Gathering of the Cross Irista
> “Camaraderie, charisma, and a strong sense of responsibility; few reasons why people such as I choose to follow Princess Kristel Irista. So, to be clear, it’s not just because I’m her uncle.” ~Kento Valmas
“Remember what Mother always says?”
Frill already knew what her stepbrother meant.
Since the day Princess Kristel witnessed the amassing Vyndival army, the poor royalty had spent her days without sleep. She had personally administered the summons sent to all of the Cross Irista members using her M.O.B.I.L.E.
The Cross Irista had scattered throughout Irista Nation, making some of them harder to reach, resulting in the entire ordeal lasting three sleepless days.
“Bad decisions and bad performances follow an absent meal or lack of sleep,” Liona answered, taking baskets and containers and storing them in her Spatiera.
“So, remember to eat healthy and sleep well,” Frill finished the quote.
Despite Frill’s protests on using easier means of communication, the Princess had insisted on bypassing the High Palace Network.
The main communication hub could shoulder the meiyal requirement for person-to-person M.O.B.I.L.E. connection for the entire nation and even boasted an ironclad privacy policy. But the Princess had become overly cautious, not wanting anyone to hear her summons aside from their recipients.
This meant she had to control the movement of her messages individually. Her stubbornness had caused her a great deal and the stress had affected her retainers, including Frill who ended up scolding her. Not that Frill nor any of her siblings could do anything once Princess Kristel had made up her mind regarding things like these.
The Cross Irista took another two to three days to arrive. Thankfully, Kristel had begun to listen to her by then.
The Princess had to cancel all her other appointments and routine tasks to serve host for the meeting. This also meant a change of pace for Frill and her siblings, currently serving their guests.
And so, for the past few days, it had become the three siblings’ prerogative to make sure that Princess Kristel was well accommodated, especially whenever she lost track of time and skipped meals.
Today, luckily for them, their guests brought along their own aides to assist in various preparations. Lor served as the head of the network and distributed tasks and priorities efficiently. He ordered Frill and Liona to procure ingredients in case their current stock ran out.
At the instant Frill left the kitchen, the mere presences of the iconic personalities idling and chatting with each other enveloped her into a suffocating pressure. Though she admittedly could not recognize each one, she knew one thing in common about them: their status as Virtuoso.
The first one to catch her attention was Judiciary Knight Verdim Solfey in his formal black and gold suit with a golden Cross Irista Insignia emblazoned epaulet fastening a black one-sided cape on his right shoulder.
His immense presence, combined with his booming vocal prowess made him the right choice as leader of the judiciary system of Irista Nation. How that turned out to be an acceptable fact was beyond Frill’s interest, but she couldn’t deny the imposing atmosphere that surrounded him.
Then there was Guard Knight Flimeth Estura, a felintine childhood friend of the Princess. Utilizing the same colors of black and gold, she wore an elegant formal dress with a pair of customized skirt trousers. She had the same epaulet and cape on her right shoulder.
Unlike Royal Guards who protected the High Palace, Guard Knights supervised the local police. Although only a rank higher than a knight, obtaining this status was no simple task and it entailed tremendous amounts of dedication and ability, becoming a Fledge at least—a practitioner with at least twenty-six marks—was one of them.
Flimeth had long black hair that gave her a more matured look for her age. She was at least the same age as Katherine, but if not for the Princess, she would’ve been the youngest member of the Cross Irista. In addition, her species as a felintine classified her as a half-cored; one half for a human, another for a vork—the feline counterpart of a yuma. This meant that her focus on practicing Meiyal Arts had left her vork half dormant.
She was essentially a human combined with feline ears, a tail, and all of a cat’s grace and instinct who practiced Meiyal Arts but with half their supposed potential. Needless to say, for individuals like her to be ranked as a Guard Knight were very few and far between.
It turned out, as it was revealed this morning by her stepbrother, ten members of the Cross Irista were Guard Knights. Frill didn’t know any of them aside from Flimeth and another named Venry Stepholm, also a friend of the Princess. Frill only recognized him through his stern face and his trademark hair tied in a wolf tail.
There were five other personalities who were perceptibly not Guard Knights. The advisers of the ill Monarch. Though elderly, their advanced age had only shown through their hair or a few wrinkles on their faces. Their stature and physic were splendor, and their enthusiasm seemed to match even the younger Guard Knights.
The only one Frill recognized from them was Adviser Kento Valmas, Kristel’s uncle and the Head Adviser.
All of these personalities were either seated in whatever chair or sofa they could fit into or stood without the slightest hint of discomfort. They all waited for both food and the Princess who should still be in her bathing chambers.
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“We need to get moving, sis.” Liona whispered, noticing her big-sister’s extended stay on the arch door between the kitchen and the living room.
“Right.” Frill gathered herself and walked, sending brief yet clear greeting gestures to the guests as she made her way out of Minaveil Manor. Flimeth returned the gesture with a smile and wave. Venry, like everyone else, returned the greeting with a nod.
It was only when they were finally out of the manor that Frill managed to breathe normally again.
“That was intense,” Liona said.
“My thoughts exactly.”
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Kristel was honestly impressed by the turn out of Cross Irista. Out of the twenty members—her included—only two were running late.
Although Lor didn’t really see himself as one, Kristel still included him as the twentieth member of Cross Irista and constantly reminded him about it. His sisters would’ve been as good as members already if not for their lack of meiyal marks. It was a contradiction to the teachings Kristel grew up with, but it was a condition all the members agreed to uphold.
“I still need to know why the other two can’t make it on time.” The Princess thought out loud while she donned her formal clothes.
Her dress was a modified white one piece, having its left shoulder offset and designed to provide space for her markings. The buttoned-up skirt was modestly extended to flow up to her ankles, hiding a pair of tights. Her sleeves were shortened a bit as a touch of personal taste. Gold and red adornments filled the dress to give emphasis on her royalty and knightly status.
A small golden pin fastened a white one-sided cape, bearing the mark of Cross Irista—a pair of crossed swords with a golden flower over their intersection—that flowed all the way down her back.
Within a few minutes, she was out of her quarters and into the living room.
She basked in the usual warm, belonging heaviness of the group and couldn’t help but smile. It had been so long—three years, in fact—since they all gathered together like this.
“It’s good to see you all could make it.”
“Can’t deny the sweet Princess’s personal summons now, can’t we? You went as far as bypassing the High Palace Network. I think it was unnecessary, but it does make the message appear to be particularly important.” Judiciary Knight Verdim’s voice echoed with glee as he went up and hugged the Princess. “It’s been far too long.”
“Ashtine and Smyl will be late.” Flimeth spoke in a jolly tune, giving the Princess a soft kiss on her cheek, her tail brushed along the Princess’s thigh as another greeting gesture. “There’s an ongoing situation within Central, nothing they can’t handle. They should make it by nightfall, but I went ahead, because, you know, you’re more important.”
The Princess returned with an inaudible, “thank you,” before greeting the rest of the Cross Irista.
“Any word from the Atlas Sid?” she asked.
The Atlas Sid, Irista Nation’s pride. A grand, city-scale carrier, duty-bound to the will of the Monarch.
“Apologies, Princess,” Adviser Kento began with a tight embrace; his aged voice gave a distinct hint of a man often drunk, but fortunately without the scent. “Captain Garm Militia sent word. The Atlas Sid was sent to probe the Nightmare Lands for any signs of the Order. They will be gone a few weeks at least. I’ve also taken the liberty to inform the High Palace.” He smiled as if he knew Kristel would be conflicted about asking help from her father.
Kristel sighed, submitted to the fact, and gave a nod. Without help coming from the Atlas Sid, help from the High Palace was the next best thing. Now that she wasn’t expecting any from Royal Guard Tryvinal, she needed anything else she could get.
The Princess took a seat at a grandiose chair in the middle of the room that was deliberately left vacant for her. At times like these, even her choice for a simplistic lifestyle had to give way.
“We have an impending invasion from Vyndival.”
“Ah, we’ve heard rumors from the ranks under Tryvinal a few days back,” Verdim said.
“He made a visit to relay the message. I found it hard to believe, so we checked...” The Princess whistled for her M.O.B.I.L.E. to appear. She navigated through its interface and selected from the menu. The small orb projected a recording of the vast army encompassing the Desolate Lands.
“I saw it for myself.”
“Dear Mother Brymeia…” Kento trailed off at the sight of Vyndival’s invasion force.
Frowns, subtle deep breaths, and widened eyes were only some of the reactions the Princess caught from her colleagues. Composed and controlled, but expected reactions.
“I’ve maneuvered my scouts to send constant reports. Estimating from their movement, the attack will most likely come within two weeks. A force that size has no other route but through the Flat Lands and running over Minaveil.”
“Then would it make sense to bottleneck them before they enter the Flat Lands? Make their numbers count for nothing?” Adviser Kento asked, referring to the South Valley.
“Yes, if they’re all only on two feet.” Kristel massaged her head, clearly lost between possible solutions simulating inside her head. “Tryvinal also hinted on beasts and giants, and even captured a Nightmare. Not to mention their vorks and yumas.”
“Nightmares don’t survive outside the Nightmare Lands, right?” Flimeth asked.
“Depends on the Nightmare, lass,” Verdim replied before turning to Kristel. “Did you see the Nightmare?”
Princess Kristel shook her head. “Tryvinal said it was a Jaws Lurking in the Forest.”
Everyone fell silent.
“In that case, focusing our forces in South Valley would be suicide.” Kento corrected himself, intent on resuming the discussion.
Immediately, a collaboration of thoughts stormed inside the living room. One member made a suggestion, while another countered with a reasonable possibility. The calm chaos of words and tactics and strategies almost brought Kristel back to the lively days of Cross Irista and even further back to the days of the Flowers.
“Do you have something in mind, Princess?” Verdim finally asked.
The Princess stayed silent. She knew her suggestion, even for the Cross Irista, might come off as—to put it bluntly—crazy, but it was the only thing she could think of.
“I suggest we turn North Valley into a fortress.”
Silence. Kristel expected as much.
But as each Virtuoso in the room realize what she was suggesting, eyes slowly turned to a dwarf who seemed to have had all his hair grow on his face instead of over his bald head. Half the size of the average man, but defined and bulky as any other orc, the dwarf ran a thoughtful hand along his curly beard and hummed in a low pitch as if organizing his thoughts before speaking.
“A fortress ‘n two week, yeh?” He started in a tone that Verdim might envy if not for the accent that came with it.
“Better if you can do it in one, Master Goldes,” Kristel replied.
The dwarf started with a bellowing laughter. “Ya sure do know how to give me and me fellers a challenge, m’lass.”
Master Midan Goldes, the Monarch’s personal architect, took the suggestion into deep consideration. He continued fiddling with his beard while in deep thought. A habit he only showed when doing complex mental calculations.
He smiled, smirked to be precise. “Can’t promise ya anythin’ permanent yet, m’lass. Anythin’ made in a rush ain’t gonna be sturdy, ya know? But if ya think it’ll stop ‘em then me comrades’ll make yer fortress in a jiffy.”
If he said he’ll do it, it meant it was plausible. The rest of the Cross Irista lightened up with enforced morale. Kristel wouldn’t let the momentum go to waste.
“Alright, our first course of action is to evacuate the people,” Kristel said, standing up with speed. She began to head out of Minaveil Manor.
“Oh, no, no, no, no.” Frill entered out of nowhere and grabbed the Princess by the collar. “I won’t let the Princess leave on an empty stomach.”
Of course, whenever Frill became like this, Kristel had no choice but to comply. She smiled an apology to the Cross Irista members as her maid dragged her into the dining room.
Frill quickly turn and bowed respectfully to the group. “Oh, and breakfast is served. Please enjoy your meal.”
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