A Ward's Tale

Chapter 18

Walter runs into his sister's bed chambers frantically. Margaret and Hubert are sitting with their little girl Mabel. Margret looks up from her seat at the frantic Walter and immediately knows something is amiss.

"Walter! What is wrong?" She jumps up from her seat and rushes to her brother who is panting. His young face is red from exertion.

"There is a riot in the courtyard! Something about mages!" He shouts waving his arms around frantically.

Margaret stands up. "Hubert, go with Walter and check it out. I'll gather my sisters and hide." Margaret instructs as she picks up two-year-old Mabel and her favorite toy. She rushes out the door towards the music room where Lola was having lessons.

Walter and Hubert rush down the halls and stairs to exit out of the castle into the courtyard. The scene they come out to stops them in their steps. Commoners, servants and knights alike are screaming and crowding around two men.

Mickey runs out to Walter and Hubert. "What is going on?" He is panting. He had just come from the kitchens where he heard from a young servant girl about the riot.

"I'm about to figure out." Hubert says transforming into his regal stance and striding out to the riot.

Mickey and Walter follow a few paces back.

"People of Spealdonia! I am Hubert Ridgedale, husband of Margaret your princess. What is this riot for?" His voice resonates power and control. He may not be a royal by blood, but he has been in the family long enough to learn how to control an audience.

The crowd quiets unsure of who had such a booming voice. Was the King here to punish them for creating an uproar within the Walls?

When they realize who spoke, a man shouts. "These men are mages! They must have helped in the attack on the castle and helped with kidnapping Clarissa!" He pointed accusingly at the two men in the center. The two men accused of being mages stand tall in defiance. One wears a black eye while the other has a bleeding cut on his right bicep.

Hubert holds up his hands and motions for them to calm down, "Heel, what makes you think these men are mages? And what have they done to show you they could have had a hand in the Seeker attack?" Hubert questions. The crowd is calming down and people are lowering their makeshift weapons of rocks and bits of wood. Logic is coming back to them.

Another man speaks, "Well Traven said he saw them doing magic." as he nods towards the first man.

Hubert nods once and steps closer. "Okay so they may have some mage blood, we are not two separate peoples. We are all people of Spealdona. We do not discriminate. The Seekers may be mages who have chosen not to follow King Charles but there are mages who follow King Charles. I have seen and met these people. What makes you think these men helped the Seekers?"

The rioters start bowing their heads defeated. They had no answer other than the assumption the men were mages and were therefore a part of the Seekers. 

Lifting his hands Hubert's voice rings out, "We cannot let this divide us. We must remain strong and trust our friends we have known for years, some for all our lives. If we let this divide us, then we are just giving the win to the Seekers. Our Kingdom is not known for just giving up! We fight! And we WIN!" Hubert says rallying the crowd for the crown. He throws his fist into the air, the crowd does the same.

Walter and Mickey watch in amazement. Walter clings to every word trying to learn how to lead. He's only 15 years old but if a war was to start he would become a soldier and possibly a general soon after. He could need this type of inspiration to rally his troops.

Mickey smiles but worry fills his mind. Ever since his 18th birthday two years ago he's had these episodes every so often that leave him wondering if he doesn't have some mage blood also. He's always felt a strong connection to Clarissa, but he figured that was because he cared her but since he found out she has magic, he wonders if it wasn't the magic pulling him to her.

Clarissa showed him in secret some of her magic at one of the secret weapon practices. All she did was make a ball of light in her palm, but Mickey went back to his room and tried it.

And succeeded.

It scared him at first, but then he thought maybe he could help Rissa out now. Have someone else to practice with other than Peter. But then she was kidnapped, and he couldn't even do anything to help. He was weak.

He wasn't even brave enough to go after her with Peter, Arthur and Reynolds.

He'll make it up to her when she returns. Hopefully that will be soon, before anything worse happens.