Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

T he king hardly felt kingly. He did not know how Karalyn tolerated the fairy seers and their lack of obedience and sympathy. Then again, he supposed it was entirely possible that they knew what his father had done to all of the sea raider seers in his grief after they hadn't alerted anyone to the fact that the queen would soon fall ill and die. His father's grief had been terrible in so many ways but especially because of his cruelty.

He hadn't even wished to see his son for a time because Harald had his mother's eye shape and coloring.

Karalyn knew about her curse, and so far, it had not come to pass. So long as she did not burn the sky with fire, the curse would not be activated. One would hope that since she did not possess the means to burn the sky, her curse would never come to pass, but then why would there be a prophecy about her?

The seers seemed to still believe her curse stood. If they did not tell Harald about his own curse, then how could he ensure his did not come to pass?

Perhaps the prophecies must come true, and the curses would come to pass no matter what they attempted. If that were the case, then it might be for the best that he did not know what might happen as a result of his curse.

For now, there seemed to be at least a temporary respite from the fighting. He was married and happy, so he would be content at the moment.

After visiting the seers, Karalyn had dragged him to the fairy castle. He had done his duty and spoke with all those she introduced him to. Her parents had been engaged with other matters, so they did not see them until it was time for the evening meal. Although her parents seemed like lovely fairies, Harald had hardly anything to say.

Karalyn had made excuses, and the two of them had returned to her room. He kept eyeing the bed.

"Are you tired?" Karalyn asked. "You are still recovering from the battle."

"My body is fine. It is my mind that…"

"You're troubled?" Karalyn crossed over to where he stood by her balcony window.

He winced. He had been about to say just that, but he did not wish to share his worries with her. She had seemed optimistic, at least before they had seen the seers, and he did not wish for her to be worried. There was no need for them both to be plagued by doubts.

"What is on your mind?" His fair wife rubbed his back.

His smile was not entirely forced. "I am perhaps a bit tired, yes, but I have so many thoughts that I doubt I will be able to rest."

"Ah, that happened to me previously. Especially after I learned I was cursed. Our minds do not always help us, do they?"

"I am wondering how best we can serve both the fairies and the sear raiders," he said, hoping that was a safe topic of discussion. It was, after all, a prudent one.

"For us both to remain in one kingdom to live… that would not be fair to the other one that has no rulers at all. Perhaps we can alternate by season? Which two seasons would you think it best for us to be in Tridor?"

"The coldest season can cause issues with the sea, so then. Also, the warmest as that is when we sail by far the most."

"It is always warm up here in Fae Falls," she said, a touch of a smile curling her lips. "Our seasons are based more on how much rain we get. Are we settled, then? Will that be sufficient, you think?"

"It would have to be because I do not wish to rule without you by my side." Harald clasped her hand and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"Nor I," she murmured, smiling bashfully up at him before a yawn cut her off.

He grunted a laugh. "It seems as if I am not the only one who is tired."

"I suppose not. Come. Let us make ready for bed."

An hour must have passed, but the night was heavy with silence as King Harald Preston of the Sea lay restless in his wife's grand bed. She was sleeping peacefully, but slumber had yet to claim him. Outside the balcony window, the moon shone brightly, but the orb, once a beacon of comfort and a means to guide his longships, had turned an eerie shade of black, casting unnatural shadows across the room.

Karalyn sighed softly in her sleep, and he watched her a moment. Her delicate features were softened by the gentle glow of starlight, yet he could find no peace.

Eventually, his tumultuous thoughts ceased enough that he drifted into a fitful sleep.

Alas, then the nightmare began.

He now stood on the deck of his great ship, the Stormbreaker , but the waters around him were as silent as death. The sky above was an eerie shade of crimson, casting a blood-red glow on the sea's surface. The familiar sounds of waves crashing and wind howling were absent, replaced by an oppressive silence that seemed to press down on him.

Suddenly, a thick fog enveloped his ship, its tendrils creeping over the deck like ghostly fingers. From the depths of the fog emerged a shadowy figure, its form shifting and amorphous. The figure's eyes glowed a sinister red as the figure whispered words of despair, words that Harald desperately sought to hear. What if it spoke of his curse? But only the seers should know those parameters, and this was not real. He knew he merely slept, and yet this all felt so very ominous. He feared this far more than he had the battles he had fought in as of late.

A bright light blinded him, and he lifted a hand to blot out the light until his eyes adjusted. There, hovering in the sky was Karalyn. Her eyes were shut, and she did not seem to move at all. Was she breathing?

Worse, he realized where the bright light had come from.

Flames surrounded his wife. As they closed in on her, her eyes opened, her eyes filled with sorrow.

The flames… They were not coming from her, were they? Was she…

Yes.

She did not seem to have a choice in the matter as flames erupted around her, and she raised her hands to the sky, unleashing a torrent of fire that scorched the heavens. The once bright and vibrant sky turned into a fiery inferno, burning away the stars and the moon.

Fear rooted Harald in the spot, and he was helpless as he watched his wife unleash fire upon the sky, her actions causing magic to unravel and chaos to spread across all of Evermore.

As the fire spread, somehow, he could see across vast distances, and he witnessed his kingdom crumbling, his people lost in madness. The forests withered, the rivers dried up, and the creatures of magic vanished into dust. The fairy realms crumbled, and the once harmonious balance of nature descended into chaos. The elves, the shapeshifters, even the wyverns above, and the banshees and dark dwarves, were not unaffected. Everyone was swept up in the madness and despair.

Despite knowing this was not real, Harald tried to reach Karalyn. Every step was met with resistance, and besides, he had no means to take to the sky.

Worse, the sea beneath him turned into a whirlpool of darkness, dragging him down. The waters, once his ally, now felt like an endless abyss, pulling at his very soul. He struggled against the current, but every effort was in vain.

The shadowy figure reappeared beside him, its laughter a haunting echo. It spoke, but Harald recognized the words not.

As Harald sank deeper into the abyss, he saw his kingdom in ruins. His people wandered aimlessly, their eyes vacant and filled with madness. The grand halls of his palace were overrun with decay, and the once-thriving ports lay in silent desolation. He felt his own soul being torn apart by an unseen force. The despair was overwhelming, as if a part of him was forever lost in the abyss.

Harald woke up in a cold sweat, the images seared into his mind. That had been Karalyn's curse come to life, but what of his? He must uncover the prophecy.

He wrapped his arm around Karalyn. Although he did not think that sleep would come to him again.

And a new nightmare began. Again, he stood on his longship, the ocean around him an ominous stillness. This time, the waves were frozen in place, like glass reflecting a sky devoid of stars. The air was thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the occasional creak of the ship's timbers, as if the vessel itself were uneasy.

Suddenly, the blackened moon above began to pulsate with a sickly, dark light. Shadows writhed and twisted on the deck, taking on monstrous shapes that clawed at his mind. His crew, stalwart sea raiders and his good friends, stood motionless, their eyes hollow and devoid of life. He tried to call out to them, but his voice was swallowed by the oppressive darkness.

A coldness seeped into his bones, a despair so profound it threatened to consume him. He looked to the horizon and saw his kingdom, a distant shimmer, begin to crumble. The proud towers of his castle fell into ruin. The sea began to boil and seethe, as if rejecting him.

Turning, he saw Karalyn, her ethereal beauty marred by a crown of flames. She stood on the edge of the deck, her eyes wide with terror and confusion. Her hands were wreathed in fire, and as she reached out to him, the flames spread to the sails, igniting the ship in a blaze of fiery destruction.

"No!" he screamed, rushing toward her, but the distance between them stretched infinitely. The flames grew higher, the heat scorching his skin, yet he could not reach her. Her screams echoed in his ears, mingling with his own cries of despair. He watched helplessly as she was consumed by the fire, her form dissolving into the blinding light.

The ship began to sink, pulled into a swirling abyss that opened beneath it. As with the previous dream the water sought to drag him down, its icy tendrils wrapping around his legs. He struggled, but the weight of his despair was too great. He felt himself being pulled into the darkness, his soul slipping away, lost to the void.

Harald awoke with a start, drenched in cold sweat. The room was as it had been, peaceful and quiet, but the terror of the nightmare clung to him. He looked at Karalyn, her face serene in sleep, and felt a shiver of fear.

Karalyn's curse was terrifying enough by itself, but his own curse might prove to be even worse.