Through the gates, Traven could see that the sides of the main avenue were teeming with people. As the carriage carrying the coffin of the late Baron of Candus passed through the large archway of the city, multiple trumpets sounded from the walls high above. The waiting crowds looked on respectfully as the casket passed. The victory parade had begun.
Traven was momentarily bathed in shadow as he passed through the city walls and into Candus. As he emerged into the city, the onlookers began to cheer, infusing him with excitement and energy. Color and sound were everywhere. The sides of the streets thronged with people of all ages cheering and waving colorful fabric. Buildings rose several stories on both sides of the large avenue with people crowded in every window. Many were tossing flower petals, scraps of paper, and fabric down on the procession.
Traven smiled widely at the jubilant citizens. He scanned the sides of the street as he made his way deeper into the city. Many of the citizens were pointing towards him. He wondered what the people had been told. He shook his head with a smile as a copious amount of petals showered down on top of him. Looking up with a smile, he noticed an attractive young woman leaning out of an open window and earnestly blowing kisses his way. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he turned away.
As the procession continued through the city towards the palace of Candus, he found himself almost constantly bathed in the crowd’s confetti. It seemed as though he had become the specific target of the celebratory projectiles. He wondered if he should create a small shield around himself but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn’t want to appear ungrateful for the attention. He satisfied himself with carefully brushing them from his face every so often.
He glanced back several times, wondering if the rest of the soldiers were receiving as much attention as he was, but it was hard to see through all of the falling confetti. He did notice that while the princess and Gavin were mostly spared, Blaize was covered in numerous small pieces of vibrant color as well. Traven smiled and rode tall in his saddle as the inhabitants of Candus continued to cheer the victorious army.
The procession finally reached the great square at the center of the city. The open area accommodated a much larger crowd than the streets had, and the volume of the cheers increased noticeably. Being away from the windows of nearby buildings allowed Traven a respite from the constant showering of confetti. He breathed in the clear air and took in his surroundings, free from the petals and scraps that had previously impeded his vision.
Before him rose the palace of Candus. It wasn’t nearly as large or magnificent as the Royal Palace in Calyn, but it was grand nonetheless. It climbed several stories into the air and took up the entire north side of the square. The palace had three large domes in its center and one short tower on either side. It appeared to be made primarily of granite. The light grey building was entirely surrounded by extensive gardens full of trees and bushes. The gates to the palace grounds were wide open, and a path lined with palace guards led to the front of the large building. Traven followed as the carriage crossed the square and passed through the palace gates.
Once inside the gates, the volume of the cheering diminished greatly and seemed as though it was far in the distance. The plants and trees of the palace grounds effectively muffled the noise from the chaotic square nearby. Traven stole a quick glance back at Darian. He knew the elf would feel much better now among trees than he had in the middle of the large crowd. Traven felt better as well and soaked in the relative tranquility after the deafening ride through the city.
He slowed down as the procession reached the palace steps and halted. The carriage turned and continued on to the side of the palace where the burial of the duke would take place later in the day. The princess and Gavin dismounted and joined the Baroness of Candus on the palace steps. There were also a number of dignitaries on the steps and a small crowd of special guests seated nearby. Traven dismounted and joined the generals in taking the open seats that had been left near the steps of the palace. Darian took Pennon’s reins and led the horses away.
While the main body of soldiers would be turning at the palace gates and continuing through the city on the way to the barracks, Traven, along with the leaders of the army, had been invited onto the palace grounds for a medal ceremony. One by one they were called forward to receive their proper insignia and golden medals in honor of their victorious service in the recent battle. Traven smiled as Blaize was called forward and officially designated as the Commander General of the Kalian Army. Even while kneeling at Kalista’s feet to receive his medal, the large Balthan was almost as tall as she was. Once the medal was placed over his head, Blaize stood back up and took his place alongside the other generals at the foot of the palace steps.
“Master Wielder Traven.”
Traven stood and made his way to the steps of the palace, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He had known that eventually his name would be called, but he didn’t like being the center of attention. He stopped in front of the beaming princess and knelt.
“Master Wielder Traven was the key to the Kalian Army’s victory,” the palace herald announced. “He not only defeated the invading wielder but also personally saved the High Princess Kalista’s life. For his service, he will be given the honorary rank of general, receive a victory medal, and receive the Victory Crown.”
Traven blushed at the announcement. He had expected a medal but definitely not the other two honors. The honorary title of general surprised him, and being awarded the Victory Crown left him in awe. It was the highest honor that could be awarded after a victorious battle and was reserved for great heroes who were deemed responsible for saving the entire kingdom.
He remained completely still as Kalista reached forward and pinned the insignia of a general on his shirt. She then placed the golden medal around his neck. Lastly, she carefully set the thin golden crown of intricately carved leaves on his head. The weight of the crown reminded him of his recent visions. They suddenly made sense. The crown in his dreams had represented the Victory Crown he had just received, and he had received it from the Princess Kalista. He wondered if his dreams would now change as they had after he’d found the cave earlier that year.
His mind returned to the present ceremony as the princess stepped back and motioned for him to stand. He rose to his feet and turned to face the crowd. He blushed again under their intense stares and moved to stand next to Blaize and the other generals.
“I present the protectors of our great kingdom!” the herald announced.
The relative quiet of the courtyard was instantly replaced with applause and shouts as the crowd rose to their feet and cheered for the leaders of the army. Traven couldn’t help but smile. He felt the weight of the medal around his neck and the weight of the crown on his head as he stood tall and proud in front of the crowd. He supposed he really was a hero.
2
Kalista reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was having a hard time falling asleep, just as she had every night for the last week. She was thankful for the soft bed and the luxurious room, but the comforts of the palace did little to soothe her mind. When she had arrived in Candus the previous afternoon, she had hoped that being back in a city and a palace would help her forget, but it hadn’t.
All the luxuries in the world could not hide one’s guilt. The distractions of the day had helped her not to think of it. She had enjoyed the parade and the medal ceremony in the morning. During the funeral for Baron Mikel, she had been more concerned for Gavin and the baroness than she had for herself. The rest of the day had been busy as well, but now that she was alone in the dark, she couldn’t hide from her thoughts any longer.
It had been her fault, and she knew it. When she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but see the face of the head guard and the other guards who had died while accompanying her on her foolish escapade. If not for her, they would still be alive. If not for her, they would be celebrating the victory with the rest of the soldiers or at home with their families. The last thought brought more tears to her eyes.
When she had been abducted by the vile assassin earlier in the spring, all of her guards had been killed. She had had plenty of nightmares about the ordeal but hadn’t thought much about the guards who had died while on duty. They had merely been fulfilling their assignments and had died through no fault of hers.
However, this time had been different. She had led the guards to their deaths. Not only had she disregarded the guards’ efforts to keep her away from the battle, she had actually forced them to follow her. Her rash, dangerous, and foolish decision to race onto the battlefield and take a shot at the invading wielder had been the direct cause of the loyal guards’ deaths.
She wiped the tears from her eyes once again. She had always considered herself to be a rational individual, but many of her recent decisions seemed to prove otherwise. It had all started with her decision not to stay in Candus and had snowballed from there, culminating in her foolish attack of the Balthan wielder. Looking back over the last couple of weeks, she still could not understand what she had been thinking.
If she would have listened to Gavin and stayed in Candus as they had originally planned, she would be feeling much different at the moment. Instead of lying awake, wrestling with her poor decisions, she would have been joyfully celebrating the return of the victorious army with the rest of the citizens of Candus. She would have been ecstatic and relieved to have Gavin safely back with her, and she would have been ready to support him during his struggles as he mourned for the death his father.
As it was, she was dealing with the emotional consequences of her own poor decisions and doing a dismal job of raising the spirits of her fiancé when he needed her most. Perhaps she really was nothing more than a spoiled young princess. Maybe she wasn’t worthy to be called Princess of Kalia and future High Queen.
Gavin had been devastated by the death of his father. He had done a good job of masking his grief in public but had not been able to hide the pain he felt when they were in private. He had broken down several times in her presence, and she often found him with red rimmed eyes. She knew from his complexion that he was having as hard a time sleeping at night as she was. His jovial mood had disappeared and been replaced with somber formality.
She had tried to cheer him up just as he had so often done for her during the long march from Calyn, but she had not been very successful. With her own worries, she probably hadn’t tried to brighten his mood as much as she should. While their previous time spent together had been full of joking, optimism, and openness, their recent interactions were characterized by solemnity.
Kalista understood what it was like to lose a parent and sympathized with her fiancé. She knew it would take time to overcome the loss but hoped he would snap out of the depression soon. She missed his cheerfulness. Hopefully, being home with his mother would help Gavin’s mood. Kalista would be dining with both of them in the morning and hoped to be able to lift Gavin’s spirits.
After breakfast he would be busy, so Kalista had arranged to meet with Traven. She was interested to learn what had happened to him between the time he had left the Royal Palace and the time he had arrived at the battle. She hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him since the brunch back at the site of the battle and was eager to hear his story. She was also anxious to see him wield the ambience. The reports of his battle with the Balthan wielder had been fantastic, but she had not personally seen him work any magic yet. She hoped he would not mind showing her a few demonstrations of what he could do. It was fascinating to think he was actually a wielder, just like in the stories of old.
Of all the honors bestowed in the morning’s ceremony, she had enjoyed presenting the Victory Crown to Traven most of all. She had been the one to push for the honor to be given to him. She hoped it demonstrated to him how thankful she was for all that he had done for her kingdom and her.
At first, Gavin and several other dignitaries had been hesitant to agree with awarding Traven the Victory Crown. They acknowledged Traven’s pivotal role in the army’s victory but felt concerned about awarding the special honor without the High King’s blessing. It was true that it was a rare honor and had not been bestowed upon anyone for over a hundred years, but she felt that the young wielder deserved it. Not only had he already saved her life twice, but he had single-handedly defeated the Balthan wielder. If the invading wielder had not been stopped, it was likely the Balthan Army would have won the battle and continued on to conquer all of Kalia. Kalista believed that by stopping the wielder, Traven had truly saved her country. She felt sure her father would have approved. In the end, everyone had agreed that the young wielder was indeed worthy of the high honor.
It had been gratifying to see Traven’s surprise when the honors he would be receiving were announced. He had blushed in his boyish way and then stood proudly when presented to the crowd. The memory brought a smile to her face.
Kalista had effectively done several things by elevating him to the status of a hero of Kalia. She had made good on her promise to thank him properly for all that he had done, and she had created a way for them to meet together without going against protocol. It would seem improper for the Princess of Kalia to meet with someone who was merely a commoner and a soldier. It might have been alright for someone of her station to meet with a wielder. However, no one would think it improper for the High Princess of Kalia to spend time with a hero of the kingdom.
Her smile grew as she thought back to the first time she had seen Traven. Who could have imagined that the clumsy, embarrassed young man who had stumbled into her sitting room during the winter ball would end up becoming a master wielder and a hero of all Kalia? She had so many things she wanted to ask him. Thinking of meeting with Traven distracted her from her feelings of guilt and sadness. At last, she drifted off to sleep with the memory of the young wielder’s smiling face foremost in her mind.