SABA

-The Crown-

Chapter 1

This garden is beautiful. I was sitting on the grass, running my hands over the bright red flowers that surrounded me on all sides. I don’t know how I got here. I didn’t want to think about that right now. I will enjoy this for as long as I can. My palms were strangely white. Almost transparent. My fingers didn’t have a stable form, they drifted through the air. Even though I felt like I was sitting, I couldn’t see my legs. In the form in which they should exist. Another thing I will not think about now.

I heard a quiet rustling sound in front of me. Something was moving through the flowers towards me. A small creature. A head peeked through the flowers in front of me. Trob. Happy to see me, he jumped into my lap, or what was supposed to be my lap. I ran my hands through his fur while he purred softly.

“Saba, we can’t stay here much longer.” – said Trob.

Shocked, I dropped him from my hands. He landed on his feet, smiling cheerfully at me. Yes, he stretched his lips into a smile.

“You can talk?”

“I can here. And I mean what I said. We can’t stay here much longer. You have to go back.”

“Where do I go back to? I don’t even know how I got here, or from where.”

“When we return everything will be clear to you.” – Trob became serious as he said these words.

“How long have I been here, do you know?” – I asked him worried.

“Here? I think time isn’t really counted here. There, on the other side, I’m afraid it’s been twenty days, maybe a day more. You are, my dear Saba, in a coma. A state between life and death. I am not Trob, I only appeared in his form, so I could approach you more easily.”

“Then who are you? And how can you take his form? And when someone is in a coma they don’t see anything, just black nothingness. And I, here I am, seeing and experiencing all of this.” – my voice was becoming seriously shaky and uncertain.

Trob or whoever it was just smiled mysteriously and gave me a look full of love.

“You can keep questioning me, but you are only delaying the inevitable. It is not your time yet. You are not allowed to die. You are too important for what comes next.” – saying that he extended his hand to me.

As our hands touched, they created a strange spark of energy. A slight shiver ran through my whole body, forcing me to close my eyes and tilt my head slightly back. When I opened my eyes again, I saw that Trob was no longer standing in front of me, but a tall being, radiant, transparent, without a defined face. Or perhaps some glowing veil covered its face. Or hers. The gender was undefined.

“Let’s go Saba. They are waiting for you.” – said the being of light but the voice was no longer heard physically. I heard it inside me.

Chapter 2

The return to reality was painful. A loud, piercing scream that seemed like it was mine but came from another direction. My sense of hearing was probably still unaccustomed to external stimuli. Later I found out that the truth was much more painful.

I was lying on a soft spacious bed. Reality check: My vision is blurred, slowly adjusting to the light. I feel my arms and legs. They are there. They hurt but they are in place. Something is strange with my right ear. I feel a strong stinging sensation. But also a strange emptiness.

A woman leans over me. She places her hands on my chest, checking if I am awake. She smiled gently, gestured with her hand for me to wait and not move, and disappeared from my field of vision.

After some time, more women appeared. They were checking something around the room where I was lying. My vision was still blurred so I couldn’t see what they were checking.

I am tired, I feel sleepy. I close my eyes and drift into a dreamless sleep.

I wake up the next moment, that’s how it feels.

“Call Mereut, tell her she woke up.” – a soft voice reaches my mind.

Commotion. A loud crash, I would say a chair fell, getting in someone’s hurried way. Or maybe an entire table.

I finally decided it was time to open my eyes. This time my vision was clear. Above me, with a slightly worried but very gentle face, stood a woman dressed entirely in white. Her black hair, creating contrast, fell over her shoulders. Behind her stood five or six more women dressed in the same uniforms.

“Our dear one. Welcome back. I am doctor Mereut. I know you have many questions. But allow me to tell you just a few things briefly. I have several good news and one bad. I will start with the bad. We had to remove your right ear, not completely but enough for you to lose hearing in it. The wound you sustained became infected very quickly, we couldn’t do anything. Your right arm and right leg suffered severe injuries, but fortunately we managed to repair everything. Although at one point it seemed they would be lost as well. Those are the good news. And of course, you are alive. Recovery will take some time. You lost too much blood in a very short time. I still cannot explain how you managed to endure it and survive.”

She continued speaking but I lost track of her voice. The mere fact that my mother and Trob were not there created a strong discomfort in my stomach. Something was tearing inside.

Chapter 3

It turned out that my dark premonitions were only the result of accumulated negativity I had experienced. They were there, they just weren’t allowed to be in the room where I was lying. Doctor Mereut explained why, but I didn’t follow her. It didn’t matter.

The reunion with my mother was very emotional. As soon as our eyes met, tears began to flow. Joyful, mixed with all those sad days during which we were apart. She gave me a bracelet she had always wanted to give me, but our paths diverged before she had the chance. That weighed on my soul. I didn’t properly say goodbye to her. I knew it would have been harder for me to leave, if I had chosen a proper farewell.

“I moved here. I gave our house to Menmi. I have no need for it anymore. It is too hard to stay there, after everything. They told me what happened to you, I left everything and came here.”

“That means I will live here now too, right?” – I asked.

“Yes, but everything in its time. You will need some more time to recover. They already told me what they plan for you. But I cannot tell you anything.”

“I planned to return, the same way I came here. It seems that will not happen.” – my voice turned sad.

“There is no need for that. Rest, the time for knowledge and future plans will come when you are ready.”

Trob could not be in the hospital. But they told me he was well taken care of, until the time comes for us to meet again. That was enough for me to wait calmly and patiently for that meeting. He must have grown.

Another ten days passed before I began real recovery. The kind that involves getting out of bed. I was learning to walk again. My muscles had largely atrophied. My legs were covered with scars. I was suppressing one thought and I will continue to suppress it. When I am ready to forgive, I will let it burst. Until then it will remain blocked.

Another twenty days passed before I was able to do things completely on my own and leave the hospital. The reunion with Trob was no less emotional than the one with my mother. I held him in my arms while he happily wagged his tail, making soft, sweet sounds.

“We will not be separated again. I promise you that.” – I said, holding him high in the air with both hands.

He nodded his head, agreeing with me.

***

Samkar was by far the largest city of Virteleon. It stretched across the entire area of the third territory. It consisted of suburbs dotted with houses that were similar or the same as those she had seen in the other two territories.

The city center had a huge circular space in the middle, a square. Around the square were all the important buildings related to functioning. They were stone buildings that rose multiple floors, some had even ten floors. The total population could not be precisely calculated since no census had been conducted after the tragic events that had occurred earlier.

Upon leaving the hospital I was first placed with my mother and Trob in a house in the suburbs. Doctor Mereut gave us the house, until the moment when the Council of Vela would address me, as they called the highest governing body in Samkar, and in all of Virteleon.

Chapter 4

I was sitting in the yard in front of the house, playing with Trob. The day was beautiful, warm. I threw Trob a bundle of paper which he caught with his teeth in mid-air. He was very skillful. I increased the speed and strength of my throws but he always caught the bundle ready. In the distance, first quietly and then more clearly, the footsteps of several people could be heard. I raised my head and saw a group of four women, dressed in black, shiny robes that covered everything except their eyes.

“Saba, please come with us. It is time. Only you, without your mother and Trob.” – they said simultaneously, as if one voice spoke from all of them.

I nodded, said goodbye to my mother and Trob and followed the group of women. I was excited about the meeting with the Council of Vela. I didn’t know much about them, and I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know anything, not even the smallest detail, until the moment of meeting.

For some reason unknown to me, we went around the center instead of cutting across and reaching the building that had ten floors and was the place of the meeting. Strange but I didn’t ask anything. There must be a reason for it. As we made a semicircle around the square, I heard the noise of a large number of people. But I couldn’t see what was happening because we were far from it. Even from that distance it was clear that there were many people.

We entered the building through the back entrance. As we approached the entrance, the noise from the square grew louder and louder. I couldn’t see the crowd because the building blocked the view.

We climbed to the top, the tenth floor. We didn’t see anyone during our ascent. One of the girls knocked on the door. A girl dressed in the same outfit but in white opened it. She had black hair that fell to her shoulders. She led us through a series of rooms that were completely empty, just bare walls. Finally we reached the main room, where there were more girls dressed in completely white robes.

“Saba. We are glad you have joined us. We are the Council of Vela.” – said one of the girls but it sounded as if the voice came from all of them.

“Your journey here has not gone unnoticed. Your sacrifice, your willingness to help, and finally the unfortunate events in front of the city gates. We owe you an explanation for that unfortunate event. You see, after the battle with the beetle-like creatures and the death of all adult men, some children were left completely alone. They only had fathers, their mothers had died earlier. And then, after the death of their fathers, they were left alone. From that loneliness, anger, aggression, vandalism were born. Everyone was dealing with their own worries, mourning their own grief. We were not prepared nor aware of what could happen to them. For that we owe you an apology. These groups usually gather around the city entrance and harass those who wish to enter. Usually, this is not a problem. Our guards deal with them easily. But this time, no one was at the guard post due to an incident that happened in the city. But enough about us. You surely have questions.”

The first question had been in my thoughts since I woke up, but I had long lost hope of getting an answer.

“I had the Engineers’ records with me. I wanted to bring them here so that someone might interpret them. Did…”

One of the women interrupted me.

“Yes, we have those records. We have interpreted them. That is why you are here now, with us. You will have access to those writings. What is most important and what concerns you is the following, I will quote: The one who dares to take these texts from here will be the first ruler of Virteleon. All glory and power belong to them. To use it for the good of their people. To remain faithful to pure ideals. To serve. A crown shall be made for them and placed upon their head as soon as conditions are secured. Do not wait even a moment if the conditions are favorable.“

We were silent for some time. I didn’t know what to think. Me to be the ruler of Virteleon? To have a crown placed on my head. Mixed feelings – fear of imposed duty, joy because I will serve the people, which is what I wanted to do and have been doing since the beginning of my journey.

“I have one more question if I may.”

With gestures of their hands they gave me a confirming answer.

“What happened to those six children who attacked me?” – the question that had troubled me all this time.

“They are imprisoned in an isolated section. First we healed them of their injuries, and then sent them to serve their sentence.”

“How long will the sentence last?” – I asked curiously.

“Until they are fully healed.”

Silence followed, broken only by distant shouts from the square.

One of the girls left the room for a moment, returning very quickly. She carried a crown, adorned with precious stones. White–golden in color, it radiated presence and some strange warmth.

“On this occasion, by the last wish of the Engineer, we crown Saba, the first queen of Virteleon. May she live for our people, may she serve us. May she be our protector and a just ruler.” – they all said in unison, then placing the crown on my head. It was heavy but it fit me perfectly.

“Am I officially queen now?”

“Yes.”

“Is my word final?”

“Yes.”

“Release my attackers and bring them to me. Give me some time with them and they will be healed. Is that alright?”

“It is, queen Saba. And now we ask you to step onto the balcony and address your people.”

-The epilogue will follow soon-