Chapter 2: Content Reject
I placed the shard in its matching place. It glowed white before fading back to the usual bright blue. Along its surface danced icy patterns, jumping off the quarter made sphere and back onto it. Essence of its power.
The sphere sat on top of a dark grey pedestal, its stone engraved with jagged patterns that crept down and onto the floor. The markings covered the entire floor, not a trace of bareness. The celestial markings of our queens of old. No doubt carved by Queen Elasia herself. It left me with a strange feeling at the bottom of my gut. I could only guess it was awe.
There were seven Queens of Old. They were our former rulers and the only queens to rule our land. We never had kings. I do not know why but it seemed to be forbidden to allow any man upon a throne in my world. If only I could see it now.
Anyway, the Queens of Old were wise, beautiful and the founders of my home. Dragospire. The one and only palace of my world, Aithea.
The Seventh, Queen Iylene. She has ruled my world with a powerful understanding of her peoples hearts and ways, and she herself has been the blade that protects their minds from those who would dare stand against us. Though she was no expert in taking up arms, she would protect what she could and heal all those who were in need. I could say I was a friend of hers, but really she was my mentor. Well she used to be my mentor. She cannot exactly teach me from another world.
The Sixth was Queen Elasia. She ruled my world once over six years ago. She was an artist of all forms. She could dance, sing, paint, carve, smith and do all sorts of magnificent things. She was well known for her skills in swordsmanship and her vast knowledge of other worlds. I am almost sure that she had been to this world I occupied now. I had not met her before personally, but I was able to catch a glimpse of her the day before she disappeared. Indeed she did disappear, we gave up our search for her after two years. Two years without a queen was long enough for my people to decide that she wasn't coming back. Anyway, Queen Lione was the Fifth. She was known for her excellent battle strategies and unforgiving glare that could make enemies turn tails and run. She was ruthless but always acted for the rights of her people. A just queen she was.
The Fourth was known as Queen Dyella. She, who had become quite the flirtatious queen, was a mother of four (one being Queen Lione herself) and the only known queen to take it upon herself to invite lowly peasants to celebrations of events such as her crowning and birthday festivities. She was the one who loved love and saw those below her status as equals (A trait only passed on to Queen Iylene who is her great great great granddaughter).
The Third Queen was named Amara. I have to say that I did not know much about her. She was mysterious, calculating and distant.
The Second Queen, Kasula, daughter of the First, was never actually crowned queen, but since her disappearance she has been named one for her loving heart. She was fair and righteous, knowledgeable beyond compare and was beautiful and innocent enough to capture the whole of Aithea in her hands. She was the ruler for no less then two years and went missing the night before her coronation.
The First Queen, a mother to us all really, was named Rimien. She looked quite different from my species and her story was one that was told probably a million times a day. It never got old. The story of how a girl mysteriously ended up in the world of Aithea and then used her hands to sew the broken bonds of the lands together. She fought wars, had children, was named the one and true queen, gave her heart to save the elderly and eventually left us without a trace of her leave.
It was all the same though, Six Queens of Old had disappeared and I think we all thought that soon we would loose the Seventh, Queen Iylene. Our precious Queen Iylene.
But then I thought, have I disappeared too? I am not at home so I wonder what they are thinking. Did I disappear in their minds too? I was not a Queen of Old, so I was not sure.
I, like the rest of my people, felt a horrible sense of an incomplete puzzle. We were once complete, but someone seems to keep stealing the most important pieces. Now I too was seemingly missing. I have to find my way back to the board.
I let my ebony gauntlet grace the cracked orb, it's essence weaving its way up my arm and warming my skin with its shining surface. I shivered when it reached the bare skin of my neck and crept up my cheek. I gasped when I felt it. The fire, so excruciatingly hot. It was the essence, penetrating the walls of my skull underneath the skin of my temples. It was like driving two hot iron stakes through my cranium and into the back of my eyes.
My eyes. I could not see anything. Just a bright white light, and then everything faded back in. I was not at the temple anymore. The door to the underworld did not sit in front of me and my hand no longer held the bottom of the broken key.
Instead I was in a strange forest. Trees -almost as tall as the cliffs back in Dragospire- were dark and a very light, almost invisible fog laden the ground around the roots. Toadstools and mushrooms, moss and thick vines wrapped around the branches that hung low and swooped the forest floor. Water, black as pitch, followed along through murky streams, its surface layer riddled with bark and fallen leaves and other bits and pieces. From what little I had learned in my time in this world so far, I knew this forest was one of those I would hate to live in. Mirkwood was not a pretty place altogether though.
I caught sight of a white rope like substance. It lead off into the distance, quite a long and difficult trek it would be if I had to move through all this foliage. I lifted my leg to step over a vine in front of me. It moved.
This both relieved me and made me weary. I was not dreaming. My mind had been taken to the location of the next shard of the key, but my body was still at the temple. The time that passed and the things I did here were actually happening in this world at this very second. If someone looked in this general direction, they would not see me but they would see the forest move. Creating a pathway of sorts. This would of course be unnatural and I did not like causing suspicion. Made things difficult, it did.
I guess I had no choice though. I would just have to make sure no ones looking before I move. Taking this all on board I surveyed my surroundings for signs of life. Non. Not a bird nor bee in sight. No elves either. Good!
It took a while before I remembered and realized where the trail may lead. My theory was proven correct when the woods thinned out and shone more light green than the dark I passed first. I spied the smooth stone walls of the Woodland Realm, the kingdom of elves that so bravely dwell in this formidable place.
I must say it was beautiful. Just in that moment. The one perfect moment where the sun shined through the canopy leaves and left a glowing hue over the mighty walls. I could see the patterns of cracks in the stones surface, though small, they were still there. And in that second, my heart thumped. It was so similar to my home and yet all the same, completely and extraordinarily different.
I did not like being here, I decided. It was too much of a reminder, to big of an enamoring hand that placed a bucket full of contentedness in my sub-conscious. I refused to feel content in a place that was not my home, no matter how similar it was. I belonged somewhere else.
Feeling as though I had what I came for I left. Back to my normal body, back to where my mind could settle and focus on the task at hand. I knew where the next piece was, that is all I needed. Though I had a need to run to the back corner of the temple and hide until the night took my consciousness, I knew I could not.
I had a destination now, and a goal. One that I should hope to survive through to complete.
Special thanks to Runvus and Shophiecastle for the follows and favorite! It's much appreciated and I hope you both are enjoying the story so far. And 49 Views! WOO HOO! Go me!
I hope none of you mind, the first part was a bit of a filler of Thamelia's world's history. If anything at all doesn't make sense or if you have any questions please ask! I love answering questions!
Any way! Please favorite, follow and comment! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
