by Jacey Sturch
Night of A Thousand Lights
Night of A Thousand Lights
A Light in the Darkness
Jacey Sturch
Copyright ©2021 by Jacey Sturch
All rights reserved
ISBN: 9798719013190
Cover art: germancreative
For my family, who always believed in me and supported me.
Thank you
Chapter 1
The kingdom of Asinia has been a very dark place for a very long time. Asinia used to be a prosperous kingdom and a wonderful place to live. Their king, King Reynaud, was very charismatic and had the admiration and respect of all of his subjects. He was an older man, with a very kind face. He would often listen to the troubles of his subjects and try to help in any way that he could. He cared deeply for his people, and everyone in Asinia knew that.
Then, he decided to marry a noble woman from the neighboring kingdom of Riswen. Little is known about Riswen. It borders Asinia to the west, but has never gone out of its way to communicate with its neighbors. Riswen has kept itself apart from all of their neighboring kingdoms, adopting a policy of isolationism.
The noble lady was named Aetheria. She was the first-born daughter of the noble house of Valenlyn and was closely related to the royal family of Riswen. In Riswen, women didn’t have much worth other than as a pawn in a political marriage. So, when Aetheria had the chance to meet the king of Asinia, she jumped at the opportunity.
Much like her home kingdom, the people of Asinia knew very little about Aetheria. She became queen soon after meeting King Reynaud and settled into life in Asinian court. However, she never felt the need to meet the people that she ruled.
The people of Asinia hardly heard from her, and she remained just as mysterious to her subjects as when she first appeared. But she was happy with King Reynaud, and it was considered a very harmonious marriage.
Unfortunately, Asinia was about to be faced with many hardships. King Reynaud passed away suddenly from illness, just one short year after the royal couple’s marriage. This left Queen Aetheria alone on the throne with no heir. Queen Aetheria was wracked with grief. She had truly loved the king and missed him dearly. She lamented that she had never conceived an heir with King Reynaud. The kingdom was in mourning, grieving the loss of their king.
While the kingdom moved past the sadness caused by the death of the king, Queen Aetheria continued to mourn. King Reynaud was the first man to treat her with kindness and love in her life. Her intense grief began to gnaw at her mind, making her slowly descend into madness. Fear began to grip her, making her scared she would be removed from the throne by the people.
In Riswen, women do not hold positions of power on their own. It was unheard of. Any woman whose husband had died; lost any power they might have held while their husband was alive. Queen Aetheria was desperate to hold onto the throne, not just for the power and security it provided, but also to hold onto the last connection she had to King Reynaud now. Aetheria began to believe that her subjects were plotting to remove her from the throne. She was determined to hold onto her power - even if she had to control her subjects through fear.
Queen Aetheria quickly became a tyrant, trying to make her subjects too scared to rise up against her. She began to raise their taxes significantly, making the people impoverished. She also adopted the isolationism of Riswen, and she cut off Asinia from all of their neighboring kingdoms.
Years go by and Asinia became a poor nation. Most of the citizens were starving and living in poverty. All of their money was going to the taxes set by Queen Aetheria. Queen Aetheria had also begun taking people from the different towns and forcing them to work in the castle.
Aetheria was also known for her violence. Any time one person stood against her she would have them executed. She was incredibly meticulous and would also execute the families of those who spoke out against her.
Soon, she had achieved her goal. No one in Asinia dared to say a word against their queen. They lived in constant fear of her violent retributions against perceived wrongs. The kingdom had become a very dreary place, with very little hope held by the people who lived there.
But one night, everything changed. One night turned the whole kingdom upside down. In Asinia, there is a large tree that grows in the back courtyard of the castle. It is known as the First Tree, and is believed to be the first tree to have grown in Asinia. The roots of the First Tree are connected to every tree in the kingdom. When a new royal is born, the First Tree and every other tree in Asinia glows a brilliant golden light.
One night, almost three years after the king’s death, the trees began to glow. The night sky lit up with the golden light coming from the trees. Everyone in Asinia saw the golden light that night. The entire population dreaded Queen Aetheria having a child that could become just as cruel as his or her mother. But Aetheria had not had a child.
When Aetheria saw the golden light, she was terrified and enraged. She hadn’t had a child, and yet somehow there was a new royal somewhere. She knew that the moment everyone found out that she hadn’t had a child, the Asinians would rally around this new royal child and remove Aetheria from the throne. She also knew it was only a matter of time before the truth got out, so she couldn’t keep this secret from the whole kingdom forever. Aetheria began to plan her vilest act yet.
She ordered the royal guard to go to each town in Asinia. They were to gather every baby born on that day and bring them to the forest just outside the castle. The royal guard descended on the towns and ripped every newborn they could find from their mothers’ arms. By the next morning, the guard had finished their assignment and thirteen babies were found and brought to the forest. Aetheria then ordered her guards to kill the infants. In a desperate attempt to hold on to her power, Queen Aetheria had thirteen babies executed that morning. Her hope was that by doing this, the people would have no new royal child to rally around and would not try to take her crown. This horrendous act by the queen would later be called the Castle Forest Massacre.
What Queen Aetheria didn’t know was that her guards hadn’t succeeded in their mission. They had been tricked. Just south of the capital is a town called Glimrest. In this town, there was a young couple named Baldric and Iris Hallewell who ran the local armorer shop. They had been expecting their first child, and on the night the trees glowed, their baby was born. They had a beautiful baby girl that they named Leora.
However, the couple’s joy was short-lived. They quickly realized what the light meant. A new royal had been born and there had been no announcement from the palace about the queen being with child. Even though Queen Aetheria was notoriously withdrawn and did not come out in the public eye often, the Hallewell family became nervous.
If the queen had not been with child and had not given birth, then the light from the trees meant that somewhere else in the kingdom was a new royal child from an entirely different bloodline. Baldric and Iris knew that the queen would not just accept this, and she would do something drastic. To be safe, they gave Leora to an older couple that lived next to them, who weren’t known to have any children. The Hallewells asked for the couple to hold onto Leora until it was safe. They hoped that if any guards came looking for babies, this would keep little Leora safe.
Only a few hours later, the Hallewells were very glad they had thought ahead. In the early hours of the morning, the royal guard descended on the town of Glimrest. The guards came to the Hallewells, somehow knowing that Iris had been with child. When asked, Iris said that she had a miscarriage and lost the baby. It was common enough. With everyone in poor health it was hard to have a baby. The guards were slightly
skeptical, but when their search of the house found no baby, they believed the young couple and left the town soon after.
Later that day brought the horrible news of what had happened in the castle forest. Thirteen children had been slaughtered by the order of the queen. Iris and Baldric were very glad they had thought ahead and saved their precious baby girl. It wasn’t long though, before they realized what the golden light from the night before had truly meant for their daughter.
When the queen had ordered that all of the newborn babies be killed, she had revealed to the entire kingdom that she had not given birth to a new royal child. Iris and Baldric knew that this meant that their daughter, their little Leora, had to be the new royal child. She was the only one that had survived the night. The rest of Glimrest quickly realized what Leora Hallewell was as well. They knew she was the royal child that the trees light had heralded. And they all swore to protect her with their lives.
Glimrest quickly sent word to the other surrounding towns. They made sure that the kingdom knew that the royal child had indeed survived the night and was safe. Years of fear and desolation were washed away by the joyous news of a new royal. Almost overnight a resistance effort was formed. People had the will to fight against Queen Aetheria and her cruelty once again. Suddenly the kingdom had hope again. They had hope that someday they would be free of Queen Aetheria’s tyranny.
Chapter 2
I was always told growing up that I was special. My mother, Iris, often told me about the night I was born: the day now referred to as the Night of a Thousand Lights. She told me about the trees’ golden light, and how I was the only child to survive that night, that I am the new royal the trees began to glow for that night. And how I would one day take the throne from Queen Aetheria. My name is Leora, and I am the future queen.
It has been several years since I was born. Everyone in the village has helped raise and protect me. As I grew up, I was taught everything I might need to know to finally take down Queen Aetheria. Sword fighting, marksmanship, and hand to hand combat were all drilled into me from a young age. Alongside the combat lessons, I was also taught skills such as diplomacy and strategy. Everyone considers me to be a very clever girl.
Every time that the queen sent her guards to select new people to serve at the castle, I was hidden away to make sure that I was never selected. The queen shouldn’t know about me, but there is always the chance she has heard rumors of the royal child from all those years ago surviving. Regardless, serving in the castle is never a safe occupation. Rumors of the immense cruelty suffered by all that serve there have been whispered around Asinia even long before I was born.
Now that I am almost eighteen, I know my time here in my town is drawing to a close. I will soon have to leave and begin my journey to dethrone Queen Aetheria. Lately I have taken to walking through my town in my free time, trying to commit everything to my memory. I fear that once I leave, it may be a very long time before I see my home again.
As I walk through town, the chill in the air sinks into my bones. All around me, the signs of the impending cold season are visible. The forest that surrounds us has begun to change colors from their normal green, to a vibrant fiery mix of reds, yellows, and oranges. The forest floor and the town are covered in a layer of fallen leaves that crunch beneath my feet. As I walk by the houses, I can smell the different meals being cooked for the families. At the scent of these wonderful meals, my own stomach begins to growl. I turn and begin walking back to my home, anxious for the evening meal.
When I walk through the front door, I see my mother by the fire. She hears the door open and looks towards me with a smile on her face. “Hello Leora! Supper is almost ready. We are having vegetable stew.” I nod and help her set the table. Because of the queen’s taxes and her tight control on trade, there isn’t much food to go around. But we have still been able to get by thanks to our small garden behind the house. Soon, dinner is ready and we have all gathered around the table.
For a while, we sit and eat in comfortable silence. Eventually, my father breaks the silence. “So, Leora. I have almost finished making your new armor. Should be ready for you tomorrow morning.” I smile, excited for the new armor. It will be my eighteenth birthday tomorrow, which means that I will soon set out for the capital. The rest of the town has been giving me gifts for my birthday, to prepare for the journey to the capital: a new sword, pack, and supplies for the trip.
After dinner, I am helping my mother clean up when she asks, “Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow, Leora? It will be an important day for you.” I smile at my mother and reply, “I am very excited. And I am ready to go to the capital. I want to help everyone. The only way I can help everyone is to overthrow Queen Aetheria.” She puts down the dish she is holding and grabs my hands. “Oh, my sweet little light. Your heart is as golden as the light you were born under. You are so brave to do this. I know you will do incredible things and you will succeed. Now, go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow; you need to be well rested.” She kisses me on my head and then goes back to the dishes.
As I walk towards my room, my mind wanders to the events of tomorrow. My parents have said they will take me to the resistance base located here in town. Soon after I was born, several people organized a resistance movement against the queen. Almost every town in Asinia has a group of the resistance located within their borders. So far, the resistance movement hasn’t taken much direct action against the queen’s rule. Instead, they have been stealing from supply caravans meant for the queen’s guard. They gather food, weapons, and other necessary materials so that when the time comes, they are ready to fight.
It will be my first time visiting the base here in Glimrest. My parents, as an extra protection to keep me safe, have kept me away from the base and separated from the other resistance members until I was ready to join them. While everyone in the village isn’t fond of the queen, not everyone has joined the resistance. Some were too old, couldn’t fight, or were just too scared of the queen to get involved.
As I lay in bed unable to sleep, I stare at the ceiling and the familiar fears rise inside me. Will I be able to defeat Queen Aetheria? Almost nothing is known about her. It is entirely possible that she could be a very tough opponent and I won’t be prepared to fight her when the time comes. If I lose, the kingdom will lose hope again. Everyone’s hope is riding on me and it is a heavy burden to bear. And worse, what if I am not the child the trees lit up for? What if it was one of the other thirteen babies from that night and the true royal is dead?
Too restless to lay in bed, I get up and go to the small window opening. It is not the first time these thoughts have formed in my mind. I think often of the future and how if I fail, there will not be anyone left to take the throne from the queen. I carry the kingdom’s hopes for a bright future on my shoulders. The weight of that hope is crushing, knowing that the hope will disappear again if I fail.
But I could never give voice to these fears. I can’t let anyone down. They all believe in me and if I told them that I was worried, their confidence might waiver. I couldn’t bear to disappoint my family and those relying on me to end the suffering brought to their lives by the queen.
As I gaze at the stars, in the solitude of the darkness, I make a promise to myself. I will not stop until the queen is defeated, no matter what it takes. With the dark and anxious thoughts in my mind quieted somewhat, I return to my bed. Soon I fall into a restless sleep, still troubled by thoughts of the future.
The next morning arrives quickly. I rise with the sun and watch the colors of the sunrise streak across the sky. I dress quickly and go to my parents. My father is waiting with the newly made armor for my journey. It is light armor for easy mobility, but will still offer some protection. After a quick breakfast, I slip the new armor over my tunic and pants. My parents, seeing me in the new armor with the sword at my hip, smile brightly. My father walks towards me, “Are you ready? We can go to the resistance location now if you are.” I nod and leave the h
ouse, stepping into the morning sun.
As we walk through town, I feel everyone’s eyes turn to me. They all know what day it is and where I am about to go. A cold wind slaps my face as we walk further from the center of town, eventually leaving the town completely and walking into the surrounding forests. The crunch of leaves surrounds us as we walk the hunting trails. The trees surrounding us provide some buffer from the blisteringly cold wind. We walk in silence, as we venture farther and farther into the forest.
After several minutes of following the trails, we veer off the beaten path, and go through the underbrush. Brambles catch on our clothes, making the trek more difficult. but we eventually arrive at a small clearing. In this clearing stands an old, wooden shack. It looks like it has been standing for several years. Moss is growing on the roof and sides of the shack. There are holes in the walls and door, like the wood had rotted away. The grass surrounding the shack is overgrown. Overall, the area looks like no one has visited in years.
Instead of going to the door of the shack, my parents lead me behind the shack. In the ground behind the shack is a cellar door that looks significantly newer than the rest of the small building. They open the cellar door to reveal stairs descending farther underground. At the bottom of the stairs is a short corridor carved out of the soil and rock that smells of damp earth. At the end of the corridor stands a wooden door with a small slot that looks like it could be slid open from the other side. Father walks up to the door and knocks.
Suddenly, the slot in the door slides open, revealing a pair of eyes on the other side. After a moment, the person on the other side of the door seems to recognize him, and the door swings open.
When we walk inside, I see five people milling about the room, four of whom I recognize. There is the blacksmith from town, Cort Stanton, and his wife Jena. Then, the man standing by the door, is Ransford Newberry, the local mason worker. The only other person I recognize is the woman sitting at the table in the back corner of the room. It is Moriah Asheton, a seamstress from town.