No matter how unattainable love seems sometimes, it is, nevertheless, all around us and inside us. To say that one waits a lifetime for his soulmate to come around is a paradox. People eventually get sick of waiting, take a chance on someone, and by the art of commitment become soulmates, which takes a lifetime to perfect. Adriana wanted to take a chance on someone, someone whom she believed was her savour at the scene of the accident. She could still feel his arms wrapped on her body, she could hear his breath and footsteps, walking out of the forbidden forest. Finally, she could remember the blur image of the red fabric tied around his neck. Therefore, quickly, she stood up from her sick bed.
On a night-gown, she walked to the window through which she saw Albat and one other person at the kingdom-square. Though it was dark, but moonlight made their clothes visible. Seeing the red fabric around the neck of the person beside Albat, her heartbeat increased. "It wasn't a dream. Who's he?" she stretched her neck to get a view of the person's face, but couldn't. Quickly, she began to walk out of the room. Just after opening the door, she saw her father, the king.
"Adriana, you're awake!" King Corbett hugged his daughter. "Come and sit down. You're too weak to walk around. Where are you heading to?" he led her back to her bed where both sat on the edge.
"I wanted to check on Albat in her quarters, father." Adriana replied.
"A princess checking on a maid? What nonsense!" King Corbett glared at the door. "Guards!" he yelled and two guards rushed into the room with their hands on their swords. "Get Albat from her quarter. The princess needs her services." he commanded.
"No, she's not in the castle, father." Adriana said.
"No, my lady, I'm here." Albat's voice came from the entrance of the room where she loyally held her hands down to her thighs and lowered her head in a way some of her black hair dangled beside her cheek.
Adriana glanced at the window and back to her maid, wondering how she must have left the kingdom-square to the room so fast. She detected a dangerous anger in her father's eyes that could have put Albat in trouble, so she chipped in immediately saying, "I'm sorry father. I thought I saw her outside the castle. My eyes must have deceived me."
"She should sit here and watch you sleep, attend to your needs and be at your service all day and night!" The king yelled, glaring at Albat. "Any day I hear you left this castle for no good reason, I will have your head fed by the...."
"Father!" Adriana interrupted him with a loud voice. That brought peace and silence in the room. Already, Albat had not raised her head up, feeling the tension that increased in the chamber. Her heartbeat accelerated vehemently due to the tension.
"You're lucky you saved my daughter's life and brought her home" The king turned to Adriana with a soft and gentle voice. "Never will you leave the castle again. You should be protected and cared for for the coming of Kadura." He kissed her forehead. "Good night." he stood up, walked out of the room followed by the guards. Albat closed the door behind her, yet never made a move. Adriana walked back to the window to be sure her eyes didn't deceive her, but it seems it was deceiving her.
"Albat?" she called, walking out from the window. "I thought.. I'm sorry for..."
"No, my lady, I should be the one apologizing." Albat rushed to the bed and began to dress it.
"I thought I saw you outside with someone." Adriana watched and listened to her.
"No, my lady, I was in my quarters when I heard the king's voice." She replied without looking at her, while Adriana walked around the chamber, believing that her eyes may have decieved her. Her beauty kept reflecting on the flames of the candles.
"Is it true, you saved my life during the accident?" she stood at a spot.
"You fell down and I carried you home to..."
"Albat!" Adriana interrupted her with a high voice. "Quit doing that and look at me!" she ordered. Immediately, Albat straightened up and looked at her from the side of the bed where her own beauty reflected on the flames too. She began to twist her fingers fearfully because she had started lying to her princess and also she had a clue where their conversation was heading to which would result to more lies. The princess began to walk around again as she continued, "I can't recall all that happened during the accident but I'm sure I was in the arms of someone."
"That would be me, my lady." Albat answered.
"No!" Adriana briskly walked closer to her. "It was a male arms, I can still feel it till now. He was like an angel of the gods! Don't lie to me Albat."
The poor maid swallowed hard, remembering the words of Cyrus the book wizard. "I didn't see anyone my princess." she replied.
"I know what I experienced. I'm not stupid, Albat." She turned away from her and went back to the window as silence trialed between them. Obviously, Adriana was beginning to develop feelings for the imaginary being. Albat could feel it, she could see it in her attitude and could also hear it from her voice.
"My lady, your bed is ready." She broke the silence. "Would you like to eat something?" she asked.
Adriana didn't reply. She heard her maids footsteps coming closer to her, probably to persuade her to bed, so she said, "You can leave now, Albat."
Albat stopped, hesitated for some moments and made a U-turn, heading out of the room. Just at the door, Adriana called her without looking away from the window, "Albat?"
The poor maid turned, while Adriana also turned to her in a way both gazed at each other with the help of the flames.
"Thank you for saving my life." Adriana said as an afterthought. "But if I find out that you lied to me, you won't like my actions." she added in conclusion. Albat swallowed hard and left the room.
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The sun rose from the east the next day and six horses rode into the Kingdom city. Old men with baldheads jumped down from them. They also didn't have a single beard on their jaw. They had the appearance of monks except one person who looked younger. They looked around the city and began to head towards the royal castle. They were the Cadiwans, a group who foresee that every unusual actions like the presence of Julius in the forbidden forest without harm is brought to the table, to know the reason or cause of the action before justification or execution.
King Corbett was sitting on his throne with the princess beside him when the gate to the palace widely opened by the cadiwans. Nero, and some other Knights were also present. The five men stopped at the center of the palace, standing in a roll. They bowed their heads to the king.
Seeing them, the king understood something unusual had happened in his kingdom because the cadiwans do not show up anyhow. There must be a tremendous reason if they do. So he sat up from his throne and said, "What could possibly bring the Cadiwans to my castle?"
"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots" one of the men spoke up. "Why do you ask when you know why, king Corbett?" he returned the question.
The king glanced at his daughter and totally stepped down from the throne. "I know my culture and I may know why you're here. What I do not know is the exact reason why you're here." he said like a king he was.
"To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. We're here as a result of your daughter's accident."
Hearing that, Adriana sat up from her small throne with attentive ears. Also, Albat hid at the door to the palace, listening to them like a spy.
"My daughter's accident is something I thank the gods for. She was saved by her maid, Albat. How can that be a reason you're here?" The king replied.
"We cannot just take action by coming here if it was just what you've said. Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile." One of the men continued. "There was more to what you were told. The accident happened close to the forbidden forest where the princess was flung by the force of the accident. Luckily, she was carried out by a boy."
"I witnessed it with my very eyes." The youngest man added. He was the one who saw everything. He is not a cadiwan.
Hearing that, Adriana also stood up from her throne while Albat ran away from her hiding place.
"No being set a foot on the soil of the forest comes alive. How is this possible?" The king was still Inquisitive.
"We've come to know the possibility to take proper justification." Another man answered.
"Do you know who the boy is? Can you describe him?" Adriana asked....
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Meanwhile, Albat had arrived at Bruce's house to see him with Julius, eating breakfast. The force in which she entered into the house without knocking had the bread in their hands fallen on their plates. Julius stood up instantly and asked, "Who's after you?"
Albat tried to catch her breath as she panted continuously. "The cadiwans are here. I didn't know that there was someone who saw what happened at the scene of the accident." Just after she explained, the door broke open and three Knights entered with their swords. Nero was among them.
"In the name of the king, we are to bring Julius to the palace now!" Nero gestured at his men who grabbed Julius like a thief and began to drag him to the royal castle.
Albat looked at Bruce. "You need to get the book keeper now." she suggested.
Quickly, Bruce's horse galloped out of the kingdom city while Albat went back to the castle. She totally entered into the palace where Julius was brought forcefully and made to kneel before all in the palace. That was the first time, the young boy felt his feet on the golden floor and breathed the air of the castle. The red fabric never departed from his neck, so when the princess saw it, she confirmed that truly, it wasn't a dream. Her eyes and Albat's caught, knowing that truly her maid lied to her.
The king walked closer to the boy. "You saved my daughter in the forbidden forest. True or false?" he asked.
Julius looked around to see the old faces staring at him like the gathering of lions on a prey about to devour him.
"True or false!" the king yelled at him.
"True" Julius replied fearfully. "But I do not know how and why I got there and also why I came out alive." he added.
The king looked at Albat. "Did you know about this, young maid?" he asked her. His voice alone sent Albat to an imaginary grave, remaining for her to be killed physically. She swallowed hard. Her lips quivered when she opens her mouth to speak, but was interfered by Julius who said, "She didn't know about it. She was still unconscious when I brought the princess out then left with the fear."
The king slowly walked back to his throne, he majestically sat on it and said, "Please, Cadiwans, do what you have to do, I want to know why he came out from the forest alive."
"Father, can I state an opinion?" Adriana asked her father.
"Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance." One of the cadiwans interfered by answering the question. "There is always a cause for an action. We must have such knowledge and information. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility." he concluded.
A table was brought. The knights grabbed Julius, laid him face up on the table, tied his hands and legs. The cadiwans circulated the table, brought out diabolical totems and candles to carry out incantations in the presence of everybody. At the end, they'll discover why Julius never died after entering the forbidden forest; they will discover that he is the Kadura whom the king wouldn't think twice to kill. Meanwhile, Adriana had started developing feelings for him.....