The Prince's Sacrifice

Chapter 2: A princess born

"Hear ye, hear ye," a royal Cryer called out, ringing a bell loudly as he stood on a platform in the village square, "A royal princess has been born this past eventide. A Christening will be taking place a week hence, each family will be required to pay tribute in some manner before the occasion." He rolled his scroll back to its original position, before flitting back towards the castle. The crowd that had gathered to listen to the announcement dispersed in every direction, their wings sparkling in the sunlight. The town square buzzing back to life, now with the gossip of a new princess. Some looked at the castle, trying to see if they could catch a glimpse of their queen and baby. Disappointed when they saw nothing besides the torrents of the castle looming in front of them. It's majesty plain in the design, reflective of their royal family. 

"The announcement has been made, your royal highness," Ibis, the Cryer, said bowing to the regal man in front of him, his wings shimmering in the light that filtered through the massive window of the throne room. "Thank you, Ibis, " King Roland replied distractedly as he poured over several scrolls and books. War had been looming along the borders of Ithuania for months and he felt the urgency to rid his kingdom of the rebels, but this had proved harder than what had first been discussed in the counsel of the Elders. One threat that seemed to persist was a human group that was calling themselves The Brotherhood of Fire. The Brotherhood of Fire had even convinced some of the members of his own kingdom to convert to their violent cult, meaning Fairies were fighting against their own in violent ways, something that had not happened in centuries when the Noble Fairies had first arrived in this land. After the times of great war, fairy folk had been divided into five kingdoms. However, the threat was not in general Fairies themselves, not represented by the armies of the kingdoms at least. News of raids had been coming in daily in the past months, with growing numbers of incidents and violence. Each time the numbers of fairies involved grew. Now news of the rising threat of The Brotherhood of Fire was coming closer to the castle and that had the king on edge. The happiness of a royal heir born to him and the queen was overshadowed by fear of what was to come.

King Roland turned to Ibis, "Inform the Queen as well, so that her worries can be squelched for the time being," he said dismissing his servant. Ibis bowed, "Yes, Highness." His soft wing flaps sounded his departure. King Roland turned to his advisor, Wyndal, who waited patiently for their plan of action. "Does Queen Roina know of the threat, Highness," Wyndal asked softly. "No and she's not going to know until her and our daughter are recovered enough for this to not negatively impact their health," King Roland sighed heavily, making him look several decades older as he bent over the table with maps in front of them. Wyndal placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "This will all work out, you'll see," he stated softly. King Roland snorted in disbelief, smirking at his companion. "I truly wish I had your positive outlook, my friend," King Roland said, his demeanor a bit lighter, but the heaviness still showed in his eyes.

***

A knock sounded in the Queen's chambers. "Enter," said Queen Roina softly, cradling her newborn fairyling in her arms. The door cracked open, Ibis poked his head in, "Sorry to disturb you, your Majesty, but the King wanted me to inform you that the announcement of the birth and future Christening of the Princess has been made." "Thank you, Ibis," Queen Roina said, nodding her dismissal after Ibis finished his report. "My Queen, you need to rest," Ivy, a Nursemaid, fussed, "Now back to bed, I insist. You'll need your strength." The queen nodded, handing her newborn to Ivy before laying her head against the pillows piled to give her maximum comfort. Roina closed her eyes, drifting into a deep sleep. Ivy quietly laid baby Anisa in her cradle and gently rocked her back to sleep, watching over both her royal charges.

Roina awoke drenched in sweat and panicked. She looked around for Roland but he was nowhere near her. Ivy came over calmly and soothed the frightened woman in front of her, though she was the queen she was also a first-time mother and in such perilous times. Pity showed briefly in Ivy's eyes before becoming resolute, she would do what she needed to in order to keep her queen and little princess safe. "Everything is alright, Love. You only had a nightmare. I will send for a tray of calming tea now, " Ivy said softly, trying to calm the still frightened queen. The woman ignored the fact that Ivy had not used her royal title, too occupied with the nightmare that plagued her. "S-send for Magnus," Queen Roina said. "Yes, your Majesty," Ivy answered before sending for the Seer. It seemed like hours before the tea and Magnus arrived, the matters weighing on Roina's mind were great, her shoulders felt the weight of the world rest upon them. "What can I do for my Queen at such a late hour," Magnus began, fondly kissing Roina on the forehead. Any other person dared such a thing and the King would have them imprisoned and put to death, however the Seer and the king and queen were old friends and formality was only given when they were in attendance of grand occasions or royal events. Ivy left the room quietly so as to give the Seer and the Queen some privacy, a rare thing for the queen.

The door clicked softly signaling to Roina that she could begin. "Mags, I need your advice," She confessed softly. The Seer softened at the name that was only used by his closest of friends. "I'm listening, my Dear," he said comfortingly, squeezing her hand in encouragement. In hushed tones they discussed the threat of war, what this meant for the kingdom, and what this meant for the royal family. "Mags, I have a bad feeling about all of this. Something bad is going to happen. I don't know what it is, but something bad is going to happen," Roina confessed. "May I," Mags asked, Roina nodded. Mags concentrated for a moment as he looked into the Queen's mind. Graphic images of many valiant Fairies dying in a corridor met him as he probed. He pushed deeper; a woman wailed in anguish. "My baby," she cried, sounding pitiful. A familiar voice sounded as another image greeted Mags. "Master, I heard about the attack, what happened," the Fairy asked concerned. "They took the princess. Somehow, they knew about each of our defenses and were able to injure the King and Queen, also they took the Princess," Mags heard his own voice state in stunned incredulity. Mags recoiled suddenly being propelled into the present. Roina watched as Mags took a moment to compose himself. "We must prevent this from happening. And you must tell no one about this. I will tell Roland myself. You needn't worry about this anymore, my Dear," Mags reassured and instructed. Roina nodded, calming. "Thanks, Mags, " Roina said softly. "Anytime, my Dear," Mags said as he stooped down to kiss her on the forehead once more.

Someone cleared their throat in the darkness, causing the queen to squeak in fright. "Mags, we gotta talk about you kissing my wife so much, it's getting to be a regular thing, " Roland said as he walked from the door. "I could kiss you too," Mags suggested mischievously. Roland laughed, "That won't be necessary but thanks for the thought." "Well, if you change your mind let me know," Mags said, moving his eyebrows suggestively. Both King and Queen burst out in laughter, the first time in months, making any tension or worry dissipate momentarily.

Mags walked down the path to his cottage. He furrowed his brow, the vision that the queen had seen worried him, most especially the voice that had been so familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, it sounded eerily similar to his apprentice Pippin. Pippin had always been a nice boy, a little clueless and slow at times but still he had gotten quite a bit of magical ability. Could the voice really be Pippin? If so, where had he been sent to and what had gone wrong in the kingdom's defenses?