Chapter 5

Fakir and Mythos were amazed by what they found outside. The town was bustling with activity of an unexpected kind. Lines upon lines of infantrymen paraded down the street. Some of them were escorting confused looking townspeople. Each solider was heavily armed with swords, throwing knifes, and large pistols with enough ammunition for several rounds of fire. They were dressed in a dark navy blue uniform and the officers had gold bands on their shoulders. Military captains were barking out orders to the men, instructing them where to deposit the captives. Men and women were being directed in different direction and were placed in separate holding facilities.

"Aotoa didn't mention this," said Fakir. "He was walking around town before he stopped by. He should have warned us these men were here."

"You didn't give him much chance to talk before you forced him to leave," said Mythos.

Fakir shrugged. "I didn't think he had anything so say."

Fakir and Mythos stood unchallenged in the middle of the town square, gapping at the military men. They all seemed so serious and deadly. Several of them had large disfiguring scars across their face and hands. It was obvious this was an experienced and weathered fleet. However, they didn't seem to be harming any of the townspeople. They almost seemed like shepherds, calmly guiding a flock of sheep into a shelter. If it wasn't for the long swords still covered in dried blood and the scowling faces of the soldiers, the two friends would have been less concerned about the intent of the soldiers.

Fakir approached two navy-clad guards with round helmets near the gate of the fine arts school.

"Excuse me, but what is going on? Why are you all here?"

The guards gave no indication they heard him and continued to stand at attention. Fakir waved his hand in front of their faces but neither of them so much as blinked.

Mythos spotted an officer on a horse near the water fountain with more decorations on his shoulder then the rest. He attempted to question him also but the man turned away before Mythos could speak.

Mythos returned to Fakir's side and looked at him with his confusion written clear across his face. "What do you think their doing here?"

Fakir shook his head and replied, "I have no clue. I've never seen uniforms like theirs. Navy blue with gold trim, what could it mean? They don't seem to be hurting anyone though."

Mythos nodded. "They are very professional, that much is certain. We should look for someone who will answer our questions."

Fakir started to nod but instead asked, "Shouldn't we go back to my house and check on the girls? What if the soldiers have started conducting house inspections? We need to make sure the girls are alright."

Mythos smiled slightly and countered "Even if they are taken captive, what will we do? We are just two boys who are good with swords. They have guns and greatly out number us. First we need to find someone who will explain why these men are here. We will have to trust that Rue and Ahiru will be alright until we return."

"I don't like it, but you are right," Fakir replied. He scanned the area with his eyes and came across someone familiar. "Charon!"

The aged man over his shoulder and saw Fakir and Mythos running towards him. He turned towards them but was stopped by the two uniformed men on either side of him. Charon turned to one of the guards and said, "Please, he is my son." Something passed across the man's face and he came to a halt. His comrade followed in suit and Charon was able to turn and talk to Fakir.

"Fakir, are you alright?" Charon asked.

Fakir nodded and said, "What's going on, Charon? Who are these men? Where did they come from?"

Charon shook his head and frowned. "I'm sorry boys. I know very little but you shouldn't be worried. These men don't seem to want to hurt us. If anything they seem to be as confused as we are."

"How do you mean," ask Mythos.

"I don't pretend to know much but this is what I understand to be true. Something strange happened last night that affected all of us. I don't know what it was. All I remember was a great darkness then a great light that drove away the blackness."

"Are you sure that's all you remember," interrupted Fakir.

Charon smiled meekly. "I know that sounds like something out of one of my old stories but I promise you it is all I remember. A few hours later these men arrived. They told us that this town appeared out of a mist. They told us there used to be a town here years ago but it disappeared in what was assumed an enemy attack. They think that this town is filled with ghosts of that old town. I think this is why these men are so respectful to us. They do not want to anger whatever evil spirits are in this town."

"Are all of these men superstitious," inquired Mythos.

Charon shrugged and replied, "I don't think so but their leader, the general on horse back, is. He warned them when they first arrived to be very careful with us and to question all of us. It was his idea to separate the men and women, but I don't pretend to know why. Something very strange has been going on in Kinkad Town. And I don't think it started last night."

"Your right, "Mythos replied with a nod. "There has been something very unusual going on in this town for many years."

For the first time, one of the soldiers seemed to notice the two boys and turned to Mythos. "Oy, boy! What do you know about what is going on here? Speak up!"

Mythos turned to the soldier with a cool expression. "I know some of it and my friend here probably knows the rest."

Fakir shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Mythos, that might have been saying too much."

The soldier looked at his comrade and they both nodded. The second solider turned to Mythos and said, "Would you two please come with us to see the general. We promise that no harm will come to you or your father."

Mythos nodded and immediately began to follow the men towards the South Gate, leaving Charon behind. Fakir hesitated but was motioned forward by Mythos. He ran to catch up with his friend.

Charon called out from behind him, "Stay safe and come home soon!" Fakir waved to him behind his back and soon stepped into stride with Mythos.

Mythos whispered to him that he did not have to come if he didn't want to. Fakir shook his head and replied, "It's no use Mythos. You are far too trusting. You need me here to look out for you."

"Does this mean that you have accepted my offer, to become my advisor?" Mythos asked hopefully.

Fakir shook his head. "Don't read into my actions so much. I just want to make sure you make it out of this town in good health. I should be able to protect you while we are still in the town."

"It is not your protection I need right now, but your advice. I'm gotten myself in a situation where I will need your input and intelligence."

"Both of which I'll give you for the time being. But I can't follow you out of this town if you chose to leave. I'm no good to you beyond these walls," Fakir said.

Mythos looked ahead and saw a white bearded man on horseback with so many brightly colored ribbons and awards splattered across his great chest you could barely see the cloth of his uniform. He muttered under his breath, "We will see if I can't convince you otherwise."

Rue helped Ahiru as she drank from a glass of water. Ahiru was recovering quickly but her grip was still weak. She could probably drink unassisted but Rue wanted to be useful to her friend. Rue had a lot to make up for to Ahiru and she wanted to repay her debt to her however she could.

Ahiru watched her friend as she took care of her. Rue was smiling faintly and seemed very pleased with her self. Ahiru could only guess at what was making Rue so cheerful. She guessed that now that Rue had Mythos as her beloved she could care for others with more ease. Rue has always been jealous for love. Now that she had love, Ahiru was sure that a new Rue would emerge.

Ahiru wondered where Mythos could be. She wanted to see him smile at her with his new soul filled eyes. But what she wanted to see even more was Mythos to share a smile with Rue. She wanted to see her friends happy together. She could think of no greater reward for her efforts than the obvious happiness of her friends.

"Rue, where is Mythos?" Ahiru asked.

Rue's smile widened and she replied, "What's this, Ahiru? You've been awake for only ten minutes and you're already asking for my prince? You must be recovering faster than I imagined."

Red spread over Ahiru's cheeks as she cried back indignantly, "You know that's not it! I just wanted to know if he was alright after the battle."

Rue's expression softened. "I knew what you meant. It's your own fault your so easy to tease. I know that you would never try to take him away from me, regardless of whatever your feelings might be for him."

"It's not that…" Ahiru trailed off. "My feelings are hard to explain. I can't tell you what I feel…"

"I understand, Ahiru. Your feelings are private and I have no right to hear them. More to the point, Mythos is fine," Rue replied. "He's better than he's ever been. Now that he has his heart back his attitude and personality have completely changed, but he is still the same kind-natured Mythos he always was. Now, Fakir, on the other hand," Rue sighed. "He worries me a little."

Ahiru looked up in alarm, "Why? What happened to him? Was he hurt?" Ahiru began to sit up in bed but Rue placed a placating hand on Ahiru's shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Lay down, you need to relax. If you run off to Fakir you'll fall flat on your face before you reach the door. Fakir is well enough for the time being. He was exhausted after the battle. Apparently the spinning of stories is as mentally and physically grueling as fighting a battle."

"But is he alright? Did he get injured the battle? Was he able to rest afterward?" Ahiru blue eyes were growing serious and wet and Rue began to grow concerned for Ahiru's emotional strain.

"Yes, he rested a little. You don't need to shed a tear for Fakir. Even if he was an inch from death, he would just grit his teeth until he was finished his mission. There's no reason for you to waste a thought on him."

Ahiru's gaze grew distant as she stared off into the empty space beyond the door of the room. "I didn't even think of Fakir getting hurt. He always works so hard to take care of us; he never lets us worry about him. He's been through so much yet he never asks for help with anything. I want to help him but I don't know if he would let me."

Rue shook her head at her friend. "It's not use wondering over that boy. Fakir is a stubborn idiot who would throw himself in front of a blade for Mythos. Not that I'm saying that he isn't well intentioned, but his methods are almost crass. He lacks any subtlety to his character. To worry about him is like being concerned about a lit firework. He's bound to go off at any second and bring destruction down on all of us."

Ahiru turned to look Rue in the face. "Fakir isn't like that. He has a good heart. It's true he is very stubborn and cares only for Mythos, but I count him as my friend and I care for him."

Rue smiled pleasantly and replied, "I suppose you can't help your own haphazardly caring nature, not matter how unfortunate your choice of friends."

"I don't see anything unfortunate about my friends," Ahiru said, staring up into Rue's eyes. "They are all wonderful, kind-hearted people who deserve much more happiness than is given to them."

Rue's smile widened. "You would say that, Ahiru."

The man on horseback with a full white beard was named General Arnold Heinrich. He was a physically unimpressive man of substantial age for a military man. He always appeared in battle on horseback in order to improve his image. Who he was trying to impress was uncertain. He was well loved by his men for his strategic talent and long experience and his excellent reputation preceded him to war and struck hard with his enemies. He was also a very open and personable character and received Mythos and Fakir warmly once he had understood that they were willing to help clear up several details concerning the town. One of his tragic character flaws, however, was his superstitious nature. He believed in ghosts, good luck charms, and the power of the number seven. When ever he went into battle he requested 7778 men, in case one of them died in transport. His second great character flaw was his strict realism. These two contradictory traits in a single person of powerful standing were often the butt of jokes in the army camps.

The General Heinrich had Mythos and Fakir seated at a comfortable outdoor café. He granted them the honor of sliding of his horse and sat with them at the table. They were served weak green tea by the general's personal footmen in wooden cups. The general apologized for the poor quality of the refreshments but explained that, "we military men are those of few refinements and lesser comforts."

He began his list of questions with, "Where did this town disappear to?"

Fakir and Mythos looked and each other before Mythos answered, "It didn't go anywhere. It was merely hidden."

The general nodded and signaled to his secretary to make a record of the interview. The bookish looking man produced a large leather notebook, an ink bottle, and quill from a bag at his side and commenced to write furiously.

"How was this town hidden?"

Fakir replied, "Through an enchantment. I'm not sure if I can describe it, but it involved a powerful storytelling that caused a story to become reality."

The general raised his eyebrow. "You can't expect us to believe that too quickly. It's true that I am a believer in magic and enchantment, but if I were to report that tale back to my colleagues I would be thrown out of my post."

"We can tell you no more than what we understand," said Mythos. "I can promise you that we will be honest in answering your questions but please understand that what occurred to this town was unnatural and requires a bit of faith in the storyteller."

"Very well," sighed the general. "Let us continue then. How long was this town hidden?"

Fakir and Mythos looked at each other again. Finally Fakir replied, "We don't know. It could have been a hundred years or a couple months. We think it's been a long time. Hundreds of years of history have collected since the gates to the city have been closed. However, it would not surprise us if less or more time has passed since we were barred from the rest of the world."

"Barred?" repeated the general. "How did you survive? Where were your food reserves? Your water supplies? How could you remain self-sufficient for so long?"

"Now you're asking the right questions to the wrong people," said Fakir. "I have no idea how to answer you except to say that it was part of the enchantment that life would be able to sustain itself within the town in order for the spell to be continued."

"How old are both of you?"

Fakir set a panicked look at Mythos before saying, "Fourteen." Mythos however replied, "I don't know."

The general stared at Mythos before demanding that Mythos explained his answer.

"I think I am close to fourteen, like my friend here, physically. However I have memories that go back years before Fakir was born. I have known him since he was a young boy, but I was the same as I am now. I have never changed in physical appearance, so I don't know if you could say that I am old or not."

The general gapped at Mythos. "Are you immortal?"

Mythos shook his head, "No, probably not. Now that the enchantment has been lifted I expect to age normally. The spell that bound this city had a direct connection to my lifeline. Now that it is over, my ageing should return to normal." Mythos looked uncomfortable for a moment then said, "At least I hope so."

"Who cast this spell and hid this town?" asked the general.

Fakir answered, "I believe that the man responsible was named Dosselmeyer."

The general raised an eyebrow at this. "How can you be so sure of this? Did you know this man? What was his relation to you?"

Fakir winced at the question but answered honestly, "He was my ancestor and yes, I am sure of it."

The general looked thoughtful and said, "I have heard this name, Dosselmeyer. I thought that he was a writer of children's stories. I remember reading some of his works to my grandchildren when they were still in the crib. If I remember correctly, his stories were always very dark and ended in tragedy."

Fakir nodded grimly and replied, "Yes, it is the same person."

"This begs the question of your identities. You claim to be a descendent of this man but who are you?" His question was directed at Mythos.

"I am called Mythos by my friends but real name is Prince Siegfried. I have been in this town since it was first enchanted, never ageing, and forever wandering. Until recently I was alone but a few years ago I met Fakir and…"

"Prince…. Siegfried…" the general gapped. His face had gone an ashy white. The secretary had stopped writing and stared openly at Mythos. All the soldiers surrounding them had gone white and where gawking at the blonde haired boy. Fakir began to feel uneasy and felt his bare side instinctively for his sword.

The general reached up and held Mythos's face between his face. He bent in closely to inspect his face, as if trying to find a flaw somewhere on his skin. His face several inches away from Mythos's, he murmured, "It is you."

A ripple of excitement went through the line of soldiers. Their professional stern faces were now open books of emotion, happiness, fear, shock, and relief. They whispered to each other audibly.

"Could it be?"

"Is it really him?"

"… so long ago I didn't think he was still alive…"

Fakir turned to the general and demanded, "What is going on here? Why are you so surprised to see him? Didn't you know he was here?"

The general turned to face Fakir with tears in his eyes. Fakir was greatly taken back by the emotion in the older man's face. The general released Mythos, who looked remarkably calm for having so much attention directed at him.

"There is a very good reason to be surprised. We thought Prince Siegfried had been killed five years ago."

Author's Note: Yes, it's another cliffhanger. No worries, now that summer break is upon us, I have plenty of time to write. I had made a promise to myself not to touch this story until finals were over. Now that they are, and the results are in, and they were pleasing, I'll be spending a lot more time to this story. This is a good thing, since it's going to end up being one of the longest I've written all year. So check back in a few weeks, and the next chapter should be up.