Erkar lead the way to two girls who
were sitting at a circular table, and Amara somehow knew right away that they
were Triesa and Margo.
The
one with wavy dark red hair was sitting on the wooden table. She had dark brown
eyes and wore leather armor, covering her practically everywhere except her
face, which had a scowl on it. The other had short blonde hair that stopped
right above her ears, a braid going around her head. The girl had green eyes
and a brown cloak, tapping her foot rather anxiously as the red-haired girl
ranted. “…so now I’m banned from the bar,
never mind the fact that the man was being completely unreasonable. I could
kick his ass in a fight—”
“Oh,
hello Erkar!” spoke up the blonde girl, looking relieved upon his and Amara’s
arrival.
The
red-haired girl’s head shot up. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Coming
to help you,” said Erkar simply.
“I
do not need your help,” the red-head
snapped.
“Well,
we’re done our part, so we thought we’d help you with yours,” Erkar said calmly,
much unlike the armored girl.
“Who’s
that?” asked the blonde, looking at Amara.
“Oh,
this is Princess Amara. She’s the plant Powered One,” explained Erkar. He
looked at Amara. “That’s Margo,” he said, pointing at the blonde girl. “And
that’s Triesa.” He nodded at the red-haired girl.
Margo
gave a small nod but Triesa just scoffed. “A princess?”
Amara looked at her. “…Yes,” she
said slowly.
“That’s
fantastic,” she huffed, turning away
with a shaking head. She then whipped back around to look at the others. “I
mean, a princess? Did you drag all
her servants along, too? She probably can’t do much more without them.”
Amara
was a bit taken aback, not sure how to respond. “Relax, Triesa,” insisted
Erkar. “She’s still adjusting to all this.”
Triesa
just rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. “Uh…well, welcome
to Foreviel,” said Margo somewhat nervously. “Where’re you from?”
“Agraud,” Amara replied.
“Oh,
I’ve heard of that place,” Margo nodded.
“Who
hasn’t?” said Triesa. “Anyway, Erkar, we haven’t made much progress. No signs
of any other ‘Powered Ones’ whatsoever. Honestly, if the tablets could be a
little clearer, that’d be great.”
“They
help things enough,” said Erkar. Amara was about to ask what these ‘tablets’
were, but he kept talking. “Anyway, Tallius and Arla are outside the Kingdom
selling things in order to earn gold pieces in case we need to stay longer.”
“We’d
better not have to. This is ridiculous,” grumbled Triesa.
“It’s
for the greater good,” Erkar insisted.
“Don’t
see why we need to do it though.”
“If
we don’t, who will? Most people in this country don’t even believe in the
Powered Ones, much less have heard of them,” Erkar retorted.
Triesa
grunted something in return as Margo spoke up. “I’ll help you settle into your
room, Amara. I can call you Amara, right?”
Amara
nodded. “Sure.”
Margo
flashed something of a smile, her lips pressed together as if a bit insecure. She
then headed for the staircase, and Amara followed, hearing Erkar and Triesa
carry into conversation behind her. “I, uh…figured I needed to get you out of
there,” Margo continued. “They, um, tend to bicker, but they’re good friends.
Just…may not seem like it all the time,” she said, chuckling somewhat
nervously.
“So…you
all work together? On what exactly?” Amara asked curiously. She felt like a
spy, obtaining information on these “Silent Ones”. As soon as she escaped, she
could tell her father all about them. They may have seemed to have good
intentions, but they were kidnappers nonetheless – kidnappers who took someone
of a royal family.
Margo
seemed to relax a bit. “Anything we’re sent on, really. Our leader finds out what
we need to do. This is our biggest quest yet, this finding-the-Powered-Ones
thing.”
“And
you’re all…mages,” said Amara slowly as they walked up the stairs. She still
couldn’t really bring herself to believe that. Mages were barbaric and were
responsible for all sorts of murders. How were these mages so…different? It was
so unlike the ones Amara had heard about in tales.
Margo
began to appear nervous again. “I know people tell you we’re bad, but really,
not all of us are. I mean…I’m not going to kill you. I don’t kill.”
“All
my life I’ve been told to avoid mages. It’s strange, meeting some that
don’t…live up to the tales about them,” Amara said.
“I
suppose that’s a compliment then,” Margo laughed. “The Silent Ones, we’re good
people. You have nothing to fear from us.”
They
walked to the top of the staircase and headed towards one of the rooms. “Even
though you kidnapped me,” said Amara. Her voice sounded as if she were teasing,
although she didn’t intend for it to come out that way.
“Uh
yeah, sorry about that. We just really need you for this Powered One quest. You’re…very
important,” Margo said.
“That’s
what Erkar and Tallius told me, but…I honestly can’t believe it. They insisted
I was a Powered One and the trees agreed, but there has to be a better
explanation…right?” Amara frowned.
“…The
trees? You can…talk to them?”
“I
thought everyone could.”
Amara
unlocked the door, revealing a nice room with a bed, dresser and a window
overlooking the entrance of the Kingdom. “Well…I can’t,” said Margo.
Amara
walked into the room then turned to look at Margo. Despite being about the same
age, Amara was a few inches shorter than her. “Why can’t you? You have magic,
right?”
Margo
gave a slight chuckle. “I do, but I can’t harness everything. Humans have a
curse now; they can’t learn magic ever again. Those of us who have magic can
only learn what our relatives had taught themselves. It’s…complicated.” She
then examined the room. “Well, I guess I will leave you. If you need anything,
come to me or Erkar. I don’t suggest going to Triesa,” she laughed. “It’s about
midday, so you have plenty of time to explore, I suppose.”
Amara
had decided to walk the Kingdom – she had never been to another one before, so
she wanted to take advantage of her being taken here.
There
were only a few clouds in the sky, making the sun seem all the more hot. Birds
flew by every now and then, squawking and scavenging for food. Amara quite
liked birds, but these seemed to be different. Loud, fighting each other,
looking quite desperate for a meal. They were bigger than the usual songbird,
too.
People
passed Amara on either side of her, and she found herself looking at each of
them. Foreviel residents, she
thought. They must know the place so well.
Amara was just a mere visitor to these people, someone who knew nothing about
their homes. They knew every route and path, the Kingdom’s history and about
those who lived here. Just as they may not know as much about Agraud as she
did. The thought amazed her, somehow.
Agraud.
The thought of her Kingdom made her homesick. The beautiful gardens, the
friendly store owners, the great view from her bedroom door, her family…
Kara.
Amara’s mission from her – it wasn’t really Kara’s mission, but she liked to
pretend her sister had given it to her – to escape from these Silent Ones. Her
sister would want her to try and run away, to escape her kidnappers. And that’s
what Amara was planning to do – but she knew she couldn’t just run off. She’d
get lost or even killed if she were
to just leave now. No – she needed a plan.
Just
then, a sign caught her eye: “THE STABLE BOY’S BOOKS”. Perfect source, she told herself, feeling proud inside. The book
shop would be great for finding a plan. She’d read all sorts of stories from
the book shop back at Agraud. Stories of knights, princesses, werewolves, and
so many great tales. There had to be some in the store here that would aid her
in coming up with an escape plan. I’ll be
home soon, she thought, as if her family could hear her.
She
walked through the wooden door, a little bell ringing above her as she opened
it. The place was all one room made up of wooden walls and flooring. Windows
allowed sunlight to illuminate the room, and there were about eight shelves in
rows of two, packed with books. There were a few people in the place, but not
many – and none of them really looked at Amara as she walked in.
Taking
the place in, Amara walked past the first row of shelves, trying to see what books
would be there. As she scanned the shelves, one title caught her eye: “The Prophecy of the Powered Ones”. She stopped
and looked at the book; it was brown and tattered, with black text inscribed on
the spine.
She
went up to the book, and took it off the wooden shelf, examining the cover. There
was a bit of dust on it that she brushed off with her right hand before opening
it to look at the inside. On the first page, there were three paragraphs
written.
The
return will mark the start of the end,
with
years of war just around the bend.
In
the midst of the death and betrayal,
the
Powered Ones will rise and prevail.
One
shall be lost and left for dead
another
to nearly lose their head.
A
third to face what they most fear,
one
to save the person they hold dear.
Another
who will find their true calling,
and
one to restore what has fallen.
The
listeners will find these six,
reunite
them so that Acirewiel will fix.
With
the army of those who are faithful,
those
who are victorious will become unbreakable.
Amara
found herself unable to turn the page after reading the words. They seemed to
really speak to her, as if they were made for her to hear. It also seemed to
send chills down her spine; this was what these Silent Ones expected her to
live up to. One to be lost and left for dead?
Another to nearly lose their head? What would being demanded to fulfill this
prophecy mean for her?
*
Amara
returned to the Black Sheep Inn with The
Prophecy of the Powered Ones. She figured even if she would be leaving,
it’d be best to at least learn more about what was expected of her. She had
also gotten Frederick and the Bandits, a
story she had overheard Kara once mention reading about – it was the tale about
a soldier named Frederick who was trapped in a bandit camp, and he had to try
and escape. Along with those two books she got a journal. Recording what happened
to her could help her retell the tale.
The
sun was setting by the time she was returning, and the inn had more people in
it. Upbeat music was playing, and there were the sounds of people laughing and
talking. The scene made Amara happier, like she could feel everyone’s joy.
She
walked up to the bar to order a meal. There were people sitting at it all in conversation,
and they didn’t seem to notice her as she approached. No one seemed to be
behind the bar, however. “Hello?” Amara said, looking around.
Suddenly
a woman shot up from behind the bar. “Oh, hello!” she exclaimed. She had light
skin with long black hair tied back, with a slightly chubby physique. “Welcome
to my inn! My name is Tygris, how can I help you?”
“Oh,
well, I just wanted to know what was for dinner,” Amara replied.
“The
usual! Biscuits, squab, soup, stag, and Foreviel’s famous fish head stew. Oh,
and for dessert my chocolate covered nut butter scones!”
“Nut
butter?” Amara asked.
“Oh
yes! Butter from ground legumes - you’ll love them! Everyone does! But I do not recommend eating that as your
whole dinner though, it would not be very healthy.”
“Okay
then…how about some of that fish head stew?” suggested Amara.
“Wonderful!
Right out of the nearby ocean, taken in by our own fishermen, as they say! I
quite love living on the ocean. It is
very pretty.”
“It
is! I only just arrived at Foreviel and I love this Kingdom,” Amara smiled.
“Ellius!
Fish head stew!” Tygris called. She then turned back to Amara. “I love this
Kingdom too! Are you going to be here a while?”
“I’m
not too sure,” said Amara. “I’m here with some others.”
“Well,
that sounds nice.” She then looked at the books Amara had. “Oh, did you go to
the book store? I love that place. My favorite story is A Kingdom Divided. It’s a tale about a princess who meets a prince
from a nearby Kingdom, and they fall in love but this causes the Kingdoms to go
to war—”
“Fish
head stew,” said a new voice. Amara looked to see the dirty blonde boy from
earlier that day. He looked back at her. “Oh, you’re that girl who came in
earlier today.”
Amara
nodded. “Yes, my name is Amara.”
“Ellius,”
he nodded back with a smile.
“Oh,
you two have already met? That’s nice!” Tygris exclaimed.
“Well,
I only gave her a room,” Ellius said quickly.
Amara
took the stew and slid some gold coins across the table in exchange as Tygris
spoke up again. “You are both such great people, though! You two could really
get along."
“Tygris,
it was only a room.” He then turned to Amara. “Sorry about her. She gets
excited easily.”
Amara
giggled. “It’s fine. Thanks for the stew.”
“It’s
no problem. Enjoy your dinner,” said Ellius dismissively.
Amara
nodded and turned to leave, and she could hear Tygris talking to Ellius excitedly
from behind the bar. She headed over to a table and sat down with the stew to
eat, with her new books on the table with her.
As
she lifted the spoon to her lips, she opened The Prophecy of the Powered Ones to see what else the book had to
offer. She flipped past the prophecy page, as she didn’t want to get lost in it
again.
What
do we know about the Powered Ones? Some say it is a tale for children, a bedtime story. Others,
however, truly believe in this prophecy, saying that six people born with
different powers will save Acirewiel. From what, no one is sure, and many
people have different interpretations and theories from the prophecy. There are
analyzations about every line of it.
One common theory of the line “the
return will mark the start of the end” is that magic will rise back up again,
since magic is considered an evil practice and can start the end of Acirewiel. Another
is that upon the return of the Harbinger Star, a great doom will begin. Then
some believe a god or goddess long forgotten will come back.
Amara
wondered to herself what these lines meant. “The
return will mark the start of the end”. The words themselves made sense,
but what was returning? And it seemed
by the next line – “with years of war
just around the bend” – that whatever the “return” was would not be good.
And this prophecy seemed to deem that these “Powered Ones”
would bring an end to these years of war. Did the Silent Ones truly think Amara
was supposed to save Acirewiel?
- - -
Author's Note: It's been a while since the last update huh? Lol
Sorry for not updating much. Been busy with school (I'm on winter break right now but I'm going back to school on Monday, ugh) and I got this game called "Undertale". It's reeaaallly good and I'm reaching the end of it. It's made me cry about 10 times already. I don't wanna say goodbye to the characters. :(
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. And happy 2016!
