"The Power" by Alexandra ´alecan´ Alexandersson

Chapter I


In the year 1099 of the second age the planet Akiros was divided into three large continents. The smallest continent, Okra, was reigned by an old king and his adult daughter. The second greatest was ruled by a prince named Eri. Thou he was not king of his continent Feirosos yet because he wasn´t married. Since Eri and most of the nobels were of a spieces that lived for about 5000 years he would have to choose his bride carefully. His mother Aran, the queen, was searching almost frenetic for a suitable wife among the nobel maidens. Every woman of a marriageableage age were of course very exhilarated over the idea of being queen for the next 3000 years. The greatest continent, Immortale, was ruled by a merciless magician who controlled the mighty black magic called "The Dark Light". She, for it was a woman, had control over the red dragons all over the planet, not very many but powerful. Together with them and her troups of darkness she had destroyed the kingdom and she was now absolute ruler of the largest continent. She was named Atanvarne, which means "human protector" but that didn´t fit her at all. In Immortale there´s living about 10 billion humans and at least 70 percent of them are slaves under her evil hand. One couldn´t call Atanvarne sympathetic.

Monday afternoon the 3rd of April, Atanvarnes lounge.
-My leage, this slave has asked to meet you. He was very ambitious and he has been in the line for two months now, or so he says.
I looked at the dirty little creature kneeling beside my gards.
-Let him speak.
The man must have been in his 40´s but from his scruffy look to tell he seemed far much older. He shivered a bit as he moved towards me and kneeled a few metres from my feet.
-My leage, I... He was interupted by my servant who brought me wine. With a quick nervous look at the slave who served me he carefully continued:
-My leage, I would very much like to thank you for your time. I know that I´m wasting your precious time and I´m truly sorry for that. I will make it short I promise. He kept on making excuses and I was reminded why a loathe those pathetic humans. My otherwise so comfortable chair was getting really hard sitting on and my head was nearly exploding because of all the problems I had to deal with. The man was still talking. I yawned and looked at him.
-Sorry I wasn´t listening, what were you saying again? He abrubted himself and looked surprised at one of my guards, he wasn´t allowed to look at me, and quickly looked away again.
-Oh, I... I apologise. I do understand that you have much to think about and I must really be disturbing you with my small problems, I´m so sorry...
I was bored.
-Just get to the point, I said with a sanctimonius look. He bowed twice and continued:
-I apologise my leage, Well... how shall I put it? He swallowed nervously. I have five children, and many of the other slaves have five or more as well.
They reproduce as rabbits, I thought.
-And... well, the food you give us isn´t quite enough. I mean... It´s not that I´m not truly grateful for your generosity, I really am. But my children are starving. And, if it wouldn´t be to much to ask I would like to have just a little bit more food so that I can feed them. He was shaking and I could see a drop of prespiration falling from his skinny face. He looked as if he was starving himself. Well, he was probably giving all he had to his children. I moved in my chair and stared at him.
-I hope you all know that i do would like to feed you all like kings, I lied, but you must see my problem here. if I would use my land to grow fields of seed, there just wouldn´t be enough grass for the cattle to graze on. And without enough cattle there´s not enough food for my dragons. And without my dragons, how can I conquer more land for you to grow your seed on? He was sadly looking at his feet. I am so good, I thought and smiled.
-Excuse me my leage, I now truly know how many big problems you have to deal with. I apologise a thousand times for spending your precious time. I sighed.
-Don´t get me wrong, I am going to salve your problem, slave. He smiled so much I could see the few discusting teeth that he had left.
-Guard, hear my word and kill one, no wait, kill two children in every family with five or more children. That would salve the food problem. The man was devistated and without remembering my laws he cried out:
-No, please not my children, anything but not my precious children. Please not my children. I stared at the pathetic, filty human crawling at my feet.
-Oh well, as you wish slave. Than you must be in prison for the rest of your life, meaning you will never see your children again.
The man now looked at me. He was relifed it seemed.
-Thank you, thank you. You are far to kind.
The guard began dragging him towards my dungeons. I smiled.
-Wait, he´s right. I am far to kind. Spread my orders about the children and kill this man, he´s giving me a headache.
I leant back in my chair with the sound of the man screaming and crying desperatly as he was dragged further away from me. I tasted my drink. These humans can at least serve wine properly. Maybe this day wouldn´t be as bad anyway.


Monday the 3rd of April, Eri is talking to his counsellor when a servant enters the room leading a wounded man.
-Your highness, one of our spies has arrived from Immortale.
The counsellor got up so fast his chair fell over with a big bang that spread to an echo in the large room. Eri stopped speaking and looked surprisingly at the servant and the exhausted spie leaning on his shoulder.
-Only one? We sent at least fifty!
The servant moved nervously and scratched his black beird.
-Well... er... he is the only one left alive, sir.
Eri shaked his head sadly and sat down with his face in his hands.
-By all gods, the lord of Immortale is stronger than we thought, much stronger, he mumbled. Can he speak? Eri was looking hopefully at the spie.
-I don´t think he can sir.
-Oh well, take him to the healer. Maybe he can tomorrow, Eri said and turned his head away. And as the servant lead the spie out of the room he sighed and looked at his counsellor.
-How could he kill 49 of my men fast as a rumor grows?
The counsellor, who had put his chair back in place sat down and said with his deep, calm voice:
-This "lord" that has conquered Immortale and murdered the royal family, what do we know about him?
The young prince wasn´t happy.
-Not much, we don´t even know for sure that it´s a man.
The counsellor laughed.
-Eri my friend. No woman can have that power nor cruelty. You are far to engaged in that feminist crap. He laughed again and continued:
-No, it´s a man allright. And never have I seen such evil on Akiros.
Eri that wasn´t all satisfied sighed and said:
-If it is as you say and it is a man that doesn´t change the fact that we know nothing about him and we surely don´t have the power to defeat him.
The counsellor had a evil grin on his face.
-Who says we have to defeat him?
Eri wasn´t surprised by his friend´s answer.
-No Morion, I will not be an allied with a someone who kill humans for fun. If he could kill one royal family for their power than why shouldn´t he do the same with mine? Eri went over to one of the large windows that lightened up all of the room.
-I suppose you´re right, Morion said. Eri looked out over the blue mountains and the thick mist which seemed to rest among the wide forests. He saw his people on the street and out on the fields, from up here they all seemed like small ants, busy with their work. He saw a man selling something at the market, a rider stopped by the guards at the entrance of the city and far, far away behind the Stormy Sea he knew that evil was growing. In time it would come to his kingdom. He could never let that happen. Eri turned and looked at Morion, his muscular counsellor and life guard.
-All I know for sure is that he has very powerful troups. I mean, the kingdom of Immortale had, well not quite as strong as ours but very strong and he has destroyed them in less than three months. Three months Morion, three months. That´s a very short time for a war.
-Yes, he is powerful. The counsellor thought for a while then he said:
-A magician perhaps?
Eri was walking in circles but stopped and went over to the table again.
-If he is, than it means he´s one of our kind. And then it isn´t impossible to find out who he is, he said and smiled. Morion smiled as well.
-I will talk to the elders immediatly, maybe thay can help us to find out who this dark lord is.
The prince nodded and sat down by the table.
-Please do so, my friend.
As Morion got up and went to see the elders a blue flame appeared in front of Eri. He smiled as it turned into a beautiful young woman.
-Ah, my dear Fea, he said still smiling. You´re getting quite good at that formula now.
The young lady smiled and brushed some dust of her shoulder.
-Thank you friend, but I still have some problems with all this magical dust thou.
They laughed a bit.
-So why do I get the pleasure of your visit? Eri asked.
She looked at him and smiled again.
-Oh, I´ve heard some rumors about a wedding.
-A wedding? Eri asked.
-Yes, between you and lady Cálale.
Eri laughed.
-Ah, I see, it´s mother again. She plans a new wedding for me every week.
-And you´re still not married? How come? Fea asked and sat down.
-How come? Because I don´t love them of course.
She shaked her head.
-Eri, Eri, Eri... You still haven´t got it. There can be no such thing as love when you are a prince. And even if there should be you must find it among the nobles, you know that. So says the laws and so has it always been.
-Yeah, I know, he said sadly. But I´m not getting married to that incompetent cow anyway.
Fea laughed.
-Cálale? An incompetent cow? Such words you are using friend. You sure don´t sound as a future king.
They both laughed.


Tuesday the 4th of April, Eri´s visiting the healers.
-How is he? Eri asked the young healer who had taken care of the spie.
-He´s in pain but he can speak sir. The prince was on his way in to see him but was stopped by the healer.
-Your highness, there is something I need to explain to you first. Follow me and we´ll sit down alone. They went in to a dark room that had a strange smell and sat down by a black table.
-You see, the healer said and looked Eri straight in the eyes. He has fire marks on his back. Not any fire marks, but fire marks that will always seem to have a warm glow. Do you know of what I speak?
Eri looked at her seriously and nooded.
-Dragons! The lord of Immortale has control over dragons. May the gods be on our side.