“It’s an urgent matter that is of great importance,” ordered the princess.
“Yes your majesty,” replied the postman as he took the envelope from her and looked at the address. “The address indicates it’s outside the kingdom.”
“Just follow the path that’s hidden past the large oak tree. It turns into a road that leads to a house,” said Aarilina.
“Yes your highness,” said the man as he bowed his head and left.
Aarilina watched the postman get on his horse and leave through the castle gate. She hoped he would get to Animus in time so they could run away together.
The postman trotted on his horse to the first gate when suddenly a figure with a bow and arrow blocked his path. He was dressed in black armor with only his face revealed. He had brown eyes and hair with a little bit of white on his bangs.
“Can I help you sir?” asked the postman.
“Yes, you’re delivering a letter for the princess and I wish to deliver it,” said the man.
“I’m sorry, but under the authority of Aria I’m under no obligation to share mail with anyone, especially some thug off the street,” replied the postman.
Suddenly, the man raised his bow and arrow, “give me the letter, I’m not going to ask again.”
The postman looked around and saw five more men emerge from behind him and next to the bowman. The postman looked at the leader scared as he approached him.
Aarilina played many games of hide and seek with the children of the noble families. There was a dozen children that were left to be babysat to a couple handmaidens that volunteered to watch them for the day. The nobles had important business meetings with the king that involved tending their lands. There was an agreement that the nobles and the king made to keep the economy strong.
It was mid-afternoon and Princess Aarilinus laid down on the grass to watch the clouds veil the sun. There was little to do and the children were picked up by their parents to go home. The princess thought of the day she would have children with Animus, but then realized that it wouldn’t happen because of father. He hated Animus and wanted him to disappear.
After visiting the library in the evening, the princess began having an unsettling feeling that she was being watched. As she walked down the hallway she could see the eyes of the paintings move which sent shivers throughout her body and she knew something was wrong.
Princess Aarilinus hid her fears and pretended everything was ok, but the eyes in the paintings, along the walls, watched her every move. She watched the painting’s eyes move through the corner of her left eye and trembled. She felt goose bumps on her shoulders and began walking faster as she turned her eyes to see something run past behind her in the distance of the corridor. Aarilina turned around, only to find nothing was there. Her face started perspiring and her lips trembled while she took deep breaths and felt her heart beat faster. The princess lost control and ran with the two library books in each hand to make an abrupt turn to the next hallway and screamed.
The princess’ outburst came as a surprise to the group of marching knights in the hallway. Her eyes and mouth remained wide open as her trembling body suddenly relaxed. She never felt this much anxiety other than the nightmares as a child.
“Are you ok, your highness,” asked Sir Norcom as he walked over to her slowly.
Aarilina wiped the sweat from her forehead as she calmed down, “yes, I’m fine you just startled me.”
Sir Norcom was quiet and looked at her with a serious look. It seemed clear that something was wrong and scared her. She would have to think of something else to encourage them that she would be fine.
“Do you want us to walk you to your room?” asked Sir Norcom
“No that’s ok,” she replied with a smile.
“We insist that we must protect our princess, even if it may be nothing,” replied Sir Voles.
“Well thank you, I was headed to my room to sleep,” she grinned as Sir Norcom held her hand and led her to her room. They walked into her room and he bowed his head to her.
“Well your highness, I’ll leave you so you can get some rest.”
“Thank you my knight, if I need anything I’ll send for you,” she said and watched him leave.
Aarilina yawned and lie down on her bed to get some sleep. Today was a busy day and the children exhausted her.
Princess Aarilinus opened her eyes after hearing the sounds of women and children crying and men yelling outside the window. She got out of bed and walked to the window only to find it had iron bars on it.
The princess clasped the bars as she started crying to what was witnessed. The feeling of being trapped in a room consumed her with destruction. She looked up at the full moon and to the fires lit upon the land, the gates were forged open and people were fighting in what looked like a war.
The setting of the sun split the sky into shades of red that looked like blood smeared on a canvas and the smell of death was in the air. Princess Aarilinus heard a sound and turned around to see father standing in front of her. It was the king, only he was burned and his clothes were tattered as though he had ran through a burning house.
“Father what happened to you?” cried Aarilina as the tears ran down her cheeks.
“You did this to me! You fell in love with that peasant and it cost me my kingdom!”
“Father please, don’t,” she begged as her lips trembled while seeing him raise a dagger. The princess’ heart began beating hard as tears continued to fall from her eyes while her lips trembled.
“Now you’re going to die!” the king bellowed as she looked at him in despair. Before the king could strike, a giant hand smashed through the barred window and gently took her. The princess was scared, but was happy to be safe from her father.
After all was well, the hand opened up and she was revealed to a giant wearing a mask. She looked up at the giant from the ground in a remote location as he suddenly shrank to the same size as her. He looked at her with his long beautiful, black, hair that was on the black, armor.
“Who are you?” she ordered.
“Furrengee,” answered with a low deep voice behind the mask and the name echoed through her mind.
Aarilina woke up with a gasp, she never had a dream like that before and realized it was so real. Was it a message from the Burning Bush or Furrengee himself? She thought to herself. The princess hoped Animus got her letter and wanted to share the dream with him because maybe he was onto something when he told her what his plans were.
Aarilina got dressed with great haste and when she finished she looked out her window to see it was dusk. It was time to start packing her stuff for the meeting at Humming Forest.
The sunset just before the hills in the far reaches of Aria. The rider wore a hooded cloak over his black armor and entered Adam’s field on his horse. The stranger corresponded on his horse from about a quarter of a mile to Animus and his siblings who were planting as they conversed to pass the time.
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