by Jamie Gandy
“For your sake, I hope that is true.” Adir turns towards the exit of the stables, where Gideon stands. The two exchange a few words before my friend walks over to me.
“Where are my sister and Catherine?”
“Waiting outside. Sir Adir is going to try and talk them out of riding after all this.” He shrugs a little helplessly. “He promised the Princess he would join her on a ride, she is likely going to make him take her anyway.”
“These two are way more trouble than one Kingdom should possibly handle,” Sebastian smirks.
I decide to ignore his comment as I turn to face him. “That lasso throwing you did with the sword was really incredible,” I praise him.
“Thanks. I was not sure if it would end up catching the blade as it did, it was all luck.” I can tell he says it to silence my praise, but I have the distinct feeling that it was not simply luck. It was skill, he knew exactly what he was doing. I choose not to press the issue.
“Ziv, would you like to go on a ride? The stars are bright, the moon is full.” As if she understands my plea, she nudges my palm enthusiastically in answer to my words.
“How is it that trouble always finds us when we are around each other?” Hector questions as he unlatches Rigel’s stall door.
I smile at my friend. “I guess it is destiny's way of building our friendship?” I remark lightheartedly. Sebastian heads over to his own horse’s stall. Gideon first saddles Adir’s horse before saddling Canicus. By the time Esther, Catherine and Adir walk into the stables all four of the horses are ready. “Looks like you were not able to talk them out of going,” I muse.
“As stubborn as mules,” Gideon comments, which receives him a punch to the shoulder from Catherine as she walks past him.
“Adir can I ride Ziv with Kage?” Esther begs as she comes to a stop in front of the stunning, radiating Unicorn. She affectionately nuzzles Esther’s hands.
“I would feel better if you rode with me, Your Highness.”
“Please, Adir.”
“Apparently what I say today is utterly pointless,” Adir mutters under his breath before he grabs Argo’s reins from Gideon and guides the way out of the stables. All of us follow right behind him. “Stay close together at all times. I have somewhere I want to take you.” As we exist the stable two guards approach us with cloaks in hand. “Put these on,” he commands us. All the cloaks are dark gray, so it does not matter which one we grab. Once all six of us have our cloaks in place Adir mounts his large seal brown stallion. He waits until Esther and I are mounted on Ziv, and Gideon, Hector and Sebastian are also mounted before he nudges his heels into his horse’s sides to encourage him onward.
Chapter Eighteen:
♞ Sebastian Ari: ♞
The courtyard is still plenty busy, so no one notices us leaving through the large gates.
When we are several leagues away from the Castle a single clear whistle echoes in the air. It takes me a moment before I realize that the noise comes from Adir. Within only a couple of heartbeats, a flap of wings sounds overhead and, in a flash of movement, a shimmering golden-silver feathered bird soars down from the night sky and lands on Adir’s shoulder. The small creature seems to be illuminating.
“What is that?” Esther inquires curiously. In response the bird cocks its head towards her, staring at us with beaming crystal eyes. A low sounding screech emits from it.
“This is Apollo, he is a Firebird,” Adir answers.
A snicker of laughter rumbles from deep inside me. “A Firebird named Apollo, how perfect.”
“Perfect, how?” Catherine inquiries from her seat behind Gideon.
“In Greek mythology, Apollo is the god of light, music, and poetry. The Firebird is a nocturnal bird as at night this bird illuminates the land that it flies over. It is said that a feather from its tail can light up a dark room. It is also said that when they sing it is a sound so glorious that a pearl is rumored to fall from its beak.” My random knowledge of things like this seems to surprise her. “The name Apollo fits,” I conclude.
“I am shocked that you know so much about Greek mythology and these rare birds,” Adir comments. “That is rather remarkable.”
“Most of it I learned from my mother. She loved creatures of all shapes and sizes, especially the rare ones of folklore. She believed in the Creator, but she loved learning about different beliefs and cultures. ‘Knowledge is power,’ she used to say.”
“Duchess Elizabeth was right,” I can detect a trace of warmth in Adir’s words. “Before she was sent to LionsShield when she found out she was ill, she spent most of her time with Her Majesty. Their conversations were always so much more interesting to listen to than His Majesty's and Duke Ari’s.”
“I always felt the same,” I agree. I allow my eyes to lift to the starry host above our heads. Elizabeth was not my real mother, she was not the woman that gave birth to me, but blood or not, she was always my mother. As a child, it was always her arms that I would run into when I was scared. In the middle of the night after a nightmare, I would crawl into her bed and she would comfort me with soft lullabies.
A smile lifts the edges of my lips at the sweet image of her beautiful face.
“How did you meet Apollo?” I hear Catherine question Adir.
“It was during a battle against the Southern Kingdom a few years ago. I was still new to being a Knight, it was one of my first real battles. I was naive and my foolishness got me severely injured. Fortunately, I was able to escape into a grove of trees. As night crept in, I was sure I was going to die. Either by drowning in my own blood or by being devoured by one of the many savage beasts. I woke up to the pain of a Crocotta tearing his teeth into my flesh. That is when Apollo descended from the dark tree branches, blazing in a golden flame. The Crocotta ran off in agony. Apollo then landed on my chest and his radiating light began to fill my body. I do not know how he did it, but he sang over me and by morning I was healed.” Adir is silent for a moment before adding, affectionately. “The two of us have been friends ever since.”
“Sounds almost like how Ziv became our friend,” Esther speaks up from the Unicorn. “She helped us out during a time when we really needed it.”
“Come this way,” Adir encourages us. Along the moonlit path, he veers off into the grassy hillside. When we reach the top of the hill, he halts his horse and each of us do the same. He motions to the illuminated trees that stretch out in front of us. “Many centuries ago, before TigersKeep Castle was even built, this is where TigersKeep used to stand. It was a small Castle, back before LionsShield, FoxGuard, PanthersGate, DragonsDome or WolfCrest were established within the Kingdom as StrongHolds. During a great battle, most of the Castle was destroyed, even though the battle was won. The King and his advisors decided to rebuild TigersKeep to where it stands today.” He nudges his heels into his stallion’s sides to encourage him to trot onward. “The ruins of that Castle still remain here.”
“I have never seen ruins around here,” Esther speaks up. As my eyes roam over to the Prince and Princess, I notice Ziv pawing at the ground in excitement once we enter the forest.
“The ruins of the Castle are farther up.” We trot on for several minutes before a small clearing opens up in the trees, revealing a waterfall cascading into a pool. Moonlight dances across the water, making it glisten. A refreshing breeze soars through the forest, blowing across the falling water and spraying us in the face. “It is so beautiful!” the Princess and Catherine gasp in unison. I cannot stop myself from smiling as my gaze shifts from the natural beauty in front of us to look over at Catherine as she dismounts Cancius to walk across to the pool. As it does with the water, the moonlight dances across her long black hair. The sparkling wonder in her yellow-green gaze, which I cannot see their color, only the shimmering light. “She is so beautiful, even in the moonlight,” I whisper quietly.
“Yes, she is,” Hector silently agrees. “You must really like her,” he adds, careful not to speak loud enough for anyone else to hear
him.
“Yeah, I do…” I confess. My attention is forced to move from Catherine as Apollo takes flight and soars across the pool of water and straight up the waterfall. The light from his feathers flicker off the surface as he effortlessly flies up to the cliff near the top of the waterfall where a cluster of trees are visible only from the moonlight. As the Firebird lands on the highest branch, his blazing light illuminates the treeline. Revealing something hidden within the cover of undergrowth in the darkness. Large debris of stone walls lay on the forest floor, barely noticeable. Only a few sections of the old Castle still stand covered in a thick mass of foliage. The light of the bird reflects on the wall in the center, where the Tiger Emblem stares at us.
“Remarkable.” Hector says aloud.
“It is. When I see how the TigersKeep Crest remains even through the centuries, it gives me hope that our people will continue to live on no matter what battle we face.” Adir remarks.
I look over at the Head Knight to watch as he looks up into the starry sky above us. “I truly feel like I am in the presence of greatness every time I am around him. Gideon is lucky to stand in the shadow of such a Knight as Sir Adir,” I whisper only loud enough for my brother to hear me.
“I have never heard you speak so highly about anyone before, aside from mother of course,” at his response I revert my eyes to him and slowly nod at his words.
“How amazing!” Esther’s tone is filled with excitement, interrupting me. “Can we go up there?”
“Of course not,” Adir chastises her. “There are several Púca that live inside the ruins. They mean us no harm as long as we stay away.”
“What is a Púca?” Catherine inquires.
“Púca are spirits that usually reside around ancient stones or ruins, right Sir Adir?” I inquire.
“Correct. The ones here can even shapeshift into different creatures.” He motions towards Apollo. “They are smart enough to leave Apollo alone.” A silence lingers for a couple minutes as we all take in the beauty of the moonlit waterfall one last time before Adir speaks up. “Let’s head back.”
Instead of walking back to Gideon and his stallion Catherine stops at Obi’s side. I offer my arm and effortlessly she accepts my help of mounting behind me. Her arms wrap around my waist as I nudge my steed onward to follow after everyone else. “It is such a magical place.”
“It certainly is.” I agree.
Up ahead Ziv gallops out of the forest several paces ahead of us. Esther stretches out her arms from behind Kage and tosses back her head. The moon shining upon her jet-black hair. “I was born to ride a Unicorn!” she calls into the night sky.
Catherine laughs out loud at the sight of the Princess. “My cousin is crazy,” the warmth and affection in her tone is undeniable.
“Seems to me like it runs in the family,” I smirk. In answer I feel her knuckles make contact against the back of my shoulder.
Once we reach the Courtyard, I spot a young girl with black long hair and wide blue eyes dash out of one of the houses. She stops at the sight of Adir and urgently runs over to him. “Sir Adir!” she pants once she comes to a halt in front of his large stallion.
“What is wrong, Annabella?” the Knight gently inquires.
“It is my mama; she is about to have the baby!!”
Before her words can even finish Adir is flinging himself out of the saddle. “Gideon get His Highness and Her Highness back to their chambers. Hector go wake the physician and tell him Darla is in labor. Hurry, go!” I watch my brother nudge his heels into his horse’s sides and rides off. “You two come with me!” he calls to Catherine and I as he follows the little girl inside the house.
“Mister Adir!” a girl, probably a couple of years older than Annabella, but with the exact same hair and eye color, speaks up from her spot next to the bed. A woman, with light golden hair and green eyes, lays in the bed gasping in pain. Apparently, neither of the girls look anything like her.
Along the other side of the bed a tall boy stands, like his mother he does have light golden hair and big green eyes. He gently touches her forehead with a wet washcloth.
I notice two other toddlers silently sobbing in the corner of the room. ‘Each of these kids must look like their father,’ I absently think to myself.
I watch Adir step into action by moving to the woman’s side. “Valentino, where is your father?” he questions the boy.
“He had to ride out to LionsShield with some other soldiers. We were not expecting mother to go into labor for another couple of weeks.” His eyes lift up to Adir, almost in a panic. “She is in a lot more pain than with any of her other births. Do you think something is wrong?”
“Is mommy going to die?” the girl in the corner cries out. I cross the room and crouch down in front of both the toddlers. “Sir Adir will do everything he can to help your mom.” I place a gentle hand on both of their shoulders and smile. “How about we go outside and count the stars? You can even meet my horse, how does that sound?”
“O...okay.” the black haired boy agrees. He takes his sister’s hand to offer her the strength to stand.
I catch the look of gratitude that Adir sends my way before I head out of the house. “This is my horse, his name is Obi,” I say once we come to a stop in front of the dark chestnut stallion.
“He is so huge!” the boy squeals. “Can I sit in his saddle?”
I slide my hands under his arms, and, with one quick motion, I lift him into the saddle. Once he is seated, I lift the girl into my arms to allow her to touch Obi’s long muzzle. “What are your names?” I inquire. I can hear the pained screams coming from within the house, but I hope by keeping them distracted the children will not hear it.
“My name is Valerio, that is my little sister Valeria. She is two and I am four now. What is your name?”
“It is nice to meet you both. I am Sebastian.” I glance at Valeria as she wraps her arms around my neck to shy away from Obi’s nuzzles.
“That tickles,” she giggles.
“He can be pretty demanding with affection,” I chuckle. I stroke the horse’s neck. “He is a good horse; he will not hurt you.”
“I like horsies,” she cooes.
A few minutes pass before Hector rides up with an older man seated on the back of Rigel. The man dismounts and disappears into the house. “Valeria, Valerio this is my brother, Hector,” I introduce.
Hector dismounts the stallion and guides him over to us. “Hey there.”
“Was that man the doc?” Valerio inquires curiously. His wide blue eyes focus on the door as another scream, louder than any of the others, emits from within the house. “Can he save mama and the baby?”
“They are in great hands,” I reassure him. ‘Can I really promise him something like that? Of all people, I know fate is never that predictable.’ I have to shake my head a couple of times to clear my mind.
By the time the screams have stopped Valeria has fallen asleep in my arms, and Valerio went from sitting on Obi to riding in circles on Rigel with Hector.
“Mister Adir said you can bring them back inside now.” the oldest girl says as she opens the door. We follow her back inside.
“Look, Valerio, you have two new baby siblings.”
“Two?” Valerio runs up to the edge of the bed and stares at the crying babies. Adir holds one in his arms while Catherine cradles the other in her arms. Adir gently places the little boy into Darla’s arms. “What are their names?” he questions.
“Well, I was thinking you and Valeria can decide that.”
Valeria, who has been awakened by the sound of the crying, lifts her head off my shoulder and rubs her tired eyes. “Mommy?” I carry her to the bed and carefully set her down next to her mother, who gives me a warm-hearted smile. “Thank you,” she whispers to me.
“Are they boys? Will I have two new brothers?” Victor excitedly inquires. His eyes are wide with wonderment.
“You have a new brother, and a new sister,” she answers softly. Obvious
ly, she looks and sounds exhausted.
Surprisingly Victor is quiet for a few moments before he finally speaks up. “I think his name should be Adir, like Sir Adir. That way he will be strong like him too.”
I look at the Knight and watch the sincere joy shine in his gray-blue eyes. “I do not deserve such an honor as that, Victor.”
“Yes, you do!” In unison, all five of the kids, and even Darla herself disagree with him.
Hector, Catherine and I do not bother trying to stop the laughter that escapes us.
“We are all in agreement then,” Darla softly speaks up. “His name will be Adir Hope. How about for our new little princess?”
Valeria crawls higher onto the bed once Catherine rests the baby girl into Annabella’s arms, who sits on the edge of the bed. Valeria peers into the face of her new sister. “How ‘bout Ava, Ava Grace?” her sweet tired sing-song voice speaks the name.
A murmur of agreement goes around the family before Darla nods her own approval. “Welcome to the family Adir and Ava! I am going to be a great big sister, just like Athena and Annabella have been to me! You two are never gonna be alone, ever.”
“Such lucky babies,” I hear Catherine whisper as she walks over to my side. “We should leave them alone now.”
“Yeah.”
“I will ride out in the morning to LionsShield to inform Efrain of their birth. I will bring him back safely for you, Darla,” Adir reassures her. “Congratulations on your healthy babies.”
“Thank you so much, Sir Adir.”
Together Adir, Hector, Catherine and I leave the house and gather our horses'. “That was incredible!” Catherine gasps aloud.
I look at her to see the glow beaming in her beautiful eyes. ‘She is so amazing,’ I think to myself.
“You did a wonderful job helping Darla during her delivery. You stayed calm even when it seemed like we might lose the babies. Well done, Lady Catherine,” Adir praises.
“Thanks, Sir Adir.”
“I am starving,” Hector murmurs tiredly.
I laugh in response to my brother’s words. “Maybe we can fish out some leftovers from the kitchen,” I suggest.