Touched By A Dragon

Chapter 16: A Smile From A Ghost

"Mike! What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Lillianna, and what are you doing on the floor?" Queen Elisa asked in a gentle tonne.
Mike looked up at her with tears in his eyes.
"Oh, you poor thing, you miss your family hay? Well, don't worry It'll all be ok sweetie come here." She soothed.
Queen Elisa hugged Mike close not caring that at the time he was poor knight's errand boy and that she was a Queen. She always saw everyone as equal and thought that everyone could do well for the kingdom no matter how insignificant they thought they were. This was one of the things that mike liked most about her. At that time a young Lillianna entered the room.
"Mikey, are you ok?" She asked.
"He'll be fine sweetie it's just something that a 7-year-old wouldn't understand, now go and play in the gardens." The Queen told her.
"Yes, mummy." She replied, before skipping away.
"I.....want.....to be strong," Mike gasped between tears, "strong enough....to save you."
"Oh, Mike, you are strong, very strong, but I'm afraid that nothing can save me, not from my fate, but you, you Mike, you are strong enough to look after her." She told him gesturing to the gardens where young princess Lillianna was playing. "You are strong enough to do anything you chose, you are strong enough to come here every day and earn for your family so that they have something to eat, and you are by far the strongest little boy I've ever met. That's why I need you here so that I know my daughters will be looked after when I cannot look after them. I need you to be here for them when I am gone; I need to know that they will be ok without me, especially her. Do you want to know something mike? I believe that everyone, from a wealthy king to a poor farmer's boy, is equal and that everyone should be treated exactly the same, regardless of the colour, size, shape or family. Everyone can change the world. Just don't give up. Ok, Mike? Don't you ever, ever give up." Queen Elisa told him.
Mike nodded. Then different images from different times in the palace began to flash past him, faster and faster. It was like looking at his timeline in fast forward. Then it slowed, and then it stopped.
Mike recognised the place he was in. it was his room. His room when he was told that is was going to happen.
A young teenage boy called Erin rapidly battered on 11-year-old Mike's door. Mike knew what he must do, he knew because he had done it before. Mike quickly walked up to the wooden door.
"Yes, Erin?" Mike shakily said.
Erin's face looked back at him, his face a portrait of different emotions. All he could do was nod.
Mike understood.
"I will go straight away, it is ok Erin, and you can go now. I know the way." He whispered, hanging his head.
Erin gave a wobbly smile, grateful, for he had no wish to see his dying Queen again and went back to his lonely chambers.
Mike was running up to the royal chambers. His head as confused as his heart. He knew what he must do. Cold sweat running down his neck he opened the door with shaking hands. He entered the room on legs that could barely support him. What he saw was worse than torcher. Through unshed tears, he looked out upon the woeful scene. The beloved Queen was as white as a sheet and he could hear her rasping breaths, The king and his three daughters were all sobbing at her side, neither looked like they would ever smile again.
"Mike, come listen. Listen to what I have to say. I love you like my son. You must promise to protect my daughters, no matter what. Promise me." The Queen whispered to him.
Mike could do nothing but nod.
"Promise me." She breathed.
"I promise," Mike said, toneless.
She then looked into her husband's despair filled eyes.
"My love, please don't take this upon yourself. You have such a lovely smile. When I'm gone spend one day mourning me. And after that I want you to go and live your life. I need you to be happy and smile. Our daughters will need it."
"I will." He promised.
She then turned to her daughters. She gave a hint of a smile.
Ah, my daughters. I am so proud of you. You couldn't have turned out better. Go out in this world. Live, she then looked lovingly at her husband, love.
Mike ran to her and hugged her dying body. He could hear her failing breaths, feel her heaving chest as it struggled to more and more to take the next breath, see her ghost-white skin and he tasted the salty bitterness of his tears as they freely flowed down is grief twisted face.
Mike remembered what he must do. It was a thing that the family had arranged then she first fell ill. He didn't think he would have to do it so soon.
A shaking hand reached for his practice belt as empty eyes stared straight at him, understanding what he must do. He unsheathed the weapon and raised it high in the air, promising that the pain would soon stop. He took a deep breath, positioned the sword at Queen Elisa's chest. He remembered all the things that she had done for him. He dropped the weapon; it fell onto the stone floor with a ringing clang. He couldn't do it. The two things his Queen had told him to do. He couldn't. He was a failure. He couldn't do anything right. He collapsed into a heap on the floor. Then huge tears continued to roll down his already soaked cheeks.
"I-I'm, I'm sorry my Queen, I failed you." He sobbed.
Mike felt a soft touch on his shoulder, then another, another and another. He looked up to see the faces of Jasmine, Asha, Lillianna and The King.
"Mikey, Lillianna whispered. (Now at 11 years of age.) It's ok. Mum always said, as one we are weak, but together we are strong, we are invincible."
Together they lifted the sword from the ground and aimed it at the Queen's chest. Together they thrust the weapon through The Queen's chest. Together they finished Mike's trial.

As before the room spun faster and faster around Mike, again he watched this timeline ravel, faster and faster, until he was back in never, surrounded by darkness.
Mike raised this tear-soaked, heavy head. Two trials down two to go. His heart was heavy, his spirit was extinguished, his body was aching but a glimmer of determination sang deep inside.
"I will finish this brother. I will find you, I will beat you. And then I will end you. This I swear." He muttered through clenched teeth.
In the distance, he heard a deep, mocking laugh.
"Oh don't worry brother. I will not make it that easy, this is MY promise." His darkness said.
Then the voice stopped.