Heroes of Aldrizhon (Chapter V and VI)

Chapter 5

The path to the kitchen where the other secret passage was located at was surprisingly clear of enemies, which surprised not only Zander, but Emma and Felix as well. The trio had expected to come across some for of resistance as they made their way to the kitchen, but surprisingly they were not.

The Royal Kitchen which would be normally be filled with workers preparing meals for the royal family and members of the court was empty. Upon entering the kitchen, Felix immediately made his way towards a large oak cupboard that was places against a bricked wall .

“Where’s this secret passage?” queried Zander, scanning the kitchen with his keen eyes.

“Right here,” informed Felix, pressing a brick next to the cupboard which caused it to move aside, revealing a flight of stairs which led down to a secret passage.

Felix tapped his wooden staff on the ground with caused the purple orb affixed to the tip of it to glow brightly. He then signalled Zander and Emma to follow him as he made his way down the stairs to the secret passage.

“How come I was never told about this secret passage?” questioned Emma, walking down the stairs which led to the secret passage. “I thought we Royal Guards should be privy to all secret exits and passages in the event of an emergency.”

“None of your fellow Royal Guards knows about this secret passage,” divulged Felix, pulling a lever which closed the entrance to the secret passage behind them. “Not even Sir Jarvis knows about this. Only His Majesty the King and I are privy to this knowledge.”

“Why is that?” queried Zander, walking behind Felix as he lead the way.

“As a precaution,” answered Felix. “In the event a member, or members of the Royal Guard do the unthinkable and betray the royal family.”

“No Royal Guard worth his or her salt would betray the royal family,” declared Emma to the elderly mage.

“I wish I could believe that,” Felix said, solemnly. “I wish I could.”

“Why do you say that, Felix? Do you think a member of the Royal Guard betrayed the family tonight?” queried Zander.

Felix let out an audible sigh that echoed throughout the secret passage. “I do not know,” replied Felix, shaking his head. “But what I do know is that someone betrayed your father and your family.”

Who would want to betray my family? pondered Zander upon hearing what Felix said. “And why? This does not make sense to me at all.”

After navigating through the musty cobweb infested secret passage for what seemed like a long time, Zander, Emma and Felix finally reached the exit of the secret passage. Zander took in a deep breath as soon as he exited the secret passage, filling his lungs with fresh clean air which invigorated him. The young prince then began to scan his surroundings. Even thought it was night, and the only source of light was from Felix’s glowing orb on his staff, Zander knew immediately where the secret passage had led them to. It had led them to the entrance of Deerwood which was forested area located east of the royal capital of Londarium.

“Come on you two, we best keep moving,” suggested Felix to both Zander and Emma.

Zander was amazed that Felix, who was probably in his late sixties or early seventies still had so much stamina left in him.Never before has he seen a man of Felix’s age be so spry. Perhaps his deep connection to the magical energies of the world gives him an inexhaustible supply of stamina, mused Zander.

“Where are we going to by the way?” asked Zander, directing the question towards Felix.

“We’ll decide on that later on,” answered Felix, looking at Zander. “Right now, we just need to be as far away from the capital as possible.”

“Agreed,” Emma said, nodding her head as she placed her hands on her narrow hips. “The further away we are from the capital, the better.”

Felix once again took point, leading the group as they ventured deeper into Deerwood. The purple orb affixed on his staff still glowed brightly, illuminating the way for the trio as they continued on their journey into the night.

Lord Malverys strode into the Royal Palace triumphantly with a smug look on his face. Accompanying him was Xenos who tried to keep up with his master. Greeting Malverys and Xenos as they entered the Palace was Covic and a well built man who was wearing the armour worn on by the Royal Guards.

“Status report, Covic,” demanded Malverys, looking at the master assassin.

“We have captured and secured the Palace,” reported Covic without emotion. “All resistance have been put down.”

“And the king?”

“Captured, Lord Malverys,” informed the well built man.

“Good, good,” stated Malverys, nodding his head. “How about the price? Do you have him in custody as well.”

“We have been unable to find the prince, my lord,” answered the well-built man apprehensively.

“Find him then!” hissed Malverys, his features darkening. “As long as there is a male heir to the Tyzan line on the loose, my rule will be continuously challenged. The prince must be found and eliminated.”

“My men will find him, Lord Malverys,” promised the well-built man.

“For your sake, Fawkes, I hope they do,” threatened Malverys. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in MY throne room.”

“What shall we do with King Edmund?” asked Xenos to his lord who had begun walking towards the throne room.

“Bring him before me,” ordered Malverys.

The throne of Britarion which House Malverys had been eyeing for almost two hundred years was finally theirs. The throne that had once stripped away almost everything that belonged to House Malverys was finally in their possession. Lord Malverys knew that his ancestors would be extremely pleased with him, especially his grandfather. The new king of Britarion, the usurper, took a seat on his newly acquired throne. Just as he did, the doors to the throne room flung open. Standing at the entrance was a bloodied Edmund in chains. He was flanked by two Royal Guards.

The two guards shoved the deposed king into the room, causing him to fall down. Despite being injured, Edmund staggered onto his feet.

“My, my, look at how the strong have fallen,” taunted Malverys, smiling sinisterly.

“Malverys, why did you do this?” questioned Edmund.

“For revenge of course,” answered Malverys. “For what your family did to mine all those years ago.”

“The punishment your family received from mine was proportionate to the crime your family committed,” declared Edmund.

“My family did not commit any crime!” countered Malverys.

“Your family killed innocent men, women and children that your family swore to protect!” exclaimed Edmund, his voice echoing throughout the throne room. “All because they peacefully protested against your family’s harsh taxes. That’s why my family took away your lands. Because you failed the mandate that was given to you by us.”

“Your family should have just looked the other way,” stated Malverys to Edmund. “Then you would not have to deal with disgruntled lord and ladies who could come back to haunt you.”

“My family in good conscience could not and would not have done that,” pointed out Edmund, shaking his head. “It was our job to protect the people of the realm from any threat. Even from a Great House.”

“And it is because of that, that you are in your current position,” snickered Malverys.

Edmund did not say a word in response to Malverys’ statement. He just stared defiantly at him.

“Now tell me, Your Highness, where is your son?”

“Even if I knew where he was,” began Edmund. “I’ll never tell you!”

Edmund let out a bellowing roar that echoed throughout the throne room before breaking the chains around his hand. The roar shattered all the windows in the room and took Malverys and the two Royal Guards by surprise. The deposed king in one swift motion grabbed the sword of one of the Royal Guards that were guarding him and charged towards Malverys. Before Edmund could land a blow on the usurper, Covic appeared before the deposed king in a cloud of black smoke and impaled him in the chest with two rapiers.

Edmund fell to the ground, dropping the sword he held in his arm. He could feel his life force slip away as blood poured out of his body. His thoughts immediately were on Zander. He prayed to the Goddess that She would protect and that She would guide him. Edmund could feel that his time had come. “I’m coming Shauna,” muttered Edmund weakly. “I’m coming.” And with that, Edmund Tyzan, the King of Britarion, succumbed to his wounds.

Malverys swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He could not imagine how quickly his rule could have ended if Covic did not intervene in time. The usurper could still feel himself trembling.

“T-take that body away,” ordered Malverys to the two Royal Guards present. “D-Dispose of it.”

The Royal Guards nodded their heads, acknowledging the usurper’s command before lifting Edmund’s body and making their way to the throne room’s exit. Malverys just stood there, watching the Royal Guards carry the body of the deposed king out of the throne room.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, My Lord?” asked Covic, snapping Malverys out of his stupor.

“Yes, there is,” answered Malverys, turning to look at Covic. “Find the prince...and eliminate him.”

“As you command, My Lord,” acknowledged Covic before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Malverys was now alone in the throne room He walked up to the throne that now belonged to him and proceeded to sit on it. Tomorrow will dawn a new day. Tomorrow will be the first day of House Malverys rule over the Kingdom of Britarion.

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Chapter 6

After trekking through Deerwood for the whole night and into the early hours of morning, the group finally decided to take a break by a babbling brook. It was safe to assume that they had put enough distance between themselves and the royal capital.Zander was relieved that they were finally stopping to rest. His feet were killing him and he could feel blisters starting to form on the sole of his feet. Even Felix who Zander commended as having unnatural stamina levels for an old man was tired. After quenching their thirst from the river, the three sat down to discuss what should their next course of action be.

“So where do we go from here?” queried Emma, folding her arms together

“How about to the Lake District?” suggested Zander. “We were suppose to go there.”

“Not the Lake District,” declared Felix, shaking his head. “Going there would mean having to go back towards the royal capital, and we don’t want that.”

“Then where do we go?” asked Zander, looking to Felix for an answer.

“We go Southeast,” began Felix. “There’s a mercenary fort there we can seek refuge in. We’ll be safe there.”

“A Mercenary Fort?!” expressed Emma in disbelief. “You want to take the prince to a Mercenary Fort?!”

“This Mercenary Fort is no normal mercenary fort,” remarked Felix.

“Why is that?” asked Zander, cocking his head slightly to the right.

“Because those mercenaries were hired by your father,” explained Felix. “They have a royal charter to operate.”

“Can we trust them though?” asked Emma.

“Yes, we can,” answered Felix, nodding his head.

“What makes you so confident that they can be trusted?” queried Emma, arching her brow.

“Because I was the one who found them and tested them before suggesting to King Edmund to hire them to protect and defend towns and villages in the Southeastern lands of the kingdom,” explained Felix, looking to Emma. “They are men of honour.”

“If you trust them, Felix, then I will as well,” remarked Zander to the old mage.

“So will I,” conceded Emma.

“Very well,” began Felix. “I’ll let them know that we are coming.”

“How are you going to do that?” asked Zander, curiously. Emma chimed in as well. She too was curious as to how Felix was going to inform the mercenaries they were coming.

“Observe,” said Felix, looking at Zander and Emma.

Felix opened the palm of his left hand and began whispering onto it. After a few moments, a small glowing ball appeared on his palm, hovering just above it. The elderly mage then blew on it, causing the glowing ball to fly southeast.

“That was amazing!” expressed Zander in wonderment. “You have to teach me how to do that one day.”

“Hohoho I will my dear boy, I will,” remarked Felix, smiling.

“Should we get moving, Master Felix?” queried Emma. “I have a bad feeling that we’re being hunted.”

“Not quite yet,” replied Felix. “Right now, we rest for awhile. The journey to the Southeastern land will be a long one.”

“I’ll keep watch then,” stated Emma, standing up.

“That won’t be necessary,” voiced Felix to the young Royal Guard. “I have already set up a protection barrier and placed sentry wards around our position to protect us. If someone ventures too near to the camp, we will be notified. Right now, we should all just get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

The journey to the Southeastern lands which would have normally taken a week at the most, took two weeks instead. This was because the trio, taking Felix’s advise, decided to travel using the more rural and interior roads instead, avoiding the main roads and towns as to avoid being captured.

The mercenary fort that Felix had brought them to was more of a giant lodge built in a forest clearing than an actual fort. The fort itself and its defensive walls were almost entirely made out of timber. Emma was sceptical as to whether or not the ‘fort’ could actually repel or defend against an actual attack. Zander was nonetheless amazed by what he saw.

Upon reaching the large wooden gates of the fort, the guards at the gate, expecting the trio, invited them into the fort and escorted them to their leader. Zander had always envisioned a mercenary fort to be a place that was not only dirty and disorganised, filled with undisciplined and rowdy men. The mercenary fort he was in was clean and well organised. The inhabitants were courteous and disciplined. Some of them were training, either practising their sword fighting skills or archery. The trio were escorted to a small waiting room that was decorated very plainly. It only had one table and a sofa set in which people could sit on. While the three waited for the mercenary leaders, they were served food and drink by a tall and beautiful lady with long black hair that was tied into a bun. The three, who had not had much to eat for the last two weeks, immediately went for the food. Zander never thought food could taste so good as he took a second bite out of a piece of bread.

After a few moments, the door to room opened, and two men entered the room. Zander studied them both. He noted that based on their appearance, they were the complete opposite of one another. One had an athletic build, was clean shaven and had neat and short dark blonde hair. He also wore a navy blue coloured set of leather armour and a dark blue cape. The other man on the other hand had a large build, a five o’clock shadow and medium length black hair that was messy. Unlike the athletic built man who wore a leather armour, the large built man only wore a simple brown coloured tunic.

“Master Felix! Good to see that you managed to reach us safely,” said the large built man boisterously.

“Hello, Vance,” greeted Felix, smiling at the large built man as he stood up from his seat. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You haven’t changed a bit as well,” chuckled Vance.

“Vance, you forgot to greet someone,” stated the clean shaven and athletic built man, nudging Vance. “Someone important.”

“Quite right, Flynn, quite right,” remarked Vance, looking at the athletic built man. “Where are my manners?”

Vance walked up towards Zander. Following him was Flynn. “Your Highness,” greeted the two almost simultaneously, kneeling to the crown prince.

“Thank you both for your hospitality,” thanked Zander, motioning them to rise.

“Don’t mention it, Your Highness,” remarked Flynn. “We live to serve the royal family.”

“Do you have any news from the capitol?” asked Zander. “Is there any news about my father?”

Vance and Flynn looked at each other. Zander could see from the way they looked at each other that whatever news they had was not good.

“You might want to sit down, Your Highness,” suggested Flynn to the young crown prince.

Zander sat back down on the sofa he was just sitting on. He took in a deep breath, bracing himself for the whatever bad news was coming his way.

“There is no easy way to say this, Your Highness,” began Flynn, solemnly. “But your father... has been killed. His throne, usurped by Lord Malverys.”

Zander buried his face in his hands upon hearing the news. He had braced himself for the worst, but no amount of preparation could prepare him for the news that his father was dead. The young crown prince felt a gentle and reassuring arm wrap around him. He looked up to see Emma hugging him. Zander could see a pained look etched on Felix’s face, something he has not seen before.

“What about my sister?” asked Zanderm trying to hold back his emotions. “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine, for now,” answered Vance. “She and her family are currently placed under house arrest by Lord Malverys.”

“Why didn’t any of the noble houses loyal to House Tyzan raise their levies and go to war against Lord Malverys after hearing of the coup and the killing of King Edmund?” queried Emma, looking at Vance and Flynn.

“Because Malverys has broken them,” replied Flynn, looking at Emma. “He has convinced the realm that Prince Zander was also been killed in the coup. Without a banner or figure they can rally behind, they were easily broken, the smaller noble houses in particular.”

“He’s trying to consolidate his power in the territories outside the Crownlands,” informed Vance. “Many houses have already bent the knee to him in return for their survival or because they have sensed the change in the wind. There is some hope, however, as not all the noble houses have yet to bend the knee to the usurper. There are some noble houses and people who stand against him. We are one of them.”

“How about the Great Houses, have all of them bent the knee to Malverys?” queried Felix.

“No,” replied Vance, shaking his head. “House Wolfe and House Stagyrus have yet to bend the knee.”

“But it will only be a matter of time until they do,” added Flynn. “Malverys has already begun laying siege to their holdings in the hopes of breaking them. That’s why the realm needs to know that Prince Zander is alive. Only then will the noble houses rally to push Malverys off the throne he was usurped.”

Zander did not speak and just sat there quietly, listening to the people around him speak. There was a certain hollowness in his dark brown eyes. He was having a hard time taking in all the information presented to him as his thoughts were everywhere at the moment. Felix could see that his young pupil was too distracted and perhaps distraught at the news he had received to properly follow and understand what Flynn and Vance were telling him. The elderly mage suggested to the two mercenary leaders that perhaps the discussion about removing Malverys should continue tomorrow, as they were all tired from their long journey. Flynn, agreeing with Felix’s statement suggested that they continue the discussion tomorrow after everyone was well rested.

Zander was having trouble falling asleep yet again. Physically his body was exhausted and spent, but his mind was too active, replaying through the events of the past couple of days. As Zander stared at the ceiling of the room he was given, he started to pray to the Goddess. He prayed that the Goddess would look after the soul of his departed father and reunite him with his mother. After a few moments, the young prince drifted off into sleep, his tired body overriding his active mind.