The Fallen Prince

Missing Prince

In Faervalon, a land transcending the mortal realm, lived the true imperial race, the Gimellon. The Sovereign possessed the greatest magical power and ruled over them all, with ten Lords under him to help govern the land.
On one fateful day, all of Faervalon was in a state of great unrest, for the second youngest of the Sovereign's four sons had lost connection with the Sovereign, the connection being a strong magical bond between them that indicated the whereabouts of that son, and also his physical status. If that bond were to be broken, it would be dangerous for the Prince to be alone.
"I don't understand how the bond could be broken," said the 5th Lord, Feion Kruiler. He had silver eyes common amongst the members of his clan and short black hair that was slightly curled. His features were sharp, his cheekbones and brow sitting high and lofty on his face, and a slightly curved nose. His lips were thin and seemed to be pinched together, giving him a somewhat tense look.
5th Lord Feion continued, "Even though Prince Elias is the weakest among his brothers, his magical power still exceeds that of the Lords. It is impossible for anyone but the Sovereign to break the bond, and he would never do such a thing."
A courtier of his, a timid, withdrawn, but capable man, quietly spoke, "My lord Feion, since the magical bond could not have possibly been severed in Faervalon, perhaps something, an accident, maybe, might have happened in the mortal realm to break the connection."
"Yes, yes, everyone has pondered that possibility, but what manner of event should have occurred to break that bond? Is there anyone in the world more powerful in magic than the Third Prince? I am famished, please prepare me something immediately."
The courtier bowed and left the room to fetch some food for his master.
"What if there was someone who could overpower Prince Elias?" the 5th Lord thought. "No, no, there cannot be."
Two years later, the Lords were gathered in the presence of the Sovereign. All bowed, then stood in a semicircle approximately five meters from the Sovereign, who was sitting in his throne. It had been 50 years since they were called for, which was not long, since the Sovereign only called them all at once every 60 years.
Although there were supposed to be ten Lords, there were only eight in the throne-room, and this fact made most of them uneasy. Responding late to the Sovereign's call was extremely disrespectful, if they were indeed late.
The Sovereign, Kadriel di Kallene, was an expressionless man, with piercing green eyes and the palest platinum back-length hair that could easily be mistaken for white, if not for the silver tinge it gave under the sun. It was combed back from his forehead and the hair just behind his temples was braided and tied at the back of his head with a turquoise ribbon. He was a middle-aged man but looked much younger than that, and had a fair complexion with an undertone of peach. The slope of his nose was straight and his nostrils were somewhat pinched at the top, with the shape of his lips, a delicate balance between being full and thin, perfectly complementing his delicate beauty. Sovereign Kadriel di Kallene possessed a demeanour so calm and noble that commanded utmost silence, an attribute of every Sovereign before him.
"I perceive some of you are troubled concerning the 2nd and 6th Lords. Am I correct?" His voice was low, and was often termed as 'one thousand thunders,' because of its resonance.
The ones who were uneasy about the matter expressed their agreement with a single, clear, "Yes, Sovereign."
"7th Lord Eron found out that they were behind the uprising, and fed them to Rishaak. Their followers repented or followed them into death," replied Kadriel, unwavering in voice and expression.
All the Lords, except Eron, glanced at each other uneasily. The uprising was caused by the belief that the 3rd Prince's disappearance was the Sovereign's fault, based on the reason that he could not handle his household appropriately.
"Pah!" continued the Sovereign. "A former Sovereign, Yris di Kallene, had TWO rebellious sons, and I think that he ruled Faervalon more excellently than I. How dare the 2nd and 6th Lords insult me!" Kadriel's voice rose slightly, and his eyes hardened, invoking fear in the Lords' hearts. "Rishaak is pleased at being fed."
Kadriel referred to a tall, black statue that sat off to the side behind his throne. It touched the high ceiling, and had the face of a dragon carved into it. Its eyes were closed in deep, deep slumber. The Sovereign arose from the throne, his regal, white garments flowing gracefully behind him as they clinged to his tall frame. He approached Rishaak, the statue, as the Lords watched him.
"It is said that Rishaak is comforted in his sleep if the owner of a righteous heart touches him." Kadriel did so in demonstration, and a low rumble coming from the statue filled the room. When he removed his hand, Rishaak turned quiet.
The 9th Lord bowed deeply and spoke, "It also is said that the owner of an unrighteous heart is consumed by Rishaak if the Sovereign commands him to. Is this what happened to the two Lords who rebelled?"
"Yes, Ithenai," replied Kadriel. "They were consumed. Their followers who did not repent were slain by 7th Lord Eron."
A Lord could not kill another Lord, unless by some higher means, in this case, through Rishaak by the Sovereign's command. The Sovereign could execute as well, but it was not necessary, since one Lord was appointed Executioner, which was Eron, and the Sovereign had Rishaak to execute a Lord.
"Back to the main matter. When my son disappeared, we proclaimed him to Faervalon as missing, but thought him dead, because his star had lost its light."
The star he referred to was a crystal stone the size of a large fist, one out of four, that floated on a platform high inside the throne-room, above the entrance door. Each jewel represented one of the Princes, and lost its light if the Prince it represented lost his life and power. The 1st Prince's star was a fiery orange, the 2nd Prince's star was deep crimson, the 3rd Prince's, or Elias', star was a rich azure, and the 4th Prince's star was a bright green. If a new Sovereign was appointed from among the Princes, the crystals would remain until the newly appointed Sovereign bore his first child, giving way to the new set of crystals. 
"I called you here as soon as I discovered something. I wanted to experience sleep like a mortal does and flung my cloak over my head to block out the light, because 5th Lord Feion once mentioned that it is very hard to sleep in the presence of much light. My cloak was not opaque enough, so I turned out the lights with my power and closed my eyes."
There was a pause, and the 1st Lord was the one to interrupt it. "H-How was it, Sovereign?"
"It pleased me to sleep. Although I do not need it, I shall try it again some other time when the matters at hand are not so urgent. I awoke a few hours later to Lord Feion knocking at the throne-room door. I flung my cloak over my head and opened my mouth to say, 'Enter,' but instead I said, 'Leave me!' How frightened you must have been, Feion, but I assure you that you are not at fault."
Feion smiled weakly, remembering the event. He had been scared out of his wits.
"The room was still completely dark when I awoke. I shouted at Feion so suddenly because I noticed a faint light from Elias' jewel. It is so faint and cannot be seen under light, but is seen in complete darkness. Let me demonstrate for you. Azure, come hither!" called the Sovereign to Elias' crystal.
The third crystal, which was now a dull, lifeless grey, floated down into Kadriel's palm. With a flick of his hand, the room was engulfed in darkness once again. Kadriel told the Lords to gather around him and study the crystal. The Lords gasped upon seeing a very faint, blue light. Kadriel sent the jewel back, turned the lights back on, and sat down on the throne.
"Sovereign, what does it mean?" asked Ithenai.
"My son is not dead. He is alive, but his great magical power..." An ominous silence filled the room. "It is completely gone."
The Lords cried out in alarm. "Who could have done this? What happened?" Such questions were thrown around in confusion as they turned to one another.
Never before had a member of the Gimellon race completely lost their power due to an unknown cause in the mortal realm. Events or people in the mortal realm did not have sufficient magical power to do so. A member of the Gimellon race could not have killed the 3rd Prince in the mortal realm because a seal restraining some of their power would have to be put on them.
Kadriel raised a hand, and everyone was silent. "I would like the 5th and 9th Lords to step forward." They did so. "I choose you to go and bring my son back. If you agree, I shall seal most of your powers so you can mingle in with the mortals and your identities will remain hidden. Do you object?"
Feion and Ithenai cried in unison, "No, Sovereign, we shall go and obey."
"Very well." Kadriel touched their wrists, which glowed with light for a few seconds. The 5th and 9th Lords stepped back into the semicircle. "That is your seal. It will be active once you are out of Faervalon. You have more than enough power to survive in a life-threatening situation, and you should keep in contact with me. As for the rest of you, you may keep in contact with Feion and Ithenai as well, as you go about your usual duties."
"Who will fill the places of the 2nd and 6th Lords?" asked the 8th Lord.
"After one year, I will determine if there are any worthy of the positions. All eight of you, including Feion and Ithenai, should be here during that time."
"Yes, Sovereign," everyone said.
"Oh, and one more thing. To the rest of the Kingdom, my son is merely missing. You will affirm that fact. If any questions are raised concerning his state, you will reply that you don't know anything. You cannot tell your closest brother, parent, attendant, or ANYONE about the matters spoken here concerning the prince; you must keep this strictly to yourself. I will know immediately if you let word, and I shall indeed punish you severely."
"We hear and obey," the eight Lords cried. Only two punishments were given out by the Sovereign. One was to be stripped of all positions, titles, magical power, and memories, then to be exiled into the mortal realm. The second greater punishment was to be sent into eternal sleep.
"You are dismissed. I will see Feion and Ithenai in one year, and all of you. Eron, come see me in two hours for tea."
They all bowed and left the room.
"Raefir, Darwen, Luca," said Kadriel, "come out from behind my throne, my sons." Kadriel always addressed his sons from eldest to youngest.
Raefir broke the cloaking magic he was using to hide himself and his brothers from the Lords, and the three of them knelt in front of their father.
"Now, little Luca, recount to me the true secret of the jewels of the Princes di Kallenes," said the Sovereign.
Luca, a pleasant young lad of 247 years (the equivalent of a twelve year-old human boy; the age of a Faervalon inhabitant is divided by 20 to get the equivalent age of a mortal), spoke, "If the jewel shines bright, the Prince is healthy. If the color is off, he has lost his power. If the jewel is half-dim, the Prince's magical power is weak, but he is alive and healthy. If the jewel breaks, the Prince is no more."
Kadriel smiled. "Well done." Luca's face broke into an ear to ear grin. "Darwen, since Elias' crystal is very, very dim, what can you gather from this information?"
Darwen, a young man of 512 years (25 mortal years, m.y.), was trembling in excitement as he drew his conclusion. "Elias is alive and well!" he whispered in rapture. His countenance fell slightly. "But his power is greatly weakened."
"Father, why did you tell the Lords that Elias' power was gone?" the oldest, Raefir, inquired. Raefir was 526 years old (26 m.y.).
"I wanted to test them all. Remember the first Prince in our history to lose his powers because of a punishment from his Sovereign father. This foolish Prince went into the mortal realm in rebellion to escape, but he was killed by a Lord. By killing a Prince in the mortal realm, that Lord gained that Prince's power and possessions. However, upon stepping foot in Faervalon after he had killed the Prince, he was executed by the Sovereign himself at that time."
"But the man was a Lord, Father," said Luca. "Could he not have been fed to Rishaak instead?"
"If he was a normal Lord, yes, but remember he gained the Prince's power after slaying him. A prince's pure power is potent enough to disrupt the order of the realms, so it finds its next host, the slayer of its former owner. Rishaak cannot consume a soul with such power, so when the Sovereign executed that Lord, the Sovereign gained the Prince's power to restore order and peace," said Kadriel. 
"I see," mused Darwen. "So you are tempting the Lords to kill Elias in the mortal realm."
"Yes. If Elias is killed, let it not be so, the Lord would be completely safe on earth if he never set foot in Faervalon ever again. If he would, I would execute that Lord. Imagine, a Lord with a Prince's power can have the whole earth under him."
Raefir had been listening to the conversation in silence, and spoke, "Can you not execute a Lord in the mortal realm, Father?"
"It has never been done before, for there was no reason to do so, but I assume such outburst of power would disrupt the order of the two realms. If all the ten Lords were present to use magic to absorb the strong magical energy, I assume it would be fine, but if it were to be discovered, such an event would cause great disturbance in the earth and our identities would be somewhat revealed. This would be dangerous.
"But I doubt matters will go that far. Your brother is not powerless, and I am sure he will gain his full power back; he is an intelligent one. Have faith in your brother, my sons." Kadriel stepped forward and patted their shoulders encouragingly.
The three Princes took their leave and left, promising to keep their conversation a secret.
Kadriel looked outside a tall glass window at the turquoise sky.
"It has been 56 years since you have left Faervalon to explore the world, and 2 years since you have disappeared, Elias. Come back."