• II.
    The Legend
    Is Foretold


    It did not take them long to reach Grom Castle. The country was small but cheerful. It was one of few kingdoms that still was good or was not destroyed by the evil forces. The evil forces felt that Grom was too small to be a threat. Kyra was in awe of the place.

    “Oh wow! It looks so much like the type of place you’d find in faerie tales.” she replied.

    When Pristine and Kyra approached the castle gate, the two guards there stop them.

    “Add where do you think you two are going?” questioned one guard.

    “Please sir, we’re here to see the king.” replied Kyra.

    “On who’s authority?” asked the other one.

    “The wizard Drackor sent us.”

    The two guards just stare at them blankly then burst into laughter. Pristine and Kyra look at each other.

    Finally one of them replied, “Two, two, ha ha ha, young commoners, huh, huh, were sent by a wizard, to, to, to see the king!?”

    The other gasped, “Now I’ve heard everything! That’s a good one girls!”

    Kyra nodded to Pristine, who in turn took out the sash. She handed it to Kyra, who shown it too the guards. The two had gained their composures by this time. They stopped and examined it.

    They both shake their heads before one said reluctantly, “Oh, all right. You win.”

    They opened the gate. The two head in, both not knowing to expect.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    So Pristine and Kyra were going to see the king. Both were anxious and nervous. Well, they had heard that King Charles of Grom was a good man and fair leader. They just hoped that the stories were true. When they entered the throne room, all commotion there stopped. The two walked up to the king and curtseyed before him. He was round, with a bright reddish face with curly hair.

    He stared at the two and said, “Good afternoon, visitors. What is it that you seek?”

    Pristine reluctantly stood forward and replied, “We need your help, good king. The wizard, Drackor, has sent us to find the last unicorn. Can you help us please?”

    The entire court just opened their eyes wide and started to whisper amongst themselves. The king just sat on his throne and joyfully laughed.

    “Well my dear, that’s a very entertaining story, but do you have proof that you were sent by Drackor?” asked King Charles.

    “Here’s proof, your majesty.” replied Kyra as she held out the sash.

    The king signaled one of the guards, and he went and took the sash from Kyra. He showed it to King Charles.

    After examining it, the king looked back at Pristine and Kyra and replied, “You two are right. Please tell me your names” before telling the guard to give the sash back to Kyra.

    The two girls sighed with relief.

    “I’m Kyra and this my friend Pristine.” answered Kyra.

    The king sat and thought before saying, “All right my dears. I’ll help you. I’ll send one of my best knights with you. Plus, I’ll make that you-all have enough supplies. For now you two must rest.”

    Pristine and Kyra smiled at each other.

    They were about to thank King Charles when someone shouted, “Father! I want to go!”

    The shout came from the king’s daughter, Ophealia, who was a young woman of 16 with fiery, curly hair and golden eyes. She ran into the throne room and right up to her father.

    “I’m sorry, father, but I couldn’t help overhear. Can I please go?” she pleaded.

    “Ophealia, you are a princess. You’re unsuitable for a quest.” the king said.

    “But dad . . .”

    “That’s enough! Go back to your studies.”

    Ophealia went off grumbling.

    “Please excuse Ophealia. She’s spirited, but has a good heart.” apologized King Charles.

    “That’s okay, your majesty.” said Pristine.

    “All right now my servant will show you to your quarters and you two freshen up for dinner.”

    “Thank-you sire.” thanked Pristine before she and Kyra curtsey.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A servant girl led the girls through the castle. There were suit of armors, tapestries, and other castle potpourri as they went along. Both of them gazed in wonder. Soon the servant stopped in front of two separate doors.

    “All right, this one is yours and this one is yours. Dinner will be served in a little while.” the servant told them before leaving the two.

    Wasting no time, Kyra burst into her room and gasped in surprise. Her room was draped in violets and blues. When she jumped on the humongous four-poster bed, it felt as light as a cloud. The sheets were made of silk. The dressers were all made out of mahogany wood. Kyra decided to get changed. When she opened the closet door, she was amazed to see dresses in her size. How was this possible? Well, little did anyone know, Drackor visited both rooms and made sure that Pristine and Kyra’s clothes would be fitting. During this time, Pristine entered her room. When she went inside, she thought she was dreaming at first. Her room was made up of light blue, lavender, and white colors. The dressers were made out of light oak. When Pristine opened the closet door, she became enamored of the different designs inside. She took out a teal dress with sky blue trimmings on it. A perfect fit. Deciding to see how she looked, Pristine walked over to the large mirror. But something was different. It was not her reflection she saw, but someone else, or was it? The angelic figure before her looked like her, but she was wearing white garments instead. Also, the lady had confident and peaceful look about her. Pristine shook her head and looked again. This time, it was her own reflection.

    “What magic is this?” thought Pristine.

    Suddenly, she heard someone knock on the door. It was Kyra.

    “Pristine? Are you dressed?” she asked.

    “Yes, I am. You may come in.”

    Kyra entered and gasped.

    “Whoa! You look like a royal.”

    Kyra was wearing a scarlet gown with magenta trimmings.

    Pristine blushed at her comment and said bashfully, “Thanks. I guess it’ll do.”

    That’s when they heard the dinner bell.

    “Dinner’s ready! Let’s go!” Kyra said.

    But as she turned around and started to run, she tripped over her gown. Pristine rushed to her side and helped her up. She could not help it, but she giggled.

    “Are you all right?”

    “Never better.”

    “Let me get my slippers on and we can head down there.”

    When they both made it down to the grand hall, they stopped, and gasped at the sight of the large tables. The king, his court, and Ophealia were already there. Soon King Charles noticed them and waved for them to come on over.

    “Ah, our guests have arrive. Please come and sit over here and sit with me!” he requested.

    As soon as the two came up, they noticed a man sitting next to the king.

    “Ladies, I would like for you to meet Sir Reginald of Cranston. He is one of my finest knights. He will be your protector on your journey. Sir Reginald, this is Pristine and Kyra.” introduced the king.

    The man was 37 years old. He had a noble brow with black hair and deep blue eyes. His mustache curled at the tips and he wore shiny armor. When the king introduced him, he stood up and bowed. Both Pristine and Kyra became amazed on how tall he was. He must had been at least 6’5”. Despite their shock, Pristine and Kyra still managed to curtsey.

    “It would be an honor to help you on your quest.” the knight said finally before sitting down.

    “Please sit down.” requested the king.

    As the girls sat down, Kyra asked, “Your majesty, I was wondering how you knew what size clothes I wore.”

    “Funny you should ask that Kyra. Just as soon as you two left, Drackor appeared and asked if he do something to your rooms. I said if he could it before you two got there he could it. He suddenly vanished and returned a few moments later, thanked me, then left. So Drackor must have given you both clothes for you to wear.”

    While Kyra, King Charles, and Sir Reginald talked, Pristine looked at Ophealia, who was looking depressed.

    Finally, Pristine got the urge to ask, “Are you all right, your highness?”

    Ophealia looked at her and said, “No. It’s so unfair. Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I can join you on your quest.”

    By looking into her eyes, Pristine could tell that Ophealia really wanted to go.

    “Don’t worry. I’m sure things will work out.” Pristine said with a grin.

    Ophealia looked up and returned her grin.

    Soon the food was brought out. Pristine and Kyra never seen so much food in their life. Some of the food they never even heard of. After they ate, the king called for some entertainment. A jester came out and told them of the legend of the last unicorn.

    “Legend has it,” the jester began, “That you need the Crystal of Life in order to find the lost unicorn. In order to find the crystal, you have to find three stones: water, fire, and wood. These stones are found in places of the old world before the evil one took over. After all three stones are collected, you must place them in the Temple of the Unicorns. Only then will the Crystal of Life will appear. The crystal will lead you to the unicorn. That’s what has been told.”

    After a few more songs, everyone head up to their rooms. While Pristine and Kyra head up to their quarters, they talked about the legend.

    “I suppose that in order to find the unicorn we need to find those three stones first.” guessed Pristine.

    “Yeah, but how do we find them?”

    “Well, the jester said that they are found in places of the old world. There’s three of them, so it has to be three places that staid the same after the invasion. Wait a minute. Didn’t Drackor place seals on three places before the evil one could get to them? I bet it’s those places. If the evil one cannot breach those places then those stones are probably in those places.”

    “That does make since, now the question is where are these places?”

    “I don’t know. But let’s worry about that in the morning. Good night, Kyra.” said Pristine as they reached their rooms.

    “Sleep tight, Pristine.” waved Kyra before going into her room.

    That night, Pristine received a vision. She was walking in a misty realm when she saw a figure.

    “Pristine . . .” it called out.

    “Drackor? Is that you?”

    “Yes, Pristine.” nodded Drackor as he stepped forward.

    “Drackor, I know Kyra and I must find the three stones, but where can we find them?” “That’s why I am here. I am going to give you one of four signs that will help you on your quest. You are to go to the underwater kingdom of Oceanica.”

    “Oceanica? I’ve heard of that place. That’s where they say sea people live. They say that they look like humans and fish. How do I get there?”

    “There are some mountains due west of here. There’s a river nearby. You find the river by following a trail. Once you find the river, you will follow it downstream until you reach the ocean. Someone will help you get to Oceanica.” instructed Drackor before vanishing.

    Pristine then felt herself fainting as well as the vision ended.

    Pristine opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the sun peaking through the curtains. She quickly got up and saw brand new clothes for her to wear on her journey. She dressed and then brushed her long hair out. As she finished up, she heard Kyra knocking on the door.

    “Good morning, Pristine. Ready for breakfast?” she asked after opening the door.

    Kyra was also wearing new clothes.

    “Oh yes.”

    The two friends head downstairs and are soon greeted by Sir Reginald and King Charles.

    “Good morning, ladies. Sit down please.” insisted the king as they led them to the table.

    “I’m starved!” commented Kyra.

    “Don’t worry Miss Kyra. Breakfast will come out soon.” assured Sir Reginald.

    Soon their breakfast arrived. After they ate, they got ready to leave. King Charles had them meet out behind the castle where their mounts were. They were supplied with food, accessories, and other things. Pristine was given a light sword for her to use and a dagger. Kyra was also given a dagger. Sir Reginald offered to train them as they went. After they were ready, Pristine told Sir Reginald of her dream.

    “Sir Reginald, I received a vision last night from Drackor. He said we need to go to the Kingdom of Oceanica.” Pristine said as she got onto her horse.

    “That means we have to go over the Radan Mountains. We better be careful.” said Sir Reginald before getting on his horse.

    “Why?” asked Kyra after getting on her horse.

    “Because there are outlaws there.”

    “Then we will. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” yelled Kyra.

    In her excitement, she fortuitously kicked her horse and it suddenly galloped off!

    “Kyra!” yelled Pristine before taking off.

    “Wish us luck, your majesty.” said Sir Reginald before going after the two girls.

    “Farewell!” waved the king.

    During this time, Pristine caught up with Kyra. Kyra was trying in vain to get it under control.

    “Kyra! Pull up your reins!” Pristine ordered.

    “Okay!”

    She did and her horse finally stopped. Soon Sir Reginald caught up.

    He gasped and asked, “Are you all right, child?”

    “Yeah, I’m fine.”

    “You should be more careful.”

    “Um, guys, west is that way.” Pristine pointed.

    “Oh! Quite right!” agreed Sir Reginald.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    So they made their way toward Radan Mountains. While traveling, Kyra did most of the talking. Every now and then Sir Reginald commented on something. Pristine was silent through the entire way there. She was deep in thought about the trip there. She knew that something big was going to happen. She just did not know when. It took them several days to get there. When they finally do reach the mountains . . . . .

    “Now what do we do? We can’t leave the horses behind.” Kyra said.

    “There’s a path over there.” Pristine pointed.

    “All right! Now we’re getting somewhere.”

    “Shh! We should be more quiet here.” warned Sir Reginald.

    “All right.”

    They followed the path until they reached a nearby creek.

    “Oh, I’m tired. Can we stop and rest, please?” asked Kyra.

    “Very well, but cannot rest for too long.” answered Sir Reginald.

    They dismounted.

    Wanting to be alone Pristine told them, “I’m going to freshen up a bit.”

    “Be careful lass. This is not the time to be wandering off.” Sir Reginald warned her.

    “Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long.” Pristine answered before going off.

    Pristine walked and soon made it to the creek. She knelt down and looked around. There was some vegetation here, but mostly dirt and rock. It was like nature was trying to live here, but just couldn’t quite made it. Pristine splashed some water on her face. When she looked at her reflection, she saw that angelic figure again. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. This time it was her own reflection.

    “This is weird.” she thought.

    All of the sudden, she got the impression that the others were in trouble. She stood up and ran.

    During this time, Sir Reginald and Kyra rested.

    “How old are you Kyra?” Sir Reginald asked.

    “Eight. Why do you ask?”

    “I just don’t understand why a wizard would send a child on a dangerous mission.”

    “Neither do I, but I am glad though. I don’t think Pristine was too crazy about the idea though.”

    “Why?”

    “Because she is terribly shy and is not the adventurous type.”

    “So I’ve noticed.”

    That very second, a bunch of men jumped out. Sir Reginald and Kyra backed up as the men surrounded them.

    “Careful, Kyra. They are outlaws.” whispered Sir Reginald as he guarded Kyra.

    Indeed they were. One of them stepped forward. The 20 year-old man was muscular with golden blonde hair and blue gray eyes. His name was Lance and he was the leader of the pack.

    “Well, well, what have we here? Trespassers?” he replied with a sly grin.

    Sir Reginald frowned at him before saying, “We certainly are not! We’re just passing through.”

    “Oh really? Well then you’ll have to pay a toll.”

    “Why?”

    “Because this is our land, and if anyone wishes to cross it, then they’re going to have to pay a toll. Now, if you don’t mind, how about sharing some of that food there?” asked Lance as he and his man started to close in.

    “Leave my friends alone!” someone shouted.

    The outlaws backed off and everyone turned to see Pristine. Pristine was pretty angry. Normally she was very calm, but whenever someone was threaten, her temper rose like wild fire. Lance was the first person to spot her. When he saw her, he barely managed to hide his reaction for it was instant. It was like a boulder hit him on the head. The woman before him looked like an angel.

    He finally composed himself and asked, “And who might you be?”

    “Someone you don’t want to get mad.” Pristine warned.

    She had her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to pull it out if she needed to.

    “I mean it! Leave my friends alone or I’ll . . .” Pristine began to say when Lance interrupted her.

    “Okay! Okay! Sorry lady. We were just hungry.” Lance interrupted as he held his hands up.

    Pristine’s hand left the hilt of her sword, and her entire demeanor changed and lightened.

    Her eyes soften and she replied kindly, “Oh? Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? If you would of asked nicely, instead of ambushing my friends, you might have received some food.”

    Lance looked up at her at that. That never occurred to him. He was an outlaw after all, and outlaws took first and ask later.

    “Oh well, I never thought about that.” Lance replied.

    “Hey Lance!” called out someone.

    Everyone turned to see a young man dragged an animal toward Lance. He was Lance’s 17 year-old brother Grayson. His wild hair was brown with blonde highlights. And his eyes were blue-gray just like his brother’s. He pulled a buck by the antlers right up to Lance before letting it go. He took a deep breath before looking at Lance and the others. The others could tell he was out of breath.

    “See Lance! I told you I could get us something to eat. Who are these people?” Grayson asked, referring to Pristine, Kyra, and Sir Reginald.

    Lance sighed. His brother was always curious.

    “This is my younger brother Grayson.” Lance introduced.

    He than began wondering why he was being so polite for he always intended to take stuff than leave. It must had been the lady for he had this intense need to get to know her.

    “And you must be Lance.” Pristine guessed.

    Usually she was shy, but for some reason, she felt more at ease and opened toward this man.

    “Yes ma’am. And may I ask for your name?” asks Lance after he bowed.

    He might be an outlaw, but he was a gentleman.

    “My name is Pristine.”

    During this time Kyra and Sir Reginald kept looking at Lance with suspicion. Lance grinned and walked up to Pristine before taking her hand.

    “It’s a pleasure.” he said before kissing her hand gently.

    Pristine blushed from head to toe. The feel of his lips sent a tingly feeling throughout her body. Several of the other outlaws giggled a bit. Kyra wasn’t too happy. She started go over when Lance let go of Pristine’s hand and stepped back. He saw the girl coming toward them out of the corner of his eye. He liked Pristine’s reaction. The lady was as red as an apple. Pristine soon recovered.

    “Uh, this is my friend Kyra and Sir Reginald of Cranston.” she answered.

    Kyra kept her hand to herself when she was introduced. Despite the stern look on Sir Reginald’s face, he bowed. That very minute, they heard a yell.

    “Hey boss! Look what I found!” shouted an outlaw as he came into view. He dragged someone by its arm toward them.

    “You let me go this instant!” the person screamed.

    It was Princess Ophealia! She kept on trying to pull free of the outlaw’s grasp. He let go, causing her to fall down on her rear.

    “You’ll be sorry for that!” she threatened, her eyes afire.

    “Princess Ophealia! What are you doing here?” asked Sir Reginald as he went over to her to help her up.

    But Ophealia just flapped her hand in front of him.

    “I can get up myself.” Ophealia assured as she got up, though not gracefully.

    “You shouldn’t be here! What will your father say?” Sir Reginald asked.

    “Hey! I said that I wanted to come, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

    Pristine could tell that she’s going to blow unless someone did something, so she intervened.

    “She’s right, Sir Reginald. No one can order her what to do, except her father.”

    That calmed Ophealia.

    “Thank-you Pristine.” she replied with a sigh of relief.

    But Sir Reginald still looked worried.

    “Don’t worry Sir Reginald, no harm will come to her.” assured Pristine.

    “How do you know?” asked Sir Reginald, unconvinced.

    “Because I just know. It’s a feeling I got.”

    “Believe her Sir Reginald. She’s always right about these things.” Kyra said, adding support.

    “Oh, very well.” Sir Reginald said, finally giving in.

    Ophealia smiled before hugging Sir Reginald, than Pristine and Kyra.

    “Thank-you Sir Reginald. I assure you, I am no damsel-in-distress.”

    During this time Grayson was staring at Ophealia, almost rudely for he never saw anyone so exotic and glamorous. Lance stole a glance at his brother, and shoved him a bit, knocking him out of his reverie. Lance grinned at Grayson, and Grayson just frowned at him.

    Finally, Lance came forward and asked, “Umm, I don’t mean to interrupt, but do all of you want to join us for lunch? We have this buck here Grayson caught. It’s the least we can do.”

    Pristine smiled and replied, “We love to,” before the others could deny.

    Kyra, Sir Reginald, and Ophealia looked at her like she was crazy. Kyra thought that Pristine was too trusting sometimes. Sir Reginald thought that Pristine’s innocence could lead her into danger. Ophealia was just mad at the thought of dining with untrusting, thieving outlaws. Lance saw the three’s reaction, and really could not blame them. He was thankful that he has a better chance to get to know Pristine though, although he did not know why.

    Smiling, Lance said, “Great!”

    A few hours later, the meal was ready.

    After they ate, Lance asked them, “So why are you here?”

    Kyra forgot her wariness toward the outlaw, and answered eagerly, “We’re on our way to Oceanica!”

    Sir Reginald and Ophealia looked at her with surprise. They never expected that Kyra would say something about the mission.

    “Oceanica? Why would you want to go there?” asked Lance.

    “We need the stone of water from there.” answered Pristine.

    Ophealia and Sir Reginald frowned at her and were about to comment when Grayson suddenly replied in excitement, “Oh! I know what you-all are doing! You’re looking for the lost unicorn, aren’t you?”

    Kyra, Ophealia, and Sir Reginald looked at him in surprise. They never knew that outlaws or any common folk known about the way to find the lost unicorn. Because only legends like that were found in books. Pristine and Kyra were exceptions because they were fortunate enough to learn from a merchant.

    “How’d you know that?” asked Kyra.

    “Grayson has always had a keen interests in legends.” answered Lance.

    He got serious and commented, “Another thing, this is a very dangerous mission. It seems to me that you might need more protection. No offense Sir Reginald. I am sure you are a very brave and great fighter, but I don’t think you can defend three young women.”

    These words caused both Kyra and Ophealia to speak up.

    “Hey! I may be young, I can take care of myself.” protested Kyra.

    “I agree. I may be a princess, but I know how to defend myself.” Ophealia agreed.

    “I am sure both of you can, but do you know what you’re up against? Plus, the Evil One might discover what you are doing, and go after you.” Lance replied.

    This caught the others’ attention. The Evil one was the source of the evil that entered Serenai and nearly destroyed everything. Ophealia’s kingdom was one of few kingdoms that isn’t obliterated by the Evil One because it was small and wasn’t a threat to it.

    “So what do you suggest?” asked Pristine.

    “Well, why don’t my gang and I join all of you on your quest?”

    True, he did want to protect Pristine, but he also just wanted to be closer to her too.

    Suddenly, Ophealia asked, “How do we know we can trust you-all?”

    “Your highness, my brother may be an outlaw, but he is an honorable one. That includes the rest of us,” began Grayson.

    “Besides, I couldn’t let a pretty thing like you get hurt.” he finished with a grin.

    Ophealia just sighed.

    “Well, Miss Pristine, the choice is yours.” said Sir Reginald.

    Ophealia and Kyra nodded in agreement.

    “Lance? Are you telling the truth?” Pristine asked.

    “Yes, my lady.” Lance replied honestly.

    Pristine looked straight into his eyes and saw that he was sincere. Lance thought she looked into his soul with those eyes that were as blue as the sky.

    “All right then. You may join us.”