20 Chapter Twenty
"Kristy, war? What are you thinking? Nothing good has ever come from war, why are you doing this?" Mother screamed from the corner of the room.
The necklace around my neck glowed with bright whitish-green and mother soon formed from a puff of white smoke in the corner. Her face filled with confusion and disappointment as she waited for my answer. She never believed in war or anything that ended with death or blood spillage. But there is one thing that I've learned all these years and that's sometimes blood spillage is ended for things to change especially when dealing with someone like the king.
"Mom? How? I'm not sleeping, this is my room," I said.
"Yes, I can see that now what are you thinking?" she said.
"I'm thinking that the people who were once yours and my friends, my family are going to die there from the actions of a reckless, shelf-absorbed king… a king who should never have had the crown," I said, anger rising in my voice.
"Kristy, they were not my people, they are not your people, the Emerald kingdom is your people now and they are here where it's safe," she said.
"They were your people not mine, they all died before I was born and I'm not going to make the same mistakes as you or father or even the king, I will fight for my people, I will die alongside those I fight beside if that is what it takes. But don't worry I will help you and your people find peace one way or another," I said.
"The Emerald kingdom still lives as long as the survivors still breathe," she said, trying to hold back her frustration.
"That's where you're wrong, the people here don't associate themselves with the past, they created this village. They are now the people of the Rivers Mountain village," I said.
"You are still the rightful era to my throne," she said.
"Yes, and I will bring it back to its original glory, only it's going to be a new age, a safe haven, and a peaceful land for all those who come to it... it will become Raven's Edge," I said, calming my voice.
"Raven's Edge doesn't exist, it's a bedtime story that I made up for you," she said, her frustration growing with each word.
"Mother, you along with others helped me release what my purpose is and I can't believe that it took me this long to figure it out. Your time and old ways have been broken, they might have worked back then but they won't work anymore, the only way they can be fixed is if they are rewritten and I can rewrite them," I said.
"The old ways are what allowed my kingdom, the king's kingdom, everyone's kingdoms to thrive for all these years, changing them won't fix anything," She said as her voice elevated.
"It also helped your kingdom reach its ugly and bloody end; I'm done arguing with you," I said.
I turned my back while waving my hand. Everything that I have learned about my mother after all this time. Nobody had ever spoken an ill word toward her until the chief. She had a love story that only a few could even dream of having. In the years that I've known her, been learning from her I've learned that she was much more than the stories I've heard. She had a very short fuse and the temper of a hungry lion. If someone were to step out of line, she could make them whimper with only a stare. And she was very old school when it came to raising her children, but she would also never get in their way when they wanted to do something she didn't agree with. Despite all that, she was the most trustworthy person in that kingdom not even my brothers would come close to her. She was the only one who wasn't overcome with fear in the presence of the king. She was never afraid of him if anything she was his ruler and she always kept him behind the line of madness. With her gone, he has gone so far past the line that it is no longer in view. I had been sitting on the edge of my bed eating off a plate of food on my end table, thinking of all the memories I had with my mother. My mouth had a spoon full of vegetables, beef stew in it when a soft knock at my door drew my attention away. My face looked as if I was deer caught in the spotlight.
"Who is it?" I said after quickly swallowing.
"Jupiter, may I enter?" Jupiter asked through the door.
"Come in," I said.
"I see you still don't have any room for visitors," He said while walking in.
"Did you want something other than to comment on my directing skills?" I asked, forgetting about my food.
"I was just talking to Simon a little while ago. He was packing a wagon rather quickly with enough supplies to last for months... he said that you're going to try and get an army to take down the king," He said, bluntly.
"He is saying a lot, I was trying to keep this between me and him until we left," I said.
"So, it's true, you are leaving and going to war with the king, what are you trying to achieve by doing this?" He asked.
"Raven's Edge," I said, hoping that he would understand what that meant.
"What is Raven's Edge?" He asked in an annoyed tone with a hint of confusion.
I sat back into the corner of the bed with my back pressed against the wall. He sat on the far corner of the bed, one leg on the bed and one foot on the floor in front. He looked into my eyes as I told him the story of the mythical land known as Raven's Edge.
Long ago, before the beginning of life itself, the Gods created a meadow, surrounded by the tallest and most sturdy mountains and cliffs the world had ever seen. The only way to enter the meadow was by entering a lake, connected to the ocean. Over the millions of years after humans were brought to its surrounding lands. Many of them have tried to climb its mountains and cross its waters. Only the mountains were far too cold with snowy blizzards of the north and its water had the largest waves and violent storms. Hundreds of thousands had died and no one had ever made it past the obstacles that the gods had placed to protect the meadow.
Except for one day a man had broken out of prison to save his family from execution. Their heads were his price to pay for his crimes against his kingdom. They had built a raft with no walls or roof any days before the man was arrested. They set sail hoping to escape their hunters and live in peace in a foreign land where no one knew them. They had found themselves in the violet waters, their hunters close on their tails in a large boat. The storms of lightning and tsunami waves sunk the hunter's large longship. The raft had survived long enough that the family was unclear if they could continue to hold on. With his family in grave danger, a voice spoke to the man through the wind. He curtained to the gods that we're the ones speaking to him as they said "Would you sacrifice yourself for the ones you love the most." At that moment he looked at the terrified faces of his wife and his two children both under the age of ten. He knew what he needed to do, for them, he would have done anything in a heartbeat. Soaking wet he crawled over to his family and kissed them all goodbye. Then without hesitation, he threw himself into the water and gave his soul to the gods as a lifelong servant.
His wife screamed in heartache, as the storm they once fought disbanded leaving light blue skies. The hunter's longship had been enveloped by the waves and was nowhere in sight. The woman looked for her husband in the waters but she couldn't see past the darkness of the surface. When the light of the meadow called to her. She swallowed her pride and set aside her pain, not for herself but her children. She rowed her children to the meadow with nothing but her bare hands. Once they arrived, they built a safe haven for all those who have been wronged or betrayed by the leaders who swore to protect them. To this day the meadow is only known as a myth, but what it stands for remains true.
"Kristy, I have long wanted to explore the world, travel alongside fellow warriors, and fight for something that matters, if you would let me, I would like to join you in your journey and fight by your side," He said while staring into my eyes.
"Then I would be pleased to have you, I know no better warrior to have by my side for the upcoming battle," I said.
"I'd better get prepared, see you in two days," He said before standing up and leaving.
The sun was fully down, but the stars were shining brightly in its place. I went into the washroom to wash up before heading to rest for tomorrow. I didn't release the damage that my last battle had caused until I had looked in the mirror. The cut on my cheek had healed nicely and left no scar. But under my left eye, from the top of my cheek going down. Three large scars in the shape of jagged claws made themselves known. The rest of my wounds were sure to the scar once they heal fully. How did I not know of the wound to face? The third cut had just reached the edge of my lip, the first nearly took off my ear, the second was straight down the middle for the two. Each one had cut deep into the skin; the doctor had done an excellent job stitching each wound. Splashing warm water on my face, grabbed a towel and crawled into bed. My mind was still lost within the pattern of the jagged scars.
