Princess of Prophecy: Part One

My name is Saeryennan. And I am the Princess of Altador.

     My first visions came when I was a little Royal Cybunny. I foresaw my Faerie Snowbunny, Calissa, fly into a torch. My mother, Queen Kalara, a Green Wocky, told me everything she could about my gift.

     Some gift it turned out to be. More like a curse. My mother shared that opinion.

     What surprised me was my father, King Altador, seemed to have forgotten about what happened on the day of my birth. But that comes later. Much later.

     Because this story starts with a surprise visit from the very Air Faerie who gave me the gift. I was now twelve years old, and that Crazy Prophecy Faerie Nyvenne (as I had come to call her) had visited me in a dream. I had not seen her since I was five.

     Well, she told me that my greatest adventure was about to begin. Great. Just great. A proper young lady should not have to fuss about these things, and yet the Faeries come just to make you as crazy as they are. They’re like Petpetpets. They never leave you alone. Not even if you scream at them.

     I, for one, was too old for such nonsense. If my greatest adventure was about to begin, it would involve nothing more than speaking with the Heroes about matters of state. I was still considered too young to help decide them, but that was what kings raised their children to do.

     I put on a very pretty green dress trimmed with orange and gold (the Altador colors) and walked outside into the gardens. I absolutely adored the gardens. There were flowers of all different colors and their delicate petals let the morning sun shine through better than Brightvale stained-glass windows. The flowing waters of the fountains were clearer than crystals, and the leaves on the laurel trees sparkled like emeralds...

     “AAAAAA! Crazy Prophecy Faerie!”

     She appeared out of nowhere. There, on the garden wall, sat Nyvenne, calm as ever, as if she thought I expected her.

     I didn’t care about how nice a dress I was wearing—I fled. And I did not look back until I reached the entrance hall of the palace.

     “My dear child, you must be imagining things! Faeries in the garden? Air Faeries live in the sky!”

     Remember when I told you that my father seemed to forget Nyvenne’s gift? That is exactly what he said—while laughing!—when I told him about seeing the Faerie who gave me prophecy sunbathing on the garden wall.

     My mother, however, was listening intently.

     “Come along, Saeryennan,” she said. I followed her into a hall where my father could not hear us speak.

     I told her everything—the dream and the garden incident. I told her about being taken completely by surprise and how I hadn’t seen Nyvenne in a dream or in reality ever since I was five. I told her how the whole prophecy thing was probably my imagination and how I’d dismissed the whole experience as a crazy childhood dream.

     “Dearest Saeryennan, you have nothing to fear from any Faerie,” my mother said.

     But I could tell from the tone of her voice that she didn’t mean it. She was afraid of Nyvenne, and of Nyvenne’s curse.

     “Now, Saeryennan darling, you’ll want to look your best for such a formal event. All of the Heroes are coming. You must wear Altador’s colors, and only Altador’s colors,” my father said with a sigh.

     Fine, I thought. I won’t wear the only color in my wardrobe just for the sake of appearing proper. What in Neopia is not Altadorian about green?! It’s a great color!

     Grumbling, I put on my new dress and practiced my graceful walk that I had been preparing especially for this day. I had been told this was the first time all the Heroes of Altador would formally meet me (I already knew Psellia). I was longing to meet some of them too, especially Sasha. I was dying to show her exactly how good a dancer I was, and we were both Cybunnies.

     “And now, announcing... Saeryennan, Princess of Altador!”

     I delicately picked up my skirts and descended the stairs in an elegant manner as I imagined Fyora herself would. I put a picture in my mind of the Faerie Queen walking lightly down shining palace steps, smiling upon anyone who stood at the bottom to welcome her. Each step she made sounded like a soft breeze that one would be lucky to hear. Putting myself in her place, I looked upon my father and his council and greeted them with a warm smile.

     Psellia, who I had known for years, marveled at how ladylike I had become. Siyana smiled back at me. The sight of the Light Faerie made me feel protected, as if she were the sun itself shining all of its light upon me.

     “Hello,” I said.

     Things were going very well. The Heroes absolutely loved me, and Sasha was very excited that I had a passion for dancing. I was deep in a conversation with her when suddenly disaster struck. Again.

     The Cybunny’s face began to lose its detail. Soon it was barely recognizable as the rest of the dining hall began to distort. A moment later I found myself in an eerie glowing green cave.

     “Come on,” said a voice I recognized. “I think I’ve found a way out of here.”

     A fear I had never known before took its place inside of me. The voice belonged to my mother.

     Rays of brilliant sunlight alerted me to the dawn of a new day. I didn’t have to open my eyes to tell that I was not in the dining hall. It was much too soft, and there was something warm covering me. I knew I must be in my bedroom.

     Not bothering to change from that same dress I’d worn to the disaster dinner, I crept down the palace stairs. My father stood in the entrance hall. Ducking behind a pillar, I perked my ears up.

     “I’m so sorry, he’s with the rest of the Heroes. Every last one is scouring the kingdom for an Air Faerie known as Nyvenne.”

     I flinched upon hearing the anger in his voice when he said Nyvenne’s name. The Neopet in front of him, a green Ogrin, bowed and left the palace.

     Just then, my father caught sight of me.

     “Saeryennan!” he scolded. “What are... Have you been eavesdropping? Good Fyora, child, I thought you knew better!”

     I didn’t stop to hear the rest of his lecture. As fast I could I ran to my room, trying to take in all that had happened.

     “So... I take it Good King No-Nonsense finally believed your little Faerie tale?”

     I groaned. Advice from Crazy Prophecy Faerie was the last thing I needed. My eyes automatically darted their gaze to the window.

     “Saeryennan,” Nyvenne said, “why won’t you talk to me?”

     My arms crossed as I continued to look away from her.

     “Saeryennan...”

     “Okay, okay!” I blurted. “You want to know why I’ve been avoiding you?! Well, here: you’re insane. Absolutely insane. I never asked to be a prophet and for Fyora’s sake I do NOT want to be a hero! Your ‘blessing’ made me collapse in front of the entire Council of Heroes, and ‘King No-Nonsense’ is very angry! So just... just stay away from me!”

     “Saeryennan...”

     The Air Faerie’s voice was calm.

     “What?!” I said, still looking away.

     “Saeryennan... leave the palace. It is part of the path!”

     The ‘path’ again?!

     “Just go...”

     “NO!” I screamed.

     I must’ve screamed rather loud, because the next thing I knew I heard my father’s footsteps clanking their way to my door. I watched Nyvenne’s window reflection gasp and disappear.

     “Are you all right?” my father asked.

     I turned to face him.

     “Yeah... I’m fine. I just had a bad memory.”

     “Listen,” he said. “Due to this Air Faerie issue, your mother and I have decided that you should remain indoors for your own protection.”

     I couldn’t help myself. I knew it wasn’t proper, but it came anyway. It welled up in my lungs and there was nothing I could do to stop that second deafening scream breaking free.

     “SAERYENNAN!”

     My mouth snapped shut. Tears welled up in my eyes, but my father took no heed of it. He left the room.

     I didn’t come downstairs all that day. The only one who seemed to care about me was Calissa, and even she seemed to misunderstand. As if doing tricks could make me happy. I needed the sunlight, like every Altadorian does. Who cared if there was a Crazy Prophecy Faerie? At least they could let me go out into the gardens, but no, that was too risky. Now that I thought about it, my father really wasn’t so sensible. I was sure my mother could not have agreed to this. After all, who in their right mind would?

     By the end of the day, I had made up my mind. Whether it was fate or my own intentions, I wasn’t going to stay confined in a palace. They could’ve at least granted me access to the gardens, but no, too dangerous.

     “Come on, Calissa,” I said. “We’re leaving.”

     With most certainty that my parents slumbered, I threw bag full of clothes and sword just in case out of the window. I then let Calissa fly out.

     Hesitantly, I began to climb over the windowsill. The idea had come from many a Faerie tale I’d read about a princess who ran away from home for whatever reason. It had seemed a lot easier in Faerie tales. In fact, it was.

     For I slipped and found myself heading face first into a rosebush.

To be continued...