Chapter 19: Change of Plans
The sun reached into Mith’s room through curtains. It slowly and stealthily moved from object to object, covering them with its bright glory. It continued until it came to an object different from the others, a living creature; a person to be exact. The light quivered for just a second as a cloud passed in the sky, and then it continued its path to give light to the world.
Mith awakened as the sun’s first light reached her eyes. She lay in bed for a bit taking in the awe inspiring feeling of waking up in a large soft bed full of blankets and pillows. It was an odd feeling, but a good feeling. Suddenly she remembered that the troops were leaving at first light and jumped out of bed and ran over to the window. The plush carpet felt great under Mith’s feet. She pulled the already open curtains even wider and looked out. Her window was over where the garden and field met. No one was out there apart from some gardeners tending the flowers. Mith figured everyone had left already for the bay and closed the curtains.
The room looked different now in the light then it had in the dark the night before. Mith could make out very fine designs on the bedposts and see the same designs quilted onto the maroon blankets. On the edge of the bed were cloths that had been set out during the night by someone. Mith felt a little strange at first knowing that someone had been in her room while she slept, but shrugged it off. The clothing consisted of a maroon blouse and a maroon skirt that came to just below her knees. Along with a pair of moccasins that had the five colored splotches that the strange man in the woods had on his jacket and that she had on her pajamas. Mith was not sure who thought that blue, green, purple, yellow, and black would make a great combination; especially considering the green looked to her like bile. Mith changed into her new clothes, though looking at the excess of maroon as unnecessary. After changing she carefully made her bed up to look like it had before she had gotten into it and then folded her pajamas and put them in the center of the bed. Once finished she left for the washroom.
Ludus woke from the closing of the washroom door across the hall. He yawned and jumped out of bed before he knew he was even awake. He tottered for a second and threw his hand against the wall to keep from falling over. First thing he did was to go to the window and close the curtains. Then he took a look around the room. It was a nice room. He noticed that during the night he had kicked off all of the blankets from his bed and managed to bring up the sheets that he had been sleeping on. This was a feat as they were tucked deeply under the very large mattress. He scratched his head for almost a minute, his hand circulating across his scalp and then went to pick up the blankets. After tossing them onto his bed he noticed clothes on the ground. He wasn’t sure why they were maroon but he put on the shirt and shorts anyway. At first he wanted to throw the five colored moccasins out the window but then realized he did not know how to open the window in the first place. Plus he thought it might be taken as rude.
Ludus sat down on his bed looking over himself when a knock came at the door. He shouted a “come in” and lay down on the bed. Footsteps could be heard coming across the carpet as Ludus lay back and stared at the marble ceiling. The bed shifted as someone sat down beside him. He got up and greeted Mitchum, who also was wearing a maroon shirt. Mitchum was wearing maroon pants instead of shorts.
“There’s been a change of plans.” Mitchum apologized.
“Was there a plan to begin with?” Ludus asked through narrowed eyes.
“I was just down talking to the king and queen, and they have ordered that you don’t leave in case you are needed.”
“Needed for what?” Ludus asked.
“When you go to the mountains.”
“The where?” Mith said, appearing in the doorway.
Mitchum beckoned her to sit next to Ludus on the bed. She came, looking at the clothes on the floor and the messy bed as she did.
“Let me start from the beginning. Scouts were sent from here late last night to make sure the way was clear to the bay. They came back this morning before dawn telling about large numbers heading to what they are guessing is the mountains, all wearing yellow. They are fairly sure it is the mountains since the forest has since vanished.”
“Oh my.” Mith said under her breath. “Yellow is Memoria’s color.”
“That’s why the inmates of the jail wear it. And why they made it the color of the generals.”
“What does this mean?”
“That means one thing. Oldo is on the way to the mountains to take the last rose.”
“One question, why were guards not sent to the forest to protect that rose?” Ludus asked.
“There are not many guards. I would say only five hundred total, and I am not talking just palace guards I’m talking recruits from the various regions when it was found out that roses were being taken. It was hard for them to act here, not knowing where to send the troops. To which region they would do more good. It was a mistake, but let me explain something to you. This island has not been under attack by anything for the last four hundred years. The last time war strategy had been used it was long before anybody currently alive was born. Mistakes happen when there have been lapses of time as long as those. But let me tell you something else. When this whole situation gets resolved, there will be people to turn to in case something like this ever happens again.”
“What if this never gets resolved?” Mith asked; a little worried.
“You mean if Oldo . . . uh . . . wins?”
“Exactly, I mean, he’s gotten this far. He has large numbers, what if he really does win? As the days go by and more roses vanish it looks like he has most of the power. And let’s not forget, the lives of most of the people on this island are now in his hands. He has their roses, their life source.”
Mitchum nodded gravely, “You are absolutely right, too right in fact. They—we have a much more important role for you two.”
“Which is?”
Mitchum cleared his throat. “The reason why we think Oldo is sending forces to the mountains and not just a few people to grab the roses, which is the believed way he got the others, is because the mountain rose is the hardest to find. High level guards only have a general idea as to where it is. It is believed that the numbers Oldo is sending are so the leader of the Mountain Region gives the rose to them through fear.”
Ludus was becoming impatient. “But what does this have to do with us?”
“The Mountain rose is said to be found inside of a particular mountain, hidden down a long and winding tunnel. And that the entrance is very small, so no ordinary adult can fit through it. Meaning only a child can. At least that is what I was told.”
“They don’t have children in the mountains?” Ludus inquired.
Mitchum sighed, “Listen, the king and queen have specifically asked for you two to be the ones that retrieve the rose. They are the only two besides the leader of the mountain village of Lwid that know how to get to it. And since you are already here they can teach you how to get to it. Look, it is a huge honor to be chosen by the king and queen to do anything. If this turns out well, you will be treated as heroes, the saviors of Parli.”
“Just one more question.” Mith said. “If the mountain rose is so safe, then why do we need to get it?”
“Because if Oldo is sending people to the mountains to find it, we can freeze them there and end this a lot faster.”
Mith thought it over quickly in her mind. She liked the idea of helping the monarchs, but was frightened to even think about being a savior. Her shyness had gotten in the way before, when she was standing in front of the crowd in Rerum only days before she felt as though everyone expected something from her. If only there was a way to help save Parli and never be noticed. Mith knew that she would do it though, she imagined telling her father about it. It would make him proud. She firmly decided that she would do it for him and for all of Parli.
There wasn’t much to do after that. Mith and Ludus wandered about the grounds that mo
rning. They greeted some of the guards who would soon be on their way to the mountains. It is there that they met a woman named Zing. She was the one who personally taught the guards during their early stages of training. She was rather young, only about thirty, and had dark brown hair. There was an edge to her that Mith and Ludus picked up on instantly. It appeared to them that none of the guards wanted to go near her, and tried to get away as soon as they saw her.
Around lunchtime they went back in the palace and started for the mess hall. The troops who were outside were now on their way to the mountains, leaving the mess hall almost completely empty. Only one person remained, that person was Mitchum. He sat alone in the very center of the hall, his head in his hands. Mith and Ludus went straight to that table and sat down.
“What’s wrong, Mitchum?” Mith asked as they took their seats.
Mitchum looked and was pleased to see who was with him.
“Is anything the matter?” Mith asked once again.
“What isn’t the matter? What’s one more thing atop an already giant pile?”
“Is the army alright?”
“What army? We have five hundred barely trained guards to face Oldo. And this time we are actually certain it is Oldo.”
Mith corrected him. “Five hundred barely trained guards against a large number of escaped criminals.”
“That’s true, but not entirely anymore, now he has help. Either way it will be only the second battle in Parli history.”
“How do you know it is actually Oldo this time? And did you say ‘help’?”
“We—the king and queen got a letter attached to a glove from one of the scouts that were sent out. It was written by Oldo, he mentions himself several times. He also mentions that he has recruits from the Rough Region. . . I don’t know why I feel so strange; I knew it was him the entire time.”
“You probably feel odd because he was a good friend of yours.” Mith said, standing up. “I am going to get food now, I will be right back. But can you please promise me something?”
“Promise?”
“Promise me that when this is all over you will go see your family again.”
Mitchum rubbed his temples. “Why would you want me to do that?”
“Family is very important, just please promise me.”
“Alright, alright Mith I promise.”
Mitchum did not sound like he was really into it but Mith was alright with that. Ludus joined Mith in getting some food. They looked back to Mitchum once at the counters and saw that he had his head in his hands once again.
“Poor Mitchum, it must be tough for him.” Mith sighed as she chose a drink from the beverage counter. The liquid was pink but she was too tired to care this time.
“He’s not the only one who has problems now, did you forget about what we are going through?” Ludus also took a pink drink.
“I did not forget; it just seems that our predicament will end better.” Mith made her way to the entrée wall and picked a salad with fruit all over it.
“No problem ends unless we take charge to end it. I learned that from your father last year. Remember when I helped him make one of those houses in that career program?”
“I remember that.” Mith hated being reminded that Ludus spent time with her father, she had wished it had been her that had gotten to build houses with Mr. Hardel. She had been assigned to fishing with a friend of Mr. Tinn.
“We have much more of a reason to find this Oldo guy. I for one can’t wait to go and get that rose before he does.”
Ludus went back to the table after getting another large slab of meat that he had never heard of while Mith went to get a desert. She came back with two cups of pudding along with the rest of her meal.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything, Mitchum?” Mith asked after returning to the table.
“No, no I already ate. In fact I’m going up to the room to get a nap in before it gets too late.” He left without another word.
Mith and Ludus ate their food and then took a self-guided tour around the palace. They stayed away from the mysterious room with the golden doors since they promised Mitchum that they would. Instead they toured the first and second floor, which was just as interesting. They found the guard workroom which still had a portrait of Mitchum on the wall. It hung above the caption: Most accolades. He looked much younger in the painting and Mith had trouble seeing it as him at first.
For several minutes they did not find anything, and then to their surprise they found the royal bed chamber. Too afraid to even take one peek for fear the monarchs were actually in the room, they took off down the hall. The second floor was filled mostly with office rooms and the occasional bed chamber. At one point Ludus saw Zing coming down the hallway at them and quickly turned around and took another path. The magnificence all around never got tiresome, despite the fact that it was the same magnificence everywhere they turned. Almost every wall, ceiling, and floor was marble. Every candelabrum looked the same, and every person dressed in maroon, which they found out to be the color of that particular monarchy.
The day soon turned to night and the fires lit themselves. Mith and Ludus were immensely tired from the strenuous day and went to their rooms shortly after dark. They dressed and got ready for bed, and then wished each other good night. Mith closed her door behind her and went to bed. Ludus left his open and stared out the window. He wanted so badly to see the water again, he missed it dearly. From his window he could just barely make out the water far off in the distance, but it was not the same.
Ludus got to his knees and opened his window. The rain had stopped sometime during the day. All the stress of the last few days seemed to come out as he sat there alone. He gazed at the stars. They were closer than they had ever been for him, and yet still farther than he could ever imagine. The sights of the universe were still so new for Ludus; even the night was new for him. The night brought the fear and anxiety about his home back to mind. There was suddenly a knock at his open door. Mitchum came in and sat on the bed behind Ludus. He got up and joined Mitchum on the bed.
“What are those? The stars I mean, what are they really?” Ludus asked quietly.
“You know, don’t you?”
“I never know what to believe anymore. I could have been learning false information my entire life and not even know it.”
Ludus sounded slightly depressed. Mitchum moved closer to him, trying to comfort him. Ludus moved away.
“Most of those things in the sky are suns just like ours.”
“What else is out there?”
“Well, I’m no astronomer, but I do know that a few of those are planets.”
Mitchum noticed that Ludus was trembling and tried to put his hand on his shoulder. Ludus jumped up from the bed and went back over to the window, to close it. Right before he shut the window he noticed a particular tree just outside the palace wall. A wave of shock went through Ludus as he was once again almost sure that he saw a face on the tree. Its bark was slightly aglow from a fire burning in the garden. On that bark Ludus almost made out a mouth and eyes. After shutting the window he quickly closed the curtains. He then sat on the floor against the wall. Mitchum could somehow sense that Ludus might be crying. His senses were more tuned in while being amongst all the magic. He wanted to go over sit with him, but he knew Ludus would just move away again.
“The stars have been in the sky for . . . I suppose forever.” Mitchum said dreamily, trying not to look at Ludus.
“How do we know? There was nobody alive back then.”
“I’m no astronomer; you’d have to ask one.”
“Where does magic come from?” Ludus whispered.
There was silence for a long time. Ludus was about to restate the question when Mitchum finally answered.
“I know of only what is passed down. Stories told in these halls say of magic appearing for the first of our kind. According to those the magic came from a being that was here before our
earliest ancestors. That being was the last of its kind, and was dying. Magic does not prevent fate. The being gave the magic to those who would then inhabit the planet.”
“How did it get in the hands of the lords and ladies?”
“After many years of fighting over who gets the magic, the rulers of Memoria entrusted it to a small band of intellectuals who would know what to do with it. They put the magic in a place where nobody would find it.”
“Where?”
“No one in Parli knows; that information was lost through time. And then, as I told you before, Hulius went looking for it, and the lords and ladies were then sent away.”
Silence ensued, each thought about the magic. Ludus wondered how accurate a story passed down for centuries could be. Mitchum wondered whether he had told the story correctly. Ludus had tried to keep his inner feelings inside, but it became too hard.
“How is she so calm and optimistic?” Ludus whispered, for some reason unknown to him he was becoming angry.
Mitchum stared at Ludus, concerned.
“She is always saying we’ll figure this out—that we’ll win—that everything will be alright.”
“I know it’s hard to see the bright side of things sometimes.”
“But she always sees the bright side. How can anyone be so confident?”
“She has faith.”
“WHAT’S FAITH!” Ludus suddenly yelled.
Mitchum was shocked to hear Ludus yell, but knew it was probably for the best that he get it out of his system. “I know it is hard.” he repeated quietly.
“What’s hard? My family is frozen, my friends are frozen, and I’m here so far away without any idea of how to help them, or myself. What’s hard about that and what do you know about it?”
“Ludus –”
“We are all stuck with no way out. Oldo will come and defeat all of the guards. Which if you did not know, the guards are no more trained to fight than I am. Who builds a society up that has no way to defend itself? The lords and ladies asked for this when they decided against violence. But of course they are not here to see it all come down on our heads.”
“Ludus, that’s enough.”
“No, it’s not enough. We have to be brave for their mistakes. We have to fight for their follies. We have to--”
Mitchum stood up from the bed. Ludus was instantly quiet. After a while each decided the conversation was best kept for another day. Ludus felt ashamed at the way he talked and wanted to never think of it again. But he knew that would be hard, every time he wanted to forget about something he would usually think of it over and over again.
Ludus bid a goodnight to Mitchum and went to bed. He lay awake for some time thinking of Memoria and of magic. When he finally did fall asleep he dreamt of talking trees in a burning forest. And in that forest was Ijnus. Ludus had never seen a picture of Ijnus, but somehow he imagined that his mind’s likeness of him was accurate. He pictured him as a tall man with a short black beard and mean eyes. A grimace forever stretched across his aged face. In the dream Ijnus stood amongst the fire, beckoning Ludus to join him, almost feverishly. Ludus would not join; he knew his allegiance was to Parli. Ludus awoke the next morning with the image of that Ijnus seared in his mind.