Emily (working title)

         For thousands of years the cycle had continued, never stopping, never breaking. No one knew when the Passings began, but everyone knew the story of how they began. The four Protectors had chosen the first king in the beginning. He had been proud and mighty, strong and merciful. The Protectors chose this man to be king because the lands were in ruin and he was the only one who could save the people. The Protectors gave the king the source of his power in the form of 4 glowing orbs that represented the elements of the universe. Red for fire, green for earth, purple for air, and blue for water. The king kept the orbs in his heart, for the heart is the most powerful organ and it holds the most powerful emotion. With the orbs the king ruled everything. Not only the lands and the people, but the whole universe. Every road began and ended with him and all of creation bowed to his every wish. The king held his powers very sacred and ruled with a good and kind heart until the day he died. When he died, the orbs returned to their keepers and waited for them to choose the next king. And they did.
         For the thousands of years that followed the first king, the circle of life continued to turn. One king would die and the next would be chosen. This process came to be known as the Passing. While the Passings continued, the lands were peaceful. No enemy could pass the kingdom boundaries and there wasn't even a fight amongst the villagers.
         But soon there was unrest as the priests started talking of a prophecy. A prophecy from the time of the first king. It was a prophecy the inhabitants didn't want to hear. It told of a king that would betray them and sell them into slavery. The king would take the power of the orbs to a dark place. He would destroy the kingdom and kill everyone who dared to disobey him. The world would see more destruction, pestilence and death than ever before.
         But the prophecy also told of a hero. It promised that there would be one to come from far away to save the kingdom from the betrayer. This person was the only one brave enough and strong enough to stand against the powerful king. The priests of the land rejoiced when they read of the hero. But their happiness faded when they discovered that the hero coming to save them was a woman. This is impossible, they thought, a woman's place is in the home, cooking and cleaning and raising the children, not on the battlefield against the all powerful, all knowing king. They didn't want to believe it.
         Still the priests spread the word about the prophecy to everyone. But no one listened. They didn't believe that their king could or would betray them for anything. And they laughed when they heard of the so called hero that would come to save them. But the priests insisted it was true. So the people waited, and waited. But even after three generations, the king did nothing bad. Eventually everyone, even the priests, forgot the prophecy and went on with their lives.
         The sad day came when the king of the current generation died. The orbs left his body and appeared in the hands of their keepers, waiting to be sent to help someone else. The king's subjects mourned his death and got ready to celebrate the coming of the new king. The new king, Alastair, was crowned only days after the former king's death.
         The first few months of his reign went smoothly until Alastair met up with a follower of a black magic cult. Blackwell had been put in the dungeon for the murder of a young woman but Alastair took interest in the things the man was saying about using the orb's powers to get anything he desired.

         On the other side of this story, in a far away land, there lived a girl. Her name was Emily and even though she was very young, she lived alone in a small cottage in the forest. She lived alone because her family was gone. Her father had died about a year before and her mother ran away a few months after that. Emily never knew why her mother ran away but she figured it had something to do with the things that happened after her father died.
         Emily had always known she was different. She started to hear voices when she was only five. And she had visions of the future when she was seven. Her sweet child-like dreams of flowers, dolls and fancy dresses soon became horrid nightmares of bloodshed, plagues and dead bodies which Emily would wake from in a fit of sweat and tears. She told only her father of these dreams because he didn't yell at her like her mother would. Her father told her that they were only dreams and that everything would be okay. He called her Raven after the bird said to have foresight of things to come. After a while, the nightmares went away and so did the voices in Emily's head. Then her father died in a terrible thunderstorm. He had gone out to tie up the horses and he never came back.
         The night after he died, Emily was awakened from sleep by a frightful scream that made her ears ring. She got up and searched the house, but her mother was in the bed asleep and all the animals were in the barn. Everything was peaceful and quiet. Then Emily heard the scream again, only louder. She covered her ears but the scream grew louder still.  That was when Emily realized that the scream was coming from inside her head. The voices were back. She went back to bed and cried herself to sleep. That night she dreamt of a land far away where a king was killing his subjects and selling the children into slavery. In her dream there were also four gods. They were each holding a glowing ball and they didn't look happy.
         For months after Emily slowly fell deeper and deeper into herself. She walked around in a daze, talking back to the voices in her head. Her mother grew very depressed and sad. She couldn't handle her daughter's behavior anymore. All she did was talk to herself and scream at night when she woke up from her incessant nightmares. So she ran away. She just ran one day and left little Emily by herself. She didn't stop running until she came to the ocean. Then she prayed that the gods would either protect Emily or bring her a swift and painless death. Then she walked into the ocean and didn't come out.
         Emily was out playing that day and when she came back to the house, her mother was gone. Emily searched everywhere but didn't find her. But she didn't cry. She wasn't sad at all. She knew that one day it would happen. She had seen it coming. But later that day, she felt a pain shoot through her heart and she knew her mother was dead. She had drowned herself. Emily was all alone.
         It really hadn't been that long since her mother had gone but Emily had changed a lot. She learned how to grow vegetables and how to repair the house and barn. She grew up very fast in a small amount of time.
         
         One day Emily was out in a nearby field picking berries when she heard a voice. Except this one wasn't from her own head. She turned around and saw a man dressed in a dark brown robe. He had long black hair and silver and white paint on his face. Emily had never met this man before but she wasn't afraid. She felt that she knew him from somewhere.
"Who are you?"
         She surprised herself when she spoke the words. She hadn't said a word out loud in almost three months. The man came closer to Emily and she noticed his skin. It seemed to radiate a light blue color. He smiled at her.
"You ask the question and yet you already know the answer. Do you not? You know me and I know you."
         Emily stared into the man's deep blue eyes; she had seen those eyes before.
"You're one of the men from my dream." she said. “You’re a god."
         The man laughed and touched Emily's face gently.
"My sweet child, I'm no god. I am a Protector."
         Emily was confused.
"A protector of what?"
"I am the keeper of the orb of water and space." he replied.
"The orb that gives the king his power? You are one of the ones that choose the king." she was amazed to be in the presence of such greatness.
"Yes. But this time the Protectors have chosen wrong."
         Emily remembered the king in her dream.
"The king who is killing his people."
"Yes. He must be stopped." the man paused. “And you can help."
"Me? But I'm only a child."
"How old are you?" he asked.
         Emily bowed her head. “I don't know. My mother never told me when I was born."
"You're sixteen." the blue man told her and Emily was surprised he knew. “You’re old enough to live alone and take care of yourself."
"I live alone because my family is dead and I don't take very good care of myself."
"Why do you say that?" he wondered.
"I hear voices." she admitted. “And I have terrifying visions and I talk to myself and I have dreams that would probably scare even you."
"Those voices are the cries from the people whose lives are being destroyed by someone they trusted. They need your help. You can see the future; you know they will die if you don't help them. You are the only one who can help."
"Why can't you and the other Protectors do something?" Emily protested although she knew she was just making excuses.
"It is not our place to interfere in the mortal world. We choose the king and send him his power."
"What about my dreams?" Emily said, still making excuses. “People die in my world, what if I die too?"
"You dream the dreams of a thousand believers. These people believe in you and they know you can help them." he paused again. “In a world without dreams, things are no more than they seem to be."
"But I'm nobody. I'm just a very insane child who grows vegetables and picks berries to keep herself alive."
"In every age, in every time, a hero is born. You have the answers, it is the questions you must find." he told her.
"I'm no hero." she insisted. “And I have no answers."
"You know the secrets but the truth lies deep in you mind."
"There are many things that are deep in my mind. What can I do?"
"Seek and you shall find your destiny. Will you help?" he looked deep into her eyes, almost as if he was trying to look into her soul. “Will you sacrifice?"
         Emily sighed and thought. The voices were quiet and her mind was at peace for a moment.
"Yes, I will help you."

         It was early the next morning when Emily packed her saddle bag and mounted her horse. The man with the blue skin, Starkeeper, rode with her most of the way but only Emily could see him. Once during the journey, Starkeeper was called away to take care of some business. As soon as he had gone, Emily heard someone call her name and she knew the voices were back again. They started out in whispers but quickly became screams. Emily's head hurt so much she had to stop her horse. She covered her ears and cried out.
"Starkeeper! Help me!"
         The voices continued and grew louder. It was almost unbearable. Tears poured down Emily's face and she started to sob. Still the screams persisted. Emily was very scared this time, she was sure she was going to die. Then suddenly, everything was quiet and Emily felt a soft hand on her cheek, brushing her tears away. She opened her eyes and saw Starkeeper standing beside her. She smiled and leapt into his arms to hug him.
"Hush those sobs my child, it's over now."
"Don't ever leave me again.” she cried. “When you leave, they come after me."
         Starkeeper lifted Emily back onto her horse.
"They won't come back anymore, I swear it. I made them all go away."
"You promise they aren't going to come back?"
"I promise.” he assured her. "You'll never hear voices in your head again. For as long as you live. Now, shall we start once more on our journey?"
         Emily nodded and Starkeeper climbed on the horse.

         Emily didn't feel like sleeping that night so instead of stopping, they rode on through the darkness. After a while Starkeeper looked down and saw that Emily was asleep so he took the horse's reins and kept going.
         When Emily woke up, she was lying on the ground wrapped in a blanket and Starkeeper was sitting by a fire he had built. The sun was behind the clouds but a thin beam of light seemed to point down from the heavens onto the small camp.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes." she sat up and stretched. “I didn't even have one nightmare. That's the first time I had a peaceful sleep in more than a year. Are all my visions gone too?"
"Not all of them. You might have one every now and again. They'll help you on your journey."
"What is my journey?"
"We are here." he waved to the surrounding area. “Now you must go see the king."
"What do I do then?" she asked.
"You will know what to do." he got up to leave. “I must go now, but I'll be back later."
         With that Starkeeper disappeared and left Emily to eat her breakfast alone. Later that morning, Emily was riding through town towards the castle when she was stopped by two of the king's guards.
"Where are you going?" one of them asked.
"To the castle to see the king.” she answered. “I’m new to this town and I heard that everyone who passes through has to see the king first."
"You heard correct. Follow us."
         Emily followed the guards to the castle and dismounted once inside the courtyard. She glanced around at all the mean looking guards and had second thoughts about the whole mission. But then she remembered what Starkeeper had told her, “There’s no turning back from this odyssey." Emily took a deep breath and walked into the throne room when the guards opened the doors for her. The king was yelling at one of his servants, but stopped when Emily approached him.
"What have we got here?" he asked the guards without taking his eyes off Emily.
"She was riding through the village towards the castle when we found her."
"What is your name dear girl?"
"Emily." she said.
"Emily, what have you come to my village for?"
"I was just passing through."
"Alone?"
"Yes, I have no family."
         The guards stepped forward.
"Shall we put her with the others your majesty?"
"No." he waved them away. “I’ll take care of this one. Leave us."
         The guards bowed, turned and left the room. There was only Emily and the king there now.
"Come closer my dear. Don't be afraid." he told her.
         Emily took a few steps closer to the king's throne. "I'm not scared."
"You're not?" he was obviously surprised. “Well, I must say, you are the first."
         The king got off his throne and came down to where Emily was standing. It was then that she finally got a good look at him. He was tall and well built, he had long straight brown hair and looking into his eyes, Emily could tell that they were brown but now had a spark of something she had never seen before. He also wasn't very much older than Emily herself.
"My name is Alastair and I would like you to be my guest here at the castle for a few days. If you would like to."
         Emily started to decline the offer but then remembered something else Starkeeper told her, “The king lives in his own world on a high mountain where only heroes dare to go. If you can get into his world then you can get into his heart."
"I would love to. I don't have anything else to do." she admitted.
"Wonderful." he smiled. “Follow Marie and she will show you to your room. Dinner is at dusk and feel free to explore the castle if you'd like."
         Emily turned and followed the tiny little elf girl that she assumed was Marie up the stairs to the bedchambers. Marie opened a heavy oak door and ushered Emily in. She was quite curious and wanted to ask the girl about her pointed elven ears but didn't get a chance.
"This will be your chamber during your stay. If you need anything, pull that silk cord and I will get you whatever you need." she explained.
"Thank you." Emily said.
         Then Marie turned and went out into the hall, closing the door behind her. Emily surveyed the room and saw that her saddle bag and all of her things were on the bed. She changed out of her dusty riding clothes and went walking around the castle.
         By the time the dinner bell rang, Emily was starving and she hurried down to the dining hall. King Alastair was already sitting at the table when Emily came in.
"Have a seat Emily and fill your empty belly."
         Emily ate some of the best food she had ever tasted and got slightly drunk on the king's private stash of wine.
"So Emily, how old are you?" the conversation began.
"Sixteen.” she answered. “And you?"
"Only twenty-one. I'm the youngest king this land has ever seen."
"The Protectors chose you when you were young so you could reign for a long time."
         Alastair was pleased by this comment. "So you know about the Protectors?"
"Everyone does."
         They were silent for a moment.
"Have you ever seen them?" Emily asked. “The Protectors?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"I always wondered what they looked like. I had a picture in my mind of what they could be like but I wondered if I was right or not." she explained.
"I can't help you there. I've never seen them, I've only heard their voices." he admitted.
         Emily thought for a minute.
"Is it true that you can do anything you want? Can you really control everything in the world?"
"Yes I can. It took me a while to learn to control the power but now I can use it to do anything you can imagine. Watch."
         Alastair directed Emily's attention towards the fireplace. He snapped his fingers and flames suddenly appeared.
"Wow." Emily was amazed.
"That's nothing really." he told her. “I could make the sun stop shining or stop the seasons and make it winter all year if I wanted to."
"Would you really do that?"
         Alastair saw the look on Emily's face and laughed. "Not if you don't want me to. Shall we turn in? It's getting late."
         Alastair walked Emily up to her room and they stopped at the door. Alastair was staring at Emily and she blushed.
"You are a very beautiful girl Emily. Did you know that?"
         Emily smiled and shook her head. Alastair leaned close to Emily and kissed her gently.
"Goodnight. Sleep well."
         He turned and went down the hall to his own bedroom. Emily fell back against her door and pushed it open. She pulled herself up and found Starkeeper there when she turned around.
"Hello Emily." he said.
"How long have you been here?"
"Again you ask questions that you know the answer to. You can feel my presence when I come and go so you know how long I've been here." he explained. “How goes you mission?"
         Emily hopped on the bed and fell back. "Starkeeper, how can someone like Alastair be the horrible person that you say he is? He's so sweet and kind to me."
"You're falling into his trap." the tall man warned her.
"I like him." she said. “He’s the only person that has ever treated me this way, besides you and my father."
"Emily, don't let yourself get caught in his false promise of love. You will end up dead if you fall in love with him."
"But he likes me too." she insisted. “I can feel it."
"He probably does feel something for you as you do him, but he will still kill you if you drop your guard for even a moment."
"I won't drop my guard. I promise I won't."
"A woman in love always drops her guard." he warned.
         Emily sighed and gave him a dirty look.
"Just keep your mind on your mission. Goodnight Emily."
         Starkeeper disappeared and Emily went to sleep.

         Emily woke up when the rooster crowed the next morning. She breathed in and smelled roses. She opened her eyes and saw that the sheets of the bed were covered in bright red roses. At first Emily thought she was dreaming, but she picked up one of the flowers and sniffed it, she wasn't dreaming. Her heart soared when she realized that this was Alastair's doing. She got dressed, put one of the roses in her hair and went down to the dining hall for breakfast.
         Alastair was already at the table eating fresh berries when he saw Emily coming. He looked at her and she smiled.
"Did you like my surprise?"
"Yes, I loved it. Thank you."
         She sat down and helped herself to a handful of blueberries.
"So what are we doing today?"
"Well, the kingdom is in order and there is no important business to attend to so I thought you and I could go riding and I could give you a personal tour of my lands."
"That sounds lovely, when are we leaving?"
"Now?" he suggested.
"Okay. Let me change clothes and I'll meet you at the front gates."
         Emily grabbed a few more berries and ran upstairs to her room. Even before she opened the door, she knew Starkeeper was in the room.
"Good morning Starkeeper."
"Good morning Emily. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Alastair is taking me riding today."
"Emily..." he started.
"Don't start with me Starkeeper. It's just a ride through the kingdom."
         She grabbed her riding clothes and stepped behind the changing screen.
"I was right, you are falling for him."
"Do you people want this job done or not?" she called.
         Starkeeper was silent. Emily finished dressing and stepped out.
"You should let me do this my way. You were the one who told me to get inside his heart, and that's what I'm doing."
"But I don't want you to get hurt. Alastair is very powerful, more powerful than you can imagine. Be careful around him."
"I heard voices in my head and saw visions of dying people in my dreams for 10 years; I think I can handle the most powerful man in the world."
         Emily ran down to the front gates of the castle and found Alastair and his mount waiting for her. She was surprised to see her own horse beside them. She climbed into the saddle and they rode off.
         Emily and Alastair rode through the country side all day and they came to a cliff over looking the whole village just as the sun was setting.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"  He said.
"Yes. That's exactly what I was thinking."
"I know."
         Emily was startled by this comment.
"What do you mean?"
"I know you were thinking that the sunset is beautiful. Emily, I know everything you're thinking. I rule the whole universe, didn't you think I could read someone's mind if I wanted?"
"If you can read my mind, then you know about..." she stopped.
"About Starkeeper and the secret you've been hiding that you're the hero who has come to save my people from me? Yes, I know about that. I know the Protectors want you to kill me."
"I...I..." she couldn't think straight.
"I also know that you can't kill me because you love me."
         Emily was completely speechless now.
"It's okay Emily." he assured her. “You don't have to pretend. I love you too."
"You do?"
"Yes I do."
"But how can you?" she wondered. “We only met yesterday."
"I love you because you are beautiful and you are kind and smart and brave and because you love me also."
"I may be kind, but brave?" she laughed.
"Yes. You are very brave. You are the only person I have ever met that wasn't scared of me."
"Really?"
"Yes. I never wanted anyone to be afraid of me. I just wanted to rule as it was planned for me to." he explained.
"People are afraid of you because you kill their loved ones and sell their children as slaves to their enemies."
         Alastair stared at Emily. She could tell he was angry. Her heart started to race.
"What do you know?!" he yelled.
         Emily's horse instinctively backed away. They were both scared. Emily heard a voice inside her head, “I just need a will of my own and the courage to stand alone." Then she knew what to do. She rode over to where Alastair was and put her hand on his shoulder.
"I know nothing about being a king or ruling the world but I do know things that you don't and I only speak what is true, your whole kingdom is afraid of you and they hate you."
         Alastair looked over the cliff at the colors of the setting sun. He sighed.
"You're right. My people do hate me." he turned to face Emily. “Who taught you to be so wise?"
"My father. He was very wise. He helped me deal with the visions in my dreams."
"Do you still get those visions?"
"Sometimes, but I don't hear the voices anymore."
         Alastair looked at Emily and smiled. He leaned over and kissed her. It was a kiss like nothing Emily had ever felt before.
"Emily?"
"Yes?"
"Will you be my queen?"
"Wh...What?" she stammered.
"Will you marry me? We could rule the world together, spend all day making passionate love to one another, have four or five children and live happily for the rest of our lives." he paused and stared into her eyes. “So, will you?"
         Her mind told her to say no, but her heart won the battle.
"Yes, I will."
         Alastair kissed Emily and pulled her over to him. She sat in front of him in the saddle with his arms wrapped tightly around her and her horse following slowly behind them.
         When they got back to the castle, Alastair sent his servants to prepare for the wedding.
"We will have the ceremony at the chapel on the upcoming Sabbath."
"But that's only three days away!" Emily protested.
"Don't worry love, everything will be perfect."
         Emily felt the presence of Starkeeper and knew he was in her room.
"I have to go speak with Starkeeper. I must tell him that I can't complete the mission he sent me on."
"Yes, do get rid of him. We don't need him around."
         Emily went up to her room and made sure the door was closed all the way. Starkeeper could tell something wasn't right.
"Emily, what's wrong?"
"You didn't tell me Alastair could read my thoughts."
"Well, he can. But not when I'm around." he assured her.
"Good, then he won't hear this conversation."
"What is the matter?"
"Alastair and I are getting married."
         Starkeeper's mouth dropped open. “No."
"Yes. On Sunday, down at the chapel."
"No." he said again. “You can't you’re supposed to kill him, not wed him."
"But you don't see.” she insisted.
"Yes, I do see. You have betrayed us. You came here to destroy the enemy and now you are going join him."
"No, Starkeeper, I have a plan!"
"A plan to have the Protectors destroyed and have Alastair rule as the evil king for all eternity."
"No!" Emily yelled.
"May your children and every generation that follow them know of your treason." he said.
"Starkeeper! Listen to me!"
"And may all your days be filled with the nightmares that have plagued you all your life."
         With that Starkeeper disappeared and Emily once again felt alone.

         The next few days passed very quickly with preparation for the wedding. The chapel was decorated, the feast cooked and everyone in the kingdom was invited. Emily stayed in her room most of the time, praying that Starkeeper would come back to help her carry out her plan, but she knew her prayers fell upon deaf ears.
         By the time Sunday morning came, everything was ready for the wedding and Emily was still upset. She had a restless night full of visions of herself dying over and over again. Marie came to get her up and help her get ready.
         Once at the chapel Emily started feeling nervous. She joined Alastair at the altar where they lit a candle together and said the traditional wedding prayer. After the ceremony they all went back to the castle where Emily was officially crowned as queen. Then everyone went to the dining hall for the huge feast. The eating, drinking and partying lasted into the early morning.
         When the feast was almost over and the last best wishes were given, Alastair carried Emily to their bed. He lay down beside her and kissed her.
"You know," he started,” I haven't tried once today to read your mind. Let's see if I can figure out what you're thinking."
         Emily turned away and sat up.
"You don't want to know what I'm thinking." she warned.
"Yes I do. Now come here."
         Alastair turned her face towards him and stared into her eyes.
"No, you wouldn't."
         Emily reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a dagger.
"I'm sorry."
         She kissed him one last time and plunged the dagger into his chest. Within seconds, Alastair was dead. Emily got up and quietly slipped out of the room and down the hall to her room. She could hear the celebrating still going on downstairs. She opened her door and stepped into the room. But when the door shut behind her, Emily was suddenly transported to another world. She was standing on a white platform and darkness was all around her. The air was cold but she didn't shiver. She felt the presence of the Protectors as each of them appeared before her one by one. Starkeeper stepped forward. Emily had only ever seen him in the long brown robe. Now he wore all black, with silver and blue accents. The light was such that his painted face had a faint glow and his eyes held sorrow for the girl.
"I owe you an apology Emily. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you and I'm sorry I accused you of trying to destroy the Protectors. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Its done." she assured him. “I probably would have done the same things if I were you."
         Starkeeper stepped back into his position in the line and Fortunado, whom Emily recognized as the keeper of fire, stepped forward.
"Our deepest thanks go out to you Emily. We know how hard this must have been for you. How can we repay you?"
"I don't want anything from you." she said trying not to sound rude. “I just want to go somewhere I can live a peaceful, uneventful life."
"You don't want anything in return for what you have done for us?" Fortunado asked.
"Nothing."
         Fortunado went back and was whispering with the others, but Emily couldn't make out what they were saying. Fortunado pulled a small box from behind his back and held it out to Emily.
"Please accept this as a token of our tremendous gratitude. It is a charm for you to wear at all times to remind you that you can call on us at any time. And when you decide exactly where you want to live, let us know and we'll get you there."
"Thank you, all of you."
         Then the Protectors disappeared and Emily was back in her room at the castle. She packed all her stuff in her saddle bag and went down to the stables to get her horse. Before Emily went out the front gates of the courtyard, she opened the box Fortunado had given her. When she saw what was inside, she was absolutely amazed. The colorful glow alone told her what she truly held in her hands.
"Fortunado! You lied to me!"
         She thought she heard faint laughter echoing from somewhere far away.


                                               The End