Key To A Goblin's Heart

Sofosys' POV

"And you will be in charge of Regiment 30, flanking the army from behind and looking for any sudden attacks in that direction." I commanded. 

The guy in charge of the mentioned regiment was a short statured young boyz not more than eighteen, who looked malnourished and scared to his death. I wonder who had had the good senses to make him a commander, but in this regiment there were mainly young boys who aren't battle hardened, so I guess he was the best choice. 

His name is Lewis, something of a fancy name among the Goblins, and he seemed to belong to a well off family. Well, his family was well off before the Great war which ruined had our Kingdom, and now this guy is reduced to the position of a mere Soldier, comandeering a small army. Maybe it's the fact that none of these chaps have ever faced a battle before, or because of their young age, they all looked grossly underprepared for a battle of this magnitude, and I worry that they will be of any help. 

My concerns proved valid as I moved among the ranks. There were many boys who were not more than Fifteen, and they seemed to be shivering in fear. A few were whimpering under their breath, trying not to cry their eyes out at the prospect of imminent death. I had sympathy for them, even though I weren't allowed to show any, but still something about this incoming war loomed ominous over all our lives. 

There are fifty thousand among pur ranks, as per Cresylee's calculation, and more than half of them are undertrained, underfed and inept at facing a battle against the mighty Arphoelian force. I was doing all I could to neutralize the fear, instill some confidence among these people and at the same time come up with some strategy to win. The future looked dark indeed. 

The garrisons were well guarded, and the petrols put in place. I had issued an order commanding the citizens not to leave their homes unless it's an absolute emergency. The palace is being secured by magic, but I doubt how long it'll hold against an army as big as Arphoelus'

Still, I had to do what I am asked of. 

"Sir! Excuse me, sir!" A tiny voice sounded behind me, and I looked to find a small boy clutching a letter in his hands. 

"Who are you?" I frowned at him. 

He seemed to collapse under my gaze, but then gathering himself up he answered, "I am the King's assistant messanger, Sir! He has asked to look for you and deliver this." He handed me the letter embossed with the symbol of Mafhaelore. 

The word "King" had immediately alerted my senses, and electrified my nerves. Was it the King of Mafhaelore? Why does he want to talk to me? I was wondering all these when my eyes fell upon the embosser Mafhaelorian symbol on the letter, and I heaved a sigh of relief. It was the consort, the Queen's husband then. But what would Rathaerys have to say to me?

I opened the letter gingerly, and glanced through it's contents. It was hastily scribed, demanding an immediate audience with me in the King's chambers to discuss some secret matter of utmost importance. He emphasized that this has to do with the war, and he needed my help. 

I rushed off towards the palace, intending to meet with Rathaerys, and I must say that I felt a little curious about it. Maybe they had come up with a plan to save the kingdom, and that itself was motivation enough for me to hurry. By the time I reached his chambers, I was panting. 

"Come in, Sofosys." He beckoned me. 

I entered the sparsely furnished room, and sat on the couch facing him.

"I told Cassadrei that you have used a spell to prolong her mother's life, while Victoria searches for a cure. I... I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just tell her that her mother had less than a day left. She is already burdened with everything, and I didn't think that distracting her further would help." Rathaerys said rather helplessly. 

"I understand." I said, "You did the right thing. We... we'll tell her when the right moment arrives." I tried to have a reassuring tone as I told him. 

We looked at each other for a moment, then both of us let out a sigh. 

"Well, what is the secret business that you called me here for?" I finally asked. 

"Actually, Cassadrei has come up with a brilliant plan to distract the Arphoelian Army while we can buy some time and hide. She was hoping that you could perform the magic, since it's a very advanced one."

"And what is it that she has come up with?" I asked. 

Rathaerys told me about the spell that Cassadrei read about in the ancient war records. 

"I would need to see the spell before I can comment on anything. This seems like a difficult magic to perform, but I shall give my best." I said. 

"Very well." Rathaerys answered, "let us go to Cassadrei right now, and discuss further."

We agreed and set off towards her room. As we reached her door, we could hear voices coming from within. Who could be with her at this hour? I thought I could hear Victoria's voice, maybe she has returned afterall. But then, one single statement made us freeze in our paths. 

"Cassie, I am your sister." Victoria said. 

I strained my ears to hear further, and my heart thumped in my chest from all the anxiety that I felt at this news. Why would Victoria make such a ludicrous claim? She never seemed like a gold-digger, so can this be true then?

Before I could say anything, Rathaerys stormed into the room. I entered after him and again froze on spot. 

Standing before me was Mike, Jake, Maland and….. Magnus!

"You….what did you just say?" Rathaerys pointed to Victoria, completely ignoring Magnus' presence. 

Victoria's looked as shocked as I felt. Her face had turned white, and she stammered as she said, "It.. it's true. I... I am your Daughter, Adrianna."

Rathaerys laughed hysterically at that claim. 

"You foolish girl! Adrianna is dead. She….she was never alive, she was stillborn." Rathaerys said gloomily. 

"What? Who is Adrianna? Why don't I know anything about her?" Cassadrei shot at her father. 

Rathaerys' expression softened as he looked at his daughter. It was too late to hide anything from Cassadrei, and given the circumstances, she deserved to know about the fate of her elder sister. 

So, Rathaerys told her everything. 

Cassadrei's jaw dropped as she heard the whole story. The room was deathly still, and I saw the others fidgeting uncomfortably as they looked at each other. Only Magnus was unperturbed, and he kept staring at Victoria with a curious expression on his face. 

"So much had happened and you are telling me this now! I had an elder sister, and you have never bothered to tell me!" Cassadrei said accusingly. 

"You have an elder sister." Victoria prompted firmly, "I know what had happened, and somehow that girl survived. I don't know how, but Donald had been scared when the stillborn girl took her first breath, and so he deposited her into the Human World. That girl was brought up in an orphanage, and later adopted my a woman who adopted Mike in due time. That girl is me! I am Adrianna."

Rathaerys refused to look into her eyes and take in the fact. So, I raised the question that was so very important, yet no one had seemed to ask. 

"You were the one to free Magnus?" I asked Victoria. 

"Yes." She said, "and it would not have been possible if I were not the Queen's daughter."

Then, she went on to narrate about how she stumbled upon the diary, opened it and was able to use it to save Magnus. She explained how she extracted the information from Queen herself, that none but her own blood could open that diary. She also told us how she bound herself to Magnus, so that he can't escape, and how Magnus had helped her make the discovery about herself. 

Lastly, she talked about her visit to Donald, the information she had got about the Enchanted Forest and how she and Mike had unearthed something about it. 

"We need your help to find the forest. It's our only way of saving the Queen and this kingdom." Victoria said helplessly. 

"It's impossible." Rathaerys said, "That forest is a legend, having no connection with the truth. And moreover, from everything I know about it, it's likely to be a very dangerous quest. I can't allow you all to be distracted by a mythical entity, when the fate of your country is at stake!"

"Please, just consider this. It's our only way to win. All of us know that we stand no chance against Arphoelus in a combat. We need to harness the powers of this forest and fight!"

"Okay." I finally said, "I have some books on the topic. Maybe, I can help you come up with something."