Once Nashi had managed to calm down a bit Damien decided to take her out her dinner to get her mind off of it. Nashi had lied through her teeth though. She couldn't stop thinking about how elated Edo-Nashi had been during that kiss. That was not her, that was for sure. Nashi sighed and fixed her scarf slightly, doing her best not to scream. Damien rubbed his chin.
"Well, what do you want to eat?" Damien asked, and Nashi was tempted to ignore him. She knew Damien was as, if not more, troubled then her at the moment, and that he was doing his best not to think about it all the time as well. Nashi shrugged.
"Whatever is fine. Mavis, I can't believe Edo-Me..."
"Me either..."
"I mean of all people, why him? What could she see in him?"
"Beats me. Hey, do you think that jewel is even legal tender here? Because if not, we may be in trouble"
"I mean, our Rocky I can't stand,"
"Probably explains the whole parallel universe thing, then. Now, stop thinking about it and help me figure out where we're eating" Nashi sighed.
"How can you possibly be thinking about food right now? We're trapped in a another universe, your sister is alive, and I'm dating Rocky and you think this is okay?"
"I'm hungry, that's all"
"Well, can we eat after my stomach stops turning?"
"No, I'm hungry now. Besides, it's not like you kissed Rocky, Edo-Nashi did"
"I know, but..."
After arguing with a waiter for twenty minutes about jewel and paying with them Nashi dragged Damien away from the restaurant before he could get any angrier.
"This stuff must be collectible or something!" Damien shouted, throwing at least a few thousand worth of jewel at the waiter as he followed them out. "Take it, I'm fucking starving!"
"Damien, enough!" Nashi shouted, turning to face the older takeover mage. "We'll find somewhere else!" Damien growled and began outing when his face contorted in confusion.
"Hey," He said. "What the hell is that?" Nashi turned to find a carriage waiting for them at the curb, the driver stepping down and bowing at them.
"I presume you are Nashi Dragneel and Damien Dreyar?" He asked, and Nashi exchanged a look with Damien.
"Who's asking?" Nashi demanded.
"The king requests your presence, m'lady." He replied. "I have been tasked with escorting you there. Shall we leave?" Nashi gulped and stared at the carriage in fear.
"Can we walk?" Nashi asked weakly, and the man shook his head. "I'm um... not great with vehicles." The man chuckled.
"Motion sickness, m'lady?" He asked, and Nashi nodded. "I shall drive slowly then." Nashi smiled weakly, knowing full well that the slowness of the driving wouldn't help her in the slightest. She climbed in after Damien and as soon as the horses began to trot, vertigo overtook Nashi and she groaned.
"You really have to work on this" Damien hissed.
"There isn't anything to work on!" Nashi replied as best she could. "It's a side effect of my magic!"
"Well that sucks"
"Really?!" Nashi laid back as best she could and did her best not to throw up, seeing as that would make it the second time she'd done it that day. Nashi didn't know how far the castle was from the restaurant they'd been picked up from. She hoped, for her own sake, that it wasn't far. Nashi turned to look out the window, doing her best to resist the urge to jump out the window. The carriage turned, and Nashi did as well, landing on Damien's shoulder.
"If you puke on me" He growled. "I swear on Mavis' grave I'll kill you" Nashi groaned weakly in response. "My dad told me about something that helps, put your head in my lap" Doing as she was instructed, Nashi felt Damien's hand rubbing a circle on her back, and she felt the feeling of sickness slowly fading. "Better?" Nashi didn't reply, just enjoying the feeling of the ground moving under her without wanting to blow chunks. She stayed there until Damien whistled. "Mavis. Nashi, look at that." Nashi lifted her head from his lap and looked out the window, taking a sharp breath at the beauty before her. The whole Castle was lit up.
"Wow" She said. "It's so beautiful" Damien nodded as they passed through the front gates and Nashi jumped out of the carriage before she could feel sick again. Before she could say any more, she was approached by a man with black and white hair.
"Hello!" He said cheerfully. "My name is Macbeth, one of His Highness' advisors, and I will escort you too dinner, alright?" Nashi swore she recognized Macbeth, but she couldn't place him and she nodded. As she and Damien followed him through the castle, he spoke joyfully about the castle's history and how Edolas was founded, none of which Nashi actually listened too. "You know many advisors are attending this dinner, but they are all close friends too the king, you'll be just fine!"
"You sure are happy" Damien muttered. Macbeth laughed.
"Why would I spend my days being depressing?" He asked. "I simply wish to spread joy to others!" Damien nodded quietly, and they continued on their merry way. When they finally reached the dining hall, Nashi saw several other advisors around the table.
"Ah, the guests of the hour!" Mystogan shouted from the end of the table. "Come, sit, we have much to discuss" Nashi and Damien sat on one side of the table, waiting for Mystogan to say more. "Now, before we go any further, I must introduce you all. This is Richard, the finest financial advisor in the kingdom" The skinny man with orange hair laughed.
"You flatter me, your Highness" Nashi noticed the rather strange roundness to his face, and it kind of creeped her out. "Nice to meet you."
"This is Sawyer, he's in charge of all petty inner castle activities."
"You mean when the rumors of sexy sounds from his majesty's chambers must be dispelled, M'lord?" Sawyer asked with a crude grin.
"Ah, yes, that" Mystogan said, as he and Queen Erza both rubbed theirs necks in silence. "This is Ultear, my right hand ma- woman" Ultear shot Mystogan a look as Nashi did so to Damien, both receiving ends promptly ignoring the girls.
"Pleasure" Ultear purred, and she looked exactly how Meredy always described her.
"And.. what, where are Erik and Meredy?" Mystogan asked, looking around, as if just now noticing there absence.
"I believe you sent them after the Prince, M'lord" Sawyer replied, coughing. Erza sighed.
"Why must he always get into trouble?" She asked. "Sorano seems to be missing as well"
"I believe she said she had important matters to attend too" Ultear replied. "Sorano must not be able to make it."
"Anyway, eat!" Mystogan shouted happily. "We will discuss what we will do after you've eaten." Nashi was more than happy to oblige, digging into the feast that had been laid out before her. She finished off three plates of food before Mystogan spoke up. "Now, how about you two tell us what happened, so we can get an idea about it?"
"Well, we were on a job" Damien replied. "When this hole opens in the sky, and next thing I know, I'm getting arrested by the douche bag police" The advisors chuckled. "We honestly have no idea" Mystogan nodded.
"Anima have been opening randomly for a long time" He said quietly. "This is the first time human beings have been sent through. And you say there are more of you?"
"Yes, four others" Nashi replied, "We don't know where they are, though"
"It is possible upon entry," Richard said. "That you were all separated."
"I think that may be exactly what happened," Macbeth said flatly. "If there friends were gone when they awoke, I think it's obvious they were separated" Both men glared at each other before huffing and looking away.
"It would be best to look around for them as soon as possible" Ultear said, breaking the silence. "Before their friends try to find a way out."
"And, without X-balls, they are defenseless" Erza agreed. Nashi hadn't thought of that. "We must make haste." Mystogan nodded.
"Alright," he said, "Tomorrow, Nashi and Damien will-" Mystogan was interrupted by the doors flying open, and a familiar scarlet haired man strode wore regal robes like his parents, and yet he wore an all too unfriendly scowl. Nashi stood in surprise.
"Simon?!" Her friend turned to her, his glare darkening.
"How dare a peasant speak too the Prince of Edolas like she is on a first name basis with me" He growled, and Nashi almost slapped herself. Edo-Simon was the Prince of Edolas, how had she not seen that? Mystogan growled.
"Simon, do not speak to her as if she is one of the civilians." He told his son. "She is a mage of Earthland, and a friend. She, with my permission, ranks only just below you in authority." Simon growled angrily and sat down next to his father as two others strode in. One was Meredy, she was recognizable. The other looked strikingly like Drake, and Nashi realized it was his father, Erik.
"Terribly sorry for the interruption, your Highness" Meredy spoke, a small smirk on her face. "It would appear his royal pain in the ass is on his royal period"
"Cram it, Meredy!" Simon growled.
"Simon!" Erza shouted.
"Sorry, Meredy-san" Simon muttered. Erik laughed.
"The boy is as impudent as his father" He said. "He was ripping my men a new one for getting the heating wrong in his room." Nashi wanted to laugh at the trivial matter the Prince had gotten so wound up about. Mystogan chuckled.
"It's alright." He replied, turning to Nashi and Drake. "This is Erik, the 1st division commander of the Edolas Royal Army. Meredy is in charge of the second division." Damien scowled.
"So you two are in charge of the dicks who arrested us!" He shouted, and Erik laughed.
"Nope, that was the third division, Sor's fault not mine" He said with a smile. Nashi managed a weak grin as they sat down.
"As I was saying before we were interrupted." Mystogan said, glaring at his son. "Nashi and Damien are to accompany Erik and a squad to look for their friends, as early as 8 tomorrow morning"
"Sounds good" Nashi said, realizing eight in the morning was a bit early. Nodding, Mystogan and everyone resumed eating, as did Nashi.
Nashi sighed as she washed her hands and looked in the mirror. She needed a haircut. Nashi preferred to keep her hair at shoulder length, any longer and it got in her way more often then not. Maybe she'd ask Mystogan for the address of the royal hair cutter. Sighing as she opened the door too the bathroom and stepping out, she saw a familiar scarlet haired prince outside the door waiting.
"Sorry if I took long, Prince Simon" Nashi said, not wanting to provoke him. If Edo-Simon and Simon shared any sort of similarities, she hoped it wasn't getting livid at nothing. Prince Simon sighed.
"Nothing so trivial, I'm afraid." He told her flatly, watching her carefully. "I came to talk to you."
"About?"
"Your friends. They are missing, correct?"
"Yeah, they are" He was silent for a moment, turning to stare out the window.
"My men gave me a report about two hours ago" He told her.
"Your men? They answer only too you?"
"What kind of Prince doesn't have men only loyal to him?" Simon demanded. "Regardless, the reports held information regarding people who claimed they were from Earthland"
"Really?!" Prince Simon nodded quietly.
"They told of bandits out to the east, claiming they captured a girl with black hair and a man with dark red hair and a 'big mouth'. Sound familiar?"
"That's Ul and Drake!" Nashi shouted happily. "Where are they?"
"About a three days walk from the city, to the east" Nashi surprised the Prince by hugging him tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Nashi shouted. "I'll tell Damien right away!" Simon scowled as she released him.
"Yeah, whatever" He replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." he walked off to the right as Nashi went left. Maybe the Prince isn't a big pain in the ass...
Prince Simon chuckled as he entered his chambers, smiling down at the floor. The foolish girl had taken the bait. Well, kind of anyway. It was more of a distraction truthfully. He had received reports, this was true, of both people he described to her. However, it was his time to strike, and the visitors from Earthland gave him a perfect distraction. He cackled as his door opened, and he turned to find one of his men standing there.
"Report, Akio" He said. Akio nodded.
"I was successful in my mission to the kitchens" Akio reported. "I was able to taint the meal of the King and Queen" Simon laughed.
"Excellent. Now is the time, Akio. The Earthland mages have given us our chance to strike, to make our move."
"What are your orders, Prince Simon?" Akio asked, and Simon clasped him on the shoulders.
"Tell the men to ready themselves" He replied, smiling. "oh, and Akio?"
"Yes sir?"
"By tomorrow you will refer to me as King Simon, ruler of Edolas"
ohhh, the plot thickens. I hope you enjoyed, leave a review!