Chapter Fourteen
Ralis Returns

It was late afternoon, seven days after Rael's meeting with the Queen, when the shouts first echoed around the outer court of the fortress grounds, and the bells began to ring from the wall towers. "Make way in the city!" rang the cries of watchmen, "Our brothers have returned!"

This diverted all attention at the academy away from Sergeant Jaker, as the lines of one on one duels came to a standstill, and heads turned to peer up the hill to see if they could see anything coming over the opposite rise. "Do any of you maggots think the watchmen have something more important than me to say?" Every body jumped to attention, as Jaker stalked along the rows striking some of the students – older than twenty years of age! – with a hard cane. By the gods, at least he wasn't using his sword. "Get back to work, or I'll have you out here all night!"

Grudgingly, Rael squared up to Joal once more, and brought his wooden sword up to stance. Joal was holding a wooden sword in each hand, and still he had no edge over Rael. Jaker had insisted that Rael be pushed, but Joal had so far not been able to much as strike him. This Natural Sword ability was frightening Rael, how was he so able with the blade?

"Make way for Captain Destan!" shouted the echoing calls of the gate guard atop the hill. Alert General Dragan!"

"Captain Destan?" said Rael to Joal, "Is that what I just heard? Destan has arrived in Hylia?"

"Aye," said Joal, "now come on, I'm going to land a blow on you if it takes me until winter.

Rael lowered his sword, and peered up past the academy buildings to the fortress. "Captain Destan is governor of Baradale, or as good as, I've met him before. Baradale must have fallen…"

"To the Kairin? No, surely not, he'll just be bringing a victory report to Dragan in person. You know what they are like, no doubt he wants promotion to Colonel here in the city."

"No, I don't think so," Rael dropped his sword in the dusty ground and began to walk away. Only one thought was on his mind now. Ralis. "Tell Jaker my brother has returned if he asks. I'll take my punishment for running willingly, but I have to go now." Rael picked up his heels and began to jog away from the training court. Daran and Tabett gave him a sideways glace as he hurried past them, and made his way up the cobblestone path.

Soon he was running under the archways beneath the Tower of the Marshal and into the wide court between the Fortress and the Palace. The scene that he found made his heart sink deep into his stomach. Truly, it was not a victorious return from the South. Instead, a rolling column of armed men with haggard faces rode up through the gates on horseback, slumped in their saddles, weary and tired.

Many had bandages around arms, or across faces. Scarred, wounded, bleeding… dusty from days in the saddle.

As he stood there, watching the terrible sight of Hylia's army returning, the sky darkened. Thunder clapped in the sky. And then Rael saw him, on a stretcher between two horses, and for a moment he thought his worst fear had been realised. "Ralis!" he ran over and jogged alongside his brother's makeshift stretcher. His brother's eyes were shut, and his skin pale. He wore a rough brown coat and the remnants of a suit of armour. He had been in battle. But his slowly rising and falling chest showed he was still breathing, for which Rael was instantly grateful.

"What happened to him?" Rael demanded to the soldiers who's horses bore the stretcher.

One man looked down at him, and from sorrow in his eyes Rael knew this man had seen terrible horrors. His voice was slow, mournful and distant, "We didn't even know he wasn't a soldier. Kept to himself. He fought with the heart of a fierce warrior…"

"What happened to him!" said Rael again, louder, "Is he going to be all right?"

"We were the spearhead of the assault on Taran Kaey. It was heavily fortified… We took control of the town for a while, before the Kairin regrouped and took it back," he sighed wearily, "In our flight we found him, fallen and un-helmeted, laying on the body of another man."

The words washed over Rael like the rain, "Is he going to live! Burn you!"

The soldier bowed his head, "I do not know…"

Rael stroked his brother's forehead, willing his eyes to open, to hear the sound of his voice. "Ralis, I'm here. Can you hear me Ralis?" He clutched his brother's hand and held it tightly. "Don't leave me alone brother, wake up, please."

Ralis twitched slightly, and with a heavy convulsion of his chest he coughed loudly. "…Rael… my brother… I found him, Rael. I found him… oh, Rael… where are you…"

"Ralis, I'm here! Can you hear me?" Ralis said nothing more, and just lay quietly. "Ralis? Soldier, he needs a doctor!"

"Him and a hundred others…" muttered the soldier grumpily.

"But, he- Well- The Queen wants to talk to him as soon as possible!"

"Aye, the Queen, certainly young master."

"Oh, burn your eyes!" cursed Rael.

……

"Oh my poor sweet Ralis," said Mara, holding her husband's head in her hands and burying her head in his chest, "I love you, Ralis, I love you, oh please wake up! By the gods I love you my most dear and precious Ralis, please open your eyes…"

There was an eerie stillness in the cold bedchamber. Rain patted against the pane, and thunder pealed loudly, echoing through the palace, but within these four walls there was such a sense of chilled quiet. As though Death waited outside the door. Mara kneeled by Ralis' bedside, weeping softly for him. Rael stood across from her, still and hollow. For so long he had wanted his brother to come back, but to return like this… he almost wished he hadn't. Almost.

Eventually, after much effort, Rael had got a priority medical check. He had to hassle Lieutenant Shaef until the man was on the brink of needing medical attention himself, but he gave his attention to him eventually, and had ordered that Ralis be seen to immediately. To his further concern, Ralis had been given a clean bill of health. He was apparently completely healthy, and was merely sleeping. But Rael had never heard of a sleep so deep as this. And he had turned so deathly pale.

Daran stood close by, expressionless and equally pale. Ralis was an old friend of Daran's too and so was deeply concerned, though for Rael and Mara's sake more than anything. The long pale streaks that ran the length of his hair, white mixed in amongst gold, were ever more prominent. It was a month since it first started happening, and now there was a heavy concentration of white. Daran himself had finally admitted there was something strange about it, but did not let himself become to bothered by it.

Rael had not talked to him about what Zelda said. He did not care who she was, Queen or otherwise, she could not possibly be Daran's true mother. It was just too crazy. There was simply no way it could be true. Rael frowned, for every time he denied in his mind he heard an echo in his head 'could it be true'? Burn her but it wasn't true.

Tabett and Elane stood across the room, by the window. True they were concerned for Ralis' well being, but they knew to let his closer friends and family have some space. "He was found like this in Taran Kaey," Rael muttered softly, "he hasn't woken up since."

"What happened, Ralis?" Mara whispered, "Where did everything go so wrong…?" She looked up at Rael, and smiled weakly, "He'll get through this. I think it would be best if we let him rest. Would you mind?"

Rael nodded, taking the hint. He turned to Daran and nodded to Tabett and Elane. They understood. Quietly and swiftly, they left the room, leaving Mara alone with Ralis.

Once outside they remained in silence for a while, for none of them were sure what to say. There was quiet sadness in the eyes of his fiends, but none too afraid that everything would not be all right in the end. The silence was broken by heavy footsteps. At the end of the long corridor a party of soldiers emerged, moving with intent towards them. At their head was Sergeant Vern, a tall man with thick eyebrows and narrow blue eyes, with a moustache and beard that covered a lot of his face. His escort of four soldiers held their spears by their side firmly and they stood sharply at attention when Vern came to a halt in front of Rael.

"Rael al'Resh?" he said, gruffly.

Rael nodded, "Sir."

"You are to come with me, immediately." Rael sighed and nodded. He had had quite enough of being summoned around the palace like a dog, but he had no choice but to oblige. "Hurry lad, this is important."

The Sergeant turned on his heel and swept away with Rael and the soldiers in his wake. Muttering to himself about doing servant's work, Vern made quick pace through the halls of the guest wing of the palace. A few minutes later, they were making their way down the large deep steps down into the grand hall, and into more corridors that tunnelled underneath the steps into the lower depths of the palace. Rael had trod these paths once before, they led out into the gardens at the back of the palace, lower down the hill.

But they did not some out into the gardens, instead they diverted into a very brightly lit corridor with a tall high ceiling and large windows along on wall. There was such a buzz and commotion down there, with all number of soldiers and servants alike crowding around a large door at the far side. What was going on here? So many people, all talking loudly and whispering rumours around about what was going on. "Make way!" shouted Sergeant Vern loudly, and the soldiers began diverting a path through the throng. "Stay with me, master Rael," he said to Rael briskly.

"What is going on? What do you want me for?"

"Still your tongue young one, I am but a messenger."

Vern knocked loudly on the door in a specific pattern, and there was a shuffling and unbolting of locks beyond it. The door opened quickly to admit them, and they slipped inside, Vern's guard remaining outside.

He took a moment to compose himself, not at all happy about having been shuffled through that rabble, and straightened his jacket. On this side of the door, Rael found himself looking around at a large square room with very high walls and an arching ceiling. It seemed like some sort of secular chamber. Light shone down from windows high up at the top of the walls, and torches hung on brackets all around, illuminating the faces of many ornately dressed men and women.

Nobles and high ranking soldiers, all gathered together around a table. Some peering down upon what they saw with disgust, others bewilderment, and some stood alone by the wall in shock. "Sergeant Vern…"

"Ah, Rael…" said a familiar voice. Queen Zelda emerged from the gathering, her pale green dress swaying lightly around her as she paced across the room. Rael dropped into a quick bow, sweeping his arm across his body. "Thank you for coming, I hope Vern was not too forceful."

Vern muttered a quick, "Your majesty," and began to leave.

"Not at all, your majesty," Rael said rising, and giving Vern a narrow look as the officer stalked away and took up guard beside the door.

Zelda looked over her shoulder to the gathering of nobles and soldiers. They all seemed to be murmuring in agreement about something, and at the same time disputing something else. What, Rael did not know.

The Queen sighed, and looked at the ground, seemingly at a loss for words. For the first time, Rael realised that he was actually the taller of the two of them, if only slightly; she seemed so stripped of her usual powerful presence now. "What is going on, your majesty?"

"Rael, I… I am happy to hear Ralis has returned safely. Safely enough, at least. I have heard he will recover."

"Don't worry, you'll be able to put him to the question soon enough, your majesty," said Rael, perhaps a little to harshly than was proper. Zelda did not notice.

"It seems I may not need to now, Rael," she said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I regret… I must ask you to come over here and take a look at what I summoned you to see."

Not expecting a response, Zelda guided him across the room to the gathering. His heart thudded in his chest, and he could hear the sound of his own loud breathing. As they approached, the assortment of brightly clad men and women gave way to let them both through. A stone table was the first thing he saw. Then a pair of boots, and then the figure of a man laying upon it. Then a face.

"No…" he whispered, then again louder and louder, "no…no, no, no… No!" He flung himself upon the body and pressed his ear to the man's chest. Nothing. His father's dead white face gazed up at the ceiling, lifeless and cold. "Da! Burn the earth, no! This isn't happening!" He clutched at the dead man's body, "No! Damn it all, no!" He felt Zelda's grip on his shoulder tighten, and he flung her arm away, knocking her to the ground.

Six swords were suddenly at his neck, and screams filled the room. Zelda shouted out to leave him alone, but the guards did not back down.

"Get away from me!" he yelled, smashing the face of a soldier, and seizing his weapon in the blink of an eye, he dropped to ground, and tripped two more soldiers, emerging with his acquired sword to face the remaining three. "You killed him, you all killed him, burn your eyes!"

"Rael, stop this at once!" screamed Zelda.

Everything went still, and then he dropped the weapon, and fell to his knees. Tears welled in his eyes, but he suppressed them as best he could. Turning to face the table again, and laying his hands on his father's head. "Oh, Da… why…?"

He now noticed the gaping sword wound in the chest, where skin had been brutally cut open. Ralis' few words slid into place in his head, 'found him Rael', in Taran Kaey… His father had died on the night of the raid. All these weeks of hoping and praying, and now… "Da…" he sobbed.

"So," said a cool, stern male voice, from across the room, "this is the son of General Brash al'Aals. This Natural Sword that I have heard so much about."

Rael turned his head to look across the room. A tall man stood beside Zelda, who was on her feet again. The man was dressed in Hylian plate mail, decorated like a high officer, but wore a jet black cape about his shoulders with a hood that in this light covered all but his pale cheeks and mouth. He didn't care who he was, but if this talk was going to start again he had to get out of here. "Burn you all! I cannot see this any more!" he yelled, and paced across the room furiously to the door. He ripped it open and was swallowed into the crowd outside.

……

Zelda watched Rael study his father with deep concern. He would find out the truth about his father soon enough, but now was not the time. 'Resh al'Shael' was truly Brash al'Aals, and Rael had just confirmed this by his reaction at seeing the old Hylian General. Now many things made sense to her at last, but so man questions still remained unanswered. She wished she knew more.

"So," said Marshal Ivarl al'Arantos, in his cool, stern tone, "this is the son of General Brash al'Aals. This Natural Sword that I have heard so much about."

Young Rael now stood up and shouted something at her, but she did not hear his words. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind himself.

"Yes, Ivarl it seems so," said Zelda meekly, from her place at his side. She had to go and comfort Rael, the boy needed looking after now. By the gods, he had just seen his dead father.

"Brash al'Aals, a master in the art the sword. Now all but gone from this world. Another life lost pitifully." Ivarl turned to look at her, peering out from under his hood with his cold, unforgiving eyes.

"Ivarl, please…"

"That's Marshal Ivarl, to you, my lady." Ivarl looked away and gazed at the dead man's body, "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, trying to regain at least some of her composure, "but it is not time…"

"Of course it isn't time," he snapped, twisting to face her once more, "there is much that must be researched yet, and prepared. I cannot linger here long, so listen well." Zelda nodded, and hoped he didn't noticed the bead of sweat trickling down from her forehead. "First, you know you must talk to Rael al'Brash, don't you? Yes, good. And then you must question this Ralis, his… brother."

"Yes, of course Marshal," she replied, and listened as he told her the rest of his plans. How the man expected her to remain mentally stable whilst doing all this she could not imagine, but she knew that she must obey him.

……

"Rael?" came a soft voice from his bedchamber doorway. His head was buried in his sheets, his eyes raw from tears, but he knelt up and looked in Elane's direction. "Oh, Rael are you crying about Ralis?" She moved swiftly over the tiles, her raven black hair swaying gently over her shoulders.

Rael shook his head and, swivelled round to sit down properly on the edge of the four-post bed, and Elane sat beside him. "Its all right to feel like this you know," she said, and sighed, wrapping her arms around him.

"Its not that," he whispered into her hear, returning the embrace. "Ralis found my Da in Taran Kaey. He's, dead.

She gasped, breaking away, "Oh, Rael. Oh light is this why Ralis is in shock or something? Oh, Rael I'm so sorry." She hugged him again.

"Zelda showed me the body," he muttered, as though only half-aware of her presence.

"That's horrible!" she exclaimed, "I'm going to go and set that Queen straight, you know, she's been treating you horribly."

"Oh no, she hasn't its just… Hey, what's that?" he asked, trying to change the subject. His eyes had fallen upon a gold chain around Elane's neck, with something bright hanging from it.

"This?" she asked, taking it in her fingers. It was a bright purple gemstone, ornately carved in an S shape, like a snake, with gleaming emerald eyes. "It belonged to my mother. It's made of amethyst, you know, very valuable. Father said it was an heirloom of her family. I wouldn't know, I never knew her." She settled her eyes on him and took on a motherly tone, "Rael, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes," he said, wearily, "just stay here…please…"

"Alright, if that's what you want," she said softly, stroking his hair.

Darkness was settling outside, twilight lay over the city. Rael sighed deeply, and drifted away into sleep.