* * *
Lauren opens the Arcadian book of life. It was pitch black inside that old mine but the subtle bluish glow of the book was enough to see its contents clearly and illuminate her path as well.
On the first few pages, there were detailed maps of the first kingdoms of the empire. Greenscott, Oakridge and Aspen. Maps of all the smaller territories including Clifden. Lauren wasn't surprised to see that these northern regions were the first of Arcadia's empire, since it's here up north where her ancestor's story began.
One would have thought its Arcade city but it's not.
Prior to the first Jauregui's reign, Arcade city was the worst land of them all. The largest city in the world with no sense of order. People do whatever they want whenever they want. Each for themselves. Chaotic and only self serving. Only the temple survived through the madness.
From the kingdoms of the north, all the way to the south, it seems like the book of life tells Lauren that her ancestor circled around Arcade city as he claimed nine other kingdoms and the surrounding counties that warred against one another. With Astoria being the last one to submit, all twelve kingdoms united under one rule, the first Jauregui demolished the riotous anarchy in Arcade city. As a celebration of his victory, all twelve kingdoms and seventy two counties has become what is now known as the great empire of Arcadia, in honor of the newly reformed Arcade city.
It was fascinating to look at these very old but very detailed maps of Arcadia. But before Lauren can get distracted any further, skipping on the pages that tells her about the seven islands of Atlas that was her ancestor's final conquest, she traces the map that will show her the path that will lead her to the tree of life.
Following it deep inside that mountain, she took a while with several turns, trekking up and down a lot of times. Until she was finally led to one archway. There was no other turn anywhere else but the map on the book shows that she was on the right track. There was only the archway and it was filled with intertwined vines and roots and russet colored leaves.
There was no such thing in the book yet here it is in front of her.
For a moment she doubts herself. Perhaps she has done something wrong or misunderstood something. She flips several pages on the book looking for a reference about an archway. But there was none.
As she searched the book, in her mind she's already considering to go trace back her steps and figure out where she went wrong, a harsh wind blows. Startling her. She stands her ground defensively, tucks the book in the safety of her armor and draws her blade out.
The harsh wind kept blowing. It came out of nowhere and being deep inside a mountain, in an unfamiliar terrain, no one can really tell where the wind actually comes from.
It was so harsh, it almost knocked Lauren off her balance. She starts to get nervous standing there in the dark.
But then, just as it suddenly came, the harsh wind stops. What replaced it though caught Lauren in a state of utter surprise, with a little bit of trepidation.
Thick white smoke started rolling on the ground. It rose into ghostly figures of the past, all materializing right before her eyes, the only illumination inside that mountain other than the subtle glow of the book seeping out of her armor. Each and every fog-like forms were reenacting the events of the past in a blurry yet still distinguishable vision.
From the first Jauregui to her father; she can see them, she can hear them all. It was as fascinating as it was spooky. She can see them gliding against the dark rocky surface of that old mine; see the struggles they have been through, the triumphs they have celebrated, the people that became part of their lives.
It was like a film noir of moving and talking white wispy figures made out of pure smoke and she's smack in the middle of it all.
Oddly enough, these ghosts doesn't truly scare her. But in her dazed amazement, she steps back, turns around and finds herself astounded by the crowd surrounding her. It almost felt like suffocating.
None of them seem to care about her presence, though. She walks around trying to get a closer look, to have a peek of what went through the past. But these ghosts all carry on doing things on their own, talking in hushed tones that still echo in that cavernous underbelly of the mountain. Just then, she catches sight of someone.
The first empress of Arcadia.
Her great grandmother Graciela.
Immediately, she takes out the book of life and flips the pages to that familiar picture that consumed her thoughts. She finds it and indeed, there she was, in her exact appearance in the picture. Her great grandmother going down the steps of the imperial temple. Meeting her were two people. One known as her heir and the other was erased from all other articles of Arcadian history.
Her two sons, Theo and Xavier.
As much as she would like to hear her parents' voices once more, linger in the experience of their smiles and laughter; or just simply take a glance at the first Jauregui and take note of how he succeeded in life, she was more inclined to know about her only female predecessor.
She approached the smoky figures of the first empress and her sons. As she moves away, she fails to notice the archway moving, the vines and roots covering the entirety of it are knotting together so hard, russet leaves falling off of it.
She stands to face her great grandmother. Graciela seemed to be ageless with her beautiful smile and emerald eyes that she sure passed down to Lauren. She was staring happily at the man standing not too far away whom Lauren recognized as her great grandfather. The empress hugs both sons, one after the other, then goes to her waiting husband.
"Are you ready brother?" She hears Xavier speak, the one she came to know as the second son, "Our people are waiting to celebrate your victory,"
"It's your victory as well, little brother. Your efforts during the battle is as equally honorable as mine," Theo, her grandfather replies, looking so young and so handsome, "Come on let's go. Let's not keep our mother waiting,"
Theo excitedly jogs towards his waiting horse.
"My true victory shall come when I sit on our mother's throne and be the greatest emperor you shall never be . . . big brother," Xavier whispers, gripping the golden staff on his hand, the coiled snake around it seems to be moving on its own.
Theo doesn't hear those words but Lauren does. His disdain of his own brother was unmistakable.
She wants to find out more but then a tiny blue light shines through the archway quickly snatches her attention. It was only then Lauren noticed the straining vines and roots in it. It was straining so hard that some of it began to snap. All the leaves in it are now on the ground, crumbling, becoming part of the soil.
She puts away the book of life once more, thinking she'll go back around later to see for herself how Xavier executed his betrayal. For now, she had to go investigate what's going on with the archway.
Armed with her dagger, she cautiously approached that blocked entrance. Reaching a few feet closer, more vines and roots snap. Parts of it were being flung across the cave, hitting the fog-like figures of the past behind her. Almost hitting her as well. Several few more snaps and there came a tiny crack in between the archway.
A little more blue light comes out of the small gap. It only made sense to make it bigger so she can see and find out what's behind. She tries and struggles; it was as if those things covering the entry are fighting back against her.
Eventually, she manages to pry a good chunk out of it. She tries to take a peek but the harsh blue light hurts her eyes. She goes on to work some more to make the gap big enough to squeeze herself in.
As she does, echoes of conversations reaches her ears. It was like a cacophony of voices overlapping upon one another. She hears her mother, she hears her father, she hears Simon. She hears the first Jauregui speaking in a long forgotten ancient language. Even the soft voice of the last faerie queen of Zaragoza, profusely thanking her parents for the help they gave in ensuring the safety of the halfbreed's small village. Snippets of people talking about anything and everything. She can even hear Xavier mumbling about having it all to himself.
Lauren can't concentrate on what she was doing. It was as if those voices intends to distract her.
Her gut tells her that she's close to the tree of life but these ghosts are there to deter her from reaching her destination. It was as if they wanted her to linger in the past instead of moviing forward. Frustration began to cloud her mind. She turns around to face the ghosts only to be immediately faced with her great grandmother. Staring deeply at her, exact same emerald eyes mirroring each other.
It was only then Lauren realized that it is the only other color present among all the other white wispy forms of the ghosts surrounding her.
Her eyes. Her great grandmother's eyes. Vibrant and so alive . . .
"You're on the right track, my child . . . Could have been worse if you brought another weapon, these memories aren't too keen on such items,"
Astonished, Lauren can't seem to find her voice and acknowledge her great grandmother.
She smiles at her, "Surprised that among these ghosts, I'm the only one who can talk to you?"
"Uhh— I, erh . . . Uhm, I—"
"It's alright. Your father had the same reaction too,"
Graciela the first empress glides past Lauren. She takes a peek at the open gap on the archway.
"You need to keep making this bigger, so you can enter. Our roots are strong. No matter how much you break them, they fight back to hold one another together. Especially when the one breaking them apart is one of their own,"
Those words were meant as if Graciela was alluding to her son's betrayal.
"Your majesty, are you saying that these things covering the archway are the tree of life's roots? Our roots?"
Graciela smiles proudly at her, "Yes. Now keep working. Don't mind all these reminiscence behind you. You don't have all eternity to go and pay your respect to our ancestor,"
Lauren heeds her great grandmother's advice. She kept working on making the gap in the archway bigger. As she did she can feel her great grandmother watching her.
"My father saw you here as well?" She asks.
"Yes. It was a bit of a nightmare but he had a pure heart and strong will just like his father before him . . ."
Lauren momentarily stops and looks over to her great grandmother. "Grandfather saw you here as well?"
Graciela nods in affirmation.
"How is that possible?"
"We are humans whose blood came from a magical entity. Humans who are exceptional yet still susceptible to mistakes, to temptations. Our family was bestowed with power, but our choices to do with it are our own. For generations, we mostly chose to use it for the good of every other beings. But one chose to use it for himself,"
"Xavier . . ."
"And I chose . . . To protect him and his brother,"
"He murdered you,"
"He aimed to end your grandfather's life. They are my sons. I will not sit and watch one kill the other to have everything to himself alone,"
"What did you do?"
"What I had to . . ."
Lauren couldn't understand it. She wants to ask more but Graciela glides over to the open gap in the archway.
Because she's a ghost, she was able to get past that crack.
"There is a certain order that the first Jauregui put in place to keep everyone in our family in check," her voice echoes from the other side, "The same principle he applied to every dominions he ruled over. I broke that order and this is my penance; eternal existence inbetween, unable to rest . . . I didn't want everyone to see my son for his evil deed, I know I must have done something wrong for him to turn out the way he was. So I used the sacred magic of our blood to have him banished to the realms of Polaris, wiped of everything he knows about him being a prince after his attempt at poisoning his own brother. Away from the lure of wealth and power . . . It was a mistake of course,"
"He came back to poison you,"
Lauren recalls the actual cause of Graciela's death as mentioned in the book of life.
According to the book of life, Xavier came back under the disguise of his father; having the same blood as his mother made him only partially affected by her use of magic. His memory remains but his status vanished for everyone else in the empire, save for his brother and father. He wakes up in Polaris, a banished prince nobody knows about. He worked his way with the barbarians of Polaris and plotted his revenge.
He then goes to infiltrate the castle with the help of a handful of select people. He goes to poison his mother while his friends follow his explicit instructions to steal a number of things. He used the exact same poison that almost took Camila's life. But it was too late when Theo arrived minutes after the deed was done.
In his anguish, finding out that it was Xavier who first tried to poison him then his mother, as he had people steal a number of artifacts at the same time, he fights angrily with his brother. A fight that ended up in another death in the imperial family.
Xavier was killed by Theo; his friends were apprehended by his father.
With Graciela and Xavier dead, it was a heartwrenching tragedy for the ones left behind . . .
"Yes. And he did raise an army of barbarians. He only brought a handful with him that day because of his arrogance but his mark was already made. His will was strong to counter the magic I used, I should've known because the same blood runs in our veins. He was banished but his memories remain. But instead of owning his fault, he turned himself into something else. He wasn't prince Xavier of the imperial house of Jauregui, the master healer of the Arcadian health ministry. He became Xavier the lord of serpents, master of poisons and he aimed to take all of Arcadia for himself alone. His legacy still continues and you know them now as the serpentina bandits,"
Lauren feels like the air was sucked out of her lungs.
"Did he have a son?"
She asks. But there was no response.
The voices behind her, the ruckus of the ghosts going through the motions of their past life grew louder, reverberating though out that cavern. The ghost of Xavier wielding the rod of Asclepius glides through the motions of his actions as he disguises himself to look exactly like his father and pours a vial of bothropis on his mother's drink. There was a distinct pull to it that beckons Lauren to come closer and watch the tragedy unfold.
She sighs deep in determination. She has a strong will of her own. She won't let any ghost succeed in distracting her at reaching the Arcadian tree of life. She won't allow the ghost of Xavier, the man who created the serpentina bandits, stop her from the task at hand. To prevent her to once and for all end what he started.
Not even her need for definite answers about the chances of her and Camila being blood-relatives . . .
* * *
The word of princess Lauren's return to Arcade city rang loud and clear throughout the empire and beyond. Along with it is the truth behind lord Brad's schemes. Immediately, he became the most wanted person in all of Arcadia.
All of Arcadia's twelve kingdoms, especially those who had motives of taking the throne for themselves while Lauren was missing, came together. All in agreement, that despite the differences in them, despite their ambitions of being the ones to rule, they are all bound under only one sovereign. Even after Astoria's attack on its sister kingdom, Oakridge, all grievances were set aside.
In every traverse, many recognized the blue and gold colors of the imperial army atop flying griffins. Wheezing past plains and mountains and forests. Little Barry from the foothills saw those colors and felt pride at having met the new empress of the Arcadian empire. Even the old buccaneer Klint from Taurea has heard of the return of the Arcadian princess and felt some kind of elation in the matter, although he still haven't realized that he already met the princess.
Brad, still somewhere in the backroads in between borders within the empire, hears of this news and starts putting his plan into action. He is well aware that he is so done for, it's only a matter of time before someone recognizes him and turns him in. But he has one last thing to do before he meets his own end.
Meanwhile, Alejandro also hears of the princess' return to the empire and with her was a vast army of imperial troops. The kingdoms of the empire has began to form a united front outside the imperial castle. He knew his time is running out, he has to wield the power of the blue fire now; it is the only way his authority over the empire will be recognized and accepted. And if he can't do that through the help of the Arcadian book of life, he will force it out of the princess' hand by any means necessary.
Even if the numbers aren't on his side, even if all else fails, he has one last weapon to use. And that weapon is already standing by the princess' side all this time.
Alejandro will make sure he won't fail because this is what he always wanted.
This is going to be the battle of his life and he swears he won't ever go down like Xavier did . . .
* * *
🙂