Kingdoms of Man (Part 1)

     The sound of bare feet pattering down the corridor echoed as she ran; hair and tassels flowing behind her.  Grey stone arches seemed to fly by as her feet swept her onwards past stained glass murals that told the stories of heroes long since passed. She flew past battlements that had not seen a sentry in ages, ballista towers that had no flames ready to ignite tar-covered stones on invaders. The castle itself seemed to sleep, like an old man unconcerned. The girl’s white dress contrasted against the dark stones that had been quarried from the mountains centuries ago. Each stone bore the marks of wars and bloody battles of lore. But though the castle saw no foes, no invaders, the girl ran to escape the enemy of tears welling up inside her with a barrage of emotions rising like soldiers climbing battlements towards her. With all of her might she pressed against a large wooden door and burst out onto a balcony that overlooked the city.

     The wind touched her hair as if it were caressing her gently as she walked slowly towards the railing, staring at the buildings below. The marble rooftops capped with gold shimmered in the sun, rivaling the grandeur of the mountains that surrounded the city. It was her father’s city, the capital of her father’s land. Tears began to flow freely as she wrapped her hands around the stone rails. The sun joined the wind in the attempt to comfort the girl as it beamed warming rays onto her skin.

     “No matter how times you’ve seen it, it still takes your breath away”. The voice made her jump, but as she turned she saw a face she had not seen in years.

     “Hinshaw!” The girl cried in delight as she raced to embrace the man who approached. He returned the embrace with a smile. “You’ve changed so much” she said in bewilderment. “And you haven’t changed at all Fairy” the man replied. Fairy smiled as she laughed, curly brown hair teased by the wind, streaks down her face from the tears, with the general look of beauty unkempt.

     “And you still look wonderful” Hinshaw’s face crinkled into a smile as he looked at her. His eyes bore the glaze of one who had seen many wars, his skin charred by the desert sun, his hands scarred by blades of the enemy. His handsome features were that of a rugged man, more comfortable in a tent than a palace.

     “You really think so, even like this?” Fairy laughed wistfully as she said this, her mind still plagued chaos despite the pleasant surprise. Hinshaw joined in the laughter, though his too was sad.

     “The first time I met you,” he said as he looked into the far mountains, “you were two years old and covered in mud head to toe.” Hinshaw looked at her wistfully, “You’ve grown up so fast.” He reached into his pocket and produced a plain cloth bag, the color of the sand he was so familiar with. “I brought a present for my favorite niece.” Fairy raised an eyebrow in amusement,

    “I’m your only niece” she replied. 

    “True,” came the simple response, “but that has never stopped you from being my favorite.” He said as he pulled a silver chain from the bag. On the end of the chain there rested a diamond that seemed to float on the chain, the setting so fine that it was almost invisible. The diamond caught the sunlight and cast it back out as if it too were a star in the heavens.

     “It’s beautiful” Fairy whispered to him as he handed the necklace to her.

     “Put it on” Hinshaw said as Fairy stared in awe. She gladly obliged and smiled as it touched her chest with an energy that it seemed to possess all in its own power. He smiled again as he saw the happiness on her face, but his eyes were distant. “You look so much like your mother” he said as he walked again to the edge of the balcony.

     “So people have said.” As she joined him the mood once again fell. “Will you take the crown?” She asked as the sun began to be covered by dark clouds.

     “Yes”. He did not look at her as he replied.

     “You don’t want it, do you?” Hinshaw did not reply the query, but his eyes answered the question. “Then why take it? There are others in the royal line who could just as easily ascend.” Hinshaw finally turned to her,

     “I promised my brother that I would care for you should anything happen to him. And pulling you out of your home to live in a tent in a war-torn desert with me hardly seems of caring for you. So here I will stay. And I will stay as long as I am needed.” Fairy put her arms around Hinshaw and began to cry once again. He wrapped his strong arms around her and rocked her as she wept, joining the wind and the sun in the effort to comfort the girl whose father had passed beyond and was swept into the stars.