Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
The Weathered Kingdoms
The Hunt
How Ray Fell
Moira's Perspective
Chapter 5
The city of Hope thrived and in time, the scars of war that devastated the lands began to heal.  All looked to the future, to the birth of the first heir to the throne of NorthEast, as the two kingdoms were now named as one.
A young prince was born named Ray.  He carried the kingdoms hope and his parents love; his temperament was sweet and he slept through the night.  From the day that he was born he had a tiny, dark brown mole as a birthmark on his left eyelid.
Two years after his birth, Pixie and Bernard discovered their misfortune.  Pixie’s inability to conceive a child.  The information became a secret that stayed between themselves and the physician that delivered the news.  As time passed, the pressure from the hope of the people held a heavy presence over their marriage, both feeling that they were responsible for letting down the kingdoms. 
In a moment of private desperation, Pixie went to the top of the central tower and cried out to the universe, begging any ethereal entity to grant them the blessing of a child.
Mother Nature heard her cries.
Of late, the creator of the kingdoms had been watching the rulers with the hope that they could re-forge the lands.  The wars and destruction broke her heart anew each time she beheld them.  She had moulded the landscape as it was, so that mankind would have to work in perfect harmony in order to successfully survive. The daemon’s insult of war had been too much to bear and, in shame of humanity’s weakness, she had turned from them.
When the heirs of the kingdoms came together with the aim of reuniting the kingdoms, her hope was renewed and now, with the Queen’s plea, she was finally afforded a chance to help.
At the same time that Pixie cried at the pinnacle of Hope, she appeared to her, disguised as a blue dragonfly.  To grant the despairing Queen the gift of life giving, she sacrificed a full tenth of her own power. 
Using her disguised form to her advantage, she flew around the woman to create an enchanted circle to contain the magic, then landed gently on the finger that was stretched out towards her, as the Queen had noticed the beautiful dragonfly that was encircling her.  The touch of the tiny creature’s legs sent a shiver throughout her body, culminating in her womb.
By the time that the dragon fly lifted from her finger and lightly brushed her face with its wings as it flew away, as if granting a blessing, Pixie felt as though a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.  She looked out over the city below and remembered its name.
As she fluttered away, Mother Nature wished the Queen’s future daughter luck and courage, for both would she need to shoulder the power that would be granted to her.  Such was the gift, not only a child to solidify the future of the kingdoms, but the ability to affect an actual change to the seasons of the lands.

Nine months passed and the kingdoms rejoiced at the birth of a beautiful baby princess whose parents named Moira.  Her eyes, one being deep green and the other a deep reddish brown, unbeknown to all, were the result of Mother Nature’s meddling.
The hopes of the kingdom rested on the future union of Ray and Moira, all that was left was to wait.  With any fortuity, they would consent to the arrangement or, against all hope, fall in love.
The years fell away revealing the pure hearts and beauty that both children possessed.
Ray's strength lay in fair and just leadership, there were no people that were unhappy with his decisions or were even capable of defying him.  His heart guided his actions though he never made a move without considering every option.  Logic never abandoned him.
Moira’s strength was in her ability to nurture.  She could make anything grow wherever she pleased.  Communing with animals came as naturally as speaking with other people, she understood them, and they her.  She was capable of seeing into the heart of anyone and as such could identify a lie before it was even told.
From a very young age all of these things were clearly traits of a kind and gentle future Queen.
Yet as she grew, it became more and more apparent that these abilities were supernatural in origin.  She would grow plants from where there was no seed.  She understood word for word what the animals were saying.  People who spoke to her found that it was completely impossible to even consider lying to her.  There were even occasions when she revealed that she knew deep, hidden secrets that individuals had never breathed to another person.
Still, she was loved.
The warmth of her heart took it all in stride.  Anyone who met her knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she had the best intentions at heart and that she would never betray a confidence.
These initial traits were not the only oddities that were associated with the princess. 
The weather in Hope always reflected the country that each quarter of the city resided in.  However, as Moira approached adolescence, this began to change.  Rain, wind, snow and sunshine seemed to bend to the whims of the teenage princess, manifesting as her emotions grew deeper and more refined. 
She felt sorrow, the rain fell.
She felt happy, the sun shone.
She got angry, the wind blew.
She felt frustrated, thunder storms would clap.
© Rocky Norton,
книга «The Weathered Kingdoms and The Mature Expansions - Excerpts».
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