Chapter 17.
Faith and Plans.
"Lynwood, where are we going?" Collyn asked as they flew through the rain
"To Caderyn's cave in the great mountain, it's not too far from where I used to live."
"Will I be safe there?"
"Oh yes very safe, no man has ever climbed that high. The only creatures who've made it to the top are dragons. Why were the guards chasing after you? I thought you were the princess."
"I am," Collyn's eyes started to get watery. "But these past few days everything has gone so terrible and topsy turvy."
"It has to do with that letter I asked you to give, doesn't it?"
"Yes it does, but it is far too long a story for me to tell now. I'll wait till we get out of the rain and cold."
"Good idea," Lynwood agreed
"What were you doing by the palace anyway? It is a pure miracle that you happened to come by at that moment."
"I actually came here to see you, that is, I was hoping you would be able to help me find out some information about my father."
Collyn smiled faintly, "I am so glad you came by, although I suppose it is only right, you are the one who got me into this mess, so you should be the one helping to get me out."
"Oh come on, I had no idea what was in that letter. I swear it must be a cursed letter; it causes trouble wherever it goes. First it got my father arrested, made me outlawed and now it is causing trouble for you."
"You are outlawed?"
"Yes, that's why I am hiding with my sister in Caderyn's cave, because I can't go home and neither can she."
Collyn shook her head in bewilderment, how different her life had become in just a matter of days. At last they reached the mountain and Caderyn flew into his cave where Sofia had been anxiously waiting for them
"At last you are here!" she exclaimed, carefully getting up and hobbling to the soaking wet trio, "I wake up, both of you are gone and...oh..." Sofia noticed Collyn. "Who is this?" She asked raising an eyebrow and looking Collyn over a little suspiciously.
"Sofia, this is princess Collyn. Collyn, this is my younger sister Sofia."
"Oh hello," Sofia smiled. "You're the girl Lynwood was telling me about, the one whom he delivered the letter too; it's nice to meet you. Lynwood," Sofia turned to her brother, "why did you bring her here?"
"That is a long story, Sofia, and one I'll be sure to tell you as soon as we get dried off."
Sofia nodded. "Come Collyn, I'll take you to the nest. You'll have to take off your wet clothes, but don't worry, I'll give you a blanket to wrap up in until your clothes will dry, it really shouldn't take too long. Lynwood, throw some more firewood into the fire, get it nice and big, after all we need Caderyn to dry off too." So saying Sofia took Collyn's hand and led her to their makeshift bed. "Don't worry, just go around Caderyn's nest, the boys won't see you there, take off that wet dress, you can wrap yourself in these two blankets, then bring the dress to the fire so we can hang it do dry. I'll fix you something hot to drink for now."
Collyn gave a shy nod and Sofia hobbled away, taking a blanket for Lynwood.
"Here Lyn, take off your clothes and wrap up in this."
"I have an extra pair of pants by the bed close to the arrow," Lynwood said. "Bring them to me. It's a pity I had to use my extra shirt on Caderyn's wound, and the other one on your ankle, but we had nothing else."
"Alright" Sofia hobbled off and got Lynwood his pants. "Give me your wet shirt and vest, I'll put hang them with Collyn's dress."
"I put the water to boil," Lynwood said. "We don't have anything to make tea so we'll just drink hot water and eat toasted bread."
Sofia cast a glance in the direction of Collyn. "Do you think the princess will be okay with it? After all, she is probably used to more, well, elegant food, if you follow me."
"Too bad," Lynwood shrugged, "she'll just have to make the best of it."
Soon the children and the dragon were all sitting around the fire. Caderyn lay on one side and the three children sat on the other.
"So why were the guards chasing you?" Lynwood turned to Collyn
"It all started this night. I'd had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep. A commotion told me my brother had returned home. I got up and searching out Wilheard, and gave him the letter that you asked me to pass on to him. He asked me where I got it from and I told him a messenger had given it to me. He took the letter and went to his room. A few hours later he came to my room and demanded that I tell him who exactly I got the letter from. I told him that it was from a messenger. Wilheard asked me to be a bit more specific. I told him all I could say was a boy of about thirteen years appeared in the garden and passed it on. Wilheard nodded and then left my room. I was curious to know what was going on, so I followed him and to my surprise he marched up to my uncle's chamber. I am not bold enough to go in uninvited, so waited by the door. Only about five minutes later the bell rang out and a group of palace guards came rushing in. Curiosity conquered my fear and I followed the guards, who hardly seemed to have noticed my presence. To my horror I watched the guards restrain my brother while my uncle, King Farran, gloated over him,
'You think you are so smart, don't you?" He sneered at Wilheard. "Foolish boy, well, the truth always comes out they say, but it will die with you and all the men who were trying to help you. The throne is mine, and I am not about to give it up, not to you, nor to your sister, or to anyone else."
My brother looked defiantly at my uncle and hissed, "you killed my father, you murdered him so the throne could be yours; you denied me my right! The throne belongs to me, Farran, by birthright and by law. And if you kill me there is still my sister, she is also entitled to the throne before you."
"I really should have killed the two of you as well," Uncle Farran smirked. "But I thought that as long as you were ignorant of the circumstances there was no threat. In a way I was right. While you knew nothing, there wasn't any reason for me to fear, but I suppose the truth was to come out sooner or later. You should have kept you tongue my boy, for it has dug your grave and the grave of your sister. Now that the truth is known, it must be silenced before it leaks into the street."
I gave a gasp and everyone turned to look at me. My eyes met those of my brother. It was like he actually noticed me for the first time in his life. Like he actually cared about me for once, instead of sort of putting up with my existance.
"Collyn," my brother called out in desperation. "You have to get out of here, find the boy who gave you the message. It is not longer safe for you to live here. This man, whom we called family, he has betrayed us and our father! Run Collyn, get out while you still can!'
So I turned on my heels and ran, I didn't stop to look back but I heard my uncle yell, "Catch her, don't let her get away, I want her to be brought back to me!" He then said for the men to take my brother away to the dungeon, where he would await his fate. I ran with all that was in me, I didn't know what to do, for I was trapped in the palace with no way for me to get out without getting caught. So I ran into the garden, hoping at least to hide from the guards and prayed that help would come. And that's when you flew by Lynwood. You know the rest of the story"
"I don't," Sofia protested. "What happened?"
"Well, your brother came flying by on the dragon and rescued me. And he did it right from under my uncle's nose. He was standing by watching us fly off you know." Despite herself Collyn giggled a little, then sighed. "I don't know what to do, my brother is probably gone for good, my uncle wants me dead, I feel so lost and alone."
"Oh don't be sad, Collyn," Sofia put her arm around Collyn's shoulder. "I am sure we will be able to work something out. You just rest a little, get warm and dried off, and we will be sure to think of something. Lynwood, do you think that perhaps her brother might be in the same prison with father?"
"Could be," Lynwood shrugged
"Where's your mother?" Collyn asked with interest. "Was she also arrested and taken away?"
"Oh no," Sofia shook her head. "Our mother went to stay in the Land beyond the Rainbow many years ago. I was so small, I don't even remember her."
"The Land Beyond the Rainbow," Collyn lifted an eyebrow. "You don't actually believe in that, do you?"
"Why, you don't believe in it?" Sofia blinked at Collyn in surprise.
"Of course not," Collyn replied. "I mean it's all just children's fairy tales."
"No it isn't," Sofia stubbornly stomped her good foot. "It's not children's fairy tales at all, it's really there."
"Then how come we can't see it?"
"Because it's beyond the rainbow, it is not meant to be seen, you will see it when you die."
"Don't tell me that you believe in it too?" Collyn turned to Lynwood,
"Sure, why not?" Lynwood shrugged.
"You really do?" Collyn's eyes widened. She could still understand Sofia believing in such things, after all she younger, but Lynwood, he seemed so grown up, far too old to believe in children's stories.
"I have believed in it all my life," Lynwood answered in a frank, honest voice. "What I can't understand is why you don't."
"Why I don't? It's obvious why I don't, everyone always told me that it doesn't really exist."
"You know, everyone always told me that dragons are evil thieves, but that wasn't true." Lynwood stated. Collyn opened her mouth, then shut it again, obviously thinking.
"Very well," she said at last. "Let us suppose this Land Beyond the Rainbow actually does exist, and you actually go there when you die, but how can you be so sure that you will get there?"
"I suppose that is where you have to have faith," Lynwood mused.
"Have faith in something you don't see?"
"That's what faith is, Collyn. It's the knowledge that something exists, even when you don't see it. For Sofia and me it never really was a question if it was there or not. We just always knew."
"My mother used to tell me about the Land Beyond the Rainbow," Collyn looked down. "But she passed away when I was still very young. Wilheard told me the land didn't exist and Mama was gone for good. After that I stopped believing in it."
"How awful of your brother to say such a thing," Sofia gasped. "But he was terribly mistaken."
"But why would he tell me something that was untrue."
"I dunno," Sofia shrugged and the two girls looked at Lynwood.
"Uh," Lynwood stuttered, realizing that they were expecting an answer from him, "Maybe he was just mad that your mother died, and so he himself ceased to believe in the land beyond the rainbow. Was he angry when your mother died?"
"He was very mad," Collyn confirmed, wiping a tear that began stealing its way down her cheek.
"I guess there is the answer. But Collyn, we don't have to talk about it if it makes you feel sad."
"It's alright," Collyn waved her hand. "I actually haven't ever talked about Mama for a long time. Wilheard never talks about her; I think he is still mad at her death. And Uncle Farran and Aunt Rohesia never speak of her either, she is a topic closed to discussion."
"Is your Papa dead too?" Sofia asked.
"Yes, he died three months before I was born. Mama died when I was only seven, but I do remember the stories she would tell me and we would walk in the garden and make flower crowns and play by the fountain."
"What sort of man is the king?" Lynwood turned to Collyn.
"He's a very strict and angry sort of man, always busy with matters of the state. I don't see him much, or Aunt Rohesia either. We don't even dine together. To tell you the truth, I always feared both of them a little. They both have this cold, almost evil glint in their eyes. I know Uncle Farran and Wilheard don't get along and Wilheard always had some excuse as to why he shouldn't be around the palace, and my uncle never seemed to have a reason to keep him there. So I rarely saw Wilheard as well. And Oliver, my cousin, he probably doesn't even know I exist. I can't recall even seeing him in the past three months."
"Oh, you must have been very lonely," Sofia sympathized.
Collyn nodded.
"But now you don't have to be lonely," Sofia reached out and took Collyn's hand. "We are your friends, and we will try our best to help you. After all that is what friends are there for, to help each other out. Don't worry, Lynwood is a very smart boy, I know he will be able to come up with a good plan."
Lynwood scowled at Sofia. Why was he the one who always had to come up with the plans? And then he was the one who always had to carry them out?
"Yeah, I'll sleep on it," he promised.
"Sleep?" Sofia questioned. "It's morning!"
"Uhu, but Collyn and I have both been up all night!"
"Oh, right," Sofia giggled. "So who will sleep where?"
"You girls can have our bed and I'll sleep with Caderyn," Lynwood replied.
"Alright. I'll make sure Collyn is comfortable. Come on, Your Highness. That's our bed over there. We used to sleep in Caderyn's nest until we made our own."
"How did you meet up with Caderyn?" Collyn was curious.
"I'll tell you all about it once you've settled down. It can be your morning bedtime story."
"Okay."
Lynwood decided not to bother them with housework and put the dishes away himself. Taking the rug, Lynwood put it near Caderyn and sat down, leaning against the dragon, stared at the fire.
"I'm glad she has someone to talk to," he cracked a smile and looked at Caderyn. "It must have been terrible having to stay back all alone. Why did she have to sprain that ankle." Lynwood let out a yawn, he had had no sleep for nearly twenty four hours and it was starting to catch up with him. "What are we going to do, Caderyn?" He asked at length. "Things just keep getting more and more complicated. Collyn said that her brother accused King Farran of killing their father. I wonder if it's true?"
Caderyn gave a low grunt as if to say, "How should I know"
Lynwood shrugged. "I suppose the life of a dragon can be simpler at times than the life of a human. We always seem to get ourselves in the most horrible of messes and then we are not sure how to get ourselves out of them. Anyway, now the mess is even bigger, and I suppose I should help clean it up, seeing as I helped start it. Elaine was right, that letter does just cause trouble wherever it goes. Now I wonder...." Lynwood let his voice trail off as he pondered. "Caderyn, what if you and I were to go back to the capital? You could drop me off at the palace and then fly away somewhere where you wouldn't get caught, in the mean time I would sneak inside and find the dungeon, then I would look for the prince and get him out, and maybe find father too."
A low growl came from Caderyn's throat and he shook his head, evidently not pleased with the idea
"Or maybe Collyn could help us," Lynwood didn't seem to notice that Caderyn was not so excited about the plan. "I am sure there is someone in that palace who is loyal to the prince and to her. I'll ask her tomorrow. Now don't look so Caderyn, you know I have to do it. I have to help get my father free. I know you don't owe me anything, so you can just take me there and fly away. That way there wouldn't be much risk."
Caderyn stared deep into Lynwood's eyes and shook his large head ever so slightly.
"It's late," Lynwood said after a moment or two of silence. "Well, early more like, but we should sleep; I have a feeling that tomorrow will be a very big day for us." So saying he curled up on the rug. Caderyn gave a large dragon yawn and placing his head down next to Lynwood, closed his eyes and soon the two of them were fast asleep.