Simon's Exodus: Part 7 (FINALE) · 2:06am Jul 2nd, 2017
Part 7 of 7, the finale of Simon's Exodus. The second "blog story" as it were will be called "Simon's Experience" for reasons you can probably guess... (it involves his relationship with Eveline, and her teaching him about Ferian magic) Anyway, I'm trying to make this longer... so I hope you like it and stuff.
Welp... I thought to myself. Today's the day. I'm finally going on my first date with the princess! I was so excited, I didn't even care what I was wearing... which was a big mistake. Galas are a formal kind of party, like balls. Theodore saw me and offered to help dress me up. He and Lana were also invited, and the three of us decided to all go together.
When Theodore was done dressing me, I was wearing regal attire that felt somewhat uncomfortable on me, but when I saw myself in the mirror, it was as if I was dressed for my title: I truly did look like a prince. The midnight blue gave it the sense of eloquence that people think of when they hear the word prince. After I was done contemplating whether I should just forget about the formal attire altogether, Theodore showed me to Lana. She smiled and said "Surely there is no prince, so lovely and so well beloved as thee?"
I wanted to say that was true, but my brother was a magnificent prince... and he was giving up his princehood for the girl of his dreams. I understood his plight now... better than I had understood it before anyway. He traded one passion for another... one he felt more passionate about than the one he was giving up. If Eveline was not a fan of theatre, I'd give up writing plays for her... but luckily I don't have to.
I hope I'm not overdressed... I thought to myself. But it's better than being underdressed, I guess. After my contemplations were complete, (for the time being) I walked outside. To my amazement, my starship (my father's last present to me before his disappearance) had been repaired and refurbished... I guess Kristoff really does care about me... either that or he's plotting something against me and is using my ship to lull me into a false sense of trust.
Starship Felicity, as it were, was remodeled to fit my style: Different shades of red, green, and blue for the main body, swirling colors in the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy... Wings of luminescent silver whose beauty rivals that of the midnight sky... And a sky-blue tinted windshield to make it always look clear as daylight to me, the pilot. Now this, I thought to myself, is a quadrillion times better than a royal sky chariot! This... is the perfect ride to the perfect date.
I won't bore you with the details of the flight... it wasn't exactly glorious. Sure, there were a few things out the window that caught Theodore's eye, but nothing caught mine except the destination: La Ravine Bleu. Meaning "The Blue Ravine" in French, this was much more than just a ravine. There were two rocky cliffs, which were made of aquamarine and shimmered in the sunset. These crystalline beauties weren't the only blessing of the Blue Ravine: there was also a castle made almost entirely of... some unnameable material that reflected sunlight more brightly than the moon. It wasn't diamond, nor was it any kind of mineral I had heard of... it was simply... beauteous. My early arrival gave me more than enough time to admire the kingdom, a kingdom that I would later on be calling home.
Suddenly my attention was drawn to the royal bell tower. There were thirteen bells, all different shapes and sizes, and I had guessed that a different one would be rung at each hour, with an extra one to differentiate between AM and PM, each bell making a different sound to notify the citizens of the Starlight Kingdom what time it was. There was no clock, so I imagined the Starlighters knew the tones of the bells very well... either that or they all had watches and didn't actually follow the tones.
I looked closely at the bells and could see engravings on them: Roman numerals. Naturally, since everyone on Earth knew those numbers and what they meant, I knew that the numerals were there to tell the time to foreigners like my (at that time) self. What struck me (clock pun intended) as odd was that the engravings were actually holes in the bells... then I realized that that was to give them an even more unique tone. The bell reading "VI" rang as if by magic, and shortly afterward, the smallest bell rang, signifying that it was six o'clock in the evening. That meant that the gala was starting in one hour. So I was even earlier than I thought I was.
I drew my attention away from the bell tower and back to the castle. Still sparkling, shimmering, glimmering... shining, but this time it had different hues than before. While beforehand the castle was light blue, the blueness had turned to redness to reflect the beauty of the sunset. This is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen... I thought to myself. Then I remembered the reason I was here: To be with Eveline. Make that the second most beautiful. I led myself into the castle, not caring that the party hadn't started yet, nor that I didn't know my way around.
After entering the castle: I saw a familiar face greeting me: A pale-white face, almost like silver, with flaming red hair and sky blue eyes that could fixate a stare so deadly that she could send the purest most devout soul straight to Hell... just for catching her eye. She was the devil's twin sister, the Princess of Starlight herself. Eveline... I now knew why her name sounded so familiar to me, and it wasn't her father's champagne... nor was it his friendship with my father. Eveline was the goddess of love and lust in Ferian lore.
The Starlight Princesses were all named after Ferian goddesses: Clara Belle Harkens, Eveline's mother, was named after Clara, goddess of light, and Belle, goddess of vanity. And her mother, Aria Dunyett, named after Aria, goddess of music. The entire matriline of the Starlight Kingdom dates back six and a half millennia, and the Princesses (and Queens) were all named after goddesses of Feria, a long-since-dead kingdom. If the Starlighters are descendant from the Ferians... I thought to myself. That can only mean one thing: The Dracona-Ferian war isn't over... and I'm on a date with the only one who can end it. This HAS to be perfect or I won't just lose her... I'll lose my life and the lives of my entire family.
Ignoring the thought about the war, or the risk I was taking by having this date, I simply said "Bonsoir" to Eveline, wishing her a good evening. I figured that this time around I should be speaking her native tongue, not mine. Eveline said nothing, but simply smiled. "Emmenez-moi au ciel au-dessus." I said to her. She walked towards the spiral staircase, then gestured for me to follow her. Eveline and I ascended to the top of the castle, which took me almost half an hour and her no time at all.
"Quickly, before the party starts... take this!" Eveline exclaimed... for the first thing she said to me in English... it was actually the thing that made the least sense coming out of her mouth. I looked down onto her hand, which was opened up as if to hold a wounded bird... but what she was actually holding was no bird at all. It was a silver ring, encrusted with that same unnameable crystal that her castle was made of.
Not sure what to make of this, I took the ring and fastened it on my right middle finger. I didn't want anyone to accuse me of secretly being engaged to Eveline before the party... secret engagements are an act of treason. Everyone knows that. So that's why I didn't put the ring on my left ring finger. Right middle instead, as if it were a mere bauble, which, since I hadn't been told yet of its powers, is what I thought it was.
After putting on the ring, I felt extremely cold, almost hypothermic, for seven seconds. After that, I felt a warming sensation on my forehead, as if I had just been given a fever. I looked up and saw Eveline's hand touching my forehead. "Don't move." She said to me. "Moving will only hurt the fire within you... and though the embers are new, whatever you do, just don't let the fire die."
I didn't understand a word of what this princess of mine was saying... but I obeyed anyway. I stood still, not moving an inch or a muscle until I heard Eveline say "It's gone. You can move now."
"What's gone?" I asked. "Why couldn't I move before?"
"The Mark of the Fei." Eveline answered. "It's how they find dreamers like you. The Fei are a race of spirits, known for corrupting the minds of our nobles and their friends. You're friends with Lana, are you not? Her mother and father were captured by members of the Legion Of Relentless Darkness, an ancient order in devoted service to the Fei and the promise they bring: Total absolute unity. That promise is a complete lie. The Fei want to feed upon our dream magic, and in return they offer their hosts and servants whatever they desire... bound only by the limits of imagination."
"So what does that have to do with the ring?" I asked. "Does it endow me with like... magic powers or something?"
"Yes, but for your sake, I can't tell you what they are." Eveline answered. "When you need to use them, you'll know how. And that time is coming soon. I sense that someone is coming to crash this party... and my senses in this area are rarely mistaken. Now go... back down the stairs... the party's about to start. And when it does... I'll be there waiting for you."
So that must be one of her powers: Teleportation. I thought to myself. I wonder what mine are? For some reason, I felt like testing them. I jumped down from the top floor of the castle fell slowly, as if lighter than air. I guess one of my powers is immunity to fall damage? I'll take what I can get. When the bell tolled seven, all the people hoping to meet the princess came bursting in through the door, rather than entering in orderly fashion like true nobles. They were all crowded around the door, pooling in like lemmings... eager to meet Eveline, but far from worthy. She didn't choose any of them for what makes them them... she merely invited all of her subjects, to protect them, and a few people from other kingdoms, such as myself. We must all be protected from danger.
Speaking of danger, I could sense that there was something below me, under the crystalline floor... something that could very well be what Eveline was trying to warn me about. A cloud of midnight blue smoke erupted from the floor, seeping in through the ground below like a demon rising from Hell... but this was no demon. It was a man. His skin was black.... and I don't mean "African" or whatever the commonfolk mean by black skin. I mean BLACK black, like it was covered in soot. He was garbed in emerald green robes, and he wore a ruby brooch on his neck. He wore a cast iron helmet, signifying that he must have had incredible physical strength to carry its weight on his head. He was seven-foot-two and plenty buff. He fit the description of Shadestar better than Draco Marx... and I almost mistook him for the real Shadestar until he spoke.
His voice was dark and foreboding, but what he said gave me calmness and confusion. "Salu, Brother Si." He said to me, knowing my name. (Which was not a very good first impression, as it made me think he was Shadestar all the more) "I am Sir Roland, noble knight of Feria. Archaeus sent me. He told me that Shadestar is after the princess."
"He is." I confirmed to Roland. "But I haven't seen anyone who looks like him... except for you."
"He wouldn't look or sound like himself here." Roland explained to me. "He would be in disguise... or mayhap send one of his lackeys to do the same. I've seen a few suspicious types. Someone who may or may not be Prince Nicholas, maker of the Chaos Rings. Disguised as you. If you see yourself, it's probably him. And then there's Ludex, the Game Master. His favourite game is puppetry. Don't look at his chest. He controls you with his twisted heart. He could make you kill yourself if he wanted to. And of course, as I'm sure you've heard the legend, Duplicati. I believe you wrote a play based on that part of the legend. His power is to make infinite clones of himself. Jacob Marx played him well. Now Shadestar himself... that guy is a man of mystery. He can disguise as whoever he chooses, use their powers, and turn people to his side with false promises. Trust noone but yourself. Not even me. For all you know, I could actually be Shadestar pretending to be Roland pretending to be Shadestar."
"Duly noted." I responded, uneasy about not trusting anyone but myself. I trusted Eveline... but then again, it may not have been her who gave me the ring. Is that what kind of ring she gave me? A Chaos Ring? Could she be a new lackey of Shadestar's, one who disguised herself as Eveline to gain my trust? Could that ring be more than just an endowment of power? If so, what other secrets does it hold? These and many more questions plagued my mind... but I had no time for the answers.
I saw another shadowy figure emerge, like Roland before him. After the midnight blue smoke cleared up, I saw another figure that also looked like Shadestar... only this one emanated something that Roland didn't: Dark emotions. Just standing next to him made me feel something that I had no word for. It was like a combination of fear, pain, hatred, and anger. I couldn't quite understand why I was feeling this way about a creature I had already seen a doppelganger of, but I knew that this was the real deal. Not disguised at all. This was Shadestar, here, at the Starlight Gala, in his truest form.
"So... the Prince of Starlight hath finally been chosen." Shadestar said, his voice deep and dark and foreboding... and even more so than Roland's. "Your Princess is not the girl she appears to be, Prince Simon."
"Exactly." I agreed with the enemy before me. "She's so much more than just a red-haired girl with blue eyes. She has determination, endurance, valiance, loyalty, yearning, and nobility. All the characteristics a Devlyn strives for, and there's nothing more I could ask for in a princess."
"Ah, but there is something you didn't know about your friend Lana." Shadestar replied to me. "Something even she doesn't know about herself."
"And you know this... how?" I asked Shadestar.
"Who do you think captured her parents? 'A host of the Fei' but which one? Yours truly. And I am about to deliver them two more hosts: the Prince and Princess of Starlight!"
And that's it... until my next story... which I probably won't be writing any time soon. Maybe I'll start it with my 1001st blog, like how I started this one with my 951st. Sorry to leave you all on a cliffhanger, but I was gonna have a battle scene, and I don't know how to write those. Maybe in the Wattpad story (which may or may not be linked to once finished, so you can read it) I'll actually write the battle scene. (Because by the time I write it, I'll be better at writing.)
Marvelous ending, my friend!
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It's better to have THIS kind of cliffhanger than the kind I was GOING to have. (in the middle of the battle)
Yeah, that would have been a killer.
An epic conclusion! Loved every bit of it :D