The War Of Crowns | #ONC2023

Chapter 4

Leia walked until her feet bled. Her limbs felt like slush and her stomach was roaring with hunger. Still, she kept going, following the sound of the alluring voice as it pulled her closer and closer to the source.

It sounded like all the wonderful forgotten dreams from her childhood. Like the memories of her father's sun kissed skin as he lifted her onto his shoulders around the palace, her little hands pressed into his cheeks. Like the joy she felt at the feasts they would host for the villagers before the war. The laughter and fun that she shared with her loved ones that was nothing more than nostalgic stories shared in hushed conversation. It was everything she had ever wanted to feel again.

Her soul was soaring above the ruins of her pained mind. She was finally free from anger and fear. Finally, there was peace at her core.

The voice paused and so did she, her foot hovering midair above a branch. Exhaustion started to seep into her bones and she sagged against a tree, confused.

"Little human, join me

Let me whisper in your ear

There is something you must see"

Her breath scraped against her lungs as she pushed herself to walk towards the small clearing of trees before her. The euphoria washed over her once again.

A lake stretched before her on a slight slope. The green rocks under the water shone in the streams of sunlight that broke through the thick leaves of the trees around them. She took a step forward, slipping off her shoes and dipping her bloodied feet into the water.

The lake water spilled over large rocks and connected with a river leading downstream. Leia's eyes caught on a flicker of movement and she peered closer to see the same beautiful maiden before her. Her features were soft and alluring and her green hair now sparkled with seashells reflecting the sunlight.

The maiden swam before her, her legs now replaced with a blue and green fish tail.

"A pearl, tiny as a droplet

Bring it to me when I come

Freedom, you shall get"

The words hummed through Leia's mind but the maiden's face remained blank, her lips unmoving. She raised a finger and a droplet of water floated through the air towards Leia.

She turned to follow the droplet and it slowly fell back to the water. Leia lifted her legs and let the water carry her weight, a sweet sigh escaping from her lips. The maiden put her hands against Leia's temples and a picture of a thin hand with a pearl between two fingers came to view in her mind. The pearl dropped into the palm of another and Prince Dakath's face came into view.

"I can do it," Leia said dreamily. She wanted to please the maiden. The task wasn't too hard. Find a pearl somewhere in the prince's castle. It would bring her great pleasure to succeed, if only to feel this way again.

"Little human, thread carefully with him

Guard your heart or it will be deceived

Fail, and I'll take what's dearest to him"

"I can do it!" Frustration threatened to break through her haze and the maiden simply laughed. Her nail dug into the side of Leia's cheek, drawing blood before she disappeared under the water.