A Tale Of Shadows (Wattys 2023) - REPLACED BY DIVINE ASCENSION

Part 1, Chapter 1 - Farewell

Melinda was standing in the middle of a forest, having arrived there not long ago. She was taking a walk, which was one of her favourite pastimes. Even in times of war and carnage, she couldn't let herself forget about the beauty of nature. The birds were singing peacefully while the butterflies were dancing in harmony. She was surrounded by tall and dark trees that stood proudly above the ground, their emerald leaves full of life. The landscape was being illuminated by the fading sun, which meant that her golden hair now had an ethereal glow to it. The sky was an uneven mixture of orange and red, reminding her of the fires that often came and ruined everything around them. But she wasn't going to think of it now.

After all, there were many more important things to think about, like, for example, the planned visit of her boyfriend, Jeffrey, who had conveniently arrived on the horizon right at that moment. She immediately recognised his long brown hair, his chestnut eyes that shone with life and kindness, and his wide smile that would never fail to bring her joy. Her cheeks becoming pink as the sweetest of roses, she eagerly waved in his direction, and he immediately followed her example.

"Looking as lovely as always, are we, Melinda?" he asked the moment he walked over to her. "Everything must be rather fine if it is so, right?"

"Hello, Jeffrey," she chirped. "Yes, everything is indeed rather fine today. I suppose that you could come in now. The tea's about to get cold soon, which would be a special kind of disappointment."

"I completely agree," he said, taking her hand. "If there isn't any particular reason to do so, I don't see why we would waste any more of our time."

Without another word, they entered the house in a short amount of time. Instinctively, they went to the drawing-room, which, although not having much extravagance to it, suited all of Melinda's needs. There was a small and rectangular coffee table in the middle of it, by which four plain black chairs were positioned. Below the table was a circular woollen rug that was always a nuisance to clean up. On the left side of the room, there was a red divan with golden rhombs whose paleness and minor holes showed that it was a family heirloom. The walls themselves had begun to peel, which wasn't noticeable for the most part because Melinda was insistent on putting some paintings up there to cover up the imperfections temporarily, thinking that waiting for the end of the war to renovate her house was the best option. There weren't too many paintings, nor too few. Right next to the door that led to the drawing-room was the painting of a ship sailing off into a sunset; above the coffee table was the painting of a majestic swan that was white as snow, but the most notable one, at least to Melinda, was the painting of a red rose above the divan. She didn't know exactly what it was, but there was something about that particular painting which always caught her eye. Realising that she'd been staring into the distance for a while, she sat on the divan beside Jeffrey, beginning to sip tea with him.

"I have only minimal news on the war," Jeffrey began suddenly, placing his porcelain cup on the table. "Given that you're constantly on the battlefield, could you tell me if there's anything new?"

She choked momentarily before regaining herself and placing her cup on the table as well. "Well, I suppose that, if you've heard anything of the war, you won't at all be surprised by what I've got to say. Things are as dreadful as ever. That fiend, Patrick Hemingway, is relentless, and his many followers are quite proficient in besting us, making our efforts look nigh-suicidal far more often than I'd like. But I won't lose hope. Events like these have happened countless times throughout history, but it's never destroyed our country in the long run, so I believe that we'll be perfectly able to face whatever's in front of us, especially me. I'll do anything to protect the throne from his treacherous hands."

"This is why I love you," he said, his eyes gleaming. "Your determination and hopefulness are truly admirable. And, yes, I fully agree. The situation may be terrible, but it's nothing we can't overcome. With time, we'll be able to start a happy life together, beginning with our-"