Beginning of the End

Meeting Niva

After what seems like an eternity, Aramina returns with a middle-aged woman clothed in a black robe, the head concealing her red hair and her delicate eyes burning with fire. She looks the same as every other woman I have seen here, black-robed, pale-faced people who aimlessly wander around the rooms, no clear purpose to their work, other than aid the absent-minded evil that surrounds them. Though quite strange, what these women lack is not a purpose, but the desire, the desire to fight back against the ones who leave them in the dark to do the dirty work my parents are too royal to complete. The woman looks at me strangely, almost glaring, waiting for me to say something, but I just watch her, I see the pain in her eyes. Aramina grabs the woman by the hand, leading her in my direction and introduces me to her.

                “Niva, this is Princess Zianna. She has taken an interest in magic and would like to study here under your teaching.” Aramina says kindly, pointing in my direction.

                “No!” Niva shouts, her face turning as red as her eyes and hair. “I am not having the Princess here in the only place where we are free, let alone teach her. Do you not see Zarya in her, in the way she acts, Aramina? She is nothing but a cold-hearted traitor and she will take away from us every last sense of freedom we have left!” The woman is now frantic, hiding behind Aramina as if I am about to attack her.

                “Niva, I understand the impression I create, but you must know that I am not in league with my parents. I have tried to stop them, change their plans even, but they act out of their own desire, and so by working with you, I act out of my desire, the desire to help you take back the city you could once call home.”

                “You mean to tell me that you, Princess Zianna is working against her parents to liberate the once free folk of Norvia? Zianna, I know you want to learn, but what you truly desire is to change our only true home into the eternal darkness that shadows the city and will soon swallow up the rest of Norvia.”

                Turning to Niva, Aramina, clearly fearful, tries to convince her friend, “You have to let her study here Niva. She has resented Queen Zarya’s reign for years and wishes she could live like any other princess in the land instead of cooped up in a stone cellar like a prisoner, while being condemned to serve those whom she is not inclined to serve. Tonight she is planning to attend to execution of the new prisoner and convince the guards of her right to live, of her innocence and of Zarya’s wrongs.” She says, turning back towards me with a grin on her face. I think she did me proud today.

                “You can start now Zianna. Come this way and I will show you around the aerie and get you your own robes so you have enough time to get ready for tonight. I will make sure I am in attendance.”  Niva says rather unexpectedly.

                I laugh and jump for joy, the cause for a celebration finally here. I am going to study in the aerie of the Fireminds among some of the most brilliantly gifted mages, giving me one final chance to lead a rebellion against the evil that has corrupted the minds of many more innocent and once equally brilliant people. I am speechless and for the first time in forever, I give a small smile, living in the moment and just having fun, for it might be the last chance at fun I ever have. Running into the room, I see Niva smiling as she leads me into a dark room full of robes, the same black and red robe all of the Fireminds wear. Niva picks up an elegant black one with a hood and holds it out to me, motioning for me to take it and wear it instead of the long, red gown I wear now.

                “Take it Zianna.” Niva offers.

                Stretching out my arm to accept the offer, I say, “Would you like me to wear it now or at the ceremony later tonight?”

                “Later!” yells Aramina, running into the room. “They have captured the staircases!.”

                I panic. I have grown up always hunting other people, never once before have people hunted me. “Who is coming Aramina? Does our prisoner have secret allies making a stand here, trying to make right the wrongs put forth upon them?” I ask, my heart racing with fear.

                “No Zianna.” Aramina says. “Your mother is coming along with her royal guards. They have made their way up the staircases! Next thing you know, they will be right here in front of you and the prisoner is most likely with them as well.”

                “Or worse, the prisoner could have already been killed if they knew Zianna’s plan for the ceremony.” Says Niva.

                “The best damage spell; I need it now! If anyone knows what my parents want it will be me and I think I can stop them with the right magic.” I say. “What Zarya does is go after the weak and finish them off quickly, so we should stay out in the open and face her together before she has a chance to take me down. And remember…”

                Just then, the door into the aerie comes crashing down with a smash and Zarya and her bodyguards bearing the standard Toran armour enters the room., cutting off my plan. Zarya stares me in the eye, her burning eyes pierce mine, making me look down at the stone floor. I know that the guards will summon others and that strong defensive tactics is the key to victory, but the others have no idea. By not telling them, I fear I have sent my newfound friends to their dooms.