Tales of the Lost City von Toa-chan (The Journey begins) ================================================================================ Prolog: The hole in the Heart ----------------------------- Once, in a land ruled by kings and dukes, in a world where every being was still living with each kind and war was raging between the races, lived a king called Oberon. His kingdom was the realm of water, and he lived in fame and fortune. He owned beautiful gardens, waterfalls that took away your breath, fields with grain for centuries and many people who admired him. The King of Elves. He had everything a being could have wished for. Elegant fairies that danced around him enchantingly, servants as pretty as dawn's aurora and a loyal helper, the centaur. The realm never had to suffer hunger or was infested by illness, everything was perfect, it seemed. Yet something was missing from the noble King Oberon. He had everything, yet nothing of all of this was able to fill the whole in his heart. Every night he laid awake in his bed and pondered. He thought of what might be missing from him. The doctors were perplexed. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the king, and yet King Oberon found no answer to his question. Thus, one day he decided to ask his most loyal friend. "My friend. I know you know me just as well as I know you. You're like a brother to me. Whenever I need you, you're by my side. Now I need to ask you, my brother, what is it that is missing from me?" The centaur stood in iron silence, until the king looked at him with grieving eyes. "I don't know, my Lord. Unfortunately I don't have the answer to this question, either. But maybe, and just maybe, it may be because you have nobody you love with all of your hearth.", the mighty animals spoke. The king seemed visibly confused and paced around behind his console. His cape dragged wildly around the floor and rustled around. "You mean I lack a wife?" The friend nodded hesitantly. "Very well, then I will go on a search. A search for a woman that might fill the hole in my heart." And so years after years passed, and the king found no woman that might fill the hole in his heart. No woman could spark something in him, no smile, no joy, no love. Until one day a merchant came to him. The dwarf, who made clothing out of finest silk and was already very famous in other countries, came to him and asked the king to make him a dress so beautiful it would demolish the hole in this heart. The king, very sceptical in the beginning, let him pass. In general any communication with other races would have been strictly forbidden, but his realm relied on the services of the diligent dwarves. When all preparations were done, the dwarf called in a slave. The woman was a nymph with scraggy blue hair. Her eyes soaked in sadness looked up to him. "Bow down!", the old dwarf snubbed at her. Immediately the waternymph got on her knee and bowed until her forehead touched the marble ground. Fear was mirrored in every of her movements. When the dwarf left to fetch materials, the king stepped up to her. The woman jerked together fightfully and stepped back a step. "Where are you from?", King Oberon asked quietly to not fear the already frightened woman any more. "I'm coming from the realm where waterfalls flow upwards.", the nymph stuttered. A smiled hushed over the king's lips. "And what is your name?" For a short moment it was so quiet the elf thought he could heart her heart beat, yet then he heard a whimper coming from the being before him. "I don't know.", she whispered. "You don't know?" The Elf started to laugh. "Hahaha, well then I give you a new name. A name worth of your beauty and loyalty." The king stood up and gave his hand to the woman. At first, she seemed absolutely perplexed and looked at him as if he had drank too much wine, but then she took his hand eventually. Fitfully he pulled her up and twirled her around once. "What about Oridee? It means 'hope' in my language." "Forgive the long wait, my lord.", it suddenly sounded from the portal and the dwarf entered. Instantly he pulled a blank appalled face. "What - the... nymph! What is that supposed to be, you ungrateful woman? Immediately get away from His Highness!", the old man roared at her, and ripped her from the king. "Wait.", the king interfered and took the woman's hand in his. "Highly honoured dwarf. Can I offer you a trade?", the king ask. The dwarf didn't seem to understand anything anymore and waited for the king's offer. "I would like to buy this woman from you." "B-But your Highness, w-why?" "Would you do it or not?", the king asked again, this time with a certain hardness in his voice. "W-well, fine.", the dwarf gave in. Unfortunately the king had forgotten something very important. For years war had been raging between the races, and just like that, he had created a spark that would light the fire of outrage. The nymphs threatened with attacks and even his own people had no understanding for this love. Until one day it came to the day he had feared most. His wife lay dead in their chamber's bed. Her white dress dirtied with blood and her skin as white as snow. The king cried tears of grief and desperation. Never again would he see his beloved wife ever again. Her beautiful face, her beaming eyes, the gracious smile. Everything was gone. The funeral was small. Almost no one came, while the king stood in front of his wife's coffin and kissed her one last time. When the coffin was closed, it awoke an inner wrath in him. A wrath nobody could have taken from him. The king ordered a hunt for his wife's murderer. Everyone that had ever sworn him loyalty was to grasp for their weapons and take revenge on the one who took his beloved. And thus the Age of Mercenaries had come. There were many victims and everyone holding a weapon in their hands found themselves to be one. Great wars came to be, battles and fights until it came to the point where nobody knew what they even had fought for. One day, insight came upon the people. After nobody felt like fighting anymore, and almost every criminal was taken care of, the beings saw that there was no sense in any of it anymore. No sense in sending their own people into battle. No sense in bringing their own family in danger and no sense to keep living like that. Thus the highest beings of the races met in a place that was never discovered. The place at which the new world would sprout its roots and every race lived together peacefully. A world of peace. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)