Mantle: The Return of the Sha (7 page)

“People of Terra, thank you for such an enthusiastic and welcoming reception. I am certainly the most fortunate of all the kings of Mantle.

“Throughout my journeys these past months, I have witnessed extraordinary things—Fories working together, not only for the betterment of themselves, but also for the elevation of the happiness of those around them. We are truly a selfless people and we care for one another as brothers and sisters of the same family. I have never before been so inspired as I have during my tour of this great kingdom.

“The village of Terra, while of a simpler nature than some, is vital to the success of the kingdom. My father, King Alexo, always had a special place set aside in his heart for this village. He spoke often to me of the good nature and kindness of the Terrans. He spoke of the pride that the Terrans have in their crops, and the unwavering friendship that you have with the animal population here.

“While others can lay claim to impressive and sometimes spectacular feats of enchantment, nowhere in this kingdom is the magic of the Fories so prevalent, diverse, and in complete harmony as it is here in Terra.”

With that, the crowd burst into applause and yells of cheer. It was true that the village contained within its borders such a wide variation of magic that no other village could compete, and it was a great honor to the Terrans to hear the king state this outright. It was a verification of the worth of the village itself.

As King Zander stood looking out on the crowd, he was about to continue his speech when he noticed something peculiar at the far edge of the gathering—a single chicken that seemed to float just above the crowd. He couldn’t tell how this was happening, as it was at a distance, but the sight of this chicken stopped him from speaking. He had never witnessed such a thing, which was difficult to grasp, given the many spectacles that he had witnessed on his trip.

Balki also noticed the inexplicable sight and was determined to draw the king’s attention away from it.

“Majesty,” he called up to the stage, “are you all right, sir?”

“Yes, Balki, I am fine,” said Zander as he suddenly stepped down from the stage. The crowd slowly went silent as they realized that the king had been distracted from his prepared words and was now making his way through the crowd. They were terrified that something might have upset the king, since the expression on his face was one of anger and distress. They knew of course, of his affliction, but now there was no indication of his mood as they made way for him to pass.

Finally, as the king stepped toward the spot where he had noticed the chicken, he found himself standing directly before a young girl who was holding the chicken that had caught his eye.

“Child, how is it that this chicken appeared above the crowd?” Zander asked, as whispers could be heard coming from those nearest them.

It was Dorian who spoke first, “Majesty, she was holding her up above her head.”

Zander looked down at the boy and asked, “What is your name, young man?”

“I am Dorian Bellows and this is my friend, Lizabet Abbot.”

“I see,” Zander said. “And why was Lizabet Abbot holding this chicken above her head? Is it meant to be a gift?”

At this question, Lizabet’s eyes widened and she held the chicken closer as if defending her from being taken. “Oh no, Majesty, this is my friend Carlotta and she is no gift!” exclaimed Lizabet. Once she had realized she had snapped at the king in such a defensive way, she quickly bowed her head and remained that way until the king continued speaking.

“So, again I ask, why were you holding her above your head, young Lizabet?”

Lizabet kept her head down as she answered. “Majesty, she could not see you speak over the people in front of us. Why should she miss the opportunity to see your arrival?”

Zander was immediately touched.

“But child, who would lift
you
up to see my speech?”

“I am not concerned for myself, Majesty, but Carlotta is my friend and companion and I would not want her to miss anything.”

Zander knelt down to eye level with Lizabet and asked, “Is this boy, Dorian Bellows, not your friend?”

“Yes, he is my only other friend, and if I could lift him up as well, I surely would. But sadly I cannot lift him anymore than I can lift myself.”

At that moment, the king became overcome with emotion. He felt warmth fill his body and tears began to stream from his eyes and roll down his face. Lizabet stood before him smiling, as always, and Zander bowed his own head before her, hiding his tears from the crowd that had gathered around them.

“Why are you sad, Majesty?” Lizabet asked. “I am perfectly happy to have such great friends as Dorian and Carlotta.”

“I am not sad,” replied Zander, still keeping his head lowered. “I have never witnessed such a thing of beauty as a young girl who can think of others so completely and openly above even herself.”

“How
else
could I possibly think of others?” Lizabet asked. “Isn’t it obvious that the happiness of others is what will make me happy as well?”

She sounds like my father
, he thought.

“But you are thinking of the happiness of a chicken!” Zander said, as he choked back more tears.

“But Carlotta is my friend before she is a chicken, Majesty. She does not judge me on my abilities…or
lack
of them. She is my constant companion no matter what, and I hers.”

“But how can you be happy with so few friends?”

“Majesty, you are a king with
many
friends, and yet you appear unhappy. Why should I not be happy with only two? It seems clear to me that the number of my friends does not determine whether or not I should be content.”

King Zander felt something strange at that moment, something he had never felt before. He let go of his struggle to release his curse. He gave up on his determination to remove his bitter appearance. He realized, in Lizabet’s words, that he was no better or worse of a man than any other in Forris, and that he too could be content knowing that he was no more perfect or nobler than any other.

He surrendered himself.

As the king began to lift his head, he found himself looking straight at the smile of Lizabet Abbot, standing in front of him with her blue eyes and curled blond hair, holding Carlotta. Her eyes became as large as saucers as the king’s face appeared, and Zander had no idea why a gasp could be heard over the crowd.

“You see, Majesty…you can smile
too
.”

Could it be true? The king wasn’t sure; he only had the reaction of the spectators to tell him that something had happened. Even when he was unable to reflect his happiness, he always felt as though he was smiling, although to others he was not.

A woman from the crowd knelt down by Zander and placed a mirror in his trembling hand. Slowly, he raised it to see his perfect smile. It was beautiful to him, and as he saw it, he smiled even wider. He had found it! He had found the thing that could make him smile again.

But it wasn’t a thing, it was a child—a young girl who seemed out of place in the crowd. He rose from his feet, wiping the tears that were still rolling from his face, and when he regained his composure, he looked down at Lizabet and said, “How can I possibly thank you, my dear Lizabet Abbot? You have saved my life and I am forever in your debt.”

“It is nice to see you so happy, Majesty. You looked so grumpy when you arrived,” she answered.

Lizabet had been told of the king’s affliction, but this was the first time she had ever seen him, so she didn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened.

Zander looked at the others who surrounded them, and turned to the man and woman standing next to Lizabet. “Is this your daughter who has saved my life and our kingdom?”

Lizabet spoke up quickly, “Sir, these are not my parents, for we are orphaned.”

“Lizabet!” Bella snapped, “Do not say such a thing!”

“But it’s true, Bella—we are orphaned. We have no parents, so how can I be wrong to say such a thing?”

Bella turned to the king and said, “Majesty, it is true that our parents are no longer with us, but my brother Jonattan and I are quite capable of tending to our sister. She has not a want in the world and the term orphan, while accurate, is misleading of our situation.”

The king hadn’t noticed Bella during the encounter with Lizabet, and he was now struck by her beauty as he had never been before by
any
woman in the kingdom. Her long gold hair flowing down her back with just a hint of curl, and her bright blue eyes, told him that she was indeed the sister of Lizabet. The resemblance was striking. The brother, Jonattan, didn’t have the light hair of his sisters, but the blue eyes were even more striking against his dark hair.

Zander, taking all of it in, gave voice to the events, “So I have been saved by a young girl, who’s lost her parents and claims only a young boy and a chicken as her friends!”

At this exclamation, Zander began to laugh as he had never laughed before. It was a full and hearty laugh, and finally his face showed it. The crowd also began to both laugh and applaud. After all, they were witness to an extraordinary thing, and the village of Terra would forever be known as the place where the king found his smile.

Not everyone was happy, though. Balki stood at some distance watching the events unfold, and as he approached Lizabet and the king, he was overcome with nausea. His head began to spin and the medallion around his neck began to warm so that Balki, for the first time, understood that something else was with him. The inflock was scrambling to make sense of the force that was countering its existence. It was a force that was so powerfully good in nature that the inflock hid in the darkest corner of the medallion and reeled in agony. In all the centuries of its existence, it had never before felt so attacked. It analyzed the nature of the attack and realized that it was a force of magic, exuding from the young girl, which was inflicting pain on it. Was this a new kind of magic? It wasn’t sure, but it knew that it had never been in the presence of it before.

Zander, standing among the crowd, looked around at his subjects, who were now fully celebrating his new demeanor, and raised his hand to quiet them.

“Citizens of Terra, you have given me such a gift as this! I have, in just a short moment, been filled with enthusiasm for our great kingdom. I could not imagine that I would have found it anywhere, and yet here it is, hidden in the magic of a young girl on what would turn out to be the last stop of my tour. Your village has rightfully become the jewel of my kingdom, and I am forever grateful.

“Although I did not prepare remarks that will be relevant now, I offer you my thanks, and ask that we celebrate together throughout the evening as though I had just become king.”

Then, turning to Bella, the king asked, “Will you and your family please dine with me this evening before the celebrations? I would very much like to know everything about you, your brother, and of course, young Lizabet.”

Before Bella could answer, Lizabet interrupted, “Majesty, I would very much like for Dorian to eat dinner with us as well.”

“Lizabet, you can have anything that you like, and if it is the company of your friend that you seek, I will certainly not object. That is, if young Master Dorian is able. Is he orphaned as well?”

“Majesty, I am not orphaned,” Dorian spoke up. “My mother and father are here.”

“Then I would very much like to meet them.”

At that time, Dorian’s two young parents made their way through the crowd and bowed before the king. “Majesty, we are Joni and Forrest Bellows, parents of Dorian.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Bellows, I would like to congratulate you on producing such a fine young man as Dorian. Clearly, he sees in Lizabet what others have missed. Please, won’t you join us this evening for supper?”

“We would be honored to join you, Majesty,” said Forrest Bellows.

Bella stepped forward, and with a light curtsy, said to the king, “Majesty, we will be honored to join you as well.”

“Then it’s settled,” Zander said. “Mayorgovern, what arrangements have you set for me and my traveling party?”

The mayorgovern, still wiping away tears from his eyes, said, “Majesty, we can accommodate you and your men in the inn, which has been prepared for your visit. Your squires may prepare your quarters at your convenience.”

“Thank you, Mayorgovern, that is greatly appreciated. Would you please summon the Grey Eagles to dispatch messages to the villages of Forris, advising them of my good fortune?”

“Right away, Majesty,” replied the mayorgovern, who turned to his assistant with a gesture to prepare a dispatch by the Eagles.

The Grey Eagles, being the only animal that are native to all three of the friendly kingdoms, had long been employed as the means of communication among the kingdoms, and within each. Their ability to adapt to every language spoken in Mantle, along with their ability to travel long distances without breaking, was impressive. But their strongest power lay in their ability to find any specific location in Mantle. No one was ever quite sure how they accomplished this feat. They could find nearly anyone, anywhere in Mantle, no matter the locale. One needed only to tell the volunteering eagle who the message was meant for and they could be counted on to deliver. A
volunteer
eagle was the key to this success, though. No eagle would make a trip without first volunteering to do so freely. This could sometimes prove frustrating, but eventually one of the great birds would offer its service.