The Everlands Chronicles: The Truth

by A. J. Bell

  Down below, there was a full battle raging. The villagers were fighting back. Houses were on fire, women were screaming, children were running and hiding, and death ruled everywhere. I raised Heaven high in the air where the sun made it shine like a beacon of light on top of Hope’s Hill.

  “Charge!” I yelled. We advanced at full speed down the small hill and into the battle.

  We were more than tired, and it showed in the battlefield. Furthermore, most of my men who were strong enough to fight weren’t skilled enough to win. We would likely fall by the sword than be victorious in taking our enemies down. The battle seemed lost, but I kept fighting. My arms were going numb with every blow my sword received. Ironically, hope seemed to have stayed at the top of the hill as our numbers dwindled.

  I will carry to my grave the deaths of all these people, the sacrifice of the many trying to save the few. Was it worth it if, at the end of the road, everyone would die? I now regretted, in my mind, the decision to come to Surien. My confidence was wearing very thin as I was taken down by a little man with a sword as big as his ego. As my strength faltered me, I saw the end coming – my end – impaled on a sword just as many of my companions.

  I let go of Heaven and prepared to receive my fatal blow, but instead, I saw my attacker drop his sword to the ground, convulsing in pain as Sir Dorian’s sword poked out of his chest. Sir Dorian and his men had come to our rescue and were taking down our oppressors. I got back on my feet, picked Heaven up, and joined the fight again with renewed hope and renewed strength.

  “Long live King Tobias!” I yelled as I charged.

  Not too long after Sir Dorian’s arrival, the fight ceased. The self-proclaimed Gypsies were dead and those who had been forced to fight had surrendered. We had won, but there wasn’t a feeling of celebration, only that of mourning. So many lives were lost; so many lives had been changed. Our intervention helped, but we were too late for so many.

  We set camp for the first time in almost two weeks. We needed to rest and replenish our energy before we headed out towards our diverse destinations. Sir Dorian’s men began digging graves while the remainder of us rested.

  After a few hours of deep slumber, the nightmares found their way into my mind. It was the dream of the slaughter in the palace and of me being stabbed. I fell on my knees as my aggressor removed his sword from my side. His face froze as something began to protrude out of his chest – a dash of silver glimmering in the oil lamp’s dim light, a sharp and thin blade that came out of nowhere. It had gone in through his back, leaving the lifeless body of my would-be assassin on the cold wooden floor. My rescuer held me close to his chest and pleaded with me to wake up, but my eyes felt so heavy that I could not have opened them, even though his sweet voice kept calling my name and his hands caressed my hair. His tears fell on my skin. My lips parted with his last kiss. No doubt, dreams show the soul what the heart truly desires. In my dream, it was he who came to my rescue. It was his blade that cut my oppressor’s life, just like he had rescued me during the battle.

  “Dorian,” I said, half-asleep.

  “It’s just a nightmare, lad,” he replied to my call.

  Lad! He called me lad! The sweetness of the dream faded away, and I opened my eyes, startled to see Dorian looking at me, intrigued by the use of his name during my sleep.

  “I’ve been trying to wake you up, since you started screaming, but you were so tired that you weren’t waking.”

  I looked down at my chest. I was still dressed as John. No wonder he was curious as to why I whispered his name while dreaming. I cleared my throat nervously and got up from the mat I was lying on, smoothing the fabric of my shirt and trousers to look more presentable.

  “Do you need something from me, My Lord?” I asked innocently.

  “Actually, I came to commend you. What you did was very brave. The men told me what you all went through and how the decisions you made ended up saving many lives–”

  “Many lives were also lost. Did they mention that, Sir Dorian? Did they mention I was ready to give up?” I said, angry at myself.

  He stood up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Even the strongest of men find out they can’t save everyone around them. Take it from someone who knows. The people that you’ve saved will be forever grateful, and those who you didn’t save now rest in peace. It is now up to you to decide whether it was worth it to save the ones you saved or not, the others you will have to learn to let go.”

  I remained quiet, taking in every word he said. There was sadness in his voice, as if the same way I felt had overtaken him once – feeling defeated even though we were victorious.

  “I’ve a message for the King, so please deliver this letter into his very own hand. I must say that you’ve shown great courage, worthy of knighthood. I hope you get what you deserve.” He handed me the letter.

  “I’ll deliver it to the King,” I said and lowered my face, since I was afraid he would recognize me. He bowed slightly and turned around to leave, but I did what I could to prolong his presence in the tent. “Is there anything My Lord wants to send to Lord Darius, your father?” He stopped, turned around, and just stared at me.

  “You look very familiar. Have we been formally introduced?” Sir Dorian said, still staring.

  “I don’t believe so, My Lord.”

  He kept his gaze fixed on me, while I was still trying to avoid his. He extended his hand and introduced himself. “Sir Dorian LaFonte of Abilene, Paradise on Earth.”

  I smiled at his last comment. “John Giles, Sir Richard’s squire,” I said, shaking his hand. “And I agree with My Lord’s description of Abilene.”

  He smiled back. Sir Dorian took a folded piece of paper out of his vest pocket, unfolded it, stared at it for a short moment, folded it again, and then reluctantly handed it over to me.

  “Give this to my father, and tell him to put it with the others in the chest. He’ll know what I mean.”

  “You mean in your mother’s chest by the door in your chamber?” I asked.

  “How do you know?”

  “There were no other rooms available in the house, and Lord Darius said for me to stay there.” I started blabbing. “I didn’t notice the ink on the desk and spilled it on the pictures laying on it. I’m truly sorry, My Lord.”

  He shook his head, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of my confession or because he didn’t want to hear anymore. “Don’t apologize. I left in such a hurry that I had no time to clean up my desk. All those drawings were going to be trashed anyway,” he said, brushing off my apologies.

  “But they were perfect! The sunset over the city was just like I saw it through the window in your room, My Lord. It was as real as if I had seen it with your own eyes–” I stopped myself when I felt his hand on my shoulder, turning me to face him.

  “Your eyes, I swear I’ve seen them before,” he said. I tried to look unsuspecting.

  Thankfully, Masde came in and broke the trance that looking into his eyes had put me under. “We are waiting your instructions for our return,” Masde said.

  I looked at Sir Dorian, waiting for him to give the instructions, but he looked back to me. “Go ahead,” said Dorian. His solemn glance encouraged me.

  “Tell the men we’ll depart at dawn. We’ll need a few wagons to carry our wounded men, plus food and water. We’ll also needed medical supplies to care for them on our way. We’ll travel slowly, so that the women and children can keep up. Also, we’ll be stopping by every village to leave their wounded and those who were taken as prisoners, until all are back where they belong. Speak to Surien’s leader here and inform him of our plans. When all of these tasks are done, we can then rest for the remainder of the night.”

  Masde left, but another soldier came in. This time, he was looking for Sir Dorian.

  “Please do give the letters to His Majesty and to my father. I may not remember where I met you, but I’m sure I have. When I remember the place and time, you’ll be the first to know,” he said
. If only I had the courage to tell him!

  All the supplies we needed had been gathered. When I lay down to rest, I couldn’t help but think about Sir Dorian’s reluctance to let go of that piece of paper for his father. It must have meant a lot to him if he carried it in his vest pocket over his heart. I stared at the paper, lying on the floor on top of my bag. My curiosity was eating me up.

  “I won’t do it. I’m strong.” I turned my back away from the paper. “But I really want to… just a quick look that won’t hurt anybody.” I sat up and began to play with my fingers nervously. I lay back down again. “That paper isn’t meant for me.” I bit my lip. “But why do I feel like I need to look at it?” I got up, knelt beside the tempting piece of paper, and just stared at it. It was the greatest temptation I had ever had.

  Slowly, I reached for it. “It’s only a paper; it’s only a paper,” I kept repeating to myself. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed it. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. I then relaxed a little, got back into my bed, and lay on the ground, holding the paper in my hands like a priceless possession that didn’t belong to me. “Grow up! It’s just a paper,” I mumbled.

  I anxiously unfolded the piece of parchment currently burning my fingers. I saw a drawing – a drawing of a much younger me sitting on a bench. Someone was hugging me with one arm and holding my hand with the other, but the face was cut off from the picture. The Elle in the picture must have been about fifteen-years-old, right before I had started to dress as John. There was a crest hanging from Elle’s chest. I could not tell whose crest it was, but I assumed that it belonged to the family of the man who was hugging her.

  Looking at the drawing, I finally understood what Sir Dorian meant that rainy night on the steps. “For the second time in your life, I’m too late.” He had been there as this other man was holding me in his arms. He drew the moment and carried it in his pocket. How long had he carried it? Why was he not keeping it any longer?

  I had so many questions for him, so I decided it was now or never. I walked towards his tent and saw his shadow projected on the canvas by the candlelight inside. He was holding a few pieces of parchment on his lap, drawing. Not only that, he was softly singing the same song I had offered to Victor as a birthday present. Lord Darius was right; his son was an artist, anyone could see that.

  His voice was soothing, so I took a deep breath, changed my mind, and walked back to my tent. Before I asked him any questions, I needed time to think about them. Asking the wrong questions could give my secret away, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know it. I went to sleep, wrapped in his voice. There were no more dreams or nightmares that night, since I had fallen asleep holding the picture in my hands.

  The glorious dawn arrived, and I felt renewed. I felt secure that I needed to tell him who I truly was, even though I wasn’t sure of it myself. I went out to see him, but he wasn’t there. Neither he nor his men were around. The camp was free of their tents and their fires put out, which meant he was gone, and I had missed my chance.

  My men and I took our journey slowly back to the villages we had saved, dropping the men off in their lands as planned, until at the end, it was only Sir Richard’s men and me on our way back to Abilene.

  No more issues arose on our journey, so we arrived safely at camp and met the other men who were already there. Most of the men stayed at the camp, with the exception of the wounded, who we brought into Abilene to be cared for. I planned on going back to Greenville to get Meav back. I had dumped her there in the care of Ghad, whose brother Chad would not be returning home. Since I needed to rest before I could get to her, I went first to Lord Darius’s home.

  “You are back! You are safe!” yelled Meav, coming down the stairs and hugging me with such force that I thought I would choke.

  “Oh Meav, how did you get here?” I asked.

  She looked back towards Ghad. I felt a lump in my throat. “Sir Richard came to Greenville and delivered the body–” She paused. “We buried Chad there and came with Sir Richard back to Abilene,” Meav concluded.

  I walked towards Ghad and extended my hand to him. “There aren’t words that can express my sorrow. Your brother’s bravery went far beyond that of any knight of the realm. But at the end, his bravery cost him his life. I’m sorry, Ghad. Although nothing I can do will bring your brother back to life, I’m in your debt, and you have my word – if you ever need me, I’ll be there.”

  “At least my brother died as a hero, John. Besides, if you hadn’t come to Greenville, I wouldn’t have met my Meav, who I’ll soon make my wife.”

  “That is, in fact, great news!” I said happily.

  “I want you to be there,” said Meav.

  “Of course I’ll be there,” I said. The gloomy veil that covered my heart lifted for a short moment.

  “I meant Elle. I want Elle, not John, at my wedding,” Meav whispered, leaning towards me.

  “You had me worried, lad,” said Sir Richard, coming into the house. He gave me a quick hug and pat on my back, just like he always did.

  “You’ve been gone for almost a month. I thought you didn’t like it here and weren’t coming back,” joked Lord Darius, joining us in the room.

  “How could I not come back to Paradise on Earth,” I said to him, which reminded me of Sir Dorian and his letters.

  “I’ll tell you all about our journey during dinner. I’m starving,” I said.

  “You do look thinner than when you left,” said Madam Kressie. “I have the perfect recipe that will fatten you up in one sitting.” We all laughed at her comment.

  Dinner time arrived so soon that I had barely enough time to wash up and get a quick nap on Sir Dorian’s bed. Ghad had now joined the family, since he was soon to be married to Meav, so he was a guest at Lord Darius’s table. I gave a quick recount of what had happened from the moment we left the camp outside of Abilene until we arrived at Surien’s village.

  “On our way to Surien, I sent a messenger to Sir Dorian, so he and his men arrived at Surien and saved us all – your son saved us all.” I gave them a moment to let my words sink in. “He sent his regards and these papers.” I passed the parchment papers to them. “My Lord Darius, it is your son’s wish that this piece of paper be put inside his mother’s gold chest,” I said. He nodded in assurance.

  “And this other letter, Sir Dorian said, is meant only for your eyes, My Lord,” I said to Sir Richard.

  After eagerly reading it, he then put the letter down. “I’m afraid that you were a little vague on details, John. Would you care to explain how you arrived at Tishan before the traitors did, when according to this letter, they had a two-day head start?” he asked, curious.

  “The same way I won the Squires’ Tournament, My Lord. We built a zip line to cross over the gorge, which gave us the advantage at the end,” I responded.

  “Seems like we have a true hero in our midst,” said Sir Richard.

  I stood up, upset at his comment. “If I were a hero, Chad and so many others wouldn’t be dead!”

  “Sit down, lad. You had a hard journey,” said Richard.

  “You are right, My Lord. If you’ll excuse me, I will retire now. I’m not feeling well.” I bowed, went into Sir Dorian’s room, and sat by the window, looking at the streets.

  Minutes later, Lord Darius came into the room. I had left the door half-open.

  “Abilene will sleep in peace tonight, and it will remain as a paradise one more night because of you. You risked it all to warn us when you could’ve said nothing. We didn’t name you a hero based on the battles you’ve won, but on the sacrifices you’ve made for the sake of others. The people of Abilene are in your debt. Don’t trouble yourself with what could have been if you had chosen differently.” He reached down, picked up the chest, opened it, and put the piece of parchment with my picture in it, after taking a long look at it.

  “Did he give an explanation as to why he was sending this picture home? He has been carrying it for
almost seven years, and now he has sent it back, as if he had given up on finding her,” he sighed.

  “May I see the picture, My Lord?” He handed it to me. “Who is she?” I asked.

  “She represents all my son’s dreams come true,” he said. Yet, I detected irony in his voice. “He met her long ago, fell in love with her even though she was engaged to someone else, promised to love her forever, and then lost her. He swore to never stop searching until he found her.”

  “Maybe he did… Do you know what happened to her? How did he lose her?” I asked.

  Chapter 17

  Deep inside my heart, I hoped to get an answer that would make sense, but when looking past Lord Darius through the window, I saw large white sails on the darkening horizon from a float of the Royal Navy ships. I knew the King had arrived, and I had a letter for him also. So long to a good night’s sleep. His Majesty’s welfare was a priority, and everyone in Abilene would be scrambling around to accommodate his Royal Highness.

  When Lord Darius and I arrived to shore, the King and Lord Gilbert – Sir Richard’s father – had already met with Richard, who had been staying in the castle. Sir Richard had told His Majesty about my adventures of the past weeks.

  His Majesty King Tobias was nothing like I had imagined him to be. I had seen his face before but never met him in person. How can a man like him marry a woman like the Queen? She was pure evil, but he emanated trust and goodness. How could he even be near her?

  “So this is the lad you have spoken of,” His Majesty said when Sir Richard introduced me to him.

  I bowed humbly. “John Giles, Your Highness, at your services. I’ve a letter from Sir Dorian, for your eyes only, My Liege,” I said, still bowing.

  “Rise up!” the King commanded. A servant stepped forward and took the letter from me and gave it to the King, which he started to read. “Interesting,” His Highness repeated every few lines. “Sir Dorian thinks very highly of you,” His Majesty addressed me again.