Episode One: FALLEN WILLOW

(Background music for this chapter: http://youtu.be/lSooYPG-5Rg )

Episode One: FALLEN WILLOW

My brother leaned against the doorframe. "They're dead, Lora." As I straightened my back, I examined Jake and the lack of empathy in his voice.

For the following moments, the materials of the physical world blurred and ceased to exist. "Do we know who or what killed them?"

Jake shook his head. "The Healers are undecided. It came from a power higher than we're capable of understanding."

I swallowed. "Jake, I don't know what to do."

"I will speak with Keegan now. He'll know what happens to us next."

I sat in my cushioned chair as the wind tore at the curtains that covered the balcony. I'd see their bodies later, but for now I pondered upon something much more grave. In seven days our parents had planned a ball to celebrate our eighteenth birthday. With half the city as their audience, all the noble and wealthy, they'd announce which of us would rule Ecclesia.

"The Singe has taken them." I said to myself. "May their souls thrive in the healthy."

The door rattled, and without my permission, it opened.

"I don't want to see anyone right now."

A servant kept his distance. "Your brother sent me. He told me that you needed company."

I heaved a breath, and peered at the ceiling. "Jake was wrong. I'd like to be left alone."

"Very well, Princess."

"Wait." I turned in my chair. "I have a question." I held my chin with pride, but the servant surely noticed my swollen cheeks.

With a statue-stare, the servant withheld his emotions. The code of royalty forbade any level of intimacy with commoners, and likewise. "Please ask."

"Are either of your parents dead?"

The servant said "My Mother passed away just some years ago."

My eyes softened. "She died of natural causes I'm assuming? Did she feel any pain or were they able to ease her out of this world slowly and gracefully?"

"Her death was natural. The healers said she went quickly, and suffered very little."

My throat numbed. "And do you think it would have changed you if I told you that someone killed her?"

"I--" He paused as his eyes flipped to the floor. "The thought has never once crossed my mind, Princess. We haven't had a murder since the 46th Quīnde."

"Please?" I swore under my breath. "You have my permission to think such thoughts, and say as you feel."

He stuttered. "I believe it would have changed me--"

"And how exactly would it have changed you?" I crossed my arms across my lap.

The servant tightened his lips. "I'd seek revenge."

I stood and dragged my gown. "That's not the answer I need." the tremble in his lips depressed me. "But it's without doubt the answer I'm seeking."

The servant focused on my feet. "Is there anything else, Princess?"

"Yes, will you find Keegan and send him to me? I must speak with him immediately."

He narrowed his eyes. "But Princess-- I will do my best but Keegan doesn't follow your commands well--"

"Until we decide if I will be Queen or Jake becomes King," I peered at him, "then he will do exactly as I say. He no longer follows my parents' lead unless he wishes to follow them to the grave."

He bowed and backed. "I will deliver your message sternly."

I gazed into my china cabinet. Many of the figurines were gifts from my father, some costing hundreds of thousands of Gibs. My favorite was the mermaids constructed from Dialmins, a material similar to diamonds but much more difficult to craft with. A person had to be born with the gift to manipulate its structure, and to my understanding, the artist was the last of his kind to possess such a gift.

Keegan sped to my side. "You called for me?"

The rigged scales of the mermaid's fin against my fingertip de-stressed me. "Have you spoke with Jake yet?"

"Briefly, Princess."

"And what is it you discussed?"

From the corner of his mouth, he said "He asked me if I knew who would be the next King or Queen."

I faced him with crossed arms and heavy eyes. "And what is it you told him?"

"I have known for weeks who will be the next ruler of Ecclesia, however I was sworn to secrecy by the very woman who brought you into this world. The council and I have agreed to announce their decision on the day they planned."

The rise and fall of my chest froze and my eyes glossed. I didn't wish for Jason to break my Mother's final instruction. "Will I be proud of their decision?"

"I believe," he leaned. "I believe I am very proud of their decision. But I cannot predict your emotions, Princess. Your hopes and desires may lie elsewhere."

The curtains of the balcony washed over my skin, and I studied my universe from afar.

Keegan followed. "Your parents will live on in history. It was your father who helped build so much of this."

Near the horizon, the decorated towers of the Grand Renderall glistened off Violet Lake. Above the mountains, they ascended, but nothing touched the heavens like the Castle Towers.

Keegan said "He organized the build of the castle, the Grand Renderall, and the Trade Towers of Ecclesia."

"He will be remembered by many as a great leader, but to me he stood on even higher grounds as my Father. The people often forget."

A splintering echo seized my attention, and in the the courtyard, a minute-fall beneath my balcony, a tree keeled over. A man danced to the tune of his cries and wails, and when he swung his arms, sheets of opaque-brown spurted from his skin. I knew then that it was Jake. Jake and I shared the same ability; we generated walls that shielded us from harm, but if we moved those walls, they easily harmed others. More trees crackled, the earth pained with gashes in its green skin, and a segment of the outer castle walls collapsed.

My chest ached with a contrasting satisfaction; Jake grieved. "I have every reason to perform just as he does, but I choose to keep my emotions to myself. Send Sidney to calm him down. He's always listened to her."

Keegan paused. "You don't think he'll hurt her, do you?"

"He'd never hurt her," I explained. "He loves her, and it's okay now."

"Why would it be okay, now?" With a narrowed eye, he analyzed me. He taught himself to read the movements of others, one of the many reasons why he stood as the Head of the Council under the King. He advised my father on many occasions, and without him my father's time as the ruler of Ecclesia wouldn't have been as memorable.

"It doesn't matter. Jake can have whoever he wants."

"If," Keegan offered me his hand. "If you think that he is to be King, then you are mistaken--" The muscles in my chest constricted just as he finished. "--mistaken that I would ever reveal to you or your brother the depth of information upon which the wise King and Queen has left me." I repulsed his hand in hate. "Please, Princess, do not fish in someone else's lake."

My brow rose. "Might I ask what you mean?"

He continued to offer me his hand, but I refused.

"The lake could be your parents' or it could be your brother's. I'm also treating both of you equally until the ball." He gave me only a moment to collect my thoughts, and not a second longer to speak. "Allow me to escort you to the hall of preservation."

My tongue swelled. "I will take myself to the Hall of Preservation tomorrow. You will excuse yourself from my chambers."

He bowed and I knew I'd see him again very soon.

I swallowed the next day a bit more easily. I urged my servants to spoil me to a lesser degree. Maria, a newlywed, offered me her mothers necklace. It was beautiful, but I couldn't take such a personal item. I told her that it complimented her eyes so much better than it did mine and that she should keep it to pass down to her daughter. I even sent the necklace off to the best jeweler in the city to have a bent link repaired.

Dinner came, and I only wished to remain in my chambers. I hadn't seen my brother at all that day. It was reported to me that the courtyard was destroyed, and that he disappeared shortly after he destroyed it. The cost to repair was nothing though. Despite his actions, I walked with my head held high. I could not be embarrassed by his mistakes.

Mother and Father sat at the ends of the table while my brother and I sat in the middle across from one another. When I entered the dinning chambers, my parent's polished seats had been removed and our smaller chairs sat in their place. My brother followed me in.

I said "It's good to see you."

"I came to your room earlier and you weren't there." Jake took his seat where our Father would have sat.

"I was in the courtyard examining the damage." I lied because I knew he lied. He never visited my chambers, because I didn't leave them until now. I took my seat where my mother sat.

His chair howled against the marble floor. "You saw it, did you?"

"Yes, a large portion of the outer wall was also destroyed."

He crossed his arms as the servants began to place trays of food on the table. "I'd like to know who did it."

"Was it not you?" I turned my head, but my eyes never left him. I skipped a breath--for a second, Jake's front appeared exactly like Father's, only younger minus the beard. With a sneer, I thought he'd never be as handsome as father though I'd never speak it. Jake chose to focus on the servants and ignore me.

The apron-suited servants kept to themselves at all corners. I listened to Jake feast on his fine dinner as if he ate for the first and last time; and when he called for a servant to remove his empty dish, I broke. "You know a King can't act irrationally and throw tantrums like what you did yesterday."

He slammed his brass goblet against the table. "As a King, I can do whatever the hell I want."

I wiped my hand across my brow, slid it across my cheek, and covered my mouth. I shook my head. "Please, let the Gods have been with Mother and Father when--"

"When what?!" He leaned sideways in his chair, mouth ajar, and his eyes raged with wrath. "When mother and father made their decision? We already know who they chose."

I breathed. "Keegan told you?"

"Keegan didn't have to tell me. He didn't hesitate to come to you when you called for him yesterday, did he?"

I numbed as his voice bounced from the high ceilings. I doubted the room had ever contained a volume higher that a laugh. The echo enhanced Jake's rage.

He continued "I'll have you know Keegan left me mid-sentence. Would he treat his future King that way?"

Yesterday's tantrum now made sense, and it wasn't due to the passing of our parents. My lips grew numb and I no longer cared to finish my dish. Jake shoveled the chair from under him, threw his towel on the floor, and marched until the echo of his slick shoes vanished down the corridor.

I questioned Jake's irrational actions later that evening as I stared at myself in the vanity mirror. It's frame sat high with twisted loops. I remember when father had it brought to my room years ago, and I swore to it that I'd never put a scratch on it's surface. I reached for the Crystal knob and opened the drawer, pulled out my silver comb, and sloppily tucked my hair back. "There," I said. "You don't look fit for a Queen anymore."

My Mother stared back at me. I searched for myself, but she refused to leave. At the fall of the second star, I'd see her again in the flesh. In the Hall of Preservation their bodies would be placed among their ancestors.

I breathed as my mother breathed back at me. She too looked worrisome, anguished by the two tortures near the edge of tomorrow. Either I'd become Queen of Ecclesia, or my brother would rise as its King. Both outcomes equally terrified me.

Reviews

[Aleks Edwin]

Really interesting chapter here, Christoph. I love all the mystery in it: 'how did they die?' 'who's going to take over?' that is the kind of stuff thats going to keep us reading! haha my favorite thing to read was the interaction between the princess and the servant, her quizzing him to try and understand how she should feel about her parents death. That was a really neat character moment for her. I would however, love to know her name! lol we know that the prince is Jack, but we never know who she is (unless you're meaning for us to find out later! lol also you say the prince is 'Jack at the beginning, but then you call him 'Jason' in the second-to-last paragraph...). There are some other elements that I think you could have expanded on too, such as the Singe/the Healthy (are they states of well-being? places? deities?), and the 46th Surrage (what happened, and why has there been no murders since then?), those kinds of things. But otherwise, kudos. Your work is always an enjoyable read :)

[Christoph Poe]

Hi Aleks, I just realized that this reply is super late. Lol. I'm so sorry.

Long story short, I got involved with other activities, and put writing behind me for a moment, but I'm back.

I edited this chapter a lot. I think it's a lot more punchy. I also addressed the issue you mentioned: we never knew her name. Haha. I also fixed the names. (At least they SHOUKD be fixed.)

And some of the terminology has changed too.

If you decide to read it again, I hope you enjoy it more this time around. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for your previous thoughts, and thanks in advance. You helped a lot more than you probably think. :)

[Bear]

Just a suggestion (all the noble and wealthy) in a kingdom like this anyone wealthy would be nobility from King, Prince, Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron. Also whenever a servant addresses nobility (Very well, Princess) they would note their inferiority with the word MY (Very well my Princess). You have a very nice start to your story, I have enjoyed it and don't want to nit pick so I have a question: Have you had anyone read this out loud to you so you can hear your work? If not you should do so, you can catch little things by ear like that MY PRINCESS that your mind overlooks. I have used this method from decades and it has helped me more that I can say, in fact I use and text to voice program now to read my work to me. I hope I have not offended you I truly do like what I read have plans to keep up with it, but if I have over stepped my self I as your forgiveness.

[Christoph Poe]

Nah, you're perfectly fine! Thanks for the read.

Yeah, I have a voice on my phone that reads it out loud. I've probably listened to this about ten times already just to catch the little stuff, but I haven't been able to catch everything yet. (So I need others to pinpoint them so I can catch them in the future.)

I'm actually thinking about removing the princess tag line, and replacing it just for the mere fact that when I hear the word 'princess' I can't help but to think of some little girl playing dress up in her parents bedroom (with her moms makeup smeared across her face). Lol.

But if I keep princess, then I'll fix it.

And you don't have to keep up with the story unless you're truly intrigued by it. I'm not expecting anyone to read the whole thing just yet. I'm still trying to get the grammar part right.

[Bear]

Dialog is the hardest part of a story, that is why so many first novels are written in a strong narrative style. I will keep up with this and have just added it to my library. I will drop you a line from time to time with my thoughts :~)

[TL Boehm]

fascinating chapter here, so many unanswered questions - we're right in the middle of something and my curiosity is piqued. Solid dialogue as well.

[Christoph Poe]

I have no clue if you're still active but I've heavily edited this chapter and would like some new opinions if you're interested in giving it another read.