Candles

Chapter 1

Yebediah

Yebediah lifted the candle up to his face and wrapped his navy blue cloak tighter around his chest. Holding up his waxy candle, he peered at the ground and carefully stepped over the knotted tree roots that were in his way.

“I still don’t understand where you are taking me,” Yebediah said, exasperated.

“I said I wouldn’t tell you. We turn left here,” Bee replied, motioning with her pale hand.

“But it’s cold!”

“Well who told you to come here with only a thin shirt and a cloak on?” She retorted emphasizing the absurdity of bringing a cloak on a nighttime stroll. But Yebediah was royalty and it was only natural for him to bring one. Either way, he knew he couldn’t say that to Bee so he kept silent and continued walking.

“I had said left, not right! ” Bee said impatiently, turning towards him and narrowing her brown eyes which were framed with thick green glasses.

Again, he stayed silent, knowing that whatever he said, Bee would have an answer ready.

“Come on, we’re almost there. Oh!” Bee exclaimed.

“Is this it?” Yebediah asked, forgetting to stay silent.

“Yes,”

In front of him was a large clearing. There was a wide dip which was filled with tall grass and the stems of some plants he couldn´t recognize. The candlelight illuminated the setting and he suddenly saw a flash of the moon in the middle of the dirt ground. How? He thought for a moment until he looked down carefully and saw a small pool of water. It blended in with the surroundings too well for him to see it without the reflection of the moon and stars. Suddenly, in the midst of what he thought to be a dead silence, he heard a faint ringing. Lifting himself up, he crossed over to the other side of the grove, edging nearer to the sound with each step.

“Oh yes, that, that, is the best part,” Bee said, popping up next to him.

He finally heard what she had. Loud, high pitched notes of the violin could be heard through the dense forest. No longer feeling the original chill of the night air, Yebediah shrugged his cloak of his shoulders and  heard it gently hit the ground with a soft thud. He moved closer, the music dragging him in. Now the violin was playing in a melodious vibrato.

Yebediah had been learning violin since he was five. And it was known among the palace that Bee had been wanting to play since forever, but could never find the time with all of her knight duties. Bee had been working as a knight for The Palace In Northwest Land (which meant forest territory) ever since she had completed training along with her studies. This palace was Yebediah’s birth place, as his mother was queen, and his father, king, and it was where he lived, studied, and had grown up. Naturally, Yebediah had developed a friendship with all the knights in his age group, especially Bee. Currently taking a break from her knight duties, Bee was free for a month and had spent all the free time on her hands with Yebediah. Both of them studied, chatted, took walks, and habitually argued.

“Would you like me to teach you? Violin I mean.” Yebediah said, breaking the silence.

“Yeb!” Bee exclaimed, using the nickname the whole palace used for the prince.

“Do you want me to teach you?”

“Oh, Yeb! Well, I suppose so, if you have the time and all.”

“Of course, I was the one who offered. Do you know who's playing?” He said motioning farther into the forest.

Bee managed to tear her eyes away from the dense forest and looked at him. “The wood elves, I think.”

“Oh,” He paused before speaking. “We should start heading back,” He said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the castle.

“Right,” Bee responded.

They both looked down automatically, for one last glance, and this time saw their own reflection in the pool of water. Yebadiah turned and began to walk away, and soon, Bee followed him. She caught up quickly, and together they walked side by side in silence. It wasn’t until they had almost reached the castle when Bee stopped, a frozen, stricken look on her newly pale face.

“Bee? Are you okay? What happened?” Yebediah questioned, staring at her, astonished.

Bee didn’t say anything. She began to run towards the castle, forcing Yebediah to tear after her. He suddenly saw what she had. There were knights, guards, and even his mother and father, running, screaming towards them. His mother approached him, wisps of her black hair falling out of her high bun.

“Where were you?” She gasped, lifting up her swooping blue skirt in order to storm up to Bee, whose fists were clenched tightly by her sides.

Bee finally spoke, “I leave for one night? And this is my consequence?”

The queen looked at Bee, seething, “That is not the way to speak to me!”

“Mother, stop. You know that she is off of her knight duties for the next month.

“You! Don’t even say a word, you have no idea how angry...” She didn’t finish her sentence and her straight nose flared in and out with anger.

“All of you, please!” The king appeared, he walked over and stood next to Yebediah and glared at both his son and his wife. The chaos among the rest of the palace was still going on.

“Do you both realize what is happening?” he said in his calm, yet stern voice. Bee and Yebediah shook their heads.

“What your mother is trying to say, is that you would both know what was going on if you weren't gone,”

“Well, it’s not our fault that something had to happen when we had some free time on our hands. And what did happen?”

“We are under attack, can’t you see that?” His mother burst out.

“Who?” Bee said standing taller than all of them.

“We don’t know. We just need to get everyone out of here,” His father said.

The four of them ran forward to the palace. The queen started to give orders while the rest of them quickly rushed the guest and helpers outside. There was chaos as every living being inside of the palace hurried to get outside, from elegantly dressed visitors, to stray cats darting in and out of people’s legs. Aside from this, there was a new band of people trying to get inside instead of out, all dressed in the same cottony black material. The invaders, Yebediah thought. He glanced over at Bee. She was forming a sort of wall by the door along with the other knights and had absolutely no expression on her face. Mother and Father were both grabbing hands of others and were climbing down a ladder in the back. With all the commotion, Yebediah suddenly froze. He wasn’t sure which way he was supposed to go, all of the visitors were crowded around his parents to lead them, and he felt ignored. No one had made any attempt to try and save him. Yes he was royalty, but he had always ignored the “escorts” his parents had named for him at birth, and they had simply learned to leave him alone. Which meant that this was what he had wanted. To be left alone in times of confusion. In sudden anxiety, he stepped beside the ladder that his parents and the guests were climbing down, and jumped, hoping that he would land standing on the ground.