The Rest is Silence

by Chii Rempel

  He pulls at my hand. “Xander, look.”

  I don’t need to ask what he’s trying to show me. There, between the colourless trees, on the soundless grass, a thick, white fog is creeping towards us. It’s moving slowly and somehow … very smoothly, like it’s trying to be gentle. Like it’s aware it could scare us by moving too fast.

  Xavier and I stand frozen like statues, watching the phenomenon ooze closer. From up close I realise that it’s not entirely white. It is kind of – greenish.

  I’m not sure if I should be simply scared or outright terrified. This is no natural fog, that’s for sure. It’s not behaving like fog should behave. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it feels nearly … sentient.

  In that moment, the fog decides to open its eyes. I yelp, taking a step back as suddenly, dozens of pairs of eyes focus on me.

  “What the –” I hear Xavier exclaim beside me. His hand is still gripping mine and we move closer together, pressed shoulder to shoulder, staring at the monstrosity of unblinking eyes.

  Then, one pair of them starts moving. It slowly detaches from the mist and starts floating towards us. A small white cloud with big round eyes comes to a halt in front of our baffled faces and opens its mouth to a giant grin. Right there, in the middle of the day, under a clear sky and bright sun.

  I release a breathy laugh, squeaky, a little hysterical, as I feel the tension fall off me like a heavy blanket.

  “It’s you,” I croak, watching the little creature bounce happily before my eyes.

  “What – I – Xander?” Only now do I realise Xavier is staring at me open-mouthed. Right, he didn’t have the pleasure yet.

  I reach forward and close his mouth for him, a little smile tugging on my lips.

  “Yeah,” I drawl, searching for the right words to explain what is happening although I’m no expert myself, “No need to worry. I think. These are … the vættirs. I tried to show them to you last time when I dragged you to the clearing that night, but they didn’t show up.” I glance back at the floating puff-ball. “And now you decided to show yourself? Did you hope to give me a heart attack?” I ask accusingly.

  “did you hope to give me a heart attack,” the creature parrots.

  Xavier does a double take. I sigh loudly. “Seriously? Come on, that joke’s not funny anymore.”

  “seriously that joke’s not funny anymore”

  The voice sounds as tinny as I remember, hollow, like it’s still far away. I roll my eyes at the creature and turn to pat Xavier’s hand sympathetically. “Yep, they can talk. Yep, it’s fucking creepy. You learn to live with it.”

  Xavier is still staring at the vættir, eyebrows raised comically. “I … I still don’t understand.”

  “Honestly, I don’t do either. They showed up the night you found me in the forest. I figured they were harmless, at best. Creepy, at worst. I don’t know. So far, they haven’t done anything much, except floating and repeating every of my word.”

  “honestly i don’t do –”

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” I interrupt the creature with an accusing finger.

  The mouth snaps shut. The unblinking eyes look almost sheepishly.

  “That is … wow. That’s a little unnerving,” Xavier breathes, finally tearing his gaze away from the vættir.

  “Tell me about it.”

  The rest of the creatures seem to be content to remain in their unified form, encircling us in white mist.

  “What do they want?” Xavier asks, finally recovering from the initial shock.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How come they’re here? If they’re spirits of the forest, what are they doing outside of it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is there anything you do know?”

  “Yes. I love you.”

  “Wha- What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Nothing,” I laugh, “But you still look a little spooked, so I though you could use some cheering up.”

  Xavier shakes his head but there’s a smile forming on his lips. “You are –”

  “Charming? Gorgeous? The most beautiful thing you’ve ever laid eyes on?”

  “– incredible.”

  The smug grin leaves my face as I feel my cheeks heat up at the raw honesty in Xavier’s eyes.

  “And all of the above, too,” he adds with a laugh. “Honestly, you’ve faced eviction from your own home, the ghost of your murdered father, some strange spirits of the forest that are … creepily adorable, and you still manage to stand up straight and smile, like nothing in the world can harm you. That’s admirable, Xander. You’re incredible.”

  I turn my face, embarrassed. “Stop it, you’re making me all flustered in front of … they’re gone.”

  My surprise is mirrored on Xavier’s face as we look around us only to discover that the fog is gone. The sun seems to shine warmer now, the grass is green again, the trees rustle with the falling of the leaves.

  “What –” I start to say, but loud shouting from behind us interrupts me.

  “There!”

  Xavier and I swirl around at the same time. We spot them immediately. There, at the end of the road, just outside of the village – why is the village back in sight? – two soldiers of the king’s guard are riding towards us on galloping horses.

  Everything in my vision zeroes down to the sight of the ironclad riders. I feel a strong pull of my hand.

  “Xander, move!” Xavier shouts and drags me off the road.

  We run. Xavier is faster than me, clasping my hand tightly and pulling me after him. I command my legs to move faster, faster, but they have horses and we don’t even have a place to hide. Damn this place and its lack of trees.

  I want to ask Xavier what we should do. We can’t outrun the soldiers. We can’t hide. But he’s running like a madman and my lungs are too occupied with pumping air into me to even spare a second for words.

  I can hear them behind me. The sound of heavy hooves vibrating through the ground.

  That’s it. This must be it. We should have been more careful. We should have gone by night.

  Xavier drops the bag of provisions we bought and it lands with a thud on the ground. He starts running even faster. My legs threaten to give up on me. I don’t even know why we’re running. It’s not like we have a realistic chance.

  I look up and recognise something in the distance. The mountains. They appear to be closer than I initially expected. That’ where Xavier is dragging us. Still, the chances are pretty low that we manage to get there in time. I feel the horses getting closer. I want to say something to Xavier, beg him to slow down, as all this running is useless anyway, when I suddenly hear the horses neighing wildly behind us.

  Xavier must have heard it too, because I see his shoulders tense, but he doesn’t look back. I, however, do.

  The sight that greets me is … liberating. The horses are jumping, confused and probably terrified by a foe they cannot touch, but see. They must have kicked off their riders, as the soldiers are picking themselves from the ground, trying to calm their frantic companions. They don’t seem to see them, I realise. They don’t seem to be aware of the dozens of big-eyed spirits floating in circles around them, scaring the animals, mocking the humans.

  I don’t know why the vættirs do what they’re doing, but I am incredibly grateful. There’s no time to feel relieved however, we’re still not out of sight.

  Xavier is still tugging me along, running between the trees. I set my eyes on the mountains ahead and let myself hope. Maybe we still have a chance.

  24

  Arcadia

  The whole castle is in turmoil. There’s been a bird with the message that the prince has been spotted right outside of Rassgar, which is only three hours on horseback, if you have the right rider. Two soldiers have apparently gone after them, with one returning to the village to deliver the message. It seems to be only a matter of time until they’re caught.

  Guildenstern comes running towards me
in the foyer. Everybody has gathered down here, waiting for news. This is not the first time a prince has run away. It is the first time however, that the whole king’s guard is looking for him.

  “The king is preparing to ride with his guard!” Guildenstern announces.

  Rosencrantz and I share a panicked look. This is not good.

  “He doesn’t want to risk bringing him back here,” Rosencrantz realises.

  “I wouldn’t either, if I was planning on assassinating the prince,” Guildenstern adds.

  “Fuck,” I breathe. “What do we do? We can’t let that happen! We need to make sure he doesn’t get to him, or … or at least bring him back and demand a trial. The queen would never let them execute her son!”

  “If the queen is found by then.”

  “Damnit,” I shout, “Damn this whole situation!”

  People are looking at me quizzically. I don’t care. My fists are balled at my sides, I’m shaking with rage and frustration. There’s only one thing I can think of right now.

  “We’re going after them,” I declare.

  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern share a glance.

  “Is it really advisable that you –”

  “Don’t you even dare say it!” I interrupt, furious. “I’ve let them talk me out of going with them. I’m not going to be talked out of following. They are my family!”

  They both stare at me for a second. Then they nod.

  “Are you looking for the queen?” I hear a voice whisper beside me suddenly, interrupting my plan to leave as quickly as possible. A voice I would rather not hear right now. I turn and face the stern-looking maid, who is leaning closer to me.

  “Sylva,” I say cautiously. I’m in no mood to fight with her, but if she’s going to say something about how improper my behaviour is, I’m going to punch my way through her. She must sense my determination, because she immediately raises her hands as if to show me that she’s coming in peace.

  “Lady Riverstone,” she says, her voice still barely more than a whisper, “I have information concerning the queen.” The maid looks around quickly to check if anybody is listening. Then she brings her face even closer so her voice doesn’t travel to unwanted ears.

  “The queen hasn’t left her bed since the morning the prince has vanished,” Sylva explains. Her face turns sour as she speaks. “The king has ordered me to tend to her, bring her food and see to her needs. He says she’s fallen ill due to the prince’s betrayal, but that’s not it. I’ve seen it. She’s weak, my lady. The queen is barely able to sit up, let alone eat something. I’ve seen the king slip something into her water … I’ve stopped giving it to her. I think he might be poisoning her. I – I don’t really know what is happening, but the queen needs to see a healer. The king – Claudius, he’s not letting anybody near her but me. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to trust. There’re guards in front of her door, I can’t get her out without being seen.”

  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have moved closer to me, pressing to my back to be able to listen to what the older woman is saying. I take a deep breath.

  “I already suspected something like this,” I admit.

  Sylva takes a step back to bring a little distance between us.

  “Thank you for trusting us with this information,” I continue, “That only confirms that Claudius is indeed trying to get rid of Xander and if need be, the queen as well. We must act fast. Everybody is concentrated on the search for the prince, Claudius will be taking most of his guard with him …”

  “This is your chance,” Guildenstern points out, looking at the maid determinately. “Convince the guards at the queen’s door that they are to ride with the king and let somebody fetch the healer immediately. We can’t risk the queen’s health.”

  “How is she supposed to convince them?” Rosencrantz throws in.

  Sylva raises an eyebrow at him challengingly. “I’ve been working in a castle my whole life. I’m pretty good at convincing, my boy.”

  Guildenstern lets out a quick laugh.

  “Good,” I say, “Unfortunately we won’t be able to help you, as we must leave immediately. But as soon as we’re back, we’ll deal with this son of a bitch of a traitor.”

  Sylva throws me a look that conveys the disapproval of my choice of words, but she doesn’t disagree. She only nods.

  Before we leave, I turn back to her to ask her one last thing.

  “Why did you tell me all this?”

  The maid holds my gaze. “Because this is improper. Because I needed to do something. Because I know I can trust you. You have always been a kind soul, Arcadia.”

  I nod, because there are no more words needed. She turns, and I run.

  We run to the stables as fast as we can. I’m aware that most of the horses must be taken already. It doesn’t happen everyday that the king sends out his whole guard. There’s by far not enough horses for all soldiers, I guess most of them will cover the distance by foot, even if that takes the whole day.

  Fortunately, I have my own horse.

  There’s chaos in the stables. Everyone is running around, saddling horses, screaming commands. I make my way through the crowd towards Feli. She’s uneasy, I can feel that immediately. I’m uneasy, too. There’s no one there to help me saddle her. Good thing I don’t need help.

  While I prepare Feli as quickly as I can, I see Guildenstern and Rosencrantz approaching, both already sitting atop two white mares.

  “Where did you get those so quickly?” I ask, heaving myself up on Feli.

  “We might have had to punch a few people,” Guildenstern says with a grin.

  “I suggest we leave quickly,” Rosencrantz urges.

  I grab the reins and we storm out of the stables, leaving more screaming and shouting in our wake.

  Outside, I spot the king leaving the premises of the castle on a black horse, dozens of ironclad soldiers surrounding him.

  “Arcadia!”

  I see my father running towards me, his face red. Whether from anger of from the running, I cannot say and I don’t intend to find out. We don’t have time. We have to be quick.

  Xavier

  I don’t know which gods to thank, but we made it to the mountains. Luck doesn’t even begin to describe what we’re experiencing. Especially, because I really doubted we could make it this time. I didn’t think we’d get this chance.

  We’re exhausted and wrung out by the time we make it to the foot of the mountain, but I push us further. We need to get out of sight. Only as we manage to climb into a small cave, I allow us to catch a breath. Xander’s legs give out and he collapses on the hard rock, falling on his knees and breathing heavily. I don’t even have the strength to catch him, so I let myself fall beside him, trying to regulate my breathing and the fast beating of my heart.

  “Are you … all right?” I ask between breaths.

  Xander looks at me, air puffing out frantically from his lips, his eyes molten jewels.

  “I don’t … think that … I’ll ever … walk again,” he pants.

  I nod, heaving out a laugh and put a hand on my chest, trying to get a deep breath. Xander lets himself fall backwards beside me. His cheeks are red, his hair tousled and he looks like he might pass out any second. But his eyes meet mine and a chuckle escapes his lips.

  “I can’t believe we did that,” he breathes.

  I lie down next to him. “I know.”

  We lie there, looking at each other, breathing heavily. The tension starts leaving our bodies, I can practically feel it. I can’t help myself, I start to laugh. Xander looks at me wildly and joins me. Our laughter echoes through the little cave, catches on the walls and resonates back to us. We’re caught in a ball of our own laughter and it’s sounds ridiculous and hysteric, but it soothes me. Xander’s laughter always soothes me.

  After we’ve regained some self-control, we just lie there on the hard ground. I’m not sure I’d be able to move a muscle if my live depended on it. Maybe it does.

  “
I wish we had water,” I say.

  “I wish we had tea,” Xander helpfully provides.

  I let out another laugh.

  “What?” he says. “I’ve never gone so long without a cup of tea!”

  “Water is essential for human life, I think that’s a little more important.”

  “Tea is the essence of life, darling, and if you doubt that I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore.”

  “Hmm, what if I don’t want to be friends, darling?”

  He blushes a little at the use of the pet name. He’s using it all the time, it’s just his way of speaking. I guess it’s different hearing it from somebody else.

  I grin at him and try to nuzzle a little closer, even though my body’s not listening to me.

  “Well, if you don’t want to be friends, I guess you could still be my … boyfriend,” he says and bites his bottom lip. It should be illegal to be able to look adorable and sexy at the same time.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  His eyes soften. “Yeah?”

  I smile, searching with my fingers for his hand.

  “Yeah.”

  Arcadia

  Guildenstern, Rosencrantz and I are trying to keep a distance to the guard, but I’m afraid we’re not as inconspicuous as we had hoped. The guard is moving slower than it normally does and it’s making me impatient.

  The clopping of hoofs is echoing through the air, fast and unyielding, not exactly covering our traces.

  I know we’re not careful enough, so it comes as no surprise as two soldiers finally split from the formation and fall back to join us.

  “What are you doing here, Lady Riverstone?” one of the soldiers asks. The guy is not much older than me and I can see that he’s trying for an authoritarian look, but that sort of thing doesn’t work with me. I’m not that easily intimidated.

  “Going for a ride with my friends,” I answer.

  The two soldiers share a look that I can only roll my eyes at.