by Tina Silvens
And so, instead of the wonderful party dress, Selunia sat now in front of the mirror, dressed in a grotesque soldier costume from the Arid Kingdom.
Elis was amazed at how the new clothing had masked all Selunia’s feminine features. From any angle you looked, the final impression was that of a short, stout soldier. Even her face was unrecognizable thanks to the helmet, which covered her eyes with special smoky glass.
“I can’t believe this...” Selunia mumbled, disappointed.
“Try to tighten the belt a little again,” Elis hopelessly advised her.
“It can’t be tightened any more. I confess I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to go there in the party dress, but... not like this, either.”
“Maybe you’ll get to change into something else before meeting Soris.”
Chapter 2
After a quarter of an hour, Selunia, together with the general, was on her way to the Aridens’ Palace. She was outside the stronghold in a huge car, with black metallic shell and smoky windows—which boldly contrasted with the surroundings’ primitivism and naturalness.
This contrasting aspect was one characteristic of the Arid Kingdom. Because of the long war, military technology had evolved greatly in comparison to the people’s living conditions. Therefore, inside the palace could be found military transportation cars, video cameras, computers, laser guns, and all sorts of advanced technology devices, while the commoners were still using carts and horses as transport, and had barely seen a camera.
The wheels rolled silently on the well-worn country road. From the inside, Selunia looked curiously through the window. It wasn’t quite the first time she’d ridden in such a car, but she hadn’t left the stronghold for a very long time. The forest outside the magical barrier, which extended on both sides of the road, seemed to her rarer and taller than what she had known. She had a vague memory of the path to the Aridens’ Palace.
General Waltario, at a certain moment, broke the silence. “Selunia, you should know that I take you to our place at your mother’s insistence. I became indebted to your parents a long time ago and, as compensation, I promised to help them with whatever they wanted. And this is all they wanted from me.”
“But what exactly led to this debt?” she asked curiously.
“They’ll tell you when the time is right.”
Selunia sank in her large costume, disappointed. The general continued, “Most important now is that I take you there somewhat secretly; that’s why I gave you this soldier costume. I don’t know yet if the royal family will agree to this.”
Selunia looked confused at him. Why wouldn’t they?
“To ensure there won’t be any trouble with your accommodation at the palace, I’ll present you as my adopted daughter. Some will probably think it has to do with my past marriage...”
“So—” she tried to say, taken by surprise by the general’s proposal.
“So, from now on, your name is Selunia Waltario.”
“—Aaand... I’ll have to call you father, right?” she asked, troubled.
“Yes, whenever it’s necessary. This way, you’ll be respected and safe in the palace for sure, and the royal family won’t be able to oppose you too much.” He continued in a low voice: “The queen hardly allows young women into the palace.”
The general cleared his throat, unwilling to detail the reason for her disguise as his own daughter too much. He added, “That’s because your parents aren’t around. They can’t understand why I hesitated to bring you to us.”
“Pff, I haven’t seen them for almost two years.”
She couldn’t believe she’d have to play this adopted daughter scene. She found this absurd; she had her own parents. Still, on the other hand, she thought it would be fun to go to the palace under another name. Going to a place in such a mysterious manner intrigued her. It was as if her life had become more interesting, more important. She broke free from the repetitive days at the Castle, where she had had to keep believing and keep struggling to awaken her inner force, before the distrustful or ironical sights of the others.
The general resumed, “You’ll have to be very careful there. Actually, I can’t say decisively that the war is over completely—”
“War?!” she exclaimed. “Are you saying you’ve gone through a war recently?! I didn’t know anything about that.”
“We’ve been at war for more than five years. We had a number of attacks to fight...”
Silence fell. The general sank into memories, while Selunia sat there gaping at him. She couldn’t accept she hadn’t known something so important, for so long. Did mom and dad know about this? Ryan probably knew... Why didn’t anybody tell me anything?
Awakened from her shock, she asked, terrified, “And Soris, I mean, Prince Soris, what’s he doing? How is he?”
The general nodded. “The prince is one of the luckiest men on the battlefield. He’s escaped from so many fiery military battles without very bad injuries or fractures, although he pretty much exposed himself. He pushed himself through all sorts of difficult areas... Well, no one denies that his actions rushed the ending of the war. He wanted more than anyone to put an end to the state of terror.”
Selunia listened to him carefully. She was happy to hear such words about her good old childhood friend. Still, she felt remorse that she hadn’t been by his side to help him.
She put on a dignified face and told the general, “You should’ve brought me here earlier. From now on, I ask you to let me take part in the battles! With my abilities, I can help you a lot. You know, with the crystal-gloves, I can create all kinds of—”
“Don’t even dream about that, Selunia!” said the general. “I’m conscious that those from the Castle have taught you a lot, but the Arid Kingdom doesn’t know about magical weapons. In our place, everything that holds on to magic, aside from circus performances, is considered to be evil-natured. I think we’ll have to get approval from the Central Palace first. We ought not to disturb the order of the kingdom. Anyway, I ask you not to act before talking to me, understood?”
“Yes, understood,” she answered, resigned. She looked at him, upset. Then what am I to do there? Will I just lie idly? Worried, she peered back at the stronghold, which couldn’t be seen anymore because of the magical barrier. Will it be worse than at the Castle?
Chapter 3
Somewhere, on a sandy battlefield, Soris was desperately running for a place to shield himself from the rain of laser-bullets that was following his steps. He felt all his muscles tensed; his feet were burning as if he had embers in his shoes; and the sweat was falling in drips on his temples, neck, and back. His dark brown hair was all wet. The atmosphere was suffocating. He didn’t know where to hide more quickly.
He noticed a big rock. He jumped and squatted behind it with high hopes. A few laser-bullets uselessly hit the upper part of the stone. After some moments, the rain of bullets stopped. Soris, mouth half-opened after the long run, couldn’t hear anything except his noisy and restless breathing. All tensed, he felt cold sweat flowing on his arms and chest. Although it was really warm, he didn’t feel like throwing off the white protective jacket he wore.
The silence that fell around worried him even more. They’re probably coming little by little. He clenched his fingers harder on his pistol. A gust of wind splashed a wave of dust over him; he tried his best to cover from it by hiding his face under an arm. He couldn’t stand that annoying dust sticking on his wet face. Now they’ll try to advance as much as they can, he thought, getting ready to attack.
As soon as the wind faded, Soris rose from behind the rock and fired some precise laser-bullets in certain directions, where he presumed the enemies were, but there was no one in front of him. He stopped shooting. To his great surprise, the battlefield was now empty, and incredibly clear. He sat for a few seconds, absorbed by that view. Could they have withdrawn?
At a distance, like a straight horizontal line by the well-defined horizo
n, the fire-red sky poured an overwhelming light over the plain desolate land. Observing the perfect circular contour of the sun, Soris lifted a hand up to his eyes to cover from its powerful rays. He was confused. What is this? The sunrise or the sunset? I’m so scatterbrained... Why can’t I get it?
Right at that moment, a short earthquake swept him from his thinking. Frightened, he looked around. What was that? And... and where is everybody?
The earthquake started again, and jolted him more forcefully. Soris, seeing the land getting unstable under his feet and showing signs of crumbling, went on, running in the opposite direction from the sun, hardly managing to keep his balance.
He heard a loud shout behind him.
“Ruuuun! We’re being attaaaaacked!”
The voice sounded familiar, but he simply couldn’t realize whose it was. Running in unsure leaps on a ground that was ruining under him, his mind was foggy; he couldn’t think of almost anything. There was just one thing he repeated to himself: I must survive! I must survive!
All of a sudden, he fell into a hole. He landed on his knees, scared.
The earthquake seemed to stop. The terrible ground-shattering noise ceased entirely.
Soris rose to his feet and looked over the rim of the hole—apparently, it was still deserted. He made an effort and got up, panting. He looked around again— nobody. The squalls, with their hollow sound, blurred his vision again. “Anybody here?” he shouted tiredly.
He hoped to meet the comrade he’d heard earlier, during the earthquake. He wiped the sweat from his forehead while breathing jerkily. Where are our soldiers?
Just then, someone appeared at his back and jumped over to attack him with a sword.
“Haha, got ya!” exclaimed the enemy with satisfaction, and raised his weapon in the air.
Soris had lost his gun during the earthquake. He drew his sword from its sheath and defended himself from the strenuous attack. He recoiled when the two blades clashed. He sat still for a second, then pushed the man as hard as he could. The enemy, unbalanced by his counterattack, swayed backwards. Soris didn’t stand idly by, but took his chance, lunged forward, and slashed him across the torso.
The unexpected attacker fell defeated on the ground. Dust clouds rose after his fall. Soris savored his short moment of victory. I didn’t expect to get rid of him so easily. Oh well, when I asked if there was anybody out there, I didn’t ask for someone like him.
All of a sudden, from afar, desperate shouts for help were heard. They seemed to be the voices of some soldiers he knew. He started for the source of the screams. He had to help his comrades.
He arrived at a path outlined on both sides by a row of spaced rocks. He had no idea where he was, exactly; he let himself be guided by the sounds around him, and what disturbed him the most was that no matter how much he ran, it seemed he couldn’t find anyone kin to him.
Tired, he tripped and fell on his knees. The shouts diminished a little. Could I have gone wrong? From here, it’s muffled...
He stood up, dusting himself off. He looked ahead. Finally, in the deserted landscape between the rocks, a human being appeared. It had a peaceful pace. It seemed to be a poor old woman.
Soris went closer to her. What’s with this woman here? Isn’t she afraid?
The old lady turned to him. As soon as she noticed him, she came to him in a hurry. Soris stopped in place. The woman pounced over him with her fists, yelling, “You wicked thing! Because of you my son has died! You die now too!”
Much to his surprise, the old lady recoiled, took a gun out of her apron, and pointed it at him. With an agile move, Soris snatched it from her hand, hid it in his belt, then said in a hurry, “I didn’t want him to die, I swear! Everything happened behind my back!”
“Oh no, it’s you who brought him death! If he died, then why are you living?” screamed the woman, in a hoarse voice that startled the prince. “Why are you living? Why don’t you want to die here on this battlefield?”
“I can’t! I’m sorry. I don’t live only for myself; I... I must survive at all costs!” he replied, bewildered.
At that moment, to his joy, two soldiers of his appeared and pushed the old woman aside. Barely breathing, they announced to the prince, “Your Highness, there’s a time bomb near the palace! We don’t know how to defuse it!”
Soris widened his eyes. How could I have missed that?
He let them guide him to the spot. In a blink, he knelt before the bomb. The screen only showed fifteen seconds left before the bomb went off. Nervous, with some tools from around him, he opened the lid and tried to find the wires to cut. Horrified beyond measure, he discovered that inside there were a number of tangled wires of the same color, between which, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t differentiate. With eyes wide open and hands shaking, he uselessly struggled to untie the great intricacy of wires. Everything that happened seemed unreal to him.
“Only three seconds left!” shouted the soldier at his right.
“Enough! It’s over!” shouted the one at his left, pulling him by the arm. “Wake up!”
Although he didn’t understand his behavior, Soris remained focused on the wires. He continued to study them with his free hand.
The soldier shook him vigorously, yelling at him, “Enough! Wake up! It’s over!”
Soris didn’t listen, despite his tugs. Illogically, although time was up, the bomb didn’t blow off, and Soris went forward with his research. Paradoxically, he found the desired wire and cut it as, on the screen, there were minus three seconds.
“At last! I defused the bomb!” he cried with savage happiness, while opening his eyes in some other place.
He had dreamed.
He woke up stretched in the bed of his familiar room, shaken by his personal guard, Daniel, who begged him plaintively, “Soris, come on, wake up! It’s just a nightmare! The war is over!”
The soldier who hadn’t let him defuse the bomb was, in fact, Daniel.
The prince—heart still beating irregularly after the tumultuous dream—got himself half up and looked around, unsure. His eyes stopped upon the boy who’d been struggling for some time already to wake him up. Ah! It’s just another nightmare... he told himself, closing his eyes for a little while, to pull himself together. He gave a sigh of relief.
“Enough, Daniel,” he told his guard, with an intentionally calm voice.
Daniel let go of his arm, then straightened and took the uptight official posture of a soldier.
Soris was horrified at the thought of opening his eyes. He was conscious. He looked wretched. He didn’t want to be seen by his personal guard in such a state. His dark brown hair tousled in all directions, his clear dark under-eye circles, and his night shirt—tossed by his agitated sleep—all made a definitely-not-flattering image. This was a difficult situation for him, he who had been taught as a child to take care of the way he showed himself in front of his subordinates.
He sighed a little, summoned his courage, then opened his eyes determinedly and jumped from his bed. He quickly took a dignified, straight, hands-at-back posture, fixing his eyes somewhere up on the ceiling. There was something comical in the contrast between his tight stature and his crumpled look.
Still, Daniel couldn’t notice this. He now sat penitent, eyes on the floor, knowing that it wasn’t quite proper to barge into the prince’s room.
Soris passed by him, walked around, then stopped in place so that his back would face Daniel. After clearing his throat, he asked in a firm voice, “Go on. What’s the problem, Daniel?”
“Well... umm, you know...” Daniel shyly tried to answer.
“Tell me what’s urgent. I know you wouldn’t ever disturb me unless it’s something important,” the prince urged him.
Daniel, hearing that, found his courage and said, “It’s about your parents... You’d told me a while ago to notify you if—”
“Got it,” Soris cut Daniel’s sentence off, knowing what he
was referring to. “So it happens right now...”
“Yes, in the small conference room.”
“Good. You did well to tell me. You’re dismissed.”
Daniel hesitated a little, then respectfully greeted him and left the room. In his mind, he was still wondering how Soris had managed to change state so quickly, from a man desperate to survive, to a dignified, reliable, and stable one.
Chapter 4
In his room, the prince, as soon as he heard the door shutting after Daniel’s departure, let his shoulders fall into relaxation and humped a little under the pressure of the fatigue felt at the back of his head, in his limbs, and in his stomach. He had only pretended to be all right.
Lethargically, with his head bent into desolation, he lamented: No... I can’t do anymore, I can’t. I’m completely destroyed. The war has eaten my body, and the palace, my soul... Each day I walk closer to my doom...
He took on a rebel’s attitude. But why do I care, after all, about what the people say? Screw them all! Why must I always solve my parents’ problems? How about I pretend I’ve heard nothing?
He got into a self-pitying phase. I’m such a poor guy. I have the full right to rest. I think I should ignore this problem.
But three seconds later, he jumped in place, straightened, thrust out his chest like a plunging bird, breathed in deeply, and went into a new state: the encouraging phase. No, it won’t do! The enemy always expects this: the moment of weakness! But I shall not; I’m not going to give up so easily. As long as I’m alive, I’ll protect this kingdom! I’ll fight for my family’s honor!
With an excess of enthusiasm, Soris went to prepare for going out in the palace world. Reaching the mirror from his personal bathroom, situated in the following room, he shuddered, terrified. Gosh, how awful I look! I only hope Daniel didn’t stare too much at my face.