3

By the time Brandon gets back to the Low-lands, most of his strength has returned. He thinks over everything that happened. The first two rooms were what he’d expected, but not the last one, with the child. Also, something had gone wrong at the end. Steven and William had shared his vision. No, not an image, it had been more than that, for him anyways. He’d been there with her. He’d touched her. He can still feel her smooth skin on his fingertips, and he’s positive that her sweet scent still lingers there. Steven and William hadn’t been there, but they’d seen it. The Mystics seemed concerned about this, but wouldn’t speak to them about it.

When Brandon finally steps into the lush green Low-lands he finds everyone knows of his accomplishment, and that they have started putting the party together. Most celebrations come together at the Rose Crystal Cascades. It’s the most beautiful spot in the Low-lands, no, on Grandel.

Brandon looks across the soft, lush, sea green Festival Field that surrounds the man-made rose colored waterfall. Feathery fennels shower the area with their small bronze flowers.  The Lowlander forest borders the soft meadow. Golden ladybirds flutter around the field and waterfall. They live and feed on the trees that frame it. The trees are called ganndeans they have four trunks that braid together as they grow. Small golden flowers that are continuously in bloom nestle within the emerald leaves. Brandon looks down. Crawling up his arm is a ladybird. The sun shines off its golden white spotted back. Coming from the top of its white head are two white feather-like antennas.

Brandon looks up at the sound of his sister’s infectious laughter. She’s sitting in her chair, helping with the decorations. At an extremely young age, his sister Toney fell from a tree and landed on a watering trough. She has been unable to walk since. The current Queen designed her chair. She’d spoken of plastic and rubber. Grandel has neither. Using the materials that they could find on Grandel, the Midlanders took over the creation of the mobile chair that Toney now uses. Mostly wood is used, but there is some metal.

Toney can maneuver the chair around most of the flat Low-lands. Their mother helps her with what she can’t.

Under the ganndean trees, a few Lowlanders are playing lively music. Brandon picks Toney’s small body up and starts to dance around the tables. Her waist length blonde hair covers her round, dark eyes as Brandon swings her around. Toney wraps her strong arms around him and laughs gleefully.

“I told you,” she says with a smile that lights up her round face. As Brandon twirls her around the trees, she kisses his cheek. “No one can beat my brother.”

It doesn’t take long before the tables are heavy with food. Brandon can’t think of a better way to end his day than by eating delicious food and being with his family and friends. He sits with his sister watching the couples dance. Brandon knows them all. They have grown up together, and he watched most of them break into pairs. Most of them have started their own farms and families. A few have gone to work in the mines, or gone on to become builders. There are still a few, like Brandon, that haven’t left home.

On the other side of the flowering trees, games are being started. The small kids go just inside the forest to play wolf and hare. A small group of them will be a wolf pack, and the others are hares. The wolves have to find the hiding hares. When the bunnies run for their home, the wolf pack must work together, and catch the hares before they get to their burrows.

The kids Toney’s age are playing kicking ball. They have a sphere made from animal hide. One player kicks the ball and runs around the field. The players in the open area try to get the ball back on the kicker’s mound before the kicker can return to the mound. None of the players can use their hands.

As the sun sinks in the sky, it turns a blazing orange telling them all it’s time to get back to work. Being the new Protector changes nothing on the farm. As people slowly gathered their things and their children, Brandon notices that both his parents are gone. He collects the food that was left. This has become a tradition after being practiced for hundreds of years. It’s to help the family that waits for their son to come home.

~^~^~

Brandon sees that the horses are already in the field as he pushes his sister home. His father, as usual, has beaten him to work. Above the door to their little house are fresh juniper branches. Their mother, Kristin, has been sick for months and the limbs have been placed there to ward off her illness. So far it hasn’t helped. Brandon takes Toney and the gifts into the house. Brandon gives his sister and mother a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, he heads for their barn to feed the hungry, impatiently bellowing cows.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Marcus asks from one of the two horse stables. Brandon inherited his looks from his father. The only difference between the two is that his father is shorter, and he’s not as robust as his son.

“I have to feed the cows,” Brandon says as he walks to the other side of the barn.

“The Protector of our new Queen does not feed cows,” His dad remarks with a smile as he tosses out the last of the dirty hay.

“Well, this one has at least one more night of just being a Lowlander’s son. Hey, you and Mom left early. Is she still not feeling well?” Brandon asks knowing the answer.

“She is better,” his father says. Brandon can hear a little doubt in his voice.

“Dad, what are you going to do until I get back?” Brandon’s family won’t be able to move into the palace until he returns with Jacklyn. They’ll be on their own until then.

“The neighbors will help like always, and Everlyn is always here helping with whatever she can. Do not worry about us. We will be just fine.” His dad looks up at him. “What is wrong?”

Brandon shrugs and picks up a substantial bag of feed. He can feel his father’s eyes on him. “Brandon, I am your father, and I know when something is bugging you, so talk.”

Brandon keeps walking to where the restless cows are waiting. “What if I cannot do this?” he says in a low voice as he leaves the barn. He is surprised when he feels his dad’s steady hand on his arm.

“Brandon I know you, you will do fine. Besides, the Lowlander mystic would not have picked you if he had any doubts.”

Brandon pours the feed into the feeding bin. The cows shove and push each other to get to the grain. He moves one of the bulls back to make room for a small calf.

“That is why you will do well. You always notice the little things. Go, spend time with your mother. There is no telling when you will be leaving.”

“I will, but I need to see Everlyn. She will never forgive me if I leave before saying goodbye. Do you know where she is?”

“Last I saw her. She was at her cave.” Brandon starts across their field. “Hurry back, or you will have two other women mad at you,” his father yells after him.

As Brandon races across the field, their sizeable black horse Glacier comes alongside him. His long black mane and tail fly in the warm breeze. All the horses in Grandel are black with long white tufts of fur around their hooves. A white ten point star can be found somewhere on all of them. Brandon reaches out giving him a smack on the side, and Glacier takes off. When Brandon reaches the top board and starts to climb over, Glacier gives him a shove from behind. Brandon topples over the fence and lands in a heap on the other side. The work horse’s nays sound like laughter. Brandon gives him a farewell scratch on the star between his eyes and heads for the caves.

Brandon slows when he comes to a small clearing in the middle of a ring of hawthorns. On the far side of the narrow field is the opening to Everlyn’s cave. Framing the opening is a thick cluster of flowers. It has six sand colored petals in the front and five reddish brown in the back. They look like tears that are falling into the center of the flower. Its soft looking stem and leaves are a milky jade color. This is the only place Brandon has ever seen these flowers.

“Everlyn, you home?” Brandon calls out.

“Brandon, come in,” Everlyn says in her welcoming rough voice. She’s one of the few Earth Dragons that help the Lowlanders with their farming. They help plow their fields with the spikes on their tails and by pulling heavy loads.

Brandon walks in and is greeted by four young Earth Dragons. They’re all the same color as their mother, a reddish brown that sparkles in the sun. Their mother has four bones protrusions a foot long on the end of her tail. Even though her children aren’t old enough to have their spikes yet, Brandon notices that the four horns on their heads are starting to grow. There are two on top and two smaller ones on each side. When fully developed, they’ll sweep down behind their heads then curve upwards.

The cave is warm and homey. In the center of it is a small fire pit. The fire is built daily by Lowlander families. Scattered around the cave is the various gifts given to Everlyn and her children. Claw marks, pictures, and rubbings cover the walls. Brandon plays with the kids for a little while and then sits down beside Everlyn.

“I am going to miss you and your family.” She says with a smile that shows her jagged sharp white teeth. Her jade eyes tear up.

“We will still see each other.” He wraps his hand around one of her immense black claws.

“I know, but it will not be the same.” He can hear the sadness in her voice.

Brandon knows what she means. Once he and Jacklyn get back, they will live at the palace. Brandon will come to see her, but not every day. They won’t work together in the fields, and he’ll miss that. Everlyn is the one soul he can talk to about anything.

Brandon tells her of the vision, and what happened to William and Steven. Everlyn’s eyes light up.

“What? Do you know something about this?” Brandon asks.

“The dragons have many legends about a time when three Grandels bring us all back together. They are known as the Enhanced Ones, ” Everlyn looks at him. “You shared your experience with them.”

“I did not do anything. It just happened.” Brandon looks away from her and notices the lack of light coming from the mouth of the cave. “I have got to go,” he says standing up. He looks over at the kids. Piled on one another they are asleep. “Toney and Mom will be upset if I do not get home soon.” Brandon stretches and places his hand between Everlyn’s eyes. “See you soon.”

Before Brandon gets to the cave entrance, Everlyn moves her mighty tail to block him. Brandon turns and looks at her. He can see the concern on her face.

“Be careful Brandon, the legends I speak of are dangerous ones. You will be facing many dangers, and getting Jacklyn will only be the beginning.” Everlyn moves her tail and smiles at him. “Go see your family. They are waiting for you.”

Brandon starts home thinking of what Everlyn said. Everyone has their legends. It can’t mean anything. None of them are different. He doesn’t even know them! How could they change anything? Besides, Steven almost killed him! How could they work together?

Brandon shoves the idea away and looks around. He’s going to miss walking through the Lowlander Forest. It’s so full of life. He can hear the night creatures starting their evening chores, and in the distance the waterfall. Brandon looks up and sees the faint golden glow of the barrier. As he’s looking up, he sees the glowing ayrosynse heading for a grove of juniper trees close to Rose Crystal Cascades.

The ayrosynses are a crane-like bird. Their yellow feathers glow in dark places. They help the Lowlanders that work in the mines. Not only do they fill the gloomy tunnels with light, but they can sense danger and detect gasses. These wondrous birds have saved many lives.

Brandon hears rustling in the forest and glimpses something black. A few seconds later he sees the fluffy indigo tail of a fox. The black thing he saw had to be an under mouse. Brandon wonders what it’s doing above ground. The ground begins to vibrate gently. It’s a blind digger. They are large rodents that live all their lives underground. Unlike the under mouse, it cannot surface because the sun burns it. Even the moon’s rays cause it pain. The worse thing about the digger is the smell that admits from its holes. The poor under mouse must have flew out of its home because of the harmful fumes.

“Good luck little mouse,” Brandon says before continuing his journey home. He breathes in deeply and takes in the fragrance of the Low-lands. Nowhere else on Grandel quite smells the same. It’s the smell of worked earth and flowers. Scattered all through the Lowlander Forest is a small flower known as southernwood. Like most of the plants in this forest, they have feather-like leaves. Its flowers have five small yellow petals, and they smell of lemons.

When Brandon arrives home, he stops and compares it to the palace he saw in his vision. Made from the trees that grow in the forest his home is small and modest. It doesn’t come close to what Jacklyn has grown up in. There’s one large room in the center that serves as the kitchen and living room. Made from the same wood as the house there is a small table and chairs where they have eaten most of their meals. In one corner is an iron wood stove for cooking, and heating on the rare nights that it gets cold. A few feet from it is a washing pail.

Off of this room are three bedrooms. They’re about half the size as the one in the middle. Each of them has a bed made of wood and a mattress filled with hay, wool, and feathers. They each have a pillow made of cotton and feathers and a cotton blanket. Behind the house is a much smaller building. This serves as their bathhouse. Yes, he’ll miss it and his family. Brandon sighs, and goes into his home, perhaps for the last time.

Brandon spends a few hours with his sister and mother. He and Toney play her favorite games until their mother calls them to dinner. As they eat, he looks at them and thinks of all the meals they’ve had together. Brandon can almost hear the laughter that usually fills the house, but not tonight. They’re proud of him, but there’s no telling how long he’ll be gone. It varies from queen to queen. Some welcome their new lives, but others fight against it.

Brandon’s mom clears the table and goes to the washing pan. He and his father are talking about the next day’s work when they hear the dishes hit the floor. Brandon’s dad beats him to his mother’s side. She’s unconscious and burning hot. Her skin is unusually pale, and her dark blonde hair is ringing wet.

“Dad, you said she was feeling better.” Brandon’s voice is shaky.

Toney comes closer and starts yelling for her mother.

“Brandon, take care of your sister,” his father says in a stern voice as he picks up his frail wife.

“Dad, you said she felt better!” Brandon repeats loudly.

“Brandon, take your sister to bed now,” his father’s voice has an edge to it that Brandon has never heard before. His father then turns his back on them and takes his very sick wife to their room.

“Brandon, is Mommy going to be alright?” He hears the tears in his sister’s voice and picks her up.

“Yes, sweetie she will be alright.” He doesn’t believe his own words; Toney doesn’t either. Brandon kisses her gently on top of her head and holds her until she cries herself to sleep.

As Brandon crosses the main room, he hears his father in the dark. His stomach feels as if it drops when the realization that his father is crying hits him.

“Dad?” his father doesn’t reply. “Dad, is Mom okay?”

“No,” his father says through his tears, “she is very sick. The healers have tried everything, and she is only getting worse.” Brandon can hear the defeat in his voice. Something he has never heard come from his father.

“I will stay home,” He says sitting beside his father.

“No, you will not! Your mother would skin us both alive. There is nothing you can do here.” His father grips Brandon tight. “You go, and make us proud son.” He pulls back and smiles at him. “She will get better. She always does. Plus, you do not have a choice. Go on, get to bed, and hurry home. We will be waiting, all of us.”

No Protector ever had a choice. After being chosen, you had to go. Brandon had heard of a Protector that had a wife and child before he knew that he was one of the chosen. He didn’t have a choice but to leave them. After his duties were complete as the Queen’s Protector he had come home to the family he had wanted to be with, but as Highlanders, they had both been killed in the constant war that was Grandel’s every day. Now all hopefuls are selected before they become of age. Brandon had known from the age of ten that he would be representing the Low-lands at the Protectors Tournament. Therefore, he had stayed unattached.

In his room, Brandon lays thinking of his family. His mother is sick, and Toney is unable to walk. His poor father will have to do it all himself. For the first time, he wishes he hadn’t won. As he drifts off to sleep, his thoughts bring him to Jacklyn.