Knight

by RA. Gil

  The blood that trickled down the shimmering crystals triggered a reaction as, consequently, Doug's tears fell from his eyes. The throne began to emit an eerie, bright, white light that soon swallowed the whole castle and seemed to have frozen time. The soul of the princess was seen circling her lover, kissing him passionately.

  Her voice echoed as memories flashed on Valeriana's screen. 'My only wish is to see the paradise to which the crystal throne leads. It shall offer me salvation—a salvation for my lonely soul. I wish to find sanctuary from my father's evil clutches—I wish to leave his side. To be used by him is something which I greatly detest.'

  Then Doug's voice came next. 'What's the use of paradise when you have me? Let me offer you salvation. You can find sanctuary in my arms.'

  The princess gazed pleadingly at Doug. “Come with me, my love.” She crooned in his ear, her voice echoing like those of chiming bells.

  Doug caressed the hand held against his face. “As much as I want to, I cannot. As a knight, I have responsibilities which tie me down. To leave those duties behind will forever leave me disgraced.”

  “But, my love, heaven is not without you by my side.” She replied. “Come with me. Let us be together.”

  The light slowly began to suck her in. The girls began crying in despair even more.

  “I . . . am sorry.” He told her. “Even if I want to . . .”

  “Doug!”

  The princess began to shed tears as her grip slowly slipped. Doug took hold of her wrists, holding her close and pulling her towards him to give her one, last, passionate kiss. They savored the moment their lips touched until the princess got pulled away from her lover slowly.

  “Goodbye, Miradhea.” Said the knight.

  “Doug . . .” The princess sobbed. “I love you.”

  With that, the light got even stronger and the princess allowed her hands to part from that of Doug's. When everything seemed to have been bathed in the blinding light which exploded right after, Doug slumped to the ground. The gates to the crystal throne were then closed, leaving a broken hearted man to himself.

  “And I, you.” Said Doug.

  The ending credits rolled.

  “Noooo!” Tamara cried and she grabbed Valeriana by the shoulder, who was sobbing. “I need the next one to this, Valeriana! It cannot end this way! It simply cannot!”

  “As much as I want to,” Valeriana sniffed. “We'll need to wait until they decide to release the next movie. The most possible time is next year.”

  “What about those?” Tamara asked, pointing to the other boxes of CD next to the laptop.

  “Those are the first movies prior to this one.” She answered.

  “Let's watch it!”

  “Er . . .” The girl hesitated. “My laptop doesn't have any more battery. I need to charge it, although I don't think it's possible.”

  “What do you need?” Tamara asked.

  “A socket, probably. Most importantly, I need electricity.”

  “Electricity?” The third-ranker scrunched her brows.

  “The computer is powered by electricity. It needs electricity to function.” She told her.

  “RAZIEL!” Tamara screamed.

  “And what can I do to be of service to you, ladies?”

  Tamara turned to Valeriana. “Raziel can help.”

  “How?”

  “He is able to manipulate electricity upon will.”

  “Oh, really?” Valeriana smiled up at the sixth-ranker.

  Raziel smiled arrogantly. “Why, of course.”

  “Cool!” She said and plugged in the charger to the laptop. She handed the other end of the charger which was used to plug into the socket to Raziel with a big grin. “Hold this.”

  “Hm?” Raziel stared at the object in wonder.

  “Now, do it.” The fifth-ranker told her.

  “Wait a moment.” Raziel tugged off the gloves on his hands before summoning the electricity. His fingers sparked visibly and Valeriana could hear a sharp crackling in the air like whip.

  She turned towards her laptop and saw the fact that her computer was charging. “You're awesome, Raziel!”

  “I know.” Raziel said.

  “Now, hold it like that for at least two hours and we're good.”

  “Yeah, alright—wait. WHAT?” His eyes bulged. “THAT LONG?”

  “We need to store the energy on the computer, so yeah. That long.” She nodded.

  Raziel almost withered on the spot. He held the charger, staring at it solemnly as it conducted the electricity from his hands.

  Valeriana snapped the laptop close, folding it gingerly. She then stood up to grab the last of the packages out and bring them up to her room. She shared the few treats her mother sent her with the circle, so the Oreo cookies she received were easily consumed. She was just about to reach the box when suddenly, a knock called her attention.

  Valeriana instinctively turned and ran to get it instead. “I'm on it!” She exclaimed.

  When the door swung open, the headmaster came to sight. “Good evening, Valeriana.”

  “Headmaster!” She smiled, the declaration alerting the twelve. “Come in.” She made way for him to pass and the man happily obliged, stepping into the room while looking around.

  “As enthusiastic as always I see. Hmm . . .” The man nodded approvingly as he looked about. “The cleanliness certainly improved. I'm guessing I have no need to hire another person to clean up the mess you make?”

  Valeriana's jaws dropped open. “Huh? What did you say?”

  He turned to Valeriana. “I usually hire someone to clean up for the circle. You see, they tend to get messy sometimes. But the servant in charge of this called for a vacation before the start of the new semester, and you see, none was able to replace her. I tend to find the Twelve's dormitories in a very dirty state since then . . . until you came, that is.”

  Valeriana glared at the other rankers. “So is this why you made me your slave? Because you had no one to clean for you?”

  “That is one of the reasons.” Charles said, fixing his glasses. “However, we were wondering about how long you'll last so we decided to try you out. It's killing two birds in one stone. Don't you think so, too?”

  “You're all horrible!”

  Tamara laughed. “Don't be like that, Valeriana. We're forever grateful to you and your kindness.”

  “Well,” she crossed her arms stubbornly, frowning. “You better hire another janitor, headmaster, because I am no longer cleaning.” She huffed.

  Headmaster Kylon chuckled before reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. “I see. Then, I shall call for a servant soon enough. No need for worries.”

  “Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?” The fourth-ranker offered, beckoning for Kylon to settle on one of the open chairs.

  Kylon sat with a sigh. “Ah, yes, please.”

  “I'll brew it right away.” Charles stood up from his seat and stalked towards the kitchen.

  “The polite and courteous one as always.” He muttered.

  “What brought you here, headmaster?” Asked Corvan, setting aside the book he was reading and fully turning his attention to his visitor. “Have you got news?”

  “Pardon me.” He told them. “Was I interrupting anything before I came? You seemed to have been busy a while ago, so I chose not to bother.”

  “You were here before?” Elfre asked in chorus with Aneeka.

  “I was.”

  “Why didn't you say anything?” Keelan inquired, taking the seat on the loveseat opposite to the headmaster and pulling Valeriana down to sit with him. “We could've prepared these delicious cookies for you.”

  “Ha!” Aneeka scoffed. “Like you would even offer anything that can be called food.”

  “I'm willing to share!” He protested.

  “I'll go prepare the cookies, then.” Valeriana stood up and took a few packets of Oreo from the box before proceeding to the kitchen to get a plate. The girl assumed she could prepare the co
okies with the tea, if Charles would accept.

  The moment she entered the kitchen area, a fine scent wafted under her nose and she instinctively sniffed. She breathed it in, feeling the calmness set in.

  “Do you need anything, Valeriana?” He asked.

  “I was just hoping if I can add these cookies to the tea you're preparing?” She suggested.

  “Preferably the tea shouldn't be that sweet, then.” He said.

  “Cool!” She exclaimed, grabbing a dessert plate from a drawer and putting the cookies on them. She carefully arranged the food artistically, admiring her work which she finished later on. “But I love these best with milk.” She said to no one in particular.

  “You should've said that a while ago.”

  She turned to Charles with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

  It wasn't more than a few moments later that everything was prepared. Charles and Valeriana came out with the treats and the tray of steaming hot tea. They placed the food on the coffee table circled by the seats where everyone sat before taking their place and relaxing next to the others.

  “So what did you come here for, Headmaster?” Valeriana took the liberty of asking, since they seemed to have been immersed in a different topic a while ago.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” He said. “I came here to deliver news to you, Valeriana.”

  “To me?”

  “I heard you were in no good condition a while ago, so I thought this was the best time.”

  He poured himself some tea and took a cookie off the plate. He munched on it first and went speechless when the crunch resounded from inside his mouth. Everyone smiled at his reaction, knowing how he felt when the flavor hit his tongue.

  “This is surely a strange treat, but delicious nonetheless.” He said, swallowing the whole thing.

  “So, you were saying . . . ?” Brindon quipped.

  “Oh, right.” He sipped the tea. “This is of utmost importance.”

  “Please cut to the chase.” Valeriana told him restlessly.

  The headmaster laughed. “Then, no more beating around the bush. You're meeting the king, Valeriana. Tomorrow, to be more precise.”

  “THE KING?” Elfre screamed.

  Her eyes bulged from their sockets. The others were shocked as well.

  “Why?!” She gasped.

  “The king is interested in meeting you.” He answered. “You can take it up to Lord Aeron should you have questions.”

  “Lord Aeron? Seriously? What's up with that old man?” She growled. “Does he plan on giving me a heart attack?”

  “I, myself, do not know what goes inside his head.”

  “I do hope this is a good thing.” She muttered. “But the problem is it's not!”

  “This is . . . unexpected.” Tamara laughed and doubled over. “Larkov! Valeriana! Meeting the king! This is going to be epic!”

  “It's not funny.” She sighed. “This is bound to turn out bad. What got into Lord Aeron in the first place?”

  “Can we come, Headmaster?” Tamara inquired.

  “I doubt I can allow you to.” He answered. “It'll be embarrassing, not to mention rude, if all of you go with Valeriana, when she's the only one invited.”

  “Awww!” Tamara whined.

  The headmaster then turned to the human girl. “So, Valeriana, prepare yourself.” He told her. “After classes tomorrow, we will immediately head to the royal palace.”

  She jumped out of her seat. “That SOON?”

  “Relax, Valeriana.” He chuckled. “But try to get yourself to look presentable before so. Preferably, dress in something formal.”

  “Where the heck am I—”

  “I can lend you some of my clothes!” Genevieve exclaimed.

  “Your clothes probably won't fit her.” Tamara said, knowing Genevieve possessed a smaller frame than Valeriana. “I'll lend you some of mine since we're somewhat the same size, instead.”

  Everyone stared at Tamara in shock. Needless to say, the look on the other eleven's faces were filled with astonishment—eyes wide and mouth hanging open. No one could bring themselves to believe that someone like Tamara—with her unfeminine way of behaving and uncouth attitude—would have clothes like dresses and such.

  “What?” She raised a brow at them, crossing both her arms and legs. “Just because I'm like this doesn't mean I lack the proper wardrobe for a woman.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Even though, I don't like it, my father insists on sending me those stupid things. As if I wear them anyway.”

  “Pretty typical of him.” Charles held a look of sadness and another kind of emotion which Valeriana couldn't discern.

  Tamara's cheerful face faltered for a mere second before immediately disappearing, as if it never came at all. Valeriana sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, looking between the two with confusion riddling her eyes. She didn't know what just happened, but she had a feeling they remembered something unpleasant and caused the sudden change in the mood. She had no clue what they were talking about at all, and felt the need to be let out of the dark.

  “I don't like wearing those things anyway. They're really hard to move in.” She commented. “You can have them all if you like.”

  “Huh? Uh . . . no.” Valeriana shook her head. “Just letting me borrow one is fine.”

  “Well, suit yourself. But you're welcome to take away a few if you so wish. I need some space in my wardrobe so I can put in some of my other clothes that I can use.” She said.

  “Yeah. Sure. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.”

  Tamara shrugged before leaning back on her chair and relaxing, both hands folded against the back of her neck. She yawned loudly and muttered something incoherent before closing her eyes and deciding it would be nice to fall asleep on the sofa in the middle of a conversation with the headmaster.

  “Pardon me.” Charles stood up and collected the tray with the tea. “I'll go fetch some more tea.”

  “But that one's still full.” Keelan reasoned.

  “A cold one will not do.” He argued.

  “But that's still warm.”

  “It needs more sugar.”

  “But the sugar's right here.” Keelan argued again.

  “I'll just go get some more. These don't seem sufficient enough.”

  He was answered by silence, but all eyes followed him as he disappeared into the kitchen. Valeriana was way more confused than she ever felt her entire life. Something wrong was going on and it was obvious with the way the third and fourth-ranker acted. There was something between the two of them which the girl didn't know.

  “Anyhow,” the Headmaster stood up with a deep sigh. “I'll be going now. Tea was great, everyone. I'll see you soon, Valeriana.” He head out towards the door.

  As soon as he disappeared, Valeriana eyed the snoring Tamara and knew that she was just acting. Everyone knew she was wide awake and that she was faking her sleep. Still, no one said a thing and remained silent, knowing whatever bothered the both of them was something they shouldn't discuss about with the current situation at hand.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight ♣ The Reflection

  Valeriana felt anxious about having to meet Valemnia's current monarch. The whole day, she spent nothing but thinking about what she was supposed to do. Needless to say, she was worrying about trivial, not to mention absurd, matters such as not being liked by the king and being suddenly thrown off into a pit of snakes to die.

  Despite of the anxiety for the upcoming dinner with royalty, Valeriana also had the event which happened yesterday prodding the corners of her mind. The way Charles and Tamara acted last night was totally out of their character. She wanted to ask the two of them about it, especially Charles, and see if she could get them to talk about it. But, with the current situation at hand, it was impossible.

  When the time came that Valeriana needed to get herself prepared, all the girls—including her only girl aide—rushed to her side in order to help.
They all looked excited that they rivaled Valeriana's enthusiasm.

  Deciding not to question the reason for their behavior, she went silently along with how everything went. It eventually led to the point where she was forced to keep her mouth shut while everyone around her picked what she was supposed to wear and such.

  Tamara's room was, as expected, grand. Her bedroom was luxurious and was slightly larger than Valeriana's. She had a round canopy bed dressed in velvet duvet and walls covered in shelves of books that it could rival the library.

  Still, it was nothing girly.

  Shock was an insufficient word when they saw her walk-in closet. Practically, half of the entire room was filled with intricately decorated ball gowns, casual dresses, formal dresses, and others. Her collection made all the girls scream when they saw how beautifully made everything was. They felt somewhat sorry they weren't being used.

  Valeriana saw a red dress from the corner of her eyes and pulled it out. When she examined how it looked, she saw frills running down from the right. It was laced with ruffles and black trimmings that the crimson color was emphasized even more. Even so, she put it back since it was low-cut, not to mention a bit puffy.

  “What kind dress do you think will suit Valeriana?” Genevieve asked, holding a pink, bejeweled gown in her arms.

  “Hey, guys! Take it easy! I'm not going to a party or anything.”

  They didn't even glance her way.

  “I think something with those gold curly things.” Aneeka answered.

  “This?” She pulled out an insanely gold dress from top to bottom.

  “What? No! That's too much!” Aneeka shook her head furiously at Genevieve's suggestion and pushed the dress back. “I said curly things! Not an overly golden gown! Are you insane?”

  “Ah, I see.” She nodded.

  “Then why don't you try this one?” Elfre suggested as she pulled out a gown from her side and held it out for them to see.

  The gown was sky-blue and, like Aneeka wanted, had small embroideries sewn on the fabric with a golden thread. Those designs were only evident on each side of the dress. The front was decorated with small, glittering jewels arranged to make up shapes. The fabric was made entirely of fine silk which looked undoubtedly smooth to the touch. The simplicity of the dress's design made it look all the more pretty. It was the one that suited the girl the most.