Everyone wears a mask though it’s not always a conscious decision.

Chapter One: Legends

“Twas the night in the 180th year of our kingdoms birth, during the reign of our lord, Zareh. It had been a time of turmoil in Vardan for it was suffering from the frequent dragon attacks. Why did the dragons burn our growing cities? Rumor had it that the kingdom was built upon dragon territory and they wanted nothing to do with humans. Therefore, the dragons came to reclaim what they felt was rightfully theirs.

Lord Zareh, who was a just and strong man, took it upon himself to leave the safety of the palace and slay the alfa male dragon. However, to go against the alpha male was an act of suicide for it was the most powerful out of all that served under the beast. Despite the odds, lord Zareh cleansed himself and entered into the sacred temple to ask of aid from the gods themselves. His answer was received in the form of a sword by the name of Archrex, which meant “for to whom is mighty”. Donned in his armor and with new sword in hand, he sped out on his horse to the woods that border our land.

In the deepest, darkest part of the woods, the lord had found himself face to face with a scaled monstrosity. Its teeth were as sharp as diamonds, eyes as intense as the noonday sun over the desert plains. Scales were as black as its heart and clinked against each other when the monster moved. A dragon by the name of Inferno.

Despite the dragon’s appearance, Lord Zareh stood his ground; holding on high the sword of Archrex. As the dragon reared its monstrous head from the shadows, Lord Zareh spurred his horse forward into battle. With sword in hand, he raced towards the beast; aiming for the heart then the dragon would fall and the kingdom would be safe. As he drew nearer towards his mark, the beast had caught on and shifted away so the blade was forced to bounce off harmlessly from his scaly hide. Despite this set back, Lord Zareh refused…”

“To be defeated so easily.”

The members of the Vardan council silenced themselves and turned their attention over to a young man that was slouched upon the throne. He was of tall stature and sat with one long leg crossed over with his ankle resting upon the knee of the other. His hand supported his head as it leaned to the side, propped upon the throne while his other hand fiddled with a crystal bauble.

Sputtering awkwardly from the rude interruption, the old man that was relating the story objected, “Your Highness! Can you not refrain from interrupting when I teach you history? This is important to your future as king and I require…”

“Respect,” the prince spoke up once more. “Yes, yes, Kavi. You go through this droning nearly every day and I grow weary of it. I practically have the entire lesson memorized and could tell it to you myself.”

Kavi crossed his arms into the wide sleeves of his robe in frustration. The silver embroidery and trim glittered in the sunlight that poured through the large windows of the chamber. It appeared to the prince that the beard that Kavi had grown down till it touched his chest was curling up in anger and the man’s hair turning whiter with each passing second in his rage. “Even so, your Highness, it must be taught to you for as long as necessary. Especially, today for it marks the…”

“300th anniversary since the day when the dragon; Inferno, with his last dying breath, cursed Lord Zareh’s posterity. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Kavi, but nothing has happened within that 300 years including today. You’re speaking to the wrong person about this tale; the southern lands have more problems with dragons than we.” The young man didn’t bother to look upon the advisor he spoke to as his eyes stared down through half closed eyelids at the intricate designs of the golden arm of the throne that formed a dragon. His blonde hair tumbled down like a curtain from behind his right ear and shielded away his handsome face.

“My Lord, this tale still has everything to do with you,” another one of the advisors spoke. He was a younger one of 45 years with graying, sandy blonde hair. The man wore the same robes as Kavi and also had his arms folded in the wide sleeves.

The young man’s eyes glared daggers at the second advisor through thin strands of light blonde hair. “You need to know you’re place, Lukman. This is between me and Kavi,” he remarked with his handsome face twisting into a childish pout.

Lukman sighed, his eyes closed in exhaustion though he had barely begun to bicker with the prince. “My Lord, we are growing weary of your childish antics and only wish to help you reach your full potential as a man of the crown. Just as your father wished it on his death bed.”

Yawning, the prince sunk his face further into the curve of his hand. “People say strange things before they pass off into the next world. It’s not unusual for someone to reenact a memory before they die. That’s probably all it was. Just a memory of his scolding. Heh, what a way to go.”

“The point, Prince Daylin, was for you to be reminded of Inferno’s curse that is to come to pass this day,” a third advisor who was but three years younger than Lukman spoke out.

Daylin raised his head slightly from its position and frowned sourly, feeling like he was being ganged up upon by his own servants. He sighed, “Honestly, Aldan, not you too.”

“Yes, of course, me too.” Aldan shook his head, his pony tail swaying back and forth as he did so. “You bring misfortune upon yourself if you do not heed what we relate to you in the history of your family. Do you not recall the curse the dragon spat out?” the man insisted, chiding the prince as though he were making up for the loss of Daylin’s father. Aldan always was the one who sucked up the most, in Daylin’s eyes, to his father.

“Of course I recall the curse. Inferno said that he would curse the posterity by… by…” Daylin’s brow furrowed in thought, trying to recall the curse that was repeated to him so many times before.

A smile grew on the face of Kavi, pleased that the prince had grown silent for once. He quoted without fail, “Wretched human of the western lands, your kingdom shall not be spared from my kind. For in 300 years time from this day will a child of your kind be bound by selfishness, greed and lustful desire. The kingdom will fall by the voice of false tongue who can command one of my kind to waste the lands. Until selflessness removes the mask, your lands will be laid to waste by the dragon’s breath.”

“I knew that!” Daylin arose from his gold and red velvet throne, his blue eyes flashing in annoyance. “Enough of childish storytelling from old men who live in the past; so says your lord.”

He strode down the few steps that led down from the platform where his throne was placed. Emerald jewel encrusted earrings that hung from his lobes, dangled back and forth as he walked. His loose, billowy tunic rippled like the ocean and his royal, purple cloak flowed behind him. It was the prince’s grace in his stride that led people to believe that his mother had once been a mermaid for his grace was unnaturally flawless. As he made his way past his three advisors, he held up a hand that was adorned with rings to silence Lukman’s attempted protest.

“As you grow weary of me so do I grow weary of the three of you. I shall retire now to my chambers and there will no longer be a word spoken about this curse that is to come to pass this day. Is that understood?” Daylin spoke with ice in his tones.

The three men bowed and replied, “Yes my Lord Daylin.”

“Good.” He let his arm fall back down to his side and then left the throne chamber with a cold breeze following him out the door, sending a chill up the backs of those who served him.

Once the prince’s presence was absent, the three men turned to each other and spoke amongst themselves. “We’ll never break the curse at this rate. He still doesn’t realize that his attitude is a part of it!” Lukman hissed to his comrades.

“Understood, but we can’t force him to be kind. All he cares for is himself and women and unless we are women, there is no way we can get through to him.” Kavi added, stroking his beard in thought.

“What if we were to convince one of the ladies of the castle to speak to him, convince him that his behavior is unbecoming and that he must change before he dooms us all,” Aldan suggested, raising a hand as though the idea were presented on the palm of his hand.

The other two men sighed and shook their heads. “He would see through that in an instant,” Kavi replied.

“Though the subject of his relationships with women brings up another problem; he is to marry and his betrothed has been missing for sixteen years. They had never found her kidnapper and now we are without a bride for Daylin and without a proper king for the kingdom.” Lukman sighed heavily, his shoulders falling in despair. “At this rate, it wouldn’t matter if the dragon did carry on with its curse.”

Aldan walked slowly to one of the large, glass paned windows and rested his forehead against his arm that he propped up against the cold, stone wall. He gazed upon the people below tending to their small businesses, customers, wares and resisting the rather blustery weather. The forest that bordered the land was tall and lush with the richest greens of summer. Everything was happy and peaceful outside the castle, but to Aldan it felt as though winter had settled in and killed the joy of the outside world.

“Oh great land, Vartan, how splendid you adorn yourself and yet how hollow your heart. Without a proper king to rule you in kindness, mercy and justice; where be your spirit?” he spoke in a voice of mourning for the land he loved so dearly.

“Do not despair, my brother, we will have our kingdom again as it was five years ago,” Lukman rested a hand on Aldan’s fallen shoulder. “Lord Daylin cannot remain the way he is forever,” he encouraged in a whispered tone.

Kavi stood a few feet away from the two men, running his fingers thoughtfully through his beard. He considered the words spoken of in the curse, the disappearance of the daughter born to the king and queen of Oyasu, and Daylin’s recent behavior. The prince was of the age of eighteen and was overdue to be wed. However, without the betrothed, there is no one for him to wed, especially since he refuses to choose from one of the many women he’s flattered with is charming words and handsome features. Unconsciously, he wished that the curse had made Daylin’s features match his personality.

Daylin, as a child, was selfish as all children are naturally, however unlike other children he had never grown out of it. In part it had to do with his heritage as the only surviving child of king, Tavorian, and his wife, queen Leyna. Queen Leyna had difficulty bearing a living child having gone through three miscarriages and loosing one to some unknown sleeping disease. The last birth she had undergone took her life in the end and Daylin was nearly taken away with her. When Daylin was born he did not cry as infants usually do and didn’t even open his eyes. With the belief that Daylin was still born, it wasn’t until he was going through the cleansing process before burial that he had wailed his protest. That day, king Tavorian had presented his living child to the gods and thanked them for their blessing of granting his child life.

However, with Daylin as the only living heir, he became spoiled by those who cared for him. Whatever he wanted, he could have when he wanted it. Yet, there were moments when Daylin would be less unruly and it was only when visiting the grave of his mother. There the young prince would stand beside his father, clutching two of his father’s fingers and staring at the tombstone that bore his mother’s name. Not fully comprehending her sacrifice made so he would live, but knowing that he was to show respect. Two years ago, king Tavorian had joined his wife in the eternities by way of an illness that weakened him five years before his death. On that day, if Daylin had shed a tear for his father, no one had witnessed it.

From then Kavi, along with Lukman and his brother Aldan, took on the responsibilities left by king Tavorian to continue Daylin’s teachings and raise him to manhood. However, it seemed that Daylin would have nothing of it, shutting himself away from anyone who tried to help him achieve his potential. At one point, when Daylin was nearly seventeen, he had grown frustrated with the efforts his advisors had made to help him grow stronger as future king in which he had declared, “Stop trying to turn me into my father!”

Kavi and the other advisors had to wonder if Daylin had some sort of resentment towards his late father of some sort, or perhaps just felt that everyone wished he was Tavorian. From then Daylin seemed to care less and less about the kingdom, his subjects and the future; only to care about himself and whatever made him happy. Hence his behavior towards anyone of authority. It was hoped that the betrothal to the princess of Oyasu would bring about the prosperity of the kingdom when Daylin was of age, however, that hope was dashed sixteen years ago when the infant girl was kidnapped. Though the kingdom of Vartan did prosper, mostly under the direction of the advisors who made Daylin fill out the paperwork required, hope seemed futile.

Daylin storming off to retire was his way of escaping; if not that then he would bathe in the hot spring for a couple of hours. Either way, he was fleeing from his responsibilities. Often Kavi would go through these things in his thoughts, trying to figure out what had gone wrong and how it could be fixed. He looked up from the blue and silver carpeted floor and to his comrades. “Perhaps we need to approach the prince in a different fashion,” Kavi suggested.

Lukman directed his gaze to Kavi in response to his voice. “How do you intend to approach the prince?” Lukman inquired.

Aldan turned his attention away from the outside world and gave it to Kavi without a word spoken.

The eldest advisor made his way towards the two brothers as he spoke his idea. “We are going to hit a point where all of this is going to reach beyond our control. I think it may be wise to take this issue to the temple of the six gods and beseech them for aid. After all, the gods know so much more than either of us. Perhaps they can tell us what it is that we should do to save our land and how to get Prince Daylin to behave as a prince should behave.”

Considering it, the brothers glanced at each other silently inquiring of the other their thoughts on the subject. They both then returned their gaze to Kavi and Aldan spoke, “Do you truly suppose that the gods would even bother to consider aiding us? This would be more of a trifle than anything to them who bear the weight of the entire planet on their shoulders. To get involved in the government of men is unthinkable. We could bring upon their wrath.”

“I also agree with the words of my brother.” Lukman added, “For all we know, the gods would become insulted by the request and will send upon the gods of destruction whether it be fire storms or earthquake.” Swallowing, he then sighed and shook his head. “We already have a dragon to contend with in a short matter of time as it is.”

“Do you two lack so much faith in the god of heaven itself? The very god of mercy and judgment and you fear that he would not aid us if we come to him in meekness?” Kavi demanded. “If you approach him in doubt then you do bring upon a swift punishment.” He pointed his index finger accursedly at the two doubting men.

Their eyes widened at once at the accusation made at the both of them. Lukman shook his head again and held his hands palms up in defense. “I never said that I doubted the mercy and judgment of the god of heaven! I just… well… why would a god involve himself with the human governmental affairs? It seems below them; below things that are of greater importance like the crops or protection from a plague,” he insisted, becoming flustered as he spoke.

“I as well do not deny that the god of heaven is fully capable.” Aldan stepped forward in front of his brother and stood tall as though to add to the stability of his statement. “As Lukman had stated, it seems beneath them to aid in our governmental issues.”

Kavi stared at the two men and sighed in disappointment; lowering and shaking his head as he did so. “You two may not feel that this is necessary, but I have complete faith that the gods would at least consider the request. Therefore, if you two don’t mind, I shall go cleanse myself so that I am prepared to go before the gods in prayer.” He turned on his heel and headed to the door. “If you two gain back your spiritual strength, then join me,” he called back to them as he stepped out the door; leaving with a flutter of his robe trailing behind him.

Looking at one another, the brothers silently questioned each other in their faith and soon found themselves following after Kavi down the pointed arched halls of the palace.

Outside of the pearl colored palace that stood high over the rest of the kingdom; there was a small, white granite building that was built like a gazebo but was closed off to the rest of the world. The building was referred as Naomh, or the Basin of Clean Waters. Inside the Naomh, there was a large, marble tub that was filled with clear water that was blessed by the priests of the temple where the people prayed to the gods. The water was for the sole purpose of cleansing the body before they would enter into the holy sanctuary and come into the presence of the gods. Also beside the tub was a cupboard that contained the white tunics that were to be worn underneath their outside clothes for to represent that their souls were pure beneath the work of everyday life.

As the eldest of the three, Kavi was first to enter into the Naomh and shut himself out from the rest of the world. He stripped out of his clothing and got into the cold water. Despite how chilled the liquid was to his skin, he bore it and dunked himself several times to cleanse his body. When the ritual was completed, he dried himself with the towel that was also hung inside for his use, and then put on the white tunic before dressing himself back into the clothes he had on before. Once Kavi was through and had exited the building, it was then Lukman’s turn to do the same and was then followed by Aldan afterwards.

Now prepared to enter in the presence of the six gods as was required in their culture, the three men made their way to the temple that was located outside of the main square. The temple resided on the edge of the city, just before the forest yet far enough that it wasn’t part of the city itself. Made of the purest white of many stones, the temple stood tall and gleamed in the sunlight as a light in a world of darkness. There were few windows and they were located away from the place where the statues of the gods were kept. Stain glass pictures of each of the gods radiated from the sun with brilliant reds, blues, and greens.

Inside, the men were met by two priests that were draped in white robes with hoods that were worn over their heads and hid their faces. The robes were plain and unadorned with anything save for the white rope tied around their waists that was the only indication of their slender bodies. They bowed to the two priests reverently and the priests replied with a small nod of the head instead of a bow from the waist. Silently, they turned and led the men down the carpeted hall to the room they sought. Upon reaching the end, there stood before them two large doors with symbols relating to the gods engraved into the wood.

The silent priests made their way to the side where candelabra stood on a small table. They each took a candle from the ten that were there and handed one to each advisor. Holding their candles out before them, they waited for the priests to allow them inside. Silently, they stood outside the doors, each one taking hold of the brass handle. “My you be found worthy in the eyes of the six gods of fire, water, earth, air, heaven and hell,” they stated at once, voices echoing eerily throughout the building that was once so still.

With that said, the doors were opened unto them and they were finally able to enter into the room. Stepping lightly, they made their way with only the candle light to lead their way as the doors were closed behind them. Aldan gasped in fright when the darkness surrounded them. Lukman laid his free hand on his brother’s shoulder for assurance that everything would be fine but forgot himself and jerked when the light revealed the stern face born by the statue of the fire god, Pyralis.

Kavi remained calm as he made his way forward until the light revealed a second candelabra placed upon a marble alter. He placed his candle in one of the empty spots while Lukman and Aldan mimicked him. Backing away two steps, the advisors knelt before the six statues that stared sightlessly at them. Weaving their fingers together, they bowed their heads in reverence.

Since it was Kavi’s idea, he was to act as spokesman for them and so, gathering his thoughts carefully, he took a deep breath before beginning his prayer. “To my lords of all creation, knowledge and judgment I offer up a prayer in behalf of myself and my fellow advisors to the prince of Vartan. To the gods of fire, water, earth, air, hell and heaven; Pyralis, Kuval, Adymn, Quasim, Shel and Celestine we come before thee for guidance and direction. For our kingdom is in dire need for a leader who will live up to the standards set before him as was directed by thee. Prince Daylin has gone astray from the path laid out for him and we have struggled for the past two years to return him in the right direction. However, he refuses to listen to our pleas and council. We beg of thee, my lords, help us find a way to get him back and save our land from the impending doom that was prophesied and will befall us shortly. Aid us as thou would find fit for us to act upon, to thee we pray, amen.” His words rose powerfully in the silence in humbleness and pleading for aid.

The room became still once more while the three men dared not arise from the floor. They needed to receive an answer of some sort so they remained. Silently, they waited to hear anything, a voice, a whisper anything indicating the gods answering to their prayer. Hours seemed to pass without any reaction of any sort to answer the prayer. Due to this long period of waiting, Aldan’s eyes began to wander from the floor to watching the wax melt and trickle down the candlestick to pool onto the alter. His mind couldn’t help but think that the gods had no desire to answer to their plea.

Just then, the candle that had been Aldan’s was snuffed out by an unknown source. Aldan jumped and gasped out his brother’s name. Lukman looked up instantly and turned to his brother in frustration. “Aldan, silence yourself, you are in the presence of the gods,” he hissed.

Aldan raised a trembling hand and pointed at his extinguished candle. His eyes were wide and staring in terror.

Lukman followed the direction of his brother’s arm and recognized that the candle was no longer lit. He began to grow a bit fearful himself and swallowed nervously. “Perhaps there is a draft?” he implied softly.

“You see, I told you it wouldn’t take very long for their faith to waver!” There was a loud thud and the two brothers found themselves face to face with a young man, squatting upon the alter before them.

Yelping, the brothers fell back in shock from the person’s sudden appearance. Lukman’s arms flailed about and knocked Kavi off his knees and onto his backside. “Lukman what is the meaning of this disrespect?” Kavi demanded of the man.

Lukman didn’t respond to him but continued to stare forward at the strange man. Kavi’s eyes followed his gaze and he then came to a realization as to what was spooking the two brothers. His heart felt as though it had ceased beating for a moment upon the sight of the man.

The man upon the alter was grinning a twisted grin in the limited candlelight in a way that seemed not only mocking but sadistic in nature. His hair was a bright, fiery red that rose from his head and moved about like flames dancing in a fire pit. A yellow orange robe was draped about his slender form, collar open wide in such a way that due to him bending over, the men could see his bosom. Skin was a deep tan such like the men had never seen before on any human being. In fear of this unusual stranger, the men stared.

Piercing golden eyes stared at the men and the grin grew broader. A booming, mocking laughter filled the room from the stranger. The advisors were too afraid to do or say anything so they cowered and waited for whatever was going to come next. When the man finally ceased his laughter, he leaned forward until he was almost nose to nose with Aldan. Aldan trembled in the shadow of the man, locked in his burning gaze. His arm reached out to the advisor, hand balled into a fist before his gaze.

“Were you looking for this?” The man whipped open his hand to reveal a small flame hovering above his palm. “Hm? Was this your flame that used to be the light of your candle?” he inquired in a tone that was certainly one of mockery.

Aldan swallowed but could not revive his voice so he nodded instead.

Again the sadistic grin returned. “Do you know why your candle went out?” the man questioned, as the shadows upon his face made him look even more menacing.

Aldan shook his head in silence.

“Your flame went out because I took it. Do you know why I took it?” The flame somehow traveled from above the palm of his hand to above the tip of his long fingernail on his index finger.

Once again, Aldan shook his head.

The smile broadened again as the man leaned in closer. In a harsh whisper he spoke, “Because you doubted and because you doubted, I took away the flame that was kept alive by your faith and you have let it die.”

Closing his fist, the flame vanished again into a wisp of smoke and the man stood upon the alter, towering over the frightened advisors that still remained cowering upon the floor. “And what of you two? Lukman, Kavi, do you also doubt? Are your flames nothing more than mere smoke to be carried away in the air? Well?” he questioned them with eyes that burned like tiny flames themselves.

Before any of the men could gain the courage to respond to the man, another voice broke the silence. “Pyralis that is quite enough of your childish antics. Leave the humans be,” the voice commanded that was deep and strong.

The men stared at the one who was the fire god himself with gaped open mouths in shock that they had not realized the resemblance in the first place. Pyralis twisted his face into a pout and turned his head away stubbornly. “They wavered in their faith and it’s been so long since I’ve had any fun. Let me toy with them a little longer. At least until the old one’s heart stops beating out of fear.”

Kavi, knowing that it was him to whom the god was referring to, clutched his chest. The action led to Pyralis laughing again in glee. It was then, out of no where Pyralis was flung to the wall by a blast of water. Pyralis sat upon the stone floor, sopping wet and not very happy in the least. His hair no longer danced about but laid flat against his scalp and neck. Even his eyes seemed to have lost their glow as he glared at the one who had gotten him wet. “Was that truly necessary, Kuval?” Pyralis demanded.

Out of the darkness came a tall, pale man with long wavy dark hair that showed off blue highlights in the candle light. His fingers were webbed and he wore the same sort of robe as Pyralis only in a light blue. Tiny scales that went from his temple down along his strong jaw line and finished down just above his collar bone, glimmered when he entered out of the shadows. Kuval glared down at the fire god and replied, “It was otherwise your prattle never would have ceased. These men are here with a purpose and you prolong us granting to them salvation by your devious intentions.” He motioned with an arm, gesturing towards the three men on the floor.

Pyralis leapt to his feet effortlessly and onto the alter again, towering over the water god. “I say they don’t get salvation!” he objected. “If they truly cared about the curse, and prince Daylin’s behavior, then they would have come to us years ago to take care of it. Well, I say it’s too late for them now and they deserve to have their kingdom burn by the breath of the dragon that is to come.” As he declared his objection, he pointed at the three men in accusation.

“You know how humans are, Pyralis, it’s been the same for centuries and you are always the one to object.” Kuval crossed his arms over his broad chest and glared back at the fire god. “The mortals are to learn through experience and we are the ones who are to aid when they request of our help. Not every problem can be solved by death and destruction through fire.” He added the last part in a mocking manner towards the fire god.

The flame returned to his eyes and his hair shot back up and danced about in anger. “You are no better off than I! Your only purpose is to punish by the sea and the rain!” Pyralis insisted.

Kavi, Lukman and Aldan could do nothing but remain where they were, watching the two mighty elemental gods argue amongst themselves. Never had they seen such a sight nor in any records does it speak of the gods ever behaving like this. Then again, it is rare for someone to see a god, let alone two at once, and then record everything about their experience. Usually the gods guided by feelings or voices but this was far beyond anything that the three men had expected. Silently, they watched and wondered if they would ever return their attention to aiding them in their cause.

Their curiosity was answered in the form on another voice, one more powerful than the two elementals before them. The two gods ceased their banter and looked upon the statue depicting Celestine, the god of heaven. Kavi and the two brothers also gazed upon the statue, finding the eyes of it glowing in a luminous white that they never imagined could exist. “Enough Pyralis, Kuval, enough!” the voice of Celestine commanded.

Both Pyralis and Kuval fell to one knee and bowed. “Forgive me, Lord Celestine.” They spoke at once before the statue.

“Now leave us,” Celestine ordered of them bluntly.

The elemental gods vanished into the darkness as fast as they had come leaving behind the bewildered advisors. They stared, wide eyed at the statue with the glowing eyes and remained silent in their fear. Celestine spoke again, this time it was to the men remaining in the room. “Kavi, Lukman and Aldan. Fear me not now for I make myself known to give you aid in this, your time of need.”

With these words spoken by the mouth of the god of heaven, the men felt themselves instantly relax. Their voices were found once again and they were able to return to their previous position of kneeling at the alter. “My Lord, Celestine, God of Heaven, what would you have us do?” Kavi inquired.

“I know of the curse placed upon the royal lineage of one who was King Zareh of Vartan. A dragon is to come upon the land and bring about destruction,” Celestine replied thoughtfully. “However, I cannot undo the curse. It is not because I am not capable; it is because the responsibility is upon the shoulders of Daylin.”

“Daylin?” Lukman gasped. “But how can that be when he won’t take on his responsibilities as the one heir to the throne?”

The other two advisors didn’t say it, but were also thinking the same thing as Lukman.

“Daylin is young and still mourns over the loss of his father. To shadow his grief, he pushes away those who wish to be close to him and bears the pain alone. What you three have been doing since the death of your king; have been what you could do within your power.”

All six shoulders that were of the advisors fell in disappointment. If they have been doing everything that they possibly could, then there was even less hope in Daylin ever behaving as the heir of Vardan. Their eyes wandered over to each other, examining their expressions to see if the other was just as disappointed as they were. Celestine’s voice cleared away the despair that began to hang over them like a dark cloud.

“Do not let despair weigh heavy upon you,” he soothed. “I will aid in preserving your kingdom.”

Hopes lifted instantly at the sound of those words. Their heads lifted as they stared at the statue in anticipation.

“Pyralis,” Celestine beckoned.

The fire god responded to his call instantly, appearing out of the shadows and knelt in a low bow upon the floor. “My Lord,” he humbly announced.

“Arise, Pyralis,” Celestine commanded. “I have a work for you to do.”

Pyralis did as was instructed, smoothly getting to his feet. His hair added to his height that was already very tall in comparison to the advisors. The fire god was at least a head taller than Lukman, who was the tallest of the three. With arms folded tightly across his chest, golden eyes glared at the three men out of the corner while Pyralis awaited his orders.

“You, Pyralis, will see to it that the flames of the dragon will not harm the people of the kingdom. Not one life is to be lost in the inferno,” Celestine explained to the fire god.

The eyes flared, frightening the advisors who watched, but dulled just as quickly. Pyralis bowed down to his knee again in submission. “As you wish my lord,” he agreed to the terms.

Aldan couldn’t help but let a sigh of relief escape him only to get a flashing glare from Pyralis that froze him in his place.

“Also I will send another, Kuval,” As Celestine spoke the water god’s name, he appeared in the same fashion as Pyralis had. “Kuval will send the rains to extinguish the flames upon the homes.”

Kuval silently, nodded his obedience to the plan. He seemed very calm, but as the god of the water, he can be as changing in mood as the sea itself and the advisors hadn’t a doubt in Kuval’s power. Pyralis, despite his full obedience and loyalty to Celestine, the advisors were not certain if he could be completely trusted.

Knowing their thoughts, Celestine assured, “Do not fret about where Pyralis’s loyalties lie. He, like fire, is difficult to control, but he knows whom he serves and will do what is commanded of him.”

“Despite my opinion on the matter,” Pyralis added sourly.

Lukman caught a smirk on the lips of Kuval as he remained knelt upon the floor.

“Now; Kavi, Lukman, Aldan, you may return to your duties of the palace. Continue to do all you can to return Daylin on the proper course. As for the marital situation that weighs heavy on your minds, it will all be taken care of in itself. Relay on your faith in us and blessings will come to your aid. Waver not and doubt not.” With that said, the eyes of the statue darkened and became dull stone once more.

Kuval and Pyralis followed, vanishing back into the shadows of the room silently. The advisors found themselves alone once more before the alter. They looked at each other questioningly, wondering if it had all been real or a dream. As mortal beings, it could not be helped for that was the nature of the mind to make sure everything was not too good to be true. Lukman was the first to break the long silence. “What shall we do now, Kavi?”

“We do as the gods have commanded us. Return to our duties.” Kavi pushed himself up off the floor and dusted off his aching knees.

The brothers followed suit and they gazed upon the statues in wonder, marveling over what they had just witnessed. All of them hoped that everything will work out for the best as the gods have spoken.

“We’d best return before Daylin finds us missing and has a fit,” Lukman suggested.

Aldan sighed, “Knowing prince Daylin, finding us absent would only bring him joy.”

Kavi, agreeing that it was most likely so, shrugged and remarked, “In that case, then we must go disappoint him.”

Lukman and Aldan managed to smile a bit at the remark but knew that they had to return to the palace either way. Kavi and Lukman retrieved their lit candles from off the candelabra and then made their way to the door behind them. Aldan reached out for his but stopped short and stared.

“Aldan, hurry yourself, we mustn’t dawdle,” Lukman beckoned to his younger brother.

Jerking to attention, Aldan retrieved his candle and hurried to stand beside his comrades. His eyes were wide in a mixture of shock and wonder. Kavi and Lukman turned to the younger man questionably, but then looked down at the candle he held in his hand. A tiny flame fluttered about upon the wick.

II

Daylin stormed down the pointed, arched halls of the palace, his cape flapping about furiously, matching his mood all too well. The servants of the palace jumped out of his way if they were unfortunate enough to cross paths with the prince. He paid them no mind as he continued his heavy stride. Eventually, he made it to his bed chamber and yanked open the door with so much force that it banged against the wall.

Inside, was one of the chamber maids who had been finishing up her task of making his bed when he had made his rather loud entrance. She jumped in fright, bringing a hand to her chest to hold still her beating heart. “M… my lord!” she gasped. Hastily, she bowed low to him and then straightened her posture once more. “I was just finishing up in here. If you wish me to fetch you something more…”

“Get out,” he commanded in a mutter. His eyes faced the floor rather than the maiden’s face. She was rather young and attractive and he didn’t need that sort of a distraction at the moment.

“My lord?” she inquired, having not understood what he had said.

“I gave you an order to get out!” he bellowed at her, looking up from the floor with an intense gaze.

She gasped in fright, bowed quickly, gathered the sheets she had replaced and scurried past him. “Forgive me, my lord!” the maiden begged as she left.

Daylin entered his room and slammed the door behind her without another word. He had enough with people for the day and wished to be alone. Sighing in relief that he was the only one in the room, he sauntered over to the divan he had located at the end of his bed and flopped himself down upon it. The divan was golden framed with royal purple cushions stuffed with goose feathers that conformed to his body for comfort. Staring up at the ceiling, Daylin slipped away into a daydream.

It was a dream of escaping; to be away from the life of a prince. He had always been spoiled and treated kindly due to his status. To everyone in the palace he was not Daylin; no he was Daylin, son of Tavorian. The only son of Tavorian. Of course he had always gotten what he wanted since childhood except for true friendship and the freedom to venture outside of the palace whenever he chose.

Granted that when growing up, he had attended a university where he was taught math, science, reading, writing, history and so forth. He was an outstanding student and loved to learn what his professors had to say but he was in a class of one; himself. There was always a personal tutor, personal nanny, personal everything! Never had he been with other children his age. His father was the only family he was close to.

Sadly, the only real time he would spend with his father was when they would visit his mother’s grave. Yet, spending time with his father was a comfort to him because he knew that his father loved him unconditionally. There was warmth about his father that was shared often when they were together. Now that his father was gone, Daylin always felt cold inside and it seemed to spread to his skin over the years.

There were many times where the young prince would find himself shivering when there wasn’t a breeze or chill in the air. It was the reason why he wore a cloak all the time; so he would have something to wrap himself in for warmth, but even then it didn’t always work. His body would still tremble and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. The only hope he had was that Kavi, Lukman and Aldan wouldn’t notice. If they did then they would only grow more concerned that he was becoming ill like his father had.

The sickness had come so suddenly to the late king. He had been growing old as it was and it seemed that his heart had weakened over the years. Tavorian had suffered attacks that brought agonizing pain to his chest where he would be in bed rest for a number of days. During those times Daylin would be found sitting outside the door of his father’s bed chamber for he was not allowed inside. Eventually it had just stopped beating and even though the priests of the six gods would use their holy rituals to try to revive the heart; nothing worked. King Tavorian had gone to his wife.

Though Kavi and the two brothers would try to comfort Daylin when the funeral and burial was held; the words of sympathy passed through him. He was alone and no words of sympathy could ever change that. The prince was now an orphan but was fortunate by the fact that he was of noble birthright. A prince cannot be sent to an orphanage especially when he is of sixteen years. On the day of the burial, when the realization fully hit Daylin that his father was gone; the pain was unbearable.

He had escaped from the protective walls of the palace to go out into the woods alone to mourn. Daylin had traveled about seven miles into the thickest part of the forest until he found a place where he could collapse and weep. It was painful to be alone but he needed to be in his grief. To him, if anyone were to see the prince break down as he did in the woods that day; then there would no longer be a sense of hope for him bringing about a bright future. Expressing sorrow like that was a sign of weakness for their culture strongly believed that they would be reunited with their loved ones again and to mourn the loss was unnecessary. People, to Daylin, who believe that had obviously never lost a loved one.

Daylin had not returned until two days later; completely weak in every way, which resulted in him fainting into the arms of one of the guards that were on duty that day. He was brought into the palace and nursed back to health; constantly getting questions of what had become of him. Not giving anyone an answer, the servants and physicians left him alone on the subject. His mourning was none of their concern and the young prince did not want to deal with people he knew did not care about him like his father did. The servants were always willing to fetch him whatever it was he wanted, but all he wanted then was his father.

Kavi and the two brothers were good men but to Daylin they were just doing what they were hired to do. He didn’t believe that the three men truly cared about him at all. They cared more about the stability of the kingdom than anything. In his own private thoughts, the prince believed that the three men were always giving him grief about marriage because they had to take a vow of loyalty to the king and to the king alone. Lukman, Aldan and Kavi were not to marry and have children for that would create a distraction. The only thing they were to concern themselves with was whether or not the king or prince was running the kingdom properly.

Daylin opened his eyes that had closed momentarily as he dreamed of a life without princely responsibilities. A perfect life where he would have friends and marry someone he loved and not to someone he was betrothed to. He considered himself rather lucky that his betrothed had been kidnapped sixteen years ago. Never had he any interest in the women of noble lineage anyway. Sitting up, he yawned and ran his fingers through his hair that reached a couple inches past his jaw line. Looking about his bed chamber, he felt it was rather stuffy and too closed up.

The room was rather large for one person, but for a prince it didn’t matter. He had a large, canopy bed with a feather mattress and many feather pillows that were mostly for decoration. There were silk sheets and a velvet comforter on top all in different shades of blues. Bed framing was made of stained oak wood that was carved into the likeness of ancient tree branches that are told of in fairy tales. Of course at the end of the bed was where he had the divan he now sat upon.

His room was adorned in different tapestries that depicted things such as the creation of the planet, the kingdom and other such landscape related images. He refused to have any indication of any of the six gods in his room since his father’s death, but there was one symbol of Celestine that had been nailed to the headboard of his bed. Also made of wood, it was of a hand giving the symbol of blessing where two of the five fingers were down. How he hated that thing and wished nothing more than to tear it off.

The rest of the room had furniture like a small table, desk, chair, wardrobe and so forth. He had very few art work displayed save for a crystal carving of a phoenix that was stained red. Daylin had always been fascinated by the figure that used to be his mother’s. Even though the phoenix was a pet of the god Pyralis; Daylin chose to ignore that fact and keep the small statue. There was a fire place on the west side of the room for the cold winter months. On the south side of the room were glass doors that led to a balcony that overlooked the palace gardens.

Arising from his seat, he made his way to the glass doors and opened them out to the rest of the world. When the wind was right, it would send the aroma of the many flowers below him upward to greet him. Today was one of those days when the sweet scent was a welcome to the young prince. He then remembered why he loved the location of his bed chamber so much. Daylin took a long, deep breath and held it briefly to keep the sweetness of the blossoms in his body as long as possible. Letting it escape slowly, he smiled to himself, feeling much better already.

Stepping out onto the balcony, he overlooked the scene before him. The land was green and lush with evidence of spring everywhere. A soft breeze swept through the trees of the forest that bordered the kingdom; creating waves across a sea of green. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant blue without a dark cloud to threaten it. Birds with radiating plumage of reds, blues, greens and yellows flew across the clear sky or were resting themselves on the railing of the balcony. They would commonly land there and have become used to Daylin’s presence insomuch that they didn’t fly away at his approach.

The birds, having grown so acquainted with the prince, sometimes would land on his shoulder or head whenever he happened to be out. Daylin stood at the edge of the balcony while the birds continued to preen themselves. He reached his hand towards one that was a dark shade of blue and stroked its feathered breast with his index finger. It twitched its head about looking up at the prince at first, pecked at one of his rings, climbed up onto his hand and then began to make its way upward to his shoulder. Having grown accustomed to this, Daylin didn’t do anything that would startle the small animal and just let it sit on his shoulder where it pecked at his earring. Apparently it enjoyed the sound the gold made.

Daylin continued to admire his surroundings, pondering on the dragon’s curse that was to come. There hadn’t been a sign since the dragon’s death that there would be an attack. As far as he knew, dragons had gone into a deep hibernation in the bowels of the planet until something happens to man in which they would be able to return to rule the planet once more. However, there were accounts of attacks made in the kingdom south of Vartan but that was due to the residence of poachers who would kill the dragons for their hides, claws and teeth. The scales were used for armor and shields while the claws and teeth were used for weapons. Word was also that the colored scales could also be used for dyes but that has yet to be confirmed.

Sighing, he did not wish to trouble himself on a curse that hasn’t been proven to exist. Anyone could claim a curse and be bluffing the entire time. After all, it had been 300 years and the accounts could have been over exaggerated. Superstitious fools; were the thoughts the young prince had on the priests who recorded the accounts. Instead of worrying himself, he concentrated on the here and now of life.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the, all too, familiar voices of the three advisors. Redirecting his gaze downward, he spotted the three men heading eastward of the palace grounds. “Now where do they think they’re going?” Daylin muttered his thoughts to himself.

Moving himself to the side of the balcony closest to their location, he squinted to see where their desired destination was to be. The three men were heading towards the Naomh that was located in the farthest right corner of the gardens. Every morning the advisors would pay a visit to the temple to pray for guidance throughout their day. It was now late afternoon and Daylin knew that the three men had their morning session already. “Now why are they going to the temple at this time of day?” he wondered out loud to himself.

The bird on his shoulder chirped as though to say, “I don’t know”, as a response to his inquiry.

Realizing that the bird was still there, Daylin brought a hand up and gently nudged the bird’s breast so to get it up on his fingers again. He stroked the bird with his other hand as he watched the advisors with interest. “Surely they hadn’t become so desperate to get me to marry that they’re taking it up with the gods,” he considered.

He watched as the three men each arrived at the Naomh, took their turns going inside to bathe, and then left the palace grounds. Daylin watched until their forms vanished from his sight. Musing over the event he had just witnessed, he leaned against the wall of the palace. Wondering; not only why they were going to the temple, but if they done this before. Not knowing the reasons behind the actions of his own servants annoyed him.

“It seems my servants are plotting behind my back,” he spoke to the bird on his hand.

The bird tilted its head to the side, blinking at him curiously.

“Well, no matter. Two can play at this game.” Daylin lifted his arm up, releasing the bird to the sky.

He watched it fly out of sight before turning on his heel to enter back into his chambers. As he walked, he worked on removing the earrings he wore for he could not wear them where he was going in his plan. Once they were removed, he put them away in a jewelry box he had on a table next to his wardrobe. Daylin then took off the rings that adorned his hands and placed those in the box as well. Shutting it close, he then went into his wardrobe and reached in the back for a box he hid there. Taking out the box and opening it, he rummaged through some clothing that were less than royal.

Pulling out what he wanted, he went behind a changing screen and began to undress. Flipping his royal clothes on top of the screen, he pulled on a dirty, blue tunic; equally as dirty, brown pantaloons that reached down to his kneecaps, boots and then strapped a belt around his slender waist so the tunic didn’t hang from him so loose. He gathered his other clothes and threw them into his wardrobe. Before closing it, he took out a dark cloak that had a hood on it and tied it around his neck. Closing the door to his wardrobe, he looked himself over in the mirror he had above the table where he kept the jewelry box.

He frowned at his reflection for he still looked too clean. First thing he decided to do about it was find a piece of leather or string to tie up his hair into a rather messy pony tail. Strands of his hair stuck out from the hold of the string like limp hay. Looking about for something to make him look dirtier, he figured he could use the dirt on his outfit. Patting his hands around his tunic, he powdered his face with the dirt and then looked himself over again. Still too clean for his tastes but it will have to do he figured.

After pulling the hood on over his head to cast a shadow over his face, he went to the door of his bed chambers and opened it slowly. Poking his head out enough to make sure that the hall was vacant of servants. He exited his room and closed the door quietly behind him. Directly across the hall was a laundry shoot for the servants to transport the dirty laundry from the third floor. There was one on each floor in different wings to make life easier. Daylin slid open the wooden door, climbed in feet first and then let himself slide down the tube that led to a large room where the laundry was gathered for washing.

He kept his arms against his body and his legs together to make him slide faster. Shooting out of the other end, he landed in a large pile of bed sheets. Rolling down off the pile, he could not help but laugh out of pure enjoyment. Chuckling, he got to his feet and headed for the door that led outside towards the forest. The laundry servants would take the laundry out to a stream that was five feet away in the woods to wash. Therefore, it was an easy escape route off of palace grounds and to the village square.

Already feeling a sense of freedom from his birthright, Daylin sprinted out into the woods, heading right to the village square. With his three advisors out to the temple, he was free to escape easily. It didn’t take him too long to reach the square that was bustling with energy. All around him the common folk went about their lives that seemed so much more pleasant than his own. The joyous atmosphere of the people was the reason why the young prince would sneak out frequently.

Walking about the cobbled streets, he took in all the many sights, sounds and smells of the town. There were multiple small markets that were basically a wooden table and a cloth canopy overhead. Spread upon the tables of these individually owned businesses would range to anything from materials to make clothes, meals or jewelry to completely sown clothing, pottery and other works of art. He took in the heavenly scent of the freshly baked bread and other baked goods coming from one of the larger businesses. Larger ones did not sell their wares on a table like the others because they could afford to construct a building. These buildings were usually made of wood and stone with tile roofs; only reaching as high as two stories.

Continuing to admire the town’s charm, Daylin heard the laughter of children as they played a game that involved kicking a small ball into the air and seeing to it that it didn’t touch the ground. Smiling to himself, he stood watching the small children play. The girls were dressed in bright colored gowns that were of a simple design save for a large ribbon tied around the waist. Whereas the boys were dressed in more neutral colors of tunics, pants and shoes. He watched the small group until a middle aged woman exited from the building they were next to. She beckoned the children with a bell to return to the building for a continuation of their schooling. Immediately, the children ceased their play, lined up in an orderly fashion and filed into the building. Sighing in disappointment, Daylin moved on.

The young prince ventured onward down the street until he reached the center of the square where a water fountain had stood. Standing tall and proud in his entire stone carved splendor was the water god, Kuval. He had his hand outstretched as though it were he making the water arched outward from his podium. At his feet was a mermaid leaning against his right leg and looking up at him rather affectionately. According to the teachings of the six gods, the mermaid was called Naida and was the wife of Kuval. He sat upon the outside wall of the pool where the flowing water gathered and stared down at the many coins that glimmered from the sunlight.

For every time he had ventured outside the palace, Daylin had thrown a coin into the fountain. He didn’t know why he did so for he found wishes to be a waste and his heart’s desires were never granted. Yet, even so, he unconsciously dug into his boot and pulled out a gold coin to toss into the fountain. Wishing for one of the many things his heart desired, he sighed and looked down at where his coin had landed. “Oh well, maybe it will work this time,” he whispered to himself for comfort.

Daylin arose from where he sat and determined that he would not waste the day just sitting around when there was so much to take in. Knowing exactly where he wished to go next, he hurried himself to a jog. He didn’t slow until he reached a building that was of the same make as the larger business settlements but reached three stories high and was longer. It was an inn which also had an area on the first floor where traveling minstrels from across the land would come to perform. In the evening it would be full of life, song, dance and merriment. Looking up at the sign that read, Travelers Haven Inn, he smiled to himself; looking forward to the night ahead of him. The young prince entered through the swinging, wooden doors into the inn to pay for a night of merriment that was withheld from him within the palace walls.