Fractured Families (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 2)

by Jason Paul Rice

  The pale-blue gown had a moonlight shimmer to it as Mariah walked around the room. She pulled her charm to the outside of the V-neck. As Izzirrat took her through the immaculate castle, the dress scraped the ground every few steps. The handmaiden led her into a quaint, yet elegant room. “The Lady Mariah,” Izzirrat announced. A crystal chandelier hung over the square, gold gilt table with wooden chairs. The backs looked like rounded shields with the Bottomfoot Ram painted on.

  Torvald, Edword and Lucille stood at one end, waiting for Mariah before they all sat at the table together, like a family. Everything in Bottomfoot had been amazing and grand, almost over the top. She loved it. Poets, jesters and singers were everywhere, lining up to perform in the minstrels’ gallery on most eves. The long balcony seemed to be held up by marble statues of the seven Gods. The immaculate twelve-foot sculptures of the Gods standing tall supported the gallery’s weight with their heads. In Mattingly, life had always seemed more serious than it did in Ridgetop. There were a few entertainers, but nowhere near the number around the Golden Castle.

  “My Duke, my Duchess, my Lord,” said Mariah respectively to each, accompanied by a curtsy.

  “My sweet dear,” Lucille exclaimed, “You look unbelievable.”

  She felt the immediate warmth and love from Lucille. A serving man came in with a huge silver tray of designed mounds of something ground and dark brown. The man held it over the table while Lucille, Edword and Torvald all pointed at one pile. Mariah didn’t know what to do. One of the many piles was shaped like a rose and another had been crafted to look like a ram. Mariah just looked to Lucille for guidance. The motherly figure said, “They are different kinds of tea. We have black tea, low hills, high hills, streamside and winter brown.” She pointed to each one as she spoke.

  “I don’t know which to choose,” she shyly said. “Go with the low hills, it is a nice blend,” Lucille advised.

  “Sounds wonderful,” replied Mariah. They sat down at the table and the food all arrived at once. The table was quickly covered with eggs cooked in various ways, sausage, bacon, smoked hock-trout, mashed beets, golden apples, plums, pears and other foods Mariah didn’t even recognize.

  It made her head spin. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Lucille said and the family got started. They passed the food around to each other. Mariah was used to having servers circle the table. She took some eggs, bacon and trout, and politely passed on the rest. Even the castle help was always fashionably dressed. Mariah’s handmaiden had told her that she came from Arpeppi, which was east of Gama Traka. Izzirrat had said that poor little girls in Arpeppi dreamed about coming and living in the Golden Castle but nobody knew where it was located. The Gods had to take you there. She had gotten lucky and ended up in Bottomfoot by accident and made it all the way to the Golden Castle. She had compared it to a fairy tale in direct contrast with her cruel, slave trading empire. Mariah finished her food in silence while making sure her mouth stayed clean with the black linen wiping cloth.

  Torvald spoke, “So, are you enjoying your stay, my lady?”

  “It’s been absolutely wonderful, so wonderful. Everyone has been so great. I feel like I could stay here forever,” she gushed.

  “You are more than welcome. After what happened to your family, stay here as long as you wish,” Lucille assured her.

  “I cannot believe the kindness you continue to show me but I must ask, how did you get the entire castle gold?” she asked.

  “It’s not made of pure gold, of course. They used strong wheels and pulleys to raise the men up on platforms to every point on the castle walls to paint them gold. Somebody bet my great-great grandfather he couldn’t cover the entire castle in gold. He was not the type of man that liked to lose a bet. Of course, it always needs touching up from weather and cracking,” Edword informed Mariah.

  “You would never know it’s here until you get to the top of the mountain,” Mariah said.

  Edword rubbed his nose with finger and thumb, “That’s how we like it. This is what men can accomplish and maintain without constant warring. Donegal is only a little over four hundred years old and too many castles have been destroyed and left in shambles. Castles are defense mechanisms, yes, but you cannot forget comfort and luxury or why are we alive in the first place. I say we enjoy the Gods’ bounty they have provided us, while remembering Josevius’ lessons of sacrifice for the greater good. I cannot say we are fully free of greed. No matter how much you spread wealth, jealousy always persists. We placed our castle with geographic sensibility and the entire region with that concept. We make sure to keep the mountains well-guarded. A few attempts over the years have been quashed and now most see trying to capture the castle a fool’s errand. We also try to create a culture of peace and sharing instead of breeding competition among naturally sinful men and women. Most of the other regions suffer greatly from the ideal that competition is good. It only creates greed and jealousy. Here, we want our citizens to enjoy life, family and friends by serving the Gods, not the king. Without constant worry of invasion, this is what you can achieve,” Edword said as he pointed around the room.

  “It is truly breath-taking,” Mariah told him.

  Sir Bastion, wearing armor, poked his head in at the door. He wore plate armor, enameled with deep green and blue. Shingled, alternating blue and green plates covered Sir Bastion’s heaving chest. “Lords and ladies, the battle with Fox Chapel has been won.” He bowed.

  As he came entirely into the room, she saw that the shining armor which had gleamed in the sun when she watched him leave, was now soaked heavily in crusted blood, and had dents and dings. The dulled metal rattled as he shifted back and forth.

  “We slaughtered those foxes and the ones we didn’t, turned tail and ran. We didn’t bother to chase them down. We wanted them to go back and tell the King what happens when you come into Bottomfoot without permission,” Sir Bastion proudly declared.

  The four rose from the table and congratulated the knight. Although Sir Bastion was the top knight in Bottomfoot, it also struck Mariah that the Maliks treated him like family. The Duke and Duchess also treated Chopkins and J. Everson like sons. Mariah had learned that the boys had nicknames throughout the castle. Sir Bastion the Brave seemed apt as did Chopkins being referred to as Mighty Mouth and the Joker. J. Everson was called the Hushed Gentleman. She had found that Torvald didn’t have any nicknames.

  “There were men on the attack who acted with valor and displayed knightly honor in battle,” Sir Bastion hinted.

  Lucille asked, “How many?” “Five deserve the honor, my Duchess,” he reported.

  “How many died?” Lucille wanted to know. “Only eighteen,” Sir Bastion exclaimed.

  “Only eighteen? That’s more than we’ve ever lost to outside invasion. Even with those inland pirateer attacks. I want all the boys’ names. The Duke and I will personally visit every family to help mourn, and thank them for their sacrifice for Bottomfoot,” Lucille said.

  “Tomorrow, we will have a memorial service followed by a knighthood ceremony. How many men did Fox Chapel have?” Edword asked.

  “Five hundred at most. They were split in two divisions, miles apart. We knew exactly where they were. We received reports by the hour on their exact location. We secured the highland on Rock Hills and Gods Peak. We came down and had men in place to surround them from the back. They saw us coming downhill and turned and ran right into our fox trap. A few slipped away but they’ll be lucky to get back to Fox Chapel. Those boys were all but lost, wandering around the mountains in circles,” Sir Bastion told them.

  “We’ll let the men recount the grisly details from here. Come with me to the wardrobe, sweet dear. We’ll have the seamstress make us special dresses for the occasion,” Lucille said to Mariah.

  Mariah happily accepted and the two left to get fitted for clothes. The fitting room had wide benches and giant, oak trunk chests. Mariah had a hard time imagining the size of the trees to get chests that big. Several ornate coffers
sat on top of the trunks with a ram engraved into each. One silver coffer was open and Mariah could see the gold and jewels within. A few other valuable holders were wooden with hunting scenes carved in relief into the side. The women were measured and then looked at many different fabrics to see what suited the affair.

  “How did you and Duke Edword meet, my Duchess?” Mariah wondered.

  “You don’t need to be proper when we are alone, my lady,” Lucille said mockingly.

  “Sorry, it’s only…” Lucille stopped her, “It’s only that you were raised properly. You should be extremely proud of your parents. Never apologize for good manners but when we are alone, I can be Lucille and you can be Mariah. Just two friends.” Lucille’s smile further warmed the hot room. She seemed like the perfect person to Mariah.

  She had never felt like her mother had been her friend. Mariah always had thought her mother only did things to make her life miserable. She wished she had apologized to Camelle before she left for Falconhurst with Jon Colbert. Mariah remembered giving her mother a hard time right before they left. She thought nothing of it at the time but had she known better, Mariah would have played it drastically different. She just wanted one more chance with her mother and father. Being with Lucille made her happy in the present but also sad about the way she had acted in the past and prompted her to think about it more than usual.

  “I enjoy having you at the castle, Mariah. I never had a daughter or nieces, so this is nice. What do you think?” she asked as the tiny foreign seamstress held up a black silk and some deep blue linen.

  “Umm…” Lucille stepped in and said, “What about this? Use the black as the main color and accent it with the azure. Both are proper for funeral and knighthood ceremonies. What do you think of it?”

  “I think it’s a splendid idea, Lucille,” Mariah said. The two shared a smile and something in Lucille’s expression reminded Mariah of her mother. It sobered the fun for a moment.

  “You asked me about my past earlier. Do you know anything of it?” Lucille asked.

  “No. We didn’t really talk about Bottomfoot much. I know of you but not about you,” Mariah answered.

  “I suppose that is good in a way. My family consisted of poor dock workers down where the Sea of Green and the Rocky Sea merge. One day long ago, Harbor Valley soldiers stormed our little village and killed nearly everyone including my parents. They say I had been hidden in the woods when the soldiers came through. The Haddock family found me and told Duke Elwyn about me. Duke Elwyn insisted Lord Haddock bring me to the castle. The Duchess Calante, pregnant at the time, said that if they had a boy they would marry him to me. They called me the lucky baby and thought I was spared for a reason. My first memory is of Edword crawling around and his mother telling me, ‘He will be your husband one day and you shall be a duchess’. I would have never guessed it all would become, oh so true.” Lucille looked around at the immaculate surroundings.

  Mariah felt tingles up and down her spine. Maybe she feels a strong kinship with me because we were both rescued. I hope to be like her someday.

  “Such an amazing story. Do they have songs and poems of it?” Mariah asked.

  “Give a close listen after the ceremonies in the great hall. I’m certain if you stay close enough, some singers and poets will try to flatter their duchess,” Lucille smirked.

  Everything seemed like a bittersweet dream. This paradise mirrored what Mariah could only have imagined. The reality of everything was almost too much for the emotional seventeen-year-old. The only problem was the price Mariah had to pay to get this perfect life in Ridgetop.

  Mariah went to the oratory to pray. She knelt and put her left hand over her heart and covered it with her right. Dear Gods in the heavens, I’m having trouble keeping the faith. I need to know why all these awful things happened to my family and not the Wamhoffs. They are evil and our family stands for honor. How can I believe in Gods who take everything I love from me? Should I thank you for putting me into this amazing situation? I love the Maliks but they can never replace my family. If I pray every day, will you bring back my mother and father, if only for a day so I can apologize for everything? Please, I just need one conversation to make things right. How could you let me have the last memory of my mother end in an argument? I will keep praying but it is hard to keep the faith right now.

  She went back to her room. Mariah hadn’t been alone with Torvald since they arrived but his sexy looks kept the young lady full of hope. She knew Torvald had to be busy catching up on everything he had missed when he was away from the castle. Past evenfall, Mariah was sitting on her bed when she heard a knock. “Yes, who goes there?”

  “Torvald Malik, my lady.” Mariah sprang up, excited. She hurried over and opened the door. Nobody locked their doors in the castle so she pulled the half-open door the rest of the way. Her heart fluttered on seeing Torvald.

  He had trimmed his facial hair and looked even better to Mariah than when he had his scruffy look. He wore a silver buttoned doublet patterned in burgundy and golden thread. She noticed the buttons were shaped like a ram’s head and a leather button line and matching cuffs accented the shine of the raised horns. The well-crafted doublet hung mid-thigh, offsetting his tight black hose. The doublet had been crafted for summer with the sleeves cut above the elbow. With only a short-sleeved tunic underneath, Torvald’s strength was exposed. Mariah thought he looked like a king, only missing a crown.

  She blurted out, “Why haven’t you been married off already?” Mariah surprised herself with this question that exposed her insecurity.

  “We don’t get married off in Bottomfoot like they do in the rest of the realm.” He entered the room fully and shut the door. “I am sure my mother has told you her story by now?” he asked.

  “Yes.” He continued, “So you can understand why she wouldn’t be quick to marry someone off. She was betrothed to my father at a young age, this is true, but if they hadn’t been compatible, my grandmother wouldn’t have forced them to marry. They found out they loved each other, naturally. I haven’t found love, at least not yet.” Torvald stared into Mariah’s gray eyes and she felt frozen in place. He was everything she had ever wished for and more.

  “Where are your grandparents?” she wondered. “Ton Abelisy in Gama Traka. Have you ever been?”

  Mariah thought for a second but knew she had never been there, “No, I haven’t.”

  “It can make Ridgetop look like dirty privy the day after a grand feast. They boast that it’s the greatest city on earth and they’re not far off the mark. It is incredible and my grandparents loved it so much, they moved out there. We have gone to visit a few times over the years but they enjoy themselves over there in the great sand pit,” he said and got back on topic, “Besides, when you force people to do things, you push them. You can only push so far until even the most gentle of men will break. We try not to covet gold and money here with plenty to go around, so arranged marriages never gained popularity in Bottomfoot,” he told her.

  “Everything seems so perfect around here,” Mariah said.

  “Our offer stands genuine. This can be your new home if you wish it to be. Would you enjoy a walk through our flower gardens?” he asked as he held out his arm.

  She hooked her arm into his elbow and they stole off into the night. Torvald pulled her closer as they emerged from the castle and saw a starry night. The half-moon shone down on the couple, softly illuminating the beauty of the summer night. She couldn’t shake off her permanent goofy smile but tried to at least hide her teeth. They walked through the gardens. Dainty dandelions danced and purple petunias pranced in the gentle breeze on either side of the cobbled step-way. Mariah was impressed by how many different varieties could grow at this elevation. Her eyes were treated to snowball roses, yellow tulips, red tinted sunflowers, pomegranate snap-dragons and orchids in every color of the rainbow. Even in only moonlight aided by the glowing stars, the bright colors were clearly visible. Mariah thought a secret sun must be sh
ining down on them.

  “You have presented yourself quite well, my lady. My favor for you has only increased with each passing day,” he said softly.

  They stopped in front of some red pansies. Mariah looked up into his eyes, “Every time I see you, I grow somehow fonder of you. But when it’s only you and I, we can stop with the lord and lady courtesies. When we’re alone, let’s just be Mariah and Torvald.” In her excitement she didn’t realize she was unconsciously mimicking Lucille.

  “Alright, Mariah, do you remember what I said earlier about never finding someone to love?”

  “Yes,” the word barely escaped her yearning lips. Their eyes remained locked, time stood still and Mariah would have crumpled if Torvald wasn’t holding her up. He pulled her tight until their noses touched. He whispered, “I finally found her.” He deeply kissed Mariah Colbert. The passion could be felt on every mountain top in Bottomfoot. The lip-lock continued for several minutes. Her body flamed with passion under the sensual touch of Torvald. The two quickly composed themselves and held hands. Mariah’s breathing still raced. She loved holding hands and thought it to be so romantic. The young couple continued their journey through the nose-tickling gardens. A little while later, they seemed to have magically arrived at her door after the best walk of Mariah’s life. She didn’t really remember leaving the gardens. Simply being with Torvald made her happy.

  “I shall doubtless see you at the ceremonies on the morrow, Mariah,” he said with a cute smile. She shyly nodded. “Until then,” Torvald said as he rubbed her lips with his thumb and softly kissed her before turning to leave.

  “Sleep well, Torvald,” she said as he turned back to her and pecked her on the cheek. Torvald took a step back then suddenly attacked her lips. A firm love-filled kiss ensued for several moments until the couple pulled themselves from each other’s sweltering bodies and went to sleep separately. Mariah would have never imagined when she saw Torvald after the ambush that their relationship would bloom so quickly like all the wonderful flowers in the garden.