Kuja once again graces the stage with his presence. "Nightmarestalk--"
Lavos stomps in, giving a blood-curdling cry. "OFF THE STAGE!" he roars.
Kuja leaps in fright, his tail frizzing. "Look what you did!!" he squeals as he surveys the damage done.
Bishounen Stalker ambles in behind Lavos, rubbing what passes for ears on her head. "You had your turn, Kuj," she lectures. Lavos nods his gargantuan head and adds, "Besides, this story is about ME, and I should be the person giving the intro!"
Kuja grumbles and stalks off. Nightmare Stalker shrieks from off stage. "Lavos! Quit giving away the plot!"
Lavos gurgles arrogantly. "I don't take orders to weak little beasties like yourself!"
Nightmare: Just get on with it. We don't have all night!
Lavos: You're talking about time with a devourer of it...
Nightmare: You wanted to say the disclaimer, so say it.
Lavos folds his arms. Lavos: Since you puny mortals believe that property belongs to those of what's right, here's what I choose to be told to say: "Chrono Trigger and any characters from said game belong to Squaresoft, now Square Enix. The authors own nothing of it, and only do this for fun, and cannot and will not make a profit from this fanfiction. Moreover, any original characters they have made are theirs, and I suppose that implies it's the only thing they'll ever own. Furthermore-"
Bishounen Stalker scowls, "Out of bounds, Laavy!"
Nightmare: hops into view Um...that's the gist of things. Thank you, saphiremomo for reviewing. On with the show!
That night, the cooks and servants had really pulled out all the stops. Fine crystal goblets tinted magically with a light violet color and matching chine graced the tables. Ice sculptures, enchanted so that they wouldn't melt, dotted the great hall depicting many different animals. Everyone was here, from the highest royal to the humblest mage apprentice. This was a celebration of Zeal, the place where magic and dreams ruled supreme. Schala sat on the left hand of her mother, clad in a simple blue gown decorated with shimmering silver starlets. Her hair, normally tied back, had been pulled up into a bun fastened with a veil that matched her dress and attached to her silver crown. She truly looked the part of the princess of a magical kingdom. On Queen Zeal's right hand was Solei. Being of a vital part of keeping the kingdom in the air, he got the most important spot on the table. Zeal stood. "Today, my people, we celebrate the birth of our kingdom. I propose a toast." She lifted her goblet. "To Zeal!" The rest of the people followed. "To Zeal." They murmured.
Solei was just one of the many voices echoing the toast with gratitude. Sitting rigidly to make himself look imposing and impressive to the others there, it was hard to believe how fluidly his motions were in raising his goblet to the toast. There was a few moments allowed for the others at the table to offer up a prayer to the spirits that kept the continent aloft. Zeal, Schala, and the rest of the entourage about the queen would all hear the prayers of each other's. Solei's so happened to be "Spread your mind, body, and soul. May your dreams never know nightmares." Then, would come the goblet to his lips. The sip brought an exotic berry wine into his mouth, and he smiled pleasantly. It was a good vintage of snowberry wine, whose berries it consisted of could only be consumed when the harsh winter land of the earthbound were particularly warm. The queen and the rest managed to wish similar entreaties. Schala breathed the words, "May you dwell in eternal summer and never know winter's cruel chill." She too followed in suit with the crowd in drinking of the wine. Her image was that of gentle fragility, mirroring that of the crystal she drank from.
Once the toast had been completed, Zeal continued. "On this momentous occasion, I'm pleased to announce that my daughter has surpassed any training our most enlightened gurus can provide." She smiled at the three older men that represented Time, Reason and Knowledge. They advised her and had presented her daughter with her earliest magic instruction. "As such, I am placing her under the tutelage of Master Solei so that legacy of Zealian magic may continue to prosper."
Schala's eyes widened. This was news to her. Well, the part about her studying under Solei. Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar had been warning her that she was reaching a level where they could no longer instruct her for some time now. The princess glanced at the most powerful mage of her kingdom and flushed a rosy pink. The feast attendees cheered at this good news or at least appeared to cheer. Enemies were never far from the royal family.
This was also news to Solei, even though he'd heard rumors from the maids that worked in the castle that the queen was going to change Schala's master of magical studies. Few people had the know-how for this. The audience could see him bow deeply and go onto one knee. There, he hung his head and whispered a polite and formal thank you before he stood again. "It is with great humility that I take the responsibility given to me. The princess will be taught as if she were my own, this is my word." He bowed again to the others, and then seated himself. Ever so conscious of the others with their eyes toward him, a pleased expression crossed his features and he awaited the queen's further instruction before allowing himself to move again. For someone as unsocial able as he, his manners were incredible.
Schala rose and offered a deep curtsey to both her mother and her new master. "I am honored in thy confidence in me, your majesty." She began. "I am grateful to thee, Master Solei for accepting this responsibility. I shall not let thee down." The princess resumed her seat, an impassive expression on her features to hide the excitement inside. Solei only accepted the very best and only one pupil at a time, whether or not the queen said anything. The privilege of being placed under the mage was distinctive. Of course now, there would be incredible jealousy. The women would be fuming over the fact that Schala would spend most of her time with her new master--most would give up their very soul for that opportunity--and the men would be over the wisdom and power of the mage. Any apprentice of Solei would have high rank among the rest of the apprentices and some of the lower ranked full mages. Coupled with her highborn blood, Schala could rise to be the single most powerfully ranked being in Zeal.
Queen Zeal nodded to Solei to acknowledge his pledge as well as her daughter's. "It is done." She announced. "May you continue to become enlightened." With that, the queen sat and the actual feasting began. Schala, still blushing slightly, avoided eye contact with the mage across from her. Zeal, on the other hand, occupied the gurus placed on the other side of Solei and Schala, in a discussion regarding the state of dissention against the crown.
The servants, during the formal speeches had remained static as opposed to the now. They weaved in and out of the people at the feast, replenishing drinks and setting out the food. Of course, Zeal herself would be served first, and from the head of the great table they would split and move down the center. All of this was being monitored by Dalton's watchful eyes and ears. The queen had put him on point to keep any and all potential threats to the crown quiet. To the observer, a parrot that would find its way onto the man's shoulder would tug at his ear every now and again, and Dalton would pick up some nearby fruit and feed it. What few knew is that the feathered being was one of his many golems, and gave him status reports in his ear. He'd then murmur something to the bird, what most people would assume to be a short term of endearment to the emerald-plumed avian.
Every so often, one of the plainclothes guards would ask for a seat beside one of the lower mages and begin to talk with them, until they figured out weather or not from the conversation they could arrest them for treason. Even Solei, in this social climate, could sense a larger crowd of people who doubted the queen this year. From what he gleaned from their thoughts, they were unhappy with her sealing off the chamber to the nation's public treasure: the Sun stone. Zeal had her reasons for doing so. The Sun Stone was the source of her power. If someone wanted to dethrone her family, all they'd have to do is steal the elemental stone. This way, anyone would be known if they tried to commit treason, simply by breaking into the Sun palace. The three gurus had argued strongly against the sealing, but in what would start to become a habit, the queen ignored them and followed her own council. The Northern palace was the next on the list of sealings. The elemental weapons were just too dangerous for the public use; the queen stated. Only Schala's insistence that the people would rise up after the magical weapons were forbidden stopped Zeal from continuing.
The celebration lasted a couple more hours before ending. The queen stood, thanked those that had attended and she left. Gradually the other revelers also left to find their beds. Schala remained behind, picking delicately at her half finished meal. She too could feel the disquiet among her people, and it frightened her. It only took one person to start a coup that would end the life of herself and her mother.
Solei remained, even as the servants carted off the last plates of the others' finished meals and less than ten other people bothered to remain. He was seen most of the night sitting serenely, hardly ever touching his plate although somehow the food disappeared where one would assume to be his gullet. By the time a servant came around to take his plate, he was chewing on the end of a stem from a particularly flavorful vegetable that he liked.
Gaspar, barely starting to show signs that he was getting on in years, rose unceremoniously and approached the princess. Seeing as the hall was now devoid of any civilians, he could freely speak to her. "It was truly a joy teaching you, Princess Schala," he wore a smile in his voice despite how ornery his face had grown in looks.
The princess rose to her feet and embraced the old man. "I loved learning from you, Gaspar." She murmured. "Thank you." She had been taught by the three old men since she was barely able to walk. Schala didn't remember her father, he had died when she was very young. The gurus had taken his place as adoptive uncles.
Gaspar's withered lips curled into a genuine smile, and he let out a soft heartwarming laugh. Even despite the ache in his old bones, the hug from the princess easily made him melt, and his creaky limbs enveloped and reciprocated her action in turn. From his seat, Schala could hear another one of the gurus pulling himself out of the seat.
"Come on, Gaspar," a joking tone came from the pursed mustachioed lips of Melchior, "I know you liked to keep her for longer than usual for lessons, but really, we're all entitled with our fair share."
A light laugh came from Gaspar and he pulled away slightly. "And you were always on my case because it was for your class that she was always late," the red-clad guru replied. Balthasar remained seated, laughing from the exchange of comical dialogue.
Schala giggled, and swept past the two standing men to drape her arms over Balthasar's shoulders, hugging him to her. "Both of you quit squabbling." She chided. "Balthasar was always my favorite." The princess, before withdrawing from the old man, kissed his cheek as a child would to a favored uncle.
True to the occasion, Balthasar leaned over slightly as the princess drew away and stuck his tongue out at the other two Gurus. The wiry hairs over Melchior's lips bristled as he pout, seemingly offended. It was all a ruse, evidenced by his still-relaxed demeanor. Gaspar simply laughed, and Balthasar cracked a wide, wide grin.
Schala, noticing the pout, glided over to Melchior and gave him a hug also. "I love you too, Guru Melchior." She smiled. Then she felt another set of eyes upon her, her new master's. She met his gaze, and the blood rushed to her cheeks in a blush. The princess had forgotten that Solei was there.
He sat with serene grace, holding a goblet full of sweet juice in hand. An amused smirk played across his lips the entire time the Gurus had made their fuss, amused with how the old men were acting only a quarter of their ages--or close enough, anyway. A silence encroached on the room as Solei regarded the princess. As talented a magic-weaver he was, the gurus were uneasy of him.
Before even the servants fell silent, Balthasar was quick to speak up. "Princess Schala, as our best student, we felt it fit to uh... Procure a parting gift for you," he announced as he got out of his chair.
Schala tore her eyes away from her new master and back to the gurus. "You didn't need to." She flushed again at the thoughtfulness of them. "It is not as if we won't see each other again." Solei's eyes remained on the quartet, and for some reason that annoyed Schala. He didn't have any business in knowing what went on between her and the gurus.
He didn't have any business what went on between she and the gurus. However, he was simply biding his time because he needed to inform her that she would have to relocate herself for the next long while. The gurus nodded in unison and Melchior followed up with a reply to Schala's modest reply. "We don't need to, but we went to. You've become an adopted niece to us," was his heartfelt response. "Yes, yes! And honestly, we'll miss you dearly, especially since we won't be part of your routine anymore. You are a very busy person, we know that too well." Melchior laughed, reflecting back to his earlier statement about how Gaspar enjoyed keeping the princess to himself.
Schala cast her eyes to the floor, every inch the self-effacing maiden. "I--I don't know what to say." She whispered, overcome with her teachers' generosity. Schala brought her eyes back up to catch the gaze of each of guru's in turn. "Except, thank you."
"You're all but too welcome," Balthasar croaked in his scratchy voice. He then nodded to the two other men, and they returned it. Melchior brought out a satchel that had been hiding under his immaculate blue robes the entire time. Seemingly as if the three had re-arranged the thing before hand, Gaspar took the small, plain white box from out of Melchior's offered satchel. The three stepped forward in unison and held the item out to her. "We hope you enjoy it," they announced, and bowed slightly. Within the box would be a gorgeous leather-bound book, with many blank pages within.
The azure-haired princess gently picked up the tome and ran her fingers over the leather cover. Her green eyes lit up and she clutched the book to her chest. "Thank you. It's beautiful!" It was times like these that reminded the gurus that Schala was a teenager and not an adult in a young woman's body.
Balthasar's voice dropped low, and he whispered, "It's a diary, enchanted so that only you may look into it. Well, you, or any person who will never have the opportunity to use any of the information against you."
Melchior too whispered, "We couldn't work it out in such a way that you could deem it otherwise, as it would break the enchantment altogether."
Gaspar concluded, "Ever so sorry. Still," his voice rose to audible levels, "We hope you enjoy it.
"How could I do otherwise?!" Schala exclaimed. She placed the gift back in the box and embraced the three old men in turn. "I will treasure it always!"
"As will we always reflect and treasure the time we have spent with you," Gaspar chirped.
With uncanny timing, the voice of someone unfamiliar piped up. Clad in whites and golds, a fire-haired Zealian ran in, almost colliding with some of the servants in the process. He was a young boy, about twelve years of age, selected as a messenger for the head of defense. "Guru Gaspar, Guru Balthasar, Guru Melchior!" he called out, his poor lungs heaving as he swallowed down buckets of air trying to catch his breath.
Only Melchior seemed not so enraptured that his attention could be divided. So he turned his head and regarded the dark-skinned fire-haired boy as he took another few breaths of air. "Yes?" he asked gently, easily seeing that it must have been a long run.
"Guru Melchior, you and your compatriots are being summoned to the royal chamber," he puffed with a bony hand across his chest.
Schala inquired politely. "Does Mother need me also?" She would go if she needed too, but she was rather tired.
The boy, instantly recognizing the princess, dropped down to one knee and bowed. "Princess Schala, the Queen told me expressly that she wished to see the Gurus. I believe it is to be a private conversation," he still choked on his air, but managed to get the eloquent speech out. For being so young, he was quite gifted with spoken language.
The princess nodded. "Thank you, young sir." She said graciously. Schala covered her new diary with the box top and curtsied to the gurus. "I will leave you to your task. Good night." She picked up her gift and began to walk out of the ballroom.
The boy would end up slumping against the table to rest himself for a few minutes. As for the Gurus, they made haste in the opposite direction to accept their summons as promptly as they had received it. They exchanged their goodbyes with Schala as the receded from the dining hall. Only time could tell when she'd see them again.
"Princess," the brassy tone of Solei's voice came out from between his lips, "a word, if you please." He was now standing, his arms folded behind his back. The way he held himself seemed to convey a genteel manner that also called for some respect and attention.
She stopped and faced him, midnight blue dress swirling gently about her feet. She offered a half-curtsy to acknowledge the respect she felt for him. "Yes, Master Solei?" She queried, eyes watching him through demurely lowered lashes.
In the light that streamed down from the elegantly-crafted windows, Solei's robes shimmered as prisms and sent tiny speckled rainbows across the white marble floor. His violet hair wafted over his eye listlessly as he gave a quick look around. Only servants now bustled about as they cleaned up from the after effects from the feast. "As much as it pleases me to know you are now my student, there is one glaring item that must be dealt with. My magic cannot be taught so close to the kingdom's capital. It is a dangerous art."
The princess nodded. "This I know. You wish we should relocate while you teach me?" As her new master of magic agreed, she curtsied once more, her midnight colored dress pooling around her feet like water. "I will inform Mother and make arrangements to leave." Her green eyes met his one visible eye. "Is this satisfactory?"
A gentle smile crossed Solei's lips. The girl was incredibly intelligent, something that was the hallmark of a good student. "Be sure to plan for cold weather," he suggested, "I feel as though it may be needed."
"Yes, Master Solei." Schala curtsied one final time, picked up her gift from the gurus, and glided out of the banquet hall.