Edward, wandering about the castle at that very moment, was pondering the same question Lucinda had asked Jason. He was now king, but had no queen to help him rule this kingdom. Edward remembered how in the years of his mother’s absence his father seemed incomplete. When she had returned from her long captivity, that wholeness had been restored, and their lives felt the fullness she provided. Edward longed for that kind of wife, a companion that would complete what was lacking in his life. But when Edward tried to list the qualities and character he wanted for his queen, he could not. This was very frustrating to him, to know he needed a wife, but had no idea what type of woman would be best for him. Why hadn’t his father given him more instruction in this area before his passing. Since Edward no longer had a father he turned his eyes heavenward and prayed:
“O God, Creator and Father of all, you have made man to wander upon this earth. And you have made him feel the need for a wife to be his helper, bear his children, and fill his life with happiness that his days might be complete. O God, if it be your will, help me find the wife I know not how to find on my own.”
In his wandering daze he found himself in the stables facing his royal mount. He took the horse from his stall and began to saddle the horse, not knowing where he would go or why, just that he needed some time to think. As Edward rode out of the castle, he wore his outdoor clothes that showed no hint of his royalty. Nor was the saddle the horse wore, the normal king’s saddle. He had used one of the palace guards saddles instead. He headed south along the Halfstaff river and came to the only bridge that crossed the river in the whole kingdom. He crossed the bridge and headed east through one of the few small forests in the valley of Glenfair. Emerging from the forest he came to the outskirts of the little village of Brittany. Outside this village was a spring that had been built up with rock until the water filled a small pool and spilled over into a small creek. Around the spring were many seating places that people had constructed. Edward decided to stop here and rest awhile by the spring. then maybe later he would go into the village and get something to eat, as he had brought nothing with him.
Scarcely had Edward sat down that he noticed someone coming from the little village. It was a young woman who was carrying a water jar and a cup. He watched as she filled the jar from the spring and then filled the cup and started to put it to her mouth. At that instant she saw Edward sitting underneath the tree, for his horse had been quiet.
“Would you like a drink of water,” she said to Edward as she brought him the cup. Edward thanked her and took the cup. The water was cool and sweet. The young woman watched the way Edward drank the water and smiled at the enjoyment he was receiving from the cool water.
“Perhaps your horse would like a drink as well,” the young woman said. Without waiting for an answer, she untied his horse and took it over to the spring and let the horse drink deeply of the cool water. Edward watched all this with interest. People, he knew, would treat him different because he was the king. But somehow he felt there was more kindness in this than preferential treatment.
When the woman returned with the horse, she asked him; “Are you a stranger just passing through, or do you have some business in our small village?”
Edward was stunned, she had no idea who he was. The shock must have shown on his face, for the woman apologized.
“I am sorry, it is none of my business. I was just curious.”
Edward gathered his composure quickly and stated, “You do not need to apologize, I was just wandering about these parts and had stopped at this village to perhaps get something to eat.”
“If it would please you sir,” the young woman said, “my family would be delighted to provide lunch for you.”
Edward hesitated but then answered, “I would like that very much.”
“Come then, and I will show you where we live.”
Edward walked beside the young woman and thought; she is very beautiful and friendly, and I don’t even know her name. Soon they reached the village and Edward pulled his cloak closer and lowered his head so he would not be noticed or recognized. He had never intended on hiding his identity when he set out that morning, but now that the young woman did not know who he was, he wanted to keep his identity secret for the time being. The young woman noticed this, but did not mention it to Edward. They passed through the village without incident, and came to her home. They went to the back where they tied up Edward’s horse out of sight of the village and entered the small cottage. When they were inside, the young woman introduced Edward to its occupants.
“This is my mother, Telfra, and my sister, Damara.” They both smiled a warm greeting to Edward.
“If I may ask,” Edward said, “what is your name, for you have not told me.”
“I am sorry,” the young woman stated. “My name is Brianna. And your name would be...”
“Edward,” he stated, waiting for some recognition. Instead he was surprised once again by Brianna’s sister.
“That is a wonderful name, the same as the new king of this land.”
Brianna smiled at her sister’s statement and then said to her mother, “I have invited Edward to have lunch with us today.” They sat down as her mother went to prepare the food.
“Did you go to the king’s coronation?” Edward asked.
“No,” Brianna answered. “We have not been long in this wonderful land and did not feel free to be part of such a wonderful occasion. You have probably noticed by our accents that we are not natives of Glenfair.”
“I had noticed,” Edward smiled. “How long have you been living in Glenfair?”
“We have been here four years,” Damara happily interjected. Brianna frowned at her younger sister for the interruption.
“Have you paid any tribute since you have lived in Glenfair?” asked Edward.
“Yes we have,” Brianna said proudly.
“Then,” Edward stated plainly, “you are entitled to be a part of any of its celebrations. You should plan to come to the summer feast at the king’s castle. It is a wonderful time of celebration.”
“We will think about it,” Brianna said smiling. “Will you be there?”
“Of a certainty, I will,” Edward replied. Brianna’s sister Damara giggled at this, drawing another frown from Brianna. At that moment her mother came in with lunch and they began to eat.
As they ate, Edward asked them, “What land are you from?”
Damara answered quickly, “From the Sabatol kingdom.”
“Ah, yes,” Edward said, “I should have recognized your speech. Why have you come to Glenfair?”
At this question there was silence from the three women, and they even stopped eating. Edward noticed their hesitation, but before he could frame any kind of response in his mind, Brianna answered.
“Our cousin, Razcon, is the king of the Sabatols. When he came to the throne, he decided to kill all of the royal bloodline so there would be no competition for his power. We barely escaped with our lives. He is an evil man and I believe he still wishes us dead. We fled here because assassins are afraid to come into this land. The story is still told of how the great weapons master Allterus took a job in Glenfair and met his doom here.” Brianna’s mother interrupted her at this point and admonished her.
“Brianna, we will not be safe if you tell strangers why we are here.” As she said this she gave a stern look at Edward.
Brianna looked at Edward as well and said, “I know I am taking a risk in revealing this to someone I barely know, but I believe Edward is an honorable man and can be trusted with such a secret. Besides, Razcon knows we are in Glenfair, he just does not know where.”
With this sharing of confidence, Edward said; “Brianna, there is something I must tell you....”
At that moment there was a knock at the door that made them all jump because of the content of their discussion.
Then a man’s voice could be heard asking; “Telfra, are you there? It is Jamath and I have that knife repaired and sh
arpened. Telfra rose and opened the door and the man came in. He was smiling until his eyes met those of Edward. The knife he held dropped to the floor and in the same instant he bent down on one knee before King Edward.
“Your majesty, if we had known you had entered our humble village we would have prepared a proper welcome for you. No one of the royal house has honored our village with their presence in many years.”
Edward looked at Telfra and Damara, and their mouths were hanging open in shock. He looked at Brianna but she was not shocked, instead her face was red with anger.
“You have deceived us and made us look foolish. Is this the sort of sport the king of Glenfair makes of his poor subjects? Leave this house immediately!”
“Brianna,” Jamath implored, “do not speak so to the king.”
“This is my house,” she replied. “I can ask him to leave if I want.”
Edward rose and headed for the door as Jamath pleaded; “Your majesty, please do not hold this insolent girl’s sin against the whole village.”
Edward stopped at the doorway and turned, “Brianna is right, I should have told you who I fully was. I never intended to deceive you. When you came to the well and showed kindness to me, I thought you were doing this because I was the king. Then I realized you did not know who I really was, you were showing kindness only to a stranger. I came to your home as a stranger, and you fed me and shared your confidence with me. I will not forget your kindness. Glenfair would do well to have citizens who are as kind and generous as you. And make no mistake, the king will protect its citizens from any threat or harm.”
After saying these things, Edward left abruptly, mounted his horse and rode off. Jamath scowled at Brianna and headed for the door, but once outside he saw that the king had gone.
Telfra came over to Brianna, who stood there bewildered by Edward’s parting words.
“My Brianna, you have such a sharp tongue. Put yourself in his place. What would you do if someone showed you kindness, not knowing you were the king. Would you ruin the moment by blurting out, I am the king! I think he was enjoying your company as you paid attention to the man, not his position.”
When the truth of her mother’s words dawned upon her she blurted out;
“Oh mother, what have I done? I have just thrown the king out of our house. Now I shall never see him again.”
Brianna’s mother smiled and thought, you shall see him again my daughter, I am sure of it.
As Edward rode back toward the king’s castle he could not help but think of the beautiful girl he had met in the little village of Brittany. He could not blame her for being upset. Who would not feel foolish and ashamed when they found out it was the king who had been dining with them. He should have thought of that. Then Edward smiled, Brianna had stood up to the king, not fearing to speak her mind when she felt she had been wronged. That was the kind of queen a king needed. Someone to speak up if they saw injustice, even the injustice of a king.
“Brianna,” Edward spoke her name softly, “you do not know it, but if God wills, you shall be the next queen of Glenfair.”
Jason and Lucinda were back home at Crestlaw castle. It had been three days since the coronation and funeral of their father. Lucinda had gone up to the tower study where her mother Lorriel used to go when she wanted some peace and quiet. She was restless and wandered over to the fireplace and the carvings of marble on the side. She depressed an apple in a carved apple tree and a hidden panel spun around to reveal an ancient riddle. Her mother had shown this to her many years ago as she told the stories of her adventures in pursuing the wisdom of the ancients. She read the riddle once again and began to think of days gone by. With those nostalgic thoughts, Lucinda began to feel a strange urge to wish herself to another place and time. She laughed at how silly those thoughts were, but the feelings persisted. Then it dawned upon her what was happening. Her mother and father had warned her that that she may possess her mother’s ability to shift time. Lucinda pondered for a moment and made a rash decision. I will travel two years into the future instead of the past, she thought. Lucinda knew that Andronicus could sense a shift in time. If she traveled to the past, then Jason and the rest would find out through Andronicus that she was a time shifter before she actually shifted time, and that may cause problems unforeseen. With these things reasoned out, Lucinda began to plan and concentrate on when and where she would travel in time. She needed to go to a place where she would not see herself, or be asked questions. The Prescott dukeship would be ideal. So Lucinda focused her concentration on the Prescott dukeship, two years into the future. Everything began to shimmer and fade as Lucinda began her first trip through time...
Andronicus drew back in wonder as the android became conscious after the power supply was turned on.
It looked around, and focusing on Andronicus asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Andronicus, your creator. I have constructed you as a duplicate of myself, a sort of clone.”
“Why?”, the clone asked.
“My body is wearing out from more than a 1,000 years of use. I need another body to transfer my memories and personality into. I normally would not have considered even attempting this if it were not for the love I have for the kingdom of Glenfair. There are four very special people who need my wisdom and guidance, and maybe their children for generations to come.”
“You love this kingdom and its people?” the clone asked with a halting voice. “Is this the reason you are going to transfer your memories into me?”
“Yes”, Andronicus replied.
“What will happen to me when you transfer your memories to this body?” the clone asked.
“Your own personality will cease to exist, and it will be replaced with my own. You will not remember you ever were conscious. Now, I must get the equipment ready for the transfer process.”
The clone asked no more questions, but stood silently thinking as Andronicus worked on the equipment needed for the transfer. It never occurred to Andronicus to withhold from the clone his true purpose, to spare it anxiety or concern. Andronicus viewed the temporary consciousness of the clone only as a short step to the completion of his project. To the clone, however, it meant the cessation of its consciousness, which it became increasingly unwilling to give up so easily. Andronicus had not considered all the possibilities that could occur by disabling the safety protocol inherent in every android’s programing. With the prohibition against harm absent in the new clone, its desire for self preservation became its first priority. Only the clone had no moral restraints to temper its actions or decisions. Andronicus’ own consciousness was to supply the moral guidance when it was transferred to the new body.
The clone waited and watched as Andronicus worked preparing the machines. It was thinking and formulating any plan that would enable its consciousness to survive. One thing the clone had decided, it would not yield quietly to having its mind erased.
As Andronicus worked, preparing for the transfer, he felt the shift in time. He stopped what he was doing and concentrated, making sure his senses did not deceive him.
Then he said aloud; “Lucinda, the gift of your mother has finally manifested itself!”
The clone felt the time shift as well, for it had the same capability as Andronicus, only it did not understand what it implied. Because of this, it was not distracted as Andronicus had been and saw the opportunity it was looking for. The clone took one step forward and swung a chopping blow to the back of Andronicus’ neck that sent him sprawling forward into the equipment. Andronicus rolled with the blow and came up facing the clone. The clone lunged for him and Andronicus being much more experienced in hand to hand combat threw the clone into the far wall of the Laboratory.
Why had he not anticipated such a response from the clone with its safety restraint disabled? Andronicus chided himself for such shortsighted planning. He had forgotten about the strong self preservation the clone would possess.
The clone recovered fr
om the crushing throw and approached Andronicus warily. It had not occurred to the clone to flee for its preservation. In its mind, the only way to be safe was to destroy Andronicus. But that was not the only motivation the clone possessed. Something twisted, evil, and hateful was coming to the surface as they battled. It wanted to kill, wanted to destroy, and began to take pleasure from those thoughts.
Andronicus knew he was in serious trouble. The clone was a duplicate of himself, and they should be evenly matched. But the centuries had weakened Andronicus and he no longer had the same strength or reflexes he once possessed. He had to disable the clone quickly or he would be destroyed.
The clone made a lunge and caught Andronicus’ left leg as he went by and Andronicus went down. The clone towered over Andronicus sprawled on the floor and started to reach down for him. At that moment Andronicus sprang upward from the floor and smashed into the descending clone. Up until this time Andronicus had only sparred with other human beings, never using his full strength or force. This was different, his life depended on using every strength and cunning that still remained after a millennia. The clone went flying upwards and back into the far wall once again with such force an imprint of his body remained in the wall. But the clone sprang back with such quickness that Andronicus could not avoid the tremendous collision of the two mechanical bodies. The force took both of them through the laboratory wall into the sitting room of the Hall of Wisdom. They grappled for a moment amidst the remains of the wall before Andronicus broke free. He quickly stepped into the kitchen keeping the table between himself and the clone as he tried to think. He had to reach the switch at the back of the clone’s neck and shut down its power. That would not be an easy task, for once the power was activated, only a series of pressing and releasing would shut the clone down. This was to insure that power would not be accidentally shut off by bumping the switch. Andronicus doubted he could activate the necessary code while struggling for his life with the clone.
Andronicus rarely felt fear. But now that emotion was very real to him. He not only feared for his own life, but for the lives of others if the clone should disable him and escape.
The King's Descendants Page 3
