Watty's Shortlist 2023
"I have been waiting a long time to meet you."
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When two warring kingdoms hear of a magical object that will end the conflict once and for all, two rival heirs embark on a quest to retrieve it and bring their...
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"Seventy casualties. Three towns completely levelled and rendered uninhabitable. Twelve soldiers captured. Two fields of crops destroyed. Am I missing anything?"
The king of Merelia questioned the court messenger; anger rolled off him in waves, though it was not directed towards the bringer of bad news. Weary lines were etched into his wise face, the scars of the lack of sleep he had been unable to obtain for many years ever-present.
The messenger shook his head hastily, also exhausted from his long journey across the war-torn plains.
King Arius glanced over at his wife, a reluctant determination still shining there. As he opened his mouth to speak, to no doubt issue a new order to double the patrols and keep the armourer and weapon forgers working overtime, the great double doors of the palace halls burst open. A guard rushed forward and fell at Arius' feet, clutching something in his hands.
It was a small piece of parchment, no larger than a standard playing card.
Arius read it with a blank expression, before handing it to his wife, Queen Evelyn, who sat beside him.
"Who?" He questioned. There was fire in his eyes but it was unclear to whom it was aimed at and why it was present.
"N...nobody my lord, it... simply appeared," the guard's eyes were wide and his body trembled like a flame exposed to the wind.
Arius believed him. He dismissed everyone from the throne room, his voice echoing off the walls. The public cleared out, chattering quietly about what the contents of the paper could be that had brought about such a hasty end to the day's court.
"Aila," the king spoke, a resigned voice that was only reserved for his family making an appearance.
From the shadows, a young girl stepped out confidently, curiosity shining in her bright green eyes. She fell at her father's feet at his cue, and rose when he told her to do so.
Her father handed her the scrap of paper, and her hands shook from wonder as she reached out to grasp it. Her eyes raced over the words and her heart pounded as she reached the last line, at what she perceived to be a challenge calling her name.
The Chalice of Flames is your only hope to win this war. Anyone who drinks from this object will become invincible in battle. The Dragon Temple. Three trials. With only the eyes can one see clearly.
Send the heir.
Aila couldn't tear her eyes away from the writing. Adrenaline pumped through her at the prospect of gaining the opportunity to prove herself, to venture not just beyond the palace's lands, but beyond the kingdom's borders. It was something she had been forbidden to do since she was born, due to the ceaseless war raging between Merelia and Perador.
