Capitolo Primo (I):Bentornato A Casa | Welcome Home

Along the golden streets of the Reim Empire walked a slender figure, her ebony locks contrasting greatly against the golden hues of those belonging to the people around her. She found herself in a bustling marketplace, clear silvery blue eyes scanning the piece of paper in her hands and then glancing upwards. Her confusion was evident in the slight downward tilt of her lips and creased eyebrows as she continued to looks from left to right and back again, evidently trying to look for something in particular from her spot amidst the throng of gold. Taking one last glance at the paper - which was apparently a map, given the many lines and names of some landmarks - the figure began moving once again, trying to get away from all the bumps and glares she received from just standing in the middle of the busy street.

The figure soon found herself walking into an alley that - although was well-lit - was incredibly quiet and isolated in comparison to her previous surroundings. She continued to look down at her map, which was obviously poorly drawn, as ebony strands began to fall over her slightly tanned shoulders

"Is this even the right way?," she mumbled to herself, clearly frustrated at her inability to decipher the written puzzle in her hands. She honestly could not understand how one person could mess up a map so badly. In spite of her verbalized reluctance and uncertainty she continued down the alleyway in hopes that it really was the right way.

After walking along her route for a couple of minutes, she developed a vague impression that she was being followed. The ravenette attempted to continue going her way, but she couldn't shake the feeling away.

She promptly felt her pulse begin to increase in her unspoken panic once she heard footsteps behind her - only to turn around and find nothing and no one.

'What the hell…' she furrowed her eyebrows as she quickly turned back around and quickened her pace. The blue-eyed woman was in no mood to get ambushed or robbed in an alley, seeing as it seemed far too typical for her tastes. If something were to happen to her, at least make it more interesting. However, more importantly, the woman simply just wasn't prepared to defend herself at the moment. She also had somewhere she needed to be. Somewhere she wanted to be.

Her quickened pace eventually became a run as she continued to hear footsteps that were successive to her own. Once again, she found no one behind her as she turned around in panic. 'Why is this happening to me?' she groaned dejectedly.

Her breathing became labored as she approached a corner, 'Damn it, I really hate running!' she thought in between her pants and worried glances that she shot over her shoulder.

However, while she was glancing over her shoulder, she failed to notice the large figure that suddenly appeared in front of her as she rounded a corner. She gasped as a powerful force pulled her in towards the large figure, holding her tightly.

The new figure quickly noticed that she was about to scream, and quickly covered her mouth with a large hand, rendering her voice inaudible. Knowing that there was no way that she would allow herself to die like this, the woman forcibly stretched out her arms that had previously been sandwiched between her and her captor's bodies. She attempted to push her captor away and maybe even beat him up if given the chance. The woman figured that her uninvited guest had to be a man due to their large physique and obvious strength. Nonetheless, her attempts to remove herself from her captor's tight grasp ended in vain, in spite of her optimistic and stubborn attempts.

Her body froze when she felt the man's body shake against her as he chuckled lowly. 'Oh my god...This guy is actually enjoying this?!' she thought it horror. She reached up to her neck as she focused her strength in her other arm, continuing to push against her attacker. Her movements stopped short, however, as the man's chuckles soon became loud laughs. The ravenette instinctively placed both hands against the man's chest in preparation to run away. However, her eyes widened as she recognized the deep, yet smooth, voice as she slowly looked up to face the man.

"Calm down Aella, it's just me," the voice said in between laughs. Aella's jaw dropped as her "captor" looked down at her with an amused smile. She slowly dropped her hands from his chest and placed them limply at her sides.

The ravenette proceeded to take a step back, as the man loosened his firm grip on her upper arms. She stared at the man in front of her in shock, as she took in his appearance. Red hair and red eyes with distinctive markings. A piercing below his lower lip. A tall, muscular frame covered in typical golden gladiator armor.

There was no doubt about it. The man in front of her was none other than - "Muu…" Aella breathed out, slowly letting her realization sink in. He looked...different since the last time she saw him. A lot more different than she expected.

Muu simply laughed once again, not taking note of her shocked state of mind as he tilted his head back in amusement. "You would think that you would've gotten better at running after being away for ten years, but apparently not!" he teased. This quickly snapped Aella out of her daze as her hands clenched into a fist and she grit her teeth.

"Well excuse me if it hadn't been a priority of mine while I was gone," she huffed, "And why run when you don't have to," she mumbled stubbornly. Aella's head suddenly snapped up after a couple seconds as she recalled what Muu had first said to her.

She pointed an accusing finger at him as she pushed away from him, his hands sliding of her arms. "Also! What do you mean 'calm down'?! Who the hell would be calm in a situation like that!" she exclaimed incredulously.

The redhead raised his hands in defense, trying to calm her down as he chuckled at her fiery attitude. "I wasn't trying to chase you, Aella. Well...not exactly anyway. I was just trying to find you since I figured that you'd probably get lost, and I wasn't sure if you were...you, so I wanted to keep my distance just in case," Muu explained cheekily.

Aella gave Muu a look that clearly said "Are you stupid?" as she stared at him in exasperation.

The woman sighed as she ran a hand through her hair to calm herself down, closing her eyes as she did so. Upon opening her eyes, she took in the appearance of the grinning man in front of her once again. It had been ten years since she just saw him. Ten. And here he was, taller than her, more muscular, and just...bigger. It's crazy to see when all she had in her head was a small, stubborn, red-headed boy for the last few years. She had to admit that if he walked past her on the street, she probably wouldn't have recognized him. So she had to say that she understood Muu's reasoning to that extent at least.

Not that she would tell him that.

"Well, whatever", she sighed, "But I'll have you know that I wouldn't have gotten lost if it weren't for your crappy map," she smirked, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"It wasn't that crappy," he lazily tried to defend himself. He grinned at Aella knowingly in spite of her defiant stare. After years of knowing Aella, Muu knew that she was changing the subject to preserve her pride. He considered teasing her about it, but eventually decided that the costs outweighed the benefits.

"You almost made it to the destination anyway," Muu smiled and pointed to a building in the near distance. Muu saw the relief wash over Aella's tired eyes, obviously happy that she didn't have to work her body any more than she already had since arriving in Reim. Soon she'd be home.

The Fanalis had sent a map he had drawn that charted a route from the docks to Lady Scheherazade's palace - their home - to the ship that would be bringing Aella back for her to use once she arrived. While Aella had been away, Lady Scheherazade decided that it would be better to move the palace to the port city of Napolia from the capital, Romano, to ensure that the Reim people could control their own paths.

"That's great to hear," Aella smiled gently, "but what are you doing out here looking for me? You're usually always by Lady Scheherazade's side, aren't you?"

Upon hearing his Magi's name, Muu's relaxed disposition turned serious. He had forgotten about the message he was instructed to give Aella once she arrived.

"Lady Scheherazade wants an immediate audience with you to discuss what you discovered in the Kingdom of Sindria and the Kou Empire."