Dragon's Heart

Chapter 18

Finally, Prince Tobias was made to follow a third phantom to the central area of the valley. The visions that this particular spirit chose to conjure up were vastly different from Matthew's and Sally's, because unlike them, Tobias grew up only knowing the kingdom that his father, Walt, had established, not Indiana or much less the United States, where the siblings hailed from. The first scene the Prince witnessed was where it all began---his birth. 

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King Walt, then-ruler of the lands surrounding Bradenshire, sat alongside his wife, Queen Lucilla, as she held the newborn Tobias in his hands. "You know, to be honest with you, I was secretly hoping we would have a daughter first," she joked to her husband. "I guess now I will have to put up with being the only woman in the royal family." They both laughed for a while. 

"He is quite precious, isn't he?" Walt commented. "Just think of the powerful, righteous ruler he will grow up to be. We will call him.....Tobias." "Has a nice ring to it, I will admit." Lucilla responded. Soon, the young prince started crying. "Oh, he must be getting cranky," Lucilla remarked. "I'll be right back. I shall put him to bed." 

Once the young Tobias was safely nestled in his crib, Walt and Lucilla sat at the dining table and talked about a more pressing matter.

"Do you have any news on the Dark Raven's whereabouts?" Lucilla asked Walt, sounding very concerned. "No, I haven't heard anything. And I must say, it unsettles me greatly. I think he may be getting jealous of how I basically grew to be the face of the kingdom while he ended up remaining in the shadows. I am worried he might gain the strength to turn against us one day. The last time I saw him, he and I got into a heated argument in the middle of the village square, and it concluded with him storming out of the front gates in a huff, vowing to return. And might I say, his tone did not yield positive connotations. Still, he is  family, and I genuinely believe there is still hope for him. If he chooses to return one of these days, I will attempt to reconcile with him." 

But this reply, unfortunately, did not satisfy Lucilla. "Walt, I don't think you understand how much of a threat he now represents to our people. To our very lands. I would suggest asking the local wizards to try and scout out his location, and then send a group of knights to take care of him before he gets his hands on anything important," she said. 

"I shall only use violence as a last resort, my love," said Walt in turn. "If it were anyone else, I would take assertive action almost immediately, but I will stay my blade for the time being." 

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After watching this scenario play out, Tobias was conflicted about who to side with. He thought that sending a group of knights to kill Ravenswood on the spot when he hadn't exhibited any particularly hostile behavior yet was a bit much, but at the same time he did not feel it appropriate to simply let him roam free, much less approach him with such recklessness. It also did not help that the Prince knew that Walt's decision to spare Ravenswood would eventually lead to the former's death at the hands of the Dark Raven himself. 

But he did not have the quickest bit of time to ponder the situation much longer, as another vision faded into view before his very eyes.

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At some point, a long while after Tobias's birth, Queen Lucilla fell ill with a mysterious disease. No one was able to find out what exactly it was, much less how to treat it. The best that Walt could do was try to make her feel as comfortable as possible while also taking care of the growing Tobias's needs, as well as finding a way to explain the Queen's condition to the young prince. 

Unfortunately, Lucilla's health worsened more and more as time went on. Her coughing fits would sometimes go on for several minutes on end, and she began having chest pains and labored breathing. One night, it was clear that the once beautiful and elegant Queen was now on her deathbed. She occasionally struggled to even speak, but she managed to get out her last request to her husband. "Bring......our son......" she whispered softly. Tobias, now old enough to walk a little, made his way to his mother's room with Walt's assistance. "My dear Tobias......you are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to our family......I feel at peace knowing that our kingdom's future will be secure in your hands." "Of course, Mother......" the young Tobias said in response. He tried to hold back his tears, and managed to fake a smile so she would feel comfortable in her last moments. She moved her gaze towards Walt. "My love.....whatever happens, promise me you will take care of our child.....he is the hope of this kingdom...." Her breath was fading fast. "Walt......Tobias.....I love you both....very much....." 

With that, the light faded from her eyes. 

The next few days were one of the darkest in Bradenshire's history. A great funeral service was held, and a flower wreath was sent floating down a river near the town---the very same river that Lucilla loved to sit by whenever she was tired of being in the castle. Whereas Walt mostly stayed inside the castle issuing various orders to people, Lucilla had always been the more sociable of the two royals, leaving the castle often to converse with the villagers. As such, many, many people mourned her, and even more were confused about what exactly led to her death. 

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This vision cut Tobias to the core. He had been so torn apart by this event that he had refused to open up about it to anyone. Thank goodness Matthew and Sally weren't around to see this. Just then, the phantom created one last vision......