Phya's Vision

Chapter 1

The river ran backwards on the day the queen vanished.

The pixies were running and playing when the trolls yelled at them. “Come look,” they shouted. The pixies and trolls didn’t play together often as the trolls were much larger and played too rough.

The pixies marveled at the sight of the river running backwards. The fish were swimming along, completely unaware of the strangeness of their environment thumping into rocks that were moved by the rushing water. Their yellow and orange scales created a prism of color as they swam against the tide. The toadstools on the edge of the river awakened and blinked their eyes not believing what they were seeing.

The trolls wandered about on the edge of the river. Their wonder could be seen on their bright green little faces. Their upturned lips froze in crooked smiles as they tried to imagine what had happened to cause this drastic change to their world.

“We should go to the castle and see if they know that the river is running backwards,” one of the pixies shouted. Marvel, the oldest of the pixies, agreed to fly there on her tiny golden wings. She was older than the other pixies having survived the War of Tidder. Most pixies and fairies had been banished or killed at that time. “I will go to check with Prince Rouwe to see if the royal family are aware that the river is running backward in our tiny kingdom of Swonuf.”

Her wings were tired when she arrived even though it was a short flight. Her age became an impediment. Most pixies only lived a short time, no more than a blink of an eye in human time. She huffed and puffed as she made her way up the great gray marble stairs.

“Well, hello Marvel,” shouted Princess Tiern. “What brings you all the way out here?”

“Good morning Princess. We - the trolls and the pixies - were wondering if you or Prince Rouwe knew that the river was running backwards?”

“What? Are you jesting me, Marvel?” the princess asked. Her long blonde hair had been tied back with bright scarlet ribbons that set off her forest green gown of the day. Each day was a different gown for the princess as she entered her training to be queen. Her jewels, and lessons also changed every day but she was enjoying all the attention she got as an apprentice to the throne.

Prince Rouwe entered the room just as Marvel was describing the discovery of the river’s reversal. “The river can’t possibly be running as you say, Marvel. It’s absurd. It would be a total imbalance of nature.”

“You should come and see it then,” Marvel curtsied as she told the Prince and Princess knowing she could not convince them unless they saw it for themselves.

“Very well,” said Princess Tiern as she threw her slippers on and headed toward the stable.

“Come on Rokko,” she shouted at her favorite steed. “We are going for a ride this morning.”

Rokko threw his head up and whinnied as he pranced toward the Princess ready to be bridled and saddled to take her for a ride.

Prince Rouwe and his sister rode for nearly 40 minutes through the woods of Swonuf. The trees whispered to each other wondering why the royals were this far from the castle. They slowed their horses and it wasn’t long before they could hear the sound of the rushing water.

They neared the edge of the river and Princess Tiern gasped. Prince Rouwe stood there moving from foot to foot as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

“This is impossible,” they both said. The trolls giggled and smiled as they saw the shock on their royal faces. The pixies settled in the tall green grass, wet with dew, and looked to the royals for an answer.

The clear blue water was indeed running backwards away from the castle instead of toward it. “I just don’t understand what’s happening,” said Princess Tiern. She reached out and touched the cold rushing water just to confirm what her eyes were seeing.

She looked to her brother hoping he would have something to say besides “this can’t be happening.” He seemed to be in shock.

Prince Rouwe jumped back on his horse and yelled as he rode away. “I’m going to get the resident magician. Don’t do anything until we get back.”

The pixies, trolls and the princess waited for what seemed an eternity before they heard the sound of hoof beats heading toward them.

The horses screamed to a stop so hard that the magician lost his balance and almost fell to the ground. Prince Rouwe laughed at him. “Gillod, are you ok?” he said through his laughter.

“I’m fine, but it’s not funny, Rouwe,” declared Gillod. His brilliant blue robes were flowing in the morning breeze like kites on a windy day. He had to pull them up to walk to the river’s edge.

Gillod just stood there spellbound for a moment before he turned to look at all his friends.

“I have no idea why this is happening, but perhaps I can undo it with a little magic.”

Gillod waved his wand and spoke his incantations for several minutes before he hung his head in shame and looked at his Prince.

“I have no solution and no matter what I invoke, it’s not changing the flow of the river, my Prince. I am sorry.”

“We must inform Mother and Father,” Tiern said to her brother before remounting Rokko.

The royals and Gillod rode back to the castle chattering the whole time about the river. They needed to consult their mother, Queen Phya. “Mother will know what to do,” Tiern said.

Chapter 2