Even the King in all his power could not go against, the spirits. Estreal and Ilsar were inseparable. Fifty years into their bonding the king became ill, , his body looked like that of a 70 year old human, but that could eons for an elf. The King requested that Estreal and Ilsar take him to the Tree of Spirits. When they placed the King at the base of the tree, lights seemed to flow around the King; wrapping themselves around him, pulling him into the tree. When the lights were gone, so was the King, he joined the many spirits that had gone before him. A moon cycle of mourning had past for the elven people, then a coronation was held for Estreal and Ilsar, normally only the blood descendant comes to rule but since the two were one, they would rule as one as well.
Fera looked up from the book with a grimace on her face her heart was heavy. Markus sat down across from her. “My dear Princess Fera, what is wrong, you look ill? Are you sad over the kings death, or…” Fera held up a hand to stop him, she was not sad, she was scared.
“Markus, if the dwarves live a long time, and the elves even longer, how long will I live, how will I age?”
Markus could see the worry across her face. “Princess, you are mostly elven, my guess is like most other half elves, your aging will slow into the same pattern as that of an elf at 18. You will look young and beautiful for some time, so do not worry.”
Fera was not thinking of her beauty or her youth, but of everyone that she loves, her father, the staff that were like her family, even Oren her horse, all of the people that she will outlive, that she will have to watch die at some point. “How am I supposed to watch them all leave me, to only fall in love with others people that will come into my world, to watch them fade away as well?” Her voice trembled slightly.
Markus put his hand over Fera’s, “Princess, your father is half dwarf, he will be around for a long time, I am elven, I will be here too.”
That gave her little comfort, and Markus read it on her face, but she had to know, even if it is a lot for someone so young to bear, time in this case was not on their side, she would be 18 soon and he could see that her binding was already starting to break.
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Fera’s night was restless; she woke before dawn, in a cold sweat, as chills set in, reminding her to get up and keep moving. Her dream was haunting her, and she knew that today, they would be hunting her. They would now know she was not hiding anywhere in Thoren. As she turned over to find Oren still asleep under her, she couldn’t help but think they were cut of the same mold. Since normal horses don’t sleep much and he likes a full 6 to 8 hours that was odd - but then again, she was odd for a Princess.
The moment she stood up, Oren felt her shift, and jumped to his feet, quiet comically, as if they
were under attack.
Fera giggled at the site of him¸ “Easy there tiger, we just need to get going.”
He sighed in relief. Going over to the bags, Fera took another bundle out, unwrapping it she
found a few oatmeal bars, now normal oats were not a favorite of Oren, but when you drown
them in honey and add berries, how could you go wrong? After a quick breakfast, Fera pulled
Out the map of Bliath, a small pang hits her chest as she saw the Valley of Thoran. “Ok, Oran,”
He looked over her shoulder at the map, like he understands it.
”I looked at the stars last night, if I am reading it right, I think we are somewhere in here. That being said, I think our best bet, is the veer a little more this way, and avoid Nevire, it is a bigger Kingdom, if we stay along the outskirts, there might be a smaller village that we could get supplies in. I want news of what is going on, but we can’t draw attention to ourselves. Father said, 'Trust no one. Go north and seek the dwarves'.” Fera folded up the map and put it back in the bag.
She saddled up Oren, and climbed on. She was sore, her soul raw, the actions of others chasing after her and catching up, but they press on.
When the sun is in the highest part of the sky, she stops them, by the edge of the Noren River
that flows through most of the middle and lower part of Bliath. Sliding down, she feels dizzy,
her head is spinning a little. Fera is sure she is just overcome by the stress of the last few days,
and the raw emotions of everything else. After getting her bearings, she grabs another food bundle, dried fruit, after taking a few bites, her stomach starts to churn even more, giving up on eating, she gave Oren the rest of the fruit. Washing her face with the crisp Noren water trying to take the edge off her dizziness with little avail, she mounts back up. “Well Oren, since we slowed our pace, a little, I think we might as well keep going, you doing ok?” Oren thinks “yes.” And in the next wave of thought he sends back to her “you?” “I think I just need, I just things to be back to the way they were.” Markus voice rings through her memories, and in her brain. “You cannot go back, but you can go forward, don’t wish for the past, but a better future. Be open to change, for if you slam the door on it, eventually the weight of it will break the door and might crush you. Leaving little left to hope for.”
After riding a bit longer another way of dizziness hits her harder than before, when she closes her eyes she is pulled back into the library, she can feel she is still on Oren in the middle of the Grerrien Forest, on a not so traveled path, but her mind could not help but be elsewhere.
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“Markus, so the High Queen fell in love with a Power, and because they were bound, making them one, he took her rank and power, and she took his skills?”
“Yes Princess, but that is the last known bonding and it was a long time ago, a well recorded bonding. I believe there have been others but, without record it is hard to tell.”
“Can a non elf, or a half elf bond?” “Fera, don’t get caught up with the one romantic detail in this dark book, but to answer your question, I do not see why not, there have been old documents from the dwarves that say it has happened in their race. Humans in the grand design of things, are fairly new, maybe when they evolve a little more, they might.” Yes the one romantic detail in a dark book, but how can things be so dark when her world has so much light, and love in it? “Markus, you tell me not to look back, but is that not what we are doing here”
“Princess, you need to learn from the past in order to change the future, the key is to learn from it not live in it.” Fera couldn’t help but sigh, Markus was always speaking in riddles. Rolling her eyes she looks back down at the book The Birth of a Twin Fate:
100 years after the death of her father and Estreal’s coronation, the queen discovered that she and Ilsar were expecting. Children, elven children, are a rare gift, and a true sign of love. Elves and Dwarves, carry on a longer cycle than humans, some attribute this to the longevity they have.
Estreal, felt odd nearing the end of her pregnancy, she could feel her baby drawing in energy, in dark rooms, she sometimes thought she saw her stomach giving off a soft glow. Every night Ilsar would talk strategy and battle stories Estreal’s ever growing stomach. The queen thought the baby would be a girl, but her beloved king, vowed it would be a boy.
When the queen knew the time was at hand and their baby would be there soon, Ilsar and she went to the sacred tree. With the aid of one of the most advanced healers, Estreal, gives birth to a son. After placing the baby boy in his proud father’s arms, it was clear there was something wrong with the queen, her pain was not easing, Ilsar, was sent from the room, with the new baby in his arms, he paced outside, beside himself, until he heard another small cry. Rushing back into the room, He found Estreal with a small wonder in her arms, a breath taking little girl with jet black ringlets and shocking lilac eyes staring back at him. Twins were common when elves had children, but never known to happen in the royal line.
When the queen was well, and the babies pronounced healthy, they were presented to the elven nation as Crowned Prince Sarion DeFei and Princess Riel Findel.
After a few years it was clear that Riel was the only sibling with magic ability, and Sarion was built like a Power. The king and queen were beside themselves, if Sarion was not the prince, he would be given to a Power family to raise, but since he was the Prince, they did not know what to do. After much deliberation, they decided that the crown would go to Riel, as if she was the first born and Sarion would be none the wiser, growing up with all the entitlements of royalty and the love of his family.
As for Riel, her magic was evolving just as fast as she was, soon, she would surpass her mother. She spent most of the day with various teachers, showing her to channel it, and the laws properties that govern magic, also classes with her mother on how to rule, and etiquette and manners. However how groomed and polished, she was made to be, she just wanted to play with her father, and brother, in the training room. She craved to play with swords and strategy games. Most of all she just like being with her brother, they had a bond, she could tell when he was hurt, mad, or happy. He could feel her too, but he was also slightly jealous of her, she had most of their mother’s attention, and he had no magic ability.
“Markus, how could they just take away Sarion’s title, I mean his right to the crown? “ Fera was annoyed she couldn’t understand if the king and queen loved their children, how could they put one before the other in such a blatant way. “Princess, you forget about the cast system, who would follow a magicless Power? I can see where you are going, and you are right to be upset, it shows you have compassion, but just by keeping him in the family and not sending him to live with a Power, they show how much they do love him. It goes against very old rules and traditions by just doing that.” “Markus, that still does not make it right!” “Now right and wrong can be a very fine line to walk Princess. What you might think is right now, you might think differently later. For now, I think you have had enough for today. Let’s go outside in the courtyard and practice fencing. It is good to vent frustration.”
She was frustrated and that same overwhelming dizziness she felt then is what she was feeling now like her head was buzzing.
Fera’s, fog was lifting the buzzing was dying down and it was dark out. She was no longer on Oren, but on the ground covered up. The saddle was off and he was staring at her. Now she was really confused.
Chapter 3
Fera had a dull ache in the back of her head, pushing off the blanket, and standing up, taking in her surroundings, they had covered a fair bit of distance. “Oren, how did you get your tack off and how did I get covered up?” Oren had one ear back and one forward, letting her know he was confused, he simplify said “you”, but it almost sounded more like a question. “Oren, I got down, took your saddle off and your bridle? I don’t remember that, I am so sorry, are you ok?” She hugged him, holding him tighter then he thought possible for her size. She was freaked out even more now; she was not sure what was happening to her but whatever it was, how could she handle it on top of everything else.
It was well after dark, but a bird came drifting down and landed on Oren. Fera watched the two have some sort of conversation, only picking up on a few words. Determined to know what was going on she focused on the bird, the air felt funny, and she started to feel dizzy again, but it felt like there was a small pop in her head, like a static shock touching her brain. “Her father is alive, but they took him as a prisoner of war, but Markus got away, he is heading to the Elven kingdom, he said find you, let them, let you know they are coming, keep going or find a place to hide soon!” Fera gasped, then she felt the warm liquid on her face, and for once this journey, it was not tears, it was blood, her nose was bleeding.
Oren felt ill looking at her, how he could keep her safe from herself, the last thing the king said to him was, “I let her keep you, now you keep her safe.”
Without thinking Fera took the bottom of her shirt a wiped the blood away. “Well Oren, that was different, and I think we should go, I rested a while, are you ok to go?”
He thought “Food?” Knowing that he could more than likely have talked to her with more than one word at a time, but not wanting to overload her mind, one word is safer for her for now, but things were definitely changing.
Fera took out a bundle of food, sharing it yet again giving Oren the bigger half, she chocked hers down, it hit her stomach like a brick. Tacking Oren in the dark was just as easy as the day, after all the midnight ride they had together. “Ok we go until we find a village, that way we have a better chance at hiding.”
Oren knew where to head, Markus’ instructions were clear and the markers to look for to make sure they were on the right path, so far so good. He and the King made it clear that she might get sick, and to just keep going as long as they could, but she was getting sick and he was worried. After riding for a short time, she was able to relax, but with relaxation came memories. Fera couldn’t help but relive them, it was a bit of sweet torment, trying to see if there was something she missed, trying to get a better understanding of the situation. The worst part of it was if she did not give into them the dizziness would pull her back into them and make her ill.
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Giving in she was back in the library, it was well after nightfall, the normal time that she would sneak to the stables, but now, she was drawn back to the book. Markus said she had enough for that day, but using her logic, it was no longer day, and he was not here to tell her no. She slid into the overstuffed chair in the corner, opening to the page to where she stopped:
Sarion loved his sister, his father, and even his mother very much, but something was not right about their world he could see it, feel it. Over 75 years had passed since their birth, Riel and Sarion, were well on their way to becoming young adults. Riel’s magic far surpassed her mother’s and she also had her father’s strategic planning and foresight. Estreal knew Riel was going to make a magnificent ruler one day. Sarion was groomed to be her body guard and most trusted confident. However both were kept in the dark about their future roles in the kingdom. On the eve of the Twins 100th birthday, it was announced to the kingdom and the twins that plan. Riel was taken back, she was aghast and it could be read on her face, leaving everyone confused, it was clear she was the powerful one. The rightful high elf and her brother was lucky to just still be in the picture in some way, that is how her people saw them, worst of all how her parents saw them. Worst to her, she knew she was born second, did Sarion not realize this.
Estreal was clearly upset with her daughter’s display of emotion. When the party was at point the royal family could excuse themselves for a moment, the Queen and King pulled their children away for a sidebar. Demanding to know about Riel’s reaction, Riel turned to her brother, and asked if he truly did not know he was the first born. He did not. He was also kept in the dark mostly about their caste system, to say the least he was upset at the betrayal of his parents. He truly felt no ill will toward Riel, but he could now see how much she was given and just how unfair the Elven system was. He left that night, not knowing what he would find, but he needed to see the world that was kept from him, and see it for what it was.
Days had past, Riel was beside herself, her one true friend and confidant was gone, she felt just as much to blame as her parents, she should have known, should have told him sooner.
The days turned into weeks, and still no sign of him. Estreal, said in the end it was probably for the better, and this must be the way things were meant to be. The King however, missed his son deeply, he had passed all the Power secrets down to him, and he knew his son was not complexly devoid of m
agic. It was not an energy based magic, which the queen and the other high elves admired so much, but it would help give him the advantage over his enemies.
On a moonless night the Prince snuck back into the palace, easily avoiding the guards, he went to see his sister. Riel cried tears of joy at the site of him. He explained to her the group of people he found, that not all elves mindlessly followed the highs and their parents. That something big, very big, was going to happen, and it would happen soon, he begged her to leave with him, so she would be safe. Riel did not know what to think. In the middle of their conversation, Sarion froze, he whispered to his sister, do you feel that, something is wrong. Riel, could sense nothing. Sarion told her to lock the door when he was out of the room and put a shied around the room. She listened to him, a few minutes later, there was a crackle of energy that rippled through the palace. The guards were disoriented, Sarion was banging on his sister’s door minutes later, she let down the shield, he barged in. Telling his sister to get dressed, they have to leave now, she demanded to know what happen as he was pulling her to the door. Guards came rushing in charging at the prince, yelling the king was dead. Riel froze, she couldn’t process what was going on, she turned to Sarion, asking him if their father’s death was at his hands, Sarion said nothing. She froze the guards so he could get away, she could not bare to lose her father and brother in the same night, even if it was her brother’s fault.
Bliath: Shattered Page 2
