Chapter Ten: A Duel & A Visit
"We are gathered here to today to witness the union of not just two souls, but two kingdoms as well," the old minister wheezed. Axel's eyes stayed locked on Sofia but she watched the old minister, refusing to look at her fiancé. "Today we witness the union of Princess Sofia of Enchancia and King Axel of Amalgamate. If anyone objects to this union please speak now or forever hold your peace." Silence. "Then, do you, King Axel-"
"I object," Hugo calls out suddenly. Though he hadn't yelled, his voice was filled with power and authority. Everyone gasped and turned to the prince. The minister blinked slowly and Axel glared daggers at his brother.
"I…I beg your pardon," the minister finally said. Hugo stood up, power flowing off of him.
"I object to this marriage," Hugo said simply. "In accordance with Amalgamate's laws I have the right to challenge the groom to a duel for the maiden's hand."
"Well, this has never happened at a royal wedding, so, uh," the minister stuttered and looked at Axel who was seething. Sofia took a hesitant step back. "King Axel, do you, uh, accept?"
"I do," Axel growled and stepped off the alter. He looked at the knights lining the walls. "Prepare the stadium. We will duel in an hour." Then he stormed out of the hall. Hugo nodded and, smirking as he did so, left as well.
"Your Highness," the minister addressed Sofia. "Perhaps you should go to your room and wait for the tournament." Sofia nodded and stumbled down the two steps. Her bridesmaids, Jade, Ruby, and Amber, gripped her arms and led her out of the hall and to her room, to wait for the duel that would decide her fate.
Sofia was escorted by her family back to the booth she had sat in during the tournament. All the wedding guests and anyone who had heard about the duel filled the stands.
"Sofia, did you know Hugo was going to do this?" Roland demanded as they took their old seats.
"I…I didn't know he was going to do this," Sofia said, as if in a daze, confused and stressed.
"But you knew he was going to do something?" Miranda insisted.
"I didn't even know you liked Hugo," Amber gaped.
"Do you?" Jade asked, taking her friend's hand in hers.
"I…I," Sofia stuttered, very aware of all the ears around her but also aware that lying, denying her true feelings, would result in horrid consequences. "I do. I really do."
"Wow," Ruby gasped then hugged her. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Why?" Sofia wondered, confused.
"Because I can tell that you've found love," Ruby said and broke away.
"So you want Hugo to win?" Jade asked. Sofia nodded slowly. "Then we'll cheer so loud that he'll be super encouraged!"
"Sofia," Roland started, his tone frustrated. "The duel is about to start. Get into your seat." Sofia nodded dumbly and obeyed, her knees shaking. The minister walked into the stadium and held up a megaphone.
"Prince Hugo has challenged King Axel to a duel for the hand of Princess Sofia. This duel will be a sword match atop their steeds and will end when one of them either surrenders or perishes," he announced. "And now I bring you our duelers!"
Axel and Hugo road out atop their horses. Lightning strode calmly while Axel's horse clip-clopped nervously. Axel drew his sword and glared at his brother who had his sword calmly leveled at his opponent. The minister quickly backed out of the arena.
"I don't want to hurt you, brother," Hugo said, his body calm and still. Sofia nervously leaned forward.
"You are no brother of mine. Not since you challenged me and tried to take my bride," Axel hissed, voice full of fury.
"A bride who you knew I wanted. A bride that you threatened with war to win. That is cruel, even for you," Hugo replied.
"At least I did not lead the young maiden away from my coronation ball," Axel retorted.
"I beg your pardon!" Hugo yelled, indignant. Sofia sucked in a breath of fear as her parents and siblings glanced at her with suspicious expressions. Axel was not only trying to tarnish Hugo's reputation but also her own.
"I left to get the princess a drink. When I returned from the buffet I could not find her. Then I saw you and she reenter the ballroom, both flushed!"
"The princess wanted fresh air. She was flushed because she had seen you and Alfred plotting to kill the Duke of Sermia!"
"What do you mean?" Axel demanded.
"You know perfectly well what I mean. The Duke of Sermia, the Duke of Reeza. These deaths were not random. Both were men loyal to father. Both men are now dead," Hugo told him.
"So? They were old and sick!" Axel declared. He suddenly urged his horse forward and aimed a strike at Hugo. He parried it and the two began to spar. They broke away after a minute and their horses pranced in circles.
"They were both poisoned. The coroner said it had been done with Veratrum, a toxic flower. This flower is grown in our royal gardens," Hugo explained, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "And only one man has the capabilities to brew this flower into a tasteless liquid that can be mixed with any drink."
"Be silent and duel like a man!" Axel roared and charged again. As their swords clanged Sofia began to realize what Hugo's plan was. He was going to tell everyone what his brother had done, right here, right now. But would it work?
"You were never my equal in sword fights," Hugo hissed as he parried another of Axel's strikes.
"All it takes is one lucky hit and you'll be dead upon the ground!" Axel retorted.
"I know you'll kill me anyway!" Hugo declared and directed Lightning away from the fight. They pranced away and Axel growled in anger. "Two dukes, political opponents, even father are dead by your hand!"
"How dare you accuse me of that!"
"Alfred has been tortured and beaten so severely that now he brews the poisons you need out of fear for his life! You have been killing people since you started conversing with the sorcerer and you killed our father out of your own greed!"
"You have no proof! No proof of your statements! You are simply jealous of my bride!"
"Is it really that much of a stretch to think that you are capable of murder?" Hugo demanded. "You are the cruelest prince Amalgamate has had in a century!"
"But you don't have any proof that I killed anyone! Without proof your claims are just a crazy ramblings!" Axel yelled and charged again.
Sofia leaned even closer. The audience was mumbling but they were still unsure which man they should root for. With no proof, Axel would never be defeated. Sofia began to think wildly. Hugo was dueling Axel. He couldn't go look for proof. But Sofia could. She just didn't know where to look.
Suddenly, Sofia's pink amulet began to glow blue. She gasped and grasped it with both hands. Why was it summoning her to the Secret Library now? Was someone in trouble? Sofia glanced back at the duel when she heard a grunt of pain. Hugo had cut Axel's arm. He was leading his horse in a retreat, hissing in anger. Hugo looked sad but determined. He glanced back at Sofia and smiled slightly. Sofia nodded back before she looked back at her amulet.
"You will lose! Admit to your crimes before I run you through with my sword!" Hugo yelled.
"You have no proof that I did anything!" Axel yelled back. Then Sofia gasped aloud. She finally understood. Sofia stood up and got off her throne. She began to leave the booth when a knight blocked her way.
"You may not leave until the duel is over, Your Highness," he told her.
"Sofia, sit back down," Miranda called to her daughter.
"No," Sofia said, stunning everyone. "I have to do something. Please, get out of my way."
"Can't do that. Sit back down," the knight growled at her. Sofia sucked in a breath of anger. Her amulet's glow suddenly caught her eye and she smiled. The knight did not know that she had a few tricks up her sleeve.
"I wish to be small," Sofia said. In a whirl of pink sparkles she shrunk. When the magic cleared, she was two inches tall. The knight stared dumbfounded before he looked down. Sofia was running full tilt at the exit. The knight tried to grab her but Sofia ducked and weaved. Her father yelled something and started chasing her as well. But Sofia was fast and tiny. She jumped out of the booth and ran. "I wish to be big again!" She shot up and was full size. Her legs were longer and she ran faster. White silk billowed around her legs as she ran towards the patch of woods she had hid in at the tournament.
Sofia leaned against a trunk and looked up into the branches. "Help! Somebody, please help me!" she yelled. A raven flew down and landed on the ground. He cocked his heads and looked at her.
"Now what are you bellowing about?" he wondered.
"I need your help, please. I have to get to the castle," Sofia told the raven. He jumped.
"You can understand me?" he squawked.
"Yes. Can you please give me a ride to the castle?" Sofia asked.
"But you're so big, I could never lift you," the raven said and began to walk away.
"No, wait! I wish to be small!" Sofia yelled and she shrunk back down. "Can you please give me a ride now?" The raven looked at her closely before it nodded.
"Get on. And try to pull out any of the feathers," he instructed. Sofia smiled gratefully and climbed atop his back. Then he flew high into the air, towards the palace. "Name's Marvin, by the way.
"I'm Sofia," she told him. "Can you please fly as fast as you can? It's very important."
"Of course," the raven said and flapped his wings faster, quickly approaching the sparkling golden castle.
Sofia threw open the same doors she had escaped through that night at the coronation ball. The long hall was dark and cold. All the servants were at the duel so Sofia was free to search the castle. She searched the walls as fast as she could for something that signaled a secret passageway. If Hugo was right…
Sofia no longer called the castle of Enchancia home. But she still wore the amulet, she was still the story keeper. So if Hugo was right, then the Secret Library had moved. And she needed to find it. Her amulet was telling her that in the Secret Library was the proof her and Hugo needed to condemn Axel.
She passed tapestry after tapestry but there was nothing behind them. None of the light fixtures turned. Then Sofia passed the door that led to the servant's quarters that Hugo had taken her through. As she walked past it her amulet lit up even brighter. Sofia turned and pushed open the door. There was something new. The staircase that led up was still there but a new staircase leading below the castle was also there. Sofia ran down. She ran around corners and down long staircases, knowing that the Secret Library was at the bottom.
Finally she reached the rich blue hall with green vine gate. She stood on the platform that looked out towards the familiar blue water and was astounded to see the same bejeweled boat floating towards her. Hugo had been right.
The boat ride seemed faster than normal and Sofia had never ran up those steps as quickly as she had that day. But then she reached the door. The circular blue gate with its curiously shaped lock stood before her, closed. She didn't have the book. She couldn't get it. She had raced all the way here, risked everything believing that answers lay inside, just to find that the door was locked and she couldn't get.
Sofia slammed her head against the blue swirls and began to sob. Axel was going to win. It didn't matter if Hugo won, Axel could kill him later then take Sofia for himself. She was powerless to stop him. And the worst part was that this had been her idea, to tell people what Axel was doing. Hugo may never forgive her. She had led them down a path that ended in a locked gate. Hugo had been right. They should have kept quiet and just lived their lives, kept their noses clean. Instead they had come out in the open and they had failed.
As Sofia cried a tear slipped off her face and hit her amulet dangling from the chain around her throat. The gem began to glow brighter and brighter, until she had to close her eyes, lest she become blind. The glow suddenly dimmed and Sofia opened her eyes. The gate was open and someone was waiting for her inside the Secret Library, sitting on the bench.
"Hello?" Sofia called. The woman turned. She had blond hair pulled up into a bun atop her head. Her blue gown matched her eyes perfectly and a sort of magic sparkled around her.
"Hello Sofia," Cinderella said and walked towards her. Sofia stumbled in and gasped. All the princesses who had ever helped her stood before her. Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, Rapunzel, and Tiana all came forward, standing slightly behind Cinderella.
"What are you all doing here?" Sofia asked them.
"We are here to help you. Here, this is what you need," Cinderella explained and held out a thick red book. Sofia took it. On the cover were the words The Evil Prince and a painting of Axel looking very shifty. She flipped through the pages and understood. This is what she needed. All the evidence was in these pages.
"Thank you," Sofia said.
"Go. Hugo needs you," Cinderella toward and pushed her slightly towards the door. Sofia ran to it. "Sofia!" She looked back one last time. "This is your final story." The warning registered with her. After today, after her story ended, then she would have to give up the amulet. She would never come back to the Secret Library, never have another princess sent to help her, and never use her powers ever again.
"I…I understand," Sofia told her, accepting that this is what had to happen. Her time was done. It was time to pass it on. Cinderella gave her encouraging nod which was mimicked by all the other princesses. Then they all disappeared in a whirl of golden sparkles and Sofia ran back to the boat.
"Marvin!" Sofia yelled as she ran out the glass doors. The raven flew down from the sky and landed at her feet.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I need a lift back to the duel," she told him.
"Well, do your shrinking thing and get on," Marvin instructed.
"I wish to be small," Sofia said and instantly shrunk. Then she climbed onto Marvin's back, clutching the now tiny book against her chest. "Hurry, please." Marvin took off like a bullet.
