The Unblessed Child

by R J Kaldanis

  “It is your duty as a parent to give her the best opportunities in life to excel and succeed!” Chastion’s usual calm tone had now become a more intense and frustrated one.

  “He is!” Aardriyah blurted out. The minute she did, she wanted to retract the statement, not because it wasn’t true but because of all the things she could possibly say to support her father and his position, her former statement wasn’t the strongest. She felt like an absolute idiot which was only furthered by the rolling eyes that her mother offered in response.

  “Look, as long as she is happy and safe. I couldn’t care less if she was clearing out one hundred waste rooms, or a leader in the New Realm. But I won’t take that choice away from her when it is not ours to take.” Pateras tried to offer in explanation.

  Aardriyah rested a hand upon her fathers and smiled up to him. Even in this exact moment where she felt utterly stupid and irrelevant, her father still managed to make her feel valued and loved.

  “You are weak.” Stella said in a suddenly dark tone of voice.

  “If it were up to you, all of your children would be failures - not just that one.” She motioned towards Aardriyah, who was now trying so hard not to let her eyes well up with the rage and anger she felt towards the woman who apparently birthed her. The woman who would always consider her a failure because she had absolutely no magic in her veins.

  “My darling son is the Prince of the four United Water Kingdoms. He is the most powerfully blessed water born the world has seen in a long time. However, if it were up to you, he would be helping her clean waste rooms instead.” She spat the words as if they were venom.

  “If that is what made him happy, then sure.” Pateras retorted.

  “You are pathetic. You want to keep your children here because you are so scared of being alone, so scared of facing the world by yourself. So you restrict them, you keep them by your side and make them sacrifice who they could be.” At this, Aardriyah arose, too angry to keep listening to the words Stella was expelling into her sanctuary, tainting the very air she breathed and threatening to destroy the happiness this place radiated. Aardriyah needed this toxic woman out without allowing her a second longer to taint her home. As she stepped towards the door, feeling justified in her decision, it suddenly swung open and a little white haired, blue eyed girl poked her head inside.

  “CHASSSTYYY” Sonas rushed past Aardriyah, ran towards her brother and gave him a larger than life hug. When she pulled away, she looked up to the woman sitting beside him. Sonas glanced hesitantly at the woman who had a large amount of makeup on her face in what Aardriyah always assumed was an attempt to mask the ugliness emerging from within.

  “Oh my darling talented water maiden. It has been too long my little Sonny wonny.” Stella said in that sickly-sweet voice she used whenever she needed to trick the world into believing she was a loving and maternal woman. She held her arms open, and after a glance at Chastion, Sonas gave the woman a quick hug, before making her way to Pateras. They exchanged a few words about her day before he suggested she have a bath so they could finish their conversation.

  “I see you’ve turned even her against me now.” Stella said as she glared towards Pateras.

  “He didn’t have to.” Aardriyah interjected, still standing near the door, ready to give the woman her marching orders.

  “You did that all yourself by not fighting for her, by not begging to see her, by not putting the effort in because you’re too busy now with your new life.”

  “It is not my fault your father refuses all that your brother offers. She could have had it all, enjoyed this new life with me.” She looked down her crooked nose at Pateras,

  “Your father refuses to let anyone elevate this family to greatness because it’s not by his hand. Because it proves what an utter and complete failure of a man he truly is” She spoke each word so precisely aware of the proverbial knife piercing Pateras’ gentle heart.

  Pateras visibly tried to restrain his anger. His fists opened and closed as he tried to reign in his now deep and rapid breaths. Unable to even look this woman in her eyes, he rose and stared down at the stone floor.

  “I refuse to live off my child. To make them think all I want from them is their money, their status and their riches. I want them to know that rich or poor, I would love and value them all the same. Something you will never understand!” His voice faltered as he rose it louder than Aardriyah had ever heard.

  “Pateras….” a soft voice echoed down the hall. Sonas looked on at her father, visibly shaken and confused as her wide eyes looked up to her usually calm and stoic father. Aardriyah moved towards her, as Pateras turned and bent down with his arms open wide. He reached out to her and she ran and held him tight.

  “I’m sorry Sonny.” Just as he was about to apologise for raising his voice and exposing his youngest daughter to the frivolity of conversations between ex-lovers, the door burst open again.

  Five large soldiers entered, adorned in the kingdoms attire reserved for royal guards. Their silver armour was polished so meticulously it had a mirror like reflection, while a long navy cape draped down their backs. Noticing the regalia, the family all looked to Prince Chastion. Aardriyah slowly rose from where she had just bent down to join in the hug with her father and little sister. The guards scanned the room, but instead of heading to Chastion. They moved quickly to where Aardriyah stood. Two rushed forth to grab her arms and tied them around her back in an advanced knot. She didn’t have a moment to scream, she was too confused as to what could possibly be happening.

  Sonas began crying, as Pateras raced towards the guards now heaving his eldest daughter out of the house. Their eyes were blank and the voices monotone as they addressed Pateras.

  “Aardriyah Veros has been considered guilty of crimes against the kingdom.”

  “Stop!” Chastion yelled. “I, Prince Chastion of the United Water Kingdoms, order you to stop at once.” The guard who had just spoken to Pateras, looked over at Prince Chastion with a vague expression on his face. The two guards escorting Aardriyah out of the small house also briefly paused, looking over to the Prince with the same vague expression. It was as if they recognised him but were struggling to overcome a power that was refusing to allow them to acknowledge him and heed his words. Although Aardriyah never wanted to rely on Chastion for anything, now was the one time she would give in and allow him to take charge of the situation and be the hero everyone claimed he was.

  Pateras, noticing the guards halt in movement, tried to pull his daughter backout of the guard’s grip. In a sudden unified movement, the guards all turned their heads to Pateras. The one who had just made the announcement, strode over and pushed him back with such force that he flew onto the ground and was knocked unconscious. Aardriyah gasped as tears began to fall down her face. Sonas screamed and rushed to her father’s side begging him to wake up, Chastion followed an instant later. The only person who seemed to realise that Aardriyah was still being pulled from her home, was Stella. As her daughter was dragged out of the house, she said nothing, did nothing, not even blinking an eye and instead continued to sip on her tea as if nothing out of the ordinary were occurring.

  Aardriyah heard loud noises of what she assumed was a metal door being opened. She tried to thrash, to pull herself free of the guards, trying to bite, kick, head butt, cause any pain or damage but she realised it was futile. They were inhumanly strong and oblivious to her attempts to free herself. Aardriyah couldn’t decide which was worse, watching on as her family got further and further way or not being able to see what contraption she was about to be put into. Then as the door to her cottage opened and Sonas raced towards her big sister, tears furiously falling down her face, she knew she would do anything to not see her baby sister in such a distraught state that she was utterly hopeless to change. The fear was now rising inside her like lava brimming to the top of an awakened volcano.

  Sonas was screaming, begging for everyone to leave her family alo
ne. Aardriyah called back to her little sister, pleaded for her to stay inside while trying to assure her she would be ok. Sonas tried to conjure some water to whip the guards or to maybe try and cut them, but her emotions were so unstable she could barely muster more than the tears that fell from her eyes. After what seemed like too long, Chastion finally raced out of the house - Aardriyah wasn’t sure if this was positive or not. Either he was able to rouse his father and had turned his attention to now rescuing a less important family member, or there was no hope of rousing him and he had given up.

  Chastion looked hopelessly at his two younger sisters, not sure who he should run to, who he should protect. He started to run towards Aardriyah before she found the courage to yell to him,

  “No! Don’t!” she spluttered through tears and broken breath. “Get Sonas away from this, NOW!”

  She yelled at her brother and gave him a solid and unwavering look of utter determination and sincerity. There was little point trying to save her, she was already a lost cause, but she could not fathom Sonas having to witness this, having to lose not only her big sister but also, potentially, her father, if the worst had come to pass. Aardriyah’s eyes pleaded for Chastion to listen to her, just this once. She was thankful he at least made the choice look like it was hard, even though she knew it wouldn’t have been. He grabbed Sonas up in his arms and tried to hold her head in the opposite direction to the black metal carriage that was now Aardriyah’s cell.

  He looked on at her, hopelessly confused; there he stood, the most powerful man in the four United Water Kingdoms, yet powerless to control soldiers who were sworn to protect him. Aardriyah’s face became overwhelmed with tears, as she watched her brother and sister get further away from her with each and every second. The guards had forced her into a black metal carriage with small slits for windows. They locked it tightly before three guards jumped on large black horses, as the other two commandeered the carriage from the front. The neighbours’ door opened and Old Man Teme and the small red and white canine, rushed towards where Sonas and Chastion stood.

  “Protect her for me.” Aardriyah breathed out, aware that no one could hear her now with the thundering of hooves and increasing distance between the two parties. However, the small red and white canine looked up into the carriage, seemingly directly into Aardriyah’s eyes. She could have sworn it nodded its head in agreement.

  CHAPTER SIX

  languish in solitude

  The dark metal carriage continued along the hard sand covered roads at an alarming pace. Aardriyah was sure that at any moment the whole thing would flip on its side sending her off the cliffs to the ice-cold water below. She tried to keep a track of all the turns they had made, but she realised it was futile as the journey seemed to last much longer than her memory did. When the carriage finally came to a halt, the overcast night sky luminated little of the surroundings, giving Aardriyah no further hints as to where she had been taken. The guards wordlessly opened the carriage door, hauled her out by the rope around her wrists and pushed her down a path towards a large dark mountain. In her peripheral, she was able to see that the road curved back on itself indicating they must be at one end of the island.

  The path led to a small cave opening in the side of the mountain, lit only by a splattering of candles well burnt down and placed on the sides of the cave floor. The space was tight, allowing only a single file line, two guards leading, two behind and one remained the entrance of the cave. None of them spoke a single word the entire time yet led her through the cave complex, as if they had done this a thousand times, without falter. Aardriyah was now visibly shaking, goose bumps had reach across her entire body and she was sure that if she wasn’t being led to her imminent death, the cold alone would ensure she didn’t make it through the night.

  The guards in front suddenly stopped, causing Aardriyah to accidentally bump into one, not realising they must have reached their destination. She could hear the distinct noise of large keys on a chain, before the sound of a heavy door scraping along the floor echoed throughout the cave. The guard directly in front of her walked forward into the room, while the one who had just opened the door remained standing in the pathway, blocking anyone from moving past this point. He gazed directly forward through Aardriyah, not seeming to pay any attention to the prisoner before him. Aardriyah reached the door frame and paused in her track, refusing to go any further.

  “No, no, no, no, no, NO! NO! NO! NO!” She began wailing as the guards behind her pushed her into the awaiting chamber, forcing her onto her knees.

  “Why me?! What did I do?!” She begged, pleading for answers as the guards now retreated one at a time out of the room. She tried to follow, running and throwing herself at the last guard. He turned, pushed her back onto the ground and continued out of the cell. The door slammed behind the last guard and without a single word, she heard the heavy boots echo off into the night, leaving her alone in the cold, damp chamber of a room. Aardriyah began crying uncontrollably, looking down at her rope bindings, looking for any signs of weakness in the knot. She wondered if this was the end, if the last days she spent on the earth were to be spent languishing in solitude.

  After what felt like hours, Aardriyah stopped crying long enough to catch her breath and realised her eyes had finally adjusted to the almost pitch-black surroundings. She rose slowly, still unsure of exactly what danger lay ahead or around her. A cool Moons Exhalation breeze kissed with a tinge of saltwater hit her face and sent shivers down her spine. She tried to gain her bearings, as she slowly rose off the ground. Her legs almost gave out underneath her as they too tried to adjust. As if sensing her movement, the heavy clouds that had blocked the moon, began to pull away. With a growing amount of light generated by the full moon, Aardriyah was able to take note of the cell she was now held captive in and the gaping wall missing from it. After spending her whole life on a cliff ridden island, she was no longer afraid of heights and found herself peering over the ledge down into the sharp rocks of black midnight below. The water was calming and gave her some solace as it curled back on itself, the silver white tips of waves reminding her of Sonas’ long beautiful hair. She let out a small tear as she wondered if she’d ever get a chance to brush it again, to twist it into exquisite creations and see the beaming smile of the little girl who bore it.

  Trying to focus on her predicament, she cast her eyes across the black ocean and made out the looming shadow of the volcano. For the first time in her life she wished she was closer to it and the warmth it surely generated. Maybe then she wouldn’t freeze before the morning rose. Aardriyah started to look around the small cave chamber, trying to find anything that might be useful for unbinding the ropes around her wrists. The cell was absolutely empty: no waste bucket, no straw or feather bedding, no furs, nothing at all that she could use to her advantage.

  Aardriyah made her way back to the ledge and tried to peer around to see if she could make out any other entrances in the mountainside. She called out several times as loud as possible, her throat beginning to ache from the strain. Nothing returned a call, no noise hit her ears besides the constant crash of waves against the rocks of the cliffside below.

  Starting to panic again, Aardriyah glanced across the horizon and racked her memory trying to recall the last house lantern she remembered passing - and came up blank. Somehow, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t remember when she had last seen any light or any sign of civilisation, besides the five guards who must have dropped her off in this forsaken cell and left.

  She tried to calm her breathing as it had once again become so fast that she felt she would soon lose consciousness. She tried to rationalise, tried to reason with her dire situation to at least fool herself into believing she would make it out of this cell alive.

  Chastion will solve this. It must be a misunderstanding. She thought to herself and he was a respected prince of the realm. She didn’t doubt her brother would relish the opportunity to sweep in and rescue the day, exercising
his might and power to prove he was the hero everyone loved. A hero so unwavering in his moral superiority, that he would risk it all to save even an unblessed.

  Another voice in her mind now arose and continued down a path of doubt. She pondered how much power Chastion had over those guards. After all, they completely ignored a direct order from one of their sworn leaders. She wanted to believe he would do everything in his power to rescue her, but doubt infected her mind and started to plague any rational thoughts from arising. If Chastion could not stop those guards from hurting his own father, a person he truly cared about, then how could he possibly stop them from hurting someone whose existence he barely acknowledged.

  Aardriyah pushed herself into a corner trying to erase the negative thoughts from arising in her mind. She held her body tight while she shivered but try as she might, she couldn’t seem to warm herself up. She closed her eyes trying to focus on imagining a warm day, trying to fool her body into believing she was somewhere, anywhere else. It was a trick she had learned at a young age, manipulating her mind into believing she wasn’t hungry, wasn’t cold, wasn’t alone. Aardriyah thought back to her dream the night before, standing on the edge of the fortress walls in a silken dress dripping with sweat from the overwhelming heat that clung to the air. In some unexplainable way, it seemed to work and for a while, she did feel warmer.