The Village of Cadaia

Prologue

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley...", The old man whispered with a raspy voice as he began to recall a story as if it were a dream.

In the village of Cadaia, there lived a generous king. This king was kind to his people and wanted them to live in prosperity. His knights trained to aid neighboring cities whenever they met with disaster or war, and he provided tools and land for the farmers. The farmers would supply food for the kingdom and nearby empire. The queen was as serviceable as the king; she created an education system to teach all the women and children how to read and write.

Queen Solstice and King Reginald wanted to change the world for the better, starting with their village. However, an evil force suddenly arose and began corrupting nearby empires. Before the demonic lord could reach their stronghold, the Queen and King told their subjects to take shelter in their castle. Quickly, Queen Solstice contrived a plan that would save her people. She urged her knights to ransack the village to make it look like bandits had come through. Then she had the villagers take shelter in the dungeon while she cast a spell that put everyone but herself to an eternal slumber.

Twenty years have passed since, and the reign of terror was still very prominent. The demonic Lord Rezire was on the move to pillage every city in the land of Catholus. His ranks were growing stronger every day. None of the empires wanted to start a war. However, the rulers had no choice. Each one perished as Rezire's forces rived through city walls and barriers. Worse yet, no one knew the power this lord retained, something was brewing beneath the surface, and only time could show us what particular evil was coming.

After Queen Solstice fled her slumbering kingdom, she took shelter in the fae realm. Solstice was close allies with the Summer and Winter fae, as she had grown up near the Enchanted Creek forest. The forest was home to many Summer fae. The fae folk used it to meet when they had celebrations, birthing ceremonies, or recounted new tales or legends.

Solstice had been pregnant at the time her kingdom fell to ruin. The Fae folk welcomed her and helped her deliver a set of twins. A boy named Tobi and a girl named Thailina. Unfortunately, the only fae capable of handling a human birthing process was ill-equipped. Therefore, it led to the queen's paralyzation, and she required assistance for the rest of her life. The queen decided to stay with the fae until they could find a way to reverse the paralyzation. The Fae folk wanted to help raise the queen's children until they were twenty. The fae king's advisor, Lamuie, and their mother Solstice had foreseen the destiny that awaits both children. Before sending the twins off into the world, queen Solstice gave them each an item; Thailina received her mother's sword of Might, and her brother Tobi accepted her Perilous staff of Wonders. Lamuie gave them an enchanted amulet that encircled them in darkness whenever danger was nearby.

The two siblings began their perilous journey through the Enchanted Creek forest. Queen Solstice told her children to go southeast until they reached a strange talisman tied to a massive redwood tree. She didn't specify why, but the two of them trusted her orders. The object was supposed to lead the twins to their next destination. As the twins began wandering through the forest in the proper direction, Tobi caught a glimpse of a mysterious frog sitting nearby a puddle. The frog was yellow with three purple spots on its head. Its croak was high-pitched, like a screech as if it were in pain. Thailina stepped in front of Tobi to look closer and saw that the frog had an injury. After further investigating, she determined the creature was under a spell or curse. Tobi pulled out a book of spell identification the fae folk had lent them. He flipped through a few dozen pages before shouting, "Aha! This one!" Thailina took the book from Tobi and studied the page for a moment. She wrote down the ingredients for the potion to cure the creature. The frog croaked weakly again as it lay on the ground in pain. Thailina carefully picked it up and laid it in a carrier Tobi brought over to her. They put some water in a small potion bottle to keep the creature hydrated and placed the cage in Tobi's bag. The siblings resumed their walk to the talisman as they discussed how they'd cure the frog.

"The first component for the cure is a magic golden apple. ", remarked Thailina, unimpressed. Tobi sighed and said, "Where exactly do you think the talisman will take us?" His sister stopped and thought for a moment. Then replied, "I don't rightly know." As they continued their discussion, they finally reached a massive redwood tree, and as their mother had described, there was a brilliantly crafted talisman tied to a piece of bark. The pendent shined a brilliant royal blue with hints of wine red specks. A bronze clasp held the gem on a thick brown leather string. Tobi carefully untied the object and held it in his palm, then stretched his hand toward his sister for her to see. She studied the talisman as the specks of purple danced around in the gem. "How will this show us the way to our destiny?" she breathed. Suddenly, as if to answer her question, the talisman violently danced in the palm of her brother's hand, startled, he dropped it on the ground in front of them. A light shot up from the gem and pointed South, past the redwood tree. Both of the siblings stared at each other, gasping from the event. Tobi quickly retrieved the pendent and tied it around his neck, tucking it carefully under his garments. "I guess that's how you do it." Before setting off, Thailina circled the redwood tree; she felt there was something they were missing. Tobi was chugging some water they had packed earlier for the trip, then belched loud enough for it to echo through the forest. Thailina looked at him unimpressed as he chuckled and tossed the jug back into his bag.

The twins hiked for a few hours, occasionally checking the talisman for the proper directions. When it was time to stop traveling and get some sleep, they set up a protective barrier around them. Tobi built a fire while Thailina went to gather some wild berries and catch a couple of fish. She seasoned them with lemongrass and pepper and then grilled the fish over the fire. The siblings ate quickly and then put out the fire. It was their first night sleeping in the forest without the fae. However, it was like a test of survival, and neither of the twins felt anxious or afraid. Throughout the evening, Thailina checked on the frog, she had dressed its wound, but she knew it'd be quite some time before she could break its curse. Tobi lay on the ground sprawled out, snoring loudly; his sister snorted to herself before laying down and falling asleep. Once awake, Tobi and Thailina began packing their things and cleaning up the fire. Suddenly, a massive roar shook the forest. The siblings braced themselves by holding onto a nearby tree until the rumbling ceased but only for a second. "What was that!" Tobi shouted toward Thailina. He breathed heavily, and his eye widened with apprehension. The outcry was so powerful that it vibrated within their bones. Thailina struggled to step toward Tobi as the quake continued for a few more moments. Birds and other creatures began to flee with fright away from the source as if it came from beneath them. Finally, the violent roars halted, and the forest was silent and still once more.

The siblings were stunned with concern and felt anxious about what had occurred. Tobi asked, "Are you alright?" He reached his hand to help her steady as she trembled while she stepped forward. "I don't recall mother warning us about earthquakes. What if something terrifying is ahead?" her voice cracked as she spoke. Her brother shook his head and replied, "I know, but they sent us for a reason. We must carry on and meet whatever lies before us." Thailina bit her lip and looked nervous. She crossed her legs and tapped her foot behind the other. Her brother noticed her unease and realized she didn't want to budge. He gave her a stern look, then said, "You know, usually, I'm the one who needs to be convinced. Are you having a mid-life crisis already?" She scoffed and pointed at him, "If we run into danger now, we won't be strong enough to face it!" She exclaimed. Tobi chuckled, turned away for a second, then pointed back at her. "We'll never be ready to face anything if we waste our time arguing about it! We'll never get stronger!" At first, she wanted to detest him, but Thailina relented. "You're right. If I want to prove myself to our mother, we must stick together and fight through whatever dangers meet us." She nodded as she spoke. So she gathered herself and checked the talisman for directions so they could resume their journey.

For the duration of their hike, Thailina was quiet. Her brother attempted a few sad jokes here and there, but she remained unmoved. She opened her satchel and pulled out the list of ingredients she had written earlier. While studying it, Tobi gets distracted by a river nearby. He was poking at the fish; in a pitiful attempt to catch a few. Thailina glances over and witnesses her brother stepping into the water and splashing about foolishly. She rushes over to her brother and questions him, "What are you doing?" He abruptly stops and stares at her for a second, then splashes toward her. She stands her ground, confused by his motives. Tobi tackles her and playfully flings her into the water with him. Thailina starts shouting at him in disbelief. "My clothes are soaked now, you dimwit! Explain yourself. What is going on with you?" He clicked his tongue before replying. "I just wanted to cheer you up. You've been so quiet this whole trip!" He shrugs, stomps out of the river, then picks up the bag he dropped before hopping in the water. The yellow frog they had rescued croaked loudly from inside the bag. While Thailina scrunched up the hem of her pants to rinse the water, Tobi opened the cage door to feed the frog. The frog leaps out at his sister and catches her off balance. Thailina topples over and falls back into the river. She jumps back up to capture the frog as its tongue flicks out and fetches a bug. She snatches the cage from Tobi and puts the frog back. Her brother is stunned for a moment; he believes her aggression is unnecessary. "What was that for?" He grunted. Thailina ignores him as she resumes collecting the items and ringing out her clothes. Tobi walks over to a tree and plops on the ground in the shade. He gazes at the flowing river as droplets of water drip from his hair. Thailina sighs and utters toward Tobi, "I understand you are concerned for me. I want to be sure that we are ready for whatever danger pursues us." Her brother directs his gaze to her but doesn't respond. She turns around to study the forest surrounding them, then glances back at her brother. "We should continue moving and try not to remain in one place for too long. I get the feeling something dreadful may find us if we do." Thailina extends her hand to Tobi to help him up. He accepts her gesture and stands up quickly.

Several hours pass as the twins continue to follow along the river. As they move forward, the river transitions into a narrow stream, and the talisman points for them to cross. The two siblings begin to enjoy the journey, and their spirits change as time progresses. Thailina hops over the stream with excitement after checking the directions once again. A few hours pass and the siblings take a short break in a clearing with a field of wildflowers and clovers. Tobi weaves a few clovers into a crown and positions it on his head. His sister picks a few colorful wildflowers and weaves them into a circle. As they create their crowns, Thailina and Tobi recite some fae poems and legends together. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a harmonizing voice from a few feet away. A fae stepped from behind one of the trees with a pan flute in their hand. " I couldn't help but notice you two were reciting the stories of my kind. Does this mean you attended Summer Court?" The fae grinned from ear to ear, then pressed their lips to the panflute and began playing a familiar melody. Thailina glanced at Tobi, raising an eyebrow, then shrugged before she began to sing the poem the fae was playing.