SWNOVELS Chapter 4
Where was she?
She groaned as she sat up and took in her surroundings. Aurelia had somehow ended up on the edge of a forest, filled with lush greenery and trees elevated high above her. Past the forest were grassy, rolling hills, the green bright and vibrant. The rolling hills gave way to towering mountains, their peaks having only a touch of snow. The landscape looked familiar, but from where, her mind was too fuzzy to place.
How did she get here?
She tried, to no avail, to remember what had happened. All she could remember was the bright and shimmering light that glowed like glass in sunlight.
And now, she was here.
Aurelia stared down at her hands as if they were foreign.
Had she died ?
No, no. It couldn’t be. She had no symptoms this morning…or was it this morning?
Had she been asleep for days? Had someone brought her here?
As she made her way to her feet, she gingerly moved out of the woods and towards the mountains. It was then that she caught a glimpse of what she could only hope was civilization.
Built into one of the far mountains was a kingdom - a vast castle almost as high as the mountain peaks, covered in lush greenery and endless colors of spring.
Even from a distance Aurelia could tell that the castle’s beauty was truly spectacular. The castle was made of pale, pink stone that shimmered beneath the sunshine. Surrounding the castle were smaller buildings also decorated with the rich vegetation, trees everywhere, as they made their way down the mountainside. Waterfalls sprung out of the protective fence encircling the village and glistened in the bright sunlight, raining down on the valley beneath it.
Aurelia couldn’t shake the feeling that she had to go there.
After all, if there was someone, they would have answers. And she certainly needed them – where she was, why she was here, and how exactly to get back.
If she could get back.
Aurelia was able to trace a narrow path along the mountainside to get to the drawbridge of the kingdom. It was all she could do not to panic as she formulated a plan to get home.
Hence, Aurelia found herself hiking fearlessly along the mountainside, courageous through necessity, placing one foot in front of another to make her way to the enormous drawbridge.
***
She neared the castle as the sun began to set on the horizon. What once was a warm spring day was now dropping temperature rapidly and Aurelia shivered. Her choice of jeans and a t-shirt did little against the cold despite hiking on rocky terrain.
As quick as a flash of light, the peaceful sound of nature died away to eerie silence. Glancing suspiciously around her, Aurelia could sense that something was wrong. The air seemed too still from the calming breeze that had been whipping through her hair, yet she could not see another living creature for miles in any direction. Looking around the path for some sort of defense weapon, she settled for a rock with a sharp end.
Aurelia continued to move forward with trepidation, her eyes scanning the horizon in anxiousness. She couldn’t get to the kingdom fast enough.
What she didn’t consider, however, was whether there was anything coming from above. Before she knew what was happening, the most terrifying bird she had ever seen landed in front of her.
She wasn’t even sure if it could be considered a bird, for the only similarities it had were its enormous wings and long, dark feathers. That, however, was where the similarities ended. It was at least three times the size of Aurelia and its mouth opened to reveal enormous fangs. Its piercing red eyes focused on Aurelia in what she could only presume was ravaging hunger.
Aurelia froze in her place. What was this creature? It looked more like a nightmare than any creature she had learned about on earth.
Creeping forward on its sharp talons, it hissed, spraying dark, spit in her direction and before she could even throw her rock it pounced upon her, the long talons piercing into her arms to hold her in place as its mouth reached down to Aurelia’s neck.
But that was the last thing that the terrible creature did, because before she could even follow what was happening, an arrow hit it straight in the head and the creature collapsed to the side, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Two women immediately rushed to Aurelia’s side, pulling her out of its grasp.
“What are you doing out here?” One of them gasped, looking her over for wounds. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous around here when the sun starts to lower?”
As they sat Aurelia up, she was able to get a better glance at them. They were dressed differently – billowing white gowns clung to their figures, a thick belt attached to their waists with knives and a sword.
A dark corset was wrapped tightly around their midsections and their hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail, wrapped with what looked like slivers of gold.
“I’m—I didn’t know,” Aurelia gasped, her heart still racing from the encounter. “What was that?”
The other woman grimly looked at her partner. “A creature from hell. Sent from Damaris.” She paused, glancing around them. “They have very little weaknesses – unless caught by surprise. We should get going before more come looking. Come on, girl. You’re coming with us. The only place close that is safe is Calathis.”
“Calathis?” Aurelia questioned as she hurried to catch up with their fast pace. They gave each other an odd glance before pointing towards the castle Aurelia had been walking towards all along.
“Calathis,” She whispered to herself.
As they walked, the sun slowly slipped lower in the sky and Aurelia got to know her two saviors. Dinevra and Mirela were both warriors training in the wondrous capital of Calathis, a city dedicated to the knowledge and education of women. They had been on their night patrol of the surrounding lands when they had miraculously found Aurelia seconds before she had been eaten alive. Though Aurelia pestered them with questions about the creature, they remained tight-lipped about the darkness that had been attacking the lands of the kingdom.
Shortly after they arrived at the drawbridge and were let in by women similarly dressed to Dinevra and Mirela, also armed to the teeth in the towers adjacent to the only entrance. However, nothing could prepare Aurelia for what she would discover as she entered the beloved land of Calathis. It was the most beautiful place she had ever set eyes on.
There were flowers and plants truly everywhere; all growing up the walls of buildings in peak bloom. The tall trees bent towards each other as if to make an archway for the main street in town, which was bustling with all sorts of women dressed in warm spring gowns, almost all of their hair below their waist. They hustled about with a spring in their step, waving hello to each passerby, carrying anything from fresh bread to a collection of plants Aurelia had never seen before. Signs jutting out from the buildings boasted of things such as food, dancing, fresh plants, and even sunlight. The air smelt like fresh lilac and lavender. Water flowed through narrow streams bordering the main pathways, with sunlight trickling through the trees overhead to make prisms of light with the water below. The stone of the buildings became iridescent underneath the sunlight and the waterfalls cascading from them only made them more magical.
The arching trees led the main pathway uphill to the castle itself, which was the most majestic sight of all. If the main part of town was beautiful, then the castle was truly magnificent. Made out of marble tinted with gold, it boasted of beauty and prosperity. Waterfalls sprang from the patio where willow trees sat, glowing in the late sun, the water then making its way to the smaller streams along the pathways of the lower village. It seemed the entirety of the castle was its garden – just like downtown, flowers and vegetation hung from the grand windows , almost taking over the castle in greenery. There were windows everywhere, even within the towers that rose high above the kingdom as if competing with the mountain peaks surrounding them for height.
“I’ll take you to the castle from here.” Dinevra told Aurelia, pulling her out of her trance. “Mirela has to get back to the guardpost.” Mirela gave a slight nod before leaving them to walk back towards the darkness Aurelia had just been rescued from. Dinevra motioned towards the castle looming above the rest of the village, high among the mountain peaks. “As Calathis is a highly protected place, it is my duty to bring you in front of the Queen before you are permitted to stay here.”
Aurelia nodded in agreement. If anyone had the answers she needed, it would be a queen. Taking a deep breath, she followed Dinevra through the crowd of people in the main square.
As they walked down main street in the direction of the castle, the business slowly trickled to a stop. Aurelia’s stomach twisted as they began their uphill trek to the castle. In the next hour, Aurelia would have her answers, and would know if she would ever be able to go home again. For as long as she had to live, anyway.
Dinevra glanced over at Aurelia’s worried face as they kept climbing. “The queen is a kind and fair woman. I am proud to serve in her Royal Guard.”
Aurelia nodded nonchalantly. She only hoped this queen was knowledgeable, too.
They both stopped as they arrived at the grandiose castle doors. Dinevra looked over at the woman standing next to her, her long auburn hair flowing loosely in the wind. “Are you ready?”
Aurelia nodded.
Dinevra stepped towards the door and banged her fist against it twice. Slowly the doors creaked open, allowing them entrance into the castle.
The great hall of the castle was extravagant – at least three stories high, the beautiful golden marble was illuminated by the sunset. Trees lined the main hallway with a giant rectangular pond in the center, the sun reflecting brightly on the shimmering water. It was as if the castle was completely open to the elements – above them, there was a giant skylight that let in sunshine to the pleasure of the trees indoors. Giant arches along the walls gave way to other hallways and rooms of the castle, each as open to the outdoors. Magnificent marble statues, all of different females, sprung up from the long, rectangular pond, with water gently sprouting out of their bodies.
“The goddesses of life,” Dinevra whispered over to Aurelia, almost as enamored as Aurelia was. “It never gets old, seeing this place. It always takes my breath away.”
Aurelia stepped closer, her eyes focused on the liquid in the pond. Just as at her Nonna’s grave, the liquid seemed to be shimmering and glistening underneath the sunlight. As she took another step forward, reaching her hand down to touch it, a voice cleared their throat.
“The queen is ready for you now,” A woman, clearly dressed for fighting in leather trousers and a corseted top, announced across the great hallway.
Dinevra and Aurelia made their way towards the woman, her hair back in a tight braid, the same golden strands in her hair as Dinevra.
“Clodovea,” Dinevra said, nodding in acknowledgement.
“Dinevra,” The woman named Clodovea responded shortly. She hardly glanced at Aurelia before turning and pointing towards two enormous doors on the left. “Through here.”
Aurelia’s mouth went dry. Whoever this queen was, Aurelia prayed they had the answers she was looking for.
Two other guards opened up the doors to the throne room, the female warriors flanking either side of the room that was even grander than the great hall. It was just as open with an enormous skylight, but instead of trees, the focus was on the throne that sat elevated at the back of the room. A giant emblem of a sun hung from the towering ceiling, and the throne itself was made entirely of gold stone engraved with what looked like the flames.
Aurelia’s stomach dropped as recognition slammed through her – one of her grandmother’s photographs had depicted the exact throne in front of her, as had another of the meadow outside of the kingdom.
The stone floor echoed as Dinevra and Aurelia made their way towards the throne, which was currently unoccupied. The air was tense – it seemed everyone in the room was anxiously awaiting the esteemed queen of Calathis.
Suddenly, doors on the far left of the throne opened and Aurelia could just barely glimpse a woman with a golden crown that emulated the sun.
“All bow before Queen Elowyn of Calathis,” Clodovea’s voice boomed through the room.
Aurelia paused as she hesitantly bowed before the queen, following Dinevra.
Elowyn?
The queen of Calathis made her way to the throne, Aurelia was just able to see the bottom of her dress - a gown an alluring peach that sparkled underneath the sunlight. “Rise,” The queen announced as she sat down in the throne made of flames of the sun, and as everyone rose to face the queen, Aurelia stopped dead.
The queen was her grandmother.