The Royal Palace,
The Battle Of Lahm,
Lahm.
I still remember the day as clear as ever. It is, after all, a day I will never forget in my entire life, and it starts like this.
The night is young, beautiful with starry skies. A young girl is trying to be put to sleep by her young mother, the queen of the land. She keeps standing up when her mother tucks her in. It is their tradition. Despite the busy schedule of the queen, she always tucks her daughter in with a short story.
"Why don't you want to have your rest, my sweet daughter?" the mother asks, staring exasperatedly at her only child.
"Mama, I already told you. They're waiting for me to start the meeting. They can't possibly start it without me! I'm the third most important member of the meeting, after Baba (father), and Yaya (brother)," the girl explained to her mother for what was the umpteenth time that evening.
"Oh, my little girl. I have explained this, not once. You are no longer a child. You shall be eight this coming summer. You can't be attending meetings with your brother and father, anymore. You are to stay in the harem at all time until called for."
As a girl, despite being the princess of the Lahm Kingdom, she isn't allowed to be in the meeting rooms. Her father has spoiled her by always including her in everything and now, he has left her mother to handle his mess.
"I hate the harem," she said, "and I shall not stay here." She runs out of her large, elaborate bedroom with her mother and her lady in-waiting following her hotly. With adrenaline pumping in her legs, she navigates the huge harem; turning from one corner to the other, passing her sisters' chambers, and into the main hallway.
"Stop running, my lady," her mother's lady-in-waiting calls her. She isn't stopping. She will run for her freedom. She spits on the harem.
Her running comes short when she runs straight into the head eunuch, Halif, who catches her swiftly. She glares up at the man who dares to stop her, not noticing that almost everyone is out of his bedchamber.
"What is happening?" she hears her mother slowly ask. The harem is filled with royal family members and guards that can't be counted and still, some are entering.
The little girl watches the guards in fascination with their long sharp swords, menancing faces and heavy armor. She certainly did not want to cross them, and so, quietly went to stand beside her mother.
"An attack, your highness," he says, looking downwards. How was he to look the queen in the eye and tell her that her kingdom was under an attack? Someone else, but certainly not him.
"Attack?" her mind is blank as she stares at him. "By who? Why? Do we know the request they want?"
He is quiet for a while before he speaks up, "I am not certain, your highness, but some say they have seen the uniform of the Runarian soldiers within the palace."
"But why would the Runarians attack?" she asks, thinking hardly. "They can't possibly be breaking the treaty," she mutters to herself. She has heard of the recent king of the Runarians. He is said to be cruel, vicious and utterly selfish and self-centered. He cares not for the people, but for himself and his three offsprings.
"Forgive me for saying, but they are."
Kande, her mother's lady-in-waiting, gasps and the little girl watches her. Who are the Runarians? She wanted to ask. Why were they hurting her people? There is a slight intake of breath by her mother. "Where is the king?" she asks. The girl is suddenly reminded of her purpose and she dashes away, with the purpose of finding her Baba in mind.
She can faintly hear Halif telling her mother that no one knows the situation her father, brothers and all those in attendance of the meeting. She hears him say that the guards of Runaria have surrounded all areas of the meeting and their guards are trying to go pass them and rescue their leaders.
"Wait for me," her mother calls out and she halts. "My fellow people, fear not, for it is not war. I shall find the King myself and all of this shall hopefully be resolved as easily as it started. Our army will crush the enemy and we will again emerge victorious," she can hear the lie in her mother's voice who desperately wanted to believe what she had just said. It is the same voice she uses when she lies about the location of the king.
The people cheer as she finishes her small speech of reassurance.
"What are your orders, your highness?" he asks, bowing slightly.
"Whatever do you mean, Halif?" she asks, desperately wanting to find her husband and son.
He explains, "Again, forgive me for saying, but with the King in unknown whereabouts, the fate of the Kingdom lies in your hand. The army is awaiting your command. What are they to do?"
Just the way she has been preparing for this her whole life, she stands up and stands tall, letting her gaze sweep across the room before taking a deep sigh. "Tell them to do whatever they can to make sure that they get the King out of that meeting room whilst the rest of them go out and surround the kingdom. I want every inch of this kingdom to be protected by as many guards as possible, and find out how the hell they even got to the palace in the first place," she says to Halif and turns to look at the woman that had been with her throughout her journey in the palace. "Kande, make sure everyone is safe while I'm gone; I'm going to go look for the King myself."
She points at two guards, gesturing for them to follow her and makes her way to where her daughter is standing. Looking at her with determination, she clasps her hand and together they make their way out of the harem. Once out of the comfort of the harem, the girl and her mother start sprinting, while her mother takes some paths that weren't likely followed by people.
They pass corridor upon corridor until they reach the King's chambers — the largest in the palace — and her mother instead of taking the way in, she turns another corner, but the girl is stuck in place.
The guards had red, blazing uniforms and she couldn't for the life of her take her eyes away from. There were so many of them; and they were there to hurt her father, the one person she'll do anything for.
"Come along, my dear," her mother says in hushed tones, grabbing her. She couldn't stop looking at them till they turned the corridor, and she knew for a fact that she will never get the color of the blazing red and interwoven green fire out of her mind.
Passing her father's eating chambers, where she had her dinner just hours before with her mother and the two most important male figures in her life, her mother feels up a wall (the same wall she had been facing, the one with all the paintings) and removes one of the paintings. It leads to a hole in the wall which her mother tells her to go into. She is quick to grab a candle and lit the passage for her little girl.
The hole in the wall turns out to be a labyrinth with too many twists and turns to make her dizzy if she tries to recollect. Her mother finally stops and looks down at her daughter. "This must be it," she says. "If something happens to me or your father, or both, I want you to run. Run as fast as you can and don't stop. I want you to go and find either Halif or Kande, one of them would lead you to safety."
"But, Mama, why?" the girl asks, tears starting to brim in her innocent eyes. Whatever could happen to her Mama and Baba.
"Just promise me!" her mother insists.
She hiccups, staring her mother in the eyes. "I promise, Mama."
With a huge intake of breath, the mother grabs at the panel by the wall and pulls it. The door opens and the two find themselves in a room full of men of their kingdom. All the guards surrounding the room now have their eyes on the two women, their swords pointed at them. The rest of the men stare at them.
The girl looks at the people in the room, before spotting someone. "Baba," she yells, running towards him. The guards, being accustomed to the little girl who brightened up the hallways, lowered their swords and let the girl meet her father.
"Gimbiyata (my princess)," he mutters as he hugs her tightly. Relief flows through his body as he finds his little girl safe, but he looks up at his wife. Why would she bring their daughter or herself here? Their gazes meet and he shakes his head slightly; she chokes back a sob.
Releasing his daughter from the tight hold, she runs to her brother and gives him a huge hug. He hugs her back with as much effort while the King addresses his Queen. They stand in the corner, talking in hushed tones.
"Are you okay, gimbiyata?" he asks, a teasing smile on his face.
She frowns at him. "You're not allowed to call me that," she says, "only Baba!"
"Why not, gimbiyata?" he asks.
She shoves him, giggling slightly. "Stop, I'll tell Mama, wallah," she swears.
"You're no fun," he says, pretending to frown.
The room is filled with silence while the two leaders continue talking before the little girl speaks, "Did you start without me?" she asks, looking at the only brother she was friends with.
"Of course not!" he reassures her. "We would never start with you," he says and a grin slowly starts spreading across her face.
"Wait till I tell, Mama. I told her you wouldn't start without me but she wouldn't possibly agree." The girl continues smiling as she pictures her mother's face when she tells her that. All of this is interrupted when the queen yells and the King becomes quiet.
The girl looks at her parents. They have never argued before. Today is most certainly a weird day.
"We aren't going there! How would you ever even say that?" her mother says.
"Trust me as your husband and king, going back there won't help you. You must leave for Runaria, now," the King says, his voice firm and unswayed. It is the same tone he uses when he tells her to stop fighting with her stepsisters. "Gimbiyata, come here," he calls her and she looks at her brother who nods his head. She goes to stand by her father.
"Yes, Baba," she says.
"I want you to follow your mother to safety. Be a good girl, gimbiyata, and do whatever she says. Now, say your farewells to your brother and quickly leave," her father says, trying his hardest not to tear up. He is a king, his loyal subjects are watching him, he must be courageous.
The girl hugs her brother tightly and he in turn hugs their mother, whispering something in her ear. She kisses him gently on the forehead. Her first baby is so grown up now.
"Baba says I should leave with Mama. You can start this one without me, I give you my permission. But I daresay you start the next one without me and I shall haunt you in your sleep," she says, smiling at him.
Her mother gives her father a long hug, while he squeezes her hand and place a chaste kiss on her temple. They turn around to leave and the door the guards have been holding starts to break. The girl runs back and hugs her father one last time. He kisses her on the forehead and tells her to go.
"I'll meet you on the other side, Raina," he says, and she believes him, running towards her mother.
Her last sight before the hole they came through closes is her father and brother drawing out their swords as men in red armor fill the room.
The girl's name is Raina and this is her story. It is said to be true; the love story of the man who conquered the seven empires and the woman who conquered Meron. It is left, now, for you to believe, whether it is true or merely fiction.
***
Hello everyone. It has indeed been a long time. I'd like to welcome you to the second book in the Dream series and I hope you enjoy it.
What do you think? Any suggestions? What are you expecting to see in the book? I really hope you like it and I'm so glad to finally share everything I can about Runaria with you.
Vote, comment, and share please.
All my love,
Ruks.