Son of the Branwen

Chapter 55: The Lost Fable

Hawk watched breathlessly as Salem looked out of her window of the tower she was locked in, hugging her arms as she stared outside and silently hoping for someone to save her.

Jinn: "Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom."

Salem walked away from the window, passing through Hawk like he wasn't even there as she made her way towards the vanity.

Jinn: "She lived in a time when kings and their kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the gods that all could wield."

As Jinn spoke, Salem sat down and leaned back against the vanity. She held up her left hand and suddenly balls of pure energy appeared over her hand. Four balls of energy slowly rotated over her palm while six smaller ones of different colours rapidly spun around the four. Hawk watched with curiosity as Salem did this.

Jinn: "And yet, there she sat within her tower."

As Salem looked down again, the area vanished around Hawk in blue smoke. The castle reappeared in the distance, as someone stood on the pathway wearing armour and a cape, carrying a staff with a green crystal embedded on the top.

Jinn: "Until one day, a legendary hero came to brave the challenges within the tower's walls. The people of the lands knew him as Ozma."

Ozma proudly walked down the path as other warriors fell to the grass and disappeared into smoke.

Jinn: "Unlike those who had come before, this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness, and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed."

Ozma walked up to the doors of the castle and pushed them open. The scene quickly transitioned to show Ozma overpowering someone in dark armour with a magical green blast that came from his staff. Hawk watched as Ozma opened the door to Salem's room. She jumps to her feet in surprise before giving a grateful smile to her rescuer. Hawk watched as flashes of scenes played out in front of him, watching the two work together to take down all of the warriors who fought for the dark armoured warrior.

Jinn: "They escaped the wretched fortress, and yet something bound them together."

As Jinn said, Ozma and Salem ran from the tower hand-in-hand. The moment they reached a safe distance, they stopped to catch their breath and looked to each other.

Jinn: "Ozma had been ready to give his life for justice countless times, but now saw a woman worth saving it for. And Salem, to her surprise, found her freedom not in the outside world she had yearned for, but in the eyes of the man that had saved her."

Salem: "So, where should we go now?"

Ozma: "Wherever you'd like."

Jinn: "The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world, and lived happily ever after."

The scene vanished away in smoke, leaving Hawk surrounded by white again.

Jinn: "Or at least that's what should have been."

The scene reformed again to show Salem kneeling at Ozma's deathbed, clutching onto his hand as she sobbed.

Jinn: "Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed."

Ozma's body faded away in smoke to leave Salem to continue to sob while holding Ozma's staff.
continued to watch her from behind, feeling pity for her loss.

Salem: "How could the gods let this happen?"

Jinn: "The gods, brothers of light and darkness, creation and destruction. Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right."