Kingdom's Reign (11 page)

We mounted, and I looked at William, Rob, and Barrett to my right. I smiled as I remembered our adventures together. They smiled, as if also remembering. Talea rode to my left, and Cullen and Keely, along with the other two city prefects, were beside her. I was amidst warriors on a noble mission, and I was honored to be with them.

“Lead on, Sir Cedric,” William said with a broad smile.

“The honor is yours, Governor.” I bowed from my mount.

He smiled and then sat tall on his steed. “Move out!” he commanded, and we launched into the kingdom on a mission of restoration.

As we rode, we talked of our missions and our new responsibilities. I sensed uneasiness in all but Cullen. His wholehearted
ambition to serve the Prince seemed to overcome any lack of self-confidence, which was an encouragement to all of us. Cullen was an excellent addition to our company. If there was any apprehension in him, it was due to not knowing what had happened to family members he left behind.

I did not mind the length of our journey, because at its end William and I would part ways, and I was saddened at the thought. I knew no other kindred spirit like him, and I did not relish saying good-bye.

After many miles and much conversation, I realized that Talea had remained quiet through it all. I glanced her way, and William followed my gaze.

“Talea,” William addressed her. “You have a rather challenging task ahead of you since Cedric here seems to find trouble wherever he goes. You must do your best to keep him out of it.”

Talea smiled at him. “I'm sure it will be challenging indeed.” She quickly resumed her quiet demeanor.

I glanced at William, and he raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and thought how much she reminded me of most of the Silent Warriors … only prettier and smaller. Keely maneuvered her horse next to Talea and found a friend there, for which I was grateful.

At Chandril, we left Barrett and his men and traveled northeast. We rode many days and finally arrived in the region of Cameria. It was a green and lush land with many forests and lakes. From the moment we arrived, I sensed greater apprehension in Cullen. This was unusual for a man of his confidence
and caliber. He was obviously concerned about his family, but in addition, this land was his home, and he knew, as we all did, that his people had suffered greatly under the Dark Knight.

Most of the citizens welcomed us with open arms, both within the cities and without. They had tasted the evil deeds of Alexander Histen, Lucius's pseudonym for his role in Arrethtrae, and had been severely oppressed. Only those who had enjoyed positions of power and authority from Lucius resisted, and they were quickly routed, for Lucius and most of the Shadow Warriors were now in the prisons of the Wasteland. As is the case with all tyrannical, oppressive governments, only the leaders had prospered. This was clearly evident on the weary faces of the people and in the dilapidated condition of most of the cities' streets, shops, and homes.

The knights who accompanied the prefects were given leadership positions, but I also encouraged each prefect to find trustworthy and respected citizens and assign them to positions of authority. The knights' jobs were not just to rule but also to gain the trust and respect of the people. In each city, the Code was reaffirmed as the principle doctrine to govern each heart.

William traveled to each of the cities since he would ultimately be responsible for the entire region. Only one city remained: Elttaes. We had been delayed at Kroywen since it had been the largest and the most difficult in which to establish the new rule. It was also where William chose to reside because of its centrality to the other four cities. Cullen and his men departed for Elttaes before we were ready to leave Kroywen. He was anxious to return to the city to discover what fate his family
and friends had endured. Unfortunately, no city, village, or farm had been spared the treacherous deeds of Lucius or his evil men. But I was not too concerned for Cullen—he was from this region, and we had thus far been well received. I said my farewells to Rob, and then William, Talea, and I and our twenty-five men rode on to Elttaes, nearly a day behind Cullen.

Elttaes was more than a day's journey away, so we set up camp that evening near Lake Pensing. The next morning as the men broke camp, William and I walked together, enjoying the vibrant beauty of the lake and forest and each other's fellowship.

“Well Cedric,” William said with a smile, “did you ever imagine that two poor fishermen like us would ever find such adventure in life?”

I laughed. “My biggest dream as a young man was to own a fishing boat, but now we are joint heirs to an entire kingdom.” I shook my head, still not quite believing it all. “Only a child would dare to dream of such things, my friend.”

“Do you remember our willow-stick swords that we fought with to save the maiden in distress?” he asked.

“Yes … along the banks of the river near Leinad's home …” I could almost make myself believe I was there.

William and I walked onto a large jagged rock outcropping that extended a few paces into the crystal-clear waters of the lake. As a boy I would have loved to jump from it and into the cool water below. We stopped and soaked up the beauty of the lake. The shadows began to shorten, and the morning song of a variety of birds was sweet to hear. It was a quiet moment of total contentment—a moment infringed upon only by the
realization of our near future. Both William and I knew that our time together was short. For the first time in our lives, we would be separated. As we looked far across the lake, I knew we both ached.

“You have been more than a brother to me, William,” I said, though I could not look at him. “You helped me find hope when it was difficult to do so.”

William did not face me either, but spoke to the lake. “Your friendship is more to me than life itself, Cedric. You have been my compass of wisdom … I will miss you more than I can say.”

I finally turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. He placed his hand on my forearm, and the powerful bond of brotherhood that only two Knights of the Prince could feel passed between us.

“Cedric. William.” I heard Talea's voice call from a short distance away in the forest behind us.

“This way,” I called back.

Talea joined us on the outcropping and spent a moment taking in the beauty of the lake. The seriousness of the mission disappeared from her countenance, and her eyes sparkled like a child's.

You are still a mystery to me, Talea
, I thought.

She broke her gaze and turned to me. “The men are nearly ready.”

“Very well … We will depart for Elttaes immediately,” I replied.

Talea turned her head slightly as if to listen for something.

“What is it, Talea?” William asked quietly.

“We are being watched,” she said in a whisper.

We inconspicuously began searching our surroundings. Except for the lake before us, trees obscured our view in all directions.

“There!” William exclaimed in a hushed tone as he pointed toward some trees off the lakeshore. We followed his finger and saw the slightest bit of motion receding into the trees and over a rise in the forest. We drew our swords and pursued. I was amazed at Talea's sense of awareness.

“Was it a person or an animal of some sort?” I asked as we ran through the trees.

“I couldn't tell,” replied William.

“It is a person,” Talea said.

We made it to the rise in terrain and stopped to regain sight of our fleeing spy. Talea took off again slightly left of our original course, and we too saw the occasional movement that was broken by the trees before us. We pursued for some distance until we came upon a small hut that was nestled in a quiet recess of the forest. We approached cautiously, scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.

“Is anyone here?” I called, supposing that at the most only two or three could live in such a small hut. I did not relish the thought of entering the hut, for not everyone in the kingdom was yet a friend of the Prince. And who was to know if all of the Shadow Warriors had truly been imprisoned? There was no reply.

“It looks abandoned to me,” William said.

I looked at Talea, but she made no comment. She was studying the house intently.

“We will investigate, but be careful,” I said and moved toward the door.

We entered the small hut. Though hardly livable, it was immediately apparent that someone had occupied it for some time. Talea and I investigated a larger room while William entered a smaller room off to our left. Our swords were drawn, and we were on full alert. A moment later I heard William speaking softly. We moved toward the open doorway.

“It's all right, miss. We are not here to harm you,” William said.

A frightened young woman stood in the corner of the room with her hands clenched about the handle of a long-knife—which was pointed at William. Her eyes darted toward us as we entered and then back to William. Her fear was stark, and I pitied her. She was frail and thin and probably quite attractive, but fear and malnutrition had robbed her of her beauty. She was breathing hard and looked as if she was at the end of her strength. Talea and I approached no further as William tried to assuage her apprehension.

“Please put the knife down … We want to help you.” William spoke in soothing tones.

“I don't believe you … You killed my father. Get away!”

“We did not kill your father, miss. We are …”

“All of Histen's men are murderers—stay back!” she yelled.

William was four paces away. He slowly sheathed his sword.

“I promise I will not hurt you,” he said, showing his empty hands as he inched closer. He suddenly froze though when the woman turned the knife and pressed its deadly blade against her own abdomen.

“I will not let you torture me too!” she said in a panicked voice.

William held up his hands. “We are not Histen's men. We are Knights of the Prince. We have come to help you, not hurt you! Please don't harm yourself!”

The woman hesitated as she tried to process William's words. “You are lying! There are no Knights of the Prince in Arrethtrae—they were all taken away, and we were left to suffer under Histen!” Tears began to fill her eyes. “My sister … my brother. They left us here … to die!”

William inched a little closer. “No, that is not true. The Prince has come back, and Histen is defeated. Look … look at my breastplate. It is the mark of the Prince, not Histen!” William said passionately. “Give the knife to me, and I will show you that what I speak is true.”

The woman was obviously struggling between fear and hope. She seemed to want to believe but did not dare. She glanced at me, then at Talea. Talea smiled reassuringly, and the woman's face softened slightly, teetering on the edge of hope.

William resumed his careful motion toward the woman. “It's all right … Put the knife down, and I will get some food and water for you,” he said tenderly. William was now only
a pace away, and the woman's grasp on the knife relaxed. Exhausted, she yielded herself to what likely seemed an uncertain fate. She allowed William to place his hand on hers and pull the knife away from her body, all the while staring into his eyes. She peered at him, as if waiting for an evil transformation of his kind face, but she did not see it. Reassured, she collapsed. William caught her in his arms, and she melted into his embrace, incoherent and nearly unconscious. Her journey through the years of tribulation was over.

THE COST OF FREEDOM