Three Visions

by Tony Johnson

  The next morning, the princess arrived outside the watchtower along with three Guardian Knights.

  “Your Highness,” Malorek addressed Kyra with a handshake, purposely making his voice slightly shake so that she felt terrible that he was nervous around her. In truth, he wasn't nervous at all. He was incredibly focused on making the princess attracted to him. No matter what, I have to make her like me. This could be my only shot at real influence and power.

  “I've been asked to provide extra protection for you today, although I find it surprising the king let you out of the castle. He must know that any warrior who sees you will not have their attention focused on possible dangers.”

  “Ahh, quite the charmer we have here,” one of the knights chided Malorek.

  “We’ve never seen this before,” another said sarcastically, referring to the numerous men who flirted with the princess.

  “Leave him alone,” Kyra smiled at the knights and then at her escort for the day. “He’s here to help me-”

  “Malorek,” he interrupted her. “Please feel free to call me Malorek,” he beseeched her, and then immediately followed up with, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, Your Highness.”

  “It's perfectly okay,” Kyra said, “You don't have to be so nervous around me, you know.”

  “Yes, of course, forgive me, Your Majesty,”

  “And you don't have to be so formal either.”

  “Okay,” Malorek smiled, which caused the princess to grin herself.

  It's going well so far. She must think I'm just some in-awe warrior who's overly respectful. That's better than coming across as confident or being excessively flirtatious in hopes of dating her like how ninety percent of the warriors who guard her act. I want her to think of me differently. I want to stand out from the rest.

  “Shall we then?” Kyra offered, and began walking alongside Malorek. “I'm sure you know the reason I asked for a warrior from your watchtower to provide aid was so I could have someone from this district guide me to some of the best shops and food in this area. While that’s true, there was another reason I wanted to be accompanied by a local warrior from this part of the city.”

  Malorek remained quiet as the fair-skinned princess who was exactly his age continued to explain. “Sometimes when Sir Lambert hears that I am going to a certain district, he'll ask if I interview a random warrior about how their captain and commander are performing. Since he is the Supreme Commander and overseer of all warriors in Celestial, it's one of his ways of making sure the leadership in each tower is performing adequately. He thinks the most honest reports don't come from the captains and commanders themselves, but from the warriors who serve under them.”

  “Well, I'm happy to report our watchtower is doing fine,” Malorek answered, although he didn't believe it. In truth, I hate my captain because I'm constantly reprimanded for being too violent with criminals and not dealing with situations in the most appropriate way. They're idiots who I disagree with their strategies for how to adequately punish criminals. But I can't tell her all that, the more I stay positive she will naturally associate that positivity with me.

  “I can't imagine my captain or our commander doing a better job than they already do,” Malorek lied. “Other than give us all raises, that is,” he faked a laugh.

  “That's good to hear. Most warriors complain about their captain and tell me what they'd do better in hopes that I'll have Sir Lambert demote those in charge so they can take the vacant position,” Kyra explained.

  Well, I could've done that, but I have a bigger powerplay in mind, Malorek knew, focused on achieving more than a simple promotion.

  “Thank you for being one of the few who are honest. I will report back to Sir Lambert that everything seems to be being handled well in your watchtower. Now that the business is out of the way, we can enjoy the rest of our time!” Kyra said with excitement as they entered a lively market, packed with various fruits, vegetables, meats, and handcrafted items available to be purchased.

  The princess stopped and looked at things that interested her, oblivious to the whispers and pointing from civilians as they noticed royalty in their presence. A couple people tried to come up to her, but the Guardian Knights held them off. If she wanted to speak to anyone, it was customary for her to approach them.

  “Malorek, you may have been right about me distracting you from your surroundings,” Kyra said.

  Immediately, he gripped his sword hilt and looked around for danger, but Kyra gently rested her hand on his gauntleted arm and shook her head, informing him she didn't mean there was a serious threat. She nodded to a nearby street orphan who had crawled undetected under a merchant’s table and was reaching his hand up, attempting to grab any piece of fruit he could.

  As soon as the street orphan wrapped his hands around a circular object, he eagerly pulled it under the table to see what free fruit he had received. But, before he could, Malorek grabbed the boy’s wrist, pulling him out from under the table.

  This is the perfect opportunity to show compassion and begin to win her affection. Knowing Kyra was watching, Malo flipped a coin to the merchant of the fruit stand and released his hold of the boy’s wrist. As the orphan ran away, a bright orange could be seen in his hand.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Malorek tried to observe the princess’s reaction without being too apparent. I want her to think that was a natural response of how I would deal with a situation like that, not that it was an attempt to impress her. Although she turned and hid her face, Malorek caught a quick smile spread over her lips.

  For the rest of the morning, the two walked, talked, and shopped. Malorek pointed out some of the neighborhood’s most popular stores and took her to a tavern known for serving heaping-full-plates of food for a small price. Not only was he building a friendship with Kyra, he also was joking and laughing with her three guards as well.

  This is going so perfectly, he thought to himself as he continued to put up an act of being a nice, friendly guy. It was the exact opposite of the blunt and cold way he usually treated people.

  “I had a lot of fun with you today, Malorek,” Kyra revealed at the end of their time together. “Thanks for showing me around. I love seeing everyone going about their business. It’s much better than being cooped up in the castle all day.”

  “I had fun too,” Malorek smiled.

  “Maybe next week I can come again, and you can show me more.”

  “I would love that, Your Highness,” Malorek joked, purposely being over-polite again to make her laugh.

  The following week Princess Kyra requested that Malorek accompany her as an extra guard as she shopped in the same part of the city again. The week after that, they did the same thing.

  The two got closer and began expanding beyond surface level conversation.

  Kyra explained to Malorek her upbringing, sharing how she felt guilty growing up in the luxriousness of the castle and living so stress-free and privileged. In return, Malorek told her about how he grew up in an orphanage. He lied about his reason for being there, telling her his parents had died when he was a baby, despite never knowing the real truth of who his parents were or how he ended up in the foster home.

  I’ll lie to her and say anything I can that’ll make her feel sorry for me. I don’t care if it’s all fabricated as long as it draws her closer to me.

  “Will you be here Tuesday, next week?” Kyra asked him after their fifth outing together.

  “No, I'm stationed in my watchtower that day. It's mandatory that all warriors serve one day on tower lookout each week.”

  “Well, it just so happens on Tuesday night there is a banquet for the jouster who will be representing Celestial in the upcoming Warriors’ Tournaments. I was wondering if you’d be my guest. I'm sure we could send word to your captain to get you free for the night. That is, if you would want to accompany me.”

  “Of course I want to!” Malorek was relieved at his giant
step of progress.

  “Good, I would like to introduce you to my parents too,” Kyra added. “Most friends I invite are intimidated by my mom and dad, but I don't want you to be too nervous.”

  “Meeting the man who controls all five elements and brought down a five-headed dragon? No, I'm not nervous at all.”

  “Alright,” Kyra giggled, “I'll see you there. I'm happy you're coming.” She hugged Malorek goodbye, then motioned to her knights she was ready to head home to the castle.

  The next week, Malorek went to the castle and had an amazing feast sitting next to Princess Kyra. King Zoran, Queen Evalyn, and other important people in attendance focused on the winner of the Celestial Qualifiers, so it wasn't until after dinner, when everyone was mingling, that Kyra was able to introduce Malorek to her parents.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Malorek, the warrior I've told you about.”

  “Hello,” Malorek said, first greeting the Queen as a sign of manners. Then moving to King Zoran, he commanded his trembling hand to be as still as possible. Malorek had not been nervous to meet the princess, but the moment he met Oliver his throat felt dry and he had an uncomfortable pit in his stomach.

  This is the man I've read so much about. I've always wanted to meet him, but I never thought I'd be this nervous. It's because he has more power than I do, Malorek knew. I want to have the kind of power he has and make people feel the way I do now.

  “I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much earlier tonight,” Zoran apologized. “In all honesty, my wife and I were looking forward to meeting you more than Celestial's jouster. Every time my daughter talks about you, I see her eyes light up like never before. I can tell you mean a lot to her.”

  “She means a lot to me too, sir. We've developed quite a nice friendship. I thought she was going to be stuck up and too high-class, but after getting to know her, I realize I was wrong to stereotype her. I’ve seen her caring personality, and that she’s sensible and funny. I enjoy her company. You've raised her well.”

  “Thank you, Malorek. I appreciate that.”

  “I trust your dinner was to your enjoyment?” Queen Evalyn posed the question.

  “It was incredible! Thank you for having me. I've never seen so much food, let alone tasted anything this good.” He glanced back to the dining room as servants scrapped dozens of pounds of uneaten food into a trash bin.

  “Thank you! Yes, we are pretty spoiled with the world-class chefs we have here,” Evalyn smiled.

  Malorek looked around, still taking in the majesty of the castle. “All the intricate details are just incredible,” he marveled, looking up to the molding on the ceiling.

  “There’s so much more to see,” King Zoran insisted. “Come on, we’ll give you the grand tour. It’ll allow us to get away from everyone else and just be the four of us.”

  Together, Oliver explained the many rooms of the illustrious castle as he walked with his wife, daughter, and the young warrior. Before they finished, Malorek asked to use the lavatory, even though he didn’t really need to. Instead of going, he stood on the otherside of the wall and put his ear up to it.

  Excusing myself allows me to eavesdrop on them. They’ll be discussing me now that it’s their first chance with me not present. I need to know what they really think of me.

  “What do you guys think?” Kyra asked her parents. “I like him, and I know the rule is that I have to ask a civilian to court me, they can’t ask it of me. I can tell he cares for me. Can I have your permission to date him?”

  “I'm leery,” King Zoran was apprehensive. “I have a bad intuition about Malorek. Something about him seems off.”

  “Oh, Oliver, you're just looking for any reason to not give your blessing because she's your only daughter. You're being overprotective.”

  Sighing, Zoran took a moment before unwillingly relenting, “Maybe you’re right, Evalyn. You may ask him tonight Kyra.” Malorek heard her squeal with excitement, but it was curtailed by Zoran's stern warning, “but don't think for one second I'm not keeping a close watch on him. I do not trust this boy yet. Trust is earned over time. It's not something I simply hand out.”

  On the steps of the stone platform in the castle courtyard that night, Princess Kyra asked out Malorek, to which he acted surprised and said, “Yes.” Over the course of the next six months, the two dated and grew even closer in their relationship. Despite her beauty and personality, Malorek didn't care anything for her. She is just a pawn in my plans, he constantly told himself, refusing to allow himself to fall in love and have his judgment and reasoning clouded.

  It’s been half a year, and I’m losing the fervor to keep up with these false acts of affection. I need to take my relationship with her to the next level before she catches on this is all a sham. But at the same time, if I propose to early, I could ruin everything I've worked for.

  Also tiring, Malorek always noticed that he was being followed. Not only were no fewer than two knights with him and Kyra at all times, there were a small group of people who dressed undercover as civilians. A few of the same faces always seem to be around. They are spying on me by order of the king.

  Not only was he sure he was under a figurative magnifying tube wherever he went, Malorek also knew Zoran had people digging into his past, trying to find anything and everything possible about him. The longer I wait, the more chance there is that they'll encounter Quintis and Titus. Those two will tell Zoran their suspicions about the Canard murders and make him trust me even less. I have to marry her now.

  The day came when Malorek approached the king and asked Oliver for permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

  “It's too soon,” Zoran determined. “You haven’t been dating that long. There's still a lot about you I don't know. I can't entrust you to a lifetime with my daughter based on only knowing you for six months. You have to realize she is my only child. When I pass, it will be yours and Kyra’s firstborn son that will take the throne. I need to know you will raise that boy into a man that is capable of running this kingdom. Give the proposal more time, and we can talk about it again in the future.”

  Malorek immediately went to Kyra and lied to her about what her father said. “I asked your father if I could propose to you and he said no,” he forced himself to cry as he sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “He said I will never marry you and that he'll find a proper suitor that's good enough for you because he knows what's best for you.”

  “I can't believe this!” Kyra began crying herself. “I don't care what he thinks! You and I are perfect for each other. There's no one I'd rather be with.”

  “I feel the same way,” Malorek misled her. Then, pretending to have a spontaneous idea, he over-enthusiastically suggested, “Let’s do it! Let's get married tonight!”

  Kyra was immediately hesitant. “This isn't how I want it though. I always planned for my parents to be there and I have other family and friends who I’ll want to be present as well.”

  “Your parents don't deserve to be there. They don't like me. Why should they be a part of something they don't support? We can show your father that we don't need him to be the puppetmaster of our lives.”

  Malorek grabbed Kyra's shoulders and moved so that his face was directly in front of hers and she had no choice but to look directly at him. “Kyra,” he pleaded, “I love you and I want to spend my life with you. I don't care about the wedding, the flowers, the music, or the guests. If you truly love me, none of that would matter to you either. I want to get married to you this very night. If you don’t see it by now that we are meant to be together, I don’t know if you ever will.”

  “No, I believe we are, but…”

  Malorek mentally tuned out Kyra as she rambled on, rationalizing the reasons for and against getting married. All he could think about was, I’m so close. I’ve almost convinced her. All I need to do is get her to marry me and then impregnate her with a son, then the boy will officially be the prince. Through him I
will have so much power.

  “I’ll tell you what,” he proposed when she had finished and broke down into tears. “We can get married in secret now and then at a later point have a formal service with all your friends and family. That way, I’ll know you really love me, but you’ll also get the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.”

  In roughly a minute of silent thinking, Kyra responded. “Okay,” she agreed, although she wasn't as enthused as she always imagined an actual proposal would be.

  Chapter 87

  In a secret service, Malorek was betrothed to Kyra Zoran.

  He made sure to hide her face behind a veil so the officiant wouldn't know her true identity. If the pastor knows who she is, he may stop the ceremony altogether to make sure the king and queen are okay with the nuptials.

  After they had united themselves in the bonds of matrimony, the two consummated their vows, but it didn't go as magically as Kyra expected. Malorek was neither loving nor romantic. For the first time, Kyra had second thoughts about if her newlywed husband was the right man for her, but she knew it was too late to change anything.

  The following day, Kyra and Malorek told the royal couple of their elopement. The news resulted in such an argument between Oliver and Kyra, Kyra left the castle and moved into Malorek's apartment. Every night, Malorek tried impregnating the princess until one day when he came home from his daily patrol, his wife told him the best news he had ever heard. “I’m with child!”

  Caring more to celebrate by himself than with the wife he had come to find as overbearing in her drive to seek a closer connection to him, a cloaked Malorek walked the snowy streets to the nearest tavern not even half an hour after receiving the good news.