A Kingdom of Shadow

by Clara Johnson

  “You—Who are you?”

  He stepped back and gave a small bow. “My name is King Jared of the Kingdom of Elra. I know you have a lot of questions, but please,” he gestured to the table, “sit with me and eat. You look famished.”

  This place . . . it was his palace? He is a king? I felt for sure now that all of this was a dream—it was the only logical conclusion.

  I must’ve had a stood there for a moment too long because the man—king, put his hand behind my back and gently pushed me towards the table. My stomached growled at the thought of food. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate—or how long I had been unconscious. The king pulled back my chair—a perfect gentlemen.

  The food was a variety of meats and loaves of bread from what I saw, making it all look delectable. My eyes wandered the room seeing if my family was here with me, but there was no sign of them which gave me a ping of guilt in my chest that I was eating this without them.

  “Thank you,” I said as I filled my plate. The lack of my family’s presence made me take only small bites.

  The knight across the seat from me gave me a questioning look as if I was some type of puzzle he was determined to figure out. When our eyes met, I nodded with a half-smile to be polite and he went back to his food. After several minutes, I decided to break the silence.

  “Um, Your Majesty—”

  He raised a hand, “Please, just Jared.”

  The sudden correction caused me to pause. I had never heard of a king being referred to as anything but “Your Majesty.” It made me uncomfortable to refer to him by his first name but I felt as though I was in no position to deny him his request.

  “Jared,” I corrected. “Where are my mother and brother? Did they come here as well? Are they safe?”

  His face was grim, mirroring the same expression as his knight. It was as if they knew something I didn’t—something bad. A lump formed in my throat expecting the worst.

  “Ellyn, traveling between your world and mine may have left your immediate memory foggy or unclear. What is the last thing you remember?” he said.

  I thought for a moment and concluded that there was a gap in my memory.

  “I remember . . . claws and red eyes. One pair had a golden ring around them. Albert . . . he was . . .” I trailed off. When I would try and pull the image from my mind, it was nothing but a blur, but I could feel a chill run across my skin as if I touched something very cold.

  “Several days ago, you and your family were attacked by what we call inferniwulves, or ‘wolves from fire.’ They were after me but when you brought me to your home, you became a threat to them,” he explained.

  Memories flooded back; there were three of them and I only managed to kill two of them. The one—the leader came in through the back door to my brother’s . . .

  My brother.

  The leader went into his room while I was fighting off the one that busted through the door. I never saw the second one but the leader . . . it killed my brother.

  Oh, Goddess.

  “I’m sorry, Ellyn, but your brother died trying to protect your mother.” I turned to face the king with watery eyes, remembering the screams as the demon wolf chewed on my brother’s lifeless body.

  He rose from his seat and kneeled next to my chair, his hand over my own.

  “I know this will be very hard for you, but he didn’t not die in vain. Your mother’s here as well. She’s been taken care of. She’s safe and I promise you that your brother will receive an honorable burial for his courage.”

  I tried to hear him—I really did. It was impossible for me to believe Albert didn’t die in vain. My mother was safe and alive, but my brother was dead trying to protect her. My body trembled as hot tears flowed down my cheeks. I choked on my breaths as if someone put their hands around my throat.

  Pulling my legs up to my chest, I gripped them hard to keep my entire body from shattering to a thousand pieces, but nothing could fix my broken heart.

  A chair slid on the floor and voices spoke words I had no comprehension of. Time seemed to stop, making everything else irrelevant. I didn’t even know Jared was speaking to me until he touched my shoulder.

  “Ellyn, I am so sorry. You need time to mourn. I’ll take you back to your room so you can have your privacy. If you need anything, my servants will tend to anything you may need. I must leave for the rest of the day, but you have my word that when you are ready I will answer any questions you may have. Right now, however,” he took my hands, pulled me up from my seat, and wiped away the tears on my left cheek, “you need time to absorb this.”

  I lowered my gaze feeling ashamed of myself for crying like this in front of a man I didn’t know. King or no king, I can’t let my pain show.

  He lifted my chin.

  “It’ll be alright. Take as much time as you need to. Let’s get you back to your home.” He offered me a small smile.

  Somehow, I felt mildly better. The last thing I would’ve expected from anyone was sympathy. It was so different when my father died, but it was welcomed.

  He offered his arm and against my better judgment, I took it. It made me nervous whenever a man wanted to touch me. After what Leo attempted to touch... I didn’t want anyone I didn’t trust to touch me. The addition to my anxiousness was when he placed his hand over my own as we made our way back to the bedroom.

  We said a small farewell before I closed the door, returning to the bed. It was only moments later when someone knocked.

  “Come in,” I said. A woman no older than early thirties entered. By her attire, I assumed she was one of the servants Jared mentioned.

  “My lady, I’m Mia. I’m here to serve you. Is there anything you need?” She stood straight, ready to accept orders. In a way, she was not very different from a typical soldier: dedicated to fulfilling her duties.

  “Hello, Mia. It’s nice to meet you.” I tried to smile and offered my hand. She stiffened, but I gestured again and she took it. She shook my hand with a loose grip.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I do not need anything.” I paused, contemplating. “Actually, can you tell me where my mother is?”

  “Aye, ma’am. I can take you to her or send her here if you like.”

  “Please, can you take me to her?”

  “Aye, ma’am. She is at the end of the hall.” She turned and I followed without hesitation.

  I wondered what Mother thought of this place and if she felt the same confusion I did. With the loss of her only son, I could only imagine how bad she was handling it. We were all we had left now of our family. The thought of it dropped weight on my shoulders.

  My only family left was Mother. I had lost everyone else in my life except for her. On top of it, we had lost our home to—inferniwulves is what he called them? Would there be any way for us to return after the attack? This was a palace. Mother and I had no place to be here.

  When we approached my mother’s door, I hesitated. Mia gave me a look, making me work up the courage to knock the door and face my mourning mother.

  “Mother? Are you in there? It’s me, Ellyn.” Moments later, Mother cracked open the door. She smiled then flinging it open.

  “Oh, Ellyn.” She embraced me. I didn’t return it right away—I couldn’t recall the last time mother had hugged me, but I finally hugged her back. My nose flares with the smell of her lavender perfume. She was the first to pull back.

  “Ellyn, this place—it’s beautiful. This is the home your father always wanted us to have. Our dream home,” she exclaimed.

  “Mother, about Albert’s . . .” I paused. Death. The word failed to leave my throat. All I could picture was his eyes staring back at me. Did she remember what happened?

  Mother shook her head. “I know.” She lowered her head for a moment then returned to my face. “He would not want us to . . . mourn him like we mourned your father. I miss him, but I also know he wouldn’t want us to spoil what the Goddess has given us. We have
a new home, Ellyn. He would want us to be happy.”

  Mother . . . she isn’t even upset about it? She’s already moved on from it?

  The urge to shake her out of this maddening mindset she placed herself in was too much. She treated his death as some type of sacrifice to the Goddess so we could have a better home? I knew Mother had lost a part of her sanity when my father died but this was too much! How could she be so calm about this? It was as if he was nothing more than a stranger who happened to live with us.

  “I’m glad to see you are fine, Mother. I just wanted to check on your well-being, but it seems you’re handling all of this just fine,” I snapped, turned on my heel and walked back to my room.

  I stormed into the room. “I can’t believe this! I just can’t!” I yelled. My bedroom door shut loudly causing me to jump.

  “My lady, may I speak freely?” Mia said. I didn’t realize she followed me in here.

  “Mia, I’ll always want you to speak your mind. You’re a person just like me. Neither beneath me nor above me,” I said, not turning to face her.

  She cleared her throat. “My lady, everyone handles death differently. I believe she’s trying to appear strong for you, so you don’t have a broken spirit as well as a broken heart.” I sat down at the vanity, looking at Mia’s reflection.

  “I’ve lost people as well,” she continued, “and I buried myself in work. I did what I thought was right to deal with it. I couldn’t lie in a bed for days. Weeks. I had to do something. Your mother . . . is doing what she feels is right. I admire her strength.”

  I was silent. Perhaps she was right; Mother lost my father in that accident. She lay in bed for months afterward, refusing to eat most of her meals. If I hadn’t forced food into her, she would’ve starved. I’d focused on keeping food on the table and taking care of Albert. My family wouldn’t have survived with all of us in mourning, laying in a bed all day. I was forced to take over for my mother ever since.

  “I suppose you’re right.” It was all I could say.

  Her reflection disappeared from my view.

  “Do what you must, my lady. I’m here if you need anything. I will leave you to your privacy,” she said before she left.

  Mia obviously had a past, but I wouldn’t push her to tell me any of it. I believed everyone was entitled to their privacy. To my surprise, she defended Mother. I suppose she did it so I could see the situation through my mother’s eyes. Maybe she felt that the man I carried home was some blessing from the Goddess.

  Of all the men that I could’ve crossed paths with, it was a king.

  He’d told me that Albert would have an honorable burial. Whether it was intentional or not, it was the least he deserved after everything he suffered through the past two years.

  When he first became sick in those first few months, I had to send word to a doctor in a nearby town to come and see him. The doctor did what he could, but he deemed his illness terminal and that there was nothing we could do. He said he assumed it was something with his chest that held the affliction and there was no safe treatment he could offer him.

  The doctor never returned, but his prognosis didn’t stop me.

  I went to Marion and asked for her help. Over the next year and a half, she and I made bargain after bargain to find the treatment Albert needed doing whatever chore or work she desired of me. In the end, all I believe I did was find a way to extend his life. We never found a cure. But it didn’t matter any longer. He was gone.

  And now my family laid in the mercy of a king I’d met in the woods injured and alone.

  What am I going to do?

  CHAPTER 8

  When the sun rose two days later, I was tempted to remain in bed. Part of me hoped that all of this was a dream—no, nightmare—and that everything would go back to normal. But the fact of the matter is, what was considered normal for me, was a hellhole to many others. My cottage was degrading into a pile of rubble while I was barely able to keep my family fed.

  I knew I should be grateful for what the king has done for me and my family, but I still couldn’t help but feel that this would mean I would owe the king a debt that I could never repay him. The question remains: what does he want with my family?

  All of this could just be his way of thanking us for saving his life. Although, he never directly said anything about it. I knew of no other way to know for sure unless I talked to him about it—to find out what he wants.

  I hadn’t known the king long enough to judge him accordingly; however, my gut told me that he was a good man. He could have easily left us there to die but he didn’t. I just wasn’t sure how or what to say to him exactly.

  Mia brought me a small tray of food and told me His Majesty would like me to join him for lunch if I desired company.

  So, the king wanted to see me. I had a hard time believing it was a simple lunch date.

  I was barely able to finish my breakfast because I was too anxious to know what the king wanted to see me for. Perhaps it was his way to check up on me. Or to tell me what he wants in return for saving my family.

  Mia left my room for a few hours before returning with a pile of clothes. She held up my stained shirt.

  “I was able to repair your . . . ‘clothes’—honestly, they were more like rags—but, here they are if you want them,” she said clearly disgusted.

  “Well clearly, I was saving my money to buy lavish dresses,” I joked.

  Mia didn’t smile. Instead, she seemed almost sad. I wondered if I accidently insulted her. She shrugged as she threw half the pile of clothes onto the chair.

  “I understand having very little. Anyway, I didn’t bother bringing you any dresses—I had the feeling you probably haven’t worn any in years so I brought trousers, boots, and a shirt.” She placed the clothes on the bed and organized them.

  The shirt was crimson with golden cuffs. The trousers and boots were black. Overall, they seemed simple. Exactly the way I liked them.

  “I hope they are to your liking. Red and gold are this kingdom’s colors, I suggest you wear them.”

  I picked up the shirt and held it against me. “They’re perfect Mia. Thank you.”

  “His Majesty will be waiting in the garden. I will return in ten minutes to fix your hair.”

  She lifted a handful of hair. “Hmm, it’s pretty, but it needs a comb.”

  I blushed remembering I hadn’t taken care of my hair since I bathed yesterday. “I usually keep it back in a braid. I’ve been tempted to cut it all off to save me the trouble.”

  She huffed. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t. Long hair suits you and His Majesty likes women with long hair.”

  I shot her a look.

  “Perhaps I should cut it all off, then.”

  Mia looked at me and suddenly burst into laughter. “Oh, my dear, you are a silly one.” And she left the room. She returned shortly after I’d dressed with a handful of brushes.

  Mia was certainly fierce with the comb. She braided half my hair into a crown and left the rest to lie on my back. She applied a light layer of makeup to my cheeks, eyes and mouth. When I gazed into the mirror, I saw a prettier version of myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I looked . . . girly.

  Mia gave me her approval and told me we needed to leave.

  Following her through the halls made me grateful she was directing me. I memorized two lefts and three rights, but I still felt lost in the labyrinth of this place.

  Outside, we stepped onto a gravel walkway surrounded by raised stone walls with exquisite flowers. They were a plethora of colors that seemed to have an unnatural glow about them as the sunlight touched their petals. It was truly beautiful.

  We reached a glass doorway.

  “Now, I assume you have table manners seeing as you didn’t have crumbs all over your face, but you must be on your best behavior.” She brushed off my shoulders.

  I rolled my eyes, feeling as though I was a child all over again being scolded for so
mething I did for the hundredth time.

  “I do plan to be on my ‘best behavior,’ but the king . . . His Majesty,” I corrected, “will need to understand that I’m not some groveling peasant girl. I didn’t ask for any of this.” I raised my hands.

  She shook her head. “Nevertheless, you’re here now. All I can tell you is to make the most of it.”

  She was probably right, but all I cared about was finding out why he’d brought us here and what he wanted from us.

  She opened the door and stepped through.

  “Your Majesty, Ellyn is here at your request.” She bowed.

  The king appeared in the doorway.

  “Thank you. Ellyn, please join me.”

  She curtsied, pushed me through the doorway, and closed the glass door. She shot me a look before turning away. It seemed she didn’t have faith in me. I would need to prove her wrong.

  I stood, unmoving about three feet from the king. He gestured to the small round table. I walked to it, and he pulled out my chair for me. I jerked slightly as if I were going to fall backward.

  The food consisted of small biscuits and wine on white plates with a golden trim. Back at home, those plates would’ve been worth quite the coin. I could’ve fed my family for a month.

  He frowned at me.

  “I am sorry. Do you not like biscuits?”

  “Oh no, I do. I was just—Never mind.” I didn’t want to tell him what I’d been thinking. He’d probably think I was planning to steal from him.

  He shrugged and took a sip of wine. I wasn’t sure how to speak to him or where I should begin. So, thanks for saving my mother and me. Hope your leg’s better. By the way, did you know that your plates could feed a starving family or two. How are you?

  “Your Majesty—”

  “Just Jared, please. I would prefer you to call me by my name.” He smiled.

  Heat rose my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to—”

  “Sitting and speaking to a king?” he finished for me.

  I nodded.

  “I come from a small village—so small that royalty wouldn’t even pass through it.”