Chapter 24
It didn't take long for Lauren and Gerald to go to the Keep. Lauren went to her spire and into her room. She used the secret door of the magic library and found Jon's life book. She read his history and was shocked at the results. She knew his family was in for a shock because she knew the true story.
She came back into her room and was greeted by Gerald. "Hello. Is that something I need to know about?"
"Well, it's a Keeper thing and I need to get clarity about it before I go into details, but I want to tell you about it." Lauren said.
"I understand and I am not angry or hurt. There are times that you will have to stand on your Keeper principles just as I have to stand on dragon law. Over time, as we learn from each other, we will share more."
"Thanks for being understanding. What I can share with you are the facts I have learned about Jon's situation." Lauren told him what she read and Gerald grew angry. She felt the anger boil up in him. "Calm down, Gerald, we will handle the situation when we go back. I am angry also, but let's leave it alone for now. I want to see the rest of the team before we go back to Crystal City.
They ate dinner with everyone. While they were eating Cartrell pulled her aside.
"Is everything okay?" Lauren asked.
"Yes. I am just concerned for you and I wanted to know how you were. I have been missing you."
Lauren blushed. "That's nice to know. I hope you are not feeling neglected. Your service is important to me."
"No. I understand. We do need to talk about some things though. Earth is having problems, but they can wait for a little while more. I won't burden you yet. Please, come to me when your present crisis is over.
"Two crises actually. I just hope you...well all of you know how much I need you. I promise you will be my next priority." Lauren said with a smile.
They talked and hung out a little while longer and then headed back to Crystal City.
The next day, Gerald escorted Lauren to the throne again and began handling the daily business. Once most of the cases were heard, Gerald called Cora up. "Where is your family?"
From the back corner of the room, the brothers approached and took a knee. "We are here your highnesses."
"Tell me what happened to your younger brother?"
"Um, your highness, we don't have a younger brother." The eldest said. "Our mother came home with a child one day and said he was our brother, but our father said he was not our brother. He ordered my brother to take the child to the temple so that the priest could help find his parents."
This was closer to the true story. Lauren knew where Jon really came from, but Gerald wanted the truth to come out through questioning so no one knew she found out the truth because she was the Keeper.
"So, why didn't the child make it to the temple? Before you answer, remember who you are talking to and that I can force the truth from you. It will not be pleasant." Gerald let his power pulse through the room. The fear in the room was unmistakable.
"Your highness, I have no reason to lie to you or disrespect you. I wish I knew what was going on. Maybe you should talk to my mother because I don't know any more about the situation." The eldest brother stated.
"No. I am asking your brother. He was told to take the child to the temple."
The second brother stepped up. "I don't know what you mean. I wasn't told to take the child to the temple. Father and I weren't even here. We had left to hunt down a rabid wolf that was killing cows and sheep. Who told you I was supposed to take him?"
"Your mother." Gerald and everyone else looked at Cora.
"I don't understand. You were told to take the child to the temple and he was your brother. Your father may not have accepted him but he is your brother. I am not lying, your highnesses." Cora stated while crying.
"No, you are not." Lauren agreed. "You are just unaware of the truth. "Who is the boy's father?"
"What? Why are you asking me that? My husband is his father."
Lauren contacted Gerald mentally, "Do you think she doesn't know?"
"It's possible. The witch could have manipulated the situation and then altered the memories of everyone involved. I hope that is the truth because I don't like the alternative possibility."
"Bring in the healers." In a few minutes, several healers entered. They stood behind each member of the family. "Scan them and tell me what you find," Gerald ordered.
Without hesitation, the healers began. They poured their power into them and froze them in place. "Your highness, they have been manipulated." The head healer said with a shocked look on his face. "They are not lying but their truth has been altered. Would you like us to make the corrections?"
"If doing so will not harm them, yes."
"It will not." Suddenly, the healer began to glow. The light entered the family and they glowed also. A few moments later, they looked around trying to figure out what happened. "They have been repaired and will be clear of mind in a few minutes."
"Good," Gerald said. "Have you found these boys' father and the other boy's father?" He then asked a soldier that was standing off to the side.
"We have found them." The next thing that happened was two men were brought into the throne room in chains.
"What is the meaning of this? Why am I in chains?" Cora's husband asked. Cora gasped because in her altered memory her husband was dead.
"Sir Thomas, you are restrained because I ordered you to be. I don't need to hear from you yet." Gerald's power rolled through the room again. Lauren touched his arm and sent calming energy through him. "Thank you, love, I needed your touch." He told her mentally.
Gerald returned his attention to the people in the throne room. "You are here to help clear up the situation about your third son. You may speak now and tell me what happened."
"I don't have a third son. My wife brought home a child one day and said he was our son, but I knew he was not my son. I didn't want harm to come to the child so I ordered my second son to take the child to the temple so that the priest could help find his parents." Sir Thomas replied.
"But father, I was with you hunting. You never told me to take the child anywhere."
"Healers, clear these two men's minds." The healers quickly did as they were told. "They were both afflicted with the same manipulation."
Lauren really wondered what the witch was trying to accomplish by manipulating this family. What was so special about them? It was time for the Keeper to act. "Clarify." Her powers took her into this family's past. She saw Sir Thomas as a child. He was from Earth and would run up and down the hills in Ireland. His parents were sent to the dragon realm as emissaries. He hated leaving his friends and was withdrawn at first. Then he met Gerald and they became fast friends. Gerald would even let him ride his back from time to time until his father told him it was inappropriate because he was to be the next king and that only his bonded should ride him. His father told Thomas why and smoothed things over with him and from that point on, Gerald carried Thomas in his claws when they went places. They were the best of friends. When they got older, Gerald made Thomas a Duke and an advisor. He honored his marriage to Cora. Thomas became a liaison to Earth. On one of his trips to America, he ran into a woman and was seduced by her. This is the witch that manipulated his mind and planted her scheme in his mind. She figured that since he was close to Gerald, he could be used to get close enough to work her magic on him. But Thomas wasn't set to go back to the dragon realm for a while. Years passed by and Sir Thomas was not recalled home. The witch forced him into producing a child with her. She would use her magic to implant the egg within him and force him to go visit his wife so that the child would be carried by her. The child would then be her way into the dragon realm. Everything happened according to her plan except she lost control of Sir Thomas. He didn't think the child was his, so the witch lost her connection with the child because for her magic to work, the child and Sir Thomas needed to be together. Sir Thomas went back to Earth where he continued to work for the king. Cora gave birth to the child while he was gone. When Sir Thomas came back for a visit, he saw the child and sent him away to the temple.
Lauren continued to discern and watched Cora, who had forgotten the child since he was sent away, find the child on the street and bring him home with her. She petitioned her husband to keep the child because he was their son. Sir Thomas told her no and sent the child to the temple so the priest could find out who his family was. The second brother was told by his father to take the child to the temple, and on their way there, bandits attacked them. They took the child and brought him to the witch. The witch began to try to take the boy's soul from him so she could use it in a spell that would allow her to try to get close to Gerald. Everything she tried didn't work. She figured that since he was her child, she would be able to simply take his soul, but it turned out that he would have to willingly give it to her. She made his life miserable, hoping that would make him want to give up his soul but he refused and ran away. That was when Lauren found him and got him help. The witch lost her connection to the child as soon as he came in contact with Lauren. Even back then her powers were trying to manifest and she didn't know. Without even knowing it, Lauren probably saved Jon's life.
She watched Sir Thomas come back to visit his home with presents for his wife and children, not knowing that the witch had spelled them. That was how she manipulated the rest of the family.
When she came out of the discernment, she shared what she had found out with Gerald. The sympathy he had for his old friend showed on his face. "Healers, I need everyone to be checked for manipulation and make the repair if any is found."
The healers joined hands and readied themselves to go into a trance. "Wait," Lauren commanded. She stepped down from the dias and joined the circle of healers. "Proceed."
"Are you sure, my love?" Gerald asked. He wasn't quite sure why she wanted to join them as they did their healing, but he knew she knew more about the situation than he did.
"I am very sure I have to be part of this for it to work and to safeguard the security and future of the dragon realm. By doing this the healing will reach all of the dragons and inhabitants, everywhere."
Gerald understood. "Proceed."
The healers did as they were commanded. The circle glowed a light yellow light at first then an afterglow of iridescent light flowed over it. Once the two lights intertwined, they started to spread past the circle and encompassed the entire throne room. Lauren used her powers to shield the fact that Gerald was starting to be affected by the witch's spell, even if it had just barely worked on him. She removed the spell and healed him. Next, the light went throughout the castle, then the kingdom, and finally, throughout the realms of existence. She held the spread of the healing a bit longer and located the witch on Earth. She watched as the witch realized that her spell had lost its hold on the dragons and became frustrated. She also located Jon and made sure he received the healing. Once the healing had touched every dragon and dragon realm inhabitants, Lauren took hold of the healing spell, enhanced it, and sent it out again. This time she freed all beings that the witch had under the spell. She completely obliterated the spell and secured all the beings that had been under the witch's control. There had been so many. She was going to have to go get that evil witch.
She drew her power back in and released the healers from her magic. They looked at her with astonishment and fell on their knees in worship and adoration. "We didn't know, your gracious and wondrous highness." The lead healer said. Then as a group they said, "You have our solemn and resolute word that we will follow you and obey your every command from this day forward. We will guard your life and give ours to save you if it is necessary. We swear our allegiance to you."
Surprised but still dignified, she replied, "Thank you. Your allegiance is welcomed."
"What did you do to them? They have never been like this before." Gerald asked her mentally. She looked over at him and winked. That was all the answer he was going to get and she walked back up to the dias and sat on her throne. "Oh. We are going to talk about this later." He said mentally with a laugh.
Gerald turned his attention back to his friend and his family. They were on their knees and contrition. It felt like they were begging for their lives and he didn't like it. "My dear friend, please get up. You and your family." The ropes were removed from Sir Thomas and the other man that was brought in with him.
They didn't move. "I am so sorry, my king. My weakness could have brought the downfall of this kingdom. I don't deserve my post or to be called your friend. I deserve to be banished. I have broken my oath to you, my wife, and defiled myself. I am so ashamed."
"Nonsense. The queen can let you see the truth of things if you would like. You were a victim in this situation. I am going to bring you back home so you can reconnect with your family, but it is not because I feel you are weak or unable to do your job. Plus, I miss you, my friend."
Sir Thomas looked up with tearful eyes. "I am undeserving of your kindness."
"No, you are not," Lauren said. She lifted her hand and pointed at the family. She let them all see what she had seen through her discernment. She also let Gerald see the entire truth for himself.
"As for you," Gerald looked at the other man, "I don't know you.
Guards grabbed the man and the healers sent their power through him. "He, he is not of our realm, my Lord. He is pure evil."
He was the infiltrator that worked for the witch. Gerald's anger raged. He couldn't believe the nerve of this man.
"I'm an agent of change. It is necessary for there to be adversity for strength to continue to grow. This realm has become complacent under your reign." The man said.
Lauren held Gerald's hand to keep him from leaving the throne. "Your majesty, it is important we keep the realm at peace. You are the source of that peace." Lauren said In his mind.
"You're right but what do we do with him? Put him in one of your books?" He pulsed power and simmered in heat. "Fine. As long as I get to write his storyline. I deserve a little revenge and making him go through what Jon went through would be a good start."
"That's fine." Lauren created a portal. "Oh. What is your name? I guess It doesn't matter, you will tell someone soon enough." He was sucked into the portal and Lauren ended up with a book In her hand. She sent it to the magical library within the seventh spire.
"So what is to be done about Jon? That is the child's name." Lauren asked.
"If it is okay with you, I would like to claim him as my son and meet him, I feel like, for the first time. I don't know if he has any resentment or anger toward us. If he does, we deserve it, but I would like to make amends."
"With the permission of the king, I have sent for him. He knows everything you know. He is one of my entourage and I knew him as a child. You will have to work to win him over but he wants to meet you."
The next morning, Jon came to the castle. "Hi, Jon. It is wonderful to see you again. Are you okay? You have had a lot of information thrust upon you." Lauren asked.
"I'm okay. It's hard to understand all of this but I am going to be okay. I know that you are here to support me. That's one thing you said when I was a child that I remembered. Thanks for all you have done for me." Jon gave Lauren a big hug and cried in her arms.
"You are so welcome. I am happy I have been able to be there for you. Ever since you told me that I was your teacher, I have been able to remember you. You are a strong young man. You will make it through this."
Gerald brought Jon's family to the throne room to meet Jon. "Jon, I would like to introduce you to Sir Thomas and his wife, Lady Cora. These are their sons, Sean and Deon. I am introducing them in this way because it will be your choice to accept them as your family. Family is earned here. It is not just what you are born into, but it is also the people you proclaim as your family. For years Sir Thomas has been my brother. The witch's spell may have pulled us apart for a while but he is still my brother. Do you understand?"
"I do understand and I appreciate your words. I like that I get to choose my family. I don't choose the witch, even though she may be the reason I have a life. I do choose to get to know Sir Thomas and his family because he might also be responsible for my having a life. I don't want or expect to become an heir to anything in this family. I say this so that there will be no animosity. I am a part of the Keeper's entourage and I have everything I need because of my position there. It would be nice to get to know you all though." Jon stopped talking so he wouldn't ramble.
"I am glad. Let's go get dinner and start getting to know each other." Sir Thomas said. They left the throne room and headed to a restaurant.
"I hope things work out for them," Lauren said.
"Me too," Gerald replied. "Now. Let's get prepared. We have a witch to catch."