Final Voyage of the Remora

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "I think I do understand," Prince Saratoma said. "I do wish for you to make the king understand his errors, so I will abide by your wishes."

  Prince Saratoma said goodbye and exited the hut. Still in darkness inside the building, Prince Rigal listened to the retreating footsteps before speaking.

  "Did you get all of that Mite?" asked Prince Rigal.

  "Every word," chirped the fairy. "What am I to say when I deliver it?"

  "Just deliver it," replied Prince Rigal. "It will be up to them to decide what to do."

  Chapter 28

  Stressing the Truth

  The knock on the hut door was loud and startling, but Prince Rigal had been expecting it. He waved to Lyron and Gerant to relax as he rose and crossed the room. He opened the door to see two elven guards outside.

  "King Elengal has summoned you," one of the guards said tersely.

  Prince Rigal nodded and walked through the door. He closed the door and then marched towards the king's building with the two guards flanking him. The elves of the Heart that were nearby halted their chores and stared as the prisoner walked by them. Whispered conversations abounded, but the elf from Glendor ignored them. He had already made the walk twice before, and he had no doubt that he would make it again before the Baroukans showed up to take him away. The guards led him into the building and to the king's study. When Prince Rigal entered the room, King Elengal waved him to a chair. The guards retreated and closed the door.

  "I spent a day questioning you yesterday," scowled the king as his hand moved over the medallion of Geltim that sat on his desktop. "Why did you not mention that you had discussed all these theories with Legaulle, our historian?"

  "They are not theories," replied Prince Rigal. "They are facts that you refuse to accept. As to why I didn't mention my conversations with Legaulle, I wanted to give you a chance to analyze the facts yourself, before relying on someone else. Had I not done so, you would think that I in some way mesmerized your historian, and you would discount his endorsement of my words. Am I wrong?"

  King Elengal leaned back and studied the foreign elf. His first reaction to Prince Rigal's words were to refute them, out of stubbornness if nothing else, but he paused long enough to give the question a fair hearing. Eventually, he nodded in agreement.

  "Your assumption is a fair one," the king agreed. "Normally I would bristle at the great waste of time your ploy expended, but seeing as your time is certainly more valuable than mine right now, I will excuse it."

  The casual mention of the value of Prince Rigal's time indicated that nothing had truly changed in the king's mind. The foreigners were soon to be taken away and executed.

  "While your story is most impressive," continued the king, "there are still some central flaws in it. You talk about the state of Elderal and Sorelderal as if you had been there, but by your own admission, Prince Geltim supposedly left that Universe and never returned. That type of contradiction might be missed by my historian, but not by me."

  "It is not a contradiction," smiled Prince Rigal. "Perhaps a little history of my own life is in order. May I?"

  "The time is yours to waste," shrugged King Elengal. "Amuse me."

  "Glendor is a small mountain valley," the prince began. "We lived in a land of humans, but most humans did not know that we existed. Not far away from Glendor is the dwarven settlement of Talman. Over the ages the elves and dwarves were bitter enemies, owing to the same falsehoods that led Prince Gordana to leave Elderal. While most humans knew nothing of either settlement, there was one extraordinary human who knew of both. We knew him as Egam, and he was the most accomplished mage we had ever known. Both the dwarves and the elves welcomed him into their homes because of his amazing intellect, and because we trusted him without question."

  "And the same was true of the dwarves?" asked the king.

  "The same," nodded Prince Rigal. "One day Egam came to King Gondoral and he spoke of Junctions and Universes. They were unknown theories to us at the time, but Egam was humored. He asked permission to explore our ancient histories, and the permission was granted. Little did we know that Egam was also perusing the ancient histories of the dwarves. After a while, Egam brought in two of his closest human associates to help. One was an exceptional mage by the name of Jenneva, and the other was a superb warrior by the name of Alexander."

  "A warrior?" interrupted the king. "What business does a warrior have perusing ancient histories?"

  "That is coming," smiled Prince Rigal. "After a time, Egam again spoke with King Gondoral. He announced that he was going to attempt to gain access to another Universe, the Universe of the Elves. He wanted an elf from Geltim's line to accompany him on the journey in case he ran across a tribe of the original elves. As much respect as we had for Egam, we knew that he would not expect King Gondoral to risk his life on such a journey, nor could he expect my brother, the heir to the throne, to go. As it turned out, I was chosen for the expedition. While I did not believe in the theories being espoused, I was excited about the expedition, until I learned about the dwarf member of the party."

  "A dwarf?" questioned the king. "What for? Why would he bring such a despicable creature to a Universe of elves?"

  "My thoughts exactly," chuckled Prince Rigal. "I thought about refusing to go, but I didn't want to shame my family or my people. Our word had been given."

  "Understandable," nodded the king.

  "Prince Tergota of Talman joined the party," the prince continued, "and I got little sleep. Each night I kept an eye open expecting his axe to cleave my skull during the night, but that didn't happen. I learned later that he also did not sleep well, expecting my knife between his ribs during the dark hours. In any event, Egam succeeded in finding the Junction and we actually passed through to another Universe. He had learned from the histories of the two migrating tribes the precise path they had taken through the mountains. As we retraced those steps, we found ourselves in the Universe of Elves."

  "How did you know?" asked the king. "Surely there was no sign welcoming you."

  "No sign was needed," explained Prince Rigal. "One of the first things we saw was a battle between the Elderal and the Dielderal. The Dielderal were riding unicorns, a creature that had never existed in my world."

  "Never?" asked the king. "We have always known of unicorns. There were even some brought here, but they did not survive well."

  "My Universe had none," stated Prince Rigal. "At the time we saw the battle, we did not know about the Dielderal. All we saw were elves killing elves. We knew no reason for the war, but it caused me shame. The dwarf instantly seized upon the battle as proof that the elves were warlike and the cause of all wars, and not the dwarves."

  "Preposterous," scowled King Elengal.

  Prince Rigal smiled and continued. "A few days later, our small band was captured by some dark elves. They planned to kill us all, humans, dwarf, and elf. Fortunately we escaped, but once again the dwarf taunted me about the nature of elves. A week later we came to a small elven village. Dark elves were massacring the Elderal women and children. The sight so inflamed our senses, that we all broke our vows to not get involved in the squabbles of the Universe. Together we attacked the dark elves and slew them all. Only then did we learn about the Dielderal."

  "Are you trying to tell me this story to prove how bad the Dielderal are?" scowled the king. "Because if that is your plan, I advise you to change it quickly. The Dielderal were attacked just as fiercely as anyone else."

  "That is not where I am heading," promised Prince Rigal, "but the attack once again brought great shame to our race. From there we traveled to the great city of Elderal. We met with King Galever, a descendent of Prince Alderon. He filled in a great deal of the missing histories for us. That is when we discovered the unfortunate twist in history that Prince Geltim's disappearance had caused. To end the journey, we traveled far to the south to Sorelderal where we saw elves and dwarves living in harmony, and they had been doing so for hundreds of years. That is how I could
describe seeing those places," the prince declared. "I actually went through a Junction and saw them with my own eyes."

  "Or so you say," sighed the king. "It is a wonderful tale, but it is just your word. Why should I believe it?"

  "It is not just my word when you can touch and feel the medallion of Geltim with your own hands," Prince Rigal pointed out. "I know that your historian has used magic to authenticate it, so do not even try saying it is fake."

  "He did authenticate it," agreed King Elengal, "but you might have found it. There is no solid proof that Prince Geltim ever passed through a Junction even if they actually do exist."

  "Prince Gordana's men searched for Prince Geltim for years," stated Prince Rigal. "During those years, he never found a single member of Prince Geltim's force, nor did he find the remains of any of the dwarves that Prince Geltim was pursuing. How do you explain that?"

  "They just never found them," shrugged the king. "There is no mystery involved."

  "Only because you choose to be stubborn," said Prince Rigal. "Right now across the ocean, there are people who believe that the Dielderal no longer exist. That they were destroyed by dwarves."

  "But that is nonsense," frowned the king. "The dwarves did not kill us. We are right here."

  "And I am right here, too," smiled Prince Rigal. "I am a descendent of Prince Geltim, and your refusal to believe me will never change that."

  King Elengal sighed heavily. His eyes flickered from the medallion to Prince Rigal.

  "There is no sense in continuing this argument," declared the king. "Even if I accept that you are the descendent of Prince Geltim, it solves nothing. In a few days you will be leaving the Heart."

  "To be tortured and executed in Barouk," interjected Prince Rigal. "I know."

  "You know?" the king asked with surprise. "Yet you sit here and debate ancient histories with me? Why?"

  "The truth is more important than any of us, King Elengal," stated the prince. "Right now the Dielderal are working hard to mine ore for the Baroukans. That ore is being forged into thousands of weapons, and those weapons will be used against your brothers across the sea."

  "That is out of my hands," replied the king. "My people have no choice but to comply with our masters. If we do not, we will all die, and the Dielderal will be no more."

  Both men fell silent for a while. Prince Rigal was frustrated that he had failed to make the king acknowledge the truth, but the anger in King Elengal had subsided.

  "I wish you had never come to the Elfwoods," the king finally said softly. "I would save you if I could, but I cannot. I will not subject my people to the wrath of the empire on your account. I am responsible for their welfare, not yours."

  "I understand," Prince Rigal said softly. "I am concerned almost as much for your people, though, especially your grandson. He is a good man, King Elengal. I suspect you already know that, but I worry that your sense of duty to the empire will make you forget it."

  "Prince Saratoma knew better than to let you escape," replied the king. "A man must stand up and be accountable for his deeds, especially a prince. You should understand that. You are willing to accept the punishment for your transgressions."

  "My transgressions?" balked the prince. "I have done no ill towards the Dielderal. How dare you accuse me of transgressions?"

  King Elengal was taken by surprise by Prince Rigal's sudden change in attitude. His eyes grew wide in sudden confusion. The door opened, and the two guards gazed into the room to see if the king was in danger.

  "I meant your transgressions against the empire," the king tried to recover.

  "I have not transgressed against them, either," retorted Prince Rigal. "You may indeed send me off to my death, but do not dare to cover your crime by making me the villain. The truth is that you are sending me to my death because of your own fear, not because of anything I have done."

  "That is quite enough," snapped the king as he glared at Prince Rigal.

  "Enough?" Prince Rigal continued. "It is not nearly enough. I think I should rather die than return home and tell the real elves what the Dielderal have become. Your are likes dogs cringing in the corner of the room for fear that your master will strike you with his stick once again. I would rather die like an elf than live like that dog."

  "Get him out of here!" shouted the king. "Get him out!"

  The guards rushed forward and grabbed Prince Rigal under his arms. They lifted him from his chair and carried him out of the room. The prince did not fight his eviction. He remained calm, and when the guards placed him back on his feet, he straightened his clothes and marched back to his hut. He grinned broadly as he entered the hut.

  "How did it go?" asked Lyron. "Does he finally believe you?"

  "That is questionable," replied the prince, "but I left him with something more important to think about. Unless I miss my guess about the Dielderal, the whole Heart will be discussing it tonight."

  * * *

  Prince Saratoma was surrounded by a large group of male elves when the historian found him. As Legaulle approached, the group of elves dispersed, but the old man didn't appear to notice.

  "I have been looking everywhere for you," Legaulle said.

  "What is the matter?" asked the prince.

  "It is your grandfather," the historian said conspiratorially. "He has been acting irrationally. I am sure you have noticed."

  "Actually," shrugged the prince, "I haven't been home in days. I find that I have no desire to occupy the same building as our king."

  "Then his rage is not because you spoke about our little talk?" questioned the historian.

  "No," the prince replied. "Although I think I know why he is in a foul mood. Some of the guards overheard part of a conversation between the king and Prince Rigal. It seems that our royal guest said some harsh words that ring true with almost every Dielderal. I believe it had something to do with a cowardly, sniveling dog cringing in a corner."

  "Oh, that is harsh," frowned the historian. "I thought Prince Rigal was a finer elf than that."

  "Perhaps he is just a bit smarter than the rest of us," smirked the prince. "We have all been afraid to tell the king how we truly felt, but a condemned man has a luxury of speech that the rest of us cannot afford. Why shouldn't the king be told the truth when he refuses to see it?"

  "Your grandfather has devoted his life to the Dielderal," Legaulle replied.

  "He has devoted all of our lives to the Dielderal," corrected the prince, "whether we wanted it or not. I am sorry, Legaulle, but his handling of the foreign elves has really touched a nerve in me. As you pointed out, I have had a rebellious streak in my nature, but I never really knew why. Now I understand it. Every one of my ancestors has rebelled against this life because it is wrong. There is nothing defective in our thinking. Dielderal are not meant to be slaves. It is that simple."

  "But the empire will crush you," warned the historian.

  "That may be so," agreed the prince, "but it will be a blow to them when there is no one to work their mines."

  "You need to speak to the king," urged the historian. "You must talk to him before you do something foolish. Maybe he can find a way out of this."

  Prince Saratoma shrugged at the suggestion, but the historian pressed the issue.

  "You made me reveal secrets by saying that you had a right to know," said Legaulle. "You were right and I agreed, but I think I have earned a boon from you. I want you to reason with your grandfather before you tear this forest apart. Will you do that for me?"

  Prince Saratoma remained unmoved, but he saw great fear in the old man's face. With a heavy sigh he nodded in agreement. Prince Saratoma turned and walked to the king's building. He entered quietly and found the king sitting alone in his study. His grandfather looked as if he had aged a great deal since the prince had seen him only days ago. His eyes were swollen from lack of sleep, and long creases that the prince had never seen before marred the king's face. The prince moved quietly across the room and sat across the desk fro
m his grandfather. The old man didn't even look up to see who it was.

  "You are not looking well, Grandfather," the prince said softly.

  The old man raised his head and stared at the prince. A slight smile cracked his lips.

  "I have not been sleeping well," King Elengal declared. "What brings you home?"

  "I heard you were not doing well," answered the prince. "While I am probably not the person to bring cheer into your life, I am one of the few that is allowed in to see you."

  "Honest to a fault as always," replied the king. "You will be happy to know that I have decided not to mention you slight error in judgment a few days ago. I see no reason to bring more misery into this house."

  Prince Saratoma had truly intended to cheer up the old man, but he could not help himself. The king's mention of his error struck a raw nerve.

  "I do not think it was I who made the error," retorted the prince. "While it is true that I am the one who would be punished, it was you who made the error. Prince Rigal and his men should have been allowed to leave the Elfwoods."

  "Don't you start on me, too," snapped the king. "I am trying to be gracious to you, and you are slapping me in the face. When will you ever learn? The fact is that the empire is actively searching for those elves. That is one of the reasons I was summoned to Despair. They are searching everywhere for them. Do you really think they could have possibly escaped?"

  "They managed to get in here just fine," replied the prince. "Besides, there is quite a difference between the empire finding them, and the Dielderal eagerly turning them over to the empire."

  "You still don't understand," sighed the king. "If the empire discovered them in our midst, we would pay a dear price for our failure to turn them in. I really hope you have a better grasp of these things when you are king."

  "I will never be king," declared the prince. "I do not have the stomach to rule our people as you have. You, King Elengal, are the end of the line for the Dielderal."

  "Stop talking such nonsense," scowled the king. "You will rule because you were born to rule. You have no choice."