The Crown Of Fire

Eddie I

Weeks.

It'd been weeks since he woke up in the forest, nearly frozen. He was on the river when he woke up, right in the middle, on the ice. As far as he could tell, there were no people there. In this world, with no name. This world that looked like Earth, but couldn't have been.

There were no towering buildings. No roads. No signs of any kind of civilization. He'd traveled so many miles, in so many weeks in search of his way home.

But he hadn't found it. He missed his home. He missed his family. And he wished that he hadn't fought with them as much. He wished that he hadn't fought with them the last time that he saw them.

Perhaps, he felt like a world-class idiot. He should have seen it coming. He never did have good luck though.

Walking was his only option. Maybe, he'd find the end of this retched winter. Once, he'd loved the sight of snow, but his experience in this land, put that to an abrupt end.

He heard something sliding on the snow, and then the jingling. He turned his head at the last second as a massive sleigh whizzed past him, knocking him into the snowbank. He quickly got to his feet, brushing himself off, hating the cold weather even further.

"Bloody dwarves," a creature grumbled. The boy couldn't believe his eyes as the creature jumped from the front of the sleigh.

A small, hairless, quite ugly in appearance creature. The boy wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him, he had no idea what kind of animal that was. It reminded him a bit of a hairless cat, which he also thought to be foul.

"What is it, Kiard?"

"Nothing, your majesty, I'll take care of it." the creature spoke. There was a woman in the carriage. The creature, Kiard, brandished a small knife.

The boy's eyes widened and he backed away slowly. "No, no, no."

"Stop moving," Kiard growled. "It's best to just let it come and go."

"How about I stab you and see if it's best just to let it come and go." the boy snapped in reply as he evaded the small creature.

"Kiard! You little goblin!"

The woman now stood not too far from the creature now. She was extraordinary. She was tall. Maybe thirty-eight, at best. She had long, white hair that was intricately styled. In all truths, she looked like royalty.

"What's your name, boy?" she asked. The boy swallowed hard.

"Edward," he replied. He'd never seen anyone so radiant in his entire life. "But everyone calls me Eddie."

She smiled. "Well, Eddie, would you like to come join me?" He glanced at the goblin who'd hidden his knife by this point. "He won't be a bother." He walked toward her, and she wrapped him in her cloak as they got into the sleigh. "Kiard, would you take us north, to the Wood Of Saffron, please?"

"Yes, your majesty." the goblin spoke, climbing on the sleigh and grabbing the reins. The woman smiled down at Eddie.

"My name is Seraphina," she spoke kindly. "I'm quite fond of you. Do you have any family?"

He shook his head. "Not here. They're all home."

"Oh, that's a pity," Seraphina sighed. "You see, there have been sightings of two otherworlders up north, where we're headed actually."

"Otherworlders?" the boy inquired. She nodded.

"Yes," she affirmed. "That's our name for humans. People like you."

"Do you not have humans here?"

"Well, yes," she explained. "But it's not quite the same."

He nodded, understanding that the people of this realm were special. Far more special than humans whose lives were fleeting.

"Would you like to do something for me?" she asked. "As a reward, I would like to make you my heir to the throne, as I have no children of my own."

Something flickered in his soul. "What would you like me to do?"

She smiled. "Find the otherworlders. Bring them to me."

"How will I find you?"

She planted a kiss on his forehead. "We are bound to one another. Therefore, we will always find each other, until death does us part."

~

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