Heart of Silver, Soul of Glass by Stomlight Chapter 13 Serena screamed as the fire erupted around her, igniting the scrolls and books, the tables, even the walls, where thick moss sprouted between the stones... anything that would burn. She dimly heard the shrieks of Rei and her sister as she stumbled back, trying to escape the intense heat. The only thought running through her mind was, We’re going to die... "Run!" Endymion shouted, shoving all three girls toward the front of the room, where the fire had not yet reached. Choking and coughing on the thick smoke, they made their way forward, knocking stacks of books aside and turning tables over in their haste to escape the danger. "How do we get out of here?!" Miaka cried, swiping at the tears streaming from her eyes, caused by the burning heat and smoke. "Don’t panic! There’s a hidden passage somewhere in the room," Endymion replied. "I remember stumbling across it a long time ago, when I was snooping around the castle one time." He moved past them, and in the angry orange glow of the flames, Serena could see that the unprotected skin of his naked back and chest and arms was red and blistering. "You’re hurt!" she cried in horror. "There’s no time to worry about it now," he snapped, making his way over to the furthest corner of the room and frantically searching along the stone walls. "Come on...come on," he growled. "I know it has to be here somewhere!" "Help him!" Rei commanded, keeping an eye on the rapidly-spreading flames. "Why is the fire spreading so fast?" Serena cried, copying Endymion’s process of pushing against the stones, although she had no idea of what she was looking for. "It’s so damp in this room. Shouldn’t that slow it down or something?" "You think Mage-fire cares about little things like laws of nature?" Miaka retorted, panic giving a sharp edge to her voice. The flames were closer now, spreading at an unnatural pace as they engulfed the books and scrolls they’d been perusing only minutes before, creeping along the cracks in the floor in flickering tendrils of deadly light. "Here!" Endymion abruptly shouted. "I found it!" He shook his head. "I just hope whoever sealed the front door didn’t know about the back one..." He dug his fingers into a certain crack in the wall and pulled with all his strength, ignoring the pain of his blistered flesh as a small section began to slowly open, stone grinding against stone. Rusty hinges, cleverly hidden, squealed in ear-splitting protest. "This way! Hurry!" he commanded, and Miaka and Rei darted for the opening. Serena started for it as well, until her foot caught on the leg of an overturned chair, and down she went with a cry, landing hard only a foot away from the closest flames. She squealed and rolled away when her long braid fell dangerously close to the fire. The ends of her hair sparked and began to smoke, and she squeaked and frantically patted them out. That was way too close, she thought fearfully. If there was anything worse than drowning, it was burning. She couldn’t imagine a more painful or horrible way to die. "Serena, come on!" Endymion bellowed. "I’m coming!" she snapped back, and started to scramble to her feet when something abruptly caught her eye, giving her abrupt pause. It was a scroll, like many of the other scrolls she’d already read through. She didn’t know why she should notice this one out of every other laying scattered on the floor; it looked no different from them in any way. But, in the same way that her eyes had been drawn to the journal lying in the ruins of Willow Glen, now they fell upon ancient parchment, and that strange sense of knowing, like what she’d felt so often before in these past months, snapped into place. A wall of fire blocked her from the scroll, reaching waist-high, and all around her flames were spreading, but rather fleeing for her life as was the sensible thing to do, she stayed rooted to the spot, peering with burning eyes through the flames until she could see the wavering, blurring scroll more clearly. There was a...symbol of some kind stamped on the worn parchment, rather faded with age, but clear enough. She blinked the smoke out of her eyes, coughing a little, and looked again. And froze in shock. It couldn’t be... It was the symbol of the sword and the rose. She shook her head slowly in disbelief. No. It wasn’t possible. There was no chance that she could be that lucky. But even after rubbing her eyes clear of smoke and tears, the scroll lay there on the stone floor, surrounded by fire yet somehow untouched...although that would end soon enough given the rate the flames were spreading. Only moments were left before they reached the scroll. Without thinking twice...or even once, for that matter...she reached her hand through the fire and snatched the parchment from danger. Her flesh seared and blistered, but she was quick enough that her sleeve (and more importantly, the scroll) didn’t catch fire. Ignoring the pain, she tucked her treasure safely into her bodice and closed her tearing eyes. Thank you, Mother, she breathed silently, somehow certain that both Selene and Ikuko were watching over her, and grateful to them both. There was a dull roar and a crash, and she came out of her shock abruptly as Endymion shouted her name desperately. She looked around and realized that the flames had now surrounded her...the crash had come from a burning (thankfully empty) bookcase falling over, only two feet away...and were licking hungrily away at the moss growing between the stones she knelt on. She gasped and scrambled to her feet. I’ve got to get out of here! she realized in a panic. And then strong hands were abruptly gripping her shoulders and Endymion’s harsh, angry voice was commanding her to move as he nearly carried her toward the escape route. She allowed herself to be dragged through, half-dazed, and the prince was yanking the door shut behind them, blocking out the sounds of the fire, and all was dark and silent once more. ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ They said nothing for the longest time, still too stunned by what they had only barely escaped to even think about talking. But eventually, Miaka’s voice timidly asked, "Is everyone okay?" "We’re alive, if that’s what you mean," Rei replied wryly. "That won’t last long if we don’t move," Endymion put in, his voice grim. "The rest of the castle is still in danger." There was the sound of flint striking against rock. A few sparks flew in the blackness, and abruptly a torch flared to life, only inches from Serena’s face. She shrieked in fear and jumped back, still not recovered from her near-death experience, and only the prince’s tight grip around her waist kept her from plunging headlong down a flight of stairs. "That wasn’t funny!" she yelled furiously, punching Endymion in the arm as hard as she could. She immediately regretted her action when he released a sharp hiss of pain. "Oh!" she gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth. "I- I forgot about...I’m so sorry," she whispered. "It’s okay," he grunted, still wincing. "I should’ve warned you about the torch or something." "Endymion, you need to see the healer!" Rei exclaimed, upon seeing her brother’s angrily inflamed skin. "This looks serious!" "I know, I know. First we need to get out of here and warn everyone that the castle is on fire," he replied grimly, holding the light up. "It isn’t too late to put it out as long as we can get out of here." "Where is here, anyway?" Miaka whispered, looking around with wide eyes. "It smells like a tomb!" "That’s because it is," Endymion replied with a wry smile. "We’re in the catacombs beneath the castle." "You mean there really are dead bodies buried down here?!" Serena squeaked, blanching a little at the thought. "Relax, Serenity. They can’t hurt you. They’re dead," he replied, smiling in amusement. She glared at him. "I know that, dummy! I just...it’s just that..." She gave up and shuddered, only reluctantly releasing her light grip on his wrist as he moved past her to head down the stairs, holding the torch above his head to better cast its light. The girls looked at each other with wide eyes, and with mutual consent decided that the closer they stuck together, the better. It might have been a rather hilarious sight to watch the three girls picking their way down that staircase all bunched together like some demented spider, all arms and legs and fearful expressions. It was amazing they didn’t trip over each other’s feet on the way down, although they seemed to have a little trouble not tripping over their own. If the situation weren’t so grim, Endymion mused silently as he peered back over his shoulder at them, he might have even laughed. They made their way along the paths, shivering in the chill, damp air. After the heat of the burning room, the coolness of the silent catacombs felt like the winter air to their overheated bodies. Beside their feet ran a small river, composed of some brownish liquid that bubbled sluggishly, the smell of it causing Serena’s stomach to turn. She didn’t want to know what exactly was in it, aside from the water. The stone beneath their feet was slimy with mold, and the footing treacherous. The walls were lined with long, thin crevices in which the remains of former prisoners lay, some so old that little remained of them but dust. Some held two or three bodies, shadowy lumps of withered flesh and bone and decayed cloth all jumbled together, smelling of decay. None of the crypts were empty. "I don’t like this place," Serena whispered to Rei, who nodded in agreement. Endymion overheard. "Don’t worry. There is a way out of here. Look over there." He pointed with the torch to a rickety-looking stone bridge that stretched from one side of the "river" to the other. "Beyond that there’s a stairwell leading up into the dungeons. From there we can get back into the upper levels of the castle and warn the guards about the danger." "How far has the fire spread, do you think?" Rei asked worriedly. "No telling. The room was sealed, so it shouldn’t have been able to spread beyond there. On the other hand, it’s Mage-fire. Who knows what it can do?" he replied seriously. Stepping onto the bridge, he took Rei’s hand and helped her to the other side. The footing was just as treacherous as on the walkway, and Rei nearly slipped off before regaining her balance again. Miaka went next, and Serena last. She gripped Endymion’s fingers with her uninjured hand tightly as she crossed, glancing worriedly down into the brownish water and wondering if there wasn’t something lying in wait for them at the bottom. After the night she’d had, it hardly would have surprised her. "Relax," Endymion whispered upon seeing the expression on her face. He smiled at her gently when she raised her worried eyes to him. "You’ll be all right now." "I feel so guilty," she confessed. "All of those valuable Histories...lost forever. How will they ever be replaced?" "It isn’t your fault," he told her sternly as he led her toward the wooden steps; Rei and Miaka had already run ahead to find the guards and warn them of the danger to the castle. "But if I hadn’t been down there snooping around, the fire wouldn’t have been set. Whoever did it was after me, because I couldn’t leave well enough alone. And not only were those precious records destroyed, but I almost got you and Rei and my sister killed, too!" She stopped and touched his burned chest, her eyes sorrowful. "I don’t want to look anymore if it means those important to me are going to get hurt on my account," she finished softly. It was the closest she’d ever come to confessing her true feelings for the crown prince, and she realized that she’d better shut up and change the subject before he figured out on his own what she never meant to say. "Anyway, we need to go find Mitsukake, and then see how much damage has been done to the room. See if anything is salvageable out of it." She smiled at him weakly. Then, sensing that he was about to say something, and not certain that she really wanted to hear it, she released his hand and headed up the stairs ahead of him, leaving him to follow silently after her. ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ "You’re saying what?!" Endymion stared at his sister in disbelief from his perch on the table in Mitsukake’s apartments, wincing only slightly as the healer carefully rubbed salve into his burnt flesh. Rei looked frustrated as she jammed her fingers through messy hair. "I’m saying, we told the guards about the fire and they ran to put it out...but when we got to the room, there was nothing!" she exclaimed, her raised voice betraying her extreme frustration. "Explain to me what you mean by ‘nothing’," Endymion commanded, scowling. "Do you mean ‘nothing’ as in the fire was out already?" "No. She means ‘nothing’ as in there was never any fire in there!" Miaka cut in, looking hysterical. "No smoke, no flames, no nothing! Everything was normal, as if we’d just dreamed the entire thing up! Not a single scroll or book or table was burned! Not even a scorch mark!" "But that’s impossible!" Serena protested, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of the unbelievable story. "Th-there has to have been something! Endymion and I didn’t get these burns from nothing! I mean...the door was sealed...and the smoke and fire was everywhere..." "I know. But when we got there..." Rei shrugged, looking helpless. "The guard suspected we were playing a colossal joke on him. Especially when he saw that the door we claimed had been magically sealed shut was standing wide open for us, practically inviting us to come inside!" Serena rubbed her temples with the fingers of her unbandaged hand, trying to ward off a headache. "Somebody is playing Cat and Mouse with us," she murmured. "They clearly know what I’m after and doing their best to scare me away from it. And you know what?" She looked away, tears shimmering in her eyes. "It’s working. I just want to throw that stupid pendant in the river and be done with it! There’s nothing wrong with my life as it is, is there? I don’t need to know about my past, really!" "You must be joking!" Endymion suddenly looked furious, and Mitsukake was barely able to finish bandaging his torso before he’d leaped from his perch and was taking Serena’s chin in a rough grip, forcing her to look up at him. "Now more than ever you need to find out what that pendant is, Serenity," he insisted in a low, intense voice. "If somebody is willing to kill to keep you from discovering the truth, then it must be pretty damned important. If you give up now, they’ll have succeeded...and you’ll never know. Is that really what you want?" She slowly shook her head, closing her eyes as Endymion gently wiped the tears that managed to escape her closed lids. "Keep trying," she heard him whisper, before her chin was abruptly released. She sniffled and nodded, taking a shuddering breath. Of course he was right. She couldn’t give up now, or her unknown enemy would indeed have won. And then she remembered the scroll. Her eyes widened, and she reached into her loose bodice to withdraw the old parchment...now slightly crushed...and examined the image again, comparing it to the pendant, which had miraculously managed to be salvaged from the room. In the haste to escape it had been left behind on the table, but had apparently been restored along with everything else once the unknown Mage realized that his intended prey had escaped. Rei had seen it lying there and picked it up, knowing Serena would be heartbroken if it was lost. Now, as the youngest of them compared the faded ink to the actual pendant, she felt her heartbeat quicken in excitement. She’d been right; the image perfectly matched the piece of jewelry. Sticking her hand in that fire to retrieve it had been worth the effort, if only for this. "I think I found something," she said excitedly, untying the silver chord around the scroll and opening it eagerly. "That’s why I didn’t leave right away, ‘cause I saw this." "What’s so special about that?" Rei asked curiously. "Well, let’s read it and find out!" Serena retorted. "I didn’t stick my hand into those flames for nothing, you know!" Mitsukake cleared away his supplies to make room while Serena carefully spread the scroll across the table. It was in remarkably good condition for being so ancient, and for having been stored in such an unsuitable place. After that, they all gathered around as she began to read the faded, carefully-penned words. "This is a History of Elithia, founded in the year 1204 and ruled by the House of Silverbrook, in the western-most province of Davinshire..." Serena trailed off and looked at her friends through wide eyes. "1204. That was...almost three hundred years ago," she breathed excitedly. "Yeah? So?" Rei replied unenthusiastically. "So...that was about the time the remaining Mages and their students were forced to leave Davinshire after the uprising," Serena explained. A moment of silence greeted her words. "You don’t think..." Endymion began. "Go on!" Miaka urged her sister. "Read more!" Serena’s gaze passed over the ancient writing quickly. "It says that before Elithia declared independence, it was once a part of Davinshire’s territory," she murmured. "But a man named Morgan Silverbrook, a distant relation to the current King of Davinshire at that time, had a falling-out with the king and was banished from the province." Her brow furrowed. "I’ve heard that name before," she murmured. "I’m almost certain it was mentioned in the other book I’d read." "You don’t think Morgan Silverbrook was one of those Mages who left the kingdom, do you?" Rei asked. "It would make sense," Endymion replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "If he was forced to leave, he’d have to go somewhere, right? Why not to Elithia?" "It says here that he founded Elithia, and became its first king," Serena pointed out. She shook her head. "It doesn’t quite add up. The book said that the Mages left of their own free will, but this is telling me that they were forced out." "Sometimes when history is recorded, things get changed," Endymion stated seriously. "If this is a History of Elithia, it was written from an Elithian’s point of view. The book you read probably was a History of Davinshire. So the viewpoint would differ, especially on delicate matters like this." "But how did an Elithian scroll find its way into our history vaults in the first place?" Mitsukake asked. They all looked at him, having almost forgotten that he was there. He never had much to say, but he was obviously interested in the story. And frankly, the more help they had, the better. "Who knows?" Endymion replied amiably. "Perhaps it was brought over at one point by an ambassador when the trade route was established between the kingdoms?" "Wait, I’m not done reading yet," Serena cut in. "It’s telling a little about the beginning of Elithia. Morgan was hard-pressed to keep it up and running, apparently. But he had the aid of...special resources to help it prosper and grow." The six of them looked at each other. "Magic?" Rei asked. "Magic," the others confirmed. "How else would a kingdom have survived in that forsaken wilderness? There’s a reason why Davinshire never expanded its cities and villages beyond the mountains," Endymion added wryly. "Mostly because it wasn’t considered habitable by any means. It still isn’t, and yet there manages to be a flower blooming in the midst of the thorns." "So...now we know, or at least suspect, that Elithia was founded by the surviving Mages and their pupils, who may or may not have been banished from Davinshire. They managed to make it through the mountains, find a decent spot to put down roots, and with the aid of their magic, grow a kingdom," Rei stated. "That still doesn’t explain what it has to do with Serena," Miaka added. "Although I could see why King Ayurhu is interested in Davinshire so suddenly. If he’s a descendant from Morgan Silverbrook, maybe he’s the one using the magic? Maybe he’s trying to reclaim Davinshire, as a kind of revenge or something?" "And using me to get to it the politically correct way," Rei exclaimed indignantly. She frowned at the bracelet on her wrist, then yanked it off and tossed it over her shoulder. "And that takes care of that!" "Rei!" Serena exclaimed shock, the name coming out in half a laugh, but the princess merely smiled demurely and tapped the scroll. "Okay, okay! I’m reading!" the younger girl huffed. "But first, look at the symbol on the other side of the parchment." She turned the scroll over carefully and placed the pendant beside the faded markings at the top of it. "They’re exactly the same," Mitsukake murmured. "This is a royal Seal," Endymion realized, eyes widening a little as he picked up the pendant. "Just as I thought. All the Histories of Davinshire are marked with a Seal, so it’s safe to assume that Elithia follows the same tradition." He turned the scroll over again and unrolled it so that it was fully open. At the very bottom was the same symbol, only much smaller, followed by a faded signature. "Casper Del Jaron, Court Scribe of the House of Silverbrook, year of 1254," he read quietly. There was silence. "So...if this is a royal Seal," Miaka began softly, fingering the tarnished silver, "then what was Serena’s mother doing with it?" "Obviously, if Serena’s mother had it, then it belonged to her," a new voice suddenly put in, and all heads turned to see Nuriko stepping through the doorway, smiling at them cheerfully. He stopped to bow low to Rei and Endymion. "I heard there was a little trouble, and came to see if everyone was all right," he explained. "You should be asleep!" Serena scolded him, but he merely laughed. "Sweetling, it’s well past dawn by now. Haven’t you noticed?" he replied with a grin. Then, "No, obviously not. You were too busy perusing your mysteries. So...I take it, judging by the last bit of conversation I overheard, that you found something of significance?" "Yes!" Serena exclaimed excitedly, and proceeded to tell him about the scroll, and also about the fire-that-wasn’t. Nuriko listened with a raised eyebrow, and when she was finished, he whistled. "That’s quite a story," he told her. Her lip quivered. "You believe me, don’t you?" she whimpered, and he laughed and pulled her into a friendly hug, ignoring the narrowing of the crown prince’s eyes as he did so. "Sweetling, obviously something happened, judging by your hand, and His Highness’s bandaged torso there. I admit to it being a tad...unusual, but I like to keep an open mind about things. I’m only glad that you managed to escape relatively unharmed." "So am I," she agreed. Shivering slightly, she added, "I hope I never have to go through that again!" "So," Nuriko exclaimed after giving her shoulders a friendly squeeze, "if Serena’s mother owned the pendant, and the pendant is a royal Seal, it makes sense to assume that Serena’s mother was at one time a member of the royal family, doesn’t it?" "What?!" The shout was extra loud, having come from everyone’s mouths all at the same time. Nuriko chuckled. "Well, remember, Sweetling, that your mother arrived in Davinshire in an unusual manner," he reminded her. "She was injured and had little to no memory of her life before Willow Glen. Who’s to say she wasn’t fleeing from something in Elithia when she left?" There was a stunned silence. "B-but why?" Serena asked plaintively. "If she was royalty, what happened to drive her away from her home?" "An attack!" Rei exclaimed suddenly, slapping her fist into her palm. "This Seal...it isn’t Elithia’s Seal! At least, not the current Seal." She was extremely excited. "The one I’ve seen on Ayurhu’s sword and armor...it’s very similar to this one, but different. The sword is switched so that the blade is pointed upwards...a show of strength, he told me...and instead of a rose entwined around it, there’s a snake or...or a dragon! Yes, that’s what it is. A dragon." She looked triumphant. "His is obviously a symbol of war, whereas this one seems more a symbol of peace, with the down-turned blade and the rose." "But why and when was the House Seal changed?" Mitsukake asked thoughtfully. "Well, maybe Elithia was attacked by another kingdom?" Miaka suggested. "Which one?" Rei put in wryly. "There’re only so many kingdoms, and I’ve never seen one with that particular Seal before. Besides, in all those books we looked through we would have come across something about an attack, but there was nothing!" "But very little is known about Elithia to begin with. It’s a kingdom that kept basically to itself, even when the trade route was opened," Endymion said thoughtfully. "It never requested help from any of its neighbors. I suppose...it could have come under attack at one point...and the royal House could have been overthrown to allow a new ruler to take charge..." "Something like that just doesn’t seem probable without alerting the neighboring kingdoms, no matter how much they kept to themselves," Mitsukake replied. "It would be very difficult to miss an entire army marching across Davinshire’s borders to get into Elithia in the first place, and if the attack came from the other side, our allies there would have informed us. Either way, it was sure to attract attention had it been an outside invasion." "So...maybe it was an invasion from inside the kingdom," Nuriko suggested. "That could make sense," Endymion replied thoughtfully. "If an inside rebellion occurred, and Elithia never requested assistance, Davinshire...or anyone else...may have never known of their struggle." "And the traitors could take over the throne, and no one would be the wiser," Rei finished smugly. "But even Elithians would swallow their pride and ask for help if it comes to rebellion!" Serena exclaimed. "I mean, they wouldn’t be that stupid to let past occurrences get in the way of demanding help, would they?" "Who knows?" Nuriko shrugged. "The few times I’ve traveled in Elithia, they always struck me as a strange bunch." "You’ve been to Elithia?" Mitsukake asked, eyeing him sharply. Nuriko blinked at him in surprise for a moment, then shrugged. "I’ve been all over the place," he replied amiably. "I’m a minstrel. Traveling is what I do." "My head is killing me, and this is too much to think about!" Serena moaned, bringing her forehead to rest on the table and sighing wearily. "I think I need to go to bed and sleep for a week!" "I’m with you, Little Sister," Miaka agreed, resting her head on Serena’s back tiredly. "I think, after the night we had, we all can use some sleep," Endymion replied with a smile, reaching out to tweak Serena’s messy braid. "Go to bed, all of you, and we’ll talk about this some more in the morning...er...evening." He paused and looked a little flustered. "Well, whenever we next meet," he concluded with a shrug, standing to stretch his stiff muscles. He winced a little as his sore skin pulled, and suppressed a yawn. "And Serenity," he added as an afterthought, "I don’t want to see you going near that vault again, do I make myself clear?" Serena opened her mouth to protest, but a warning finger on her lips stopped her. "You were nearly killed once," he whispered. "I won’t have you in that situation again. From now on, that vault is off-limits. Especially now that the magic-user knows there’s another way out. We were lucky the first time. Next time...it might be permanent." She paled a little at the warning, then sighed and nodded, and he smiled at her slightly before taking his leave of them, bidding them a goodnight. "You know," Miaka began amiably, slinging an arm around her sister’s shoulders as they headed to their rooms, "assuming that everything we learned tonight is actually true, and that pendant really is the original Seal of Elithia, and it belonged to your mother..." A dramatic pause. "Then that would make you a genuine princess!" she finished with an excited squeal. Serena stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide, before shaking her head in denial. "Nu-uh," she protested, waving her hands in protest. "There is no possibility that I, of all people, could be a princess! I am not princess material!" she insisted. "There has got to be some other reasonable..." "But, Sereeeenaaaa," Miaka interrupted gleefully, "don’t you understand yet? If you’re a princess...there’s no longer anything holding you back from being with Endymion!" Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added slyly, "And I’ll bet you anything that Endymion is thinking the very same thing right about now!" And with that food for thought, she giggled and headed into her room, leaving her speechless sister alone to think about these unexpected possibilities. ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ The first thing Rei did when next they woke was to drag Serena into the throne room to speak with her parents. She told them of everything that had happened and requested (or more like demanded) that her engagement to Elithia’s king be broken. King Reagan, to say the least, was not pleased. "Absolutely not!" he bellowed, scowling at his youngest child, who scowled right back and refused to be intimidated. "There is too much riding on this marriage to simply throw it away on some silly, childish fairy tale..." "Reagan, please," Julietta protested, pulling on his tunic so he’d sit back down in his throne. "Listen to your daughter, Dearest. She is not one to be so rash as to request something like this if it wasn’t important..." "Beloved, I simply cannot believe that our daughter is risking her future on..." he began, but never got a chance to finish when Endymion, who had been listening outside the door, abruptly threw it open with a wham and strode into the room, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "Listen to her, Father," he commanded, his voice ringing throughout the room. "What she says is the truth. And this proves it!" He held out the scroll. "This is a History of Elithia, Father," he explained. "This tells of the beginning of the kingdom, and it so happens that it began when one of the former rulers of Davinshire banished innocent people from the kingdom three hundred years ago. It’s my belief that the King of Elithia is a possible descendant of one of these men, and is looking to take control of Davinshire through marriage to Rei." "But Rei would be living in his kingdom, not he in ours," Reagan scoffed. "She is but the first step to gaining control of Davinshire," Endymion replied smoothly. "Once he marries her, he has a foot in the door, so to speak. I’m quite sure you know what would happen should...say...an accident somehow befall you and mother." "Of course! The throne would go to you, my son," Reagan replied, his brow furrowing. He still looked rather put-out at this entire ordeal, but he was listening, and the crown prince took this as a sign of encouragement. "But what would happen should something befall me, as well?" Endymion asked, and then replied, almost triumphantly, "The crown would then be passed to Hotohori, is that not correct? But...if something should happen to him..." "Then Rei’s husband would take the crown, until their son was of a legal age to rule." "And if they have no son?" Reagan’s eyes narrowed. "It would then stay with her husband, until such time that she bears him a male heir," he replied through gritted teeth, vaguely aware that he was falling right into his male heir’s trap, and not quite sure how he’d gotten there. Endymion’s smile was slow and sure. "And if," he almost whispered, "something should happen to Rei before she bears him any child at all?" Reagan scowled, refusing to answer. But the queen, who was nearly grinning with motherly pride, exclaimed regally, "Then that would leave the throne of Davinshire completely in Ayurhu’s hands, with no one left to claim it." "Thank you, Mother," Endymion replied with a smirk. "I rest my case. Have you any other argument, Father?" "Yes!" the king huffed. "Aside from all that, I’ve met King Ayurhu...several times...and he does not strike me as the type of man to go around killing off family members just to work his way up to the throne!" "He doesn’t know him very well, does he?" Rei whispered as an aside to Serena, who smiled nervously and shifted. She didn’t see why she had to be there. She hadn’t even been mentioned, and frankly she was starting to feel uncomfortable witnessing the royal spat between father and son. "Serenity, please come up here for a moment," Endymion called to her over his shoulder. She froze. Drat the man! There he went again, reading her mind! Reluctantly, she moved forward until she was standing beside him, curtsying a little to Their Majesties before turning to nervously face the crown prince. She relaxed only slightly when she saw the reassurance in his eyes; she still had no idea what he was up to. "Father, I want you to take a look at this," Endymion told him amiably, carefully pulling the pendant, whose broken chain Serena had replaced with a leather cord, from around her neck. "What does that look like?" he asked, holding the jewelry up to his father. Reagan took the pendant and examined it, then looked at the scroll he still held. "A royal Seal," he replied with a shrug. "So what?" "The royal Seal of the House of Silverbrook, to be more precise," Endymion explained. Upon seeing his father’s confused expression, he added, "Morgan Silverbrook is the founder and the first king of Elithia, according to the scroll you’re holding. Serenity found this Seal lying beneath the ruins of Willow Glen, the home of her parents. We believe it had belonged to her mother, who came to be at Willow Glen through some tragic event. She was apparently fleeing for her life when she was found by Sir Odhran Knightly, the Count of Willow Glen." "Yes, yes, I know who Sir Odhran is," Reagan replied impatiently, waving a hand dismissively. Endymion continued as though the king had never interrupted. "They soon fell in love and married, but on the same night Serenity was born, their home was attacked by what people claimed to be bandits, killing everyone in the household. Strangely enough, however, nothing of value was touched before the manor was burned to the ground. Only Serenity’s mother...Selene, I believe her name was...escaped the carnage, and we believe it was through an old, underground tunnel that had once been used for helping slaves escape. It was at the entrance to this tunnel that Serenity found the pendant." "How fascinating," Julietta replied, leaning forward in her throne. Her eyes were sparkling with interest. "If the pendant did indeed belong to Selene, then it only could mean that she was once a member of Elithia’s royal family, as well! Which would make you a princess, wouldn’t it, my dear?" Serena squirmed under her gaze, well aware that Endymion’s eyes were also fixed upon her. "I guess so," she mumbled, suddenly wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her. "Do you know, I met your mother back when she and Sir Odhran were first wedded," Julietta began kindly, trying to put the girl at ease. It worked. "Did you really?" Serena breathed, looking at the queen through wide eyes. "Oh yes. She was an enchanting young lady," Julietta replied with a smile. "She looked a great deal like you, my dear. The same golden hair, and her eyes were so blue. She was beautiful, and very refined. She fit quite easily into her new life as the Countess, as though she’d been born for it. She refused to speak of her past, though, and I didn’t ask for fear it would seem rude. I thought perhaps she’d been a mere farmer’s daughter or such and was simply too embarrassed to mention it. But of course now that I know she held no memories of her past... It really didn’t matter, though. She was still quite enchanting. Very pleasant to get along with." "Did she visit here often?" Serena asked timidly. Julietta sighed. "Alas, no. She was never very strong, I’m afraid, and quite susceptible to illness. After her first few visits she stopped coming, because even the short journey it took to get here was simply too much for her. From the way it sounds now, it doesn’t seem that she’d ever fully recovered from whatever drove her from her true home in the first place. She and Sir Odhran had only been married for two years before they both died. It was such a tragedy." Reagan was examining the pendant in his hand, frowning thoughtfully. "This doesn’t look quite like Elithia’s Seal," he stated suddenly, tilting his head to one side. "Isn’t Elithia’s royal symbol a dragon twined about a sword?" "Yes! It is, currently, but that’s another reason why I shouldn’t marry Ayurhu!" Rei broke in, unable to refrain from speaking any longer. "We all think that he isn’t the true king of Elithia! We think that maybe he was the leader of a rebellion and had the real king cast from his throne and took it over, and when he did that he changed the royal Seal from one of peace to one of war! He isn’t the kind of man you thought he was, father! Truly! Look what he did to Serena!" With that, she pulled the startled girl forward and yanked the neckline of her collar aside. "Rei!" Serena yelped, now thoroughly embarrassed as she squirmed out of the princess’s tight grip and readjusted her collar. "Did you see?" Rei demanded, ignoring her friend’s outraged glare. "You saw the welts, right? Ayurhu did that to her! He tried to strangle her, and it happened when he saw that pendant! That’s why it’s on a cord right now. He snapped the chain right off her neck! He knew what that symbol meant! That’s probably why he turned tail and ran out of here like a coward!" she finished triumphantly, crossing her arms. "Oh dear," Julietta whispered, her soft, golden-brown eyes regarding Serena with worry. "Come closer, my dear, and let me look at you." Serena obeyed silently, trying not to squirm when the queen ran gentle fingers over the almost-faded welts marring her skin. Then she noticed the girl’s bandaged hand. "Oh my! What happened here?" she questioned. "That’s another thing!" Rei interrupted excitedly. Her mother shot her a warning look, but she was far too agitated to pay any mind to a slip in good manners. "Someone set fire to the History vault...while we were still in it!" Reagan shot her an incredulous look. "Yes, I’d been told about that..." he began. "But don’t listen to what the guards told you!" Rei pleaded. "That fire was made of magic, and as soon as we escaped it was gone again! I know it doesn’t seem possible, but Serena’s burns had to come from somewhere, right? And you should see poor Endy! Burns all over himself!" "I’m fine," Endymion hastily added when both parents shot him concerned looks. "Just a little sore, but I’ll heal. It wasn’t as serious as it felt. More like a bad sunburn than anything." "They wouldn’t make something like this up, Father, and then go and burn themselves just to prove it!" Rei insisted. "Where’s the sense in that?" Reagan sighed and rubbed at his temple. "I’m aware of that, child, but a fire that starts itself and puts itself out again without destroying anything it touches is rather...unbelievable." "I believe it was a Mage that caused the fire," Endymion told him seriously. "Do you remember ever hearing anything about Mages being banished from the kingdom, maybe three hundred years ago or so?" Reagan searched his memory. "I seem to recall my nursemaid telling me something like that when I was a child," he eventually replied. "I just thought they were stories to make me go to sleep at night." "It’s a part of Davinshire’s history," the prince replied seriously, "and that’s how Elithia was formed, by those same Mages. Who’s to say their descendants haven’t survived, and are now working for Elithia’s king? A fire spell would be a simple matter for a powerful Mage. They had three hundred years to hone their skills." "But...magic?" Reagan scoffed. "There just isn’t any such thing!" "Look," Rei began impatiently. "Magic or no, it’s been proven more than enough that Ayurhu isn’t the kind of man we thought he is. If you make me marry him, you’ll be putting the throne right into his hands, and I, for one, have no doubts that he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he gets full control of it. You may be willing to risk my life for some foolish alliance, but I certainly am not!" Reagan sighed again, then gestured to a scribe standing silently nearby, obviously listening in although he was doing his best to appear otherwise. The king picked up a quill pen and a roll of parchment from the small writing table beside his throne, quickly scratching a short message onto the paper. He signed it with a flourish, then picked up the sealing wax and melted it over a candle, allowing a single, golden drop to fall onto the bottom of the page. After pressing his signet into the wax, he rolled it, sealed it with another drop, and handed it to the scribe. "Please see that this is immediately delivered to His Majesty in Elithia," Reagan commanded. "Send three of the fastest runners, and be sure they are well-armed for defense if necessary." "Yes, Sire." The scribe bowed low, then hurried from the throne room to carry out his orders. Reagan sat back in his throne, suddenly looking weary as he rubbed a hand over his handsome features. "My dear," he stated tiredly, reaching over to take the queen’s waiting hand. "If this king is truly as dangerous as our children seem to think he is, I do hope that breaking this pact will not prove to be the biggest mistake of any of our lives." To be continued...