“Yes,” Garl sighed with annoyance. “I have heard that before. Come into the throne room. You have visitors.”
The queen opened her mouth to further verbally abuse the old man, but Garl had already turned and left her chambers. The queen stormed into the throne room and saw Malid and Volox waiting for her.
“What is going on?” the queen asked in confusion. “I have not called for a meeting of elders in my throne room. Why are you here, Malid? And why is Volox here?”
“So many questions,” Garl said softly, “but you are not asking the right ones. Why aren’t you asking who induced your coma-like sleep that I just awakened you from?”
The queen blinked with confusion. She turned and stared out over the railing and saw the setting sun. She looked back at Garl.
“How long have I slept?” she asked calmly.
“Only the better part of a day,” answered Garl, “but the spell that you were under would have kept you in that state indefinitely.”
“Why should I believe you Garl?” snapped the queen. “I believed in you once, and you tore my heart to shreds. You were relentless with your foolish statements of hope and joy. You can’t imagine how sickened I became just by the sound of your voice. How dare you return?”
“Earlier today you had a meeting with two young women,” Garl said, ignoring the queen’s tirade. “Did those girls try to kill you?”
“They attacked me magically,” snapped Queen Alycia. “No one attacks the queen and gets away with it.”
“Did they try to kill you?” Garl repeated stubbornly. “What spell did they use on you?”
Queen Alycia’s brow creased as she replayed the meeting in her mind.
“It hurt,” the queen replied softly. “My head felt like it would pulverize.”
“Did it feel like a Kieran compulsion spell?” asked Garl.
“Yes,” the queen gasped, “but no. I mean the symptoms were the same, but it was much too powerful for a compulsion spell. Besides, I do not believe the fairy tales they were trying to sell. There are no missing Kierans. I am a Kieran, and I would certainly know if any were missing.”
“Except for your own daughters,” Garl said softly.
“No,” shouted the queen. “My daughters are dead. Why are you doing this to me all over again? You are such a horrible, despicable old man. I should have had you hung years ago when you pestered me day and night about Avalar still being alive. How can anyone be as cruel as you?”
“I have never tried to hurt you,” Garl said, tears forming in his old eyes. “I agreed to the banishment so that I would no longer disturb you, but that was such a foolish mistake. I should have stayed and fought Karaza for you. Instead, I allowed him to rule you. He has caused you to be consumed with hatred. My absence hurt you more than my pestering.”
“What are you saying?” Queen Alycia asked as she noticed the tears in the old man’s eyes. “What does Karaza have to do with this?”
“I will get to that in a moment,” answered Garl, “but there are other matters that must be discussed first. Did you authorize a trial of the girls for attempting to assassinate you?”
“No,” the queen shook her head. “I never had the chance. They were dragged out of the room before I could recover from the pain. Why?”
The color drained out of Malid’s face. He stepped forward and bowed to the queen.
“The Council of Elders was advised that you demanded a speedy trial and execution of the two known as Mistake and MistyTrail,” declared Malid. “We have been in discussion all day over this matter,” he added as he glanced at Volox.
“Who authorized this?” asked the queen. “And why didn’t the Head Elder come to me to confirm such a weighty matter?”
“Karaza brought word to me,” answered Malid. “As for checking with you, the palace was closed immediately after the attack. Even I was not allowed admission.”
“None of this makes sense,” frowned Queen Alycia. “The girls did attack me, and indeed if they had not stopped, they might have killed me, but I do not believe that was their intent. We were all angry. I overreacted by hitting one, and the other magically struck back. They are insolent young women and deserve a severe punishment, but I will not stand for someone else putting words into my mouth. Karaza will get an earful from me on this matter.”
“Do you remember what they said as the guards entered the room?” asked Volox.
“The one called Mistake shouted for the other to stop,” shrugged the queen. “That is how I know they did not intend me harm. They are still barbaric. If you think that will make me excuse their conduct, Volox, you are mistaken.”
“Actually,” Volox said softly, “from the reports of the guards, Mistake pleaded for MistyTrail to release the spell because she was hurting their mother.”
“How dare you?” snapped the queen. “I will not have you people constantly dragging up my past family whenever it suits your needs. I forbid you to mention this subject any more. Do you understand me?”
Volox stepped closer to the queen and handed her the scroll. He immediately stepped back in case her anger took a more physical route. The queen huffed as she unrolled the scroll and read it. Her facial features grew taut as she read it until finally she threw the scroll on the floor.
“What rubbish is this you have given me?” she snarled. “If there is one more attempt to get me to believe those girls are related to me, I will have you all hung.”
“That scroll is one of the later Prophecies of Kieran,” declared Garl. “Why should reading the prophecies of your ancient ancestor get you so upset?”
“Because it's such an obvious attempt to trick me,” scowled the queen. “I will not stand for it.”
“Have you stopped to listen to yourself?” sighed Garl. “Everyone appears to be tricking you into making you believe that your lost daughters have returned. Even your ancient ancestor Kieran is in on the joke. Now tell me, what is the purpose of this charade? Even if the girls were falsely accepted as your daughters, they would not endanger your rule. So what does everyone hope to gain from this farce? Think clearly for a moment, Alycia. What if beyond all hope, your daughters actually did survive that tragic day somehow? You have convinced yourself through your grief that it is impossible, but what if it were true? Think about how you are treating these girls. They were almost executed today. Could you ever forgive yourself if you later found out that they miraculously survived the sinking of the ship?”
“It can’t be,” Queen Alycia shook her head vigorously. “It is not possible. Don’t make me go through this again, Garl. For Kaltara’s sake, have mercy on me.”
“Kaltara has blessed you in more ways than you know,” Garl said softly. “I taught those girls the Kieran compulsion spell. The Kieran magic is strong with both of them. I am glad that the guards intervened to save your life, because it could have killed you, and if that happened, those girls would be motherless once again.”
“Stop it!” cried Queen Alycia. “Just stop it!”
The queen fell to her knees and began crying. Her hands gripped her hair and pulled savagely. Garl knelt next to the queen and put his arm around her shoulders. He gently pried her fingers away from her hair.
“Why, Garl?” sobbed the queen. “Why are you doing this? Is this my punishment for banishing you? Is that it?”
“No, Alycia,” soothed the old man. “I have never sought to harm you, and I never will, but I will not let you harm Alahara or Alastasia either. They turned into beautiful women, Alycia. I can see Avalar’s features in their faces.”
The queen looked into Garl’s eyes for a long moment as if she could detect the truth of his statements. A vision of Mistake and MistyTrail as they appeared that morning flashed before her eyes. Slowly she nodded.
“There was a resemblance to Avalar,” she said softly. “Garl, please don’t do this to me. Don’t raise a false hope where none exists. Can’t you let them stay dead?”
“Isn’t that what I did when I moved to Etta?” asked Garl. “All these years I still believed that they lived, but I did not bother you with my feelings. Even when the foreign girls showed up in my village, I did not assume to know whom they were. Even when I discovered accidentally that they were of the Kieran line, I did not bring this information to you. But when the carozit pointed to a relative in Morada, I had to come and search the archives for the Prophecies of Kieran. I would not be here today if I was not absolutely sure that those girls are your daughters. I pledge my life on it.”