Skyler did not answer but only watched the proceedings as if watching a play. It seemed as though the entire castle must be there, enjoying an official celebration of some kind. For the great number of people attending, the living area of the castle had to be mostly inside the mountain. He was eager to have a look but knew he wouldn’t have much time.
The people in the celebration were sitting at long benches, covered in bright red table clothes. The tables were loaded with food, drink and plates for the meal the waitresses were ready to serve. They were also dressed in brilliant colors, as if in every way their goal was to defy the dreariness of their land.
At the front of it all and up on a stage before the crowd, Darrow stood to speak. “Good people of Drachen Castle. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to the top, for attending the birthday celebration of my daughter, princess Ambrosia and her coming of age!”
From behind Darrow stepped his daughter and the crowd roared a hearty welcome. The young princess stepped into the light of a thousand torches, which eagerly rushed to be the light that displayed her perfect beauty. Skyler, a thousand times at least, blessed the beams that carried her vision of splendor to his starving eyes. Her long blond locks, curled from beginning to end, flouted their rebellious joy against the dark of night. She smiled and showed her shyness to the moment, putting her hands playfully against her face as she leaned toward the father she loved so much. Her mother also was there, and it was obvious where the girl’s attractiveness came from.
Skyler was mesmerized, unable to alter his gaze. She seemed as if a dream and appeared to float as she descended the stairs and went through the crowd. She took her time, stopping to thank everyone for attending the party in her honor. Music played as the many waiters danced out the food to the guests. The joyful people, combined with the consuming beauty of the princess, made Skyler forget the importance of his mission.
The hand to his shoulder brought him out of his hypnotic daze. Skyler jolted around to see Darrow towering over him. The friendly smile he wore a few moments before was a forgotten memory. A scowl replaced his smile, which was more suited for his hardened face. His look shot toward the one ogling his only daughter.
“Your eyes betray your thoughts, young soldier of Tunder Bin. Keep your stare away, for the princess is already promised to another,” Darrow levied hard to Skyler.
With a gulp that seemed to catch sideways in his throat, Skyler stood uneasily. Darrow sought to intimidate the young boy, not allowing him the room he needed to stand. “Sir, err, King Darrow. Yes… or no… I was having no thoughts of anything, I promise you,” Skyler stammered, wishing he was back on the trail alone. A Tolltier would be less scary than this moment.
“What is it you want?” Darrow answered, getting straight to the point.
“King Tegan sir, he requests aid for his army in the north.”
“Tegan sent you back to get aid. What has he encountered?” Darrow asked, his concern changing.
“Well no, it was not Tegan sir. It was Seran, who is in charge of the city of Tunder Bin,” Skyler replied, handing Darrow the note.
Darrow read it carefully and then handed the note to one of his men. “Your name is Skyler, correct?”
“Yes,” he answered, proud he was remembered by the king. They met briefly five years earlier following the battle of the Demon’s Chamber.
“Skyler, as you can see, it is my daughter’s birthday. I will think of the request and we will talk later in the evening. For now, please enjoy yourself,” Darrow said. Before walking back to the head table, he placed his firm hand on Skyler’s shoulder and leaned over the boy, “Stay away from my daughter. She is not for you.”
Skyler would have rather been on his way, with the requested men with him. But it was Darrow who was in charge here, not Skyler. He would wait. Alone.
A grumpy old waitress brought him food and he eagerly ate until full. Despite the warning from her father, Skyler kept looking for Ambrosia, but could not find her. He sat along in the dim light to the side of celebration, not wanting to interfere. His eyes darted from one group to another, hoping to catch another glimpse of the beauty he witnessed earlier. From behind, a soft voice begged of him, “Excuse me?”
Skyler turned to see Ambrosia standing there. Her beauty from afar was only a whisper of its depth from just a touch away.
“Thank you for coming to my party,” Ambrosia welcomed him. He was barely able to hear the words, only making out the melody of the music they made. Skyler stood, but no words came from his opened mouth.
Without hesitation she reached out to embrace him, her touch was that of a warm blanket on a coldest of nights. The twinkle of her deep blue eyes brighter than any star could ever be.
“I am sorry, lady. I am filthy from my travels and make a horrible representation for my land.” Skyler protested as Ambrosia let go of him, for he desired a far better first impression.
“What land do you come from?” she questioned with great anticipation. She leaned on the tips of her toes, waiting anxiously for the answer.
“Tunder Bin.”
“And you came all this way for my birthday!” Ambrosia exclaimed. The gesture excited her.
“Well, not exactly,” Skyler began. He then learned the cuteness of Ambrosia’s frown. He risked a venture, “but, had I known it was your birthday I would have scaled the tallest mountain of our country and picked, just for you, the flowers that grow only there. They are a light blue and yellow, matching the colors of your eyes and hair. I would have then brought them all this way, just for your birthday.” He quickly spent his store of courage. A feeling of regret took him as if he stumbled on is words. He wished for a few of Shalkar’s lines.
The princess was not disappointed but took his hand in hers as she blushed at his compliment. “Please, will you sit with me at my table?”
She did not wait for his answer as she pulled him through the throng of people who knew not the boy she was toting. Skyler was nervous beyond measure, awkwardly stumbling behind her. The warmth of her hand stayed his uneasy feelings. Ambrosia’s light blue dress, matching her eyes, floated across the stone floors. A beautiful dress below and the bouncing locks of hair from above framed the perfectly pale skin of her neck and shoulders. Try as he might out of respect for Darrow, Skyler could not imagine a time when his heart would ever beat for another. So strong was the magic of Ambrosia to his desire, its power was irresistible.
All the prior moments of Skyler’s life seemed meaningless, as if his days only began when fate first presented her mesmerizing beauty to his underserving vision. He wondered what the man her father promised her to would think of this, but only for a few fleeting seconds before her all-encompassing perfection again dominated his mind and blocked out all other thoughts.
“Everyone,” Ambrosia began, “Please meet my new friend, from the city of Tunder Bin,” and she stopped and giggled as she looked to Skyler. “I am so sorry! What is your name?”
“Skyler,” he answered, smiling at her.
“Well Skyler, my name is Ambrosia,” she answered back, this time officially shaking his hand. Then to the group of her friends at the table, “Everyone, this is Skyler. He is from Tunder Bin and on a mission from their king. He would not tell me what it is, so it must be very important. It is no doubt dangerous, as he has traveled here all alone. You must be a mighty warrior!” Her voice bore both concern for him and admiration.
Again, she giggled, as did several of the girls at the table. There was only one boy and he did not laugh. Skyler could tell the boy did not like him and certainly not his presence. Skyler guessed him to be the one Darrow spoke of, but then wondered why he was sitting on the other side of the table.
“Please sit,” the girl closest to Skyler said. She pulled out a chair for him. He sat down. Even more so than earlier, he felt out of place. The ladies and boy sitting with them were all finely dressed for the dinner. Skyler’s dress was far more suited to killing goblins and he was dirty enough from
his ride to be one. He began to fidget again as Ambrosia sat down, sliding her chair close to his. Then he felt her hand take his, calming him quickly.
“I should leave, I am not dressed for this occasion,” Skyler said as he turned to her, but her eyes again drew him into a trance.
“You are fine, please stay. If you go back to the shadows, I am going to follow you and sit there, and then my father is going to get very angry with me. So please, stay.”
He could not say no to her, so he just smiled and sat still. The girls at the table pelted him with questions of Tunder Bin. To them it was a far-off make-believe land, one they could dream of but never visit. The boy eyeing him said nothing. Soon they went around the table, each saying their names. When it was the boy’s turn, he glumly said, “I am Trent, son of Trandon, our lead general who reports directly to Darrow.” Trent then stood and walked over to Skyler, standing over him with his hand out. Skyler stood and took Trent’s hand.
Trent stood taller than Skyler and tried to scare him. Skyler guessed Trent to be three or four years older than he was, but it would take a lot more than size and a firm handshake for Trent to intimidate him.
“Pleased to meet you Trent,” Skyler said with a wink and hearty slap to the back.
Trent looked to the table, “I need to go for a moment, but I will be back. Enjoy the evening.” Trent ambled away, as if looking for someone. Skyler sat back down next to Ambrosia. It was not long before the music began to play again, and Ambrosia looked to Skyler as she stood. “Please dance with me?”
Skyler did not move, as he had never danced before. In truth, he never even considered it. He froze, unable to come up with a response as she began to pull at his arm.
“Skyler,” the deep voice from earlier boomed from behind. “I think we can have our talk now.” Darrow received word of the new boy sitting by his daughter and Skyler saw Trent returning to the table sporting a snarky smirk on his face. He did not care, however, as he was glad to avoid the embarrassment of everyone seeing his lack of dancing skills.
Skyler quickly turned to Ambrosia, pulling his hand from hers, “Happy Birthday Ambrosia, it was nice to meet you.” He was sad to see the disappointment on her face, but pleased at the same time. Ambrosia would not dare protest to her father.
Skyler quickly stood and then turned toward Darrow, following him through the crowd. He hoped he would see her again, his heart missing her the moment he turned away.
Darrow led him quickly through two massive wooden doors and into the main entry to the castle. Castle guards closed the doors behind them and Darrow turned to Skyler.
“So, I am to send my troops to save your people from a battle I warned them not to get into?” Darrow spewed at him.
Skyler was stunned and did not expect his stubbornness. “Sir, are we not also your people? You were wise to question the first advance, not knowing the exact location. But this errand is not for anything but to ensure their safety. Will you not go?”
“I will not throw you out of my castle but I highly suggest you pick your words more wisely. First, Tegan asked me to go on a mission to find Milan. I would do anything to help save her once he found her, but I could not spare soldiers for this mission. Now I am asked to take the dream of a child and treat it like a direct order from a queen that has not been seen in over five years?” Darrow paced as he said the words, but then he stopped and stared again at Skyler.
“And then you come into my castle on my daughter’s birthday and seek to steal her from someone she has been promised too? The announcement of this arrangement is to be made this very evening,” Darrow paused to step forward, “and you will not interrupt the proceedings again. Do you understand me?”
“Yes sir,” Skyler said, hoping to control his broken heart. How could his heart hurt so for someone he had only met that evening? It was if a goblin sword just pierced him, and he wasn’t sure if he would recover.
Darrow saw Skyler’s pain and easily guessed its source, “You are a brave and a loyal soldier. I promised my daughter to another. That is how it will be, so think of her no more. As for your errand, you have spent too much of your early life doing the bidding of Tegan, who I believe has irresponsibly used your days. I suggest you think twice about rushing to your death for someone so eager to spend it. Nay, the men of the Dragon Glades will not go, not at this time. Nothing about you seems ignorant Skyler, so I do not need to tell you things are rough here. Food is scarce and clean water a long way from here, and we are under constant threat of attack. Bring me proof, then and only then, will my men march to war again. Bring me proof.”
Skyler had no words for Darrow, knowing anything he wanted to say could get him locked up. He turned and marched for the door. Just before exiting, he turned to see Darrow one last time, who was still eyeing him, “King Darrow,” he shouted from the back of the hall, “Should all Lemuria fall and the might of Herrog knock at your front door, I beg you to think higher of those who tried to stop him far earlier.” At that, Skyler hurriedly jolted out the door before the angered Darrow could have him stopped.
If he hadn’t rushed out, if he had stayed and risked watching the King of the Dragon Glades, he would not have seen the expected anger. He would have witnessed one who only added the second guessing of the boy to his own convoluted thinking. A large part of him sided with Skyler, and Darrow could only hope he was right.
Skyler ran toward the stables, rushing past many waiters and waitresses as he stayed away from Ambrosia’s party. For reasons he could not explain, he began to cry. Skyler greatly desired to see Ambrosia before he left but dared not stop. He forced himself forward and went on to the stables, realizing it was not to be between him and Ambrosia. He mounted his horse and started for the front gate. At the very least, they fed and watered his horse for the return trip. A guard stopped him. Skyler was about to ask for the gate to be opened when a familiar deep voice came from behind.
“Skyler,” Darrow said, waiting for the dwarf boy to turn. “I carry no ill will for you, or for Tegan. My only wishes are for your safety on your journey but understand I must take care of my own first. Trust that in your real time of need, we will be there.”
Skyler appreciated the kind words and understood that Darrow would have handled an official letter from Tegan differently. Darrow then ordered the guard, “Open the gate! Let the brave soldier go!”
The gate opened immediately, and Skyler departed back into the dreary night. It seemed all the drearier now that he carried with him the brilliant vision in his memory.
He reached the point where the guards emerged from the shadows and could again see the many soldiers in the hiding areas. The guard stopped him, “From here on you will not be protected. Ride hard and stop for no one, there are many creatures out there who would harm you. Ride hard!”
Skyler took his word and rode, going as fast as he dared down the mountain path in the late night. From time to time, he would hear rocks from above or below, knocked loose from some unseen creature. He saw little as he closed in on the bottom of the mountain. The lesser slope and wider path allowed for greater speed. Deeper toward the valley trees were becoming more common. Finally, the welcome sight of the sun rising revealed the forest he was entering that flew past him as he rode hard.
His horse was breathing heavy, ready for a break as the road leveled out. Skyler galloped off the path and veered toward the stream he knew lay just ahead. His pony was exhausted from the ride, receiving only a short reprieve in the confines of the Drachen castle. He dismounted and walked his steed to the water’s edge, where it drank deeply from the clear mountain water. Skyler filled his skins and took a good guzzle before washing his face with the cold water.
He wanted to wash away the tantalizing memory of Ambrosia. Despite his attempt, the dream of her remained and it continued to tease and taunt his desire. While it made the night seem darker, her happy face made the day brighter as he took in the cool morning air. He wondered how Ambrosia took Darrow’s announcement of t
he planned engagement. He hoped more than anything she would be happy. He did not like Trent’s look or demeanor and knew Ambrosia could do far better.
The sudden snap of the twig in the trees snagged him from his thoughts. He knelt low to see under the branches. Listening intently, he heard nothing save the breeze gently moving through the trees.
Skyler grabbed the reigns and turned to lead the horse back to the path, urging it forward, “We will need to move farther away from this place before we are safe enough to take the rest we need.”
Another noise stopped him cold, but this time it was not a twig. “Holdz ‘til, dwerf!” a troll snorted as it leapt from a bushy area and across the small stream. Skyler quickly pulled his axe, ready to battle. The troll was not alone though, as two more trolls stepped out with him. They blocked his escape.
“A little close to the castle for trolls, don’t you think? The dwarves will be marching by any moment,” Skyler said, hoping to give them pause.
“I’z don’t t’ink so, wez keeps perty good tabs on dem!” the troll snarled to Skyler, seeing an easy target. Skyler would not wait for an attack, hoping to take one down quickly. He picked up a rock and threw it at one of the trolls behind him, striking it on the massive bridge of his nose. The stunned troll stepped back, but Skyler left it to lunge at the one before him.
The Three Charms Page 27
