On the westernmost edge of the far east lied the Kingdom of Khura'in. Since its founding by the Holy Mother, this kingdom has thrived through the rule of its many queens and the devotion of its people. However, it has not been without its share of turmoil. For twenty-three years, the nation's legal system lacked any defense attorneys due to a law that stipulated the attorneys would suffer the same punishment as their client should they be found guilty. Many innocent people were sentenced to death under these laws, and a fearsome rebel movement grew from the tragedy.

But that all changed a few months ago, when a lawyer from the United States showed up and began defending clients with a passion the country had never seen before. Working together with both the rebels and members of the Khura'in royal family, he and his colleagues turned the entire kingdom upside-down and paved the way for a more fair system to grow. While much work still needed to be done, the towns were abuzz with a feeling of hope in the air for the first time in a long time.

Indeed, the capital looked particularly vibrant this morning as Ahlbi Ur'gaid walked along the streets of a local bazaar. Seeing the people work and walk and talk with smiles on their faces always brought joy to the young monk-in-training.

"Wow, look at everyone, Shah'do!" said Ahlbi to the dog resting atop his head. "I don't think I've ever seen so many happy faces here. The Holy Mother must be smiling down on us today!"

Shah'do responded with an energetic bark.

Ahlbi chuckled. "You said it! Our kingdom is growing bigger than ever, and it needs our help. There's no way I'm gonna sleep away a day like this. Come on, let's get to work!"

With determination in his eyes, Ahlbi took a step forward, but his stride immediately came to a stop there. His smile faded, and he leaned his head left and right while his fingers drew circles above him.

"So, what should I do today?" he asked. It happened to be an observed holiday for the monks and royalty today, much like labor day in the U.S., so he had a lot of free time. Unfortunately, he had not seen anyone who looked like a tourist, so he couldn't give them a tour and contribute to the Khura'inese economy. When it came down to it, giving tours was just about all he did when he wasn't training.

"Maybe it's time I learned a new hobby. What do you think?" Ahlbi asked.

Shah'do made a noise in his throat that was his way of saying "I dunno."

"Yeah, me neither." While Ahlbi stood there and pondered his plans, his eyes drifted to one of the shops along the road. It was a gardening store with lots of pretty plants for sale, many of which were unique to Khura'in. The store-owner happened to be watering the plants on display outside. Seeing the water trickle out of the can and into the soil below made Ahlbi aware of a certain tingle below his stomach.

"Oh, I guess I better take care of that first," he remarked out loud. "Not as easy to think when you gotta go!" In truth, he was more than capable of ignoring his urge for a good while, but it provided a good way to put off his thinking for a moment. Maybe when I come back, there will be some tourists to meet, He thought.

Ahlbi turned around and stepped towards the temple that was his home.

"Oof!"

...but stopped short as he walked into someone. The person he bumped into jumped back, startling him back into paying attention to his surroundings.

"Watch it!" yelled a female voice.

"Oops, sorry! I didn't mean to…" Ahlbi started, but his apology was cut short as he realized who he was talking to. The ceremonial dress, piercing blue eyes and facial markings could only belong to Rayfa Padma Khura'in, a very important person within the kingdom.

"Y-your Benevolence!" Ahlbi raised his hands and leaned back in shock.

Rayfa put her hand to her mouth in surprise. "Oh! It's you. The boy from the marketplace. It's been some time since we last spoke," she spoke.

Ahlbi stood in reverence for a moment, but quickly remembered his manners. He bowed before the high priestess and closed his eyes, with Shah'do mimicking his movement.

"Please, forgive me! I shouldn't have bumped into you like that! I promise I'll never do it again, please don't punish me!" he said.

To this, Rayfa chuckled without opening her mouth. "You may rise. You will not be punished, and I am in no mood for formalities anyway."

"Really? Thank you, Your Benevolence!" Ahlbi said as he rose back up. "But, if you don't mind me asking, why are you not in the mood? Is something wrong today?"

"Thank you for your concern, young monk," said Rayfa, "But it is only a trifling matter, one you need not trouble yourself with. Now if you'll excuse me…" Rayfa turned around and started to walk away.

"W-wait, Your Benevolence!" Ahlbi leaned forward and shouted.

To this, Rayfa stopped in her tracks. "Huh? What is it?" she asked.

"Well, I know I'm just a kid, and a lowly monk besides," said Ahlbi, "But I know that it's a monk's duty not just to uphold the traditions of Khura'inism, but to also provide a comforting hand to those who need it, be they friend or stranger." He put his hands together as if he was in prayer. "So please, Your Benevolence, if there is nothing I can do to help, at least allow me to lend an ear to your problems so that I may fulfill my duty!"

Rayfa stood motionless for a moment. Did I come on too strong,? Ahlbi wondered, but his worries fell away when Rayfa turned back and smiled at him.

"It would seem the temple is training you well. I would be doing you a great disservice if I did not comply with your request. If that is what you wish, you may listen to my woes. It may help me if I were to vent them to someone, anyway," said Rayfa.

"Oh thank you so much!" said Ahlbi again. For a moment, it appeared as if his pupils had turned into stars.

"Let's see, how shall I put this?" Rayfa put a hand to her chin. "Since the end of the Defense Culpability Act, our kingdom has been undergoing a great amount of change. To ensure that change is only for the better of its citizens, I have been working with my family and the attorneys of the kingdom without rest."

"But that's a good thing, right? Your work is making Khura'in better than it's been in years," said Ahlbi, with Shah'do following up with another bark.

"Yes, and I accept my responsibilities as High Priestess with pride." Rayfa looked down at the ground and scowled. "But even I need my beauty sleep. With today being a holiday for even the royal family, I was hoping to rest in my quarters all day, but mother had other plans for me."

"Really? What kind of plans?" asked Ahlbi. "Are they like super-secret missions to protect the kingdom from invaders?"

Rayfa shook her head. "Nothing of the sort, sadly. Mother simply wants me to spend my day off outside the palace. Something to do with sampling the culture of our kingdom and getting to know its people on a personal level."

Ahlbi lifted his hands to do his thinking motions again. "So she just wants you to hang around town and talk to people? That sounds like my kind of day off!" He leaned back and put his arms behind his head, giving Rayfa a smile that showed his missing tooth.

Rayfa sighed and said "It's such a silly notion. I am Rayfa Padma Khura'in, High Priestess of the kingdom and destined to ascend to the throne when I have proven myself." She flung her arm out in a dramatic fashion. "Am I not already the living embodiment of Khura'inese culture!?"

Ahlbi found no words to reply with, so he just stared at Rayfa in awe of her display.

"In any case," Rayfa continued as she returned to a less dramatic pose, "I am forbidden from entering the palace until sundown. I shall have to find some way to keep me occupied until then." She then looked straight at Ahlbi and asked "I don't suppose you have any ideas of how I could pass the time?"

"Something to do? Hmm…" Ahlbi stood and pondered for a few seconds. Suddenly, he leaned forward and shouted "Oh, I know!", causing Rayfa to bring an arm up to her face in surprise.

"You… you do!?" said Rayfa. "And what, pray tell, would that be?" she continued with hesitancy in her voice.

"I could give you a tour of the capital!" said Ahlbi.

"A…tour?"

"Yeah, show you around all the landmarks and tell your about their history, plus all the smaller places and other cool stuff!" Ahlbi said all in one breath. Wisps of air visibly flared from his nostrils.

"Tell me about their history?" Rayfa's neutral expression lowered into a frown. "Do you mock me?"

"M-mock you? How so?" asked Ahlbi.

"Are you insinuating that I, the High Priestess, do not know the history of my own kingdom? That a mere child knows more than I do,?" She said, gazing straight into him.

"Ah, no!" Ahlbi quickly bowed his head again. "I-I didn't mean it that way! It's just that, um, giving tours is my favorite thing to do when I'm not training, and I'd love to try giving one to the royal family! Please don't throw me in jail, Your Benevolence! I'm too young to have a criminal record!"

Rayfa's brow relaxed as Ahlbi spoke, turning from a look of anger into confusion. "Your favorite thing, you say?" she spoke, closing her eyes.

"Um, yes," Ahlbi replied, opening one eye to look again. "I-I just thought that maybe you could have someone to talk to while you went around town, but we don't have to if you already know all about it."

"Hmm…" Rayfa closed her eyes for a few seconds, then she opened them and turned her head upwards with a smirk. "Very well. I accept your offer."

"Wait, what?! You really mean it?" Ahlbi's eyes opened in surprise.

"If you have been giving tours to visitors like you claim, then we must be certain that what you say about our kingdom is nothing but the truth. Therefore, I shall personally see to it that you are not…" Rayfa rubbed her chin again. "How do they say it in the Americas? Speaking from outside one's mule."

"Huh? What does that mean?" asked Ahlbi.

Rayfa shrugged. "I am not entirely certain myself. The American vernacular is a puzzling thing indeed, but no matter. Do you believe you are up to the task of providing an engaging and informative tour to a member of the Khura'in royal family?"

"I'll do my best!" Ahlbi said with a look of pure determination in his eyes. "C'mon, Shah'do! Let's give the princess a good tour!"

Shah'do barked and mimicked the same determined look as his owner.

Rayfa giggled and said "Lead the way."

And so, the two of them set off on the tour, with Ahlbi leading the pack. His heart still fluttered in excitement at the prospect. Giving a tour to the one and only princess of Khura'in! He had to have been dreaming, but he certainly didn't want to wake up if he was. Maybe I should pinch myself to check, he thought.

Just then, he felt another signal coming from his bladder, making him frown in worry. Uh-oh, that might be a problem. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind, hoping that Rayfa didn't see that. Nah, I can handle it. I've gone a while without using the bathroom while training, a tour should be nothing. Plus, how embarrassing would it be to tell the princess I need to go like a little kid?

Ahlbi took a quick glance at the princess behind him. Rayfa was looking off to the side as they walked, as if lost in thought. I wonder what she could be thinking? Ahlbi thought.

How could I forget to use the bathroom before I left the palace?

Rayfa quietly grumbled to herself as they walked to their destination, doing her best to hide the slight stiffness in her steps. She could recount the morning's exact events, but even then she still felt the need to question herself. What she had hoped would be a lazy morning in bed followed by watching the Plumed Punisher marathon was rudely interrupted by her mother waking her up and telling her of her plan. One heated argument later and she was dressed up and out the door, her brow still furrowed in anger.

What is wrong with a princess spending a few extra hours asleep on a day where she is not expected to do anything, she remembered yelling to her mother. That thought stuck in her mind the entire time she was making herself presentable instead of more practical thoughts like "Perhaps I should relieve myself before leaving my quarters," and she was quickly regretting it.

There was the obvious solution of simply asking for a bathroom, but the mere thought of it made Rayfa shudder. She did not doubt the cleanliness of Khura'in's citizens, but she was the princess of the kingdom, an icon of Khura'inism itself! She could never live it down if anyone even knew that she still had to do such things, least of all the boy she was walking with.

She wasn't going to like it, but holding it until sundown was the only solution that made sense to her. It was not that urgent anyway; learning to hold it for long periods of time was another perk of growing up as the High Priestess. Until then, she would have to find a good method of distracting herself.

Maybe I should start by actually speaking with this boy, she thought. I agreed to let him take me on a tour, after all.

"So then," she started, prompting Ahlbi to turn to her as they walked, "Tell me more about these tours of yours."

"My tours? What do you want to know about them?" said Ahlbi.

Rayfa put her hand to her chin. "Well, why tours? It is a rather… unconventional hobby for a monk to have."

"Huh? Oh yeah, some of my friends at the temple think it's weird, too. They're all into stuff like Kachu'demal and Wahch'ovami."

"Yes, those do sound like the things boys your age would be into," said Rayfa.

"I mean, I like them too," continued Ahlbi, "But Khura'in has always been my favorite thing in the world. I love learning all the cool stuff about our country in my history class, and I really like talking about it. It kinda drives my friends nuts, though." He added a nervous laugh.

"Hmm, not everyone can appreciate our rich history. A shame, really," said Rayfa, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but it might be because they live here so they know all this stuff already, but the tourists don't know all this stuff, so I can show and tell them all kinds of things. It's so fun!" Ahlbi beamed as he spoke.

"Fun? Is that really all there is to it?" asked Rayfa. What a curious boy, indeed.

"No, there's more to it." At this, Ahlbi's cheerful demeanor dropped into something more serious. "Khura'in is my home, and now that it's going through all these big changes, it needs all the help it can get. I really wanna do my part to help out, and giving tours is the best way I know how."

"I see," said Rayfa, "And how do these tours of yours provide benefit to Khura'in?"

"Lots of different ways, Your Benevolence! Tourism helps build good relationships with other countries, and it can inspire people to visit us more often, or even move here."

"This is true," said Rayfa.

"Yeah, and it makes good money, too!" Ahlbi smiled with his eyes shut.

"M-Money?" Rayfa stopped in her tracks and glared. "Surely you are not exploiting tourists simply to line your own pockets? The Twilight Realm has a special section of hell devoted to swindlers, you know!"

Ahlbi's eyes filled with panic. "N-no, it's not like that at all! I mean, I pocket some of it, sure, but I put almost all of it into charities and the local shops. It all goes back into the economy sooner or later!"

The glare on Rayfa faded. "Really? That's… very noble of you."

To this, Ahlbi blushed and put a hand behind his head. "Th-thank you, Your Benevolence. I am hum-"

"However," Rayfa cut him off, "There is more to helping a kingdom grow than more people and money. The spirit of Khura'in must be preserved above all else as we go forward, and we can only accomplish this through properly educating our citizens and the tourists who visit. Your skills in tour-giving have yet to be evaluated in this regard. I must see it for myself first before we can say your actions are doing more good than harm."

"Um, right! I'll try my hardest to not disappoint you!" Ahlbi took a look around him. "Oh, here we are! Our first stop!"

"Oh?" Rayfa looked around her, realizing that she had not been paying attention to where they were walking the entire time.

The two of them stood at the center of a park in the middle of the city. A large stone plaza laid before them, with a statue of different women wearing regal clothing facing inward at each corner. In the center was a bigger statue of two women standing back to back, one wearing a mask and wielding a dagger, and the other having an entirely blank face.

"Interesting," said Rayfa, "I must admit, I have not been to this part of the city very often." She looked over at Ahlbi with her normal piercing stare and smirk. "Well, go ahead, tour guide. Tell me about this place."

"R-right. Allow me to explain!" Ahlbi walked in front of Rayfa and stood facing her like a tour guide would. "This is the Plah'zah Plaza, located in the center of the Park of the Founders. The statues around the corners are the first four reigning queens of Khura'in after the founder, and the Holy Mother and Lady Kee'ra themselves are depicted right in the center as a way of reminding their people that they and the queens after them are always watching over us."

Rayfa smiled at this. "A powerful gesture. I could think of nothing more reassuring than-"

"This plaza was constructed thirty years ago," continued Ahlbi, "Its main purpose is to allow another venue for the public to hold all kinds of events. Lots of important officials and monks have also held rallies here, like…"

Whatever Ahlbi had to say for the next few minutes, Rayfa could not recall. All she could focus on was the anger welling up inside her. A young child rudely interrupting the high priestess? Surely, there must be some sort of law forbidding such a thing! She should give him the tongue-lashing he certainly deserves.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to say a single word. Somewhere in the back of her head was a voice telling her to not get worked up over it, to simply let it go and move on. I must be hanging around Nahyuta too much, thought Rayfa. Still, she had never quite felt this restraint before; it was only for this boy that brought it out.

What is with this child? Is there some sort of blessing put upon him by the Holy Mother? Rayfa wondered.

"...for the Plumed Punisher."

"Wait, what was that?" Rayfa snapped out of her thoughts and looked straight at Ahlbi.

"Um," Ahlbi's eyes drifted away for a moment. "Like I said, this plaza was recently used to film a fight scene for a future episode of the Plumed Punisher."

Rayfa's eyes opened up wide. "I-I was not told of this! You must divulge everything you know about this filming at once, tour guide!" She leaned forward as she spoke and looked Ahlbi right in the eyes.

Ahlbi leaned back in surprise. "Wuh-what!? Um, well," he looked down and frowned. "I don't really know anything more than that. It was one of the few times the plaza was off-limits to the public."

"Oh." Rayfa looked away. "I see. That's rather disappointing."

"Yeah it is," said Ahlbi. His suddenly lit up. "Wait, does this mean you're a fan of the Plumed Punisher, too?"

"W-What? Of course not!" Rayfa crossed her arms and turned her body away, a blush growing on her cheeks. "I, um, just like to stay informed on the, er, trends in the Khura'in community, that's all!"

"Really? Aww," Ahlbi replied, "I had a lot of stuff I could have talked about there. For example, did you know they're making a movie of her?"

"A m-movie!?" Rayfa turned back to Ahlbi, but quickly regained her composure. "Um, I mean, I suppose it's not that big of a leap from television to theaters."

"Yeah, and it's gonna be a crossover movie." Ahlbi beamed with excitement. "The Steel Samurai vs. The Plumed Punisher! Warriors from two different world collide! Who will triumph? In theaters next year! I can't wait to see it!"

Rayfa stood there for a moment before realizing that her mouth was hanging open. "Er, y-yes, as I said, I do not watch the Plumed Punisher."

Ahlbi looked down again. "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away with myself."

"That said, I have no doubt that the Plumed Punisher would surely prevail in such a battle." Rayfa grinned and put her hands on her hips. "No one can hope to match the power of a warrior with the spirit of Khura'in on her side!"

"That's what I think, too!" Ahlbi laughed.

Somehow, Rayfa found his laughter contagious, for she started letting out some giggles of her own. Perhaps spending my day with this child will not be as burdensome as I thought, she mused.

But just then, she felt another signal from her bladder that tensed up her body and cut her laughter short. Eep! I best refrain from putting unnecessary strain on myself.

"A-are you alright, Your Benevolence," asked Ahlbi.

Did my face betray me again? "Yes, I am fine," Rayfa said with as her face returned to a frown. "And we are getting off-track from our tour. I believe we should move on from this park and explore the other landmarks."

"Aw, are you sure? I haven't even started talking about all the different queens and their histories," said Ahlbi.

"I think we can conclude your knowledge of this area is sound enough. I would like to see if you just as knowledgeable at the other landmarks," said Rayfa. That, and walking will help alleviate the pressure.

"Oh, gotcha!" Ahlbi nodded and turned to walk in a different direction. "If you'll follow me, we can continue our tour of Khura'in!"

"I look forward to it," replied Rayfa as she followed after him.