Zara Dawnheart
Had I changed? Why… where was the compelling, the irresistible thirst for revenge? Where was my endless determination, my ironclad resolution? Gone… burned out. Now I was only tired. Tired and scared, but at least I wasn't alone. I hadn't been ever since our prince had died in eternal flames. I still remembered the scene vividly. The crackling flames as they devoured the future ruler of our nation, the nauseating smell of sizzling fat and charring flesh and the assault of magics far more ancient, far more powerful than anything I had ever seen, anything I had ever dreamt of before. Even the stories of old, when gods had descended and fought side by side with mortals, paled in comparison to what I had felt that night.
Ever since I had played a role, I had pretended to be someone I'm not, but despite the mask it still felt like I had grown closer to the person I was meant to be… or maybe because of it. During the day I wore the face of someone I hated, someone who had made me suffer, who had ripped my beating heart from my chest when he had killed my family, but at night I was allowed to be myself again… far away from intrigue and revenge, protected from the heartless machinations of the court by an immortal. For the first time in months I felt safe when I went to bed.
It wasn't only my mistress who gave me courage. Friends, some new, some old, shared my burden. Aeril and Dunathon had been with me since we had been children. They had been there when I had summoned Cassandra and their safety had been the first thing I had asked for when Ahri had accepted my pledge. Now they were my squires, officially designated to share their strength with me as my familiars while they actually just kept me company during the long hours before morning when the night was at its darkest. They had even delivered a magnificent, grief ridden speech at my supposed burial, riddled with tiny innuendos that had only made sense to those who had known it hadn't been my bones in the coffin, but the ashes of our former prince.
Then there were the long lost children of our people, Aspera, Astra and Lyra. The former claimed to have lived with the kitsune for years until they had heard of their father's death. On their way back they had run into Lyra, an orphan without a history whose magic was a testament to her royal lineage, and they had decided to travel together. The sisters had grown fond of the young, lively elf and had decided to take her under their wing until they'd figure out which family she belonged to. So much for the sailor's yarn we had been spinning, over and over again. The truth looked very differently with Lyra having been imprisoned by a dragon for aeons, Astra and Aspera about as fed up with our people as they could be and me and my squires secretly taking orders from the one creature who had single-handedly put an end to our monarch's bloodline.
The perverted dance had some upsides, not being forced to fight a civil war or the ability to call upon the might of an immortal if push came to shove, but it also came with quite a few downsides. Attending court, for example. As the next in line to the throne I couldn't possibly shirk my duties and my squires didn't have much of a choice, either. Nor did the heiresses to one of our most prominent families. Only Lyra attended out of curiosity. She was trying to learn as much as she could about the past she had missed and the dangerous symphony of threats and promises called politics was as good a place to start as any and better than most, considering our coveted secrets were traded like marbles in the royal hall.
Today was the same as ever. The six of us had made a habit of breakfasting together after Ahri had left and it hadn't changed when the king had returned, shaken and intimidated, but alive. He had even personally planted the cherry seed in front of the academy's gates the very next day. After we had left Aspera's and Astra's ancestral home with full bellies, we were headed for another tedious hour of pointless discussions revolving around the ignominy our proud race had suffered at the hands of the fey and the king's surprising decision to pursue peace.
As always we made our way past the royal palace, where the guards stationed at the gate saluted me gracefully. I didn't pay too much attention, but when we neared the fortified ferry dock, that'd take us to the large flying stone upon which the royal hall had been erected, Aeril commented:
"The walkways and walls are empty. Has your father withdrawn many soldiers? Why? Have you heard anything?" I shook my head and focused on my surroundings for the first time. We were making our way along a cobblestone road hemmed with various official buildings in the shadow of the floating royal hall. Very few elves were even allowed to be here and usually the entrances, as well as the walls and walkways that connected various structures, would be swarming with armed guards. Right now I only spotted a scarce few here and there, but I couldn't observe for very long. We had already reached the dock and the street, as well as the distant palace, vanished behind a glaring wall of light as we entered the formation that protected the ferries.
My boots clicked loudly on the solid granite ramp we had to climb as I replied over my shoulder: "nothing. But you're right. Where are the soldiers? One more battalion should have returned from the northern wilds yesterday. If anything, more guards should be around, not less."
"They're returning? Already," Astra asked over the jingling of her bracelets. The siblings had gotten used to the extravagant fashion in the capital practically over night and were now as elaborately dressed as any elven noble. Their short gowns were almost indecently tight around the chest and waist and left their flat, alabaster bellies uncovered. Around the legs they flared out in glittering waves of green and yellow, but the cloth didn't even reach their knees. To compliment their getup and display the wealth of their house they even wore brace- and anklets in gold, adorned with large rubies and emeralds. Additionally each one had donned a heavy golden necklace with a large, blue diamond pendant in the shape of a griffin, the patron saint of their family.
"The war is over, isn't it," I shrugged and stepped onto the automated gondola that would ferry us to the royal hall. "Neither our people nor the fey are stupid enough to risk the wrath of an immortal. You heard the Duke of Lions, yesterday. Cassandra and Sarai crushed the siege at Eternal Spring castle in a single breath. They even took one of the high ranking fey captive. Guinevere was her name, wasn't it? What use are armies if they can't even draw their weapons?" The three elves exchanged a quick glance, one I had seen quite often before. Every time I mentioned the supposed rulers of the fey they acted like that. In the beginning I had tried to weasel at least some information out of them, but their lips were sealed tighter than our palace gates. By now I didn't even try anymore and only sighed, my eyes darting over the railing and toward the emerging city as we were slowly being carried through the formation again.
Beyond the receding veil of magic our capital appeared like a painting in silver, green and brown hues. The emerald island was mountainous, covered in lush, verdant forests that had inspired its name. Some of the ancient trees reached heights of several hundred metres and they were visible with the naked eye, even from here, like thin, living needles jutting from the undulating sea of leaves. The city itself sat atop three hills around a natural, v-shaped bay on the southern coast.
Thanks to the flying stones mined in our mountains, our capital extended in three dimensions. The upper city was a gargantuan, flying piece of rock, the largest we had ever found, anchored to the summits of the three hills with chains as massive as most sky ships. Only royalty and the high nobility were allowed to live there while the less illustrious aristocrats had to make do with mansions on the ground.
The academy, the royal hall, the treasury and the garrison had been erected on similar platforms, albeit much smaller ones, and were likewise anchored to the upper city. To keep the weight to a minimum and reduce the energy the stones needed to fly most buildings had been constructed from living trees. Clever spells and a decent amount of power had allowed our builders to incorporate crystal spires, metalline gates and fortifications made of stone into the living base. As a result most buildings could repair themselves, albeit slowly, but with enough magical power the entire upper city could have been rebuilt over night, provided the trees hadn't died.
As we were slowly rising towards the royal hall the upper city sprawled away below us like a glittering pond. Light shimmered on colourful roofs grown from crystallised lilies, turrets made of ivy, their leafs and trunks had hardened into an almost stone like substance, scraped the sky here and there and the shrinking silhouettes of elvish nobles out on a morning stroll glittered like specks of stardust on the ground when the soft light hit one of the many priceless gems they had embroidered their clothes with. A bare handful of half transformed elves sailed through the sky close by, either on bird wings as large as sails or carried aloft by their magic. Every once in a while a melodious voice called out in a formal greeting, but I didn't spare the time, nor the effort to return the gesture.
Instead I focused on the city proper far below us, where the behemoth of a port, that connected us to the rest of the world, was slowly rising from its slumber. Nestled in between the three hills the docks had been constructed along the cliff walls, secured by enchantments and plain, but massive metal pylons that had been driven deep into the flank of our island. At least a hundred ships were either preparing for departure, arriving or simply waiting to be unloaded while tiny, ant like figures rushed along the wooden walkways, their raised voices an indistinguishable murmur on the wind.
Three broad, well maintained roads divided the capital into two sections. They ran east and west, along the coast, while the third vanished amongst the towering trees to the north. From up here I could see columns of soldiers that slowly made their way towards the city along the well trodden path, their pristine armour and shimmering weapons a testament to the anticlimactic end of a war we had expected to last for months, if not even years.
The western district, where most of the trade occurred, was slowly waking up, the first stands were opening in the market squares and the streets were slowly filing up with merchants, eager to advertise the newest wares they had painstakingly collected from the most distant corners of Gaya. The eastern district, where the majority of the population lived, was still quiet, the windows closed, the doors locked, while the occasional servant rushed towards the bakeries in a desperate attempt to provide their lords with fresh bread in the morning. In contrast, a few stragglers were still staggering home from the seedy establishments near the outer wall, where they had drunk the night away, their wobbling gait a stark contrast to the tranquil, sleepy atmosphere and the almost hounded antics of the servants.
"Where are they, even," I complained quietly to continue our conversation as we entered a wispy cloud and the scenery vanished behind a wet, greyish curtain. Despite my warming pelts goosebumps erupted along my arms as my heavy garments practically sucked water from the moist air. "Ahri has been gone for nearly four days now. She said she'd be back soon. Have you heard…"
"Something came up, most likely," Astra replied. Her sister barely spoke of her own accord, unless directly questioned. "We've spent a few weeks in their company. Four days is more than enough for the two angels to stumble across just as many ancient secrets buried by the sands of time. Don't worry. Besides, you can call her anytime, can't you?" I nodded absentmindedly.
"True, but she'll make me regret it, if it isn't important. I'm not very eager to experience another beating disguised as physical education."
"That was one time," the elf chuckled in response, "and she even apologised afterwards."
"Yeah… when I couldn't even muster the strength to crawl anymore. I think I'm still sore," I winced. "And until then were supposed to just keep going? How long do you think we can even keep up the charade? Sooner or later someone's bound to notice."
"Everyone who knows, aside from us, is dead," Aeril interjected with a shrug.
"Sardonna," was all I replied. She had been the prince's right hand woman and the only other murder Ahri had committed. Sure, the angel had wanted to keep me safe and the wily elf would have realised that I wasn't Ianven in the blink of an eye, but first and foremost she had tried to threaten the immortal with my life. Which had been her final mistake. As far as I had come to understand them, Cassandra was more bark than bite, but her lover was pretty much the opposite. She didn't erupt or display her power. She simply acted in a very definitive manner whenever she deemed it necessary.
"What about her? Ashes can't talk, can they? We've scattered them, so they can't even be found."
"Someone will question what happened to her sooner or later," I mumbled. "She's running errands is only going to hold up as an excuse for so long… you don't think we've already been found out, do you?"
"Why," Astra asked. "Because there are a few less soldiers posted in the upper city? Caution is good, paranoia not so much. How could they know? Besides, they'd have chained you up first thing, if they had found out."
"You're right, I hope. I just don't want to continue like this. Admittedly, it's better than being treated and used like an animal, but…"
"It's not your life, either," Lyra spoke up. "I understand, but you have to prevail for a little while longer. There's more at stake than you know."
"You always say that," I grumbled, "but you never explain. What's at stake? The war is over, isn't it?"
"It's not my place to tell," the ancient elf in the body of a girl admitted quietly and shook her head. Her sapphire blue tresses danced in the wind and specks of muted sunlight painted a beautiful, glittering pattern around her. "I don't know everything myself, but I can tell you that the world is changing. Much more so than a single war could warrant. Our people… I think they'll need a leader they can follow and if you were to shake their trust…"
"Is that why you're here," I asked, more heatedly than I had meant to. "To retake your crown?" She laughed at that.
"My time as a royal is long gone and I don't wish for it to return. But I still feel… attached to my people. I want to help. I can't repay Cassandra for what she's done if I stay close to her. She doesn't need me, I'd only get in the way. Here, though… if I'm right, our people will live through a time of upheaval that'll shake the very foundations of our world. I… again I'm not sure, but as far as I've come to understand it, the cataclysm, the fall as you call it, was the act of a single immortal who punished the arrogance of humans. Now… I think they're going to war. Their entire people. It'll fall to us to make sure our bards can still tell the story in the future."