THE INK WELL PROMPT #60: TEMPTATION || Esmeralda, The Warrior Queen

Her name was Esmeralda, she was brave and had an adventurous spirit. Her blue eyes could see the near future. She was so innocent with a tender heart that one drop of her tears could heal the sick. She lived in a land called Innocenta, which was three lands away from the land of demons called Azurath. She inherited a magical sword, which was a tool used to fight demons in Azurath. The sword belonged to her grandfather and was said to have hidden magical powers that nobody knew how to use but himself. It was said that the magical powers would be stirred up in the carrier if they were worthy to know them. Her grandfather used it to fight demons many years ago. All she knew was, that her grandfather sacrificed something precious to get the demons to sign the agreement. But she didn’t know what it was. After the agreement with the demons, to not trespass the borders, the people in Innocenta lived in peace. They came to the agreement that humans should never trespass their boundaries otherwise their agreements would no longer be valid and they can attack and she heard stories about unknown diseases that the demons could cause people of Innocenta. Esmeralda’s father passed away and left her in charge to rule the land of Innocenta. Esmeralda wanted to know the hidden powers of her grandfather’s sword by proving her braveness in fighting the demons. So, one day, Esmeralda was tempted to explore the mountains of Azurath, which were full of unseen invisible demons, to find a flower that was said could transport one to another realm of existence, to another reality. Esmeralda knew she had to fight the demons first to reach the magical flower. She asked her lover, Oth to accompany her, so she would not fight the demons alone. Oth wanted to help Esmeralda. He knew the danger, but the temptation to be alone with Esmeralda could not leave him alone, so he accepted the offer. He really loved her and was prepared to be with her until the end. Esmeralda and Oth prepared themselves to fight the demons. They asked the oldest hermit with the help of the blacksmith of the land of Innocenta to build a magical fiery armor for them to be protected from the demons. Also, some magical glasses to see the invisible demons. The blacksmith build the armor and the hermit infused the glasses and the armor with magical powers. But the magical powers of the armor would only last for 40 days and after that, they should recharge it. The recharge needed the three elements of air, water and earth. The hermit gave them a black smoke stored inside a bottle and also another bottle with magical water for cleaning the armor and they had to put the armor inside the ground for 10 full minutes. This was the recharging process to use the fiery armor again. Esmeralda also brought her grandfather’s sword along with food and other supplies they should need. Before they embarked on this adventure, Esmeralda had a prophetic dream that she was lost and blind in a garden full of poisonous flowers. Esmeralda ignored her dream. She knew the dangers of this adventure, but she was tempted to see another realm of reality so badly. She couldn’t get the magical flower out of her head. Despite the danger, they started their journey. To reach the land of Azurath, they should pass three lands: the land of vampiric one-eyed twin monsters called Twinstlers that is said to have the magical ability to drain the eyes of humans out of their magic or light.

The second land was known as the land of Lusters. They would take away humans’ innocence through making them so lust. And the last land that was in their way was a land known as the heart eaters, called Bugsters who would drain the energy of the humans’ hearts.
Esmeralda was adventurous but she naively thought she could fight off monsters and win. Alas, this was not the truth. When they reached the land of Twinstlers, they were not welcomed because the king was selfish and told them since they don’t have one eye like them, they are not of them and they took away Esmeralda’s ability to see the near future but she could still see with her eyes, it was just her magical ability that was taken from her. This did not discourage her to continue her journey.
After the land of Twinstlers, they reached Lusters. The air there was of a lustful and dream like nature and they welcomed them but it was a false welcome, every creature there only thought about lust specially women there. The air there made Esmeralda wild with lust and Esmeralda and the king made love together. This made Oth really upset and jealous, because he truly loved her.
She lost her innocence.
Oth came to accept this fact. He faced Esmeralda and told her she shouldn’t have done it and confessed his undying love for her, but Esmeralda who was still influenced by the energy of Lusters seduces Oth and makes love with Oth as well, and Oth did not refuse this, although he thinks it was a mistake. In the land of Bugsters she loses her heart’s light. All the things that happened to her makes her even more eager to find the flower.
“ I am only brave, I lost all my powers” Esmeralda says to Oth.
“ I am with you until the end” Oth says to Esmeralda with a tenderness.
After reaching the gates of Azurath, they fight demons until they reach the cave where the flower is kept. At the end of the cave, they chain the demons guarding the flower to a big stone. She finds the flower, but as she is there, she notices there is a hidden wall that separates the flower from her. She cant reach the flower. She doesn’t know how to break the wall, suddenly she remembers her grandfather’s magical sword and something transpires within her to use the sword to break the wall.
In the meantime, Oth is ordered to guard the demons chained to the big stone.
She manages to break the wall and when she does that, the demons who were chained to the big stone, cry in pain and suddenly what was invisible to her before becomes visible, she sees a garden full of flowers with magical abilities. The abilities of each of the flowers would be felt by smelling them. She knew this, because the flowers made her see it. There were so many and she couldn’t find the one she was looking for. She smells some flowers until she sees a beautiful big blue flower the size of her body and she thinks to herself that this flower must be the one she is looking for. So, she runs through the garden with an eagerness never felt before.
I found it…………….. I found it. Esmeralda cries with so much joy.
Oth who was guarding the demons in chain shouts: “don’t go Esmeralda, it’s a trap …………. don’t smell the blue flower………………. “ Oth shouts was because the demons lie to him and say that if Esmeralda smells the blue flower, she will die.
But his cries would not reach Esmeralda because she was too far away from him now.
Oth shouts: “Don’t change Esmeralda, Don’t let your temptations rule you, if you smell the blue flower, you will die”.
Esmeralda took a long breath and smelled the flower. The big flower, but she quickly cries knowing she underwent a change, fire coming out of her eyes and hands, a change she wasn’t ready for. It was like a demonic presence took hold of her soul. She could feel all the pains and sufferings caused by demons unto humans, but it didn’t last because the demon inside the flower couldn’t bear the power of Esmeralda’s fiery armor. She had one day left until the power was gone. She realized that all the magical abilities in the flowers belonged to humans, which were stolen by demons and kept inside the flowers and her grandfather must have sacrificed one of his magical abilities to get the demons sign the agreement. But which flower was his, she did not know and never could find out.
She cried for a bit but then the pain stopped, Oth who was guarding the demons chained to a stone, left there and came searching inside the garden to bring Esmeralda back.
Meanwhile, the demons guarding the garden try to ran away and attack the city to bring diseases and suffering to the land of Innocenta. But Oth finds out and get back to the demons and chain them again, although he was tempted to go after Esmeralda but he had to follow the orders.
She hasn’t found the flower to travel to another realm yet.
Esmeralda thought to herself that “This was a lie, there never was a flower to see other realities”. When she wanted to get back, the wall stopped her. She was locked inside the garden and Oth was out. They put their hands on the wall, but they couldn’t reach each other. Oth couldn’t use Esmeralda’s sword either.
A demon attacked Oth and he went unconscious laying on the ground. The demon fed on his energy.
Her grandfather’s sword was on the other side of the invisible wall. A demon was watching it, but could not get near it because of a strong energy emanating from it.
Esmeralda suddenly noticed a mirror inside the garden, and she looked at herself inside the mirror and put her hands inside. There was a flower on the other side, because its thorns cut her and her finger was scratched. She could see blurry shapes of the flower. She decided to go inside. She thought she had nothing to lose. She thought Oth was dead.
Nobody heard about Esmeralda again. Stories were written about her adventures in the land of Azurath, that she vanished never to be seen again. She left because of a temptation, maybe she was transported into another reality.
Oth got old and never married and became a storyteller and told stories about Esmeralda to children of Innocenta.
The land of Innocenta suffered many years of hardship because of Esmeralda’s temptation, until a new hero was born.
~