Then we both just stood there, not wanting to leave but knowing we both had to. Knowing that our lives lead us in opposite directions, but with this paper right here, I’ll always have access to my friend. I will always have someone to write to.
She steeled her expression and nodded. “I’ll see you around the next Eclipsian festival.”
I nodded back, giving her my best princely smile and bow, even if I didn’t feel like smiling. “I’ll be here.”
As I get to the passage that lets out before my room, I shake the memory off. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I climbed out of the passageway and into the castle hallway, exiting right next to a statue of my father. I tiptoed my way down the hallway, making sure no one was able to hear me as I quickly slipped into my room without a peep.
Once I slipped into my room, I leaned up against the door and let out a breath I was holding. I needed to find some way to get my father off his throne, hopefully in a legal way, versus the bloody war torn way. Either way it crumbled, I knew I would have Mika beside me and that made all my worries fade into the background. I would have my best friend, the woman I secretly fell in love with, beside me. I had hope that it would all work out. If it didn’t, Mika would go on a bloody rampage, and even I wouldn't be able to stop her.
The next morning, I went straight to the library, not unusual for me as I was in there all the time in order to get away from the lords and ladies of court. I knew that whoever my father had following me was lazy because my father never knew what I was reading or interested in, just that I went to the library a lot.
I opened the door and immediately saw Mason, our castle librarian, bent over his overly large desk looking at a book with a magnifying glass. As soon as he heard me come in, he lifted his head and smiled, the glasses on his face were comically too big for him and kept slipping down his long, thin nose before he caught them and pushed them back up. I gave him a small wave and went straight into the history section with purpose.
My eyes scoured over all the books in the section and I only found a few that might have what I was looking for. I picked upThe King’s Rightful Duty,Days of Old Traditions, andThe History of Onisea, thinking I should be able to find what I was looking for in any of these. I wrapped my arms around the three enormous books and went into the secluded corner of the library most don’t know about and hunkered down.
After a good three hours of scouring every page of each book for something to do with kingship law, how one becomes a king, and what the history secession line was, I found absolutely nothing. Nothing of value, anyway.
I skimmed over the pages full of my father’s valiant battles, his stunning próis in politics, or how he brought back the “one true” religion to this country of fallen people. How he has eradicated the evils of fae magic and brought back a golden era for the humans of Onisea. I almost choked up laughing. I skimmed that crock of shit.
It wasn’t long before I fell forward over the opened History of Onisea, which was just made-up propaganda, when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
“Are you looking for something specific, Sire?” Mason’s thin paper weight hand pulled away as I looked up at him. He looked like he had lost some weight. He was already a thin, old man pushing his seventies, with a full head of white hair.
“Are you ok Mason?” His eyes softened at my words and he let out a sigh.
“Don’t you worry about me, Sire. I’ll be just fine, but you, on the other hand,” he looked around at the mess of open books, “I thinkyouneed some help.”
I gave him a wary look. I didn’t really want to get Mason involved with this. He was the person I was closest to in the castle and if anything happened to him because my father wanted to get back at me, I would never forgive myself.
Before I could tell him no, he turned halfway and waved at me to follow him. I didn’t stand up, still wondering what he was up to when he turned back to me and said, “Come.” I trusted Mason, so I got up and followed him. Maybe he had another stash of books I could look at.
Soon we came up to a shelf like any other in the castle and he turned around and pointed at the top shelf. “Can you pull that book,The History of a Songbird, please? This old man is just not tall enough.”
The request puzzled me, but I did it anyway, getting on my tippy toes and pulling on the book. It surprised me that as I tried to slide it out; it gave me some pull back, so I yanked harder and the top of the book came out and then snapped back in. As soon as it snapped, I heard a locking sound turn and the bookcase swung into a doorway.
I was stunned. I just stood there like an idiot as Mason shuffled through the doorway, walking down the dark hallway, tossing over his shoulder, “Come, Sire.”
My feet took a few steps in before my brain had a moment to catch up. Was I really just following him into a dark hallway that I knew nothing about? I turned around to go back out, telling myself I was too trusting and Mika would flay me alive for doing this, but the doorway was closed and I didn’t know how to get out.
With the decision already made for me, I turned back around and followed Mason deeper down the narrow hallway. Before I knew it, we were in this small alcove of a room. The first thing I saw was along the walls were maps of the country, places and flags marked on all the borders.
Next, I saw a case with a few weapons that looked special, but in the center of the case was a small iridescent rock that had little multi-colored shining specks all over it. Something called me to the case, telling me to take a closer look and my curiosity got the better of me. As I got closer, I could see the specks moving around the rock. It mesmerized me as I continued to stare at it with awe filled wide eyes, trying to track the movements of the dancing specs.
“Magic is beautiful, isn’t it?” I immediately stood straight like he caught me doing something wrong and my heart beat out of my chest. He chuckled under his breath. “Yes Sire, I have magical items and old history books tucked away safely from prying eyes in this secret room.” He walked over to the large bookcase on the side of the room, touching the book’s lightly with appreciation and care. “These I saved from the burning that your father had when he took over. He wanted all history books changed and the old ones burned… but something about these volumes spoke to me and I couldn’t do it. Even with the punishment of death over me.”
I walked over slowly, looking at the books, fingers itching to pull one out and see if I could learn something new, something about what our actual history was here and how I could help us.
“I’m guessing this is more of what you were looking for?” His wide smile and twinkling eyes spoke of the everlasting wisdom he had, like he could see the exact way my brain was working and knew how to help me.
“I mean…” I hesitated. Even in this room with all this stuff that could get him killed, I still didn’t want to bring him into what I was doing. I didn’t want to further engulf him in the treason I was treading.
“Out with it, Sire. I can see those eyes of yours shutting down, as well as that brain of yours working hard.” When I still said nothing, he continued with a sigh, “I brought you down here to see what your reaction would be.” I raised an eyebrow at him but he continued, “If you would’ve gotten upset or had any negative reaction, I would’ve used that stone you were so fixated on and wiped your memory of this place and its secrets, but you didn’t. You were interested and your curiosity took flight. I saw it in your eyes and I put two and two together.”
He moved over to the side and pulled out an enormous book,The Beginning of Onisea. “I’d guess that this is what you were looking for.”
My hands immediately hovered over the weathered book, knowing that I would need to handle it with care. He smiled as I gently took it from him and went to the table that was in the center of the small room. I cracked open the book and found stories about the gods, how they had intended for the entire country to be one large melting pot, but that we all used our differences as dividers. We let our jealousy and prejudice take over and against what the gods first intended; we separated into three distinct lands ruled by the beings of this continent; Human, fae and Invitis, which we later called the badlands, that belonged to those that were casted away from both sides.
The book went on and on about the kings in each kingdom and the decrees they made on how to rule it. It explained how the bloodline of each King was blessed by the gods. That because of this, they were the rightful rulers of their land. It even details a ritual to see if the next in line carries this blessing or not. Then it explained the differences between humans and fae, that while humans had religion and innovation, the fae had magic and strength. That each was whole and yet only a part.
