Heir of Cinders [FADING EMBERS #1] - ON HOLD

25.2 - Mist

"I'm sleepy."

The child leaned against the soft couch of the carriage, letting the sound of the turning wheels and the clopping of hooves upon dirt waft through her ears. She clutched a plush unicorn to her chest, her small fingers unconsciously brushing through its yarn mane. A yawn escaped her dry lips as her head began to loll sideways, plopping onto a firm, muscled arm. Her lashes fluttered.

"How much longer do we have to go?" she whined, her lips puckering into a small pout.

The child's dark eyes flitted upwards to see the jawline of the man sitting next to her. He turned his head towards her, allowing the familiar features of his face come into her line of sight— a pair of charcoal eyes like hers, a slightly flat nose, and lips curved upwards into a kind smile. He placed a hand on top of her scalp, ruffling her disheveled black locks. The weight and warmth of his large hand filled the child with comfort.

"Go to sleep, Faisuri. We have a long journey ahead of us."

The little girl squeezed her unicorn toy, the furrows between her eyebrows deepening.

"You're ignoring my question, Father. Where are we going?" she demanded.

"We're going to the Kingdom of Althewyn. You'll be staying with your Aunt Farisa for a while."

"But won't we arrive in the dead of night?"

The man put a finger to his lips in a conspicuous manner, in the manner of one about to share a secret.

"It's going to be a surprise," the man, Farhan, whispered. "I heard Farisa had a son around your age. You should get along well."

The child Faisuri rolled her eyes in disdain, puffing out her cheeks in visible disdain. "Ugh, I doubt that! Boys! They're probably more interested in playing swords than having tea parties and doing the things refined ladies do!"

The king laughed, a glimmer of humor dancing merrily within his dark eyes. Again he stroked his hand through the child's tangled locks, his fingers slicing through the knots that had formed between the strands. Young Faisuri's eyelids drooped. She would be well on her way to the realm of dreams, had the sudden jolts of the carriage crossing uneven ground not kept her awake.

"I'm sleepy," she remarked again, this time with a dash of frustration in her tone. "Tell me a bedtime story, Father."

Ever-patient, an amused smile crossed his face, deepening the crow's feet that perched at the corners of his narrow eyes. "Alright. Which story would you like to hear?"

The princess mused for a moment, turning her face away from her father's to look out the window. The cold of the night clung onto the glass, making it hard for Faisuri to discern anything that went on outside the carriage. Blurred silhouettes passed in and out of view, accompanied by glowing blotches of orange.

"I want to hear the story about the Primeval Flames and the Mist," she said, at last. Her father's brow made an arc.

"I don't think that would make such a good bedtime story. It is not a tale of peace, after all."

"I'm not scared," Faisuri insisted, though the way she lifted her unicorn higher up her chest to rest her chin upon its soft head said otherwise.

Knowing that his daughter was difficult to sway, Farhan decided to entertain her request. His gentle face shone with bemusement.

"Alright. Listen closely now."

His voice was dropped into a dramatic hush, and Faisuri felt the air grow cold around her.

"There was a time before the Mist shrouded our lone continent of Jordarys. A time when Jordarys stood among many other landforms and civilizations. In those ancient times, two gods reigned supreme over our world. We called them primordial gods, for their existence far surpasses those of gods such as our own patron god, Thieros.