by R. C. Rutter
The order came for the servants to line up in columns. They stood there, some with swords but most with broom handles or whatever they could find. Almost none had armor. A few had taken to place buckets over the heads.
Several wolves sauntered slowly out of the entrance and stopped. The sight was enough to cause panic and the wolves took comfort in the smell of fear. Next, Robald and Thorgon appeared. The soldiers recognized their former captain which challenged their loyalty but they knew it was not a choice for them. The demons were far worse.
The rest of the group appeared. The murmur of “It’s Theodore” could be heard coming from the servants which was causing excitement.
“I see many friends here” said Theodore as he stood next to Eric. “What manner of evil would force them to fight us?” He waited for a reply but knew it did not need to be spoken. “Can we avoid this?”
“We have to. We don’t have the luxury of time that would be necessary to battle them even if we felt the need to which certainly we don’t. These are friends. Tell me, what is your plan to get to the castle?”
“I have called in a few favors. My friends, the tree people, will clear us a path and the wolves have agreed to transport us. Well, everyone except the two big guys. Could not get any volunteers for that!” The demons are forced to take the roads with their chariots. We shall travel by forest and hopefully arrive at the castle first. The wolves are swift. With their stealth, we should be invisible to everyone.”
Eric smiled. “Oh, I think we can manage their size.” He waved his wand at Robald and Eric. “You will find that they weight no more than the average man for the trip. Is that acceptable?”
The wolf nearest them shook his head up and down.
Theodore took a few steps forward. “My dear friends, it is good to see all of you today. I wish it was under better circumstances, but alas, we don’t always get to choose our paths. We must get to the castle without delay otherwise all is lost. I know what you have been tasked to do and I also know you did not have any choice in this. Let me be perfectly clear, I do not hold you responsible for your actions today and I look forward to the time when once again, we can toast each other’s health. Prepare for battle.”
Theodore walked back to Eric. “Shall we mount?” Each wolf took a rider. Eric’s arm was throbbing as he got on Shabb’s back, whose own neck was glowing. The two wolves for Robald and Thorgon tried to move away from them at first, but once mounted; they realized the weight was acceptable.
Eric confirmed that all were ready. He lifted his staff, winked at Theodore, and then slammed his staff into the ground. The servants and soldiers fell like leaves from the trees.
Eric yelled “RIDE YOU FOOLS! RIDE!”
* * *
Chapter 27
The dungeon door shook and then fell off its hinges. The King looked up, too weak to move, too weak to defend himself.
Damien walked over to the King and spat at him. “Old man, old fool, did you really think you could win?”
The King said nothing as his shoulders slumped. This was a day of reckoning that he wanted to avoid.
“Bring them in. Remember brothers keep your concentration. We must have the bond so we can kill all three of them.”
The King got a quizzical look on his face. “What do you mean three?” His eyes opened wide as Lydia and Gweneviere were brought into the room. Tears were flowing freely from the King. He hands were shaking as he reached out to hug both of them. He was speechless. Stroking the faces of both daughters, he was overcome with emotion.
He looked at Damien. “Thank you! Thank you! I never thought I would see the day. And Lydia, my dear Lydia, thought you were taken from me a long time ago.” He took her arm gently in his shaking hand and pulled back the sleeve. Then he looked directly in her eyes. “Yes, yes, it is really you. My heart has never been the same. And my dear Gweneviere, I could not risk having the same thing happen to you so I had to hide you. I hope you will forgive me.”
Both girls were crying openly.
“Ah, isn’t that special!” Damien looked on with disdain. “Weakness if you ask me. Oh well, time to die! Raise your wands brothers, we strike now!”
Damien lifted his wand and it split into two pieces. “What the…”
“No, I won’t let you do that.”
Damien stared in disbelief at his broken wand. The spell and concentration was broken. He heard the words, the voice sounded familiar, but he did not process what just happened.
“It is done, you are finished.”
Damien looked to the sound of the voice and found himself staring directly at Michael. He screamed. “NO! How could you do this? TRAITOR! YOU DIE!”
Damien lunged at Michael but was slammed back against the wall and found himself unable to move.
“No, I won’t let you do that.” This time it was a girl’s voice. “Hey you, if you want to mess with anyone, mess with me!”
Damien’s eyes opened wide as he looked at Lydia. She stood there with her hand raised up, palm facing outward pointing directly at him with no wand in sight. He struggled but could not move.
“I am your worst nightmare! I am young, I am beautiful, I am intelligent, I am powerful, and I can kick your butt!”
“You mess with my sister, you mess with ME!” Gweneviere yelled as she stood there next to Lydia sword in hand, ready to strike.
Damien’s eyes scanned the room trying to size up the situation. He found Eric and he grimaced. “So it is you, old wizard. I thought it was you at the river but you were too far away to tell for sure. This explains why we have had so much difficulty. But you can’t be here, you are dead!”
Eric and Erica were standing behind the girls holding their wands. Theodore stood next to the King, ready to strike anyone with his staff.
It was then that Damien realized what had just happened; once again they faced a formidable foe.
Once again the demons proved their true nature, they vanished as Damien said “It is over, we have lost……..for now!”
The girls turned and ran to the King.
Eric has this puzzled look on his face. “How did you…..?”
Lydia shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, I just did what needed to be done.”
“I know my daughters, so many questions, so little time. I am afraid I am weak, too weak to last much longer” the King said in almost a whisper. “Your presence here, your love, flows through me and fulfills me. Gweneviere, it was my intention to give you my blessing, that is why I called you here. As my only heir, it was to be yours but I had no idea that Lydia was still alive. That explains why you never felt the gift of magic. I hope you understand, she is my firstborn, and as such, the responsibility and blessing are hers.”
Gweneviere smiled. “It is to be so father. I know I am not ready to rule the kingdom. Lydia is the right choice and I have already pledged my allegiance to her. As the elder, she is the rightful heir and she is so ready for this. She will make a wonderful Queen.”
“That pleases me. Come Lydia, it is time.”
Lydia knelt down next to the King. Shaking, he took her arm and pulled back her sleeve, exposing her birthmark. He pulled back his own sleeve to show the same mark and placed their arms together, birthmarks touching.
Their arms began glowing, brighter at first in the King’s arm then more in Lydia’s arm. After a few minutes Lydia’s arm shone brightly until her whole body was illuminated. She rose in the air as the transfer was complete, breaking the connection with her dad. Everyone threw their arms over their eyes as the intense light blinded them. A few seconds later, the room returned to normal but the glow around Lydia remained.
Lydia looked at everyone in the room and smiled at each of them as she floated back to the floor. She never felt better or more alive. “Father, I have seen the light. I understand.”
The King groaned as he fell back. Too weak now even to sit up. Lydia ran to his side as Gweneviere joined her. Tears and sobs filled the room as they all gathered c
losely around for they knew it would not be long.
“Father, father, don’t leave us” cried Lydia.
“We love you father, please stay” cried Gweneviere.
The King tried to speak but was too weak. He squeezed their hands as his eyes closed and he took his last breath.
Gweneviere and Lydia laid their heads on his chest and sobbed. Theodore said “The King is dead, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!” as he ushered everyone else out of the room.
* * *
The excitement from the Throne Room was echoing through the castle hallways. With the King gone, Eric was given the honor of escorting Lydia to her coronation. They both looked so elegant in their long robes as they made their way through the hallways, her hand resting gently on his forearm.
Eric cleared his throat. “You know, all I wanted to do was to have a nice quiet retirement. Somewhere on a lake, do a little fishing, and have a nice vegetable garden.”
“My dear and wise wizard, it shall be yours. You can live in the Royal Cottage, fish in the Royal Lake, and avail yourself of the Royal Garden. In fact, you shall be given a title as well; Wizard Emeritus. But first, tell me something. Why was I not turned into a statue?”
“Ah, I wondered when you would ask. I knew the demons would have the wolves bite you, as a way of controlling you.”
Lydia grimaced.
Eric continued. “That was not necessarily a bad thing. They had to use their killing poison else they would take a chance on you turning to stone. If you had become a statue, you would have been of no use to them. They needed you alive. What we did not know was if you were really the true daughter. The place where you and your mom were attacked was found a few days later. Your mom, the Queen, did not survive the attack. You, however, were never found. Since there were so few people in the area, it was assumed that you had perished as well.”
“It was not until I received word that the wolves were heading to Evandale that the puzzle pieces fell into place. The demons could not do it because their magic would have been sensed, giving them away, so they had to find someone to do their bidding. The wolves would never approach a village unless it was under dire circumstances. I searched to find the cause of their travels and became aware of your presence. I knew it might be a trick to distract me so I had to take precautions. If you were the true daughter, the poison could not kill you, only make you sick. The demons must have known that else they would not have risked it. I was unsure about the statue part though so I had Erica conjure up a potion in the hope that it would cure you, or at least minimize the illness effects. It was just a matter of having the wolves deliver it to you.”
“Would it not have been easier just to skip the whole bite thing?” Lydia rubbed her neck.
“Then their blood would not have been your blood, and your blood would not have been theirs.”
Lydia gave Eric a look of disbelief. “Can you explain?”
“The wolves already had a bond with you; they raised you for almost a year, so you were considered part of their clan and had some protection. That is why they seemed so familiar to you. We needed a stronger bond, one in which they were willing to die for you. Surviving their poison was unheard of. By doing so, you proved to them that you were their chosen leader. This, of course, caused some jealousy amongst the wolves so I had Shabb rescue you before it got too dangerous. Between me protecting you and Theodore protecting Gweneviere, we were confident you both would be safe. But to reach this milestone, we knew we needed help. Without the support of the wolves, and dare I say, everyone else, we would not be here now.”
“I see.” Lydia pondered briefly. “Well then, you are forgiven.”
Eric looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
Lydia laughed.
The two of them walked into the threshold of the throne room and stopped, greeted by cheers. Gweneviere stood next to the throne, eyes sparkling, holding the crown on a pillow. Robald was on the other side of the throne in his Royal Guard uniform smiling from ear to ear. Thorgon pulled out an onion and took a bite as he stood next to Robald A few witnesses reported that there were even a few tears on his cheeks but that was never proven. The Apsaras were flying over everyone releasing flower petals and doing their best to avoid the kitten who repeatedly tried to catch one. Lydia looked for Seth and Malcolm hoping to see them but could not find them.
Eric could see from her expression what she was thinking. “Alas, my future Queen, it is the hardest task ever, to place someone you love in danger so that the kingdom can be protected. May your reign be long and full of wisdom.”
“Yes, my heart is heavy. I shall honor them both and their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. Songs will be sung in their memory.” said Lydia as she looked at Eric with misty eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear.
“Then perhaps you would like to thank them in person?”
Lydia watched in awe as Seth and Malcolm approached from the sides of the room, bowed in front of her, and unrolled the red carpet. She took a moment to take in the view of everyone in the room. She found Uncle Bartholomew off to the side and he smiled back. With everyone so focused on the new Queen, no one seemed to notice the figure at the rear of the crowd. He was tall, with dark hair, with a dark complexion, carrying a backpack, and he did not look happy.
Eric spoke and brought Lydia back into the moment. “Well Your Highness, are you ready? Your subjects await.”
“Yes, I believe I am.”
They walked forward as wolves howled in the distance.