Clutching the Buddha amulets on the old rope which reinstated on my neck, I stared out into the country of Cimon dreading for destruction, corpses, and violence of the war. But the swathes of smooth golden barley fields and a balmy evening wind gave no such impression.
It had been three days. Even though we only had two horses to pull this dingy creaking coach, Cimon was obviously father than Witrin. During our journey, we got another big fat carrier pigeon from Coronale. Sir Liam relayed a message from King Julien who asked me to meet him at—I couldn't remember the name—but the town was on the edge of the border between Cimon and Keon. That was why I had been anxious about running into the war. I was not sure if I could stand cruelty of seeing human slaughtering each other having lived a too sheltered life.
King Julien seemed to have protected his Kingdom well, because there was not a trace that could betray presence of the war since I passed into the territory. In wide yellow plain, a man with a plow leaning across his shoulder was heading home. Next to him, a boy was shepherding a herd of cows and behind the cattles, women were carrying the day's crops back for their dinner. Everyone lived their peaceful daily routines. The scene loosened the grip on my spiritual anchor.
It took us another half-day to the town King Julien mentioned. The land was still calm here, if there weren't loud exploding noises in the far distance, I would not know there was a war at all. Shaph suggested we waited until night fall before going into the camp in order not to trigger the enemy and disturb King Julien battling. I agreed and we waited quietly anticipating an abrupt fight, nerves creeping up on all of us like poisonous snakes as the sun slowly –very slowly, set behind those still bluish mountains.
Our vehicle crawled tensely among the dark silhouettes of trees into the camping area. Nobody lit fires tonight, and we were almost speared by a soldier. Shaph hurriedly declared ourselves but, looking at out drab clothes, he did not seem convinced. More uniformed men surrounded us threateningly. War has drove people mad, I thought as the coachman was beat down on his knees and Shaph and I was forced to leave the comfort of the carriage, a familiar voice was trying to break through the group of men, questioning people around him about the fuss that was going on.
"Jared!" I cried with relief. "You're here!"
"Prince Jared!" Shaph sounded happy too. Jared's disappearance had caused a lot more disquieting to us Coronalean than we thought.
Jared was lost for words, for a while, it was as if he could not remember us. But then he said. "Kara! Why are you here?"
"Your brother calls us here." I said.
"My bro—what?!"
I told him about the message and grumbled at him a little about disappearing without notice. Jared was about to say something but held back seeing the soldiers in all ears. He waved them away and said. "Sorry about the problem. But I'm not going back with you. This is my Kingdom. I have to fight for it!"
"You're right," I said. Jared seemed to be taken aback by my response. "But I have to hear your brother first."
"Yes. Let's quickly get it over and go back," said someone from the dark clump of trees. It was so familiar that I prayed savagely hoping the one I had in my mind would not materialize from black substance. My pray was answered, desertedly and trebly bad, with the one I least wanted to see here and two other who contrived to be the trouble-makers at last.
I had an indescribable feeling for the first time in my life. The mixture of despair, anger, fed up, irritation, tiresome, confusion, what-the-heck-ish, son-of-a-*itch-ish, and so many more. Shaph gasped. "Prince Valentine! Prince Eldrin! Princess Elise!" They bring their servants too, great!
"You!" Jared recovered faster than me and he went for the Keon Prince grasping at his collar. "Soldiers! Capture this man!" He shouted.
The soldiers swarmed us again, winding Prince Valentine's and Pin's both arms behind their back. The red-headed prince chuckled muttering "Such a warm greeting here in Cimon," as *ucking-great-ish joined the end of the train of my blended emotions. Like a volcano, scorching lava was filling up in me burning the thoughts and concerns for Inter-Kingdom relations, and I could no longer hold it in.
"Why! Isn't it just nice to see you three here?" I conceived a dazzling smile shooting all three new uninvited guests warm welcome. "I've been missing you a lot." And it would be reeeally darn nice if you all were to go missing and never be discovered again! "I have too little problems here. I really do need a few more to exercise my brain!"
Everyone stood silently blinking.
Prince Valentine, being captured by a handful of soldiers, said, "Princess, we're sorry but we have to come. We're worried about Magic. You said it goes off hand again."
"Yes." I lost control and became eloquent at sarcasm. "Wouldn't it be great if Magic decides to go out of control," —like me, "now too? I'd love that!"
"P— princess—" Shaph seemed to be scared of me.
As if I possessed a holy (or unholy) voice, thunderous crashes resounded in the distant and all people cowered in alarm. Jared shouted something amid the booming and we were all steering forward.
We came to the biggest blue tent where people in grander uniforms storming in and out. King Julien, who was not in the grandest robe but whose grandest silvery grey hair was winking across his broad back like the Milky Way, was discussing strategies when we parted the hanging clothes. The King, with eyes like two cold grey stars, looking around mid-twenty, did not grasp who I was at first but he did only a fraction of second later and came to us.
"Princess Carla of Coronale!" The young King beamed. "I appreciate your arrival! Although I had not thought that you would come yourself. I am truly sorry that the enemy chooses to attack us at this moment but you are just…wha—" The King faltered as he saw the red head hostage in Jared's arms. "Prince of Keon!"
"Yes, Julien." Jared smiled mischievously. "Let's behead him here."
"No, no!" King Julien still looked shock. "We cannot kill him. We must keep him for negotiation."
"Ka—Kara." Elise approached me with shaking voice. "What's happening?"
"We're in the middle of war Elise." I said head still swirling hard for a resolve. Because Prince Valentine happened to pop up here, it could bring news that I brought him to Cimon and Coronale would be added to Keon's enemy list soon. God—
"What are you talking about?" Prince Valentine said and, despite being tied up so brutally, he expressed no fear.
"Don't play dumb!" Jared raised his already loud voice while the King raised his hand to stop his brother.
"Do you really not know?" King Julien said calmly. "That your mother, Queen Silvia, is attacking us?"
Prince Valentine shook his tied hands off; an offensive expression laid on his face. "My mother would never do such thing," he said, "We are ambitious, yes, but we despise violence."
Not only the two Cimon's brothers, all the soldiers heaved up the corner of their lips trying to make humorless sniggers. I heard one of them whispered to his friend. "He said they despise violence!"
The Prince of Keon observed the men around him with indignation. The pink hair servant timidly approached his master muttering under his breath. "It's true Prince. We are attacking them now."
Prince Valentine glared at Pin. His blue and orange eyes almost slipped out of their sockets rolling and crushing flat his steward. I did not feel like even a mocking laugh. Standing in the middle of a war was nothing fun for me.
"I don't believe it! I'll prove to you all. My mother's not like that!" Prince Valentine announced and stomped out of the tent, almost ran into King Julien's strategist. Jared went closely after him, did not want to lose an important hostage while all of us somehow felt obliged to follow too.
We went into the most dangerous direction. I had to keep covering my head and watch out for, up in the sky: balls of magic flying and, down on the ground: dead bodies twisting in all manners and blood pool. Prince Valentine's brows knitted at the so-called non-violent scenes. Shaph was close beside me trembling. I was scared too but veered my fear toward protecting everyone from magic balls. I helped Shaph, Jared, King Julien, Elise, and Eldrin eliminating magic from time to time. But there were too much that I couldn't quite take all of them.
"Elise!" Calling at the top of my lung, I threw magic out of my hand towards the one about to hit Shaph and conjured another. I was too slow and Elise screamed with King Nikko's request to keep his children safe echoed in my head.
My brain made a fast resolution that I would flee as soon as I got out of this war. If Elise dies—
A burst interrupted my thought and a red magic sphere flew across my head, clashed with the one about to hit Elise. Red and white sparks showered the Bila Princess and erased away my fleeing plan. I turned at the direction of the red streak and saw huge glowing cluster of magic in Prince Valentine's hand. The magic enlarged and split into tiny pieces flying around destroying other magic in their ways. The enemy must be confused because there was a pause in the attack and we, without having to dodge anymore, made our way to the border where Keon's army, armed with only a breasted plate, was diligently preparing a new strike.
"Prince!" A Keon soldier was taken aback at the appearance of Prince Valentine. Other soldiers heard him and stood stiff staring at us. Pin was looking uneasy while Prince Valentine scolded at them irritably. "I will see the Queen!"
"Detain your rudeness Son. I am here." A middle-aged lady with shining gold bands of hair parted in light purplish-pink ones strolled out behind a line of soldiers. My second impression after the hair was of her dress. I could not understand why anybody would put on such a majestic night gown into a battlefield. Then, I looked at my own cloth feeling like I could criticize others no more as Shaph cleared the doubt for me whispering. "So it's true that Sorcerers rarely use armors. They're very confident in their powers."
"Yes, they believe their magic shield is far stronger than iron." King Julien who was standing beside us and overheard our conversation said.
Queen Silvia grinned. "Look. My dear Son even brought us the Cimon King. Well done Val!"
"We're trapped!" Jared was alarmed, so did the rest of us. He picked up a small rock on the ground and with a wave of shimmer turned it into a sword.
"No. Mother." I thought that this might be the very first time I saw Prince Valentine became serious. "I'm not here to deliver the Cimon's brothers. I come to ask you the reason for stirring war upon their Kingdom."
Queen Silvia's lips merged into a single line. She was suppressing her laugh real hard. "I have never heard anything more hilarious Val. Is it not obvious? Magic simply cannot be shared."
"But this is not right!" Prince Valentine had a hard face. Pin was watching his master nervously. "Violence is not the solution. You should know that! I've been trying, Mother, with the assignment. Please wait a little—"
"Your assignment has nothing related to this." The Queen of Keon said in her elegant, majestic way. Then, with a flourish of her long sleeve, we all knew it was the beginning of the frightening fight.