The Crown Of Fire

Alex X

He sat overlooking the valley. He took in the great beauty of the world with his eyes.

He would forever feel guilt in the knowledge that he'd failed to protect Octavia.

But he'd forever live proud in the knowledge that he'd done something to protect this world. This world that had now become his home.

"Do you know what's over there?" Omdrus asked as he sat next to him. Of course, Alex needed not give him an answer, there was no way that he actually had the answer to this question. "If you follow that river, follow through all its twists and turns, all its bends and tides, you will find a castle, though, it is far from here. All the kings, all the queens of this world have lived there. Except for Seraphina," the great wolf paused. "And that must be a sign from the gods if nothing else."

"I take it she's a piece of work?" Alex spoke in a questioning manner causing the wolf to chuckle.

"Oh, you'll see, Alexander," Omdrus told him. "The scouts have located Seraphina's camp. They've seen your friend in her prison. And they make rescue plans as we speak."

"Is she alright?"

"She's alive," the wolf told him. "She perseveres in grievous circumstances."

"Oh, that's good," the boy sighed with relief, knowing that if something had happened to Aria, he'd never be able to live with himself. Not after what happened to get him and Octavia here. "Thank you."

"You doubt the prophecy?" Omdrus inquired. Alex shook his head.

"No, not the prophecy," the black-haired boy spoke. "I know that the sword chose me and that kind of seals the deal. But I don't know how to be a king, I don't even know how to use the sword." he paused. "I understand that I can't go back home. That Octavia and Eddie can't either. But I'm not sure that we should be fighting a war."

"Here, you are eternal," the wolf told him. "You'll live for centuries."

"Yeah, but if I've died a bloody death, I can't return."

"No, if you've died a bloody death, you'll be moved to another land," Omdrus told him. "Whoever told you that?"

"Aria," Alex told him. "She didn't... lie, did she?"

"Good heavens no, it just seems that someone has lied to her," the wolf told him. "Though being a Stormrider, and living life the way she has, must have made it easy for her to be manipulated."

"A Stormrider?" Alex questioned. "Is that a name for a person who chases storms?"

"It's derived from a phrase, translated to your language as 'Ride the storm'. It's a name that's given to warriors when they are prophesized for greatness. Now, the prophecy that you've been told is a loose translation from the ancient texts." Omdrus explained. "But it is not exact."

"Do you know the exact translation?" Alex asked. Omdrus nodded.

"When two sons of Dagda, and a daughter of Ceridwen would unite with the one they call Stormrider, a daughter of Morrigan would defeat a great evil descended from Cailleach's blood and tears." the wolf recited.

"So, we fight the war, but someone else defeats Seraphina?" Alex questioned. It was a complex concept to grasp. "And I'm pretty sure that my father's name was James. I don't know about Eddie's though."

"In ancient times, the otherworlders were known by their ancestors, their forefathers, and for the girls, it was their foremothers. And in this case, yours and Edward's was Dagda, and your sister's was Ceridwen." Omdrus explained further.

"Okay," Alex stated warily. "But again, Aria unites with us and someone else defeats the mage?"

"No," the wolf spoke. "Aria, the Stormrider is a daughter of Morrigan."

The black-haired boy nodded. "So, Aria is the one who will kill Seraphina."

It seemed simple enough, no matter how complicated it was. Perhaps that was the way of this world, nothing was simple. Not the entrance, not the people, not the morals or cultures. Everything was complicated in a simplistic way.

"Defeat. Yes."

He sat in silence for a moment. He took in the scenery and processed the information given to him. Perhaps this was too much for a boy of seventeen to handle. But he'd handle it, as best as he could, no matter how difficult.

"I'll fight the war," Alex told him. "And Aria, well, I know that she's going to fight regardless of what she's told. But I don't want Octavia and Eddie anywhere near it."

"They're destined for greatness as well," Omdrus spoke. "To keep them from this battle would be wrong. Of course, I'm not suggesting that they be put on the frontlines. But surely you can have them command the archers." he paused. "Your heart is pure, Alexander. I've never seen anyone love anybody as much as you love Octavia, but you cannot shield her from the bad forever. Shielding her from the natural circles of life will only lead her to darkness."

"How am I supposed to look the girl I raised in the eyes and tell her that I couldn't protect her? That she died because of something that I'd done?" Alex inquired. "I've been lying to her since the day that she was born. Every day, I assured her that our mother cared about us, and loved us but that was never the case. The truth was that she hated us. And we never lived with her, not after she and my father separated. We lived with him until he died in the war. And then it was... and then we were stuck with her. She had no need or want for us. She felt no pity for the children who showed up on her doorstep fatherless. So, I lied. And I lied about our father too, I told her that wherever he was, whatever he went through in the war, I told her that it couldn't have been all that bad. But it was. He went through unimaginable hell, and then he died in the middle of it. So, how can I be expected to tell her that she's now died as well? And in the afterlife, she will be fighting a war?"

"You don't," Omdrus told her. "Not yet, at least. Your love for your sister is as pure as the sun's light, you don't seek to lie for selfish gain, you don't seek anything selfish from her. You do everything to protect her from the harshest realities. There's no need to lie, for she suspects nothing. But perhaps it is Edward you must speak to as he suspects that you've hidden a truth from him."

"He does?" the black-haired boy questioned. The great wolf nodded.

"Indeed, it's in his eyes. He studies you as if you were a book with an incomprehensible story. He trusts you, yes. But it would be wrong to take advantage of that." Omdrus informed him.

The weight of the world was on this boy's shoulders. This Alexander Hayes of 4 Beaconsfield Road. This boy from Woolton, in a place called Liverpool.

Now an Ashiverian.

~

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