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“Ewwwww! Gran, what’s happening to her? She’s rotting!”
Gran and Sara stood before the throne stressed with worry. Well, Gran was worried, Sara, on the other hand, had scrunched her nose in disgust at the corpse that sat on the throne.
The figure that sat there had begun to rot. The skin was tight and gray, and its eyes had begun to sink into its skull. Even the hair had begun to fall out.
“Augh, the smell! Should we let her taint the throne like that? We should move her somewhere else.” Sara cried, pinching her nose.
“Honestly, I don’t think it would be a good idea to move her, or even touch her for that matter. Not only would we risk hurting her, we would also risk severing her connection to this dimension.” Gran reasoned.
Honestly, she wasn’t confidently sure if the connection to the throne was true. At this point, it was just a hunch. But a hunch of safety was better than a reckless choice to move her. She wasn’t sure what she should do. Sonia’s current state was alarming.
“Besides,” Gran said with a grin. “Would you want to put your hands in that?”
The sickening look on Sara’s face was her answer.
Gran twiddled her fingers on her pursed lips, thinking.
“She’s taking too long. Her body won’t be able to survive without her soul.”
“But why?” Sara asked. As the young goddess that she was, she didn’t understand the nature of mortals.
“The soul is the true living part of any breathing creature. Without the soul, the body cannot live. The longer she stays away from it, the weaker it becomes.”
“If she doesn’t hurry, she won’t have a body to come back to!” Sara realized.
“Too true.” Said Gran. The two women looked on, unsure of what to do and powerless to help.
——————————————
The sun had just begun to set as they reached the Sunny City. It was much larger than Lucy had made it seem. Perhaps she was used to it, but for Sonia, it was huge.
A massive river ran through the center of it. On one side was a harbor town ripe with commerce and trade. On the other was a vast farming town with tons of different crops and livestock. Although, the farming district didn’t look much different than the dead forest, and she wondered how much better the harbor district fared.
Getting into the city was quite easy. The soldiers guarding the gate made no attempt to stop them from entering, which Sonia found quite surprising.
“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but why did the guards let you in? I thought you were exiled or something.”
“I wasn’t necessarily exiled. I was merely expected to fail and die. The condition of my sentence was that if I could survive and find my way back, that I could freely enter, which I did thanks to you.”
“I see.”
Lucinda walked ahead, pulling Sonia along.
“Come now, blind or no, I know this city well. My home is near the church. Wait until you see it. It’s my favorite part of the city.”
“If you’re referring to that massive tower over there, I can see it. It’s huge!” Sonia gasped, stumbling over her feet as she was pulled along.
“Hey you, watch it!” Sonia cried out. The two girls laughed as one stumbled over the other. One wearing a magically sealed blindfold and the other whose face was wrapped in a dirty shawl, both of them unable to see.
“Hey! I thought you knew where you were going!” Sonia shrieked with laughter, attempting to get up with one hand clutching the shawl around her face, while the other lay beneath a clumsy Lucy, who also seemed to be struggling to find her bearings.
“Have you forgotten that I’m blind? How could you let me stumble over a potted plant? The shopkeeper should be furious when he finds out.”
Perhaps it was the relief of the city walls that spurred their silliness. Neither girl could contain their happiness. The street was littered with uncontrollable girlish giggles and bursting fits of loud obnoxious laughter.
Several buildings around them lit up as their racket awoke the sleeping populous.
“Uh Oh, I think we’re disturbing the public. We need to get out of here before we get into trouble. The last thing we need is to draw attention to either of us.”
“Fair enough.” Lucinda admitted. “Come on, this way. We’ll avoid the short cuts for now. I can’t expect you to keep track of every shrub or obstacle. We’ll take the safe route.”
The girls ran down the neat, cobbled streets. Most of the people were indoors preparing for bed, leaving the streets clear and quiet. The tall torches lit up the dark deserted streets like city street lamps, casting shadows at the girls’ feet which skirted along the road with the running duo.
Each of the buildings were beautifully constructed with brick and glass, giving the city a feeling of rich nobility. From the look of her, you wouldn’t think that Lucy belonged to such a lovely environment, judging from what she was wearing, but then again, she had been wandering around in the forest for god knows how long, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise. But my, how beautiful the city was, and this was only the first of many cities in this new world. She couldn’t wait to see them all.
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Soon, the grand building of the church came into view beneath the sprawling tower that resembled a lighthouse. It had a large emblem fixed atop of its high, massive roof that looked like a bursting star. It was easily the largest structure in the city, rivaling that of the Empire State Building.
Sonia stopped and gawked at its grand and massive appearance. Shocked and awed by the sheer size of it.
The ancient brick structure was plain in design. There was nothing particularly special about its appearance except, again, for its size. The church, on the other hand, was just as beautifully built and decorated similarly to the rest of the buildings throughout the city. Except, there was something strangely familiar about the church that she couldn’t quite figure out.
“Come on, Sonia. I can’t have you staying in my home if you're sick with the plague. Especially with my Grandmother being sick. The church though, will be perfectly safe for you. Nobody visits it anymore. I’ll bring you some clothes and food shortly, but first, let me show you to your bed.”
Together with Lucy, Sonia pulled open the doors to the church and stepped into what felt like a portal back to her home world. The church was an exact replica of the old cathedral where Sonia’s body was waiting for her. Or perhaps the old cathedral was the replica and this one the real one. Either way, they were the same, except there was only a single throne at the end of the hall.
Unlike the decrepit and unkept nature of the old cathedral, this one was immaculately clean and decorated. The crystal windows that lined the length of the building were colored with blues and greens, although Sonia preferred the normal uncolored crystal over the colored, it was still bewitchingly pretty.
A carpet of royal green ran down the whole of the isle, framed by polished brown wooden pews.
Sonia sighed with astonishment.
“It’s so beautiful in here!”
“Isn’t it? Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
But Sonia wouldn’t move. She was shocked and transfixed on the mural behind the throne. It depicted a woman sitting atop a white dragon, wearing silver-gray battle robes lined with light silver armor. She knew who it was, and it wasn’t the crown on her head that gave it away. It was the sword that she held high. A magnificent silver sword that Sonia once held, herself. It was the Silver Queen.
Sonia fell into the pew beside her, wide eyed.
”Sonia? Is everything okay?”
“The goddess that you worship, is she called the Silver Queen?”
“Yes, that’s right. The goddess of light. The mother of this nation. All of Pheiren once worshiped her.”
“Pheiren?”
“Yes. Do you not know where you are? You are on the continent of Pheiren, in the country of Kalitos.”
“Let’s say, for the sake of conversation, that I don’t know anything. What connection does the God King have with the Silver Queen? I was told that they were at war. What happened?”
Lucinda took a seat next to Sonia in the pew and thought for a moment, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
“Do you mean the demon king? They were at war from what they say. The Queen was no doubt victorious, but something happened to the King that made him have a change of heart. It’s unknown what actually happened, but the Queen took pity on him and let him live. The real mystery after that, is what happened to the Silver Queen. She disappeared and was not heard of again. Believe it or not, they say that she used to visit this church quite often several centuries ago, to converse with her people and spend time among them. How I wish I could’ve seen her!”
“Why do you worship her?”
Surprised by the question, Lucy’s head jerked in Sonia’s direction with a look of confusion. Not knowing whether to be offended or hurt.
“We’ve always worshiped her. My whole family, for countless generations, have served her. We even run this church. In those days, we served as knights in her service, helping the weak and the unjust. We served as healers and guides. We’ve always devoted ourselves to her.”
“But why do you worship ‘her’? Surely there are other gods.”
Lucy’s expression darkened, and with a gentle hand on her shoulder, Sonia silently assured her of her sincerity. Lucy sighed.
“Like holding onto a light in a dark room, I strive to hold onto hope in a loveless world. My life has always been full of hate and sorrow. I just…want to make it better.”
Sonia looked straight ahead, and smiled warmly at her friend’s words.
“I think that’s why you and I got along so easily. You and I are the same.”
“Kindred spirits.” Lucy affirmed.
The two sat in silence for a time. Thinking about their purpose and how their friendship fits into the future.
“I’ve never had a friend before.” Lucy whispered.
“Yeah, it’s nice.” Sonia laid her head on her friend’s shoulder and sighed.
“Sonia, what color is your hair? Since I can’t see you, I don’t know what you look like.”
“Hmmm, Sonia started, running her fingers into her hair. She hadn’t given it much thought, but her appearance did indeed change. “White. I have white hair, fair skin, and sapphire blue eyes.”
Lucy laughed.
“Is that right? You might as well be the Silver Queen, herself!” Lucy slapped her playfully.
“Go big or go home.”
“What in the world does that mean? Who says that?”
After the laughter had ceased and the echoes of the two had faded, Lucy proceeded to the upper room to prepare for Sonia’s bed. The layout of the building was exactly the same. This would have been the room that Sara retreated into at night.
Lucy left Sonia alone in the church just long enough to grab some food for the both of them and return with two bowls of stew and bread. Lucy carefully set the items on the floor near the bed, laying everything out before tearing a large loaf of bread and handing it to Sonia, who took it thankfully. Even though Sonia didn't need to eat, she still the enjoyed humble moment Lucy shared with her.
Sonia ate the bread and washed it down with the salty broth.
“This is awesome, thank you!”
“Are you kidding me? I was starving! I’ve been in that forest for almost two days. How long were you in there?”
“I would say two days is pretty accurate. Yeah, I was also there for about two days.”
“What led you into the black forest?” Lucy asked.
“Would you believe me if I told you I appeared there from another world?”
“Of course I would, if you say it was so. There is magic in this world after all, and there are all kinds of people and monsters that appear and disappear all the time, even gods.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I’m glad I don’t have to hide anything from you. Yeah, I’m from another world.”
“Well, let me be the first to welcome you here.” Lucy said, raising her glass of water before drinking the last of it. Sonia smiled.
“Let us call it a day. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I’ll come back to visit you first thing. I have chores in the morning, which you don’t have to help with if you don’t want to. Well, good night Sonia.”
“Good night Lucy, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, she turned away and closed the door behind her. The flickering of the lantern on the nightstand casted a comforting glow to the room. Sonia laid there, thinking as the flickering light reminded her of Lucy’s words.
"To be a light in a dark place. Is that the kind of goddess She is, the Silver Queen? A light? A mother? Sharing love with her people? That sounds too much like me already, in fact, that IS me. I want to be all of those things. That’s the kind of goddess I was to be, but can I live up to the reputation of such a highly revered leader? I don't know, but Lucy hangs onto the Queen for hope in a world where there is no hope. If I am the Silver Queen, am I able to give her the hope she needs? Again, I don't know, but I like Lucy so I will do all that I can for her.
With that, she closed her eyes and willed herself back to her body, leaving The Sunny City and Lucy behind, for now.