Love Agreement With The King

The couple spotted John's brother's figure leaning against the few remaining shattered bars of the castle's gate. When he saw them he gave a light wave with his hand while Roselyn offered a gentle smile and John hinted a nod.

John and his brother seemed so similar not only physically but also personally, probably John's brother had trust issues as much as him and they both shared a hard complicated past which shaped their personality and toughened their souls. Maybe they would end up destroying each other or they would discover how similar they truly are and eventually find common ground.

"Ready?" John asked and his brother nodded.

John took Roselyn's hand and speeded toward the cave of the old sage, arriving few seconds after his brother. His brother grinned noticing he arrived first and John rolled his eyes.

"Stay near me," John whispered to Roselyn, before taking her hand and walking toward the entrance.

The two male creatures walked steadily inside the cave as their overdeveloped sight was allowing them to see through the darkness and Roselyn followed John carefully walking.

As she remembered last time when she slid down mud chutes she prepared herself right after John warned her about it. She kneeled and palpated with her hands over the ground surface. When she palpated the soil she felt the warm surface inclined like descent and she deduced it may be the mud chutes from where she slid through the first time.

Roselyn sat on the edge and pushed herself forehead, followed by both John and his brother.

She got up and the room suddenly lightened like the first time. The sage's face shined enlightened by the bright light of a candle he was holding under his chin. The old man was smiling widely when he saw Roselyn through his closed eyes, "banshee!" he cheered.

When John's brother slid down the sage took few steps backward and turned around to face his new guest. His eyes squeezed and his head began to shake while he tried to stop the uncontrollable images he was visioning and the voices he heard by covering his ears with his hands and screaming as if he was possessed.

"You!" He pointed his shaky and crooked finger toward John's brother.

"You're evil. The countless number of people you've killed… and your powers…" he murmured in a fearful voice.

"You two…" his fingered traveled toward John's direction, "you're related."

Silence fell in the room and for some instants, the only noises that could be heard were those of the fireflies fluttering their wings and the candle burning its wick.

Roselyn cleared her voice to break the embarrassing silence and begin to speak, "we're here to ask you a favor."

The sage kept facing John's brother and just after some instants when Roselyn spoke he finally deigned to answer her.

"Miss Roselyn everything for you! I owe you! I avenged my wife thanks to your help!"

The sage's voice became lowered and calmer as he took Roselyn's hand to shake it.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Roselyn smiled closing her hand's fingers around his.

"We need your help. I had a vision about King William, he may be alive." Roselyn said, in a modulated tone of voice. She knew well that she couldn't be fully sure about her visions and her powers, not having practiced her magic enough and not fully knowing how to use them. She didn't want to give fake hopes to John.

The sage's eyebrows arched while with one hand he cupped his chin and massaged it and with the other, he scratched his head.

"Are you sure?" He asked in disbelief.

Of course, Roselyn wasn't, how could she be sure?

"I am not, I just visioned it. King John suggested visiting you." Roselyn said still holding John's hand behind her back, as it made her feel safe like if she was standing with an armed army when she was with him.

"I am old and weak, dear." He started, his lips pursed before slightly curving down as if he was doubting his capabilities.

"Please…" John begged in the most vulnerable voice, like if he was almost about to cry.

"Okay… I can try. Because I owe you two." The sage said after a brief consideration that seemed to last forever. John smiled and walked toward the man, "thank you."

The sage nodded and went to sit in the usual deformed ancient chair, he placed his hands over the table. Roselyn sat in front of him like the first time they had been there. She swallowed down, she felt so scared that a grip sank in her chest and her fingers were tingling. But for John she would do anything, she swallowed the lump in her throat and gazed up to the old sage.

The man in front of her opened his eyes reviling the terrific bloody eyes before taking her hands.

The sage's hands squeezed Roselyn's hands almost hurting her until his eyes began to assume different graduation of red, he blinked few times and his hands began to shake.

His teeth clenched and Roselyn felt shivers running through her arms, provoking her electrical strokes penetrating her skin and tingling.

The table began to tremble when the veins inside the sage's arms became darkener, he was focusing all his energies and the powers in his weak old body to help the couple.

Suddenly, the table stopped from shaking, the old man's eyes closed and he left Roselyn's hands.

"What did you see?" John questioned hastily, reaching the table and leaning his body over it.

"Your highness…" the sage started, he regathered his breath and placed his shaky deformed hand over his skeletal torso.

"Your father… he is still alive…"