The Lost Princess

by Nisa Ryan

  Julian leaned back on his hands, his legs spread out in front of him as a dazzling blue rocket burst above the forest that spread outwards from the wall that surrounded the city. In all directions, as far as the eye could see, the forest spread. It was bisected only by the river that ran right against one corner of the town where the wall had been build to wrap over the roots that dipped into its blue waters. The few boats that traveled the river were used for transporting goods – mainly exotic spices, dyes, and things like pottery or special oils. Occasionally other items could be found. Few people dared to travel beyond the walls with exception to the boatmen, and even most of them were not from Wisteria.

  Julian broke into my thoughts, “Do you ever wonder what’s really out there?”

  I glanced at him, of course, I did, but I never risked trying to find out. We both grew up on the stories of the great beasts and dangerous creatures that roamed the lands outside the city. We had heard of people who survived the attacks and brought back the tales of them. Often, they were filled with details so horrifying that children we’re said a quick goodnight and forbidden to listen. There was a reason we lived in this beautiful but often mysterious cage. We’d lived like this for as long as I had been alive and even before that.

  I pulled my knees to my chest and rest my head on them as I watched the rockets burst in the night sky. My fear was what kept me behind the walls, I craved the chance to explore. To see the things I’d read and dreamed about. But my father needed me. Julian needed me and perhaps even Niam, though much less so. I couldn’t leave no matter how much my heart yearned to fly.

  Chapter 6

  Hundreds of years ago, people began living within the boundaries of the great cities for protection from the monsters. No one was certain where they came from, but there were many theories. One was that they had always been there but were sleeping and human greed, borrowing deeper into the earth in search of resources, awake them. Another was that they were created as a way to subjugate us, and even another said they were designed to fight wars but then turned on their masters and now roamed free.

  As our culture developed behind the walls, we fought many internal battles. We segregated into royals, nobles, wealthy merchants, and other, lesser, groups. We developed a military system and a system of serfdom. We identified ourselves as state men and women and referred to the city and its surrounding areas as a city-state. Few people lived outside the city-state walls, but while rare it was not unheard of.

  Wisteria wasn’t the only city-state, of course, but it was the only one of such enormous size, and it was one of the few that had built up around a surviving mana tree. There were none like it nearby, and you might go through months of travel before reaching one of the other trees much less another city-state. Our maps were out of date, and except for the river boaters we didn’t know much of the outside world.

  Sometimes people risked the journey to move to another city, but they had to apply for entry beforehand and then had to apply for citizenship to be allowed to stay for more than a year. It was difficult, though, as people generally didn’t trust the members of other cities and worried about the possible intrigues and politics, they might bring with them.

  I had only been outside the city walls on two occasions. Both times we were aware of the possible dangers, and we left as quickly as we could. The first time was on a secret mission to find a certain kind of herb needed to make medicine for a disease that threatened to ravage the city’s inhabitants. The second time was to help a supply barge that had run aground. We had boarded to help the crew offload supplies when we found the cage below deck with a young man inside, he had been beaten severely though the ship owners claimed they were not the ones who did it. Claiming, instead, that they had found him abandoned at sea, and he had been so violent that they had no other choice but to keep him locked up. After we had freed him from the cages and had helped everyone ashore, my father realized the boy was a foreigner, and that few people would be willing to help out of fear and superstition. So, we took him in as his own. The only thing we could get out of him was that his name was Niam. I had tried for months to get more out of him, but to no avail and after a while I gave up.

  When I didn’t reply, Julian looked over at me and smiled, “It’s okay if you’re afraid. I don’t ever plan on leaving the city either.”

  I was about to say something when a massive rocket zipped up into the sky and burst into a mix of purple, gold, blue, and green. Spreading outwards across the horizon like it had caught the clouds on fire. The moonlight flickered, and we both looked up. It was almost time. The first of the wisterias’ leaves to pass beneath the moon turned to gold in its silver light, and as the moments passed and the moon traveled farther over the high tree, the entire thing lit up like a giant golden lantern. Every year I had watched this happen, and every year it was like seeing it for the first time. I let out a gasp and smiled with amazement as the tree burst into full bloom.

  Glowing golden flowers twirled open, their long stoma’s waving in the breeze as flecks of pollen drifted through the air and down onto the city below. The entire population gasped as one, and then the magical silence was broken as celebratory music burst out from the bands below, and the first of the petals began to fall only moments later.

  As if in echo to the tree all across the forests stretched out around us, tiny lights began to glow amongst the foliage. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they spun and danced in the light of the full moon and rejoiced with us in the blooming of the ancient tree. The dancing lights were there every year, and the people had grown used to seeing them though not curious enough to creep out into the darkness and find out what they were.

  The golden petals began to float down around us like snow as I stood and reached out a hand to catch some for good luck only to have Julian’s fingers wrap around mine as he stood, “Raina?” he began.

  Julian looked over at Raina as she quietly nibbled on a pastry, her deep blue eyes trailing over the forests that stretched out from the walls of Wisteria. The moon made her dark hair shine blue as the light of the fireworks reflected in her eyes like tiny motes of fire dancing on ice. She was utterly lost in her own thoughts and didn’t see him double-check that he still had the necklace around his neck beneath his tunic. There weren’t any particular rules on what type of gift was required for courtship, but most people still used the ancient symbol of the ring. He felt that a necklace was more fitting since, if she chose to wear it, it wouldn’t get in the way of their work. He had barely paid attention to the fireworks or the blooming of the tree; right now the only thing he cared about was sitting next to him. Raina rose to her feet to catch the falling petals of Wisteria; when he decided now was the time, he leaped up next to her and slid his fingers through hers, forcing all of her attention onto him. Blue eyes looked at him filled with confusion as she tilted her head to the side asking a silent question.

  “Raina?” he began, dropping down to one knee and crossing his free hand over his heart into a fist, he lowered his head as a supplicant. Niam had nearly ruined this for him, and he wished he had never said anything about his plans. Julian had memorized the formal oath over the last week, and he hoped he would sound more confident than he felt,

  “Raina Auriel Morea, my name is Samuel Julian Scott. And I ask that you grant my request to take me into consideration as your future betrothed. I will honor you and uphold you as a knight to his queen. I will serve you in body, mind, and soul. I will protect you against any and all who threaten you. I make this oath of my own free will and in faith to you and you alone.”

  He heard her sudden gasp before he had even finished the oath and felt the tremble in her hand as the final words escaped his lips as he sat there, kneeling before her. Decorum demanded that he not get up until he received an answer. And he wouldn’t get up even if he sat there for the entire night waiting for her decision.

  I nearly fainted as Julian dropped to his knee and uttered the sacred words that, as a young girl, I
used to secretly daydream about hearing. I had never suspected it would be Julian. I knew Julian liked me but had assumed it would pass. I was the only girl he was in close contact with, after all, so it made sense but still. I closed my eyes and could feel my entire body begin to tremble. What do I feel for him? I mean, lately I had started to notice everything about him from the depth of the blue in his eyes, to the width of his shoulders, the way he stood, and the stride of his walk even. But then, I had taken equal notice of Niam.

  Niam’s relaxed confidence hidden inside his slender frame wrought with muscle. Emerald eyes made all the brighter by the dusky complexion and crimson hair. He was the complete opposite of Julian. Where Julian was a wolf, faithful to his family, Niam was a tiger, aloof, and prideful and strangely exotic in his ways.

  Did I even like Julian in that way? Or enough for it to grow into love? The laws required we take an entire year to decide, and during that time, we would be expected to get to know each other on a more personal level. Could I do that? What if the year came and went, and I still wasn’t sure? Or what if I grew to love him, but he didn’t feel the same way about me anymore? More importantly, would this change the way we worked together? These were questions I couldn’t answer, at least not yet.

  I let out a low sigh, there was no helping it.

  Dropping down onto both of my knees in front of him, one hand still held in his, I said the necessary words to complete the promise, “Samuel Julian Scott, my name is Raina Aurial Morea, and I accept your oath of my own free will.”

  Niam growled under his breath as he watched Julian reach out and wrap his arms around Raina, resting her head against his shoulder, they sat intertwined.

  Niam was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he could tell from the way things looked that it was going well for Julian. From around his neck, Julian removed the necklace Niam had watched him buy, and, stepping behind her, he helped her to tie it on, shortening it and letting the pendant drop against her slender neck.

  Niam turned his eyes away as Julian planted a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead, he didn’t want to see if it led to anything more intimate.

  A soft voice slid out from the shadows of the chimney Niam was hiding against, “Ugh, it’s sickening, isn’t it?”

  “Noël, what do you want? I already told you I would take care of things.”

  The older brother smiled, eyes flashing wickedly,

  “You don’t need to worry about it anymore. I’ve already turned the wheel and have gotten the cart to rolling. You just worry about getting the hell out of here.”

  Niam blinked, giving his brother a side-long glance, “What did you do, Noël?”

  Noël didn’t reply; he simply held his hands out and let the golden petals of Wisteria land in his palms before squeezing them to a pulp, “It’s too late little brother. What’s done is done. You just better worry about yourself now. Get the girl and get out.”

  Niam growled, “What the hell are you talking about? Noël?”

  Niam whipped his head around as a gasp sounded out in unison from the crowds below, and he heard both Julian and Raina echo them. Looking over at the pair, he followed their line of sight upwards to the branches of the great tree that gently glowed above.

  Niam heard Raina cry out before he even noticed what it was that had the entire city captivated,

  Niam’s jaw fell open, and his eyes widened at the sight of it, “What’s happening?”

  The leaves and the blossoms that once glowed gold were turning a dirty brown. It started as a blemish, a small spot of sickness that slowly crept across the leaves, and then a black spot began to grow in the center of the stain that began to spread to the edges, snuffing out the glow of each petal. Seeming to leap from branch to branch the sickness swiftly covered the great tree until the leaves and blossoms crumbled and withered and began to fall, the very bark of the tree started to bubble up and sloth away in great strips, falling away to crush the homes beneath. The smell was terrible; like oil and tar.

  Niam watched as Raina turned to look at the forests rolling out behind them. One by one, the small lights stopped their slow dance and flickered, wavering for only a moment before blinking out of existence. Niam jerked his head back towards the inner city as an alarm rang out. He could see all the lights coming on in the royal homes of the lower branches and in the guardhouses positioned along the city walls. Within moments the dark city was alight with activity as thick billowing clouds of smoke began coiling up from various locations. Flames jumped across the rooftops and licked at the base of the great tree, catching it ablaze. The colored flags strung from roof to roof caught fire and spread its red tongues from one area of the city to another.

  Niam growled, clenching his fist as he realized what his brother meant to do. Noël was right, it was time to leave.

  Julian and I wasted no time in scaling our way back down to the rooftops, dashing across them as quickly as our feet could carry us, we made our way towards home. Small flames licked at our heels as we vaulted across the alley and street ways that were all but lost to the fires. We leaped down to the streets below as we got closer to home, biting back the fear and also the pain of the hot pavement on our toes. After what felt like an hour I paused, yelling for Julian to give me a moment, my breathing came in heavy rasps, and I pressed my hands to my knees to hold myself up as I tried to catch my breath. The smoke was thick and black and was making it hard to see much less breathe, and my throat felt dry and scratchy. Quickly, I unwrapped the sash from around my waist, I pulled a section of it across my nose and mouth, securing it on the back of my head before moving on through the emptying streets. I had to find my father.

  Julian grabbed me by the wrist and tugged me forward with him past a house that was collapsing in on itself. I could have sworn that I saw figures inside and tried to stop, but Julian continued pulling me along. As we moved, we saw people in the streets, trying desperately to stop the fires or to pull precious items from their homes to safety.

  “Julian! We have to help,” I pleaded.

  He looked back at me, his eyes full of confliction. With a curt nod, he agreed, “Alright,” he said, and, tieing his own sash around his mouth and nose, he turned and kicked in the door of the burning home. Smoke poured out from the open entryway, and voices echoed from inside; within moments, Julian was out again. Behind him three people ran for safety. Where that safety might be I wasn’t sure. My eyes began to water as I scanned the burning homes. There were so many. I felt a gentle touch on my elbow,

  “We can’t help everyone, Raina. I’m sorry,” Julian said, his voice low. The smoke had stained his skin, and his body reeked of it.

  The lower branches of the tree were already ablaze, and large sections of the royal structures were falling to the buildings below, crushing everything beneath them and taking down large parts of the walls that fell to crumbles beneath the enormous weight of the boughs of Wisteria. The very tree that protected us would now be our destruction. The city was falling apart.

  Ashes of blossoms and crumbled leaves fell all around us like deadly snow, and the rooftops were quickly covered in a layer of soot. There was no helping it. We would find my father and then leave the city, but I could already tell that if we did not find Lucian, Julian would force me to leave without him. Rounding a corner, I prayed to all the gods that we would find my father, and then there he was.

  Lucian stood outside our home, shouting orders as people with buckets of water and a hose struggled to put out what they could of the fires, but they were too big and too many to stop altogether. All they could do now was to try to keep from losing any more of their homes and shops. People worked to dump buckets of water over roofs and sloshed it up the sides of walls and across the ground. Steam rose into the air, further hindering our vision as it came up in coiling streams. Anything flammable, such as hay and wooden carts, were pushed to the farthest end of the street and sacrificed to the fire to appease it and keep it at bay. I yelled out and turned when h
e heard my shout,

  “Julian, Raina! Where’s Niam?”

  I shook my head, “I saw him hours ago, but I haven’t seen him since!”

  Clasping our shoulders and nodding sadly, he said, “Niam can take care of himself.”

  My father opened his mouth to say something further but paused when his eyes caught the necklace glinting in the firelight,

  “You accepted?” the corners of his mouth twisted up into a knowing smile, but it quickly disappeared when someone screamed, and a large branch crashed into the building across from us. Looking skyward, my father squeezed shoulders and pushed us in front of him and away from the flames. It was then that I heard the low rumbling roar of an angry beast, and the blood in my veins froze.

  An inhuman roar echoed across the city, and for the first time since the fires started, everything was quiet but for the snapping of the flames as they ate away at the wood and stone of our homes.

  A shadow loomed in the grasping flames beside us, an enormous glowing eye peered between the flickering sparks that danced above a broken roof. My fathers face contorted in fear, and then anger and his fierce eyes turned to me before flickering over to Julian,

  “Julian, get Raina to safety, now! Leave the city, it’s not safe here anymore!” he growled and shoved me toward Julian.

  “Father…” I began to protest, but he cut me off.

  “No, Raina. This one time more than any other, you must obey me!” he growled and drew his sword. The shadow that loomed behind the flames roared again as the inferno was parted, and a monster stepped through the hissing tendrils.