by Brad Clark
“You have not said a word in some time,” Toknon said softly.
Elissa looked up at him and smiled. “Just thinking,” she said.
“About?”
Elissa did not want to go where her thoughts were going. If she said the words aloud, it would only take a moment for the prince to agree to what she was thinking. Her father had been right from the beginning. Their kingdoms did need to be joined, and the only way to ensure that both kingdoms would exist was if they became one though marriage. Her head knew it was the right thing to do, so why did she dread those thoughts so much? Because, of course, her heart was thinking thoughts of another.
She had not thought of Conner all day and the moment his face popped into her head, her heart skipped a beat. An odd feeling started deep in her stomach that she could not explain. She had felt it so many times, most often when he had walked into a room with her. But now, just the thought of him sent her into a tizzy. And she did not know why. He was handsome and strong, the kind of man that any woman would crave. But he was not a noble, or even a merchant. He was a peasant boy who would have amounted to nothing if he hadn’t been at the right place at the right time. He had saved her life and they had spent the most harrowing time of her life together. He had protected her and kept her alive, just what she wanted out of a man.
But there was more than that, too. They had spent much time together where they had talked about everything from the trivial to deep discussions on why certain men could be knights and others could not. More than anything else it was his articulate and genuine arguments against knighthood that had caused her to disband the Karmon Knights. He really had convinced her, not only through his words, but also his actions, that any man could be a knight, not just those with certain blood running through them. And unlike many others, he had never treated her less because she was a girl, or a woman. So many times, even male servants had clearly treated her like a lesser person because she was not a man. But Conner had never done that. And he had always been a perfect gentleman, never going farther than an honorable man would.
There were so many reasons why she loved him. But she was the ruler of a kingdom that not only needed heirs, it needed peace. She glanced over at Toknon and realized that he was one way to get both.
A central plaza had been cleared where large blocks of ice had been set. While many artisans were busy at work carving their masterpieces, just as many had already been finished. Most of the sculptures were animals carved in exquisite detail. A wolf, sitting proudly marked the entrance to the plaza. It was carved to be nearly twice the size of a live wolf, which made its appearance even grander.
“The wolf is on my family’s crest,” Toknon said, admiring the cold statue.
“Where is the king?” Elissa asked. “Shall I not see him?”
“Oh, he is not well,” the prince responded. “I do not wish to burden you with his ill health, but if he is feeling better when we feast for dinner, I would gladly introduce you to him.”
Elissa accepted his words, but still felt it strange that that the king had not yet greeted her. But if he was ill, then that would explain his absence. They continued walking through the garden of ice sculptures in silence, each in their own thoughts.
They passed by a large bear standing upon its hind legs, its claws sharpened to points. Even though it was carved from a large block of ice, it was very realistic. She had never seen a bear up close, but could easily imagine the ferociousness of the beast based on the carving that stood before her.
But then her eyes fell upon the next sculpture and she exclaimed, “What is that!”
As incredible as the sculpture of the bear was, the creature behind it was even more so. It had a long and thin body, almost snakelike. It stood upon three legs, with its left front leg lifted high. Attached to its side were wings, folded onto its back. Its neck stretched high into the sky, capped by an elongated head that had four sharp horns atop. Its mouth was wide, exposing rows of teeth.
Elissa stood, awestruck. If the sculpture had not been of ice, she would have been sure that it was alive, ready to pounce on her.
“It is a called a dragon,” Toknon said.
“I have heard of such creatures, but only in stories that my old chambermaid had told me. Her dragons did not look like that.”
“They say that many thousands upon thousands of years ago, they filled the skies. It was before there were people, when they ruled the earth.”
“Children’s stories,” Elissa said with a smile, but her eyes could not break away from the incredible, highly detailed sculpture. “Why the squares on the body?”
Toknon stepped up to the sculpture and gently caressed the body, letting his hand touch the slight cuts that covered the body. “Scales,” he said. “Dragons are covered in scales that protect it. These scales are so hard, that no metal, no matter how sharp, can penetrate it.”
“I guess the dragons of Thell are different than the dragons of Karmon,” Elissa said. “Ollenia, my old chambermaid, described them as tricksters that stole little girls from their mommies when they didn’t listen. They were fat and slow, but they could change shape into that of a man or a woman. They certainly didn’t have wings.”
Toknon chuckled. “This sculpture is small compared to the size of a real dragon. In reality, dragons were ten times that size. Some as long as a hundred feet.”
Elissa giggled. “You talk as if they are real!”
“They may be children’s stories in Karmon but in Thell, they are more than just a myth. They are legend and we believe they were real.”
“Have you ever seen one?” Elissa asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“Of course not. If they were still around, they would rule the earth. A great war killed them out thousands upon thousands of years ago. Before man came to rule the earth.”
“More stories,” Elissa said.
The prince allowed himself to smile. “They are our legends. The stories are passed down from one generation to the next. But they are not just children’s stories. They are stories of our people.”
“What is that,” Elissa said, pointing at what appeared to be a large cat.
“It is called a tiger.”
“It looks like a cat, but with very long teeth. And much bigger.”
“That I have seen.”
Elissa snapped her head around. “A cat, that big?”
“Not alive, but its pelt. A trader from the far west came through some years ago selling furs from animals such as this. My father purchased it and he is now, in fact, sleeping underneath it. And it’s really not a cat. It looks like one, but the trader described it as a ferocious beast.”
“Like your dragon?”
“No, of course not. A dragon is much more dangerous!”
They continued walking through the plaza, chatting about the rest of the sculptures and not much else. Elissa actually found the prince’s company enjoyable, which continued to surprise her. He had always been portrayed as a stoic soldier who killed Karmons indiscriminately. She did find him a bit stiff, but he smiled just enough and was just pleasant enough to be likable. And that scared her. She knew that at some point, she would have to really consider whether or not their kingdoms should be joined by marriage and if she actually liked him, it might make the decision that much easier. Or harder.
As they were admiring a sculpture of two swans facing one another, a young page, underdressed for winter, came running up to them. By the time he had reached them, he was out of breath, so it took him several tries to spit out his message.
“The king,” the boy said, gulping for air. “They say his life is failing. You are to come at once.”
Prince Toknon, without another word, took off running for the palace, leaving Queen Elissa and the page standing underneath the twin swans.
***
The page took it upon himself to lead the queen back to the palace. As soon as they reached the palace, an older gentlemen apologized profusely for the prince’s quick exit a
nd guided them through the palace to the king’s chambers.
A number of people were standing outside, talking in hushed voices. As soon as the queen approached, they all became silent and turned towards her.
A young lady stepped forward and whispered to her, “The prince has requested that you join him in the king’s chamber.”
Toknon rose from the king’s bedside as soon as Elissa entered. His eyes were red and tears stained his cheek. She found it surprising and actually attractive that he had been crying over his father’s health.
“Is he…?” Elissa asked as delicately as she could.
“He is awake. Come. He wishes to see you.”
Elissa slowly stepped forward. The door behind her closed, and she glanced back at it. She was all alone, except for the prince and the king. She felt uncomfortable in the presence of the king, which she knew was silly. She still found it odd that she was the ruler of a kingdom.
King Lorraine was propped up by a large, fluffy pillow. His face was winkled and worn, and his skin had an ashen tint to it. His eyes were as red as Toknon’s, but not because he had been crying. His grey hair had been trimmed short and was brushed back. He lifted a hand from under the covers, which Elissa took.
“My lady,” the king said with a scratchy voice. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I trust your father is well.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He continued slowly, almost painfully, “He and I never met, but through messenger. I can say he is a good man. I wish it were he that had paid a visit to me. Please tell him he should come once the snows are gone.”
“He remembers little,” Toknon said with a whisper.
The king squeezed her hand. “I wish I could see the joining of our kingdoms. It has been too long that we have been enemies. It is good that we are now friends.”
“The people of our kingdoms will be friends,” Elissa said.
“Elissa, right? Princess Elissa, you are such a beautiful young lady.” The king closed his eyes and his breathing slowed for a moment. With his eyes still closed, and his hand still holding Elissa’s, he continued. “You shall make a fine bride for my son. It is good for our kingdoms.”
Toknon smiled embarrassingly, and explained once again, “He does not know, or does not remember.”
Elissa smiled back, “It is okay. He does not have much time, does he?”
The king’s breathing had returned to a slow and steady rhythm. With his eyes closed, it was clear that king had fallen asleep.
“He has been ill for some time. He is old and has lived a full life. I guess it is just his time.”
Elissa did not know what to say, but she could feel the tears coming. She remembered once again the pain that she felt when she saw her father’s body, and the pain that she continued to feel as she went through his funeral and burial. It seemed as if she had cried for weeks.
The tears flowed because she was sad for the dying king, but also because she was utterly confused. The man who led the army that killed her father stood just two feet from her and she had stopped feeling anger towards him. At least until this moment. The anger came back as she realized she never had this moment with her father. She never had an opportunity to say good bye, at least not forever. He had left with a promise to return, and he had broken that promise. She was not naive enough to think that he was really at fault for breaking that promise, but if anyone was responsible, it was Prince Toknon.
The tears flowed because she was angry at herself for falling for this prince, this evil man who just so happened to have turned good when he needed something. He was the enemy and he deserved to die for killing her father.
“I am so sorry,” Toknon said.
Elissa did not look up, she kept staring at King Lorraine, wondering when he would take his last breath. She was actually looking forward to it, hoping it would break Toknon as much as her father’s death and broken her.
“I can see it in your face,” Toknon continued. “You do not see my father, but you see yours.”
“How could you!” she screamed at him. “How could you kill my father and then invite me into your home. How could you!”
“I can say it a thousand times and I would mean it no less. It is painful to see my father die. As difficult as it sounds, I envy you in that you did not see your father die this way, to slowly go away. I would much rather have him go quickly.”
She turned her head away from him, “And I wish that I had time to say good bye to my father. To tell him I loved him. To tell him what a great man he was and how much I will miss him.” She snapped her head back to glare at him. “And you took that from me!”
“I can only apologize so many times, Elissa. It could easily have been me that was killed in that battle. We have already been through this. Are you going to yell at me anytime something reminds you of your father? And then am I going to apologize a thousand times each time? When will you forgive me? I mean truly forgive me. Not just with your words, but with your heart.”
Elissa sniffled unladylike and rubbed her eyes. She turned away, hearing his words, but her anger had left. “You are right. I am sorry. I see your father there, and I cannot help but to see mine.”
“We really are not the enemy. We are your friends, all of us.”
She looked up at him through tears and let out a laugh. “We really have already been through this before, haven’t we?”
Prince Toknon smiled back. “Yes we have.”
A calmness fell over her now that the anger was gone. She gently took King Lorraine’s hand. “May I stay?”
“Of course,” Toknon said. He watched her look at his father and realized that he was certainly in love with her. He surprised himself at his own revelation. He had always told himself that if it happened, it would only be a marriage of convenience. They were too different, too far apart. But he did not believe that any more. They really were closer than he had realized. He opened his mouth to tell her everything, to tell her about the Taran army that was going to come through Thell on their way to Karmon, but the words stuck in his throat. If he were to tell her now, he would certainly lose her forever. She would hate him for what he had done. Not only had he been responsible for her father dying, he would be responsible for letting her kingdom come under attack by the Tarans.
Maybe she would understand that he had to protect his people. If he didn’t go along with the Tarans, they would do more than just march through his land, they would attack Thellia first, and then they would move on into Karmon. She was so forgiving about her father that she would certainly be forgiving about the Tarans. No one had died, yet. She would have time to prepare her forces and maybe they would be able to repel the Tarans.
But Thell wouldn’t be able to. Their city had no walls to stop the centurions. The castle was heavily fortified, but it would not stand against the siege engines that Taran would throw at it. It would only take hours for her walls to fall. And once the castle was taken, the rest of the land would be ripe for Taran to take over. Thell would no longer exist. And if the Taran commander was good with his threats, no Thellian would survive either.
He knew he had to protect Elissa, but right now he had no idea how he could save both her and his kingdom. If he could convince her to stay here in Thell, then he could protect her. But he knew she was anxious to get back to her own castle. He would be too, so he couldn’t blame her. And if he pressed too hard, he would risk revealing the Taran plot and then his kingdom would be attacked.
He looked down at his father and hoped that maybe he would survive through spring and Elissa would just stay until then. But as he watched, he saw that his father’s chest stop moving and could hear the last breath leave his body. For his entire life he had wished to be king, but now that it was upon him, he did not want it. He could not be known as the last king of Thell. That legacy would haunt him and his family forever. Toknon looked up at Queen Elissa and took in her beauty. He loved her and he would do whatever he could to save her, but his kingdom would have to come first.
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Chapter Seven
The crackle and pop of a nearby fire woke Conner from his sleep. He could feel the warmth of the flames on his back and the chill of the morning air on his front. He sat up, pulling his cloak tighter about him. His companion, looking as haggard and unkempt as ever, was tossing more wood onto the fire. Conner watched him closely, still not quite believing that he was once the ruler of the Taran Empire.
“You finally are awake,” Hargon said.
Conner looked at the sun, which was well above the eastern horizon. “It is late. Why did you let me sleep so long?”
“You were very weary and weak. You needed as much sleep as you could get.”
Conner rubbed his arms, trying to warm himself up. “You healed me, though.”
“Well, I presume that death takes a lot out of someone. Plus, we have a several day journey ahead of us. You need to be fully rested before we start.”
“Are you sure we want to go to Iseron?” Conner asked, stretching a sore back. His body was used to sleeping on the ground, but his body was rebelling against all that he had put it through the past day.
“I think it’s our only option. Maybe we will find a ship there, but if not, we will need provisions. We will not survive the mountains in these cloaks. We will need thick fur pelts and a horse, if possible.”