PROLOGUE

Bring me the Alana… This was the instruction of King Josephethanmar to his sons Prince Peredhìl, Prince Eredhìl, and Prince Branagh. The King of Branaghan lay ill in bed and only the Alana—a rare mythical bird with beautiful plumage—could heal the king. It was said that no one has ever seen such plumage, shining like the golden rays of the sun, burning like bright jewels of the rarest kind. No other bird had feathers as beautiful as the Alana. And it is said that it was birthed in paradise, created by the gods. Its voice was so soothing that it could lift anyone's spirits up and heal any illness when all medicine failed.

Each set his heart and eyes on the goal; the Alana. The bird could only be found on Turtle Island, an island in the shape of a turtle (which some believed to really be a gigantic sea turtle) that would appear only once every hundred years. The island would appear for an indefinite period of time and then sink again at will when it pleased.

And so the oldest of them set out to find the mythical bird. The journey was treacherous. It required travel through land and sea, forest and mountain, coastland to coastland. Prince Peredhìl set out on his quest, sojourning without guard or soldier by his side. For three months, all of Branaghan did not hear from him. Peredhìl was the bravest—and it could be said, the most foolhardy—of the king's sons. He was a strong man, and could take down two giants if needed. Every maiden in the kingdom fawned on him, admiring his strength and beauty. He was tall, handsome, had huge biceps, wavy raven-black hair, a short black beard, and piercing black eyes. His skin had a beautiful olive tone to it. Prince Eredhìl, though he had the same features as his brother Peredhìl, was more distinguishable. Instead of black eyes, Eredhìl had eyes as blue as the sky on a clear, cloudless day. He was also shorter than his brother Peredhìl, and his skin was white instead of olive. And while Peredhìl was skilled with the sword, Eredhìl was skilled with the bow and arrow. Peredhìl was a brawler and had a sharp tongue, while Eredhìl was quiet and soft-spoken. Also, it was known in all of Branaghan that the brothers loathed each other. And so it was no surprise that the younger of the two was excited at the prospect of taking the crown from his brother. Opportunity came in the form of a quest for the Alana.

"My son," King Josephethanmar said to him, one day, "I am an old man. If I were as young and vigorous as you and your brothers are now, I would have made the journey myself. Yet I cannot. Go now. Search for your brother, bring him back, and take the bird with you."

Now, the young Prince said in his heart, "I am young. My father is old. He faces the setting sun, I face the rising sun. If I go, perhaps he may award me the crown. Is that not the reason my brother Peredhìl went away on the journey? If I get the bird, I will get the reward and snatch Branaghan's scepter from Peredhìl's hand."

With this in mind, the Prince Eredhìl set off for Turtle Island. He searched far and wide for his elder brother Peredhìl. But either body or shadow he could not find. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. When all of Branaghan had not heard from either of the brothers, they expressed their desire to send the young Prince Branagh to search for them. The king readily agreed, for the Prince Branagh was Branaghan's last hope. But his mother Queen Hadassah would hear none of it. She feared for her son. She had had troubling visions of the young prince being tied to a tree, made a feast for lions, and left for dead. She deemed him "unready for such a burden as has been placed upon his young shoulders."

And the Queen Hadassah had perfect reason to fear. The young prince had only seen the span seventeen summers. His brothers had already seen one and twenty summers. He still had much to learn for he was but a lad. His face was clean-shaven; he had not yet touched a razor. He was inexperienced with either the sword or the bow.

He was not one for adventures and quests. As his brother Eredhìl put it, "If he were locked up in a scriptorium to copy sacred text in obedience to the gods and goddesses, he would have no objection! He would as easily live the life of a priest!"

But his father King Josephethanmar had faith in him. He believed his son could save his brothers and the whole of Branaghan. The king gave his blessing, kissed him, and for protection, gave him the Sword of Branaghan to wield. The prince journeyed, afraid and alone, but with lightness of heart for he knew he had his father's blessing. And the Sword of Branaghan was given only to the firstborn son. It was a birthright. He knew he had been chosen for the crown.

At a village called Sami'il, where he had to stop for the night, he met a mysterious figure. A wizard name Aras. He imparted words of wisdom to him and bade him good luck on his journey. "My son," Aras said, "Beware of the Alana. It sings so beautifully that it could lull anyone to sleep."

"That is why I go to take it to my father."

"But beware of catching it. It is very wily and can use its song as a defense."

"Meaning it can lull me to sleep to avoid capture."

"Indeed," the wizard said, with a nod, "You have judged wisely."

"Then how shall I catch it?"

Here, the wizard took from his sack a number of items. A dagger, a golden rope, small grape-like fruits the young prince had never seen before, and a cage.

"What are these?" he inquired.

"These," the wizard said, "are tools you may use in capturing the Alana. When you seem fascinated with the bird's song and begin to feel drowsy, use this dagger to make an incision on your arm.

Squeeze the juice of these plants and apply it to your wound. The pain caused by the wound and the sting of this fruit's juices will be enough to keep you awake. Catch the bird with this golden rope and place it in this cage. It will give you no trouble once captured."

The boy heeded the wizard's wise words and retired for the night. But before he went to his rooms, the old man added a few more words of instruction.

"Perchance, you may fall asleep. In that case, be careful not to sleep beneath the Alana's perch. Its droppings have been known to turn anyone—man, animal, or magical creature—into stone statues."

These words were forever embedded in the young prince's mind. He prepared for the last leg of his journey and accepted the gifts from Aras the Wizard. He caught the next ship and travelled by sea for seven days. When the captain did not agree to deliver him to Turtle Island, he dived into the water and swam to shore. Once on shore, he began his search. Among other things, he found his brothers' horses—or rather the remains—still tethered to a tree. Yet he could see no sign of Peredhìl or his twin. Not far from some banyan trees, he heard singing—the song sounding as though it was sung by a thousand women. It was magnificent! Angelic! Looking closer, he discovered who had been singing. He had found the Alana!

"It is singing—with a human voice and not chirping," he thought to himself, "It is no wonder they say it can lift anyone's spirits up!"

Its plumage was, indeed, one-of-a-kind. It shone like the golden rays of the sun. Like jewels in a treasure room. It shown red, deep purple, blue, green, orange; all the wonderful colors like those of a rainbow. He was enthralled. Just then, he remembered Aras' voice ringing clear in his head: "Whatever happens, make sure you do not fall asleep. Or if you do, do not sleep beneath the Alana's perch."

It was then that he noticed how sleepy he was. He was under the enchanted bird's spell! Immediately, he drew his dagger out of his sheath and cut his arm. Though he wanted to scream, he bit his lip, and squeezed the juice from the rare fruit the wizard had given him. The juice came in contact with the wound and sizzled. The sting caused him to let out a scream, this time. This scared the Alana, which then flew from its perch, into the air above. Although still hurting from his wound, the young prince was quick to act. He deftly tied the rope to form a lasso. Whirling the rope high above his head, he aimed at the bird. He caught it by its feet, held it in one hand, and with the other, loosened the rope. He immediately yet gently put the bird in the cage and shut it. And so the bird was caught, ready to be brought back to the King of Branaghan. So happy was the young prince that he nearly forgot about his original mission—to search for his brothers. It was then that he noticed two strange-looking stones, leaning against the banyan. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that they were statues. He remembered Aras' words: "Its droppings have been known to turn anyone into stone."

"My brothers must've fallen asleep beneath the Alana," he thought, "If so, how can I counter the spell." Just then, an idea occurred to him. If the dayap—for he remembered that the fruit was called thus—helped him to overcome the bird's sleeping spell, it might help him save his brothers yet. He took two and squeezed them, making sure to drop it on the stone statues. Slowly, the gray stone became soft and black. Hair showed on the top part of the statue. Then the forehead became as flesh, until all returned to normal and Prince Peredhìl and Prince Eredhìl became living, breathing men, once more.

Prince Peredhìl screamed and gasped. He shouted, "Luctor et emergo," which is to say, "I struggle and emerge."

His younger brother Prince Eredhìl simply scratched his short, black beard and said, "What has happened?"

"You have fallen under the Alana's spell. You were foolish enough to sleep under its perch. Its droppings have been known to turn anyone into stone. I found your lifeless forms and rescued you."

Shall I let a youngling like him take my glory? Prince Eredhìl said to himself.

"And you learned this from whom?" Peredhìl said, breaking the silence.

"From a wizard named Aras. He also taught me how to ensnare the bird."

"Well done, my brother," Peredhìl said, outwardly, yet in his heart, he thought otherwise.

"How long have we been gone?" Eredhìl asked.

"It has been seven moons since all of Branaghan has heard from you," the youngest said.

"Well then! It will be best if we set out for home at once," Prince Eredhìl said.

The elder brother then, took the younger aside, and said, in a whisper, "Let us kill him that we may take the glory. In the New Kingdom, I shall be king, and you, my brother, will be privileged to serve as my viceroy."

"And if we kill him? What then? What shall we say when our mother and father inquire of the matter?" the younger asked.

"Let us say he was attacked by lions. Or that we were attacked by pirates but we were overrun and we could not protect him."

"Why not lose him? Let us confuse him—in this thick forest—that he may lose his way. We leave secretly, use your boat, and board a ship for home. Let us tell the king and queen that he was lost at sea," Prince Eredhìl said, for he did not want his brother's blood on his hands. And so it was that the brothers carried out their scheme. They called their youngest brother to them and said, "It would be a bad thing not to explore the beauties of this island. It only resurfaces, as we've been taught, every hundred years. We may not get another chance."

Not suspecting a trap, Prince Branagh agreed to tour the island. As the day wore on, they decided to rest near a cave situated on the "shell" of the turtle. They heard voices—laughter, like carousing. Stealthily, they snuck in to investigate. It was dark, and unless someone lit a torch, nothing could be seen. They made fires by rubbing and striking stones together. No one else was in the cave—or so they thought. But they could hear drunken singing.

"It must be spirits," said the superstitious Eredhìl.

"No, look," Prince Branagh said, in a whisper, touching his brothers' shoulders, "Pirates."

The group of buccaneers was storing jewels in chests, crates, and sacks. The jewels were of the rarest kinds. But more amazing was the fact that the jewels grew on trees! Its leaves were emerald, and its fruits and flowers consisted of the finest jewels. Carnelian, jasper, sardonyx, beryl, sapphire, onyx, ruby, emerald, chrysolite, chalcedony, chrysoprase, topaz, jacinth, amethyst…every rare and precious stone one could only dream of.

"Pirate scum," Prince Peredhìl muttered. This alerted the pirates, and they attacked the small group of three men huddled together. Prince Peredhìl drew his sword and advanced. His two younger brothers did likewise. Prince Branagh drew the Sword of Branaghan, and it was only then that the two princes realized that their father had given their youngest brother the throne. The pirates put up a fight, but with Branagh's help, the brothers were able to vanquish the filthy seadogs. They took their spoils and hoarded much more, each helping the other with his burden. But alas! At the entrance of the cave, the brothers attacked Prince Branagh, beating him to death with stones and stabbing him with their swords. After they had finished with him, they took the Sword of Branaghan, the bird, the dagger, the rope, and the dayap fruit, took his body, threw it into a cistern, and covered the cistern's mouth with a rock. That very day, the island sank back into the sea. So passed Branagh, son of Josephethanmar.

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Back in Branaghan, the streets were filled with news of the princes' return. But there were portents of evil, for only two of the king's three sons had returned. News reached Queen Hadassah, and she wailed for her favorite son.

"Where is my son? My Branagh!" she said as she wept.

"We tried our best to save him, dear Mother," the brothers said, feigning to comfort her. But of course, they knew what had really happened.

"How did this occur?" inquired the king, "How could he be dead?"

"We were attacked by a group of pirates on our journey back. He tried to save us, and he was killed in the fray," Prince Peredhìl lied.

That very night, the poor queen's heart burst, unable to bear her sorrow. She was buried among her people in Iddo.

"Now," said Prince Peredhìl to his brother Eredhìl, "my plan is being set in motion. Mother has gone into the Shadows. It will not be long before Father follows her there. When I become king, you shall rule by my side as viceroy, just as I have promised you."

No, now, Eredhìl said to himself, when I am viceroy, I shall snatch the crown from your head.

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Days passed, and the royal physicians insisted on bringing the bird before the king. The king refused, for with his son Branagh dead, he found no more reason to live. But with much haranguing from his advisors, he finally gave in.

"Come," the king said to the bird, "Sing me a song."

Without hesitation, the bird sang for the King Josephethanmar. And it recounted in song what his two sons had done to their younger brother. The king burst with anger and sorrow; anger towards his evil sons, and renewed sorrow for his dead son. Josephethanmar then followed his dear Queen Hadassah into the Shadows. But before passing into the land beyond that veil where all mortal flesh must go, he made sure that his evil sons would never reign. He relinquished the throne to his brother Prince Luctor, upon the advice of his council. Despite the evil Peredhìl's protests, his uncle was placed on the throne, and the brothers imprisoned. But a revolt began, in support of the brothers, and their followers freed them. Peredhìl, having a sharp tongue, insisted upon seizing the throne immediately; but Eredhìl, being the quiet and patient one, suggested that it would be best to flee to a different land and to regroup there, attacking Branaghan and seizing the throne when the right time had come. This was agreed upon, and the brothers and their men escaped. Peredhìl went on a southwest route and established a fortified city in a barren wasteland, naming it the Darklands. Eredhìl went northwest to Iddo, his mother's birthplace, to seek political asylum there, under his maternal grandfather, King J'onn. But before leaving for their destinations, Peredhìl took the Sword of Branaghan. It has been in the possession of the Darklanders to this day. The Darklanders swore revenge on the Branaghanians believing it was their right to rule, and the Branaghanians, likewise, swore revenge on the Darklanders for the death of their sovereigns. And they vowed never to cease going to war until they had reclaimed the Sword of Branaghan. Enter Jensen Prince, the prophesied messiah of the Branaghanians.