The Last Legend: Awakened

by Joshua B. Wichterich

  Natalia looked in the direction he in which pointed to. It wasn’t too far from where they stood. She could see more of the darkened background through the tents. There weren’t too many tents in that area because of it being close to a wooded area, which sat right before the cliff.

  “Thank you, Rafiul,” she said, then turned to leave.

  “Natalia…,” Rafiul said, catching her attention.

  She turned to him quickly but walked to him slowly. He was quiet for a moment as he studied her mannerism. She appeared anxious and nervous for some reason.

  “There are three things that amaze me,” Rafiul said, “no… four things in which I don’t understand… How an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean—and how a man loves a woman…”

  She looked at him for a moment, confused. Her countenance had an expression of perplexity upon it.

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand…” she finally said.

  “Many waters cannot quench love, and rivers cannot wash it away… If one were to give all of the wealth of his house away for love—one would be utterly scorned… That is why Tairren waits for Marrisa—why he becomes broken at the thought of her being lost… And that is why you run to him so…”

  Natalia stood silently, shocked at what he had said to her. She felt offended at his insinuation—not because he was implying that she loved Tairren, but because he was saying things boldly to her about her own business. She didn’t know what to say at first and wondered how deeply he could see into her heart and mind.

  “I am not one to reveal my inner most feelings to anyone, and I am certainly not an open book to be read…” Natalia said in a low tone. Her voice shook as emotion crept upon her.

  “Natalia, only God knows the very details of your life,” Rafiul said. “I cannot read your inner feelings but I can read your mannerism. Forgive me for I do not tell you this in harm—everything I say is through The Great King’s will. I do not understand love between the man and woman—but I do understand love because The Great King speaks of love. Just know that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude and it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered and it does not keep a record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres—love never fails…”

  They stood for a moment in awkward silence. Natalia just politely nodded to the Archlegna then gave him a subtle smile. She took a couple of steps backwards then turned and left quickly. She did not even turn to see if he was still watching her.

  She didn’t want to be rude, but she also didn’t want to speak of that topic anymore. She felt terribly embarrassed and wondered how he even knew she felt that way about Tairren. She wondered if she appeared like the young immature girl who fancied the local boy. She wondered if she appeared asinine in the eyes of other people when she was with Tairren. She shook her head and tightened her fists on her gown as she quickly made her way towards where Tairren was apparently at. She was angry at herself for even allowing Rafiul, whom she didn’t even know, make her feel irritated. She did have feelings for Tairren, but it was a secret that she only knew. She didn’t have feelings for anyone, and that’s why Tairren was so important to her because she secretly began to love him. Natalia was confused because she loved Tairren—but Tairren loved her closest friend, Marrisa…

  Natalia made her way to the small patch of forest which lay right behind some glowing tents. The wooded area was not as thick and there was no path. She could see faint light from a fire through the black trees. She slowly crept into the wood, cautiously looking around. It got darker the further she went from the camp, so she just continued in a straight path which was directly ahead of the fire light. The last thing she wanted to do was to get lost in the Black Forest at night.

  Then there came noise in the dark woods. She stopped quickly, silently listening for more noises. It sounded like someone or something was creeping through the forest in the distance. The noises were from the rustling of leaves and the breaking of branches.

  “Tairren…,” Natalia said in a low tone as she peered into the direction from where she heard the noises.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of the dreadful Nomed. The noises that came from afar in the forest reminded her of the night they had gotten attacked by the wolves. She began to quickly make her way faster towards the fire light, which was a couple of yards away. After a few intense moments, she made it to the fire light. The light was from a torch that stuck out of the ground, with Tairren sitting right beside it.

  He rested a couple of yards away from the forest, sitting upon a clearing which was right before a steep precipice. She stayed quiet for a moment, just watching him as he sat quietly upon the darkness. He had his knees up and rested his arms upon them. He looked as if he were in deep thought. She slowly walked towards him, not wanting to disturb him.

  He turned to look up at her, then motioned for her to sit next to him. He smiled at her as she came to him.

  “It’s amazing even without the moon,” Tairren said as she sat right beside him.

  The view was beautiful, even when the stars and moonlight weren’t out. They sat on a high cliff which looked out over the southern parts of Minslethrate. The small area of the woods opened up to it, which then drastically jutted down into a valley of black trees. There seemed to be a river way down below, and many more small openings in the forest. Beyond the forest was more sloping fields and hills—the beginnings of the Fiara Mountain Range. Then they could see the Great Mountains. The sky was black but the moon tried its best to leak through the thick clouds. They could tell where the moon was because the sky became a vibrant gray hue in that area.

  “It’s strange how you can find beauty in such a dreadful place,” Natalia said, glancing over at Tairren. “This view really gives a sense of hope.”

  “Yes… And we still have a ways ahead of us,” he said as his voice trailed away.

  They sat for a moment in silence, listening to the sounds of crickets and nearby bats. The tiny squeaks of the flying bats seemed to echo through the empty air above the valley, which was below them.

  “Natalia,” he said in a low tone, “I’ve decided that I’m leaving this very night to the Fire Temple.”

  “What?! Fire Temple? Why?” Natalia grew frantic. The silent ambience around them went from peaceful to stressful in a matter of seconds. “I mean, how will you find your way in the dark? Why there? What about the Nomed? What about—us?”

  “Natalia, I will be fine… Rafiul revealed to me that the fire temple is my own personal quest. I must go there. And you and Phillip will be okay with the Legna. I’ve been sitting here for some time and I feel that I should leave before anyone else. The fire temple is the furthest away and I feel that we don’t have much time. All I keep thinking about is getting to the fire temple. I’m just worried about Marrisa. I know Mikhal says to wait—that everything will happen when it should. But when it seems we’ve gotten so close—there is something else that we must do which pushes us back. Now we must each go on our own quest. It seems we will never make it in time. What if she is hurt or sick or—dead…”

  “Don’t say that! Don’t you dare say that!” Natalia raised her voice as her emotions began to stir. “You said she will be okay! Where is your faith now? You shouldn’t go when you are not ready—anything could happen to you.”

  “I know but I must take a risk,” Tairren said, becoming irritated. “I must know that Marrisa is okay. I must know! I can’t stand not knowing what will happen—what will happen to her. I feel horrible knowing that we are well and she may not be. She is somewhere out there, lost upon this blackened land! She is alone and probably frightened.” He paused for a moment as he rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand anything that is taking place… All I know now is that I must go to the Fire Temple. I don’t even know how long we have!

 
“The only thing that comes to my mind is what Malakh said to me when Marrisa was first taken. It’s the same thing that I’ve heard in a dream—then Phillip yelled it out when he was taken over by darkness… Following the night when the moon glows like blood, during the twilight when the morning star shines the brightest—evil will take on a new form…” Tairren stopped talking abruptly as he looked over at Natalia. He appeared as if he had a sudden epiphany. “Wait…,” he said as his eyes became large. “When the moon glows like blood! Natalia, do you understand what that means?!” Tairren became excited all of a sudden.

  She shook her head slowly as tears went down her cheeks.

  “When the moon glows like blood… The spring equinox! The Spring Celebration… The moon glows red during the eve of our spring festival. The spring equinox is tomorrow night—the eve of the Spring Celebration!” Tairren spoke with wide eyes, excited as if he figured out the answer to a riddle.

  “I see, Tairren,” Natalia said, reluctantly. “The spring festival would be in a couple of days…”

  “Yes, that’s when the kingdom would usually celebrate The Great King of light and all the gifts of nature he provides for us. The Legna said that Lucif will stop at nothing to rid of everything good—because darkness wants to smite light. Lucif is taking the day in which we celebrate the God of light, and turning it into a day of darkness. That is when Lucif chose to take over Marrisa. Do you understand? That’s when Lucif will take on a new form! Marrisa is the new form! That’s why she was taken and being brought to the Dark Tower of Sacrifice.”

  Natalia put her hand to her mouth, realizing the grave danger that Marrisa was in—realizing the grave danger they were all in. Everything was making sense now. Before they could not see the full scale of the situation, but now that it was coming to them, they felt overwhelmed. It was as if a massive wave of stress was inundating their bodies.

  “Lilith is using Marrisa as a living sacrifice—to offer to Lucif! Natalia said. “Lilith is doing what the ancient pagan ancestors of Minslethrate did many generations ago before The Great King of light came to Minslethrate!”

  “Yes, in those days they gave human sacrifices to the goddesses and The Dark Lord once a year. That is what is meant when it is said that Lucif was looking for the right timing and the perfect human sacrifice. During the twilight when the morning star shines the brightest—that is the moment when the moon goes down and the sun comes up. In legend, the morning star represents The God of Light; Lucif wants to deceive the world by making it known that he is the true morning star. The morning star is the dawn of a new day!

  “Tomorrow night the moon will glow red which is the spring equinox and the eve of darkness. Darkness is the war between light and darkness—darkness is the death that will come that day. Then that night during the twilight, just before the sun comes up when the morning star shines the brightest—Lucif will take Marrisa in full! The following day will be another new day and the day Marrisa will go to the kingdom like nothing has happened, putting an end to Minlsethrate. Then Marrisa will make her way to Ishkar, which is known as the most powerful kingdom of all kingdoms. Lucif is the Lord of Darkness and will rule Ishkar in Marrisa’s body in power and in full darkness. Lucif’s powers will spread across the world like rapid waters as other kingdom’s and nations yield to Marrisa who is really the Lord of Darkness!”

  “My poor, dear Marrisa,” Natalia said in a shaken voice. “Our poor, dear kingdom…”

  “But we can stop it just as the Archlegna said—we must stop darkness from eating up man and our world,” Tairren said as he quickly stood up. “I must go...”

  “No—wait, Tairren!” Natalia said, rushing up to grab him. “Please don’t leave now. Please don’t leave without me.” Natalia came upon him with tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, keeping her eyes on his.

  “Natalia,” Tairren said in a much softer and calmer voice. He wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Each one of us must do this—we gave our word. You have a task of your own. You have always been so strong and independent. You do not need me. Be the brave lady I know you are.”

  Natalia started to cry as she slowly shook her head. Tairren felt shocked and didn’t know what to say. He had never seen her cry before. He had always seen her in high-spirits with a bold and blunt attitude. He felt really sad for her all of a sudden as she looked up to him with beautiful and weeping eyes.

  “Tairren… I… I…” She stopped herself, not wanting reveal anything to him. She wanted to tell him so badly that she loved him—that she wanted to be with him. She thought of Marrisa and became ashamed of the feelings that grew for Tairren. She did not want him to hear those words from her mouth—and she didn’t want to hear them either. But she yearned for those words to be said to her.

  “What is it, Natalia,” he said, just looking into her eyes.

  After a moment of touching his face and a lock of hair that fell upon his cheek, Natalia just threw herself on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his and kissed him passionately. She couldn’t contain herself in that moment and surprised even herself. Finally she pulled herself away as tears continued to trickle down her face. She looked up into his confused eyes, wondering what he thought just then.

  “Go,” Natalia said as she softly put her fingers upon his lips.

  Tairren stood for a moment, feeling greatly surprised and some-what numb. He slowly backed away, then turned and left quickly. He stopped before he entered into the woods, turning to look back at her. She stood quietly amongst the stillness of the night with tears in her eyes. He left quickly, running back towards the camp.

  Natalia fell to her knees and began to cry. She covered her face, feeling humiliated and broken. She truly loved Tairren, but did not want to tell him. She knew that he loved Marrisa with all of his heart—and she didn’t want to take that from him. She felt alone as she looked up to see Tairren make his way back to the camp. She thought that Tairren was perfect in every way, and always knew that. He was just not perfect for her.

  She thought of what Rafiul had said to her right before she came to Tairren. She raised her dewy face to the sky and looked to the horizon. Everything made sense now. She understood what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to tell her that love is patient—that all she needed was God’s love. No man could quench her heart like God does. She understood now how great Tairren’s love was for Marrisa, and that he would not see any other woman’s heart. She just wanted someone to love her, the way Tairren loved Marrisa. But she was finally starting to understand that God, who chose her, could fill her heart unconditionally if she were to open up to Him and not man. She would never understand such a love. But that love that she didn’t understand was slowly planting a small seed in her heart, like a mustard seed that was set amongst soft soil. She didn’t realize it but she was slowly changing and growing like the new herb upon the earth. Before her journey, she didn’t care about anyone’s feelings but her own. And now, she was beginning to care for others…

  Natalia just sat in the dim light of the torch with tears drying on her cheeks. She thought of everything that had happened to her on her journey—and somehow, she knew she was growing from it. Quietness enveloped her body and stillness lay all around her…

  †††

  Natalia didn’t realize that someone was watching her in the woods. Someone she didn’t know crept through the darkness, stalking her through the shadows of the trees and behind thick brushes. It was that same cloaked figure who slyly crept through the camp like a silent breeze…

  †††

  Phillip walked to his tent, feeling irritated and betrayed… The image of Natalia and Tairren kissing kept popping into his head. For the first time his heart ached, and he was angry that it did. He was upset at himself for allowing a female to make him feel that way. He never had feelings for a woman the way he did for Natalia. He wasn’t used to not having the upper hand in everything. He felt he was changing ever since h
e came to Minslethrate and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

  Phillip finally made it to his tent. He paced back and forth for a minute as the thought of Natalia went through is head again. Frustrated, he grabbed a nearby chair and flung it across his tent. It crashed into a small table, knocking it over and spilling everything that was on it. He felt out of control so he decided to lie down. He let his body fall onto the many layers of feathered cushions that was spread out upon the ground. He placed his hands behind his head as he took a couple of deep breaths. The thought of his comrades kissing came in his mind again. He didn’t understand why, if Tairren loved Marrisa so much, was he kissing Natalia? Then he thought of himself—he was supposed to be marrying Marrisa, and Natalia was all he thought off.

  He thought that he shouldn’t have ever gone off to look for her earlier that night. He would have rather not known that they were together in the woods alone. But when he realized that Natalia was no longer beside him, he wondered where she had gone. He thought he shouldn’t have ever asked a Legna where she had went to. If he wouldn’t have asked, he wouldn’t have seen Tairren and Natalia kissing in the woods. When he saw them, a wave of jealousy came over his body, and he left. He felt angry towards Tairren—but he didn’t want to feel that way. He was tired of being angry at people. He knew that there were much more serious things to worry about than a heart break.

  Phillip stared at the tent-ceiling above him, watching the shadows dance and move about like soft gray clouds. Some of the large candles were still lit, giving off a small glow. The dim light around him seemed to calm him down. He thought of all the conversations he and Natalia had over the duration of their journey together. He thought of when she awakened his mind to an opened way of thinking—letting him know that they were all the same, no matter their social stature. He thought of the conversation they had after he and Tairren had gotten into a fight. He never had anyone try to cheer him up before—and she did. He thought it was brilliant how she compared him to a diamond in the rough—letting him know that through time, he will become what God put him on this earth to become.