Chapter 1
CASTLE GLEN
HAVEN
Princess Terra watched out her
bedroom turret window of Castle Glen Haven as the second line of defense of her
father’s army was breaking. The Goblins
and Trolls along with their brood of Trogs were now into the castle garden and
pulling down the statues and turning over the cairns of those she loved and her
many ancestors. She could not keep from
having tears form in her emerald green eyes at the sight of it.
“My Lady, the King wishes you
to make haste, they have brought your armor.”
The long blonde haired maiden bowed her tall thin frame.
“Yes Elsbeth, I will
hurry.” Princess Terra quickly put the
metal breastplate over her long sleeve shirt made of woven leather and died a
dark green which matched her trousers.
Lady Elsbeth helped to fasten
the breastplate and shoulder guards. She
brought the Princess her studded leather belt with the sheaths for her
broadsword and knife.
Princess Terra looked at the
sword, pausing for a moment to remember the mother who once wielded it, and
then placed it within her sheath at her left hip. She picked up her long knife which had a
white handle with the carving of a Hart.
It was said to be once owned by her namesake, the first Queen Alterra,
and was crafted with great care by her Pixie grandfather. She placed it in its sheath at her right hip.
Lady Elsbeth knelt down and
tied Terra’s dark green leather boots which laced up to her knees, and then
helped fasten her shin guards.
“Thank you Elsbeth.” Princess Terra smiled slightly.
“You are quite welcome.” Elsbeth also gave a slight smile with
understanding of how hard a day it was for Princess Terra to leave the
castle. “Now let us braid that mane of
yours,” she giggled.
“Yes.” Princess Terra gathered up her long red
curling locks and pulled them behind her for Elsbeth to comb and braid. The Princess could hardly keep her Elven ears
from poking out of her hair. She tapped
her small foot as she tried to patiently wait.
A loud screech was heard across
the room where a broad-winged Hawk with brown and white speckled feathers
danced upon its perch.
“It will not be long now Jig
and we will travel to the hunting cottage across the River Whitebeard,”
Princess Terra said sadly knowing she was never to return.
It only caused the Hawk to
dance all the faster and he began to twirl around.
“My lady, you have truly named
him well,” Lady Elsbeth let out a slight giggle.
Terra gave a half grin and
nodded her head in agreement, but still had the eyes of sadness. It seemed like she were living a
nightmare. All of her Grandmother Queen
Adalay’s prophecies seemed to be coming true.
Terra only held onto a thread of hope for her, her father and their
people.
***
When Princess Terra reached the
stables, her father was already there and had saddled her Horse with provisions
himself. “Quickly Terra there isn’t much
time, they’ve nearly broken the third line of defense.”
“Oh Father,” she said as she
went and hugged him.
“There, there, I will see you
and our people later. Now you must hurry
and bring our people safely to the hunting cottage across the River
Whitebeard.”
“Where is Elsbeth?”
“I’m not sure; I will find her
and send her to you quickly. I’ve
already saddled her Horse. Where is Jig?”
“I sent him to meet me at the
hunting cottage, as I always do, but I doubt he will stay there.”
“He may sense danger and come
back to you.”
“Father, I only hope he is not
struck with an arrow.”
“Don’t worry Terra; I doubt
they could strike him. You must not turn back; no matter what you
hear, you must continue to bring our people safely to the cottage. I will send as many guardsmen as I can spare
to guard the rear. Be brave for our
people, I will be with you soon.”
With that King Royce gave his
daughter one last hug and watched her mount.
He slapped the end of her grey Horse Thunder
as he galloped out of the stables down the dirt path with a steady stream of
others following closely behind the Princess.
King Royce knew they would be
hard pressed to keep the enemy back till nightfall and then they must
themselves form defense lines around the hunting cottage to protect all who
remained of his household.
***
The journey was long; Princess
Terra tried to keep a steady pace for the others to follow. She pulled on Thunder’s reins, telling him to
slow to a gallop as they neared the Whitebeard
Bridge; it was made of wood and had
stood strong through the ages. The river
roared white beneath it; it passed on to the coastlands.
Any other time, this would have
been a journey of pleasure. It was fall
of the year and the forest was colored with scarlet, orange, gold and dotted
with green from the Pines. Now it was
past twilight.
Terra and Thunder began to
cross when out popped three Trogs.
Although Trogs were usually smaller than a Troll and larger than a
Goblin; these were young. They were
clothed much like their parents with crudely made animal hides. Their hairless skin was dark blue and scaly
which was perfect for hiding in the night if it were not for their glowing
golden eyes.
The Trogs hissed reaching out
their clawed fingers and showing their jagged teeth trying to bite Thunder.
Terra quickly drew her sword
and slashed all of them.
The Trogs were cut and screamed
as they ran away on all fours whimpering to their Goblin and Troll parents back
toward the castle.
Terra looked to see her people
following her in the moonlight and she finally spotted Lady Elsbeth not far
behind. She let out a breath and turned
back to the bridge as Thunder now crossed; “On Thunder like the wind!” she
yelled as she kicked him.
Thunder bent back his ears and
lowered his head as he swiftly ran across the bridge and onward down the thin
narrow dirt path which led through the Whispering Forest of Pine, Oak, Dogwood
and Maple trees and on towards the little hunting cottage. The cottage was made
of stone and had been used since the days of the first King and Queen of Glen
Haven.
A loud screech was heard above
them as Jig now flew circles overhead.
“To the cottage Jig!” Terra
yelled.
The Hawk flew to the cottage as
he had a hundred times before, beating Princess Terra in their race.
Now the cottage came into view
in the star filled sky; the large stone chimney rose above the sheltering trees
and Blackberry garden hedge. It was made
of grey river stones with a red door in the front and had a thatched roof.
Terra reined in Thunder to a gallop
as she spied the area, making sure none of the Trogs or their parents had made
it there. Everything looked secure and
Terra brought Thunder to a quick stop with a pull on the reins and she leapt
from the Horse and quickly went into the cottage to make sure all was
well. She came out as the others were
dismounting their Horses.
One of the guardsmen her father
had sent behind them now came to Terra with a torch, “Princess Terra, how may I
assist you?”
“We must gather as much wood as
possible for fires to keep our people warm and we must set up the tents in the
Northern part of the garden, furthest from the entrance for protection. The briar hedge will help to guard the
adults. The children may stay in the
great room of the cottage by the fire.”
“Yes Princess Terra,” the
guardsman bowed and then went and gathered any of the men who could assist the
few guardsmen and they began to put up tents and set fires around the perimeter
inside the garden’s hedge.
Princess Terra got all the
women together and they began to prepare a cold meal from the provisions they
had brought as well as some stocked inside the cottage.
King Royce had been storing up
goods and treasures at the hunting cottage since the beginning of the Goblin
and Troll skirmishes across the land; knowing it was just as Queen Adalay had
foretold.
***
Princess Terra allowed herself
a few minutes of silence within her bedchamber inside the cottage. She could not help but think of her
grandmother Queen Adalay and the years she had lived there with her. Those were happy times for Terra, even if she
did not see her father as often as she would have liked. Her fond memories were also tinged with
sadness as she remembered the day her father cast her grandmother out of the
land and sent her to her Elven kinsmen in Telendaria. Terra could even now hear her grandmother’s
last words…
“Remember Alterra, you will go to the city of Telendaria
and marry the Elven Prince.”
I wish it to be so Grandmother, but how? When?
Terra thought.
Jig screeched from his nearby
perch.
Terra came back to her senses,
“hush now Jig.”
She looked down at her small
leather satchel in the candlelight and took out a silver ring. It was one of her favorite possessions her
father gave her. The ring had an
antlered head of a Hart with green gemstones for its eyes; he gave it to her
upon her sixteenth birthday, nearly six months ago. It was said to have been crafted by the Elves
long ago. It reminded her of the many
hunts she and her father took together and she could not keep from crying as
she thought about him and prayed he would be safe and soon arrive at the
cottage. She also prayed all of her people would be safe and that
this nightmare would soon be over.
There was a tap on the
adjoining door to Lady Elsbeth’s room.
“You may enter Elsbeth.”
“Forgive me Princess; I wanted
to know if you might want a cup of tea?”
“Yes, Elsbeth and bring one for
yourself so we may take this time together,” Terra smiled.
“Yes, I shall join you when I
return,” Elsbeth said with a bow and went out her door.
Princess Terra noticed Lady
Elsbeth did not smile as she always had before.
Terra put the ring back into the satchel; for now was not a time for
adornments.
Elsbeth returned and tapped
once more as she entered with two earthen mugs of hot tea with cream.
“It smells divine.” Terra gladly took the offered mug. “Is all well Elsbeth?”
“Forgive me my Princess, but
no, for my mother was killed this day as some of the Trolls entered the castle
kitchen.” Elsbeth’s tears streamed down
her cheeks.
“Oh Elsbeth!” Princess Terra quickly set down her mug on
the side table and then hugged her. “I
am so sorry Elsbeth; I knew you must have gone to find her.”
“King Royce said there were at
least twelve killed when the Trolls caught them by surprise while they were
packing the last of the provisions.”
Elsbeth cried into Princess Terra’s shoulder.
“What a black day this is,”
Terra said as she held her and looked out her window wishing to catch a glimpse
of her father.
***
When the Moon rose full there
was a Wolf’s cry heard nearby.
“It is Lord Fuil, he and his
Wolf pack are hunting the Goblins and Trolls in the forest,” said Princess
Terra to the Captain of the guard which her father had sent on.
“We can certainly use his
help.” Captain Galen gave a wide
grin. “Ease your heart my Princess, your
father was right behind me.”
There was the sound of
approaching hoof beats and Terra once more let out a breath with the hope her
father had finally arrived.
When the Horses came into the
garden, Terra saw it was her father and he was injured.
Princess Terra ran to him, “Oh
father, are you badly hurt?”
“No my Terra, do not worry;
just a sword wound to my hip.”
“Quickly bring a stretcher to
take my father inside to his bedchamber.”
Terra held his hand as they took him.
The midwife was called to clean
and wrap his wounds; there was no surgeon near enough to help King Royce.
Terra sat in a chair next to
her father’s bed and prayed for him to be well.
Lady Elsbeth sat in a chair on
the other side of King Royce’s bed, sponging the King’s forehead. Then she stood up, “Forgive me my Princess, I
need to go and get another pitcher of cool water.”
“Yes Elsbeth, I can also take
turns with you.”
“Whatever you wish,” Lady
Elsbeth gave a bow and left the room with the pitcher in her hand.
Terra bowed her head to pray
again, “Oh Suthainn, will you not hear my plea?” Terra felt a presence and looked up to see
Lord Rambleton seated across from her in the other chair.
He had on a dark green cloak
over a brown robe tied with a rope. His
hair was long and white as well as his long beard.
“I came as quickly as I could
your Majesty, how does the King fair?”
“He has a sword wound upon his
hip, it seems very deep.”
“How does the Princess Alterra fair?”
“I am well, only concerned for
my father, please excuse me.” Princess
Terra got up as tears ran down her cheeks and hot anger rose within her.
Why did he not come sooner, why has my grandmother not sent guardsmen
from Telendaria to help! Terra
thought. She ran deep into the garden
where she could be alone and sat down upon a stone bench and cried until her
anger subsided.
***
In the morning, Lord Rambleton
walked in the garden and gave encouragement to the people of Glen Haven as he
visited with them from tent to tent.
Princess Terra had slept in the
chair next to her father’s bed and didn’t see Lord Rambleton again. Now as the morning dawned, she felt sorry for
the way she acted and sought him out.
She found him as he was leaving
one of the tents. “Lord Rambleton, may I
have a word with you?”
“Yes, you may speak Princess
Alterra.”
“I am sorry Lord Rambleton; I
should never have treated you in such
a way. I have been beside myself with
worry for my father; but, it was no excuse.”
“You must know all of the forests and lands from the
West to the East have been caught up in the battle; many of us were needed
elsewhere,” Lord Rambleton said tenderly.
“I am sorry; I have only
thought of my Kingdom. I guess I have
had some resentment towards my grandmother for knowing what was coming and then
not helping to stop it.”
“You must remember this
Princess Alterra, knowing a thing does not always mean you wish for it to happen, or even you have the power to stop it. Your
grandmother Adalay warned your father in hopes he would turn from that path and
choose another; it was his choice to make.
Sometimes we think we ourselves can force a different outcome, even when
we can see the path leads to destruction.
Your grandmother only told him out of love for him, you, and all of the
people of Glen Haven,” Lord Rambleton spoke with such love.
“I miss her so; I cannot wait
to see her once more and all those in Telendaria.”
“You must also know Princess
Alterra; the time is come when all of the Elves in the Western lands are
leaving and headed to the Northern coastlands, where many Elves have already
gone to make their homes centuries ago.
Your grandmother is leaving
with the last remnant of Telendaria to go to those lands, where she will be
welcomed.”
“Then is there no hope?” Terra
asked with tears filling her eyes.
“You can choose to go with me
now and I will take you to Queen Adalay before she leaves Telendaria.”
“But Lord Rambleton, my father
is not fit to travel such a distance.”
He looked to her seriously and
said, “No, he is not I am afraid, and therein lies your choice.”
“I will not abandon my father
in his time of need, not even for the Elven Prince!” said Terra with strong
conviction.
“His path is not yet set; there
may still be hope for the two of you. Do
not give up on the hope of your heart; your destiny may still come to
pass. He has his own choices to make as well,” Lord Rambleton said with a half grin
and a wink.
******
