To Post Kiesah and Back
In a throne room as cold as ice The Queen sat in her place as the most powerful. She never had her mind off of it; power: dark, luscious, delicious, powerful, power! When Layvin came in his wings felt as if they froze, the frost on the walls, the fire burning in the tall torches: the only light in the room. Layvin hated coming here. The way The Queen towers over him, the way the frost contrasts on the basalt palace, The Queen’s voice echoing, nothing here was joyous as Layvin liked and was.
“So, Layvin did you find him?” The Queen asked
“No, I have not your highest honor.” Layvin answered
“Why?” The Queen questioned
“Well…I…It’s…just that…” Layvin looked for an excuse as The Queen waited expectantly.
“Layvin! If you haven’t found him then you are not worthy. I told you this was your only chance to prove yourself—“
“Your Honor! I tried….But…these things take time and…—“
“Silence fool! You FAILED ME!!! I GAVE YOU MULTIPLE CHANCES AND I TOLD YOU THIS WAS YOUR LAST!! AND YOU FAILED!!!” The Queen yelled, “GUARDS! Prepare to execute him! NOW!”
“Your honor! YOU….PLEASE!” The guards grabbed Layvin’s arms and pulled him out of the room to his execution.
“SHUT UP FOOL! YOU WILL DIE AT MY HAND! AND YOU’LL THANK ME LATER, FREAK!”
As soon as Layvin was out of the room and the doors where closed. The Queen sat back down.
“You won’t hide forever Xejn. I will kill you as soon as I get my hands on you.” She sighed “but in the meantime, GUARDS! Prepare Layvin’s execution.”
“Xejn! Breakfast is ready!” One of the maids called up.
“I’ll be down in a moment!” Xejn yelled back.
Xejn was a prince he lived with his, mother, father, brother, and sister. His father was expectant and rocky. His mother; beautiful, kind, and understanding, she was very fluid and flowed around her children’s decisions. His sister; Arja, was playful and fast like the wind. His brother; Tixrob was almost always angry and fiery about every decision that was ever made. And when Xejn explained his family as ‘rocky’, or ‘fluid’, or ‘like the wind’, or ‘fiery’. He meant it. Xejn was born into the family of Elemanti, the elemental Gods. And Xejn was the only one without an elemental power.
Narja, a goblin, was Xejn’s favorite of the Elemanti’s servants, (she always walked with him down to breakfast or to anything that involved getting from one place to another. )
“Good morning, Prince Xejn!” Narja greeted.
“Good morning, Narja.” Xejn yawned
“Breakfast is ready to be eaten down stairs!” Narja smiled, “Also Tixrob is a little…fired up…though you probably know that already.”
“I could’ve guessed” Xejn shrugged
“You ready for breakfast?” Narja asked impatiently
“Sure.” Xejn answered because he knew if he didn’t Narja wouldn’t stop talking.
Once Xejn got down to breakfast and sat down Tixrob said
“Finally! Look who decided to join us.” With a giant eye-roll.
“Oooh Tixie! Don’t be like that! Xejn just joined us when he wanted to!” Arja smiled, with her breathy voice.
“Well I’m just saying he could have joined earlier.” Tixrob grunted.
“Well I’m just glad you joined us, Xejn.” Said his father, King Hmeig. Xejn sat down and asked
“So what are the plans for today?”
“Oh! I’m glad you asked!” His mother, Queen Ilma smiled and clapped her hands, “ so we have given the servants a day off since we won’t be here all day—“
Arja and Tixrob murmured back and forth as Queen Ilma.
“Ahem!” Their mother said to get everyone’s attention “ I wasn’t finished. As I was saying, we have an important meeting we need to attend and—“
“ They didn’t invite me, and that’s why Tixrob needs to remind me how useless I am, and I need to go get firewood or something dumb like that?” Xejn recalled all of those times when he got excluded from ‘important’ work like whatever his family does.
“Why must everyone cut me of?” His mother whispered under her breath.
“Yes. You have it right my son.” Their father said
“So what is my ever so exciting ‘godly’ task?” Xejn asked disappointedly
“Mostly outdoor stuff!” Arja nervously chuckled. The talking continued and Xejn felt like a distant cousin that no one liked, he sat there and pushed his food around his plate. He didn’t dare interrupt in their conversation, if he did he’d get scolded from Tixrob or laughed at from Arja or his mother would ask him to quiet down. Just then Narja came in with her shy smile on her face and announced,
“Queen Ilma, King Hmeig, Princess Arja, Prince Tixrob, and Prince Xejn?”
“Not today.” Xejn sighed
“Okay.” Narja continued, “well your escort is here for your meeting in Xemx.”
“Thank you Narja Xi. We will be right there.” King Hmeig said. Narja nodded and left the room.
Soon everyone was scrambling to finish getting ready to leave. Queen Ilma patted Xejn’s head and handed him his chore list.
1. Tidy up around the house
2. Rake the yard
3. And pull the veggies and weed the gardens
“How does that look?” Asked Queen Ilma
“Good” responded Xejn.
Everyone then said their goodbyes his mother kissed Xejn on the head, and they all got into their carriage and left. And once again Xejn was left alone.
“You okay?” Narja asked
“Yep. Let’s start the chores.” Xejn shrugged and and walked back inside.
The whole palace as quite, it felt huge! And Xejn worked quickly and quietly. He organized the shelves and swept the Great Hall, and made sure all of the dishes were put away nicely and neatly. Then he went outside to finish working. He sat in the garden pulling weeds when he head it a voice of an elderly woman saying.
“ Hey! You little boy! Come!” She called, Xejn looked over his shoulder and thought that this was not something he should do. But the idea got into his head that his family probably wouldn’t even notice if he was gone. So he walked over to the woman.
“Hello?” He greeted
“Why Hello there! I’m Tamada and I have lost my way, sadly. And you seem like someone to help. So will you help a poor old woman?”
Xejn looked at her and thought and all of his thought rushed at once telling him ‘no’ but he didn’t listen.
“How can I help?” He answered
“ I live on a small island called Post Kiesah, just south of here it’s just about a one day trek from this dump.” Tamada said as she looked around at the palace. Xejn looked around and sighed in agreement.
“Also.” Tamada added, “I could give you a home and a family that won’t throw you away at the thought of you being… what is it? ‘Useless’?” Xejn stayed quiet thinking how weird it was that she knew that his family treated him like that. of all of those times he got thrown away because he WAS useless. He looked at this old woman and nodded that was all he wanted a loving family a place to stay and to always be with his family no matter how important their task was. Tamada smiled and stood up,
“Let me guid you.” She smiled and then jumped and transformed into a raven. Xejn began to walk and felt someone grab his arm. Narja!
“You are not going anywhere without me.” Narja announced “I’m coming with you, I know about Post Kiesah, and it is not a pretty place, aaand you just agreed to go there. So I’m coming!” This was how Narja was and will always be. They then heard the Raven, Tamada call to them. Narja and Xejn shared a look and nodded.
“Now let the journey begin” Xejn mumbled under his breath.
An hour or so passed and they finally reached the end of the Elemanti’s country and that’s when it hit him: Xejn Never left. He looked in front of him at the dark, daunting, and almost haunted looking forest ahead of him. He took a breath in and stepped in to the forest. As soon as his feet stepped in to the long grass on the floor of the forest fireflies began to rise up and twinkle around him they danced and played ,and as Xejn kept running more fireflies rose up. Even Narja was amazed. Tamada the Raven cawed to keep them moving and they kept moving still watching the fireflies. Birds sang their songs and crickets chirped. Narja stopped and pointed out the birds were GLOWING! Everything in this forest was glowing! The leaves, the birds, the bugs, all of it! Tamada the Raven stopped and turned back in to her human self.
“ this is the forest of Dawl Qawwi. Or bright light. All of the organisms glow here, if you haven’t noticed already.” She said before turning back into a raven.
“I don’t like her.” Narja shrugged.
“ I can’t agree more.” Xejn agreed. Then he ran his fingers through the gas’s releasing more fireflies in to the air. Tamada the Raven cawed telling them to hurry up. And they did.
Soon the forest cam to an end and led to a big lake, with a perfect line of stepping stones, perfect to cross. They stepped onto the rocks and the place eliminated around them! The cranes took flight. And what looked like lanterns bloomed from the branches and vines of the trees.
“WOW!” Was all the kids could get out.
“This. Is. Magickal!” Narja squealed . Xejn couldn’t say anything. He was amazed.
Xejn and Narja laughed as they jumped from rock to rock, the bioluminescent fish swam around in the water illuminating the dark black water. Once again Tamada the Raven cawed and once again the kids fallowed.
Next thing they knew they were starring at a wasteland of snow, ice, large black basalt rocks where sticking out of the ground, and there was a small hint of blood in the air. Far in the distance was a HUGE castle, intimidating, hunting, evil looking, it loomed over the land. All that sense of joy and happiness left Xejn immediately.
“Is this…..” Xejn started
“Post Kiesah.” Tamada finished. As she landed in front of them, but instead of turning back to an old woman. She was now a Beautiful young woman with an evil smirk.
“I LED YOU STRAIGHT INTO MY TRAP YOU FOOLS!” She celebrated.
“Wait! Tamada is not an old woman or a raven she is a evil…um..evil person?”
“HAHAHA! You crack me up. Tamada is DEAD, I killed her a long time ago I just used her body to disguise myself. But you don’t need to know all secrets. Do you?” The now evil woman said
“Than who are you?” Xejn commented.
“I AM NO OTHER BUT THE GREAT QUEEN MEJTA!” The woman announced “AND YOU ARE NOW MINE!"
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