The Music Box Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

 

 

Prince Roban and Prince Rogan.

 

 

    Princes Roban and Rogan liked nothing better than hunting deer in the Dark Forest. They knew better than to go too deeply into the forest, but there were plenty of clearings and rides near the edge.

          The deer needed to come out of the trees to feed, so there was always plenty of hunting to be had without the danger of meeting one of the bands of outlaws that roamed the deep parts of the forest. Even the Outlaws did not venture into the deepest, darkest part of the forest.

          Even though they were twins, the two princes were very different. Prince Rogan was younger by ten minutes. He was quiet, thoughtful, courteous, and kind.

          Roban was heir to the throne. He was wild and thoughtless at times. He could be very unkind, though when it was pointed out to him he was always full of apologies. He was also inclined to rush into things without thinking of the consequences.

          Roban was a much better swordsman than Rogan, being a few inches taller and with a longer reach. Rogan, however, was the better archer. There was little to choose between them in horsemanship or hunting skills.

          As boys, it was Roban’s love of adventure that led them into trouble and Rogan’s cleverness that often got them out of it again. They rarely fell out, and even then, the quarrel did not last for long. All in all, they were good brothers’

          On this particular day, the pair was hunting to the north of the palace. Their father, King Rolan, warned them before they set out. "Be careful, the path to Calizone's Cottage is off in that direction. As you know, she is not pleased with us at the moment for not telling her about the Mirror with Magalan in it. I would prefer it if you did not do anything else to upset her."

          The brothers promised to be careful. They rode out, and before long, came across a small herd of wild boar.

          "Tally ho!" shouted Roban, and he set off in pursuit. As luck would have it, Rogan’s horse chose that moment to stumble. He fell off, luckily on to a pile of leaves, so he was not hurt.

          However, by the time he had stood up, caught his horse, and mounted, the rest of the hunters were out of sight. He followed their tracks until he caught up with them in a clearing.

           The huntsmen had dismounted and were standing scratching their heads. The dogs wandered about aimlessly. They were whining and whimpering. Of Prince Roban, there was no sign.

          "Where’s Roban?" demanded Rogan.

          The chief huntsman spoke up. "He was well ahead of us, as usual, and when we reached this clearing, he was nowhere to be seen." He pointed to the dogs. "And they cannot find a scent to follow. We have looked all round and there are no tracks leading out of the clearing. You can see where he came in."

          He showed Rogan the tracks. "That is your brother’s horse," he said. "You can tell by that odd shaped shoe that it has."

          Rogan nodded. He walked around the clearing. Sure enough, there were no tracks leading out of it. "Well, he must be somewhere," he said, "People do not just vanish into thin air. There is something odd going on here. Look at the dogs."

          The hunting dogs were no longer wandering about the clearing searching for a trail as they were supposed to do. Instead they were sat in a huddle in the centre, looking very nervous.

          "We have to look for him," said Rogan. "Split up into pairs and spread out around the clearing. One man stays in the clearing while the other searches as far as they can without going out of his partner's sight."

          He paired up with the chief huntsman. Even with the hunter holding on to a tree and Rogan holding on to his hand and stretching as far into the surroundings as he could reach, he found nothing.

          The others reported that they too could feel nothing but more trees and bushes. Roban began to get worried. He could feel that there was something very wrong with his brother. He paced up and down the clearing, trying desperately to think of something to do.

          "Your Highness," one of the huntsmen said. "Bill, Watt, and I tried something. We tied our belts together so I could search further into the forest. I think we have found something."

          "Show me!" ordered the Prince.

          The hunters led him to one side of the clearing. He added his belt to theirs and went in amongst the trees. He felt around as far as he could reach. His hand brushed against something cold. It was just too far for him to get hold of and too dark in the trees to see it clearly. He pulled himself back into the clearing.

          "There is something there and it is as cold as ice, but I cannot quite reach it."

          No one else was wearing a belt. Then, Rogan had an idea. He picked up one of the hunter’s bows. He tied the end of the belt rope to the end of the bow and, holding that, he went through the trees again. The extra length was enough. He found himself out of the trees and blinking in the sudden sunlight. Keeping a tight hold on the bow, he looked round. He was on a path, quite wide and obviously well used.

          He looked back to where he had come out of the trees and was astonished to find that his hand and the end of the bow were invisible. Shocked, he let go of the bow and pulled his hand out of the trees. He looked at his hand carefully, it was all there.

          Then he realised what he had done. He swore under his breath.

          "Now, now," said a harsh voice behind him. "Naughty, naughty, good little princes do not use words like that."

          Prince Rogan spun round, his hand automatically going for his sword. It was not in his belt. Confused, he reached for his hunting knife, remembering that he did not carry a sword when hunting.

          The path was empty.

          "Come now," "said the harsh voice. "You do not think I am going to let you use that on me, do you?"

          "Who are you?" demanded Rogan, already knowing the answer, but hoping he was wrong.

          A woman stepped out of the shadows. "Oh, I think you know what I am," she said.

            A woman stepped onto the path.

          "Calizone!" said Rogan.

          "If you say so," replied the woman.

          "No," said Rogan. "Not Calizone, Magalan."

          Then, remembering his manners, he bowed and said, "At your service, madam."

          "I think not," chuckled Magalan. "I already have the service of your brother. That's all I need for the time being."

          "What have you done with him? Where is he? "Rogan demanded.

          She pointed down the path behind Rogan.

          He turned round. On the path behind him was a long, narrow box. It glistened in the sun. Quickly, he went to it and knelt down. He ran his hand over the box and quickly pulled it away. The box was frozen. Inside, he could see his brother, Rogan.

          "What have you done with him? Rogan shouted.

          Magalan came to stand next to him. "You know, he was always a bit of a hot head, so I cooled him down. You could say I put him on ice, well, in ice to be exact."

          She laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. She went on. "Don’t worry, he is not dead, yet. He will die if you try to free him from the ice though."

          Rogan shook his head. "I do not understand."

         Magalan sounded as if she was enjoying herself. "I needed a brain and he was not using his, so I borrowed it."

          "But why?" Rogan wanted to know.

          She stopped laughing. "Your family and I go back a long way.  One of your ancestors robbed me of my freedom for a very long time. I wanted my revenge, and now I have the beginning of it. Maybe the sight of his eldest son wrapped in an ice coffin will remind your father that it is very dangerous for anyone to upset a witch."

          With that, she turned on her heel and strode off into the shadows, somehow taking them with her.

          There was a commotion in the trees behind him, and Rogan whirled round, drawing his hunting dagger. It was the huntsmen. "Your highness," shouted the chief hunter. "Are you safe?"

          Rogan put his knife away. "Yes, how did you find me?"

          "The path suddenly appeared and we could see Prince Roban’s horse tracks," explained the hunter. "Where is he?"

          Prince Rogan showed them the ice coffin and explained about Magalan. The hunters went back into the clearing and fetched out the horses. They brought a cart from the palace and took the coffin back.

           King Rolan already knew there was something wrong. Prince Roban’s horse had arrived home earlier.

          The coffin was set on a stone table in the family tomb. "I know he's alive," King Rolan lamented, "This is the coldest place in the palace, and you never know when the ice will melt and he'll really die."

          When the coffin was set in place, King Rolan and Prince Rogan stood looking at the peaceful face of Prince Roban.

          "Look," said Prince Rogan. "There is a piece of paper on his chest." He leant over the coffin and read. "The spell will be broken when the Dark Knight breaks down and is seen to weep. Then the Prince will wake from a dreamless sleep."

          King Rolan shook his head. "I do not know of any Dark Knights, do you?"

          Prince Rogan did not know of any either. "But I will search for one, even if it takes me the rest of my life."

          Miya wriggled under the sheets. "Why do you keep calling her Magalan, instead of Calizone? She asked. "And Syldan is king now not Rolan.

          Her mother sighed. "You keep forgetting that this all took place a long time ago. King Rolan was King Syldan's grandfather."

 "Sorry." said Miya. "What happened to Prince Roban?"

          "You will see," replied her mother. "There is still a long way to go. Go to sleep now and you can hear more tomorrow."

          "Aw," said Miya. "Just when it was getting exciting."

          "That is the way a good story should be told," laughed her mother. She tucked the sheets around Miya, gave her a kiss and left the room.