The Land Behind the Horizon
Once upon a time, in a kingdom cloaked under a thick mist, where the sun loved to linger longer than anywhere else, there existed a tiny yet brave state, Nivarna. In the plush greenery with sprightly streams and soaring mountains, chanted tales from scriptures never read before.
Nivarna was inhabited by people who had the power of vision- the power to foresee the future. These were the people of the Arcane. Every child born in Nivarna was gifted with this power on their fifth birthday, and it was honed as they grew older. But there was one exception, a young girl name Zara who was born without this esteemed gift.
Despair clouded Zara's existence in her early years; harboring hope was difficult when one was singled out in a community of seers. However, she found solace in the vast expanses of art and literature her little realm boasted. She discovered stories waiting to be told, unexplored lands hiding behind the fabricated veil of the mundane, and she crafted tales about them. These stories often touched the hearts of her mortal kin, becoming their whispered truth disguised as legends.
Zara's tales stirred a longing in their hearts. A longing to know what lay beyond Nivarna. The king, profoundly moved by Zara's tales, declared a challenge for all the young and brave men of the kingdom. He declared the man who returned with the truth about what lies beyond their land would win the princess’s hand. Dozens of young men took up the challenge, but none returned.
Years passed, and Zara grew into a maiden of resplendent beauty and wisdom. Her tales took on a mythical status, and her admirers yearned to disrupt their foreseen lives and witness serendipity unfold. There was one who stood out among them, the king’s captain, Arka. Arka was courageous, just and learned. He feared not what the future provided but was in awe of the possibilities lying behind the horizon.
Arka asked for the king's blessings to take up the challenge. The king, disheartened from past losses, was reluctant but didn't want to shun Arka's fiery determination. He gave him his blessings and a ship, sturdy, and robust, named 'Hopesail.'
Taking the princess Zara’s hand before sailing, Arka vowed, 'In the truth or the tales, I shall venture where no one has till now reached, and I shall return with your story and my promise. Watch for Hopesail upon the horizon.' With these words, Arka began his voyage, leaving a melancholic hush behind.
As Arka journeyed, weeks grew into months, and months into years. Zara waited with bated breath, stirring the echoes of her tales into the seer's hearts. They began to look beyond their visions, desiring a future yet unforeseen. While Arka veered Hopesail in uncharted territories, their collective hope became the wind that pushed the sails and their avid curiosity, his north star.
Years later, against a dazzling sunrise, a shadow appeared on the horizon. A hearty cheer resonated across Nivarna as Hopesail cruised back into their harbor. An older, weather-worn Arka emerged, his eyes reflecting untold tales of unprecedented lands. In his hand, he held a pendant, beautifully outfitted with the unknown land's miniature replica encased in a crystal sphere.
Handing over the pendant to Zara, Arka whispered, 'I ventured across unseen oceans, unclimbed mountains, and untrodden lands. There I found a kingdom much like ours, with the sun shining brighter, the land greener, and people, who like us, were ardent story bearers. They taught me that while knowing the future may be a gift, living it serendipitously is a greater joy.'
It was the very land that Zara once depicted in her tales. Arka had turned her fictions into facts. The whole of Nivarna stood united, their innate desire manifested. Zara and Arka's love story became their foundation, urging them to embrace an unforeseen future.
The tale of 'The Land Behind the Horizon' teaches us that sometimes the visions cloud reality and fetter us; stories unfurl paths unseen, nurturing a longing for serendipitous encounters. The land behind the horizon might be an illusion for some, but for others, it might hold the truth they have been relentlessly seeking. After all, every prophecy needs a narrative, and every narrative thrives in the realm of belief.