After the unfortunate deaths of her parents she had moved in to live with Edgar, naïve, only a child and no where else to go she had held on to the man who had comforted her and she had lived with him ever since.
He was the kingdom’s physician, very skilled, each day people from afar with all kinds of ailments and afflictions trooped in to be sure by him. He was very knowledgeable about herbs and this knowledge helped him greatly. However he was also a wizard and sometimes when he encountered difficult cases and with no knowledge of what herbs to mix, he would use his magic to heal them. Once upon a time as a child she had thought she possessed some mystical powers, it was common knowledge that she was different from the other children. If she entertained a mere thought in her head, it would manifest in reality. As a child she had paid little or no attention to it. One incident however had changed her forever, she was five. She was playing with the other children on a wide expanse of land, just in front of the houses. She was asked to light a make believe fire so they would cook the stones and leaves they had put into a container. She crouched and pick two stones and struck them against each other in a bid to light the fire. She tried several times and before she knew it, the container was set ablaze. All the kids ran home terrified by the increasing fire, some mothers snatched their kids and were told the tales of how Cleopatra had caused the fire. She stared at the blazing fire as it melted the container, unmoving oblivious to the rampage around her. Her mother had grabbed her at that moment and held on to her. No one could give a reasonable explanation of what had happened, not even her parents, the kids stories were written off as cock and bull as they seemed very fallacious. Her parents had ignored the issue like it had never happened but she had never lit a fire since that day. After her parents died, her life had spiraled down, she lost the will to leave nor do anything else. Edgar in those times had been her strength. He tried relentlessly to engage her in all his activities, she helped out with preparing the herbs, she would also accompany him to the woods to fetch leaves, special spices and woods to make healing antidotes and medicines. He always made sure she was around when he casted spells or communed with spirits. She would watch on in childlike wonder every time something out of the ordinary happened. At first she had not taken it to thought and had assumed he just liked her company and just wanted to spend time with her, anything to ease her pain. As time went on, the realization hit her that maybe Edgar had other plans for her. Maybe he wanted her to continue on after him. She could see it in his detailed explanations to her and how he involved her in his activities. She had once confronted him, however he had downplayed it by telling her she never knew what the future held for her. She did agree with him, life was unpredictable, this much was true. She had lost her family all so sudden, however she did not see herself doing anything of that sort. Little did she know that life was about to hit her with another huge surprise. *** Edgar prepared tea leaves, his mind strayed to Cleopatra and her recurrent dreams, he didn’t understand any of it, he desperately wanted to get her mind off it. Although he had tried to down play it as nothing, he knew it meant something important just like Cleopatra had said it did. He had nurtured her into a smart and strong willed woman. He knew she would not easily let it slide. However he only wished that she would take a break from constantly worrying. That she would find happiness and enjoy life. “Cleopatra”, he called out to her, “Come have this tea”, he stretched his have towards her, the cup in his hands. She walked towards him and took the cup from his hand, “What kind of tea is this?”, she asked quizzically. “It is a herbal tea…” She rolled her eyes, “Of course”, her lips curved up in a smile, “What was I expecting from a physician, sweet tea?”, she asked rhetorically. He laughed heartily, “It would sooth your nerves” She inhaled it, her nose scrunched in disgust, “This smells awful…” He chuckled, “The bitter things of life teach the sweetest lessons”, he said all of a sudden, a distant look on his face. She drank a mouthful and quickly spat it out, “I don’t see the lesson this one is going to teach” “It would make you feel better Cleopatra, you need to drink it all”, he advised he slowly got to his feet, “I also think a walk in the woods will make you feel better, so when you are done we will take walk, I’ll pick some things on the way. I believe the fresh air will do you a lot good” *** “I will need some aloe Vera leaves”, Edgar said. They were walking through the dense forest. She absentmindedly stared at nothing as she walked through. “We need those leaves to prepare a healing potion of old lady Gertrude. When I was her age…”, he smiled, “I was still very agile and strong. At seventy I still turned the heads of various women”, he smiled, showing a missing tooth. They trudged further, “Now all my bones are weak and tired. I fear I might soon join my ancestors”, he added. Then he spotted the cinnamons, “I see some over on the other side”, he pointed with his fingers, “I will go get some”, he moved in that direction but then he turned and saw she was not trailing behind him but was staring off into the distance a twig in her hands. It was then he realized she was lost in thoughts. “What is on your mind my dear?”, he tapped her on her shoulders. She jerked startled at the sudden interruption, “You have not been listening to a word I said, what bothers you?”, he asked again with genuine concern. She smiled sadly, “A lot of things happened here, in the woods…” “I know my child”, he interrupted in a calming voice, “I know how hard it is for you” “I just have a strong feeling in my heart grand father. Like there is a missing piece of my life and somehow it is connected to my past. I feel it deep within me pa…” He nodded, “In time, it would all make sense”, he hoped.“And so as I child was a very brave young boy, even among my peers. I knew what I wanted and I went for it. Headstrong, purposefully, determined to clear everything on my path that stopped me from getting it”Maids and servants scurried around noiselessly, their heads bowed as they set the dinning table.“You are king father, you can and have always had what you wanted”, princess Aileen replied in an amused voice.“You are so ignorant Aileen, you are never interested in history”, he took an olive from his glass and popped it in his mouth, he savored the taste on his tongue before he continued, “Father was not born a royal, all he has today he had worked for it”“Take it easy on her Cedric, Aileen is only a child”, King Javaid chided, he was a strongly built man, sturdy with a wide frame and althoug
“Lily my dear, you have to be careful next time, so you do not hurt yourself just like you have now”, Edgar admonished lovingly.The little girl nodded, her dark locks bouncing up and down, little hands rose up to wipe at her tear stricken face.Lily’s mother pulled her close into a hug, “It is going to be okay my child I promise. Uncle Edgar will make you feel better very soon”, she crouched before her, holding her hands and peering with was unmistakably love in her eyes, “And of course your mother will always be here and would never leave your side” Lily smiled sweetly and although it was obvious she was in pain, she limped towards her mother covering up the space between them and hugged her.Cleopatra sat on a stone watching from afar. Her blue eyes was clouded in emotions as she watched the pair. Her long raven black hair cascaded dow
Months passed like antelopes running through an open field and Edgar had kept true to his word. He had gradually taught her all she needed to know about magic. She was beginning to fall in love with that side of her much to her own surprise. Although they had to keep it concealed she could not help but sneak in one or two magic tricks when no one was looking. “Cleo”, he handed over to her a basket of leaves, “Help me lay this out to dry, I’ll crush the powder and I will add to the new potion I am working on. There has been an outbreak recorded in Molvania and although we are yet to trace the origin of this strange disease, we must be able to curb the spread and treat the symptoms before it spreads into our lands” She took it from his hand and nodded in understanding. “Hopefully the scorching heat of the sun will dry them by evening”
“Saddle the horses and get them ready for a ride, the king and I would have need of them”, Cedric barked orders to a servant standing besides him, his head bowed.“Yes sire!”, he scurried off immediately. Not long after the door to his large chambers opened up and Aileen strolled in.“Cedric?”, she called out to him.“Yes my dear sister”, he answered dryly, not sparing a glance at her, he looked into the vanity mirror and arranged his hair with his fingers.Aileen's large brown eyes took in his appearance, “Are you going somewhere Cedric?”“Yes as a matter of fact, father has asked me to go on a short trip with him”Her eyes lit up, “Really? And what would you two be doing there?”&n
Javaid smirked.He moved to the center of the field, he looked around the forest intently. He took a deep breath and began to twirl his hands in a rhythmic motion, his eyes were shut. It was as if a folk song was playing but only he could hear it. He stretched his hands towards a part of the forest and drew his hands towards himself. Out of that part of the forest came a man and son, holding their throats struggling for breath. They crawled on the ground towards them.Javaid looked on in admiration at his son.The man and his son were pushed forward by a force they could not control. Cedric brought his rhythmic dance to a halt as he brought them before the feet of his father.“Look here father”, Cedric smiled with pride, “It was nothing to worry
“How was your hunting trip with father?”, Aileen rushed towards him the moment he arrived at the stables.“Good”, he said in a cryptic manner.“Just good?”, she inquired, “Surely there’s more?”He didn’t say a word to her, he continued to tend to his horse Buckley. He unsaddled it and meticulously brushed his body.Aileen was having none of it, “Come on Cedric, spill the beans already do not ignore me. You and father rarely go out leisurely, if it is not a war or…”“Why is that?”, he cut her off harshly.She stared at him surprisingly, she knew he merely tolerated her but never had he raised his voice at her, “Cedric…”, she called out in a whisp
***“You know what it is like don’t you?”, she rambled on, “It is like he is a different person. Like I don’t even know my own brother…”Kalliste merely nodded. The walk had her listening to Aileen’s pathetic monologue and her nodding in understanding or rather pretending to nod in understanding. If Cedric had treated her badly for any reason it was most likely that she deserved it. She was not one to wish ill on anyone but Aileen deserved all the ills that came her way. She was a wicked…“I am such a sweet person, I do not deserve to be treated like this, not by anyone let alone my own brother”, Aileen’s high pitched melodramatic voice cut through her thoughts.
“…she has not had anything to eat the whole day your highness. She has been tucked in bed all day, refuses to speak to anyone and we are worried. This is not her usual behavior and so I…”Ceric waved a hand at the maid to stop her from talking, “Let me see her”The guard at the door, knocked briefly, announced Cedric’s presence and opened the door to him.Cedric strolled into the chambers, his hand behind his back. His eyes strayed for a while before they settle on Kalliste who was curled up in a ball under the sheets, “Leave us alone"The maids scurried out leaving the room.Cedric walked towards the dresser and studied the candelabra, he ran his fingers tip over the smooth golden surface. He had picked it out with his mother many years ago. He managed a small smile, “What is the matter Kalliste?”She did not reply.“Wh