by Lan Dang
Chapter 14: Guilden Sword
Eric woke up to the banging sound of pots and pans downstairs. He yawned and got up out of bed, careful not to wake up Emmers who was snoring loudly next to him. Luckily, he was very tired last night and fell asleep before Emmers did. He couldn’t imagine trying to sleep in such a noisy environment.
Eric thought to himself, “It must be Emmers’ mom downstairs. I wonder what she’s cooking.”
He was quite hungry in spite of last night’s fulfilling dinner. It must be that he was eating more than usual because he was growing up. He felt he was growing taller and bigger since he first arrived. He smiled, thinking about the leftovers and wondering what breakfast must be in this household.
He was right. As he went downstairs and entered the kitchen, he saw Emmers’ mom singing to herself as she moved around the kitchen, putting food on the frying pan and then warming the biscuits in the oven. She turned around and gave him a warm smile.
“Why, good morning, Eric. I hope you had a good sleep last night. I probably should have warned you about Emmers. He snores very loudly. I hope you were able to sleep through that racket.”
He smiled at the mention of Emmers’ snoring.
“Hi, Mrs….” Eric realized he had never asked Emmers what his last name was. He awkwardly stood in the kitchen, scratching his head, rather embarrassingly.
She laughed at his struggle. “Just call me, Maivis. It’s pointless with using our last names.”
Eric stared at her. “Why?”
She returned his stare with a surprised look. Then, a sudden realization hit her and her surprised look was replaced with sympathy and understanding.
“Well, maybe because you must have forgotten since you were little. You have been isolated in that lonely castle growing up. All our last names are Guilden. So, you see, you could technically call me Mrs. Guilden which is okay here but if we were outside, a lot of females would respond to that name as well.”
“Oh I see. That’s rather odd, isn’t it?”
She shook her head, ruefully. “Not really. Our neighbors in the other kingdoms nearby all share their respective kingdoms’ name as their own last name. We’re not the only ones. It might be unusual for you since you probably just use your first name only. Besides, we are all somehow related in this kingdom so it makes sense to have a common last name.”
Eric bit his lip and thought to himself. “I can just imagine the confusion that would cause if someone has the same first name.”
He took a big whiff of her cooking and complimented her. “That smells delicious. You sure are a good cook.”
Her cheeks turned red. “Really, it’s not much. It’s just that I’ve been in the kitchen so long that I can cook with my eyes closed.”
Eric chuckled. It sounded like something he would say when he had practiced on the soccer field for hours. He looked around. No one was downstairs yet.
Maivis saw and replied, “Don’t worry about him. Hemlur, my husband, already left about a half hour ago. He gets up really early in the morning. I hope you can forgive him for what he said yesterday. I can’t imagine what is going through his mind. Old age, I guess. It tends to make you cranky.” She winked at him.
Eric smiled. “It’s okay. I understand how he feels. I actually feel like I was to blame for ruining your lovely dinner last night. I should have stopped talking but I didn’t know. I am truly sorry.”
“Trust me, you are not to blame. Hemlur just gets very aggressive sometimes when you mention …. you know. Anyways, just make yourself at home. Have a seat.”
He politely nodded his head and sat down on one of the dining room chairs. He heard noises upstairs and later, the twins, Libby and Casey, came hopping downstairs, laughing and jostling each other. They smiled and said good morning to Eric and then, disappeared into the kitchen. Later, Emmers came downstairs too. He grinned when he saw Eric still there.
“Hey, Eric. I saw you were gone this morning and I thought you already left. I feared we may have scared you away.”
Eric laughed. “Oh no, I would never leave if I had a choice. I couldn’t possibly say no to free meals.”
Emmers smiled. “Well, I hope I didn’t bother your sleep last night. I tend to snore really loudly or so my family tells me. I never know about it because of course, I’m not awake so I have to rely on my so-called eyewitnesses here and I don’t know if I can trust them.”
He winked at his friend.
One of his twin sisters stuck her head from the kitchen to say, “He does snore when he sleeps. Right, Eric?” She looked at Eric and smirked at her brother.
Eric grinned. “Lucky I fell asleep before he did last night.”
Emmers yawned, annoyed and eager to change the subject. “Mom, can we eat already? I’m hungry.”
His mom yelled from the kitchen. “Breakfast is almost ready. Just a couple more minutes.”
Emmers walked into the kitchen to ask his mom a private question but Eric caught bits and pieces of the conversation.
“……. know who leave?”
“Yes……left…early today.”
“Did….appear upset?
“….already….how he is……still stubborn….Told me…doesn’t want…..under same roof….”
There were more murmurs that Eric couldn’t quite make out but then, the twins came to the table carrying plates of fried eggs, sausages, biscuits, and fruit. He was too distracted by the food to pay attention to eavesdrop. Everything looked tasty and there was a pitcher of the sweet drink.
Eric looked down. He felt guilty for being the source of trouble but he did like Maivis’ cooking and Emmers’ friendship. The twins sat down first. They were later followed by their brother and mother. Everyone smiled and ate happily. Eric chugged down several cups of the sweet liquid. He felt very thirsty.
When they had finished, Eric told everyone he had to leave and thanked them for their hospitality. Emmers walked him to the door.
“I hope we can do this again sometime. It was fun.”
“Yeah, it was nice. Thanks again. See you later.”
“Sure thing. See you soon.”
Eric left and was walking through the streets, which were already occupied by a handful of people, on his way to the castle when he encountered two Questors coming towards them. Even with the sun rising from its fluffy bed of clouds, their pale skin and dark cloaks reminded him of the Grim Reaper and he shuddered. They glided very fast towards him and the sparse handful of people quickly got out of their way. Eric was quite certain that the people were just as scared as he was but he knew that the Questors were only after him. He boldly stood there and waited for them to approach.
“Where were you last night? You’re supposed to stay in your room as ordered by the Elders.”
Eric stood his ground. He replied, “That’s none of your business.”
Both of the Questors looked at each and exchanged quiet whispers. One of them whipped out a black staff and struck his right leg.
“Ouch! What the heck?”
He screamed out in pain for that black staff had delivered an icy pain that climbed up and down his right leg. It was a pain such as he had never experienced before. He was limping, unable to use his right leg and he quickly shifted his body weight to his left leg instead.
He heard both of the Questors laughing as the people watched in horror. Eric knew the people would never intervene, especially since this was not their problem.
The Questors stopped laughing and asked again, “Now, answer my question. Where were you last night?”
Eric knew they were not afraid to use the black staff again and they certainly weren’t afraid of public opinion either. He answered truthfully.
“I was staying at a friend’s house. I’m not lying either.”
He stared fearfully at the staff.
The Questor nodded his head.
“I bel
ieve you. What is your friend’s name?”
Eric looked at him suspiciously. “What for?”
“Because both you and your friend will be severely punished for your disobedience. We don’t tolerate such rebels.”
“Well, then, I’m not going to give you a name.” Eric shouted this tentatively, worried that they would use that wicked staff again.
“Oh really?” The black staff shot out of his hand and this time, the Questor struck his left leg.
“Ow! Ow Ow!”
A shocking icy pain filled Eric’s left leg and he collapsed in agony, unable to stand on either leg. He moaned and groaned out loud causing people to stare. Even the guards watched with horrified expressions on their faces but did nothing. Some of the people immediately left for cover, afraid for their own lives, and this left an open space surrounding them.
One of the Questors said, “He’s causing a ruckus. Let’s bring him back with us. We can let the Elders punish him instead.”
Eric was limp as the two Questors, one on each side, grabbed his arm and lifted him off of the ground and dragged him back to the castle with ease. His legs had become numb with pain.
Eric passed out briefly and when he came to, he was in the same room as when he arrived on his first day here. Again, the two Elders were sitting on their chairs, their faces calm and relaxed, showing little emotion. It was too difficult to distinguish which Elder was which when they all looked alike, each covered in their cloaks but Eric was sure that they always sat in the same chair as if it was a permanent seating arrangement.
He slowly regained control of his legs and his conscience. He stood up carefully, first one leg, then the other, until he was standing with both legs. He bit his lip and waited for the Elders to speak.
“How are you feeling now? Better, we hope?”
He nodded his head. The pain he had felt earlier was indescribable. He had several injuries, such as a broken leg, from playing soccer but it was nothing compared to this pain. This one was different, it traveled throughout the body, spreading that cold feeling.
“We wished you hadn’t caused such a scene this morning. It was very embarrassing to watch and not to mention, painful for you. Why didn’t you just answer his question?”
Rage filled Eric. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. They had been watching everything from their room and had not bothered to save him. They seemed to have enjoyed it as they looked at him with clear disapproval.
“Because true friends don’t sell each other out. Because at least, I have the courage to stand up for what I believe in, because I don’t send people out to do my dirty work, and because quite frankly, I’m not afraid of you.”
The Elders shook their heads in disbelief, apparently appalled by what they had just heard.
One of them finally said, “You really must learn to control your human emotions more. How can your people respect you if you don’t behave any better than they do? It is not becoming of a king.”
Eric felt his anger build up. He took several steps forward and loudly replied, “That’s because I don’t want to be a king. I’ve told you that time and time again but you refuse to listen to me.”
They continued to shake their heads.
“Zephler, you may look like your father but your temperament, personality, and character, it is nothing like him. Please tell us, how can we give you something that belongs to him? You, quite frankly, do not deserve it.”
Eric felt his anger subside at the mention of his father. He knew they were referring to his biological father, the one he never had a chance to meet. He wanted something to remember him by, even if the object was insignificant. The sentimental value was what he cherished.
His voice softened and he tried his best to be polite. “What do you have that belongs to my father?”
Both Elders exchanged glances at each other. It was as if they knew that Eric only changed his behavior because he wanted what belonged to his father.
“We have his sword. Would you like to take a look?”
He immediately nodded his head, eager and curious. “Yes, please.”
From out of nowhere, a sword appeared. The blade of the sword looked as dull as if it had not been used before in a long time. The hilt of the sword was a rusty metal color. It lingered in the air, waiting for him to hold it. When his hand reached for it, he could feel how truly heavy it was. As soon as he held it, the sword transformed from an ordinary sword to a beautiful one, translucent as the force field. The blade was made of a crystal-like material that sparkled when the light shone upon it. Even the hilt of the sword was transformed. It was a shiny, polished silver metal with engravings on it, engravings that looked oddly familiar, like he had seen it from somewhere else. He stared at it for a long time, unable to take his eyes off it.
“This is truly beautiful. You said this belonged to my father. Then, he must have used it before, right?”
Both of the Elders nodded their heads in answer to the question.
Eric smiled. “I can’t believe I’m actually holding something that was once touched by my father. I’ve never met him before but I feel like I’m somehow closer to him just by holding this sword. Thank you. Really, thank you.” He could feel his eyes growing misty with sentiment.
“We were only safe-keeping it for its true owner. And that would be you. You are the last of the royal family and the sword belongs in the royal family. It has found a home at last. This sword is yours to keep.”
Eric was glad that he could keep the sword. After his outburst, he thought the Elders were going to punish him, not give him this wonderful gift. As he held the sword in his hand, the weight of the sword started to change as it grew lighter and easier to carry. He was surprised and continued to stare at it.
The Elders interrupted his reverie. “Well, now all seems well. You look less upset. Just remember to be in your room when the sun sets. Next time, you will be punished accordingly.”
The doors flung open and Eric politely thanked them once again for the sword and bowed before leaving the room. He went back to his own room and stared, in a mesmerized fashion, at this sword. It was so captivating, so beautiful, that he couldn’t take his eyes off it. He was so engaged with his precious sword that he didn’t notice anyone else was in his room until a deep voice interrupted him.
“No wonder you looked so familiar before. I never could put two and two together until today. You must be Zephler and that sword must be the Guilden Sword.”
Eric was so surprised, he almost dropped the sword he was holding in his hand. He turned around and saw Yulik standing there, staring with interest. Yulik looked at him, up and down, like he was some sort of statue to be admired.
He continued. “You do look a lot like your father.”
“Wait. You know my father?”
Yulik nodded his head. “We fought against each other. He was very brave, very noble, a true king.” He sighed. “I do miss him. It’s kind of a coincidence that now, I’m here, taking care of his son.”
He stared thoughtfully at Eric. Eric, himself, also stared back at him.
“May I ask why you don’t look like the other people in the Guilden Kingdom? ”
Yulik grinned. “That’s because I’m not from the Guilden Kingdom. My natural habitat is the Guilden Forest. I am what they refer to as one of the Ancients.”
Eric stared at him in shock. “What?”
He repeated very slowly. “I am an Ancient, an Immortal Ancient, to be exact.”
Eric still stared at him, speechless.
He continued, “We have powers, of course, not on the same level as the Elders but we are quite a formidable army if there are a handful of us. Plus, being immortal means we can’t be killed so we can only be captured, which is rather difficult. We move really fast and quietly. You have seen the way I move around your room. I bet you didn’t even notic
e that I was the one who healed your hands the very first day. You were sound asleep and I didn’t want to wake you up. I hope you didn’t mind.”
Eric gulped and shook his head. “No, I should thank you. I always thought it was the food I ate or this bed here that was healing my wounds.”
Yulik laughed. “You do have an active imagination.”
Eric asked, “I’m still confused. What exactly is an Immortal Ancient?”
“The Immortal Ancients are the natural protectors of the Guilden Forest but unfortunately, we lost a battle and have been imprisoned here instead.”
He sighed deeply. His shoulders seem to sag under the invisible burden he seemed to be carrying.
Eric felt a sudden overwhelming sense of pity.
He asked, “Is that why they bind your legs in chains?”
He nodded his head as he lifted up his ragged pants to stare at his bare legs. “I guess that’s what we get for losing. We become their personal slaves. They’re afraid of us because we are also immortal so they can’t really harm us. They just put these chains on us to prevent us from escaping or worse, revolting against them. Also, it helps them to locate us, if you noticed the sound the chains make.”
He shook his head. “Fear can bring out the worse in people.”
Eric nodded his head. He knew exactly what Yulik meant.
“Anyways, I think I’ve said too much as it is. But I’m glad that you’re still alive and maybe, there’s hope for these people here still.” He gestured to the window where Eric could see people walking out on the streets. “I have to go now.”
“Bye, Yulik. Thanks for healing my hands.”
“No problem. Just be careful with that sword okay? Use it very wisely.”
Eric had no idea what he meant. As Yulik left the room, Eric went back to looking at his sword. He couldn’t believe that he was actually holding it. It didn’t feel real. None of this felt real to him. It felt like an odd dream coming true.
