Fantasy The Open Chance

[Rantos]

Was it a bad sign that the king had repeated Wulf's question: probably. Did Wulf understand exactly why the king did: no. When the king gave his reason however Wulf was suprised to say the least Did the king not trust him entirely yet? Did he think Wulf would strike his daughter down in the night? Wulf wouldn't blame the king, after all he only wished the best for his daughter or at least that's how Wulf perceived it. However the king's aversion to Wulf's idea did put a damper on things, maybe if he explained it again the king would better understand. Before Wulf could even open his mouth however the crown princess of the fiefdom of Ikale: Anai interjected and began to explain that her father, the crown king of the fiefdom of Ikale, whose name Wulf could not remember although he swore it was on the letter he lost, that things were not as he thought them to be. But what could the king have thought Wulf meant.

It didn't take long for Wulf to catch up on what everyone else was thinking. As soon as the pieces fell into place a noticeable blush quickly spread across Wulf's face. Although to say Wulf was blushing would have been a harsh understatement, as the boy was flustered beyond belief. His entire face was beat red, no trace of his usually pale complexion was left. Wulf stayed quiet, he would let Anai take care of this misunderstanding as Wulf felt that he would melt on the spot.

Everything else just seemed to fall into place around him. Anai took care of the misunderstanding and devised a plan her father could agree with, then left. Her father left soon after her, and Wulf was left alone. Alone he pondered, how unimpressive he must have seemed. No matter where his job took him this always would happen. Wulf was a specialist, he could swing a sword well, bested only by two, but he often feel short when it came to other tasks. He could make a decent meal if he was called to do so, but leading the castle guards was another story. All that learning how to swing a sword and fight with a blindfold wouldn't help him here. But that was tomorrow's worry. Tonight he could think on it, really try to come up with some kind of grand solution.

Wulf made his way to the nearest servant, meekly he called for their attention and asked "Would you be able to take me to the bathrooms please? Also, could you relay a message? Could you tell the castle guards to meet with me at their earliest convenience? It's fine if I can't talk to them all at once, so long as I can talk to each that should be fine." Maybe an idea would come while he bathed, maybe not.
Life.

 

[Life.]

"Yes sir Oswald. If you would follow me please," an older servant bowed and stretched out his hand in the direction towards the wash room. Once he was sure that the young man was following him, the servant proceeded forward to guide Wulf to the appropriate destination. Upon reaching the entrance of the wash room, the servant pulled out the necessary toiletries from a nearby cart, "Here you are sir Oswald. Once you are finished with your bath the guards shall be ready for your presence." With a final bow the older servant took his leave, quickly working to accomplish his given instructions.


A heavy sigh flew out the lips of Princess Anai as she sunk herself into the steaming water. Her pale, pearl eyes looked up to the dome-shaped ceiling that was ornately decorated with images of the history of Ikale Village. Her eyes traced the lines of the mural above her until a figure began rising out of the image. A small frown appeared on her lips as she watched a spirit appear before her. It was a creature of a familiar shape, a small girl with short, black hair and empty sockets for eyes.

These types of spirits were Anai's least favorite. Hardly did anything please them. So the only thing that she found to work was to ignore them. Although it proved difficult at times when the girl tried calling out to her. But tonight seemed to be different since the girl flew away, or more like she phased through the wall to move onto a different room. Anai assumed that the spirit was curious of the new guest in the home. Not surprising considering how curious spirits could be.

For once today Anai felt relieved and a little glad to have the boy there. Perhaps some spirits will bother him and leave her alone for a bit. Although once they figure that he can't see them they'll come back to her. They always do. But even a short time of peace was appreciated. Anai sank back into her bath and closed her eyes, feeling her body release all its tension.


"Your room has been prepared Princess Anai."
"Thank you, Aliya," the young princess turned towards the servant that was of her same age and smiled. The servant blushed slightly, nodded, and walked away once Anai walked into her quarters. She looked over to see the curtain that the maids had hung up. The glistening blue gems shined nearly white under the moonlight. The soft breeze of the night blew into the room from the open panels.
Anai walked over and slid them shut. The last thing she wanted were unwanted guests.

Her sleeping mat was prepared, and right on either side of it were two sleeping figures Tai and Ko. Anai smiled softly as she fixed herself into the mat and lied there. It was not unusual for Anai to not fall asleep easily. Many creatures of the night could be heard outside, all minding their own business. A few though would try and attract Anai's attention, but tonight the glistening gems of the beads on the curtain caught their attention from the way it shined in the moonlight. It certainly provided for a distraction for them. Anai couldn't blame them since the gems refracted beautiful hues of blue onto the ceiling of the room and out the glass doors. It was almost like a whole separate night sky. The curtain provided for more personal comfort to Anai because it was the very curtain that her mother created.

Rantos