The Kingdom of Dawn

Chapter 18: I am Tarvill

Reuben raced across the land in search of the mysterious dragon rider. Several times he saw him, but he was always too far ahead for him to catch his attention. "Sir, come here please! Sir I wish to speak with you." Reuben cried desperately. Finally a different idea crossed his mind. He raced his horse up a hill and cried out in Dragonspeech. You there, please come here. I wish to speak with your rider."

The rider heard the voice, and felt the dragon turn. He held on tightly to Brightscale's neck as they swooped low and came in neatly for a landing.

Climbing down off the dragon, he addressed the person who had been calling to him. "Who are you and why do you wish to speak to me?"

"I am the reason you can't remember anything, and I have found you to offer your memories back."

"I accept your offer. I have nothing to lose if you can't succeed."

Reuben stretched his hands out towards the man's head and began muttering in some language that he could not understand.

"What do you remember now Sir?"

It was like a dam broke in the dragon rider's mind. A searing pain raced through his head, and just as it filled his skull, it dissipated allowing wave after wave of memories to come pouring into his mind. Some were from long ago, others from the past few days. Reuben's spell had brought back the memories which had been sealed away, but also everything which he had ever forgotten came pouring back into his mind.

"Lord Reuben, you have done me an incredible service. Not only do I now know who I am, you have brought to light everything that I have ever forgotten. Yet why would an enemy, the son of my greatest foe do such a thing as this? I am Tarvill, esquire and good friend to the late King Petra, and protector and caregiver to his daughter Estrella. You are Reuben, son and quite possibly heir to Edmund, emperor of the court of night and Dawn's greatest adversary."

"I have renounced Edmund as my father." Reuben's words caught Tarvill by surprise, but he tried his best to hide it. "He has gone too far in his quest for power, and has made a deal with Malthazar himself. His subjects speak of him as not a man, but a monster, for he becomes like one when he is angered. I do not want such as a man as my father, and I will not accept a crown earned through doing his work. I am no longer going to help him, but to help you stop him."

"I am glad that you have finally come to your senses Reuben. Edmund is a truly evil man, and I was hoping that you would realize that for yourself before all your work to prove your worth to him made you like him. Now you must go and talk to Lord Marten. Ask him how you can help our cause. I must go and alert our other friends to your joining our cause, then I will go and visit Estrella. I am sure that she will be glad to see me."

"It will be done my Lord." Reuben turned his horse around and began heading back to the capital. Tarvill swung himself up onto Brightscale's back and they began flying towards the center of the kingdom. They had business in the city of Farin.

Farin was the largest city in the kingdom, as it's central location made it ideal for trade. There were often trade caravans making the four day journey inland from Naveen, the capital. Merchants from many lands used to Farin, bringing with them there own items for trade. Tarvill was friends with many of them.

Tarvill landed in the woods near the gate and entered the city. The sounds of the marketplace did not ring through the streets as usual, nor were there a maze of caravans to navigate. That was the first sign that something wasn't right. Usually the streets were bursting with traders and all the courtyards were full of caravans. Now as Tarvill tapped his spear in front of him like a cane, he discovered only a few caravans to avoid. As he made his way through the main marketplace, there were not rows upon rows of stalls and tents, just a few scattered here and there. The people bustling about the streets were citizens and farmers, not traders. Tarvill was confused. Shouldn't there be throngs crowding to the city in preparation for the Festival of Dawn? This was usually the busiest time of the year.

"Good day to you Tarvill." His good friend Navrad called to him. He was experienced in the art of metalworking, and had given Tarvill the sword which he now used.

"Good day to you as well Navrad. Do you know why there are so few merchants here today?"

"Edmund has forbidden any merchant from any land under his control to trade with Dawn ever again. He says that since Dawn has rejected him, he has rejected Dawn."