The Tale of Five Heirs

Chapter Two, in which a plan to solve the problem is formed

Kelvin's thoughts were racing as he hurried down Cobble Street. The Princess had been kidnapped? That was more shocking than the color zirconium turns when dropped into a beaker of fire flower juice. But even more shocking than that, the Queen herself had invited him to go on the mission to rescue her. Doubtless they invited him because of his incredible knowledge of the north.

Kelvin stopped dead in the middle of the intersection of Cobble street and Ehnk street. The Queen hadn't specified where she intended for them to go on their search for the princess. But his inclusion on the team could only mean one thing. They were going north. But north to where? The Dragon Tribes were the obvious answer, as they were always up to no good. The only other group far enough north to warrant his inclusion on the team was the Larchmen of the Weedle Region, and they wouldn't have any reason to kidnap the Princess. For a moment Kelvin wondered if they could be so ignorant as to invite him because he was from Everwinter. He didn't know nearly as much about Everwinter as he knew about the real north. They just looked at his pale skin and red-brown hair and thought "This guy must be an Everwinter expert." But the people of Everwinter couldn't be the suspected kidnappers, since the Queen had invited that Ronnith fellow, an open supporter of the Ironfist. The Dragon Tribes were the only realistic suspects.

Delighting in his revelation, Kelvin almost got run over by an oncoming horse with a soldier on its back. He stumbled away at the last minute and continued down Ehnk Street.

Ehnk street was on the south side of the city, and it followed the river Ehnk through the slums of Aranthopolis. The cottages Kelvin passed on the way back to his flat were slim, dingy buildings shoved together so close that you would need to turn sideways to walk in between them. Billows of smoke blew across the street above Kelvin as he walked, emanating from the many chimneys of the cottages, giving the cold air a burnt flavor in Kelvin's mouth.

Just a block away from his flat, Kelvin noticed a man being dragged out of his cottage by a pair of soldiers. "I ain't done nothing!" he protested, as they tied his hands and began shoving him back down the street the way Kelvin had come. Kelvin felt sorry for the man, although he was certain the fellow was guilty of some crime or another.

Approaching one of the cleaner cottages, Kelvin opened the door and trotted up the stairs to the floor that was his home. Kelvin chose to live here because it was fairly cheap, and close to Plathio University, where he worked.

He was technically a noble, the son of Lady Gwyneth the Ironfist, but Kelvin wanted nothing to do with her, or Everwinter. His mother didn't care about him; she hadn't so much as written him a letter since his younger sister was born. Even when she used to send him money, Kelvin would send it right back. He wasn't a lordling of Everwinter, he was a professor, and he could support himself well enough on his own.

Exhausted from the stress of the day, Kelvin collapsed in his chair. He pulled out his worn copy of Norray's Thirty-Four Letters to Agatha and began to read.

The next morning was somehow colder that the previous night had been, and Kelvin's toes had nearly frozen off on his way to the palace. Luckily the trolley was well heated. When the trolley stopped and he entered the meeting room, there was no one there. He was a tad early, but even so, not a single person was here five minutes before the start time? That was surprising.

Kelvin walked around the table to his seat and pulled out his chair. He was about to sit down when a gloved hand grabbed him by the shoulder. With a short yelp, Kelvin spun, only to see Skeena glaring at him.

"By the lord Nom, why do you always have to do that!"

Skeena raised an eyebrow "'by the lord Nom' huh? You believe in Nom?"

"You're only asking that because you think I'm from Everwinter." In Everwinter most people believed their God was dead.

"You are from Everwinter," she snapped back

"So you got here early then, huh?" Kelvin said in an attempt to change the subject. Surprisingly it worked.

"Indeed. The spymaster is always on time. I like to scope things out. By the way, you need to watch out for the Queen's horsemen when you're walking down the street."

Kelvin paused as his confusion slowly gave way to curiosity. "How do you know I almost got hit by a horse last night?" he asked.

"I'm very good at my job."

Just then the door swung open and the hulking mass that was Ronnith Bronhaunches ambled into the room.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but this is the meeting room," he rumbled. Realizing how close Skeena was standing to him, Kelvin turned and sat down quickly. The Queen and Winaya arrived quickly after that, and it was not long before Tamara, the last to arrive once again, strode into the room and took her seat.

The Queen addressed her elite posse, getting right to the point. "Now, my friends, you know the problem, and we need a solution. So, Tamara, who do you think kidnapped Phoebe?"

"I would guess it would be one of the other possible heirs, wanting to seize the throne when you're gone."

"Actually—" Skeena blurted before being cut off by the Queen.

"Wait, Skeena. Which of the possible heirs do you think it was," the Queen turned her head away from Tamara with a sharp motion. "Ms. Stassyl?"

Winaya Stassyl, who was busy gazing at a speck of dust in the air, was taken by surprise. "Oh, er, the Ironfist, most likely," she said.

"Well, I—" said Skeena.

"—think that's a very good guess," finished Queen Iona. She turned to Kelvin. "Do you have a guess?" she asked.

"I do, your majesty," said Kelvin. He wasn't certain he was right but he needed to be confident. Letting on that he was basing the decision on his own inclusion to the team would only weaken his argument. "It was the Dragon Tribes," he said, "They captured her out in the town somewhere, and flew her north on dragonback." That last part was half bluff and half educated guess.

"How did you know?" Skeena cut in.

Kelvin smirked. "I'm very good at my job."

"As a professor??"

"Enough!" The Queen let out a long sigh. "Alright Skeena, tell us what you know."

"The men who were seen dragging the princess from Brown Brawn's theatre were holding torches and wearing spiked helmets, like those worn by the Dragon Tribesmen. They were last seen entering a cottage and climbing the stairs towards the roof. A perfect location to get picked up by their Dragon."

"Golly Gee," said Ronnith.

"Undeniable evidence," said Kelvin.

"Are we all in agreement about where we are to search first, then?" asked the Queen.

Tamara nodded, and Winaya said, "I believe we are."

Queen Iona gave a final nod. "As I can't hide my daughter's disappearance from the nobles very long, completing your mission in a timely manner is of utmost importance. I expect you to be packed and ready to leave by tomorrow afternoon. I promise, if you find my daughter, you will be well rewarded."

***********************************************************************************************

A/N: Please vote and comment!

I went climbing around on some rocks by the river today and it was lovely.

--Q. B.