Chapter 6
The crunch of snow under my feet, snow reaching up to our knees, snowflakes brushing against my cheeks, and seeing nothing but white from the ground to the towering trees and as far as the eye can see are all a first for me. Sure, we have winter in Kyaro too, but I don't think we've ever had this much snow! So as much as it's the most inappropriate time to get excited (I mean, we are in the middle of a snowstorm), I just can't help it.
"Are you all still okay?"
"For the fiftieth time, Seisuke, yes, we are." Nanami chuckles, playfully rolling her eyes.
"Sorry. I just feel bad making you all go through this. Please bear with me just a bit longer." Seisuke grins sheepishly. Though we can't see each other's faces because half of it is buried under our scarves, I can guess as much with the way his eyes squint. "Lumina is known as the Snow Empire because it snows here all year round. But this blizzard is not nature's work. This is a barrier the acting emperor had erected to keep outsiders away, and keep the citizens of Lumina prisoners inside."
"Legends say that everyone who has tried to brave through the cold to get to the kingdom got lost in the forest. Some of them somehow wound up at the foot of the mountain with no memory of how they got back, while others just never made it back at all" says Jowy.
Are you serious?!
As if seeing my reaction from the look of my face, Jowy adds "But since we're with a citizen of Lumina, we should be okay. Right, Seisuke?"
"It's true that travelers often get lost in these woods, and that's because this mountain is hexed and only citizens of Lumina know how to repel that. But Lumina's imperial family was kind. The previous emperors had ordered magicians from generation to generation to make sure the hex brings lost travelers back to the foot of the mountain where there's a nearby village, that way they don't freeze to death up here. Once we repel the hex, all we have to do is follow the beacon and we'll know the way out of the forest."
"Beacon?"
"You'll see it as soon as I cast the counter spell."
With a flick of his staff, Seisuke mutters something, which I can't hear over the whistling of the wind. Just then the fog, which for some very odd reason I never even realized was there (and from Jowy and Nanami's surprised reaction it seems like neither did they) is lifted. Then I see something glimmering in the distance. There's castle, shining brightly at the peak of the mountain, as if showing us the way.
"Behold, the imperial palace of Lumina."
"Amazing…" Nanami gasps.
"Yeah. Simply breathtaking…" Jowy admires with a gentle grin.
They're both right. It's really stunning. It's glimmering as if it's made of diamonds.
"A beacon of light…"
"You're exactly right, Lord Kenji" Seisuke goes on to explain "The imperial castle's surface is covered with ice precisely for this reason. It's made to reflect light so it can guide the citizens of Lumina and show them the way home. All we need to do is follow the light, and we'll be able find our way."
When we get to the edge of the forest, there's a path, however, Seisuke leads us away from it.
"Normally, all we have to do is walk down that path and it will lead us to the town entrance. But since Lumina's gates are closed and is constantly guarded, we have to go in through the back door."
"Was that how you escaped?" Nanami asks.
"You'll see soon enough." Seisuke winks.
He takes us further away from the path until we reach a majestic frozen waterfall. He then leads us into a winding ravine then stops right in front of a boulder. Between the boulder and the tall ravine wall, there's a little gap that's just wide enough for one person to squeeze through that leads into a narrow cave. Seisuke mutters something under his breath before the moon-shaped end of his rod lights our path.
"We're safe in here. No one can find us here."
"How do can you be sure of that?" Jowy asks skeptically.
"Because only two people know about this place."
An unfamiliar voice answers in front of us, making us all jump.
"You just never listen" He scolds Seisuke before walking towards us. He stops right In front of Seisuke and, without warning, slaps him.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? Had they caught you, who knows what they would've done to you! How could you make me worry like that?!"
"I'm not going to apologize." Seisuke grips his rod tighter.
"Sei!"
"I only did what I believed can help us! He can help us!"
"He?"
"Forgive me for the late introduction. Your highness, this is Lord Kenji, leader of the Orange Army. Lord Kenji, this is Lord Rihito, imperial prince of Lumina and the rightful heir to the throne."
In the darkness of the cave I could barely make out his face, so my attention then zooms into his voice. He sounds stern, but somehow, I can hear traces of an underlying tone of gentleness. Something I am amazed to find, considering everything his family- his empire- has been through. He has a strong heart, befitting of a leader.
"We don't need help from outsiders."
"But your highness!"
"That's enough, Sei. We will let them in and give them a place to rest, there's a snowstorm approaching. However, as soon as the storm passes, they will depart and return to their homeland."
Without another word, the prince walks away. Sei ushers us to follow him with an apologetic tone.
"Come. This way."
At the end of the cave lies what looked like a dead end at first until Seisuke pushes a small boulder out of the way, revealing a hole just big enough for one person to crawl through. Outside we end up at the rocky areas of a riverbank, and further ahead there's a glistening frozen river. Seisuke rolls the small boulder back to block the hole then, together with the prince, they lead us through the rocks and boulders, walking us through areas where we won't slip- something that wouldn't have been possible if they weren't completely familiar with the place.
It looks like they've been here a lot of times. Looking back, I can barely tell where the exit is anymore. No wonder no one else knows about it. The rocky areas make for a good place to hide, too. It's the perfect escape route.
They lead us through the woods and into an abbey. In the centre of the abbey, we go inside a dimly lit library. Looking at the sparkle in Jowy's eyes, I can easily tell that they have a very impressive collection. The prince and Seisuke lead us further down into one of farthest aisles at the back, where the prince starts fumbling through the books until he stops at one and pulls back its spine. As soon as he sets it back into upright position, the entire shelf slides sideways, revealing the portrait of a long-haired lady with dark chocolate-colored hair and the most beautiful emerald eyes. She's wearing a white dress and a crown of equally pristine flowers. With a serene smile on her face, she has an upturned palm, as if beckoning us to her. She looks so familiar… as if I've seen her somewhere before, not too long ago, and there's this nagging feeling that I've seen her many times. I just can't put my finger on when, or where.
The prince puts his hand on her upturned palm, and with a soft click, the left side of the portrait tilts forward, revealing an entrance. The prince goes in, leading us all inside, down a few flights of narrow stairs, then to a closed door. He knocks on it twice and then the door opens. Seisuke closes the door behind us and the light automatically turns on. And that's when we see that there's actually no one inside. There's a bed, a couch, a door leading to what looks like a shower and washroom, and a small desk with a matching chair.
Seeing our reactions, explains.
"This is called the Room of Solitude. It's where monks can be alone, for as long as they want if they need some time to think, to meditate, or even to simply relax and be alone for a while. It was a gift from the late empress, who also taught healing arts at the abbey. The portrait you saw leading to this room was a tribute made by the oldest abbot to her. It was also his last masterpiece before he retired from painting."
"You can stay here until the storm passes. This door will only open if you knock when nobody's inside. The only time it will open while the room is occupied is if and when the occupant willingly lets the person who's knocking in. So you're safe here. You will never be found unless you yourselves open the door," the prince further adds.
Now that I can see his face better in the bright room, I can finally get a better look. He has a handsome face despite his rigid expression, short and wavy dark chocolate-colored locks that partly covers his face, and emerald eyes- the exact same color as that of the lady in the painting. There's no doubt about it, he is the late empress' son. But his eyes are not lively and sparkling, they are lifeless and unmoving. Could it be…?!
As if reading my thoughts, the prince heaves a deep sigh.
"Kenji, is it? I know I have a handsome face, but you don't have to stare at me so hard."
"No, I…"
"Yes, I am blind. But my senses are sharp, so sharp I've been called a genius throughout my student days." He tells me with a smug face, but in an obviously joking tone.
"Yo… Your highness" Seisuke grins sheepishly. "Oh well, it's not as if he's lying. His highness was indeed the top student in the imperial academy, be it in martial arts or academics. No one could top him at anything!" Seisuke nods proudly.
"Except magic. That was your forte, Sei."
Seisuke blushes. He's like an adorable small animal sometimes.
"Anyway, as I said before, I'm sorry but you will have to leave as soon as the storm passes. We appreciate your intention, but after what happened in the past, I can no longer trust outsiders. Sei, let's go."
"Your highness…" Seisuke looks like he wants to say something.
The prince reaches for the knob, but before he opens the door, I grab his hand.
"Your highness, please let us help you."
He turns around and faces me, looking in my direction through his unseeing eyes. He holds my hand with both of his hands, and with a much gentler tone and a small smile gracing his beautiful features, he speaks to me.
"Kenji, I can tell with just your voice how sincere you are. But I have lost the ability to trust outsiders long ago."
"Your highness, if I may speak." Jowy steps beside me. "Kenji's trust had once been broken by someone he had faith in more than anyone else in the world. And yet here he is, standing in front of you, travelling with and entrusting his life to that same person who betrayed him."
"Jowy…" I turn to Jowy with a small pang in my heart at hearing his words.
" If there's anyone who understands your pain of having been betrayed, it's Kenji, your highness."
The prince looked pensive for a moment, then he let go of my hand and turned towards the door.
"… Seisuke, let's go."
The prince opens the door and steps out. Seisuke bows to us and bids us goodnight before following him. I turn to Jowy and hug him tight. He hugs me back and we get lost in each other's embrace until Nanami's voice brings us back to reality.
"Ahem. I'm still here, you two."
The next day, Seisuke brings us breakfast, as well as the wonderful news that the prince had decided to introduce us to the Allegiance- the prince's companions who have long been planning to overthrow the current ruler that brought upon the imperial family's downfall.