"Good morning, Maria!"
A little girl jumped onto the soft bed of a groggy girl. The girl let out a groan as the little girl no older than seven clung to her tightly and snuggled her rosy cheeks to her waist. The blue-haired girl looked up at her with her moist, amber-red eyes filled with innocence. Her little hands clutched the soft fabric of Maria's negligee. The soft, smooth skin of the girl's face pressed against the tender chest of the girl who rubbed the sleepiness off of her eyes. She smiled at the sweet girl.
"Good morning as well, Princess."
She let out a yawn as she patted the Princess that tightly hugged her so early in the morning.
Velvet sheets and a silk corona draped over the bed's intricate canopy made her feel... suffocated. Two years weren't enough for her to adjust to the new life shoved onto her. Yet the people around her brightened the dullness of her life. The bubbly Princess hopped around the room. She was a star in the endless darkness of the royal courts of Te'loinn. Her ten brothers are either sent off to different provinces or lazed around the palace with the many servants that served as their entertainment for the day. The eldest brother was off somewhere in the border while the third brother was exiled a year before she was forcibly, but gently, coerced into serving for the Kingdom of Te'loinn.
A metal box vibrated beside her. Its surface glowed with bright light and displayed strange symbols and buzzed with unfamiliar noises, for the others in the room that is. Maria quickly turned off her alarm and glanced at the time. It was already 9:17 am and 80% battery. The Princess stared at her Samsung curiously with eyes full of wonder as she turned off her silly alarm. The maid that stood at her door had already prepared a suitable dress for her and fresh water and towels to clean her face.
"Maria! Maria! C-Can you play with me today? B-Brother and Father left already and Miss Sefa won't let me play in the gardens!"
"I'm afraid the garden is off-limits for the week, Lady Reyas. The gardeners need to tend and maintain it and we can't let young Princesses and Ladies such as yourself wandering off in the thorny hedges."
The maid smiled at the two of them with that fake yet respectful smile again.
"Miss Maria, do you wish to have your breakfast in the gazebo again?"
"Y-Yes... Err, the King and the Prince left already?"
"As soon as the rising sun. Do not worry, they'll be back within the week."
"I see."
She smiled weakly as she pulled herself out of the soft bed.
The little girl hummed a sweet song while the maid beside her held her hand as the three of them walked down the length of the long hallway. Maria waved at the small army of gardeners outside the large window as she passed. The windows were large, but they were not as large as the ones in the Engineering Building of her university. Only the intricate designs and fancy metal and stonework set it apart from the modern buildings around her university. Despite the medieval setting and feel of this world, its architecture set it apart from those on Earth. It was something that she would never get used to.
She waved her hand subtly and cast [Appraise] on the two in front of her. A blue window of light appeared in front of her, a window visible to her and her alone. On it was a list of long lines of letters, symbols, numbers and words. They were stats. The Goddess told her about it when she was first summoned here, and she used it all the time to see what those around her could do to her. It was also a good tool to see and feel the world around her. She looked up from the window and glanced at the Head Maid of the Ar'villeas, the Royal Family of Te'loinn.
Name: Sefa Chouren
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Class: Level 40 Head Maid
Subclass: Level 20 Battle Maid
Skills Known: 47/109
Maria shuddered slightly at the sight of her Skills. The woman beside the little girl both cared for her and kept her locked in the palace. She had been planning an escape for months, but the greatest threat to her little plan was the woman who oversaw the needs of those who lived in the palace. With her prim and proper appearance, sleek body that exuded elegance and womanly charm, and a stern yet captivating face, Sefa the Maid was the one who stood between her and freedom. She let out a sigh as she looked at the flowers outside the windows. The day would once again be spent Healing and Curing the soldiers that flooded into the city from the numerous border clashes at the Kingdom's borders.
----------------------------------------
His wings flapped and sent powerful gusts of wind all around him. His gold and red scales glistened in the sunlight as piles of treasure rolled down the side of the mountain of gold and silver in an avalanche of precious metals. He snarled as he opened his serpentine, amber eyes. The powerful blasts of magic all around the world kept him from sleep and sweet dreams. Puffs of smoke left his nose as his whiskers tingled at the sensation. The familiar yet headache-inducing sensation.
Draconic words left his mouth as he hauled himself up from his hoard. Magic. The "Magical Flow", "Winds of Magic", the "Currents of Mana", or whatever else the Races called it. They had begun to shift. It was natural for it to shift. For millions of years, the Magic that governed the world shifted and stirred just like how the Gods and the Fae designed it. But this was different. Whenever the flow of Magic shifted so drastically and suddenly, it heralded only a time of chaos and troubles.
Snow and stone rolled down the mountainside as his roar reverberated throughout the Arendine. With a terrible groan, the Dragon lifted his body with his powerful arms and legs. His tail swept aside his hoard as his neck stretched and strained. After a moment, he fell to his side and closed his eyes. His body curled into a massive ball while his wings and tail shovelled and moved treasure over his body to both cover and shield his body from the elements and foolish creatures that dare to wander into his lair.
"Not my problem."
He muttered softly as he slumbered once more.
----------------------------------------
Black clouds rolled over the slopes of the mountain that bordered the Sundered Lands and the lands of Durrsylvania. From the many "Dead Cities" and towns obscured by mist, the dead rose and marched towards the greatest of the castles where dread forces gathered in shadow and moonlight. To the north, in the Frozen Wastes that was forever touched by winter, the many barbarian and wild tribes have begun to band together. Some raided and marched southward while others fled to their boats and took to the sea. Pushed by the forces that gather in their lands, they rush to either escape the growing army of monsters or to stand together to protect their homes.
But among the greatest of these growing threats is the one that just appeared in the Beastia Peninsula to the south of the Empire. His eyes stared at the ray of light to his south. His imperial medals and honors gleamed in the sun as his thick coat of bright red flapped behind him. The vast hall was meant to echo the grand words of the Emperor and the Grand Court, but there was only a crushing silence in the air that squashed even the faintest squeaks. All of them had their eyes on the silent Emperor as he held a wooden carving of an eagle.
"How many Champions do we have?"
His deep voice shattered the silence. Though he spoke to the people that sat on the massive war table behind him, he did not turn to face them.
"My Emperor, we have about 200 Champions in our borders. Only a third of them are not in the Empire's employ."
"That won't be enough. We will need more soldiers as well... Have a letter delivered to Archduke Vanheim and Prince Reinhardt and summon both Duke Otto and Duke Maximillian. I will personally summon Prince Marcellus and Lord Falher. We must hold a meeting with the electors to have them pledge men and resources."
Audible gasps filled the room as the many nobles whispered amongst themselves. A man, clad in full armor and regalia stood up and slammed a clenched fist against the solid breastplate he donned.
"Shall I muster the legions, my Emperor?"
"Have them waiting in southern fortresses and put three legions under the command of General Arseno. Invite the Dwarf Lords as well to the gathering."
"At once, Emperor."
The man quickly left the room as he donned the feathered helmet of Generals.
"I'm running out of time, Illyria. You're moving the game too fast."
He whispered to himself as his brown eyes gazed upon the vast city that lay beneath him. It was a city of marvels. Marble domes and buildings as far as the eye can see with roads connecting each home not just to one another, but to the Empire as well. In the distance, he could see the massive walls that stretched as high up to a hundred meters in some places and near the Imperial Palace stood the Grand Cathedral of Illyria, the Mother of Men and the Goddess of Hope and Fortune. It was a city rebuilt from ash and blood on the foundation of hope and strength of arms. A city so great its borders were bigger than some provinces. A city that embodied the Empire that fed the people within its walls.
A city to rival Rome during its peak.