The Keeper of the Worlds& KaliAnn: Yes, a lot got explained, and more is on the way I think, I hope you enjoy.

Diana Laura: I'm glad you like the weapons speech, it was an importance moment.

LinknessKeyblade: Good! I'm happy you think I write the characters well.


Chapter 30

Tamaran, Royal Palace Grounds

One Month Ago

It had been a morning like any other for the Royal Household, with all occupations rising before the sun did to bath, and offer prayers to X'hal before starting their day. For the servants, this meant busying themselves with preparing breakfast for the High King and his family, before going about the rest of their duties.

For the monarchs themselves, it meant getting some regrettable necessary nutrients into their stomachs, inquiring dotingly on their children's antics, before heading into the Audience Chamber to be consumed by endless blood sucking (as the King himself was known to call it) politics that came with governing a planet.

As for the young Prince and Princesses, they too were subjected to a rigid schedule. After enjoying a blissful hour with their parents, they would be hurried away to the training arena.

There they would stay with other noble youths for the next ten hours, in which time their bodies would be pushed to the brick of collapsing…combustion would be the more accurate word in all honesty. In arenas like this all over the planet, from that of the kings' to the simplest village's, the children of Tamaran would be driven to the absolute limit…and then beyond it.

The training was brutely and merciless, but not half as much as an enemy would be- that is what their trainers would sternly remind them whenever they slacked off ever so slightly. Not that that was a common occurrence by any means. For in addition to learning the means to defend oneself and ones people; doing well training was a means of bringing great honor to your family, and your tribe.

That was the thought that was going on through Koriand'r mind as she whirled to avoid the incoming training sword that was aimed at her head.

Whipping her front around quickly, the Princess grabbed her opponent's wrist and yanked hard, causing the Shieldmaiden-whose name was Kaya- to let out an astonished yelp as she was sharply jerked forward. But said yelp was soon cut off when Koriand'r's knee was driven into the other girl's gut, followed by an elbow strike between the shoulders blades that took the oppression out of the fight.

Her eyes rolling into the back of her head, Kaya dropped like a stone out the air where she had been hovering, down to the dusty ground below, where two of her male comrades would be waiting to carry her off to the side to recover.

In this round it was an all-girl fight, and Kaya's fall meant that it was twenty-one down, and six to go.

"That's it Kori!" Ryand'r cheered from his place in the stands, where he sat with the rest of his age group-next to some friends of his. "Show 'em why our family is the one that wears the crown!"

"Oh, thanks a lot Ry," Kori muttered crossly under her breath as she took in how the eyes of her remaining opponents narrowed at her brother's unintended insult. "I needed my foes to have more motivation."

The reasoning behind Kori words were simple, all of the other girls knew that they could never hope to win unless the youngest Princess was taken out, and so they had unofficially made an alliance to make that happen.

It wasn't a surprise, seeing that it happen every time, and there were no hard feelings. After all, all was fair when it came to war.

Griping her sword tighter, Koriand'r quickly swung her circular shield to her right, in order to block her cousin Isa's blow to her side. After being successful in this; Kori disarmed her, and kicked Isa into the path of another incoming fighter, who had been coming in so fast that the resulting collision made everyone wink.

"They'll definitely be feeling that in the morning," Ryand'r commented as the two fell out of the air.

Four to go.

Eager to end the round, and therefore the girls' training session, Kori pulled her shield off her arm and threw it like a disk, with pristine accuracy. While two of the remaining Shieldmaidens were able to dodge the projectile, the other pair was not as fortunate, and were soon sent tumbling to the ground.

Diving down, Koriand'r caught one of the girls' swords in her hand to compensate for the lost of her shield, which had embedded itself into the wall…

The wall.

Now there was an idea...

Careful to take her time about it, Kori allowed herself to be dueled towards the edged of the arena by the last two warriors-a team of sisters who were used to working together, so Kori had to enhance to efforts to stay in the fight- as they hammered her with blows. Just as hopeful grins of imagined victory began to spread on their faces, Kori gave them an apologetic smile before halting her ability to fly.

For a moment she dropped and the crowd gasped, believing that the un-defeated Princess of their warrior race was forfeiting…they should have know better.

Kori landed squarely on her shield, and used it a springboard to pop back up behind the sisters with her swords at their backs.

"You're out," she stated simply.

Y+J

For a moment, there was stunned silence.

Then that silence was broken by a roaring applause.

From the girls below-well, those who were conscious anyways-to the boys in the stands, all the students rose to their feet. Her brother was all but vibrating with pride.

"That's my sister there, the greatest fighter of our generation!" He announced with a beaming grin.

Even their teachers were dumbfounded.

Letting out a burst of laughter, Galfore flew up to clasp Koriand'r by her slender shoulders; singing her praises to the heavens high above them.

"Amazing Your Highness! Simply amazing! I don't think even your sister could have come up move like that!"

Kori chuckled.

"Koma wouldn't have had to, she simply would have overpowered them with sheer force," She stated calmly, for that was the truth. "She is more powerful than I'll ever be."

Galfore let out a snort, "Rubbish! Koma may have raw strength, but when she was in training, she always thought herself to high and mighty to learn to think her way through a battle like you just did. In technique, you are the superior."

Kori looked at him sharply.

"Please Galfore, keep your voice down," she implored her honorary uncle. To talk in public of a family member's bad traits was frowned upon in their society, which viewed such action as both dishonorable and dangerous to a clan's security.

This was not to say a Household never had fights or disagreements; but Tamaraneans did their best to keep such spats private, and out of the public eye in order to present a front of strength and unity to the world. For any House such a show was important…but for the Royal Household it was a matter of national security, seeing that they had many rivals that would pounced at the first sign of weakness.

The Warmaster immediately regained control of his tongue, and became solemn.

"Right you are, child," the old warrior murmured. "Right you are."

Patting her head fondly, Galfore turned to address the rest of his pupils, who by now had begun to gather around the two of them.

Straightening up, Galfore cleared his throat. "Excellent match Shieldmaidens, your lesson is completed for today, you are dismissed. Lads, get your sorry rear ends up here now! It's your turn."

Eyes lighting up, the boys rushed to get into the ready positions, while the girl sighed in relief at the chance to relax their aching muscles. Pausing only to wish their brothers, male cousins and male friends luck, they happily departed for the changing room.

Y+J

A few minutes later saw the Shieldmaidens chatting away cheerfully to one another as they exchanged their armor and purple battle chitons for their everyday ones, all attractive but varying in color and style.

They then proceeded to do what girls do best-gossip.

"So Kori," Ionand'r asked the Princess curiously, "What will you and Komand'r be wearing for tonight's gala?"

Kori, who had been busy knotting the shoulder ties of her mint green tunic-dress, looked up at the question.

Embarrassed, she ducked her head again.

"Well, I plan on wearing dark blue robes with a slight train, and I don't know what my sister will be doing. Koma likes a surprise."

Kaya rolled her eyes, "No doubt Koma's dress will embarrass your family and infuriate the tribe's Elders again, like it did last time."

Kori winked in remembrance of that year old incident; when Koma had somehow gotten the idea that it was okay to wear a gown that made of more straps than materiel to a religious function. It had stunned the tribe, to see a Princess of Tamaran dress like a whore. And to top it off, Koma then decided to add blasphemy to the lists of her offenses that night by declaring that she was as powerful and beautiful as a goddess and the people should worshiped her as if she were one.

With those words, Komand'r had come within an inch of igniting a full out revolution…and prompted her father to slap her publicly for the first time in her life-though it wasn't by any means the first time the rebellious royal child had been struck.

Corporal punishment was the norm on Tamaran in order to correct an unruly offspring. This acted under the principle that a parent that spared the rod, left a willful child to die a painful death due to not obeying orders.

Koriand'r could count on one hand the number of times she and her brother had been so disciplined…but in Komand'r cause, the number of times her face or rear had been left stinging outnumbered the stars. She always had to push the limit of acceptable behavior, and Kori had often entertain the thought there was something off in her sister's head; due possible to the many years of cross-breeding the Royal Family had endure to keep their powers within the nobility. And that on that night, her sister had gone temporary insane.

She could only pray that it didn't happen again.

"I hope not," she spoke out loud.

"And is Lay'a going to be there?"

Here Kori sigh and shook her head, smiling sadly.

"No, Lay'a just got married-" she began. That was far as she was able to get before the room exploded into excited feminine shrieks.

"Married?!" the girls all shrilled as they clambered on top one another to get closer, desperate to hear more.

"Who, when, where? Tell us Kori!"

Laughing, Kori threw up her hands.

"One at a time! One at a time! The groom's name is Lenon'r, a minor prince from a territory close to Lay'a's family. They have been betrothed for over a year, and they are very happy with one another."

Isa's eyes lit up. "So Lay'a loves him then?"

Kori nodded gladly, and her voice was soft as she replied, "She certainly does…she would not have married him otherwise."

Here a pregnant pause overcame the stone room, and all of the Shieldmaidens found themselves looking anywhere but each other. None could bring themselves to admit the envy they each possessed for Lay'a's freedom to choice.

It was ironic really, how lower nobility and commoners had the right to marry for love, while the daughters and sons of Tamaran's highest ranking Houses did not. Their unions would be, for the most part, arranged by their parents with their families' advancement in mind. And what really bite down hard about the whole arranged marriage affair was the fact that it basically went against a Tamaranean's very nature; for by nature they were an intensely loyal and passionate people, who were not as fickle with their hearts as some species were.

When a marriage was consummation, even if the man and wife felt nothing for each other, their bodies chemicals would change and their very psyches would alter so that it was mentally and emotionally damaging for them to lie with any other while their spouse drew breath.

While this aspect of being Tamaranean could be seen as an unfortunate flaw…Kori also saw it as their greatest and most wonderful gift. For when a Tamaranean couple did marry for love…legend had it that the gravitationally bond which formed between them shamed that of the stars and planets.

Legend had it that Tamaraneans were meant to love once, and love for life...and that at one point they all had, before the raids prompted families to marry off their children for security rather than happiness.


Reviews make me happy,so tell me what you thought and i'll update sooner!

SO...Do you like Tamaran so far? How was Kori's fight in the beginning. Did she kick ass or what? Also you will be seeing more of Ryand'r-her brother- in the upcoming chapters, do you like him? Also do you like my idea on how tamarean see love?