Alderia was an interesting place across the Continent. It had the standard four seasons, a temperate climate, but Alderia stood out for its hot climate, jungle and the wildlife that inhabited the area. A completely different geographical zone located two to three days from the Misty Mountains range.
Robert, as instructed by Rheus, went there to, as his master claimed, meet Prince Philip, the heir to the throne, who was allegedly gathering the forces of his rebel movement there.
-They will be secured so it is important that you wear neutral colours,‖ Rheus assured him.
Living with a former knight was an interesting lesson for Robert. Rheus taught him not so much swordsmanship, because he knew that, but things he did not know about himself. Old Donyell, when he handed him over to Matir, assured him that the youngster had hidden potential, a secret Force that filled him and he could learn to use it to help people. Five years of training under Matir taught him patience, calmness and trust in the Force.
However, he still had something of the narcissist in him that he was under Donyell.
-You have too much pride, Robert,‖ Rheus often said, -you do things faster than you think. I once had a pupil who was similarly blinded by his own abilities.
-Maybe this pupil, simply had enough of your bullshit. Maybe it was you who taught him badly that he went his own way!-he burnt out once during a particularly hot day in the desert of Exelos.
After these words, Rheus did not speak to him for two days, until Robert himself apologised to him.
Matir had a past behind him that he did not talk about. A secret apprentice, an exile or just a skill in the Force. One day he decided that they would go to the Continent to help the "rightful heir to the throne". And so he found himself, alone in the jungles of Alderia. Dressed in a neutral shirt, gloved with a sword from the valrum, he roamed the thickets paving his way with a saxa - a smaller blade than a sword, but larger than a dagger. Eventually, he sensed he was not alone and allowed himself to be caught by the masked figures, who threw a bag over his head and led him to their secret hiding place.
After nearly two hours of being led through the jungle, they made him kneel down and removed the sack from his head.
They found themselves in a spacious room that had an open doorway overlooking the jungle. In front of him stood about five burly men and one elf with blond hair cascading down his back.
- Spy or ally?" he asked as if it were a riddle
- You must be Celeborn, right? King Darun's son. My friend and mentor Rheus Matir said I would find you here. It's a pity I had to have that sack on my head, but I forgive you. I have a message for Philip.
The men laughed, and Celebron smiled mockingly.
- I think Ravenna would have one for our prince too.
-Probably so,‖ muttered Robert, -I have a valrum blade with me. I can tell you something you know about Rheus, and not many people do. for example, he snores in his sleep and it sounds like he is suffocating. He doesn't like the word furl and when someone tells him his beard is too long.
-Well, that's enough, either you're stupid or brave enough to approach our prince like that.
Robert slowly got up from his knees and massaged his wrists.
-You know elf, I could beat you now without drawing my sword, but I am a sensible man.
-More like a boy,‖ Celebron corrected him. Robert laughed.
-That's where you're wrong, my girl-looking friend. I have elf blood in me from my mother's side, or so I am told. Even though I look like I'm 18, I'm actually about 30.
Celeborn furrowed his brow at this revelation. He was intrigued by this young man. He had heard of mixed relationships between humans and elves which had just resulted in children with slowed puberty.
-I must speak to his highness. We have no time to waste. Not when there is to be a battle in Carmathown.
- You say Ravenna found Hammond? It's just that clearly my father told Duke that they have to be careful," said the elf tartly.
-Ravenna doesn't want to kill Hammond. It's just a minor target, well let's agree or at least that's what Rheus told me, Carmathown has zero strategic importance. It's about a girl, Rheus said, the daughter of King Magnus, who escaped from Tabor.
Celeborn shuddered. He leaned over to one of the men, a young man who listened patiently and nodded. Celeborn seemed to be lower in rank than the man, yet he was many years older than him. Unless...
-You are Philip,‖ Robert asked. Celeborn interrupted and froze him with his eyes. The young man the elf was talking to stepped forward.
-Yes, I am Philip, son of Magnus II, heir to the throne of Tabor.
-And so my nose was not wrong that you are putting on some kind of crib,' Robert said with a smile.
-Tell me what you know and what is the matter with my sister- ordered him Philip
- You are not my king, so please be more polite," replied Robert. The rest of the congregation raised an uproar, but Philip silenced them with one wave of his hand.
-Enough. Good, Robert, because that's how you introduced yourself. Tell me everything you know.
- Rheus woke me up one day saying we had to go to the Continent. He said the moment had come to strike after many years on Ravenna. I don't know too well myself who this Ravenna is, except that I think she is your queen.
-Surprisingly, Philip said coldly -Murderer of my father, my kingdom and my younger brother. Snow White as far as I know survived and lived in captivity not knowing why spared.
-Well- replied Robert nodding- Our journey was long. But in any case Rheus is in contact with his old master Jacen, who speaks to him from the afterlife. He has connected with the Force. And it was Jacen who told Rheus that your sister had escaped from Tabor after many years and was walking to Carmathown. Rheus is already there, and I was sent here. We are to report for battle on the fields of Carmathown in two days.
Philip clapped his hands and began to walk back and forth in the middle of the room. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Robert was able to get a glimpse of him. He had grown into a robust man, with the features of a boy, but with the pride of a king. He did not like him at first sight, but had to cooperate with him.
-Rheus wants to kill us all? I don't know what Ravenna wants with my sister, other than her own sick motives. But by the Gods, do you know what a risk it will be to go so close to Ravenna ? I am the heir to the throne, her spies have been chasing me for years wanting to kill me, and now they will have the opportunity. We are still too small in the face of her forces, and they are huge and backed up not only by numbers of soldiers but also by magic. Duke must cope alone. I can't help.
Robert squinted his eyes and sighed in exasperation.
- 'Can you hear yourself? Ravenna doesn't give a damn about you because you pose no threat in exile. She knows you fear her and are on the lookout for her spies. Your Highness, you are an exile. The title with which you boast is insignificant.
Philip approached Robert at face height.
-How dare you speak to me like that. ?
-Because you're falling asleep. Rheus has told me many things about you. That you would be a great king. A leader who would lead the entire rebellion. But you're sitting in this cave and what? You wait for a miracle. If Ravenna kills Snow, which I think is the point, terrible things are going to happen. Ten years ago she defeated you all. But now? Philip it's not about winning this battle or the other. You don't defeat Ravenna at Carmathown it's certain that the town will fall and Hammond will cease to be one who hasn't hung his head. But we have a fighting chance against the empire. To show them that the people are not all the same. Rheus told me it's all about the spark. A leaven. And you, your sister are heirs to the old deal. The people will follow you if you lead them. Will you lose? The real loser is the one who is so afraid of winning that he doesn't even try. It is time to break free from Ravennna's leash. Let something start leaking through their fingers. Let people start to revolt. But they need an example.
Philip looked at Robert with penetrating eyes and thought about his words. He was right. He has created almost nothing for 10 years and his rebellion is still too small. Duke needs help. Rheus needs his help. And most importantly Snow White is alive. And he needed to help his little sister.
The entire courtyard of Carmathown was plunged into silence as a lone rider rode through the city gate on a bay steed. Almost the entire settlement was awakened as soon as the word ,,Matir" appeared. The man walked towards Duke and nodded to him. However, the lord came out to meet him and embraced him like a brother and kissed his head.
-You have returned,‖ Hammond whispered quietly. Rheus reciprocated the hug.
-I had to.
He spotted Snow White and smiled radiantly after a moment.
-Your Majesty will forgive me...you are very much like your mother.
The princess walked up to Rheus and embraced him. Only now did she feel safe. At the side of the greatest knight of Tabor, a disciple of the legendary Jacen known as the wayward one.
-Come in, Rheus.
-You are the reason I am here, princess,‖ he said calmly. The tooth of time had bitten into him a little, but he was still a handsome man, for whom all the ladies of the Tabor court once gazed.
All three of them went inside. The dwarves began to mutter at the sight of Matir, only Muir was visibly intrigued at the sensed presence of the knight. William and Emma, meanwhile, stood up and uprightly observed the etiquette.
The doors of the hall closed.
-Then how about someone pouring me a drink? - asked Rheus smiling through his thick beard. The servant present immediately handed over a decanter and a cup, and Rheus bestowed another smile on her.
-Let me have a look at you.
He put his hand under his chin and began to massage it, like some kind of tic.
-William.
He pointed his finger at the young man
- Yes, sir- said Will clearly abashed
- Don't bother with this gentleman. You have grown up terribly. You remind me of your father when you were young. But you have a twinkle in your eye, so there's a chance you won't be a bore like him.
The whole room burst out laughing, including Duke.
- Princess. It's been a while since I saw you last. You are as beautiful as the dawn. And you still have the good heart your mother always spoke of. I can sense it. Power does not lie.
Snow White smiled. It had been a long time since she had felt such happiness.
-Lord Hammond, on the other hand, has changed nothing. Only a bit of grey hair has come over you. I appreciate that you built this city from scratch my friend.
Rheus nodded to each of the cransoluds and stopped at Emma.
-And you?
- Emma, my lord. I am the adopted daughter of Lord Hammond. My mother...
-I knew your mother- Rheus interrupted her- And I even knew...your father. It is a pity that both of them are no longer with us.
There was silence in the room, but Rheus continued to look sadly at Emma then lowered his gaze.
Duke grunted.
-You are back. Snow White is back. This is where miracles happen, Rheus.
-Wonders have yet to begin,‖ Matir said quietly.
- You're probably wondering why I'm back.
Silence answered him. He corrected himself in his chair and sipped from his cup.
- I am risking a lot by returning to the Continent. However, my master told me it was time to return. The Force led me here and on the way I heard rumours of the Queen's daughter's escape. I knew immediately that it was you, Your Majesty, and that Ravenna was treating you like a luxury hostage. That was my cue.
I must tell you that the last 10 years of my life have been a time of sadness. I was stuck in the wilderness of Exelos with my apprentice, who would join us later. I have heard the Empire grow stronger, I have heard of Ravenna's expansion of its unimaginable power. Its greatest victory is that people don't even feel the collar anymore. They have stopped seeing the oppression and have accepted that they are de facto slaves of the regime. Snow White can probably tell us more about this. But I have heard about broken families, children taken away from their parents, brainwashing in schools. About breeding slaves for themselves all over the world who will know no other god than Ravenna. Twenty years from now this is what the world will look like, and maybe even sooner if there is nothing stopping it. I was in a coma. In a Coma of naivety. Believe me 10 years in the desert did not make me have positive thoughts. But finally the Force brought me back home. We have a lot to look forward to.
-What do you mean? -Duke said getting up from the table- Carmathown is the safest place on the entire Continent. Snow White is safe at last, and we are perfectly hidden.
-Somehow the chase hasn't stopped, has it?
Snow White hid her face in her hands. She started crying to the surprise of everyone including Rheus.
-Sorry to you all. I'm sorry...
-For what? - asked William-After all, you didn't do anything.
-I didn't tell you in the forest when you found us- she moaned through her tears.
-For what?" asked Will uncertainly. There was silence in the room.
-There is one thing. You thought for the last ten years that you were living safely away from Ravenna. That she is looking for you and cannot find one small settlement.
She shook her head
-This is not so. Ravenna knew perfectly well that Carmathown existed. And she knew the location of the village.
-What - Hammond turned pale , and his warriors began to look frantically after each other.
- She kept you alive. Because it motivates her. It amuses her. For her, it's a game. She has created for herself the illusion of a reason to conquer, to oppress her subjects. She spoke to me about it so lightly... About the wilfulness of the ruler who has everything . So there was Carmathown like a pig being bred for slaughter, as a form of adversary that has not yet been conquered, but which motivates her to be vigilant, to repress.
Duke sat down next to Snow White.
-So you mean to say that for the last 10 years, when we've been building everything from the ground up,‖ William said quietly, -this belief that we've managed to escape her... was a delusion? Her whim?
-Yes- said the princess quietly, and her voice blended with the crackling of wood in the fireplace-You wouldn't stand a chance if she came at you with a whole army.
-And now here she goes- said Muir-listen to what is happening outside. Everyone froze, and William went to the window. He opened it gently. The cawing of ravens echoed over the settlement as they surrounded the town in a whirlwind, as if they were staking out the area. Their cawing was so loud that it made the inhabitants' ears hurt.
-Signalling the place to the troops- said Rheus standing up- We don't have much time. A day, maybe two.
- What are you talking about Matir?"- roared Duke- What do I have to say to my people? That we were a toy in her hands and everything will be gone in two days? Ten years! That's how long it took us to build a life from scratch. And meanwhile we were a joke, a motivation for her to keep going in Tabor.
- And it is very good that they will find out," said Rheus coolly, "We need that. To survive I had to start using the methods of my enemy. I sacrificed everything that was good, whether it was peace, kindness, loyalty or nobility. All to get to this place! To create a dawn for a new world that I will not see because I will die fighting for this cause. My motives are not pure. They are filled with an ego that will not be praised because it does not even want praise. So what have I sacrificed Duke? Everything!
He shouted the last word in such a way that even the crows' cawing fell silent.
- I need everyone, Duke. People need to be so squeezed by the Ravenna Empire that they will eventually get fed up. They need a boost. And that impulse is coming because there's probably a huge army coming to your gates to get this girl.
He pointed his finger at Snow White being comforted by Emma.
- Did you tell her about the kid? - asked Rheus aggressively.
Duke shook his head.
-So tonight I see we are having an evening of revealing secrets.
- What are you talking about, sir?" asked Snow White.
-I'll say it, Rheus- said Hammond. He looked at Snow White with a gaze full of pain.
- Prince Benjamin. Ben... he was not killed by Ravenna that night.
-What? Are you talking about my little brother! After all, she herself said he died in the fire. I saw the fire from his tower, where Papa kept him hidden. What happened to him?
-Was there a boy of about 10 years old in the castle who... was perhaps portrayed as Ravenna's son?" answered Duke with a question.
-Aegon, but he...
Snow White understood. Black hair, lack of any resemblance to Ravenna explained by the queen's deceased partner.
-She kidnapped him ! What for ? Such an evil creature what could she want from a child who was a few months old ?
-Maybe the same thing she wants from you? -said Rheus- The boy is said to have great Power, which Ravenna wants to use. Just like from you.
-I have magic. But Aegon was strong in the Force. I do not know what that means. But tell me. Is this boy my brother, the one who was to die!
-Yes," said Duke-"that's Benjamin. Named Aegon by his new mother. The heir to the throne who doesn't know his origins and is probably under her influence.
-Yes- said Snow White- But he is a boy. Maybe he can still be saved. He can often be lost, but he has a lot in him... darkness. Which is fuelled by her.
Now you know. You both lived by her because of your skills. We saved you. We don't yet know if there is any point in saving him," said Rheus.
- They go here, yes? - she asked, getting up from the table -I've had enough of hiding. I will not let anyone else die because of me. Rheus, you have to kill me.
-What? -shouted the knight.
-She wants my heart. If she gets it she will become immortal. We can hold this back.
-No one will bargain with someone else's life, my child,‖ said Duke- -Everyone who died protecting you would want you to live. That you would stand up to her.
He patted her on the shoulder.
-You are my queen,‖ said Hammond- -and I will do as you command me, my lady. But no one will kill you as long as I live.
-Decision is yours, child- said Rheus- But you have no choice. You won't get anywhere. She will find you. But we can stand up to her.
-I'm tired of losing- said William- I want to live once. Even if I have to die. So please, Snow White.
He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.
- Let's fight the Empire. Let's wake up from the nightmare. And let us live at least for a while.
-Yes ! -shouted Beith - Fuck the Queen. We are with you to the last moment of our lives. Yes boys?
The 5 dwarves answered thunderously. William nodded his head. Duke also replied in the affirmative. Even Emma, with tears in her eyes, exclaimed
-It's time to show them that we are not some kind of settlement. That we're not going to be treated like a frippery...
Snow White looked at Rhues with tears in her eyes and asked silently, moving her lips
-Will you help me?
He answered her with the Force
-Yes, my queen