The duty was carrying Anya, the only grain in the vast taen surveyed by Elysia and the rest of them. Her life was a specific mixture of duty and discipline and every day was structured into high G work and academic work. Carrying the weight of the empire, a miniature fragment of the vanished past, on its spine, that lay sleeping.
Her days were a drudgery of it—isolation except when the great names whispered in her silence and copy of the secrets of a fine formula illuminated her eyes. Where a once lively patronage of royal life pulsed through, the castle now echoed in the ghostly stillness of despair. Nevertheless, Anya put up with it, all unemotional to the weight of her duty to serve.
On that day a ripple moved through the peaceful waters of Elysia to put a single, invisible, bump in the water. A contingent from across the border, Eldoria, landed with gifts and acting for their respective leaders. For example, there was, for example, Prince Kael, an attractive and mysterious youth, in the throng.
Beside each other behind the stump the gnarled, knotty growth of the ancient oak, stretched like long fingers out towards the concealed grove. Their first meeting was a jump, unanticipated, automatic, instinctive, instinctive, a leap of faith, into the illogicality of what was and was rational.
Kael: “You are unlike any woman I’ve
ever met. There’s a strength in
your eyes, a depth in your soul
that intrigues me.”
Anya: “And you, Prince Kael, are a
breath of fresh air in this
stagnant realm. Your spirit is
wild and free, a stark contrast
to the rigid confines of my
life.” life.”
They rotated, each one chatting while floating calmly, like a small creek singing in the depths of an old growth forest. They confided in each other, dreamed and wished, becoming more and more united and broken each moment.
The deeper the mutual affection, the harder love became, and paradoxically a more untouchable forbidden object. Stolen glances, conspiratorial whispers, clandestine meetings all set the scene for a blaze, one that burned both hot and wild, a blaze that could explode and carry both of them off into the flames.
Anya: “We cannot indulge in such
foolishness. Our love is a foolishness. Our love is a
dangerous game, a gamble with high
stakes.” stakes.”
Kael: “But I cannot deny the feelings I
have for you, Anya. You are the
missing piece of my heart, the
reason I breathe.”
However they still attended these sessions, mouths already murmuring with fear and thrills. The castle gardens became their kind of den, a space in which they could escape the gaze of the court and be swallowed by passion.
Anya: “Every moment with you is a stolen
treasure, a fleeting glimpse of
happiness.” happiness.”
Kael: “I promise, Anya, I will do
everything in my power to make
this love last.”
Nevertheless, their carefree career was crushed by the coming of a dark one. A lurking, black sorceress, Morwen, hungry for all power, cast her shadow over Elysia across the land. Inauspicious things have befallen the nation and the land, once prosperous, are now turned to dust.
Anya, sensing the impending doom, knew she must act. She jumped into the craters of historical texts in the attempt to free herself from the power of Morwen's evil magic. She arrived at the conclusion that that is the only route she can take, i.e. She needed Kael's help, his power and his absolute belief in her.
Anya: “We must work together, Kael. The
fate of our kingdoms depends on
it.” it.”
Kael: “I’m with you, always. We will
face whatever challenges come our
way.”
Alone, they each face a dangerous task, a task for which, thus, they would have to show love, theirs, faith and fortitude, strength, brains and gumption. The future was a living hell, but it was a terrible one to break, "If it has to be paid, let's pay it," they said.
[To be continued in Part II]
