Chapter 1
Saishan awoke, as a soft morning breeze wafted through the transparent silk canopy of his bed. He then walked to the carved stone balcony of his room. The floor, the walls and the ceiling were all smooth solid stone, and felt cold on his feet. He looked out over the garden that surrounded the palace and on to the town that lay outside the walls. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and casting golden beams of light down upon the land. The many trees and vines in the garden backed by the aging walls that had a hint of green in their color, glimmered in the sun, due to the rain that fell the night before. Millions of droplets of water shinned like diamonds in the early morning sun. He looked out onto the city, and onto the slanted roofs of the houses, as they continued on and blended with the large hills of grass that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"It's amazing..." he thought to himself.
"Amazing how, so much can change in such a short time..."
A faint smile came across his face as he began recalling the events that led up to his current situation.
"Haiga...is so beautiful...."
"Seems like just yesterday, I was just....an average person..."
He looked out onto the garden again, this time noticing the the ornate marble carving of a woman, holding a single rose. It was set upon a large fountain, with water, so clear, human words, cannot describe it. Near the fountain, a small trail wound its way along the outside of the garden, lined with roses of every color, red, white, orange, pink. The morning breeze had just begun to send the faint smell of the roses into the palace. The breeze, drifted by, passing through the trees, leaves fell and sailed through the air, before landing softly in the grass.
From his window, he could see the gate; it was a tall gate, carved from solid oak. It lay between two large columns. The torches from the night before were still perched on their hooks, their embers still glowing, despite the night's rain. The path to the gate was lined with a type of flower that he had never seen before, it had the shape of a rose, but with a deep blue color, that seemed to faintly glisten in the sun. It was then there was a knock and the door.
"Sir, your presence has been requested by the council" said a faint voice behind the door.
"Thank you" he replied as he moved to the dresser that had been provided for him.
Moments later, he appeared in the hallway, in the traditional dress of the Haiganian royal family. A faded tan colored shirt and pants, with a light black vest. On his left side, a small cape attached by a small belt contraption to his collar hung down to his knee. He looked around...
"Now, I can never remember...was it left...or right?" he said to himself as he looked down each hallway.
"Well, this always worked..."
He closed his eyes, spun around and pointed his finger out. After a few turns he stopped and opened his eyes. He was pointing down a hallway but, a man stood there, looking at him with a confused look on his face.
"He...he...he..." Saishan said, as a look of embarrassment spread across his face.
He reached his arms out, and pretended to yawn.
"Just stretching.that's all..."
The man blinked, and then continued on down the hallway.
"Whew...that was close..."
Saishan said as he turned the other way and began walking. The hallways were made of the same material as the rooms were, some kind of rock, but one that he couldn't seem to place. It was unlike anything that he had ever heard of back on earth, but it had some familiarity to it, that he couldn't quite place. The hallway continued on a few feet, then branched out to the left and the right. After a few brief moments of confusion, he was walking down the right corridor, which opened up into the courtyard.
"Good.this is where I wanted to be." Saishan said with a relieved sigh.
The main courtyard of the palace was truly a beautiful place, the hallways opened up into large, open passages held up by ornate columns. Outside, long areas of light green grass, lined with white daisies led to small fountains, flowing with water as clear as mountain air lined each side of the passageway. The large tiles were carved as a large flower, blossoming out into three petals. The normal, greenish- gray walls of the inner palace had changed into a lighter slate gray color, backing against the faded purple color of the flowers on the tiles. He stood there for a moment, admiring the beauty that was around him, although he had been here for nearly a year, it all seemed so intriguing.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this place." He said softly as he continued on down the passageway.
After a few moments, it opened up into a large ornate hallway, in which a long red rug stretched far of into the distance. The walls were elaborately decorated with a mixture of wood, and stone.
"At least I found this place.." He thought to himself.
He continued on down the ornately decorated hallway, the walls with their traditional gray-green color were outlined with polished oak, and right above the outlines, were carvings of patterns in the rock itself. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, new candles stood ready, in their clear glass shells, waiting for night to come. The hallway itself was flooded by the natural light, from the large, glass windows that existed every few feet on each side. Halves of columns protruded out of the wall, and stretched up to the tall ceiling, enhancing the already archaic atmosphere of the room. At the end of the hallway, a large wooden door with the crest of the Higanian royal family stood, gleaming in the late morning sun.
"Well, here I go." he said nervously as he slowly opened the door and stepped in.
The throne room was large and exquisite, the carpet stretched out until it reached the edge of the council table, which was directly in front of the throne. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the walls were adorned with banners bearing the names of past kings, and pictures of the city from long ago. On each side of the throne, a large window cast it's shaped shadow on the stone floor. Although he had already been inside the throne room a few times, but it's sheer brilliance still amazed him.
He slowly walked the long red carpet to the council table and knelt down to one knee.
"Soon it will be we that will have to do that to you" a voice from the table spoke up.
"Yes, it is true" said the leader of the group at the end of the table. As he stood up and approached him.
He was a tall man, although elderly, you could still see that he was a strong man. He had slate gray hair, pulled back, he wore a dark blue cloak, and the crystal shard that dangled from a cord around his neck glimmered in the late morning sunlight.
"Your coronation is set to begin in two days" he said as a smile swept across his aging face.
"Yes.and Haiga will once again have a king" spoke another from the table.
"Until then, you shall stay at the retreat on the moon of Kaori"
"Moon.oh that's right, this place does have a moon" Saishan thought to himself.
"Well, we won't keep you waiting any longer, you leave at once" he said, interrupting Saishan from his thoughts.
"Thank you" Saishan bowed and slowly left the room.
He walked down the long corridor and out into the open courtyard of the palace. He stood there for a moment, closed his eyes and listened. Silence, a slight breeze drifted throughout the courtyard, creating a soft scratching noise as the grass slid past each other. The sun glistened off of the water, that cascaded down the small fountain that marked the end of a small patch of grass and flowers. The carved tiles, reflecting upon the clear water, showed only faint signs of age.
He stopped for a moment more, and wondered why he hadn't seen Satsuki this morning, it was odd, he usually would have seen her already. He shrugged, then walked on down the corridor. A right turn, let him to upstairs, to an open expanse of corridor, that had a view, that stretched far out into the plains that surrounded the city. The grass, gently blew in the wind, and the mountains could be faintly made out in the distance.
"I'll never get tired of seeing this place." he said to himself, as he looked out over the edge. He finally reached his destination, the hanger, that was on the far edge of the palace. He entered the large, domed building, and went down the flight of stairs that led to where the ship was.
"What beautiful things, these ships are" as he slid his hand alongside the vessel.
It was a sleek ship, the front came in at a sharp triangle, but the sealed wood of the craft, gently curved back up, as it neared the rear.
"Where is everyone?" he thought to himself.
Not soon after he finished his thoughts, did a head come out from the other side
"Ahem.we're over here" he said in a calm voice.
"I knew that." Saishan said, with a sense of fake confidence in his voice.
He strolled around to the other side, and was greeted by few political dignitaries that had come to greet him.
"Where is Satsuki?" he asked one of the men.
"She will be arriving soon after you leave" said one of them.
Not fifteen minutes later, he was in space.
"This is the first time I've seen Hiaga from space since I first came here." He said aloud, not meaning to.
"So much has changed."
The pilot turned around and looked at him.
"Wait until you see where we're going then."
He said there for a moment, not knowing what to expect, he had never seen the moon here before, so he had no idea of it's appearance.
"Here it is" he said, as the small planet, gently glided into the window frame.
It didn't look like much, more like a giant blue glass marble, floating in the darkness of space. But as he landed, it became clear to him, what he had spoken about. He stepped out onto the edge of the large island, and looked off into what seemed to be an endless ocean. But it was no ordinary body of water, it was as crystal clear, and each wave, sent up dozens of sparkling particles of light, as the sun reflected off the water. He just stood there, staring off into the water, and he would have unless someone had spoken to him.
"Sir.shall I show you where you shall be?" a hesitant voice came from behind him.
"Uh.yes" Saishan said, as he broke out of his daze.
Moments later, he was in his room, the blinds that lead to the balcony were opened, allowing the fresh wind to circulate through the room. He stared off into the horizon.
"This all happened so fast." he said thoughtfully
"Let me see if I can sort this out" he said, as he sat down, still staring out at the sea
"It all started.that fateful day.."
He smiled, leaned back, and began to remember how it all happened.
Saishan awoke, as a soft morning breeze wafted through the transparent silk canopy of his bed. He then walked to the carved stone balcony of his room. The floor, the walls and the ceiling were all smooth solid stone, and felt cold on his feet. He looked out over the garden that surrounded the palace and on to the town that lay outside the walls. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and casting golden beams of light down upon the land. The many trees and vines in the garden backed by the aging walls that had a hint of green in their color, glimmered in the sun, due to the rain that fell the night before. Millions of droplets of water shinned like diamonds in the early morning sun. He looked out onto the city, and onto the slanted roofs of the houses, as they continued on and blended with the large hills of grass that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"It's amazing..." he thought to himself.
"Amazing how, so much can change in such a short time..."
A faint smile came across his face as he began recalling the events that led up to his current situation.
"Haiga...is so beautiful...."
"Seems like just yesterday, I was just....an average person..."
He looked out onto the garden again, this time noticing the the ornate marble carving of a woman, holding a single rose. It was set upon a large fountain, with water, so clear, human words, cannot describe it. Near the fountain, a small trail wound its way along the outside of the garden, lined with roses of every color, red, white, orange, pink. The morning breeze had just begun to send the faint smell of the roses into the palace. The breeze, drifted by, passing through the trees, leaves fell and sailed through the air, before landing softly in the grass.
From his window, he could see the gate; it was a tall gate, carved from solid oak. It lay between two large columns. The torches from the night before were still perched on their hooks, their embers still glowing, despite the night's rain. The path to the gate was lined with a type of flower that he had never seen before, it had the shape of a rose, but with a deep blue color, that seemed to faintly glisten in the sun. It was then there was a knock and the door.
"Sir, your presence has been requested by the council" said a faint voice behind the door.
"Thank you" he replied as he moved to the dresser that had been provided for him.
Moments later, he appeared in the hallway, in the traditional dress of the Haiganian royal family. A faded tan colored shirt and pants, with a light black vest. On his left side, a small cape attached by a small belt contraption to his collar hung down to his knee. He looked around...
"Now, I can never remember...was it left...or right?" he said to himself as he looked down each hallway.
"Well, this always worked..."
He closed his eyes, spun around and pointed his finger out. After a few turns he stopped and opened his eyes. He was pointing down a hallway but, a man stood there, looking at him with a confused look on his face.
"He...he...he..." Saishan said, as a look of embarrassment spread across his face.
He reached his arms out, and pretended to yawn.
"Just stretching.that's all..."
The man blinked, and then continued on down the hallway.
"Whew...that was close..."
Saishan said as he turned the other way and began walking. The hallways were made of the same material as the rooms were, some kind of rock, but one that he couldn't seem to place. It was unlike anything that he had ever heard of back on earth, but it had some familiarity to it, that he couldn't quite place. The hallway continued on a few feet, then branched out to the left and the right. After a few brief moments of confusion, he was walking down the right corridor, which opened up into the courtyard.
"Good.this is where I wanted to be." Saishan said with a relieved sigh.
The main courtyard of the palace was truly a beautiful place, the hallways opened up into large, open passages held up by ornate columns. Outside, long areas of light green grass, lined with white daisies led to small fountains, flowing with water as clear as mountain air lined each side of the passageway. The large tiles were carved as a large flower, blossoming out into three petals. The normal, greenish- gray walls of the inner palace had changed into a lighter slate gray color, backing against the faded purple color of the flowers on the tiles. He stood there for a moment, admiring the beauty that was around him, although he had been here for nearly a year, it all seemed so intriguing.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this place." He said softly as he continued on down the passageway.
After a few moments, it opened up into a large ornate hallway, in which a long red rug stretched far of into the distance. The walls were elaborately decorated with a mixture of wood, and stone.
"At least I found this place.." He thought to himself.
He continued on down the ornately decorated hallway, the walls with their traditional gray-green color were outlined with polished oak, and right above the outlines, were carvings of patterns in the rock itself. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, new candles stood ready, in their clear glass shells, waiting for night to come. The hallway itself was flooded by the natural light, from the large, glass windows that existed every few feet on each side. Halves of columns protruded out of the wall, and stretched up to the tall ceiling, enhancing the already archaic atmosphere of the room. At the end of the hallway, a large wooden door with the crest of the Higanian royal family stood, gleaming in the late morning sun.
"Well, here I go." he said nervously as he slowly opened the door and stepped in.
The throne room was large and exquisite, the carpet stretched out until it reached the edge of the council table, which was directly in front of the throne. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the walls were adorned with banners bearing the names of past kings, and pictures of the city from long ago. On each side of the throne, a large window cast it's shaped shadow on the stone floor. Although he had already been inside the throne room a few times, but it's sheer brilliance still amazed him.
He slowly walked the long red carpet to the council table and knelt down to one knee.
"Soon it will be we that will have to do that to you" a voice from the table spoke up.
"Yes, it is true" said the leader of the group at the end of the table. As he stood up and approached him.
He was a tall man, although elderly, you could still see that he was a strong man. He had slate gray hair, pulled back, he wore a dark blue cloak, and the crystal shard that dangled from a cord around his neck glimmered in the late morning sunlight.
"Your coronation is set to begin in two days" he said as a smile swept across his aging face.
"Yes.and Haiga will once again have a king" spoke another from the table.
"Until then, you shall stay at the retreat on the moon of Kaori"
"Moon.oh that's right, this place does have a moon" Saishan thought to himself.
"Well, we won't keep you waiting any longer, you leave at once" he said, interrupting Saishan from his thoughts.
"Thank you" Saishan bowed and slowly left the room.
He walked down the long corridor and out into the open courtyard of the palace. He stood there for a moment, closed his eyes and listened. Silence, a slight breeze drifted throughout the courtyard, creating a soft scratching noise as the grass slid past each other. The sun glistened off of the water, that cascaded down the small fountain that marked the end of a small patch of grass and flowers. The carved tiles, reflecting upon the clear water, showed only faint signs of age.
He stopped for a moment more, and wondered why he hadn't seen Satsuki this morning, it was odd, he usually would have seen her already. He shrugged, then walked on down the corridor. A right turn, let him to upstairs, to an open expanse of corridor, that had a view, that stretched far out into the plains that surrounded the city. The grass, gently blew in the wind, and the mountains could be faintly made out in the distance.
"I'll never get tired of seeing this place." he said to himself, as he looked out over the edge. He finally reached his destination, the hanger, that was on the far edge of the palace. He entered the large, domed building, and went down the flight of stairs that led to where the ship was.
"What beautiful things, these ships are" as he slid his hand alongside the vessel.
It was a sleek ship, the front came in at a sharp triangle, but the sealed wood of the craft, gently curved back up, as it neared the rear.
"Where is everyone?" he thought to himself.
Not soon after he finished his thoughts, did a head come out from the other side
"Ahem.we're over here" he said in a calm voice.
"I knew that." Saishan said, with a sense of fake confidence in his voice.
He strolled around to the other side, and was greeted by few political dignitaries that had come to greet him.
"Where is Satsuki?" he asked one of the men.
"She will be arriving soon after you leave" said one of them.
Not fifteen minutes later, he was in space.
"This is the first time I've seen Hiaga from space since I first came here." He said aloud, not meaning to.
"So much has changed."
The pilot turned around and looked at him.
"Wait until you see where we're going then."
He said there for a moment, not knowing what to expect, he had never seen the moon here before, so he had no idea of it's appearance.
"Here it is" he said, as the small planet, gently glided into the window frame.
It didn't look like much, more like a giant blue glass marble, floating in the darkness of space. But as he landed, it became clear to him, what he had spoken about. He stepped out onto the edge of the large island, and looked off into what seemed to be an endless ocean. But it was no ordinary body of water, it was as crystal clear, and each wave, sent up dozens of sparkling particles of light, as the sun reflected off the water. He just stood there, staring off into the water, and he would have unless someone had spoken to him.
"Sir.shall I show you where you shall be?" a hesitant voice came from behind him.
"Uh.yes" Saishan said, as he broke out of his daze.
Moments later, he was in his room, the blinds that lead to the balcony were opened, allowing the fresh wind to circulate through the room. He stared off into the horizon.
"This all happened so fast." he said thoughtfully
"Let me see if I can sort this out" he said, as he sat down, still staring out at the sea
"It all started.that fateful day.."
He smiled, leaned back, and began to remember how it all happened.