The Pagemasters Vol 2 Chapter 14
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Author: Literataku
Chapter 14:
Without Forgiving Anyone
The castle was crowded with people, and still filling up, villagers and city dwellers, Nobles and commoners, Heroes and Knights, everyone who had come and had been invited to this grand occasion had arrived to give honor to their new princess. Even those at the far back who could not see anything were merely grateful for the chance to say they had been here on this momentous occasion. Though only a few realized how incredible this day would turn out.
The procession had started early in the morning before the royal family had even made their first appearances of the day. Starting with the lowest of the commoners who had brought tokens and small gifts to lay before the princess. It was needed since there were so many who had come in celebration of this grand event.
Many of these first commoners were standing in the back of the great hallway ever, getting more crowded and pressed to the wall as the people kept coming in. While they may never lay eyes on the princess they would be able to see the beginning of what was to come. First glimpses of the great knights and nobles who had brought the most extravagant of gifts possible with their status.
After six hours of precession, the last of the gifters were walking down the long hallways to give their presentations. At the very end of the line were nine women dressed in various colors of the rainbow, their wings glittering in the light as they all hovered above the ground. They appeared to be anxious about something, though no one truly paid any attention to that. Their focus more on enjoying the sights and being in the presence of such an amazing day.
“The Fairies of The Order of Godmother!”
Fluttering forward the nine stood at the end of the large platform where the King and Queen stood to greet them. A small bassinet sitting between them holding the tiny princess. The leader and oldest of the fairies came forth and curtsied deeply before the three royals. Standing up and straightening her pink dress she smiled at her dear friend.
“Your Highness. For your child, we wish to bestow our blessings upon her, as we did for you.”
The queen bowed her head lightly with a bright smile on her face. Taking a quick glance to her husband seeking his approval before giving her own assent. She and her husband stood back slightly to let the fairies have room to bestow their blessings. Behind them stood the Court Magician watching events unfolding with a slight glance toward the hero in red who stood near the front of the crowd. Perhaps a look of guilt on her face flashed for a moment before it returned to one of an observer waiting for tragedy. If any others noticed is unknown.
“Thank you, Lady Dressilina. Please grant our child your blessings.”
Returning the queen’s smile, Dressilina lightly floated up above the bassinet and drew out her wand, slowly turning it a small circle over the child letting pink sparkles of magic float down upon the child as the blessing instilled itself upon her.
“Oh, Young Princess, I grant you the blessing to grow in great Beauty. May it inspire the people always to protect and cherish you.”
Finishing her spell, she floated down and let the next fairy take her turn. Each asking the Queen for permission and instilling their magic onto the child to bless her with traits befitting a future queen. wit, grace, dance, song, goodness, poetry and…
“- Safe childbirth, so that you will be able to have a daughter as beautiful as your mother given birth to you.”
There was a slight stir among the people who heard this one. It would likely be ignored, later on, the thought was received with a pained thin smile from the King and Queen. Even Dressilinia looked at the yellow fairy with a look of reproval. This blessing wasn’t quite appropriate for a newborn at all, even if it would help her seventeen or eighteen years later.
The last of the Fairies shook her head in dismay, muttering under her breath how that one should have been last instead. She straightened out her dress, taking a look around as if expecting something to happen before approaching the platform slowly. As she started to bow there was a commotion coming from the back of the Great Hall. Sounds of fighting?
Pausing she looked behind and saw along with those who had heard the noise as well. Striding into the Hall was a man in a blue cloak, a wizard wielding his staff like a weapon and knocking the guards away, sending them flying away with blasts of air.
Walking behind him, a wave of feared whispers spread across the crowd like wildfire. Thin and lithe, dressed in an outfit that was both scandalous and yet dripped with the visage of dark power, carrying a gnarled and twisted staff in one hand as the other tugged gently on the train of her flowing cape. Her blonde hair framing her face as it looked across the gathered crowd with cold eyes.
The pair walked toward the royal couple, the remaining guards drawing swords in preparation to fight when the Dark Queen spoke, her voice amplified by magic. Giving all pause with her words.
“Is such violence needed for those who seek the child and give gifts? Such barbarism against two mere travelers.”
The King narrowed his eyes as he looked at the pair. Focused more on the Blue Warlock than the Queen out of fear of what had been prophesied about him. Behind him, the Violet Magician looked worried and confused, though none save herself knew why.
“Mademoiselle Allouise. You and your companion are-”
“Are what, Your Majesty? Surely you would not deny a citizen of your kingdom to gaze upon her future Queen?”
“I should-”
The blue wizard interrupted him.
“Your Majesty. What happened is in the past. Can you not allow bygones to be bygones? With so many other threats on the outside, is it not better to solve the ones within quickly?”
The King glared at him, the words he had heard rumored still fresh in his mind. Flames burning the capitol, a curse on his child. And these two responsible for it all. He looked behind toward the Violet Magician asking for her aid. She straightened up nervously and cleared her throat.
“If they wanted to harm her they could’ve tried already… they haven’t killed anyone since they arrived.”
It was a weak argument and both of them knew it. He tightened his mouth wondering what had gotten into his trusted advisor. She looked like she was at a loss as what to do, so uncharacteristic. Turning toward the Red Hero, the king saw him staring at the Blue Warlock with puzzlement and worry on his face, though he didn’t have a weapon drawn. Was there something here he didn’t know?
Looking at Dressilina for advice, the fairy seemed rather subdued, as if she knew something and was unwilling to talk. Noticing his glance she looked to him and gave a slight nod toward the last of her fairies. Anything the Dark Queen was capable of, outside of killing her, could be changed by the Fairies and there was one blessing left. He sighed and then looked back to the Dark Queen.
“Very well…”
A rush of whispers took over the hall as the gossip flowed back toward the entrance. The Queen looking to her husband in worry as the Dark Queen stepped forward toward the child. He pulled his wife close and held her, keeping her out of harm’s way in case either of them had come to assassinate her instead. Their history with the Warlock and Dark Fairy he didn’t trust they wouldn’t retaliate against her in some way. Though neither had even shown capacity for harming an innocent.
“Oh Princess, Young charming beautiful Princess. All the blessings you have been conferred will indeed happen. Your beauty will be matchless in the kingdom, you will inspire your people to serve and protect you with all their being. And you will be given a great love. Yes. My gift is that you will find True Love. On the eve of your Sixteenth Birthday, you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and you will fall into a death-like sleep and there you will sleep for a hundred years until he awakens you with a kiss.”
The king felt the blood leaving his face as she laid her “blessing” on the child. She laughed brightly and walked away, moving down the stairs leaving the King and Queen in shock as the people toward the front began to talk furiously. The Prophet was right yet again.
But the play was not over by far. Nay this was only the first of the great tragedies to befall the kingdom on this day. The Blue Warlock wore a fake smile on his face as he watched things unfold. His eyes looking around for someone among the crowd.
During this, the King had regained himself and bellowed out to the guards. “Arrest those two immediately!”
The Blue Warlock heard the King speak, his sight catching something before he suddenly made an unreadable face, his lips started to form words and his hand stretched forth in the King’s direction. A loud bang echoed through the Great Hall, and all time seemed to slow as blood splattered out from a hole that had suddenly appeared.
A hole in the middle of the king’s forehead. He crumpled to the floor unmoving. The room fell silent save for the sudden crying of the Princess from the loud noise. No one understood what had happened. The queen shrieking in shock and pain as she knelt down and clutched at her husband, not realizing he was dead before his body had even hit the floor.
The crowd devolved into a panicked mob as people tried to simultaneously flee and charge after the Warlock. What spell he had used was unknown, but all could see that he was the one who had murdered the King. Somehow, in the chaos, he and his accomplish had managed to disappear before anyone had noticed like a shadow had swallowed them all.
The Red Hero and Violet Magician were similarly missing, though most assumed they had run out in pursuit of the King’s killer. This would be the most tragic of events that day. But still not the last one to occur before sundown.
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)