The Kingdom of Light

Chapter 13

I had asked Lily to get me a blanket, a picnic basket filled with all sorts of delicious treats, and a lovely sunhat. That way, I could lie under one of the large oak trees and start reading the thick red book. The basket was insanely tempting, filled with strawberries, apples, and clementines. She had even tucked something in that resembled a croissant. In addition, she had filled the basket with plenty of tasty drinks that tasted like fruit juice.

It was everything one could possibly want if they were going to lie on a blanket in the beautiful summer sun and read a book about elven history. I lay down on my stomach, placing the book in front of me. It was large and heavy. Just for fun, I flipped to the back—there were no fewer than four hundred and forty-nine pages in the book. And that was only volume one! I wondered how many volumes there were in total.

I opened the big book and could smell the traces of time in it. All I hoped for was that it wouldn’t be too dry to read.

“For the Mother, the one who supports us, who guides us, who helps us.”

My eyes rolled slightly at the dedication at the start of the book. I wasn’t particularly religious; I never went to church unless it was for a wedding, baptism, or funeral. Not that there was anything wrong with being religious, but my priorities were just different.

The book went on to explain how the world was created, how the kingdoms had been divided among them, and what magical powers existed in each kingdom.

“The Mother appeared. She was created from pure love, devotion, and happiness. All her joy and love materialized and formed the world we know.

The Mother divided the world into six parts. The Kingdom of Winter came first, with its tall mountains and northern location, a place of endless cold. The Kingdom of Darkness came next, farthest to the south, where the sun didn’t shine as brightly, and the stars shone the strongest. The Kingdom of Summer came third, where the sun shone the most, and the warmth filled and illuminated the kingdom. The Mother combined the three kingdoms and created the Kingdom of Autumn and the Kingdom of Spring from them.”

Only five kingdoms were explained—no mention of the sixth, which should have been included. It described how the Mother could not rule and govern all six kingdoms alone, so she created life to help her. She created five men, five men who could take over the rule of the five kingdoms.

She granted the Kingdom of Winter to Iverno, a man created from snow and ice, cold enough to make crucial decisions and command the powers of ice.

She granted the Kingdom of Darkness to Tenebris, a man created from darkness, who could wield it for his own advantage, who could delve into the darkest corners of your mind, a man dark enough to make the vital decisions for his kingdom.

She granted the Kingdom of Summer to Solis, a powerful man filled with anger, aggression, and an intense possessiveness over his people, who burned anyone who came near. So the Mother altered her choice and created a new man who could better control the fire burning inside him: Ferno.

She granted the Kingdom of Autumn to Folium, a very serious and determined man, who believed his kingdom was the mightiest, making him bitter and jealous, taking whatever he wanted, because no one could stop him on his path to ultimate power.

She granted the Kingdom of Spring to Spirit, a happy and joyful man, created in the Mother’s image, with a desire to nurture, grow, and be one with nature. He was a gentle and welcoming man, using his abilities—his green fingers—to improve all five kingdoms.

The Mother herself would rule the sixth kingdom, which would shine over all the other kingdoms, giving them light and happiness, granting love and devotion, respect and honor. Therefore, the different kingdoms held events celebrating the Mother and her powers.

The Kingdom of Winter celebrated the Winter Solstice, thanking the Mother and offering their finest furs, the best wines, and the most delicious king crabs caught in season.

The Kingdom of Darkness celebrated the Evening of the New Year, thanking the Mother for the past year and for the one to come. The kingdom itself didn’t offer sacrifices, but the king had to give a little of his power so he could make the stars shine brighter.

The Kingdom of Summer celebrated the Summer Solstice, thanking the Mother for the long days, as the sun shone more and more, and the people sacrificed two days of their lives to dance, celebrate, and honor the Mother.

The Kingdom of Autumn celebrated Autumn Day at the end of October, illuminating their kingdom with lanterns depicting the Mother, offering a large amount of crops, and presenting the softest, most finely made blankets.

The Kingdom of Spring celebrated Spring Day in late March, where the king used his powers to make everything bloom abundantly, offering a lamb and a large oak tree as signs of their gratitude.

I closed the book and sat up. My head couldn’t take in any more information. I opened one of the small glass bottles and inhaled the fragrant liquid, a wonderful scent of blackcurrant. The liquid slid down easily, with an incredibly delicious taste.

My gaze drifted over the endless rows of fields stretching as far as I could see. The different colors contrasted beautifully, complementing each other, as if they made each other’s shades more vibrant.

A strawberry was crushed between my lips as I sucked in the sweet juice, savoring the crunch of the crisp fruit. The pleasure was phenomenal. If the food was this good, how good could an orgasm be? I shook my head—I couldn’t think like that. I had to pull myself together. I’d been here less than five days, and my whole body screamed to be pressed beneath Nicolais’ muscular frame. I examined the remaining strawberry in my hand before devouring it.

“You’ve saved some for me, too, haven’t you?” His voice brought a smile to my lips. I hadn’t expected him back so quickly; for some reason, I had assumed a trip to the Kingdom of Autumn would take most of the day.

He sat down beside me on the blanket, but only very briefly before lying back with a sigh. “Did you have a good trip?”

“The King of Autumn is very determined. He has many opinions and views, so you have to figure out where you stand with him on any given day. But yes, otherwise it was good.” I glanced at the divine creature lying beside me on the blanket. His tunic, otherwise a beautiful grass green that made his eyes stand out even more, was open, and he wore black trousers that fit perfectly. “Have you read yet?”

I lay down beside him but stayed on my stomach so I could look at his beautiful face. My imagination must have been playing tricks on me. “Yes,” I admitted after far too long, placing my hands on the edge of the book. “It’s packed with information,” I confessed, feeling my cheeks heat up, “but it’s fascinating and interesting.”

His hair was spread out in many shades beneath his head. His sparkling eyes glimmered at me—they were like doors into his soul, into his thoughts. “So it makes sense?”

“I think it’s very religious,” I said honestly. “I’ve never been religious in any way at all, but you talk a lot about the Mother, which is fine—worshipping a woman can only be a good thing, right?” The last part sounded like a question but wasn’t really meant as one. I always fumbled for words in a way completely unlike usual. Normally, I was quick-witted, sassy, and unafraid to speak my mind, but for some reason, Nicolais made me nervous, made me overthink without me even knowing how.

“Definitely,” he replied shortly.

“But it just makes me look forward to the Summer Solstice even more,” I smiled at him. “I’m excited to sacrifice two days to dancing, eating, and celebrating.”

He laughed at me, at my enthusiasm, at my excitement. “It can be pretty exhausting to be going that long,” he said, a naughty smile on his lips.

“Do you not think I’m resilient enough for it?”

“Are you asking if I think you’re not resilient enough to last two days?” His tone now carried a different, more sensual edge. “I hope you can handle being at it for two days straight.”

A giggle escaped me, my cheeks burning. “Do you always have to go straight for below the belt?”

“With you, I don’t think I can help it,” he replied, rolling onto his side. His hand rested on my waist, his thumb beginning to stroke me through the fabric of my dress. He used his arm as a pillow as he lay there watching me.

“There are more strawberries,” I suddenly exclaimed, reaching into the basket.

Nicolais laughed at my sudden outburst as he watched me take out strawberries, croissants, and another bottle of juice from the basket.

“Are you trying to force-feed me?” The playful smile on his lips eased my nerves, made it easier to just be.

“With this absurdly delicious food?” My question was teasing, and he knew it well. “If eating this feels like force-feeding, then you should be ashamed.”

He laughed. The melodic sound of his laughter made me smile, made me wish he’d never stop.

With a grin, I placed the food on the blanket and handed him one of the bottles of that lovely liquid. I could easily get used to all this amazing food and drink, and I could easily get used to living this wonderful life.

In one quick motion, he opened the bottle and brought it to his soft lips—the same lips that had now touched my forehead twice—and god, how jealous my own mouth felt.

We spent the rest of the afternoon out in the field, lying there talking about everything under the sun, laughing, joking, and me falling a little more for him with every moment.