“Three other temples?” Marrisa asked, looking confused. “But I thought you said that there were only three goddesses total.”
“But there is a fourth great temple far off in the south. It sits just before the Great Mountains on the edges of its shadowed cliffs. This temple was built many years ago, subsequent to the other three temples. Legend has it that once a year, there would be a great celebration at that temple, commemorating the three goddesses and their work that they had done for the land that year.
“Every adult consisting of the upper-class of the kingdom traveled to the temple, leaving their children at home with their servants. The people brought with with them one young virgin woman against her will, usually a very beautiful one. These people would stay up all night, drinking, laughing, dancing—celebrating the prosperous harvest of that year. Then at the peak of twilight, they would bring the beautiful and pure young woman up to the top of the temple, dress her in a black gown, then they would sacrifice her to the goddesses in return for the great year that the goddesses allowed the land to have.” Tairren’s blue eyes seemed to glow in the fire light as the girls sat, awestruck.
“Oh my,” Natalia said, with wide green eyes, “how disgusting and horrifying. Our ancestors were brutal.”
“Yes, things were very different a long time ago, and more treacherous,” Marrisa said as she sat on the log next to Natalia. “Animosity was a lover to our land.”
Tairren stayed where he was at, sitting still on the ground beneath them.
“We are now in a period of grace. Thank God for the ancient king who brought the truth and the word of light to Minslethrate,” Tairren said, looking up to them. “I think Minslethrate would still be a pagan country today if it wasn’t for him. God brought him to this country long ago to take the blindfold from our ancestor’s eyes. But like I said, there are still people today in Minslethrate who choose to practice the old ways and worship the false gods Fiara, Haifen, and Dolsia.”
“That is so strange…,” Marrisa said with a yawn, “and as much as I think this conversation is interesting, I think it’s about time I go back to the castle, I’m getting awfully tired.”
“I agree,” Natalia said, standing up.
“I’ll walk you two to the edge of the forest where Lilly and Orchid are,” Tairren said, standing up as well. “Because I wouldn’t want either of you to become snatched and sacrificed,” he said facetiously.
Marrisa laughed as Natalia shoved him.
The firelight got dimmer as it was very close to dying, making the crackle die down as well. But the crickets still chirped and the owls still hooted as Tairren stomped out the fire before they left to go home…
†††
“Lady Natalia, get your precious little head out of that window before you fall straight to the ground like a sack of potatoes,” Sora said, startling Natalia.
“Oh Sora, you frightened me,” Natalia said, turning around to find Sora in the doorway. Natalia glanced at her, then turned back to the beautiful scenery of Minslethrate. “That was a quick errand.”
“Well, I was gone for a while,” Sora said as she walked over to where Natalia was standing. “Your mother wanted me to fix her hair up; she says I do it best.”
“Yes well you’ve had plenty of practice on mine,” Natalia said, looking back at Sora with a friendly smile.
“That’s the truth,” Sora said, smiling back, “well I got to finish my chores, I have a lot to do today before tonight.”
“Yes, don’t we all,” Natalia said, looking back out of the window towards the castle.
CHAPTER 5
A Royal Surprise
Marrisa looked despondently into her mirror. She had to at least make sure that she looked her best before leaving her room for the day. It didn’t matter to her that she wasn’t as kept up as she normally would’ve been, but she wasn’t in good spirits and had to cover up how she was truly feeling some how.
She wore a light-blue gown that set off her crystal blue eyes. Her long red locks fell over her shoulders and she wore a jeweled diadem around her forehead that looked like a crystal halo as it sparkled in the sunlight. A teardrop shaped jewel, the color of her eyes, fell in the middle of her forehead, dangling from the diadem. Taking one last solemn glance at the mirror, she left her room.
She started her journey through the castle to where her father usually was, which was in the grand study hall. She wanted to tell her father good morning. She wanted to actually chat with him for a moment before leaving the castle for the day. So she walked down the hallway, down the stairwell and through another small hallway which led to the main hall of the castle.
Walking into the main hall was like walking into a room of chaos. Many Servants of the castle worked like bees, rushing here and there as they hung veils of sheer fabric, placed bundles of trimmed roses, put out vases of lilies everywhere, and set up many tables and chairs for the grand ball that was going to take place that night. Some servants were cleaning and dusting the windows, some were sweeping the halls, and others were rushing about to their next project. It was strange to Marrisa how all of this was for her, and she didn’t feel even an ounce of excitement or happiness.
Marrisa walked into the grand hall, looking to see if she could spot Lilith anywhere. Amongst the bustle of all the servants, she spotted all of her handmaidens, except for Lilith and Katrinka. She didn’t see them anywhere, which was an odd thing. But on the other hand, she didn’t want Lilith to spot her and try to talk to her. But it was definitely strange that Katrinka was not there, she was usually the first one to start setting up things for any special event that happened in the castle. As a matter of fact, Marrisa didn’t remember seeing Katrinka that whole week. She had so many handmaidens that it didn’t even occur to her that Katrinka had been absent all week long. “I wonder if she is sick,” Marrisa thought to herself, “I’ll have to ask Lilith about that, if I ever see Lilith today.”
Marrisa walked swiftly through the hall, trying not to be seen by anyone; she didn’t feel up to talking to anyone at that moment. Normally Marrisa would stop to talk with everyone, but that day she felt different, she didn’t want to spend too much time in the castle knowing that she had too little time to see the important people in her life. No one seemed to notice her, they were too focused on what they were doing that they missed the blur of red hair that hurried through the great hall. She made it to the other side, passing two royal soldiers that guarded the entrance to the hall. Marrisa passed them with a gentle smile.
She walked into her father’s great study hall and began to make her way across it. The hall was huge with many shelves of books and globes everywhere. There were many paintings on the huge walls, of Marrisa and of her mother and father. Huge brightly lit candelabrums lit up the room, as well as many torches on the walls. Many tall windows covered the left side of the room, adding more light to it. Large tapestries and the royal family crest above a shield in a coat of arms also hung on the gray stone walls. She finally made it to the other side, finding her father standing at a large table that was covered with papers, maps and other things that looked really important. She realized that her father was in a meeting, accompanied by two other men. She recognized the older man who was her father’s royal advisor, Master Odwa, but she didn’t know who the young man was.
“Oh daughter, it’s so good of you to grace us with your presence,” King Julpen said as he reached out his hand to her, signaling that it was okay for her to approach them.
“Good morning, father,” Marrisa said with a smile as she gave him a hug. She appreciated that hug, which rarely happened.
“It is a wonderful day to celebrate the day of my only daughter’s birth,” he said with a small smile, then kissed her on the forehead. She smiled a little as she shyly nodded her head. “Marrisa there is someone I would love for you to meet,” he said, with that same small smile, “this is Prince Phillip—from Ishkar, he just arrived this morning.”
At that moment Marr
isa’s heart dropped as she realized that her father had just said Prince Phillip and Ishkar in the same sentence. Her heart began to pound rapidly as it dawned on her that she was meeting the person she had to marry. She felt sick all a the sudden as her heart seemed to move up into her head, pounding its way into her ears. She was speechless as he took her hand, gently kissing it.
“It’s a pleasure to have finally met you,” he said in a low voice that held an accent she had never heard before.
She nervously bowed to him.
“So you can speak the same language as I,” Marrisa thought to herself.
She could only smile a little.
“I am Princess Marrisa of Minlsethrate,” she finally said, realizing that he obviously already knew that.
He bowed his head to her, then smiled. She realized that she thought he was handsome. He had dark brown eyes and black wavy hair that came down to his shoulders. He looked about twenty five or so and his smile was nice and looked bright against his tan skin.
“My princess, I’ve been anticipating you all morning. May we go for a walk?” Prince Phillip asked, then turned towards King Julpen. “Your majesty—if that is okay with you,” the prince said with a smile.
“Certainly, prince,” the king said, then escorted them through the great hall. “Dinner will be served within the hour—Alexander and the kitchen staff is getting a wonderful meal ready for us filled with the finest Minslethratian foods,” the king said as he patted the prince’s back.
Marrisa heard her father talking to them as he walked them out, sounding slightly excited as he spoke, but she only heard energized gibberish. She was too deep in thought, wishing that none of this was happening. She had never seen her father act that way before. She wondered why her father seemed much happier than usual, more cheery; but she had an idea why. He had never showed that much excitement before, or even smiled. He didn’t seem too sad that he was losing his only offspring and daughter, but more excited that he would be associated with the powerful Kingdom of Ishkar. Of course now that she would be queen of another kingdom, especially a mighty one, Minslethrate would have access to many goods from Ishkar, and both of the kingdoms would form an alliance with one another.
Marrisa wished that she would’ve never even walked down there to see her father. She should have just left the castle. But at the same time she knew that she just couldn’t keep on ignoring the situation. Prince Phillip seemed nice and charming, and someone it would be worth getting to know, but she didn’t want to get to know him, she liked the life that she had already.
“Your kingdom is very beautiful—one of the most attractive I’ve seen yet,” the prince said with a smile as he motioned for her to walk through the great arched threshold and into the fresh air and bright colors of Minslethrate.
Marrisa realized that they were now outside in the gardens of the castle. The bright sun felt good against her skin and it smelled wonderful outside, like fresh sweet earth. The garden was amazing and beautiful, with majestic statues, decretive columns and arches everywhere; and not to mention there were thousands of brightly colored flowers and rose bushes that adorned the earth. Servants every now and then could be seen as they walked here and there, working in the garden, carrying baskets of fresh clippings and unwanted weeds. A large fountain sat in the middle of the garden, surrounded by violet and cream colored irises. In the center of the fountain was a marble statue of a great king, standing tall and proud, pointing his sword to the heavens with one hand and holding a large opened book in the other hand.
“This is a beautiful piece of art,” Prince Phillip said as they dawdled past the great fountain, “very inspiring.”
“Thank you,” Marrisa said with a gentle smile, “it is based off the original statue that used to stand there. It has been with my family for many years. It’s a reflection of one of the ancient and mighty kings of Minslethrate. My ancestors had the original carved from marble many generations ago, to commemorate the belief of the mighty King of Light who saved Minslethrate as well as many kingdoms, from more insidious beliefs. It was destroyed somehow and during the reign of my father, it was created again. It is said that The Great King went on many crusades during his reign, spreading the word of light to many kingdoms and leading his men in battle to fight for truth… I love everything about it.”
“What a stirring story—Legend has it that The Great King of Light was the mightiest of all kings,” the prince said, looking at Marrisa as if waiting for a reaction.
“You know the legend?” Marrisa asked, surprised.
“Indeed I do—The Great King was a very controversial king. The legend of the king was simply created so people could have something to believe in,” the prince said nonchalantly.
“Controversial? Those who are offended by good works do not know good works,” Marrisa said, peering back up to him. “History is always turned into legend over time when one simply does not understand it, my dear prince. The Great King brought his good words to Minslethrate so long ago, when the earth was much younger. His words were so inspirational that they were written in a book many years ago after his death, along with many chronicles written by his knights and followers. That book resides in the palace… Only a few copies now remain—most had been burned many years ago by the hands of corrupted people…”
The prince was quiet for a moment. “I see you believe strongly in The Great King and his word,” he said finally.
“The idea of him is what keeps my sanity in a good place… I’ve had to study countless pages about him…,” Marrisa said with a faint smile. “And how does a prince like yourself come about the legend of The Great King?”
”I’ve studied about your culture and history for a very long time it seems, preparing for this day,” the prince said with a smile. “The legend of the king is very different from Ishkarian beliefs—but I have come to be more receptive of the legend of The Great King… I’ve been learning about Minslethrate’s customs and rich lands since I was a young boy.”
“That explains why you speak Minslish so well,” Marrisa said, astonished.
Marrisa became quiet and embarrassed, feeling dim-witted for not even knowing nearly as much about Ishkar as Phillip did about Minslethrate. In the past instead of studying the Ishkarian language and customs, she was off with her beloved friends, swimming in the lakes and going on thrilling horse-back rides.
“Yes, your language is not as challenging as others I come to know, but it is very ancient and the root of many languages. Your language dates back to the beginning—it’s very special,” the prince said with a smile. “But Ishkar and Minslethrate are on two opposite ends of the spectrum—we are two opposite kinds of people put together by an arranged marriage,” he said, looking off into the distance. “And I know of Minslethrate, but not of its princess,” Phillip said as he smiled at her, “tell me about yourself.”
Marrisa was quiet for a moment, thinking of everything he had said about them being different.
“What do you want to know, your Highness?” Marrisa asked shyly as he finally stuck out his elbow for her to put her arm around it. She did, so not to offend him.
“Call me Phillip, my lady. I know your beliefs, so tell me what you’re fond of—your hobbies, passions,” he said.
She was quiet for a second, then cleared her throat as if she were about to recite something.
“Well, I do want you to know that I am like no other princess, or lady for that matter. I ride my own horse everywhere I go, or walk. I don’t ride in carriages like the usual ladies do, accept when going to Sunday church, or when my father requests it, which is unusual. My horse’s name is Lilly, whom I love dearly. I admire poetry and melodies, reading and writing—I love to sing. I’ve sung for the nobles of Minslethrate many times. I like to talk to and befriend everyone in my kingdom, along with the peasants, who don’t get enough respect—from anyone. I don’t get caught up in dainty things and I’m a rather good swordswoman and practice almost every day, which I’ve lea
rned from my father as well—who is excellent. I have no mother, and learned everything from my father, whom I barely see now these days. And I don’t like that this is my last day in Minslethrate…,” Marrisa stopped abruptly, realizing that she had been ranting on, which was not lady like either. “Do you have any questions?” Marrisa said with a pretty smile.
“Well, you are a different kind of princess, aren’t you,” Phillip said, then laughed.
“Don’t insult me,” she said jokingly, “and what about you, Phillip?”
“Well, to begin, I have never seen any lady as beautiful as you,” he said, smiling at her. “The women of Ishkar will be jealous of their queen.” Marrisa’s smile faded away when she heard those words. “The ladies in Ishkar are lovely but all of them carry the same features, and are not as fair as you. Your red hair, crystal blue eyes and fair skin are fine features to behold. And for me, I think I will be a great leader, one who will lead my future kingdom into the right direction, continuing in excellence. And I will make sure that we will have the greatest kingdom in the entire world—a fine example of leadership,” he said with an excited look on his face. “And many ladies of my kingdom think that I am very pleasing to look at, so I think with your beautiful face and my handsome appearance, you and I will appear physically stunning to everyone, not to mention we will have the best looking children in all of Ishkar. We will have many children, all boys of course—to carry on my legacy,” he said with a big smile. She just returned his smile with one as well, but a forced weak one. “And I love riding my horse as well, which I brought with me, and his name is Sable because he is as quick and black as the night’s sky. And my kingdom is not as beautiful as Minslethrate but it is a great city—but lately it is always raining. There are beautiful days like this one every once in a while though…”
The Last Legend: Awakened Page 7
