Amaya woke up at the sound of footsteps. They were coming from the reception lounge. She quickly got out of bed and went to find out who was around in her rooms.
She walked through the door to the lounge. She saw a woman in a modest lavender dress hugging her body. The maid immediately bowed before her. Amaya looked around the room. Her eyes fell on the delicious-looking food served on the round table by the balcony.
"You are awake, Your Highness," the maid spoke. "My name is Mareena. I will be your lady-in-waiting."
"Nice to meet you, Mareena," Amaya said.
"Breakfast is ready on the table, Your Highness, and I have also brought you a new dress sent to you by His Royal Highness, Prince Ciaran."
Her trousers and red blouse were neatly folded in the chair. Amaya smiled involuntarily. He did as he promised. He allowed her to keep her pants.
"Anything else you would like, Your Highness?"
"No, that's all. Thank you." Amaya told her. "You may leave, Mareena."
Amaya sat down to her breakfast. A gentle breeze blew from the balcony. The country came alive with the morning. The sun slowly rose into the turquoise skies and welcomed the day. The birds sang beautifully. She was enjoying the variety of fruits that she didn't even know. Fruits of all kinds of colors and shapes. One was amazingly sweet, the other pleasantly sour and fresh. She was putting grapes in her mouth.
Zariah joined her.
"I see you're enjoying it here," she said as she saw Amaya basking in the morning sun and feeding on orange moonshine.
"We're kind of stuck here, so you might as well start enjoying it, Zariah, until King Mael decides to burn us at the stake."
"Didn't you say it would be good if Prince Ciaran was our friend?" Zariah reminded her.
"Prince Ciaran is not exactly his father's favorite son," replied Amaya, putting another moong of the sour snack in her mouth. "I'm afraid if we end up in flames, he'll burn with us," she said with her mouth full.
"In that case, we have to run away from here. You have to get out of here." Zariah said.
"How?" Amaya asked her. "If you haven't noticed, we are in enemy territory surrounded by soldiers. There are also guards in front of my chambers."
"I know you're good at running away. Do you think I didn't notice how you managed to escape from the monastery in front of the guards?" Zariah remarked. "This shouldn't be a problem for you."
Amaya was stunned. She had no idea that she was so bad at secretly sneaking out of the monastery. How many probably knew that and why didn't they stop her from doing it?
"I never told anyone, Amaya, but I was keeping an eye on you," Zariah said.
"Even if I could do it, we're still in Deira, and Amorite is too far. They'll catch us before we even get close to the nearest town." Amaya said.
"I believe you can, Amaya," Zariah said. "You were able to hunt dark creatures and survive. The gods are on your side and will help you."
Amaya rolled her eyes. "However, it will take time. Determine the standing of guards, their rotation. To find inconspicuous ways out of the palace." she said.
"Most of all, you need to get out of here as quickly as possible," said Zariah.
Amaya decided to explore the prince's castle. Herself. The high priestess was, as every morning, at her prayers. She also invited Amaya, worried that she was losing faith in the gods, but she refused because of her curiosity. She never stopped believing in the gods, but she had long since detached away from them.
She walked through those beautiful corridors. Walls decorated with mosaics and reliefs. In some places, they were open to gardens and courtyards. She was followed every step of the way by one of the guards guarding her door and her lady-in-waiting, Mareena. They were constantly on her heels.
Amaya turned to them. "Could I be left alone?" she requested, but it was more of an order.
"We have orders to escort you, Your Highness," said the guard.
"Can I have some space or am I a prisoner here?" she told them.
"Of course, miss," said Mareena, pulling the guard away as well, who reluctantly obeyed.
Amaya walked the palace corridors alone. She slid her fingertips along the walls. Explored dozens of rooms. There were more than she could count. Lounges, bedrooms and halls. She found a huge library filled with hundreds if not thousands of books. She liked the familiar smell of old paper. She stroked the backs of individual books with her palm. Described their names with her finger. She carefully pulled out one of them. She blew the dust off it. A veil of dust rose into the air. Dark Regions was written on it in golden letters. She knew the story of the Dark Regions far to the south where the gods dwelt. Even the dark creatures themselves did not know the exact path, they were banished from there a long time ago. Amaya decided to borrow it. She wondered if anyone had found their way there. She always wondered what it looks like in the land of the gods.
As Amaya walked back to her chambers, she got frankly lost. She wandered lost. She refused to ask for help. It was out of her nature, and so she wandered and wandered through the maze of palace corridors... After all she saw Prince Ciaran. She hid behind a corner so he wouldn't see her. She clutched the book to her chest. Ciaran walked past her and didn't even notice her. She secretly followed him.
She chased him to a small palace that was not connected to the rest of the palace. The prince walked under a pergola tunnel overgrown with wisteria. Amaya walked from the outside, hidden from his sight. Guards stood before the entrance to the small palace. She walked around to find an inconspicuous way in.
She saw the balcony. Wisteria stretched along the columns. It had a trunk strong enough to climb up. She tugged on it to make sure. It held tight. She started climbing. Her foot slipped. She held on firmly. She managed to climb onto the balcony. She looked inside. Looked around to see if she saw anyone. She listened in and heard a distant voice. The air is clean.
She entered carefully. She weighed every step. Tried to tread as quietly as possible. She was sneaking through the shadows. She hesitantly approached the railing in the hallway. It looked like a circle had been cut into the floor, giving her a perfect view of what was going on below. A huge, glass dome arched above her head, letting in trickles of light. Amaya crouched down and watched what was going on there. She saw Prince Ciaran. She saw many girls. More kept coming.
It must have been his harem.
Amaya hated it. Abducting girls from their homes to serve as playthings for rich lords.
"Are you all here yet?" Prince Ciaran spoke.
A few more girls ran up and said, "Yes, Your Highness."
"What I want to tell you is brief," said the prince. "I just wanted to let you know that the harem will be disbanding. You will go home."
The girls started to jump and cheer. They rejoiced at the good news. They embraced the prince. He returned the hug. He was smiling.
"That witch is to blame," said one of the girls suddenly.
"Miss Amaya is no witch," another of the girls defended her. "She was chosen by the gods."
"She's just a witch who fooled everyone very well," replied the first girl.
"That witch will be my wife and your princess. I expect you to treat her with her proper status." said the prince.
"Yes, Your Highness," the girls said in unison.
"Hey, Witch!"
Someone grabbed Amaya by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet. It was one of the guards. He had a richly decorated uniform. He wasn't exactly nice. His grip was firm to the point of pain. He had a hateful look on his face.
"You're coming with me," he told her.
"Let me go now!" Amaya ordered him.
She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. He dragged her away against her will. Amaya tore at him, carded him, but he was bigger and stronger. She took a hair stick out of her hair and stuck it in his hand. He immediately released her.
She wanted to run to the balcony, which she used to get in, but a member of the guard quickly pulled her back. She didn't run away. She chased after him with her sharp hair stick. He backed away. The soldier drew his sword on her.
"Isn't that a bit unfair?" she smirked.
"Pray to your gods for a fair fight, witch," replied the soldier.
Amaya ran to meet him. He didn't expect it. He didn't even have time to react. He chased after her with his sword but missed. Together they fell over the railing and hit the ground hard. Right in front of Prince Ciaran. The girls screamed in horror. The soldier grasped the sword. Prince Ciaran was quick to react and stepped on the soldier's sword. Amaya stabbed her hair stick into his neck. A pool of blood began to form on the ground, and it kept getting bigger and bigger. The soldier grunted. He was choking on his own blood. Until finally, he died.
"Amaya," Ciaran said her name, with anger, with surprise, with horror, with tenderness. Different emotions were mixed in his voice. Neither Amaya nor Ciaran himself had any idea what he actually meant.
"Hi, Ciaran," Amaya said with a tentative smile.
Prince Ciaran stared at the uniform of the soldier Amaya had just killed. "This one doesn't belong to me," he said. "He's from the King's guard."
More soldiers emerged from the shadows of the small palace. Their uniforms were beautifully decorated. They showed the power and pride of their king.
"What are you doing here?" the prince asked them irritably.
"We were sent by his majesty, King Mael, to keep an eye on you and that witch," they replied.
"We don't need your supervision," the prince said forcefully.
"Really?" spoke apparently their commander. "In that case, why is General Marcellus preparing your return to the front line? And this witch just killed one of us."
"He attacked her," said the prince. "If one more of you even touches her, you will die by my hand, General Adrien."
The girls retreated. They watched their silent argument. Their energy filled the entire room with a cloud of tension.
"Then tame her, Your Highness," said the general and left. He gave the prince a look full of contempt as he left.
The prince ordered his guards to carry away the corpse. The harem girls were not exactly thrilled with what they were witnessing. Their faces showed fear and disgust. They weren't used to the sight like Prince Ciaran and Amaya.
Ciaran led Amaya out of the harem. He led her through the wisteria tunnel leading back to the palace. Amaya snapped out of him.
"Wait," she told him and disappeared around the corner of the building.
A short while later she returned with a book in her arms. Ciaran took it from her. He looked intently at the name on it. He stared at her. He handed her the book back.
"I see you found the library," he said, not mentioning the book she borrowed. However, a hidden suspicion was reflected in his eyes.
"I was blown away," Amaya admitted. "I've never seen so many books in my life."
"Why were you spying on me?" he asked her suddenly.
"I got a little lost and then I saw you and it was fun watching you." she wasn't lying. "You can't lie to me when you don't know I'm around." she gave him a mischievous grin. "You looked suspiciously happy when you announced that your harem would be disbanding. They were also suspiciously excited. Is that why everyone loves you so much, Prince Ciaran?"
"They are happy because they can finally go home to their families," Ciaran replied. "Wouldn't you like to go back home to your family?"
"My parents sold me to the crown at a very young age, so I'm really not in need to see them ever again," she replied. "Actually, I never even knew them."
"I'm sorry," said the prince.
"It doesn't have to," she said. "However, I would expect you to be unhappy about having to give up your girls."
"I never touched one of them," he said.
"I don't believe you," Amaya said.
"I find it wrong to abduct girls from conquered territories and lock them up in harems as playthings for men. Father says it is an honor for them, but in reality, they are just slaves without free will. They get everything they need from me; education, good food, a soft bed, and the rest is up to them."
"I don't believe you, there wasn't a single one who wouldn't jump with joy in the prince's bed," argued Amaya.
"Actually, there was one, but I didn't want her. She's rubbish."
"Is she worse than me?" Amaya faked shock and then laughed.
"You must have noticed her when you were spying on me," Ciaran remarked. "She's the one who called you a witch."
Amaya nodded.
"How did you actually get there unnoticed?" he wondered.
"I climbed the wisteria to the balcony," she answered.
Ciaran laughed. He laughed heartily. He didn't expect her to do something like that. He made a mental note to remember her as being crazy and dangerous. He laughed, but then he got serious.
"Do you realize that what you did there will have consequences?" he said.
"As far as I know, they also mentioned something about you disobeying his majesty's orders," she reminded him. "I think you're worse off considering the fact that my kidnapping was also against orders if I recall correctly."
"They'll be watching us, Amaya. We have to be careful," said Ciaran. "Not to provoke my father's fragile patience. He will send you to the border with great joy."
Amaya stopped and turned to face the prince. They looked deep into each other's eyes.
"You said you believed in me and yet you brought me to a place where I would most likely die because people here think I am a witch. You have made a mistake, Prince Ciaran."
She turned her back on him and walked away. She walked through a tunnel of purple flowers. Streams of light penetrated through, lending the world a magical atmosphere. She saw Zariah walking towards her.
"I'm looking for you all day. Where have you gone, Amaya?" she called out to her.
Suddenly, Amaya's eyes went blurry. Her head spun. She lost her balance, stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
"Amaya!" the prince and the high priestess shouted at the same time and ran towards her. They fell to the ground next to her.
"Amaya! Amaya, wake up!" the prince called to her. "Come on, little goddess."
"Stop!" Zariah pushed him away from her. "She has a vision."
Amaya's eyes turned white. A sign that she is currently in other times. Ciaran held her in his arms. She was cold. Her eyes were mute. She seemed almost dead.
"Shouldn't she have learned to control it in that monastery of yours, so that this wouldn't happen to her?" the prince looked at the priestess with hostility.
"Sometimes the gods show her what she needs, what she just has to see," Zariah replied.
"Amaya, wake up. Wake up, little goddess," Ciaran whispered to her in a gentle voice.
Flames. She felt their warmth slide over her skin as if they were tasting their victim before devouring it. There were flames everywhere. Their voracious tongues devoured everything in their path. The bright glow of the flames turned night into day. Thick smoke filled the air. She was choking on it. Her lungs ached. She couldn't breathe. She covered her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her blouse and tried to find a way out.
She was walking down a hallway engulfed in flames. A strong heat blew out the windows. The glass shattered into tiny pieces. It was like it would explode. Amaya immediately fell to the ground. She felt a trickle of blood run down her face. She touched her cheek gently. Her fingers were colored red.
"Amaya!" she heard someone call her name. "Amaya!"
She could not make out who the voice belonged to. The fire drowned out everything. It was totalitarian.
That's when the ceiling fell. The stones tumbled to the ground. As if liquid fire poured from the floor, engulfing everything below. Amaya was thrown backward. Debris blocked her path. She had to find another way out.
The way out of this vision.
However, every way out was in flames. The walls were burning. The curtains have already turned to dust. The plants turned black. The crackling of fire carried through the air. The stairs that could lead her out of the palace collapsed, no longer existed. She was trapped in a raging inferno. Her eyes watered. Her vision was blurring. Burning smoke filled her lungs. Her world was melting into a bright blur. She was holding conscious only with her fingertips.
She looked out at the balcony. At least some fresh air got into her lungs. It gave her some life back. The entire palace and gardens were on fire. Tongues of fire licked the dark skies. She looked at the sky. Saw a disc of light. A sun eclipse.
The balcony was starting to crack. In no time, that too will collapse. Fortunately, there was a moat full of water under it that ran almost the entire west side of the palace. She climbed the railing and jumped into it. She broke the surface. The water deafened her. It was warm, almost hot. She hit the bottom. She felt the impact. The world above the surface rippled to the rhythm of the rippling surface. It was moving away from her. Water was filling her lungs. It cooled the burning from the acrid smoke.
She saw a shadow. She felt the touch of powerful hands. They pulled her back into the chaos.
Amaya opened her eyes. She blinked. Her eyes have regained their original hazel color. She saw Prince Ciaran. She saw Zariah. She commanded the guards to stand back.
"Move back!" she ordered them. "She is in fine She is fine."
"Welcome back, little goddess," said the prince.
Zariah turned back to her. She fell to her knees.
"What did you see, Amaya?" Zariah asked her.
Everyone was looking at her. It made her nervous. People always looked at her like that when that happened. She should probably be used to it by now, but it still made her nervous. Gazes stabbing into her like knife blades. The looks of hostile eyes that mistook her for a witch.
Amaya looked at Ciaran. Their eyes met. He held her in his arms. He was the only one here who believed in her.
"Please, say this place has been on fire before," Amaya spoke, her voice weak.
Concern flashed in Ciaran's eyes. He shook his head.
"I'm sorry," Amaya said. "When the moon covers the sun, Hiraeth will burn in flames."