WORRLGENHALL

by Luke, Monica

  “Go back and give word to Enek of this with haste!” he yelled out, as he ran.

  **

  As the children played unaware of any danger, Aderac paced back and forth waiting; then when he heard Ciron calling for him; he apprehensively put his ear to the door.

  “Great king! Great king!” Ciron called out excitedly to get him to show himself when he didn’t see him, “The Grand Commander has been badly wounded and calls for you with dying breaths!”

  Horrified, Aderac felt his heart stop beating and with a wild frenzy began unlocking the door.

  “Do not come out for any voice other than Belon’s or mine,” he fearfully warned them, “If something befalls us, do not tarry. Do as we have spoken to you both at length. Get to the roof from the stairs and down to the stables for your horses. Flee south following the roads of dark sand to the red ponds and find a bald man name Sidor. He has been charged to get you to WorrlgenHall safely.”

  “Father!” Beladera said, as she began to cry, “Stay with us.”

  “Shsss,” Aderac said, and put his arm around her; then held out his other arm to Ihon to hold him, “You are both loved.”

  After he instructed the children and held them, Aderac hurried out of the room.

  “Where is Belon? Where is he?” Aderac’s frantic question after he relocked the door so no one could get in, “Take me to him!”

  As Aderac stood waiting for him to answer, Ciron withdrew his sword.

  “Take me to Belon!” he ordered again still not realizing the true threat was in front of him.

  Slowly, Ciron walked forward. His sword drawn in front of him, when Aderac saw the sinister grin on his face, knew he had betrayed him and withdrew his own sword to defend himself, which made Ciron mockingly laugh.

  “Do you reason you can challenge me?” Ciron spewed his question, “All you have ever done is sit high on your throne commanding others fight for you, you cowardly king.”

  Aderac looked at him cross for his insult, refusing to lower himself by replying; then Ciron suddenly lunged towards him. As he tried to strike Aderac down, he quickly discovered it would not be as easy to slay this cowardly king as he thought it would be.

  “More skilled you are now,” Ciron again spewed an insult surprised, “I see you have learned more than just how to have your mouth around what hangs from Belon each night.”

  Just as Ciron spewed his second insult, Aderac’s eyes sparked when he heard loud hard pounding on the chamber door and knew Belon had come back.

  “Aderac, Aderac! It is me at the door!” Belon yelled, as he pounded on it frantically with the pommel of his sword, “Get to the door. Get to the door!”

  “Belon!” Aderac yelled out, “It is Ciron! It is Ciron! He has sealed the door from inside and is now trying to kill me! I cannot get to it!”

  Right away, when Belon began forcefully kicking at the door, Ciron fearing his time running out, again lunged towards Aderac fiendishly trying to strike him down, but Aderac knowing he was fighting for his life fended him off as the deadly attack went all over the chamber.

  The door reinforced with heaviest wood and thickest steel in the land, when Belon realized he wouldn’t be able to kick it open alone, ran down the hallway to the secret entrance to enter the chamber from there.

  “Father!” Ihon cried out when Belon rushed inside, “Father went back into his chamber and now we hear banging!”

  “Worry not,” Belon quickly said, while hurrying pass him, “And both of you stay within.”

  The door locked also, Belon called out loudly, as again he began forcefully kicking with his powerful long legs.

  “Aderac! Unlock the door! Unlock it!”

  “Belon!” Aderac cried out, as he leaped to his left crashing into the door with his whole body almost dislodging his shoulder, before scrambling to unlock it, but Ciron relentlessly wildly wielding his sword at Aderac made it impossible to unlock it without him slicing into him.

  Finally, after several powerful kicks the door flew open. Its loud hard crash against the solid wall echoing throughout the chamber as the heavy metal hinges clanged and chimed while bouncing on the stoned floor when they fell, and as Belon suddenly appeared, Aderac leaped towards him.

  “Belon! Belon!” Aderac cried out, as he flew into his arms and pointed to Ciron, “It has been this treacherous dog all along!”

  Although, holding Aderac tightly, Belon never took his eyes off Ciron, and as he cautiously stepped forward, Ciron inched backward.

  “Why, Ciron?” Belon asked, as he protectively moved Aderac behind him.

  “Why not?” Ciron spouted hatefully. “Did you believe I want to be a guard all my life or listening to you rut within the chamber until I am old?”

  “You swore an oath to me!” Aderac shouted when he heard Ciron’s words. “Did you not?”

  “I wish to rather be dead!”

  Suddenly, when sounds of kicking started again at the chamber door, Ciron turned surprised.

  “Grand Commander Belon!” Enek shouted, as all four kicked at the door forcefully with their long muscular legs determined to break it down, “Are you inside?”

  “You shall have that wish!” Belon said, as he quickly grabbed the ax he left on the table and threw it at Ciron.

  When the ax head sank into Ciron’s upper chest, he howled in pain right away trying to pull it out, but Belon rushed forward and grabbed him by his throat.

  “My ax will not have the glory of taking your life…” Belon’s raw words, as he forced Ciron by holding his throat to look right into his eyes, “You will die by my hand,” and crushed his windpipe with his powerful grip.

  As his body fell limp to the floor, Aderac rushed to Belon again and leaped into his arms.

  “Did he harm you?” he asked, as he moved him back and looked at him from head to foot worried Ciron had.

  “He did not!” Aderac answered; the adrenaline from fighting with Ciron still pumping through his veins making him feel as if he could fight off a hundred men alone, “I fought him off Belon. I fought him off.”

  “Yes you did,” Belon said proudly, “And well.”

  As they spoke, suddenly the chamber door loudly swung open; then Enek and the other three who were with him in the guard garrison burst inside with swords drawn, then after they saw Ciron’s lifeless body on the floor; one of them dragged Bregon inside and pushed him down at Belon’s feet.

  “…the others with him?” Belon questioned, as he looked at all four of them.

  Enek half smirked.

  “Foolish question,” his simple words, the guards no match for them, were easily, as well as quickly cut to pieces.

  Belon nodded content; hatefully looked down at Bregon; then back up to Aderac.

  “What shall you do with him?”

  Aderac sneered; then spat on him.

  “As you can see you were not the only between the queen’s thighs. If you speak your plot with the queen truthfully I shall have you freed.”

  “It was the queen. It was the queen!” he confessed at once, “And once you, Grand Commander Belon, and even the boy were dead, after a time, I would move high in place or even become king.”

  Completely enraged, Aderac turned from him disgusted that they had even planned to kill Ihon, who was completely innocent.

  “Enek.”

  “Yes, great king.”

  “Free this treacherous filth’s head from his body!”

  **

  After Aderac had Ciron’s head freed as well, and the children moved safely to another chamber, he rushed to Queen Irenea’s chamber and the door sealed, he had the same three that helped kicked in his chamber door, kick in hers.

  Once the door swung open, slowly and cautiously he walked inside, with Bregon’s and Ciron’s head in either hand.

  “Which did you truly love?” he asked, as he came towards her.

  At first refusing to answer, she looked at him hatefully.

  “None,” she answered, as she spat at h
im, “Just as I do not the one who holds them.”

  “Foolish you are,” Aderac said, keeping his distance as he tossed both heads at her, “You had all, other than my heart and body.”

  “Am I not a woman?” she spewed her question. “What right do you have for pleasure, and I none?”

  “Then you could have left Ivodgald,” Aderac reminded her, “And not remained and brewed treachery in that stone heart of yours.”

  Wanting to behead her, Aderac softened remembering she was with child.

  “Your tongue is bold and venomous of me it will be always.” He knew, “I will not have such.”

  Aderac looked over at the three.

  “Remove her tongue!” he ordered no one in particular, but all three stepped forward ready to obey, “But be careful of her, she is with child.”

  While one of the men cut out her tongue, Aderac watched and glared at her; then as she stood before him, he spoke the last words she would ever hear from him.

  “I give you your life and the child’s life,” his words and vow, “But within these walls you will never walk again,” and banished her to most isolated southern monastery he could think of and with the promise that if she left it, he would have her hunted like an animal and killed.

  **

  For the sake of later haunts that when older Beladera would try to go her mother, Aderac didn’t withhold the truth of her deeds or that he sent away and for a long time Beladera cried for her mother, until little by little her tears dried.

  Anything belonging to the queen burned or refashioned and put in the treasury, Aderac had her whole chamber floor remodeled and any traces of her removed.

  He also, although his first thought was to kill them, unsure which knew of her planned deed, had all her servants except one, the one who spied for Gueden, branded so they couldn’t try to work again within Ivodgald and banished. In addition, he had her guards branded and sent to the gold and silver mines and replaced.

  With the ugly deed of banishing servants and guards, repairing chamber doors and removing blood from the floors done, as life turned back to normal, Aderac wanted to get one final important matter he had longed to do out of the way.

  “You sent for me King Aderac,” Belon questioned, after Aderac had him summoned to court; then noticing he wore his crown bowed his head respectively.

  “Yes,” Aderac said, and stood; the expression on his face serious as he did.

  The court filled with scribes and priests, as well as his council and people of court, with Ihon and Beladera on either side of him, Aderac revealed why he called him to court.

  “Grand Commander Belon,” he proudly spoke, “I have called you to court to bear witness to my deed and as his father.”

  Belon’s look to Aderac one of puzzlement, he was clueless of what he meant by his words, but said nothing.

  “This day, I shall have it written by the scribes and signed by me and it shall bear my seal,” Aderac said, as he breathed in hard and now looked lovingly at Belon hoping he would be pleased with his deed, “That I claim Ihon as my son as well, and he shall now bear the name Ihon En Velgarid.”

  Belon looked at him completely astonished, and his speech forsook him; then caring nothing of protocol walked right to Aderac, took his hand, and softly kissed the back of it.

  “Bold you are to walk to the king and kiss hand without his consent,” Aderac whispered when his lips left the back of his hand after he opened his eyes weakened by it. “I could have you beheaded for such a deed.”

  “Yes, bold I am,” Belon, again able to speak, now said, as he moved his head back slightly to look at him, and from that look, Aderac knew if they had been alone, their bodies would have been pounding together vigorously.

  Even after he regained his composure, Aderac still fought to pretend to be unphased by how Belon could make him literally weak as all in the room seem to vanish other than him and Belon.

  “Then be as bold to kiss the lips of the king,” Aderac softly whispered, as he looked at him, “Who is also his eternal love.”

  Chapter 44

  “King Gegorad of Hemrock and his champions as well?” Laad questioned, as he looked at Baric concerned, “Coming from a land far to vie along with those from Celgon, which forgive me, I still question why you even have them coming?”

  “We have made a treaty with them,” Baric answered, as he walked from his throne to his council room, “And to not have them come would be an insult.”

  “None of them came to WorrlgenHall when your father left this life,” Laad said frankly, “And we know why.”

  “Such is true,” Baric agreed, “But they did send a messenger with gifts of mourning to express their deep sorrow.”

  “Gifts,” Laad said sarcastically, “False sorrow for who they hate.”

  “Celgon has already agreed to come,” Baric said, closing the matter, “To send another when they will be here soon is an insult.”

  “The insult is to have them among us,” Laad said, and scowled when he thought of what happened the last time they were there.”

  “What is done is done,” Baric shrewdly said, “We shall put it behind us and hope they have as well.”

  “Let us hope.” Laad doubted.

  Ogorec listened as he followed, his mind also recalling what happened the last time those from Celgon came to WorrlgenHall; then when Baric had finished talking with Laad and walked away, Ogorec paused before he followed him.

  “Are all three coming?” he asked Laad.

  Laad put his hand on Ogorec’s shoulder. “I gather.”

  Ogorec nodded, and asked nothing else; but as he thought of Lord Cadon and of how he insulted Ovfren, he scowled disgusted because he still despised him; then walked down the hallway.

  **

  “Aderac you have tarried enough,” Belon chided, while Aderac was saying goodbye to the children before their journey to WorrlgenHall, “It is time.”

  “Watch over each other and obey Gueden,” Aderac instructed, “And should I learn that you both have not been reading and learning while we are away, in such trouble you both shall be.”

  As Belon watched Aderac say goodbye to the children, he turned to Enek. “You shall have two great treasures to see no harm comes to,” he said to his trusted high in command and good friend, “See well after them.”

  “Let no such worries of harm to them enter your head,” Enek avowed, “And if harmed in any way it is only for the reason I am dead.”

  Belon nodded and knew he meant his words as truth, and would protect them to his death; then turned again to Aderac.

  “Aderac,” he called, as he looked at him this time more sternly, “Enough.”

  Aderac inhaled, then jumped on his horse and after he did, Belon walked over to the children; then picked Beladera up and kissed her cheek, before he rubbed Ihon’s head messing up his hair.

  “Behave well both of you.” He smiled and winked, “We shall be with you again soon.”

  “Must we leave so soon?” Aderac questioned, and although excited about going, he dreaded leaving the children and even pleaded to take them along with them.

  “I want to get there long before the others,” Belon said, as he now jumped on his horse, “I gather those from Celgon will come and that will put a bitter taste in the mouth of one.”

  “If we must,” Aderac said; then gave one last glance at the children and waved.

  After they rode for a while, Aderac became curious about Belon’s comment and looked at him for a long time.

  “What?”

  “Well.” His brows lifted curiously.

  “Well what?”

  “Dare you keep your words before we left veiled and not reveal what they mean. Who will be bitter and why?

  Others ears to close around them, Belon shook his head. “When we are alone later, I shall speak of it.”

  Wanting to hear it now, Aderac spurred his horse forward.

  “We shall be alone soon enough,” he said when he looked over at
him, “As I ride away from all.”

  When he hurriedly rode away, Belon spurred his horse hard and caught up to him.

  “Aderac you rode your horse away ahead of the others,” Belon now scolded, “You will stay the trail alongside them at all times.”

  “Where is the joy in slowly riding?” Aderac whined, “I want to ride hard and fast in the open.”

  “Aderac.” He looked at him disapprovingly, “You will not behave haughty as we ride. Look behind you, we are barely beyond the wall of Ivodgald?”

  Aderac looked over at him and gave him an imperious look.

  “And just what does that mean?” he asked, but already knew.

  “It means you will obey me Aderac, or be punished.”

  His imperious look turned into a devilish smile. “I will obey. I will.”

  Right away doubtful because he agreed to easily, Belon gave him a sharp look.

  “From your grin, now I question if you will,” he said, and raised a disbelieving brow, “We have been one a long time, and I know how mulish you can be. Look behind you Aderac,” he added his warning, “The wall is still within my sight. If you will not behave you are going back?”

  “Belon,” Aderac dared, as he puffed his chest and lifted his chin proudly, “Need I bring to your mind that I am the sole king of that kingdom behind me?”

  “A king, who I shall send back to his kingdom with haste just as if one who was not.” His deflating prick into Aderac’s puffed chest.

  Aderac laughed. He knew Belon meant every word and would send him back just as easily as blink and that if he did, although he would be upset, he would obey him.

  “I shall obey you,” he obediently said, and smiled, “And dare not anger my giant.”

  Belon returned his smile.

  “Once we have been on the trail for a time and when in open land,” he now teased, “I shall race you to get some of the vim out of you.”

  “There are other ways to get the vim out of me Belon.” Aderac grinned wide, “That you do so well.”

  “Not on a trail,” Belon said, “But soon enough, we shall do that as well.”