Aadrika

I felt someone tickling me around my neck, it was a soft tickle though, but enough to make me open my eyes. I saw that there was no one around me, it was just wind which tickled me. I chuckled at the thought of wind doing it.

Then again a breeze of wind takes me out of my train of thoughts, and it feels like it was saying 'play with me.' I smiled and humbly asked, "So, you want to play with me?" Then another wind blew and it was enough to make me know that it really wants to play with me.

I started to laugh when some heavy blew of wind tickled me. But then I saw a light, which was emitting from the reflection of the moon in the lake and was falling on my face like it was trying to attract me. I looked through the leaves of the tree, on which I was sitting, up to the moon which seems to be smiling at me.

I jumped from the tree's branch, which I was sitting on and landed on my feet on the soft ground. My white dress, with my matching gold jewellery, shines in the moonlight. My bajubandh on my arm, anklets in my bare feet, my teek on my head was shining as any other jewellery should. I looked at my feet which were firmly pressed on the green grass.

Then I looked at the lake in front of me, which was glowing with full of its splendour. It was shining like silver. I went to the lake and dipped my hand in it. As my hand moved in the water I felt the stillness of the water, but as I started to retreat my hand I felt water was sticking to my hand like it was trying to stop my hand by gripping on it. I smiled and said, "I am still here, aren't I?" With that, it releases my hand and I chuckled.

I closed my eyes and said, "You know, I can feel you all." I smiled at the thought of my friends; the air, the water, the moon, the sun, the fire and the plants. I know I may seem wired to everyone but I know I can feel them. I know it's not magic. I mean, I can feel them talk to me or play with me. I can feel there presence.

I live in a kingdom run by magic and I am quite an expert in magic (not in using though) and I can easily differentiate between magic and reality and they all are real and I know it.

I sat near the lake and closed my eyes to feel them more.

I sighed as the voice called me "Aadrika!" I opened my eyes and smiled at them again and said: "Looks like I have to go." With that, I stood up and ran into the direction of the voice. Soon I reached the east side of our garden and I found there my mother with my other siblings, standing and my mother was sending glares to me.

I smiled innocently and said, "I was just enjoying the beauty of our garden." She frowned and said, "What kind of beauty you always talk about, don't you get bored with just one scenery every day?" I smiled again and replied, "Mother I just wanted some alone time and no one in this palace could let me alone, even in my own room, so, I came here."

My mother sighed and said, "Why would you want to be alone when you are finally getting your dream come true."

My eyes widened at her statement and I asked with full enthusiasm in my voice "Really? Are we really going to see it?" She nodded and I felt like I am going to faint with all the adrenal rush.

She then said, "You won't be seeing it from standing there, now let's move, your father is waiting for us." I nodded and joined my mother and other siblings.

I have four siblings and they all are elder than me and quite a mature, you can say that because I am just 16. My most elder brother whispered to me "Why are you so excited to see it?" I smiled and said "You know I don't like boundaries and now I am finally getting a chance to see the unseen corner of the palace. So, why should I not be excited?"

He frowned but didn't ask any more questions. Soon I saw my father and I ran to him and hugged him. He hugged me back with much more strength. Then he smiled releasing us from the hug. He said, "So, hows been my most adorable princess?" I smiled and said, "I nothing but more than excited right now." He chuckled at my enthusiasm and said: "Okay, okay, my princess, now is the time to enter the place where no one, except us royals, has been."

I nodded and he said "Tell me if you feel anything different or something that is not normal. The atmosphere in this place could feel nauseous if you feel like you can't take it anymore then tell me immediately, is that understood?" I nodded again and everyone else replied with "Yes father." Then the mother said "You are visiting a place where no one except us royals has visited. Even royals of other kingdoms are not allowed, so consider yourself lucky to be born in this dynasty." We all nodded and father leads us to that place.

I looked at the magic barrier which was protecting the area, it was a transparent barrier. I saw the place which I have seen again and again for the last 16 years. I saw those pillars and inside them, all green. Everything there seems tempting, the grass and the flowers, plants and everything.

My father said, "Okay, so, let's go in." With that, my father went inside the shield and then mother and then my other siblings. I stood frozen to my place. I, all of sudden, felt an enormous amount of excitement and nervousness. Like I have been set on fire and at the same time, I am frozen.

Then my father called me, "Aadrika!" I came out of my trance and nodded and started to that shield. With each step I felt like a weight is lifting off my shoulder, I feel more and more light as I came closer to shield. I felt my blood which was running through my veins and my lungs were contracting more and more.

Then as I stepped inside the shield everything stopped. I felt empty, not in a bad way, but I felt like I am too much light to my own weight. My father said, "Let me tell you about the story behind this place." With that, he starts walking and continue telling the story.

He said "This world is made by us, the royals of chancia. A great and wise man who was from Zendar helped us. But when he sees that world which was made by them, he was tempted to rule over it. It corrupted his powers and they took a dark side. He was somehow managed to stop, but his powers were enormous, so it couldn't have been destroyed but our ancestors successfully embedded his powers into stone. The stone, we call dark stone."

With the end of the story, we reached another gate. Father said, "Dark stone is right behind this door, we should continue."

With that father opened the great door and all I saw was white. My breath becomes calm, I felt much lighter than feather itself. Then I saw suns and moons and stars and whatnot, then white light, it started to become bright and bright and then suddenly become all white.

Then in that white, I heard "Aadrika..." It was a faint voice, but sure it was there. Then again "Aadrika..." and I started to walk towards that voice. I felt like floating while I was drifting towards the voice. But I was suddenly pulled back. It took me out of my trance. I blinked my eyes to gain my senses back.

I felt wired, I felt empty but at the same time, I felt completely filled and light-weighted. I then slowly started to hear my father voice as he says "...do that again, okay?" I didn't know what he said but I nodded. He sighed and said: "As I was saying, we are not allowed to touched the stone or we will burst."

Then my second sister, being the jolly she is, she said: "Burst, but why? Is it that it fills us too much?" At her comment, everyone started to laugh. But I don't know why I felt like saying this but nevertheless, I said: "Because it has too much power for any normal person to take in their body, so, the body eventually burst before the power could even reach the soul."

With the end of my comment, everyone was completely silent, one could even hear the rattlings of leaves. Father broke the silence of two minutes saying "How did you know?" I shrugged and he raised an eyebrow. My mother took my hand started to drag me out of that place. It was confusing but I don't know why I felt like crying.

I saw my eyes automatically started to leak tears. I don't know why but I felt like I was leaving my very own part behind me. I felt lifeless. My mother dragged me out of that hall and took me to my room and she didn't say anything, but I was crying and I don't even know the reason.

When we reached my room she closed the door behind her and looked at me with hateful eyes. She said in a very harsh voice "Drop this, Aadrika, I am done with you and your attitude."

I looked at her with big eyes. As I tried to speak, my voice didn't even come out and she said "You can't use magic, you can't do the politics, you can't study. Is there anything you can do?"

OUCH!

Those words started to pierce inside my heart and until it really started to hurt. She said "What are we to do with you? How are we going to present you in front of all royals? Who will marry a girl like you?"

I didn't want it to continue. I am just 16 and they are trying, me to get married? I felt myself draining and draining and I started to see black spots, as my mother continued about her useless talk, I find it hard to concentrate on her voice. My eyes started to feel heavy, my body feels heavy and my conscious started to drift away and slowly I blacked out...