A riddle within a riddle

Nadia and Sharif locate the scroll and the game begins

“Look”, she motioned Sharif and they both went to the piece of paper sticking halfway out the leg. Nadia retrieved the paper then realizing it was a rolled up scroll being held together by hair thin rope. There was a second rolled up paper next to the scroll. The second paper was written on a different type of paper noting that it was not part of the scroll. They decided to undo that one first and Nadia noticed it was a message from her father. She passed the note to Sharif and asked him to read it because she knew she could never get past the first word.

 

“Drerry, if you are reading this letter it means I have come to my end. Please take care of my little girl Nadia she will play an important role in the days that are to come. She needs to be ready. I know you are wondering what the scroll is that has accompanied this letter. Let me take you back to the beginning. You know I am not of this land, but of a land far away. I am from across the sea and towards the ever rising sun. I am from Romea in the land of MeCea. My King the Great Monte Lebrey sent me here to spy on the King, Alexander’s father Maric. In my land I was known as an espione meaning I can sneak into and out of most lands without being seen. I would do this for the King and let him know what was happening in his lands and others and if need be, sabotage. I was a young man then when I was first asked by King Monte if I would consider going on another quest. I was young and there was still a lot of espione in me so I agreed before I knew what I would be getting into. The King informed me he’d heard gossip about King Maric of Maleia. He said he wanted me to get close to the King no matter how long it took. The gossip he heard was that Maric was trying to find an ancient scroll to unite the three lands under magic and be its ruler. Now I know the topic of magic brings much displeasure I too remember the days as a child when magic ruled are lands and the one ruler who ripped are once united plateau in three ways. It was King Monte who along with the another ruler who used its magic to bind the one ruler’s magic and make the lands safe to live again. King Monte sent the scroll with a messenger to place back in the tomb, but the scroll or the messenger was never seen again. King Monte knew that much magic in the hands of one man would once again cast a dark shadow on our prosperous lands. I was told never to return until I had information on the scroll although I kept in contact with messages to my king.

King Maric was never really a trusting man of too many people I gained his trust, but he still kept me at bay. It all seemed to shift when I met my wife. She is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I have seen the best diamonds in the castle. I had mostly forgotten about the scroll and even about reporting information to Monte. I was living my life whole for the first time everything was perfect. Nadia joined our lives and it was like living in one of the children’s stories of fairytales. It wasn’t until I started serving under King Alexander did life get so much more complicated. His father was more of my friend than Alexander. He was much more of a brute force than Maric almost an exact replica of an evil version of his father. He killed and burned villages without mercy and sometimes without cause only because he was the king and because he was the king he blamed these crimes on innocent men who were executed. This brings me to the main point of this letter. Tonight I was called into the Kings study he had just received news about the scroll; I didn’t even know he was searching for it. He couldn’t read it for it was written into morica the ancient languages of the people before the war. The next night someone would be there for sure who could read it I couldn’t wait I had to act fast so I stole it. In those seconds all I could think of was my quest how I had failed and now was my time to redeem myself and return to my land. I got as far as the ships and realized I had my life in Maleia, my wife and daughter. I read the scroll as I sat there thinking. I could read all languages due to my training for quests it was sometimes the only way I could report back. The scroll that accompanied this letter is the one I read and it is not the scroll Alexander needs it is the directions to the scroll Alexander needs.

Drerry I am so sorry to have involved you in this, but please protect Nadia my daughter since I cannot. I am going to have to leave her with you while her mother and I flee tonight. Then in five days time send her on a ship to MeCea and tell her to go straight to see King Monte in Lebrey he will make sure she’s safe. I need to make sure she’s safe because you will see when you look at the scroll in each of the four corners is a symbol of the three suns our THREE LANDS. Nadia has this symbol on her back although I don’t know what this means or what part she’ll play. I know it is going to be very important because the legends say that those who had magic prayed to the three suns and that is how magic first appeared. Nadia sometimes if you look at her in the sunlight it seems to be shining right on her and in the light she has another presence altogether people are starting to notice. People say her beauty is gaining if its her beauty at all something happens when the sun is out and I don’t know why please get her to MeCea to see the king.

 

Thank you my friend and I’m sorry for the burden I cast upon you now.”

 

            Sharif and Nadia sat in disbelief for a moment just trying to take in all the information her father had just written. Sharif was more silent because he was out of breath from reading the three page letter. Nadia didn’t dare speak she just wiped the tears out of her eyes and went to undo the binding from the scroll and rolled it out.

            “What are you doing your dad said we’d need a translator”, Sharif spoke up. Nadia only smiled at him.

            “Remember when I told you my family lived outside of town which means my parents taught me what I know and that means I know many languages.” She used her hands placing them on the top and bottom to keep the scroll from rolling back into the position it had stayed in so long.

            “So”, Sharif said suddenly this little quest of there’s got a whole lot complicated and all the more interesting. He knew she was in so he was definitely in for her.

            “It says that The land of MeCea is where I lay. The land of MeCea is where I stay. The land of MeCea is where I’m found. The land of MeCea is where I’m bound.”

            “Oh great a riddle”, Sharif said in disgust.

            Nadia continued “There she lay bleeding. Here she lies sleeping. Here she remains her strength regained. Years will come and go and she will never wither. She’s free now and still a captive of this timber.”

            “And”, Sharif said.

            “Nothing that’s it”, Nadia said almost as confused.

            “So were supposed to find a scroll with nothing.” Sharif said ready to throw in the towel.

            Rising to her feet Nadia said “not with nothing with MeCea were leaving tonight.”