23rd of July in the year 5046, 42 years following
the great Separation. Patrick, chief royal scribe to his Majesty the Ivory King.
The following records the journey of Rebekah of
Learning as she traversed the perilous path to the great Kingdom of Ivory, as
told by Rebekah and her companion.
_______
My
name is Rebekah, and this is the story of how I escaped from slavery in the
Kingdom of Learning.
But
what was the cost of my freedom? Was it worth the loss of a dear friend? Is one
life worth another?
This
is what I ask myself; what motivates me. Why I will go back to free the one who
was taken so that I could get away.
There
are four kingdoms in the land of Element which used to live in peace with each
other. Ebony in the south supplying metals for building, Ivory, the white
kingdom in the north supplying water and silver for trading, the kingdom of Learning,
the smallest of the four, which supplied the knowledge of Element, and the
Rainbow Valley kingdom, the biggest kingdom to the west Snake Forest supplied
the rest. What lies to the east, no one
knows. It is said to be nothing but desert stretching out to the far eastern
edge of the world. The four Kingdoms
once lived in harmony, until a time came when the dark king of Ebony decided
that a supreme ruler of Element should be appointed. The selfish king sought to claim the right to
rule the four kingdoms, but the others wouldn’t have it. The Patriarchs of
Learning and Ebony, in their arrogance, attempted to overthrow the northern and
western kingdoms. Wars were fought; many
lives were lost; much blood was spilt. A
dam was constructed in order to cease the flow of fresh water, and in his rage,
the Ebony king was said to have released hundreds of his dark and terrible
minions to wreak havoc in the Rainbow Valley. And so the Separation. Now our kingdoms live
apart from one another. Ebony and
Learning, the crafty and the prideful, remain allies to this day, while the
shining Ebony and the colorful Rainbow Valley live in peace, cut off from the
southern terrors.
Right
at this moment, thousands of men and women, girls and boys, are withering away
in the intense heat of the desert sun, and here I sit in a sparkling marble
palace in the midst of a shimmering lake surrounded by soft green grass,
absolutely helpless and unable to go to their aid.
I
once lived in the place, where all of the houses looked like giant books
standing on their edges, and they surround a huge palace that looked very much
like a library. The ground in this place was all sand and rock, the only plant
life was a dull green forest to the west of the city. The people of this city
live in fear of the forest, and the realms that surround our little kingdom.
Rumors of poisonous snakes, dark powers, and creatures that can suck the color
out of your body as if it is the very blood in your veins are whispered in the
houses and the hallways of the palace. Of course, these were only old wives
tales told to scare the citizens into staying within the city. Either way,
entering the forest is forbidden.
I
lived in cramped quarters in the lowest part of the palace with all of the
other girls ages ten and up. I was a slave, forced to work my fingers to the
bone so that my family, who I hardly even remember, could have food each day. I
worked in the Palace of Knowledge, so named because all of the “Knowledge” of
the land of Element is kept in the library that takes up more than half of the
palace in the form of millions of books. All of the slaves there are females,
taken from the poorer families (which are most of them) at the age of ten in
order to work for their family’s sustenance. The king tells us that it is an
honor to sacrifice our lives to feed our families. I suppose that is true,
except… I never saw his daughters working for their food.
The
boys have it differently. When they turn ten, they are taken to be trained for
guard duty. When they turn eighteen, more than half of them are shipped off to
fight in the war that is raging in the dark kingdom of Ebony which lies to the
south. Most never return.
This
is how my journey begins.
The heat was almost unbearable. The hem of my
dress swirled the dust into my eyes, and the itchy dull grey fabric clung to my
skin, but I couldn’t even wipe the sweat from my forehead, because my hands
were full. It rolled in great salty droplets down my cheeks and nose.
The
sun was shining in a clear blue-grey sky, but I wouldn’t have known. We hardly
ever saw the sky, except on very hot days when the guards would open the
ceiling windows so that the younger children wouldn’t faint from the heat. Of
course this day wasn’t one of those days. It wasn’t hot enough to open the
windows, but just hot enough to make us sweat uncomfortably in the long grey
dresses that all slaves had to wear. At least I got to work alongside my best
friend every day. The law said that we had to be paired with another girl when
we first arrived at the palace. I was paired with Jenna, and we quickly became
the best of friends.
She
and I were assigned to work for one of the king’s daughters. He had seven
daughters and five sons, and they hardly work a day in their lives. This
particular girl’s name was Ursula, and she was his youngest daughter. When she
wasn’t giving us some meaningless task that we had to do no matter how
ridiculous, she was blathering on about the goings on in the kingdom, or about
her newest love interest. The heat of the day meant that our main task was
keeping her majesty cool. This meant that one of us consistently had to fan her
with large paper fans, not even stopping to rest our burning arms, while the
other ran back and forth to the kitchen to fetch whatever cool refreshment
happened to pop into her head. We were to do all tasks without complaint or
even a word, because slaves were forbidden to speak in the presence of the
royal family. She was just saying something about the new set of guards that
had arrived in the palace the week before, when Jenna came back from her fifth
trip to the kitchen, holding the latest refreshment, lime flavored ice
sweetened with white sugar. I scowled when I saw it, knowing that the people
were starving and without relief from the harsh sun, while this princess binged
on one of the rarest delicacies in the kingdom.
“Oh,
if only I were fifteen again!” She wined, her ugly face pinched in an attempt
to look pouty. “I swear they get taller and more handsome every year!”
I
rolled my eyes as Jenna smirked and winked at me. With a toss of her long hair
and a sarcastic flourish, she placed the dessert in front of our lady.
Ursula
pursed her lips as Jenna flashed a bright smile. Who wouldn’t be a little
jealous of Jenna’s beauty? With her bright blue eyes and waist-length light
brown hair, she was one of the most beautiful girls in the kingdom. Even I find
myself envying her good looks. Despite being fed barely enough to keep us
alive, I’ve always had a more round figure, and there is no great beauty in my
face. And my short, dark hair hardly compares to
Jenna’s
velvety locks.
“Ah!”
Ursula exclaimed, “Just what I wanted!”
It
was Jenna’s turn to roll her eyes.
“Well
girls,” She said with her mouth full of lime ice. “I think that’s all I’ll want
from you today. You may go.”
Jenna’s
shocked expression mirrored my own as I looked at her.
“Oh
girls,” she said seeing our surprised faces, “it WILL be dark in an hour, and
the heat will go away when the sun does. I won’t need you anymore.”
We
didn’t argue, and we didn’t stick around for her to change her mind. Out in the
hallway, my anger boiled hotter than the air.
“That
spoiled, pompous- Deviling fiend-” I grumbled as I mopped my face with my
sleeves.
“If
I was allowed to speak to her, I would…I would-”
Jenna
placed a calming hand on my arm.
“You
shouldn’t be angry with her, Beck. She was raised to believe that she deserves
everything and that we are meant to give it all to her.”
Jenna
is the wisest person I know.
“Besides,”
She continued, “We should be honored to-”
“Oh
please.” I said cutting her off.
“Rebekah,
think about it.” She said reassuringly. “To be able to earn the right to feed
our families-“
“Just
stop! Come on Jen, it’s hot and I’m in no mood to argue about honor. And
besides, what family do I have? A real family wouldn’t have let them take me
away.”
She
sighed, but gave in and we walked to our quarters in silence. We travelled
through the long grey hallways which wove through the center of the palace, and
passed by the huge mahogany doors which led to the great library, which was
also the throne room where the king sat. We came this way twice every day, but
as we walked quietly by, the doors burst open making both of us jump and a tall
thin woman with curly red hair and a frustrated demeanor rushed out. It was
Catherine. She was the only royal who was against the fact that the kingdom tolerated
slavery. She was also a founder of the Ivory King’s secret Counsel, despite the
fact that it had been forbidden to even speak of the northern kingdom since the
war that broke our alliance with the Ivory and Rainbow
Valley
Kingdoms. If anyone found out, she would be executed immediately, king’s
daughter or not. Of course,
Catherine
was good at keeping things from her father, like her secret friendship with
Jenna and I, and her efforts to help us escape from that horrible place.
Her
frustration melted away when she spotted us.
“Ah!
I was just about to come and find you!” She said with quiet excitement. “I have
news for you. Come; let’s go to a more private spot so that we can speak.”
We
walked through the halls, carefully avoiding guards along the way, and finally
slipped into our “secret room.” It was really just an old, unused bedroom, but
we turned it into a sort of safe house, and the only place where we could speak
freely to each other, despite the law against it. We sat facing each other on
the old rug that covered the floor, and Catherine proceeded to tell us her
news.
“I
may have discovered an escape route.”
My
heart leapt at her words. Jenna tilted her head curiously.
“What
is it this time? Will it be dangerous?” She asked.
“There
is a man, an agent of the Ivory King who lives deep in Snake Forest. If you can
get to him, he can take you to the entrance to Rainbow Valley. From there, you
can easily make your way to the Ivory City.”
She
went on to explain how we might be able to get into the forest, but I could
hardly hear one word. My mind was racing a mile a minute. The possibility of
escape was simply too much.
“Whatever
it is,” I interrupted. “I’ll do it if it gets me out of this place.”
She
nodded. “I thought as much. It WILL be dangerous. Jenna, are you in?”
We
both looked at her. She seemed deep in thought with her long hair making a
curtain that hid her beautiful face.
“Is
this really wise? Should we attempt it?” She whispered.
“Jenna,
this is our way out!” I said. “You said that if we found a way, we would take it!”
“I
did say that yes, but if it’s as dangerous as Catherine is saying, maybe we
should wait for a safer way.”
“Jenna,
this is the first time that freedom has been a possibility since the king
started using young girls as slaves.
You
two are the only ones who are brave enough to even think of it.” Catherine
explained. “There won’t be another way.”
“Well
then,” She said after a moment. “If Rebekah is set on going, then I’m in.”
“Excellent.
We’ll have to move quickly. We only have one shot at this. I only just managed
to convince my father to give the forest guards the night off. I had to explain
to him that everyone is too afraid of the forest to go anywhere close to it, so
why guard it every single day? Even then he only agreed to give them one day
and a night.
It’s
a wonder those men don’t die from the heat.”
Jenna’s
fingered the hem of her dress as she pondered this.
“It
seems very sudden.” She said thoughtfully. “Shouldn’t we have taken the time to
plan this?”
“Why
wait?” I said eagerly. “Besides, this seems like the only opportunity we’ve
got. A long shot maybe, but we have to go tonight!”
Jenna
shot a questioning glace at Catherine.
“Rebekah
is right.” She said. “Even if we did wait, there’s no guarantee that I would be
able to get my father to give the guards time off for a second time.”
“All
right then,” She said after a moment. “We go tonight.”
Catherine
smiled. “Good then. There’s no time to waste, so go and prepare your things.
You should try to eat something before we go. It’s a long way to the cottage.
My father doesn’t know that the cook is on our side, so at dusk, go out through
the back door in the kitchen. I’ll make sure it’s unlocked. From there, head
straight to the boulder at the edge of the forest and wait for me there. But be
cautious!” She warned. “If anyone sees you, all is lost.”
My
smile grew into a grin.
“I’ll
be there!” I said confidently.
Jenna
nodded in agreement.
"I'll
see you then." Said Catherine, and she got up and quietly slipped out of
the room.
_______
Back
in my quarters, I quickly stuffed my few belongings into a rucksack. I didn’t
have much, just an extra grey dress and a locket made out of silver from the
Ivory kingdom with a picture of my father and mother inside. I hardly remember
them, even now. It had been seven years since I last saw them when the guard
came to take me away. I don’t even know why I kept it.
I
quietly opened the door and looked out into the empty hallway. All of the other
girls were still working, or in the wash room, which was where Jenna was. I knew
she was coming, but I just couldn’t wait. I slipped out and started for the kitchen.
This was when the royal family and the guards were eating their supper, so the
hallways were deserted.
I
made my way to the kitchen as quickly and quietly as I could and I managed to
slip inside without anyone seeing me. I felt a thrill when I realized that I
had just broken the law that said slave girls weren’t allowed outside their quarters
during supper. I made my way through the kitchen and past the cook who was pretending
to sleep in a chair in the corner. She knew that if she actually saw me, she
would have to raise the alarm. When I reached the back door, I paused with my
hand on the doorknob. I hadn’t been out of doors since I first arrived here. I
took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door opened smoothly on oiled
hinges and a blast of warm, fresh air blew into my face.
Oh
how good it smelled! I stepped out onto the rocky ground and looked around. The
book-shaped houses stood in rows, and curved to the left and right all the way
around the city. They were at least three deep all the way around the palace, but
around the back there was a large gap through which I could clearly see the
boulder and beyond that, Snake Forest. I always wondered why it was called
that. I didn’t even know what a snake was! Only that it was to be feared.
I
cautiously walked forward, sand and gravel crunching loudly beneath my feet.
The dirt paths that were what passed for roads were silent and empty. The sun
was just going down, staining the dirt blood red. The faded green of the forest
glowed, and the lines of every branch stood out in sharp detail. I still wish I
could see what the kingdom looked like before the Separation, when sweet water
flowed in from the Ivory kingdom and the city was full of green.
“I’ll
see grass again soon.” I said to myself.
For
now, I was simply content to be outside. Freedom seemed so close now. The sun
sunk slowly below the horizon, and a light breeze came from the west. It
smelled of trees and fresh, moist earth. After glancing around to make sure I
was alone, I made my way through the gap. The ground sloped gently downward
towards the tree line and I saw the large grey boulder which was pointed like
an arrow towards the forest. Once I reached the far side, I stopped and leaned
against it, breathing in the clean outdoor air.
Each
moment felt like an hour, and I felt the air grow cooler as the sun went down.
Suddenly I heard a commotion behind me. I peeked around the boulder and saw
Catherine running wide-eyed towards the boulder with a group of soldiers chasing
after her. I quickly ducked down behind the boulder, but not before she caught
sight of me.
“Run!”
She screamed. “Run! Go no-“
I
heard a shriek, and then nothing. I looked around the corner again and saw
guards standing in the light from the kitchen door over a crumpled bloodied
figure. Catherine was unnervingly still,
and I knew she must be dead. Two of the
guards broke away from the group and started towards my hiding spot.
“She
was yelling at something down here.” One said.
“Yeah,
I could have sworn I saw someone.”
“Hey!”
A new voice called out.
I
heard the guard’s footsteps moving back towards the palace, so I peeked around
again. Jenna stood silhouetted in the
kitchen doorway. Our eyes locked for a moment, and she smiled sadly at me. Just before they reached her,
I
thought I saw her silently mouth the word “run.” Then the guards reached her and she was
hidden from view. I didn’t hesitate. I ran. I knew they wouldn’t follow me into the forest,
so I ran as hard as I could for the trees, my sandaled feet pounding over the
sand.
“Look!
There goes another one!” “Get her!” “Don’t let her reach the trees!”
The
voices yelled after me, but I didn’t look back. I plunged into the forest, and I
ran as far as possible, not even caring in which direction I was headed. My lungs felt as if they were filled with
white hot metal, but I didn’t stop. Finally
when it was too dark to even see anything around me, and the air was hardly
even reaching my burning lungs, I tripped and collapsed onto the leaf-strewn
ground. Tears flooded my eyes as the events of the day came crashing down on
me.
Catherine
dead, and my best friend captured or worse. I curled up into a ball and cried.
_______
What
now? I couldn’t go back, and without
Catherine’s directions, I didn’t know how to move forward. For the first time, I felt alone. All of my life, there had always been someone
with me.
And
now there was no one.
I
was alone in a strange place. The night
pressed in around me, but I made no effort to get up or even to move. I just cried until I had no tears left.
For
the rest of the night, I laid where I fell. I slipped in and out of consciousness, waking
only when the visions of
Jenna
and Catherine were too much for me. I
kept seeing their faces in my head, screaming at me to run. And the
expression
on Jenna’s beautiful face as the guards surrounded her.
It
wasn’t fear. I was more…acceptance;
peace.
I
knew that she had sacrificed herself so I could escape. I decided right then that I would go back,
maybe with the help of the Ivory king, and that I would free not only her, but
all of the slaves in the Kingdom. I told
myself that I would do whatever it took to free her.
I
finally came to myself just as the light started to creep into the forest. A flood of memories came rushing into my mind.
My eyes stung as they filled with tears.
Something seemed different though. It wasn’t just the tears, but something else
was making my eyes sting.
Smoke;
I could smell smoke. I knew it was smoke
because I had often smelled it coming from the kitchen. But this was a more cheery and inviting smoke.
I sat up slowly and looked around. I could see nothing but trees in every direction.
I stood and wiped the dirt and tears
from my face with my sleeve. Perhaps it
was a campfire, or even the house of the man that I was supposed to meet. Catherine had said that he lived very deep in
the forest, and who knows how far I had run the night before. I actually started to feel hopeful.
I
followed the smoke through the trees, moving faster and faster. Suddenly, they grey hem of my dress caught on a
root, and I fell. As the ground rushed
towards me, I threw my hands out to catch myself. I cried out as I felt the bone in my wrist
crack and a lightning bolt of pain shot up my arm.
Tears
began to flow as I sat against a tree and cradled my injured arm close to my
body. I looked around to get my bearings,
my eyes still stinging from the pain. The smell of smoke was still overwhelming, and
I knew that I needed to find the source.
Just
then, I heard a faint rustling noise above my head. I leaped to my feet, and spun towards the
tree. Just inches from my face, a pair
of huge red eyes stared at me. The
creature was quite possibly the most horrible thing I had ever seen. Curled endlessly around the tree was what
seemed to be a giant, armored worm with an arrow-shaped head like and large red
eyes like a cat’s eyes. The thing’s body
was as thick around as my waist, and its armor looked like overlapping coins
covering its entire form and it was a mottled brown color that blended
perfectly with the bark of the trees and the forest surrounding me.
I
stood frozen, unable to move as I stared into the creature’s blood red eyes, my
injured wrist throbbing with each heartbeat. I started as I felt something brush against my
ankle. I slowly looked down and found
myself surrounded by those terrible creatures. The one clinging to the tree let
out a loud sound that I can only describe as the hissing of a cat. It reared
its head back and opened its mouth to reveal razor sharp three inch fangs. I couldn’t run. My mind was screaming at me to move, but my
body wouldn’t obey, my mouth open in a silent scream.
I
saw the creature tense its muscles, preparing to strike, when I heard voice
yell, “MOVE!” and a strong arm wrapped around my waist and arms, lifting me
completely off the ground. The creature
launched itself at me, closing its jaws in the air exactly where my face had
been only a split second before.
The
ground flew by underneath me as my savior ran hard and fast. Each step jarred my wrist, and pain caused my
eyes to water. We stopped abruptly and I
was dropped onto the ground. I cried out
as my arm hit the hard dirt, but I quickly rose to my feet.
The
woods surrounded us as we stood in a small clearing with a tiny house in the
middle. I saw smoke pouring from the
stone chimney and just to my right, bent over with his hands on his knees and
breathing hard from the run, was a man.
“How,”
he said between gasps, “in the name of all that is good and holy did you end up
out here?”
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