The Belirocean Chronicles Ch. Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“WHAT?!” Anara exploded.

Alasar leaped in front of Lesina, as Anara’s arm rose into the air.

“You did not-”

For once, words seemed to defy Anara’s reaching grasp. Her lips stumbled in a way that was almost comical. Almost.

Lesina held onto Alasar, as if the Rider was a life preserving plank of wood from a sinking ship. Alasar clasped her hands reassuringly, fearful of the woman who was steaming steadily through the whole spectrum of colors.

“Anara, I just wanted to tell you that I do not plan to steal your daughter. I hope you realize that I tried to dissuade Lesina, before I realized that she would have it no other way.”

“If I may make my opinion known,” Kasil coughed loudly.

“What?” Anara growled, fixing a death-bringing glare on Alasar.

“I do not agree with Alasar’s order of events. I would have rather had him ask you, or even just me. first. But, other than his timing, I think that we’d be hard pressed to find someone who cared this much about our daughter. And realistically, Lesina might be as safe with Alasar as she would be with us. Safer even. At least Alasar won’t be trying to poison her!”

“Anara, I really do want what’s best for Lesina, and I made her agree to three conditions. The first one is the whole reason for this rush. Ledar is sending me to Belirocea in five years time, and I will never return. Lesina learned of this, yesterday, and after much inner struggle, she decided to go to Belirocea with me. That is where the conditions were made. One has been completed by this discussion. The second one was that Lesina learn how to defend herself with a sword. And the third one was that she prove to me that her decision was made because she loves me with all her heart, by marrying me.”

“Well, I do have to admit that you must love my daughter. Even for a Geomancer, this ring is incredible. It must have taken you at least ten minutes to make!” Anara said, giving out just barely a hint of a smile.

“I do love Lesina, and I hope that she loves me,” Alasar replied.

“I agree to the conditions set by Alasar. And I would personally like to oversee Lesina’s training. I will get to work on a sword for her immediately,” Kasil declared.

Alasar was struck by a sudden inspiration.

“I think we should all work on the sword. Anara and I can strengthen the blade from it’s core, and Lesina might be able to add a bit of her own magic into it.”

“Excuse me, but I don’t recall giving my consent boys,” Anara interrupted the planning.

‘Mom! Why are you being so stubborn?! What’s done is done! Now just let us be happy!’ Lesina cried angrily.

‘Lesina, wait. It’s a big move on our part. Maybe she just needs a chance to wrap her mind around the enormity of our course of actions,’ Alasar calmed her.

“Well, I guess, he has already asked, so...”

‘Just say yes already!’ Alasar screamed mentally. Lesina burst out laughing.

‘Now who needs to wait?’ She asked.

“Fine. I agree to the theft of my daughter’s youth,” Anara sighed.

It took less than a second for the words to sink in.

Alasar and Lesina both exploded into excitement. They kissed each other right then and there, and Anara looked as if she had just bitten into an unusually sour lemon.

“That’s enough,” she said, trying to break the two up. And failing in the attempt.

‘Hey!’ Elagaen bellowed.

Both Alasar and Lesina pulled away, cringing from the sound echoing in their heads. Both laughed at the cause of their temporary deafness.

“Okay elves, let’s get started,” Kasil said, stepping towards the door leading outside.

The group went out to a large forge, where Kasil regularly practiced his metal-working.

For ten hours, Alasar struggled through a series of energy-busting spells, while beside him, Anara shot off spell after spell as easily as one might eat dinner.

The sword was forged, and Kasil immediately began Lesina’s training.

The months passed. Winter turned into spring, and spring gave way to the heat of summer. The arena was used through it all. Alasar continued his training under Anara, and Kasil kept training Lesina. The arena was divided by a rope, and all four elves worked inside at the same time.

The time flew by quickly for Alasar. All too soon, Kasil and Anara were beginning to plan the wedding, to take place the fall after Alasar’s Master-Test.

The Master-Test. Just the name of it invoked terror into the mind of a magician’s apprentice. The Master-Test was the final step in an apprentice’s journey to a magician. It was long and hard, and most often painful as well. And sometimes, it was even fatal. But Alasar had many thing on the line if he failed. Elagaen needed him to succeed. Lesina needed him to succeed. Ledar expected him to pull through unscathed, to become Belirocea’s first Dragon-rider.

Before his test, Alasar decided that he needed to get word out about his engagement to Lesina. He sent a messenger to the Ledarnian Empire, and to his parents. Though it hadn’t been decided yet, he gave the location as the border between the two countries.

Before Alasar knew it, the day of the Master-Test came upon him. It was the night before the trials, and Alasar wasn’t able to sleep through the anxiety of the event that lay at day break.

Elsewhere in the castle, sleep was eluding several others. Kasil was busy forging metal robots, while Anara was busy creating Alasar’s Test. The only one who was asleep was Lesina, and she was terrified in her dreams.

Lesina bolted upright in her bed, and out of yet another nightmare where Alasar had faced off with Anara as his Test. The very thought made Lesina tremble with fear. Alasar would certainly be killed if that was the case.

Lesina gulped in a deep breath of air, before giving up on the attempted sleep. She stood up, and wandered out of the room, and to an open air balcony down the hall.

‘You couldn’t sleep either?’ Alasar asked, stepping out from the shadows.

‘Alasar! I didn’t see you there!’ Lesina gasped in shock.

‘I was trying to see what Anara was creating for me, but she’s put up a wall around the arena,’ Alasar explained.

‘I didn’t realize I was marrying a cheater!’ Lesina laughed.

‘It’s not that. I’m just desperate to stay alive!’ Alasar protested.

‘Alasar, promise me that you’ll stay alive. Swear on your honor as a Rider that you will stay with me!’ Lesina begged.

“Lesina, I swear on everything I hold dear that I will come out of tomorrow alive,” Alasar swore out loud.

‘Good. Because, if you died, then I would kill myself to stay with you.’

‘How could I ever doubt your love for me?’ Alasar said.

Lesina laughed as she leaned in towards the Rider. Their lips met, and Lesina pulled Alasar closer towards her.

‘Alasar! Don’t you dare!’ Elagaen bellowed.

Lesina’s hands froze on Alasar’s back, and the two lovers pulled apart.

‘Elagaen, you’re going to wake up the whole city!’ Alasar hissed.

‘If that’s what it takes to keep your hands off of her then that’s what I’ll do!’ Elagaen roared.

‘Ki Tesa Ledar! Calm down Elagaen! It wasn’t even his fault!’ Lesina cried.

‘I don’t care who’s fault it is! Both of you need to go to bed now!’ Elagaen screamed.

Sighing, Alasar leaned in and kissed Lesina again. Then he turned, and went back to his room.

Morning came fast upon Alasar. Before he knew it, Anara was shaking him awake.

“Hurry up and get dressed!” She hissed. “Then meet me in my study!”

Alasar leaped out of bed, frantically yanking on his clothes. After a quick struggle with the fabrics, Alasar raced out of the room. He rushed into the large room where Anara worked on the mining of precious rocks, which were the largest export for the Free States.

“Good. You’re here,” Anara said. “The first part of your Master-Test will be written. You must answer each question in a specific time limit. You will have 30 seconds per question, and then you must say the answer in the common language. Then you will write the answer in the magic language, before going on to the next question,” She continued.

Alasar sat down, and listened, as Anara described a scenario for him. He stayed seated for the next eight hours, before he finally answered the last question. Then, he was whisked outside, to the arena.

“The next stage is physical. You must complete this task unarmed. Please remove your sword,” Anara requested.

Alasar untied his sword belt, and stretched for a minute, as Anara gave him his goal.

“You are to collect ten flags hidden throughout the arena. Then you must fight your way out with all ten of the flags with you. You have five hours, starting now.”

Alasar threw open the arena doors, and sprinted into the battle zone. He immediately had to duck under a barrage of stones fired from three rock soldiers. Alasar swiped his hand across his body, and the robot on the far left flew into the other two rocks.

Anara took advantage of the confusion and noise to silently close the doors. She drew a key out of her pocket, and inserted it into the lock, before giving it a good twist. Alasar was locked in the deadly arena.



Alasar didn’t hear the click of the lock behind him. He finished with the rocks by the door, and took a good look around him. Almost immediately he saw two of the flags, at the other side of the arena. Two hundred yards away was a tastier bait, however. Another flag waved at him, its presence drawing Alasar towards it. Just two hundred yards!

Alasar started down the first path of the huge maze, but before he had taken two steps, he froze at a nagging question in his head. One that was a bit obvious. Why was the flag unguarded? Of course, the three rock piles by the door might have been the guard, but Alasar seriously doubted that.

“Teirrae pie te ead, fero ul eliv su perate Alasar fore tisd enamu!” Alasar hissed.

The rock elf formed, and stood searching for the enemy.

“Go to the flag two hundred yards away,” Alasar told it.

The rock moved away from Alasar, and towards the flag. About halfway to the flag, it froze, and suddenly exploded into dust. Something small flew towards Alasar, and he caught a fragment of an arrowhead.

“Exploding arrows. That’s a new one,” Alasar said to himself. “So how do I get across?”

Alasar pondered this situation for a few seconds.

“Small rock mouse, scurry over to the flag two hundred yards away,” Alasar commanded quietly in the magical tongue.

Once again, an arrow flew at the motion. The small rock shattered from the impact of the arrowhead, before the arrow actually exploded.

“Can’t go through it, can’t go under or over it. Shield!”

Alasar summoned a series of walls between him and the arrows, and prepared to sprint like crazy to the flag. But a gut instinct held him back.

ten fire-orange blurs flew through the walls at random points, and more of them kept firing.

“Useless,” Alasar sighed. “Wait a second! I can go through it!”

Alasar took a whole minute to ready himself for the spell.

‘Alasar! Do-’

‘Silence Elagaen! He’s starting!’ Lesina screamed.

“Rock that is Alasar Moonshine, move invincibly to the red flag connected to the wood stuck in the earth 200 yards from Alasar Moonshine.”

There was an ear-splitting explosion, and Alasar felt himself being compressed into a electron sized particle, and flying the two hundred yards before enlarging back to normal size. The whole painful process had taken less than a second.

Alasar gasped, and fell to his knees. He struggled for breath, as he tried to stand up again.

‘Didn’t I tell you not to-’

But Alasar was beyond the point of hearing. He sank to the ground again, in defeat, and the dark consumed him hungrily.

“Alasar, wake up. You can’t rest now. You need to complete the Master-Test. Call Elagaen. He’ll help you complete your task, Alasar Young-rider.”

“Elagaen,” Alasar mumbled weakly.

‘You’re okay!’ The dragon screamed in delight.

“Elagaen, I can’t do this,” Alasar whispered.

‘No! Alasar, you can’t throw up the white flag at the first obstacle!’ Elagaen cried.

‘I can’t do it...’ Alasar thought, as the blackness began creeping up on him.

Alasar went limp, listening to Elagaen’s screams of pain and fear.



Chapter Thirteen

Barasila raced to her son’s room in the strange house. Why Alasar had insisted on having the wedding be on the border was beyond her. But, if it made Alasar happy, then who was Barasila to argue with a close friend of the dragons?

“Alasar! It’s time!” Barasila sang out excitedly.

Rijon approached the door with a level of calmness not seen anywhere else in the building.

“Alasar? Did you hear me? It’s time!” Barasila repeated.

Inside the room, Alasar sat queasily on the bed. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening to him.

“Alasar, are you okay?” Rijon called from the hallway.

“Dad, I need to talk to you!” Alasar called out, worried.

Rijon opened his son’s door, happy about the fact that Alasar no longer called him by name.

“What’s wrong Alasar?” He asked.

“I don’t think I can do this, Dad. I love Lesina, and I know she loves me, but do we really have to do this with a thousand strangers staring at us?” Alasar said.

“You’re the one who chose the location, Alasar,” Rijon reminded.

“But I had no idea that this many people would show up!” Alasar cried.

“Just forget about the other elves Alasar. They don’t matter. All that matters today is you and Lesina.”

“There’s something else Dad,” Alasar whispered.

“What? You can tell me.”

‘I want to tell him! He should know what I’m planning!’

‘But he’ll tell your mother about it Alasar. Then she’ll tell Anara, and then we’ll never leave,’ Elagaen protested.

“What is it Alasar?” Rijon asked, seeing the struggle in Alasar’s mind.

“You cannot tell Mom about this, Dad. Lesina and I are going to live on Belirocea. We won’t be able to come back.”

“I already know that Alasar. We still have three years before then,” Rijon said.

“No. We have today, and that’s it. Elagaen will take us to the coast, and we’ll stay there for a few days. I will make two bodies, that will look exactly like me and Lesina. It will- it will look like we drowned. That’s better than everyone thinking that we abandoned them. You can tell Mom, but only after we leave. She’ll understand. But Anara can’t ever know about this. Especially not right now.”

“What?!” Rijon gasped.

“Ledar’s first task for us. The Moonshines will be on the front lines when it’s time to take down the empire.”

“Hurry up you two! Everyone else is already waiting!” Anara’s impatient voice yelled through the door.

“I think we better go,” Rijon suggested offhand.

Alasar stood up unsteadily, and staggered towards the door. He opened it, and fell into Anara’s arms.

“Ki Tesa Ledar! What on Belirocea is your problem boy?” Anara screamed, forcing Alasar to stand up straight. “You get your butt down to the side room!”

Alasar and Barasila both scampered into the room, where Kasil and Lesina were waiting.

‘Are you okay Alasar?’ Lesina asked.

‘Yeah. Just some nerves.’

‘Same here,’ Lesina agreed.

“Now listen you two! If anything goes wrong today, I’ll personally behead you both!” Anara hissed, sticking her head through the door.

“That will be pretty bloody, don’t you think?” Alasar joked.

Two minutes later, there was a light tap at the door.

“That’s our signal,” Kasil said. “Let’s go.”

Alasar took Kasil’s hand, and Lesina and Barasila both clutched each other. Then Barasila and Kasil held hands, and in this way, they began making their way down the aisle, as a thousand elves looked on.

Halfway down the path, Lesina stopped suddenly.

“Lesina?” Barasila whispered.

‘I can’t...’ Lesina gasped, and she turned and sprinted for the door.

“Lesina!” Alasar cried, racing after her.

Lesina ran around the corner of the building, bawling in shame.

‘It’s okay my dear,’ Someone whispered in her mind.

“Lesina!” Alasar screamed. He tore around the corner, and grabbed Lesina.

‘Alasar! I am so sorry!’ Lesina sobbed.

“It’s okay Lesina. You don’t have to be sorry. I was just about to run myself,” Alasar admitted.

‘You? Run away from something? You would never do something that coward like! That’s my job!’ Lesina laughed.

“I know! Let’s pretend this is a last-ditch effort by Elagaen to keep us apart forever!”

‘It looks like he will win after all,’ Lesina sighed.

“No he won’t. We’ll be fine as soon as we complete the walk. Then we’ll be together forever,” Alasar promised.

‘I’ll do it. But you better not leave me,’ Lesina warned.

“Done,” Alasar said at once.

‘Let’s go back then,’ Lesina laughed.

“Are you ready?” Barasila asked, as the two elves reentered the room.

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Alasar offered.

“Then let’s go again,” Barasila said, clutching Lesina’s hand in a crushing grip.

“Are you trying to destroy Lesina’s hand?” Alasar asked pointedly.

“Oh! Sorry!” Barasila gasped. She released Lesina’s hand quickly.

They began walking again, and this time, Lesina made it all the way.

An old elf and a dragon stood before the four younger elves.

“I, Barasila Moonshine, gladly accepts Lesina Serande, and her family to become part of my family. I swear in the name of Ledar, the protector of all who are in danger, that I will love and care for Lesina as if she was mine by birth,” Barasila stated.

“I, Kasil Serande, willingly and eagerly accept Alasar Moonshine and his family as part of my own family. I swear in the name of Ledar, the Forgiving Guardian, that I will bear no hatred or malice against Alasar or his family,” Kasil swore.

All of this went as was normal for the Beliroceans. They didn’t give each other away as gifts. They graciously opened their homes to the other family.

“Please place your rings on the finger of your beloved,” The ancient elf requested.

Alasar pulled his ring out of his pocket, and the crowd gasped at it’s beauty. Obsidian diamonds created the actual ring, and a small turquoise stone sat in the middle of several small golden hearts. Engraved on the turquoise stone was an incredibly detailed portrait of Lesina. Such a ring would be worth two years of hard labor for any other elf.

‘Alasar! Ki Tesa Ledar!’ Lesina gasped.

“Lesina?” The dragon prompted.

With trembling hands, Lesina drew out a small band of silver, with a gold teardrop in the middle of it. The expectant audience sank back to their seats in an audible sigh of disappointment.

The two elves slid the rings onto the other’s finger at the same time.

“Hold hands while Ledar’s blessing is asked for,” The old elf said.

Lesina and Alasar took each other’s hands, and stared at each other, tears streaming from their eyes.

“Great and loving Ledar. These two elves stand before you, in the prime of their youth, and ask for your blessing in their marriage. They both have overcome many obstacles to get to this spot here today. And yet, they know that without your consent, neither of them shall ever be together. And so they stand here, begging for your approval. They beg for you to entwine their fates together, and to entwine their rings as proof of your approval.”

‘Ledar, please allow the two of us to stay together. That’s all I ask for. Just grant me this one wish, and I will happily go and do your work,’ Alasar silently prayed.

Suddenly, the room lit up with a blinding light. Alasar felt an intense heat on his fingers. It lasted for only a few seconds, and then Alasar found that he could see again. He glanced at his hand, and stared, transfixed by the sight of the ring on his finger.

A silver band formed the true ring, and a black diamond sat in the middle of the band. Lesina’s turquoise face sat on top of the diamond. Two golden specks sat where her eyes would have been.

“Ledar has agreed to the binding of these two elves! Let the land rejoice in the happiness of Master and Mistress Alasar Moonshine!” The dragon proclaimed.

Lesina sank into Alasar’s arms, as the whole crowd of elves leaped to their feet, roaring in excitement.

Alasar helped Lesina to her feet, and they ran out from the room amid thousands of cheering elves. They broke through the doors leading outside, and Lesina pulled Alasar into a hidden corner.

‘We’re alone for the moment. Do you want to-’

“I’d love to, but I’m sure Anara has something planned for us,” Alasar sighed.

Lesina kissed Alasar, and Alasar held her close to him.

“You’ll never be in danger as long as I live Lesina,” Alasar murmured into her ear.