Mesilithia Page 3

"My Lady, we have a strange guest amongst us,"

  Loo speaks up.

  "Stranger than you Loo? I did not think that was possible." Katie jokingly replies, walking over to

  Wicket.

  "Me neither, my Lady, but...this man..." Loo looks for the best way to say it, rubbing his head.

  "His name is David." Rud cuts in to help Loo.

  Katie stops, and turns toward Rud, "That, that's not possible."

  "What did he say?" Wicket says as he walks around the table to stand beside Katie, he holds her hand with one of his, and wraps his other arm around her.

  "I found him in the woods yelling for help my

  Lord. He says yesterday, his wife was kidnapped by a man and was brought here. He says her name is

  Katie."

  Katie gasps in disbelief as tears stream down her face, Wicket wrapping his arms around her as she weeps. "It can't be...it’s impossible... it’s been 50 years," she quietly mumbles to Wicket.

  "My Lady, I have been thinking about this a lot.

  I think that maybe time moves differently here... slower." Selphie tells Katie and Wicket, "Or perhaps he was pushed forward in time."

  Lord Wicket sighs, "You're sure this is not a

  snite in disguise?"

  "My Lord, I have been with him all day. He would have needed to shape shift by now."

  "And I tended his wounds, he his human,"

  Selphie adds.

  "What do you want to do?" Wicket asks Katie.

  "I'll talk to him tomorrow." Katie replies with her face turned downward, "We have more important matters at hand." Katie looks up to Wicket, "The council will meet tomorrow, we must be ready."

  "Go rest, Rud and I will take care of the rest tonight."

  Looking over at Rud and Selphie, "Alright, goodnight.”

  Katie instead chooses to go to the cliff, she walks through the main corridor to the large opening hidden behind the waterfall. Her mind racing with thoughts, emotions she had almost forgotten, the guilt takes over. Standing at the mouth of the cave, she looks at the water flowing from above. She looks out at the sky across the water...Why is this happening.... I love Wicket, I can’t leave him...he's lost as much as I have. A part of me still feels as if I belong to David, but I know my heart truly belongs to Wicket, her thoughts practically yelling out to her.

  Katie stretches her wings out, and takes off into the night sky. The cool air feels comforting on her face, she can feel the cool air touch every feather on her wings as she soars into the clouds.

  From below, Wicket watches his wife soar through the air. On a normal night he would join her, but tonight he knows she needs time to think, as he does too. Why now? Why can't she be allowed happiness, why must she always suffer? He shakes his head, I'm not going to allow it, she can't take this again. Even if it kills me I must keep him alive. I know she loves me, that is enough for me. As he continues watching her fly in the clouds, he thinks about how much she has changed, everything she has done for Mesilithia. "She deserves to be happy..." he says aloud to himself as he turns to walk to their chambers.

  As he walks back, he passes Loo in the corridor.

  He turns back as he calls out to Loo, "Loo.”

  Loo stops, "Yes Lord Wicket."

  "I need you to do something for me, it concerns David."

  Loo sighs.

  ~THE COUNCIL~

  "-we need everyone that is able, to go with us,"

  Wicket explains to his council.

  "I am sorry for my absence," Katie says aloud as she enters a large room deep within the caves. The stone walls are lit by torches, the representatives of every clan of their allies gather around a large wood table.

  Lord Wicket of the Zothan Clan stands at the head of the table. Wearing black leather tights, with an extended black long-sleeved shirt, it has the gold emblem of the Zothan Clan in the center. His long black hair is pulled partially back. Rud and Selphie stand at the back of the room: they are advisors for the council.

  Also at the table is Lord Josque of the Shendoot Clan, a people with dark green skin who live inside the waters of Mesilithia. They are the Zothan Clan's strongest allies, as the Snites do not like water and have been unable to lead an attack on the clan. They stand tall, with slim figures, but their feet are large, and have only two pointy toes and one large web in between. With four arms, their hands have four fingers with squared edges. They have slender heads and their eyes are dark green, protected by slits that keep them moist. They have no nose, and their ears are only shown by sharp points that are on the sides of their head. Below their ears are what appear to be gills that allow them to breath in and out of water.

  The Shendoots live in the lakes, but can be out of water for up to 4 days, any longer and their body starts to dry up. Josque wears form fitting clothes almost matching his skin color. He has a necklace with a small brown bag attached that rests on his chest. He also has a small dagger strapped to his left leg. Josque has helped the Zothan Clan through times of war and need. He is a compassionate ruler, and cares for all of the creatures of Mesilithia.

  Lord Shorack, of the Dorid Clan, is Selphie's father. Shorack wears brown pants, with a white under shirt and a brown vest. He has brown hair and a long brown beard that ends in a braid. His sword is sheathed on his hip. A rather tough man, he raised Selphie alone since she was young, his wife killed by a snite. Shorack has raised Selphie to be a great warrior, so that she may one day lead the clan. He takes pride in being a great warrior, and will often try to prove his clan to be the best.

  Lord Lithid of the Bandorge Clan. The

  Bandorges are beasts with tough purple skin and black fur, most stand 9 feet tall and span the width of

  three men. Their arms are spiked along the sides. Their faces resemble a wolf, with curved horns that stick out of their foreheads. They are strong creatures that will stand up to any foe. Their strength comes from the cold, the colder the air, the stronger they become.

  Do not be fooled though by their outward appearance, Bandorges are actually very kind. They would never hurt a creature unless it attacked them first. They do not seek war, they only want to live in peace, but will protect their allies. Bandorges do not usually wear clothes, unless they are going to battle.

  Lord Loo of the Apholt Clan. Loo is now the leader of the Apholts, a clan that is almost extinct. His father was killed in a previous attack from the Snite's, Loo is now seeking revenge.

  Lady Zeer of the Wiston Clan, the Wistons are shape shifters. In one form they appear to look like the zothans, except their wings do not have feathers; they are dragon wings, usually a dark red or dark blue color. Each wing will span up to 6 feet when opened, and at the top point of their wings is a claw they use to fight off attackers. In this form they also keep their tail and some of their scales on their arms, back, and face. Their eyes are a deep gold color that constantly glows.

  Their other form, as you may have suspected, is as a dragon. When they transform it is a painful experience, and they will try to hold off as long as they can. Most will live much of their life in their human like form. In this form they can still fly and fight. But as a Dragon they have more strength and can breathe fire. Zeer has white hair and gold eyes, her wings are blue. She wears a dark blue leather long sleeved top with the Wiston Clan emblem over the heart, and matching pants, with white boots that extend up to her knees. The Wiston’s are one of Zothan's greatest and most loyal allies.

  Lady Yem of the Seleen Clan. The Seleens are in fact small fairies. They are all female and their bodies are completely white in color. Though they are human shaped, they have no outside extremities, and their body puts off a constant glow. Never wearing clothes, the only real way to tell them apart is by their voice and their hair. The Seleens all have different lengths and styles of hair, and their eyes are gray. For a tiny people, they are actually quite loud and have brilliant personalities. They have been known to play pranks on everyone around them. They also are magical creatures, with the
ability to heal wounds and guard those around them with force fields. There are seleens all across Mesilithia, they protect the people at night from the Snites. Their power comes from the great moons, during the day they are weaker, and are only able to protect a few people at a time. At night when the moons are high above the land, they are able to protect whole kingdoms. Yem is soft spoken, and has long golden brown hair.

  "Lady Katie, is it him?" Zeer asks Katie as she walks around the table.

  Katie walks to stand by Wicket and turns to look at everyone, "Yes, yes it is him."

  Many of the clan leaders gasp, others look down not sure what to say. All the clans met Katie when she was still trying to return home many nyias ago. Of course they were all happy when she married Lord Wicket, and stayed...but pitied her, for her family had been ripped from her. They all wanted her to be happy. She had sacrificed everything she had to help them in a time of great sorrow.

  "Lady Katie....," Lithid speaks aloud. He has a voice that almost sounds like a constant growl, his eyes are where you see his compassion for others. “Maybe you should, take some time..."

  "Thank you Lord Lithid, but we have no time. I appreciate your concerns regarding the matter, but we need not think about it right now. He will remain here, until we decide how to move forward." Katie addresses in a serious tone, as she looks around the table. "Over a thousand snites are moving to attack the Seleen Clan, destroy their kingdom within the Forest of Lunel. We think they may plan to do this before a more large scale attack. Without the Seleen Clan we will lose the ability to be healed and for the people to be shielded at night."

  "Katie and I captured a snite, and tortured him for this information. We must protect the Seleen Clan at all cost." Wicket adds.

  "The village Byram of the Bandorges in the northern lands was lost 4 trups ago. A snite disguised as a bandorge located the seleen for that village and killed her. The Snites came in the night and overpowered the bandorges. Many died, the others fled to a village to the west, Kyrum." Lady Yem explains to the council, as she hovers over the table, pointing along on the map.

  Lithid looks down, "Lady Yem, did my brother survive the attack?"

  "No, Lord Lithid, I am sorry."

  Lithid looks down at the map, his wolf eyes filling with tears. He lets out a loud pained howl, "We will rip them apart!" He says, growling, his eyes turn red with anger.

  "Lithid, how many bandorges do you have?" Lady Zeer cuts in, to try to bring Lithid back to a calmer state.

  Lithid stands looking at Zeer, huffing, trying to calm himself down. "We only have about 120 bandorges in the area. We have 500 to the east, but they will never make it in time."

  Zeer looks at Lithid, then at Wicket. "How many days do we have until they reach the Forest of Lunel?"

  "They have been traveling on foot," Katie explains to the council. "It will take them 3 trups if they continue that path, if they transform and fly it will be two trups." Katie pauses as the council mumbles amongst themselves, as Gorath is 4 trups away from the forest.

  Josque places his top right hand at his chin, "I can have 300 there in two trups." Josque leans over the table and motions to a lake on the map. "We have villages in two lakes nearby, we ca-"

  Loo cuts in rudely, "How will you get word to them to be ready in time? You going to send a little birdie with a note attached?" tilting his head at Josque.

  Josque stands tall, looking sharply at Loo, the two have never gotten along, more of a species issue than anything. "My people and I communicate through our minds over great distances. We only learned to talk as you do," motioning his hands at Loo, "because your minds are like large rocks."

  "This rock is about to squash you, like a hig." Loo threatens, slamming his fist on the table.

  No one on the council flinches, as this is a common occurrence between the two. Actually, Loo does not get along with most species; this a common occurrence when they are near Loo, period. Loo is about respect: you must earn his respect. Loo only respects the Zothan and Bandorges, in his eyes they earned it in previous battles.

  Shorack, who has stood silently all this time, sighs, "Loo, unless you plan on contributing, be silent."

  Shorack looks at Josque next to him, "Please continue."

  "As I was explaining, we can be ready within a day, and head to the forest the next morning. If the attack begins before the other clans arrive, we will fight to protect the Seleen's." Josque vows to the council.

  Yem flies up to Josque, "Thank you Josque for helping my people."

  "You have done the same for mine Lady Yem." Josque says allowing Yem to land on one of his hands.

  Wicket looks to Shorack, "Lord Shorack, your men are all to the East currently, correct?"

  "Yes, Lord Wicket, there is no way for them to make it in time." Shorack replies almost looking disappointed, it is difficult for Shorack to pass up a good fight.

  "Loo you will stay here, and protect Gorath."

  "Why me?" Loo asks defiantly.

  "Because we do not know what the Snite's will plan to do next. If we fall, someone must be here to protect the people." Wicket addresses Loo.

  "Loo, I will stay with you." Selphie adds.

  "Rud you will stay also," Wicket says looking to

  Rud. "If we do not return you will take your place as Lord of the Zothan Clan."

  Rud stands, with a shocked expression. He cannot believe Lord Wicket has announced him in line for leadership of the clan. Rud sees Katie smile at him, he quickly bows, "Yes my Lord.”

  "Lady Zeer, most of your clan is in the mountains?"

  "Yes Lord Wicket, the distance is too far to get word to them, but I did bring 100 soldiers with me. We will travel with you to the forest to fight and protect the Seleen Clan." she says, looking at Yem. She looks back at Wicket, "Our people are well protected in the mountains."

  "Yem, how many of your people are in the forest?" Katie asks.

  "We have over a thousand my Lady," Yem answers. “We will join in the fight to try to help in any way possible."

  "Yem, you and your people will head to the forest immediately, to prepare, hide your small ones. During the fighting, make sure to have enough protections around the Lunel Flowers." Lord Wicket orders Yem.

  The Lunel Flowers are large, light pink flowers that are in the center of the Forest. They circle around the Lunel Tree, a large white tree that has golden leaves. The tree and flowers give off a beautiful light at night that can be seen from across Mesilithia. Once a nyia the flowers will bloom, birthing over 100 seleen babies. Without the Lunel Flowers, the Seleen's would cease to exist. Once a Lunel Flower is cut at the stem, it will never grow again.

  "Everyone knows what to do, the Zothan, Wiston, and Bandorge Clans will leave at first light to the forest. We will travel afoot with haste, to save our strength for the fight." Lord Wicket addresses.

  The council members bow their heads at each other, and disperse to carry out their tasks.

  "I will go to help organize our supplies," Katie tells Wicket as she turns to leave the council room.

  "No, stay," Wicket turns to Katie, looking into her blue eyes. He knows she is strong, she is trying to keep her mind occupied. Wicket traveled with Katie off and on for many nyias to try to help her get home. He saw her pain as she slowly realized there was no way back, that she would never see her children again. "Are you alright? What did he say?"

  Katie looks down, and sighs, "They were right, he thinks everything happened yesterday. He looks exactly the same, the same wounds, everything." Her eyes fill with tears, as she looks at Wicket. "I don't know what to do or say, he is hurt that I am not the same. That I don't belong to him anymore, I have hurt him...."

  "Give him some time, he will realize how much time has passed and understand." Wicket holds Katie, attempting to comfort her, "Do you remember what I told you....when I asked you to be mine?"

  "Yes." Katie replied resting her head on Wicket's chest.

  "We knew that someday things might cha
nge." Wicket looks down at Katie, holding her face in his hands as he leans in to kiss her softly. "I just want you to be happy, no matter where you are...." he says

  looking intently into her eyes. "I have had you at my side for almost 30 nyias, I know how your heart longs for your children. If you choose to go back, I will still love you. If you choose to be with David, I will still love you..."

  "Wicket, we can't even think about this right now.” Katie says to Wicket, trying to break his gaze.

  "We may not have tomorrow, I need you to know this now.” Still with his hands holding her face close to his, turning her eyes back to his, "I will always love you no matter what you decide. You gave up everything to help our world. I will give up my everything, to give you your world back. Just to see you whole once again."

  "Wicket....," tears streaming down Katie's face.

  "Ssshhh, don't decide now. I just want you to know, if the worse should happen before then." Wicket says as he kisses Katie in a passionate embrace.

  Wicket sighs looking down at her, "Should you go explain to him what is happening?"

  "Yes, I will....," Katie says pulling away from Wicket's arms.

  ~PREPARE~

  "David, are you alright?” Rud asks entering David's room.

  David looks up at Rud, "You knew, didn't you?

  Who I was, who she was?"

  "I suspected." Rud sighs, as he goes to sit next to David on his bed. "David nor Katie are very common ‘names’ as you say it, here. Most of us met Katie during her first nyia here. She tried for many many nyias to get home to you, Stacy, Jason..."

  David looks at Rud, "You know our children's names?"

  "Yes, Katie spoke of all of you so often, told us about your lives, your world. She would fight with anyone that would tell her she was never leaving."

  "I'm trying," David pauses to find his words, "I'm trying to be understanding, that she was really here an entire lifetime."

  "After so many nyias, she realized you had probably continued your life, and your children also."