Ariella and the Blood Curse

by Owen Crane

Ariella’s first instinct was to run and throw her arms around him. Lalea

  must have noticed the look in Ariella’s eyes. She laid a firm hand on her

  shoulder and steered her back towards the door.

  “Let’s go Ariella, you’re the last to arrive”

  The second guard opened the door for her and she stepped through. She

  blinked as she went from the bright sunlight into the gloom of the large waiting

  room in the inner wall.

  The waiting room filled the whole inside of the wall. There were no

  windows. Light was given by a series of burning torches fixed along two long

  walls. The room was sparse, there was no furniture and, as far as Ariella could

  tell, there was only the door she came through. Scattered throughout the large

  room were small groups of young men and women, the Sojourners.

  “You made it!” Eleazar left the group he was standing with and strolled

  towards Ariella. “I thought you"d changed your mind and run off back to your

  palace in Lightharbour.”

  Ariella gave him a frosty look. “I"m glad to disappoint you.”

  “Oh, Your Highness, you misunderstand me. I"m thrilled to be spending my

  Journey with such an esteemed person as yourself.” He bowed, mockingly, and

  grinned and Ariella, thoroughly enjoying himself.

  She had a sudden urged to smash her fist into Eleazar"s sarcastic mouth. “I

  should"ve left you with Esme and her rolling pin.”

  “But, Your Highness, think of all the fun we would"ve missed out on over

  the next five years together.”

  Ariella swore under her breath and clenched her fist. The blast of trumpets

  echoing through the walls of the waiting room interrupted her. The Sojourners

  froze. It was time.

  Lalea stepped into the middle of the room and raised her voice. “Welcome

  to the Journey. You will now be formed into your Knots. Each Knot will have a

  boy and a girl from each of the five kingdoms, ten in total. Your Knot will be

  your new family for the five years of The Journey. When your name is called

  follow me.” She spoke without fuss or drama as she unrolled a piece of paper

  and read out ten names in quick succession. Without waiting for any

  acknowledgement she walked from the room, out towards the stage. There was

  a moment of hesitation and then ten people moved forward to follow her.

  There was moment of hush in the room then bubbles of excited conversation

  sprung up amongst the remaining Sojourners. Ariella side stepped Eleazar

  before he could start off again and walked to the far side of the room. More

  trumpets were sounded from outside, sounds of cheering and clapping. Ariella

  started feeling nervous again, her insides churning.

  For pity’s sake Ari, catch yourself will you? You’re not a child anymore.

  A moment later and Lalea walked purposefully to the middle of the room

  again. It was the same routine, ten names, ten people left for the stage. More

  trumpets, more cheering.

  There are only thirty of us left.

  She scanned the room and spotted Eleazar’s white hair amongst a group that

  Ariella thought she recognised.

  They must be the others from Lightharbour.

  She tried to remember some of them but the day of the announcement had

  not been good for her. She was so consumed with her own problems that day

  that she couldn"t think of any of their names.

  In what seemed like moments, Lalea was back in the room with another ten

  names. Ariella was listening as they were read, names she didn"t recognise. Five

  names, six names, seven names, then she heard it „Eleazar Heredis". She held her

  breath.

  Please not me, please not me.

  Lalea lifted her head from the paper and looked straight at her. “Ariella

  Lightharbour”.

  Ariella tried hard not to swear as she followed the others from the room.

  Eleazar stepped in next to her. “Isn"t this fantastic? You get to spend the next

  five years with me!” Eleazar laughed.

  This time Ariella did swear as she stepped into the sunlight, the sound of

  trumpets and cheering crowds filling her ears.

  At the far end of the stage were the twenty Sojourners that had gone before

  them. Dead centre of the stage Ariella spotted her uncle, King Tristan, ruler of

  Trevena. She had a good relationship with her uncle. He was her mother"s

  oldest brother and always had a stern look on his face and a serious air about

  him. Ariella used to try and make him laugh when she was younger. Sometimes

  it would take her hours but eventually she"d get a smile. As she climbed the

  steps to the stage she tried to catch his eye, to get a smile or a nod, some form of

  acknowledgement that might calm her nerves. The King was inspecting each of

  the Sojourners as they stepped on to the stage. Ariella watched his eyes as they

  went from one face to the next. She saw his eyes move to Eleazar, just in front of

  her, then on to her. She smiled a big, friendly smile. The King blinked, frowned

  and looked away.

  What was that? He’s angry. What’s his problem?

  Ariella was confused and upset, she barely noticed that the others had

  stopped and lined up on the stage. The crowds were still cheering as the King

  raised his hand for silence. Lalea addressed the crowd with a voice that carried

  to the very back of the square.

  “People of Dawnhaven, I present to you Indio Griffinfriend and Phoebe

  Montecorde from the Khan Mountains. Jaron Asheart and Theia Silvestris from

  the Darcian forest. Joachim Wolflord and Esther Carissimi from the plains of

  Erestia. Felix Fortis and Eugenie Rexsalve from the kingdom of Trevena. Eleazar

  Heredis and Ariella Lightharbour from the city of Lightharbour.”

  The crowd cheered wildly. Some of the Sojourners waved, one, Ariella

  thought it was Eugenie, curtsied. Ariella just stood there, the conflicting

  emotions of anger, nervousness and annoyance getting the better of her.

  Lalea continued. “Sojourners, this is your Knot, these are your brothers and

  sisters. For the next five years you will live together, eat together, learn together

  and fight together.” There was more cheering from the crowd.

  Will they please stop cheering? I need to get off this stage.

  “I present to you your Knot leader.” Lalea turned and indicated with her left

  hand. Ariella looked where she was pointing. “Karlov Featherfall”

  Seriously, I get Eleazar and now him, this day is getting worse.

  Karlov walked from the back of the stage. He looked stern.

  “Follow me,” he commanded.

  Ariella recognized the tone Karlov used. It was the same way he had spoken

  to her earlier in the day. It was a „do exactly as I say immediately" tone. Ariella

  didn"t argue. She followed the other Sojourners off to the side of the stage as

  Lalea went to gather the last two Knots.

  She managed to stand behind the others so that she was concealed from the

  crowd. She composed herself, taking deep breaths and pushing away the mix of

  emotions that she was feeling. She saw Lalea returning with the next Knot and

  saw her uncle raise his hand again to silence the boisterous crowd. Lalea was

  reading out the names when Ariella noticed the three figures standing in the

  shadows behind her unc
le. She gasped. Loudly. Karlov flicked around and

  gave a look that made Ariella drop her head.

  “Nice move Princess.” Eleazar whispered.

  “Get lost,” Ariella was in no mood to play games. She raised her head

  slightly, her eyes fixed on the three figures at the back of the stage. Standing in

  the middle was a tall man with broad, muscular shoulders. His grey hair and

  neat trimmed beard were flecked with the black of his youth. He stood

  motionless, eyes alert, missing nothing and yet calm, almost peaceful. She had

  never laid eyes on him before but she knew who he was. Vantor, Lord Guardian.

  She had heard countless stories of his exploits, daring deeds and stunning

  triumphs. Looking at the man standing before her, the aura he exuded, Ariella

  believed them all.

  A flicker of movement from behind Vantor caught her attention. A second

  man was causing tiny bursts of blue light to spark from his fingertips. He looked

  bored. Vantor looked down at the man and gave him a reproachful look. The

  man rolled his eyes and let a final spark dance across the back of his hand and

  disappear into the sky.

  The man was somewhere around his mid forties with a shaved head and

  intricate tattoos. The markings started on his left cheek and wound down his

  neck and under his shirt. His bare arms were covered with similar dark marks,

  the patterns complex and beautiful. He carried a short wooden staff with a glass

  prism enclosed in a metal claw at the top. As Ariella was studying him the man

  turned his head and locked eyes with her. He smiled a mischievous smile. She

  gasped as she saw sparks of blue light fly across his eyes. In an instant they were

  gone. She gasped as he laughed quietly and looked away, absent-mindedly

  letting the blue sparks dance across his fingers again.

  “That’s Malum Asinum.” The quiet voice came from just over her shoulder.

  She half turned. The boy who spoke was the smallest on the platform and thin.

  His hair was wispy and blew across his face in the gentle breeze. “He’s the

  Master of the Prism. Scares the beejeebies out of me”

  “What’s a beejeebie?”

  The boy gave her a confused look. “Not sure. It was something my nanny

  used to say to me when I was growing up. Everything scared the beejeebies out

  of her. Spiders, wasps, thunder, cows, black cats, big dogs, small dogs.”

  “Cows?”

  “Oh yes. Terrifying things cows. I think it’s the way they look at you.” The boy shuddered. “I’m Felix, Felix Fortis. My Father is a Baron. I heard you’re a Princess, is that right? Does that mean you’re related to King Tristan?”

  Ariella smiled politely, nodded and turned back to the three figures in the

  shadow. The figure beyond Vantor and Malum was deeper in the shadow of the

  inner wall, their face obscured. A brief lull settled over the square as Lalea went

  to gather the final Knot for their presentation. The three figures seem to lean into

  towards each other and speak quietly. Malum let out a short burst of laughter

  that carried to where Ariella was standing as he took a few steps forward looking

  at the crowd. As he moved further out of the shadows so did his companion

  and, not for the first time today, Ariella’s mouth went dry and her stomach

  churned. It was Elsa Leaina, the Lioness, and the Guardians Master of Arms.

  Oh crap, she’s here. Let’s try really hard not to do anything stupid.

  Elsa had been the one that Ariella had always dreamed about meeting.

  Those hours alone in the library imagining adventures, it was Elsa that she was

  with.

  Now she’s here, a stone’s throw from me. I could run over there and say ‘hi’. Yeah Ari, you could and then you’d be thrown off the stage for being a crazy stalker.

  A blast of trumpets snapped Ariella back into the moment. The final Knot

  had been introduced and the King had come to the front of the stage. He turned

  sideways so he could address the assembled Sojourners and the crowd.

  “Sojourners, welcome to Trevena.” The crowd roared their greeting in echo

  of their King’s. “For the next twelve months you will spend your days here in

  the our beautiful Kingdom, the Garden of Dawnhaven. The year ahead will be

  challenging. It will be dangerous. You will have to face your fears, overcome

  your insecurities and deal with your prejudices”

  Ariella heard someone down the line from her snort in derision at that

  comment. Karlov heard it too; she saw his face flinch but he didn"t turn to look.

  “When my father broke Dawnhaven into the five Kingdoms he gathered the

  wisest from each land for a council. Together they birthed the idea of the

  Guardians. For twenty years the Guardians have defended our island and

  unified our Kingdoms. They are the vein of gold that runs through Dawnhaven.

  They are our heartbeat, our soul. Today you start your Journey that will see you

  counted among their number. Remember this day and mark it, for you will

  never be the same.”

  He nodded to Lord Vantor and stepped aside. Vantor strode to the front of

  the stage and a hush fell over the crowd. He studied the line of young men and

  women before him.

  “It"s time.” He said. His voice was calm and low but somehow seemed to fill

  the air. Ariella felt her hands begin to shake.

  “Today you take your oath, today and everyday. They are simple words yet

  they are the call of the Guardians. Many times over the next five years you will

  have cause to question, doubt, even rebel against these words. Stay strong, allow

  the Light to lead you. These words are our core, our life. Today and everyday.”

  Lord Vantor paused and Elsa stepped up beside him, Ariella gasped.

  As Elsa spoke, her voice rose and fell like a melody, it was mesmerizing.

  “Sojourners repeat the oath after me.”

  We are the light in the darkness.

  The shining steel and burning flame.

  We are the breaking of Dawn

  We give ourselves for the good of Dawnhaven.

  We pledge to use our steel and our Light for the protection of the weak and the

  pursuit of Justice.

  We forsake our kingdoms, our names and our thrones.

  This day and everyday.

  From somewhere off to the right of the crowd a band struck up a raucous

  tune and the crowd went wild again.

  From behind Ariella came a quiet whimper. “Oh no, what have I done?”

  Felix had gone white as a sheet and his hands were shaking. “I don"t think I can

  do this.”

  “It"s a little late, Felix” Eleazar whispered to him. “It"s going to be okay.”

  “Really? You think so?”

  “Course it is” He gave Ariella a wink, “After all, we"ve got a Princess with

  us”

  That thought seemed to lift Felix"s spirits

  “That"s right. She"s a Princess, it can"t be that bad, can it?”

  Lalea started to lead the Knots from the stage.

  “Follow me” Karlov commanded. No one argued or delayed. They fell in

  step with him and followed him down from the stage and away from the waiting

  room. Karlov led them towards a gate set in the wall on the north side of the

  main square; there were a number of Guardians on sentry duty. They nodded to

  Karlov as he passed through.

  They came to a large comp
ound with its own wall on three sides and the

  main city inner wall completing an almost perfect square. There were five

  towers, one on each corner, and the fifth, and largest, in the middle of the inner

  wall. The towers appeared to be slim, elegant and extremely tall. They were the

  highest towers in all of Stonegard. Off to the right and left were two large stone

  buildings the same height as the inner wall. Dead ahead of them was the

  grandest of the buildings, not extravagant, but certainly of a higher class than the

  other two.

  Karlov stopped and motioned for the group to gather round him.

  Karlov stopped and motioned for the group to gather round him.

  He handed each of them a wooden ring, two inches across. Carved into the

  wood was a field and small rising sun. A thin ray fanned out from the middle to

  the edge of the ring. Ariella looked around and saw everyone else was as

  confused as she.

  “This is your pin.” Karlov began. “The pins are like a ranking system. We

  use them so that it can immediately be identified as to which stage in the journey

  you’re in. As first year Sojourners your pin will have one ray, symbolising your

  first year. Next year, you receive a pin with two rays, the year after, three rays

  and so on until your badge is complete at the end of your fifth year. When you

  have completed your training, you receive a new badge,” He signalled to the

  badge pinned to his own chest. Green lower half and five gold bars sectioning

  the top half, like rays of sun. “This is the pin you’ll receive at your graduation.

  The dawn over the haven.”

  Ariella ran her fingers over the smooth wood. It was sturdy, durable.

  “That’s the pretty bit over and done with,” he continued. “Now begins the

  serious work. This year is going to be the single hardest thing you have done in

  your life. That is, until next year.” He laughed to himself, amused by his

  humour. “Look around you. This compound will be your home for the next

  twelve months. The nine others next to you will be your brothers and sisters.

  You are a Knot. Anyone know why we call it a Knot?” There was silence.

  Karlov scowled. “It"s called a Knot because the tighter you become, the stronger

  you become. There are two of you from each of the five Kingdoms. You don"t

  know each other, you may not like the look of each other but…by the end of this