My guardian dog 7 - OLD

Ok now guys (gals), I need help here. I had to find a way to describe the history without it seeming as an info dump. I don't know if I succeeded, but when I reread it I don't feel weighed down by the context. Then again, I'm slightly biased

So, enjoy, please be your usual helpful selfs and I appreciate all comments

Chapter 7

It was past noon when I finally woke. Riley was gone and I felt a twinge of regret. It would have been nice to wake up beside him. Then again, I wouldn’t want to kill him with my morning breath.

I found some clothes on the wooden chest at the end of my bed and I made my way to it; underwear, socks, jeans and a t-shirt. On top of the pile was a handwritten note from my mother.

Sweetie, I hope you slept well and you are feeling better.

Some clothes was delivered for you, take a shower

and come meet us in the council room.

Just ask anyone and they will direct you.

Love, Mom.

Go for a shower? But where was the bathroom? I glanced at my room, seeing it for the first time. It was an averaged sized room with a queen-sized bed in the middle of it. Two nightstands stood either side of the bed and a wooden chest lay at the foot of it. On the wall to my right was the door that led out of the room and facing the door were huge windows with heavy drapes on either side of them. Facing the bed was an open door leading to a bathroom. Remembering Riley’s transformation from the night, I had to assume that the bathroom was where he had gotten dressed.

The room was cozy and comfortable; a perfect guest bedroom. What I simply did not understand was why someone would have personalized a guest room to this extent; everything was blue-green! The walls, drapes, bed covers. The chest and nightstands and the two doors also. On the walls, fish had been drawn, resembling a huge body of water. An ocean maybe, but why go through all this trouble? Were there themes in every room? I’d seen documentaries like that before of Hotel rooms that were themed. Granted, usually the rooms were for couples and the rooms resembled a decor for Tarzan and Jane or Romeo and Juliet. It was possible that this was also the care, but I had my doubts. Then why had this room been chosen for me? Did I remind them of the Little Mermaid?

I shook my head and headed for the spacious –blue-green – bathroom. I discovered I was still wearing my work clothes and I stripped with a grimace. I’d been wearing these pants and this shirt since . . . Ew. Too long. I dropped everything on the floor then glanced at my arm. I was still wearing the bandage the doctor had wrapped around my wound. Remembering what my mother had said about our natural healing abilities, I gingerly unwrapped the gauze and gasped. My arm was unscarred, unblemished. No trace of a knife wound could be found. I pushed back my hair and discovered the scar and stitches beneath my temple were also gone. I lifted my right leg and leaned my foot against the counter. I inspected my knee thoroughly but couldn’t find the scar from years ago when I’d fallen off my bike. Huh. I really did heal fast.

I took the longest and warmest shower in history. In mine, anyway. I didn’t know how long I had spent in bed but my muscles were cramped and I stretched leisurely. I was in no hurry to head for the council room where there would probably be a crap-load of people who may or may not know me but who all knew my parents. I didn’t want to be surrounded, crowded in like the day before at the courtyard.

I did want to know though what had happened to the woman from yesterday; what had they done with her? Surely attempted murder was as illegal here as back home? And I definitely wanted to know where Riley was. Had I thanked him for staying with me during the night? I didn’t remember if I had and I would have to rectify. I snorted. Excuses, excuses.

Admit it girl; you just want to see him, smell him. Feel his heat, his warmth. Stare into his warm brown eyes.

I admit it; guilty as charged. But was I interested because he was the first available, handsome and smart guy I’ve met who actually gave me the time of day? Or was I sincerely interested because we seemed to connect somehow?

I reluctantly shut the taps and emerged from the shower, relaxed but pruned. I dressed and was surprised to realise that the clothes fit me perfectly. Had my parents given my measurements to whoever had gotten the clothes for me? I glanced at myself in the mirror and, refusing to use the combs in the drawer that might have been used before, I combed my hair with my fingers. As I ran my fingers through my thick mane, I stared at my reflection. I hadn’t seen myself without glasses in a long time and it was quite a difference. My eyes really stood out and I realised they were actually quite big and bright. I had never noticed before. When with glasses, I had developed a permanent squint and it was hard to tell what colour my eyes were.

I found my sneakers near the door leading out of the room, slipped my feet in them, opened the door and froze. The walls of the hallway were the same colour as the ones in my room; blue-green with multicoloured fishies swimming around. So, the outside of the castle was bright pink and the inside was teal? With fishies? Who in the world had done the designing of this place? Someone revoke their license to design, immediately!

Casting the walls a wary look, I closed the door and turned left, heading for the staircase leading down. I didn’t know where I was going but I thought I remembered my father bringing me up to a room. Therefore, I needed to go down to get to my parents. I descended two flights of stairs before coming across a blonde woman heading up. I smiled at her and asked for directions to the council room and she gracefully offered to lead me.

The woman, Lydia she said her name was, kept a constant flow of conversation from the steps until the council room. In the five minutes we walked together, I learned that she was only a few months older than me, that she was one of the castles’ seamstresses, that she had made the clothes for me early this morning and that she had been on her way up to ask if it all fit.

“Not that I had any doubts but I also wanted to make sure it was to your liking.”

There was no arrogance in her voice, only the conviction that she was good at what she did. And she must be because she had sewn up a pair of jeans and t-shirt in no time at all.

“Thank you; it’s perfect. I wouldn’t have chosen better myself.”

She beamed. “I asked your mother for your measurements and she assured me you liked the simplest kind of clothing.”

She led me to a set of blue-green wide double doors. “Go right on in, they’re expecting you.” Impulsively, she hugged me. “I’m very glad that you and your family are back. Maybe now we’ll stand a chance.”

And she raced off before I could ask her what she meant. As I stood there alone staring at the doors, I realised I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect when I’d walk in. If this situation happened in one of my books, I would make my brave, bold main character burst into the room by smashing open the doors and demanding to know why he or she had been brought into this world.

I wouldn’t do that myself in real life. I did have one hell of a temper and I was rather straightforward but I was also way out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t even say my parents were the only familiar people here to me because, really, I didn’t know Princess Cassandra and Prince Logan. I knew only my parents, Cassie and Gabriel. And what was it with the titles? Prince, Princess? Royal Magicals? And why were we here, in Rydon? Granted, Riley saved my family and me, but couldn’t he have taken us elsewhere?

I sighed. I was stalling again. Well, enough of that. I pushed open the right door and slipped in, hoping to go unnoticed but when I turned to glance at the room, every head was turned to me. I felt a deep blush creep up my cheeks.

“Shanna, we’re here.”

My father rose to his formidable height and I made my way to him. When my mother had told me to meet them at the council room, I had expected a room devoid of warmth, with a huge table dominating it. Instead, it was blue-green like the rest of the walls and the people were all seated on sofas, couches, chairs and bean bags. I could feel myself gape at them all but I didn’t care. Nothing of this land was what I expected it to be. I gazed at the windows and frowned. They were huge, floor to ceiling, with drapes on either side of them. The view would be breathtaking if the land wasn’t dead but that wasn’t the reason for my frown. If I wasn’t mistaken, these windows were on the right side of the castle, plainly visible when we'd arrived but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember seeing them. Of course, I had a million other things in my mind when we arrived but still . . .

My parents were seated on a sofa that could easily sit five people and I sat between them, resisting the urge to hide behind them.

“Shayna, welcome.” I knew that booming voice and I glanced up and met Gaspar’s eyes. “I have not thanked you for saving me yesterday and I do so now. Thank you. I was ready to defend your parents to the death but I am glad that I did not have to.”

I squirmed, uncomfortable. “You’re welcome,” I murmured. I had not yet come to grips with what I’d done. I wasn’t denying that I had somehow taken action; the very core of me knew what had happened. The magic in me knew even if my mind couldn’t accept it.

My parents each took one of my hands and I didn’t protest. Right now, I felt ten years old instead of twenty-five. I wanted my parents to hug me and tell me everything would be okay. I wanted to go home. To the house in the woods I’d always lived in. Home.

“Your parents have told us that you knew nothing of your origins until two days ago.”

“True. And technically, I still know nothing. Only my true identity and my parents’ but nothing more. There just hasn’t been time.”

Gaspar nodded. “We are going to tell you everything now if you are well enough to listen.”

I nodded eagerly.

Gaspar gestured to the man sitting beside him who rose and bowed his head slightly to me. He was a small man compared to Gaspar but taller than me. He had white hair and dark eyes and he was very thin but his voice was smooth when he said, “Princess Shayna, my name is Link and I am one of the only surviving historians of this land.”

“Which means?”

“Everyone knows the what and the how of this land but my knowledge goes farther than that. My ancestor was Harvey Rydon and he has transmitted his knowledge from one generation to another. If you allow, I will tell you. You may interrupt me at any time if you have questions.”

He didn’t wait for me to allow him to continue, he did so on his own.

“At the beginning of time, there was Rydon and there was God.”

“Where did they both come from?” I asked, unable to staunch my natural curiosity.

Link smiled. “Good question. The first of many, I assume?” One of his eyebrows rose, pure white over amused dark eyes.

I blushed but held his gaze. He said I could ask questions, what was he expecting?

“To tell you the truth, Rydon isn’t sure exactly where he came from. He knows only that he has always been aware of himself as a conscious being. He held the knowledge of the universe, of the galaxies in his mind although he has no memory of where they came from. He feels as if he did not visit the worlds first hand but more likely watched over them.”

“Like some sort of guardian angel?”

Link hesitated. “If that seems right to you, you may perceive it that way. My own impression is of him being a star, faraway in the sky but with an eye on everything.” Link shrugged his thin shoulders. “Rydon himself cannot be sure and so we imagine what we want here.” When I didn’t ask another question, he pressed on. “Rydon eventually became bored and wished for a world of his own where he could grow and prosper and use his knowledge for good. Apparently another being of his kind had the same thoughts; Rydon and God landed on this planet in some kind of a material form. They were both told that their wish had been granted and this sphere had been created for them to do as they please.”

“Who told them that?”

“Everyone answers to someone and even our supreme beings have supreme beings.”

Roughly translated it meant that even our gods had gods. Okay then.

“After much debating, Rydon and God agreed how they wanted this planet to look like, how they wanted it to grow and prosper but their opinions differed when it came to the people. God believed that the people should be left to their own devices with gentle pushes and advice from him when needed be. Rydon disagreed. He thought that a creator should be among his people, not as a God but as an equal. He knew that the planet had been created magically and the people should draw magic from the planet that sustained them.”

I had no questions; I was hooked. I was excited. I was a writer and this was a beautiful story.

“And so God and Rydon decided to go their separate ways. They created two realms where they would each live and see to their people as they saw fit.”

“I know about God creating Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden,” I said. “But what about Rydon? How did he create his people?”

“The very first humans in this realm were created by Rydon. He drew the essence of the elements of the earth for each child. For some, he took blades of grass and blew life into them. Others, he let the sun work its magic on. Some came from the fur on the back of an animal and others still from the very wind that blew. He created the first hundred humans and them watched them grow. He was with them, of course, living and growing, there on a daily basis. He quickly realised that the humans’ abilities depended on the way they were created. Some could manipulate wind, some could control the weather and so on.”

Link paused and Gaspar, as if sensing his need, lifted a bottle of water which Link gratefully accepted. He took a long swallow, recapped the bottle and continued, “As the humans grew, Rydon discovered their magic was beginning to wane as was the land. It no longer thrived as it had done, the flowers no longer bloomed and the trees were dying. He was astonished and he didn’t understand what could have gone wrong. By that time, the humans were just about adults and they began discovering each other sexually. It didn’t take long for the women to be heavy with child. Hundreds of babies were born and with them the magic came back. Suddenly, the realm was bright and whole and alive.”

Link looked around the room; everyone was staring at him. I was probably the only person to not have heard this before but Link had such a smooth voice, such passion in his words that the entire room was mesmerized.

“After witnessing the same waning-then-returning of magic,” Link continued, “Rydon realised that the magic was brought on by the children who, in their innocence, were the strongest magic users. Their vivid imaginations lent them a power the adults –sometimes jaded and cynical but most times simply weary of life- no longer held. Keeping that in mind, Rydon put the humans to work. He asked them to create villages and meadows. Buildings, castles, farms. He asked them to nourish the earth with their magic, to crop the fields to bring in food. It took some time but the difference was astonishing. Rydon had discovered that the humans needed creativity to wield their magic.”

I gasped involuntarily. “That’s why you wouldn’t let me be creative!” I shouted before thinking then I blushed, mortified. It wasn’t anyone’s business what had been going on in my household but my parents were smiling sadly.

My mother passed her hand through my hair. “Yes, that’s why. When the babes are born, we must harness their magic so that they don’t harm themselves or others around them. Until six years ago, yours had always been harnessed. Even then, you were capable of outstanding magic.” She smiled proudly. “We were counting on the lack of magic in the Terra land but were weren’t taking any chances.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry honey. It broke our hearts to treat you this way but if you had used your magic, trackers could have sensed it and come for us.”

Questions and answers were spinning in my head. I heard and understood my mom’s words but I couldn’t react to them. All these years, the lies, the misconceptions. I didn’t know the two people who had raised me. I thought them to be regular, boring accountants with loads of rules. I didn’t believe the rules were set in place to torture me and I knew they had had their reasons but I had never pressed harder. I was who I was because of my upbringing. I had to stop and wonder, though, what I would be like if my magic –and I- had been allowed to roam free in this magical land. Would I still be afraid of heights? Would I be so adamantly set against change or would my natural curiosity push me to adventures and new experiences?

Another line of questions came up in my mind; Would the Rydonian-me accept to have lived under my parents thumb for so long? Would I have dealt with the nasty customers although I could have quit and become a writer? Then again, I wouldn’t have had to lead a secret life, one I worked hard at keeping from my parents. Words, questions, emotions and thoughts spun ceaselessly around in my head.

Would I have met Riley either way? What had Grace said? That even after all these years he was still by my side? What exactly had that meant? He was four years older than me, had he known me as a child? Why hadn’t I asked him during the night?

I snorted. Because you have too many questions to ask and that one hadn’t come up. Yet.

I blinked and came back to reality to find everyone staring at me again. “If Rydon created us as equals, why is it that some of us are Royal Magicals and are being called Prince and Princess?”

Link grinned looking like a proud Papa. “Good question Shayna! Well, after several decades of living amongst the humans, Rydon decided to take a wife. Her name was Brinna and the magic she wielded was in the earth. Together, they had only one child, Terra. The baby girl was exceptionally gifted and remained so even through her whole life. When she married and had several children of her own, it became obvious than Rydon’s descendants would all be powerful. And although he had wanted the people to be equals, the ones who wielded less magic began calling Rydon’s descendants Royal Magicals and giving them the title of Prince and Princess. At first, the descendants had protested because it was not the way of their father but the name remained.”

“So, my family and I descend from Rydon?”

Link nodded. “That is so. At one time, there were hundreds of RM’s roaming the land of Rydon.” He glanced around the room with sad eyes. “But now, we are the only Royal Magicals remaining. Everyone else was killed.”