The Last Legend: Awakened

by Joshua B. Wichterich

  “Mother, what are doing?” he asked softly, placing his hands on her shoulders.

  He knew very well what she was doing, he just wanted to break the silence. She was quiet for a moment, staring out of the small window. The window was a small black square, and their dim reflections could be seen on the glass.

  “You will be hungry on your journey…” she said, stopping her progress. She exhaled, as she placed her hand on his, then turned around. Her gray eyes sparkled with saddened tears, bordered with the signs of weeping crow’s feet. Tairren never realized how greatly his mother’s face had changed over the years, until then. “Promise me that you will be safe, Tairren… Promise me!” Moral pleaded, her eyes releasing their tears. “The wilderness has once taken my love away from me—I will not lose my only son, the only person in my life!” She put her face against his chest, beginning to sob. “I’m frightened and worried for your life, my son.”

  Tairren was quiet for a moment, saddened by her emotions. He rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

  “I promise…,” he said softly, hoping that it wasn’t a lie. “The God of light will be by my side…”

  She looked up at him as tears rolled down her pink cheeks. He wiped them away, giving his mother a tender hug.

  “And I will pray for you,” Moral said as she tried not to cry. “I know you will bring Marrisa home and stop these evil works, I know you will. You are brave and passionate like your father. You will do great things—you will.” She smiled at him and caressed his cheek. Tairren nodded his head, responding to her encouragement. “Now you must go to sleep, off with you now,” she said, patting his back. “Enough of this sniveling, the night is late and the morning comes soon. You need your rest.”

  He gave her a kiss on the cheek then walked towards the ladder to his loft.

  “Goodnight mother,” he said as he began to climb up the ladder, “and do not fret…”

  “Goodnight my son,” she said, turning towards the satchel she was packing earlier.

  She turned her head towards Tairren one last time and watched as he entered up into his room. She smiled as the thought of Tairren as a young boy popped into her mind: when she used to turn to see his small feet dangling from that hatch doorway. Those thoughts were so vivid, as if it happened just the day before. Her small smile faded while tears formed in her gray eyes once again. She turned back to her work, refraining from sobbing…

  †††

  The moon peeked in and out of the black clouds as Phillip and Natalia arrived at the manor. The huge house was dark except for her window, which strangely glowed with a soft orange. It reminded Natalia of the soft orange torch they had seen that led them to an unconscious Tairren. Chills went up her spine as frightening thoughts of that night crept through her head.

  “Thank you, prince,” Natalia said, sliding off of the horse with ease.

  “You’re welcome, my lady, and do call me Phillip,” he said, smiling down at her.

  She could see that he was smiling by the moon’s bright glow which now came out from the clouds.

  “And you can call me Natalia,” she said, moving the long lock of hair that fell in front of her face. She began to walk towards the front door, looking back as Phillip still sat there.

  “Should I come to get you at dawn?” he asked, still watching her.

  “Orchid, my horse, and I will meet you at the edge of the forest where Tairren wishes,” she said, giggling at his chivalry.

  He still sat there, watching her as she walked the rest of the way to her front door. She waved to him as she rolled her eyes, letting him know that it was okay to leave. She smiled softly, shaking her head as she walked into the great, dark house.

  She thought the door would have been locked, which meant she would have to go through the back. She was relieved. Sora must have left it unlocked for her. She made her way up to her chamber, walking into the dim light which emitted from a bunch of candles that were lit on her night stand. She walked over to her vanity, pulling the hairpieces from her damp and now matted hair.

  “You must’ve had a big night,” a voice said from the corner of the room.

  Natalia turned quickly, startled. It was Sora, sitting in a rocking chair and obviously waiting up for her. Her large body was in the shadow, and her dark skin mingled well with it.

  “Oh Sora you frightened me!” Natalia fussed, trying to keep her voice low.

  “Where have you been, your ladyship?! I’ve been worried sick!” Sora fussed back, coming over to her to help her change out of her soiled gown. “And you are soaking wet. Oh my, look at that soiled gown, and you smell like a wet horse. Have you been horse-back riding through the rain again?! Oh, you young ones and that sly Minsleberry wine. You always come home late, sopping wet when you’ve been drinking. What has happened?!”

  “Everything is well with me. I didn’t let the wine get the best of me,” she said, pulling her damp hair to one side and beginning to brush it. “But something terrible is happening Sora, and I don’t know what.”

  “I know, I know,” Sora said, then she shook her round head while clicking her tongue. Natalia glanced at her, surprised that she already had known. “A servant was found dead in the castle, I heard from Alexa who heard from Tella, saying that she heard from…”

  “Sora!” Natalia cut her off, “Yes I know—but I’m talking about Marrisa.” She rolled her eyes, placing her brush back on the vanity.

  “Oh yes, my lady,” Sora said, and then clicked her tongue again. “The poor princess has run away,” she said in a saddened voice, fetching her night gown.

  “No, no!” Natalia fussed, irritated. “Who said that? Never mind—you all gossip more than the courtier women of Minslethrate.”

  She quickly put her night gown on, trying to get to bed, she knew she had a long journey the very next morning.

  “Well, what is it? What has happened?” Sora asked, pulling down the soft goose-feather stuffed blankets of her bed.

  Natalia wanted to tell her of everything that had happened that night. Besides Marrisa and Tairren, she was the only one she could really talk to and trust. But she decided not to burden her with any of it. She knew that Sora would never allow her to venture off into the wild—to search for Marrisa. She didn’t want Sora to have a heart attack anyway.

  Instead she decided she would write a letter to Sora and have it waiting for her on the bed. She thought it was a brilliant idea, thanks to Phillip. So in the morning when Sora would come into the room to draw her morning bath, she would find it. Natalia thought it was the only way that made any sense.

  “Don’t fret over it Sora,” She said, yawning. “I’m going to bed, I’m tired.”

  She lay down, covering herself as she melted into her soft bed.

  “You should be,” Sora said as she went to blow out the candles.

  “Leave them lit—please, and good night,” Natalia said as she rolled on her side, watching her. She wanted to see Sora’s face before she went to sleep, before she would have to leave on their perilous quest. Sora nodded at her request, having a puzzled look on her face. “Oh and please don’t wake me until early noon, please, I am awfully tired,” she lied, feeling bad about it in the process.

  “Goodnight then, my lady,” she said with a nod.

  Sora left the room, slowly closing the door behind her. Natalia rolled on her back, thinking about the strange night and about what she would write to Sora. She decided to get it over with and write it just then. After waiting a moment, making sure that Sora wouldn’t come barging back into the room, she got out of bed and walked over to her writing desk, beginning her letter.

  My Dearest Sora,

  I am writing you this letter because I couldn’t tell you of what my intentions were last night. I knew you would not agree and I did not want you to become frightened. By the time you read this letter, I will already have been hours deep into the Southern parts of Minslethrate, The Forbidden Lands. Something terrible is happening in Minslethrate t
his very night, as I write. I can not tell you of what right now, but it is concerning Marrisa’s life, as well as others. I ask of you not to fret, for I will be in safe hands. When I return, I will tell you everything. You may show this letter to mother and father if you wish, but it may not impact their thoughts of me. I only wish to be prayed for.

  Best Regards, Natalia

  When she finished her letter, she waited for the ink to dry, then folded and sealed it with hot wax that she dripped from a candle. She drew a small flower on the outside of the folded letter, writing Sora’s name next to it. She stared at it for a while as it sat on the desk, hoping everything would be alright and that she would return safely.

  She was worried and scared, wondering what would come of Marrisa and of Minslethrate. She trusted everything that Tairren had told them, but at the same time, she had her doubts. She still couldn’t believe everything that had happened that night. She wondered how and what they would do to make the situation dealing with everything better. She wondered if everything would ever be the same again. It felt as if it were the end of life itself. Everything felt lost and out of control, chaotic. Nothing was the way it should’ve been, and that was the worst feeling of all.

  Natalia climbed back into bed and laid there, closing her eyes. She felt herself slowly sinking into the thick blankets of the bed. She wished that she could bring her bed with her in the morning. The thought of Orchid pulling her bed through the fields with her still laying on it amused her, making her feel slightly better. She giggled a little to herself then closed her eyes.

  She had to go to sleep, but couldn’t. She imagined what Sora’s reaction would be like to the letter. She pictured Sora being overdramatic and emotional, with her eyes wide open like that of an owl’s and her nostrils flaring, which made Natalia smirk for some odd reason. She loved Sora and her personality, and thinking of her and her rambunctiousness always made her smile. Then she imagined Sora giving the letter to her mother with tears in her big dark eyes, and… and she really didn’t know what would happen next. She never really saw her mother or father in any kind of emotional state—much less see them at all… Natalia laid there for a while, then finally fell asleep as the moonlight continued to creep in through the window.

  †††

  “Know this, what I have spoken of will come to pass…” Those frightful words that Malakh had spoken upon Tairren earlier that night kept repeating through his sore head.

  He couldn’t sleep, the anxiety of the night and the smoky thought of his fate lingered on his heart and brain, pulsating and rushing about like swollen cockroaches swarming over a raw piece of meat. He kept thinking of everything: of Marrisa, Lilith, and the frightening creatures, and of Malakh and his message.

  His head pounded and the wounds on his arm and chest burned. Moral tried her best to treat the wounds earlier that night when they first arrived. She was taken aback by everything, and ran around, boiling hot water in the fireplace and fetching herbs and clean cloths, appearing like a chicken with its head cut off. She cleaned the wounds as best as she could with the hot water and a healing elixir she had created and kept in the house, then slathered the wounds with some kind of ointment made from crushed anise and lard, for the pain. Then she dressed them with strips of clean linen.

  His small room was dark and cool, and the moonlight, which slowly came in and out from behind the black clouds, sprinkled some of its luster in through the small window. Tairren folded his arms behind his head, looking up and out towards the window. He could smell the light scent of the ointment Moral had slathered on his wounds, smelling warm and sweet. The moon was persistent. He could see bits of silver through the dancing leaves and stems of the trees. It reminded him of large fireflies, dancing around in the dark wind-blown branches.

  His arm continued to throb. He pulled his bandaged arm from behind his head, laying it on his bare chest. His head ached like a tree against an axe. He closed his eyes, almost able to fall asleep. His muscles began to relax finally, seeming to melt in his skin, releasing the tension of that day. His eyes kept opening and closing, feeling heavier every time they opened again. They finally closed, allowing the cool darkness of sleep to take over…

  “Tairren…” There came a reverberating whisper.

  Tairren quickly opened his eyes, wondering who it was and why the ethereal whisper sounded so familiar. He sat up, listening carefully. He heard a melody, a soft hum that seemed to echo in his confused ears. The voice was light and delicate, seeming to belong to the air and the dark sky. His heart began to quicken as the melody became familiar, striking a chord in his brain, releasing the memory of Marrisa, when he saw her in the forest for the first time. It was the song that the bards would sing at festivals and in the marketplace, and the song that Marrisa loved.

  He quickly got up, walking over to his small and dark window. Looking out, startled, he saw the form of a female. She wore a long white gown that seemed to glow in the dark atmosphere of the forest. Her long wavy hair fell over her shoulders and her face was blackened by shadows. She stood still in the night, motionless, staring up at him through the window.

  “Marrisa?” Tairren said in a low and confused tone.

  She giggled in the cool and dark air. Tairren could strangely hear her haunting giggles through the dusty window as they echoed in his ears. He hastily pulled on his trousers, not caring to put on his tunic or his boots. He quickly left his room, rushing outside as quietly as he could. He opened the door to a stale and cool night. The air rushed upon his body, sending goose bumps up his chest and abdomen. He rushed outside, looking frantically around the dark shadows of the night.

  “Marrisa?!” he called out, but only silence answered.

  He stood for a moment, listening to the sounds of the night. He heard only nature: the whispering of the soft breezes, the chattering of the trees and dead leaves upon the earth, and the sounds of small claws on crisp leaves as the night animals crept about. Then there came a swift breeze, brushing leaves and chilling air upon his skin. The strange breeze also carried the light and echoing sounds of the haunting melody again.

  “Marrisa!” Tairren called out as he began to run through the dark forest.

  The singing voice began to giggle, reverberating and sounding eerie through the dark night. He followed the voice, jumping over black roots and fallen trees and dodging sharp limbs and naked branches that came at him.

  “Come to the South…,” the beckoning voice of Marrisa whispered again, piercing into his racing heart.

  Tairren followed the voice and the intuition of his spirit upon a clearing in the forest, and a spot he knew very well. He stopped short, looking around. The strong, spicy-sweet scent of rosemary filled his nostrils as the soft breezes continued to play with his bare back. The moon revealed its face brightly this time, flooding the clearing with silvery-blue light. The massive rosemary bush that grew in the center of the clearing seemed to twinkle as the moon’s light sprung from its breeze-blown branches. The air was quiet, dead. There was no sound, not even of the whispering winds or of the chattering night sounds. He only heard the deep breaths that came from deep within his burning chest and the loud thumping of his heart. He slowly walked to the middle of the clearing, looking up into the night sky. The sky was clear all of the sudden, having every twinkling star out. The moon and the stars looked beautiful together, staring at him from the quiet kingdom above him.

  He looked around at the dark edges of the forest. The darkened edges of the forest looked as if a black curtain had been drawn about it, dark and thick. His heart continued to race as he approached the luscious and aromatic bush. His numb body felt distant and hypnotized, enchanted and taken over by the pure quietness of the clearing. He broke off a flowering sprig of the rosemary, feeling its crisp snap through the thin wooden branch. He brought the aromatic herb to his nose, sniffing softly as he closed his eyes, thinking of Marrisa’s beautiful face and blue eyes.

  Strangely, his bandaged arm began to throb a
s a burning pain scraped at it...

  Then there came the haunting giggle again… It seemed to emit from the darkness of the wood and bounced off his ears, and heart…

  “What are you doing?” Marrisa’s soft voice asked from behind him.

  He turned quickly to find her standing there in the pool of moonlight. Tairren was speechless and taken away by her beauty. Her elegant face was fresh and sweet and her eyes glistened like two small pools of deep, deep water. Her long red hair fell over her shoulders in moon-kissed locks, hanging below her breasts. She wore a long white gown, with cascading sleeves and lace that was speckled with clear rhinestones, glistening in the pale light. Her head was adorned with a diadem that sparkled with more rhinestones upon her brow. She looked like a being of light.

  “I’ve come looking for your companionship,” she smiled softly. “Are you picking herbs for your mother?” Her voice still echoed in his ears, and sounded odd but beautiful against the dead silence.

  Tairren shook his head no, slowly, having an incredulous look on his face as he was fixated on hers.

  “What has happened?—I,—I don’t understand...,” he said in a low tone.

  She just looked down at his hand, softly taking the rosemary from his hand and caressing it in the process. Tairren watched, numb, with a booming heart, as she softly sniffed the flowering herb. She smiled flirtatiously, keeping her intense gaze upon him.

  “You cannot read it in the stars?” She asked, her intense eyes gazing into his.

  The burning pain still lingered in his arm, but he ignored it...

  “But… Marrisa… What is a princess like yourself doing out in the forest at night?” Tairren asked, softly.

  He was oddly in a silent state of euphoria, dazed and confused, but thrilled. The thought of Marrisa being captured by Lilith didn’t even come to his mind, for he only dwelled on that present moment. She didn’t answer at first, but came closer to him.