As the sun began to rise over the billowing rose-tinted waters of Lake Rum, the glow of the intense morning light burst through the sheer golden sails and into the eyes of a Princess. She captained this ship alone, sailing the Seven Seas of Pu Dek Cuf in search of life and adventure.

Many years ago she christened the ship Ynomrah in the waters of the Everclear Ocean, known for the beautiful island Giego Darcia with its beautiful Trees of Orange, and traveled its fair winds and following seas finding no signs of life. Disappointed, but not disheartened, she followed the vein of the water until she found herself in the black waters of the Sea of the Regeaj, which was ruled by the terrible water giant Master Jaeger. She sailed through, vigilant in her quest to find new land, and discovered next the crystal clear majesty of Akdov’s Sea. King Akdov ruled these waters and lived a fun-loving life with his subjects on his ship, the most massive and wondrous of all ships.

In her many talks with Akdov, the Princess learned that he had the misfortune of crossing a witch many years ago, and as a result is cursed with dizziness for the rest of his days. She crossed Akdov’s Sea into the hazy waters of Mar Iuana, a dark sea where the foul-smelling water produced a hazy smoke that blanketed the air. Legends tell of brave travelers losing their way in Iuana for years, for the smoke there is said to disorient a ship and allow the captains to see new visions, mirages, and speak with spirits. She sailed Ynomrah through the magical dark waters and saw many beautiful and strange sights.

After a year of sailing through, she finally reached the other side: A place where the smoke lifted and she saw the sun once more revealing clear, calm waters of the most beautiful ruby color she had ever seen. This was the Pome Granate Ocean, where the water has the aroma of the fresh Pome fruits that grew only on the blue Granate Trees, which legend says can only be found at the very bottom of the ocean. Many a brave explorer have tried to swim down to the Granates and the Pomes – none of them ever returned.

The Princess enjoyed the beauty of Pome Granate and sailed for many months through these waters before entering the sixth sea – a place that only certain people travel to: The Sea of Mary’s Blood. Here the waters are thick and red – you cannot see through them, and people have told of new and exciting plants and vegetation on the island of Gar Niish. Through the Sea of Mary’s Blood she traveled, stopping only to delight in the luxury of Gar Niish for a short while.

She sailed on, heading for a distant blur on the horizon: The giant cliff known as Rock Star. The cliff rises out of the water and into the clouds, extending across the entire far shore of the Sea of Mary’s Blood. It has been said that the Rock Star is the end of the world, for no one has ever gone beyond it or managed to make it to the top. The Princess and her ship Ynomrah were headed straight for it.

She reached the cliff on the morning of her one thousandth sunrise since sailing from the far shores of Giego Darcia and the Everclear Ocean. As the ship neared the cliff, the locket she wore around her neck began to glow. She had worn this locket since her Birth Day; never knowing where it came from, never able to open it, and never able to take it off. Everyone from Giego Darcia was born with a golden locket, a Tekcol, and lived their whole lives with them, waiting for the day that their heart’s true purpose would be revealed and their Tekcol would glow. It was said that then the Tekcol locket would open, revealing a map inside; A map that would lead you to your destiny.

With trembling hands she lifted the locket and, with the spell broken at last, removed it from her neck. It shuddered suddenly and a hideous booming voice erupted from the Tekcol, nearly deafening her, screaming “OPEN ME. OPEN ME. OPEN ME. OPEN ME.” over and over again. Shocked and somewhat confused, she pried open the locket. The voice immediately stopped – to her great relief – and an aroma infinitely richer than that of the Pomes emanated from inside, along with a small puff of glitter. She looked inside, ready for her destiny, and to her surprise she did not find a map. She did not find her destiny, nor did she find her calling. She found a very small letter, written in delicate hand:

She turned the small parchment over and over in her hand, looking for more. She didn’t understand what a “Nancy” was, nor did she know about any stones. Confused, frustrated, and enraged she hurled the Tekcol at the cliff with all her might. The locket flew threw the air and smashed into the Rock Star, precisely on a small stone, and turned into dust.

The stone, however, began to glow and shudder. To the Princess’s amazement, a glorious heralding operatic voice sang out from the cliff: “CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS!” The stone receded into the cliff and left a hole in its place. The hole began to grow, and as it dug deeper and deeper into the cliff she began to see daylight on the other side; Daylight and what she remembered as the most beautiful color she had ever seen in her life. She sailed her ship through the giant tunnel and came out on the other side of the Rock Star – the other side of the end of the world.

It turned out to be a new ocean, one with a sweet-smelling water that had the color of an amber jewel bathed in the light of a sunset. She could see all the way through the clear waters to the bottom of the sea, and decided to try the water. Hoisting herself over the side of the ship and lowering herself to the water’s surface, she scooped a small handful up to her mouth and tasted the delicious and powerful water. The effect was like none other: gently soothing, some mild dizziness, and a more cheerful disposition.

She returned to the deck and sailed in the opposite direction of the Rock Star, right into the heart of this new ocean. Happy with her discoveries, she soon came upon a beautiful small island entirely made of gray stone and covered with billowing sheer white fabric. As she landed on the island she was greeted by seven strange men with seven colors of long flowing hair: Red, Brown, Blond, Black, White, Blue, and what she would later describe as Autumn Sunrise. What she came to realize was that these seven men were not human. They looked like humans, spoke like them, and even smelled like them, but they were of a different species. “Hello,” said the white-haired man, “Welcome to the island of Enoh Pi in the Sea of Rum. Who are you? We do not get many strangers in Rum.”

“I am a woman,” said the Princess, “and my name is Princess Mother Zandra Mahayatt Moselle Fantine Hannah Joanne France. I am the Princess of Giego Darcia in the Everclear Ocean and I am here to receive my destiny. Have you no Princess of your own?”

The breathtakingly beautiful white-haired man looked at her and said, “Princess Mother,”

“Princess.” She interrupted. The white-haired man looked puzzled.

“Yes, Princess Mother,”

“Princess.” She said again. This time the white-haired man turned and looked at the other men for help.

“My name is Princess.”

“Princess… Princess,” Said the white-haired man slowly, with a very suspicious look, “we are glad of your arrival. You are most beautiful, and we must ask for help from Your Most Beautiful Majesty. For you see, we are the Seven Virgens of Enoh Pi and we have lost our own dear Princess. She is locked in a tower by the most evil magician known by the most offensive of names, and we must retrieve her. He has her under a spell: She may never sleep. It is truly horrible, Your Most Affable Heiness.”

“I see. Perhaps this is my destiny. What, may I ask, is the name of this evil magician?”

“He is the most evil magician known by the most offensive of names, Your Most Strong Grace.”

“I understand that. What is the most offensive of names that he is come to be known by?”

“Your Most Beautiful Heiness, his name is The-Most-Evil-Magician-Known-By-The-Most-Offensive-Of-Names.”

Princess Princess paused to consider the white-haired man, and looked around to the other Virgens. “I will help you in your quest. However, as I am to be pleased and I am gently soothed, mildly dizzy, and of a more cheerful disposition, one of you Virgens must bed me in my ship, Ynomrah.”

“Your Most Lithe Majesty, we cannot bed a Princess. We are forbidden to do so here in Rum. And also, Your Most Gracious Grace, we are permitted only to bed another of our same tribe.”

“And what is your tribe, Virgen?” Princess Princess commanded with her strong voice.

“We are of the tribe Ghey, Your Most Pleasing Heiness.”

“Ghey, you say?”

“Yes, Your Most–”

“Please, you may call me Princess.”

“Thank you, Princess. Yes, we are Gheys.”

“Ghey Virgens?”

“Yes, Princess. We are the Seven Ghey Virgens of Enoh Pi, and we need your Most Beautiful Help.”

“I have never met seven Ghey Virgens before.”

“We do not exist outside of Rum, Your Majesty Princess Princess.”

“I see. Well then I shall at least have your names.”

“Princess, I am Beauty, and this is Strength, Compassion, Guidance, Providence, Mind, and Horse. We are most taken with the beauty of your ship, the Ynomrah. May we pray to it?”

The seven Ghey Virgens all sat in a circle, cross-legged, and began a monotone chant: “E–Nam–Rah. E–Nam–Rah. E–Nam–Rah.” The Princess, less than amused but nonetheless flattered, said to the Gheys as she stood before them with raised arms, “I am Princess Princess of the island of Giego Darcia of the Everclear Ocean, and I shall be your Princess hithertofore. I shall rule the Gheys until such time that we may find your captured Princess. You may have steady faith in me, Gheys, for I shall show you the light.”

The Gheys stopped chanting and rose to their knees. Beauty whispered, “Princess Princess, we are most grateful.”

“Now,” said Princess Princess, “what is the name of this Princess?”

“Princess Nancy, Your Most Wondrous Grace Princess Princess,” said Beauty, “Princess Nancy Clifford.”

“Nancy?” blurted out the Princess, “Your Princess’s name is Nancy… Clifford?”

“Yes, Majesty.”

Princess let out a sigh. “Very well, then. Board the Ynomrah and we shall beget my destiny!”

To Be Continued…