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Guardians of Narnia - Prologue

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone,

Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,

The evil time will be over and done.

All Narnians knew this prophecy by heart. Throughout the 100 years of endless winter, these words brought peace to the Animals and creatures that suffered under the White Witch's reign.

It was recited in hushed tones, whispered in their prayers, that one day, someday soon, the true King would return and banish the Witch back to whatever desolate place she had crawled out of. That Aslan and the fated Two Sons of Adam and Two Daughters of Eve would bring spring back to their land and usher in a new Golden Age.

However, what you, dear reader, may not have known, was the second half of the prophecy.

But while wickedness rules, and enemies reign,

By Narnia's Guardians shall evil's grasp be restrained

Aslan's own they shall be, endowed with gifts by He

Balanced by nature, by day, by night

Until the King returns, with glorious might!

Firey Love Through Burning Sands Chapter 5: Welcome to Sarasaland!

Luigi couldn't help but marvel at how the warp pipes worked.

Sure, his first experience with them caused him an insane amount of trauma, but he couldn't help but admire the engineering that made it possible. The streams of magic that flowed through them were strong enough to suck your body into its current but concentrated enough to let you safely travel to the farthest reaches of the known kingdoms (provided that you knew your way around).

After going through the pipes to go back and forth between Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom, his fears about the pipes were slowly getting better, even becoming one of his favorite ways to travel. The rosy-pink clouds that surrounded the see-through walls of the warp were kind of soothing to look at.

But he sure wasn't feeling that way now.

He held onto Mario's hand and shuddered, the two of them and Toad following the princess as she guided them to the Sarasaland pipe, the ride seeming to take an eternity. The clouds that surrounded them did little to ease the pit that grew in his stomach as they passed through, the strong currents endlessly pulling at him from all sides. Mario, meanwhile, had his focus mainly on Peach, not taking his eyes off her for even a moment.

When he made the journey to win the Kong Army and save Luigi, the furthest that they had gone via warp pipe was outside of the Mushroom Kingdom's borders. Now, they were using the warp pipe to get there instead of walking the rest of the way.

Why?

"Hey princess," Mario shouted, "Where exactly is Sarasaland?"

Peach didn't turn around to look at them, instead looking dead ahead as she searched for the right pipe.

"Just beyond the Dry Dry Desert. Both kingdoms use the desert as a neutral border, so we're going through the warp to get to the main gate away from that region."

He felt Luigi's grip on his hand tighten as the smell of sulfur wafted into the pipe.

The pipe to the Koopa Kingdom was close.

Mario returned the tightened grip in an attempt to comfort his brother.

"Non preoccuparti, Luigi. Nothing can hurt us as long as we're together."

The group moved closer to the wall of the tube, not willing to be sucked into enemy territory as they passed by. After an agonizing moment, Peach's voice rang out as she grabbed Toad.

"The Sarasaland Warp is just up ahead! When I say go, we're going to make a right turn! Ready?"

The brothers took a deep breath.

"Set."

They held onto each other tight.

"GO!"

And with a sharp turn, they followed the princess and the Mushroom boy down the warp.

Here we go!

Meanwhile, in Sarasaland...

The Bela Nandi held the reputation as not only one of, if not the deadliest, army in the land but also as the only all-female military group in all of the known kingdoms. While the armies of the Jungle Lands and the Koopa Kingdom had great numbers and strength, the Bela Nandi seemed to surpass them both with their genius war tactics and stealth. And seeing as the empire was spread out between four distinct kingdoms that were ruled by the Queen, they were also considered one of the most diverse.

Among the ranks that gathered in the throne room stood Daisy, fully dressed (if not a bit winded from making a mad dash not to be late) with a golden bow in her hands as they all talked to each other, waiting for their general and fellow battle sister to arrive.

Suddenly, the doors opened.

The chatter from the Bela Nandi hushed instantly as the sound of metal clashed together. The warriors lined themselves against the walls as Taraji strode through the room, twin Ida swords in hand. Daisy and the warriors saluted her as she climbed the steps that led to her throne.

"Ukunqoba Nodumo, Bela Nandi!" The queen saluted her fellow warriors as she stood.

"Ukunqoba Nodumo, Indlovukazi!"

With a nod, her soldiers went back to formation, herself sheathing her blades as she addressed them.

"My sisters, Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom will be arriving shortly with her companions for an urgent matter of upmost importance. As to what that matter is, I am not a liberty to say for now. In the meantime, these are your assignments: Princess Daisy and Squadron One, you will be meeting our guests at the Warp Pipe Border away from the desert."

Daisy looked up at her sister, a surprised grin slowly growing on her face. She was going to lead her first assignment! Was it a small one? Sure, but it was better than being stuck in the palace.

Taraji glanced over as the princess failed to keep a stoic expression at the announcement, her own lips forming a tiny smile before continuing on.

"Squadrons Two, Three, and Four, you will be guarding our borders from here in Birabuto to the Easton Islands. The rest of you, continue with your training. We will also be anticipating more guests soon, so we must be vigilant at all times. And let's not forget, the Harvest Festival is almost upon us, so I expect all of us to be ready for that as well."

With a final salute, the army dissipated and headed for their assignments, Daisy walking with her squadron.

"Daisy, a moment if you please," Taraji spoke, getting down from her throne.

The princess froze, turning around to face the queen. Taraji placed her hand on her shoulder, studying her for a moment as doubt and worry war on in her mind.

"This is your first official assignment as my heir presumptive. I understand that you're excited, but remember that you must-"

"Be careful. I know, I know," Daisy interrupted, shuffling her quiver of arrows to the other side. "You worry too much, Raji. I'll be fine! Besides, we know Peach. She's cool."

The queen sighed, her grip on the princess' shoulder tightened slightly.

"Daisy, this is serious. This isn't a visit between friends. This is a request for aid. I am entrusting you with the safety of her and her companions and for you to lead them straight to the palace. I need you to pay attention to your surroundings so no getting distracted. And don't tarry too long. The more time it takes, the more time is wasted. Do you understand?"

Daisy dropped her head in exasperation before nodding her head.

"Yes, ma'am."

Taraji relaxed for a moment, lifting Daisy's chin to take one last glance at her face before letting go.

"Good. Now, go on. They're waiting for you."

The princess turned to leave, but not before a mischievous smirk spread on her face.

"Don't worry, sis. I'll make sure not to scare her companions too badly."

Before the queen could say anything else, her sister ran out of the throne room with a laugh, her bow clutched tightly in her hand as she nearly tripped over her feet in order to catch up with her squadron.

Taraji sighed, feeling a stress-induced migraine coming on as she plopped back down on her throne.

"UGrambi omkhulu nokhokho, lo mntwana uzoba ukufa kwami."

Near the back gates of the city, a rumble was heard as the warp pipe next to the walls expelled four beings out of its bowels. As Princess Peach and Toad landed gracefully on the soft soil that surrounded it, Mario and Luigi shot out of the tube and hit the ground with a hard thud, Luigi landing on top of his brother.

"Are you two okay?" Peach asked as Luigi scrambled off of him and helped Mario up, the latter groaning in pain.

Their eyes wandered around the area, in awe of the section that they landed in. The land that surrounded them was a jungle, not unlike the Jungle Kingdom of the Kongs, but as Mario followed the wall towards a clearing nearby, the sands of the Dry Dry Desert seemed to blow towards him. Luigi couldn't help but stare at the gates themselves, taking in the intricate design of the archways and columns that supported them. The edge of the archways had lotus blossoms and daisies chiseled into the stone, and the columns had flowering vines etched into them. The doors seemed to sparkle like gold, the knocker a giant sunflower. Peach, meanwhile, stared straight ahead, her hands trembling slightly from anxiety.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Toad exclaimed as he made a rush towards the gate.

Quick as a fox, she darted her hand out and pulled the eager Toad back, setting him back down in front of her.

"Wait a minute. Before we are allowed to enter, there are some things that you need to know first."

Mario, Luigi, and Toad paused.

"The Sarasaland Empire stretches over four kingdoms, making it one of our most diverse nations. With that in mind, there are certain citizens that might look familiar.

"Like?"

Her explanation was interrupted as the sound of a war cry echoed through the air, followed by the sound of the gates opening and archers drawing back their bows.The sudden ambush caused Luigi to screech out a startled yelp as he ducked behind Mario, the warriors circling them. Mario immediately went into a fighting stance as he began to see Bombshell Koopas, Kumos, Ganchans, Gaos, Goombos, and Bunbuns. He even saw some Toads sprinkled among the ranks that currently held them all at spear-point. But nothing prepared him for what they saw next.

Right among the thrall of turtle-like creatures and moving stone heads were humans.

Real flesh-and-blood humans like them.

"Che cazzo?!" Mario blurted out as the ring around them got tighter and tighter until Princess Peach spoke.

"Please! We seek an audience with Queen Taraji!"

The soldiers paused for a moment, looking around for a response.

"Yima phansi!" A voice rang out.

The warriors parted as a figure approached them, a bow and arrow clutched tightly in their hands. Luigi peaked over his brother's shoulder and was taken aback by the sight of who he thought was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her skin was a light brown and dotted with freckles from her face down to her arms. Her raven black hair was twisted into cornrows that ended with an afro puff that started at the crown of her head to the nape of her neck. Her brown eyes were wide as he noticed white dots painted under them and two white dots on her forehead and chin that were bordered with yellow lines on both sides. She was dressed in a dark orange top that was decorated with daisies at the hem and flared at the bottom into a skirt whose sides were split, revealing tan pants. On her head was a delicate gold chain that wrapped around the sides of her temples and down the middle of her head with an orange jewel dangling from it. Her arms were decorated with an arm cuff on her left arm and a single gold bracelet on her right wrist. Two gold studs adorn her ears, and a small golden hoop piercing decorated her right nostril.

The brothers watched as Princess Peach's shoulders relaxed before putting a gloved hand on her chest and extending her other hand out for the stranger to take.

"Ukunqoba Nodumo, Inkosazana," She spoke.

The woman was still staring at Luigi for a moment before her face broke into a wide grin as she turned to the blonde-haired princess before her, placing her own hand on her heart and grasping the gloved arm with hers.

"Ukunqoba Nodumo, Usisi,"

Peach gave a yelp as she was dragged into a tight hug, her friend's laughter echoing into the jungle behind them.

"Peach! It has been too long!"

"I know, Daisy! And I wish we were seeing each other again under better circumstances."

The Mario Brothers and Toad all stared at the two of them, confused (and a little bit terrified) as the two royals reconnected.

"And who are they?" They heard her ask, gesturing to them.

Princess Peach stood up straight, momentarily forgetting that they were there.

"OH! Princess Daisy, this is Toad," She started, as the Mushroom boy walked up to her and shook the other woman's hand.

"Nice to meet you!"

"And these are the Super Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi."

Mario tipped his hat to the archer, a small smile on his face. Meanwhile, Luigi gave a shy smile and a wave.

"H-hello there, your Highness." Luigi stuttered.

Daisy gave a huge smirk as she faced the green brother.

"Well, h-hello there yourself!" she giggled.

Luigi's face turned bright, tomato-red as the squadron opened the city gates again.

"Welcome to Birabuto, the capital of the Sarasaland Empire!" Daisy said, their guests gasping in awe. "Now, come! My sister awaits our arrival!"

Taking Luigi's hand, Daisy dragged him through the city gates and towards the palace, Peach, Mario, and Toad following close behind them as the gates closed with an echoing thud.

Guess who finally did an update?😆

Firey Love Through Burning Sands Chapter 1: 10 Years Ago

Sing, Oh Mighty Ones! Sing of a tale of love and loss. Of two lonely souls joining together as one! Sing of Bowser, King of the Koopas and Tyrant of the Darklands. Sing of Taraji, Queen of Sarasaland and General of the Bela Nandi. Sing of a mother's grief, of a father's wish. Sing of a man rejected, of a woman scorned. Sing of fear, of pain, of fury, of hate. Sing of courage, of justice, of happiness, of peace. Yes, sing, Oh Mighty Ones! And we will listen.

The sky over Sarasaland was dark and solemn as the citizens stepped out of their homes dressed in black and white out of respect for the procession passing by.

From the royal palace, four royal karts carried four identical coffins, the last tragically smaller than the rest, all covered with the Sarasaland flag. Beside the karts marched the Bela Nandi, keeping watch over the bodies for the last time, as they marched in step with the priests. In front, two sisters, dressed in white walked hand in hand as the rain began to fall. The young princess walked in silence as her sister, the new queen, carried a candle and sang the song of their people, the citizens joining along in song and following behind the karts as they wished the departed souls of the royal family eternal rest.

The echos of the funeral procession filled the air as the queen's eyes shone with tears, mixing with the raindrops that fell on her face as they made their journey to the tombs of Birabuto, the newly erect tomb in sight and more guards and priests waiting to receive them.

In that moment, the crowd went silent as the guards stopped the karts and the priests began to carry the coffins into the tomb, one by one.

The princess and the citizens began to weep openly as the first three coffins were placed inside, but the queen stood still, her face wet but stoic.

That was until the fourth coffin was being taken.

"W-wait! Please!" The queen spoke, her voice hitched in emotion.

The priests paused for a moment as she approached, her form shaking as she handed the candle to her sister and stretched out her arms to take the box into her arms.

"Your majesty, are you sure? You are still severely wounded." The leader asked, concern lacing his voice. The rest of his companions murmured amongst themselves in agreement.

"Let me hold him one more time. H-he won't be able to rest without a lullaby! A-and he sleeps better in my arms." She replied, her voice breaking yet strong in her resolve.

The head priest looked at her, empathy flooding his eyes as they lowered the coffin into her arms. The princess watched in awe as her sister handed her the candle and buckled under the weight of the coffin, but never stumbled as she carried it inside the tomb and placed it on the last pedestal and sang it a final lullaby, taking the candle from the younger royal's hand and placing it on the ground.

A final nightlight to watch over the souls in their eternal slumber.

"Goodnight my sweet boy. May your dreams be sweet until we meet again." The queen whispered, kissing the small coffin before taking the princess's hand and walking away from the chamber, the priests sealing the departed inside forever.

That night, the air was filled with the heart wrenching screams of anguish of a woman mourning all that she had lost.

A woman who lost her father, her mother, her husband.

And her son.

Meanwhile, in the Darklands...

The dark castle shook as the gigantic Koopa King paced the carpeted hallways, a worried expression etched onto his maw. Smoke poured from his nostrils as clutched in his claws were the blankets that once wrapped the egg of the unhatched heir of the Darklands.

The heir that was currently fighting for its life.

The egg came as an unexpected surprise from the stork, and the king was overjoyed that his line would continue even after not finding a mate. He carried the egg everywhere, cradling it in his arms during the day and whispering the legends of his ancestors to its shell at night. The egg had already won the undying loyalty of the entire Koopa army. His dreams were filled with the life that the koopaling would have. The chaos the two of them would cause, the plots they would hatch as father and child, and their eventual reign as the rulers of the entire galaxy. It would be glorious.

That was until the koopaling's health began to fail.

No one knew what exactly happened that caused the egg's inhabitant to take a turn for the worst overnight. Some thought it was shell rot in utero, maybe the egg was too cold, maybe the egg became too warm, or maybe it was just that the hatchling was too weak. Whatever it was, Kamek and Kammy, his two ever-faithful advisors, spent the last 24 hours and all of their magic to save the king's miracle child, but it was feared that their efforts were in vain.

Unless, of course, they hatched the egg now.

The egg wasn't set to hatch for another few weeks, and if they were taken from the egg too soon, there was a chance that the hatchling would perish from being underdeveloped. However, if they did not hatch the egg, the koopaling would perish from whatever it was ailing from.

The Koopa stopped in his tracks, walking into his bedroom and standing out onto the balcony, peering out over his kingdom. Suddenly, a shooting star flew across the sky.

At that moment, the great tyrant of the Darklands closed his eyes and offered one prayer.

Great Grambi and all the stars above, please save my koopaling. I don't care how you do it, just don't let them die! Don't take them away from me. Not now!

"Sire?" A hesitant voice spoke.

The Koopa King turned around with a start. There stood Kamek, fiddling with his wand, avoiding all eye contact. It was then that the king's heart seemed to take a plunge into his stomach.

"Is it done? Will my heir live? Answer me!"

The tiny Koopa cleared his throat and nervously nodded his head.

"Congratulations, your Aggressiveness. You are the father of a beautiful baby boy."

The Koopa's anxiety was quelled slightly but quickly returned as Kamek still refused to look him in the eye.

"And? What are you hiding from me? Is my son alright?!"

"Oh! No worries there, your Anxiousness. He is a strong and healthy koopaling! However, it was the strangest thing. The prince was near death when we hatched him, but then..."

Kamek didn't get to finish his sentence as the king roughly pushed him aside and ran for the nursery, nearly knocking down the door. True to his word, in Kammy's arms laid the newly hatched prince of the Koopa kingdom as healthy and fully developed as if his egg was never in danger.  

The king slowly approached the advisor holding his heir, kneeling down to take the squirming bundle in his arms. Unwrapping the blankets away from the infant's face, he was met with the familiar whisps of fiery red hair and of two little horn nubs. A perfect spitting image of his father.

"Hello, my little prince." He whispered in awe.

The newborn Koopa opened his bleary eyes, giving his father a toothless smile that made his heart melt at the sight.

Tomorrow, the kingdom will learn that their new prince has been hatched, and the days of feasting and revelry will be ceaseless.

But for now, the gigantic Koopa will steal this moment for himself, basking in the pride that only a father could have for a son.

His son.

US Helplines:

Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433

LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743

Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438

Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272

Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000

Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253

Child Abuse: 1-800-422-4453

UK Helplines:

Samaritans (for any problem): 08457909090 e-mail jo@samaritans.org

Childline (for anyone under 18 with any problem): 08001111

Mind infoline (mental health information): 0300 123 3393 e-mail: info@mind.org.uk

Mind legal advice (for people who need mental-health related legal advice): 0300 466 6463 legal@mind.org.uk

b-eat eating disorder support: 0845 634 14 14 (only open Mon-Fri 10.30am-8.30pm and Saturday 1pm-4.30pm) e-mail: help@b-eat.co.uk

b-eat youthline (for under 25’s with eating disorders): 08456347650 (open Mon-Fri 4.30pm - 8.30pm, Saturday 1pm-4.30pm)

Cruse Bereavement Care: 08444779400 e-mail: helpline@cruse.org.uk

Frank (information and advice on drugs): 0800776600

Drinkline: 0800 9178282

Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999 1(open 2 - 2.30pm 7 - 9.30pm) e-mail info@rapecrisis.org.uk

Rape Crisis Scotland: 08088 01 03 02 every day, 6pm to midnight

India Self Harm Hotline: 00 08001006614

India Suicide Helpline: 022-27546669

Kids Help Phone (Canada): 1-800-668-6868

FREE 24/7 suicide hotlines:

Argentina: 54-0223-493-0430

Australia: 13-11-14

Austria: 01-713-3374

Barbados: 429-9999

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(Hong Kong: 2389-2222)

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Czech Republic: 222-580-697, 476-701-908

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Holland: 0900-0767

Honduras: 504-237-3623

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(Singapore: 1-800-221-4444)

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Spain: 91-459-00-50

South Africa: 0861-322-322

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Switzerland: 143

Taiwan: 0800-788-995

Thailand: 02-249-9977

Trinidad and Tobago: 868-645-2800

Ukraine: 0487-327715

(Source)

PLEASE WATCH AND REBLOG - DON'T JUST LIKE - THANK YOU

BISAN IS AFRAID THIS MAY BE HER LAST VIDEO. THE OCCUPATION IS PLANNING TO INVADE NASSER HOSPITAL IN KHAN YUNIS, THE LAST FUNCTIONING HOSPITAL IN THE GAZA STRIP.

SHE WANTS PEOPLE TO SHARE THIS. PLEASE, PLEASE REBLOG.

I'm not great at drawing (or visual art in general), but here's Queen Taraji from "Fiery Love Through Burning Sands".

New Story Underway

Hello my fellow Phantom Phans! 

If you have been keeping up with my account on Wattpad, you’ll see that a new story for my Phantom series is now underway and that the prologue has been published. Please don’t forget to check it out along with books 1 and 2!

https://www.wattpad.com/user/ChristinaMorgan7