The next day, Chárlotte woke up, refreshed and ready to begin a task that she felt was looming in the distance. What it was, she did not know, but she felt certain that something important was there. As she sat up, she wondered whether she was supposed to get up yet. A deep forest-green dress lay upon a chair beside her bed, and Chárlotte noticed it was one of hers. Getting up, she put on the dress, and after she had brushed and braided her hair, she looked into the mirror. Her reflection showed a pale and worn face, but the eyes that looked back in hers were not as haunted as she remembered. They had a little more life in them than she previously remembered.

  Happily, Chárlotte turned to the window, parted the curtains, and opened it. She leaned out and breathed in the chilly air, looking at the world outside. The morning sunshine shone upon a silent winter’s day. The trees’ boughs shifted silently above the garden. She could hear their gentle rustling above her. The garden and road were full of snowdrifts. No birds were chirping; there was still a deep, solemn silence as if the entire world was waiting for something to occur. Chárlotte felt this and remembered her dreams, which had haunted her as she had slept. She shuddered and was about to close the window when a rider on a horse galloped down the road toward Bérnsted. His garb was that of a messenger, presumably one of the many that the Mayor had sent out.

  When the horse and rider disappeared, Chárlotte closed the window with a small thud. The sight had reminded her of what was happening in the world, and her heart became solemn. She knew something was coming—something important that she would be a part of. What it was she did not know, but it made her sad. She stood in silence, watching the light change as the sun rose in the west.

  Chárlotte left her room and went downstairs. As she descended, she noticed the house had a similar air of gloom and expectation as the outside. She wondered what made it feel as if the whole place was holding its breath and watching in anticipation. Seeing the firelight from the study, Chárlotte knew her friends were there, and she stole softly up to the open doorway.

  She peered into the room. The study was a large room with one window facing south. The fireplace was at the farthest end between two tall bookcases, and a desk stood facing the window. Above the fireplace was a beautiful painting of a water feyn watering her garden with her hands. Before the fire, a couch, a low table, and a chair stood. The table held a small, glass dish of nuts in it, and a nutcracker lay beside it. On the walls hung a bow, a quiver of arrows, a sword, a shield, and another painting.

  From Chárlotte’s glance, she saw élysia sitting at the desk, poring over a large, heavy book. Seated cross-legged on a cushion, élberteeth was staring into the bright, crackling flames in the fireplace, lost in thought. In her hands, she held a book open and was touching a slip of paper inside. Moon’sheen was sleeping on the couch. All was quiet except for the light rustle of pages being turned and the crackle of the fire. Though the silence seemed ominous, Chárlotte entered and greeted: “Good morning, everyone!”

  Looking up and closing the book, élysia rose and embraced Chárlotte, saying, “It is so wonderful to see you standing, Chárlotte! I am so glad.”

  élberteeth started when she had heard Chárlotte’s voice, closing the book with the note inside, but she rose and said with the concern of a nurse, “Sit down, Chárlotte. Though you can be up and about, you must not waste your strength by too much standing and walking.” Looking towards Moon’sheen, she explained, “Moon’sheen is tired and getting some well-deserved sleep. Please be seated.”

  Chárlotte sat in the chair, and for a few minutes, they all sat in silence. Chárlotte felt fear rising within her, and she wondered what they would say to her.

  élysia sat in the desk chair wondering whether élberteeth was still willing to tell Chárlotte what they had decided she must know now. élysia looked slowly up, and her eyes met élberteeth’s sharp blue ones. With a nod, élberteeth signaled her decision to continue what they had planned the night before. élysia glanced toward Chárlotte, who was looking into the fire.

  “Chárlotte,” began élberteeth.

  Chárlotte raised her head. “Yes? I have a feeling you are about to tell me something important.”

  “We plan to. élysia, Moon’sheen, and I feel that now is the time to tell you something, a secret that has been faithfully kept among the Mayor, Gwenyth, Moon’sheen, Willowmere, élysia, and myself.” She paused.

  Chárlotte felt that the ominous something she had sensed that morning was before her now. She looked from élysia to élberteeth and noticed that they seemed nervous, like she was. “What do you want to tell me?” A scared look entered her eyes, and her stomach seemed hollow.

  As if Chárlotte’s response strengthened her resolve, élberteeth continued. “You’ve known that you were adopted by Gwenyth, but she never told you much — if anything — about your parents.”

  Chárlotte nodded, acknowledging her friend’s words. “That is correct. What does this have to do with them?”

  “It has everything to do with them.” élberteeth paused before continuing, “How to tell you this is rather difficult, seeing that Gwenyth meant to tell you when you were the right age. Given our circumstances now... we’ve been left with the task. Easing you into this is not practical, so we will put it rather bluntly: your parents were Valli?’son and Aevn’song Ch’lant, the last descendants of the Ch’lant who defeated Lársh.”

  Chárlotte blinked and glanced at the serious faces around her. “H-how can that be? They were all killed – There was no one left alive…” Her words fell short on her lips when her eyes met élysia’s. Her friend’s blue eyes met hers with sincerity. The pit in her stomach grew, and Chárlotte’s heart felt as if it stopped momentarily.

  If she were the last of the Ch’lants, that meant she was the feyn the world was hoping for. She did not want to consider further what the news meant, but she could not escape. There was nowhere for her to hide. So Chárlotte tried to keep the fear from her face and listened to what her friends were about to tell her.

  “You know how they died, but not all of it.” élberteeth’s voice continued. “A few of us, myself, élysia, Moon’sheen, and Gwenyth, know the true story. Aevn’song told us what happened before she died.”

  élysia picked up the tale from élberteeth. “You were almost a year old, Chárlotte, when your parents decided to travel from Bérnsted to Enráll to visit some friends. They were traveling on foot along the western edge of Ros’wall Forest when the Zarkvalgh attacked them.

  “Aevn’song was holding you when they heard the creature above them, and she hid you in one of the chests that was on the horse. Both you and Aevn’song were tossed off the horse’s back, and Valli?’son tried to fight off the Zarkvalgh as best he could. He was no match for that beast, though. Both your parents were slain together. The Zarkvalgh did not detect your presence and left the chest and the other bits of baggage unharmed.”

  “How did I survive then?” asked Chárlotte. “That road is seldom used. By the time a feyn passed by, I would have starved to death.”

  “Back then, that road was frequently used,” explained élysia. “You would have been found after a day or two at the worst. After word of your parents’ deaths spread, feyns started to avoid that road. We were nearby when the attack occurred and were able to respond rapidly.

  “élberteeth and I were hunting in the Grey Mountains that day, and we could see the edge of Ros’wall Forest from where we were. A Zarkvalgh is not something a feyn misses easily, especially when it cries as loudly as that one did. I think most of the island heard its cry that day! Moon’sheen and Gwenyth were on the western side of Ros’wall Forest as well. When they heard the beast depart, they flew immediately to the place where your parents lay, and we hastened more swiftly than we ever did before down from where we were on the mountain slope.”

  “We landed by Gwenyth,” élberteeth continued,” and she was kneeling beside Aevn’song. Despite the terrible cut on her head, pierced side, and severe blood loss, she was telling Gwenyth something. In my alarm, I only heard snatches of what she was saying, but Gwenyth understood everything that was said. Gwenyth found the chest and took you out of it, placing you in your mother’s arms. The clothing inside it must have padded your fall because you were a little bruised, but not much else. Your mother managed to unclasp the Heartstone’s chain from about her neck and placed it in Gwenyth’s hands before she breathed her last.” élberteeth looked at the fireplace and sighed. Her face was sad and yet impassive, as if she both felt the pain of the moment but was somehow separated from it.

  She continued, “For what seemed like several hours, we sat there weeping. Then we realized that we were risking your life by keeping you out there. We flew quickly to Gwenyth’s house, and élysia told the Mayor about what happened. Together we agreed to conceal your lineage so that the enemy would not find you and let the news spread that no one survived the attack – that the Ch’lants last descendants were no more. As the world grieved, you grew up in secret.”

  The silence that followed these words, brief though it was, seemed almost tangible. A log in the fireplace split and crumbled. Chárlotte felt conflicting emotions rising and falling, like waves crashing on the shore, each trying to overwhelm her. Fear and anger mingled together as she realized what this news would mean for her future. Grief, relief, and excitement rose, as well, for she recognized the burden her friends had been carrying and that her life did mean something in the world.

  “Gwenyth would have told you this if she were still alive,” said élberteeth, “and we have told you everything in her stead. You are Chárlotte Evendawn Ch’lant, the last descendant of the man who defeated Lársh and the heir of his legacy that brings its own responsibility and burdens.”

  Chárlotte rose from her seat as élberteeth said these words. Her cheeks flushed with the anger, confusion, and excitement that she felt. Her breath came quickly. “Strange as it is to hear these words, I believe it. So many things now fall into place, like a puzzle that is nearly complete. How Gwenyth’s heart must have ached when she told me stories here in this room.” Chárlotte could almost feel the warm, wrinkled hand around hers, love and melancholy – that was the other puzzling emotion she felt so many years ago. What a pity it was that she realized the meaning of it now when it was too late to embrace the woman who gave her the love that her parents could never give. The room swam a little in her eyes, but she pushed through.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “What about Akir? What of the Heartstone?” Chárlotte asked. “If I am a descendant of Ch’lant, I will need them to prove it, particularly the stone.” A faint bit of hope – that lingering wish that this was all a dream – sparked inside her.

  “They are in this room,” replied élysia.

  “In here!” exclaimed Chárlotte as she looked about. “How could they have been hidden here? I know all the nooks and crannies in this house. Surely, I would have seen them.”

  élysia laughed. “Well, prepare to be surprised. Unlike the popular legend that says the Zarkvalgh took them, we did. They are here—behind the painting.” élysia removed the painting from above the fireplace and slid open a hidden panel. In the space behind the panel, sat a simple wooden music box. élysia twisted the key for the music box and released it. The tune it played was a familiar one, a song that was often hummed over the cribs of babies when they were laid to bed. The mantle piece moved until a large hollow appeared. Reaching into this, élysia took out a long sheathed sword swathed in a navy blue cloth and a small mahogany box. Undoing the wrappings, élysia handed Chárlotte the sheathed sword.

  The sheath glimmered and glistened as the firelight shone on precious stones and gold. Chárlotte unsheathed the sword, revealing the strong silver-colored blade on which runes had been engraved. The handle was made of gold, and its end was shaped like a fully blossomed rose with a ruby where the pistils should have been. The guard for the hand was molded like several rose leaves, curling about the hilt. For a moment, Chárlotte held the blade before her, watching the firelight flicker across its edges and feeling the weight of what this blade had accomplished. Now, it was hers to wield and depend on. Chárlotte hung the sword on a leather belt and put it about her waist, fastening the clasps together.

  Then élysia handed her the mahogany box with the quaint device of Ch’lant on its lid: a golden bowl with a rose in it. Chárlotte paused as she held it in her hands. She did not know what to say, for the speech seemed like an alien thing at a time like this. Her mouth felt dry, and her tongue was stuck in place.

  “In that box,” said élberteeth, “the Heartstone is held. It is said that only a descendant of Ch’lant can put it on and take it off. Try it, Chárlotte! If you are even the smallest bit unsure, this will make you certain.”

  With trembling hands and heart, Chárlotte lifted the lid of the box. Shimmering in all of its beauty lay the Heartstone in navy-blue velvet that lined the box’s interior. The Heartstone was a white crystal that was secured to a fine gold chain by a network of gold. Chárlotte’s hands quavered as they took out the heavy necklace and brought the rose leaf clasps together around her neck. There was no resistance as she put the clasps together. With a finality that should have quenched any smouldering embers of hope, the necklace’s clasps snapped shut!

  A bittersweet thrill went through her at the thought of what this change meant. No longer was she some orphaned girl, adopted through pity. Rather, she was a child of someone important, someone whose existence was bound to the war that was engulfing her world. This emotion was followed swiftly by a sense of doubt and fear. She tried to speak but was only able to hug élberteeth and élysia, feeling some comfort in their presence, in the strong arms that surrounded her. She was the last descendant of Ch’lant… and that knowledge brought its own burdens. She didn’t want this – she didn’t want this task placed upon her shoulders! She did not like the future that she envisioned now. She shuddered but acquiesced to fate.

  She pulled away from élberteeth and élysia. One last question remained for her. “You're certain that I am the last one?”

  Something in élberteeth’s eyes seemed to soften when she saw the fragile hope that clung in the girl’s eyes. She took Chárlotte’s hand in hers. “Chárlotte dear, I know what you are thinking. You don’t want this responsibility, but there is no mistake here. You are indeed the last of the Ch’lants.”

  “We knew your parents and you since you were a mere infant in your mother’s arms. The Heartstone isn’t deceived either. If you were not a Ch’lant, it would not have let you snap the clasps. See.”

  élberteeth reached around Chárlotte’s neck and tried to undo the clasps, but they would not release. Chárlotte then tried and undid the clasps as easily as if they had belonged to any other necklace. Her heart fell inside her as any wishes and what-ifs died.

  “B-but I’m not ready for this!” Her voice quavered as she spoke, and she looked down at the Heartstone in her hands. The firelight lit the cut edges with an orange tinge, playing over the surface, and a dim white glow of its own seemed to shift in the jewel’s depths. “I’m not a great warrior. I never sought this responsibility – never wanted this.” Tears welled up in her eyes, blinding her vision.

  élberteeth bent down until her eyes were level with Chárlotte’s face. She placed both hands on her shoulders. “You would not have this responsibility if you were not ready for it, Chárlotte. You possess everything you need to begin fulfilling your destiny. Perhaps, not all of it is here right now, but it will be developed. Then you will see how everything in your life has brought you to this moment and the ones that will follow. Lightness doesn’t give burdens you cannot bear.”

  “I feel that that should reassure me, élberteeth,” answered Chárlotte. “Somehow, it does, but at the same time, it doesn’t. But… if this is my responsibility now… I must take it and not look back. She felt tears fall down her cheeks, her grief for what she was losing and what she must now do.

  élysia hugged Chárlotte. “Time will help. It takes time to accept these things. But you are not alone.”

  Chárlotte nodded, burying her face in élysia’s shoulder. Their words were true and would be somewhere in the future. In the present, she was struggling with her emotions and the impending loss of the future that she was accustomed to imagining for herself as the country physician, tending the sick and making house calls to the families in the area.

  Moon’sheen, who was sleeping this entire time, woke up. Noting that her friends had completed their task, she said practically, “I had better get you all some breakfast. You’re all probably hungry.” She paused by Chárlotte and hugged her, whispering, “You’ll be fine. We’re always going to be at your side... always.” She smiled and left the room. A few moments later, the clatter of the iron skillet being placed on the stove and the sizzle of bacon told them that she was cooking breakfast.

  “Have you and Moon’sheen traded your practicality, élysia?” asked Chárlotte curiously as she straightened and looked at her friend.

  “Indeed, she seems to have done that,” responded élysia with a laugh. “I have just been unnerved by everything that has happened this week. You really scared me, Chárlotte! I will be back to my normal mood soon though — never fear!”

  “I am sorry I scared you all,” said Chárlotte, feeling suddenly bad for having caused her friends so much stress. She was grateful, though, for their care, which she now saw had extended far beyond being there for her after Gwenyth’s death.

  “You don’t need to apologize to us. It’s not your fault that the Zarkvalgh found you that night. I’m just glad we found you when we did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to stand here like this.” élysia added with a smile, “I can deal with stress, just don’t do it again.”

  “Thank you! Thank you for everything you have done for me. I find myself in a greater debt to you than I could have thought, because not only have you saved my life, but you have protected me from a foe who is terrible and cruel.” Chárlotte frowned. “Though...is it just coincidence that the Zarkvalgh found me, or does Lársh know who I am and sent him to attack me?”

  “One cannot tell,” replied élberteeth. “He could have just been scouting and decided that you would make a good meal. The Zarkvalghs have a strange appetite for women, in particular. I don’t see how Lársh could have discovered your existence unless... someone has betrayed us.” Her blue eyes grew cold and steely. “But, if anything else were to happen, you have us, the Mayor, and even éltoth at your side. The ambassadors from the other tribes are due to arrive by the month’s end, according to reports from the returning messengers. Vezúl is training the Guard in the Southern Fields, and the watchtowers are being manned. As long as the Council meets by the end of the month or the beginning of the next, we should be able to do something profitable.”

  “Things have been quite busy,” Chárlotte noted.

  “They have been,” answered élysia. “I am forced to give the Mayor some credit this time: he is not procrastinating.”

  Chárlotte laughed at élysia. Her mind was elsewhere, making her laughter sound rather forced.

  “What is on your mind?” queried élysia.

  “Oh...” Chárlotte hesitated before continuing, “I was thinking about how poorly I wield a sword, despite the training I received in the Guard. If I am to do this, I should train so that I get better. This sword is heavier than any that I have wielded.”

  élberteeth smiled. “You should train, for your skill could be the difference between life and death. What a good thing it is that I am the best swordswoman on the Island! I will train; perhaps I shall see you even get better than me!” She paused and listened to the sounds of dishware being set on a table coming from the kitchen. “I believe Moon’sheen is nearly finished with breakfast. Let's find out!”

  They went to the kitchen and discovered that their friend was in the middle of setting the table. The rest helped to plate the food and pour the drinks. Soon all were seated at the table, eating scrambled eggs and bacon, and discussing the latest movements of the Mayor and what had been going on while Chárlotte was ill.

  Chárlotte sat, quietly listening and taking in what they said, for she still felt shocked by what she had been told. Even though she had begun to resign herself to the fact that she was no longer a mere orphan girl, but rather someone who was going to be pivotal in rescuing her world from Lársh, she was afraid – afraid of the future that was before her.

  “The scout, Rendwarf,” élberteeth was saying as she salted her eggs, “arrived yesterday and reported that Lársh’s troops are encamped ten miles from the Lóngeena River, showing no signs of preparation for war. It seems as if Lársh isn’t planning to attack this winter.”

  “He’s probably learned his lesson about the North’s cruel winters. It gets cold and stormy during the months of Frozen Lake and Everwind. I believe we should surprise them while they’re resting,” replied élysia. Her usual nature returned now that Chárlotte was awake and with them.

  “At least they haven’t traveled as far north as the tributaries of the River Cold,” blurted Moon’sheen from behind her coffee cup.

  “True to both of you, but I don’t think an army would be eager to attack the Black Army in the middle of a blizzard,” answered élberteeth. “I agree. It would be good to surprise them, but I feel it in my bones that they will move before the end of Frozen Lake.” She took a bite out of her piece of toast and washed it down with a gulp of coffee.

  “I have an odd feeling like that as well,” responded élysia. “Let us hope the ambassadors from the other tribes come soon. The sooner they are here, the sooner we can work together and get actual business accomplished.”

  “Rendwarf said that he heard from a bird that the Darklings and Obwánians are already on their way and that the Schi’leons are preparing to come. The Cy’rens have been seen in the Lesser Islands and should arrive in less than forty-eight hours,” informed Moon’sheen.

  “Hurrah!” cried élysia raising her mug swiftly into the air, forgetting the scalding liquid it contained. Her happiness was quenched by a douse of hot coffee on her checkered blue and white shirt. “Oh dear,” muttered élysia as she snatched at her ruined scalding clothes. “I do hope I’m not burned too now! Oh, deary me!”

  Her friends laughed at her mishap, causing élysia to look up and glare at them. That only caused them to laugh harder until Chárlotte stopped laughing. She threw a dry cloth to Moon'sheen to mop up the spill on the floor and took élysia by the arm, escorting her upstairs, where she found a dry shirt. Soon, they rejoined the rest, and there were a few giggles and bursts of laughter as they did so.