Walking into a bar, Akiel looks around. Several drunkards line the walls, while the center is dominated by merrymaking and laughter. Checking on the bartender, Akiel finds the guy watching him. Cleaning a beer glass and setting it down, he reaches for another while slowly nodding at me. Clearly misunderstood, I walk over. Sitting down at the counter, the bartender asks, “What can I get you?”
Leaning closer, Akiel asks, “I’d like some information. I’ve been sleeping for quite some time, could you tell me where I am?” The bartender relaxes his posture and says, “Don’t worry about it old timer, there are plenty of people like you. Just Head to the small room over there. There should be a general history tome somewhere.” Curious he asks, “So who were you? Which side did you take during the time war?” Confused, Akiel just says, “I don’t know. I don’t think I was in it.” Getting up, he walks into the far room. Ignoring the bartender, he disappears around the corner.
Walking into a cluttered room with several books lying around, he takes one of the vacant seats. Checking the others in the room, he finds them all to be wearing intricate pieces of dilapidated armor. ‘I guess this is what the time war survivors look like’ he muses. Dusting some of the smaller books, he finds one titled, ‘History for Young and Developing minds’. Picking it up he opens it up to find a picture book with graphic images. Slightly smiling, Akiel flips through the pages slowly. The first few pages show two kingdoms, One red and the other white. The red kingdom symbolized a tyrant that dominated the western half of the continent. The white represented a puppet monarchy that dominated the east. Both seemed to deprive their citizens of their rights, but the white side just seemed to be better at making it look bearable.
Using the Red Queen, the White Queen gained the support of her people and waged war. In the end, it came down to the queens and their guardian animals. The red side had a red tiger whereas the white side had a white lion. The red tiger succeeded in killing the white lion, but when it looked back, it lost all will to fight. The white queen had skewered the red queen's neck on an icicle. Retreating, the red army was gradually eliminated and the red castle, destroyed. The tiger was never seen after. Flipping to the next page, Akiel finds the color scheme turn completely white. The white queen ruled the continent, but there was unrest. A portion of the citizens voiced their dissatisfaction and were exiled to the edges of the continent.
Flipping the page, he finds a small purple splotch in the white theme. The exiled set up a kingdom. One for freedom and justice. One to oppose the White Queen and to call out to the oppressed. At first, it was easy going, people flocked to the new kingdom. Tales of the lax laws and kind government spread like wildfire. This continued until an official from the White castle tried to escape to the new kingdom. He was hung, and war was declared once again.
This time, the outcome was drastically different. Without a warrior or sorcerer to face the White Queen, the purple army was defeated devastatingly. Fewer than twenty percent returned alive from each battle. One of the first people exiled suggested that they hide in the former redwood forest. Legends say that no violence can ever be committed in the woods or judgment would be dealt by the continent itself. The White Queen, fearing the continents backlash, stated that war shall be postponed until further notice. Until then, the purple kingdom has hidden within the woods. Waiting for the day that it will strike back. Grooming its own queen, to battle with the White Queen.
Flipping the page, Akiel finds a burnt blank page. Realizing it is the end of the picture book he shakes his head. ‘I don’t even remember looking at the pictures,’ Akiel thinks to himself, Bewildered. Tapping his shoulder, one of the warriors asks, “I also picked that one up just a few hours ago. When I read it, the pages were blank. I couldn’t help but check when I saw you flipping through it. Can I read it if you’re done?”
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Surprised at the revelation, Akiel casually hands the book over. Watching for the warrior's reaction, Akiel tries to fit the previously mentioned time wars into the history he knew. “The time wars definitely had something to do with the war between the red and white queens, but the picture book left somethings out,” he muses. Seeing that the warrior was flipping through the pages quickly, he asks, “See anything?” Sighing, the warrior says no. “I have a question, what were the time wars? I can’t figure out when they happened either.”
Looking at me skeptically, he says, “That’s impossible, the time wars are the reason we wake up hundreds of years later. The time rabbits employed by the White Queen put thousands of people in a state of stasis, perfectly isolated from time. It was supposed to target the dogs of the red army, but they couldn’t tell the difference. Time rabbits are color blind. You’re not recently awakened, are you? I’m telling you right now, I won’t hesitate to turn you in if you’re part of the purple kingdom.”
Raising his hands, Akiel hurriedly says, “Calm down, I’m not of the purple kingdom. I just woke up with no memories.” Visibly relaxing, the warrior apologizes, “I’m so sorry. Just last week, one of those purple spies tried to gather information here. He killed several people before getting away. The purple kingdom can’t fight the White queen so instead, they’ve been causing the White kingdom to rot instead.”
“No worries, I would be wary if I encountered a possible spy as well. What do you mean by rot? How can such a weak kingdom mess with the White Queen?” Akiel asks. “How you ask… There are many ways but the most deadly and effective ones have to do with dominating the shadows. The White Queen may be strong, but behind every lace, behind every ruffle is a shadow she cannot see. The Purple Kingdom specializes in drug manufacturing as well as spreading corruption. They give an official some money and give another a stable drug supply. They assassinate the most troublesome officials and reward the most corrupt. Through drugs, they control the masses into speaking out against the queen and causing mass purges. It’s just isn’t the same anymore. You can’t just line up and fight a war.” the warrior says sadly.
Thanking the warrior, he looks through the books for a local map. According to the continental map he saw before, the forest he landed next to should lead to the Purple Kingdom. The White Queen should already know of my existence and should have ownership of the book, so I need a queen to fight her. If she wasn’t my enemy, there should have been another way to get my attention. The problem is, where to enter the forest from and what I need o get through. Finding another thin book with the title ‘Redwood Forest, the Bane of the White Kingdom’. Flipping to the first page, he finds a surprising line starting the introduction. ‘Because of the title of this book, I am to be hanged in a day. If anyone is reading this, don’t get caught. Just reading my work is heresy.’ Chuckling, Akiels mutters, “This guy sure thinks a lot of himself. If the book were dangerous, wouldn't it have been burned by now?”
Reading on, he finds out that nothing is particularly required to enter the forest, but there must be no enmity between the traveler and the inhabitants. Any enmity seemed to lead to a mysterious disappearance or disembowelment. Nothing has been documented to be the cause of this phenomenon. Flipping through the rest of the pages he finds an inaccurate drawing of the land and the most common entrance to the forest. Comparing the map in his memory to the one in the book, he pinpoints his general location before tracing it to the nearest well-known entrance. Tracing his finger along the forest edge, he taps just off of the entrance. “They’re probably waiting for me at the entrances. I just need to get in. If anything, the ambush is least likely to be at any point that isn’t an entrance.”
Getting up, he stretches his limbs. Deciding that the first thing he would do is regain his original size, he leaves the bar. “Hopefully I’m just being paranoid. It would be a real pain if my precautions aren’t enough,” he whispers to himself.
*****
Getting up slowly, the warrior walks into the bar portion. Glancing around, he quickly takes the seat in front of a dog-faced man. “That was him. He wasn’t as tall as the rabbit reported but he looks just like the description. Plain and made of stone with seemingly no intention to do harm. He’s even bald.”