The relic and I were back to back with sharp spears pointed at us held by the copper-clad Cardoth soldiers. They expected us to kneel or to raise our hands in defeat, but I am a Colress, a high royal, and I would not acknowledge defeat.
A Cardoth soldier broke free from the ranks. He was aged well over a half-century and had a hefty weight to him, but he was no less intimidating for it. There was a scar down his face by his left eye and he was the only one wearing a black cape, signifying his elevated position as the captain of this company. There wasn't a weapon in his hand. Instead, he held the reins of his brown-spotted horse and looked down upon us like we were maggots. I loathed that more than the spears.
"You find yourself in the Cardoth Kingdom," the captain said to us, "under the ownership of the mighty King Solice. Identify yourselves."
I puffed out my chest and said, "I am High Prince Darren of the noble family Colress. Heir to the Sentria Kingdom and I would have these spears away from my person."
Every soldier belly-laughed at my order and I wanted all of them dead in that moment.
"High Prince Darren? Out for a stroll with no royal guard?" The captain continued to laugh heartily, hardly able to get his words out between them. "What would the High Prince be doing all the way up here?"
"It was...an accident," I said. "I got lost, separated from my men."
"It was my fault," said Eldwyn. "You see, he was—"
I nudged him to keep him quiet. He didn't understand how these things went. One false word and that would be your head on of their sharpened spears.
"As you can see, I bear my family's crest." I pointed to the center of my chest plate with my sigil. You could still see the silver griffin despite the mud that obscured it.
"Do you know how many pretenders there are?" asked the captain. "That is no proof."
"Then ask me anything you'd like. I know my family history more than any."
"So does any moderately accomplished historian." The captain tapped his heels against the horse's sides and she trotted closer to me and stopped. I could feel the beast's breath on my face and her black eyes looked as if she hated me too. "Do you know the price for impersonating a royal? Every limb of the guilty party will be severed by our wildest stallions and paraded all around the kingdom like a blood-streamed parade. Would you like that, prince?"
I took a step forward, unafraid of his threats. "If you do this, my family and the legions bannermen that follow us will take to war against Cardoth, the likes of which would cast Cinnai out of this land once and for all."
"Do you threaten me, boy?" snarled the captain, leaning towards me.
"That is a promise if a lowly captain such as yourself so much as lays a finger upon my person."
There was a long pause as the captain looked at me with great consternation. It was a gamble and one I had to take. Only a royal would speak so boldly to someone as powerful as a captain and he knew that.
"Fine, we will take you to Cardoth Castle. King Solice will sort you out." The captain leaned back begrudgingly, not wanting to make it appear as if he had lost in front of his men. "But if you are lying, enjoy your final moments with your limbs intact while you have them."
Eldwyn and I traveled by open carriage that they used for transporting plants, fruits, and vegetables for their kingdom. Two soldiers sat across from us and engaged in uproarious and lewd conversation while I sat quietly. Eldwyn had tried numerous times to speak with me, but I shrugged him off. I didn't want them to hear anything they could have used against us. The relic was skilled in the ways of magic, but politics was a different world altogether.
The roads leading to Cardoth Castle were bumpy and twisted too much for my liking. We were in the Cold Hollow, an unforgiving place of dead things befitting the brashness of the kingdom. Perhaps the Solice's could have used some of their fortune to pave these roads, improve infrastructure, but they would much rather have kept it in their vast deposits beneath their many castle keeps than spread it throughout their lands.
I looked behind us and saw the naked trees with their branches covered in doves like they were white leaves and I felt calm for a moment. I had always liked birds. As a child, I would feed them and play with them and listen to their songs. I wasn't allowed to play with the common children and the other royals weren't good company. My mother and father had only me as their descendant, so I found companionship where I could in my lonely moments between royal obligations. As I grew up, those moments dwindled and I had to trade in my love of nature for diplomatic lessons. When you're a prince, you could only stay young for so long.
My attention turned to the front and I watched as we approached the bronze gate wrapped in large vines. They apparently didn't want for a gardener either. The gates creaked opened and we were brought through the streets towards Cardoth Castle, a spiraling gray fortress scattered with many towers. We moved slowly, they wanted the homely people of this kingdom to gawk, until we reached the cracked steps of the castle. We stopped and the captain came to the back of the wagon and smiled wickedly.
"Let's go, your highness," said the captain.
Eldwyn and I followed the captain up the steps to the high wooden doors of Cardoth Castle. Two guards opened the door and we walked down the long, crimson carpeted hall to the throne room. King Wendell Solice sat on his bronze throne as still as a statue, clinging onto the curved armrest as if he never wanted it wrested from his grip. He was pale white with hair that was long, dull, and brown. The coldness of this region must have sapped all his luster. His kingly robes were black, puffy, and crimson, adding more volume to his already substantial girth.
The captain kneeled and I saw in his face deference for the first time. "Your greatness. This one claims to be—"
"Prince Darren Colress," croaked King Solice, leaning forward as slow as a tortoise. "You have your father's sharp chin. I'd recognize it anywhere. That will be all Captain Perry. Thank you."
Captain Perry stood up and bowed to the northern King. He shot a glare our way and proceeded to leave. King Solice didn't speak again until the captain was outside the doors.
"What brings the Prince of Sentria this far north, Prince?" he asked.
"It was by mistake your greatness," I said. While I don't respect him, I must respect his title. "I was wandering the woods nearby my home with my valet when we fell into a portal. It brought us here and in seconds your men were upon us."
"And your valet...he is a relic of the southern moors, is he not?" , as a tall black-robed man entered from the side and stood by King Solice.
"He is your highness."
"That's rare. The last I had heard about it, your family hadn't been too kind to relics. Have the Colress's stumbled upon reason?"
"He is a trusted friend. It was my personal request."
A robed man entered the throne room. He was tall and dressed in a long robe with a high collar. He wore a hood in the shape of a sharp crow's beak and I swear he brought with him an icy chill. He whispered something in the king's ear and the king nodded ever-so-suddenly.
"And what is your name, young relic?" asked the robed man in a sharp tone.
"I am Eldwyn Gamor," said Eldwyn, and took a step forward. "I'm a whisperer of winds from the Misty Moors."
"I can tell from your bright hazel eyes," said the robed man. "They hold within them the secrets of the wind that carries you to places unknown." He put his hood down and revealed his face. He was brown-skinned and his ears were long and pointy like those of a wood fox. His eyes glowed bright green and he had a smile on his face, but their purpose was mysterious. He was a wizard, and if he stood at King Solicce's side, then he had to be powerful.
"I am Allaster Aldernon, the Manifester, adviser to King Solice and protectorate of the northern realm. I'm glad to see that you too have embraced the good that can come from magicks. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the future to tell us that sides once divided can find harmony."
I fashioned a smile. "That would be a dream."
"There will be talk of togetherness later," said King Solice. "These two young men should wash up and get some rest. We have guest rooms to spare."
"Thank you, your greatness," I said with a nod. "But I would prefer it if my valet and I shared a room."
King Solice rubbed his hands together and said, "Of course. We all have our preferences. We'll have fresh robes sent up to you and then we'll have a feast in your honor. It's perfect timing. We are readying a play on this night for the changing of the season. I think this is a good sign of things to come, Prince Colress. Yes."
We were taken through the castle to our room where servants brought in tubs and poured us a boiling hot bath. They took our muddied clothes and we changed into green and black dining robes. The sleeves were too puffy for my liking and the material felt scratchy against my skin. The quality was a lesser silk and the difference between Sentria's exquisite threadwork was made painfully evident to me. It made me miss the finer fabrics my kingdom possessed all the more.
Our chamber was decorated heavily with crimson, from the drapes to the carpet, and the medium-sized bed with diamond-patterned blankets on them. There was a wooden desk in the corner with ink, quill, and parchment that reminded me of my desk at home where I'd have to practice writing letter upon letter to learn the proper ways of addressing other kingdoms, securing trade and shoring relationships. The finer points of political manipulation.
"I hate these robes and I hate our room," I said, waving my arms in disbelief of the puffiness.
"This cloth doesn't bother me," Eldwyn said, as he walked toward the window. He wore a laced green shirt with yellow buttons down the front and on the sleeves, and black, tapered pants. He looked better than I did. "We are at the start of a new adventure and many untold paths lay before us."
"Enough," I said in a furious whisper. "this is not some game. This isn't dress-up, relic. Don't you understand the danger we're in? We are prisoners here, and we must find a way out or we won't be leaving with our lives.."