Ever since that afternoon, questions clouded Kismet’s mind. What are Undine, or even Cathera for that matter? What is a blood sister? Did she have a blood sister? If so, where has she been all these years? Was she dead? How did she suddenly appear in Delphi’s bath?
Soon after Delphi fell asleep, Kismet found herself gazing into the blue shimmering waters of Rokan’s Holy Fountain. In her studies, she learned the fountain existed even before the Empire began 990 years ago. The fountain didn’t have its polished stone tiers, or its large stone base. Instead, it was only the large, mystical statue of an Undine, sitting on rocks that seemed to grow out of the earth.
The polished stone face of the Undine gazed at Kismet with large pupil-less eyes. Her face tilted to the left, as if sympathetic, with a sad, but loving smile. Her face and body were hauntingly realistic. Even the stone had a subtle tint of blue to it, with a texture reminiscent of Aria and Melody’s body. It even looked moist, maybe even a little bit slick and scaly, but it was stone to the touch. The statue sat casually on it’s rocky perch, its tail bent in front of her and tilted to the side, as if she were sitting on a chair. A long river of rocky hair cascaded down her back, reaching the floor. The hair on her right was brushed behind her ear, while the left fell gently over her chest. The Undine’s elbows were bent near the waist, her palms upward and cupped together to make an open bowl, as if offering something, and from it overflowed an abundance of water. It still puzzled the Catheran where the water even came from, and how it always seemed so clean. The fountain never stopped running, and the water seemed to form from the Undine’s hands itself. Enough water flows from the fountain that it is channeled into a special water tank. The water is reserved for watering the garden, along with drinking water and baths for royalty only.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Kismet spun around to find King Marcus and General Raze standing at the entrance of the gardens. Marcus walked along the stone path that led straight to the fountain and stood by her side, gazing up at the Undine, while Raze stood a respectful distance beside him. The king’s voice seemed softer than usual. “To think this fountain was here even before the Rokan Empire began. Even after all these years, there isn’t a single sign of age or vandalism.”
Marcus slid his hand along the rim of the fountain’s base. The exterior of the base was faded and stained, while the inside looked clean and preserved. “Legend has it that a boy from the Lokem tribe, or so it was called at that time, set out east to explore with a group of his people. They traveled through Jastor’s Pass, and across the Rokan River, settling here at Rokan. Every day, the boy would go to the river to gather water, or to wash the village’s clothes. At that river, he met a lone Undine. The two quickly became close friends, and they would visit each other every day. But a year later, the summer was long and harsh. The river almost completely dried up, and was in dire need of water. People were starting to die of thirst. They dug in search of water, but were unable to find any. All the nearby ponds had nearly dried up, and there hadn’t been any rain for several months. Not knowing what to do, they prayed to the heavens for rain and built this statue as a sign of fealty to the water goddess, Vesi, but no rain came.”
The king looked back up at the Undine’s sad smile, as though he were touched by her expression. “One day, when all hope seemed lost, the boy went to the river. The Undine hadn’t visited him ever since the river had gotten so low, but that day was different. The Undine was there. He ran down to meet her at the shallow water. She said to him ‘The summer has run long, and I care too much for you to watch you and your family die. Thank you for your great friendship. This is my gift to you.’ And with that she took his hands in hers. Water surrounded them, and when the water had dispersed, she was gone, leaving a glorious blue gem in his hands. He realized what had happened, and he cried, but he would not let her sacrifice go to waste. He took the blue gem to the statue they had built in the center of their village and placed it in the Undine’s cupped hands. The gem seemed to fade into her hands and give the stone a blue color, and water began to flow, up until this very day.”
First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: Dining With the Guard (Part 2), Scene v1
Next: Dye, Scene v1
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Holy Fountain, Scene v1
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dining With the Guard (Part 2), Scene v1
Nakita tore a piece of meat from the fowl with her teeth. She didn’t blame her friend for losing interest in such ordinary things. After all, she was the same. The responsibilities that followed being a member of the Royal Guard was certainly Nakita’s least favorite part. She wished she could devote her time to her research, protecting Lydia, and working alongside Raze. “It doesn’t take a genius to realize it. You’re always more interested in the research you’re overseeing for the Queen, or—Agh!” With a small squishy crunch, she winced.
Raze cringed empathetically. “Ow. That didn’t sound good. You alright?”
The witch prodded at the inside of her cheek with her finger. Just as she expected. Bleeding. “Damn it. The last one just healed too.”
The Silver Guard couldn’t help but laugh. “I keep telling you to stop talking while you’re eating, and to slow down. It’s not like your food is going to run away, you know.”
Nakita never really knew why she always laughed at her, but since she only saw Raze laugh with at most a handful of other people, she always felt touched. She found herself feeling warm, and a little flushed. “Anyway, as I was saying, she said she didn’t know much about what Hazalin was planning, since he was always away. But she did say he was chasing a fantasy.”
“A fantasy?”
“The Hidden Valley.”
For once, Raze looked confused. “Commander Hazalin, the pride and glory of the Kival, abandoned his position as one of the Five Commanders of Lokem for something like that?”
It was Nakita’s turn to be confused. “You actually believe her?”
“She’s young, and spent much of her life as a house keeper. Let’s face it. Your… methods have broken down stronger people. I doubt lying even crossed her mind. The question is, if what she said really is true, why is he placing his hopes on a fairytale?”
First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: Dining With the Guard, Scene v1
Next: The Holy Fountain, Scene v1
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Dining With the Guard, Scene v1
The smell of roasted quail and broiled vegetables, topped with thick brown gravy, made Nakita’s mouth water like a stray dog at a butcher's shop. There it sat, on a cart to the side of the table of which the three of them usually ate their late dinners, conversed, and worked on paperwork. Tonight, Devin and Raze left the head of the table open for her, while they sat across from each other on either side. The ornate silver chair, reserved for the Silver Hand, was set aside as it usually was. Raze never did enjoy alienating herself from them more than she had to. She always sat in the same red-cushioned chairs as everyone else. They had only just begun eating, prodding at their first quails between replies.
Nakita helped herself to a large plate of food. She felt their eyes on her as she took her seat. “What?”
“I swear. What would normally make people sick to their stomach only makes yours grow larger,” commented Raze.
The mage poured herself a glass of sweetened water and shrugged. “What can I say?” she said with a mouth full of food.
“The worst part of the job…though I’m sure Nakita would beg to differ,” commented Devin with a hint of disgust on his face. He set down his knife and fork. “And now I’ve lost my appetite. Would it kill you to take a bath after, or at least change into some clean clothes? You smell horrible and there’s blood all over you.”
“I was hungry,” she mumbled with her mouth full.
Devin sighed. “Well, I hope you didn’t put the girl through hell for nothing.”
“Of course not. What do you take me for, a monster?”
“Sometimes.”
Raze chuckled. “So, what did you find out?”
Nakita took a big gulp of water before picking at a piece of meat stuck between her teeth. “Turns out the furlicker was right. There is a person named Kain.” She shoved a couple pieces of broiled cucumbers into her mouth, chewing noisily while she spoke. “Seems it’s mainly him and Hazalin leading the Kival, but Hazalin’s been back and forth between Lokem and Rokan a few months now, so Kain has been organizing most of the stuff in Rokan.”
“Did she know any of his plans?” asked Devin, paying little mind to her lack of manners. Three years ago, when she first joined them at the table, she minded her manners, but as the years went by, she grew more comfortable eating with them, and proper etiquette soon became a thing of the past.
Nakita nodded, guzzling down the last half of her glass. Despite how much she was speaking, her plate was quickly disappearing. She counted with her fingers while she repeated the things she learned. “Yeah. Turns out she’s his younger sister. The three abducted children are being held in the Tanglewoods, at one of their camps. A lot of the food they’ve stolen should also be there. They were also planning to raid the silos at Levan in on the seventh. And she was supposed to meet him back at a cavern along the cliff side east of the Narrow Falls.”
Devin grabbed his glass to take a sip, smirking with satisfaction. “What a lucky find. We need to move quickly before the Kival wise up and relocate. I’ll go send out send out the troops.” He downed his glass before leaving the room.
Raze leaned back, uninterested. Nakita knew that face. Standard problems like the raids and ransom provided little interest for the General. Fortunately, for her, Devin is more than willing to take care of those issues, as if they had some sort of mutual agreement. But the Telanian witch didn’t question Isella without Raze in mind. “You want to know what Hazalin is planning, don’t you?”
The General crossed her arms with a sly smirk. “Is it that obvious?”
First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: Worlds Apart (Part 2), Scene v1
Next: Dining With the Guard (Part 2), Scene v1
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Worlds Apart (Part 2), Scene v1
Whoops, I forgot where the other post ended. This post will be short, but I promise to follow up with a full-length one soon!
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Kismet’s eyes grew wide. The room was dark and reeked of blood and urine, but there was no doubt to who was chained inside the interrogation cell. “I’ve told you everything I know. Please…no more… I swear, that’s all I know!” she cried through agonizing sobs.
Kismet stepped up to the cell bars. Isella’s pleads became more desperate with every approaching step, her sobs more hysterical. Who could have possibly deserved this? Her eyes, wide with fear, were no longer black, but instead a lifeless grey. Blood trailed from the right side of her mouth, which was swollen and bruised. Her clothes, torn and bloodied in several places, revealed large gashes, cuts, and punctures. Crippled fingers contorted hideously from her left hand, nail-less. The flesh of her right hand and arm was bubbled with burns sliced open raw. No one deserved this. No one. It was too cruel. It was not a miracle she was still alive. It was a living hell.
Kismet could do nothing but stare, horrorstruck. There was no doubt in her mind who had done this. She had witnessed the extent of what it took to satisfy the sadistic witch. A rough hand yanked the Catheran out of the room, slamming the door shut. The warden threw Kismet toward the entrance. “What the hell do you think you’re doing going in there? Get out of here and go back to licking the Princess.” She left the dungeon behind her. If only she could leave behind what she saw, as well.
First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: Worlds Apart, Scene v1
Next: Dining With the Guard, Scene v1