The Last Legend: Awakened

by Joshua B. Wichterich

  Marrisa continued to look at the painting above the roaring fire. Her eyes became red as tears trickled down the sides of her face. She longed for her mother, and her company through this dubious day, her birthday. She wished it was her mother whom she could talk to, and not just daunting Lilith. She wished it was her mother who would be the one to comfort her, but she knew she would never see her mother. The only loved ones in her life were her friends, whom she would have to leave the very next morning. She would even miss her father, who seemed too busy to pay any attention to her during these times, or any time at all for that matter.

  Marrisa rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow—feeling alone. Even though she was a princess and looked upon with great respect, she felt alone and never had anyone to really talk to in the great, cold castle. At times she even felt lost… She knew that crying would do nothing to help her, but that was the only thing she could do.

  CHAPTER 3

  Tairren

  The early morning sun-light leaked in through the window brightly as Tairren opened his eyes. He was too tired to start his early morning chores before going to set up shop. He couldn’t sleep during the night; he had too much on his mind. His restless mind seemed to only think of Marrisa. It bothered him that Marrisa was betrothed to another man, and had to move to another kingdom. Tairren couldn’t stand that he wouldn’t be able to see Marrisa anymore, or be able to talk to her, or even be able to have long walks through the woods with her anymore. Natalia would be there for him and he there for her, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Marrisa was so much sweeter, and understanding, and just so much more—beautiful.

  He stayed up all night thinking about her long red hair and crystal blue eyes, and the way she would smile at him. He would miss those things, and didn’t even realize it until she was almost gone. She was sixteen now, and a woman, and a very beautiful and caring one at that. Even though Marrisa and Tairren were just friends, he still cared deeply for her; more than what a friend usually would care. He loved her. He knew this because of the way he felt when they were together, and the way his heart pounded so rapidly when she touched him. He loved the way she smiled and blushed when she did something silly. He loved that she didn’t even know how beautiful she was, and that she didn’t let her social stature get to her head. He loved her long red hair and the way it fluttered in the breeze when they went for walks. Most of all, he loved that she wasn’t even embarrassed by him being poor. He just loved her, and she didn’t even know it.

  “Tairren, honey, are you up yet?! I made some tea and tartlets.” Moral hollered from the kitchen.

  Tairren slept in the upstairs compartment, which only had one way in and out, up a ladder and through a hatch door. He could hear his mother rummaging through cabinets, and the sounds of pots and dishware crashing together.

  “Yes, mother,” Tairren replied as he continued to just lay there on his homemade, stuffed goose feathered mattress, beneath his knitted quilts.

  Even though he was eighteen and considered a man, he still chose to live at home and take care of his mother. He didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of her living alone in the woods. He knew she would never move out, his father’s spirit seemed to live in the walls and grounds of that little cottage. It wasn’t just a house; it was a home that symbolized his father, and would stand forever.

  “Come on down Tairren, before your tea gets cold!” she hollered.

  He heard another crash of dishes, as if she dropped a pot or two. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore so he got up to pull on his trousers and tunic. Tairren could see through his small window that it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, but under the circumstances, he knew that the day wasn’t going to be as beautiful as it should be.

  The sun illuminated through the tree tops, marking shadows of leaves on the grass. The leaves of the trees danced in the breeze and dragonflies and butterflies fluttered to and fro about them. Little birds dove in and out of the tall grass that waved back and forth. Tairren loved mornings like that in the forest, wishing it could look that way every day. But even as the cheery sunlight touched his face, he still felt sad inside, as if his heart was slowly losing something. He knew his heart wouldn’t be the same after the day was over with.

  “Coming mother!” he hollered back as he fastened the front of his trousers.

  He looked into a small mirror that hung on the wall of his little attic-like room. He ran his hands through his shaggy black hair to try to comb it a little. He was a handsome young man with black hair and blue eyes. His teeth were not too bad, and his bone structure in his face was nice to look at, at least that’s what his mother told him—and that he resembled his father greatly.

  As he looked into the mirror, he wondered why Marrisa didn’t love him the way he loved her. But he knew it was of no use to love a princess as beautiful as she; society and rules would never allow it. The first born daughter of the king was always betrothed to a prince from another country; and if the king had a son, he would be the first in line to take the kingdom, and a princess would be set up to come to him on her sixteenth birthday—like sweet Marrisa… That was the way they did things, and had been doing for generations. That was how different kings from different lands negotiated, making sure they had stability and a partner kingdom to trade goods with. Tairren didn’t like it, and thought it unfair.

  He smiled in the mirror to check out his teeth, he knew he had to clean them as soon as he went outside to freshen up at the washing bowl. Today was the day that he knew he had to look his best for Marrisa. He wanted her to remember him as a strapping young poor boy instead of just a poor boy. He fastened the top of his tunic, and then slipped on his heavy boots.

  A large dagger and a heart shaped stone necklace that he made especially for Marrisa, hung on the wall of his little room. The dagger was his father’s, and a beautiful one at that. The hilt was made of a smoothed out black stone that his father had found far off in the mountains before Tairren was born. The blade was sharp and Tairren made sure he kept it that way. He took the dagger from the wall and put the silver sheath on it which was also beautiful, and embedded with smaller black stones. There was a thick leather strap that was attached to the sheath, which he fastened around his waist. The dagger was one of his favorite things in the whole world, besides the blue stone necklace that he made himself. He put the necklace around his neck, tucking the blue heart shaped stone underneath his tunic.

  When he was a child, exploring the far off land of Minslethrate with his father, he found a blue stone that was wedged in the rough base of a cliff. He saved it all that time, just because it was the first special thing he had found with his father, and not to mention it was lovely to look at. One side was rough with tiny light blue crystals all over it and the other side was a darker blue that was not as rough. He spent a lot of time chiseling at it and forming it into the shape of a heart. He fastened a long thin strip of leather around it, making it into a necklace. He made it especially for that day, Marrisa’s sixteenth birthday. Tairren had told Marrisa the story of how he came about the blue crystal once. She loved the story, and he knew that she would think the gift was even more special just because of it.

  Opening the small hatch door of Tairren’s room was like opening a door to an oven, but just not as hot. The smell of sweet tartlets and freshly steeped tea rushed into his room, hitting his nose like how the taste of sweet honey would on his taste buds.

  “Good morning, It smells wonderful mother,” Tairren exclaimed as he made his way down the ladder from his loft.

  “Good morning, son. I made some fresh berry tartlets. And there is some tea ready for you at the table,” Moral said, taking a batch of the berry tartlets out of the stone oven.

  Tairren sat down at the small wooden table that was in the center of his small cozy home. Even though their house was small, it was a very lovely looking house. Bouquets of pansies and roses sat here and there, and small clay vases of dried
herbs and flower petals filled the room with lovely smells. Bundles of dried herbs hung upside down from the ceiling, giving the small home an earthy and pleasant feeling. A small window on each wall allowed the bright sunlight to pour in; and candles sat here and there for light during the dark nights. One side of their house was the kitchen area, with a small stone fireplace oven that was built into the wall, and a washing basin for the dishes, and the other side of the house was Moral’s small room which was closed off with an embellished quilt, hanging from the ceiling.

  The quilt was a magnificent piece of art, which had a scene of a castle with a prosperous land surrounding it. Tairren and Moral were very talented and made many things, not only to sell in their shop, but for their home as well. Tairren created things which he used from nature and Moral created things by sewing and embroidering, as well as creating different remedies, elixirs and concoctions which always did good things for their minds and bodies. Moral also made their clothes, curtains, blankets and just about everything else that dealt with fabrics.

  Tairren sipped at his tea, sniffing the light scent of coriander and lavender and other herbs as wisps of steam rolled out. He began to think of Marrisa—coriander and lavender tea was her favorite. She would sometimes come over to have tea with them, and to eat whatever his mother made that day, which was usually something sweet. He loved every moment he had with Marrisa, and didn’t want it to ever end. But he knew that day was the last day that he would ever see her beautiful smile ever again.

  “Here we are,” Moral said as she placed a covered basket of tartlets on the table.

  She sat on the bench across from her son. Tairren said nothing as he still sat in a daze, lost in deep thought. Moral moved the vase of flowers that was sitting in the center of the table over to the side, so that she could see her son better. She noticed how sad and off he looked and she knew why, but didn’t want to bring it up; she was waiting for him to. Instead she uncovered the basket of tartlets. Steam rose from the basket, whirling up into the air, releasing the aroma of sweet berries and buttery pie crust. Moral served them both, placing two tartlets on each plate. The little topless pies looked delicious as the thick juices from the berries oozed over the sides of the crust. Tairren brought one of them to his mouth, then put it back onto his plate.

  “Mother, can I ask you a something?” Tairren asked, looking into his mother’s eyes. She was in the middle of fixing up her tea with some fresh cream and sugar, but stopped, looking up to him.

  “Yes, son?”

  “How…,” he paused, looking down at his tartlets. He knew that the question he was about to ask might not be such a favorable one. “How does your heart heal—after losing someone whom you are in love with?”

  Tairren watched his mother’s eyes. He knew it took his mother a long time to get over his father’s death. He always wondered how her heart felt because they never really talked about…

  Moral was quiet for a second, or two, and then took a sip of her tea.

  “Well, son—you continue to live your life every day, and think of the other things in your life that is worth waking up in the mornings for. And you talk to the good Lord, and ask him to mend your broken heart. And everything happens for a reason, you know. You just have to ask God what that reason is, and then you meet him half way to figure it out. And you thank him for it—you must always thank God… Loving God and trusting him with your whole heart is the only thing that matters…”

  Tairren just nodded his head. He briefly thought about what his mother said, and the comment that what happened was supposed to happen. He didn’t like that part too much. He knew that even though he loved Marrisa with all of his heart, he was not allowed to. He wasn’t allowed to be with her for that matter. He knew that Marrisa probably didn’t feel the same way for him as he did for her. How could a princess even grow to love a commoner? But, even if she were to love him the same way, it didn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered was what was supposed to happen... And the important thing was that Marrisa was destined to be the queen of a whole other country, far, far away.

  “Tairren, I know how you feel about The Princess Royal, but her Highness has to be married to that prince, and she has to live in that other kingdom. She has had no choice ever since she was born. Living a royal life seems charming and wonderful, but when it comes down to it, it’s a life filled with rules and regulations. Living that life comes with specific obligations.”

  “I know that, I just don’t think it should be this way… I don’t want her to leave, but I know that she has to.” Tairren took another bite of his tartlet, and then drank the rest of his tea. “And you are right, mother. I just need to live my life, which reminds me, I need to get going to open up shop,” Tairren said, then stood up, cramming his other tartlet into his mouth, not caring when the hot juices from the berries burned him.

  “But it’s early still, sit down and have another tartlet, son,” Moral said has she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

  “No, I want to wash up then get started early. The weather is beautiful, which means people will want to start their shopping early.”

  Tairren kissed his mother on her cheek, and then walked to the door.

  “Alright son, I will see you in a while then,” she said as she brought her cup of tea to her lips.

  That was what they usually did. Tairren would open up the shop in the morning, and Moral would come later to help with business. Then they would close in the early evening before it got dark. But Tairren thought that he might close a little earlier that day, just so that he could spend quality time with Marrisa before she had to get ready for her big social event that night.

  Tairren walked out, shutting the door behind him. He really didn’t need to leave early, and he really didn’t care that customers wanted to shop early—he just wanted to leave. He didn’t want to talk with his mother about Marrisa leaving anymore. He shouldn’t have even brought it up, he thought. He knew one thing, that he didn’t care if Marrisa was a princess or not, he was going to tell her how he had been feeling about her since the very first time he met her four years ago. He had to let her know how he felt about her. Even though his heart would be broken, it would make him feel better that she knew.

  Tairren walked over to the side of the cottage to where the water well was. He pulled up a bucket of fresh, cold water and poured it into a large bowl. He sat the bowl on top of a small table that sat next to the back wall of the house. He washed his face with a bar of lavender soap his mother had made and washed his mouth and teeth with mint, rosemary, and caraway seed paste which was contained in a small covered glass jar. The paste was strong and refreshing, smelling of sweet spearmint and evergreen. After freshening up, he walked through the beautiful sunlit forest and thought some more. He decided to go the long way through the forest to the marketplace.

  The leaves and grass of the forest fluttered in the soft breezes, allowing the sunlight to sparkle through the thick overhang. The feathery wind felt wonderful against his skin. He loved when the leaves would scatter on the earth when the breezes burst through the timber. He also loved the sounds of the trees and critters that were scattered throughout the serene atmosphere. The forest’s animal companions always darted through the bushes and tall grasses, every once in a while poking their furry faces out. The Forest Province was one of the most beautiful parts of Minslethrate.

  Tairren thought of Marrisa once again, and remembered how he saw her strolling through the forest by herself for the first time. That was the first time that he had ever seen a royal walk through the forest without a companion, servant, or guard following close behind. He always saw the random lovers, travelers, or even children of the kingdom, but never Princess Marrisa. He remembered how that day was an extra ordinarily beautiful day, and how after an exhilarating and swift year of knowing Marrisa, it was the first time that she had ever come into the Forest Province looking for him… He would never forget it… He remembered it in detail as if it had just h
appened. His mind drifted away to that sweet moment…

  †††

  Tairren walked through the forest, coming from the great rosemary bush he had planted many years ago with his father when he was but a small child. He remembered how his father came home one morning after a long journey with his guild from a great trade fair. He brought home many things, and rosemary was one of them. He and his father had planted it in an opened area in the forest, along the steep side of a very small cliff and away from the shade, in full sunlight.

  Tairren contained sprigs of the aromatic herb in a leather satchel that hung over his shoulder. Moral had asked him to get as many as he could, the tips of the rosemary that had the most blooms. Not only did she use the scented gray-green leaves in home remedies, but kept a vessel of them around the cottage to chase away any bad smell.

  As Tairren made his way to his home, he could hear a beautiful voice. It was the voice of a young maiden, singing a piece of music that he had heard before many times. He had usually heard the catchy melody from the bard that would come and entertain in the town square and marketplace. He had also remembered hearing Marrisa and Natalia singing it together once before, harmonizing beautifully. The maiden’s voice traveled softly through the forest, dancing with the breezes…

  Are you going to the spring-time fair?

  Rosemary, love, and sunshine.

  Remember me when you go there,

  For he once was a hero of mine.

  Tell him to make me a golden crown,

  Rosemary, love, and sunshine.

  Without no metal—and made with feather-down,

  Then he’ll be a true love of mine…