Chapter Three
A Mother’s Lullaby

                    From that day forth the Guardians were greatly honored. Thanks to their righteous deeds the people could sleep in peace once again. Knowing Reoka could no longer murder innocent children women gave birth. A holiday was even established to celebrate their freedom from Reoka’s reign of terror: Day of Reckoning. It seems that the very wounds of the past had begun to heal at last.
                     After the horror Mysteria had endured ended the Guardians went their separate ways. There were still crimes but the law kept them at bay. No one really knows what happened to Mysteria’s heroes. Rumors began to spread that they went into hiding or set out to find whom they truly were. There is a story however behind the relations of Acen and Oceanus.
              Oceanus was deeply in love with the drow king ever since fate had brought them together. Nevertheless she did not know how to express her secret feelings to him. She was terribly shy and apprehensive at times. One day Acen invited the lovely sea nymph to walk with him on Wintra’s beach. Immediately Oceanus accepted.
                       So during a breathtaking sunset the two strolled arm-in-arm along the white shoreline. Oceanus mostly kept to herself watching the waves crash upon the beach. “Sure is beautiful,” Acen noted. “Yes indeed,” the sea nymph muttered. She nervously twisted strands of her aquamarine hair in her fingers. Acen clasped Oceanus’s hand in his own. “Oceanus, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” All of a sudden the sea nymph spilt forth her emotions. “Oh Acen! I just have to come out and say. I love you. I think about you every night and day.” She buried her face into his chest to hide the reddening cheeks. Acen caressed her chin and lifted her face to his own. “I feel the exact same way about you my love. And I want you to be my wife.” Oceanus could barely believe her ears. “Will you?” the drow king asked hopefully. She was only able to nod due to the tears of happiness choking her speech.
                     Two months later the wedding was held at Snowsea Chapel. The harmonic tones of a lovely pipe organ fading with the rich tolls of church bells rang throughout the halls. Oceanus, all dressed in white walked down the aisle feeling any moment she would finally soar to unreachable heights. At the altar the couple exchanged vows of devotional love and shared a passionate kiss forming an everlasting bind.
                   Several prosperous years floated by for Acen and his beloved wife. As the drow king grew older he and Oceanus yearned to have a child. However a witch’s curse prevented the queen from ever giving birth. She hoped Acen would consent to adopting an orphan at the capital’s homeless shelter for children. Whenever Oceanus attempted to bring up the matter the king would hardly hear her out. This devastated the queen more than the curse she endured as a young woman and she fell deathly ill. Recovery seemed out of the question.
                    It was a cool November evening, the stars were shining brighter than ever before seen. All who lay eyes on the heavens became dazzled. Every now and then a falling star streaked across the sky. Mysteria’s second largest moon, Sora, was in the shape of a crescent and glowed a pearly white. Although it was invisible to the naked eye the moon was like a swing held by unseen chains attached to the stars. Sitting upon the surface was the Queen Lana herself. Lana’s golden blonde trembled in a chilly galactic breeze and her azure blue eyes filled with tears.
                     Clinging to Queen Lana was a little girl elf who turned out to be her daughter. Around the elf-girl’s neck was a gold and ruby red star pendant, her name was engraved in silver letters in its center, “Arkina.” Her mother sang one last lullaby before making the toughest decision of her life. Lana had a voice of an angel, sweet and tender, and never missing a note.

Hush now my child
Please don’t cry.
These dreams are mild
So you cannot die.

I will be with you side by side
Dreams will not hurt you in
your mind.
Face the fears that make you
Run.

Soon you shall see what you must
Find.
Just rest your head and please don’t
Hide.

                     The song echoed all across Mysteria like a dying wind. Following a long moment of silence Lana slid from the moon swing and drifted below to Wintra, embracing her child. Below all the inhabitants were snug in bed dreaming their wildest or most pleasant dreams. The Queen set foot on a balcony of winter’s Arc Castle, home to the royal family. The doors pushed open on their own accord as Lana entered the bedchamber belonging to Acen and Oceanus. Crossing lightly towards the king sized bed where the couple lay asleep she embraced Arkina tighter than before. Gently Lana laid her child on a sofa, and covered her with a white cloak as a blanket. Tears were streaming down her cheeks for the Queen could not bear to part from her daughter. “Until we meet again, my little one,” Lana murmured softly. Then in a whisper of a gentle wind she had vanished.
                         Next morning Oceanus woke up to find a surprise visitor in her midst. Oceanus nearly fainted with delight. Instead she let out a scream of excitement, which awoke Acen with a start and sent him tumbling out of bed and thudding on the floor. “Who? What? When? How?” the king mumbled sleepily. “Acen our prayers have been answered,” Oceanus said gesturing to the little elf-girl still fast asleep. By this time King Acen had stumbled to his feet and was rubbing his head where he had hit it on the floor after falling out of bed.
                       King Acen became wide-awake when he saw little Arkina and rounded upon his wife. “A child! By the mane of Pegasus how did she get here?” He suddenly gave her a severe gaze in those cold gold eyes of his. “Oceanus you didn’t do what I think you did?” The sea nymph was stunned by his last remark. “Of course not Acen! I would never for as long as I lived,” she protested with dignity. “Well she couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air,” Acen argued his voice rising just a bit. He sighed heavily. As much as we want a child we cannot keep her. Her parents must be sick with worry. Oceanus glanced at the girl, her heart filling with regret. Suddenly a piece of parchment in the little girl’s hand caught the sea nymph’s sharp eyes. Carefully the queen took the parchment and read beautiful cursive in a note of the following:

                         Acen,
                         Please take good care of my daughter Arkina. And please no complaints you are the only ones whom I can trust.
                                                                       Sincerely, Queen Lana
           
          The king raised his eyebrows. “She always seems to know what I’m thinking. How is that?” he asked himself totally baffled. Oceanus reread the note to herself daring to believe the truth. “I cannot believe this. It is a dream come true.” She wished to scoop the adorable elf girl into her arms and cuddle her however Oceanus allowed her to sleep. Instead she glomped her husband and covered his face with kisses.