The 8th Tetrad: Breaking Bond

The Unexpected Attack

Years passed by, and they have all been through a lot of practice and training to master their powers. They all grew up strong, intelligent, and powerful.

"Aqua Plantae!" Marin orders.

Every morning she wakes up early to water the plants in the palace.

"Foliis colligunt eorum!" Aria gently sways her hand as she calls the wind to collect those falling leaves on the ground and place them in the bin.

On the other side of the castle's huge grounds, Aarush is also busy.

"Da Lucem!" He uses sunlight to help those dying plants to grow.

While her siblings are occupied doing their daily routine, Hera has a different thing assigned to do. She usually helps feed the horses. Hera has already accepted the fact that she can no longer will her power. She tried everything to unleash it. However, up until now, nothing has worked for her.

"Vlatka, you are eating a lot today! We have to watch out for your diet, or else my brother will be mad at me!" She smiles as she strokes his silky long black hair.

Vlatka is a stallion gifted to his brother when he turned 15 of human age. He became his companion whenever he toured around and outside the kingdom.

"Your highness, Hera! Aleem summons you!" The royal guard came into the stable. He bowed before he delivered a message.

Hera finishes her work first, then follows him to where Aleem was. He excuses himself after sending her to her teacher's office room.

#

"Good morning, Aleem!" Hera cheerfully greeted him as she entered his room and closed the door.

She catches him scanning some scrolls and seriously inspecting them. One by one he is reading them.

"Good morning! Your Highness! Please have a seat!" He pointed her to an empty chair while returning those scrolls that he didn't need.

She immediately takes her seat. She places her elbow on top of the table, then rests her chin on her hand.

"What's that?" Hera curiously asked.

He then rolls down a scroll in front of her, "It's a map. The Map of Meraxes!" he said as he showed it to her.

She exclaims in surprise. She cannot believe how beautiful it is, seeing it for the first time makes her feel in awe. Right in the middle of it is an image of a tree.

"Aleem, what is this tree over here called?" She pointed her finger directly at it.

"It's the magical tree of Khuzaimah! Your Highness!" He answered as he took the seat away facing hers.

"Khuzaimah? I haven't heard of it and I think I haven't seen it, either!" She says in confusion.

"No one has ever seen it!" he responded.

It sounds more confusing, but she waits for her teacher to give her more details.

"Look carefully, what else do you see?" He inquired.

She takes a closer look and gasps when she notices four different symbols surrounding it suddenly appear.

"There are symbols. I swear these aren't here the first time I looked! How is it even possible, Aleem?" Astounded at what she had just witnessed.

"This is no ordinary map. This map shows many things about the Kingdom that are yet to be revealed. I have been safekeeping this for years, to study it." He explained.

"Why are you showing me this? I don't understand, what does it have to do with me?" Still dumbfounded by her discovery.

Aleem then looks at her seriously before he speaks.

"Your Highness, I know you already accepted that you can no longer will your power and that you are contented to watch your siblings master theirs, but not I. Every day, I am trying to find the answer as to why, among the royal heirs, you are the only one who cannot will your gift of fire? How is that even possible? If you look closely at this map, the symbols that you claim weren't there the first time you look are actually your symbols!" he stated.

"Our symbols? You mean the ones that are etched on us?" Hera waited for his confirmation.

"Yes! And each of you has it!" He confirmed. "Now, look at the map again!" He instructed her.

She follows as he says. Her eyes widen, there is another change happening on the map.

"Aleem! One of the symbols is bigger now compared to the others. Its color also changed from black to red. No! It is almost like the color of the blood! What is going on? What is the meaning of it?" She could not perceive what was happening, however, she waited for him to give her an answer.

When she looks up at him, she sees worries. No! It is FEAR that is shown in his eyes.

"Aleem?" Hera called out his name.

#

Before he can respond, a loud screeching noise is suddenly heard in the entire kingdom. It is deafening and terrifying.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Hera screamed as she covered her ears.

The sound is so eerie and frightening. Aleem immediately runs to her side and wraps her in his arms like a protective father to his daughter. When the horrifying sound subsides, Hera stands to take a peek outside the window to see what is happening.

"What is that?" She asked in a terrified voice. Her hands were on her chest.

Her eyes grow even wider when she looks up in the sky and spots a huge creature trying to break the barrier using its sharp claws. Fortunately, the kingdom's protective barrier is very strong and unbreakable. It is believed that only a magical force can destroy it.

The creature's wingspan is enormous and its scale is much thicker than armor. Scattered on the ground are the brave royal guards that are commanded by the king and the prince. Their spears and arrows flew and went out through the barrier. The royal guards begin to load and release those spears and arrows, hoping to hit or wound the monstrous creature.

"It's the black dragon!" Aleem exclaimed behind her.

He looks frantic as he stares at the gigantic beast that is still working to damage the kingdom's shield.

"A black dragon? It's a dragon?" Hera whispered to herself.

The black dragon then blows out a huge fire, but it did not even scratch the barrier. It tries to get in by piercing it using its sharp claws over and over, but it fails. When it seems that it gets tired, it vanishes into thin air. The unexpected event creates chaos and terror-stricken the citizens of Meraxes. What occurs makes King Horus call for an emergency meeting with the Curia Regis (Council). Accompanied by Aleem, Hera and her sisters also join in to learn more about the incident.

#

"This is an open attack, Your Majesty! We have to do something about this!" An old councilman spoke in rage.

"Or this could be a warning from the Kingdom of Irad!" The bearded councilman added.

"A warning? For what? Are they declaring war against us?" A serious-looking councilman asks.

"Everyone, please calm down! We cannot immediately conclude on this matter! We have to study the motive of its sudden appearance in our territory!" Aarush stands on his seat, trying to control the rage and panic caused by the ginormous beast.

Marin and Aria are also appalled by what they witnessed. The two princesses are sitting next to Hera on the sideline of the council room.

"Sister, why does that dragon want to attack us?" Hera heard Aria asking Marin.

"I am uncertain of the reason. What I know is based on history. It says that an evil king wants all the living creatures to bow down to him. His hunger for power, wealth, and authority is truly horrifying." Marin explains as she brushes her sister's hair, hoping to ease her worries.

The council is still not agreeing with one another. Hera, on the other hand, is also thinking about a solid reason as to why, out of the blue, it appears to create tension for the fairies. After a few minutes, she then stands and decides to speak.

"I do not think this is an attack to call for war!" She stepped away from her seat.

Everyone in the room turned in silence. They cannot believe her instantaneous participation in their conversation. She may not be able to use her power for such unknown reasons, yet her ability to see things from a different perspective is so remarkable that even the king applauds.

"What do you mean, my dear? What do you think about all this?" King Horus waited for her to explain.

Marin holds her hand to stop her. She throws her a glimpse, sending her a message,

"I got this!" Hera winked.

She then lets go of her hand as she receives her signal. Hera confidently approaches the council table and starts to discuss her thoughts regarding this unforeseen incident.

"It is a trick!" She began.

"A trick?" Royal Adviser Cato blurted in confusion.

"Yes! They want us to believe that they are planning to attack us, but the truth is, they just want to create panic, a sort of diversion. They know that our barrier cannot be easily destroyed. Moreover, penetrating it by force will never work." She continued.

"So, what do you think we must do, Your Highness, Hera?" Quade asked, not to measure her ability but to know what was running in her mind.

She places her hands on top of the table before she informs them of her idea.

"We have to secure our trading passage which we openly use to welcome traders and visitors," she voiced out.

"You heard, Your Highness, Hera! Take note of her order!" King Horus ordered Quade.

"Yes! Your Majesty!" Quade accepted the order.

"Your Highness! Don't tell us that you're thinking that they will use the trading passage to enter our kingdom. That could be ridiculous?" The old councilman looked at her doubtfully.

Hera turns to face him, giving him an intent look.

"Certainly, they know that we accept people and other creatures in our kingdom as long they meet our requirements! But we made it stricter in the past couple of years to ensure everyone's safety," She answered back.

"I believe what Your Highness Hera wants to say is that, because they cannot easily enter our kingdom due to our amended rule, our enemy is trying to make this diversion. If we are occupied, they can easily attack us from the inside." Aarush seconded his sister's analysis.

#

The council meeting adjourns with an agreement to add more guards and have a thorough questioning of those who intend to enter the kingdom. After the intense and heated meeting, everyone decides to have a snack. The siblings all sit on the balcony, enjoying the breeze, thanks to Aria and the shade made by Aarush.

"It's a brilliant observation, Hera. I am in awe when you start to speak. To be honest, I did not look at it that way." Aarush complimented her idea.

"Thank you, brother! I just want to help." She smiled at him.

"You are brilliant, and your eye for details is truly remarkable." Marin pats her on her shoulder.

"I am proud to be your sister, Hera!" Aria gave her a peck on her right cheek.

"Hey, that's not fair! What about me? I also did great today!" Aarush complained, pretending that he was hurt.

Aria runs to his side and kisses his cheek as well. They all laugh after. While in the middle of her conversation with her siblings, Hera remembers something.

"Excuse me, I have to do something important!" She did not wait for their permission and just left.

She tried to run as fast as she could to reach her teacher's house. There's still a lot of things that she wants to know. After she dashes off, she is now standing in front of his house, gasping for some air as she sprints just to be there on time.

"Aleem! Aleem!"Hera called her teacher's name.

"Your highness, Hera? What are you doing here?" Reed asked as he opened the door.

He is wearing a long white sleeve that is rolled up to his elbow. It is tucked in his brown pants. In his right hand, he is holding a quill. She guesses that he might be in the middle of writing. Reed is known for his love of poetry. He even published some of his works which earned tons of admiration, especially for women his age and even older.

"My apology, Reed! I did not intend to interrupt your work. I just need to speak to your father as we have unfinished things to discuss." She sheepishly explains.

Aleem is nowhere to be found after the council meeting. That is why she forgot that there are unclear and unsettling things that she needs clarification and explanation.

"Father isn't here. He's with my brother..." He paused. "Oh! How rude of me!" He hit his head with his quill. "Please come in! I will make you a cup of warm tea!" Reed stepped aside as he invited her in.

"If it won't bother you, then I would gladly accept the invitation!" Hera politely stepped into their humble house.

It is not big, but it shows that it is well-maintained and everything is organized, just like her teacher's personality.

"Have a seat, Your Highness!" He moved a chair towards her. "Kindly wait here and make yourself at home. Let me go ahead and prepare your tea." He bowed before he left.

She sits on the chair Reed offers, her eyes scan around. She cannot help but admire its neatness. Hera moves toward the altar where she sees photos of Aleem and his beautiful wife, Radha. She heard that Radha died after giving birth to Risco. She had a complication that caused her death. Hera smiles as she looks at Aleem and his sons' photo holding a huge fish. She looks so happy.

While browsing more, something catches her eyes. There's an image of a younger-looking Aleem who looks exactly like his son, Risco. As she stared at it, her eyes then fixed on someone standing beside him. Although he looks a little older than his teacher, his looks cannot easily be noticed. His prominent and well-defined jaw-line is striking. Then a sudden flashback plays in her brain. It was the day of Aria's baptism.

"Who is that boy? He doesn't seem like he's from this place!" Hera recalled.

Her heart pounds as she gives it a second glance to confirm her remembrance of him isn't just a dream. It is odd because, as she recalls, the one she saw on that day doesn't seem like he had aged, as he looks exactly like the one in the photo and, if she remembers it right, Aleem already was a completely grown-up man at that time because he already had his own children the same as he should be.

"Wait, what? How is that even possible? Who is he? How come he doesn't change a bit?" Hera asks herself.

A lot of questions linger in her mind after staring thoroughly at that photo.