their wounded comrades. Zephany turned to Ben for one last time.
“Goodbye Ben, I have really enjoyed meeting you. I think perhaps that we may have been great friends you and I, more than we had the chance to become, in a different place and time?”
Ben gave a cheeky smile. “Yeah… Friends, eh? And then some?” he answered, winking at the beautiful young royal.
Zephany blushed slightly and everyone laughed. It was Jake who spoke next. “Right then, let’s try again. It looks like it’s just you and dad going home for the present, pal. Are you ready?”
“Ready? I was born ready!” said Ben, uttering a phrase he’d stolen from some film or other, and used a million times before back home. “Too right! Let’s do it. I wonder what time it is back home? With any luck, I’ll be
back in time for the footy… Ha ha…
I… I suppose it’s gonna be pretty boring after all of this? Then again, I’ve always thought that boring was completely underrated, you know? And, something tells me that if it is a little tedious, I’ll manage.”
Jake opened the box of stones. The others looked on as he cast his spell and the bright white light shot up to the sky. Graham took hold of Ben’s hand. Together, they stepped into the light and disappeared.
Chapter 29
Dead of Night - 3rd September - The City of Te’oull - Siatol
Inside the very same dwelling that Tien had earlier used to restore the box of stones, all was quiet. The celebrations and partying in Te’oull had lasted well into the dying hours of the glorious night. But, for two weary souls anxious to make up for so much lost time, the effects of their exploits and the rollercoaster ride of emotions they had experienced, meant that the festivities were merely an unwanted distraction, and one of which they wanted no part. Melissa and her mother, Jean, were blissfully content just to be in one another’s company. They had therefore made their excuses quite early on and left the bustling square in order to find somewhere quiet to talk. Jean had remembered the empty house and suggested it as a good place to hold their remarkable reunion, and then to gain the much needed sleep their bodies ached for. Inside the relatively quiet solitude of the four walls, behind a makeshift door made from an upturned table, mother and daughter talked happily for hours. They conversed safe in the knowledge that the battle and war had finally been won, that they had all the time in the world to renew their relationship, to get to know one another, confident that they would not be disturbed.
“The future can wait and the past be damned,” Jean had said to begin the discussion. “I only want to deal with the present tonight. I will listen to the stories of your life gladly, however much you would like to tell… Or not? Whatever has happened before today means nothing. The only thing that truly matters to me is right here and now. I have found you at last, and I do not want to ever let you go.”
In the early hours of the morning, both sets of eyes began to inform their hosts that their shattered bodies desperately needed to sleep. Melissa offered Jean the only bed in the back room. She settled down under a blanket she had found, her head resting on the pillow from the bed, which Jean had insisted she took. The Sebantan Princess lay down on the cold, hard floor and closed her eyes, as contented as she could ever be. Sleep came quickly despite her excitement, for she possessed at last an untroubled mind.
Sometime later, when all was deathly quiet and it seemed that the whole of Te’oull had joined them in slumber, the air near to the sleeping Melissa suddenly began to part. A tiny tear in its fabric widened slowly and silently. Before long, it was large enough for a person to step through and out from the hole appeared King Vantrax.
He looked around the room to ensure he had not been seen and then quietly approached the sleeping warrior to stand over her with a knife in his hand. For a second or two he just stood there, as if he was deciding on his method of attack, the best way to assassinate the Sebantan Princess in her sleep, without being discovered and before making good his escape.
But then, the evil wizard put away his dagger and bent down to shake her shoulders gently. “Melissa!” he hissed, as quietly as he could. He glanced once more around him to ensure his presence has not been detected. “Melissa! Wake up!”
Melissa stirred slowly and opened her extremely heavy eyelids. She blinked several times and then rubbed them hard, having been awoken from the depths of a deep and blissfully happy sleep. The experienced warrior had never before slept so soundly. She would normally have heard such an approach and responded to it like the trained soldier she was, so she was in uncharted territory now, confused and somewhat dazed.
“King Vantrax!” she stated, shocked and amazed to see her former master alive and standing before her. “…But I thought you were dead?!”
“Shh!” Vantrax replied instantly, placing a solitary finger up to his lips. “Be quiet, they might hear you. Come with me, we have to go now.”
“Go? Go where? Why are you here, and where have you been?”
“I escaped to Mynae, to the only place I could think of that was safe. I have been in a cave, not far from Herashtuk,” said the wizard.
“What? How?” asked Melissa.
“It is not important. I had to leave Estia before that boy could use his powers. It has afforded me some time to think. Listen to me, I know of a way we can take back all we have lost! I sensed your survival. The bond we share is strong, and I have returned for you now.”
Melissa slowly sat upright as she tried to take in all that was happening. “You… You came back for me?”
“Yes. Now let us go, before the guards outside hear us talking!” Vantrax urged.
Melissa’s mind was still not working correctly in her confused state. Perhaps it was tiredness, or the effects of the battle and everything that had happened, but she was not herself and she knew it. She did however pick up on the fact that the King obviously believed that she was being held captive, against her will, that she was a prisoner of the Estians. She looked him in the eyes for a brief moment and the memory of her conversations with Jean and the rest of her family came flooding back. All of a sudden she felt a rising and intense anger swell in her breast, though she tried her hardest not to let it show.
‘This is the true enemy, the one who ruined all of our lives,’ she thought. Still, he had come back for her in the most dangerous of circumstances, and that fact played on her mind. She did not know what to make of it. She had to know why.
“Do not worry, the guards will not come. The walls are thick and we will not be disturbed. Answer my question. Why have you come for me? And what happens now?” she asked.
“Raar! I do not understand why you hesitate? We must be going!” rasped Vantrax, in a much stronger tone. “…I have had to use my very last piece of reolite to save you, is that not enough?!”
Melissa once again looked him squarely in the eye. She replied in a cool, calm voice, all the time working her hand slowly under her pillow, without it being noticed. “It would have been, once. But, I am not the same as I was before this fight. I have grown a little since we parted. Tell me, why have you come for me? The truth!”
King Vantrax was growing more and more impatient. He became more furious with every single second they delayed their escape, but he knew that he had no choice but to answer honestly, for Melissa seemed intent on staying where she was unless he revealed why he was there. It was a reaction he had not planned for. It was totally unexpected, and he just could not believe what he was hearing.
“Aghrast! Very well. Reolite! It is all about the reolite. Do you not see? It always has been. I need more stones, more shards. And you will help me get them.”
“So, there we have it. You are using me once again? Just as you have used me all of my life!” Melissa cried, her voice raised now to a very strong and forceful whisper.
King Vantrax was stunned by her insolent tone and her impudence. He could not understand where it came from, and he definitely did not like being spoken to in such a fashion. “What has happened to you, Melissa? Why do you speak to me so, after all I have done for you? You ungrateful…!”
”Ungrateful?!” interrupted Melissa, angrily. “Tell me then, what do I have to be grateful for? You return here only because you need me. Tell me I am wrong? You mean to raid the mines of Eratur, to take from the Thargws that which is rightfully theirs, to steal what few stones they have. I am no fool, Vantrax. To take on the Thargws you will need an army, one capable of such a feat. There are few better than my Sebantans. Yes, your true motives are revealed; you came back solely because you know that they will only follow me!”
King Vantrax smiled a wicked smile, aware that he had just been rumbled. “Kah… I always said you had a keen mind to match your beauty. You are right, Melissa. But what of it? What choice do you have but to leave with me now? C
ome quickly, before my powers wane and I am able to keep the hole open no longer, before this opportunity is gone. You are their prisoner. I offer you freedom, and a chance to lead your beloved warriors in battle once more. So, why are you not moving? Why do you delay? Think of it. With more reolite, I will raise a much greater army, one full of Mynaen warriors, taken from the dead and the living. We will return very soon to this land, before these Estians can recover, to crush their armies and take their stones. I offer you a chance for glory and adventure. Here, you will be nothing but a slave!”
“No!” Melissa responded, forcefully. “You are mistaken. I am no slave. I am no captive.”
“What?” said the wizard, confused.
“Look outside the window. You will see no guards at my door. I am as free as anyone here.”
King Vantrax could see in her eyes that she spoke the truth. His blood was boiling now and his face was red with rage. He wanted to kill her where she sat, on the floor. But, he knew that he needed her. “Yagh! Enough of this! We must go now. I will take you by force if I have to!”