KINGDOM OF THE STARS
This story also begins like all of the stories. Once upon a time, there lived two ordinary brothers with a beautiful sister who were blessed with an extraordinary destiny. They stumbled upon a magical Land and became it's rulers by vanquishing the evil that had consumed the Land for a greater number of years. Once the darkness subsided, peace was restored throughout the Land and the brothers were crowned as the Kings of the Land; their sister was crowned as a valiant Queen. The Land is still present unseen by the mortals and though the age of the High King Peter, King Edward and Queen Sarah has been long forgotten their adventures still live on in the hearts of their people.
Eight years had passed into the reign of the High King of the Land and the Land blossomed like a woman in her youth radiating beauty in all its forms. The wood nymphs danced with the creatures of the forest, the mermaids sang beneath the waters and the subjects in the kingdom lived without a care. The suffering had been receded with the Evil. The Kings and Queen of the Land were loved by their subjects. On an evening of a cold winter in the eighth year of their rule, the destiny of the High King Peter changed bringing a new dawn for his Kingdom.
Peter looked outside through the window and felt the restlessness of nature. The storm which had dawned on his Kingdom two days into the winter solstice had become worse bringing hail and snow alike. Lighting struck the heart of the sky creating a rhythm with the beats of his heart.
"Did you call for me, brother?"
"Yes Edward. I am afraid I woke you up from your slumber but my heart has not ease since the storm has clouded our Land. I am afraid sleep is playing a cruel game of hide- and- seek with me. "
"What is it that ails your heart, brother?"
"My dreams have taken wings since the storm. I can hear a maiden's call for help; I can feel her pain burning through my conscience. I am afraid that the light of her soul diminishes every day but it ails my heart that I am unable to provide hope to her."
Peter saw the ends of Edward's mouth curl into a smile. He knew that the recollection of his dreams and the worry in his voice sounded bizarre even to him but he did not have any one else to share his thoughts other than his younger brother and sister.
"So it is a maiden who steals the sleep from my brother's eyes. Brother, do not heed on such matters. Dreams are a perception of our soul and your soul is mighty and brave. We have fought many wars together and provided hope to the people of this land and we will remain to be their beacon of light. If the maiden does exist your soul will find her, Brother because you have stolen a path into her dreams."
"Thank you Edward. What you speak does give me comfort. I do wish that I find the answer to my questions in the near future. Now go Edward. I have kept you too long."
"Yes, brother."
Edward closed the door behind him leaving Peter alone with his thoughts. Maybe Edward was right. Peter would require patience to search for the answers to the questions that fret him. Peter walked up to the mirror and saw his reflection staring at him clad in his night-wear with striking green eyes and unkempt dark hair with an aura which reflected power and courage of a king. Sleep was still aloof so he picked up a book to entertain himself but it did not last long as he was disturbed by a knock on the palace door which echoed in the vastness of the night. He was sure that the matter would require his attendance because of the time of its coming. He put on his robes and followed his sister into the throne room. In the room, beyond the doors stood a faun shaking the fur of his lower half to remove the snow-flakes. Peter always found fauns' funny because of their odd combination of horns on their heard along with the half man-half goat personality. As Peter approached, the faun bowed.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply sorry to come on your door steps at such a late hour but this matter required your utmost attention." And with that the faun moved aside and revealed the shape of a sleeping maiden on the table. Peter could not avert his eyes from her form. She was beautiful, more beautiful than any mortal he had encountered. She was clad in a dress of blue which shimmered of the stars, her skin was the color of snow and she radiated a faint glow which made her shine but she appeared to be in a deep slumber, not the peaceful and the quiet sleep but a sleep troubled with nightmares. Peter sensed Edward also found her breathtaking because he couldn't speak like him too. It was Sarah who took the charge.
"Mr. Faun, I assume you found her in this state."
"Yes, my Queen. At first I thought that she might awaken but her condition has turned worse. I brought her to the palace as fast as my hooves would allow."
"Brother Peter, we need to move her to a warm solitude. I fear this weather will deteriorate her health to a worse condition. I will call upon the servants to tend to her." And with that Sarah marched towards the servant quarters. Sarah's words snapped Edward and Peter out of their reverie. Peter then walked up to the faun.
"Mr. Faun—"
"Your Majesty, I do not intend to be rude but please call me Tom."
"Very well then, Mr. Tom I can understand that this has been a stressful night for you but if you can stay for a few hours in the palace then my brother and I would love to talk about how you came upon her. But first we need to tend the sick. I hope you understand."
"Sire, I am merely your subject. I will do as you please, Your Majesty. I will provide whatever help is needed. There is no need to ask, Sire."
Peter ordered one of the servants to tend to Mr. Tom and the rest were assigned to the care of the woman. "Servants, call upon the best healers of the Land."
Peter and Edmund waited outside their sister's quarters with awaited breath. Peter didn't talk much to his brother because his brain was muddled with various thoughts but he felt that this maiden might be the answer to his questions. Sarah came out of her quarters and Peter could see that her eyes were wet. Sarah walked up to him and wrapped herself around him.
"Sarah, it's okay. Things work out for the better in the end."
"Brother, I am afraid this is the end. She cannot survive through his phase. The healers are unable to save her."
Peter stroked his fingers through his sister's hair and listened to her soft sobs. After a minute, one of the healers came out of his sister's quarters.
"Your Majesty, I am afraid that we cannot save her. She appears to be poisoned. The poison has spread through her veins and will soon strike her heart. She has little time, Sire."
"If she has been poisoned then you can find a cure, Healer. Please give it your best to save her."
"Sire, the nature of the poison is one that has never been encountered in the history of the Land. We are trying all the methods to remove the poison from her blood but her condition does not improve. The poison spreads like dark magic." Peter instructed the healer to attend to the maiden. He had to find a cure to the poison.
"Brother, its better if we know where she has come from. If we know where she resides, we might be able to find the source of this monstrous poison and as is said that with the disease also comes the cure, we can find a cure."
"Well said, Edward. Call Mr. Tom to the throne room. We require an audience with him."
Sarah sat on an arm chair next to the fire hearth while Peter paced up and down waiting for the faun and his brother.
"Brother, Mr. Tom as you had asked."
"Your Majesty, this worthless faun is at your service."
"Mr. Tom, I hope that out hospitality has befitted your taste. Now could you brief us as to how you came upon the maiden?"
"Well Sire. That is an odd bit of tale. You see Sire, winter is a bane to us fauns since we are creatures of the spring but I got word from my cousin Bob that there was going to be a sale on berries in the market at dawn so I set out when the sun fell below the mountains through the forest but as I took the route to the market I saw a faint light radiating through the tress so I followed it and now I see what a marvelous decision this has been. You see it takes courage for a faun to wander off its course into the unknown but as I approached the light I could see that its source was the maiden. Most beautiful maiden I must add, Sire. But she was not awake but was in a rather horrible state. She was lying in a crater screaming and withering in pain not once opening her eyes like she was having the most horrible nightmare. Then the rest is known to you, Sire. I rushed her to the palace as fast as I could."
"Thank you for that recollection Mr. Tom. If I may bother you with one more question, did she have any markers on her who might be able to help us to identify her?"
"Well speaking of that, Your Majesty, she did have a most unique ring upon her. I took it to safeguard it because it looked quite precious. Ah, here it is." And with that Peter took the ring from the faun's hand. The ring was composed of blue diamond in the shape a beautiful flower which resembled the sun. The center of the ring was etched with seven stars above the horizon with the shape of a boat rowing to the horizon. Next to that was the symbol of the sun and the half crescent moon combined together. Sarah took the ring from his hand and examined it and then Peter saw that a look of recognition passed through her face.
"Sarah, do you know the symbol?"
"Brother Peter, I might know who she is. Just follow me."
Edward and Peter followed their sister to the reading room.
"Sarah, where are you taking us?"
"Brother Peter, just keep a bit of patience. The book should be right over here. Yes, here it is."
Sarah picked up a book kept on the reading table and started flipping through the pages. She then stopped on a particular page and showed Edward and me the page. I recognized the symbol instantly. It was the symbol on the ring.
"Sarah, it's the same symbol." And with that Sarah started reading from the page.
"The symbol of the seven stars over the horizon along with the boat is the symbol of the Kingdom of the stars. The Kingdom of the Stars stretches over the Land ruled now by the High King Peter and his siblings. The symbol is usually engraved on a ring given to the most valiant and courageous of the Kingdom of the Stars. However, if the symbol is combined with the sun and the moon on a blue diamond it represents the ring worn by the Queen of the Kingdom of the Stars. The magic of the ring prevents anyone else to wear the ring except the Queen. Brother Peter, she is the Queen of the skies. She is a star. I knew she looked familiar."
Peter saw that Sarah was the only one who could take the news as a good omen and before Edward and I could overcome their state of shock Sarah flipped through some pages of the book and showed us the portrait of a beautiful maiden with striking blue eyes and light brown hair sitting on a throne composed of blue glass. She looked majestic and too beautiful to be true with a strong white glow about her. Peter knew the face too well to doubt her identity. She looked exactly the same as the maiden now nearing her death except her glow had diminished.
"Brothers, our guest is Queen Ryena, the Queen of the Sky."
"Queen Ryena is a beautiful queen who now sits on the throne of the Sky. She became Queen after her battle against the Witch Sletho who had tricked Queen Ryena's mother, Queen Arya out of the throne. Queen Arya had given birth to her daughter Ryena twenty five years ago but Sletho convinced the Queen that Ryena was born as a dead child. Sletho cast Ryena into the seas thinking that a child could never survive the fury of the ocean but she turned out to be wrong. Ryena came back to regain her kingdom from the Evil Witch and succeeded but Fate had already taken the life of her parents when she ascended the throne. Ryena used her magic to lock Sletho in the deepest pits of the earth and brought peace to her Kingdom. Little is known about Ryena's childhood but it is said that she was raised by the Spirit of the Land now ruled by the King and Queen of the Land. Queen Ryena played an important role in the battle of High King Peter and his siblings against the Evil. It has been ten years of Queen Ryena's rule. Queen Ryena is considered as an ageless beauty with the Price and Kings of various lands fighting to win her heart. Ryena represents the brightest star of the Land."
When Sarah finished reading, Peter knew that one of his questions had been answered. It was Queen Ryena who had haunted his dreams from the past two days. It was her whom he was supposed to be a beacon of light and hope. He was sure of it now.
"Brothers, do you know what this means? She is the brightest star of our Kingdom. She is the North Pole star. We have to save her at all costs."
"Sarah, I know what you are saying is true but whoever poisoned her is powerful. Stars are immortal. To brew a poison which can eradicate immortality and kill a star requires magic beyond our reach. It is a magic too dark, a magic which consumes light in its path and spreads darkness."
"I know Brother Edward but we need to find a way to save her. She is hope to every living soul whether it is sailors lost at sea or a soul lost in the world. There has to be a way."
"Sarah, where did you get this book?"
"Brother Peter, we should be thinking of ways to save her. Why are you asking about the book?"
"Answer the question Sarah. I am asking because I might know a way to save her. She has shown me a way herself."
"What do you mean?"
"Edward, she is the one who stole my slumber. I know this might be hard to believe but she has been asking for my help and the only way to help her is to answer the question. Sarah, where did you get the book?"
Susan has been replaced by Sarah but the essence of character is the same. Please do read and review! I am a beginner in the fan fiction community! Thank you all! If the story is liked well, I will continue it.