Leah the Goldenhearted
Jiv and Gilan went to live in a nearby forest, but made Leah promise to visit them
all the time. She promised, then went back to her home and fell asleep almost immediately. The
journey had been long, and she hadn't slept for awhile.
That night she was visited by yet another shade. This time she wasn't scared, only angry. "Why
do you visit me this night?" she demanded in a hisslike whisper. "I have done what the first
shade requested: I have retrieved three golden apples and made the king well again."
"We have need of you once more, child of the golden heart." The shade remained unwavering under
Leah's hateful stare.
"More apples? Or a quest that will surely taint me forever?"
The shade remained silent for an infinite amount of time, staring at Leah with cold, lifeless
eyes. Then it finally spoke, the words coming out slow and even. It told Leah of a little village
situated upon the wharf that for generations served as a place of trade. But now, after thousands
of years, the monstrous sea serpent Neth had returned, wreaking havoc upon the poor people of the village. When
the shade finished, it was silent once more.
"How can you ask me to do this?" the young woman asked softly. "It would take the strength of ten
men at least to slay such a monster!"
"Aye, that is true. But if you, with the courage of a thousand men, cannot defeat Neth, who will?"
"Leave me," she requested finally. "I must think this through before I decide. What you ask requires
more of me than I can give."
"Very well." The shade nodded and faded away, its green shroud of light taking longer to dissipate.
She confessed her fears to her friends the next day but they supported her completely. "You have more
strength than you think, Leah," Gilan stated. "Besides, Jiv and I shall come with you. If you do not go,
it would be a fool's choice."
"We will help you." Jiv hugged Leah around her shoulders. "You will succeed, just as you did when we went
to the sacred tree."
Leah smiled softly, her dewey gray eyes twinkling gently. "I will go," she said. "Shall we start tomorrow?"
"Nae, we shall leave at once," Gilan replied. He picked up his battleaxe and tied it to his back. Jiv
sprung to his feet, already excited.
"I hope this is the last time a shade will ever bother me," Leah confessed with a rueful grin. "I'm not as
strong as I'd like to believe!"
The little fishing village of Ismin was a shorter travel than getting to the sacred tree of Or, and much less
dangerous. The people living there were poor but happy, and kind to all strangers. Although they were in the kingdom
of Dimern, they were usually ignored because they were so poor it did no good to tax them.
When Leah's small company arrived, the village was in turmoil. Women ran with their children to the safety of the
mainland while the men shot arrows and threw swords at the huge reptilian beast. Its neck alone soared hundreds of
feet in the air, and its mouth had huge, razorlike fangs. Leah almost turned around right then but knew she had to do
something.
"Neth is bigger'n I thought," Gilan muttered softly, unstrapping his battleaxe. Jiv stared wide-eyed as the beast
opened its giant maw and took four men at a time into it.
Neth towered above Leah like the Castle of the Distant Horizon itself. Although not made of stone, the beast was
just as formidable. Once again Leah felt herself grow weak as she tilted her head back to stare in awe. She could hear
Gilan breathing heavily beside her, then finally running off to help the other men. Leah walked forward slowly, frozen
in fear and not able to react. This had never happened to her before, and as the worry built up, so did the fear. It
seemed as though she'd scream if she didn't run away.
But then she saw Neth bend his serpent neck and pluck a small child from the ground, tearing it to pieces before it
could even make a noise. Leah did scream then, but this time in anger. As she did so, a hot glow roiled inside
her and her gray eyes became bright silver. Astonished, the other men stepped back as she stormed forward, her face contorted
with fury. This fury was not only directed at the huge sea beast, but also at herself for not being able to control her
fear.
Yelling angrily, she grabbed one of Neth's slimy scales to climb onto his back. However, as she touched the scale, white
light raced down her arm like electric current and enveloped both girl and beast. The last thing Leah heard was the painful
howling coming from her own throat and that of the beast...
"I have done what you asked," the shade said mournfully to a shadow-cloaked figure. "The girl is dead and no one will know
she is the true heir to the Castle of the Distant Horizon."
"Good," hissed the shadow, stepping into the light made from the shade's green shroud. Her face emerged first: the fair,
doll-like face of Amarantha which was now contorted with horrible evil. She was a necromancer.
The green light danced off her raven tresses as she walked toward a gilt-framed mirror. She placed a slender, pale hand
against the glass and it began to ripple like water. Moaning in agony, the shade was pulled toward the mirror and taken
inside. Evil laughter filled the room...
Leah awoke and cringed at the pain that jolted through her body. Gilan, Jiv, and people she didn't know were blurred
images hovering over her worriedly. A tall, willowy woman pushed through them to her and placed her gnarled hand on Leah's
arm. The pain disappeared and Leah's vision cleared.
"Where am I?" Leah demanded, sitting up. The people cheered in relief but were soon hushed by the woman.
"You are still in Ismin," she told Leah quietly, brushing back her long silver hair. "Neth is dead and you killed him."
Leah frowned, brushing aside a stray tendril of golden hair. Her face, which was by now almost a replica of Queen Charisia's
fragile beauty, became thoughtful. She could remember giant Neth, his huge fangs glinting wickedly, but how did she...and then she
remembered. The woman smiled at her, reading her thoughts.
"You have magic," she said. "That's how you killed Neth: with your magic." Her face became serious. "But that was a great
amount of magic you used, wielded recklessly because of your fury. If you ever use so much of it with such power ever again, it
will kill you."
Leah left the following day with Jiv and Gilan, the mage's warning still in her mind. On the way back to their home they met one
more man, this one tall and gangly with long copper hair and very pale blue eyes. He was a strange character but kind nonetheless,
and his attribute, like Leah, was faultless courage. In addition, however, he could care wonderful images out of marble and stone. He
became the fourth member of their group and was welcomed wholeheartedly.
Leah spent the night with them at Gilan and Jiv's forest home, which was situated by the Silver River. They all talked for hours,
until finally they fell asleep. When the third shade approached them, all four people woke up.
"Who are you?" demanded Morgan, his angered face matching the red tones of his hair.
"Hush, Morgan. I know what this means." Leah frowned at the shade. "What would you tell us?"
"It is Amarantha," the shade replied.
"Nae, do not mention her name, the ill-bred hussy!"
"I must, for she has to be stopped!" The shade's voice was urgent. "Look into the river and you will see what I speak of."
Leah glanced in bewilderment at the others but did as she was told. Suddenly, images began forming in the water. First was Amarantha
as a child, playing with her dolls but not as a normal child would...she was stabbing pins into them. Then came another image of the evil
young woman seated on the floor, her hair blowing wildly and her turquoise eyes blood red. A shade appeared before her, cloaked in green. It
was the first shade that had visited Leah. More images appeared until Leah yelled for them to stop.
"What do you show me, shade?" she cried. "Were those adventures for naught? Is Amarantha...."
"Aye, she is a caller of the dead, but more than that. She is the daughter of Elspeth and spawn of the Dark Lord!"
"Tor," whispered the others in fear. Leah sprung to her feet.
"Daughter of Elspeth?! Nae, that is my heartless mother!"
"You are wrong, dear child. Your true heritage is with the king and queen. You are a princess. When you and Amarantha were born,
you were accidentally switched. Now the power of the Dark Lord runs rampant within Amarantha, who has sought to destroy you through those
first two quests."
For a few moments Leah couldn't speak. She should have known long ago that Amarantha was evil. The way her turquoise eyes were always
roiling stormily within her placid face, the way she never came out of her room and was always clutching a torn-up doll...these small things
should have told Leah that the princess was not all she appeared to be.
But wait, the shade said that Leah was the true heir. But she could she believe anything it said after it just told her that the last two
adventures were created by Amarantha just to kill her? For heaven's sake, the witch was a necromancer, a caller of spirits and ruler of dead
souls!
"If I destroy Amarantha I'll be exiled from here forever," Leah said with a slightly venemous tone. "No one will understand why I did it!"
"We'll help you, Leah," Morgan offered. "If you truly are the real princess, as this shade says, then you should step up and take your
rightful place!"
Leah nodded and the shade began to explain what they had to do. Upstream a few miles was a lake called Hades' Door. It was the link to the
underworld and the throne of Dainar, the king of shades. Leah's friends would be needed, but only because a little of each of them was needed to
make a weapon to destroy the necromancer and defeat the Dark Lord's plans.
They started before dawn of the next day, following the Silver River upstream. Jiv remained close to Leah as if he was protecting her. Gilan
and Morgan chatted comfortably with each other. Leah remained reclusive, locked up within the chamber of her mind. She had come to be so much
more than just a boyish girl...she was the true princess and a heroine in the kingdom's eyes. And now she was being sent on the toughest of all
three adventures: she had to kill a girl she'd known forever.
The travel to Hades' Door was much longer than the shade had said; it took them until almost noon to reach the large lake. Its water was
dazzlingly clear, yet so deep that the bottom couldn't be seen. Cautiously, the four travelers approached the lake's edge, peering down into its
depths for Dainar, the underworld king.
"There," Jiv whispered, pointing. The others looked up to see a large, forbidding shade hovering silently above the surface. It wore a black
cloak and its head was shadowed beneath the cowl. Slowly it approached, extending a bony hand which pointed to Leah.
--You are Leah, the goldenhearted-- His voice seemed to be coming from within her head.
Leah nodded. "Aye, I am. What weapon would you give me to defeat the Dark Lord's daughter?"
--Link hands-- He instructed. --Do not break apart, no matter what happens. You must stay together--
Morgan, Leah, Jiv, and Gilan reached out and took one another's hands. As they stood in a circle, the shade came closer and extended both
hands. All four travelers felt something reach inside and take something away, leaving a cold, empty feeling behind. They wanted to run, to break
apart and flee from the emptiness, but couldn't. And then when it got so bad that they felt they would let go, Dainar cupped his hands in front of
himself and a blinding flash followed. The circle broke and Leah flew several feet before hitting the ground. When the disorientation
subsided, Dainar was holding a shining silver arrow.
--Leah, come forward and take this arrow. It does not seem like much against such evil as the Dark Lord, but it contains power from each of you
and that is better than the strength of steel--
Tentatively, Leah took the silver arrow. It flashed brightly in her hands, as if begging her to use the power immediately. At that moment, she
turned and began to run, knowing that she had to defeat Amarantha on that very same day or it would be too late. A warning flashed through her mind,
the last of what Dainar had to say.
Beware of who holds the true magic, he warned. When you confront Amarantha you will feel doubt, but just remember who it is that is
truly evil.
Leah and her friends walked through the town, all knowing that when Leah reached the castle she would have to go on alone. When they came to the
huge oaken doors, she turned to face them. Jiv was crying and she knelt down to comfort him.
"Jiv, please," she murmured. "I will come back, you'll see! Don't cry for me, Jiv. We all need to be strong."
The boy wiped his face dry with the sleeve of his shirt and smiled weakly. Leah kissed him on the cheek, said a few words to Gilan and Morgan,
then turned and pushed the doors open. Guards tried to stop her but she pushed them away with a strength that belied her petite size. Cautiously
she made her way to Amarantha's room.
When she opened the door, Amarantha was sitting in front of a gilt-framed mirror brushing her long, silken raven hair. She saw Leah in the
mirror's reflection, standing in the doorway amidst her golden cloud of hair. Furious, the princess sprung from her chair.
"You're dead!" she declared, throwing the jewel-encrusted brush to the ground. Leah laughed.
"So you wished!" she retorted, stepping into the room. "You sent me on those quests so I would never find out I was the true heir--"
"Nae!" Amarantha screamed. She lunged for Leah but missed, hitting the wall. Leah drew the magic silver arrow, fitting it to her bow and
aiming it at Amarantha.
"For all the pain you've put me through, may you suffer in..." The archer broke off, looking slowly at the mirror. The glass was beginning to
ripple, and the moaning of hundreds of shades pierced the air. Beware of who holds the true magic...The thought ran through Leah's head. Turning
her body swiftly, she let go of the arrow, shattering the mirror.
"You destroyed my mirror!" Amarantha shrieked. A sinister smile spread across her face. "No matter, you have not destroyed me! Leave now while
you can! I will have this kingdom as my own, and the evil of my father shall rule!"
Leah howled in fury and lunged at Amarantha. Her eyes transformed into bright silver, and as she came in contact with the evil necromancer the air
crackled with white light...
Queen Charisia ran in the room minutes later to see Leah and Amarantha lying on the ground. Amarantha's face was still contorted in evil, while Leah's
beautiful face had turned elegant and serene. Neither of them were breathing. The Queen knelt down beside Leah and took the girl into her arms as King
Hestel walked into the room.
"Leah...Hestel, look at her!" Charisia cried.
"She looks just like you," Hestel said in puzzlement.
"Aye! All along, she was my real daughter, and Amarantha..." She looked over at Amarantha and broke down in tears. Jiv, Gilan, and Morgan ran in moments
later, their faces sick with worry. Jiv saw Leah and gave a pained shriek, running to her side.
"Wake up Leah, please," he begged, kissing her still-warm cheek. Charisia hugged him around the shoulders and cried with him.
A monument was set up in the middle of the village, carved out of marble by Morgan's expert hand. It was of Leah, her eyes wide with an excited look and
a smile on her face. Every detail was perfect, as if it really was Leah and not a block of carved marble. The inscription on the pedestal was simple:
Although a mortal and misunderstood, she rose to the level of the gods.
Leah the Goldenhearted.
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