Hyacintha I
Avo Island, 7th of June 7BB Summer
In the mountains of Island Avo, tyrian snails were rich, rich among all the islands of the Purple isles. The locals of Avon often climbed up the mountains to seek out these snails, for they are the key ingredient for the island's success, purple dye. Hyacintha, used her bronze dagger to dig into the bark of the tree she was on, to find these snails. She herself wore a purple blouse and long skirt of purple. Her hair was not dyed though, it was fully natural, a rare natural gift that was handed to her family by the sea people 4 centuries ago. Hyacintha wore all sorts of bronze jewelry, a symbol of her statist. Hyacintha is the princess of Thalassi, a city on the Island of Minas, the largest island of the purple isles. However, such responsibility did not prevent her from exploring the islands around her home. So much so, that even her father had the shipbuilders make a sailing boat for her. Hyacintha loved the ocean, for it was a wondrous world filled with magnificent creatures. After digging through another few layers, Hyacintha managed to finally find what she was looking for, the tyrian snails.
Hyacintha got out her satchel and started to place the snails into her bag. She examined each shell to see what shape the snails were in. The snails with more rounded shells will sell well in the marketplace, while the more deformed ones would be fed to her pet swans. Hyacintha stepped up on the branch she was sitting on and balanced her way towards another tree. She dug through one hollow and only found a few snails, not as much as the last hall. However, she spent the whole day collecting snails, so she had enough. She then decided to climb up the tree. At first it seemed to be for no reason, but when she found her way to the top she could see the entire island and there was the great blue sea. Hyacintha couldn't help herself from smiling, the sight was beautiful that she stared out from what seemed like eternity. The sun drenched her olive tan skin giving her a near copper glow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking it all in.
Her trance was broken when she heard the sound of a bird above her. She looked up and smiled, seeing a Purple Jay. She reached out her arm and the Jay landed on it, it's purple feathers seemed to gleam like wine. The bird landed on Hyacintha's shoulder and started to nuzzle. Hyacintha giggled and petted the birds white chest with her finger, "Where have you been Echo?" She asked as the jay pulled at her purple lockes. It tried pulling her towards a certain direction. Confused, Hyacintha turned to where her little friend was trying to direct her towards. She then saw a very large folk of birds circling the air somewhere west of the island. Echo chirped flying towards the direction.
Hyacintha scrunched her brows and climbed down the tree and grabbed a spear that was leaning on it. She then began jogging her way west to the island following Echo. Though barefooted, Hyacintha moved swiftly through the forest, dodging branches and twigs. Along the way she stepped on the head of a giant tortoise which hissed at her in annoyance, "Sorry!" Hyacintha shouted to it while still on her jog, giving the tortoise a wave. Soon she was at the islands western beach and what she saw rocked her to core. The beach was littered with the bodies of ten pirates and the broken remains of their ship. Hyacintha stabbed her spear to the ground and checked the bodies. Their had to be one alive, she thought. But none had survived whatever onslaught the sea had presented with. However, upon closer examination she realized that the ship being beach wasn't what killed them, it was other pirates. Hyacintha could tell by the prints of the sand and where the blood was littered. She indicated that they're had been a battle. The beached and broken ship was likely the result of sea battle which then carried on to land.
Piracy was normal in the Messantisian Sea, even more so ever since High King Lucius of Tethys of the mainland peninsula of Tethysia began to exert his control over the sea. 17 years before, the great king fought against his twin brother Meridius who was allied with the Sothite empire.
The war began when Lucius supported revolting Acians who rebelled against the Sothites, who had conquered their lands a century prior. Angered, the Sothite King of Sothuria, Dariath the II sent an invasion army to conquer Tethysia. It was the largest army the eastern empire had mustered, and leading it was Meridius, the tailed king, named so for being born with a lizard-like tail. History says that Meridius betrayed his brother and allied with the Sothites to conquer all of Tethysia, but they were defeated when Lucius united the Tethysian kingdoms, forcing the Sothites to retreat, and Meridius was killed in battle. The great kings of Tethysia proclaimed Lucius as their high king ever since.
Hyacintha's father, King Kres of Thalassi, has kept peace with the high king of Tethys by means of trade and neutral political benefits, but that didn't mean that other kingdoms of Tethysia carried that same neutrality. Even the other tribes on Minas and the other islands weren't safe or friendly, other than Avo. Tethysian and Purple Islander pirates will always have every opportunity to attack wherever they please. Hyacintha always had to be careful when traveling from island to island.
Hyacintha climbed up the damage ship and looked to see if they're were more bodies. Thankfully they're wasn't and that gave her chance to searched the ship for any cargo it might hold. She looked below deck and found a single crate. The crate seemed to have a little symbol, a snake. Hyacintha raising a brow went to the crate and observed it closely. She then started to use her dagger to open the crate, which was easier said then done. It took her 2 minutes to remove the nails of the crate, but she did manage to open the crate. When she did, looked inside and gasped, a girl was inside the crate. The girl had pale skin and platinum blond hair. She was fast asleep as if the shipwreck was not present. Hyacintha got close to nudged her, before the girl sat up from the crate, waking up from her slumber. The blonde girl then held her mouth and like lightning jolted out the crate. The blonde then started to hurl everything.
Hyacintha stepped to give the girl room. She looked at her and saw she wore the same type of clothing she did, islander type. When the blonde girl was done, she wiped her mouth and laid on the ground to catch her breath. Hyacintha couldn't help but be fascinated by this strange girl that washed ashore. Was she a slave? And why was she in a crate? As these questions ran through Hyacintha's mind, the girl opened her eyes. Her eyes were light teal blue, so blue she nearly looked like a goddess. The teal eyes meet with Hyacintha's purple eyes and she smiled, "Are you alright?" Hyacintha asked.
"I think so…" The blond girl replied and looked around, "Where am I?"
"We are on the Island of Avo, I was collecting snails until Echo led me here." Hyacintha replied.
"Echo?" The girl raised a brow.
"My Purple Jay, their common amongst the islands." Hyacintha explained.
"I wouldn't really know…I don't go out often…" The girl replied.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Lima, who are you?"
"I am Hyacintha Lima." She smiled.
"Hyacintha? You mean princess Hyacintha?"
"You seem to know my name despite not going out much." Hyacintha said in amusement.
"The hydran priestesses were adamant I learned about the elites of all the lands." Lima said.
"You are from Hydra then? Why were you on this ship?" Hyacintha asked.
"I was being transported to Acia to be a servant in the king's household…that doesn't seem to matter now…"
"Are you a slave?"
"I am…"
"You must be someone of high importance to be smuggled, how did you end up on Avo?"
"A storm blew us off course and then pirates attacked us I think." Lima said, "From what I heard from my crate, the pirates killed most of the crew members, but they didn't find anything on the ship worth taking."
"Must be grateful they didn't find you then eh?" Hyacintha said with a warm smile. It grew brighter when it made Lima slightly smile as well, "C'mon, I'll take you back to my home, you'll be safe there."
"No where is safe for me…" Lima said sadly.
"Nonsense." Hyacintha pulled Lima to her feet, "Come on, I have a sail boat not too far." She began to led Lima out the damaged ship, before hearing a loud caw from above. Hyacintha's eyes widened as she pulled Lima back into the ship and they hid.
From a above a adult male (hatzegoteryx) landed on the beach. The creature is 18ft tall, its wings folded so it could walk on the ground on all fours. It had a long neck with a red spot on it that inflated every time it took a breath. Its large beak was bigger than an adult man and it had a yellow crest erupted from its head. Usually, these winged giants often hunt tiny deer and anidsun. But the smell of the blood of the dead hydran sailors has drawn its attention. Normally the Hatze's avoid humans, but dead carcasses are too much to pass on. Hyacintha knew as much if the Hatze found them, it could likely target them as well. The Hatze scared away some birds to examine the bodies. Hyacintha and Lima were as quiet as mice, both hoping the hatze would soon pass on. The Hatze began to peck at a carcass, to gobble it into its throat.
Suddenly, a honking caw was heard. Another male hatze had come into the fray, an older larger male. The old bull landed on the beach, puffing his red spot on its throat to impose its intimidation and size. The younger male, dropping the carcass, took on the challenge, unfolding its wings to make himself bigger, hoping it could drive off the older male. Hyacintha and Lima watched from their hiding spot, both stunned by the sight. The older male, manages to see through the younger male's charade and does a mock charge, flapping its wings, causing dust from the sand to form. The two males then soon collided, clanking and gnawing their large beaks together, both trying to peck at vital areas. At the same time, they wrestled each other, flapping their wings trying to make each other fall. However, it is clear the younger male is outmatched and not seeking to risk injuries, it backs off from the older male and flies away.
The old bull, victorious, goes to reap the rewards, it turns its back away from the damaged ship and begins to scoop up one of the caresses to gobble it up. Hyacintha, taking this as an opportunity , grabbed Lima and started running away from the ship. The Hatze was too distracted trying to swallow its food to notice the two girls running away.
Hyacintha took Lima west of the Island away from the commotion of the Hatze. There was a small village port known as Avon village where Hyacintha placed her sailing boat. There she noticed some men celebrating near the local taverns. They were not locals, they looked to be pirates. Hyacintha then made the connection that this might've been the crew that attacked the hydron crew. She found it strange that these men celebrated despite finding nothing of value. Perhaps the simple victory was reason enough to celebrate. Savages, Hyacintha thought and continued forward with Lima. However, as they continued forward, a tall pirate stood in front of them.
"What do we have here now? Two beautiful girls out on a little stroll, want to join us for a drink." The pirate leaned forward and took the chin of Hyacintha but she pulled away.
"We are simply heading to the docks, sir, we'll be on our way." Hyacintha grabbed Lima and pulled her forward away from the pirate.
Suddenly, the pirate grabbed Lima by the arm and pulled her away from Hyacintha, "This girl has hair like the sun, I ought to give this one a good-" Lima somehow managed to hit the man in the groan and ran back to Hyacintha's side. "You little runt!"
"Stay away from us!" Hyacintha drew her dagger and kept Lima beside her, "Or else…"
"Hehe, what are you going to do with a little knife like that?" The pirate drew a bronze sword and lunged at Hyacintha. However in quick motion as soon as he lunged his sword he dropped it to the ground. Four of his fingers had been sliced off and he was screaming with agony, "My fingers!"
"Leave us alone or I'll cut you down…" Hyacintha said with a calm voice and eyed the pirate with focused eyes. The pirate took a step back before going back to his crew, who was laughing at him, "Pigs…"
"I think they might have killed the crew I was with…" Lima whispered in her ear, the shame in her voice was evident.
"It wasn't your fault…" Hyacintha merely said and they found the sail boat
8th of June, 7 BB
Hyacintha kept the sailboat steady, it was the second day after they left Avo and thankfully no pirates pursued them. It was a hot bright day and the sea glistened beneath the sun. Hyacintha noticed Lima was standing on the edge of the boat. She had been remarkably quiet the whole trip. Hyacintha wondered who this girl was and why she was with the Hydrans in the first place. The Hydrans were cultists who worshiped a Snake god that also had the same name of the Island Hydra. Hydrans were infamous for sailing out and raiding so they could find slaves to serve the elites of Hydra and sacrifice them to their god. King Kres had to stave off their raids once from Minas, even going as far as annexing the island by force. Though that didn't stop Hydra from raiding other lands and settlements.
"Acia…" Hyacintha quietly said to herself. She remembered when after her father annexed the island of Hydra, it was quickly overrun by the Luwanians, an Acian clan that ruled the island of Luwa just north of the Purple Isles. Hyacintha had to assume that Lima was being sold to a Luwanian king as a concubine, a gift from the Hydrans as tribute. Given her great beauty, great care was taken to bring her to Luwa even going as far to smuggle her. Hyacintha noticed Lima's clothing and saw they were once beautiful, confirming her suspicions. But now they were rugged, torn and wet from the shipwreck.
"Lima your clothes are filthy, take those off and I'll offer you some of mine." Hyacintha said.
Lima flushed, "Oh…it's okay, I'm fine."
"I insist, please, you don't want to be in those filthy clothes do you?" Hyacintha lifted Lima's skirt to examine it, "Just look at it, its filthy-"
"Don't touch it!" Lima pulled the skirt away from her with a hiss.
Hyacintha was taken aback, "Forgive me…I didn't mean to intrude on your space."
Lima looked down in shame, "No I'm sorry…I shouldn't have snapped at you like that…"
"We've only just met as well…I understand if you do not fully trust me…" Hyacintha took her hand, "But I will try to earn your trust, as I now see you as a new friend."
"I don't have many friends I can trust…" Lima said and gave a small smile, "Do you think you can keep a secret?"
"I can certainly try." Hyacintha smiled.
Lima took a few steps back and lifted her skirt a little. At first, Hyacintha wasn't sure what to look at but then she took a closer look and her eyes widened. Lima had a long white tail that swerved around like a serpent. Hadn't not been for Lima's skirt, she would've never noticed. And it finally dawned on her on why Lima was being smuggled.
"You're the daughter of Meridius, are you? Is that why you were being smuggled?" Hyacintha asked.
Lima nodded her head, "How did you know?"
"Are you kidding? Everyone knows who Meridius is, poets sing of his legend all the time. Plus the tail was a good giveaway…how did you end up with the Hydrans" Hyacintha asked.
"I don't know..." Lima admitted, "All I could remember was my mother carrying me and my brother, and then I was being carried away from my mother and my brother carried off somewhere else…"
"You had a brother?"
Lima nodded her head, "I don't know where he is, or if he's alive. The priestesses have never told me anything. I was merely a temple slave, but after King Kres attacked the Island, the Acians came and conquered, forcing the priestesses to give me up to them. It's how I ended up here..." she covered her face and sobbed, "I don't know what to do now…"
Hyacintha suddenly placed her hand on Lima, "I'm sorry that happened to you, in Thalassi, we don't have any slaves, in fact a lot of runaway slaves have ended up staying in Thalassi, you'll be safe there."
"I wish I could believe that. I was the reason those hydran sailors died. I'm cursed."
"I don't think you're cursed, if that was true, fate wouldn't have brought us together." Hyacintha smiled, "Now let's get you some better clothes." Hyacintha grabbed Lima's hands and brought her to the deck to give her clean clothes.
