A Prince's Pride

*Milo*

We sent Messenger Malta out to the Lower Reach two days ago. It being a three-day journey, she should reach the frozen wasteland soon. Why Aaron doesn’t want to just kill King Zannir and leave is beyond me. Instead, he plans to take the Lower Reach over and unify it with Middor in a new empire he’s calling Theo, after his father. I just barely started getting used to being king and now I’m going to be an emperor?

There are many things I knew I’d have to get used to when I was crowned as a King of Midoor. Having servants wait on me, wearing fine clothing, having basically unlimited money. Though a lot of that feels awkward to me, nothing has been more awkward than having to walk around the palace knowing I’ve given orders for a black ops mission that will make somebody disappear. 

To my knowledge, it hasn’t happened yet. At least, I ran into Mirra yesterday trying to feed Elaine. I don’t know if Elaine has started feeling better or if my sudden reappearance in her room is causing her to mistrust Mirra again, but Elaine won’t take food from her. Something I’m extremely grateful for. Instead, I have to be present each time Elaine eats. It makes me think I should just call off the black ops mission. As long as Elaine isn’t taking the medicine, is there really a need to make Mirra disappear?

I’m heading towards Elaine’s room to help Mirra feed her breakfast. Once she’s gone, another servant will bring me non-medicated food so Elaine can eat. I think calling off the black ops mission is a good idea. Just as I’ve decided this, I see Zelda walking quickly toward me, looking stricken. She’s holding a bowl of oatmeal in her hand and Commander Delgara is right behind her.

“Your Majesty,” she says, stopping in front of me at the intersection down the hall from Elaine’s room. She’s out of breath and clutching a stitch in her side.

Anytime I’ve seen Zelda since discovering who she really is, a hatred blooms inside me that I have trouble controlling. It’s all I can do to not order the guards standing down the hall to arrest her. 

“What’s wrong, Zelda?” I ask.

“Sire, it’s Mirra. She’s missing. She didn’t report for work this morning so I sent a servant to check on her and she’s just gone.”

So much for calling off the mission.

“Missing? Are you sure?”

“Sire,” says Delgara, “we found a note that appears to have been written by Mirra saying she was returning to her hometown of New Uera to take care of some private matters.”

“Then, isn’t she there?”

“She’s never lived in New Uera, Your Majesty,” says Zelda. “She was born and raised in Pladtown. Whoever wrote this note had the wrong information. It’s not even her handwriting; I’ve seen her writing many times.”

We intentionally put the wrong information in the note supposedly written by Mirra. I think he’s overthinking things, but Delgara seems to believe Zelda would become suspicious if things seemed entirely “on the up and up,” to use his wording.

“Your Majesty,” says Delgara, “I think this may have something to do with the Queen. If her own Royal Attendant was targeted, the Queen could be next.”

“I agree,” I say. “I will assign her a new Royal Attendant while we search for Mirra. We will instruct them to mix the medicine into the food and make sure she drinks the medicine you prepare, Zelda. Getting Elaine healthy is still one of my highest priorities. Delgara, send out a search party to look for her. Ask around her home and search it as well. See if you can find anything suspicious. In the meantime, I say we get a new guard to act as Elaine’s sworn protector to make sure no harm comes to her.”

“That’s a good idea, Your Majesty,” says Zelda, looking somewhat impatient, “but can we please get the search party started? I’m really worried about Mirra.”

“I’ll get on it right away, Madam Offrand,” says Delgara. He turns and walks away from us.

“Will you see to it that the Queen is fed, Your Majesty?” asks Zelda, holding out the bowl of oatmeal to me. “I have to return to the infirmary and finish making the Queen’s medicine.”

“Of course, Zelda.” I take the bowl of oatmeal from her and try to give her a sincere look as I say, “If we hear anything about Mirra, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I truly appreciate it.”

Zelda turns on her heel and marches away as I watch her. It would be so easy to order guards to arrest her right now, but that’s jumping the sword a bit, in my opinion. We know there’s a network of spies within the palace. Who knows how they would respond if their leader was suddenly arrested.

Instead, I turn and walk into Elaine’s room, closing the door behind me. She’s sitting at her desk, her notes in front of her, but she isn’t writing. 

“Good morning, Mother,” I say. She looks up at me or, rather, through me, but she looks less crazy today. “What’re you doing?”

“These notes,” she says, then pauses for several seconds. “They don’t make sense.”

I walk over and sit down next to her. 

“Do you remember writing them?”

Elaine lets out a crazed laugh, then looks at me. “Of course I don’t. These aren’t mine. They’re from the Whisperer.”

“Elaine,” I say, setting the oatmeal down on other side of the desk from her. I lean toward her, take her hand, and look into her eyes. “I need you to try and concentrate. Can you do that for me?”

She swallows and nods. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m so confused…all the time.”

“Do you remember why? Do you remember what I told you?”

She looks at the bowl of oatmeal with distrust.

“It was something about the food, right? I can’t trust food unless it comes from you.”

“That’s exactly right. This bowl of oatmeal is from Zelda.”

When I say Zelda’s name, Elaine looks at me, her eyes wide with fear. 

“She’s doing something to my brain. Keeping me confused.”

“Yes, she is. Do you know why?”

Elaine shakes her head.

“That’s okay. We’ll keep trying.”

There’s a knock at the door. When I tell them to enter, Marcus Rhodes comes in with a new bowl of oatmeal. 

“Here you are, Your Majesty. Oatmeal for the Queen.”

“Make sure nobody eats that one,” I say, gesturing at the bowl Zelda gave me while taking the bowl from Marcus.

“Of course, sire. It will be disposed of immediately.”

He bows before he leaves the room with the tainted oatmeal in hand.

“Here you go, Mother,” I say, handing the new bowl to her. She beings to eat at once. “We’re going to make you better. I promise.”

When she looks at me this time, she almost looks like herself. 

“Thank you, Milo,” she says. “You’re so good to me.”

Not too long after Elaine finishes her breakfast, Zelda comes back with a goblet of the purple medicine. She looks at the bowl of oatmeal with satisfaction.

“I’m so glad you’re able to get her to eat,” says Zelda. “I would hate to think she wasn’t getting her medicine.”

“The Whisperer knows who you are,” says Elaine to Zelda. “You coyote.”

“More gibberish,” says Zelda. “I’m going to try changing her dosage again. See if I can get the old Queen back.”

“Believe me, Zelda, I want nothing more than to get her back to her true self,” I say.

“I know, Your Majesty. I know. Make sure she drinks all of that straight away, won’t you?”

I nod and Zelda leaves. Of course, I don’t give the goblet to Elaine. Instead, I dump it off her balcony as I did yesterday and the day before.

When I leave Elaine’s room, I head straight up to Piper’s. Since the day we created the phials that were sent to Aaron, I’ve been trying desperately to get some kind of control over my magic, but it’s slow going. So far, I’ve been unable to create anything remotely magical since getting the fragment of my memory back the day I tried to heal Elaine.

When I knock on Piper’s door, it opens in seconds but it isn’t Piper I see standing before me.

“Hello, Phoebe,” I say. “Is Piper here?”

“I am, Your Majesty,” comes Piper’s voice from inside the room. 

Phoebe steps aside and I can see Piper sitting at her table, eating a breakfast of eggs, ham, and hashbrowns. It was only yesterday that I gave her permission to order food from the palace kitchens. Every day I spend with Piper, I can’t help but trust her more and more. She has never, not once, given me any indication not to trust her.

That’s why I’ve made the decision I have. I haven’t run it by Delgara, but I don’t need to. I am the King. If I want to tell Piper about Zelda’s true identity, I will.

“Your Majesty, may I be permitted to order food from the kitchens?” asks Phoebe. “My sister has denied me. As I haven’t had time to find a job here yet, I am low on funds.”

“Yes, that’s fine for today,” I say, just wanting to get rid of Phoebe. “Tell them I said, ‘Greener is the pastures of Midoor,’ and they’ll let you get whatever you want. I need to speak with Piper, if you don’t mind.”

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty,” says Phoebe with a bow. I don’t miss the look she shoots Piper as she sweeps from her bedroom.

When I enter Piper’s room and close the door, she gives me a look of betrayal.

“I thought I was allowed to make decisions regarding my sister within the palace, Your Majesty,” says Piper. Her voice doesn’t sound bitter, but I can see it in her face.

“You can but, denying her food? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“I suppose,” says Piper, taking a forkful of egg into her mouth. 

“Besides, I was only trying to get her out of here. Listen, I need to talk to you. I need your help with something.”

Piper looks up at me with worry on her face, probably because of the tone of my voice, how hushed it’s become.

“What is it, Milo?”

So I tell her everything while she eats. The prediction from the seer, what memories she helped me unlock, making Mirra disappear, and the mission I need her help with.

“So, do you think you can help me?” I ask.

Piper looks at me as she chews the last part of her ham and swallows.

“Does this mean you trust me now?” she asks.

I don’t hesitate. My gut tells me I can trust her.

“I do,” I say. “I trust you.”

“Well then, let’s get to work,” she says. Piper stands and walks to a trunk next to her window. She opens it and pulls out a long crystal that’s fat at one end, and tapers off to a rounded point at the other.

“What does this have to do with the mission?” I ask.

“It doesn’t,” she says. “If what you told me is true, you learning magic is more important than ever. We’re going to double down on your training. I’m going to make sure you become the most powerful magical practitioner that’s ever lived.”

“Alright. What is that?”

“This is called a honing rod,” she says, holding the crystal rod up. It catches the sunlight and bends it, sending shimmering rainbows around her room. “Although it’s more commonly known as a wand.”

For several hours, Piper tries to teach me more magic. Because I was able to make myself remember something without enchanting an object, it’s obvious I’m an incanter. But, even with the wand, nothing happens. Piper tries to help me enchant the wand, but it doesn’t work.

I tried asking her why she doesn’t just enchant the wand, but wands don’t work the same way as phials. For an enchanter, they’re enchanted once for a one time use, then they lose their power. This is different from phials which only lose their power when the magic within them is depleted.

Still, I’m unable to create any kind of magic in the time I’m with her. I leave her room, feeling put out and dejected, but she doesn’t seem worried.

The rest of my day is filled with the boring duties of a king. Signing documents, hearing reports about the search for Red Hand members, overseeing preparations for aiding the war in the Lower Reach. Thankfully, Riley is taking over holding court, though she hates it. Delgara appears toward the end of the day to give a report saying they haven’t found Mirra. I decide to ask him if they’ve found Olivia Rendara, but he says she’s vanished from the face of the Earth.

That night, I lay in bed wishing Aaron was with me. I stare out the balcony doors to the moon above, wondering if Aaron is looking at it, too.

***

The next morning, I’m filled with a sense of apprehension. I have to continually focus on maintaining my composure, especially when interacting with Zelda. She hounds me nonstop for updates on Mirra and I nearly snap at her several times, wishing I could just tell her I know who she is and who Mirra is, but I don’t.

Shortly after I finish breakfast, I’m about to head to Elaine’s room, when Delgara and Zelda approach me, both of them looking frantic.

“Your Majesty,” says Delgara, “there’s something urgent we need to speak to you about.”

We’re in the dining hall, surrounded by servants. I nod for them to follow me and lead them down the hall into a meeting room used when speaking to foreign dignitaries. Only Delgara, Zelda, Exavier, and myself enter the room.

Delgara and Zelda look between one another as though they’re not sure which one should speak.

“Can one of you just tell me what’s happening, please?” I ask.

Delgara opens his mouth but, before he can speak, Zelda cuts him off.

She says, “Your Majesty, Queen Elaine is missing.”

“What? What do you mean?” I ask. “How could this have happened?”

“We’re not sure,” says Delgara. “We brought Devin Denson into the palace to have him assigned as Queen Elaine’s sworn protector, but nobody can find her. None of the guards stationed outside her room last night saw anything suspicious. Just like Mirra, she seems to have vanished.”

“What are we going to do?” asks Zelda. I can see the worry and confusion on her face. I’m sure some part of her was worried that Mirra’s disappearance was our doing, that we may have somehow figured them out, but the Queen going missing has surely thrown her off that scent.

“I want the palace put on lockdown,” I order Delgara. “Nobody in or out without Crown Guard approval. We’re putting the hunt for the Red Hand on hold and we need to divert all search parties to find the Queen.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” says Delgara. “Zelda, please inform Princess Riley of her mother’s disappearance and tell her not to hold court today.”

“Of course, Your Majesty, right away,” says Zelda before she leaves the meeting room. 

The next few hours are stressful. Riley is beside herself with her mother’s disappearance, Zelda still wants us to focus on finding Mirra, the Small Council wants me to install a military presence in the city because of the Queen’s disappearance. And, above all, the citizens of Crown City are both upset about Elaine going missing and the fact they’re required to stay within the city gates.

Honestly, I just want to get this entire day over with. 

When I’m finally able to get to my room tonight, I sit and wait at the small table in my room, looking down at my wedding ring. Aaron’s absence weighs on me heavily. I feel as though somebody scooped something out of me. Like I’m hollow. 

When I hear the knock on my door, I jump up and open it to find Delgara standing there wearing a cloak and carrying an SOA uniform. I stand back and let him enter.

“Put this on and we’ll get going,” he says, holding the uniform out to me. I take it and change in the bathroom, making sure the mask covers my face, then rejoin him.

“Let’s go,” I say. He and I walk through the palace and it’s so strange to me to see my guards and not have them stand straighter as I walk past them. In fact, they almost act if I’m not even here.

Delgara and I leave through the front gates of the palace and take a horse each, then ride off into the night. 

It’s a short journey to the cabin in the Crown Wood. When we approach, the guards surrounding it salute me and Delgara. We dismount and enter the cabin to find Elaine sitting at the kitchen table.

“Who is this?” she asks, looking at me. When I pull my mask off, her face lights up.

“Milo?” she asks.

“She’s getting more coherent by the minute,” says Piper, who’s sitting at the table with Elaine. 

“Elaine, how are you feeling?” I ask, walking forward.

“I’m starting to feel much more like myself,” she says. “As the hours pass, I feel as though a fog is lifting from me. I can’t believe Zelda has been drugging me for months.”

“I’m sorry about her betrayal.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m thankful to you for bringing me out here.”

“Of course. Getting you away from her was always the best plan. Do you have any idea why Zelda is drugging you?”

“I do. Not many people know this, Milo, but I’m a seer. It’s actually why Theodore never made divination illegal when he outlawed magic. You see, I had a vision many years ago that a dark and powerful magic would come to Midoor, take it over. Theodore thought the best way to prevent it was to make magic illegal.”

I feel the blood drain from my face.

“Aaron and I made magic legal again. If your vision was right, then we—”

“Did the right thing,” says Elaine. I can’t help but notice how exhausted she is. It must be a side effect of the drug Zelda’s been giving her leaving her system. “I told Theodore not to outlaw magic. We need magic to fight what’s coming. Zelda is surely drugging me because she’s worried, now that she’s putting her plans into motion, that I will be able to use my abilities to figure out who she really is and what she’s up to.”

“Can you?” I ask eagerly, but my hopes fall when she shakes her head.

“I’m very weak, fighting off this drug. I think there was something addictive in it. I’m having major withdrawal symptoms. I think staying in this cabin and recuperating for a few days is the best course of action for me.”

“We’ll let you stay here and we can pretend to find you and we’ll come up with some story about why you’re better. We’re working on a way to take Zelda down before the Red Hand can do anything else.”

“Just be careful, Milo. Zelda is likely to be very dangerous. She won’t go down easily.”

“I’m really glad you’re feeling better, Elaine,” I say.

She smiles and says, “I thought I told you to call me ‘Mother’.”

This makes me smile, too. A smile that deepens when she grabs my hand.

“You really do make Aaron happier than I’ve ever seen him. I love you, son.”

“Thanks, Mother,” I say. She doesn’t seem to have the energy to stand, but I lean over and hug her.

We leave the cabin a little while later and make our way to the palace, Piper along with us. I have to pull my mask back up and make my way to my room to go to bed.

***

The next morning, all Hell has broken loose. 

I’m awoken to one of my own Crown Guards pulling me out of bed. Before I can object, my wrists are bound, my mouth is gagged, and I’m roughly taken to the throne room where I’m deposited onto the ground before the throne where Zelda stands, looking down at me with disgust. Dellrie, Cara, and Yora are beside her.

I try to scream through my gag, but none of them notices. I lay on the throne room floor unable to move until Piper and Delgara, both bound and gagged, are dropped before me.

“Loosen the gag,” says Zelda. 

Two guards come up behind me, pick me up to my knees, and pull the gag down from my mouth.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, looking to Dellrie, Yora, and Cara. “I am your king!”

“We only answer to the true kings,” says Cara. “Aaron and Milo Heris, the Kings of Midoor!”

Now I’m confused. I had though they Small Council betrayed me, but if they don’t think I’m Milo…

“Who do you think I am?” I ask them, not looking at Zelda, though it’s she who speaks.

“You are clearly some impostor,” she says. “First, our Queen’s Royal Attendant goes missing. Then, the Queen herself. Last night, a guard tried to check on King Milo while he slept, but he was gone. Then, you show up this morning. It can’t be a coincidence. These two were seen with you, so we can only assume they’re impostors as well.”

“This is ridiculous!” I say. “Unhand me!”

“This is the law,” says Dellrie. “Until we can figure out whether you are truly Milo Heris, the Small Council rules Midoor. As Madam Offrand is Chief Counselor, she retains all right of the ruling monarch as of right now.”

I could throw up. As soon as this situation is over, Aaron and I are changing this law. 

“Please leave me with the prisoners,” says Zelda. Dellrie, Yora, and Cara don’t seem to like the idea, but they leave anyway. 

“I know who you are,” I say to her. “Guards, Zelda is the leader of the Red Hand. Arrest her now!”

Zelda smiles at me, her face twisting into an awful grin of malice.

“We know who she is,” says the guard behind me.

“I knew you were figuring it out,” says Zelda. “Too many things have happened the last few days. It would have been impossible for someone to get to the Queen after Mirra was taken. If you suspected her, you must have suspected me, or she broke. Either way. Once you were gone after the Queen, I figured it out.”

Delgara, lying on the ground to my left, is thrashing around. 

“Oh, let him speak,” says Zelda, looking at him. “He’s being annoying.”

The guards pick Delgara up to his knees and pull his gag down.

“These aren’t my men, Your Majesty. I know their voices.”

“No, they’re not,” admits Zelda. “I’ve been replacing several Crown Guards, one by one. I now have enough in the palace to take it over and control it for a while.”

“So what are you planning to do? Sacrifice me to your gods?” I ask.

“Not yet. First, we need to get Aaron here. Once he is, we can put our plan into motion. You see, there’s a ritual we will perform that will allow us to—”

Before Zelda can continue, Piper has somehow broken out of her bonds and has leapt to her feet. She reaches down the front of her dress and pulls out a phial. The outside is pure white, like untouched snow, with a swirling golden center.

In the time it’s taken Piper to do this, the guard behind me has grabbed a fistful of my hair and wrenched my head back, exposing my neck. I feel the edge of a blade pressed into the flesh there.

“Is that a portal phial?” asks Zelda.

“Your Majesty, don’t worry,” says Piper. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

A guard steps out of nowhere and swings a blade at Piper. She screams out and jumps backwards, clutching her face.

“No, don’t hurt her!” Zelda yells. Her guards freeze in their tracks. “Piper, I’m going to slit Milo’s throat unless you listen to me.”

Piper looks at her, clutching the phial in her hand.

“Use that phial to go to Aaron. Tell him what’s happened here and deliver him a message. Unless he comes to Midoor and turns himself in, I’ll slit the throat of his love.”

“I won’t leave him here with you!” says Piper, looking at me.

“No, Piper,” I say. “Go to Aaron. Please.”

I look at her, trying to beg her with my eyes. Getting Aaron here is my number one priority. If I can get him here, if we can work together, I know we can stop Zelda.

“I don’t know where to find him, Milo,” she says to me. Then, she turns to Zelda. “Milo is his love. He can use the phial to find him.”

“You there,” says Zelda, pointing at the guard who cut Piper’s face, “give the phial to Milo.”

The guard takes the crystal from Piper’s hand and brings it to me.

“Just think about him,” says Piper. “Feel him in your heart, and throw it against the wall.”

“Don’t try anything funny,” says the guard with the knife against my throat, “or you’ll regret it.”

I squeeze the phial in my hand and think of Aaron. I think of how much he means to me. How much I want him next to me. I can feel him out there, somewhere.

With my eyes still closed, I though the phial and hear it shatter against the wall. When I open my eyes, I see the portal, a swirling golden light on the wall.

“Go!” I say to Piper. 

“Your Majesty, I—”

“Go!” I shout.

Piper gives me one more sad look before she turns and hurries through the portal.

Zelda walks up to me and looks down at me with a horrible smile on her lips.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you two. So very much,” she says.

 

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Author’s Note:

I’m so sorry about the delay on this chapter. There was so much happening and I wanted to get it right. I debated splitting it into multiple chapters, but I wanted to prevent that. I hope you enjoy it!