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CHAPTER 51: QUESTION

Frida’s library was also as Malia remembered it: an intimate maze of tall wooden shelves and thousands of pages, cozy in its warm confinement. Now that the princess was done speaking, they sat around the broad table next to the fireplace, awaiting Frida’s reaction. General Glacia was pacing around them, while Ellwood sat seemingly asleep next to his queen.

“I see…” Frida had been faintly repeating the two words for a while. “…You did have valuable information after all. We already knew the inconsistent lack of will among humans was the result of a manmade spell… but the amount of details you possess is astonishing. It’s tempting to research where this Kadem you speak of could be…”the queen sighed at the group’s silent panic, “…but I’ll refrain from doing that, as promised. To think we knew about the old rituals, the maiden sacrifices, and yet we never inferred that one of them and the Dragon were behind it all... We Eirians might not be as cunning as we wanted to believe.”

“You know details about the rituals?” Malia didn’t bother hiding her surprise; all they’d had to deduce their nature was the letter from a deranged man.

“The Daimonlance were desperate to delete all history previous to their dynasty, but we have plenty of records they couldn’t reach with their purge. I have no doubt their original plan was for their clan to be the only one not affected by the absurd spell… thankfully my ancestors weren’t witless, heavens be praised. We know about the ancient rituals to appease the Demon King, but we don’t have many specifics beyond the brutish notion of sacrificing young maidens to a powerful beast.”

“…I wish I could have spent more time in this library.” Malia said.

“I shall grant you as much time here as you could possibly want.” Frida folded her hands, “But you lot came seeking more than that. Much more… Gorken, how many competent soldiers does the rebellion have?”

“Depends on how you define competent.” He said, “We have around two thousand men trained to survive against fallen demons, all of them currently being trained to stand their ground against magic. I’m not confident enough to give a number with those odds.”

“That’s not a lot.” The southern queen leaned her chin on her folded hands, “Our army is fifteen thousand strong, which is more than the Daimonlance have if Clarissa’s reports have been accurate. We should have no problem dealing with northern soldiers. However, we’re all severely outnumbered by humans with no will. Normally I wouldn’t be concerned about untrained, undisciplined masses… but a reliable method to subdue the unpredictable effects of breaking the spell would be needed.” Frida turned to the aged man near her, “Can you do it, Ellwood?”

The old general opened his grey eyes slowly. He gazed tenderly at Frida as he would at a small, lost child, “If it is the will of my Queen, I’ll do everything within my power. I have an abundance of talented apprentices worthy of this task. I’ll prepare them if you so command.”

“That’s good to hear.” The Eirian queen nodded, pleased.

“…I’m a little lost.” Aldous talked as softly as he could. Queen Frida wasn’t one to be angered by people speaking out of turn, but the human feared he was being careless by addressing her directly. “Are you accepting our alliance? And how is the old ma-, I mean the general, supposed to solve the problem?”

“Old man.” Frida smirked, “Give the young a taste of what your magic can do.”

Ellwood bowed his head in compliance, gradually and heavily… and then all disappeared. The soundless, immaterial void swallowed them, burying them in absence. Malia tried to remember how to speak, but to no avail. Gorken intended to stand up, but he no longer had a body to stand with. Aldous’ instincts directed him to close his eyes, but he couldn’t discern whether they were open or closed, or whether he had eyes. Bayard’s lungs shrank in grief, the wound of Breya’s passing suddenly festering when faced with the experience of what not being was.

“That’s enough.” Hedera’s clear voice restored the world. When they came to, she was holding Bayard’s hand. Malia’s mouth was open, Gorken was standing up, and Aldous’ eyes were closed. The frantic beating of their distressed hearts bound them together.

“You shouldn’t mistreat your guests, human queen.” Licorice reproached her.

“I suppose to you I’m a human queen.” Frida leaned back on her chair, “Fret not, ancient demons. It was a simple demonstration. I’m sure now my explanation will be brief and well received. Ellwood’s magic can control the senses of others; he can make anyone feel like they’re on fire, or gift them the greatest of pleasures, it’s up to him. His range is defined spatially, so there’s no better method to keep masses under control, as long as we have enough magicians.” She gestured at Aldous, “I hope that answers the question of how the old man can solve the problem.”

“Solve the problem…?” Aldous forsook his inhibitions, “He could conquer the kingdom on his own if he wanted! His power is too unfair!”

“Hardly. But I’m not about to reveal the weaknesses of my general to a human boy. Rest assured, magic is never that convenient.”

“…I know.” Aldous frowned. He remembered Malia’s and Kadem’s lessons well enough… though Ellwood’s magic endured as a one-sided advantage in his head.

“That was only one of your questions.” Frida continued, “If I’ll help you persists as the contended matter. The singular logical answer I can give you is that I won’t.”

“You won’t?” Malia was taken aback, “Ellwood and his apprentices can be of help. If you want to change the situation up north and assist my mother, shattering the status quo is beneficial. Aren’t you interested in freeing this land from the spell?”

“I just said it: logically speaking I don’t have strong reasons to endanger my kingdom’s precious resources. There isn’t much to gain at the moment, given that our clan is in a better position than the Daimonlance. It would be far more beneficial and cost-effective to watch them crumble from within.” Frida Eirian stood up then, “…You should thank the heavens every dawn, dear niece, for the Eirian blood coursing through you. Because to me, to us, there’s something far more important than logic.”

“Then…what is it?” Malia said.

Frida’s enchanting features gained the solid firmness of pride, “Beauty. I can’t go against my answer. That would break my oath, and I would be an Eirian Queen no more.”

Malia didn’t understand those words, and by the looks of it neither did her friends. They stared at her aunt, expecting her to explain the significance of her statement. Instead, the southern queen pointed at Malia, “Thus, before we can proceed you must choose your answer.”

“…My answer?” Malia was more and more adrift by the second, being swept about by Frida’s whimsical conviction.

“Beauty is the most important value of all. That is the sentiment that defines and binds the Eirian. All Eirian children must answer the same question in order to come of age. We are free to take as much time as we need to answer it: a day, a week, a month, a decade… it doesn’t matter. What matters is that once we choose our answer, we must live by it. Never can an Eirian betray their own answer, or else they would cease to be one of us. If you intend to use our army and our magicians for the sake of your desires, first you must become a true Eirian.”

Frida’s silky hair trailed behind her sinuously as she walked to stand before Malia, “So tell me, dear niece: What is beauty to you?”

Description
You can also follow ENDLESS on TWITTER !

Previous Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 50: Eirian

Next Chapter: www.deviantart.com/manuwrites/…

All Chapters HERE .

Watch the Trailer: ENDLESS Trailer

CHAPTER 51: QUESTION

Frida’s library was also as Malia remembered it: an intimate maze of tall wooden shelves and thousands of pages, cozy in its warm confinement. Now that the princess was done speaking, they sat around the broad table next to the fireplace, awaiting Frida’s reaction. General Glacia was pacing around them, while Ellwood sat seemingly asleep next to his queen.

“I see…” Frida had been faintly repeating the two words for a while. “…You did have valuable information after all. We already knew the inconsistent lack of will among humans was the result of a manmade spell… but the amount of details you possess is astonishing. It’s tempting to research where this Kadem you speak of could be…”the queen sighed at the group’s silent panic, “…but I’ll refrain from doing that, as promised. To think we knew about the old rituals, the maiden sacrifices, and yet we never inferred that one of them and the Dragon were behind it all... We Eirians might not be as cunning as we wanted to believe.”

“You know details about the rituals?” Malia didn’t bother hiding her surprise; all they’d had to deduce their nature was the letter from a deranged man.

“The Daimonlance were desperate to delete all history previous to their dynasty, but we have plenty of records they couldn’t reach with their purge. I have no doubt their original plan was for their clan to be the only one not affected by the absurd spell… thankfully my ancestors weren’t witless, heavens be praised. We know about the ancient rituals to appease the Demon King, but we don’t have many specifics beyond the brutish notion of sacrificing young maidens to a powerful beast.”

“…I wish I could have spent more time in this library.” Malia said.

“I shall grant you as much time here as you could possibly want.” Frida folded her hands, “But you lot came seeking more than that. Much more… Gorken, how many competent soldiers does the rebellion have?”

“Depends on how you define competent.” He said, “We have around two thousand men trained to survive against fallen demons, all of them currently being trained to stand their ground against magic. I’m not confident enough to give a number with those odds.”

“That’s not a lot.” The southern queen leaned her chin on her folded hands, “Our army is fifteen thousand strong, which is more than the Daimonlance have if Clarissa’s reports have been accurate. We should have no problem dealing with northern soldiers. However, we’re all severely outnumbered by humans with no will. Normally I wouldn’t be concerned about untrained, undisciplined masses… but a reliable method to subdue the unpredictable effects of breaking the spell would be needed.” Frida turned to the aged man near her, “Can you do it, Ellwood?”

The old general opened his grey eyes slowly. He gazed tenderly at Frida as he would at a small, lost child, “If it is the will of my Queen, I’ll do everything within my power. I have an abundance of talented apprentices worthy of this task. I’ll prepare them if you so command.”

“That’s good to hear.” The Eirian queen nodded, pleased.

“…I’m a little lost.” Aldous talked as softly as he could. Queen Frida wasn’t one to be angered by people speaking out of turn, but the human feared he was being careless by addressing her directly. “Are you accepting our alliance? And how is the old ma-, I mean the general, supposed to solve the problem?”

“Old man.” Frida smirked, “Give the young a taste of what your magic can do.”

Ellwood bowed his head in compliance, gradually and heavily… and then all disappeared. The soundless, immaterial void swallowed them, burying them in absence. Malia tried to remember how to speak, but to no avail. Gorken intended to stand up, but he no longer had a body to stand with. Aldous’ instincts directed him to close his eyes, but he couldn’t discern whether they were open or closed, or whether he had eyes. Bayard’s lungs shrank in grief, the wound of Breya’s passing suddenly festering when faced with the experience of what not being was.

“That’s enough.” Hedera’s clear voice restored the world. When they came to, she was holding Bayard’s hand. Malia’s mouth was open, Gorken was standing up, and Aldous’ eyes were closed. The frantic beating of their distressed hearts bound them together.

“You shouldn’t mistreat your guests, human queen.” Licorice reproached her.

“I suppose to you I’m a human queen.” Frida leaned back on her chair, “Fret not, ancient demons. It was a simple demonstration. I’m sure now my explanation will be brief and well received. Ellwood’s magic can control the senses of others; he can make anyone feel like they’re on fire, or gift them the greatest of pleasures, it’s up to him. His range is defined spatially, so there’s no better method to keep masses under control, as long as we have enough magicians.” She gestured at Aldous, “I hope that answers the question of how the old man can solve the problem.”

“Solve the problem…?” Aldous forsook his inhibitions, “He could conquer the kingdom on his own if he wanted! His power is too unfair!”

“Hardly. But I’m not about to reveal the weaknesses of my general to a human boy. Rest assured, magic is never that convenient.”

“…I know.” Aldous frowned. He remembered Malia’s and Kadem’s lessons well enough… though Ellwood’s magic endured as a one-sided advantage in his head.

“That was only one of your questions.” Frida continued, “If I’ll help you persists as the contended matter. The singular logical answer I can give you is that I won’t.”

“You won’t?” Malia was taken aback, “Ellwood and his apprentices can be of help. If you want to change the situation up north and assist my mother, shattering the status quo is beneficial. Aren’t you interested in freeing this land from the spell?”

“I just said it: logically speaking I don’t have strong reasons to endanger my kingdom’s precious resources. There isn’t much to gain at the moment, given that our clan is in a better position than the Daimonlance. It would be far more beneficial and cost-effective to watch them crumble from within.” Frida Eirian stood up then, “…You should thank the heavens every dawn, dear niece, for the Eirian blood coursing through you. Because to me, to us, there’s something far more important than logic.”

“Then…what is it?” Malia said.

Frida’s enchanting features gained the solid firmness of pride, “Beauty. I can’t go against my answer. That would break my oath, and I would be an Eirian Queen no more.”

Malia didn’t understand those words, and by the looks of it neither did her friends. They stared at her aunt, expecting her to explain the significance of her statement. Instead, the southern queen pointed at Malia, “Thus, before we can proceed you must choose your answer.”

“…My answer?” Malia was more and more adrift by the second, being swept about by Frida’s whimsical conviction.

“Beauty is the most important value of all. That is the sentiment that defines and binds the Eirian. All Eirian children must answer the same question in order to come of age. We are free to take as much time as we need to answer it: a day, a week, a month, a decade… it doesn’t matter. What matters is that once we choose our answer, we must live by it. Never can an Eirian betray their own answer, or else they would cease to be one of us. If you intend to use our army and our magicians for the sake of your desires, first you must become a true Eirian.”

Frida’s silky hair trailed behind her sinuously as she walked to stand before Malia, “So tell me, dear niece: What is beauty to you?”