Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1: WORDS OF THE WISE
The light shone through the windows of the castle as the curtains were drawn. The sun was bright and yet the morning was chilly. Waves were heard crashing the walls of the main tower. From far and beyond, the water was calm. Princess Aurelis had just woken up and was peering through the windows. she heard low voices of children playing in the far street and vendors going about their daily business. Every morning, princess Aurelis would look out the window and admire the men practicing their swords on the grounds by the sea.
She particularly had eyes for the baker’s son. He was not a royal, but she admired his courage to join the army. His parents were not lords, his ancestors were not knights but his bravery was commendable. He was able to wield a sword at only 16 years of age. His hands were swift and his body powerful. Practice swords were heavier compared to real ones. Although she did not know his name, she was content to just look at him and admire his charm. She called him her knight in shining amour.
“You are staring again Aurelis” Valeria said, as she handed the princess a head scarf. Valeria was Aurelis’ maid servant and best friend. They practically lived together since her mother worked in the palace kitchen. “I can’t help it vee, I love him.” Aurelis hissed. “You can’t love someone when you do not know their name.” Valeria said as she peeked through another window next to Aurelis. “You should just ask for his name am sure you knight will gladly give it to you” she was right. Aurelis had been talking to the boy for almost three years ever since he joined her brother’s troop. It haunted her every day that she did not know the boy’s name.
Aurelis flipped the head scarf and wrapped it around her head, leaving her face to shine brighter than the lilac cloth. She was beautiful. Her blue eyes had an aura to them. Her cheek bones outlined her face. Her facial features were sung wide and far, and she had suitors knocking on her door every day to claim her. She was reluctant to accept a hand in marriage from every fellow that came. As long as it wasn’t the baker’s son, Aurelis gave them every reason to not like her. she paused for a minute before asking, “and say what vee? hey, I have been talking to you and I do not know your name.” Valaria chuckled, “or you could just ask Neonia”
Valeria’s eyes brightened and she smiled as she thought of Neonia. She was in love with him for as long as she could remember. It was a pity he was out of reach. He was the crown prince of Darkaria, and every girl, woman and lady, commoner or royal wanted to be with him. She thought of him kissing her, caressing her, rubbing his hands around her back and taking her for himself. Valeria often dreamt of Neonia. She would wake up at night and think he was sitting beside her. She wanted so much her dreams to be true but she knew they wouldn’t be.
Her thoughts were distracted and her moods changed suddenly. ” You are in love with my brother? so you understand why he can never know I love his subordinate.” Aurelis sighed.
The expression on her face was hard to read at first, but Aurelis figured it out eventually. Valeria was mad at her. she had broken the most important promise she made to her best friend by reading her mind. Every thought, every feeling was projected onto Aurelis’ mind. Aurelis was a mind reader and she had vowed to never read Valeria’s thoughts without consent.
In Darkaria, the royals were gifted with abilities, each passed down from the parents. Aurelis had inherited one of her mother’s gifts, the ability to subject one’s mind to giving out its thoughts voluntarily. She had hated her gift more than anything because she wanted to be a riser. Female risers were able to make plants grow, animals reproduce and flowers blossom by just a single touch. She wanted to give life, she wanted to be as powerful as her mother was.
Her gift tortured her. She had to carry people’s secrets with her every single day. She felt their suffering. She heard the distraught in their minds and that taunted her at night. There was nothing she could do about it.
“My apologies vee, I cannot...” Aurelis’ apology was interrupted by Valeria's outburst, “Do not say it, do not say you cannot control your abilities because that is what you practice every single day in the base chambers. You vowed to me, you said you wouldn’t” Valeria burst out crying. Her secret was exposed and there was nothing she could do to hide her unrequited love. There was pain in her voice. she ran out of the room, leaving Aurelis calling out to her.
The princess wanted to go after her, make sure Valeria was okay, but she held out because she knew Valeria wanted time alone. Princess Aurelis was disappointed that Valeria did not trust her enough to tell her that she loved Neonia. They had gone through so much together. She did not understand why Valeria would not tell her something as important that.
Down by the training grounds, Aurelia could see Neonia and the baker’s boy practice their swordsmanship. Neonia was the best fighter the kingdom had, and he easily overworked his troop without realizing it. Aurelis left her room to save the troop before Neonia could kill them.
Darkaria was the safest kingdom in the entire realm, and walking down its streets, Aurelis felt safe. She watched as children played by the sand and women washing by the sea side outside the city. The people of Darkaria, young and old greeted her and she greeted them back. She was a humble princess and the citizens loved her. If only they did not have to bow to her. She was a royal, but some of the rules people had to follow were absurd to her. Like covering their hair, and hands, and every other part of the body except the face felt low to her. Women are beautiful, they are supposed to show their beauty as much as they want, not cover it up.
When she approached the training grounds, the knights and all the recruits bowed to her as she found Neonia among them. “Greetings my lord,” she said with a smirk building on her lips. Neonia chuckled. He and Aurelis were pretty close and they often joked about their tittles. ” Greetings my lady, what brings you to the training grounds my lady?” asked Dorian, the baker’s son. “Greetings to you knight of Darkaria, “voiced Aurelis. Neonia was smiling watching his sister great the boy she loved. Yes, he knew. The two were pretty obvious even though they tried really hard to hide each other’s feelings.
Dorian’s eyes shone brighter as the princess called her a knight. ” Apologies my lady, but I am not a knight of Darkaria. I am merely a baker’s son recruited to join the knighthood. I do not think am capable of being a great knight.” The princess admired his will to respond to her greetings. She was lost in his words; his dark brown eyes pierced her heart. She was in love with the boy. “yet” said the princess. she looked at Dorian who seemed to not understand her. “You are not a knight yet” she told him. Dorian wore a huge grin on his face. Neonia suppressed a laugh but his chuckle interrupted their conversation.
Neonia dismissed the army and walked his sister back to the castle. “You know you tend to forget I am a light giver.” Neonia said as he splashed water on Aurelis. They always played by the sea every morning when she visited him on the training ground. ” What do you mean, I know you are a lighter giver. Just like father.” said Aurelis. “What I mean is that I see your lights. You and Dorian, you love each other. It is really powerful if you think about it. I ever never seen such beautiful lights before. Not even from married couples. Not even from mother and father.”
She figured it out. His name was Dorian. ” Dorian, what a beautiful name he has.” she said this out loud. “You did not know is name?” Neonia could not hold his laughter. ” You have been seeing him for two years and you do not know his name? may the gods have mercy on you princess Aurelis.” She was over joyed to know his name. She wanted to tell Valeria right away, but as she thought about her, worry filled her. If Neonia knew about she and Dorian, that meant he also saw the lights from Valeria. Neonia noticed the worry in her, and immediately changed the conversation.
“Speaking of father, do you plan to see him before the feast tonight?” Neonia asked. ” I do not want to hear him explain the prophecy anymore Neonia.” she replied. “How does it go again?” Aurelis questioned. The great prophecy was the only thing their father told them every single day since they were young. It was seen by the last seer of the sea lands, and it was his dying words. The words of the seer were passed down to over twenty-four reigning kings and their kinsmen. More than 200 years since, and the prophecy has never come to pass.
“For the kingdom of Darkaria, A great king will fall by the hand of a kinsman. The great darkness will befall the lands. The union of the royals will cause the vast war of the realm. A love will be lost and a love will be found. A mother will mourn for a loss, a father long gone. He who fills the light will bid farewell for great a quest, to explore the world beyond the waters.” sighed Neonia. “I do not get why father thinks he will die. The prophecy is over 200 years old Neonia. Darkaria is safe, nothing will happen to us.” retorted Aurelis. “Do not ignore the words of the wise.” Neonia said as they entered the gates of the city.
