NEW BEGINNINGS

“It is too soon to take her to the training academy , she just lost her mother!” a voice says

I step into the dining room behind Mateo, and I am panting. “There is no point in keeping her here any longer. The Training academy is her best chance at joining the fight” Frieda responds in her usual calm tone. She is at the head of the long dining table. I recognize some familiar faces. Yoda and the man she was with who came to rescue me, and … is that.. My father?

“D-dad?” i stuttered

“Arina.” he replies. He cleans his mouth and rises up to meet me.

But how? This is too much for me to handle. I feel my legs go weak and my vision clouds with darkness as I fall to the ground.

The familiar scent of citrus fills the air and I know that I am back in my room. This time, I did not try to get out of bed. Before me are numerous pairs of eyes that surround me. 

“Arina” 

I whip my head to the side where my father is standing. The legendary Jerome Sinkette who died in the Great war against the Darynem is standing with them in their kingdom, alive?

“I know that you might be confused, but i will explain everything to you.” he says calmly

I stare at him, still unsure whether I am really seeing my dead father in front of me.

All the emotions within me began to rush to the top. Like strong waves from the sea. Anger, confusion, grief, sorrow

“Why did you leave us?” i asked

“To protect you my love” he answered

“You need to forget anything you have learnt about the Darynem so far. They are not the enemy. Anorem are” he speaks sternly

“What? That's not possible. They invaded our lands and slaughtered our people Dad! Why are you with them! You betrayed us! You betrayed mom” i screamed

“You Anorems are despicable.Flipping the narrative on us” Yoda spits and i glare at her

“Stop this!” Frieda replies

Mateo and the other man who was with Yoda stand at the entrance of the room as if they are guarding the place.

“Long ago, a group of Anoryl explorers travelled a haunting journey across the ice glaciers. What started off as a harmless adventure turned into a generation-long war between Daryn and Anoryl. You see, the Anorems had no idea that there was life beyond the glaciers. And they had never tried to cross it. BEcause the glaciers contain a very dangerous substance called Mercrum, which sucks in any life energy. That's why it is so cold. There were 7 men who crossed the ice lake. Two of them died before reaching Daryn Because their bodies could not withstand the extreme cold and their draining life force. THe remaining 5 men barely made it alive when they reached the Daryn border. THey were welcomed with open arms and treated by Darynem healers who used their magic to restore their life energy. These men lived among the Darynem, and learnt their culture. Over time they married Darynem and had families. Years went by and all seemed well, until the day of the Turning. Daryn was under attack by some people who had crossed the glaciers. They were using magic to kill Darynem. Men, women, children all alike. And leading the strange army, were the five men from Anoryl whom they had trusted. They were never adventurers. They were military spies sent from Anoryl to find the mystery land of magic. Their goal was to learn the secret of Daryn’s magic and steal it for themselves and to do that, they must conquer Daryn” he finished

This story left me more confused than ever “And what is the secret of Daryn’s magic” i asked

“The Fri -” Frieda began, but my father stopped her.

“She has a right to know, especially since she is the only one who can bring an end to this.

Frieda clears her throat “in the heart of Daryn are 5 magic stones. These stones represent the 4 elements of nature. Terra, for Fire, Aqua, for water, Aer for Air, Ignis for Earth. But at the center of these stones is the Frinx stone. The Frinx is the life giving force to everything upon this land. It cannot be created nor destroyed. However it can be conducted, used for good; to create life and light or to snatch life. We are custodians of this magic. If it falls into the wrong hands, balance could be lost, Daryn would crumble to nothing. To protect ourselves, we used the power of the Frinx to create the glaciers around us, the ice barriers that prevent any other nation from entering our territory.” she explains

“Then why did you welcome the five men?” i asked, confused

“Because Daryn abides by a strict law.As custodians of the elements of nature, we cannot hurt it as long as we are on Daryn land. We helped them because it is in our nature. And also because for thousands of years, we have lived in peace and love and harmony. We just couldn’t perceive danger because we didn't even know what it was” she says

“And what happened to the Anorems that invaded Daryn” i ask

“ We managed to drive them to the glaciers, where their life source was slowly drained out of them.” Yoda chips in

“But for years now, Anoryl has been researching, experimenting. They found dark magic. With this new found power, they might be able to undo the magic in the glaciers and invade Daryn. And we need to stop them” my father adds

“Anoryl really has been the enemy all along?” i asked hurt and confused

“Your mother and I found out about this truth many years ago when we graduated from the Academy Arc” he says

My eyes well up with tears at the mention of my mother

“Meredith was not her mother” frieda says

“Frieda! Now is not the time!” my father yells

My eyes zap to Frieda and then back to Jerome. “ What does she mean? Why has she been calling me Arina? Is that why I look so different from my brothers! Not any genetic disease?” i sob

“I’m so sorry my darling, we didn’t mean to keep this truth from you”

“ You sure did a good job at hiding it and letting me suffer the atrocity of being the odd one since childhood!” i spit loudly

“Meredith and I were best friends. When we discovered this secret about Anoryl and their Dark magic projects, we wanted to run away. There was nothing in Anoryl for us, and we didn't want to be a part of their evil deeds. So we ran. Across the glaciers. Where we almost died. And when we reached Daryn we were immediately captured as prisoners. For two years. Although we were well fed and taken care of. A beautiful Darynem took a liking to me. She was called Amelia. And she helped us gain our freedom. We fell in love and had you. But we warned them about the plots of Anoryl and their plan to destroy the glaciers. We offered to return to Anoryl as spies on behalf of Daryn and so we did. Amelia gave us protection by the Frinx to cross the glaciers safely. But when we reached, the Anorems had progressed so much in Dark magic. The head sorcerers; the Magi, cast a spell to break the glaciers. But this failed utterly. Instead of crushing the ice barriers and suppressing the magic of the glaciers, a large blast of life sucking energy was unleashed upon the land, killing thousands of Anorems themselves. They had failed. And to cover up this failure, they began the propaganda against Daryn. That they were heinous genocidal enemies who terrorized us.” Jerome explains

“So Daryn never invaded our lands? Or killed our people?” i asked in a small voice

I felt so much shame within me that i could not bear to raise my eyes 

“No darling, we never invaded Anoryl” Frieda says gently

“And why did you take me to Anoryl? Wouldn't it have been suspicious that you disappeared for 2 years and returned with a baby that looked nothing like them?” i asked

“We took you there because Amelia thought you’d be safer. If the Anorems, did destroy the glaciers, they would kill every single person in the royal line, the only ones who could directly access the power of the Frinx” dad says

“And where is she?” i ask again

“Amelia.. Has passed away. The grief of knowing that she would never see her beautiful daughter again dragged her into such dark depression that the power of the frinx within her became a glacier within her. Sucking out all of her life” Frieda explains

“And who were you to her?” i ask Frieda

“I am her older sister. Frieda Rucksov” she answers with sadness.