Tagair chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Kingdom Of Maradius

Off the mainland, at the Kingdom Of Maradius, time was rapidly running out. The entire kingdom was in complete turmoil. Many different “Olds” were rushing in and out of the castle with different sorts of herbs that they believed might save their beloved queen. Isabella, the old healer, remained in the queens bed chamber, shooing away all those who came. For she knew that the only way that their beloved queen could be saved, was if she obtained the Zypher leaves and pure dragon fang poultice. Without them the world would fall into chaos, without order Sahr would be able to obtain the throne and control all of Tagair.

The queen lay on a soft bed alongside her old mentor, Maluna. They both lay on a soft bed of falcon down, on the verge of death. The old healer was bent over her, checking her pulse to make sure that she was still fighting. If the queen was still alive...then so was Maluna. The queens breaths came fast, drawing in only a small amount of air with each intake. Worriedly, the healer gave her herbs in order to calm her heart. The healer needed the herbs that she had sent the Angel Horse to find, before it was too late. She began to pace the chamber, staring out at the now rising sun. The bright beams reflected off of the sea, creating marvelous shades of red and gold. With every passing moment Maluna and the Queen grew weaker. They would not last for much longer, that the healer knew. However, she had kept faith in the Angel horse since the day he had departed, and was not going to give up now. She remembered the day when she had sent the old horse off. The queen and Maluna had just fallen ill with the sickness, and they were still able to communicate with her. Since then, the days had grown darker, and they had grown more ill. Now, they were too weak to merely even flutter their eyelids. The healer longed to return to the days of old, when Sahr was believed dead and the kingdom was flourishing. A voice broke her train of thought and she craned her neck around. Gama, a young elf was in the doorway.

“How is she?” He asked, beginning to enter the chamber. The old healer hunched down back over the queen to check her pulse,

“Why ask questions you already know the answer to?!” She confirmed that the queen had a steady heart rate and continued,

“I mean what do you think? She will not get better without the medicine, you know that!”

Without replying, Gama nervously shifted his weight onto his other leg and exited the chamber, offended by the healers harsh words.

The old healer sighed deeply, she had been so high strung lately, and she knew that she had been too hard on him. Time was running out, and after all these months she was now beginning to question how much longer the queen could wait upon the horse. After defeating the evil known as Sahr, and ruling over Tagair for 1,000 years, she was now helpless, on the verge of death, her life was in the hands of the old horse. The healer had already foreseen, that if the queen were to die, the entire balance of the world would be shifted. She feared that without Aliana and Maluna alive, the “Olds” would lose control leaving the kingdom ripe for the picking, and Sahr would take it! The results henceforth would be disastrous.

Suddenly, a brown falcon soared in through the window and perched himself on the queens bedpost. The cool sea breeze ruffled his feathers, as he tucked his wings against himself and smiled at the old healer. The healer, startled, whipped around...only to find her old friend perched in front of her, the golden sun beaming down on him through the open window. The young falcon, known as Kenai, had befriended the queen not 3 years earlier, where she had saved his life from a band of Goblins. The healer smiled and strode over to meet him,

“What news, kenai?” The falcon stared at the queen, sick in bed. A bleak look formed on his face,

“I have news from the North...things are worse than I thought, I'm afraid. Apparently, the Angel horse is...dead” The old healer jumped back in disbelief,

“What!?”

“I was greatly surprised myself. However, the evidence is undeniable. We found his body in the Nightstorm woods last night, and I came as soon as I could” The falcon muttered, gazing longingly at his queen wishing she would awaken. The old healer sat down on the bed and sighed deeply,

“Did he have the medicine?”

Kenai flew to her side and looked down at the ground,

“No, nothing. His haversack lie on the ground next to him, torn to shreds. It seemed that whoever killed him was looking for something, the medicine most likely. But wait, we did find these in his foreleg.” The bird pulled out three tiny darts out of his small haversack. He handed them over to the healer, who examined them closely,

“They appear to be goblin. Poison darts, killed him within a couple of minutes” She handed the darts back over to Kenai and turned her sights back onto the queen. Kenai remained silent, awaiting the healer for her instructions. Minutes passed before she finally looked back at him,

“Do you know what this means, my friend?

He shook his head and looked back at her, awaiting her answer. She rose from the bed and began to pace the chamber,

“The queen is not even dead yet, and Sahr already has the upper hand!” She slammed her rough hands down onto the oak table. Kenai ruffled his feathers, a chill was sent down his spine,

“The beasts do have the medicine, and no doubt those goblins will be rushing back to hand them over to their master. I am looking to you on what we should do”

The old healer sat down, so many things were happening at once she did not even have the energy to keep herself upright. Finally, after pondering this situation, she decided on what they must do,

“Those goblins cannot reach their master! I need you and 12 of your most skilled falcons to pursue the goblins, retrieve the medicine and bring it immediately to me. I know that I can trust you with this task, my friend. Our lives are depending on you! Go now, with haste!”

Kenai nodded, he would not fail the healer. The queen had saved his life, and now was his chance to return the favor. In a flash he bolted out the open window and into the salty air, the sun beaming down upon his golden beak. Within a few minutes he had dissapeared from sight, on his way to save the queen. The healer smiled at the thought of the young bird’s determination. Even after all the happenings that had made things so much more difficult, she trusted her friend above anyone else. He would not sleep until he had the medicine safely within his small haversack.

She returned to the queen’s side. Maluna was desperatly trying to rise into the air, and the old healer laid her softly back down onto the velvet sheets. The queen’s face was flushed, the life was beginning to be sucked out of her. Her very soul was losing it’s shimmer, and her heartbeat was slowing. The healer felt useless, there was absolutely nothing she could do to help her queen. All her hope, had been entrusted with the small falcon and his gang. However, little did she know, that another creature was already on the goblin’s trail in search of the medicine as well.