Kings & Curses

The Boy in the North

ADAM

It was a cold morning, there were no birds to chirp, no strong smell of coffee to be smelt, no greetings from maids and men. It is the young lord's typical morning in Ravenhal. He is still wearing his clothes from last night's supper, he can't barely remember what he did, what he ate, what he drank, what he saw, and what he felt. Adam knew that he was not drunk- it happened again, he thought. The sightings, the sleepwalks, or the daydream he always experience since his sister disappeared.

Adam shook his head, shut his eyes and sighed. He slowly opened his eyes again, just to stare blankly into the open window, where he can see a tree, not a normal tree it is, a tree where he and his sister spent summers playing with their childhood friend, Gared. The leaves from it might be gone, the branches of it were thick and still strong, and they believed that it was much older than Ravenhal itself, and their memories will stay with it forever until the end of times.

He stood up from his bed, back slightly aching, he stretched out his arms and yawned. He walked down the stairs of the Lord's house, the halls were empty and silent. Now, he wonders if it's too early for him to be awake. The guards were still asleep when he exits the house, the streets were quiet.

A man approached him, a hint of worry drawn into the man's face. It was Gared, his old friend, now a sworn brother into the White Riders of the North, faithful to his house. "Morning, m'lord." The man bowed, giving courtesy to his kingship.

"Good morning, Gared. An early problem for a cold morning, I suppose?" Adam cocked his eyebrow, waiting for Gared to speak. "I haven't took my breakfast yet, but here you are, about to tell me a problem? Go on then, these are the unfortunate moons so, be it."

"I apologize, m'lord" Gared bowed once again, snow sticked to his hazel brown hair, melting into the warmth of his body. "Two of our riders were found dead, both young."

"Again?" Adam felt heaviness on his chest.

"Yes, but this time, the bodies were found outside the Gravewoods." The reports gave shivers to his spine. Outside of the Gravewoods were just three to four small villages away from their stronghold.

Adam was silent for a moment. "Oh, I remember now. You just came home from a ride." The young lord nodded, keeping his calm even thought he always fear those kind of unfortunate events.

"Yes. But I am afraid that there is more than that..." Those words made Adam give more attention on whatever Gared might say, "One of the riders that went riding three days ago, the one with the dead ones we found, was... bewitched." Gared lowered his voice, lean slightly to whisper into his king's ear. "I did what you have said, m'lord. The boy was in our infirmary, sick in bed."

That made the young lord frown. What now? The witches left their victims, let them survive and tell their lords some unspeakable things? Do they think it will send fear into the lords of this realm, he thought.

Once, when King Charles II was still alive, he used to tell stories to Adam about noble men, kings and warriors. He used to say that, every king who wears a crown, every knight who wears an armor and wields a sword, every priest who holds a cross, were once a man. There is a lot of things happened to them, terrible ones, he says. But because of those, what they felt through their dark days, made them who they are now. You will not be a king because you just wear a crown, you cannot be a knight if you just wear an armor and swing a sword, you cannot be a priest if you just pray for yourself- you must be hurt and wounded at first, you must be mocked, pained, and you must be challenged. Everyone could be a king, a knight, or a priest if they want to, they just need to embrace their responsibilities that they took, granted or not. A man's will cannot be shaken, and those words from his father was always with Adam's mind for he is not just a man who wears a crown, and that's what he believes.