Chapter One: The Kingdom

The Kingdom

 

In a distant time and place, there was once a vast and grand kingdom, Telvion. A glistening, beautiful land, with luscious green fields, plentiful pastures, and brilliant flora and fauna, Telvion was a wonder in and of itself. 

Here, the people lived prosperously and as they provided for the kingdom, they were in turn greatly provided for by their beloved and respected rulers. The villagers lived in comfortable and warm homes and raised their beautiful, blossoming families. They all were well fed, each family holding property and most either worked the shops or farmed and raised cattle, selling their wares for profit. They were all kind to their neighbors, and aside from the occasional public drunk coming out of the pub, there was no crime. Again, this was attributed to their rare and generous monarchy.

However, none of the villagers knew exactly how their King and Queen, along with their heirs, were able to keep this kingdom so pleasant. For many years, the territory had been surrounded by feuding rulers and waring nations. They had seen far out flames or arson, and had welcomed many refugees, to which they were easily brought into the town and blended seamlessly into the community. At no time has their country walls been breached, or even attempted to be destroyed. There had not been any turmoil or need for protest.

Even from a natural standpoint, the city seemed to not ever see a bad day. There was never any natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, not any electrical storms or tornadoes. No fires or droughts, floods or mudslides. They did have rainstorms and snows, though they hadn't seen them in dangerous amounts, just enough to keep things calm, pleasurable, and continuing.

The townsfolk were not aware that all of these factors, and more, were truly, in fact only realized because of their unique, selfless leaders. Behind the large wooden doors to the gleaming, towering castle that stood atop the highest point in the valley, overlooking the village, the royal family resided, held court, and ruled the land.

 

Unknown to their worshipers, each member of the family held a particular, powerful gift, one only used for the betterment of their community, never for personal gain or revenge. They kept these gifts secret from the townsfolk, yet continued presenting them with all of the rewards and benefits that came with them having the powers.

The wise and strong King Dwoven had built his kingdom from the ground up, with his own hands, sort of. From the impenetrable stone walls that surrounded the kingdom for miles, to the high stone watchtowers that were the tallest things around, the beautiful castle, he created all of it.  He kept the fields and farmlands rich and green, and aided the orchards and berry bushes in ripening fully, each and every season. 

Dwoven had the ability to create and control earth, from growing the trees and plants to moving rocks, the ground and possibly even mountains, and was able to form objects from these materials as well. It was with this ability that he created the wondrous Telvion they ruled. But not only did he build it, the King was instrumental in keeping it safe.

Over his reign, from time to time, he would notice armies trotting towards them, with nothing but war in their eyes, bringing it to Telvion. Each time, the King would form large, dense, solid barriers of earth outside of the kingdom's walls, out of the view of the townspeople, preventing the enemies from advancing. After they would retreat, he dismantled them.

Also, every couple of years, the area would succumb to an earthquake or two. One in particular had been meant to decimate the city. That day, Dwoven had been in his study, reading a leather-bound book, and sensed the beginning vibrations from the quake and could almost see the earth start to split and crack, sure to destroy his lifework. The earthquake had just begun to increase in size, soon the rumbling and dividing earth would appear. The King swiftly made his way behind his castle, away from the curious eyes of the employees.

Running into a small, circular courtyard with small bushes encasing the area, the floor being only the cool, invigorating soil that Dwoven felt connected to.. This was Dwoven's personal courtyard, where he alone could connect with the earth more than anywhere else. He came here for contemplation, meditation, or in some trouble time needing complete concentration, this was one of those times. He planted his bare feet in the dirt in a wide stance, and centering his body and mind, closed his eyes.

His mind cleared and with a deep connection, Dwoven sent waves of his power through his feet, into the ground, far beneath the surface, and sought out the earthquake, walls beginning to form as they pushed against each other and separated. Fearing the worst from this natural force, Dowven's power surged to a great strength, more than what he normally used, forcing his body to glow green as the intensity of the energy he was spending greatly increased.

His energy shot out through the miles and miles of soil beneath his feet and with his skill and concentration, the energy absorbed the earthquake's energy, stopping it from developing towards the surface, saving his kingdom and the people he loved and cherished. The King then forced the different plates to mold back together, expending so much of his self, that he passed out in the courtyard, exhausted from keeping everyone from harm, though they would ever know about it.

But it wasn't just the King who held a special ability. His exquisite queen, the ravishing Savina was also greatly valued in the community with her quiet, regal demeanor. She visited the townsfolk daily and corresponded with them on day to day affairs. She always brought a breath of fresh air to the town, in more ways than one, when she came by, brightening everyone's day.

On the day of the earthquake, it had been several hours, late into the afternoon, before his dutiful wife had found him, collapsed in his sanctuary. The Queen rushed to her husband's side, dirtying her queenly gown, though she didn't care about menial things like clothing as if they mattered, not compared to her husband's limp form.

Cradling her husband's head in her lap, her soft hands on his face, Savina started to use her own ability to try to revive Dwoven. The Queen was able to control air, from the soft, warm breezes she carried with her, to strong gusts. She had also been known, to just her family, to be able to separate, there by eliminating, tornadoes and hurricanes. They were basically just big wind storms, and she was able to break the air apart, dissapating the potentially dangerous storms, saving many lives. 

This time, she simply placed her face over her husband's, closed her eyes and, placing her mouth over his, breathed long, gentle streams of air, inflating her patient's lungs, expanding his chest outwards, until Dwoven lurched up, his eyes popping open, then settled back into his wife's arms. 

"Not a bad place to wake up to, my dear," the man had said as the tan color returned to his face, a smile appearing on his face, creating a similar one on Savina's face. "Well, I see you will be just fine." She then dropped his head in the dirt and walked away from him, Dwoven laughing as she did, Savina still with a large grin on her pretty face. 

 

Along with the respected and esteemed King and Queen, their wonderful and obedient children, Danani and Kath, also possessed great gifts. Though they were still learning on harnessing their powers, the two of them were deeply responsible and only used their powers for small things if their parents were not around, just so there were no accidents...or unwanted discoveries. 

Danani was the beautiful, teen-aged, maiden Princess of Telvion, and all the men in the village swooned after her, though they didn't think the King would be too warm to their ideas, so they only ever spoke kindly to her. She was nice, spirited, and humble, like the rest of her family. The Princess had many friends, both young and adult alike, and got along with everyone quite well. She was also friends with most of the animals the village kept, often naming them, and having a tender spot for the small critters and strays that occupied the town.

And young and intelligent Kath was the Prince of Telvion, and many knew he would be a great and able leader like his father one day, when he grew older. He preferred the stately, massive libraries the castle contained, losing himself for hours inside the comforting pages of the numerous books they held. Though Kath was also seen often in public, having several friends and acquaintances in Telvion's town folk. He was the soothing, quiet soul that the town seemed to crave every now and then, and would lend his ear and shoulder to the people who needed it. Just a young teenager, he already held the wisdom and generosity of that becoming of a great ruler.

Danani created and controlled fire and was always able to keep the castle and the kingdom warm and comfortable, especially in the harsh winters. Ever since she exhibited the element Fire as her gift, the young girl trained with caution, still understanding and learning about her power.

Younger brother Kath was also still learning to use his affinity, for Water, but had enough skill to make sure there was always enough rain to keep the vegetation green and the rivers flowing freely, both of which contributed to the village's survival. Lately, he had been trying his hand at turning streams of water to ice, freezing them solid. He could only get the top surface to freeze to far, yet was always a quick study. His father was sure he would get it down in no time. 

Four people. Four elements. Abilities so powerful they could nourish populations, save lands from natural destruction, and even protect and save lives, probably much more. Together, they called themselves the Element Rulers behind closed doors. They were a close, happy family who used their special talents only for good reasons, and the populous they ruled over benefited greatly from it. It was a unique, harmonious, and memorable time in the history of Telvion Kingdom, though one that unfortunately could not last forever. 

 

Author's Note

Okay, this started out as a merged chapter with most of the second chapter, but due to the suggestions of a friend and fellow writer, Cedric D. Jr. I decided to split them into two chapters, expanding them both. I think it's only enhances the story.

Please tell me what you think of the re-write if you read the original draft, or if you didn't, just let me know how you like it so far?

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

A very imaginative and created place of Televion. I like all the characters and their powers and I also like how they can harness the four elements of power which they control things. I find it fascinating that they use their powers for the good of people not the evil. Thank you for penning...:)

[Cory Firestine]

Thank you very much sir for the time taken to review this.
Have a great day Sami. :-)

[Sami Khalil]

You too my friend...:)

[dw817]

⊰ℛℛ⊱
A kingdom and family of elements. Perhaps one of the mainstay and main ingredients in many a good fantasy and RPG. I am going to hazard a guess. FIRE will be the bad guy. :)

[Cory Firestine]

Thanks for reading. FIRE will probably be the baddest character from this book, but this is going to be a series and there will be actual bad characters I believe, though it could all change. You never know.
:-)

[dw817]

Fire is even spoken of in religious lore. The all-consuming demon. Even children play with matches and fire. I was no different growing up, although in time I was fascinated by a more conducive, if you'll pardon the pun, interest. And that was electricity.

I remember placing two wires in a standard plug in the house. I attached one wire to a nail in a board and the other I held loosely. Then I tapped the nail with it and nearly blew up my room in the connection. :)

Boy did I catch trouble that day ! :D

[Cory Firestine]

Lol, I can only assume you did. I know I would, definitely!
Thanks for sharing. :-)

[dw817]

Reading ahead, I have found fire to be the bad guy after all, despite the wielder. And that is desire. Much like Sauron's Ring given to Bilbo.

[ms.seliz]

I like the idea that each member of the family has harnesses a different element. It seems you have created the perfect kingdom, but I like the last line which hints at some of the turmoil to come. Good chapter :)