Phoenix Destiny

One

The boy stood his ground, training stick at the ready. A man approached, bearing another stripped branch. The boy parried the other’s attack and moved to the side. Back and forth they danced, attacking and defending. Above, the sky was blue and clear. The wind was cool. The boy looked for any advantage over his larger opponent.

He watched the other’s feet, gauging where the other would move. When his opponent stepped to the right, he attacked, putting him off balance and nearly toppled him.

“You little cretin!” the larger figure laughed in good humor.

* * *

The air was cool blowing through his open window. The night sky was clear, and the boy peered into the darkness, unafraid. As he watched, a light appeared on the edge of the forest. A magical beast stepped into the clearing. It was a unicorn, reddish-violet in hue with accents of pure white. Its horn glowed with the light of the suns and every hair shimmered in the moonlight, as if not completely real, as it grazed in the silence of the night breeze.

As if sensing its watcher, the unicorn stallion raised its head and stared at the boy. He stepped away from the window in surprise.

Did the unicorn really sense me?

* * *

Thunder rolled. The clouds broke and rain poured from the sky. He tripped and fell in the mud. A cruel laugh rang through the black air. He crawled, dragging the sword by its gem-studded hilt. The jeweled head of a great bird surrounded by sunrays shaped the pommel and its ruby eyes glowed in the night. He ran, still dragging the heavy sword.

He had to get away.

He had to survive.

He had to seek his vengeance.

A challenging cry shook the night, and a unicorn appeared with moonlight in its mane and the glow of the suns in its horn. It reared before him as lightning danced in the black clouds.

* * *

Choncey Bian Arien.[1]

“He is just a horse.”

“That is what you think.”

She stood in a grove. Her bare skin glowed in the moonlight. She was nude, only her long, flaxen hair hid her form. Her sapphire eyes sparkled with starlight. Her laughter was musical and her beauty bewitching as she led him deeper into the forest.

No matter how he tried to catch her, she always danced just out of reach. When it finally seemed he could grasp her, her body melted into flames and took the form of a great fiery bird.

“Destiny is promise…Fate is culmination.”

* * *

Jaron woke.

Three moons passed since he kissed Princess Alexis. Three moons since her father exiled him from Kesle. Jaron sat up and ran a hand through his matted, unwashed hair. It was seven days since he disembarked from the trade ship. He should be happy. He was alive and breathed free air. But he wasn’t.

Ten years ago, he first met Princess Alexis. She was five summers old, full of curiosity and spirit. He was ten summers old, brooding over a half-remembered past. She was just someone he met on the road, someone who interrupted his solitude. After she left, he continued his training, becoming a full member of his adoptive family. He was a jester, a nomadic traveler, performing for the amusement of others.

Even now, he could not understand what possessed him to journey to the small island kingdom. It was true Kesle’s Royal Ball and Fair was the greatest celebration in all Nuwa, but it was also true that his band never traveled there. It was too far and much too expensive. Only Gambler accompanied him, always his faithful companion.

The stallion, even now, grazed in the moonlight a short distance away. The horse’s coat was a soft gray, but his mane, tail, legs and muzzle were brilliant white. It was an unusual coloring for a horse, Jaron admitted, but nothing extraordinary. There was, however, something uncanny about the stallion’s intelligence and its ability to adapt. Together they weathered all seasons.

They traveled from Keldon harbor to the island kingdom. Jaron worked his way as a member of the crew, adding sailing to his list of skills. He could see himself as a sailor, if not for Gambler. The stallion made prolonged sea-travel all but impossible and Jaron refused to part from the loyal beast.

On Kesle, he found his place, dressed in his colorful costume and performed to the delight of those who passed him. He juggled and danced, played his lute and sang with a voice that was strong and mellow. He earned more coin than his band at their usual venues. Still, it was precious little.

Then she came. Her hair was the same shining gold, her eyes the same sparkling sapphire. Yet she was no longer the precocious five-year-old whose dragons interrupted his lute practice.

Barely sixteen, she was becoming a woman, still disguising herself as a gypsy. When he realized her identity, he was moved to protect her, shield her from the dangers he knew stalked the narrow, twisting streets. The weight of unknown cares dissipated in her light. For once, he felt at peace.

They kissed, and a strange warmth entered him. In her eyes, he could see she felt it too. He felt as if his elusive destiny was finally within his grasp. Then her father arrived, and she was forced away, but she was still in his mind and his dreams. The stallion looked up, sensing his master’s thoughts.

“A fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” Jaron said to the horse.

The equine snorted and pawed the ground in as much to say it was not responsible for their current situation.

Jaron slowly lay down. King Xavier paid the trader ship to take him wherever he wished. Jaron could have returned to his band, but it was the last place he wanted to be. So, he remained on the ship, sailing with the crew for nearly three full moons until the desire to return to land overcame him.

Now, he was on the Northern Continent. Here, he had no family and no home. Something was calling to him, directing his footsteps. Jaron did not like the feeling of being out of control.

Sometimes he swore he could hear a voice in the wind like a distant echo. There were also his dreams. He felt Gambler was leading him somewhere. Just as the equine once took him to the performing band, so too did the stallion lead him again. That, at least, was something he could accept.

Jaron turned over. His head pounded with heavy thoughts, and he was tired of thinking. He returned to sleep and dreams peppered with a small boy, a sword, a unicorn and a beautiful princess.