Aquirya

They walked through the clearing and looked around. There wasn’t much to look at though. It was barren, and black. It looked burned but it had a weird essence around it that Aeyla had never seen before, or didn’t remember. Whatever it was, it was very eerie and spooky to her. Why was she here to save this? The trees were black and the ground had stones all over the place. The sky was a greyish color but you could see patches of orange in it.

“Princess?” Flashs’ voice startled her.

She turned to him just looking at him with a blank stare. She didn’t know how to handle this. How was she supposed to save something that was completely destroyed? There was nothing left here. If this was her land and her kingdom, her world, she was going to let everyone down because she was at a loss as where to start. There were little fires everywhere. The houses that she could see in the distance, or what she thought were houses were collapsing. They walked more into the clearing.

“Why was the sky orange on the cliff, but not here?” She asked Niko, confused.

“Craceeris.” Niko said flaty. “You do have the power of healing inside of you, you know.” Niko whispered to her. “You can heal the things you love and care for.”

She didn’t know what that meant to her right now, this place at this moment was new to her. She didn’t remember any of this and it was frustrating her. “How am I supposed to love, care, and heal something I don’t know about? I don’t know how to do that. I don’t remember any of this Niko. How do you expect me to believe that this was my home at one time?” She had been yelling at Niko, who stepped back. He wasn’t used to his princess having so much emotion. She used to be so majestic. She used to know exactly how to deal with the problems here on Aquirya. She was powerful. Especially when her parents were around and she had their magic also. The Family love that used to run and guide this world was more powerful than any hate that could come into the kingdom. This new Aeyla, he did not know, he was just losing hope that this was the right thing to do. He didn’t know if she could remember, Craceeris was smart, but no where’s near as powerful as Aeyla with her family. She knew that separating them was the best thing she ever did. Niko lost the hope that was inside of him when he first made the journey to find the Princess. This was never going to work. He looked around at the pure devastation of the small town they had come into. This town, being the closest to the evil forest did get the worst of Craceeris’ wrath even if it was a couple miles from the forest. It was the closest to where she had her Keep and Komatiite Island and Volcanos. Grazia, (Aeyla’s kingdom) was about a three-day’s journey on horse, from the end of the evil forest, Hollyella. They better get moving and Niko better get thinking on how to help Aeyla remember this place she used to love so much and call home. A Thought came to him and he looked at Flash who nodded. Another thing Fireflies could do. Read minds.

“This way.” Flash finally said after scanning the area and making calculations in his head. He spouted some fire in a direction and then started flying in the other direction.

Aeyla was confused why he did that but she didn’t ask him. She was focusing on trying to remember this place. How it may have looked, smelled, what the people may have looked like. Why was she not remembering? She started crying. She had to remember or she wouldn’t be able to be what this world needed her to be to save it. She only knew of one savior, and he never had to go through this how was she supposed to.

“Niko. Can you help me remember this place? Help me remember who I was here?” She was starting to think that maybe she was the princess. Why would she be here if she wasn’t? She did feel a little familiar here. Maybe if it had looked like it did when it wasn’t destroyed she’d remember it more.

They were walking past the broken down and slashed houses in the small village now. They were colorful under the black ashes that were surrounding them and on top of them. One of the houses was still standing, charred but standing. It looked like a mushroom styled house. With some kind of wood on the top of it. It was painted green and blue. It was one, maybe two stories, there was a couple windows and a door. On the roof was a chimney and there was smoke coming out of it and there was a light on inside.

“Someone is living there.” Aeyla said and pointed. She started walking over without even thinking.

Flash and Niko had nothing to do but follow her and smile. Protesting wouldn’t help, Aeyla would get her way no matter what they said. All they could do is be ready if they needed to protect her. She walked right up to the door and knocked on it without a thought that maybe there could be danger behind the door, something inside her told her no harm would come to here. It seemed too peaceful in the house among all this devastation. Warm, more inviting then harmful.

The door opened after only a few minutes. A Dwarf answered the door. This was dwarf country so it didn’t startle neither Niko nor Flash that he answered. It however, did startle Aeyla a bit. She still wasn’t used to or remembering anything about her home.

“He-e-l-llo-oo.” The dwarf said low and shaky. He hadn’t opened the door all the way either nor had he opened the door in a while. He must have forgotten that he had a peek hole because he hadn’t used that either. “Who are you? What are you three doing out here?” He couldn’t see Niko or Flash so he wasn’t sure who the lady was standing in front of him.

She extended her hand, “Hi I’m Aeyla.” He shook it and it took him a moment to realize who it was.

“Princess!” He exclaimed, looked around and motioned for them to come into the house. “Please come in quickly.” He rushed them in then looked out the door both ways then shut it and locked it. He led them into the house, through what looked like a makeshift living room and kitchen. There wasn’t much in it. He walked them down a hallway towards a bookshelf. She was wondering where they were going, it didn’t seem like there was any doors or any other rooms in the house, even from the outside it looked pretty small. He walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed the third shelf and pulled it out towards him, then took the first shelf and pushed it in a little bit, then it looked like he whispered something at the shelf. The bookshelf shifted a little bit and then started to roll away and open. He turned, smiled warmly, and whispered. “Follow me.”

They walked down a long winding staircase that was only lit by a couple torches coming out of the walls. They came to small corridor. “Great, more underground traveling.” Aeyla said out loud not meaning too. Niko gave her a look and she put her head down.

They walked the corridor until they came to another door and the dwarf walked through it. She was in awe of what was inside the door. As if she wasn’t taken aback enough by entering a new world she didn’t know existed. This, this was amazing.

“Welcome again to GazonDu, Princess.” Griften said to Aeyla as she looked around.

Before her lay a village. An underground village. With some sort of fake sun coming from somewhere because everything was lit up. There was a huge garden on the left side with fruits and vegetables she didn’t recognize. There were trees around small houses, just like the house they’d come from. They were colorful with their roofs and their yards. There were roads and paths for people to walk down. Flowers bloomed along the paths and dwarves and other creatures walked around as if they were content with living down here. It was gorgeous.

They walked down a hill on a dirt path. The Dwarf led them to a house on the right behind a couple other houses near the end of the living area for these under dwellers. He motioned for them to come into his house, this house was bigger than the rest. He brought them inside and his wife greeted them as they came in the door.

“Hello, Griften, who are your friends?” The wife said as she came over and gave him a kiss.

Griften got drinks for everyone, sat them on the table, then he too sat down and started to eat the sandwich type food that his wife gave him. “Frelda, we didn’t exactly introduce ourselves on the surface.” Griften said taking a bite.

Aeyla stepped forward. “I guess, I am the princess, Aeyla.” She said a little less confident than she wanted too.

Frelda looked at her husband. “Are you sure it’s her?” She asked a little apprehensive. She had two plates in her hand waiting to give them to two of her guests.

“It’s her.” He said taking another bite of his sandwich. “We have to get them to the castle as quickly as possible.”

“Well that is easier said than done dear. There are Cazarticks on the loose right now, isn’t that what Leo said?” Frelda handed Flash and Niko plates, backed up got another two plate’s full and handed one to Aeyla and kept the one for herself and sat down at the table with the rest of her company.

“What exactly are Cazarticks, again?” Aeyla asked taking a bite of her sandwich and wondering what was in it but not caring because she was so hungry and it tasted so good.

The four beings she was with, looked at each other with terrified eyes and then back at her.

Niko was the first to speak up, he did it softly and caringly. “Last time you met one of those horrible creatures, you vanished from our world. No need to tell you about the now though, let’s get some sleep.”