'Someone with an unhealthy obsession that would drive them to do some crazy deeds and the other one is well hated by our people and is willing to cut both of the royals heads off?'
'What could the Avatar mean by that?' Natalie train of thought would always reach a complete halt at that very moment.
She was soon approached by her subordinates that served in her battalion, under her personal command, before she ambled back inside of the cube-shape room that was her office.
The young woman settles in her leather black office chair, leans back, and props her feet up. She would often assume this position whenever her thoughts were in a limbo.
'I need to start off with the second part of the riddle.' Her mind reflected on what the Avatar revealed to her after she spent an exhausted amount of time with him on that 'date'.
'There are some common enemies of ours that I personally had to deal with but none like the ones known as the Trogs. There is a deep sense of hatred implanted when I think of those baboons.'
'That's the perfect answer!'
'So then why would a Trog team up with someone with an obsession that would drive them to do some crazy deeds?' The captain brushes the thought off when a knock brings her attention to the door and sees her dad there.
"You look as if you got a lot on your plate. Want to talk about?" Rick inquries after he studies the current expression on his daughter's face.
"That's because I do. I was forced to sit down and have lunch with the Avatar of all people…" Her father cuts her off after he hears the Avatar's name.
"Jordan had lunch with you?! Oh, I do believe someone has a little admirer hanging around Nourasia." He playfully teased her as if he was a little child who found out his friend had a crush on some cute girl.
"Rick, act your age now." The raven haired woman strictly reprimands him as it seems she sounds more like the adult instead of the child at that moment.
"Oh come on now, it was a little joke you know, lighten up a little." Rick jokingly advises with a smile evident on his face.
"Like I said earlier before you decided to revisit your childhood, the Avatar gave me some rather vague details or clues on what the reports that I've been receiving daily from my soldiers." The young woman starts off the story for her father.
"So what was it that he said that has your mind thinking in loops and loops?" The older male inquisitively questioned about what was discussed over lunch.
"Someone with an unhealthy obsession that would drive them to do some crazy deeds and the other one is well hated by our people and is willing to cut both of the royals heads off?" His daughter repeated verbatim what was told to her.
"No wonder your brain is tied. That's something that I can't even think of where to start at." Her father honestly admits after he lays his head down on her desk.
"So you have no solution for me either? Ugh, you're no help at all! You know that!" Natalie grumbles once she removes her feet from on top of her desk and raise to her feet.
"Well just like you said earlier I do need to take a break, I'll be on the balcony if any of my solider requests me." She attempts to sound polite as possible but her tone made it sound like an order.
"Will do Captain." Rick jokes as he removes himself from the chair that he currently sits in and instead occupies Natalie's chair.
0000
Eva was feeling as if she were dancing and listening to the everlasting melody from the pristine water fountain forever. However, a sudden kick to her stomach jolts her from the peaceful reverie.
"Is there something wrong?" Aikka's tone was filled with worry when he asked her.
He instantly brings their dance to a halt once he feels her suddenly pulls away from him.
"This fellow in here thinks otherwise if we can keep going." She quipped about her stomach while she rubbed it to soothe the pain from the kick that she just received.
The Noursaian chuckled at what his wife said from earlier when her face showed him that she was dead serious about what she just said.
"It's no problem at all. I have an idea...we can go by and see how the twins are doing. After all, there's someone that wants to see you once when we get there." The young man discloses.
They then leisurely travel across the Nourasia Priest Water Fountain until their feet touch the mountainside steps.
"I wonder who that could be?" His wife mutters aloud to herself in order to think of who it could be that would want to see her while she slides back in her slippers.
"Oh? It shouldn't be that difficult even for you." The orange haired male hints at the identity of who it is.
"I don't feel like playing along so how long is it going to take for us to make it to where the twins are?" The pregnant woman probes about the location of their children.
"Not too far actually, just about ten minutes from here."
"After all, I was planning to go visit them anyway. Now I have the ultimate pleasure of taking you along with me today." Aikka happily conveyed since that was the original reason why we came out today.
"...and you just couldn't help but take a detour with me?" Eva retorts at her husband as she leans in to his body for comfort.
"You got that right!" He proudly boasted after he made sure that she was closer to the wall of the mountain rather than the edge of the cliff.
"I have high hopes for Natalie and the upcoming race for Oban, don't you?" She changes the topic of their conversation.
"She will perform just like she does on the battlefield but there is always someone better though." The Noursaian reassures his wife's of their choice.
"Oh and would this person be just an arm length or could it be your wife or could it be the Queen of Nourasia?"
"Let me know if I'm getting any warmer?" The raven haired with crimson tips throws out hints since she now knows who he talks about...her.
"I do believe that you have burned the toast to a crisp then." The young man confirms, which causes her to laugh at his response.
0000
Natalie was secretly elated that the balcony was clear of any soldiers.
No military officers would ever dare step out there since it was a liability that they may be unexpectedly attacked by Noursaia's enemies at any time.
However, on certain occasions, some would trod out there however not by themselves. They were usually occupied by another officer or a solider that was off duty.
She was never one to strictly adhere by the rules unless it was a battle situation or wherever it was deemed necessary needed.
The solider was simply enjoying the breathtaking view of Noursaia's landscape that the balcony was providing them.
"You know that I can have you arrested for attempting to learn about Noursaia's military secrets, harassing a high ranking officer, stalking and possibly enacting high treason against a Royal guard."
"Yet, since you know the king and queen personally then it is of no use but due answer this question…why do you keep following me around?" She gives the figure the third degree before she feels a breeze grazes against her face.
"You make it no fun, you know? Are you always a kill joy?" A cloaked figure coyly posed the question to her back.
"I know...that's how I earn my respect around here. Besides if I was such a kill joy, it appeared to me that you throughly enjoyed yourself at our lunch the other day." The young woman casually fires back at the cloak figure with her back to him.
"Wow, I didn't know you had it in you, Natalie."
"Aren't you just full of surprises?! I wonder what else you are hiding?" He curiously wondered as he now sat on the engraved stone bench.
"Too bad you won't know that, Avatar." Another voice that did not belong to the pair answers, which directs their sights toward the entrance/exit.
The voice belonged to none other then Rick.
"It's good to see you too, Jordan."
"I see that you've been doing your job or we wouldn't be in this nice peaceful setting that we have here, right Natalie?" He poses to her as his tone was not angry nor pleasant.
The older man simply addresses him like any regular soldier under his command.
"It's good to see you too, Rick. I see that you are still working as hard as you always do. The years have been kind to you." The Avatar cordially greets him before he reappears behind Natalie this time.
"Oh well then, I will leave you two to whatever business you have to discuss but do make it brief or I will have to report you to our officials Jordan." The raven haired male advises after he pushes himself away from the slab and disappears behind the wall.
"That went...well." The golden figure mumbles to himself before he twists around to face Natalie again.
"Okay what's your business for being here, at least tell me that much?" The captain demands since she was not going to budge one bit.
"Alright, listen here, I know that I was kind of giving you some vague clues about what's occuring but that's all I can give you since I am kinda of sworn by certain intergalactic oath that I'm not to tamper with or in any of the planet's social or political scandals."
"It seems as if a certain Princess has their eyes set on the throne and doesn't really care, who sits by your king's side as long as it is them." The young man issues another riddle to Natalie.
"That's just like the last one you told me, that is no…wait a minute hold on," She cuts herself off once she realizes exactly what he just tells her.
"Princesses are very rare around here in Noursaia. Since most of them have either been married or have already staked their claim to their birthright to the throne."
"However, there are some occasions where some Princesses lose out on who they particularly want. They end up courting someone that's a commoner, peasant, or maybe someone who does not belong here."
"This often times lead to a void in their heart, which could only be filled with false fantasies that can only be acquired by…stalking." Jordan merely observes her as she works through the riddles while she paces left and right.
"So am I on the right track?" The raven haired woman was pausing mid-stride during her pacing, facing him, and asking him a question.
"I can't tell you that but your hint should arrive in three…two…one." He hints before he disappears when a solider appears before her.
"Ma'am, an official visit is in order from Princess Mai on Royal Family business." The soldier reports to her since that was the hint that the Avatar alludes to during their chat.
'So I finally figured out who the identity of our stalker is...' The young woman deems to herself before she mutters a 'thank you' to the wind as if to send a secret message off to the him.
0000
Kieran eventually discovered a hideaway that would keep him safe from the eyes of the other hunters. However, his plan was tampered with when he heard a familiar yet absolutely annoying voice called his name out.
His sights turn to spot Morose. She was running at top speed toward him with hearts floating from her eyes and arms extending forward as if to enclose him within them.
'I thought Kiera had taken care of this problem for me.' The young boy presumes to himself when he listens to leaves crunch underneath footsteps near them.
From his personal lessons before Master Canaan, he recalls being able to recognize that as a sign that the enemy is near.
His eyes watch as her mouth opens as if she was about to scream out his name. An arrow unexpectedly whizzes pass his ear, nearly grazes his head, and directly connects to her stomach.
"Ouch, that crap hurt!" She angrily shouts after she removes the arrow from her stomach.
Morose swiftly peers down to see what paint color was left from the felt arrow tip.
Kieran used her stunned expression as a opportunity to escape from her sights when he heard her scream at the top of her lungs, "Kiera, you're so dead!"
The sound of more arrows being released was heard followed by more annoyed screams from the girl.
'Her anger is making herself a viable target.'
'Good thing, I left before they shot those arrows.' He concludes after he easily leaps over a log before he spots his sister ducks behind a tree trunk.
"I see you were able to get the first shot off without any hassle." Kieran lips to his sister as his mind replays back to the arrow that closely flies by his head.
"Oh that?! That was nothing. You know...I was glad that I hid my skills earlier or I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself in this game." Kiera honestly admits before she releases a small chuckle.
"Yeah but that wasn't a bad shot though sis." He was complimenting his sister, who was steadily preparing her arrow and firing another shot at a shadow that was resembling a deer with antlers.
"Hey! Watch where you're aiming?!" A masculine voice irritably shouted to whoever fire the arrow.
"Then you better get going…after all you are the deer and my partner." The young girl exchanges a joke with her twin brother
He then proceeds to escape while she releases another arrow in that same direction.
0000
"It seems as if it's empty here." Eva states the obvious before a servant lady emerges from the house, whose structure reflects more of a dojo then a living residence.
"Master Canaan has taken the students out for a game of hunters and deers. Would you like to sit down and wait for them or would you like to watch?" The servant lady politely asks them.
"A game of hunters and deers?" She repeated since she personally did not like the sound of the game that her children were currently involved in.
"It doesn't sound that bad Eva." Her husband instantly makes known, "Actually, it is more of a teaching game for the students, who aren't very good at Archery."
"The hunters are usually average or below while the students, who excel in the class are the deer. Whoever color appears the most on the deers win." The king explains the rules of the game to his wife.
"Oh...I get it. Is that invitation to watch the game still on?" The queen queries.
The raven haired woman with crimson tips instantly became curious as to which one of her child would be the deer or the hunter or maybe they were both deers or both were hunters.
"Yes, milady, right this way, please." The servant lady was responding before she guiding the king and queen inside of the viewing room.
Upon entering inside of the room, the pregnant was curiously posing to the group, "May I ask, who are the hunters and the deer?"
All of their attention was now directed toward her and her husband.
"It's the king and queen." A voice broadcasts, which causes the group to simultaneously bow out of respect.
"Hold on I got this," The orange haired male softly whispers to his wife, "We appericate your show of gratitude and love for your Noursaia Kingdom,"
"But please, me and my wife are here to watch our children in their game that Master Canaan has offered. If you don't mind...could you inform us of who is what and what is happening now?"
"The deer as you know have some of the best Archery scores in the class. They are Morose, Raul, Davis, Shun and Kieran. The hunters that have the lowest scores are Norm, Molly, John, Lola and Kiera."
"They are marked by certain colors that range from blue to red. Blue: Norm, Purple: Molly, Yellow: John, Green: Lola and Red: Kiera."
"So far Morose has been struck by red twice, yellow three times, and purple once." One of the servants divulges to them the results.
Her crimson eyes directly stares at what appears to be a mirror that freely floats in the air.
"You forgot that they have partners as well!" Another servant promptly interjects in their conversation.
"The partners are Norm and Morose, Molly and Raul, John and Davis, Shun and Lola and the ever so diabolic...I mean the nicest pair of twins, Kiera and Kieran." The servant swiftly catches herself before she speaks bad about the twins.
It was quiet for a little while until the queen's voice was cutting through the pending silence, "Well then pull me up a chair, we will stay and watch with you all. If you don't mind our presence that is?" The pregnant woman requested since she felt obligated too.
"We would be delighted." This time it was the first servant lady that showed them inside of the room, who spoke to them.
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Author's Notes:
11.27.16 Major editing revision
Major editing cleaning 06.23.17