The stains of war leave a bitter mark on the land; years will pass, memories will wither, but there will always remain that one crack, that solemn blemish to forever remind us that we are creatures of destruction. When we let our alignment stray from our true purpose, chaos sprouts. This is the will of magic to pull us back onto our path.
The Cosmos has a consciousness to it that you and I couldn’t begin to comprehend. Out of nothing, it can create. It doesn’t need to explain itself. The Gods just are. The Cosmos, to most, is unreachable. We are able to take small fragments of knowledge to use to our advancement, but too much would hinder even the Gods themselves, for they too have their own agendas and desires, which is why the majority tends to wander in the dark. That is the will of the Gods.
Feirkiln was created as a place to harbor a magic so powerful that one god alone could never harness. The gods didn’t make us so that we would slaughter one another, but it is through our freedom that many of our ancestors have chosen this bitter, repetitive path. Some believe that the Gods of War have done this on purpose; that we have no freedom.
They have chosen their Champions of Battle to incite bloodshed as a way to hinder the progress of Feirkiln’s species.
The Revolutionary Bloodshed in Nyxalia is just one example of the Gods interference. Create Chaos to divide the species and watch which masses grow. Was it simply for their amusement? Or was there something more, something Divine mortals couldn’t understand?
Lines have been forever engraved upon the land by mortal hands, separating races and keeping them from interacting, but nothing truly lasts forever does it? Just as a solid stone erodes away with time, so does the past and its chains.
High upon the mountains was the kingdom of Altolia, land of the Angelics. In the North, hidden away in the caverns of the Earth, sat the heart of the Obscurian Kingdom. To the far South East against the corner of the continent is Caprenicus, what remains of the mysterious Elven race; far and few people have ventured into the dense forest of that magical land. These lands make up Nyxalia, a dear home that our ancestors have divided for the sake of peace. Other lands of Feirkiln remained a mystery to most who never dared venture further than the throw of an axe.
Sirenia, a mortal like the rest of her kind, didn’t embark on a selfless journey of righteousness. She didn’t attempt to repair bonds that have been broken over the centuries, for she was no chosen one. They say that the years of childhood define who you will be. The wealthy will prosper, and the poor will wither. Can one defy the alignment of the Stars?
It is never easy growing up as the solitary black sheep. Sirenia had been ill-gifted with the strangest traits for an Angelic. Kids called her Spawn of a Heathen with her blood stained locks. At an early age she accepted that she would never fit in and in time became okay with that.
Her normal was exploring what hid in the wild foliage just outside the buzzing noise of the city. When she wasn’t battering her pale skin with bruises she would come to rest near the same spot every night to look up at the sky. It was this time of evening when she felt most content, when the fiery horizon faded and became a display of dotted crystals. The moons hung like two offset pairs in a perfectly imperfect balance with the larger one hanging above the smaller companion.
Why did the rest of Altolia retreat to their homes when dark fell upon the kingdom? Why were they so afraid of the velvet, glittering beauty? Sirenia always wondered what waited beyond her reach. One day she would see it despite what anyone said.
Children were taught there was nothing of interest beyond the walls of Altolia, that wretched creatures of dark magic and desolation were waiting in the shadows to devour their souls, but as Sirenia sat upon the hill staring out into the mystifying landscape she saw neither demons nor monsters.
This was the night that the shadows would begin to stir. They would murmur cries of knowing what the future held. It was this moment that the sounds of the night would be accompanied by a new echo of distant footsteps, mistaken for an animal of the forest.
Crimson hair swirled around Sirenia’s pale face, dancing to the cadence of the cool air. She closed her eyes for a moment becoming conscious of the dewy blades of grass under her fingertips until a new awareness swept over her.
Pushing herself up on her elbows quickly, emerald gems met golden, amber eyes of another child. Little did Sirenia know that this child would consume her life, send her into darkest voids of oblivion and into the fires of brightest stars.
The moonlight bounced off her eyes reflecting silver fragments and she gasped with awe and realization. Everyone knew this child.
“Princess!”
Sirenia sprouted to her feet as if the earth were on fire and tried to recall how to greet royalty. Did she bow? Salute? Curtsy? Aware of her awkward fidgeting, the raven-haired girl giggled and extended her olive-skinned hand.
“Call me Amaranth,” the young princess said sweetly.
“I uh…okay!” Sirenia’s sheepishly squeaked.
The brunette frowned when she didn’t take her hand, but by the time Sirenia realized what to do she had let it fall back to her side.
The princess had only been seen from a distance during royal speeches. Her long, ebony hair was always adorned with a gilded crown, but tonight it was missing. Without asking, the princess sat down beside the redhead which caused her stomach to twist even more than it had been. Was Sirenia supposed to say something?
“W-what are you doing out here, Princess?” she asked hesitantly.
“I could ask you the same.”
Sirenia bit her tongue. Questions began to stir within her mind like a roaring ocean. Could she get in trouble being out here? Was she going to tell? Her brow furrowed and she looked at the princess from the corner of my eye.
“I was taking a walk,” Amaranth told her.
“You’re allowed outside at night?”
Amaranth shrugged with a grin and giggled, “They don’t have to know. What’s your name?”
“Sirenia. My parents don’t know I’m out here either.”
Sirenia was intrigued. No one had ever willingly spoken to her before unless it was to tease. Perhaps it was the darkness veiling over her imperfections, but time crept on turning into hours as they spoke of things normal children wouldn’t think about. Sirenia could feel within her soul a connection she had never felt before. There wasn’t talk of silly games or favorite colors. Instead Sirenia, unashamedly, admitted her love for the night, for dark walks under the stars. The need for something more. For once she wasn’t judged.
When it became obvious that time had alluded them, the tint of the coming dawn approaching in the distance, they sprung to their feet and said their goodbyes. It was bittersweet to watch the brunette fade into the foliage.
What if they never spoke again? By the time Sirenia built up the courage to chase after her and beg her to come back tomorrow night, Amaranth was gone. She had vanished like a cloud of mist.
*
They say the Gods are always watching; that they have a plan for everyone. If you ask them with enough heart, they might answer you. Sirenia ventured her way back to her spot the next night and was caught by surprise to see the brunette sitting on the grass very patiently as if waiting for her. There had been no agreement or words of her ever returning, yet she had.
Sirenia tried to remain quiet, taking the moment to calm her excitement, when the young brunette turned around and smiled at her with a wave.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Amaranth said, “I really liked the view. I hoped you might be here tonight.”
Sirenia’s heart grew warm.
“Not at all. I always come here.”
She sat down next to the girl and fixed her gaze upon the stars trying hard not to look too much at her new companion. They sat like that in silence for a long time until Sirenia pointed towards a collection of dots in the sky.
“That one looks like a dragon,” she claimed.
“Oh! I love dragons,” she admitted as her face lit up. “I’ve read that they still exist. They’re hard to find though. If I ever find one, I’m going to raise it to be my own and name it Riuke.”
Amaranth’s cheeks turned rosy with realization of how silly her enthusiasm must have sounded. They were one of the most magical creatures in the land with a lifetime that could last beyond a thousand mortal generations. Naturally, they were never an Altolian’s first choice as a pet, for destructive magic never sat well with their kind. No one had seen a dragon in centuries.
“I like that name.”
The brunette’s grin grew cheeky until she burst into a fit of laughter triggering Sirenia’s own chuckling. She had no idea what was so funny, but she liked the sound of the princess’s giggle, so she made no attempt at dampening it with a question.
There was a rustle of the trees as the wind greeted them with a cool kiss. An owl hooted in the distance. Eventually everything but the sound of breath ceased and there they were again in silence of one another’s company.
“I never asked you about your parents,” Amaranth remarked.
She caught a bitter look in her friend’s eyes before the redhead turned her attention to the grass.
“Couldn’t tell you much anyways,” Sirenia replied. She plucked a blade of grass from the earth and twisted it between her fingers.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know who they are. Or were.”
Amber eyes widened. That was why Sirenia could so easily slip from watchful eyes. She was a part of the Foster Quarters, home of the parentless. This was a sad realization for Amaranth. Her heart crumbled whenever she thought of someone without the loving warmth of a mother and father.
It was very uncommon for Altolian’s to give up one of their own which is why the Foster Quarter was occupied with children of parents that had passed away. There were a few who had been abandoned by parents too afraid to raise their own, but they always found a home shortly after. Unfortunately, Sirenia had no way of knowing what her story was. The only thing she knew was that no one wanted a child with the soul of a demon.
“It’s fine though,” Sirenia told her with a cracked smile, “I don’t need a family. I have the forest, the night, and myself.”
How could a child be content with such loneliness? That was what Amaranth wanted to know, yet she bit her tongue, for she knew better than to tread into waters too deep. She couldn’t understand. How would there ever be a way for her to understand what it was like to have no one?
*
There wouldn’t be a need for Amaranth to get to know Sirenia’s loneliness; she would soon fill that gap, that void that was untouched for so long. Time went on turning from days to weeks. By the time a month had passed the two were inseparable even when the space between them was distant. Night was their cloak, the only time they chose to be alone with one another, since it was the only time they could speak freely.
Sirenia would never venture near the Cloud Palace even after Amaranth offered to introduce her to her parents. Every time it was brought up the redhead would find some excuse, but secretly she was ashamed. Not of Amaranth, but of herself. A princess shouldn’t be seen with the likes of her.
“Please,” Amaranth begged her one night as they said their farewells, “I promise they’ll like you. I don’t understand what you’re so afraid of.”
“I was abandoned for a reason,” Sirenia retorted, but the princess would have none of it.
“You weren’t abandoned.”
“You don’t know that.”
The brunette grew silent. It was true. But Amaranth had a plan. Her parents would open their loving arms wide for Sirenia. Surely they wouldn’t let a child continue to grow up in a broken system; surely they would help her find a home. Maybe better yet Sirenia could live in the palace! There were plenty of unoccupied rooms in that vast structure of stone. Oh, it was a glorious idea.
“Please Si,” she pleaded one last time; the silver in amber eyes caught the moonlight just as it had done the night they met. Sirenia gave a sigh of frustration and finally agreed.
*
The morning sun never looked so beautiful before. Amaranth was up at the first of dawn and had been anxiously pacing the halls ever since. It wasn’t that she had to be up so early, but she couldn’t sleep. She had told her parents she wanted them to meet a good friend of hers which aroused a peculiar curiosity in them.
Her mother was worried that it may have been an imaginary friend since she had never seen Amaranth with anyone for a particularly long amount of time other than the children from the royal family. A child at this age shouldn’t have imaginary friends or at ever for the matter if one were to ask the King.
The King and Queen cherished their daughter as if she were the sun itself. They made sure she received the highest education, finest clothes, and whatever else it was that her little heart desired. Unless it was a dragon. That was one thing they could never, would never, promise her. They didn’t exist. At least not anymore and for good reasons.
“Darius,” the princess called out to one of the guards, “what time is it?”
“It’s close to noon, little one.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed in excitement. She gave her thanks and bolted down the winding stars, towards the entrance of the palace.
Standing near the gates, her eyes wandered around the landscape looking at every moving person that passed. She waited for what seemed like an hour, but time is never quite right in the minds of the anxious. Finally there came the flash of crimson hair in the distance, but it wasn’t fast enough.
“Why are you walking so slowly?” Amaranth whispered under her breath.
Little did she know that her companion was terrified of the massive walls in front of her. There was a scarce assortment of things that scared Sirenia, but everyone had a weakness and for some reason it was the Cloud Palace. It was a gut reaction, a strange sense of disgust mixed with intrigue.
Once close enough in view, Amaranth waved at her which got the guard’s attention. He looked down at the brunette and asked, “You know this child, Princess?”
“Yes! She’s a friend of mine.”
“A friend?”
“My best.”
“I see. Do you have permission from your parents?”
Amaranth’s eyebrows scrunched together.
“Why would I need permission? I’m the princess.”
“In case—”
“Amary!” Sirenia called cheerfully as she neared the gate. Looking up to the silver armored man, she smiled hesitantly and waited.
“My parents are expecting her,” Amaranth reassured him and he nodded, reluctantly drawing back the gate.
The girls met in a warm embrace before the young brunette grabbed the other’s hand and began to run towards the palace. Sirenia shouted at the sudden tug, but followed suit with a roar of laughter.
The inside of the Cloud Palace was far grander than imagination. The walls were high, decorated with intricate designs of gold and silver. They entered a large dome room that had extravagant paintings of prior Altolian rulers.
Sirenia had never seen such realistic looking pictures in all her life.
The princess giggled at the jaw dropped face of her friend and wondered what it must be like to be seeing this for the first time. After all, this is what Amaranth had known. She grew up in this palace and knew every nook and cranny like the back of her hand.
After walking through another set of doors and up a flight of stairs they stepped into a smaller, calmly lit room with a couch and a set of chairs. It was the drawing room which meant little to Sirenia. However, she silently thanked the gods to be in a more comfortable setting than the previous rooms. They were far too extravagant for her.
“I’ll be right back,” Amaranth told her and disappeared out of sight.
Now alone in such an unfamiliar place, Sirenia looked around. There was an unlit fireplace, far too warm to need now. With the warm climate of Altolia, she wondered if it had ever been used. What caught her eye was the large painting above the hearth; the King, Queen posed grandly with their daughter between them, all smiling softly with those beautiful silver streaked eyes. Amaranth was the spitting image of her mother, yet her eyes seemed to stand out the most. It was either a bias of Sirenia’s own mind or the work of the artist to draw attention to the heir of the throne.
Not much time passed before she could hear the high-pitched voice of Amaranth’s talking to someone.
“Yes, yes, we’re coming, my love,” said a regal, female voice.
“Have you ever seen her so excited?” spoke another, this time of a man’s. He sounded cheery as he laughed, accompanied by his wife’s own.
The door opened and in stepped the King and Queen. Suddenly Sirenia’s posture went stiff. She tried to smile, but she could feel herself shaking. This was the King and Queen, the truest rulers of Altolia.
“H-hello.”
Her greeting was rickety as she gave a clumsy curtsy, her limbs not used to such movement. Crimson hair beamed like a deadly beacon in the silence of the room. The atmosphere plunged into the depths of bewilderment triggering a look of panic shared between the King and Queen.
Was it her clothes? Did she do something wrong?
“This is Sirenia,” Amaranth told them, ignorant of the strange energy between the four of them.
Not even granting a nod of acknowledgement, her parents stood in silence and shared a look that only they could decipher. The king’s face held a heavy weight as he looked down at his daughter.
“You’re mother and I need a moment,” he told her as the Queen made her way out of the room.
As soon as the door shut behind them Sirenia gave a cry of torment.
“They hate me!”
The princess ran over to her friend and gave a squeeze of her hands.
“What? No. What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you see the way they looked at me? Just like everyone else if not worse!”
The redhead sagged into the couch and held her head between her hands. The poor child didn’t understand. Why did no one like her? She had never harmed a soul or done anything that might bring her shame.
“I told you I’m the Spawn of a Heathen.”
“I hate when you say that,” the brunette sighed as she sat down next to the girl and wrapped her arms around her tightly, “Give them some time to get to know you. My parents just aren’t used to me bringing in people from beyond the palace walls.”
“So I’m worthless?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But—”
The door opened slowly without a sound and the King stepped into the room. The Queen hung behind with her eyes pointed downward, a look of dismay pinned across her face.
“I think your friend should go home now,” the King instructed. His cheery laughter had been overrun by a plague of authority, sitting on the fence between a father and ruler. It wasn’t a suggestion, but a demand.
“But daddy,” Amaranth whined, “I thought she might stay for lunch. I told the chef—”
“Amaranth,” her mother spoke with a voice so soft that it made even Sirenia soften for a moment. The princess gave a sigh of dejection.
“I’ll have Darius escort her out,” the King added and waved away whatever it was Amaranth wanted to say.
The redhead’s mind was filled with devastating thoughts that were hardly soothed by the apology of her friend. It didn’t matter what the brunette did; she wouldn’t be able to fix this foolish mistake and she blamed herself.
When the guard came to take Sirenia down, Amaranth hugged her tight and whispered into her ear that she would see her tonight, but the broken child said nothing in return. She followed the man back down the path they had come, past the paintings and statues, down the long pathway towards the gates.
“See that this one doesn’t gain entry again,” he tried to say under his breath to the other guard on duty, the same one she had first met not that long ago, but the child heard it very clearly. It rung like the bells of the chapel, a writhing sound Sirenia never could grow fond of.
As one opened the gate, the other went to grab the redhead. She retaliated, slapping his scratchy hands away, but she was too weak to have any impact. The guard shook his head and gave a grunt before forcefully pushing her beyond the gates, watching as she stumbled. When she nearly fell into the rocks both of the guards let out a dark chuckle.
This was why she never wanted to come here. This is why she hated Altolia. She turned her head and spat at them, a move that elicited rage, before taking off into the crowd of the city. She ran with all her might until she reached the edge of the forest, falling against a thick tree to support her weak limbs.
She looked up towards the blue sky and met the blazing sun. She cursed the bright light that burned her eyes as a salty tear began to travel down her pale cheek. She didn’t belong here. She never would. At a time, she was okay with that, but the look on the King and Queen’s face was enough to send her into hopelessness. Amaranth was her candle in the darkness of this blinded kingdom, a candle that was too far away to touch, too glorious for her to lay eyes upon.