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LeiyaI hurriedly sprung to my feet, my heart pounding loud enough to deafen my own ears.“Is someone in there?”I heard the voice again. The voice was definitely owned by a man, young enough but old enough.“Yes!” I yelled.“Please help me out of here.”My voice was raspy from all the crying.“Okay, just, step away from the door.”So it is a door, I mumbled in my head. I did as I was told, cautiously taking a few steps back in the pitch blackness. A moment later, I heard the clicking, clocking sound of locks. My heart was racing even faster than before. Whoever was on the other side of this door, was going to be my saviour or killer. I prayed to my mother's spirit that he would not be the latter.Then the door opened, letting in a large ray of light. My eyes had become accustomed to darkness, the instant exposure to light caused them to sting in pain. I immediately took my arm to my face, shielding my eyes from the sudden exposureJuzarhLeiya“What do you mean it's the only town with just one house?”I asked as he walked towards the corner that looked like the kitchen. “I mean,” he walked to a wooden jug on the table with a cup beside it.“The door you just walked out of is a portal to the place. The only entrance and exit.” he carefully began to pour water into the cup.“And just like a town with growing trees, and houses, it is called Juzarh,” he stopped pouring when the cup was full.“The only difference is, this house,” he picked up the cup and made his way towards me. “My house, is the only house in it.” He said with a smile, his hand stretched out to me with the cup in his hand. “I understand your fears,” he said when I didn't take it from him. He took the cup to his mouth, taking a sip of the water before handing it back to me. “I promise I mean no harm.”He looked to me with eyes that seemed like they could do no harm. I took the cup from him, my t
JuzarhLeiya “So then, how do the trees and plants stay alive?”I asked, unable to comprehend the information he just told me. If there was no day and night, it meant there was no sun and moon, it also meant this town was probably not on our earth.“Honestly,” he used his fingers to rub his chin. “I never asked,” he added with a shrug.My eyes widened in shock. “You’ve been here for,”“All my life.” he interrupted with a smile. My eyes grew wider and my jaw hung half open. All his life, enclosed in this small house with a not so small garden. No sun, no moon, all alone. “All your life?!” I tried not to yell, but I failed. “Yes, all my life since I can remember.”He walked back into the house and I followed. His voice didn't sound as excited as it was when he spoke about the sun and the moon.“If I may,” I started to say calmly, as I took a seat by the table. “How did you end up here?”He took his seat across from me, taki
Juzarh Leiya“But what about someone to keep you company?”“I have books to do so.”He walked to a small shelf beside the door I came out of, filled to the brim with books. There was no way he only had books to read every day of his life. I did so for just a few days, and I could swear I almost lost my mind. “You have to have someone you can speak to.”“You know,” he said with a small chuckle.“You are the first woman I have had a conversation with.”I was stunned into silence. For a moment, I was completely blank, unable to come up with a response, a question or something else. “What about your mother?”Surely he must have had some kind of relationship with her, but to my surprise, he gently shook his head. “The moment the child reaches the age of two, he is brought here to stay with the man he would call father for the rest of his life.”He then lowered his eyes, picking at the body of a book on the shelf. “I have no memory of my
Juzarh Leiya“Nice to meet you Lyle.”I mumbled. He made his way to the table where I sat, taking his seat across from me. “So Leiya,” he looked up at me with warm eyes.“You must be hungry.” The moment he said the words, my stomach rumbled aggressively and loudly. Loud enough for both of us to hear, and for him to laugh at me. “Say no more,” He announced with a wide grin, getting up from his chair. He walked to the pots and pans on the small stove. He lit up the stove, placing a pot of water on it. He started to chop up carrots and other vegetables, as he waited for the water to come to a boil. I had never seen a man cook. I didn't even think they knew how to. It was always the women that were supposed to do so, and that was in the non-royal household. Growing up, my father didn't let Nayla and I go near the kitchen. He said that was the house of the maids and we weren't maids so we had no business there. As a result, I also didn't know how
JuzarhLeiya “Well,”I began, but paused because I didn't know what to say. Was I going to tell the whole story from the very beginning? And where was the beginning? Was it from the point where my parents were murdered or the moment I was taken to Kaltain? “I was trying to practice a teleportation spell but I think I didn't do it right.”“Obviously.” He added and our voices echoed in the air with laughter. “Obviously,” I whispered. He nodded, getting to his feet to check on the pot that was now boiling violently. He took off the lid, taking the spoon to stir it. He took a little bit of the soup on the spoon, bringing it to his lips for a taste. He shut his eyes, nodding his head in approval of the taste. I giggled silently as I watched him act out. He got out a bowl, pouring spoon after spoon of the egg soup until it was filled to the brim. From where I sat, I could see a white looking thing that I assumed was an egg, floating on the surface
Juzarh Leiya “It's okay if you're not comfortable talking about it.”He added quickly when he noticed my silence. “If, based on what you've told me, we're going to spend the rest of our lives in this place,” I paused to let out a small sigh. I wasn't completely happy about it, but I didn't have a choice. “We need to be honest with each other.”He slowly nodded in response. I took in another breath, calculating what part of the truth I was going to tell him. “I was trying to find my sister.” I blurted. His brows furrowed in confusion.“My sister and I have been separated since our parents died, about a year ago, and I was trying to get to the kingdom where I last saw her. Where I was separated from her.”I placed the last piece of bread into my mouth. The plates before me were now empty, and I could already feel the urge to crawl into a bed and sleep.“How did you get access to the teleportation spell that you tried?” he asked af
Juzarh Leiya“Loved him?” I repeated silently.Did I love him? I wanted to feel his fingers in my skin all the time, but was that love? I couldn't wait to hear his voice the moment the sun walked into the sky, but was that love? My cheeks and jaw would hurt from smiling too much whenever he did the littlest things, and I wouldn't stop smiling, but was that love? I wanted to be near him, smell him, his scent was like a signal to my brain that I was safe, but was that love? Whenever he kissed me, it felt like the world had stopped and it was just that moment, the moment where our lips were touching, that was the only moment in existence, but was that love? I could look at his face, become all the expressions it could give, and still be excited each time I watched it, but was that love?“I don't know what it was, Lyle.” I mumbled, looking down at my fingers. I didn't know what love was. I had never asked my mother how she felt about my father and how she knew it w
JuzarhLeiyaMy eyes opened to the realization that I was laid sideways on a bed. I slowly sat up, my eyes scanning where I was. The room was not as small, but it didn't have a lot in it. There was the bed I sat on in a corner. A wooden table and chair by the window. A washroom across from where the bed sat, and another room with a door beside the washroom. Beside the bed was a lamp, a small shelf of more books and a portrait of a slightly older woman, I assumed was his mother. I climbed out of bed, walking towards the door leading out. To the right was a wall housing another small shelf of books. I let out a small sigh, how many books did he even own? To the left was a ray of light, as well as faint bickering and talking. I cautiously made my way towards the voices I was hearing. It didn't sound like Lyle was talking to himself. I could recognize his voice, but the other voice that was responding to him, I couldn't recognize. The closer I got, the more convinced I
Valinor Nayla After Leiya left, it took a few more days for Xerian and I to completely settle back into our previous life as prince and princess of Valinor. To announce the returning of his only son and future king, the royal informat was sent to every corner in the entire kingdom. The night we returned, a big fire was lit in the town square. There was loud singing and vigorous dancing. By the next day, King Raslin threw a large feast for the entire kingdom. The castle gates were opened for everyone, both adults and children, to come welcome us. Xerian and I sat on the royal table in the courtroom, waving and smiling to everyone who came. And gifts. The people brought a lot of gifts. From fruits, to vegetables, to meat, to wine, our table was filled with them all. The day after that, the king threw another feast to celebrate our arrival. This time it was not open to the public, only other royals were invited. Kings, queens and their children from far and wide honored his invitati
Kaltain LeiyaHelion immediately let go of me. The fear in Calin's eyes showed he was being completely honest. Kaltain was supposed to be safe. Completely safe. “The forcefield," Helion mumbled in horror. “It's weak, I haven't done the ritual since the last time." My head instantly connected the dots together. Shortly after he performed the ritual, I got myself in trouble with Lyle. He was probably occupied with trying to find me and handle matters of the kingdom. When he finally found me, I left again shortly after.m, taking him in another hunt for me. Kaltain was under attack and it was my fault. Helion turned to me, gripping my shoulders with fear in his eyes. “Go to your chambers and wait for me.” It was more of a warning than an instruction. "No,” I shook my shoulders out of his grip. “Kaltain is also my kingdom.” I mumbled. "I would rather die by your side than hide in my chambers like a coward.”“Leiya," he growled in frustration, running his
Kaltain NaylaXerian made a shocking recovery after a few days. He was able to completely talk audibly, eat without being fed, and walk perfectly fine by himself. He no longer felt the excruciating pain in his stomach when he laughed or coughed. He was also looking more like himself. His cheeks were fuller, his skin was brighter and his eyes were lighter, devoid of pain, worry or anxiety. I could say he was almost like his former self. We were now ready to return to Valinor. He had been looking forward to it everyday since we spoke about it, even happier when I insisted I would leave with him. Which meant I had to speak to my sister about it. Helion was the only one aware I was also leaving. The night before Xerian and I were to leave, I was feeling severe anxiety talking to Leiya about it. Helion overheard my concerns and convinced me to be honest with her. Him and I had formed some sort of relationship while I was at his castle, and I couldn't believe he was the same
Kaltain LeiyaI impatiently walked through the halls in search of Helion. The overwhelming feeling to kiss him passionately grew even worse with each step I took. I was just stepping out of the dinning area when I ran into Calin. The first thing he did was to lower his head in a bow. My jaw almost dropped. “Your majesty." He muttered, before lifting his eyes to meet mine. I was shocked. Shock didn't express it enough, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could swear it was a different person who simply looked like Calin. Calin hated me. Even though he called out Helion's lies about my sister, he did it for his selfish reasons. He did it to get rude of me, and he did. He had no respect for me at all, and now, out of the deep ocean blues, he bowed and referred to me as a royal. With disbelief in my eyes and voice, I tried not to stutter as I spoke. “Have you any idea where his majesty, King Helion, May be?”He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it almost immediat
Kaltain Leiya There was worry behind my sister's eyes when she asked to see the prince of Valinor. I still couldn't believe she was married. It felt strange to refer to him as her husband. Even though she was older than twelve, she was still very young, barely even sixteen. But it was obvious she loved him deeply. I gave her a small nod before turning to the maid who did the strands behind my gown. “Have you any idea where the Prince of Valinor lies?" "Yes, your majesty,” she muttered calmly. "I can take your majesty there.” Not too long after that, we made our way through a flight of stairs, following behind the maid who led us to where Xerian was. We walked for a few minutes before she stopped before a door. The guards pushed the doors open after lowering their heads to acknowledge our presence. Nayla ran up from behind me when she noticed the prince on the bed. I smiled inwardly as I watched her run to his side, nervously looking over him. “Xerian?"
KaltainLeiyaThe familiar walls of the Kaltain castle , the place I had grown to call home, brought tears of joy to my eyes. Helion had to make two more trips after taking Xerian away. He first took Nayla and I, before going back to get Kamael and Cizer. He could only transport himself with two other people.The moment he took my hand, I closed my eyes. When I smelt cleaner and better air, I opened them to find myself back in my room. A smile formed on my lips. I had always dreamed Nayla would sit on my bed, listening to the stories I had to tell, and now she actually was in the room, not as a dream or a thought, but actually standing beside me. I felt a kiss on the side of my head. “Welcome back home." Helion whispered with a smile. In a heartbeat, he was gone. When he left, I noticed the maids that stood by the end of the bed. They lowered their heads when we appeared before them. “They're here for our baths.”I informed Nayla as her excited eyes sc
Archurl Leiya The moment I whispered his name, he dropped the guard to the floor. The cell doors instantly disappeared and I walked right through. His eyes shone with happiness, his voice the most welcoming I had ever heard. “My beautiful Leiya.” I launched myself into his arms. I was just reunited with my sister and now the man, who snatched my heart like the demon that he was, found us just in time. It felt so surreal. Like a dream, like the fairytales you read in a book, except it was real. It was my life and it was happening to me. “I am so sorry for letting you go again," I heard his shaky voice through my sobs. He gently pulled me away, staring deeply into my soul. “I would never do that again." I was too stunned to speak. My heart was going through a rollercoaster of emotions but I knew, I was just as elated to see him. I quietly nodded, with a smile on my face. One of relief and tenderness. Looking into his eyes, all I could think about was how much I had
Archurl Leiya The moment I was thrown into the cell, she flung herself into my arms. Our entire bodies shuddered as we cried uncontrollably, clinging onto each other as if for dear life. Just when I had lost all hope, just when I thought my mother's spirit had abandoned me, all the while she was leading me to her. To Nayla. The emptiness around us didn't matter anymore. Our injuries didn't matter anymore. The bodily pain we felt, we couldn't feel them anymore. The moment took it all away. The unrequited joy of finally being together was enough healing magic for us. It was all the healing we needed, for our souls and for our bodies. We cried and cried. There was so much to say, so much to express, so many feelings all at once, but all that came were tears. The journey that seemed almost impossible, that we had both given up on, it was all worth it. We finally got the courage to let go. We pulled back slightly, just enough to get another glimpse of each other's
ArchurlLeiyaMy eyes gradually opened. The first thing they noticed was the movement of the rocky road. It took me a moment to notice I was being carried over a man's shoulder with a rope tied around my hands and legs. One by one, my brain began to piece together the last scenes I witnessed before I passed out. The sight of Yahn's lifeless body lying in a pool of his blood flashed before my eyes. My heart sank. I began to feel all the bitter emotions afresh. I hastily looked around me in search of the others. I was held firmly, my movements were restricted to just seeing in front of me. I tried to look over my shoulder. As soon as I tried, I felt a sharp horrible muscle pain. I didn't need to be told to look ahead of me. “Put me down!”I demanded with a loud yell, banging my tied fists against his back. I banged and banged, trying to get him to react, but I was getting the wrong attention. Just then, I realized I was being carried through a crowd of amused spe