It was Windstorm Season when the Kingdom of Arra fell to King Ordo in the early days of the Hallow War. Ordo’s son, Stefan, before he became the Immortal King, was the Head Commander of Ordo’s army. 

As expected, Stefan breezed through Arra’s small army. Easily bypassing their defenses, he marched in as if he owned the land…claiming that they weren’t there to harm anyone. Instead, he stoked panic and fear in them. 

‘The Desert King will come to the Meadows next.’
‘He will slaughter all of us until he finds it.’
‘We must unite or we’ll all die.’

Talo’s father, King Barr, refused his unification proposal—asserting his people’s right to live free, and that the ways of the Gods must not change. ‘I will deal with the desert myself if it comes to.’ He said.  

His refusal to unite greatly upset Stefan…who was now the Ascended Incarnate of the God Death. Barr was easily overpowered, as he had always had trouble mastering the lyrical language of Arra. Just like all of the Arlan Gods, Arra had her own distinctive language and elaborate system at the center of her power, a music based system. A system requiring one to master the perfect pitch, tone, and spell.

But in a surprising turn, instead of killing them, Stefan banished Barr and his family from their land, forcing him to seek refuge in the mountains where King Losk ruled. Barr was very fortunate that his first wife and love, Siina, happened to be the sister of the king. Losk welcomed him with open arms. 

Many years later, Talo would be born and would undergo his Ascension at the age of four. As time passed, he learned there was much more to Arra than anyone would believe. Unlike many of his predecessors, he was a fast learner. And as he grew stronger, Talo would unlock a ‘lost’ power of Arra. A power Arra trusted him with unlike the others. A power she made him promise to never reveal. But at that moment, when he promised Arra, he would have never guessed that he would later entrust this secret with a woman he’ll grow to love … .and come near death for.

***

Present Day

Talo’s legs were shaky and weak, like he hadn’t used them in days. One of the advantages of possessing the essence of the Goddess Arra was having the ability to implant his own memories into others. But showing Mesyla the conversation he had with the mysterious woman in the Sanctuary of Fyr had taken a much bigger toll on him than expected. 

“I…need….water.” Talo wheezed. 

Mesyla, unaffected, offered him a glass of water from her bedside table.

Once his breathing returned to normal, Talo took a seat and directed his attention back to Mesyla. She was standing across the room, in a plain white robe, gazing out of her window.

“So?” Talo asked. He was really hoping Mesyla would be excited for this new development. But when she finally opened her mouth, he was disappointed.

“The woman was pretty. I loved her veil.” She responded.

Talo, displeased, threw his hands in the air. “Is that all you have to say?” 

Mesyla shrugged. 

Talo’s gaze hardened. “Mesyla, this is the answer we have been searching for.” 

But Mesyla, avoiding his eyes, didn’t respond. All she wanted was this conversation to end…..But Talo kept going.  

“This is not my home, Mesyla. My people are under siege. This may be the way, so you can either help me or stay out of my way.” He rambled. 

Mesyla suddenly whipped her head in the direction of Talo.

“You are foolish.” She muttered, head shaking. Inside, she was now boiling with anger. Hearing Talo say the mountains weren’t his home felt like a slap to the face.

Talo jumped from his seat, ready to object. But Mesyla wasn’t done.

“You are blindly trusting a woman you’ve never encountered before, and apparently has the power to stop time. A power Arla hasn’t seen in decades. How about we start with who the woman was, Talo? Because as far as I’m concerned, your mystery woman is a threat and must be dealt with.” 

Once she was done, Mesyla snapped her head back towards the window. She couldn’t bear to look at him right now. 

But now Talo wasn’t done. He marched over to her, coming to a stop directly behind her. “There’s more to what I’ve shown you. The woman, Reyna, she showed me her own memory.” He said. 

“Talo.” Mesyla groaned, as she tilted her head backwards. 

“Let me finish, Mesyla.” 

She nodded, motioning for him to go on. 

“I didn’t believe her…not right away. Not until she showed me what happened, how Stefan was hurt. Dying, in fact. Days before Queen Shioban struck and opened the gates, his father made a decision to remove Stefan’s heart and replace it with a glass one. A heart of immortality, the priest called it. Mesyla, I believe her.” 

Mesyla was overwhelmed. She turned from the window to look directly at Talo.

“I’m sorry, Talo. I just can’t believe this. We do not know who that woman was. This could all be a lie. She could get you killed. How would you even go about this? Seducing his daughter to kill him?” She rambled. 

“Mesyla, I have—”

“And you couldn’t even use your powers to confirm her story.” She interrupted.

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Talo snapped, face now red. 

Mesyla crossed her arms over her chest, very displeased with his tone. 

For a long moment, no one said anything. The tension in the room was palpable. The only noise that could be heard was the clinking of glasses and silverware downstairs. 

“We could force a vote at the biannual meetings. We would need to talk to the others though.” Mesyla proposed, breaking the brief silence. 

 “My sweet flower, those meetings are useless.”

Mesyla let out a big sigh, shoulders now slumped.  

Talo then began rubbing his palms together, trying to think of an alternative. Once he found one, he knew she wouldn’t like it. 

“There’s always you.” He suggested. 

“What are you talking about?” Mesyla asked, now standing with her hands on her hips. 

“The Incarnates of Trykar and Arra, side by side. Together, a double threat.” He explained. 

Mesyla began to laugh. “Are you serious?”

“Don’t underestimate us, Mesyla. I’m not my father. And you are not yours.” He teased. 

But Mesyla wasn’t impressed. 

“I won’t plunge this world into war…not another one.” She objected.

Talo closed the gap between the two, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Who said anything about war?”

Mesyla softly pushed him off.  “If the woman was lying, if he is truly Immortal, he would have nothing to lose. He will want war. And I’m not letting you die, my love. I’ve been responsible for too many deaths as it is.”

Talo’s eyes softened.

“I’ve buried too many people already. I won’t bury my best friend next.” She choked.

Talo then reached out for her hands, intertwining their fingers. “You won’t lose me.” He promised.  

They both leaned in, foreheads touching. For a moment, the world around them didn’t exist. 

But then a knock on the door was heard.  

Mesyla let go of Talo’s hands and smoothed her dress out. 

“Come in.” She yelled. 

The door immediately opened, and a young servant named Jesper entered.  

“Your highness. Your father seeks you. He says it’s time.” He said.

Mesyla nodded. 

Once Jesper was no longer in the room, Mesyla turned her gaze back to Talo. Her eyes grew wide with excitement.

“It’s time for the Coronation Ceremonies.” She beamed. 

“Already?”

Mesyla nodded enthusiastically. “We will finish this conversation later….. after I am Queen.”

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime, Mesyla?”

“Nothing foolish.” She warned. 

To be continued. 

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