There’s a forest where I lived. Everyone says there's a woman inside who drags you there by night. But I know it’s wrong. I’ve been there! Instead of her dragging you she comes to your window and knocks three times and if you don’t wake by then she leaves. But if you do, she asks if you would like to go on an adventure with her. The both of you will dance through the woods until you reach a lake. From there you both dive in and arrive at a beautiful place.
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“Cardaindia” is what they call it there.
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It is filled with plants and animals you will never see on earth. Fairies, Elves, Pixies and lost humans reside there, everyone and everything in the land has a slight glow to them. The glow allows them to see the world at its full beauty. Animals you weren’t aware existed come to light and incredible powers are unleashed within you.
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Most humans assume the glow is because of the water, it shines like nothing you have ever seen before. When the light hits it changes and you can see small dots inside the liquid. There are many different names for the dots, every kingdom has a new name. Despite the name changes, it does the same thing for each being there. It makes them thrive. It doesn’t cause their glow but makes it brighter giving them life.
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Outsiders always wonder how the folk there glow and how they get that beautiful shimmer surrounding them. It’s quite simple. The king of their kingdom blesses them. Once someone new is introduced or an infant is born they're taken to the king and he places his hand on their head and fills them with, energy, magic and happiness. It’s a stunning sight. A wave of magic brushes off the kingdom and the folk of the kingdom glows brighter than ever.
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I would be getting blessed today. After being guided here when I was seven, my day had come! Typically people would be blessed a few months after arriving but due to my inability to make it to the castle on the right days, it had always been postponed, until today.
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I had made sure to plan. Arrive at the kingdom early, and make sure to wait outside the gate for a long time. Then everything would be alright. To make myself seem as proper and ready for this as possible I even wore the traditional clothes for Cardaindia. A long green skirt that had two slits that started at the thigh separating the piece that goes in front of my leg from the rest. Then my bodice had delicate branches of silver placed on it, they curled on my puffy green sleeves and twisted around my chest decorating the rims of the bodice. While some of the metal was placed on my skirt to keep it from opening too much.
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This time I was allowed into the palace. Everything seemed to be going well…the palace around me seemed to shine everywhere you looked. Gold and silver hung from the walls and the random paintings of past kings and queens.
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After walking through, I made it to the throne room. There stood King Tryranus, his gigantic size making me feel slightly scared. He had long grey hair and wore many jewels around his fingers and neck.
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“Come here!” He boomed.
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As I walked closer I saw Prince Hyren's royal gold hair shining in the light around. He wore much less gold than his father and was much smaller in size. He only seemed to be slightly taller than me. Though he actually wasn’t, he just wore boots with a slight heel. They matched well with the navy blue royal attire he was wearing. It was covered in curly pieces of gold near the chest making it look heavy. While his shoulder had a foreign animal skin on it. There was a mane of gold something that reminded me of an animal from back on earth. Under the fur was more navy blue cloth flowing around his legs. Prince Hyren looked regal though he looked much better wearing our ordinary clothes dancing and singing with us all.
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As I walked by he gave me a warm smile giving me hope this would work and that I would finally be able to be with him when I got my blessing.
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“Hurry up unblessed one!” King Tyranus yelled making me move faster.
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I soon made it to the giant throne he sat on. I found it surprisingly bare of jewels and gold. It was a simple throne made of trees and red material upon which the king sat. Even though I had seen it empty before with Hyren it always surprised me how out of place it was from the castle but it was a different experience seeing it with the king sitting on the throne. Instead of the tall chair that it usually was, it sagged a little bit at the tops and the bottom, and the legs looked like they were about to snap. The throne looked sad. But I didn’t let it occupy my thoughts for long as the king had started moving his hands towards my head. I closed my eyes giddy excitement welling within me.
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“I now bless you Syrena Overdale to become one of us,” I heard him say.
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I felt a warm palm on my hair. Joy and life fill within me my skin felt hot and when I looked at myself I had a yellow glow like everything else. But then it started to dim on my skin and my skin started going pale. Small thin cracks appeared on my fingertips slowly forming up to my elbow. Darkness was forming around me like a tornado only allowing me to see glimpses of what was happening outside. Hyren was running around outside the darkness asking for help while the king just stared at me with a twisted smile.
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“HELP ME!” I screamed but no one came and helped besides Hyren. He seemed to scrape at the darkness continually going to take bits out with no luck.
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My dress reformed becoming darker, shorter and ripped. Everything clothes shouldn’t be here. Instead of joy, I felt sadness, hatred and fear. This was nothing like what it should be. Others had described it as a burst of light around you but this was not that. It was painful and not right.
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I tried to watch as Hyren attempted to get through. He cried and screamed until he somehow got his arm in.
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“SYRENA GRAB MY ARM!” He shouted desperately.
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So I did instead of being pulled out Hyren was pulled into this with me. I tried to push him out. I didn’t want to see him become whatever this was but despite my efforts, he stood still accepting his fate.
‘So long as we can stay together it's okay. Let me suffer with you we can figure it out together don’t push me away,” Hyren whispered into my ear.
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I had to accept it. I watched as he became what I was as well. His colour drained and his light dimmed. Black cracks along his skin formed, and his brown hair turned the colour of night. I wondered if my hair was also dark, but I had pinned it back so I couldn’t see. His clothes went from navy blue and gold to black and silver. His mane was replaced with a black cape with silver embroidery of skulls and flowers. Before it all ended my eyes began to sting and burn only for me to realise they were changing colour and so were Hyrens. His beautiful golden eyes turned to a dark muddy green another thing people of Cardaindia should never have.
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Once it seemed to be over I fell to the ground tired of what had happened Hyren landed by my side still gripping my arm tightly. King Tyranusus looked stunned but caught his composer and said.
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“My stupid son has gotten himself exiled along with the peasant. I never knew a child of mine could be so foolish, you at the very least. But alas take them away to a tower in the Rotting Forests that is where these abominations shall stay.”
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Then with a snap of his fingers, I fell downward for what felt like forever.
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We soon landed on a hard wooden surface. We both stood up and looked around our tower taking it all in. I only stopped when I saw a mirror and finally saw what my beloved king had turned me into. A monster, an outcast the opposite of what a fairy should like. I had been sabotaged as well as Hyren. I never the man was so cruel as to do that to his own blood.
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I only stopped looking and examining when my eyes landed on a mirror if I had a glow I would have burnt myself since those who are blessed are too bright for the mirror but when I saw myself I didn’t burn but instead saw what I now looked like, and finally saw what my beloved king had turned me into. A monster, an outcast the opposite of what a person who lives in Cardainia should like. My eyes were also green but unlike Hyrens they were bright and you could see flashes of dark green. My hair was also black and was propped in a bun at the top of my head. The green clothes I was wearing were now black and much shorter. The skirt had a small piece of material covering the front of my legs while a small train covered my thighs. It seemed like all the fabric from the skirt went to my sleeves. They went all the way down to my fingertips and the fabric got longer downward as the length increased. When I put my arms in the t pose the end of my sleeves ended where my ankles started. I thought it would be uncomfortable but instead, the fabric was smooth and felt nice. I had expected more rips but parts of the fabric had turned themselves into delicate golden flowers that were spread randomly along the black dress.I had been sabotaged and Hyren was brought into it now.
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As I admired my new looks I no longer felt like Syrena Overdale but something else. I needed a new name for the new person I now was. Then it came to me, Carielle the Cardaindian word for revenge. That's what I would do. With Hyren we would get revenge on the so-called king that wronged us.
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“Hyren, would you like to get back at your father?” I asked.
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