Under the Cover of Darkness

Chapter 5 - The Ghost of Silver Forest

The head butler of Ardor's grand palace was a stingy old man by the name of Vernon. Vernon was a man of tradition and was personally offended when the ruler of Ardor refused to go by the title of 'queen.' But alas, he was a servant to the throne first and for most. Despite his undying loyalty towards whoever ruled the kingdom, Vernon fought to continue the traditions that had been followed since the birth of Ardor.

Sadly, Princess Isada was not impressed by the traditions Vernon constantly pressured upon her. She found them 'outdated' and 'deserving of retirement.' Such a thought was seen as incomprehensible by the sixty year old butler. His service to the thrown included his service to the traditions of the throne; thus, Vernon felt obliged to pressure them upon the moody teenage queen.

One such tradition was the need for a champion for the queen, a champion who could protect her when danger arises. In Ardorian tradition, the queen held most of the governmental power and conducted most political choices while the champion, or king, had little to no influence on political matters. Instead, the champion was in charge of social matters. He was the sign of hope within the kingdom. The sign of power and military might. Ardorian society acknowledged that the mental might of the right woman and the physical power of the right man was a recipe for a flourishing society. Because of this belief, patriarchy was almost nonexistent in the kingdom.

It had been almost a year since the disappearance of Princess Isada's father. After the event, a dispute over who was to be the next ruler erupted. Isada's father's will had not been found, so naturally, they turned to the oldest offspring. Isada, the oldest and only offspring, however, was seventeen at the time and declared too young to rule the kingdom. In turn, the oldest living brother or sister to Isada's father was to be king or queen until Isada was eighteen. That person was Duke Fredrick of Harrisburg. He was infamous in Ardor. Once the will was found, it stated that Isada was to be queen no matter what age. The request was accepted as the will was to be treated like a final order.

When Vernon explained the importance of having a champion to Isada, she dismissed the notion of having a king as she felt she was too young to make such an important life decision. "I'm too busy to worry about such a petty situation, Vernon," she had told him. Vernon was not going to have it, so he, without permission from Isada, arranged for a tournament to be held to decide the next Champion of Ardor.

A week after first sending out the flyers all across Netueeia, Vernon decided it was best to finally tell Isada of what he had done. It was the first time he had done something related to the queen or king that was completely without their permission, but Vernon felt he had to take risks with the young ruler and her straightforward way of ruling.

He strolled down the decorated halls of the elaborate palace, halls covered in paintings of royal families and different rulers. Vernon's upright gait always gave him the appearance of a proper and sophisticated man. It was his signature way of hiding his emotions, but when he was near Isada, something set him off. He attributed it to Isada's uncouth and childish behavior.

Finally, he appeared at the door to the royal bedroom. The large golden door with intricate carvings and swirls stared maliciously back at him. Vernon, in his white butler's suit, straightened his black bow tie and gingerly knocked on the door. Almost immediately the soft voice of a young woman was heard from the other side. "Come in, Vernon," it said.

Vernon cautiously opened the door and welcomed himself in. "How did you know it was me, ma lady?" Vernon asked.

"You have a very distinct knock," the voice answered. To the right of the four-poster king-sized bed that was in the middle of the bedroom was a small dark brown oak desk that was placed under a white-painted windowsill. A small desk lamp shone on the pile of papers and writing utensils spread across the desk. In front of the desk was a dark brown oak chair with a woven seating like that of a picnic basket. The two furniture items were shadowed by the massive bulk of the bed.