A Strange Visitor
The girl is seated in a chair by the window. She holds a small vase with some dying flowers inside. She is with her right palm close to the dry leaves, almost touching them. Her eyes are staring at the dying flowers with deep love. Her mind is focused on something supernatural, maybe she is silently praying, maybe she is silently muttering an incantation. Mysteriously, the dying plant start to recover, the dry leaves start growing green again, the withered flowers slowly start blossoming again.
Suddenly she feels a chill on her spine and is startled by a very low noise. She loses her concentration and turns her head to examine her room. Everything is locked, it looks like there is no one in the room. There is no way a person could enter her room unnoticed. She returns her attention to the flower vase in her hands. As she lost the concentration, the flower withered again. She looks to the flowers in sadness and try to relax again, recover the focus on the task she was so carefully performing. She doesn't really know how she is able to make dead flowers live again and she doesn't know if it will work out next time she tries. Eventually she regains her focus and, after some minutes, the flowers start recovering again.
The flowers are alive again and the girl smiles in exultation. She stands up and walks to the left corner of the room, in order to put the vase on the dressing table. She hears a strong whisper coming from the opposite side of the room. "I've seen that! I've seen that!" Frightened, she turns to see who it is and she sees a tall man dressed in a white robe coming from behind the curtains. She can't see his face, but his yes, shining in an odd yellow.
"Gahhhhhhhhhh!" She drops the vase and screams. The strange man runs to her, embraces her and puts his hand on her mouth, to prevent her from screaming. "Quiet! I'll not hurt you, I promise." She tries to jerk her body to release herself, but his grab is too strong for her, so she shakes her head affirmatively and he releases her. Before she can recover from the frightening situation, he starts asking questions with a menacing whisper.
"How did you do that?"
"I don't kno-know."
"Can you do that again?"
"Maybe, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
"Have you ever revived a dead person?"
"No, I've never tried."
"But can you do that?"
"Please, stop." The girl is with tears in her blue eyes "I don't know anything about that. I just know it happens. You are scaring me."
"Oh, excuse-me, girl. I need you to revive a dead person for me."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you now. You must come with me."
"Hey, hey, hey, who do you think you are?" The girl's mood changes from scared to angry. "You think you can come here, sneak into my room and demand me some crazy things? Do you think I'll accept that?"
"Cut off the dramatics! You will come with me."
"No, I will not."
"Yes, you will."
"If I scream again, in seconds, dozens of soldiers will come through that door."
"Do you think I'm afraid?"
"Why aren't you?"
"You don't know me."
"You don't know me as well. Everybody in this kingdom would die for me."
"I know you."
"Who am I so?"
"You are princess Marlena le Cille."
"Everybody knows that."
"I know you better than you can imagine."
"I'm not impressed by your display of knowledge."
"Do you think I'd come here if I didn't know about your powers?"
"How can you know that? I've never told anybody about them."
"I know many things more about you. That you were found in Orakian lands, that you'd marry an Orakian prince, that you were kidnapped, that the prince has come to rescue you, that he jilted you in the end."
"That is public knowledge, but I don't want you talking about that. It is still painful."
"I know why he has jilted you. I know who has kidnapped you, it is someone you know very well."
"Hey! If you know these things, tell me why."
"It is not the right time for you to know."
"What an insolence! Will you blackmail me? I'll not tolerate that."
"Calm down, pretty, I know how did you get there in Landen shores."
"How can you know that if even I do not know? You are making fun of me!"
"I know much more than you will ever know. Stop making me waste my time, just come with me."
"Forget about that, I'll never go with a crazy man who invades my room and orders me to follow him."
"Marlena, errr, princess, I know also that you are a kind and compassionate person who will not deny help to anyone in need. It is very important that you come with me and try to revive this person. The future may depend on her."
"Are you talking about Laya?"
"No."
"Hmmm, if it was for her, I'd do anything."
"Anyway... the future may depend on her, will you help? I beg you to help me."
"Well, well, well, look, now you beg me to help you? Do you think this cheap compassionate demonstration will convince me? I may be a princess, but I'm not a fairy-tale princess who is ruled only be her heart. I will not help you unless you give me a good reason to do so."
"I can't tell you why you must help me, but I can assure you it is really important, it will be a short trip, no dangers involved. Soon you will be back home, if you want."
"OK, I don't know who you are, but I already hate you. On the other hand, Laya has taught us to not do any harm to any living thing. The person or thing you are asking me to revive is not living, but technically I'd be helping this person, not a mad man like you, so I can feel Laya's call in my heart to help this poor creature."
"So stop wasting time and come with me."
"I will not unless you tell me at least who you are. I will not follow a scary man with yellow eyes, hidden in a robe and who enters into other people's houses without introducing himself. Tell me or I'll call the guards!"
"Girl, what a nasty temper! Nobody can stand your hissy fits.
"Hey! You invade my room, demands me to do something I've never done before and then insults me. I've never been so insulted in my whole life!"
"OK, forgive me, Highness. I'll tell you who I am, but you won't understand. I am a telemental, a man of great and legendary powers. In the whole history of Algol, there has been very few people who had the same powers as me. Soon you will have a display of my powers."
"I hope your great powers are not like your persuasion power is, otherwise I'll laugh at you. "Oh, my... calm, calm, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10... let's get going?"
"Wait! What is a telemental? What is Algol?"
"I'll explain all those things to you as soon as we start moving."
"I think you are just fooling around."
"I swear you I'm not. I promise you I'll never do you any harm. Please, we cannot lose any minute more, let's go immediately."
"Wait a minute. I haven't decided if I will go with you. Even in the case I decide to follow you, do you think I will take a trip empty-handed? Let me call a maid to arrange my things into a trunk and then..."
"Hey! Don't do that! I don't want anybody seeing me. You will not tell anyone about me or your whereabouts. If you say anything to anyone, the whole thing may be ruined."
"But I have to tell papa I'm going away. He has already suffered a lot when I was lost the first time. I can't leave without telling him."
"You can't."
"Let me leave a message. I will not say anything specific, just that I had to go to help a friend."
"Alright, so be it. But, please, hurry."
"While I write the message, you could arrange my clothes in the trunk."
"What?"
"Yes, if you want me to collaborate, start by collaborating with me."
"I can't believe..."
"You'd better start believing. Take the trunk which is over the wardrobe and arrange some clothes into it. And, please, don't mess up the things."
"I must be mad... Well, if this means you will come with me, why not?"
The princess sat down and started writing a message to her father, while the telemental got the trunk and started arranging the princess' clothes. The whole affair was not without some bickering "Hey, don't throw my dresses like that! Fold them carefully!" "What? Only three pairs of shoes? No, I need at least 10! Alright, I will settle with 6." "Stop staring my underwear! What happened? Have you never seen women underwear before?" "Don't forget the laces." After some minutes, the princess lets the feather slip from her left hand.
"I'm finished! We can leave now!" Then turning her face to the telemental, she sees him panting. "What happened? Haven't you finished yet?"
"I think you have clothes for a whole year in this trunk. Please, read to me what you did write to your father."
"Alright. Please, pay attention, I'll not read it twice."
Dear Father
I ask you forgiveness, but I could not tell you before what I had in mind. I'm leaving for a short time, in order to do something important, only I have to warn you I don't know exactly when I will come back, so do not be anxious about my return . You know, I just can't see anything suffering and stay doing nothing, so I'll help any living thing that is in need until it doesn't need my help anymore.
For the love of Laya, I will help this man. I can't forget her teachings, so I must do that. Don't be angry with me, soon I'll be back home. Don't be sad, I'm not running away, I'm not betraying you. I promise I'll bring you something nice, if I remember. I love you, dad.
Marlena.
"That is fine. Leave this note and, please, come here inside this circle."
"What is this in the floor of my bedroom? You painted my carpet?"
"It is a magical circle. It will take us to our destination."
"I can't believe, you are joking with me. Ha, now I get it, you must be the new court jester!"
"No, I'm deadly serious about that. Well, your trunk weighs more than I expected, so the teleport will be a bit difficult..."
"Teleport? What are you talking about? It doesn't exist."
"It does exist, you will see."
"Why don't we use a boat?"
"When you arrive there, you will see why. Please, now don't let any part of your body outside the circle. I will cast the spell and, if something that is inside the circle exits it while I'm casting the spell, it will be destroyed."
"Seriously? Are you sure that is safe? I don't want to die because of your madness."
"Look here!" The telemental touches the princess forehead and, in some seconds, she enters in a lethargic state. "That will be better. This way I can concentrate better in the spell. Motavia, we are coming!".
The telemental starts casting the spell, which requires a lots of concentration. After some seconds, white plasma raises from the circle because of the huge energy concentration and...
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"BAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM"
The king almost had a heart attack. Seated in his comfortable chair at his office, he was discussing some papers with his minister when the sudden explosion shook the castle. He covered his mouth and mostache with his right hand and put his left hand on his chest, over his heart, which was racing madly.
"By Laya! What happened?"
"Your Majesty, I'm shocked too!"
"I almost died! Let's run away from here! The castle may not be safe!"
The two men left their chairs, still scared, shaking. They started leaving the room and hurried the pace through the main corridor. No one was able to say a word. They arrived at the main hall, where there were some servants gathered, saying things at random, wondering what could have happened.
"What happened? What happened?" The king asks, anxiously.
"I don't know, Your Majesty, sounds like an explosion upwards." A maid answers while bowing to the king.
"Has everyone checked where did the explosion came from?"
"No, not yet, Your Majesty... look, it is Luna upstairs. Luna, can we tell us what has happened?"
"No... no... no... I... I... I..."
The king, in maddening anxiety, screams at Luna. "Hey, woman, come downstairs and tell us!"
"Ma... ma... majes... ty... I... I... I... have se... e... e... en a whi... whi... whi... te smo... mo... mo... ke... coming fro... om Miss Ma... ma... ma... mar... le... na's room..."
"No! No! It can't be! Marlena! Marlena! Are you ok? Marlena!" The king runs upstairs, followed by his minister and some servants. Tears started coming from kings' eyes.
He runs madly towards the door and finally reaches it, but the door is locked. He senses the smell of smoke coming out of the room. He forces the door, once, twice, but it won't budge. "Marlena, my dear, I'm coming to save you!" He draws his sword and hits the door several times. The door is a very thick wooden door and it takes a lot of effort for the king to finally break it. As he makes an opening, servants help him enlarging the opening by pulling pieces of wood from the opening. He finally enters the room, but staggers. The room is covered with ashes and the furniture is lightly scorched, as if a giant fireball had erupted from the middle of the room. There is a circle on the floor where the carpet and part of the wooden floor is completely charred, forming a hole, filled with ashes. The servants enter the room cautiously before the king.
"Marlena! Marlena!" The king takes one of the servants by the collar and shakes her. "Where is Marlena? Where is my daughter?"
One of the servants notice a sheet of paper burning on the floor and steps on it to extinguish the fire. He takes the scorched sheet of paper from the floor, examines it and hands it to the king.
"Your Majesty..."
"What?" The king releases the servant and turns toward the other servant, who spoke. "What is that?"
"I think it is from Princess Marlena to your Majesty."
"Give me that now!"
The king takes the letter from the servant's hands violently and starts reading it. As he advances through the letter, his excitation gives room to a deep feeling of sorrow. Tears start coming from his eyes as a waterfall and he feels weak, letting the letter fall from his hands. Servants come to assist him, as he was starting to lose balance. The minister took the charred letter from the floor and read it.
Dear Father
I ask you forgiveness, but I could not tell you before what I had in mind. I'm leaving... to do something ... have to warn you I … will ...not ...return . You know, I just can't ... suffering ...stay ... living … anymore... love ... this man … can't forget ...I must … Don't be angry with me... Don't be sad… remember. I love you, dad.
Marlena
"No, Marlena, no... by Laya, no... My daughter, why? That damned Orakian... No, Marlena, you couldn't have done that... my daughter... my princess... Marlena!" The king's cry echoes through the large corridors of the palace, followed by a long, long silence.
