The Firelands

~Prologue~ Fate's Games Parlour

Timeless 

Fate's Games Parlour

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 "Checkmate."

The young woman set the playing piece down on the game board before her and smiled, looking at her opponent from the shadows she sat in.

Her opponent, a man barely older in looks, frowned at the board - his eyes travelling along the miniature mountains, the streams, the floating islands that hovered around eye-level - and sighed before knocking his King piece down and the board and characters melted away into the air with a wave of his hand.

"Why?" he said in exasperation, "why do I still play against you? I practically never win and when I do it's because you allow it. When will you stop bullying me, Fate?"

Lady Fate laughed and stood, her floor length hair of night sky and stars sweeping along behind her as she moved to a fountain that was placed nearby, the water glowing blue in the dark hall. When she looked into the light, the shadows trailed after her and the blue glimmer couldn't penetrate them, her face staying in darkness.

In the water, it didn't reflect the room, it reflected another world.

The world was flat, floating in star scattered darkness, huge waterfalls poring over the edge of the world, vanishing in the black.

She brushed her delicate fingers across the surface, sending ripples along the liquid and the image shifted. When the ripples died away, she was looking at a person, a young man who lay still and lifeless in a forest, a dagger through his heart and a ring in his limp hand.

Fate's opponent stood up and joined her, tying up his long midnight blue hair as he looked into the water, the light illumining his handsome face and making his turquoise eyes shine.

He sighed again, looking at the man.

"And I liked him," he said, sitting on the edge of the fountain, "he was such a good hearted person."

"I know, but he was so dreary," Fate said.

"You promised you wouldn't kill someone just because they were boring."

"Oh, but Gil—"

"No." Gil waved a finger at her. "You promised. You may control the cosmos but a promise is a promise."

Fate looked at her aide for a moment, then let out an exasperated breath. "Unbelievable. No one would think that I could extinguish your life with the snap of my fingers, not the way you speak to me."

"I have known you far too long to fear your power," Gil said, then smiled and looked back at the image in the water. "However, that aside, that last game was a thrilling one."

"Wasn't it just wonderful?" Fate said, delighted, sitting down beside him, her ruby gown flowing out around her. "Oh and you fought so hard, I was actually worried I'd lose."

"Well considering I've only beaten you five times out of all those games we've played, you needn't have worried."

"I suppose," Fate said, "And I'll find someone to take the place of that young man, I suppose I should be kind and give his kingdom a new ruler. His killer will do fine."

"His lover?" Gil asked surprise, "I thought you didn't like her."

"I don't, but she was a lot of fun to play."

Gil just shook his head. "Tragedy is your middle name."

"Actually is Era Vita," Fate replied, absently. Gil frowned at her. "What? I'm just telling you."