Chronicles of Noa Genesis: The Winged Tale
Chapter 4 - The Lives We Had
King Desta turned out to be good friends with the Ringmaster, and welcomed the circus troupe onto the castle grounds personally with open arms. And as soon as he and the Ringmaster had the chance to, they embraced each other with an air of joy and friendship.
While the rest of the troupe set up their gears in their usual granted place in the castle hills, the Ringmaster and the King wandered away to have a chance to talk amongst themselves.
"It's been a long time, old friend! Eight years to be exact!" the king laughed softly. He had a short pointed beard and a curly mustache. He also had a kingly air around him filled with authority and wisdom. But in his eyes were of a good kind all the same. "I see you've grown a little round over the years, eh?"
"I guess you're right," the old potbelly acknowledged the fact with a pat on his round stomach. "But I guess that can't be helped, can it?"
The two laughed together as they strolled through King Desta's royal garden. It was early Noon, and the garden was refreshed with a delicate brush of wind.
"So how good has life been to you beyond these walls, Holtz?" the king asked as they stopped at a mini waterfall that had it's own little pond in one corner of the garden. Holtz was the Ringmaster's real name, and to hear it again from an old friend made the Ringmaster truly feel at home now. "Everything must be different in all those places you've gone..."
The Ringmaster, for a second, looked slightly older than his natural age.
"Aye, life's been difficult, traveling around the vast countryside....entertaining the people wherever we go. Yes, it was hard..." he said, but suddenly heaved a great, reminiscing sigh. "But, oh, the wonders we've seen, Desta...the wonders..."
King Desta was quiet, staring deeply into the pond's surface. He looked content, but it was hard to read the rest of his expression. However, the Ringmaster knew his friend for too long, and knew exactly what the king was thinking.
"I envy you, Holtz."
The words came out, sad and filled with longing. And the king closed his eyes and reveled in the past that he could never experience again.
"The adventures we had, Holtz." he said again, quietly. Uneasily, the Ringmaster looked to the side of his old traveling companion.
A long time ago, they were just a couple of young warriors, traveling around the Seven Countries without a care in the world about where they went or how they got there...
It was until after Desta's father died did they have to end their long years of the peace and tranquility only the countryside could offer them.
It was truly a wonderful life they had.
"Of course..." the Ringmaster began, lowering his head respectfully. "You did marry Lilah. As I recall, you called her your 'diamond amongst the pearls'...and she still is, isn't she?"
There was a short pause before the King suddenly snorted. The Ringmaster grinned, and the two shared a laugh.
"Lilah, for all the years we've knew her, hasn't changed a bit..." Desta said with an unrelenting grin on the talk of his wife. He wiped a tear from his eye. "And you two always did argue. As I remember, it was quite a lot."
"All the more reason to snap wits against her again. I haven't had a good argue in eight years, and I'm wondering what Lilah, Finello's Great Ambassador of Peace, can do against her old friend, the Ringmaster."
"You and your circus family." Desta sighed, grinning. He put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "It's great to have you all home again."
"Likewise, old friend." the Ringmaster replied, but then lost his smile with wonder in its place. "By the way, Desta. This year is your son's eighth birthday isn't it?"
The King grinned and nodded. "That's right. This will be the first time you meet my son, Theo." He seemed proud of his son's name. And he wrapped an arm around Holtz's shoulders.
"And out of all the birthday's he has had in all these seven years, his eighth birthday will be the greatest now that his godfather is here..."
The Ringmaster nodded at the acknowledgement of being the Prince's godparent.
"Then let's see to it that he will have the best birthday ever this year..." he said, but then frowned, troubled. Merry music sounded from the circus caravans as they drew closer to it.
It brought back his thoughts about the figure encased in ice at the back of their caravan.
"However, there is something is need to ask your help upon, Desta..."
---
That evening, the sky and the setting sun blended in the gentle hues of purple, red, orange and gold. The King was escorted towards the caravans. A fine line of tents were already set up along the lush, grasslands of the castle park area, and all the circus residents were almost about ready for a good night's rest under the stars.
And since it was a pure, cloudless night, they wouldn't have trouble seeing those twinkling dazzles in the sky.
Mason, however was busy keeping guard over a specific tent and grew to well awareness when the King and the Ringmaster drew near.
"Mason. So, you and your daughter decided to stay the night here as well?" the Ringmaster asked, smiling. Mason was a good man. And like her father, Lorelai was probably concerned about the block of ice with the "baby" trapped inside too.
"Aye, sir. Our home isn't exactly going to be familiar to Lorelai anymore. I feel that out here is where she feels safer."
"Here. Here." the King chuckled, shaking hands with the caretaker. "Just be sure to keep an eye out on certain unwanted guests, eh?"
"But of course," Mason puffed out his chest bravely. "I'd do anything to keep my little girl safe, along with the rest of our circus family. I've even learned to keep an eye open as I sleep."
"It's one of his many talents in case people decide to stow away." the Ringmaster laughed softly, but did not lose sight over the task currently ahead of them. "Anyways, Mason. I need to show the King our discovery. This way, the Sage can be summoned at a hastier pace to assist us with it."
"Oh, yes. Of course." Mason moved aside from the tent's entrance, allowing the Ringmaster inside followed by King Desta.
After several moment of silence, the King's voice spoke first.
"What is that…?" He came close to the ice, touching the cold surface and pulling his hand away to watch a drop of water travel down his palm. The small body inside the block was overshadowed and hard to see save for the bird shaped wings sticking out of two places.
The Ringmaster sighed, belated. "We're unsure ourselves." He stood now at the king's side. "Little Lorelai has been calling it, "Rayvan" and has claimed it as being an angel the first time she saw it."
He paused to take a breath. "But it's hard to tell how she could see all that. A month of looking at it, but we've seen no change. And the ice has been melting the whole trip here…"
"But it's not melting fast enough to find out what it truly is." the King added in, slightly unfocused on the conversation. His companion nodded.
"We decided to take it here, for the Sage of Finello to examine. Safrilla..." The Ringmaster paused, running the words of his Gypsy friend several times in his mine. "Safrilla told us that this thing inside the ice is an ancient being of some sort. It's come to our world to do something..."
"And that something would be...?" Desta asked, a little tense. For all he knew, the tiny thing could be an egg, and once released it could cause devastation and havoc upon his precious Country. The Ringmaster gave another sigh.
"We're not sure. Safrilla was not able to see further than what she's seen already."
The King peeked at the Ringmaster from the corner of his eyes. He was a little skeptic with the answer, but he trusted his friend Holtz with his life. Never once did they let each other down.
"Alright." he returned his attention to the ice block. "I'll see what I can do, old friend. If we really do want to see what's inside this hunk of ice, I'll summon forth the Royal Sage immediately."
"I knew you'd say that." The Ringmaster was smiling. The King felt it even though his back was to him, and he couldn't help but smile himself.
"The years of adventure leave me bored with this life, Holtz. It's good to see something new around here."
The Ringmaster chuckled, but felt a little nervous inside. He went to the King's side and pressed one hand against the frozen surface. "Let's just hope that what is revived out of this thing is worth the risk of that fun, old friend."
"Hope isn't necessary." came a hard voice behind them, and the two men twisted around to face the entrance to the tent. Something must have happened to Mason, because standing in the tent's entryway stood a tall, lean figure heavily draped in dark brown clothing. A long hood was pulled over, covering most of his face in shadow.
The Ringmaster lifted his cane and stepped in front of the King, glowering at the sudden stranger. "Speak! Who are you?"
"Holtz, wait!" King Desta sounded urgent, but he was looking at the cloaked figure as if he recognized him. The uncanny figure lifted one arm, taking hold of the hood and pulling it back to reveal the face of a very young man. He had dark brown locks and estranged golden eyes.
The Ringmaster lowered his cane and stood open mouthed.
"The Sage of Finello..."