"You can open your eyes," Ezeman said as Zaramanni curled her body into a ball that shivered with fear.
She had no idea what to term what just happened.
And, as she opened her eyes, she had no idea what to call the scene in front of her.
Slowly, she lifted her head, curiosity, and perplexity in her eyes as the majestic and foreign view in front of her became clearer and clearer.
The first thing she noticed was how much her sight had changed. Just like when she set eyes on Ezeman and the blue door, she could see the huge structure in front of her clearly.
She did not miss how colourful the tall building was. Past the large, cursive gates that had opened on their own, past the numerous feet that walked the grounds with the large compound, the building ahead was strange yet interesting to look at.
It seemed to be a tree- a very huge tree. It was deeply rooted and its branches were huge buildings in the shape of buns, each round structure having a window or two.
Zaramanni did not miss the fact that she could see signs of life in those huge bun buildings.
It was just bizarre.
Looking up, the beautiful and different sky pulled her attention. Zara smiled softly as she stared more and more at the numerous colours that gave the expansive sky its beauty.
She was mesmerized by what she was seeing, no doubt.
But, as she was bound to, she became curious again. And, a little bit frightened.
Zara, being a knowledgeable person needed no seer to tell her that she was on unfamiliar grounds. She was in a place not known to Earth.
So...
Zara frowned as her thoughts raced.
... did that mean she had been taken to another planet?
Were all those talks about Aliens real? She wondered and took a look at Ezeman who had his hands folded behind him as his sharp eyes watched her with seriousness.
Zaramanni shook her head. It couldn't be the aliens.
There was something special about the dark skinned man and the place he had brought her to.
Looking around once again, Zaramanni found herself acknowledging a fact she wished wasn't true. The moment she fell onto the soft grass, after the tumultuous ride she had, in her fear, she felt a certain kind of relief.
That feeling came against her will.
But, Zara had the kind of feeling a person who had been separated from her people would have. She felt like she was back in a place that could be called home, she felt soothed.
But that was nonsense.
Her home was with her grandmother, in Philadelphia.
Suddenly, with faint anger and a sharp movement of her head, she looked up at Ezeman whose wings had now disappeared.
"You-"
The familiar sound of a revving engine filled her ears and Zara felt hopeful all of a sudden. As she looked ahead, she saw the familiar shape of a car and she quickly determined that the entire place was probably some CGI-induced movie set that she had been dragged to.
That was what she thought until the car began to race towards her. The driver didn't seem bothered by Zara who was beyond startled.
The person just accelerated the vehicle and forged ahead with no plans to stop.
Zara, on the other hand, could not move. She was so scared that she could do nothing but watch the vehicle approach her.
So, in the heat of the situation, she closed her eyes and hoped that the worst that would happen to her would be to land in the hospital. Besides, her wounds always healed fast, she wouldn't be in pain for too long.
But, the expected hit never came. Zara didn't feel her body being flung in an unknown direction nor did a jaw feel misplaced in her face.
She opened her eyes and looked up at Ezeman who still had that annoying look on his face. Then, her gaze fell on the sky as her ears caught engine sounds from that direction.
"Oh," she blurted out with relief as the car above her stayed in the air for some seconds before flying away.
"Oh!" Zara instantly stood up. Surprise had finally gripped her. She finally got to process what she saw.
As she turned and looked ahead, what her sight landed on made her heart flip for a second.
It was an entire city out there, a metropolis to put it better. The buildings were just like the ones back home, the only different thing was the lines that visibly connected the buildings. Also, vehicles of different shapes and sizes flew in the air in a particular direction. Human-like figures who wore wings did the same.
But that was all Zaramanni could see at that moment, there were many more sights to behold in the land of Amarxona.
"Where is this place?"
Ezeman cleared his throat and replied, "Welcome to Amarxona, the land of the fairies."
Zara's eyes enlarged. Fairies?
Well, that would explain the wings. But... Fairies? "My name is Ezeman and I am a Moon Fairy."
"What am I doing here? I do not belong here," Zaramanni asked as her eyes traveled past the sight in front of her once more.
"You are needed for something important."
"Something important? What is that?"
Ezeman shifted his stance, his bare chest glistening for a second thanks to a particular light that reflected from the tree-like building. He held onto the belt hole of his trousers before he said, "It is not my job to tell you what you are here for."
"So, what is your job?"
"To get you to your room, make sure you have a good bath and prepare for the event."
"Event? What event? Is there some kind of party?"
Ezeman sighed. He was probably tired of her talking, Zara thought. "I can't tell you much, but," he grabbed her hand gently, "I can assure you that you will get answers to the questions that have bothered your sleep while you were on Earth."
"Answers?"
"You always wondered why you are so different from the other humans, why you saw things differently, and why you grew up the way you did."
"I will get answers to everything?" Zaramanni felt a surge of excitement within her. Perhaps her sudden journey to this unknown fairyland wouldn't be a terrible thing at the end of the day.
If truly they can find answers to her questions, it would be worth the stay.
"Yes, you will."
"How do I trust you?" Zara wasn't willing to fully trust the words of a man who conjured a huge circle that portalled her to another world.
"I am not a liar," he replied with pride.
"How do I know that?"
"I'll make sure to keep my word. As long as you do as you are told."
"Hmm..." Zaramanni hummed. "If you say so." She had no means of going back anyway, it would be best for her to follow the lead of a person, rather, of the fairy in front of her.
Zara almost let a sneer overpower her face as it occurred to her once more that she had just been told that she was in the land of fairies.
"Can we go in now? We need to get you ready before-"
"One more question."
Ezeman wore a frown on his forehead, his impatience reeking strongly. But, despite his scowl, Zara felt happy that she was able to break his calmness which frustrated her strongly. "What is it?"
"If this is Amarxona, the land of the fairies, how come you are speaking the same language as me? Clearly, I am not a fairy and I do not come from here."
"Is that what you think?" The man's tinted brows raised slightly as he dropped her hand. "You think you are not from here?"
Zara's eyes darted toward the sky, then the ground, then, back to Ezeman.
What was he trying to imply? She wondered.
"I am from Philadelphia, what are you-"
"To answer your question," he cut her short, "the general language spoken all over this universe is Ingilishi. I believe that is what you call English where you are from."
"Ingli-" Zara's scoff was on the verge of becoming a chuckle. She was certain that word was English in another language but she said nothing more.
"Can we go now?"
Zara let out a deep breath. She was about to go further into a world she was not familiar with. A part of her hoping that it would all be a dream at the end of the day, she nodded and Ezeman grabbed her hand and they both walked past the golden gates and toward the tree building.
~
"Is she in there?" Zara heard a raspy voice ask from outside her oval-shaped door.
"Yes, my Lord." She recognized Ezeman's voice.
"Good. Open the door."
Her eyes trained intently on the double doors that were made out of blurred glass, Zara swept the ends of the ridiculously long gown Ezeman had given her into one of her hands.
And, quickly, she grabbed her bag from the four-poster bed that stood several distances away from the entrance.
With no emotion flowing within her, Zara looked around the aesthetically pleasing room for a second before letting out a sigh.
It might be a lovely room, but the few minutes she spent in it made her feel extremely lonely.
And, she strongly hated that.
The doors flung open and a loud thud accompanied the motion.
The thud came from the grasp of an old man who had a staff in his hold.
His long grey beard flew to the side in response to the wind that came inside the room and his long cloak swept the floor as he walked toward her, a look of astonishment on his wrinkly, pale blue face.
"Oh heavens!" His croaky voice filled the room as he moved closer and closer. "You look just like her. This makes everything so much easier. Ezeman, don't you think so?"
"Yes, my Lord." Ezeman's response was so robotic.
"Yes," the man laughed. His struts stopped in front of Zaramanni who watched the old man's every step with caution. "Zaramanni..."
He made his staff rest against his chest as he laid his hands on her shoulders. "Welcome to Amarxona."
"Uh... sure."
"Do you know why you are here?"
"I-"
"You are here to help the king." Zara frowned. "You are going to help the king find the one thing that is missing in his life. Are you willing to do it?"
"What will happen if I say no?" Zara asked, her spirit willing to engage in some negotiation.
The man laughed again, his wooden staff which had streams of flowing colours all around it, back in his grasp.
"Meta mesita," she heard him say and she felt a strange tickle in her eyes. "Zaramanni..." She shook her head as something strange coursed through her system. "Are you willing to do it?" he asked again.
"What do you want me to do?" An inner part of Zaramanni knew she didn't want to say that. The man must have cast a spell on her.
Oh, that cunny bastard.
"That's more like it." He wore a huge smile. "Ezeman will take you to the King's room, I trust that you can take it from there."
"What exactly am I supposed to do?" The spell certainly didn't cage her entire senses. For that she was thankful. "What will I do when I see the king? Do I hug him? Should I push him out of his bed? Is there a spell you want me to cast?"
"No."
"No?"
"Everything has been prepared. All you have to do is go in there and bring the King out of his room."
"Hmm, that definitely sounds easy," Zara's voice dripped with sarcasm.
The man said nothing more. His staff in the air, he conjured a circle as Ezeman did before. Once the circle was complete, he faced Zaramanni.
"This portal will lead you to the King's room. Ezeman, take her in, you'll be her guide."
"Yes, my Lord."
Ezeman reached for Zaramanni's hand and led her into the bright light.
The journey was not as bizarre as before. Within a few seconds, their feet were walking into another room- a dimly lighted room.
"I will be outside," Ezeman whispered and Zara hugged her bag to her side. It was holding the clothes she took off so it had a fluffy feeling to it.
As soon as the door closed and Zara was left alone in the chilly space, she walked further into the room and toward the place she felt the bed would be positioned.
Moving closer, her damned sight became clearer and she saw the man she was meant to speak to curled on the bed, his entire figure looking like something that she should be afraid of.
"Uh... Mr. King? Your Majesty?" she called gently as she hoped she had not been thrown into the lion's den. The person in the room didn't feel welcoming at all.
She finally got to the side of the bed and stood over his figure.
Gently, she tapped his broad back and he suddenly sat up, his eyes looking so furious so much that she let out a yelp.
But, as their eyes locked a bit more, the anger in his eyes reduced and it got replaced with a sober look.
"Laura?" Zara's eyes darted across the room, she was pretty sure that was not her name. "My Queen, is that you?"
"Uh..."
He gripped her shoulders hard and glared right into her eyes. "I thought I had lost you," he sounded like he was about to cry. "I thought I would never get to look into your beautiful eyes." With haste, he grabbed her hands and covered them with his. "Are you hurt?"
"Your majesty, I-"
Zara let out a small cry of surprise when he suddenly pulled her closer. But, she became beyond surprised when his lips suddenly landed on hers and he kissed her like one would kiss a long-lost lover- firmly and with a sense of longing.
Before she found herself giving in to that perplexing moment, Zaramanni took note of the obscurity in the man's eyes.The dark eyes of the man with the light-toned skin wore intense sorrow and by that, she could tell that there were stories behind that look. Soon, those eyes clamped shut as he pulled her by the arm and intensified the kiss.Zaramanni knew it was wrong.He had called another woman's name before he put his intoxicating lips on hers but she could not stop him. Something inside her wanted it to continue.She felt a jolt in her spine as he captured her lips ardently and sucked its flesh seductively and assuredly.Zara could not tell him to stop.As much as he wanted to kiss the woman he thought she was, she wanted him to continue.It was weird but true.Zaramanni seemed to feel some strange connection to the man.So, her hands went around the thickness of his neck as he gen
Her long gown that wore bloodstains as spots layered on the ground, Zaramanni had no idea what to feel for the first few minutes. But, when she noticed the inquisitive look on the King’s face, she managed to get up so that she could do something about her life and perhaps, about her injury. Taking a quick look at her earlier molested hand led her brows to lift with perplexity. The uncomfortable bleeding had ceased. All that was left was a scar that showed that a knife had indeed pierced through her skin. More confused, Zara slightly tilted her head to catch a glimpse of the King’s injury. But, the tall, angry-looking man had his hands drawn into a ball of fists, his gaze drilling flames into her body. Wondering what was wrong with the man, Zaramanni's lips wore a little sneer but her mind was soon distracted as her eyes went on to observe the chaos she had created. Then, her mind finally asked the question it should have asked earlier. Did she really destroy the sacred place?
Her breath failing her, Zara put a sudden halt to her fast movements. Patting her chest as she clutched the cloth in that area, Zara watched with distress as the King advanced without looking back to see if she was really following him."Mr. King-"It was hard for her to speak at that moment, so, while breathing hard through her mouth, she decided to take a small rest. Just a few seconds to restore some strength wouldn't hurt, she thought.With a single movement, Zaramanni squatted and took her rest in that position. Looking up at the clear night through the branches of the trees that surrounded her, Zara let out a sigh. Her troubled mind wondered if running was all she would be doing for a long time.What use is running if there's no particular direction in mind?The man she was trusting to lead her out of danger was just taking a huge risk, and it was clear that the paths in Amarxona were strange to him."What kind
There were days when Zaramanni found herself dreaming about death. Such dreams scared her more than a horror movie would. On such dreadful nights, her heart would pick a race, her soul would feel detached from her body, and unconsciously, she always fought to feel attached to the physical realm. That was the same dilemma she was facing at that moment. She had felt death lurking around her in the form of a deadly yet unseen beast. And, to survive that situation, she closed her eyes and waited for the worst. But, if the worst was as peaceful as what she was feeling at that point, Zaramanni felt that she could open her eyes and finally know her fate. But, first, she tried to check her living state. Zaramanni felt one of her toes twitch inside the confinement of her shoes, then, her hands felt heavy and desperate to be moved. She was indeed alive. Zaramanni finally opened her eyes. A sharp draw of her breath ensued as dark, unforgiving eyes peered into her soul. Her feet made to
Zaramanni could hear something thumping.If it was her heart or that of the King's, she had no idea.All Zara knew was that the voice that came from the darkness ahead sounded like Ezeman’s and the last thing she wanted to happen at that moment was Ezeman dragging her back to Amarxona's palace.So, she attempted to run away.But, the tight space that had her standing so close to the man made her plan flop.The space was already barely enough for a person, so attempting to move just caused Zaramanni momentary pain.“Stay calm,” the king’s breath fanned hotly as he spoke with a low, coarse voice. “Don’t move.”Zara wasn’t willing to be stubborn and refuse to follow his instructions, so she nodded, swallowed hard, and rested her head against his chest to avoid getting hurt by the spikes the cave’s opening formed.As both of them had their sight glued onto the dark space ahead, th
Her light, careful footsteps led her to the bathroom where she hoped she would be able to get rid of the stench she just acquired.The girl sighed as she walked to the tainted mirrors on the walls.Her hands resting soullessly on the edge of the cream-coloured basin in front of her, she watched as tears reddened her eyes.At that point, she was so unsure of how strong she could continue to be.That day was supposed to be a good day for her. Her birthday was on that day.But, Gavin and his notorious friends ruined that day. The day that was meant to be peaceful.As she peeled off her wet top that showed the outline of her blue bra, Zaramanni pushed her hair to the side, her entire soul disgusted by the smell it emitted.Her mind was instantly plagued by thoughts of the amount of shampoo and conditioner she would use to get her hair back into great shape.
For a second, the night took a brief pause. The leaves on the trees seemed to cease their slow dancing, the breeze went into hiding. Even though the moon remained bright, its presence worsened the situation on the ground. There was no escaping the terrible thing that just happened. And, there was definitely no way to un-see the raging beast in front of her. Zaramanni, who managed to get up despite the feeble state of her feet, decided to do something as she felt the chilly breeze of the night rush through her roughly packed hair. Her full senses rushing back, her lips failing to find another bout of scream, Zaramanni could finally hear Alisha’s groans as well as the wolf’s angry snarling. With the side of her eyes wrinkled, Zara caught a glimpse of Alisha’s ripped arm which was twitching as much as blood rushed out of it. “Zara…” Alisha managed to call as it seemed that the animal was about to strike again and perhaps bite her to death. “Alish
Racing into the aesthetically pleasing room where the famed healing fountain of Amarxona was located, Ezeman found himself surprised at how functional he had been over the past few weeks. When his wandering gaze fell on the crystal-like flowing water that made the atmosphere of the arched room quite nice, Ezeman halted his steps. He searched for Lord Haggard in the large space and the fairy, as though answering his inner call, walked out of the wall, his palms bearing a floating huge ball of blue flames that had become useless since they lost track of the girl. "I take it that you were unable to find them," the elder's raspy voice spoke and Ezeman quickly lowered his knees onto the chilly ground, "seeing that your hands are empty." "We lost track of them. It seemed like they suddenly disappeared." "You shouldn't make excuses, Ezeman." The old man made loud noises while walking as he set the ball of flame into the depths of the fountain structu