Chapter 5:
Idleness
A cold, wet rag brushed across Clarence's forehead and gently woke the young boy up. His body felt particularly heavy, and he found it hard to lift his head. The older woman that had saved him in the forest was sitting next to him on a small wooden stool, looking down at the boy lovingly.
"Are you awake, honey? You had a fever, but you should rest a bit more." She continued to wipe the sweat beads off his head, gently cooling his burning forehead. "You're probably hungry. I'll make some porridge! Mmm!" She said this while laughing, standing up slowly. Her knees cracked.
Clarence liked the smell of the tiny house. It smelled like the kitchen in the castle.
The house itself was rather small, only consisting of three rooms. The room he was in now was in the kitchen, but the small bed he was laying in was to the far side of the room, by the kitchen table. The table's wood was old and faded.
The older woman walked to the other side of the room and pulled out a large pan. She bent down and picked up a small basin of water and poured a small amount in, preparing the dish. Clarence turned away from her and looked out the small window next to him that showed a small part of the outside. He was at a farm. There were cows, sheep, and chickens sauntering around the mid-morning and eating their fill of grass and bugs. He was fascinated.
His eyes were fixed on the outside until the woman announced that the porridge was finished. Carefully, the boy sat up and looked at the older woman. Instead of passing him the spoon and bowl, she dipped the spoon in the porridge and passed the full spoon to Clarence's mouth.
Embarrassed, he opened his mouth and ate it. It was sweet and delicious. He thought the honey tasted better than the berries the cooks always put in at the castle. He hungrily took another bite, enjoying the taste of the home-cooked meal.
"Honey, you can call me Auntie Josephine." She said this after he had finished the entire bowl, which had been full to the brim. "I changed your clothes while you were asleep. The ones you were wearing are drying now." He did not notice before, but his pajamas were hanging above the stove.
Josephine looked at him expectantly, "Now what's your name, sweetie?"
"Clarence, Clarence Godfreed." He said this with a large, innocent smile.
The woman looked at the boy and froze with the bowl in her warm, calloused hands upon hearing his name. There was no ignoring her suspicions now. This young child was a Godfreed, meaning he was somehow related to the king. Josephine turned away for a moment to collect herself, then, with a gentle smile, she pushed Clarence's hair behind his ears and told him to rest. After he closed his eyes, Josephine quickly stood up and calmly hurried outside, flagging down her husband from the woodshed.
"Jonathan, please come here for a moment." She said nervously, looking over her shoulder, expecting to see the queen's knights coming down the road any moment to punish them. Jonathan was immediately perplexed by his wife's frantic expression.
"Oh, honey, did the young lad wake up? I'm glad to see he's feeling better." Her husband said calmly.
"I'm relieved as well. But there's a problem…" She stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, his eyes bulging at her words. He looked back at her in surprise, but all she did was nod her head in response.
Now the two were perplexed together. After a moment of speaking, the two looked at each other again, the husband sighing to himself.
"I'll take the cart and head to the next town over. I heard that the royal knights have started a search for a noble's son." He shook his head lightly, "But I never would've thought that we had the young gentleman all along." He walked inside and grabbed the pajamas, folding them neatly and placing them under his arm. If he didn't have proof of the young boy's appearance, he could face reprimand. He preferred to keep he and his wife safe. And maybe if they alerted the queen's knight immediately, the queen would let them go, maybe hopefully with a small reward.
At all the commotion, Clarence opened his eyes back up. Since he was now strong enough to stand up, Clarence wobbly went outside to watch Jonathan take off in the cart they had brought Clarence in earlier. He and Josephine waved the man away as he began to travel to the town. Even hurrying, it was a quarter of a day's trip, and if any word came back, it would have to come around supper time.
Josephine took a deep breath and turned back to Clarence and asked, excitedly, "Then, Clarence, if you're up, why don't you and I play some games together, hm?" Josephine looked at Clarence's sparkling eyes as he glanced excitedly around the farm and knew Clarence would enjoy playing with the animals.
He would love to feed the animals the most. This she knew, because her children were the same way when they were young. But those memories, she thought to herself, are very old now.
It would also keep him safe, as the farm animals were all old and docile. They would most certainly enjoy the new company of the innocent child.
Clarence straightened his bed head while looking in the large water basin outside for the animals. The color to his cheeks was back, and he felt full of energy now that his fever had subsided. He wanted to play with the animals.
Aunt Josephine took him around the farm, giving him a personal tour of their humble homestead. Clarence excitedly ran around as he greeted all the animals, even the frightful rabbits. When he approached the cows, they sniffed him curiously, one licking the side of his face from his chin to his hair, leaving his previously neat head in disarray. Josephine laughed a deep, hearty laugh and helped Clarence smooth his hair.
After that, Clarence threw corn to the chickens who gathered around him hungrily. Josephine noticed this and ran over to him, holding him up high as he tossed the pieces around. Clarence giggled gleefully as he was gently swung around. The chickens poked their heads around the ground without much thought, enjoying their second meal of the day.
After that, Clarence got to try to milk a cow. Because her husband had to leave so suddenly, he had forgotten to milk one of the cows. "Now this is Sweetheart. Just like her name, she's a sweet pea." Josephine said this lovingly, stroking the cow's head gently. "Do you want to milk her?"
Clarence couldn't contain his excitement. He furiously nodded his head and watched as Josephine demonstrated how to grasp the udders. After, he was able to sit on the small wooden stool and try to milk the cow too. When the milk shot out, he was startled, jumping back.
"Just like that. You're doing great!"
With the milk in the bucket, Clarence carried it back to the house with the help of Josephine. She smiled warmly as he placed it down and then asked, "What are we doing next?"
Josephine looked outside, seeing the sun was already high in the sky. "I think I��m feeling a little hungry. Why don't I make some soup?"
Clarence nodded his head, "I like soup!"
He was sent out of the kitchen while she cooked, so the boy tottered around the farm without much thought to his family. He saw the sheep and stopped, looking at their fluffy bodies with amazement. Many of them were gathered together, laying in the shade of the large oak tree in the middle of the field. Very slowly, Clarence approached them and sat down next to one, a particularly gentle-looking sheep. Her fluffy black body looked comfortable enough to sleep on. He leaned back and rested his head and back on the sheep, enjoying the fluffy wool on its body.
The sheep was at ease and closed its eyes, allowing the small boy to lay next to her.
Clarence laid next to the sheep and napped until Josephine had come out to retrieve him, wiping her hands on her stained apron. She couldn't help but smile, remembering her own children before they had grown. Her youngest son in particular always enjoyed laying with the sheep. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
"Auntie Josephine?" He said, standing up.
Josephine wiped the tips of her eyes with the back of her hand and said, smiling, "Why don't we have some bread and soup, hm?" He ran up and grabbed her hand while she led him inside, asking him about what he had been up to while she cooked.
It wasn't much later when a group of knights had arrived at her home, accompanied by her nervous husband. He quickly came up to her, and then bowed at the Prince's feet with great difficulty.
The old woman was shocked, The only person we bow for is-
She looked at Clarence deeply for a moment, remembering his pajamas. Though they were filthy, the old woman could tell from all of her years of sewing dresses for the noble ladies in the village, that these pajamas were still extraordinarily expensive, something even the richest noble would have trouble procuring. She gasped before she joined her husband in a deep curtsy.
"Your Majesty, Prince Clarence." The captain of the knights said, while the husband and wife did not dare to lift their eyes, "Your mother, the Queen, will be overjoyed you have been found."
The captain moved aside and stuck out his hand for Clarence to follow, but Clarence was frozen in place, staring at the old couple who had taken such good care of him.
"What are you doing?" Clarence asked the couple, furrowing his eyebrows, "Why are you doing that?"
"Prince Clarence, you are the next king to the Yurseur Kingdom. They are treating you with the respect due to the kingdom's heir, as they should be." The captain said, "Now come along, Prince Clarence. Your mother, the Queen, is waiting for you."
Clarence ignored the guard, and instead went up to the couple, trying to help them stand up, but they knew better, and refused to move from their positions or look at Prince Clarence, "What are you doing?! Stand up!" Clarence's chest began to heave, "Please Auntie Josephine, please Uncle John, I want you to walk me to the carriage. I want to say goodbye."
They remained silent and unmoving, knowing any slip could have dire consequences, though their hearts broke as they listened to his cries.
The captain, seeing this distress, moved forward and put his hand on Clarence's shoulder, "Come along, Prince Clarence. They are commoners. They are not allowed to speak to you."
"Wh-What are you saying?!" Clarence yelled, "They're my friends, they took care of me!"
"Prince Clarence, please act your age and status and come along quietly." The captain said, his tone quickly becoming short with the young boy. Clarence wanted to scream and kick the ugly, mean man, but he knew he would be in big trouble if his mother found out, so instead, he glanced back one more time at the loving, old couple who had taken him in with no questions, and quickly gave both of them a hug as tears slipped down his face. Then he stepped back, wiped his face, and followed the guard back to the gaudy carriage that carried the Yurseur Kingdom's emblem. After Clarence was inside the carriage and the heavy door was shut, the captain turned back to the old couple, who were now beginning to rise. Because the Prince was now out of their view, they were allowed to stand up, but the old man had great difficulty rising, so the captain, without saying a word, signaled to a knight who quickly went over and helped the old man, then the old woman, to stand. As the knight returned to his position, they thanked the captain. He did not respond.
Instead the captain nodded his head at the couple and said, "The royal family will be sending a messenger soon to discuss your reward for finding the Prince." The two looked down and nodded, holding back their tears. The captain then called the knights back and climbed onto his horse. The knights quickly left, wanting to return the Prince safely to the castle.
As the old couple watched the carriage disappear over the horizon, they began to cry as they held each other.
…
It felt like time had slowed. Silas spent most of the trip sitting on the back of the carriage, looking outside. After their rough mission, no one questioned him. This was his first mission after all. It was also his first time killing someone.
Jacob's disturbing demeanor had subsided and he was back to his usual jovial self. He was still excited buzzing around, but not as excited as before. He traded with Henry and took over the reins for a while, took over his shift to keep Pierce's body cold, and even sat by Silas and chatted with him. He seemed like an endless pool of energy. Silas felt slightly annoyed by that.
The next day had passed much faster, and they soon reached their main village. It was hidden deep inside the northern forest of the Yurseur Kingdom, where many humans refused to travel. The wild animals here respected the elves and allowed them to inhabit this forest with them.
When their carriage had arrived, the village chief was alerted and many of the villagers came to see their brave soldiers. It was not long before they were alerted to Pierce's death. Many of the elven parents sent their children back inside, while Pierce's family was brought forward to receive his body.
The rest of the elven warriors from the mission left the cart and stood nearby, passing the body over to the grieving family for a proper elven ceremony. He would be received with high honors and, because the elves did not believe in cremation, his body would decompose in the forest, giving back to the woods that endlessly provided for the elves.
Pierce's mother and father came to retrieve his body, both barely holding back tears. Silas hung his head and closed his eyes until he heard the man's body being carried away.
The rest of the soldiers quickly returned to their families or other duties, and Silas followed suit, quickly walking through the clearing to his own home, where his mother and his younger siblings would be waiting for him.
As soon as Silas opened the door, two small children came running towards him. Their light colored heads clung onto his arms and legs, leaving him to stand still and wait for their grips to soften.
"Big brother!"
"Brother!"
His younger brother and sister, Cirdan and Aurelia, grasped onto him tightly, not letting go. It had been almost a month since they last saw him, but they were still as adoring as ever. He could not help but smile and pat their heads with his free hand. Aurelia's straight, long blonde hair and Cirdan's lazy gold waves became a scattered mess on the tops of their heads. Their light brown eyes looked up lovingly at Silas.
His mother walked in slowly, smiling brightly at her son. "Silas, we've missed you." She walked up to her son and hugged him, maneuvering around the two young children. After she drew back, she plucked the younger two off of him and chastised them, telling them they still had to complete their chores, even if their older brother was home. They didn't seem to mind, now that they would have Silas back to play with them.
After Cirdan and Aurelia ran back into the kitchen, his mother grabbed his arms and looked him over thoughtfully. "You look terrible." Those weeks he was gone had had their effects, and his mother could see it. "Let's sit down and talk." The young ones did not understand what deployment meant.
Silas sat down next to his mother on the wooden bench, looking into her thoughtful, light brown eyes. The corners of her eyes lifted and exposed the crows feet next to them. "How are you feeling, Silas? Do you want to talk to me about it?" She stroked her son's head, pushing his long bangs out of his eyes.
Silas clenched his hands. "Mom, what happened," He paused with a shaky breath, "It was awful." He spat, feeling the tremors rake this body once again. His mother saw this and grabbed his hands into her warm grasp.
"They attacked our ancestors long ago, and our people still hold that grudge, even today. That doesn't mean we should continue this grudge.�� She looked at her son. "But the humans continue to hold this anger too."
"So we kill innocent people too?" Silas finished, still trembling.
His mother stopped and asked, quietly. "Did something else happen?"
Silas bit his lip, feeling his eyes heat up. "Mom…" He whispered, choking back tears, "We killed them. Not just the soldiers. Even… even the children..."
No matter how hard he tried, Silas couldn't hold back the tears. He cried, facing down at his lap in shame. His mother wrapped her arm around her son and pulled him close to her as she rubbed his back, comforting him. "It's going to be okay, Silas." She shushed him. "The first time you kill someone is incredibly difficult. It was for me, and I knew it would be for you."
His mother closed her eyes and sighed as if she were deep in thought. Silas wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, catching his breath. Finally, she replied, "You have to forgive yourself, because you coming home is more important to me, and to the twins, than anything else."
Maeir grabbed Silas's drooping head and forced him to look at her, "Do what you have to to make sure you come home safe."
A brief moment of silence and solidarity fell between the two of them.
"Aurelia! You forgot to clean this plate!"
"No, I didn't, Cirdan!"
"Yeah you did! I'm gonna tell mom!"
The arguing in the kitchen brought Silas back, and he quickly stood up. His mother stood up as well, preparing for an argument between the two children. Silas quickly walked up the narrow stairs to his room before his siblings could see him in such a sorry state. He was too ashamed to be seen by them. But before Silas could open his door and enter, his mother called to him at the bottom of the stairs,
"Silas!" He released his hand from the door knob and turned to look at his mother's tired, but determined face, now set into a deep frown as she looked as her son's bent back from the bottom of the stairs, "I just wanted to say that-" She paused for a moment, unable to summon the words. She paused and sighed, then said, "Just know that whatever you did out there, I forgive you, and I love you."
Without another word, she turned and went into the kitchen, scolding the twins for not finishing the dishes. Silas turned and opened his door, letting it swing open on its own.
I'm so sorry. He knew no one could hear his words, but he still apologized to himself and to the victims of the war anyway. He dragged himself to his room and closed the door. He locked it behind him and fell down to his knees, behind the door, hugging his legs. He tried to keep himself quiet as his body was racked with sobs.
…
The prince was swiftly returned to his parents, who were currently residing at the Queen's brother's castle, Duke Louis of Yurseur. His castle was stationed over thirty miles away, in a larger, more lively town. This was the queen's favorite vacation spot as well. Unfortunately, even after arriving, they were not able to rest.
The king and queen had escaped the castle after receiving warning from Esther, Prince Clarence's personal maid. The other palace servants were asleep and murdered before they were able to escape, and unfortunately most of the castle's knights, including the special forces, were outside of the castle walls, investigating a possible elven settlement on the eastern side of the border, between the Yurseur Kingdom and Bethell Kingdom. The two kingdoms were allies, and they also held very similar views about the elves, going so far as to create elven hunts and providing trophies to those who could kill the most elves.
After this incident, the castle's cellar and main hall were destroyed, leaving only the stone structures to support the building. Otherwise, the castle would have collapsed, just as the elves had wanted. The special knights were dispatched to clear the castle, and they were the first to discover the gruesome scene that laid wait inside.
The king and queen were quickly briefed via messenger, and were the first to hear about the state of the castle. They had the knights searching for their young son, Clarence, as well, but the identification of the bodies was difficult, due to mutilation. Fear enveloped the castle as they found a child's body that looked a great deal like Clarence, but relief came quickly as they realized it was not the Crown Prince, but a nobleman's child. It was quickly deduced that the elves must have killed the child, thinking it was Clarence. The relief was short lived; however, when Clarence still was not found, even after the castle and the surrounding area were searched multiple times. The queen wept, fearing the worst for her young son, and began to break down the morning they arrived at her brother's castle.
What they did not know was the prince was quickly discovered not far south from the castle, housed and treated by two humble human farmers that had happened to travel the trade path early in the morning. The husband quickly alerted the royal knights and they were able to retrieve him just outside a small village to the south. Now the prince had finally arrived at the castle, and his parents were anxiously awaiting his return.
"Mother, Father!" The prince was led by two knights into the dining room. The queen quickly opened her arms and hugged him, crying tears of joy at the sight of her young son.
"Clarence! I am so relieved you are okay!"
The boy hugged his mom tightly, not saying a word. He was too relieved for words.