Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Sixteen ~ More To It Than We Think...

November 7th, 1809.

City of Eugene, Oregon Province.

The sound of a massive group of people murmuring amongst themselves was the first thing Garen heard before his consciousness returned. Who's there? Garen thought to himself. Whoever you are... stay away from the Princess... His eyes opened and he realized he was in the exact same spot he was in before his consciousness faded; kneeling beside Lenora, holding her hand as she slept. There was a congregation of people surrounding them, and it made Garen feel very claustrophobic.

"Alright, alright!" the middle-aged woman's voice exclaimed from behind the large group. She began to part the crowd until she came up in front of Garen and Lenora, holding her arms out. "Yes, yes, the Princess is in our city, but that doesn't mean you need to frighten the dear girl. Move along, move along! No staying unless you're a paying customer!" She turned towards Garen and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Garen looked around, confused for a second as to where they were, but when he realized what happened the night before, his eyes widened.

"Peter!" he exclaimed. "Lucius!" He attempted to stand up, but Lenora still had a firm grasp on his hand. He knelt back down and looked at her. She stirred a little in her sleep and put her other hand on top of his. The middle-aged woman smiled.

"D'awww, that's too sweet for words," she chuckled.

"My other friends," Garen spoke as he looked around. "Where are they? The two young men I told you about?"

"Oh, don't you worry 'bout them, sweetie." The middle-aged woman stood up and crossed her arms. "They're safe and sound in their own rooms. My husband and I got 'em as soon as you mentioned 'em." There was still a look of fear in Garen's eyes. "Please, sweetie, don't worry so much. You're too young for that kind of stress."

A middle-aged man walked into the room and looked at Garen and Lenora with a smile. "How're these kiddos doing, Millicent?" he asked. The middle-aged woman turned towards him and sighed.

"This poor boy looks scared for his life," she whispered but it was still loud enough for Garen to hear. "I can't imagine what caused these kids to get into this kind of situation. But... the Princess seems to trust him. He must be a good kid. Could you start preparing breakfast for the kiddos? Once they're ready, they should be able to see the other two in the Dining Hall."

"Sounds good to me." The middle-aged man looked at Garen. "Hello, young man. Could you tell me your name?"

"It's Garen," Garen replied. "Mind if I ask you your guys' names? It'd be nice to know who saved our lives last night."

"How could we forget to introduce ourselves?" the middle-aged woman laughed. "My name's Millicent, and this here is my husband Horace." Horace held a hand out and Garen promptly shook it. "Your friends are in the Dining Hall right now." Millicent shot an evil glare at Horace. "And somebody's supposed to be preparing breakfast right now."

"Alright, I get it." Horace began rambling as he walked out of the room. "I'm the 'worst husband in the world', ain't I? Why'd we have to end up so hospitable...?" Millicent rolled her eyes and chuckled a little.

"You have some interesting friends," Millicent said to Garen. "Those two young men, the zit-faced kid and the churchy-lookin' fella. Their names are Peter and, uh, Lucy, aren't they? How peculiar; can't say I've ever met a man named Lucy."

"His name's Lucius," Garen laughed. "So, they're both alive and well? They didn't die out there?" Millicent smiled and stood up, gently patting Garen's head.