*The palace of king Alistair*
Priest Sebastian was the oldest and wisest of them all, in the kingdom. His silver hair cascaded down his shoulders like a waterfall of moonlight, a testament to the wisdom and knowledge he had gathered through the ages.
In the temple of Everglen, he was a revered figure, akin to a celestial guide illuminating the path for lost souls. When he walked, his steps were measured and deliberate, like a wise sage treading lightly upon the threads of fate. His eyes, deep and contemplative, held the glimmer of stars, as if they carried the light of countless worlds within them.
Whenever the kingdom faced uncertainties or impending challenges, the people sought his counsel, believing his words were akin to divine whispers. In a sacred chamber hidden deep within the temple, he would consult the Oracle, a mystical entity that dwelled within a pool of shimmering waters, much like a reflective lake mirroring the heavens above.
When he gazed into the Oracle's depths, it was as if he peered into the depths of time itself, seeing the ripples of the past, the currents of the present, and the potential tides of the future. He would listen with a patient heart, as if attuning his soul to the harmonies of the universe.
With every revelation, his countenance would transform, like the changing hues of a sunset, from thoughtful contemplation to resolute determination. He would emerge from the chamber with an air of purpose, his eyes ablaze with the knowledge of what must be done.
Priest Sebastian, the sage of Everglen Kingdom, was not just a man of faith but a vessel of profound understanding, a beacon of guidance to his people. His presence was a balm to the troubled hearts, like a soothing breeze that caressed their souls and brought them clarity in the face of uncertainty. He embodied the wisdom of ages past, and his counsel was sought with the hope of finding not just answers but the strength to weather any storm that might befall the kingdom.
Without wasting time, King Alistair started to talk.
"You said two years ago that something would happen to this kingdom, and I asked for the solution, but you dropped none. Now see, people of my kingdom are dying untimely."
King Alistair said with a sad and concerned face.
"Are you going to watch them die one after the other?"
"No, my lord,"
Priest Sebastian answered.
"When I constructed the Oracle two weeks ago, the oracle said, there was a child who would be a destruction to this land, but if we could kill the child immediately after the child was born, the curse on this kingdom would be lifted."
Priest Sebastian narrated.
King Alistair sighed.
The town people were murmuring in believing that it would be the Queen Arabella's pregnancy, because Priest Sebastian did some ritual before Queen Arabella could be pregnant. Since then people have been spreading bad things about her.
"Whose child?"
King Alistair asked curiously
"The Queen Arabella's unborn child,"
Priest Sebastian answered without a second thought.
"What!"
The king thundered.
*QUEEN ARABELLA'S CHAMBER*
Queen Arabella's chamber, a sanctuary bathed in opulence, was a jewel-studded cocoon, gleaming like a thousand stars in the midnight sky. The walls, adorned with tapestries as soft as moonlit clouds, embraced her like a loving embrace from a mother's arms. The air, perfumed with the delicate fragrance of blooming roses, danced around her like a gentle zephyr whispering secrets in her ear.
Her bed, draped in satin as smooth as a cascading fall, cradled her weary form like a delicate lily floating on a tranquil pond. The flickering candlelight, casting shadows on the walls like ghostly dancers, painted a scene of ethereal beauty that unfolded before her like an enchanted dream.
Within this chamber of regal splendor, Queen Arabella found solace and strength, just as a majestic phoenix rises from the ashes to soar to new heights. It was a place where her worries melted away, like snowflakes kissed by the warm embrace of the sun. Here, she reigned as the sovereign of her emotions, with the grace of a swan gliding effortlessly on a still lake.
Queen Arabella, with her regal bearing akin to a majestic peacock, gracefully draped in royal robes like a cascade of rich velvet, sat on a gilded chair in her opulent chamber. Her presence commanded the room, much like a radiant sun casting its warm glow over the land.
As she rested upon the chair, the swell of her pregnancy sculpted her form like a delicate sculpture, a testament to the life growing within her, like a blossoming flower reaching for the heavens. Her belly was a treasure trove of life, like a hidden treasure chest waiting to be unlocked, brimming with the promise of a new era for the kingdom.
"Your highness, your highness, your highness…."
One of her servants was calling as she was rushing inside her chamber.
"What is it Erika,"
She Asked impatiently.
"We have a problem, the… palace is in…. chaos, and..."
Erika breathing heavenly because she ran from the palace to Queen Arabella's chamber.
"Shh shh, talk slow, no one is rushing you,
Queen Arabella cut in.
Erika moved to her and whispered some words into her ear.
"What!"
She shouted and rushed out.
*BACK TO THE PALACE*
people were murmuring, but they stopped when they felt the presence of Queen Arabella.
"Welcome, your highness,"
Priest Sebastian bowed.
"What is happening here, what sacrifice, your majesty?
She asked, facing the king.
"It was about the curse that begin to fall upon my kingdom, and priest said, we must a sacrifice a new born baby for it to lift the curse,"
"Then whose child are you going to use to do the ritual?"
"Hope it is not my unborn child?"
She asked furiously.
"Calm down, your highness, it was what the oracle....."
"What oracle?"
" How could the oracle say I should sacrifice my unborn child, that I have been dreaming to have for the past 6 years?"
"Oracle is not wicked, there must be another way, I can sacrifice my child,"
She concluded and left the palace angrily without looking at the king.
"How could they say that, sacrifice my foot."
She whispered to herself.
An invisible spirit with a cold voice slithered like a serpent through the opulent halls of King Alistair's palace, its presence lurking in the shadows with malevolence. With hideous laughter that echoed like sinister whispers, it seemed to mock the very walls of the grand establishment.
Its chilling voice felt like an icy wind, freezing the air around it, and sending shivers down the spines of people in the palace, including the king. It bore an eerie and haunting quality, akin to the ghostly wails that drift through a desolate graveyard at midnight.
Its wicked laughter echoed through the palace, it seemed to carry an aura of malice and malevolence, like a dark cloud hovering ominously above, ready to unleash its storm upon the unsuspecting world below. It was a laughter that bore no joy, only cruelty and a hunger for chaos.
"You must kill the child"
"The child is a doom to this kingdom,"
The cold voice said
"If you don't kill the child, this town will collapse and everybody will die sorrowfully, including the king."
The voice said and buried fear in people's hearts and minds.
"The child must not live,"
The voice disappeared and Priest Sebastian grinned.
To be continued.....
Why did priest Sebastian grinned?