The Land of Crystals

By Deborah J. Taranto

William was truly at a loss for words. He moved closer to her. As he approached the window where she was standing, the scent of fresh blossoms in her hair filled the air. Helena had a natural beauty that hadnt aged with the years. Life had been good to them both.

Over the years, he wanted to tell her so many things about his past, about his life in the Valley. She never asked where he came from; as far as she knew he had no family and no homeland. He had traveled far and wide fighting in many wars securing his own future as an adept swordsman, one not to be challenged with in battle. He had obtained his fortune through his bounties. When he met Helena, war was raging in her land, their land now. Helenas kingdom was being torn apart by the greedy and black magic worshippers of Augustas family. It was this war, which had brought him to her, and now he feared, it would be war again, which would take her from him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 26, 2005
• ISBN: 9781463449568

Deborah J. Taranto

Deborah J. Taranto is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. After receiving her B.S. degree from SUNY @ Potsdam, she worked for several years as an account executive at a top ten Public Relations firm in New York. She is married and has three children. While raising her three children she earned a M.S. degree from Wagner College, Staten Island and began teaching English at local private high schools on Staten Island. Presently she is teaching English literature at St. John’s University while finishing her second book. She continues to reside on Staten Island with her family.

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Prologue

It has been said that to record the events of the past is to in some way relive them if not in body, but in mind. These events, which I have reluctantly chosen to record, transpired more than two decades ago. The details of a time nearly forgotten by the aged, and barely spoken of by the young, have left a bittersweet taste on my lips. Yet, it is no wonder that the wonders of years gone by are still translucent visions of my life, my loves, my conquests, and to my misfortune my failings.

As I reflect on my past, I realize now that it is more than just a patchwork of years depicting my life’s encounters. Instead it is the culmination of this patchwork, of failings and achievements, which created this thriving society, and for this I have no misgivings.

This land, which I preside over, at first glance, was nothing more than compatible farmland from which its inhabitants had raped it of its beauty. It was only after life had dealt these people a bad hand that the splendors and majesty of this earth came to be appreciated. The land is surrounded by estuaries of crystal waters flowing through the pastures of rolling green hills. These glistening waters provided safe haven from expatriate intruders and allowed its people to live on with a complacent promise of tomorrow. Surrounded by a thicket of statuesque trees, which enveloped the voluminous clouds, these people came to know safety and in doing so, also met with ambiguity. This encounter proved nearly fatal to its subjects.

There is no other place on earth, in as much accordance with my knowledge of the vast surrounding lands that could compare to this mystical and magical environment. This my home, once nearly destroyed by avarice and lust, now flourishes in the promise of forgiveness.

I am an old man now. I have seen the perils of youth, experienced the trance of two loves, and tasted the wisdom of age. In so much as I have lived my youth not giving a damn, I have aged with its curse of neglect on my soul. I am the talisman of my time who so unfortunately must record the events of the past. It is with me that they began; it is with my survivors that they must live on.

King William of Crystaldom

1143 AD

Chapter I

In a kingdom unlike any we have known, there lived a princess called Christina. She lived in a time when the sun always shone, the people were always happy and the days were long. Her kingdom was called the land of Crystaldom.

There in Crystaldom, Christina lived with her father, the great and mighty King William, and her mother the soft and quiet Helena. Together their life was full of happiness and so the kingdom prospered.

The kingdom received its name long ago when during an ice storm the entire land was covered over by glistening stones falling from the sky. The storm raged on for four days covering all the land and trees with crystal-like stones. These stones glistened all the colors of the rainbow, casting an array of wondrous color on the land. Purples, greens and blues spread their hue over the land enriching the leaves and flowers. The forest and livestock flourished from the energy they received from the crystals for these crystals held a magical power over the land. There were not cold to the touch, but breathe an aura of life into everything they surrounded.

For four days the storm raged over the land illuminating everything it touched. People huddled behind their doors afraid to venture out. These great falling lights from the sky were thought by many to be a sign of the end of the world. Yet the livestock continued to roam the fields. The trees and flowers grew stronger with each passing day. This strange occurrence caused much speculation among the people, and on the fourth day when the storm had subsided a mad rush to the castle gate for an explanation by the King was demanded. The only explanation the King could give was that it was a sign by a stronger being that life’s purpose was now in the hands of these very people who looked questioningly at the King: they were to continue caring for their families and homes and to cherish the new strength that had been awarded them. Their new kingdom was enlightened with the vitality of life which they were to share with their fellow neighbors. From that day on, each day began with an illumination of light that helped people welcome the new day. Each nightfall brought a darkness with sputtering flickers of light in the sky as well as on the ground to aid the weary traveler through the night. The craftsman needed only this magical blend of crystal light to help him with his work at night.

As a sign of his belief in the wondrous powers of the storm, his land, the land this unexplainable crystal chose to bless, was deemed Crystaldom. And as a dedication to his people for their continued fellowship, King William saw fit to reward his people with the grandeurs of celebrations at the beginning of each new season. King William was a benevolent ruler whose generosity was felt by the lowliest creature. Whether it was making laws which restricted the hunting of certain animals to specific times of the year to ward off the dangers of extinction, or to insure that all his subjects’ children, be they male or female, were entitled to learn to read and write.

The Queen would preside over an elaborate banquet set atop the wondrous rolling hills of Crystaldom. Despite her regality, she associated with all the people and took a special interest in the delicacies made by her loyal subjects. This celebration, which included all the tasty foods made by the villagers continued on for three days. At the end of the festivities, all the eligible young squires of the kingdom would partake in games of challenge from which a Knight would be dubbed. This wonderful exercise of life reigned for almost a score and managed to erase the history of the land prior to its transformation.

Christina, now a lady of sixteen, had grown into a maiden of unmatchable beauty. She was born after the initial storm of crystals and so never knew the life that preceded it. And as far as her father was concerned, she need not know. At present she need only concern herself with the fact that the King and Queen, her parents, were preoccupied with finding a suitable suitor for her, one who could eventually become King of Crystaldom. But Christina was not fond of any of the Knights brought before the King’s court. No one seemed to hold her attentions. No one, regardless of his strength or physical abilities, could keep her amused or arouse the everlasting love of a marital bond. The King and Queen realized this dilemma facing them and knew only an outsider of outstanding qualities would be acceptable to their astute and profoundly attractive daughter. She, like her mother, would not settle for anything less.

Chapter 2

Meanwhile, in another land two mountains and three rivers far, an aging but very powerful queen lived in the Valley of Darkness. The Valley of Darkness was laden with withered blossoms that had not bloomed for more than a decade. It was a forest barren of all fertile life except for the rats which seemed to flourish off the devastated land. The main road that led to the Queen’s manor was rocky and prickled with the thorns of the dead rose bushes that had once adorned this valley.

Queen Augusta, as she was known, was one not to be reckoned with under any circumstances. She had begun her reign as Queen of the Valley of Darkness when King William refused to be her betroth. Their marriage was to unite the two kingdoms in wealth as well as power; however, when William realized her evil ways, he left the Valley and took with him the only source of goodness, the Sun.

King William had left the Queen with no recourse but to rule her subjects with terror. She enslaved those who did not obey her every command and rewarded only those knights who would satisfy her undying thirst for greed. The knights were sent out on missions to the surrounding lands to seek out the riches that they possessed. As her kingdom became rich, she used these riches to entice young men to join her army and promised them a life of plenty. However, her subjects suffered. Each day her knights would roam the countryside looting and destroying any prospects of hope or happiness to the peasants of the Valley of Darkness.

As the Queen and her evil knights grew richer, the peasants grew poorer. There was no sun to shine down on the crops to insure their growth. There was no warmth to aid the sick from dying or prospects for the homeless to find shelter. One could only find solitude in the prayers of the scorned that someday, somehow, someone would rescue them. But for them, they were only prayers.

Queen Augusta had many indentured servants. Most had come from other parts far and wide to seek their fortunes and return home with them. Yet, many never returned home and were never heard from or seen again. It had taken fifteen years for Queen Augusta to reach this height of wealth and power. In doing so, she managed to break the strength and will of her subjects. All chance of upheaval by them seemed lost.

While Augusta was building her army of mercenary knights, Crystaldom continued to flourish in spirit and life. Twenty years had passed and the Queen never once forgot the shame King William had belayed on her and so her passion for his destruction grew stronger. As she prepared to extend her realm of terror into Crystaldom, Queen Augusta sent for her most trusted Knight.

Just as he had come to her from another land in the Far East to seek his fortune, he too would remain. When he arrived in the Valley of Darkness, his natural beauty bewitched the Queen and her interest was piqued by his indifference to the destitution of her subjects and her worldly possessions that encompassed her world. Yet she captured his attentions with her cunning and magical ways. And so her tantalizing charms and sultry ways enticed him to stay and won her her most trusted servant. She had succeeded in virtually enslaving him just as she had done to the rest of her knights.

He had been in her Kingdom one season short of a year, the least amount of time for a knight in her commission to achieve renowned status. In those nine months he had proven himself skillful in the art of combat and a master in the cunning ways of deception. In other words, Queen Augusta found no other knight to be as worthy as he of her trust. His own clouded past and indifference to others in plight was the stunning quality she could understand.

Brian of the Woods, as he was called, was tall and slender with hair the color of chestnuts and eyes the shade of an uncut emerald jewel. He stood out in this valley of ragged and sickly specimens of peasants. Brian was new to this country, and thought it unusual for such a queen so abundant in riches to be surrounded by such poverty and degradation. His own homeland had been destroyed by fire, his family lost in ashes. He was alone in the world and had to begin a new life, a new fortune. Queen Augusta offered him the sanctuary of her home and the opportunity to obtain his goals.

As Brian entered the Queen’s bejeweled private chambers she thrilled at the thoughts of the impending doom that would befall her most dangerous adversary, King William.

Brian, welcome, she said in her throaty yet sensuous voice. Come closer young man. I have a proposal for you of which I feel certain only you can fulfill. She knew she had his attention when his boy-like smile flew across his lips.

There is a kingdom not far from here whose people flourish while mine disintegrates before my eyes. These people are the subjects of a great and noble king and warrior. They have no regard for my subjects and pursue their own intentions driven by their avarice. With a long deliberate sigh, she continued. As you probably have noticed, my people are simple. They are provided with the barest necessities and at this time I can provide no more. I have no surplus to spread among my people, only the encouraging words that they will be delivered from their plight. Only this is within my power to extend.

My primary concern at the present is the salvation of my kingdom, the survival from attack from those who wish to enslave us. I have been hoarding my riches in case of such an attack, and have used these resources to build the best, bravest, and boldest army of Knights this land or any land has ever known.

My feelings are such that wealth and prosperity should reign over all lands, for I know there is surely an abundance that lies in that selfish and independent kingdom. Why then should those fortunate peoples not share with those less fortunate? My wish is that they be united under one ruler with trusted governors, like you, to oversee the distribution of wealth among all people. This has been my dream; this is what I have been working and saving for these many years. But those evil and selfish rulers in the Kingdom would never listen to reason, and you can see for yourself how my people suffer. The time is right. The time is now. I need your help to rescue my people from their plight of suffering.

As she spoke her words rolled off her tongue with such precision he thought. This queen was no man’s fool. Even as she pleaded her people’s plight her stance was erect and assumed nothing less than the regality befitting a woman of determination.

He just looked at her in amazement. He could not believe his own ears. Was the Queen summoning him to head an army against some evil warlord? Before he could reply, Queen Augusta answered his very thoughts.

Brian, she began, I would like you to head an army of my most trusted men and lead them to Crystaldom. It is a small but very wealthy Kingdom two mountains and three rivers far. The journey will take at the most three hours on horseback. There is only one way to save my people and that is to bring back the Sun which King William so cunningly had taken from me twenty years ago. As she spoke, his face became a blanket of vague expression. The color rose to his cheeks and he appeared to be flushed.

Her voice did not waver a note. Her tone was commanding, yet subtle as she continued. This kingdom is known as Crystaldom. Twenty years ago when King William stole the Sun from my land, a storm ripped through our lands showering only his kingdom with these rare and magnificent crystals, while leaving mine in ruins. These crystals covered my adversary’s kingdom illuminating it with their special powers. My land suffered the destruction of the storm and was left barren. The Sun is the only ruling force from which the crystals get their power. Once we have the Sun in our possession, the crystals will lose their magical power over the land and all else will be ours for the taking.

Your majesty, when do you wish me to begin? His smile broadened, his eyes lit up and he could feel his heart begin to pound with a surge of anticipation for the oncoming encounter.

He had answered her well. She, the Queen of the Valley of Darkness, would have her way. And if all went according to plan, King William would be hers to enslave.

I will begin making the plans for your journey to Crystaldom. In the meantime Brian, I would like you to choose those men among my army of knights you can most trust and depend on to carry out any and all orders you might dispatch.

With a slight nod of his head and a show of approval for her words by a glimmer of a smile, Brian obediently bowed and took his departure from her chambers. He still could not believe the words the Queen had spoken or the task that she had bestowed upon him. There was only one problem the Queen had neglected to tell Brian, and that was how to get the Sun back. Brian knew he had his work laid out for him. For whatever reason she might have had for picking him, his was not to question why. He had his own motives for carrying out her plans. She need not know