Tonight's moon is big and beautiful, lightening the courtyard with its soft warm glow. Zannanza cheers, clanking his wine cup with his brother's.
"Here to celebrate your future success, dear brother."
Kail laughs at the remark, of all the brothers he has, it is Zannanza who supports him the most. News about Hittite wanting to conquer Mattiwaza has spread across the land and all of the King's sons shall join in this battle to put an end to the long war between the two empires. Kail was asked to lead the army as he and his wife, Yuuri, were the ones who discovered the iron weapons.
"Father's plan is quite obvious, don't you think, brother Kail?"
Laying on his stomach, Zannanza smirks after hearing Ilbani's report. Their father never ceases to surprise them, always challenging his sons' ability on the battlefield as well as in political matters.
"You are more than capable of winning this battle, Prince Kail." Ilbani, his advisor, speaks up "However, even if you prove yourself to be worthy of the King title, the queen will not back down that easily."
"Ah, you're meant to talk about my brother's consort, right?"
The third Prince of Hittite sighs after hearing this. That woman will never stop her evil deeds to get what she wants. Even if he brings Yuuri the Ishtar to this battle, she is still deemed unqualified for the position of his wife. In Hittite history, the title of Queen consort is granted to noble women only, those who aren't from the aristocratic side of society will be part of the King's harem.
No matter how many times Yuuri proves herself to be worthy of that title, the reality is that she is deemed the low-class concubine. For Kail to hold the title of Crown Prince of Hittite, the thought of his wife being looked down like that breaks his heart.
"Your Highness, Lady Yuuri is more than just a member of your army. She is Hittite's beloved Ishtar, the symbol of victory. Even if Queen Nakia and the Council rebuke her title, they can not ignore the fact that she is loved throughout the land." Ilbani looks at his lord, explaining "You should understand how powerful the voices of your people are, my Prince."
With this, Zannanza agrees.
Yuuri is not just an ordinary maiden in Hittite, she is Ishtar, their beloved goddess. The first time he met her, the young Prince already knew that she was the one who would lead Kail to victory. It is not a surprise to see how much his brother loves her as he too, was once put under her spell.
Yuuri the Ishtar is a beauty with dark lushed black hair and pale skin. Her eyes hold a bright light, as mesmerizing as the sunrise. Despite her small body, Yuuri is more than just Kail's wife. A strong and independent young maiden, a crucial member of Kail's army, a general who has helped the Crown Prince win many battles. With the amount of love and success she has harnessed over the years, it will be very difficult for anyone to discredit her.
Zannanza falls in love with Yuuri Ishtar, but he is one step slower. He has always been slower than his brother Kail and the thought of that irritates him. Has he been the first one to see her and become the love of her life, then maybe…
The young Prince shakes his head, it is not the time to beat himself up for something that is destined to never happen. Kail is happy to have Yuuri by his side, although it pains him to admit it, Zannanza chooses not to speak up about his feelings, fearing that it will cause a rift between them. He can not afford to lose the tight bond he has with Kail over a love quarrel like that.
By accepting his defeat, Zannanza is at peace with his heart, no longer does he have to fight with his inner demon, screaming evil deeds in his ears. Besides, there is another person who has captured his attention, lighting up the warm flame in his heart.
"Prince Zannanza, that is an interesting accessory you have there."
Ilbani's words pull the young Prince back to reality as he looks at his brother and the advisor, a light blush appears on his face as he coughs awkwardly, trying to chase away the embarrassing feeling.
"So, who is the lucky girl?" Kail asks him again, smirking against his wine cup.
Instead of answering the answer directly, Zannanza looks at the accessory again, softening his gaze. That dance still imprints his mind, how her body moves gracefully on the river, with streams of water flowing around her, following her every step.
That beautiful maiden, blue wavy hair that matches the color of the ocean, eyes that shine brighter than the Venus star at dawn. The way she danced on the water made him feel like he was looking at a goddess, and her angelic voice soaring through the air, as clear as a crystal, singing a prayer to an unknown entity.
Tightening his grip on the delicate hairpin, Zannanza wants nothing more than to keep all of that for himself…
Kail, Ilbani and the other two retainers stare at the young Prince, in awe. This is the first time they see that facial expression on his handsome face. Lips curl up into a small smile, eyes hazy as he stares at the accessory in his hand, a faint blush adorning his cheeks. Zannanza looks like a man who is deeply in love, it's almost unrecognizable.
"My, my…" Ilbani touches his forehead, shaking his head lightly "He looks just like you when Lady Yuuri is around, Prince Kail."
Kail almost spits out his drink, but he remains cool. In such a rare moment, he gets to see this side of his younger brother. Serves Zannanza right for always teasing him about his love life.
"We better find this owner of that hairpin fast. Zannanza looks like he's ready to search the whole empire for her."
"B-brother Kail!" exclaimed Zannanza as he blushes at the comment "T-that was uncalled for."
Playful laughs fill the air as the young Prince grits his teeth angrily at all the teasing.
The next couple of days went by peacefully for Lucienne as Kalani stays at home more after finishing working with the patients in Kanesh City. On those days of taking a break, her mentor continues teaching her the Healing Touch
Blue eyes widen in excitement when the wound on the bird's wing begins to close. The thought of her having this kind of 'magic' power still amazed the bluenette to this day. How can she have such a useful ability like this, Lucienne doesn't understand.
"Lady Kalani, look at this!" she brings the small bird to her mentor "The wound is healed."
"Very good, keep on training and you can heal even bigger wounds than this."
The bluenette smiles brightly, nodding her head. It's amazing how Healing Touch can practically heal every wound she comes across, and yet, Kalani told her to never use it unless she is in a dire situation. While she has tried to stop herself from questioning this decision, curiosity takes over and Lucienne can no longer stay silent.
"My lady, why can't I use it? Isn't it better than treating everyone with medicines?"
Kalani looks at her, remembering Lady Celine's words. The bracelet on her wrist helps to trap the memories of Sohm from her mind, however, it seems like the power of Lady Celine fades over time. How should she answer this without triggering it…
"This is a sacred power that has been passed down in my family for many generations. I don't have a child of my own, so taught you instead. That is until you got into that accident and lost your memories…"
She blinks, surprised to hear this.
"When you saved that poor animal and got into an accident, I couldn't bear to see it, so I stopped teaching you. You didn't have any memory prior to the accident, so I thought that it's best to keep it that way…"
Kalani can sense a foul taste in her mouth as she lies to the young maiden. To keep her in the dark like this is never her intention, but she must do so in order to protect Lucienne. The bluenette is the last Divine Healer of Sohm, if something happens to her, or even worse if the army of Eclea finds out about her existence…
No, Kalani must not let that happen.
"Only the healers coming from my family can use Healing Touch. If people find out that you can use it, it can cause harm to you. That's why I want to keep it a secret."
So that's why…
The bluenette bites her bottom lips, how can she possibly think that her mentor is a bad healer when all she does is try to protect her?
A pair of small hands grab onto hers as she looks up, staring at those blue eyes. Lucienne smiles at her, so kind and gentle that it reminds her of Ciel and Celine.
"Please, you don't have to feel sorry about that. I am grateful that you're doing all of this to protect me." the young maiden grips her hands tightly "I'm sorry for asking you such a difficult question."
Combing her soft ocean locks, Kalani feels a tug in her heart. It's good that Lucienne doesn't suspect anything she said, but that also proves that she is not ready to face her duty as the holy child of Eir. It has been ten years since the fall of Sohm, ten years she keeps her small lady in the dark, hiding from the lurking dangers that are trying to harm her. However, sooner or later, Lucienne must take on the task and rebuild Sohm back to its glory.
How can a small girl like you do that, my lady?
Sohm is only a memory, the land has been wiped out completely, filled with corrupted creatures that the army of Eclea left behind. Many traders confess how scary it is to pass Sohm on their trading route, hollow and agony groans fill the air as the souls of its people are trapped in the wasteland, unable to move on. Kalani is tempted to see Sohm for herself, but the thought of leaving the small lady behind unnerves her.
"My lady?"
"Hm?" she startles at her name being called "Oh, sorry. I was spacing out. Let's continue our training, shall we?"
"Of course!"
Lucienne gladly accepts the offer. If anything, she wants to learn more about it, about this Healing Touch. It may be a bad thing to say, but the bluenette wants to perfect it so that if things happen to Kalani, she can use it to save her.
"Remember, Lucienne. Healing Touch allows you to heal almost any wound you come across. The secret is to control your flow of energy…"
Too fast and it causes further damage to the patient. Too slow can lead to other ailments such as blood loss and the spreading of toxins. One must learn to control the flow of their own energy and transfer it into the patient's body to heal their wounds.
"However, you can not rely on Healing Touch all the time. You don't see me go around flaunting it to everyone, right?" Kalani's hands are on her hips, looking at her pupil seriously "You need to have a vast understanding of medicines, poisons, human anatomy, ways to identify the sickness and know how to apply them in different circumstances."
Lucienne giggles at how serious her mentor is. She already knows how important knowledge is and why Kalani always tells her to read the medical materials she collects in Kanesh City. The woman is dedicated to her job, a reliable healer who can almost treat all of her patients.
"I'm very happy to see how much you enjoy doing this, Lady Kalani."
The starseer blushes at her compliment. Of course, she has to be dedicated, she needs to be a shining example for Lucienne to follow. Lord Ciel and Lady Celine had entrusted their daughter to her, she can't just ignore her duty as the bluenette's guardian.
Aside from healing and medical knowledge, Kalani can't teach Lucienne anything else. She has thought of getting the young maiden back in spear fighting, but would that be a good idea? The bluenette looks frail, like a delicate flower that slowly blooms. The thought of her holding a weapon is beyond Kalani's imagination.
"My lady, may I ask?" when she receives a nod from her mentor, Lucienne continues "This Healing Touch… Does it mean I can use it to heal everything?"
"No, it doesn't." a blue aura glows on Kalani's hand as she speaks "Unfortunately, there are things that are beyond our reach, just like how there are wounds and illnesses that are beyond our ability to heal."
But you're the Divine Healer and Eir's holy child…
She holds a steady gaze on her student, stopping herself from uttering those words. As the Divine Healer of Sohm, one who wields Eir's latent power to heal and even revive someone from their death. There is a reason why the Eclea Empire sought to seize control over Sohm and its people. Their leader, King Galashiels II, wants to harness the power of the Divine Healer and use it for his conquest to take over Anatolia.
Although it has been years since she last heard any news about King Galashiels II, it is better for Lucienne to stay out of the public eye. She couldn't risk putting her small lady in danger. Kalani grips her hand tightly, she wasn't able to save Lord Ciel and Lady Celine, so she must protect her at all costs.
"I understand, Lady Kalani. If that is the case, then I will try my best to learn everything I need to know to protect the people I care about."
There's a faint blush on Lucienne's face as she looks at her mentor, smiling sweetly. She doesn't understand this foul feeling in her heart, but Kalani's words and the thought of her mentor being injured scare her. While the bluenette has never come across something as heartbreaking as being unable to save anyone, Lucienne wishes she would never be in that situation.
"It will break my heart if I am unable to save you, Lady Kalani."
Something appears in her head, a picture or a scene of some sort. She sees people crying out in pain, blood splatters on the wall as they fall limp. Lucienne knits her eyebrows, holding onto her head tightly as she groans uncomfortably.
"Lucienne?"
Kalani walks to her, worries fill her eyes when she sees the young maiden in pain.
"D-don't worry, I'm fine…"
"You don't seem fine, Lucienne. Are you in pain?" Kalani asks, getting up from her seat to get some medicines "Headache? Fatigue?"
"A little bit, yeah."
The bluenette makes her way to her seat, sighing as she massages her temple, hoping to ease the tension in her head.
"It's probably because you use all your energy for the training. Let's take a break."
"Okay…"
Lucienne stretches her body, finally finishing picking out the wilted herbs from her garden. While the sunny weather feels warm and nice for her, the same can not be said for the herbs, which she just picked out a large amount of them to throw away.
"Lady Kalani is not gonna be happy to see this…"
She fidgets, thinking of how angry her mentor will be. The woman loves her garden a lot, most of the plants here aren't common to this land and she acquires them from the traders in Kanesh City.
Lucienne stops what she is doing, looking behind her back. Somehow, she feels like she is being watched. The hostile air thickens, almost unbearable to breathe. Who or what is it that is watching her?
A tall figure walks out of the wood, slowly making their way towards her. The bluenette's ears perk up as she hears the footsteps, gripping her dress tightly, she turns around to see the culprit who has been stalking her this whole time.
In front of her is a man, tall and beefy. With overgrowing hair and the eyes of a hunter, he is holding a sword still dripping with blood, his other hand is holding a lifeless boar, dragging its blood on the dirted ground. He looks at her, something about his gaze unnerves her, it's like he's looking at a prey…
Lucienne takes a step back, she can feel how shaken her body is, but she has to stay strong. This man is a threat and she must do everything in her power to get away from him. Curses her for not preparing for these kinds of danger, if she can get a hold of any weapon right now, then maybe…
This is not the time to think about this…
He takes a step closer, licking his lips as he drops the dead boar on the ground. Nothing is more rewarding than having such a beautiful girl like her right after a successful hunt.
"Come here now, I'm not gonna hurt you."
What an obscene lie he just made, it would take him a million years for her to believe those words that escaped his lips. The man keeps getting closer as she backs away, her back pressed against the dried herbs on the table, they have been ground into fine powder.
The man holds such a lustful gaze at her that it makes Lucienne sick to her stomach. She needs to escape fast before he lays his hands on her. With each step closer, he seems to lose his patience even more and within a blink of an eye, he charges at her, trapping the young maiden in his arms.
"Gotcha…"
"Let me go!" she yelps out in pain as the grips on her arms tighten, leaving finger marks on her pale skin.
"Come now, don't be shy." he speaks up, his voice is low and dangerous "We're going to have lots of fun."
"No!"
She squirms in his arms, trying to escape as he begins to bury his face in her neck, inhaling the soft herbal scent. Lucienne keeps screaming, thrashing to get out. This is scary, her eyes swim in tears as she can feel that man's hands roaming through her body, trying to get her dress off.
No, she can't let him…
Pushing him off with all her might, she needs to get out of here before it's too late. What can she do? What can she possibly do in this dire situation?
Healing Touch can't help her, it's use to save people, not a tool of defense. But if she can't come up with anything fast, then… then…
Lucienne shuts her eyes tight, she can't allow herself to think about that outcome. She needs to run away from this dangerous man she deems a beast. Her hand touches the ground herbs, some are yellow, some are green, some are red.
Red herbs…
Her eyes shot open when his dirty hands touched the knot of her clothes, ready to untangle it. Red herbs, those are spicy peppers. Biting her lips, she prays to Ishtar to help her as Lucienne grabs a handful of the spicy ground herb and throws it into his face. The man screams out in pain, letting go of her as he covers his eyes, cursing vigorously.
"You damn whore, get back here!"
Even when his eyes close, he is still able to almost get a hold of her. Lucienne pulls her dress up, sprinting away. She can hear heavy footsteps echo in the hollow air, closing the gap between them. She is tired, her legs want to give up, she has never been chased like this before and her frail body is not helping.
"Once I have my hands on you, you will be sorry for what you did!" he roars at her, hand reaching out trying to grab onto her long, wavy hair.
Lucienne's face becomes paler, she picks up the pace, her heart pounding as breathing becomes difficult. Why is he still running? Why is he still able to catch up, despite having limited eyesight? The bluenette winces, her legs feel painful, the muscle that has not been used for a long time is now being forced to work at full power.
Someone…Anyone…
Please save me…