Translated From Sarconian Annals - Draft Volume II

The day before the coronation, they were surprised by a visit from Jenuel. 
"My Lord!" they gasped, springing to their feet as he appeared in the room. 
He greeted them, then motioned for them to sit down and sat down himself.
"I hear you are going to be coronated tomorrow," Jenuel said to Argon.
"You are more worthy to be king of this country than I," Argon replied quietly.
Jenuel smiled.  "My kingdom is not of this world, Argon; my kingdom is of another place.  I could rule this world if I wanted to, and no one would be able to stop me.  But Argon, when you become king, you will find that you will have two kinds of followers.  You will have those who follow you because they love you, and you will have those who follow you because they are afraid of what you might do to them if they are your enemies.  I want people to follow me because they love me.  That is why my kingdom is not of this world; if it was, I would not have the hearts of all my people."

The next day, Main Hall was filled with people.  The high ceilinged room was made entirely of white marble.  Near the walls, ornate pillars rose, towering above the polished floor.  Between the pillars were stained glass windows; the sunlight streaming through bathing the white marble with many vivid colors.  At the end of the room opposite the carved wood doors was the dais.  It was raised above the rest of the room by five steps.  There was one huge pillar on either end of the dais, and between these pillars were two thrones. 
Jenuel stood on the dais in front of the thrones.  He was dressed simply, as always, but a being of his bearing did not need rich clothing to help create the aura of command that he carried.  Crystal smoothed her dress somewhat impatiently; things were taking a long time.  She was near the center aisle of the hall; which was set apart from the rest of the floor by the fact that it was about an inch lower.  The edges of the aisle were beautifully carved, and one could trip on them if they weren't paying attention. 
At last the trumpeters announced Argon entrance, and everyone turned.  He tread the long length of the hall, mounted the dais, and knelt at Jenuel's feet.  Jenuel lifted the crown from a nearby pillow and brought the jeweled circlet to rest on Argon's head.  Argon rose smoothly.  Jenuel put his hand on the young king's shoulder.
"May your sword be swift, may your words be wise, may your dealings be just, may your path be smooth and may your line never die."  Jenuel turned him to face the people.
 At most coronations, there was always a great deal of cheering after the king was crowned.  But there was something different about this one.  The Breaker family had not held the throne for many centuries, and the fact that a Breaker was finally returning to rule filled the people with awe.  Like a wave, the people silently knelt.
Argon's eyes filled with tears, and he choked slightly.  He turned to Jenuel, who smiled encouragingly to him.  All these people, thought Argon, and they look to me to rule them.  I hope I don't do anything stupid.  He could feel eyes on him, and knew the people were waiting for him to speak.  "A new era has begun," he said.  "Let us pray it is a good one."
The tension and complete solemnity of the event was broken.  Tongues were loosed, and, like the rising of a summer storm, the people cheered.

 
Crystal sighed and looked down at the piece of parchment in front of her on the low desk.  It was almost covered in writing, most of it scratched out.  She read the part that wasn't scratched out out loud.
"That'll never do," said Argon in a tired tone.
Crystal was the only one in the room besides Argon who was sitting down.  Walker was leaning against a pillar, eyes half closed.  Sedge was next to him, looking as if he were asleep on his feet.  Cartagh and Charissa were over to one side with Sonarwyn.  Argon's squire, Daryn, an eager lad whom it was nearly impossible not to like, stood  behind the king.  Crystal shifted the papers about on the desk, adjusted the pillow she sat on, and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment.
"Do you want to give it another stab, Argon?"  she asked. 
Argon was trying to write a letter to Donovan, informing him of Argon's legal claim to the crown and announcing that if he did not surrender to Argon, Sarconia and Aranar would secede from Strianel and probably make war on her.  Unfortunately, things weren't going very well.  "Yes," said Argon, "I would very much like to stab it.  But I can't, now can I?"
"I'm afraid that would qualify as losing your temper," said Cartagh.
One of the great double doors at the end of the hall creaked open slightly, and a hooded figure entered.  He walked down the hall and knelt in front of the dais, throwing back his hood as he did so.  "My lord," he murmured.
"Conan!!" yelled Argon, springing up from his throne.  He cleared the steps in a single bound, pulled his friend to his feet, and hugged him tightly.  "What happened?  How did you escape from Donovan?"

They sat down on the lower steps of the dais, and Conan began his story.  "I was the first to surrender to Donovan.  He told me that he had been expecting a great deal of trouble out of the mountain people, so the swiftness of my surrender pleased him greatly.  I've been his squire for all this time, and I've been able to overhear a great deal.  Messengers have been coming from both Hepsiba and Menian; they seem to be developing connections at court.  Rumor reached Donovan of the army you have been massing, and he has begun building his own army.  He's going through the cities right now, taking all able-bodied males between sixteen and forty-five into his army.  He will move to the farms soon, though his plan for them is somewhat different; only those between eighteen and forty will be taken.  Some of Donovan's councilors protested this, but I'll say this for him; he's no fool.  He's leaving people to run the farms.
News has reached him of your advance on Sarconia City, and that is why I'm here.  He sent me to 'calm the rebels' and...I hate to say this, but...I was also sent to tell Tess that he wants to marry her."
"What?!" Argon exclaimed.  "Lord have mercy, why?"
"Donovan realizes that the Breakers have a claim to the throne.  He wants to tie the VenTal's and the Breakers together; he believes that then no one can dispute his claim or the claim of his heir."
"This is most shocking," said Argon.  He turned to his squire.  "Go get Tess.  I guess Donovan will figure out our plan soon, considering that you will not return to him."
"I don't have to, thankfully.  He has released me from his service and told me that I could stay in the mountains if I wanted to."
Daryn returned with Tess soon after.  "What is it, Argon?"  she asked after greeting Conan.
"Donovan has asked for your hand in marriage," Argon told her.
Tess's eyes narrowed in disdain.  "I could never marry him."
"That's what I thought you'd say," said Argon, "and it's fine with me."
"By the way, Argon," said Conan, "did I interrupt something?"
"Yes, kind of,"  Argon said.  "But it was a welcome interruption.  I wish Dillon was here.  We've been trying to compose a letter announcing our secession for some time now.  Dillon would know how to word it properly."
"Well," said Conan, "Why don't we look it over again."  He crouched down next to Crystal and read the draft of the letter.  "The gist of the letter is good," he said, "but it lacks the language that is used for this sort of thing."
"I know," said Argon, sinking back onto his throne.  "That's my problem."
Conan sat down cross-legged next to Crystal and picked up a pen and parchment.  "Talk it out, Argon.  We'll get down what needs to be said in common speech, then transfer it into something more regal."
Conan's suggestion worked.  Argon talked out the letter easily when he was not trying to work it out in formal speech.
"Okay," said Conan when they were finished, "First we'll replace 'I's with the royal 'we' and so forth..."  There was a scratching of pens as both he and Crystal did this.  After this they began looking for more refined synonyms for various words as they edited the drafts.  Some time later they had a satisfactory letter.  It was sent off with a messenger.
Late that night, a messenger arrived from Corvan with a letter for Argon from King Fredrick.  The letter was brought to Argon promptly on its arrival, and he dealt with it first thing the next morning.  Crystal watched him somewhat nervously as he opened it.  They all had every reason to believe that it was a declaration of war.  Argon's eyebrows shot up as he read the letter, and he looked up at the messenger.
"I have no idea of Prince Brian's location," he said.
The messenger looked surprised.  "But all our resources say that he is in the Sarco Mountains.  King Fredrick misses his son and is hoping to reconcile with him before his proximate death.  It was thought that you would know where he was."
"Well, I do not.  I will do what I can to find him, but I cannot guarantee anything."
"Argon," said Walker.  "Why don't you let Crystal and I go after him?  He is our uncle, after all."
"Alright," said Argon.
 
 Sonarwyn's steps echoed in the hall that was lit only by her candle.  There was no draft, but the candle suddenly gutted out.
"Oh, bother," said Sonarwyn.  Suddenly she was grabbed and pinned against the wall.
"Decided to go on a little escapade, did we?"
 With horror, Sonarwyn recognized the voice of the demon who had chosen her.  "Let go of me."
The demon laughed softly and placed her in a firmer pin.  "Let go of you?  No.  You're mine, and I'm not letting go of you until I'm good and ready."
Sonarwyn squirmed, but to no avail; the demon's hold was strong.  She tried to scream, but a hand was clapped over her mouth.
"None of that.  Hepsiba asked me to bring you back to her, but I'm not going to.  I'm going to take you to a place you will never escape from."
Sonarwyn shook her head. 
"Oh yes.  And then," the demon shoved its face into Sonarwyn's, "I will keep you there until you learn that I am your master."
Sonarwyn kicked it in the shin.  It growled angrily and pinned her to the floor.
 
Walker threaded his way back through the halls towards his chambers.  He and Crystal had spent nearly the whole day trying to track down where their Uncle Brian might be, and they had a good lead.  Suddenly a low growl and a thump came from a dark hall.
"Hello?"  he called.
There were soft scuffling sounds, then a frantic, "Walker!  Help!  Oh!  Stop it!  Walker!!"
He recognized Sonarwyn's voice, grabbed a nearby torch and raced down the hall.  "Sonarwyn?  What's going on?"  He rounded a corner and saw a tall man trying to drag a struggling Sonarwyn away.  "Put her down now," he said.
"No."  The man looked up at Walker, and Walker saw the completely black eyes.  "She's mine," said the demon.
"Not anymore!" yelled Walker, switching the torch to his left hand and drawing his sword.  "In the name of the Lord of Heaven, drop her!"
The demon reluctantly released its hold on Sonarwyn, and she half crawled, half lunged towards Walker, cowering against his feet. 
"Well," the demon laughed as it looked down at Sonarwyn, who was in tears from her fear, "breaking you won't be as hard as I thought."
"You'll never get the chance," Walker told the demon coldly.  "In the Lord's name, go!"  He threw the torch at the demon for emphasis.
"I'll be back for you, Sonarwyn, my slave," said the demon as it vanished.
Walker knelt down to where Sonarwyn was huddled on the floor, weeping.  "You are into it very deeply.  A bit over your head it seems."
"He'll be back," Sonarwyn sobbed.  "He'll be back and take me and...and...oh..."
"I smell demons," said someone from behind them.
"Yes," said Walker.  "One's been here, Cartagh.  It was trying to take Sonarwyn."
Cartagh crouched down next to them.  "And you got it to leave?"
"Yes, I think I did," Walker replied.
"Get her on her feet and take her to a well-lit place," said Cartagh, gesturing towards Sonarywn.  "If you can't get her on her feet, carry her there.  The demon is very close, I can feel it.  I'll go drive it away so it won't go bothering her for a time.  Go, quickly."  He grabbed the torch and went tearing off.
Sonarwyn pushed herself to a sitting position and tried to climb to her feet.  "I can't," she said, sounding rather scared.  "I can't get up.  My legs feel like jelly."
"The demon's doing, no doubt," said Walker.  He picked up Sonarwyn and headed for a sitting room.  The sitting room was as dark as the hall, but Walker quickly stoked up a fire and lit several lamps.  He had set Sonarwyn down on a fainting couch.  He considered going to get Crystal, knowing Sonarwyn would like the company, but he was reluctant to venture into the dark, possibly demon-infested hallway.  Thankfully, just at that moment, Charissa entered, sent by her brother.
"Are you alright?" she asked Sonarwyn, sitting down on the edge of the couch.
"I think so," Sonarwyn replied.
Argon and Crystal also entered the room.  Apparently they, like Walker, had been heading from the library to their chambers when Cartagh had intercepted them and told them a demon was loose.  He had told them where Walker had taken Sonarwyn and firmly suggested they go there.
"From the looks of things," said Crystal, "Cartagh is putting the entire palace under temporary lock-down; making sure that no one is in the halls."
"A wise decision on his part," said Argon.  "He does not have to worry about harming anyone if he and the demon end up in combat."
They stayed quietly in the room for some time.  Sonarwyn, frightened and exhausted from her encounter with the demon, went to sleep.  Walker, feeling slightly protective, covered her with a light afghan.  There was a loud scratching at the door.  Walker and Argon loosened their swords in their sheaths, and Crystal pulled a dagger from a hidden pocket in her dress.  Charissa leaped to her feet.  As she did this, it seemed that she had always worn a veil over her face and had now cast it off.  A ripple past from the crown of her head to her toes, changing her appearance to a degree.  Her dress seemed to be made of a foaming waterfall, and her hair was pulled back into a net of pearls.  The door creaked open a crack, and long, talon-like fingernails peeked through the crack.  The door began to open further, and the occupants of the room prepared themselves for an attack from a demon.  Then there was the nasty sound of steel on flesh, and a dead body fell into the room, revealing Cartagh behind it.  The demon    rose from the body and fled, screeching, from the light.  With a furious yell, Cartagh chased it.  They could hear him shouting at the fleeing demon.
"Run, you ugly, despicable instrument of evil!  Run!  If I get you I'll strangle you and tear you into little pieces!!"
Charissa smiled.  "Cartagh hates demons."  The body the demon had been in had shriveled into a lump no bigger than a book.  Charissa flung it into the fire, and it was consumed.
Sonarwyn, over who's head Walker had mercifully pulled the afghan, softly said, "Is it over?"
"I think so," said Crystal, going to the door and shutting it.  "Cartagh said he'd come and get us when it's safe, so we'll wait a bit longer."
Cartagh was not long in coming.  Walker and Argon went to their chambers. 
"I'm finding myself rather frightened," Sonarwyn admitted.
"I'm sure I'd feel the same way," said Crystal.  "Why don't we share a room for the night?  It'll be easier on you."
"You'd best stay in Crystal's chambers," Cartagh advised.  "The demon probably knows where Sonarwyn's chambers are, and besides, Crystal is protected by a Higher Power.  You will be quite safe with her."
The two Nymphs walked Crystal and Sonarwyn to Crystal's chambers.  Charissa drew a handful of water from a fountain, formed it into what looked like ice, and, with a single twist of her hands, turned it into a lamp which Cartagh lit.  "Here," she said, handing the lamp to Crystal.  "Demons hate light, and this lamp will not go out unless Cartagh tells it to."
"Thank you," said Crystal.
"I'm going to stay on the window seat here for the night," said Cartagh, gesturing to a window seat across the hall from Crystal's door.  "Don't worry, Nymphs don't need to sleep like humans do."
Crystal and Sonarwyn went into Crystal's chambers and shut the door.  The canopy bed was so huge that both of them could easily sleep in it without hardly knowing the other was there.  Crystal hung the lamp on the headboard and they went to sleep.