Fantasy A Future Unseen [Enolx & FaithWynters]

[FaithWynters]

The below roleplay is reserved for Enolx and FaithWynters​

The Kingdom of Illyria is the most powerful Kingdom in the Seven Realms. Other Kingdoms are constantly attempting to wage wars with the Kingdom of Illyria, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. Illyria is the wealthiest, has the most resources, the most peaceful class system, the cleanest streets and the best economy. But the real secret to the greatness of the Kingdom is the Princess of Illyria. She possesses certain abilities that are only passed down to the first-born daughter in her bloodline. These abilities include an aptitude for learning and working with tasks related to the ethereal realm: healing and potion making. The most powerful gift of all that she possesses, however, is foresight. These powers are bonded to her through blood, all aside from one. The most important gift she has, the gift of foresight, is bound directly to her purity. It is tradition in the Kingdom of Illyria for the first-born daughter to remain pure and virginal until a male heir can produce another daughter to replace her. Only then is she allowed to take a husband and relinquish her gift of sight.

This gift of sight is what has won the King of Illyria all of his wars. She has been able to see the outcome of the battles, predict the futures and even receive visions of the enemy's movements. It is a duty that she resents though. Unlike her two elder brothers—who are all too keen to follow their father into war—she has no interest in warfare and does her best to stay out of it. Instead she focuses her time and energy on her studies, doing her best to perfect these powers and abilities so that she can better protect the Kingdom. The princess is still quite young and her powers, especially that of foresight, are still precarious. Luckily, since she’s so focused on her studies and her aid in warfare does not actually require her physical presence, she has never had to witness the likes of war. Yet, anyway...

The Kingdom is currently celebrating their victory against its most powerful enemy, the land of Ulanamar. The war was not won, however, by the king and his armies. It was won by Illyria’s new allies, the Barbarians of the North. When the Seven Realms were first forged, there was a group of nomads who decided that they wanted no part in it. They fled to the North and East, living in their own villages with their own customs and languages. Each tribe that was known had its own specialty. The tribe that the king made his alliance with was the Kalakari tribe, a tribe that is known for breeding and training the best warriors the known world has ever seen. It was the Kalakari that won the war for Illyria, and now he has invited these barbarians back to the palace where he and his family reside to celebrate the victory. Unfortunately for the princess, this means that she must interact with these barbarians. The princess is never allowed leave the palace walls, and any contact with the outside world she has comes from sneaking out at night. So, she’s never seen one of these barbarians up close, but in her studies, she has learned of their savage ways, and as a Princess they disgust her. Despite her feeling about these people, she is forced to meet the tribe's leader and his son, the strongest warrior in the tribe. As the days go by, the princess finds herself in the presence of this man more and more whether that be for meals, attending different social gatherings and celebrations held by the king, or just by accidentally bumping into each other around the castle. Curiosity is a strong thing and although the man still repulses her, the princess help but be a little curious about him.

The study of these people is interrupted one day when the Kingdom is being invaded once again by Ulanamar. This time, they've taken a page from the king’s book and made alliances with three different tribes of Eastern barbarians. Due to her distractions around the castle and the green nature of her powers, the princess was not able to foresee them marching to the city gates in time and now the Kingdom has no time to prepare. The King orders his daughter into the care of the Kalakari man, who is unaware of the powers she possesses. The two must flee because what the King of Ulanamar really wants this time, is the princess.

Back to the Character Sheets​

 

[FaithWynters]

The Initial Meeting
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[FaithWynters]

Bright green grass blanketed the hills that carved out the field. Woolly little fluff balls ranging in color from black to white seemed to be sprinkled delicately within the lines of the fenced-in pasture. The view was blessed with a pleasantly blue sky today, and only a few wispy little clouds seemed to dance in the heavens. With each passing moment and every little detail that came more into view, the world just seemed to get tighter.
“I do not understand why father wants me to partake in the festivities of this celebration.” The young woman’s eyes never moved from the view that could be seen far off outside the window she stood in front of. She let out the softest of huffs as her torso was compressed further.

“You are the young face of Illyria, Miss Emmaline.” Another woman—matching the first in age and height—spoke from behind the first. Large emerald eyes showed great wisdom of many things, and soft hands told of a life void from the hard work of a field or mine. “You are what give these young men hope; you’re what makes them feel as if they have a connection with their country; you provide the one thing your father needs to win.” The words weren’t even completely out of the woman’s mouth before the first, Emmaline, rolled her eyes and snorted.

“I do not wish to be raised upon an alter and worshiped as if a god.” Arms folded across the white cloth of the dress she wore, and the young woman turned her head. “Our men fight with their blood and flesh. They are the ones who provide for my father. I needn’t celebrate anything.” The tightening had stopped around her midsection, and the young maiden stepped away from Emmaline.

“It is not my place to tell you, Miss, whether or not you should be worshiped for your assistance in keeping Illyria safe.” Emmaline turned and walked over to the small stool on the other side of the room; the beautiful scene outside of the castle was long forgotten. She sat down quietly, folding her hands gently in her lap. “I do believe, however, that you should partake in the festivities—as it is intended by your father.” The maid began running a boar’s bristle brush through the princess’ hair.” You read yourself to death in those books all day.” Silently, the maid began pulling up and pinning different sections of Emma’s hair. “You need time to relax too, M’L—“

“But that’s not what this is going to be, Mary!” The woman slowed her work, making sure as to keep Emma’s movements from pulling to harshly on her head. “You know just as well as I do that this is just another power play among men!” Emmaline picked up a rather worn-looking leather bound book simply titled: The Kalakari and flipped it open to where a ribbon had kept her place. “We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. Father shows me off as if I were some prize horse at some festival.” Mary had completed the complex shifting and pinning of Emmaline’s hair and now simply stood behind her. “He just wants to prove his might to the Kalakari’s tribal leader.” Her voice had lowered quite significantly as she continued to speak. She knew that having others hear such things might get her the scolding of her lifetime, or even more likely, a beating for Mary.

“Just enjoy yourself Emma!” This was the first time that Mary lost the serious shroud of her work and giggled like the teenager she was. She walked around to face Emmaline once more. “There’s not really many other times there’s so many attractive young Illyrian’s in the castle.” Another giggle escaped her friend’s lips. It was now that Emma slapped the book closed, set it on the nearby table and stood. They were the best of friends—and probably the only friend that each of them had. “Now, it’s time to meet your father before the opening ceremony begins. You mustn’t be late M’Lady.”

Emmaline wrapped her friend in a hug. It was short and completely against the rules, but Emma couldn’t help herself sometimes. It was odd that no matter how many people she had assisting her in a crowded room, Mary was the only one that made her feel like a real person and not just some porcelain doll.

“I do wish you could come!” The two-walked side-by-side, past two large stacks of books, a large four-posted featherbed, and a door that led off to the bathing room. The young maiden didn’t say another word; they both knew that would never happen in a century. Instead, she opened the door for the princess, and waited in silence for her exit. The maid gave a final nod to her mistress as a silent goodbye before closing the door behind her.

From here, the maiden would no longer escort her, and the Emmaline began her slow walk from her bedchambers to the great hall. All giddiness that she found within herself even a few moments before had slowly seeped out into the cold walls around her. She now held herself as the stone princess that she needed to be. This was her father’s time now, and, no matter how much she detested the ritual that seemed to happen with any triumph of Illyria, she would do him no disappointment today.

 

[Enolx]

"Dominus, Dominus, Dominus," the army roared as they slammed their weapons into their armor. The chant filled the air and the world seemed to react to their passion. The smaller army seemed a titan even in the face of their much larger adversary. In front of the sea of red hair stood a man who seemed as a stillness in the chaos. The man was clad in silver armor, which was only accented by the dark backdrop of his skin, and had long sliver hair that was tied in a ponytail on the top of his head. The warriors of Ulanamar knew of the man, they knew well of the man the red devils called Dominus.

"Nicole stood with his eyes closed and his face up to the sun. As the chant of his men thundered behind him he let the thrill overcome him. With each clash of weapon to armor he let his heart race. Soon it was overpowering, and when he could not contain it anymore he opened his eyes. "On my signal kill those who resist," Nicole said before exploding towards the army of Ulanamar. As Nicole charged his enemy his men chanted louder and faster, waiting for his command.

As Nicole ran he watched as arrows were drawn and volleyed at him, an armies worth of arrows for a single man. Nicole smiled as the sky darkened around him, and he surged forward at inhuman speed causing the arrows the fall behind him. The army tried to fire more arrows, but Nicole was already too close to their own men. Most of the arrows that fell hit their front most warriors, those without shields up became causalities, and Nicole used his enemies as shields for the arrows that could have hit him.

The most ranks were well trained, but the fear and the chaos of what was happening cause their ranks to falter. Nicole then broke strait through towards their general who was shouting commands from the back of his horse. Nicole smashed chest plates with kicks and vaulted off his foes bodies. Any man who walked towards him died with little effort. He was like a plague that killed any so unfortunate as to be too close. Soon the men even started to back away from him, to the fury of their commander.

"Kill him you cowards," the general said " He is just a man..." The general's yell faltered as a shadow covered his face, and he looked up to see a sliver visage in the sky above him. His next words caught in his throat as he tried to react to the sudden danger.

Nicole whipped his spiked chain off his waist and instantly wrapped it around his arm. With a grace and power that seemed impossible he threw the chain through the general's chest and pulled him off of his horse into the air with him. Nicole then grabbed the man's face and created a small crater with the man's now destroyed skull. Nicole stood up surrounded by enemies and covered in the blood of their leader. " Throw down your weapons and you will live," Nicole declared " You have until they get here." He then turned to face his signal man on the cliff and said one word, charge.

Nicole rode with his father towards the castle of Illyria. While he enjoyed the rides and camping with his father, he did not like the politics. These foreigners only wanted to use his people, and would do whatever they could to make that happen. Nicole started to hate all the visits, and gifts that would be brought to his people to gain their support. As he sat in on his fathers meetings the foreigners would always eye him as a prize. Nicole hated these foreigners and their lies. He wished his father would not have interacted with these people, but he would respect his father's wishes. This was for his people, and for his people Nicole would always give his all.

"Treat them with respect my child," His father said as they dismounted their horses "Respect all men until they give you reason not to. They may be different, but we are all people of this wonderful land." Nicole clasped his hands together and gave a deep bow. "Yes father," Nicole said "I will not bring shame to you or my people." His father then placed a hand on his head and brought his head to Nicole's. They held the moment and no words were needed.

As they were guided in, Nicole remained regal next to his father. He walked with poise and always kept his head up and his sight forward. As he walked he observed his surrounding and kept an eye out for possible threats. He listened in on the conversations around him, but since he could not really understand them, all the covered whispering sounded like possible threats. He hid is distaste and just worried about making sure his father was safe. He would make learning this language his top priority.

As he walked he was amazed at the sheer size of everything. To him it seemed very excessive, and it had him wondering why they needed all this room, or decorations of such size. Then he thought about it from a military prospective, and then realized how annoying this place would be to capture. Nicole then decided to use the rest of his short walk to figure out how best to assault and plunder the castle.

"Now entering is the leader of the Kalakari, Yasim Argentum, and his son Nicole Argentum," a man declared as they walked through a pair of extravagant doors. Nicole looked at the large room filled with armed warriors in formation at attention. The warriors lined the outside of the room and well adorned men and women covered the floor in front of them. Nicole and his father walked down a large gold and red rug towards the ruler of Illyria. Once he and his father stood in front of the king, Nicole took a knee and bowed his head front of their leader, as is customary of his people when addressing someone of higher rank. After a short moment Nicole stood up and remained silent as his father and the ruler talked.

 

[FaithWynters]

It didn’t take Emmaline long to make it down the expansive hallway. Her eyes scanned swirling frames of gold that marched around edges of beautiful portraits. In some places, walls were obscured by massive tapestries woven together by the most talented in the land. The young woman was alone aside from the metal-suited protectors that stood every fifteen feet apart. They did not move, and sometimes it seemed almost as if these suits were just statues wrapped in armor. There wasn’t much noise throughout some of the hallways, and one could tell they were getting closer to the great hall as the noise ramped up and more and more people could be seen dashing around from room to room.

Emma could see the larger man, his muscles wrapped in fine cloth and furs. The golden crown that sat upon his head glistened from its recent polishing. His back was turned to her, but she could still tell who it was. A large smile spread across the young woman’s face. She truly loved her father, and it was always pleasant to see him. Honestly, she had her nose in her books so much that she didn’t see her father much besides at special events, meals, and times before bed. She picked up her pace as she got closer to her elder. The tip-tapping of shoes on stone alerted the gentleman to her presence when she was about ten feet away, and he turned, recognizing the excited walk anywhere.

She slowed when she came closer to him. The man couldn’t help but give her one good look up and down. She was remarkably stunning, and he was always so proud of what they had been able to accomplish together.
“You look beautiful as always Emmaline.” The two met in one friendly embrace before walking side by side together. Charles had always been a man on the larger side. His height matched—of not exceeded—that of all his closest warriors. The opposite could be said about Emma who matched her departed mother in height—that of about five feet four inches. He was muscular to the point that a man of battle had to be, but in the recent times the large consumption of ale could be seen in his midsection. She was thinner in muscle mass (just as a lady should be) and oftentimes looked frail in comparison to her other siblings. In almost every aspect of their appearances, the two looked completely different. There were only two things that kept outsiders from believing that Emma was some bastard child that Charles had been foolishly convinced was his own.

While coincidence could be called on the fact that the two had the same dark brown locks, his cut short to assist in battle, and hers kept long as desired, everything was proven in the eyes. It had been said that no other color quite matched those of King Charles and Princess Emmaline. It was said that when they were being created, the gods went to the farthest reaches of the heavens, in Xeria, to find the perfect pale blue to mix with the grey of a calm Illyrian snowstorm. It was unmistakable between father and daughter and only seemed to lend to the pair’s charm.

“I do hope that you are excited to meet the leader of Kalakari at last, my dear.” As the two walked a little farther down the hallway and to the place where they would be entering the grand hall, only light conversation was made

“Of course, Father, I am interested to see how these…people act. They mustn’t be used to such a civilized society; it will be nice to see how they adapt.” The girl held nothing back as the two spoke. The elder gentleman stopped silently at the door they would be walking through shortly.

“Emma...I do hope you will be more hospitable to these guests than that.” He obviously looked a little worried as he knew how Emmaline if she disagreed with something. The tone he took was disappointed as he looked across at his youngest child. She had still not completely grown out of the highly-opinionated stages of youth.

“I will not do you any dishonor, Father. You know that. I am just think it will be interesting.” The two did not speak for a moment, but soon the hint of worry fled the space. Charles had quite the sum of faith in his daughter. At her age, she was still the most mature out of all three children he had when they were in her shoes. “Where are Julius and Robert?” Usually, meetings like this concerned the whole family, but the two young men were nowhere in the hallway to be found.

“They have already taken their place and are waiting for us inside, my dear.” With his words, he nodded to the elder gentleman that stood at attention beside the door. He needn’t say anything before the man turned, and gave three harsh taps on the door with his knuckles.

“Now entering, the King of Illyria, Charles Planum the third, and Princess of Illyria Emmaline Planum.” The voice rose far above that of the sounds that came from the crowd inside. While Emma could not see the room yet, by the sound coming from the other side of the door, there were quite a few people inside. With the announcement of their arrival, the two large grand doors opened from the left side of the hall and they walked toward their seats. On any normal occasion, the doors at the head of the hall were reserved for guest’s entrance, so walking across the stone floors, and taking her place next to her father was nothing new.

It was not long after they had made their entrance that another voice called out the entrance of another party—the Kalakari had finally made it to the celebration. All members of the royal party rose to their feet almost in unison. The procedure was the same no matter who the guest was to their wonderful home. They waited in silence for the party to make it across the large hall.

When they grew closer, Emmaline and her father stepped forward—as was their custom. In most kingdoms, this was not the same pairing that walked forward. Usually the king, his queen, and the eldest son would take their place in front of any guest party. Here, her sons were far below the importance of the first-born daughter.

As per custom, the younger of the two stepped forward. The guests would have their greetings first. Emma had been picturing something similar in her mind as what kneeled before them. Her books drew these men as great warriors and seamen. Even the youngest son matched—if not exceeded—her father in muscular definition. She had been expecting men of great flames for hair—as seemed to be a description often found in books on them. The youth’s hair, however, was a spectacular shade of silver, and only the tips of his long, thick locks were tinged with the color of flame.

Once he had stood, it was Emmaline’s turn. Taking a few confident steps forward, she gave the young men a nod and curtsy before stepping back in line with her father. Illyria’s king bowed to no man, and therefore, he only pressed his right fist to his heart and gave a nod in greeting. It was a simple sign of respect among men in the Illyrian culture.

“Welcome, friends from the Kalakari. We greet you today in our wonderful kingdom to celebrate a victory among men. As is our custom in Illyria, we honor you as our guest here and ally on the battlefield with this broadsword fashioned by the most talented in Illyria.”

A young man walked up bearing the shining gift in his hands. He knelt to his knees and offered it to the leader the towered far above him. The sword was made of some of the finest ores found in mines in the northern section of the kingdom, and its hilt was inlaid with precious stones. It shone bright in the light that illuminated the hall. This sword had been specially made for the leader using some of the strongest and lightest metals that could be found in the kingdom. It was an offering of gratitude and an offering of continued peace.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole did not have to wait for the translator to figure out what was going on. The king said some words about them and then offered them a gift. Nicole assumed that the rest was just fluff to inflate the foreigners ego. When the translator had finished, Nicole grinned.

Even with all the ceremony, Nicole did have to say he was impressed with the sword. His people did not have access to many of the ores, or the techniques required to work said ores, so they had relied on spoils of war for most of their best weapons. As he looked at the sword a smile crept on to his face. As much as he disliked foreigners and their gifts, this was a good one in his opinion. They may have made it a little fancy a weapon for his taste, but Nicole could see the craftsmanship hidden under then jewelry. As he admired the piece, Nicole made a promise that he would make sure his father never had to use it.

"Thank you my friend," Yasim said "I will treasure it as long as I live. I also have a gift for you as well, although it is quite meager by comparison. Nicole my boy, present our gift to them." Nicole pulled a saber that was attached to his waist free and after taking a knee, he held it out to the king. "This is the saber of Ulanamar's Sword Saint Rexious," Yasim proclaimed " It was won by my son, after their duel, during the final battle of the war. My son has told me that it was one of the hardest fights of his life, and of how the man's soul will live forever with him and this sword. We wish to give you the sword of one the lands greatest sword masters. A symbol of the end of the war."

When the king took the sword, Nicole stood and returned next to his father. His father turned to him and then asked if there was anything he wanted to give. Although Nicole did not believe these people were deserving of anything, let alone that beautiful sword that glowed blue, his father believed they were and, that was more than enough for him. He reached into his hair and pulled out a silver crystalline flower. When he removed the flower his hair fell down from its normally pined state. He placed the flower behind his ear and pulled out a silver mesh chain, that looked like cloth, and used it to tie his hair again. His father gave him a questioning look that asked "Are you sure," and Nicole gave his father a nod.

Nicole then walked up to the woman next to the king. As they were the same rank, he did not need any formality when dealing with her. As he approached the guards started to move, Nicole ignored them and continued. His father interjected before an event could take place. "My son wishes to give you something dear to his heart," Yasim said as Nicole placed this crystal flower into Emmaline's hair "This is called the Nicole Diamond, Nicole is one of the ancient words for water, and the material is found in the heart of special creatures in the Silver Sea. My son is the only one of our people who can dive far enough to get these gems. After getting the gem, he crafted that piece as an offering to the goddess of the sea, but when he threw it to the depths, the flower returned to him wrapped in a lace like silver chain. My son has worn that in his hair ever since, and he now gives it to you princess. What you have is one of a kind my dear, he has never gone back to get another gem since, please treasure it as my son does."

As Nicole turned to walked back to his father's side he saw the sun hit the crystal. The light refracted on the inside and gave the appearance of flowing water on the inside of the gem. As he saw the water he smiled at the though of himself taking the sea with him wherever he went. "The sea is now yours," Nicole said to the princess " I hope you come to love it as I do." Nicole then returned to his father.

As the ceremony continued Nicole became aware of how odd he felt without his hair pined. He felt so wrong with out the slight tension to his hair. While he sat silent, he found him self stealing glances at the flower in the princess possession. While he had a feeling that he was meant to give that away, he just couldn't get rid of this strange longing. It was like a part of him, and he just gave it away to a foreigner. He could take small solace in the fact that it looked pleasant in her possession. He took more glances at her as time passed and he realized that he was actually started to care for this country. He thought about all the wars he would start to get that flower back if it fell into any other person's possession. He didn't want to cause that kind of trouble for his people. He then rolled his eyes at the worry this one gesture was causing him.

The ceremony ended and they opened the doors so food and drinks could be brought in. When the party began Yasim told Nicole to enjoy himself and mingle. Nicole did not want to, and could not even mingle if he wanted to. He decided to walk the garden of the castle. It was close enough that he could protect his father if anything happened, but far enough away that he did not run into nearly anyone. He sat on a stone bench that was next to a beautiful pool filled with various fish, surrounded by bushes of flowers. With no one around he found himself really enjoying the scenery. The land of Illyria had a lot more green than his home had, and the vegetation was much more dense than his home. Nicole opened a small pack on his side and pulled out a small lunch. His meal was a one of his favorites, Umi, it was a various seafood surrounded by Kimi, a sticky grain from his home, wrapped in seaweed. He popped one in his mouth and let the taste of blue shell bring a smile to his face.

Just as he was about to eat another, a woman appeared next to him and started to speak to him in his own language. "I am sorry to bother you," the woman said " I am here to translate for you if you need. I will told to follow you for the night so you could communicate with the others." Nicole smiled and patted the open space on the seat next to him. She sat down and Nicole offered her a piece of umi. As she took a small bite out of the umi Nicole found himself smiling, he then threw another piece in his mouth. "I did not catch your name," Nicole said hoping she got that it was a question.

The woman took another small bite before saying "My name is Alexia Hilda Zendaya."

"Beautiful," Nicole said while removing a piece of kimi from the side of her face "I am Nicole Argentum, thank you for helping me. I can't tell you how nice it is to talk to someone other than my father. I have something to ask you though. Would you mind helping me learn these peoples language? I feel like I am letting my people down by not being able to understand our new allies. I also want to know what the people around me keep whispering about, everything sounds like a threat. Are you aware of how much your people whisper as people walk by?"

Alexia busted out into laughter and then struggled to control herself. "Have you thought that the whispers might have to do with the attractive foreign man with silver hair walking by," she laughed " Because that is what I would be whispering about, and yes I would love to help you learn the language."

"Attractive you say," Nicole joked as he ate another piece and handed the last one to Alexia " Well madam Zendaya it would seem we are out of snacks, so would you like to raid the kitchen and help me make some more?"

"I would love to, but first I will teach you how to say hello."

Nicole then smiled and said hello in Illyrian. "I know at least that much," Nicole said as he stood up and offered her a hand " Shall we?" The two of them then talked as Alexia guided them to the kitchen.

 

[FaithWynters]

“Saint Rexious’ sword is an incomparable gift my friend” Charles accepted his own gift in the same—almost pious—manner. He would respect the gifts brought to him as spoils of war. Rexious being dead was not something to take lightly. He had been a great asset to Ulanamar for many years and with him being gone, it was certain that battles would be won much more smoothly.

For Emmaline, everything began at the moment that Nicole stepped toward her. While she had never been introduced to the two—as at this point in time, her name wasn’t important in the formalities—she still held a weight in the proceedings. Sometimes she would receive gifts from the sons of powerful men throughout the realms, but usually, she stood there as a symbol of strength in Illyria’s culture and people. None knew of the great power she possessed; her father would prefer to keep it that way. She held great power at her father’s side, and, while Illyria could not win its wars without the brute strength of its men and others like them, there was also a high value placed on knowledge and the beauty of the natural world.

Translations took time between leader and servant, but Emma knew what was happening as soon as their leader looked toward his son and she received the slightest of glances. She was calm as the man—much taller than her in height—pulled a beautiful pin from his hair and walked toward her. Even before the king could explain, she knew that the gem that he held in his hand was precious to him. The tones the two took with one another only a few moments before told her that. Still, she was unable to hear all of his explanation.

Because everything began with his delicate touch and Emmaline lost control.

At first, Emmaline could only see the darkness that her body seemed to fall in. It was deep as a chasm at the bottom of the sea, and sounds from the outside world slowly muffled into nothingness. It seemed like she floated there, unaware of time, for eternities on end. When light finally returned to her vision, it seemed that the blackness had been wiped away with a single sweep of her arm. She assumed that she was in her own body, but, as it stood, there was no certainty yet. Oftentimes she would see the future of others and not herself as it were the Gods’ plans for her to see others and not herself.

The young woman could see shapes and colors and movement, but she could not yet focus on anything. There was no sound for a moment, until slowly it came with the clearing of her vision. Sitting on the ground, her legs were curled weakly beneath her. She could not feel. Emma looked around and recognized almost immediately room she was sitting in. In the eastern wing of the castle there was a small reading room that she often frequented with her books and thoughts. Thin, shaking hands lifted into view, and, while the young woman expected to something alarming, her hands were clean. Something had happened to Emma, but from what could be seen, she didn’t know what.

The scene got blurry again for a moment, before completely fading out. These episodes often came and went like that of the tide, and Emmaline knew she needed to see anything she could while she still ha the chance.

When Emma could see again, she recognized the young man kneeling before her. He looked down at her with serious and sad eyes. While he held his body with dignity and grace, the solemn look he seemed to always be holding was a little more relaxed and his eyes showed that he knew something that she did not. With his silver hair pulled back out of his face, one could take in all of his handsomely shaped features. He spoke words that she could not understand. Without even a pause, her vision blurred, but this time, it was not the inward and outward motion of the scene, but that of tears welling in her eyes. The scene shook, eyes closed, and she sobbed. Whatever had happened, she knew not of how to react or of what to say to the man. Without a pause, he reached down, grabbed her wrist, pulled her to her feet, and they ran.

And everything ended in darkness.

For someone who had never seen it happen before, the loss of blue in her eyes wouldn’t be noticeable. It was almost like something pulled the color from her soul quickly and it was lost for the few moments they touched. The softened curvature of her lips that had spread across the rest of her face in acceptance of the young man’s gift had softened, her eyes looked into the nothingness in front of her. For Emmaline, the world around her stood still. Her eyes closed and her head tilted down to allow for Nicole to place the pin in her hair in the offering of peace. In only a few seconds, her eyes could see the unknown features of the future that the Gods only allowed her to see. Sometimes, they worked in mysterious ways. Clarity was not always a blessing passed down by the Gods. Still, as time passed slowly and her eyes remained closed as his hand worked the pin into thick brown locks, and they opened and her head lifted as his touch left her. It was only in these moments that the two connected that she was allowed to see, and she realized that she returned to her world once more. Emmaline stood there, looking into the young man’s solemn eyes, and she was no more knowledgeable of this man or what his path was in his life. Still, she would piece together the images in her mind until she could find something out, and maybe, just maybe, the future might become a little clearer. Maybe she could find out what had brought such tears to her eyes.

“Thank you for this beautiful gift of blessing; I will cherish it always.” She only gave a simple nod in thanks. There was nothing more needed; she would not curtsey to the equivalent of a prince. Still, she spoke no more as the man returned to his place beside his father. The color did not quickly return to Emmaline’s eyes. In fact, the color would continue to drain further until the grey went from dark to light; only then would her eyes possibly return to normal. It was in this moment that she glanced over to her father, and he was able to tell what had happened. He made no indication of worry or fear by his look. It was just another episode, and they had their own process set aside for when these small little visions occurred. These sights were minimal; they were nothing compared to that of the visions she was graced with in times of war—those usually resulted in her loss of consciousness or an extremely horrid headache.

It was soon after that the ceremony was completed and the great hall was filled with food, drink, and joyous talk among men and women alike. It was a time of great triumph for Illyria, and, although the war’s win could be attributed to that of the Kalakari, most of Illyrian blood still thought it their own soldiers that won the war. For that reason, this day was a day of celebration for them.

For Emmaline and her father, however, they took a short exit out of the hall the same way they had entered. This meeting would not last long. The pair made their way into a smaller quiet room a short ways down the great hallway, and the young woman told her father what she had seen upon the touch of the Kalakari son.

“You are sure those are the words he spoke, Emmaline?” Of course, her father did not understand the tribal tongue either, but she could hear the words echoing in her mind anytime she thought about it.

“Yes father, I am certain.” Charles nodded simply and began walking toward the door to the quiet room. The two had been gone less than a quarter of an hour before the exited the room once more.

“We shall speak of this later.” Of course her father had a plan, and without another word, the two returned to the great hall to enjoy the festivities of Illyrian wine and hot food. The two walked side by side, the king’s arm wrapped protectively around Emmaline’s as they made their way to their seats. The center area of the hall was opened up and many people danced and sang and drank ale sloppily from tankards to the music that floated over the rumble of chatter in the room.

“Excuse me, M’Lady Emmaline.” The family had been sitting and talking for about half an hour before the first grew the courage to approach the group. Usually, such an action would be unacceptable by most patrons of the celebration, but this man was different.

Darius was Julius’ right hand man in the time of war. The two had grown up together as children, and Darius, being the best man with a blade that he knew, was high in the ranking of Illyrian soldiers. Many whispered of him being the best choice of suitor for the princess, but Emma wasn’t particularly interested in any of the men her father had tried to steer in her direction.

“May I ask you for a dance?” He held out his hand for her to take, full lips curled into a handsome smile. Of course, she could not deny him the first dance of the evening—although she hoped it would be her only dance. Emma gave him a smile; in the past months, the two of them had grown to be quite close friends.

“Why of course, Darius. How could I refuse?” She took his hand after giving one last glance to her father. The two walked confidently beside each other. “Julius tells me that you’re being eyed for another promotion; congratulations, Darius.” She smiled as they walked, the large crowd parting and spreading as they realized who had taken the floor. Such an occasion was not particularly common, but it was convention for the crowd to watch the princess’ first dance of the evening.

“I have heard similar talk among some of my superiors.” Usually, that meant the promotion was basically guaranteed—the man was already incredibly high ranking; there wasn’t much farther for him to go.

It had always been a little odd for Emmaline. She had never really liked being one with all of the attention on her, and with Darius by her side, it was a little more awkward. She saw the young man more as a friend than anything more; he had been unable to court her affections earlier in their acquaintance, and instead had reserved his place by her side as a friend. With all of the young men and women watching them, she always was afraid she might make a mistake. The two came together, Darius’ hands placing themselves in the respectful positions in Emma’s body. They stood together in silence for a few moments until the music started, and the two began to dance.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole and Alexia were stopped a few times as they made their way to the kitchen. Nicole had no issues, other than one stop where Alexia thought it would be funny to mistranslate a conversation. It ended with a nobles wife groping him for a minute, Nicole freezing up, and Alexia laughing. "Was she a prostitute," Nicole asked as they left the woman "Or are the women of this country very aggressive. I saw a ring, doesn't that mean she has a husband? Also, that was not funny. If it happens again, I will kidnap you and leave you in the middle of nowhere."

Alexia started out at a full laugh and then ended with a hesitant chuckle. "Your joking right," she questioned. Nicole turned his head slightly in her direction and then continued walking. "Nicole," She exclaimed as she followed up behind him "You are joking about the whole kidnapping thing right......right?

When Alexia got beside him Nicole wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said " Of course I am joking. I don't do my own kidnapping, I have people for that." Alexia hit him in the side, forgetting about the spiked chain we wears as a shash, and Nicole laughed as she shook her hand. "Lets consider ourselves even know," Nicole said as he kissed her hand "There, all better."

Soon a cook with a far too tall hat walked up to Nicole and Alexia. He said some things Nicole could not understand, but he did get the general idea that they were not welcome. Nicole watched as Alexia exchanged some words with the man and his entire expression and attitude changed. The man gave a bow and then motioned towards the kitchen. Nicole assumed that Alexia explained who he was and that had changed the man's attitude. "He thought we came complain," Alexia explained "I told him we wanted to cook and he said it was fine as long as we stay out of the way." Nicole gave the man a bow and said thank you in Illyrian, to the cook's surprise.

Nicole was taken away by how large the kitchen was. The kitchen in his home was half this size and he had thought that was big. As Nicole looked around he realized an important thing about the Illyrian people, they make everything way bigger than necessary. Excessive was the word he would use when he described them to his people. He realized the space was nice, but he had to wonder how long this took to build.

Nicole walked to a back table that held an abundant about of fresh ingredients. He smiled that the different fruits, vegetables, and meats. They had some things that looked similar the plants of his home, but they were slightly different. Some were bigger, other were a different color, and some had spots. When Nicole got to the fish, his whole attitude changed. He had fought with monsters in the Silver Sea, but these people put monsters on their dinner table. He locked eyes with a red fish with huge eyes, long fat body, and more spikes than he had appendages. He listened as the fish made a sound as if it was breathing, and soon realized that it was. His jaw hung open as his gaze swapped between the fish and Alexia. Alexia nodded and gave Nicole a look that said "Yes it is breathing."

"This is the ugliest creature I have ever seen, that has the nerve to call itself a fish," Nicole exclaimed "If this was in the Silver Sea I would have purged them from our waters. This thing is what parents describe to their children to get them to behave. This is the creature under their bed. I have fought literal monsters that are more pleasant to look at. The most astonishing thing is that you savages put this in your mouth. You Illyrians should know not to put strange things into your mouth, your parents should have taught you better."

Alexia nodded and then walked off without a word to talk to one of the cooks. She came back with a piece of white flesh and then told Nicole to open his mouth. Whatever she had looked ok so he followed her instruction and she placed it in his mouth. He ate it and a wonderful flavor exploded in his mouth. It tasted worlds better than most of the other foods he had had. It then shortly clicked for him what just happened. He pointed to the food in his mouth and then hesitantly pointed to the fish behind him. Alexia condescendingly nodded again. It aggravated Nicole how much smugness the woman could display with just her expression and a nod, it reminded him of his mother. The fish made it's gasping sound again which only made the smug nod worse. " Damn fish," Nicole thought " How dare you be delicious and make me look like a complete idiot. Well you still look ugly, so take that." Nicole then scowled at the fish, who blankly gasped again.

"Alright, it would seem I made a mistake, and I take back most of what I said about your people," Nicole stated "I will also expect thirty mating pairs of this fish to bring home. I will take it as a sign of your peoples good will."

Alexia punched him in the arm and smiled. "You should be glad you so damn likable," She said " Anyway, I guess we are going to be cooking more flamefish."

Nicole nodded with a childish grin. " I would like that very much."

The two then grabbed ingredients and Alexia explained what all of them were called and what they were used for. "So, why did you give the princess your hair pin," Alexia asked as she chopped.

"Alright, that came from nowhere," Nicole responded "Well fine, we will make a game of it. I will answer, but then I will ask you a question in return. I gave it to her because this is very important to my father. I had to offer something that would mean the same to me as this treaty means to him, it is really one of the only things that I could give. There is your answer, now for my question. How did you learn the Kalakari language?

"My parents were merchants and they spent a lot of their time trading with your people. They taught me your language along with a few others. They made it into a game, and soon I knew four languages. My turn, why is your hair silver? All of your peoples hair is red, even your father's hair is.

"That is a good one." He said a he cut thin slices of fish with deft hands. "This is how my hair was when my father pulled me out of the sea. It is one of the many blessings from my goddess. Now, if I asked you to come back to the Silver Sea with me, would you come?"

Alexia almost cut herself when she heard Nicole's next question. Her face grew hot and she could not stop her thoughts from running wild. She decided to chop and roll with more intensity to distract herself. She foolishly looked at Nicole and met his charming smile and waiting eyes. "Damn he is pretty," She thought " What should I say? What was he actually asking?" She decided to take the safest route for her answer. "I would love to visit your home if I could," She replied "My parents told me it is beautiful. Anyway, I'll give you a hard one. You are one of the greatest warriors of our era, why do you fight? I understand the need for it, but I heard that for all the best warriors it is a passion rather than a need. Could you explain that for me." Alexia looked as Nicole's expression changed and she felt as if the charming noble had left and the warrior was in front of her.

Nicole knew why he fought, but this was the first time he had ever been asked why he fought. He thought about all his training and his time with his men. When he thought about his childhood, his first campaign, his first kill, he smiled. It was so long ago, that they had become fond memories. Memories of a time where he wasn't the creature he was now, but a young warrior who was still finding his way. "I fight so that my people wont have to," He explained " My people live short lives filled with fighting. Children kill rather than play. Women remain alone at home while their loved ones die because foreigners want what doesn't belong to them. I fight so that for once in these peoples lives they can think of something other than fighting. So they can see what kind of adult their children become. So they can stay hand and hand with their lovers, and watch as time sculpts their faces. So they can see the beauty of the world they call home. This is why I fight, and why I will keep fighting until my goddess claims my life."

Nicole placed the finished food in a dish and gave a smile to Alexia. "It was a fun game," Nicole said "How about we go and enjoy these back in the garden. We can talk more there, or we can sit in silence and enjoy the scenery."

Alexia was not sure how to process everything she had heard. Nicole was very different from what she had expected. She wondered what shaped him and wanted to know more about his life. Luckily she had a chance to learn all about him. "Sounds like a plan," She said.

Music began playing as Nicole and Alexia walked out. He noticed that many of the people had gathered around to watch something, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He took Alexia's hand and made his way to the front of the group. There he saw the princess and a strong stately man dancing. Nicole had never seen this type of dance before, but it reminded him of his own martial art. He decided that the garden could wait and instead took a seat on the floor to watch. He heard the talk of the people behind him, but he did not care for what he could not understand. He instead pulled off his over shirt and folded it to made a cushion next to him. He then offered the spot for Alexia to sit next to him. She hesitantly sat and Nicole gave her a reassuring smile, before turning his attention back to the dance. "Thank you my goddess for the little moments like this," Nicole said to himself as he let himself become lost in the motion and music.

 

[FaithWynters]

It was as if the world around the two melted away. While unwavering eyes watched the pairing as if the dance was being carried out just for them, they were both equally enjoying themselves. With Darius leading the two, taking this practically ceremonial first dance was much easier for Emmaline. Dark eyes stared confidently into her own, and the smile that had graced such sharp and defined features remained. Emmaline stood quite a few inches beneath the man with his wide shoulders and muscular arms. She would not deny that he was quite the attractive fellow, but the two had just never been able to hit it off in any sort of romantic way.

The young man was everything a woman would look for in someone such as himself. He was quite intelligent and well read. While most of the soldiers around were simply good at fighting and doing what they were told, Darius was in the business of creating ingenious plans to assist the Illyrian army. Brown eyes matched the lighter brown tone he had for hair that was cut and styled at about an inch’s length. An ever-lighting tan told of a man that worked out in the sun only for periods at a time before taking breaks. The young man had full lips with a single defining scar on its upper left side. It did not do much to detract from his features.

Of course, Darius had tried time and time again (as Emma grew older and her tastes slowly changed) to court her. The last time he had attempted any such courting, she had just dipped her toes into the first week of being seventeen. With a wonderful ride through the hills on horseback, the young man realized that their races against each other through the hills, the jokes, and the accidental food-fight that left one of his favorite shirts stained with the juice from a multitude of berries was not something that should be sculpted into that of love and romance. These acts were ones of friendship—something that he had not had with anyone besides her brother and the men he would ride into battle with.

In some ways, he had decided—whether consciously or not was unknown—that he would be her sort of protector. He would help in the best ways he knew how to keep Emmaline from being forced into some marriage that she never wanted to be in. So to the rest of the castle, Darius still courted her in the ways a gentleman should, and there was talk from some of the servants that he would soon ask for her hand. It was helpful when people talked of things they did not know, and Darius would not try to inform them otherwise. The two were so used to being told how wonderful the other would be as a spouse that it didn’t surprise them anymore, and they were happy just nodding their heads and smiling.

For Emmaline, it was a little bit of a selfish comfort. She didn't have to worry about looking for a suitor until she found someone that would make a fitting king for Illyria. It would be through their strength that their daughter would be born, and through their strength that Illyria would remain strong.

Emma saw it as an unfair amount of pressure being placed upon such a young woman, but the Gods had seen her strength and formed her into the person she needed to be for the task. For this reason, her father did not pressure her. He knew that his daughter would not stray from the path that the Gods had paved for her.

"Have you had any interaction with these Kalakari men?" The two danced so gracefully together that it almost seemed as if the music danced around their own footsteps. With each spin the two made in unison, Emma's gown billowed out in a flowing white wave, following the two as they continued.

"I have not yet had your pleasure of meeting their leaders, but I have met a few in my travels." He chuckled quietly, "I am certain that this place seems a little over the top for them. They live much more minimalist lives than we." As the two danced and the music picked up its pace, the two did the same, and the foot placement became faster and simple turns evolved into elegant lifts and spins. This was conventional dance for Illyria. While the tale the two wove with their bodies was one of the more complex dances of the Illyria people, most well-known dances followed the same sort of scheme. The dance began simply enough and allowed for partners to get used to one another, and it morphed and melded into the more complex offering that Emma and Darius now offered to their viewers. In no way would Emma have been confident enough to partake in this specific dance—which they called Iarjel in her language—had she not been dancing with Darius.

“I’ve read quite a few of the books in the castle. The Silver Sea seems like a beautiful place to visit.” It was the dance of the rivers that flowed through Illyria—their lifeblood. These rivers provided the kingdom with all of the water that it needed. To Illyrians, these rivers were living beings. The unknown lived beneath the water and the unknown provided nutrients for the plants and animals that lived around the water. It was said that when a soul was lost to the Illyrian rivers, the soul was transformed into a beautiful being that lived below the surface. Those with pure souls helped weary travelers find their way and brought those lost beneath the waters so they too could find a better path. Those who walked the path of darkness—and against the Gods wishes—were said to lure unsuspecting souls into waters they could not safely travel before pulling them under to drown. The longer their loved ones held onto their memories, the longer they were indebted to the water. It was only once they had been forgotten were their souls allowed to move on to the next stages of Kuuthaed.

“I’m sure the Kalakari’s territory is quite beautiful.” Darius let out a quiet chuckle as the two parted for a moment. It was this that Iarjel was supposed to illustrate through dance. The movements were brisk at times and calm at other points. There was the unforgiving nature of missing a step or accidentally dropping one’s partner, but there was a beauty in the guidance of each other across the stone floor. It was in these complicated motions that Darius and Emmaline found themselves quite often. That was the true reason she was able to show her abilities. The two had taken this dance many times before, and with Darius’ guiding hand, they danced incredibly well together.

Finally, the music slowed as did the pair and soon, the two were no longer moving. Their dance was over, and those that had gathered around to watch clapped and spoke joyously around them. Darius respectfully pulled his hands away from her body, took her hands, gave one last respectful bow in thanks, and kissed her hand.

“Thank you for this dance, M’Lady.” When Darius had finally righted himself once again, it was Emmaline’s turn to respond to their dance. This interaction was one that was quite uncommon for other kingdoms, but in Illyria such a display highlighted the true power and freedom a woman had in these social situations. Emma could choose to follow Darius off of the floor, or she could walk off alone. Walking off with him showed his skills in the highest regard and would surely land him quite a few more dances throughout the evening. It was seen as not just an honest opinion of a man’s dancing skills, but also an opinion on the conversation, if any, that he was able to hold with a lady while occupied with other matters. While having been walked away from by the princess was no damnation in any sense (women realized that the standards of a princess were much higher than their own) and oftentimes it meant very little to anyone besides the most vain of Nobles. It was still a nod of great pride towards the men that were the best at such tasks.

It came to no shock to most of the room when Emmaline gave her own curtsey in thanks to the gentleman, took him by the arm, and walked him out of the open space, through a gap that had been made for the two of them. It was only now as she walked Darius toward the edge that she noticed how many people had actually circled around—even her father and brothers had gotten closer to watch the two, and he seemed quite pleased. She even noticed the Kalakari prince sitting on the floor, watching the proceedings. In passing, she gave him the slightest of nods in thanks before continuing past the ring. The young man could have easily ignored the party and found someplace quiet to sit and wait for everything to be done. Instead, he was indulging in their culture. Upon their exit, quite a few more pairs made their way back on the floor to resume their evening’s festivities.

“Thank you for this wonderful dance, Darius.” As song and voice returned to the great hall, Emmaline pulled away from her partner. Folding her hands in front of her, she gave him a single nod. “Don’t break too many hearts tonight.” She winked, and it pulled a deep chuckle from his throat.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind; try to have some fun yourself; you need to get your head out of those books for a little while.” It was at this time that he turned and walked away. It had begun the night for the two of them, which was all Darius had looked to do. He looked to drink and sing with his own fellow soldiers. He looked to enjoy the company of beautiful women and feast upon the great beasts of Illyria. She would leave him to his evening, and, although he asked for her to enjoy herself, she wasn’t particularly sure she could.

“A beautiful display as always, Sister.” Emmaline turned as Robert walked passed her, giving her a loving smile. Robert was the youngest of Emma’s elder brothers, and wasn’t much for the noble mingling that was usually required for these types of parties. Emma said nothing to her brother, but gave him a smile in return. She was thankful at his compliments, but she wasn’t too interested in socializing with anyone right now. It was nice to enjoy the company of people for short periods at a time, but for Emmaline, she needed to take frequent breaks to keep from stressing herself out or growing too tired.

Instead, she turned and made her way around the edge of the room. Of course, Emmaline wouldn’t be able to make it all the way across the room without being stopped. Many would step in her way, have conversation, and continue on with their evenings, but the young woman was lucky enough that she didn’t get asked to dance again before she made it out of the great hall. Once the doors had closed behind her, she walked quickly across the hall and out the large glass doors. The sun had fallen below the horizon and above, the moon shone brightly against the white stone pillars and walkways. As normal for this time of year, the large white moon flowers opened up toward the sky. The open air of the garden was cool and refreshing—much better than that of the stuffy castle.

It was quiet, which is exactly what Emma was looking for. Somewhere off in the distance, the sound of a quillet sang out in the cool night air. The young woman looked up at the stars that shone like beautiful gemstones in the heavens. She smiled quietly to herself, content with being alone for even a few moments.

As Emmaline walked slowly down the small path, looking for a place to sit and relax, the quilled called out again; it was a little louder this time, and every call out into the night air seemed to grow lonelier and lonelier. Life that usually buzzed through the garden in the form of bees, birds, and small animals had all disappeared for the evening.

Emma found herself walking further and further into the garden before she found the place she had decided to sit. Along one of the paths sat a small stone bench. Behind the small bench was a large pink rose bush. The flowers were brilliant in the moonlight, and while most of them were still buds, the few that bloomed were larger than her hands and were spread out all over the bush. This was her favorite place to sit and read in the warmer months when the flowers were in full bloom and the castle grew almost too hot to bear all day. This is where she sat, her back turned slightly toward the path so she could enjoy the beautiful flowers in the moonlight.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole was left with a pleasant smile when the two had finished their dance. He had to admit that the more he learned about the country of Illyria, the more he liked. He was learning that behind many unpleasantries there was much to enjoy. He found himself smiling when he realized that that was probably the same no matter where he went. Alexia asked what he was smiling about, and Nicole responded with "I am smiling at my own foolishness." He then made a note to himself about trying to socialize more.

Nicole watched others dance after, but he did not get the same feeling as before. The dance did not seem entrancing when it was done by the others. He could feel the peoples attitudes and fears in their movements. To him it felt like combat between two rookies, both sides were just cautiously feeling each other out and were not sure how and where to use their techniques. That type of fighting, like the dances he was seeing, was educational but were boring. He looked over to Alexia who seemed to be rolling her eyes and saying somethings in Illyrian as she watched pairs dance. "Would you like to share what you are saying Madam Zendaya," Nicole asked?

"Oh sorry," Alexia apologized "I was saying that I would walk away from most of these partners. Most are dancing like they are drunk, and others are far to grabby."

Nicole flashed her a smile and then stood up, offering a hand to Alexia after. "Then how about we return to the garden," Nicole suggested "You can show me how it is done. I am very interested in your peoples dance, it looks like fun." Alexia took Nicole's hand and gracefully made it to her feet. Nicole picked up his shirt and the tray and put the shirt on before they walked. As they walked Alexia taught Nicole more words and phrases.

As they arrived in the garden Nicole had noticed that other flowers bloomed since he was last out. Alexia explained what happened and what they were and Nicole gave her his thanks. He then removed one of the flowers and placed it in her hair. This flower was still nice but caused Nicole a lot less stress, he liked this flower. She gave Nicole a cute smile and then asked if he gave flowers to all the girls he meets. Nicole thought for a second and then realized that he never really met many women. If he wasn't on the battlefield he was alone at sea. His mother tried to set him up many times, but something always happened and he got dragged off. He then thought about the various women he fought and realized that the number of women he killed was higher than the number he had given flowers too. "No I do not," Nicole responded "In fact this is much better than what normally happens to women I meet."

"Then I will count myself among the lucky few," Alexia said with a beaming smile "So what do you normally do to the women you meet?"

"I was really hoping you wouldn't ask, but I guess the game is back on," Nicole replied " I end up seriously hurting them or killing them." Alexia stopped and turned to him with a shocked expression. "I have met more women on the battlefield than in these types of situations. So you know, it is either me or them, and it will not be me." Alexia seemed to struggle with his words, but pushed he feeling and thoughts for a later time. Just as Nicole was about to ask his response question, the two of them walked into the opening with the pool and bench. Nicole saw a women with her back to him and didn't have to see her face to know who it was. His eyes locked on the crystal flower in her hair, and they narrowed like a hungry dog's. Why didn't he just give her a dagger or something.

Alexia immediately realized who it was and pulled on Nicole. "We should not disturb the princess," She whispered " Let us go somewhere else."

She started to turn around, but Nicole held on to her. "The area is big enough for more than one," Nicole said "You are my guest, you should value yourself a little more."

"But your our.."

Nicole then tugged her and began walking towards the bench. Hello Princess," Nicole said in best Illyrian. Since he was unsure how to say "Would you mind if we join you", he just decided to take action and just deal with what happened next. He had Alexia sit in the open bench space next to Emmaline and he sat on the ground next to the water. Nicole could see it in Alexia's eyes that she was about to protest so he cut her off before that. "Since I answered your question it is my turn," Nicole said as he laid down on the ground and looked at the sky "How do you say "Thank you for sharing your company with me" in Illyrian. Alexia gave him a questioning look, but then gave him the answer. Nicole gave a quick thank you before sitting up to face the princess and saying "Thank you for sharing your company with me," to Emmaline. He then ate a piece of Umi off the tray before offering it the two ladies saying " Would you like some," in both languages. " Also, it is your turn now." He said to Alexia with a quick wink.

 

[FaithWynters]

It was said that the Gods placed the stars above the world in the sky because they were too beautiful to be any closer to the kingdoms. For the greed of men would surely lure them further in the direction of evil, and they could not have such beauty stripped from them by mere humans. That was completely fine with Emmaline. She had seen firsthand the stretches men went through to clutch a jewel in their grasp or enjoy the comfort of a powerful woman on their arms. She was contempt with looking up at the beauty above her that expanded in almost every direction and thinking about what was hidden behind the darkness.

It was nice to listen to the soft calls of the few birds that were still up and waiting for sleep to take them. It was calming to feel the soft breeze that shifted and danced through the bushes and flowers. This was the one place that Emma could still feel her mother’s influence. This garden had been one of her creation, and it was the one place that she could feel in tune with her spirit. She, after all, was following in the footsteps of another sightseer for the kingdom; one that, at the height of her strength and power, had been the best seer of the kingdom for the past century. This garden had been planted by her—each plant chosen and placed delicately around the stone pathways as a prayer and offering to Tehnl and Moira the God and Goddess of Fertility.

It was a dangerous time for Illyria in the time that it took a daughter to age to the point where vision wasn’t mixed with imagination and tales from bedtime and dreams. For Emmaline’s mother, the added pressure of having a girl after the first child being a boy was almost unbearable. This was the natural next step when they had their second child and, once again, it was a boy. The longer it took for them to rear a little girl that could be blessed with sight was longer that the kingdom was without an incredibly valuable defense.

Anyone who had been here long would have been told the story of the garden. The place was made for her, and it meant a lot to Emmaline to keep it in the most pristine condition possible. It was the last way she could keep her mother’s memory alive.

Emmaline did not turn when she heard the soft voices somewhere behind her. Usually, couples would take their leave to the garden to get some fresh air or privacy—two things she herself had come here for. At the sight of her, they usually either turned and walked away or continued to a place much farther within the path. They never stopped to speak with her and they never dared take the open place beside her. She was much appreciative of that, for both parties then achieved their goals, and she didn’t have to deal with informing them that they weren’t welcome.

It came to a great surprise to Emma when the pair had the nerve to take seating beside her, and she only realized why they had made the choice when she turned away from the beautiful roses and came to view the prince and his translator. As the two came closer, Emma could see with every look that the translator apologies a million times over with her eyes.

Honestly, she had never seen the young woman before. Of course, Emmaline couldn’t claim to know every servant of the kingdom, but it was obvious by her beauty why she had been chosen to walk with the prince and keep him occupied. It appeared, by the way the two exchanged quick glances with one another, that they had grown quite comfortable with one another. Either the woman was incredibly stupid or incredibly accommodating to their guest in the castle. For the sight of one of the large moon flowers nestled behind her ear and spreading out to highlight the moon above set a complete fire through her gut. How dare they? Pluck a flower that has been offered up to Gods to place on a simple girl. As they grew closer, she kept the anger hidden, and, instead, she smiled in greeting at the two as she should.

“Hello, Princess.” The words caught her by surprise. It was obvious in even the few hours that the young man had at least learned some of their language. Neither offered the request to sit, and instead, he directed his translator to take the seat beside her and he took his own place. With each glance, she gave another apology, but Emmaline remained cool and did not try and show her that the situation was alright.

“It is a pleasure.” She spoke in his tongue now—in the best Kalakari that she could manage. She had learned only the simplest of phrases in preparation and in her own research on the people. He had thanked her for her company, and in return, she had replied in her own little greeting. She placed her most charming smile on, her hands moving to lie gently in her lap.

The man did have some odd mannerisms. With a platter outstretched, he offered both of the women the same treat. Alexia took the piece of food politely, thanking him for his offering. Emmaline shook her head, and in the politest way possible, spoke a simple, “No thank you,” to the young man. She wasn’t particularly interested in anything to eat right now. Still he did not hold himself as a prince might, and smiled far too often at his translator. There were a few words that she did not translate for Emmaline, and the young woman now took the chance to speak.

“What is your name? I would hate to call you translator for the next unknown amount of time.” She smiled a cool smile at the girl as she turned her head in expectance of an answer. Tilting her head down slightly, she spoke.

“My name is Alexia, M’Lady.” It was natural for her to speak and act in such a manner. Such niceties had always been required around her even if she had not completely enjoyed knowing that people always walked on eggshells around her.

“Ah. Alexia.” She spoke the name once, making sure it was comfortable on her tongue. Emma was sure she would be spending quite a bit of time as this young woman as her go between for Nicole, so she would be sure to remember this name.

In the moment of silence, Alexia dared speak her next question to the warrior on the ground. Of course, Emmaline couldn’t understand what she asked, but with the inflection in her voice, she knew that it had surely been a question of her own for the gentleman.
Emma had to catch herself from letting a disappointed little frown cross her lips. She felt as if she were just a third wheel in this conversation, and they had approached her to sit! Instead, she just wanted the expressions the two made between each other for a moment in the silence before focusing back on Alexia.

“I do admire the moon flower in your hair, Alexia.” The words, although soft and friendly in tone, had a setting of venom behind them. There it was. She hadn’t been able to hold back her annoyance at the young woman for wearing the flower is if she were worthy—and their chatter back and forth seemed to grate on her nerves as well.

The discomfort and fear in Alexia’s eyes for those few short moments were enough to let Emma know that she had gotten her point across. Of course, she was not her father. Such an offence would not cost her the place as a translator—or even her life. The garden did not mean as much to her as it did her father. Still, it was enough of a hint that she might want to remove the flower from her hair before returning to a place where anyone else could see the beautiful white flower away from its home.

“Would you please ask him how he likes our country so far, Alexia?” With even the simplest of words, the moments were gone, and Emmaline was back to her job of ensuring the guest had found their home comfortable enough for his standards—as instructed by her father.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole studied the two women as they talked. He knew that you could learn a lot more about a person from their actions than their words. His father had taught him when he was young about the importance of reading your enemy. Nicole was still young when he asked his father why he had to study more than he practiced. His father had told him that when two masters fight each other, the winner is not determined by the better fighter, but the better mind. He went on to explain that whoever made the first mistake would be the one who would lost. The challenge at that point was to know your enemy so well that you could force the mistake that would lead to your victory. He had learned early that politics and social situations were the same way, they were just the war of peace time, so he watched the situation with a warriors eye.

He watched the body language of the two women as they conversed and listened to the tone of their words. This was all he could do since he couldn't understand the language. The princess seemed to remain calm and relaxed as she talked, but Alexia seemed to be more constricted and formal. "Is she scared to talk to her," Nicole wondered " Maybe the difference in duty means more here. Strange since, to his knowledge, the princess doesn't have any real reason to deserve such reverence."

Alexia found a moment to ask Nicole another question, but it wasn't anything deep. She asked what his favorite food was and Nicole just raised up the platter in response. He felt like the question was just a way to make her feel less awkward with in the presence of the princess. Nicole was about to ask a question in response, but he noticed the princesses expression change. A grin came to his face as he saw the princess frown. "She is a real person after all," Nicole thought.

Emmaline began say some more words to Alexia and Nicole was shocked by the exchange. The words she said were calming and pleasant, but the princesses eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as she said them. "Does she not realize how she looks right now," Nicole wondered? When Alexia became more discomforted Nicole realized that the princess had been intimidating her. "This is quite displeasing," Nicole said to himself "I expected better from the daughter of their ruler, shame."

After a short exchange between the women, Alexia told him what Emmaline had asked. Nicole could not hide the disappointment on his face when he heard what the princess asked, and saw her present demeanor. Alexia gave him a questioning look, but Nicole just shook his head to say "Don't worry about it".

Nicole let out a sigh and took a bite of umi before responding. "Please translate this for me Madam Zendaya," Nicole stated "Do not change anything I say. I will take all responsibility if anyone dares to cause you trouble." Nicole then turned his focus to the princess before beginning. "I will answer your question in a moment, but first I must say that I am not ok with you being rude to my guest. I don't have to understand you to realize when someone is being intimidated. In fact, I am quite ashamed that you would be so rude to one who has chosen to serve you. My mother taught me something very important that I will share with you. She told me that all people are equal, we just have different duties. Just because my duty is to lead and protect, it does not make me better than than one whose duty is to serve. In fact, I have no duty without the people who serve. I serve them as much as they serve me, and we deserve the same amount of respect."

"Anyway, that is enough of that lecture," Nicole continued "I just could not remain quiet after what I had seen, that is just how I was raised. Now for my other issue. Your question is so hollow it makes me sad. If you are like me, the reason we come out to places like this, away from everyone else, is so we don't have to keep up with the annoyance that is the court. I'm sure you asked that question purely out of a sense of responsibility, and not out actual care. Although I am sure I am right, I will answer you question as though you actually care about how I like this place."

"So far I really like it here," Nicole explained "It is really dense and every thing is a much darker green than back home. There is a lot of hills, but I haven't seen much water. The people seem to be alright, and you guys haven't attempted to kill my father yet which is nice. Your animals are ugly, but your food taste fairly good. Other than that, I like the sound of your language and your dance was one of the best I have seen in my travels. I look forward to hearing some songs in your language and seeing some art. I believe that sums up how I feel about your country so far."

"Now is the fun part," Nicole said " Madam Zendaya and I are playing a game that you are free to join us in. Basically all you do is ask someone a question and they must answer truthfully, then they get to ask you a question back. That is what we were doing a second ago. She asked me what my favorite food was. If you would like to join us, it is my turn to ask you a question. My question to you princess is do you actually like being all stuffy and courtly? I find it quite tiresome so I just wanted to ask."

Nicole then turned to Alexia and smiled. "My question for you is, why was she glaring at your earlier? I'm going to guess that she is not just a terrible person. I could be wrong, but I like to assume the best of people, sometimes."

 

[FaithWynters]

Although he did not understand her words, he had picked up enough to get offended by them. With each word that he spoke, Emmaline could see the tightening in Alexia’s chest and face. It was hard for her to speak, and as the words passed through her lips, it was very clear to Emma exactly why she was so uncomfortable. As much as the disrespectful words sent another wave of anger through her, she kept her cool—it was the only way she had been taught to handle something as such.

He really had no idea of their culture or what caused her to say some of the things she had. He was just an ignorant savage that had gotten far to use to being able to talk to anyone how he pleased. This was her country, and it was obvious that he thought he was in much greater standing than he was. He thought he had some sort of power, when really, her father had wisely used the tribe to minimize his own country’s losses and win a war that they had not been economically prepared for at the time. He was the equivalent to a foot soldier in this country’s eyes, and she knew it was hard for a hot-headed savage like himself to understand that. So, instead of speaking for a moment, she just let him continue speaking—not understanding how uncomfortable and afraid he was making the same young woman that he was trying to defend.

Because it was obvious he didn’t understand her country’s culture. She could have Alexia taken out of the castle and maimed for even the words that he spoke, and no one would ask questions. Of course, she wouldn’t do such vile things, but to a servant of the castle, Alexia was very aware that was an incredible possibility if Emmaline saw it fit. She was enabling the asserted disrespect against one of the most important people in Illyria. That wasn’t something that would have been tolerated had her father been around. So, in the moments that followed, she just sat with a slightly amused look on her face.

He had no idea what he was doing. He spoke to her as if she were a child that needed lecturing when it wasn’t his place in the slightest. He held no great wisdom and most of the words he spoke her passed down from someone else. He didn’t make his own rules, he blindly followed those imprinted upon him by others and only acted as if he had his own opinions and expectations. His silence would have gone over far better—for at least he wouldn’t have looked like an idiot. He thought that such a confrontation would go unconfronted.

The longer that she sat there with the partial smile on her face, she could feel Alexia growing more and more tense beside her. It was a hard place for a young woman to be—in between two very powerful people and their own conflicts. Still, she did as instruct and translated, as she saw that as her job. No one spoke so disrespectfully to the princess—no—that could cause wars. Even when a question was posed to her, Alexia did not speak. The only thing she could do was stare out into the darkness and wait for her instruction. As much power as he wanted to have over the situation, Alexia knew whose country this was. Still, she understood the reason for her warning, and she understood that the princess was not directing her anger and venom at her, but at Nicole. So, when the young princess began to speak, she translated.

“The most effective way to make an impression on someone is to show them how much of a fool you are.” Of course, Emmaline wasn’t going to hold back. “You see, I am not the worst person you two could have stumbled across in this beautiful garden. My words reflect only a warning, for had my father caught Miss Zendaya here with one of our families beloved moon flowers in her hair, there would have been no questions asked. She would have been hung for such disrespect to an offering of our Gods Tehnl and Moira.” She gave a glance to Alexia, offering a softer smile to her—telling her it was alright to translate her words. “You are ignorant of our culture, our customs, and our people, and yet you speak as if you are the all-powerful over Illyria himself. She is not your guest, you are our guest, and I’m disappointed that someone who calls himself a leader does not take such humble precautions in the pretense of someone who extends their power far past what you’ve got in your tribe.” She would not call it a country because that’s not what their expansion was. There were slight pauses from Alexia as she translated, but Emmaline knew her words were getting across.

“Unlike you, I know the difference between a relationship for business and a relationship for pleasure.” Her eyes didn’t leave his as she continued. “While it might be much too complex of a difference for you to understand, I am well versed. I do not look to you further than ensuring your comfort as my father has requested. You are nothing more than just part of the court to me.” She picked herself up off the stone bench, and pulled at her skirt by the hem. “You are correct on one thing, however,” She smirked, “I came out here to get away from everyone—including the savages that call themselves royalty.” If he was going to disrespect her, then there would be no holding back from her.

“Miss Zendaya, have a wonderful evening and thank you for your services.” The gave the younger woman a smile before walking off down the darkened path and back toward the celebration.

When Emmaline was gone, Alexia didn’t know what to say for a moment. She just sat there, wide-eyed, staring out into the darkness of the pathway where the woman had gone.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole crossed his legs and sat attentively as Emmaline spoke. While she kept a polite face the venom in her eyes was apparent. Nicole sat respectfully and calmly listened to what the princess had to say.

As he listened to her talk, Nicole learned some very important things. The first thing that he learned was that unlike his home, the Illyrians killed and brutalized people over the most foolish of things. Nicole came to the realization that the Illyrians must use fear as their means of controlling the populous. He found himself sighing at the thought, but made sure to keep it to himself as not to interrupt the princess talking.

The second thing he learned was that the princess did not know much about the dealings outside her country, and she knew nothing of the Kalakari people. He also became aware that she must not know how much her father gave up to secure their services or just how close her people came to being on the loosing side of this war.

The princess's insults made him question her even more. They were just words, so they could do him no harm, but he wondered if she understood the position that her words could have put her in. She was alone in a garden with a translator and was insulting the man who defeated one of the worlds greatest swordsman. He wondered if she realized that he could have cut her throat as soon as she turned her back, and she wouldn't have even been able to scream as she chocked on her own blood. Did she think her position made her invincible?

With the princess gone, Nicole turned his attention to Alexia. She seemed to be shocked and worried about what had just happened, which only added to the sadness that he was feeling right now. "I am sorry that you had to go through that," Nicole said "If I had the ability I would have never forced you to be a middleman. You have my thanks for your patience and understanding. "I will also apologize for your leaders," Nicole added "You should never be afraid to speak your own mind, no matter the situation. Your parents and the blood in your body does not give you the right to suppress thoughts and feelings others."

Nicole gave a bow to Alexia to show his sincerity. "Thank you very much Nicole," Alexia said finally relaxing a bit "There is no need to bow to me, I was just doing my job."

"You have been through enough by having to put up with me," Nicole explained "I believe that I will return to my father and retire for the night. One thing though, your princess was right about the fact that I don't understand your culture. Would you mind taking me to a library, or someplace where I can study your people?"

Alexia smiled for the first time in a while. "I would love to," She exclaimed " I know just the books and place. I can also bring some language books as well."

Nicole smiled as she saw Alexia brighten up. Her love of knowledge made him look forward to the days to come. He stood and offered a hand on Alexia. After helping her up he removed the flower from her hair. "While I believe that if the gods want something they with take it," Nicole said "Your people don't seem to believe the same a me. So let us send this to the gods where it belongs." Nicole then crushed the flower in his hands and watched as the wind blew the many pedals into the vast sky. As if on command a harder wind kicked up many other flower pedals into the sky. He smiled a the beautiful flower pedals that shined like stars in the sky, and the two of them talked as they walked out of the garden.

After escorting Alexia back to the party Nicole searched for his father. After following the crowd he was able to find his father's red hair in the crowd. His father was talking with the king and some others, but it did not seem to be anything important. Nicole walked up to his father and gave a quick bow. "Father, I have much I need to discuss with you," Nicole said "Would you mind retiring for the night so that we may talk." Nicole's father gave a nod of understanding and said his goodbyes.

It was not long before the two of them were alone in their room. They had been given two different rooms, but Nicole would stay with his father to guard him in the night. "So what is it you wanted to discuss my son?" Yasim asked. Nicole checked the room before speaking. He then told his father about his exchange with the princess.

"I could not help but question our relationship with them after I heard her words," Nicole explained "She is still young and has much growing to do, but if this is how their children act what does that say about their parenting? Those who lead should not be so callous. Also, can you believe that people can be punished for speaking, and for taking flowers their gods didn't even care enough for to take. I am still amazed that she called me a savage, she is basically a slaver. She seems to believe that her position makes her better than others."

"My son," Yasim stated "They are doing the best they can at the moment. No one is perfect. As I have taught you, you must understand then draw your conclusions. There is much to learn, and maybe your opinion will change after." Yasim then patted Nicole's head and walked over to his bed.

Nicole gave a bow to his father and prepared for his night. He prayed, practiced his forms, and then meditated. He repeated this cycle until his father awoke the next morning.

 

[FaithWynters]

Even through the darkness out of the window, the soft fluffs of whites and grays shifted in Emmaline’s vision. No longer were they spread across the field in their relaxed and worry-free lifestyle. Instead, they clumped together in larger groups and shifted themselves father away from the castle and toward the warm light just on the edge of the nearby forest. For the evening, they would rest, and before the sun rose they would bring themselves back out into the field and warm themselves with the sunlight. Usually, the view would calm her worries.

“Ugh! I can’t believe how he’s so—“The thick slapping sound rang out across the room as the large book hit the stone flooring and slid a few feet away. “Who does he think he is?” The book, having been completely forgotten was the same one that Emmaline had been pouring herself into earlier. All the excitement from that moment was gone, and instead, looking at the book only reminded her of the night’s proceedings. Right now, however, she really didn’t have the patience to learn about the Kalakari or their customs anyway. “I bet that if he knew what our gods had done to save his life—what information I’ve provided him in battle that has saved his ungrateful--” Emmaline was steaming; she wasn’t sure she had ever had someone speak to her in the way Nicole had—and through one of Illyria’s translators as well! It wasn’t something she had completely learned how to cope with, and the anger that followed with that was very apparent.

“Miss, please come sit” The young maiden had been listening to the young woman talk about the horrible bits of the celebration for the past half an hour. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen Emmaline so upset about something before. Still, with the soft calls from her friend, Emma stopped pacing back and forth across the room. She didn’t mind when she was cut off by Mary, who was sitting patiently on a stool nearby—for she knew she had been raving for quite some time and the young woman had done nothing but wait for her to calm down. A huff of air escaped her lungs and the young woman made the short distance between them and sat in front of her Maiden. Another huff escaped her, but with the feeling of hands carefully deconstructing the pinned beauty calmed her slightly. “You must remember, Emma, that everyone isn’t privy to the information that the lucky few in the palace have.” There was a slight pause as the young woman readjusted and re-crossed her legs. “Besides, wasn’t it you just earlier who said she didn’t want to be worshipped as if you were a God?”

“Yes but—“
“And you speak of this Kalakari prince as if he should know what gods and you have done for him Emmaline.” Slowly, long and thick strands of hair fell down from their pinned place atop Emmaline’s head.

“You didn’t hear how disrespectful he was!” Her agitated tone had softened. “He spoke to me as if I were some commoner on the street.” There was a slight pause again as the maid slowly rolled over words in her mind. She needed to be careful what she said, because this had always been a touchy subject with her friend as they grew up.

“I am not your mother, so please don’t take this the wrong way, Emmaline, but the way to show someone that you aren’t who they think you are is to act in a way they don’t expect from you.” The tension at her scalp tightened slightly as Emma turned her head to give a sideways look at Mary. “I mean, be the graceful, understanding, and bright princess that Illyria knows you to be.” Emma turned her head again and nodded in understanding. “Do not let those who think they are better than you pull you down to the level they reside on.” Mary smiled as she began running the brush through the young woman’s hair. “Do not give them the satisfaction of seeing you at your worst.”

Being wise for her age, Mary knew that it would not be the best decision to inform the angered princess that she too was at fault for some of the horrid things she had done tonight. It was her job to guide and assist when necessary—not scold the princess. Still, with what had happened in mind, it was probably the best advice that the young woman could give Emmaline, and, as the princess rolled the ideas around in her mind, she sighed softly. She had just returned the same nastiness back at him. Father wouldn’t be pleased with her actions and reactions—they were far to rash.

“He does not know your culture just as you do not know is—understand that.” Of course, the two knew very little about these people who had offered their assistance to Illyria in their time of need. “You mirrored his same ignorance tonight.” Pulling the cloth around the front of Emmaline’s head, her hair was wrapped away as to not be disturbed too much during her bath.

“You’re right as always, Mary.” The words were soft and Emmaline let out the softest of sighs. “While I will not apologize, I will be careful in the presence of the prince from now on.” There was a smile of success as the elder picked herself up and held out a hand to help Emma up from her place.

“I’m sure that’s what your father would find the most agreeable—and will avoid the most lecturing.” A giggle escaped the two as they walked across the bedroom together and toward the bathing room. A hot bath would be exactly what Emmaline needed to forget their troubles, and the two enjoyed the time to speak freely with one another about the ball and about Darius—a young man Mary had grown quite fond of in the past few months.

While it seemed that, on the surface, the evening’s events were over, a peaceful sleep was not there to bring the evening to a close. Worry, regret, and visions that were forgotten as soon as eyes opened the next morning were present throughout the night, and when the sun broke and flooded the room with morning light, Emmaline was more than ready to pull herself out of bed and get ready for a day of meals of celebration and time hidden in the library reading her time away.

 

[Enolx]

"I hope your sleep was pleasant father," Nicole said as is father rose from the bed. It was very early and the sun was just starting to peer over the horizon. Nicole suppressed a yawn and stood to give his report on what happened in the night.

His father father looked him over with a parental eye. "You stayed up all night again didn't you," Yasim asked? Nicole knew where this was going, but knew it was unavoidable, so he just nodded to his father. "I thank you for your dedication," He added "You must rest as well. You watched over me every night since we left the Silver Sea. You will be of no use if you are not well rested." Nicole went to protest, but his father held up a hand. "As your father and your leader, I order you to sleep," Yasim demanded with stern eyes "You may rejoin me after a proper rest." He then sat down in front of the door and waited for Nicole to go to the bed.

It had been some time since he had been out of his armor. After removing it and his weapons he felt as light as a feather, but also very naked. He started to get into the bed, but then he noticed his own smell. After all the training he had done to keep awake he had become drenched sweat. He turned to protest, since he didn't want to ruin such a great bed with his filth, but his father kept up his glare. So, with no other options, Nicole hopped into the bed. He fell into the softness of the bed and was amazed. Back home they slept on much thinner mats. Nicole couldn't help but wonder what, and how much, of whatever was used what put inside of this. It was while he wondered about what made up this cloud he laid on, that he drifted into a restful sleep.

Nicole woke with a smile. He had a pleasant dream about his home, and he felt like a new man. It had been some time since he had slept out of a saddle, as it was the only time to catch a short rest and still protect his father. "I am very glad that I listened to you father," Nicole said quickly realizing that he was the only one in the room. Panic surged through his body and he flew out of the bed. He left his armor, but threw his chain around his waist before busting out of the door.

Just as Nicole was about to charge down the hall, he saw a servant woman outside his door. He quickly stopped and confronted the woman. "Where has my father gone to," Nicole barked with fiery eyes. He quickly realized that what he was doing was foolish and calmed himself. "I am sorry," Nicole said, his tone much softer "Would you have happened to have seen my father? He is not in his room."

The woman looked at him with a questioning look and then asked him if he spoke Illyrian. Nicole rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. He did not know much Illyrian, but he did say the words father and where. He hopped that was enough, and just when he was thinking of other ways to get his words across she nodded. "Thank you goddess," Nicole whispered under his breath. The woman then handed him a note.The note was written in his language and used his fathers code marker which insured it was from him.

Nicole I am fine and you do not have to worry about me. I will be in the company of the king and will be there for most of the day. You have been asked for by general Lucien. He wanted you to help train the Illyrians as a special instructor. He will be at their military facility waiting for you whenever you awaken. Other than that the day is yours to do with as you please. Your translator also came by and I told her to meet you at the facility. See you later tonight.

Nicole gave the woman a bow and said thank you. The woman then responded to his thanks and then motioned for him to follow her. After a short walk Nicole was handed over to a guard named Derick, and Derick took him the the military district. As he walked through the military district Nicole felt at home. This place was far more like his culture than the rest of the places in Illyria. People were practicing their swordsmanship, there was marching in the streets, and the clanging of metal was constant. After crossing a good many streets they arrived at a large open area that the center of the district. There Nicole saw Lucien leading various squads through drills. Nicole stayed back and watched as the men fought. They had a good foundation, but many of them seemed to not have built upon it. He watched as the men attempted higher level maneuvers, but fell back to easier moves when they got tired or disheartened at their failure.

Nicole was so lost in his thoughts that he did not realize that Lucien had come beside him until he placed a hand on his shoulder. "So what do you think of them my friend," Lucien asked in near perfect Kalakari "You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"They are good, but it seems that they still break down when abnormalities happen," Nicole explained "If I had to guess, it is the result of your people having such a great tactician. Since everything happens as your tactician predicts, your men never have to adapt. They lack the ability to quickly change based on the information in front of them. To be fair, you should be fine as long as your section leaders can properly read the flow of battle, but I find it is much better when every man can make those decisions. It makes it so they are better in single combat and lets anyone take charge if the need arises. There is some other minor things like foot positioning what could be vastly improved, but these are easily fixed when they are brought to attention. Business aside, how have you been my friend? I have not seen you since our joint mission on the grasslands."

"I have been well. I have spent most of this time trying to fix some of the issues that became very apparent in the war. There is much to do, but thanks to you I have the time and the knowledge to do so. I am glad that you agreed to come help out, I know you must be busy with your father."

Nicole held out an hand and the two of them grasped the others forearm. "You are one of my brothers now," Nicole said "Ask of me, and I will do all in my power to help. Speaking of which, how can I help?"

"We have a few young bloods who believe themselves to be much greater than they actually are. Their hubris is getting in the way of training, and since they have station they believe they can do what ever they want. I thought having one of the barbarians they talk about beating them into the ground might knock them down a peg or twelve. You think you can do that?" Nicole grinned at Lucien. "That's what I thought my boy. I will go gather them up now. Feel free to wait on the sands."

Nicole walked to the center area where the Illyrian's were training and began to stretch. A few of them realized who he was and bowed in respect, and many other stopped to whisper about the oddity in front of them. As he stretched Nicole listen to Lucien call out various names for form up on the sands. Soon there were nearly fifteen men standing in front of him. They all looked displeased to be put on the spot and wondered what was going on.

"Those of you on the sands have voiced your complaints about your placement in this army," Lucien said in his native language "You feel you are better than those around you and that you shouldn't have to do the same as your fellows. I have called my friend here to show you the error of your ways. Any of you who can defeat him will gain promotion to the highest rank I can allot them. If you are beaten though I will have you demoted to the lowest rank, regardless of previous standing. You will have to prove to me that you are worthy of the rank you were given. Any of you who are unwilling to fight may return to their duties after apologizing for their actions and words in front of their piers " Lucien waited to see if any would back out, when none of them did he gave the signal to begin.

The men made their first mistake when they chose to fight him one at a time. They decided who would go first with a game and the winner walked to their doom with an arrogant grin on their face. Nicole dodged his first swing and knocked the man out with the back of his own sword. When the first man crumpled the rest of them charged. They had the right idea, but since they didn't work together Nicole broke them one after another. He controlled them and the flow of the battle. He made their own attacks take out their allies. If they faltered or got defensive Nicole pressed them and broke them more. Soon there was only one. He was a good swordsman, but he was very predictable. Nicole tangled the man in his own clothes and used the man's own two swords to pin him face down to the ground. When all of his opponents were immobilized and groaning Nicole casually strolled to Lucien. "Easy," Nicole said with a smile "They need more practice. They also need to work on sizing up their opponents."

After teaching a class on controlling ones opponents, Nicole ran into Alexia outside the sands. "I'm sorry, I had to get permissions for some special books," Alexia explained "Come with me and I will show you the most wonderful place in the country." Nicole said his goodbyes to Lucien and agreed to come back tomorrow, then Alexia dragged Nicole through the town.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a huge building that reminded Nicole of the castle. When they walked inside Nicole was greeted by massive rows and columns of books. "This is the Great Illyrian Library," Alexia announced "It is one of the biggest sources of knowledge on the continent. Scholars from all around come here to study and many great works call this place home. It is open late so after you are done in the palace we can come here to study if you would like. For now thought lets return to the palace library and study there, the books I wanted to show you are already there."

The two of them once again raced through the city streets. After arriving at the palace they quickly made their way to the library. Alexia guided him to a spot in the back surrounded by shelves with a large window to provide a view and sunlight. There were already books on a desk, and pillows on the floor. Nicole grabbed one of the books, but couldn't read it since it was in Illyrian. Alexia grabbed the book from him and handed him another one. "This is the book about culture you wanted," Alexia explained "I will read it to you since you can not. While I do that, read that book I gave you to help with reading and writing Illyrian."

"That sounds good to me," Nicole said as he laid down on the pillows and started reading the book Alexia had gave him.

 

[FaithWynters]

For once, the young woman was alone. While she was certain that Mary was awake, the maiden wouldn’t venture into the room until Emmaline called for her. Still, it was almost certain that she was running around cleaning something, making sure breakfast was in the process of being ready for the young lady, or some other sort of duties. Really, Emma didn’t know what all Mary was in charge of, but it seemed that she was always busy.

It was nice, sometimes, just to have a few minutes with oneself before having to face so many people. Emma hoped that there wouldn’t be much her father needed from her today. Her presence yesterday hadn’t ended in the best possible manner. Today would be a day of politics, and there was no reason for the daughter of the king to be present. She was thankful for that, as those meetings always tended to be incredibly boring. She was usually required to sit through them when they were with her father and his advisors, but with the addition of the Kalakari men, it had been decided that she would not attend. It would probably have seemed odd to the outsiders for a young woman to attend such a meeting when she seemingly had no part in the war.

Still it was a great secret how Illyria was able to predict and avoid such losses during battle. Not only that, but they were able to stop invasions into cities near the edges of the Illyrian border. It was much easier to snuff out invasions with her around. Of course, it was probably just left off to being a leak in the invading country’s ranks somewhere, and it kept Illyria’s secret for all of these years. It was a blessing, for it was certain that others would look to take the power that Illyria had either for their own. The secrecy kept Emmaline safe, and she was thankful for that.

There were very few that knew of the special power that she held. Her father was very careful—like many lines before him—to ensure that only those closest to him, loyal to the kingdom, and that needed to know the information would be informed. Of course, her brothers knew as they were often charged with making sure she was taken care of in case the touch of a stranger threw her into a vision. It was an obvious choice that Julius would be the one to attend these meetings with their father. He fought side by side with others in the war to protect his country. He was the best suited of all the children to attend at this time.

So, she was free! With a light sigh, Emma picked herself up from the soft and comfortable sheets. It was early, but she was certain that most of the castle was already up and moving around. She didn’t worry about calling Mary just yet. The woman needed some time to not worry about helping her into something or combing her hair. Emmaline just wanted to be alone for a little while longer, so, she took her time and combed out her own long hair and got dressed. She chose a comfortable and more relaxed cloth for today. There was no reason to constrict herself when she wasn’t going to be under eye for much of the day.

Quietly, she slipped from her chambers and out into the familiar hallway before her. Outside were two figures—one standing on either side of the doorway. To her left was the guard who was scheduled to stand outside of her bedroom at all times. Only specific people were allowed into Emma’s quarters, and this guard was placed there to ensure that only those people got past him. The young man standing there seemed to always change. She was certain that there was some sort of schedule, but she didn’t really get the chance to talk to them—usually when she left she was on her way to some place important so she didn’t stop.

On her right, there was a younger maid. When she appeared, the two straightened up. The guard looked straight ahead, and the young girl—who was probably only twelve or thirteen—looked toward the young princess. Eyes were wide as they realized that Emmaline was already dressed—that was supposed to be her job for the morning. Still, it was silent.

“Would you have my breakfast brought to the library?” A soft smile spread across her lips as the young girl nodded quietly. She didn’t move—she wouldn’t until the princess had walked away. “Thank you.” It was simple, and without another word, Emmaline walked away.

. . .​

As always, the library was empty at this time. With all the guests in the castle, there were much more interesting things to be going on. Usually, Emmaline would find herself in some sort of training around this time. She would be reading from books and working on her magic with her tutors, but these sessions were canceled for the week. Instead, she was training on her own.

Now to anyone looking in on the scene might not understand exactly that what she was doing was considered training. In front of her were two books open on the table, as well as one open and sitting on a metal stand in front of her. Light shone in on the large wooden table from the huge stained-glass window behind her. Color would move and shift as the day passed, but for now, a deep green reflected off the small blade that sat—partially hidden—beside one of the books.

Today would be the perfect day to try out something a little more difficult, and something that her father had forbidden her to attempt. She wouldn’t expect anyone to bother coming here today, and they especially wouldn’t dare bother her.

She had been there for hours already; breakfast had been brought and Emmaline had enjoyed the filling meal with light conversation from Mary. Since then, however, the young maid had disappeared back to the work that called to her in other parts of the castle. She would be back at some point—or when Emmaline called for her next. Although it was hardly into the afternoon, it seemed that the day had been wonderfully relaxing.

If that’s what you would call slicing deep into your palm with the sharpest knife you could find around the castle. Biting her lip was the only way to keep Emmaline from letting out a quiet little squeal into the cool air around her. It didn’t take long until deep crimson pooled and fell as little droplets onto the dark cloth spread out below her hand. Laying her hand to rest upwards on the cloth, she quietly wrapped it around the cut until it could no longer be seen.

She had to remain calm, even if the cut stung like hell. It was only that way that she would be able to embrace the power of the Goddess Helena to heal it. All the books she read spoke that it was much easier to heal oneself in comparison to another. A person was much more in tune with their own body and lifeblood than that of someone else and it was in this way that she would teach herself.

“E’ corr ivum thu suddakk Rarramo thu brakk thraka vuimdk omd vruqeda o kuthrar” The words escaped her lips like velvet into the chilly air. It provided a warmth to what she believed to be empty surroundings. With eyes closed, she continued to wait for a feeling the books described as warm and tingly. Right now, the only thing she could really pull from the feeling in her hand was pain.

There was a sigh of defeat. Of course, these types of things didn’t usually work on the first try, but Emmaline was one to persevere. The dark cloth began to darken with the wetness of her blood. She could feel the deep sting sink into her. It was nothing serious, but this was the exact reason her father forbade such teachings to her. He would much prefer her not delve into such ideas if it meant pain for her at some point. She wasn’t a child, and as she closed her eyes again, she let the calmness wash over her once more.

“E’ corr ivum thu suddakk Rarramo thu brakk thraka vuimdk omd vruqeda o kuthrar” This time, the velvet was filled with a similar strength from before as she requested power from her Goddess Hellena to grant her the ability to heal her wound.

It was in this moment that Emmaline felt it. It wasn’t something she would describe as warm or tingly. It felt more like the Goddess herself had placed lava in her palm from the great mount Sael’s bowels. Without much warning, the young princess wasn’t prepared for such a feeling and let out a cry into the quiet library. She bent over at the waist, gripping the cloth tightly in her hands.

She remembered one of the books reading that there would be mild discomfort until the user was more akin with shifting their energy and casting the spell, but this… this wasn’t mild. In only a few short moments, she found her face buried in the book that lay below her, but the burning finally ceased, and she lay still.

“Ow…” It was a quiet little mutter that she let escape from her lips, but soon enough she was eagerly pulling the wet cloth from her hand.

“Yes!” She couldn’t help the quiet exclamation of joy, into the openness of the room. Such magic was not at the bottom of the rudimentary pyramid. It wasn’t something that you would go to a school and learn on your first hand. No—it took hard work of the mind and body, and even as Emmaline smiled down at her soft and untouched-looking hand, she could feel the tired feeling settling into her. It had been oh-so worth it to her though.

This is what she should have been doing with her extra time—not rubbing noses with royalty and dancing at parties. She should have been preparing for something far worse than others could imagine. Although her father told her not to worry, the vision had still been real, and she needed to prepare if she could not see the way to change it. She wondered for a moment if the answers lie somewhere deep within the Kalakari man—if the gods had created him to be a simple roadblock to surpass to ensure the country’s safety. Right now, she needn’t worry about, for she was sure they wouldn’t be speaking again—at least for a while. So, this was the closest outlet, and she would work on growing herself before trying to get closer to him again—she was sure that is what the gods had intended.

And now she was one step closer!

With a soft smile on her lips, the young woman took a seat in the comfortable goose-down stuffed chair beneath her. She had been successful, and although, the tiredness wasn’t anything compared to that which came with some of her visions, it was still enough for her to need to take a moment. It was then that she felt it; an odd sort of tearing sensation spread across her hand again. She let out another quiet noise, and before she knew what was happening, blood once again pooled in her palm.

“Of course!” The murmured aggravated little curses under her breath. Nothing was going to come completely the first few times she supposed, and once again she wrapped the damp cloth around her hand. Looking down, she saw small little droplets of blood soaking into the paper of the book beneath. “Oh no!” Scrambling, she reached for something—anything that could soak up the blood and keep the book from being damaged any more than it already was.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole laid back on the pillows and got comfortable before beginning his reading. As he started his own reading, he opened his ears to Alexia. She started to read the book word for word, but stopped after the introduction to the book. She flipped forward in the book and skimmed it for a moment. "This book does not actually tell you anything that isn't the norm, and some of it doesn't translate well," Alexia explained "Are you ok if I just read over it and give you the important parts?"

"That is fine madam Zendaya," Nicole responded with a smile "I have faith that you will tell me everything I wish to know." He then went back to his book. He really needed to learn how to ask where is father was. He felt that he would be using those words quite often.

"Well thank you," Alexia said with a grin while flipping some of her hair to the side of her face." The first chapter of this book goes over the hierarchy of the families in Illyria. Here the mother of the family is the head of the household. She makes the final decisions and provides for the family along with her husband. If the mother dies, the husband will usually remarry, but in the case of the reverse the woman tends to remain single. Divorce is basically non existent here and is seen as an act against god.

Oh I will read this next part word for word since it is interesting. Females in Illyrian culture are to be looked toward as the most respected of people, and it is not uncommon to see a man beaten for even the joking words he speaks to a woman. Like few other cultures in past histories, and countries around the realms, domestic abuse against either partner is punishable by prison time with the same steepness that burning someone's house down might hold. Most women carry knives to cut the face of their attacker so all that know him will know of his horrible offenses, and such is very common place in many smaller villages.

Back to paraphrasing now. These ideologies extend to the royal family as well. The queen is more powerful than the king, although he tends to be in charge of the military. This is the norm, but know that there were some queens that did all the ruling theirselves.

That is the first section, for the most part, what do you think about it so far?"

Nicole closed his book and put it off to the side. This was far more interesting, and he could always read his book while he was watching over his father in the night. He thought about everything that was told to him and compared it to his people. "Our people seem to be a little closer than I thought," Nicole stated "There are some major differences though, so it would be nice to know the reasoning behind the choices. In the Silver Sea women have the utmost respect, and hold sway in most issues they choose to partake in. Our reason for that is, for the sake of our people, many women tend to not join us on distant battlefields. They tend to stay home, tend to the affairs of state, and protect our home should intruders attack while our main force is away. We take everything they say into account because they are the ones who know home affairs the best.

On the subject of divorce, marriage is a rare thing so divorce is unheard of. The hugest difference is the fact that your men get beaten just for joking. Words should not be restricted even if they are displeasing to hear. If you silence the voice of the people, they will be silent when you need their voice the most is what my mother told me. Last, when it come to domestic abuse, that is taken to the council. There is constant fighting for position in the Kalakari race, so all cases need to be investigated to make sure it was not a normal challenge."

Alexia let out a "Wow" after he had finished. "I never got any of that from the books about you guys," she explained.

"Yes, people tend to think just because we fight to settle most disputes, that all our policies are determined by fighting. Challenges are only legaly binding if it is brought to the council or there was an impartial witness. Many issues are decided by argument and deliberation, and final say is given to the leader. Anyway, we can come back to my people later. What is in the rest of the book? If you like, I can keep explaining the differences between our people."

"I would like that a lot. There is nothing more enjoyable than learning new things." Alexia then scanned through the next section so she could paraphrase it. After a quick read she turned and said "Actually, I am going to read the first part of his word for word. Most of it is actually very important to know and shouldn't be glossed over. This next section is about the education system and the importance of knowledge to the Illyrian people. Anyway, here you go." She the started her reading again for Nicole.

"Knowledge is seen to be a very important token in Illyrian Culture," she read "It is believed that even the best of warriors cannot be crafted until they've got an educational foundation to build their skills upon. For this reason, children are required to attend schooling through their thirteenth year. If they choose to continue, they are allowed to either take their basic educational columns, Mathematics, Logic and Reasoning, History, and Literature, throughout the first half of the day, or they continue for full days and are allowed, after the others leave, to take more complex focuses like Linguistics, Economics, Potions Crafting, Religious studies, etc..

The basic education of a child is free until their sixteenth year, and the focuses will cost parents a fee in their thirteenth through sixteenth years. For this reason, focus school is seen as a very upper-middle to high class endeavor. Every school does not have every type of focus, so children often travel and live with relatives through these years to be able to attend a school with their preferred focus, which can be quite costly. After this basic education, students can choose to continue on to a focus school that can teach them their trade, or they are free to do as they wish."

After that it just goes on to talk about the boarding school system, and the author ends by padding is ego and talking about how great the country is so I will skip that. So, how does the Silver Sea stack up?"

Nicole couldn't help but smile. They stayed in school until they were thirteen. He had seen three different campaigns by that time and had almost been swallowed by a sea serpent. He was an oddity even for his people, but still even the normal Kalakari would have seen combat before then.

"Back home, we don't really have a set school system," Nicole explained "Your family raises you to be a proper man, with love and respect in your heart, and if you want to learn something you ask someone who knows. For our people, your family is not just those related to you by blood though. Loss is constant for us so we care for and raise the young together that way no child will ever be without parents or a family. Since this is the case the child's parents can just ask one of their brothers or sisters to teach their child, if there is something they can not teach themselves. I for instance, usually teach old and young alike about the sea, various sea life, and the different phenomenon that happen on the water. I am the only one of our people who can stay down in the nicole so I am usually asked about that though, that and war stuff of course."

"Stay down in the nicole," she questioned with a small cocking of her head " Nicole just means water right?"

"Nicole describes one of the many types of water," Nicole responded "Nicole refers to the heavy water fairly deep down where there is less sunlight. The weight down there puts too much strain on people, so only sea life is ever down there. It is a shame too, because it is beautiful."

Alexia was in awe once again. While he described it differently, she knew what he was referring too. She tried to remember how much pressure was actually on the body down at those depths, but got distracted when Nicole switched to a crouch and sniffed the air. "What are you doing," she asked.

Nicole thought he was crazy for a second. He wondered why he would smell blood in a library. He thought that maybe it was a passing smell, or that he had gotten some blood on himself earlier. When the smell became stronger he got up from his resting position and into a crouch. He looked at Alexia, who seemed to have not noticed anything. "One of our many differences I suppose," Nicole thought.

"There is blood in the air," Nicole said " I am sure you don't have assassins in the library, but I'm going to go find the source." Nicole then began quickly skulking through the massive shelves of the library.

In a different alcove of the library Nicole found the source of the smell. He saw a woman with bloody wrap around her hand bleeding over a book. After a moment of observation Nicole realized that the woman was the princess and rolled his eyes. His previous meeting with the woman had left him resilient to deal with the woman again. He didn't like that she called his people savages, and wondered if he should let her bleed and go one with his business. He sighed at how childish he was being and walked to help the princess.

"Leave the book and fix yourself first," Nicole said irritated "A little blood will not destroy the book, but a lot of it will." He rolled his eyes again realizing that she couldn't understand him anyway. Since he rushed out of the room this morning he didn't have his medical kit with him which limited him. He took the princess' hand and removed the poor excuse for bandage to look at her wound. There was a fairly deep laceration, that would need to be stiched together. He decided that a field patch would be the best bet until she could get proper medical help.

Nicole removed his shirt and used his chain to cut a long strip. He folded some of his shirt into a square to make a makeshift gauze and placed it on the wound. He then tightly bound her hand to put pressure on the wound. After tying the wrap he directed her to hold her hand above her heart. With the last of his shirt he carefully wiped the blood off the book she was trying to save. After finishing he cut the rest of his shirt into extra strips and gauzes incase the bleeding continued before she could get help, and left them next to the book. Nicole then turned and left without a word.

As he was leaving he ran into Alexia. "This is where you were," she said out of breath "I lost you. You sneak around so quickly. Did you find the assassin or whatever? Also where is your shirt?"

Nicole turned her around and began to push her out of the alcove. "It was a false alarm," Nicole said "Lets go back to reading, and I will tell you the thrilling tale of how my shirt ripped on a bookshelf."

 

[FaithWynters]

The young woman had been far too worried about her blood soaking into her books to notice anything else. No—the books were incredibly old and the elder that watched over the library would not be happy at all if they were to find out someone had made mess of a five-hundred-year-old book. She continued to feel the heat in her hand, and although the tearing feeling had passed, the sting from before had returned. It wasn’t bad—just a dull little reminder that there was still an open wound.

“Just try again. Clean up the mess later.” Emmaline muttered the words quietly to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was head to the infirmary and have to explain why there was a huge gash in her hand. It would be a lot simpler if she could just handle this all by herself. The small bit of cloth she did have was well soaked with blood. So, before it could drip any more than it had on the book and table, Emmaline closed her eyes, held out the hand with her other out in front of her form, and uttered the words stronger this time.

“E’ corr ivum thu suddakk Rarramo thu bra—” The spell was cut short by the sound of another voice directly behind Emmaline. Instinctively, she let out a slight gasp as she swung around to face the unknown person speaking in a different tongue behind her. Initially, she had been startled by the sound and then she was frightened by who might have walked in on her little session.

It did take a moment for the irritated-looking face standing next to her to register. Of course, it just had to be probably the one person she wasn’t looking forward to facing yet. Although there was no look of concern on his face, a strong hand wrapped around the smooth and unweathered skin of her wrist. She flinched. Not because the movement hurt or was frightening, but in that single moment when their skin touched, she worried she might be thrown into another horrible vision. Her breath got audibly caught in her throat and she prayed. If she were the fall into a vision now, there would be nothing that could be done. It was only when she realized the visions weren’t coming that she relaxed and opened her eyes again.

Nicole had removed his shirt before the young woman could stop him, and she naturally averted her gaze back to the wound that he held out in front of her now. The last thing that she wanted was for him to worry about her hand. Really! There was a pretty good chance that she could handle this herself, and if she couldn’t, she knew where the infirmary was! The words were caught in an unswallowable ball in her throat, however, and instead, she remained silent as he worried about bandaging her wound with the only thing that he had.

It was strange. Although there was quite the barrier between them—not only from the night previous but also linguistically—he did not seem interested or worried. The young man did not attempt to ask her what she had been doing to cause such damage to herself, and he had not insisted she rush to the infirmary for care from the best in the country. It could only be assumed that he had not taken too kindly to her words before, and only offered the assistance a gentleman might be expected to offer. Regret twinged in her heart and stomach as she felt the tightening of the cloth around her hand. On the other hand, it did feel nice to not be prodded and worried about as if she were still in her infancy. It was definitely a different experience.

Had it not been made plainly clear by her gods and goddesses the night previous in her dreams, she was once again reminded of her ignorance and childish behavior of the evening before. She had not acted in such a way that she had been trained, and she only hoped such mistakes would not cost her father any loyalty from these men in the future. Still, it was not the time nor the place to apologize. Words did not erase words, and only through actions would she be able to show her regret to the young man. She was called from her thoughts only by his silent retreat from her book-stacked alcove. By the time she had turned to watch him leave, he had almost disappeared around the corner.

“Thank you!” She attempted to call out to him in her best Kalakari—one of the few parts of a conversation that her books had been able to teach her. The words broke the humming silence that seemed to have settled in the library long ago and had not been broken until this very moment. As was nature, the call still didn’t reach past the end of the shelves directly outside of the small study area. She hadn’t expected a response, and when the movement stopped and the silence had once again settled, she turned back around to the desk in front of her.

“I am not going to the infirmary.” Still holding the wounded hand up as Nicole had silently directed, Emmaline looked back down at her books. One had a few small stains where droplets had been wiped up. Care would be taken in the future to only get blood on the invaluable materials around. Her mind still danced around with all the thoughts that had forced their way into the small little space. Emmaline knew she couldn’t let herself be distracted. It was obvious that even the slightest step away from the task could end in the pain returning to her.

Dark eyes scanned the hand-scribbled words in one of the books until she came across a small passage at the very end that she had somehow looked over previously. It took a few more reads before she could completely understand the olden language that the text had been written in, but she had found one of the small problems.

“The Goddess’ power and gracious touch is one of pure love. Understand the great blessings cast upon thee, child, and show your gratitude before the final blessings can be placed upon one’s mind and flesh. Be knowledgeable of your connection with Goddess Hellena, or relive past pains.”

“Of course.” The words escaped her lips in a sigh. Closing her eyes, she calmed herself. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she looked to her Goddess for her blessing. “E’ corr ivum thu suddakk Rarramo thu brakk thraka vuimdk omd vruqeda o kuthrar” Power returned to her voice and, although her body was ever-tired from the previous cast, she could feel the connection with the ethereal.

She felt it again. The shifting of her power throughout her form as the Goddess once again placed—not lava this time—but a boiling hot potato in her hand. The feeling was far less in comparison to what it had been before. Still, she gripped the cloth with a tightness and could feel a stickiness transfer onto her other fingers. Once the pain subsided, Emmaline grinned.

“ehnm u, l fudeodeos, re urea liyreabcieaus eaieas.” For quite a few moments, she did not move. There was hope, when the first minute passed, and the stinging had gone, that only twice would she need to undergo such pains, but the tearing did return to her once more.

The young princess would not let such pains keep her from her final goal. Three extra prayers to the goddess were said in hopes of strengthening her light. Four more attempts ended in failure and left the young woman exhausted. The metal scent of blood in the air from multiple used bits of cloth were on the verge of over-powering Emmaline’s senses and making her sick. It was only on the fifth attempt, with her head resting weakly on the dark wood, that the tearing feeling never came.

She probably sat there for a quarter of an hour, with her eyes closed and her mind resting, before someone came into the small alcove and woke her with worried words.

“Miss!” If the quiet ‘Thank you’ had broken the silence, this new voice had shattered it. “Emmaline. Are you alright?” A soft hand gripped the princess’ shoulder; only a few moments later, a slight shake came. “Miss, wake up!” There had been so few times that Emmaline had heard Mary in such fear that her eyes opened by the second shake.

“I’m fine.” She was able to croak out the response and lift her head just in time to catch Mary—who had started to turn to find a guard. A quiet sigh escaped into the air. And the young woman brought a hand up to wipe her face. “Just a little bit of work is all.” A quiet laugh escaped into the air.

“It isn’t funny, Emmaline! We’ve got to get you to the infirmary. You pushed yourself too hard again. Your father will have my hide if he finds out I let you—” There was a pause as the young maiden finally took in the rest of her surroundings. “Is that blood?” She questioned for only a moment; Mary knew what Emmaline had been doing. “You know that isn’t—”

“—Allowed. I know.” Her knees were shaky, but she wasn’t going to let Mary force her to the infirmary again for something that a half-hour nap could surely cure. In one swift motion, she picked herself up from the seat and turned.

“You’re injured. You need to go to see the elders.” Slowly, Emmaline began unwrapping the bandage that was on her hand.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She smiled, letting the cloth drop to the table. Where there had been a cut, there was instead the smallest line across her palm. It had been her first time; she didn’t expect everything to work out perfectly. A day or two and there would be no sign that a knife had ever sliced through the soft skin. “Please have a servant take one of our warrior’s best shirts to the Kalakari prince’s quarters.” Mary knew better than to ask questions and only gave a short nod. “I will be heading back to my chambers for now, Mary. I think that’s all the training I’ve got in me for today.” With a quiet giggle, Emmaline picked up the small strips of cloth that had all been equally soaked with blood, and started slowly making her way towards the exit of the library.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole settled back on to the pillows and Alexia took up her own place beside him. "So, how about we pick up where we left off," Nicole suggested with a smile "I look forward to hearing the rest of the book."

Alexia raised an eyebrow at him and held silence for a moment. "Before that happens, I believe I was promised a riveting tale about the loss of a clothing article inside of a library," Alexia responded "I really look forward to hearing that before I continue."

Nicole smiled at her clever turnaround of his deflection. He hoped that he could get away without actually telling her something, but it seemed that that was not the case. Since the princess most likely didn't want people knowing what she was up to, Nicole would not be the one to reveal her. Now he had to come up with a good reason or a good story, he decided that he would go with both.

"Ok then, lay back and enjoy the tale of the thieving library," Nicole announced "The tale starts with a dashing young warrior learning of a foreign kingdom with a beautiful translator."

"By the god's above," Alexia started before getting cut off

"I know, amazing so far," Nicole responded "But save your comments for the end while I regale this daring adventure. Anyway, the warrior, who was use to the battlefield, smelled blood in the air. He was sure that there was no issue, since he was in a place of peace, but he would not risk it with his lovely translator's life possibly on the line. So the warrior sprang into action and chased after the smell like a hound. The translator, unable to bear a moment without the warrior, attempted to chase after the warrior."

"That is not why the translator chased him," Alexia interjected.

"Oh yes it was, the warrior saw it in her eyes before he left," Nicole responded with a playful grin "She was distraught with loneliness and worry, but I digress. The warrior stealthily navigated the narrow pathways and found the very walls surround him grasping at his clothing. He did not let this deter him from his mission and pressed onward valiantly. With his shirt in tatters the warrior arrived at an alcove not unlike the one we are in right now. There he laid witness to a foul creature that was filled with hate, spite, evil, and every other dastardly quality that could be given to a villain. The creature held a bloodied hand over an old tome and seemed to be in pain. Even with all that the creature was, the warrior would not let it stay wounded. He would fight the creature not now, but when it was at its full strength. So he took what remained of his shirt and used it to bind the creatures wound. After he was done he left to return to the translator who waited for him inside the thieving walls he had just left.

"Wow that was a load, but a good story over all," Alexia said "What really happened?

Nicole looked at her with a confused look. "I just told you," He stated "That really happened, monster and all. The monster should be ok if it followed the warriors instructions, in case you were worried about it. Anyway, we are burning daylight and soon I will need to return to guard my father. I held up my end of the bargain, so let us hear about your people."

"Fine," She said reluctantly "Let me read over this, one moment." Nicole said nothing and just gave her a friendly grin. "The next section is about the Arts. It is fairly short and provides some incite so I will just repeat this word for word."

"The arts are seen as a hobby for the most part, and artist's only hope of making it big is to have one of two focus schools backing their name," She read "There is only one focus school in the country that looks into painting, sketching, sculpting, etc as their focus. It is the same for creative novelling, poetry, theater, etc. There are high requests to be let into these schools, and for this reason, tuition is incredibly expensive and the picking process every year looks into the student's education and probably how much bribe money they've received too.

For this reason, most of the famous painters and sculptors are just everyday people who enjoy the extra money on the side, and the only way to be accepted for parts in theatrical performances is to have a focus school's name as your backing. Its incredibly cutthroat, but for those who make it, have a very comfortable living."

"That is amazing," Nicole responded "In the Silver Sea, the arts are typically just something that we pick up as a hobby while we are home. They are just a way to pass the time and, while they are a nice way to make some side money they typically are just used as gifts or offerings. Nothing that we would fight with others to be able to pursue. It seems that your peoples conflicts come more from within your system an from without. That does not sound bad at all."

"What do you mean by that," Alexia questioned.

"I mean that your people seem to conflict with each other more than they do with outside influence," Nicole explained "Where as my people have to deal with constant attacks from outsiders and are heavily coexistent. I wonder what all factors went in to creating the divide between our conflict structures. I will think on that in the future though. Please continue madam Zendaya, it looks like we are nearing the end."

Alexia found herself smiling at Nicole's thirst for knowledge. It reminded her of herself in many ways, and it made her realize the joy that her parent had felt as they taught her. "Yes, of course," She said as she read with renewed vigor and enjoyment. "The last section of this book is about religion," She elaborated "It is short as well and doesn't go into much detail so I will just give it to as is."

"Religion is incredibly important to this country," She read "The holy day is upheld quite heavily in the realm. Religious leaders are comprised of those blessed by the God's to enact their will, and others who read the scriptures passed down and lead the public in the path of the righteousness. Hersey is a crime punishable by death or exile, and it is expected that all lead a life attempting to appease the many gods that look down on them. Offerings of gifts and beauty are not uncommon for the people of Illyria and prayer multiple times of day to the God's you need guidance from for the day is very important. It is believed that the Gods lead all that happens around a person, and that all hardships are meant to be endured and worked through instead of just ignored. It should also be noted that religious leaders are to be treated with great respect for their work, but to worship one of these leaders as if they were a god themselves is of great disrespect to both man and the Gods he follows."

"We have a few differences when it comes to religion as well it seems," Nicole stated "We don't have a holy day. What makes one day more holy that one of the others? Another difference is that heresy is not a crime in the Silver Sea. You are free to say what you will about whatever you want, even if others disagree. The last difference is that we don't have religious leaders. Each is free to worship or not to worship as they see fit as long as it does not break any laws. Your people are very interesting. I can't wait to learn more, you are all so strange. I look forward to tomorrow." Angelo then stood up and offered a hand to Alexia.

Alexia took his hand and stood, fixing her outfit. "Yes, I feel the same," Alexia responded "You are very interesting yourself Nicole. I know our coming days will be anything but boring."

"Would you like me to walk you home," Nicole offered.

"There is no need, I will pick up a bit and then I plan to make my way to the library to plan other lessons and activities. Sleep well Nicole, and do find another shirt."

Angelo laughed as he said "Yes, hopefully the next time I run into a monster I have my field kit." After a short bout of laughter the two of them parted ways for the night. Nicole made his way to his father's room. Upon arriving he found the room as empty as he had left it, I except a message on the bed. It was another message from his father, and it said that he would not be back to his room tonight. It continued on by saying for him not to tear down the castle searching for him, and that he should take a bath and rest for tomorrow. If one thing was certain it was that his father knew him very well. Angelo let out a sigh and left the room to ask the helper outside the door where he could go to bathe.

After a fairly short walk and a lot more stares that he had received when he was wearing a shirt he arrive at the bathing room. The room was very different from what he was use to. The floor was a polished stone and in the center of the room was a strangely shaped and larger metal bucket that held water. "I'm going to guess that this is that bathtub device that mother told me about," Nicole said while scratching his head "It's like a casket, a water filled casket. Well, I guess it is just another experience."

Nicole had no clue what most of the things in the bath were for so he just stuck to what he did know and did his best. He did some experimenting towards the end of his bath and left smelling like an Illyrian woman. While it did not bother him at all, he knew that this would probably lead to some laughs at his expense later. Just as he was about to put his clothes back on a servant made her way into the bath with a bundle of clothing. Her pale face rapidly changed to shades of red and she quickly put down her bundle and said some words Nicole could not understand. Nicole got a quick thank you out in Illyrian before the woman dashed out.

Nicole decided that he would accept the woman's kindness and wear the clothes that were brought for him. He left the bath feeling quite refreshed and the Illyrian clothing that was brought was actually to his liking. It was like a casual Illyrian military outfit, and while it was a bit limiting in terms of kicking, it was not bad at all.

When he made it back to his father's room he simply meditated and read before finding himself drifting off.

 

[FaithWynters]

As the tired feeling slowly sunk in, it wasn’t long before Emmaline had a hard time keeping her eyes open. With the help of the young girl at the door, she slipped out of her loose and flowing dress and into a robe more suited for sleeping. Emmaline did not wish to explain why in the middle of a normal day she had chosen to take a nap and rip holes in the thin flowing fabric along the hem. The young woman sent the girl away as she lay down in her goose-down filled bed. It was comfortable, and with the soft fabric comforting her, she very easily fell into a slumber.

It wasn’t unusual for the gods to speak to her during her hours of rest. It was in these times of nothingness that they were most able to get their messages to her. They were not always about anything particularly important to the country. Sometimes Emmaline couldn’t even translate the cryptic visions into something useful and instead could only be taken as normal dreams. But they were always vivid and detailed—far more detailed than anything she had seen while awake.

When she was younger, it was difficult to separate the childish scenes of imagination and childhood from the wise and important teachings and visions of her Gods. As Emmaline grew, visions of dancing bears and beautiful talking horses shifted into people she knew and recognized. Sometimes it was people she trusted and sometimes it was groupings of strangers she had never met before—and would oftentimes never meet in her lifetime. Worlds where she had control in the exploration and the happenings slowly shifted into static visions that could only be changed by actions of others afterwards. The fun was slowly bled out of them as visions of pink cotton clouds turned into dirt and grit. Emmaline had seen more men slain in the past decade of her life than any man in their forces. When she didn’t know what the visions meant or who they pertained to oftentimes they would go unspoken. Those were questions the Gods had left for her to answer on her own. Still, after a decade of this sight Emmaline greatly appreciated when old ones returned. As unsettling they were, it helped her remember and work through the fuzzy parts. In dream form, sometimes they could be even more vivid, and although that sometimes brought with it the stench of rot and famine, they were sometimes the keys she needed.

. . .​

As always, Emmaline could see shapes and colors and movement, but she could not yet focus on anything. It was the way every dream and vision presented themselves to her. There was no sound for a moment, until slowly it came with the clearing. Sitting on the ground, her legs were curled weakly beneath her once again. Apart from the last time, she could feel now. Her arms were sore, and she could feel a slight sting on her face. What it was, she couldn’t tell. Once again, she recognized the room she was sitting in. The room was in tatters. Fabric and stained-glass pieces lay scattered around her in the floor. Books appeared to have been tossed across the room and lay in pieces everywhere. It was sad to see such a place of beautiful memories in ruin. Thin, shaking hands lifted into view, and, while the young woman expected to see something new and alarming, her hands were still clean. Something had happened to Emma, but from what could be seen, what was unknown.

No longer did her vision blur into nothingness and skip time—it was moments like these that were usually more helpful. Emmaline saw movement to her left, but before she could turn to see who had come to her aid, she felt the unforgiving impact of something to the back of her head and she was flung forward. The scene got blurry again. Her palms burned as they rubbed against the carpet below and Emma’s skull began to throb. It was obvious this time that the scene wouldn’t end up just fading as if she were lost in some abyss; although at this point she had hoped it might. She counted two more heavy hits—each one landing as she tried to lift herself and turn toward the coward striking her. It was apparent they weren’t happy with the results, as a strong hand wrapped around her nose and mouth. A pressure grew in her face and neck until there was a chance of her passing out. Suddenly, however, the hand was gone. Everything was happening so fast, it was hard for the young woman to take everything in to remember. Emmaline could feel her body land roughly on something hard and oddly shaped behind her, and the vision faded back into nothingness once again, the sounds of screams soft in her ears.

When Emma could see again, she was back to a place in the vision she had seen before. He looked down at her with serious and sad eyes. Obviously, nothing had changed. Emmaline still had not learned the words he spoke; she would need to remember to reach out to a translator later in the evening. Without even a pause, her vision blurred, but this time, and she was certain that, while it was probably something upsetting he had said, the throbbing in her skull was almost unbearable. Surely by this point, she would know how to react to what he had said—she would have relived this moment many times before. Still, without knowing what Nicole had said, it was difficult to gauge the gravity of the scene before her. Without a pause, he reached down, grabbed her wrist, pulled her to her feet, and they ran.

And everything ended, once again, in darkness.

Emmaline woke with a start. With a pounding heart and cold sweat causing the light clothing to stick to skin, wide eyes stared numbly toward the ceiling above. That had been a tortuous development. One that her tired mind had not expected to come face to face with after such a long day. She could tell by the lack of light coming through the window that there would be no chance for it to be morning quite yet. In the silence, Emma lay there, trying to sift through the words and emotions that rushed through the numbness. While the young woman’s mind and body was no longer tired, she was not expecting the abrupt awakening.

It only took her a few minutes to come down from the rush that she had just experienced. She knew no more about why the attack was happening, or when it would happen. She only knew information she had known before, but in much more gruesome and painful detail. Nothing she needed to report to her father.

Another few minutes passed. Emmaline knew that there was no way she would be going back to sleep anytime soon. Accidentally, she had slept through the rest of the afternoon and had skipped dinner with her father. Hopefully he had not worried too terribly much about her. It was almost certain Charles would be visiting her sometime in the morning to check on her health. Now her stomach grumbled, and without protest she pulled herself out of bed.

“I can’t be trapped here with my thoughts anymore.” There would certainly be no one in the kitchen at this hour, so she would be free to snack on as much of the sliced smoked meats, fruits, and cheeses as her heart desired without being scolded. When the only words said to the young woman standing guard at the door were “Have Mary meet me in the kitchens”, the two continued to stand as if Emmaline had not appeared at all, and she was free to continue on her path to the kitchen alone. Overall, it had been quite a calming and quiet walk through the castle. Emmaline had taken herself a long way through the halls to give the young maid time to fetch her friend and time to calm her nerves. She was now, however, walking barefoot down the stone hallways with a purpose, her stomach having called her to action much more fiercely than anticipated.

“I don’t care what you’ve got to do.” Soft voices bounced down the short hallway near the entrance to the guest wing and the great hall. Emmaline neared a doorway into the large room that provided entrance into multiple areas of the castle. “It has to happen on that day, or its not happening.” The voice was familiar, and when Emmaline passed through the doorway and saw the figure, she stopped. The two figures were about the same height. “I’ve put everything on the line for this—”


“But—“

“It’s happening.” Emmaline couldn’t picture a time where she had heard such a tone in her brother’s voice. Silently, she took a few more steps into the large stone room. “You get them here or you’re going to have more problems than just a—”

“Robert?” Finally, Emma let her presence be known. The awkward feeling had finally crept a little too deep in her skin to continue listening to the two.

“Sister?” Before the word could completely escape his lips, the door behind them had opened and the second unknown figure had disappeared through the darkness. “What are you doing up so late? Is something ailing you?” Watching as Robert took measured steps across the room and toward her, Emmaline said nothing. Her mind had been through far too much, but still she tried to search through options of what their conversation was about.

“No, I have not fallen ill. I woke up and decided to go for a walk.” There was a slight pause and Robert, with his hands behind his back came to a stop in front of the young woman. He stood at least a head taller than she, and while his figure was not as muscular as her eldest brothers, he still had much to offer. With his wit and cunning, she remembered many a time where it had gotten them both into trouble.

“Well that it good to hear, Emm—”

“I do hope that you aren’t getting yourself into any trouble, Brother.” The two mirrored each other in stance. Far too many times had she been the butt of his ”brotherly jokes” and while she wasn’t certain she would have even been involved, a castle filled with royal guests was not the time to be making any of these types shenanigans a reality.

“Of course not, Sister” His voice was much calmer now than it had been before. As normal, he had easily regained composure in the time it took him to walk over. “I am simply planning a surprise for father after all of our guests have returned to their homes. Nothing to worry about.” Robert reached out and patted Emma on the head; he knew she hated it, but it was something he had always done—specifically because it irritated her

“Well that sounds lovely.” Emma wasn’t completely convinced, but she decided that now was not the time to push these boundaries with her brother. “I am sure he will appreciate the sentiment.” Something wasn’t right—Emmaline would need to start paying a little more attention to Robert in the coming days. Still, her response was enough to convince him of her naivety. The shadows carved out the smile that plastered itself across his face. Almost like clockwork, a yawn spread across his features. It was obvious he hadn’t headed to his chambers yet, as he still wore the plainclothes he would have worn around the castle for the day. “The day has been quite long; I do believe I’ll be heading off now.” Honestly, he could have cared less about why she was up or what she was doing; he had far more important things to take care of. “Don’t stay out too late.” Without another word, he turned, walked away, and Emmaline was left in silence.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole woke up to the sound of the room's door being opened. The sound sent him into a state of alert, and Nicole hopped up with weapon in hand. He quickly relaxed when he noticed that his father was next to the door with a playful smile.

"My son," Yasim said "There is no need for you so be on such high alert. There is not anything for you the fear here, let alone anyone that could possibly harm you."

"I have nothing to fear, because I am always on alert," Nicole responded "I will only relax when I can hear the sounds of the Silver Sea in my ears. So father what will we be doing today?"

"There is actually something very special planned for today. I talked to the king, and he let me know that the Illyrians have a sea of their own. We will take a trip and spend some time there. You can enjoy foreign waters, while the king and I continue our talks."

Nicole's face lit up like a child's. "I do not say how much I love you enough," Nicole exclaimed as he hopped out of the bed "I can't wait to see the waves, and the creatures. Dad have you seen some of the monsters these people call food, the are terifying....ly delicious. I will have to do some fishing. There is so much that needs to be done. How long will be staying, I hope it is longer than the day?"

"We will be there for the day, but since you are so excited, I will let the king know that I will need an extra day. We will leave in a bit, gather what you need and meet me down at the castle entrance."

Nicole touched his forehead to his fathers and rushed out of the door leaving Yasim in the room with a broad smile. "He is a child of the sea," Yasim chuckled before walking out of the door to make his way to the castle entrance.

Nicole was very happy with the morning his goddess had brought him. His mind was going a mile a minute as he thought of all the things he would need to bring. "My swimming clothes are attached to my saddle," he said to himself " I will need a larger journal to account everything that I see. I should also see if they have wood that can be made into a wave glider. I should also grab some grain for on the wave umi."

Nicole felt a sharp poke and his side, and jumped back while equipping his chain to his arm. "Don't ignore me," Alexia said from where Nicole had just jumped from.

"Don't do that," Nicole scolded "I almost beheaded you. How long have you been there?"

"I was with you since you left your room," she explained "I have been trying to get your attention for a while, but clearly you are the most unaware warrior in history. Follow me and we will see about getting the things you need."

"Oh, I am sorry," Nicole responded "I may have gotten a little lost in myself. Lead the way Ms. Zendaya."

After collecting all of the things Nicole had wanted, and some articles that Alexia needed, the two made their way to the entrance. "There is a type of wood that fits your needs, but it is closer to the ocean," Alexia stated "We can get it collected when we run into it."

When the two of them reached the castle entrance Nicole was greated by the sight of multiple carriages and a squad of soldiers. "Casual trip this turned out to be," Nicole said to himself. When he saw Lucien his mood got even better. "Lucien, they got you working as a guard," Nicole asked.

"Yup," he answered " A lot of big wigs decided to come along with the king and your father. I think the whole council decided to come, so I was asked to join with my personal squad of elites. If you count personal guards we have enough to soldiers for a sizable raiding party."

"And I was thinking that the trip would be boring. Let's get going then, we can play so road games as we ride, and you can tell me about your men."

Nicole found his horse ready to go next to his father, and hopped on after putting on his armor. His father entered a carriage with the king and soon the group was headed off. After a few hours of travel he was made aware of the tree he was trying to locate.

"That's the one you are looking for Nicole," Alexia said as she poked her head out of a carriage "There should be an axe somewhere that you can use. Wait, where are you going?"

Nicole quickly rode over to the tree. It seemed normal, but since Nicole trusted Alexia he didn't question it. The tree was wide, and fairly thick, but did not reach as high as other trees he had seen. In one swift motion Nicole dismounted, kept his speed, and slammed a roundhouse kick into the side of the tree. After a large crack the tree gave way around his leg and crashed to the ground. After the tree hit the ground Nicloe used a forearm strike to break the tree to the length he wanted.

"You are not a real person," Lucian said from behind him, axe in hand, before turning to his men " Let's cut this up for fire wood and get going." Lucian shook his head as he chopped wood. "Who in the world can kick a tree in half," he grumbled as Nicole carried the tree back to the carriage "I wish I could kick a tree in half." After the short stop Nicole spent the rest of the trip sitting in the carriage working the wood into its final form while learning Illyrian with Alexia.

It was nearing the middle of the day when, they finally arrived. A huge smile crossed Nicole's face when he saw the shimmering water. The crystal blue put Nicloe in a state of awe. It had been sometime since he had seen water like this, the last time was only from a distance as he chased a fleeing enemy. The area that they stopped at was a secluded cove. It had a large beach, a high cliff to one side, and a beautiful view of the water. The sand was the best thing in Nicole's opinion, for whatever reason, the sand was black. Nicole took this time to write down his thoughts and findings in a journal, and he took a sample of the sand and put it in a bottle. "Father," Nicole yelled " I know we have a firm stance on fighting only to defend ourselves, but if you ever feel like taking over a country for once, I recommend this one." All at once he heard his father, Lucian, and Alexia laugh.

 

[FaithWynters]

“You should be in bed M’lady.” From the shadows of the kitchen came the familiar voice. Still in her nightgown and cap, Mary never seemed tired. Even when she was called upon in the middle of the night when Emma had been wrung with bouts of visions in the middle of the war for hours upon hours. She had always been there whispering calming words when Emmaline’s mother could no longer be with her. Even now, Mary gave her a disapproving look as the young woman walked toward her. Still, the soft smile never faded. The loyalty to her only friend never faltered. Emmaline was not quite sure what she would have done without her through the years.

“I will sleep when I am dead.” Emma slid into a tall chair that faced Mary behind the counter. The young maiden had already pulled out a small platter of dried meats and cheese from someplace in the kitchen. Sitting next to it was a small plate of sliced fruits. At the sight, Emmaline felt her stomach grumble. Missing dinner was not something that she did often, and the few times she had, the two had ended up in a similar fashion as this. As Emma ate, the two spent their time chattering about different unimportant little things. About halfway through her small meal, Emmaline heard the sound of pots and pans moving around in the room across from the two. Candlelight flickered from the edges of the door.

“Your father has decided to take a group of councilmen and our Kalakari guests to Sangtaeud.” Mary replied before the princess could voice her question. “The chefs have been preparing food for the trip almost all night.” Mary took a slow sip of warm tea before readjusting legs. “Some of the food you eat now was prepared for this trip.”

Emmaline thought back in her memory to the view that the Sangtaeud offered. She had only been permitted out of the castle a few times, and all of those times had been to visit Sangtaeud. She was sometimes sent to accept blessings and offer prayer to Jenir for the safe passage of Illyrian ships through their waters. It had been the only times she had felt the shackles of her servitude loosening for her to explore and see the world as she wished. Emmaline’s eyes lit up at the thought of the beautiful black sands and blue waters.

“Your father requested I ask you if you would be up to the travels when you awoke.” A small giggle escaped from the maid’s lips as she saw Emmaline’s face shift. “He was worried you had fallen ill yesterday and would be unable to join the party for a little bit of an escape.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” The sound of wood scraping against stone alerted the woman that the princess’ decision had been made. The two shared a great fondness for the world outside this castle and neither truly ever received the freedom they wanted. “There is much to prepare.”

By the time preparations had been completed by Emmaline and a small group of servants, it was almost time to leave. A carriage had been packed with many of the things she deemed necessary. Most of what was carried out of the castle had been books with information on the waters that they were headed towards. Of course, Emmaline wanted to see some of the strange creatures that she had read about occupying the waters. Jenir had blessed them with many spoils in the sea and the young princess wanted to take in all of these blessings for herself.

Emmaline sat quietly in the carriage, waiting for the party to head out, and pouring herself into the book that she had picked out of the pile. Mary sat silently beside her, looking out of the small window and at the hustle and bustle that surrounded them. Of the carriages that were lined up, the princess was blessed with the largest and most comfortable. It was strange to the maid, as she watched seven nobles stuff themselves into a carriage half the size of theirs that so many had decided to go with them. Usually, Charles preferred to travel with the smallest of groups just in case something were to happen. The princess pulled herself away from her book as the door opened and a very familiar voice came from outside of the carriage.

“Good Morning, M’Lady” Darius grinned at her from the open doorway. “I apologize greatly for disturbing your studies.” It appeared that Darius had been asked to come along as another soldier to protect those who could not protect themselves. “It appears that there’s no more room in the other carriages; would you mind if one of the Kalakari translators took one on of these open spaces?”

“Of course, Darius; there is far too much room in the carriage for just Mary and myself.” It wasn’t until a familiarly uncomfortable face climbed into the carriage that Emma realized who the young translator was.

“Princess, this is Alexia Zendaya. She is one of our best Kalakari translators and has served Illyria well in the past months.” Darius could tell the young woman seemed uncomfortable and tried to give her a warm smile to smooth her worries.

“Yes, Darius. Miss Zendaya and I have made acquaintances before.” The young woman gave Mary the slightest of glances, and, slowly, the maid put all of the pieces together. “Have comfort in your travels.” Emmaline smiled at Darius. He returned her smile and closed the carriage door. He would be traveling on horseback with the rest of the soldiers.

For a few moments, there was a stiffness that clouded around the three. Emmaline debated just stuffing her head in the thick tome and ignoring the woman across from her. She thought back to the night before, what had happened, and what Mary had told her. Emma couldn’t let this trip be torture for the young woman.

“Alexia, this is my personal Maiden, Mary.” The princess gestured to the woman beside her.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss.” Mary smiled and gave a small wave. Alexia still seemed incredibly uncomfortable, but still, she returned the greeting with a nod.

“The pleasure is mirrored.” Emmaline peered over old pages and leather at the interaction. She was stiff, and she was certain this wasn’t quite a comfortable position to be in.

“Alexia,” Emma took a moment to think over what she wanted to say. The young princess was unsure she would ever be able to make the woman comfortable, but she would be disappointed in herself if she didn’t at least try. “I would like to apologize for my actions last night with our guest.” There was a slight pause. “I understand that sometimes it appears as if I act through only my own selfish and pompous expectations.” She took a small glance toward Mary. “It was not my place to force one of our most devoted translators to be the middleman in my squabble.” There was the sound of shouting outside, and slowly, the carriage began to inch forward. They were finally on their way. “Please do not feel as if you have to hold a certain standard of niceties with me during this trip.” She gave the woman a small smile.

At first, Alexia wasn’t quite sure how to react to the words that the princess spoke. Was this an …apology? Interesting. For a moment, Alexia waited in the silence. She measured her options and decided on the safest route.

“Of course, Princess Emmaline.” She saw the maid straighten up slightly, but her eyes remained glued to the window. It was as if there was no conversation happening between the others in the carriage. There was another pause; obviously, Emma couldn’t make Alexia accept her apologies. She understood that and chose to not push the situation anymore.

“Would you like a book to read to pass the time?” Emmaline gestured to the stack of four books next to her. Three were all on Sangtaeud and the one that remained at the bottom was the same simple hide-bound book titled, The Kalakari that Emma had been pouring herself into for the past weeks. Alexia skimmed down the spines of each for a moment before nodding quietly.

“That would be quite wonderful if you wouldn’t mind.” She smiled—the first time she had since she had taken her place in the carriage. “The top one will do fine.” With a nod, the princes passed her the top book and the carriage returned to silence.

Mary could see it slowly as it happened. They had been riding for only half an hour or so before the previous night’s preparations and sleeping habits caught up to the princess. The maid was quite experienced with the signs, and with the rocking of the carriage and the silence, Emmaline slowly began to drift off. The book still rested in her lap as her head came to rest on the soft cloth that covered the carriage walls. Without a word, Mary leaned forward, pulled the book from the young woman’s lap, slipped a marker on the page Emmaline had been on and set the book down beside her.

“I know she seems strange,” The party had been traveling for a few hours now “, but I have known Emmaline since we were quite young.” Mary smiled and glanced toward the princess before looking to Alexia. “If given the chance, she would give away this life as the princess just to be normal.” The maid paused for a moment to look back out the window. It was obvious they were nearing the sea and it wouldn’t be long before the arrived. “Emma’s been kept away people most of her life. She is still learning, but when she apologizes, she is sincere.”

The carriage remained in silence once again until they arrived at the cove. Emmaline still slept silently as the sounds of chatter and noise grew outside the stopped carriage. Mary urged Alexia out of the carriage and with the sound of the door closing, Emmaline’s eyes fluttered open.

“Emma, we’re here!” Mary could no longer contain the excitement in her voice, and with her words, the sleep that hung heavily from the Princess’ eyelids vanished. Pulling the book from its place next to her, the two quickly exited the carriage. They started off toward the water’s edge without another word.

“Emmaline!” They had almost made it to the point where grass and stone turned into sand when her father’s booming voice caught in her ears. She stopped, groaning quietly. She just wanted to see the ocean—to feel its icy touch on the tips of her fingers. Her father had been standing talking with Darius a few carriages ahead when he spotted her dress billowing in the ocean breeze. She turned and made her way back toward her father, who stood waiting for her with a worried look on his face.

“You are certain that you have not taken ill?” The king only waited for her to grow close enough for his voice to be heard.
“Yes, father.” Picking herself up on her toes, she planted a soft kiss on his cheek; his stubble felt strange on her lips. “I took a nap during our travel and feel quite refreshed.” Her elder smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening with the movement.

“You look just like your mother with your hair pinned back like that.” Before their departure, Mary had ensured Emmaline’s hair would not move during their travels, and had reseated the beautiful gift hairpin back in its place. He gave a hearty chuckle as he watched nobles walk toward the sea, a few had grouped up to watch the oddity that was the Kalakari prince exploring this new place.

“Be safe. I have requested Darius accompany you as your personal guard during our stay. Do not slip away from him as you have prided yourself in doing before.” The elder man pulled his arm around his daughter and gave her a loving squeeze. He knew it was times like these that she was happiest, and he loved providing her an escape from the castle when the wars were over and things were safe again.

A silence stretched in an uncomfortable length between the two. He glanced down to the woman who had her eyes pinned to the horizon. Eyes that would have once matched the sea’s beautiful blue color were now grey, and he knew that his daughter was gone.

 

[Enolx]

Nicole's heart raced with an excitement that was only matched in the heat of an intense duel. He took notes on every little thing he saw, and even added pictures that he could reference when teaching back home. He found himself breathing heavily as he thought about what was waiting for him under the water. As he ran through a check list of what he would need before heading out, a wave crashed and drew his attention away from the beach and his thoughts. He looked out over the water and saw the sheer size of the waves that crashed in the distance. As even more excitement washed over him, he remembered his duty to his father.

Nicole took a few deep breaths to calm himself before speaking. "Father, as you are probably well aware of, there is much that I would personally like to do while here. Even so I will not let my personal wishes get in the way of your safety. What is it that we will be doing today?"

Yasim laughed after watching his son fluctuate between excited child and dutiful warrior. "My son, I thank you for your worry. These days, are meant to be a relaxing get away for us all. It would be seen as rude of you to be on alert as you are. Relax my child, the only duty you have while we are here is to learn all you can of our allies and their home. You also forget that I am more than capable of handling myself should anything go awry." Yasim patted his son on the head. "Live a little, you can be the warrior your people need later."

Nicole beamed at his father's words. "I will do was you say father. If you need me I will be on the water."

"Enjoy yourself my boy. We can meet for dinner later, catch something good."

Nicole nodded and his father left him to go find the king. Lucian trotted up to Nicole as his father moved away. "Don't worry; I wouldn't let anything happen to your old man. I'll meet up with you after my shift is done." The two of them locked forearms and then went their separate ways, Lucian to guard his father and the others, and Nicole to the water's edge.

After planting his wave glider in the ground Nicole readied himself for his excursion into the water. He removed his swimming gear from his bag and lined it out in front of himself to check everything. As he checked his gear and decided his plans for the day Alexia walked up behind him. "So what is all of this," She questioned as she took a squatted position beside him.

"This is the gear that I bring with me into the waters back home," Nicole answered as he pointed to the different items as he described them "These are special clothing articles that keep water out and let you glide easier through the water. I only use the bottoms, but if we also have made tops. Others have told me that they are great for keeping warm while in the cold waters of the silver sea."

"Don't you get cold while in the sea? Also why not wear the top if it helps you swim better." She then extended a hand to touch the garments. They felt rough and scaled, like a fish. "What are they made of?"

"No I don't get cold in the water, so that give me the option of not wearing the top. I also have had the habit of getting into trouble in trouble from time to time in the water, so I learned that the top hurts more than helps in those situations. The clothes are really tight, so it limits movement. It's not a problem for your legs which only have one motion, but it is a different story when you have to quickly use your arms. Oh, I never told you what they were made of. These are special and are made from the skin of a levitain. A levitain is a large sea serpent that I found back home. It is about the size of a war ship, and usually hides out in the dark shaded cave systems under water. Sadly my report on that is in a journal back home, but I can redraw it for you later. Although speaking of that creature, most of this other gear came from it also. I don't wear a full top, but I have these sleeves that were also made from the creature. They go on like gloves, and the fins on the side make it easier to cut through the water. They are also very strong, so they protect from bites and other issues under water."

"I love them. The black, green, and blue are beautiful. The levitain sounds beautifully terrifying."

"It is, those colors are camouflage under the wave. We didn't even know the creature was upon us until it was too late; it almost sank my father boat. We wouldn't have been able to bring it home if it had succeeded in doing that. Anyway, we normally we make these clothes out of a different sea creature. While it is still dangerous in its own right, it is nowhere near as bad or big as the levitain."

"You will have to tell me about those later too. For now, what is this other stuff?"

"These are my diving blades. They were made from one of the fangs if the levitain. I haven't found anything that they can't cut through let, and they're really good at passing through the water. One is twice the size of a diving knife, and the other is for the most part a short sword. While impractical for most, they have served me well. This necklace is actually a light. If the water gets dark, this beauty glows. It puts off a lot of light too, I will show you how bright it is when the sun goes down cause it works out of the water too. The last stuff is pretty normal. Wire, fishing line, rope, hooks, diving belt for holding this stuff, water proof pouches, net, and a float."

"Oh it is a light. It's a light?" A lot of thoughts went through her head at that moment. The first was that it was amazing that the jewel looking object actually produced light. The second was how far down was he diving that he need a light? She then thought about the float that he had mention. "Does he go down so deep that he is in the dark and needs a float to tell up from down?" Alexia's mouth hung open for a moment and she had to ask the question that was in the back of her mind. "Nicole, how long can you stay underwater?"

"A while actually. If you stay down long enough you stop needing to breathe, or at least I do."

"You...you are full of surprises."

"Oh just give it a second and you will see a real surprise." Nicole said as he stood up and started to remove his clothes "If your level of modesty is high, I would recommend that you close your eyes for a second." Nicole then continued to strip until he was down to his undergarments, which were formfitting like his swimming gear. He then began to put on his swimming equipment in the order he laid them out. Alexia flashed red at his warning and turned her head the other direction. "I have pants on now, so you can open your eyes again." Alexia peaked at him through a screen of fingers as she turned back around to face him. Seeing that he did in fact have pants on let her relax, although seeing Nicole shirtless again still made her heart beat a little faster. With most of his outfit on, Nicole looked like a sea creature in his own right. The fins and scales matched will with his skin and brilliant hair in her opinion. "Now watch," Nicole said as he grabbed his glider and walked into the water.

"What am I watch...." She found her answer as the water changed from its crystal blue to a striking silver around Nicole. "What....what." She ran up to the water and raised some in her hands. It was exactly as she saw. The water was no longer blue, but silver in her hands. She looked up to see Nicole, sitting on the object he made, floating on the water. He didn't say anything, but only pointed her gaze back down. When she looked down she saw the water returning to its normal blue color. "You are full of surprises." As Nicole rode his creation out into deeper water Alexia turned to go find a journal of her own. "It seems I have something of my own to study on this trip."

 

[FaithWynters]

Falling. She could feel the wind whipping past her ears. Above, the sun blinded her with unforgiving rays. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened to leave her falling from the sky. Her right hand was outstretched, but for the moment, she couldn’t see what she had been grabbing for. Hours seemed to pass before her back hit something hard. Water swirled around in Emmaline’s ears and the cold unmercifully soaked her to the bone. Fuzziness crossed her vision and she could almost feel the salt burning her eyes. Slowly, she began to sink into the darkness, and as she sunk deeper, Emma saw the dark shape appear from nothingness.

It was said that when Jenir took to the large expanse of land and decided that it would be his sea, he forged each cave and rock and shore with such care that he lost pieces of himself to the deep waters. These droplets of essence became their own forms—creatures of the sea meant to protect sailors from Jenir’s unstoppable waves of anger and meant to guide the lost toward safety. They appeared when they were needed the most, and dissolved when the need was gone. No man quite knew if they were real, but as her vision cleared, Emmaline knew that was the creature she was looking at. They were meant to deliver a message.

Long dark locks floated weightlessly around a tight jaw and beautiful topaz eyes. Porcelain skin reached the male-looking creature to his waist, but the picture didn’t come in full clarity and before her eyes could make it any farther, darkness shrouded Emmaline’s vision. He felt a hard grip around her waist and the sinking feeling stopped. She was being tugged toward the surface.

“A traitor sleeps among you.” The words came to her as the dulled sounds of water escaped her ears and she was once again back in the present. The visions were far too muddled. It wasn’t enough for Emmaline to make much of anything out. It was normal that all of the visions that Emma was blessed with did not hold as much weight as those she viewed during war. Still, in times of safety, they had never come. Her visions were not some fun little trick. No—they were the blessings of the Gods. The Gods did not have time to waste on silly little messages. No—they only had time for important messages that would keep Illyria safe and bring tellings of the future.

Still remained the solid grasp of an arm around her waist as her mind slowly come back to the present. The first face that came into view was Mary’s. Her eyes were cooly concerned as she cut slight glances toward her friend. Hands were held respectfully in front of her, and her eyes, when not looking at Emmaline, were cast toward the ground. Still, she said nothing as she noticed Emmaline’s eyes starting to scan around.

“Always got her mind in the books or in the clouds.” A hearty laugh shook her body and Emmaline felt the arm move from her waist to pat her back lightly. Eyes cast away from her maid’s face to the other figure that was standing beside her. She realized now why Mary had said nothing. Beside her stood the Kalakari ruler.

He maintained a respectful smile as he listened to the translation of her father’s words. He let out his own small chuckle, but his eyes never pulled away from Emmaline’s. It was very apparent that Charles had not been prepared for the arrival of the man as his daughter became preoccupied with her vision, and he simply tried to push away any concern the ruler might have had. Emmaline could see it in his eyes, however, the man was far wiser than such a simple excuse could ever convince him otherwise.

“The sea is quite beautiful, and I am not often blessed with any sights outside of the castle, Father.” Still, she smiled and looked up toward him. The blue had still not begun to return to her eyes, but Charles knew that now was not the time to pressure his daughter for details of her sight—especially when their guest was here.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Charles let out another soft laugh. “Go explore!”

. . .​

“A traitor sleeps among us, huh?” Mary sat on a large rock, basking in the sun. They had made it down by the water, in a place where they believed they could have some privacy. Emmaline had made her way near the water where she watched small crustaceans picking water flies out of the air. There would be no swimming for her. No, it was not decent in the current company to go any farther in the water than what a slight hike of her skirt could handle, so for now, she just dug her toes into the black sand and watched the life below her.

“That’s what I was told.” The words were slightly distracted as fingers cut soft lines in the sand. “Something isn’t right. Why would I be having these visions in times of peace?” Still, Emma hadn’t been able to speak with her father about her visions. “But what does it mean?” A book lay open on a nearby rock, and she glanced toward it for a moment. She was very sure that these little purple crabs that could snatch a fly out of the air in the blink of an eye would not be enough of a distraction for her thoughts.

“I do hope it is not warnings of the Kalakari men. You should tell your father as soon as he is free so that he can determine what the warning means.” Mary lifted herself up from where she had lay back, uncrossing and crossing her legs again for comfort.

“I wonder why only now, as we come close to the sea, that Jenir would send his messengers.” There was a slight pause; off in the distance, a group of noblemen had taken to jumping off of one of the lower cliffs into the cool waters below. “Maybe he knows of something Mother Goddess Xenira doesn’t.” Emmaline picked herself up and walked to where the water could smooth over her soft feet. “Maybe it has something to do with his ocean?”