The Adventures of Bryn Castor: Part IV

The Prince’s Waltz

The last of the Cambion’s laughter echoed off the walls until Bryn was left in silence. He stood in a dark hallway, completely alone. 

His heartbeat pounded in his chest, and his limbs began to shake. 

Spike was gone. Teo was nowhere to be found. Valery was never there at all. 

Bryn frowned. Is this real? 

He touched the walls, which felt smooth and solid but almost hummed with energy. Then, he touched his face and sighed. His stubble prickled against his hand, and his fingers made light impressions on his skin. 

He breathed deeply and turned to face the open hallway. There was only one way to go. 

Bryn walked down the dark hall. The smoothed, stone walls seemed to grow narrower the further he went. He could sense them next to him, boxing him in until he reached the end, where the hall returned to its original width. It ended with a closed door. Light seeped through the cracks in the frame. 

Bryn put his hand on the metal knob and took another deep breath. He pushed down and opened the door. 

The light was nearly blinding in contrast to the dark hall, and Bryn blinked a few times until the room came into focus. 

It was a large space, but it was nearly empty. The only piece of furniture lay in the center: a king-size bed with elaborate wooden posts. Someone was lying under the blankets, but before Bryn could reveal them, he heard whimpering. Beyond the large bed was a girl. She was huddled in the corner of the room, hugging her legs and crying into her knees. 

As Bryn ran to her, the figure in the bed began to stir. The person sat up, and the blanket slowly fell from his face. 

Bryn’s heart stopped. 

The man was rather handsome; he had dark hair and eyes, and he had sharply defined cheekbones. 

His mouth twisted into a devious grin as he locked eyes with Bryn. “Hello, Bryn.”

Bryn shivered even though it wasn’t cold. He gasped for air even though he wasn’t underwater. 

As he stared into the Demon’s eyes, he was brought right back to that night. He felt the long fingers curling around his shoulders, smelled the foul breath, and tasted the sour saliva as the Demon forced his mouth against Bryn’s. It was as if it was happening all over again—but it couldn’t be; it was impossible. 

“You died… Valery killed you…” Bryn said.

“Is that what you thought?” Aamon asked. “A Spirit Stone can only banish a demon, some for good, but not in my case. You did manage to weaken me a bit, though.” 

“You should be proud,” the Demon Prince added. “I’ve had to rely on my daughter, Aamonora, while I’ve been recovering.”

“The Cambion,” Bryn pieced together. “She brought you the Princess. Why?”

Amon frowned. “Well, I had planned to possess her and destroy your precious kingdom, but now, I’m much more interested in you. You look bigger—stronger, too. What’d you say we have a little duel? I’m sure that you’re dying to finish what we started a year ago, almost as much as I am.”

Aamon flew out of his bed and glided gracefully down. He landed in front of Bryn and, with a wave of his hand, sent the Princess into the air. She hovered helplessly above Bryn and the Demon Prince. 

She looked down at Bryn with wide eyes. Her mouth seemed to be sealed shut by Aamon’s magic. 

“Let’s keep this between us,” Aamon ordained. 

He pulled a long, thin sword from behind his back and flourished it at Bryn. “If you win, I’ll let the Princess go, and you can leave here together. You have my word.”

“What’ll you do if you win?” Bryn asked, pulling his sword from its sheath. “Take our souls? Possess one of us?”

They began to circle one another, stalking each other with their swords poised to strike. 

“I won’t make that mistake again. This time, I’ll kill you and live inside your flesh. That way, I can go home to sweet Valery, and well, you know…” Aamon said, flashing his sharp-toothed smile.

Bryn felt something inside of him snap, and everything around him turned red. He charged at the Demon Prince and swung his sword with all his might, but Aamon side-stepped it with ease. 

Bryn stumbled as the momentum of his sword carried him forward but quickly regained his footing. He struck again with surprising force, but the Demon Prince evaded him again. 

“I can tell you’re upset, but is this really all you’ve got? I just told you that I’m going to steal your girl. Doesn’t that make you wanna tear me to shreds?!” 

 Bryn snarled at the Demon like a wild beast. He dragged his sword across the floor until he reached Aamon. Then, he swung upwards with striking speed. Yet, the Demon still managed to evade him. He appeared behind Bryn.

 Bryn felt Aamon’s breath against his ear as he whispered. “You’re too slow.”

Bryn flinched and turned, but the Demon was already gone. He looked around the room and struggled to catch his breath. “Come out, and fight me!” Bryn yelled. 

“Pity, if this is what you consider fighting,” Aamon mocked. “I admit, I expected more.”

He appeared in front of Bryn and caught his sword mid-attack. He pushed his blade aside as easily as a leaf. “Humans are so emotional. That’s what makes you so fascinating, especially how you use emotions to justify your actions. Since I threatened you, it’s ok to let your anger take over; it’s even ok to kill me. You kill because it’s morally acceptable, but what if I told you that there is no morality—that the world doesn’t care if you’re good or evil? Would you give in to impulse or just go mad?”

Bryn shook his head. “You’re wrong. Even if the world doesn’t care, people do. We make our own morality based on the people and things that matter most to us.”

He lashed out at Aamon again, but this time, the Demon Prince blocked his blade with his own. He faked a yawn. “As entertaining as this has been, you’re starting to bore me. You’ve hit me with the same attack… how many times? I’ve lost track.”

Bryn looked down at his sword. Aamon was right; there wasn’t anything to do. He couldn’t win in a straight duel, and his power trip was beginning to take a toll; his sword arm was practically torn out of his shoulder. 

Aamon smiled as he danced around Bryn’s attacks. He easily slipped in for a quick slash to Bryn’s limbs and out as Bryn swung clumsily back at him. His speed left Bryn dizzy, as if he was only glimpsing the Demon’s afterimage. As a result, his attacks were sluggish and meaningless; it was like swinging at nothing. 

Aamon just kept smiling, and Bryn’s eyes widened. He’s expecting my attacks to be slower. 

Bryn walked towards the Demon Prince, pushing forward with his sword in front to guard his approach until he reached Aamon. Bryn met his eyes and shoved his sword against the Demon’s before he had a chance to slip away. 

Aamon raised his eyebrow. “Now, this is what I’ve been waiting for!”

Bryn’s sword arm shook as he pushed into the block. His muscles tensed, and his veins popped out of his arms. Meanwhile, the Demon’s arms were relaxed–yet the force of his block nearly pushed Bryn off balance. Luckily, Bryn didn’t need to win with strength. 

One hand struggled against the block, while his other hand felt along his belt. Once he found what he was looking for, he grabbed it. Then, he jammed Spike’s dagger into Aamon’s jaw with jarring speed. 

The Demon stared at him with wide eyes. He sputtered, clearly trying to speak, but all he could produce was the gurgling sound of his blood. 

“Am I boring you now?” Bryn asked.  

He forced up the knife, pushing it to the hilt. At this point, the pressure against his blocked sword slackened, and he stuck the freed weapon into Aamon’s chest. 

The Demon Prince spat up blood. He stared at Bryn, black eyes full of fire, until his head fell against his neck. 

Bryn didn’t move. His knuckles turned white as he continued to press his sword and the dagger into the Demon Prince’s chest and jaw. But the body began to slump towards him, and Bryn jumped back before it fell against him. The body fell to the floor, slipping off the sword until it was left with a thin, red coat. 

Bryn stared at the lifeless form, and tears began to fill his eyes, though he wasn’t sure whether they were of joy, relief, or guilt.

Without warning, he heard a yelp as the Princess fell out of her suspension and onto the large bed. She landed on the soft mattress and stared up at the ceiling. Bryn quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and joined her. 

“Are you ok?” he asked. 

The Princess sat up and met his eyes. “Yes, I think I am. But where do we go from here? Are we trapped?”

Bryn looked around, but the room hadn’t changed. “It looks like he didn’t keep his promise,” Bryn said, and turned to the Princess, “But we’ll find another way.”

“Maybe I can be of help,” she offered, climbing off the bed. “Although it is a little hazy, I can still recall the symbols I drew while I was entranced.”

The Princess knelt on the ground and proceeded to cut her fingertip with one of her nails. Then, she traced each of the strange, yet familiar, glyphs onto the smooth stone. When she was finished, she wiped her finger on her sleeve and stepped away.

Bryn studied each glyph carefully. They were exactly how he remembered them, yet the circle stayed dark, and the portal didn’t open. 

“Did I do something wrong?” the Princess asked. 

“No,” Bryn said. “We’re missing the sacrifices.”

The Princess’s eyes widened. “What are you suggesting?”

Bryn frowned. “I think we’re trapped…”

The Princess brought her hands to her face. “No… it can not end this way. What about my people?”

Bryn looked away. I failed you…

He sat down and placed his head in his hands. Meanwhile, the Princess paced around the room frantically. He could hear her heavy footsteps and let their rhythm lull him into a stupor. He imagined it was Valery rushing around the tavern. Her face flashed in his thoughts; she was smiling down at him. Come back to me, she whispered. 

The pacing stopped suddenly, and the Princess touched his shoulder, shaking him out of his fantasy. “Bryn, look!”

He looked up and was met with a blinding, blue beam of light. 

His eyebrow shot up. “How?”

“Does it matter?” the Princess asked, pulling him up by the arm. 

She led him over to the beam, they looked at each other, and walked into the light together. 

When they emerged, Bryn blinked until he adjusted to the light. Tall, gothic spires reached high above their heads, and long windows lined the room. The High Priest knelt in front of them at the edge of a glyph circle. However, the symbols were different from the ones they had seen previously, and no bodies lay between them. 

When they arrived, the Priest smiled and ran up to them. “Your Highness! Guardsman, whose name I can’t remember!”

He bowed before the Princess and then embraced Bryn. His grip was surprisingly tight, and Bryn struggled to breathe until he let go. The Priest stepped aside and revealed Teo waiting behind him. The boy’s face lit up as he and Bryn locked eyes. 

Bryn felt a huge weight lift from his heart, and a smile spread across his face. He hugged Teo. Then, he pulled away. “Wait, how are you here? How did you get out?”

“Same as you!” Teo explained. “When the island disappeared, we ended up in the castle–only it wasn’t the castle. It was like a dark reflection of it. We made our way to the dungeon, but all the Guardsmen were gone, so we couldn’t build a portal. Luckily, the High Priest brought us back. He would have brought you back sooner, but he said something about us being on a higher plane of Hell…”

Bryn nodded. “It’s ok, but what do you mean by ‘we’?” 

Before Teo could explain, Darius came through the main entrance of the church, and with him was Spike.

“Spike?!” Bryn exclaimed. 

She smirked. “In the flesh.”

“How did you-?” 

“As soon as Spike and Teo returned, we brought her to the medical unit. Although she was badly injured, they used healing glyphs to stop the internal bleeding. However, she really shouldn’t be walking around…”

Spike rolled her eyes. “I’m fine–thanks to these two,” she said with a smile. 

Bryn tensed up, but his lips slowly loosened into a smile. 

Darius and the Princess locked eyes amid the silence. The Princess hesitated, shaking slightly, until she broke into a run. She jumped into the Captain’s arms, and he embraced her. Everyone was silent as she cried softly into his chest. Then, she looked up at him. “Thank you. I can not stand pretending anymore, and I want you by my side from now on.”

“Princess-” Darius began. 

“I want you to be my Prince,” she continued.

Darius smiled and pulled her towards him, and they kissed. 

Bryn and Teo blushed and looked away. 

Afterwards, the Princess turned to them, and her expression hardened. “Now that the Guardsmen no longer have a Captain, we must find someone to fill that position.

“Bryn,” she continued. “You not only defeated the Demon Prince, Aamon, but you also saved me and this kingdom. Thus, I would like to promote you to the new Captain of the Swordguard.”

Bryn’s eyes widened, and he met everyone’s gaze. Darius beamed with pride, Spike pursed her lips, and Teo smiled from ear to ear. 

He smiled to himself. “Actually, Princess, I can’t accept your offer. But I can recommend someone who’d be perfect for the job.”

He tilted his head at Spike, and she froze. 

“She has a lot of experience with demons, and she defeated the Cambion,” Bryn explained.

“I can attest to that,” Darius agreed. “She is one of the finest Guardsmen I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Spike met his gaze, and her eyes teared up.

The Princess nodded. “Very well. Then, it is settled; from this day forth, Gabrielle Mae shall be the Captain of the Swordguard.”

“Gabrielle?!” Bryn and Teo exclaimed simultaneously. 

“Shut up!” Spike said. 

Then, she turned to the Princess and bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will lay down my life for this kingdom, and I promise to serve and protect as long as I live.”

The Princess smiled. “I do not doubt that you will make an excellent Captain.”

Then, she turned to Darius, “Shall we retire?”

After they left, the boys congratulated Spike. Then, the High Priest invited them to share in a mini-memorial service for the fallen Guardsmen. Darius returned for the service, and they said a few prayers. Afterwards, Teo and Bryn were dismissed from duty. However, they were told that they would be summoned back the next time the kingdom was in danger. 

Spike stopped them before they left, putting a hand on Bryn’s arm. “Why did you do that?” she asked.

“You deserve it more than I do,” he said simply.

“I’m serious,” she pushed.

His brows furrowed. “I just realized I don’t need to prove anything to myself anymore. I know I’m not ever gonna be strong enough to defeat every threat, and I’ve got you guys to help me.”

Spike nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense, for you. So, what’ll you do now?”

“I’m going home, and I’m gonna spend every minute with my mom and my girlfriend… until you need me,” he explained.

Spike looked down. “Yeah, you’d better cherish them…”

She shook her head and continued. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Get going while you still can. I can’t promise you’ll have a lot of time off; you never know when the next monster’ll show up, so use your time wisely.”

Bryn nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Gab.”

“GAB?!” Spike exclaimed. “As your commanding officer, I FORBID you from ever calling me that again!”

Bryn winked. “It’ll be our secret. Right, Teo?”

Teo nodded nervously. “I-I won’t tell anyone. I swear!”

“You’d better not!” Spike exclaimed with the hint of a grin. 

Bryn and Teo said their final goodbyes and headed out into the city. Lights were appearing in the windows of the buildings, and the merchants began packing up their stands. As the boys approached the main gate to the city, Bryn stopped.

“What’s up?” Teo asked.

“I forgot something,” Bryn explained hastily. “Hold on; I’ll be right back.”

Teo was hesitant but let Bryn go, waiting for him by the stables. When he got back, Teo questioned him, but Bryn simply answered, “I’ll tell you later.”

The boys spent the next day and night traveling through the woods and down the mountain path. The trip was quiet, but the boys easily filled the silence with their conversations. They filled each other in on what the other had missed–Bryn retelling his battle with the Demon Prince and Teo describing the strange halls of the castle’s reflection. He claimed that everything felt wrong there, and it made him wonder about what other parts of the world looked like. Bryn thought of their village and frowned. What if everyone disappeared, and it was empty like in the Demon Realm? But as they approached the village, his worries were put to rest.

The boys entered the bustling streets of their tiny fishing town. They made their way past carts full of hay bales and buckets of fish, down the familiar road to their homes. They stopped outside of Teo’s house, and Bryn smiled sadly at his friend. 

“Thanks for everything,” Teo said. “I wouldn’t have made it without you–I’m sure of it.”

Bryn shook his head. “I wouldn’t have either. Let’s always have each other’s backs, ok?”

The boys shook hands. “Even if we’re not called for a while, let’s keep in touch,” Teo suggested.

Bryn nodded. “We’re right down the road, after all.”

Once Teo left, Bryn continued his journey home. He approached the inn and touched the doorknob. He paused and smiled to himself. He shook his head and walked in. As he entered, a warm gust of air caressed his face.

A girl wearing an apron was working behind the bar. Her back was turned to him as she placed glasses on the shelves, but her dark hair and short stature were unmistakable. 

Bryn sat himself at the bar and choked back a chuckle. “Need a hand, Miss?”

Valery whirled around and stared at him. “You almost gave me a heart attack!” she exclaimed, smacking the back of his hand playfully. Then, she leaned across the bar, took his face in her hands, and kissed him. He felt her soft lips press against his and closed his eyes. 

“I’m glad you’re back,” she whispered. 

“Me too,” he whispered back. 

She flashed her brilliant smile, and they interlocked their fingers.

“You have to tell me all about your adventure!” she prompted.

Bryn smiled and told her everything. When he finished, he said, “But after all that, I realized that I don’t need to be in the Guard. I have friends who are just as capable as I am, and what’s most important is right in front of me.”

“But you killed Aamon!” Valery argued. “I don’t doubt your friends, but the Swordguard needs someone like you!”

Bryn shook his head. “The only reason I joined was to protect you. Now that Aamon’s gone, you’re safe. And that’s why…”

Bryn reached into his jacket and pulled out the pendant with the emerald inlaid in the center–only it was no longer a necklace. Ham had melted the pendant into a ring. He handed it to Valery and continued, “I’m going to retire, and I want to spend all of my time with you, if you’ll have me.”

Valery’s eyes widened. “Bryn, I…”

Bryn’s heart began to sink. 

“Of course, I will!” she exclaimed. “But I have one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You have to stay in the Guard,” she said.

“What?”

“The kingdom needs you; Teo and Spike need you. This is what you’re meant to do. You can’t deny it. It was your dream even before you saved me in the forest. Do it for them and yourself,” she explained. “And, as much as I appreciate that you wanna protect me, we both know that I can take care of myself.”

Bryn nodded. He had never doubted it for a second.

“Ok, I’m convinced; I’ll stay in the Guard,” he said. 

Valery smiled. “In that case, I do,” she said. 

Bryn smiled and hugged her. He held her to his chest and felt her warm breath against his neck. He smiled to himself and sank into her embrace.

Written in May, 2023.