A Castle of Ashes (The Fifth Kingdom Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 5

After the attack in Matthew’s bedchamber, his brother sent him to the East with little confidence.  His uncle insisted in joining him, and though Matthew did not desire someone watching over him, John would not allow him to go without an escort.  When the other assassin, Stephen, woke from unconsciousness he swore he did not know how he got into the kingdom.  “I was meant to check of his return.  I do not know how I came to his bedchamber.” He babbled, pointing at Matthew.  When asked on whose command, the man stammered.  John had him imprisoned, giving him three days to admit who sent him.

Matthew and his uncle traveled nearly two weeks, never sleeping through the night to make time.  When they reached the outskirts of the South Kingdom on the eleventh day, they decided to make camp for a night. Matthew had debated with his uncle on whether to go by sea or land.  The passage by sea would have cut the month long journey by road in half if the tides were favorable.  “It’s safer to go by land.” Jonathan insisted.  Matthew knew the truth of it.  Since he had gone missing in sea, neither his uncle nor John desired Matthew to travel by ship too soon.  The journey by road was less treacherous going through the droughts of the South than the storms of the North, but the heat made it impossible to travel a full day without rest. 

Matthew felt like a coward.  In truth, he slept little and insisted they make few stops not because of eagerness to reach the East, but because of fear.  He feared of attacks at night and night terrors of shadows ripping out of bodies.  As he laid down to rest, he tried to make sense of his assassins’ words. 
You are her weakness. As long as you are alive, she is in danger.
They had told him. 
You will bring her downfall.
How could he bring her downfall?  He thought about the woman who saved him when he was beaten half to death in Narka.  She was stronger than him. 

Look at you! Look what she has done.  How many did she endanger?

And how was she to respond to the cruel words against her? You purposely provoked her! She did not wish to hurt anyone!

She has no control! She is an unfit Queen and she will be the death of you! I told you to end this.  I swear to you, I will take your life with my own hands before I see her take it! Open your eyes Thomas! 

Matthew opened his eyes just as a sword was coming down upon him.  He rolled to his left as the man holding the sword nicked the side of his arm before stabbing the ground beneath where Matthew camped. Before he could retract the blade, Matthew grabbed for the hilt and attempted to unarm the man. 

“Who are you?  Why are you trying to kill me?”

“She is at peace without you!  We will not let the same fate befall her again!”

“Who?”

The man looked at him with disgust.  “You know who.  Learn from your mistakes.”  Suddenly, the man was thrown back from him.  Uncle Jonathan placed a sword at the man’s neck.

“The man asked you, ‘Who’?” 

The assassin gave them an ominous look.  “The one true Queen.”

Uncle Jonathan flipped the sword and struck the man hard on the head.  He looked to Matthew. “Are you alright—“ He started as a scream penetrated the woods.  They ran a few leagues from where they camped until the trees opened up onto the shore.

A crowd was surrounding the waters where a dozen bodies had washed up.  “What is this?” Matthew whispered to his uncle.

“The gods of the elements are angry with us!” Someone cried.  “It is because we allowed this forsaken castle in the midst of the sea!”  There were shouts of agreements.

“No!” Someone else shouted.  “This is the Queen’s work.  She is warning us to stop pursuing her, or more of our own will end up dead!”

“If the Queen has truly come to power, why won’t she show herself? She is no true Queen!  She is a witch!”

“This is not the Queen’s work you fools!  Look at them!  Why would she kill her own kind?”

Matthew could not take his eyes off the bodies on the shore.  They were women’s bodies he realized in horror.  He was too far to make out their faces, but he feared if any of their own were amongst them. 

“This is a gruesome sight.” His uncle started. “We should go from here before we awake suspicion.  Surely they will question travelers.”  He looked at Matthew.  “You’re injured.”  He extended his hand to Matthew’s right arm where drops of blood were evident. 

“You are right. We should keep moving.” Matthew walked back toward where they camped.  He gathered their belongings and started to untie the horses.  “The sooner we get to the East, the sooner we can return home and I can put all this in the past.”

“Matthew,” His uncle sighed as he kicked the man lying unconscious on the floor.  “It is not going to be that easy.” 

“She has taken enough years of my life.  I need to move on.”

“Just be certain that you truly are able to leave the Princess in the past.  It’s not fair to wed someone if you long for someone else in your heart. It can lead to much pain and unthinkable consequences.”

He looked at his uncle curiously and wondered if he was thinking of Gwendolyn and John.  “I don’t
long for her
in my heart. Please Uncle, let’s keep going.”

Matthew slept little as they continued their journey, thinking of the dream he had.  Thomas had blackened bruises around him as he spoke to his father.  He was in pain.  Nycilla had caused that pain, his father implied. She had no control of her powers and she hurt the one she supposedly loved.

On the thirty-second day of travel they finally reached the East Kingdom.  Matthew hesitated as the reflections of purple amethyst against white stone came into view.  He had not visited the kingdom since the first year of Lucinda’s disappearance.  He consorted with Commander Ronaldan of the Eastern guard, the late Queen Lucille’s brother, frequently that first year to map out the search for the Princess.  As the years went on the two kingdoms separated their search and Matthew had not returned to the East.  Ever since her disappearance there was tension between the kingdoms.  King Hamlyn would never say it, but Matthew and John knew that he held resentment toward the West.  It was evident when their father had passed two years back, and King Hamlyn had not come to visit as the other kings did.  He had sent a representative from his council with his condolences. 

The gates were blocked with several guards.  As they walked up to it, Matthew noticed the abundance of white roses littering their path.  It was always an oddity that white roses bloomed in the autumn weather of the East Kingdom. One amongst the guards recognized Matthew and Jonathan as they approached. “Commanders,” he bowed slightly.  “The King has been expecting you.” 

“Is Commander Ronaldan here?”  His uncle asked the man.

“No, my lord.  There has been an incident that he needed to attend to toward the South.”

Matthew and Jonathan exchanged looks, thinking about the bodies that they passed.  The gates opened, and they walked the path to the castle steps where more white roses littered their way. 

“Commander!”  A young girl, dressed in pants and a short tunic came running up to them. She wrapped her arms around Uncle Jonathan and he held her in a tight embrace.

His uncle pulled her back and studied her. “Erica,” He said breathlessly.  “My God, how you have grown?  What are you wearing?” 
Erica,
Matthew thought.  Lucinda’s youngest sister.  If he remembered correctly she was approaching her thirteenth year.  The girl, had lighter hair and skin than was common in the East, but she had the deep brown eyes, that Lucinda lacked. 

“I am training with the Eastern Guardsmen!  Uncle Ronaldan is mentoring me.” She grabbed both of Jonathan’s hands with hers. “I am going to be the next Commander.”  She looked at Matthew then and beamed.  She had a familiar smile that he could not place. Matthew couldn’t remember if he had ever formally met Erica.   When he traveled to the East all those years ago he hardly remembered talking to anyone but Commander Ronaldan. Though it seemed that his uncle had spent some time with the girl. In the West and the North it was not common for a woman to join the defenses.  He knew that the Eastern Guard had many women amongst them.  In the South, it was even more common.  The head commander of the Southern Guard was King Adelphi’s sister, Commander Genevieve.   

“Your father has given you permission?” Uncle Jonathan asked still gripping the girl’s hands. 

“He suggested it.  I scolded the knights fiercely for their handling of my sister’s disappearance.  My father said if I disapproved so much, I should train to be next commander and lead the guard myself.  He said my mother was in the guard before she became Queen!” The girl said excitedly.  Matthew stared in silence watching the interaction between his uncle and Lucinda’s sister.

“My lords,” a soft voice spoke.  Matthew looked to where the voice came from and saw the beautiful tanned face of King Hamlyn’s wife, Queen Denalyn.  She was only a few years older than Matthew.  She had large brown eyes and wore her dark hair loosely.  She wore a small gold crown jeweled with amethysts, which represented an Eastern Queen.  They bowed before her.

She approached them and kissed their cheeks as they rose to their feet. She had the wide, friendly smile befitting of a young child. “My husband is waiting for you. Shall I take you to him?”  She led them to the throne room where King Hamlyn sat.  She went to take her seat next to him, while their young sons sat by their feet.  The King wore a stern expression on his face.  The black of his hair and beard had mostly turned gray.  Matthew and Jonathan knelt before him.

“Your Majesty,” They began as King Hamlyn motioned for them to stand.  He exhaled deeply.

“I owe an apology to your kingdom.”  The King began.  Matthew and Jonathan stood surprised but did not dare interrupt him.  “Your Father,” He stared at Matthew, “Was a good man.  We mourned for him. Yet, I was still too overcome by my own grief to offer condolences.” He turned his face away from them for a moment. “Yet, I shamed my kingdom by not properly addressing your father’s death.  Your brother is also a good man.  I know he will bring your kingdom great honor.”

“No apology is needed, Your Majesty.  We know your grief.  We know the part we played in it.  We understand.”  Matthew stated.   “We do not wish to take too much of your time.  I know you received the report of my sighting of your daughter and I have come to tell you myself.  I saw her.  She saved me from death.  She did not stay long enough for me to ask anything of her, but when she returned me to land I had this around my neck.”  Matthew carefully took the necklace from his pocket and handed it to King Hamlyn. 

King Hamlyn showed a rare look of surprise. “This was her mother’s necklace. “ He said in a whisper.  “Lucille wore it around her neck for as long as I knew her.  I gave it to Lucinda the day she disappeared.”  Tears became evident around King Hamlyn’s eyes. “I told her that her mother wanted her to have it.” He shook his head.  “In truth, Lucille told me to give it to the baby when she came of age.  So she would know her mother loved her, and that she held no shame for giving her life for her. Yet, Erica has always been a happy child. She never needed the reassurance of love.  I thought Lucinda needed it more. I knew how much she loved her mother.”  He looked over at Denalyn, who was giving him a sympathetic look with her wide eyes.

“She loved you as well.” Denalyn said softly to him.

The King closed his eyes again and shook his head.  When he opened his eyes he handed the necklace back to Matthew.  “For too many years I allowed myself this hope that she was alive, but it is too painful when every day passes where she does not return to me.  If she is alive, she does not want to see me.  She is happier where she is and I have failed her.”

“Your Majesty—“ Matthew started, but his uncle grabbed his wrist, instructing him to stop.

“Thank you for making the journey here.  You can stay as long as you wish and consult with my council if you want, but I have nothing else to say.  We will show you to your quarters and have a meal prepared for you.”

Matthew left the throne room feeling defeated.  What had he expected?  That the necklace would motivate King Hamlyn to open the search again for his daughter, so Matthew could stop his search without feeling guilt?  He was tired and he knew he should rest.  He had not had a proper sleep in weeks. 

Queen Denalyn led them to their quarters.  “Please do stay with us for a few days.  My husband is pleased that you have kept his daughter’s memory alive all these years.  It is just hard for him to talk about her.” She lowered her voice.  “He was always hard on her.  She was a lovely girl, with a kind spirit, but he never understood her gift.  I think he also resented her because she looked so much like her mother.  She was a constant reminder of what he lost.  Now he is afraid he has lost them both.”  She smiled her wide childlike smile at Matthew.  “I believe that you saw her.  The prophecy is unfolding ‘
A Queen will Rise in the East. Her Strength sought in the West. Her Kingdom restored in the Sea.” 
She squeezed his hand tightly.  “
Her Strength sought in the West
. She was meant to go to your kingdom.  Her mother knew that. She indeed found her strength in the West.  Now she retreated to the sea.”