A story inspired by the movie Mirror Mask. Interesting movie but I recomend a watch. Hope you like and as always, R&R!

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Many years ago in the land of Oyasu, the young king ruled with his ever faithful wife. He was a good natured man with kind eyes that would never look down upon anyone and ruled his people with mercy and justice. King Fadri had married his wife for love and not for his political position as king instead of prince which was a rare occurrence amongst royalty. Usually a betrothal was established at birth, but it is unknown as to why the former king and queen before him chose not to choose his wife for him. To add to the strangeness of the marriage, the woman wasn’t related to any nobility of any sort.

She had been a common farmer’s daughter of the eastern country, which the king had seen secretly for months before he announced his proposal to her to the kingdom. The people were astonished that he would choose a woman of such low status, but it was discovered later that the maiden, Teigra, came from a home where the father was abusive to his wife and children. Fadri had rescued not only her but the rest of her family that had suffered. Not only marrying Teigra, he gave her mother a new home away from her husband and Teigra’s elder brother; who had received the brunt of the abuse protecting his mother and sister, an apprenticeship with the local blacksmith to support his mother.

After the trials that arose to determine the fate of the father that ended with banishment, the couple soon began their lives as husband and wife.

Dearly King Fadri loved his wife, but sadly she was found unable to produce a child. How dearly did her majesty wish for a child of her own and it did not matter if it be boy or girl. Though her husband would comfort her with the assurance that he would still love her even if she never bore him a child, it was not enough to ease her grief. During this trying time the queen would be seen in church praying in tears to the six gods of the planet for a child.

One afternoon as she was going about her ritual, she was knelt at the alter before the statues depicting the gods; fire, earth, water, air, heaven and hell. The gods of fire, earth water and air were the more fearsome gods that were known to be sent to the planet to punish those who are not following in the ways that were pleasing onto them. Immorality, lack of a sacrifice at the end of each week, anything that was disrespectful was punished either by fires, flood, tornados, or earthquake. God of heaven was the judge and the one who blessed those who are good while the God of hell damned the wicked.

It was then when Teigra was speaking out her desire for a babe of her own that she found herself suddenly engulfed with smoke. It cleared almost immediately and when it did, she found a man standing upon the alter.

The man was dressed in a long, very fine tunic that he had belted around the middle to show his slender waist. He seemed to be a man in his early twenties and was of a slender build. His eyes were a piercing orange gold and his hair, grown long and bound from behind, was fiery red. With a motion that was smooth and immediate, the man bowed low to the queen. “Greetings to you my fair lady,” he greeted with a silky voice.

“Who are you?” The queen demanded, cowering from the man.

He straightened his posture and smiled at the queen in one that was almost mocking. “Who else could I be? You are in the temple of the six gods and have been praying for sometime now. Did you not think that one day your prayers might be answered?”

“You are one of the six gods?” she inquired in a frightened whisper.

The man nodded.

Teigra cast her eyes over at the statues that depicted the gods in order to see if his features matched any of them. His face was too slender to be the god of earth, he didn’t have scales so he couldn’t be the god of water, his built was too slender to be the god of hell and heaven and he didn’t seem to be malevolent as was depicted by the fire god statue. “But which one?”

“Does it matter?” He chuckled. “I’m here to grant you your wish and you question my deity?”

“Forgive me my Lord but it has been so long and… it almost seemed that my prayers were not being heeded.” The queen bowed low to this unknown god before her.

“Hush now, you are forgiven.” He stooped low, tucked two fingers beneath her chin and gently lifted her head upward. “Therefore, I shall grant you’re desire,” he told her in a seductive, hushed tone.

She no longer cared which god he was. Knowing that her greatest wish was going to be granted, Teigra was ready to give anything. “What must I do?” she inquired in anticipation. Her hands clasped together as though she were praying to him again.

The strange god smiled, apparently pleased by her reaction. He tossed his head to the side, whipping his bangs away from his metallic eyes and glanced down at her through slit open eyelids. “I only require one thing from you in return for my services. However, can I be certain that you are willing to give me what it is I desire from you?” he spoke with a voice that was like silk.

“Anything! I am willing to give you anything!” Teigra blurted out, not thinking on the definition of the word, anything. She remained on her knees but she was ready to jump to her feet when she exclaimed her quick words.

His smile grew wider. “That was all that I needed to know my child.” The god stretched out his hand and placed it on her head.

She felt the warmth of his skin enter into her as though he were giving her some sort of power through it. Closing her eyes, she basked in this strange warmth, not feeling too different in this process. Yet, she did not know exactly what to expect and was willing to accept any method used to grant her wish. In her silence, she listened to the words spoken by the god.

“I grant to you my blessing and will open your womb so that you may conceive the child you desire more than anything. A child that you are willing to give anything for with a promise that I shall hold and will ratify the day your child is born.” He declared as though he was not only making it known to her but to the other gods who were watching from their thrones above. His hand drifted away from her head; fingertips caressing the strands of hair that caught hold to his skin briefly.

The queen’s eyes looked up upon him standing before him with the sun beaming down upon his majestic form. Speechless, she waited for the god to say something to her, to tell her what she must do now.

“I have done as I have promised.” He spoke calmly to her, his eyes never leaving her’s. “Now you must go home to your husband for your womb will not be open for long.”

“Thank you, my Lord!” Teigra expressed her thanks, running up to the man and kissing his hands.

He allowed her to do so for a mere moment before commanding her to go to her husband to complete the purpose of the spell. She then was quick to obey and ran out of the temple and back to her home in the castle.

As was promised to her, Teigra conceived after years of failure. There was much anticipation not only from the couple but from the kingdom as well. The people of Oyasu loved their king and queen for they sought to it that anyone and everyone were able to get an education. Streets were clean; everyone had a job to do and a way to play their part in the kingdom. Knowing that there would be an heir who would be raised by goodly parents brought an abundance of joy in the land. Nine months was far too long to wait for the blessed arrival of the miracle.

Nine months passed at their own pace and Teigra gave birth to a healthy, beautiful, little girl. The king and queen settled upon the name of Nairi for the child. It seemed that day the sun was shining brighter and the gods were celebrating the birth. However, Teigra had forgotten her promise to the god that granted her wish that she would give anything to him. Her reminder came when that same god appeared in her chamber where she laid in bed, cradling her baby. Fadri was quick to jump to protect his wife and child.

“Peace, my husband, peace. This is the god that had given Nairi to us,” Teigra soothed as she gently held Fadri’s forearm.

Fadri cast his eyes from the strange man before him, to his wife and then to the man again. The features of the man were not familiar to him for he had also seen the statues in the temple and grew wary of this strange man his wife claimed to be a god. Even so, he was obedient and did not raise the sword he had strapped to his belt.

Standing before the couple, the god had not changed his appearance since the last time the queen had seen him. He smiled the smile that Teigra was familiar with but sent a chill up Fadri’s spine. “You have a debt to pay, my dear,” he reminded calmly despite the piercing gaze he was getting from the king.

Teigra smiled, remembering her promise. “Yes, and you may have whatever you want in return my lord. Gold, jewels, land, anything,” she assured.

“That is good. Very good.” Holding his hands behind his back, the man strode towards the couple, his hardly making a sound on the wooden floor below him. He was soon at the bedside, reaching out to the infant Teigra held close to her chest. “May I? I wish to see the child I helped you and your husband create.”

Fadri, who had found himself behind the man, showed himself from behind and shook his head. His face full of concern and his lips mouthing the word, “No”. He did not trust that the man even was a god and could not understand how his wife could fall for such an unfamiliar person.

Unfortunately, she did not notice her husband’s actions of warning and was in the process of handing the babe off to the man.

He cradled the child in his arms and looked down upon her tiny face. “A darling child, a beautiful child… she is perfect. Just as I had hoped,” he admired in a voice that crooned darkly. “Have you named her?”

“Yes, her name is Nairi,” Teigra replied happily.

“Nairi… Nairi…” the man echoed to himself, sampling and seeing how the name sounded coming from his lips. He took a few paces away from the bedside, gazing at the child and pondering upon the name. After a few moments of this he faced the couple again and announced, “The debt is paid, my dear.”

“Paid?” Fadri questioned. “How so… my Lord?” the words seeming like a poison that he was about to swallow.

“This child shall be my payment,” the man replied bluntly.

“What?” Teigra gasped as all color left her face and her eyes widened in horror.

“You heard me quite clearly,” the man remarked. “I’m taking the child. When I promised to give you a child, I never said how long you could keep it. Now, thanks to you two, I have a future wife.” His grin became all the more menacing as he spoke and his features grew less majestic and more wicked.

“Monster!” Fadri was quick to pull out his sword and rush at the man that held his child hostage. However, with a flick of the man’s index and middle finger, the king was sent flying and colliding with the headboard of the bed.

Teigra screamed her husband’s name and tried to see if he was all right. Fadri held his aching head and slowly rose from the bed only to feel a tightening as though a hand held him by the throat. Gasping, he held his neck and tried to find the invisible hand that held it so to pry himself free. “No! Please! Stop this!” Teigra begged. She flung herself from the bed, crawled to the man’s feet and held the hem of his long tunic. “I beg you, my Lord! You can have anything, just don’t kill my husband and don’t take my baby! Please!”

The man pulled himself free from her grasp and spoke with a voice that was no longer silky but mocking and full of greed. “You’re debt is paid, you had your wish and you should be grateful.”

Her begging did not cease nor did the tears that poured from her eyes as she knelt before the man. Behind her, Fadri was released and fell onto the bed unconscious. Teigra looked at the state of her husband and then returned her gaze to the man.

He shook his head at her and tisked, “To think you were so desperate you would have believed that I was a god. Pity how cruel life is, isn’t it?”

“N… not a… god?” Teigra clutched her heart that seemed to have lost its beat and could only stare in her horror once more.

“Do not worry; I’ll take good care of Nairi.” His body began to grow less opaque as he spoke, vanishing away into nothing. “Oh and while I’m at it, I’ll give her a better name too.” With those last words spoken, the false god was gone.

However, this event was only the beginning.