Chapter Fourteen: The Runaway

Stein and Mali look at the bed covered in pillows as Eleya passes a letter to Stein.

Stein and Mali, please forgive me...

I am doing what I think is right, I need to help my friends. First, we must help save Lei's home and then we will have much larger matters to attend to. I had a dream from uncle David's point of view that my father left to rescue his cousin Erastus. Against his family's wishes... Receiving that dream is no coincidence, I will be brave like my father. There will be many times that I will have to be brave... Standing by and hidden has always been my life. Now I must take part of how little it may be. They need a healer... I can be up to the task. You can punish me when I return.

Kind Regards Iolene

Her beautiful handwriting cannot be mistaken. Stein strokes the paper, feeling like he wanted to cry. He only wanted to protect her... After seeing her for the first time. She is no warrior only a shy little girl who had been shafted into a dangerous world... He admitted he was disappointed to know she was not a fighter. Hoping instead that she can make more of a politician who can work behind the scenes like her mother. She wants to prove people wrong, no matter how dangerous the mission will be. That only encouraged Stein to protect her...

Mali looks at her room windowsill and notices the locks burned off. Gold draconium was used as a fragment of it can be found on the clip. "Clever..." Mali says trying hard not to sound impressed.

Stein sits on the bed and places his head in his hands, dropping the letter onto the floor.

Mali walks over in worry and picks up the letter. Reading it quickly and then looking up at his master. "Aaron will protect her Stein, they all will..." The tiny man said softly.

Stein looked at Mali silent for a moment. "He let Iolene get possessed..." He said with annoyance. "If they were not friends, I would have banned him from seeing her ever again."

"He knew she was possessed very quickly. He regrets everything with Epithymia." Mali said to Aaron's defence. "Anyone could have been with Iolene in that library, and she still would have gotten possessed... Besides, I thought you let it go?" Mali questions. After all, Stein did go to Aaron's party. Maybe it was a show of face to make Iolene happy, Mali thought.

Stein remained silent. After everything he has been through, the last thing he wanted was to lose Aelius and Laelias' daughter. It was hard enough witnessing the death of their son after a tragic accident. Iolene asked about him after recovering from Epithymia, but he was not ready to share. Which Stein thought to himself was selfish... She had a right to know... No one told her not even Laelia's parents. Maybe to spare her from further pain. The boy has already become a forgotten part of history.

Stein and Mali stood outside the birthing chamber as he can hear Laelia screaming. Elder Priestess Tulia, Aelius and many midwives crowded the room. It eventually fell silent as Tulia walked out of the room, her hands and apron covered with blood and other fluids.

"A beautiful healthy baby boy!" Tulia said excitedly. She usually was a serious woman; it was great seeing her smile once in a while.

Odysseus XII was named after his grandfather Odysseus XI, who is Aelius's father. He died recently in an explosion along with Grand Prince David. Born during Aelius's short reign as Emperor. Like his father, Odysseus XII had the ceremony of his birth with parades and a day declared. A happy moment since the country was at war and the deaths of Aelius's mother and Marigold was still recent. A new life... An heir to take the throne as it became a worry to the court and Laelia. A boy or girl, it did not matter, either can rule, what matters a gold child was made.

Aelius could not stop smiling as Stein and Mali saw him holding his son. It has been so long since he smiled... Being Emperor was a tough job. "I am a father!" Aelius said excitedly as he kissed his small newborn.

It was when little Odysseus was a toddler, that he became mischievous. Usually, world leaders leave their children to wet nurses and priests to be raised. Seeing them from time to time when available. But not Aelius or Laelia. They made sure that they played with their son at least once a day. He looked like his mother... Light Blue hair with olive skin. This worried the court as he could be not gold orientated. Their worries were eased when the boy had gold eyes and nails.

One fateful day as Aelius and Laelia was in court, Odysseus snuck away from his playroom. How he snuck away is a complete mystery... But Stein always had a thought in his mind, that someone did it. Especially after everything that has transpired. None of the servants witnessed what happened… But Stein found the boy on the ground. The window to a guest bedroom a few floors up was open… He fell from a great height. Falling headfirst.

It was too late to save the little prince. He was cold and lifeless… The blood began to dry on the ground. Stein screamed for help… As he held and rocked the child. It was labelled a tragic accident at the time.

Stein looks at Mali staring at him back in Iolenes room. Stein could not get it out of his mind… He then started to cry. Mali jumps onto the bed and leans on his old master. Mali has always remembered Stein as a strong man, Powerful and wise... Mali's heart broke, he wanted to cry himself. But he wanted to be strong for Stein at this moment... For when he first saw Stein he is a shadow of his former self. A stranger... But it could not be helped. All Mali could do is support and help Stein. Everything they knew is gone, even if they can fight for Loan (Dragon-City) The city itself and the culture would have changed.

"I will leave and find her… Bring her back." Mali softly says. Trying his hardest not to cry. Like Stein, he has suffered much. He lived alone in the wilderness for years… He hoped to build an alliance with others. He still has friends… He knows this… But it is risky to bring them into the game.

Stein sighs with defeat. "No... Don't bring her back... Help protect her instead. She has made her choice... She is like her father in that regard. If you force her to come back, she will resent the priesthood more than she already does."

Mali nods as he gets off the bed and walks to Eleya. She is looking out the window, but she doesn't seem worried.

"Eleya, may I ask you a few questions?" Mali asks kindly.

Mali and Stein have barely spoken to the old woman unless they were giving an order. But Eleya is used to this, after all, she is a servant. She expects nothing more… But her seeing a man from the Light-Green Empire made her happy. He is smaller than her by a few inches, Mali is small even by Suravi standards. To reach such high power made her think anything could be possible.

"Yes, Lord Mali, you may ask." She says sternly as she looks out the window.

"How did you and Iolene meet?" Mali asked nicely.

Eleya turned around to face Mali.

"It was six years ago…" Eleya began.

Iolene was only nine when she met Eleya. Still a young girl, living in the priesthood temple in Aquarius City. Eleya tells her story of how she fled Suravi from the Black Empire forces who enslaved the city and her nation. Her family died trying to rebel, they were a noble house. Close to their former king who execute the day before. Eleya is an old lady, she couldn't do much in a fight. Devastated she fled… She was very lucky to escape, with the help of other rebels. Packed in a crate with food and fake food to cover her disguise, she was shipped away. Surviving on very little, the ship docked at Aquarius City.

Her crate was labelled as food to be delivered to the temple. Even though the Purple Empire was closest. It was too dangerous as they are known to be close allies to the Black Empire.

"Master Akvor!" Eleya tried to imitate the man's voice. "This delivery has a filthy woman inside it!"

"Not again!" As she replicates the conversation as Akvor. Deliberately making Akvor sound annoyed. Eleya was dragged out of the crate in front of the elder Priest's court. Describing how terrified she was… She was out of breath, looking dishevelled and trembling. What was going to become her? The judgements on the priests' faces said it all… It didn't feel too different from those who enslaved her country.

They planned to kick her out of the country. However, a little girl stepped in, happening to overhear the conversation.

"How about she help me?" Eleya tries her hardest to sound like Iolene. But her rough voice couldn't permit it. "She can be my handmaiden." Iolene smiled with delight at the idea.

"NO!" Akvor protested as Eleya kept imitating his voice.

"Then Iolene wrote a letter to her grandparents. They were reluctant… But they eventually permitted it. I am now under Iolene's service. Didn't take me long to learn the job, it helped that Iolene wasn't a bossy girl." Eleya says simply.

But Mali was even more curious. About Iolenes life in the priesthood. He only knew the basics as Iolene hated to talk about it. Murray said a few things… But not much.

Eleya tells the details of Iolenes life. It was bleak… She was like a prisoner, she ran away a lot. Even though she had royal family members they didn't visit her all that often. They wrote letters but that was it. She was very lonely, even being kept away from the other children. Excuse being that children will always snitch and cannot be trusted.

When she ran away it wasn't to live somewhere else. It was just to see the City and sneak around the markets. "I helped her create a compromise that she will visit a hospital three days a week. Having a chaperone the entire time. She gets out of the temple and learns something."

The room went silent again, Eleya turn to face the window. Mali looks at Stein, looking so defeated. Stein may have been successful at being a military aid for Empress Zhen. But felt like he has failed the world again. It didn't matter to him if he wins this war… He cannot lose the only hope he has left.