After returning to her room, Aardriyah found Rachida and Kit had both nestled in neatly to bed. One of them was snoring, but she couldn't tell which as somehow Kit had managed to find his way into Rachida's arms and the sighing and heaving of the pair was now a synchronized act. It wasn't long before Aardriyah drifted into what she hoped would be uninterrupted slumber for at least another few hours. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn't allow her to wallow in black nothingness and instead presented a new dream for interpretation.
Her eyes awoke and gazed into a looking glass as tall as two men standing atop each other and just as wide. It was the largest she had ever seen and she took the opportunity to look at her body, her whole body for the first time in her life. Except of course, it wasn't her body, but the body of whoever she was in, wherever this was. The woman looking back at her was wearing a slip of a dress, white and flowy satin draped over her sun kissed frame. Her hair fell to the top of her buttocks in strawberry blonde locks and glistened in the sunlight coming in from a large window to the right of the looking glass. She made her way outside onto a balcony and gazed over a large city looming in the bay below. In the centre of the city was a large circle with some kind of festival in full swing. Excited to join the festivities, the woman ran to a closet, quickly changed into a flowing long dress of delicate red silk before she ran out of the door down into the courtyard below.
"Kallostoria, where are you going?" Boomed a male voice. Turning around, the woman frowned at the man staring at her. He was a burly man, tall as he was round. His thick black eyebrows sat upon a scarred face from what must have been years fighting. Upon his large bald head, was a circlet of gold with a single red crystal in the centre shining bright.
"Please, it's the first day of the Solis Exitus!" The woman begged. Aardriyah assumed he must have been her father given how freely she spoke to the apparent king or emperor. Trying to make out the surroundings and the sigils of the palace, Aardriyah noted the castle was made from white marble and sandstone, reminding her oddly of Veros. The flags draping from the sides of the castle were a simple white flanked by red borders, with the house sigil inside - a beaming sun with a large triangle obscuring the centre. She didn't know where she was but she knew when, for the sigil was not of any household in the modern realm. Any schooled child of the realm knew the United Realm only had three fire kingdoms and none had this sigil nor were they close to Veros. Therefore, Aardriyah deduced that this household had to be before The War of The Elements, over 250 years ago. The name of the woman, Kallostoria, was familiar, though Aardriyah could not recall why. Perhaps because she was not in her own body or her own memory.
Moments later, Kallostoria was dancing in the centre of the festival while musicians played a variety of string and wooded instruments to a melody that seemed to ignite the whole crowd into a frenzy. The music was intoxicating and Aardriyah was sure if she was in her own body, she would be dancing and smiling just as much as the current body she inhibited. When the song stopped, the crowd reeled applause at the musicians who in turn bowed and accepted gifts. Kallostoria made her way to one of the musicians, a man about the same age as her with shoulder length white hair and deep blue eyes. Aardriyah felt a sensation she hadn't before, an overwhelming desire to touch him, kiss him, embrace him and yet she possessed a dark fear of the implications of doing so.
The dream jumped forward to a feast in what Aardriyah could only assume was the same palace she had been in earlier. Kallostoria wore a long white dress with a red embellished cape and a tiara with rows of rubies, cascading down her forehead. Her hand was tied in a white ribbon that was also wrapped around the wrist of a slightly older man sitting beside her. His dark hair shone with flecks of auburn as the light from the candelabras hit it. He was traditionally handsome; with a strong jawline accentuated by an impeccably groomed beard and moustache. Rising from the table, he announced to the crowd,
YOU ARE READING
The Unblessed Child
FantasyThere are two types of people in The New Realm: those who are blessed by the gods of the four elements and those who aren't even worthy of their family name. They are unwanted, unloved and are simply known as The Unblessed. Eighteen year old Aardriy...
