The Hidden Princess (Book One of the Whispered Tales)

Chapter 6

'I want to know how the King and Queen died.'

Eliza was now in the Throne Room, with all doors closed and locked from inside. The other person in the room was Constantin. The Great Wise sat on a stall on the right of the throne, his seat for more than a hundred years. He was among the wisest men in the kingdom. All this considered, no one really knew his actual age. Nor who he really was. His past was lost in the fog of time and anyone who knew him in the past was long gone.

Constantin looked at her from under his white eyebrows. His eyes seemed older than time itself. His voice, usually firm and thunderous, was lost through wavering words:

'It happened a long time ago, maybe more than ten years ago when the Prince was only a child. He was just a lad, and like most of his age, he was up to small trouble, but had a big heart. Curious to learn new things. Fearless when someone was in danger. You could tell he was to be a wise and righteous king when the time would come. No one thought he would change so much.' The old man was rattled, his hand trembling like he was a child caught when up to no good.

'It was late fall. About this time of the year, and it was getting dark. Gabriel was away with men from the royal suite, among which I was, too. It was the kind of visits made often enough, so the leaders could get to know the people and their complaints. The King himself used to attend, taking off his royal clothes and dressing up in regular clothes, walking all over his kingdom to meet his people and learn about their thoughts. Without them ever knowing, they were sitting down to a goblet of wine, talking to the King himself. That much he loved his country and people.

'But at that time, the country was plagued by one of the worst droughts this land has ever seen. And the King had lost his sleep. He spent night after night in this very room working on plans on how to help his country. That is when the Shadows came. It is not known how they got into the castle,' the old man continued, 'because none of the guards or the servants has seen them. It is believed they came from under the castle and entered through this hatch tight here.' Constantin pointed towards the hatch Eliza easily walked through a few nights ago.

'And what is this hatch used for?' Eliza asked as if she was seeing it for the first time.

'It was used by the royal family to escape in case the castle was invaded by the enemy. Nobody suspected that this was where the enemy would come from. It was secret and only a few of the king's chosen ones knew about it. Those who survived say the Shadows were invincible. In vain the guards tried stabbing them with swords and spears. Nobody and nothing seemed to cause them the slightest harm. The Shadows hurtled over the King and Queen and sucked the life out of them, leaving them out of breath. Then, killing all those who stood in their way, they spread throughout the castle. And since they couldn't find what they came looking for, they left the castle just as they came in, leaving behind pain and grief.'

Constantin wiped his teary eyes with the back of his hand.

'Since then, everything changed around here. The Prince forgot how to laugh. He was only a child, and he had a whole country in his care. He forgot about the child's play, and soon enough weapons became his new toys. He caught up to the art of war faster than any soldier I have ever seen. And soon after, this whole country forgot to smile. 'Since the Prince began waging wars against countries who were allies in the past, dark clouds came over this country as if nature itself was opposing it. Now you can rarely see sun rays peeking through the clouds. This castle, which used to be a cheerful place, was left the prey to hate and revenge.