A blonde man embraced his beautiful wife with golden hair, his green eyes full of sorrow, her bright blue ones filled with resignation as flames licked at them from all sides, singing their hair, burning their skin and tarnishing their royal robes. He cradled her lovingly as both remembered what had taken place only hours ago…
News spread like wildfire throughout the land. Queen Lily, renowned for her beauty and kindness, had given birth to a baby boy. Both parents were very proud. King Leon was a handsome and just king, with bright blonde hair framing deep green eyes. Queen Lily was gentle and kind, with flowing golden hair and shining bright blue eyes. She was not only one of the rulers of this small kingdom known throughout the land for its beautiful scenery and thriving trade, but also skilled a skilled practitioner of magic: a mage.
The king and queen had specifically invited an old friend of theirs, another mage who specialised in fortune telling. This mage travelled far to arrive at the small kingdom, having journeyed by horse and then boat for months. He was given the honour to bless the newborn.
The old mage approached the then sleeping child and gave his blessings. Then the baby opened his eyes. It was a mesmerising sight: all shades of blues and greens swirled around in a never-ending pit. As soon as those eyes opened the old mage reeled back in shock. He had felt it. A tremendous magical potential lay in the child. It was as if he had absorbed all of the queen's power for, ever since the birth she had barely been able to walk. Nevertheless she still maintained her cheerful demeanour and found great joy in the news.
The mage advised the new parents to find a way to contain all that power, as it was very unstable. He presented to them a magical necklace for their child. It was a clear bauble suspended on some string. The string was charmed so that it would never fray, however the man would not say anything about the bauble, only that the king and queen should cast spells on it so that only their child could wear it. The mage's voice was strained and he looked anything but cheerful which puzzled the king and queen.
Later their friend asked for a private meeting between just the three of them in the baby's room while he was asleep. He explained that he had seen their futures, and it was a grim one. The king and queen listened as their old friend told them of his visions. A powerful mage would come later in the day and destroy the kingdom. From his descriptions, Queen Lily deduced it was an old rival who used to be a friend she had before she married the king. He was a powerful mage blinded by power and sought to destroy all who had previously been more powerful than him. The queen had beaten him in a fight many years before but went easy on him because he was her friend and she was only teasing him. However he had taken it seriously and hunted her, only to be defeated by her hand again and again. Soon she realised he didn't see her as a friend anymore, but an enemy and she used all her strength to take him down once and for all… or so she thought.
From what the mage told her he had come back and was now after her again. He also told them both their lives would be taken at the end of the day. The mage's words were final. Nothing could change their fate. Both royals stayed silent for a minute, taking in the information. Then Lily enquired about her son.
"He can be saved," the mage had said, "you must evacuate all the townspeople and hand him over to a servant. It is for the good of the kingdom."
The king and queen did not hesitate to alert the whole kingdom. Nobody doubted their words, for their mage friend was wise and known for his accurate predictions. However, all feared for the fates of their beloved rulers.
The queen gave a sad smile. "My time is up," she had said, "If I do not deal with him now he will not rest. This is for the good of everyone."
The king refused to leave his wife behind, and the people of the kingdom fled with tears in their eyes, knowing the queen was too weak to win against the powerful mage. The queen took this time to enchant the necklace with the last of her strength, like her mage friend advised her to. Then she decided to engrave the name she had just decided for her son onto the clear bauble of the necklace before placing it back on his sleeping form. The servants to the king and queen were also told to leave, and they did so, however one was stopped by the king.
The servant froze in fear, afraid of being asked to accompany the king and queen in death, however everyone knew no such thing would ever have happened. Then again, the servant wasn't really all that loyal to the kingdom, only took advantage of the queen's gentle nature and hospitality when he was in search of a job. To him, the queen entrusted her dearest son and told him to take care of him. The servant stood in shock for a second. They must have really trusted him! He accepted the child and turned his back to flee, letting a sly smile creep onto his face that the parents did not see.
The queen collapsed from shock and exhaustion. She was still very weak and knew just as well as the others she wouldn't stand a chance against her mage rival. All the terror rushed into her system as she faced the sinking realisation her and her husband were going to die soon. She began to shake uncontrollably, emitting loud sobs. Her husband could only hold her tight and cry with her.
The moon was high in the sky when a figure surrounded by a pulsating black ball of darkness ripped through the gates and tunnelled upwards through the floor. The king and queen were lying, huddled next to each other against a wall, treasuring their last moments together when suddenly the floor was smashed upwards as a figure hurtled itself through the roof, leaving a gaping hole with a clear view of the night sky. The mage had arrived.
All their fears had evaporated as the night wore on, and now the couple were ready to accept their fate, to accept death. The mage threw a writhing ball of dark fire, hitting the wall only metres to their right. The wall collapsed and the flames spread, as if the floor was covered in petrol, yet the king and queen remained unfazed. This displeased the mage greatly as he realised there would be no screams of pain that night, even the towns were deserted. He let a sigh of boredom escape his mouth and charged up for the finishing blow.
The king embraced his wife tight and whispered in her ear, "I love you."
The queen hugged her husband tighter, gave a small smile and replied, "I love you too."
The two took joy in knowing they were together until the very end, and that their newborn would be safe. They both gave smiles of satisfaction as a huge pulsating black mass came hurtling at them at unimaginable speeds, destroying the whole kingdom.