The Call of Fate

Chapter III - The Rulers of Chronos

“You should know that I still do not trust you and your people,” Natalia told Gabriel in a low voice. “I am only playing by your rules for the moment. But as soon as I learn enough, I will go my own way whether your King allows me to or not.”

“If that will be the case, then I’m afraid you’ll have to get past me first,” the soldier replied. “After you got away from me in the courtyard, I swore to myself that I’d never let you go that easily ever again.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, absorbed by their own thoughts.

                The corridors they passed through were covered with stained glass windows depicting the entire history of the Chronos Kingdom, and Natalia could not help but linger among them hoping to capture even the slightest of her mysterious background. How was it possible that the Mage and King of this Kingdom knew her name, when she hadn’t even the slightest idea who she was and how she had gotten here? Suddenly she was a girl that the King had long been waiting for; suddenly she held in her hands the ability to help a powerful sovereign when, only last night, she had been crying helplessly like a child in the strange haunted forest. Things were going too fast for Natalia, and as she ran her hands across the smooth, brightly colored panes, she wondered if she had ever had a normal life.

                “Behave yourself in front of the King, will you?” Gabriel said, interrupting her train of thought. “I already have enough trouble on my hands without you adding to it.” Natalia raised her eyebrow in defiance, and growled, “Don’t pretend to know me, Gabriel- because you don’t.” The soldiers guarding the door to the Royal Court stepped aside as soon as they saw their superior, and saluted him after they had the heavy brass door opened.

                Queen Selina saw them first, and watched as the unlikely pair approached. She turned towards her husband, a question in her eyes. He nodded at her briefly, dispelling all forms of doubt from the beautiful queen. So this was the prophesied one, thought the Queen Selina as she gave out her hand to Gabriel, who in turn, planted a chaste kiss on it, before sinking into a deep bow. The Queen smiled, she had always had a soft spot for Gabriel, and had watched over him in secret, as if he were the reincarnation of the son she had lost to Death.

                “Your Majesties, I bring to you this young lady, who according to your Royal Mage goes by the name of Natalia,” when the King and Queen said nothing in response, Gabriel shifted his feet and continued, “Alexia advised me to present her to you because, as she said, you would know of her.”

King Victus was dressed in his full regalia when he stood from his throne and walked towards Natalia, opening his arms in welcome. “You are here at last, Natalia. The Queen and I have long since awaited your coming as you are to render unto us a most important service.”

Natalia shook her head, released her arm from Gabriel’s grasp and said, “With all due respect, your Highness, I truly have no idea of that which you speak. I hope it will please you to enlighten me with your wisdom regarding this matter.”

The King chuckled, and the Queen, having also made her way to Natalia, smiled at her. The Queen was the essence of elegance and grace itself from the very way she stood, to how she paced her steps. 

She was dressed in a full gown of royal green with gold trimmings at the ends of the sleeves. Her thick brown hair was plaited in a simple braid that hung down her back, while the silver crown that rested on her head beautifully accentuated her high cheekbones and thin lips. Natalia curtsied to the grand woman, both because of the beauty she possessed and the wisdom and authority that seemed to flow through her aura.

                “You are to go on a quest, Natalia. A quest that will hopefully lead you to my husband’s magic Pearl. It was stolen from him in the midst of battle and we fear that if it falls into the hands of the Kairos Kingdom, there will be yet another war between our Kingdoms and many will suffer.”

Gabriel couldn’t help himself. He laughed. All eyes turned to him, two pairs of which showed amusement, while the last pair of eyes, unmistakable hostility. “Your Highness, with permission, may I ask how this common girl will help retrieve what my superiors could not? She has no training whatsoever in combat and defence. If you send her out on a quest, the longest she’ll last is a few days!”

“Your concern for her is understandable,” answered the King in his deep voice. He placed a heavy, muscular hand on the soldier’s shoulder before adding, “And that is why you, Gabriel, will accompany her on this journey to find and bring back the lost Pearl of the Chronos Kingdom.”

                Natalia and Gabriel looked at the King, stunned. They had not expected to be ordered on the quest together, and because neither of them could retaliate against the most powerful man in the Kingdom, they simply bowed their heads, saying nothing. Even so, Natalia did not like the idea of being ordered by people she barely knew. She felt enraged, betrayed even, for she thought that coming to the castle would offer her answers and relief, not an impossible quest that she would have to take with the man who had captured her. She breathed slowly, knowing that it would not do to lose her temper in a place where she could be so easily killed. She lifted her head, and was met by the King’s gray eyes.

“Your Majesty, may I ask what I will get from such a trying endeavour? Surely you understand that at this point, I would like nothing more than to know who I am and from where I came. What then, will I get from all this if I return your precious Pearl?”

                There was a flash of anger in the eyes of King Victus when he heard the boldness in the young girl’s voice. He stroked his beard, slowly, controlling his irritation, obviously not used to being questioned. “If you return here with the Pearl, and your memory has not yet come back, Alexia will try to call it back from the depths of your mind as payment for your service.” He walked back to his throne with his Queen, and when he was seated he continued, “This quest was meant for you, Natalia. A few days after I realized that the Pearl was gone, Alexia saw you in a brief vision, and ever since that day we have been waiting for you to find your way to the heart of the Kingdom, hoping that when you did set foot on our grounds, it would not be too late. All I can tell you is that the Pearl was stolen by the most vicious assassin of the Kairos Kingdom who is feared not only in our Kingdom but in the foreign lands as well. This assassin is known to be unstoppable with a dagger and spear, and of course, skilled in the arts of trickery and concealment. Always be on your guard, both of you. And return the Pearl to this Kingdom where it belongs.”