The Stones of Fire and Water

by V. M. Sang

  King Torren the second entered the cathedral. He wore Robes of State. These were a royal blue colour and were simple in style. He had rejected the elaborate robes Dilrong had selected, saying he did not want to put emphasis on the difference between himself and the people. He had compromised on the colour, royal blue being the colour of kings, and had reluctantly agreed to an embroidery of gold thread. Dressmakers and embroiderers worked day and night to get the robes finished in time.

  The king wore a cloak with a long train edged with ermine and holding it up were the king's siblings. First came Lucenra and Isolla, dressed in white, then Phillus and Kitu with little prince Allry holding up the back of the train. The princes dressed in white as well. Queen Phillida had instilled in her six-year-old son he was to stay well away from dirt. So far the clothes remained white.

  The royal procession continued up the aisle. Pages bearing royal blue cushions followed with the Crown, the King's Ring, and the Sceptre of Rulership. When they arrived at the altar, the king knelt down before the Archbishop, the princesses arranged the train and went to their seats next to their mother in the front row.

  King Torren then spoke in a loud voice.

  `My father, King Horrito the second, is dead. I come before the Creator of All to beg to be accepted as his rightful heir.'

  The Archbishop answered in a loud voice so all could hear, `Are you Torren Killion Johnes Nodron, eldest living son of King Horrito Yonle Widdin and Queen Phillida Breba Sinle?'

  `I am.'

  `Do you swear by the All Powerful Creator of All that this is the truth?'

  `I do.'

  `Do you, Torren Killion Johnes Nodron swear to serve your people and to do all in your power to aid them in adversity, comfort them in times of trouble, and rejoice with them in times of joy?'

  `I do.'

  `Then stand, Torren Killion Johnes Nodron, and take your rightful place on the throne of Ponderia.'

  Torren stood and walked slowly round the altar to the throne where he stood facing the congregation. Princess Lucenra stood and came to adjust the train before sitting down once more.

  The Archbishop turned to the people assembled. `Do you, the people of Ponderia accept Torren Killion Johnes Nodron as your rightful king? Do you swear to protect him in times of danger, mourn with him in times of sorrow and rejoice with him in times of joy?'

  The assembled nobility called with one voice, `We do.'

  The Archbishop then called the pages forward.

  He lifted the crown from the first cushion and held it high for all to see. As he lowered it onto Torren's head he intoned, `I crown you King Torren the second of Ponderia. May the Creator of All bless you.'

  He then took the Crown Prince's ring that Torren removed, and lifted the King's Ring from the second cushion and said, as he slipped it onto Torren's finger, `Wear the noble ring of kinghood with pride, but never forget you are only one man among many. This ring is a token of servitude.'

  Finally he took the scepter and placed it in Torren's hand saying, `The scepter denotes rulership, but a true ruler rules with the will of the people and not against them. Rule wisely and well.'

  He then bowed to the new King and stepped back as the orchestra burst forth in a joyful and triumphant theme joined by the choir.

  The congregation burst into spontaneous clapping. All now knew of the attempted usurpation of the throne and were relieved it had been resolved. They all knew and liked Prince Torren, now King Torren, and showed their appreciation.

  The king stood and slowly walked down the aisle with his siblings once more holding up his train. He smiled and waved at people as he passed and gave a specially wide smile at Pettic and his family.

  Outside, the King's Coach pulled up in front of the steps. As soon as the newly crowned king emerged, the crowd waiting outside burst into a cacophony of cheering. Then there came the roaring of cannon as a twenty one gun salute was fired from the walls of the city. Later there would be a massive fireworks display that night at midnight.

  The King travelled all round the city in his coach pulled by six white horses. Everywhere he went cheers followed him until he eventually arrived back at the palace.

  A footman opened the door of the coach and the newly-crowned king stepped into his home once more. He wanted to go to his apartment and rest. The crown was heavy and so was the cloak, but so many people wanted to greet him that it was an hour before he managed to get away.

  Once in the King's Apartment, he lifted the crown from his head and sank down onto his bed. His valet took the crown and reverently placed it on a table.

  `Is there anything I can get you, Your Majesty,' the valet asked him.

  `If you've got some spare time about you so I can rest for a bit, that'd be useful,' sighed Torren.

  The valet smiled. `I'm sorry, Your Majesty,' he replied. `I don't think that's possible. Perhaps you'd like a drink of something?'

  Torren accepted a drink of fruit juice and lay back on his bed. He closed his eyes. The coronation had made him the king of Ponderia He was not sure he was ready for this. His father should have lived many more years and guided him gradually into what a king needed to do. He could not shirk his duty, though. There had been kings in the past who had abdicated their responsibility, but he had been learning how to be a king all his life. As much as he would like to, he could not do that.

  If he did, then Lucenra was the next in line. She would make a good queen, he had no doubt, but she had not been groomed for the job and it would be more difficult for her than for him.

  He pushed those thoughts away. He would do his utmost to keep the vows he had made in the Abbey, and he drifted off into sleep until his valet came to wake him for the celebration banquet.

  Pettic and his family made their way down the stairs into the banqueting hall. A servant escorted them to their seats on a long table. There were three long tables and across the top was a fourth. This one was for the Royal Family.

  The banqueting hall filled up with the nobility of Ponderia The higher ranking nobles sat nearer the Royal Table. As an earl, Pettic and his family sat about half way down the centre table.

  A trumpet sounded and the Royal Family entered. Everyone stood as they took their places and Queen Phillida bade them sit. Pettic's eyes sought those of Princess Lucenra. She smiled at him, looking beautiful in a mauve gown with amethysts in her ears and round her neck. She had amethysts in her hair, too, which had been done in an elaborate style around her coronet.

  Pettic noticed she wore the ring that Torren had worn. The ring he knew as the Crown Prince's ring. Of course, until Torren married and produced an heir, she was the Crown Princess.

  The trumpet sounded again, and King Torren entered. He walked the length of the hall, smiling and bowing to his subjects as they bowed at his passing. Then, as he reached the Royal Table and bade them sit, a thunder of clapping arose.

  The banquet began. No one had eaten much during the day in anticipation of the feast to come. Torren had cut the number of courses Dilrong planned to a mere seven. He ordered any extra food already bought to be distributed among the poor in the city.

  Much wine flowed, and halfway through the meal, just before the fifth course, Torren stood and indicated he wanted to speak. Everyone stopped chattering and waited.

  It was the usual practice for the king to hand out some honours at his coronation and this was to be no exception. King Torren had some honours to hand out, just as usual. Just as usual, too, he did this before everyone got too inebriated.

  Torren stood and presented knighthoods to some, gave baronies to others, medals to still more.

  Then he said, `My beloved sister, the Princess Lucenra, has shown her love for me in ways I cannot ignore. If it were not for her and Earl Pettic of Flindon I would not be standing here today and you would be being ruled by a magician with a callow youth as a figurehead. Some may still say you still have a callow youth as your king.'

  Laughter broke out here, and someone called `Neve
r, Your Majesty.'

  Torren laughed and continued. `I want to present Princess Lucenra with the highest honour in the land, the Medal of Ponderia. Please, Lucenra, come and accept this from me.'

  Lucenra, looking surprised, stood and knelt before her brother as he pinned the medal to her chest. She whispered something, and Torren said, `I'm coming to that, Luce.'

  Torren looked round the assembled guests and called. `Earl Pettic of Flindon please come here.'

  Pettic looked around and saw all eyes on him as he walked slowly to the dais. When he arrived there, Torren turned him to face the crowd and began to tell of Pettic's bravery in entering four unknown worlds in order to rescue him.

  `In honour of his bravery, and service to the kingdom, I would like to make Earl Pettic a Duke. The papers are made out and only need signing by myself and Duke Pettic. Pettic, you can choose your own title. Duke of wherever you wish. Also, it's not fitting a Duke have a commoner family and so I bestow the Earldom of Flindon onto Duke Pettic's father, to pass to his younger son, Derkil.'

  The place erupted with cheers and clapping at this announcement. Then Torren waved to a guard at the entrance to the hall. The guard went out and returned with Cledo. Pettic's eyes bulged. What was his dog doing at a royal banquet? But Torren was talking again.

  `This dog I gave to my friend Pettic on his sixteenth birthday. It was the best present I've ever given. This animal not only accompanied Pettic on his travels in the four elemental worlds and the Bubble, but was also instrumental in exposing the imposter. I give him the Medal of Ponderia.'

  Again the burst of applause.

  `Now, finally, I have another gift to give. Duke Pettic, I give you the hand of my sister, Princess Lucenra, in marriage.'

  Pettic nearly fell off the dais. Marry Lucenra? His eyes went to her. She was looking down. Was she crying? He did not want to marry her if she did not want it. He would like to marry her. He realised when he came back from Aeris that he loved her, but she had never given him any reason to believe she returned his love. He walked slowly back to his seat amidst clapping and laughter to finish the banquet, but refused to look at the princess at all.

  Chapter 21

  `What did you mean by offering Lucenra to me as though she were a horse for sale?' Pettic's eyes blazed as he looked at his friend the next day.

  `Calm down, Pettic,' Torren said. `Luce said exactly the same. I know you love each other. I've seen the way you look at her and she at you when you think the other isn't looking. Go talk to her. Tell her you love her.'

  Pettic stormed off, but decided he would do as Torren said and go and talk with Lucenra. There was nothing in the world he would like better than to marry her, but he would not do so without being sure she wanted it too.

  He arrived at her apartment and knocked on the door. A lady-in-waiting opened it and invited him in. He waited in the audience chamber until the princess arrived and invited him into her private sitting room. She dismissed her ladies and sat down, eyes downcast, not at all like herself.

  Pettic began to speak.`You don't have to do this if you don't want, Luce.'

  `Nor do you, Pettic. Some harebrained scheme of my brother. Just because we worked well on his rescue he thinks we'd make a 'good team' as he put it.'

  `Perhaps we would. We did during the rescue, didn't we?'

  `Shouldn't there be more in a marriage than working as a team?'

  `Yes, I suppose so.'

  Lucenra put her head in her hands. Pettic saw her shoulders begin to shake and she said, `I don't want to marry someone who doesn't love me, no matter how much they like me and respect me.'

  Pettic stood and went and sat by her. He took her in his arms and said, `But I do love you, Lucenra. I realised it when I got back from Aeris and compared you to Eloraine. Remember you threw a cushion at me?'

  Lucenra's tears stopped. `You love me? Is that true?'

  `Yes, it is, but I'm only a farmer's son and could never hope for the love of a princess.'

  Lucenra looked him in the eye. `But you're no longer a farmer's son, Pettic. You are a Duke and your father's an Earl. What's more, you're a hero.'

  `I was a farmer's son when I came here and I'm still a farmer's son. Nothing can change that. Not all the education or titles in the world. Dilrong said that, remember? I'm still not worthy of a princess.'

  Lucenra laughed. `I don't care. I'd be a farmer's wife if that was what was needed to marry you, Pettic. I've loved you since you arrived. I was only a little girl then, but each year I loved you more.'

  Then Pettic leaned down and kissed her. `I've been longing to do that,' he said.

  `And I've been longing for you to do it.'

  `So are we going to obey your brother and get married?'

  `Yes, Oh yes please.'

  `Then let's go and tell him and your mother the good news.'

  THE END

  About the Author

  I was born and lived my early life in Cheshire in the north west of England. My father died while I was very young and my mother remarried. My stepfather was a farmer on the Cheshire/North Wales border. My step brothers and sisters all went to boarding school, but I was lucky enough to escape that, going to live with my mother’s elder sister and her husband in order to get a good education. I passed my 11+ examination and went to Grammar School, thus getting a more academic education.

  I have always loved books and reading. I learned to read before I went to school. The earliest book I remember was one about two little pandas whose Great Aunt Patsy gave umbrellas. They gave them away to aid a rabbit whose burrow was leaking and a bird whose babies were getting wet in the nest. It was in rhyme, and my mother told me I knew it off by heart and would say it along with whoever was reading it to me.

  I loved Enid Blyton books. I know she’s not supposed to be good, but she certainly got me reading. I loved her Famous 5 books and the Adventure books, like the Sea of Adventure, the Mountain of Adventure etc. There was another book by Enid Blyton, called Shadow the Sheepdog that I loved. This inspired me to write my very first story. I could not have been more than about 6 or 7, because I know I spelled ‘of’ wrongly throughout. I spelled it ‘ov’.

  I loved Black Beauty too, but was not impressed by Alice in Wonderland at all.

  During my teenage years I wrote some poetry, one of which was published in the magazine of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). Unfortunately, that is the only one that is still around.

  I became a teacher and taught English and Science at my first school. My main subject was science, though, although I also taught Maths and what was then known as Computer Studies.

  I was introduced to fantasy by a little 9 year old boy with the wonderful name of Fred Spittal who told me I should read The Lord of the Rings, but first read The Hobbit. This I did and have been hooked ever since.

  I did little writing until I started teaching in Croydon, Greater London. Here I started a Dungeons and Dragons club in the school where I was teaching. I used bought scenarios at first, then thought I could write my own, which I did. The idea of turning it into a novel formed but I did little about it until I took early retirement. Then I began to write The Wolves of Vimar Series. Not having written a novel since my teens (a rather bad romantic novel) for the consumption of my friends, I was surprised at how this work seemed to take on a life of its own, and what was supposed to be a single novel turned into a series.

  Walking has always been one of my favourite pastimes, having gone on walking holidays in my teens. I met my husband walking with the University Hiking Club, and we still enjoy walking on the South Downs. We also bought a kayak and have done quite a lot of kayaking in Brittany along the river Vilaine and the Oust.

  Quieter things that I enjoy doing are a variety of crafts, such as card making, tatting, crochet, knitting etc. I also draw and paint.

  I am married with two children, a girl and a boy. My daughter has three children and I love to spend time with my grandchi
ldren. They are so much fun. I now live in East Sussex with my husband.

  Dear reader,

  Thank you for taking time to read The Stones of Fire and Water. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.