In which the king of Labelle discovers the truth

Chapter 17 of The Time-Teller

Chapter 17
In which the king of Labelle discovers the truth

A mountain of paperwork obscured Jonah’s vision. His quill left marks in his right hand where he had held it for a long time. His report seemed to be too long, and soon, he knew he would have to write yet another one.

 

“Jonah?” Jonah heard the door open, and was greeted by his father’s voice.

 

“What is it?” he asked irritably scratching out the word he had misspelled, due to the distraction.

 

“Are you alright. You seem so distant. Your mother hasn’t seen you in days, and when she does see you, you barely speak to her. You don’t even speak with me anymore. I am speaking as both your commanding officer and your father, Jonah, when I say, give yourself some leave. You are under too much pressure. You volunteer for every duty, and you barely have time for meals. With your schedule, I can’t even see where you fit in sleep. This will not do. It simply will not do. I won’t allow it. Take leave. That is a direct command. Don’t let me see you like this ever again unless there is a war on. That is all.” Jonah heard the door close with a soft click.

 

“Father,” he whispered under his breath. “How could you possibly understand what I have done. I don’t even know where she is.” Jonah stared down at his upper arm, where he had injured himself during a training mission with the new recruits. “Is this punishment for loving a princess?” Jonah stared at the pile of papers on his desk and choked. He knew that the mission of finding the princess was reserved to officers and experienced men. He massaged his arm.

 

“What can I do?”

 

“Jonah Kardos!” a huge man burst into the room. “The king has summoned you.”

 

“The king?” Jonah stood up swiftly, knocking over a pile of finished reports. The huge man held the door for Jonah, who hurried out of the room. The castle repairs were not yet entirely complete. In some places, huge holes remained in the walls. Jonah had no worries though because Pyralis had placed spells on the castle to keep it safe. He sighed. He had met Pyralis only shortly after losing Ruth.

 

It wasn’t long before the great hall loomed in front of him. He bowed as he entered, walked swiftly towards the throne and kneeled in front of it.

 

“Your majesty,” he said worriedly. He did not know what it could be that the king wanted.

 

“Jonah Kardos, were you acquainted with my daughter before her disappearance?” the king boomed. Jonah flinched.

 

“Yes, your majesty,” he spoke truthfully.
“The maid found several letters hidden in the princess’ wall. The last letter bids the princess to meet the writer of the letter in a cave near the beach. Later, on the same day the princess disappeared, you mysteriously vanished.” the king emphasized ‘you.’ “The script in the letters matches your script in your reports. Can you explain this.” Jonah paused for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he lifted his bowed head and stared at the father of his beloved.

 

“It was I who wrote the letters,” Jonah admitted, shaking slightly, not sure what would happen to him.

 

“Can you explain to me why the princess is not here?” the king growled threateningly at Jonah.

 

“I lost her in a storm at sea,” Jonah felt tears seeping from his eyes, and quickly brushed them away with the sleeve of his uniform. “I ended up in a forest, where I met Pyralis and a young girl, the ones that saved the castle.”

 

“Do not make excuses. It is your fault that my daughter is gone. You are aware of this, and yet you bury yourself in work instead of telling me where my daughter was. Perhaps, if you had, your punishment would have been less severe. My daughter is betrothed to a prince. You knew this, and yet you tried to steal her heart. You can not even begin to comprehend the rage I am feeling. She is most likely dead. You know this, and I will sentence you with this in mind, Jonah Kardos.”

 

“Yes, your majesty,” Jonah bowed lower and felt a sharp pain in his neck from excessive amounts of paperwork and training.

 

“You do not even attempt to beg forgiveness,” the king said outraged. “Take him to the third dungeon, and make sure he is kept there until the princess is found, even if it means life imprisonment. I do not even want to see his face before the end of my own life.”

 

“Yes sir,” two guards took Jonah’s arms and led him away. Jonah did not struggle. He did not even say a word to object.

 

The cell they placed Jonah in was small. The walls and door were thick, and Jonah could hear nothing of what occurred outside. The cell had a small slit of a window, no more than a finger’s width wide and only about a foot in height. Jonah sat on the floor with a slight plop as the floor was coated with mossy water. He could smell only mildew and the remaining sweat of the previous cell occupant.

 

Jonah leaned against the wall and stared through the gloom at the low ceiling. He knew that when the sun went down, the cell would be so dark that it would be practically impossible to see even his own hand. Jonah sighed and slid further down the wall. He heard a clicking sound as a tray hit the ground and was slid under his door. He glanced sideways at the sloppy mess that he remembered bringing to prisoners as a new recruit.

 

“At least most prisoners don’t know what’s in it,” Jonah murmured in disgust. He placed his eye against the thin window and stared across the plains in which he had spent the majority of his childhood. “And so, this is what love brings.” Jonah pulled the elaborate golden key from inside his shirt. The key was a constant reminder of Ruth’s words. ‘How do you know this isn’t dark magic we’re dealing with?’ The words floated painfully through his mind as he remembered.

 

“She told me we shouldn’t use that weird boat. She told me, but I didn’t listen. Why didn’t I listen?” Jonah hugged his knees. Then, he dangled the strange key in front of his eyes and wondered vaguely if there was any purpose in keeping it. “Dark magic, huh?” he whispered to himself. He let the key fall clattering to the floor. “What is magic anyway?” Jonah did not eat that night, nor did he sleep peacefully, for he had no bed, and not even a sheet to cushion his back.

 

“Ruth?” Jonah felt a cool hand on his face. He opened his eyes, but the dim, gloomy cell was empty. “Ruth.” Jonah rolled over on the floor and the golden key dug into his side. “How could I have been so stupid!?” Jonah grabbed the key and threw it against the wall. It made a ringing sound as it hit the wall like a high flute note. Then, hit the floor with a similar noise. “What is that key made of anyway?” Jonah said irritably. “I wish I could just shatter it into a million pieces.” He sighed and picked up the intricate little key. “Why couldn’t he just give me the key to this cell door if he wanted to help me so much.” Jonah laughed. Of course that old man couldn’t have known this would happen. Jonah looked at his uneaten tray of food. He knew when the guards came to check on the prisoners, he would be scolded for not eating. ‘We’re being generous to give a prisoner this much. You should be grateful,” they would say. The slightly damp stone floor made Jonah want to sneeze.

 

“Jonah Kardos?” a firm voice called outside the door. Jonah moved away from the door. It opened and a guard came in. Two guards stood outside holding swords aloft in case prisoners got any ideas.

 

“Yes?” Jonah looked at one of his previous comrades, not knowing if he remembered him as he had only served guard duty with this man twice. The guard looked down at Jonah’s food tray.

 

“Why haven’t you eaten. You of all people should know the consequences of not eating.” Jonah smiled.

 

“I know them, but I don’t care. I remember making that slop as a new recruit, and I’m not going to eat it until I’m starving. That’s the only way it will taste good.”

 

“I guess knowing the ingredients is punishment enough,” the guard laughed, picked up Jonah’s tray and left the cell.

 

“So, he did remember,” Jonah peered through the slit in the wall that was supposed to be a window. At one point Jonah had helped the previous guard regain contact with his father. “Even so,” he thought aloud. “Favoring prisoners is punished.” He half laughed. He knew that the other two guards would be too afraid to tell on their superior officer. Jonah looked down at his golden key. “At least I did some good things before having come here. Jonah sat staring at the sun through the window. It was slowly disappearing above his line of vision.

 

“Almost eleven o’clock, I suppose,” Jonah told himself. “Not that it matters.” He stared at the only object in the room that wasn’t a bland color. “Why did he give me this key?” Jonah put it into the key hole. It fit.

 

“What the?” Jonah knew that this key was shaped much differently than the keys to the cell. He turned the key and the door creaked open. The sun shone in his eyes. He looked behind him. The sun was still shining into the thin window. “Two suns?” he said confused. He took closer look outside the door. It was deffinately not the dungeon. There was a vast meadow, covered in wildflowers and tall grass, To the right and left were various hills and mountains. Looking straight ahead, aside from very few hills, he could see all the way to the horizon. He stepped curiously outside the door.

 

“I shouldn’t. I don’t even know where this is.” Then, he turned and tried to walk back into the cell. Unfortunately, the cell was gone. He had left the small golden key in the door. Behind him all that was there were mountains and a little forest. He imagined walking as far as he could see and suddenly wished he had eaten the sloppy dungeon meal.
“What am I supposed to do?” he shouted into the wind. “Stupid old man. Why didn’t you explain anything? Where is she? Why did you give me that key… and the boat and…” Jonah took a breath…

 

CRASH!!!

 

“What the!” Jonah turned towards one of the distant mountains to see a great part of it slide down the side. A dark object shot through the air, letting off jets of blue sparks. Then, it landed not 25 meters from Jonah. When Jonah got a little closer, he distinguished the shape as a person.

 

“There’s no way they could have survived that,” Jonah breathed. He moved towards the crumpled figure on the ground. It was a man, with a black coat, covering his eyes. His fingers seemed to be shimmering blue. Jonah turned him onto his back and placed his own head against the man’s chest. His heart was still beating.

 

“How could he have survived that?” Jonah asked shocked.

 

“Who are you?” the man mumbled.

 

“Jonah Kardos,” Jonah said, astonished to hear the man talking. “Who are you? What happened? How did you…”

 

“Shhh…” the man on the ground tried to sit up, but it was useless. “Don’t ask so many questions, you annoying pest of a human.”

 

“If you’re not human, then what are you?” Jonah moved backwards a little, now feeling slightly uncomfortable. “You aren’t a shape-shifter are you?”

 

“No,” the man opened his eyes and looked at Jonah. “A shape-shifter is the reason I’m like this in the first place. I should have been one of the most known and talented wizards in this world, but that… that girl… that thing. It stole my life from me!”

 

“Calm down,” Jonah said softly. “You don’t have any energy.”

 

“I know.”

 

“If you lean on me can you walk?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

“Do you know where there is a town or something where you can recover?” the man lifted his arm painfully and pointed.

 

“Okay.” Jonah heaved the man into a standing position and began walking slowly in the direction he had indicated with the man leaning heavily on his shoulder