Chapter Text
In the beginning, when the Earth, Heavens, and human beings were first created, King Vargr was born from the gap of the frozen sky and burning Earth in the form of both wolf and man and was brought into the Heavens. There, he had divided his afterlife into three, naming them Nirvana, Marmoreal, and Empyrean.
There were many who were born before the Wolf God. But none were as great and powerful as he. And so, the dear Vargr stayed up in the sky, where he was safe and comfortable.
But one day, the sun he had thrown upwards had burnt so harshly that the frozen sky melted and the clouds turned grey from the dampness of the melted frost. There, he called it the rain and vowed to let it be used for the health of the plants and the ground.
The rain had cooled the ground, and many puddles and lakes were formed. Suddenly, more trees and flowers of all kinds grew. The planet flourished into a place of solitude for Vargr. Once he descended from the Heavens, he floated down to Earth. It was beautiful.
There were many forests, gardens, and glens. And different creatures were born and were sworn to protect them at all costs. Before returning to his throne in the Heavens, Vargr then knelt and drank from the cool, clear river of water.
After drinking the river of water from the world’s first rain, he immediately gave birth to five children. One of them was a human angel named Odette. Vargr blessed her with the power to rule Marmoreal and protect it from the evils of Hell, as well as with skilled swordsmanship abilities to fight off any demonic being.
His four sons were the reason earth, water, air, and fire exist in the world.
His first son, Endeuno, had the power to form mountains and hills, and sand, as well as buildings, crystals, gold, and stone.
His second son, Malacai, had the power to create rain and lightning. It was the way to let the mortal beings know he weeps of either happiness or anguish.
His third son, Veliento, had the power to form winds, tornadoes, and hurricanes. His wind power made the waters rise higher from sea level, especially when his playful tone leads his quest to chase after the sun. But once the sun ran away, day and night were separated.
And his youngest child, Farenchak, was a fierce one. He created a hole on certain mountains and he grew little sparks of flame into the earth and melted them, creating volcanos and wildfires. It is said that he was an overly wild creature.
Once cities around the entire planet were made, Vargr then formed an army of angelic beings in each of the kingdoms of the Heavens.
In Empyrean, there were Sylphs, little winged creatures that were also known as the angelic fairies. In Nirvana, there were Serpents, a fierce speci of an angelic being who have a strong and great reputation of an indestructible army of powerful winged warriors. And finally, Odette’s Angelic Host in Marmoreal. They are known for their grace and wisdom. But their sword and weaponry skills are connected with the Serpents. And so, a certain number of beings from the two kingdoms were assigned to guard the gates of Hell, so that any demonic being is forbidden to escape. They then shielded the iron gates with an electric border so that nothing would even touch the gate.
However, both Empyrean and Nirvana were left without a human. And as the population of the lands among humans grew, the situation grew for the Heavens. And so, Vargr was left to search the right humans, men or women to rule both kingdoms.
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Years had gone by. And so much had happened. And as for a young merchant Rothbart and his working class wife named Fionée, it was terribly lonely. Every night, Fionée prayed for a child. But none of them did not work. It might have been the fact that their faith had been so small from working, their prayers were far too soft for the Heavens to hear.
One day, they both tried again.
By then, Vargr had finally heard their pleas and blessed them with a beautiful girl named Odile. She had long, raven black hair, pale skin, blush cheeks, and lips that were red as blood. She was a perfect child. But as time passed, both Rothbart and Fionée felt as though they wanted Odile to have a sister. And so…they were blessed with another child.
Athena was a different child. While Odile was noisy and moody, Athena was quiet and well-mannered. It was obvious, and their parents could tell them apart, since Athena looked so similar to Odile’s younger self.
Athena was ten years apart from Odile, and as they grew up, their differences prevailed more as Athena reached fourteen years.
Her official story begins one fine morning. Fionée woke up feeling drowsy. She had noticed her working husband had gone away. She noticed Odile had gone out too. And so, she looked around the little home…and spotted Athena sleeping in bed. It was warm and sheltering, but the house itself was not. It was a small villa that often had to switch roles at different times of the day.
The table is open for breakfast, lunch, or supper. Then, depending on the time of day, it is either Rothbart’s small workshop or the livingroom. The entire family was poor and modest. However, they still lived their lives as if they were born with wealth and nobility. Fionée quietly sat down next to Athena and caressed her shoulder. It was one of those days when the girl did not want to be woken up.
“Athena, dearest,” Fionée said, “It is time to awake. The day is run by you when you’re up and at ‘em.”
Athena opened her eyes at last. She saw the soft face of her mother. She recognized her pale blue eyes, her rosey lips and cheeks, and her snowy white skin and fair ebony black hair. She had always known her ever since she was an infant. Not only was Fionée a mother to her, but she was also a friend.
“Mother…” Athena said, “What has happened? Why must I awake? Has Father left already?”
“Your father was summoned. He went and traveled far and wide. He had said to come home for supper. It was not for your sins, nor Odile’s.”
“What do you speak of, Mother?”
“I speak of this, Athena. Your sins shall be forgiven by Vargr himself. We must pray and give thanks to him. If you are good-intended, he will bless you infinitely.”
“Vargr…the King of the Heavens?”
“Yes, my daughter,” said Fionée, “Your father has left us. I was bewildered if you took it upon your head that he was upset with us. But nay. He seeks protection…”
Athena’s faith was strong and passionate. She knew that she would be blessed if she were to have done the greatest deeds on Earth. But Odile often rebuffed her beliefs. Fionée often worried for her two daughters. One had so much faith…while the other one just doesn’t want to. No one would respect a girl with no religion or no faith. And that was what Fionée always dreaded.
It was in the evening, when activity came to a halt. There were fireworks lighting up the sky among the palace of stone. On the big crystallic balcony, a young girl dressed in white robes, as though she were an angel, slowly stepped out like a goddess-like being. Although…she was not just a princess…this was Selen. She was an heir to the throne. However, even her faith was as strong as Athena’s. But it was not compassionate or strong-minded. Selen had something else in mind.
Her palace was majestic in every way. There were many portraits of her and her mother, the now Crowned Princess. But now that the Crowned Princess had passed away, Selen had access to the crown and her title as the “queen”. But it did concern those in the royal court. The next day, Selen was resting in the throne room, when her royal advisor Marge rushed in, quickly kneeling down to the new queen.
“My lady,” she huffed, “It is time for you to choose your suitor!”
Selen had a stoic expression on her face. But she then looked away.
“Send them in…” she said, keeping that professional look.
Marge signaled the suitors; there were seven of them. Each had their own style, personality, and character. They were noblemen of the Old Kingdom of Ashana. Selen then walked up to her throne and then turned around. Still, none were as attractive as she thought.
I don’t need a suitor, she thought viciously, I could simply rule the kingdom on my own.
However, it sparked her. Selen did not want a suitor, but she did want protection. And so, she gave it a thought. If there weren’t enough knights and guards in the kingdom, then why not simply ask seven young noblemen to do the job? It’s perfect!
“Incentive!” she said, “I don’t want a suitor…I want protection. You lot shall be my faithful seven knights of the royal court! And this includes each a comfortable room and board. Now, about the kingdom. If there is trouble, I shall send you down to the village, with the rest of the royal army. Oh, it shall be most wonderful!”
“My Lady, what are you saying?” asked Marge.
“I’m saying…I’ll have knights of my own…my Brave Seven.”
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Word was out the following day. The Brave Seven were the queen’s new protection unit.
However, many of the villagers were left with a sense of dread. The last queen, the Crowned Princess, didn’t need a special unit of protection. She had her people, her court, and the smallest things she enjoyed in her life. But Selen was vain. Terribly vain. Her new sense of power had changed what she viewed the kingdom: a rubbish-ville. Now that she was made the new queen, she could do anything she could as she saw fit. Whenever she walked down the crystallic balcony to wave down to her people, she gave out a vile smirk. But most didn’t notice. However, only Athena noticed. Her mother and sister seemed to have had a remarkable fascination of Selen. But Athena herself was one of those villagers who saw only dread within the palace walls.
The day went by as Athena, Odile, and Fionée walked back home.
“I wonder what it’s like working for the queen,” said Odile.
“It must be hard work,” said Fionée, “You’d spent your entire life trying to keep the place clean, attending important court meetings, and then there’s food preparations…”
“I believe it’s dreadful…” Athena muttered.
But both her mother and sister didn’t hear her. While they thought of their rich lives in the palace, Athena only thought of what was right for her. And what was right for the entire village. But she also thought of her father.
Dearest Vargr, I pray to thee, she thought, I pray you would watch over my father who is away as a merchant. Please, please, Dear Vargr…let my father be safe under thy will…
That evening, Rothbart came home, alive and well. He had noticed that the women in his life were fast asleep in their warm beds. They were poor, yes…but that didn’t mean they didn’t feast like kings, or didn’t have any valuable items. There were so many things they were grateful for. Rothbart had laid down next to his beautiful wife. He wrapped his arms around her. Fionée felt the presence of her loving husband.
“You are home at last…” she whispered.
“Oh, yes, love,” Rothbart whispered back, “But I’ve another plan for the morrow…”
“And what is that…?”
“I want you to come with me to Glasto…”
“But that’s so far away? What if one of us takes ill on the road?”
“Don’t fret, it’s all right…we’ll leave early in the morning and come back straight away. And I promise us a good, hearty meal.”
“Shall I trust this?”
“I ask of you, love!”
“The new queen refuses to let anyone out of the country…”
“But she knows I have served the kingdom for many years…I am quite certain she won’t even notice.”
Meanwhile, Athena looked up at the moon. It was a full orb. Its glow was so bright it looked like it was made with pure silver. Athena adored the moon. She often thought that is where Vargr rested now, watching over Earth.
“I wonder if Vargr, our King is watching us now…” she whispered, “He must be. Selen believes in Vargr as much as I do. Then why do I feel a sense of dread when she preaches a prayer every morning? There must be a reason…”
Athena knew there was a suspicious activity going on within the palace walls. There had to be a reason behind the Crowned Princess’s death and the Forbidden Exile act.