Whisked Away

54. A Giant's Bridge and a Suprise

Jill's POV
My heart thundered in my chest as I pulled out my long knife. Why couldn't I have been given a sword? It grew nearer and nearer and louder and louder until two people broke forward. They seemed to have fallen down the steep slope and now looked rather sheepish, but what surprised me most was that they were, in fact, human.

Shifra, to my surprise, lowered her bow and moved it back to her shoulder. "Zyan and Zyanister I swear by the lion's mane if you ever do that to me again I will strangle you both," Shifra exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" The two rose to their feet quickly, but I could not help but notice that aside from their eyes they looked exactly the same. One had ocean-blue eyes and the other had black eyes, but their dark brown hair and slightly tanned, but still rather pale skin was the same.

Shifra went forward and greeted both by grasping at their resists and nodding. "Zyan and Zyanister, this is the marsh-wiggle Puddleglum, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole from the same world that the kings and queens of old come from." They nodded, looking rather wary. Turning back to them, she asked, "Now, what are you doing here? You're going to worry your father sick!"

The blue-eyed twin swallowed painfully, but managed, "No he won't."

"Zyan I know your father, he will worry himself to death."

The other muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear, "A bit too late for that."

"W-What?" Shifra replied, freezing.

The same twin continued, "The night you left he was making his way back to Archenland for some business when he...he was attacked. They took him and s-skinned h-him alive. Then l-left it o-outside m-my window w-with h-his c-c-crown o-on top o-of hi-his h-head." Tears pricked in the former general's eyes but she quickly tried it hide them, turning away from the boys and her companions.

"I-I'm sorry, Shifra," the blue-eyed twin added, "I know you were close to him when he was a younge boy, but h-he said that if something ever happened to him and you had come back t-to give you this."
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Shifra's POV
So many emotions ran through me as the twin's spoke. I could not bring myself to face the two even when Zyan mentioned that Cori had left me something. I heard Zyan approach and lay down beside me an old envelope. After a moment of hesitation, I picked it up and opened it. Turning it so that whatever was in it would come out, I felt a tear run down my cheek.

A dagger fell into my hand as I looked. The moment the steel hit my palm, a sob wrecked through my body. My hands trembled and Zyan had to hold gently lower me to the ground to avoid bashing my head on the rocks below us. My traveling companions gave the twins a questioning glance as if asking why a mere blade should cause such distress.

"That blade was gifted to King Cor of Archenland by Shifra and it was passed down from king to king through the generations and every king has been her godson so that dagger was a gift from her to all of us," Zyan explained, "Rightfully it is mine, but I wish for Shifra to have it."

I did not allow more than the one sob to escape, but after a few tears had fallen, I got myself up and asked, "So Zyan, shouldn't you be in Archenland being crowned as the next king?"

"I did," he replied, "an advisor is taking over until I come of age in their standards, so one year. They also wished for me to spoke to you about coming on as an advisor of Archenland."

"I'll consider it, but for the time being we need to know are you two coming with us?" I replied, still not facing them.

"Yes," Zyanister replied, "At least, I am. Zyan?"

I turned to face them while Zyan gave his brother a nervous look, but he soon replied as well, "I'll come."

"Good, then let us make way to the bridge over yonder," I replied. The bridge was sturdy enough, but large patches were missing. As we kept on, there appeared approaching us two people of normal, human size. One was a woman in a dress of dazzling green and the other was a knight in black armor. She rode a beautiful white horse and the knight a solid black horse that was lovelier still.