The Forlorn Phenomenon

Episode II: Identity Crisis

The view from the window in Edvin's room overlooked a major portion of the city. It was on the west side of the keep and on the top floor. He acknowledged that the city was a fine sight, however, he would have much preferred a view of the country.

"You just need to give him some time, Edvin." The Queen of Elevia, Oria Hollen sat upright on Edvin's bed.

"It doesn't make any sense." Edvin neglected his view and faced his mother. "He's not telling me anything and he hardly comes out of his room. It's not like him."

"It's only been a few days. It's difficult being away from your home for so long. He needs time to adjust."

Edvin shook his head in disbelief. "It's more than that. He found out something when he was gone, and it must be troublesome."

"Your father is a strong man, but also a complicated one. He has never been fully open with his emotions, not even to me."

Edvin fetched a trinket from his shirt pocket and began fiddling with it. "I don't understand why he's being so secretive. The city is struggling and the last thing we need is more drama."

"Trust your father. He knows what he is doing, and he sure as the depths beneath us knows how to lead a kingdom." Oria rose to her feet. "Give him time, and he'll open up to you. In the meantime, why don't you go visit that girl you like on the farm. It will give your mind ease for a while."

Edvin nodded.

"Just be back before your father's celebration tomorrow afternoon." Oria smiled at her son before leaving.

Edvin gathered a few flowers he picked earlier and stuffed them into a pack. He didn't intend on making a visit without anything to offer.

Raila was the girl he had been seeing for the past couple of months. She lived a short distance out of the city on her family's farm. Edvin had grown quite fond of her and managed to sneak away a few times a week to see her.

The day was still young and the sun had not yet peaked above the city when Edvin untethered his horse from the stables and trotted to the gates. He hated seeing all of the beggars and peasants sleeping and eating in the streets. If he could, he would give them all homes and fill their bellies, but there was nothing he could do alone, they needed jobs.

No one truly blamed Irid for the downfall, but it was no lie that he had lost respect from the nobles after everything that happened. The entire situation with the North and the denial of trade never sat right with Edvin. Irid had kept a lot of the details away from the public and refused to discuss the matter after it happened. Edvin's father refused to hear about his suspicions before shutting out all discussion completely.

A cry came from below and a peasant crawled near Edvin's horse. The poor man was on hand and knee pulling the ground beneath him.

Edvin dismounted and dug out a piece of bread from his pack. "Here." He held out the food, but the peasant's face was to the ground. "Take it."

The beggar ceased crawling and rolled over, gaze now fixed on Edvin.

"Father!" Edvin dropped the bread and stumbled backward. His father's face lay on the neck of the now-dead body, eyes rolled back into his head.

Edvin slung onto his horse and squeezed his eyes shut, the shadow of his father's deceased face echoing in the dark of his vision. He kicked his horse to ride and quickly guided it out of the city.

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Oria placed her hands gently on her husband's shoulders. "You know you can talk to me?"

Alek remained still. "I don't know what to say because I don't know what to think."

Oria dug her grip deeper into his shoulders as she massaged. "Our son is worried about you. It troubles him that you won't speak to him."

"I will tell him soon, but I fear what the weight of the news will do to him. I'm not used to this."

"To what?"

"Not knowing what to do."

Oria paused. "He's your brother, Alek. How bad can he be?"

"It's not him that's bad. It's what he's planning to do." Alek cloaked his face with his palms.

"Please talk to me Alek. You can't keep shutting me out like this."

Alek inhaled and stood up to face the window in front of him. "He intends to attack the entire North."

"For what reason?"

"For power, I guess."

"And you're just now discussing this? Isn't there something we should do?"

"We still have time. I convinced him to hold off so we could figure something out. He is definitely out of line but he's still my brother."

"What kind of monster pillages half the continent?"

"The brother I knew would have never dreamed of such an idea."' Alek turned to his wife. "You know it took me almost the entire year to find him? He goes by a different name now and lives in Skaiz. He's the king's advisor and the army's general. As soon as I got there he knew who I was, but it didn't matter. He's not the same anymore. He said the best he could do was give me enough time to prepare."

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Edvin felt relieved to be out of the city and into fresher air. The image of his father's face on the perished peasant still echoed in his head, however, it had faded over his short journey. He shrugged it off as a sleep-deprived hallucination. He couldn't afford another distraction at the moment.

The three miles to the farm he was headed to was an easy ride on horseback, and Edvin appreciated the scenery. There were not many trees along the path which allowed him to see the mountains to the North more clearly than from the city.

Upon arrival, Edvin hitched his horse just outside the boundary of the farmland. He wanted to surprise Raila since it had been a while since they last met.

He took the flowers he picked and tiptoed to the barn where the animals were kept. Raila was just inside, lightly humming as she stroked the mane of a black and white horse.

Edvin waited for her to turn around before he vaulted the gateway door. "Suprise!"

Raila whipped around and slipped in the dirt. 

Edvin lunged to help her. "It's only me." He grabbed her arms to help her up.

"Who are you?" Raila struggled to get away.

"Raila, it's me Edvin." He let her go once she regained her footing.

Raila jerked her head. "I don't know you."

"Raila, it's me!"