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“Where’s Mi–the Princess?”
She nudged her head toward the other end of the hall. “She’s with her majesty,” she said. “The queen’s healthdeclined rather suddenly. The princess would want to be alo–”
He ignored her and marched down the hall, the maid running behind him with the cart.
“Sir Guisgard, your presence would be inappropriate,” she insisted.
“The Princess can let me know then,” he grunted and opened the door, heading inside.
To his relief, no one paid him any mind as he marched up to the bedside where Mierna sat holding onto her mother’s hand. All of the queen’s closest subjects were there. The maid was right, the queen didn’t look well. Her skin was pale, eyes sunken, and a dull glaze over her eyes.
He crouched onto a knee at the bedside, and the queen turned to him.
“I’m glad…you’re here,” she said with much difficulty. “It’s…my time.”
Arthur looked between the mother and daughter, reaching out for Mierna’s hand to hold comfortingly.
“Sir Guisgard,” she said seriously. “You’ve been my…daughter’s protector for a long time.” A concerning cough racked her body. “I expect you to continue your duties. Ensure…” she heaved, “ensure she marries a good man. Whoever it…may…be…”
The queen’s eyes fluttered closed after giving her subtle blessing, as if that was the one message she’d been holding onto for her last few breaths.
Mierna sobbed as she grabbed the queen’s hand tighter. “She’s getting cold,” she cried, and Arthur grabbed her shoulders to keep her from crawling over to the queen. She pulled herself away. “Leave me alone with her.”
The stillness of grief held everyone captive in the room, but Arthur reached out for her again.
“Leave mealone!” Mierna snapped loudly, followed by a heartbreaking sob. “Let me be with her.Please.”
Knowing that there was no reasoning with the Princess, he got up and slowly left the room followed by everyone else. Though he knew to give her space, he wasn’t sure if she’d be the same person when she came out of the room.
In the next hour, Arthur had gathered everyone in the Council room and informed them of the letter he’d received from Aria regarding Travus’s motives. One corner of the room erupted in protest.
“This is preposterous,” scoffed a scholar. “Is Eldoria’s King really doing this all because of a myth?”
“Myth or not, he’s lost his mind!” a preacher said loudly. “How could he fathom committing such an actof blasphemy?! Necromancy is the worst practice of dark magic!”
“Even if it’s not entirely necromancy, to defile the Enchanted Lake in the Enchanted Forest?” chimed in another. “The Fairy Guardian must be informed so she may strengthen her barriers. That’s an important lake forallinhabitants of the realm.”
One of the advisors cleared their throat sheepishly. “If I may interrupt, whatexactlyis King Travus’s motive?”
Arthur was also curious, not quite understanding the situation himself. A scholar came forward with a book in hand and laid it open on the round table. “From what I’ve gathered, King Travus wishes to carry out an old ritual from the olden times when Humans ruled overall. According to some modern interpretations of Human scrolls of that time, the Council Stones are capable of opening a doorway to the Realm of the Dead through the Enchanted Lake.”
“He’s missing the part where it needs to be the winter solstice,” the preacher huffed.
The scholars shook their heads. “It’s not necessary. The Winter Solstice was preferred simply because animals would hibernate and would not interrupt the ritual.”
“Right, let’s not argue about that,” Arthur sighed and scratched his head in thought. “The last time PrincessMierna expressed concern about the Council Stones, it was more so about disrupting each nation’s ecosystem. How did we get from there to here?”
“We weren’t so diverse in our living conditions back then,” another scholar explained. “A few hours without the Council Stones would hardly affect anyone. Now, it would immediately cause many disturbances. We’ve evolved too much.”
“Myths aside, taking away barriers will leave every nation vulnerable to bandits,” someone else insisted. “We must get the word out to the other nations immediately.”
It was then that a pigeon flew into the Council room and perched on the messenger guard, who unfurled the tiny scroll at its neck and read through it. His expression fell.
“Vihnmen’s Council gave in,” he said. “Their stone is now in Travus’s possession.”
Another pigeon flew in, and Arthur caught it midair in frustration and pulled out the scroll to read. “He’s pulling away his armies. They’re all returning to Eldoria. We need to get word from the other rulers and understand their state of affairs.”
Everyone in the room got to work, talking amongst themselves as they discussed all angles of danger, drew up counter plans, and started ordering around the distribution of resources.
