Mantle: The Return of the Sha (3 page)

“What can I do, Lord Dicen?” he asked. Zander was sobbing and working hard to bring his words past the lump that hung in his throat. “I will do anything!”

“I am afraid that I cannot be of assistance in this matter,” Dicen said. “You must find something or someone that makes you truly happy.”

Zander lowered his head and pulled himself from his crying. He had no idea how he would find such a thing or such a person, but he was resolved to spending the rest of his days searching for it, if need be.

“Thank you for your counsel on this matter, Lord Dicen. I am in your service always.”

And with that, King Zander left the forest and returned to Obengaard more confused than ever. How could he possibly find joy in another person or thing when he felt so miserable with himself? And it was at that moment that he decided he would take a long overdue royal tour of Forris. He would travel on a quest to find something or someone which would allow him to regain his happiness—and his smile.

The King’s Quest

THERE ARE THIRTY-ONE villages in Forris, each making their mark in their own unique way.

The village of Miken was known for growing stonegrass, which would be used by Fories gifted as planters, to create bricks for building that were unparalleled in strength. A home built with stonegrass bricks was expected to last many centuries without any wear whatsoever.

Likewise, in the village of Loker, one could find shifting stones, which could be molded into any desired shape, by those Fories who had been gifted as stonecalls. If a Forie were to cut or break large stones on their own, they would risk angering the Origin Stones of the mountains. The Origin Stones were said to be the originals—where all stones, pebbles, and the like, originated. Angering them could result in rock slides or other retaliation. Therefore, Loker was the central marketplace to buy tools or decorations of stone.

Each village contributed to the kingdom, and while many villages shared some resources, each had its own claim to specialties. This delicate system ensured peace among the villages, for each relied heavily on the others.

****

King Zander’s quest to lift his self-inflicted curse would begin in the village of Miles, where he was loved by all the village, even those who had never met or seen the king. After all, it had been many years since he had visited Miles. He had been a prince then, and many of its younger residents had not been old enough to remember his previous visit. Many of the younger Milens hadn’t been born at the time of his last visit, in fact. This would be the case in every village that he visited, and each time that he thought of this, he would feel shame at not touring his kingdom sooner.

Naturally, everyone in Forris knew of the king’s affliction and expected that he would carry an expression of sorrow. The adults in the village would go about the business of projecting cheer and delight in the presence of the king as if he did not wear a frown. Likewise, the children of the village were instructed to do the same. It was not an act, however; the people of the village of Miles were indeed happy with their lives. There would be no deceit in their celebration at King Zander’s arrival.

Miles laid claim to the finest fabrics in all of Forris. It was the sheep of Miles that produced wool of such spectacular colors that no dyes were needed to create clothing, tapestries, and other linens of such beauty. Even the king himself procured all of his royal garments from the village.

Although the fabrics of Miles were sold throughout Forris, in order to maintain its position, the sheep of Miles were never sold at market to those who did not live in the village. A Miles sheep was coveted by its owner to such a degree of reverence that celebrations and festivals were held in the village honoring the sheep. They would hold parades in which citizens could display their sheep and boast of each one’s beauty.

The day that King Zander arrived, the Milens gathered in the village square to greet the king as his caravan rode into the village. They stood gathered in groups at the edges of the square, eagerly anticipating his arrival—alongside their most prized sheep.

To showcase their fabrics, they had arranged for brightly colored banners to hang from each shop along the main street, and the windmakers of the village had conjured up whirlwinds above the main square that would maintain fabric confetti suspended high above. The confetti would twirl around in every direction to form massive shapes resembling flowers and bursts of color. It was a spectacle that could not be outdone, even by the firemakers, who would oftentimes create artistic and colorful fireworks above villages across Forris in celebration of the King’s Holiday and the Festival of Trees.

When Zander stepped off his horse, he was greeted with applause from the crowd. Some however, stopped abruptly for a brief moment because they could see that the king held a bitter expression on his face. Although the people of Forris knew of the king’s affliction, they were still taken back by the site of such a sorrowful face in the midst of such a joyful occasion.

The king stepped up onto a stage that had been erected for the occasion, and was rightly announced by the mayorgovern of Miles, a short, stocky man with a beard that reached the center of his belly. With a booming voice that would reach every corner of the square, he presented King Zander to the people of Miles and thanked the king for his visit. Naturally, the king thanked the Milens for their hospitality and directed his men to distribute gifts of gold from the royal treasury to each of his subjects. He had brought gifts for every village in the kingdom; the treasury had been stocked enough for generations following the Great Mantle War centuries earlier.

After his presentation of gifts, Zander stepped from the stage and walked through the crowd, greeting each of his subjects with kind words. And, in return, each of the Milens greeted him with equal appreciation and words of encouragement.

Although Zander gave his full attention to each person with whom he spoke, he was secretly distracted, looking for something or someone who would force a smile to appear on his face. After all, it was indeed a great celebration and he was certainly receiving a warm reception from the Milens. He
felt
happy—or so he thought.

How, in the name of all my Fathers, can I still be left without the ability to smile?
he thought.

He pulled aside the mayorgovern of Miles and privately asked him if he had, in fact, met all of the residents of the village. He had to be sure that there wasn’t anyone left out that might assist him with his ultimate purpose…lifting his dreadful curse. The mayorgovern assured the king that he had indeed met with all of the Milens and that no one had been excluded from the occasion.

Once King Zander had been assured that he had met every Milen, and was presented with robes and other garments made from the finest Milen fabrics, he instructed his men to prepare for his arrival at the next village, which was established only a short distance away. He would not be staying the night.

****

King Zander’s arrival in Sprae was very similar to that of Miles. He was once again led to a stage where he would thank the Spars for their hospitality, and so forth.

The Spars, in anticipation of his arrival, had lined the streets with beautiful sculptures of glass in a variety of colors that would reflect the light of the sun into rainbows that would stretch out in all directions farther than the eye could see. In the center of town, the colors became even more spectacular since the village square itself was created almost entirely of glass. The building and walkways had been created using glass bricks, some that had been frosted for privacy’s sake and others that were as clear as settled water.

Zander went about the business of greeting each of his subjects, and while everyone was joyful at his arrival, King Zander still could not break his curse. Although he had been warned by his most trusted councillors that his quest to lift his curse could take some time, Zander was anxious and impatient at the results so far. He wanted to regain his joyful expression and be done with his constant reflection of sadness.

****

Zander went about his travels from one village to the next. It was a fairly loose agenda so that he could have as much time or as many days as needed in each town, depending on the events that had been planned. He slept whenever he got tired and in whichever village he happened to find himself in at the time.

It was as he approached his twenty-seventh village, after traveling for nearly three months, that he realized he had become so frustrated, sad, and even angry at his progress in lifting his curse, that he had, in fact, made matters worse. Now, instead of being the joyful king that he truly was at heart, he was searching for his smile and becoming sad and angry with the quest itself. It was an ironic and vicious circle that left him in great despair and, with only four villages left on his tour, he became frightened that he might never recover his happiness. So he set out to overlook the purpose of his journey and to truly focus on the people and places around him. He could only hope that this awakening of his hadn’t come too late.

****

The twenty-seventh village of his journey was aptly named Faeland—the land of fairies. It was the only village within the Kingdom of Forris that did not stake a claim to a particularly special resource other than its magical inhabitants.

The Faeland Fairies lived in the Longlight Forest that surrounded the village. The Longlight Forest, not to be confused with the Sovereign Forest, was home to more than three thousand fairies. It was a forest that was home to a vast array of animals that could not be found anywhere else in all of Mantle—the two-headed bear and the great winged elk, just to name a few.

It was also
enchanted
by the fairies, making it one of the most beautiful and magical of the six forests within the kingdom.

The Faelanders protected the forest, or so they thought, from poachers who might want to use wood or other material found in the forest. The fairies needed no such protection, of course, but they nevertheless appreciated the effort put forth by their neighbors. In return, the fairies would help the Faelanders with healing remedies whenever possible. A Faelander who might be inflicted with an ailment could simply walk into the Longlight Forest and make a case to the fairies to heal them. No such request had ever been turned down by the fairies, but the residents of Faeland were careful not to take advantage of their kindness. Meetings would be held in the town hall to discuss such a request before it was made.

Once permission had been granted by the village council to make such a request to the fairies, a fayspeak would be called in to assist the inflicted Faelander with the proper way to make the request. After all, there were only a few families within the kingdom who were gifted with the ability to speak with the fairies, and it was considered proper etiquette to make such a request in the fairies’ native tongue. Anything less might be considered rude and the fairies were
very
particular about presentation.

It was actually the fairies who had orchestrated a great deal of the celebrations for King Zander’s arrival. Historically, the fairies of Longlight Forest were great admirers of all Forie kings. This admiration likely came about because of the ceremonial pomp that accompanies the duties of a monarch, and the fairies seemingly can’t have enough ceremonial pomp. King Zander himself was looking forward to his visit to this particular village more than some others, simply due to the loyalty of the fairies.

Zander’s party arrived in Faeland after the sun had set, and in anticipation of his arrival, the fairies had arranged for a choreographed show in the night sky above the village. Glowing brightly, they created magnificent light high above the crowd. It was a magical dance that seemed to include nearly all of the fairies of the forest.

Meanwhile, they had instructed rabbits of the forest to personally deliver enchanted trinkets to each member of the royal party. These trinkets were usually fashioned from shaped wood from the Longlight trees, and each was wrapped in silk provided by the great caterpillars of the Longlight.

An enchanted gift from the fairies was a prize. They were said to bring great health and happiness to those who carried them and were coveted above all other gifts in the kingdom.

When the dancing in the night sky had ceased, the fairies presented King Zander with an enchanted staff that was delivered to him in elaborate ceremony by Jacobi—the mighty white horse of the Longlight.

It was an extravagant presentation, and the staff itself was a sight. It had been made of the dark wood of the forest, and had been polished to such an extent that, from a distance, it resembled dark glass.

When Zander held the staff, he would have the ability to make it glow bright as day, or darken completely—depending entirely on his own wishes. At least that was the extent of what the fairies told of it. Zander suspected that the staff likely contained magic within it that the fairies were not disclosing for one reason or another—or did not know themselves. He knew that sometimes the glamor of a gift could spill over into other forms of magic, but many times that depended on the recipient of the gift. He would have to wait to find out if the staff held any secrets.

As Zander held the staff, he was overcome with emotion. He didn’t let it be seen by those around him, but deep inside he was weeping. He felt such honor to receive such a gift from the fairies, but he was also deeply saddened that his journey was almost completed and he seemed no closer to curing his self-inflicted sadness and regaining his happy demeanor.

****

Later that night, as he rested in the cottage that had been prepared for his stay, he received a knock at his door. When he opened the door, he was stunned to find the oracle there. The oracle, who was descended from a long line of family fortune tellers, rarely—if ever—visited a reigning king without being summoned. Oracles were known to avoid meddling in matters of state without invitation. And, anyway, it was understood by whoever sat on the throne of Forris that it was the Sovereign Trees that were to be consulted for advice, whether it be counsel on a state matter, or of a personal nature. The oracle’s presence at King Zander’s cottage in Faeland was not only unorthodox, but could be viewed by some to be highly inappropriate. Therefore, the oracle, who had easily snuck past the king’s men, came to Zander in secret to offer his advice on the king’s predicament.