The Final Days of Springborough

It had only been a day since Kyrstin had snuck out of the castle, but it felt like a week, or an eternity. When she had left, it had been sunny outside, and as she returned, she was soaked to the bone, the sky was blotted out with the darkest clouds she had ever seen, and the wind, while rampant with voices and pulling gusts, was tearing trees and structures apart. It wasn’t just as if morning turned to evening, but rather the hours of the day were now the hours of the night, or the Kingdom of Springborough was another place altogether. She felt several years older, age-worn and bolder. She felt as if she was no longer just the reluctant princess but rather the new Queen. Whatever she decided, her will would be done, and not discussed with any parental figures or house maidens.

As Kyrstin ventured up the road, through the Kingdom’s village to her family’s castle, the sword to her side, the rain dripping off her chin and hair, she felt like the strongest one in miles.

She felt bad she had to leave Thomas to whatever his fate would be in the Village of Fortis, as Leila had told her he was in trouble. But, her objective was to obtain the Queen’s ring again, and she must see it through. She had to. The Princess just had a feeling that everything wrong in the day’s events; the storm, her grandma’s disappearance, even the continued absence of her parents was all attributed, or could be cured by, that ring. She had to get it; had to, and nothing was going to stop her.

The guards at the door looked upon her with relief, and ran to her when they could make out it was her. She must have looked a strange sight, usually so put together, but now wet and ragged, never before armed, but now with a sword half her height. Both the guards put their hands under her arms, and even though she didn’t feel tired, she let her knees go, and sunk into their strong grasps, allowing them to carry her to the door. Away all day, she allowed herself to be supported by some of the comforts that came with being a royal.

“Your highness!” A Guard, named Max, shouted over the rain, worry obviously racking his voice. “What has become of you?”

“Guards,” was all Kyrstin could get out, just being so close to home drove a fatigue through her that she had never felt before. She could lay down in the mud and fall asleep if she felt so inclined. Or maybe she could traipse out to the field where Patrick would be, and lay with him, letting him know of her adventures and of the necromancer at Quakenfalls. Perhaps she would just tell him about his bear he found, about Queen Grace missing, and the ring that she would have to cut the bear open for. There was something about home that made one feel so calm, which also made one feel tired.

She wondered how Patrick would take the news of having to say goodbye to the bear.

“Your highness, the whole Kingdom is looking for you. Everyone will be glad to know you’re safe.”

The whole Kingdom? Kyrstin thought. Nobody was out there looking for me. I didn’t see anyone, save for the Witch. How could the “whole Kingdom” be looking for me and I didn’t spy one save for the people sheltering themselves from the rain?

“I am safe now. I must get into the castle, though.”

She thought she better get dry before she came down with a cold, and perhaps find a smaller blade in order to perform the bear autopsy for the ring. She knew her giant brother had a warm heart, so she probably would also have to come up with some sort of plan, some sort of speech on why his pet had to be put down for the safety of the Kingdom. Patrick would probably see the whole issue as a sort of murder, and Kyrstin needed to avoid that as much as possible. What happened to Queen Grace was murder, what was about to happen to the bear was a necessary chain of events.

“Before you do, Princess,” Max began, “there is something you should know.”

Kyrstin looked over to him as they entered the front steps to the big oak doors. A little bit of an overhang of the doorway protected them from the rain, and Kyrstin realized that the knights were dry before coming out to get her. They had a nice dry spot to guard the doors and now they as well were dripping with rain. She looked at their armor and wondered for a moment if the metal would rust. The second thought that came to mind was whether a knight’s armor had to be dry at all times for social reasons. She knew her father, King Daniel, would get angry at any of his men who walked about with dirty armor.

She looked at Max under the doorway, not feeling the rain drops pelting her since her time in Brynn’s hut, and relishing it. She couldn’t wait to get into the castle where she also wouldn’t have to feel the wind either.

“What is it, Max?” Kyrstin asked, impatiently.

“Your brother, Prince Patrick, is inside. He and his pet, the bear.”

“You let them into the castle?!”

“We had no choice. He was the only royal in the Kingdom, which put him in charge, and we couldn’t rightly refuse him.”

“Where’s Corson?” Kyrstin asked, incredulous the teacher would not have stopped Patrick. Corson was very good at maintaining control.

“He’s with Thomas.”

“Oh,” Kyrstin thought, feeling a little better she had made the choice she did to come back to the castle and not go after Patrick. If Corson was with Thomas, that meant that Thomas couldn’t be in too much danger. Corson was a battle tested soldier with no scars.

“Is the bear running free?” Kyrstin asked.

“No, your highness, it is chained to a wall. But, it is still a bear.”

“I know it is a bear. I have come for that bear.”

The guards shared a look with one another. Kyrstin didn’t know the other’s name, but she had seen him around, a dashing man, of thirty years of age or so, dark blonde hair which was so long that it could be seen with the helmet on. His blue eyes seemed to have gone gray with the storm. He didn’t speak, but Max constantly looked at him for confirmation with anything he said, as if they could only have a thought if they agreed on what it was.

“Your highness, what do you need from us?”

“My brother is not going to like what I have planned for his new pet, but no harm is to come to my brother. Remember, he’s only nine years old. He will think like a nine year old, but with the strength of forty men. It might be dangerous for you two to accompany me as he might hold back on hurting me, no matter how agitated he is, but he might look at you two like pests.”

“Your highness, we’re trained knights of Springborough,” Max said, after another nod from the other guard.

“Max, I wish that was enough. But, I think times are a lot more complicated now.”

With that, Kyrstin motioned for the doors to be opened. The guards reached out, grabbing the iron ring handles, and pulled. The doors were so heavy, and now so filled with moisture from the weather, the creak of them was dulled, almost wet. Where once the doors would crack from being dry, the wood rubbing together, it now just sounded like it was sopping, with a sort of squish. Kyrstin stepped inside, feeling the most at home she had ever felt.

She wanted to just drop her outerwear where she stood, slacking off the wettest of her clothes, but she didn’t want to make the guards behind her uncomfortable. Instead, she took a moment to feel the calm of it all. She could still hear the storm outside, but not being able to feel it was one of the sweetest senses of all. Her skin felt numb, her bones felt cold, but the world around her was finally at peace. And while she still had phantom senses of the storm, of the rain and wind on her skin, she felt like she could just lay down on the Great Hall runner, curl up, and sleep.

That is, if there wasn’t a large bear staring back at her, its chain dangling from one of the torches on a pillar of stone. The bear, its fur shaved from where the arrow had been, huffed at her, and, by the look in its eyes, it was clearly drugged. But, it still saw her and the two guards, who drew their swords as well. So, three swords, gleaming in the light, raised to attack the bear who didn’t move, but didn’t look as if it was afraid at all.