The Valley of Mysteries | Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 11 - THE RIDDLE

Edward was lying on a mattress on a rooftop and switching between the stars and Alyssia. Sean sat next to him.
"Star-gazing?" Sean asked.
"Huh?" Edward sat up in surprise, thanking God for the darkness as it hid his reddening face.
"S-T-A-R... star!!" he pointed at the sky and laughed.
"Just thinking... things were so different a year ago. Now I'm a regent on the run. Grams is dead. My best friend is far away from me. I don't even know if she's alive!" he buried his face in his hands.
"Hey! What happened... wasn't your fault. I hope you know that!" Sean placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Edward looked up at him in surprise.
"I... thanks." he smiled.
"Don't mention it! Doesn't go with my image!" he said in a low voice. Edward chuckled.
"What's going on?" Alyssia asked, sitting in front of them.
"Uh... nothing!" Edward said, looking towards Sean. Sean narrowed his eyes at him and gestured for him to tell Alyssia.
"What?" Alyssia smacked Sean.
"Sean is a nice guy?" Edward passed a confused look. Sean slapped his own forehead and fell back. Alyssia stifled a laugh.
"I don't know what you two are up to... I've secured the place. I hope they won't find us here." she sighed.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Edward smiled.
"Yeah... but not the same." she held back her tears. Sean got up and sat next to her. He embraced her in a bear hug.
"Coooome here!" he said. Edward smiled looking at them and trailed off.

*FLASHBACK*

"You sure?" Chris placed his hand over Edward's shoulder.
"Yes, Sean and I have been training for over a month now. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Besides, he has agreed to accompany me into the woods." he smiled. Chris frowned.
"He did? Good! I don't want you to go in there alone." Chris looked away and sighed. "Actually, I don't want you to go in there at all!"
"I understand. My mother used to say... if it's easy... that's not it!."
"I see where you get it from!" Chris patted his back.
"READY?" Sean called out from a distance. Edward ran up to him near the stable.
"This is my ONYX" Sean patted a beautiful black horse. "And that... is your AUTUMN" he pointed at a chestnut horse. Edward caressed his horse's side and mounted it.
"Wow! we're up for a bumpy ride, mate!" Edward said cheerfully.
"Don't call me that!" Sean said angrily, mounting Onyx.
"What?"
"Mate!"
"Oh... no! No! I was referring to this beauty! Autumn!" Edward tried not to laugh while Sean rolled his eyes.
"Let's go then!" Sean led the way.

They came to a halt in front of the woods, where a massive crowd was waiting. They cheered at the sight of Sean and fell silent as they saw Edward. Low murmurs erupted as they stopped.
"Attention! Welcome, Lord Edward Harrington and Sir Sean Mitchell!!" a council member announced. The crowd cheered.
"He has got the best with him." a woman waved crazily towards Sean. Sean's lips curled into a smile but he pretended as if he hadn't heard.
"...Edward Harrington should be credited too... he's brave enough to accept the challenge." a man said.
"Either he's too naive or a simple fool!" another man scoffed.
"Now! They'll enter the woods at the sound of the cannon. They'll have a week to return. As the announcer, it is my duty to ask... ahem... Lord Harrington, are you determined to enter the woods in search of the ROYAL FLOWER?" the announcer said.
"Yes! I am!" Edward answered.
"And you, Sir Mitchell?"
"Yes!!"
"Very well! Now, it is also my duty to tell you that no rescue teams will accompany you. No search party shall be arranged if either of you fails to return in 7 days. If you, Lord Edward Harrington, succeed... your grace shall be announced as the regent king! And if the true heir fails to return, you shall be crowned the king of the valley during the YULETIDE!" The announcer said plainly. "At the count of three... two... one!" an ear-blasting sound of cannon erupted as Edward and Sean rode their horses towards the woods. Alyssia smiled to herself from the edge of the woods as she tightened her grip over her bow. A bag full of arrows dangling on her back, she paced towards the woods. No one saw her leave.

*after a few hours*

"Which way?" Edward asked. He scratched his head and looked between the path towards his left and right.
"I... don't know. This is as far as I've been to!" Sean sighed.
"What do we do now?" 
"I said I don't know!!" Sean said irritably.
"You ask for directions, of course." Alyssia giggled. She emerged behind them on a magnificent white mare.
"What are you..." Sean turned towards her. Edward's jaws dropped as he turned back. Alyssia was wearing a black jacket and tight jeggings paired with black high boots. Her hair was tightly tied into a beautiful braid. A few locks of her hair danced on her face.
"Spellbound by IVORY?" she said.
"Huh?" Edward responded, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Ivory!!" she patted her mare.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sean jumped off of Onyx and ran towards her.
"Saving your time, of course."
"What?"
"I might know the right path..." she smirked.
"It's not possible." Sean scoffed.
"Well, I've been reading about the flower and the lake."
"And...?"
"And... I found a scroll in the library. It looked like it was untouched for ages!" she pulled out a scroll from her side bag.
"No one has been around the lake for over a century! It was a..."
"Mitchell, I know!" she cut him in the middle.
"Wow! That's why you were so excited!" Edward said.
"Yes, I might not be interested in what happens in the court... but I take pride in being a Mitchell!" Sean puffed his chest and walked back towards Onyx.
"What was in the scroll?" Edward asked.
"A riddle!" she replied.
"Riddle?" Sean looked at her in disbelief.
"Yes, it says...

It's written by one of your ancestors, Sean!" Alyssia smiled.
"Alright, but what the hell does it mean? I didn't get a word!"
"Sky... lake? Door? And what are we sowing?" Edward's bewildered expression made Alyssia burst out into laughter.
"What?" Sean asked.
"Just look at him." she pointed towards Edward.
"Hey, I'm trying to understand!"
"You're the brilliant one... what do you think?" Sean said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I think you're both idiots and would have died without me!" she smirked.
"Now you're just being mean!" Edward frowned.
"You're going in the wrong direction! The river is this way!" she pointed behind her.
"What? River? We have to find that hidden lake! Not the river!" Sean said.
"You have to find the door!"
"Door?"
"This scroll is over a century old. And no one has been to the lake in over 100 years. Right?"
"Yes! So?"
"Exactly how dumb are you?" she knitted her brows.
"Hey!"
"100 years ago, the realm was open to... to all other realms!" she sighed.
"Oh... no, no no! You're not suggesting we..."
"Yes, I am!"
"Care to fill me in?" Edward finally interjected.
"The valley was sealed off against the mundane and dark realms about 100 years ago. She's saying that the lake might be in one of those realms!" Sean answered.
"Not one of them... just the one under the river!"
"You know it is a dark realm, right?" Sean said angrily.
"Yes, I do. But this is our only chance! I'm very sure it's there!"
"How?" Sean asked.

They sat down near a large tree and started discussing.
"It says here... the flower is in the lake. And we have to open a door to get it. It's not easy, but only a 'brave heart' can find it. It also mentions going with the 'flow'... see. The flow of the river is towards the gateway of the dark realm." she told them excitedly.
"She's right!" Edward re-read the scroll.
"What if it's wrong?" Sean sighed, concern in his eyes. "We're talking about real demons here. What if we set something on the loose?"
"We'll be careful!!" she said.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEMONS!! ACTUAL DEMONS!! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ONE BUT I HAVE!!! THEY'RE... THEY'RE..." Sean choked on his own words.
"I know it's... difficult..."
"DIFFICULT? IT'S INSANE!!"
"Calm down first!!"
"I second him, this is indeed insane!!" Edward said.
"You can either come with me... or I go alone!" Alyssia said irritably. "I didn't come here to back down!!"
"NO ONE ASKED YOU TO... IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU I'LL... I..." he sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt! I've seen those things. They're ruthless!!" he said, a hint of pain and concern in his voice.
"Please... I need this!" Alyssia placed his hands on Sean's shoulder.
"To get hurt?"
"No... to prove it to father... that I'm not weak! He always tries to keep me away. I know... for my own good. But I hate sitting in one place and to wait for others to help me out." she sighed.

After a long debate, they decided to camp on the spot and start moving the next morning.
"Night!" Sean covered himself with a blanket. Alyssia was already asleep. Edward put the bonfire out and lit a small ball of light, magically.

*PRESENT*

"Hey! Where to?" Sean asked.
"Huh?" Edward looked up.
"What's the matter? You're lost... I mean more than you already were."
"Just thinking about the day we left for the woods to find the royal flower."
"Ah!! Crazy week. Thanks to her... we lived to tell the tale."
"We... didn't tell the tale to anyone actually."
"Oh... yeah. Right! Well, she's sleeping. You can go to sleep as well. I'll watch for a few hours." Sean stood up and walked away.