The downfall of Adelaide

I was running, trying to get away from them as I ran for my life. The people that were after me already killed my father and mother, the king and queen of Adelaide, the world of the 7 suns. The realm was miraculous but I don’t know what went wrong.

Last night my Father and I were bickering over that I needed to marry a man to rule the kingdom of Adelaide and I was refuting that I didn’t need a man or a woman to rule my world for success. He was in a sense an authoritarian. It had to be done his way now or no supper for me. I took this banter back and forth lazily as I was in no mood to be arguing over nonsense. I told them in rebuttal that Earth was allowed to rule with whoever they wanted too but he was not having it.

He was saying that Earth didn’t even know about us, that they were negligent, crude, and very aversive to our ways. He also mentioned that their technology was lesser than ours ever could be. I stopped the conversation when I heard a ruckus downstairs.

I was my parent’s only child, the succession to the crown but beknownst to me and my father at the time, my mother was already dead. I grabbed a torch off of the cavern's marble walls and slowly tiptoed down to the entrance of the castle. I saw my mother’s motionless body and slashes across her face.

I looked up to see seven brutal men having gone the other entrance as they threw my father down the steps. I kissed my mother’s cheek as they caught sight of me. They were here for the crown and I was going to be their next victim.

I didn’t panic as I kept a level head. I ran out into the cold rain pouring down from God’s wrath. I tried the cellar that hid our most prized Unicorns but they were all slaughtered to death. I choked as I ran out of there and out into the woods that were pitch black.

I had no coat on and would surely get frostbite if I didn’t find something. I stopped quickly in a Fabric shop that made new adorned coats. I gave him a gold coin and ran out of there with my hood covering my tiara.

I now had a target on my back and I had to run. I ran for hours out through the woods as I finally stopped, catching my breath.

Our once beautiful castle was being burnt to the ground. It was the townspeople, burning their bodies and yelling, screaming in chants of Down with Adelaide, over and over. I was speechless at this account. And I broke down as I watched my home for the past fifteen years of my life burn to the ground.

I had no weapon to protect myself, no food, and no clothes other than a long nightgown that I had been wearing. I was in my slippers and the coat was recently bought. I had no shelter and no plan when someone behind me called my name.

“Princess Elizabeth, why you out here so late?” The hidden spectator said listlessly.

“The King and queen of Adelaide are dead.” I sobbed breaking down falling onto my butt as I cried into my hands.

“The castle is being burned, isn’t it?” He asked looking up at the smoke that was slowly rising from the remnants of the castle.

“Yes, I need to get out of Adelaide, I need to get to earth as quick as possible, and can you help me?” I asked standing up to look at this nice kind young man.

He wore rags for clothes, old fabrics that had faded with time. He had crystal blue eyes, a red beard that covered his pale cheeks, and was very tall. He must have been in his early twenties as he looked young but a bit older than me. His hair was jet black and he seemed curious as to why I was out here.

I slowly stood up, wiping my eyes on my long sleeves as I shook his hand, smiling at him. He seemed genuine even though I didn’t know citizens would be out here, this far.

“I am at your service princess and will always be a loyal citizen to the royal family. I know of one place where worlds meet in the portal of the Abyss. It is the Oblivion Mountains.” He said pointing up at the mountains.

“Can you take me there?” I asked softly, hearing the screams of the city that were a couple of miles from us.

“It will be my duty to serve you my queen; those jacks will pay for it.” He said as he helped me to dust the dirt off of my pale lavender nightgown.

“Thank you,” I said following him to his left side as we walked back into the dark exuberant forest. I was scared, but he held my hand whenever I whimpered a bit.

He started to lead me to his cabin in the woods that was well hidden between the luscious ivy and magical poppies, roses, sunflowers, even blue ivy. He opened the door to a small one-roomed cabin. I thanked him as he hit the light with his hand, lighting the room with electricity, a new-fangled idea that the castle had yet to believe.

I broke down into tears on his small couch. He smiled at me, sitting next to me and handing me a cup of warm hot chocolate. I thanked him again as I unveiled my golden blonde hair that went past my shoulders. I was thin, frail, and weeping. My cheeks were light pink and dense. My skin was light, like the snow that started to cascade down outside in a séance of dreams. I had Hazel eyes like my mother once did and a button nose like my father's.

I wish I knew the reason our people turned on us but I had to think of my safety as the last ruler of Adelaide and the safety of my people, even though they had turned on us.

“Princess Elizabeth, is there anything I can do?” He asked sitting down next to him as I broke down in his strong arms.

“No sir, sorry I didn’t get your name?” I said finally clearing my throat to stare up at him.

“It is Lucas, Prince Lucas of Oceania, I ran away about three years ago.” He said as he stood up and went to his wooden fridge that was built into the cabin, he handed me some Herbal cheese he hand made. It tasted delicious and very earthly tasting.

“Thee Prince Lucas of Oceania, we thought you had died from that world’s treachery,” I said bluntly as he laughed a bit.

He smiled at me nodding, as he took out his crown from his little nightstand and the photograph to prove it. I slowly took off my crown and placed it with his. I no longer felt like a princess, even if I was blood by birth.

“No, sometimes I wish I did, but I love it here in my little home. I came here to find myself when my father secretly banished me for speaking out against him and your father helped me built this cabin. He was the only one that knew of my existence. I am sorry for your loss, Princess Elizabeth.” He said warmly and disheartened by it, to me.

“Prince Lucas, I am in debt to you, for you saving me,” I whispered holding onto my arms as a cold draft came in.

“No need to be Princess, get some rest in the morning we have a day’s journey to the mountains.” He said handing me a blanket and slowly getting underneath his covers to go to sleep.

“Thank you.” I wept as he slowly walked over to his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

I got up and turned off the light as I fell asleep crying to myself silently.

I couldn’t believe that both of my parents were dead. I just couldn’t understand how this happened. I knew I had to find a way to get to earth so I can train myself, and come back to help the citizens. My teachings were squashed today as it proved that I was weak, I just left them. I left my parents but I know that once I did come back that I was going to fight for them. They are my people and I know that they didn’t do this themselves, someone is leading them. My dream state finally took me when the tears dried away.

I woke up in the morning at the crack of dawn to silence. It was unusual for these parts of the woods. I saw that Prince Lucas had been watching the windows. He seemed scared and frantic.

“What is of the matter?” I whispered to him as he pointed outside.

Two civilians were carrying my mother's and father's burnt bodies. I almost screamed when I put a hand over my mouth.

“They don’t know we're here right?” I asked shaking a bit as I ducked down, whispering to him.

“No, we will have to take the secret entrance to the portal. Follow me closely; I want you to go first.” He whispered pointing to the back wall that was a couple of inches from us.

“There is a secret entrance?” I asked puzzled by it.

“I made it in case I had to leave. Now there are some rules with this portal. It is not an ordinary one.” He said

“What do you mean?" I asked earnestly.

“You have to sacrifice something valuable to you to escape," He said pressing the wall ever so softly.

“The legends are true,” I whispered startled by it.

“What?” He said turning to me slowly with a look of confusion on his face.

“There was a story from when I was a little girl of a fountain that would take your things and embed them in the walls. It would grant your wish.” I finally said as he tapped the palms of his hands to the wall gently trying to listen for it to give away.

“It is kind of like that but this place can transport you anywhere in the universe. It is how I got here!” He said finally finding it.

“Lead the way,” I whispered as we jumped back a bit at the wall starting to shake.

He knocked on the back wall as the wall fell forward, crashing and making a lot of sounds. I heard them shout that they heard something as we tiptoed into a large hole that was embedded into the rock at the base of the mountain.

We didn’t hear anything else as we slowly climbed into the darkness, it swallowing us whole. I walked on my hands and knees scraping them raw as I kept on moving. We walked slowly but then I heard them. I couldn’t tell where they were. I was on my hands and knees hiding my crying and sob with a cloth in my mouth.

I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and we went faster than we did before. He threw me forward a bit as he started to cave the wall in, I screamed no but he said he was to serve the queen and king as he should.

I hugged him before anything else as he kissed my cheek. I nodded to him as I walked back a bit. He covered the wall, caving him into it. He sacrificed himself for me. I shed a tear for him.

I heard nothing else as I walked forward and onto a step that lit up the room into a magical mist. In the middle of the room were a lake, blue, gold, and purple surrounding it as it mixed into pink clouds?

“Welcome, Princess Elizabeth.” Someone to my right said.

“Who said that?” I asked turning around to see who it was.

I thought it was one of them that was trying to kill me but it was a mist-like person who slowly formed into the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.

“I did, the protector of the hidden lake of the abyss. I am Oblivion, the person this cavern and mountains were named after.” She said bowing to me.

“You’re a mermaid?” I asked softly stepping closer towards her.

“I appear to you like that, but what is your wish, my dear?” She asked me softly bowing again as her skin became the same color as the lake.

“I want to go to Earth,” I said bluntly.

“And leave your people behind?” She asked callously.

“No, I would never leave them behind but I need to become stronger to defend them, my training is of no use. I want to come back with knowledge for the people and to help settle this. I don’t know why they killed my parents but…” I said as she put a hand up to shush me.

“Adelaide has fallen, that was not of your doing, child. There was nothing you could have done to stop that.” She said finally as her mystical powers bounced off of the walls, showing the people having pre-meditated this plan way before I was born.

“But why did it fall?” I asked falling to my raw knees.

“Your uncle, Thaddeus, overthrew your father with the citizen’s help. His plan was made years before your birth. Your father in a sense was a controller, a tyrant, and Thaddeus didn’t like that. If you are to come back, Thaddeus will surely kill you.” She said wisely, a warning in her words.

“I will come back prepared, what do I have to do to get to earth Mystic Oblivion,” I asked staring at the colorful pool in front of me.

“Those who sacrifice can get through my water’s you must give up your most prized possession, something that is only valuable to you.” She said staring at my neck.

I looked down to see what she was talking about.

“I have nothing on me except for, my necklace,” I said unclasping the gold heart necklace; my mother gave me for my birth.

“The necklace of dreams crafted out of gold and made from the hard labor of its citizens. A sentiment to the culture you want to leave behind, is it not?” She asked deftly.

Without another thought, I ripped it off of my neck as I threw it into the water, the color of the water changing from clear blue into a picture of a bustling city with the statue of liberty off in the distance. I stepped forward then stopped.

“How do I get back?” I asked slowly standing up and walking to the edge of the water.

She paused as she slowly stood next to me staring at the waters herself.

“When you are ready, go to the holy sea, where the oceans meet the water and throw in something that from your experience is prized to you; when the sea changes, you may enter. When you come back, you will be ready.” She said stepping away from the waters as if I knew what that meant.

I nodded to her as I dived into the clear waters disappearing as I reappeared in the harbor that was near the statue of liberty. I looked back around me as I noticed the new land. I was not in Adelaide anymore. It was cold and bitter; it smelled like sewage and runoff as I slowly got out of the waters to start my new life gaining new knowledge and ways to fight Thaddeus.