Chapter 1: Aquamarine

The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. A great flood filled the land of Aquavita, sweeping away crops, houses, and entire forests in its wake, submerging valleys, and causing landslides.

And with it, all time ran backward as well. Mended things became unmended, wars that had lain still for centuries arose, and humankind became greedy for each others' possessions again and hated each other.

There was a hunger among them that could not be satisfied with mere food.

The kingdom was thrown into disarray. No one realized until that morning the extent to which her hand had kept evil from the land. The King immediately issued a proclamation granting anyone who could return the Queen to the throne, the rule of the half of his kingdom she had not brought to their marriage, his half, and for many years knights of the realm tried and failed to find her.

Over time, the King, now engaged in holding his borders, became distracted from his goal of finding her. An opponent arose concerned only with taking what he could, tricking men into fighting for him with promises of glory. His generals were known for their cruelty.

Eventually, the river took another course to the sea, and the flood waters receded. Everything appeared normal again, though the river was still running the wrong way, and the Queen did not return.

One day, a small boy saw a light blue-green stone on the river bank glinting in the sunlight and ran to pick it up. It was an aquamarine, pure as the blue sky at dawn on a summer's day and clear as drinking water. When he lifted the stone, he found it was attached to a ring, threaded onto an unbroken gold neck chain. He ran eagerly to show his mother, thinking that all of their struggles in life would be ended.

The mother recognized the ring immediately and shook her head, "No, my son, we cannot keep that or sell it. It would be as much as our lives are worth."

Scraping together her courage, she requested an audience with the King, saying it concerned the Queen's disappearance. She entered the throne room flanked by two impassive soldiers with spears. They did not speak or look to the right or left. When they reached the dias where the King sat, the woman knelt with a bowed head. She pulled out the necklace and ring, unwrapping it from the cloth she had carried it in.

The King, seeing the golden chain and ring with the aquamarine, gave a great cry and fell back into his throne, clutching his chest. The courtiers in the room began a collective wailing. It was the Queen's coronation jewel, one of the three ancient sources of her protection.

A detachment of soldiers and the King's wise men immediately went to the riverbank where the woman's son had found the jewel, searching up and down the edges of the water. Though their search revealed no further clues, people began to hear a voice in the moving water that seemed like a woman trying to speak.

A year went by. And another. Crops began to fail in their season due to too much rain or not enough, late and early frosts, and entire forests burned away in droughts. The crops at the borders on both sides were taken by enemy combatants, as the King's subjects and those farmers on the invading side, unused to the terrors of war, fled the scene of horrific battles. Though the borders were held valiantly by the King's army, little by little, the enemy gained ground.

Finally, the King's opponent sent emissaries, protected under a tent of negotiation. When they entered the gate at the city walls, there was grumbling, but no one lifted a hand against them, honoring the formal observation of negotiation. They entered the throne room, four men, each bearing a corner of the canopy on a pole, with one other walking under it. Spear-wielding armed men flanked the sides and rear.

From under the tent, the lone knight came forward. He refused to kneel. He carried a case, which he held out with both hands. A murmur went around the throne room, and a soldier walked forward to take the case and bring it to the King, who opened it. Inside the box, a jeweled dagger and a richly ornamented hair comb lay on a blue cloth. They were the other two of the Queen's treasures.

The King lifted his eyes to the messenger, tears releasing and falling down his cheeks onto his embroidered coat.

The man said, "I speak in the words of my master. 'We have solved the riddle of finding your Queen and have brought these two tokens as our pledge. When we find her and return her to the throne, whether alive or not, we expect you will honor your pledge to release half your kingdom.'"

Upon hearing this, the King's face paled, and his body stiffened, but he said nothing. Bent under the weight of the message, he waved his hand. The enemy procession turned and retreated from the room, the King's courtiers departing behind them, all except two.

A small woman, old and wise. A young knight.