Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing

’We will hold for you, King, we will hold for you and wait for you to return. The protection of Weral is of the utmost importance, noble King; and we will be waiting for you when you return from their defence…’

-Griffin Prince, to his father, twenty-two cycles ago

GRIFFIN KINGDOM

Emily, Whirligig, Wuzzul, Aragam, Grijyn, and Siri were thrown into a dungeon cell deep beneath the Griffin city, and the door was slammed shut and locked, plunging them all into darkness. Emily could hear Whirligig and Wuzzul whimpering. She could feel Aragam’s anger, and the frustration of both Siri and Grijyn.

’Well this is not good. I know that to be true,’ Siri complained, her voice echoing off the walls of the dungeon.

’Thank you for pointing out the obvious,’ Aragam snarled.

‘What do we do now?’ Wuzzul asked, his voice cracking as he sobbed.

‘Well, first-’

Emily cut Siri off. ’What did they mean when they called us meat?’ she asked, unable to hide the quiver on her voice.

The chamber fell silent. The only sounds were Whirligig and Wuzzul sniffling.

Finally, Aragam spoke. ‘Thrags are sentient eaters,’ he said, ’they eat all beings with sentience, because they believe it makes them stronger.’

In all of her studies, Emily had never learned about Thrags. Her blood chilled at Aragam’s words.

‘Then Grijyn’s people?’ she whispered in horror.

‘Slaughtered and consumed, most likely,’ Grijyn said, sounding broken and defeated. ’I was away too long.’

’Why would they do that?’ Emily asked, disgusted.

Aragam chuckled. ’Why does evil ever do anything. Why did Ratikgurr destroy your Kingdom, Princess?’

The comment cut Emily to her core. She’d always known Wilth was protecting her from the world, but since his death, she’d begun to see just how much. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Part of her was glad she’d been spared knowledge of how evil the world was, but part of her also wished she’d not been kept in the dark.

She wished she wasn’t so naive.

Emily heard Aragam walk to the door of the cell and kick it hard with his boot. ’We need to get out of here,’ he snapped.

’And how exactly are we supposed to do that?’ Grijyn growled angrily.

Emily hadn’t known the Griffin for that long, but she was sure his demeanour had changed since arriving at his Kingdom and finding it in ruins. She didn’t blame him for that, but his attitude wasn’t helping anything.

She chose not to tell him that.

‘Maybe Wasgician man could use him powers,’ Wuzzul said, hope in his voice.

Though the cell was dark, Emily’s eyes had started to adjust, and she could see Aragam. He let his head droop and looked almost as defeated as Grijyn. ‘Yeah,’ he grumbled, ’wouldn’t that be a treat.’

‘You sell yourself short, Wasgician,’ Siri offered, ‘this I know is true.’

‘You know what,’ Aragam snapped, ’just stop saying that, okay, it’s annoying!’

‘The truth is sometimes,’ Siri pointed out, undeterred by Aragam’s anger.

’Even if the Wasgician could get through the door,’ the Griffin King snarled, ’there’s no way we could get past the Thrags!’

Wuzzul and Whirligig started crying a little more.

‘You’re upsetting the Dooys,’ Emily said sternly, glaring at Aragam and Grijyn.

’Forgive my bluntness, Emily, but right now their feelings are the least of my worries,’ Aragam sniffed.

The chamber fell silent again.

Emily felt terribly indignant suddenly. She was tired of Aragam’s continual attitude. She knew they were in a bad situation, but that didn’t mean Aragam and Grijyn could be rude! Siri was taking the right sort of perspective, keeping hope alive. That’s what Emily felt they should be doing, that what she was trying to do.

’No,’ she said suddenly, tears leaping to her eyes.

‘What?’ Aragam asked.

Emily forced herself to be braver than ever before, and she didn’t know why she needed all that bravery now, just standing up to Aragam, but she did.

’I won’t forgive you,’ Emily said boldly, as her tears streamed down her cheeks. ’Someone who really wants forgiveness doesn’t talk like that… and they certainly aren’t so selfish!’

Aragam stared at Emily. ‘Excuse me? We’re trapped in a dungeon and you’re scolding me on being unkind!’

‘The worst thing that can happen to us right now is that we lose hope!’ Emily challenged, sniffling.

’Hope?’ Aragam growled in dismay, walking toward Emily. ’What hope? We’re stuck in a dungeon with thousands of Thrags all around us, and you expect any of us to have hope!’

Without thinking, Emily slapped Aragam across the face. Even in the darkness of the dungeon cell, she saw the shocked look that instantly adorned his features.

’Oh, my,’ Siri said.

Emily felt bad – she did feel that Aragam had deserved the slap, but she knew she shouldn’t have done that. She should have kept her head.

Wilth had taught her better than that.

‘I’m sorry,’ Emily whispered guiltily, as more tears streamed from her eyes, and Aragam brought a hand up to his stinging cheek.

Aragam stared at Emily for a long moment. ‘No,’ he finally said, and he looked supremely sad, ‘you’re right.’

He turned away and walked over to a far wall of the cell. He leaned his back against it and slid to the floor. He really did look as defeated as Grijyn. Emily wished that she could make them both feel better, and give them hope. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t give them something like that... they had to find it on their own.

‘Pretty lady,’ Wuzzul said, tugging on Emily’s hand. ‘How am we get out of here? Can you call on the rain again?’

Emily wiped her eyes and got down on one knee, putting a hand on the Dooy’s shoulder, smiling at him as best she could.

She didn’t know what to say.

She had no idea what she was capable of.

‘Not while we’re inside,’ Grijyn said suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention.

Emily’s eyes locked with the Griffin King’s, and they seemed to glow blue in the darkness. Slowly the Griffin approached her and he bowed his head.

‘Milady,’ he said kindly, ‘you show your wisdom, even now. My hopelessness was that of an old fool.’ He looked up into Emily’s face again, and she quickly wiped new tears from her eyes. ‘I beg your forgiveness, Princess, and offer to help you in any way to get us out of here.’

Emily couldn’t help smiling. She threw her arms around Grijyn’s feathery neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. When she pulled away again, the Griffin was smiling at her, and he affectionately nudged her with his beak.

‘Your parents would be so proud,’ Grijyn said.

Emily’s smile grew, and she forced herself not to cry again. Instead of crying she turned to where Aragam was sitting. ‘What about you, Wasgician, will you help us?’ she asked.

Aragam turned to look at her. He looked utterly crushed, but nevertheless, he stood up and walked to Emily. Slowly he reached out and took her by the hand. She felt her cheeks flush just a little, but looked Aragam right in the eyes.

‘Milady,’ Aragam said seriously, ‘you deserve a better, braver, much more skilled Wasgician than I. But I will do what I can... as best I can…’ He held his head high. ‘I promise that you will never again have to scold me as you did.’ Aragam tried to pull his hand away, but Emily held it tight and stepped toward him, still looking in his eyes.

‘Siri’s right about you,’ she said, and, in truth, she really could see something in Aragam’s eyes, something like a wispy image. She didn’t know how she was seeing it, but she was seeing it, and she saw Aragam as he could be. ’You do sell yourself short Aragam, and you shouldn’t.’

Aragam suddenly looked a little shy and embarrassed. It was then that Emily realized how close her face was to his. Quickly she pulled back, and they separated themselves a few paces.

Emily struggled to collect her thoughts.

‘Right,’ she said, running her fingers though her hair, ‘we need a plan.’

‘A plan!’ Aragam agreed quickly, pointing one finger toward the ceiling. ’Yes, that’s what we need, a plan!’

Whirligig and Wuzzul chuckled.

Grijyn stepped forward and said, ’This may be helpful to us… Thrags are sentient eaters it is true, but they are also cravers of wealth. Before they eat any of us, they will want to know if we are in any way valuable.’

’How does that help us?’ Aragam asked.

‘Because you am a King?’ Whirligig asked, clutching his long panther-like tail.

‘I have no Kingdom, I am nothing,’ Grijyn said, and looked at Emily, ’but when they learn you are the Princess of the Weral Kingdom, who most believed was dead, they will seek a high price for you.’

’But who would care about me?’ Emily wondered. ’I’m the Princess of Nothing.’

‘There are those who know of you, and your importance to the future,’ Grijyn explained.

‘What about the rest of us?’ Aragam asked.

‘When they find out who she is, they will come to move her, I assure you of this,’ Grijyn stated.

‘And when they do, we will be ready?’ Siri asked.

Grijyn nodded, and looked directly at Emily. ‘Or more accurately,’ he said, ’our Princess will be.’

Emily got an uncomfortable look on her face. ‘How so?’ she asked.

Grijyn’s smile grew, and he reached up with one of his bird-like hands, taking Emily by the shoulder. ‘How, my dear,’ he asked, ’do you feel about fire?’

*

SERVANTT’S PALACE

The Demoness strode into Servantt’s enormous throne room. Her master was pacing by his throne, shrouded in his robes, mumbling to himself. He turned toward the Demoness, fixing her with his glowing yellow eyes as she approached him. When he looked at her, the Demoness dropped to her knees and bowed.

‘My Lord,’ she said.

‘What word have you, my dear?’ he asked.

The Demoness looked up. ‘My Lord, the Mugwamps have engaged the Weral Castle. They will have Samantha very soon, so says Tall Turum.’

’Excellent,’ Servantt grinned.

‘My Lord, I have more,’ the Demoness informed.

‘Speak,’ Servantt said in his most pleasant voice.

‘The Thrag King has put out word on captives, looking for their value… One is the Princess of the Weral Kingdom.’

Servantt stopped pacing, looked at the Demoness again, and narrowed his yellow eyes. ‘Outside the protection of her palace?’ he asked.

‘Yes… you know of her powers… I spoke of her to Ratikgurr before his death,’ the Demoness explained.

‘Yes,’ Servantt responded absently, ’she will be powerful. Her powers will be Wind, Water, Fire and Earth, and more… much, much more.’

‘Siakul,’ the Demoness whispered. ’She could be a threat to you, to us all… she could be the other half… You the one, she the other.’

‘You think she could gain what I…’ Servantt let it go and he sighed, smiling. ‘Yes,’ he hissed, ‘yes of course.’ He hesitated. Then, as he started pacing again, he said, ’You will go to the Thrag King. You will give him what he desires for the Princess of the Weral Kingdom. Then, you will bring this Princess to me… I will decide what to do with her when I have her.’

’And the other prisoners?’ the Demoness asked.

Servantt sniffed. ‘What of them?’

’There are two Dooy’s in their company,’ the Demoness explained.

Servantt seemed to shudder. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists. ‘Yes,’ he said grimly, ’bring them to me as well… kill the rest,’ he hissed.

’It will be done,’ the Demoness responded, bowing low.

’I mean everyone,’ Servantt spat, turning to face the Demoness. ’Give the Thrag nothing now.’ He walked toward the Demoness, fury in his yellow eyes. ’Slaughter them all! ALL OF THEM!’

His voice echoed off the walls of his chamber.

‘Yes,’ the Demoness responded obediently. She stood, turned, and hurried out of the throne room.