Untold Tales

What I Could Have Been

Arkayna sat on the balcony, staring in the horizon. She was up pretty early, as it was nearly sunrise. She couldn't help but think of Tazma and her treachery. It was unforgivable what she had done; she became their solon and trained them how to use their power, only to betray them, obtain a piece of the codex, and above all attempt murder on her own brother.

Yet, that wasn't what Arkayna was contemplating about. That wasn't to say she wasn't angry with the shadow mage, that was never in question. But what she was feeling was different than what she was expecting, and at the moment, it was all she could think about.

"Gold piece for your thoughts?"

Arkayna slightly turned her head to see her new solon, Zorlon, showed up. He approached the comptemplenting princess, picking up on her negative vibe.

"It's strange." Arkayna said. "How watching someone else can make you reflect on yourself, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Zorlon inquired, sitting next to Arkayna.

Arkayna gave a big sigh. "Malvaron told me what happened to his parents."

"Oh... I see." Zorlon said with his head down.

"It all makes sense now; why Tazma betrayed us and why she chose to dive into dark magic... all because she felt so helpless, not being able to save her parents. I can relate to that."

"Oh?" Zorlon arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and that's what scares me. Me and Tazma are so much alike in that sense; we both lost our parents in some way. I probably could have been Tazma. To see her so evil, so full of dark thoughts... it makes me wonder if I have that same darkness in me too."

Zorlon was admittedly taken by surprise. Of all the answers he was expecting, he wasn't expecting this one. Still, the way she explained it, it made a lot of sense. His expression became that of sympathy, as he tried to council the princess.

"Believe me, Arkayna, I would love nothing more than to tell you that there are two kinds of people; those who are have darkness in their hearts, and those who don't. The truth is, we all have darkness in our hearts. That darkness is always lingering, waiting for a chance to surface, and negative emotions make it so tempting to embrace. However..."

Arkayna then perked up a little, with a look of curiosity.

"Even in darkness, there is always a glimmer of light. Both light and darkness coexist in a delicate balance, each one being a choice. Tazma chose darkness. Which one will you choose?"

Arkayna began to understand. Indeed Tazma and her were more similar than she cared to admit, though the difference was what truly mattered. Arkayna then stood up firmly, not hesitating to give an answer.

"Darkness isn't going to help me now. It's not going to help Tazma, and for that matter it's not going to help Dreadbane. So, light it is."

Zorlon then smiled. He at least took comfort that Arkayna had no interest in diving into the dark arts like Tazma. That was a start at least. He then looked on to see the sunrise. It was a beautiful sight indeed.

"We better go greet the others. Today, your training truly begins."

Zorlon got up and made his way through the palace doors. Arkayna was following suit, but not before having a look at the sunrise herself. A glimmer of light. If the sunrise would symbolize anything, perhaps it meant she had chosen the right path.