Prince of Kairos
By Magsi Rover
Genre: Adventure
Archetype: The Dandy and The Tomboy
Keywords: Blood, Dragon, Fan, Old Photograph, Wings, and Sacrifice.
THE FOREST OF DESIRE
The stars gleamed through the midnight sky like diamonds that had spilled over the vast darkness.
“Not a cloud in sight,” a young man who had been riding a black stallion said as he looked back to the few friendly men who followed his journey to the Sky Palace.
“Prince Eirik, Darkness has already engulfed this land. Let us make haste; it will be dangerous for all of us, and for you as well,” a man who wore a long brown cape adorned with a compass crest on his left shoulder spoke with urgency.
The prince gave him a wry smile and urged his horse forward when all of a sudden the black stallion reared up in surprise. A woman wearing a silver-hooded cape came out from the woods with a bow and arrow at hand beneath the crystal moon that lit the trail. The prince, along with his group of men, watched in awe as she strode to a halt in the middle of the road, while aiming at an unknown target from the woods. When she shot her arrow, a loud roar echoed through the forest, and as soon as the ordeal had ended, the men grew aware of the potential danger of the young woman and prepared to defend the prince.
“You there, reveal yourself!” The man who was now in front of the prince bellowed.
The lady stood firm on her guard and decided to walk toward the forest, even if the men had already drawn out their swords and pointed for her to stop.
“I urge you, good sir, to allow me to pass and be on my way. I do not bear any harm to the man who is behind you. I am only here, merely to play,” she said.
“My lady, the night has become rather dangerous to play. No matter how skilled you are, might I suggest, my men accompany you instead? I do apologize for my men, as you can see I am . . .,” The prince paused, and yet to his surprise the lady in front of them had drawn out an estoc sword while swiftly breaking the barricade of men and jumped high toward the nearest tree, her silver hood fell off, and from the light of the moon, her silver hair shone brightly.
“We shall meet again, Prince! Perhaps the next time you wander within the Sky Kingdom!” she said with a light giggle before disappearing into the dark.
Enthralled by the meeting, the young prince motioned his hands to halt the men from making any move and to allow the lady to leave in peace.
“Interesting,” he uttered under his breath.
“My Prince, it was a mistake to let her go,” once again the man in the long brown cape said with urgency.
“Sir Fenix, I barely think a lady like that would have any interest in me,” the prince replied as he took a firm grip of the Hobble Strap that held his saddle to his horse.
THE PALACE
The arrival of the prince from the Kingdom of Kairos caused a huge uproar in the Kingdom of Sky. It was not that new for princes from distant lands to visit the kingdom, however there was something special about the prince himself. Aside from his good looks, he possessed a great deal of charm which made it impossible for everyone who has laid their eyes on him to resist. It was even said that even men would not be able to veer away their loyalty from the said prince.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence Prince Eirik,” a middle-aged man with a long chest-length beard greeted him warmly.
“Lord Prio, Aid to the King of the Sky Kingdom, enough of these pleasantries. I am pleased to see you after all these years!” Prince Eirik smiled and greeted him with a light embrace.
“My Prince, you should know by now the difference in our status within the four kingdoms. I am, however, humbled,” he responded politely while fixing his half-moon spectacles.
“Well, I came as soon as I received the message that you sent me. Tell me, does this have something to do with the meeting you had with my father, a few years back?” Eirik asked, walking toward to balcony.
“Yes, I am afraid it is of urgency,” Lord Prio replied as he bent down to take a seat on a chair almost made out of pure silver, near the exit to the balcony.
Prince Eirik inhaled the fresh cold breeze that blew, and as he looked toward the wide river that lay gloriously around the Sky Palace, he sat at the balcony ledge without fear and tilted his head to gaze up into the stars.
“Very well, I’m all ears Lord Prio” he responded, his words trailing off.
“I believe you have heard of the countless rumors that the Princess of the Sky Kingdom has not yet chosen a prince to wed, and to an extent, people had already begun speculating that she might be sick due to her mercurial views in life.” The lord began lighting up his pipe.
“Excuse me, my Prince, I hope you do so not mind me for this,” he asked after puffing his first smoke.
“I don’t mind, however, do tell me more about the princess and the Sky Kingdom’s concern,” the prince replied while returning his gaze to the vast forest.
“A few years ago, during the 16th birthday of Princess Aria, a group of traveling merchants came to the kingdom bearing gifts. The king was ecstatic for they had come from a faraway land, and with them ,they brought mechanisms that we had not seen before. They gave the princess a dragon pendant and took a photograph of her, and since then she had begun to change.” Lord Prio puffed his pipe again as if trying to look for the words that would fit the description of his story to the young prince.
Upon hearing these words, Prince Eirik stood up and strode back into the hall.
“Merchants, you say? What kind of people were they? When you say ‘change’, what do you exactly mean?” He fired away his questions while leaning on the table that was beside Lord Prio.
There was once a rumor in my kingdom about a group of traveling gypsies that disguised themselves as merchants. Along with them was a sorcerer who brought trials to each kingdom. I wonder if these were the same people that Lord Prio is trying to tell me as of this moment. Prince Eirik thought to himself.
THE TALE OF THE DRAGON HEART PRINCESS
“Yes, among these Merchants was a Sorcerer that brought news to the King, and in his words, the Sorcerer said that the lovely princess Aria has the heart of a dragon and that in order for her to be moved there would be a need of proof of one’s loyalty toward her. A need for sacrifice, she may not know it by that time, but a prophecy had been said that on the eve that the boar dies, the curse of the dragon’s heart which looms within the princess’s heart will become a challenge to be overcome,” Lord Prio explained as he took off his glass frames. A deep sigh escaped his breath while handing over an old photograph of the princess to the prince.
In the photograph, she wore a simple blue dress, her wavy silver hair laid gracefully on her shoulders, and a green pendant which was the dragon necklace that was given to her as a gift adorned her neck beautifully. Prince Eirik looked at the princess intently, something about her seemed familiar. After a while, his gaze returned to Lord Prio.
“What you just said does not make much of a sense to me, Lord Prio, however, I have heard of these travelers that you speak of,” Prince Eirik said.
“I do agree with you on this Prince because the King himself thought of it in this way as well. However, as he lay on his death bed, he began to have nightmares that often were about his daughter, the princess. In his will, he left an order to find a suitable prince to sway her heart. If she does not find one, great chaos will fall upon the four kingdoms, and the kings of the lands will find her as an irresponsible young maiden. It had been his worry that the Kingdom of Sky would fall without a prince to be crowned as the next king by her side,” Lord Prio explained, as he took a light sip of his wine from the golden chalice that was served especially for them.
SLAM!
A loud bang from the doors that had swung open echoed in the room.
“Lord Prio, so it was you who has invited this Prince to our Kingdom!” The lady waltzs inside the room wearing a long brown robe with a feather as a symbol of the Sky Kingdom.
“Princess, please kindly knock instead of barging in and slamming doors!” Lord Prio frantically stood up and bowed his head.
It is her. I can’t believe that the lady from the forest a while ago is the Princess of this kingdom.
Prince Eirik stood motionless and in awe of the silver-haired woman who stood in the middle of the room.
“Welcome Prince, as promised we meet again,” she said with a grin on her face.
“Princess! How un-lady like of you to talk directly like that to the Prince,” Lord Prio now standing properly and walking beside her.
“It is okay Lord Prio, Princess Aria and I had already met through the pathway toward the kingdom.
“And how may I ask the two of you had met?” Lord Prio asked bewildered.
“Through the Woods, Prio, and the two of us had met while I was slaying a boar in the forest,” she laughed while explaining to the Lord.
“Princess, you had gone out into the night without any guards to protect you and let alone, slay a wild boar on your own?” he exclaimed incredulously.
It looks like the King was wrong about the Merchants and Lord Prio was right after all. I wonder if I can win her over.
“Princess, allow me to introduce myself formally,” Prince Eirik dashed toward the princess’ side, and swiftly his hand found its way to hold her hand gingerly.
“My lady, my name is Prince Eirik Samuel Grand, the first Prince of the Kingdom of Kairos,” he stated, grinning while gazing into her emerald green eyes.
The princess, however, remained calm and gazed back at him.
“Dear Prince, I, Princess Aria Luna, the first and only daughter of the Kingdom of Sky would very much appreciate it if you would take your hands off of me!” Her eyes were cold and her loud laughter a while ago had faded away.
Stunned for a moment by the sudden shift in her personality, Prince Eirik withdrew his attempt to enchant the princess.
“Enjoy your stay, Prince. I shall retire now,” she said her formalities and left.
It looks like it will be a challenge to court her.
Prince Eirik watched the princess walk out of the great room and in his heart, he slowly felt the surge of desire. In his thoughts, the challenge was indeed inviting.
THE PRINCESS AND HER SECRET
That night, the Palace fell silent, not a sound could be heard. The gentle breeze that blew quietly made it all the more soothing for anyone who sought the lullaby of the wind. The Sky Kingdom was famous for this, and yet it did not seem to calm the prince to sleep. His meeting with the young maiden has been keeping him awake. Shifting from side to side, he tried his best to fall asleep, but he did not, he was later awoken by footsteps from outside the halls. He bolted up on guard and opened the door, and to his surprise, he caught a glimpse of the princess walking briskly toward the Palace gates.
Where is she going in the middle of the night?
He followed her.
Quietly, he observed the way she took caution at every corner of the Palace grounds, and with no light to guide her, she relied on the moon that shone brightly.
The princess had reached the end of the Palace grounds and with every turn, Eirik understood that wherever she was planning to go, her intentions were clear.
No one should know where she was heading.
The very back of the castle was no place special, and yet she was there. He thought about walking up to her, but before he could do so, he noticed that she had just shoved the thick wall of Lilac shrubs aside, and from behind it revealed a silver door with the Sky Kingdom’s insignia.
Quietly, the princess inserted a key and opened the door. Luckily, as she dashed inside the secret garden, Eirik was able to get inside immediately.
She must be very confident to not lock the door behind her.
Inside, he found himself in a garden that resembled a maze. It reminded him of the view from his own kingdom, and instinctively he closed his eyes. Aware that he might find himself lost from within, he listened intently until he could hear the sound of footsteps. Prince Eirik was trained this way, to defend himself and to never lose track of where he was. The people from the Kairos Kingdom were known for their skills of surviving dire circumstances. As soon as he picked up the sound, Eirik dashed toward the direction where the sound led him.
Caught in astonishment, he found the princess caressing the cheeks of a white pegasus. Her silver hair shone brightly beneath the moonlit sky, and the wind that gushed seemed to cradle the mysterious meeting, although unsure of his next move, Aria Luna spoke.
“I can’t believe you would be following me all the way here Prince Eirik,” she said gently as her gaze turned toward him.
The brashness of her attitude and forward personality a while ago was gone.
“You knew all this time that I was following you?” he asked in bewilderment.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Then why didn’t you say a word?” he asked.
“If I did not approve of your presence, I would–but I wanted to apologize to you on my own terms. It was not my intention to be rude,” she answered politely.
Eirik stepped forward from the shadows and smiled at the young maiden.
“There is nothing to apologize for Princess, I understand,” he said.
The pegasus spread his wings, and it did not seem bothered by his presence.
“This is the first time that I have ever seen a pegasus up close.”
“There used to be many of them here, but men from your kingdom killed them one by one and the other neighboring kingdoms did as they pleased . . .,” she said, the tone of her voice became cold.
The prince approached and knelt down.
“I cannot bring back what is already lost,” he said while looking up at the princess.
Aria Luna felt her heart skip a beat and as her eyes met his gaze, Prince Eirik stood up lifted his right hand, and pointed to the moon.
“Princess, right now we are complete strangers, but I promise you that I will do what I can to help you and care for you in every way,” he said without any second thoughts. He politely extended his hand to her.
Aria Luna felt her hand reach for his and as they both held one one another, the wind gushed louder and the pegasus stretched its magnificent wings, as if embracing them both beneath the midnight sky. Prince Eirik and Aria Luna spoke in unison.
“Tonight, we pledge a journey, no promises to you and I, yet we will try, for we are all children beneath the midnight sky.”
The Princess Pendant began to glow and as they made their sacred vows, the garden of promise from the Kingdom of Sky witnessed the vows that had been said.
The young prince moved closer, and as he leaned forward, the princess leaned toward him. Their lips met and they kissed, sealing their vow.
-END
About Magsi Rover
Magsi Rover finds pleasure through writing, drawing and exploration to various places around the city. She loves to read a variety of books (usually from the occult, universe, psychology) and There are also times that whenever time permits, she would often practice photography as a way to capture moments and places she would like to write stories about as well. The Author of “Kairos” is just a random person with a mercurial need for everything that does not bore her.