Yullo, reader or other. I'm having a bit of computer trouble, at the moment, and it seems my autocorrect, and my internet isn't working all the time. I'm lucky I've got minutes to spare to post this. If I made any mistakes throughout the chapter, ignore them, or tell me about them, whichever suits you. Well, here it is, and stuff.

Chapter 2

The Ceremony, the Feast, and the Problem

Jarred glanced out of the carriage they were riding. Did it have to be so cramped? Was his simple attire suitable for a prince? Would it be difficult, living in the castle? Did Anna have to keep waving and smiling like an idiot to the passersby?

Of course, the answer to all of the question's that had flown through Jarred's mind in a second, was no. But that didn't stop the questions from surfacing. The carriage was, in his opinion, a bit overkill. It was carved in rich colored oak, and the seats on the inside were soft and comfortable. On the outside, it was almost too bright to look at, and the brown stallion that pulled it looked in its prime.

Jasmine was grumbling angrily about the overkill decoration as well, to Lief, across from Jarred, who was sighing as he listened. Jarred was on a window side of the carriage, and Endon sat in the middle, who was, for some strange reason, silent.

Or so he thought. Endon quickly started speaking to his father.

"So what are we doing," he asked, "for the ceremony thingy?"

"We went over this more than a dozen times, Endon," Anna complained.

"Well," Lief said. "You were all born in the palace, but didn't stay in it for more than 5 days – we then moved to the forge, because your mother wanted you to appreciate life away from the castle, as well as in it. Since you don't remember ever being inside the palace, when we reach it, there will be a ceremony, where you will each receive a gift, so that it may recognize you. Then afterwards, you all will be introduced to the belt of Deltora, and the day after, visit the graves of legends behind the castle. Then, Barda will show you around, and you can explore, but then you go to sleep. Understood?"

"Okay," Endon said. He then turned to Jarred. "What's the first stunt we're going to pull?"

"Um, something small first," Jarred said. "We don't want to do anything big after yesterday, so how about…" Thoughts crossed through his mind once more, and he found one that appealed to him. "Kitchen raiding."

"True," Endon agreed. "But kitchen raiding? We did that when we were 4."

"Yeah, we did that in mom's kitchen, Not the palace kitchen," Jarred grinned. Not too serious, but still a juicy catch.

The horse's droppings could be scented through the sides of the carriage, an inconvenience. Jarred didn't mind though. It didn't hurt him, so what point was it to worry about it?

The clip clopping of the horses hooves, however, irritated him, his ears. An inconsistent pattern in his neatly organized mind aggravated him greatly.

"Are we almost there, dad?" he asked.

Lief poked his head out the side of the carriage. "I can still see the forge," he said.

Jarred sighed. He still had a long way to go. He recalled the paintings Katrina had shown him the previous day, and then thought of the painting materials in his own trunk. She appeared to paint whatever she saw. He painted according to his mood. He was board, and wished he could paint then and there, but he knew he couldn't.

He had nothing better to do, so he rested his arm on the opening of the carriage, settled his face as comfortably as possible, and slept.

I

"Jarred!"

Jarred's head shot up, and hit the top of something. Damn! The roof of the forge was not that close to his bed, surely.

Wait… today they were supposed to… oh. Oh.

He peeled his eyes open slowly, and found Endon staring at him, his hand on his shoulder, slowly shaking him. He was on the outside of the carriage. "We're here," he said.

Endon sighed, rubbed the forming lump beneath his gray black hair, and climbed from the now empty carriage. The palace lay before him, through the open gates of the wall, that separated it off from the rest of Del.

It was a sight, the sheer size of it overwhelming. And the fact that it would be Jarred's home was astonishing. Atop a lush green hill, the castles stone base alone could have been a fortress, with a heavy and sturdy looking wooden gate, and above it, the castles second floor was just as sturdy, but appeared to be accompanied by regular and stain glass windows, and above that, turrets and overhangs jutted up with no other walls but the ones of their own.

They were not there yet, at the palace, and Endon answered the question before it came from his mouth. "Mom convinced dad that we need to at least walk part of the way, not be lazy, get some fresh air, and away from that horse dung.

Jarred cracked a smile. "Finally. I think my legs need the stretching. It was so cramped in there!"

"Try being me, the middle seated. I feel like that time you dared me to try and fit myself through the blacksmith's, and uncle Barda's."

They began to traverse up the hill, after Anna, and their parents. The horse had been set in the stable at the bottom of the hill, along with the carriage, so they did not have to worry about the scent of poop wafting through the air.

It pleased Jarred that as soon as he was halfway up the hill, enjoying the quiet breeze, and the flower-scented aroma, that a blackbird landed on his shoulder, and the blue streak across its wing told him that it was Aveen.

She tweeted softly in his ear, and Jarred could only listen, but not understand. Jarred ruffled her feathers and she playfully nipped his ear. Then, she flew off, up into one of the turrets.

"I can smell the kitchen already," Endon said excitedly. Surprisingly, from the 100 yards that they were from the palace, Jarred could also smell an abundant amount of food. His mouth watered. He made sure to think of the bountiful raid they'd get, all the way to the wooden gate. When they reached it, the doors opened without question, and Jasmine and Lief made sure that their three children where inside before calling for the guards inside to close the gate.

On the inside, the palace had marble floor, and pillars holding up the second floor, which were decorated with different colored spots. Wait, spots? No, as the gate creaked shut, the spots disappeared, for the outside light no longer reflected upon it. Where the spots originated from, however, didn't. On the roof of the first floor, Jarred saw for the first time, the work of Withick, the greatest artist Deltora had ever seen. He gawked in awe, and saw why he had been given the title. The paintings upon the roof seemed so lifelike, so real, that he almost thought some of them were actual things that he could physically walk into.

There was one of the palace, before its completion, with Raladins working on it, with vigor. Another, was of the forest similar to Katrina's, but… better. Jarred gazed at the scene above him for so long, he actually walked into one of the pillars, and fell back.

Endon laughed, and helped him up. Jarred kept his head down after that, and looked at the paintings on the wall. There were only the heirs of Adin. He looked at them, and read the names beneath; Adin himself, Edward, Elstred, Adina, Brandon, Lucan, Gareth, Lilia, Alton, Endon-

"Hey, it's me!" Endon said, walking toward the painting of the previous king, since the painting after was the last one.

The man there looked like Lief, but his hair was far darker, and he appeared much older. The tip of the beard he had on his chin was wrapped in a gold bind, and his crown was curled in and around his hair.

"He doesn't look like a king," Endon said.

"He does, a lot."

"No, not me, Dad," he said. "Look at it."

Jarred looked at the next painting and was surprised. The person there looked almost exactly like Endon, but older by about 5 or 6 years, and his hair was natural blonde, not a darkened kind like Endon's. His blonde hair was messy and unkempt, and the grin that he and Endon flashed were all but the same.

Truth be told, he did not look like a king, but the robes he wore and the painting he was on countered that thought. Under the painting, the name 'Lief' was there.

"That looks nothing like dad, either," Jarred said. "I imagine when we settle in after a few days, he'll start to look like a king again. Well, not again, but… you know." Then Jarred noticed something in the side of the painting. A crack, but not a crack. It was more… deliberate, he should say. He made to touch it, but was called back.

"Endon, Jarred, hurry, or you'll be left behind. The ceremony will start soon." The twins heeded their fathers call, and hurried after them up the first flight of stairs. The second floor was as pristine as the first, and the beige walls shined slightly in the light of the chandeliers that hung on the roof of the hallway.

"Well," a woman said as she came from down the stairs that lead up to the third floor. "I finally get to see you after all this time," she said, glancing at the three children, then at Jasmine, then to Lief. "You sure took a long while to get here. Sharn is doing her best, but she has grown accustomed to cooking. I think she'll be glad of finally being relieved of queen."

The woman was about the same height as their mother, and they looked vaguely similar. Her hair was as black as Jasmine's, but her face was much paler. She did appear youthful, all the same, and the dark eyes behind the half rim glasses were giving off a warm feeling. She wore a simple brown tunic, along with a skirt that went past her knees.

"Hm, I suppose you don't recognize me," she said, and bent down so she was head level with Jarred and Endon. "I'm your cousin Marilen. Or you could call me your aunt, I suppose. You know, I'm actually not sure…"

"Mother!" Another person came down the stairs hefting at least ten books as he went. This man had what appeared to be a strong build, and was wearing similar clothes to Marilen. As he peered around the tower of books, Jarred caught black straight hair, sharp brown eyes, and pale skin.

"Where do I put these?"

"What are they?" Marilen asked.

"Um, they're… the one about the caves?"

"Harriet's Tunnel Tales, put them in the adventure section of children's books, Josef."

"Hello, Lief, Jasmine, kids," Josef grunted, climbing back up the stairs.

"Anyway," Marilen said. "Lief. Ranesh has been looking for you."

Lief cocked his head. "Why?"

"He had to get you ready for the ceremony later today, prepare and arrange it. You have to let him dress you."

"I can do that," Lief complained, "I've been doing it for fifteen years."

"Well, do you have any clothes ready for the occasion?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Do you even know what to wear for this kind of thing?"

"No," Lief groaned. "I'll go find Ranesh." Lief trudged away.

"Jasmine," Marilen then said. "I need a ladies eye on the two of them. Could you?"

Jasmine grinned mischievously. "Just like the good old days," she said. "Watch the kids?"

"Oh, I need to get them to their rooms anyways."

The queen hurried after Lief, leaving the three with Marilen. "Who's Ranesh?" Endon asked.

"Oh, the royal advisor, and my husband I might add," she said with a wink.

"You're the librarian, right?" Jarred said. "I've read the Tales of Deltora, and you're in them. You used to be the heir to the throne if dad died, right?"

"Used to be," Marilen said. "Glad I'm not, though. That'll be Anna's responsibility now."

"Looking forward to it," Anna said.

"Anyway, let's show you each to your rooms," Marilen said. She led them down the opposite direction their parents had taken, and were lead down different hallways, so many, that if Marilen wasn't leading them, they would have gotten lost a long time ago. Finally, they reached the rooms, which were ironically side-by-side. However, there were only two. The first door, on the inside was grand, and open spaced.
"Jarred, Endon, you guys don't mind sharing a room, do you?"
"This is a room for just two people?" Endon gawked. It was a large room, the walls painted a smooth blue. The two beds that were across from each other, and to the east and west sides of the room were large, with a headboard at least 5 and a half feet high. The beds were made, and looked soft and marshmallow-y. Sunlight shafted through the two windows at the back of the room.

The rest of the room was empty, ready for decoration.

"No," Endon and Jarred said at the same time.

I

Jarred finally fell on his back, squeezing the mattress beneath him. The bed still bucked up and down from the bouncing he had been doing for the past half hour.

"This will be the good life," he said, sighing deeply. The bed seemed to curl around his form, cushioning him, and enveloping him in warm softness.

"Yep," Endon agreed. He had not had his fill of high bouncing. Jarred and Endon hadn't even started unpacking, even though they had been instructed to. Jarred didn't know how long it would be until the ceremony started, but Marilen had said to get comfortable. Worrying about a ceremony wouldn't do so.

So, he clambered off the bed, and opened his trunk. The first thing he pulled out was his folded easel, his brushes, his paints, and a sheet of paper. His mind was calm, and lucid. He was in a freestyle state, and so he took his brush, picked a random color – yellow – closed his eyes, and began to paint.

His mind was telling him, swirls. Smooth, but solid swirls, that fit into his emotions, and that's what he did. He sat there, on the floor, painting with his eyes closed, dipping back into the yellow, or another color, and painting with his sense of touch, not his sight.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and opened his eyes. Endon was looking at the painting.

"What is it?"

"What do you think it is," Jarred asked sincerely.

"The sun, turning into a river."

It was true, that was what it looked like. The yellow he had started with had swirled in the top left of the page, and was accompanied by an orange and stray green, that accented its tips. Then, blues and light purples came out of those swirls, looking amazing, while still leaving most of the page blank.

"I don't get how you do that," Endon said, amazed. "Did you paint with your eyes closed again?" Jarred simply nodded.

"Amazing what you can do without seeing."

Jarred jumped forward, crashing into the easel, and sendind the painting toppling. His elbow and part of his forearm smudged the paint, but it didn't do it so much as to ruin it.

Jarred turned to see a man, lying across his bed, and leaning to face him. His hair was gray, and a long scar accented his cheek. His eyes were a deep brown, his skin tanned. He smiled warmly when he saw the surprise on Jarred and Endon's face.

"Grandpa, at least make some noise when you come to see us. You scare us half to death every time!" Endon groaned. "We never know you're there till you say something behind us."

"Hello to you too, Endon. How are you Jarred. Well?"

"Well enough," Jarred said, sighing with relief.

"As for surprising you, it's habit. Sorry though."

"What are you even doing here," Jarred asked. "I thought mother said you were out traveling."

"I was, and still am," Doom responded. "I just happen to be traveling back here. Don't think I won't be missing out on this ceremony."

Jarred smiled. "Are you giving us any gifts?"

"Each of you gets one gift, from a selected person. I just happen to be giving you a gift, Jarred."

"What is it?" Jarred asked.

"You'll see," Doom smiled.

"Who's giving me my gift?" Endon asked.

"You're grandmother, I believe," Doom said. He stood from the bed. "I had no idea you were so adept at painting, Jarred."

Jarred grinned. "It's a hobby."

"So, what is it that you'll be taking from the kitchen?"

"How do you know about that?" Jarred asked.

"Apparently, you two are quite the idiotic trouble makers. If I were you that is the first thing I'd do."

"Hm," Endon said. "I think we'll see when we get there, won't we?"

"Speaking of trouble, your mother sent me to make sure you weren't causing any. And to get you dressed for the ceremony."

"Like we didn't see that coming," Jarred said.

I

They were walking down an aisle, in a chapel, in a straight line, Anna in front, Jarred following, and then Endon. It was awkward, them all holding white little piece of cloth, and keeping their eyes forward, while everyone else's were on them.

They stopped at the edge of the alter, Anna pausing before climbing to the top, and turning to the people watching them intently.

Jarred felt unbearably uncomfortable in the robe he had been forced to were, that made him seem like royalty. He liked the intent, but disliked the outcome. He stood to the left of Anna, while Endon stood to the right, looking just as, or more so, tense.

A man with long and forcibly straightened black hair walked up and stood behind them. Jarred noticed he resembled Josef, and assumed this was the royal advisor, Ranesh.

"We are gathered here today," he began, and Jarred felt the sick feeling as if he were in a wedding, "to welcome the children of king Lief, and Queen Jasmine, the heirs to Adin, into the castle. The were brought up, like our king, in the forge that belonged to former king Endon, and have entered today, to live and grow up, for days to come, in the castle walls. Give a welcoming hand, to Princes Endon and Jarred, and Princess Anna."

The crowd clapped warmly, and from the corner of his eye, Jarred saw Endon scowl, most likely at the fact he'd been called 'Prince Endon.' Jarred also would have, but he wanted to be more polite.

Ranesh went on to make a speech about the trouble the Shadow Lord had caused Deltora, the obstacles that they'd over come, and how the royal family would thrive, and that if Deltora had a strong leader, Deltora would be a strong people. As he finished, the crowd that had assembled clapped heartily.

"Now, with a great honor, I say that we shall award the heirs of Adin, with gifts. First, let us award Princess Anna."

Someone immediately rose from the crowd, and at first, Jarred thought it was a giant. But it was simply Lindal, who had something cupped in her hands, hidden from view. Jarred saw, that where she had been sitting, Rodan, Abby, Alex, Barry, Luke, and Katrina were also sitting. As his eyes scanned the rest of the crowd, at the entrance to the chapel, he saw Barda guarding the doors, along with another guard, who was smiling warmly.

Lindal knelt before Anna, and awarded her a bracelet, which had gold, silver, and wood, intertwining into one single coil. "I Give you, Princess Anna, a bracelet I have hand crafted, that will bring you luck throughout your life, as long as you where it."

More clapping was what Jarred absentmindedly heard. His eyes were focused as Lindal placed the bracelet on the cloth Anna held, and headed back to her seat.

"Now, Prince Jarred," Ranesh said. From the chapel doors, Doom entered, holding something in his hand, and walking with a determined look on his face. He knelt before Jarred, who was not at all comfortable with what was happening.

"I give you, Prince Jarred, the dagger I have crafted, and used, for most of my life since the time I have left Del, in place of King Endon. Use it well, and wisely." A rather large dagger was placed in the cloth, with a red hilt. The blade was rather long, but still short enough to be called a dagger, and not a short sword. He tested it on his finger. Sharp, and thin.

Doom returned, to take a seat at the front of the chapel.

"And finally, Prince Endon." Again, Endon scowled when his name and prince were simply a space away from each other. Sharn stood from the seating, traversed up to the altar, and knelt before Endon. "I give you, Prince Endon, this." She carefully placed something in Endon's cloth, and closed his hands over it, hiding it from view. "It shall bring you protection when need be, and will warm you when cold. Use it carefully. Before leaving, she stood, and whispered something in Endon's ear. His eyes widened, Sharn smiled, and she walked back to the seating.

Jarred's mind burned with curiosity as Endon gripped his gift tightly. Ranesh clapped his hands together with a toothy smile.

"It is now time, for us to introduce, the belt of Deltora to Princess Anna, our future queen." Jarred could not resist to turn back to where his father sat, and watched him rise from his seat.

He stepped to the bottom of the alter, and removed the brown leather belt that was around his waist. Jarred watched as he took one end, and reached into the pocket that it was. He slowly pulled out a shining chain belt, holding seven glinting gems, and laid it across both hands.

Jarred's skin tingled at the mere sight of the belt, and he recognized each; The Amethyst, the Ruby, the Opal, the Topaz, the Lapis Lazuli, the Emerald, and the Diamond.

Lief held it before Anna, who gazed proudly at it. She whispered something, and placed her hand upon it, despite the pressing silence.

Without warning, all of the gems glowed to a bright state, making the lights overhead seem extremely dim. Jarred almost averted his eyes, but decided he did not want to miss a moment. The gems then receded back to their regular state.

All except for two, who went far past that. The ruby, and the Emerald were pale. Unnaturally pale. Jarred tried to recall what that meant, as Ranesh said, "The belt recognizes our future queen. Let her hand guide us to fortune!" Applause broke out, and Lief slipped the belt back into the pocket belt, that of which he slipped back over his waist.

"Now, let us go to the banquet hall, where we may enjoy a celebratory feast!" Ranesh said, with a smile.

I

Jarred could not believe his mouth, when he bit into the food that was served to him, at the head of the banquet hall where he, Endon, Anna, Lief, Jasmine, Doom, and Sharn sat. The meat was unbelievably juicy, and tasty, along with the potatoes, and warm lush bread that was served with it.

"Are you enjoying your food?" Jasmine asked, leaning down beside him.

"The fruits a bit dryer then what I'm used to," Jarred commented, "But otherwise, it's really good."

"I'm glad to hear," Jasmine said. "I'm not sure if you'll like it here, at the castle, but you'll have plenty of adventures, and I hope, a good birthday," She said.

"Oh, I almost forgot today was my birthday," Jarred said. He would have continued speaking, but paused instead, as a thin boy, around the age of 16, ran up to the table. Jarred glanced at him as he began to speak quickly with Lief, who was on the other side of Jasmine.

"King Lief," the boy said. "I was sent by Doom. We have a problem."

"Yes, Amilo?" Lief said.

"Um, we've been looking into the request you made, and have found nothing so far," Amilo said. "But we've received messages around Deltora. The livestock we're raking in has risen beyond levels we never thought they would."

"Is this not good news?" Lief asked.

"Yes, but the dragon numbers have recently been increasing. The livestock numbers should slowly be diminishing until we have a defined population number, which we do not have quite yet."

"Strange," Lief agreed. "I shall look into it myself, after the banquet."

"Of course," Amilo said. He quickly scampered back the way he came.

"What is happening?" Lief wondered aloud. Jarred wondered the same thing. He carefully gripped the dagger he had sheathed at his side, the sheath and belt something else grandfather had given him.

He turned to Endon, who was eating hungrily. "What did you get?" Jarred asked. "I mean, uh, what was your gift?"

Endon lifted his head slowly. "I'll tell you when we start our raid."

Jarred was not the one for waiting, unless he had something to do. Apparently, something was weird around Deltora, something that he himself could not look into. He usually would not worry about it, but he was now, officially, a prince. He could not assess the variables when he'd only been in the castle a couple of hours. And his brother had some secret… thing, that he wouldn't talk about. He had many choices to pick from, but so many seemed insufficient, or dangerous.

He simply decided to munch on the fruit he had complained about just a moment ago.

Hey again. Um, I actually have to make things a bit clearer. Um, the work, and the story line, the description, all comes from reading all the time. I'm just 13. So, again, don't mind the mistakes in the story. Speaking of mistakes, I'm actually looking for a Beta. If anyone has the time and the talent, type a review, and add an email. I've had a couple of reviews so far, and someone offered to beta, but his email got cut out. I'll check if it's something with my computer, or the account itself, and if it still happens, I'll give you my email.

Okay… um, now that I've gotten that across, I want to say, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you are, leave a review, favorite, follow, any of that, too. Thanks for reading,

Dragnov.