The Woodland Tombs of Eliantar

by Gary Gaugler, Jr

  Chapter 13

  Ara had never been to such an elegant party in all of his life. The ballroom in Ivory Towers was exquisite. He was sure that it always looked beautiful, but the way it was decked out now was flawless with the dozens and dozens of Elites dancing in the midst of it and the minstrels filling it with the most beautiful music.

  The room was massive and circular with a giant staircase going right from the dance floor up to the main hall. The staircase had a regal crimson carpet flowing down the center with polished silver rails.

  The entire ballroom itself was the most pristine color of white. The floors were a polished ivory, as were the walls, columns and tables that bordered the room. Every table was covered with the rarest and most beautiful flowers from around the world as well as several small snow-white candles. On the walls as well were thousands of candles, high and low, keeping the entire room as luminous as daylight.

  Looking up, Ara saw that the entire ceiling was made of glass. This would have been an excellent place to look up at the starry sky, had all the lights in the room not blotted them out. There wasn’t a single trace of metal winding through the glass, but rather one magnificent chunk of glass shaped concavely over their heads.

  It was still about fifteen minutes before Prince Vale was scheduled to enter and already the room was packed. All around him stood the wealthiest and most well-to-do Elites in the world decked out in their formal clothes. All of them wore gaudy, beaded robes and gowns with sparkled masks of all different colors over their faces.

  “Maybe not the best idea at the moment,” Ara had muttered to Forr, before the party.

  “It’s tradition,” Forr had shrugged. “Hundreds of years ago, Elites hid their wealth for fear of being robbed or murdered for their money. They’d attend balls wearing masks so they could not be identified. It was a common occurrence that the King’s Balls would be filled with masked guests. And now it’s part of the custom.”

  Ara, himself, was not wearing a costume and he was thankful for it. As a member of the Regulation Committee, it was his job to stand out, not blend in with the other guests. He had been thrilled to get back and finally bathe and change his clothes, but he didn’t feel much more comfortable now. Forr had forced him to wear a midnight blue tunic over tan pants. The only saving grace was that his bare, muscular arms were exposed. He’d always hated sleeves and uncomfortable clothes. He had to admit that he looked nice in the outfit, but that didn’t change the fact that it simply didn’t fit his personality. He felt overdressed and a bit ridiculous. He found himself becoming more and more grateful that at least Forr hadn’t asked him to wear a little hat on top of his smooth head or the overbearing armor that Opo had worn.

  No matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t seem to fit the “royal mode” that Forr expected of him. The clothing was loathsome and even this magnificent party that was going on around him seemed a bit overdone. The only thing that got him through all of this splendor was knowing that Vale would be arriving shortly.

  He anxiously stared at the timepiece that he wore on his wrist. It wouldn’t be long now until Vale was here. This was the first time in the past week that he had been away from the Prince and he felt terribly lonely without him. For the first time in a long time, Ara realized, he had a friend. He began to chuckle to himself as he imagined what horror Forr was making him wear. He knew that Vale was sure to be just as miserable as he was.

  One of the things that Ara found most appealing about Vale was how he too rebelled against this money-obsessed society that they lived in. He didn’t enjoy attending galas in fancy dress any more than Ara did. He couldn’t deny one thing, however. No matter his negative opinion on the nobles, Crown Prince Vale of the Royal House of Procer looked best when he was being just that. His authority and determination when he wore the crown were not at all judgmental or superior, but rather determined and gracious. Ara found this trait that Vale exuded to be more than a little appealing. It was nice to be wrong about assuming that all nobles were selfish and spoiled.

  They had been through much together recently and this afternoon had certainly been no exception. Perhaps a fun evening was what they both needed. He had played and re-played the journal of Opo Scoloos in his head all day. It only served to further complicate matters.

  He looked around at the various other members of the Regulation Committee and wondered if they should be made aware of all of the developments. Plucid Duru of Errandomn and Volaticas Temed of Steedo were probably best kept out of the loop. Plucid was afraid of his own shadow and it was probably best to not disturb him anymore with stories of secret meetings that took place right in his own realm. Volaticas was looking for any reason to point out that Vale was an unfit ruler so it would be unwise to alert him of security issues. Still, if nothing else, perhaps he should be told about Destor’s apparent death in his realm of Steedo.

  The two stood in a corner talking to each other. Then again it looked as though Volaticas was doing all of the talking, while flipping his flowing blonde hair. Plucid nodded every few moments, but otherwise seemed uninterested. They did indeed seem to be a peculiar duo. One stood exuding confidence and robes that only masses of money could buy while the other was petrified at his own speaking voice and looked as though he’d dressed in the dark. Then again maybe they weren’t the worst pairing. Plucid was probably the only one in the whole world who would stand there and tolerate Volaticas’s self-praise for an extended period of time.

  Iradt Furich, Ambassador of Fornar and Prode Procer of Tacia stood against the opposite wall, also in conversation. This was also a strange twosome to see together. Prode was so silly and wound up and Iradt, as usual, looked terribly angry and stressed. Her gown was a deep burgundy, but had the telltale signs of Fornar all over it with the burn holes. As he watched Prode gabbed on and on, intermittently giggling at whatever he was saying, while Iradt paid him little mind.

  Ara was probably right in not telling either of them as well. Iradt worked herself into a rage over anything that wasn’t in order and Prode likely wouldn’t take it seriously anyway. Perhaps that was for the best, Ara realized. Prode not being all doom and gloom all of the time probably made him a kind and warm Ambassador.

  In contrast to his casual personality, Prode was dressed to the hilt in a long moss-green robe. He wore a necklace of green metal leaves. Ara watched as he whispered something to Iradt and then burst into uproarious giggles. This made Ara smile and shake his head. He was certainly as attractive as his brother, but clearly there was something to be said about the differences in their personalities.

  Lenta Benigg stood in the middle of the room talking to a whole group of masked Elites. She looked radiant as always with her cerulean dress and long dark curls swept up on her head. Surely she could be trusted with the new information. She had been through a lot with Vale and Ara in Quale. In his brief experience with her, she certainly appeared to be the wisest and most clearheaded. He decided it would be best if she was alerted to the new developments that had occurred. Before Ara could cross the room to speak with her, Forr’s voice echoed over the crowd.

  “Welcome to all for this most joyous of occasions. The rulers of Eliantar are always beloved and respected and so it is a great tragedy when one of them leaves us for the heavens. However, every tragedy has a silver lining, for there is always another to take over in their parent’s place. This occasion is no different. And so it is with great pleasure that I present to you the Crown Prince of Eliantar, Vale Procer.”

  You could hear a pin drop as Vale began to descend the wide staircase, followed by two members of the Royal Guard. Ara stared up at his friend in awe. He never looked more handsome. He wore a white body suit and white boots with a long blue robe over top, much like the one he wore when Ara had first seen him. His long, black hair hung down loosely and framed his handsome face well. Atop his head he wore a thin, silver crown.

  There was no d
enying it or rationalizing it any longer. Ara’s feelings for Vale were strong. He had never felt this way about any other Elite. Just watching Vale nervously glide down the stairs was enough to make Ara’s heart flitter. How he wanted to rush over and offer his support to the Prince.

  When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he crossed to the middle of the room and met Forr. Without a word, Forr reached up and removed the silver crown from Vale’s head. He handed it off to Prode, who had walked over as well. Smiling at his brother broadly, Prode turned and strode away to place the crown on a side table. The two guards who had escorted Vale stood guard over the Prince’s crown.

  “Never before has there been such a demand for a crown prince to be made King,” Forr beamed. “Clearly, this is a sign that your people need you more than you could’ve imagined and that is perhaps the greatest sign of success of all. Always remember that your duty is to protect the people of Eliantar. You must be strong, wise, kind, brave, and above all committed in order to achieve this goal. I have great faith and little doubt that you will exceed all of your peoples’ expectations in your new role as King of Eliantar.”

  A third guard had descended the staircase and handed Lenta a much larger, gold crown. She walked over and handed it to Forr, with a bow. Unlike the thin, silver one that preceded it, this one was much thicker with at least ten points reaching up from the band. Small red and blue jewels adorned it. Forr accepted it from Lenta and reached up, placing it atop Vale’s head.

  “May I be the first to present,” Forr grinned. “King Vale Procer, the newly crowned ruler of Eliantar and all who reside here.”

  The crowd burst into a volcanic applause. Vale looked over at Ara who smiled broadly. Vale turned a deep shade of crimson and smiled back.

  “It is my hope and desire to be as much a success and beacon of hope as my mother was to you,” Vale called out. “I promise that I will do my best to not let any of you down.”

  “Now let’s all celebrate this joyous occasion,” Lenta called out. “Minstrels, let the festivities begin.”

  A group of men in the corner began playing their instruments loudly with an addictive beat. Ara watched as all of the men and women around the room found partners and began to sway with each other hypnotically. The music, though beautiful, only added to the eeriness of all the nobles in their costumes. Several servants ran around the room, blowing out half of the candles, casting the room into a state of dimness.

  “Might I have this dance?” King Vale asked, now standing directly beside Ara, who smiled and took his hand. “It’s a bit eerie, isn’t it? I don’t think I like masks. It’s as though everyone in the room is hiding something. I’m finding more and more that people with secrets to hide are dangerous.”

  “It’s tradition, I’ve been told,” Ara said, still scanning the room. “But, I know what you mean. We’ve been encountering some treacherous people lately and the least settling thing I can think of is to be surrounded by a group of masked strangers. Security has been checking them though, so I think we’ll live through the night.”

  Vale stared into Ara’s eyes, “Let’s not focus on all of the things that are going wrong. Just for tonight, let’s pretend everything is okay. I know that seems like denying the inevitable, but once in a while I just need to take a break from the madness and concentrate on the beauty of life. At times it’s just nice to pretend that every story has a happy ending.”

  Ara pulled him slightly closer in response. It sounded like a supreme idea to him to just be and not focus on all of the things that had fallen apart. In fact it gave Ara, perhaps, the best feeling that he’d ever had.

  Throughout the next hour several Elites came up to wish Vale their best. Masked stranger after masked stranger shook Vale’s hand and patted him on the back as he continued to dance slowly with his bodyguard. Ara had to stay professional and try not to become annoyed at the constant interruptions and so politely smiled as Vale pulled away each time.

  “Best wishes, Your Highness,” Plucid Duru mumbled as he adjusted his baggy clothes. “It’s so good to have you safely back in the castle.”

  “He really is a nervous one,” Ara whispered after he had walked away. “Every time I’ve seen him or met him he seems as though he can’t keep still.”

  “Which is why we shouldn’t scare him more by telling him what we found out went on in Errandomn,” Vale echoed Ara’s earlier concern. “If he knew there was a meeting of witches in his realm, he’d relinquish his post. We can’t afford to lose any political figures right now.”

  “I can’t believe they still haven’t found out who was behind Opo’s death,” whispered Iradt from behind, her short, dark curls bouncing on her head. “There was a time when the Royal Guard would leap on such an attack and they would have brought those responsible to justice.”

  “Please Iradt,” Vale begged. “I assure you that it’s being handled. Can’t we just have fun tonight?”

  Iradt stepped closer and arched her back making her enormous cleavage bounce against Ara and knock him back a step. She stared at both with annoyance in her eyes before turning and stomping away in her singed dress.

  Vale and Ara chuckled a moment before falling back into their dance. In spite of the constant harassment from their guests and the seriousness of their state of affairs, they were happy. They’d finally found a moment when they were both truly at peace.

  “I still say it should have been me that was made King,” blurted out Prode, who had approached the dancing couple with Volaticas. “But, what can I say? Judging by the way the Elites are dressed tonight, it’s obvious they have no sense of class.”

  His giddy laughter echoed through the chamber as he clutched his stomach to contain himself. It really never occurred to him that no one thought he was as funny as he did.

  Volaticas Temed was trying his best not to look at Vale and when he did, his face was covered with disappointment and a hint of disgust. Now that it was official, he would have to show more respect. So he forced himself to give half of a bow before walking off with Prode, allowing King Vale to dance with Ara.

  “You certainly are surrounded by a group of interesting people,” Ara laughed as he continued to spin slowly around the floor. Vale said nothing, but smiled, resting his head on Ara’s shoulder.

  “I hate to intrude, Your Highness,” Lenta said with a bow. “I was hoping that I could borrow you for just a moment.”

  “Of course,” Vale replied. “Ara, would you join us?” he said to Ara as they followed Lenta Benigg across the tiled dance floor to the wall to an empty corner, where no one could overhear.

  “Forgive me for being so bold and for saying this right in front of Ara, but I don’t think you need me to tell you that your relationship with your bodyguard is becoming slightly inappropriate,” she whispered with a concerned look about her face. “Have you given it any thought at all?”

  “I know we’re having a good time,” Vale rebutted. “But, it’s part of the ruse. We can’t act like there is danger with all of these guests here or they’ll panic. Let’s face it. It wouldn’t kill any of us to just have fun for one night.”

  “I wasn’t referring to your carefree attitude tonight and you know it. You’re not listening to me. I’m trying to tell you that it is not appropriate for you to carry on this way with your bodyguard, acting as if you’re lovers. It just isn’t acceptable for the King of Eliantar.”

  “What?!” gasped Vale. “That’s not it at all. We’re just friends who have become very close in the past few weeks. We’ve spent almost every second together. There’s nothing more.”

  “Well I hope that’s all,” sighed Lenta. “I know it’s only natural, but please remember that it’s forbidden for a King or Queen of Eliantar to be in a relationship. Your spouse is Eliantar and, as you know, tradition allows you to have relationships for procreation only. I don’t want to see you be the first one in 2,000 years to create such a scan
dal, especially with your bodyguard. I don’t know why Forr wouldn’t have said anything to you about this sooner.”

  Vale took a deep breath, “I understand your concern, but really there is nothing to worry about. Although, I do have to say that I think that ‘rule’ is outdated and I’ve never been sure what the purpose of it is. Why shouldn’t the King or Queen have the same right to be happy that everyone else in Eliantar does? It makes it difficult to lead by example when there are such exceptions that do not allow that basic rule of thumb to be possible.”

  “It is outdated I suppose. I hypothesize that by disapproving of a marriage in the monarchy, but permitting procreation they can be sure that heirs are produced to keep the name going. It’s ridiculous because almost every Elite in the world lives with a member of their own sex and families have children in spite of that. Who knows the reasons behind it. There are Elites that are heterosexual, though rare. Perhaps the first King of Eliantar, your ancestor, was one of them.”

  “It never seemed to bother Mother that she couldn’t marry another woman,” Vale stated bluntly. “She never mentioned women or men for that matter. You don’t suppose she was heterosexual?”

  “Your mother was guarded about her personal affairs,” Lenta shrugged. “I do not know where her heart lied, but that’s nothing unusual. Most of the kings and queens throughout history presented themselves as asexual but had children with outsiders, probably other nobles and such. Anyway, my point is that you don’t have to be married or with a lover to be a good king. Also, I need to make it clear that your personal business is your personal business. Just please keep in mind that what it looks like is going on tonight, is frowned upon.

  “Besides that, Forr showed me Opo’s journal this evening. I think you’ve got bigger things to deal with than worrying about an illicit affair. We should start figuring out what we’re going to do about this Sorpa Veneficus woman before more time is wasted.”

  “Leave that to me,” Vale said, turning to leave. “I’m sending the Royal Guard after her tomorrow. According to Opo’s journal, she’s been in Tacia all along, which is where we were originally headed until Destor diverted us.”

  “Is it true that he’s dead?” she asked. “You found bloody articles of clothing and that was it?”

  “It appeared as though the Vintens got to him,” Vale smirked. “Anyway, it’ll take more than a couple of ruses to keep us from apprehending Sorpa this time. The secret will be out and I’ll have the entire Royal Guard scouring the forest realm for her by the time the second sun rises.”

  “Was it difficult for you?” Lenta asked, a bit uncomfortable. “I mean being in Steedo after what happened two years ago with your friend? I can’t imagine that was easy for you.”

  “It brought up a few bad memories,” Vale admitted. “It felt good to be there with Ara, though. I trust him.”

  They both shared an uncomfortable smile before parting ways. Vale walked back to over to the dance floor with Ara who now looked a little depressed.

  While they had been away, Ara had been practicing exactly what he wanted to say. He smoothed out his clothes and wiped the sweat from his bald head before Lenta had begun speaking. Now his hopes were dashed.

  “There’s something that I was going to say,” Ara said. “I’d been thinking about it for a while, but after your conversation with Lenta, there doesn’t seem to be a point.”

  Vale looked a bit confused at first. Then realization washed over his face as he realized what his dear friend was about to say. Ara watched his face turn a crimson red as the sweat began to dampen his brow. He looked at the ground and nodded his head.

  “It’s just that,” Ara began nervously. “I know that we come from different worlds and that I’m just a bodyguard from a peasant’s background. I know I’m sounding foolish right now.”

  “Not at all, but I wish you wouldn’t continue,” Vale whispered. “Please, Ara, before you say anything else…”

  “Please let me finish,” Ara interjected. “I’ve come to feel very close to you since the moment that we first met. I realize that I have nothing to offer you in a relationship. What could anyone offer the King? All I’ve ever had to offer any man since I left my hometown was my time and my heart. I think…you make me feel…that it would be enough to make you happy, if that makes sense. What I’m trying to say is when I think of my future and what’s ahead…and all I want to see in it is you.”

  The King said nothing. He still had not looked up at Ara. He appeared, to Ara, uncomfortable and at a loss for words.

  “Ara, I feel the same way, I really do. I wish it could be that simple. It’s just that as King of Eliantar, I’m not permitted to settle down with just anyone of my liking.”

  He knew he’d hear no different but still felt as though he’d been stabbed with a trelamna. His eyes darted all across Vale’s face trying to find an explanation beyond what tradition and law called for. But, the King’s face only mimicked his own, confused and sad. He stared at Vale for a few moments longer before he could bring himself to speak. Even then, there was a tremble in his voice.

  “I know that and I obviously always knew that, all Elites do. But, you are the King now. Can’t you change the rules? I mean if you feel the same way as me, is there not anything that we can do to be together?”

  “Lenta’s right,” Vale muttered, finally looking Ara in the eye. “Right now we need to focus on stopping Sorpa Veneficus before we become involved in any personal issues. We’re in a complicated enough time without making things even worse. Please Ara, for the sake of Eliantar, can we discuss ‘us’ after we’ve made sure our land is secure.”

  “You’re right, of course,” he smiled weakly. “The Elites are lucky to have such a wise King. I wonder though if I might ask…Can we just have one last dance before you make your grand exit and we plan tomorrow’s assault? It would absolutely honor me.”

  In response, Vale closed his eyes and leaned into Ara as once more they continued to slowly sway around the room, amongst all of the costumed Elites.

  After a few moments they heard the drumming of rain from above them. It would have to be a downpour, Ara thought, to hear it over the crowd. Within seconds it became rampant and everyone was staring up.

  “Rain!” a voice called out.

  “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when we arrived,” said another.

  “It’s coming down so hard,” people remarked.

  The entire sky lit up white for a second as streaks of blinding lightning ripped through the clouds followed by a thunderous bang. The party goers jumped, yet didn’t take their eyes off the eccentric display.

  “Oh dear gods,” Vale and Ara said at the same time, looking at each other, realization sinking in.

  Out of the corner of Ara’s eye, he saw a man standing next to them and he turned. The man was tall and wore purple, regal robes and a veil over the lower portion of his face. His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared coldly at them. The age lines around his eyes temporarily faded away as he smiled broadly from beneath his purple mask.

  “Your Highness,” he sneered with a mocking bow. “Are you alright? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”