Silent Moments

Chapter 5

I wait for a few moments outside the door before proceeding, to catch my breath. Pushing back my shoulders, I push open the elaborately carved doors and walk on in. All eyes are on me, I feel them burning the back of my neck, and a bead of sweat collects on my forehead, as I continue to walk down the aisle. How long is this room? I take a glance around me, it is as though I am walking but not actually moving. I look down at my feet, they’re still moving, I am walking I conclude, I look up as I approach the pedestal. An illusion, I think to myself. Nice, elves with a sense of humour with a matching dragon, it’s all fun and games isn’t it? I kneel before the king and an exasperated hush follows, “Pledge your allegiance to me Zephyr.” I look up at the old ruler; he looks well enough but there is no mistaking the lies that are lie beneath, only showing in the smallest glimpse behind his eyes. I stand and look around at his people, for the first time I see the true state of his people, another illusion, last night, was anything real? The people are scared and hungry, starving children. What do they want me to do? What can I do? Who am I to these people? “Stop!” a strong female erupted from the audience. “Please father, don’t do this!” Willow emerges from the crowd; the people shy away from her presence, whimpering even. “Father, please don’t do this.” The monarch turns to face his daughter, betraying none of the emotions that he must be feeing. “I am doing what is the best for my people.” He spoke slowly and deliberately. “No you’re not.” Willow’s voice is shaky as she spoke at her father, defying his rule is treason. Thinking I decide to break the silence that has broken out, “Who am I to you people?” My voice sounds exasperated as I speak, completely worn out. Willow turns towards me. “You mean you don’t know?” She speaks incredulously to me, turning back to her father, “You are meant to be telling me that you haven’t told him?” Her father flinches at the accusation. Okay this is enough. “WHAT is happening here?” shouting out to the monarch. “Will someone tell me what is going on here?” silence follows my words, Willow shuffles her feet awkwardly. “Father, you were meant to have a conference with him before this, you were meant to tell him of his role you were meant to step down NOT take away something that doesn’t belong to you.” The monarch looks down at his feet, “It is for the good of the people, they need someone with experience and not this whelp.” Feeling rage building in my stomach, I am fed up with this, “HOW DARE YOU, ever since I have got here YOU have been telling me what to do, what is expected of me but not yet have you given me the courtesy as to WHY you have brought me here. I have had enough.” My voice rings out across the hall; a shocked silence is met with my words. “Now tell me, what do you want of me?” my voice holds authority that I didn’t know that I had within me. The king looks startled as he started speaking incomprehensively, blabbering on, I have lost my patience, “Speak clearly you fool.” The monarch stopped speaking and regained his posture. “You are the lost son of the throne.” Now it is my turn to be speechless. I look around, “What of it?” I ask, “What do you expect me to do?” there was a tense pause. “Lead us.”

“Then that’s is how it shall be.” I turn and look out to the people. Brilliant, look at the mess I have created now. Well done Zephyr, well done. I look out to the people, I need something inspirational to say, to raise their spirits. “You and your people have suffered in ways I can never comprehend, I am not even going to try to, but this much I will promise to you, tonight is the last night you, your family, your loved ones, will go unfed, I will listen to your people’s needs and desires but most of all I will be what every ruler must be, kind and compassionate, I will put my heart on the life for what I love, all I ask is for you to do the same, love and breathe with the same passion as I do.” Applause broke out from the crowd, tears are shed and looks of relief are shared. I look around the room, satisfied.

The weeks passed me by without anything of any significance happening. The people are well fed and nourished; they are content with the way their lives are being led. Parties of elves, containing the fastest, strongest and wittiest are on defence of the tree from predators, and in the back of my mind, an attack. Life in the tree is peaceful, even Adalinda is beginning to become a pudgy little dragon. I must train her, I think to myself. But how? I know nothing of raising dragons especially one with a sense of humour. She has very good manoeuvring skills as of right now, she has high stealth, I remember the time she stole the Dukes wedding cake, with hundreds of elves around and she still manages to go unseen by anyone, except me of course. The library may have some useful books on raising dragons, walking up the one hundred flights of stairs I head into the library to find some books. The librarian, an old elf sits behind the desk; she has pointed spectacles with eyes that look as though they see everything. By far the oldest elf living in the tree, her ears more prominent even to those who are the most pure of elf. She has bright blue eyes, common among the people, and unusually long fingers that look like death itself. It is a wonder that she is even alive after all this time, but she is by far the wisest of elves and the most intelligent having lived through pretty much all their history writing a vast majority of books that are in the library. As I approach her desk she speaks in her crackling voice, “Questions that go unasked go unanswered, speculations are for those in fear.” She looks at me, evaluating me, “Yes,” I reply, “Fear breeds the contempt of the people and in our souls. That is what I strive to go against.” No one speaks for several minutes, “Very good young Zephyr, what can I do for you?”