Chapter 15: All In His Stride

Dear Diary,

Sharon just told me that Sam is dead. 

…

I don’t really know what to think about this. It’s a very surreal situation. I’m sad, but distanced from it all. I wish I wasn’t. I wish I was more obviously affected. I feel a bit guilty for having not cried yet.

Morab got angry and trashed the front room. I tried to help. Not to trash the room, but with his dealing of the news. He accidentally pushed me and I fell to the ground. It’s nothing really. I’ve got a small cut on my left temple, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s just sad about Sam.

Sharon followed Sam to the Crowners of the Light meeting. She was concerned for him and wanted to make sure he’d be ok. But that didn’t work out so well… He was stabbed apparently. Right through the chest with a sword.

I just shivered and I feel a bit sick having written that. Sharon told me that they dragged his body out of the fortress and just chucked it… him into the empty moat. He of all people did not deserve that. 

He’s really the only person who’s been there for me. Mum and Dad were too busy looking after the business and Rosa to properly care for me. And I suppose I pushed people away from me, so I never received much love from the rest of the village. Apart from Maj. But after the whole incident after Rosa’s death and ReNay, there was only ever Sam. I miss him now. The first person I’ve ever really appreciated. I’ve kind of appreciated Maj, I suppose. He did a lot for me… But, I mean, Sam did so much. He saved me!

After ReNay had put the Crown on my head, I went really mad. I can remember that I was screaming and shouting. I was writhing my hands together because I couldn’t take the Crown off but I wanted to. I was a frenzy. I fell off the stage but Sam caught me and he whisked me away from the town centre, down a dark alley. I can’t personally recall why no one else saw us, or why no one followed us. Sam told me that whilst I was rushing about onstage, ReNay and the hooded men started to fight the Bridgeside Brigade and the police, and all the townsfolk ran back to their homes so that they wouldn’t get caught up in the feud. I suppose that in all the pandemonium, Sam and I went unnoticed. Sam and I watched as the small group of Crowners slaughtered the Bridgeside Brigade. The Brigadier fell to the ground, groaning. I saw his wife dart out of their house, running to her dead husband. And as she knelt beside her husband, she too was murdered mercilessly. I fell to my knees, sobbing. I was crying even before then, but I had reached a new level of raw emotion. 

I can’t remember how much it all went on for, but I know that Sam’s hand was on my shoulder the whole time. And… Yes! I grabbed his knees, hugging them. Holding him close. Then he knelt down beside me and he told me that he would look after me and keep me safe. He told me that he’d take me to a place where I would be safe and where no one could ever hurt me. And I believed him. His voice felt honest. In that moment, I trusted him. They were the first words he said to me, and I knew that he was my friend. I knew that he was someone special and new. This must be beginning to sound a bit like a tribute. A rubbish one at that. I’ll just end with the fact that he was there for me at a time I needed him - a guardian angel.

He explained everything to me about the Crowns and about the Crowners and about the Keepers of the Crowns. He told me all about Morab and Tergen. And he talked all about his childhood. And he always asked the right questions at the right times. He just seemed to get me.

And then there was Sharon. She’s been reading over what I’ve been writing and is somewhat annoyed that I haven’t mentioned her once. I can’t really remember first seeing Sharon. I was so frantic when I was first ‘crowned’ (a term that sounds horribly ominous) that I didn’t really notice her presence. It wasn’t until Sam and I were sneaking to the river and we were hiding underneath the bridge that I was really made aware of her. This dazzling blonde woman who I didn’t recognise. She was annoying at first. A bit of a pest. She wants me to retract that but I won’t. This diary is supposed to be an accurate account of true events. Sam told me to sleep. He must have thought I was being a complete schizophrenic. Speaking to something that he couldn’t see and just generally being a bit insane. I settled down and went to sleep, with Sam and Sharon watching over me. The next morning, Sam hired a boat and the three of us rowed up the river, right until we got to the waterfall. It did not occur to me that I knew that, and the trip would be a wasted one. And so we sailed back. Sam took it all in his stride, laughing at himself. And so we walked. 

We walked for so many days, but Sam ushered me along and kept me going. And I got used to Sharon talking too. That was weird. Especially when Sam and Sharon wanted to speak to each other. I just became a relay girl, relaying what one said to the other. That gets frustrating. But we’re really getting on now. 

We arrived at the town of Rypt and we walked through the suburbia. It all felt very clean and green. Very rich, nothing like the dirtiness of Bridgeside. I remember feeling embarrassed about my background. Anyway, we finally ended up outside number 14, Druid’s Grove, which is just off Rose Street. A detached house with a well-kept front garden and a bay window in the front room. 

He introduced me to the Keepers of the Crowns. I’m scared about how the Keepers will carry on without him. Tergen is out in the field and is still clueless about everything that’s gone on. And Morab is totally freaked out. I suppose he’s terrified to even contemplate what the future holds. All his plans and long-term schedules are ruined.

I actually wonder whether his anger is for the loss of Sam’s life or for the inconvenience it has caused. But that’s between you and me, Diary. And Sharon (who insists on inclusion). 

For Sam, I miss you. And thank you for saving me. 

Dear Diary,

Morab has just told me to pack up. Our position has been compromised and we are fleeing to a safe house. Seeing as I don’t have any of my own stuff, I have filled a bag with some of Sam’s clothes and books. I don’t want them to get lost or damaged. All his work should not go to waste. 

Sharon says I should mention that Morab dragged me upstairs by my hair. I’ve only put it to appease Sharon. Morab is under a lot of pressure, and I feel like I’m in the way. He’ll calm down once we are in the safe house.

Chapter 8: And She Walked Away

“Who the hell is this, Sam?” he shouted across the room. It was cosy; there was a fire, bookcases - lots of books - and lots of clutter. 

“My name is Jen, thank you very much,” Jen replied for herself. Sam pressed his lips against each other to keep silent.

“And what are you wearing?”

“A crown.”

“Sam?” the angry man addressed, firmly and fatherly.

“I can explain.”

“It had better be good. You left here promising to save this girl, and if it’s the Crown we believe it to be-”

“It is,” Sam interjected.

“Then you have failed.”

“At least she is safe from ReNay!”

“You will go to your study whilst I clear up your mess, Sam!” Morab snapped. Sam wanted to pipe up and argue back, but he decided it was best not to. He nodded, bowed to Jen and the other two Keepers of the Crowns, and disappeared from the room.

Jen watched Sam vanish away with pity. He was so young really. He was older than her, middle-aged, but Jen could see how he had been kept a child by the dominant figure, who was aging badly with a messy grey beard, and straggly, thinning hair.  He motioned to Jen to sit down in one of the comfy red armchairs. Jen smiled and sat down.

“And where do I sit?” Sharon piped up in Jen’s ear. 

“You’re not a physical presence though, are you? You don’t need a chair.”

“Still, it would have been nice if you had asked.”

Jen ignored her.

“Who were you talking to just then?”

“Sharon. She’s the spirit of the Crown, so Sam said.”

“Yes. He was probably right.”

“No, he was right.”

The man looked affronted, and his so-far-silent companion seemed scared. But the man continued had Jen remained silent. “My name is Morab. This is Tergen. Alongside Sam, we make up the Keepers of the Crowns.”

__________

I’m humiliated. Embarrassed. Morab just showed me up in front of Jen. I hadn’t even done anything wrong. Well, not really. I did say that I would save Jen, and I failed. But heroism is more difficult than it looks! And, you know, I never claimed to be a hero. Check my previous letters - you’ll see!

The worst part about it that I understand Morab’s disappointment in me. He’s been like a father to me, or, rather, I’ve been a son to him. He’s taught me and shaped me, and now I have let him down. 

Ugh. (I hate writing those kind of expressions but the situation really does call for it). Enough moping. Well, enough moping going into this letter. I know you want to be a Keeper of the Crowns, and it would be great if you could join with us. But things can get pretty tense at times. Bear that in mind.

So, another story. I have exhausted my material about the Crown of Immortality, so I will share with you my suspicions of what we believe another Crown holds the powers to. 

There was once a drought in the Kingdom of Arrashek. The fields were scorched and the rivers were bare. Livestock were dying and the people were starving. Queen Onte was sad for her country and she knew that something must be done. So she issued a challenge for all who heard it - to guards, to commoners and to mercenaries. And the challenge was this: to find some way to solve the drought problem in Arrashek. Whoever could complete this task would win ten acres of land each. The challenge inspired many, and the kingdom and its neighbouring lands were scoured for ways to bring prosperity back to the Arrashek. 

New agricultural techniques, the art of river diversion and a new crop, khit, that requires little water, were ideas proposed to Queen Onte and she was glad of them all. Arrashek slowly built itself back up from the dust and dirt. And the successful were rewarded with their ten acres. Arrashek was back on its feet. 

But then, one day, a young girl made an appeal to speak with Queen Onte. The girl was fourteen and went by the name Heres. She approached the queen with bare feet and ragged clothing. Her face was dirty and her hair was messy. And yet on top of all this filth and dirt, Heres wore a crown. It was a crown that sparkled in the sun that shone through the glass dome in the ceiling. She curtsied to Queen Onte. “Your gloriousness,” Heres said, “I have come in response to your challenge. I can stop the drought.”

“How?” Queen Onte enquired, interested by the girl’s remark.

“With the click of my fingers, I can summon the rain. With a blink of my eyes I can bring water to the surface. With the stamp of my foot, I can flood the nation,” Heres explained with mysticism.

“You mean to say you can control the water elemental?” Queen Onte asked skeptically.

“Yes.”

“Then make it rain, girl,” the queen ordered, with more than a hint of mockery.

Heres smiled and bowed her head. Queen Onte rose from her throne and moved to beneath the glass dome. Dark clouds were rumbling across the skies. The scorching sun was hidden and a cool, refreshing shadow fell upon the kingdom.

Across the land, the people of Arrashek looked to the skies and cheered. It had been so long since they had seen a cloud, let alone a cloud that filled the sky. 

And then it rained. The dry earth soaked up the water, and the rivers and lakes began to fill up again. Both children and adults alike danced and sang in the rain, joyful for the precipitation. 

In the palace, Queen Onte was staring in amazement as the raindrops splattered against the glass dome. She turned to Heres. “Thank you, girl. Thank you. You have saved our land. How can you do this? Be you a witch or a spirit?”

“I can do this because I wear this Crown.”

“The crown grants you power over the water elemental?”

“It does. Please, your majesty, if you would grant me the ten acres you promised. My family are in dire need of a home.”

“Give me the crown.”

“I cannot.”

“Give it to me and I shall grant you the ten acres.”

“It is a family heirloom, your majesty. I must not be parted. My grandmother would be angry if she discovered I stole it and then allowed it to be taken.”

Queen Onte advanced. Heres ran. The guards stopped her. “If you will not give the Crown to me, then I will take it by force. You cannot come between me and what I desire, girl.” Heres bowed her head.

There was a great noise from Queen Onte’s private rooms from behind the back wall. Queen Onte turned around to look and was faced with her swimming bath water gushing through the door in the shape of a herd of stampeding wildebeest. Then, there was a great shatter as the glass dome above her head broke into a million pieces and a great torrent of water entered the throne room. The water wildebeest surged forward towards the queen and her guards. Queen Onte shrieked as the water engulfed her and knocked her and her guards off their feet.

Across the kingdom, the torrential rain was ceaseless and merciless. Rivers that had been stone dry ten minutes previous were now breaking their banks and flooding the land. The rain came down and floods went up. The khit, that had been growing so well, was ruined as the monsoon over-watered them and flooded their xylems and leaves. The people climbed onto their houses and up the hills to try and save their lives. 

And through all this, Heres protected herself in a bubble, the Crown securely on her head. After an hour of watery chaos, Heres stopped the rain and sent it away. The water receded back into the rivers and lakes and the land was returned. 

Queen Onte’s drowned corpse lay at Heres’ feet. “I am sorry,” Heres said. “But my grandmother would be so very angry if I lost this Crown.” And she walked away.

This story was recorded by the grand-daughter of an old woman who went by the name of Sereh, who I believe to actually be Heres. It is too much of a coincidence that it is her name reversed. Maybe she changed her name to protect herself. After the death of Queen Onte, there was a great hunt instigated by her son, Prince Agica, to find and punish the murderer of the late queen. 

Heres’ ancestral claim to the Crown intrigues me and I have desperately searched the records to try and verify the claim. But I have not been able to. Not that I doubt Heres. It’s just a right pain that I can’t trace her genealogy back to Hunn or one of her children. And there is no mention of Heres having a twin, although it is possible that the hag blood had thinned by her generation.

The thing is, I can’t think of any other way that Heres could get her hands on a Crown. She was a nobody. Her disheveled appearance and humble background pays tribute to this notion. And as families progress through the ages, many lose out of fortune and become nobodies. Heres could be a perfect candidate for being an ancestor of Hunn, bar the vague black holes. 

As for the Crown, it obviously appears to be a Crown that permits the wearer to control all water forces. And, unlike the Crown of Immortality, the Crown can be removed without endangering the wearer’s life. The Crown’s current location is unknown to me. I can only presume that the Crown is still being passed down from generation to generation. Whether the family ever use the Crown is unknown, but it is obviously a very quiet affair, else we’d have heard about it.

I desperately want to journey to Arrashek and do more research, search for more clues, but Morab won’t grant me permission. He says it is too far away and that it is not a necessary trip, so therefore I will not be going to Arrashek any time soon. I don’t know where I’m going to be heading off to next, or what I’m going to be studying. But I will keep you updated, friend.