Village Of Madiea
“And So The Adventure Begins.”
~A witch named Isabelle
It is early dawn as I walk down the gravel path that leads to the gate of Madiea village. As I pass by the gate I am stopped by one of the guards.
“Halt! Miss Lulana, state your business.” One of the guards says to me.
“Hello Sir Theodore, I was just on my way to the harbor to see if anyone had some work they needed to be done,” I say in the most innocent voice I can muster.
“Is there anyone else living in your cabin with you miss?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You come here unaccompanied every day to look for work, and it is highly unusual for a young woman to be living on her own in this day and age. It must be a struggle to reach ends meet for you.”
I could not believe what I was hearing. The guard standing in front of me was implying I was incapable to care for myself. Sir Theodore was a guard for the village of Madiea, he was about six foot three and had dark skin with black hair. He wore two crests on his mettle breastplate. One looked like a blood-red five-petaled flower and represented the Kingdom of Elips. The second was a silver arrow representing the Village of Madiea.
“What are you suggesting sir Theodore?”
“I mean no offense, miss Lulana. I know it is rather difficult for women to find work around here and I happen to have a nephew that has just had his seventeenth birthday and he is looking for his first wife. If you are interested I’m sure he can take rather good-”
“I apologize sir Theodore, but I am not looking for a husband right now,” I say, with my fists balling up out of anger. “If you will excuse me, I should be getting to the harbor now.” I give a small smile that I hope looks more natural than it feels.
Before he had a chance to respond I walked past the gate and started my rote to the harbor. I took some deep breaths and tried to calm myself after that encounter. My breathing was not working and I felt the ground beneath my feet start to shake ever so slightly. It was hardly noticeable but if I didn’t get my anger under control it could escalate into an earthquake. That is one of the abilities my gifts give me. I can make earthquakes and tsunamis come from out of nowhere. I can also change the direction of the wind easily enough with a simple chant. That is not what matters now though. I need to get my temper in check before I cause a disaster to unfold right in front of me. I pull out the gift my grandparents got me for my last birthday I would spend with them. It was a silver locket in the shape of a circle. It had a picture which had been taken that year of my first fishing trip. I was six at the time and had just caught my first fish. My grandmother was holding me up off the ground and my grandfather was holding up the fish. I started to hum myself the lullaby my grandparents sang to me whenever I lost my temper when I was younger.
Hush now my blessing of a child,
May the stars shine their light upon you,
The birds will fly, kiss your fears goodbye,
My dear blessing of a child,
Don’t shed your tears, the time is near,
For the mist to clear,
May the stars awake in the sky,
Today has passed, our words will last,
My blessing of a child,
The fog has cleared, upon the sea my dear,
The time has come,
Tomorrow will bring fun,
But for now, sleep my dear.
As I hummed the last verse I feel my heart rate slow down and my anger resides. The lullaby reminds me of a more peaceful time. They weren’t my real grandparents but they still made me feel loved and wanted. They didn’t deserve what the king did to them. I wish they had a grave I could visit but the king probably had their bodies burned or dumped in the ocean. I miss them dearly but I am still thankful for all they have done for me.
I am snapped back into reality when a little boy carrying a crate full of hay with a half dozen eggs on top bumps into me. After the boy bumps into me he continues running down the docks until I lose sight of him in the crowd of people. I let out a sigh and continued down the docks looking for anyone who might be willing to hire me.
After a while, I grew too tired to continue walking. I found an empty bench and took a seat. I let out a frustrated sigh, I’ve been out here since dawn and haven’t found a single job. I unpacked my lunch and couldn’t help but notice five men on the bench across from me. They were talking so loud I couldn’t help but overhear some of it.
“Did you hear about the prince?” The middle-aged man with a bald head and big belly said a bit too loudly.
“Of course I have Paul, I heard from a sun child at the pub. He claims Prince Luis is going on a voyage to gather more allies for the upcoming war against the Kingdom of Kage. I believe it is over the rumors about the moon children.”
I almost spat out the water I was drinking when he said, moon children. The only thing going through my mind was moon children? Where? How many? Before I could think too much into it another one of the men started talking.
“Don’t tell me you actually believe that silly rumor about the moon children Markus.”
“I’m just stating facts. Although I find it very unlikely the king would send his son to gather allies just over a silly rumor.”
“What’s the rumor?” The smallest man asked the others.
“How did you not hear?! Everyone in the kingdom is talking about it! According to my intel, the capital of Kage took two moon children in twenty-two years ago, after the war started. They took in a boy and a girl. Apparently, they promised to give them Luna flowers in exchange for their safety after they became of age.”
“Even if that is true she wouldn’t have been able to give them much. The girl was killed soon after by our kingdom’s guards. Her mark of the moon was on her left cheek and they knew without a doubt that she was a moon child. They killed her on sight. It’s quite unlucky to have a mark in such plain view. If she weren’t a monster I might have felt bad for her.”
“I think what Paul is getting at was within the time she turned sixteen and when she was killed she could have only produced four moon flowers. So even if the rumor is true there would only be a maximum of five moon children still alive including the father. If I am correct the oldest would be about seventeen now. Kage’s army is weak by itself compared to the kingdom of Elips, but if they team up with the moon children and they learn to use their gifts, their strength will almost double. No wonder the prince is gathering allies.”
My mind was running at a million miles an hour. There could be other moon children in the Kingdom of Kage. It would be nice to be around other people who can understand me. I need to find a way to get to Kage and see if the rumor is true myself. I wonder if they will like me? Will they take me in? Could I have a new family?
I have been longing to be around others like me. There is only one big problem, the fastest way to Kage is by ship and I don’t have one. I need a plan.
