The Goldsmith

Prologue

And as the world comes to an end
I'll be here to hold your hand
King and lionheart - Of monsters and men

This story starts on a warm summer night. The full moon shone on the magnificent palace made from glass and steel. The moon was not an ordinary moon; it was a blue moon that appeared once every twelve years. Legend has it that the blue moon gave strength to the magic of divination.

A warm breeze blew through the windows of a dark room with walls made of glass illuminated by floating candles. When the wind calmed, the curtains gave way to a shadow. The breeze blew the candles out one by one.

The last flame was stubborn and resisted the force until it became too strong. There was only one light that remained. A mystic blue light illuminated the shadow that was walking in total silence towards a crib. It stood on its hind legs and looked in the crib. Its ears were pointy and its eyes had the same colour as the moon. It had a blue crystal tied to its neck, and the moon and stars danced on the reflective surface.

In the crib, a little girl was sleeping. She had wavy golden locks and pointy ears. She was three summers old. The creature's pupils dilated, till only the blackness remained in its eyes.

His whiskers tickled the girl's cheeks. She woke up and looked the creature in the eyes. Her eyes were the colour of fluid sunshine with a sparkle of gold. The colour of a spirit or goddess was only described as a rare colour in Lieta. She giggled and reached for the creature.

She whispered happily to it as if she had known it for years and wasn't afraid of the intruder. "Kitty." Her ears were pointing to the roof and were trembling.

The black cat let the girl pet him. The girl was gentle for her age. He pulled away from her reach when he heard footsteps in the hall. Frantic and loud steps echoed on the glass walls.

A slender woman stood in the moon's glow as the doors of the room slammed open. She had the same golden hair, but her eyes were cold. She only glared at the deformed figure of the cat. The shadow had ears too pointy and its teeth were glowing in the light. His eyes reflected the blue moon.

"How dare you!" Her voice thundered in the room, eternal and angry. "You lowly spirit, breaking into my daughter's room."

The cat hissed and ran towards the window. Where it sat down and curled its tail around its feet. Not further bothered by the Queen of a powerful military nation. The mother ran towards her daughter and scooped her up. Her magic hissed and crackled in the room. The golden curls floated around their heads.

The girl reached for the cat again as the drama unfolded. Opening her hand was a sign that she wanted to pet it.

The girl reached for the cat again as the drama unfolded. Opening her hand was a sign that she wanted to pet it.

The cat looked up at the mother, its eyes glowed. "Queen Ailey. Did you know that your little girl will be the strongest elf to have ever walked the earth?" Fear squeezed her heart. She realised who stood before her and it took every bit of willpower not to fall to her knees. The spirit was a legend.

"Eistibus." Her voice echoed throughout the world as she whispered to him. Shadows woke up to hear what the spirit had to say. He was the spirit of divination and prophecies. He disappeared centuries ago because he refused to give prophecies to the elves.

"Ailey, did you know that your little girl will reunite sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers?" He sounded cynical each time he used the words little girl as if she won't stay little and would soon rule them all. "That she will surpass your powers and magic. That this whelp you bought into the world will soon dethrone you." The queen looked sadly at her daughter, who reached her mother with chubby hands. She gave her mom a sweet hug, and the queen held her closer. Not caring what the creature told her. The queen knew the goodness in her daughter's heart. She was aware of the light that surrounded her when she was born.