by S K Smith
‘If you’re planning on climbing the Pearl Mountains to get to the Castle then stop. There are Patrols protecting the Castle from anyone attempting this.’ Ayda called to him. Niall ignored her and walked on. Furious at being ignored, she sped up to him.
‘How can you possibly know where we’re going?’ She demanded.
‘Do you want to stand here and talk, or do you want to get to your family?’ He said exasperated. She nodded, agreeing that the conversation could wait until she had Elle under her wing. Ayda was angry with him though, his whole demeanour angered her. Her family was ruined, and he was taking a daily stroll through the forest. How can he know more about this Castle than her? He was a stranger, and this was her home. The mountains were so close now, clusters of brilliant white boulders were dotted around the forest and against the First Wall. She felt no nearer to her sister.
‘You two wait here.’ Niall said without looking at them. He, Theo and Karl, swords raised wandered behind a group of rocks, larger than two homes and disappeared for several moments before Theo reappeared and waved them over.
‘Had to check it wasn’t guarded.’ Theo shrugged leading the way behind the towering rocks. Ayda’s eyebrow raised as she saw Niall and Karl leaning casually against the rock, swigging from his hip flask. Behind him was a small rough tunnel entrance well hidden from the eye.
‘How did you know this was here!?’ Ayda said, dumbstruck. Niall laughed, reattached his flask to his belt and led them down towards the tunnel mouth. The tunnel itself was a squeeze, single file behind Niall they all followed, tripping occasionally on loose rock and uneven ground and crouching beneath low ceilings. The bright white stone darkened slowly as they moved deeper into the tunnel, Ayda realised that very soon they wouldn’t even see each-other. She suggested they each place a hand on the person in front’s shoulder, she was then repulsed to realise she had to touch Niall, who was humming a tune. Theo behind her and Syren and Karl behind him, they tripped and meandered through the black tunnel of white stone.
‘Are we going to get lost?’ Syren echoed through the darkness.
‘No, thankfully there is only one way to go.’ Niall explained, who was using his hands to feel the wall as he stumbled on, with Ayda’s disgusted hand on his shoulder. More than once the party had to stop as someone tripped and fell, amidst cursing and bruised knees Ayda was getting fed up.
‘Why didn’t you prepare a torch?’ She asked bitterly.
‘Because you were in a rush.’ Niall replied shortly, he was no longer humming and Ayda could tell he too was aching from his most recent trip. Good, she thought. Thankfully after an age of hiking light pierced their eyes. Ayda squinted from the harshness but was relieved when fresh air and warmth filled her. Her feet found level ground as they left the tunnel. Her eyes adjusting, she looked quickly around. They were in a garden. Her friends were squinting, pausing as they took note of each other in a silent head count.
‘Oh my – Ayda!’ Syren shouted in alarm looking over Ayda’s head in shock. Ayda spun around. What she saw brought her to her knees. She screamed loudly and unashamedly crying for her family – how could they have survived that? The others stood as still as the mountains as they attempted to make sense of the scene before them. A vast portion of the once proud White Castle had collapsed. The Towers and parapets had crumpled into themselves and the walls of her home had crashed to the ground, hidden beneath a thick layer of white stone dust. Bodies of soldiers, servants and lords were scattered or crushed beneath the centuries old stone. Ayda could hear the ghost of the crashing collapse of her grand home amidst the eerie silence of destruction. She could distantly hear the agonizing screams and shrieks from the people unlucky enough to be trampled by the cascading stone. The Stone Castle had fallen way before she had arrived home, yet she imagined and felt every ounce of pain as the great symbol of protection fell to its knees in defeat. Her home was gone, what had happened to her family? As though on fire, Ayda launched herself forward. She could see that the Throne room and Grand Halls were just standing, fragile and leaning on the verge of collapse, the rest of the Castle was sand and dust. Leaving the other’s behind she hurled herself through the gardens jumping over rubble and ignoring the sounds of the dying. She HAD to get her sister! Distantly someone was calling her name, she climbed the white stone steps, skipping over more debris crumbling from the remnants of her home. “Elle!” She shouted repeatedly. She did not care who could hear her, from her eyes all that was left was pain and death, there was nothing here she could be bothered to fear. Her sister was her lifeline and her courage. Someone grabbed her roughly from behind and pulled her to the floor.
‘Get off me!’ She snarled, kicking out she winded her assailant before crawling back up the steps.
‘Ayda stop!’ He shouted. She recognised the voice.
‘Help me Niall!’ She shouted desperately as she floundered up the dusty steps in such a hurry her feet could hardly keep up. She felt him push her as she regained her footing and propelled her forward with him running to keep up. She reached the Grand Hall, the beautiful masonry of the walls was crumbling, and the stone floors were veined with slits and cracks. The ornate tables were crushed beneath parts of ceiling and several statues of ancestors had been unceremoniously decapitated or flattened. Slower and more cautiously, Ayda and Niall moved through the Grand Hall, the large oak doors at the top of the rooms were off their hinges as the doorway had started to waiver. Climbing over the doors together they entered the Throne room. Ayda gasped as Niall cursed. Tens of Golden Clad soldiers were littered along the floor. Some had been impaled and some had shared the same fate as the Castle. Ayda’s eyes brimmed with tears as she saw her parent’s thrones standing, untouched and glistening against the odds. The chink of stone on stone fell like the pitter patter of rain, as portions of the last bones of the Castle began to fail. She heard a quiet sob. A childlike sob. Casting around she took in every detail of the room she had feared the most. Her heart burned with a heat so intense as she saw the blonde curly hair of her little sister.
‘Elle!’ She cried loudly in relief. She bounded over to her sister with Niall just behind. ‘Oh Elle! I’ve been so –’ She stopped. Brielle looked up with her big puffy red eyes revealing the body she was clinging onto with every grain of strength she had.
Their Father.
The relief she felt at finding her sister was smothered by the sorrow that now shrouded her heart in ice. Her Father’s eyes were closed, his face peaceful. Reaching out, Ayda gently removed dust from his cold, lined complexion and pressed her lips to his forehead, vaguely aware of Niall lingering a polite distance away and the continual rain of stone around them. Death surrounded them on all sides, she knew they could not stay here, but she was content to stay trapped in this moment, as she knew with all her heart this would be the last time she would see her father’s kind face, the last time she would feel his fingers entwined with hers. He was cold, Elle was not. She had to get her sister to safety. Her Father would thank her for that. She pulled hard at Elle and tugged her away from the fallen King,
‘Come on Elle, we need to go.’ She said softly, a lump catching in her throat, ‘Leave him, we cannot help him.’ Hearing crumbling stone, Ayda wasted no time in heaving the weeping Princess away. Ayda could not believe how easy it was to walk away from her Father, but she knew that Brielle was now her only priority, she had promised her Father to protect her, he would be urging them to leave this death trap. Niall led the way out from the ruins in silence, time seemed to freeze as the walls continued to crumble and groan. Not daring to look back at their home the Princesses climbed the Castle rubble and returned to their friends in the Gardens.
‘Any trouble?’ Karl asked gruffly as they approached. Niall shook his head solemnly and moved towards the tunnel entrance without stopping. Following his lead, the others followed on in silence. Ensuring Elle was safely following Syren, Ayda braved one last look at her childhood home. Glancing around she shed a tear as the Castle gr
oaned a relieved farewell as it slid to the ground in a cloud of white dust, no longer straining to protect those who had grown up in its safety.
The walk back to the horses was a long and quiet one. After Niall had briefly explained to the other’s what had happened, no-one felt much like talking. The loss of a King was a shock, but the loss of a Father felt like a death sentence. Their Father was dead, and from what she had seen, she doubted her Mother was alive. Ayda grieved for them, for she now shouldered their responsibility. She had to find out who was responsible for the attack on her family and she had to protect Elle. Ayda looked down at the young girl, clutching at her arm. Her blonde hair was messy, her nightdress dirty and torn and her face blotchy and red, Brielle was never going to be the same carefree little Princess she was before. As they reached the horses, Ayda took the reins of hers and Syren’s mounts and pressed them into Niall’s hands. Their deal was complete.
‘Thank you for all that you have done for us.’ She said quietly, not able to look him in the eye. Why was it that whenever death touched her life, he was always close by? She could not look at him, she was afraid that she would see the eyes of those she had lost.
‘Where are you going now?’ He asked.
‘North, up to the Wastes. I need to keep Elle away from here. I cannot lose her too.’ Niall looked over his shoulder towards Theo and Karl, who returned his look with a nod each, they mounted their horses and readied themselves. Niall placed the reins back into Ayda’s hands.
‘You won’t get far without these, it’s a long way.’ Niall said with a slight smile as Ayda met his understanding eyes. He had known loss himself, he lived with the emptiness she saw. For the first time she found herself wondering what happened to the boy she had left behind, what had happened to his Pa? With a slight pang of guilt, she remembered that after all the past years she had forgotten her saviour’s name. Niall lowered himself, so he was face to face with Elle. He held out his hand and took her palm in his.
‘Your Highness, if you are agreeable, my brothers and I would like to join your Guard, until it is safe to leave your side.’ He said pleasantly. Brielle watched the stranger closely, taking in every feature of his face. She looked up at her sister with wide eyes and moved closer
‘Why are humans in Myrliar?’ Elle whispered to her sister. Ayda winced at her words, she knew that Syren would prefer their human counterpart’s dead, or at least banished, but Ayda found that a part of her trusted them, despite their differences.
‘They saved my life, Elle, and helped me get to you.’ Ayda replied calmly. Syren moved forwards.
‘We don’t need them anymore Ayda, we have Princess Brielle.’ She said stiffly. Ayda regarded her friend. Syren was a fierce young warrior, she had trained with Ayda since they were young elves. Her vibrant red hair was plaited messily after the recent rains, her stance glistened of confidence and skill, with her blade at her waist and her glistening greaves and vambraces. Syren wore minimal armour, she hated how heavy it was, and Ayda could not deny that her friend was quick for it (she had taken many sharp jabs from her during sparring).
‘That’s the gratitude we get for saving your lives?’ Karl snarled at her.
‘I believe the attack on us benefitted YOU greatly!’ Syren replied hotly, her voice rising.
Ayda watched her comrade with admiration. Syren was almost half the size of Karl, who was a beast of a man. His huge arms and shoulders were built for sheer strength he looked capable of crushing Syren with his bare fist, if he could catch her first. Syren look unaffected as she stood her ground before him.
‘We should go back Niall, Elves will always be Elves.’ Karl dismissed walking away from Syren. Niall looked at the little Princess who was watching with round eyes, and then turned to Ayda. He looked at her miserably.
‘Is that what you want?’ He asked softly. Ayda looked to her friend apologetically, she hoped she would forgive her.
‘All I want is to protect Elle, I have lost everyone I love, she is my life now. She is the future.’ Ayda began seriously, ‘If you swear to help me protect her, then you are most welcome.’
‘But they are HUMAN Ayda!’ Syren repeated, aghast.
‘Yes Syren, they are human. Our sworn enemies. But who has murdered my family? I see no human hand behind this.’ Ayda reasoned with her friend calmly. Syren backed down. Ayda knew they were both stung and hurt by the betrayal of their own comrades and had no way of defending them. They had to find out why her family had been overthrown by their own Army, she had to know why she had lost her parents and her home. She could only thank the Elders that her young sister was beside her, she was never going to let her go. Syren mounted her horse in silence and moved forwards with a nod to Ayda, who was already comforting Elle and helping her into the saddle before climbing up behind her. Niall clapped his hands together in eagerness and vaulted on to his saddle, patting Karl on the shoulder as he passed. Karl, still scowling, followed on behind Theo’s horse, positively glaring at the red head in front. Ayda sighed, this was not going to be an easy alliance. As the sun began to disappear behind the Pearl Mountains, the horses trudged on through the quiet forest, north past the Stone City. The occasional patter of water droplets on leaves could be heard as a gentle breeze whispered through the trees. Ayda had decided they should proceed at a steady pace for now, as the horses had been riding hard throughout the day and they had no knowledge as to the whereabout of their enemies. The elf did not want to lead them headlong into an army on exhausted mounts. Ayda had to admit even she was tired. The allies had not stopped for breath since the attack on Ayda and had rushed to save her family. Silence had blanketed each of them, too tired, too weary and too agitated to talk. Syren was still leading from the front, determined in her anger at being made to work alongside humans, she had not spoken a word since they mounted their steeds. Weakness had overwhelmed the older Princess. The darkness of the night was a bright light compared to the shadow over her heart. She could not shake the memory of her father, pale and cold in her poor sister’s arms. She longed to speak to Elle, to ask her what had happened, but she feared she should not interrogate her so soon. She was so fragile, she was like a small and intricate ice sculpture that she dared not hold for fear but could not bear to set aside defencelessly. She was sure that Elle would talk to her. Eventually.
‘We must camp.’ Theo announced, making Ayda jump slightly. She turned in her horse to look at them. There was no sound of hooves on dirt, no whinnying, they had stopped all around her and, yet she could hardly see them.
‘Theo’s right, if we continue in this dark we risk laming our horses.’ Niall agreed. She heard him moan as he dismounted and a moment later his boots hit the ground with a squelch. The other’s murmured their assent. Ayda did not much like the idea of stopping, she had hoped to distance themselves from the Stone City, but they had not even reached the edge of the forest.
‘Ayda, the soldiers in that Castle were dead, I don’t think we have anything to fear this night.’ Niall reasoned, his hand appeared from the darkness to help lower Elle to the ground.
‘They will return.’ Ayda said firmly, her legs aching she clambered off the horse.
‘They will likely regroup first before returning, and they will not want to travel in this. We will move north again as soon as we can see where we’re walking.’ Niall said patiently. Ayda hesitated, she wanted to move Elle on.
‘Ayda, they think they have Elle trapped in there. The City is on lock down and no-one’s seen her leave. We have some time to rest.’ Syren said tiredly. Ayda turned around and saw a roaring fire had already been lit, the warmth of the fire swept over her cold, damp and aching body like a wave, leaving the tips of her fingers tingling with pleasure. The crackling fire persuaded her. Her comrades had moved closer to it and were warming themselves peacefully by the flames. The ground surrounding the fire quickly dried out and she found herself grateful for the shelter the thick trees provided. Slowly each of them settled down to relax by the fire. Ay
da unravelled some of the belongings from her horse and was relieved to find the previous rider had provided them with a few essentials. After drying out some blankets by the fire, Ayda set about making a place for her sister to rest. Theo had disappeared for a short while after stopping and had returned with a couple of hares which he then prepared and cooked on the fire. Everyone had eaten quietly except for Elle, who refused. Elle had been sat by the fire, staring into the dark abyss around them and not talking to anyone, occasionally panicking when Ayda left them to find something amongst the trees. Niall and Theo however seemed to have a career in conversation, they led a constant stream of jovial chatter which seemed to have common themes of ale, women and trouble. Although Karl did not join in the chatter, whenever his name was brought into the story he soon grumbled something about ‘exaggerating’ or ‘stupid’ or whatever name he thought Niall suited most at that moment in the story. Niall found the insults amusing and chuckled to himself whenever Karl offered a new one. They had a strong bond, Ayda could see that, they had grown up together and joined the Fiends together. They were brothers in life if not by blood. Ayda called Elle over to her. The young elf rose obediently from her place by the fire and settled in with the leaves and blankets of her make shift bed.
‘When you want to talk to me, you can.’ Ayda whispered to her, stroking her sister’s long curls. ‘But rest for now, we have a long way to go.’ Elle closed her eyes to give the illusion of sleep, Ayda knew she was not likely to get any sleep tonight, they had lost their Father, Mother and Home in less than a day. They had also lost the love of their country. Nothing in their upbringing prepared them for this and now they were blind in the dark, surrounded by humans they hardly knew except for some distant childhood memory. Ayda had no idea what to do. She needed answers and Elle could give her them. Her patience was running thin and the responsibility was bearing down on her. Standing, she re-joined the others by the fire ensuring she was facing the exact spot her sister lay.