The Power Within

This is the story of Amazonia - a land ruled by a dark and powerful wizard, Zeelar. It's also the story of Alitta, an orphan girl raised by a poor farmer and his wife.

Alitta had lived on the farm for almost 15 years. She remembered nothing of her parents and the only thing she had left of them was an opal ring that she kept with her always. She wore it everywhere she went because it made her feel close to them.

One warm day Alitta had been out in the fields planting this years wheat crops. It had been a long and hard day's work and Alitta was just getting ready for a nice, hot meal that her adoptive mother had cooked when there was a knock on the door. When Alitta opened it there was an old man standing at the door. He was quite tall with a long grey beard and hair. He was dressed in clothes that looked like they hadn't been washed in a while. He was quite scruffy looking and looked like he hadn't had a good meal in a while either. The man introduced himself as Aslar. He had been travelling through the area and asked for a place to stop for the night so Alitta's adoptive father invited him to stay for a meal and the night. For dinner Alitta's adoptive mother had made a batch of wheat bread and sliced cold meat. For supper she had made a small but delicious apple pie with the left over apples from last season. The old man ate his meal then Aunt Elizabeth told him to go and have a nice hot bath in the bathroom down the hall and he did. Alitta was just getting into bed when she heard a sound of footsteps out in the kitchen. Thinking that rats had gotten into the cupboards again and worried about the leftover bread Alitta quickly put on her night robe and walked down the hall to towards the kitchen. When she stepped into the kitchen she saw Aslar sitting at the dining table. When she walked into the room he looked up at her and smiled. Alitta smiled back.

"Hello" The old man said.

"Good Evening" Alitta replied.

"Did I wake you?" Aslar asked apologetically.

"No, I was already awake" Alitta reassured him and sat on the chair opposite him. Aslar looked down for a moment and noticed the ring on her finger.

"Pretty ring you have there" He commented

"Thank you, it was my mothers" Alitta said "I never really knew her"

"Do you mind if I have a look" Aslar asked

"Um, OK" Alitta replied hesitantly. Aslar picked up the ring from Alitta's hand and held it up to the light.

"You said it was your mother's?" he asked.

"Yes, she died when I was a baby with my father." Alitta said

"I knew your mother and father you know?" Aslar said casually.

"Really?" Alitta asked in disbelief

'Yes, when you were a baby I knew them. They were actually the king and queen of Amazonia before Zeelar stole the throne and killed them I bought you to this farm and gave you to Elizabeth and Anto when your parents mysteriously died" Aslar explained "I know a lot about this ring as well. It has great power, whoever owns it is the rightful queen. You, my dear Alitta, are the only hope for this kingdom of Amazonia. When my brother, the king, Zeelar, took the throne from your mother and father he tried to kill you as well but I was able to get you out before and hide you with a poor farmer and his wife on the outskirts of Amazonia. I was instructed by your parents to come back for you when you turned 15." Aslar explained while Alitta sat there listening to him tell her the story of her family. She liked sitting there listening to the voice of this old man that her parents trusted so much that they left her in his care and trusted him enough to let him take her and find a nice home for her where she couldn't be hurt. "You are Amazonia's last hope, Alitta; will you take the responsibility and defeat the man that killed your parents?"

"Will you train me?"

"Yes, I will teach you to discover the rings true power and train you to be able to defeat Zeelar and take your rightful position as the heir to the throne." said Aslar.

At first Alitta's training was slow and easy. She started by learning to meditate and concentrate. She had to learn how to connect with the ring. In the beginning she couldn't do it. She tried and tried but couldn't make the ring work.

"You must believe you can do it. Don't doubt yourself, it will not work if you don't believe." Aslar told her. So she continued to try. She was persistent with her training. And after five long weeks of learning she actually connected with the ring and from the ground a small white flower grew.

"A small flower like this one grows just as your power will continue to grow and develop as the time goes on. You have spent so long trying and now your persistence has been rewarded" beamed Aslar. From then Alitta tried even harder and every day she progressed. The second day she lit a candle with her mind. The third she blew out a flame. Until on the seventh she made it rain then shot a bright white out of her hands. She was so happy. When Aslar had thought that she had fully mastered the power of the ring he told her she was ready to face Zeelar. At first Alitta was frightened about fighting him. She didn't think she was strong enough to defeat a powerful wizard. Then she thought about her parents. They had believed she would be able to do it when she nothing but a tiny little baby. Aslar believed in her. She had to be ready for them!

The next day after Alitta had packed some clothes, put on her warm cloak and her aunt Elizabeth had packed some food and drink for Aslar and herself they set off on the five day journey to Zeelar's fortress. The journey was long and tiring. The days were warm and the nights were bitterly cold. Every night they would set up camp near the road to sleep and rest then every morning they would get up early and pack up their camp, douse the fire and set off on horseback once again, until on the fifth day they arrived at Zeelar's castle. It was a big castle but looked a bit run-down. It had vines growing up the cracked, grey stone walls. The gardens surrounding it looked dead and neglected. Alitta could almost see her parents and her living in this castle in her mind, before Zeelar had come, when they had been happy.

As Alitta and Aslar approach the castle Alitta saw a dark figure out of the corner of her eye. Alitta looked up and standing at the top of the shortest turret was Zeelar. Dressed in a black cloak that whipped around in the wind, he started to speak. Even though he was far away Alitta could hear him like he was standing right next to her, shouting in her ear.

"I knew you were coming my dearest brother, and this must be little Alitta. The one that thinks she can defeat me. Have you been filling her head with mistruths, Aslar? About heroes and rightful heirs. I am the rightful king and no one will be able to stop me. If people were smart they wouldn't try because they might get hurt." Zeelar said looking straight at Alitta when he spoke that last sentence. Aslar stood there looking up at his brother "Brother, this is Alitta and they aren't lies. She will be able to defeat you and she is the rightful heir. You stole the throne from her parents so it should be hers."

"Ha ha ha ha, we will see about that!" He laughed just as a ball of black light flew out of his hand. Alitta put up her hands as if to block it but she shot a white light out of her own hands that covered Aslar and herself. The ball hit the shield and fizzled out. Zeelar shot another ball of light out of his hands and another and another. But all of them just hit the shield and fizzled out just like the first one. Zeelar stopped shooting the balls of light and just as Alitta let down the shield and thought he had given up he started to speak.

"You may think you have beaten me but I know something you don't know." He sneered "Everyone may have thought that I had killed your parents, Alitta, but what if I didn't. What if I am holding them captive and using their powers as my own. Double powers give me a bit of an edge on things after all" and he clicked his fingers. Alitta saw another smaller man hobble out of the building and stood next to Zeelar, behind him were two people being dragged along behind him. One was a woman with long golden hair that was in desperate need of a brush. She was tall and slim and beautiful. The other was a man with dark brown hair. Both Alitta recognised. They were her parents. Her actual biological mum and dad. Alitta gasped in surprise. They were alive, all this time they had been alive. Held captive by the man that everyone believed had killed them.

"Yes, that's right your parents. I am sure that you don't want anything to happen to them, now do you Alitta? Well, unless you give me that ring and back away I will kill them, For real this time!" Zeelar said.

"NO!!!!!!" both her and her mother said in unison, but for different reasons. Alitta did not want her parents hurt, whereas her mother didn't want the ring to go to Zeelar. "Don't give the ring up, sweetheart. Do not give that ring to him, Alitta!" shouted Alitta's mother.

"I have to! I'm sorry!!" Alitta shouted back and took off the ring. She gave it to the little man that had come out of the door of the castle who took it up to Zeelar. "Ha ha ha ha, you actually believed me. I am still going to kill your parents and you too. Now that I have the ring I have no need for them and you have no power without this" and he held up the ring. Alitta heard Aslar whispering beside her. He hadn't spoken through this whole ordeal and now he was talking to her. "The ring isn't the power, Alitta. You are! The power came from inside of you. The ring was just a symbol of your power, it always has been." Aslar whispered to her. Alitta looked up and saw her mother and father smiling down on her; they were both nodding at her. She looked over to Aslar, who was also smiling then she looked up at Zeelar who was not smiling. He was frowning down at the ring, probably wondering why it wasn't working. Alitta focused on the ring and a big ball of light, bigger than she had ever made before. She focused it on Zeelar and shot it up at him. The ball hit Zeelar and instantly stripped him of all his power and shattered the ring. "NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zeelar screamed when his power was stripped. "No, you cant… who…how…that isn't possible…"

After Zeelar was stopped and his power was stripped Alitta's mother and father were free. Alitta, Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Anto, Aslar and Alitta's mother and father all moved into the castle. Alitta was so happy she had all her family together again.

THE END