What if, at 14, you and every teen your age, are called to enter the Warden Academy to learn the basics of warriorhood, wizardry, and watchery? Would you go for it?
Tierra, who finally decides to enroll, soon finds out it won't be a walk in the p...
Tierra pushed the slab of concrete on another pillar of the sanctuary bridge where she hid the book of swords. She stood up and dusted her hands.
The morning light made the water sparkle like a thousand diamonds. Even if it rained hard the night before, the stream was as clear as glass. Tierra always wondered about this.
She crossed to the other side of the bridge, a path too familiar for her. Leaves from nearby trees made little shade patterns on the grass. She walked towards the waterfalls.
The waterfalls - regal as ever - always impressed her. It was like a throne. A female throne that never ends. Always shifting. Always alive. Except for the grave that lies behind it.
Tierra took a deep breath then hopped onto a flat rock on the water. And to another. And another. Until she reached the curtain of the falls. Water splashed in front of her, wetting her dress. She took another breath, closed her eyes, and stepped inside, the shower like a portal.
Inside, Tierra breathed out before opening her eyes. Lavender.
The interior of the falls was a hollow room. Vast. Damp. And dripping. The ceiling, which was supported with a network of roots, was as high as another floor, dripping fresh water every now and then. The ground was the continuation of the stream, sloping as it went inside. The water was ankle-deep from the entrance.
At the center, a few meters from the falls, was a grave, lit by the only source of light in the cave. It was shaped like a stone door affixed to the wall behind it, it reflected colors of all kinds from the water. Morning Glory vines hung from atop, covering a few engraved flower designs.
It read,
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Here lies the body of Nathaliya Mastyn-Crey, Queen of Kalos, wife of Talon, mother of three. As she departs from whence she came, Far abroad will be her fame, A legend, a sacrifice, an eternal legacy.
Tierra found herself in tears after reading the poem, although for the umpteenth time.
She traced the letters of her mother's name with a finger, sniffled, then slid to the words beneath it.
Mother of three...she sighed, Father said she had a miscarriage. Being queen must have been really stressful for her.
Tierra wiped her eyes, Oh mother, how I wish you were here. Her eyes fogged from feeling the ache again. Suddenly, she remembered a council meeting where they agreed Queen Thaliya could also be the mother of all three charges - warrior, watcher, warlock, considering that she was the one who mediated conflicts before and reduced segration, bringing warden unity to Kalos.
Tierra furrowed her brows. "Mother... of... three..." she repeated, this time slowly.
Her heart raced. She wondered deep inside her what this miscarriaged baby must have been like. She would be older than me...would she be smarter? Braver? More reserved? Would she love being a princess like Tania? Would she have looked like the girl in the East Wing maybe? She shrugged her shoulders and found a spot to sit on, which was beside the fresh-looking lavender flowers - a symbol of her mother's birthplace. Whatever it is, I wished she was in my place instead, to take the throne.
Be careful what you wish for, Tierra heard her consciousness warning her. She sighed.
Holding a freshly fallen lavender twig to her chest, she felt the air saturate with even more fragrance. As she lounged on a moist rock, her thick auburn hair dripped from entering the falls a while ago. Ironically, it was in her mother's sanctuary that she missed her mother less. Somehow, here, she could feel that her mother was close, that she was still there, and that she never have lost her. Tierra cradled her knees close to her and simply lost time in her mother's sanctuary, breathing and slowly emptying her mind from the concerns of the world.
--
It was a few hours past sunrise when Tierra emerged from the falls. She was decided. She'll simply follow her father's orders and let the days pass by. Besides, she'll get to see Eros when the academy starts. They can talk about the sword by then.
She made a run for it towards the bridge and into the castle. Changed her soaked dress and went down for a late breakfast. If she was lucky, she could make it in time for her mid morning knitting classes.
-- (cover photo from visualproduction.sop.hu)
This chapter means a lot to me. Aside from my love for the place itself, this part will be crucial to the plot.
What do you think of her mother's grave site? Lovely or creepy?
