“Enough!” Raven said as he stepped in and disarmed his son handily. “You are gaining more and more every day. Soon you will catch up to me in the art of battle.”
Edward smiled, “I think you will best me until the day you enter the grave.”
Raven put his hand on the strong shoulders of his son and thought; “I wish you were here Rebekka, to see the great man our son has become.”
“Let us go to the balcony and talk of the kingdom,” Raven said. Edward nodded, he liked the times of instruction about the governing of the kingdom.
Raven was always perplexed at his son’s willingness to listen and be instructed in the proper way a king should govern his people. When he and been growing up, he thought all the kingdom stuff boring until he was thrust into the middle of it all by circumstances. Not so with Edward, he eagerly waited each instruction and lesson about the kingdom. Raven did not know that his mother Joanna had a great part in Edward’s interest. For she often took Edward on walks when he was young and told him he should listen and observe his father who had become the greatest king Glenfair had ever had. To see if he could understand what made the king great in the eyes of the people. She kept prodding his curiosity, and guiding his questions until it became the desire of his life to be admired like his father by his subjects.
Edward had come to realize in these last few years that the people of this fair land loved their king. And finally he was coming to understand why by hearing all the stories others told of his father. If Edward were to describe his father’s reign in a short statement, it could be summed up in this way; the King sacrificed himself for others. He had been told many times by Duke Andrew Crestlaw and Duke Mason Zandel of the sacrifices his father had made for the kingdom. He wanted to be like that, to live his life for the people’s good.
Raven knew his son’s desire, and was proud that the land would get another good king after his departure. When they reached the balcony he said to Edward as they looked at the courtyard below.
“You are living up to your uncle’s namesake, Edward. You will be a great king as he would have been.”
Edward looked at his father before asking, “If your brother would not have died, he would be King instead of you. Would that bother you if he were?”
Raven smiled, “No, not at all. Edward would have been a great king and I would still have married your mother and had you.”
Edward smiled for he could see that his father could mention his mother Rebekka, without the severe pain and guilt he used to have. Time had eased some of the pain out of the mention of her, so his father could enjoy the memories he had of her. For Edward though, her memory seemed to be far away and out of reach. He could see her face sometimes, but it grew dimmer with the passing years.
All of a sudden they were shaken out of their thoughts by a rider that came galloping into the courtyard, screeching to a halt and then dismounting. Raven drew his sword and threw it toward the rider. The sword spun and stuck into the ground at the rider’s feet causing him to jump and look up to see where it had come from. When he saw the King on the balcony he grabbed the sword and headed up to speak to him.
Edward just shook his head, what son could not enjoy having a father who pulled such outrageous stunts. The man came onto the balcony, handed the King back his sword and bowed.
When he rose he said puffing, “I bring news from the Crestlaw Dukeship. Duke Crestlaw begs your presence quickly for your sister Lorriel’s health is fading.” Raven and Edward looked at each other for a moment and then quickly headed for the stables.
An old woman came into the room where Adriell and Rebekka were dressing.
“Hurry up,” the old voice rasped, “or you will be late for the ceremony.”
Rebekka turned and smiled, “You know Elise that I really do not want to go. I feel strange about this whole thing. Everyone had a part in the changes that took place in Layton’s empire. You, John Martin, Blastion and Pi....” But before she could finish Elise interrupted her.
“But none more than you, dear Rebekka.”
Adriell laughed and said, “Come on mother, this will be fun.”
At that moment Pi entered the room and said, “It is time for us to go.”
Adriell spoke to her mother’s mind, “Don’t be a spoil sport mother, in school all the teachers talk about the freedoms you helped to give us.”
“Ok,” Rebekka spoke to Adriell’s mind, “lets get this over with.”
They could have walked to the civic center of the city for it was not far. But Elise was an old woman now because of the accelerated aging acting upon her so they took the transportation that waited for them downstairs.
At the civic center a dignitary dressed in medals of distinguished service approached their vehicle and opened the door for them, it was John Martin. He escorted them to their places of honor and the ceremony began.
The new head of state elected by the people after John Martin refused to run for a fourth term stood to address the assembly.
“Today,” he said, “we honor a great person who through bravery and self sacrifice has changed our empire forever. Her only goal was to give the empire back to its people so they could live free from oppression and tyranny. With that goal accomplished, she relinquished her position as head of state to the elected officials by the will of the people. Never have I met someone who served others as graciously as her. To me she will always be a queen, may I present to you Queen Rebekka!”
The crowd stood and roared with deafening applause as a canvas was pulled down to reveal a statue in the center of the civic center of Queen Rebekka. She walked to podium and immediately the crowd quieted for her.
“Citizens of the empire, I am greatly honored by your generous tribute to me this day. Only I alone am not responsible for the freedoms you now have today. Others have made sacrifices and have supported this as well. John Martin who we all love as the first elected head of state. Chancellor Elise who is suffering her own consequences of sacrifice for the empire and our current head of state, Blastion Astmos.” The crowd applauded loudly once again, and when they were quiet Rebekka continued.
“Never take your freedom for granted. As it has been given back to you it can be taken away. True freedom is always maintained through personal sacrifice, if not your own then someone else’s. May God grant you the power to preserve this freedom for years to come, thank you.” The people applauded with a standing ovation as Rebekka headed back toward John Martin and Elise. She could see her daughter was beaming with pride at the recognition her mother deserved.
Adriell looked at her mother, she was a Queen, everyone could see that. From the time she was little her mother had told her stories about her past life and her father. They seemed to her as fairy tales, a king with his dukes fighting evil for the safety of their kingdom. It was hard for her to grasp the other life her mother had experienced in that long ago kingdom she called Glenfair. The thing that made it so romantic was her father was a great king in this land, the greatest king they ever had her mother told her. That’s what made this day so exciting. Blastion and the others had told her of the secret outing they had planned as part of this celebration. She watched as her friends circled around her congratulating her. Then everyone was silent with funny smiles on their faces and Rebekka knew immediately that something was up.
“All right,” she said, “what is going on?”
Blastion smiled and said, “We have a surprise for you but you must come with us.”
Rebekka shook her head and said. “No, I have had enough for one day.”
John Martin laughed when he said. “This you will appreciate believe me.”
“Lead the way then,” Rebekka said to the excited group. They led her to a vehicle and getting inside they headed for the middle of the valley.
“Where are we going?” Rebekka asked Blastion who only smiled back in answer. It did not take long for them to reach their destination and the vehicle stopped. When th
ey all got out Rebekka realized now where they were.
“The king’s castle,” Rebekka said excitedly. “I did not know that there would be so much of it left after three thousand years.”
“There wasn’t,” Blastion said to Rebekka. “A couple of years ago I commissioned some archeologists to restore this old castle and they have been working on it ever since. I apologize, that they have only gotten it half finished.” Rebekka stood frozen, looking at the partially restored castle that had once been her home when she whirled on her friends exclaiming.
“This is wonderful, thank you.”
Adriell came up to her mother and asked. “Mother why did you never bring me here in all these years?”
“I was afraid, that it would bring me pain to see the ruins of my former home, but now all I have is joy.”
“Come,” Rebekka said to Adriell, “and I will give you a tour of where I used to live.” As they started into the courtyard, an archeologist came to Blastion and talked with him excitedly. John Martin, Blastion, Pi and Elise all went with him to view their latest find in the center of the courtyard. Rebekka did not notice their absence because she was deep in nostalgia telling her daughter all that had taken place within the walls of the castle. She was looking up and pointing to the partially restored balcony when she heard her name being called. She turned to look and her friends were motioning for her to come over to where they were gathered about the ruins of the old fountain. As she approached she heard the archeologist telling Blastion that this very day they had begun to restore the old fountain.
“We dug this stone out and began to set it back in place when we realized there was a metal casting in its front. We cleaned it off and were excited to see how well it has weathered the centuries.” Rebekka pushed forward through her friends and saw a gold colored casting embedded in the rock. She peered closer and began to read:
To the Queen who willingly sacrificed herself to save the kingdom. We will always remember you in our hearts as the greatest of Glenfair’s Queens. May you prosper wherever you have gone.
Love Raven
Rebekka fell to her knees in shock, after three thousand years a message from Raven had survived to speak to her.
Adriell came up and asked. “What’s wrong mother?”
“This message,” Rebekka said pointing to the gold casting, “was written by your father.” Adriell bent forward and read the writing, then she looked at her mother and saw that she was visibly shaken.
The archeologist was confused until John Martin explained to him that the queen mentioned in the inscription was the one kneeling on the ground in front of the casting.
Adriell took her mother’s hand and kneeling down beside her said.
“I wish we could go back and see father.” Elise was listening to the conversation and tears came to her eyes to see the old wounds opened again for Rebekka. She stepped back and whispered to John Martin, he nodded for Blastion and Pi to join them a ways off in conversation. Blastion nodded and left quickly while the others waited for Rebekka and Adriell to finish their thoughts of the past. Finally Rebekka rose and faced the others.
“How can I thank you for bringing me here? she said. “It means more than you will ever know.” A visible relief could be seen in the group who had mixed emotions about Rebekka’s response to the inscription. She began to tell them of all the wonderful gatherings they used to have in this courtyard. She talked of the games and competitions, the feasts and then looking at the partially restored balcony she paused. Looking at Adriell she saw wonder in her daughter’s eyes and asked what was wrong?
“Nothing,” Adriell said, “you make this all sound so real, so alive. It must have been the best of times from the way you tell it.”
“It was,” Rebekka said, remembering the double wedding that took place on that balcony. Rebekka looked around and noticed that Blastion was missing. “Where is Blastion?” Rebekka asked.
“He will be back in a short time,” John Martin said. Rebekka took them around the castle explaining what took place in this room and that, the archeologists following along taking notes furiously. The secret passages were no longer secret as their hallways and entrances were now exposed by the ravages of time.
They finally worked their way back out to the courtyard where Blastion was waiting for them. When they approached he spoke only to Elise.
“Are you sure?”
Elise took the bag from him and opened it. Inside were the amplifiers that allowed Elise to take long trips in time. She took one out and handed it to Rebekka who looked at it and said.
“We cannot go back Elise, it may harm you more.”
Elise shook her head, “My life is almost over,” she said, “please let me do this for you.”
“What about Layton?” Rebekka asked.
“What about him?” Elise said sarcastically. “What can he do to an old woman anyway? Please Rebekka, in another month I will not have the strength to take you anywhere in time. Let me return to you some of what you have given us. We all know your heart has always been there, it never left.” Rebekka looked at the rest and they were smiling and then she heard crying. Adriell was making small sobs and it smote Rebekka’s heart.
“Oh Adriell,” Rebekka said with compassion. “This is the only home you have known. I will not force you to go and I will not leave you.”
“No Mother,” Adriell said, “I have wanted to go see father and Edward my whole life, I just can’t believe it is really possible.”
Rebekka hugged her and said to Elise, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Elise said, “I want to do this.”
“Hold it,” Pi said, “you are not going anywhere without me Elise. Besides, I have become very attached to Rebekka and Adriell, I helped raise her.”
Elise nodded and reached into the bag and handed Pi an amplifier, and gave one to Adriell as well. Then taking one for herself she showed them how to turn them on. Blastion came forward and hugged Rebekka, and then embraced Adriell with a strong compassionate hug.
“I will miss you my niece,” he said.
“I will miss you too uncle Blastion.”
John Martin looked at Rebekka and smiling said, “Thank you for changing our world, Queen Rebekka.”
Elise then spoke: “Do you want me to take you to the same time and place you left?”
“Heaven’s no,” Rebekka said laughing. “I left there pregnant and cannot return with a fifteen year old. No take us fifteen years into the future from that point and to the south of the front of this castle.”
“Why there? Elise asked.
“There is a graveyard there and I want to make sure Raven is not dead before I go marching into the castle looking for him.”
Elise nodded, took a deep breath and began to concentrate. Their surroundings began to fade away as the journey back in time began.
Raven and Edward got to the Crestlaw Dukeship as fast as they could. They had taken an extra horse a piece to make the trip as quickly as possible. When they galloped into the courtyard of the castle, there were already men there waiting to take their horses and others awaited to usher them into the castle. They hurried into the room where Lorriel was lying on a bed with Andrew kneeling at her side. When Andrew saw Raven enter he said.
“Thank you for coming my dear friend, Lorriel has been asking for you.” Raven came beside Lorriel, her accelerated aging made her look like an old woman, and Raven could tell she was failing.
He bent close and said, “Lorriel, it is Raven, I am here.”
Lorriel smiled and said, “Oh Raven, I am so glad you have come. I wanted to tell you before my passing that I regret but one thing.”
Raven had tears in his eyes when he asked, “What do you regret dear sister?”
“I regret that I could not bring Rebekka back for you.” And before anyone could say anything she continued; “Thank you for making it possible for me to marry Andrew, the light of my life. I have two beau
tiful children, what more could I ask for? My son, Jason, come near please.” Jason came near to his mother and waited.
“Is little Edward here?” (she always called him that)
“I am here aunt Lorriel,” Edward stated.
“Then come, each of you and take each other’s hands and swear that you will each sacrifice your life for the other as good friends will do, like the friendship of your two fathers.”
They looked at each other and said: “We swear.” They were waiting in the silence for Lorriel to say something more, but those were the last words she uttered.
When everyone realized that Lorriel was gone, Raven looked at Andrew. Their eyes met, and for a moment they searched the depths of each other’s souls, sharing grief that only the closest of friends could share. Finally Andrew closed his eyes in an effort to hold back the tears. Raven came to him then and embraced him and said.
“Why do you forbear my friend?” Andrew still kept his eyes closed in an effort to control his emotion while saying.
“It is not fitting to show grief in your presence. Even though her life was shortened, I had her much longer than you had Rebekka.”
This tore at Raven’s heart and all he could say was, “It is fitting my friend,” before he himself began to weep. A dam burst within Andrew and he could not hold back the grief that he had guarded so closely. When it came he realized he no longer wanted to hold back. He needed this, and he needed his closest earthly friend for comfort.
The next morning Raven, Edward, and the Crestlaws journeyed toward the King’s castle with the body of Lorriel. Raven had requested that she be buried in the King’s cemetery with the rest of his family. Andrew consented with one condition, that he too could be laid to rest along side of Lorriel when his time came.
To that request Raven assented saying, “You are as much family as any of us, it shall be done.” During the trip to the king’s castle Raven and Andrew took the opportunity to explain to their sons why they were such good friends. They thought that if they both understood the magnitude of what they had gone through together their sons could honor Lorriel’s last request better. The boys listened intently, constrained to do so by their promise. Much was shared and the two young men marveled at what their fathers had gone through together. Some of the stories were old ones they knew, but others were new and perplexing, especially those of the ancients. For both Raven and Andrew had decided to wait until this agreed time to tell their sons the secrets very few knew about.
The King's Ancestors Page 31
