The Call

Abandoned

Serene's eyes snapped open. Where am I? She sat up and looked around. Another dream. She leaned back against the headboard of her bed, trying to sort through her troubling thoughts. The hollow laughter sounded in her memory, and the stench of the evil still reached her nostrils. How? She tried to push the dark images away, but it was difficult. It was only a dream. Still, the harder she tried, the more vivid the memories became.

Finally, she took a deep breath and sat up. The canvases had been removed from her window, and the light of dawn shone through it. Morning finally! She was weary of the dreams that left scars on her heart and mind. The dreams of dragons and betrayals had frightened her, but this feeling of darkness–fear–she had never known before. The warrior's evil voice still rang in her ears, and it was difficult to ignore; but she couldn't bear to dwell on it. Why am I dreaming like this? she wondered as she rose from her bed and entered her wardrobe to dress.

Serene changed into a soft, dark green dress. She glanced into her looking glass to fix her hair, but as she saw her reflection, she was enveloped in another cloud of sorrow. "You have your mother's eyes," her father had always told her. At the thought of her father, she needed him–his comfort, his love, his gentle voice to soothe her grief. Splashing her face with water, she refreshed herself, and, strapping her sword to the belt sewn into her dress, she exited her chamber hastily.

After searching in his bedroom and study without success, she headed to the library where she was certain she would find her father. She slipped in through the massive oak doors and looked for him in the brightly lit corner far to the right of the room, his usual place. To her surprise he was not there. Softly walking amongst the shelves of scrolls, she found him at last, seated in a dark corner deep in the back of the library. He clutched a parchment, his jaws clenched in troubled concentration as he stared at the parchment in his hands. A tray of food lay on the table beside him, but it seemed to be untouched. Serene tiptoed over to sit beside him. She moved the chair closer to him and put a hand on his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. She sat for a few moments, waiting for him to speak, but he said nothing. He continued to read the parchment before him, not even glancing toward her.

After another moment, she stood from her chair, gently took the parchment from her father's hands, and slipped onto his lap as she used to when she was a child. He did nothing in response but continued to stare forward.

Finally, she had enough, and she sat up to look her father in the eyes. "Father," she said quietly, hoping to gain some response from him.

He looked at her with an expression she had never seen before in his gentle eyes. "I'm busy, Serene. What do you need?"

"Father?" she whispered, unable to believe what she had heard. It must be a dream, another nightmare. For a moment she was not in the library, but back in the strange dream, the darkened blade flashing toward her head. Her father's voice broke her thoughts and brought her back to reality.

"If you have a question, ask it! I'm busy and don't have all the time you seem to think I have," he snapped impatiently.

She'd had enough. She stood to her feet, throwing the parchment into his lap. "Busy? How could you be busy after what just happened?" she exploded. "Do you even care that Mother died?" Tears threatened to well up, and she dropped her gaze. "You should. I do," she said quietly. Her fingers found her victory ring as she waited for her father's response.

He looked at her, disdain in his eyes and just as evident in his words. "And what of that? Will talking with me make everything better?" He lifted his chin, waiting for Serene to answer. When she remained silent, he answered his own question. "No, it won't. Your mother's gone, and your crying isn't going to bring her back. Soldiers see death every day, and if you can't get used to it, you're no use as leader of the army." He turned his focus back to the scroll as he unrolled it and began to read again.

Serene was stunned. "Father, what happened to you?"

The simple question seemed to go unnoticed for a moment, but then Imrah answered without taking his eyes off the scroll. "The question isn't what happened to me. It's what happened to you?"

She stared at her father. "Am I dreaming?"

"Alright, that's enough." Imrah looked at his daughter sternly. "Go to your rooms and do something useful instead of wasting time doing nothing. Your behavior is shameful."

"Is it wrong to grieve over the death of my mother?"

"It isn't wrong to grieve, but you have to handle it properly, and you certainly are not."

"Then how do I grieve properly?"

"Stop asking foolish questions. You're quite old enough to know the answer."

"Father, I don't understand. What's wrong with you?"

"Serene, that's enough!" He slammed the parchment back to his lap.

Serene drew back and closed her mouth.

Her father exhaled sharply. "As I said earlier, I'm busy. Go upstairs and tend to your duties. I don't want to be disturbed again. Am I understood?"

She nodded, though her heart was breaking. She stood there a moment longer, but he refused to acknowledge her as he picked up his scroll once more and resumed reading. Finally, Serene turned and walked away on shaky legs, her body weak from shock. She walked to the end of the long shelf of scrolls and, with one last backward glance at her father, slowly exited the room.

Serene went back to her room, again collapsing on her bed after locking her door behind her. "Father!" her heart screamed. She could not bring herself to acknowledge that anything was different. How she longed for the happy times her family had together, before Inimicus's injury, before her mother's death. A dark cloud of dejection and loneliness enveloped her as she lay in her bed, alone and seemingly forgotten.

∞∞∞

Serene's blonde hair blew behind her in the wind as she and her steed flew over the hill and into the plains beyond them. She laughed with glee as she urged her horse faster and glanced toward her companion. Imrah urged his horse to keep up with her, turning his laughing face toward her. He winked as he passed her, his horse slowly galloping faster than hers.

Serene gripped the reins and squeezed her legs, urging her steed to catch up. After multiple tries, Dawn had not changed her pace and Serene felt frustration rising up within her. Her father was now several steps ahead and seemed to be gaining speed. Serene heard Dawn grunt and felt her slowing to a canter.

"No, come on, Dawn," she urged, squeezing her legs tighter. "We're racing! We have to catch up."

The horse paid no attention to her mistress's words and continued to slow to a trot. Serene looked up to see her father riding, the distance between them growing with every step his horse took. She continued to press Dawn to a gallop, but she felt the steed stumble.

Suddenly, all thoughts of the race fled Serene's mind as she felt herself falling. With a thud, her horse slid to its knees in the dust. She scrambled to roll away as her horse fell, but her leg was caught under the crushing weight of the steed. She gasped in pain as the beast rolled to pin both of her legs under it.

Frantically, Serene searched for her father. She caught a glimpse of him galloping away from her, unaware of her accident.

"Father!" she screamed, reaching out her hand in hopes that it would somehow stop him. "Father!" she screamed again, but he continued onward without even a backward glance.

Serene strained to move her legs from under the writhing horse, but she couldn't move. All hope abandoned her as she looked around at the open countryside, with no one around for miles. Her eyes turned in the direction of her father, his silhouette only barely visible now against the horizon.

She lay back against the ground, her lower half still pinned under her beautiful steed. She didn't feel ready to die–not yet. Abandonment sank deep into her soul; she was all alone. Serene took a final breath and closed her eyes.