| Flight |
| Wings spread, her talons gleaming in the bright noon sun, she soars on an updraft and surveys the land. Spotting a river, she swoops lower to search for fish. She catches a gleam of scales and, with a sharp cry, folds her wings on her back and dives down towards the earth at breakneck speed. Just before impacting the surface of the water, her wings snap open and her talons shoot out, and she rises up above the river, wings beating laboriously. Suddenly, the fish she just caught becomes a manacle around her leg, and her flight upwards is interrupted with a wrench as the chain attached to the manacle snaps taught. Bound to the earth, her wings and heart straining to break free and soar once again, she lets loose a painful cry, filled with anguish and longing. * * * * Her cry became a sobbing scream as she woke up, gasping for breath and drenched with sweat. The dream she had had was a recurring one, and came back more frequently as she grew older and became steadily lonelier. Her eyes were wide open in the blinding bright light of the suns as she sat up and looked around the clearing in which she had fallen asleep. “Calm down, Taea,” she said to herself, her voice sounding shaky and high pitched. “Just relax… ‘Twas but a dream.” She got up and brushed herself off, glad that she had spread her cloak down before she had dozed off. Her maid would not be happy if she returned with a ruined gown. She pushed her long purple hair back out of her bright silver eyes, and sighed brokenly. “I cannot fly,” she murmured. “I, the daughter of Meridon the Lord of Malyre, the girl who has had everything she has ever wanted in all her sixteen years of life, am denied the one thing I desire most. For I do desire it over all things… but one. Oh but I am lonely…” She broke off, realising that she was speaking aloud. Looking up at the suns, Riegel and Legir, she saw how late it was and knew she should head back to the keep. Taking up her cloak, she put it on and set out through the forest. The large blue-green fronds on the zceika trees waved in the slight breeze that teased Taea’s hair. She passed a large shrub, and startled a gooti bird that had been feeding on its tiny yellow berries. The bird’s iridescent, multihued plumage flashed in the sunlight as it took off and, with a strident cry, flew away. Suddenly, a fuji bear burst out from a stand of zceikas and came charging towards her. Startled, she screamed and stumbled backward, tripping on a root and falling heavily on her back. The breath was knocked out of her as the bear, with the characteristic slowness of its kind, ran down on her, its large jaws open to reveal gleaming yellow teeth. It came closer, close enough that she could see the ferocious gleam in its red eyes. Just then, an arrow seemed to sprout from the bear’s right eye, and another one followed swiftly, piercing the bear in its side. Instantly dead from the arrow in its eye, the bear’s momentum carried it forward as it fell, and it landed heavily on Taea. With the breath once more knocked out of her, Taea lay under the dead weight of the bear, its blood pumping out of its eye onto her face and clothes. ‘So much for my clean dress,’ she thought as her vision became misty and she fainted. * * * * She came to as water poured over her face and, coughing, she opened her eyes and sat up. A young man was helping her rise, a canteen of water in one hand. She glanced at him, then did a double take and stared at him, with no thought to courtesy or manners. “Liam!” she exclaimed in relief and give him a shaky smile. She had met him a few times in her wanderings in the forest, and he had always been courteous and polite. Taea felt drawn towards his strangely alluring eyes. She realised she was staring, and looked down into her lap. Catching sight of her bloodied dress, she remembered the bear and tensed up, gasping. “‘Tis right,” Liam said. “The bear lies dead. Are ye hurt?” “No,” she replied, working hard to place his accent and odd dialect. As always, something about his voice was familiar, but she could not quite remember where she had heard his particular manner of speaking before having met him. “Oi heard ye screamin,” he told her, helping her stand. He spoke quickly with a thick accent, sort of drawing out the last syllable of some words. “I all right… be fine… that is to say, not dead… no, I mean…” she broke off, becoming quite flustered as his warm, knowing eyes sparkled with amusement. She took a settling breath, trying not to blush, and tried again. “It is very nice to meet you again, Liam. I thank you for saving my life.” “‘Tis naught,” he dissembled. “Oi heard ye screamin’ and came to help the person in distress.” She listened closely to the way he spoke, and something about it tickled at a memory. It was so familiar. He pronounced ‘heard’ like ‘herid’, and ‘help’ became ‘hailp’. “But you saved my life,” she insisted, averting her silver eyes as once more his golden ones brought heat to several different places in her body. This was an entirely new feeling to her. “Aye, there is that,” he agreed easily, then gently took her chin in his hand and pulled her face up, so that their eyes met. “Where be ye from? Oi just realised that Oi hardly know ye, lass.” “My keep is about a mile that way,” she told him, pointing west through the forest. “Ye live in Braemand?” “Aye,” she said, then realised she had unconsciously echoed his odd way of speaking. She blushed yet again. “And I have to get back there, or father will be worried and send people looking for me.” “Yer father must be powerful to be able to organise a search party quickly,” Liam said as they started walking. “You do not know who I am?” Taea stopped, and turned to face him. “Nay, Oi can not say as Oi do,” a nervous look came to his eyes, and his nose began to twitch. It took her a moment to gather herself, for she had been watching his nose. She found even that nervous trait adorable. “My full name is Taeanna. I am the daughter of Meridon, Lord of Malyre.” “Milady,” Liam acknowledged this piece of information with a tilt of his head and a princely bow. When he straightened, Taea saw that his eyes were twinkling with humour and she wondered about his private joke. “If you please,” she said, gesturing toward Braemand. “By all means milady,” he agreed and took her arm, and they continued on their way. * * * * They reached Braemand just as Riegel was setting, Legir’s last ray having shone just a few minutes before. The guards at the gate knew her as the Lord’s daughter, and let them in. They hurried through the halls of the keep as torches were being lit and set in sconces. Reaching the council chamber, Taea straightened her bloodied gown and glanced at Liam. Motioning him to follow her, she swept into the room and ran into her father’s embrace. “Taeanna my sweet,” her father sighed with relief. “I was so worried!” He pulled out of the hug and saw her bloody gown. “Are you hurt?” He caught sight of Liam, who was standing uncertainly in the doorway, and a hard look came into his eyes. “What happened?” he asked. “I got attacked by a fuji bear, father. I tripped and as it was coming at me, Liam shot it twice with his bow. All the blood on me is the bear’s; I am perfectly fine.” The hard look vanished from Meridon’s eyes. “You are Liam?” he asked, and at the boy’s nod he came over and held out his hand to shake Liam’s own. As he approached, he got close enough to see Liam better and gasped, stopping in his tracks. “What are you?” he asked Liam, taking a step back. “Father?” Taea’s voice wavered with concern. “His eyes, Taeanna!” her father’s own were locked on Liam as he took another step back. The people of Malyre, and every other province in the land of Norland, had common characteristics. Silver eyes, high cheekbones, and small, delicate features are framed by blue or, in Taea’s case, purple hair. Liam’s eyes, peering at Meridon with a look of fear, were a deep, dark shade of gold. In all other respects he was quite normal looking, with a luxurious mop of shaggy bright blue hair. “Yes father, they’re gold,” Taea was growing increasingly worried by the instant. She had forgotten how much of a shock Liam’s odd eyes had been when they had first met. She had grown used to them, however, as she got to know Liam and realised how kind and gentle he was. Now, however, her father’s reaction made her extremely worried. Why was he acting so scared? Yes, Liam’s eyes were different, but they were nothing of which one should be frightened. “Demon spawn… get out!” her father roared, drawing his sword. Liam, who had tensed up the moment Meridon gasped, recoiled as if slapped and backed away, eyes on the sword. “Sir, Oi assure ye…” “OUT!” boomed Meridon, taking a step forward, sword pointing at Liam’s chest. Liam turned and fled from the room without a backward glance. “Liam!” Taea screamed and tried to follow him, but her father held her back. “Stop, child!” he commanded. “He has bewitched you! Only demon ilk has gold eyes. Liam, a demon? Surely not. Taea knew in her heart that this was not true, but she also knew that her father could not be convinced otherwise. She began to cry. “Taeana,” her father began, pulling her up straight and meeting her teary gaze. “You must never see him again. He is evil. He will harm you, and I cannot bear for you to die. Nor can I afford it now.” “What… what do you mean?” Taea asked through her tears. “I have arranged a marriage to Durminium, son of Lord Selkin of the province of Rolania, just north of here. You will be married in a month, then sent to live in Rolania at Selkin’s keep, Shartin.” “M-marriage?” Taea was dumbstruck. Marry some stranger and live in a distant land away from her father and the land she had grown up in? “Yes, marriage. This union between you and Durminium will unite Malyre and Rolania and end the border skirmishes that have been increasing over the last ten years. I must do this, Taeanna. I am sorry.” “Yes, you must be truly sorry father. I thank you for your concern.” Taea practically spat the words out and, glaring at her father with such a look of anger and betrayal that he took a step back, she spun around and fled from the room. She rushed down the hall and out into the garden, stopping under her favourite zceika and collapsing into a heap at the base of the tree. She curled up in a tight ball and began to cry, great heaving sobs ripping forth from her throat. A hand fell on her shoulder, and she gasped and sat up quickly. “Taea,” a voice said. It had an odd accent that brought back ancient memories… “Liam!” she jumped up into his arms, and he comforted her as she cried. “What troubles ye?” he asked gently, as her sobs subsided into hiccups. She took a deep breath and settled herself. Looking up into his beautiful eyes, she gasped at the look they contained. They spoke volumes in their golden depths. The love and concern that poured from them hit her in a nearly tangible wave of affection and tenderness, and her eyes watered with tears of joy. ‘He loves me,’ she thought to herself. In that instant, something clicked inside her, and joy and relief flooded through her. She sighed happily. “What is it?” he asked, mistaking her sigh for one of deep unhappiness. That reminded her of why she had been crying, and she tore her gaze away from his loving eyes. “My father has arranged my marriage to Durminium, son of Lord Selkin of Rolania.” “Yer marriage?” Liam asked, and the concern in his voice brought fresh tears to her eyes. She dissolved into sobs once more, and again he held her as she cried once more. “Liam?” she asked, after what seemed like eternity in his arms. “Aye, Taea?” “I do not want to marry Durminium.” “Ye mistake me for a fool? Why else would ye be cryin so?” “I… We have only met a few times and I do not know a single thing about you.” “That can certainly be remedied,” Liam said, with a twinkle in his eyes. “Oi come from Dhor.” The nagging memory brought about by his accent suddenly made sense to her. Her mother, who had died when Taea was three, had come from the tiny province of Dhor. Taea evidently barely remembered her mother, and Liam’s flowing accent triggered the memory of the beautiful woman from long ago. Taea smiled, relieved at the solution to what had been bothering her about Liam’s accent. “Could you let me say what I’m trying to say, please?” she asked, amusement sparkling in her eyes. Liam’s own sparkled in return, and he mirrored her smile. “Go on then.” She took a deep breath, then gazed deep into his eyes. “I love you, ” she whispered. “Och, is that what was takin ye so long to say? I love ye too, ye bonnie lass.” She laughed at his audacity, then remembered that she was to be married to someone else. Her laugh cut short as she realised that there was no hope for them. “But I am to be married in a month. We cannot be together.” “Aye, but we can,” Liam assured her. “We can elope.” “Elope?” she murmured, a faint look of hope in her eyes.” “Aye, ye silly lass. Elope. Run away and marry in secret. We can live in Dhor.” “Aye, we can at that,” she said, mirroring his accent. He laughed and, sweeping her up in his arms, he kissed her softly. Her eyes flew open in surprise at the kiss, and she tensed up. Then, letting herself go with the emotion, she softened up and slowly closed her eyes, returning the kiss. Warmth flooded her body, and she twined her arms around his neck. They broke apart, and she slowly opened her eyes. “Now that was a good snog,” Liam announced, his eyes shining. “Snog?” she asked, half stunned from the contact. “Aye. To snog… it means to kiss.” “Aye then, it was a good snog,” she replied. She followed up her statement with another kiss. After a moment, they broke off and lay back on the grass, looking up at the stars. He put his arm around behind her neck and she rested her head on his shoulder “So when are we goin to elope, spice?” “Spice?” “Aye. Oi prefer spice to all other, stickier terms of endearment. Sugar, honey… spice is less messy. Plus, ye aren’t sugar or honey. Those Oi can have too much of, while spice Oi can never get enough. Ye are like spice to me. No matter how much Oi get of you, it shall never be enough.” “Oh…” she said. She couldn’t think of a more adequate reply, blown away by his romantic explanation. “So, me spice, when are goin to elope?” he asked again. “How about now?” she suggested, knowing she could not love any other person as much as she loved him at that moment. “Ye are certainly eager, me lass.” He laughed, and Taea melted at the look of love in his eyes. “But no more eager than Oi. Ye’ve convinced me… we shall elope tonight. Right now actually.” “I need to get a few things from my room. Namely clothes to travel in, as this bloodied gown is not suitable at all. Stay here, spice,” she smiled at him and kissed him lightly. “I will return swiftly.” She hurried away into the keep, running lightly down the halls to her chamber. Silently opening the door, she slid in and quickly changed into warm pants and a long tunic, throwing on a lightweight travelling cloak. She grabbed a haversack and tossed in a knife and a change of clothes, then slipped out of her room and continued down the hall to the kitchen. Wrapping up a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese, she tossed them and a few apples in her haversack, then slung it on her back and practically flew down the hall, back to the garden. “Ready, me spice?” Liam asked as she came into sight. “Ready,” she replied, eyes sparkling with love and excitement. He took her hand and they slipped out of the keep, past the lightly dozing guards. Hand in hand, they disappeared into the night. * * * * Wings spread, her talons gleaming in the bright noon sun, she soars on an updraft and surveys the land. Spotting a river, she swoops lower to search for fish. She catches a gleam of scales and, with a sharp cry, folds her wings on her back and dives down towards the earth at breakneck speed. Just before impacting the surface of the water, her wings snap open and her talons shoot out, and she rises up above the river, wings beating laboriously. She continued on into the air, the fish grasped firmly in her talons, and flew into the wind. Banking, she turned into a cloud and disappeared in its fog, emerging on the other side and letting loose a cry of pure joy and freedom. A second eagle joins her in flight as she soars over the land, looking down on the forest below. She soars higher, and the second eagle rises with her. She drops, and is followed down towards the ground. Perching on a tree branch, she waits for the other eagle to land then hops over, one claw grasping the fish, to twine her neck around the other bird’s neck. He reaches a foot out and wraps his talons around the fish. They lock eyes, and he croons at her. Closing her bright eyes, she croons happily in return. * * * * Taea woke up slowly, then jerked up, her eyes snapping open as she remembered her dream. It had changed… she had flown! She had not been chained to the ground at the end. She realised that the other eagle must have been Liam. She smiled and looked down at him, lying on her cloak beside her. She stretched and got up, walking off in search of a stream to slake her thirst. She walked out of the clearing, smiling as a gooti bird trilled an early morning greeting at her. She heard the merry tinkling of water, and followed it to its source. Kneeling by the stream, she splashed her face, then cupped her hands and drank the clear, cool water. A flash in the water caught her attention, and she smiled as a fish swam by, on its way down river. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and dragged to her feet. “Taea!” her assailant shouted with relief. It was her father’s voice… “Why did you run?” Meridon demanded, whirling her around and grabbing her by the shoulders. “Do you know how worried I was?” “I was…” she paused, then realised that if her father found out that she had been eloping with Liam, or even merely with him, Meridon would seek him out and kill him. “I was quite out of my head with anger. I didn’t pay any attention to what I was doing, and when I found myself so deep in the forest, I knew I could not get back in the dark and settled down to sleep. I was just about to head back.” She was extremely grateful that she had left the haversack behind when she had gone in search of water. If she had brought it, her father would doubt her story. Perhaps now she could return to Braemand with her father, then try again another night. Surely Liam would return to the keep when he awoke and found her gone. “Well, I am glad you are safe, honey,” Meridon said, hugging her tightly. Taea held back the urge to correct his use of the word ‘honey’. She realised how right Liam was… the sticky term of endearment was just not right. However foolish it sounded, ‘spice’ was much better, as it was less messy. Just then, Liam came walking out of the brush at the side of the river, carrying the haversack and her cloak. Her father spotted him, recognizing her cloak, and with a wordless cry of fury he realised her deception and drew his sword. “No!” Taea screamed, grabbing at his arm. He tossed her back, and she fell into the shallows. She watched in horror as her father ran up to Liam, who dropped the haversack and cloak and took up a branch to defend himself. Meridon swung at Liam, who held up the branch to shield his body. The sword cut the branch in half, and Liam dropped the useless pieces. Meridon parried, and Liam leaped back to avoid the vicious point. To Taea’s horror, Liam stumbled over a low bush and fell heavily on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Meridon approached, hate and anger blazing in his silver eyes. “Demon spawn,” he spat at Liam, kicking him in the side. Liam gasped and drew his legs up, his own gold eyes radiating pain and fear. “You bewitched my daughter, and led her away from me,” Meridon continued. “You clouded her judgement and made her love you, and almost lost her to me forever. For this you shall pay. For this you shall die!” And with that, he plunged his sword into Liam’s chest, and Taea screamed in anguish. Her terrible cry of agony masked the sound of her heart breaking, as she fell over and clawed at the ground. Clutching her heart, she screamed once more, then fainted with the pain of knowing that Liam, her love, her soul mate, the spice of her life, was dead. He was dead and gone forever. * * * * Wings spread, her talons gleaming in the bright noon sun, she soars on an updraft and surveys the land. Spotting a river, she swoops lower to search for fish. She catches a gleam of scales and, with a sharp cry, folds her wings on her back and dives down towards the earth at breakneck speed. Just before impacting the surface of the water, her wings snap open and her talons shoot out, and she rises up above the river, wings beating laboriously. Fish grasped firmly in her talons, she flew up into the air and looked down on the forest below. A second eagle joins her in flight, and they let loose a cry of pure joy and freedom in unison. She soars higher, then drops down towards the ground, the second eagle dropping with her. She pulls up at the last moment, but the other eagle continues to fall and disappears in the thick fog covering the ground. She cries for the second eagle, the love she had had for so short a time to come back and join her in the air, join her in freedom. But he does not return. She alights on a branch, bowing her head in immeasurable sorrow and softly keening her grief. She feels something on her leg, and looking down she sees a manacle chained on her leg. She tries to shake it off but to no avail, and she shrieks her outrage to the deaf sky. * * * * Coming to slowly, she became aware of something around her wrist. Opening her eyes, she saw that her father was checking her pulse, his own eyes full of concern. “Taeanna,” he sighed with relief, seeing that she was awake. She had never noticed before how much it bothered her when he called her Taeanna. It was just one more thing he imposed on her. Now, however, it hit a nerve deep down inside and, as she remembered Liam’s death, her eyes took on a feverish glare. “I hate you!” she screamed, clawing at her father’s eyes as he kneeled over her. “You killed him, you killed me! I hate you!” He held her shoulders down as she twisted and spat, and finally as she scratched his cheek with a nail, he slapped her hard across the face and she fell unconscious once more. * * * * She gasped and sat up in bed, eyes wide open in the dark. She shuddered and tried to shake off the feeling of the dream she had had. She remembered what had happened yesterday, glancing down at her wedding ring, then over at her new husband Durminium, asleep beside her, evidently weary. That reminded her of last night’s events, and she shuddered once more. Then she rolled out of bed and walked over to the window of Shartin, Lord Selkin’s keep in Rolania. Legir was just peeking over the horizon, with Riegel not far behind. She looked up at the brightening sky, tears flowing from her dull silver eyes. “I cannot fly anymore, Liam. I have lost you, and am now chained to this earth.” She scanned the sky, looking for something yet not knowing what it was she searched for. Then, she spotted it. A lone eagle soared high in the dusky sky, wings spread wide and bright eyes glinting in the faint sunlight. As she stared up at the eagle, a vision came to Taea. * * * * Wings spread, her talons gleaming in the bright noon sun, she soars on an updraft and surveys the land. Spotting a river, she swoops lower to search for fish. She catches a gleam of scales and, with a sharp cry, folds her wings on her back and dives down towards the earth at breakneck speed. Just before impacting the surface of the water, her wings snap open and her talons shoot out, and she rises up above the river, wings beating laboriously. Fish grasped firmly in her talons, she flew up into the air and looked down on the forest below. A second eagle joins her in flight, and they let loose a cry of pure joy and freedom in unison. She soars higher, then drops down towards the ground, the second eagle dropping with her. She pulls up at the last moment, but the other eagle continues to fall and disappears in the thick fog covering the ground. She cries for the second eagle, the love she had had for so short a time, to come back and join her in the air, join her in freedom. But he does not return. She alights on a branch, bowing her head in immeasurable sorrow and softly keening her grief. Suddenly, she screams in futile anger at the suns that would not set and let her disappear in darkness. She leaps off the branch, diving down into the fog and disappearing with a last glorious call. * * * * She gasped as the vision left her, and clutched at the window sill. Looking down at her ring once more, she then shifted her gaze down to the ground far below. She watched the mist that hugged the earth swirl in the slight breeze, and a faint glimmer of hope lightened her eyes. “I am coming, my spice,” she whispered, and climbed up onto the window ledge. “Soon we will be together again.” She looked up as the stars slowly faded away, the suns’ unforgiving light creeping into the sky. Then she looked down once more, at the misty ground so many feet below her. Taking a deep breath, she spread her arms and leaped off the ledge. As she watched the mist rise up to meet her, her heart lifted and soared on the chill morning breeze. She was escaping this prison of a world and would be reunited with her love in the afterlife. Like Riegel, she was following her other half, into death and beyond. “Look Liam,” she whispered into the wind. “I’m flying.” |
| And of course, this is my original work and copyrighted to my name. |