About the girl who was found in another world

Yesterday I was shot by the Imagination. Her expectations were  beyond my capabilities. After all day long of working I have done nothing. She didn’t even look at me, just BOOM! – and I am dead.

That was the day before, but now I am back among the living again.

I was wondering what I should write today. I have so much information to relay and I cannot choose anything from that mess in my head. Heroes, weapons, suits, maps, animals – so many possibilities! However I decided to start from the beginning. The main base, on which the story is rested on is the person of Limena, but I want to write about her some other time. I want to put here an image of her.

Fantasy about fantasy

Another character that appears in the story is Dominica. Her personality is kind of important – it just so happens that she is a narrator. I could leave her out and create an omniscient narrator and in later events replace her with some other person. Why did not I do it? Because that is important to me to show the world through somebody’s eyes, who would be a stranger, who would get to know new rules, that do not exist on the Earth. I want the character to be close to the reader, be like him – normal.

Exactly. As far as normality is concerned. How many times did I come into bookshop, take to hand a book and put it down just because on the cover was written: “Lucy is 16 and she is a normal girl until blah, blah, blah”. If she is abnormal, she can’t be normal! I do not want Dominica to be created on patter like this. She should be the most normal person in the world. The teenager, who comes into new stage of her life, rids of her step-mother and goes to another city to study. The teenager, who has problems to open to others. The teenager, who loves the alternate worlds from books, from games, a fantasy worlds (oops, I just did describe myself). And suddenly that normal person gets to a strange world, where she has to learn to live from basics. Moreover, there is someone who has plans connected to her.

The girl had a problem. Of course, she wanted to jump into some fantasy world, just to be as far away from Poland, step-mother and life-problems as possible, but when she did find herself in there… Well, she was not ready. If anybody had told her what could happen maybe she would have learnt to handle some weapon and prepare, but she never had that opportunity. In no way could she identify with this new world. She wanted to jump back into her old life, to problems she once had. In addition without her permission and knowledge she was joined to the team with the difficult mission to do. She did not care and thought that it did not concern her. I ask myself: what or who would convince her to change her mind and identify with Limena’s world? What kind of incident could influence her and in what kind of way?

As I mentioned, the girl liked the world of games. Into her life I have weaved an event from my own life – I allowed her to create a virtual character of Limena and Sashila.

Black goes with her

Just like Limena, Dominica was created within a game as well, but I use only her appearance and class. As a guardian swordsman, she used a sword with a shield… Wait, wait! Back! After all, she was a normal person from the 21^st century, she could not fight!

Her look… I had to change her amaranth hair to an ordinary colour. She had lived in the real world, where people do not have naturally pink hair. I decided she would have long dark one which would like to wear undone. But developments would make it so she will wear them in two pony tails (just like in the  illustration in the header).

New world, new name

A Polish name in another world would match like coffee with salt, but it depends on taste. When Dominica introduced herself, she changed her name to Sashila and with this name she started in the strange world.

(I do not know now but in the middle of the story it may turn up that in an odd language ‘Sashila’ means something like ‘Fearless’ or ‘Gallant’ or ‘The Girl with Seven Legs’. My Imagination has weird ideas.)

Prologue

‘…In these tough days, at the time of war and anxiety, it is important to remember that our races are not enemies. We have beautiful common history, which includes both great and tragic times. In the battles, wars, and clashes the blood of every race has been poured. Our lives have tangled together for over thousands of years. We have lived through bad and good moments, we cannot forget the past now! Yes, this is true that humans are the youngest race, unaffected by the strength of the Power, but it does not mean we can condemn them! Our ancestors had watched the first steps that was made by humans. From the forest they observed the Roman Empire, the building of the Great Wall. Imperceptible they agreed with the human culture.  During the Dark Ages they stood in silence when our brothers and sisters died, but at least they have found the shelter. They came slowly out of the shadow, showed their strength and friendship to youngest companions. With you, my dear Poles and  Lithuanians, they developed and commanded language. And now I am asking myself: what would be if Wladyslaw Jagiello did not bring us on the Polish land? Who would we be if you did not help us? Probably, we would hide in shrinking forests. We could not find the place in this constantly expanded society of humans. There would not be solutions, which was brought in by us to save the Earth from disaster. We would be watching as the world is dying and with it every single being, the magician or not. And if we would fight at last, it would be too late. Yes, with common strength, but under our command, we are making the life better, we recede from the destruction. What would be the Power Poland-Lithuanian, if there would not be us? So many times we could depend on ourselves, so many times we fought shoulder to shoulder against our enemies and we chased them away from our lands! So many times our blood mixed together! We were the first who blurred the racial boundaries, which did not happen in other countries! Together we streamlined so many fields of our lives! In agreement we came into the 20^th century! So why this small group, Who Know the Secret of the Power, started the war on European scale?! Once again I am asking you, rebels, to remind you: the human race is not the enemy of magical beings! We live together in symbiosis – we would not survive without humans, they would not without us. Put your weapons away, voluntarily surrender to the justice! I am addressing to you, me, Meani GaLen IV, as a representative of being Who Know the Secrets of the Power: we do not want to fight, we want peace, we want to live! Together!’

When the witch with short blond hair came down from the podium, the noise of shouted reporters and sounds of taking photos rang out. Someone shouted through this noise. In the air hung the question:

‘What about the Friends? What do you think about the Friends?’

Silence filled the room. The witch had never answered any questions from reporters but this very first time she stopped and turned to the asking person. This was a young man, who did not stand out from the crowd, but he did the impossible.

‘Nothing can excuse breaking rules’, she said, looking straight into his eyes. ‘Of course, they are chasing criminals but they are them too. We cannot expect that they will change their behaviour in the times of peace. How many of us will live next to murderers? Would we sleep peaceful if we know that the neighbour has blood on his hands? Every single day we would be afraid if our children would come safely from school. The government cannot allow this!’

The witch squinted her eyes and smiled. A flash immortalized this moment.

‘Every single member of this group will be arrested and sentenced to prison without judgment. And now excuse me, I have to win the war.’

On Egypt stylizing

I am not too wild about the beginning. I had approached the prologue with the story about Limena several times and nothing matched. There was moments in which I deleted a couple of pages as I was feeling mad, so I delayed writing. I had the whole story right before my eyes, I knew, what would happen, I knew characters, most important events, but I hadn’t grasped the beginning. This problem was eating me up inside, while the Imagination got impatient. She wanted me to go further, and as fast as possible. At night, she tormented me by invading my thoughts, every now and then starting new sentences, new dialogues and descriptions. She would insist on one thread, which she wanted to include in the text.

But then coincidence helped me.  Now, I do not remember why but I reached for the book about Cleopatra. I found an excerpt quoting inscription written at the tomb of Ta-Imhotep, which inspired me extraordinarily.

Oh, all of you judgers and scholars, all of you noble and eminent, every people, who ever come into this tomb, come closer and listen to history of my life!*

Yes! I found it! A prophecy! I decided to begin with a prophecy. Not with the meeting with one of characters, not with boring description, nor a dialogue, which would be out of context. A prophecy! A subtle introduction to another world, which rules under different rules and by the way nothing would be said (I had even said more on this blog). Additionally I hit on an idea to create the culture of Chyllen founding on the Ancient Egypt. The Imagination seemed to be satisfied. For now. At least she hadn’t disturbed me that one time.

Coming back to my prophecy – every now and then I delved into the text from the tomb of Ta-imhotp and in turn composed words, which went well within my novel. In my head appeared an image of a mystery person who comes out of a forest. She carried a two-handed sword on her back. Her face was hidden under the mask of the darkness, but you could see a glint in her eyes. I wanted to write about that person. I forced burden on her, which only  she could take. The main thread will be set around this weight.

This is what I wrote:

All of you noble and wise, sorcerers and warriors, representatives of all of races that tread on the native ground of my own. All of you, who remember the greatness and majesty of the State with the Dragon Tower, come closer and listen, because the time came, when it is dangerous to stride with risen head.After nineteen years will come back to avenge legacy of father. The child unwanted, the child ennoble. Born in the third day of month Thatos, in thee thirtieth year of the reign of the king of Chyllen, the heir of Ne-Ferin house, the priest of KirIn, Lahols.The child exiled, bred in KirIn’s care will come back and his name will be…

*Aleksander Krawczuk, Cleopatra, in translation made by me.