The Secret Of The Crystal Skull

by Mallerey Cálgara

  After two centuries in the contemporary reign, new changes have taken place. The inner courtyard of the west wing became a large garden of various roses, surrounded by walls of jagged rocks and skirted by small trees with a little bit more than three feet. Abandoned bandstand, almost hidden under the vine that ran down one of the walls, has become home for the birds. In the center, a large marble fountain became surrounded by white stools also in marble. There were more of them around the garden, placed strategically under some big trees to enjoy its shade. A new gate of raw wood with ten feet high, was built between the garden and the gatehouse which gave access to the corridor used by the guards to go to the training yard.

  The city grew in population and buildings, approaching more and more the castle gates. It was an impressive city. Their buildings were simple, but tough. The walls were made of wood and high ceilings were thatched or board. The smoke steadily climbed the chimneys, giving the air a woody smell, sometimes sweet and spicy. The inhabitants were happy during the reign of King Alphonsus, with a captivating beauty and always smiling, black short hair like a moonless night, blue eyes and neatly trimmed beard, with strangely red tones. He was a humble man, who considered himself a servant of the people. He brought peace and prosperity to his land.

  ◆◆◆

  The month was August and the days passed as pleasant as one could wish. It wasn’t hot, and despite the overcast morning that arose in the Bulgari mountains, the sun rose shy. Its rays could scare off some clouds that formed over the hill, covering the imposing blue flag with a silver emblem, a skull, now stirring in the wind. The seventeenth day had finally arrived, and hours for the moment awaited by the royal family, which would offer a party to formally present the future king to Heilland and to the neighboring kingdoms. The party would happen on the same date the princes would complete fifteen years old.

  For days, cartloads of drinks and food came from the Bulgari mountains toward the city. The king had ordered enough rum from a nearby village to distribute. It would be the form of the villagers celebrate the presentation of the future king, since they wouldnt have access to the castle. Tents were being armed around the square, where a fire began to be assembled. Red and green flags, with the royal family emblem, were placed around the square and on doors and windows, decorating the houses. Lamps and torches were scattered, so that the party was well-lit.

  The fireworks have been banned two years ago, after Queen Arapia’s birthday.

  At that time, the fireworks were ordered from Hurgans and when the children saw the wagon start down the mountains, ran to it, for they knew that the fires would be part of this great celebration. The cartloads was conducted by two men. One had gray beard, deep black eyes, and wore a battered soldier’s uniform. He shouldn’t be more than forty years old, although he appeared to be older. The other, holding the bridle of one horse, had no beard, and apparently, it would take to show up. He wore simple clothes and kept on his lap one coat made of animal skin. He should be just over sixteen years old. Even with the difference between their ages, there was a great physical resemblance, as if they were father and son. Later the same day, it was confirmed the relationship. They were singing strange songs in a dialect too strange but common in the kingdom of Hurgans.

  They went down and stopped the cartloads in the central area, which there was already people celebrating. The older man took a bag which, when raised, made noise of bottles beating against each other. He staggered to his feet trying to sit in a place to drink, while the young man looked around looking for a private place to urinate, away from children who were playing around his cartloads. He went to the opposite side of his father, leaving the old man alone.

  When he was returning to the carload, the young man was seduced by a beautiful lady dressed in green, with blond curly hair and rosy cheeks. Without thinking twice, he followed her behind a tree, where they start kissing and hugging. This led him to ruin. When startled by the first burst, it was too late.

  Someone light up a firework inside the cartload, probably one of the children. The noise scared the horse, which came out running with the cartload with it; this light up other fireworks, throwing them in all directions. A great confusion started with people and animals running from one side to another, running from the cartloads and fire spreading in the hay piled up and on rooftops.

  When the sounds ceased and they managed to contain the horse, it was foaming by its mouth, order was restored and the party ended. They sought by the animal owners and the cartload. Found its owner hours later, lying in one of the alleys, several rum bottles next to him, having no idea what happened. His son was with the guard chief’s daughter, trying to take refuge in the castle. This only worsened their situation, because it was closer to the king, which facilitated his trial.

  Locked up in the dungeon, father and son were trapped for four days, enough to wish never to return there. It was a deplorable place. The only light came from torches stuck in the cold stone walls, making the air heavy with a strong smell of kerosene. The cell ceiling dripped water day and night, forming puddles where huge rats, which ran the floor, stopped to drink. The worst, however, it was to imagine they were stuck with dangerous criminals who had committed every kind of crime. After staying for hours walking from one side to another, getting afraid with any strange noise, they were reassured by cell neighbor. He said the most dangerous bandits were in cells far away. The more they penetrated the dark corridors of the dungeon, the more dangerous they were. Father and son sighed, relieved to see that they were near the door.

  Judgment day arrived and they got ecstatic when they saw the sunlight again. It was a simple and fast trial. There were more difficult cases than theirs, like a cattle thief, for whom the force was being prepared in the square.

  As no serious damage happened to the village, only material losses, the king punished them with community services. They would have to stay in the village and help those affected to recover the roofs and other things destroyed by the fires and the horse. Only after that, they would be free. They accepted the punishment with a great sigh of relief. The king made a new decree prohibiting the use of fireworks. No one questioned the ban.

  ◆◆◆

  Rumors were increasing among the people. No one knew for sure who would be the successor, although the prince Sulco was the firstborn and King Alphonsus never said an opposite word about pronouncement he had done on the day of birth of children.

  Even with so much work to be done before the ceremony, which happened at nightfall, the king and his sons went to the village by horse, along with a small entourage of four soldiers. They passed several people and crowded cartloads that came up from the hill toward the castle. Shortly thereafter, three white royal horses and their riders trotted down the main street. Rode head high, proud, with their robes billowing in the wind. The people gathered along the street, looking at them with a mixture of respect, admiration and affection.

  They dismounted the horses and handed the reins to two horse groomers, who pulled the horses to the hay cartload, a little more than ten meters from where they left off. A soldier accompanied the horses and the others followed on foot, escorting the royal family through the streets.

  The king and his sons went quiet in the middle of the villagers. Prince Sulco received gifts and greetings for his coronation, though he didn’t overflow sympathy. Tired of distributing fake smiles of thanks, he walked faster and to distance themselves a bit from the train, stopped in front of a small alley, which was one of the village exits to the forest. Despite the few stores, he saw something that caught his eye: a humble house of magic, probably the only one in the kingdom. He followed in its direction and stopped in front impatiently waiting everyone approach him.

  The wall of the house was small, made of irregular and jagged rocks. There was no gate, past the idea that the house was always open to anyone who needed mystical orientation. The garden was overgrown and had a few trees, but even so, it was covered with dry leaves. In the house d
oor were several amulets hung to attract luck.

  Although he didn’t have any interest in magic, believing only in his sword and in what he could win with it, Sulco, screaming, pulled his father’s arm to get inside.

  “I want to get in, I want it!”

  “But why, son? The magic never aroused your interest!”

  “I want to see. Maybe some different object and I may start liking.” Sulco sought to justified himself.

  “Let's go Dad?” Heian asked quietly. “It’s always good to learn from the experience of the elders.”

  The brothers exchanged glances in silence.

  “Konsentite, sed ni ne povas resti longe..![1]” said the king, after a long sigh.

  They crossed the small garden on a stone path, making the birds, who ate crumbs on the floor, fly scared. As they passed through the door, the hanging charms swayed, playing a soft melody to indicate the arrival of a customer. They felt the faint smell of incense in the air, reminiscent of cinnamon.

  “Eternan vivon al la rêgo![2]” humbly said the old wizard, who was behind a small counter, tapping his hand on his chest and bowing. “Welcome to my humble house! Heimdall, at your service, your majesty. Your presence was eagerly awaited.”

  “Ĉu vi ricevis deklaro nia reala vizito?[3]” sneered Sulco, without losing the chance to be disdainful with the poor man. The wizard just looked at him and smiled shyly, without answering.

  “Your Majesty, this is my son and apprentice, Mongho, at your service.” The wizard showed the boy approaching. “How can we serve you?”

  “We were passing and my children were curious to see if there were any other magic object different from those we have at the castle... to complement their studies” said the king, gesturing.

  “I see...” the wizard smiled. “It will be a pleasure to serve you, your majesty!” He turned to Mongho. “Son, could follow the princes, please?”

  Mongho smiled and nodded. He rushed out from behind the counter and walked over to them. He was a young man with little more than seventeen, friendly appearance, clear, steady eyes, curly brown hair and a highly educated.

  “Highnesses![4]” revered and hit his hand on his chest “Mongho, lia sklavo![5] One day I will be a great wizard like my father!”

  Prince Sulco, arrogant as always, turned and walked away, ignoring him.

  “I am Heian, at your service. Sorry for my brother, he doesn’t mean anything bad.”

  “I don’t feel offended, Your Highness. We have some objects that I like a lot. You want to see?”

  “Of course!” Heian smiled back.

  “We will start it this way, Prince Heian!”

  “Call me Heian.”

  They left the house amused by everything they saw, which is the beginning of a great friendship.

  ◆◆◆

  Heian gather several objects while Sulco walked from one side to the other, bored. Sometime later, Sulco approached his father with the intention of calling him to leave. The king, anticipating the impatient son's request and worried about the preparations that were waiting in the castle, called the children.

  “Let's go? We still have to visit other villagers!”

  “Already, Dad?” protested Heian. “I like it here and I couldn’t see everything.”

  “Let's go. I didn’t like it. There is nothing I didn’t already know” replied Sulco.

  “I'm sure you won’t miss a chance to go back” said the king, as output.

  “Father, show the crystal ball to the king!” Mongho asked, approaching the wizard.

  “Maybe they're not yet ready to hear what it has to say...” The wizard whispered, casting a worried look to Mongho. “And, apparently, they’re in a hurry, son.”

  “Kristalo Pilko?![6] I didn’t know it was in Heilland... What's so bad it could tell us?” The king smiled. “I confess I was curious! We can wait a little longer.”

  “Pardonu min, Via Mosxto! Mi ne intencis ofendi vin![7]” Heimdall bowed.

  “I have nothing to hide. I’m ready to have my future revealed!”

  Heimdall got himself together. He walked to a cabinet, which took a piece of silk. Quietly cleared one end of the small counter made of tree bark, and lined it with tissue. He went through a door and returned with three wooden stools, which offered the king and the princes.

  He left again, taking a little more this time. When returning, he brought a white globe, placing it carefully on the lined area, in the silence and the exchange of glances from spectators.

  The wizard, standing, was visibly nervous. Before landing his hands gently on the crystal ball, gave a last look at everyone and sighed heavily. He closed his eyes and whispered a few words that sounded strange to the ears of the attentive audience. The king and the princes looked amazed, silent, the light began to emanate from inside the crystal, suddenly illuminating the environment. For a moment, they closed their eyes because of its intensity. Gradually, as Heimdall kept whispering words with no meaning for them, the brightness decreased. With open eyes at the exact moment, they might contemplate for a moment, the crystal reflect their faces before the images are consumed through the fog that circulated inside.

  Heian felt strange. He looked at his father and brother, then the magician. Had, for a moment, the feeling that their movements and everything around it were happening slowly. It became more confusing when looked away to the lips of the wizard, and these seemed to be opening and closing slowly. The words sounded stranger than before, though Heian, with some difficulty, now could understand what he was saying. He realized that the mist in the center of the crystal began to move quickly. At the same moment, he had the opposite feeling, that everything went very quickly, making him a slight leap for thinking that was falling. Everyone looked at him. He smiled, disguising his momentary confusion, and laid it on the bench.

  Heimdall remained silent, occasionally looking away from the crystal ball to the king, thinking how he would tell him about the future of their children, assessing the consequences that his words would bring. Certainly, wouldn’t be good. How dare you! How dare you say such blasphemy about my children? I'll have cut your tongue and hang it to serve as an example to those who think you can say something nefarious about the princes!, he thought. A sweat trickle trickled slowly down his cheek. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath and began to say what he saw:

  “Your kids fight for succession to the throne even before birth, in the womb...”

  “Ah! This story is old! Who doesn’t know that?” Sulco replied immediately.

  “Ne interrompu![8]” Heian said, without looking away from the crystal ball.

  “One is the opposite of the other. What came first is strong, arrogant, brave, healthy and...” He took a short break to look Sulco ahead. The prince laughed, knowing that referred to him.

  “Daŭrigo![9]” he asked the king without the smiles from before.

  The wizard continued, sweating:

  “Wicked and ruthless, destroying everything in its path. Don’t shed a tear before the pain of his birth. He have no compassion or kindness. Only his will is prevailing. He fought to be king.”

  “He even knows me!” Sulco gave a heartless laugh, as the king heard Heimdall terrified. The wizard continued to speak:

  “The second son knew how to wait for the right time, although weak to have struggled for a long time to survive and for the survival of his mother. Possessed of a natural beauty, he’s kind, intelligent, observant. He knows how to listen, advise and...”

  “Malforta![10]” Sulco interrupted him again. Heimdall completed clearly and slowly:

  “Estos granda rêgo![11]”

  As soon as the wizard finished speaking, Sulco pushed the seat back and up abruptly, harassing the man with his eyes:

  “Come on, Dad. We have heard too much merdo[12] in this place!” The Prince made a great gesture of contempt and left angrily, kicking everything he found on his way to the door. His heart was pounding, driven by a wave of hatred. Angry to hear that his bro
ther would be king filled his mind so badly that he gasped. Heimdall’s words lead the wizard to ruin, because Sulco was willing to do anything to get that damn crystal ball.

  “Thank you, sir, for your kind words, but I won’t be king. The successor is my brother. He’s older than me’ said Heian in all simplicity, standing up.

  Heimdall approached, put his hands on Heian’s shoulders and looked at him seriously.

  “Young man, you are more forta[13] than you think, you survived your first major battle. La malsano ne estas la korpo, sed la animo.[14] In my view, your brother is much sicker. He’s corrupted by hatred, blind before the world and people. He’s too weak, and because he fear, he wants to destroy everyone and everything, to prevent his failure.” He bending after seeing the king’s face of nothing pleasant on it. “Pardonu min, Via Moŝto,[15] for any inconvenience I may cause, especially if offended you! I said just what the crystal ball showed me.”

  “You never got any of you predicted wrong...” Mongho began, but stopped when his father pulled him by the arm and took the lead.

  “But there's always a first time...” said the wizard to the king, embarrassed.

  “No need to apologize, Heimdall. I know you for a longtime and I respect your opinion. The worst that a king can do is look stupid. Thank you for your words!” The king greeted the wizard and left.

  “Today will be the coronation of my brother and I would love to have your company.” Heian looked away from Mongho to the boy's father.

  “Do I have your permission, Dad?” asked Mongho, excited about the invitation. “I've never been to a party like that!”

  “Perhaps, son...” The magician looked at the crystal ball on the counter, which still gave off a dim light, and continued. “On a second thought, maybe the prince Heian need a friend by his side.”