by C. A. Sabol
Cyerra’s face had tears streaming down her face as she tried to explain to him just what had happened. “And now the princess and Etoileon are trapped underneath!” she finished, her last sentence coming out in despair. “It all happened so fast, no one could have done anything!”
“We have to get them out at once!” Ronal declared.
“That’s what we’re trying to do now,” Cyerra explained gently. “We fear for the worst.”
DORIAN WADED THROUGH the fallen bodies and crumpled rocks that had made up his home as he made his way to the Council Room for Wartime Activities. It was a rarely used room, so he and his attendants were trying more to focus on getting to the room as quickly as possible without getting lost to be concerned with the damage of the attack.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” Russert spoke up between deep breaths. “The room is up there on the left.”
“Thank you,” Dorian answered brusquely as they all started to run down the corridor. They had to get to the room to discuss with the generals and military personnel what the plan was going to be.
As Dorian turned the corner to the left, he found himself in a room of the most hardened men of Sapphira looking weary and disbelieving. Some were clearly trying to hide their fear as they looked up at their king.
“Gentlemen,” Dorian haltered in the doorway as they all turned to face him with the same looks on their face. Nearly twenty men wore a solemn, somber expression. The king sighed sadly. He knew that he had to do something. For the sake of his world, for the sake of his city, and most of all, for the sake of his men, he had to give them the encouragement that they needed in this time of anxiety and uncertainty.
He walked up to the front of the room and stood on the small platform next to the podium. He looked around and hurriedly tried to think of something to say. Dorian couldn’t explain it, but he recalled what his old advisor, Haiasi had told him after the death and funeral of his father.
“Gentlemen, words cannot express the turmoil of the soul during times such as these. We have been faced with many trials in daily living, and it is not always so easy to see the light in the midst of darkness as consuming as this.” As he paused, Dorian took note of the men looking up to meet his gaze. He nodded and continued. “However it is times like these that mold us, shape us, strengthen us, and most importantly, teach us. We cannot know what life holds in store for us, only that we must go on for the sake of those who have come before us, and for the sake of those who will come after us. We cannot know what will happen, or what may not happen, or how we shall ever deal with any of this in the end. But what we do know is, we must put forth our best efforts to eliminate the iniquity in front of us for the moment, in hopes of achieving to the next moment, until the light of day once again brightly shines from its eternal beacon.”
The men all nodded at his words, some even smiling a bit. One of them started clapping, and eventually the others joined in. Soon, Dorian broke out in a grin and laughed. “Come on, you guys, it’s time to get to work!”
Russert humbly approached him and nodded. “Great speech, Your Royal Majesty,” he congratulated.
“It wasn’t mine,” Dorian admitted, “But it worked quite well, I will agree.” I hope that Haiasi doesn’t mind, he thought as he remembered the kindness of his late advisor.
It was times like these that reminded Dorian of the peace that he felt at Haiasi’s assurances that there was a Guardian, and he watched over the monarchy like he promised he would. He recalled how Haiasi would tell him and Selene about the tales of the Guardian from the Sacred Book when they were younger. When Haiasi had died, Dorian put all that behind him. Losing his trusted advisor had been much worse than losing his real father. Dorian still didn’t know how the King of Crystallon, in the World of Dreams, could ever let a man like Haiasi, who was so devoted to the Guardian’s message, die.
Dorian shrugged the subject off of his mind. He had no time to worry about that now. He had a plan to discuss, and no doubt the council would be present soon enough to argue back and forth about the points of the counterattack. He was about to take a seat and call forth ideas from his compatriots, but the door burst open and a very rumpled handmaiden stepped inside the room.
Without even taking the time to bow, she pointed towards the keep of the castle. “Your Majesty! I am Chevée, a handmaiden to the princess. I have come to tell you that Her Highness is in trouble!”
“What?” Dorian and everyone else in the room froze. “Where is Selene?”
“She’s been trapped by a fallen ceiling, Sire,” Chevée wept. “We do not know if she lives or if ... if ... if ... ” she could not bring herself to finish the sentence, hanging her head at the mere thought of such a tragedy.
Dorian bounded out of his seat and hurried to the door. “Take me to her, now!” Turning back to the military personnel and his wartime advisors, he pointed over to Russert. “Start planning, gentlemen! I shall return within a reasonable amount of time. Russert is in charge. I will be back.” Then he looked back at Chevée and said, “Go, lead the way!”
IT WAS HOURS LATER, unbeknownst to her. She felt surrounded by a dark and empty void. All at once there was an icy feeling all around, sending a prickling sensation through her body. She was aware that at that moment, she was not alone. There was no sound to be heard; there was only a chill in the wind.
“Selene ... ”
Hmm ... what? Who’s calling me? Selene struggled to open her eyes. A flicker of light caught her attention. What’s going on? Am I dead? Why does that voice sound familiar?
“Wake up ... my precious child ... ” the voice called patiently. “I am.”
That voice, there it was again, calling to her amidst the darkness. A bubble of light began to sparkle.
Selene felt the dryness of her lips as she whispered, “Who are you?” It was a question born of wonder more than curiosity. The light bubbled again and she heard no reply. “Do I know you?”
But the voice did not respond. The light flickered again, this time flaring up bright. Selene felt the darkness disperse, almost sliding away from her as her eyes opened just enough to see that she was in a bright, white room. She was lying in a bed. She could feel nothing wrong with her, but she could not move. There was a tube in her arm, and bandages on her wrists, her hands, and also one on her left knee.
Selene could barely open her swollen eyelids, but she could just make out her handmaidens Kadrianne and Cyerra sitting by the doorway. Both were looking extremely worn out and tired, and it also looked like they had been crying.
She said nothing. She was rapidly awakening, and Selene could now hear the sounds of the heart monitors, the blood pressure readings, the humming of the air cooler, and the sound of doctors being paged over the paging system in the hall.
She sighed, causing Kadrianne to glance at her, amazed
“Your Highness!” she cried joyfully, nearly hopping over. She made her way to Selene’s side, Cyerra close at her heels. “Oh, Princess, we were all so afraid for you!”
“Kadrianne?” Even to herself, Selene thought she sounded scratchy and hoarse.
“Yes, Your Highness, it is,” Kadrianne assured her. “How do you feel?”
“Can you talk okay?” Cyerra asked. “Are you in pain at all?”
Selene nodded slightly. “What happened?” she just managed to get out. Looking around she realized that she was not in her palace room. “Where am I?”
“We are in the medical ward of the Silverton City limits, Your Highness. It is a town a relatively short transport from the palace. For the moment, there are several high-ranking court individuals here who are being treated for the wounds they had received earlier,” Cyerra explained.
“Earlier, Cyerra?”
Kadrianne intervened here, stepping forward. “Yes. Don’t concern yourself with that though, Lady Princess. You just worry about you for the moment. Cyerra, I’m going to tell Yana to tell His Majesty that the Princess has awoken. Stay here, please.”
&
nbsp; Cyerra nodded as Kadrianne hurried off. “There are no completely safe Medical Wards in Diamond City, so we came here, Your Highness, and that’s why you’re here in Silverton. Do try to go back to sleep though, Your Highness. You’ve had a rough day,” Cyerra smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m here. We’ll all look after you.”
Her words seemed to echo in Selene’s head. The princess nearly jumped.
“ Selene, don’t worry ... Of course I saved you. I told you I would always look after you, didn’t I?” Her memory suddenly came rushing back to her. Aemon ... The fight ... the attack ... the column ... Etoileon. Selene could hear the roar of the falling debris, and could feel warm in the arms of her protector holding her tight. Then just as quickly, the warmth was gone. She shivered.
“Cyerra,” Selene whispered softly. “Where’s Etoileon? Is he okay?”
“Don’t worry about him, Your Highness,” Cyerra said in soothing tones. “Just worry about yourself for now.” Cyerra hoped that the Princess would not push on the matter; she was avoiding a direct answer.
Selene looked up into her servant’s eyes and saw the anxiety. Selene tried to sit up, but Cyerra shook her head. “Don’t move, Princess, it is not good for you.”
Silence descended on the room for what seemed like hours. Selene lay there, trying to listen to Cyerra and go back to sleep. But she could not. She felt like she was waiting for something, but she didn’t know what it was or why.
Selene looked around, suddenly remembering the voice that had called to her. “Cyerra, who else was in here? Who was calling for me to wake up?”
Cyerra looked up at Selene with a confused look. “I’m sorry Your Highness,” she said, “Yana and Chevée, as well as Rosaria, all of them remained at the castle to help with the minor injuries. There has been no one in here but Lady Kadrianne and myself for hours, and we have been silently waiting here for hours. You must have been dreaming.”
“I see.” Selene was certain that Cyerra would not lie to her, but who could have been the one who had called to her?
YANA LOOKED ON THE king with sympathy as she waited to address him. Her brown eyes darted around as she looked around inconspicuously. As the princess’s handmaiden, she was called to be on alert for all action. She stood still as she watched the scene before her take place.
Dorian was seated in front of military advisors and general lieutenants. For the moment they were listening to the report of the CCA, the Command Control Agency. The reporter was briefing the King on the series of retribution that the palace forces had managed to unleash upon the Rebels. Several of the judges had come to hear the battle plans as well, but it looked like there was not much of a battle anymore. It had been hours since the attack. The news was not encouraging.
“Sire, to conclude, we have been ineffective in preparation for and launching against this threat to international peace. It has been known for a matter of weeks that some of the Southern Sea islands were considering leaving the monarchy, but there was no solid proof to suggest that any arbitrary action would occur prior to –“
“This morning,” Dorian interrupted smoothly. “We have no doubt figured this out on our own, Lord Melvin. We know that our city will need to be rebuilt, as your counterparts from the City Protection Agency have told us. We also know that the extent of the damage will cost several millions in currency. And I am half ashamed to call you members of this court.” He stood up, surprising more than a few with his last statement. He waved them off. “These reports were not supposed to be redundant. What I want to know is where we go from here, gentlemen. I want to know their next move, and the one after that. I want spies sent out, people bribed, paid, information acquired. How many supporters are there for us? For them? How long until the countries of this world are all safe again?”
No one dared to answer the king. He was under control of his emotions, but his patience was starting to get the better of him. Dorian sat down again, aware that he had to remain calm. “Lord Melvin. I am sorry to interrupt you, but I want to hear more of our responding attacks.”
“The responding attacks, Sire, well ... they have not been well executed. Several of our planes were destroyed when a missile hit one of the landing hangars and a couple of the airplane runways. The pilot squadrons were not able to get into the hangar to get to their skyfighters because the power went out in that part of the city and the doors were unable to be opened. Soldiers on foot have been recruited to help move the dead and rescue those trapped alive in fallen buildings.”
“So we have had no chance to counterattack?” Dorian asked.
“Not entirely, Sire. Some pilots were patrolling the coastline and were able to go into emergency attack mode. Some ships are sinking just outside the city harbor as we speak. Several members of the Imperial Navy have been called into action. But other than these legions, there has been no chance to counter.”
“I see.” Dorian was calm again. He stood up and gave a small smile to the audience. “Gentlemen, I do believe that I have heard enough for today. I will expect hourly reports on the developments. I leave the armies in control of Commodore Rosemont, who served in the time of my father, the late King Lukiahs. I trust his judgment and leave the controls to him for now. We will resume at first light tomorrow morning.”
He hesitated slightly before he continued. “I also ask that you forgive me for what I am about to say. Most of you who know me, know I am not a devout believer in the Guardian or his power. But I ask that those of you who are, or are willing to try for my sake, to pray for the safety of our dear Princess. Selene has suffered greatly from the attacks and is currently in the Critical Care Department in the Royal Hospital.”
The judges and a few of the men in the audience bowed their heads respectfully and murmured their assurances and promises at the King’s request.
Yana smiled at the King’s kindness. It was well known that the generations of rulers had not been particularly submissive to the teachings of the ancients as technology had increased. But it was heartwarming to see that he cared so much for his sister.
As the men filed out past her, Yana looked at the ground and humbly waited for the crowd to leave she straightened once they were gone, and moved to address the King.
As she approached, she could see the heavy black circles under his eyes, but he looked more than tired. He looked vulnerable. Yana quietly bowed and awaited his acknowledgement.
“Rise,” Dorian commanded, slumping into his chair. He gazed at her with heavy eyelids, but recognizing the insignia on her cloak, he knew that this was a handmaiden of Selene’s. He had trouble remembering which one she was, but he knew that he’d seen her face before. Dorian mustered up all he could in order to pay full attention to the news; he’d been anticipating news of his sister for hours.
“Your Majesty,” Yana bowed again. “I bring you good news. Your sister, Her Highness the Princess, has awoken from her unconsciousness. I have the report from Lady Kadrianne. Her Highness is slowly coming around. The doctors say that she will no doubt make a full, steady recovery.”
Dorian visibly relaxed at the news. “Thank goodness,” he muttered. “I was so worried.”
“We all were, Your Majesty,” Yana reminded him. Until then, her eyes had been on the floor in respect, but now she raised her eyes to meet his. “I know it is not my place to say so, but I would like to say that I was quite touched that you would ask your council to pray for her, Your Majesty.”
Dorian was surprised and pleased with her remark, even if it wasn’t her place to say such things. “Thank you ... I’m sorry, your name, please? I know you are not the one I met earlier.”
“My name is Yana,” she smiled. “You are most welcome ... Your Majesty.” She blushed at her surprising show of courage.
“Please tell the doctors that Selene is to do what they tell her. If there is a problem, I shall handle it. But until she gets better, she is not to push herself. Please make sure that is understood, Lady Yana.”
The handmaiden nodd
ed, a silent understanding made; they both knew that Selene had a tendency to disobey orders from time to time, especially when she did not see how their reasoning could be right.
“Is that all you have for me?” Dorian asked.
“For now, Your Majesty.”
“You may go then,” Dorian nodded to her. He had to admit, as Yana turned and headed back to the hospital rooms, he was a little sorry to see the pretty girl leave; she had been by far his favorite audience.
SELENE STRUGGLED DESPITE Cyerra’s earlier warning to elevate her head somewhat. Her mind was racing at this point, with the memories of what had happened before she’d blacked out. Her voice was ragged and her breathing quickened as she once again asked, “Where’s Etoileon?”
Cyerra just looked at her this time, unsure. The princess truly cared for her friend, she knew. It would be wrong to keep it from her. But for her safety, should she? Cyerra heard a beeping noise and turned to find the stress level readings were peaking.
Kadrianne walked into the room, saving Cyerra from deciding. “Yana reports that His Majesty the King is at a meeting with the reconstruction assembly for the moment, but he has responded saying that he will come and see you soon, Your Highness.” Kadrianne suddenly frowned. “Your Highness, you should really relax. Everything is under control now that you’re awake.”
“Stop it!” Selene ordered, on the brink of having a breakdown. “Tell me, now, Kadrianne, where is Etoileon?”
Kadrianne pursed her lips in mild annoyance. “He is in the room down the hall, Your Highness. Do not worry about him.”
“Why?”
“Because you do not need to worry about him. However, if you keep up this stress level”—Kadrianne glanced at the heart monitor screen—“You will need to worry about yourself even more. And Aura will be down here to scold you.”
