Are you really Princess Aislinn?

Sean arrived at the school in his truck. He leapt out and felled one of the demons with his shotgun. His ability to aim never diminished. “Rowan, Professor, get in! We need to get out of here!”

Rowan and the professor ran towards him. Professor Riordan stopped and pulled Rowan back. “Mr. MacLeod, run!” He warned as a large humanoid demon landed near the truck. It impacted the ground and made a large crater. The demon stomped on the truck. Some magical element within it caused the truck to explode, the force of which threw Sean a few feet away.

Rowan ran to his father’s side. Sean was wounded, but he still lived. The demon towered over them and opened its mouth. An arcane sphere formed, threatening them both. Pain swirled in Sean’s body. He knew he couldn’t get away in time, and he knew Rowan would never leave him behind.

Sean slowly stood up. Rowan steadied him on his feet. “Thanks, son. Now get out of here,” Sean whispered. He pushed Rowan away with all of his strength as a purple-colored arcane blast struck him.

Rowan was thrown almost ten feet away. He landed in a heap, pain radiating throughout his entire body. His ears rang as he tried to push himself up and focus his eyes on his father. There was nothing but a smoldering crater where the man once stood. Professor Riordan helped him to his feet. Rowan was too devastated to even shout in anguish.

A light emanated from Professor Riordan’s hands and traveled through Rowan’s body, mending his physical wounds. “Go now, run to the forest near here.”

Rowan stepped away from the professor and glared at him. “No! Not until I find my mother and sister. I can’t leave them behind!”

The skies darkened just as the professor berated him. They looked up and saw a massive, dark dragon soar above them. A Danan woman in a torn black dress rode atop it, wielding a jagged silver bow. Her dark gray hair blew in the wind and showed her pointed ears. She pulled the bowstring back and conjured a hail of arrows to rain down upon the city.

Professor Riordan conjured a spear of ice in his hand and released it to strike the dragon. “Morrigan,” he breathed, anger flaring in his eyes.

The woman looked down and saw the professor and Rowan there. Her maniacal expression softened when her abyssal eyes settled on Rowan. Her hand clasped around something she wore around her neck. She looked at Professor Riordan, and the maniacal anger returned. “Kill him!” She commanded her forces. The demons converged and began their onslaught on the professor.

Professor Riordan pushed Rowan away with a gentle magic force. “Run! Now!” He commanded as he avoided a demon’s strike.

Rowan skidded to a halt a few feet away and gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew he would be of no help there. His professor could somehow use magic to defend himself, and his mother and sister still needed help. “Don’t you dare die!” Rowan barked as he turned and ran from the battle.

He avoided demons and rubble as he made his way from the school. Cars and bikes were out of the question in such a chaotic setting. Rowan felt almost numb, surrounded by destruction. He saw his father die in front of him. He saw good people suffering and dying around him. None of it felt real. “Where’s Princess Aislinn when you need her? She beat these guys in the story.”

The typical route he would take to his mother’s office was blocked by destruction. “Through the park, then,” Rowan spoke to himself to calm his nerves. “It’s a longer route, but it should be better than trying to climb over rubble.”

Rowan dashed through the same park he used to play in as a kid. The signs of battle changed every tree he once climbed up with his friends. He slowed down to a jog as his heart beat too heavily in his chest.

He looked up and saw his mother’s law firm through the trees. The building looked fine from his vantage point, filling him with hope. “Please be okay!” He continued his sprint through the trees, ignoring the burning in his lungs and the pain in his legs.

A thick cloak of mist obscured his view of the law firm. Rowan becomes surrounded by supernatural phenomena. “What’s going on?” He wondered aloud. Fear gripped him again as he wondered if a demon intended to strike.

A specter, cloaked in a gray robe, silently walked through the mist. “Who are you?” Rowan demanded. It didn’t look like a demon.

“Go now. Save them.” The figure spoke in a deep, hoarse whisper, raising a thin finger to point towards the law firm.

Rowan didn’t feel safe turning his back on the strange being, but he couldn’t hesitate to go to his family. “That’s the plan.” He turned around and ran as fast as he could through a thick haze of mist.

He reached the edge of the park and continued onward. Rowan stepped out onto a dirt road. “What?” He looked around and saw buildings made of wood and stone. People walked around dressed in ancient clothing styles, tunics, and kilts. They rode on wagons and horses rather than cars.

Rowan slowly walked ahead and looked off into the distance. He saw the same dragon carving that once terrified him.

“It’s good to be back home!” A nearby man cheered.

“Haha! Djehutimesu might be nice this time of year, but it doesn’t compare to Corbenic, does it?” The man’s friend agreed.

“Corbenic? The ancient Kingdom of Corbenic? I thought it was made up for Twilight of Princess Aislinn.” Rowan muttered to himself. As he looked at the strange people, the humans and the sparse few animal-like Ossorian and Danan, he was also getting examined. He clearly stood out with his modern clothes.

Rowan walks away from the area and sees a castle in the distance. “Luíseach Castle, like in the book,” he recognized it. He saw a group of soldiers pass by with a girl marching in the middle of the group. “Princess Aislinn?” His worn heart almost skipped a beat. The book didn’t do her beauty justice. She wore a regal, light green dress that highlighted her features. Silver locks cascaded from her head and past her shoulders. Deep blue eyes that shone like stars. A gold tiara with a red gem at its center signified her role as a princess.

Rowan snapped himself back to reality. I have to talk to her! She defeated those demons before, she can do it again! He ran after the group and called out to her. “Princess Aislinn!”

The guards and princess turned to face him. The guards blocked his path. “Hold it! None may approach Her Royal Highness without an invitation.” One guard sternly warned him.

“Are you really Princess Aislinn?” Rowan asked.

“Yes. Who are you?” Aislinn replied, confusion evident on her features.

“Move along, or you’ll be in the dungeons before noon.” The guard threatened him.

Rowan ignored him. “Why did the demons return and attack my home? You sealed them away, didn’t you?”

“Demons?” Aislinn was confused once again. “What demons?” She noticed the guards preparing to arrest him for a breach of protocol. “Of course! You’re the scholar I hired, aren’t you? How silly of me.” She smiled, disarming the guards. He knew something important, and she couldn’t let the guards remove him from her sight.

“Your new scholar, Your Highness?” The guard asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “Please follow me, I’ll show you to the library at once.” Aislinn invited him.

“He mentioned demons, Your Highness.” The guard pressed, skepticism clear in his voice.

“Yes, the demons of poor working conditions. His previous employers barely paid him enough to cover his expenses." She explained

Rowan was baffled, but he knew when someone was making up a story to disarm a situation, so he went with it. After all, he would be able to talk to the mythical Princess Aislinn.