First Preview of "The Forsaken King" from Norareen

Hello Everyone!,

Today, I have decided that it's time to share a snippet of my book.  It's a rough draft from one of the chapters of Norareen.  I hope everyone of you enjoy this sneak peek!  Please read and share if you like it!

Happy READING!

The Forsaken King

I stared outside the windows of the throne room; it looked like the whole world would come through them at any moment.  I knew why this was happening.  I knew I had caused it but for the life of me, I didn't know what I was going to do to stop this turmoil.  The leaves on the trees were the normally beautiful shades of vibrant oranges and sunrise yellows that come with this time of year; there were even some holly reds and pine greens to go with the changing of the seasons.  Letting us know that it was a time of grace and change.  Then, the letter reader came into the room.  He held a letter from the humans.

It had been thirty-eight years since the last war.  Thirty-eight years since my daughter privately forsake me and I beat her bloody for standing behind her convictions.  Twenty years after I crowned her princess publically, I feared another war would determine my fate as father, king, and friend. 

The wiry haired boy looked full of fear as he held the letter up.  His voice broke only slightly as he started to read the words: "Dear King Callus, it is with great dismay that we write to you.  The humankind has long feared your people.  We fear that your kind are dangerous and violent.  It is not without sadness that we ask you to leave our world and become the mystery that is a fairy tale.  As it stands only a few humans even believe you real.  It's our worry that you will in fact breed with our kind and taint them with magic.  We do not want magic in our world.  If you do not wish to leave, please know, we will take that as a declaration of war, and act accordingly."

This letter was because of me.  I closed my eyes.  I knew that if I closed my eyes I may dream of my Norareen and she would tell me exactly what I should do.  She always did.  I also knew that if I closed my eyes, I would avoid the terrible gaze of my now furious child.  That's when the winds started to blow, and the rain started to fall.  That's when I started begging for my Norareen to come to me.  Then, I heard the hail and my daughter demand that the letter reader read again. 

He started again, "Dear King Callus, it is with great dismay that we write to you.  The humankind has long feared your people.  We fear..."

His voice faded away as I begged her to come to my mind.  It was silent; the inside of my lids did not bring my love. 

"Father?  Are you seriously ignoring me right now?  Again?"

I opened my eyes.  I took a deep breath and sighed it out. "I am sorry my child.  What is it you are asking me to listen to exactly?"

"By the Fates have you gone senile?  I said that we need to speak to the humans."

"No."

"No?  What is your problem?  They are threatening war again!  I know that if you would just let me leave this stupid fortress I could talk some sense into them.  I could show them that we are not a violent people and that the Fae just want to be left in peace in Adroziel.  Father, please."

"No, they want a fight.  I will not lose you."

The hail started to streak sideways on the window pain.  Airianna turned from me.  While standing the winds howled outside.  Slowly she walked down the stairs.  Once she hit the bottom step to she looked at the wiry haired letter reader.  I watched her gaze soften.  "You are dismissed.  Please leave the letter on a table."  The boy did as he was told.  Once he was gone from the room she turned her gaze to me.  Her eyes weren't quite the grey of her birth, but they were close. 

"Father, I am going to give you time to think.  I am going to walk away before I lose my temper completely.  Know this, you do not have much longer, before you lose me, and with me all of your people.  They follow the love, not the hatred."  With that she turned and walked out the large throne room doors they slammed behind her.

I let go of the breath I didn't even know I was holding and felt the tears streaking down my face.  My raven haired child is losing her precious control today, and I am losing faith in my faith. 

Then, when I felt lost, I felt my darling wife come to me.  "Why do you cry this day my love?"

"I have done something horrible Norareen.  I fear what I have done will break our world apart."

"There is nothing you could have done that could be that bad Callus... unless you brought the wrath of our weather changing child.  Did you do that?"

"Yes, I refused to stand by her side, and follow her wishes."

"And, her wishes were what my love?"

"She longed to see the humans; she wanted to speak to them about not bringing a war.  She said that if we brought the war, then we were no better than them.  Airianna wanted to bring peace talks.  I wanted the blood bath."

"Why would you want that?  You were once such a peaceful man."

"I was, until a prophecy was brought into this world during my reign."

"Do you remember why I faded Callus?"

"You were tired of this world."

"No, I was tired of you.  Your wrath, your violence to our once sweet child, your anger over a child that you did not know was yours until you deemed it so.  I was tired of your lust for blood.  I did not choose you for a partner because you were violent.  I chose you because you were kind, gentle, and logical.  In your old age you became something I could not love.  I loved you, but I could not see your cruel heart any longer.  If you do not give our child the ability to choose what she deems best for our people; she will leave and our kind will follow her.  Those that do not, will fade because they fear your rage.  Airianna will not stand beside what she cannot agree with.  She is after all your child."

"If I let her leave, she will not come home.  If I let her leave, she will marry one of them and she will break our most sacred vow... to stay pure."

"No, that is YOUR most sacred vow... not ADROZIEL'S most sacred anything.  You have not changed my love."

"Please do not leave! Please, please..." I started to sob, without my love I really was nothing.

"Come home to the ever after Callus, she will not let our kind fall if you just fade and be here with me.  It is time, and you know I am right about this."

"I cannot." I sounded sad.

"Then I cannot stay." I felt her leave my side then.

I covered my face and sobbed.  I could not stop the tears.  I was afraid that I created a child that would break my world in some way.  I could not go down without a fight.  The doors opened at the end of the room.  It sounded so hallow as they flew to the sides of the archway.  Standing within them was my raven haired crowned princess. 

Airianna was dressed in a simple black suit and a braid hanging down the side of her shoulders, hitting the bottom of her waist.  She wore simple heels and was carrying a purse in her grasp.  She started walking toward the length of the hall.  When she reached the stairs she stopped.  She had that determined look that she held as a mask.  Airianna was set for her words to be heard.  "Father, do you remember when you made me say vows and one of those vows indicated that in time of war I was to fight beside my people?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember what I said?"

"You repeated those vows."

"Ever since that day I stood by those vows.  Father, I love my people.  I need my people.  I have held my powers; I have held my tongue since the last war.  But this time, I will NOT sit and wait for you to kill us all.  They have created weapons that can kill our kind. They have created poisons that will KILL us.  You want the blood bath, I want the peace.  If you do not let me leave and talk to the world leaders, I will forsake you and do it any way.  I firmly believe that if we prove that we are not a threat that we will NOT have to become a child's story like the vampires did, or the werewolves.  Father, I will not fade, and I will not fight with you. I will do what is the best for our people.  You can beat me later, you can even kill me if you wish.  But, I will not sit here and let them kill us all, just because they feared something they did not understand."

"You are not queen yet."

"Then, maybe you should fade already and let me rule my people into the next century."  She was cold and calculated in her words. 

I raised my hand to strike her like I had done before. Instead I said "Airianna, I do not trust them."

"Father, you do not trust me.  Even though, I have ruled by your side for the past thirty-eight years.  I have been your queen, your confidant, your daughter, your right hand if you will; yet, you do not trust me.  You make me sad.  I am going to do what is best for my people." She turned on her heel and walked back down carpet to the doors.

"Airianna, you will bring the fall of our people.  It has been foretold.  Please, do not do this."

"Foretold?  By whom?"

I sighed, "By the prophecy written in the books of Adroziel."

"So, because you fear a prophecy, you won't let me leave to save our people?  Don't you think that's a little childish?  In fact don't you think that's a lot insane?"  She hunched her proud shoulders as she turned to look at me.  She refused to step closer to me, I could see it was everything in her power not to just leave. 

"Hear me out... please."

She bowed her head, "You have my attention."

"I discovered the prophecy the day you were born.  I was cataloguing your birth.  I am one to follow tradition, so per tradition I searched the prophecy book for a raven haired child.  I saw it.  It stated: The child will be born a girl,  have raven hair, skin as white as porcelain, and eyes so blue they could be confused as the grey in the storm clouds forming on the eve of her birth.  These eyes will be wise beyond their years.  This child will bring the fall of Adroziel and the reign of tyranny that was before her.  She will not be evil, or cruel, she will be strong.  She will run from her home.  This child will bring the child of the world's collide.  Nevermore after her birth will the lands be the same.  That is you my child."

"So, you have kept me a prisoner because you fear what?  That I will bring the reign of tyranny before me crashing down?  Fates forbid that not be a positive thing.   Do you remember the war between the humans thirty-eight years ago?  Do you remember how I begged you to stop them and save your people?  Do you remember me forsaking you?  Have you completely lost your mind?  Father, I may be that child.  However, I heard nothing that you should fear in that prophecy."

"You will cause the World's to Collide... if you leave our world will fall.  Adroziel will fade like your mother faded.... Please don't leave.  Stay and help me protect our people."

"I don't know if I can stand by while you destroy our people.  Mother, was the one who should have been standing where I stood.  Mother faded because of a prophecy that you let rule your life.  Father, I cannot sit and do nothing. " She continued to walk to the doors.  "This will forever be the day that I forsake you; this is the day I deny you for our people.  You are wrong, and I am going to prove it."

"You are forsaking me?  You are defying me?" my rage bubbled to the surface.  "I have tried to be kind, but I cannot let you go." I lifted my hand to stop her with magic but, she dispelled my power without even glancing back.  How could this be?  I had no idea her power had grown at all.  I did everything I could to make sure she never reached full power.  Yet, she treated my power as if I was a fire in a rain storm, never letting the fire truly burn.  Every time I would push mine at her she would throw it back at me, instead of it being hot like mine it was freezing.  

She stopped at the door and turned; when she got all the way around and faced me I felt her power... all of it.  She pushed her power at me through the rain in the sky, the hail pelting the windows, and the wind blowing in the room.  I heard the thunder and felt the lighting strike next to my chair.  I was thrown back into the seat.  I had never felt strength like this in another fairy ever.  The wind grew louder and the lightning became more frequent.  As the level rose her eyes changed to the grey of her infancy. 

She spoke in a clear strong husky voice "Father, over time I have suppressed my powers so I would not overshadow my king.  But, as you can see; this is merely a fraction of what I can actually do.  You are not ever to lay an ember of magic or a hand on me.  You will not rule me, because I am stronger than you, and every day I gain more power.  I am the rightful heir to the throne, I am the rightful queen!  You are the pawn in the royal seat, but you are not the end all to be all.  Adroziel law states that: if an heir apparent grows more powerful than the reigning ruler... the apparent is the rightful King or Queen.  You will not stop me, I will save our people.  I WILL NOT FADE BECAUSE YOU CANNOT BE A GOOD KING.  I will not fear you because you fear a prophecy.   You should be bowing to me.  However, I will not stoop so low.  Goodbye father.  I will return victorious" She turned one her heel and the power faded just as quickly it had come.  I continued to watch her as she faded around the halls.  I did not even know she could change and just disappear into the shadows, yet she possessed that power as well it seemed. 

She had forsaken me out loud, and she would win in a battle.  I was lost.  Norareen was right; I turned into a monster and blamed it on my child.  Or, at least that's what I thought today as my daughter set out to stop an impending war.

©2015 Jacque Marie Fincher