Chapter 1

Long ago the two realms were one. Fey and humans fought over lands for centuries both trying to become the overlords of the other. Until one day a prophet from each side had a shared vision. One man would unite the kingdom, and create peace.

* * * * * * * * *

“What we are doing will cause more war between our people Andros,” the fey woman said brushing her lover’s hair out of his eyes. “My father would kill you and then me if he knew about us.”
“Then we better not let him discover our secret.” Andros smiled at her his deep green eyes glowing with love for the woman in his arms. “Run away with me. We’ll go somewhere far away and live in peace.”
“You know we can’t do that. You have a duty to your people, and I to mine. Andros our love is forbidden. As much as I want to be with you forever,” she sighed a tear coming to her eye, “we mustn’t continue this. Our being together just makes it harder to not be around you.”
“Jula, I heard the prophecy from the prophet’s own lips. Our being together will unite this world. It was destined by the creators that we should become one.”
“What? Father told me that there was a prophecy, but I know nothing about it. Tell me Andros!” she begged gripping his hands tightly and cradling them to her chest. “The only thing I was able to find out was that it was shared between both our kinds.”
“Yes, according to the prophet, a child born of both man and fey will one day rule over all of us. He will be the one to finally bring us to peace. But our people are afraid of one another, we are the only ones that have the courage to love one not of our own kind.”
“Princess Jula! Your Highness, are you here?” a female voice called out.
“Oh no! That is my maid, she can’t find us together. You have to go. Come back tomorrow.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and pushed him towards the window where the rope he climbed up was waiting.
“I’ll be back. I promise you.” He swung one leg over the sill and then blew her a kiss before swinging the other over and climbing down. When he landed on the ground his best friend and confidant Leos wound up the rope and put it on his saddle.
“What you are doing is very dangerous, Highness.”
“Oh, I know you are mad at me for something if you are using my title. What is it?”
“I just don’t wish to see my best friend’s head lopped off,” he said climbing onto his horse. “I sort of got used to seeing it attached to your body.”
Andros laughed softly. “I won’t be getting a head detachment anytime soon.”
“You will if you continue this. What happens when her father decides to marry her off to one of his nobles? Or, worse yet, what if she becomes with child? Her father will ask who made her that way and both of you will be killed. She’s beautiful I will admit, but is she worth your life?”
“I would die for her in a heartbeat Leos.” They were silent for a moment as they rode past the guards. “Besides, haven’t you heard about the prophecy?” At the shake of Leos’ head he continued, “The prophet said that we would soon be united by a child born of both human and fey. That child will be mine and Jula’s. I am sure of it.”
Leos knew that nothing he would say could change Andros’ mind. He just wished that the day of peace would soon come.
Meanwhile, the maid entered Jula’s room. “Evening, your highness. Lovely night out isn’t it?”
“Yes, lovely.”
The maid went over to the bed and straitened it, smoothing out the laid on counterpane. “It’s a lover’s moon out tonight.”
Jula looked at her and couldn’t think of a response. The maid just continued with her work straitening and dusting the room.
“Would you like me to have a bath brought for you, Highness?” When Jula just looked at her confused she continued. “It can help with the soreness after…well…you know.” She waved her hand at the bed.
Jula gasped and covered her mouth. “How did you know?”
“I clean your room every day, Highness. I even specially washed your sheets so that the gossip we call a laundress wouldn’t know that you weren’t a virgin anymore. I’m not young, I’ve been around a bit, and I was married for 25 years.”
“You have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this.”
“I can do that.”
Jula held out her diamond pendant. “Will you swear on your life?”
The maid reached out and placed her palm over the stone. “I swear that I will tell no one what I know about you unless you give me leave to do so.” She took her hand off the stone and then asked, “Is there something you have wanted to share with another woman, Highness?”
Jula took her hand and they sat down on the chaise. “I’ve needed a confidant for some time now. Even before I gave him myself.” She smoothed her dress over her knees.
“Why don’t you tell me who he is first,” the maid urged gently.
“My father would kill us both if he found out. Even after hearing the prophecy.”
“What’s the prophecy got to do with…” she started to say. Then it dawned on her, “He’s a human, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Jula said softly waiting for a reprimand. When one didn’t come she looked up. The maid just sat there waiting for her to continue. “He is Prince Andros, the future king of the humans.”
“I see. He’s a good man isn’t he?”
“Oh yes!” Jula sighed just thinking about him.
“I thought so; it would have to take a really good man to make you disobey your father like this. He’s worth it though, right?”
“Definitely. He said tonight that we were going to be the parents of the child of the prophecy. I know it to be true.”
“How could you know such a thing?”
“When you swore on the Diamond of Life, it enhanced my senses of life; so one of us is going to have a child within the year.” She lightly laughed.
The maid joined her. “You’re right about it being you. I’m much too old to be having any more babies.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone until I start to show. Well, except for Andros, he should know that I am going to have his child.”
When the next night came, so too did Prince Andros. Jula happily told him about her pregnancy and they discussed names for the child. As the months flew by, the humans and fey stopped fighting each other. Not because they knew of the child, for no one knew, but because both royal houses were not commanding the battles to continue.
The day came that Jula could no longer hide her thickening waist from her father. She met him for breakfast as usual.
“Good morning daughter,” he said absently looking at a chart while eating.
“Father, I have something I need to discuss with you.” She stood near him clenching her hands in front of the mound of her stomach.
He looked up and the first thing he noticed was her expanded stomach. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted standing up angrily.
“Father,” Jula continued calmly, “I am pregnant.” She stroked a hand lovingly over her belly.
The fey king began to fume. “Who did this to you?”
“Calm yourself Father. I was a willing participant in this. I want this child, and you should know that the time of peace shall be upon us all soon.” She turned and started to walk out of the dining hall.
“A HUMAN IS THE FATHER OF YOUR CHILD!” he yelled at her.
“Yes, a human that I love and who loves me back. A man who is even now telling his own father of our child. I love him and if you can’t handle that we will leave as he wanted to do long ago before either of us knew of the child. I won’t have my child put through useless hate coming from his grandfathers.” Jula walked out of the dining hall and up to her room.
At the same time in the human territories, Andros was waiting in his father’s study. He didn’t want the people to see their king explode on his son.
“What was it that couldn’t be said at the table, son?” the human king asked closing his study door behind him. He moved forward and sat down in one of the cozy chairs.
Andros clenched his hands behind his back and started to slowly pace. “I’m not sure how to start…”
“How about ‘I asked to see you privately because-’ I think that would be a good one,” the king said with a grin. He had a vague idea of what his son was going to tell him. After all, he often conferred with the prophet.
“I asked to see you privately because I didn’t know how you would react to what I’m going to tell you, and didn’t think you would want our people to see your anger.” Andros unclenched his hands, stopped pacing, and stood directly in front of his father. “I am going to be a father.”
“Is that all? It’s wonderful news! I’ll arrange for a wedding ceremony as soon as possible.”
“Before you start with your preparations Father, you should know that she is one of the fey.”
“So, do I need to make any special preparations for her culture?” At Andros’ stare the king just laughed. “I don’t care that she is of the fey kind. This just means that the prophecy is coming to be much sooner than anticipated.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment. “If I were you I would be more worried about what her father is going to do. I assume that she is telling him as well.”
Andros paused for a bare moment and then ran out of the keep to his horse in the stables. He hurriedly saddled him and rode hard to Jula’s castle. He left his horse in the usual place and ran silently past guards and maids to Jula’s window. He climbed up and through the window. Jula was just entering her room when he got fully in.
“Thank the creators you’re ok!” he said collapsing onto the chaise.
“What happened?” she asked worriedly.
“I was going to ask you the same question. My father wants to throw a wedding.” Andros laughed. “I think he’s been spending a lot of time with the prophet, he didn’t look that surprised when I told him that you were fey. My father actually is why I rushed here so quickly. He said that I should be worried about you, or more accurately, about what your father will do to you.” All laughter was gone after that thought.
“I’m fine, for now at least. I don’t know what Father is going to do.” There was a noise at the door. “Someone just locked us in!”
“I guess that means that we’ll have to leave my way then.” Andros walked over to the window and tugged on the rope checking to make sure it was secure. “Gather your things. I’ll climb down first and then wait for you at the bottom.”
Jula gulped nervously. “Ok. I want to leave Father a note though. I won’t say where we are going just that I warned him that I would leave.”
“Alright. I meet you at the bottom.” Andros Went over to the window and paused halfway over the sill. He watched Jula write the note to her father. He hoped that someday the fey king would feel the same as his own father did about the child.
Jula gathered some things she couldn’t leave without and went over to the window. “I thought you were going to meet me at the bottom.”
“I am. I just wanted to make sure that you knew how to climb down a rope before I left you to it by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine. I have done it before, not from this height, but I have done it. So go, and be prepared to catch me at the bottom. I don’t think that I will be able to hang on for that long.”
Andros quickly scrambled down the rope and gave it a tug to let her know he was ready. He watched as she expertly descended. “You are surprisingly good at that,” he said with a smile.
“We have to go!” she reminded him squeezing his hand.
He tugged her along making good time to his horse. Andros climbed onto its back and pulled Jula up across his thighs. They leaned over the horse’s neck and urged it into a gallop.
After a long hard ride, they reached the human’s keep. Andros helped Jula down from the horse and escorted her inside. His father was waiting for them sitting on the dais behind the table.
 

Chapter 2

“Mother, we’ve heard this story a million times!” Aiden said brushing a piece of his red-gold hair out of his eyes. “Parts of it don’t even make any sense. Why didn’t Araphus just use the stone of life to kill Seath? It would have been so easy.”
“Because that’s what happened. It was not Araphus’ destiny to kill Seath. He knew that four fey and one human would-“
“And that! Why would he give one of the jewels to a human? They have no gifts; they wouldn’t even be able to use it!”
“Shut up Aiden! It’s a story of something that happened hundreds of years ago, it was probably changed as many times as it was told,” Damek said focusing on the tree he was trying to heal after Aiden singed it.
The two girls sat near the brook laughing. These four were the new generation of leaders. Selina was in charge of teaching all the old ways to the four elemental fey. Aiden, her own son, was of fire. Damek was of earth. Cascata was of water, and Delaire was of air. All of them had been born at the same time on the same day. It was believed that they may be the ones that Araphus had been waiting for.
Aiden was excitable and adventurous. He was tall and lithe. His hair was shaggy and a bright golden red. He had orange-gold eyes that would sparkle when he was up to something. Sometimes he was a little hot-headed, but you could always count on him to have your back. He was extremely loyal and would do anything for those he loved. He usually wore red and black. A thin red sleeveless shirt tucked into loose fitting black trousers with a wide leather belt that had a buckle studded with flame red stones.
Damek was strong and steady. He was thickly muscled and a few inches shorter than Aiden. He was darkly tanned and had long dark hair that he tied back with a leather tie. His brown eyes were so dark they were nearly black. His friends were very lucky to have him around as he doesn’t trust easily, but he is fair-minded. Damek liked his earth tones. He would wear a white shirt under a dark green tunic and dark brown trousers. Instead of a belt he wore braided dried vines tied around his waist.
Cascata was joyous and lovely. It was impossible to be near her and unhappy. She had a sweet bubbly laugh and a friendly mentality. While she was often seen on land, Cascata was truly a creature of the water. Whenever she would enter the water her legs would combine into a shimmery fishlike tail. She had long silky smooth white blonde hair and deep sea blue eyes. Cascata wore a long flowing deep blue silk dress and a tight sleeveless top for when she was in the water.
Delaire was quiet and unobtrusive. She was most often seen staring off into the distance in her own little dream world. If it weren’t for her twin Damek it was often believed that she would float away. She wore a long-sleeved white dress with a long cream vest. A pale yellow sash was wrapped around her from just under her bust to her hips and was knotted on her right hip. Three golden bells dangled from each end of the sash so that whenever she moved they jangled. Her skin and hair was just as dark as Damek’s, but Delaire had tight curls that hung down to her waist. She often kept them tied back with a shorter sash of the same yellow wrapped around her head with a few curls peeping out around her face.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 03.11.2010

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