Once Upon a Lost Prince

Chapter 4

Irwin asked around the town and he'd been told that Firmin was the best oracle one could seek. The Gods’ gave him some of their knowledge when fate offered him a series of heartaches that nearly broke him. So, now that Faye and Irwin were in his house they saw the man sitting in the middle of the room covered with colored fabrics. He sat on some cushions and in front of him was a table, a round opening in the middle and smoke coming from whatever was burning under the table and through that opening, causing a gray cloud to fog the vision.

As Faye set foot inside, her nausea only intensified at the smell, whatever was burning in the small pot under the table was most probably some kind of a creature with a tremendously fool smell, at least that's what she thought when her food from earlier was urging to go back the way it came.

"It will get better once you sit, your children need to settle." a raspy voice came from the man, his face bent down with a still frame. Irwin stood closer to his wife as they both shared a look, but shrugged it off. Then he made her comfortable on the set of cushions on one side of the table, but when Irwin came to sit himself, he was stopped. "Don't sit just yet," the same voice from earlier stopped Irwin, "who are you?"

"I'm her husband."

"Well lucky for us we both know that," was the oracle's sarcastic reply, "but I need to know why you came here." He continued, making what he wanted to 'know' clear.

"It's weird actually," Irwin started, "the reason I mean." He rushed again as Faye raised her hand to give his a small squeeze.

"That's not a problem son; I've seen many 'weird' in my days." The oracle assured Irwin too.

"I-I have been seeing visions ev-"

"Memories." The oracle whispered. "Memories that were banned for a long time...” the old man trailed not continuing his words for he had said enough and knew enough. He wanted to see if Irwin was going to hesitate or run away, the truth was hard to handle and the young man may have his fears. The Gods gave Firmin the gift of knowledge, however knowing true feelings was something that they kept for themselves and the oracle only learned little about these from his years of living. Irwin sat slowly beside Faye keeping a hand on his lap and the other holding hers knowing now that it was okay for him to sit.

"Why now?" Irwin questioned.

"This matter is in the hands of the Gods," Irwin answered with eyes unfocused, "they decide you have to know so you do. No force can stop their will."

Silence fell upon the three after that, but soon the oracle started to chant words of some foreign language, throwing herbs and small stones into the pot of fire, making the flames grow and burn a fierce red. The smoke extended in the atmosphere, shadows casting on the ceiling of the room until they were shaping figures.
A child was born, then came the fall of a castle. A shadow was swallowed by the fire. The smoke shifts again to show a crowd yelling at that shadow as rushed into a hiding place between the trees, a child following her closely.
"IRWIN-" Faye cried, trying to sit her husband as his body slumped, "Stay with me!" She tried shaking him awake again, but to no avail. The oracle only observed.

"Everything will be alright." His voice was low, very low that Faye was barely able to catch what he said, "Don’t worry about him he'll wake once he regained what’s his. Would you like some tea?" The old man asked as if there was nothing amiss and he got up to fetch a cup.

The voices seemed to fade from around Irwin as he fell into unconsciousness, it wasn't dark where he was, but rather bright, too bright that he had to close his eyes. Fluttering them open again and slowly, his sight started to adjust to his surrounding.

Irwin saw himself in front of what looked like the ruins of a castle, it appeared to be burnt to the ground and judging by the smoke still coming from between the rocks, it hasn't been long since it did.