The Twilight Star

by Laura E. Collins

  “Would you like to see my collection?”

  “Yes, of course, Your Highness.” I moved to follow her as she turned and led the way. As we passed back through the doorway, the guards followed us. She guided me through to a deeper part of the castle, away from the usual servant’s passageways and then down several interconnected staircases. Darkness consumed the passageways, which were only lit by torches. At last we came to a hallway and passed by many heavy locked doors. The cold, dark, damp, musty smell reminded me of a dungeon, but much to my relief, I did not hear any screams or anything to indicate there were people held prisoner down here.

  I could not believe my eyes when they fell upon a modern motorcycle leaning against the stone wall. The princess did not stop and continued on, but I took all of it in as we passed. It was an off-road style bike from the looks of it and it wasn’t in bad shape. Perhaps it appeared a little beat up and muddy, but possibly functional. A dozen thoughts flooded my mind but I stopped them. Even if I could get my hands on it, without an open portal, there would be nowhere to escape to. The princess stopped in front of a large arched wooden door and produced a key, quickly turning it in the lock and placing it back in one of the pockets of her gown. I watched her go to the nearest torch on the wall and lift it out of the holder, intending to bring it in the room with us. I wondered why she did not have a servant do it for her.

  “My collection is private. The nobles care nothing for these artifacts. They do not understand my fascination with them. However, it does not mean that they cannot be frightened by them. Whatever you see here you shall not discuss with anyone. Do you understand?”

  I nodded and then she pushed on the heavy door, pressing it inwards like it was no effort at all. I waited a moment as she lit several more torches inside the room before proceeding inside. The guards with us remained outside. I could hardly believe the sight that met my eyes. There were rows of wooden shelves arranged neatly containing all manner of things from my world. She had vases, clothing from different periods of time, a damaged microwave, a broken mirror, a calculator, a Cabbage Patch Doll that had seen better days, a pair of men’s glasses, a flower pot, a can of an unknown substance missing a label, some paperclips, a key ring, a torn road map, and many more items from different time periods. Finally, my eyes rested on a shelf sure enough containing a few revolvers. Although I was no expert, I would guess that they were old. I hoped that they weren’t loaded. As I continued to look around, I also saw several other things that I’m pretty sure were not from my world. It made me want to question everything I knew about my existence on Earth, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.

  The princess’s eyes lit up as she led me around the room, pointing to various items, asking for an explanation. I obeyed her and gave her the knowledge to the best of my ability. Explanations turned into conversations about my world. As I could only speak from my experience the subject was often my life and about the things I have seen and done, and my education. The princess seemed interested in learning about how everyone, including women, in my time were treated and educated. I wondered about her demeanor. She didn’t seem spoiled or snobby to me. Wealthy and revered, yes. But interestingly respectful to me, even in the tone of her voice or the way that she addressed me. When time was up, she led me from the room and locked it before the guards escorted us back up into the main part of the castle.

  “Your Highness?” I asked timidly as we walked.

  “Yes?”

  “One of my companions has a health condition that gives him trouble breathing at times . . . especially out in the fields. I am fearful for his well-being. We do not have the proper medicine to treat him here and if it continues he may die. Would it be possible to place him here in the castle to work? He might tolerate that better.”

  She glanced at me. “If what you say is true, then very well. I will have someone contact Dr. Thorpe with the details.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness,” I said with a genuine smile on my face, relief swelling inside me. She looked back at me again and gave me a slight smile in return as she walked on ahead.

  As the days went on, Dr. Thorpe, Samantha, and I were called to help with various things in the village. The villagers were hesitant to accept my help, or advice because I was a woman and a wayfarer, but over time seemed to become more comfortable with me because of what we could do to help them. We treated illness, injures, and all sorts of ailments for the villagers. Life seemed to fall into a tolerable rhythm and we were thankful for the princess’s kindness to allow us to eat in the East Wing Cookhouse so we did not go hungry. Little by little, the villagers stopped staring at us and began to acknowledge us as we walked by. At least once a week I was called to the castle to spend time with Princess Emeley in her treasure trove of artifacts from my world.

  I became more and more comfortable speaking with her, no longer fearing that she would order my execution if I said something that contradicted what she was used to in her life here. I wondered if any of it would make any difference to future generations of the women here, not just royalty. And, although our discussions became slightly heated at times when she scoffed at the realities of my life, I never felt that she looked down on me. I almost felt as if we had a fragile friendship forming. Sometimes, I would be invited to join her in the castle for refreshments and to be introduced to other noble women. My reputation as a wayfarer and a nurse healer began to spread and people were curious; although I tried to maintain a low profile and keep away from the castle as much as possible.

  Chapter 8

  “Wake up Evie!” I heard Dr. Thorpe’s voice rumble as I jumped out of bed with a start. Fall had arrived and the chill in the air bit at me more that I would have liked. The darkness told me the sun had not begun to rise yet.

  “What is it?” I asked as Samantha and I fumbled to gather our clothes in the dark.

  “They are coming! Should be arriving within the hour. Hurry up!”

  “Who is coming?” I asked bewildered.

  “The soldiers. Come, we must be ready,” he said as he bolted down the stairs.

  After a few minutes of dressing, we rushed down the stairs to gather our supplies and then we dashed out the door to watch the parade near the main castle gates, quite a distance away. We weren’t the only ones speeding off to see it, half the village had turned out. As a mass, we all moved in the same direction, followed by numerous people from the other villages. Some carried torches to help light our way. When we reached the main road, a few armored men on horseback raced quickly past us towards the castle gates that rose for them. We heard a few enthusiastic shouts in Eolahr, the official language of Eteryn, as they entered, and some cheering.

  The three of us stood on the side of the silver stone paved road along with countless others, watching the spectacle unfold. To our right stood the massive castle drawbridge, which had been lowered all the way down and the castle portcullis drawn up bidding welcome to the parade which was about to arrive. To our left a long well-kept road stretched farther than we could see. I set my bag of supplies down to rub my arms through my thin cloak, waiting for the dawn to arrive, bringing the warmth of the sun. Raising my eyes to the tower walkways extending above the gates I could barely make out the figures of some of the lords and ladies of the court standing by. I could, however recognize the figure of the princess and her ladies waiting patiently in the front most prominent portion of the walkway for the first sign of the entourage.

  Several more minutes passed by with no sign of the returning soldiers, and then I heard something. Faintly, I recognized the rhythmic sound of drums beating. A hush fell over the crowd that had gathered as we all stared towards the dark abyss. The sound became louder and clearer as they marched onward. Finally, as dawn broke, I could make out the figure of the two drummers, marching ahead of the three lead horsemen, and behind them, dozens, if not a hundred or more soldiers. Cheers erupted from the nobles on the walkways above us.

  I had never seen anything like this in
person before and stood silently watching as the three lead horsemen came closer into view. The two dark armor clad soldiers flanking the center rider bore flags embroidered with the royal Claymore crest. The large black flags billowed elegantly in the wind. They were embroidered in shining silver thread with a half full moon joining a half shining sun with a sword pierced down through the center of it, emerging on the other side. The rider in the center sat straight and tall on his horse. The elegant silver helmet he wore concealed his face. I wondered if he was their general. As if reading my thoughts, Dr. Thorpe leaned in closer to me and said, “the rider in the center is the prince.”

  A moment of confusion shot through me. “The prince?” I stammered back, glancing at him. I had no idea there was a prince here in Eteryn. I had just become comfortable with the knowledge the kingdom was ruled by a king and helped to be overseen by his daughter, Princess Emeley. “What prince?” I asked. Maybe he was from another kingdom.

  “What do you mean ‘what prince’? . . . THE prince . . . Prince Eythan Claymore.”

  Still confused I asked, “The prince is Princess Emeley’s husband?”

  Dr. Thorpe chuckled. “No. He is her elder brother . . . and the heir to this kingdom,” he replied, turning back to the oncoming procession.

  I watched curiously as the three lead horses neared. The sun had begun to rise in front of me as they passed. I looked up at Princess Emeley’s brother but I could not see anything other than his silhouette and the hard lines of the cross shaped hilt of his sword that he had strapped to his back. He seemed solely focused on entering the gates. Cheers and squeals erupted from the noble ladies standing on the walkways and I marveled at the shower of embroidered silken handkerchiefs that suddenly rained down upon him, floating in the breeze like leaves falling from a tree in autumn. Apparently the ladies wasted no time trying to catch his attention. He never reached for one, nor strayed from his forward gaze, appearing to ignore all of it. Soon after, he disappeared from my sight and I turned my focus back to the soldiers, watching as they crossed the threshold back into their home. Many were on foot; however there were dozens of men on horseback whom I assumed were in some sort of leadership role, interspersed in the formation.

  Many passed before me un-noticed. It was the ones who limped, were carried, or were bandaged in various ways that caught my attention. Those were the people we had come for. They were the reason Dr. Thorpe had trained me and Samantha to help. I glanced at Sam and gave her a quick smile as I leaned down to pick up my bag of supplies. She seemed a little nervous. The end of the line was near. Soon we would follow them inside the gates to do what we came here to do; render our medical attention. I mentally tried to pump myself up. I had seen many wounds in my time, but mostly clean surgical ones, not horrific war wounds. I hoped I would be able to keep my wits about me.

  “Let’s go,” Dr. Thorpe commanded as we joined the villagers that meandered onto the road and followed the soldiers right in through the castle gates. I had never entered here, only through access from the East Village where we resided. After a short walk we headed into the Great Hall of the front of the castle. The sound was nearly deafening as we neared the soldiers. It seemed that the officials were commanding some type of order directing where the injured needed to go. Servants were setting up makeshift cots and bedrolls for the soldiers to lie on. I even spotted Paul and Matthew in the fray, doing their best to set things up. Still more servants brought food, water, and more supplies to help heal the wounded.

  “This way,” Dr. Thorpe said, looking back to make sure that Sam and I followed him. Finally we came to a stop at a wooden table surrounded by occupied cots in the large room. He set his large bag down on the table and began emptying and sorting its contents. Sam and I did the same. A few minutes later we had everything organized. “Evie, I want you to start with the men here on the left all the way to the wall, Sam, you work your way right, and I will take this side,” he said as he swept his hand around, showing us. We had been over this many times in the last week to be sure we would be ready. “Do what you can for their pain, but most importantly, clean and dress their wounds. If you think they need an amputation, come and get me.”

  We nodded and got to work. The first man I approached seemed so weary he almost fell asleep as I tended to him. I quickly stitched what seemed to be just a flesh wound to his right flank. He flinched quite a bit but took it pretty well without any local anesthesia. We had none in this time and place. After dressing the wound, I rinsed my hands in the basin of water at the center table which was constantly being changed by other servants and moved on. Since arriving in Eteryn I had reluctantly gotten over the fact that there were no disposable gloves to wear to protect myself from touching the blood of others. At first it really freaked me out and distracted me, but now, what could I do? I did the best I could with hand washing. However, I knew I was going to scrub my hands and fingernails like crazy before I did anything else today . . . or touched any food for that matter.

  Moving quickly, I went from soldier to soldier. Thankfully, many had minor wounds that just needed a good cleanse, an herbal poultice, and a bandage. As I ran back and forth between the soldiers and our supply center and hand-washing station, I felt that I had begun to be noticed. Some of the men started watching me and Sam curiously, probably wondering what we were doing there because we were new. I’m sure our accents sounded weird to them. I finished up with another man, who talked to me in Eolahr, which I could not understand, before turning back to the station. Samantha approached me and asked me to help her stitch a wound that seemed a bit complex to her. She was definitely not used to this. As we finished up and applied a bandage we walked together back to cleanse our hands.

  After cleansing, I turned back to my assigned side of the room and unexpectedly came face to face with a man I had never seen before, stopping myself before practically crashing into him. His perfect posture and fine clothes indicated that he was someone of importance. However, it was his eyes that told me who he was. I would recognize those half human blue-green eyes anywhere. They were the same as Princess Emeley’s eyes. He possessed the same blonde hair, medium length, falling to his ears in the front, tapering to the base of his skull in the back. Standing tall and proud with flawless features, a strong jaw, and an athletically toned physique, he was simply beautiful. We locked eyes for a moment and I completely lost my senses. It seemed as if a switch had suddenly been turned on inside me, illuminating my soul. He was the most magnificent man I had ever met and my breath hitched as I beheld him. I felt completely star struck, as if I had just run into the most handsome movie star in Hollywood. Initially he looked as bewildered as I did, then he drew a breath and narrowed his eyes and flared his nostrils.

  “Who are you?” he asked in a no-nonsense tone.

  I blinked, trying to pull myself out of my bewilderment. “I . . . my name is . . .” Suddenly I felt a hand on my right shoulder, gently pushing down as a silent order that I should kneel, which I did obediently. Dr. Thorpe had appeared to help me through this, also kneeling with me.

  “Who is she!” The man demanded impatiently. “She is not from Eteryn.”

  “Yes, Your Highness. Forgive me, this is Miss Evelyn Remington. She is a nurse who is trained to help me with . . .”

  “I can tell by her scent that she is foreign. Where is she from?” he persisted.

  Fear instantly shot through me, pulling me out of my awe. It was indeed the prince. He could order my death if he felt like it. The elated emotions I felt swooped down into fear. I hoped Dr. Thorpe could ease him down.

  “From my world, Your Highness. She arrived here along with several companions through a portal a little over a month ago. With permission from the princess I have been training her and her companion over here to assist me in the clinic and with these soldiers,” he said calmly, pointing to Samantha, who had also frozen in place, kneeling like the two of us were. Apparently we had the attention of the whole room as the soldiers became silent obser
ving us.

  The prince seemed to study us for a moment, eyeing me warily and then said in a more relaxed tone, “very well. Carry on,” before he stalked off to meet with several other official looking men, walking out of the Great Hall.

  I let out a deep breath, trembled, and hyperventilated for a moment as Dr. Thorpe stood and helped me up. “Come, let us get back to work. We will break soon for supper,” he said softly as he went back to his side of the room to continue tending to the wounded soldiers.

  Another hour passed and at last we had things under fairly good control in the makeshift infirmary in the Great Hall. The most severely injured men had been tended to and the sun had begun to set. The three of us meandered towards a dining table next to one wall and joined several other servants for an evening meal of bread and stew that had been brought. Exhaustion started to set in. I was no stranger to a long shift, but my work had never been so physically demanding at the hospital. During my time at the Fairmont Medical Center I had helped countless people turn over in a bed, rise to use the bathroom and bathe, but usually it was limited to only six to eight patients a day; today I had perhaps helped dozens of patients. I think the others were spent too as we ate together practically in silence. I let my mind drift back to my meeting with the prince. He had looked to be a little older than the princess, perhaps somewhere in his late twenties, however I was shaken and a little disturbed by the cold confrontation. I was also confused about my attraction to him. I had never reacted that way to meeting anyone before, and although he seemed gruff, I could not help feeling the desire of wanting to see him again.

  We left late in the evening with a guarded escort back to our clinic and home only to undress, sleep, and rise early to return for another day in the makeshift infirmary. By mid-day we had made some progress, discharging some of the mildly injured soldiers and asking them to follow up in our clinic. I had become an expert at setting broken bones with the plaster casts Dr. Thorpe had taught me to make. Even Dr. Lachman, the vampire physician, who had come to help during the night with his assistants as we left the previous evening seemed to nod his approval. To my disappointment, the prince did not return to the Great Hall, although I kept watch for him. Some of the generals meandered through the cots, checking on the soldiers from their units. I caught one younger one with dark brown hair and blue eyes patrolling and glancing at me with a half-smile on his face and wondered who he was. I turned from him back to my current patient but Dr. Thorpe caught my attention. He stood and was reading a paper note he had just been given. I wondered what news it contained. As a team, the three of us worked non-stop the entire day and I felt ready to collapse as we broke for supper. Fortunately, our escort of guards arrived to see us home shortly afterwards.