by T J Trapp
The only blot on the situation was Brun. Alec could tell that Brun hated him – and Erin – and not because he had slain Brun’s son. Brun was Queen Therin’s consort in name only and never spent time with the Queen or the family; he only showed up at formal occasions when required in his role as official Consort or as the head of the Theland Council. At those occasions, there was a clear standoff between Brun and the remainder of the Queen’s family.
As the hot humid days of summer faded into the cooler clime of autumn, Erin and Alec had time to relax and enjoy their new life together. After the hardships of their captivity and their arduous journey, Erin was relieved to be once again pampered and treated like the royal princess that she was. Alec decided that having servants, including a personal valet, was a nice perk of being a royal consort. He adapted to the local styles of clothing, let his hair grow a bit longer, and wore a short beard. Erin introduced Alec to her friends, showed him the local sights, and took him on long rides in the surrounding countryside.
The approach of autumn and colder days meant more time was spent indoors, often by a nice fire in the large fireplace in their quarters.
“All we need is a dog curled up at our feet,” Alec said one evening as they sat by the fire.
“Dog?” exclaimed Erin. “What for! We have no food refuse in here!”
“Not to eat garbage,” Alec said. “You know, like a pet.”
“‘Pet?’”
“An animal like a dog or a cat that you keep for companionship,” Alec said. Suddenly he realized that he had not seen any pets in Theland, just the village street dogs who seem to scavenge garbage – and the hate-filled sentry dogs. And cats didn’t seem to exist here.
“You mean you would keep an animal – a dog – for no other reason than to provide ‘companionship’?” said Erin, arching her brows. “That seems like a waste of time, and food. And you would let it enter your residence?”
“Yes, to curl up in front of the fire.”
“But what work would it do? What would it do to earn its place?”
“Well, I guess you could have a dog that worked. Like help hunt, or round up cattle, or pull a little cart. But mostly, just to have around, to be a pet.”
“A ‘pet” – that sounds like nonsense!”
“Well, if you spend enough time with a pet, you become quite fond of it,” Alec said.
“Fond of an animal!” Erin snorted.
✽✽✽
The Queen began to demand more of Erin in order to prepare her for her future role, and Erin spent time with her mother learning the day-to-day business of the governing the realm. Occasionally, Amelia, Brun’s daughter, joined the two women – more as a formality than anything else, Alec decided. Erin told him that Amelia was so inept – or disinterested – that she could not keep the simplest concepts of government straight or remember the names of the current ministers or other government officials.
Alec had no problem keeping busy. Queen Therin introduced Alec to the local scholars, who were very willing to show off their knowledge to the Princess’ wizardly Consort. The scholars could recount every ancestor of the Queen all the way back to the Original Five. The older archivists maintained the country’s historical records but taught their younger apprentices largely through rote recital instead of scholarly research – many could not read. They had detailed records of every event for the past five-hundred years but seemed to have no records before that.
“Why is that?” asked Alec, surprised.
The archivist huffed. “I do not know why anyone would be the least bit interested in events that happened before the Founding!” he replied. “Our story starts with our Original Five. There is no point in reciting the things that happened before then, if there even was a time before then.”
“But, surely, there was a reason that those five people – ‘elves’ – came here to create Theland,” Alec pressed.
“Well,” the old man said, looking over his reading glass at Alec, “I suppose that perhaps they did have a reason to start the world here. I have heard – but this is just a story, mind you – that some events before the Founding were inscribed in The Book of Queens; but only the Queen can read that book. I have never seen it, and I know of no one else who would have knowledge of these things.”
Alec did note a strange coincidence. All the Queen’s ancestors had precisely three children, a son, a daughter, and then another son. One evening when he was talking to Erin about their future, he asked about this.
“I have been going over the history of your country with the scholars. I have noticed that the records show that all of your ancestors had three children; no more, no less. Is that what you want to happen with us?”
Erin looked surprised at the question. “Of course we will have three children! There is no other choice.”
“What?” Alec said, confused.
“That is one of the marks of a descendant of the founding elves. The direct descendants of the Originals always have three children: a boy, a girl, and a boy. Then we have no more children. When you and I are ready to pup, our first will be a son, and he will be wonderful just like you. Our second will be a daughter, and she will eventually become Queen after me; and our third will be a son, like Colin. We need to have two males, because so many are killed in battle. But I am not yet ready to pup. I want to do more before I settle down and raise our family. And I think you do, too.”
“So our future is pre-ordained,” Alec said, stroking his beard. As an only child, he had thought it would be nice to have more than one offspring, but had not thought about how many, or their genders, or that he would have no choice.
Alec also spent time with the scholars trying to understand the geography of the area. The steep jagged mountains he had passed on the road to Theland reminded him of the Cascade Range in Washington State along the Pacific coast, but when he questioned the scholars about geology or volcanology or plate tectonics, he was met with blank stares. The scholars had very detailed maps of the land between the mountains and less-detailed maps of the surrounding regions, including the Grasslands, Gott, and the Elf Mountains. They had no maps beyond that, and no notion that there might be lands beyond, or what they might be. The concept of a round planet was too ridiculous for them to consider.
✽✽✽
One fall evening, after an afternoon quizzing the archivist, while they dined with the Queen, Alec used the opportunity to ask about the book. “My Queen, the scholars talk about a book called The Book of Queens. They talk reverently about the book but claim that only you have access. May I ask: what is the book?”
Queen Therin paused, then answered, choosing her words carefully. “Yes, there is a Book of Queens. It was written late in the life of the First Queen of Theland as a guide to her daughter. The First Queen requested that the Book be read only by the current queen and passed down to her daughter when it was time. And so it has been passed down, through our line of Queens, to me.” The Queen stopped and thought for a while. “Maybe it is time to tell Erin about the Book. You may listen if it is permissible to her.”
Erin nodded her agreement, and her mother continued. “There is much in the Book that might be upsetting, so, please do not repeat to outsiders any of what I am about to tell you. The secrets of the Queen are just that – secrets of the Queen only. I have not even shared the contents with my Consort, although he has pressed me to do so.” Erin and Alec pledged their agreement.
“The First Queen of our land was an elf named Lian. Lian was a full elf, not a cross-breed, and in the Book she claims that she was the first elf born on this world. She was born about five-hundred-fifty years ago in the elf colony called the New Haven, not long after the elves arrived on this world. In the Book, she claimed her mother was not only not born on this world but wasn’t even born in this universe. Until I heard your story,” and the Queen nodded towards Alec, “I thought the concept of being born on another world was fanciful and invented – perhaps an allegory for a time before knowled
ge. Now I am not so sure – maybe she actually meant that her mother came from outside this world.
“Lian claimed her mother was a direct descendant of the ‘Dragon Queen.’ I have not heard of such a being anywhere else, and I do not know who – or what – that might have been. Or what that meant. Lian’s elf-clutch – family – and many other elves came to this world because they did not want to be part of a civil war among the elves – she called that conflict ‘the War of Dragon Succession.’
“In the Book, she writes that initially the elves established a settlement in the Elf Mountains – the New Haven. They also established herds of a race they called ‘the orb’ in Gott and in the land on the other side of the Elf Mountains. I do not know the name of that far land, or even if it really exists. Lian wrote that the elves captured free orbs and made them slaves. She called that ‘culling,’ and the culled orb slaves, ‘drones.’ The elves apparently used the drones to provide for their every need.
“The people of Gott, and the people in the land on the far side of the Elf Mountains, are descendants of the elf drones, not the elves. The Gott would not like this story. If they ever heard this – that they were descended from slaves – they would be very insulted and might cause a war to defend their honor.” She looked sternly at Erin, and Alec, and they nodded.
“According to The Book of Queens, Lian and her family and her drones, along with four other elf families and their drones, came from the Elf Mountains to escape from the regimented life they lived there. She formed a new elf settlement in our valley. Those families were the Original Five. They settled here in peace.”
“The elf war from beyond the sky somehow expanded to this world and the elves in the mountains became engulfed in that war. Lian and her settlement decided to live a quiet life here in our valley and let the war pass them by, so they distanced themselves from the elves in the mountains. That’s when our land, Theland, became a separate realm. The elves chose Lian to be their ruler – she was the First Queen.”
“But the scholars told me that they felt there was no time before the founding of Theland – that time began with the Founding,” Alec interjected.
“Well, yes, they think that, because they have not seen nor read The Book of Queens,” Queen Therin explained simply. “They think that because our oral history starts with the Founding, they have no reason to believe that anything happened before that time. That is the history they know.”
“Are there still elves here in Theland?” Alec could hardly believe that he was asking a serious question about elves.
“Over time, with the passage of the generations, the pure elf lineage has died out here in Theland,” the Queen explained. “For reasons that have to do with the elves’ strange biology and reproductive life, very few purebred elves were ever born in this valley, and none have been born here for several hundred years. Lian must have consorted with someone who was not a pure elf, because her daughter was part elf and part orb: a cross-breed. The daughter, who became the next Queen, passed along that genetic heritage to all of Lian’s descendants. The Book of Queens dwells for many pages on the genetics and lineage of elves, orbs, and cross-breeds. When you have time to spare, Erin, you may read it; it is difficult to read because the parchment is fragile and the runes are of the old language and the ink is fading. The important thing for you to remember, however, is that many of the people of our land carry the mixed blood of both elves and orbs. Just as I do. Just as you do.”
Erin let this sink in, and then asked her mother, “What about the Stone of Truth? Where did it come from?”
“The Stone is said to be an artifact that Lian’s family brought from the mountains over five hundred years ago. It has rested in the center of Freeland City since the beginning of our times. In The Book of Queens, Lian mentions that the stone had been in her family for centuries, but does not dwell on its property of revealing truth. I suppose that since back then all of the women elves had rings like ours, and could sense the truth, the Stone of Truth wasn’t really very interesting to them. But our annals show that later on, our Queens began to use the Stone to show the people that they were making true decisions. Apparently in times past, some of our citizens doubted one or another of our predecessor Queens. So over time the Queens began to use it more often. I myself use it, though only sparingly, for matters of deeper consequence or where there is contention among my subjects.”
“If she didn’t need it to tell truth, then why did she bring it here?” asked Alec.
“According to Lian, the Stone’s original use was to determine ‘when the dragon blood runs true’ in a person.”
“‘Dragon blood?’” questioned Erin.
“Lian does not explain that. I don’t know what ‘dragon blood’ refers to. It might have something to do with the reference to ‘the Dragon Queen.’ The Book simply says that ‘only she with a strong vein of the blood of the dragon’ can make the Stone change colors, and that ‘transparency comes with strength of blood.’ I take that to mean that the more transparent the Stone becomes, the stronger the user’s blood line. I can make the Stone rather transparent, but it is still milky. I am sure that you will be able to do the same. I suspect, however, that Amelia would never be able to use it very well, because she is of a different lineage than us.”
“I have ‘dragon’s blood!’” exclaimed Erin with playful delight. “I always wanted to soar through the air like the dragon I saw.” Alec rolled his eyes.
“Lian writes of dragons with the same awe that you have, Daughter. She viewed them as formerly-grand creatures that the elves subverted and turned into terrible war machines. Her writing hints that the war the Original Five were trying to avoid had something to do with the dragons.”
Alec was now beyond being astounded at stories of flying dragons and warring elves and stones that changed color, here in a world of five moons where the most learned scholars thought that their planet was flat. He felt that all of these phenomena must have something to do with the dark energy fields in this world. That, or too many sips of the juice of the purple mushroom.
As Erin flapped her imaginary wings, Alec broke in, changing the subject. “I keep thinking of your rings, and why they work the way that they do. I understand how my medallion works, but your rings must be as complex as my medallion. I don’t understand where the rings came from. Certainly, the rings had to come from somewhere else – are they discussed in the Book?” asked Alec.
“The Original Five founding elf clutches each brought two rings with them. Over the generations, three sets of the rings have been lost. There is no mention in the Book where or how the rings were originally made, but I suspect the elves brought the rings with them when they first settled on our world. Lian’s writings indicate the rings were very precious and were very difficult to replace.”
“Mother,” Erin interjected, “Alec taught me how to use my ring to gain greater powers. You should work with Alec to see if he can teach you also.” Queen Therin nodded in agreement.
Then the Queen’s attendants entered with the next course of their evening meal. The Queen gave Erin and Alec a look that said that they must not continue their discussion about The Book of Queens around the servers, and the dinner conversation transitioned to the Queen’s plans for the annual harvest ball and associated fall festival.
✽✽✽
Erin introduced Alec to the local Seer – the old woman who had given Erin the prophesy before she had left Theland. The Seer was a disappointment to Alec. She had a rudimentary focus crystal that could barely concentrate dark energy. She used her crystal to develop fuzzy images which she then interpreted as prophecies about the future. Alec could feel a flow of energy around the Seer but wasn’t sure what it involved. Alec asked the Seer about other wizards.
“I have heard of other wizards, like you,” she said, stabbing her gnarled finger towards Alec, “but I never met one. Most people claiming to be wizards are charlatans – imposters.” She frowned at Alec.
One ni
ght at dinner, Alec asked Queen Therin about the Seer.
“If I had known what she told Erin – what she said that made my daughter go off with her brother on that caravan – I would have had her flayed alive! Now am I content to let her spend the rest of her days as a doddering old woman.” The Queen spat. “When her daughter takes over as Seer, I will have a long talk with her about the proper limits. Especially when she is talking to a Princess!”
“But why does she have a dark energy device – that old crystal – in the first place?”
The Queen shrugged. “That old crystal has been handed down through the Seers, from mother to daughter, since the Founding. I don’t know where it came from, but legend has it that many generations ago the Seers had a very important role in our society: to nurture our future generations, protect our people from ill will, and discern omens. Now the Seer’s role is mostly ceremonial; sometimes I’m not sure why we keep her on. But – it’s our tradition. We have so many traditions!” The Queen laughed.
✽✽✽
Throughout the autumn Alec and Erin both practiced every day to improve their fighting skills. They worked together to improve Erin’s special sword that Alec had made and increase her mastery of commanding its special powers. Erin redoubled her weapons training, and Alec worked hard to develop a rudimentary proficiency with various weapons. While Alec became marginally proficient, Erin continued to excel and was better than any of the local weapon-masters. Often in their practice sessions, two masters fighting in combination could not beat her.
They spent quite a bit of time honing their ability to read each other’s thoughts when they were wearing their rings, and to converse in this manner. Additionally, Alec spent time working with dark energy and learning different ways to use it. He also tutored Erin in what he learned. Erin found she could focus small amounts of dark energy but could not handle significant amounts like Alec. In fact, Erin found that using dark energy in combination with a medallion limited her sensitivity to her ring; she decided that she would concentrate on learning to use her ring and leave most of the dark energy business to Alec.
