Umbria

In the Petrified Forests

It was hard to see details through the mist when she looked out of the highest window in the tower. When Melody stood in the tower she could see for miles and miles but nothing looked clear. Dreaming was the only way to see things clearly.

She saw the knight for the first time in a dream.

He rode a golden gelding through a stream. His hair was dark but untangled and clipped back with a silver buckle. Silver shone from the surcoat beneath his cloak. She could have sworn the cloak was black but it turned into a dark blue as the sun rose. The light caught the silver of the broken tower on the crest. That tower pulled at Melody’s memory. She was sure that she had seen them somewhere before but the knight held her eyes and her attention. The dream faded into mist as the knight rode on.

Melody woke but remembered the knight on waking. She moved a hand to untangle her woody hair. Her hair had gotten so long that it covered her eyes. She did not keep track of the days that she had been there but she knew that it had been too long.

She entered the tower of her own free will but she stayed because of a threat.

Part of Melody wanted to join the knight on his journey even though her head said that it was impossible. The horse’s steady pace could take her across miles and days. Melody wanted to dance in the moonlight even without the knight. She wanted to feel the wind ruffle the lace of her dress and make her thick yellow skirts flutter in the soft grass. None of that mattered because she knew that she could not leave.

All of Umbria would die if she left. The bard had promised her that it was so and everyone knew that a bard cannot tell a lie. She made herself leave her home and her own knight to come to the tower and protect everyone she held dear. She was the only one who could keep her home safe.

One Year Earlier, In the Kingdom of Umbria

Melody paced back and forth in front of her father’s study. The servants were already spreading the story, and the king did not spare a second in calling for her. He wanted to squelch the story before it began. He had to do that with Melody’s older brothers, but she had never needed such protections. The youngest daughter of the king never pushed the boundaries growing up. She had always done her duty but things were different now.

Melody got older and people looked at her differently. They saw her as an unhappy surprise as if they expected something else. No one wanted a plain child with eyes that were too big for her head. They wanted her to become a different person, to wear fine clothes and learn witty words. They wanted her to stop being herself and to become something better.

Her father rarely pushed her but yesterday he did. One thing went to another, and she had lost her patience. Now, her father wanted to talk to her. He would tell her to act her age and to stop walking around dancing with the wind. She knew what he would say, but she still dreaded hearing it.

Finally, the king called her in. She had been left with her thoughts for far too long. Melody could feel her knees shaking. She knew all the words he would say and could feel the heat from his anger already. “I’m sorry to have to do this, Sweetheart.”

Those were not the words that Melody expected. The two of them had argued so many times in the past that Melody saw a rhythm to it. His first words to her had already thrown the beat off.

“This was not how your mother and I planned. We wanted something better for you but there are situations that can’t be planned for. The prince of Serle has made a handsome offer for your hand. Your children will be kings and our kingdoms will be at peace.”

“What are you talking about?” Melody couldn’t help but ask. This was not how she had imaged her life. Most noble women dreamed of marriage and children. But not Melody. She dreamed of becoming a bard. She dreamed of rooms filled with music and a head full of knowledge.

“Your future. I wish I had something better to offer you but this is all I can give.”

“A loveless marriage? That is hardly a gift! Couldn’t you have asked me? Or warned me?”

“I’ve told you that you would marry all your life.”

“You know what I mean,” she accused, “and you know that I never wanted to marry. I want to learn magic.”

“I wish that I could give you the future you want but this marriage is the only way to bring peace to our kingdom. Umbria cannot survive another war with the north.”

Melody’s breath caught. “Will it come to war?”

“Serle has always coveted our resources. The old king would attack us if he had the chance. Fergus of Serle will take this land from us one way or another. It is either through marriage or bloodshed.”

The stricken girl felt her hands shake but it surprised her to feel tears stream down her face. “I don’t really have a choice? Do I?”

“This is the only way to make peace.”

The tears continued to roll down her face. She could not speak. The words just left her mind before they could reach her lips. Breath rushed from her lungs in a fraction of a second. Air took an eternity to come back but she found herself wishing it were longer.

“There is a way for you to save your kingdom without marrying a stranger.”

The voice that spoke was quiet but firm. Melody felt an urgent need to find the source of the voice. She found it in a very still form, watching them both as if she were luring a wary animal with her stillness and her calm.

“What is this way?”

“It comes with a price,” the woman warned.

The king was standing now. “Who are you? Who let you in my house? In my study?”

“I am the Bard of Sron. All magic comes from Sron and magic leads to many solutions.”

“What solution?” Melody asked again.

“There is a tower on the western edge of your kingdom, near the border of Sron. This tower is no simple building. It is magic and it will transport you to Cathnard School of magic in Sron. It will take years to learn magic but hours will pass here. Learn magic and protect your kingdom yourself. Become a druid. No army, not even the might of Glavinore and Serle combined, will fight magic. You and your parents and your people will be safe from enemies. You can be safe and keep your kingdom without having to marry anyone.”