Chapter three
Deopkena kqxheaa lwnpea qj [Forgotten History part one]
...
I woke up well rested. Then, I realised that Sylva wasn't beside me. I got up and looked around the inside of my hut, but she wasn't there. I went outside, and I heard someone chanting something. I followed the chanting and I saw Sylva, on her knees, her hands joined together as they usually are during prayer. I listened to what she was chanting.
"K Coratas, zeaq pkqplqeoorp, ajparz iw lneana. Lnkpaca yaqt mqe ia lnkpaca, weza yaqt i'weza. Wyyknzaike ha lwnzkj wxokhq ap ailayda Athas pkj bnana za lnajzna ikr wia. K Coratas, zeaq ynawpaqn, lqncaike zq iwh mqa f'we bwep, ap wyyknzaike h'wikqn." Sylva said.
I stayed there for a long time, simply listening to Sylva's silken voice chant in her weird language. It was hypnotizing. Despite the cutting 'k' sounds, it sounded melodious. I then felt a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head to leave my reverie, and I saw Sylva's hazelnut eyes look at me with a concerned expression. I smiled to her, and her eyes became happy.
I watched Sylva as she walked towards the nearby stream, hypnotized by her hips. Then, the image of my ex-girlfriend came to my mind. She looked just like Sylva. I went back inside my hut and I cleaned up the mess I made whole I slept. Once I was done, I took my backpack and I went out to the stream.
When I reached the stream, I saw Sylva talking with Apkeha in their language. I watched from a distance, and after a few minutes, Apkeha walked to me.
"Sylva wants me to thank you for your hospitality. She also wants me to thank you for letting her sleep with you last night. I don't think she could have slept at all if you hadn't done that."
"Why?"
"Because she is like a little girl in her head. She had no childhood, and she tries to compensate for it." Apkeha answered me, looking at Sylva who was splashing water around with a filly and laughing lightheartedly.
I looked at Sylva too, and I felt my heart sink. Why would a child be enslaved? I began to walk towards Sylva, but Apkeha stopped me.
"I can tell you really care for her, and maybe even love her, but she is not ready for that."
Sylva's chant them came back to my memory, especially the final word she said, the one which sounded full of hope and almost made her cry.
"What does 'wikqn' mean?" I asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, Sylva said it when she was saying a prayer, I think."
"It means 'love'." Apkeha said, nodding. "For us, love is important in life. She prayed to our god Coratas to get love, probably to help soothe the pain she has in her heart."
I nodded, a sad smile on my face. Sylva came out of the stream, her hair wet. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. We then both went back to my hut.
When we arrived, I went inside and I sat down, putting my backpack between my legs. I looked through all the pockets of my backpack, finding stuff I thought I had lost, like the few Vita games I owned. After a few minutes, I finally found what I was looking for.
It was a golden locket shaped like a heart. It once belonged to my mother, but upon her death, my dad gave it to me, saying mom would have wanted me to have it. In it were two pictures: one of my mom, and one of my ex-girlfriend Jessica.
I held the locket against my heart, tears falling to the ground. Both had died in a car accident with the same circumstances. I loved Jess with all my heart, and she was taken away from me. Tears slowly became streams on my cheeks, the painful memories of Jess' funeral flooding back my head and thoughts.
Then, I felt a hand on my back. I turned around, trying to stop crying and failing miserably. Sylva was there, patting my back, tears in her own eyes. She was even more beautiful now than she was when I first met her. I turned away from her, Jess' face overlapping itself on Sylva's.
Sylva then hugged me. I let myself go in her gentle embrace, crying all the tears of my body for my mom and ex-girlfriend. I could hear Sylva singing something in her language. It sounded like a nursery rhyme, and it slowly eased the pain. After a while, everything was silent and peaceful, except for us breathing. Then, someone knocked on the makeshift door of my hut.
"Come in." I said as I dried my cheeks.
Apkeha then walked in. She sat down in front of me and Sylva.
"I heard Sylva sing a lullaby from our home, and it gave me an idea. I am willing to translate Sylva's story for you to hear."
I nodded, and Sylva began. After a while, she stopped and Apkeha began translating.
"Like you already know, Sylva was enslaved at four. During her life as a slave, she had to work really hard on Dexan's land. She was mistreated and underfed most of the time. Fortunately, Dexan is a really religious person, and he feared the church enough to not touch Sylva at all. But he still hit her when she was being slow or whenever he wanted. She never had any childhood because of that. It is why she acts like she does, to have a childhood."
"I can't believe it. Could you translate my story for Sylva?"
Apkeha nodded, and I began to tell my story, about my mom and my girlfriend. When Apkeha was done translating it for Sylva to understand, Sylva was crying. She hugged me again, and it made me cry. Apkeha slowly left us alone.
Time went by quickly, and we soon fell asleep. When I woke up, the next morning, Sylva was still by my side. She was awake and looking at me with a smile.
"Pq naooaixha w qja Wexa mqwjz pq zkno." She said.
"Huh?"
Sylva thought for a few minutes, then she spoke again, this time in English.
"You look angel when sleep."
It was enough for me to understand what she meant. I hugged her and thanked her, even if she could not understand it. We prepared ourselves for the day, and we left my hut. We walked in Ponyville and ended in front of the library. Twilight saw us and came to invite us in.
We followed her inside where Apkeha, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance and her husband Shining Armor were sitting on cushion placed in a circle.
"What the hell?" I said as I took a seat next to Princess Celestia. "Could somepony explain things?"
"Apkeha will explain to us why the Golden Skull attacked ponies." The Princess of the day explained.
Apkeha took a deep breath, and began the story.
"It started several years ago..."
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3rd person POV, fourteen years before Luna's return
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A young man was waiting in a hallway of stone. Torches provided light and were placed at regular intervals. The young man seemed to be around twenty-four or twenty-five. He had hazelnut eyes and short and well-combed light brown hair. He had the shadow of a beard. He was wearing a copper chest piece and a cape lined with red velvet over regular linen clothes. He had a black leather belt with a sheathed dagger hanging from it and resting against his left leg. He also wore military sandals.
Suddenly, the door in front of which the young man had been pacing opened, letting a man in his late thirties out. Another man stayed in the room. He wasn't young, but he wasn't old either, probably mid-forties. His face showed experience. He had hazelnut eyes and short and slightly messy light brown hair that was beginning to turn grey. He had a few weeks old beard with a lot of grey in it.
The man was wearing a copper chest piece as well, but it was more ornate and showed a high rank, and he also had a cape, but his was lined with purple velvet. All of that was worn over regular linen clothes, but the clothes showed wealth. He had a black leather belt with a golden buckle, and a sheathed sword hung from the belt, resting on his left leg. On his head was a highly ornate golden crown.
"You wish to talk to me, son?" The man asked as he went further into the room.
"Yes, Father. I wish to meet with the pony Princess." The young man answered as he followed the man who was his father.
"And why should I permit you to do such a thing?"
"Because you have no other choice. The rogue factions are circling the smaller villages, and they will soon come for Coratas. Your time is counted. Mine too. And my family's too. We need their help, and you know it."
The man let out a tired sigh.
"Athalon, listen to me. I know how to fight a war. Bringing the ponies into this mess will only get them killed." The man explained.
"If you do not send me as an envoy, Father, then I shall go there of my own will. And you cannot stop me." Athalon said firmly on the edge of anger.
"Listen to your father, Athalon. I beg you. If you go, you will be leaving your wife and your beautiful daughter." A woman said as she walked through a hidden archway.
The woman was about the same age as Athalon's father. She had mesmerizing blue eyes and long blonde hair that was almost all grey. She was wearing a simple white dress.
"I know that, Mother, and it is not happily that I am taking this decision. But something has to be done against the rogue factions! I live in one of those villages, and it is only a matter of time before they reach it." Athalon said, anger and sadness mixing together in his voice.
Everything was silent for a while. Then, Athalon's father spoke.
"If you must go, then I shall not interfere with your decision. But keep in mind that you are doing this of your own will. My decision was already taken, and it will stay the same. But I still wish you luck, Athalon. And take this."
The man untied the sheath and handed it to Athalon.
"This was your grandfather's sword. He gave it to me just before he passed away, and I intended to do the same, but it seems destiny has other plans. May it and Coratas keep you safe on your journey."
"Thanks, Father." Athalon said with a small bow.
He turned around and began to walk out, tying the sheath to the left side of his belt. The woman, who seemed to be Athalon's mother, looked at Athalon's father with a desperate look.
"Please, Vaxol. Please say something. You are our king, and you cannot let your own son walk away like this." The woman said with tears forming in her eyes.
"I am so sorry, Salna. But our son has made his mind. I just hope he will succeed before it is too late." Vaxol said as he tried to comfort his wife.
Athalon walked swiftly in the stone hallways towards the stables. On his way there, several maids and butlers greeted him. He returned the greetings with a simple wave of the hand. His mind was set on something he thought of as important for the well-being of his future subjects, and of his own family.
When he finally reached the stables, the guard in post there promptly saluted the young Prince.
"Prepare my idrakli. Immediately." Athalon ordered the guard.
"Yes, my liege."
The guard dropped his copper lance and grabbed a saddle. He went to the Prince's idrakli's box, and put the saddle on the horse-like bipedal creature. Once the saddle was secured, the guard brought the idrakli to Athalon, who promptly jumped on the saddle and high-tailed it out of the castle's stables.
Athalon's mount was one of the fastest, and she was going almost at her top speed. The wind was rushing past Athalon's ears as he passed in the empty streets of Coratas, the capital of Corantha, his country. The night was cool, but Athalon barely noticed as he got his mount to accelerate.
In a matter of minutes, Athalon reached the north gate of Corathas. The guards saw him and opened the gate without stopping him. As the gate closed behind him, Athalon shed a single tear, feeling sorry to leave his wife and daughter without even going back to say farewell.
Athalon rode all night and half of the following day, stopping to rest his tired mount when the sun was high in the sky and the heat of the summer too much to handle. Athalon slept for a few hours before resuming his journey to Canterlot, the sun slowly setting.
That was Athalon's daily routine for a few days before he reached the last town in Corantha before entering Equestria. The Prince slowly rode into the village, one of the rare villages still loyal to the crown of Coratas. He stopped at the local inn and ate. He slept the night in the inn, ready to keep going when the sun would rise again.
During all that time, Athalon never stopped thinking about his wife and daughter. Nor did he ever forgot his self-imposed mission to seek the help of the ponies. Never in his life was he more determined to accomplish his task.
It took a total of ten months to reach Canterlot. Ten months of riding at night, hiding from the sight of the ponies. During the day he would rest and look for food. And one the day of his daughter's birth, four years prior, he prayed for her to be spared anything should ever happen to his wife while he was gone. During that day, he cried all the tears of his body, all his thoughts but one focused on his daughter.
When Athalon reached Canterlot, his beard and hair had grown a lot, he was filthy and dirty, and he had lost several pounds. Using the cover of night to sneak into Canterlot, Athalon hid his idrakli where no one could find her, and proceeded to enter the castle. He got in, and went to the desert throne room, waiting for the pony he wanted to see.
When the sun rose and Celestia finally walked in the throne room with two guards, Athalon was sleeping in Celestia's throne. The guards took their weapons, but Celestia stopped them and asked them to leave her alone. The guards obeyed, and Athalon rose to his feet. He bowed to the Princess of the day, almost falling down. Celestia helped him up, and she spoke.
"Perhaps you should freshen up a little?" Celestia proposed.
"That would be a great idea." Athalon answered Celestia, his knowledge of the pony tongue far beyond the average of Coranthians.
After a good bath, a shave and a haircut, Athalon started over. He bowed, but this time he kept his balance.
"I am Prince Athalon Mikos." Athalon said as he straightened from his bowing.
"I know what you are, and where you are from, Prince Athalon." Celestia told the young man in his own language.
"I did not know you spoke Coranthan."
"There are many things my own subjects ignore about me."
Once she had finished her sentence, Celestia was engulfed in a powerful white light. When it faded, not a pony stood in Celestia's place, but a human. That human looked like a man with feminine features. It had a pale pink-ish white skin with great, majestic pink-ish white feathered wings. Its eyes were rose, and it had a long, ethereal multi-coloured hair. The human wore ceremonial Coranthian clothes, which consisted of a white linen shirt and brown leather three-quarter pants. It also had a single long pink-ish white horn protruding from the middle of its forehead.
Upon seeing the human, Athalon knelt down.
"Okhaeh!" He said, both in shock and astonishment.
"I am indeed the god you call 'Okhaeh'. However, your people took me for a man, while I am a woman." Celestia said as she circled the kneeling Prince. "Why are you here, far from your people?"
"I came seeking your help." Athalon said.
Celestia stopped circling and stared at Athalon.
"Why would your king want the help of ponies?"
"He does not. I came here of my own will. My Father does not see the urgency in our current situation. A civil war is threatening the lives of innocent people, but my Father refuses to send the army against those who rebelled."
"Unfortunately, I cannot help you. We have, as a policy, to let the others take care of their own problems." Celestia explained as she went to sit on her throne.
Athalon rose to his feet, anger boiling inside him. He glared at Celestia.
"One day, those who seek to kill my Father and his family will come for the ponies. When this time comes, I hope you all suffer." Athalon spat before turning around and leaving the castle to go back home.
As he made his way towards his mount, his eyes filled with tears. He hopped on his mount, and went back to Coratas, not even bothering to hide. His trip back took much less time than when he went to Canterlot as he went straight for Coratas. The trip took a total of five months.
By the time he came back, even more villages had fallen to the factions. But Athalon was far from spared. As he approached the village he and his wife lived in with their daughter, he saw the smoke rising from the houses. He hurried the pace of his mount, hoping everything was fine.
As he reached the first houses, his heart sank. Most of them were destroyed and still burning, although the fires seemed to be a few days old. Spread across the street were corpses of person he knew, some were even his friends. When he reached his house, he let out a cry of anger and sorrow. He dismounted and went inside the ruins of his house.
He looked around for corpses. When he reached the master's bedroom, he began to cry. Laying on the floor were the charred remains of a woman. Athalon knelt down beside the body of his wife, and he cried. When he could cry no more, he gently lifted the corpse, and he brought it out. As he set it down, he realised that she was holding something. Carefully, he opened the hands to reveal a silver cross with the symbol of Hqra, a full moon surrounded by three stars in a north-west-east formation. Hqra was the god of the moon, of religion and guardian of Mages.
Athalon took the necklace, and built a pyre to cremate his wife. Once the body was on the pyre, Athalon went back inside, the silver cross hanging from his belt. He searched the entire house, but found no trace of his daughter. He went back outside, lit the pyre and prayed for his wife and daughter.
As the ashes of Athalon's wife rose in the sky, war cries sounded in the distance, signaling that another village would soon fall.
Hey there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
FYI, in the sort of flashback, what is in italic is normal English, while what is in normal writing is Coranthan.
See you next chapter.