Untitled Story - Marivai & Jezmyn
Context
This story was written by Blue in 2013. Originally planned to be a young adult novel, only a handful of rough scenes were ever written. The story follows the twin elf sisters Marivai and Jezmyn, daughters of the rulers of The Greater Elven Kingdom who were separated at birth. Marivai was raised as the heir to the throne, whereas Jezmyn was brought up in a small village in the outskirts of the Elven Forests, never knowing her true identity. Marivai has to contend with a struggle for the throne after her parents' death, unsure if she can trust either Roran or Jared. Jezmyn has to flee her hometown with Auran after it is raided, and comes to discover her true identity. A note from Blue: Although I remember Marivai and Jezmyn being dragons, this version of the story seems to have them as elves. As dragons were a late addition to the Naiko universe, I think that they began as elves and I later changed them to be dragons (an easy change, as dragons here have a humanoid form that looks nearly identical to an elf). The original plot planned to conclude with Marivai and Jezmyn "reawakening" the dragons that had been in isolation for centuries and restoring communication between them and the rest of Naiko. I believe that in the new version where Marivai and Jezmyn are dragons, essentially the same thing happens, but we see it from the dragons' side (and it is the prophecized Seven Kais who "reawaken" the dragons instead).Intro
Marivai's life, while one of ease, has never been easy. As the future queen of the elves, her life had always been filled with lessons and decisions. Her coronation as queen is approaching fast, and legends are starting to be something more than just myths - the dragons, the legendary kings of the world, have been rumored to be returning. A war seems likely, and not one, but two men are playing for her heart... Jezmyn's life has always been hard. When her town is captured by barbarians and she is almost killed, she must make an escape and risk not only her life, but her friend's as well. Her travels take her to many places and, meeting up with friends both old and new, and discovering some wonders and secrets that have been hidden for centuries... Two girls, both faced with challenges and questions, fight their way through their lives, both literally and metaphorically, and learn many new things... but some things were not meant to be known...Section ? (Jezmyn, beginning of the story)
The cold wind blew across my face, sending a chill shiver down my spine. "Get moving," a rough voice said behind me, roughly pushing me with his spear. I rub my wrists, which have been tied far too loosely. I shuffle along in the cold with the other villagers. The foreigners who invaded our town were being rather generous keeping us alive, but that probably meant that we were going to be enslaved or put to work. My prediction turned out to be true - we were herded to the town square. The leader of the group stood with his bodyguards upon the large central pedestal, where a statue once stood. It was now lying in an alleyway, parts broken off of it. The warriors formed a circle around us, keeping us in the cobbled circle. We left a good gap from the pedestal. The leader began to speak, his voice rough and loud with the confidence of leaders, yet without the kindness of civilized people. "This town is now ours!" he proclaimed. "You can join us, or die. Those who choose to join us will take up arms and join our army, if fit, or work in the fields if not." The villagers murmured to themselves - work in the fields was much harder than any other work. But this was not what irked me - it was the fact that the people who just destroyed and captured out town wanted us to join them in capturing more towns and villages. I stepped forward, out of the ring of villagers, and faced their leader. "Why should we fight your battles for you?" I asked. A couple of the guards lunged forward and grabbed my arms, but I ignored them and continued looking up at the man on the pedestal. He looked me over, raising an eyebrow at my slim build, made thinner by hunger, and my ratty clothes and bare feet. "Well, I wouldn't say that you would be fighting," he chucked slightly. I yanked one of my arms out of the guard's grasp and my loose rope bonds, and, pivoting on my feet, delivered a hook punch to the man's nose. It broke with a loud crack, blood spurting from the wound. He staggered back, only to be replaced by another soldier. "Well, missy. I can tell you one thing for sure: incriminators like you don't get to live to serve with us. Bring 'er up here!" I was roughly dragged up to the pedestal. One of the soldiers, a large, muscular man well over six feet tall, stepped forward and hefted a large, gleaming battle-axe. "The punishment in this town, for disobeying or rebellion against the leader, is death!" the leader roared. Some of the warriors cheered, but the villagers were timid, frightened almost. The leader stepped off the block and I was forced down onto it, my neck resting on the edge. I could hear the man preparing his battle-axe, walking closer to me. I heard the swish of the blade, and just as I felt its cool, thin edge touch my neck, I heard someone yell out, their voice ringing in the silence. "Stop!" The blade was lifted off my neck, a small trail of my blood trickling down out of the cut. I lifted my head slightly and saw the person who had called out coming to the front of the crowd. "No! She didn't mean it like that!" he protested as he was dragged out to the front of the crowd by some of the men. I was surprised to see Auran, the guy whom I had run into just earlier at the marketplace. His hair was ruffled by the cold breeze as the guards dragged him up next to me. I slowly sat up, eying the guards. Auran's eyes were full of anger, in contrast to earlier, when they were kind and playful. I shook my head softly to him, but he didn't notice and continued speaking. "Just because someone asks a question doesn't mean that they're trying to start a rebellion! Death isn't necessary," he said defiantly. The bodyguard standing next to the leader whispered something in his ear, only a soft murmur in the silence, and the leader grumbled to himself. "Well, I suppose that wasn't quite rebellion there," he said quietly, almost to himself. Then in a louder voice: "The punishment has been changed. Thirty lashes for them each." Auran opened his mouth, about to say something, but quickly thought better of it and shut it. I was forced back face down and Auran was shoved down next to me on the large pedestal. "I’m sorry, this was my fault," I whispered to him as a whip was found. He shook his head, his hair falling in his eyes. "Nah, I was about to say something when you did," he replied quietly.Thirty lashes. I can feel each one of them resounding on my back as I lie in pain on the cold ground of my room. I slowly sat up, groaning as my back aches from the red marks left on my skin. "Hey," a voice said. I looked over at where it had come from. Auran was sitting against the wall a few meters away from me. "Are you alright?" He slowly stood up, bracing himself on the wall, and walked over to me. "Yes, I'm fine," I managed, my voice rough. I sat up, leaning on the wall. "Is your back alright?" he asked, reaching to check it. "Yes," I snapped, shifting away from him. It honestly felt like my skin had been ripped away and my back ground with stones, but I didn't need his help. He nodded, backing off. "Do you want a bit of privacy?" he asked instead. I nodded gratefully and slowly exhale. "Yes, please." What I really wanted is to make my back stop hurting. He turns and walks down to the other side of the room, sitting down facing the wall. We're in a small stone room with only one door, and a two small windows at the top of the wall I'm leaning against. It's not really a dungeon, because I know for a fact that there aren't any dungeons in our town, but it's what the barbarians are using for one, most likely the cellar of the town hall. I didn't see a bolt on the door, but it's probably on the other side. So we're trapped here together. How wonderful. The room is fairly small, but still large enough for two people to have privacy. I gingerly reach an arm around to feel my back, and as soon as my fingers touch my skin I wince and pull them away, my flesh burning. My shirt had been pretty much destroyed, in tatters across my back. Even being submersed in boiling water would feel better than this right now... Suddenly I sat up straighter. Water! That's it! I looked around again, scanning for details. We were, in fact, the only things in the room, but there was a small puddle of water in the corner near the door, on the far side of the room. I stretched slightly, then started to crawl across the room. I had to pause a few times, but I eventually reached it. It was murky and completely filthy, but I knew how to fix that. Unless of course, we've been given anti-magic drugs. I concentrated, and, sure enough, clean water came up from the puddle, leaving dirt and gunk behind in the small indentation. I reached out my hands, and the water landed in them. Only a drop was spilled. "Auran," I called softly, my voice still rough. He looked over, and I lift my cupped hands slightly. He grinned and stood up, and slowly walked across the room. "Here, let me," I said as he kneeled down next to me. I gently poured the water from one of my hands onto his back, making sure to let it flow down all of his injured skin. He let out a small sigh, then turned back around. "May I?" he asked, and I nodded and gave him the water, making sure none of it was lost. He moved around to my back and slowly poured it down my wounds. It felt miraculous - the pain subsided, as if the water had washed it away. As the flow gently stopped, the pain returned, but not quite as harshly. "Thank you." My voice was still rough, but not as harsh as it had been last. He nodded, standing back up. "That was a good idea. And I don't believe I caught your name...?" he asked, looking at me. I stood up as well, looking him straight in the eye. "I didn't give it." He laughed slightly, the first person to do so when he was given this response. "No, I don't think you did," he replied, amused. "So, what is your name?" "Jezmyn," I replied. "Just 'Jezmyn'?" he asked. I nodded and shrugged. "Never needed more." He shrugged and walked back over to his corner, leaning back against the wall. I walked back to my corner as well, leaning on the wall. I fell back down when I reached it, I slumped down, reclining against the wall, letting the cool stone soothe my back. Not very hygenic, but it still felt nice. My thoughts drifted, and eventually I fell asleep.
I was harshly woken up with a loud yell. "Wake up! You're wanted by the master." I started to sit up, but winced from the pain my back emitted and instead opened my eyes and looked around. I was still lying in the corner of the room, Auran in the other corner. The door was open and one of the soldiers was standing in the doorway, with two others behind him. I slowly sat up, being careful not to stretch my back too much, since the water from yesterday hadn't done much for long-term healing. Auran was also standing, leaning on the wall. "Well, come on," the man grunted, and I slowly walked over to the doorway.
Section ? (Marivai, climax of the story)
I ran to the edge of the cliff, Jared sprinting after me. My white dress swirled in the sharp sea air, my legging torn and my feet bare. I looked down at the shallow, rocky cove, tens of feet below. "Stop!" he called to me. I turned around, and he was almost all the way across the bare plain to me. "No, Jared," I said as he approached, creating a small shield around myself. His face was marked with many emotions - pain, love, betrayal, refusal, confusement - trying to get a hold on the situation. His guards came up behind him, holding Roran tight. He was struggling, trying to help me, not realizing that I don't need help. "I can't have you keep fighting," I said, catching my breath. "There's no way we can all three be here together. One of us has to go." "Exactly," Jared replied, his eyes trained on mine. "Let me take care of him," he urged, nodding to Roran. "Then we can be together, just as I promised." I swallowed and shook my head, the sea breeze roaring in my ears. The salty scent blew over us, onto the grassy plains. "No, Jared. I have to go." "No!" he cried out, lunging for me, but my shield stopped him short. "This is what needs to be done. A sacrifice, a last death to stop the turmoil." I pulled out two stones from my pocket - flint stones. Jared saw them and his eyes widened. "No, Mari, stop! Think through this," he pleaded as I struck the stones together, trying to start a fire. "Mari -" Roran began, but one of the guards shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth. I made a spark, which caught onto the sleeve of my dress. Jared's eyes darkened. "Mari, I won't let you do this," he began, but suddenly noticed something - a flock of what at first glance appeared to be birds, flying towards us from across the sea. "It's too late, Jared," I say softly. "The dragons are coming. The sacrifice must be made." He was still staring at the dragons as they drew closer - about five of them in a flock. As my sleeve continued to burn, I pressed it to my other sleeve. Both sleeves now were on fire, flames flickering up my arms. "Each element alone may not be enough to burn me," I said. "But all of them together will." Jared suddenly realized what I intended, piecing it all together - the fire, the wind, the rocks sticking out of the bay. Roran realized this as well, and tried to spit out the gag to say something. One of the guards whacked his arm with the flat of his sword, and Roran doubled over, clutching his arm and groaning. The dragons drew nearer, and I took one last look at them before I jumped off the cliff. Jared threw himself to the cliff's edge. "Mari!" I let my shield down as I fell, Jared staring down at me from ten, fifteen feet above. Suddenly Roran is falling towards me, having broken free of his guards. "No, Roran!" I call to him. "Don't, please don't!" But his face was determined. As he fell closer to me, I shout out to one of the dragons who have arrived now at the cliff. "Please, save Roran!" I called desperately, now thirty, thirty-five, forty feet below Jared. One of the dragons swooped down in a rush, and snatched him up, although he still tried to fall with me. I looked down and see the rocks just before my body slams into them and the world goes dark.Am I alive? Am I broken? Do I even exist? The world is nothing but a dark, endless void. The only thing that exists is my consciousness. Is this death? Or whatever comes after? Or perhaps I am still alive, still struggling for survival. This may be so, for in what afterlife would there be so much pain? I do nothing but think as time passes. After what seems like decades the pain slowly begins to lift, but there is still pain inside me, for I have begun to realize what I have done, leaving Roran and Jared. I realize now that I do love Roran, and I should have treated him better. All he was doing was trying to help me see the truth - Jared may have loved me, but he really was blinded by the power. I know the throne will be taken care of when I am no longer there. My mind continues to wander during the endless wait in the void.
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