by SL Perrine
“She can’t stay here any longer.” Ourobus shouted at his son. He and Ty were in the throne room of the great palace, which is where these arguments always took place. Ourobus seemed to have changed his mind overnight regarding our betrothal.
“I’m sorry father, but she is staying, and as you decreed I will marry her on the next full moon.” That soon, he really wants to marry me. I thought to myself as I eavesdropped on the newest argument between the two.
I turned away from the balcony that over looked the throne room. This is where I would usually be as my duties required it, when they would start such discussions. That’s what Sheree always told me they were. She insisted her husband was not angry with Tyson at all.
“Do you hear yourself; do you hear how disrespectful you are to your lord father? It’s that girl’s influence I tell you.” Ourobus stood over his son just three steps high, which put him at eye level with him. He could never feel superior to Tyson if he was standing on the same level. He was a squat man, and loved his beer and food and his midsection showed as much. As king of a clan he prided his ability to do no hard labor, and force other to do his bidding. He loved his power. Even more he loved his buio magia, and despised that his son did not.
“Father I will marry her, regardless of your feelings for it. If we have to we will leave your realm and join her family. They have agreed to welcome us on the eve we wed.” Tyson stated loudly.
“She would have you leave your family?”
“No sir, she would have me as her husband. You would have her dead.”
“I would do no such thing.” The king turned to pace his landing.
“I saw what you did. Only a man spelled by buio would attempt to take another life. That man attacked her in the square, and you put him up to it.” Tyson yelled at his father once more.
“I did no such thing. Do you dare to stand here and blame your king of attempting murder? You know that’s treason.”
“No, I blame a father for attempting to take the life of a daughter, because that is what she is too you forevermore. I will have no more of you and you buio magia, I told you that. I don’t condone what you do, and I will not follow in your footstep.”
“Oh, very well then, wed your bride… If you can.”
“That better not be a threat on her, father, I swear, if anything happens to her I will use my last breath to make you pay.” Tyson tuned on his heel and left the room.
He had never been as angry with his father as he was this one time. I left my post and headed to the chambers we would share once we were wed. Tyson entered just after I had. I turned to him and threw my arms around his neck.
“I was on the balcony.” I answered his unspoken question.
“I mean what I say, Renella, we will be married and we will leave this dark place.” He buried his face in my hair.
“You could never leave your family. I would never ask you too.” I hold him tighter, “We will figure this out. Someway, we will figure this out.”
We stood holding each other and swayed to un-played music.
-19-
The sun was about to rise, and yet Chris had been awake for hours. The days were getting shorter and the nights seemed to last forever, well at least the dark did.
The three of them had been walking for three days together since Farlow had told them who he was. Chris did not completely know why he would be sent from home to protect two nobody maga.
She decided to give up on sleep, and rose to start a fire. Tabby too seemed to be awake. She got up and looked for small sticks they could use for a fire to make some breakfast before heading off.
Farlow, on the other hand seemed to have no trouble with sleeping outdoors. Chris silently wondered if fairies lived out doors, and if they were always normal height. She gave a light chuckle at the thought of a four inch tall Farlow and went to where Tabby had the sticks piled.
“All set.” Tabby said as she laid the last two sticks on the pile.
Chris closed her eyes and focused her energy on the pile of twigs, and summoned energy from the roots of the biggest tree nearby. After a small amount of smoke, flames popped and spit at the sticks.
“Tabby, why did not you light the fire?” Farlow asked startling both of the girls.
“Tabby knows I like to do it. Besides, she’s not a fan of magic.” Chris added to her friend’s defense.
“I see.” Farlow got up with a jump and headed east down the path they had been following now for three days.
“Where are you going?” Chris jumped up and headed after Farlow.
“There’s a town down there. I’m going to get some pancakes.” He laughed and continued on his way.
“You really thing we should be out in the open getting pancakes, and risk someone finding us?” Chris asked a bit callous.
“Chris,” Tabby spoke up now, “We’ve had nothing but powdered eggs for months now.” She all but begged her for some real food.
“They kept you fed, didn’t they?!” Chris commented. “There is too much at stake to risk it on a plate of food.” She tended to the small fire, and set about to make breakfast.
With Chris’ back to them Taby and Farlow started to look for more twigs to keep the fire going. Chris was right, there was too much at risk and far too great a danger now that they were almost at their destination.
Farlow took advantage of the distance they had from Chris. “She doesn’t know does she?” He asked her in a whisper.
“No, and let’s keep it that way.” She responded.
“But, it’s going to come out when we get there. You’re…” Farlow was cut short by Tabby’s hand, which meant end of discussion.
They picked back up on their travels soon after breakfast. They had walked out of the cover of the trees and were now staring at a never ending field of dew covered grass. The autumn air was warm and humid in the afternoon, but most of the mornings were as cold as ice.
“So, Farlow,” Chris started, “…Is it ok for me to call you Farlow?”
“Yes, Christina, that is my name. However, you may call me whatever you’d like.”
Chris was taken aback by such a formal use of her name, and she felt as if he were flirting with her now.
“It’s just Chris.” She quickly added.
“Why? I like your name, Christina. Does it offend you?”
“No, it’s just what everyone has always called me.” She shrugged.
“Well, not me. Now, what did you want to ask?”
“I was just wondering. Are you normally this tall, or is it a result of the curse?”
“I’m always this tall. I have seen what they call fairies’ here. We’re not two inch tall bugs with wings.”
Tabby couldn’t help loose a small laugh at that remark. Farlow just gave her a look, but he quickly recovered.
“Sorry, I did not mean to offend you. My mother always said there was more to the curse than she told me. I was just wondering. I’ve only been to Pylira once, and I never met a fairy, well not that I know of.”
“Oh, you would know if you met one. We do have wings,” he says and he gives his a flap.
“Oh wow. There beautiful. How is it we can’t see them?”
“They are flat against my back, and translucent. You can really only see them when we use them. The faster they go the more color they have.”
He said with a playful smile.
“Hmmm,” she said trying to pretend not to be impressed. “What color do yours get?”
“As blue as your eyes.” He answered and head off in front of them.
“Wow, Chris, you got a thing for the fairy prince.” Tabby elbow jabbed her friend.
“I do not.” She tried to recall her cool demeanor.
“Well, looks like the fairy prince has a thing for you.”
“Wait…really?” Tabby laughed at her, “I mean, no way.” She threw the twig she was toying with and quickened her pace.
“So, how much longer,… two days? …Because that was your ans
wer three days ago.” Tabby started.
“Sorry Tabby. I don’t really know anymore. Maybe Farlow has a better estimate.” Chris told her friend with a shrug.
They were all tired of traveling. Money was getting low, and more and more buio were coming out of the woodwork. They seemed to be everywhere.
Farlow stopped up ahead of them.
“Oh ladies…,” he said with a gleeful smile, “I do believe we have arrived.
-20-
“So, what do you want to know?” Ty sat next to me at his kitchen island.
I couldn’t bear to be in his room anymore. The dream I had last night weighted heavy on my mind. I couldn’t stop them, yet I couldn’t get them to come to me as I wanted. I feel now as if I had not slept at all.
“I’d like to finally know all of it, please.” I repeated my request from last night.
“Okay, stop me if it gets to be too much.” He said handing me a cup of coffee.
“My father is Ourobus, King of my clan. When my mother Sheree gave birth to me, he approached your father, Rowan, about a betrothal.” He started slow I imagined so I could keep up, and what’s more he knows who my father is, but that will have to wait for later.
“Was my mother already pregnant with me?”
“I don’t think so. Your parents were just married and my father asked that I be betrothed to their first born daughter. Which in the end, you were their only child.” He added. “There are four kingdoms in Pylira, and one King that rules over those four kingdoms.” He trailed off, not sure if he was going to continue I gave him a reassuring look.
“For heaven’s sakes I’m not going to pass out.” I quickly add when he doesn’t continue.
“Ok, I just need you to not black out.”
“I’m good. Keep going.”
He looks at me then starts again, “Your father rules the four.”
“My father is the ruler of the four clans?” I ask twisting my hands together.
“Yes.” Ty whispers then continues with girth, “When you were 16… Are you ok with me saying you or would you rather I just say Renella?...” He asked.
“I’m Renella, we established that last night… right?” I ask.
“Yes, but …”
“It’s ok…,” I answer before he asks, “When I was 16… Keep going.”
He relaxes a little and continues as I listen and drink my coffee.
“When you were 16 you moved in with us. However, your parents were not aware that my father had started using buio magia when I was very young. By the time you moved in with us, there was already conflict amongst my family, and the whole clan really.” He stopped for a min and gave me a look.
“I’m good, keep going.”
“Okay. You and I were not very friendly to each other at first. You were mad about having to leave your family, and your home. I was mad because I really like this blonde in my own clan. Now, she’s your best friend, which I find oddly amusing.” He giggled and I jabbed him in the ribs.
“Ouch, I’m just kidding.” He played at being injured.
“Keep going.” I laughed at him and sipped more coffee.
“You were with us for a year, during which my parents forced us to have dinner every night together in the dining hall, just the two of us. They hoped we would eventually speak to one another and bond.” Ty rolled his eyes at the thought of it.
“My mother did not think it would work, but it did; only when we both skipped out on dinner one night, not together, and went to the pond. You were on one side and I was walking the edge of the other side, we started talking, and amidst my showing of I fell in. That was the first time we touched, you grabbed my hand to help me out, and our magic linked together.”
“Linked together?”
“The night we did the protection spell, I didn’t just stay the night because I was worried about you. I stayed because if you drain, I do too. I did not completely because I draw from nature. You see? ...That’s how I know that you are Renella. Not because you look the same.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that? I might have believed this weird reincarnation business a whole lot sooner.” I started getting flustered, but I did not want him to get off course. So I sat back down. “Never mind, keep going.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“We started doing more things together, mostly things that upset my father. So he tried to tear us apart, using his dark magic. You were keeping me in the light, and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He truly believes power is the most important thing. I used to, but I stopped believing that when you and I fell in love.”
He glanced around the room and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the island, the table I noticed, was nowhere in sight.
“When you were 18, we were planning our wedding, but your family found out about a few things that my father had done. I’ll spare you the details. I’m sure you’ll remember in your own time.” He bit into the apple and made me wait.
“Your mother, Karen, came to my mother and told her about the curse.”
“Karen? But that was a hundred years ago. How?...” He puts his hand up to stop me.
“I’m getting to that.” He got up and threw away the apple core.
“She told my mother that there was a balance for the type of magic they were preforming, that all four clans of Pylira were joining the cause to beat my father at his own game. The price would be great, but it would be worth it.”
“All the women will die.” I pointed out I knew that part. “Wait,.. all four clans, but isn’t the buio clan one of the four?”
“Yes, but we were only branded the buio clan because my father was using buio magia, and had become a Buio Maga. Our clans are not small in numbers, and more than half of our clan did not agree with my father’s rule.”
“More than half of them would be all of the women and children and most of the men there now living with the curse.” I answered my own question. “So every woman, even little girls, they all died?”
“Yes, every one of them died. We don’t see a lot of death normally. ” He sits and grabs my hand, “Your mother only told you what she knew you would believe, and it helped to keep you safe. She’s known all these years I would be looking for you.”
“What does that mean?,… Are we all immortal?” I ask now suddenly very confused.
He was slow in his reply, “Sort of. One day in Pylira, would be 100 years here.”
“But, … I remember growing up. It has not been more than 17 years. How is that possible?”
“That part is still confusing to me, I don’t know how but each time you die here, you’re reborn.”
I sat still trying to process numbers, but I had to let him finish the story. We could worry about specifics later.
“Your mother explained that the women’s souls would die,” he stopped again, no doubt reading the questions from my eyes. “They chose this as punishment for my father. They also chose this to spare the women of the clan. They have not had to endure the torture their king would no doubt inflict on them, since they were all on the side of luce.”
He paused for a moment, got up and walked around while he continued.
“It was part of the curse that my father’s outer appearance would match what his inner appearance was, hence the beast form, and he never gets to go back to human form. He’s been that way for a hundred years.” He paused again.
“I know that part. The part I didn’t know about until a year ago, was how you all change to beast for here.” I added to it.
“Yes, that was my father trying to keep me from finding you.”
“Wait…What?”
“My uncles tell me the original curse would have ended as soon as our souls found each other again, that when the light magic won over the dark, my father would have been defeated. He would have died and all of this would be over. You and I would have been together sooner.” He stopped to catch his breath. I could see this was taking its toll on him as wel
l.
“Your mother has given birth to you over a dozen times. Since I was in beast form in this world, I could never find you. Then along the way your family started hunting us. All of the clans had thought the beasts were created by my father, pets to search for you and kill you, so they started hunting us. They did not know it was actually us turned to beasts.” He looks tired and … angry.
“My father placed a curse on the entire clan. Our forms would change to beast when we entered the tra monde. He did it so we couldn’t find each other… This was all to keep you and me apart. Your family had nothing to do with it.” Now he looked sad and angry.