Black Soldier
The cave was HUGE. And by huge, I mean really, really huge. Like the size of 2 or 3 football stadiums. That's not the only thing though. The cave was beautiful. The moment I stepped in, I was mesmerized by its beauty. Even Sirena was in awe.
" Wow. Look at this place. " Sirena breathed. " Did you notice the hanging stuff?" she asked.
I nodded. I had noticed the hanging stuff. "Looks like frozen ice or something. " I said, reaching to touch one. Before I could touch it, Sirena grabbed my hand.
" Don't touch ANYTHING. You never know what might happen. You heard Kai, there's booby traps in here. Don't take a risk. " she said. I smiled to myself once she turned away. She was learning the ways of this realm fast.
" So how are we supposed to find this keyhole? " I asked, checking to see if the key was still in my pocket.
Sirena shrugged. " I guess we can just feel for it. " Then she frowned. " But that would take ages. "
" How about powers? " I asked.
" Powers? What do you mean?"
" Your powers. You are part Hidden, part human, plus, a pure spirit. Its obvious that you have powers. " I said.
" Oh. Oooh! Like Wanda Maximoff? The Scarlet Witch? " she asked excitedly.
" That's not true. Its merely fiction. But, yeah, I guess. Something like that. "
" Cool. So how do I um, activate it? "
" You need to find energy. Like, maybe anger at someone you really don't like, or love for someone you miss, or a happy memory that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. " I said. " I can't believe I just said warm and fuzzy. " I then muttered.
" We-ell, I don't have any enemies that I hate that much. So that's out. Let me try the other options. " She closed her eyes. I saw a vision floating above her head. I swallowed. It was a vision of our mother, Queen Aurora.
She was sitting in the throne room, a beautiful crown placed on her head. Her thick, wavy blackish-brownish hair rested on her shoulders. She held a golden scepter, and was wearing an amulet around her neck that matched with her blue gown. She looked so regal. The vision shifted. Now, the sun was setting, and she was in the palace gardens, pushing a little girl on a swing. She laughed, and the vision changed. Now she was lying on the cool grass, a little boy and girl lying beside her. She pointed out constellations to them. They looked so happy together.
The vision changed yet again. I recognized this one. She was trying out outfits for Sirena and my 8th birthday. It was to be a grand one. Too bad it never took place. I clearly remembered this particular memory because she had made me and Sirena dress up in twin clothes- then she laughed, saying we looked cute. I hated my twin at that time. Only when Sirena was sent away, did I stop hating her - it was because I realized how important she was, that she was a part of me, and that only we could understand each other. I had silently vowed that I would do anything to protect her.
The vision changed. I was there, painting something. Sirena was nearby, drawing and colouring on a piece of paper. Behind us, in the throne room, there were voices echoing down the hall. Overcome with curiosity, and we tiptoed silently to the throne room door. The door was slightly ajar, and we peeked in and eavesdropped. " We can't let this go on any longer!" boomed a masculine voice - our mother's brother, our uncle, King Drace. The vision changed, and showed the beginning of all the evil that had happened.
Drace was an evil man. Sirena and I both knew it. I think it was the only thing we agreed on at that time. But our mother refused to believe us. She always sees the best in everyone, and absolutely refused to think bad about her brother. But Sirena and I had known that it was only a matter of time before his secret got exposed.
You see, he had murdered our father, Shawn, only a month before my 3rd birthday, so that he could become king. Shawn was not from Vivaria or Miromar. When Queen Aurora had travelled to Earth, she had fallen in love with him, married him, and brought him back to rule with her as King of Vivaria. Drace was evidently not pleased with Shawn's presence, and asked Shawn if Drace could become King. Our father had steadfastly refused, and had humiliated him in front of the entire Vivaria by tossing him in prison when he was caught red-handed, pouring poison in Shawn's drink.
Our mother was away at that time, and didn't know of any of this until she came back. Trusting her brother with her life, she was furious with my father when she found out that Drace was imprisoned for attempt at murder. Our father tried to reason with her, but, again, she pushed aside our explanations and let Drace out. Humiliated and angry, Drace set out to seek revenge on Shawn. Thus, the murder.
Sirena and I had witnessed it ourselves. I would never forget it. Sirena and I had been playing hide and seek with our father, and we had hid ourselves in the closet in his room. It was then we heard Drace come in, and talk to our father angrily, begging him to let Drace become King. After some time, our father grew frustrated and told Drace that he was not capable enough to rule. He said that Drace had a bad record, and that Shawn couldn't trust him to rule Vivaria fairly. Upon hearing this, Drace was enraged.
Sirena and I, hiding in the closet, wondered what was going on. We peeked through the keyhole just in time to see Drace stab our father with a knife he had hidden in his clothes. Sirena gasped, and I had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't scream out aloud and give us away. Thankfully, Sirena had kept quiet, tears falling from her eyes as she saw her father die in front of her and couldn't do a thing. I was grief-stricken. What a horror it was for two 2 year old kids to see their father so cruelly stabbed by their own uncle.
Later on, Drace pretended that someone else had come and killed Shawn. Sirena and I told our mother what had actually happened, but Drace pushed us aside and twisted our words. We were so mad that our mother didn't believe us, but there was nothing we could do about it. Nothing.
As the years passed, I tried to work out what happened. I had an intelligent brain, my mother always said. I didn't know what was Drace's big plan at that time, I only knew that he wanted the crown. By the time his coronation - that took place shortly before my 8th birhtday - had come, I had worked it out. Sneaking in Drace's room, eavesdropping, and pondering about it for days was how I accomplished it. After being crowned King, Drace's first order would be to imprison my mother, Sirena and me.
Knowing his plan, I prepared carefully. I wrote a letter to someone I trusted and looked up to immensely - my mother's adviser, Farzan. He tactfully related the news to my mother. His tact was what made my mother doubt her brother. She arranged for me and Sirena to be sent to Earth, where we would be safe, just in case.
Farzan had suggested for her to go to Earth with us, but she refused. She said that if she was to die, she would die like a queen, not flee like a coward. When she said that sentence, I was in awe. What an impressive queen. My mother did not deserve to be killed by her own brother who she cared about so much. But he was lost in the darkness, and greed had overcome him. There was no turning back now.
Just like I had assumed, once the crown was safely on his head, he ordered for his loyal guards to capture us. My mother immediately intervened, and sent Sirena in a teleporter to Earth. But before she could send me, she was captured, and taken away. Scared and confused, the 7-year-old me stumbled out, with tears blinding my eyes, trying to run away from the palace.
The teleporter
A short while later, Farzan found me, and took me to the Black Soldier's territory. The Black Soldiers kindly accepted me into their group. I was comfortable there, only because my mother, who had made sure I was skilled in self-defense, had sent me to train there ever since I was 3. I now continued my training for 10 years, from when I was 3 years old to 13 years old. No news was heard of Drace. One day, I returned to the palace to find it abandoned. The once magnificent palace now stood in ruins. My fear grew. Where was my mother? Was she killed by her own brother? I didn't know how evil Drace was, but I sincerely hoped that he wouldn't kill his own sister just for the throne. Who knew what he was capable of?
After asking around, I found Farzan, now an old man. He told me that my twin was growing up happily on Earth, and had forgotten all about Vivaria. I was horrified. My twin's memory had been erased by the teleporter, a safety feature my mother had activated. Now she wouldn't remember anything! He also told me that my mother was taken shortly after being imprisoned. The Wicked Sisters had come and killed Drace, declaring that he was no longer useful. Then they took my mother away, and even Farzan didn't know if she was alive or dead. Saddened by the news, I set out to do research on Earth and on my twin.
All these memories swirled in my head, until I didn't realize that Sirena was starting to glow and was floating. My eyes widened as a strong wind whipped around us. I snapped out of my thoughts. " You're doing it! Just keep concentrating on finding the keyhole!" I shouted over the wind. The cave walls trembled. I spotted some fallen rocks clearing the way to a golden keyhole. I was astonished. She had done it. I ran through the wind to the keyhole and inserted the key in it. I turned and heard a click. The cave walls moved and revealed a shiny golden door.
