A/N - Yay I got a review! XD ! Thank you Taigona
Chapter 2: Kylar
Inside of Emeral Castle ~
Kylar watched as the men approached the darkest corner of the dimly lit hall. "Did you see which way he went?" asked one of the men to the others as they ran passed the place where Kylar stood in the shadows. "He can't have gone too far, we just saw him turn down this hall" called another man from the group. Kylar waited until the men had rounded the corner and then he turned and slipped into one of the many secret passages of the castle. The secret passage was as dark as the deepest caverns but that didn't bother Kylar too much. He quickly found the stairs leading up to the hidden balconies. Taking the steps two at a time, Kylar soon reached the top. As quietly as he could, he raced down to the end of the balcony where he had tied a rope so that it hung in the gap between two separate balconies. Once he had reached the end of the first balcony, Kylar launched himself into the open space between the two railings. Grabbing the rope at the last possible moment, Kylar smiled as he swung across the sixty feet of empty air between him and the men pursuing him. This must be what it is like to be able to fly, Kylar thought with joy as he swung towards the opposite railing. The men below never once looked up. He let go of the rope, flying through the air for a few brief seconds then landing silently on the second balcony. He continued to make his way down the hall. When Kylar reached the end of the balcony he stopped and waited. He didn't have to wait for very long. The group of men came racing down the hall at a dead run. "Hurry! We can't let him reach the forbidden wing!" Kylar tilted his head in confusion. "What are they talking about?" Kylar thought, "My father has never said anything about a forbidden wing of the castle." Pondering this new information, Kylar watched as the men ran into the ran into the trap that he had set up. Within seconds all the men were entangled in the mass of spider webs that Kylar had strung across the hallway. Kylar smiled and waited. Spitting strands of the giant spider web out of his mouth, one of the men fought to get to his sword only to become more entangled in the web. "Kylar, I don't care if you are the prince!" the man shouted as his face started to turn red, " As the captain of the royal guard I command you to come here and let us out from this Notch-blasted trap!" Kylar entered yet another of the hidden entrances to the secret passages. A few minutes later he stepped out of the shadows in front of the trapped men. Kylar grinned at the looks of surprise that crossed some of the men's faces. "He's just a boy!" exclaimed one of the newer guards in disbelief. "For your information, I am seven years old," said a slightly annoyed Kylar. "Yes, we get that," said the captain, "Now hurry up and get us out of here."
"Now Isac, why would I go and do a silly thing like that?" asked Kylar. His grin turning into a smirk, "And after I went through all that trouble to get you there too."
"The king and queen will surely hear of this!" said one of the guards. He had apparently tripped before he fell into the webs and so he was now hanging upside down in the trap. "I have no doubt that my mother and father will hear about this," Kylar said, amused "But ask yourself this question; when will they find out?" The guard's face paled, an impressive feat considering his current position. "You're not going to leave us here, are you?" a different guard asked worriedly, glancing towards his captain whose face had turned even more red. "Of course I am," said Kylar, "I can't have you guys trying to follow me everywhere I go or running off to tell my parents, that would not be any fun at all."
"Enough of this, Kylar," said Isac, "Release us from your little trap and we will only tell your parents that you played a little prank." Kylar turned his full attention to the captain. "Did you not hear what I just told you?" Kylar asked, his pale blue eyes flashing with anger, "I do not want to be followed by you glorified nursemaids."
"I am sure someone will find you, eventually," Kylar said as he started to walk away. "Get back here now!" yelled Isac after the retreating form of his charge. All the answer he got was the sight of the young prince fading into the shadows.
Kylar was furious. He was a prince and yet everyone treated him like a small child. Kylar snorted, they would soon have to acknowledge that he wasn't going shatter into tiny pieces if he stubbed his toe. Isac's earlier comment came back to him. What did he mean by the forbidden wing? Kylar asked himself as he made his way down the secret hall towards his father's throne room. Kylar walked along the hidden balcony that overlooked the room where his father ran his kingdom. Looking over the railing Kylar noticed the unusual lack of people in the great hall. Odd he thought, there should at least be a guard or servant doing some form of work. Kylar continued down the balcony until he came to a door. Checking that none were watching, Kylar opened the door and slipped out onto the castle roof. A cool breeze lifting his blonde hair in the breeze Kylar turned around and gazed out over the city wall and into the forest beyond. What is it like to be completely surrounded by trees he thought as he climbed up the side of the roof. Once he reached the top, Kylar began to walk along the narrow ledge that was formed by the two edges of the castle roof. From this high up the city below looked very similar to the stars above. The stars were soon blotted out by the shape of the tallest tower of the castle. Kylar reached out and touched the cool stone bricks of the massive structure. "Today is the day that I will see all that I will rule someday," he said to himself and bent down to retrieve the rope that he had hidden up here a few weeks ago. With one last look at the forest he began to climb the tower. At first the hand and foot holds were few and far between but they soon grew more and more plentiful the farther up the tower Kylar climbed. He was nearly at the top of the tower when Kylar's foot slipped and he was left hanging hundreds of feet in the air by just his fingertips. Kylar scrabbled around frantically with his feet as his grip on the the tower stones began to loosen. "I will not die here!" Kylar screamed his fury and terror into the wind as his fingers lost their tenuous grip. "Noooooooooo!" Kylar cried out as he felt his body begin to fall. His voice was ripped away by the massive gust of wind that sent him flying skyward. Pain blossomed on Kylar's face as he was blown past the edge of tower roof. The last thing Kylar saw was the stars and the night darkened forest.
Pain…..hurts…..my face…..owwwww. Kylar groaned and rolled over onto his back, one hand reaching up to touch the line of pain that was burning the left side of his jaw. That just made it hurt worse. Kylar sat up and looked at his hand. It was red with his blood. I will be in such trouble if father or Isac finds out about this, he thought as he looked at his red stained fingers. "So you're not dead," said a soft voice from behind him but when Kylar jumped up and turned around he saw no one. "Who is there, show yourself," Kylar commanded as he scanned his surroundings. He noticed to his surprise that he was on the tower's roof. "I am here," the soft voice came again and this time Kylar was able to see the faint outline of a woman standing in the shadows of the top half of the tower's roof. "Who are you and why are you hiding in the shadows?" asked Kylar as he moved closer to the woman. "I…. my name is Irina and I am in the shadows because I didn't want to scare you," Irina said. "Well come out Irina, I promise not to be scared," Kylar said as Irina shifted nervously in the shadows. Irina remained silent for a long time and Kylar thought that she was not going to respond but eventually she did, "I don't think that this is a good idea," she said as she stepped out of the shadows. Kylar fell down in surprise as he got his first good look at Irina. Or rather, through Irina. "Y-you….what are you?….W-w-why, h-how can I see through you?" he stammered. "This is why I didn't want to show myself," Irina said with a sad little smile. Standing back up, Kylar said with a huff, "I am not running away am I, you just startled me is all!" Irina's smile widened, "Thank you child, you've no idea how nice it is to not have someone run at the sight of me."
"You are welcome Irina," Kylar said. He was a little confused as to why anyone would run away from Irina. Sure, I can see straight through her but surely that is not enough to send people running, he thought. "And to answer your question, I am the queen of this castle" Irina said. "You can not be the queen." said Kylar "My mother is the queen." "That's nice," Irina said, her eyes losing focus a little. "What is your name, child?" she asked, turning her blank eyes toward the boy. "My name is Kylar," he said a little unnerved by the strange lady who was claiming to be the queen. "Kylar…..Kylar," Irina said in a singsong voice, "I have a baby named Kylar, would you like to see him?" Kylar could only nod his head. Maybe this Kylar is transparent like his mother, Kylar thought as he followed Irina through the trapdoor and into the darkness below. "Where are we going," he asked Irina as she led him through the darkened hallway. "Why to the nursery of course," said Irina "where else would a baby be?" Kylar shivered, he knew full well that the castle did not have a nursery but he did not think that he should mention that to Irina when she had that strange look in her eyes. "Here we are," Irina announced as they came to a halt outside of a door. With no preamble she threw open the door and walked into the pitch black room. When Kylar entered the room he was hit by the smell of stale air and a faint hint of copper. "This simply will not do," Irina said with a huff and went over to open the window. The wave of night air that swept in was like a breath of fresh air. Kylar looked over to see Irina staring out at the forest. "What are you looking for?" he asked. She looked down at the boy, sighed, and returned to looking out at the forest, "The only man who ever saw me for who I was rather than a political game piece."
"You do not look like a game piece to me," Kylar said with a look of confusion on his face, "Why would anyone think that you were?" Irina smiled sadly and said, "As the third daughter of a desert kingdom my only value in the eyes of my family and my people was my ability to marry a prince or king of a wealthy country. You see, we had many people to support and very few resources. In short, our kingdom was dying," she said, "My father and the previous king of the Diamond Mountains negotiated the marriage between myself and Prince Meneas."
"You were married to my father!" Kylar looked up at Irina in surprise. "I still am…." Irina's words trailed off. Shaking her head slightly Irina asked in small voice, "Where did everyone go…. w-why won't the doors to the castle open anymore…..so lonely…..alone...alone?"
"You are not alone," Kylar smiled at Irina, "I am here am I not?"
Irina shut her eyes. "Yes, yes you are Kylar, sweet Kylar." While the two had been talking the sky outside had begun to lighten until the first hints of the rising sun were able to be seen over the tops of the trees. "I have to go," Kylar said and turned to head back to the roof. "DON'T LEAVE ME!" The voice made Kylar's ears ring. "I must," he said, "However, I promise that I will return when I am able."
"I'll hold you to that promise…" Kylar looked over his shoulder but Irina was no longer there.
Please leave a review and tell me what you guys think.