The Earth's End

Chapter One

Chapter One

Lacey

 

The village called Merrowcliffe was a quaint little place.

A mere market town far from the enormous, lively, sprawling cities that circled the Azure Castle, it was the only true location for merchants to buy and sell, and for adventurers to rest for a day or two before continuing on. As such, there were several inns for travelers of every kind to stay—a weary wanderer’s light even in dizzying darkness.

Even the legendary knight Terence Baldric had once found himself here, accepting the extravagant gifts handed to him with genuine happiness and joining in on the festivities that ensued. He had drawn the sword, famous for the patterns set with rubies and sapphires on the hilt from its leather scabbard, which was lavishly decorated with all sorts of black runes, and allowed the children of the town to run their fingers along the shining white blade. He was so kind, and so strong, and his eyes were such a beautiful shade of cerulean…

  Lacey admitted with no shame that he was her dream husband.

Oh, the countless afternoons she had spent dreaming of their wedding, and the sweeping dress adorned with pearls and moonstone she would wear, heels clacking against the polished stone of the Azure Castle throne room as she walked, smiling calmly, to her dashing groom…

She giggled hysterically, and then sighed. Why couldn’t girls ever be as valiant as Terence was? The adventurers she had met were almost never female, and even those that were seemed weak and fragile compared to…Terence. (More giggles.) They never wielded enormous, powerful claymores; meticulously crafted chain mail or heavy steel plates never replaced their billowy dresses; they were always the ones trapped screaming for help in a tall castle turret somewhere. The girls Lacey knew would never defend themselves.

 No. That was wrong. Niko would most definitely defend herself.

 She thought fondly of Niko Euria, the only other proud resident of Merrowcliffe her age. Her hair was chin-length, sleek and jet-black in comparison to Lacey’s brown, irritatingly wavy tresses. An eye patch, embroidered with a golden rose, covered one eye; the other was a bright, vibrant blue. Even the younger children spoke in hushed voices about how her father had aided her in mastering combat with both a sword and her fists, and how that father was gone now. Killed in the ongoing war against the Mockingbird Kingdom, just like Lacey’s. Niko’s mother had died giving birth to her, so they said in Merrowcliffe, while others talked of her simply leaving to start a new life in a city closer to the Castle.

 Whatever the truth was, Niko was alone now, but she had come of age, and was truly ready to fend for herself. When she wasn’t down by the river with Lacey, she was almost always off exploring livelier cities, quieter forests, or possibly tranquiller kingdoms. In fact, not a soul knew what happened to her eye; in the summer of the yesteryear she had left for the mountains and returned with the patch that she forbid everyone from seeing beyond. She was so quiet, so solemn, but she was the center of every enigma a small market town could manage to carry.

If Lacey knew one thing for certain about Niko, it was that she could never become the helpless princess captured by the evil kingdom in fairy tales.

***

That night, as the sun’s fiery orange tendrils glinted on their skin, Lacey and Niko sat by the riverside, barely paying attention to the sweet aroma of the delectable bird meat one merchant always sold. (From what Lacey had heard, today he was selling large quantities of roast squab.)

“Niko, what do you think about adventurers?”

“…It seems enjoyable. I would certainly like to explore neighboring kingdoms a bit more. But Lacey, you know I’d like to become a solider.”

“You’d really like to risk your life like that?”

She smiled a bit and nodded. “I wouldn’t like to, but I feel I should put the things my father taught me to good use. May the angels tend to his wounds.” For a moment, her eyes traveled skyward. “I was given wings, and so I will fly.”

  “…You’re so brave, Niko. I want to be just like you.”

 “You don’t need a mentor, Lacey. You’re a wonderful friend to me just as you are right here.”

Her words were so smooth and soft, but carried so much meaning that they struck Lacey silent. And for several minutes, nothing filled the air but that silence.

 Niko stood up, announcing that she needed some food at that very second or she’d die, and Lacey smiled and saw her off; no matter what the circumstance, she always found herself eating supper before the sun began to sink.

If she had known what was going to happen next, she would have yelled for her friend to come back. She would have offered to fetch her meal for her, or simply ask if they could talk for just a bit longer.

But she wondered if that would have done any good.

For mere minutes after she had disappeared from sight, Niko Euria had vanished entirely.