when i'm worthy

The Realm Beyond

By: Hannah Brindle

Prologue          
Long ago in 'The Realm', that was all but forgotten, a young boy appeared. He seemed to be dazed by the fact that he was wearing nothing but a thin, itchy, white tunic and tight leather pants. He had studied the medieval era several times during his high school career. At the sight of it all, his heart jumped into his throat. Only one thing confused him, how did he get here? Looking around at his surroundings, he found himself in a large open meadow. The trees seemed to have been pushed back by some magical force. There were exotic birds that flew over his head from one side to the other. Some were blue and some were gold. Most of them were a dull dark red or brown. He didn't know much about bird but these were not birds from earth.
         'There is something wrong here. I must find out what it is and then how to get back home,' thought the boy. This young boy was called by Troy Farthing. His heritage has no purpose in this matter but his age is important. This boy has just turned 16. It is the evening of his birthday. His flashing gold eyes make it hard to look into them. Most people would say that he was looking directly into their souls. Who's to say that he isn't? But that's for another time and place. Troy squeezed his eyes shut and shook his shoulder-length, white-blonde hair. He opened his eyes to find that he was still in the same place. He looked down at his hands, a deep olive tone from long days in the sun. They were his hands, so this must just be a dream.
         Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted a flicker of movement and felt eyes on him. Turning in a circle, he looked closely at the surrounding woods. As he completed his circle a boy, about his age, stepped into the clearing. His clothing looked as though they were made from silk. They were ruffled and creased in places and new he had been wearing them for a little while. He wore a red tunic with golden thread embroidery and leather hunting pants. He had midnight black hair that reached the bottom of his jaw. His face was thin and the features were prominent on his face. There was a deep indention below his cheek bone and shadows across his eyes. His bushy eyebrows covered the top half of his eyes. What you could see of his eyes were deep black holes that you could be sucked into. There was a long scar stretching from his hairline to his jaw on the left side. It cut through his eyebrows making it split in half. 'He must have gotten cut by a sword at a very young age,' thought Troy. His figure was small and gangly from lack of muscle. His fine clothes hung loosely on his frame. This boy looked like he was starved to the very end of his life, only to be kept alive a little bit longer.
         As Troy studied him, the boy began moving through the tall grass, intertwined wild flowers of purple, white, and red. As he walked, a path was left behind leaving a tell tale sign that someone had walked there. His walk wasn't really a walk. It was more like a panther stalking its prey. His eyes never left mine. As he got closer, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end.
'There just isn't something right. His look just doesn't fit the picture I had for the people here, especially not a noble,' thought Troy.
The boy stopped a few feet before him and held his hand out. A quick smirk flashed upon the boys lips and then vanished in the same second. I took his hand and shook it firmly. After we shook hands, his grip didn't loosen. His grip tightened painfully. There was a twitch of enjoyment that passed over his eyes. 'Is this all a game to him? Can't he just release my hand?' Troy thought quickly.
The boy's black eyes softened as he released my hand. He looked me up and down, sizing me up. It was like he was here to buy cattle and was sizing up its value.
After a long moment of silence, he finally started to look like a teen age boy. His posture slouched and stuck his hands into his pockets. A light, hearted grin was spread across his face making wrinkles visible. There were wrinkles stretching across his forehead as he raised his eyebrows. He looked almost natural except for the little bit of tension that coursed through his muscles.
"Hello, my name is Gabrial Vandal. There are very important things that I must teach you. You come from a world called Earth. You are what the people call 'A Traveler'. You have traveled from your world to ours on the evening of your 16th birthday. I am correct, yes?" Gabrial suddenly blurted out.
"Yes... but how do you know so much about me and how did you know that I was from another world." Troy asked.
"I thought I might be. Well to answer your question, it has been the same with the entire amount of 'Travelers'. Every single one has come to us on their 16th birthday. We here aren't quite certain ourselves. To answer your other question, it was the handshake. We here don't do that. We clasp each other forearms." Gabrial said, showing Troy what he meant.
"Ok, I get that much. Now do you know why I'm here and how to get back?" Troy asked skeptically.
"I'm afraid you can't return until nightfall. You must sleep when the sun goes down. That much we have figured out. If you don't have any other questions, I would like to ask you one." Gabrial grinned widely.
"Why not since you answered all mine." Troy said bored.
"I would like to know your name." Gabrial said simply.
Thinking back to when they first met, Troy hadn't told him his name. 'It was very rude for me to do such a thing. My mother would have surely beaten me to death for it. I guess it couldn't harm anything,' Troy thought.
"My name Troy Farthing," Troy stated.
"Good! We must be on our way though, if we want to make it back before breakfast." Gabrial said, walking back in the direction he had come. As he walked he chuckled to himself.
'This was a strange boy. One moment he is sinister and the other he is laughing like a young child. I must watch him closely,' Troy thought.
"Come along Troy! We must hurry for it is almost sunrise. If you don't then our food will surely be cold as snow." Gabrial called over his shoulder.
Rolling his eyes, Troy followed him. As they made their way back to where Gabrial had appeared, the meadow grew lighter. Before it looked like it was either just before dawn or dusk. Now you could clearly tell it was early morning.
Last night before he fell asleep, Troy's parents had thrown him a birthday party. They booked the party at the local skating rink and they skated away the night. After the party, Troy was exhausted and couldn't even lift a finger. Now, he felt like he had had a full nights sleep.
Troy thought, 'There has to be a reason I don't feel tired. I should ask Gabrial about it.'
"Why am I not tired? I think I should be. I haven't slept yet." Troy commented.
"Because when you travel between worlds a part of your body stays there. It gathers sleep throughout the night. When you return to earth, you will wake up at the time you did here. Did any of that make sense to you?" Gabrial explained.
"I got some of it but not all of it. I got the important things out of it and I somewhat understand your answer and the reasoning behind it." Troy confirmed.
Nodding his head, Gabrial went on. Keeping up with him was a real chore. He was walking at a brisk pace that Troy had to jog to stay close to him. The lack of light in the forest didn't make it any easier though. The thick branches over head laden with thickly set leaves blocked the morning sun. Small creatures darted from bushes to hollows in trees. There were a couple of animals Troy didn't know. He planned on asking about later.
"There are several different species here that you don't have on earth. There is a small bird that can't fly called Angell. It lives near rivers and streams catching fish and eating river clams. They are a curios little bunch though." Gabrial commented abruptly.
'Did he just read my thoughts? That can't be possible and I know it to be a fact,' thought Troy.
"Oh, but it is possible. You just have a limited mind and reasoning. Your thoughts are open and free. Anyone could figure out anything from you. When you are here you will have to learn to control that. No one wants to know every thought that someone has about them. It's quite rude, you know," Gabrial added.
"OK, how do I stop people from reading my thoughts?" Troy asked skeptically.
"It's very difficult to master and for that matter use. But if you insist I will give you a hint, brick wall," Gabrial said snickering.
'I don't care what he thinks it can't be that hard. What does he mean by brick wall? That was not really any help to me at all,' Troy thought.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Gabrial butted in.
"No, you didn't give me enough information. I need more if you please."
"Well... I don't please. You can figure it out yourself. I have complete and utter faith in you." Gabrial said smiling again.
'What a pain he is. He never makes any sense what so ever to me. But I will give it a try. I just need to figure out what he means by brick wall. Brick wall... brick wall... brick wall...' Troy thought.
"Good! You have figured it out. Maybe you are better than I think you are. You are very special indeed." Gabrial said simpering.
Troy grimaced as he figured out that it was an insult. Troy realized that Gabrial meant he was thick headed and didn't have much imagination. Gabrial had stopped and turned around to see Troy's reaction. Gabrial looked satisfied with the effect it had.
"You know who is rude? You are, Gabrial. I have done nothing to deserve your criticism and insults! Why couldn't you have told me what to do in the first place? There is no reason or right to toy with me," screamed Troy.
Gabrial's expression hardened into a brick wall, impenetrable. "You want a reason for what I did? Well that is an easy question to answer," Gabrial's expression brightened like a child getting ice cream, "Because this is more fun!"
Dumbfounded by Gabrial's reaction, Troy stood stiff as a board. 'This man is crazy and I need to get away from him,' said Troy warning himself.
"You need to let loose a little bit. Life is just too short not to. Have faith that things will turn out, OK?" Gabrial said happily.
"There is no point in doing so. I find no rational reason to let my guard down at this moment. I have just shown up in a completely new world and I have no idea what dangers it may hold in its claws." Troy said sternly.
Gabrial's expression darkened, leaving no trace of the happy heart that used to be there. The lines on his face deepened making Troy wonder why he had so many. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a deep set frown. The expression that was held on his face made him look older than he appeared.
"There are things that I will tell you that will crush your spirit even more than it has been crushed. There are things that you have no idea what they mean, that makes you very ignorant but sometimes wise. For this I pity and envy you more than you know," Gabrial declared sadly, "I'm sad to say I must break the hold that ignorance has on you. I am truly sorry, my friend."
         "I do not cherish my ignorance. I would happily give it up for the wisdom to save someone's life," Troy said calmly.
         "You must cherish your ignorance, for the wisdom I will bestow you will make you long for it," Gabrial said solemnly. With a down cast look Gabrial broke through the tree line. They stepped into an open field where the grass and wild flower grew together in tight clumps. Two horses grazing happily; flicking their tails as to keep the flies away. The morning sun was glinting off their neatly brushed coats. The sun was just rising over the valley, glinting off the snow capped mountains. Fluffy, white clouds from storms past, which hung still in the distance, were turned hues of purple and gold. The fragrance that was left behind by the storm made the flowers that much stronger. The sun sent glistening rays through millions of rain drops scattered all over the field, making it hard to see.
         On a hill, not far away from them, sat a large, walled city bathed in sunlight. Four high towers marked the boundary line. Twelve-foot high walls of stone stood erect and ready for siege. There were people crowded on a thin road to the city. Most were on foot carrying large packs and looking weary from their travels. There were a few that carts piled high with goods and with the travelers' children. Even fewer were on horses, and those that were, were dressed in fine clothes like Gabrial. The main gate stood open, welcoming the weary travelers. The guards on the wall stood watchfully and protectively over the people. There were a few that stood rigid in front of the main gate. 'This place must be a great city on the inside,' Troy thought, astonished.
         Troy jumped as Gabrial called for the horses. The sun had almost completely come into view. Only a small sliver remained behind the mountains. As we mounted the horses the evening fires were being extinguished taking the orange glow from the grey walls.
         "Mother and father get into a grouchy mood when I'm late. So I don't get a betting can we hurry?" Gabrial commented with scared look. Quickly, they took off at a gallop.





























Chapter 1- Horrible Fate
Images flashed through my head of my father, very young, and another man I've never seen. They were in and talking about a peculiar place called 'The Realm'. There was a castle and guards and people wearing clothing from the medieval era. 'This is such a strange dream. I've never seen pictures of a place like this on earth.' I thought. My father, Troy, and the man named Gabrial rode into the city; where the streets were packed with people in rags. There were a few among them that had some decent clothing on. Most were wearing potato or flour sacks. The rough wool had irritated the skin so most had red rashes up and down their arms. There was a blind man begging for some bread or coins. I couldn't tell because he had lost all his teeth. The man's pink gums showed as he was trying to get my fathers' attention. Gabrial smacked the man's hand away. Troy put an arm out to make Gabrial stop. Troy bent down and put a hand onto the man's face. He spoke soft words that made the man smile a toothless grin. The man put his grimy hand on my fathers face. He closed his eyes as to see what my father looked like. Moving his hand gently and slowly across my fathers face his grin widened.
This thin, blind, old man was given hope and joy from touching my father. 'There is nothing special about my father. So what would make him so happy?' I thought
My father set the man's hand in his lap and leaned him back against the stone wall. The man's face went blank and his skin ashen'. "What a pity this is. This man never truly experienced life. He was blind from birth. He never saw a sunset or sunrise. Two things we take advantage of everyday of our lives." My father said.
My father closed the man's eyes and stood up. His face aged several years in the past moment. His skin had turned just as gray as the old mans'. My father stood rigid and still as the people rushed by, not caring.
"These types of things happen all the times here. We are in a state of depression right now. Wish you had come at a better time. You will het use to all the deaths." Gabrial explained.
"I don't want to be used to it! Every single death is important no matter how small the person or what he achieved! You need to cherish life while you have it and morn when someone dear to you dies! This man has no one to morn over him!" My father screamed. Those near by stopped and stared at him like he was crazy.
"That man has you to morn him. Does that not count for something?" Gabrial countered.
"What if I never came here? Who would morn this sad moment then? He will be with all the others that have died on this very street! I'm sorry about this but you need to know that it is inhuman. This man had a life, a flare, that is now gone and the world is that much darker." My father argued.
Nodding, Gabrial finally gave into my father's rants. With an arm behind my father, Gabrial ushered my father forward to a palace that stood high above the streets below it. There were flags that snapped in the wind that were purple and gold. They were the same color that Gabrial had on. 'Gabrial must be a prince. That or a noble of some kind' I thought.
"Alexa it's time to get up! You need to get ready!" said a misty voice to me in my dream.
I jolted awake from my dream to another deep-throat below from my father. "Alexa wake up!"
'What a rude awakening this is.' I said under my breath.
Sitting up in bed I screamed at the door, "Alright papa, I'm up!"
I heard heavy footsteps recede away from my door and down the hall. The foot steps were crashing down the oak stairs a moment later. I shook my flames of hair from their crumpled position against my head. I rubbed my face and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, the time read 4:30 AM. 'Why does he always wake me up thirty minuets before I get up?' I asked myself.
With my father, there was no such thing as beauty sleep. You were to get up at 4:30 every morning. If you weren't, then he woke you up. Even if I didn't have school today he would wake me up anyway. He infuriated me so much when it came to my sleep. It's not really a good combination when I'm mad and sleep deprived.
I debated whether or not to go back to sleep and just wake up five minuets later or just get up. I chose the latter of the two. I searched for my hair tie that I had put in my hair last night. My hair was fire red and I had cut it my shoulders last summer. It was thick and it was extremely hard to take care of. By now my hair had grown to half way down my back since then. 'I need to get this mess cut again,' I thought.
After lifting up my pillow I found my black hair tie. Taking the brush from my night stand, I tamed my hair into a ponytail. Tossing my brush back on the night stand and looked around my room. The bleak beige walls were bare and devoid of my many pictures and drawings. Boxes were pilled in a corner where put them so I could have room to move around. My bed was underneath a window with white block out blinds. There was a rod for curtains but I hadn't gotten around to that yet. My flower print comforter from when I was ten was on my bed. We had gotten in late last night. We had just moved here from Blairstown, New Jersey to New York City. Living in the suburbs of New York, this will be change for me. Back home, everyone knew everyone else. There the main gossip was if so and so broke up and who is going out with whom. In this big old town, there wasn't a soul I knew besides my pappy.
Today was the first day at my new school. I just wish I could have finished the year out at my other school. I hate that almost every two years we move somewhere new and I get the new girl treatment every time. I figured I had better get ready or pappy will come back up here to see if I had fallen back to sleep. I stepped onto the floor with my left foot but as I tried to step with my right foot my comforter wrapped around my foot. Everything happened so fast that I didn't have enough time to react and catch myself. In five seconds my life flashed before my eyes. Things may end like this was the only thought that was in my head. My face hit the hard floor and my nose made a cracking sound. Hitting the floor knocked some cold hard truth into me; there is no going back to your old life once you leave it behind. I will forever wander aimlessly into the future. Thinking on the fly about what will happen next. I know no one here; have no friends, my life feels like it has no purpose to fill my long, lonely days with. My eyes started to tear up and I lifted my head off the floor to find a pool of my blood. I screamed for a minuet and pappy running up the stairs to see what the problem was. I reached my hand up to feel my nose. It was tender and swollen. There was a thick liquid pouring out of my nose and knew that it was my blood. I looked up as pappy's burly frame was exposed by my door swinging open. He glanced around my room looking for action. Not seeing me he looked to his feet where I lied on the floor. There were tears streaming down my face and blood coming out between my fingers.
"Oh Alexa. How did you manage this?" Pappy asked as he bent down. His golden eyes, sympathy and pity were written all over them. "How do you always seem to hurt yourself? How many times have you hurt yourself this month, about eight or maybe ten?"
"I'm afraid I have lost count," I said smiling weakly.
"Alright let's get you cleaned up then," Pappy said, helping me up.
Pappy walked me to the bathroom. Grabbing toilet paper, he gently dabbed my nose. I didn't know where else to look so I stared at the ceiling. I only looked down when he tried to move my nose. Tears flowed anew from my eyes. I wanted to cry out from the pain but I forced myself not to. Through my tears I stared at my fathers' eyes, focused and determined. His eyes flicked up to mine for a split second. There was a tingle in the back of my mind. I wondered what went on behind those steel eyes.
A memory flicked through my head of a picture I saw when I was little. I had gone into Pappy's study and seen a picture with him and a woman sitting on a park bench together. The woman was pregnant. At the time I didn't put two and two together but now I guessed that it was my mom. She looked beautiful, she had the glow that most pregnant women have but there was something more. Her eyes were intelligent and kind. It's hard to find that combination in someone. Her skin seemed flawless and her red-brown hair shone in the evening light. I remember that picture well. Pappy sat next to her holding her protectively. But underneath it all there was joy and happiness. His eyes weren't as harsh as they are today. Gradually his eyes have dulled from years of work and lack of sleep.
Pappy's voice broke through my conscience, "I wish you hadn't brought that up. It makes me sad when I see it."
I was bewildered as to what he was talking about. I hadn't even been talking to him. Was he talking to himself?
"Pappy, what are you talking about?" I said.
"I wasn't talking to anyone. Are you hearing things now?" He said turning my head as to look in my ear.
"I am not hearing things. You defiantly said something. What are you talking about?" I said wanting answers.
"I wasn't saying anything... I think any way," He responded.
"Why are you lying to me? I just want you to tell me the truth. I don't want you to protect me anymore!" I said frustrated.
"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about."
"Yes, you do. There are times when you randomly start talking to yourself. Want to know why." I said strongly. My fists were balled up by my sides and my face was scrunched up, which hurt my nose but I didn't care at the moment. I just want answers. Is that too much to ask for, really?
Pappy stared off into the distance for a moment. He looked like he was distracted but focused at the same time, like he was having a conversation with himself.
He just stood there like that for a minute or so. He finally came out of his daze. His eyes focused and he looked at me. His eyes told me he didn't want to but he knew he had too.
"Alright, I will tell you. Only under one condition, you must never tell anyone. When I say no one I mean no one."