|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Runic Eye | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Act one: memories | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Over twenty years had come and passed since the fall of the Dark Queen. In that time - Lady Angela and Prince Harmen had been crowned king and queen of all Eversky. Everything that was wrong - was finally behind them - or so they would have wished. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eight years - into their reign - a tragedy befell - the royal house. While the queen had gone off to visit her oldest dearest friend at the abbey where she had been raised. She failed to answer the door the next morning when the good sister knocked. When there was no answer - concern began to rise - the door was unlocked - and they found Lady Angela unconscious on her bed. Though they tried their best to revive her - it had become clear that she was dead. How it happened - to this day no one truly knows. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The royal family - and the entire kingdom mourned the loss of their beloved queen - but the ill fortune did not end with her. For her sister - not two days later while out swimming - drowned - her body was never found. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The dark curse that seemed to shadow the royal house - continued to move and soon eclipsed the grief stricken king. King Harmen - for while the king slept one dark night - he never woke. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The shadow of darkness that had seemingly cursed the royal family seemed to stop when the young princess Lady Gwenyth, daughter to the late king and queen ascended to Queen of Eversky. Her younger brother - Prince Gregory could not deal with the ghosts that seemingly haunted him at home and chose to go abroad - hoping to sate the darkness through adventure and heroism. But the dark curse that stained their family - did not - and would not stop - there. The curse - would go much further. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Near that rustic abbey where the fair queen was raised - a cloaked person approached the guarded gate. The guards lowered their weapons to block the door. The person stopped and stepped back. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "None are permitted to enter," one guard stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why?" the person asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Since the Queen perished here - precautions have to be made," the other guard replied. The cloaked person sighed and lowered her hood. The two guards were mildly surprised to see the Queen of Eversky standing before them! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Even to her daughter?" she asked curiously. The two guards politely bowed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We didn't know," one began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you had sent word," the other added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The place would have been swarming with agents trying to look out for my well being - which would have defeated the purpose of my coming here," she replied seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Have - have you come to see Sister Jezzela?" the first guard asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I got word that she wasn't well - I came as soon as I was able," she replied. The two guards fell silent and looked away from the young queen. "What? Has she gotten worse?" she asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "She passed on - yesterday night," a guard replied. A sad look crossed the young Queen's face. She had hoped that she could get there in time - but she had arrived too late. The sister that had been so close to her mother was gone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "May - may I enter?" she asked curiously. The two guards nodded and opened the doors. The queen smiled at the guards and made her way into the old abbey. As a child - her mother had taken her there on several occasions. It always amazed her how the place never seemed to change. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Lady Gwenyth," a voice stated. She looked over and saw an elderly sister hurrying her way. "It has been too long," she added politely. The queen sighed and looked up at the sky. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know," she replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If this is about Jezzela - don't do it to yourself. She was an old woman and her heart was weakened when Lady Angela perished. Many of us were surprised that she held out for as long as she had," the sister interrupted seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know you are right - you usually are. I just wish I could have gotten here sooner - to say goodbye," she replied with a sad sigh. The sister placed her hand on the young queen's shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Sister Jezzela - spent all of her life here - in the service of others - and god. In spite of the fact that her spirit has moved on - she will always be with us," the sister began as she looked around the serene surroundings. "If you wish to say goodbye to her - by all means do so. Wherever she is - god rest her soul. I know she would not turn a deaf ear to you," she reassured as she walked away to resume her duties. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know you are right - but that does not make it any easier," she said to herself. She sighed and made her way through the garden and walked down the familiar path that led to the room where her mother used to live. She looked around and silently slipped inside. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Everything looked just as it did when the good queen perished. Not a thing was out of place - as if they were expecting her return any moment. Gwenyth sighed and bolted the door. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I miss you so much," she said softly. She closed her eyes and tried to keep the emotions in their secretive cage - but despite her best efforts - a tear rolled down her cheek. It was then that she heard something. She opened her eyes - and saw - her mother? Only it couldn't be - for Angela looked to be younger than she was. "Mother?" she asked mildly confused. But she couldn't seem to hear her as she danced around her room. Gwenyth sat down by the door and watched as her mother innocently danced. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She watched as her mother climbed up onto her bed and held some seeds out. Seconds later - Meep poked his head out and began to nibble on the seeds. Just then - someone knocked on the door! She turned around. When she looked back - her mother was gone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Lady Gwenyth? Are you in there?" a soft voice asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Uhm - yes. I promise I won't be long," she replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Be careful - we wouldn't want to lose two queens," the voice joked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I promise," she replied. She listened and heard the footsteps leading away from the room. Gwenyth slowly got up and dusted herself off. "Why did it have to happen? Why did you have to leave me?" she asked as she walked over to the window. She looked out and saw the guards doing their usual patrol. She remembered how her mother told her stories of sneaking out to go for a swim whenever she needed clarity. And if ever she needed such a moment - it was now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She carefully climbed out the window and dropped down to the ground below. It wasn't easy - but it wasn't overly difficult. She then hurried away into the forest - much like her mother used to do around her age. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Within moments - the trees grew more dense - Gwenyth knelt down and looked at the forest floor. Although the trail was almost gone - there were still faint signs of the trail being in tact. She pressed on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moments later - the foliage and branches were almost too thick to move through. It was then that she could hear the stream. A smile crept across her face. She pressed on. After a short fight to get through the narrow gap between a rock formation and the trees - she was there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The setting was just as her mother had described. In her mind she could imagine her mother swimming in the tranquil pond - and how her father had inadvertently walked in on her. She sat down by the quiet trickling waterfall and sighed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I wonder if the old watch tower is near," she began. It was then that another wave of clarity overcame her. She slowly looked over in the direction of the abbey and then looked down at the ground. "Hmm. Mother - she was able to sneak out undetected," she began as she slowly got up. "So was I," she rationalized. "If I we were - someone could have sneaked in," she muttered. Her train of thought would have continued - but a distant explosion got her attention. "The abbey," she concluded. She quickly made her way through the bushes and trees. As she ran - she could hear distant screams - she could smell the smoke. It was then - that she stopped. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The abbey that she had been in - not a few minutes earlier - was engulfed in a towering inferno of flames. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||