Barbara could not believe how Timothy could behave so rudely, and her eyes showed it clearly. Although, he might have been partially justified, at this moment, in a way that Barbara would not have realized. For you see, he had all of a sudden just got the unshakeable feeling that he, along with every member of his immediate family, had been lied to their whole lives, and it was a most unlikeable feeling.
Matilde knew one day she would have to explain her actions, and had been preparing herself for it as much as possible. However, she did not expect to be so saddened by it, when the time came.
And holding more tightly onto her grandson’s hand, she answered, ���Your grandfather knew about the window room. It was one of his favorite places…��� Her eyes began to well with tears, a little.
���He adored our trips to Gleomu, and the special quarters set aside for us in the palace. And he loved staying late in the banquet hall, with a pipe in one hand, sharing stories, and swapping medical knowledge with the local physicians, even though I think he’d aways learned more from them, than they did from him,��� she sighed, seeming to be deeply affected by her memories. Her lips closed firmly, like she did not wish to speak anymore of it. For, although these were fond images and stories to recall, they’d now held a special burden for her, whenever she’d brought them to mind, a type of sadness she thought she must now learn to endure.
And so she continued on about a different matter, saying, ���For a long time I’d thought to tell your mother and uncles, once they were older. But then the war happened, and we knew, Wilbur and I, that such a knowledge would be even far more dangerous than we’d first realized.���
Barbara looked broken, herself, for Matilde’s pain, but could not comprehend on her own, how such a beautiful thing could be at all as dangerous as Matilde said it was.
���Mrs. Wolcott,��� she said to gather the old woman’s attention. ���How could such a good thing, like this, be so dangerous?��� She asked this as their golden orb began to slow, descending through the morning clouds of that new world.
And Matilde looked at Barbara, and knew her answer without thinking, because for her it had been hard learned.
���Dear child, in my own lifetime, I have seen cars strapped with artillery, and planes flown away on bombing missions…��� she paused slightly, then continued being very sure and serious in her words, ���And our hidden light travel is the grandest form of transportation our world has ever known, and therefore our most uncontrollable weapon.���
Their feet touched down gently on the well-trimmed grass of the palace gardens, and there were all the things that Timothy and Barbara had hoped to see: hanging gardens, marble fountains, and hedges cut to form the shapes of mythical creatures, palace officials, and guards dressed in full readied armor.
Near one of the fountains, at the center of a large crowd, sat an elegant king and queen, wearing thin crowns of gold set with precious stones, and both in splendid courtly attire.
If Timothy were to be the last of his family to know about the window room, then he would do his duty well, he thought. He would be its protector.
Chapter Eleven
The King’s Birthday
When the King saw that his guests had arrived he burst from his seat. He had been entertained for the greater part of that morning by a performance in His Majesty’s honor, a very elaborate depiction of some of he and his late father’s grandest military victories. Except all this entertainment seemed not to matter, as soon as he saw the three light travelers descending from the crisp cool autumn sky, on the morning of his birthday.
He flung his arms wide, like he could hug a giant. By the King’s stature you would not have taken him for an old man, if not for the long strands of grey in his beard. His back stood straight, and arms and chest burly, as regal and firm as you would hope a king to be. Deeply his voice bellowed out across the lawn, halting the minstrels’ music as he yelled, ���Mattie! It’s so good of you to join us,��� as he came rushing up from his seat.
Timothy’s grandmother bowed a stately curtsy.
���Your Majesty,��� Matilde said as she lowered (leading Barbara to follow after her example, and Timothy to try at an awkward but suitable bow).
���A most happy birthday,��� Matilde continued, rising as the King came up quickly to greet her, with the Queen rushing closely behind him, holding the hem of her dress up above her feet as she ran.
���Mattie!��� the Queen cheered, throwing her arms around the neck of her lifelong friend.
���And this must be your grandson?��� she said, with a joyful expectation in her voice.
���Yes,��� Matilde answered coming to stand behind her grandson, placing both her hands on his shoulders. ���This is Timothy,��� she said, as the Queen stooped down to have a better look at him.
���Even more handsome than I’d imagined him to be,��� the Queen said, touching her white gloved hand to his cheek (which made Timothy subtly blush, even as much as he’d tried to avoid it).
���And this is his friend, Barbara, whom I’d told you about,��� Matilde spoke up again, motioning toward the young girl beside her, who was dressed in a fitting velvety red and white gown (and who at that moment was thinking how grateful she was to have found a better dress than her school uniform for the occasion).
���My, aren’t you lovely,��� issued the Queen, running the cup of her hand delicately down the length of Barbara’s long blonde hair.
To Barbara, she had thought then that she had never before seen a woman so fair and proper as this queen was. And Timothy thought, that knowing from the stories he’d heard, how that King Corwan and Queen Delany were roughly his grandmother’s age, how odd it was that neither of them looked as particularly aged as you’d expect them to be. And he’d concluded that there must be something in the world of Gleomu that had caused this��.
But what had begun so well that morning, suddenly took a turn for the worse. And Timothy, who had for a long time prided himself on his skills of observation, knew there must have been something terribly amiss in the kingdom to warrant his grandmother’s reaction.
Not long after they’d arrived, the King and Queen were called away from the party to attend to some urgent matter, and not but a few seconds later Timothy’s grandmother, along with a few hand-selected military officers, were also taken to a secretive quarters within the palace, and there they stayed for nearly an hour.
Both Timothy and Barbara had tried to follow after them, but were unallowed, and so they passed the time mulling around the palace gardens. During their wait, they took to examining the intricate marble statues and found, instead, something even more spectacular, a hedge dragon that was cut so precisely that the leaves took the shapes of scales covering its back and wings, and when the breeze would blow in you would swear it moved.
All things considered, they rather enjoyed their time exploring the gardens, and then watching the royal performers as they aptly succeeded in trying to keep the King’s elaborately dressed guests entertained, and just before Matilde returned, Barbara happened to overhear a pair of guards speaking in hushed voices near the entry doors to the palace, saying that, ���a messenger had just arrived.��� Although that was all that Barbara could strain to hear, because they were speaking rather quietly; And since she did not, after all, want to appear overly nosey on her first day in a king’s palace, she left them alone, and ran off to tell Timothy what she’d heard.
But almost as soon as Barbara could share the news, Matilde reemerged, looking distressed. She said, something had come up that required her attention, but assured them that this needn’t spoil their first day in Gleomu, nor the King’s birthday celebration, and she sent them away under the good care of Asa, the Queen’s third eldest son, to attend the street festival, and to sit with the royal family during the parade. (Which, as you should know, is something
that is most looked forward to every year, drawing in a worthy crowd from every far corner of the kingdom.)
Though at first, Timothy, and later Barbara, had refused to go, once they saw how his grandmother had intended to spend her day, locked up in the palace, to discuss some matters with the King’s generals, all of whom she’d known by name and station, and seemed to be quite familiar with.
���We won’t go,��� Barbara said finally, not wishing to stay exactly, yet not willing to leave Mrs. Wolcott alone, by herself for the day.
And Timothy, seizing on an opportunity to get down to the truth of all this, butted in, saying, ���Yes, not until you tell us what’s going on.���
Yet, as anyone may have guessed, that only aggravated Matilde all the more, who assured them that they would do her no good just loitering about; And that it was not ���her place��� to tell, and that the King would make his announcement soon enough, and that they needn’t worry for her sake.
And so, with nothing left to protest, the two were whisked away, to enjoy a day of fun and festivities: along with fire eaters, and spiced teas with wafer candies, and all that made the King’s birthday celebration something to be looked forward to each year. And as much as either would have hated to have admitted it, they did not concern themselves very much with Mrs. Wolcott, until they returned again to the palace that evening, when they saw Timothy’s grandmother seated in a place of honor, at the head of the banquet hall, alongside the Queen, Delany, and wearing (as Barbara had pointed out), a thin gold band around her forehead, as well, set with jewels in a style similar, yet not exact, to the Queen’s own crown.
���Why on earth would she be wearing that?��� Timothy thought.
Yet he refrained his urge to ask the question aloud, in case there were some obvious answer he’d overlooked; And also, so he would not be seen as foolish in front of the King’s son, Asa, who’d sat beside them in the banquet hall, still graciously acting as their guide, on this their first day in a new and unfamiliar world.
*
�� While some scholars have argued back and forth, about what this factor might be that causes such long life in Gleomu: pointing toward the presence of some mineral in the water, or the absence of certain enzymes, it has been my own personal opinion that such a difference between our worlds is met on a much larger scale, that it is not such a miniscule difference as it is a massive one; That the entire atmosphere of Gleomu is vastly different from our own, and much more suitable for human life. Or else, that it is a much younger world, as planets go, and still in its prime.
Chapter Twelve
A Message
While the main course was being served (which if you would like to know was roast duck, and something like a plum pudding), King Corwan rose up to make an announcement.
First, he thanked all those at the banquet for coming to his birthday celebration, and he thanked them for their generous gifts and for the day’s festivities, which would ���long be remembered,��� but he told them that sadly further enjoyments would need to be cut short, for there was distressing news from the northern country that had needed his immediate and full attention.
And these were the King’s words, seasoned with the gravity of the situation: He informed them that a messenger had just rode in from the northern front, carrying news that the fort city of Hrim had been fired upon nearly a week prior. An audible gasp could be heard as the King spoke, and as he paused it grew into an uproar, a few calling for war, or blaming the attack on kingdoms or peoples that Timothy had never heard of, but finally, Corwan, raising his hands, called them all to order and continued.
Saying that, on the night of the attack, late after midnight, a lone archer fired over the gates a single flaming arrow. The damage was not severe, but once the flames were extinguished the night watchmen found a letter, rolled into the arrow’s hollowed metal shaft. And holding that same letter in his hands, the King read it aloud for all in attendance:
To Corwan, son of Reuel, King of Gleomu -
The King of Earth is alive, yet he will not remain as such, unless his Queen is brought alone to the fort of Hrim, and by the 15th day of Kislev, to await my further instruction.
If you try to secure her, or if she escapes back to Earth, I will slay both Earth’s King and Gleomu’s, and burn the city of Ismere to the ground.
Let this stand as a warning.
This letter bore no signature, and caused a violent upheaval in what had been a peaceful celebration. The King’s guests exploded in unrelenting yells and outbursts. Some, mostly noblemen, cautioned that they should do all as the ransom letter requested. While others, more so members of council and generals, confessed that they would rather die first.
In the confusion and havoc of that moment, Barbara spoke loudly into Timothy’s ear, to get above the noise, asking, ���What would someone here want with the Queen?��� her face bewildered. Yet, Timothy was able to decipher the letter’s true meaning, and therefore answered her question correctly.
���Not the Queen of England,��� he said, looking also stunned himself. ���I doubt they’ve even ever heard of her. They want the Queen of Earth.���
But Barbara still did not follow his meaning, and so he said it more plainly. ���The Queen of Earth, my grandmother.���
���Oh…��� Barbara said loudly, still trying to be heard above the noise of that chaotic banquet hall, and now at last understanding the full intent of the letter.
And a few seconds later a thought came into her head, and she asked a fairly sensible question, but one that was most obviously ill timed considering the circumstances, and judging by Timothy’s frowning response.
���Does that make you a prince, then?��� she asked.
Chapter Thirteen
The Truth
Wilbur Wolcott was dead, Timothy’s grandfather, or maybe it should be better said that at least on Earth, rather, he was believed to be.
Nearly a full year had passed by then, but Timothy could still remember the pungent odor of funeral flowers in his nostrils, the way that all the observers at the memorial service had draped themselves in black, and had all worn a dreadfully similar somber expression.
In his mind, he could recall a fragment of each speech given that day. He remembered the image of his grandmother crying. All these thoughts led to only one obvious conclusion: That, on Earth, Wilbur Wolcott was dead.
And yet, Timothy had come very far from Earth by now, and in Gleomu, his grandfather, King Wilbur of Earth, was not dead, but kidnapped. Which is a state very much different from death, but still not something that could have been easily explained, or even believed. And so Timothy understood her reasoning, why his grandmother had kept such a secret hidden from the family. Howbeit, at present, he was no longer on Earth, and would no longer be babied, as he saw it, and on his first day away from our world he thought he’d very much deserved a true answer for what had really happened.
Which is why he snuck from his quarters that same night, toward where he remembered his grandmother’s room to be. But almost before he could round the first corner, he heard a door gently shut behind him, and he caught the noise of girlish footsteps that came running up to meet him.
It was Barbara, wrapped up in a full length nightdress, her feet pattering in comfortable palace slippers.
���What do you want?��� Timothy asked, voicing his words more rudely than he would normally. (And this was because he’d also thought he’d deserved not to be bothered.)
She ran up, and matched his quickening pace.
���I want to know what’s going on, same as you,��� she answered.
And knowing that nothing he might say would dissuade her, they both went searching together through the palace corridors, till they found a familiar passageway, and the thick auburn colored door of his grandmother’s room. He gave a forceful knock.
A fire was lit, and the glow of it wave
d in and out along the walls, and across the cherry dyed satin sheets of a four posted bed. And there by the fire, Matilde, the Queen of Earth, had been wrapped up in a woolen blanket, and looked as though she’d been anticipating them, her new late night guests.
And without much ado, nor without even being properly asked, she began to speak her peace that night, the truth of what had happened nearly a year before to Timothy’s grandfather, while both her listeners sat almost unbreathing.
Here are the words that Matilde, the Queen of Earth, spoke that night. And she began, first pouring each of her guests a cup of tea:
���Your grandfather simply loved the harvest festivals near Bearu… and the kingdom was at peace. We had no cause for concern, when traveling alone to the annual festivals, without royal guards.��� [Here Matilde took a gentle sip of her mint leaf tea to settle herself, and Timothy thought she’d looked upset, and possibly to the point of tears, if she were pressed to continue.]
���It’s alright… You can stop, if you’d like,��� Timothy said, leaning forward to comfort his grandmother.
���No, no. You should hear the truth,��� and she took a shallow gulp of air, forcing herself onward.
Then she told them how King Corwan had pressing matters in the High Council to attend to at that time, and therefore Queen Delany, Wilbur, and herself had left alone on horseback, riding the week’s long journey, over the Theydor river, to the festivals; And how they’d slept in the fields, and rode on in the cooler parts of the day.
However, this perplexed Barbara, who had not yet understood the comfort of sleeping in anything but a nice warm bed.
���Why not just use the globe, and fly there?��� she asked.
Matilde smiled. ���Dear, you can miss so much of life by hurrying.���
And she went on to tell how the events that year were spectacular, even better than expected, but on their return trip they had camped for the night in an open glade, just half a day’s ride from Ismere.
The Histories of Earth, Books 1-4: In the Window Room, A Prince of Earth, All the Worlds of Men, and Worlds Unending Page 13