The tavern sat in a remote location, resting upon the edge of the Greyn Woods. Travelers who had emerged or were choosing to depart into the lands, sat within the establishment.One male threw back his drink, setting it down in satisfaction as he wiped escaped foam from his mouth."Good stuff Marcos," he said, satisfaction in his voice as a faint pink rose to his cheeks.The owner of the tavern nodded, his slim fingers busy cleaning mugs for other customers to use.Another male sat against the long oak landing, his weary frame seeming to sag as his body rested within the chair."Oi," the male lifted his drink towards the stranger, "don't be shy. I won't bite."He patted the seat next to his, an easy grin on his face.The stranger hesitated, before sighing and rising to sit next to the grinning male."Names, Hexaus- you?""Kilchen.""Strange name. You from the Rottskin lands then?"The stranger hesitated before nodding, raising his hands to let the hood of his cloak fall and reveal his face.Hexaus's eyes widened as he took in the faint red that seemed to stain his face- an obvious feature that one normally found within the people who resided in the land of red dirt."Mmmh? Been away from it long? Guess you're on your way to visit then eh?"The stranger hesitated again, before nodding.The owner paused, his eyes narrowing as he took in the male now."Things have changed."Both males looked to the owner.Kilchen's face twisted in worry as he took in the words, "It's gotten worse then?"Hexaus though laughed and slapped a large hand on Kilchen's back, causing the male to lung forward and almost hit his head on the front bar."The opposite my friend!"Kilchen looked to the owner for answers as the man watched Hexaus's easy disposition.The owner noticed his behavior and sighed, "King took a new Queen. Odd name but it fits her for what she did."He leaned forward, and Kilchen found that he too was leaning in, his heart racing as worry ran through his chest for what had become of his family who still lived within the Rottskin land."Queen Saint. How long you been gone mate? She's been Queen for about a year now I would say. She was the only one to survive the reaping. But strange things did happen in that palace. Those girls went in and one came out - and the darkness of the land just,-" here the owner's eyes widened as his hand rose in the air, "vanished.""It can't be gone," Kilchen whispered."But it is," Hexaus said, eagerness in his voice as he took in the wide-eyed stare of disbelief upon the other male's face."How...but.....for so long though....""Yes," the owner nodded and went back to his cleaning, "I saw her you know."Here both males turned to the man, their eyes wide, "You saw the Queen?" Hexaus asked.The owner nodded, some satisfaction being found now that both male's attention was on him. "Beautiful. Her image fits her name. Golden hair. Like a Goddess. Saw the King to- they visited the land to show that it really was gone. That red eyes didn't invade the palace anymore.""There will always be darkness," Kilchen said."Hey now," Hexaus shook his head and took a sip from his drink, "That's no way to think. You're in for a surprise when you see what the Rottskin land looks like. Some even say green is growing in it now."The males leaned back in startled disbelief as they saw a tear leave Kilchen's eye."Oh," he felt his face and looked away, embarrassed.Hexaus and the owner exchanged smiles before the owner reached over and handed the male another drink, "There there. It's understandable.""I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes," Kilchen said."I have no doubt," Hexaus agreed.The owner shook his head and left, another customer calling him away.Kilchen turned then to the other male, "What made it go away though?"Hexaus shrugged, "There are too many tales. Some say a guardian of the moon came and cured the Kingdom. Others say the Queen herself gave the King his heart back- claiming he had none from the beginning."Kilchen found his head shaking from the absurd foolishness of the outlandish stories."But all the other girls...."Here Hexaus paused, "The King's reaping..."Both males felt a shudder run through them as they tried and failed to conjure up what could have happened to them."I'm not sure I want to know," Kilchen whispered."I'm with you," Hexaus agreed, "so long as those damn red eyes are gone, I'm satisfied with the Queen."The males continued to talk, Kilchen's eyes widening as he listened to tales of the changing landscape and light invading the darkness.He found himself longing for his family.He missed his sister and little brother.Maybe they were okay.Maybe his mother and father had survived the darkness and lived to see the day when light took over the land.He found a smile forming on his lips at the thought.He had run away- not able to take in the redness that invaded his skin.Not able to handle the suffocation of what the darkness brought.But he couldn't bear it anymore, being away from his family while knowing he had abandoned them to a cruel fate of living within the darkness.At that moment another male approached the bar top, settling in beside Heaxus. He leaned forward, a hard look upon his face."Couldn't help but listen in," he whispered.Hexaus leaned in closer to the male as Kilchen mimic his movements."Goin with what you were saying about the King traveling the land- did you hear where he traveled to?"Hexaus shook his head, taking a long drink from his mug and letting the stranger continue."The Temple of the Light."At this Hexaus sputtered up whatever drink he had been consuming- coughing on the liquid that had caught in his throat."The Temple?" he questioned, clear disbelief in his voice.The stranger looked around, as if weary of the information he held and moved in closer to the two males. The effect had them also leaning in to catch his whispers."Said he wanted to pay his respects to Arishia.""To what?" Hexaus asked, confusion in his voice."That's a high priestess of the light," Kilchen explained softly, wonder in his voice.The stranger nodded, "Can you imagine our King at a Temple of the Light? But he was able to get in- those barriers had nothing to stop I guess."Hexaus scoffed, "The Temple. Bunch of stuck up snobs. Hiding themselves with their wards, sitting nice and cozy while the rest of use outside rotted."A hard look entered Kilchen's face as he nodded, but the stranger only shook his head. "What did he do to Arishia?" The three males turned to find the owner of the tavern, Marcos, back behind his bar, a look of concern on his face. Hexaus snorted, "Forgot you followed the light Marcos."Marcos however, ignored Hexaus and continued to concentrate his full attention on the stranger, "Go on Collis," he said.Collis turned to face his full attention on Marcos now, "Ah Marcos. Well..nothing happened to Arishia. She wasn't there.""Wasn't there?"Collis shook his head, "Haven't you heard of the sightings? Different reports coming in from all over of something getting rid of the dark ones right when they resurface? The Temple claims it's the Mother Asundra, but everyone knows Arishia is behind it.""But where is she?" Hexaus asked, eyeing Collis with suspicion now.Collis sighed and gratefully accepted the offered mug from Marcos, "Don't know. All I know is, the King and Queen pay the highest respect to her."Hexaus snorted, "Never thought our King would be a follower of the light."Kilchen had a confused look on his face, "I heard she had passed though?""Who? Arishia?" Collis stared at Kilchen now in outrage, Marcos's own look of anger joining in as they eyed the young man.Kilchen felt heat rise to his face as he nodded.Collis though just shook his head, "No...she's out there. May the Moon Bless her, she's out there..."Marcos gave a parting glare towards Kilchen before going to a waiting customer.Unknown to the three males, a hooded figure sat nearby within the corner, a smile forming on the watchful face.Marcos paused to stare at the person, his attention captured as one hand came out to grab the drink in front of it.He felt his eyes widen as he took in the fingers that were stained with ink and possessed steel rings.Repressors.Something he had not seen on many since the darkness had been released.He shook his head and turned to walk away, wondering what sort of creature needed so many.But feeling his heart lighten at the thought that they did not need such things anymore.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who is reading. It means so much to me that you took time out of your day/night to take in the story 'Star Blood'It feels surreal for it to be over, and I know the story itself was short compared to most, but I'm satisfied with the ending. As the writer, I'm very happy with it. I was grinning from ear to ear as I wrote this last chapter and a feeling of enormous peace seemed to just settle over me. Again, thank you so much for reading. And who knows...I might post a bonus chapter later on in the future...Any suggestions for what scene you would want? (hahaha But I can't make any promises because I'm a fickle person). I hope you have learned from the story, that there will always be darkness- but just the same- there will always be light. Until next time, Loves, /////WORLD_JOY_/////