Chapter 3: A Door To Everywhere
"Princess," Brey said as they slowly walked down the hall to the royal chambers, "why are you such a tomboy?" His voice was not meant to be sarcastic or disapproving. Rather, he was full of puzzlement, as if the old tutor saw Alena's behavior as a mystery.
"I don't know," the princess muttered absently, not even looking at the aged man.
"Your mother was so refined," Brey continued, his beady eyes probing her body to peel back her skin and reveal her secrets. Alena did not respond, staring at the stone floor a few feet ahead of her to make sure she did not trip over anything. The old tutor frowned and turned away. "As your tutor," he said compassionately, "I feel responsible for how you've turned out."
Brey started to go on about many things, most of which regarding Alena's upbringing. However, the princess did not even notice, her thoughts far removed from her immediate surroundings.
The harsh punishment delivered by her father had crushed her hopes of ever exploring the outside world and her dreams of seeing their sights. She would never again be able to watch the sun setting with Prince Reed of Bonmalmo on Mt. Erit. Never again would she witness the fantastic gladiators push their skills to the limit in the Coliseum of Endor with Princess Mia. The open sea voyages to Keeleon and Branca, forever vanished.
Instead, she would watch the four walls of Santeem Castle until she inherited the throne. And, with her father being in fine physical condition, that time would probably not come for a very long time.
Frustration was slowly building in Alena's mind and thoughts of escaping somehow entered her head. Yet, every plan she tried to think of ultimately gave way to the futility of such a feat. Her father would have people watching her at every moment and escape out the window in her chambers was foolhardy, it being a good fifty feet high.
Depression set in her mind. And with that depression came a stubbornness not to give up hope. However, she would come back to her original outlook, as she knew any hope of escape from her way of life had now been completely smashed. A continuing circle of emotions assaulted her, none of which provided any comfort.
So absorbed in her thoughts was Alena that she had not noticed she and Brey had stopped walking. She also noticed Brey was intently looking at her. "Princess?" he said. Judging from the tone of his voice, it was probably not the first time he said it.
"I'm fine," Alena replied emotionlessly, staring at the door in front of her. Brey continued to look at her. It was obvious he did not believe her but she did not care. There was nothing her tutor could do now to make things better.
Slowly, Alena opened the door. Inside was a luxurious room. Lilies and orchids filled every edge of the walls. Several dressers lined the far wall, each containing exotic garments from several distant countries. Large mirrors lined the left of the large room and to the right was a small window facing east towards the Santeem Mountains. A bed that could fit three sat in the middle of the room, a silk insect net hanging from the ceiling draped over the bed. And, hiding the cold, stone floor of the castle was a bright, ruby-red carpet.
First time visitors could be awed by the seemingly warm aura the room gave off. To Alena, it gave off the cold aura of an underground jail cell.
Brey looked at the princess for a moment, frowning, and she glanced at him in return. She did not know what to think of the old man right now. Because of him, she was now in this situation. Yet, she cared for him as a grandfather. His squinty eyes seemed filled with pain. "Don't worry about me, Brey," Alena gently said, patting his bony shoulder. She paused, smiling sympathetically. Brey really did seem to have a troubled mind, as his gaze hardly changed. "It wasn't your fault," she continued, lightly massaging his aged shoulder. "Something like this would have happened sooner or later." She turned her eyes to her room, a dreamy haze filling her pupils. "I guess I had it coming."
"You know that's not true," he said, grabbing her arm. He held onto it, being as compassionate as possible. He was not used to being in such positions but Brey knew Alena was hurting and she needed all of the support she could get.
"Brey," she said, her voice sounding like it was faltering. "I'd...like to be alone for awhile."
Brey looked up at her, understanding. He nodded, let go of her arm, and watched her enter the luxurious room, her chambers, and now her cell.
He watched as the door slowly closed, and a guardsman took up a position at the door, making sure she did not leave unnoticed. He stood there, unmoving, staring at the closed door, realizing what he had done to a spirited, young woman.
He started to leave, hearing a few, muffled sobs emanate from the princess' chambers.
Garrett thanked each individual that left the Zenithian temple, wishing them good fortune. The evening prayer had been a good one, the Master's blessing easing the troubles of everyone. The priest walked back into the temple intending to clean up whatever mess the people left behind. Normally, it was an apprentice cleric's job to do such but Garrett felt he needed the distraction.
His mind was restless, his thoughts worried. It was only a few nights ago when he had broke open the Zenithian Texts out of boredom. For some reason, the Final Prophecies had eluded him in previous readings, perhaps out of stark fear of when the world's end would be. According to the Texts, Esturk, the Ruler of Evil, would arise from Vah-Kirgol, a realm in opposite reality of Zenithia, existing purely in evil and chaos. Upon his return, the dark God would set out to finish a task denied him many a millennium ago: the complete and utter destruction of their world. However, the Texts made no mention of when this would occur, not even a hint.
Garrett always was a worrier, though, often fearing the worst in any circumstance. As soon as he read the passage, he thought Esturk would rise the very next day. Of course, such a thing did not happen and the bishop from Surene had assured him the Final Prophecies would not occur during their lifetime.
In fact, not one of the Final Prophecies had shown any sign of coming true any time soon. The first of the prophecies mentioned the uprising of a new world power. Good or evil it did not say but the dominate countries of Santeem, Endor, and Keeleon were in relatively stable conditions (the current civil war in Keeleon was reported to be nothing more serious than lords bickering again), while Bonmalmo, Branca, and tiny Burland were making no intention of usurping another country's power. An uprising in Garrett's lifetime was ridiculous.
As Garrett moved among the benches of the temple, he started to hear chanting. The priest stopped moving and listened more closely. It sounded as if someone was praying. Garrett looked around and saw a figure off in the corner, almost covered by shadows. Curious as to who would stay after the sermon, the priest walked over.
As the shadows gave way to the limited light allowed at night, the figure's features emerged. He was a young man, with hawk-like features. Yet, his face was placid, which seemed out of place. Garrett smiled. It was always like that when watching Cristo pray.
"Brother Cristo," the priest said gently, "why are you still here?"
"I'm not finished, Father," Cristo replied, staying in his praying stance.
"Not finished?" Garrett asked, confused. "Whatever do you mean? The sermon ended more than ten minutes ago."
"I have not eased my soul," Cristo explained, keeping in his stance.
"Brother," Garrett said, placing a hand on Cristo's shoulder. The priest sat down beside the bodyguard on the bench. "What is on your mind?"
"I..." Cristo began, looking uneasily at Garrett. He tried to simply say the words but they just could not come. He tightly closed his eyes, looking away. "I have sinned and I'm ashamed, Father," he cried.
Garrett smiled, not out of sympathy but of amusement. This was a common sight in the temple, people running to him, crying they had committed a heinous sin when all they did was lust at another woman, step on a bug, or told a lie. Garrett knew they were only human and the Master would look over these simple mistakes. Cristo was no different.
"What did you do, Brother?" he asked sympathetically.
"I...feel such guilt in my soul," Cristo said, his voice shaky. "When I saw the Princess escorted to her chambers after her humiliation, I felt a great guilt creep upon me."
"And why is that?"
"I..." Cristo began, trying to choose his words carefully, "I think it was because I leered at her earlier."
Garrett chuckled but not loud enough so Cristo could hear. Cristo was often doing this, claiming he had sinned because he had leered at the Princess. Garrett could not really blame him. Princess Alena was turning out to be a very attractive, young woman despite some of her tomboy qualities. Being her bodyguard probably made it that much more difficult for the young man who was shaking with confusion beside him on the bench to resist the temptation to indulge in his lust.
"Don't worry, Brother Cristo," Garrett said, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm sure it's not what you think." Cristo looked up, confused. "You and the Princess are almost like brother and sister. What you felt was probably sorrow, not guilt."
"Sorrow?" Cristo asked, his eyes becoming not as strained with guilt.
"Yes," Garrett replied. "Sorrow towards her humiliation, sympathy towards her hurt feelings."
Cristo looked at the priest for a moment, unsure. Garrett made a bit of sense. Perhaps it was only sorrow and sympathy. The thought of that made him feel a bit better.
"Come on," Garrett said, standing up. "You can help me clean up. It'll take your mind off of your troubles."
Cristo nodded and stood up, following Garrett as they cleaned the temple. The bodyguard could not help but glance at the imposing carving of Master Dragon in the face of the stone wall behind the podium. From his angle, it almost appeared as though the Master's eyes were narrowed on Cristo, judging his actions.
Cristo swallowed. The Master would know of his feelings. Would He find Cristo guilty of leering at the Princess when the bodyguard knew it was forbidden? Yes, he would.
Would the Master punish him for his actions, innocent or not? Cristo did not know. Not many knew the Master's intent. The few bishops of any region would only give cryptic responses to the question, probably in an attempt to cover the fact even they did not really know.
As he helped clean the temple, Cristo gave a silent prayer to the Master, praying He would not find him guilty no matter what his feelings for the Princess were.
Brey looked at the door, hesitant to tap the wooden face with his clenched fist. The guardsman to his right informed him her sobbing had ended some time ago. She would probably be asleep and did not wish to be disturbed. However, Brey knew he was going to have to wake her. There would not be a better time than now.
Sighing, the old tutor gently knocked on the door. The knock was merely to warn the Princess of his presence before he entered so she would not be alarmed. He nodded to the guardsman, who nodded in return. He then quietly opened the door.
Brey poked his head in and gently called out, "Princess?" There was no response. The tutor quickly looked over the chambers. A pale light filled the room from the window, illuminating the dark room. The moon was just rising over the Santeem Mountains, nearly full at this time of the month. Brey looked at the bed and saw the Princess' silhouette through the insect net. Lying on her side, Alena's body was moving up and down rhythmically. Brey could hear her light, gentle breathing as she slept.
The tutor was tempted to just smile and close the door behind him, allowing her some deserved rest, especially after the rough day she had. However, he knew he would not get another chance. If the King kept his vow, he would make sure guards were watching Alena at all times. The best time was now, with all of the guards still unprepared for their doubled watch over the Princess. Also, with Cristo at the sermon, Brey would have an easier time fooling the guards than the sharper bodyguard. Yes, there was no better time than now.
Sighing, Brey walked forward. Once he reached the bed, he parted the insect net and gently shook Alena. "Princess," he lightly whispered into her ear. Alena's eyes lazily opened, blinking the dryness out. Once she had them opened fully, she saw Brey's aged face just a few inches from her. Brey's dark, wrinkled appearance would not be the first thing anyone would want to see the moment they woke up and Alena gasped, jumping back out of shock.
"Whoa!" Brey said, holding his hands up. "Sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Then you shouldn't sneak up like that!" Alena retorted, easing herself from the other side of the bed. She stepped out from behind the net and stretched, yawning wide. She then scratched her head, mussing her hair even more. Brey could not help but chuckle. He was one of the few people who ever saw the Princess in such an unappealing state.
"What do you want?" she said, lazily walking over to the window to gaze at the moon. Her question sounded more harsh than probably intended and Brey realized it. Alena always sounded like this when she woke up.
"Princess," he began, choosing his words carefully, "we still have a lesson to finish."
Alena looked at her tutor, confused. "What?"
"I said that you still have a lesson to finish," Brey replied, trying to sound as even as possible. "They've finished repairing the study room so we can go and finish this morning's lesson."
"Are you serious?" Alena gasped. She turned her body to the tutor, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have any idea what I've been through today?"
"Yes," Brey replied, looking away from the princess' sharp gaze. He sensed she was about to give him a severe verbal thrashing so he quickly added, "But you have to come with me to the study."
"Brey..." the princess started but her words faltered as she saw her tutor's pleading eyes.
"Please, trust me," he gently said, his squinty eyes mellow. "You will enjoy the lesson. It'll take your mind off of today's earlier events." He added a wink when he finished.
However, Alena did not understand what Brey meant. She gave an exasperated sigh, flinging her arms in the air. "Sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do tonight."
"Great!" Brey exclaimed. He walked over to the door, pausing as he reached it. Turning around, Brey said, "You may want to dress warmly. There's...a bit of a draft in the study." He then went into the hallway.
The princess watched her tutor leave her room, wondering why he was acting so peculiar. Dress warmly, she thought as she walked over to her numerous drawers. He can't order me around. Alena decided to wear a white, silk dress. It was a bit chilly to wear at night but she was determined to show her independence in every way she could. Instead of combing her hair out, Alena decided to just wear one of her many feather hats. It was quick, efficient, and hid her messy hair nicely. Satisfied she was in decent shape to present herself to the outside, the princess slipped on a pair of casual boots and made her way to the hallway. The guardsman waiting outside escorted her to the study.
Save for a few servants running their errands, the castle was relatively empty. Alena guessed it was due to the Zenithian Temple having a sermon at this hour. She never really understood the fondness so many people found in Zenithism. While she did not necessarily refute their claims of a powerful dragon-god living in the sky, putting all of your faith and servitude towards His ways for a chance to reside with Him when you died seemed a little too much to be asking for.
In an attempt to perhaps show her just how great Zenithism was, Cristo once brought her to a sermon. Not even halfway through the sermon did Alena find herself bored and left. She and Cristo had an argument afterwards but all was forgiven the next day, as all of their arguments were.
"We've arrived, Princess," the emotionless tone of the guardsman's voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Alena shook her head, not realizing she had been daydreaming. The door to the study was in front of her, torchlight dancing across the wooden surface. "Yes, thank you," Alena murmured absently and pushed the door open.
Inside, two candles were lit on the table in order to allow for reading light and a few books were lying on the table. Surprisingly, Brey was not sitting at the table, waiting as he normally did. Instead, he was pacing at the opposite end of the small room, frantic about something.
"Brey," Alena called out as she entered the study, "are you all right? You seem nervous." The guardsman followed the princess in, closing the door behind.
Brey looked up, a frown on his face. However, once he saw Alena, he smiled. "No, no," he said, rushing over to the table and sitting down in his chair. "Nothing's wrong. Just worried you weren't showing up."
Alena walked over to the table and sat at in her chair opposite Brey. She absently looked at the window, almost out of habit. However, her attention was almost immediately drawn to the patched wall where she had broken earlier.
Did I really do that? she wondered. Few people could muster the strength to break a stone wall. Even her self-defense trainer did not have that much skill. She looked at her fist, clenching and unclenching it as she wondered if she could ever do it again.
Looking back up, she said to Brey, "Well, I'm here now, so why don't we get this-"
Suddenly, Brey jolted and screamed in pain, clutching at his chest.
"Brey!" Alena cried, leaping over the table. She caught her tutor just as he started to fall. "What's wrong?"
"Chest...!" he screamed, wincing in pain. "On...fire..." He then let out another cry of agony.
"Oh, Master!" Alena cried. She turned to the guardsman and quickly said, "You there, go get some help!"
He nodded and was about to rush off when Brey suddenly managed to get up and say, "No! Wait! I'll be all right if you can get me to the temple. Can you bring me there, young man?"
The guardsman looked at Alena, who nodded. She turned back to the tutor and said, "Don't worry, Brey. We'll get you there in no time." She then started to help him up.
"Oh, no you don't," he said, waving a finger at her as she did. "You're staying here and are going to finish your lesson."
"What?" Alena exclaimed. "You can't be serious! You're having a heart attack and all you can think about is doing my damn lessons?"
"That's right," he said, grinning. As the guard came over, Brey went from Alena's support to the guardsman's. "Besides," he added, "I'm sure this young man can take care of me."
"Don't worry, Princess," he said. "I'll make sure that he's taken care of."
"But-" Alena started but was quickly cut off by Brey.
"Trust me," he said, giving her a sly grin again. "I'll be fine once I'm at the temple." Alena, still confused by that grin, nodded reluctantly. "Fine," she muttered sarcastically and sat down at the table, opening a book. "I'll finish my lesson."
"Good for you, my dear," Brey said, and he and the guard started to leave.
Just before they left the room, the guardsman stopped at the door and said to Brey, "Shouldn't we have someone keep an eye on the Princess?"
"Oh, she'll be fine," Brey said. He turned to Alena, who was watching them leave. "I mean, what's she going to do? Leap out the window?" He then started to chuckle as they left but not before he gave Alena another wink.
This time, the princess' eyes lightened in realization.
She was alone. There were no bodyguards or watchful eyes. And this was the place where she had tried to escape before, only to be thwarted by Brey and other guards. However, no one was here to stop her this time.
Alena stood up and walked over to the wall she had kicked down before. Whoever repaired the wall sure had not done a decent job of it. It seemed the wall had been repaired with flimsy, wooden boards. The princess put a hand on one of the boards, testing its strength. Sure enough, the board wobbled under her grasp.
Excitement cursed through her body. It would be a simple matter to pull these boards off and leap out of the castle. Then she would be free to roam the country, away from her father's watchful eye. The dreams that had been crushed earlier re-emerged, stronger than ever. Heart pounding, Alena tore the board off. It easily came off, the nails tearing out of another board behind it.
Alena realized it would take a long time to tear off each board individually and she had no idea how much time Brey had bought her, whether his heart attack was sincere or just an act. She was going to have to break through quickly.
The princess backed up, glancing at the door to make sure no one was there. She then focused her energy, focused her anger, and now focused her excitement. One, swift, hard kick was all she needed and she would be free.
She rushed forward, letting her adrenaline take complete control over her actions. She only realized she had kicked through the boards when she felt a sudden, jarring pain in her right leg.
Alena remained unmoving for a few seconds, letting her adrenaline subside. Her vision cleared up as she left her trance and saw a few shattered remains of the boards still clinging on the rest of the wall. Alena peered beyond the wall and, through the limited light, saw the thatched top of a room a dozen feet below. Several, shattered boards littered the roof.
She quickly glanced at the door. No one came rushing in. No one would be able to stop her. All she had to do was leap and she would be free.
"Thanks, Brey," she said, waving to the door. "I'll never forget this."
Alena spread her wings and flew into the night.