“Please do not place such a hefty mantle upon my shoulders; I am not sure I can take that kind of responsibility.” She looked over at him and smiled more for his benefit than her own. As they approached the gathering of elves she got another few cheers to which she blushed and smiled shyly to them all. “The hospitality of the elves must be the stuff of legends.”
Shouts from the crowd accentuated her statement which had echoed a little louder than she had intended. She could not help but giggle at their enthusiasm. With the exception of their leader they all seemed to be happy.
“That it is.” Leo replied to her as he sat near her and his granddaughter.
“May I ask you another question?” Rose bit her lower lip as she looked across the way at the queen then back to Liostro and Nina. “Please do not take offense.”
“I shall take none if none is given.” Leonidus said through a smile.
“Queen Miralastra. What does she have against me? I have done nothing but try to assist her and it seems that with each passing day she hates me a little more. I do not wish any animosity between us; you have all been very kind to me.” Rose said in a small voice, trying not to draw any attention to her statement.
“My daughter is a very stern woman and her position has left her with little room for merriment and humor. She tolerates it for the good of the whole. Honestly Rose she is not a bad person, she is just too serious and dedicated to let her guard down for even a minute.” Leonidus sighed a little and looked over at Mira then back to Rose. “I was gone a lot when she was growing up and honestly her mother was almost the same type of person that Mira is now. My influence is little in this particular matter. After her mother died and I took the throne Mira was never the same again.”
“What was her mother like?” Rose said off-handedly.
Leonidus got a look of nostalgia in his eyes and leaned back on a tree behind him. He smiled at Rose and sighed almost happily, obviously gathering his thoughts. “She was beautiful Rose. Her skin was as white as a pure cloud and her eyes were as clear blue as droplets of water that fall from the sky during a summer rain. She was a wonderful woman. She was a stern woman at times, especially when matters of the state were involved, but around me and no one else she would relax and show a side that no one else got to see. That is always how I will remember her. She knew the value of laughter and fun but our daughter did not inherit that same spark.”
“It sounds like she was a wonderful person. You must have loved her a lot.” Rose commented as she leaned back as well and listened to the wise old elf. His voice was very soothing to her, but she did not know why. Something in the back of her mind made her think she knew him from somewhere but she attributed it to his likable nature.
“I did. Mira was hurt the most by her death but she refuses to acknowledge it.” Leo said as he looked out over the open space filled with dancers and locked eyes with his daughter.
To Rose she looked cold, almost fear-inspiring but as she shifted her eyes from both the queen and her father she saw an interaction between them that seemed to be more based on some sort of requirement than anything resembling love. Rose could almost feel the resentment coming off of Mira. Sighing, she looked back out to the others, trying to ignore the feeling of someone’s eyes boring into her.
~~~~
The sun had risen as always and Rose could feel the beginnings of a headache stemming from a lack of proper sleep and too much honey wine. Nina had barely been able to rise let alone get herself up and running. Between the two of them they had somehow gotten out of bed and packed and broken down their tent for travel. Now walking behind Barius and Noranda she was glad that she healed quickly. Her headache was all but gone. Up ahead she could see that Nina was not doing as well. “How far are we from the city?”
“Do you see that bump on the horizon ahead?” Noranda pointed to a spot in the distance and tilted her head in that direction with a quick nod. “That is our destination; I would estimate we will make the mountains by dark. We will camp once more next to the wall and continue on our way in the morning.”
“Good, this endless sand is really starting to wear on my nerves.” Rose replied as she swept her eyes around and again another time then laughed and shook her head. “It feels as if I’m not making any progress.”
“Such is the optical illusion that the desert paints for you. It is one of the many dangers of the desert, Getting lost, hallucinating or red fever.”
“Red fever?” Rose echoed questioningly.
“This desert was created by way of magic. The life was literally drained from almost the entire planet by the magi of the past. Because of that the deeper you get into the desert the stronger the magical emanations. If you do not protect yourself you will become ill and the longer you are exposed the worse it gets.” Noranda kept her gaze on the horizon as she continued talking. “The strange energy that makes people sick can also cause changes in animals, plants and other life over time. The deeper you go also increases the danger you are in. There are tales of a ruined city of great magical power lies at the center of the desert. They say that is what’s causing the disturbance. I have never heard of anyone coming back out of the deep wastes alive though.”
“Wow, a city huh?” Rose nodded her head as she regarded the growing dot on the horizon. “It would not surprise me considering how big this place seems to be. There had to be something out there you know?”
“I suppose so but my wanderlust is tempered by my need to stay alive.” Noranda smiled back at her and continued walking. “The world is a big place. Save our few trips to the cities of the desert, none of us have ever been beyond the mountains that surround and shelter us. I have also heard that there are other continents out there but that getting to them is nigh impossible. You can take the stories you hear and collect them in a trough by the thousands to one true tale; the real challenge is to decipher which one out of the many others is truth.”
“Stories change each time they are told.” Rose replied to that with a nod. “My mother told me that frequently.”
“I thought you did not know your mother.” Noranda retorted with a curiosity in her voice.
“Well she wasn’t my real mother but she raised me from the time I was young. She is human of course but she was the most beautiful person I had ever met. It made me wonder what she had done to be in servitude. She was pregnant at the time so you can say I grew up with a little sister as well.” Rose smiled a bit as she thought of the two of them. “I think they’ll be okay now though.”
“Oh? Aren’t they still slaves?”
“My former master decided to make her his wife shortly before I left. More a trophy than anything of course but she will be his wife none-the-less.” Though she preferred her freedom now she still felt being a trophy wife was better than being a slave.
“Freedom is a sweet thing, when you never know it you do not know what you’re missing. When you lose it you know the sour taste of defeat for the rest of your days.” Noranda countered.
Though the words didn’t have any malice Rose still felt a pang of guilt for leaving the two of them there. She could not do anything though, at least not yet. Once she had better control of her abilities she would pay a visit to her former master, she knew that for sure.
The remainder of the day wore on slowly and with little conversation and expenditure of energy. By the time they set up camp they had reached the face of the mountain and it was too dark to continue on. Rose and Nina set up their tent quickly and retired to sleep before most of the others had even finished setting themselves up.
“I can’t wait to see the trees again, to smell the moisture in the air. Oh you’re going to love it!” Nina said through a big smile once they had settled in.
The noise outside was refreshing to Rose, she had grown up in a single set of rooms her entire life and because of that the new sounds and experiences around her made her feel whole instead of a shell trudging through life day by day. It was a welcome change to hear convers
ations going on and laughing taking place not far from her. “I am eager to see these wonders.”
“Rose can I ask you a strange question?” Nina whispered as she scooted a little closer.
“We are like sisters; you can ask me anything, you know that.” Rose smiled over at the girl and kept her voice low to play along with the tone of the setting.
“How did it feel your first time?”
“Well, I will be honest with you it hurt a little because of the circumstances. It would be different for you though. My master was not a patient man; he was very rough and forceful when we were together.” Rose looked over at the look of shock and disgust on her face and laughed a little. “Your experience will be much better, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so.” Nina replied in a small voice as she rolled over on her back and sighed. “I find myself thinking that it would be better for my older sister to succeed to the throne but my mother is pushing me to make a bid for it when she decides to concede the seat.”
“Is that your tradition?” Rose was genuinely curious about succession considering that Mira seemed to be an only child.
“The tradition is that the children of the throne, which are the children of the current ruler, basically train and study hard in order to obtain the seat. Whichever of them is deemed the most worthy by the council will be crowned until a successor is born or until they die and then the process starts all over again.” Nina looked Rose in the eye and frowned a little. “I don’t want to be the queen.”
“Sometimes our destiny is laid out for us like a map and other times it is a dark room filled with strange things you must sort out on your own with no aid. Honestly we never know which is true but I believe that we have to figure it out eventually.” Rose replied, trying to make Nina feel more confident in the situation.
“The ramblings of a mad desert scholar.” Nina giggled and then protested as an errant pair of breeches hit her square in the face. “What?”
“Well that’s the last time I share my vast wisdom with you.” Rose scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue at the golden-haired elf. The little moments of camaraderie she felt with Nina made her troubles seem miniscule; she just wished the feeling would persist through the days. “Destiny is a strange thing. I go from being a slave to a living bomb to an apprentice in the ways of magic all in a short span. Then I find out that not only are your people counting on me but a strange knight that I know nothing about. He told me that a naarabi girl read him his future. She said that the desert rose would lead him out of darkness or something like that. I’m not sure I can take the heavy mantles that are being placed upon my shoulders.”
“Well, no matter what happens I will stick by your side.” Nina smiled over at her. “I still have romantic notions of fun and adventure.”
“I’m sure we’ll beat that out of you soon enough.” Rose giggled and closed her eyes, rolling over to try and get some sleep. “Well, we’d better try to get some sleep before tomorrow; Leo told me that it was going to be a hard trek up and through the mountain.”
“About that.” Nina’s voice suddenly held more gravity than before. “Never mind.”
“What?”
“Nothing, you’ll see soon enough.” Nina replied as she attempted to smile.
~~~~
Her morning duties were not as hard on her anymore, she felt as if she was falling into the rhythm of desert travel finally. Once they started out the leader of the expedition, a rugged-looking elf by the name of Torshal, began the march by ascending a steep stone ledge on the side of the mountain that Rose had not noticed before. The climb was not so bad but she considered that to be due to the fact that she had been trudging through the sands for weeks. She did not need to do her morning exercises when she was travelling in this manner and that suited her just fine. The trail led upward and back around offering hand holds on their right and then left when they doubled back upward.
A good part of the day was spent ascending the steps toward their goal. A little before noon they finally stepped up onto a plateau of sorts at the top of the walkway. The view of the desert, while showing nothing but vast expanses of sand in all directions, was breathtaking. On the large platform was a deep recess that the elves identified as the home stretch, beyond the cave system was the valley of the elves’ homeland. Rose stood at the mouth of the cave for a long time while those around her rested and gathered their strength after the climb.
As she stood there she knew not how much time had passed. The longer she stared the longer the feeling persisted; something was pulling her forward, something other than wanderlust. The tug was borderline physical; it took all she could do not to put one foot in front of the other. Part of her wanted to scream for Barius, Leo or even Nina but she just couldn’t get the words out. She knew they wouldn’t understand. A hand on her shoulder caused her to look back; to her relief it was Leo standing behind her with a concerned look upon his face.
“Rose you’ve been staring at the entrance for quite some time now. Anything you’d like to share?” He smiled a little and inclined his head toward the darkness. “We’ll be on our way soon.”
“Something,” She said softly, causing his eyebrow to arch just a little. “It wants me to walk forward. It’s pulling me forward but I’m fighting it. It feels like my body is rebelling against me, I’ve never felt this way before. It scares me.”
“Deep within these caverns is a place long forgotten to time. Somewhere in the system of caves that riddles this mountain, it is told, lay the fabled citadel of the naarabian kings lies. It is supposedly the first and last city that your people held on this world. It was merely a tall tale for a long time.” Leonidus put a hand on her shoulder and then a hand on her forehead, whispering something into her ear. She collapsed into his arms causing alarm all around him. “Fear not, I just forced her into sleep.”
“Care to share with us the reason father?” Mira said as she approached Leonidus from behind. “Because I am quite curious.”
“Reasons beyond your understanding young queen.” He snapped as he turned to her with the young woman in his arms. “Barius, Noranda, I need you to carry her again. She will sleep until we reach the end of the cavern.”
“Yes sir.” They said in unison.
“I will carry her if you will let me revered father.” Liostro suddenly said from behind them all, drawing looks from most and a nod from Leonidus.
~~~~
“Grandfather can you tell me why you decided to put Rose to sleep?” Nina whispered in a low voice as they walked through the caverns. The walls around them were illuminated by torches casting sinister writhing shadows along the side tunnels and alcoves they passed. The underground was a dangerous place, even this far above the earth the tunnels were rarely traversed without caution. They were almost to the other side of the entrance so Nina figured a little whisper wouldn’t hurt.
“Do you remember, my little sunbeam, when you were younger and decided that you wanted to explore these caves?” Leonidus said to her with a knowing hint to his voice. “Do you remember where I found you and what was at the end of the cavern with no name?”
“I do. I remember the door.” She shivered visibly when she thought about that place and the sense of dread she had felt when she found it several layers below the earth. Her little exploration expedition had gotten her lost for some time. She found out later that her grandfather had been near her the entire time; he had let her wander seemingly on her own to teach her a lesson. He had also forgiven her quickly when they stumbled upon the door to the fabled fallen naarabi citadel. “What does that have to do with Rose though?”
“Honestly I do not know but something deep within these caverns was calling to her, a compulsion that I could not trace with magic. I felt it, the link was there but I just couldn’t figure out how to identify and sever it. I’m hoping that by putting her into a sleep and waking her after we are clear of the caverns the link will not renew.” He looked over at Nina and smiled to attemp
t at erasing her worried look. “Don’t look so concerned Nina; she will be fine I’m sure.”
“You know I hate it when you attempt to shield me from life’s woes.” Nina replied as she looked forward past a few of the other elves and to her mother marching imperiously near the front of the column. She sneered a little and sighed. “You know mother doesn’t allow me the luxury of being a child.”
When they passed down the corridor he knew quite well, Leonidus scowled into the darkness and walked on. The last thing he needed was for the dead city of the naarabian people to be unearthed by a whelpling like Rose.
“Truth rings in your words, but the problem is that some things are better left unsaid and that is one of your downfalls I’m afraid my little sunbeam.” He tossed her a quick wink and held out his hand for her to stop the line of questioning. “We shall talk more in my tower when we are back at the palace. Rose should wake soon, and we’re near the exit.”
Rose let out a long breath and sighed, sitting up and stretching out languidly. For a moment she was confused until Liostro let her down to stand on her own two feet. Instantly she leveled a glare on Leonidus and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did you do that?”
“All will be revealed in time Rose, but for now I would like to welcome you to my ancestral home.” He swung his arm out wide as they exited a wide-mouthed cavern.
Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed a sight she thought to be the stuff of myth and legend. As far as she could see there was nothing but green treetops laced with tufts of mist, lancing sunbeams and clouds. From her vantage point she could hear the sounds of the forest loud and clear. Haunting cries and echoes drifted around the aged bark of the trees to find her ears. The sun shone down below giving the whole scene a ghostly illumination.
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