Hey there!
So this is it, the last chapter of Part I. I'll probably take a break for about a week after, just so that I can get ahead with writing and whatnot.
But it won't be a long break, I promise lol.
Disclaimer:
Included in this chapter are lyrics to the song "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. I DID NOT WRITE THIS.
No copyright infringement was intended and all credit goes to the writers of the song and to the band.
That being said, please listen to the music. It really helps with the whole mood of the first part ^_^
Anyway, read and enjoy, and please comment and let me know what you think!!
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Chapter 15 - The Journey Ahead
It is unspeakably hard to say goodbye to those you love. The ones that are always there for you; who pick you up when you fall, who brush you off, hold you tight and tell you everything is going to be alright. These are the people who make you smile and laugh, who hold you when you cry and are always there when you need them. The ones you can't ever imagine losing. When you are little you are convinced that they are like Superman; invincible and able to beat down all of your foes. But even Superman cannot live forever... and so one day the inevitable happens, and they are taken from you, always too soon.
When you lose them; when they are ripped away from you by the cruel hands of fate and thrown into the cold abyss of death, it seems as though the world itself will stop turning. Because how could it possibly go on without them? How can everything be alright when you know that they are gone forever? How can you move forward, past the pain and the grief, when they are no longer there to make you smile, to wipe away your tears of sorrow and bring the joy back into your heart?
The answer? You can't.
Grief is an ocean and death is an abyss. Pain and suffering will always come and destroy what little joy you had left. So what then is the point of living in the first place? I asked myself this question again and again, waiting, praying that there was an answer. I was praying that there was something more to my existence than just to live while watching everyone I love die.
Wearing all white I would stand alone, day after day high up on the mountain ledge. I let my long hair blow free, almost hoping that the wind would blow away my pain. Over and over again a song played in my head, its soft melody etched with sorrow. The words seemed fitting and I whispered them to myself; softly at first then growing louder.
"May angels lead you in,
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in."
My voice went out on the wind, carrying the song with it. With heartbreak in my voice, I cried out for the dead, and for the living who must stay behind and say goodbye. It began to rain, as though the world itself was mourning my loss as well. But on the last verse, my voice broke. Crying softly, I shut my eyes and whispered the words to myself:
"And if you were with me tonight.
I'd sing to you just one more time.
A song for a heart so big,
God couldn't let it live."
When I finished singing, I sat abruptly on the ground, unable to carry the weight of my grief any longer. The past two days had been difficult. It was so hard to stand in front of the servants, the people of the court and all of my friends, pretending that everything was alright when it definitely was not. I was overcome every moment with an onslaught of emotions, varying from sadness to anger. As terrible as this was, the worst feeling - even worse than the grief and sorrow - was the guilt. A heavy feeling of remorse and regret that wrapped around my chest like a piece of hot iron and pressed in on me, making it hard for me to breathe. Because, while I knew that what had happened was not my fault, deep down inside of me a part of my soul whispered that I could have stopped it. My friends noticed this, I think, and became overly cautious with their words, treating me as though I were a porcelain doll that would break at any moment. When I was around them I shut my emotions out, becoming this empty shell of a being so that I wouldn't have to feel their pity. But I knew that I couldn't stay like that. I had to accept what had happened; to accept this death and come to terms with my guilt and anger. Only then would I be able to forgive myself and move on.
It was vital that I move on, because only then would I be able to focus on what was truly important; the constant threat of coming Darkness looming on the horizon. The attack on the castle had proved the need for us to find some way to re-seal Kamen. Otherwise, the Kingdom was more or less doomed.
Kamen was the single most powerful Aerian in our history, excepting Midoria. No one really knew how he had come across his power. It seemed unlikely that he was born wielding such awesome might, especially knowing what I knew. His power was of a Dark and twisted nature; however I suspected that it had not always been that way. How else would Midoria and he have been lovers? No, something had happened to change him. This realization startled me for some reason, and I wondered: if one could be driven to Darkness, could they also be pulled back into the salvation of Light? Was it possible that those who were lost to hate and evil could be saved? To me, it seemed likely. After all, if things could go in one direction, then they must be able to go in the other. This thought, small and strange as it might be, brought a spark of hope back into my heart.
If there was even a miniscule chance that Kamen could be freed of his Dark binds, then there was a chance that this Kingdom could be saved as well. My hope was frail, for I had not even the slightest idea of how to save one's soul from the Darkness; however it had budded firmly in my heart, like the tiny seeds my grandfather once planted that grew into strong and proud trees. This hope gave me the answer I had been searching for not an hour ago, standing like a lost child in the rain high on this mountain top. There did not need to be a meaning to life, and the only point of living was to live. Live strong and free, live for the joy and love that friends and family brought to you, and give some back to them and others in return. If the ones I loved could pick my broken soul up off the ground then there was no reason that I could not do the same for others.
Now that I knew this, I knew also what I had to do. There was no time any longer to mourn for my grandfather's death. I could no longer sit around moping and looking for a point in living. It was an insult to his memory, for while in this state I was not truly living at all, and he had given up his life so that I could. All of those brave men who had lost their lives in the battle had done so to protect this Kingdom and its people, and it was time that I did my part. No more sitting around, waiting for the Darkness to come to me while I fretted about what to do. It was time to take action and make change myself. Getting up and brushing myself off, I unfurled my wings. I took off, soaring through the cloudy grey sky; all the while a feeling of purpose spreading through me like wildfire. There was something I needed to do, and it required immediate attention. First, I must speak to my grandmother about my plan. Then, I needed to find Lisimi, and possibly Jay and Daniel as well. I could not undertake this responsibility alone; I needed help.
~♥~
My grandmother's harsh stare penetrated deep inside me, almost as though she could see into my very soul. After several long moments of silence, she finally spoke.
"You're absolutely certain?" Her voice was grave, filled with worry, uncertainty and even a small hint of fear.
"Yes grandmother. I have seen it again and again in my dreams. If I don't do this, the seal will disintegrate and Kamen will be free to wreak havoc on our Kingdom." She turned around and stared out the window into the swirling grey sky.
"Why must it be you? Surely there are others who can do this."
"Maybe so, but Midoria's spirit has been coming to me in dreams. Not you, not anyone else, but me. I don't know why, but I have to do this."
"She won't be alone," a new voice interjected. I turned around to see Lisimi, Jay, Daniel and Evreth at the door. I smiled in welcome, and Lisimi continued, "We will be with her the whole time, your Majesty. We would never allow anything to happen to her." My grandmother pondered this, before turning her steely eyes towards Jay and Daniel and then glancing at me, "You are going to Midoria's original temple, are you not?" I nodded in reply.
"Long ago our Kingdom had a tradition: when two prospective knights were selected to serve the same person, they would be sent on a quest to Midoria's temple. It is a long and arduous journey, fraught with peril. The one who survived was then chosen as the knight. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"That this is a contest, right? If either Daniel or I die then the other will be Adelle's knight," Jay asked uncertainly. My grandmother looked at him as though he were insane for a moment, before replying, "Not at all. I am telling you that this journey will test your abilities as far as they can go. There are countless foes out there on any good day, and there are bound to be even more now that Kamen's power is growing. Not only that, but it is incredibly difficult to even find the temple. It is ancient, and our world has grown around it, shielding it from view. You must be attentive and wary on this journey, and constantly ready for an attack."
She sighed, closed her eyes and spoke in a broken voice I had never heard her use before, "I have lost much in the past few months; my daughter and my husband were both taken from me. My kingdom faces evil the likes of which it has not seen in centuries, and now my granddaughter - the only family I have left - is risking her life to go on this journey in order to save our people." She opened her eyes and stared at me, "Adelle, I am proud of you for taking this responsibility. But I wish with all of my heart that it was not necessary. These are dark times we face, and I fear for your safety. If I could spare any, I would send a full guard with you; however our numbers are low as a result of the recent attack and you will likely travel faster in a small group as it is. Please be careful, my child. Be strong and swift on this perilous journey, and then come back home to me." With tears in my eyes, I threw my arms around my grandmother and held her tight.
"I will," I whispered, "I promise."
Taking a deep breath to reassure herself, she nodded at us. "Evreth will take you; she knows the way. Go now, for there is little time to be wasted."
We all nodded and the others left the room, running through the hallway to get their stuff packed. It would be a long journey. I hesitated, turning for one last glance at my grandmother, who sat with her head bowed, looking very old and tired.
"Grandmother?" I asked, and she raised her head to look at me. "I love you. Be safe as well." She smiled at me, looking slightly cheered, and I turned and ran from the room, following the others. It had not occurred to me to think that she had lost as much as I had. Now that I was leaving her, she had very little left here. She was strong though, and I knew that she would continue to lead our kingdom well in the coming time of Darkness.
I hurried to my room and grabbed some warm clothes, along with the absolute necessities. It would be a long journey, and any added weight would make us travel slower. Besides which, we needed to save space to pack food. We would pass very few towns on our way so that we did not draw attention to ourselves, and after that the only food source would be what we managed to hunt.
When I was finished packing, I ran up to the tower room and grabbed Midoria's Book of Days. I had a feeling it could prove to be helpful. I stuffed it into my bag and went outside. I was headed for the stables, but stopped along the way in the gardens. Without my grandfather to tend to them, the once lively and beautiful flowers had lost their beauty and colour. I closed my eyes and stood there for a moment. I would miss Grandfather's funeral, I realized with a start. I would not get that final chance to say goodbye to him. Tears came to my eyes, but I wiped them away. If I could not say goodbye then, I would do it now.
I closed my eyes and summoned my Earth and Spirit. They came with ease now that I was eighteen, and I found that it was simple to command them to do what I asked. They swirled around inside of me for a moment before I released them. I opened my eyes after a moment and admired my handiwork. Life had been restored to the garden; the flowers were blossoming, the trees swaying gently and birds were singing. Once more it was a beautiful and magical place. I smiled, knowing that my grandfather would be happy with my gift. Whispering one last goodbye I turned and ran to the stables, where my friends were waiting. The boys rode war horses, various weapons strapped on. Lisimi had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung across her back and she smiled at me as I walked over to the stall where my horse was kept.
Looking in, I saw my beautiful white mare standing proudly before me, already packed with most of my things. I added my last bag and then checked her tack and saddlebags'; making sure everything was in place before mounting. She nickered softly and I stroked her neck, whispering, "Hey there Elwyn. How's my beautiful girl? We're going for a long one this time, think you can handle it?" She snorted, which I took as a good sign. Looking up, I saw that the others had mounted their horses as well, and Evreth was standing in the open door.
"Ready?" She spoke to our minds, and we nodded as one.
"Lead on," Jay said, and she turned and began to run swiftly across the courtyard, the rest of us following in her wake. We left the castle gates and continued down into the village. I looked back towards my home one last time, before glancing around me at the others. We had a long road ahead of us, and I smiled slightly. No matter how things turned out, we were in for the journey of our lifetime. As I turned my gaze towards the horizon, I got one of my familiar gut feelings.
This one told me that this was only the beginning.
End of Part I - The Legend
~♥~
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