Even from the safety of his ledge, Cyrus could see how much Henry struggled to maintain his confidence. As the creature lumbered like a poorly made marionette, hanging from loosely tied strings, Henry spoke with a trembling voice, “F-F-Foul creature conceived from the depths of the Dark Realm; prepare to be vanquished. For what your ilk has stolen from me, I will pay you back in kind. In m-m-y name, the house of Celine lives on!”

Henry Celine let out a battle cry and charged at the beast. He began to hack and slash passionately, but the beast never flinched or cried, it just slowly crept forward causing the young knight to draw back between slashes. Cyrus watched in fear as the rock golem plodded towards the ledge where he stood. It had backed Henry into a corner. Henry attacked with the ferocity of a tiny, vicious dog, but it did nothing to slow the towering mass. The monster’s eye gazed down harshly, and it reached its gaunt but powerful arms towards the knight.

It soon snatched him up and began to bash his metal armor against the wall, hoping to crack it open and devour the tasty morsel inside. When Henry cried out, Cyrus realized he couldn’t just stand there- he had to think of a plan. He looked down on the ground and saw Archibald’s briefcase hopping up and down like it was eager to be used. Cyrus nodded, but realized he’d have to keep his hands on the door crank to keep it wound up.

He raised up his thick leg, planting it on the lever and slowly lowered himself to the ground. He reached to grasp the briefcase. Cyrus considered what he knew about the beast and its potential weaknesses: “To this day, he never sleeps and kills everyone who enters the sanctuary,” the old woman had said.

Cyrus’ mind immediately jumped to an item Archibald had told him about at the castle. Cyrus unlatched the case and reached in. He pulled out a mushroom with colors that swirled between green and purple-It was the Winkle Shroom.

Looking back, Cyrus could see the rock golem had bashed Henry so hard he was knocked silly. Breathing slowly in stunned silence, the knight remained motionless in the beast’s grasp. The beast prepared to eat the young knight head first, and slowly, it lifted him to its mouth to perform the gruesome task. Cyrus quickly tossed the shroom into the rock golem’s mouth.

Not having a chance to bite it or spit it out, the beast’s eye lid lowered and its limbs sank, lowering Henry to the ground. The creature curled up in a fetal position and fell into a deep slumber. Cyrus cheered for himself. He had outwitted the wretched beast. He quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed the briefcase before dropping down where Henry sat in a kneeling position.

Cyrus, forgetting his selfishness, crouched by Henry and the snoozing beast. “Are you ok?” He asked reaching his hand out.

Henry’s dulled brown eyes looked out into space. They were not blinded by flash powder this time, rather he’d been knocked in the head numerous times. A delusional smile rose from the bleeding corners of his mouth. “My hero…” he cooed reaching forward with a dumbstruck grin.

Cyrus smirked and rosy dimples appeared at the end of his cheeks. “Didn’t you say something about becoming a fool when I saved you? A self-fulfilling prophecy methinks.”

Henry was silent and shook his head. His face blushed when he realized what Cyrus said. Quickly he retracted his hand and changed the subject, “Pay no attention to my dazed babbling, what did you do to this monster?”

“I fed it a Winkle Shroom…” Cyrus said with his hands placed firmly on his love handles. “It has been said that anyone who eats it will sleep for 2 generations.”

“That’s strangely brilliant,” Henry remarked quickly and quietly. “Now travelers will be able to pass through here.”

Cyrus’ eyes shone brightly in the darkness. “So are you saying I helped the world? Am I a hero?”

“Don’t get a big head, boy,” Henry said. “Stopping one wicked monster doesn’t make one a hero when there are thousands more. But yes, I consider this a heroic deed..Let’s just get out of here while I’m still impressed you beat it.”

“Oh but can we check out the sanctuary,” Cyrus begged.

“Why?” Henry muttered with one eyebrow raised. “We really need to get out of here.”

‘You don’t understand what it’s like to live in a castle all your life.”

“Or an ivory tower…” Henry said with a smirk.

“What?” Cyrus asked before continuing his spiel. “But what I’m saying is you’re a knight. You get to have adventures every day. This is my first time outside and certainly the first time away from my subjects.”

Cyrus tried to make his eyes bigger and Henry rolled his in response. He didn’t appreciate Cyrus not taking his injuries into account. Though Henry’s chain mail and helmet had prevented him from enduring any serious harm, he was still bruised and shaken like anyone who was attacked by a beastly rock golem would be. The young knight chalked it up to Cyrus’ immaturity and decided to be the bigger person.

The two approached the sanctuary where a few torches brightened the structure. The structure of it was simple: four pale white columns and a roof with a pedestal shaped like a grasping shadowy hand. Cyrus inspected the pillars-each was a humanoid statue carved with demonic features. Bared fangs made the faces snarl and eyes of red diamonds glared right through Cyrus’ very soul. Cyrus puffed out his rounded chest and tried to look as tough as he could for a twelve year old. “Are these guys the Everbloods? Going to take more than a creepy stone statue to scare Prince Cyrus the Magnificent.”

He turned his head to see Henry starring mortified and catatonic at the opposing statue. Cyrus walked over to Henry who had seemed to have fallen in a terrified trance.

Cyrus moved his hand in his ally’s face but all the knight said was…. “This creature he’s-he’s….”

“Come on,” Cyrus sneered. “Don’t be so spineless, it’s just a statu…”

Cyrus was cut off by the most piercing scream Henry’s vocal cords could emit. “Great heavens,” Cyrus yelled holding his ears. “What’s gotten into you?”

Cyrus could see Henry tremble and his chest rise and fall rapidly. His face was shiny from sweat. Cyrus was afraid to lay a comforting hand on Henry in fear he’d scream again. Instead, he just asked, “Are you ok?”

Before the horrified knight could speak of what spooked him, a loud screech came from behind them. Cyrus turned around and saw the beast had risen before them and was lumbering again with its wicked arms outstretched. “Um…uh…I guess two generations have passed,” Cyrus mumbled in a panic. “Time flies when you’re checking out creepy ruins! Haha Henry! Henry!”

Henry remained frozen until Cyrus jostled his shoulder. Life finally showed in his eyes, and he turned to Cyrus with a ghost white face and a mystified expression. “What?…I’m ok…” he breathed, trying to convince himself of that. “What’s going on?”

“Turn around, you poof head,” Cyrus said.

Henry did. The monster had reached them with its long arms extended in order to grab the knight and finish its meal. Henry let out another shrill scream, and this time, the beast flinched and staggered backwards letting out a horrified shriek of his own.

“I get it,” Cyrus said, his face illuminated with sudden clarity. “Screaming like a girl agitates it! Keep screaming like that, Henry!”

Henry, looking like he had just gotten over the fright of his life took a deep breath and screamed at the golem with the full capacity of his lungs. The beast stumbled again, and as it staggered backwards, a red glow shone in its gaunt chest. It backed up against the wall with its mouth hanging open in stunned silence.

“The chest!” The two teens screamed in unison.

Henry looked around and grasped his sword. He fidgeted nervously. “I just don’t know if I could reach it. But if I could, I could puncture it and send this hell beast from whence it came.”

“Hmm,” Cyrus closed his eyes and thought for a second. He thought about a makeshift platform that could be invented to help Henry reach the monster’s chest. All of a sudden, he remembered a favorite maneuver that he used on his butler. He dashed as fast as his chubby body could take him and got on all fours.

“Celine,” Cyrus screamed from the floor. “I can’t believe a royal like me is saying this, but leap off me and kill that fanged freak once and for all.”

Henry nodded and sprinted towards Cyrus in his economically light armor. He bounded off of Cyrus’ flabby back and flew with his sword over his head. With full force and the most ferocious battle cry he could muster, he drove the sword directly into the monster’s glowing chest. Henry quickly kicked off the golem’s chest as the monster stood straight up from the direct hit. Henry landed on his knees in front of it.

“Henry look!” Cyrus exclaimed pointing up at the monster as the stones lining the golem’s body started to fall away. They fell bit by bit until they left nothing but the body of a man. He immediately dropped to the floor. The man inside the golem was bespectacled, a soft forty with slightly receding brown hair. Henry’s sword stuck out of his chest and he breathed heavy congested coughs.

“Irk…irk…ah…ah…” the man muttered as his age old blood stained the floor. Cyrus and Henry were hesitant to approach the former golem, but the man begged them. “Please someone! Hear a dying man’s last words. I may have done wicked things, but I am not evil. I was misguided.”

“You think?” Henry responded. “I think eating your whole mining company is a little more than misguided.”

“Misled…is a better word,” the man sputtered.

“That accursed bloodstone…” the man said, “It is an artifact containing the most manipulative evil this land has ever seen.”

“Manipulative…” Henry said with a pause.

“Unlike my comrades, I wanted the treasure in these mines because…”—tears seeped down the dying man’s face—“I wanted to help my daughter. She was stricken with the incurable demon’s plague at a very young age and every night, she screamed—a bit like you good knight—as the curse twisted her limbs and damaged her heart. To a father who loved her desperately, her screaming drove me mad.”

Henry and Cyrus both perked up. Sudden realization reflected in their eyes. What the man said struck a chord with them.

“It broke me, knowing that no matter how good I was as a father, I could never truly set her free. She would die long before I did- a parent’s worst nightmare.”

Henry and Cyrus’ eyes both grew misty and listened to the man’s words with full attention.

“The traveler at the tavern took me aside and told me the treasure was something that could make you live forever with no fear of illness or old age. It would have been the perfect gift for a girl who had been inflicted with pains that would kill her in a few more years. I wanted her to live more than anything, but I didn’t realize the hooded traveler was an Everblood.”

“But you’d eventually die while she got to live. How is that fair?” Cyrus responded, wiping his runny eyes.”

“It would be a price I’d willingly pay as a father who dearly loves his daughter.”

Cyrus immediately thought of his parents and especially of his mom who loved him above everything else. More tears rolled down his heavily reddened cheeks.

“But…” the man said “When I finally found the blood red stone, and when I heard the others fight over it, my love for my daughter was magnified and twisted. It turned my thoughts to blood lust.”

The man choked and sputtered blood. “I killed them all without a second thought.”

Henry and Cyrus were silent, and then, the man’s dying rasp filled the air. “Please, tell me what era it is.”

“1322,” Henry said softly taking the man’s hand. “I’m sorry, but she’s gone…It’s been a hundred years.”

The man looked straight ahead, through the ceiling to the great beyond. “I’ll see her soon at the edge of the shadow lands. Thank you for setting me free to see her, young swordsman.”

“And don’t forget me,” sobbed Cyrus through his tears.

‘Thank you. I will speak your name in the next world over and tell of the great heroes who saved me… Just beware the bloodstone. It will take what you love most and make you a monster in its name.”

“I will never give into its power,” Henry said with a soft intonation and sorrowful eyes. “That is my vow.”

“Thank you…” the man said, and at last, he succumbed to death.

Cyrus burst into tears as the man left the world. “First Archibald and now this really nice father guy. Who’s next?”

Henry closed the man’s eyes and moved over to Cyrus. Henry was sympathetic to emotions, but concealed it from all of the suffering and death he witnessed. He still felt compelled to comfort Cyrus. “They have passed on,” he said. “But they did so as good men. To die as one is the highest honor.”

Henry sat for a second and pondered his own words. “My mentor taught me that.”

Cyrus sniffed and blinked the tears out of his eyes. “You’re right, but it will take me a long time to get over Archibald’s death.”

Henry gave a gentle smile. “He trained you well. You’re surprisingly quick witted for a loutish oaf.”

“I am?!” Cyrus exclaimed.

“I would have never thought to use you as a foot stool!” The knight chortled.

“Hey!” Cyrus screamed as the young knight chuckled. “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll…”

“You’ll lose your reputation, royal boy?” Henry said with a sly look in his eyes.

“I already lost that so jokes on you, Sir Stringbean.”

Cyrus climbed to his feet and began to march out of the room laughing at his perceived victory. Henry smiled too. There was more to this spoiled prince than he initially believed.