Terra Ch. 15

Majestic would be the best word that Terra would use to explain the city of Regalia. After Icarus had regained his strength, Terra followed Icarus into the city. Unlike most cities that Terra had traveled through, the houses in the city of Regalia were formed from the trees that covered the land. If it wasn’t for the houses, Terra would have believed that she was still inside the forest. Nine years of being abandoned had not diminished the beauty of this city. Passing through rows upon rows of trees, Terra wondered where Icarus was taking her.

Icarus was experiencing mixed emotions as he walked throughout the city. A nostalgic feeling of peace that covered a deep sadness flowed through Icarus as he walked. Moss had mostly covered the stone pathways, but Icarus knew which way he should go. What he would find would be a surprise to him, but he knew that that place was where he needed to be.

“Where are we going exactly?” asked Terra after walking in silence for the last fifteen minutes.

[I don’t know, but we’re close. Only a hundred yards away.] replied Icarus as he stepped over a fallen branch. It didn’t take long for Terra and Icarus to reach their destination as they soon stepped into a clearing.

“It’s beautiful.” whispered Terra as she took in the site before her.

Stretching a couple of hundred feet upwards stood the largest tree that Terra had ever seen. The trees that they had previously passed were easily dwarfed in comparison by this one. Molded from this tree expanding towards the couple was a wooden bridge leading towards a set of giant wooden doors. The bridge itself was supported by two rows of smaller trees that seemed to have merged with the bridge itself. Hundreds of windows could faintly be seen lining the front of this grand tree. The most beautiful feature was a grand water fall that flowed out of the top right side of the tree into a small lake. Terra knew this had to have been the palace.

“How did the elves create this?” asked Terra in wonder.

[The palace was made a long time ago, but the waterfall was added upon the request of Ariel after visiting the home of the dwarves. It took our best artisans a decade to get it finished.] replied Icarus as he gazed upon palace.

“And who is Ariel?” asked Terra as she crouched down beside Icarus.

[Our queen] whispered Icarus as a single tear fell from his eye.

“Are you starting to remember something?” asked Terra as she gently brushed away the single tear.

[No], replied Icarus as he cast he gaze downwards, [I don’t remember any of this.]

Terra knew that Icarus was telling the truth so she decided not to push the subject farther. Taking Icarus’ hand Terra led the way towards the palace doors. It didn’t take long for Terra and Icarus to cross the bridge, but once she made it to the doors she was met with a problem. While the left door was closed, the right door was slightly ajar. This left enough room for a normal sized person to get through; Terra had no chance of squeezing between the opening. Seeing Terra’s problem, Icarus volunteered to open the door for her but Terra declined. Looking upwards, Terra estimated that the door was a little less than thirty feet tall and twelve feet wide.

Placing both hands upon the door Terra let out a grunt as she started pushing the door open. Within a few seconds, a gap had formed that would let Terra pass through easily. Taking a few seconds to catch her breath, Terra preceded to tie up their pony to one of the trees supporting the bridge. Leaving their packs with the pony, Terra took only her sword and a small, to her, sack inside. Icarus decided to bring his own dagger along just in case.

After passing through the entrance, Terra found herself walking through an elaborate hallway. It may have been dusty and weathered, but Terra imagined what this place looked like over nine years ago. The walls were lined with extravagant vases that now supported long dead plants. Dozens of paintings lined the wall along with several dusty suits of armor. Doorways were scattered along both sides, leading no doubt, to other parts of the palace. It wasn’t until Icarus made it close to the end of the hallway that Icarus stopped in front of two portraits.

Observing the portrait on the left, Terra found that it featured two elves holding each other over a cradle. The man had dark blonde hair medium short hair with dark green eyes, and looked no older than thirty. When it came to elves though, it was impossible to tell their age from their looks. In his arms stood a woman with long platinum blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. The word beautiful did nothing to describe the woman in front of her. Looking at the bottom of the picture was a plate that read ‘King Gabriel and Queen Ariel at the day of Prince Exia’s birth’.

Looking over towards the right hung another portrait of a lone individual standing in the forest. He was clad in a dark blue tunic with leather armor covering most of his upper body. In his hand the man held a spear while the other hand was wiping the sweat from his neck. The man had the same platinum blonde hair as Ariel, yet possessed a set of dark green eyes like Gabriel. A bubbly feeling came over Terra as she looked at this man. Another plate was under this portrait as well. Inscribed on the plate were the words ‘Prince Exia, our greatest treasure’.

After a while, Terra looked down at Icarus to find tears falling from his face. He didn’t look sad, nor was the sphere indicating sadness at this level. Icarus noticed Terra staring at him and realized that he had been crying.

“Are you alright?” asked Terra as she wiped off Icarus’ face.

[Yeah I’m fine; I just don’t know what the tears are about.] replied Icarus.

[I think that we should continue onward.] said Icarus as he continued walking down the hallway.

Following Icarus, Terra soon found herself standing in what she considered the throne room. It was at this point that Icarus froze. Noticing this Terra found that unlike the rest of the palace, half of this room was black. Under further inspection she found that there must have been a fire of some sorts because the vases, tables, paintings, and even the walls and floors were burnt. It was truly a travesty, but at least it didn’t spread throughout the tree.

[What happened here?] stated a frozen Icarus.

“I’m guessing that a lamp or candle must have fallen and started a fire.” replied Terra. It was at this moment that she realized that the sphere in the back of her mind was emitting strong waves of fear. Looking back at Icarus, Terra found him slightly trembling.

“Icarus what’s wrong.” asked Terra as she bent down and grabbed his shoulders. Looking up into her eyes, Icarus whispered one sentence.

[The trees of Regalia cannot be burned.]