III

Phoenix Rising

Elsa let the cool dusk breeze fill her soul as she drank in the air. Nuri strode beside her, occasionally hurrying to catch up. They left the castle grounds and headed into town. A few people strolling the streets acknowledged Elsa's presence with a hand wave or a short bow. Elsa returned the greetings, and continued walking towards a small stone bridge in the distance. Before long, they had reached the bridge.

This particular bridge was not in good shape. Gnarled ivy wrapped around the sides like a mother clinging to a newborn baby. Several stones were loose or missing in several places, and the entire thing smelt of sour milk and wild animals. Elsa power-walked to the center of the bridge, then abruptly spun on her heel and faced Nuri.

"Well, Your Majesty? What do you have to say?" she asked, a little bit too harshly, false grin plastered on her face. Nuri stumbled over his words once more, turned around and made sure no one was listening, then turned back to Elsa.

The words tumbled out of his mouth: "I can do magic just like you."

Elsa's grin slowly died away. "What did you say?"

Nuri shook his head, and raised an open palm. He snapped his fingers, and a bright orange flame appeared in his hand. Elsa stared at him in disbelief. There was someone else like her out there. Nuri still held the flame as he continued speaking: "When I was born, my father used to tell me that the kings of old prophesied my birth. They called me the anka'oo, a ruler that would take the kingdom and make it better than ever. I was-no, am- supposed to be the best ruler my kingdom has seen" He extinguished the flame by closing his hand

"What does ankle-hoo mean?" Elsa asked him. That strange look appeared in Nuri's eyes again, and once more, it vanished quicker than lightning.

"Phoenix. It means phoenix. And I have tried to make the kingdom better than before. You see, my father was killed seven years ago by a vengeful sorcerer." Nuri looked down at the ground forlornly, examining the moss growing in between the stones. "But that doesn't mean that he didn't deserve it."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked. Nuri looked back up at her. "My father… well, let's just say, he wasn't exactly the nicest man." It was all spilling out now, like a dam within his mouth had just cracked and finally let go. "And he… well, he took the kingdom by force before I was born. He was very unpopular with the locals. They weren't too keen on being oppressed, and it really didn't help that his skin was just about as pale as yours" Nuri added, pointing to Elsa's arm. He continued with his story. "When he met my mother, he treated her like she was a servant with one purpose: To create a male heir. There was no love between them. I was born, and things spiraled out of control from there." Nuri paused and looked at Elsa. "I'm sorry if this is too personal."

"No, no, continue. I've learned that it's best when you share your feelings" she said, thinking

"You see, my father had always viewed the people as… filthy, uncultured animals who had no sense of right and wrong. But I saw differently. I sometimes would wander the markets for hours, they were so full of sights and sounds and colors. The people, they all had faces and names and lives that they lived. Father didn't see it like that. He began to oppress them, passing laws and laws that stole their lives. Suffering turned to fear, fear turned to anger, and finally, that anger turned to hate. At last, they did something. They fought back" he spoke, eyes beginning to water.

"Oppression turned to full-blown war, and my father turned from racism to genocide. He massacred people where they stood in the streets. And still, Arat fought against him. And then the Sorcerer appeared. He killed my father, and I ascended the throne." He stopped, and looked at Elsa, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. "You don't know what it's like, to walk the streets of your own city and undo the damage that you didn't cause." He bent forwards and starting sobbing an awful, breathless sob. Elsa took him in her arms and gave him a big hug. The two stood there together on the broken bridge, clutching each other in the light of the pale moon. Suddenly, Elsa remembered something that had been on the edge of her mind.

"Oh no" she whispered, and let of Nuri. He wiped his face with his shirtsleeve. "What is it?" he asked cautiously.

"I have to toast my sister!" she replied, and sprinted away, high heels clacking against the cobblestones. Nuri stood there for another minute, then ran after her.