Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Pour L'amour de Sohalia ❯ Chapter 1

Two shadowy figures huddled around an oak desk. One of the silhouettes showed off a stunning hourglass figure, labeling the owner female. The other, obviously male, displayed his lean frame that was made rather clear by the crashing sunrise.

 

Their hushed voices broke the silence of the dawn as they planned, or rather, plotted& The sun scintillated rather brightly. Perfect reading light for Ekal Hyroniemus. He sat on the bench completely oblivious to his surroundings, engrossed in his book, before he stopped abruptly, marking his page, his mauve eyes clouding heavily with thought, becoming a hazy maroon color. The sun sparkled on his platinum blonde hair as he began thinking about how he had gotten to where he was.

 

It was funny how a few years ago, four years and eleven days to be exact; he was found on the streets and proclaimed the heir to the Avani throne. It was a shock to the whole country when a lowly thief was the handpicked successor to the king. Everyone, including him, thought it to be a hoax. He remembered being dragged to the mage council. He'd put up a rather hearty fight for the first time, and recalled having them look him over thoroughly. They told him that he had `powers.' Ekal recollected snorting at the information because he had already known about his magic.

 

As if guided by the heavens, a ball knocked him over, sending his glasses flying. He heard a yelp and he felt something warm and sticky dripping down his lip. His hand flew to his nose and he cursed rather loudly as the blood poured from it as if a dam had broken.

Are you okay? I'm sorry! My name is Jura Erasmus… Hey, aren't you Ekal Hyroniemus? I've seen you around the castleoh! Let me take care of that for you! An ebony-haired, chartreuse-eyed Jura began to panic as she realized who he was. She hadn't meant to hit him; she was just upset that the elders had made her take an extra hour to train. She was about to heal his nose, bringing her hand to his face when she sensed it correct itself. It was true about the greatness of his powers. She then felt his, previously, cracked glasses zoom by her hand and fly back onto his nose. As he pushed her off him, her heart thrummed in her chest, her ears turning red, the embarrassment slamming into her full force as she realized that she'd just hit the heir to the throne with her ball.

 

`Enigmatic' was the only word that Ekal could come up with to describe this girl. He could tell she was blind, as her milky emerald eyes would close for long periods of time, but she would continue to walk around and talking as if it were nothing.

 

He realized that she must have been getting around and basically doing everything using her magic. He wondered why she hadn't used her healing powers that he knew that she had because earlier had tried to heal his nose to remedy the problem `Does she enjoy it?' He wondered, awed by the mere thought that the girl may have liked being blind. As he got, up and walked away, he could hear the girl, following him. He ignored her hoping that she would take the hint and go away, but the more she talked to him, the more he found himself enjoying her company. As they reached his bedroom door, he almost mourned the fact that she would have to leave, but bid her good day, and locked himself in his chambers to finish his book. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to focus, though, as he tried to figure out the puzzle, which made up this new girl, Jura.

The woman was sighing as she traveled the lit hallways while day faded to night. She wasn't supposed to be out at that time, but she couldn't sleep. After she had met Ekal, she was feeling even worse than she found out that she was blind after that eye enhancing magical surgery! She'd never felt so confused before.

 

What was this random tightening in her chest when she would meet with him? `Twas only once, but she felt that she could have trusted her life to him. A good thought, considering he was going to rule the Kingdom one day. She only wondered who his queen would be… The King hadn't chosen the one he would be to marry yet; Jura once again felt that contraction in her chest, and wondered again what it all meant.

 

The mage-apprentice continued to walk in the halls before stopping, hearing voices. She gasped as she heard the clunk of stiff boots and the clop of dainty high-heels. Letting her magic roam, it analyzed the auras of the two people, revealing their identities. The queen andand her main bodyguard, Tameron.

 

What are they talking about? She couldn't quite hear them. Hoping to clearify their words, she pressed herself against the pillar she was hiding behind.

“-have the poison for the king?”

”Indeed milady, anything for you.”

“Good, now let's discuss this more in my chambers…”

Jura blanched, running to the first place that she thought of before hearing the key words that came next, “-and remember, the poison is to be administered to the king a day in advance for it is slow working.”

Upon waking to a loud crash, Ekal automatically grabbed his sword on his nightstand and nsheathed it. He relaxed as he heard Jura's rather familiar voice, letting out a breath he'd been unknowingly restraining.

”EKAL!” Jura cried out, nearly hysterical, “Queen-Alunaria-plans-to-kill-the-Kin-”

”Woah there,” he said speaking to her for the first time they'd met, imparting his voice to be a rich baritone, provoking a blush to creep onto Jura's already flushed face. She hoped he couldn't see it. “I need you to say that again, slower.”

”I-I said that the Queen is planning to kill the King!” Jura managed to choke out.

He looked at her apprehensively, “Why would the Queen want to kill her husband? I mean, I'm next in line for the throne, so unless she really likes me or plans to kill me too, that's not-”

Jura grabbed his hand, without a second thought and cried out, “Just hurry up!” Jura suddenly recalled that the Queen and Tameron were headed toward the Queen's living space, and began to run, lugging Ekal behind her. When they reached the Queen's room, they found the door carelessly left open, and hid behind it.

“-The King will have ingested the poison by that evening!

”You said it was slower, but good, this speeds up the process tenfold. We have our plan then, my ward; the King shall die on Sohalia day, the day his first wife died.”

Jura took the once more silent Ekal back to his room before saying that she would meet up with him tomorrow to plot out their plan of action.

 

As the morning broke across the waiting horizon, Ekal woke up from a horrible nightmare. This hadn't been unusual, it had been happening for the past few nights. Today was the day, Sohalia day.

 

A day that could mean death for the King, and maybe even him. A tear dropped onto his silken pajamas as his head hung low at the thought, not of death, but the loss of his mentor, King Dalaben. With those looming thoughts, he got changed.

Jura burst into his room just as he finished and, her eyes twinkling, said the words that would start their adventure, Let's go.

They moved stealthily across the deserted corridors, just as Ekal planned, putting his thieving skills to good use. He chanted a darkness spell over their two bodies as they slipped to the door that led to the King's chambers.

”Sir!” He cried out, “You're going to be…?” they found the King sitting in his chair, his glasses hanging rather low on his nose looking up at them with sickly amusement. “Sir?” Ekal croaked weakly.

They heard him sigh, “I know my boy, I was poisoned yesterday… I have put the queen up for trial… The rest is up to you. The poison that she gave me takes a day to work. I am going to die rather soon. Please,” he said, putting his hand up in a gesture to silence the two 18-year-olds, “this was foretold to me when you were born, Ekal. That's right; I've known you since you were born. You were-” He coughed rather loudly, scarlet blood staining his chalky white hands, causing the boy to cringe, “are my son. So please, for the love of your mother, Sohalia, whom I named this day after, take care of this kingdom and all of the people you care about, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner my son.” King Dalaben's eyes shut, tears now leaving stains on his pale cheeks, “Remember, I will always love you my son, King Ekal of the whole of Avani, take care of yourself and good luck…”

Jura saw Ekal run over to the King as he drew his final shaky breath. “My beloved son…”

 

She gasped in awareness. She had seen him. She whipped her head around, but found she could see nothing but him.

“My blindness,” she began, “is supposed to be incurable, even with magic, but I…” He turned to her questioningly, iridescent tears making a path down his cheeks, “I-I can see you, Ekal!” Jura began to sob.

 

It was a sad situation, but Ekal's mind was ever at work, and thought of something rather clever, “So, you're saying that the longer you hang around me, the more your eye sight will improve?” Ekal hardly saw her, tears clouding his foggy navy eyes that were darkened with sorrow and confusion

“Yes… And if my calculations are correct, I should be able to see completely in two years…”

”So stay.” He said bluntly, “With me, I mean. Forever. I am the King now… I guess. If you want…” He looked into her nervous eyes, “You can… Um…” He paused, the bridge of his nose reddening, “You know…” he took a nervous breath, fiddling with his hands for a while, eyes transfiguring to an azure color, full of embarrassment at the question she was going to ask, all while creating a pregnant silence, “Marry me?”

 

Jura's breath caught in her throat, and all she could do was nod, the tears still streaming down her face.

 

Ekal grinned darkly, “Now let's go kick some ass at the courts… The Queen won't know what hit her…”