“There is something the three of us need to discuss,” Andrew said to Raven. “We will be back in a moment.”
He watched them go, wondering what they were up to. His curiosity was pricked even more when he saw Andrew speak to his father and Master Fields and they went with the mischievous bunch to a private room and closed the door. Now Raven felt alone, the feeling one gets when you feel like you are left out of something important. He knew he was going to be alone often. That seemed to be his lot, doing things, knowing things others did not know, and carrying the burden of others from time to time. He tried not to focus on his loneliness, but on what today meant. It was a good day and it would be a good day for the kingdom. Everything would be fine; he knew it.
Once inside the room, the five who had gathered looked at each other and Rebekka was the first to speak.
“We wanted you here to verify what we have begun to realize about our dear friend, Raven Kallestor. When we finish we just want to know if we understand the last few months’ events the way they really have been.” Then Rebekka turned to Lorriel and said with concern, “Maybe you should go. This will be most painful for you.”
Lorriel shook her head and clung harder to Andrew’s arm in defiance.
Seeing that Rebekka continued, “Andrew and I had a few private conversations while we rode from our castle to here a few days ago. The things we shared, our concerns, began to form a pattern. I know Raven knew the war with the Wickshields was coming. He gave that away by his expression when the riders came to inform the king. The only way he could know was for the king to have planned it, allowed it for a purpose.”
Now Andrew took over, “Raven saved my life from an assassin during the summer feast. He kept that knife and I now know he eventually found out who hired the assassin to kill me, for he sent warning a second time. Also, on the battlefield Edward asked Raven to do what was right and honorable, to save Glenfair, to save it from the king. I did not understand those words then but I do now. The king never did want Lorriel and I to marry. In fact, he wanted me dead. Raven knew all of this and tried to save Edward, the king, our family, and the kingdom all at once. We all know now that was impossible to do, though he almost succeeded.”
There was silence in the room for a bit as Andrew looked at Master Fields and his father, “You two are the wisest of men in the kingdom, and I have seen the unspoken word pass between you. Tell us plainly. Is it true what we have guessed?”
Master Fields and Sauron looked at each other and finally Master Fields spoke, “What you have pieced together is accurate and sadly true. We had hoped to hide this from the people so they would not think ill of the king.”
Now Lorriel was crying and Andrew held her. “I am sorry,” he whispered, “that you have found this out, but I could not keep it from you.”
Lorriel dried her eyes and spoke, “I also had suspicions, and I guess I knew when the assassin was sent to kill you. I asked Raven, but he would not confirm it.”
Master Fields spoke again, “Lorriel, your father saw his error at the last. I saw a note he had written to Raven, and this time he really did wish you happiness with Andrew.”
Sauron broke his silence and stated; “Master Fields speaks the truth, for I have seen the note as well.”
Now Lorriel shook her head, “Poor Raven. He carried all this upon his own shoulders to shield us from the hurt. How could he survive so much conflict?”
This time Sauron spoke more softly, “Yes, we have a remarkable young man before us today who will become king. We do well to remember what he has been through.”
Master Fields added, “None of you can imagine what Raven gave up to try and save us all, and still, even today something deeply troubles him, but I know not what.”
“What we have talked about today must stay in this room,” Sauron said. “It would only hurt Raven if it were to come out.”
They all agreed as they each left and joined the gathering crowd in the great hall. Raven watched Lorriel, Andrew and Rebekka come over to once again join him in conversation. Only they all looked at him strangely.
“What has been going on?” Raven asked the group.
Rebekka smiled and only said, “Just catching up on a few details that need to be ironed out.”
And she motioned with her head toward Lorriel and Andrew who were once again in deep conversation.
The whole scene made Raven laugh, and Andrew and Lorriel looked at him blankly and asked, “What, did we miss something?”
They did not have a clue, so in love, just waiting for this day to get over so they could make their own plans. Soon it was time for lunch and the dukes put on a tremendous feast. It almost made Raven feel guilty in light of what he had decided to do. Still, the time dragged on for him. It seemed the time for the coronation would never come. Even with the pleasant company of Rebekka cheering him up, the time slowed.
“Time,” Raven reflected, “is something we have precious little of in this life.”
He had thought more of this since the battle and the death of Edward and his father, and somehow, even though he was young, he felt time had slipped by too quickly already.
The time for the coronation finally came and those who were invited to assemble on the balcony that overlooked the courtyard did so. The dukes, their wives and their families were all seated on the balcony with several other high ranking officials. Master Fields was there as well. In fact, he was to speak along with Sauron Crestlaw in the coronation ceremony. As trumpets were blown, people began to quiet down until all was still. Even the crowded courtyard below was silent.
Master Fields began the ceremony with a short tribute to Edward and the departed king and then spoke of Raven, “I know Prince Raven is young to be a king, but do not let that fool you. He is a leader worthy of following. Many of us saw his leadership at the battle, and I have seen it in many other ways. He will make a worthy king.”
Then Sauron stood and began, “Almost everyone here has been touched by loss because of the recent war with the Wickshields, but none has suffered more than the royal house. If it were not for Prince Raven, we would have suffered more loss, maybe even our homes and the kingdom to the Wickshields. We will ever be in his debt, and his name will be long remembered as the hero of the only war Glenfair has ever fought. With that, I ask Prince Raven to step forward and receive this crown.”
Sauron took the crown and held it up for everyone to see. Raven looked at the crowd as Sauron called him forward.
Now is the time to set things straight, he said to himself.
As he approached Sauron, everyone expected Raven to kneel and be crowned. But instead, he stood and took the crown out of Sauron's hands. Shock showed in Sauron’s face. There was murmuring from the crowd because of this action, for the people surely did not expect this to happen. Raven held up his hand to the crowd and they quieted down.
Raven held up the crown for all to see and spoke, “As you know, this crown was given to my family after the Brickens failed to produce an heir to their throne. It was not taken but was given to us by the other dukes of the land, because at that time our family was worthy to lead, and the people wanted them to lead. No one should accept the crown of Glenfair just because they are heir to the throne by birth. It should belong to a family that is worthy. There is a family that is more worthy to rule than I and to them I give the crown, the Crestlaws!”
As Raven said this he turned to the Sauron and started to present him with the crown. Sauron was so shocked he could not move until the people’s gasps startled him back to reality. Andrew likewise had jumped to his feet in protest, but no one really knew what to do.
Master Fields took over and began to quiet the people, speaking in a loud voice for all to hear, “Please give us recess while we speak with Prince Raven privately.”
With that the people began chattering and talking again as crowds do when something puzzling or amazing has happened. Master Fields grabbed Raven’s arm and head
ed him quickly into the great hall. Sauron, Andrew, Lorriel, and Rebekka followed. They all entered the same private room where they had spoken apart from Raven.
When the door was shut, Andrew turned on Raven, “What do you think you are doing? This is crazy.”
“Sit down all of you and listen,” Raven said authoritatively. “What I have done is in the best interests of the kingdom.”
“It is not,” spoke Rebekka, not holding back at all. “You are not going to release your responsibility so easily. The kingdom needs someone like you.”
“If you knew the whole truth about everything, you would not want me to be king,” Raven interrupted her.
“We do know,” Lorriel stated flatly. “We know it all.”
Raven’s argument fell apart at that moment, and he looked at Master Fields.
Master Fields nodded and spoke, “They know everything, Raven, without Sauron or myself saying a word.”
“How?” Raven asked dismayed.
“Rebekka helped piece everything together. They only asked us if what they suspected was true. We just affirmed what they had found out,” Master Fields said.
Rebekka, Raven thought. She just would not let things be. She had to see it from every angle until she understood everything.
Raven guessed the rest, Rebekka and Andrew riding back from her castle discussing the pieces to the puzzle, beginning to figure it out.
“How can you want me to be king,” Raven said to Andrew, “when my father tried to kill you?”
“You are not your father,” Andrew said plainly. “You saved my life and risked yours for the whole kingdom, and you are my friend.”
Raven was even more dismayed. This was not going like he had planned, and he was a little confused.
Rebekka spoke again, this time tenderly, “Raven, please listen to me. It is because we do know that we love you the more, seeing how great a burden you bore for others. The land needs a king who will put others ahead of his own ambition, one who would give up his life, not for the whole kingdom only, but for a friend as well. You are the kind of king the land has needed for a long time, and I for one will follow you where ever you lead.”
Raven looked round about the room, and they all one by one began to pledge to him.
Sauron was next, “I will follow you because I decided that day in battle to do so for the rest of my life.”
Then Andrew spoke, “I will follow you because I love you, and you jeopardized your life not just to save me, but so I would be happy with the woman I love.”
Master Fields was next, “Raven, I believe with all my heart that this is what you were born to do. I believe God put you on this earth to be king. I will be yours whether that crown is on your head or not.”
And lastly, Lorriel spoke, “You know I love you, Raven. I have always looked at you as my little brother, but lately I have seen the man, the leader they all have spoken of. My heart can not help but follow you as well.”
Now there were tears in Raven’s eyes. The love and respect he felt from each of them overwhelmed him.
“I will be king,” he said, “under three conditions.”
They all held their breath as Raven looked at them.
“Number one, that all of you will be my unofficial personal council, and that you promise not to hold your peace if you see me tread the path of my father or any other destructive way.”
They all nodded solemnly and said, “We will.”
“Number two,” and he looked at Rebekka, “that you agree to be my queen. I need your insight and love, for you are the companion I need to rule this kingdom well.”
Rebekka, instead of rushing and throwing her arms around Raven for proposing, did something so wonderful and ladylike it touched Raven. She stood and bowed a low curtsy accepting his proposal in the way a woman would who was asked by the king.
Raven went on, turning to Lorriel who was crying because he had asked Rebekka to marry him and said, “Number three, you have to quit calling me little brother.”
And with that he smiled a big smile at her. Lorriel, taking the cue from Rebekka, stood and bowed, not in jest but very seriously and said, “Yes, sire.”
Sauron stood and took over, “Come now, all of you. The people are waiting and a king must be crowned.”
As Raven and Sauron once again came to the front of the balcony, the people quieted down.
Sauron said for all the people to hear, “Let all be a witness this day that the Crestlaw family together with the rest of the dukes give our pledge to Raven Kallestor as king of all Glenfair.”
With this, Raven knelt and Sauron placed the crown upon his head to the shouts of all the people saying, “Long live the king, long live the king.”
Raven rose and hugged Sauron and whispered in his ear, “Have the dukes and their sons meet me in my council chamber in one hour.”
Sauron nodded and then they both walked to the great hall for refreshments. Once inside the great hall, Rebekka came over to Raven, this time with tears in her eyes and hugged him saying, “I love you.”
Raven replied back with equal emotion, “I love you, too.”
The dukes and their sons convened in the council chamber just as the king had wished. Only as they assembled, there was no king. They thought this odd but waited, and then something wondrous began to happen. The book case in the council chamber began to move, and an opening formed. Out of the opening walked the king. He was carrying some armor, which he set down upon the large table. Then he went back for some more in the passage. Upon returning with more armor, he closed the passage and looked at the astonished faces of those present. Even Sauron was amazed.
Raven wasted no time and began his meeting.
“As you know, the kingdom of Glenfair has never had a war until recently. The strength of our kingdom rests upon the unity of the king and all its dukes. No other kingdom on this earth functions this way. I have come to realize because of the recent discoveries I have made concerning the first dukes and king of Glenfair, that the king and his dukes were looked upon as equals. They shared the responsibility for the kingdom and its care together. If Glenfair is going to long endure, then there must be a trust and commitment to the council we are going to form today. That is why I have brought this armor to you. This armor belonged to your ancestors save one, the Brickens. I want to restore this to you and by doing so, show you that we shall equally care for the kingdom.”
Raven picked up the sword that had the crest of the Zandels.
“See this sword?” he spoke to Mason. “It bears your family crest.”
Mason nodded.
“Now draw your own sword and hold it straight up and out from you.”
As Mason did this Raven swung the sword and cut Mason’s sword in two. Everyone was once again astonished except for Master Fields who had seen this once before. Raven then swung the sword several times against the stone wall cutting chips of stone from it. Then before their eyes he held the sword up and touched his thumb upon the blade. The blade should have been dulled from hitting the stone, but with Raven’s light touch blood began to drip down the blade.
Raven sheathed the sword and spoke once again. “You see, this armor is not like any that has ever been made. The metal looks new. It does not grow old, and no other metal can stand against it. That is how I did what I did during the battle. I am no hero. I prevailed because no one had armor like this.”
Mason frowned and now spoke to all, “This armor truly is amazing and the sword like no other I have seen. But fancy armor does not make the man, nor will it make you immortal. Armor or no armor, it took courage to go against the Wickshields by yourself. Say what you may, but I still believe it was the man, not the armor that won the battle.”
Master Fields, watching all of this, nodded in appreciation of what Mason had just said.
This young man has more intelligence than I had ever given him credit for, he thought.
The rest of the counc
il agreed with Mason. With or without special armor, it was still the new king who had saved them that day.
Raven looked on each of them at the council and spoke again, “I want each family to have the ancient armor of their ancestors, for we are all protectors equally of the kingdom. As you will notice, the armor is all alike, because the dukes and king of days gone by felt they all had an equal part in caring for the kingdom. I am king because you want me to be your king, and I will do all I can for your benefit while I am king. But we must all trust each other and work together if Glenfair is to survive. If anyone has a quarrel with another, let it come to the council and the others will judge. Let Glenfair be what our forefathers wanted it to be, and may it last forever.”
With that Raven handed the helmet, sword and shield to each family that bore its crest: the Zandels, the Prescotts, and the Rollins. And then he stopped and looked at the Crestlaws.
And Andrew seeing the stare spoke, “We were not of the first dukes to rule the land. Our dukeship was given to us by your family.”
Raven nodded, “The family seal of the Crestlaws started when they received the dukeship from my ancestor, Damen Kallestor. Until then, they had no need of crest or seal. I would give you the crest of the kings of old, the Brickens, if you will receive it and the armor. For no other family has acted in my eyes more kingly than the Crestlaws. You had no special armor, yet you threw yourselves into battle with all your heart to save others and the kingdom. And when wronged you forgave and harbored no ill.” Looking at them Raven said emotionally, “If that is not kingly, then I know not who on this earth is worthy of this crest.”
The King's Folly Page 23
