The Red Prince (1)

by Stephen Lucas Lacroix

  “It’s Sevidon! Thank the gods and Sevidon, son,” said a father to his child. The child quickly hurried to the side of the street as he shouted loudly for Sevidon to hear.

  “Thank you! Thank you for saving us!” the child said before he ran back to his father who hugged him tightly.

  Sevidon beamed a smile to the father and continued with his gallop. The people waved at him as they recognized the General, greeting him fairly and with glee. He always got this attention. After all, they owed their whole existence and survival to him.

  Without wasting any more time, he pressed on to the Amaranth Palace to deliver the message to the Venis King from the Imperial Diplomats back in Meskotav.

  He reached the outer wall of the palace, decorated with the monuments of the past kings. He entered the palace compound and was greeted by the Venis Templars, saluting him by raising their spears and putting their shields in front. It was only wise to have the Palace guarded by a battalion trained by the general himself, and they did not disappoint.

  He dismounted from his stallion, with one of the Templars getting the leash and two others escorted him inside the palace and headed straight to the throne room. The hall leading to the entrance was ornamented by banners of the Venis Kingdom and was lit by bright fires inside cleverly crafted lamps that made them shine brighter. The doors were guarded by two more with their spears crossed. Sevidon was proud of his soldiers. Even from afar he could see that they were well disciplined. He stopped in front of the entrance as the two Templars uncrossed their spears and the doors opened in a creaky sound.

  The inside of the throne room was remarkable. It had a dome-shaped ceiling and the room burned in colors of red, white and gold, symbolizing their people’s resilience and determination to survive. The floor was made of marble, imprinted with the emblem of the royal family and behind it was the Venis emblem.

  As Sevidon entered the room unescorted, the Venis king immediately entered the room from another door. Sevidon quickly knelt down and bowed his head. The King, pleased to see Sevidon, walked towards him.

  “My King,” said Sevidon while his head still down.

  “Oh, come now Sevidon. No need to do that,” the King said, prompting Sevidon to lift himself up. “Come, come. We talk. After all, you are my son, too,” the King quickly remarked, shaking Sevidon mildly.

  Sevidon slowly stood up while the King sat on his Red Throne. Sevidon followed and stopped in front of the King who was smiling at him. He could see the years in the King’s face. It was evident that even though he was part elf, they would still age like men live longer, almost half of the lifespan of a Viris.

  “Ah, but my king, I am merely an adopted son. I do not deserve such treatment,” Sevidon said while the King only laughed it out lightly.

  “Nonsense. Adopted or not, you are a Borinvegeard. And the people will look and treat you as one, we owe you our survival. The people are all ready for the festivities and they included you in it so might as well,” said the King as he quickly walked toward Sevidon who was a little uneasy. It was uncomfortable for him to be regarded as a Borinvegeard. But the royal family insisted so and the people, who was a mix of the remnants of men and Venis elves, acknowledged him as such. Even Prince Wraponreth acknowledged him as a brother. It was troublesome indeed, but it was the unwanted reward he got after protecting and safeguarding the roots of the Venis Elves. It was the least they could do, especially King Rav’threth who was nearing his final days.

  The King patted him on his shoulders, trying to cheer him up and making Sevidon a little shy.

  “My Liege, still, I did so little,” Sevidon calmly protested.

  “Nonsense Sevidon,” the king held him by the shoulder, “The people and I already think that the God Uaeai sent you to protect us. Let us have this, for us. Okay my son?” he said. Sevidon couldn’t help but smile and simply nodded. “Now, how was Meskotav? Nothing special happened it seems?” he asked as his face quickly changed with his tone.

  Sevidon cleared his throat and began his report as the king walked back to the throne.

  “The Imperial Diplomat from Tamara bears a grave message that concerns us all, my King,” he said bluntly, making the king turn slightly.

  “I think I know what it is about, Sevidon,” he said as he sat on the throne. Servants entered the room and gave the King some wine while another offered Sevidon one, which he refused.

  “It is hard to believe but the news is about Prince Tamiron suddenly turning against the Trasidars. Am I correct my son?” he said with one eyebrow raised, while Sevidon was a little caught off guard.

  “Yes, My Liege,” he stuttered a bit. “It is. Along with the news is that a new Prime Minister, Menoich Anarchu, is currently in power. And he is now gathering seven warriors from the inner kingdoms to take the renegade prince out. The council requires your words of approval on this,” he added, the king a little confused.

  “What happened to King Madarick? Where is the Imperial Princess? And just between you and me,” he leaned closer, “Do you think the prince will just do what you are told? Do you think he is capable of doing this all of a sudden? I am sure he is not,” he said in a low voice, as he waved to the servants holding fruits, water and wine.

  “First Sire, the diplomat said the King was also heart stricken, affecting his health and ability to rule,” Sevidon explained while the king only rubbed his chin while he pondered on the distressing news. “Second, is that Princess Tamara is still young and unfit to rule, giving the power to rule to the Prime Minister. And third, is that I too, thought of that. Something is wrong with the very words. Story of how it happened,” Sevidon said as he shook his head.

  “Precisely!” the king pointed out while holding some grapes before he put them in his mouth.

  “You trained the Imperial Prince. I have witnessed him, and I can tell that he loves his country and family. So something is terribly wrong,” the King said and Sevidon agreed.

  “I too witnessed it, my King. Our relationship is not just of a teacher and student, but as friends. He used to tell me a lot of stories about the empire. About his life back in the Imperial Palace and how he missed home, his father and his sister. He devoted his entire life to protecting the things he loved the most, and that is home,” he explained.

  “So what happened in the Plains of Tamara is a huge shock to me and turn of heart in such a short time.”

  “May their souls be guided by the God Messenger through the Mirror Realm and to the arms of our Gods,” the king whispered with his eyes closed and hands clamped together.

  Sevidon always heard this phrase but he just paid no mind to it. He did not believe in gods since that night in a very long time.

  “Those poor souls,” the king said then looked to Sevidon. “I do hope that the Imperial Prince will not send another soul to the Mirror Realm again. It can be dangerous as the priests said. They could get lost should the God Messenger find them unworthy.”

  “I trust that all of them will go through the Mirror Realm, my King,” answered Sevidon. The king looked at him and smiled.

  Both fell silent for a moment before the King spoke again.

  “So, you mentioned the council needing my words of approval, am I correct, Sevidon?” he said as he drank some water.

  “Yes, My Liege. That is correct.”

  “Well then, I accept and will allow you to join. But,” he said as he walked closer to Sevidon, “I want you to be cautious. I want you to find out what really happened to the Prince. Something is just not right. If you find out that he indeed turned his loyalty, then you can take his life. Am I understood, Sevidon?” the king said explicitly.

  “You have my word, my King,” he said as he bowed down.

  “Good. Now off you go. I got a meeting with your brother. He is having trouble and he needs my wise counsel,” he said.

  Sevidon chuckled, “The Prince is learning, my King. Back in the day, he used to ask me twice a day. He will be an excellent general someday.”
>
  Both laughed and subsided immediately.

  “Now go on Sevidon, have a safe journey. And do the right thing,” the King said as he smiled. Sevidon only knelt to give respect, and said farewell.

  Sevidon left the throne room and hastened towards the front of the palace as he was escorted by the Templars. Right outside the palace, his horse was waiting and the guards scrambled to salute the General. Sevidon quickly mounted his stallion and the Templars quickly made distance.

  “I will be gone for a while. You are me in every aspect. Guard the palace and the city well!” he yelled to the guards. The Templars echoed in salute as Sevidon rode the wind back to Meskotav with the way lit by moonrise’s light.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It was already dawn in Meskotav and the respective council of both races gathered once again at the gathering hall with the diplomats, Imperial Diplomat Tolous Rham and Imperial Diplomat for the Elven Races, Haveltok Imno. They gathered in strong murmurs as they awaited the arrival of Glaivel and Sevidon. The two imperial diplomats sat on their respective chairs as they discuss certain things while the two sides began their own.

  Right outside Meskotav, the first that arrived was the Viris Prince. He quickly dismounted from his horse and headed towards the council hall. He was escorted by Viris guards as he entered the building. Upon entering the gathering hall, both sides were silent, including the imperial diplomats. Glaivel looked up to them. He was escorted to the middle of the room, where a chair waited for him. He sat down and the guards went back beside the doors as they closed. He was breathing heavily so he was handed water to quench his thirst. The Viris representative cleared his throat and stood up before speaking.

  “It seems that the Viris prince got here first. So to my understanding, and because the hour has already passed, may we begin?” he calmly asked the imperial diplomats and the Venis council. The diplomats of the empire momentarily talked to one another then nodded back to the Viris representative. He slightly turned toward the Venis representative, who was talking to another Venis councilor, then waved his hand slightly, giving the signal that it was alright to them.

  “Now, may we ask the Viris Prince Glaivel Numenesse to stand up and state the intentions of the Grand Elven King,” the Viris representative said as he sat down. He looked around him before speaking.

  “I have already talked to my father and have made a decision,” he said clearly for everyone in the room to hear. “The King and I discussed shortly the events that had happened in the Trasidar Empire, and he has come to the decision that weighs the very stance of the Grand Elven Kingdom,” he said further as everyone listened closely.

  Right outside the building Sevidon had just arrived and quickly dismounted from his horse and didn’t wait for the doors to be opened for him. He quickly walked toward the gathering hall and opened the doors wide, abruptly interrupting Glaivel in the middle of his speech.

  Everyone was surprised as they looked at the General. Sevidon only stared at them, including Glaivel. He sat down in the respective chair placed for him in the middle of the hall and waved for Glaivel to continue. Glaivel only glanced at Sevidon with irritation while Sevidon hid a small grin.

  “As I was saying, The Elven King hereby decided to take no part of this journey for this violates the very principle that the Viris Kingdom upholds,” he said to the shocked councilors who were now murmuring. Disappointment splashed on the faces of the two Trasidar diplomats in one side.

  “Life.” He continued, “But the King also explicitly said, that as Prince of the Viris Elves, I am free to do whatever I bid to do, so I choose to join the group of seven into hunting down the renegade prince. For his life is a little sacrifice. If we stop him, then it is for the greater good of the eight kingdoms he posed a threat to,” he finished and launched the council into a state of glee.

  The small clamor slowly simmered down as the representative of the Venis council stood up.

  “Now that we have gotten the response of the Viris King—“

  “Grand Elven King to you,” one of the Viris said firmly, interrupting the representative who glared the one who spoke down.

  “Viris King,” he stressed. “May we now call on General Sevidon Borinvegeard to address the gathering hall and tell of the decision of the Venis King.” He sat down irritated as he continued to stare at the elf that had interrupted him.

  Sevidon stood up while facing the Venis representative, before clearing his throat to take the attention back, and to avoid any unnecessary bickering start. He looked around the council before turning to the diplomats, to whom he saluted and the diplomats nodded back.

  “Council of Meskotav and respective diplomats of the Trasidar Empire, I will not make this long,” he began with a strong voice. “Taking into consideration the possible implications the renegade prince poses, and given that I have trained the Prince myself. King Rav’Threth Borinvegeard accepts, without hesitation, the proposal of the Trasidar Prime Minister to hunt down the prince,” he said then saluted back to the diplomats. The council including the diplomats clapped and Tolous stood up, raising his hands to calm the council down so he could speak. Glaivel then stood up and looked at Sevidon firmly waiting for the diplomat to speak. He then took one deep breath before looking at the diplomat.

  “Elves of the Viris and Venis Kingdoms, I thank you for the support that you have given us in this great endeavor. I give you my word that once this task is completed, the threat that we all fear will be gone and peace will once again be restored to the eight kingdoms,” he said, making the council clap while the two representatives of the Elven kingdoms stood firmly. “I thank Prince Glaivel Numenesse for participating in this quest despite the decision of his father, the Grand Elven King. I promise you that there will not be another time that this kind of request will be asked of you ever again,” he said to Glaivel as the council once again applauded.

  “I thank General Sevidon Borinvegeard for participating, and accepting the request of the Trasidar Empire on this particular quest. We will forever be in debt to you and to the Venis Kingdom,” he said then the Venis council suddenly applauded before he even finished, “and of course, to the Viris Kingdom,” he said with a smile, prompting the Viris side to applaud as well.

  “The two elves will leave at dusk. Thank you again,” he said before sitting down. Glaivel and Sevidon only looked at each other, staring as if they were talking while they only look at each other’s eyes. Sevidon then left the room and the council had a little feast until dusk.

  It was time for them to leave and Tolous and Haveltok were talking to the two elves who were already on their horses. Tolous handed them a piece of paper. Glaivel only nodded to Tolous, telling him to give it to Sevidon in which he did. Sevidon reached for it and looked. He was a bit surprised by the location and then put it into his belt.

  “I believe you can meet up with the others there. Have a safe trip General and you too, Your Highness,” he said as the General went on ahead of Glaivel, who nodded back to the diplomat before following Sevidon.

  End of Chapter V

  VI: THE WALL

  EVANGELINE WOKE UP FROM HER slumber. Confused, she sat up to find herself in a room full of strangers, with only one man’s face familiar to her.

  “Princess?” said Moselei, surprised. He immediately checked her, “Are you alright? Does any part of you hurt?” he said frantically. She wasn’t able to react to the Trasidian diplomat. “Doctor, can you check her again? We need to make sure,” He asked the doctor who was about to leave.

  He took her temperature and checked her joints to see if nothing was broken. This went on for another minute before he stood up.

  “She is fine, My Liege,” the doctor finally said. “Just let her rest for the night and she will be good to go in the morning.”

  Moselei finally got a sigh of relief. He quickly led the doctor to the door, “Thank you so much for coming in such short notice.”

  “No need for pleasantries. After all, what
are friends are for?” the doctor said and showed a smile to the diplomat.

  The two hugged each other farewell and the guard outside closed the door. Moselei once again sighed before he turned to Evangeline, who was bewildered and at a loss.

  “Where, where am I?” Evangeline asked.

  Moselei did not reply as he gave her water to drink. She drank the water and Moselei sat beside the bed.

  “Don’t you remember, young one?” Moselei asked.

  Evangeline seemed to be puzzled. She gazed at the Diplomat, then it hit her. She quickly gasped as she remembered everything that had happened.

  The attack that morning in the Sanctum grounds, the assassins that tried to kill her, the explosion. Everything. Tears fell down her eyes. She remembered seeing her parents die before her eyes.

  “So you do remember,” he said as Evangeline cried her heart out. The diplomat comforted her by letting her cry on his shoulders.

  “I remember my father, mother, dying to protect me,” she said as she stuttered. “And I wasn’t able to do anything to protect them. I’m so weak!”

  The diplomat said nothing.

  “Why would he want me dead? Why would he send those assassins to kill us?” she shouted.

  He didn’t know how or what to answer to the child for he himself was baffled. Why would Tamiron have the Ressei’s killed? What could he have gained?

  “You are not weak,” Moselei said, carefully seeking the right words. “You single-handedly took down the assassins. You spared more lives than you think.”

  “But my parents are dead! I’m all alone now,” Evangeline protested.

  “No, you are not!” Moselei disagreed. “Your friends are still alive. Your people are still alive, and if not because of you I would have been dead now,” he explained. This seemed to stop Evangeline from crying. “Your Highness, what your parents did was out of love for you, to their child, to keep you alive. And they succeeded.”

  Evangeline had not realized it that way. She gasped as the diplomat pointed to her head, then slowly moved his finger, to point at her heart. “They will always be alive. As long as they remain with you in your memories, as long as you remember the happiest moments that you had as a family and your love for them as their daughter will keep them alive in your heart,” Moselei continued.