What Things May Come

Ralfaiel watched with distant eyes as his father walked out the door. He was on his way into town. The last few trips had caused his father more stress. There was a rebellion in the air and everyone could feel it. Disagreements between the queen and the princess were growing more and more frequent as the coronation ceremony inched closer. It had become too dangerous to enter the city without an important reason. The whole capitol city was in an uproar. Ralfaiel not only feared for his father but for all those loyal to the queen. Something was wrong and he couldn’t put his finger on it.

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Eohl exited the room with his normal grace; barely a noise was heard. Cario was waiting for him in the hallway with his daughter, Tierra.

“So, how is it coming along?” Cario asked him.
“Everything’s been agreed upon by all but Jillia and Sarashada. It seems that the young princess has different plans than those issued by her.” He answered.
“It’s not like that,” Tierra interrupted, “She’s scared. Her body is going through these weird changes…”
Eohl laughed almost rudely, “All girls her age go through that. It’s a part of growing up human.”

Eohl strolled off laughing to himself and anyone who would hear. Tierra’s brow furled, she was growing agitated with him.

“That’s not what I was talking about, father.” She said.
“I know. That’s just Eohl, you have to learn to take him with a grain of salt. He’s like that to everybody.”

Tierra crossed the hall to the bench against the wall there. She didn’t sit down only leaned against the wall. She folded her arms across her chest.
“But I’ve been with her,” she explained, “She gets angry easy. She doesn’t understand what going on inside her mind. She says that she sees the things she does but she sees them like she’s looking through a window. She said that it was like someone else is there in her mind. All she can hear from it is ‘the moment the crown touches her head’. Whatever it is repeats it like a chant.”

Cario absorbed the information but his thoughts were interrupted as the young princess left the meeting room.

“Tierra!” she waved to her as she approached. Her long dress trailed behind her like an obedient dog. It was as if an overwhelming pressure cascaded over them.

“Sara?” Tierra answered inquisitively. The princess continued her stroll over to Tierra almost as if the entire world was literally resting on her shoulders. She was hunched over and shuffling her feet across the floor. The beads of sweat had begun to form across her brow. She reached for the blonde’s hand, and Tierra held it out to her. Tierra pulled her closer.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No. My mother insists that the crown be laid on my head during the ceremony. Even against my wishes. Because a few magicians decreed that a True Rune must acknowledge all power that changes hands. The voice is growing angrier at my mother’s hesitations. It keeps asking why she won’t just force it onto me. I think it’s planning something awful.” Sarashada confessed.
“Don’t worry, Sara, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Tierra assured her.


“It will go as planned.” The queen’s voice rang out clear as a bell when she entered the hallway talking to another of the court magicians. She flashed a cold look to the princess and continued down the hall to the lobby. Sarashada and Tierra followed behind her as Cario joined them.

At the bottom of the staircase Sarashada, Cario and Queen Jillia began a discussion. Tierra wondered away from them, slowly scanning the room and all of its extravagant ornaments. She could vaguely hear conversations around the room. She just dawdled around enjoying the room in all of its glory.

“Isn’t there some way to settle this without destroying the bond between you two?” Cario asked the queen.
“I will not go against the magicians that saved us! You voted on this matter as well!” She spoke strongly yet quietly as she turned away from him heading into the throne room. Cario ran to get in front of her again.
“I understand where you are coming from, Jillia, but she seems authentically terrified of the crown. Maybe if you two talked…”

Cario stopped mid-sentence as he realized that the queen had a strange look on her face. It was almost twisted. It had happened so fast that he almost overlooked it. But the hand was there, in – no, through, her chest. It was holding a small mass of flesh that Cario assumed was her heart; he didn’t want to look to confirm it. Then, her body fell. It wasn’t in slow motion, but the adrenaline that had started pumping through him sped his vision. Looking upon the princess he saw a familiar look in her eyes. She was distant, dismal and dark, almost like her….
The princess’s face twisted in pain as her hands flew to her temples. A blood-curdling scream escaped her lips as a light radiated from her. The blood on her hand smeared in her hair. The marble floor cracked and collapsed beneath her.

“Tierra!” Cario managed to scream. He reached for her, grabbed her wrist and ran as everyone else did the same. Crackling noises came from behind them as the princess floated above the hole in the floor. Tierra tried to watch but Cario tugged so hard at her she couldn’t really see over her shoulder. It was almost as if the room was set ablaze and the fire was chasing them. Everyone ran on. Further and further, but they weren’t escaping.

“Stop!” Tierra cried to her father. He didn’t respond; he just kept running. “What’s happening to her? I promised, father, I promised!” she pleaded.

He jerked her around the corner and forced her down covering her with his body. She could see over his shoulder all the flames and electricity. She was terrified; She couldn’t understand what was going on. She watched, and watched but nothing was making any sense. She squeezed her eyes closed and screamed until nothing registered. It was quiet; it was dark, nothing to let her know that anyone around her was alive.


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Ralfaiel saw the light flooding from the castle. It finally happened, as they all knew it would. The young princess lost control. This was why his father never trusted humans. The meetings couldn’t have possibly ended; all those people couldn’t have made it out. He wondered if she was there.

“Ralf!” his father’s voice rang.

The boy turned to him almost instantly alarmed. His father was bleeding.

“What happened?” he asked.
“The queen is dead and Sarashada is lost…. There was no time to save her. We need to hurry and find survivors and evacuate the queen’s loyalists.” He commanded.
“Right away father.”

Ralfaiel jumped from the horse and ran for the castle. He stopped dead in his tracks and turn to his father once more.

“What was that, father?” he asked.
“It was the force of a soul being destroyed.” He father said grimly. “I want you to find the Pallari girl and keep her safe.”
Ralfaiel was taken aback by his father’s sudden command. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
“For what purpose?” he asked slowly.
“There’s more going on here than those humans know. She is the Lady Gatekeeper granddaughter. I don’t want any harm to come to her.” His father explained.

Ralfaiel didn’t push his father’s patience with any more questions and did as he asked.

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Lionheart walked on as the water in her boots sloshed with each step. She was annoyed. No matter how many times she waxed and waterproofed them there was still water. There was a full moon overhead that lit the path beneath their feet but there was no sign of the caravan. They had fallen too far behind. There were footsteps going in every direction that the multiple forks offered. There was no way to tell which direction they had gone. She and Tierra were lost. Lost, in the woods, during the wet season. They had no food other than their snack bags, no more water than what they carried in their slings, and no shelter. Aside from all of that Tierra was an emotional wreck. She had witnessed her best friend kill the queen. She hardly liked the girl when she was happy…now she was all alone with her while she’s depressed. Oh brother!

“What now?” Tierra asked sulking.

Lionheart contemplated every direction possible, she couldn’t guess with enough assurance for herself.

She sunk to the cold soggy dirt, “I don’t know, I don’t know,” she said as she shook her head. Her frustration was getting to her.

The castle had been almost obliterated. The outside had withstood the force of whatever it was that happened that night but the inside had collapsed on all who were inside it. She didn’t understand why he didn’t come to her rescue. He had ever time before. She’d stopped stealing so that he wouldn’t be upset with her. She went to the meetings in the castle about the country’s finances and protection with her father, just so she could see him. Why had he become so important to her? Why wouldn’t he come for her? Why did she care?

Tierra sank down beside her and sobbed lightly, “They’ll come back for us right?” she asked.
“Not ‘til the rains are over. It’s too dangerous for them to turn back now.” Lionheart answered.

Tierra let her weight rest on the tree behind her releasing her tears. She had never had this much trouble adjusting when she traveled with her father. Cario had always made sure she was safe and with the right people. But since she’d met the Pallari family, especially Lionheart, her ‘aura’ was thrown off. This wasn’t normal for her. She took a deep breath trying to stop her tears when she heard it. Tribal drums. She caught her breath and listened intently for the direction they were coming from. She crawled closer in their direction as she pushed the bushes aside. Lionheart studied her, confused, as she began to follow her.

The sight that had flooded their eyes was astounding. There were women, beautiful women, standing in a crescent around another. These women were dressed in robes of silk the color of the ocean after a massive storm with cloaks of fox fur. The orange of the cloaks clashed with the teal of their robes, but the effect they created was breathtaking. Their hair was done up in different braids and tails as it shimmered in the torchlight. But the woman they were surrounding was the captivating one. Her dress hung loosely off her shoulders as it clung to her in all the right places. It was a soft pink with sashes for sleeves that mocked the color of the sky. Her hair was white and it draped on her shoulders, hiding any hint of skin her dress wanted desperately to reveal. Lionheart’s eyes were glued to the crown gracing her head. It was gold shaped into a circle of ivy. The leaves were made from polished abalone with hints of silver. The flowers that separated the ivy leaves were made from something that neither girls recognized, they were purple in color and swirled like pearls. Lionheart was giddy.

Her first thought was to jump out and take it and run…. just run…anywhere her feet would take her. There’s no way that it wouldn’t fetch a hefty price. She tried to hold her urges back but just as she drew her daggers from her boots she noticed movement in the trees behind the women. She squinted to get a better look.

It was almost uncanny, the glint of silver on the head of whoever it was she was looking at. It couldn’t be! But he proved otherwise as he stepped out of the trees and up to the woman.

“Amazons. It seems that they are carrying out a wedding ritual.” Tierra observed aloud.

A wedding? Him? To whom? She wouldn’t have this! He wasn’t there for a wedding; it was obvious by the way they were staring him down. He couldn’t be doing what she thought he could, could he? She didn’t want to wait to find out. She jumped from the bushes and ran toward him with her blades ready. He spotted her quickly and turned to run. She chased him through the trees and over rocks, across bridges and over creeks. She chased until there was nowhere to run. He stopped and laughed at her.

“What’s so funny?” she questioned harshly.
“I know what you’re thinking…. and I’m going to say it isn’t far from the truth.” He confessed.
Lionheart cocked her head to the side… she wasn’t sure he knew at all what she was thinking.
“Oh really?” she smarted.
“I did come to steal something…. But you have to catch me first… Then we can discuss the cuts…” he chuckled lightly as he began to run from her again. She took to the chase leaving Tierra behind…far behind….

They ran on for a little while longer until she lost sight of him. She paused trying to catch her breath. She couldn’t hear the drums anymore, but she wasn’t sure if that was because they were so far away, or because they had stopped beating on them. She was beginning to worry about her quick reaction to seeing him, now she and Tierra were lost and alone.

“Don’t worry about her.” His melodic voice danced around her.
“Why shouldn’t I? She was my responsibility.” She said to him in no particular direction.
“Because she’s in good hands,” he said as he dropped from the high branches of the tree behind her. “I’ve made the best arrangements I thought necessary.” He continued as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

He rested his head on her shoulder as he breathed lightly on her neck.

“We’re alone now,” he hinted lustfully, “Is there anything you want?”

He spun Lionheart to face him. She made eye contact with him and her soul shivered at his gaze. He meant his offer to her. It was raining, or rather, misting all around them. Their skin glistened with the warm water deposits. He was simply gorgeous she couldn’t help but let her mind wonder in areas she knew it ought not go. His crooked smile sealed the deal. She forced her lips against his and he responded quite the same. His hands cupped her head behind her ears and he held her there, their lips never parted, until Lionheart finally forced herself to pull away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked not really sounding concerned.

Lionheart smiled at him as seductively as she could as she reached for his tunic. She yanked it off of him without any resistance. He looked just as she had imagined. Perfect, in every way. He was surprised, but it wasn’t showing. He just let her work her way down to his belt. She pulled it off with hardly a sound. This, however, was a bit more than he expected. She reached into his leggings and found quickly what she was looking for. She smiled as she grabbed hold of it. He gasped a little, but relaxed just as fast as tugged on him a little. He closed his eyes and tried to keep from thinking what his mind was forcing him to. A few breaths and he looked back into her face, but it was different. She was smiling mischievously. Suddenly, she pulled and did it hard.

“OWW!!! What the hell!” he screamed.
She giggled slightly, “What are you up to?” she asked forcefully while holding him painfully tight.
“I was just going to offer you shelter,” he answered.
“I don’t believe you.” She said as she yanked again.
“No, no… I’m serious… you were the one….” He said jumping around trying to get away.

She released him, mainly because she believed him. He rearranged his clothing and pulled his tunic back on. He was confused by her, but intrigued at the same time. He thought to himself for a moment then he reached for her… He ran his index finger down her spine and watched her shiver for him. He raised her hair from her neck and kissed her gently before biting lightly on her skin. Her head rocked back in compliance with his kisses, and her weight rested on him. Just as suddenly as she had him, he surprised her. He stepped away from her and she stumbled backward to the ground. He laughed coldly at her as he ran away. She followed behind him, revenge for her humiliation running through her head…