How The Drenched Came To Be: Part One

      Fortune sighed and thought, 'Why must her news be horrible when mine is always so good?' "What is it, dear sister?"

      "I will be banished because of this 'blessing.' This is no blessing for me, it's an awful curse! You've never had the weight of Maraqua on your shoulders, you've never had to look a young child in the face and see their doomed future, and you've certainly never had to think of banishment!" Dread started to cry the tears of sorrow, pain, and torment that had been hunting her since her birth and blessing.

     She and her twin sister, Fortune, had been blessed by a mysterious creature when they were both very young. This creature always had twisted intentions. Some blessings could seem to be one way and truly be another. It seemed like such a kind gift to grant vision, but in the creature's twisted manor one twin would have visions of good and the other would have visions of bad. Dread was chosen to see the horrible truths that so few had to deal with, and Fortune was able to see the beautiful light that shone around all, though some lights were stronger than others.

     Fortune shook her head and muttered over and over one single word, "No." She sighed and vowed to never allow her dear sister to be banished, at least not without joining her in that cruel and undeserved fate.

     Fortune, however, would have seen what was coming if she ever saw even one bad thing, but bad things were impossible for her to see, and difficult for her to think.

      Dread swam away to a rock to be alone. Fortune looked away, but she too swam away so that she could think about what was happening.

      Fortune wondered what else could go wrong, but not much could be worse than being banished, or watching her twin sister be banished. She then thought more and more about what Dread had said to her, since it was all true. She never had to go to sleep thinking about what she knew and saw, she never had to wake up screaming from yet another nightmare, and she certainly never even entertained the notion of banishment.

      Whenever one of the twins had important news, they would go to King Kelpbeard, but he rarely listened to them. He wanted so badly to prove that he was a fine King without any help, but sometimes, in their opinion, he was just being foolish. Fortune wanted to hurry off to talk with the King, but what could he do? He'd be the one who ultimately made the decision to banish her sister, for all she knew it was already too late to change his mind. Banishment was the worst punishment that the Maraquans knew of, so what could her sister have done?

      Fortune desperately tried to figure it out, but her visions were blank and her thoughts were muddled.

      Dread was used to bad news, but this wasn't bad, this was sheer cruelty! She had never chosen to be blessed, she didn't even get to choose her blessing, which was really no more than a curse. She never thought that life was good at all, but Fortune had convinced her otherwise. Now, however, Dread didn't believe any of that. She never did anything to make King Kelpbeard mad, except warn him when necessary. Dread sighed and swam to her home where she cried until there were no more tears, and still she was drowning in sorrow and torment over her unwanted knowledge.

      Far away, a shadowy creature laughed. It wouldn't be long until she, her sister, and their friend were acknowledged as the most powerful beings in Maraqua. Blessing another set of twins, just as she and her sister were blessed, was just the beginning. They could use King Kelpbeard's insecurities against him. He was just too proud to listen to the twins, so if they somehow found out about her, the King would never listen to them. "Mysterious creatures!" one sister laughed, "we are the Drenched, they branded us, but soon they shall bow to us!"

      Her sister muttered, "Good intentions, that's what Kelpbeard said when he banished us, but it will be for the good of Maraquan when we can finally banish him!"

     Dread sighed, she was glad that she had been able to name the children when she had blessed them. It would better connect the children to her and her sister. She laughed her empty laugh. Naming the children Fate and Struggle was a good move. And that silly mother had been so proud that her daughters had been blessed and even named too. Dread laughed again, because she knew that now the children were bound to her and her sister. The moment they were blessed and named they became bound to her. She was indeed a genius, though most had failed to notice it before it became too late.

     "Why would you name your daughters Fate and Struggle?"

     "Why, I didn't, but some kind creature blessed and named them a few days ago."

     The King looked up, startled, and with fear in his eyes, "Did she grant them visions? One daughter to see bad and the other to see good?"

     "Why, yes. Fate sees good and Struggle sees bad, but how did you know?"

     "That's the kind of twisted thing that Dread would do."

     The mother gasped with fear in her eyes as well, "You mean the Drenched?"

     The king replied, "Yes, I mean the Drenched."

     Dread laughed. The king finally realized that she, Fortune, and their friend would never forget what he had done to them so long ago. And they would have their revenge.

     "My King, I must consult with you immediately!"

     The King sighed, "What doom do you have to foretell this time, my loyal servant?"

     Dread sniffed, tears still in her eyes, "I saw you banishing my sister and I, and no good can come of it. You called us the Drenched, and when you banished us, you said it was for the good of Maraqua, and then we became dark creatures!"

     King Kelpbeard looked at her, "I would never banish anybody without a very good reason, not even you. Go now, I have other matters to attend to. More important matters."

     "King Kelpbeard, this is certainly the most important matter that you have to deal with, please think about what I said."

     "I will, now go."

     Dread sighed and bowed, "Very well, my King."

     As Dread swam away, she encountered another Maraquan swimming about near the castle. The girl stared up at Dread with huge eyes and started speaking to Dread rapidly. "Hi! My name is Luck! Who are you?"

     Dread stared at the young girl, shook her head sadly, and replied, "My name is Dread."

     The girl thought about what Dread had said and couldn't resist commenting on it and frowned. "That's not exactly a very happy name."

     "Well, I'm not exactly a very happy person?"

     "Why not?"

     "I was cursed with vision, though it was disguised and called a blessing. I have visions, but only of the horrible things in life. I can foretell no good, and I can see little good."

     "I know it seems bad, but a curse is a very strong way of putting it."

     "It's a curse, all right; I will be banished and branded as part of 'the Drenched' along with my sister." In the middle of talking, however, Dread had another vision in which another girl was with them in their banishment. Then she muttered, "And someone else…"

     "Who do you think it will be?"

     "Well, I didn't see anybody else in it until I met you, so I guess that it'll be you who joins us."

     "Come on, why would it be me? We just met after all."

     "Just because I see things in my visions doesn't mean that I understand them."

     "Then I guess that it is a good thing that I'm here."

     Dread asked, slightly annoyed, "What are you talking about? And why is everything such a riddle when you speak?"

     "The answer to both those questions is the same. I, too, was blessed when I was younger. You see, I have knowledge and understanding. I just know things without any prior knowledge of a subject, I can know the answer to questions. I just don't know why I had to be chosen. My joy is totally fake. I'm never surprised, I can't enjoy the small things that others can enjoy. I mean, nothing is a surprise to me, so I can't enjoy much of anything in life. I can't let you and your sister be banished because of your blessing. I, too, will be with you and your sister."

     Dread started to cry again; this girl surely couldn't understand.

     Luck seemed to reply to Dread's thought. "I understand more than I wish I did, but it's true nonetheless, and together, we are destined to be the Drenched."

To be continued...