Pugna, Glencar's Hall

The candles hung on the walls that bordered the great hall where many kings have spoken to vast audiences. The throne sat empty at the opposite side of the entrance. A hundred fatigued workers of the castle filed on both sides of a blood red carpet down the heart of the room. They whispered anxiously of why they were summoned. The prince stood in dark brown breeches and an emerald green tunic, staring down at his shoes. Once everyone was situated in the hall they waited for his highness to make his entrance.

Marlvin entered first.

“Announcing his royal highness, your beloved ruler, the supreme King Malik.”

As the audience applauded sluggishly, the king strutted through raising his hands as to silence the room. “It is not I we should be applauding! It is the Prince’s big day!”

The room’s applause began to grow louder. The realization of the people’s love towards the Prince, began to annoy the king.

“Silence!” Marlvin ordered to keep King Malik’s blood pressure down.

Regaining his temper the king announced, “Many years have passed since our Prince Maddox had his stars rearranged. Our once beloved King, my brother, ruled Pugna with a stiff but loving hand. But a curse plagued the King. He was given no choice but to reach his hands to the Gods to take him from his sufferings. No one could find the cure to his illness. We hired many medicine men from around Glencar to aid him, but none were able to lift the curse he found himself in.”

The eyes of the workers grew moist at the memory of their beloved deceased king.

The king paused to wipe fake tears away, “It was up to the Queen to raise her young son and to take leadership of Pugna. So much for a young woman. Of course I aided her through the way, as any loving brother, by marriage, would. But she wished too hard to be in her husband’s arms once again. Our beloved widow started to see her aspiration through her husband’s war dagger. As the full moon lit the castle and young Maddox was asleep, she pierced her heart with the dagger.”

He stopped for a moment of silence for the queen.

“It was up to me to raise our dear Maddox. He was only four when his mother left him to me. It was her words to me to give to all of Pugna. She desired for her faithful husband’s brother to raise her only son as if he were his own. Once he was to turn of age and have learned the ways of his people, he would be anointed King of Pugna.”

The audience grew anxious and excited about this news, whispers grew into smiles, and faces began to brighten the room.

“It brings me great honor to announce the Prince is now of age, and I have heard from him, that he is ready,” the king winked at Maddox. “Just this afternoon I summoned Prince Maddox to my side to discuss how he will announce his coronation. We discussed long and hard and he convinced me of his plan. It will be the forest that will give him his last test.”

The audience’s smiles transformed to frowns of panic.

“He will leave at sunrise with nothing but his sword and stallion. He will go into the forest to retrieve his token from his forest. HIS FOREST! He will conquer the forest to make all of Pugna laugh at nature’s labyrinth of uncertainty. He will not come back till he has found what the forest has taken from him….his token. If you don’t believe me, let our young Prince Maddox himself ease your doubts,” King Malik pulled the Prince in front of him to shield him of his people’s glares.

“It is true. What my uncle has spoken is true. No one has claimed the forest. Rumors has it the Paisums run wild like savages in the trees and have taken many men who have sauntered into the mouth of the forest. I no longer want my people to have fear of retrieving their lost cattle or to have to keep watchful eyes on their children as they play in fear they too might vanish in the trees –“

“As I have said it is all true. Your prince will dig his boots into the forest to claim victory from its grasp. The prince will leave at sunrise, so he must get his rest. Come my son lets get you ready.”

The king laid his arm on the prince’s shoulder and led him out.

The audience stood still, words could no longer break through their lips. Heads dropped as they filed back out of the hall, some with tears, others with looks of despair.

One petite elder lady by the name of Eleanor stayed behind.

Her clothes were neutral of tone and tattered along the edges. Gray strands streaked her apricot hair and her tired eyes looked longingly at the door the prince left through.

The young boy she had long ago looked after was leaving and she couldn’t even say goodbye.

She blinked back tears, and exited out the doors.