Tranquil Darkness

Into The Light

When Kerrin reached The Twilight, Luke wasn't there. Although she was disappointed, she hadn't really expected him to be there. She was earlier than usual, for at this time she was usually still doing her chores. What's more, he was probably busy helping prepare for the attack. Kerrin knew she couldn't just stand there and wait to see if he would arrive tonight. She was going to have to go into The Light.

Kerrin shivered at the thought of leaving behind her beautiful, peaceful home and venturing into the harsh, unfamiliar plains of The Light, a place she had feared greatly all her life. What she was about to do now had always been something she never would have dreamed of doing. But love conquers all, she thought to herself as she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart... and stepped away from the safety and comfort of The Dark, and into the land of her worst dreams.

She didn't dare look back, but went further into the dry, sun baked plains of The Light, which grew increasingly more desolate and lifeless with every step. There was only one thing that stopped Kerrin from turning back, and that was her love for Luke. She filled her mind with the thought of him despite her harsh surroundings.

And she kept walking through the sickly dead trees, clinging to some hope that she may stumble upon Luke. There was no life in sight for miles around. There was no water, and Kerrin's throat was parched. Her stomach grumbled, but she kept going. She didn't even know if she was going in the right direction, but still, she kept going.

I'm walking too slowly, Kerrin thought to myself. At this rate, I may only reach him in a few days. And I don't have a few days.

Kerrin started to run as fast as she could.

***

Kerrin's sides were hurting. She was breathless. She was sweating. Her legs were aching. And she was exhausted. 

After hours of running as fast as she could, she was finally standing in front of a building that was by far the largest she'd ever seen. It was built of the palest sandstone, and was so wide she could hardly see the end of it. In front of her, guards with swords stood in front of a spiked gate. Turrets reached up towards what seemed to be the very top of the sky, and each one was topped with shiny metal that caught the blazing sun and shone it right into her eyes.

The Castle of The Light.

Kerrin shivered in fear. She had heard a lot about this place. Apparently The Light had one person, a king, who ruled over everyone else. All that mattered in The Light was his word, and everyone else was forced to bow down to him. What's more, this king lived in the castle. The idea was so vulgar that she almost turned back, but she forced herself to think about Luke instead. He had told her last night that he worked in the castle as an apprentice for the head of the Light Army. So he would be here.

Unfortunately, before she could even begin to look for a secret way into the castle, the guards had spotted her.

"Hey! Dark Person!" barked the one who seemed to be in charge, in the usual harsh tones you would expect from a person of The Light. "Seize her!" he roared to his guards. 

They surrounded Kerrin so she couldn't escape, and then two of them were able to grab her by the arms and drag her through the enormous spiked gate.

Kerrin's mind reeled as she was dragged beyond the gate, through the dry courtyard and into the inner part of the castle. She didn't know it was so obvious that she was from The Dark. But now, where were they taking her? What was going to happen to her? And what about Luke? What would become of him?

Her fate became evident as the guards dragged her through a door and into an exquisitely decorated room, lit by bright lights. A long red carpet trailed from the door to the far end of the room.

They're taking me to see the king.

Kerrin trembled uncontrollably with fear as the guards forced her down on one knee into a reverent position. They then assumed the same position themselves.

"Welcome," came a deep voice, and Kerrin looked up as much as she dared. There, on a magnificent high-backed throne wrought of gold, sat a large bearded man clothed in exquisite silk robes of white and yellow, the colours most often worn by The Light. Atop his head sat a huge, gold crown set with precious gems. "What brings you here?"

"We found a Dark Person outside the castle, my lord," one of the guards replied in humble, reverent tones. Kerrin felt sick.

"A Dark Person?" the king roared. "You know what we do with Dark People! Take it to the dungeons at once! And hurry!"

"Yes, my lord," the guard replied meekly, and they marched Kerrin, who was seething with anger at being referred to as "it", out of the throne room and down several flights of steps to the underground dungeon that she had also heard much about. Once they arrived, one of the guards took a key and unlocked the door of a cell. Then they threw her in, closed the door and locked it behind them.

Kerrin sat up, blinked, and looked around. Ah, darkness. Of course, it made sense for people of The Light to throw their prisoners into darkness. In their eyes, darkness was evil. But to Kerrin it was a welcome comfort after all the fear. She couldn't stay here forever though. She needed to speak to Luke, and then return home to The Dark. Her family and friends would be worried about her. But how was she ever going to get out of here?

Suddenly, she heard the click of a key in the lock, and the door swung softly open. Someone slipped into the cell and closed the door behind him. The candle that he held lit up his face, and Kerrin stared at him. She couldn't believe her eyes.