“But father!”
“No. It’s time you got these thoughts out of your head and be true to your duty. Forget about Rory.”
I put my head down and tried to hold back from crying. “Do you not want me to be happy?”
“Of course I do.” My father put his hand under my chin and picked up my head. “But a promise is a promise. You have no choice as you must think about what’s best for the future.” I got even more upset as I turned my horse and started riding back to the palace. “Vera!”
I stopped. “I am thinking of the future, father! How would our country be better off? By aligning with Rugis or Kalu, one of the top most countries in the world? Think about that.” I turned on my horse once more and raced out of sight.
He was never going to see my way because of some deal. It was upsetting and I couldn’t stay out here. I raced back to the palace and settled my horse in before going inside.
“Vera?” I looked up at Cadence from a distance with a disappointing look but kept walking to my room.
I didn’t want to stop and talk to anyone. I tried. It didn’t work and I would have to live with it. I would have to live without him—forever.
Chapter 43
Cadence
Vera looked upset and I had known why. The thought of it saddened me; it didn’t work. She was still set to marry Prince Ellis and there wasn’t a thing she could do now. I felt like I could cry for her. I wanted to cry for her.
I felt it coming but I needed to hold back and make sure Seth knew to keep Rory under control for the remainder of her stay. Neither of them were going to like this.
Chapter 44
Seth
The six days I was given to finish Rory’s training was over and the day of his ceremony was upon us.
He still kind of hated me for making him stay away from Vera but I think he finally accepted it would be protecting her. He didn’t want her father to find out and I never told him he already knew. Oren did well not to mention a thing like none of it mattered and I guess it was all for the best.
The sun was going down and we went up to his room to retrieve him.
“Are you ready?” Bryce asked.
“Ready? Yeah, sure I’m ready.” Rory stuttered, pacing the floor. “Why wouldn’t I be ready? I’m ready.”
“Are you all right?” I asked. “You seem nervous.”
Rory was still pacing but finally looked over. “Shouldn’t I be?”
“No.” Dirk replied. “Everything will be fine. You’ll do great and you’ll finally get the chance to see your sword.”
“I don’t want it.” Rory snatched.
We looked at each other and were utterly confused.
“What? Don’t want it?” I asked. “Before we couldn’t get you to stop talking about it and now you don’t want it? What changed?”
“That sword is possessed or something. I don’t want it.”
I started to figure it out. “Rory, did you go into my room and look at your sword?”
“I’m sorry but after all the talk you made of it, I just had to see it. I agree it truly is a great sword but the second I touched it the crystal eyes started to glow and—”
“Wait a minute?” Bryce interrupted. “You actually saw the eyes glow?”
“Yes.”
“And you believe that’s the reason the sword is possessed?” Dirk wondered.
“You don’t believe me? I’m telling you I know what I saw.”
We looked at each other to how afraid he was being and smiled.
“What do you really know about it?” I asked.
Rory sighed and sat down. “That I don’t want it, that’s for sure.”
“No, I mean its history.”
“Well, from what I remember it was the first sword forged in Kalu by its founder.”
“That’s it?” Bryce asked.
“Pretty much. I left the country young, remember?”
“Well, let us tell you everything you’re missing then maybe you’ll change your mind.” Dirk said as we walked over and sat around him. “What do you know about him?”
“Nothing really, why?”
“He was a sorcerer.” I explained, making Rory eagerly listen. “He created his sword to bind itself to the one true founder, being himself and every true heir after him. Once the line was broken and the next heir could not be found, they hid the sword in the city vaults and it hasn’t been seen for centuries.”
“So, why now?”
“To give it the chance to find the heir again.” Bryce answered. “And it says it’s you.”
“Says it’s me? I don’t get it.”
“That’s why the eyes glowed when you touched it.” Dirk said. “You are the true heir of Kalu.”
“Me?”
“Why so surprised?” I smiled. “Your father always knew.”
“How did he know that it was me?”
“Because it’s him too. He’s always knew that he was Kalu’s true heir and now so are you.”
“But that just can’t be true. He would have told me.”
“You left early, remember?” Bryce reminded him. “Maybe he was going to tell you when you were old enough to understand but you left before he could get the chance.”
“I guess that makes sense. So what’s going to happen?”
“When you get it?” Dirk wondered. Rory nodded.
“Well―” I answered. “They say when the sword finds the true heir of Kalu it binds itself to that person. Now, what that means, I’m not entirely sure but rest assure you’ll be fine. You are the true heir and it will see to it that you are not harmed. Wait here.”
I got up and left the room but came back a minute later holding the wrapped up sword in my hands. Rory got wide-eyes and stood right up.
“Easy.” Dirk muttered as he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back down.
“I want to see it before you do it in front of everyone else.” I said. “You know, so we don’t look so surprised.” I sat in front of Rory and unwrapped the sword. Rory looked upon it then looked at me.
“Well?” Dirk wondered.
“We’re waiting.” Bryce smiled.
“Just don’t touch the handle yet.” I said. “We wouldn’t want it to bind itself to you ahead of schedule.”
Rory nodded and brought his hand forward and touched the sword. We watched in amazement when the lion’s eyes started to glow.
“Oh, shit.” Dirk whispered.
“Okay, that’s enough.” I said, pulling the sword away. “So, now that we know, it’s time to take your test.”
Rory smiled and we all stood up together. “I’m ready.”
“I’m sure you are and everyone will be watching. Let’s go.”
“Everyone? Everyone?”
“Yes. Everyone.”
“Even Vera?”
“Yes, even Vera. She is part of everyone.”
“And her father?”
I stopped from leaving again and took a breath. “Yes, Rory, everyone. Can we go, please? They’re waiting.” I finally turned and led the others out of Rory’s room.
“Do you think this will get him to change his mind about me?” Rory asked.
“How did you even know about that?” I asked.
“I read his mind whenever he looked at me.”
“Well, then possibly. When he sees that you’ve truly become someone, he might rethink about uniting with Kalu.”
“You really think so?”
“How about you worry about all of that later.” Dirk suggested. “You have something else you need to focus on right now. Failing is not an option.”
“But we’ll keep an eye on his behavior for you.” Bryce said. “And come the end, we’ll inform you of any changes or non-changes.”
“Thanks.” Rory replied as we reached the door to go outside. “I appreciate it.”
“Well, it’s the least we could do.” I said while I put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve come a long way in the last four weeks and this
is your time to prove that everything you’ve learned stuck. So, let’s go out there and prove it.”
“Wait! Before we go, there’s something else I want to say.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“These last four weeks have truly been an honor for me to learn from the best. Yeah, I know I wasn’t always the easiest student to deal with and I want you to know that I’m sorry for putting you through it but I appreciate you giving me a chance and I respect that a lot.”
“Well, that’s very grown up of you.” Bryce said. “But if you want to earn our respect, it’s going to have to be done with more than words.”
I smiled. “To earn the respect of others, you must do so through action as you will tonight. Everyone watching will give that to you and you will know then where you stand. Your father would be proud.” Rory smiled. “Good. Now, let’s go.” I turned toward the door and led them outside.
Everyone in the crowd stood up and cheered. Rory was shocked to see how many people were here as he followed us to the platform. “When you said everyone, I didn’t think you meant the entire city.”
I smiled. “This isn’t the entire city. Just the witnesses. You ready?”
“No.”
“Too late.” I held up my hand and everyone got quiet and sat back down. “Tonight, you should be honored for you get to take witness to the transformation of Kalu’s own Prince into a man as he is now ready to achieve such a title. Let us hasten the evening by beginning with his first task.” I signaled to Rory and he stood up and approached me. “Before we can get to the highlight of the night, first you shall need to proceed through the terrain that separates you.” I held my hand out to the obstacles ahead. “Do it in good time and without death and you shall receive its rewards. Will you accept this challenge?”
“What if I―”
“Just say yes.” I muttered.
“Okay. I will.”
“Good. Begin when you’re ready and we’ll meet you on the other side. Good luck.”
I carried his covered sword to the other side by going the easy way around, leaving him to complete his task. He stood there for a moment and looked across at us. It was a long way and the bottom was filled with lava brought in from Lecca so a simple mistake could cost him his life. Well—not really but it would make him want to be careful about his actions.
He looked up at the crowd for a moment and I saw that he saw Vera here. She looked worried but he gave her a comforting smile then she returned it. He turned back and begun his first task.
He jumped out onto the first stone surrounded by lava and looked around. Then he jumped left to another and right to another, almost losing his balance. He got it back and stood up as he looked ahead of him. There was a short wall in the way that he had to cross and he jumped to it, just grabbing the edge. He pulled himself up and looked around to see what he had to do next. The pieces were spread out more as he looked around and saw a rope with one end attached almost above him and the other end to the wall on the left. We were waiting for him and knew he saw how to do it.
Rory slightly smiled to himself just to prove it and he took out a dagger from his boot and ran along the top of the short wall to the right. He threw the dagger all the way to the left wall as he ran and it cut one end of the rope. It fell as Rory turned and ran along a ledge on the right wall then pushed off it, reaching for the rope as it swung toward him. I watched Vera try not to show any emotion but she was trembling as she watched. It was something that he would be happy to know. When he caught the rope, she gently sighed in relief and watched as he swung to the left wall and landed on another rock just below.
He stopped there for a moment and looked around. He ran up the wall that was in front of him and grabbed the top ledge. He used it to shimmy about five feet then stopped and looked behind him for a moment before doing a back flip off the wall to another rock six feet out in the lava. After gaining his balance, he jumped to another rock just ahead of him then to another and stepped up to the end as the crowd cheered.
We smiled as he walked to us and kneeled.
“Well, congratulations.” I said as the crowd started to calm. “You’ve completed your task effortlessly and now, it’s time to unveil it. Ladies and gentlemen. May I present to you a part of history that has been a long time sought after and now to be passed to Prince Rory, the mighty Great Lion Sword of Kalu!”
I revealed it to the crowd and everyone gasped and started talking amongst themselves.
“For you.” I said, holding the sword upright to Rory by the sheath. Rory looked up at me and stood up. “Don’t be afraid. You will gain their respect.”
Rory slightly nodded as he grabbed the handle and pulled it out of the sheath while I was still hanging on. The eyes on the lion started to glow and the crowd was amazed. Everyone sat there and watched as the eyes intensified then came from the rest of the sword. Rory looked at it with wonderment and the tail guard unhooked itself and slowly started wrapping up around his wrist like a snake.
He didn’t know what to do and looked to me for help. “Don’t be afraid. It’s binding to you.”
Everyone now was watching with that same look of wonderment just as the tail tightened around his wrist, giving him a jolt. He couldn’t let go of the handle as it became tighter and started to heat up like it was burning into him. He fell to his knees and grabbed his forearm with his other hand from the pain. We couldn’t help him. This was something that had to be done.
The pain was getting more intense as the burning continued. Then he looked down at his hand and watched it as it started to melt into the handle. He looked shocked but the pain seemed to fade after that and his right hand became the sword. He stood up and held up his arm and his eyes glowed with that of the lion’s.
At that moment, all the people but the nobles fell to their knees and bowed to him. Rory looked around and smiled as he slowly started to lower his arm. Once it was down to his side, the sword disappeared and his hand was back. He had only a gold bracelet of a lion’s tail around his wrist and looked back at me as his eyes changed back.
“It will always be with you now. You are one and I’m proud of you.” Rory smiled back as he bowed his head to me. “And there’s someone else who’s proud of you too.”
Rory looked confused but I pointed behind him with my eyes. Rory turned around to see his father standing on the other side of the lava pool with his hands held together behind his back. He smiled at him as he smiled back and Trever took a step forward. Everyone was amazed when he walked right across the pool of lava without harm and bowed again as he passed.
“Father.” Rory said as he bowed in front of him.
“Son. Well done.” He held out his hand to him and Rory rushed into his father’s arms. Trever was surprised and brought up his hands to him.
“You always knew, didn’t you?” Rory whispered.
“I did and now you do. May you welcome your destiny as it will carry you through life as a man.” He turned to the crowd and they cheered for Rory as Trever had his crown brought to him. He picked it up off the pillow and held it over Rory then slowly brought it down on his head. “It’s a part of you now. Show it with pride.”
Rory smiled and held his right hand up and clenched it into a fist. The sword took over and his eyes glowed white to match, making the crowd cheer again.
Trever smiled at the respect he’s gained and started to take his son back inside. That’s when everyone else got up and started to leave as well. I watched one of them in particular though. Oren stood up and took his daughter’s arm. “Perhaps, it’s time for change.”
Vera had a shocked look on her face from his words. “Father?”
“He has truly proven his greatness and you love him?”
“Yes, father.”
“Then go to him.” Oren said as he turned her so she could see Rory.
Vera got a huge smile on her face and kissed her father on the cheek before coming over.
That’s when I leaned into
Rory with the biggest smile. “Your lady awaits.”
Rory and Trever both turned and saw her standing there.
“Vera.” Rory muttered as he took a step closer and his eyes changed back and the sword was gone.
She approached several feet away and bowed to him. “My lord.”
Rory walked to her and lifted her head with his hand. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment then Vera leaned into his ear. Rory’s eyes got wide as she moved back and they immediately kissed.
“It seems you’ve outdone yourselves.” Trever said. “Getting him a Princess was not something you had to do.”
I smiled. “We didn’t. He did that on his own.”
Trever smiled back as Rory reached us with Vera on his arm. “Father, may I introduce Princess Vera.”
Trever took her hand as she smiled and stepped closer. “Delighted.”
He kissed it as she bowed to him. “Your majesty.”
“She’s beautiful and you intend to keep her?”
Rory smiled and approached her side. “If it’s not any trouble, father, I’d like her to come back with us.”
“Of course, you are welcome.”
“To stay?” Oren approached and everyone looked over. “For it would seem our children have fallen in love.”
Trever smiled as they shook hands. “Oren. Of course to stay, if you so choose to let her.”
Oren looked up at Vera and she smiled at him. “I never wanted to let her go but things change and her happiness is what I cherish most.” Vera got a bigger smile on her face as she went to her father and hugged him. “I sure am going to miss you.”
“As am I, father.”
“Why don’t you journey back with us?” Trever suggested. “You can stay for as long as you’d like and get to see firsthand how she’ll be living.”
“Splendid idea, father.” Vera said. “Do come with us. My brother is capable of being in charge awhile longer.”
Oren sighed. “I know he is. All right, when do you leave?”
“In the morning.” Trever answered. “We’ll gather everything and leave then.”
Despairing Tides (Fate's Intent Book 12) Page 21
