The Phoenix's Maiden

The Banquet (Part Two)

They are walking their way back to the banquet, where the two kings are waiting for them in there, so they could finally announce the big news. They used magical runes to reach the citizens who can’t come to the castle to make sure that everyone will receive the important news.

“Psst,” Amber called to Arthur. The young knight looked at her.

“What is it?” he asked for what the lady is concerned about.

“Am I really needed back in there?” she asked.

“The kings’ orders,” he answered.

Amber knew that she cannot do anything, and didn’t ask anymore question to him. They walk quietly towards the halls and the guards in their front are doing their job. Amber wondered if under that armor, what creatures they could be. A human that is lost in this realm, like her or any mythological creatures that Amber knows about. Who knows? By the time they reached the hall, the two kings are at the entrance waiting for their arrival. They smiled as wide as they can towards Amber and the lady is confused why.

“Welcome,” Azura greeted with his deep voice.

“Come,” Ashura invited them. They turned away from the two and started walking back to the main center of the hall. The young knight and Amber followed them politely without any question asked. She knew that asking them is rude for others, so being quiet in this situation is the best course of action.

“Good Evening my loyal subjects!” Azura greeted the whole crowd with his deep and loud voice. “For so long we waited for this very moment. The return of the family that protected this kingdom and the very reason of why this kingdom prospered throughout the ages,” he announced.

“For so long we have been indebted by their good deeds. They protected the kingdom from the king of underworld, Satan. The former king even killed him and sacrificed himself in the process. We are thankful for what they did and praised for what they have wrought,” Ashura added. In his speech, some of the audience in the crowd wiping their tears, because they witnessed how the former king sacrificed himself and his family just to protect the kingdom.

There are Mysticals that lives for so long and even lasts for countless decades, and this kingdom has some of them as refugees. This happened before the Great War in their kingdom where the underworld conquered the other countries in the Mystic Realm. The former king gladly accepted them as his citizens and treated them as family; he even gave them homes and a living for them to start over.

“Citizens of Fernis Kingdom!” Azura shouted again. “We have waited long enough for their return and now one of them returned. A successor that will bring their fallen legacy to rise up again,” he added. “This night is the night where we present to you, the maiden of the phoenix that will have a great role in our history,” he announced and the crowd clapped and cheered for the two kings, while Amber is having a bad feeling about this one. Upon hearing the word “maiden” in his speech and the fact that she was the only girl here at their back gave her the nerve wracking atmosphere.

Trumpets were triumphantly blown and the guards stood in line besides the red carpet; the crowd step aside giving way to the one who will walk on that carpet. A man with a scroll went to the front and unrolled the paper to read what’s written on it. Amber noticed the man to be small wearing a red pointed hat with long ears. His outfit is all colored in green with a grayish skin and a long beard. She believed that this man is called a duwende, back in her world they are seen to be pretty small, but in this world they are larger that she thought they should be.

*Duwende (also known as Nuno sa Punso (translated as “old man in the mound”) locally in the Philippines) – similar to goblins, hobgoblins, elves, dwarves, gnomes, little spirits, and more in other countries. Derived from a Spanish word “duende” that means for “real owner of the house”. They usually live in mounds bestowing bad fortunes to those people who disturbed their homes, without excuses by just simply saying “Tabi tabi po”. While, bestowing good fortunes for those people who offers them food or any precious offerings. Some are living in people’s houses that are believed to cause things to disappear mysteriously. *

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced and the crowd became silent. “The time has come and our waiting has finally come to an end. Now the anticipated arrival once again united us all,” the duwende started with a short speech. “The Phoenix’s legacy will soon be restored and will give our kingdom the prosperity that it has before,” he added. “Please come forward milady, greet our delighted citizens of Fernis,” he finally announced the introduction of the Phoenix’s Maiden that they are waiting for. Amber didn’t move an inch as she doesn’t have the tiniest of clue who the Phoenix’s Maiden might be. She doesn’t want her assumptions to take over here because she has bad experiences when it comes to assumptions. Moments pass and Amber still didn’t move and the kings were forced to call her out, they didn’t expected that she was this dense of her surroundings.

“Hey,” Azura called her with his deep voice. Amber was shocked with that unexpected call, and her sweat started to pour out of her body. “Come here,” he called to her. Amber started to shake and almost fell out of balance but Arthur besides here managed to prevent her from falling. Ashura came to her side and supported Amber by holding her with the two of his hands from his left side.

“You will be fine dear,” he whispered softly. Amber now realized that she was the one that they are pertaining to.

“I am no phoenix,” she whispered shakily. “I am clearly a human,” her voice started to shake more and some of her voice were cracked because of the nervousness that she is feeling right now.

“Trust me,” Ashura whispered softly again. “The citizens are expecting you to greet them, that’s why be strong for their sake, be their hope,” he explained calmly. Amber, felt the burdens of her past only to be heavier with the responsibility that the kings gave to her. Her knees started to shake even more and without someone supporting by her side, she will surely fall. Ashura started to walk to the front and guided Amber to walk. Amber seeing the spotlight nearer and nearer made her body to shake even more. She is clearly not ready for this situation and the kings cannot let the decisions to be delayed as they cannot let the citizens’ hopes to fall.

Amber started to collapse in her right side because no one is supporting her in that side, but Arthur catches her just in time and put Amber standing up again. She looked at him to thank the young knight for what he did but she doesn’t have the strength anymore to speak. Arthur smiled at Amber to reassure her that everything will be fine because there is someone supporting by her side. She just need to use the strength that was given to her to stand back up again.

They managed to reach the spotlight while Amber is still conscious and the citizens started to cheer and clap for her. Her strength is drained and can’t move her hands to wave at them. Ashura noticed this and started to speak in a different language that she cannot understand.

“Give respect to the maiden that will soon bring up the kingdom’s fallen legacy and my apologies for she cannot speak our language, he said,” Arthur whispered to Amber translating Ashura’s words. The crowd started to bow at them, the men on one their knees while looking at the ground while the women stayed standing while looking at the ground using one of their hands to press their stomach and the other one is used to raise the side of their long skirt while crossing their feet. Ashura speaks more of the strange language but Arthur is there to translate it for her. “This lady in front of you is the maiden from the Phoenix lineage and from now on treat her with utmost respect,” he translated again. Amber managed to spot the three diwatas that bullied her earlier. Regret is painted all over their faces after they bowed realizing that they committed an unforgivable sin, but Amber has no intentions on getting back at them. “Her name is yet to be announced in the future feasts while she is adjusting in our kingdom,” he translated again. The crowd started to cheer and clap for Amber again and Ashura started to wave his hand at them as sign of goodbye. Amber managed to throw a weak smile towards them making the crowd’s cheer to be more energized. Ashura decided that it is the time to pull Amber back away from the crowd and any more of it, she will lose consciousness. Her social anxiety is one of her greatest weakness, as her current mental state cannot handle this kind of situations very well. Ashura thinks of a way how he can make this girl to be more confident of herself. She is born to lead people in this kingdom and looking at her, he realized that she will have a long journey ahead of her. Fulfilling the prophecy is far from her reach.

By the time they reached the back of the spotlight behind the curtains, where the people cannot see them, they looked at each other and sighed at the same time. They managed to pull that off while Amber is still weak and when they looked at her, she is now unconscious. Ashura called the servants and quickly they went to her side.

“Take her our room,” Ashura ordered the servants and they nodded at him and quickly took her into their room.

“I didn’t know that she was the one from the Phoenix’s lineage,” the young knight excused his actions earlier towards Amber. “If I knew, I could treat her better,” he added. Ashura puts one of his eight hands to the young knight’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured him with his sweet feminine voice that made Arthur uneasy. “What happened in the past stays in the past. Besides we are actually glad that you met her earlier,” he added and those words motivated the young knight again. “Therefore I, one of the kings in Fernis hereby giving you the duty to protect and guide the maiden until she is completely ready to fulfill her destiny,” Ashura putted one of his hands from both sides in the young knight’s shoulders and Arthur puts one of his knees to show his appreciation and respect to the king.

“I will do my best to fulfill the duty you have given me,” he replied with respect can be heard from his tone. The knight stood up again with pride and regained his spur again. Azura came to Ashura’s side and the looked at each other saying that they should go.

“Come with us,” Azura invited the young knight on their way back to their room. They started to walk their way to their room with Arthur tailing behind them. Both kings are thinking if Amber can handle the prophecy that will tell her destiny and purpose; the responsibility that will be given to her. Can she handle it? They are not sure.

On the other hand Amber finds herself on pitch black space, with her lying on a void. She quickly sat to look around the place but suddenly her birthmark glowed and burned her waist on the left side where it was hidden.

“My kin!” a strange voice from nowhere can be heard and Amber cannot find the source of it. “I have been waiting for this very day to come!”

To be continued...

-The Phoenix Maiden-