Chapter 6: Trial of Bloodline
VLADMIR;
I had not gotten any sleep nor eaten anything, facing those fathoms and being scared out of my wits were more the enough for me to handle. I never signed up for this lonely hell; And then.....something happened, more like a feeling, strange And foreboding. I looked around and everywhere morphed and began to change in my very before. I was no longer in the strange forest, The ground looked familiar, a place I grew up and looked down from my window for the past ten years, the smell of blooming flowers filled the air, The almighty Bran Castle stood before me.
I walked in as any normal person would, but as I approached the gates the guards crossed their spears stopping me from advancing ahead.
"Who are ye and what business do ye want 'ere?" One of the guards asked, I was taken aback by the way he spoke , but I further tried my luck.
"I am Prince Vladmir, son of King Alexander IV." I boldly stated. They looked at each other and then back at me before bursting into fits of laughter.
"Then I am King Cornelius, Alexander The third." One of them said,and the others entered another fits of laughter.
"Son…." The first guard said, make no fool of thyself, Prince Drakkon, Alexander The Fourth is merely a babe, a year old and nothing more. Saying ye 're his boy is quite a dream of chained mad men. Go back thy way or state the purpose for coming 'ere." He advised, trying not to laugh just like the others were.
Wait a minute, if what he's saying is indeed true, I am in Bran Castle, but the era is different, I cannot be recognised as a Prince here because my father is just a baby. And it is my grandfather that is king...fudging skies.
I had to come up with a story so I could meet my grandfather and somehow convince him I stumbled upon his era and that I needed help going back. But to do that, I need to pass through the guards.
"Ah ah! I would have you forgive me for the trickery I tried to play earlier, I have from time wish to be of oyalty since I was bought out of slavery, working in the kitchen for 28 summers. With nothing but my name until i heard an old rumour of men working here as cook encourage me to be here at Bran Castle to work." I lied, trying to gain enough sympathy to gain entrance to the castle.
The guard that advised me earlier stepped forward again, "It is indeed true Bran Castle is in need of helps at the kitchen, but I beg thee to tell us from which neighbouring village ye comest from?" He asked.
I had no idea about neighbouring villages around Bran Castle, I was locked up at age 10, with no knowledge whatsoever of any where outside the Castle. "Aye, of course that should be all I can give thee to prove myself. Albeit, I cannot help but play a little game of riddles to see if thee would know it right as thou art wise and full of wisdom tasked to guard the Castle important entrance ...after all, I am like a magician, playing cards and riddles." I said to them, they shrugged.
The moment I had called them wise and important, they were ready to guess the answer. Anyone could fool these bunch by just calling them wise and of full importance.
I folded my hands behind me as I walked back and forth thinking of how I would come up with a riddle that has to do with neighbouring village. I could remember Bran Castle is the wealthiest ton, filled with abundant of food, grains in store, meat and wine. Villages from other castle would travel a great distance to buy from us and we haf quite a number of rivals, so whatever I had to say needs to be along those lines.
I stopped pacing around and took a fixed position in front of them. "Hear me, I am from a place where our ruler thinks he's second to none and Bran Castle is beneath the soles of his feet...." I was immediately intercepted by one of the guards.
"Castle Poenari, those proud lots, lord knows how people over 'ere fair." He exclaimed, which would mean wherever this Poenari is,is like a slave ground to people.
"Aye Aye, ye say nothing but the truth. If only our ruler could but be half as merciful and benevolent as King Cornelius, I would have been Knighted and not spend 28 summers making dough." I lamented.
"Go on then, may the Lord be with thee." The guard said, opening the gates, which I hurried pass them before they would question me further.
I knew my way around the Castle so I sneaked around without the guards notice, I needed to meet my grandfather and perhaps find a way out of here. I avoided coming in contact with anyone, I took a minute to look around the Castle, it is quite different from my time, the dressing, and even their words were no longer in use. The lighting and arms all were different.
I spent a lot of time accessing everything that had been before my birth, forgetting for a second I should be searching for my grandfather when I felt something cold on my neck. I tried to turn but a voice stopped me, probably the master of the sword dangerously placed on my neck.
"Say no word stranger, for ye shall answer to the king." He threatened, pushing me to advance forward to what I know as the grand hall where my father had his meetings with nobles aristocratsand wealthy merchants.
We walked down the hall with people staring at me like I was a local criminal caught stealing food from the kitchen. Few yards to where the king sat with his wife holding a baby in her arms; which would turn out to be my father. The man behind me kicked my knee forcing me to knee before the king.
"What do we have 'ere, another criminal?" The voice boomed in the hall, making the people gasps and murmur.
"My king, this lad here was caught roaming around the Castle, a face I have never seen, he surely is a foe on an errand to poison you King Cornelius. Give me the order to Behead the FOE!!!" He announced, making my heart skip a beat on how fast he would execute me just by assumption.
I lifted my head from the ground and tried to beg the king but the man behind me shove my head down, "Such Treachery! A mere criminal like thee should never be graced the chance to look the king in the face!" He said, his voice was filled with hatred and violence.
Silence filled the hall and I notice the hem of a golden robe in front of me, a hand adorned with rings of gold and sapphire stones lifted my face from the ground. My eyes met with the eyes of King Conelius Alexander The Third. He's eyes furrowed as he stared at me, accessing me before he spoke.
"Rise!" He commanded.
I had no choice but to stand on my feet, I looked around and could clearly see the nobles gathered just as they did during my father's meetings. The nobles and aristocrats at the right side of the hall and the wealthy merchants with only money to their name at the other side, leaving the middle for whoever is to be judged, trialed and condemned. At least that system is still on I'm my time.
"Who art thou?" He calmly said, his voice cold and unforgiving just like my father, I could see he resemblance, from his nose down to the colour of his eyes. My grandfather and I had the same colour of hair, Blonde.
"You would not believe me , I can tell this because I would do the same if I was in your position." I said to him. He looked confused that's when I realised I did not speak the way they did. He waved the guard behind me.
"Begone! Return to post." He dismissed the guard.
"But my king, he is not to be trust..." Before he could complete his words the king cuts in.
"I shall have your tongue this instant if thou but say another word." He angrily said, clenching his fist beside him.
"Yes my king." The guard said, his retreating footsteps could be heard in the hall.
"I shall not repeat what I asked of thee." He warned, glancing at my direction.
"I am Vladmir Drakkon, son of Alexander The Fourth." I boldly said. I could here whispering behind me, some clear enough to be heard.
'He must be mad!'
"By my troth have I ever hear such lie!"
"Fie upon Thu house!!!"
"ENOUGH!" The king ordered, his command silenced them all, before he returns his attention to me. "How prove thee of this truth? Surely thou can see Alexander is of a year and could barely make any child. Tell me how it is you are his son." King Cornelius questions.
"From my words O king, you will know I am not from this era, I stumbled upon the Castle by sheer luck and has been unable to return to my era. And I supposed there would be my father with a birthmark right under his arms." I stated, My grandfather's eyes widen as he heard something no outside would know.
The queen who is also my grandmother, rises from her throne after the revelation. "How do ye know of this truth?" She exclaimed, her jaw dropped after I had said those words.
"I have lived with him 28 years of my life and as his favourite son and next in line for the throne, there are things he would share with me. Like, the Sapphire ring on the thumb to symbolise being his first blood, the three golden ring on his fingers symbolizing how Bran Castle came to be. I would tell you more if you want." I proposed.
They were beyond shocked how a stranger would know hidden secrets of the royal house. I did lie when I said I was next in line for the throne, but Gerald made it a point of duty to remind me the rings on his fingers and how he would rule Bran Castle and cast me to the sea in his reign. He boasted about a lot of things I should have known as the last child.
His history lesson finally paid off.....
"Come." King Cornelius said, walking out of the grand hall, we walked for sometime before he approached the door I had once entered in my time. 'The secret chamber of my family; The royalnsafe room.
He stood in the middle of the room, looking around a bit before beckoning me to stand beside him. "I know not of the evil at work here, but your words differs from ours and ye carry my eyes and hair colour. If indeed ye come from another era and is next in line for the throne, thiu willst know which crown our ancestors received from the gods and which of these crowns belongs to King Henry, Alexander The first." He said, stepping back to allow me access to the Diadem of crown displayed in different glasses and royal splendour.
I have never heard of the royal family receiving a crown from the gods but I always hear father say that the heaviest crown in the safe room was worn by the first king of Bran Castle. I knew I am not to touch the any of the crown, for that would mean I have chosen an answer, I need to figure out the answer without touching them any of them.
I walked around every glass, the shining stones of each crown brighter and more beautiful than the first, but there seem to be one, that is of one gold stone, it had no special splendour nor a glass enveloped around it.
It reminded me of myself, simple, neglected and rejected. Would the royal family simply leave a crown of such importance unguarded? What sort of trickery is this? I only had one chance to answer his question. So I turned to him with a smile on my face.
"I would never have assumed you to trick me grandfather, of course every crown Prince need to pass through this test to test their wisdom and years of knowledge. I know the gods never bestowed any crown to Bran Castle, Albeit, the first king of Bran Castle had an unusual crown, the people never regarded him as anything but dirt, so when he ruled over them he never saw the use of making himself crown of gold or any special stone. He wore something simple, to remind him of his place at all times" I said, walking closer to the crown, heaving a sigh as the story sound familiar to how I felt about myself.
He said nothing, and walked to the Polly crown, he carried it and walked back to me. "Kneel." He commanded. Which I did exactly as he said.
"King Henry, Alexander The first, was never supposed to be king, Bran Castle should never have been, but for a history unclear even to myself, it did happen yea, and thee has travelled from another era amd stumbled in this era, another unclear history and answered my question tooth to nails , I hereby bestowed upon you the crown of the first King!"
The grounds shake the moment the crown rested upon my head and everything went blank.