Finally, I'm starting to build into the action in this story, now that we got all the introductions out of the way. It's still slightly filler in this, as it's all the Paladin's meeting up in Vivia, but I assure you, *smirks briefly* there will be some drama within these chapters.
Ryuga: Yeah, cause that's what you're about.
Wait, Ryuga!? How did you get in the Author's note!? Scratch that, how did you manage to bypass the fourth wall?!
Ryuga: Same way you do. I gave your pichu Sugar some cookies in exchange for access. That and L-Drago broke through it earlier today.
I thought I fixed that prior to returning to writing stories.
Well, Might as well ask one of the questions of this chapter. Do you want me to break the fourth wall in the Author's note? If not, just let me know. I usually did it as comedy relief, but I'll stop if you guys don't want it.
I don't own MFB. All OCs belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 6 Arrival, Part 1
"If there's one thing me and Rosalina like to do when I'm in Vivia, it's get a bunch of fruit from the markets! The strawberries and apple cider are really good!"
Ryutaro chuckled as his brother groaned and Titania led them down the marketplace stalls within the fall area of Vivia. The two princes had met up with his girlfriend earlier within the day, and The queen of Vivia had allowed them their time to relax and enjoy the culture of the plant based kingdom. Since Titania had been there the most, the silver haired princess had made it their goal to have a bit of fun while she waited for her little sister to arrive from Amour.
"If there's one thing that is delicious to try, it's gotta be the snow cones made from the fruits grown here in Vivia! On occasion they have syrup made from the fruit of Yggdrasil. They even use it to make candy sometimes and it's really sweet!" Titania exclaimed.
"You might wanna slow down on your explanations Titania. You're sounding like your little sister when it comes to stuff like this." Ranmaru pointed out, and immediately the silver haired Paladin's cheeks grew red with embarrassment.
"Sorry about that. It's just you know how I am with the cultures of different kingdoms."
"Hard to resist explaining it?" Ryutaro asked as his girlfriend stopped in front of a stall and paid for a bag of candied fruit.
"Exactly." Titania grinned as she popped a piece of the sweet treat in her mouth, "Besides, you know me. I try to leave the fighting to the battle field."
"Unless it involves Stratos' Kyoya Tategami. Or dresses."
"He's stubborn Ryutaro, and likes to pick fights. And for the record, I don't like wearing them cause I grew up wearing so many different dresses. If you wanna see me wear a dress, it's gonna be a formal party at the kingdoms, and that's all."
Both princes of Tarot and Serene chuckled as the group spotted a familiar pink haired 12 year old sitting on a bench with her bodyguard next to her. The pink haired girl noticed them as well, and quickly ran to greet her older sister with a hug. "Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! We're both Paladins sis!"
"I know Platina. How's mother doing?" Titania asked.
"Mom's been doing good. Still making clothes like usual. She made a new one for you." Platina admitted, "She told me to keep it a surprise, but I know my sister too well."
"You do. I try to visit you and mother once a month, but it's just been hectic these past 3 months. With between hunting parties this winter, and that negative magic presence, things have been busy and a little chaotic."
"I have to agree, that magic presence wasn't fun." Ryutaro admitted, a frown on his face as he placed the back of his hand on his forehead, an action not going unnoticed by his older brother.
"Still have a bad sensitivity to magic like me?" Ranmaru asked.
"Just to certain elements. From what mother was saying the magic was one that shouldn't have been there."
"Father said that as well when I sensed the magic as well. He was telling me that the princess of Vivia was ill from sensing it."
Titania frowned. "She's a mage and a person with Vivia blood. Life magic users are particularly sensitive to death magic. It can kill a person if they don't have a proper resistance to it. That said, Rosalina's usually more resistive to magic, but she just got her flower rune just prior to the magic pulsing out. The flower rune weakens a person for a day or two so that it can properly balance a life mage's magic and powers." The silver haired teen explained, "It's a custom here to make sure that life magic doesn't kill a person. They just make it more of a coming of age event though, as a person gets their flower rune when they turn 17."
"Well at least she'll be alright. Speaking of magic though, shouldn't we start heading to the castle? The meeting's gonna be starting within two hours or so," Ranmaru pointed out.
"Any specific reason you wanna be early to this? Are you trying to avoid something? Or..." Titania paused, and Ranmaru paled as a near maddening grin escaped the silver haired teen's lips, "Is it cause Arc's there?"
"Shut up!"
"Welcome to Vivia, Miroc. I hope you and your party enjoy your stay in our kingdom."
Rosalina watched alongside her mother as the King of Aquos and the paladin of water greeted them at the doorway before heading inside. It was only mid morning, yet already she had sensed that over half of the Paladins had arrived in Vivia, some of them just casually exploring the inside of the kingdom's largest point in the land. Already she had greeted the kings and queens of Stratos, Cryos, Aquos, Serene, Tarot, Eterna, and Amour. And she had hoped that the kingdom of Prism's party arrived soon.
"You seem bothered by something, my dear daughter. Is something worrying you?" Yuko asked as she smoothed out the red dress she wore.
Rosalina shook her head as she did the same to the red and orange dress she wore herself. "I'm just hoping the kingdom of Prism's traveling party gets here soon. It's been over 3 months since Dynamis and I have seen each other, and I have a feeling he's just as anxious to see me as well, right Amethystos?"
Both queen and princess turned to the purple ferret like familiar on Rosalina's shoulder, the other somewhat nervous from meeting all the people at the door. "I-I wish I knew Princess Rosalina. I can't fly like Slyph can. But I think he'll be happy to see you again." Amethystos stammered as she hid within the sleeve of the dress her master was currently wearing, a habit her familiar had when she was very nervous or shy.
Rosalina smiled as she looked up to greet the next kingdom's party, a shiver suddenly running down her back as she spotted the kingdom of Obscure's ruler. The king of Obscure currently lead the group, his pale skin and cropped ginger hair noticeable from a distance. It seemed the king decided to be formal in appearance, his outfit consisting of a black suit with a black button down shirt, a dark grey tie, and a pair of black dress shoes. Alongside him was his second in command, the young woman dressed in a long black dress with silver vine-like swirls on the skirt of it and her hair cascading like a shroud of darkness behind her.
"Welcome to Vivia, King Caspian. I hope you and your party enjoy your staying our Kingdom," Yuko greeted, shaking the King of Obscure's hand.
"Thank you, milady. I am glad to be able to attend this meeting in your kingdom," Caspian stated as he returned the greeting, flashing a charming grin to the queen as he also shook hands with Rosalina, "And you must be the crown princess of Vivia. I'm King Caspian Mckandless, the king of Obscure."
"R-Rosalina Tendo. It's a pleasure to m-" Before Rosalina could continue, she felt a wave of negative magic pulse out, causing her to grow slightly dizzy as she stumbled forward a bit.
"Are you alright milady? You seem a little pale," Caspian pointed out as he helped the princess regain her balance.
"I'm fine your majesty. I just had a dizzy spell. The pulse of magic we've been sensing lately have a negative reaction on my magic." The princess of Vivia admitted, and Caspian nodded in understanding.
"I understand. I hope that you will be well in time for the meeting." And with that, Caspian walked away, his party following quietly behind him.
"That was odd timing. Those pulses of death magic are getting harder to predict and even stronger," Yuko stated as she helped her daughter sit down, "Will you be alright Rosalina?"
Rosalina nodded, before frowning. "Maybe I should rest for a bit before the meeting. That was a lot stronger than the last pulse. Thank goodness I've recovered from my rune ceremony, otherwise it might've been worse," The red haired teen pointed out.
"If you would like, I can escort you to your room, milady."
A near invisible blush escaped Rosalina as she looked up, the kingdom of Prism's traveling party in front of them and Dynamis alongside his father. "I-It's fine Dynamis, I'll be alright. I-It's good to see you again though." The red haired Princess stated.
"You two Rosalina. It's been several months since we last met up. You've let your hair grow long again." Dynamis pointed out, causing Rosalina's blush to deepen.
"W-Well I thought with the spring equinox festival coming up, I figured I'd let it stay long for a bit longer till summer arrived. Darker hair absorbs more heat after all."
A giggle escaped Dynamis' sister behind them, and Rosalina gave Kana a wave as the trio initiated another conversation. On the side, Yuko gave a smile as she watched her daughter and her crush converse in their progress as mages and paladins. "Those three never change, do the Zane?" The queen of Vivia asked.
"Reminds me of when we were Paladins just a few years older than them. You and Tenchi were very close friends." Zane added, giving a somewhat sad half smile.
"You miss her, don't you?"
"All the time Yuko. I'd be lying if I said I didn't. Dynamis was only 7 when Tenchi was killed on a mission, and her killer was never found. The only thing found was her body in Obscure."
Yuko gave a small frown, before Zane shook his head. "Never mind that Yuko. The aura of a new generation is among us, and it calls for a celebration." The King of Prism stated, and a somewhat clever gleam appeared in his eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by the twin mages behind him.
"Your Majesty, are you thinking of maybe a tournament of sorts!?" Trixx asked.
"A team based one. What better way for Paladins to work together than to battle in teams of four. Eight teams, but only 1 group takes the prize, Trixx."
Whimsy giggled, the bells on her ankles ringing as she twirled. "Trixx, I think I know what that means! Don't you agree sis?"
"Of course Whimsy."
Yuko chuckled as she looked over at Zane. "Thinking of planning your yearly group tournament early?"
"A bit. My father did it when we became Paladins after all. What better than to have it on the day of the equinox festival."
"True. The day of balance is a perfect day to allow a tournament. It allows us to see the new strengths within our chosen heros at their bests."
"Exactly."
"This Place is beyond confusing. I must've passed that tree twice already."
Atlantia found her patience start to fade as she tried to navigate the castle's gardens with Arturia. The two had met up shortly after her kingdom's party arrived, and Atlantia decided to allow her sister to satisfy her curiosity of the magical plants that grew within Vivia's castle. "Well, we can't be too far from the center of it, seeing the tree above us." The fiery haired inventor pointed out.
The blue haired teen nodded as she looked up, gold and green leaves sparkling in the sun. The tree of Yggsdrail spiralled much higher than the other plants within the castle, the deep colored wood standing out against the others around it. If one looked carefully, they could see amber colored blooms starting to form on the tree's branches, some gleaming with gold colored liquid.
"It's a shame it isn't summer yet. I'd love to see the fruit of Yggsdrail's harvest." Atlantia admitted.
"So would I. But I heard that the honey harvest from it will be coming up on the day of the equinox festival."
Both Atlantia and Arturia jumped at the newcomer's voice, and turned to see the guard of Eterna joining them. The male had tanned skin, red-orange and brown hair, and piercing green eyes that reflected the greens of some of the plants around them. He wore the standard Eternian mages robes, those being silver and gold in color and were decorated with an assortment of medalions and badges.
"Well judging on the badges of the Eternian mages, you must be Nile Storm. You have quite a name for yourself in other kingdoms," Arturia pointed out.
"Says the alchemist who is considered a genius in other kingdoms. Our generation likes to make a habit of claiming titles though." Nile stated as he turned to Atlantia, "You must be Atlantia Kagami Lycoris. I've heard of your fighting skills from Titania when she visited your kingdom once. She said you go by many names. The Luminary of Atlantis, The Aqua Dancer, titles like that."
Atlantia smirked. "That was two years prior. I've polished my skill a lot more since then. I hope we get a chance to fight sometime. I'd like someone to face off against my mother's weapon that was passed down to me recently." The blue haired princess admitted as she grabbed the weapons that were equipped at her side and revealed to the Eternian mage.
Nile had to admit, they were a rather antique but rare set of blades. Atlantia's weapons were 6 chakrams made from silver and blue metals, the inner a light blue and the edges a pale sliver color. Etched onto the inner blue rings of each circular blade were rune markings made with pearl, ancient magic flowing from within them. The edges gleamed with a razor edge, something that was more common in a normal blade of the recent age.
"Orichalcum infused Mithril, pearl runes, and blessed by my mother's magic when she was the Paladin of water. Our bloodline has ancient blood in it, if you know what I mean." Atlantia explained.
"The lost kingdom of Atlantis. It was said that it was a kingdom within a distant land, one that was neighbors with Trinity's kingdoms. It was once said that Trinity was only a part of a larger collection of lands and kingdoms that expanded further out." Nile stated."
"Our ancestor was from Atlantis. She was the princess married into Aquos 1000 years ago, and later became the first paladin of water in Aquos. They say that many of Aquos natives have Atlantian blood within them. And I believe it. The current design of the castle looks like something from Atlantian scripts."
"You've seen them? I've heard Aquos had several manuscripts of Atlantian culture, but I've never seen them."
"That's because only a handful outside of Aquos have seen them. And only few have the right too." Atlantia paused as she dug into the blue bag that was by her side and pulled out an ancient appearing book. "Atlantis and Aquos were fairly close in resemblence to each other. the culture between them has their differences, but they're very similar in their crafts and trade."
"Fascinating! Mind if I take a look at the book?" Nile asked.
Atlantia smirked, and Arturia knew what her cousin was thinking. "Tell you what. There's word of a tournament coming up involving the Paladins and Guards. If your team can defeat mine, I'll allow you to satisfy your curiosity. But if I win, the same, only with some of Eterna's manuscripts of Divinity."
"Sounds like a fair deal to me."
"Oh dear, I think I'm lost again. Frost is never gonna let me live this down."
Yukina sighed as she walked down the halls of Vivia's castle, the peridot inner walls sparkling around her. She had left her room to search for the kingdom's gardens, curious to see if some of Cryos' magical plants were cultivated in the kingdom of life as well, but found herself growing lost without the guidance of her familiar, who had decided to rest while the other kingdom's parties arrived.
"Oh... This place is much more complex from the Kingdoms of Cryos and Stratos. I wonder if I can find any of the other Paladins if I keep walking around," Yukina wondered as she turned another corner.
"Welcome to Vivia, King Caspian. I hope you and your party enjoy your staying our Kingdom."
Yukina felt her heart race as she spotted the king of Obscure greeting the Queen and Princess of Vivia, and immediately hid behind a potted plant to watch the scene in front of her. Granted she knew that it was wrong to spy on people (She was sure that she would be scolded by Frost for both spying and getting lost), but the words from her Aunt's conversation with Lucas and her own conversation with Eirlys rang in her mind, and she wanted to separate fact from fiction. And so, she decide to trust her instinct as she watched the conversation in front of her unfold.
"Thank you, milady. I am glad to be able to attend this meeting in your kingdom," Caspian stated as he returned the greeting, and Yukina watched from afar as he also shook hands with the crown princess of Vivia, "And you must be the crown princess of Vivia. I'm King Caspian Mckandless, the king of Obscure."
"R-Rosalina Tendo. It's a pleasure to m-" But before Rosalina could continue, the red haired paladin stumbled, and an look of nausea crossed the other's face. But it was what the others sensed but didn't see, that made Yukina pale in fear.
Surrounding the king of Obscure was a pitch black aura that had pulsed out, a part of it stretching over his and Rosalina's hand shake.
Yukina nearly backtracked several feet around the corner, and she flung herself against the wall as she took several deep breaths. "That aura... What was it? It's like ones that I've seen in the past from warriors in Obscure who visit Stratos. But it... it felt really off..." Fear course through the paladin of wind as she heard footsteps from around the corner, and she immediately straightened up in a way to hide her fear. I will not justify being caught like this! If I show fear when I face him, he'll know that I was spying on him. No, I must keep a calm charade till I can find aunt Glacia.
With that, Yukina took a breath as the king of Obscure turned the corner, his right hand woman alongside him. A look of calm was on both of their faces, but even from where she was, the paladin of wind could see a near invisible smirk on Caspian's face. "You must be the Paladin of wind, Princess Yukina Fubuki, am I correct?"
"Y-Yes sir, that's right." Yukina stuttered, and she tried to study the blank face of Noir as Caspian's smirk widened.
"Tell me, how is my sons?"
Yukina gasped, and Caspian's face lit up with what she seemed was sadistic happiness. "Looks like I was right. You do know my sons. Your expression confirms that's all I need to know. Tell me, how is Lucas' skills."
"I-I..."
"What exactly is going on here?"
Yukina watched as Caspian turned to looked behind him, his smirk widening. "Ah, Shiro. I was wondering where you went to. Did you get caught up in the culture of Vivia." The male known as Shiro entered their view, and Yukina felt a wave of nostalgia escape her as she looked over the pale haired male. She couldn't help but feel as if she knew him, and judging by the look of surprise on the other, it was safe to say the other felt the same way as the King of Obscure turned his attention to the new arrival before continuing. "I was just introducing myself to the crown princess of Stratos and paladin of wind."
Shiro looked over at her, and she felt her heart pound with surprise as she recognized the scar on the other's neck. I-It can't be! Shiro-kun?
"I just got back from picking up some peanut brittle from the winter corner of Vivia. You know how I am with peanut brittle," Shiro stated, though judging by the sound of strained words, Yukina knew the other was lying through his teeth.
"I see. Well if that's all, I will retire to my room till the meeting's start. Come along Noir." Caspian replied as he walked past Yukina, the cold feeling of magic sending shudders down her spine as Noir followed her king.
A wave of awkwardness escaped the remaining two teens as they tried to figure out what to say. "So... I see you've grown up milady." Shiro pointed out, the other nodding as he continued. "I-I suppose you have a lot to ask. I'll talk about it next time we meet. For now, you should find Glacia."
Yukina nodded as Shiro walked away, a pulse of light green healing magic escaping him as he healed a cut on his arm. Worry filled the paladin of wind as she closed her eyes, and felt for her connection to her familiar.
"You called milady?" Red-purple eyes opened to see Frost at her feet waiting for her word.
"Help me find Lucas and my aunt. We need to discuss something."
You know, I never really got any questions on this cause I recently asked it myself. Where did the inspiration for the multiple kingdoms in one land come from? Well, the inspiration somewhat comes from the video game pokemon conquest (I recommend it if you want a good side game from pokemon). Each kingdom was based on a pokemon type (Gen 5 game so no fairy unfortunately.), and it was really fascinating. if you ever get the chance to play it, it's really interesting. There are a few kingdoms mentioned (Divinity, Atlantis) that will have a larger part in a later part of the story, but for now you'll just have to deal with learning background details on them.
Now before we get to the next bit of info, I have a really big announcement for this story! I now have a beta reader for Elemental! *runs around the room* That's right, my good friend Queen is beta-reading this story, since the two of us really make a good team with ideas for this story!
So next chapter we will get into the meeting, with every paladin and guard meeting. And if you thought the drama was intense in this chapter, well, let's just say you ain't seen nothing yet. Next chapter, we will see some bonds forming, lots of shipping hints (as if this one wasn't enough.), and for the cherry on top (I'm half anxious, half dreading the reviews on next chapter), the most evil cliffhanger yet (And if you guys read The Silver Angels Tournament, you guys should know I have a habit of being evil with my cliffhangers.)
Anyways, I'm gonna wrap this one up here. I originally had 2 questions of the day (One is at the top of this chapter.), but after writing Yukina's bit, I'm sure you guys will have questions on it. SO question #2: Why do you think Yukina was the only one who saw Caspian's magic? I'll actually answer it in a future chapter, but I wanna hear your answers as well.
And question #3: should I change my Penname on here? I'm gonna Keep Nexus Warrior in it, but I'm thinking of changing the first word in it. Should I change it, or should I stay Eternal Nexus Warrior. Let me know in the comments below, and if you want to, go check out the poll I set up on my profile for a list of first word ideas!
Okay, now that's all for this chapter. Until next chapter, this is Warrior signing off. Catch ya on the other side of the Nexus!