by S.C. Clarke
CHAPTER 1
Today is the seventh day of the eighth month of the year,
over one hundred years ago to the day; four young men
from the nearby land of Aldenna were the first to
discover Halcyon Isle.
These four men were sent from Aldenna by their King to
seek out a land that could be inhabited by its people.
These four men were also the king’s elite men, all who in
their early to mid-twenties, and the bravest and finest
fighters that Aldenna had ever seen. King Frederick told
them all that if something should happen to him, they
are to work together and reign over the people of
Aldenna. There was a great war going on in their land,
destruction and chaos was everywhere, it was a battle
between good and evil unlike no one has ever seen before.
These four men, Charles Sterling, Benjamin Randolffe,
Thomas Lyman, and Jacob Konzak, did not know at the
time of their searching for a new land for the people of
Aldenna would not only change their lives, but the lives
of their family's for years to come.
Their homeland was completely destroyed, the four had
been on the quest for a new land for about two days
now, and they landed their boat on what is now, Halcyon
Isle, so named for the hope of peace that was so
desperately needed. After exploring the land they
decided that this was indeed the perfect place to
rebuild. They headed back for home only to see that
there was almost nothing left, the people who had
survived were starving and without much shelter. The
castle and their king were destroyed, the land was
inhabitable. Those who were left packed what little
belongings they could find set out on rickety built rafts
following the four men in hopes of a new beginning.
As they sailed away from what was known as home, one
could hear the cries of the men, women and children
who did not want to start over, it was more of an out
-pouring of grief and anguish. Many were lost, and many
also survived, but the lost were amongst friends and
even family that they would never be able to see or hold
again. Amazingly there were still hundreds that had
survived, the outcome could have been much worse.
Benjamin and the other three men helped everyone
onto the shores of their new home, once all were off the
rafts Charles went and stood up on a pile of rocks, “I
know you all have sadness, we cannot look at that right
now, rather it is time for us to come together and begin
to rebuild.” He paused for a moment, “This friend is now
what we shall call home, and in doing so never forget
Aldenna, I welcome you all to Halcyon Isle.” Charles
jumped down, and he Benjamin and the others began
making tents for the women and children to sleep in,
whilst the men only took a blanket or what they could find.
It was the next day, despite all the turmoil they all had
witnessed on Aldenna, there as they all watched was the
most beautiful sunrise they had seen. Children who
were watching with their parents or other care givers
began to frolic on the water’s edge. Everyone, still
unsure of what would come next, all smiled at one
another; there was a sense of calm, a sense of knowing
that everything was going to be alright.
Immediately all that could work began to build houses,
chopping down trees for lumber, and making mortar to
seal the timber together, even women and children lent
a hand where they could, going and collecting what
supplies they could find. Charles and the other three
were holding competitions for guards and knights for
their kingdoms, although some of the knights and guards
that had survived were automatically accepted into their
kingdoms. After hours upon hours each of them had
chosen twenty to twenty five men who were acceptable.
The first task of these men were to go explore every part
of Halcyon, and report back any and all findings of other
people, resources, and anything else they may find.
These men went along their way within the kingdom
land they were chosen, on foot of course, for they were
still finding a way to bring any horses and livestock that
had survived the war on Aldenna.
Charles and the other men decided that they were going
to separate the land into four countries, that were
divided by the two rivers that ran through the land, in an
almost x shape. In the middle of the island there was a
magnificent lake that was so peaceful to look at that
they called it Lake Erewhon. Charles took the land to the
west calling it Cyan, Benjamin took the north naming it
Indigo, Thomas to the east, calling his land Hansa, and
Jacob took the southern land and called it Sinopia. The
people did not oppose to this at all, instead they
welcomed it with great contentment, for they were just
happy to be alive.
The four men, who now were the kings of their own
countries, each would need to choose a woman to be
their queen, and seek out the land where their castles
would be built. They, being king Frederick's elite men,
never really spent much time with matters of the heart;
they were too busy protecting their king. In no time at
all Halcyon was beginning to take shape, there was only
one task left to do, the now kings had decided that
magic was not going to be a part of life here on Halcyon
Isle.
During this time the four new kings had each found
themselves a wife, and all were wed along the lake with
all the people watching. These four women, all showed
such beauty and grace, and would prove themselves well
as the new queens of their countries here on Halcyon.
Charles, Thomas, Jacob, and Benjamin sat for hours
alongside of the lake trying to figure out the best way
possible to relinquish the powers of the people of
Halcyon as well as their own. Jacob rises from the
ground which he was sitting, goes over to one of the
trees that was there near the shore of the lake, and
begins to climb up it. The others watch Jacob looking at
each other with curiosity. “Has he lost his mind?” asked
Thomas as he gets up and follows Jacob. Charles and
Benjamin follow and they go to where Jacob is. “Ahem.”
says Charles looking up at his friend, “Nice day to climb a
tree.” he continues with sarcasm “What are you
doing up there?”
Jacob jumps down from the branch from where he was
looking out onto the lake. “I have found the solution,
out there in the middle of the lake there seems to be
what appears to be a rock formation.” he says as his
friends are curious as to what he is getting at. “Go on, or
is that all you have.” Benjamin says still puzzled. “Don’t
you get it, it appears to be some sort of crystals, we of
course need to go out there and see for ourselves.”
Jacob continued. “I believe that our friend here has
fallen out of too many trees as a child and is starting to
see things.” said Charles; they all had a small chuckle.
Jacob now becoming offended, “If there are crystals out
there, it can hold the magic of the people and ours, now
am I still crazy or do we go out there and see.” It was
starting to become dark; they decided that they would
meet here tomorrow when the sun was at its highest
point. They went their separate ways back to their
castles, or what would soon be.
Benjamin arrives to see his wife Charolette walking
around outside with Amelia (Charles wife), Leah
(Thomas' wife), and Cora (Jacob's wife). “Good evening
ladies.” Benjamin says to them, “And what are you lovely
ladies doing here on such a beautiful evening?” he asked
“They were just about to leave for their homes; they are
helping me to decide where to place a garden.” Said
Charolette, “As we will be doing in all our kingdoms.”
said Amelia. Then women then headed for their homes
before it got any darker. “Do you think it is wise for
them to be traveling alone?” Benjamin asked Charolette,
“I think tomorrow I shall speak to Jacob and the others, I
would feel better if you all had someone with you when
traveling, especially at night.” Charolette took her
husband’s hand, “You worry too much, I am sure they
will be fine.” They walked over and sat upon a small
stone wall, “Do you not remembered what happened in
Aldenna?” he asked “Now no arguments, it is only for
your own safety and theirs as well.” Charolette nodded
in agreement as her and her new husband sat talking for
a while longer.
Morning came quickly and soon the time to see if Jacob
was right about what he believes he has seen in the lake.
They met as they said they would, used a raft that was
sitting close by and ventured towards the center of Lake
Erewhon. As they got closer Jacob let out a sigh of relief,
there directly in front of them was an enormous cluster
of crystals, and it had to be about five to seven feet wide
in diameter. “See look closely into the water, what did
I say.” “Yes you my friend have the eyes of a hawk, one
problem though, how do we the crystals out of the
water and to where our powers can be collected?” asked
Thomas. “Hey I found it” said Jacob “What makes you
think I have that answer too?” Charles was scratching
his head as he was deep in thought, he then said to his
friends, “all of you meet me at my castle tomorrow at
dusk, we shall figure this out if it takes us all night.” All
agreeing to this, they go back to the shore of the lake
and proceed back to the castles.
The people of Halcyon were still busy building their
homes and looking for resources they needed, there
were even some who were trades men and women who
along with building homes were also looking to rebuild
their businesses as well. Everyone worked together to
help one another, they have only been on their new
place of living for just about a little over a month, it was
amazing to see what all was built in this short amount of
time, rations of course were still slim at the time. Also
there were now horses and livestock they had brought
from Aldenna; everyone was planting gardens in the
yards for fruits, grains, and vegetables. It was indeed a
time of struggle, no one seemed to mind though, for the
simple fact it was also a time of new
beginning and rebirth.
The four founding men of Halcyon and now kings of their
own lands were sitting outside of Cyan's castle discussing
a way that they could have their magic taken away, but
also they needed to have a way to have it returned as
well. What seemed like hours passed by, with no
solution to all this in sight, when Charles jumps up and
shouts, “I've got it!” The others still sitting there with
puzzled looks, “You got what?” asked Thomas. “Yes
please do fill us in.” adds Jacob. “Don't you all
remember what King Frederick had taught us?” asked
Charles who is now pacing back and forth. Benjamin
gets up and starts walking around as well, “he taught us
many things, would you like to be more to the point.”
“The Atoll, The Elementals, How to call for them.” Says
Charles. They all stop and look at each other then at
Charles, “You, my friend are brilliant!” exclaimed Jacob,
“Now do we have what we need in order to do this?”
They all sit back down as they begin to think of what
they need and how exactly to do this. “First we need a
plan on how we are going to make this work.” said Jacob.
“I say we each take the element that is representative of
where our countries reside.” He added. “Fine, now that
we have that part figured out, we still need a way to lock
down the crystal in the lake.” Thomas stated.
Once again they sat there in silence, each of them having
a brief thought, then shaking their heads and rethink
again. “We build key locks on the north, south, east and
west parts of the lake.” started Charles. “Not bad,
however, how to we assure that these locks cannot be
opened just by anyone?” asks Benjamin. Jacob who was
sitting there with his sword tip upon the ground, twirling
it around as he was deep in thought, “Our swords.” he
states, “We find the best forger we have here and have
him forge them with the gems and crystals that pertain
to each element.” “We of course have to use magic to
make this work.” Thomas was beginning to see where
Jacob was going with this, “Then when all is said and the
magic is stored within the crystal in the lake, we place
our swords into the keyholes.” “This will once again
submerge the crystal deep within the bottom of the
lake.” Adds Benjamin. It was like a bolt of lightning hit
them all at once, they were all thinking the same. “Now
we need to find a forger, summon the elements, make
the magic keyholes, which of course need to be well
hidden, and collect the gems and crystals we will need
for our swords.” Said Charles. Thomas then looks
around at them, “And of course don’t forget how we are
going to have the elements hold onto the powers, and
how to have them returned to either us if need be or our
future kings.” “The stones and crystals, we have the
elements hold them, keep them safe.” Jacob states.
Benjamin and the others, quite puzzled all in unison ask,
“How?” “Simple” Jacob begins, they are magical,
powerful, and they can acquire the gems through
magic.” This indeed was going to work, it had to, there
weren’t any other options any of them
could think of.
Charles and the others decide to end their meeting with
this, they will seek out the gems they need and a forger,
they will meet again in a few
days to continue their
discussion. Thomas, Benjamin, and Jacob return to their
castles. They had much to do, and still had to write the
laws for Halcyon's people, which was mostly the same as
the ones on Aldenna, with the added no magic law. They
all agreed the laws would be the same for all who
resided there.
It did not take long for each of them to return to their
castles, they were all built close to Lake Erewhon, within
in this area was the kingdom land where townsfolk
dwelt. Also in each land was another town that was
built. The town in Indigo was called Woodstream;
Timber was in Sinopia, Arawinn in Hansa, and Aquea in
Cyan. The people within each country decided
peaceably as to who would live where.
The new guards and knights of Halcyon returned to their
castles, they searched the entire land with nothing to
report. They had not come across any other humans or
even creatures, except for the typical ones, although
they did find any other intelligent life throughout the
land, the kings put men on different parts of the island
just in case. Something told them that even though they
did not find anything, it didn’t mean that no one was out
there.
Jacob and the others met by the lake, not knowing they
were all going to be there. Thomas was the first to
speak, “I think we should take a trip to Aldenna today,
see what resources there still may be.” All were in
agreement, they found a few of their men who were
nearby to go with and assist them with anything they
may find.
The four along with five each of their men journeyed
back to their olden homeland, nothing was changed,
everything was as it was left, the only difference was the eerie
silence that was all around them. “I never thought
a place where I grew up could give me such a strange
feeling.” said Charles as he gave a shiver. Hopping off of
the boat to take the line into shore Benjamin could not
have agreed with Thomas more, nor could the others.
They walked up and down searching for anything they
could take back with them. Jacob was heading to where
the castle once stood along with his men, “Only look for
anything of value.” He stated. One of the men made a
valid point, “Shouldn’t we collect what coins we can find
as well, and other means of currency? We could then
divide it amongst the kingdoms to be given to the
people.” Jacob stopped, looked at the young man, he
couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old, but
was a very wise youth. “Your name is Sebastian,
correct?” asked Jacob as he was now walking along
besides him. “You are extremely observant, you know I
still need to choose a head knight, keep your chin up and
it might be you.” Sebastian was honored beyond words
that he could not speak correctly, Th-- Thank you K—
k--k king Jacob.” He said as he was trying to bow and walk
at the same time. Jacob placed his hand upon the young
man’s shoulder, “Relax my friend, you shall do fine.”
After searching Aldenna they returned and went back to
Hansa to divide the money and items evenly, sending
more of their men back to Aldenna several more times,
to collect all that they possibly could. The gold, silver,
and other valuables were sorted out into categories as
far as monetary, and wares for homes, then divided
evenly between the four kingdoms, and then rationed
out fairly to the people of each country. The kings and
queens of course also choosing some for themselves.
During this time the kingdoms also needed to select
those who would serve as cooks and servants, the kings
wives were the ones to do this since their husbands
were busy with other matters.
Three days later, Charles, Thomas, Benjamin and Jacob
met again, this time they went to Indigo, with the
gemstones they needed they went off to the forger that
was residing nearby. They went to the forgers shop with
their swords and gold in hand and ready to offer him a
decent price for his work.
Walking into the shop, they all looked around, it was
nicely done, but also needed work to make it complete.
“Hello.” said Benjamin over the noise coming from the
back, “Is there anyone here?” he continued. “Be there in
a moment.” a voice yelled from the back. Some time
went by, not too much, although enough to almost seem
rude. “I see you are too busy to help out, we shall take
our business elsewhere.” Shouted Charles. No sooner
than Charles finished speaking a man darted to the front
of the shop.
“Your majesties, my apologies.” The man said bowing.
Thomas walked over to the man, “We have a huge order
for you, and do you think you can handle it.” “That
depends, what I can do for you.” The man said back, “By
the way call me George.” “Fine, George, we need our
swords rebuilt with these gemstones, also with each of
our last names and kingdoms etched onto them, is this
something you will be able to do.” said Jacob as he and
the others placed their swords upon a table along with a
bag of gems besides each one.
George took a closer look at each sword, “These are
indeed very well made, it won’t be easy but I do believe I
will be able to do this for you.” said George still
examining each sword meticulously. “However, it will
take me a little time on each.” he continued. The four
new kings were aware of what George was trying to get
at, “We will pay you quite generously for your time, we
also need four key locks that the swords will fit into, they
also must contain the same gems as the swords.” said
Thomas, handing the forger a nice bag filled with gold
and silver, not giving him the bag just yet, Charles asked,
“Can you handle this?” then handed him the bag.
George opened the bag, glancing in quickly. “Most
generous of you, I do have other work to attend to as
well, and yes it will be more than an honor
to do this task.” “This is half of the payment, you will receive
the other half when the swords and locks are done and we
approve of the work.” Charles added. “Now how long
shall all this take?” asked Benjamin. George thought for
a moment, “I can have them ready for you in about
seven days.” George responded. “Very well we shall
return then,” Thomas said then they went back to
Indigo's castle to converse more about their plans.
After more hours of discussing and debating they finally
found a solution that would work, at least they hoped
so. Once they had the details to what needed to be
done, the only thing left was to get their swords and
locks, then chose the right time to summon the Elements.
A week later the kings retrieved their swords and the key
locks, they were much impressed with the work
that
George had done, paid him most graciously, and headed
back to Indigo to finalize their plan. They would meet at
the lake later that night, place the key locks into the
ground, and cover them over so not to be seen. After
doing this they decided that the night after next, during
the full moon, they would have the people as well as
themselves assemble around the lake at the starting of
the sunset.
The country folk began to assemble around the lake,
talking amongst one another, all unsure of what this will
bring, but also trusting in the men who ruled them. The
ceremony had finally begun to relinquish their powers to
the elements. Benjamin, Jacob, Charles, and Thomas
were now stood where they had placed the key locks the
other night. They had contacted the elements days
before through meditation and all agreed to help and
were nearby, although unseen. The four men,
uncovered the key locks, took their swords in their hands
and waited for the moon to be perfectly centered above
the lake.
They had to do this together, simultaneously, and not
being able to see one another made this much more
difficult than they had first thought. Sebastian took his
horn from his pocket, let out a few short blows, and after
he did so they placed their swords in the locks. The
people watched as out of the lake stone walkways
emerged, this took several minutes, then there was
nothing, the crystal was not rising out of the water.
Jacob and the other kings had felt they had failed their
first immense task, and then out from the center of the
lake a spectrum of colors radiated out and swirled
around as the crystal began to slowly rise up and out of
the water.
One by one the people, men, women, as well as children
of Halcyon walked the path towards the crystal, placed
their hands upon the crystal in the middle of the lake
that was now accessible by four walkways from each
country. After some time, all the people were done and
their magic was gone to them. Lastly, the queens of
Halcyon and then its kings placed their hands upon the
crystals. Charles, Jacob, Benjamin, and Thomas then
walked to where the key locks were, and in unison,
placed their swords into the locks, then turned them
clockwise three times, pulling them out after the third
turn.
And at that moment, the walkways began to crumble
into the lake, the gems that were so exquisitely placed
upon the swords started to vanish, with other ones
replacing them. The locks sinking into the ground, going
deeper and deeper until they were seen no more. The
lake from the center started to recede around the crystal
that then slowly descended down, deep beneath the
surface of the water, and under the ground, until it was
completely gone. The water, filled back in as quickly as it
receded, their magic was now locked away safely, and
from that point on life on Halcyon was as peaceful as
everyone could have hoped.
The four Elemental beings, circled around the lake and
all the people of Halcyon, creating a beautiful mist of
colors all around them. Then with a flash they
disappeared into the night, leaving a protection upon the
land.
The last thing the kings had left to do was leave
instructions on how to retrieve back the magic, they had
four amulets made, small ones that they would wear
upon a rope around their necks. Each had a different
colored stone in them, a sapphire for Cyan, an Amethyst
for Indigo, a topaz for Hansa, and a ruby for Sinopia. In
the mountains to the south they had secretly hid the
instructions, only the four of them knew where it was,
the amulets are the keys, and all four are needed in
order to open it. Their sons or daughters would one day
learn the secret, but until then will remain locked inside
each of them.
Years past by as the Halcyon grew, each of the kingdoms
now each had a new prince who would grow up and one
day become king. And with each passing kings and
queens, there remained peace, and during this time, the
people of Halcyon learned that they did not live on the island alone, finding many new friends.