Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Twenty ~ The Royal Family

They were far away from Eugene now, and they could see the Capitol City out in the distance. "We're almost there," Rin sighed as she piloted the Black Falcon. "The Capitol City, Portland." Garen stood beside Lenora and held her hand, and Lenora stared forward with no expression.

"Home," she spoke softly. "It feels like it's been a long time since I was there. Mom... Dad... Xander... I'll be there soon." She turned towards Garen with an expression of hope. "You're going to stay with us, right?" Garen nodded and smiled.

"I told you I would," he said. Lenora smiled back and they both looked forward at the Capitol. Peter and Lucius stood at the front alongside Rin while they sailed through the sky.

"What are we gonna do now?" Lucius asked with quiet panic in his tone of voice. Peter scoffed and turned towards him.

"Usually, you're the one who knows what's next!" he exclaimed. "I expected you to have some sort of elaborate plan, or something like that."

"I'm terrified, Peter," Lucius whispered. "And I know you are too." He turned towards the front and looked at the forest below. They were far away from Bartholomew and his legion of demons. "The Bish—I mean, Bartholomew, is going to return to Grants Pass. The other children are still there! Anne is still there, Peter! What are we gonna do!?" Peter remained silent as he turned his back on Lucius.

"In truth, I am terrified," Peter spoke under his breath, with a sense of solemness that Lucius had never heard Peter speak in before. "Anne is one of my best friends. The other children don't deserve to share this fate." Peter clenched his fists tightly out of anger. "Dammit... why did this have to happen? Why did this have to happen, Lucius?" Both of them went silent again and only listened to the wind as they sailed. Peter sighed and crossed his arms. "Forget it. As soon as we help Lenora return to the Capitol, I'm going back to Grants Pass, with or without the lovebirds over there."

"Peter..." Lucius reached out to put a hand on Peter's shoulder, but Peter quickly jolted his shoulder away to avoid it. "Peter, We're going to get this figured out. Once we meet with the King and Queen—"

"To hell with the King and Queen, Lucius!" Peter hissed, aggressively shoving Lucius. "I'm done with all of this. I'm done with Lenora. I'm done with Garen. He's forgotten where he belongs."

"What if he truly belongs with the Royal Family?" Lucius asked. "Just consider that for a moment." Peter had no response to that suggestion He simply glared at Garen and Lenora.

"To hell with them..." he whispered, turning away to look at the Capitol in the distance. They finally got closer to the Airship Entrance to the Capitol City of Portland where some soldiers were gathered at. They opened the gates to the city and let Rin fly the Black Falcon through. The city was exactly as Garen had seen it in his dream. As soon as Rin landed the Airship, a crowd frantically gathered around them, shouting. They were watching for Lenora to emerge from the Airship, and when they did, they broke into very loud cheers.

"Alright," Rin began, trying to shout over the crowd. "Alright! Could everyone please disperse? We need to take the Princess to her parents!" The group stepped down from the Black Falcon and began to make their way through the parting sea of people. It was overwhelming to be around so many people. There were far more there than there were in Eugene. They made their way through the large crowd, and Garen was stunned at how massive Portland was in person. There were houses and buildings all over, horse-drawn carriages going all throughout town, musicians performing in the streets, and even a railroad with a trolley transporting people throughout the city. There were lights running on electricity on every street corner. It looked nothing like his small village.

Shortly after their arrival, Rin held her hand out to hail a carriage driver. The man driving stopped and looked at them. He wore very proper clothing and had a well-groomed mustache. "Good evening, friends," he said. But before he could continue, he noticed that Lenora was among the group and gasped loudly. "Princess Lenora! You've returned! The King and Queen have been worried sick about you! All of us were, your highness."

"It's been a long journey," Lenora chuckled, shaking the man's hand with a courteous bow. "Could you take us to the Castle?"

"Oh Princess, do you even have to ask?" the carriage driver laughed. "Get in, all of you! I'd be honored to get you all to the Castle!" The five of them entered the carriage, and as soon as they were in there, the driver snapped his reins and the horse began heading through the town. The inside of the carriage was a pretty decent size; they could have even fit a few more people in there if they really wanted to. They were relatively quiet, however. They arrived at their destination, but there was a tension in the carriage. What would come of Eugene, and would Bartholomew really attack the village of Grants Pass just to get Lenora? The thought terrified them, and they didn't even need to speak to express their concerns. All they did was exchange glances, but Garen noticed a hint of resentment in Peter. When he looked at him, Peter simply glared at him and looked away. It worried Garen.

"I'm going to stay with you guys for some time," Rin finally said, breaking the silence. "While I worry for my hometown, I promised Lady Millicent that I would protect you through this."

"We really appreciate it, Rin," Lenora replied with a nod. "We've hardly known you for a day, and you have already helped us out more than you know. All of you in Eugene have helped us incredibly. But at what cost...?" When Lenora said that, the tension in the carriage returned. Lenora wanted to cry again, but Garen grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, as if to silently assure her that everything was going to be alright. Lenora sighed and rested her head on Garen's shoulder as she fell asleep.

She must be exhausted, Garen thought to himself, looking at Lenora. I really hope she can sleep comfortably in her own bed again tonight. So much has happened to her in only a little over a week...

* * *

It was dark outside by the time the carriage made it to the Castle. Garen gently shook Lenora awake as the five of them emerged from the carriage. "Best wishes, to all of you," the carriage driver said with a smile and a courteous nod.

"We really appreciate the ride, sir," Rin replied, nodding back. "Good night to you." The carriage driver smiled and turned the horse around, returning the carriage to the downtown area.

The Portland Castle towered above them. It was a massive building that looked exactly as Garen remembered it being from his dream.

"My home," Lenora whispered as she looked at the massive Castle. "I'm home now." She turned to look at Garen. "We're home now." As soon as she said that, Peter crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. The front door was opened by two guards, and as soon as it did, three people stood there—a man, a woman, and a boy. King Nohr, Queen Maevis, and Prince Xander. Tears filled Lenora's eyes as she joyfully ran towards her family. The three at the door welcomed her and the four of them embraced one another.

"I've never been so worried in my life," Maevis wept, holding Lenora tightly. "You have no idea how relieved I am that you're back..." They all went silent as they embraced each other. Garen, Peter, Lucius, and Rin remained behind to allow them their moment. A smile spread across Garen's face, watching the happy reunion. He'd never personally understood the feeling of love from a family, but his heart was warmed at the sight of Lenora being welcomed so warmly, not only by her parents and her brother, but by the entire city. She was truly missed.

Finally, Lenora let go of them and wiped her tears away as her sobbing decreased. "Sorry, guys," she chuckled. "I-I'm just a little emotional right now." She cleared her throat and turned towards the group. "Mom, Dad, Xander, I want you to meet my friends. Without them, I don't think I would've made it here alive." Nohr, Maevis, and Xander followed Lenora towards the group, and Nohr looked at Garen.

"What's your name, son?" he asked. Son. The word felt a bit weird coming from someone he'd never met, but it was comforting.

"Garen," Garen replied. "My name is Garen."