by Kim Fedyk
“I’m being punished and I’m not allowed to have any food until tomorrow. If someone sees you giving me food, you will be in trouble.” Chuck looked around and seeing no one, put some meat, a slice of bread and some dried figs on a plate and handed it to Arleth.
“I don’t see anyone. It’s pretty late, everyone has probably already gone to bed, it’s ok. You must be starving, just eat quickly, you don’t want to be caught either.” Arleth took the food gratefully,
“Thank you so much Chuck!” She wolfed down the food in a matter of minutes and handed the plate back to Chuck.
“So,” said Chuck, “I don’t think you came here just for food. Let me guess. Since you were in the cage all morning and then shut up in Bella’s bed chamber until now, you don’t know about the news the messenger brought.” Arleth smiled at Chuck and nodded; he knew how curious she was. Chuck walked over to a bench and sat down, motioning for Arleth to sit beside him.
“The messenger came from Absalom Amara, the king of Oherra.” Arleth gasped excitedly and jumped up.
“From Oherra? The legendary house of Amara, the holder of the Crystal Throne? What does he want?”
Chuck laughed at Arleth’s reaction.“Sit back down Arleth,” he said amusedly, “If you let me finish my story I will tell you.”
Arleth sat back down a little embarrassed and nodded anxiously at Chuck, “Ok go on!”
“So, King Absalom has heard about the Chaz Desert’s lynstones. Apparently hundreds of years ago, his ancestors used to trade for these lynstones with the Sneel family, but trade stopped for some reason... I don’t know why. Bella of course inherited her family fortune and business ten years ago with the death of her father. King Absalom wants to re-open lynstone trade with the Sneel’s, and therefore with Bella.”
“So why is everyone so anxious? Why is everyone so busy and hurried?”
“Ah, that is because the King will be coming here in a week’s time. He wants to personally check the mining of the lynstones and make sure that their quality is as good as he has heard.”
“He will be coming here?! In a week? No wonder everyone is so busy!”
“Yes, Bella has ordered almost half the servants just to go to the mines to start getting the lynstones so the storage room can be filled with them. Also, all of the messengers left this afternoon to go to the border towns to get silk, flowers, and delicacies that Bella doesn’t have in stock. Everyone is going to be very, very busy for the next week. But it is very exciting isn’t it Arleth? Getting to see the legendary King of Oherra. I never dreamed I would get to see him in my lifetime.”
Arleth couldn’t agree more. She was literally bursting with excitement. “How long is he staying for? Who else is coming with him?”
“A couple of days I presume. I’m not exactly sure, but he will be staying at least one night so there can be a banquet and he needs to see the lynstone mines in the daylight. As for who else is coming, I would guess most of his retinue and guards.”
Arleth nodded, she wondered what the king would look like. She knew at least that he would be human, she had been taught that much in the orphanage. But other than that simple fact, she didn’t have any idea what he would look like. She realized with shock that she didn’t even know how old he would be. Maybe he would be a couple of years older than her and would be handsome and would like her and take her away with him and she could be his queen... She laughed at herself, what ridiculous nonsense! What king, let alone the king of Oherra, would even look twice at a servant. But it would be great to see the look on Bella’s face...
“What is so funny Arleth?” Chuck asked looking at her with a smile. Arleth blushed; she hadn’t realized she had laughed out loud.
“I was... just... picturing some ridiculous creatures that might live on Oherra,” Arleth replied slowly.
“Ah, well, an old man like me doesn’t have enough imagination for that, but there must be some pretty interesting creatures there. When I was very young, my father told me that the magic in Oherra has remained strong since the time of the Great War. There are probably many magical races in Oherra that you or I couldn’t even dream of. But, Arleth it is very late and we are both going to have a very busy week ahead of us.” Chuck stood up and offered his hand to Arleth to help her off the bench. “I think we should get some sleep.”
“I guess you’re right,” said Arleth a bit disappointed. She would have loved to hear if he knew anything else about Oherra. She yawned, she was tired though. “Well then, good night and thanks again for the food.”
“No problem, good night.”
With a small wave she turned around and walked out of the kitchen and back down the hall to Bella’s chamber. She laid down on the floor in front of the door and despite her excitement, she was so exhausted that she immediately fell asleep. She dreamt of Oherra and the most fantastical creatures her mind could think of.
Chapter 4
The week passed by in a flurry of frenzied activity. Just like Chuck had said, half of the servants had gone to start digging in the lynstone mines. This meant that the remaining servants had twice the work to do on top of preparing for the king’s arrival. Furthermore, on the fourth day there was a particularly strong sandstorm which delayed the return of the messengers who had travelled to the silk districts of Warda and Trosh. When they finally returned, the seamstress had to work overnight to prepare Bella’s seven dresses and Arleth had spent the whole next day into the early hours of the night with Bella while the woman tried them on and complained non-stop.
But despite the obstacles, when the afternoon of the King’s arrival approached, everything was ready. Bella’s dresses were made and met her approval; all the food for the night’s banquet was being prepared; the lynstone storage room had been filled; and the mansion had been cleaned top to bottom and filled with vases of fresh flowers. Arleth took a deep breath, it had been a hectic week, filled with sleepless nights, but in her mind it was all worth it. The day had come; today she was actually going to see King Absalom, the king of Oherra! He should be arriving shortly and she, with Bella and Kiran beside her were lined-up outside the mansion with the rest of the household waiting for him to come. She scanned the horizon anxiously, but didn’t see any signs of movement.
Arleth felt pressure on her bare foot and looked down to see a large black beetle crawling across her toes. Normally she would have been disgusted, but now its appearance was an annoying distraction. She absentmindedly shook her foot and sent the beetle flying. When she did she noticed that the bruises on her shins had faded to a light yellow and were barely visible against her tanned skin. She mentally appraised the rest of her body; her cheek too she knew was no longer swollen and her stomach was just barely tender. Furthermore, Bella and Kiran had been so busy preparing for the king’s arrival that there were no fresh injuries to take their place. Bella had made all the servants wash their clothes, so Arleth’s brown dress was no longer streaked with dirt and grime. Arleth had even stolen Bella’s comb this morning when the woman was going to the bathroom and had worked out most of the tangles in her long black hair. All things considered Arleth decided, she was quite pleased with her appearance.
Arleth scanned the horizon again and was disappointed to see that there was still no sign of the king. She could see that some of the other servants had gotten restless and were shifting their weight back and forth on their feet or wringing their hands in anticipation. Kiran, sweat dripping from his pudgy face, complained loudly to his mother about having to wait, and for once Arleth agreed with him. The minutes crawled by. It seemed to Arleth that these moments spent in anxious anticipation lasted longer than the whole previous week. All the hard work of the past week now seemed like a blessing – it has kept her mind occupied and made the time pass faster. But now there was nothing to do but wait for the King and this waiting was unbearable. Even Kiran’s complaining ceased to hold her attention for long. Within a few minutes, he had run out of anything new to say and had therefore resorted to making
low grumbling noises.
Arleth dug her bare feet into the sand and wiggled her toes. She felt like crying out or jumping up and down. She needed to do something, anything, to relieve her anxiety. Her toe wiggling became more violent and she began swinging her foot back and forth, kicking the sand around her. She realized suddenly that she was creating a small dust cloud around her and she abruptly looked over at Bella and Kiran. She expected them to start yelling at her at any moment but they were so anxious themselves that they didn’t pay her any attention.
Bella was biting her lower lip and clasping her hands in front of her. Her gaze was riveted on the horizon, not daring to look away for even a second. Kiran had stopped his grumbling and in the resulting silence, the nervous tension was palpable. A loud cry pierced the silence.
“Over there!” Yelled a female servant named Jenny, pointing at the horizon. Arleth looked in the direction she was indicating and gasped. A door was being drawn in the thin air. It was just what had happened seven years ago. With this realization, Arleth was hit with a flood of terrible images and heartbreaking memories of Neve and Flora. In her mind, in striking clarity she saw the door as it had appeared seven years ago at the orphanage. She saw the flash of green light and the door open and the dark terrible monstrous shapes illuminated in front... But no! She thought to herself. This was different, the sky was not black, there was no Dread Mage coming from the door. It was just an ordinary portal between the worlds. And this time, the King of Oherra himself was coming. Yes, this time things were very different.
The door, now fully outlined, opened and a burst of golden light poured out. Although the light was so bright it made it seem like the afternoon sun was dark in comparison, it was not blinding. Arleth realized with surprise that she did not need to shield her eyes, if anything it caused her to relax and sent a deep wave of calm through her.
Is this what a magical world is like she thought? What kind of world is Oherra if the light coming from just its portal has this kind of effect? The light even sounds wonderful, she thought absentmindedly - a deep booming melody. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before, both delightful and exotic... the light was making noise? Isn’t that impossible? She looked closer at the open portal and realized that indeed it was. Emerging from the door in rows of three she saw the source of the music. But what the creatures were she had no idea. In most regards they looked like normal men and women, dressed in simple white garments. They were light-skinned and all had shortly cropped hair that was shockingly red. But what made Arleth so dumbstruck by them was that they each had four arms, two were long and gangly and looked like they would reach down almost to the ground if they were extended. In contrast the other two were short, probably even shorter than a human’s arms. The pair of shorter arms was holding a long tube-like musical instrument and the longer arms were racing up and down it, causing the wondrous music.
Arleth was still staring dumbstruck at these miraculous creatures when they abruptly halted. Four rows of three had marched out of the portal in total. In unison they grabbed their instrument with their right longer arm and raised it above their heads. With their instruments held in such a way, which really would have looked ridiculous if the onlookers weren’t so awestruck by the spectacle, they quickly marched up and down on the spot creating a drum-roll effect. This continued for a few seconds until the creatures had reached a feverous pace and then instantly ended. A tall male creature in the center of the first row took one pace forward, turned toward Bella and Kiran and bowed slightly.
“Mrs Sneel and young Mr Sneel, King Absalom of Oherra.” The man had a booming voice, but it was surprisingly normal, almost human. Arleth was a bit disappointed, but this faded as soon as she looked past them at what was emerging from the doorway. Two massive creatures were slowly coming into view. Arleth let out a cry of fright, behind her she heard a scream and an elderly servant fainted. Kiran’s face had gone white with terror and involuntarily he took a few steps backwards. Emerging from the portal were two giant serpent-like forms. From the waist down, they looked humanoid, despite being about twice the size of a normal human and having skin that was tinged greyish-green. They each had two massive legs that were so thick and muscled Arleth thought that she could easily hide behind one and not be seen. From the waist up however, all comparison ended. Branching out of each creature’s torso was a long, snake head. Two bright yellow eyes gleamed murderously behind scaled lids. The creatures moved to the side of the portal and stopped, standing with their feet spread apart. A pair of clawed arms held a 6 foot moon-shaped axe in front of their bodies menacingly. A cluster of green tentacles emerged from some spot on their backs and spread out around them in an array, withering back and forth as if they had a life of their own.
Now that the creatures had come into full view, the servants started screaming. Some had gone deathly white and were riveted, frozen in place. Others were backing slowly away, their mouths opened in cries of terror. Still others were beginning to run away.
“Be calm everyone!” The voice came from the lead musician who had spoken before. “Do not be alarmed by these creatures. They look hideous but be assured that they are the king’s personal guards. As long as he is not in danger, they will not strike. You have nothing to fear.” No one looked very certain of this, but those who had began to run, turned and crept cautiously back. Slowly the screams died out as the musician’s words registered and people gradually began to calm down. As the moments passed and the creatures still stood rooted to their spot on either side of the portal, everyone relaxed a bit. Although still wary of the creatures, some even started to smile at their mistake.
Arleth, for her part, felt a bit ashamed that she had cried out, but she quickly got over it. The king still hadn’t come out yet and this was the man she had been waiting to see. She tore her eyes away from the terrifying guards and looked into the portal once again. Another shadow was emerging, a single one this time. One that looked like a human’s size. Arleth felt her heart race. This must be King Absalom! Arleth thought to herself. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the event she had never expected to witness in her entire lifetime. The shadow materialized into a man, and what a man he was! Arleth felt her jaw drop open in shock and could do nothing to stop it. She no longer cared about the serpent guards, and as she looked around her Arleth noticed that no one else was paying them much attention either. Now that the king had appeared, their former terror was forgotten. The presence of this man consumed their full attention. He was by far the most handsome man she had ever seen. In reality, she had never even dreamed that a man could be so perfect looking. He was clearly much older than her, probably early 40s, but that did not take away from his appearance in the slightest. He had dark green eyes, the kind that could either pierce through you to your soul or lighten up in laughter at a moment’s notice. He had chiselled features and dark, tanned skin. A gleaming silver circlet sat upon his head, resting on his dark curly black hair. Physically he was tall, muscular and powerful looking. He was wearing a tight-fitting black shirt and pants, with high silver boots. Around his waist was a silver belt with a crystal buckle and across his shoulders was a dark blue cape that was bordered with silver thread that gleamed in the sunlight and had a large crystal stitched in the middle.
Arleth watched admiringly as he strode over to Bella and Kiran. Through his shirt she could see the outlines of his chest and abdomen muscles. Arleth felt her heart racing and beads of sweat begin to form on her brow and it wasn’t just from the heat. This man was gorgeous!
In a few moments the King had made his way over to Bella. Arleth had been paying such close attention to this stunning man that she hadn’t even glanced in Bella’s direction and now she almost wished that she had. The ridiculous round woman was fluttering around like a deranged butterfly. She was batting her eyelashes and baring her ugly mouth at the King in what she could only have thought was an endearing smile. Bella, Kiran and Arleth bowed their heads to the king when he approach
ed them. Looking over at him with bowed head, Arleth saw him smile. He took Bella’s enormous hand and kissed it.
“Raise your head Bella, a beautiful woman like you does not need to bow to me.” Bella positively floundered with joy and gave a disgustingly awkward curtsy. Arleth and Kiran also raised their heads.
This man was amazing, Arleth thought. He must have learned to be diplomatic as a ruler. Arleth thought it was a small miracle that Absalom could manage to put the words “Bella” and “beautiful” into the same sentence and not throw up. But he had managed to do so and had even made it sound believable. With awe, Arleth listened to the rest of his exchange with Bella.
“I am oh so very glad you came. I just know that you will love the lynstones. They are my family treasure you know, considered to be the most beautiful and precious gems in all of Tocarra. Just like me, I may add, but of course you have already noticed that. Yes, you are a very wise man, I think you will find the beauty of the lynstones does almost match my own.”
“Yes, I have heard many rumours of both your beauty and the lynstones. I have seen with my own eyes that your beauty hardly does justice to your considerable reputation, and I imagine that the lynstones will please me just as much.”
Oh this man is good thought Arleth to herself. Arleth could only imagine what Bella’s reputation was, but she was certain it was not the positive image that Bella envisioned. Far from being known as the most beautiful woman in the universe as Bella certainly thought she was, she was more likely known as a self-obsessed, pompous, ugly and frivolous woman. All the disgusted and seriously misguided suitors must have spread that reputation far and wide. For her reputation to have travelled as far as Oherra was unlikely, but it was probably part of royal diplomatic protocol to learn about the other worlds and people you were visiting. Thus, Arleth imagined, King Absalom would have been fully informed about Bella and was probably laughing inside right now at his wit and the grotesque woman’s total ignorance. Bella had clearly taken what King Absalom had just said as a compliment as she was flopping around (that was really the only word for it) in glee.
