A tide of darkness

Amnesia

Caspar watched quietly from the shadows as Evanlyn passed through the door as she did every day to visit her after her lessons. Caspar still kept up with his studies, always ignoring the whispers and stares he now accumulated from being: 'the mentally ill or/and lunatic heir's fiancé.'

He now had given up on arguing with them, as it was pointless. They would see, he told himself. When she returns to her former glory, they would all see.

The previous night when Caspar came to visit her, she had called off their engagement for however long it takes for her to get better, and she'd postponed their engagement until further notice. Caspar had agreed to wait however long it would take until then, and was with her most of his free time. (the other half he off training.) Shinnrae had asked him to explain what had happened with her life the last couple of years-with the covert help from Delta and Lance who filled in the blanks. She had asked him if he would bring her family to see her.

The next day, Caspar set off on the task, floating down from the Avalon. To save time, he purchased a long-legged gelding of which he named Moondancer, a fitting companion as his glistening charcoal hide matched his hair and seemed to make his eyes more bright and radiant. The trick to looking ethereal and majestic was to always use certain colours that set off your eyes. Of course, he learnt that from Shinnrae, who always wore tough black leather garments, which always seemed to make her eyes gleam just like emeralds. So if she could pull it off, why couldn't he?

Moondancer sprung down the clearing, passing down the grassy plain with long, easy strides. Caspar made sure that Moondancer paced himself, as he knew all too well that this breed of horse would simply run and run until they lay down and died. From memory, he remembered the geographical features of the land that lay under the peaks of Avalon, and he knew almost every single landscape and town he passed.

Several days later, after travelling the country in solitude, he could finally see the immense castle walls, made out of solid, yet beautifully arranged fire-stone, which is plentiful yet resourceful all the same. The castle stood, looming before him and Moondancer, like a sublime image, projected out on canvas. It was huge, towering out of the landscape, imposing in its size. Battlement upon battlement arose before them, open windows staring out to the green acres of woods surrounding the bustling town that was under its protection. Caspar whistled, seriously impressed by its enormity. He sprawled open a map, where Shinnrae scrawled directions. On the fringes of the town, were many healthy farms, where many people now harvested their bountiful loads of crops. The smallest one of all was indeed Shinnrae's house.

Logically, no one of importance would be there at this time, possibly just a hired teenager to mind the house from one of the neighbouring farms. They would most likely be inside the grand castle, clustering together as one large, big family, praying for the safety of Evanlyn, and hoping against all odds that Shinnrae would survive. Well, technically she had, but she retained no memory of her long lost brother and sister, or the 'conversion' of Kimmy.

As Moondancer trotted to the castle gates, Caspar couldn't help but notice the look of superiority in the sentries' eyes, watching over the villagers, merchants and farmers buying and selling fresh produce, exotic items and pets from distant locations unknown to that of Devon. Caspar dismounted, leading Moondancer to the castle gate. A sentry stared at him with an unwavering eye, assessing all the weapons he wore. And there were lots of them.

"What business do you have at with his majesty?" One of the two sentries asked curtly, both barring his way with long-shafted spears, the royal banners shining a brilliant red with the royal crest.

"I do not wish to speak with his majesty, but rather his sister, Celeste Netherbane?"

The sentry who spoke laughed in his face, making a show for the other guard. He was mocking his accent, Caspar thought numbly. It was only slight, but it gave him away almost completely. Moondancer snorted disdainfully, seeming to stick up for him.