Stalera and the Diamond Witch – Chapter 5

She cleared her throat while approaching him.

‘I haven’t introduced myself properly. My name is Mirabella, the Queen of the Diamonds but I am about to become the most powerful Queen of all times! It is time for all the kingdoms in all the worlds to start listening to me. Finally, I am in control and I decide whether it’s dark or light, cold or warm, freezing or hot! I decide everything while you and your meaningless family will rot in a dungeon. Unfortunately, I can’t kill you as that would disturb the universe. So I can’t kill the Sun, the Moon and Tempera but I can use their power to do whatever I want. And now my darling, it is time for you to join your family and let the real leader take over.’

‘Witch!’ Stalera drew his sword.

He tried to strike her but she was faster. She hit him with a powerful rain storm, obviously a power stolen from his brother. He quickly parried and attacked again but she protected herself with ice and then she hit him with a sand storm.

Stalera was a powerful man but the witch was using his parents and his brother’s powers. She paralyzed him with a lightning bolt. Then she created a hole in the Sky Kingdom.

‘If you want to be stubborn, I will send you to Earth. There you will see how they treat stubborn boys. But, if you accept me as your Queen, I might let you join your family in the dungeon!’

‘Never, witch!’

Stalera noticed a medallion around the witch’s neck. It was made of diamonds and it was glowing. She said she was the Queen of the Diamonds. Perhaps the medallion was important to her?

‘Look down, Stalera!’ she said. ‘That is your new home! You are going there, my love. I am sending you far away, to die alone, desperate and scared among those who will never understand your nature!’

The witch pushed Stalera down the hole. But with one last effort, Stalera reached for the witch’s necklace and as he fell, he pulled down the necklace. The necklace broke, all the diamond stones falling down with Stalera which infuriated the witch.

‘You fool! I will destroy you for that! I will make you collect all the diamonds and put them back together! Your path is cursed wherever you go!’ she shouted as he was falling down.

Poor Stalera, not only was he sent to a world he did not know, the witch was going to make his life miserable. But, the question was, why did the witch care so much for the diamonds? And, was there a way to collect all the pieces? But how was Stalera ever going to find his way back home and save his family?

 

Stalera and the Diamond Witch – Chapter 4

Fear struck him for he realized the glow was gone. Indeed, all gone! This meant that his mother and father were in danger, worse, the Earth was in danger!

Stalera felt guilty and betrayed but he knew he had to trust Miera. But perhaps curiosity took over and she made a mistake? Or, maybe his parents wanted to show her how it all worked and something went wrong?

Tempera, he thought. Perhaps Tempera knows what is happening.

‘Tempera!’ shouted Stalera while he headed his brother’s room. But his brother’s room was also empty!

Where was everyone?

What was happening?

The night turned into day and then night again. How could that be? Who was doing this? His mother? His father?

Suddenly it was snowing, then it was raining while the sun was powerfully shinning. Who could explain all of this?

Confused and alone, Stalera left the castle to ask for help from his people. But the Stars were gone! So were the Clouds!

He felt alone, desperate and lost because he needed help but no one was there to guide him. No one. Though, when he came back to the castle, on the doorstep, someone was waiting for him.

‘Stalera, my love!’ she shouted.

‘Miera!’ He ran towards his wife, happy to see someone at last. ‘Thank the Skies you are unharmed.’

But Miera did not seem happy to see him.

‘Miera?’

He looked at her. Yes, she was his wife indeed but she was so different. For instance, her rainbow hair was now black and white while her cherry lips were now pale and icy. And her eyes had turned dark grey while her face…

‘Miera? What is happening?’

‘Nothing, love.’ Even her voice was cruel and cold.

‘Where are my parents?And where is Tempera?’

Miera laughed. It was a laughter that made the entire castle tremble.‘You pitiful little creature! Oh, how in love I am with you, Stalera! Oh, darling, kiss me then love me and hug me! Bah! But I must admit, I was very good at pretending. And, you fell for me like a… star!’ she laughed.

‘Who are you? Why are you doing this?’

 

Stalera and the Diamond Witch – Chapter 3

She smiled at him, her cheeks so sweet that even the roses stared at her.

‘All right,’ said Stalera, ‘you are part of the family now so you might as well know. They keep their glow in a box under their bed. They are not allowed to open it at the same time as the power of the two might blind the Earth Kingdom.’
‘How do they open the box?’

‘The box can be opened with the silver medallion that my mother wears and with the golden ring that my father wears.’

‘How sweet,’ she added as she smiled at him shyly.

‘Now, I believe I deserve a kiss,’ he answered as embraced his wife and kissed her so passionately that all the roses blushed.

Stalera had just told his wife a powerful secret. But she was his wife and she deserved to know, did she not?

Well, Stalera found out soon enough the consequences of his action.

One night Stalera heard screams. He realized his beloved wife was not in his chamber.

His worries grew stronger. He picked up his sword and ran to where the screaming came. Someone was in danger, he thought.

He realized the screams were coming from upstairs, where his parents slept! And so, he hurried up the stairs as the screaming continued.

He reached the bedroom of his parents and he found the door locked.

He could not enter so he broke the door.

No one was there!

‘Mother? Father? Miera?’ Stalera shouted.

He walked with caution in the bedroom, danger could be hiding in any corner. But, he continued calling out their names.

The bedroom was just as beautiful as it has always been. The furniture and walls were golden and glittering just as his father liked it while the floor was dark blue with shining stars representing his mother’s favorite place.

But wait…something was wrong.

He looked beside the silk bed. The box!

The box was open and empty!

Stalera and the Diamond Witch – Chapter 2

Before him stood a beautiful girl. And, what a girl! Her hair was long and colorful as the rainbow, her eyes were green as a freshly grown clover and her lips were as red as a cherry.

‘May I help you?’ she asked while her voice was like a melody.

‘I..I…’ Our young man was lost in words because he had never seen such beauty. And to make it even more complicated, he had never thought of what words to say if he had ever seen one.

‘I am lost,’ he finally said.

‘That’s all right. Luckily you found me. Please, come inside, tell me about your home and I will guide you back.’

Once inside the house, Stalera refused to leave without the girl by his side.

And so, in only one month Stalera married the beautiful girl, named Miera.

The wedding was breathtaking. His parents made their appearance at the same time. After that, his brother was awake for seven months while the Clouds danced and sang, the Stars shone as powerfully as they could and last but not least, the Earth Kingdom was amazed and happy to see such an event take place.

They lived happily for many months.

Until one day…

Stalera was watching Miera pluck some roses in the garden of the Dawn. Then, she looked at him.

‘You love me, don’t you?’ she asked.

‘Yes, I love you with all my heart.’

‘You would do anything for me?’

‘Anything.’

‘You would tell me anything?’

‘Anything, my love!’

‘Where do your parents keep their glow?’

‘Why do you want to know such a thing?’ he asked.

‘I have always wondered how they do it. For instance, how can the Sun be so bright all the time while the Moon can be so dark and mysterious?’

‘It’s their secret, I must say,’ added Stalera. He knew of course where his parents kept their magical glow. But, he also knew how much his parents counted on his trust to never tell anyone about their wonders.

‘But you said you’d tell me everything,’ said Miera almost crying.

‘I did, didn’t I?’

Stalera and the Diamond Witch – Chapter 1

We all stare at the sky sometimes. Don’t you? I am sure you do. Especially at night, when the stars are shining bright and the moon keeps you company. Don’t you wonder how it is up there? Wouldn’t you like to fly up and see it all for yourself?

Science taught us great things about the planets, the stars and the moon. But, what if I tell you that somewhere, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, thousands and thousands of worlds away, there was a kingdom where things were quite different?

 

Our story starts in the Sky Kingdom. You see, it was very simple back then. There was a Sky Kingdom and an Earth Kingdom. The Earth Kingdom was similar to our world but the Sky Kingdom…that was another story. Because, up there in the sky there was a world made of stars and clouds. There was a castle made of crystals and the Sky Family lived there. Who were they? Well, they were very important. How could they not be? There was no sunshine, rain, thunder or snow without them. Basically, they controlled it all but most of all, they protected it.

The Sky Family wasn’t big. The mother was the Moon. She was the most beautiful queen you have ever seen. She always wore a long light blue dress made of silk matching her dark blue eyes and her glittering black long hair. Her husband, the Sun, was a handsome man with golden eyes, broad bronze shoulders and blinding blond hair. They looked wonderful together and they loved each other very much. And, they made a promise to the Earth Kingdom that they would not show themselves at the same time.

And so the Sun and the Moon appeared separately every 12 hours so that the Earth Kingdom could have light and darkness. It is true that the Sun and the Moon did not see each other much because they were working very hard to keep the light and darkness constant but, there were special occasions when they did.

The Suns and the Moon had two beautiful sons, Tempera and Stalera.

The oldest son, Tempera, was a very strange boy. Even his appearance was odd. He had one blue eye and one gold eye, his hair was blond with dark blue locks through it. When he was awake he was warm and glowing but when asleep he was cold and sometimes even frosty. Probably because he had a strange sleeping pattern but I will explain to you here:

3 months he slept continuously, 3 months he was half asleep, 3 months he stayed awake without sleeping at all and 3 months he was half asleep again.

Isn’t it complicated?

But despite this strange habit, the Earth Kingdom loved him and they grew accustomed to his moods. So, the Earth people knew they might experience extreme cold and hot temperatures and sometimes a mix of the two, but they didn’t mind.

The youngest son, Stalera was such a beautiful man. His dark blue eyes always shone. Moreover, he was the leader of the Stars and he controlled the Clouds.

The Sky Family lived happily in the crystal castle and for many years that did not change. And at the same time, the Earth Kingdom was living in harmony as they received light, darkness, sun, rain and all they needed from the Sky Family.

But, all of that was about to change.

One day, Stalera, hunting a snow deer, was lost in the woods of the Falling Stars. He walked for many hours wondering how he will find his way back home…until he came across a small cottage. It was magical. The cottage was colorful as a rainbow, surrounded by beautiful creatures and singing birds.

Stalera knocked on the door.

The door opened…and Stalera’s eyes shone.