The Chained Phoenix

May the moon protect you, her mother always told her. May it look out for you and offer you its guidance.

Her mother was a child of the moon. Elegant, gentle and wise. A celestial being, incarnated among humans. A beacon. Her sister was the same. More grounded, yet undeniably divine. Destined to rule and shield mankind. May the moon protect you.

It was a moonless night, that night. But she knew the moon was there, hiding behind the Earth’s shadow. Always watching. She lifted her hand towards the sky letting it be engulfed by the darkness. Her fingertips hidden from her, as they were agonizingly searching for the comforting touch of her mother. The thought of her and her siblings penetrated her chest like a thorn.

She retracted her hand and let the darkness embrace her. She felt grateful for the reassuring shelter the shadows had provided all these years. For as bright as her mother and her sister were, showering people with hope and wisdom, they were also blinding. Creating shadows and distractions. Sanctuaries where she could hide.

She caressed the chain around her wrist. She couldn’t see it clearly, yet its image was vivd in her mind. Every detail, every marking, every thought of love and agony her mother put into it when she merged it with her flesh.

May the moon protect you, the words were engraved, twisted in its links. Keeping her protected. Keeping her bound.

The breezy, unlit, summer night brought back memories of family intimacy and affection. Snuggled up by her pregnant mother’s side on the bed, listening stories of valiant queens and grand adventures. Her sister, her long, graceful legs laid across the foot of the bed, intercepting with scary details and teasing comments. How she wished to remain in the darkness with them.

The dim light of a candle pulled her away from them.

“I thought you might be here.” the familiar figure of a girl approached her. She was wearing a faint smile, mischievous at first glance, but full of care and understanding upon further inspection. A smile that was reserved for her eyes only. “The guards will be really angry if they figure out you snuck out again, you know.”

“In that case we will make sure they do not find out. It would be rude to upset them now, would it not?” she challenged the newcomer, secretly begging for that smile to make another appearance.

“Of course, Your Highness.” the girl gave her a bow, not unlike the ones she had been receiving her entire life, yet entirely different.

“You know you’re not supposed to call me that. What if anyone hears?” she pretended to reprimand her friend.

“I thought it was pretty evident I was just teasing you Raya, but you’re right. There are a lot of brutes out there with no sense of humour.” she sat down on the grass with the candle still in hand. “Are you going to just stand there?”

Raya joined her without protest. The proximity of their warm bodies, shielded them from the coolness of the ground. They almost seemed the same height sat down like that, their faces on the same level.

“What is it?” her comrade looked at her with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Had she been staring for too long?

“Nothing, it’s just…” the darkness once again protected her, hiding her flushing cheeks. “It feels like we are the same height sitting down like that.”

A small chuckle escaped her friend’s lips. “Well, I am older than you.” she theatrically paused before she pointed at her head, “Plus, the curly hair adds a bit.”

“I see. It’s all a facade, then.” Raya teased. She was expecting another witty comeback, but instead, the other girl grew silent.

“Alna?” Alna ignored her friend’s questioning and she slowly laid back down the ground, giving Raya another weak, slightly different smile.

Ever since Raya was sent away from her family Alna had been her only confidant. Perhaps it was the fact that they were the only girls around the same age on this convoy, or perhaps it was Alna’s role as leader and protector, the two girls were immediately drawn to each other. Raya initially took solace at the thought of having a person as strong as her sister to rely on. Over the course of their journey however, she realized that Alna was so much more. For the first time in her life she had found someone she could walk by on equal footing.

“How long until we arrive?” Raya asked looking back at the comforting abyss once again.

“Just a couple of days.” Alna took a deep breath raising her chest from the ground. “My brother sent a messager. He is already waiting for us. Once we arrive we will get you and your brother settled, along with your escorts.“

Raya laid down next to Alna and both girls turned to each other, their faces inches apart. Raya’s black eyes fixated on Alna’s blue ones. Different, yet the same.

Suddenly the image of her sister’s blue eyes came to mind. How determined they looked when she took on their mother's duties after the accident. How devastated when they were saying goodbyes, despite her best efforts to appear calm and collected. She made promises of swift reunions and stability that they both knew she would not be able to keep. But Raya kept quiet. She knew they had to go for her brother's sake. Without their mother around they weren’t safe anymore. So instead of protesting, Raya held their younger brother close and promised to protect him.

May the moon protect you, dear sister.

She felt Alna’s hand on her arm as she broke eye contact.

“Are you thinking about your family?” she whispered. Her hand moved up to Raya’s chin and she softly turned the younger girl’s head to face her. “I will make sure the war ends soon, so you get to meet them again.”

Raya smiled, touched but deep down torn in half. It was unlike Alna to make such childish promises.

War is no child’s play. You cannot just call it a day. War is ugly. War needs sacrifices. There is no easy way out. Her tutor and leader of the Royal Guardians would always repeat the same chant. Our duty as Royal Guardians is to protect the Royal Family, no matter the cost. Your birth mother knew that very well.

Raya suddenly became overly conscious of the chain around her arm, but pushed the feeling away.

Alna’s face, faintly illuminated by the weak flame of the candle, looked serious. So serious that Raya wished her words to be true and she and her brother could return home.

“When I do, will you come with me?” the question escaped her lips before she could stop it.

The flame of the candle shone brightly, spliting in two, in Alna’s eyes. The hint of joy, but also hesitation flickered in these twin flames. She started to say something, but muffling sounds from the campsite cut her off.

Raya turned immediately. As the realization that intruders had infiltrated their camp reluctantly sank in, she began to panic. She had to take her brother out of there.

“We need to find Rowan.” she whispered harshly as she was getting up, but before she had a chance to get up on her feet she felt a shapr pain at the back of her head. She fell back at the ground, next to the candle. Its dim light was the last thing she saw before complete darkness engulfed her again.

When she woke up the candle had turned into a big torch. The light, although still dim was much brighter than when she was laying on the fields with Alna. She realised she was in a tent, but it she couldn’t identify it as one of the tents in their campsite. She tried to move but failed. Her hands and feet were firmly tied together. And then, as her vision grew more focused, she saw it. A banner with a pair of wings surrounded by flames. The Crest of the Phoenix. They had been found.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Princess Raya.” a deep voice taunted her.

She looked up trying to identify the source. A dark, slender man was smirking at her from the corner of the tent. He was sitting cross-legged, hands intertwined under his chin. He was in full armor, the Crest of the Phoenix decorating his chest. Raya’s eyes searched the rest of the tent. Her brother was laying just a few feet away from her unconscious. His breathing was deep and heavy. The protective chain around his neck dancing as his chest moved up and down.

May the moon protect you.

“Do not worry, he is fine.” the man stood up and slowly walked towards her. “He was just being a little restless and we had to sedate him. But before you join him, I’d like you to write a little letter for your sister.”

He towered over her, almost openly mocking her. She couldn’t bear to look at the crest on his armor. Tarnished by these bastard thieves who robbed her of her birthright. That stole her of her family not once, but twice. Their matching black eyes met. His fiery arrogance clashing with her fiery hatred. She was not going to be reduced to a bargaining chip so easily.

“Do not forget our deal, General.” a familiar female voice interrupted. Raya realised startled that somebody was sitting in the shadows, where the light of the torch couldn’t reach. As the figure came closer, curly hair and blue eyes came to light, causing Raya’s heart and lungs to clench violently.

“Dear Alna, of course not.” the General turned to the older girl. “Your brother and people shall be set free as soon as we make it back to our capital.”

“That was not our exact deal.” Alna sounded stern and determined. Cold, even. She had not looked at Raya once since she had been spotted. The princess on the other hand was staring in disbelief. Desperate to steal a glance of her thought-to-be friend's eyes, to get a sign that all this wasn’t true. That there was an elaborate secret plan which would make everything right. But Alna would not look at her. The spot at the back of her head where she had been hit, started to ache all the way to her heart.

“I thought we had agreed that killing the Royal Guards wasn’t necessary.” Alna looked irritated with her new associate. He simply shrugged and walked to the table where a cup of wine was waiting for him.

“They resisted. Unfortunate indeed, but they forced our hand.” He spoke casually, as if discussing the weather.

“Furthermore, it was agreed that the Prince and Princess would still remain under our custody, joint by your unit, until the Queen was dethroned and brought here in exile.” her tone was growing more aggressive.

“The Royal army has been relocated, so we decided it is for our cause’s best interest that the hostages are moved to our territory.” he responded in a clearly dismissive manner. “Not that it is any of your business. You savages should feel lucky to be spared, do not for one moment think you have any say in our military affairs.”

Raya watched Alna’s face growing more angry as the exchange was unfolding. I will make sure to end the war soon, she had promised. Raya finally understood what she meant. She finally saw Alna for who she was. Not a mature, confident young woman, but a naïve, delusional child.

War needs sacrifices. There is no easy way out. Her tutor's words echoed in her mind, making her want to scream. There is no easy way out.

Alna lunged suddenly towards the General, pulling a dagger from her belt, but he easily predicted her erratic movements and immobilized her.

“You stupid woman. No wonder your tribes have never amount to anything. Did you really think the Royal Family would get a happily-ever-after? These creatures are monsters. and they need to be put down” the General spat on her face.

Raya would slit the man's throat right then and there herself if she could. But looking at Alna screaming and crying, a helpless child as she was, could not help but agree with him on one point. There were no happy endings to their story. There were always compromises that needed to be made. Her birth mother knew that. When she sacrificed herself for the Queen, fulfilling her duty as a Guardian she knew that. Not even her duty to her toddler daughter could surpass that, leaving Raya into the care of her friend and ruler. Her daughter became someone else’s daughter and her crest was sullied by trespassers who had now declared war on those she had sworn to protect.

Our duty as Royal Guardians is to protect the Royal Family, no matter the cost.

Raya stretched her fingers and touched the chain around her arm. The chain that was given to her by the Queen, her second mother, herself, bounding her powers and hiding her heritage. The chain that had allowed her to live her life as a true member of the Royal Family.

A couple of guards entered the tent hearing he ruckus and took Alna from the General’s grip, ignoring her curses. As they were tossing her around her gaze fleetingly meet that of Raya's. How young she looked. War needs sacrifices.

“Enough with this nonsense.” The General black eyes grew darker and wider as his entire face twitched into a twisted, sadistic grimace. His tongue slid across his lips as he drew his sword. “Let’s send a message to the Queen, shall we?” To her horror Raya realized that he was walking her brother.

He took the first step. “I think a hand will do the job.”

Our duty as Royal Guardians is to protect the Royal Family.

Second step. The General chuckled at Alna’s screams, always remaining focused on his pray.

War needs sacrifices.

Third. Raya felt the chain around her arm burning. Her adoptive mother wished to protect her from all this.

Protect the Royal Family.

He was almost towering over the unconscious boy, sword ready to strike. Raya held onto the burning chain with her finger tips and felt her brother's one reacting to her awakening. She knew she wouldn’t be able to control it.

Protect the Royal Family!

She looked at Alna, who was still screaming. A desperate ragdoll abused by the guards. She was too close. She would not make it. But she had to do it. She had to. For her brother.

War needs sacrifices.

Rowan’s chain shined bright, engulfing him in a dim light. The imminent manifestation of her powers had fully triggered its divine protection.

May the moon protect you.

The moment she broke her binding chain, white blinding flames emerged from her hands, slowly surrounding her entire body, burning the ropes that were keeping her captive. She stood up, a true Phoenix, like her birth mother before her. The flame swiftly spread across the tent, growing even brighter, creating a barrier around her brother while igniting and melting everything else. The cries of the General and the guards muffled under the song of the flames, were full of anguish. The gruesome scent of burning flesh had already filled the tent.

The last thing Raya remembered was Alna. She didn’t fight the flames that were about to consume her. She simply looked at her. In the smothering light of the flames their true natures became transparent. Alna was a just a child, while Raya was a soldier. And despite how much she wished they could be children together, her duty came first. The extreme heat from the flames evaporated her tears. The blazing light, too much to bear. She could not hold it any longer.

She closed her eyes before the blast.

May the moon protect you, dear child.