Heart of Silver, Soul of Glass
by Stormlight
Chapter Eight
The "song" (actually, considering there’s no music to it, it’s more of a
poem) used in this chapter is one I wrote specifically for this story.
Therefore, it belongs to me. Please do not use without permission. Not that
you’d want to, anyway, but...you know. ^_~
Chapter Eight
The ruined castle was truly a sight to behold. There was no roof, and one
could look up several stories and see the remains of what had probably been,
at one time, magnificent chambers. The heavy wooden timber that had once made
the upper floors were now nothing but gaping holes, cracked and hanging in
their places by force of will alone, it seemed, with bits and pieces of
shredded, blackened carpets hanging over the splintered edges. Cobwebs lined
everything, while weeds and clinging vines grew in wild abandon. A tree had
somehow sprouted in the midst of the destruction, and had grown over the
years, pushing its leafy branches up toward the sunlight that streamed in
through the missing roof. It seemed to mock the destruction of the castle, a
defiant testament that not all life was ended there.
Serena gazed around in awe, picking her way over fallen timber and broken
pieces of furniture. The house was amazing, if not tragic, and she felt her
heart beat faster at the thought of an adventure. To think...this place might
have been her home at one time. She tried to imagine what it would have been
like. She would’ve been a courtier. Probably, she would’ve visited Castle
Rosewood from time to time, seeing as her father had been a knight of the
king. Her mother, as a Countess, would no doubt have visited the queen often
for tea parties and such. She would’ve attended the grand balls and parties
they held, and she and Rei would have still become friends, no doubt. And
perhaps then...Endymion might have seen her as more than annoying child. He
might have seen her as a potential wife. It was almost enough to make her
regret the cruel twist of fate she’d been handed. To have been so close to
being someone worthy of marrying a prince...
But before those thoughts went any further, the laughing faces of Miaka and
Ikuko appeared in her mind, and she suddenly realized that, had she actually
lived the life she was born into, she undoubtedly would never have known
either of them. She would never have had a sister (well, at least not Miaka),
and although she was certain her real mother was wonderful, Serena just
couldn’t imagine not ever knowing Ikuko, of not having had her as a mother.
Perhaps she and Miaka would still have become friends, since Ikuko and Queen
Julietta had been so close and their daughters had been raised together, but
it would not have been the same.
Suddenly, Serena found herself to be very grateful for her place in life.
Endymion, in the meantime, was picking his way carefully around the piles of
rubble that littered the floor, taking his time to survey the area before
each step he took, looking for potential danger. The ruins groaned and
creaked in a song of their own, letting the uninvited guests know that they
trod a dangerous path along the unsteady corridors. A wind had picked up
outside, and it flowed through the labyrinth-like hallways like blood through
veins, scattering dust and debris in sharp gusts so that he was often forced
to cover his eyes with his cloak to protect them. Shadowed entrances...long
deprived of their doors...led to mysterious rooms that hinted at possible
treasures, and he was hard-pressed to keep Serena from racing from one to the
next. The wind didn’t bother her, it seemed, and neither did the potential
danger. Endymion turned to look back at her at one point, to warn her away
from an area where the walls shook as though they might collapse at any given
moment, only to discover that she’d disappeared...again. He sighed in
exasperation when he saw the tip of her long braid disappear down another
rubble-strewn hallway, veering to the left to follow her. "Will you stop
disappearing like that?" he asked sharply when he’d caught up. "If the floor
collapses beneath you and I’m not there to catch you, you’re in for a very
painful fall!"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Believe it or not, I do know how to take care of
myself. I’m not some bubble-headed tease like some of those ladies you
entertain," she sniffed. "Not only that, but in case you haven’t noticed, O-
Sagacious-One, this floor is made of marble. That means there’s nothing
beneath it but dirt, which is probably also why this is the only floor left
intact, and why the castle didn’t collapse completely when all the upper
floors fell in. Elsewise it would be nothing but a hole in the ground."
He flushed at her mocking tone, embarrassed to have missed such an obvious
fact, and even more embarrassed that she had been the one to point it out.
"Even so," he growled, trying to cover his discomfiture, "there’s still the
potential of the walls falling in on you. The wind can be violent, and these
hallways aren’t as steady as they sometimes appear. Just do as I say for once
and stay near me, okay?"
She grinned slyly at him. "Why?" she asked sweetly. "What would you do if
they did fall? Catch them with your bare hands? I don’t think you’re that
strong, Your Highness."
He hissed through his teeth in an aggravated sigh and yanked on her braid to
get her to follow him back down the previous hallway. She protested
laughingly as she stumbled backward after him before freeing her hair from
his grip, but she did follow him. And she couldn’t help but notice, even as
he shook his head in slight exasperation, the odd smile that was playing
about his lips. For some reason, the fact that she had made the crown prince
smile pleased her immensely.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Serena was beginning to despair of ever finding any clues leading her to her
past and to her family. There were so many rooms, each holding so many
secrets and possibilities in their dark, silent depths, but as of yet, not a
one had given up any of those secrets, and Serena was growing frustrated.
Everything that might have been of any value, sentimental or otherwise, had
either been destroyed or pillaged. This also included the records and
histories of Willow Glen Manor. They had discovered in one of the rooms the
remains of a library, which had apparently been on one of the upper floors; a
huge pile of rubble and the husks of burnt shelves that fell when the floor
had collapsed were all that remained.
"What a waste," Serena whispered sadly, laying her hand gently upon what had
once been a ladder; now nothing but a twisted lump of burnt wood and melted
metal. She started to turn away, but a small, shadowy lump...what looked like
nothing but a common brick, in truth...caught her attention as she glanced
down. For no particular reason that she could decipher, she paused in her
steps for a closer look, and her heart almost stopped when she realized that
the "brick" was, in actuality, a small book, half-buried under the remains of
the ladder. Almost trembling with excitement and hope, Serena managed to push
the ladder to one side, and knelt before the book to examine it. It seemed to
be in considerably good repair; its cover had only been singed around the
edges, although the leather was dried out and cracking with age. The book had
no title, but there were two gold-embellished words, faded and tarnished,
stamped in tiny, elegant script at the bottom of the cover. Carefully picking
her treasure up, Serena rose to her feet and carried it, as though she was
holding the most delicate porcelain, into the open where the light was
better.
Once there, she nearly dropped the book when she was finally able to read the
words stamped into the leather.
Odhran Knightly.
"Endymion!" she cried excitedly, hardly able to believe what she was looking
at. Her father’s personal journal! Of all the luck! God and his angels were
certainly smiling upon her today! "Endymion, come quick!" she called again,
impatience making her voice shriller than normal.
The crown prince, who had gone into another room connected to the one Serena
stood in, heard her yell and became alarmed. "What is it? What happened?" he
shouted, racing into the room and to her side, latching onto her shoulders
tightly. "Are you hurt? What’s wrong?!"
In his anxiety, he shook her a little, and the journal, which had been
resting on Serena’s open palm, slipped from its tenuous perch and fell to the
ground. She watched in horror as the cover flew open, and the journal landed
with a dull thud on the floor, face-down. A small cloud of dust rose around
it before settling again, leaving the two of them to stare in stunned
silence. "Noooo!" Serena suddenly wailed, yanking herself free from
Endymion’s grasp and falling to her knees. "You idiot! Look what you’ve done!
If it’s ruined, I’m going to kill you!" she cried, reaching shaking hands to
turn the fragile book over.
Her worst fears were confirmed when several yellowed pages fell from the
journal and fluttered to the ground, but before she could move to gather them
up, the cruel wind chose that moment to pick up again, flowing into the room
with all the ferocity of a gale-storm and scattering the delicate pages like
dead leaves. The remaining pages of the open journal were torn from their
binding, too fragile to withstand the violent gusts. Fighting back a
frustrated sob, Serena could only watch as the brittle, yellowed paper was
tossed about and carried away, crumbling into dust as it went.
She could almost swear that the wind was savagely laughing at her.
"Serena..." Endymion was stunned; he hardly knew what to say. "I-I’m sorry,"
he stammered. "I didn’t mean for that to happen..."
"It was a journal, I think," Serena replied quietly, suddenly exhausted. "It
had my father’s name on the cover. I thought...maybe it could tell me
something about his life before he died."
Endymion’s eyes closed at her words. "I’m sorry," he said again, resting a
hand on her shoulder. He half expected her to smack it away, and wasn’t sure
whether to be relieved or alarmed when she made no move to do so.
"I want to go home now, Endymion," she stated quietly. "There isn’t any
reason to stay here."
"But, Serena, now isn’t the time to give up! You found one journal; maybe
there are more?" Endymion replied, trying to cheer her up. "Maybe we’ll
find..."
"No!" Serena abruptly turned on him, and he was dismayed to see tears
glimmering in her eyes. "There’s nothing here, Endymion!" she raged, fists
clenching at her sides. "This is pointless! There’s no sense in continuing to
waste our time out here! The past is the past, and we might as well let it
buried where it belongs!" She paused, breathing hard as she attempted to
reign in her temper. "What the fire didn’t destroy, time did," she continued,
her tone softer. "I...I think we should just...go home."
There was a moment of silence. Then, Endymion’s voice reached her. "I didn’t
realize you were such a quitter," he said quietly. "That doesn’t sound like
the Serena I know."
"Don’t mock me, Endymion!" she snapped, turning on him furiously. "I won’t
stand for it! Not today!"
"I’m not mocking you, Serenity," he replied, ignoring her glare at the use of
her real name. "This is your heritage, and you have the chance to discover
what your parents were like, and what your life might have been like, and
you’re willing to just walk away because you’re having a difficult time?" He
shook his head. "Again, I say that this isn’t like the Serena I know."
"Well, maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do!" she snapped,
turning her back on him and crossing her arms stubbornly. Immediately, she
found his hands on her shoulders, and he was almost roughly turning her to
face him as strong hands came up to cradle her face between them, long
fingers twining in her hair. He forced her startled gaze up to his own;
bright summer clashed with deep midnight and held.
"I have known you from the time you were barely two days old," he began in a
low, intense voice. "I’ve held you as an infant, watched your mother bathe
you, even helped her to feed you if she was busy. I played with you and
teased you when we were children, and I watched you grow into a young woman
right before my eyes. I know that spring is your favorite season of the year,
and that you love horses and kittens. I know that you’ve feared lightning
ever since the time you were caught in that storm and nearly got struck, even
though you try to hide that fear from others." He felt her face grow warm
beneath his hands, and his eyes grew soft as he leaned closer to her,
allowing his lips to brush her cheek softly. "I was the one who danced with
you at your first Masque, and I was the one who gave you your first kiss," he
breathed in her ear. "So tell me...How can you think that I don’t know you?"
Serena, by then, had pretty much lost the ability to think. She wanted to say
something...anything...to contradict his words, to argue with him like she
was so used to doing, but when she felt his soft lips brush her cheek,
trailing ever-so-softly toward her mouth, words failed her completely. His
lips met her own in the softest of kisses, lingering sweetly for a long,
heady moment before lifting again, leaving her bereft of his touch. Their
gazes clashed once more, and she was stunned at the tenderness she found in
his eyes. "E-Endymion..." she began, but his thumb moved to caress her mouth,
and effectively silenced her words. And, wonder-of-wonders, he was leaning in
again, his eyes closing as he sought the touch of her lips...
"Oh ho! And just what do the two of you think you’re doing then, aye?"
The highly amused, and completely unexpected, command came from just beyond
the entrance of the room, and was more effective than a bucket of icy water
dumped over their heads. They jumped apart, gasping in shock as they turned
to face the doorway. "Who are you?!" Endymion commanded, drawing a curved
dagger from his belt. "Show yourself, intruder!"
A dark figure appeared, holding a glowing lantern at its side. "Me, an
intruder? Oh, you’re a good one to talk!" came a cynical snort. "These ruins
are no more yours than they are mine, and I have as much right to be here as
you do!" And with that, the stranger stepped fully into the dim light,
holding the lantern high.
Both Serena and Endymion were surprised to see a young man standing there.
Given the lightness of the voice...the soft, almost delicate quality of
it...both of them had at first assumed it was a woman who had greeted them.
But this person, though small and slender of build and quite lovely in
feature, was definitely of the male persuasion. His shirt, a bright patchwork
of colored silk, was opened in a deep V in front; a dead give-away right
there, and he was just a bit too muscular in the arms for a woman, although
he was nowhere near Endymion’s caliber. The bright red sash tied about his
waist fluttered softly as he stalked gracefully toward them, his knee-high
leather boots creaking slightly with his movements. "H-he’s as pretty as
Hotohori is!" Serena exclaimed in a whisper, nudging Endymion in the side.
"And what am I then? Chopped liver?" he hissed back, looking insulted. She
merely grinned at him and didn’t reply, focusing her attention back on the
stranger, who had stopped and was now studying them curiously. His features
were almost feminine, with a small nose, delicate mouth, and large, violet
eyes. He couldn’t have been much older than Endymion’s age, but his eyes held
a kind of ageless wisdom about them...or was that merely a trick of the
light?
"Who are you?" Serena asked, a bit awed by him in spite of herself.
The stranger’s lips curved into a playful smile. "Who are you?" he asked in
return, cocking his head to one side.
"I’m Serena," she immediately replied. "And this is Endymion."
"Serena!" Endymion hissed in alarm. "Don’t go giving complete strangers our
names! Can’t you see what he is?"
She blinked up at him. "No. What is he?" she asked in innocent surprise.
Endymion could swear a vein was twitching in his forehead. "He’s a bloody
gypsy, that’s what he is!" the prince snarled, gesturing wildly. "Gypsies
can’t be trusted! They’re nothing but a group of thieving cutthroats!"
"Oh." Serena’s eyes widened as she turned back to look at the stranger. He
was dressed rather like a gypsy...at least like all those she’d ever seen
(which really weren’t that many)...but he didn’t really look like a thieving
cutthroat to her. His face was too...honest. That was the first word that
came to her mind when she looked at him. This man, whoever he was, was as
honest as one could get. There was no deceit in his eyes, no guarded secrets.
Only curiosity and a touch of amusement as he watched them.
"My name is Nuriko," he finally stated, bowing mockingly to them. Lantern
light reflected off dark, shining hair that just brushed the collar of his
shirt. "And, if I may, I’d like to point out that were I a ‘thieving
cutthroat’, as you claim, I would be cutting said throats right now, not
holding polite conversation with you."
"He has a point," Serena stated.
"Hmmph," came the less-than-eloquent reply. "So. If you aren’t going to rob
us blind, then what do you want?" Endymion was still rather miffed at
Nuriko’s untimely arrival, and was not about to forgive him anytime soon. A
quick jab in the side and a glare from Serena let him know that he’d better
shape up...or else.
"Forgive my friend," Serena told Nuriko sweetly. "He’s suffering from a
severe personality complex." To Endymion...who was currently gaping at her
like a drowning fish...she added scoldingly, "I just can’t take you anywhere,
can I?" Although her voice was sharp, her eyes sparkled up at him impishly as
Nuriko let out a peal of laughter. Endymion glared and swore silent revenge
on them both at a later time.
"So," Nuriko exclaimed cheerfully, "can I ask what brings the two of you so
far from home? Castle Rosewood is, if I recall, quite a distance from Willow
Glen." He chuckled at their startled expressions, his laughter light and
musical. "Oh, come now! What kind of fair citizen would I be not to recognize
the Crown Prince of Davinshire?" he teased. "I’ve been to the capital city
before, you know, not so many years ago. I’m a minstrel by trade, you see,
although I do have other talents." And he gave Serena a suggestive wink that
made her eyes widen and the color flame in her face.
Endymion saw and bristled, standing closer to Serena and shooting Nuriko a
dark glance. "That certainly explains your taste in clothing," he spat.
"Endymion!" Serena hissed, shocked at his lack of manners.
"Oh, it’s quite all right, fair lady," Nuriko replied cheerfully. "I’ve been
insulted much worse in my day."
"It doesn’t excuse it!" she protested.
"Well, never mind then," Nuriko replied, waving a hand dismissively. "What
I’d really like to know is what the Crown Prince of Davinshire is doing in
these old ruins with such a lovely young creature like yourself. A secret
tryst, perhaps?" His smile was impish and Serena felt her face turning bright
red.
"N-no! It’s nothing like that!" she stammered. "I-I’m here because I’m trying
to discover my past, that’s all."
"Your past?" Nuriko’s eyes took on a sharp gleam of interest as he regarded
her.
"Yes. You see, my parents were the owners of this manor," Serena explained
cautiously. "My father was Sir Odhran Knightly. My mother was the Countess
Selene."
Nuriko scratched his chin. "I know a bit of the history. But from what I
understand, the couple was childless," he stated, looking confused.
"Serena had been born the same day Willow Glen was attacked by what I believe
were the bandits. Her mother managed to escape and fled to the safety of the
castle, where she then died," Endymion explained. "My sister’s former
nursemaid, Ikuko, raised Serena as her own daughter."
"Former nursemaid?" Nuriko looked at Serena questioningly.
"She...died," the girl replied quietly.
The minstrel’s eyes softened. "I’m sorry," he told her sincerely. "To be
orphaned twice at such a young age..."
"I managed," she replied hurriedly, not wanting any pity. "I had my sister
Miaka, and of course there was Rei and Hotohori, and...well...even Endymion,
I suppose." She shot the prince a teasing glance, which he returned wryly.
"Thank you. I’m flattered to be included," he replied with a slight smile
twitching his lips.
Nuriko watched them curiously, his purple eyes glowing with mirth. "One
moment in a passionate embrace, and at each other’s throats in the next," he
observed. A sly grin touched his face. "One would almost think you were
married!" Then, still grinning, he turned and headed out of the ruins, with
the spluttering, protesting couple at his heels.
The sky had grown dark during the time they’d spent inside the ruins,
although it wasn’t because dusk was falling. Indeed, it was barely noon. What
made the land so dark were the thick, ominous storm clouds that now blocked
the sun and covered the sky with a strange, greenish cast. The leaves of the
trees and vegetation had all turned their pale green undersides upward to
catch the coming rain, and the entire land was bathed in the odd-colored
light from the sky. The effect, overall, was exceedingly eerie.
"Wait, Nuriko!" Serena called as she caught up to the minstrel, who had
paused to regard the sky through worried eyes. The wind had picked up
considerably, ruffling his silky locks into a mess and whipping her braid
back and forth. "Can you tell us where to find shelter? We can’t stay here in
this storm," she added. "Is there a village close by?"
"The closest village is almost as abandoned as this manor," Nuriko replied
loudly, "and a good hour’s ride from here. So there’s no point in trying to
make it there before the storm hits. We’d best find shelter within the ruins
themselves. I know of a safe enough place for us to wait out the worst of it,
although the horses will have to fend for themselves. We’ll just release
them. They’re smart enough to find their own shelter." He nodded toward the
Ghost and his own black gelding, which was picketed beside the white war
horse. Both beasts were rolling their eyes and prancing restlessly, sensing
the dangerous storm approaching. Horses liked thunder little better than
Serena did.
"What happened to drive everyone away from the village?" Serena called to
Nuriko over the wailing of the wind. She struggled to roll the blankets
together; no easy task in this gale. Nuriko saw her struggle and ran to help
her, while Endymion scattered the ashes of the fire with dirt and gathered
their supplies together.
"Soon after Willow Glen was attacked, the people began to panic," Nuriko
explained as he helped Serena tie the last roll together. "The bandits had
never bothered with the outside kingdom before, usually staying within the
safety of their mountains and robbing those foolish enough to travel through
the pass unescorted. Yet, for some reason, a small army of bandits left their
home and traveled several days distance to attack Willow Glen Manor, burning
it to the ground before fleeing again. They killed nearly everyone in the
household, and took barely anything of value, which is highly unusual. There
was no cause, no provocation for an attack at all, and they never came back
once it was over." He paused to hike his own bag of supplies onto his
shoulders, before gesturing for Serena and Endymion to follow him back into
the ruins. He had to re-light his lantern, and even then it was difficult to
keep the wind from blowing it out again as he led them down the long hallways
toward the far end of the house.
"Some of the villagers were afraid the bandits would return to attack the
village, so they packed up and left to seek more secure homes, closer to
Castle Rosewood," the minstrel continued conversationally, not at all
concerned over the fact that their "shelter" seemed to be heaving inward with
the force of the wind. He merely continued to walk, seeming to know exactly
where he was going, and the other two nervously followed him. "Everyone
else...well, with half the villagers gone, and rumors flying all over the
place about what really happened, it wasn’t so easy to live here anymore.
They left for their own survival. This village became a ghost town inside a
year, and all because of that one attack." Nuriko paused, then shook his head
and added, somewhat ironically, "Those bandits...they never did come back,
and nobody ever found out why they attacked, although many blamed it on the
Countess, as strange as that seems."
"Why would they blame something like that on my mother?!" Serena cried in
outraged disbelief, ignoring Endymion’s soothing hand on her shoulder.
"Because nobody knew where your mother had come from," Nuriko replied
cheerfully. Serena’s eyes went wide at that, but he continued before she
could reply. "She wasn’t a lady of the village, you see, and was most likely
not a countess by birth at all. She was, in truth, found by Sir Odhran laying
in the forest, almost dead from an injury of some kind. He brought her home
and nursed her back to health. But she suffered from memory loss, and knew
little more than her name, and the fact that she was fleeing from something
that threatened her life. The villagers were suspicious of her, and afraid
that the ill-wind which forced her to flee would follow her to the manor.
Which, it appears, it did."
"How do you know all this?" Serena wondered suspiciously. "Did you live here
at one time?"
Nuriko smiled slightly. "Not I. But I knew a woman who lived here once. In
fact, she was a servant of the Countess." He didn’t miss Serena’s quick
intake of breath at that information. "It was her good fortune that she’d
left that night to visit a friend in the next town over. When she got back
again, there was nothing left of her home but ashes, and everyone either dead
or captured. It had happened so quickly that there hadn’t even been time to
send word to Castle Rosewood. By the time the royal guard showed up, it was
far too late to do anything about it. And the bandits had long since vanished
back into their mountains."
"This woman..." Serena began hesitantly. "You said you knew her. Is she...?
She paused and took a breath.
"She died, if that’s what you’re wondering," Nuriko replied, somewhat
regretfully. "She wasn’t very young, you see. She’d moved to the next town
over, where her friend lived, and helped run an inn there. That’s how I met
her. I would sing for her (and the customers, of course. That was how I
earned my keep), and she’d tell me about her life. She was a wonderful
storyteller..." His voice trailed off as his eyes took on a sad gleam.
"Endymion, we have to go to that village!" Serena exclaimed, turning on the
prince and clutching his shirt excitedly. "Maybe someone else there knows
about my mother! We could..."
"Calm down, Sweetling," Nuriko interrupted. "We don’t go anywhere until this
storm passes." He paused before a dark entrance and frowned, looking upward,
where a the missing roof showed the green sky, far above. "This seems most
unnatural weather," he murmured to himself. "Most unnatural. Certainly
dangerous to be caught out in."
A loud crack of thunder suddenly ripped through the air, following a flash of
lightning that lit the whole sky. Serena squealed and threw herself against
Endymion, whose arms came up to hold her gently. "Where are we going,
minstrel?" he asked sternly. "We need better shelter than this!"
"This way," Nuriko replied, heading through the doorway and into what looked
like a kitchen. Or what was left of one, anyway. He paused before the huge,
stone fireplace where great feasts had once been cooked. Then, turning to
give a rakish wink to Serena, he whispered, "I’ll bet you anything you
wouldn’t have found this no matter how hard you looked!" With that, he
reached up into the chimney, grimacing in disgust as his hand encountered
thick cobwebs, and caught hold of a small, metal lever. He gave a little
pull, and a loud click echoed in the fireplace.
Serena and Endymion gaped when a small, square section of the floor abruptly
dropped open, swinging downward on rusty hinges beside a cast-iron grate in
which burning logs had once been held. The grate was turned over on its side,
its burnt logs scattered. "What is that?" Serena asked, peering down into the
black abyss that waited below.
"This," Nuriko replied smugly, "was probably how your mother managed to
escape the fire, if what you say is true. And this will also be our refuge
from the storm until it passes. Come on. It’s safe enough. These walls are
made of stone, and they’ve been built beneath the ground. No chance of
collapse here, unless an earthquake hits us, of course." With that, he tied
the lantern to a coil of rope from his pack and lowered it carefully into the
hole. Spider webs glistened and shimmered as the yellow light passed through,
and several of the owners scuttled to find darker refuge. The lantern hit
stone after a six foot drop, and Nuriko lowered himself down after it to take
a look around.
Serena watched with wide eyes before turning to face Endymion. "I am not
going down there," she stated.
"Oh, yes you are," he replied with a slight smile. "It isn’t safe up here,
Serena."
"But...there are spiders! And probably rats...and who knows what else!"
Serena whined. "Really, I’d rather face the thunder! You go on. I’ll be fine
up here, really!"
Endymion merely rolled his eyes, and before she could blink, he’d grabbed her
by the arms and was hoisting her down into the hole, grinning at her shriek
of outrage as he followed her down. "There. That wasn’t so bad, now was it,"
he smirked. She glared at him in reply and resisted the urge to smack him,
shuddering when a stray web brushed across her neck.
"If I never see another spider again after this, it will be too soon," she
pouted, crossing her arms and wishing dearly to be back in her own chambers
with Miaka and Rei.
"I thought you weren’t afraid of spiders," Endymion teased, tweaking her
braid playfully.
"Not when I can’t seem them coming!" she hissed back. "And if I see one rat
down here I’m going to feed you to it for breakfast, do you hear me?!" To
Nuriko, she added pleadingly, "Just what is this place?"
Nuriko had found a bundle of old torches in a corner, and had managed to
light them and place them in the rusty sconces bolted to the walls. The harsh
yellow glare revealed a small, square chamber with stone walls and no windows
(it being underground and all). A small, wooden door in another corner of the
room hung slightly ajar, from which damp air spilled, leading into inky
darkness. Serena didn’t even want to know where it might have led. This
chamber looked like a storage room of some kind, or perhaps a cell, with a
pile of moldy blankets tossed haphazardly on a crude mattress in the third
corner of the room, and several empty barrels and wooden food crates residing
in the fourth.
The minstrel finished his task with a clap of his hands, turning to face the
girl with dark, twinkling eyes. "Why, Sweetling, don’t you recall your
history lessons?" he asked teasingly. "What sort of use might a hidden room
such as this provide?"
Serena frowned thoughtfully, but it was Endymion who answered for her. "It
was a refuge for slaves, was it not?" the prince asked.
Nuriko nodded. "Indeed it was. A well-built one, too. The lady I knew told me
about it. She said only the Count and Countess, and those who served them,
ever knew of this room. It was used long ago to hide slaves until they could
escape to freedom."
"That was before slavery was outlawed by my great grandfather," Endymion
murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I remember the stories well
enough. The kingdom nearly split down the middle when Grandfather Byron made
slavery illegal in Davinshire, but even before he outlawed it there were
those who thought it wrong, and would risk their lives to help the slaves
escape to freedom."
"No doubt, Sweetling, your ancestors were some of those renegades who
disagreed with keeping slaves, and had this room built to help them," Nuriko
told Serena. "You should be proud. You come from a noble family."
Serena blushed and smiled, pleased with the compliment.
Nuriko and Endymion set about breaking some of the empty crates into kindling
so they could start a small fire to chase away the chill. Serena used an old
broom propped up behind the barrels to clear most of the webs from the
ceiling and corners, chasing the spiders into various cracks in the walls and
hoping they’d stay there for awhile. When that was done, she wandered over to
the open door and peeked around it, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness
beyond. The tunnel wasn’t as well-made as the chamber. It was merely a dirt
burrow, like what a rabbit might dig, only human-sized. She grabbed a torch
from the wall and thrust it into the tunnel, curious despite herself to know
what lay beyond. How long was it, she wondered, and where exactly did it
lead?
Gathering her courage, she pushed the door open a little more and stepped
inside the tunnel, feeling the soft earth give beneath her feet. The torch
illuminated the glistening brown walls for several feet ahead, where it once
more faded to blackness. But she could hear a sound in the distance. A kind
of dull roar. Frowning slightly, she tilted her head and listened harder,
stepping further into the tunnel as she did so. The sound was familiar,
though faint. She knew she’d heard it before, but it completely eluded her as
to when or where. And then, her concentration shattered when the torch light
suddenly glinted off something laying in the mud. Her curiosity was
immediately piqued, and she held the light forward and knelt to get a better
look at the object.
It turned out to be a lady’s necklace, and Serena’s eyes widened as she
reached out to grasp the grimy chain, lifting it from its dirty grave. It was
a silver pendant, although now it was tarnished almost black with age. But it
still held enough shine to catch the light. She rubbed the pendant against
her trousers to rid it of excess dirt, holding it up to look at the unusual
design. It was a simple oval frame with a sword suspended in the center of
it, blade down. Around the silver sword was entwined a golden rose that was
so intricately detailed it almost looked real. "Beautiful," Serena breathed,
holding the silver chain protectively. "How in the world did it get down
here?" A thought struck her then. Nuriko had stated that her mother had
probably used the tunnel to escape. Could the pendant have belonged to her?
"Serenity! Where are you?" Endymion’s sharp voice abruptly cut through her
musings, making her jump in surprise. Muttering under her breath, Serena
tucked the pendant into her tunic, trying to ignore the twinge of guilt. Why
should she feel guilt? She wasn’t stealing it, for pity’s sake! It had been
down there for years by the looks of it, and she highly doubted its original
owner would be coming back to claim it anytime soon! Besides, if it was her
mothers, it by all rights now belonged to her anyway! She shot Endymion a
sulky glance as she left the tunnel, noting with surprise that the men had
managed to get a good fire going. The chamber was warmer already. "What were
you doing in there?" Endymion asked suspiciously.
"I was just exploring a little!" Serena snapped defensively. "Don’t get your
trousers in a knot! Yeesh!"
Nuriko chuckled as he leaned back against the wall closest to the fire. He’d
shut the trap door again to keep the rain out, and had moved some of the
musty old blankets into a little pile to make himself a comfortable seat.
"Might as well sit back and relax a little," he mused lazily. "It could be
awhile ‘till the storm lets up."
Endymion shoved the rest of the musty blankets closer to the fire and lowered
himself onto them, using the wall to support his back. Then, in a move that
caught Serena completely by surprise, he reached out and pulled the startled
girl down into his lap, cradling her like a young child. She yelped and
protested, of course, but he refused to let go, grinning at her devilishly as
though daring her to make a scene about it. He then took his own cloak and
wrapped it around her (never mind that she had one of her own). He was
obviously enjoying himself, and despite her utter embarrassment that Nuriko
was witness to this rather impromptu display, she was nevertheless gratified
that Endymion cared enough about her to put aside his own stiff-necked pride
and comfort her. And it was rather comforting to be held like that. It
reminded her of the way her mother used to hold her when she was a child. Of
course, her mother had been softer than Endymion was, and she had always
smell of rose water or dish soap, whereas Endymion smelled like a shadowed
forest, or the electricity-filled air right before a storm. His scent tingled
in her nose and sent her heart to racing, while at the same time it relaxed
her so that she could forget her fear of thunder.
They sat in silence for a long while, listening to the storm rage
outside...no more than a faint howl in their shelter...and the fire crackle
and pop. Eventually, Nuriko pulled a small flute from a leather pouch at his
belt, closed his eyes, and began to play a low, enchanting tune. Serena
gasped slightly when she heard it, and her eyes stung as she recognized the
sad melody as one her mother used to sing. Almost without being aware she was
doing so, Serena opened her mouth and began to repeat the half-forgotten
words.
This dream I’ve dreamt a time before.
Within the forest glade
mine love awaits to take mine hand
And dance the night away.
The wind blows softly through the boughs
And gently plays the tune,
While fairies sing their sweet laments
To serenade the moon.
Until the morn is newly born
Within his arms I dance.
Sweet melody of heart’s content;
A bittersweet romance.
Come dawn to chase the moon away.
Come lark to greet the dawn.
Come sun to sweep mine love away
and leave me empty-armed.
This dream I’ve dreamt so many times;
The end is all the same.
But, bittersweet the end may be,
I’ll never end the game.
Should Cupid never touch mine heart
Nor true love e’er await,
The cherished dream shall hold me dear
Until mine life abates.
The melody ended then, and Serena opened glistening eyes to see Endymion
gazing at her with deep tenderness, and Nuriko regarding her with open
respect. Suddenly embarrassed, she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Um...it was a song my mother used to sing," she explained sheepishly. "I
think she sang it whenever she though about Papa. H-he died before I came,
and she always missed him. I-it helped her to feel better, I think. I haven’t
heard it in years."
"It was a beautiful song, Serenity," Endymion murmured.
"Y-yes. Nuriko, you’re very good at the flute," Serena agreed, smiling a
little.
"Phaugh. I believe it was to your lovely voice our esteemed prince was
referring," Nuriko replied with a wink. "And I quite agree with him,
Sweetling. What a minstrel you would make!"
"Me?!" Serena gave a peal of laughter. "What do I know about music? Why, the
last time I attempted to play a lute, I set all the castle dogs to howling.
Rei threatened to throw me in the dungeon if I ever dared to touch one
again!" She laughed again and shook her head. "I’ll stick to scrubbing dishes
and weeding gardens, thank you."
Whatever might have been said next was halted when Nuriko abruptly leaped to
his feet and hushed them, his face a mask of concentration. "Listen," he
cautioned, holding up a slender finger. "Do you hear something?"
Endymion and Serena exchanged uneasy glances, listening for...something. At
first, Serena could hear nothing but the fire and the faint howl of the wind
and the rain spattering against the ground above them. But then, as her
senses slowly adjusted, she heard another sound over the crackling of the
fire. That faint roar again. Only it wasn’t so faint this time, but seemed
much louder. Eyes widening, she struggled out of Endymion’s lap and joined
Nuriko at the tunnel door, where he stood still as a statue, peering into the
blackness.
"What is it?" she whispered apprehensively, gripping his colorful sleeve. The
roar seemed to be getting louder with every passing moment. "Thunder?"
"No..." he murmured, tilting his head. "It’s too steady. More like the roar
of the wind through the trees."
"A wind tunnel?" Serena gasped in panic. She feared those almost as much as
thunder. And the poor horses! Even the Ghost couldn’t flee from something as
fierce as that. She glanced at Endymion, who had followed her,
apprehensively, and he regarded her through serious eyes and laid a hand on
her shoulder.
Nuriko frowned thoughtfully. "Very close. But no. Look," he murmured, holding
out a torch.
Serena looked, and at first didn’t notice anything amiss. But then she
noticed that the light was reflecting off the ground, and that the reflection
wavered and rippled, like... "Water?" she gasped, eyes widening. "Wh-where’s
it coming from?" Then, before anyone could reply, she answered her own
question. "The river," she breathed. "The roar is from the river!"
Nuriko nodded. "No doubt the exit of this tunnel is close to there, to make
an easier trip to the boats when the slaves were escaping," he murmured. "But
while that was convenient for them, it doesn’t bode so well for us. The river
appears to be flooding over. I’d imagine soon it will overflow into the
tunnel and flood the chamber. Might I suggest we leave while we have the
chance?"
"But...this tunnel has been here for countless years," Endymion protested,
"and the river has flooded before..."
"This storm isn’t natural," Nuriko replied. "I’ve never seen one come up so
quick, and have you ever seen the sky that color before? It’s magic, I tell
you."
"I don’t believe in magic," Endymion sniffed. "Magic is for fools and
children."
"Believe what you will." Nuriko shrugged. "Magic or no, this tunnel is
flooding. The water on the bottom is proof enough of that. The best we can
hope for is to get out and find shelter elsewhere. Would you risk drowning
down here?"
"Endymion, let’s just go," Serena pleaded. "I don’t remember a storm like
this, ever, and the rain is coming awfully hard. It would only take a matter
of minutes for the river to flood over with the spring melt and everything.
It was already in danger of doing so anyway."
The crown prince sighed. "Very well. It would seem the more logical course of
action," he grudgingly admitted. "Gather your things."
They moved to comply, and Nuriko shut the tunnel door and bolted it securely
as added protection. Already the water was trickling into the chamber,
pooling around their ankles at an alarming rate. Serena shouldered her pack
and watched as Endymion reached up to pull open the trap door. He grunted and
heaved.
Nothing happened.
Serena twitched nervously. "That isn’t funny, Endymion," she stammered. "Open
the door. My feet are getting wet!"
"I’m trying," the prince grunted, yanking on the handle again. Again, the
door held firm. "Nuriko, how does this thing open?!" he snarled, turning to
the flustered minstrel.
"It should come right open!" Nuriko protested, pushing forward to grab the
handle. He pulled, as well, and again the door didn’t move. "Uh-oh," he
muttered.
"Uh-oh?" Serena’s eyes widened. "What do you mean, ‘Uh-oh’?!"
"Erm...the door appears to be stuck," Nuriko muttered, scratching his head.
"Apparently, whoever built the room was more concerned with keeping people
inside than letting them out. Which only makes sense, I suppose. I mean, why
add another way out of a room that already has an exit, right?"
"An exit that is currently filling with water!" Serena wailed, pointing to
the tunnel door and the water that was seeping through the cracks at an
alarming rate. "Nuriko, do something!"
Nuriko gripped the handle of the trap door with both hands and pulled, and
Endymion joined him in his quest. The only thing they succeeded in doing was
ripping the handle clean off the door, causing both of them to stumble back
and land on their backsides in the cold, muddy water. "This can’t be good,"
Nuriko squeaked. Endymion turned to glare at him and opened his mouth to
reply.
A loud groan interrupted the conversation, and three pairs of eyes turned to
face the tunnel door, which was by then straining under the force of the
water rising against it...
"Oh, mercy," Nuriko breathed.
Serena couldn’t have said it better herself.
To be continued...
(
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