PROPHECY - CHAPTER 1
When the flames give way
To a pristine, snowy shroud,
And the earliest kisses of dawn's ray
Caress the heavens' mirrored cloud,
Two new souls will be endowed.
A splendid crimson phoenix takes flight,
A lone wolf carries his tribe's plight.
The hour will come; destiny's decree,
When the king meets his mirrored plea.
Two souls entwined, in anger and divide,
From worlds apart, yet side by side.
The promise of a fresh dawn gleams,
If five unite, fulfilling their dreams.
The Phoenix and the Wolf shall tread,
On a common path, where fate's thread.
The Spear's might and its fiery glow,
Their destiny might save, but beware the false hero...
There are people willing to do anything to get what they want. Or at least, that's what I thought.
Night had fallen, the walls had been raised, and in the shadows of an old oak tree, a young woman hid to avoid being captured. She had to be quick. Silent. But above all, she had to avoid being discovered, or she would pay the consequences.
Her back and feet throbbed with pain with every movement, but nothing would stop her from escaping that night. The flames along the path could be her greatest enemy. The faint moonlight, her ally to guide her in the darkness. In the distance, the young woman heard the guards; their footsteps on the stones were distinctive. They were already looking for her - she didn't have much time left.
The sentinels were about to change their posts, and that was when she would run, climb, and jump for her life. Any danger outside felt smaller than the one now snapping at her heels.
'Nora, where are you?', she kept remembering it... hearing him. That voice resonated in her head. She couldn't believe he betrayed her like that. Her mentor, her protector... She would devise a plan, a way to avenge herself. He would pay dearly for his betrayal - of that, she was sure.
Curfew always left the streets calm. The breeze carried with it the scent of the forest outside the wall: flowers, trees, water... her freedom. But she wouldn't savor it unless she focused. Everything was going according to plan so far, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down. She no longer had the energy to enchant another person, and right at that moment, a shadow took her hand by surprise and covered her mouth just in time to prevent her from startling.
"Easy, Nora, it's me." She would recognize that soft voice anywhere. "I'll let go now."
The young woman nodded.
"Rax, what the hell are you doing here? If they see you with me, they'll lock you up."
"I should've never let them take you in the first place. I'm coming with you," Rax declared.
"No, I won't allow it"—Nora added, stopping the young man's impulse by placing her hand on his chest—"you have a life here. Mine ended a year ago. I have nothing left."
The tall, athletic young man she remembered had been replaced by someone slightly bulkier, with more prominent pectorals from what she could tell beneath her palm, and his voice had a deeper tone than the one she remembered.
"I'm here. And I'm going with you," he emphasized.
"Rax—"
"No stopping me; I'm going."
Rax's intentions were clear, and Nora knew he wouldn't let her go. But she knew the promising future that awaited him in the village, and she knew that if he left with her, that future might very well end that very night. Besides, she considered him a friend, but she didn't want him like he wanted her. And as sad as it was, she had spent a year locked up, longing for her freedom, and she wouldn't let Rax stand in her way, delay her, or, because of him, be found before she even left the village.
"All right, fine"—Nora began, wanting to end this situation—"I need your help. We have to jump the wall, but first, we need to know where we're going. The governor has maps of the known paths. We can't leave without seeing them first. With that, we'll know which routes to avoid and how far they'll chase us."
"I don't know, I think we should go now."
"I won't leave without those maps," she was firm, and Rax knew it.
"Fine, let's go, and—"
"No," she interrupted him. "No, I'll steal some supplies. You go get the maps. We'll meet here in 15 minutes.
Rax had known Nora forever, but a year locked up could have changed her. He had no choice but to trust her, and worried, he let her go and headed toward a room that was impossible to penetrate, which Nora already knew.
She then saw, for the last time, the back of her childhood friend as she prayed that one day he would forgive her for this deception.
Fortunately, the guard arrived just in time for the shift change, and it was then that the strong, athletic young woman emerged from her hiding place and ran. She ran across the small garden as stealthily as possible, climbed the stairs to the tower, and reached the top.
Just then, one of the sentries caught sight of her in the light of the flames: a person, dressed in a black cloak with a few strands of red hair peeking out from under the hood. From her height, a woman; that woman. Anyone would recognize her anywhere, and she shouldn't be there, so he immediately sounded the alarm - a sharp, penetrating, and extremely annoying sound, according to her.
"Damn it..."
It was now or never. She knew they would catch her unless she jumped. And she did. Into a world totally and utterly unknown to her. A world that, according to the stories, consumed any human who ventured into it.
What people do to stay alive...
Many kilometers away, deep in the forest, fairies, elves, and other creatures danced in the Stone Circle, celebrating the arrival of their guest. Varlan had returned to the Forest of Aliehs, and all its creatures were celebrating him in style. Varlan, the Faun - protector of the forest creatures, and the one who had direct contact with the Elementals, their deities. Varlan, who was also known for his beauty, wisdom as well as mischief, and his frequent encounters with females of almost any species, or so the rumors said.
Several nymphs, fairies, and elves had tried to get his attention throughout the evening, but it wasn't until he heard her voice that he was momentarily stunned.
"I see you decorated your horns again."
Varlan smiled to himself... he had missed Alheli's voice.
"Only for you, my queen," he said, turning toward that voice and theatrically bowing in greeting. Queen Alheli always smiled the same way when he called her that, something he was perfectly aware of, and took every chance to catch a glimpse of those lips, usually serious, forming such a succulent curve.
"Oh, come on, Varlan; we both know I'm not your queen. But I do like this new look," she assured him.
"Thanks. For some reason, I feel like we've had this conversation before—"
"Indeed." With that, the queen concluded their conversation, as she knew someone might misinterpret their innocent wordplay. Varlan had been her great friend and confidant since before she was married, and certain memories fluttered in her mind, although they were soon interrupted by him.
"I was wondering... where's the heir and future king?"
The queen looked at him with that raised eyebrow that drove him crazy.
"Clearly not here. He appreciates you, Varlan, but my son is still reluctant to take the throne. He doesn't think he's ready, and his father's decision to offer himself to Ether... well, it wasn't easy for him. Add to that the fact that all the mothers of the Court expect their daughters to catch his attention during any gathering or party..." The queen saw through what her friend was really asking through his silence and waited a second longer before sighing and answering. "I guess he must be at the lake. Tomorrow will be five years..."
Varlan took the queen's hand and briefly bid her farewell with a kiss on her knuckles as he disappeared into the crowd, taking advantage of the guests' inebriation, not knowing that the queen's eyes were the only ones following him as he vanished into the darkness of the forest.
The night was calm. In the distance, Garrett could hear the laughter and music from the party and knew what they meant: Varlan had arrived.
He knew he should be there to welcome him, but just the thought of the suffocation he felt with all those questions and looks on him made his head spin.
'When are you taking the throne?' 'You know you should choose a queen as soon as possible...' 'We have great hope in you.' 'Your father trusts you.'...
"Tomorrow will be five years since you left, Father," he said, looking up at the tree's canopy that had started to bloom a day after the king offered his life to Ether. Everyone saw it as a sign — a sign that his father had been a conduit to finally give life to the tree, which had never bloomed a single bud.
The Ashrot, named in honor of the late king, stood solitary on a patch of land at the foot of Elfir Lake. It had always been a majestic tree, but when the red flowers began to fill its branches and illuminate the area with their warm and soft color, Garrett had found in it a place to escape: peaceful, desolate, and yet, full of life.
His thoughts wandered aimlessly when he heard the rustling of branches behind him. Garrett turned with his sword in his hand, ready to defend himself against anyone or anything that dared to ambush him in that place, when in the shadows, he saw the gleam of purple eyes, he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Elementals! Varlan, I could have hurt you!"
"My young prince, I wouldn't want to be the one hurting your pride, but even drunk and taking me by surprise, I doubt you could have won that battle."
"How funny." Obviously sarcastic.
They fell into silence, widening their smiles, approaching each other, and clasping their forearms first before sharing a fraternal embrace. It had been years since the prince had seen his friend and mentor.
Varlan's hooves always gave him a height that was hard to surpass, but the faun was surprised to realize the prince was about to catch up.
"So, were you able to clear your mind here?" the faun asked, somewhat concerned for his pupil.
"You know I did, even if only for a few moments. My mother already wants me to take the throne, but something tells me you've already heard that," the young elf surmised.
"You know I've known your mother longer than I'd like to admit, so don't take it the wrong way; she's just worried. But the question here is, what do you want? What are you waiting for?"
Varlan observed the prince fall into an unexpected momentary surprise at this question. Garrett had always found solace in Varlan's words, but no one had ever asked him that before, which left him in deep thought.
"I don't feel like it's the right time, yet. Do you remember the stories you used to tell me as a kid?" Varlan only felt a slight pang, reflected in his gaze and ram-like ears, but Garrett knew something was wrong immediately. "Varlan? What is it?"
The faun took a moment to look back in the direction of the grove he had walked through a few minutes earlier.
"There's movement in the forest; more than usual."
"Where?" Garrett asked, already irritated by the answer he sensed Varlan would give.
Varlan sighed before replying. He knew that this night would be very long, and Garrett wouldn't like the idea at all...
"Near the human village."
Garrett clenched his jaw. Damn humans. They can't even leave us alone for one night. Surely one of their hunters got stranded or lost his weapons, and his cries for help summoned larger creatures. Let's hope that's the case, but if not... Garrett's thoughts fell silent as he feared that someone from his own people might be in danger. This led him to respond as calmly as possible.
"I'll go with you."—while Garrett responded, a chilling roar pierced the air, causing both of them to look at each other in horror.
Varlan summoned his cane from the ground, and the prince prepared his sword, both ready to fight and defend their people if necessary.
Varlan and Garrett ventured into the depths of the forest, unaware that one of the beautiful red flowers had fallen from the Ashrot's canopy, while the wind made it dance 'til it touched the reflection of the water.
