The Tale of Five Heirs

Chapter Eighteen, in which we meet the Ironfists

Kelvin gave the door one more disheartened pound and sighed. His friends weren't coming to rescue him. How could they? The risk would be too great. He was locked in his childhood bedroom halfway up the main tower of Everwinter castle.

Kelvin sat down on the floor, slumped against the wall. For a moment he thought of Olwyn, and nearly hit himself. Of course he shouldn't have trusted her. She was his mother's spymaster, not the girl he had been friends with all those years ago.

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door behind him. Kelvin scoffed. Why would someone knock? He couldn't let them in if he wanted to.

The door latch creaked, and then a man about Kelvin's age walked in. The man was tall and skinny like Kelvin, but with a scruffy little beard and light red hair. Kelvin studied his face before getting up suddenly.

"Erwin!" he said. Erwin gave him a sheepish grin, before giving Kelvin a big, lanky hug.

Erwin was Kelvin's youngest older brother. Since they were only a year apart they had been an inseparable team throughout nearly all of Kelvin's first nine years. Their teamwork was the main reason why the next oldest brother, Talfrin, bore the brunt of the older boys' bullying.

"Well Kelvin," said Erwin in his soft voice, "it certainly has been a while!"

"It certainly has!" said Kelvin.

"Anyways, I heard you were in town and thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to get out and visit any of your old favorite places or people?"

"Anything to get out of this room," Kelvin replied, "but doesn't mother want me locked up in here?"

"I asked her," said Erwin, "and she didn't seem to care. She's so busy with the war effort and all."

"War effort?" Kelvin asked, "No, I need to talk to mother! The princess is still alive!" He tried to dash out the door, but Erwin caught him by the arm.

"Oh come on Kelvin, she's busy right now. Let's talk to her this afternoon when she'll be holding court."

Kelvin let out an exasperated sigh. He was wise enough to know that he should avoid his mother when she was "busy". "Oh, alright," he said, "you never were one for politics, were you, Erwin."

"So where should I bring you first?" Erwin asked, letting go of Kelvin's arm.

"Where's Olwyn?" Kelvin asked immediately.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" said Erwin. "she was captured by your Aranthian friends and taken away as a prisoner. Sorry about that. Is there anything else you'd like to see?"

Kelvin thought about it for a second, then said, "I want to meet my sister."

Kelvin had never met his sister, since she was born one year after he moved to Aranthopolis, and to be completely honest, he was a bit bitter about her existence, since his mother had stopped sending him anything after she was born. Still, he should probably see what she was like.

"Oh Heledd?" said Erwin, "well, or course, you were already gone when she was born. But I'll warn you, you're not going to like her."

Kelvin gulped as Erwin led him out into the hallway.

After walking down several spiral staircases and through various drab stone hallways they entered a brightly lit room on the side of the castle nearest to the old royal garden. In that room Kelvin was shocked to see four young women, each looking to be about eighteen years old or so, lying on luxurious couches. There was a very expensive-looking glass table between the couches which was covered in platters of cheese, grapes, and other expensive imported foods. One of the women, who was large with short auburn hair, tossed a large grape high into the air, then suddenly picked up a small crossbow, and shot the grape out of the air with it. Though impressive, Kelvin was disgusted by this action. Grapes could only be grown in the warm areas south of Arathopolis, and there were currently shortages caused by the worker rebellions in Fort Yaron.