The King's Folly

by Robin Simmons

  Mollen smiled at his son, “Do not worry about Edward. He will find a wife that will be a good queen. But this Rebekka has eyes and affections for you, I can see it. To force love or affections where they do not wish to go would be a sin. Only tragedy can result from that kind of action. I am happy for you, she is a fine and talented woman.”

  Raven nodded and walked out on the balcony that surrounded the courtyard and thought how insightful his father was about things like this. It seemed not very many things missed the notice of the king. As Raven was leaning on the balcony railing contemplating what his father had said, he heard footsteps, and without even turning around he greeted Rebekka. When he looked at her, he saw that she was surprised that he knew who it was that approached him.

  “How did you know it was I that was walking toward you?” she asked.

  Raven, still smiling stated, “Who else walks as wonderfully and light as you?”

  Rebekka came closer and looked more seriously into Raven’s face, “That was not a very nice trick your sister and I pulled on you this afternoon.”

  Raven held up his hand to interrupt her, “I know that it was not your idea and it was Lorriel’s doing.”

  Rebekka paused a moment and then went on, “Yes, it was her idea, but she did not have to twist my arm. I was very curious to know if you had any interest in me, and I have to say,” and at this she blushed, “that I am glad to know you wanted me at this celebration.”

  “So now you know,” Raven said matter of factly. The silence that followed was awkward so Raven turned again to face the courtyard below. Rebekka came closer and leaned on the railing alongside Raven. For awhile they said nothing, just looked out at the courtyard and beyond.

  Finally Rebekka spoke softly, “Prince Raven, do you think we could spend some time together before all the people arrive?”

  Raven looked over at her and smiled, thinking; how just like Rebekka to softly say what he should be saying.

  “I had intended to ask my sister if she would give you leave for lunch tomorrow. I thought we could have a picnic along the lake. Would you like that?”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Rebekka said enthusiastically. “I had better see if Princess Lorriel needs anything,” and with that she bowed and hurried away.

  Raven shook his head as she departed, he did not handle that very well. If she had not spoken up, we would still be staring out at nothing. With this he laughed to himself, marveling how Rebekka seemed to find a way to say what needed to be said. Raven walked back to his room to retire and as he did he listened, sharpening and intensifying his senses.

  Rebekka knocked and was invited into Lorriel’s room. As she entered Lorriel motioned for her to sit on the bed so they could talk.

  “Well”, Lorriel spoke, “do you find my brother attractive?”

  Rebekka smiled and blushed a little, “Yes, I do. He is pleasant and very unusual.”

  “What about Edward?” Lorriel asked curiously. “He would be the prize to catch for he will be king after father dies.”

  Rebekka pursed her lips in thought, then answered slowly, “Edward is very handsome and will make a fine king, but he is so one-dimensional. Everything connected with his world has to fit into his plans and focus on kingdom matters, while everything else is unimportant. That would be fine for any woman who wanted only to be queen, but I want more than a position, more than a title. I want life to be more than just one flavor. Now Raven, on the other hand, is diverse. He seems to know and care about more than official court matters. There is something about him, something waiting to blossom forth into greatness. I do not know what it is. I do not think even he knows, but I want to be there when it happens.”

  Lorriel was stunned, “How could you see all these things and make these judgments about people from just eating dinner with them, although what you have said is true.”

  Rebekka smiled and then spoke, “What is in the heart of people comes forth in speech, especially casual dinner talk. People forget to hide who they are while casually eating and talking.”

  With this she winked at Lorriel and they both laughed. Lorriel would have to pay close attention to Rebekka; she was so insightful.

  “What if the roles of my two brothers were reversed and Raven was to be king?”

  “That would make no difference,” Rebekka remarked. “I am interested in the person, not the position, be he king or prince.”

  Then she laughed, “But either of those is nice. Tomorrow, Prince Raven has invited me on a picnic lunch, if you can spare me, Princess Lorriel.”

  “By all means do go and get to know my brother better, for I believe you are suited for each other. He just does not know it yet.”

  “He knows more than either of us imagine,” Rebekka said, which caused Lorriel to marvel, even though she did not comprehend the full scope of the implications.

  Lorriel shook her head as if trying to erase those thoughts, “Now, we need to get down to the important part, what to wear!”

  They both laughed and began to talk of clothes and colors, styles and decor.

  Then Rebekka seriously begged pardon of the princess to ask a personal question, “Princess Lorriel, have you thought of wearing something that was your mother’s for the celebration? I do know how much you loved her, and if this is a painful subject, I will not speak of it again.”

  Rebekka had her eyes down cast in a submissive humble way that caused Lorriel to see that even though she had invited Rebekka here as a friend she would never presume an equality of position, or lack of respect for her being a princess.

  Lorriel took Rebekka by the hand and as Rebekka looked up she spoke, “That is a lovely idea, Rebekka. I think I shall wear some of her jewelry. I shall look in her room while you and Raven are having your picnic tomorrow. Thank you for mentioning this, for I had not thought of it.”

  After some more discussion on ideas for the celebration, Rebekka excused herself and retired for the evening to her room. Lorriel sat alone thinking about Rebekka. She was certainly an interesting person. In fact, Lorriel liked her very much and decided they would be the best of friends.

  Too bad, she thought, that Rebekka liked Raven and not Edward for her wisdom, prudence and conduct bespoke everything that was needed of a queen.

  Then she thought again, No, it is not too bad. Edward would never use Rebekka’s potential nor seek her wisdom. Raven, on the other hand, would.

  At that moment she knew deep in her heart that Rebekka and Raven were suited for each other.

  Those thoughts turned her attention to her own longing for the special presence of Andrew Crestlaw. She so looked forward to seeing him again. She hoped he longed for her as well. There was something about Andrew that drew her to him, his honor, the steel of his character. Lorriel went to bed still thinking about all the thoughts of the evening tugging at the fringes of her mind, dancing just out of reach as she fell asleep. She dreamed then of a wonderful place, high above anything in the kingdom, a place enchanted with wisdom of the ancients. Andrew was there and so were Rebekka and Raven, all in wonder and awe of what they beheld.

  Raven sat thinking in his room, Tomorrow will be a wonderful day. He looked forward to spending time with Rebekka, and picnics were one of his favorite activities. The anticipation of a refreshing outing calmed his thoughts and he let his mind drift back to Crestlaw Castle with the reminders of his family still preserved.

  Then he remembered the hidden panel and the message he found there. Now he was disappointed that he had not followed up on the riddle and clue he had found. He felt he was close to solving the riddle. Curse the Twainlar Serpent for distracting him. His curious nature did not like unsolved mysteries. He would have to go back and solve the riddle in order to have peace. There was something about the riddle that prompted a longing to solve it. Raven shook his head, maybe it was the connection to his ancestors that beaconed him. Next time he was up that way he would reveal it to Andrew and together they woul
d figure out what the riddle meant. His thoughts drifted back to their own castle. He wondered if there were hidden panels and riddles here.

  This stirred old memories of childhood, for every child dreams of hidden passageways, secret doors, and discovery of treasure. He had searched the entire castle as a boy and had never found anything, though he had longed to. Maybe the Brickens who owned the castle in centuries past had no need of secret chambers or passageways or any such thing, but now his curiosity was growing as it had when he was a child. Raven closed his eyes to focus and mentally went over every article in his room, especially the permanent fixtures or architecture of the walls.

  Then he saw it. Why he had not noticed it before was beyond him. And then he thought of the exercises Master Fields had instructed him to do, and realized it was the heightened sense of his surroundings that had opened the discovery. He opened his eyes and focused on the marble wash basin that was affixed to the wall. The random stones now showed a fine line of a square in the wall about six feet high and four feet wide. This extended to the floor, and that is where Raven noticed the abnormality in his mental scan. There was a thin line of a half circle that he could now see extending out from the lines in the wall. That thin line did not fit the stonework of the floor, for everything else was square or rectangle. He knew now that this portion of wall with the wash basin was made to rotate around, but how?

  He moved over to the wash basin and began pulling and pushing on all sorts of parts to no avail. Just as he was getting frustrated, he remembered his training, calmed himself and closed his eyes. With his hands, he began to feel the wall and how it was fitted together. This yielded no new information, so he did the same to the wash basin and its surrounding parts. Still there was no lever or catch. Then he decided to feel around the outside of the door in the fixed wall when he stopped and opened his eyes. There it was, a piece of stone that was raised so very slightly the eye would not pay attention to it. This he pushed gently, and it depressed about a quarter of an inch and stayed depressed. Raven thought perhaps the eons of time had stuck the mechanism and that was that, but then the stone pushed so easily and silently, there perhaps was something else. On the opposite side, Raven found a second stone raised the same way and gently pushed on this as well. It too depressed and he heard a faint click, then a very soft sound as the wall began to turn. The ancient mechanism turned so silently Raven was amazed.

  How could a craftsmen move so much stone with so little noise? The ancient builders of this castle were of a genius that did not exist today anywhere to his knowledge. In fact, he concluded the opening wall would not have made a sound at all save for the dust of centuries accumulated in the cracks. Two stones to push to open it was inventive and a caution in case one got accidentally pushed. Then the owner could see the stone depressed and reset it before the other was noticed without the door swinging open accidentally. Raven took a torch and entered the chamber behind the wall. Once inside, he saw plainly the lever that closed the opening. As he pulled it, the wall closed back up. He also noticed a number and letter inscribed on the back of the stone door which he concluded was to help the person know which chamber was which and where you were in these passageways. He made a mental note of this one which read “XI-S”. Then he thought of which way he should go. He was tempted to go toward the the ladies’ chambers but dismissed that quickly. Even though he would like to hear what Lorriel and Rebekka were saying, perhaps about him, he might hear something or see something he shouldn’t, and that would bother his conscience. So he decided to head away from the sleeping quarters and down toward the other rooms in the castle. As Raven walked, he began to memorize every turn and crook this passageway made. He also looked at the floor and there was a good layer of dust on it with no tracks save for the occasional small animal footprints. As he examined the floor more closely, he wondered how long it had been since anyone had been in these passages. Certainly with the death of the Brickens' line of kings this knowledge had not been passed down. For the Brickens king who died did not know who would succeed the throne, nor did he care to name a successor. The people of the land had chosen the Kallestors to be their new line of kings.

  “Amazing,” Raven thought, “he might be the first one since the Brickens' line to walk these secret places.”

  The thought of this was exhilarating and made his heart pound. He came to another door and the number and letter on this door was “II-C”. He stopped there, pondering what to do. He saw the lever but was reluctant to pull it and open this door. What if someone were on the other side, then his game of exploration would be over. There must have been some way for a person to check the rooms before the door was opened. As he looked around he saw it, not hidden on the inside for that was not necessary, but a latch and a slide block you could draw open to look or listen into the room. Raven undid the latch but before he pulled the slide, he put his torch in the special holder made for it around a corner yet hidden enough so light would not be exposed through the slide. He then carefully moved the slide open, and again to his amazement, it made hardly a sound. He peered through it and saw that he was looking into the council chamber of the king. Very convenient, Raven thought and noted the number on the door.

  Next he came to the door marked “I-L” Raven looked into this room and discovered it was the king’s library. Now Raven began to decipher the code: S-sleeping chambers, C-council chamber, L-library. If that was what was meant, it amazed him that the rooms were used for the same things they were originally designed for. Of course, why would they change, since it was so convenient to use them same way they had been for centuries. Now Raven was excited for he could almost guess where he was by the coded lettering on the backs of these doors. He headed down the corridor further and came to a place where the passage split and went into two different directions. He went left and would explore the right later. Left went down toward the back of the castle where the kitchen was along with other store rooms. Sure enough, he came to a door marked with just “K”, no number, and peering in saw what his suspicions told him he would find, it was the kitchen. Past the kitchen he came to a door at the end of the passage that read “1-ST”. This puzzled Raven for he could not figure out what lay beyond the kitchen. Sliding the latch here, he was amazed to find it peered into the castle stables at the place where the stable building connected to the wall of the main castle.

  Someone could come down these passages and get into the stable and take a horse and ride off without anyone seeing him until he burst forth from the stable gate, or better yet perhaps there was another passage that let someone out the back wall with a horse to ride away unseen. He would have to check on that later. Raven went back up the passage until he reached the branch to the right. Taking this he noticed there was a long stretch with no doors, just slide blocks for looking. Peering out these, he saw that he was looking into the great hall.

  Of course, Raven thought, there would be no door to the great hall. It would be the most likely place to be seen opening by others.

  On he traveled until he came to the end of this passage also. On the door were the letters “WPR”. Raven tried to think what lay beyond the hall and could not. With the direction and placing of the passage along the east wall of the great hall, he mentally followed its course but could still not guess where this led.

  Well, he thought, I’ll just have to look into the room to see where I am. Then he noticed there was no slide to peek into the room this door led to.

  Oh great, Raven thought, what do I do now? I have only two options: figure it out later or open the door and risk barging in on someone.

  Raven’s curiosity and sense of adventure were now too great for him to just leave. He thought; since all other rooms had a slide you can see through except this one, at least so far, it must not be a room you would have to worry about entering. Raven started to pull the latch and then froze. What if this were the king’s sleeping quarters and that is why you did not have a slide for looking. But then that pan
ic faded as he realized the king’s quarters were at the other end of the castle, while this was between the great hall and kitchen somehow.

  So he slowly pulled the door latch and again the door slid open almost soundlessly. It was dark inside. There were no windows or other openings, but Raven’s torch began to light the room as he entered. On the wall, there were other torches, but they were dried up with extreme age. Raven looked around and his eye caught a bucket that contained the oil that torches were to be dipped into to provide fuel for the light. He took one of the torches and started to dip it into the bucket and felt resistance. A closer look revealed that the oil had formed a hard skin on the surface from age. He pushed harder and the torch broke through; there was liquid beneath the rubbery surface. He repeated this for several more torches and then lit them.

  How long, he wondered, had this room remained hidden or unused? Since the Brickens, he decided, and his heart beat wildly, over four hundred years!

  Now as light was spread around, he saw that the room was of good size and contained racks of spears, shields, and coats of mail.

  “WPR,” Raven thought, a weapons room.

  He had discovered a hidden weapons room from the era of the Brickens' reign! He began to scan all around the room and began to examine all the different pieces. They were exquisite, incredibly crafted with the same impossible skill that had created the doors and complicated locks that opened so silently. There was a helmet made of some non-rusting material inlaid with gold that had a visor which locked up or down, the likes of which he had never seen before. And a shield that was lighter than the lightest wood yet strong and unyielding, with straps on the back that were still strong and supple. Raven thought they should be brittle and crumble under his touch, but the opposite was true. He looked closer and saw it was finely woven silk or spider’s web or something of that sort that defied time.