Almega: Part 1 ~ Heart of the Reborn

[CS Revolked]

I'm so sorry, I've been so busy recently that I haven't had the chance to read what you've written but I'm all caught up now.

Margie reminds me a lot of Mama Aubree from Crysala. But I guess, they're just ubiquitous characters. You have to have that maternal figure, especially considering that Amy and Alex from my world and your Prism brothers; Jade, Shaydenn, Solis, Azul and Redd have no mother figure. A nice parallel.

I'm teetotal so I don't understand the whole drinking thing but it set up some nice scenes. They're at the bar and the whole idea that maybe Azul won't survive is actually tangible to them now. It's a real possibility and I like the idea that it's not set in stone.

There's this trope called Like You Would Really Do It where a character is so important that when placed in a life-threatening situation, the audience doesn't actually believe they'll die.

With Azul, there is no doubt that there is a real possibility of tragedy. I feel for the brothers, it's a real shit situation.

As a side note, I really wanna have some of Shaydenn's cooking. No meat though, I'm a vegetarian

[FlameMaster5]

We'll have to have Shaydenn whip you up a batch of his Farmer's Stew!

Veggies only! ^^

I am quite fond of Margie. I always picture my late Mimi when I write for her, as her name was a play off my grandmother's real one: Margaret. Margie is a little exaggerated, and doesn't necessarily speak the same way my Mimi did, but the feelings behind her loving and nurturing manner certainly is.

I could think of no better motherly figure for these boys! :3

And I'm actually teetotal as well. I frankly hate the taste of alcohol, and I detest throwing up so much that you couldn't convince me to be drunk. Plus if I drink even a little to try it, it just makes me sleepy, and that's just unproductive. A total waste of time, if you ask me.

BUT... That is not how most of the world perceives alcohol.

Certainly not how Mr. Biggs sees it. ;]

Concerning Azul, it's a real possibility.

And I like that I'm conveying that.

Poor boy. XD 

[FlameMaster5]

_{^{Chapter 9 - The Sick Ward}}

He came to at six resonating clangs of the cathedral bells.

White. Everything was white.

A clean scent of cloves and lemon stung his nose.

Faint sounds were all around him. Coughing. Moaning. Crying even.

Where...am I? he thought through a haze.

He trailed his eyes downward from the alabaster ceiling to see a middle-aged couple there at his bedside. Both were dressed in white lab coats. A doctor and nurse, right? The doctor was readying a treatment concoction, mixing into some porridge a frothy violet liquid to make what looked like, best described, blueberry oatmeal. The nurse sat to watch. Every so often she directed passing staff or answered inquiries between, to his eventual realization, massaging his feet through a cocoon of blankets. Her touch was firm and warm despite the chill of the...room?

He turned his head against the pillow beneath him. Through a fog, he viewed a plastered white hall with large windows overlooking Canidae Cathedral, with cots of gravely ill patients lining down. All here were victims of the Blight. He listened to them, how they hacked and groaned and grieved so, murmuring in all their discomfort. There was very little actual speaking to be heard though. Just orderlies cleaning and sick people crying out their suffering. At the far end of the hall, he saw a nurse pulling a sheet over a young woman, with staff gathering quietly to help her move the body.
The young woman, whoever she was, was now dead.
Here. In the sick ward.
Where they all were going to die.

A rising panic cut through him. He found himself shivering, and only partly from a running fever. He turned back desperately to the doctor and nurse who had just taken notice of his recent waking observations.

"W-Where am I?", he asked, this time with horrifying clarity. "T-This isn't home. Where's Jade?!"

As he began to anxiously pull away from his covers, the nurse at his feet promptly came to his side to intercept him, saying gently, "Azul Prism, right? Everything is fine now." He paused uncertainly when she brushed away a stray strand of blonde from his eyes. "I am Phaedra and you're at our research hospital, the MSR. My husband Doctor Eston Mikune and I will take very good care of you here, I assure you."

Dr. Mikune then nodded to his wife with professional agreeance.

 

"N-No! I want to see my brother!", Azul protests. "I want to go home! I--!" He pressed his fingers through the thin lining of his hospital gown to his chest when he was forced to cough. Still, he ignored the slight taste of blood and wheezed on as he attempted to leave, "I-I don't belong here..."

"Now, Azul", Eston starts, setting aside the mixing bowl to carefully and firmly catch the boy by his arms to ground him, "I need you to stay here so you have the best chance of getting well. You're very sick, son, and your brother Jade asked me to treat you for as long as it is necessary." He almost smiled when receiving a familiar obstinate look. "Listen, I have a new serum - that Jade actually helped me to provide - and I want to start you on it right away. But I need your cooperation. Can you do that for me, Azul?"
Being lowered into his pillow and having little strength to fight back through his fatigue, Azul just looked away for a while in defeat at all the other fellow patients. He bit his lower lip, heat in his throat. A single tear managed to escape. Finally, he nodded back to them in grim acceptance.

The doctor and his wife both knew that despairing look well.

They proceeded with care.

"I appreciate your understanding, Azul - Thank you", Eston says as he gently released the boy to finish blending his medicine thoroughly, coming to sit just on the edge of his cot. "Now, as your primary physician, I am required by Llorian law to inform you of the precise details of your condition. But, if at any given time you begin to feel too tired, just say the word and I will postpone our discussion." He gave a cordial bob of his head - a promise - before passing Phaedra the concoction. Azul did not look pleased when she presented to him a spoonful of the globbed bluish mess. "What you have is something I call the Blight of Yuxe, an infection that rampantly spread the night of the Festival of Passing when Demigod Yuxe went mad and was slain. Your brother Jade, as you probably already know, was directly involved and was stricken with this same disease before you. I'm unaware if he explained the specifics to you of what happened to him then, but you can expect much of what he faced." The good doctor paused a moment to allow the boy time to take a bite, swallow, and look repulsed at the oatmeal. "I apologize. I'll have to work on the taste. Anyway, common symptoms of the Blight include..."

Azul sealed his eyes. His head hurt. Through the black, he listened to Eston's blurring voice list off symptoms that only seemed to reawaken within his tired body. The pain that tremored slightly over his skin before boring deeply into his bones was loudest. He was already chilled from fever, blood was tasted when he coughed. He didn't have to wonder what was coming ahead when the patient nearest to him smelled of vomit and diarrhea, which that too had a hint of sour from the drug-laced porridge he was currently ingesting. Disgusting. He felt nauseated just by the thought. But he gulped down the creamy astringent goop (and restrained from gagging) as he tuned in to his doctor mentioning some things he was previously unaware. "Hallucinations have been reported due to dehydration, but you run less risk of that here with proper water intake. And, going back to the origins of how this disease was spread, it's important to be specific when talking about blood. Your blood has been infected and could potentially cause others to become afflicted, but as you were not bitten directly you could pass the Blight in a number of ways to an otherwise healthy individual: blood to the eyes, mouth, opened wounds, and through sexual contact."

Hallucinations. Possibly spreading the infection.

Guess you'll just have to forget about Zariah, he heard his brother Shaydenn say in his head.

Zariah. He opened his eyes and almost wished he was hallucinating about her here with him right now.

Azul sighed inwardly as Eston continued with, "Not that you really have to worry about extending your illness outward here; it's just some things to keep in mind when you have visitors. Now, less common symptoms include skin lesions, trouble swallowing, and mental instability. But you appear to be fine in those areas, and that is most fortunate as the other signs indicate certain fatality. Do you have any questions? I should tell you about our research here--"

Phaedra then reached across to place a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder. "Eston, my dear, perhaps another time? He's exhausted." She passed the boy a perceptive little wink. "And he's much too well-mannered to interrupt you, even at his own expense."

Azul weakly smiled at his nurse, thankful that she noticed.

"Ah, yes, of course", the doctor answered, now patting him on the top of the hand. "Well, then. We will do everything we can for you. If you ever do have a question or need anything at all to make your stay here easier, please let us or the other staff know. We want nothing more than to see you well."

A moderately concerned call for assistance within the ward and Dr. Mikune exchanged eyes with his wife.

She nodded and waved him away. "Head Nurse Jacqueline. Go ahead, I'll finish up here."

Eston proceeded quickly to stand, giving Azul another professional bow before taking his leave.

When the boy took his last bite of porridge, he shuddered from a tart aftertaste that made his already feverish skin crawl. Phaedra couldn't help but give a light chortle. "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart! I guess there was more medicine than oatmeal in that last spoonful."

"Not your fault...", Azul quietly answered, and she was glad to hear him speak even after a somber debriefing. "It's ok. Really. I just don't feel very good right now..."

Her brows furrowed with a concerned look. "I know. Just try to keep your medicine down if you start to feel nauseated. I wish there were a better way to treat you, but this is the best we have for now." She leaned forward to align their eyes and caress his lightly wetted cheek. "Is there anything I can get you before I make my other rounds? I don't mind. Just name it." Azul pretended to consider what he wanted, just for her, just to not worry her, and shook his head against her palm with a weary exhale. "That's all right. Then you just get some rest. I'm sure you'll have visitors before long. And I'll bring you some real food later, how's that?" He managed another small smile when she rose from his bedside, leaving him with, "I'll see you soon, sweetheart."

He could only watch his nurse go on about her work for so long. Eventually, when she was so far out of range that she blended into a pack of white-fitted orderlies, Azul turned to look straight ahead in an unfocused gaze as he simply laid there in wait. His body ached, his belly heavy and irritable, and he was overall drained... But nothing compared so far to feeling alone. There might have been hundreds of patients and staff all around him, but this was still the emptiest place he had ever been. He missed Phaedra already. He wouldn't be much for conversation right now, but at least her continued company would have been nice until he could fall asleep. She reminded him of his mother in a way - her compassion, her smile, maybe even the way her hair seemed to flow over her shoulder in a long voluminous braid. Little bits of comfort in an otherwise friendly stranger. He would even take talking to Eston more if it meant keeping him distracted from his circumstances.

Because now he was feeling very afraid.

Afraid of being alone in this place. Of enduring all his suffering to come. Of dying.

And there would be no distraction from it, no way to run when he was surrounded by it.

The sights. The sounds. The smells even.

He found himself breaking down more and more, his exhausted mind somehow still buzzing with one dreadful thought after another. Covering his face with his hands, he did his best to stifle his crying as a new loop in his head repeated like desperate prayers.

I want to go home. I don't belong here. Jade, where are you?

I want to go home. I don't belong here.

Jade... Where are you??

"Not holding up well, I take it?"

A gelid yet familiar voice broke his invocations. Startled, Azul quickly wiped away his tears onto the length of an arm before inflating his lungs enough to naturally cough.

He croaked through a wheeze, "What do they use to...clean this place with?", hoping he could convince the towering figure in his peripheral that he hadn't been crying. But that seemed more unlikely once he craned his neck upward to meet that keen emerald stare. There, standing at his bedside, was Gemel. How a seven-foot-tall knight clad in armor could be so quiet Azul was unsure, but it was unmistakably him. And it was only him. The boy thought it odd that Jade wasn't accompanying. Still, he forced a small smile through his confoundment. "Sir Gemel? What are you doing here??"

The Sword didn't bother with much facial expression. Per usual. Even his soldier-stance held perfectly still and at attention. His right hand remained encased in the massive fist weapon he carried (which rivaled the height of an average man and must have weighed far more based on the amount of greenstone it was produced from) with his left tucked neatly behind his back, concealed by the royal-blue mantle that draped over his shoulders to the floor. He seemed so restrained. Azul wondered if being a knight eventually made him this hard and nearly devoid of emotion, or if he had simply always been this way. The child had rather the latter. He hoped to never see his eldest brother become anything similar.

Just as he was becoming uncomfortable in Gemel's lingering presence, the man brought his hand forward from the folds of his cape to offer the boy something gleaming and rectangular; a book. Not just any book, but a tome covered with a turquoise metal that was engraved most intricately with runic designs in an ebony finish. On the front and center was a strange fish-like beast also marked in black, swimming out from bottom engraved oceans to arc high and over clouds near the top.

"I heard from Jade that you will be staying here for the foreseeable future until a cure is found", Gemel spoke at last, with just a hint of sympathy. "Seems you will be having a lot of quiet time. Perhaps this will help make it more bearable. If you are interested, that is."

Attention drawing to the shining surface of the book, Azul slowly reached up to take the presented gift. He quickly learned he had to use both hands when the weight of not only the metal but the numerous pages nearly caused him to drop it in his frailty. He brought the codex safely into his lap and awed over it a moment. Out of all the things he was ever given, this was by far the most surprising and beautiful. He thought an item like this looked deserving to be amongst volumes stored in Castle Llor or Canidae Cathedral, or bought in a high-priced auction in Theroce by a wealthy nobleman for his collection. Not in the palms of someone like himself, a lowly common boy. Yet, here it was, mesmerizing him by its gleam.

But, he wondered, where did something like this come from?   

"Th-... Thank you", Azul managed, finding his words finally. He looked up again to the Sword, who remained patiently in wait for him to finish admiring over the relic. "Sir Gemel... If you don't mind me asking, where did you get this? It's nothing like anything I've ever seen. It couldn't have come from Lloryncia, right?" 

The knight just barely lowered his chin. "Correct. This tome is from my village in Seraphic Grove, one of few items that didn't burn in the Kvasian attack. I reclaimed it when searching through the wreckage for survivors." An inquiring look from the boy made him shake his head once. Only once. "There were none to be found. Take it. It's yours now."

Azul let his eyes fall to the cover of the book to revere its mystery and elegance another minute before involuntarily wrapping his arms around its cool exterior. He hadn't opened to read it yet, but he couldn't imagine still why Gemel would ever part with something so valuable to his lost people. He returned his gaze to the Sword, almost feeling guilty for accepting.

"Are you sure? This book is one of the last few keepsakes from your home..."

Gemel looked out the wide windows of the ward, pouring over what he could see of the city and the palace waiting nearby. There was something contemplative in his stare. 

"Lloryncia is my home now."

With that, Gemel returned his spare hand to his back and marched out as silently as he had come.

The sudden departure of the knight left Azul befuddled until he realized that the same ringing bells that had woke him to this place denoted it was the eighteenth hour, and thusly, it was now some time past for patrol duty to initialize for all night-shift Swords. That certainly explained the hurry. Maybe. It did, however, explain why Jade was amiss from this visit. The boy felt slightly comforted to remember that it was merely routine and duty that kept his eldest brother away, and not that he had been left and forgotten. Although he wished very much to see Jade. The sooner the better.

Before the lonely and empty feelings could drag him back down, Azul focused his attention on the hefty book that remained in his lap. He brushed a hand along the spine of the metal casing, then a gentle finger to the edges of the old pages, and opened the codex somewhere in the middle. A breath of wonder was pulled from him. On the page was a detailed sketch of a creature he had never seen before nor ever conjured in a dream; a horse-like-bodied drake, riddled with scales and flowing mane down its neck to the tail, with its head lowered somewhat in what appeared to be a docile manner. It was majestic and lovely, and by the etched script at the bottom of the artwork, it had a name also. The boy attempted to roll his tongue and hiss out the scribbled name. "La-La... Lasss..." He shook his head. "No. Lasd... Ves..." He smiled triumphantly when he put it together. "Lasdves!" He gawked at the beast for who knows how long until he felt compelled to turn the page to see more. Another monster, this time a bird wreathed in flames. Feonox. He continued flipping, each page depicting creatures unlike anything known to Lloryncia until he finally came to something he recognized. Kalsamtorr - the wolf-like species his demigods Ulloryn, Yuxe, and Yeshyad belonged to. "What is this book?", he mumbled out loud to himself.

And for a little while...

He forgot all about being a sickly boy in a hospital bed.    

[FlameMaster5]

_{^{Chapter 10 - Reporting For Duty}}

He had felt a little out of place when he crossed the drawbridge of Castle Llor. Despite having passed through the garden courtyard atop Calisson, who was draped in a cloth bard bearing the colors of Ulloryn to denote destrier, Jade had sensed the eyes of every fellow knight on him and his drab threads of peasant life. He had hoped he was only being paranoid, that if anyone were staring then it was in the means to identify him as a Sword of Lloryn, that the watchful gazes on him were not out of sheer judgment for his status or character, as he dismounted in the outdoor boarding stables before proceeding to the palace.

Upon entry, he had nodded amiably to a few patrolling custodians on watch he knew would soon be relieved as he cut right to a hall that ended at the Armory. Another two guards cleared him inside (after leering at him between grated helmets long enough to make him a bit unnerved) and Jade hastily collected only what he needed to redress in; a new uniform coat. He would not embarrass himself further, especially not before his Commander and his night-shift unit. The white, blue, and gold colors filled him with enough confidence to march out of the Armory and salute the sentinel duo before returning to the foyer.

Now he was calming in his knightly camouflage as he climbed his way up the central stairs to the throne room doors, expecting to see Gemel waiting for him well in advance with usual saint-like patience. But as he set foot at the top, Jade was surprised to see that his duteous companion was absent.

He hummed disconcertedly as he took a couple of paces over to the stone railings that bordered the upper stairway. He scanned the vestibule below him, watching men and women come and go about their business(some of which were in uniform but mostly tenders to the palace), not recognizing any faces that belonged to his training sessions. Six muffled bongs sounded through the castle that reminds him shifts should be switching, and he began to actively wonder just where the tall man was. Not only that but the whereabouts of his patrol team as well. His calmness fled.

Had Commander Lloryn already stationed them out on the wall?

Was it he that was somehow late?

Just as he was convincing himself of this, preparing to hurry down the flight of stairs and make for the path out onto the wall immediately surrounding the castle, preparing to look like a backward dolt unfit to protect his kingdom... Jade heard faint echoes behind him. He turned to face the elaborate wood doors that decorated the way into the royal chamber to see them slightly cracked. He stepped closer to make out voices.

An exchange rather.

Between King Nicholaus Lloryn and his Commander, Lady Persephone.

He began to feel relieved knowing that his superior was just beyond but quickly realized that his patrol unit was not among the throne hall. He gasped quietly. This was a private conversation!

Eavesdropping had not been his intention.

But what caught his ear was less than pleasant.

"Your Highness, I disagreed with your decision even then - Prism got off far too easily", he heard his Commander spat frigidly. "The negligent fool slays my demigod and then you have me train him personally? Match the culprit to the crime! I won't stand for this!!"
Jade felt his jaw drop as a choke escaped him. Her words stung harsher than a hydra's barb, and she was saying these things directly to their monarch. The voice of his fellow Sword pangs through his mind.

Be prepared for whatever she can throw at you.

But how could he ever have anticipated this?

The young man could not contain the amount of desperation that now coursed through him. He pressed the doors a little further ajar. Just to simply see his sovereign's reaction.

Among this grand hall arranged in the likeness of the Den Mother, settled on a bejeweled golden throne under a pomp canopy display of royal silk, was a simpering King Nicholaus that appeared every bit as jubilant as he had been before the terrors began on the day of the festival. He looked completely unshaken by the spitfire young lady that stood adamantly before him. She had her boots planted firmly just off the side of the rich blue aisle that leads to the royal seat, and all Jade could view of her was from behind, which was mostly an eyeful of lengthy platinum hair set against a scarlet mantle. But he was certain she was scowling.

"Persephone, have patience with the boy", came a calm and direct reply from King Nicholaus, his smile remaining ever warm but firm with her. "Admit that Sir Gemel was right about Prism from the very beginning. He has demonstrated honor among his comrades, responsibility to his family and his kingdom, and he comes from a highly devoted and religious upbringing despite his monetary struggles; everything but negligence, my dear. His father before him even served as a knight  - A good man that Geni, a good friend too, the gods rest his soul."

The youth held his breath. Geni, his father, had been close to the crown in days past? And even the king believed his father to be dead... He only took comfort knowing that he himself was smiled upon now by the very same ruler. Thanks to the tall man after his trial, that is. "And as much as Lloryncia and myself hated losing Yuxe...", Nicholaus went on, pausing only to quiet the sadness building in him to return to something more hopeful, "...I now firmly believe that Prism acted out of duty to protect the realm."

Jade exhales. What a load off his mind. If the king was for him, who could stand against him? Besides his Sword Commander, of course, whose black plated shoulders smithied in the imagery of Yuxe's head and tail narrowed forward like that of a hunting beast.  

"Hmph. Sounds to me like you're just regurgitating speeches from that charlatan Gemel."

Still you wound me? Jade thought, and he swore his heart was ripped from his chest.

"You're being most unfair", the king answers ever steady as he deliberately stood, to which the young man nodded against the door in full agreeance. "If you mean giving praises where it is due, then, by all means, call it whatever you wish." She emits a grunt of frustration that only elicits another response. One more wintry. "You asked me to not favor you when you became Sword Commander. Have you changed your mind now, Daughter, just to penalize the poor lad?"

There was an equal icy silence that nearly made Jade shiver.

For the last seven years, Lady Persephone had been Sword Commander, and all of Lloryncia knew her to be exceptionally talented with many forms of weaponry since sixteen at the time of her grand ascension. There were stories passed through Mikune, and likely more so through Theroce, of how she climbed and broke apart the ranks under her heel. She was always described as an oppressive young woman with the might to match, making her a formidable force among the Howling Fields in many skirmishes with Kvasian hordes as she fought honorably beside her troops.

She was an inspiration to her kingdom.

She had asked for nothing, and none was given.

And Jade often forgot, as much as Lloryncia did, that she was once considered heir to the throne as the daughter of the sovereign king. She had given up her title of princess the day she joined the Swords.

Her sacrifices were abundant.

 

So to be practically scolded by King Nicholaus, by the great man whose name she bore?

The young man still had sympathy for her.

She must have hated it...

Her voice finally replied through a clenched jaw, "No... Father. Of course not."
"Then you will continue to train Prism under your direct guidance? I can make that an order if that makes it easier."
Another speechless moment followed that left Jade waiting impatiently. He watched as she turned toward the carpeted aisle, her hands coming together at her back, and now he could clearly see the side of her face; her chin lifting from the jet-black armor that encased her neck and breasts, her rose-toned cheeks in contrast to eyes of frost that set stern on the adjacent wall.

She was an austere lady. And fiercely beautiful.

"That won't be necessary, Your Highness."

King Nicholaus clapped his hands, coming to stand directly before her. "Good. This pleases me." He did look pleased, Jade observed, a loving grin inside a graying beard. "You know, Prism's progress is no small part thanks to you, Commander, and no doubt the Swords are stronger as a whole for your leadership." The jovial man placed his palms on her rigid shoulders, leaning just enough to plant a single kiss upon her forehead. There was then a slight upcurve in the corner of her lips. "Mourn Yuxe if you so need, my dear, but our people need your strength. And so do I."
The youth smiled. They were really just father and daughter when all was said and done.

Persephone made a deflated huff, nodding firmly once, and her face molded back into the stone-cold she often adorned while combat training her soldiers.
"I'll...remember that."

A clasp on his shoulder and Jade nearly yelps. He pressed shakingly into the doors, bringing a hand to his heart until the hold on him judged familiar. He glanced back to catch sight of a towering figure and, with a sigh, he peeled his body off the wooden surface to face him.

"It's unlike you to spy on others, much less royalty", Gemel states, for once wearing a slender smirk.

The youth was glad to finally see some form of expression out of his companion, but did it have to be at his expense? He responded, aggravated, "And just where were you? I've been delaying here, and not only for you but for anyone that can explain why we're not patrolling. Maybe I should have reported to Persephone alone, but then--"

"Persephone? Not Commander Lloryn??"

Jade flushed the moment Gemel's brow arched. Seemed the informality of the discussion he'd overheard was still fresh, and thusly, the domineering (and lovely) lady was as well.    

"Don't you start reading into things - You knew what I meant... Well, what should we do?"

Gemel teased the boy with a brief stare before his glinting verdant gaze trailed off to the doors ahead.

"We should report at once", the older knight answers, as if there were never any other choice. The look on Jade's face was something of surprise and apprehension. You didn't just waltz into the throne room whenever you pleased. "Come. Follow me. We wouldn't want to keep Persephone waiting, would we?"

The young man blew out an exasperated breath as a now snickering Gemel pushed forward. 

"Unbelievable..."

Entering the royal hall, the two knights immediately caught the attention of their sovereign and Sword Commander; Gemel having burst through the doors in a set steady march, with Jade shadowing behind on his side, unable to keep in pace with the stride of his more lofty escort. The king turns right away to face the approaching Swords with welcome amazingly, his arms stretching wide outward as he had with Yuxe's coming. Lady Persephone, however, greeted their presence by unsheathing the claymore strapped to her hip, raising the blade toward them at a fine and deadly point.

"What is the meaning of this!?", she snarls, her voice only booming louder from the echoing chamber. It took everything Jade had to keep from petrifying mid-aisle. Her glacial stare seemed to pierce right through him, and he wondered if Gemel had any doubts about now as she examined them both. "Coming before His Highness unannounced!? Swords, explain yourselves at once!!"

The older knight advanced ahead with usual composure despite her, coming to bow on one knee directly before his ruler.

"My King", he declared, simple but humbly weighted, remaining knelt in wait to be further addressed.

Jade reached them moments later. Collecting himself and just following the tall man's lead, he repeated, "My King", as he kneeled under the hovering blade of their Commander, with a quick horrifying thought that she may decide to behead him right then and there. He could only shake the image by knowing Gemel was near. But when the hall stopped whispering their previous intonations, and the seconds of silence seemed like forever under her scrutiny, Jade believed it wiser to answer her and be possibly out of turn than ignore her demands. "Commander Lloryn... Sword Gemel and Sword Prism reporting for duty! We sincerely apologize before His Highness for any intrusion and ask for grace... But we come to request details on our patrolling positions amongst the night-shift unit. What are your orders, milady?"

"Captain Doughall did not inform you? - I was in conference with His Highness, matters of most import", she says without demur, and Jade lift his eyes to meet hers, just to see if she could hold her stare on him through a lie. Impressive. She must have convinced herself! "You were to assemble with your unit out on the wall, and the Captain would appoint you temporary positions until my arrival. I had him stationed just outside to make preparations, to debrief and deploy each of you." She withdrew her weapon on a huff. "And yet here you are, where you ought not to be... Either Sir Silas neglected his duties and left his post prematurely or the two of you chose to not follow his commands in my stead? Which I'm lead to believe the latter, Sword Prism, what with the Captain besting you in today's training sessions."

The young man winced internally as if she were pouring salt in his wounds. Her eyes settled briefly on his bandages and he wondered if she hoped Yuxe had killed him.

"Actually, Commander... I believe Prism is present due to my summoning!", King Nicholaus announces. Jade lift his head, helpless to keep from gawking at his ruler. He didn't feel this was so inappropriate, however, when Lady Persephone turned to her father with equal surprise. The king guffawed, their faces bringing him much needed laughter, as he now glanced to the older knight before him instead. "Gwah-ha-ha! Summoning of Sir Gemel, I mean! But don't worry Prism, I expected you to tag along!" He motioned for the tall man to stand, to which Gemel rose with his left hand over his breast and his massive weapon touching the floor on his right. "I gave Sword Doughall discreet instructions this morning; to arrange our current circumstances, and to inform Sir Gemel to meet with us here. It's only by happenstance, and almost fitting, that Prism is joining us."

"Your Highness, you said Sword Doughall... Don't you mean Captain?", Persephone questions, her voice laced with dread and distaste for what she already knew was being proposed.  

"No, as that would not accurately reflect his status... Commander, I hereby present to you your new Sword Captain!"

Astonished, Jade lift his head skyward to the tall man.

Gemel... Captain of the Swords of Lloryn, he mused, staring at the focused and ever-cool emeralds that remained trained on the king, and realized that his guardian would now be protecting the realm even further beside their Commander as her right hand.

The youth didn't suspect King Nicholaus to be displeased with Doughall, but there really was no denying that Gemel was better suited; the older knight was in his mid-thirties, seasoned well with combat experience in both forms of weaponry and magick. Not to mention he knew firsthand the savagery of the Kvasian people during attacks years ago on Seraphic Grove, a sacred forest his people called home.

Standing there now at attention, well-built and trimmed despite being a giant suit of armor, with his hair shooting back like angel feathers, Jade saw Gemel as the ideal vision of a stalwart Sword just as much as the sovereign. The young man found himself coming to a stand as he basked in the glory of his new Captain, and thought, The kingdom is no doubt safer with your promotion, my friend.  

But Jade kept his congratulatory speeches to himself, for now, noticing how this seemed to not sit quite so well with Lady Persephone; she looked like she had just eaten a bug. He decided it best to stay quiet to hopefully get on her good side.

"Fa-- Your Highness...", Persephone managed between her teeth, seething as respectfully as she could muster while looking daggers at Gemel. "As head of your armed forces, conducting safeguard measures both within and outside the castle, leading Lloryncia to many victories... I've been under the impression that my being Commander meant just that - commanding, arranging your soldiers to form the best units that would further a prosperous realm! I chose Sir Silas because he is an exceptional tactician and well trained with magick tomes. To overturn my decisions and replace him so suddenly--"

"Oh dear, do you believe me to be dissatisfied with your organization?"

"...Are you not?"

As the sovereign struggled with denting the pride of his daughter, Gemel interceded their argument with, "My King, if I may?" A simple hand-wave gesture from Nicholaus was all that was needed. Jade just waited and watched as the tall man proceeded to use the same soothe-saying tone on the angered young lady. "Commander Lloryn, it is apparent that His Highness means not to insult you and merely means to place me in a position that fulfills multiple roles, adding and then-some to your previously mentioned advantages that Sir Silas met." Her chin lift with a rising brow, mildly interested but more so challenging him to persuade her. "Among my kin, I was considered negotiator with the Kvasians during my youth; keeping the first sign of any peace between our people, sharing the base of Mount Kvasir with open trade and free passage, before I left on a long pilgrimage years-lasting that must have ultimately resulted in the breaking of trusts and, hence, the burning ambush on my village. All Llorians lost the safe-way to Den Mother Ulloryn's shrine within the forest, being Kvasian territory until even now. Because of what happened, I came to be a Sword and learned to military-strategize from others much like Doughall, only more experienced." He tapped the floor with his weapon, pressing on through the impatience on her face. "There are few that possess my prowess. As a magick-swordsman, I carry rare technique only known to Seraphic Grove, to which I am more than willing to exact upon our enemies." Gemel finished with a salute, "Under your command, of course."

King Nicholaus made three solid claps, and Jade had to refrain from bursting into applause himself.

 

Persephone wasn't so impressed as she was irked by Gemel; his speech, his stone expression, and the fact that...he may very well be the better choice. If he didn't grind on her every nerve that is, much like the boy next to him. How he managed to sway her father at the trial was beyond her, and now he was climbing the ranks to sit right beside her. Too close for comfort. But even as she felt disdain and distrust for the tall man, she marched forward to plant her boots before him and did as she believed her father and king would want. She would try, for him.

"Negotiator, strategizer, talented with skills otherwise lost - Very well, Captain", she nodded to him before passing a stern glance over to Jade, to which the young man stood a little straighter. "Seems you carry...influence...with you wherever you go. As His Highness mentioned, it is indeed fitting that Prism is here to witness this honor and my bestowment of responsibility upon you, since he is one of many Swords that will be adhering to your orders when I'm engaged in other official affairs. That means, naturally, no special treatment."

"Of course, Commander", Gemel says, leaving the youth near him feeling a sense of abandonment and close examination at the same time.

"Good", she answered, Jade almost expecting her to add 'This pleases me' as her father did, but realized her features were more on par with his companion's - flinty. "I will debrief you further in the morning with your assignments. For now, move out. We've kept Sir Silas and the night-shift unit waiting long enough."

She faced her father quickly, bowing with, "Your Highness, we take our leave", before turning on her heel to pass between her knights and out over the carpeted aisle. "Come, gentlemen!"

Jade and Gemel both exchanged looks with their sovereign, but it was more obvious that the youth among them was apprehensive to follow the fiery female without having royal permission to adjourn.

King Nicholaus inched them closer with a finger, and said in a lowered voice, "My daughter - your Commander - has as much adjusting to face as you do. I'm counting on you both to assist her with everything you can. I know you won't disappoint me!" He beamed a smile, waving them toward the doors to shadow her. "Now, go. Let my kingdom sleep well knowing they are under your guard."

"Yes, my King!", the Swords answered.

They bowed once more before following Lady Persephone, retracing her steps out of the throne room.

Upon leaving the grand hall, she leads them over a cross-path that cut right of the doors; a short, balcony-railed strip (with a matching left side) flowing to the exterior wall walk surrounding the keep. With passing under the stone archway to the outside, Lady Persephone was immediately welcomed by the man that had been her right hand and friend since her early years of leadership.

"Commander Lloryn!", Silas Doughall salutes with a formal address, rejoiced to see her despite standing stiffer than a board.

The three knights beneath his temporary order all lined up behind him and mimicked: Hailee Thorvid, Maddock McIver, and Ben Kaelen respectively as Jade recalled. "Commander!"

"At ease, Swords", she answered, each of them noticeably relaxing in the shoulders even through her growl. "You'll have to excuse me for keeping you all waiting, and I'll explain to the day-shift why the long delay, but the king had a surprise announcement to make while in our conference."

Sir Silas stepped up further to her, passing glances to Jade and Gemel as he said, "Then you know His Highness spoke with me. No apology necessary, Commander, not while all was done as an act of duty for you and the king. I am proud to have served you both to the best of my ability; I have no regrets." Jade stood in silent awe as he followed up with a turn and salute to the tall man. "Captain Gemel!"

"Captain!", the others parroted.

Gemel acknowledged them in return, to which Sir Silas cordially nodded back.

He's taking all this rather well, Jade thought.

Unknowingly to him, Lady Persephone was thinking the exact same thing, only with more disappointment in herself for being incapable of changing her friend's demotion.

"Seems everyone understands the new chain of command...", she said as Silas motioned for Jade to follow him back to their places among the other Swords, with Gemel remaining just at her right side, "...so let's get down to business. Doughall, I want you and McIver securing the North wall walk and support watchers at the portcullis. Keep an eye on the Howling Fields, but don't forget about the interior city, either. Send the day-shifters back to me for their report."

Silas and Maddock answered in unison, "Yes, milady!", pairing and setting out for a long hike to the kingdom's overture. The two would work well together in the event of an attack, she believed; Silas with his casting of spells and Maddock wielding a sword and shield, with self-proclaimed ability to call on Yeshyad's divine powers at will (if he really could). What her friend lacked in bulk and armor, Maddock certainly made up for it. And that put her at ease.

Not that she would let anyone know.

"Thorvid, Kaelen. You'll be covering the West to overlook District Theroce and Murknettle Harbor. Observe key points within the district to ensure the nobility of their safety: Theroce Manor and the adjoined arena, Eaddingtun & Mable auction house, and Lassley Academy. For the harbor, be sure to not only watch ships as they enter and leave the bay but for any marine-like activity; we've been having trouble with hydra recently, so alert night-fishers on the docks if you see anything."

Hailee casually twirled her lance with a wink. "You're the boss."

"Yes, sir!", Ben blurted, and Lady Persephone huffed. "I mean-- Yes, ma'am... Um, ma'am-sir?"

"...What is it, Sword Kaelen?"

The boy knight, having just turned sixteen, gulped nervously before presenting his crossbow. "D-Do you think...this can really fell hydra? Or kraken? Or hippocamp-- Wait, are hippocamp dangerous??"

The Commander pursed her lips at Lady Hailee, to which the female soldier nodded and proceeded to push the anxious rookie out West. "C'mon, Benny... I won't let the sea monsters get ya!"

"O-Okay..."

Hailee would keep her word. Or die trying. But Persephone easily would put her coin sack on Sword Thorvid if faced with an oceanic beast to protect her comrade; she had a fierce loyalty the Commander often related to and treated those younger than her as if she were their big sister. Plus her skill with a lance was simply unmatched. Kaelen would be in good hands.

"Lastly, that leaves you, Captain...", she says, tasting the now bitter word, managing to glance up at the towering figure near her before finding a more comfortable set of eyes forward in the young man left remaining, "...and you, Sword Prism. Take the East wall over District Mikune. As fellow Mikunesman, I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but I'll stress anyway that your district has higher crime rate than that of Theroce and requires its nooks and crannies to be exceptionally well guarded. Theft is commonly committed, and that's usually the most of it, but make no mistake that situations can't escalate. Points of interest to secure here are the Cade Farm, Mikune Sanitarium and Research, and most importantly Canidae Cathedral. If you should need me, report at once - I will be returning to my post within the castle, just outside of His Highness' quarters. Dismissed."

Gemel advanced on an instant. "As you wish."

Jade, however, hesitated. As soon the MSR was mentioned, the combining wave of worry and guilt washed back over him. Questions about his sick brother were always present, like voices in the background. There would be no focus to give Lloryncia if he overlooked the hospital and all those places familiar to him. He wanted nothing more than to guard his home as a Sword, watch over his family and friends throughout the night just as his father did when he was a small boy, but now...

"Commander Lloryn... I'd like to make a formal request to be reassigned."

The tall man turned back, and Lady Persephone shared a brief look of surprise with her new Captain. She pondered briefly to herself what could possibly have caused the youth to want this switch, to have asked with little fear of vexing her, but her father's advice to be patient and fair with him soon trickled in afterward.

"...Reassigned?"

"Just for tonight", Jade added, hoping to make it clear that this would not be a regularity. He then passed Gemel a subtle nod to reassure his guardian that he was alright, just merely needed some space from his troubles.

Persephone mulled over this. She was making a lot of efforts lately, she realized.

"Hmph. Very well, Prism. I'm sure Sir Ben will be relieved to hear there are no sea lurkers in Mikune." He smiled his thanks and then followed her lead out West as she made a call back to Gemel. "Proceed, Captain! I'll send Sword Kaelen to accompany you!"

"Yes, Commander."

After walking along the left perimeter of the city and avoiding what would otherwise be several miles through District Theroce, following the setting sun to the West, Lady Persephone and Jade came to stand at the overlook of Murknettle Harbor. Already Swords Thorvid and Kaelen were patrolling in opposite fashion along the wall walk, with neither intending to stop unless directly ordered as trained, so Persephone went to question the young Sword more in private. After all, his boldness when speaking to her was quite unusual when considering how meek he was in the throne room. Something was wrong, she knew, and it was her business to know everything in her outfit.

She turned her back to the saw-tooth stone wall and lounged against a merlon, the twilight flashing off her black armor like fire. "Sate my curiosity, Prism... Why would you want to be reassigned here, to watch over night-fisherman and keep fretting nobles pacified instead of your own commonfolk?" A breeze swept by that tugged at their hair, but yet no reply. "I can't understand it. I've never seen you apart from Gemel - I was convinced you two were attached at the hip, as you always have been since..." She thought of Yuxe, she thought of the trial, but she chose her last words carefully when the young man appeared solemn, "...After the festival."

Jade involuntarily reached for his bandaged limb. He turned away from Kaelen as he marched near to look out over the ocean and listened to the waves around them a moment. Persephone noticed every little evasive motion, even his subconscious avoidance to look at anything but her. But she expected an answer, and he was aware of that by her unwavering icy stare he caught in his peripheral.

"It's my little brother Azul...", he answers quietly, almost a whisper, afraid if he spoke any louder his voice might break. She hummed, intrigued by the introduction. "He's been sick for several days, and I thought he was getting better, but today I found out just how bad off he actually was. I had to take him to the MSR because he...was coming up with blood...and I--..."

He felt his body begin to quiver, his hands reaching out to grasp the stone crenelation in a desperate attempt to keep composed in front of her. Persephone was confused shortly before realizing what he was describing; she had seen what happened to her demigod that day, what horrors her people now were facing. "Doctor Eston confirmed that...he has the same disease that plagued Yuxe, and dubbed it similarly. My brother was unconscious still when I had to leave him at the hospital. I don't even know if he's awake, or if he's alright..."

"Sir Jade..." Her tone was quiet. Soft. Kind even. 

Wait... Sir Jade? the young man blinked, at last turning to face her.

Her brows were bent downward with concern, her full pouting pink lips curved into a warm smile. The outer shell dropped as her voice expressed deeply, sincerely, "I'm so sorry..."

He didn't know if she was giving him her condolences for Azul or apologizing for her earlier cruelty, or perhaps both, but he felt himself gently beam in return. She did have a heart after all.

"Thank you for your concern...", Jade says, finding amazing relief confiding in her. He remembered himself and stood tall before her as Sword Thorvid strolled by. When she answered this respect in a stance similar, he realized things between them were about to resume as normal. He took the opportunity to hopefully win her affinity. "...And for your patience with me, both during training today and my adjusting to these dark times. You've been most kind."

Persephone was flattered, though she doesn't show it, and she gave him an amiable nod before her features faded back to the hard exterior he had previously come to know. With that she brushed past him to head towards the palace, calling out in her usual sternness, "As you were, Prism! Kaelen, get to the East wall posthaste!"

"Yes, ma'am-sir! On it!"

Jade watched her leave with a trailing young Ben behind her, wondering if what transpired between them meant she could start forgiving him for what happened with Yuxe, to forgive him for doing the only thing he knew how to keep his people and family safe.

Truthfully, he needed her to. Then maybe he could forgive himself as well.

At least he felt he understood her somewhat better, if not felt something a little stronger than he wanted to admit.

When only the sound of the waves settled back in around him, Jade set on doing his best to not focus on Lady Persephone, Yuxe, or even Azul for the remainder of the night. As difficult as that would prove to be.

He began his patrol as soon as Sword Thorvid pranced by with her prodding spear in his ass and her impish giggle in his ear.

 

[FlameMaster5]

_{^{Chapter 11 - Dream Boy}}

"How's it coming, Redd?"

The boy sat on the kitchen floor, legs spread and back hunched over a giant pumpkin he'd been helping clean for the past hour or so. He glanced up at Alyssa as she stood just at the counter, rolling dough, and made a face when he used his small hands to scoop out the last of the stringy innards.

Redd sighed, "I think I'm finished...", observing the pile of pulp he had gathered next to him, waving his hands to detach stubbornly sticky seeds. "Gross... Pumpkins are lucky they taste good."

Alyssa giggled at him as she laid the dough over a wooden pan and began crimping the outside for a decorative crust. "They are very tasty! Must be why Azul likes them so much, huh? I bet surprising him with Pumpkin Pie will be just what he needs!"

"You really think so?", Redd asked hopeful, getting to his feet to lift a cutting knife from the table. "Then let's make the best pie ever! He'll eat it, feel better, and be home in no time! Right, Alyssa?"

"That's the idea!", she agreed with a happy smile, her fingers dancing over the edges of the crust before dusting lightly with flour.

A proud nod at their efforts and she stepped over to the burning fireplace to warm her hands as she mused over the next step. "Okay. We need to puree the pumpkin."

"So... How do you want this?" He plopped back down to the oversized gourd, blade at the ready. "In half or cubes?"

"It matters??", Alyssa blinked.

Redd looked back at her strangely. He wasn't used to knowing more than his older female friend, much less knowing more in the kitchen. "Uh... Yeah. Depends on how you cook it; boiled or roasted."

"Which is better?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. But Shaydenn said 'roasted pumpkin reigns supreme', or it was something like that."

She placed her hands on her hips victoriously as a breeze from the window swayed her dress. "Cut it in half, and roast we shall! Just be careful as you do, yeah? Jade would kill me if--"

"Don't worry, I will", Redd answers, beginning a slow and steady slice downward to reassure her. "This isn't my first pumpkin carving, you know? Last year Solis taught Azul and me how to make lanterns out of them. It was great, making faces that glowed at night! After a couple of days, Shaydenn was still able to make desserts out of them, too. So good! Best harvest season ever!"

Alyssa felt her spirit lighten and warm even more just listening to him. With everything that happened today, he somehow remained so positive. She was glad. Azul would be too, she was sure of it.

When the pumpkin fell evenly in two, Redd shot his arms up. "Done! All yours, Alyssa!"

"Alright, great job!", she praised with a clap, coming over and collecting the large halves. She placed each piece face down on a waiting slab of stone within the hearth, brushing logs and coals close with an iron poker.

The boy breathed in deeply with a gentle sigh, taking in already the smoke-hinted and heated air as the fire cracked lightly. "This has to be my favorite part. Soon the whole house will smell of pumpkin and butter and cinnamon! How long do you think we wait until it's done?"

Alyssa paused churning the fire. "Um... Well... I, uh--"

"You don't know, do you?"

"I was hoping you did!", she cries, cheeks flushing as she wrung her apron. "This is exactly why I'm going to Lassley... How am I supposed to be a lady if I can't even cook properly?"

"Your cooking is pretty bad." 

"What!? REDD!"

"I'm only kidding!", he laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Well, mostly." She huffed at him, her arms folding. "Sorry! But don't worry. We can find out how long in Shaydenn's recipe book. I know he keeps it upstairs somewhere in Sol's and his room."

Her brow arched with a curious little smirk. "The attic? I haven't set foot up there in years. Probably a pigsty now. Besides, there's really no telling what those two do up there anyway..."

"You want to go look and see for yourself?"

"No-No!", Alyssa waved frantically. "I wouldn't dream of-- I mean, to enter their room without permission... It's not ladylike! You'll have to go."

Redd was hesitant. "But I'm not allowed--"     

"You are today!", she insists, shooing him toward the common room. "Quickly now before we end up burning all our hard work!"

He entered the attic. From a stone-sculpted staircase along the west wall of the common room, Redd climbed and shimmied through a wooden hatch to come standing in the 'off-limits bedroom' of his twin brothers. He was hit immediately by a heavy gust that had been baked by the sun; mixing scents of dust, sweat, and something sickly sweet he couldn't identify. The small space didn't seem to agree with growing teenage bodies, and the boy realized that it had indeed been best for him to come up here instead of his primped and preened babysitter.

She would have been appalled!

There was only one cot, balanced on two supports that looked a little worn for wear, with a hill of linen blankets just out on the open balcony for another makeshift sleep space. A small chest for clothes in one corner, and a chamberpot in the other(thankfully clean). It appeared there were some projects in mid-progress as well. A necklace of a kalsamtorr head over a parish cross was broken at its chain atop the clothes-chest, accompanied by a blacksmith hammer and a broad iron shackle. Some boots looked taken apart on the floor, more metal and leather just nearby as if the plan was to recraft them larger and stronger. Lastly, on the far wall, there was a cut and outstretched teal fabric hanging that featured a bust of Ulloryn, a gathering of roses around her sewn image, with discarded pieces below of a...

Redd gasped quietly.

He drew closer to the wall, making his way over thin and uneven boards in the floor, overcome by an unsettled curiosity as he neared and bent down to the done-with heap. A bloodstained bodice of a dress. The boy picked it up gently by the sleeves, inspecting holes that went clear through from the front to the back. Stabbings and exit wounds. But as grisly as things first appeared, he soon realized when lowering the scraps to peer up at the still hanging skirt that the dress was old. Very old. Same for the damages.

I rushed out to Mother's body... Punctured and pouring out...

He got to his feet. Dropping the bodice to the floor, he reached up to touch the roses that encircled Ulloryn in the fabric, feeling the roughness of dried claret that made a vibrant dye for the petals. It seemed the flowers themselves had been recently stitched in as a cover-up.

There was so much blood...

Then he glanced back to the broken necklace. The jewelry and dress were being refashioned, from items worn by a woman to more befit a man. Recrafted boots were simply extras to a new adult attire.

But why? And why now?

On that dark day ten years ago, a dark figure came - garbed in ebony with eyes set crimson - that ruthlessly attacked and killed Mother...

"These are her things...", Redd deduced, tracing over the clean edges of the leftover skirt. He wondered just what it would be reshaped into, and which brother was in charge of the projects. Although this certainly explained why recently the twins were more adamant against visitors in their bedroom.

It was a secret. Probably from Jade, if he had to guess.

And he was fine with keeping it for them.

For now.

"Reeedd, did you find it yet~?"

The boy jumped, a hand slapping to his racing heart. He took a breather and laughed at himself. "Phew. Just Alyssa. Shaydenn would have my--" He then remembered what he was up here for. Right. The cookbook. He turned too quickly and stubbed his toe on a tall-standing plank. "OW! Sons of Yeshy--!"

"Whaaat!??"

"I mean--Nooo! Not yet! Still looking!"

"Well, hurry up!", Alyssa howled back irritably. "If you make me burn this pumpkin, SO HELP ME--!"

"Okay, okay!", Redd calls back, his imagination reeling at what she'd do to him, scrambling over the boards to the clothes-chest. He opened the top drawer, sifted through pairs of Shaydenn's gray-tailored overshirts, and grabbed the recipes. "Got it! Coming down!"

"Ah, wonderful...", she said relieved when Redd came bouncing back to her. "Let's see it then!" His hand thrust outward for her to take the cookbook off him immediately. As she began to flip through detailed notes for just about every Prism-family favorite she knew and had tried over the years, the boy sprang up to sit on the edge of the counter to look over her shoulder as she scanned through. "Hmm. Chicken Pasty. Stuffed Eggs. Venison Custard. Huh... Where are you, Pumpkin Pie?"

"Maybe he sorted them?", Redd suggested, and she nodded while continuing. "He probably put dinners before desserts - just like how we're told to finish our supper before sweets, you know? So... Apple Crumble. Gingersnaps. Murknettle Jelly. Should see it up next!"

She briefly paused on Murknettle Jelly. "That's not really made from jellyfish in the harbor...?"

He made an inquisitive turn out westward. "Pretty sure we would be dead if it were? I'll ask Shay."

"Good. Until then, remind me not to eat tha--OH MY HIGHE-GODS!"

Redd whipped his head back to her with, "What!? What is it!?", catching only a glimpse of something shaded other than cakes and pies on the paper before she hastily slammed the book shut. "Hey, what was that? Alyssa??"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!", she screamed her reply, her eyes squinted tightly shut as she shook her head furiously, trying to shake loose whatever image had burned into her mind. "You didn't see anything just now, did you!?"

The boy looked at her strangely again. "You just said it was nothing..."

"IT IS NOTHING!"

He jumped, almost falling off the shelf.

Alyssa sighed. She held the book at arm's length, breathing in slowly until she was calmer, and then nodded over her shoulder at him. "Listen, the pumpkin has about a half-hour before it's finished to puree. I think I can manage that alone. Just go outside and play."

"But--"

"I said outside, and where I can see you!" Her foot stamped. "Go! Out with you!"

"Okay, okay!" Redd hopped down and went to the door, passing her one more befuddled glance as he left her with, "You're being weird..."

"Not as weird as your brother...", Alyssa mumbled only when the door clicked securely shut. She then flipped back open the cookbook to the last entry she had last seen. 'Strawberry Shortcake' - a sketch of a young woman, naked and sprawling over bedsheets, with the titled dessert as her only decorative covering between her legs. "Pervert", the farmgirl spat, holding a glower over the page as she half-mindedly wandered over to turn the roasting pumpkin.

Still, the lady in the picture captivated her with beckoning, bedroom eyes. Her features, although gray, were so vivid, so alive in the light and dark shadings. Doll-like plumped cheeks and loose spirals in her hair. Curvaceous breasts and thighs over a thin, petite frame. She was beautiful.

Even with cut strawberries cleverly replacing her...intimate places.

"But... Talented. I will give him that." Alyssa's expression softened. Slowly. She found herself blushing. She turned the page to see more because she quickly came to realize, between the now scattered and disorganized notes of a distracted teenage boy, the woman in the drawings looked a little too familiar. "He's obsessed...", she breathed, unsure now if she was flattered or upset, or both, "...with me?"

  

"Girls...", the boy groaned. He shuffled through his front yard to come to the edge of the street, his head raised to a now cloudless twilight sky. "Man, what is up with her? It's nothing, she says. Well, there's nothing out here, too." Flopping down in the grass, bored already, he pulled a few blades from the earth. "Go outside and play, she says. With what? All my things are in my room..."

Redd then remembered his small satchel of icons. He took out a handful of them, all shaped from glittering ametrine, holding up a miniature kalsamtorr to his eye to view the world around him cast in violet. He'd done this a few times before, mostly during long sermons at Canidae Cathedral or other times of long waiting. It wasn't really playing as it was just entertaining himself, but he was certain Alyssa wouldn't care either way. Seeing fellow Mikunesman passing along on the road ahead, going in and out of their little shops and houses, bathed in purple, the child pretended he was a part of some other distant land. Even when a stray padded by it was imagined as a greater, stronger, violaceous beast. He smiled, following the trail of the dog, until he spotted something darkly shaped in the offside alleyway just between Smiths & Smelts and Bizarre Bazaar.

Something? Someone.

Towering and spindly, draped in shadow.

Watching him...

A prickling fear on the nape of his neck and Redd dropped the stone from his eye to see that...

There was nothing there.

Nothing at all.

He sat there, unsettled and confused, staring moment after moment between the shops until the soft pit-pat of dog paws came back around the side of the hedgerow nearby. The mutt he had seen was a curious one and came to investigate the strange chittering his figurine had made against the street in hopes of a tasty tidbit. But even when the canine discovered it was merely a skidding rock, nosing and snorting at it, he friendly trotted over to sit down before the boy. The dog gently licking and pawing at him brought Redd back to his yard, and he welcomed the distraction from...whatever he thought he saw. "Hi, hello! Where'd you come from? Did you want to play with me??" A playful growl and bark back and the animal rose to its pads with a wagging tail. He laughed, giving the mutt a scratch behind the ear. "You do want to play? Great! I'll get a stick!"

After collecting a twig from a conveniently low-hanging branch over the Cade Farm's fenceline, Redd returned to his four-legged company and started games of fetch and tug-o'-war. He realized he was outmatched in terms of strength when tugging against the frisky pooch, so when he tired between bouts of pulling he would sit and throw the stick outward to the street. The stray, scruffy and flea-ridden, often hungry for scraps, still seemed overjoyed for human attention and brought back the stick for more. Sometimes the dog dropped the twig in the hedgerow, and that got the boy thinking about earlier whenever he had to dig in the bush to reclaim their toy. "So... My brothers were teasing me today before lunchtime, and they were using a pig's heart to chase me...", he explains to the panting mutt when they sat for a rest, watching the street quiet with the coming of night,"...And one of them - Shaydenn - threw it at me, missing. The heart landed in those shrubs. Was it you that ate it?" Tongue hanging out with a stupidly happy smile, the dog just waited patiently for another toss. Redd nodded and gave him a pat on the head. "Well, if you did... Thanks. I was getting pretty freaked out by it. Now, let's see how far I can throw!"

As he stood with an arm pulled back for the toss, stray ready and fidgeting below him, there was an orange glow of candelabras showering into the neighborhood from the district market down south. The child paused and watched as a flock of cathedral priests appeared, all still garbed in black and crimson, and then a door to one of the small houses wedged near the bazaar flew open. A desperate wife rushed out to meet them.

"Thank the gods you came...", she spoke, another woman stepping up gracefully from the fold of her clerics. "It's my husband... There's something wrong with him! Please, hurry, come inside!"

That's the Highe Priestess, Redd realized when witnessing her and a few of her men entering the home. What's going on? Is it the Blight again??

 

Within minutes the husband was brought out, being carried. He was either unconscious or dead and coated from beard to belt in bloody streaks. The wife followed the members that hoisted him away, crying, "H-Harris! Harris, love, wake up! Is he going to be alright!?"

"My child...", the Highe Priestess answered softly from behind, catching her reaching hands, "It would seem that your husband suffers from the plague that Demigod Yuxe brought upon Lloryncia. Please, stay here while we take him to Doctor Mikune." She wrapped the weeping lady into an embrace, like how Redd had seen many mothers do before with their children. "There is still hope..."

The boy felt a churning in his chest as he observed.        

Concern. Anxiety. Grief.

The uncertainty of a bright tomorrow, all meshing into one weight on his heart.

He knew what the distressed lady was going through. He knew what might become of his own brother.

But the display before him of such care and comfort...

Redd was mesmerized by the Highe Priestess. He watched what little of her was revealed below her hood, catching her lips in an ever-peaceful smile as a golden curl escaped to her shoulder when she rested her chin on top of the weeping woman's head. Every move and word spoken was calm and lovely, dare he thought echoed, rivaling that of which he only knew Denmother Ulloryn to possess otherwise.

She was the hope she promised. She brought the light with her wherever she went.

Life would go on if she said it would.

Then, as if his gaze had tugged on her across the distance, she turned to look at him. Her face lifted, and the hood raised just enough for the candlelight to shine against her eyes. They glittered mauve, like the ametrines he carried, and whisked him somewhere far far away.

A familiar feeling. A familiar face, maybe?

From someone in his dreams...

Sparks suddenly ran through his head and an image with it.

A golden-haired woman with eyes set mauve, garbed in a flowing white dress.

She stood quietly beside a ghoulish man - he was slender, darkly draped, sinister - and she was crying.

Together they waited on the bottom steps of a throne within some nebulous hall.

It appeared to be a wedding. An unholy union before the eyes of their sovereign.

As a jester-like servant stepped into view, coming to speak the words for this cheerless ceremony, the groom passed to his solemn bride a rose. The flower was already in mid-wilt despite the short drift from his bony fingers to hers, but when she accepted his offer and placed the rose against her heart...it restored to its previous garnet glory.

The skull of the man twisted somehow into a smile at this.

But she just closed her eyes, tears gently dripping to the petals.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife..."

A dark laugh followed.

Pleased.

Hearing a bark and whine somewhere below him, Redd blinked the scene away and returned to his yard and the playful mutt still in wait. Across the street was dark, and the Highe Priestess and her followers were gone. Even the wife had long returned to her home. He moaned quietly. His head hurt. The child then brought a hand to his temple and rubbed there a moment as he was left wondering what just happened, and how long had he been standing there.

"I'm dreaming now while awake? A vision... A blessing from Ulloryn", Redd mused shortly before a scoff. "Or a curse from the Highe-God of Death. But what does it mean?" He looked down to his canine friend, the dog ever-patient and without any answers for him. "Sorry. I guess kinda quit on you mid-game, huh? Wasn't on purpose or anything... Wanna play some more?" A loud ruff and the boy smiled, readying the stick again.

"Reeedd~!", he then heard Alyssa call from the window. "It's time to puree~!"

The boy sighed. He gave the dog one last pet, and said, "Well... Another time? I better go. Alyssa can be pretty scary if I don't listen." The mutt whined sadly. "I know. I'd let you come in, but--"

"Redd Prism, is that a DOG!?"

"Bye!"

As he raced back through the door of his home, joining his babysitter in the kitchen, she scolded, "What if that dog had bitten you? What if it carried the disease that's been going around??"

Redd couldn't answer her all through finishing their cooking of what they hoped would turn out to be a delectable surprise for his sick brother... But he did wonder about that to himself.

Then I guess the Highe Priestess would come for a visit...

  

[CS Revolked]

Right, I'm really backlogged on all your awesome writing, I've been so busy, but anyway, I've come and I've read and now to talk.

So,

I really like how you do your worldbuilding and seamlessly weave it throughout your narrative. NGL, I have a big bad habit of the dreaded exposition dump. Or, I get characters to unnaturally say things to provide exposition. But I like the way you point things out or when your characters do say things to provide information on the world it sounds natural. Like it is something they would say.

Another thing I found pertinent is the idea of old-fashioned values in this world. Ya know, Alyssa talking about being not good at cooking and not being a proper lady because she can't. (Damn, means I'm not a proper lady, 'cause I can't cook for shit XD)

From my own experiences, I loved the whole talk about the pumpkin. We get pumpkins in at Halloween time and get the kids to scoop 'em out for fun. Doubles up as a natural, sensory experience. So I could really feel with Redd when he was getting all the DISGUSTING PULPY CRAP out of it.

Could tell you're a bit of a baker, too. You made pumpkin pie before or something?

Anyways, sorry I haven't been keeping up. I'll try better next time. DDD''''XXXXXX

[FlameMaster5]

SPOILER: Click to show

- I'm honestly just so pleased that I even AM building my world, or at the very least building Lloryncia right now. And I'm glad it's coming through naturally: through speech or otherwise. I'm NGL too, I have been worried a few times that maybe I'm 'telling' too much rather than 'playing it out'. Good. I want it to feel like this is their realm and you're just a fly on the wall, more or less.
Which is exceptionally difficult! XD

- There's definitely some contrasting values at least when it comes to Lloryncia. The two districts view things pretty differently, and are split where one is rich and one is poor.

For a farmer's daughter to behave so proper and wants to be nothing less than to be a lady...

Kinda tells ya Alyssa has some dreams ahead of better things, huh?

And why other female characters like Zariah or Hailee (both Mikunesman, too) couldn't care less about being 'a lady' and rather just sets out to get things they want through hard work or a fighting spirit.

And that puts Persephone, actually royalty, somewhere else entirely... D: ;]

- Ah yes, pumpkins really speak Fall, and right now that's the season of the story. I figured it'd be a good touch to hint at all the normalities that might otherwise be going on if Lloryncia hadn't been stricken with recent disasters. Pumpkins have always been, for me, an experience that many others have had - the carving it, the gutting it out, and the cooking after that makes the house smell oh so yummy! I'm not actually a big baker, and I've NEVER made pumpkin pie on my own, but my grandma would do homemade pumpkin pies and cheesecakes, and I remember just helping her or my mom in the kitchen that really made you BOND as family.

So I'm not really a food buff, BUT... Research online sure might make me seem as good a cook as Shaydenn. ;]

And as there was little detail on who each of the Prism boys (and their friends) actually were, on their own or together, in the original scripts of my childhood... I think it's very important to showcase them before the inevitable time jump we'll have later. Ya can't really compare or contrast any of them with a before or after if there was no 'before'.

Which is more important for some characters, like Redd maybe for ex, than others.

We should see him as a normal little boy before...

Well, we'll get to that later. :3

Oh, but, um, yeah I'm not that great a cook.

So maaaaaaybe i'm not a proper lady, either. ;]

- Come back whenever you have time! I'll have more for ya! ^^

Reviews are goodly, yesssssssssssss? ;]

[FlameMaster5]

_{^{Chapter 12 - Visiting Hours}}

Her heart was pounding. Even as she scanned over the face of the MSR, its exterior produced from bluish limestone that had always told of certain tranquility and safety, she couldn't see the hospital now as anything else but a prison. Nevermind that the Mikunes had stitched her and her family up plenty, running the only smithy-shop in the city.

No. It wasn't right. Keeping all those blighted locked away from the outside world. Keeping him away from her.

Azul... Just please be okay...

She involuntarily reached for her father's hand, and her eyes wet just slightly when his rugged fingers closed around hers. The warmth beside her was all she needed to face...whatever came next.      

"Well, Zariah", he said with a glance at the doors ahead, "we've come all this way... You ready to go inside, hon?"

Her nod was firm. "Yes, Papa... I have to see him..."

But she was so afraid.

...No matter what.

They entered. What was earlier a bustling hub for nurses and orderlies to pass through between the three wings of the sanitarium was now stark in contrast. It was silent, the kind of hush that made Zariah wonder if they really had come to the right place. She drifted in alongside her father, their boots echoing the only sound. It must have carried quite a ways because soon a white-fitted receptionist appeared from down the north hall.

"Hello, good evening - I hope you weren't waiting long. May I help you?"

A graveled voice answered her once she took a seat at the front desk. "Zeb Dagny, and this is my daughter Zariah. We're here for the neighbor boy that was brought in today; the girl tells me he's somethin' sick."

The woman looked somewhat unsure. Or intimidated.

"Pay him no mind", Zariah said, a roll of her eyes at him and a little smile to her. "Papa isn't as gruff as he sounds - just all that hot smoke and steam he breathes in daily." She then cast her gaze to the corridors nearby. "We're friends, here to visit Azul Prism. I was told he would be here?"

"Ah, yes, I recall the name now - Prism. He was admitted into the Sick Ward this afternoon, on the west wing. You're aware of his condition, yes?"

Zeb hummed. "Hrrm. Not completely... But nothin' the good doc can't explain?"

"We'll be fine", his daughter asserts, tugging him past the desk. She ignored the stupefied lady. "The west wing. Let's go."

Traversing down the maze-like hall westward, walls glaring ivory and empty of staff, Zariah pulled her father along and lead them toward the inevitable Sick Ward. All the while her chest was tightening. The same damn silence from the lobby hung around her; she could hear her heartbeat thrumming in her ears. But as much as she hated the dreadful quiet, she wished instantly for its return as she approached gates of heavy iron that still managed to leak an amass of grievous moaning through the spaces. An unpleasant chill also. She clung now to her father's arm, yet her feet marched ahead as the way opened by waiting doormen.

Doctor Eston and Phaedra were just inside, conversing with their Head Nurse near a patient's bed, positioned conveniently at the front to greet them.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, Jacqueline...", the doctor said, politely redirecting his full attention to his new arrivals, extending his hand out with a nod to the other man as his wife joined his side. "Zebulon, old friend... A pleasure to see you. This unexpected visit isn't due to another injury, I hope?"

The blacksmith returned a firm handshake. "No sweatin' needed, Doc - hammer and I have been gettin' on well after you fixed me up last. Nah, today is for my lil' girl!" He pulled his daughter in close, gently pressing her shoulder into his side with a half-hug. She welcomed this, the cold around her giving her gooseflesh. "Zariah tells me you've been busy this afternoon, what with seeing the Prism lads. Jade havin' that arm reset, and Azul comin' down with..." He snorted up a stinging air. His guess was that whatever was burning his nostrils was used to cover up something otherwise foul. "Well, you'll have to fill me in on that, won't you?"

"We're here to see him - Azul, I mean...", Zariah adds, meeting a most compassionate look from Missus Mikune. "I made an oath to Jade that I would help look after him. Is he okay? Can you show us to him??"

The corners of Phaedra's lips upturn. She could see the desperation between a calm and controlled tone of the young lady, a real gripping fear, that revealed an overflowing affection for the boy she spoke of. It reminded her of a lifetime of love with her husband, both married green at fifteen, and she knew too well the concerns Zariah was feeling when she remembered fondly of a young, restless, and sometimes even reckless Eston. Being anxious over him then was partly what made him thrilling.

How he had changed over the years...

It was for the best. Truly.

But such was very different for the girl, she knew. The boy she adored was very ill, and by no means was it due to ignorance or irresponsibility. She fretted for his life because a horrific plague threatened it. Simple as that.

"That sweetheart Azul is very lucky to have someone like you worry over him so", Phaedra replied, sharing another long stare with the girl, communicating an unspoken understanding of all she saw through those fine lines. After Zariah breathed more calmly she went on. "Last I saw, he was resting to his best ability, actually curled up with a book."

A confused Zeb scratched his head. "Up readin'? I know he's a sharp one, but ain't he supposed to be sick? Ain't that why he's here??"

"The boy is quite ill", accentuated Eston, and the physician felt as if he couldn't begin to stress that enough. But then he passed an auspicious grin to the girl intently listening. "However, this is promising. Tells me that despite his ailment, Azul won't be one to simply detach and waste away. He obviously has much to fight for." Zariah managed a small smile at these comforting words as he now took his wife in hand and turned to the double lining of cots ahead. "Now, come. I will explain his condition and treatment plan further as we escort you."

An elaborate explanation of the Blight followed as they made their way down an aisle of patients. Eston made it a point to leave out no detail, from how the infection came to spread to a list of unsettling symptoms to even hope for a cure. The Dagnys soon understood that every blighted would begin to worsen and either endure the infection or pass on in a number of days. However, perhaps blood from a single surviving youth bitten directly by Yuxe, one that just happened to be a close neighbor, could somehow combat the disease.

Zeb managed to beam proudly hearing that as if Jade had been part of his brood. "I knew that apprentice of mine was good for somethin' all these years! Goin' off makin' Sword like his ol' man, and probably will end up savin' the whole damn city with just a drop of life-juice. That's busywork bein' a hero, you know? I almost hope he gets tired of it - been missin' his hands around the shop!"

His daughter couldn't disagree, thinking fondly back of all the times she worked side by side with Jade. For years as a little child, she even believed him to be her big brother because of how often he was around. But all bright memories quickly fled when passing by those gravely ill: how they moaned in such discomfort when moved from one bed to the next; suffering through bouts of nausea, diarrhea, shivering from fever; begging for their families and friends to not leave their sides and, in turn, their loved ones crying because they must.

She hated it.

Seeing it. Watching it.

Knowing that he would be facing this, all of it, as time went on.

Then, as they approached the back of the ward, Zariah instantly pulled away from her father when she saw him.

"Azul!? AZUL!!"

Still propped up in bed, tired eyes glued to the pictures within his newly gifted book, Azul slowly looked up when hearing the sound of her voice. Through a fog in his mind, he scanned the hall and its sea of whitecoats, searching for her face.

Then he saw her. The girl of his dreams. The girl he thought no other could possibly compare to. She raced towards him, eyes glittering like falling snow, the lights dancing over her silken black hair. She looked so perfect that he couldn't help wonder briefly if he was having one of those aforementioned hallucinations Doctor Mikune warned him about. But the thought evaporated immediately when she flew into him, her arms wrapping tightly around.

Azul smiled through the initial discomfort and laid his head over her shoulder, taking in the breath of her. A familiar scent of sakura and molten iron. He'd come to love its strength, sighing with relief just having her near.   

"Azul-azul, Azul-azul-azul..." Zariah held him. Seemingly forever. Almost cradling him. She repeated his name over and over, her hitching whispers like an incantation, as if she believed stopping would make him suddenly fade and pass through her grip.

His brows furrowed and his smile stretched when he realized she was in tears. He felt the ache and anxiety in her, as strongly as he felt them in himself when waking to this place. However, there was peace in knowing that she felt the same affinity for him as he always had for her; that she loved him.

"Zariah? Are you crying? It's okay, I'm right here..." He embraced her close. As much as his waning strength allowed. For a moment he just felt her underneath his hands, one palm centered on her back where ebony strands gathered around his fingers, the other up top to a strap of her overalls where the buckle met her shoulder. Even the leather and soft jingles of metal brought him ease.         

Only when the adults arrived at the bedside, with a simpering Eston saying, "Now, young lady, you mustn't be too rough with him!", did Zariah let go. She quickly brushed away the streams from her face, feigning a beaming smile at them, and simply resorted to holding his hand. 

But Azul didn't mind. Not one bit. He liked the way she made him feel; her favorite toy, and it was all okay if she hugged the stuffing out of him. She was a much better distraction than any book could be.

"Azul", Zeb addressed once at the cot's edge, extending a palm out. The boy ignored how rasped the tone was, knowing well enough by now the kindness behind it, and took his hand and shook like a man while he still had the stamina. "How you doin', lad? Between Doc and Zariah, I got an earful of what this here nasty is all about. So, you tell me. Should I be lookin' for a new candidate to be my apprentice? I figured good hands must run in your family!"

"Don't...make me laugh, Mister Dagny... - I'll cough for sure!", Azul replied with an uncontrollable grin at this, a wheeze in his chest between stifled breaths. Zariah genuinely laughed and the boy was glad to see her pleased when he spoke with her father. Even in less pleasant circumstances. "Seriously, though? I'm alright."

"Besides bein' cooped up in the MSR? Body achin', belly churnin', blood comin' up every once in a while."

Zariah gasped. "Papa!"

"He need not spare any feelings, Zar-Zar." He then had another thought, seeing as his daughter had just before been hugging vigorously on the patient. "Hrrm... Doc, this Blight ain't easily caught, right?"

Azul merely closed his fingers around hers more. He wasn't offended, Zariah just looked embarrassed. 

"We believe the Blight of Yuxe can only be spread by infected blood entering an otherwise healthy body", Eston promptly answered, his wife nodding in agreeance.

Zeb sighed with some solace.

"Well, yes, besides feeling...", Azul started, glancing at the girl at his side and deciding to choose his next words carefully, "...like my health is below par, I'm alright. Either way, I can't say I much like worrying friends and family. Most of which Zariah." A little look from Phaedra, a stealthy peek at him from behind her husband's shoulder, one that told of how adorable she thought he was to the approval of his budding adolescence, made him quickly switch subjects. He couldn't escape his nurse's all-knowing stare about his feelings for Zariah, he didn't want Zeb's brow-raising along with it. "What about Missus Dagny? And the children? Is everyone at home feeling okay??"

"Amaya? Mum's doin' just fine - expectin', but bloomin' and beautiful!", Zeb bellows proudly, his big coal-dusted arms folding over. "She wanted to come along, lad, but gettin' around is a little hard for her these days. She told me to say she sends her love!"

Azul was astonished but hid his bewilderment well with a smile. "That's good to hear. That'll be number eight, right?"

Zariah nodded and added, "It won't be long now, right, Papa? She'll be here before we know it! I've already been helping Mama pick out names."

"You mean he - it's a boy, no doubt, call it a father's intuition! Yeah... Kids are all as energetic as they come. My next two oldest Accalia and Lucius are helpin' out with 'em, and Mum couldn't be happier. Everyone is well. Not a sniffle in sight!"

Just as Azul was feeling relieved about that, hearing his neighbors were still in good health, having some repose while hoping that maybe the Blight would never find his friends or yet another member of his own family...

A man came to in the bed across from him, hacking and coughing relentlessly, choking and inevitably spitting up blood from the struggle.

The boy gasped quietly. He recognized the patient.

Harris Fullbright, shopowner of the Bizarre Bazaar.

Seemed not all was well in his nook of the district.

"Mister Fullbright??", Zariah inquired, rising at once to rush over to the other sickbed.

Azul felt alarmed, throwing back his covers with, "W-Wait, Zariah!", as Eston and Zeb swiftly blocked his exit, leaving only Phaedra to quickly assess the situation. He could only watch as the girl he prized sat on the edge of Harris' cot, collecting a cloth to dip into a basin before dabbing away crimson from his beard, caregiving without demur as if she had done so lifetimes over. His nurse joined her side. Rather than correcting the young lady, or even intercepting her, Phaedra merely followed and introduced their patient to the MSR on behalf of her husband.

When the man looked more settled, Zariah engaged with him kindly. "Mister Fullbright, I'm Zeb Dagny's eldest daughter. Do you remember me? - Zariah; I'm always bringing you Smiths & Smelts wares to stock. Are you feeling any better? Is there anything more I can do?"

No fear. No hesitation.

Only her strength, strong will, and compassion.

That's the Zariah the boy knew.

The girl he admired.

"Quite the young lady you've raised there, Zebulon", Eston compliments, making careful observations, noting how effortlessly the girl worked in tandem with his wife. "She has an absolutely superb bedside manner. If I was none the wiser, I'd swear by the gods she was brought up in this very facility!"

Zeb chuckled, his own black beard spreading wide. "Sorry, Doc, but you're still lookin' at a smithy's lass! She makes her ol' man proud every time she swings a hammer!"

The doctor simpered with a nod at this as Phaedra motioned him over now, Zeb tagging along to get a good idea of how his fellow shopkeeper was holding up.

Azul was left to weakly sink back into his pillow.

That is until Zariah skipped back to him alone.

With the adults temporarily distracted they could finally have a moment to themselves.

She came flopping into the side of him with a giggle, nestling her head on his shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh a little himself, although restraining the need to cough.

Zariah then noticed the open book still in his lap. She wrapped herself around him, snuggling in, and asked while pointing to the pictures on display, "So... Whatcha reading?"

"It's a codex of monsters, I think", Azul answers, leaning his temple gently against hers. "It's been nothing short of fascinating so far. Full of information on these unique beasts; their behaviors, habitats, and registered names. Gemel gave it to me earlier, and I've been studying it ever since... Well, until you arrived, of course."

She closed her eyes, a pleased little sigh following. "Certainly sound like yourself still. Brilliant as always."

"I could read this to you, Zariah. Teach you how. Would you like me to?" He flipped a couple of pages, back to a creature he had made himself already fairly familiar with. "Here. Entry number one-hundred and ninety-eight, the Pantheraga; a large feline species, commonly of a sable coat with saber-like fangs, apparently known to live deep within rainforests. I don't know how, where, or when this cat existed exactly... But I thought of you when I saw it first."

"A big, black, scary kitty, huh?", Zariah teases, nudging him slightly.

"I was thinking it more of a big, black, pretty kitty... But yes?"

"Sure... I'll be your Pantheraga, why not? And yes, teach me. I'd like that. I'll be needing to know soon enough, I admit."

He made a curious look as she leaned up to face him, and asked her, "Really? I mean, I'm glad you want to learn, but..." He trailed off momentarily when she touched his forehead with her cool fingers. They were now both equally aware of his high-running fever, but that didn't stop him from wondering. After all, she was clever in her own right. But before he could figure anything out, she was already up and placing a wet washcloth on his forehead. "Zariah, you don't have to--"

"Take care of you?", she smiles, and her eyes twinkled. "I'd do a much better job of it. Would you like that? I could be your nurse."

Azul found himself with a stupid grin on his face despite his pain. "I'd like that very much, but I doubt Doctor Mikune would ever agree to it."

Zariah hummed. "We'll see, won't we?"

Eventually, time was up and the visit had to come to a close. For the day.

A moderately concerned Zeb wanted to make it back to his wife and other small children, having gathered more than enough details on this so-called Blight of Yuxe.

"I don't want to leave you here...", she pouted.

"Zariah..." It just about broke the boy's heart to see her eyes welling up again. "I'll be fine. I'll be right here when I see you tomorrow... Okay?" 

Zeb called, "Time to go, Zar-Zar! Mum's a-waitin'!"

She almost hated her father at this moment. Forcing herself away didn't come easily.

But while the grown-ups were turned away, Zariah quickly planted a sweet kiss on his lips and whispered in his ear, "I'll find a way where I can be here to always take care of you..."

Azul was unsure of what she had in mind as he watched her go, but he felt eased.
Along with a slight headrush from her kiss.

Or maybe it was just the fever...

Either way, Azul managed to finally slip into sleep.

Her reassuring words on his last wakeful thoughts.

                     

[CS Revolked]

Azul and Zariah are sooo cute. That ship is well and truly sailing.

I shall call it... Azariah! 😍

[FlameMaster5]

NGL, writing young budding love may be even harder than writing adult love/sex scenes.
But I'm sure I'll be proven wrong when that time comes, too. XD lol


Yeah... You gotta love 'Azariah'. :3
They are just too precious! <3

Aww! She's his kitty! ^^
Azul is just too sweet!


I'm glad you strongly ship and support 'Azariah'!
And more to come soon!
Ch13 is nearly upon us! (FINALLY!)

[CS Revolked]

Yeah, I guess I can see what you mean.

But, yer know, I've been looking back through what you've written and seen that you've been improving a lot. And that's always what you want.

I can see we're starting to get into the story now and I'm along for the ride!

I've just been traipsing over what I've written. Been doing some editing (Chapter 7 of DfD looks and sounds so much better now) and I'm in a good mood for writing.

Can't wait to see what's in store.

[FlameMaster5]

_{^{Chapter 13 - While On Patrol}}

A bright spill of moonlight over a black sea. The smell of fresh, crisp salt on the wind.

Boats moaned a quiet rhythm as the waves rocked them softly.

Except for occasional night-fisherman ringing bells to announce a catch, all had been perfectly sleepy over Murknettle Harbor. 
Including Jade.

The young knight yawned wide, eyes squinted shut.

Gods, he really needed rest.

"You awake, Prism?"

His watering eyes opened halfway just as Sword Thorvid came 'marching' past him. Again... Jade blew out a heavy breath. Not because she was prancing(although he thought her completely flippant for it), but because her pace had such zest that he simply couldn't muster. She was covering ground twice, or maybe even three times as much as she surveyed over District Theroce, twirling her lance every now and then like a festival showgirl. The rate he was going, a hydra could emerge on the far side of the bay, eat an angler(and their haul), and nobody would ever know.

"I think so? - I'm still walking", Jade groggily answered, feeling like his legs were as heavy as his eyelids. 

A peal of ever-growing distant laughter echoed behind him. "You call that walking!? A shuffle if I ever did see! Maybe I'll just have to turn around and give you another jab!"

Jade lift his head and picked up his stride. Immediately. He was still limping slightly from her last prodding. "That won't be necessary - Thank you!", he called back, and quietly sighed of relief when he heard her begin another session of elated humming.

How did she even become a knight? Jade wondered briefly, exhausted and listless as his vision clouded, struggling to focus on the brilliant moon, or anything really as his boots trudged forward. Lady Hailee Thorvid, Sword of Lloryn... Selected by the Commander personally to be one of her elites. Surely she must be an exceptional pikeman. Or a lancer. Perhaps both? The skill must be there... Right? He blinked and found his eyes had fallen to the path of the wall walk, nicks in the limestone blurring. Somehow his head had drooped again. But I wasn't chosen, he mused, sinking into murkier reflections. Not really. I had to be saved - first by Gemel, then by the king. I was dropped straight into Persephone's lap, forcing her to train me. Darkness crept around the edges of his sight. Do I deserve to be a Sword? Am I really worthy?? He didn't even feel his lids closing. Father...

"Not necessary, huh?", came suddenly in his ear, and Jade nearly hurled himself between the merlons. She erupted into a fit of giggles, leaning helplessly against his shoulder as he himself regained some composure with a groan. "Hee-hahaha!! Sorry, I just couldn't resist. And my, are we jumpy!" His tired gaze set bothered on hers. But Hailee simply spread a smile. "Prism, you're asleep on your feet... Taking sleepwalking to a whole new level? - Sleepmarching??"

"Only to go along with your skipping", Jade retorted. When she raised a brow, he tried again, more politely, "I'm more easily startled when fatigued... You'll have to forgive me, I never intended to rest on duty. I would not purposely tarnish the name of the Swords."

Hailee now simpered, "Are you always this serious?", as she began collecting him, wrapping a friendly arm around his waist.

"Not always-- Wait, what are you doing?" Jade stood helplessly as she guided his right limb around her neck. He pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated breath when she picked back up her pace, with him in tow. "Really?"

"Why not? We can patrol together! There's no rule against it. This way you can't possibly fall asleep!"

He couldn't argue with that point. She was jostling him around like a broken puppet with every bounding step. "This is ridiculous... To anyone below, I must look fall-down drunk..." 

"Or--", Hailee winked, spinning them around, "--like we're dancing!"

"That's just embarrassing."

{to cont...}

Edit: {seriously will continue, I've just been in a massive funk for months, but things are going well with my book and I won't be stopping here. Life always trying to get in my waaaaay...}