Chapter 15: A Candle's Flame

Brighton and Ronin walked into the candlemaker's home, hoping and anticipating having all their problems resolved. Most of the house were made of wood, with many handcrafted furniture displayed everywhere. There were bookcases next to the fireplace filled to completion, and a dusty, tattered green couch sat across with papers and books scattered about. An old wooden rocking chair was positioned near three small stained-glass windows. On the ledge of each window sat a mysterious candle whose flame never burned out. The floor was wood, and long branches crisscrossed high into the sky became walking paths and balconies.

Strangely, an unknown bright light illuminated a small chamber on the first floor. The entire tree house was filled with mystery, and many exotic plants were potted throughout. Brighton heard the candlemaker rattling around in what he presumed to be the kitchen; a sweet and savory aroma infiltrated the room nearby.

Hearing footsteps across his living room, the candlemaker walked over to the living room and said: "Come in, come in. I have been waiting for you for a very long time."

Brighton and Ronin looked at each other and walked into the kitchen. They looked throughout the room as the candlemaker kept talking: "Go on, please, sit down. I have made hot tea and soup for you."

Brighton looked around the kitchen and saw no one. He stuttered as he said aloud: "Greetings, I am Brighton the King of Candleberry and with me is my trusted military commander Ronin…but…uh, where are you?" Brighton asked.

"I am down here. You really must be more aware of your surroundings." The candlemaker replied.

Brighton looked down in shock. He saw a miniature, skinny little man. The man had a white beard and giant black glasses that magnified his bright green eyes. He wore a worn-out, patched brown coat, oversized orange pants, and old brown boots. The candlemaker smiled and pushed a step stool against the chair on the table as he sat down to look at Brighton face-to-face. Then, he walked across the table to hand the king a cup of coffee.

"Greetings Your Majesty. I am Mr. Flint, the candlemaker that you have reluctantly sought after. Oh!" Mr. Flint said, shocked. "But it appears that the King of Candleberry has still not learned to triumph over his own darkness…"

Mr. Flint went right into Brighton's face and stared into his eyes. With half of Brighton's face shadowy and dark with a glowing eye and the other representing what was left of his humanity, Mr. Flint sighed with sorrow; "Oh it's never too late…never too late, a flicker is all we need."

But anger boiled up inside of Brighton.

"You…you…you! You were the traveler who told me you knew where the candlemaker was! This whole entire time, I went on this journey and nearly got myself killed for a tiny old man who ventured to my kingdom all to tell me that this is where you live?" Brighton shouted as he pulled Mr. Flint's coat towards him.

"Brighton! Let Mr. Flint go you are going to break the man in half! We need his light!" Ronin said as he covered the cut on his side.

"Easy there your majesty, I am only here to help you find the light." Mr. Flint said nervously. "And a small flicker is all you need to start a spark and light the flame from within."

Brighton pushed him down and said: "Fine, then you will make candles for my kingdom…RIGHT?"

Mr. Flint hesitated, then replied with a smirk, "Well…uh…no."

Ronin and Brighton gasped aloud: "What!" Ronin furiously grabbed Mr. Flint, shook him, and yelled, "What do you mean no! Two troops have been lost trying to get to you, and now you are saying no. I should snuff out your light right now!"

"Do it!" Brighton shouted as his eyes started to flicker to a golden glow.

"Wait! There will be no light snuffing today. Besides its impossible to snuff out a light that never fades. Let me explain! Put me down!" Mr. Flint gasped with the bit of air he had left.

Ronin set him down and let him go, and Mr. Flint dusted himself off, ran across the table nervously, and sat down facing the king. He continued staring into Brighton's eyes with sorrow as he sighed: "Brighton, the struggle between light and dark is real. You have seen it for yourself, and I have seen you," Mr. Flint replied. He then walked over to the candles in the room and blew them all out except one. Mr. Flint approached Brighton, brought it to his face, and whispered: "But just a little light can penetrate even the darkest places." 

Ronin replied hopelessly, his hands thrown in the air. "Why do you speak in these analogies? Just tell us straight! Are you going to help us or not! Why do you even live out here? It's dark and creepy! You chose the dark forest out of all the places you could have lived. Why didn't you just move to Candleberry? You wouldn't have been out of a job, and you would have been surrounded by people full of light.

"Hmm. Interesting. You sure do ask a lot of questions you know. But questions are good! But only if you can answer them yourself. Why do you live where you live and choose what you choose? I live in the darkest of places to bring the light of hope to a place that needs it. I choose to live in the light. Brighton, what do you choose? You cannot be in the light and be filled with the dark." Mr. Flint said.

"We are here because we need light! Are you even listening to me!" Ronin replied, exasperated.

"What are you saying? How dare you question me." Brighton said arrogantly.

"Question you? I would never. But question yourself, yes you should. I used to work for a kingdom much like yours. Known for its radiance and beauty, Obsidian Province was a powerhouse of light. But the kingdom fell and was cursed into darkness when everyone became consumed by their own inner darkness. Their dark wicked ways morphed them into the Shadow Goons, they are cursed into eternal darkness and cannot not step out into light—but it is not entirely hopeless for them. They could still be saved." Mr. Flint answered with his eyes welled up in tears.

"What makes you think you can even save those wicked beings? They are long gone. Let us take you back to Candleberry and I will send our entire military to destroy these creatures of darkness." Ronin announced boldly.

"No, don't do that." Mr. Flint said while motioning his hands up and down. "You may think they are long gone, but no one is. Not all of them know they have a choice in the matter. They have been deceived by their dark ruler. They can only break their curse by turning from their darkness and choosing to walk in the light. When they are exposed by my candles and are repentant, they break The Deceiver's curse on them. But they will die if they are unrepentant and come near the light."

Brighton and Ronin looked at him, puzzled. "What does that have to do with us?" Brighton snarled as he slammed his hand down on the table, shaking the bookshelf nearby. Mr. Flint gasped as he leaped towards the floor, trying to catch a picture falling from the shelf. But his attempt failed, and he began to cry as he picked up the fragmented glass. It appeared to be a picture of a young boy.

"We are no goons!" Ronin huffed.

"No, you certainly are not. But you both act like the Shadow Goons." Mr. Flint nodded, wiping the tears from his face and collecting the shattered pieces.

"Just leave it. I can buy you ten more. Now back to my candles…" Brighton said hastily.

"Of course, your majesty, it is all about you after all." Mr. Flint replied.

"Will you save Candleberry or not?" Brighton grumbled.

"I cannot save Candleberry. We all have a light within us. It is our choice if we light the flame or if we allow the darkness to consume us. We all have hope in the one who carries the light." Mr. Flint stated.

"None of this makes sense! How is it that I have not heard about this other kingdom! Candleberry has existed for generations. Now you are telling me that this other kingdom is controlled by a magical dark ruler?" Brighton angrily shouted, confused.

"With all due respect your majesty, but it was I who had to reach out to you to get your attention. You may not have known about Obsidian Province, but their dark ruler, is keenly aware of Candleberry. Their ruler, The Deceiver holding dark magical powers put a curse on the entire world. Anyone who becomes corrupted and deceived by their own inner wickedness transforms into the Shadow Goons. The Shadow Goons do not realize it, but they are merely prisoners and pawns for the Kingdom of Darkness. The longer they stay as a Shadow Goon, the harder their heart becomes making it nearly impossible for the goons to break the curse within them. I will only make candles for you under one condition," Mr. Flint responded.

"What is your request?" Brighton questioned.

"I will only make candles for your kingdom if you continue to allow me to reach those who are lost. Not all the Shadow Goons know they can break their curse by repenting. I understand that you are probably going to go to war with them. But please, give them all a chance to change. Most of them will probably stay in darkness, but that does not mean some won't." Mr. Flint said.

"Are you suggesting that some are too long gone to be saved? What does that make of me?" Brighton sniffled.

"Why no, not at all." Mr. Flint reassured with tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't become so hopeless that you think you cannot be saved. Turn to the light while you can, don't let the darkness overtake you. People who live in the dark cannot see. Choose to walk in the light and the darkness within you will slowly but surely disperse within you."

As Brighton and Ronin pondered what Mr. Flint had said, he jumped off his chair and walked into the living room.

"Come on Ronin, you can rest of my couch while I get you some bandages." Mr. Flint sighed.

Ronin graciously followed as Mr. Flint helped put bandages on Ronin's side while Brighton sat by the table in the candlemaker's kitchen and pondered silently. Brighton stared off at the candle that stood by the small window with its gentle flames dancing in the home. Brighton then removed one of his gloves and saw the dark matter, but slowly and surely, it faded away. Brighton and Ronin rested in the candlemaker's home for the rest of the day. After resting, Brighton got up and privately talked to Mr. Flint.

"Mr. Flint, I would like to accept your offer. If you make candles for Candleberry, I will allow you to try to reach the Shadow Goons. But at some point, I will need to defeat them. Obsidian Province is a threat to Candleberry." Brighton said boldly.

Mr. Flint smiled as he handed Brighton one of his candles. He then woke up Ronin, and the king and the commander stood beside each other as Mr. Flint spoke.

"Brighton, King of the Kingdom of Light. I bestow upon you one of my burning candles. I have promised you that I have found a light that never burns out, and I stand before the light that will save Candleberry. But it is not the light you are holding but rather the light inside of you. You are the light that radiates out into the world shining like a beacon of hope. None of you need candles, you are the light if you choose to be filled with it." Mr. Flint announced. "I want you to both hold the candle in your hands. What do you see in the flame?" Mr. Flint whispered. 

"I see Candleberry, the kingdom is faintly outlined in the flame!" Brighton gasped.

"Good. I will be sending you both home now, but I will come and meet with you again very soon." Mr. Flint sighed.

"What?" Brighton and Ronin both said, perplexed.

Instantly, Mr. Flint blew out the flame on the candle, and Brighton and Ronin blinked and found themselves back at Candleberry. They both gasped in shock as they realized they were no longer at the candlemaker's home. They looked around and saw themselves near the castle gates and the towering castle in front of them. It was officially evening, and the sun began to set over the entire land. Mysteriously, all the villagers were gone, and the streets were completely empty. Shadows were cast around the kingdom, and its world looked strangely dim. Dark beings wandered in the shadows, and all the candles in the kingdom were gone. 

However, as Brighton looked above at one of the castle windows, he saw a girl wearing a shimmering dress that sparkled in the darkness. She was holding a candle in her hands and looked out the window, staring back at Brighton. Mysteriously, there was a soft golden glow in the girl's eyes.

"Is that Emberlyn?" Brighton asked Ronin.

As they both gazed at the mysterious girl, she drew the golden curtains beside the windows closed, and the castle gates eerily opened. As the sun continued to set, more dark beings roamed the darkness, and Brighton and Ronin quickly ran into the castle. The hallways were pitch black, and the entire castle was empty. A chilling breeze overtook the atmosphere as the door behind them slammed closed. 

A great hush came over the castle with haunting whispers and strange noises. All the candles hung throughout the castle were melted and burned out. When they both looked up at the golden staircase, they could see a glowing light moving towards it from the dark hallway. The sounds of high heels moving along the hallway above the staircase caused great anticipation and expectancy. 

When they saw Emberlyn atop the staircase, she walked down the stairs with her shimmering white dress shining in the darkness. However, something was off about Emberlyn as she came and quickly embraced Brighton and Ronin. It was as though Emberlyn knew that they would return to Candleberry today.

"Brighton, Ronin, you are back!" Emberlyn beamed with joy. "We have all been waiting for your return, please right this way."

"What happened, why is everything so dark?" Ronin questioned.

"Yes, the candle supply drastically declined, and we are officially out but you came back with the candlemaker, how exiting! May I see him, I would love to thank him personally for saving the kingdom." Emberlyn grinned.

"Uhm, yeah about that. We did not bring back the candlemaker." Brighton stuttered.

"Oh, how sad," Emberlyn replied, faking a sad expression. "Well, we can always figure out a way to wander in darkness…"

"Emberlyn, are you okay?" Brighton asked.

"I have never been better; in fact, let me take you to your throne room, I have made a few adjustments since you were gone. After all a lot can happen within a few months." She smiled.

A dark aura surrounded Emberlyn. Despite her glowing and shimmering appearance, something was shrouding the kingdom with the darkness. As she took them to the throne room, they were shocked to see the room coated with mirrors. All the walls reflected their appearances, and the throne in the center of the room, once made of gold and silver, had morphed into scarlet red and black colors.

Brighton looked around the throne room, expecting it to be the place of security and peace it had always been, with its golden walls and shining lights. Instead, it became a nightmare as the darkness overwhelmed his eyes. His comfort lay in the faint sunset piercing through the windows in the throne room. Eerily, Emberlyn had moved the throne to one of the large shadows in the grand chamber. Looking over at the shadows thrown by the light, he realized that darkness was the absence of light. It was only present when something was blocking the light from shining. The realization of the importance of light in overcoming darkness struck the king's mind. 

"What did you do?" Brighton asked, confused, stopping in his tracks.

Emberlyn turned around and faced Brighton as she pointed at all the mirrors in the room. "I thought it was fitting that our kingdom reflects the heart of the ruler. And you know how much I love mirrors. They always seem to magnify what is inside of us. While some mirrors help show our inner beauty, it takes clarity to understand and pinpoint our greatest flaws. Shall we keep walking? Why don't you both look at yourselves in one of the most exquisite mirrors made by our finest craftsman." Emberlyn smiled wickedly.

When they all walked into the center of the room, Brighton became startled as he saw his reflections in the mirrors. Ronin's pain by his side began to ache, and Emberlyn's eyes transformed into a wicked gold.