Lighter Than Air

A feather is all that he left me. I still sit in the same spot in where he will offer his shoulder whenever I hold his cold huge hands. I lifted the feather through the clouds facing the sun, then I saw his face smiling towards me, telling me that everything will be copacetic, but he lied. How can I be fine if I still long for him? The peaceful  river escaped from my crystal pair taking the waves to the single memory he left me. I stood up and started to walk my way home, as I passed by the lively streets of Crimson Tree I have decided to stop by a place that was filled with our broken moments. Suddenly, I found myself at the window of KYROS Liquors staring at the pair of wings that reminded me of Algernon, my fallen nemesis. I was about to leave when Mr. Kyros noticed me and he immediately offered me a glass of liquor, the one that Algernon and I used to share after our dinner. As we chat he started talking about how Algernon and I ended up as lovers when he is actually my greatest nemesis. Our family and race differs from each other, he is from the Harbinger Tree and I live here in Crimson. The people from the Harbinger Tree lives peaceful and joyous, while our kind is obsessed with power and pelf. Algernon is a chivalrous knight and I am the warrior princess and only daughter of the King Crimson X.

Four years ago I sneaked out of the Crimson Citadel to visit my mother’s knight named Clovis. As a young girl I dreamed on being a knight fighting for Crimson Tree’s pride. Through those years Clovis trained me to be a great warrior a fleet could have, and when I turned eighteen my father placed me as the Superior General of the Crimson Knights. My first mission was successful enough to conquer the lands of the Granger Tree and made it one of our own. After celebrating our victory we have decided to start taking on other territories until all that’s left to take is the Tree of Harbingers. In this mission I met Algernon the Superior General of the Harbingers fleet, the scoundrel who suddenly became my enemy. He started to restore other lands from Crimson which made him a hero of other races. 

I was so devastated when my father forced me to quit my position in our fleet and my anger grew towards Algernon because he defeated the invincible princess of Crimson. Desperate for reprisal I decided to keep an eye on Algernon and plot his own fall. I retrieved every information that I could have and headed to Harbinger Tree. I entered the Jarvis Apparel and dressed myself to look like a Harbinger, prepared to fit into the crowd, a man caught my attention. It was him Algernon. I freed my wings and followed him and he landed at Grange Tree the land of farmers. I saw an old grange man giving Algernon barrels of fruits and vegetables thanking him for saving their land. He accepted everything the grange gave him, he is really a conceited greedy harbinger. I followed him all day and he did the same thing in every Tree. The sunlight is fading out and Algernon is heading home, so am I. That night I resented him. The next morning I flew my way to Harbinger Tree and the view from the town surprised me. The barrels of goods that was given to Algernon yesterday was placed in every doorstep of every house in town. My thoughts for him have changed that day. As I continue to walk around the town I saw a bunch of kids lining up in Algernon’s backyard. He was giving them everything he salvaged yesterday and that scene shifted my perspective of revenge towards him. I decided to head home full of thoughts jumbling in my mind. 

“Ciphera”, Mr. Kyros called out in the middle of my dream. His voice woke me up and asked me to have a rest home. I gathered my things and left the shop because he is about to close it. I walked through
the streets and flew in the broken bridge to reach my current house. I no longer live in the Crimson Citadel, my father doesn’t recognize me as his daughter anymore. I now live with Ardor, my loving partner who accepted me after everything. He is a painter here in Crimson. Ardor knew that my heart still belongs to Algernon, but he insisted on having me as his wife.  As I reached my home I tied my hair and closed my eyes to sleep. 

After I followed Algernon, I decided to see the world for myself not as a warrior princess but as an ordinary girl seeking for answers.  A week had passed and I found out everything. The world that I saw couple of years ago until now is cruel and selfish, but now I understand what am I fighting for and my dream to be a warrior supporting the emperor’s greediness clouded my eyes from peace and joy. That day I talked to my father and the result disappointed me. I packed my things and left the Citadel for Harbinger Tree. As I landed to the arc entrance a knight drew his sword and threatened me to disappear from their lands, but I refused and stood my ground. He was about to cut me in half when someone arrived and stopped him. He talked to the knight and helped me to stand from the ground. I was surprised when he offered me a glass of wine and treated me as if I am one of them. It was like he is not the man that defeated me in battle grounds. I shared him my thoughts and asked him a way to convert my race from being a Crimson to a Harbinger but the answer never existed. Days gone by and I stayed at the Harbinger Tree trying to find a way to become one of them but I still haven’t found the answer. Those times I had him with me, Algernon. We got closer to each other until we developed feelings that was lighter than air. One day after the town’s gathering ceremony I spotted a Crimson knight glancing at me from afar, then I knew that I was being followed from the start. The evening then I received a letter delivered by a red owl, my father’s messenger. He asked me to return, but I wrote back and refused. The morning after Algernon was missing and I can’t find him everywhere. I decided to head home because I had a feeling that he was there and I was right. I immediately ran to my father and we got into an argument involving Algernon, he told me that our love is forbidden and unforgivable. Then our conversation shifted to my mother, I told him everything that burdened my heart. I did not even saw my mother’s face, how do I supposed to know her when he never showed me. It brought tension in our argument, I was so mad that it made my father say something that shattered me. He told me that he was the one who killed my mother. After that heartbreaking conversation I went to Algernon and freed him from the knights. I asked him to take me somewhere far from home. There he comforted me and we had the most memorable time of our lives. Three days after, we got caught by dozens of Crimson knights leaded by the superior general they fought Algernon and he was a total match for them. Not until another dozen attacked me, they were about to kill me, but Algernon drew his second sword and stopped the blade that was about to cause my death. I freed my wings to hug him, but an arrow struck him straight to his beating heart, that scene froze me. The knights succeeded to obtain me and they brought me back to Crimson only to remove my rights as a princess.

I woke up from that nightmare, I felt Ardor hugging me tightly. I hugged him back and told him that I am fine to stop him from worrying. This is happening much lately, my nightmares visit me each night. He then waited for me to go downstairs and we will go see King Crimson X at the Citadel. I was filled with thoughts as we flew our way to the palace, Ardor held my hand and he never let go. There it was the Citadel, a knight opened the door and led us to the king. As I stepped my feet on the old floor of the castle I felt my heart pounding really hard. To my surprise my father enclosed me with his arms and cried telling me that he was too late. I can’t understand him then until he explained everything. He was in loved with a Harbinger and they pursued their feelings to the point that they asked a mage from the Mage Tree to give them a child because no matter what they do they can’t have one and so the mage granted their wish, but after the Harbinger gave life into her daughter she passed away. That’s why loving an angel that’s not in your kind is forbidden. Right that moment I realized a thing, I will meet him soon enough and with that, a feather fell from my crimson wings turning my vision into darkness.