*****Content Warning: Language*****
My life began and ended with my wife: Shia. Her family was a branch member of the Warrick family. Known for their power, the main family had planned to marry her off to an arrogant prince. She was beautiful, as well as powerful. Her dark red hair and ocean blue eyes made her quite the catch... Why she chose me over Ardin, Iâll never understand...
Shia was a Light magic user: the first in Alconaâs history! Can ye understand how amazing that is?! By the gods, she was amazing on the battlefield. Thatâs where I fell in love with her.. She saved Lazarus and myself many times over. I still donât get why she never really liked to fly... Laz is just a big flying teddybear..
Anyway... Iâm getting off subject. And donât expect these journals to be perfect. Do ye have any idea how hard it is to make a simple fucking book cover?! Laz was a tough old bastard! My friend will make sure these journals last. HE said so...
Youâll see how hard it is to work with. All my notes and findings are in the other two journals. This one is for them.. My family. My life. Iâm old now. I donât like getting old.. But then again, who does? This book is about how my loves and I saved the kingdom.. Or rather, doomed the world.
Just so you know: if a creepy old man in a swamp tells you not to do something, ye better damn well listen! He was called the damn guardian for a reason.. Why does no one listen to reason? If Shia hadâ No. It wasnât her fault.. It was mine. All mine...
I shouldâve stopped her. I knew I shouldâve stopped her. She wasnât strong enough.. I knew it. But I let her come with me anyway.. I didnât want to be apart from her, ever. Sheâd just started to get used to riding with me. Lazarus and Shia were finally getting on.. Why did I ignore the Fae?! Itâs HIS fauâ No. Itâs mine. My sin, not the guardianâs. He warned us not to touch it. He said we could, but that we shouldnât.. But we needed the power. Shia was the only one with the suited trait, but it wasnât right. They lied! They lied to get the spear! She died because of her so-called family!â
.....
They knew weâd do everything we could to save the people. We knew the risks, but not the consequences.. We were just another piece to the puzzle. Another calculated move, another sacrificed pawn for fateâs grand fucking design...
Why?! Why did she have to die? Why not me!ââ
The war was terrible... I canât even describe the carnage. The entire continent split. Our once united Alcona was ripped apart by greedy, power hungry bastards. They wanted the Catalyst, but we stopped them! Those bastards may have taken everything from me, but I did the same! The Ethereal Spear is back in their shame, to add to it. I will never let anyone get their hands on that abomination! And even if they do, Iâll be readyâ Wait, no I wonât! Ha!
Ye poor unlucky soul... Or are ye lucky? Yer lucky l know their secret, Iâll tell ye that! I may be a rambling old drunk, but Iâm going to save yer ass! For Shia and Lazzy! Thatâs a good nickname. I shouldâve called her that!
They think Iâm beaten. That I came out here to die.. Well, theyâre half wrong... I will die soon, but not until I tell you: Dragons are amazing! Theyâre magic. Theyâre from the same place as the Fae. I wonder what that place was like? Probably beautiful and peaceful.. Why are humans so terrible?! Weâre never happy. Everything has to be better all the time, or itâs not worth it.
Why is good bad? Good is good. When does good become not good enough?
When did we stop caring about the consequences of our actions? Humans are a curious lot... And hubris is our greatest weakness.
We ripped everything apart because we had to be better than before. I read that people used to fly in machines! Isnât that something?! We could talk to another person on the other side of the world like they were right in front of us! Why did we go so far? We destroyed everything...
I was happy. We were happy. We just wanted to save people. They used us! They killed her! She killed the bastard too. But thereâs always more...
Greedy parasites that thrive off of the misery of others. Why Shia?! Shia. Shia. Shiaââ
Remember these things: Read the books. Dragons are magic. Donât touch things you shouldnât. And MOST IMPORTANT! Keep yer woman close. If you want her close, keep her there. And donât ignore creepy warnings from creepy, cryptic Fae. The Catalyst will heal all With All. May the Gods give you a quick death....
**********
âWhat in the bloody hell did we just read?!â Tidas asked out loud.
Skye slowly closed the flap to the book. It was the authorâs note at the back of the book. Most didnât read them, or even realize they were there. It was jumbled and sporadic, but Skye had gleaned quite a bit of information from the drunken ramblings. It was a lot to process.
However, Skye was slowly starting to freeze to death. Her teeth were openly chattering, and Tidas wanted to take her back to their warm cottage. He scooped up Skye into his arms like before, and turned to walk away. When his wife had began to protest, Tidas explained; âThese things arenât going anywhere, but you might lose your toes if we donât get some proper clothes on you.â
Knowing him to be right, Skye quit her griping and allowed her husband to carry her. Walking over to where theyâd fell in, the couple looked at their exit with worrisome expressions. The hole really was only big enough for one person at a time, but Tidas didnât want to leave Skye to fetch her clothes and some rope.
Realizing it was their only option, Tidas reluctantly put his wife down. He looked into his wifeâs eyes with sternness reflected in his. Trouble seemed to seek out Skye, and he didnât want her more than a few feet from him at all times now. Snareâs story had seemed a little too familiar for his liking. And when heâd mentioned the Catalyst, a terrible sinking feeling had filled his chest.
âI donât want you to move from This Spot, Understand? And you canât blame me, considering how we ended up down here..ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Tidasâ wordage had irritated Skye, but she nodded her agreement. The hole theyâd fallen through was about an eight foot drop. If the rotted wood pile hadnât been there, Skye probably wouldâve died from the fall. The area wasnât well lit and she was cold, so Skye replied; âFine, Iâll stay put like ye asked.. But hurry up or-â
âYouâll freeze âyer nipsâ off?â Tidas said in a playful manner.
âOh! Get goinâ Tidas MacArthur!â Skye cheeks flushed prettily as she yelled at her husband.
Tidas barked his laughter sharply before quieting down to focus. The slants to the walls worked in his favor. He powered up his legs, and sprang back and forth against the walls with rapid speed. Propelling himself up the walls to grab at the entrance. Heâd climbed about half-way up the hole when heâd lost his footing.
As he slipped down the sides of the hole, Tidas desperately tried to catch and hold his weight. He dragged his hands against the walls; kicking up mud as he attempted to grab hold of something. He heightened his perception as much as he could and saw a large root protruding from the wall. Grabbing hold of it, he slammed his body against the mud; leaving his feet dangling out of the hole.
Skye felt like she had three heart attacks is quick succession as Tidas had struggled. As soon as sheâd seen his feet sticking out, sheâd instinctively used her Earth magic. She compacted and solidified the dirt and rocks near the edge of the hole; giving him a ledge to stand on. She then did the same process along the wall of the hole, carving out a winding staircase.
Tidas was grateful Skyeâd saved his life, but sheâd done so at great peril to herself again. Shifting the soil like she had couldâve caused a cave in. Tidas mightâve survived, but Skye wouldâve been buried and crushed. And if anything ever happened to her, Snareâs fate would become his own.
Rolandâs words had resonated more with Tidas than he wanted to admit. Skye seemed very similar in attitude to Shia, and it scared him greatly. She would risk her life without a second thought, if she knew that there was a chance it could save someone.
âTeamwork, Husband! I canât guarantee itâll hold ye up there forever! Move yer Arse!â Skye screamed; knocking Tidas from his thoughts.
Tidas paused a moment in contemplation before yelling back; âAye, wife.. Teamwork.â
Quickly ascending the stairs; Tidas used his speed to scoop up Skyeâs clothes. Heâd begun looking about for her underwear, but then remembered how heâd ripped them off and threw them into the woods. The images that flashed through his head at the thought brought a smirk to his face. He grabbed the blanket theyâd cuddled under earlier, sped over to the hole, and called out to Skye to look out.
âWow, that was fast! Just another minute! Ima almost done!â Skye bellowed her reply.
Tidas wanted to protest, but he could hear her shifting around the rocks and dirt below him. He understood that Shamans require vast concentration and focus for their magic. He was unsure if Earth mages did or not, but considering her attempted task; the prince decided to do as she asked. After about four minutes, Skye gave him the all clear, and the prince walked down the now-complete winding staircase.
As he reached the bottom, Skye stood before him; covered in dirt due to her shifting the ceiling before. Her arms were wrapped about her, and she was openly shivering. As soon as her eyes fell on her clothes, she removed Tidasâ shirt. The prince grinned as he quirked his eyebrow and said; âPatience, wife.â
âOh, shut it! Ima freezinâ me arse off! Give me my dress Please!â Skye shot at her husband.
After she dressed, Skye turned back to the cottage and begun to head towards it. When Tidas followed after, she hiked up her skirts, and took off towards it. While chortling at his wife, the prince kept to his own pace until just before she reached the collapsed wall. He then sped over to it, and touched were she was about to.
Skye pouted at her husband before saying; âI will beat ye one of these days, Tidas.. And when I do, I expect ye to accept yer defeat graciously..â
After laughing harder than Skye thought was necessary, Tidas replied; âAye, wife.. I will..â