_______
Lucina
THE NEXT DAY I woke to the gentle rocking of the carriage. CLIP CLOP. The sound of the horses' hooves and the carriage wheels was steady, a rhythm meant to be comforting but which only underscored the finality of my departure.
In the lavish interior, a silent moment passed between myself and Your Eminence. I knew my worry must have been etched plainly on my face.
"Lucina, are you worried about what's happening in Tayar?" he asked, his voice low and concerned.
I took a breath, trying to steady the frantic beating of my heart. "Yes… I am," I confessed. The truth felt heavy on my tongue. The journey was underway, yet my mind was already racing ahead, picturing the trials awaiting those I cared for. "But I'm sure Hakan and the others will manage." I spoke the words, desperately hoping they were true.
Your Eminence moved closer, kneeling before me in a gesture of profound respect and care.
"I know you've been through a lot recently," he said, his golden eyes earnest. "Please tell me if there's anything I can do to help."
I felt a sudden rush of warmth and gratitude, but also a fierce desire to keep my pain private, to spare him the burden.
"Even if I did, I know you can't heal a broken heart, Your Eminence." My smile was weak, a mask I quickly dropped. The truth was, no matter how kind he was, this was a wound I had to close myself.
"So… I need to get over this on my own." I reached up, quickly wiping a tear away before it could fall. WIPE.
He took my hand, his grip gentle but firm, refusing to let me wall myself off entirely. He was right; a broken heart might be beyond his power, but the comfort he offered was a different kind of medicine.
"I might not be able to heal a broken heart," he conceded, "but I can comfort you. Whenever you're ready, please tell me everything."
PAT. His touch on my head was reassuring, a silent promise of support. I nodded, finally yielding to his warmth. "Yes, Your Eminence."
Suddenly, a loud noise from outside shattered the quiet of the cabin. CLACK CLACK. The carriage jerked. Your Eminence's attention snapped away from me, his expression turning sharp and alert.
"I think we should inspect the carriage."
The noise—a loud, grating sound—began again as he opened the door. CREAK. The golden wheel of the carriage looked untouched, yet the sound was undeniably unsettling. We both stepped out into the dappled sunlight and onto the dirt road.
High above, a small creature fluttered. "Is that a bird…?" I wondered aloud, watching it flit from a tree branch. FLAP.
Whatever the cause of the jarring sound, I knew one thing for certain: the journey was just beginning, and the road ahead would be anything but smooth.
---
I gave a final nod to Your Eminence as he was distracted by the peculiar noises coming from the carriage. We were both standing outside, scrutinizing the magnificent white wheels when a tiny figure appeared in a burst of green light.
"Is that a bird...?" I mumbled, distracted for a moment by the flapping wings of a nearby insect. But then, the magical being was right in front of me.
"Puka?" I exclaimed, a wave of surprise hitting me. The small fairy-like creature, Puka, appeared to be vibrating with urgency.
"I have some bad news, Lucina!" Puka cried out, his small, winged form POOFING into existence.
My focus immediately snapped to him, and my initial surprise was replaced by alarm. "Are you sure it's okay to transform like this?" I asked, aware that he had rushed to find me.
"That's not important right now!" Puka insisted, his expression grave. "Hakan has jumped into the Valley of Fire!"
"WHAT?" My world seemed to stop. Every ounce of the worry I had been trying to suppress just a moment ago—the worry about Hakan—came rushing to the surface. I knelt quickly, clutching Puka in a desperate clasp.
"Tell me exactly what happened, Puka!" I urged, my voice tight with panic.
"S-so…" Puka stammered, overwhelmed. "His Majesty has disappeared!"
A wave of fear and confusion washed over me. The news was catastrophic.
---
The scene instantly shifted in my mind, a dark rush of energy and anxiety. I could almost hear the frantic shouts: "RUSH... DASH".
"Who saw him last?"
"Where did he go?"
A heavy pall had clearly fallen over the rest of the group.
"Sigh… Has anyone been able to find him yet?" I heard the weary voice of Your Highness, his hand moving in an anxious, repetitive motion (TAP, TAP).
The tension was palpable. Another aide, a strong woman with braided hair, spoke with a mixture of blame and frustration. "You upset him, Your Highness." She paused, then challenged him directly: "You should look for him yourself instead of just sitting here and telling us to hurry up."
I could sense the ensuing anger, the image of a muscular man, clearly distressed, appeared next. "Where did he go? Did I put him under too much pressure…?" He was clearly upset about the situation, but quickly regained his composure, his frustration turning to indignation. "I can't believe he'd go missing just before the wedding. I never thought he'd be so irresponsible."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" another woman's voice cut through, followed by the sound of a fist slamming a table (SLAM). "She's clearly distraught about all this… How dare you—?!"
Another heavy sound (CREAK) followed as someone moved toward the exit. STEP. STEP. The search had begun.
The implications of Puka's news were devastating. His Majesty, the Dragon King, had gone missing, and Hakan had thrown himself into danger in response. My worst fears about what was happening in Tayar had been realized.
---
"Hakan has jumped into the Valley of Fire!" Puka's words hit me like a physical blow.
"WHAT?" I gasped, clutching the small fairy to my chest. My mind raced, trying to process the frantic images Puka was relaying: the chaos, the search for the missing King, and the arguments back in Tayar. I saw the distressed look on the face of the muscular man who was searching for the King. I saw the Queen's aide arguing with him.
A different man, old and wise, was holding a necklace, explaining how it could track the missing King: "It used to be customary to keep a child's umbilical cord in a necklace after they were born. If there is a part of a dragon that is severed, it will always try to return to the main body."
"That's right. It's trying to guide me to him," a woman's voice confirmed.
I turned my focus back to Puka. "Please tell us where he is!" I implored the tiny bird Puka had turned into, terrified for Hakan's safety.
"He's inside… the Valley of Fire right now," Puka finally revealed.
A dark vision slammed into my awareness: the Valley of Fire. BUBBLE. RUMMMBLE. A fiery abyss of magma, bubbling and roaring.
I saw Hakan, engulfed by the heat. He was struggling, surrounded by the searing lava, his body radiating anguish. "Even a Guardian Dragon can't withstand the heat from the Valley of Fire for long," he thought, his chest heaving. "Soon this lava will melt through my scales and skin and consume my heart." The dark energy of the lava was overwhelming him.
Suddenly, he heard it. Not with his ears, but with his soul. "HAKAN!"
"That's strange," he thought, shock momentarily replacing his pain. "It shouldn't be possible… It's like I can hear Lucina's voice right now."
He wasn't wrong. The moment Puka confirmed his location, I knew I couldn't stay in the carriage. I sprinted. RUSH!
I burst through the door and ran toward the dark, swirling entrance of the Valley. My white robes billowed around me as I approached the massive figures of the Dragon Guards who were keeping watch.
"HAKAN!" I cried, my voice raw with terror and relief as I finally saw him emerge from the burning interior.
One of the Guards, the man with the muscular build and dark skin, moved toward me in surprise. "My Lady?" he questioned.
I didn't care about the formality. I didn't care that he was the one who had insulted the Queen's aide earlier. I only had eyes for Hakan, who was now standing with Your Eminence and the other Guard.
"HAKAN!" I screamed again, running right past the bewildered Guard.
The Guard, seeing me rushing toward the entrance, turned to Your Eminence in total confusion. "What's going on, Your Eminence?" he demanded. "How did my lady find this place?"
But I wasn't listening. I had only just found him, and I knew I wouldn't leave his side.
The moment I saw Hakan emerging, singed and struggling, the panic intensified. I didn't care that the two Dragon Guards and Your Eminence were watching. I only saw the man I loved, suffering.
"HAKAN!" I screamed, pushing past the confused Guard.
"What's going on, Your Eminence?" the Guard demanded, utterly bewildered. "How did my lady find this place?"
Your Eminence, ever composed, gave a brief command: "I'll explain everything later. I'm not sure what Lucina's going to do, so let's follow her."
"I-I understand, Your Eminence."
But I wasn't waiting. DASH. I ran straight toward Hakan, who was barely standing amidst the heat radiating from the Valley of Fire. My lungs burned with the effort and the scalding air. PANT. PANT.
Puka, darting around my head, pleaded, "Be careful, Lucina! What if you fall in?"
I barely registered his voice. All that mattered was Hakan. "Hakan…," I thought, my voice catching. DASH. Puka zipped away, trying to keep up.
"Hakan… Did you really jump into the Valley of Fire?" I asked, my voice choked, still panting. HUFF. HUFF.
My own past mistakes were searing me worse than the magma. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't broken his heart and left," I thought, the realization crushing me. I had foolishly believed my departure would ensure his happiness and the contentment of the people of Tayar.
STEP. STEP. WHOOSH. I walked right up to the edge of the pit, the heat roaring around me.
"How did I not think of this? If Hakan left… then I would lose the will to live as well." The dark realization hit me with the force of a powerful wind. FWOOSH.
I covered my face as the heat intensified. "UGH!" The pain was nothing compared to the guilt. "This is nothing compared to the suffering I put you through."
I looked at Hakan, my eyes blazing with fierce love and resolve. The fear of losing him eclipsed all else. I didn't care if he couldn't hear me over the roar of the lava.
"I swear I'll save you, Hakan."
Hakan, seeing the insane danger I was putting myself in, moved to stop me. "It's too dangerous, My Lady…!"
The muscular Guard tried to hold him back, his hand falling on Hakan's shoulder. PAT. "It's no use. She can't hear anything right now."
At that moment, Your Eminence stepped forward. A golden light began to GLOW around his hands. He was concentrating his power, preparing to intervene. He understood that my focus was absolute—I was lost to the singular, urgent need to save Hakan.
"I swear I'll save you, Hakan," I vowed, rushing headlong into the searing heat of the Valley of Fire. The sound of the lava was deafening, and the air was thick with the stench of sulfur and fire.
Hakan was struggling to emerge, his body visibly strained. "It's too dangerous, My Lady…!" he shouted, but his warning was lost in the heat.
The muscular Dragon Guard tried to restrain him. "It's no use. She can't hear anything right now," he observed to Your Eminence.
It was true; I was beyond hearing. I was driven by panic and guilt. But before I could take another step towards the inferno, a blinding golden light GLOWed brightly behind me.
It was Your Eminence. He stood with his hand outstretched, his expression a mixture of profound concentration and fierce resolve. The air around him began to shimmer with golden sparks. He was channeling his divine power to protect me.
SSSHH. A brilliant barrier of blue and white energy radiated outward from his hand, creating a sphere of cool, clear air around me. The roaring heat that moments ago had scorched my skin suddenly vanished.
I stopped short, looking around in utter astonishment. "I can barely feel the heat any more," I whispered. The air was cool and crisp, despite the bubbling magma just beyond the barrier. "Is this the Cardinal's power?"
I looked back towards the pit, shielded now from the inferno. HAKAN! ARE YOU THERE, HAKAN?! I called out, my voice clear in the bubble of silence. My heart hammered against my ribs.
I searched frantically, my golden eyes wide. WHERE ARE YOU?
Then, my gaze pierced the veil of smoke and heat, and I saw him. Lying defeated and vulnerable in the heart of the fiery pool was Hakan. The glow of the lava illuminated his body, the flames seeming to lick at his skin.
My breath hitched. DU DUN. My heart struck a deep, painful rhythm in my chest, a drumbeat of pure terror.
I ran to the edge of the magical barrier, my hands pressed against the unseen force field. I had to reach him. Your Eminence's power might have saved me from the fire, but it wouldn't save Hakan from his despair.
"HAKAN!" I screamed, my voice cracking, tears streaming down my face. My frantic cry echoed through the air, piercing the silence of the magical shield.