Fourth Kingdoms Legends

Cover image by Wil Stewart on Unsplash

“Paaaaaige! Hurry up, we got stories to tell!”

“Chill out, would you? It’s taking me 15 seconds, not 15 hours.” The girl in question grabbed hold of the blue-topped cooler from the back of their truck and swung it around, huffing out short breaths as she strained to bend her arms to keep from dropping it.

“Do you need help, babe?”

Paige glanced up and took one look at Mae, lounging sideways in her foldable chair with her legs hung over the arm and into the seat of her own chair. “Do you actually plan on moving in the next two to three hours?”

Mae gasped and put a hand over her heart. “Awww, you know me so well!”

“Paaaaaaaaige!”

“I’m coming Tony! If you’re so eager then why don’t you help me with this?” Paige asked. She lugged the cooler over to her friends, sitting comfortably around the dim fire pit. She dropped it as soon as she was within the circle of seats and Tony quickly leaped to his feet. “Oh now you’re able to get up.”

“Hey, I bought the food this time around. Which means I’m exempt from having to carry anything.” He rummaged around in the cooler for a second before pulling out an off-brand coke bottle.

“Toss me one, mate.” Tony picked up a can and flung it over his shoulder, not even bothering to look to make sure it didn’t fall into the fire. Nevertheless, James caught it perfectly and settled back against his makeshift seat from a fallen tree. It’d fallen down a few years after they started coming and they all felt it necessary to continue coming to the exact same location in the forest. If it was slowly dying then it needed the company James had argued.

Mae lifted her feet to let Paige collapse into her chair before plopping them back down in her girlfriend’s lap. “So, which story are we starting out with?”

James leaned closer to the fire’s embers and smirked at her through the flames. “The woman who angered the gods. My personal favorite.”

“Why do we let you tell the stories every time again?” Mae asked, sipping from her own coke. She kicked her feet slightly and Paige hit her shoes, feigning a laugh.

“I’m literally a professional storyteller. I’m certifiably the best here at it. Now, Paige, princess, if you would.” He gestured towards the fire pit.

“What do we say?”

“Please?”

“Please what?”

“Please, my beautiful companion, partner in crime, and sister in life.”

“Much better.” Paige reached over Mae’s legs to the tin bottle sitting in the grass by her chair. She hooked her finger through the latch, tossed it up in the air, caught it, and flicked off the top in seemingly one move. She shook a soft blue powder from the bottle into her hand and flicked her wrist, the powder scattered in the air and falling across the pit.

As soon as the particles touched the tip of the fire, the flames erupted into a short column. No one reacted except to follow the flames with their eyes. The shadows of the trees around them lit up and any monster crept back into their hiding. Just as quick as it went up, the fire winded away to show a scene.

The flames twisted over themselves to create it, temperamental slightly moving images to make it feel more alive. A small person with long hair standing next to two equally small figures with shorter hair. James twirled his finger a bit and the fire moved again to form a castle behind the people. A smile spread across his face and he began the tale.

“As the story goes, a woman lived in the land of the gods. This woman was said to have killed Death herself more than once, fought armies of the undead, and tackled the Redstone Demigod head to head with peace. She was a fearless and powerful human but with a humble heart.

“But the gods weren’t as so, choosing instead to not heed her prayers and beggings of help from evil. So she called on their wrath, speaking out against their stumbling leadership and accusing them of fear of the evil, abandoning the ones of the valley to fend for themselves. Periodically, shouting out to the sky in disdain.”

The outer flames rose higher, covering the tops of the castle. Peering closely, they could see four faces in the blaze. The fire flickered and it grew closer to the figures at the bottom.

“After answering her previous pleas with silence, the gods decided to punish the woman for her defiance. Her magic, used to take on Death and armies across her world, was stripped from her. Taking with them her wand, the gods of the land once again ignored her attempts at prayers.”

An invisible wind flew by and the approaching fire disappeared and it returned to the original set up.

“Far from the valley, the woman’s husband and his brother were in the midst of building the famed castle known as Foltad stone brick by stone brick. Upon hearing of his wife’s predicament, the husband became angry and he and his brother began to build a tower on top the castle, towards the sky. They built up until the clouds became the ground and the void was their new sky.”

The flames danced along the ground, then shot up and built on one another to create the illusion of stacking a small tower to the fiery castle.

“The woman climbed the tower and confronted the gods herself. They were surprised by her appearance and were at first confused. How could a mere mortal, and a human one as well, reach their height of being?

“Rather than fight the gods, the woman gave brief pity on them, choosing peace at their expense but not hers. She took advantage of their confusion and retrieved her wand. She joined her husband and brother-in-law in the valley once again, leaving the gods to their own ignorance and self-guilt.”

The fire died down until it was once again dim, the castle and characters dissolving back to scattering embers along the ground. Their small area grew darker with only their faces lit up.

“I thought it was ‘their own arrogance and anger?’” Tony piped up. “To teach that it’s bad or whatever.”

“I learned it was to teach kids to not underestimate others?” Mae asked.

“Why would you teach that to kids?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t write the story!”

The fire fully died down and James chuckled. “No one wrote it. Only the original people who saw it happen spoke about it. It’s passed verbally.”

Tony arched an eyebrow at him. “Original people? Dude it didn’t really happen, it’s a myth.”

“It’s not a myth,” Paige said suddenly, eyes not leaving James’ face, a hint of a smile on her own. “It’s a legend.”

James smiled back, his dark emerald eyes meeting her deep sea blue. They looked at each other knowingly, a short conversation happening without saying a word, agreeing to continue keeping their secret between them.

“Yeah yeah, legend, myth, same thing at this point.” Tony grabbed another coke can and popped it open. “C’mon next story! Woo!” He took a swig of his coke, swinging his head back. “Whose turn is it to pick?”

“Mae bay,” James said.

The girl in question hummed, kicking her feet up and down and ignoring Paige’s complaints. “Hmmm, the one with the redstone.”

“There’s like seven with redstone in it,” Tony objected. “You gotta be more specific.”

“With the engineer, the one who was in love with some flower girl or something like that. Didn’t she also try to kill her sister?”

Paige lightly smacked Mae’s leg. “Not kill! Agrimonia doesn’t kill you.”

“We’d all be dead if it did.” Tony chuckled, taking another gulp. “Dr. Contan hands it out like Halloween candy to anyone who complains about sleeping. Anyway, story! Paige!”

Paige raised an eyebrow at him. Staring him down, she tossed out more powder and immediately leaned back as the fire erupted.

“Fuck!” Tony lurched back and fell off the log, landing on the ground with a thump. He lifted his head to make sure James sent the fire back down before hesitantly climbing back on., brushing dirt off his jeans. “Careful with that witchcraft shit, Paige, you’re gonna kill us!”

“Sorry,” Paige giggled, “I got excited.”

Mae reached over and took her hand, lips pursed. “You’re so cute.”

Tony groaned. “Jaaaaames.”

“Storytime?”

“Please.”

James snickered and made a sweeping motion with both his hands. The fire flattened itself out revealing a small woman and a mountain, reminding him of those notepads with hidden sculptures inside.

“Once again, in the valley of the gods, was a lady of extraordinary skill with the art of redstone. She was regarded across the land and beyond as the most ingenious redstoner alive. Developed every contraption and machine used in the common world; by the poorest of humans and the reality-bending gods.”

A face poked up in the surrounding flames; a stern but soft face that sent shivers down Tony’s back.

“One of those gods was the goddess of fire and adventure, the realm of the underneath. She worked directly at the goddess’ side from the day she arrived until the moment of her death.

James flicked a finger and the face disappeared. Across the fire, he briefly made eye contact with Paige. They didn’t change their expressions or speak but they knew they didn’t have to. He asked a question and she nodded in response, so he continued.

“Her life in sight was enough to be envied. A favorite of the gods, a speaker against evil, countless offers of courtship, and a household name of the Lady to every land dweller.”

James raised his open hand, palm towards the center, then slowly curled his fingers in. Suddenly, the fire dwindled far down, almost burning out completely. The woman slanted forward until she was on the figurative ground hunched over. She grew dimmer until she was only blue, while the mountain turned dark as ash.

“But behind closed doors was a sorrowful soul, one that saw the darkness approaching in her dreams and craved comfort that wasn’t there.

The comfort she seeked was a girl of the valley. One she wrote about daily in her journal bound in leather and strewn together by spider thread. Tear stained pages, wrinkled from shaking hands and gnawed at fingers. In between entries of her terrorsome dreams were words of love and loss for the girl. Of her shining eyes in the sunshine and glimmering hair in the moonlight.”

Another woman appeared from the flames, but on the other side of the mountain, far from the Lady. Mae gripped Paige's hand, not taking her eyes off the scene. Paige glanced at her, smiled, and turned her hand up to lace her fingers together with her girlfriend's.

“Until one day, the Lady couldn’t go on anymore without her love. She was sought out for by family, only to find her lifeless body amongst redstone and wires.”

An audible gasp was heard, despite them all having heard this legend before, as the girl and mountain disappeared. The Lady fell all the way forward, slumped to the ground. Bits of fire flew out from underneath her to form a strange animal on its hind legs looming over her.

“Her own invention, embarred into the floor for the sole purpose of causing her demise. She perished at the hands of her design. Her family, shocked and crushed with grief, told no one else that the death was of her own choosing.

People mourned for days, some of whom were also confused. Such a mistake couldn’t have been made by the redstoner. They called it impossible. So her home was searched top to bottom until her journal was found. Its contents were spread like wildfire, until even those past the valley knew of the redstoner’s visions and imperious heartbreak, wondering who her mystery girl was.

Some said this girl was the goddess herself, others say one of her closest friends. Bystanders of the event claim the girl no one knew, as the redstoner saw her in secret to admire her alone.”

“Closest friend meaning the flower girl right?” Mae asked. “I swear that’s what the book at the library says.”

Tony huffed out a breath. “It’s been, like, two years since you read that thing. I don’t remember any mention of a flower girl; it was probably the goddess. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with a goddess?”

“Your brother, my dads, anyone scared of the gods, and James too probably.”

They both turned to the storyteller, who’d already put out the scene and resumed the normal fire. He felt their eyes on him and looked up. “What?”

“Would you or would you not,” Tony started, emphasizing every word with a shake of his can, “fall for a goddess?”

Paige lifted her bottle to her lips to hide her smile. James bit down his own and poked the fire embers with a stick. “Goddesses aren’t for me. Or any gods really. We can check at the library next week when we go into work if you want, Mae.”

Tony shrugged. “More for me then!” He stood up and stretched out his arms over his head. “Let’s eat something before going, it’s my turn to choose next!”

“James,” Paige said softly, startling Mae, “why don’t you tell your favorite?”

“Wait James has a favorite? What is it?” Tony asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.

The boy in question smirked in his sister’s direction. “I do, but it’s a bit too depressing for bonfire night.”

“They can handle it,” Paige objected. “Come on, it’s been in the family for generations. I don’t think they’ve even heard it before.”

Tony pouted, earning a laugh from her. “Hey, you’re keeping stories from us?”

“Your family owns the biggest library this side of the Astian River,” Mae said, “what legend have you managed to keep out of it this long?”

Paige and James looked each other in the eye, a quick conversation passing between that they’ve had before every trip out there. Every year, to the day, for seven odd years. Seven since they met Tony, five since Mae started dating Paige and joined them. The question of whether they could be trusted was always a topic of concern.

James glanced at Tony, who was now staring at him with a twisted mouth and concern written across his face, then back to Paige who held Mae’s hand tightly in her own. Paige smiled at him, communicating the okay. That they could face their parents and family later if something went wrong.

“Alright, time for my favorite then.”

Paige opened her tine bottle and scattered the dust to the sound of Tony whooping in glee. This time, however, instead of the fire erupting in high towering flames, it died down even further. It turned a bright red, hints of blue hue poking around the edges.

Tony and Mae looked at each nervously before turning their full attention to the spectacle before them. James held a hand out, palm up, and the blue flames tipped up as if creating a deep bowl. He snapped his fingers on the other hand and the fire in the middle responded. Pokes in random places raised up of differentiating heights. The fire pit now resembled a wooded area in a valley.

“Cast down from the reign of the darkest god, was an object that created great confusion amongst the residents of the valley. A sundial, forged in the toughest stone spawned in any realm the gods could touch. It sat just at the edge of the ongoing forest, where the green grassed plains met the ever growing trees of constant shade.”

As he spoke, tiny flames swirled into a circle to mimic the sundial. Off of it, a few more spit off and formed a tiny figure just next to it. Tony oohed and ah’ed, not noticing the apprehensive look now forming on Paige’s face.

“Along with the sundial, came the timely one. A man statered tall yet short, with a head of jet black hair that shone in the void. His eyes told secrets of time streams and personal clocks. Secrets kept to himself, guarding them in his heart from outside pillagers.”

James raised his free hand over the open palm and snapped his fingers again. A loud crack sounded out and suddenly the smallest of the coals surrounding the fire jumped to life, flying into the fire. Tony and Mae both gasped as they stacked to create what looked like a hooded figure next to the man.

“He did not live in peace however, as Death was at his door near every night. A being where no weak human could lay their naked eyes. In his gnarled hands, he gripped a tall scythe, pole of sanded dark oak with a curved blade of polished obsidian bolted into.

“There he was at every turn the timely one took. He was forced to confront the mortality of his existence every waking second of his life. One day, unable to handle it, he opened the door to Death, and let him do as he pleased. Death raised his scythe, and cut his arm above the elbow, leaving a bleeding stump and the timely one in pure agony. Eventually, he bled out and Death took him away, but only for a moment, as his personal clock was quickly replaced and he was born again.”

Paige sucked in a breath, ever so quietly, causing James to briefly glance at her before returning his concentration to the story. She quickly attempted to regulate her breathing before Mae noticed.

“Another life, another identity, another decades of a torturous existence. Just when happiness was within his reach, a life of wish fulfillment at his fingertips, Death once again cut off his arm. Searing him off from even a chance of contentment.

“Wash, rinse, and repeat. Over and over Death was there with his scythe to cut off his reach.

“Then, a lifetime finally came where he felt a power. A power to take hold of what he had built around him and hold on. Refuse what path fate had sent him on. Death came in the form of a sword, but he did not succeed in taking him away. He continued to walk the valley as a ghost, one with the ability to speak, be heard, and be spoken to. Across this lifetime he had garnered a guild of family and friends who would be willing to lay their lives for him and each other.”

“Awww,” Tony said, shocking himself. No one spoke during storytime, out of politeness and respect for James. But his friend didn’t even blink at the outburst. Instead, he went off the normal storytelling script and reached down, scooping up a small handful of dirt out of the earth, then sprinkled it in his still open palm.

In the firepit, more coals shot up and out and into the flames to fabricate a tall, long building. The contrast of the dark coals tinged with blue in the simmering red and orange fiery surroundings was jarring to Tony and Mae, who looked at each other again. James had never used anything but fire before. In front of them, at least.

“So, at the time of dusk on the night of spirits, the guild gathered in the halls of a grand cathedral. An aisle carpeted in red ran the length of the hall between the quartz pillars that rose from the floor to hold up the high arched ceiling. Wooden pews were placed on either side of the pillars, facing towards the front of the cathedral where a platform sat. Two steps of stairs ran along all sides up to the wide platform, and in the middle was a simple bed.

“The body was laid on the bed and the guild took seats in the pews, eyes set upon the bed in earnest determination. The moon rose up above the cathedral, shining through the glass and basking the front in moonlight.

“The timely one’s appointed sister to the earth climbed the steps and placed a ring of woven flowers on his head, petals and stems threading in and out of his hair. She retreated to her own seat as the moonlight settled on the flower crown. It glistened in the light with bright sprites appearing above the body, settling down to cover every particle they could.

“The moon passed by quicker than normal and the sprites disappeared. A hush fell on the guild, each holding their breath. Some prayed, some even begged, and some threatened for the return of their friend and family member.

“Then, he finally rose up from his cotton grave and stood on solid feet. The guild rejoiced, but Death was not far and roared in outrage. He swept across the cathedral, cutting through each member in attendance. One by one, bodies hit the floor, collapsing on top of one another; dead eyes pointed towards the heavens.”

Mae felt the grip on her hand tightened and saw her girlfriend biting her lower lip, eyes swimming with some emotion Mae couldn’t place. She wanted to say something to her, but couldn’t find her voice. She settled for squeezing Paige’s hand back to remind her she was still there with her.

“Once the deed was done, Death flew from the hall and stood centered on the sundial while the newly resurrected timely one stood frozen centered in the dark hall. Silence cut through him deeper and with more excruciating pain than Death had ever caused him. His beloved guild was now scattered around him in varying pools of blood.”

Two snaps, one right after the other, and the coals playing the part of Death shook and moved fluidly through the fire over to the sundial.

“He did not yell; he did scream; he did not bellow out in anger. It was said that fire danced in his eyes and all shadows in vicinity clung to him in waves as he stormed from the cathedral. Towards the sundial.”

The small fiery figure of the timely one moved as well, skating to join Death at the sundial. Tony felt a heavy ball of…. something drop into his stomach, scratching at his arm to keep himself focused on the story.

“No one knows for certain what occurred next. But Death did not return to the valley of gods, and the timely one emerged missing one arm, cut off once again. And as the sundial stands now, remains of a scorching dark essence are burned into the stone. No human has set foot directly to it without the feeling of deep unsettling as well as an intense pain welling up inside of them.

“As for the timely one, he was regarded as the newly adorned Time God. Immediately breaking the previously established rules and laws of time by turning back personal clocks, bringing his guild back to life. In exchange for this feat, he did not tamper with his own clock, keeping his arm amputated as it was.”

James closed up his hand into a fist and everything in the pit gave way. The flames formed back up into a normal fire while the coals collapsed into the wood kindling beneath it. No one spoke for a good minute, Mae and Tony stunned into silence, staring at the pit while the two cousins let out deep sighs. Letting out breaths they didn’t know they were holding.

“Well?” James asked, breaking the silence.

Tony blinked rapidly. “H-how long have you known that story did you say?”

“We were told it when we were really young. Around nine I want to say?”

“They told you that story at nine years old?!” He asked incredulously, voice shooting up a few octaves.

Mae reached over to hold both of her girlfriend’s hands in hers. “Paige?”Her hands shook and she rubbed the back of them with her thumb. “Are you alright?”

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them again and giving Mae a loving look. “I’m okay. It’s just sometimes a hard story to hear.”

“Why? It’s just a legend.”

Then they did it again. The cousins may not think their friends notice when they meet gazes, have their own private conversations without verbal words right in front of them, but they do. And they always did it more often when they had bonfire nights. Mae made a mental note to ask one of them about it later.

“It’s just ... important to our family is all,” Paige assured her.

“Which is why neither of you can tell anyone else about the legend,” James said, looking between Mae and Tony more serious than they had ever seen him.

“Aw man, no one?” Tony whined, pouting more.

James chuckled. “Exactly.” He picked up his coke from his nested root in the ground and took a sip. “Now how about a more lighthearted story?”