A Darkness Awakens

by Helena Lancaster

  “James, my friend, you said there was something important we had to discuss before I passed along the information myself and my spies have learned,” John said.

  “Yes I do and it’s about my son, Zak,” James announced. “He’s figured out that Katie and I are not his and Addí’s real parents.”

  “What have you told him?”

  “Only what we know from you. He’s asking to meet with you privately to ask about his parents himself.”

  “I promised their mother…”

  “That you would not tell us not that you would not tell him or his sister,” James interrupted.

  “Or did you promise that too?” Robert questioned.

  “I did not promise to not tell the children,” John answered quickly.

  “Then you will meet with Zak?” James queried.

  “I will. In a fortnight in Ilysia. I will let you know the exact time and place but it must only be him. The only other person I will speak to about this is his sister.”

  “It will only be Zak. Addí does not know what he does and he does not wish for her to yet.”

  “Then shall we get to the business that I have?”

  James and Robert both nodded as John took in a deep breath. It was evident by the look on John’s face that he had a lot to tell them and that much of it was not good. Perhaps this was the news they had been waiting for and dreading at the same time, that the war was about to begin. James could only hope that they had more time to organize and prepare. He knew that things were only going to get darker and more dangerous the closer they got to the actual fight beginning. He could only pray to every god in existence that they would all survive this coming conflict.

  Adelaide let out a heavy sigh as she and Katie tried to teach Ilysian history to the older children. They quickly found that some of them were more receptive to learning this than others. As always it would be Zak and Guinevére to give them trouble. Zak wanted to be a clown and her eldest daughter wanted to act as if she did not need to know this. Guinevére’s current rebellious streak was proving to be troublesome for her and Robert. They were preparing for war and one of their children was hell bent on acting as if she had no part in this. She wanted to be anything but Ilysian. Adelaide understood that she was a young, sixteen year old girl but they all had a responsibility to their true home.

  She found that having Katie in charge of the lessons was the best way to go about this, as her close friend had a better wealth of knowledge when it came to Ilysian history. Katie had been born there and raised by parents who lived much of their lives there, including a full blooded Elf for a father. No one in the resistance could rival Katie’s knowledge of the land and its vast history.

  “It is important to know the details of the Stélemágne-Valdornóv feud as it is the only major human driven conflict in Ilysia’s known history,” Katie announced.

  “Why?” Guinevére asked loudly. “It was just a bunch of cousins who got pissed that one was given the throne over the other.”

  “Guinevére Elísavet Adamsson!” Adelaide nearly shouted. “You are learning this for a reason. Stop griping about it and listen to what Katie is trying to teach all of you.”

  Adelaide watched as her daughter quietly grumbled but finally picked up her pen to take notes before nodding to her friend that it was ok to continue.

  “Yes, Guinevére, that is the basis of the conflict between the two families,” Katie stated. “King Robert the first was the last king of the Caboursían family. He never married or fathered any legitimate children. The rules of the human monarchy were strict that marriage was required and any children born outside of that bond were not included in the line of succession.”

  “They seem to be the only Ilysians that insist upon marriage,” Addí remarked.

  “From what I have learned about our homeland, that is very true,” Adelaide spoke. “The Fae see it as a suggestion but never a requirement. The current heir to the Fae throne was born out of wedlock and is a half-sibling to Queen Résalyn’s younger children.”

  “So the queen had a child with someone else then later married and had other children?”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “Why is that child her heir?”

  “Because the Fae are matriarchal, Addí,” Zak added. “Queen Résalyn’s firstborn was a daughter and the firstborn daughter is automatically the heir in their culture.”

  “It is nice to see that through all of your antics that you pay attention,” Katie proudly observed of her son.

  Adelaide smiled seeing that despite always doing things in the midst of lessons for a laugh that her friend’s son had learned. All of them were intelligent whether they realized it or not. She felt they were young to have to balance Corinthian education, Ilysian education, and training for a coming war. They were going to have to grow up faster than she ever wanted for any of them.

  “It seems he does no matter how much he tries to be the clown,” Adelaide laughed.

  “We all have to laugh because a lot of this stuff is way too serious,” Zak replied.

  “I am glad you made it your mission to see that we all laugh, Zak.”

  Zak beamed at her as she finally saw her own daughter form a smile. Just maybe this would finally get Guinevére to realize that no matter what she wished to do, that she needed to be here. If anything Zak was helping her daughter soften up to having to receive an education on the history of their true homeland.

  “Katie, do you know what caused the feud to start if Robert Caboursían had no heirs?” RJ asked.

  “Robert had two younger sisters, Isabella and Arabella that just happened to be twins. Both of their eldest sons had been given the title of Prince to indicate that they were to be heirs to the throne but it was never specified to which Prince it would actually go to.”

  “So he died and one just decided it was his throne?”

  “Not exactly. Isabella’s eldest son, Prince Ferdinand Stélemágne, was just a few months older than Arabella’s eldest son, Prince Alexander Valdornóv, so the council of nobles deemed Ferdinand to be the rightful king which angered both Arabella and Alexander. Alexander was then reduced to the title of Duke, igniting the feud to the point of war.”

  “How many people died because of this?” Zak questioned.

  “Thousands died. Ferdinand’s son followed him on the throne and was murdered in his own bed before he could marry and have an heir. Before the Valdornóv supporters were able to place a member of that family on the throne, his younger brother John took the throne.”

  “But what actually caused them to stop fighting?” Guinevére finally inquired, her curiosity showing to be peaked.

  “John had one son, Geoffrey, who followed him on the throne. Geoffrey found himself defeated and captured by Valdornóv forces under the command of Duke Alexander. Alexander was young, confident, and brilliant having been raised well by his father William. He was also Arabella’s great-grandson.”

  “So what did the Duke do to the King?”

  “Well, Geoffrey had one very big problem. The Stélemágne succession was in danger as he had one child, a daughter Isabella, and no brothers. He was the captive of a twenty year old Duke who had more right to the throne than his own daughter. Alexander could have killed him but instead he proposed a compromise and end to the war.”

  “What did the King have to do?”

  Adelaide smiled widely at her daughter’s quick change. Guinevére was fascinated by the story. She could see it in her eyes. Now that her interest was sparked, she would want to learn more and even beg to be told more of what happened. She could not be more proud to see this change in her. Perhaps there was hope that Guinevére would stop desiring to be anything but Ilysian.

  “He would have to abdicate the throne to Alexander,” Katie answered.

  “That’s it? He had to give up the throne. How is that a compromise?” Guinevére questioned in a frustrated manner.

  “Because Geoffrey had to give his sixteen-year-old daughte
r in marriage to be Alexander’s Queen.”

  “That’s just gross! I can’t imagine having to get married at my age!”

  The room erupted in laughter at her daughter’s comment. There was a part of her that was grateful that this is how Guinevére felt about marriage right now, especially given her son’s blossoming relationship with Addí. She had no doubt that RJ and Addí would be married by the age of twenty. Even as dark as things were about to get in their lives, they always encouraged love in all things because it always brought unexpected amounts of light. It was things like that they would need to cherish above all others as their world would soon descend into war.

  John returned to his home from the meeting with his friends and the leaders of the resistance that had begun in Corinthia. War was going to begin soon and they all knew it. He quietly walked into the small home he kept on the outskirts of the village near Ílkésarén. Despite the love they once held for each other, he and Résalyn maintained an amicable relationship. He was especially grateful for it now that he had found himself in love again. Níkolína was much younger than him but he found himself instantly drawn to her from the day they first met. She had just arrived in Ilysia from Corinthia. She had been born in the other land and left it as soon as she was able. It was with her help that he was able to expand and maintain his network of spies.

  “Níkí?” he called out as he walked through the door.

  “Shhh!” she responded as she stepped out of the shadows. “Speak quietly.”

  “Rahéla fighting sleep again?”

  “As always when you are not here. She misses her Papa.”

  He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. He had never expected to feel love as deep as he did after the time he had spent as the lover of a Queen. He looked at her dark brown eyes that shined in the candle light and smiled before leaning down to kiss her softly. He found his hands quickly entwining in her long, curly dark hair. Everything about her from her olive skin to her rounded eyes was the most exotic beauty he had ever laid eyes on. Níkolína was everything his first love had not been. Where Résalyn was a regal pale beauty with long, shiny blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, everything about the woman in his arms was dark, alluring, and mysterious. He had managed to keep his love life private from most everyone except Résalyn. They lived on her lands and she had to provide midwives to attend Níkolína through the pregnancy and birth of their daughter. In this home, it was only the two of them and their beautiful little Rahéla. It was their safe haven from everything else around them, especially the war that was starting to brew.

  “I hate it when you go to Corinthia,” she remarked to him.

  “Where I go is nothing like where you grew up,” he replied as he placed a finger gently under her chin.

  “Promise me you will never go to Rutania, John. It’s dangerous and my family serves the Empress.”

  “Níkí, I cannot promise that my work will not take me there.”

  “If someone needs to go there, then it will be me. I know the place.”

  “And it left you with scars I am still trying to help you heal, my love.”

  “My father was the worst of the worst, darling. I was there, beaten and abused by him daily yet helpless to save my mother. I was unable to save her as he killed her right before mine and my little brother’s eyes. Julíus was fourteen and our older brother wasn’t home to save any of us that night.”

  “You’ve told me you think that is why he stayed entangled with a woman who pledged them all to the Empress.”

  “Rafe will forever blame himself for our mother’s death. Her name was Rahéla.”

  “I always knew that part of our daughter’s name was for her. I just was never sure if it was Rahéla or Maríja that had been her name.”

  “Maríja was her mother’s name, my grandmother. I felt they both needed to be honored and you have no idea what it meant to me when you allowed me to name our daughter.”

  He pulled her tighter into his arms as she nestled her head into his chest. He had fallen in love with a woman who had been scarred and hurt by her own family. Now she was going to have to fight on the opposite side of her brothers in the coming war. He will never forget the day she told him the discovery that they had joined the Empress because it was the day she finally admitted her love for him. A little more than a year later, she cried in his arms as she told him she was pregnant. She had been afraid he would not want any other children after what had happened to his daughter, Kélinae. He was overjoyed at the idea of them having a child then and still found happiness in the thought that they would continue to build a life and hopefully give Rahéla siblings. He was just thankful that the last time he saw Kélinae that he was able to introduce her to the love of his life and that she was accepting of his relationship with Níkí and the child he had told her they were to have. He had hoped to be able to introduce his daughter to her much younger half-sister but he had not seen his firstborn since Níkí was in the early stages of her pregnancy with Rahéla.

  “Níkí, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. I could never imagine the pain you grew up in and went through until the day I found you when you arrived in Ilysia. I remember how afraid you were to tell me you loved me and your fear that I would be angry when you told me you were carrying my child. My love for you has only grown. I would do anything to take away all of your scars and pain,” he said gently as she looked up into his hazel eyes.

  “I always feared I would end up like my mother until I met you, John. I never cared about your age. You made me feel worth something and then we made the most beautiful child. My life has even more purpose now that I am her mother. I am more than a girl from Moserovo that watched her father brutally murder her mother. I am a woman who is loved by the most wonderful man, a mother, and a fighter for freedom,” she announced.

  “I intend for you to be my wife, Níkí. I’ve given you so much of myself and I am proud to call you the love of my life. You are the strongest woman I have ever known.”

  “Only because I had to be.”

  “No, my love, because you chose to be.”

  He kissed her once more, this time with more passion. He wanted her to know just how much he loved her. He wanted her to feel it from him. He felt her lean more into the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck. The same spark of passion that flowed between their lips had been present between them since the moment they met and their hands first touched. Everything that had happened between them had been meant to be, a will of the gods above them.

  “I will never feel that I deserve you,” she said quietly as their lips parted.

  “Stop saying such things,” he quietly commanded.

  “How did your meeting go?”

  “I told them about what we and our group of spies have discovered.”

  “And?”

  “They will do what they must.”

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

  “I told you about my grandchildren.”

  “A secret I promised never to speak of unless you asked me to.”

  “My friends James and Katie have raised Kélinae’s children without knowing the truth of their heritage. They have asked but I promised my daughter I would not tell them.”

  “Then what has changed?”

  “Her son has figured out that they are not his real parents. He wishes to speak with me alone to discuss his real parents.”

  He watched as her eyes light up with happiness. She had expressed concern for Kélinae and her children. She knew that he saw them and knew they were safe. But, he also knew that Níkí felt that they deserved to know the truth about their parents.

  “Please tell me that you are going to meet with him and tell him the truth, darling,” she almost pleaded.

  “I am in a fortnight,” he announced. “I will tell my grandson who he is.”

  “I know watching them grow up unable to know the truth of who you are to them has been hard on you.”

  “Especially
watching Sinéad. She is the very image of her mother.”

  “Then I know she is very much a beauty.”

  He laughed a slight laugh. He could not help but do so because in that moment he felt overwhelmingly happy.

  “You are happy,” she observed.

  “You have no idea how responsible you are for that,” he retorted with a wide smile.

  “And your grandson, does he favor you or Kélinae?”

  “Not at all in his looks. He is the very image of his father so it is a good thing he has spent little time in this land.”

  “If indeed he looks that much like the King then you are indeed right. I do hope he has some of your traits,” she remarked as she stepped out of his arms and walked over to the sofa.

  “He laughs like me and he certainly loves to make others laugh,” he stated as he followed her and took a seat next to her.

  “You seem excited to finally be telling one of them.”

  He pulled her close to him to where she was laying against him. He needed the feeling of her close to him.

  “I am but it also scares me, especially since I haven’t heard from Kélinae in over a year,” he revealed. “I fear something bad has happened to her.”

  “But you have said yourself that you know she is alive. I believe that she is myself,” she assured him.

  “It does not stop my worry, Níkí.”

  “I know but you have to focus on things to come and helping her children the best way you can. You and I were more unlikely than we will ever realize. I know age differences mean nothing in this land but in the land I grew up in, it would be a big deal. I want nothing more than to introduce you to my brothers as my husband.”

  “But you fear them meeting me or our child.”

  “I do. I have never even met my brother Rafe’s child. But all of it doesn’t change my wish to be your wife.”