Tales of Cubonia

The Golden Hourglass 14 - The Queen's Ire

The Midsummer Festival had gone just about as bad as any Midsummer Festival could go. Not only had the old drunk Alastair Meyer set off the fireworks much too early, interrupting the Queen's speech, but the Queen's daughter had been kidnapped in the process. If there was one silver lining to the whole fiasco, Queen Annelise thought, it was the fact that the people had not realized just how poorly everything had gone. For them, it was just a dazzling display of colors bursting through the sky in a perfectly choreographed dance of entertainment. The commoners were always happy to live in their ignorance of the goings on at Castle Andora, assuming, of course, that those goings on did not directly affect them.

The doors to the Great Hall opened, allowing one of the Watchmen to enter. This was not, however, a normal Watchmen. He was called Alderman Hubert, Captain of the Watchmen. He was wearing the standard royal blue uniform of the Watchmen, but where a normal Watchmen was unadorned he was almost garish. Stark white epaulettes with golden bullion fringe swayed from his shoulders. A rosecloth sash was draped around his torso, sagging in the middle from the weight of the various medals that had been pinned to it. A shock of ashen hair grew wildly out from under the tam atop his head and stretched down to merge with a well groomed beard of the same color. While the man's upper body was enough to draw anyone's eye, it was his lower body that usually drew the attention. His left leg below the knee was missing and replaced by a peg that was perfectly polished and lacquered to a sheen. No one knew exactly how he had lost the leg. Many say it was in a battle in ages past. Others say it was taken by a plains shark during an expedition to Green Sea. The truth is far more interesting, but that is a tale for him to tell.

He was truly a sight to behold as he strode brokenly through the Great Hall toward the queen.

"My queen," he said, kneeling at her feet, "I come bearing grievous news."

Queen Annelise sighed. "Of course you do, Alderman," she said heavily. "If it was good news you brought to me, you would not be avoiding eye contact so stubbornly."

Alderman blushed, but his beard covered most of the redness. He looked up at the queen, but did not meet her eyes.

"My Watchmen have scoured the city," the old Watchman reported, "but we have been unable to find Princess Alexandra."

She didn't think they would, but expecting bad news does not make it any easier to bear and it certainly did nothing to lessen her anger. Alderman Hubert was a good man, she knew, and he trained his men hard, but failing to stop a man from taking their daughter when they knew full well he was coming was inexcusable.

"And how is it," she inquired with an edge in her voice, "that your men managed to not only let a man enter this castle without leave, but allowed him to leave with my daughter as well?"

Alderman blanched. "We had every entrance at ground level and below covered day and night, my Queen, but the intruder did not enter through one of them. Two of my men report seeing the man enter the castle with the aid of a gryffon and a pair of leather wings. He was able to breach the castle from a balcony near the top of the North Tower. Since the princess's chamber door was barred and she was gone when we entered, he must have left by similar means. I beg your forgiveness for this heinous failure, your Highness."

She had heard a rumor of a gryffon and a flying man, but hearing it from the Captain of her guard was affirmation that those rumors were truth. Alderman would not give stock to rumors unless there was proof of such. What's more, she knew who the man was as soon as he had confirmed the story. Well, she did not know him personally, but a thief with a pet gryffon makes quite a reputation for himself over time. After all, it is not every day that a gryffon allows a man to ride it like a common horse.

"My forgiveness will be given, Alderman," Queen Annelise said tersely, "when my daughter is returned to me. Widen your search immediately. Your men do not rest until she has been returned, do you understand me?"

Alderman stood briskly and bowed. "It will be done, my queen."

He turned to leave the Great Hall when the queen stopped him.

"Alderman," she snapped. "You are looking for a man with a pet gryffon. He goes by the name of Broderick Porter."

Alderman nodded tersely and walked from the hall.

The queen felt like progress had been made, at least somewhat. Now that she knew who they were looking for, it would be easier to resolve the situation quickly.

"Julius," she said aloud, but did not raise her voice over a normal level.

There was a puff of smoke in front of her that smelled strongly of cinnamon. When it cleared a man was standing in front of her. He was no older than thirty-five and dressed in a curious robe of sea foam green that shimmered in the light of the braziers. In his right hand was a staff only inches shorter than the man himself.

Julius Stormbreaker had been the Royal Wizard for only a year's time, but he had done much in that time. His appointment was an affront to the Wizarding community, as Julius was so young and had yet to grow a proper beard. Prior to Julius, the title of Royal Wizard had been held by men at least a hundred years his senior that had been practicing their craft longer than Julius had even been alive. His appointment was not a coincidence, however. Julius had proved his skill time and time again, showing up wizards much, much older than he, much to the chagrin of his colleagues. When Julius put an end to the most vicious storm Elazio had ever seen with a single spell, he earned not only his surname, but the position of Royal Wizard.

"You called, your grace?" he said in a playful, lilting voice.

"I did," Queen Annelise answered. "Do you have anything to report?"

The young wizard shook his head. "I have consulted the stars, the sages, the elements, and the Underworld. Your daughter's whereabouts remain unknown, I am sad to say. It would seem that something very powerful is keeping her hidden from the All-Seeing Eye of the World. I am sorry, your grace."

"I am most grieved to hear that, Julius," the queen said, "but I do not despair. I wish you to find a man by the name of Broderick Porter. I believe that he is the man that abducted my daughter. If you can find him, I'm sure that Alderman and the Watchmen will be able to return my daughter to me swiftly."

Julius bowed deeply. "It will be done, my queen."

With another puff of smoke and a waft of cinnamon, Julius Stormbreaker was gone.

Queen Annelise closed her eyes and tried to focus herself. The longer her daughter was missing, the harder it would be to keep her anger under control. She had always been a jovial child, but her anger would often take control and create problems for everyone around her. She worked very hard to learn how to control her anger. A queen, she was told, could not get angry. That was when mistakes were made. Her will was being tested, though. When it came to her people and their well-being, she could easily keep a level head and make the right decisions for what was best. Now that her own flesh and blood had been threatened, it was not so easy to tamp the rage. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and deliberately. It was going to be a very long day.

Little did the queen know, while she met with advisors and magicians and councilmen, there was a pair of uninvited listeners in the Great Hall. The first was Alexandra's brother, Moma, hidden perfectly in the Lesser Council's tier. It would not do for Moma to be left out of anything pertaining to his favorite sister. He had decided that it was up to him to return his sister to her rightful place at the castle so that she could run away good and proper like she had intended to do all along.

The second listener was a guinea pig by the name of Gus that had just decided that it would be best if he returned to make his report.