Kaltain Kingdom Leiya My body was weaker than usual when my eyes opened. My throat was so dry, I could almost taste blood anytime I swallowed. My vision was blurry and I couldn't even dare to sit up. In simpler terms, I was starving. I knew it was on purpose. He was trying to punish me for what I did two days before. I would have cried out but my pride was not going to let me. I was in fact ready to die if it came to it. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. It wasn't long before I felt a presence in my room. Hesitantly I slowly opened my eyes. Helion stood at the foot of my bed with a tray of what smelt like food. My tongue began to water in my mouth and my stomach grumbled silently. He walked to my bed and placed the food beside me. I didn't know how he knew I wasn't able to sit up but he held both my shoulders and helped me up. He placed a pillow in between me and the wooden bed head, gently pushing my upper body backwards until I rested up against it. “Why are you
Valinor Nayla Xerian and I finally arrived at Valinor. The castle was almost as big as my father's back in our kingdom. The rooms were brighter and better decorated than at Hepthan. It gave a warm feeling of life and comfort and everyone was so welcoming of me. Almost as if they had been anxiously waiting for my arrival. I instantly knew I was going to enjoy my life at Valinor. Xerian and his mother showed me to my room. The queen was a sweet soul. She was also quite young, younger than my mother was when she died. It didn't take long to notice that Xerian was her first child. She had another child. A girl of about six who kept running around care free. She didn't have to worry about her father yelling at her for wasting precious time fooling around, or having to be incredibly quiet when she was not being spoken to. When I was ushered into my room, I fought with myself to keep my jaw from dropping in awe. It was big, tall and bright. I had a queen sized bed all to myself and a
Kaltain Kingdom Leiya I walked beside Helion as he led me through the streets of his kingdom. I learnt that it was called Kaltain. As we walked through the streets I noticed the neatness and organization his people showcased. Even the little children played in selected areas and avoided work areas. As we walked by, everyone would stop and bow to their king with wide smiles. It didn't seem like they didn't know him, in fact it seemed like they were used to seeing him in the streets often. I was impressed. He spoke a few words to the people, only when he had to, else he would just wave as he walked by. He showed me to the market. All the sellers had their produce organized properly on a straight line with equal spacing in between each person. That way, there were no clusters and everyone was seen. “Your majesty.” I heard someone call his name from behind and we both turned. A fair, pretty looking maiden walked up to him. She looked so excited to see him but I couldn't say t
Kaltain Kingdom Leiya After spending the whole day walking around almost half of Kaltain, Helion and I finally retired back to the castle. I had never seen the insides of the building before as I have been confined to my bed chambers for months. It wasn't particularly bright or cozy as my father's, it was however huge and properly organized. “Join me at the dinner table.” I heard him say. He walked ahead of me and didn't bother to look back. Saying no didn't feel like an option to me. Whatever I did, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. I followed quietly behind him through the long, poorly lit halls. Most of everywhere was either almost dark or completely dark. Once we came before two giant brown doors, the guards standing on each side pushed them open, revealing a better lit room than the rest of the castle. I noticed foods of different kinds had already been placed on the table, which made me confused. He said he didn't eat human food but the table was enough to fe
Kaltain Leiya My eyes shot open. Beads of sweat were gathered around my neck and on my temple. It didn't take me long to realize I was having a nightmare. I let out a small sigh as I turned to face the window. The full moon was high up in the sky indicating it was the middle of the night. The horrific images of my dream seeped into my thoughts. My father and mother, lying in a pool of their blood. What was scarier was Nayla lying beside them, also in a pool of blood. Her blood. It sent chills down my spine. I couldn't bring myself to even think she wasn't alive but I knew I needed to be sure for myself. The truth, however bitter, would always be better than living in uncertainty. As I lay in bed, thinking of how I was going to escape Kaltain in one piece, I heard footsteps coming from outside my window. I immediately froze in my bed. Seconds later, the noise came again, this time a little louder. I held my breath, mustered up courage and slowly climbed out of my bed. I ti
Kaltain Leiya I scrambled to sit up the moment my eyes opened. “Relax,” I heard a voice beside me. I turned to discover Helion sitting on a chair a few metres away. I looked around in confusion. Everything looked different and out of place. I noticed things I had not seen before and wondered when they were brought in. "You're in my chamber.” I heard him say and my confusion disappeared. Just then I realized I had a throbbing migraine. Slowly, I relaxed back into bed. “Can you talk?” The moment I heard his question, the horrific images of the night before flooded my mind. “She came into my room last night.” I mumbled. He leaned out of his chair, his eyes fixated on mine, eager for more information on what happened to me. “I need as many details of last night as you can remember Leiya.” His eyes slowly began to take their bright red form. I looked away, trying to piece together the events of the night before. “I, I had a nightmare that woke me up,” I began
Kaltain Leiya “Leiya,” The faint calling of my name penetrated the walls of my mine. It sounded like a whisper. A call from deep within my mind. “Leiya,” This time the voice was clearer and more assertive. It was obvious it wasn't from my thoughts. I slowly opened my eyes. They fell on Helion sitting on his chair. I slowly looked around. I was still in his chamber. “Is that her?” He asked, pointing to the far corner of the room. I noticed the same lady from the market that also came up to attack me, struggling with herself. She had no bounds or chains around her but she just kept struggling violently like she was being held. What was even more confusing was she was lifted from above the ground. I looked back to Helion's questioning eyes. “Yes, she's the one who came up to my room.” “Are you sure about that, love? The only time I've seen you was with his majesty in the market.” She spoke differently, softer, calmer and even nicer. Like a truly different person cau
Valinor Nayla Xerian's assertive voice took everyone by surprise. I let my breath go and turned to look at him with my teary eyes. “I said, stop.” This time he growled at the guard holding the axe above me. The guard did as he was told and stepped away. Xerian rushed to my side, aiding me to my feet. I wasn't sure what was happening but as long as I wasn't getting my fingers chopped off, I was happy. “Xerian what are you doing?” We turned to the king and I noticed he had gotten up from his throne. The queen had gotten up too and so did Katlyn. “I’m saving an innocent person from having her fingers cut off for something she had no hand in.” I looked at Xerian as he spoke with so much confidence. “Xerian you are countering your father's order. The King.” His mother spoke after a brief silence. It was obvious the King king was breathing furiously at the stubbornness of his son. “Mother, you know me better than anyone else. You know that I wouldn't say something if I