The Exiled King

Chapter 27 - The Search

Winter came and went. The sun shone brightly, the rays warm on the otherwise chilly day in the middle of Cloudfire—the first of the three summer months.

Dargon was in an uproar. The elves of Silvardor had rallied their aerial militia and hunted down the demons that had lurked on the coasts of the kingdom. The dwarves of Westik marched from their isolated island kingdom to the aid of Sanobar, who'd been overrun with demons.

It had been a tumultuous year for the people of Sanobar—the royal Blackrose line was thought to have been entirely massacred on the day the demons came. The people had scarcely had time to mourn the people they'd lost amidst the relentless attacks from demons. Then, like a rainbow after a shower of rain, the tides turned. The surviving Blackrose royals returned with the guardians and fought back the demons. Crown prince Adrian ascended the throne in a grand, albeit slightly rushed ceremony.

And the guardians? Rumours spread far and wide that the guardians were searching for someone—barely concealed desperation and a glint of madness in their eyes. Stranger and wilder rumours floated about who that someone was. A friend, lover, family... were all suggested at some point. A guardian... dwarven royalty... an elven archmage... no one but the few closest to the guardians knew how close to the mark some of the rumours had been.

And it was for good reason—declaring to the world that the keyguard had been kidnapped would ignite the flames of utter chaos across the four kingdoms. The guardians had to be strong. They had to be—for if not they who were bestowed with mystical powers, who else was to protect all of Dargon? To be a guardian was to shoulder the burden of the world, with no reprieve and only one another to rely on.

But one can only play the cards that have been dealt to the best of one's ability.

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"I can't find her! I can't sense her!" Jason said in a voice that wavered, though he tried to rein in his emotions.

He sat in a richly furnished room in Blackrose castle, where the guardians had been staying. Everyone who knew about the true situation at hand was crammed into the room, where they'd met every day for months.

Adrian walked up behind him and gave him a none-too-friendly smack to the back of his head as he passed.

"Snap out of it," He said quietly, but with an undercurrent of authority.

It was at Jason's behest that the newly crowned king inform him—using whatever means he deemed fit—when he started to lose control. In periods of lucidity, Jason knew how ludicrous his actions were, but those moments seemed few and far between as of late.

Jason felt like he was losing his mind—which he probably was, truth be told. Jaron hadn't mentioned anything of the connection between the guardians and the keyguard and no one could offer up a solution other than finding Lirya. The only problem was that Lirya had mysteriously vanished—seemingly off the face of Dargon entirely.

"Thank you, your majesty," Jason replied, turning to look at Adrian.

Adrian visibly winced at Jason's usage of his title and Jason chuckled. Adrian looked like he'd aged far beyond his years in his weary gaze. It was clear that the crown lay heavy on his brow, but the man found the resolve to get up each day and fight for Sanobar, and Jason deeply admired that about Adrian.

"Listen, I don't know much about guardian powers, but I'm sure you'll be able to find her soon," Adrian said, placing his hand on Jason's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

He then looked a little sheepish and continued, "Quite frankly, I pray to the gods everyday that you do find her because the last thing I need is you lot going insane when I need your help to stabilise the kingdom."

Jason raised an eyebrow at Adrian's blunt honesty, but sighed, "I don't know how much help the gods are going to be, but I respect the dedication. And I hope we find her too. Soon."

If not, I don't know what will happen to us, He added silently, as he peered at the other guardians.

Though none of the others felt the connection as strongly as Jason had, it had not left them unaffected. Altein had suffered from bouts of insomnia and Taryn from frequent headaches, though neither felt like they'd ever lost control of their mind quite like Jason had. Leus had taken to distracting himself from the connection by aggressive sparring matches without his powers. He'd divulged to Jason that he had often felt the connection attempt to seize control of his mind, but he had been able to resist with his mental fortitude. Leus said it was nothing compared to the sensation when Garyth had tried to possess his body.

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On this particular day, someone he'd nearly forgotten about came to meet Garyth.

Garyth was in his study, sitting at his elegant mahogany desk. A large window behind his desk illuminated his desk and warmed his back as the sunlight shone through the glass.There was a pile of papers scattered across his desk, as well as several maps and a crumpled sheet of paper carefully smoothed out, though wrinkled and worn.

A knock sounded on his door and Garyth called in the person without looking up. He didn't know who it was, but he knew nothing could harm him here, so he wasn't worried.

The door opened and Garyth laid eyes upon the last person he expected to see—a version of himself. Well, the body he currently possessed, anyways.

"Kuban Whiterose." Garyth said.

It was a statement, not a question. He knew who this man was and he even ventured that he might know why Kuban was here.

Kuban's blue eyes met Garyth's crimson ones and he replied in a monotonous voice, mimicking Garyth's response, "Garyth Herus."

Kuban Whiterose stepped inside Garyth's study and closed the door after himself. He took a few steps towards Garyth, then stood eyeing the man.

"You know... I liked myself better with dark hair and blue eyes," He began, gesturing to Garyth's form.

Garyth chuckled at that, but then his expression sobered.

"I'm sorry," He said softly.

Kuban merely smiled sadly and replied, "I know."

He shifted on his feet slightly and shrugged, "Well, it's not like anything can be changed now... at least it's pretty nice here."

Kuban laughed slightly, as if to keep the mood light, but Garyth sensed there was an undercurrent of sadness in his tone.

Kuban tilted his head and asked, "There was a reason, wasn't there? An important one?"

Garyth wordlessly nodded, though he briefly wondered if his expression was so easy to read.

"Well, in that case I can't really blame you... much," Kuban said, then added hopefully, "Seeing as you took my body, could you do me a small favour in return?"

Garyth nodded, "Alright, what is it you want me to do?"

It was such a small thing Kuban had asked of him... so small Garyth hardly even considered it a favour.

"I can do that," Garyth said finally.

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A slightly longer chapter this time.

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