Missing Royal

by Konstanz Silverbow

  “The joy didn’t last. Seven years after Mendina’s disappearance, she reappeared, storming through the castle gates, filled with longing for revenge. She demanded to see her family, and no one dared stop her. In one swift move, using dark magic, she killed our mother and father. With a turn of her heel, she disappeared, along with my husband and two beautiful children.

  “I searched endlessly for her and my family. I never found them. I couldn’t take the pain of trying to rule a kingdom alone, nor could I face starting over with someone new. I told my advisor to ring the bells in the town alerting them that they all needed to leave. I sent the people away and cast a spell over the land, hiding the kingdom from the world. To this day, only two people know what happened to my kingdom—you are the third. You are also only one of two living people left who know I am a queen.”

  I know without a doubt Danica is telling me the truth. I try my hardest to picture and understand what she has gone through. “How old are they now? What are their names?”

  “Who?” she asks.

  “Your children. “ I look at her, wondering if her kids—who are no longer kids—look anything like her.

  “I try not to dwell on thoughts of them. I can’t bear the pain. My daughter was so beautiful, and my son so handsome. Her name is Krea. And his name is Javiar.” Tears run down Danica’s face again.

  My heart stops beating as I process the last word she spoke. Javiar. Javiar. Her son’s name is Javiar. I … I am speechless. Javiar isn’t Mendina’s son at all – he’s Danica’s. What if he knew? It is an overload of information but she doesn’t stop there. “I do not know how to stop her, or how to defeat her. But I do something that can help you. A secret very few are aware of, Shanice. You must protect this information with your life.” Her voice shakes, heavy with burden.

  “I promise,” I whisper.

  “There is a connection between Gowell and Wentsden. There is a pool hidden in each castle, and they are identical to each other. If one can learn to use them, they can speak with whoever can be found looking into the other pool.” A pool in Valentino’s castle – makes me wonder if he knows.

  “Your Majesty, who would I be speaking to?”

  She waves her hand. “Do not address me so. My kingdom is long gone and I do not want it back. I simply wish to see my family again. When I gave up the kingdom, when I lost all hope, Mendina took hold of the castle. Despite all her hatred and evil, there is one being who has always stood by her. A dragon. And it is she, Speranza, with whom you will need to speak.” I nod, taking note of everything she says.

  “Shanice,” she says, “you’re in luck. Not many are offered the protection of dragons. And once the king of dragons extends that gift to you, every dragon must follow.”

  I have so many things to remember, so much information to track. I’m feeling lost already.

  “We’d better leave before we are missed. But thank you for telling her the truth.” Nastasia smiles weakly. I stand up to follow her but Danica stops me.

  “Shanice, there is still so much for you to learn, so much you need to know. I know that I cannot help in many ways but I hope you will survive this. I believe you can stop this evil before the whole world suffers more. Go, with my hopes for your success.” She pulls me into her arms. I can’t help but feel the pain of this woman, bottled up for so many years and still no way of letting it go. I want to tell Danica about Javiar but Nastasia is rushing me out the door. I will find the rest of her family if it’s the last thing I do.

  “What did the Oracle tell you?” Valentino kicks a rock from his path. When he asked me to take a walk with him, I hadn’t known what to expect. I should’ve known it would just be to discuss our next move.

  ““Follow my guidance and all will be saved. But heed my words or the world will be slaved. The princess you seek is not one to be found. She fights to end you so she may be crowned. Follow the winged and enter the cave, be not haughty or you, dear princess, will be slayed. Two tiny creatures will ask for your hand, offer but one or you’ll fall into sand. Darkness shall engulf you in a moment of need, patience will guide you or the darkness you’ll feed. Choose the one you love most and don’t let him go, for love alone is something she does not know.” I repeat the Oracle’s words once more.

  “I know the beginning speaks of Mendina. She wishes me dead so she can take over the throne that should be mine. As for the winged creatures, sand, darkness, and love, I don’t know what it means.” I wish I could’ve left out the part about love but it could alter so many things if I do not repeat this word for word.

  “You’re to go to the forest of the winged. It’s less than a day’s walk east of here.” He points. “And one of the more dangerous places one could go.”

  “Why?”

  “Its name comes from the fact that all the creatures that live in that forest are winged—fairies, pixies, brownies, and mymees, all of which are dangerous in their own way. Now of all those, the mymees are by far the scariest of creatures. In order to reach their queen’s lair, the cave of corollarium, you must travel through a swamp filled with sandpits. Mymees are very protective creatures. They are the worst mix of fairies and pixies. They will kill you if you look at them wrong. But should you befriend one, you befriend them all.

  “I can only take this riddle to mean that somehow, they know something about the others, something that will help you destroy Mendina. We have to go to the Forest of the Winged.” I don’t like the sound of that at all.

  “And what about Lancilotto and Javiar? Do they come with us?” I ask.

  “No.” His answer is sharp, angry. “Send them back to Umare. Lancilotto is going to need training.” He kicks another pebble.

  “Valentino, don’t hate Javiar for what you saw. It isn’t what you think. You already hate him and I don’t know why but I do know last night only added fuel to the fire. And it shouldn’t. You don’t know what happened. Let it go.” I turn around and walk back to Nastasia’s.

  He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t come after me, which hurts more than I would like to admit. Valentino wants me to send them away so we can continue searching but I have plans of my own.

  I know where to start looking for the next royal. But I also know that what I need to do next will not get Valentino’s blessing. Getting inside Mendina’s lair is the only thing that makes sense. If I can find Kajetan and Krea, I will be one step closer to knowing about Mendina. Not only will Kajetan be able to tell me all he knows, but looking inside where she lives will tell me so much.

  I fear running into Mendina herself – I’m not ready for that kind of battle. I shudder at the thought. I have no idea what I am getting into. But I don’t need to see her or meet her yet. I just need to know more about it.

  I can’t take Lancilotto or Valentino. But I have a feeling Javiar will go with me.

  I wait until evening has come and darkness surrounds us. The house is quiet—silent, really, everyone asleep in their rooms. Not knowing where Javiar sleeps makes this riskier but I sneak down the hall and slowly peek in each room, looking for him. I open one of the doors to find Valentino asleep peacefully in bed. I slowly close the door and continue on.

  The next door leads to Javiar’s room. He’s smiling at me when I open the door. I about had a heart attack, which I’m sure was his intention.

  “Evening. Can I help you with something?” He laughs.

  “Javiar,” I begin but he holds up a hand.

  “You’d better come in and explain. I wouldn’t want you waking the others.” He pulls me inside and closes the door. “Now sit and tell me what’s going on.” He points to a chair and sits on the bed, folding his arms, waiting.

  “I just … how did you know I would come?” I can’t get past that. He knew. Without a doubt.

  “Because I’ve studied you. You have a tell when you are anxious or nervous, and you’ve been watching me all afternoon. Now tell me what you want.” Oh, how I hate him.

  “I need to break into Mendina’
s lair, and I’m hoping you can help,” This isn’t what he expected. His face goes white. “Can you take me there?” I ask, unsure whether I should tell him the truth about Danica.

  “Shanice, that is a lonely, dark place to go. And once you’re in there, there may be no coming out. Not only will I not help you, but I can’t allow you to go either. There are other ways. Find the other missing royals.” Since the moment I met Javiar, he has been brave, strong, and willing. But in this moment, he truly looks terrified.

  “Javiar, do you know what I’ve gone through to get here? Do you know how much I have sacrificed to perform this task? Do you know what it’s like, being torn out of your life and thrown into another?” While I mean every word of it, I also need to figure out if he knows he is royalty.

  He simply hangs his head. “I would gladly change my past if I could. Perhaps your life is more of a gift than you realize.”

  “I’m not talking about the past. What if I told you right now that you’re not who you think you are?” I don’t mean to get so close to the truth but I have to know. I have to know how he’d take it.

  “Am I? Am I someone else? Or is this just hypothetical?” He asks, his voice filled with anxious anger.

  I turn my head away. I can’t look at him. “That isn’t my point. I have to find the others, and I don’t know where to look. I have no idea. I got lucky with Lancilotto. How do I know that any of the others will believe me?”

  “They might not. But if nothing else, you have us—Valentino, me, and now even Lancilotto. We are here to help you, so let us. Tomorrow, the four of us will return to the castle, and there, you three will begin training to use your magic. Once all of you are together and trained together, your power will be unstoppable. You must trust in yourself before you can expect others to trust you.” I know he means it.

  “Well, first, it would be four of us. You know Mendina is royal—you’re a prince. And actually, only you and Lancilotto will be returning tomorrow. Valentino knows where we must go next.”

  The problem is, how do I tell him? He grew up with Mendina. All he remembers is her. And if he does remember anything before that, he hasn’t said.

  “What? Why aren’t we all going? We can help you, Shanice. The more help you have, the better. Don’t just send me back to Umare to babysit this prince. Let me come with you. Let me help you.”

  “I can’t. Where we’re going, the fewer the better. I’m sorry.” I stand to leave, knowing I need to sleep. Javiar stands and wraps his arms around me. “Be safe.” I nod and break free from his arms before he can read too much into the hug. I leave his room and close the door behind me. Could things get any more complicated?

  Morning comes too soon. I’m tired, weak, upset, and lost all in one. My head is throbbing, and honestly, I wish I could have a day off from this whole fiasco. Is there no way I can visit Earth once a week or something?

  Javiar doesn’t say a thing about the night before, and I don’t either. He doesn’t want to help me—that’s fine. I’ll find Mendina’s on my own. I will find Danica’s family and bring them back together.

  Nastasia has breakfast ready for us. We all sit around the table in her dining room and eat our porridge in silence. Lancilotto seems on edge. Javiar is upset that I’m sending him back to Umare rather than letting him come with me.

  I consider taking him to Danica right now but I can’t. He needs to know the truth before that happens, and I want to be able to bring him back to his whole family, not just a part. So I will wait. Another thought crosses my mind, though—if he knew, would he help me find Mendina? Would he help me free his family?

  Even toying with the idea feels wrong. The Oracle told me what I need to do. Patience is the key. I must remember that every step of the way—the second I stray from the path I have been set on, everything could change. And for the worse.

  Once I’ve finished eating, I begin washing my bowl. Valentino steps beside me and washes his own. I wish there was something I could say to him, anything to convince him that I’m in love with him. But he’s too stubborn for his own good. I don’t know how much longer I can stand the distance he’s put between us, despite how close we are.

  I dry my bowl, ready to put this behind me, ready to move on to the next step. Mostly I’m ready for this war to end. “Why gather the missing royals? Why not just go after Mendina?” I was going to walk away, but instead I question him.

  “Do you think we haven’t tried? If it were that simple, she would be long gone. But we can’t defeat her. She is constantly becoming stronger. Her powers cannot be matched. We can’t stop her, we can’t defeat her—not alone, anyway. So we search and we build our own army. We gather those who together will be strong enough to stop her.” He sounds annoyed, like I should already know this.

  “So why the royals?”

  “Our magic. Every royal has it. And because we all have a reason to hate her, we all have a reason to see her gone. The better question yet is, who else would we gather?” She pays off so many people with the money she’s stolen from every kingdom she’s destroyed.”

  “Why did Fuentes offer me his help? He said I was protected by dragons. Doesn’t that mean they’re willing to help stop Mendina? Why would the Oracle only speak to me? Why are we going to visit ferocious creatures that would sooner kill me than help me if they weren’t willing to help? This world wants her reign to end.” I reply, the same bite in my words.

  He doesn’t say anything. I walk outside with Nastasia to bid farewell to Lancilotto and Javiar. They both have grim looks on their faces. “Be safe, train hard. Learn all you can,” I say to both of them. With curt nods, they leave.

  The sky is gray; the winds pick up. I wish I didn’t have to travel on a day like this but travel we must. The Winged Forest awaits us.

  The heavy rain doesn’t let up as we get on our horses and leave. Nastasia waves good-bye, looking funereal. As we pass Danica’s cottage, I wave good-bye, hoping she too sits at her window and watches us leave.

  I begin to question the Oracle’s rhyme three days into traveling through the forest, which is more swamp than anything. The bugs eat at my skin, and no matter how much I try to stay dry, the air is so muggy that it’s impossible.

  My hair sticks to my neck and face. For the most part, our journey has been in silence. Valentino refuses to listen to anything I say in regards to Javiar. I can’t understand why he loathes him, why he cares at all.

  It hurts. And every night I rock myself to sleep with unshed tears. Not once does he offer to keep me warm. He stays behind me, silent and brooding. I can’t stand it, everything about it. I can’t wrap my head around why he hates me so much.

  I don’t get why he’s still helping me. We stop riding and continue on foot, leading the horses through the marshes. As I push through the trees and step over moss and swamp water, I question why we’re out here. These mymees had better know a lot more than I think they do to make this even remotely worth it.

  “Stop.” It’s the first word Valentino has said in two days.

  “What?” I turn back to look at him. He’s listening. But I hear nothing outside our own heavy breathing.

  “Do you hear that?” he asks.

  I want to snap at him but I know it’s all the stress piling up that really has me angry. “No. What?”

  “We need to go that way.” He points to a path so narrow, I wouldn’t think it was a path at all but from where we’re standing, it’s very clear. I backtrack to him and turn down the path he suggests.

  The road is more slippery. There’s nothing to grab onto but Valentino as I almost topple over. In grabbing onto him, my arm twists – my shoulder makes a nasty popping sound. He helps me up and takes a step away. I hold my arm to my chest, trying not to move it as much as possible. And the look on his face, the way he cringes at seeing me hurt, the tears in his eyes, says he definitely cares. But I thank him and stand up again. We keep going until we find the opening in the cave.

  “Valentino.” I t
urn around as the witch’s words make sense. “Haughty. We can’t be haughty. All this fighting and not speaking because of a quarrel—we have to stop it now or we won’t make it back out of here.” It was a test. The Oracle said we had to be selfless or risk death at the sandpits.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Either let go of the anger over what you saw at the inn, or we will never return from this swamp,” I say clearly. He’s being stuck up. And it could be the death of us.

  “What do you mean, let go? You say you love me, you say you won’t marry me, you kiss another man—what am I supposed to think?” He glares at me. I can’t help but frown.

  “That has nothing to do with this. I have to keep going. Unless you can let go of your anger, get off your high horse, don’t follow me.” I turn around and keep walking.

  I don’t have time to fight. I let the pain and anger roll off me. It isn’t easy letting go of it but I will not allow being a hot head to be the death of me. I carefully use the rocks as my path and step over every sandpit that bubbles up as I go by.

  It seems I’ve found the cave. A rock dome faces us, the opening barely big enough for me to get through at the base. I step from my slippery perch and onto a rock that is sturdy and untouched by the swampy surroundings.

  All I hear are whispers—thousands of tiny voices going crazy with conversation as I enter the cave. I follow a path that leads into a large opening, and there I find a paradise of flowers. They line the cave walls. Creatures flit between them, lie in them, eat them. The mymees are not what I pictured. Their bodies are no more than eight inches tall, and their wings expand at least that much. They’ve got pointed ears and long, pointed fingers with claws. Their teeth are elongated and sharp.