The Castle of Harvenik

A SMALL BREEZE MADE RYDER’S BROWN hair get into his gray eyes. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind.

Cadaylin, the soldier-in-training, did not show today, which was odd. He always came, except during rain season and snow season. But today, he did not arrive.

Ryder wished he knew why. Without his friend’s guidance, he was a klutz. By that, his aim was horrible and worst of all, he got distracted quite easily. He needed someone to tell him to focus.

“It’s not like Javeon’s strict and irritating way of telling me to focus on my work,” He mumbled under his breath.

The gray-eyed boy took out his bow and arrow. He aimed at the target that was about four meters away. He took a deep breath. He tried his best to ignore the howling wind, and, what irritated him the most, was the loud bell that rang each sixty minutes. Ryder’s gray eyes suddenly focused on the target that he was aiming at.

Ryder was finally free for the day. No more being yelled at. No more errands. No more reading those long and boring books. No more being stared at for hours while trying to cast a spell. And, especially, no more getting lost in the hallways. Well, that was only for today. Who knew what was going to occur tomorrow?

He had been working on his potion assignment for months. It almost felt like years! He didn’t see the point of studying different types of liquids and powders that had nothing to do with being a mage. Why did he need to know this useless information if he didn’t have to use it in the future?

Ryder knew very well that this assignment was probably going to take him forever to do. This assignment was due three months ago. But he did not care. It was just one assignment.

What can happen if he didn’t finish one? Yes, his master was probably going to scold him for not finishing an assignment like last time. Yes, he probably make him study more. Maybe there was going to be something unexpected. Maybe, his master was going to get the largest book on earth and make him read it in an hour, and an assignment about that book due that same day.

The thought of the argument that they had yesterday came to Ryder’s mind. Well it was not an argument. It was more like Mage Javeon pointing things out about him, and Ryder opening his mouth to defend himself.

His master had said that he never paid attention to any of the books, that he does not cast the spells correctly, and what ticked Ryder the most, was calling him lazy.

But Ryder wasn’t a lazy person at all. He just didn’t care.

When Ryder had first become his master’s apprentice, he was anxious to learn how to cast. But of course he had to get his mage’s mark and then the ceremony of new apprentices. There were three new apprentices who were attending the ceremony.

One of them was Holton, a boy with blue eyes and dark yellow hair. He was so. . . serious. That boy was so serious when it came to, well, everything.

Ryder had heard from a conversation that he had eavesdropped on that Holton did not flinch or scream when he got his mage’s mark.

Young Ryder, who was impressed, had suddenly become scared of him. He began to think that Holton was one of those people who did not like to have fun.

The other apprentice that was at the ceremony was a boy named Cayleb. He was probably a year or so younger than Ryder. The boy was a kind and talkative person. He was the only friend that Ryder had at the Magistratum. Their friendship ended when Cayleb’s master was assigned royal mage of Kikorent, a kingdom which was three days away.

About a month or two after the ceremony, Ryder and his master had stayed at a kingdom named Deminton. It was a nice and peaceful kingdom. The people were happy, and it was similar to his own village. The cobblestone roads were filled with people. They were either selling supplies or food or walking around, trying to go somewhere. Javeon and Ryder had stayed at the castle of Deminton for two years.

Throughout those two years, Ryder’s mind about being a mage’s apprentice had changed. Instead of daily learn a new spell lesson, he had to read the most uninteresting books ever, doing assignments that usually took him forever to finish, and getting yelled at by Mage Javeon when he got something wrong.

Of course his master continued to do that, and Ryder couldn’t—

“What are you doing?” asked a voice from behind him.

Ryder, who almost screamed, jumped and let the red feathered arrow go. It flew towards Magalum Forest.

He sighed as he thought, Darn it!

There was no way Ryder was going to go in there.

Whenever Ryder was reading something forest related aloud to his master, Mage Javeon would tell him a story, which he had heard about a hundred times, and Ryder knew it by heart.

The story was about a young boy who was walking on a road in the village of Harvenik.

A man had asked him, “Where are you headed, boy?”

“Nowhere. I am just walking,” the boy had replied.

“Well do not go to Magalum Forest, child.”

“Why not?” the boy had asked.

“There’s a curse. They say that if you take one single step, you shall not be heard of ever again.”

Of course, the boy did not believe the man. He thought that the man was trying to frighten him. And so he went to Magalum Forest.

When the boy took one small step into the forest, he turned into mist and disappeared into the winds.

Ryder, who practically believed in that story, became frightened of entering those woods. He didn’t want to disappear and never be heard of again.

Ryder turned around, already knowing who had spoken. Standing there, looking slightly embarrassed with an innocent smile, was Princess Kirelia. Her forest green eyes were sparkling as she began to laugh. That didn’t surprise him at all. Lia was always laughing or smiling. But what surprised him the most was how her dress looked. Lia’s dark green dress was torn. Mud stains were on her sleeves. A smear of mud was on her left cheek. Her brown hair was still in place, even though it was a bit messy. A huge grin was on her face.

Ryder began to wonder what she had been doing. All he knew was that the king and queen were not going to be pleased. He also knew that they were going to scold their only daughter for the way that she looked.

“Sorry to startle you,” Lia said, giggling, “But my parents want to—”

“Lia, get over here this instant,” hollered a voice from the castle’s gate.

Lia sighed and muttered, “Why is he calling me?”

“Lia! . . . Kirelia! Get over here!”

Ryder knew that it was the thirteen year old princess’s twin brother, Prince Gayb. Ryder barely spoke to Gayb, even though he saw him very often. The prince would just ignore him like a fly.

But Ryder did not really care. He only had two friends in the kingdom of Harvenik; Princess Kirelia and Cadaylin.

Ryder met the princess almost five years ago.

He was in the hallway, looking for Javeon’s quarters, when he saw a girl, who was crying. He had approached her.

A second later he softly and quietly, asked, “Are you alright?”

The girl, who had suddenly stopped crying, took one look at him and ran away.

Later that day, there was a quick and loud knock on Mage Javeon’s headquarter’s door. It was the girl.

She had asked, “Good evening, Mage Javeon. My parents want to see you immediately and—”

That was when she saw Ryder sitting on the floor, trying to cast a spell. Unfortunately, he did not succeed.

The girl had gasped and said to him, “I’m very sorry I ran away earlier today. I didn’t mean to.”

“So?” Ryder asked, suddenly grumpy because of the spell that he had failed to cast.

“What do you mean so? I’m saying that I was rude and I should’ve answers your question. So let’s start over. I’m Lia. What’s your name?” the girl, Lia had said, placing her hands on her hips..

Ryder had bowed and introduced himself to the princess “My name is Ryder, Your Highness.”

Lia had smiled and said, “Don’t bow at me, okay?”

“Why? You’re the princess and—”

“I know, I know. We are supposed to be respected. But just between you and me, you don’t have to bow and Your Highness and all that other stuff. You can call me Kirelia or Lia.”

Ryder had nodded and got up.

Lia smiled at him and asked a question that had changed his life, “Would you like to be friends, Ryd?”

Ryder, who hadn’t made a single friendship for two years, smiled to the interesting and new nickname Lia had called him. He accepted the princess’s offer.

Ever since that day, Lia and Ryder hung out in an abandoned room in the East Tower. They talked about, well, almost everything. From how their day went to what they should do the next day.

Now with Cadaylin, that was a different story. He had saved Ryder’s life when he first came to the castle.

It was his second day at the castle, and Ryder had been running away from the cook. The man was furious at him because he had dropped a pot that was full of cucumber soup.

The man had growled and grabbed a sharp knife and pointed it at him. “Idiot boy, do you know what you’re covered in?”

Ryder, who was now covered in hot soup, had whimpered. His eyes were full of tears of shame, pain, and embarrassment. He tried not to show his tears to the cook. Unfortunately, his tears did not listen to his brain. They tricked down his cheeks.

“Stop blubbering! Be a man! Men don’t cry, idiot boy!”

Ryder had quickly put himself together and sniffled.

“Speak, boy!” the cook had snarled. “Answer me!”

It was at that moment when Ryder had ran to the field. He could hear the cook yelling at him and cursing under his breath.

That was when Ryder had suddenly bumped into a blonde boy. He looked no less than nine. His blue-green eyes looked at him from head to toe. They had looked deeply into Ryder’s sparkling gray eyes. Ryder expected him to yell at him.

But he didn’t.

Instead, the boy had smiled and asked, “Are you lost?”

Young Ryder had shaken his head and quickly said, “Help me, please. That old cook is trying to—”

That was when the cook had finally caught up to him. The man growled and hissed, “You have a lot to explain, boy! You should never—”

“I apologize, Sir. You see, he is a new member to the soldier in trainings, and I was assigned to teach him. He was running a bit late. I’m very sorry if he caused any trouble on his way here,” the blonde boy had said, glancing over at Ryder and quickly winked at him.

The cook had nodded, skeptically. He glared at Ryder and said, firmly, “You are very lucky that this boy was here to help you. I know that you are the mage’s apprentice, not a soldier-in-training. I will believe you when I see you shoot an arrow in a straight line. I will let this little conundrum fly, but next time you bump into my pots and pans—” He had showed him the sharp knife “— You’ll be more than in trouble, kid.” With that, the angry cook had stomped his way back to the kitchen area with his knife in his hand.

The blonde boy had laughed and took out his hand. “I’m Cadaylin, soldier-in-training, and you are?”

Young Ryder had grinned and took his hand. “I’m Ryder.”

Cadaylin had picked up a wooden bow that was on the ground, and looked back at him. “I’m assuming that you are Mage Javeon’s apprentice since the cook said you were and also because you have the tattoo on your face, am I correct?”

Ryder had blushed and nodded. Then he decided to ask, “Cadaylin, are you really going to teach me how to use a weapon?”

Cadaylin had hesitated and then smiled a real smile. “I am.” A moment later, he added, “Well, as soon as I can get a bow and a few arrows from the soldiers’ equipment room, I will teach you everything I know.”

Ever since that day, Cadaylin had been teaching him how to use the bow and arrow.

Whenever Ryder could get away from Mage Javeon, Ryder went to the farthest open landed place in the castle’s grounds and met Cadaylin there.

Cadaylin had was only eight when he began his training. His mother had abandoned him when he was only a year old, and left him at the gate of the castle. King Ezra had taken him in and secretly took care of him. When Cadaylin was seven, the king had given him to the soldiers. The soldiers had taken care of him and until he was older, they taught him how to use a sword and a bow and arrow.

Cadaylin actually made Ryder’s bow out of a fallen oak tree near the castle. The arrows, Ryder had been told, Cadaylin stole them from the soldiers’ equipment room. Cadaylin had carved Harvenik’s symbol on the bow, which a small crescent moon with a tiny sun in it. Under the crescent moon, there was a triple spiral.

But Ryder wondered why his friend had carved it. Ryder wasn’t born in Harvenik. He was born in Kikorent, the kingdom where Queen Allyson was born, and also where she met her husband, King Ezra.

Maybe Cadaylin did that because he thought that I was from Harvenik, Ryder suddenly realized.

So far he was getting pretty good with the bow and arrow. He just needed to work on his aim. Whenever he wanted the arrow to land at the closest tree, the arrow either went to the side or to the ground. And like today, the arrow went up.

Lia smiled at Ryder and said, “Well, I better go before that idiot starts yelling at me.”

Ryder chuckled and replied, “Yeah, you probably should.” Then he added, What do your parents want?”

“Oh. Right. I almost forgot. My parents want to see you and Mage Javeon immediately,” She said, waving good-bye and ran back to the castle.

“Princesses walk, Kirelia. They do not run,” Ryder heard a loud and cranky voice shout from inside the castle.

He smiled and shook his head to the sudden shout that he was expecting. He knew that it was Nan Muriel, the queen’s mother. He recognized that cranky voice. He bet that if he were stuck in a huge crowd of noisy people, he would know who that voice belonged to.

Nan Muriel was the only person that called her Kirelia. Yes, he too called her that, but barely. He only called her by her real name when he wanted to or when he was in front of his master or the royal family.

Ryder began to wonder how Lia lived since she was basically first class. He knew that she was different than any other princess. She was always late to the family reunions that were held when there was an announcement. She was always running, but always got caught by Nan Muriel. Today she got her dress dirty, and he knew that it won’t be long until Nan Muriel would say something about her appearance.

Ryder began to wonder about all those rules there was and other royal stuff. And, Lia’s least favorite thing, being called Your Highness.

He knew very well that he would not last a single day if he switched lives with his friend.

That was when he saw that Cadaylin was running to him. “Ryder—” Cadaylin swallowed “—the king and queen want to see us immediately.”

“Oh. . . What for?” Ryder asked, suddenly curious.

“You’ll see when we get there. Now, c’mon! They have been waiting for you for two hours.”

Man, two hours?! Uh oh . . . Javeon isn’t going to be happy about this. . .

Ryder put away his bow and arrows. He took off the armor that Cadaylin had also stolen from the soldiers’ equipment room.

Ryder quickly places his equipment in the bushes and ran to the castle with the soldier-in-training.