Beyond the Sea of Shadows, at the edge of the world on the Island of Galvarad, terrifying cold and relentless storms had taken hold. The snowflakes hung so thickly in the air that, apart from points of light, a man could hardly discern anything. The blizzard was so strong that it tore hundred-year-old trees out by their roots, instantly freezing poor, motionless animals and burying them in the snow.
In this colorless and dead region, an unknown man trudged through the snow with great difficulty. He was protected from frost by a hood and a cloak sewn from warm bear skin. Such clothing had been granted to him as a gift for his conduct. The man could see nothing through the mist and snow; only a single point of fire’s flame was visible, and he moved in its direction.
The man walked and grumbled about something; it was evident he was not from these parts. He had been torn from his homeland, and now something seemed to hold him here, something obligated him to stay, and he could not leave. He constantly thought of his birthplace, the city of Silvaris, where he was born and raised, lived for 27 years, and on one cursed day, had to leave his homeland for this impure and dilapidated place.
The man finally reached the torch that had been intentionally left outside whenever someone went out. He opened the old door, which had already rotted and could barely stay in its place. He stepped into the throne hall of the once-magnificent palace. Once, this hall was grand, with high marble pillars and a marble floor. Ornamented walls adorned with gold and diamonds, and the throne of the War King made of gold and sapphire. Now, only ruins and legends remained of this hall. The palace had been destroyed by some mysterious force, and according to legend, it was the War King himself who was responsible for it all.
The man passed through the ruined hall. The hall was silent, mysterious; they said the souls of those killed there still wandered within. He passed the main hall and turned right toward a relatively narrow passage. At the end of the passage, a single door was visible. As the man approached the door, his steps grew heavier, his heartbeat quickened, as if something terrible were hidden behind it. The man was worried about what he was going to say.
He reached the door, which was intentionally left ajar, as if the person inside already knew of his arrival and intended not to trouble the man with knocking. The man cleared his throat and steadied his voice. "He wishes to see you, Princess." No answer was heard. The man stood frozen, waiting for a response, and did not intend to leave without one. Silence fell. Each second felt like an hour to the man. He suffered and felt pain, not knowing why. "I am coming now," the Princess called from within. The man heard the words, spoken softly and gently, but it was not hard for him to see how much sorrow and pain she carried. He turned and came back; now he thought about how he used to question his decision to leave his homeland—he had done it for greater goals, he thought, and he loathed himself for these thoughts.
The man came out and approached the large, locked gate on the opposite side, the former room of the War King. The door was locked, and an aura filled with sorrow was felt around it. The man took a deep breath and carefully opened the door. The room was lit by many candles, making it seem as if he were not in a dead palace, but still in the room of a grand sovereign.
In the right corner stood a desk with aged papers and an inkwell run dry. No quill was to be seen. Hanging above the desk was a stuffed giant stag, so large that anyone looking at it would think, "I wouldn't wish an encounter with the killer of this stag upon even an enemy." A little further away, a fireplace blazed, the wood crackling, with no danger of running out just yet.
In the left corner stood a magnificent royal bed, whose legs had been weakened and broken by the years, and it now rested on the floor. On the bed lay an old man powerlessly, an Aelvaryan knight whom the years had weakened, and now the time for the final judgment had arrived. "Sir Raonis Yolven, the Princess is coming now," the man said to the knight. Beside the knight sat a young lad of twenty-nine years. The knight said to the youth: "My son, Ghiohes, you know you must protect and help her." "Of course, father, I will do everything I can and more." The knight smiled, as if hearing this brought him peace. Then he began to speak again: "My son, bring me my sword."
Ghiohes stood up and brought his father his sword, "The Gravedigger of Vaelkros." A magnificent sword, forged with Aelvaryan steel in the volcanic smithy of Ilkarath. "Kneel, Ghiohes," he told his son. The son did as his father commanded. Raonis placed the sword first on his son's left shoulder: "In the name of the Guardian of Light, I charge you to be just and honorable." Then he moved it to the right shoulder: "In the name of the Sun Goddess Amerine, I charge you to be kind and loving toward the people." Finally, the father placed the sword on Ghiohes's head: "And in the name of the Warrior, I charge you to destroy the enemies of your companion and protect her." "Arise, Ghiohes Yolven, Knight and Servant of Aelvarys."
Ghiohes stood up. "Thank you, father. It is a great honor for me to be knighted by such a great King's Guard as you." Upon hearing this, the father said to his son: "You never had patience, my son, and just now, it happened again. I haven't handed everything over to you yet." Ghiohes looked at him with surprised eyes, as if he didn't understand what Raonis meant. The father reached out his own sword to his son. "It is yours; let it serve you as it once served me." Ghiohes still stared at his father in surprise, unable to process what was happening to him. "I cannot take this, father. Great warriors are buried with their weapons." "That is so, but I name my son as the worthy bearer and entrust him with responsibility." The son bowed to his father and took the sword with great hesitation. The father drew his son close and whispered in his ear, as if he did not want the servant man to hear. "You know, you must tell her everything slowly. About her homeland, her parents, and their power—and when she is ready, about that day on which we first saw her." Ghiohes nodded to his father at everything until that last sentence. Suddenly, his face changed. "But father, she is now..." "I know, I know. But she is with a very trustworthy person, and I have no doubt that it is necessary for the Princess to know all this." "As you say, father," Ghiohes bowed submissively.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door creaked, and the attention of all three men turned toward it. The Princess entered and the room lit up. Now a young woman of 16, her silver-gold hair fell to her waist; her beautiful blue-violet eyes, which even a moment's look into would be enough to captivate you; a face so beautiful and bright that the sun itself would be envious; a face so breathtaking that it carried away the heart and mind of anyone who looked at it. She had an ideal build and body, clean and smooth skin. She wore a fur coat sewn from the skin of a white fox.
"Eleonor, you have come." Eleonor approached the dying knight and knelt beside him. Tears stood in her eyes. "Do not cry, Princess; this is the judgment of the Guardian of Light, which none of us can resist." "No. Do not abandon me, Sir Raonis. What shall I do without you? Where shall I go? Whom shall I trust?" Eleonor was already crying bitter tears, her voice trembling. "I know it may seem so now, but Ghiohes will be by your side, he will protect you from everyone and everything, and he will tell you about everything that interests you. He will do everything I did for you and even what I could not do."
Eleonor took the knight's hand in hers. "Please, do not abandon me, do not leave me alone." Each of Eleonor’s words, spoken with bitterness and pain, struck like a spear into the hearts of Ghiohes and the servant man, who at that moment no longer deemed himself worthy of being near Eleonor. The knight replied to Eleonor: "Princess, you must believe in yourself, and everything will work out for you; you will return to your homeland and become a magnificent Queen." The knight’s hand grew heavier with time until it finally hung powerlessly in Eleonor's grip. The knight's eyes left the light, and the great knight passed away.
Eleonor collapsed on his chest, as if trying to listen to the heartbeat that had already fallen silent. Ghiohes approached and tried to comfort her, but Eleonor would not move away from the knight. She clung tightly to him and wept bitter tears. The servant man left the room; he could no longer bear to see the Princess in this state. A terrible silence fell in the room. Ghiohes sat on a chair beside Eleonor and waited for her to stand up so he could try to calm her and speak to her, but at the same time, he too was mourning and in pain. He understood how painful it was, but he did not understand how painful it was for this 16-year-old girl who, at that moment, had lost the person who had been a father to her.
After some time, Eleonor stood up, and before Ghiohes could say anything, she left the room without a word. Ghiohes went to his father, knelt beside him, and began his farewell. "Farewell, father. I promise that I will fulfill my word faithfully. I will protect the Princess at any cost; I will face death itself, but I will still protect her and stand by her from this moment until my last breath." Ghiohes called the servant man and ordered him to prepare his father's body for cremation. During all this, Eleonor was huddled in a small corner of her room, still not believing what had happened and not wanting to believe it. She cried incessantly, thinking of everything—her past, present, and future. Sometimes the thought would cross her mind that Ghiohes was with her, and she had nothing to worry about and would feel hope, but immediately the face of Raonis would stand before her eyes and she would return to crying.
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Meanwhile, a servant entered the room. "My condolences, my Princess, I cannot even imagine what you must be going through." Eleonor did not give an answer. The servant entered the room, lit the extinguished candles, and began preparing a bath. Eleonor replied: "I do not wish to take a bath." The servant answered: "Princess, I understand you." Eleonor looked up at the servant. "You understand me?! How can you say that? I lost a father, the man who raised me, who cared for me, who looked after me!! And you want to say that you understand! Sometimes I wish none of you were around me and I were left alone."
"Yes, Princess, which is exactly what I wish to say. I understand you better than you can imagine." Eleonor looked at the servant in amazement. "When I still lived in the capital, I had a family. A loving father, a caring mother, and a dear brother. But I never appreciated them; I spent all my time wandering outside, drinking, and in debauchery. My father often fought with me at home, and I thought he didn't love me, that he was telling me this because he wanted to box me in when I was the only girl whose 'box' was almost limitless. When my father fought with me, I would go into taverns to drink and turn to wine to dispel my thoughts. At those times, strange boys and men would come and ask me why I was sad, and they would buy me drinks. I would tell them about myself, and they would comfort me. Do you know why, Princess?" "Because they showed pity and sympathy toward you?" the Princess replied. "No, Princess, because they wanted to crawl under my clothes and satisfy their own perversions with me, and I, a foolish girl, mind-taking by the drink, was their entertainment."
"One day I came home, and my father met me in a rage. He had found out about my whorishness, and only then, for the only time, did he slap me and lock me in a small cell. My mother and my brother clearly did not intend to take my side. In my bitterness, I shouted at them, 'I wish you would all die and I be left alone in this world.' Why did my tongue not wither that day? My wish came true. That day, rebels burst in and tied up my father and my brother and forced them to watch as they raped my mother, then they slit all three of their throats. I watched this from the small room and held my breath; if I had made a sound, I would have shared the same fate. Only the next day did I dare to come out, and on that day, a large part of me died. The loss of my father turned out to be the most painful because I realized he did everything to protect me, and I had said goodbye to him with such words. Then I fled to a port city and now I am with you. Princess, before you wish for something, think many times what the price of that wish might be; you don't want it to cost you what it cost me."
Eleonor listened to the servant in silence and sat quietly for a long time before she managed to speak. "I... I didn't know... forgive me” "There is nothing to forgive here, Princess. What happened in the past. You must think of the future and live with its hope, not by digging through the past." Eleonor stood up. She wiped her tears and came out of the corner. "The bath is ready, if you wish." The servant left the room. Eleonor stood motionless for a while, thinking about everything she had just heard from the servant. Even the thought of what her servant had just told her made shivers run through her. Eleonor realized that if a person can come out of such pain, she must be able to defeat the pain and continue living with hope for the future. These were only thoughts and a desire; she still could not forget the immense hole that Raonis's death had made in her heart.
Eleonor slowly took off her fur coat and then began removing the steel clasps from her blue silk dress. At this time, Ghiohes had already laid his father's body in the place where it was to be burned. His mind was clouded; he wanted to make himself believe that he truly could perform the service for Eleonor that his father had done, but he himself understood perfectly well that he could not and never would be able to. The lad gave his father a final farewell. Then the servant handed him a torch. Ghiohes lit the wood, and the fire blazed. The great knight Raonis Yolven was buried with honor.
Ghiohes intended to go to the stable and saddle the horses and was heading that way when the servant man told him: "My knight, you made a promise before your father that you would stand by the Princess in her hardship. The Princess has never been in greater hardship and pain than this." "What do you mean to say?" "That if you intend to fulfill your oath, now is the best time to start. I will saddle the horses; you speak to the Princess, show her affection, make her feel safe, and make her feel that everyone around her loves her and that we are all fighting for her well-being." Ghiohes agreed and this time took his course toward the Princess's room.
Inside the room, Eleonor was taking a bath. She was so deep in thought that she saw nothing around her, heard nothing, and felt nothing—otherwise, she would have instinctively come out of the water by now, as it had become hot enough to cause serious burns to anyone. Meanwhile, Ghiohes reached the Princess's room and knocked on the door. No answer was heard, only silence. Ghiohes knocked a second time, a third, and then with great hesitation opened the door and saw the Princess, who had not yet come out of the water. The Princess instantly came to her senses, turned, and upon seeing Ghiohes, she was startled; she covered her body with her hands, and her face turned red like a rose.
Ghiohes turned around, only one thought spinning in his head: "Why did you open the door? She didn't tell you to come in. Idiot, fool, moron." Ghiohes were "adorning" himself with these names. "Forgive me, Princess, I should have waited for your answer." Eleonor lowered her hands, stood up, put on a robe, and said to Ghiohes: "Turn around, sir." Ghiohes turned, and before him stood a beauty, as if the Sun Goddess had blessed her and she was the very embodiment of her beauty, Ghiohes thought to himself. "You have nothing to apologize for," Eleonor replied. "I did not hear the knock on the door."
Ghiohes felt relieved. He approached Eleonor, but from the expression on the girl's face, he realized she didn't feel entirely comfortable in his proximity. He moved toward a chair further away and asked the Princess: "May I sit?" "Of course," Eleonor answered. Ghiohes sat down and looked the girl over once more. Her eyes were red from crying; her usually smiling face was now replaced by one of mourning and sorrow, but the young woman was still as radiant as the sun. "I understand you, Princess," Ghiohes began. "I lost a father; he was a father to you too. I understand better than any of them what you are feeling now. But I want you to know one thing. Before my father died, I promised him that I would protect you from any enemy. In joy, I would rejoice by your side, and in trouble, I would mourn by your side. I promised him that I would not let you endure the pain alone. Now I look at you and see that you are experiencing unbearable pain and suffering and trying to defeat it alone. I want you to know that no matter what, I will always be by your side and will stand by you in every hardship. Even now, allow me to help you."
Upon hearing this, Eleonor’s heart softened, her gaze became gentler, and she herself relaxed. "What happens now, sir?" Eleonor asked the knight. "We must leave this place. It will get colder and colder here, and we will be buried in the snow. We must go, travel a long way to the east; once we cross half the island, we will enter the warm regions of Galvarad. Did my father ever tell you about the geography of Galvarad?" Ghiohes asked Eleonor. "No, he never mentioned it," Eleonor replied. "The island of Galvarad is split in half as if by an ideal line, creating icy and fiery halves. In the west, frost; in the east, drought." Eleonor was already relaxed, loosened, as if she already trusted him. She listened to the knight expectantly and finally asked: "But why is it so?"
Ghiohes was about to begin telling her when a voice was heard from outside. "Dress warmly, Princess, I fear it is very cold outside. Get ready, and when you are ready, come out to the stable." Ghiohes stood up and headed for the room door. He was just about to leave when he heard Eleonor's voice from behind him. "Sir Ghiohes..." The knight turned around. Eleonor stood up and began walking toward the knight. As she drew closer, Ghiohes's heart quickened; he was nervous. Eleonor came close to him, looked at him for a while, and then kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for being with me in these heaviest moments." He bowed too low. "I am only doing my duty, Princess, and my oath."
The knight left the room. A smile returned to Eleonor's face; she turned around and began to dress. Ghiohes was moving with slow steps toward the stable, telling himself: "Boy, come to your senses, the girl practically grew up before your eyes; get a grip and force yourself." Thoughts were arising in his head that made him loathe himself. He had taken an oath with his heart, and his heart was fulfilling it, but his mind was telling him and asking for something else entirely. Ghiohes came outside; the snow had increased; the wind had grown harsher. The servants had brought out 8 horses, skeletal and wretched from hunger. They used to have 12, but the rest had died, and they were left with only these—though they would easily be enough for 12 people. Ghiohes chose among them the most beautiful white steed for the Princess, the smartest and best-trained.
The servants slowly emerged from the palace ruins, bringing the remaining food and water, and each of them was equipped with a knife, just in case. Everyone gathered outside, the horses were loaded, the travelers were distributed, and everything seemed ready for departure, only the Princess was nowhere to be seen. A brief time passed and she appeared, dressed in a white fur coat; a white belt and boots adorned her. A white hood also adorned her head. She looked like a delicate snowflake that no one had yet shaken or hit, but which floated gently in the air.
Ghiohes went to the Princess and brought her his steed. The Princess looked at it and said: "He is very beautiful." "An owner should have a horse fitting for themselves." Eleonor turned her gaze to him, now warm and loving. Ghiohes also looked into the Princess's eyes and was glad that the sorrow and melancholy had vanished and a spark of hope was visible. Ghiohes took the Princess in his arms and sat her on the horse. Eleonor said to the knight with frightened eyes: "Sir Ghiohes, I do not know how to ride a horse; I have never tried to lead one. Sir Raonis only told me how I should behave, but I have never tried it myself." The knight smiled and replied: "Princess, there is nothing difficult in this; besides, this horse is excellently trained, he will require very little help from you." After a slight hesitation, Eleonor nodded in agreement and gently tugged at the horse. It too set off, slowly and steadily; the horse seemed exactly as frightened and cautious as its rider. Ghiohes also mounted his black horse, and the small group began their journey to the east. Eleonor would occasionally look back at the palace ruins, then look ahead at the road and gently urge the horse forward.
