The Princess Returns

Part One: Shattered Plans

         Rain splattered the ground as a unicorn-drawn carraige made its way swiftly and silently through the night.
         Inside the carraige sat Queen Anabelle Lunasai, a powerful sorceress and ruler of Enchantoria Vallyra. She had long golden hair, delicate features and sparkling sapphire blue eyes.
         Returning from a celebration, she was adorned in an royal blue dress with sleeves that were puffed at the top and elbows. The sleeves, waist, neckline and hem of her dress had gold trim, and the bodice was embriodered with a gold pattern. Atop her hair sat a gold crown.
         Beside Anabelle was her husband, King Lothario Lunasai. He had periwinkle blue eyes and sandy, slightly curly hair that covered his pointed ears. A half-elven warrior, he looked around for any signs of attack, constantly on guard. He wore double-layered robes, and his shoulders were covered with a cloak of velvet. His tunic and cloak were emerald green, trimmed with gold embriodery. A thin gold belt adorned his waist. His cloak was tucked slightly into the left side of his belt, and a small piece of the top layer of his tunic was lifted off the ground, also resting in his belt.
         Across from Anabelle and Lothario sat a young woman with burnished gold hair and ice blue eyes. Her name was Ellyra Cy'Aqui, and in her arms she held the two year old Kiara, daughter of Anabelle and Lothario.
         Smiling, Ellyra gently passed the sleeping princess back to her mother. She opened her mouth to speak, but a strange sound drowned out Ellyra's whisper.
         "Hoofbeats," Lothario pointed out, staring out the carraige window.
         Suddenly, yells mingled with the hoofbeats, and the carraige jolted sharply as the unicorns shied from their attackers.
         The three passengers scrambled out of the carraige, and the unicorns bolted. Twenty archers, dressed in black, kicked their steeds into a gallop and circled the startled travellers.
         "Anabelle! Ellyra! Get out of here!" Lothario yelled, drawing his sword from the folds of his robes.
         Anabelle and Ellyra attempted to flee, but the assasins shot arrow after arrow at them. Lothario tried to run to his wife's side, but a poisoned arrow was released from behind him, and he fell to the ground, gasping for air as life left his body.
         Anabelle whirled around, holding the now wailing Kiara in her arms, staring at her dying husband. An archer suddenly appeared in front of her, and before she had the chance to run or form a fireball, he shot an arrow directly into her heart. She sceamed into the night and collapsed to the ground, but Kiara lay in her mothers arms, unhurt, but sobbing loudly.
         Anabelle's scream alerted Ellyra, and she realised that she had to save Kiara. She ran to her Queen, but a woman in a blood red gown appeared in her path.
         From the long black hair and red attire, Ellyra recognised Kiara's Aunt Celesta immediately.
         "Celesta, thank goodness you're here." she said breathlessly, as the woman picked up the child.
         "Here, give her to me, you know the arrangement," she said.
         Celesta turned around, and an evil smile crossed her face.
         "That's exactly why I'm here, Ellyra. Anabelle just named you Kiara's godmother and Stewardess of Enchantoria Vallyra. You, and not I, her own sister! I'm taking Kiara, Ellyra. If she wouldn't let the Kai'Luna line rule when she was gone, then nobody in the Lunasai line will ever rule in her stead!" she exclaimed.
         Celesta swiflty turned around and called the archers to her. She then faced Ellyra again, clicked once, and she and her men were gone.
         Celesta and her adversaries reappeared moments later inside a secluded Castle, located in a deep valley that was far from civilisation. Her men retired to their quarters, and she took the young princess to one of the many rooms in her hideaway, putting her to bed until morning.
         "Oh no, Kiara," she said softly, a smug smile appearing on her lips, "No-one in your line will rule the Valley, but with you, I can claim the throne!"

***

         The next morning, Kiara awoke to her new surroundings. Her big periwinkle blue eyes widened fearfully, and she climbed out of her bed and walked quietly to the door, tucking a few golden curls behind her slightly-pointed ears.
         "Mu-mummy?" she called as loud as her young voice would allow, "Where am I? Mummy?"
         Celesta heard her cries and climbed the stairs to answer her niece's questions.
         "Good, you're awake. I'm you're Aunt Celesta, Kiara, and I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," Celesta said gently, trying to gain Kiara's confidence.
         "Where's Mummy?" asked Kiara nervously, following Celesta downstairs and into the kitchen.
         Celesta sat Kiara at the dining table, and then seated herself next to her.
         "Kiara," Celesta began, "there was an accident last night. When you were coming back from your ceremony last night, your carriage was attacked by a pack of wolves. Your father and mother tried to fend them off, but they managed to take your fathers sword and injure your mother so that she could not use her sorcery. They attacked them viciously, and I'm afraid they didn't survive..." she lied.
         "W-what about E-Ellyra?" Kiara asked, tears forming in her eyes.
         "I'm afraid she also perished," Celesta said.
         Kiara's eyes widened, and she ran clumsily from the room, sobbing openly. Celesta smiled as Kiara ran from the dining hall. Her lies had completely convinced the little girl.

***

         As the year went on, Kiara accepted what had happened to her parents and Ellyra.  Celesta had cared for her, though the woman often entertained, rarely even leaving Kiara with even the company of a nanny.  Kiara trusted and loved Celesta, though her affection had limits.  The loss of her parents at such a young age had scarred her deeply and the little girl was still reluctant to open herself completely to others. 

Shortly after she turned three, Kiara discovered her telekinetic powers.
         One afternoon in spring, Kiara sat upstairs in her room, staying out of the way of Celesta, who was entertaining a group of friends downstairs. Kiara sighed with boredom and looked across the room, staring at a music box on her dresser. She had seen Celesta bring objects across the room to her earlier in the year and decided to try it herself, even though she had no idea how to do it.
         Kiara squinted, concentrating on the music box and drawing its image into her head. Cupping her hands on her stomach, she closed her eyes, and, still picturing the music box, willed it towards her.
         Her ears picked up the sound of something levitating, and then the whoosh of it soaring through the air. Suddenly, something heavy landed in her cupped hands. Kiara opened her eyes, and saw the music box sitting in her hands. Kiara grinned at her newfound talent, and spent the rest of the afternoon training and perfecting it.

***

         Kiara's powers increased over the next few months, but she hid them from Celesta, often practising in secret hideaways that she discovered in her Aunt's dwelling. However, Celesta often had many friends over, and they would lock themselves away for many hours, time which Kiara used to train in open rooms.
         By the time she had turned four, Kiara had discovered a small library where Celesta kept her spellbooks. Celesta had been teaching Kiara to read for a year now, and she was quite competent, but these books used many unusual words, and Kiara could decipher little from them.
         On her third visit to the library, Kiara pulled a heavy book from the shelf. She was not strong enough to support its weight, and it slipped out of her hands and landed open on the floor. Inside this book was another thin book, titled My First Spellbook. Kiara's eyes lit up, this was exactly what she had been searching for. She picked it up and, after many laborious minutes, replaced the large spellbook where she had found it.
         Kiara took the book back to her room and immediately began to read. It began with simple information on sorcery and explained how powers progressed over time. After this brief introduction, there were many simple spells, which Kiara soon began to practice.
         Over the next year, Kiara learned most of the spells in the book she had found. She could now both Summon and Banish objects without concentration, open locks, conjure small items and even form a small fireball and create a protective forcefield, as well as accomplish numerous other sorcerous tasks.
         One Wednesday morning, Kiara awoke to strong sunlight streaming in her bedroom window, almost blinding her as she opened her eyes.  Realising that it was quite late, she got up and dressed quickly, hoping Celesta would have saved some breakfast for her.  She walked to the edge of the staircase, and upon hearing voices remembered that Celesta was, yet again, entertaining.  Sighing, she conjured an apple she had hoped she wouldn’t need to waste her power on.  A sudden cold gripped her as she turned back towards her room.  Her eyes widened, and her apple dropped from loose fingers as a series of emotions washed over her.  There was a sense of discovery, then feelings of alarming fury and betrayal, followed by the sensation of someone familiar brushing the top of her head with their fingertips.

Kiara blinked, the strange episode over.  Absent-mindedly, she ran a hand through her hair and picked up her dropped apple, brushing it off on her dress.  Shaking her head, Kiara pushed the feelings to the back of her mind, concluding that the incident was nothing more than an excess of sorcerous energy from oversleeping.  Deciding to remove this surplus of power, she started downstairs, where she could practise more freely.

Kiara was soon wandering around downstairs, making objects zoom across rooms and hallways and into her hands. As she walked past the dining room, she heard her name. Intrigued, she stopped to listen.
         "…Kiara doesn't know the true story, so after you hear this, don't tell her. Or anyone else for that matter," she heard Celesta say. "I was jealous that my sister made Ellyra godmother and Stewardess of Enchantoria Vallyra. I hired a band of twenty archers to have her and her husband assassinated. When they were coming home from the celebration of officially naming Ellyra Stewardess and Kiara heir, I had them attack. Kiara's mother and father were killed, but I let Ellyra live and kidnapped Kiara. She thinks that I am her godmother and that Ellyra, her mother and her father were killed by a pack of wolves!" Celesta finished, and she and her friends broke into evil-sounding laughter.
         Kiara shook with fury. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her up to her room. Gathering some clothes, her music box and her favourite bear into a small bag, she ran down the stairs and towards the door.
         Celesta heard Kiara running and opened the kitchen door to order a stop to the racket she was making. She then saw Kiara running down the hall with her bag. 
         "Stop! Don't even think about it kid!" Celesta cried.
         Kiara stood back from the door and willed it open with her powers. The door swung open and she ran. Celesta ran after her, but Kiara's emotions were running high, and her sorcerous blood caused a strong forcefield to form around Celesta’s castle, preventing anyone from coming after her.
         After running for what seemed like miles, Kiara slowed.
         "The way out of here has to be around here somewhere," she thought.
         Indeed, Kiara had heard Celesta talk about a portal to a marketplace, and had seen her walk in this direction many times. She knew it had to be nearby.  Thinking of her aunt brought angry tears to Kiara’s eyes.  She had allowed herself to love this woman, rebuilding her life in her castle, believing that Celesta had actually cared for her.  Now, all of her happiness had, once again, been shattered in a few moments.  A deep sense of betrayal set in her heart, and Kiara forced back the threatening tears.  She would not allow herself to cry for this woman.
         Kiara walked for a few more minutes, and soon saw something shimmering up ahead. Wondering if this could be the way out, Kiara once again broke into a run and started towards it.
         After a short while, Kiara reached the shimmering oval and smiled. In its fuzzy depths, she could see people moving. Her instincts told her it was the portal, so she stepped through.
         Kiara found herself in a marketplace bustling with people. She wandered around curiously, now that she had escaped her Aunt, she had no idea about what to do. She began to notice many people looking down at her, obviously wondering why she did not have a parent with her.
         A few stalls down, a woman with burnished gold hair and ice blue eyes was buying some potions. Ellyra thanked the shopkeeper, and began walking in Kiara's direction, browsing at the other stalls. As she passed Kiara, her hand lightly brushed the little girl’s hair.
         An image flashed through the woman's mind, an image of a little girl with golden hair and sparkling periwinkle blue eyes.
         At the same moment, something in Kiara's memory awakened, and she looked up at Ellyra, who stared back at her.
         "Kiara?" said the woman, bending down to look at the princess more closely, "is it really you?"
         Kiara's eyes lit up, and she threw herself into Ellyra's arms, laughing, and yet crying at the same time.
         "Yes, it is me, please tell me I'm not dreaming!" Kiara cried hopefully.
         "No, little one, you are not dreaming, and I think it's time you returned to Enchantoria Vallyra." Ellyra replied, scooping Kiara into her arms.  

Ellyra could see nor sense Celesta, and this puzzled her greatly.  However, it was a positive thing, and she began to walk.  After a short while, she felt that Kiara was in no immediate danger and allowed herself a contented sigh.

“Everyone thought you would have been killed by now, Kiara…We tried so hard to find you, but Celesta’s – ” she broke off, feeling Kiara tense at the mention of her aunt’s name.  “Is something wrong, Kiara?”

“She lied, Ellyra.”  Kiara said bluntly, her voice cold.

“Lied about what?”

“Everything!  She lied about you, about mummy and daddy, everything she ever said to me was a lie!” the little girl cried, swiftly averting her gaze.

“Oh Kiara…” Ellyra whispered, kissing the top of Kiara’s head.

“Thats why I’m here, Ellyra…” Kiara said, still not looking at her godmother.  “I heard her tell her friends everything about what really happened, and I ran away…”

“Well, you’re safe now, Kiara.” Ellyra replied.  “Look, we’re almost home,”

“Home…” Kiara said softly, a smile crossing her face.

 Ellyra had carried Kiara to a portal at the northeast end of the marketplace.  She set the little princess down and took her hand. Together, they stepped through the portal, into Enchantoria Vallyra, and into Kiara's rightful home.

***

Celesta sat in her bedchamber, fuming.  Kiara was five, and yet she had created a forcefield that had taken Celesta herself two hours to dispel.  She walked to her window and looked out over her secluded valley.  Strategically, it would be a bad move to go after Kiara now. 

She had felt the little girl pass through the marketplace portal and had quickly cast a Seeing spell, allowing her to watch Kiara whilst her sorcerers worked on removing the forcefield around her castle.  She had seen the events unfold between Kiara and Ellyra, and watched in anger and frustration as the two returned to Enchantoria Vallyra.

To go into the Valley now would be foolish.  Celebrations would continue well into the night, and Celesta did not have the forces to launch an attack on the Valley.  No, she would wait; wait until Kiara was old enough to take the throne.  By allowing time to pass, the Valley would forget the threat Celesta posed to them, and attacks could be made against the heir, and not the Valley itself.  Celesta smiled evilly.  If Kiara was anything like her parents, she knew many ways of taking the throne, and finally ridding herself of these wretched Lunasai’s.

Part Two: Chosen One

         The first early morning rays of sunlight crept through the many windows of Moonshine Manor. In the corner of a top storey bedroom, five-year-old Kiara stirred slightly in her sleep. Her long golden curls spread over the pillow on her four-poster bed. She rolled over, and her periwinkle blue eyes fluttered open.
         Downstairs, a crowd of people, including Enchantoria Vallyra’s Queen, Ellyra, were standing at the doors of the Manor, talking excitedly. These sounds carried up the stairs, where Kiara now stood, fully dressed. She made her way down to the third floor landing until she could hear what they were saying.
         “He’s back in Enchantoria Vallyra?”
         “I thought he was a myth…”
         “I wonder who he’ll choose!”
         Intrigued, Kiara ran down to the Manor’s front hall, and tugged on her godmother’s skirt.
         “Ellyra? What’s going on?” she asked.
         “Oh, hello Kiara,” Ellyra replied. “The legendary unicorn, Bel D’Ahn, is back in Enchantoria Vallyra. It seems he’s choosing a new master.” She explained.
         “Wow…” Kiara breathed.
She then noticed a long line of men and women, one by one stepping toward a magnificent unicorn.
         “Watch closely now,” Ellyra said to Kiara, as a young warrior stepped forward. “Let’s see if this man is the Chosen One.”
         Bel D’Ahn tossed his head and snorted, then charged. The warrior jumped aside, and walked away dejectedly. Obviously, Bel D’Ahn had not chosen him.
         Kiara’s big blue eyes widened. Before Ellyra could stop her, she had rushed out the door and over to Bel D’Ahn. She dropped to her knees as he slowly walked over to her. She looked up at him and got to her feet. He was looking regally down on the young princess, studying her. Ellyra watched with bated breath, fearing for her goddaughter’s life.
         The crowd gasped as Bel D’Ahn lowered his head…and nuzzled Kiara’s shoulder. Her face broke into a wide smile, and she stroked Bel D’Ahn’s white cheek.
         *M’Lady* he said telepathically, and bowed to her, signalling to all that he had chosen.
         Kiara continued stroking Bel D’Ahn with her left hand, and, to Ellyra’s surprise, conjured a halter and lead rope, of which she slipped over his head. She led Bel D’Ahn over to the stables, and put him in the stable block for stallions.
By the time she returned, the crowd had dispersed, and Ellyra walked over to her, smiling proudly.
         “Congratulations, Kiara,” she said warmly, “but there’s something I’d like to know.”
         “What is it?” Kiara asked.
         “How did you conjure that halter and lead rope?” she enquired gently.
         “I’ve been able to conjure stuff for ages now Ellyra!” Kiara replied, grinning broadly.
         “Well, I’m impressed! But also amazed. Kiara, I always knew you’d be a sorceress, but you shouldn’t have gotten any powers until you were at least seven.” She explained.
         “Seven? But I could move things with my mind since I was three…” Kiara replied thoughtfully.
         “Three!” Ellyra exclaimed, bewildered, “Kiara, I think you’re going to be a exceptionally powerful sorceress one day.” She said, smiling gently.