"The Revolt in Ashdale" Chapter 6: A Royal Title Gets in the Way

In the early morning hours, the old woman whom Anna had spoken to at The Golden Flame made her way to the royal palace. She couldn’t keep her knowledge a secret, and she felt that the king, the kind old Arannis, should know that his great-grandchild was in town.

She knocked on the palace gates, and the gatekeeper opened up.

“What do you want, old hag?” he asked.

“May I speak with the king?” she replied.

The gatekeeper laughed. “No, good woman, you may not. First of all, he's certainly still asleep, and second, there is no audience today.”

He began to close the gate.

“His great-grandchild is in town,” the woman said.

The gatekeeper reopened the gate. “What did you say? The king’s great-grandchild? How could that be?”

“It’s a young woman, almost just a child, who wears the magical royal bracelet. Only the king's children have worn them. I know well that Princess Althea had one, Princess Louinis had one, and Princess Elara had one. There were no others. She’s staying at The Golden Flame, and she calls herself Anna. The king should be informed that a bearer is in town!”

The gatekeeper understood. Princess Althea had become Queen of Valmorun with the help of the dragon Tharnak, Princess Elara had married a Lord Thorn in Ashdale and, as far as he knew, had no children, and Princess Louinis had run off with a farmer. No one had heard from her again. So it must be a grandchild of hers who had come to the city. Yes, the king must be informed immediately, he realized.

“Thank you, good woman. May your day be blessed by the gods. Here’s a royal coin as thanks for your message.”

The old woman went on her way.

The gatekeeper entered the palace, wondering how he should deliver this news to King Arannis. Would the king also think it was good news? He knew his countrymen, and thanks to the elven blood in their veins, they were peaceful and kind, helpful people. So the king would likely see this as joyful news, too.

He reached the chamberlain, who informed him that the king had just risen and was sitting at his breakfast table. The gatekeeper could likely get an audience.

He was shown in to the king.

“High King, forgive my intrusion, but I have important news.”

The king replied, “What news could be so important? Are enemies in our land? Is the city burning?”

“God forbid, no, Sire. It concerns Princess Louinis.”

“My daughter? But no one knows where she is. Has she appeared in our kingdom?”

“No, not her, but her grandchild. She’s called Anna. She bears the bracelet!”

“She must be brought to the palace so I can question her myself. I must know if my daughter is alive and where she is!” the king commanded.

“It shall be done, High King,” the gatekeeper replied and bowed out of the hall.

He had a mission now, and it had to be done quickly before the woman, Anna, left the city again. He took a small guard of four men with him and marched through the city streets. This had never happened before, so the few citizens of Valithar who were up and about this early in the morning watched in awe.

They soon reached The Golden Flame, and the gatekeeper knocked on the door. A sleepy innkeeper opened the door and very quickly became wide awake. What was this?

The gatekeeper said, “The king commands that the guest who calls herself Anna be brought to the royal court immediately. Wake her and bring her to us.”

The innkeeper hurried up to Anna’s room and knocked.

Anna sat up in bed and checked if the bracelet had begun to tighten. It hadn’t, so apparently, there was no danger.

“Come in,” she called.

The door opened, and the innkeeper said, “Your Grace, I apologize, but the king’s gatekeeper is asking for you. You are to present yourself at the royal palace immediately.”

Anna didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand, she wanted to learn about her connection to the king, but on the other hand, she had the task of solving the curse. Still, having a good relationship with King Arannis might be an advantage.

She jumped out of bed, quickly dressed, and followed the innkeeper down to the gatekeeper. On the way down, she thought Paul should have been with her, but it was too late now. She hoped the innkeeper would let him know when he woke up.

Now the journey to the palace began, with guards at her side as if they were protecting a precious gem. But it was just her, Anna from Sunflower Valley, she thought.

The king was standing in the reception room when the gatekeeper brought Anna in.

“High King, this is the child,” he said.

The king was a tall, proud man with a beautiful white beard that reached down to his chest. He wore such fine clothing that Anna had never seen anything like it. Her grandmother had had a lovely dress she kept hidden deep in her closet, but it was never worn. Anna never knew why, and as a child, she was always told not to touch it.

The king wore a thin gold crown around his snow-white hair. He must be very old, Anna thought, if he’s my grandmother’s father.

“You are Anna, I hear,” said the king. “Welcome to my kingdom. I must ask if your grandmother is named Louinis.”

“Thank you, King. My grandmother has always called herself Louise. I don’t know the name you, uh, Your Majesty, mentioned.”

“That was the name my daughter used when she was among common folk. May I see the bracelet you wear?”

He seemed to know everything, the old man, Anna thought boldly.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The king smiled slightly, sensing that Anna wasn’t raised with courtly manners, as she didn’t master the proper titles. It was rather sweet, he thought. And as my great-grandchild, I’ll allow her some freedom in her speech.

Anna carefully took the bracelet off her arm and handed it to the king.

The king studied it for a moment, then turned to Anna with tears in his eyes.

“Your grandmother, Louinis or Louise, received this bracelet when she was a child. There is no doubt it’s hers—I recognize the craftsmanship and symbols. Did your grandmother have a boy or girl who became your father or mother?”

“My grandmother had a girl who became my mother. Her name is Ingeborg.”

“Then there’s no doubt. That name was my wife’s, so Princess Louinis named her daughter after her. Oh, this is truly a joyful day. Is my daughter alive?”

“Yes, she is alive and well,” Anna told him.

The king called for the Cabinet Secretary to be fetched.

“Wait a moment,” the king said to Anna. “Is there anything you want?”

“Oh, a little breakfast would be nice,” Anna suddenly realized she was hungry.

“It shall be done,” said the king, clapping his hands. Moments later, a servant arrived with a tray of bread, jam, and cheese. There was also something brown and liquid in a cup. Anna didn’t recognize it, but it tasted divine. The king called it cocoa, a godly drink from distant lands. This didn’t surprise Anna one bit, here in this fantastic land to the east, with its equally fantastic king, who, apparently, was her great-grandfather. Anna told her story to the King as she filled her stomach. He listened carefully.

The Cabinet Secretary came and was informed of the situation. He bowed reverently to Anna and stood stiffly by the king’s side.

“You—Anna of Sunflower Valley—shall henceforth be addressed as Princess Anna of Elyndor, heir to the kingdom and the title of Queen on the day I close my eyes and leave this world.”

Anna’s head spun. She, a farmer’s daughter, was now suddenly a princess and heir to the king’s throne. Was she dreaming? No, she was as awake as could be.

“Anna, from now on, all shall address you with honor and respect, and as my heir, you may address me without title. From now on, I am simply Grandfather or Arannis to you.”

“Thank you, thank you. I don’t even know how to act or what to say,” Anna said.

“But Arannis, I must have Paul, my childhood friend and coachman, as my squire. No one can protect me like he can. He’s still at the guesthouse. He won’t believe his ears when he comes here.”

“My dear Anna, he shall come and become your squire.”

“But Arannis, I may have sad news from Valmorun, and that is the reason I’m here. The river flows backward, and it’s said the Queen has disappeared. I feel it is my duty to try to lift the curse.”

The king sat down silently. His daughter, Althea, missing? It must be the dragon Tharnak demanding its due because inequality had arisen in her realm. What had she allowed to happen?

“Go forth and do what you can, Anna. You can have soldiers and all the resources you need to rescue my daughter.”

“I will, Arannis, but I need only my squire, Paul, at my side!”

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If you missed the Prologue and the first chapters, you can read them here: