by A. J. Bell
At least, until the first arrow hit the ground. People with hoods began to uncover themselves, revealing their unfamiliar faces and their hidden weapons. Chaos ruled in the arena as women and children fled the sight of death, while men fought the enemies closest to them. Dorian looked at me, so worried, but this diversion provided me with a chance to escape. I picked up Heaven and began to run towards Father, but out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the Royal Family. The Prince was struggling to protect both the Princess and the King from the traitors seeking to overthrow the Crown. I reached Father who took my hand to run.
“Help me!” I said, beginning to undo the remaining latches of my armor. Father looked at me with fear in his eyes. “I must help them, but this armor is only going to get in my way – I need it off!” Father, Dash, and Orman helped me out of it quickly. Rosie pleaded with Dash to stay with her, but he insisted on helping too.
“Father, keep Rosie safe,” I said and ran towards the fight. With my sword in hand, I climbed to where the Royal Family was cornered. A few of their guards were already down on the ground, wounded and unable to defend their King. My head was still bleeding, but it was nothing compared to other wounds I had experienced before. I ran towards Prince Victor, who was using his body as a shield for his wife.
“Get her to safety!” I yelled to Orman and Dash.
I lost track of Dorian. Why was he not helping? Then suddenly, I saw him coming back into the arena, fighting the enemy as well. “I’ll help the King!” I yelled. Forgetting I was no longer in armor, I stupidly used myself as a human shield to protect the King from his two attackers. “Stay behind me, Your Highness!” I said, striking at the attackers until they both were on the ground. “We must get you out of here,” I said, looking for the easiest way out, but I found none. There was no telling how many enemies were actually among us, or how long it would take for the remaining Royal Soldiers to come to our aid. We had to continue to fight on all sides.
Bodies of friends and foes began to fill the bleachers and the arena. While I had been busy fighting the pawns, their leader, who I hadn’t noticed before, had another man aim his bow and arrow straight at me, trying to get to the King.
The first shot hit my left leg. I stumbled for an instant but was able to keep my balance. He reloaded and aimed at my chest. I was trapped, because if I moved, the next arrow would hit the King. Fortunately for the King, I didn’t have time to move. The man released the string and the second arrow hit me in my left shoulder with such force that I fell backwards on top of His Majesty.
The leader, whose face was still covered, came running towards us and removed the hood to reveal his wretched smile. “Well, well, well. Elleanora Lorien Blackrose Luna. Today must be my lucky day,” he said, full of sarcasm. “I heard rumors about you not being dead, but I couldn’t believe them. All this time, you’ve been hiding behind a pair of trousers and a sword. We thought your family was finished. What a terrible mistake! Trust me, my dear, this time there will be no doubt about your death!”
Then the Royal Soldiers arrived, but not soon enough. My assailant took his sword and embedded it in my chest, right above my heart.
I heard a Galen’s voice singing a lullaby while her gentle fingers stroked my hair. I was at peace, resting in the arms of a Galen – the word for angel in Fieldstream. Her grasp felt so warm and inviting. I felt like I belonged in that peaceful place. Everything was white and so bright that it could’ve blinded an already blind man, yet it didn’t hurt me. There was another voice, a familiar voice, calling a name – my name.
“You must go to him,” said the Galen in her sweet voice.
“But I don’t want to,” I replied. “I feel happy here.”
I couldn’t see her face because of the light that emanated from her. “You’re not ready to join us, sweetheart,” she said and began to walk away from me, taking the blinding brightness with her.
“Wait!” I pleaded, but she didn’t stop. She just faded into the whiteness.
I opened my eyes and shrieked in pain as Dorian pressed his hand against my chest, trying in vain to stop the bleeding.
“Stay with me! Don’t go again!” Dorian pleaded.
My body was in shock. I’m not sure what hurt more – the stab wound in my chest or to know that I had been dreaming of angels who rejected me even in my own dream. I caught a glimpse of Doctor Stern coming towards me, and then I passed out again.
Doctor Stern and I have become well acquainted with each other during my many mishaps over the last year. When I woke up again, I scared his wits out of him to the point I thought he would be the one needing medical attention. He wasn’t expecting me to wake up. When I did, he left the room so quickly that I knew he was, for sure, going to alert the guards. I must find Father, Orman, Dash, and Rosie and find out what happened to them. I was only dressed from the waist down – another practice I had acquired in the past year – and the top part of my body was covered in bandages. I could see my blood penetrating through the layers, signaling where exactly my wound was located.
I need a horse. I looked out the window, thinking my best chance would be to climb down the vine on the wall to the patio, since this time, I was not in Queen Kyrah’s chamber, but somewhere in the second story of the palace. However, my climbing down would be a waste of time, because the courtyard was full of well-armed guards and there was no sign of Heaven. Even if I had my sword, I doubt I could take them down in my condition. I could just barely stand on my own two feet.
The door opened, and the King came in. I fell to the ground purposely, bowing to him.
“Guards!” he yelled.
Two soldiers came in and pulled me by my arms until I was back on my feet, but then they took me to the bed again.
“Doctor Stern says you need to stay in bed, and if the only way to keep you in bed is having an armed guard by your side, then that’s what we’ll do.” The King turned to the men. “Guards, don’t let her out of your sight!”
The following routine repeated itself for the next couple of days. Every morning, Doctor Stern would come in and clean my wounds, then two maids would come in and help me bathe. Doc, as I called him now, would then come back and bandage me again. Then someone would bring breakfast. Later on, someone would bring lunch. Then at night, Doc would come again and change my bandages one more time before dinner and bedtime. He was the only one allowed to talk to me, but only about my wounds – nothing else. He said those were the King’s orders.
I was already half-asleep when Dorian came in, but as soon as I saw him, I sat up. He looked tired, as if he had been through hell itself and barely came back out. He sat on the bed next to me.
“What do you remember?” he asked, looking at me intently.
“You mean, besides the fact that I was trying to kill you?”
He forced a chuckle. “I deserved that much,” he said.
“Where’s my father?”
“Dead,” he replied. He took my hand as I started sobbing.
“And Mother?”
“Dead as well.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and cried louder. “It wasn’t their fault; they were trying to protect me,” I said between sobs.
“I know,” he said.
“Did they suffer?”
“Your father fought them like a lion until his last breath, but your mother… she didn’t have the same luck.”
“How long will His Highness keep me here, Dorian?”
“Until you are able to stand again.”
“I’m ready now,” I said, trying to stand up but falling back on the bed. “Maybe a day more and I’ll be ready.”
“When you’re ready, an audience will be held for your hearing.”
“Why doesn’t he just hang me and save himself the trouble?”
“Hang? My uncle wouldn’t be a fair king if he sentenced you to be hanged without a hearing.”
“The Queen didn’t get one before her hanging,” I said.
“She wa
s caught in the act by the King himself,” said Dorian.
“So was I, Dorian.”
He stood up. “Get some rest. You’ll need all your strength, Elleanora.”
“Did you watch them die?”
He turned around to face me again. “I tried to help them. I really did, but I couldn’t save them.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “I would give up my life if I could get yours back to you.”
“Goodnight, My Lord.”
The next morning before the doctor arrived, I got up and put on a dress and waited, sitting on my bed for him. He was surprised to see me stand up as soon as he entered the room.
“I’m ready to see His Royal Highness. Please let him know.”
“At once, My Lady.”
Not too long after he left, he came back with a few members of the Royal Guard. Shane was among them, and he gave me a little smile and a quick bow before offering me his arm for support, but I didn’t take it. I needed to prove that I could do it even if I had to crawl all the way to the King. We arrived at the King’s chambers and waited until he came out. We all bowed as he emerged from his bedroom.
“Walk with me, My Lady,” he commanded, but he also extended his arm to me. I threaded my hand through it, and we walked down the hallway. His Majesty dismissed his guards so they didn’t follow us. We walked through many hallways until we arrived at the west wing of the castle. I had not been to that area before, and it actually looked as if nobody else had seen it in years. From inside his jacket, he took out a key, inserted it in the lock, and the door opened with a loud screech.
“Eight years,” said the King. “For eight years, this door has been shut.” He sighed. Everything in the room was covered with white sheets and other white fabrics. Dust covered everything. “I would have had it all burned, but Dorian wouldn’t allow it. He knew, one day, you would be found.” We stopped in front of a wall that had a large frame covered by one of the sheets. When His Highness pulled it off and a cloud of dust filled the room, both of us coughed uncontrollably until the cloud dissipated and what was hidden behind the white sheet revealed itself – a portrait of four young girls in ball gowns. Three of them wore a tiara, but one did not. She had a crown of roses and ivy and was sitting on a chair while the other three were standing, surrounding her. Their faces were so familiar because their facial features were those of Richard, Dorian, and Victor – with the same well defined nose and pale skin. They were all beautiful.
I looked at His Highness, intrigued by what I saw. The one sitting in the chair looked just like me, or better said, I looked just like her. “You’re looking at Karianna Blackrose, Princess of the Gypsies. And also Princess Maya, Tanya, and Kyrah, my wife,” he added. I knew the three daughters of Queen Saliah died giving birth to their sons. “These three,” he said, pointing at the three Everlands princesses, “died giving birth, a curse some say due to our enmity with the Gypsies.” He paused. “But she…” He pointed at the one that looked like me. “She didn’t die. She was murdered along with her family. We were too late,” he said, touching the face of Karianna in the painting. “You look just like her.”
“The man who stabbed me called me Elleanora Lorien Blackrose Luna. Was that her daughter?” I asked.
He gave me a kind smile in retort. But how could I trust that smile, when this man gave the order to kill my parents? “You are Elleanora Lorien Blackrose Luna. Dorian and the blacksmith confirmed it already, but somehow, you don’t remember who you are.”
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I will tell you what I have told the Gypsies before. I’m the daughter of a blacksmith and a healer from Andora; nothing more, nothing less.”
He smiled again. “It’s time for you to know the truth.”
We walked back to his chambers, and as he opened the door, I saw Dorian, his back towards us, talking to a couple whose faces I couldn’t see due to the light that shone through the windows. There was a soft gasp as they saw me, and then Mother ran to me and took me in her arms – her healer’s arms. Father came after her and embraced us both. They were crying. We all were crying.
“You said they were dead,” I said, so angry at Dorian.
He looked at me confused. “No. I said your father and mother were. Your real parents are dead, Elleanora.”
“You’re not making sense at all.”
Mother dried her tears and took my hands in hers, the way she did when she was trying to comfort me when I was troubled. “He’s right,” she said quietly. “You’re not our daughter–”
“That’s untrue,” said Father. “You are our daughter, and we love you as such, even though our blood doesn’t run through your veins. Greta didn’t give birth to you, but she has treated you as if she had, and you’ve been my little girl as if you had always been mine.”
“Your mother was Karianna Blackrose and your father Antonio Luna. He was elected heir to the throne of Lerona. Your mother was the Princess of the Gypsies, daughter of Kaneethee and Leon Blackrose, King of the Gypsies,” said Dorian. “The night your parents were murdered, I delivered you to Robert. You were badly wounded and unconscious, and you were really ill. I had to get back to Bellaterra to retrieve Marco, who I had hidden in a secret compartment in the basement; a place only the three of us knew existed.”
“The room with the broken mirror,” I mumbled.
“Do you remember?” he asked, hoping that I did.
“I’ve had dreams… memories that come to me every so often,” I said.
“I’ll help you remember,” he assured me.
“There will be time for more talking, Dorian. You’ll get to tell her everything you know, but right now we must go. Everyone must be ready for the audience with the other knights. We have summoned as many as we can without leaving our defenses weak. As we all know, our enemy was clever enough to come into our city under our very noses, so now we need to be much more careful,” the King said. “Master Robert and Madam Greta, you may join us,” he said.
We entered the council room, where knights from all over had gathered around the tables. Many familiar faces were there, including Richard, Daniel, and Shane, as well as their Majesties Prince Victor and Princess Camilla, who sat at the head of the Royal Table. I walked with His Majesty to the center of the room where all the tables surrounded us. The King stood in the center facing me, but talking to all who were present. My head was down in shame.
“Knights of the Realm, we have gathered today to grant audience to one who has saved many lives by living a lie.” He then paused to take in their reaction. “Here in front of you stands a woman known to many as Lady Elle, daughter of the blacksmith Robert Giles and the healer known as Mother Greta; yet for eight years, to many of us, Lady Elle was also known as John Giles, the loyal squire of my nephew, Sir Richard.” Many of the knights present gasped, while others murmured in confusion. “The loyalty and bravery John Giles showed as a squire earned him the title of knight.” He looked at me again, and I quickly lowered my gaze.
“Here lies the problem. Among the many lives she saved are my son’s and mine. I’ll forever be grateful and indebted to Sir John Giles. How then could I punish her, without punishing the same person who risked her own life for mine, who swore to serve me and has done so, who has already paid a great price, living in the shadow of a man that doesn’t exist.” I looked up, confused. “My decision is made. There will be no punishment for her actions.” A glimpse of hope shone through his words. “The true reason for our gathering is to cast votes on whether My Lady shall lose her knighthood and be released from her oath as Master of Andora, or for the first time in the history of the Everlands, a woman will be recognized as a knight.” The room fell silent.
If the knights approved, those with swords were to put them on the table with the hilt towards them. If their vote was for disapproval, the swords would remain in their sheaths. I heard a few swords being sheathed, but also caught a glimpse of a few swords laying on the tables – Dorian’s, Prince Victor’s, a couple of other knigh
ts that I had been in contact with as a squire, and Shane. Richard’s sword was still in his sheath.
The King looked around, counted the swords, and smiled, pleased with what he saw. He grabbed his sword and held it high above his head. “Lady Elleanora Lorien Blackrose Luna, I, King Tobias of the House of Lovan, hereby take the oath made by John Giles as your own. I hold his oath fulfilled and pass the responsibilities and powers given to him to your command under the same promise. Do you swear to serve and protect this kingdom and its Crown and to fulfill your other duties as a knight worthy of the Everlands?”
“I so swear,” I said, overwhelmed with emotion. He touched both of my shoulders with Heaven, and then handed my sword over to me.
As I stood up, he embraced me in his arms before announcing, “Sir John Giles is no more. Gentlemen, I give you Our Lady Knight, Dame Elleanora Lorien Blackrose Luna,” he said proudly.
“Your Highness,” Richard shot out of his seat. “I don’t believe this to be a wise choice. She’s a woman and she doesn’t belong in this room–”
“Do I need to remind you that for the space of eight years, she was your squire, and she served you to the best of her abilities?” said Dorian. “Wasn’t she the same squire you said to be the best any knight could ever have?”
“She deceived me, just like she did the lot of you. How can you trust her again when everything you’ve ever known about her has been a lie?” Richard’s anger was speaking. My worst fears had come true.
“Did she lie when she was risking her life to save yours?” asked the Prince.
“You knew, didn’t you? And kept the secret from all of us!” said Richard, accusingly.
“I saw her for what she was – a woman who had no choice but to live imprisoned in her own body – not able to speak, walk, or do anything a girl would do. This woman made my armor; she discovered a plot to kill my father; she led an army of farmers through four cities; and she almost perished in the attempt to stop a massacre. This woman has accomplished more than any other knight in this room. Who dares to deny it?” asked the Prince. “You forgot to mention that she traveled to Ganzale and brought me back, and she did it all as a woman. It wasn’t John who convinced me to come to the Everlands; it was Elle,” said the Princess. “Tell me, Sir Richard, will you or any of your men take forty-three lashes and still stand in front of you like all is well?”
