Story

ILIANA
By Danny A. and Scotti C.

The sun was just rising over the eastern peak of the mountain. Its orange rays flooded into the valley setting all the windowpanes on fire. Some rays penetrated into the houses of those who didn’t have shades. This first and most obvious sign of morning begin to rouse the townsfolk from their slumber. The flutter of the wind and several raucous cries from the local scavenger birds startled Prae Acoredan out of bed. He looked up at the rising sun and swore under his breath. He had slept in late and had to hurry to the Town Square before classes started. He untangled himself from his bedding and started to pull his pants on. After a few moments of struggling unsuccessfully he looked down at what he was doing, and realized that he was putting his shirt on his legs. Exasperated, Prae quickly found his real pants threw them on and donned his shirt, belt and stockings. “Teacher is going to be mad at me” he thought to himself as he searched among all of his discarded clothes for his hat and shoes. He heard a familiar ring and looked out his still brightening window, and saw the baker, pushing his cart, already out peddling his morning rolls and loaves of bread. “Oh, Lord, I am late!” he exclaimed out loud as he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his tablet and pencil.

Grabbing a few coins out of his purse on his way out the door he passed by the baker in a blur, picking out a large roll and plopping down a handful of coins, not even looking to see if it was the correct amount. More then likely, it was too much, as the baker didn’t complain or raise any questions. Not that any inquiry would have been heard by Prae, as he was already out of earshot and close to the Town Square. Out of breath and with ruffled and dirty clothes Prae ran around the tavern and ran headfirst into a message boy from the castle. They were both knocked flat on their backs, but Prae recovered first and reached to help up the messenger boy, who’s armful of pamphlets had been thrown all over the ground. “Please excuse me sir” the messenger boy said with fear in his eyes. The boy was pretty small and from the scratches on his face and the black and blue eye he looked as if his master had beaten him. “I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going” exclaimed Prae as he bent over and started to help the boy pick up his pamphlets. While doing so he actually got to read a bit of one of papers that had gotten unrolled. “Princess Iliana has refused yet another suitable groom. Please send word to all neighboring kingdoms that we need a young man of noble birth to court the Princess and take her hand in marriage. Her 21st Birthday is coming to hand in three years and we need a heir promptly.” Prae handed the last pamphlet to the boy and straightened out his clothes before giving him a gentle push on his way with a couple of coins in his pocket to compensate for his delay. The boy thanked Prae profusely before running off again on his errand.

But the messenger boy was soon completely wiped out of his mind as he began to think about the Princess. This dilemma at the castle wasn’t new… Princess Iliana had refused many princes and rich noblemen. Ever since she turned 16, Iliana had had lines of suitors at her door trying to win her hand. But one after another has been turned down, or scared away by the precocious and bold Princess. Prae had even heard through the rumor mill that Iliana had once held a sword dual with a number of suitors saying that if one of the princes could best her in a battle, they could have her hand in marriage. But none of the princes could beat her. They lost because of the princess’s well developed skills with the sword, or because they held back, not wanting to hurt the princess.

Either way, no prince had yet best her and therefore has failed to gain her hand. Prae mused over this as he ran the rest of the way along the already crowded main street to the Town Square. Prae sometimes daydreamed about the princess, for he had seen her once a couple years back during a parade in honor of the princesses 16th birthday and her return from Yolinda, The Royalty Oracle. She had completed her 7 years of Siantole (royalty training) and was now eligible to take over the Throne. She was beautiful in subtle ways. Her hair was long and a beautiful dark, dark red that was a telltale sign of her royal blood. Her posture was straight as her sword and her eyes where just as sharp and though she was no where near as tall as her father, she still commanded attention just from the way she looked carefully at every eye that met her own. She had entranced Prae and he had day dreamed about her often since that time. But being only a minor noble himself, he knew he may never again see her, much less have a chance to meet her in person.

“YOUR LATE Mister Acoredan! TWO demerits for you!” a screeching voice yelled as Prae came to a stop next to the fountain in the center of town. The fountain was filled with dirty water and was mainly used as wash water for those traveling through town, or as a watering hole for horses. Surrounding the Town Square were the many taverns and traders that the town boasted. The blacksmith and farrier were side by side next to the biggest tavern in town, “The Lonely Stag”. Across the street from the tavern was the baker’s shop where his best friend Eriwin was working. He was an apprentice baker and was always bringing unsold bread scraps to his mother’s chickens. And next to the baker’s shop was the Inn. It got quite a bit of business during the summer as many travelers stopped here on their way to the castle. And business was why he was now getting scolded by his teacher and jeered at by his classmates.

Prae’s father, Dynnyn Acoredan was a noble and a businessman, though not a well known one. And as it usually goes, Prae’s father wanted him to take up the family business in the future. But not having anytime to tutor Prae himself, Dynnyn paid for private tutoring. There were many boys of slightly noble birth that came to learn how to run and own a proper business. They all met here in the center of town with their tablets and pens and took notes as the teacher lectured on proper ways to address customers, how to keep ledgers and how to keep trade relations between kingdoms. It was really all quite boring for Prae. He was not interested in business or politics. He would much rather be traveling the world as an adventurer. These general attitudes of disinterest got him in a lot of trouble with his teacher and in turn, his father. He was no stranger to the demerit system. Seems every week he had to go off on some menial chore to pay off his demerits. This moment appeared to be no exception.

“That’s a total of 6 demerits Mister Acoredan! I task you to go retrieve water from the stream and clean out this disgusting fountain. I want it scrubbed and refilled before sundown. You will NOT partake in todays discussions but you will still be required to take the exam along with everybody else.” The teacher scolded.

His teacher, Mrs. Kaayn, was a tall and gaunt lady. She dressed always in black, even in the heat of summer, and never seemed to be bothered by the sneers and looks she got from people passing through. She had a nasally voice that seemed to pierce through everybody’s skull no matter how hard they tried to ignore it. And she was mean! Never accepting less then perfection without dire consequences, she was not one to take lightly. But once again, Prae had to suffer her wrath.

“And…furthermore, your tuition will be raised another 5 gold per week. I will not deal with this insubordination without getting paid properly. And your Father will hear of this…MARK my words. Now go!” Her finger wavered towards the forest.

Running. Her feet hitting stones and trees looming before her, closing her in on this path of sharp stones and dust. Her feet felt as if they were being torn apart, and as she looked down, she saw that they were bare, as well as the rest of her body, except for her scabbard containing her sword. She looked behind her, still running, still having the trees closing in on her. Her deep, dark auburn hair, unusually out of its long braid, whipped her face as she turned her face around. But the many horses with royal riders were still behind her, chasing her as she ran, exposed, across this path before her. She was slowly being gained on by the powerful dark horses that carried malicious looking princes baring the shiny flesh of sharp swords. She stumbled and fell, her naked body becoming pierced with the sharp rocks, cuts being torn into her flesh, as the blood came forth to show it's red face through her tears.

She jumped back onto her feet, despite the bleeding, and ran for her life once again. When suddenly the path opened up before her, and her body fell into water, where, suddenly, she was waist deep, bathing under the beautiful water fall as she usually did. Her sword magically whisked off of her and appeared up on the dark gray boulder in front of her, its usual home when she bathed. Her body had become drenched and clean and unscathed, very different from the tears that had been bleeding uncontrollably. Everything that was peaceful for a few moments became clear. She turned, seeing the powerful horses looming on the bank of the spring. She covered her flesh from the piercing, hungry eyes of the suitors that had been sent to charm her to no avail. They suddenly threw down their swords and jumped from their horses and waded into the water, diving, and swimming toward her, hungry as sharks. She exposed herself once again, shouting to herself: LET THEM COME! She grabbed for her sword, but it suddenly turned to dust in her hands.

She looked around for safety, a shear rock face taking place of the once serene haven which had many climbing holds and plants to hold onto and climb from the spring to a safe hold atop the falls. She looked around desperately for some way away from the hungry-eyed suitors, eyeing her up, swimming quicker with every second that passed, coming closer and closer. She turned once again, and there, in the shear rock face, a hole opened up, curtained by suspended jewels that parted to reveal a familiar yet unknown face. She felt safe with this face, this tall, thin, healthy lad, just shy of her own age. He looked very youthful and strong, and he reached out his hand to her, the suitors closing in. She took the strong and tough hand, which was yet, oddly pliable and forgiving, into her own, slim feminine one. Her worries and cares left her at his touch, and he gently pulled her out just as the suitors reached that very spot, stopping in the light of his and her unity. Suddenly, though, the light vanished, and she fell backward into the infestation of the hungry suitors, landing on her feet, reaching for his hand, his reaching for her. They touched at the fingertips for a brief second. But just then she was suddenly brought down into the midst of the suitors, being slowly dragged under with them, further from the outreaching hands of the young lad that had saved her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Iliana awoke again, as always, in the cool night just before light came to the world. Everything was silent around her, and her keen ears caught the slight breathing of her female cat, Athena, which was curled in the crook of her arm as always at this time of night. She lay there, letting her breathing become normal as she got over her sleeping state. She then gently took her arm from around the small white cat, and kissed it gently on it's side. Her one little loving companion stayed sleeping, gently breathing in its wonderful kitten dreams. Iliana swung her legs from under the down and silken comforter, her feet hitting the floor. She stood up and suddenly felt again, a sharp pain searing her nerves. She looked down at her feet and saw that she had cuts on the bottom. Yet, this was not a big deal, though just then the dream flooded back to her.

She waved away the signs which it concealed and stood again on her tender feet, ignoring the pain as she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her straight lined dress and grabbed her other companion, maybe her closest. It was a sword, crafted many a century ago, believably by the Elven Lords, who were believed to have migrated below the Earth's surface in the elden days. The sword was strong and straight, as was the girl only shy of a woman who wielded it. It was engraved in deep brownish red gold, which also reflected the girl's hair, in the form of Celtic knots which went from the gripping substance of the handle to 9 inches up the 3 1/2 foot blade. This sword, that of all the heirs before her of the Monarchy, called this Sword the Lyeakin, a name meaning power throughout the known civilizations.

As she pulled her dress over her light and freckle flecked flesh, she thought back to all that she had dreamed, and tried to put a name to the face that seemed so familiar, yet she had never seen before...at least, she thought so. She pushed these thoughts aside and walked quietly out her bedroom door, grabbing her cloak on the way out, and concealing her face and auburn braid twisted with gold strands under the dark greenish-brown tweed.

Gently opening the door at the end of the hallway, she stood poised and quietly went down the steps and out the doors, dodging the guards and sticking to the shadows as the sun dawned above the horizon. She made her way across the fields that lay in front of the castle which overlooked the town which was about 2 miles away; her detour to her final destination. She often enjoyed going down into town, unnoticed by the other people, and if she was noticed, she just looked like another traveler looking for an alehouse to relieve himself in or commoner making her way to the fields. As she walked across the meadows, she noticed her father's fauna. There were his prize does bounding across the fields...which her father never killed, because they reminded him too much of her mother and her doe-like eyes. Not to mention that he often thought that having such elegant animals would bring him better health, and so far, he was right. He also kept many a rabbit on the land, and many birds, as he would set out feeders for them. He was a lover of both animals and people, and believed that they could be one, without becoming Vegans, because he still loved his meat.

As Iliana walked along for half an hour, she thought of the dream again and again. Was this an omen? Was it a vision? Was this dream trying to tell her something? Was this man the suitor she was to have...or was he one who wanted her power then would throw her to the dogs? Or was the dream unfinished, and he would leap in to save her? She did not know. She was very confused for the first time in her life...and where in bloody hell had she gotten the cuts on her feet? She pushed aside these thoughts as she reached the town borders. She walked along the alleyways as the sun's rays started so show more brightly. Soon she emerged onto the main street, with awful timing, for, at that moment, a man about her age was hurrying by just as a messenger was. She crashed into them both, falling back, but regained herself and pulled back into the alley way before anybody noticed her. As the young man helped the young messenger to his feet and to pick up his papers, she noticed that he looked familiar, but couldn't place him, exactly. As they shook hands and the young man gave the boy a few coins for his troubles and they went their separate ways, Iliana noticed a paper that was left on the sidewalk. She quickly snatched it up before anyone could see her.

The summer sun was at its highest peak when Prae finally reached the stream where most of the townsfolk got their water. He had to trudge through about a mile of heavily condensed woods, along a small and rocky path to get to where the river was accessible. He had two large buckets with him and also his sword. Prae’s sword was thin and light, more like a rapier then a sword, but the skill at which he wielded that sword was known throughout town. He hadn’t brought it with him when he had rushed out of the house that morning, but he normally carried it around with him wherever he went. It was the one thing that he could really be proud of. He was a failure in business and a failure in any trade.

He tried smithing a couple summers back, but he just didn’t have the raw strength or the endurance to stand the excessive heat from the furnace or to bully the hot metal into its proper shape. He even helped out at the mill, running the grinder and husking corn and running orders. But it was not his calling either. He ran his father’s business of renting land to farmers, but he just didn’t have the hard heart to take money out of already poor peoples hands. He loved his father, but hated what his father did. But he knew that he would someday have to run his fathers business in the future so he did try and learn the business. The only thing he was good at was sword fighting and writing. Writing was his secret talent, and nobody knew of it. He kept it secret because he wasn’t sure what his father would think. His father detested books and art, unless the art was worth a lot. But even then, all his father saw in the sculpture or painting was the gold pieces. But Prae was extremely interested in the philosophers and writers of many years past. He made many trips to library in the neighboring town to read some of the books. But he had never told his father.

And he probably never would, he thought to himself as he found the little bank where the mountain stream usually sat the deepest. He gasped in disbelief. The stream was nearly dry! There wasn’t enough water flowing down the rocks to fill his buckets! He looked further upstream to see if he could see the source of this blockage. Prae knew that during summer, the river usually ran low, forcing the streams to lose water as well, but never before in his life had he seen it choked up to such a small trickle. He saw nothing that could constitute for this unusual event. He decided to take a hike up river and see if he could solve this mystery.

Iliana read the headline angrily. Who is to say that the Iliana of Fiorna needed a common King to help her rule this land? And who is to say that she should have just some common place husband from some foreign country wed her and take her power? Whoever the bloody hell wrote this, she thought, has no idea what I am capable of. Crinkling up the paper and tossing it into a waste heap, she had a feeling that someone was coming for the very reason remarked on the paper, and, sure enough, she looked around the corner just as she heard hooves of a steed clomping up. Her bluish green eyes flashed as she saw a Royal on a white stallion coming up the lane. She made her way quickly back in the direction of the castle, but moving to the other side of the meadows when she got there, and making her way through the underbrush and bramble of trees and tangled branches very skillfully until she got a mile in. There she found a footpath that had only been traveled by one lone woman: herself. She trekked for about an hour or so, until she came to a beautiful waterfall that was fed by spring water, not by the river which was a mile away. Trees and rocks surrounded it, and it was crystal clear from the waterfall constantly churning it. The falls were about 15 feet up and the waters tumbled flowingly from the top and hit the glass surface below in a gentle way.

It didn't roar, but the gurgling sound was constant. She watched as a butterfly flew past her and landed on one flower among the many that grew on the side of this waterfall, a splendid hanging garden of green that fell and flowed, seemingly, as the water did.

Iliana slowly took in the beauty of it, without smiling, as she always did since her mother's death. Not being able to wait to get into the water, she went to the boulder that hid a secret entrance into a room in the back of the waterfall, which surprisingly, stayed dry, and took off her clothes. Laying them gently on the floor and grabbing up a bucket of herbal soap that her sister's nursemaid had made her for Birth of Christ Feasting Day. She climbed into the water of the falls, taking in the cool crispness of it all, letting her hair go flowing half way down her back, and turning a dark, almost black color. The water went up to her waist in this spot, covering her lower half and exposing the upper. She gently bathed herself in the clear water, letting herself calm down and breath. This was a sacred place for her, one of great mystery to all man...only one woman knew, and that was herself. She had even made a bed of reeds and moss in the back of the falls cave. It was very isolated and she had never been disturbed by so much as a dog. So she was very surprised when she got a visitor.

Slowly hiking along a small deer trail that followed the stream in a generally northern direction, Prae again started day dreaming. He thought about what he could do if he became real successful with his fathers business. How proud everybody would be of him. He could then start writing books on better business practices and maybe even a book of poetry. He had always dreamed of publishing a book of poetry and having copies sent all throughout Irelaina and beyond. He had a small lock box with several poems that he had written, all very well written in the opinion of his best friend Eriwin. Eriwin was the only one he trusted with his secrets and his writing. And Eriwin trusted him in return. Prae had never betrayed his friend when he had been told that Eriwin had killed one of the kings prized does that had escaped into public land. Not that he had meant too, but when he saw the small tag on the doe’s ear after shooting it, he knew that he would be in trouble if anybody found out. But nobody had as of yet. Prae looked back towards the stream and saw that it was running a little deeper then it had downstream. But it was still just a trickle compared to how it normally was at this time of year. It was still a problem to be fixed. He continued up the trail, thankful that it followed the stream because the forest on either side was thick with brambles and the branches of trees were so tangled, as to be impassible. Even Prae’s sword had quite a workout just clearing the branches that covered the trail. It would have been impossible for Prae to forge his own trail through these woods. The woods were silent except for the slow steady trickle of water to his right, and the slight rustle of leaves up above as the wind picked up.

After about half an hour of walking, Prae decided to take a break on an overturned tree that barred the trail. It would be easy to climb over it, but Prae was getting exhausted. He sat down on the rough, but dry wood and begin to think some more. If he could find the source of the stream’s blockage he could unblock it himself and then head back to town to take care of his chore. Otherwise, he would have to get the water from the river a mile further through the woods. He wondered why nobody had noticed the stream was so low. He would have to inquire about that when he got back. As he sat there he realized that his stomach was growling. But that was kind of unusual because he didn’t feel hungry. That’s when he realized that the low rumble sound wasn’t coming from his stomach, but from further up the trail. It sounded like water! Lots of it! Prae quickly forgot about his fatigue and climbed swiftly over the log and started heading towards the sound. The trail however was left behind for the sound came from the left, through the brambles. But the sound was not to far from the trail, Prae determined. As he forged his way slowly through the underbrush, he listened carefully, and quickly determined that what he was hearing was a waterfall. Perhaps that was the source of the blockage he thought as he hacked through some tough knotty pine with his sword. Then, as if by magic, the earth dropped down in front of his feet. He had to steady himself with a tree branch to prevent from falling into the water 15 feet below. He scanned the water and thought, this would be a nice place to get his water. But he needed to follow the flow of the water to determine where it went. Perhaps the stream was blocked somewhere between where he left the trail and this waterfall. The water cascaded down to many large rocks down below. There was plenty of water flowing here to feed a stream during the strongest of droughts. He set down his buckets determined to explore this secluded spot. That’s when he saw the nymph. Or what he thought was a nymph. A beautiful young woman was swimming in the nude in the little pond right next to the falls. She seemed to be at home here, frolicking in the crystal clear water. Prae was possesed by the glorious vision in the water before him. He closed his eyes and looked again, believing it to be only another daydream. But the girl was gone.

Iliana dunked herself under, letting the water wash into every orifice of her body. In this small amount of time, a visitor had peeked his head from the forest to see where the sound of water had been coming from. Iliana gently and slowly raised herself up, her back to the stranger at first, then she gently turned, facing his direction, her eyes still closed, and dove into the water. She swam under and turned back toward the falls and into the shallow waist deep part, standing up again. That's when she finally noticed the young man, only shyly a year younger then her, looking at her in a way no one had ever looked at her before. And it angered her, for the expression on his face was one she didn't recognize...it wasn't those looks that an ungentleman-like man would give a woman in the nude, but more over a respectful, almost enchanted look. She ducked into the water so that only her head showed and moved behind the wall of water and into the small cave. She wrapped her cloak about her and strapped it to cover her flesh, other then a slit up her side, exposing her leg, and her uncovered shoulders and arms. She grabbed Lyeaykin swiftly and walked out tall and straight, with a very angry and disgusted look upon her face.

She walked steadily toward him, power in each stride, in each glance, in each look she gave him. She sized him up, showed how she was fearless and wouldn't take a hint of hell from him. She slowly drew him out as he gave her a brave look, which she turned to sheepishness with a harsh glance of her own. She spoke her word with such force that everything in the forest seemed to stop. "You are a disgusting young man...what say you for watching a woman bathe on sacred ground, under sacred water?" She placed her had on the hilt of Lyeaykin, gently drawing the flashing blade out into sight, showing that she feared no man and then replacing it as if it had only been a figment of the viewers imagination.

"I...I...I...am so sorry...um...madam." The young man stuttered, feeling greatly afraid of the power and sway this woman had over him. He backed up a couple of steps but was blocked by a tangled mass of branches behind him.

"Sorry? Sorry?" she spat. "Sorry are words for the weak. Yet some take them. How do I know you are sorry...I can't let you go and tell your little scoundrel friend where I bathe..." "I was only passing through. I did not mean to barge in on your...uh...bathing spot." He said apologetically.

"Oh, really? How do I know you didn't follow me here to see what I would do? How do I know you didn't follow me into these dark woods to try to lay with me on the forest floor?" She was now close enough to him to see all of his features. Stepping slightly closer, she spat at his feet. "Most men are pigs. How do I know you aren't one of the majority?" She stepped close, and got so close to his face that she could smell his every breath, looking straight into his eyes.

She stepped back, still looking more fierce then any woman had ever looked to the young man. Yet, she also looked beautiful in her power and ferocity, like an Amazonian woman before battle.

"And now, you may prove yourself worthy of seeing me as this", she said with a slight, mocking smile, "You will shed blood for your meandering." With this, she pulled out Lyeaykin, looking fierce and strong and beautiful all in one.

"First to shed his inner wine loses." And with that, she got into stance and all trace of mocking was wiped from her face and replaced by a look of readiness as he pulled out his light sword unsteadily, although he seemed sure of the blade itself, and also got ready. She stood stock still except for her plump dark pink lips as they formed the words that would start a new beginning for them both. "You have already lost." With that, she attacked.

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