(The following chapter is an introduction to one of the main characters, Willow Gale Cascade.)
Through a child's eyes, the world shimmers in dashing radiance. The trees embrace their vibrant hues, running water battles the sky over the enchanting blues, and even the sun shines down in gentle yellow rays of light. Through a child's eyes, the world is beautiful, mystical, and even graceful. A fresh pair of eyes will take in the world as if thousands before them had never discovered it. Even Willow Cascade, a child gifted with the eyes of god, had found Bahiri beautiful.
From the moment Willow came into the world, she was different. Her hair was red, the color of anger, blood shed, hatred, love, passion, and fire. Her eyes compliments the Father and Mother of Bahiri, one blue and one green, to display the harmony between earth, sea, and sky. Her body represented space and time, skin white as snow but covered in freckles like the constellations. She was the definition and the embodiment of Bahiri. It would be her duty to lead the righteous and correct the greedy. Despite how her body would stay on Bahiri, she would perform the acts of their Bahiri Mother, Caladium, the Goddess of Night, Medicine, Unease, and the Mystical, and their Bahiri Father, Catalyst, the God of Day, Progress, Settlement, Protection, and the Weak. Bahiri's Mother, Caladium, lives in Willow's ocean blue eye, shimmering in the hidden star dust of Willow's gaze. Bahiri's Father, Catalyst, lives in her forest green eye, fluctuating within the specks of golden sunlight.
Unlike human children, Willow was not born from the living flesh of a woman's womb. Willow was born from the star dust of the endless sky and from the bark of the Willow Tree. The stardust had rained down from the night sky, carrying the blessing of Caladium. The Willow Tree, hidden in the sacred snowy mountains of Shandra, stretched out its wispy branches and collected that star dust. The Willow Tree, carrying the star dust of Caladium, absorbed the blessings into its leaves, roots, and bark. Catalyst, the Bahiri father then blessed the Willow tree.
Catalyst and Caladium celebrated the unification. The mountains thawed, wild flowers blossomed, harvests were bountiful, and the land that was not yet tainted by hatred was gifted with peace. But, when humans evolved and found intelligence in their nature, they also fell backwards. Peace was ended with war and blood shed.
Afraid of the greed from their own children, Caladium and Catalyst refroze the mountains of Shandra to protect the sacred ground. The harvests were not as bountiful, animals grew not so kind, and even weather was not so gentle. Humans started to fight more over food and land. The humans, struck by a need to survive, forgot about their Bahiri mother and father who had given them their existence. Humans turned a blind eye to the ones who gave them life and peace.
Any normal creature would leave the foolish species for their betrayal but Catalyst and Caladium could not betray their Bahiri children. Instead, they decided through stardust and Bahiri ground, a beacon of hope would rise.
From the sacred grounds, Willow was born from the bark of the Willow Tree and into an adult body. As to not frighten those who she were to help, she took on the look of humans. Willow's destiny was already determined. Through the words of her Bahiri mother and father, she would love humans, save them, and become their greatest ally. Willow was blessed with a variety of abilities. Through her eyes, she could see fate itself. Through her honey sweet voice, she could call upon the animals children of Bahiri for help. Through the touch of her hands, she could heal the physically ill and the mentally distraught. Through the movement of her feet, she could bring upon a glorious meadow or grow an enchanting forest. Through her miracles, Willow was destined to bring upon eternal peace again.
In the beginning, it was easy to save those who came to her on that snowy mountain. Men, ranging from the jobless to the high priests of the forming nations, women, ranging from gentle house wives to brave warriors, and children, ranging from the sick to the healthy, came to that Willow Tree, the Bahiri sacred ground. They begged for forgiveness and for guidance and Willow granted the worthy their wishes. She turned away the greedy and negative but granted them another chance if they returned truly remorseful. Willow became the beacon of hope she was destined to be.
Willow stayed as this beacon of hope for a millennium until a man came to the sacred Willow Tree and demanded guidance. Willow could see the sins he had committed in his eyes. His hands were stained in blood despite how they were clean. It seemed as if his soul fed on the pain and suffering of his brothers and sisters. He was the embodiment of greed and negativity. So, Willow refused guidance but gave him the chance for retribution like she had for millions before.
The man left without a word and returned a week later with a group of warriors. The man shouted orders and those warriors complied despite knowing that Willow was blessed by the gods. His warriors chained her up and burned the sacred Willow Tree to the ground. As the leaves went up in flames, she cried out in pain. The sacred holy land was defiled by the very greed she was destined to fix. The man beat Willow for refusing guidance. He also made her many promises. He promised Willow that he'd kill someone every day until she guided his kingdom to glory.
Willow had been warned by her Bahiri father and mother. They had warned her to never use her abilities for greed and negativity. They said that if she did, then she would be punished for betraying her destiny.
In the beginning, she stayed strong. Willow refused guidance to the man for six days and seven nights. But as the sun rose on the seventh day, another human was brought before her. She cried silently as the seventh sacrifice screamed in great pain. Willow watched as the seventh sacrifice's skin melted off her bones and filled the room with smoke. She listened as the seventh sacrifice cursed her name as they perished into ash. Here, Willow found an answer within herself. By refusing the man guidance, she betrayed the innocent. By not feeding into his greed, she forsake those she was supposed to protect.
So, on the eighth day, Willow accepted the man's wish for guidance. Day in and day out, innocents were sacrificed unless she gave in. Day in and day out, she was deprived of food and exercise as punishment by the man for her reluctance. But, after a year of fulfillment of his greed, she was punished by Bahiri father and mother.
First, they took her eyes. Willow's gaze, once filled with swirling blues, and vibrant greens, became dull and white like milk. The world around her grew dark like night without the moon and the stars.
Then, they took her legs. Willow screamed in agony as the Rose thorns wrapped around her legs and even grew within her flesh. The world grew cold as her feet would never touch grass or stone without causing immense pain.Willow did not curse her father or mother, nor did she hate the man who betrayed her kindness. Instead, Willow went on to live centuries as a slave for the Wayan Empire. Even when new kings ascended the throne, their greed never wavered. She never hated the kingdom or its people. In sacrifice of her vision and her legs, she decided to protect the innocents and live her life in shackles as the Rose Oracle of the Wayan Empire.
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Guardian of The Rose
FantasyIn the fantasy world of Bahiri, a planet with a solar system like Earth, we follow the story of Willow Cascade, an oracle blessed with the sight of the gods, and Bundar Issac Leigh Gaines, King of the Velyra Kingdom, on a journey to recovery and dis...