Chapter 9 part 1:

New Mission

“Should I continue to read your book, Your Ma-?” Valorie tried to say before Clarence jumped out of bed.

“No! There’s no time to rest! I need to practice!”

Valorie spun around as Clarence ran past her and out of the room, forcing her to yet again chase him.

“Your Majesty?!” She cried, lifting her skirts as she ran.

“My savior is coming! I have to prepare! Come quickly, Valorie!” Clarence yelled as he raced down the hall, laughing and smiling, imagining his savior in front of him again.

...

The next few days after the wedding, everything returned to normal. It did not last long; however, because a guest dropped by unexpectedly in the village.

Every week, a human servant would enter the elven colony and pass on information that he heard, as well as exchanging goods to trade with the locals. This human was of elven ancestry, but his blood was diluted enough that the humans did not notice their appearance.

The human’s name was Devon, and he was a third generation elven servant. His skills were widely recognized by Silas’s tribe. He was Meredith’s secondary messenger.

Devon was not supposed to come for another two days when he entered the village on his tall, speckled horse, trotting down the dirt path with care. The boy’s eyes never left a particular home on the tip of the forest. He had the mail and extra goods collected in his satchel, which swung back and forth as he tightened his grip on the reins of the horse, preparing to stop.

Silas’s mother stood alone in the kitchen of her home, sipping a mug of warm herbal tea. The faint taste of lilac tinged her lips. Yet a sour taste filled her mouth as the horse moved closer and closer to her doorstep. Her eyes narrowed as she set down her mug and walked towards the door, preparing to greet the visitor.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching the door, the twins stood by the door and stood behind their mom, wanting to be involved, but not directly. The two were shyer than they appeared.

The door opened but the visitor did not step into the home. “Maeir.” The visitor said politely, clasping his hands together, lowering himself onto one knee and bowing his head low.

His mother copied the movement with her hands, but instead stood tall on her two feet, looking at the man blankly. Her short silver hair sat taut at her shoulders, and her sharp brown eyes did not leave the man’s head. She quickly sent the twins away to play before she opened her mouth and asked, “Where is Meredith?” It was rare for Devon to come into the village, especially alone. It made her curious.

“Meredith has been sent to the capital of Yursear, Durbrame. He was sent by the village chief to scout the capital. He has heard news of a counter attack against us.”

Maeir knew where the conversation was headed, and she asked Devon directly. “You are here for my son, aren’t you?” She was no fool. As a previous spy herself, she was familiar with the steps involved.

The young man looked away, slightly taken off guard by her directness. “Maeir, if possible we would like to recruit Silas as a spy for the capital.” His words sounded more like a plea than an explanation.

“Tell Meredith if he needs my son, he can come get him himself.” Maeir said, ready to slam the door, before she heard Silas call out to her, approaching the front door. Maeir shut her eyes in annoyance before moving out of the way. He could tell by his mother’s expression, something was not right.

Silas had heard the clattering of hooves near the front of their home and stopped reading his book. The mug of tea he had poured was still steaming, so he had set it aside to cool. He looked up at the window and saw a horse standing just outside their home, causing him to hastily stand up and put his book down on his bed.

His room was not much larger than a large closet, but Silas enjoyed the comfy, warm room. The wood walls were full of trinkets from his family and friends, and his bookshelf and desk on the opposite side of the room were full of books. His bed sat just below the window, to the front of the room against the wall. There were many books scattered around the patchwork quilt lying on top.

Silas reluctantly but hurriedly stood up and walked out of the room, taking small, light steps down the narrow stairwell. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the twins standing not too far away from their mother, watching her interact with the stranger intently as they pretended to be immersed in play fighting.

His mother heard his footsteps and turned around, shooting Silas a bitter look. Now he had to make his decision in front of Devon. Maeir could not help but sigh to herself again.

Seeing her expression, Silas stopped a few steps from her and asked, “What’s going on?”

Devon, seeing Silas, smiled brightly as his eyes lit up, as if seeing his savior. “Silas! It has been a while! I have something I need to discuss with you.” He said this all as one sentence, as to make it impossible for Maeir to cut in.

Maeir coldly glared at Devon, making him stand stiff. Silas approached and put his right hand on his mother’s shoulder. “What brings you here, Devon?”

Devon’s youthful face lit up, and his spiky red hair seemed even brighter. “First, I wanted to congratulate you on your wedding. Emmeline is a lovely lady, so you better treat her well.” Devon was only two or three years older than Silas, yet his young face made him look much younger than Silas.

“Anyways, we’re in need of some young spies to keep an eye on the going-ons in the capital. We’ve heard from some reliable sources a counter attack is coming soon, so we want to be as prepared as possible.” Devon sold his words the best he could while facing the intense stare of the infamous “Bloody Maeir”. The air around them was frosty. “If you’re up for it, you’ll leave immediately!”

Silas opened his mouth to reply, but was suddenly cut off.

“Devon!” A deep voice called out from behind the group. Devon turned his head as the other two looked over, trying to see who was approaching them, but they all already knew. It was the village chief, Rohan. Devon repeated his respectful bow before standing back up and looking at the village chief curiously.

“What can I help you with, Chief?” Devon asked respectfully.

“Plans have changed, Devon. Go to the meeting hall. The messenger in there will give you the details.” The chief seemed eager to speak to Maeir.

“Yes sir!” Devon said before bowing. He turned his head and gave one more bow to Maeir and Silas before running off to the meeting hall. The village chief watched him go, then turned to Maeir and Silas. An unreadable expression greeted the two, and Silas felt a bad premonition coming on.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Silas?” The village chief said this with a low tone, his voice slow and deep, but the frustration he was trying to hide was leaking out with every word. Silas shook his head slowly, confused, as Maeir’s face began to quickly sour. Her face dropped.

“What does that mean, Rohan?” Maeir asked with a scowl. Silas stared towards this mother.

“Stay out of this, Maeir.” The chief turned coldly towards her, “Our long friendship will not protect you here.”

“How dare you come to my door and speak-” Maeir began to say, stepping up to the chief with her hands clenched.

“Mom, please.” Silas said, placing his hand on his mother’s shoulder, “What do you mean, Chief?” His face dropped.

“I know what happened, Silas. I know you let the crown prince go. I just want to know why you did it.” The chief stated in one breath, his face tired and angry, “You had the chance to end this never-ending war, and you didn’t. The least you could do is explain to me why.”

Silas’s eyes widened, speechless, as Maeir spoke up for him almost immediately, “You do realize what you are accusing my son of, correct?” Maeir questioned, her anger quickly building to the point she was almost shouting, “This would ruin my son! He would be banished from the village, or worse!”

“Don’t you think I realize that?!” The village chief fixed his gaze on Maeir and shouted back. Immediately after, he ran his hand down his face and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, “I would not come here if it wasn’t confirmed to me. So tell me the truth, Silas. Maybe we can fix this before the whole village hears of this.”

But Silas was unable to answer. His head was spinning and he felt like vomiting.

The crown prince? He thought to himself, his hands shaking, No, I couldn’t have possibly saved the crown prince. I would have known if it was the crown prince. He was just a kid. 

“I-” Silas tried to say, but his voice was as weak as a whisper, “I saved a child. His name. His name was Clarence.” Silas began to find his voice again, “I saved a maid’s son! She begged me to! How was I supposed to kill a child?!” Silas’s innocent face paled as he said this, remembering the events of that night as they flashed in his mind. Thinking of killing the child made him abruptly stop, his words cut off as he shook his head frantically.

Maeir looked at Silas with sadness and the smallest amount of shame, while the village chief shook his head with a restless expression. His face dropped as he looked up at Silas’s face with an all-knowing stare.

“The crown prince’s name is Clarence.”

Silas froze, his every muscle and fiber stopping in a moment. The only thing that moved was his heart, but it could only faintly beat, the only thing telling him this was not some awful nightmare. Cold sweat poured down his spine as his blood ran cold. His body was tense, and he felt as if the anxiety he had been feeling peaked at this moment.

“No.” Silas said, forcing his quivering lips to move, “No, his name was Cedric. I was told so.” Silas shook his head, staring at the village chief with an expression heavy with disbelief.

The chief could not contain himself and he shouted in anger, “You fool. We were given the wrong information. It was a decoy to fool you and the other men on the mission.” The village chief shook his head again, gritting his teeth, “And fool you it did. Couldn’t you tell? The prince has different clothes, different speech patterns, even his hair is a unique color for the gods’ sakes!” The village chief grabbed Silas’s shoulders, his fingers digging into Silas’s shoulders hard enough to break the skin, “You let a human go, Silas! You let the most important human go! With no crown prince, the kingdom would have crumpled!”

Silas’s eyes began to water as the weight of his decision fell on his shoulders. His lips moved, but no words escaped them. His pallor paled another degree and left him looking whiter than the first snow of the winter season. Silas’s hands shook as the chief’s nails continued to pierce into his shoulders.

“I-I just wanted to save a child.” Tears spilled down Silas’s face, but he was not brave enough to attempt to wipe them, “I’m sorry.” His words shook.

“What are you going to do now?” Maeir asked with a heavy tone, looking up at the chief with an unreadable expression.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, and I don’t plan to, if Silas fixes this.” His voice was resolute.

“What are you suggesting he does?” Maeir said, stepping between the village chief and the shivering Silas, forcing the man to release his tight grip on her son.

“I just received news of a parade being held in Prince Clarence’s honor. To celebrate his birthday, no less.” The chief scoffed, “They’re trying to make a mockery out of us, and I won’t stand for it. The parade is in a week. Silas will go and kill the crown prince then.”

Maeir snapped, “In all the time I’ve known you, I never thought you were so stupid! You’re putting your revenge over the safety of the villagers, and most importantly over the safety of my son!” Maeir grabbed the village chief’s shirt and pulled him close, ready to kill the giant man, “Don’t you see this is a convenient trap! They’re doing this to provoke a reaction out of us! They know we’ll come, and they’ll be waiting! My son will die, because of your stupidity, just like your son did!” Maeir, no longer able to contain her building rage, shoved the aging chief heavily with her hands, preparing to harm the selfish man.

“Don’t you mention my son, Maeir. This is your only warning.” His voice chilled the air.

“To hell with you! And your son!” Maeir spit at the chief’s feet, then she wiped her lips with the back of her hand as she heartlessly snapped back, “I hope he’s burning in hell!” She gritted her teeth heavily as she said this, her rage boiling over. No one would put her children in harm’s way. She would kill anyone that would try.

It was then that the chief stepped forward, beginning to charge at Maeir. His sunken cheeks were flushed red, and his pupils had shrunk, making the man look insane. Just as the chief was about to land a blow on Maeir, Silas shifted his body and put himself in the way, taking the blow the chief inflicted all by himself. Maeir screamed a ferocious yell as she grabbed Silas’s slumping body.

“I’m going to send you to your son!” Maeir screamed, holding the now bleeding Silas. Silas managed to grab hold of his mother’s arm with a weak grip as he began to stand up on his own.

“Mom, I’m okay. Please stop.” Silas’s cheek was throbbing as his teeth rattled in his mouth, but he was otherwise completely intact. He spit out the blood in his mouth on the ground, looking paler than before, “Please don’t fight.” Silas weakly lifted himself using Maeir’s arm and  carefully looked at his mother’s pained face, then the chief’s sorrowful face, “I’m sorry. This is my fault. I’ll do what I have to to fix this.”

The two explosive warriors stared at Silas, their anger quickly fleeing them as they looked at the result of their anger.

“I’m sorry too.” Maeir looked away as she said this, feeling guilty, “I never should have mentioned your son, especially seeing how fresh your grief is.”

“Thank you.” The chief paused, letting out a deep breath as he collected himself. “I apologize too. I’m not trying to send Silas into a death trap, I’m trying to save his life. The village will find out eventually, even if I try my best to hide it. If Silas kills the crown prince, he can easily be forgiven, and,” The chief said, turning to Silas, “The parade is your only real opportunity to kill him. But I won’t send you alone. You’ll have help.” He paused once more, sorrowfully looking at the ground, “You have a week. Once you make up your mind, let me know immediately.” Then the chief hobbled off, leaving the mother and son together.