Now Tirillo spoke: “Sir Idian, or rather Prince Iridian, eldest son of King Unauwen, crown prince, Lord of the Seven Castles, vice-regent of the kingdom in the west.”
They all stared at the prince. Yes indeed, he looked like a mighty lord!
“I shall never mistake you for your brother,” said Sir Kraton, slowly and almost with difficulty. “My apologies. Now that I know who you are, I understand why you preferred not to show yourself.”
The prince shook his head. “Perhaps it would have been better if I had stepped forward immediately, Sir Kraton,” he said. “But what could I have said? You already know what I think of you. You will never mistake me for my… for the King of Eviellan. But I was your rightful lord in the Province of the Rushing Rivers and your king is my father, Unauwen.”
“I have chosen the King of Eviellan as my master,” said Kraton in a challenging tone, but he could not look Idian in the eye.
“You have made the wrong choice, Sir Kraton,” the prince said with a quiet sigh.
“That may well be, my lord,” replied Kraton, “but it is my choice and I shall stick with it.”
“So be it,” said the prince. “Just one more thing, Sir Kraton and Sir Melas. You will inform your king of our meeting. Tell him I will never be able to forget that he is my brother, but that I will resist him with all of my strength! He has no claim to our father’s throne and he is fighting his war for hate and vengeance alone.”
“Has he then no reason to hate and to wish revenge?” said Kraton.
“No,” said the prince sternly. Then he continued, “And yet it pains me when I think how all the evil that he does weighs most heavily upon him. He has such a burden to bear! Even now I would still like to make peace with him, but for the sake of my father’s subjects I must fight him, unless, of course, he changes. Tell him that as well.”
“And if he were to change, would he be welcomed back into your father’s kingdom?” asked Kraton.
“Yes,” replied Idian. “But he may not enter Unauwen as a prince, nor as the King of Eviellan.”
“How, then?” shouted Kraton. “As a beggar perhaps? A penitent? That is something he will never do!” He took a step back and grudgingly bowed. “I shall convey your words to my king, Your Highness,” he said, “although I do not think he will listen.” He beckoned to Melas, who also bowed, and the two men left the room.
“Your Highness,” began Arturin.
“Allow me to be Sir Idian while I am here,” said the prince. He sat down, and those who looked at him did not dare to speak, as his face was so desperately sad.
But after a short while, Tirillo softly asked, “What now, my lord?”
Sir Idian awoke from his reverie. “It is probably good that I have spoken to this knight,” he said. “And to answer your question, Tirillo, our paths will soon part. I am returning to our homeland. I now know what I wanted to know.”
“It also seems best to me that you should return,” said the jester. “And as soon as possible, my lord! I do not trust those knights with the red shields.” Bendu nodded vigorously. “Now that they know who you are,” continued Tirillo, “they may send a message to their compatriots to pursue you and attack you.”
“Have no fear for my safety,” said Sir Idian.
“But I am afraid for your safety,” said Tirillo. “You are the hope of our kingdom, the successor to King Unauwen.”
“What would become of us if something were to happen to you?” said Evan.
“I have a son…” began Sir Idian.
“Your son is still a child,” said the jester. “Truly, my lord, you must leave without these knights noticing. One of us will keep them talking until you have slipped away from the castle.”
“Fine,” said Sir Idian with a smile. “Then you must be the one who keeps them talking, Tirillo. That’s certainly a job you can be trusted with.”
“I am at your service, my lord,” said the jester.
Idian rose to his feet. “Hear now my commands,” he said, prince once again instead of knight. “You, Tirillo, will travel to the City of Dagonaut tomorrow to argue for an alliance with the king of this land.”
Tirillo bowed.
“Farewell, then,” said the prince. “Until we meet again.”
They shook hands. Then Tirillo turned around and quickly walked away.
“And you, Evan, will remain here until Sir Ristridin returns,” the prince continued. “I wish to hear what he has to say, and you shall bring me news. However, you may not stay away for too long. I expect you back in my city in a month’s time.”
“I will obey, my lord,” said the young knight.
Then Prince Iridian turned to Tiuri and Piak.
“You are not subjects of my father,” he said, “and yet you are connected to our land with an unbreakable bond. You once did us a great service and Sir Tiuri even carries a white shield. Remain loyal to King Dagonaut, but do not forget Unauwen. Be on your guard against Eviellan and do as your conscience tells you.”
The two friends bowed. Tiuri said only, “Thank you, my lord,” and Piak found himself unable to speak. But his eyes said the same as his friend’s: I shall never forget Unauwen or Prince Iridian!
“Sir Bendu,” the prince said now, “you will surely wait here for your friend Ristridin, and what you do after that you cannot yet know. You are seeking a knight with a red shield, but whether you find him or not, I know you will always fight against evil. Should Ristridin not return, you must look for him rather than your enemy, as Ristridin is your friend and his mission may have taken him to strange places.”
Finally, he turned to Sir Arturin. “I thank you for your hospitality,” he said. “If I might give you a task, it would be one you have performed faithfully for many years: guard your borders. Perhaps you will not agree with me when I say this, but it is possible that you may ultimately have to pick sides, that you will have to become involved in the fight, whether you want to or not.”
Arturin also bowed. “I hope it does not come to that, Your Highness,” he replied. “But if it should be so, I will fight on the side of right and good.”
Then the prince took his leave of them and, in the company of Arturin, he went to say farewell to the lady of the castle and to prepare for a swift departure.
“It’s such a shame he has to go!” said Piak. “Now we finally know who he is, and I would have liked to get to know him better.”
“Hush!” said Tiuri. “Sir Kraton and Sir Melas mustn’t notice anything.”
“That jester will make sure they don’t,” said Bendu. “But you’re right. Prince Iridian is a most interesting man. What do you think of his words about Ristridin? Does that rude oaf Kraton know more than he’s saying? Ristridin was in Deltaland, he said, but he claimed not to know where, when, why or under what circumstances. I intend to tackle that gentleman! I will not allow him to continue his journey until I have had a word with him.” But the expression on his face said it was more than just a word that he wanted.