Darius was back on his perch within the sails and stayed there until the ship finally arrived in Begnion. Kaetar and Loiya together made sure that nothing was missing from their packs before coming off the ship. The prince doubled checked for his journal and grimaced when he realized that he was slowly running out of ink; he was down to one last bottle and it upset him. He found himself hoping that the necklace didn't grace him with more memories until he could get some more. He would hate to be miss something because he forgot to record something, or in the case of no ink, couldn't record anything.
Loiya huffed. Though his hair was starting to grow back, it was not the time to test out whether or not the haircuts were worth it. Kataer couldn't completely be comfortable in Begnion, despite the fact that he was surrounded by people. Loiya, Misha, Nicholas, Ema and Darius would undoubtedly protect him if they felt as though he was in danger. He wasn't sure about Nasir or Syrin. It was a question of Syrin's capabilities – as the carrier of the necklace, he felt he was worth something to the leader – and a question of how comfortable Nasir was with transforming.
Of course, Nasir could probably just scare anyone away just by transforming alone.
Kaetar spotted Nasir helping to place a backpack on Syrin's back and it was then that Kaetar realized how tough it would be for Syrin to be alone. His arm disabled him so many ways, especially if he couldn't put a backpack on by himself. He felt really bad for letting him go alone.
"Are you sure you don't need anyone with you?" Misha asked, voicing what Kaetar couldn't say. "I mean if you can't put a backpack on yourself..."
"I'll be fine," Syrin mumbled.
"I insist that someone comes with you, Syrin," Nasir stated softly. "I suggest that Darius comes with you. If he can fly you, then you don't need two months to travel to Grann and back. Travel time would be reduced to less than a month, would it not?"
Syrin sighed. "You have a point."
"You're just as stubborn as you were before," Nasir chuckled. "I wonder where that comes from, hm?"
"I don't know you're implying with that but I don't like it."
Darius fluttered down from his spot on the sails. Nasir removed the pack from Syrin's back. "No need to repeat anything."
"Good. Now transform," the leader demanded. Darius chuckled lightly before transforming, squatting as close to the ground as possible in his laguz form. Kaetar couldn't understand why until he watched Syrin struggle to swing his legs over while trying to keep his bad arm straight. Eventually, he admitted defeat and bent his arm, using it as an anchor to comfortably position himself on the raven's back. He was good at keeping the pain out of his face but his heavy breathing betrayed all of his efforts to show he wasn't in pain.
Misha clapped and was soon joined by Loiya. The two were joking but Kaetar thought it was kind of rude. Syrin simply glared as Darius picked the backpack up with his beak and took to the skies. Misha broke out in laughter.
"I can't believe that Darius had to bend that low!"
"At least it's Darius that's going. He's more tolerant than Ema is," Kaetar mumbled with a shrug. He glanced at the cat but she didn't seem to take any notice of the conversation.
"Wait, Nasir, you said you knew Syrin right?" Loiya suddenly mentioned.
"Yes, why?"
"You just sounded like you knew something about him that he didn't."
Kaetar cursed himself for missing that.
"You could say that, Loiya. It's more... speculation than anything else, however. I have not confronted the people involved as it is not my business to do so," Nasir answered simply. Though Syrin denied it, Kaetar had a sneaking suspicion that the leader knew what the dragon was talking about. There was something between the two of them that they didn't seem to want to share. And it was making it extremely difficult to learn anything from them.
"So what is that we do for the next month then?" Nicholas asked.
"Kaetar and I will be training!" Loiya smiled, even though Kaetar didn't know how to train with Loiya when he considered their weapons. It was a direct melee weapon against a ranged weapon. Perhaps they would train separately in the same area?
"I think we can all use some training. I mean, even Nicholas needs to familiarize himself with the tomes he's using and he especially needs to be able to dodge," Misha mumbled with a shrug.
"Then how to do we go about this?" Ema mumbled. "I never needed to train with more than one person before."
"We could do it in rounds. Kaetar should fire arrows at us first to improve his aim and our ability to dodge. We can make a game out of this! Last one not hit with an arrow wins!" Nicholas suggested. "My treat!"
"Why would you of all people make this game up? You would be the one hurt the most if you got hit with an arrow!" the bodyguard exclaimed.
"Ah, but I don't intend on losing," Nicholas answered with a smirk.
"We have to find training grounds first. It would be bad if Kaetar missed at a place as busy as this and I'm positive that he'll miss," Misha mumbled with a small smirk.
"Geez, thanks Misha," Kaetar mumbled, rolling his eyes. The prince wasn't sure if she was joking about his skills or hers, but it didn't exactly help him feel any better. It was a long time since he saw the red-headed Soren, so he would surprised if he could even fire an arrow after spending so long on the boat. He felt that he needed practice on his own first before he embarrassed himself in front of others.
"If you're going to play your game, you better leave now," Nasir muttered, his tone serious.
"Something wrong?" Loiya asked.
"Oh, I see it. There are Begnion soldiers over there..." Misha stated.
"I'm not scared of Begnion... they shouldn't recognize us, right?" Kaetar mumbled, quickly second guessing himself. He wasn't sure if it was a normal thing for guards to reside at a port but something told him that it wasn't right. Something wasn't right and Nasir must have picked up on it. If Nasir didn't like it, Kaetar didn't want anything to do with it.
"We need to go!" Nasir warned. Kaetar began to follow him until they were stopped by other guards. They pointed their lances at Kaetar and Nasir, though the entire group had their hands raised in sight of the lances. The bodyguard eventually found his way to Kaetar's side, his lance abandoned and his hands raised.
"Which one of you is Prince Kaetar of Daein?" a sentinel asked as he made his way to the front of the crowd. Kaetar caught Nasir glancing at him but he couldn't read what his eyes were telling him. Syrin was always the voice of good advice but he had taken off with Darius and Kaetar was now left to fend for himself.
Yet there was no reason why Kaetar and Loiya had to endanger anyone else. If Begnion hurt him whatsoever, there was going to be war – surely no one would harm him if he cooperated.
"I am," Kaetar responded as he stepped towards the sentinel. Loiya, ever so faithful, followed. "And that's my bodyguard."
The sentinel looked at him in disbelief and the prince could guess why. There was nothing about Kaetar that indicated royalty; no badge, no crown, no majestic clothing. Nothing. Then there was his bodyguard. Loiya without his armour might as well been a peasant with strange hair to everyone else. Anyone in the Daein military would have recognized him before his haircut, whether he was wearing armour or not.
The man stepped closer, cupping the prince's jaw with one hand and jerked his head up. Loiya hissed. Golden eyes met brown ones and for a moment Kaetar wanted to shrink back but he stood his ground. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the leader dropped his hand.
"I would never have guessed it was you if it was not for your eye colour," the man growled. "Lances down! We only want these two!"
"What? No! Everyone is coming!" Kaetar shouted back.
"Empress Serena has orders for only two – you and your bodyguard. We don't care for anyone else, understand?"
"Yes but it doesn't mean that I'm going to leave without my friends. If I can have my friends, then I'll come with you peacefully and with no trouble at all!"
"Kaetar, they'll just let their lances do the talking," Loiya whispered into his ear.
"Perhaps but if any of my blood is split on their terms my father will hear about it," Kaetar murmured about.
"Fine. Whatever your Highness sees fit. However, I must ask that everyone remove any weapons from their body," the leader answered after a moment. Loiya's lance was already abandoned on the ground so that is where everyone decided to drop their stuff. Loiya threw in a knife still in its stealth while Misha tossed down her lance, Nicholas added two tomes to the pile, and Kaetar gently put the bow and the arrows into the pile on top. The two laguz in the mix didn't have anything to offer, though Kaetar couldn't help but to wonder what Syrin would have added to the pile if he had been here.
The trip to the capital was torture. Kaetar had never had to walk for so long in his life – he was used to getting a break if he was tired. Even Syrin would eventually admit defeat if the prince begged enough but it wasn't much of a problem when they got the carriage. At that point, it was simply boredom.
There was also the issue of the soldiers walking with them. As they marched, there were lances pointed at Kaetar constantly; unnerving at first but it didn't bother Kaetar when exhaustion took over and he ceased to care. The lances probably weren't for him anyway. He was the only one of them that was born with noble blood and as such, he was being used to keep everyone else in check. If it wasn't for the lances, he was sure that Ema would have transformed to do something about their current situation. Loyia would help.
But at the same time, they couldn't cause another war. Kaetar wasn't sure if a few Begnion deaths would cause a war but everyone seem so sensitive and it made him uneasy. It was like everyone was trying too hard to prevent a war in the wake of the last wars – just how long would the charade last? Wouldn't war break out anyway despite their efforts? All it took was for one jerk to find power for one major conflict to appear somewhere.
That must have been what happened in Crimea as well. To turn Ike into a God and enforce him as such couldn't be done by someone of low class. If a commoner tried, everyone would merely laugh but perhaps a noble had that sort of influence. Or perhaps an adviser? Ramon had some of those didn't he? Wait, he had more than one. He couldn't remember the meeting perfectly but he had advisers with him.
Kaetar was suddenly pulled back by Nasir's hand. It took him a moment to realize that the soldiers stopped suddenly for a discussion and he nearly walked into the lances that held everyone else hostage. It would have been a bad situation had Nasir been focused on something else.
"You seem focused," Nasir stated.
"I was just thinking," Kaetar mumbled.
"It would seem that you are always thinking."
"I'm just trying to figure out who could have wanted to turn Ike into a God. Who benefits from that?" the prince asked.
"Religion can grant someone a lot of power. People want to believe something and want some sort of explanation for what they can't explain themselves. Not everyone knows or believes in Asheruna. And to choose Ike as a God... it would not be a far cry from how he was treated in Crimean history anyway," the dragon explained.
"Do you mean that he was glorified?"
Nasir looked at him sternly. "Tell me, Kaetar. How does Daein view Micaiah? As a saviour of Daein, the one who captured the heart of all. Her achievements are great but not everything that is said about her could be true. Ike is the Crimean Micaiah, or perhaps you could argue that your Micaiah is the Daein Ike, no? It's not hard to give all credit to one person, to glorify the hero and forget everyone else."
"And that's how history becomes distorted," Kaetar sighed.
"History is bound to be distorted in some ways. You can't help that."
Kaetar didn't really want to believe that but he came across it before. Two slightly variants of a story, where the major point was conserved but the little details changes. Sometimes, he found trivial facts that he couldn't find anywhere else. The worst part about history was separating the facts from fiction and sometimes, it just seemed impossible.
"I see... but the question still stands. Who in Crimea would benefit?" Kaetar mumbled. He knew and understood what Nasir said. It wouldn't take a very long time for people to stop questioning Ike's status, considering everything he did. His actions could be considered god-Like. However, Kaetar had his doubts that it was something that Ramon approved of and understood completely. He just didn't look to be the type to be mastermind of it all from the very start.
"I'm afraid I don't have all the answers. I haven't stepped foot in Crimea in a long time. I have only heard of Ramon so I know nothing of his court," the dragon shrugged.
Was it ever going to be that easy? There was someone behind the scenes but they didn't know who it was. How typical.
Perhaps the stranger in the forest had an something to with it. He nearly forgot about the experience and the warning but it all came back to him. He doubted that whoever stabbed Loiya would benefit from Ike's divine promotion but maybe he was related. Why would anyone else try to keep them out? Maybe he was merely a messenger for someone who had more power.
"If you two are done speaking, you're free to rest your legs so long as you stay in our sight," one of the soldiers stated. There was a collective sigh of relief as the rebel group plopped down on the grass, the exception being Nasir and Ema who simply sat down.
"That took more out of me than it should have," Loiya mumbled breathlessly. "I don't remember the last time I had to walk for that long."
"You don't do marches?" Misha questioned, raising her eyebrow.
"Me personally? No, not a lot. I'm with this one and he doesn't march," Loiya muttered, pointing at the prince with the end of his thumb.
It was true. Though Loiya could be found at the base some days to keep up with his training, meaning that one of the Four Riders had to keep an eye on Kaetar, he never joined up with them for their marches. No one was quite sure of Loiya's position in the military or even if he was considered to be part of the military. He didn't participate in the regular activities of the army yet he had a class and armour like anyone in the military did.
"If he went on a march then I suppose I would go on a march but he doesn't do that on a regular basis," Loiya added.
"Obviously," Misha mumbled. "If I wasn't on a boat for the last couple of months then I would be in perfect shape for this kind of march. They used to make us march around Melior for hours and our supervisors took their horses. Do you know how annoying it is to have someone ride a horse past you when you've been marching?"
"I invited you to stretch with me," Ema hushed, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"Sounds like you have no grounds for complaints now do you, Misha?" Loiya laughed.
"You could have kept yourself in shape too! You complained first!" Kaetar exclaimed. Loiya only continued to laugh but eventually stopped and was left panting. Nicholas merely shrugged and looked away. He looked like he didn't even know what to make of Loiya and neither did Kaetar. In fact, he didn't even look like he cared that much anymore. He just looked exhausted – even Nicholas had a limit.
"Break is over!"
The group reluctantly stood up.
When they arrived in Sienne, Kaetar counted his blessings. Sure, he was under arrest or at least he assumed to be, but everyone made it to Sienne alive with sunlight to spare. Syrin and Darius could even have finished their journey to Grann. The raven had good stamina and he could fly for a good portion of the day without much rest. Kaetar didn't know how he did it, only that he could. The only problem was that Darius could not carry everyone back. He was a bird for one man or maybe two small children.
But now he had to face the court in Begnion and Serena herself. He was never in the same room with his... distant relative – as far as he figured – alone before. She looked pretty but Kaetar could remember that he was struck by her coldness. Perhaps it was just a trait of the Begnion court and she simply didn't know better? He gulped. Loiya would be behind him but he was utterly useless with politics, especially if Kaetar wasn't sure if he could even read properly. The prince was also doubtful that Nasir could come. He was the only other person who could battle using wits but Serena just requested the two of them.
When the group reached the castle square, the lances stayed up but the troops stopped and Kaetar was careful about his steps. The citizens glanced at them and then quickly went their way.
Sienne was a place that Kaetar couldn't even have dreamed of unless it was by the aide of the silver jewelry around his neck. The buildings were all tall and looked rather polished. It was like the city simply radiated light just like Melior did but to a greater extent. Was that to be expected from a city that was home to some of his ancestors? But beyond the radiance, Kaetar did notice beggars and the dark alleyways that somehow reminded him of Nevassa. It was a city that was no different then others – a beautiful town that shared poverty like the rest of Tellius.
The leader turned towards the group.
"The prince and his bodyguard shall come with me. The rest of you are to stay at the inn. Tell them that Yugris sent you. I'll have a soldier bring you updates," the leader mumbled. Yugris must have someone rather influential if he could get the rest of the group a place to stay. Kaetar and Loiya looked back.
Ema nodded her head and smirked. Misha merely smiled and shrugged. Nicholas raised one thumb while Nasir simply nodded. It was time for departures – who knew if they would see each other again? Kaetar felt nothing but support. However, he was aware of the fact that Serena could very well send him home - where he would never be allowed to leave the keep again. He was sure that everyone else figured it too but they seemed hopeful that it would not be their last encounter.
Loiya and Kaetar were silent while the soldiers began talking amongst themselves. Yugris led them to Serena. Kaetar felt more like a prisoner there than he did on the road. He was in public with only Loiya as his support and he didn't provide much. The bodyguard seemed distant and stared at his feet.
Going home would hurt Loiya a lot more than it would hurt Kaetar. Kaetar would be punished but his father would be stupid to disown him. He was the only heir after all and he didn't have time to start over with a new child. Loiya on the other hand could be fired for not stopping the prince from leaving. It was worse than a death sentence. He was the only source of income for his family, so losing his job would be beyond devastating.
"This is Mainal Cathedral. I have a feeling that this your first visit to Sienne with all of the gawking that you were doing. This is where Empress Serena lives and all of the Empresses before her, did," Yugris explained with a half a smile. "My family has served them faithfully for many generations. That's the one thing that doesn't change in culture is the fact that there is pride in the generations before you and after you."
"How thoughtful," Kaetar mumbled.
Mainal Cathedral on the inside was nothing special to Kaetar. It reminded him a lot of home, just a different colour. He was not a stranger to an extravagance in a leader's home. Additionally, it didn't look much different from the outside – it just was missing the poverty. He saw it all before and it wasn't as exciting the first time. Loiya seemed to think differently but that was just Kaetar trying to read the emotions on his bodyguard's face.
Finally, the soldiers stopped. Yugris stopped and pulled open a set of ornate doors. Loiya bowed to one knee immediately.
Serena was on the other side, her legs reclined on the desk in front of her. He black hair was all the way down, her shoulders bare and so were the majority of her legs. He never saw anyone in the position of power reveal themselves so readily. She was wearing a pale blue dress with a dark blue shawl-looking cloth over top but it was tight just below her shoulders.
"Hmm. Nice hair cut, Kaetar and ..."
"Loiya. His name is Loiya," Kaetar finished.
"That's right. Kaetar and Loyia. Yugris, shut the doors. I'm speaking with these two alone and for goodness sake's Loiya, pick yourself up – I don't care for formalities right now. I hate talking to a face I can't see anyway. I have two perfectly fine chairs here!" She pointed down to two red seats in front of her desk.
"We have only met once before but I have never seen your bodyguard," she stated, shrugging her bare shoulders. "But that's not a big problem. I shall remember his name."
"What did you want us for? You had your men waiting for us."
"A chat. It's awfully boring in the cathedral. I find most palaces boring in fact but it's the worst here when everyone is too careful to speak to you. At least in the other palaces, you could talk to the other kings. Have you ever experienced that? Either they won't talk or they're so careful that they turn fake."
She wanted a talk. No, she wanted more than that. They couldn't be here for the sole reason that the empress was feeling chatty.
"Don't be quiet now. If I don't get what I want then you won't get what you want," she chuckled, placing a finger on her lower lip. "How about you tell me a little of what's going on in Crimea?"
"In Crimea? So it's no secret then?" Loiya piped up.
"No. King Adrien already figured that you must have some part in the rebellion. He figured that it be too tempting for two teenaged boys to stay out of and he appears to be right. However, the rebellion has been quiet hasn't it?" Serena jerked her head to the side as if to get a better look at Loiya.
"We have been but that's because we're not in Crimea. We'll back soon enough," Loiya scowled.
"Aww, did I hit a nerve, honey? You have a cute bodyguard, Kaetar. I like his tan... Heh, if only more men had a tan that lasted forever, then I would be all set," Serena grinned. Loiya sighed. He was slightly darker than the general Daein population, making him look permanently tanned but nothing more. It wasn't even a very dark tan. It was the first time that Kaetar ever heard anyone comment about it but his bodyguard looked like he heard it all before. Maybe one too many people called him cute when he was a kid.
Not to mention that fact that Serena was in her mid to late twenties and she was calling him cute. That wouldn't make Kaetar very happy either.
"Anyway, I suppose I shall cut the chase, dears. You ran away during our week-long stay within Daein, so your father could discuss the matter with everyone immediately. He even passed your cute little letter around. He wants us to turn you in when we found you. My sources told me that you were coming to Begnion so I had soldiers waiting at all the ports in Begnion," Serena explained quickly with a small shrug.
"But why? Who cares about what my father says?" Kaetar mumbled with a frown.
"I do and so does Kurthnaga, Skrimir and Tibarn! This peace we have amongst ourselves will only last so long as we all cooperate with each other. It's easier to hand you over than it is to have to answer to Daein. Surely you can respect the effort required from the laguz kings along with Micaiah, Sanaki and Elincia to ensure that there have been no major wars for a century and a half?" Serena moved her legs under the table and leaned back in the chair.
Kaetar smirked. "You're just scared."
"Scared? What do I have to be scared about?" she asked with a huff, clearly offended.
"Scared that Daein will beat you. Our Wyverns are incomparable and Begnion isn't as large as it used to be now that you no longer own the Serenes Forest or Grann. Begnion is not the empire that it was a century and a half ago! And this is why you answer to my father of all people," Kaetar answered, trying to keep his voice from quivering. He felt as though he turned the blade on himself by battling wits with Serena. He was going home either way. He just dug his own grave.
"Kaetar..." Loiya warned, his voice low.
"I'm not scared of you! My army could totally take on the Daein army!"
"I don't believe that there is a big difference in numbers between our armies but we have air superiority. Our wyverns are better than the fragile pegasus knights and more disciplined then your wyvern riders," Kaetar countered.
"Your wyvern knights belonged to Begnion!"
"They're not yours anymore! They haven't been since Ashnard ruled! It's not my fault that the senate back then chased them all away!"
"Can't we just agree that war is not desirable on other side?" Loiya cut in, standing from his chair. "The point here is that we still intend to help the rebellion and that's Kaetar's decision! I will follow wherever he decides to go and not you or his father will stop that! Quite frankly, the experience is actually good for Kaetar. At least he knows what the actual world looks like now and it's nothing at all like this bullshit that you have here or the bullshit that he has home!"
Silence followed and Loiya slowly found his seat again. He looked like a child who knew that they were going to spanked.
Serena chuckled. "I'm surprised. You spent the entire time here almost in complete silence and then you come up with that! You even used indecent language! If it wasn't so boring I would have you punished, but that kind of language is strangely refreshing. No one has ever used the word "bullshit" towards me."
There was another moment was silence.
"You aren't noble are you, Loiya? Is that why you know such language?"
"I don't feel like speaking anymore," Loiya responded slowly as he sank into his chair.
"After that big speech? What a shame. You're not in trouble, you know. This is the most entrainment I've had in a long time," Serena mumbled, leaning over the table. "It's nice to have some play time instead of working all the time, isn't it?"
"Cut to the chase, Serena. Are you send us home or not?"
"I don't think I will because I'm not scared of your military. But why come to Begnion in the first place?"
"We're trying to get recruits from Grann but we only sent two so that means the rest of us have to stay here until they return," Kaetar explained, patting Loiya on the back. His bodyguard was still tense.
"Have you thought of where you were going to stay while you were here?" Serena asked, sinking back into her chair and propping herself up with her hand. Kaetar would have been surprised that she would sit that, seemingly bored and unattentive, but it was the most appropriate sitting position he saw all day. Her arm on her desk was far better than her nearly naked legs on the table or laying down on the table like she was doing moments before. She would be considered improper but it seemed as though she stopped caring a long time ago, especially with only Kaetar and his bodyguard in the room.
The prince doubted that she stretch across a table or expose her legs like that in front of the other kings.
"No, not really. I have enough to pay for an inn while I'm here but that would leave me broke," Kaetar admitted. It didn't seem as though Syrin cared about what they did. He only cared that he could garner favour from the citizens of Grann.
"And who have you brought along?"
"There is Loiya, Nicholas, Ema, Misha and Nasir. Nicholas is a thunder mage, Ema is cat laguz, Misha is a Crimean soldier and Nasir is a dragon laguz but I don't think he'll ever transform even to scare someone." Kaetar shook his head. He really wanted to see how big a dragon laguz could be. Nasir's presence alone ruffled Darius' feathers. He had to be amazing.
"Interesting. If there are people that are capable of fighting, then I'll hide you in my army. Until your friends get back, you will wear my country's uniform and stay in the barracks. Just in case someone decides to surprise me," Serena grinned.
"No way!" Loiya shouted. "I'm not wearing your colours!"
"You have no choice. If you want to learn about this world, then you listen to me or I'll just send you home. It's your choice! Also, you have to fight if there are problems of course. Lately there have been a lot of bandit attacks in the cities surrounding Sienne..." the empress shrugged. "That will be your job! Yugris!"
The leader from before entered the room. "Yes, Empress?"
"I want you to get everyone that you arrested and dress them under our flag! They are spending a month with our military! Everyone is to treat them as if they are no different from other Begnion soldiers!"
I thought I mentioned somewhere that Loiya had a slightly darker complexion. That's the way I always say him as, but as it turns out, I might not have mentioned it at all. Oops. Now you know!
I wished I could update even monthly but school is a little unpredictable at times and I also seem to be busy or I'm plagued with writer's block. One or the other. Either way, I'm determined to finish this, so I can guarantee that I won't forget about it. I can't guarantee that reviewing makes it go faster but I can say that it does make me more determined to write. Knowing that people read and like this makes me happy. I'm terrible at responding - I'm kind of shy - but I still appreciate them.
As far as Betas go, I'm not sure how to go about it. Editing is a bit of a drag but it's habit to look and look and look. How annoying.