Rising of the Moon - Chapter Fifteen

Collision of Will

Leana woke up to hear the song of the birds. Sun was high up in the sky, it was still afternoon. She stretched on the bed and slowly got up. Her long hair was tied up in a braid, messy from sleep. She could smell lunch on the desk that servants were leaving for her every afternoon. Everyday she would get some new and exciting meal that she never tried before. Tara was treating her wonderfully and she wished she had more time to help her out. "Well, the least I could do is make my bed." She thought to herself. Few moments later bed looked like no one ever slept in it. She smiled while looking through the window and fixing her hair. Brush went through it easily. It was silky and soft so it took her moments to make a new braid that was going smoothly down her back.

It didn't take her long to finish with lunch, and with song on her lips she left her room. Today she decided to explore the palace. As she was walking the corridors, she felt strange tingling sensation from the door on her right. She stopped to see. It was the Power. It was covering the door. Someone was using Will inside of that room. It couldn't be Heiller. He is a moon sorcerer. As she reached with her fingertip to touch the barrier, queen came out. Look on her face made Leana laugh a little.

"Anael?? Why aren't you sleeping still? You need to rest." Queen asked worriedly.

"I am feeling great today, your majesty." Leana replied with a wide smile.

"Oh, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me your majesty?"

"Just one more time, as always, your majesty." She gave a deep bow.

"Oh, I see you know your court manners."

"Yes, my queen. My parents taught me well, and lessons with Tara help a lot as well."

"I see. But why are we standing here? Do you want to go somewhere more pleasant?"

"Well, that's alright. I have plans for the afternoon. I was planning to explore the castle a little. With your permission of course." She bowed her head once again.

"Oh, of course you have my permission. Just be careful. I am leaving you now, I have business to attend to. You have fun and try to rest a little too."

"Thank you, your majesty."

Queen shook her head in disapproval and left with a smile. Leana was waiting for her to go around the corner and she turned to the door again. The web was gone. Whoever it was that was using the Will, now stopped.

She touched the handle, but the door was locked. "Strange, I didn't see the queen locking it." She knocked, but she could hear no sound coming from the inside. Curiosity was strong, so she decided to try to use the Will, even though Heiller told her it's nearly impossible during the day. She concentrated hard.

It was difficult to reach the power. It was just beyond her reach. But she felt like she could seize it if only she pushed herself a little bit harder. After sometime, a familiar sensation filled her, flow of Will that brought with it warmth, joy, security. It was different this time. Warmer. It filled her up completely. She felt like she was pulling the energy from the Sun itself, for her figure started to radiate gold.

She used the flows of air to unlock the door easily. She was full of life, and she realized that she's draining it from the day light. At nights, when she would use moon power, it felt different. Mystical, wonderful in its own way, but different. Slowly, she reached for the handle and pressed it. The door opened quietly. At the window right across from the door, stood Ranel, back turned to her, obviously lost in thoughts. She heard the footsteps from behind and she quickly closed the door behind her, locking it again. As she turned around to look at him, she found him already observing her, now aware of her presence.

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After a long conversation with Amera, Ranel was left alone in his library. He had so much to do, so many things to think of. Overthrowing his father? He didn't expect it to be so soon. He was afraid of the thought. Looking at the garden soothed him. His thoughts were still a mess. He dropped the web and released the Will. Magic gave him comfort and security, but he couldn't use it too much. He didn't want to burn up. It was dangerous to give in to it.

His hands were holding to the window sill. Sun was still warming the room and he closed his eyes to enjoy it. That's when he heard a silent sound of lock. He turned around to see Leana facing him. She had a golden glow to her and he could feel that she was using the Will. Her beauty was breathtaking. He couldn't move and he forgot to breathe.

"Leana." He whispered.

She was just staring at him, still not saying anything, still holding on to the Will. He embraced the power as well. It filled him with burning fire of joy and security. A pleasant tingling sensation on his skin that started getting the golden glow. With a wave of his hand, the desk gently flew on the side, leaving the path open to walk to her. He noticed that she's using the power of the Sun as well, but at this point the only thing that interested him was to touch her, hold her hand in his. Halfway to her, he stopped, not certain if she shares his feelings or not. Shyly, she also made a step towards him.

Heat radiated from both of them as they touched each others hands. Immediately he felt sparks from the collision of two Wills. But slowly, the powers merged together, joined in harmony. It was like nothing he ever felt in his life. He could feel everything, he could sense her heartbeat and he could... His eyes widened like hers. They were able to sense each others feelings. No words were needed anymore. Their lips finally joined. Shivers went down his spine. Power enhanced their senses and world seemed more real. Sounds. Smells. His lips were brushing gently over hers, still exploring the soft texture of the skin, sweetness of breath. He could feel her excitement as well. He knew how she felt for him. He couldn't find the words to describe it. Only... love. His tongue was slowly finding its way to her welcoming mouth. Kiss deepened, their bodies got closer and they both held on to the Will.

A knock was heard on the door. They slowly parted and released the Will. He gave her sign not to speak and gently pulled her towards the fireplace, away from the door.

"Open up. I know you're in there Ranel." He could hear Ruark's voice. He was under the influence again. "Open up, you son of a madman! Face me if you call yourself a man. You think you can just take my position and walk away? Open up you coward!!" His drugged voice was disgusting. Ranel clenched his teeth hard, his muscles hardened, fingers turned white. She pulled his head back to face her and shook hers. "No." He read her lips. "Don't." She took his hand in hers. Her hands were pleasantly cold again, now that she wasn't using sun energy anymore. "Sun? What?!" Suddenly the thought hit him. He stopped listening to the rumbling of the drunkard. He pulled her into the secret passageway behind the bookshelf. It led to the secret room that no one else knew about.

"What is this? Where are we?" Leana looked confused.

"It's not as big as your moon valley. I guess everyone in the world has some secret hideout. This is the place for me to get away from the world." He embraced the power and lit the torches. "I'm guessing you can see the wards that I've placed around it. It's well guarded. No one can find us."

"Thank you for sharing it with me."

"It is the least I can do, really. Now come, sit. We have much to discuss."

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Hours stretched to days, days to weeks, when Ellan received message from the North. It held the golden stamp of the King, but it was slightly different from what he expected. His hands nervously picked up the scroll and opened it. He decided to be alone while reading. His eyes grew wider as he started.

"To Ellan, emperor of the Ellerian empire,
I will skip the formalities and come straight to the point. My father, to whom you've addressed your message, is no longer on the throne. Now I, Ranel, Rulan's first-born son, am the king of the Northern Realm. The details, I'm sure, you'll get from your messenger after you read this. Please understand that I had no other choice but to overthrow my father and end his ruling. I hope you'll think no ill of me for doing so. Our people are suffering too much and they needed someone to put an end to my father's tyranny. I am glad to inform you that we eagerly accept this alliance and very much are looking forward to the meeting. All the details will be set when we meet in person. I understand that you have some concerns about the storm coming from the South. I am afraid that we share the same fear. Prophecies might be true after all. Soon, the peace will be over. We need to unite our nations and start preparing, if it's not too late already. Help from the moon people in the South will be very welcomed. My father nearly destroyed them in the North. I will tell you all about it in our meeting. Again, sorry for the form of this letter. We truly have no time for formalities. I am hoping to see you soon. Best regards from the North.
Ranel."

Ellan sat down on the chair. Letter was still in his hand.

"Guards!" He yelled. One of the guards quickly walked in. He saluted. It was Eon, man who couldn't speak. No one knew why. Then again, he was skilled with blades. "Bring me the messenger who brought this letter. Do it quickly." Eon just nodded at that and left the room in the hurry. "Strange man, that Eon." Ellan thought to himself. Yet he trusted him more than others. And he was effective. Just as that thought went through his mind, Eon entered the room with the messenger. "Leave us." Ellan simply said. With short nod, the guard left, leaving the boy standing in front of his emperor.

"You don't need to be frightened. Sit over there." He pointed at the empty sofa. The boy sat down obediently, still looking nervous. "Tell me, did they give you something to eat when you came? What is your name? "

The boy cleared his throat. - "Erion, sir." He turned pale. "I mean, your majesty."

"Just call me Ellan. For now, we will skip formalities. You didn't tell me if they fed you."

"I just started to eat when you sent for me, sir."

"Guards!" Eon entered again, saluting. "Send us some food. None of us had breakfast. Nothing fancy, just make them bring it quickly." Eon nodded and ran off again.

"Now tell me, while we wait for our food, how did they treat you at the court?"

"Well, sir..."

"Ellan. I'm not much older than you..."

"Ellan." He barely pronounced it, his face turning a bit red. "As soon as I got there, I was escorted to the throne room because I told them that my message is urgent, as I was instructed to do. The King... Or may I say the former King... He looked angry, I would say that he has lost his mind. My impression is that not many people likes him. The Queen looked scared of him as well. Right after I handed him the message, I was sent out. In those couple of days while I was there, I had the chance to meet most of the royalty."

"Then tell me, how did it happen that his eldest son is now on the throne? What kind of person is he?"

"He was one of the kindest persons I met there. People love him. Unlike his father, prince Ranel was good to me, well-behaved, very polite and friendly. It surprised me when he overthrew his father. I wouldn't believe that he had it in him. It happened fast. Just when I was about to leave with the answer. King didn't even find the time to write you a response. He sent for me and all of a sudden I was surrounded with all the royalty in the throne room. He was giving a speech about our empire, calling us cowards, kiss-asses and many other words which I won't repeat here. He hates moon people. I later found out that it is because he holds them responsible for his wife's death." A loud knock was heard on the door.

"Ah, the food is here."

They were silent while the breakfast was served. Ellan was going through his hair with his fingers, as he always did when he was nervous. He remembered his father's words from the time when he was still a child. He told him about the prophecy, how the hordes of evil will come from the other side of the ocean some day, and that they must unite with North. But it was not known when that will happen. They were friends with North until the queen died. When the execution of his Northern brothers began, his father decided to end the alliance. As he was finishing his last bite, he noticed that Erion was already done with his meal.

"You may continue now."

"With your permission... your."

"Ellan..."

"Ellan." The messenger barely pronounced. "As I said," he slowly continued, "during the short time that I spent there, I have had a chance to meet many of royalty and nobles. They were very curious about Southerners. I must say that I felt quite uncomfortable standing there in front of everyone." And so, Erion told him story slowly, not missing a single detail.