The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

9. A Shocking Declaration

The shock came the next morning when Norin entered the throne room of the Palace of Silone and found Mithra with two other women, all waiting quietly.

When she appeared behind the curtain, their eyes automatically turned to him, all at once.

He shuddered. 'Creepy.' Aloud, he said, as politely as possible, "I was told Eura Ansari summoned me. And I'm here."

The eura nodded and beckoned to him. "Come here, come here. These two young women" – he pointed to the new people – "come bearing good news!"

While the youngest of the women rolled her eyes, the oldest looked very flushed and timid. They both turned away and back to the throne as Norin approached. Mithra glided towards him and held his hand, as though she'd sensed his growing nervousness. He felt a little relieved.

"Norin Zura, these two women come from the neighbouring kingdom of Seliana. The one to your left is Eurin Cassandra Grace Tolimar and to your right is Teresa, her former maid. They have both been exiled when the eurin's father was assassinated and the throne taken by the man behind the act. Isn't it swell?!"

Norin grimaced. 'In a twisted sense of humour manner of speaking, I suppose,' he thought, and wanted to say so aloud, but one warning glance from Mithra put that idea to rest. Instead, he cleared his throat and replied, "Indeed, your majesty, if you say so."

Eura Ansari seemed to find this exceedingly amusing, if his laughter was any indication. He threw back his head and laughed loudly.

Brushing off the tears that emerged as a result, he said, "Oh Zura, you're a jester, you really are! Anyhow, Eurin Cassandra and Teresa come here to seek aid in defeating Seliana and merging it back into our kingdom."

The woman named Cassandra stepped forward. "If I may speak, your majesty?"

The eura nodded. "Go on. You're as well as my equal now, after your father's gone." He sounded more serious now.

Eurin Cassandra turned to the two mages. "Normania was not always a divided territory, if you remember. It was one country, with the Sinhalas ruling from their capital in the beautiful city of Sofia. Well, I haven't been there, but I've read about it a lot. My great-grandfather, Marcus Tolimar, was one of those who raised in rebellion under the rule of the current eurin's grandfather, who had just come to the throne and hadn't enough experience to quell is as well as he could have. He was killed as a result and his brother took up the agreement that one-fourth of the land would go to him, while the others took their shares and divided it.

"But Sofia was one city nobody could approach. Only the most honest, truthful, and decent of people can enter it. The city has a barrier which regulates this."

Norin nodded. "That is true. Everything that you said. But why seek our help? To take back your kingdom?"

Cassandra looked square into his eyes. "I don't want to raise another rebellion. It's senseless and I couldn't become the next ruler, anyway – I'm not capable of it. But more than anything, I desire the union of Normania under the Tolimars once again."

It took a while for everybody in the throne room, save for Cassandra and Teresa, to recover from the shock of what they heard.

Norin, for his part, was just dumbstruck. He knew the histories of all the countries in Ahala like the back of his hand—all the rulers, their successes and losses, all the wars, all the different kinds of economies that functioned—everything.

And yet, he did not understand Eurin Cassandra desire to unite Normania like it had once been. What could be her motive? Did she say 'under the Tolimars'? But why?!