Chapter 5 We've come to a decision . . . sort of.

Chapter 5 We've come to a decision . . . sort of.

I hold the wooden doors open for them as they walk in. The room is dark, with only the gentle light of the hearth and the torches to illuminate the towering bookshelves that cover the walls.

We stand around a round, wooden table with a giant tree design carved into the surface; Yggdrasil, the tree that connects the nine realms of Norse Mythology.

Alex puts her hand to her fore head. "What the heck just happened?"

"How did a Crow get into the castle?" Chris adds.

I shake my head. "However that Crow got in, it was sent for the purpose of telling us they had captured Ylvana. Your precious princess will be lost to all," I quote the raven.

"Why would they want to tell us? Wouldn't they want to keep it hidden for as long as they could?" Alex asks.

"Probably just to rub it in our faces," Chris raves, "That Crow was bragging as if it had just won the war. It's like it wanted us to panic."

"Well, it's definitely working," I add. "Sometime after Ylvana left you, she was kidnapped, because she never came back here."

Chris curses. "I knew we should have walked with her. She insisted to walk back alone."

I trance the pattern of tangles branches on the table, trying to hold back my tears. "What I don't understand though is I was out there too. They could have kidnapped me. They chose Ylvana."

Perhaps this has something to do with Ylvana's shifting ability. All I know; she is suppose to keep it a secret, for her own protection. Protection from what? Did the Crow's kidnap her because of her power? She is a special case. No one is born with the power to shift. But how did the Crow's know about her?

So many questions, and no complete answers.

Suddenly, Lord Sigurd sticks his head into the room. "Princess, your mother wants you in the Council room."

I am surprised by this; I was never invited to a council.

I turn to Alex and Chris. "You two can wait here, I'll be right back."

Alex nods, taking a seat in one of the old leather chairs.

I walk with Sigurd through the hall to the Council room.

"How did you know where to find me?" I ask him.

He smiles down at me. "You're always in the library, princess."

His white armor gleamed in the torchlight. It is a neat contrast to his dark skin. He wears his hair in the usual tight cornrows across his head.

"I see you've had a meeting of your own," he says to me.

"They were Ylvana's friends, the last people who saw them. I thought, maybe they could tell me something helpful."

Sigurd nods. "Wise move, on your part, princess. I believe that is the same reason your mother summoned you."

When we reach the council room, he holds the door open for me. The room is small. A big, oval table takes up most of the space. Around the table are my parents, Gwen, some advisers, and the war council. Most of the adults are arguing with each other in raised voices. My father sits in his chair, not focusing on the chaos around him as he slowly rubs his wrist.

I have no idea what to do, so I just stand awkwardly in the corner. Finally, Gwen notices me, and signals me to sit down in a chair besides her.

"Alright, silence! Everyone!" Mother says. She doesn't shout, but her voice is powerful, and demands obedience. The arguments flying around the room fade to whispers, and finally stop.

"Let us all make sure we understand the situation before trying to come to any resolutions. Sigurd?"

Sigurd steps up to the table. "At noon, today, I noticed Ylvana Mikkleson leave her room. She claimed she was going down to the dinning hall to eat. She was not seen again in the castle the rest of the day. At eight o'clock, the time the ball started, she had still not returned to the castle. Around a half hour later, a Fenrir Warrior in the form of a Crow entered the ballroom. Before it was shot, it said:' Your kingdom will fall, your hero is lost, for years of our suffering, blood pays the cost--'"

"Yes, yes. We are all aware of what the Crow had said," someone says impatiently. I look up to see Governor Erling, relaxing back in his chair.

Sigurd's brown eyes flicker bright gold for a moment. He does not like to be interrupted, but he doesn't dare talk back to his leader, the head of War Council.

"What we need to be focused on is a plan of action," Erling says.

"I am well aware of that, Erling." Mother clenches her teeth. "But we must think through our actions carefully. It is clear that Ylvana being absent, and the appearance of a Crow as well as the line's it had spoken indicate Ylvana has been abducted."

"Perhaps the girl is playing some sort of trick," Erling mutters. "After all, the girl is an adolescent, as well as an untrained shifter. Her mood swings combined with the irrationality of a wolf . . . well, I wouldn't be surprised by her running away."

I feel my face grow hot with furry. Surprisingly, Gwen speaks up.

"Ylvana is a very clever young women. She knows the consequences of her actions, and though she is untrained in her ability, she has full control over her impulses. She would not run away with the intent of never coming back."

Erling rolls his eyes. "If she is as clever as you say, then why has she left the castle without a guard in the midst of this wartime?"

"You have ask much from a sixteen-year-old girl. She has been forced to drop everything of her old life, and come live here in a completely new environment, with people who are practically strangers too her. Further more, you have not trained her in her ability as is required to train all other Warriors with the ability to shift." Gwen keeps her voice steady as she glares at Erling.

Erling holds up his hands in surrender. "It was not I who made that decision, my Lady, but the King."

At the mention of his name, father doesn't stir. He continues to stare off at some unseen object.

Gwen nods. "I was talking to all of you."

"We could rant all night about what should have been done. I must ask that we focus on what is to be done at this moment," mother says. Her voice had a warning tone to it.

"With all due respect, my Queen, there is something I would like to point out," Erling says.

Mother clenches her jaw. "Very well, continue."

"Thank you. Now, when King Albin first requested the girl come to the castle, I couldn't help but wonder the reasons. Guards could have been sent to protect the house hold, escorts could have been assigned . . . but the King took the (seemingly unnecessary) step of forcing the girl here, to the castle, under the . . . greatest amount of protection offered." Some of the other council men snicker at his words. "But what would drive such drastic actions?"

"Lord Erling," Mother says hotly, "if your statement has no current relevance--"

"Oh, I am sure you'll find it relevant very soon, Your Highness," he interrupts.

Mother's eyes turn deadly, but she allows the governor to continue. Erring had a way of hooking people, even the most powerful, with his words.

"Combining the fact of family relations, and the ambiguous source of power; these two factors are simply not enough. That's when I got to thinking; a girl with sudden powers, arriving at a time when the island is most threatened. It seems obvious to me that Skoll has finally sent his Wolf Princess to us."

Excited murmurs circle around the table. Mother, Sigurd, and Gwen all look at Erling with mixed expressions of anger. My father continues to sit, quietly. Meanwhile, I have no clue what they were talking about.

"What?" I dare speak up. Not the most intelligent inquiry, but I cant help it. I have heard about the Wolf Princess, mentioned once or twice in the stories I read. She is suppose to be a hero sent my Skoll to protect the island's magic. Is this the real reason Fenrir kidnapped her?

Erling glances at me and laughs; in that infuriating, condescending way.

"Thank you for proving my point, Princess. You do not know about this; in fact, none of us do. Why is it that the possible arrival of the Wolf Princess has not been shared with the Council Members?" Erling casts a suspicious look at my father.

"That is because, Governor Erling, my daughter being the Wolf Princess is not an absolute fact. Spreading such wild rumors would cause panic among the villagers, at a time when we need to stand strong together," Gwen says.

Erling nods. "That may be, but honestly, there is a fifty-fifty chance of it being either way. If Ylvana is the Wolf Princess, we have just let our most powerful weapon fall into the hands of our enemies. I think that is reasonable cause for alarm. Even if Ylvana being the Wolf Princess is merely a possibility, why is it she hasn't been trained and properly protected?"

Everyone looks back at my father. He hasn't moved so far throughout the whole meeting. When he notices the attention is on him, he slowly lifts his head from his hands.

"I'm afraid," he says, slowly, "we will . . . not be able to send warriors after Ylvana." As he speaks, his voice soun pained.

Gwen looks at him as if she has just been stabbed.

"Albin!" Mother hisses.

But father isn't phased by their hurt expressions. "Fenrir taking Ylvana is most definitely a trap, set to capture any warriors we send to rescue her. I'm afraid, we cannot risk it."

"That's ridiculous!" Gwen snaps, surprising everyone at the table. She adds in a hushed voice; "You know the reason Ylvana has been taken!"

Father just gazes gloomily at her, all the while slowly stroking his wrist. "I understand your sorrow, but there is nothing I can do. Meeting adjured!"

Without another word, Father stands up and leaves the room. Everyone sits in shocked silence, except Erling, who leans back in his chair, comfortably.

"Well, that is that. It is unfortunate for your loss, Lady Gwen. I feel most regretful," he says. There isn't a hint of regret in his voice; only boredom.

Gwen completely ignores him. She only stares at the door, as if hoping my father will come back and renounce everything he has said.

"Miria," mother says to me. She is trying to keep her composure, but I can see her arms are shivering with fury. "I had called you in here to ask you if you knew any possible clue of Ylvana's whereabouts."

"Well . . . forgive me mother, but this morning I had left the castle, and followed her."

"Humph," Erling interrupts, "this further proves my point about needing more security around here. Two girls were able to leave, unaccompanied! And then, a Crow snuck in here!"

"Erling, I will ask you to be silent, and if you interrupt my daughter again, I will force you to leave," my mother says sharply, staring daggers at the governor.

Erling leans back in his chair, trying to look unfazed. But I can tell the tone of my mother's voice scared him.

"I don't know much after that. I asked her to come back to the castle, and she refused . . ." my voice quaveres a little when I remember I had told her to never come back. "After that, I went back home."

Mother nods. She is probably upset at me for leaving the castle, but now is not the time to chastise me.

"Thank you, Miria. You may go," she says.

I quickly stand up and head towards the door just as the adults start arguing again. Sigurd holds it open for me, and gives me a sympathetic look as I leave.

I head back down the hall to the library. When I walk into the room, Chris and Alex stand up and watch me anxiously.

"Did the council decide anything?' Alex says.

I try to choose my words carefully, but there is no good way to say it. "My father has . . . decided to do nothing."

Chris huffs and starts pacing the room. "Brilliant," he mutters.

"We have to do something!" Alex says. "We can't just leave Ylvana to the Crows! Maybe, if the King won't send guards, we can search for her ourselves!" she says, turning to Chris.

"Alex," he says, sadly. "There are hundreds of miles of wilderness out there. We can't hope to find her in time It would take a miracle."

A sly smile spreads across Alex's face. She glances down at the Yggdrasil carving on the table. "Miracle, or magic?"

I look over at her. "What?"

Her smile widens.

"Don't you see? Magic is our only chance we have of finding her!"

Chris shakes his head. "The only person who knows magic is Eitri McNeil, and no one ever see's or hears from him. We don't even know where he is." 

"We don't, but perhaps the daughter of the king . . ." she looks expectedly at me.

"What? You assume since I'm the King's daughter I know all the kingdom's secretes?"

"Well, I hoped you would know something," Alex says.

I bite my lip. I do know something. I walk over to one of the shelves, and pick up a thick leather book. I know this place so well I could find any book in complete darkness.

I turn back to Alex and Chris, hugging the book to my chest.

"You have to understand, my father never told me anything about McNeil. Only Lord Sigurd, my father's head Warrior, knows where it is for the soul purpose of obtaining the shifting potion. When I was younger, I asked Sigurd were McNeil lived, out of curiosity. He wasn't suppose to tell me, but he was fond of me. So, he gave me this map, and told me I could probably figure it out for myself. Everything I have written here is based on my own studies and speculations."

I place the book on the table. Chris studies it skeptically.

"So everything we could possible find out may not even be true?" he says.

I get the sudden urge to flatten his face with this book, but I suppress it. I open the book, uncovering a loose piece of paper with an old hand drawn map of the island.

"I've been studying these maps all my life. I believe I have figured out McNeil's location, somewhere in this general area of the Hvitrfjella," I point to the mountain range lining the West Coast of the island. 

"Would it be possible to ask your father or one of the Wolves to go there?" Alex asks.

I shake my head. "There are a lot of stories about McNeil. I don't know which ones are true. The only interaction we have with McNeil is when he resupplies our sifting potion inventory. My father refuses to turn to him for anything else."

"We'll just have to go to him ourselves then," Alex says. "May we have the map, Princess?"

I look between her and Chris.

"Are you serious? You'd be willing to go through the forest to the mountains and look for an old man who may not even help you?"

"Ylvana needs help. I'm not going to sit around and wait for other people to help her," Alex says, determinedly.

I recognize the same fiery spirit in Alex that Ylvana had. Reluctantly, I hand over the map to her.

"Thank you, Miria," Alex says softly, "I promise we'll return it. Along with Ylvana."