Warning: Jumps around a lot as well as some mentioned sexual themes.
Chapter One
Important Past Events
Gold, vibrant red and sapphire was the robe that danced with the wind as the woman ran for the shoreline of Lake Doombreak, the nearest body of water to the Kingdom of Tartaunus. In her arms, a cashew-shaped basket with a half cover. In the basket lied an infant wrapped in two blankets, having been conceived by the woman not even twelve hours ago. The women knew the day would come when she would be discovered—the signature heterochromia that distinguished a mage hard to overlook,—but she didn't think it would be so soon. She was only two days sixteen!
Upon reaching the murky waters, however, the woman knew her end could no longer be avoided and the departure with her only child evident. Taking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart, she shifted the basket to balance on her left arm and scooped up what she could of the long robe to kneel down on the wet, rocky edge of the lake. Running across her eyes with the sleeve on her right arm to wipe away the tears, the woman forced a small smile to break her solemn expression as she steadied the basket atop the dark surface of Lake Doombreak. However, as if sensing her dismay, the infant started to cry out, his wails breaking the silence of the settle waves.
"Hush now, child. This is how it has to be, for I cannot change fate." The woman brushed the small strands of honey blond hair out of the infant's face, her smile broadening when the infant ceased his incessant crying in favor of opening his startlingly mismatched eyes to stare at her, curious.
"You of all people will soon come to realize that, as you shall soon face the same fate one day. It is your destiny. I should like to hope that you'll at least live a little longer than I did." Her smile faltered as her voice cracked on the few words she spoke, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to quench the trembling.
"Just promise me that you'll never forget this day, continue to love me until your eventual end, and use that love as a tool to ease the hatred for this land that you will most likely feel in the near future. Bless you, my sweet child, and remember—it's not their fault" she whispered over him before bending down and planting a small kiss on top of his pale forehead.
"I love you. Farewell, Solluxander Captor."
Shouts were heard not far from her position on the rocky edge, and she was quick to push the basket off into the water, breathing out a sigh of relief when the waves that had started to pick up since her arrival carried it off. At least he would be safe.
Though clueless, the baby lifted his little head and looked over at his mother through glazed, one sapphire and one reddish-brown eye as she was slashed across the back by an armored man's sword. She took an immediate fall to the ground face-first, her long honey blonde hair catching the wind around her during her descent.
The silver of the sword glinted underneath the sunlight that broke the gray sky and shown down upon the dying woman.
Ten years after that event, the Queen had faced her evident fate by the resistance in the Kingdom of Tartaunus. Even though it was a happier Kingdom now, the group convinced the public that she had to be overthrown due to some disturbing news the resistance had caught whiff of: Queen Meenah was partaking in sexual activities with the female librarian of the castle's vast library. And it wasn't just sex for fun. The maids that had shared the information with the resistance informed them that she actually harbored romantic feelings for the woman named Aranea.
Disgusted and riled up, the citizens had rioted and refused to stop until the Queen's head was had, even going as far to storm the castle in order to have their wish met.
Deciding it was in the Kingdom's best interest, Queen Meenah stepped down from the throne. Looking down at the dirty faces of the crowd and worrying about their muddy shoes on the beautiful surface of her marble floor, the Queen turned her face away from them to address her dear, sweet sister Princess Feferi.
"Sister. I am officially stepping down from my place as Queen here, seeing as the public no longer has any need for me" she fixed the numerous angry expressions with a hateful glare before continuing on. "However, I refuse to let them obtain the throne, so I nominate you to take my place now. Carry on our Mother's legend!" she had shouted even as the resistance group made their way through the crowd and seized hold of both her arms, dragging her along through the now separating crowd to make way for them.
Even as Queen Meenah was fated to die now, her most loyal knight had chosen to protect her until the end. Dirk Strider did not die in vain, though, as his younger brother was greatly affected by his act of bravery and later vowed his life to the new Queen, even if it ended up being in the same way that Queen Meenah had gone down—he would stand by her until that judgment day.
Said new Queen—not even fourteen years of age—had been forced to remain in her place as the crowd of citizens had hollered on their way out the double, mahogany doors of the throne room; stunned.
The four golden rods on each end of the diamond and ruby crown looked dull as the headdress rested on top of the empty throne—awaiting its next use.
One night two years after Queen Feferi's abrupt coronation, the Kingdom experienced yet another tragedy: all the wooden-built houses and items would catch fire at any given moment. The only semi-rational explanation the nobles could conjure was that the wood-smiths, the wood nymph Nitrams, were the source of it all. So, deciding it best that the family be exterminated, the nobles got together with Queen Feferi to have a final say.
Although the Queen was not exactly for the irrational destruction of the only nymphs the county knew of, she could not disagree with the wild expressions of the resistance that had also come to the meeting, and the suffering that her citizens had been through as a result of the random fires. Though it was with much reluctance and later regret, the Queen "okayed" the charge on the Nitram household.
The only member that had been spared was the youngest of them all, Tavros at age thirteen, who was known for his kindness and generosity to all the citizens he helped whenever someone cried out for it and he was around. No: the resistance couldn't bear to destroy such pure innocence, so they allowed him to continue on living, even though his whole family had just eradicated before him.
It was the last words of his older brother—Rufio—that kept him from acting out on hatred:
"Keep on smilin' lil' bro, please."
Around that same time, a young boy had lost his older brother—the High Priest of Hopeland Kingdom—as well as his dear Father, who had done nothing but gave the public hope: preaching for free on God's will and how they only had to suffer for so long until they were to join him in the Holy Kingdom high in the sky.
Apparently, the King found no reason for a Priest—nor preacher—of any kind in his village, filling his people with sugar-coated lies is what he thought of them. No, they only needed a King to rule them and give them hope, not some silly peasant of a preacher. So, sending out the best of his subjects, the King had them detained—forever.
The youngest was left to strive for himself, the King seeing no reason to kill off an innocent. However, the King would have never guessed that it would be this same boy that would later cause his nobles such grief—including the nobles of the Kingdom of Tartaunus.
A year prior to these events, a young woman freshly picked off of the market had danced with her respected husband in their splendid home in the forest town of Brinkman, loving the peace that the otherwise hated land provided them with. Her satin, red dress spiraled around her as the man—twenty-four years—spun her in a circle with one finger, her Asian chime for laughter filling the warm abode with their own kind of music.
However, this happy moment was soon just a fleeting memory, as the man had passed away a year later. He had been ill even before he bought her dowry, but still he chose to respect her and refrained from any form of sexual contact with her beyond kissing. A noble man until death he was, even if he did leave the beautiful girl an incredibly young widow.
Unfortunately, the girl would face a greater peril than that, for the residents of Hopeland Kingdom had come across a great revelation a year later when the girl's miraculous witch doctor deeds had gotten around the main town: a witch was causing the extreme weather, and the wondrous witch doctor was their main suspect.
Cerulean blue ribbons fell to the floor as the nervous man untied them, the blue corset that the gorgeous woman of sixteen had worn attached to the rich satin skirt of her sapphire dress as a special gift for the anniversary known as their fiftieth get-together. The young woman had been seeing the noble man since she was fourteen, for the man had been greedy and during his time on the market, and couldn't decide between her and this other, beautiful blonde woman. In the end, he had chosen to legally uphold Cecilia, but met the blue-lipped mystery in secret whenever he could.
A mistress this ebony-haired and dangerous, blue bedroom eyed woman had been. That is, until they had dared to uphold their "anniversary get-together" in the man's own abode. It was a dumb move, and the noble knew it, but he didn't care: he just wanted to release himself into the mysterious woman atop the very sheets that he had with Cecilia, even if he had spoiled the woman with plenty of money to buy herself a similar if not exact bed cover. No, there was nothing like the idea of having two women on a man's personal bed.
Unfortunately for them, Cecelia had come home earlier than planned, and wandered on into his quarters. Normally she was not allowed to enter his personal quarters without his consent, however, the suspicious sounds coming from said room as she passed on by it worried her, so she barged in of her own free will.
Her scream had awoken the neighbors, who had immediately sent a page to get a guard afterward.
The mysterious woman was, of course, banished from Hopeland to Brinkman for her unforgiveable act, the man revealing everything to the guard; claiming how she had "come onto him" and "forced" him to "play" with her.
Though enraged and borderline pissed off, there was nothing the blue mystery could do to change her predicament, swaying the guard not an option when a man would only believe another man's word—especially that of a respectable noble.
Cursing his name, the mysterious lady was dragged out to the forest town of Brinkman that night without even so much as a second chance. She swore she would later murder that man if the opportunity ever presented itself to her.
Although the guards that banished her were cruel, the women of Brinkman had accepted her upon entrance once the guards had vanished down the trail to the ferry man, knowing full and well that whatever "deed" she did was man's fault somehow. They all gave her numerous goodies and led her to a nice home to stay in as a beginner's gift to "joining the club."
Maybe the town wasn't as bad as the main town of Hopeland had made it out to be.
Note: The next chapter will not be available until August 28th. It is called "Everyone's Caste" and isn't nearly as jumpy as this chapter is. By this, I mean that it actually follows a storyline path and not just a bunch of past events jumbled together in detailed, mysterious explanations. It will also be much, much longer—I can promise you that much (uwu).
