"The past haunts you, flowing through your veins like water..."
Cyris Castellan is a young man with water magic and royal blood. When he was a child, his home was attacked and destroyed by gruesome magic users. They killed his family, orphaning Cyri...
The moon shone in the inky night sky above the city of Blackwater. In the centre of the city stood a large imposing castle. And usually at this time, the castle would be quiet as the royal family slept, and their guards patrolled the perimeter. But unfortunately that night, the castle was anything but peaceful.
Shouting voices pierced through the air as the guards scrambled to prepare for battle. The castle was under attack and the royal family needed to be protected. But the guards' efforts were just a diversion to give the royal family time to escape.
The King rushed through the halls, holding his young son in his arms. The King's inky black locks were dishevelled. This was understandable as he hadn't had time to make himself look presentable. His first priority had been fleeing the castle with his son. His beloved wife was already dead and his pale green eyes held unshed tears as he thought of her. But he knew that he needed to be strong for his son.
His thoughts shifted to his daughter. No one had seen her since the castle had been breached. The guards found no trace of her and informed the King that she was most likely dead. His heart sank as he thought of her. But he had one more child and he would do whatever he had to in order to save his son. His Cyris.
The father and his six year old son skidded to a stop in front of a portrait of their family. The King touched the portrait and his hand began to glow. The wall slid open, revealing a secret passage. The two male royals rushed into the passage, and the wall slid shut behind them.
"Dad?" Cyris asked, rubbing his eyes. "Where are we going?"
"A safe place," the King replied. "Someplace far from here."
Cyris nodded, not comprehending the true meaning of his father's words.
The two of them raced down the passageway. The King was desperate to get out of Blackwater. To get Cyris to safety.
They made it out into the city and the King quickly lifted the hood of his cloak, obscuring his face. Cyris hid his face in his father's shoulder, terrified of the battle raging around him. Screams of their people filled the ears of the King and young Prince, but there was nothing either of them could do. They were both too weak to stand up to the invaders.
But the King had a plan. If he could get out of Blackwater, then maybe he could get help. He just needed to get to an old friend who would aid them in escaping the city. He carried his son to an old shop, and quickly entered, unsurprisingly the door sealed shut behind them. A magic barrier that would protect him and his son. For now.
"Ondre," a voice from the shadows called out. The King, Ondre, watched as a woman stepped into the room. She looked worried.
"Colette," he greeted the woman. Normally Ondre didn't allow anyone, aside from his wife, refer to him by his name, but Collette was an exception. She had been his friend for as long as he could remember. He could always rely on her.
"Where's Nerida? And Circe?" Colette asked.
"Dead," Ondre replied softly. He felt Cyris' body shake as he cried for his mother and sister. Ondre held his son tighter, trying to soothe him.
Colette gave the young Prince a look of sympathy.
"We need to get out of the city, Colette," Ondre stated. "Can you help us?"
Colette nodded. "I can," she assured him. "But Ondre... they're going to hunt you both down."
"It's the only chance I have to protect Cyris," Ondre insisted. "Please. I don't want him to die here."
Colette's eyes filled with understanding and she nodded. She went into the back room with Ondre and Cyris following her.
"I'm going to transport you just outside of Blackwater," Colette explained. "But if I do this, it's going to release a huge amount of magical energy. The Trillium will know, and they'll be all over this place in seconds."
"So this is goodbye then?" Ondre asked. Colette bit her lip and nodded.
"Make no mistake, Ondre, I will gladly sacrifice myself for you and Cyris," Colette assured him. "You and I grew up together. You're practically family to me."
"Colette... thank you," Ondre said softly, accepting what his friend had said. Colette was basically agreeing to give up her life so that he and his son could live, and that was something that Ondre would never be able to repay. He'd owe her an eternal debt for this.
Colette nodded and placed her hands on Cyris and Ondre's shoulders. She began chanting under her breath in Piarari, the language of Espor. As she continued chanting, Ondre and Cyris began to glow and soon they vanished in a flash of light, leaving Colette standing alone in the shop. But she wasn't alone for long. Seconds after Ondre and Cyris had vanished, four men broke down the door of the shop and stormed in. Colette looked up at the ceiling. She prayed that Ondre and Cyris were safe, as she heard the footsteps approach the backroom.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ondre and Cyris appeared in a clearing. Ondre set his son down and Cyris looked around curiously.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"We're just outside of Blackwater," Ondre replied. "We're safe."
Ondre looked at his son and knew that they weren't exactly safe. They'd never truly be safe. The Trillium Regime was going to hunt them down. This wasn't the kind of life he wanted for Cyris, living on the run, not knowing what was going to happen the next day. He'd wanted Cyris to grow up in Blackwater, where he would train to be a warrior and a Prince worthy of being a King. But that was a lost dream now. Now he had to make the most of the reality laid out before him. And he'd do it. He'd do anything to keep his beloved son safe.
And so, as they walked further into the woods, and further away from the life they knew, Ondre made a promise. He would make the most of this situation. He would keep Cyris safe. And maybe...just maybe, they'd be able to find a way back to Blackwater again someday. To reclaim their home and the throne. But for now...Ondre would wait. He'd wait for the right time and focus on keeping his son safe.
There was a gust of wind, and Ondre watched as red drake with black scales landed in front of him. Cyris grinned and rushed over to the drake. Before he reached the creature, it glowed and shifted into a little girl with such beauty, it couldn't be matched. Her skin was fair, almost glowing, she had vibrant red and black locks that hung to her shoulders, and a pair of fierce amber eyes twinkled under her long eyelashes.
"Farryn," Ondre greeted her. Farryn fell to her knees in front of the King and looked at the ground, feeling incredibly guilty.
"Your Majesty, forgive me," she pleaded, and raised her fist to her chest as a sign of respect.
"It's not your fault, Farryn," Ondre assured her. "You were rendered powerless. You did everything you could to protect Cyris."
Farryn was a familiar, a guardian bound to protect a magic user. Farryn had been bound to Cyris since birth and took a solemn vow to always protect him, but she'd been too weak during the attack, and had to return to her hidden realm to heal, inadvertently leaving Cyris.
But Ondre didn't blame her. He knew that the Trillium had weakened Farryn. And he trusted Farryn to watch over his son and guide him. And he knew she would continue to do that. No matter the cost. Farryn rose to her feet and made a silent promise to herself and to the King that she'd do better. She'd get stronger and protect Cyris. No matter what it took.
~*~
AN: Be sure to drop some comments as vote. Updates are every Fridays.
