King Boreas

Scars of an endless conflict formed the decorations of the walls. Every turn or twist in the hallway held an unnamed sylph frozen in ice and embedded into the uneven stone walls. We found a pit full of spears, swords, maces, and armour—all rusted.

We didn’t have time to stop. The jailers would be following us soon once they learned we tricked them. Somewhere in this frozen fortress, in the realm that once belonged to the sylphs, was the frost giant king. Regicide. My stomach folded in on itself at the thought. Our path came to a fork. The hallway continued directly ahead, and with two other routes on our left and right.

“Which way do we choose?” Marisa asked.

“Luna, which way smells more foul?”

The cat shut her eyes and concentrated as she sniffed the air.

“This way,” she said, pointing to the left.

We continued our pace to put as much distance between us and the jailers. Two large, ornate and decorative wooden doors greeted us at the end of the hallway. Symbols of clouds and heads blowing wind were carved all around in a circular fashion. At the top, and split in two by the door, was the sun, spreading its vivifying rays to the inhabitants of the world. On the left door was a large winged god with the words ‘Zephyrus’ carved below him. No sound leaked from the other side of the doors.

“We need a plan if we’re going to kill King Boreas,” I said.

“Giant slaying is not my expertise,” said Luna.

“A proud being he is, I am sure. Perhaps you could challenge him to a battle, Ferdinand.”

“My Lady...”

“He’d accept, but I can’t compete against a giant in terms of strength.”

“Lay the task with me, you need only arise when called upon.”

Marisa then opened the doors and walked in. Luna and I trailed behind her. The kingly chamber smelled of unwashed animal hide and bone. Rotten, upturned tables were pushed against the wall, having been blown there after a strong wind had swept through centuries ago. In the back stood a table with a frost giant sitting behind it. He was larger than any of his peers and wore an imitative crown while he counted stacks of gold. His skin was pale and sallow, his nose large and porous, his forearms large and burly, his legs thick and stout. Behind him, a stained glass window had been installed where a portion of the mountain had been carved out. The king stopped counting his gold and starred at those interrupting him.

“Luti lutat lutar, looky what we got here. Three beings I don’t know, but know they do of me. Speak. Who are you?”

“King Boreas, I am Marisa, High Priestess of the undines and these are my travelling companions.”

“The daughter of water. And what do you want? Speak or I shall slaughter.”

“My father wishes to ally with you and offers me as your bride-to-be. No doubt you are aware and have had council with messengers from Wode. My father senses the change that will come.”

She had his attention. His eyes for the first time examined her in fine detail from head-to-toe. With great effort, Boreas rose from his seat and stomped towards us with his heavy feet.

“I see, I see, a wedding it shall be,” he said with a lick of his lips.

“But first, King Boreas, you must prove yourself worthy.”

“Worthy? The Sylph Slayer, the Mountain Master, are these epithets not worthy enough for your hand?”

“Impressive though they are, you are only deemed worthy in my father’s eyes if you can best our champion, Ferdinand, in a trial.”

“He ha ha ho! So let us go and do so.”

“Not just yet, King Boreas. Should you prove unworthy, you shall yield your realm, and hand it over unto Ferdinand. Do you agree?”

“Yield? Ha! I do not lose. But I agree, for I have never lost. But think not to double-cross, for then you will pay the ultimate cost.”

“Good. You will need three items: first, your most magical cup; second, any stone on your person that has fallen from the heavens; and third, your most sturdy weapon.”

“A test of magi, a task from the firmament, a trial by combat. The tournament is set, the format is death, and we will compete below the blue sky.”

Boreas snapped his finger and a white grail, a black stone, and a red axe appeared in his hands. He then lumbered over to a door at the side of the chamber and opened it, kicking aside the many tables piled up around it with his powerful legs. We followed him through the door and up some stairs. We emerged on the flat peak of the mountain. It was the perfect arena for our contest.

“So tell me your trial, test, task. It matters not what it be. Shatter your champion we shall see.”

“You will go forth in turns, one after the other. With your cup, create an endless well of water.”

The frost giant king set down his tools and stood over his magical cup. Again, he snapped his finger, and then he waved his hand over the lip of the cup.

“Behold, believe, besee, the water as so decreed!” He held the cup up and poured out its contents. “Do not bemoan when I bereave you of your beloved champion.”

Behind her back, Marisa made a gesture with her hand. Suddenly, the water flowing out of King Boreas’ cup stopped.

“I am afraid your well is not as bountiful as you say it to be.”

“Bah! What folly! Though soon to be jolly is my axe,” he sneered at me.

Marisa turned to me and nodded, signalling my turn. I removed the divine grail from my pocket and held it in my hands. I closed my eyes while my inner voice screamed. It was one thing to trap that beast’s poison breath, and it’s another matter entirely to create an endless supply of water out of nothing!

I thought back to when I quelled the endless the fog that spewed out of the grail and how I had held my hand over it. I knelt down and shoved the divine grail into the snow, grabbed a small handful of snow, and put it into the grail. Waving my hand like I was a seasoned sorcerer, I pretended to invoke some kind of magic while I held my right hand over the cup and imagined that I was transmuting the snow into an endless supply of water.

No, I had to believe I could transmute the snow. If not the snow, from some other source in this world I needed to draw the water from and place it into the grail planted in front of me.

I rose from the ground with the grail in hand. I looked Boreas in the eye and turned the grail over.

Water poured out. And it wouldn’t stop. Water continued to pour out for as long as I held the grail over.

“Ferdinand is the winner of this round,” declared Marisa.

Boreas was not pleased but he made no comment.

“Next, you are tasked with transfiguring your stone from the heavens into seven stars. From one, return to seven.”

“I see no rock, but go ahead. I shall let the boy earn his spurs.”

Boreas gave a mocking bow to me. I looked at Marisa for what to do. What did she mean with this task?

“Luna, bring forth the heavenly stone.”

Luna reached into invisible pouch and pulled out a black rock. Delicately, she held it and brought it to me. As I bent down to take it from her, Luna whispered.

“Crush it and scatter its dust to the wind.”

The rock was soft, nearly crumbling from the mere touch of my hand. When did Luna have time to prepare this? She’s always pulling all kinds of strange things from out of that pouch. I shouldn’t be surprised she had something like this.

I examined the rock in my hand. It was the darkest thing I’d ever seen. It gave off no light, seemingly absorbing all light around it. This must be what it was like to hold a black hole in your hand. And then it was gone. Crushed in my hand. I sowed the dust in the air and stars began to appear. First two yellow ones appeared followed by a white and a blue one. Then three more appeared, coloured purple, orange, and black. I couldn’t hide my surprise at this.

Boreas inspected me with sharp eyes. He was growing suspicious of us. Without breaking eye contact, he crushed the black stone in his hand like it was nothing, scattering its dust into the air like it was an afterthought.

“Count them,” he growled.

“One, two, three... seven, seven stars. This round is a draw,” Marisa said.

“Good,” he said as he picked up his axe and twirled it in his hand. “That leaves the fight and it shall be a delight.”

“There are rules, King Boreas,” warned Marisa.

“Rules, rules, rules. Say your piece, and make your peace.”

“Should one yield or lose his weapon, then the match is forfeit. Understood?”

“Aye.”

He turned and walked a few paces backwards, then spun around. Marisa stepped back to a safe distance and Luna donned her invisibility cloak and disappeared. Blood rushed throughout my body and my arms and knees began to shake. Every hair on my body stood on end. I felt sick as my imminent death was near.

I drew my sword and took up a fighting stance.