Chapter One
Utter Darkness. It was very unusual; the flames of all the candles that lined the long twisting corridors had been extinguished and the shutters closed, blocking even the faint light of the moon from reaching inside. This would make it difficult to traverse the labyrinthine hallways of the castle. Harder to leave. He heard the heavy footfalls of guards pacing the floor, utterly bored and yet on edge. That was all the proof that prince Aden needed, Eldred had been right; his father knew that he would try to flee. He knew right away that only two options lie before him; he could escape now, or be stuck playing a role that he had never wanted for the rest of his days. He also knew that whichever way he chose, there would be no turning back.
In the end the prince decided that he must leave. Ruling a kingdom was not something that he could do, much less a kingdom that was constantly on the verge of war. He could not rise with the sun each morning only to wear a mask of deception and the pretense of happiness, knowing that he would never be truly happy until he was freed by his last breath. Alec has always wanted the throne; well, let him have it! Oh, how he'd longed to say those words aloud ever since that day.
He remembered it clearly, for it frequently haunted his dreams; he and Alec had been playing in the Garden of Song, it was his eleventh birthday. His father had taken sick recently and panic swept the kingdom; nobody knew what was to become of the royal family. He didn’t understand, of course; he was much too young, but all that was about to change. Mother was walking toward them in a daze, serene, even; but something was off.
"Aden, I need to speak with you." With that she turned and walked over to a secluded section of the garden, Aden followed suit.
"Yes, mama?"
"Your father-“ her voice broke.
“You father is very ill," she had to speak slowly for fear of losing control; he could hear the tension in her voice. He cast his eyes to the ground, not sure if he could trust himself not to cry, the pain on her face was very clear now.
"I know."
"This wasn't intended until your thirteenth birthday, as is tradition, but circumstances dictate that I tell you now."
"Hm?"
She crouched so that she could look at him in they eyes and grasped his shoulders, "You know that are to be king after your father," she said as she slipped a tiny sphere on a seemingly delicate silver chain into his hands. It felt strange, but his anticipation was so great that he couldn't even bring himself to look at it closely; he simply slipped it over his head and tucked it safely away into his shirt. He felt sick; it was as if his stomach had jumped into his chest.
" I fear that you don’t quite know what that means yet, and I fear even more that I cannot tell you. Your sacrifice will be great, but it will all be for the good of our people. Do you understand?”
He didn’t understand, but he nodded nonetheless, doing his best to keep tears from his eyes.
“ You must begin in your lessons starting tomorrow. And should your father..." her words were choked off, she tried to pull herself together long enough to speak.
"I know," he said in a whisper, reverting his eyes once again to his feet. He was incapable of producing anything more than that harsh, strained sound. The lump in his throat constricted his speech and as his mother's words sank in all he could do was cry. It was all either of them could do. He cried for his father, he cried for his mother, and he cried for himself and all the plans he'd made for his future as they crumbled into ashes.
That was the day that everything fell apart. Aden had dreams of a life full of adventures, but that was all over now. He knew that he was trapped in the castle forever. He could never travel the world nor save a damsel in distress or ride a dragon through the clouds. He could no longer afford to dream of the day that he would dive into the sea and feel the waves crash in around him, carrying him off in whatever direction it chose. He was to be king; that was all there was to think about after that day.
The very next morning he was awoken early by a bucket of cold water to the face. He looked up, still choking for air, and saw a bent old man standing over him. His robe was impossibly white, and embroidered in blue as deep as the sea. Aden didn't understand the symbols, but they were no less beautiful for it. A moment later he noticed that the man carried a sphere around his neck, similar to the one his mother had given him the day before.
"I am Eldred," proclaimed the old man. His voice was strong and clear, it sounded as if it had come from a man half his age.
"A-Aden," was all the boy could stammer out, for he was still in shock.
"Ah, yes, yes I know who you are, my boy. Now, come with me, quickly, quickly."
Just like that he turned around and headed for the door, expecting to be followed straight away.
"But, sir!" Aden shouted, for the man was already gone from the room. Nothing. He decided it was best to hurry after him then, but when he reached the hall there was no sign of Eldred anywhere.
"Eldred?" He called, walking down corridor, looking into all the doorways.
"Come on, boy!" Called the old man from the other end, Aden was almost too startled to move at all. He turned quickly and ran to keep up.
They ended up in the Eastern courtyard, where soldiers had their training.
"Ah, here we are. Take a look around lad, this is where you'll be for the coming months."
Aden cast his eyes all about him, taking in his surroundings. Everything from the white marble tiles covering the ground, the fragrant rose bushes growing along the rod iron fence surrounding it, to the racks of weapons hanging from the walls. His eyes lingered on the strange objects.
"I see you've found your training tools, hm?"
He nodded, still trying to figure out what everything was.
"This is where you will report each morning for your martial arts training."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Well, we mustn't tarry too long, there's far more to do." And with that, he was off again.
Aden followed the old man through one of the castle's many pastures to a grand stable. It was full of strong, beautiful horses. His eye was caught by one in particular. It was a sturdy yet graceful looking bay mare. She was tall, with long slender legs and eyes that seemed somehow more intelligent than any horse Aden had known. He began to imagine what it would be like to ride such a powerful creature. Moments later Eldred shook him from his daydreaming with his next words.
"Tomorrow you will be picked out, and then you will be taught to ride whichever horse decides to carry you. After every martial arts lesson you come straight here, clear?"
"Picked...by a horse?"
"Yes, my boy. They are noble beasts, and will not yield to anyone's wishes unless they choose to. Now, am I clear?"
"Yes sir." Aden took one last look back as Eldred dragged him off yet again and hoped that the mare would choose him.
This time Eldred led him into an unfamiliar room at the top of the castle's highest tower. He had always been forbidden to enter, and his curiosity almost overwhelmed himas he followed the old man up the winding stairs. It was a vast room full of shelves that were overloaded with books of varying size and colors. In the middle was a sphere just like the ones that Aden and Eldred had hanging around their necks, only much, much larger, and instead of hanging from a chain, it simply floated in midair, turning slightly this way and that.
For the first timeAden noticed it in full detail. The color contained inside of it slowly oscillated between light blue and a delicate pinkish purple. It was as if the sky had been captured inside, just before the sun disappeared behind the horizon. On top of that, there were tiny particles of, well, he wasn’t quite sure. They resembled stars floating through space, gently swirling around each other as if joined in an eternal slow dance. For moments at a time Aden could have sworn that they were forming pictures, only to move again as if pushed by a soft breeze. They were a gold in color, but they held a luminescence that seemed all together otherworldly. There was a longing that the prince could not explain at the sight. He could not think of any words adequate to describe the sweet and joyous ache that he felt in his chest; and he found it likely that he never would.
“This will be your final instruction every day.” Said Eldred, once again interrupting the prince’s reveries.
“Yes, sir.”
“I will be here to teach you the art of lore. There is much you need to know, and I fear we may not have much time. Your lessons start tomorrow. Now, it happens to be a beautiful day; go enjoy it.”
“Yes sir.” And then he was off to enjoy his last day of freedom.
Aden came back into focus to find that he was still standing in the dark hallway outside his bedchamber. His younger brother always had been more cut out to rule. He wasn’t afraid of what it would mean to have an entire kingdom depending on him, to have the fates of so many people in his hands. He was meant for this, not me, thought Aden. He was ashamed of his weakness, he always had been; but even that wasn’t enough to make him stay. The time was now, for tomorrow would mark his eighteenth birthday; and if he remained in the palace until then he would be named king of Aequora. Trapped.
He had to tread carefully, avoiding the guards. Quietly searching. He felt his way along, letting his hands glide smoothly across the jagged, stone walls and the giant portraits of long dead family members that hung on them. He felt the cold brass of the candle sconces and the curve of the hinges that bound the countless doors in place. All his life he’d lived here without a clue of what the palace felt like. Without his sight, Aden found that it was much easier to notice small details that one might have missed otherwise. It seemed like hours had elapsed by the time Aden found what he was looking for; the hallways, even in the dark, felt familiar to him now. Trusting his instinct to guide him through the maze, the prince finally found the door leading to the Garden of Song.
There was a sudden uproar; he knew immediately what had happened. Someone had gone to check on him and found him missing. He slipped quickly out the door; everyone who knew Aden could probably guess where he would be, so his time was short; but he couldn’t possibly leave without saying goodbye to the Garden. This was the one place in the palace where Aden felt at home. It was just as it had been yesterday, soft green grass littered with feathers and interrupted by flowers in dazzling shades of every color of the rainbow. A pond lay in the middle of the garden, its crystal clear waters revealing the speckled Koi fish swimming in swirling patterns just below the surface. Huge trees covered in bird nests of all shapes and sizes dotted the land; he tried to recall every kind, Apple, Oak, Willow, Cherry Blossom, and of course his favorite, the Sequoia tree. It stood right in the center, near the pond, towering over everything like a giant. The grand tree had existed well over a thousand years, and it radiated with a wise, regal air that made him feel small. Sitting beneath it he felt like he was just a normal person, the same as anyone else. How could I be so important when things like this exist, he would think.
He remembered how he and his brother played here years ago, running through the vast array of flowers and climbing the giant oak trees; and how he used to sit beneath the Weeping Willow, listening to the birds’ music, and forget about all of his troubles. The Garden of Song got its name from them. Magnificent, beautiful birds from all the kingdoms lived here, singing in sweet harmony despite the range in their voices.
He looked up to see that the candles were all being lit now and the shutters opened; one window illuminated at a time. Shadows passed before the yellow lights; soldiers. They would be heading this way, the prince knew his time was up; he began walking through the trees towards the gate on the far end of the Garden. He took care to breathe deeply, for he knew it would be his last chance.
As he walked his focus jumped from the droning of the Hoopoes to the riveting cries of a Falcon perched high above him, even to the harsh caw of a Raven and the sweet chirping of Nightingales and Wrens in between. These birds were his only true friends. They didn’t try to please him for their own selfish ambition; they loved him as he was and did not seek to change their ways to better suit his fancy.
Day in and day out they sang, tonight was no different. The melodious songs drifted on the wind, the same as any other night. This led him to a realization, and bittersweet as it was, Aden was given a glimmer of hope. Life will go on here, with or without me. I can be replaced, and the kingdom will continue on as if I never was. And with that thought, and one last look at his home, he said goodbye.