Tales of Aridia

The King And Queen

"What was Aridia like before the war?" I asked, becoming bored of sitting in the dark of the van. "My mother was the town craftswoman, and my father was the towns gardener. My father would use these spectacular spells to create these amazing views and landscapes. My mother would build houses with the most beautiful of materials." Jayden said happily, recalling his memories. But then, his tone grew dark. "But when the war came both my mother and father were publicly executed by Abraxas. Aridia now lives in famine and poverty. The once beautiful landscapes my father had created faded away, leaving Aridia as a blood drenched battlefield." He said. From the mirror above Jayden's head I could see the sorrow in his eyes and the grief that he felt. "Aren't there other craftsmen and gardeners in Aridia?" I asked. Max nodded, "Of course there are, but Jayden's mum and dad were the best of the best, Aridia relied on them." He answered, placing a hand on Jayden's shoulder. 

The van slowly came to a halt, it was dusk and I was virtually half asleep. Max had climbed out of the van but Jayden decided to sit next to me. "What about his parents?" I asked, pointing out the window at Max. "He was adopted by an old crone that lives deep in the forest. Her name is Miss Lakeland. Max is highly regarded in Aridia, some treat him like royalty."  I nodded, watching Max pace back and forth up the road, trying to see where we were headed.  "What about my parents?" I asked. 

Jayden stuttered for a while, he kept looking back at Max as if he was searching for help. "Did Max not tell you?" Jayden said. "No..." I said, sensing the conversation was taking an unpleasant turn.  "Your parents...they died, Abraxas killed them." Jayden said, his words slipping off his lips like a shot that pierced me in the heart. 

"Max!" I yelled, climbing out the van. Max turned around, his long blonde hair covering his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?!" I shouted. He looked at me confused, then his eyes darted to Jayden who sat half hanging out of the van. Jayden sniggered quietly, laughing at Max's fright. "What have you told her?" He asked. Jayden shrugged haughtily and sat back to enjoy the show. "My parents are dead!" I yelled. Max's eyes widened, they locked onto mine and I leaned forward and pushed him. Jayden let out a squeal of laughter as I backed Max against the bonnet of the van. "You lied to me!" I yelled. Max held his arms up, seeing how angry I was. "I thought that if you knew, you wouldn't come back to Aridia with us," He said calmly. There was a small crackling sound in front of us. Jayden had been munching on a back of crisps, with a smug grin spread across his face. My eyes darted to his and the grin disappeared and he flung the bag of crisps to the side. 

I paced back and fourth, letting the anger drain out of my body. Jayden laughed continuously, I turned and glared at him to which he threw himself back into the drivers seat. "We're going." I stated before jumping into the van. Max followed behind slowly, his feet scuffing against the ground. I dared not look at him, in the thought that my anger would come rushing back. 

The engine rattled and we started our journey again. The van was worn and old, every turn we made it would screech along the road. I looked down at my arm, the red circle had increased in size and it was more painful to touch than before. Another ring had appeared, this time it was blue. The tension in the van was still at its peak so I decided not to mention it, knowing I would have to face Max in the eye.