Chapter 2

            The time traveling started a few months after my mother’s death. I have no idea what triggered it. It can happen anytime. Luckily there were symptoms so I will know that I have to get away from a crowd. My vision will turn black and white which will last for at least three minutes before I’ll become blind and appear in this forest.

            I always travel back to the time I left the last time I traveled. For instance, since I came from the school lavatory at 12 p.m., I would be back in the school lavatory at 12 p.m. when I travel back to the present and continue my life as if nothing happened. It goes the same for the past except that I will end up in this very spot in the woods no matter where I was in the past. I am basically living a double life.

            The clothes I am wearing now are unsuitable in the year 1468. I quickly change my jeans, t-shirt and Converse shoes into a white shirt, light brown pants and leather boots. Now I look more like a 1468 Elopurian citizen.

            My digital watch, smart phone and clothes are safe in my leather bag secured to my back. I quickly check my attire before I made my way to the castle. The Elopurian royal family rules the kingdom in this century. I mean, they still do in my time but the prime minister have more authority.

            I started traveling through time in the year 2006 in my time and 1461 in the past. It took me some time to get used to this but I managed. I had to learn so many things to fit in. For example, my accent is odd in this century but it is normal in my time. I had to speak like people in this century. I can’t use the term ‘Google’ or address men with ‘Dude’ in this century. Believe me, I accidentally did years ago and they stared at me as if I grew another head.

Gabriella knew of my curse after I accidentally brought her to the past on my second trip. I didn’t know the signs of time traveling at that time. She was pulling me towards an ice cream shop when I brought her to the 15th century. She was so angry that she threw tantrums at me. The tantrums didn’t last long because she refused to neither speak nor acknowledge me. We managed to survive a night in the creepy forest with a small fire and a few berries I found nearby. I brought her back safely and apologized. I was glad she knew because I couldn’t keep a matter this big to myself.

            The band was an entire different story. They knew of my secret when I was a newly turned 15-year-old. We were recording our song until I stopped singing and strumming the guitar because I was startled when my vision turned black and white. I was about to walk out of the studio room when Zack and Daniel gripped my both shoulders. It was a coincidence that Chase accidentally touched Daniel’s back and we four appeared in the middle of the woods in the year 1466. They thought that it was a joke at first. They started calling out our school mates’ name while wandering around aimlessly, thinking that it was a prank. They finally believed me when I showed them the olden Elopura. I was lucky that they were all wearing clothes that are suitable for the past. All they had to do was to remove their phones and watches. Chase had to change his jeans into the pants I stole from a random house. Two days later, I finally brought them all home. Gabriella, who was also in the studio, was shocked to see that our clothes suddenly change in seconds.

            I finally made it to the castle where Princess Lia was waiting for me by the balcony of her chambers.

            “Where have you been, Anthony?” she asks.

            “Can’t a man have his privacy, Lia?” I answer her, looking up to see her grin.

            My real adventure began when I was twelve when I stumble upon two men dragging a small girl into the forest. I could tell that she was in danger. I struck two rocks that were the size of my fist at the men’s head. They were knocked out instantly. The little girl whimpered at the two men lying unconsciously on the ground.

            Without wasting anymore time, I pulled her by her arm out of the forest. King Eli and Queen Erica were outside the forest. By the time we reached there, I heard King Eli yelling at his army to find for his daughter. He was silenced by the sight of the girl and me. The queen immediately hugged the little girl as the girl sobbed into her mother’s arms. I bowed at them. It didn’t dawn until now that I saved a princess.

            King Eli glanced at me and asked, “Were you the one who saved my daughter?”

            My shock still hadn’t recovered but I felt my head nod. The royal family of Elopura is right in front of me!

            “Did you know where the kidnappers are?” the king asked again. His voice was filled with power.

            I still couldn’t find my voice so I pointed at where we came from. A few knights bravely entered the forest in the direction I pointed.

            “What is your name, young lad?” Queen Erica asked me. She hovered beside her husband with the princess still hugging her mother.

            “Anthony Johnson,” I answered her in a timid voice. In this century, the Johnson family adopted me so I used their last name.

            “We are grateful for you returning our daughter to us. Would you like to join us for a cup of tea, Anthony?” she asked. A grin stretched across her face.

            My eyes widen in surprise. A queen just asked me to join them for a cup of tea in the castle!

            I bowed at her and replied, “It would be an honor, your majesty. A great honor, in fact.”

            At first it was scary but as time passed, I grew more comfortable with them. The king and queen treated me like a son. They were nothing like what they were described in history books. The king was strict but caring. The queen was by her husband’s side at all times. King Eli offered me to be a knight one day as he thought that I was 16. To be honest, I look older than I really am. I am taught to ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, fight with swords and behave in front of nobles and royals. The training was torturous but I felt like it was worth it. It takes 7 years to become a knight based on the olden Elopurian law but it took me 5 years instead. I was thought to be 21 when I was dubbed by King Eli. In reality, I was 17 when I became a knight.

            Queen Erica however passed away a year after I met her. The kingdom of Elopura mourned for the lost of their queen for months. Rumors spread in Tigris that evil possessed her as she lost her life fighting it. Thanks to the modern medical knowledge in my time, it was cancer that killed our beloved queen. Cancer was not known in the 15th century. King Eli constantly locked himself in his chambers where as Lia cried in her chambers. I comforted her for weeks, letting her to cry on my shoulder. After she finally stopped mourning for her deceased mother, she gave me the permission to call her Lia instead of Princess Lia.

Lia is my best friend in the past. At first we despised each other. In my point of view, she was a spoilt brat. To her, I am an annoying knight. I was to protect the princess at all costs. King Eli trusted me to be the one to keep his only daughter alive. Eventually, we started talking and confide in each other. I’m not only her protector, but also her friend. I kept almost everything a secret from Lia which makes me guilty.

            “Your definition of privacy is having fun with the single ladies and abusing your title,” she says teasingly.

            I glare at her. She giggles at her own joke.

            “Come on, Sir Anthony Johnson. Father is awaiting your presence.

            I mock a bow. “As you wish, your highness.”

            Now it is her turn to scowl at me. I stifle a chuckle and enter the castle. The castle is huge and confusing. There are so many rooms, each for a purpose. Portraits of previous kings and queens of Elopura are displayed practically every where in the castle. The biggest portrait is the one in the dining area which is the portrait of a young King Eli. If I wasn’t used to this place, I would have been lost countless times. The slaves in the castle bow at me. I nod in acknowledgement at them. I walk up a flight of stairs to the King’s chambers. Lia stand impatiently outside of the King’s chambers.

            “Sir Anthony has finally graced us with his presence,” Lia says sarcastically.

I blow kisses to an invisible crowd behind us. “Thank you! I have never felt so honored!”

Lia rolls her eyes and knocks on the door.

“Enter,” the king’s voice says.

Both of us let ourselves in. King Eli is sitting on a very fancy looking chair, looking stressed and exhausted. The King’s chamber has a marble floor and golden colored walls. Queen Erica’s portrait is displayed at the wall behind the king. She looked like Mona Lisa with a secret smile played on her lips which creeps me. Lia and King Eli didn’t seem to mind the queen’s portrait.

Lia curtsies as I bow at him. King Eli gesture us to sit at the vacant seat opposite him and his messy yet fancy desk.

“We might go to war,” King Eli announce once we are both seated.

“War?” Lia asks. Her playfulness disappears as the queen in her takes her place.

I’m not surprised at all. I know the history of Elopura which is why I’m smarter than Gabriella at this subject. The king of the neighboring country, Visis and Elopura nearly go to war. The main reason was because the king of Visis’ son proposed to Lia but she rejected. In fact, she rejected all marriage proposes. King Eli didn’t seem to mind. When I asked her why, she simply told me that she was waiting for ‘the one’. Elopura and Visis were constantly at battle; never war though. Based on Elopurian history books in my time, King Eli will make a treaty with Visian king in two years time from now. The two kingdoms will grow closer over the years until my time.

“Yes, war,” King Eli says, pulling my attention back into reality.

“What are we to do, father?” Lia asks. Her face shows determination and concern for her people. It makes me proud to see that she always think for her country even though citizens at this time suffer a lot. Once, the band and I Googled her out of curiosity. The picture of her in Google was when she was much older, maybe in her forties. The band teased me about protecting an older woman. It is stated on Google that she is one of the best queen Elopura has ever had. The citizens have a better life and everyone respects her. Some even claimed that she has magic, which made me snort in laughter. However, her death was mysteriously unknown.

The band even Googled me as Sir Anthony Johnson. They had a good laugh after setting their eyes on the picture that is supposed to be me. The man in the picture looks like an older version of me. Luckily, I didn’t keep a mustache or a beard or else the band would have died of laughter. Based on Google, I’m Lia’s most trusted knight. I even saved her from many assassinations. When Chase read out this, my eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets at how much I’m going to do for the royal family. My death is also a mystery.  

King Eli glances at both of us while stroking his long beard. “I have received news that a few Visian trespassers were spotted at the border before dawn. It is wise to start training our army for a possible war.”

“I couldn’t agree more, father. Perhaps you can put Sir Riddick in charge of the army,” Lia adds.

Sir Riddick was one of the mightiest knights ever known in Elopurian history. He had saved King Eli from death many times. He has grey hair out of age and battle scars covering his entire face. I heard that he was hot tempered but loyal to the king at all times. I never met him in person and I have no plans to do so.

King Eli nods and beams in pride at his daughter’s brilliancy. “He shall train our men in the north, hidden in the woods. Anthony,” he orders.

I immediately stand up. “Yes, your majesty?”

“Bring Sir Riddick to me.”

I bow again and bolt out of the King’s chambers. My plan to avoid Sir Riddick is thrown out of the window. I run to a bar not far from the castle, where I know he will always be there.

I find Sir Riddick dancing with a girl so much younger than him. This is the 15th century after all.

“Sir Riddick?” I call out.

He glares at me but still dancing with the girl. “What?” he snarls.

Anger fills in me. How dare he get angry at me before I can blurt out a word? I struggle to contain my rage and remind myself that it is in his nature.

“King Eli requests your presence,” I manage to say through my gritted teeth.

He stops dancing at the mention of King Eli. He nods and follows me to the castle which is merely a few minutes walk. I feel the urge to strangle Sir Riddick ease.

I left Sir Riddick by the door to King’s chambers and enter my own chamber. I have my very own chamber in the castle situated not far from Lia’s. It there is an emergency, it would have been easy to reach her. It isn’t a surprise to see Lia in my chamber.

She is looking at a children’s drawing of the Johnson’s family drawn by May Johnson. Lia looks at my direction and smiles.

“What shall we do today?” she asks, thoughts of war forgotten.

I shrug, letting her to decide. My small leather bag containing my things from the present is still strapped to me so I throw it on the bed. I sit at the foot of the bed while I watch Lia who is deep in thought when she abruptly snaps her fingers with a grin stretching over her face. “Let’s catch the cow that jumps over the moon and sell it to the market. What do you have in say?”

She sounds so determined that I bark a laugh until tears form in my eyes. She looks at me in amusement.

“I never thought knights cry,” she states as she leans over and pinch my cheeks like an old lady pinching a five-year-old boy.

Irritated, I slap her hands away. A scowl forms on my face.

 “What do you expect? That cow is myth and you make it sound so real, of course I would laugh!”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “You thought I am that shallow-minded? I am offended!”

I roll my eyes at her. “What shall we do today?” I repeat her question so she wouldn’t continue our bickering.

Without a warning, she pulls me out of my chambers. I am quick enough to reach for my sword before she starts dragging me again. This sword has been given to me by Queen Erica before she passed away. She once told me that it was made by a famous Elopurian armourer. I always carry my sword every where except to the past.

“Let’s go for a ride!” she exclaims in excitement. I chuckle at her. I might travel back to my time in a few days time so I didn’t have to worry about bringing a horse to my school.

We reach the stables within minutes if it isn’t seconds. A young stableman bows at us.

“Hello, Levi,” Lia greets him. Her voice is as soft as Queen Erica’s.

“Good morning, your majesty, Sir Anthony. I assume that you would like to go for a ride in this fine morning,” Levi says.

“You assume correctly, Levi,” I assure him. The stableman runs in to retrieve our horses, leaving the both of us alone outside.

“Do you still want to catch this imaginary cow of yours, Lia?” I tease.

“No. I have better things in mind.”

 I know what is exactly on her mind. We have this link to each other since we are very close. We could be twins, in fact!

Levi returns with two horses. Mine is a stallion named Rider. Lia’s mare is called Fely. I stroke Rider’s long nose gently as he nuzzles in my hand.

I didn’t realize that Levi has already saddled the horses.

“Thank you, Levi,” Lia says gratefully.

“You are welcome, your highness. If you don’t mind, I have a lot of things to do and . . .” Levi stutters, unsure of how to continue his sentence.

“Please do not let us stop you from doing your job. We shall get going now,” Lia says.

“Thank you, your highness, Sir Anthony. I do hope you have a pleasant day!” With that, Levi rushes into the stables to do more work.

We mount our horses and ride into the woods behind the castle. We know our way around the forest so we wouldn’t get lost. We enjoy the ride as mush as the horses are. Lia and I are joking around when it is time for lunch. Luckily for us, we find berries and apples in the area. We laugh and enjoy each other’s company until the sky turns bright red.

“You should get back to the castle,” Lia states grimly. Her mood change quickly. She got off Fely and hands me the rope tied to Fely’s neck.

“What about you?” I ask worriedly.

“Remember the King’s orders. I’ll be fine. Go.” She walks deep into the forest until she disappears. I sigh, clenching the rope in my fist. The king orders me to watch out for Lia with certain terms. He told me to leave Lia alone in the woods at night. I have no idea why but I did what I was told. After 5 years of service, I still hadn’t had a clue.

            I ride Rider back to the stable and hand the horses to Levi. The grey castle at night looks like Dracula’s lair. Statues of previous kings and queens in the green garden make the surrounding look haunted. Cold wind blows against my bare skin bringing chills behind my spine. Moonlight is the brightest light shining in the sky since no stars are visible. It looks like it is going to rain.

            I enter the castle with a sigh of relief. Fatigue overcomes my system as soon as I take a step in. I walk to my chambers, walking past Lia’s and throw myself at the comfort of my bed.

            Before I sleep, I manage to remind myself that I have to visit the Johnson’s first thing in the morning.