Heirs of Merlin: The Hidden Princess and the Tree of Life

Chapter 10

Rouan led Lana through the corridors of his castle, holding her small hand very, very gently. Eventually he stopped in front of a large painting. It was a family portrait. A woman sitting in a fancy chair, a man standing behind her and a boy next to her.

The man was clearly Rouan with his crimson hair and black horns. His expression was as serious as now, but his eyes didn't look so weary. His clothes looked like some kind of military uniform and revealed that he had a dragon tail and feet just like Uncle Thomas.

The woman looked a lot more like a human and less like a dragon. The hands folded on her lap had slender, elegant fingers and she wore really pretty shoes. Her horns were the same platinum shade as Lana's. The boy's too. The mark of royal bloodline.

"Her name was Aerwan. She was a queen like no other." Rouan smiled weakly at the memory. "A woman like no other. Wise, just, both attentive and headstrong. Everything you could wish for in a wife. But she never completely recovered from giving birth to our son, Sarkan. Ten years ago, the illness claimed her life."

He almost touched the painting but stopped, like afraid he'd tear the canvas with his claws. "Were you told what the Tree of Life can do? What you can do if you go to the Sanctuary?"

"Um...I can save Ildathach. And I can wish for something."

"That's right." He dropped to one knee in front of her. "You can wish that she returns to life. Not only her either. Sarkan and your mother too. Everyone you have lost can be brought back."

That sounded really great. Dad, Aunt Valeria, Sam and Alex would be glad if they got Mary back too.

"Making that wish, praying in the inner chamber of the Sanctuary, will also restore Ildathach," Rouan continued. "Imagine, Lana. Imagine this world at its very best and living there together as a family. Wouldn't it be wonderful?"

"Could everybody else live as families too?" Lana asked. "Sophitia said that bad people take children away from their parents."

"Who is Sophitia?""

"A girl from the Bird Clan who lives in Avalon. She's two years younger than me."

"I see...I promise that nobody would be taken from their parents anymore. I can make sure that all those children will be returned to their families right away too."

"Really?" Lana's eyes lit up with hope. She had been worried that Sophitia would get hurt because she helped her escape Avalon.

"Absolutely. There is no need to look for another chosen one anymore." He caressed her cheek softly with the back of his hand. "Don't frown at me like that, granddaughter. I'm not a bad person. They would have been returned to their homes once they grew up and their wings changed color anyway. They had to be kept safe."

Lana wasn't completely convinced. Now that she thought about it, everybody had been saying that the Dragon King was bad. Insane even. But he seemed nice. On the other hand, he had hurt people. Had he hurt them because he believed he was still in a war? Sometimes people did that.

He straightened and took her hand. "Come. You can talk with them yourself. They have been treated even better than they would have at their homes."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Follow me."

The part of the castle Rouan took Lana to was filled with life in comparison to the quiet hallways elsewhere. Boys and girls of all ages from toddlers to teenagers hurried along the corridors in Ildathach versions of pajamas and nightgowns. All of them had white wings, feathered arms and legs and bird feet.

The activity stopped instantly as they were noticed, and all the children respectfully fell to the sides of the hallway. One toddler started screaming for mommy, but he was quickly hushed by an older girl.

"This is Lana," Rouan introduced her. "She will spend tonight with you all. Treat her well." He patted her head once before leaving. "Sleep well, granddaughter. Tomorrow we'll depart for the Sanctuary."

It was completely quiet until he was gone. Nobody moved. Then, like a dam had been broken, all of them rushed to check Lana out.

"They're real!" Someone pulled on her wings hard enough to almost pluck some feathers out.

"Where did you come from?"

"What are you?" Another child poked on her horns.

"How can you fit those shoes on?"

"Stop it, all of you!" a teenaged boy, probably the oldest one around, commanded. Some of the white feathers in his wings had already started falling off to reveal the colored adult feathers underneath. "Didn't you hear? She's our guest for tonight."

"Will you sleep in our room?" one of the younger children asked.

"Our room has the best view," another argued.

"But I saved some of the sweets we got yesterday," the first one countered. "I'll give you some, Lana!"

They looked happy. Lana wasn't very comfortable with the overabundant attention she was getting, but she was glad that the Dragon King wasn't as bad as Sophitia had thought. "Are you...are you happy here?" she asked.

The joyful atmosphere disappeared almost immediately, and the youngest children started sobbing quietly.

"It's not that bad," the older boy answered her question. "We're not allowed to leave the castle unless guarded by the drake riders, but we get everything we could possibly ask for and can do whatever we want here. Homesickness stops eventually. On the downside, we have to take care of the little ones alone."

"I...I miss my mommy and daddy..." one of those little ones sniffled. An entire chorus of "me too" joined in.

"Um...the Dragon King said that now that I'm here, he'll take all of you back home," Lana offered. "And I'll pray in the Sanctuary that everyone can be happy again."

She was assaulted by another chorus, this time asking "Really?".

She nodded enthusiastically. "I promise."