The stars continue to burn as destiny is rewritten… See the first installment for all disclaimers/warnings.
~ * Arrival at Vinay de Zexay * ~
The trek through the forest that sheltered the main roads between Brass Castle and the Zexen capital was a mercifully uneventful one. To Sergeant Jordi's relief, Aila vented the majority of her pent-up anger toward the lustful ironhead lookout on whatever unfortunate specimens of the local monster population decided to try and impede their progress.
Jordi had to admit, he could see why Jimba had chosen her as his companion for this mission. Aila possessed the unfortunate combination of a short fuse and a fiery temper sometimes, but she was a crack shot with her bow. So long as her targets didn't get too close, she could hold her own in a fight – and, naturally, Sergeant Jordi was fully capable of ensuring very few monsters got anywhere near the archer.
(Still, if she doesn't learn how to control that temper… it'll only hinder her on the battlefield.)
Jordi shook his head, gazing up the winding path they were following. The trees were thinning out, giving way to a rolling, grassy slope while the well-worn trail that had wound through the heart of the forest yielded to cobblestones. A railing cropped up alongside the roadway, cutting it off from the lush grass beyond.
"Here we are, Aila," he said, directing the Karayan girl's attention to their location with a wave of his wing. "The Zexen capital city…"
Aila slipped her bow back into its holster while following the mallard toward the outskirts of the walled city. Despite her inherent dislike of the ironheads, she couldn't help but stare once they crossed underneath the gates and she got her first real look at Vinay de Zexay.
Just as the path up to the city had risen up along a hillside, the entire town seemed to follow a gentle downward slope toward the ocean. Aila could clearly see the vast expanse of deep azure water over the crest of slanted orange rooftops and white stone streets. There was an open, flat plaza before the gates, and several citizens milled about, some going about their business while others took time to enjoy the view.
Sergeant Jordi watched Aila out of the corner of his eye and allowed himself a small smile at the archer's awe. He had to admit it truly was a breathtaking sight, one that would only be even more spectacular during the first hours of dusk or dawn.
(If only the hearts of all the people in this city were as pure and beautiful as their town can appear sometimes…)
Used to the cold reality of life in the Zexen capital, the sergeant merely shook his head and dismissed the sappy romantic notion with an inward shrug.
"Come, now, Aila. We can take in the sights after we deliver Chief Jimba's message."
"Huh? Oh. Right, right," Aila blinked and nodded agreement.
She followed the Duck Clan soldier down the high steps into the main city. Although she tried to remain focused on their reason for coming to the capital, however, Aila kept looking around at the towering structures of wood and meticulously organized streets, leaf green eyes wide and full of wonder.
It was in every possible way a complete opposite of her own village. Karayan huts were simple but lovingly made huts of leather and woven grasses, a far cry from the towering Zexen houses with their intricate but somehow uniform designs. The streets were hard and fixed, nothing like the winding footpaths that connected each of the bungalows together.
What disturbed Aila the most, however, was the decided lack of green growing things visible inside the city. There was no sign of the earth she knew must dwell somewhere beneath the shiny white stone roads and hard wooden buildings. The only visible greenery was the occasional single file of thin trees and a bush in a pot placed in obvious patterns alongside the paths. It was like the ironheads had choked off all signs of nature that they couldn't control.
The Grasslander pair rounded a corner, and Aila's eyes lit up as she spotted a square section just off the main road that seemed to overflow with the plants that were in such short supply elsewhere. As they approached the lot, she saw that this patch of land was separated from the rest of the town by a fence, making up the yard of a lavish-looking mansion.
They reached the gates, and Aila saw a silver nameplate bolted to the low stone wall cutting off the yard from the road. Curious, she read the inscription, then stopped dead in her tracks.
[Residence of the Lightfellow Family], the sign proclaimed in fancy emblazoned cursive.
"Aila?" Sergeant Jordi realized the archer was no longer following him, and walked back toward her. "What's the matter?"
"Chief Jimba said… he wanted me to deliver something to the Lightfellow family while I was here." Aila produced the talisman from the inside of her tunic and showed it to the mallard.
"Oh, so that's what you wanted to talk to Lady Chris about," Sergeant Jordi surmised, studying the pentacle briefly before nodding. "Well, then, might as well drop it off while you're thinking about it."
Aila nodded back, then, slipping the talisman back into her tunic, pushed open the gate and stepped into the garden. Jordi followed, aware that she wouldn't take it too well if the Zexens interfered with her fulfilling a promise to her Chief.
To their surprise, the front door was unlocked, and swung open invitingly when Aila tested it. The Karayan maiden blinked, exchanged a quick look with the Duck Clan soldier, then shrugged and stepped inside.
"Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed off the walls of the large chamber that served as the main hall of the mansion. "Can anyone hear me?"
For a few moments silence was the only answer she received. Then came the muted sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the grand hall. After a couple of minutes an well-aged man in fine clothing appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Can I help you… Miss?" he inquired as he descended toward them, the slight hesitation in his question the only outward sign of his surprise when he saw the young Karayan woman standing in front of the door.
"Are you a member of the Lightfellow family?" Aila asked.
"I am the head servant for the Lightfellow family," corrected the man gently without any hint of annoyance at her honest mistake.
"Servant?" echoed Aila, blinking in surprise.
"Yes. The lady of the house is out at this time, so if there's anything I can help you with in the meantime…"
"Oh. Can you see that she receives this when she gets back?" Aila held out the pentacle for the butler to see. "I was instructed by my Chief to ensure this is returned to them."
"May I see it, please?"
Aila surrendered the talisman to the attendant, and he studied the intricately carved wooden symbol briefly. He then nodded once and looked back up at the huntress.
"This indeed belongs to the Lightfellow family," he ascertained. Raising one eyebrow slightly, he asked, "Might I inquire how it came into your possession?"
"Chief Jimba said it belonged to a knight," Aila replied with a shrug. "He wished for me to inform you that the knight passed on bravely and honorably during a battle."
"I… see." The man nodded, and slipped the trinket into his coat. "I'll be sure to relay your message for you."
"All right."
Aila turned to leave, but the butler reached out and added, "Wait, please. I must see to it that you're well rewarded for returning this to the Lightfellow family. Is there anything you might accept?"
"Well, I…" Aila turned and shook her head.
"Money."
Aila and the servant both looked back to where Sergeant Jordi was standing by the doorway, leaning against the frame.
"We could use some extra funds for our stay here," he clarified.
"Of course," the butler agreed, nodding toward him. "If you'll wait for just a few minutes…"
With that, the servant turned and headed back into the mansion. Aila looked curiously at the Sergeant, then her gaze wandered all around the chamber, taking in the fine furnishings and various relics from far and wide. After a short while, the servant returned and handed her a small leather pouch.
"There you go," he said, turning over the reward. "Thank you again for returning this."
He bowed toward her, but Aila simply turned and headed back outside without acknowledging this. After she closed the door, the butler straightened back up, and the first hint of mild annoyance he'd shown since seeing the girl flickered across his face.
"…Is it just her youth, or are all Karayans that rude?" he murmured quietly.
~ * ~
"This would be the place," Sergeant Jordi informed Aila as they ascended a few steps to a second plaza.
This square was far wider than the one at the town gates, and a circular fountain marked the center of the courtyard. There was a small slope a few short feet beyond the fountain, and a second pair of stairs in this matched up perfectly with the set leading to the double doors of a large mansion.
"This is the Zexen Council Chambers," Sergeant Jordi explained, leading the archer toward the grandiose building. "Once we get the message delivered, we can start the journey back whenever you wish."
As they approached the entrance, however, a guard in full plate armor that had been standing silently by the doors stepped out in front of them. He folded his arms behind his back and stood firm as Aila glared at him, trying to see his face underneath the visor covering his eyes.
"Excuse me? Could you please let us pass? We have to give something to the Zexen Council."
The guard didn't move, not even to shake his head in denial. Aila fixed the soldier with a nasty look, then Sergeant Jordi stepped forward.
"We come bearing a message from the Chief of Karaya concerning the peace treaty with Zexen," he announced. "May we be allowed to pass through?"
"What proof do you have that you are an official messenger of Karaya?"
"This sealed message, bearing the seal of the Chief," Jordi began, showing the carefully secured container, "and this girl. Aila is one of the swiftest, most skilled hunters in Karaya Village. She, along with myself, have been entrusted with ensuring that this is seen by the Zexen Council as soon as possible."
"…I will check with the Council. Wait here."
The guard turned stiffly on his heel and walked into the building, closing the doors behind him. Aila immediately turned to Sergeant Jordi, looking impressed.
"That was fast," she commented, arching her eyebrows. "Where did you learn to talk to ironheads like that?"
"Experience. Knowing how the Zexens work."
Rather than elaborate further on that point, the winged warrior turned back to face the doorway and waited. The guard returned shortly, his expression unreadable beneath the shadows of his heavy headgear.
"The Council is very busy at this time," he reported. "You will have to wait a couple of days until they are able to fit you into the schedule."
"What?"
"Fine," Sergeant Jordi cut Aila's protest short with a curt nod. "I should hope that they find the time quickly, since this message is of the utmost importance and the discussion of the treaty is approaching rapidly."
Again the soldier said nothing in reply. The sergeant turned stiffly on his heel, almost in mockery of the way the guard had done minutes before, and walked away, Aila close behind him.
"I can't believe this!" she fumed as they reached the fountain. "They just completely blew us off, didn't they?!"
"This is how the Zexens work, I'm afraid," Sergeant Jordi responded, turning to face the upset archer. "They want us to see that their time is precious, so they'll make us wait for a while before receiving our message."
"That's stupid," she sulked, folding her arms.
"That's the way it is," shrugged the sergeant. "Try not to let it get to you. At least it gives you time to take in the sights of the city…"
Attempting to get the girl's mind off of how they'd been forced to wait, Sergeant Jordi began showing her around the city. He wasn't too surprised when Aila decided to linger in the open-air marketplace near the docks, though he was a bit surprised by just what captured her attention. Rather than browsing through the carts of goods and trinkets, the young huntress seemed fascinated by the performance of a trio of musicians standing at the edge of the market practicing their trade.
(Well, at least she isn't angling to be taken in by some slick dealer's scam,) he mused ironically.
Looking around, he soon saw an inn by the waterside. It looked considerably reputable, and the mallard decided it would be in their best interests to secure a room as soon as possible. The last thing he needed to deal with would be the inevitable fallout if they weren't able to obtain any reservations for the night.
"I'm going to check in at the inn over there," he informed Aila, pointing in the direction of the establishment. "Wait here for me, all right?"
"All right," Aila agreed.
The sergeant walked off, and she went back to listening to the bright, merry tune that the minstrels were playing. She was amazed at the diversity of the trio: the fiddler was a lean adult human male with an impressive-sized nose, while the slender ears of an elf peeked out from beneath the ocean blue tresses of the petite woman beside him. The last member of their group couldn't have been more than six years old, yet was playing her instrument with a passion and skill that matched her unlikely-seeming partners.
Aila was entranced. She could have easily stood and listened to the trio play for hours if it hadn't been for the shouting match that erupted a few feet away from where she was standing.
"My father is not a liar! And I'll prove it!"
"Huh?"
Aila looked over just in time to spot a young boy bolting past her, so close he nearly crashed into the huntress. Startled, she looked over to where he'd come from. A grossly overweight man in a gaudy blue and white suit was looking in the direction the boy had fled with a vaguely troubled look on his face. However, he soon lost the expression and turned back to face the crowd of people around him.
"Ah, poor young Melville! He's so obviously delusional!" he boomed, chortling heartily. "But you can hardly blame the lad, when his wastrel of a father abandoned him to the streets like that…"
Aila didn't know why, but something about the portly man repulsed her immediately. His jovial words sounded off in her ears, maybe because of the way he laughed about another's troubles so gaily.
He continued to chortle, so much that Aila found she could no longer enjoy the merry melody as she had been. She wandered away from the square and toward the main marketplace, completely forgetting the sergeant's instructions in her haste to get away from the grating sound.
She bided her time by studying the fronts of the stores she walked past. Each had a very different display showing off the various goods offered inside. The armor shop looked particularly inviting, but the sergeant had taken most of their traveling money with him when he went to book the inn. Besides, Aila was fine with her current protective gear, worn and patched as the armor beneath her normal leathers was…
She strolled past the trading post and the rune shop, then paused as she spotted a pair of young Zexens talking near the doorway of the latter store. One was a girl in a bright scarlet dress with her mahogany hair pulled up into oddly shaped pigtails, while the other was a blond boy with glasses.
"…remember the password?" the girl was asking, fixing her companion with a searching look.
"Sure!" he chirped nervously. "It's 'The Three Knights of Zexen', right?"
"Right, right! Be sure to remember it! Otherwise Melville'll be upset again…"
(Melville? Say, wasn't that the boy that man was talking about…?)
Aila watched the two youngsters duck into an alleyway. Curious to see what the little ironheads were up to, she decided to follow. The byway was narrow, but hardly too difficult for a slender Karayan huntress to slip through.
On the other side, she was surprised to find a small lot that was cut off on all sides by the walls of the surrounding buildings. The only way in or out was the alley she had gotten in from. However, there was no sign of the two youngsters, just a curly-tailed dog with tan fur gamboling about.
(Huh?)
Looking around, Aila soon noticed a ladder leaning up against one of the stone and wooden walls. Standing before it, she looked up to see it led to a small wooden platform with another ladder resting on top of it. Curiosity rising, she climbed up the structure, and discovered it ended with another set of planks bolted in front of a window.
The glass was covered with planks bolted on the inside, making it impossible for her to see anything when she tried looking through it. With nothing else better to do, she knocked.
"Oh!" cried the voice of the glasses-clad boy from inside. "It's Melville!"
"Quiet, you!" shouted the voice of the girl. "We're not supposed to know it's Melville!"
"Oh, right, right… Do you know the password, traveler?"
"………" Aila hesitated for a minute, then shrugged and replied, "'The Three Knights of Zexen'."
"Right! Okay, now open the gates!" the girl instructed from inside.
"Um, but Alanis, that didn't sound like…"
"Open up and let Melville in!" interrupted the girl, sounding upset.
"Okay, okay…!"
Aila blinked as the window swung open and she suddenly found herself face to face with a pair of wide-eyed ironhead children. The two immediately sprang back from the opening, staring at her in shock.
"Y-you're not Melville!" the boy stuttered, glasses slipping down his nose as he trembled with fright.
"…Well, no," Aila climbed into the attic with her hands raised in a calming gesture, "But I…"
"Sir Elliot, straighten up!" the scarlet-clad girl commanded. Clutching a small black wand with a small blue jewel laid into the tip, she cried, "We won't allow our castle to fall into the hands of raiders!"
"…'Castle'? 'Raiders'?" Aila wasn't too sure if she was more surprised by the fact that the girl was calling this attic room a castle, or that she was referring to the single Karayan huntress in the plural form.
"I, Lady Alanis the Silver Maiden and Sub-Captain of the Saint Loa Knights, will keep you from seizing our secret fortress!" declared the Zexen maiden. Casting a glance over her shoulder at the quaking blond boy, she commanded, "Sir Elliot, Swordsman of Wind of the Saint Loa Knights, back me up!"
"O…okay…"
Aila wasn't sure whether she was more annoyed, amused, or confused by this whole situation. Before she could think of some way to respond to the younger girl's threat, there was a knock at the window, which had swung shut behind her.
"'The Three Knights of Zexen'," declared a young male voice. After a short pause, there was another set of knocks, and the voice commanded, "Hey, Alanis, Elliot, let me in."
"…………"
Aila looked over at Alanis and Elliot. When it became apparent neither was going to open the window, she leaned over and unlatched it for them, pushing it open. A boy with short tan hair climbed into the room, straightening up the second his shoes hit the floor.
"It's about time, Alanis…" he trailed off when he saw who had let him into the room. He stared at Aila for a few seconds, then turned and looked at the other young Zexens.
"Is she a new recruit?" he asked.
"Not exactly…"
~ * ~
Aila was grateful for the fact that the trio of ironhead children actually listened to her explanation. The way things had been going lately, she wouldn't have been too surprised if they'd chosen to attack and attempt to drive the 'Grasslander barbarian' off. She doubted they'd be able to hurt her too badly, but still, she wasn't too keen on the thought of fighting children.
"…So you're a messenger from the Grasslands?" Melville asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Is that a real weapon you're carrying?" piped Elliot.
"Yes, this is my bow," and Aila brought the weapon out for the trio to admire. She couldn't keep a tinge of pride from entering her voice as she added, "I'm one of the most skilled archers in my village."
(Technically, it's not bragging if someone else said it first, right, Sergeant Joe?) she added to herself.
"Hmph. I have a real weapon too, you know," groused Melville, trying to look not as impressed as his friends. "The sword that father left me…"
Remembering what she'd overheard in the marketplace, Aila shot the young boy a sympathetic look.
"My father's a great adventurer," Melville continued without any prompting. "He's a treasure hunter, always off scouring the land for hidden riches. He recently went off to check out a ship he saw across the water from inside a cavern nearby, only…" He closed his eyes and bowed his head before finishing, "…Nobody else's seen the ship but him."
Aila didn't know how to respond to that. He looked so downcast that she wanted to at least try and console him, but she couldn't think of the right words.
As it happened, she didn't need to.
"Well, let's go find it, then!" Alanis prompted, standing up and clenching her hands into fists.
"What?"
Melville, Elliot and Aila looked at the Zexen girl curiously. Alanis didn't seem the least bit bothered by their stares, for she just nodded over at her two friends, a determined expression on her face. Her tan eyes shone with excitement.
"The Saint Loa Knights can do anything!" she declared. "Let's go find that ship and prove to everybody that it exists!"
"Who are the Saint Loa Knights?" asked Aila.
"Oh, that's right, we've forgotten to introduce ourselves properly," Melville stated.
Aila watched curiously as the boys walked over to join Alanis. Melville then proceeded to do about the last thing she'd expected: he waved his arms about and began to pose.
"I am Melville, Captain and Swordsman of Rage of the Saint Loa Knights!" he declared, ending up with his left fist raised high into the air and standing ramrod straight.
"I am Alanis," and the pigtailed girl went into her own series of poses, "Silver Maiden and Sub-Captain of the Saint Loa Knights!"
"I am Elliot, Swordsman of Wind of the Saint Loa Knights!"
There was a silence bordering on ridiculously awkward while Aila stared at the trio. The corner of her left eye twitched briefly. After a short pause, the young knights dropped their poses entirely.
"Okay… So you three are planning on going off to find where your father spotted this ship from?"
"That's the idea," Alanis nodded agreement. Fixing her hazel eyes on the older girl, she asked, "Do you think maybe you could accompany us, please? I'm sure your skills as a Karayan warrior would be a huge help…"
"Yeah, could you come? I'd feel a lot better if you did," Elliot chimed.
Aila looked back and forth between the three children. True, they were a bunch of little ironheads, but still… they were only kids. They looked about the same age as Lulu back home, and if they were anything like that scamp…
"All right. It's not like I've got much else to do until the Council decides to finally see us," she decided with a shrug.
"Great!" Alanis smiled. "We've got to get some things from home ready, so could you meet us by the gates as soon as you're prepared?"
"Sure."
Aila followed Alanis and Elliot out the window and into the alleyway. She couldn't help but notice, however, that Melville wasn't in a rush to go anywhere.
(I guess, maybe, he might not have anyplace else to go…)
With an effort, Aila pushed such thoughts out of her mind. Right now, she had to try and figure out just how she was going to explain to the sergeant that she'd just made a commitment to go on a little adventure while waiting on the Zexen Council…