Guardians of the Forgotten Kingdom

"There's no other way. I have to do it."

The two men looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. After a moment, the older man spoke. "We've been over this, Auria. We can't let you sacrifice yourself."

"Think of the kingdom." The younger man's voice was soft, but his eyes were hard. "If we lose you, we lose the kingdom."

"I didn't ask for this responsibility!" She clenched her fists and paced back and forth in the little stone room. "Why does everyone think I'm so special? I'm not a warrior! I don't know anything about leadership or strategy! All I know how to do is play music! And yet somehow I find myself in charge of the kingdom's army!" She stopped and threw up her hands in frustration. "And now I have to kill my own sister!" Her throat caught on the last word and she gasped for breath, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Child, please," said the older man, crossing to put his arms around her. He gently guided her to an old wooden bench and sat beside her, patting her shoulder as he spoke. "You are doing a good thing here."

"I am?" She sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How is that?"

He looked at her steadily with his wise brown eyes, then reached out and took one of her hands in both of his. "Auria," he said softly, "you know why your parents never had another child after you?"

She sat quietly for a moment, trying to remember what she knew about her parents' deaths. They had been traveling on some kind of diplomatic mission when something happened... she couldn't remember what exactly, but she remembered the horrified look on Rhydan's face when he returned from the border alone with their bodies in a wagon... she remembered crying inconsolably for days afterward before Rhydan came into her room one night and told her that he needed to leave for a time... she remembered him talking with Master Hamon about finding someone to be responsible for training her skills as a musician...

Then she shook herself out of the memory and looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Your mother..." He trailed off and looked away.

She frowned slightly but continued to wait patiently while he gathered himself together enough to continue speaking.

Finally he turned back to look at her again and sighed heavily before continuing. "When you were born they were so happy." He smiled sadly at the memory of his daughter's birth, then turned away again and dropped his gaze to his hands where they still held hers in his lap.

She waited quietly while he collected himself once more before looking back up at him expectantly. Finally he sighed again and pulled himself together long enough to finish what he wanted to say. "They called you the Child of Prophecy because it was foretold that a child would be born who would restore peace and prosperity if all fell dark before us. That child was you." He smiled sadly again as he thought about that day long ago when he'd knelt by his wife's bedside holding their newborn baby girl after all those hours of labor pain...

It had been such a joyous day... until it wasn't anymore...