Sorry, studying for my Japanese final! So many finals... and I'm helping with nutcracker. wow.
Okay all, I've got a friend with a blog you should look at. She's going to try for the illustration program (wish her luck!) and she's got some pretty cool stuff on her blog. It's more fun if you know her but you should still check it out.
http://frolicsandschmoozings.blogspot.com/
Her name is Rachel Allen and I think she's an amazing artist but... we all know how people feel about that.
Now... back to my story. I'm muddling through this part, not really sure how to connect it with the next section of the story. So I think it's weak but oh well, this is a first draft. Enjoy.
Princess Rivalee (Part 17 and 18)
“Maybe when the prophecy says ‘hair as white as snow’ it actually means blond.” Riva pondered aloud, “I can’t think of a boy going grey at my age.”
Kadric hmmmed. “Read it all the way through again.”
“‘And there will come one among you to be clothed in majesty, hair as white as snow. To rule and to lead all people to peace.’ You know I would’ve never believed a prophecy could be so vague. Why did my grandmother think that it would be the prince? The prophecy is a total of two lines. It’s not like it says ‘and the prince will be born and solve all your problems.’” Riva muttered. She’d been going over the same two lines over and over again, trying to find some kind of hint or detail she’d missed.
Kadric smiled. “Those two lines are different for seers and prophets. When they read a prophecy they see how it will be fulfilled. If your mother or another prophet saw that it was the prince who was to fulfil the prophecy, then it was the prince. There is no debating a seer. Sometimes the way they say things are unclear but that’s just because we can’t see what they can. Prophecy is only tricky because we try to escape it or we try and make it fulfil itself in our own time. Fate has a funny way of making things happen when you are least expecting it. And I think you are right about being blond, it’s the only thing that makes sense and we can’t take any chances.”
It was Riva’s turn to muddle over what Kadric had said. After a few minutes of silent thinking she mumbled, “I never thought I’d have to meddle with things like this. It’s all too big.” She sighed, “We need to gather all the boys who are blond and at my age. How will we know which one is the right one?”
Kadric shrugged, “I’m not sure, maybe he’ll look like his father or his mother. We may just have to take all of them in and educate them. Like I said, we can’t take chances.”
“I’m not sure if we can accommodate that many... Still no luck with Edith?”
Kadric shook his head. “As far as I can tell no one has heard of her or seen her since. It’s either she left the country or she’s dead. Both options are bad.”
Riva rubbed her eyes. So far nothing was falling in the right places. Alsteare was still in a horrible financial position, no spy was to be found and the battle front was struggling to reach the capital and now they couldn’t find a lost heir.
Her head came up. “What about Lloyd of Gareth? Didn’t you say that he had some interesting documents?”
“Yes, but he wanted us to send troops up to his region-”
“What if we sent the Palace Guard?”
Kadric barked a laugh, “The Palace Guard? They aren’t good for anything but looking pretty. They couldn’t hold off an attack if the enemy was blind and deaf.”
Riva smile grew slowly. “He didn’t specify who I was to send.”
He hadn’t really thought she was serious. “Riva, you realize you are putting men at risk? These men haven’t seen action in years, many many years. You could be sending them to their deaths.”
“The Palace Guard have been trained just like any other part of the military and if they can’t fight what good are they? Perhaps it’s time that they take a break from the Palace.”
“Who will guard the palace?”
Riva raised an eyebrow. “Surely you can cook up something?”
“You have too much faith in my ability, princess.” Kadric warned her.
“You have yet to let me down, Kadric. Until that day I will have undying faith in you.” She scooped up a stack of paper and went to speak with the Head of the Palace Guard.
*****
Edith was dead. She had died years ago and no one knew where the boy she had been raising went. The only ones who remembered she’d had a son were old and they were foggy on how old he was. One would say it was a baby another would say it was a young boy and they had completely different accounts of what he looked like. It was yet another dead end.
Fortunately there weren’t as many blond boys as Riva had predicted. Only the boys with the palest hair were accepted.
“Did we check the outskirts of the cities? What about the mines?” Riva asked, she didn’t want to miss anyone.
Rooms, clothes, food and teachers were found for the boys in the palace. After months of searching and filtering through the boys that had painted their hair or were wearing wigs, they finally began the process of educating them.
“The Council will want to know why you are wasting resources on this. You don’t plan on telling them about the prophecy?” Kadric asked as they headed to the meeting.
Riva shook her head. “They’ve been conditioned after my father. They’ll think that prophecy isn’t concrete proof. They could also turn it into something much worse, say that I was going insane or unfit to rule.” She shrugged. “Not that insanity has stopped rulers in the past, but if they want me off the throne this would be a perfect opportunity. No, I’ll say that it’s an attempt to gain the respect of the people, by giving their sons the kind of education a prince would have. I’ll say it’ll raise the morale of the people or something along those lines.”
They Council swallowed her reasoning with a great deal of resistance, but accept it they did.
Riva was feeling good. Alsteare was beginning to peak it’s head out of the huge hole of debt. The Earl of Delphane had made it his mission to get them above the water and all their combined efforts were beginning to fruit. The country was still in poverty but at least fund’s could now be directed in changing that.
Riva walked into one of the classrooms and watched one of her own instructors teach several yellow haired young men. This was one of the slower classes, she could see their hallow eyes. At least I can’t see their ribs anymore. She couldn’t believe how thin some of these men were.
As she hovered outside their classroom she could see that the information wasn’t sinking in. They kept their eyes down and nodded, but no light of understanding was reaching their eyes.
They’re completely out of their element. Of course they don’t understand the reasons behind diplomatic and political protocol. She sighed and walked into the room. “If you’ll excuse me, sir.” She murmured quietly to the instructor.
“Ah, Princess. What brings you here?”
She looked around the room at the faces. Some had perked up at the word “princess.” “I was wondering if I could address your students for a moment?”
“Of course, your Majesty.”
The room quieted and now many of the young men were looking up at a ruler they had probably never seen. She could see a few expressions drop in dismay, others lit up.
“When you were brought here, you were told that you would receive warm beds and food. Many of you accepted our offer for just these two things.” Riva leaned back against the desk in front of the room. “But what I require from you is much more than just eating and sleeping, any half wit can do that.”
A few of the boys chuckled and others grinned.
“I need you to learn as much as you can while you are here. Is there anything specifically you want to learn about? Swordsmanship perhaps? or maybe about trade? Anything you can think of?”
They looked around at each other silently.
One boy raised his hand. He had a rounder face and stocky body. He looked only a few inches shorter than Riva. Riva nodded to him. He stood, blue eyes flashing and asked. “I’d like to know why? Why are we here? and why only blond boys?”
Riva smiled inwardly. I could use him. He’s got fire and curiosity. Out loud she said, “Come to my study after classes are done and I will tell you all you want to know. What is your name?”
“Jessaw, ma’am.”
“Jessaw is there anything else you’d like to learn?”
He considered, his determined expression relaxing into a grin. “I’d like to learn how to use a sword. Then I could fight the Sealidans!”
Riva fought a smile. “I’ll see what I can do. Anyone else with a request?”
A few of the other boys wanted to know about seafaring or other countries. Riva would answer what she’d read about or promise to teach them at a later date. Once they’d gotten over their initial fear the questions didn’t stop for a full forty minutes. There was so much they didn’t understand or didn’t know about. Once the class was dismissed Riva spoke with the instructor about the other more advanced boys. They had more education and were more suited for the classroom atmosphere.
When she returned to her study, Jessaw was poking around her desk.
“I wouldn’t try to pick any of those locks if I were you.”
Jessaw jumped and raised his nose in disdain. “I would never steal from a princess.”
Again Riva fought a grin. “Please, have a seat and I’ll tell you about a certain prophecy.”
Jessaw listened through her explanation and then sat back and thought for a moment. “So we’re supposed to learn how to lead people to peace?”
She nodded.
“Why don’t you just do it? Why do you have to wait for one of us? That doesn’t make sense.”
Riva smiled. “I am trying to help in any way I can, but I can’t do everything. Don’t you think that I’m trying to lead people to peace in my own way?”
He scratched his head. “I think the real problem is Sealidan. If they were gone, we’d be happy.”
Riva didn’t necessarily agree, but she could see why he thought that. “Don’t you think Sealidan has to be in a similar situation as us? They’ve been fighting for just as long and just as hard. Don’t you think their people are suffering? If I could I would stop the war today, right now. But I can’t make millions of people see what I see.”
Jessaw was silent, blue eyes dark with anger. “The Sealidans are evil. They kill our men and hurt our mothers, why should we care about them?”
Riva blinked and was sucked out of her body. When her eyes opened she was at the border, seeing the two armies fight. The soldiers looked ragged and tired. Tents were full of wounded. Bodies littered the distance between to short stone walls.
Her spirit was pulled away to another place, the wheat was gold, ready to be harvested. It was a small farm area, with a village only a mile or so away. Smoke was rising from the village and cries sounded harshly against the grey sky. Another blink and she was among them. Mud coated walls and screaming people. Thatched roofs were burning and the smoke stung her eyes and nose. A large man bore down on a woman not ten feet away and pulled her arm back with enough force that a loud crack sounded. Riva winced and backed away. Crying was coming from every direction. Horses thundered in and out whether they bore a friend or soldier was irrelevant. Limbs were crushed from their weight. Farm animals squealed and shrieked from their pens.
Soldiers mowed down any resistance. Riva watched in horror as three men with shovels and axes ran at two armored men. With cold efficiency they slaughtered them. Striking with their weapons even after they had fallen into the mud, making sure they wouldn’t rise again. Riva’s stomach roiled in anger and sickness.
She blinked away tears and was back in her study.
“Princess?” Jessaw asked. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Concern permeated through his blue eyes.
Riva swallowed trying to wet her dry throat. She could still smell smoke. “Jessaw, where are you from?”
His face fell. “I was born in a small farming village outside of Thirton. It was destroyed.”
“Was it harvesting day, the day they came?”
He looked up in surprise. “Yeah, how did you know?”
She didn’t answer but gripped his shoulder, tears falling. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no idea-” she swallowed again and let out a deep breath, wiping her tears “Jesslaw will you help me? Will you help me fix-” she waved her hands around, demonstrating. “all of this?”
He grinned. “Whatever you need-” he pounded his chest. “I can do it!”
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