Fairyfly II - 1. The Escape

(Two Months Ago)

It was a year since the sudden and gruesome death of Princess Arabella, the eldest of the three princesses, shocked the Kingdom of Alduin, setting in motion a chain of events that would come to shape the future of the country, now ruled by its queen, Loreena. While the wounds had barely started to heal for the monarch and her two younger daughters, most people had all but forgotten about this tragedy and moved on with their lives.

The queen herself was one of the people who were forced to move on as well, whether she was ready or not. Suddenly finding herself in a new position of power, she had to focus on ruling her country to the best of her ability. Loreena was a rather inexperienced leader, because while she was at King Norius’ side, she was barely more than ’the king’s wife’. Now, with Norius magically blinded and locked away in the castle dungeons, she had the whole Queendom of Alduin to look after.

Wanting to right some of the wrongs her husband did during the last days of his rule, her first official decree was to abolish Norius’ proclamation that forbade people from practicing magic. In fact, she went a step further and appointed Gilda, a fierce warrior, as the new guard commander. The position was left empty after the death of Zane, the right hand of King Norius, and Loreena was pleased to be able to find a strong woman to fill his spot.

The new queen also decided to start making the first steps to improve the position of the Lykos in society. Inspired by the bravery displayed by Rulf and Esthor during the conflict against Norius and Fendrel, she decided to help the Lykos integrate better into society. She knew it would be a long and complicated process, as many people had a hard time letting go of old prejudices against them. For that purpose, Loreena formed a council that consisted of Lykos representatives, as well as people from her court. They would meet regularly, trying to find the best solutions for helping the Lykos find jobs and homes in various parts of the capital and the rest of the queendom.

Aside from these noble causes, Queen Loreena was also focused on improving the lives of the common folk in her land, as well as strengthening the trade and political connections with the neighboring kingdoms of Thar and Thorodan. On top of that, she had to handle her most sacred duty, which was being a mother to her two remaining daughters.

Amelia and Ariana, now already young ladies aged eighteen and sixteen, respectively, were sitting at the dining table with their mother that day. The grand dining hall, with a table large enough to accommodate a hundred guests, was now nearly empty. Other than the three women, there were only four other persons in the room – Sybbyl and Thea, servants who made sure the queen and the princesses had all the meals and drinks they desired, as well as Quinn and Falk - two guards who stood at the door, making sure no one interrupted the queen and the princesses during their meal.

As any other day, lunch began at noon sharp. The servants started bringing the food, beginning with marble bean soup, a personal favorite of the queen. This was followed by roasted Thenelle pheasant and Oondi duck, with mashed potatoes, tomato sauce and an assortment of vegetables on the side.

Most of the lunch passed in cheerful small talk, with the queen asking her daughters about their plans for the day and discussing all the activities they could do together. It was a conscious effort on her part not to lose the special connection with her girls, especially having lost one of them already. The two girls seemed much happier lately, although at times they would go silent, with a distant look in their eyes. Whenever that happened, Loreena knew they were thinking of their late sister.

“You two seemed like you enjoyed the archery lessons yesterday,” she noticed, taking a sip of red wine.

“Yes, mother, it was so much fun,” young Ariana gushed, a bright smile on her face. “I would like to be an archer, like those in the tales I’ve read.”

The queen chuckled in amusement. “We’ll see about that. I’d prefer you doing something that doesn’t involve the use of weaponry. And what about you, Amelia? I saw you did quite well, too.”

“It was nice, I suppose,” the older girl shrugged, barely lifting her eyes from her plate, making small circles in the food with her silver fork.

“Is something the matter? You don’t have to sit here with us if you’d rather go to your room or out for a walk,” Loreena suggested, looking at the girl with concern. She had a rather good guess as to what was bothering her, but she wanted Amelia to tell her in her own words.

“It’s the ball you’re planning, she hates it,” Ariana was quick to jump in, drawing an angry glare from her older sister.

“Ari!” Amelia gasped before turning to Loreena, looking apologetic. “I don’t hate it, mother. I just… I’m worried. What if I don’t like any of the suitors? I… I’m not sure I want to marry a stranger.”

The queen’s face fell. It was exactly as she thought. Two days ago, she had told Amelia that she was planning a grand royal ball in early spring, where she would invite many eligible princes and nobles from Alduin and other kingdoms, and Amelia was to choose one suitor whom she would marry. The ball was to take place on the very day when the entire Alduin celebrated Rhyme, the God of Love. This was supposed to ensure that Amelia would find her true love on that day.

The queen desperately wanted to avoid the mistake her husband made when he tried forcing Arabella to marry Prince Terryn, but she also knew that avoiding a political marriage was impossible. If she wanted to ensure the prosperity and peace of her country, she had to think of political and economic alliances. So, organising a ball where suitors would compete for her daughter’s hand, and letting Amelia herself choose whoever she liked the most seemed like a fine compromise to Loreena.

“Sweetheart, I know it may all seem daunting now, but I wish you’d approach this with an open mind,” she said, turning to face her daughter. “We will have dozens of suitors at the ball – princes and lords from all over Escaria will come to try and impress you. Even one of the mysterious young nobles from Kar Magan might come. If anything, they should be nervous, not you. They’re the ones who have to outdo the competition and win the hand of one of the two loveliest princesses in the whole world,” the queen added, drawing a shy smile from her daughter.

“And you haven’t even met any of them yet. I’m sure that once you see all these handsome young men, you will have trouble choosing just one,” the queen smiled knowingly.

“I hope so,” Amelia chuckled shyly and looked away. For a brief moment, her eyes met those of Quinn, the young guard standing by the door. He simply gave her a small smile of encouragement, causing the girl’s cheeks to turn a lovely shade of pink.

Despite being nervous about meeting so many suitors and having them vie for her hand in marriage, Amelia started to realize she was actually somewhat excited by the whole prospect. After the ball is over, she would likely be engaged to a handsome young man of her choosing, and for the very first time, that thought put a smile on her face.

Long after the queen and her daughters went to bed, and the darkness fell over the royal castle of Alduin, a door to one of the chambers opened, making almost no sound. A tall man with a dark hood covering half of his face stepped out and climbed up to the castle library, his steps light and quick. Even though it was empty at the time, dozens of candles illuminated it, placed in candelabras on all walls of the large room, as well as one of the tables under the massive windows.

Muttering to himself, the man quickly looked around until he found what he needed. He reached down beneath one of the many wooden desks and pulled out several large scrolls tied with string. Quickly, he unwrapped them one by one, until he finally found what he was looking for.

“That’s the one,” he whispered, his lips spreading into a satisfied, sly smile as he looked at the layout of the castle grounds on the scroll in his hands. Quickly, he rolled it back up and tucked it under his tunic. After returning the other scrolls where he found them, he left the library and headed home, itching to get his plan rolling as soon as possible.

~~

The night was cold as west winds swept through Thenelle, the capital of Alduin, announcing the arrival of winter. With a chill in the air and the distant moon as the only source of light, it was no wonder everyone was inside, sleeping peacefully in their warm homes. Well, almost everyone.

He woke up that night in a foul mood, as it had taken him ages to finally fall asleep. He just couldn’t get comfortable on the old, hard bed in his room. He had no choice, though, so he had to get used to it. After a lot of tossing and turning, he managed to calm down and sleep finally came to him. But then, just as he dozed off, this strange noise stirred him out of his slumber.

“Uhh, what in the name of Gods is it now?” he muttered grumpily, pulling the covers over his head, hoping the noise would cease and he would continue sleeping.

No such luck, though. Instead of dying out, the strange sounds just got louder and louder, as if something was approaching him.

“Bloody hell,” he grunted, sitting up in his bed and leaning against the wall. He scratched his graying beard nervously, not knowing what was happening. Was he in danger? Maybe he should call for help? No, there would be no point in that, he decided, sitting perfectly still and waiting.

Strangely enough, the noise seemed to be coming from the ground. There was loud scratching and scraping, as if someone – or something – was trying to claw its way up from the hellish depths and reach the surface. Then, a muffled blast could be heard, as if an explosion from underground.

His mind was swarming with wild thoughts, remembering all the real and mythical creatures he had ever heard of. Maybe one of them was digging through the ground, coming to claim him as their next victim, slash him open and have a feast. He shuddered at the thought. Even though fate hadn’t been exactly kind to him lately, he didn’t want to end up like that. He wanted to live.

Finally, the sounds stopped and the stone floor of the dungeon collapsed, a large hole appearing in the middle of the room.

He held his breath as he heard movement. Something was coming out onto the surface. There was a clang and rustling of clothes, and then… a human voice.

“Finally!” the stranger said, out of breath, as he let his shovel fall to the floor and hoisted himself up. His voice was not familiar.

“W-who is that? What do you want?” the bearded man asked nervously, still on his bed.

“You,” the stranger replied, approaching him. “I’m here to take you away.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” the man shook his head.

The stranger sat on the bed next to him.

“Don’t tell me you prefer staying here? Because I don’t really believe that.”

“I... of course not! What’s it to you anyway?”

“Then what is the problem?” the stranger asked, almost humorously. “I thought I’d be more welcome. After all, I am doing you a favor here.”

Was this real or was it his mind playing tricks on him? He couldn’t be sure anymore. He had been in this place for so long that he had lost track of time. Days, weeks and months started to blend together; he had no clue how long he had been there. Was it possible that his time had finally come?

He was silent for a few more seconds, but then got up from the bed, almost startling the stranger. If this was a second chance he was being given, he would seize it without hesitation!

“Very well then, let’s go!” he said with determination. Better to get out of here before this person, whoever it is, changes their mind.

“Good choice,” the stranger replied. “Now, come with me. We must hurry before the guards come. They patrol the halls all damn night. Careful...”

Patiently, the stranger helped him descend into the tunnel before going down after him, grabbing his shovel before disappearing into the ground.

The smell of earth hit him hard as they crawled through the tunnel the stranger came through. He had no idea where they were heading or how long they had to go. Still, he could hear the stranger following him closely, so he knew he wasn’t abandoned or tricked - at least not yet. No matter what, this was a risk he had to take.

“Who are you? And where do you plan to take me?” the bearded man kept insisting for some answers, although he was quite certain he would get none.

“I came to help you. Take you out of here, to freedom,” the stranger explained, mysterious as ever.

After what seemed like hours in the cramped space of the narrow tunnel, the stranger stopped for a moment. “We’re almost there,” he announced.

It was uncomfortable and difficult, but if it would take him to freedom, he couldn’t complain. Indeed, after several more minutes of crawling on all fours, he could feel a slight incline – a sign they were reaching the surface. As he felt a dose of fresh air hitting his nostrils, he knew they were there. Finally!

“Freedom!” he exclaimed, getting out of the tunnel with the help of the stranger pushing him from behind. He could feel the wet grass on his hands as he knelt down and breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with oxygen. It felt incredible. He could barely remember the last time he breathed in fresh air.

The stranger came out a moment later and sat beside him.

“Is it true? I’m free again?” he asked, almost afraid to believe it.

“Yes, it’s true,” the stranger nodded.

“But why?”

“Because, Norius,” the stranger whispered, looking at the man who wore a blindfold over his eyes, “I believe Alduin needs its king once again.”

~~

(Present Day)

“Ugh, why do you have to be such a bitch!” Esthor groaned, barely restraining himself from smashing his scepter against the floor. “What am I doing wrong? There has to be a way...”

For a better part of that morning, Esthor was up on the flat stone roof of his home, practicing magic as he did nearly every day. Sorcery was not just something he was great at – it was something he thoroughly enjoyed doing. His skills in his field of magic – conjuring – were arguably unmatched, which only made it even more appealing for him.

When he was not practicing magic, Esthor was teaching it to his young students. Wishing to pass on his knowledge, just as his old teacher Khalgos did with him when he was just a young boy, Esthor loved giving lessons in magic to his pupils. He found working with children and teenagers inspiring, whether he was teaching them the very basics of magic or helping them perform more complex spells.

However, on that morning, the sorcerer was practicing alone, pushing himself to new limits. Summoning animals out of thin air was nothing for him, barely requiring any effort, but this time he wanted something more, something fitting for a special occasion - Rulf’s upcoming birthday.

After a long consideration, Esthor decided that the perfect gift, something that would blow his lover’s mind, would be a magical creature: he would conjure a phoenix!

That turned out to be easier said than done. No matter how many ways he tried to combine conjuring a flame and a bird and combining them into one being, he could not get it right. The closest he got was a tiny bird-shaped flame that barely took flight before burning out in a matter of seconds. However, it never actually got reborn from its ashes.

“Perhaps a pegasus would be easier. I can already summon a horse, how hard is it to add wings to it? Nice blue ones...” the young sorcerer muttered, going through a list of all the magical creatures he could think of that would be a perfect pet for Rulf. “Or a water dragon. Hmmm…”

Noise from below broke his train of thought, and he turned around to see Rulf opening the hatch leading up to the roof. Esthor smiled, loving to see his sexy Lykos boyfriend in that tight grey shirt he loved to wear, always leaving the top two buttons open, showing just a hint of his hairy chest. The handsome devil definitely knew what he was doing, but Esthor was certainly not about to complain.

“Hey, what are you doing up here again?” Rulf asked, his brows furrowed as he observed the blond man holding a magic scepter in his hand. It was obvious some magic was involved.

“Um, nothing important,” Esthor replied, feeling a blush coming on.

“Keeping secrets, huh? You know I can make you talk if I want to,” Rulf shot him a smirk, knowing exactly how to get his lover all worked up.

“Like no other,” the sorcerer responded with a grin. “Want to join me up here?”

“Actually, you better come down,” Rulf said, as Esthor looked at him questioningly. “Queen Loreena’s sent a messenger saying she wants to see you. Says it’s urgent.”

“Alright, I’m coming. Must be something about the ball,” the sorcerer guessed, climbing down the stairs after Rulf. She had informed him about a grand two-day ball that she was holding in several weeks, and how she wanted to pick his brain about some things.

“Thomas, good morning,” Esthor greeted the young messenger who waited for them in front of the house. “Did the queen tell you why she wanted to see me?”

“Not exactly,” the tall, pale-skinned guy replied. “She said it had something to do with ‘you know who’. No idea what that means, but to be honest, I’ve never seen her more upset than this morning.”

Feeling his stomach drop, Esthor turned to Rulf, catching his knowing gaze. It had to be Norius.

“Alright. You go ahead, we’ll be right after you,” the sorcerer said.

As Thomas mounted his horse and left, the two young men rushed back into the house to get ready. In a matter of minutes, they were on their horses, riding to the royal castle.

“What do you think happened?” Rulf asked, his deep voice serious.

“Maybe he died.”

“We should be so lucky,” the Lykos chortled. “You don’t think he… got his sight back?”

“No way,” Esthor dismissed the idea at once. “He can only undo the spell if he shows genuine remorse for what he’s done. The deserts of Thar will freeze before that happens.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together,” Rulf nodded, trying to encourage his boyfriend. It was something he always did and Esthor loved him dearly for it. The Lykos had always been the more level-headed of the two, and the sorcerer knew he could count on him to keep him calm and sane.

The massive gates leading to the royal grounds were opened as soon as Esthor and Rulf appeared. Accompanied by guards, they were promptly ushered into the castle where Queen Loreena was waiting for them, nervously pacing across the grand hall. About two dozen guards, including commander Gilda, were in the chamber with her.

“You’re here, finally,” the queen let out a sigh of relief, walking over to them.

“We came as soon as we heard,” Esthor replied. He knew things couldn’t be good with so many soldiers at the ready.

“What happened?” Rulf asked. “What’s with all these guards being here?”

“It’s Norius. He’s escaped,” the queen said, her face pale and expressionless.

Stunned by the news, Esthor and Rulf stared at the queen, not wanting to believe her words. The man proved to be capable of anything, and if he was indeed free, it would not bode well for any of them, they realized.

“What? How did that happen?” the sorcerer asked, alarmed and confused. He knew the queen was holding Norius a prisoner and she was the only one who had the key. On top of that, the man could not see. There was no way he could have escaped on his own.

“I don’t know, someone must have helped him… Come and see for yourselves,” the queen replied, motioning for them to follow her. Suddenly, Esthor could notice all the wrinkles on her concerned face. Even though in her early fifties, she was still an attractive woman, but ever since Arabella’s untimely death, she seemed to have been aging more rapidly. Her once black, long hair now had prominent streaks of gray, which the queen did not attempt to hide.

As the three crossed the hall and headed for the staircase leading to the dungeons, accompanied by Gilda and two more guards, Amelia and Ariana entered the castle with one of their servants in tow.

“Mother, what is happening?” Amelia asked, seeing all the people gathered inside.

“Sarah, I thought I told you to take the girls out for an archery lesson,” Loreena glared at the servant.

“I apologize, Your Majesty, but they insisted on going back inside. It was too windy,” the poor woman pleaded, her head hung low.

“Very well,” the queen sighed. “Take them upstairs to their chambers. Girls, please go with Sarah. We are discussing some issues here, but it’s nothing for you to be concerned about. Just dull political stuff…”

Afraid of what they would think if they knew the truth, Loreena never told her daughters what had actually happened with their father. As far as the two princesses were concerned, Norius was locked in one of the chambers next to the alchemy laboratory as he was bedridden and could not even talk. At first, they repeatedly asked to see him, but the queen told them he was very ill and highly contagious. After a while, they simply stopped asking to visit him, assuming his health had deteriorated because of Arabella’s death. However, they still thought about him and kept both him and their late sister in their prayers.

“Your Majesty, how do you plan on keeping this a secret from them now?” Esthor whispered as they descended into the dungeons. “What if he shows up?”

“We’ll just have to find him before he does,” the queen replied determinedly. She did want to think about having to tell her sweet, innocent girls what actually happened with their father. It was bad enough that she had to live with that knowledge, but burdening her daughters with it was something she wanted to avoid as much as possible. “Gilda has already secured the castle and sent two dozen men to search the capital. I doubt he’ll reveal himself, but if he does, we must catch him.”

Esthor and Rulf followed her into the small, stuffy chamber in which Loreena had locked Norius a year ago, taking in the sight before them. In the middle of the floor was a large hole, with a tunnel leading somewhere.

Getting down on his knees, Rulf approached the opening to inspect it closely, while Esthor provided some light with his scepter.

“Have you sent anyone down here to see where it leads?” the Lykos asked the queen. “Maybe we can find some clues, figure out who did it and where they took him.”

“No, I haven’t had the time. I’ll send a pair of guards right away.”

“Rulf and I will do it,” Esthor volunteered before the queen could even call for her men. “I need to do this personally. Besides, I can use magic if something goes wrong.”

“Alright,” Loreena nodded, thankful for their assistance.

“Do you suspect anyone? Who knows about the king anyway?” Rulf asked.

“Gilda, the guards and a few other people in the castle – mostly my advisors,” the queen replied, thinking of everyone whom she had to share the secret with. Taking the king’s place and locking him up was not something you could do without people asking questions. “Please, be careful. We have no idea what could be waiting on the other side, wherever that is.”

With a wave of his scepter, Esthor changed his clothes into a plain black pair of trousers and a simple tunic. Rulf cocked an eyebrow, looking at him from inside the opening in the ground.

“What? I am not ruining my good stuff,” the sorcerer replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, before getting down into the hole. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

With the light of Esthor’s scepter to guide them, the two men entered the tunnel below the castle. Loreena, Gilda and the guards stayed behind, listening to their voices until they slowly faded out beneath the earth.