Hello There! Yay! You didn't have to wait as long for this chapter as you did for the others! It is currently raining and I'm eating some cookies, so thought it was the perfect time for writing. Good background noise. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Enjoy! :)

-Joyful Wild

-CHAPTER 12: THE KING OF ANNIERA SURRENDERS!

Kalmar laid on the ground feeling harsh winds blow and howl against the trees. He felt afraid because, here standing on the water of the First Well as if it was solid ground, was the Maker Himself. "Kalmar!" The Maker called out again. "Kalmar look at me!"

"I shouldn't!" Kalmar said.

"Kalmar." The Maker said again. Kalmar looked up at the Maker and felt awe, wonder, and fear wash over him again. The Maker had white hair, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. He wore many diadems, and his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace. He wore a long robe that was dipped in blood, He wore a golden sash around His chest, and on His robe, and on His thigh, He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And He was surrounded by light that felt like it would eventually burn Kalmar's skin. Kalmar couldn't think of any words to describe Him.

Good? Kalmar thought, No, too small. Wonderful? Not enough. Beautiful? No more than that! Kalmar's head started to hurt from all the crying he had done earlier, but mostly from trying take everything in. It was too overwhelming. The Maker was overwhelming in such a perfect way. PERFECT! Kalmar thought. Perfect was the only word that Kalmar could come up with to describe his Maker. Kalmar looked at His face again and noticed that the Maker looked sad. It never actually occurred to Kalmar that the Maker could have feelings. "Why are You sad?" Kalmar asked as he sat up on his feet. Even though his voice was just above a whisper the Maker heard him.

"Why do you blame me?" The Maker said with sadness in His voice. Suddenly Kalmar remembered that just a few minutes ago he was yelling at the Maker and blamed Him for all that had happened. Kalmar grew angry again. "Why did You let that happen?!" Kalmar yelled. Kalmar wanted the Maker to know that he was upset for what He had done. "Why did You let me sing the Song of the Ancient Stones?! Why didn't You stop me from running away?! Why did You let Anniera burn?!" Now Kalmar was in tears. "Why didn't You stop Janner from DYING?! YOU SAID EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY! IF YOU'RE IN CONTROL THEN WHY DID YOU LET ANY OF THESE THINGS HAPPEN? IT'S YOUR FAULT JANNER IS DEAD! YOUR FAULT THAT I SANG THE SONG! IT'S! YOUR! FAULT!" Kalmar stared into the Maker's eyes that was filled with sadness and...pain? Kalmar looked at Him in confusion. Why did the Maker look like He was hurt?

A couple of tears started to fall from His eyes. "Kalmar My child." He said in a soft saddened voice. "Why do you blame Me for the choices that You made?"

"Why did You give me the choice!?" Kalmar yelled back.

"How would you feel if your brother was forced to love you but never truly loved you like a brother should?"

Kalmar froze and his eyes got big. He swallowed and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried to comprehend what the Maker just said and looked to the ground.

The Maker spoke again. "Your brother didn't have to love you. He could have let you go to Throg by yourself, he could have let you drown in the Ice Prairies. He didn't have to stand up for you against the Hollowsfolk. He didn't have to die for you. He could have stood there and watch you die in front of him. No, he chose to die for you because he was your brother, and he chose to love you. I gave everyone a choice to love Me."

Kalmar looked up in surprise, "You...want to be...loved?"

"Yes. That is why I created mankind. To love Me and worship Me. To have a relationship with Me. Being forced to love isn't real love. I wanted mankind to choose to love Me. But in the beginning, they chose to go against Me." The Maker closed His eyes and bowed his head as more tears fell down His glorious face. "I chose every single human being to love, but only a few chose Me. Kalmar, I want you know that I didn't bring this evil into this world. I planned for it to be perfect, but it didn't last. I have created armies of creatures that had their own choice as well. One of them saw himself greater than I and tried to take My throne and destroy Me. But he failed. So, then he went after mankind and turned them against Me."

"But some people did choose You." Kalmar said.

"Yes." The Maker laughed while finally opening His eyes and lifting His head. "Oh, how My heart and My Kingdom rejoice when someone chooses to love Me. And it makes Me smile even more when I see them do their very best to help the ones who went astray." Then the Maker became sad again. "And it hurts to be blamed for things that you didn't do. Doesn't it?"

Kalmar looked down again. He remembered when people blamed him for killing someone as a grey fang but he never did. "Kalmar." The Maker said softly. Kalmar looked up again. The Maker still had tears in His eyes. And Kalmar knew why. He had blamed the Maker for things that He didn't do. He blamed the Maker for the choices he made. It wasn't the Maker's fault. It's mine! Kalmar thought. "I love you." The maker said softly. Then the Maker turned to leave and the light all around Kalmar started to disappear. Once Kalmar finally realized what was happening he ran towards the well.

"Wait!" Kalmar yelled. But the light started to dim even more. "MAKER DON'T LEAVE! DON'T LEAVE ME PLEASE!" Kalmar started to cry while calling after the Maker. But it was no use. The wind picked up once more and the light started to ascend into the storm with the Maker and then in the blink of an eye the storm vanished along with the mighty winds, the light, and the Maker. Everything became silent and still. Including Kalmar's sobbing and tears.

Kalmar suddenly felt tired and laid on the cold ground. He wrapped himself up in his cloak as that feeling of loneliness crept up in his heart again as his eyes drooped. But he noticed that something was different. Something that the Maker left behind. He felt something stir in his heart. At first, he didn't know what it was until he realized that it was the feeling of burning. It was the same burning that he felt earlier. The burning spread out through him. It even seemed to spread to his soul. Soon he felt the burning outside of his body like arms wrapped around him. He felt like someone was holding him and it felt hot at the touch. He tried to see who it was but the only thing that he saw was the First Well.

No one was there, but Kalmar knew it was the Maker.

Soon the burning started to overwhelm him as if the Maker picked him up and held him tight. The tighter the Maker held on the more burning there was. Kalmar felt like he wanted to cry from the burning pian in his soul and heart. He wanted more of that burning, but it was already enough. He knew the burning was from the Maker. It was as if the Maker started a fire inside. But this fire was different because it was a holy fire. A fire that only the Maker can start. Kalmar's soul was on fire and if Kalmar had any more of that fire, he'd feel like he might die from the burning of it. He couldn't have all that fire. He imagined how the fire inside of him would only look like a speck of dust compared to the size of the fire that the Maker had. Maybe even smaller than a speck of dust.

What is this feeling? Why is it in me? I'm not worthy of this. Kalmar thought. The answer wasn't audible, but he could hear a still small voice in him. In the middle of all burning the voice said, Because I love you.

Why would someone like You ever think about someone like me? Kalmar thought.

Because I love you. The voice said again.

But Maker, You don't need me.

True. But I want you because I love you.

Maker, why did You make us if You knew we would turn away?

Because without the darkness of evil nobody would have known that I am in control of it all. There would be no point of the light and love that I have since the First Fellows came to life. You would have never known what it felt like to be healed if you were not in pain. You would have never known that I love you so much that I was willing to give up My throne for a grave.

How could You love me like that? After all that I have done You still love me?

Yes. Me and My love for you would be too much for you to understand for I am outside your own understanding. I have been writing a story, child, and the story is true but, I have given you a choice to either believe it or deny it. What will you choose?

Kalmar couldn't hold the tears any longer. If somebody saw where Kalmar was now, they would only see a boy all alone and crying in the dirt but, to Kalmar it felt like he was crying into the Maker's arms Who held the tears that fell from Kalmar's eyes. Then it felt like the Maker put His hand on Kalmar's face and wiped away the tears.

"I'm...sorry. For everything. It was my fault not Yours. I... I believe it all " Kalmar said. I believe that Your story is true. And... and here's my life. I give it all to You, Maker. Even my heart. You are my King. You are the King of kings. And...and...to You and You alone I...I surrender." As Kalmar said that he gasped as it he was under water for a long time and finally came up for air.

Kalmar had never felt this way before. He felt like he had just been born, that he was...new. He realized that all of his life he wasn't actually living. His soul had not been born until that moment. He felt like that he was given a second chance of life as if he was born again. The fire inside of his heart stirred again and Kalmar cried not only because of the burning but, because of the joy of being alive. Kalmar felt the Maker's hand wiping away the tears and lifted his hand to touch it. But when he touched the Maker's hand it not only felt hot but, there was something on His wrist. It felt like a scab or maybe even a scar on His wrist but, whatever it was it felt hotter than his hand did.

Kalmar now knew that the burning was the Maker's love. I forgive you.

"Thank You." Kalmar said. "I love You."

I love you most. The voice whispered. You are mine.

He finally felt safe in the dangerous woods. Then Kalmar went to sleep with a smile on his face, a newborn soul, and a fire that no one could ever put out.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: PLEASE READ.

In case you're wondering diadems are a type of crown or headband that royalty wear.

Revelation 1:13-15 "and in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters."

Revelation 19:12-13 "His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God."

Revelation 19:16 "On His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."

2 Corinthians 7:10 " For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."

Proverbs19:3 "When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord."

2 Corinthians 7:9 "As it is, not because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, no loss through us."

2 Corinthians 1:5 "For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."

Colossians 2:13 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, "