The pure whiteness of the blank space slowly shifted to a void black. There was nothing there. Not even the memories of the previous world. No magic to fix things. No divine powers that can bring it all back. All that left was the unknown that exists only in the future.
She shoots straight up from the bed, practically tossing the bed covers off of her body. All she could hear was the beating of her heart that was inside her ears and her heavy panting.
This was the strongest she had ever felt the emotion of fear, she felt vulnerable and unsure if she was even alone, her eyes darted all over the room she was in, trying to lock onto the invisible threat she was sensing near her. And not seeing it only extended the feeling further. At last, she gained manual control and managed to take in air through nose and breathed it out of her mouth, just like her mother had taught her long ago.
From one minute, she was scared of her life, and as time went on, she had already forgotten what she was scared of. Not knowing was enough to help her calm down without resorting to meditation of any kind. The beating in her ears slowed and went away. It took a good moment for her to collect herself from the emptiness of her subconscious being the most dominant. She realizes she was tightly gripping her bedsheets that they formed wrinkles on them. Her hands were still shaking but gradually calmed.
Now, the desire to find memories of her dreams begin to fill her heart. Exactly what caused her great fear now became a mystery. The idea of the thing was there in her head, but it was difficult to cleanse the mental image. She could not pinpoint the core as a person or a being at all. An idea or a specific event or situation. It was an unlikely death as she often dances with it for the mere thrill that was lacking in her life up to this point. However strong she tried, the memory fades back into her subconscious and she is left with nothing but the memories of her awakened state once more.
She looks around her room and finds it lit up with the slim sunlight that passes between the curtains on her balcony door.
The room was fairly large for a single occupant. Her bed and other furniture matched the size, but it was her that looked too small. The white mixed with pink felt appropriate, but it contracted with the constant appearance of gold and silver in the metallic materials that decorated her room such as the small chaneller that was at the top of the ceiling. She once argued in painting them all either white or pink, but that was quickly shot down.
Flowers in vases occupy any table tops for further filling the room with its vibrant colors and fragrance. But in one corner of the room lies some strange equipment. Chips and cuts mark the walls that are badly covered with colored pink paper.
As her bed was more or less at the center, the large furry rug was the centerpiece of the room. She enjoyed laying on it rather than her bed, since her own bed drains her energy as if it was enchanted in a way that will always ensure she sleep pleasantly, even if she didn’t want that to happen.
The more she remained awake, the more she noticed about herself, she felt sticky, like she was sweating all night in her sleep. And it didn’t help that has the habit of sleeping in the nude and her sweat left a light drench behind.
‘Gross’, she thought to herself as she started getting out of the bed and headed to the small private washroom. Splashing some water into her face and rinsing her body off, she felt even more awake now. She steps to the mirror and begins brushing her hair, the radiant pink strains of hair agitating her eyes have been fixed. She smiles to herself, looking back into her own light green eyes.
Looking at herself made flashes of unrecognizable images and scenes pop into her mind. She was sure it was from the nightmare she had that scared her awake. She isn’t unfamiliar with them, but this is the first from a long while where she experiences them again. As she tried to recall what the nightmare was, she struggled to grasp a single thing that felt accurate to what she was dreaming of.
The harder she tried, the more it annoyed her.
The 18 year old returns to her room and begins looking for the clothes she planned to wear for the door. Just as she finished dressing, there was a faint lock on the door.
The knocking didn’t have much strength that it would have woken her up, but that was likely due to repeated failures of the attempt. It was common for her to sleep through the whole morning and only in time for lunch.
“I’m up.” She replies back to the knocking, her voice harboring some sluggishness as the last bit of drowsiness leaves her. She could hear a faint gasp from beyond the door. Followed by steps that hinted that whomever knocked, re positioned themselves.
“Good morning, your highness. It appears that you indeed are up. And just in time to accompany your mother and father for breakfast.”
“Wow, it’s that early.” She partially muttered to herself. The instant thought of a meal causes her stomach to rumble. The ache of hunger now guides her to leave her room.
Opening the door, she is met with an older woman carrying a set of towels in her arms. She was bowing already and only when she rises up, does her polite and well-mannered tone shift. “Oh no no no, you will not be meeting your parents in that, your highness.”
She looks back at her body to see her own clothes once more. It was no mere dress, but rather two pairs of cloth that were fairly loose and extremely comforting. The perfect wear for when one does nothing all day.
“Fine, I’ll go find the sun dress I had on yesterday.” She says with an annoyed tone. She knew better than to argue with her. Yasuline was not one to care about wearing a nice dress. Cute ones are passable, but she really values the ones that are comfortable.
“Oh no no, miss. Today is an important day for us all and you will look your best. I’ll be right back with the right dress you are going to wear today.”
The maid’s tone bothered her when she mentioned the 'right' dress. “Oh no, it’s not going to be that nasty frilly one, is it? I hate how it feels. And it gets worse when I try to stretch!” She rebutted.
The maid didn’t respond. The princess paces about, thinking of a way to avoid that dress. She was a very active girl and had the need to always be on the move. She could try to just wear what she was already wearing underneath the dress, but that would only make her too warm and sweat fiercely. It was springtime.
She looked to the balcony door and thought of simply escaping through the rooftop as she has done before. Taking the roof, she could head to that one tower that is rarely secured and she could reach the mess hall.
Just as she was settled on that escape plan, the door opens once more and the maid returns with the dress she was dreading. Crafted by one of the kingdom's finest designers as a gift for her birthday, the design oozed with an intent on being overly cute, too cute for Yasuline though. Pink was the main color with white complimenting it. Pink bows and ribbons were layered over the dress to make it as frilly as humanly possible. Each decorative piece felt like the designer kept all the needles in tact like some sick torture method.
“Ugh, why does it look worse every time I see it.” She complains as she was handed the dress. she felt something pinch her palm when it settled in her grasp.
"Less critiquing and more dressing. And do make it quick, or you’ll be late in joining your family for breakfast. I’ll go on ahead and let them know you are on your way." The maid bows her head and exits the room.
Begrudgingly, she does as she is told. Harboring a desire for revenge on her for when it is her turn to take the throne. She knew full well how she hated the dress. She didn't bother checking herself in the mirror to see if it was on right. It never does, and someone else would have to aid her in making it look as it is supposed to. While she believes it is the fault of her dress, it's wasn't
The hall outside her room and overall of her home were massive. It wasn’t the fact that they were wide but tall. Dimly lit candles were spread apart to light the way for the night dwellers. It also shows that the white and pink weren't exclusive to her room as the windows that allow natural light to come in had white or pink curtains. But there was more gold than pink.
Exiting her room, she is met by other maids who were on their way to completing their tours. Each of them took the time to bow to her and greet her a pleasant morning. She would just wave them off while struggling to walk due to the tension of wearing the dress. Her blatant annoyance was clearly visible and entertaining for them all, despite their best attempts to hide the fact. She didn’t mind this. She isn’t the type who dislikes being the butt of a joke as long as it doesn’t go so far. Everyone knows she can develop a violent streak when pushed too far.
The only thing that could make it worse for herself is if the maid ended up remembering that she did not give her the heels that went along with the dress. She always favored going barefoot rather than wearing those things. Not that she was clumsy, but they were not ideal when scaling the various walls she climbs to reach her favorite places of her home. They are usually at the rooftop where she can get a beautiful sight of her surroundings.
Her train of thought was plagued with a curse as someone approaches from behind and calls out to her to stop for the accursed item. They also call out to her to stop and a shiver goes up her spine, forcing her to lock in mid-step. Out of anyone she came across in the hall, it was the one person she hoped she met after having a belly full of good treats.
“Princess Yasuline, you must halt and put on the heels before you step foot into the Mess Hall.”
Yasuline curses under her breath. The maid not only remembered the heels, but she assigned HIM to be the one to deliver them to her. She knew she’d be able to run away, but couldn't from him. ‘She’s definitely gonna get payback.’
She turns around to find a man cladded in shining and glittering armor that’s very effective with the inviting sunlight. It’s quite the eyesore, and it doesn’t help knowing the man cleans his armor on the daily ever since it was gifted to him from her father, the King, when he selected him for his role. Caliber was the man’s name. He was about five or so years older than him, and yet acts as how her own father should be. Caliber held the pair of heels she was thinking badly of in his hands. He holds them out as if he understood how horrid they felt to wear. But that’s not the case, he just thinks highly of them as he does for anything related to her family, even so mundane as heels she barely wears on purpose.
“It is unlikely for a princess of your stature to be walking around barefoot inside the castle. Please put these on at once.”
Yasuline doesn’t reply, but simply puts the heels on and tries to carry on her way to the Mess Hall. She could hear that the man was going behind her. She wanted to swing her leg around and kick him, but she is already struggling with her focus to ensure she doesn’t trip and fall in her presence. It’s not that she hates him. But the titles given to the both of them made their relationship unbearable for her. Unknowingly, tensions grew between them and she began disliking him more and more. When she tries to do something fun, he is there to ruin it. During her darker moments, if she considers her home a prison, then he is the warden with the keys to her freedom.
“It’s very rare to see you up during the day. I suppose that if there is something that you are interested in, you would actually be punctual. I have gained some of my faith back on your future ruling.” He says behind her.
In an attempt to block out his comments, she tries focusing on her breathing while managing her balance. The uncommon moments where a maid passes by and greets her a decent morning acted as checkpoints that rejuvenated her mental energy.
She lets out a sigh which is picked up by Caliber. “If a common trip from your bed to the mess hall is enough to exhaust you, I have trouble believing you’ll last even a minute outside the castle.”
“It was not me losing my breath, it was something else. And I don’t need you watching my every action with such focus.” She barked back.
“As Champion for the Kingdom of Lumines, it should be my duty to ensure nothing happens to you on your way to the throne.”
“You’re also supposed to make sure nothing happens to my dad and mom too.”
“They have shown to be confident.”
“I am confident. You just never gave me a chance.”
“Chances came and went. And you have not shown any confidence.”
“Well we have another chance coming later today and I can finally prove to you that I can care for myself.”
“And that’s what I've been trying to tell your father. Your violent outbursts will cause trouble among the people.”
“It’s not like I beat people up for the fun of it. They just better not get me too mad is all. You act like it’s abnormal for people wanting to punch someone who makes them mad.” She tried countering. Unable to actually discredit her violent streak.
One of the first painful outbursts came when Caliber refused to properly train her the way of the sword. Caliber was considered the best swordsmen in her Kingdom, which led him to the path of being Champion. He spent most of his time in the castle, which gave the royal guard and other stationed knights the opportunity of being trained by him.
A young Yasuline would rush to the knighted Champion with a sword she took from the armory. A short sword that was light, mistakenly light enough for her to wield without much issue. When she was told no, repeatedly. It bothered her so much. Especially when her own father mentioned of his life that he was trained by the captain of the Royal Guards when he was her age. She tried proving she could handle herself in combat by swinging the sword at him, forcing him to defend and see what she could do from pure instincts she believed she had gained from her parents. It was only when Caliber dodged a move that the sword flew out of her grip and struck one of the bystanding guards.
That little incident became the basis of her being denied any self-defense lessons. The best she had was simply watching them from afar and mimicking their movements. As she thought about hoping to find someone outside the castle who would love to teach her swordplay, A group of young maidens crossed their paths. With flushed faces they greet Caliber before they give their respects to Yasuline, their own princess.
She didn’t mind this, it makes the atmosphere much more natural in her eyes. It was also, in some way, a personal demonstration of what young love is. The castle commonly hires young maids in the hopes to take over what the old ones have done for years to enjoy a peaceful retirement. When asked, and away from their superior ears, they had come due to a fantasy of encountering the young Champion and falling in love. It gets funnier with each maid that repeats the dream to Yasuline.
Yasuline can understand the affection, even the likes of her, one who barely wastes thought of romance, she understands that Caliber had a handsome face and features unlike the other men in the Royal Guard. His blonde hair makes him stand out among the brunettes and dark-haired individuals around the castle, a common hair color for humans. This makes the yellowish hair of the Champion and pink hair of the Royal Family quite the rarity. One maid mentioned how someone at the capital has a booth dedicated to selling fake hair mimicking the two, making them a popular item.
The maids try to compliment the Champion in the hopes of gaining any amount of recognition, they made the perfect obstacle to allow her to escape the headache.
“Yes yes, Good morning to you as well, ladies. Now if you all would be so kind to not block my way, I have to escort-”
Yasuline could still hear him trying to excuse himself in the distance as her migraine-free status gave her an extra step in her walk. She finally reaches the familiar large doors that are partially open for use. The design of the door was artistically made as one of the centerpieces of the castle. The mess hall for private use, was actually the throne room. Other times it is used for grand balls thrown at the castle for celebration of various kinds and banquets.
Seeing as she was now free from her warden’s sight, she kicks her heels off and carries them loosely from her fingers as she begins to enter. The smell of food made her stomach growl, alerting the people inside.
----------------------------------------
Part II: King & Queen
“Well, well, Is my eyesight going away or am I actually seeing Lil’ Sprout coming for breakfast!”
Stepping in, Yasuline is met with the sight of her mother and father sitting at the impressively long table for the banquet of breakfast. The food lead there wasn't sitting out, some have their dish lids still over them, as it should, they likely were sitting there for a while. They don’t go to waste as whatever isn’t eaten will become accessible for the workers of the castle. Because of that, the chefs in the kitchen seem to always overly prepare meals for the family of three.
Yasuline didn’t bother greeting the two before she moved over to the table and grabbed one of the frosted breads and took a bite. Feeling the frost paint over her lips and some jumped onto her cheek. Her favorite part as she then rolls her tongue over to scrape it off and have it joy in the festivity inside her cheeks.
“Yasuline!” Her mother says in her motherly disappointed tone she is familiar with. “Did you wake up as a dullbeast this morning? You can’t even be bothered to say good morning to us before you eat?”
Yasuline’s eyes turn to her mothers and gestures one of her hands in the air like a kitten. Her taunt made her father blurt out some food from his mouth from laughter, which annoyed her mother even more.
“And you,” She turns her attention to her husband, “you really need to stop encouraging her behavior. There’s no way she’ll find a decent husband to continue the family line at this point.”
The sudden mention of a husband caught her off-guard and disrupted the flow of tasty goodness going through her throat.
“A-are we really talking about this so early in the morning!?” Yasuline rebutted before her own father could make his input on the matter known.
“You mean, before you even ask your own mother how was her morning and breakfast? Then, yes.” Her mother responds with a smile on her face. Often considered a treasure on its own for many. But this smile had some sinister vibes that Yasuline could sense. “After all, today of all days might have you experience a fateful encounter with someone that will make your heart flutter.”
“Huh,” Her father finally injected his involvement into the conversation, “What special about today? Don’t tell me I lost track of time and it is your birthday already.”
“Dad, you seriously don’t remember what’s going on today? Is your age affecting your mind that badly?” Yasuline says.
“Sure sounds like it, when the scheduling of what happens today has already been discussed prior to breakfast.” The King’s wife added to the insult.
“When did the conversation turn against me?” He complains.
“When you forgot that today is when I’ll be going to the capital for the first time in my life.” Yasuline finally explained.
There was a brief pause as the King reflected from his memories to understand what she meant. This was signed by him stroking his beard which he treasured for the mere ‘coolness’ of how it looks on him. She agrees, and her mother is indifferent about it.
“Ah, now I remember. It was on your 18th birthday and you kept asking for a special gift from me and your mother.”
“I was expecting a cool sword you might have gotten from one of your adventures, but promising that I could visit the capitol is an even bigger gift than I can imagine.”
“Quite an unexpected gift considering you tend to be against the idea everytime she asks.” Her mother points out, which is true.
Yasuline, since the day she was born, has never set foot outside the castle. It isn’t at all normal. And it is even stranger for such an action to be done in a kingdom considered peaceful. Her father claims it is to protect her, but doesn’t elaborate on what exactly. The unanswered question only makes her desire to see the world outside her home grow.
Yasuline cuts in before her father could say anything and ends up reversing the “Whatever the reason is, he can’t take it back. Especially not so late. What’s done is done and I can finally leave.”
“Now hold on there, sprout.” Her father adds in before he gets left out of the conversation again, “It's just for a day. It’s not like you are leaving for a grand journey.”
“Who knows if I end up on one. ``That's how life goes’ as you said when you left on yours so suddenly, right?” She retorts with a smirk and wink.
“When did you start challenging your old man like this, go back to being the cute lil’ sprout that always clung to my cape.” He complains, flapping his radiant cape to taunt her to grab it.
“Well for one, If I try to do that, it’ll rip off of your clothes. And two, no thanks. I like being big. It makes holding a sword that much easier.”
“You’re not still stealing them from the armory, are you?” Her mother asks, setting her plate to the side. Maids that stood from a distance stepped to the table at her side and began to clear her area save for her cup which was refilled with fresh tea.
“Of course not. I have been a very good princess.” Yasuline says with a flare of drama added in response to having her own mother accuse her of stealing weapons from her own guards for her amusement.
The conversation gets cut off when someone’s presence was alerted to the family. Yasuline groans, gurgling the drink she still has in her mouth as she sees that it was Caliber. Finally freed himself from the entrapment of youthful love.
“Ah, Caliber,” The King says gleefully, “you finally made it back. And much too late, I suppose. Even Yasuline managed to get a bite in before we finished.”
As Caliber approaches the table, Yasuline ensures to stuff her face with as much food as she can to avoid even the slimmest opportunity to interact. Caliber notes this and focuses his sights on the King.“And what about you sire, are you finished? We still need to go through the speech you will be performing. Not to mention verifying the wording and all.”
“Speech?” Yasuline unconsciously asked with her cheeks full of grub.
“Yes, before we let you go to the capital, we should also introduce you to your people. Even though I preferred the idea of sneaking you among the crowds to lessen the chance for an attack, the King insisted on this matter being done.”
“Really? You never told me that, dear.”
“Heh, and you were trying to paint me as some kinda idiot.” The King smugly sat in his seat.
“Now why on Atlas would I try to paint my own husband as an idiot who fails to plan ahead for most of his life and simply let things run their course.” She says all with a calm smile. Not only did Yasuline sense something behind it, but her father did too.
Yes, despite being a king, he was extremely terrible at planning. Which is one of the reasons why he out of any of the previous kings have established the Roundtable of the Lords.
The Roundtable of the Lords is a court of lords from all around Lumines who have been selected to aid the Kingdom in making decisions on establishing laws and such. The Lords handled ruling over small dominions of the land, but are still bound to the king. This meant that if anything needed to be changed, they must consult the King and convince him thoroughly. This is mostly done independently unless the matter affects neighboring regions.
With the Roundtable, decisions are made together in the group, allowing multiple perspectives to be shared. Adjustments can be made swiftly on laws before they are even set. Though this process isn’t without issues. There are times the different perspectives cause discussions to dwindle to nothing more than bickering of old men. Or worse, make them last for days, either the topic in question being so interesting or it sparks rage among each other, with Caliber having to step in as a mediator.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The three royals rise from the table. The maids move in to begin the cleaning process. The King and Caliber were the first to leave the Hall.
“Yasuline dear, it seems that the speech your father plans to perform will be around the afternoon. An hour or so after lunchtime.”
“Oh really, umm, what are we going to do until then?”
“What’s this ‘we’? I’m not the one going into the capital today, I was already there yesterday.” Yasuline gives her an annoyed look. It was almost as if her mother was taunting her how such an action is so normal to her than Yasuline. Her cruelty definitely comes from her side. “After all, today, some fresh batches of seeds have arrived from the mountains today. So I have to head to the yard and help the gardeners plant them carefully.”
Yasuline pouts as she watches her mother leave. Not wanting to get in the way of the castle workers and their own breakfast banquet, she too leaves the hall.
Patting her belly full of fuel for the day, she ponders loudly. “I suppose I have tons of free time in my hands. Wonder what I should do?”
----------------------------------------
Like a chime for alarm, she hears the faint but familiar sound of metal clanking against each other. It came from one of the open windows that allowed the day breeze to blow into the castle halls and quench the smell of candle wax from within. In its place, the fragrance of various kinds of flowers fills one’s lungs instead.
“I recognize that sound. That’s the sound of action.” She says with a confident smile on her face.
Yasuline skipped down the hall until she reached a specific window that was left partially open. She turns her attention to her left and right before she begins scaling the furniture toward the wall. Jump barely grasping the still and pulling herself up. From the outside, she can see that the window was left high in the wall. Even losing her balance and falling into the flowers underneath her would cause considerable harm. But she has done this many times and the chances of that are minimal. In fact, Yasuline presses herself against the wall and begins to move against the wall as she heads to the roof.
Walking over the roof, Yasuline holds her hands out for balance while humming a small tune to herself. The sounds of metal clanking continued to grow as she headed to its direction. Yasuline's exploring has her come across a strange site. It was a convenient portion of the roof that didn't have the roof scapings. Someone has been using this spot for themselves as various things were scattered about on the floor. The towering section of the castle helps protect the spot from the sun rays and even rainfall. Looking closely, the floor just has scattered dresses, various thick blankets, pillows, and some swords similar to the ones the knights use.
Yasuline adds to the mess by pulling her dress off and tossing it onto the pillow that was on the floor. She sighs happily and begins to stretch freely. With nothing but a shirt she normally wears just to endure wearing those poofy dresses, she picks up one of the swords and heads to the edge of the roof.
Below her was a large courtyard filled with knights. Many of them were standing around while some were in practice matches among themselves. The knights of the castle haven't seen much action but they remain diligent in their capabilities by performing training and mock battles between themselves to ensure they're combat skills never rust.
Yasuline occupies her time watching the knights train. Her father and Caliber would never allow her to actually participate in their training, let alone be taught the way of combat like one of them. Both of them simply assume that Caliber would be enough to protect her from danger. Even her mother has trouble vouching for Yasuline to learn the ways of the sword. This, along with how the rumors of their engagement basically poisons Yasuline's opinion over the champion.
The knights below her begin to get rowdy drawing her attention back to them. Expected as before, Caliber is entering the yard. While she is not fond of the champion, everyone else is different. Along with the castle maids, the knights greatly respect him as well. Such as the reputation of a champion. Champions exist all over the world, but they are extremely rare. At least each of the nations in the world has one for fairness and protection. Caliber was practically destined to be a champion as he was a prodigy in combat.
Yasuline watches as the knights gather around Caliber forming into a circle. Looking at how they way their swords about, it's likely they are asking him for a match against them all. Everyone against the champion, the closest thing that could be an even match in the castle. Aside from her father.
"Unfortunately, I can't. I must keep all my energy for the rest of the day. To ensure that nothing happens." Despite that, some of the knights continue to persist, others try to meet in the middle by asking for something else. Yasuline secretly was rooting for the knights to win him over. His combat capabilities are special, being a champion and all. So watching him in action was always a sight to behold.
"Come on, it's the only thing you are good at, just do the thing." She mumbled as she rattled the sword she had in her hand. She ducks back to the spot as the sword accidently strikes the corner of the roof. Knight's senses would likely cause him to react to even the minor noise. 'That was reckless. Can't afford to lose this spot. It's too good!'
To avoid exposing herself by sneaking a peek, Yasuline simply begins to swing her sword about. From an outside perspective, the swings looked too wild to be actual sword training. But merely, a child swinging a sword about to imitate what they saw. As she continues to swing, she begins to focus on her feet position to set the center of her body weight to ensure she doesn't lose her balance while swinging, about one of the few pieces of advice she received from the knights before being hushed. Learning such a thing helped her tremendously in that she doesn't waste time stumbling and picking herself up.
Something metallic flew up from the air from the surface below. A commotion begins to brew, catching the princess' attention. As she investigates, she finds that one of the knights is clutching the area between their neck and shoulder, on the ground, a broken blade of a sword.
It seemed like during the prattling, one of the guards went too far and tried to swing one strike at Caliber to finally get a win. But his instance kicked in and he deflected the attack without holding back using his own sword. With his strength and that sword, it was easy to break any other weapon.
"How deep is the cut?" Caliber asks, with a worried look on his face. Likely believing to be heavily responsible for the injury.
"Not that deep, I'll be fine. A simple trip to the Healing Mages will patch it up." The soldier exclaimed. But Caliber had already stopped listening and began preparing for something.
The man's body begins omitting a glow of soothing yellow. His hand extends toward the man and the glow begins to concentrate in his palm.
[Champion Class Skill: King's Touch, has been activated]
[Description: A powerful Healing Skill that is on par of the top healing skill from the Cleric Class. Can be classified as Light Magic Skill or Healing Skill.]
The glow then shifts from Caliber to the soldier, nearly in the blink of an eye, the cut flesh on his shoulder begins to merge back into place and the blood from the wound evaporates into the glow.
Skills. They are the building block of power in the world. They are abilities and powers bestowed upon them all by the creators of the world, the godbeasts. They range from special attacks, magic, or other categories where normal people without special training or blessings could use.
"Strong skills and healing skills that make the church people jealous. That's our champion." She mutters defeatedly as she wished the circumstances caused Caliber to use his other skill that she has yet seen. It was an attack skill that envelopes the champion's sword with a light glow and lengthens its range and strength.
Returning to her training, she keeps her body still as she starts to search inside herself for some form of power. While everyone has skills of some kind upon birth, Yasuline has never been told what her skills were. Not even her Combat Class, something everyone has and at a certain age are supposed to learn.
Combat Classes are basically designed to determine what they power relies on. There are dozens of classes in the world. Magic classes, classes that have special abilities unlike any others, and the standard physical classes. Because of the lack of training or even guidance, she has no idea which of the classes she could actually be in. She can't sense much of a magic presence inside her, she doesn't seem to have any strength to determine that is her specialty, and she doesn't have any insight unlike any other person in the castle.
Thinking of her lacking knowledge begins frustrating her. When she recollects herself, she finally senses how her arms are strained from the amount of swings she was doing for that amount of time. When he looks for the sun out of the corner of the eye, she can see that it has a different position than the last time she saw it when she climbed the window.
She wipes the light sweat that was forming on her face with one of the dresses on the floor. "Guess I should head back before people wonder where I am." Before she leaves, she cleans up the area a bit. Putting the dresses up against the wall and rolling them into a ball to give them a firm body before the wind takes them away. Putting her dress back on, she starts to head back the same way she came. But as she looked down at the hall, someone was waiting for her.
----------------------------------------
"Welcome back, princess."
Yasuline nervously smiles at her as she scales down the wall to the floor.
'Did she watch me go up here or...'
"I had a feeling I would find you here. Next time, don't just leave the window open on your way out. It's quite the eye-catcher." The maid smiled.
Yasuline wondered if it was her old spying skills that she developed before she became a maid of the castle that she used to figure her out. As she scrambled inside her own mindset for a fake explanation, the maid gestured to the furniture. A large bare footprint was on it.
"Oh," was all Yasuline could muster to say in response to being caught red-handed.
[Assassin Class Skill: Swift Hand, has been activated]
[Description: Allows the users to move their hands within the time frame of a blink. Hands must be empty to activate.]
The maid knew she had the princess cornered and went right in for the bite. "Now princess, before you run off to your next hiding spot, I suggest you put these on. Not only could they help hide your tracks, they will make sure that the champion does not know about them either." She dangles the pair of heels that the princess was told to wear in her fingers.
Clearing her throat, she takes the footwear. "Very well." she says, swallowing the taste of defeat and begins putting them on in front of her.
Satisfied, the maid turns to leave the princess alone. As she walks down the hall, she reminds the princess. "The ceremony will begin in about a few hours. Whatever it is you want to do, make it quick so you don't be late."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Yasuline walks in the other direction. She lets out another sigh as she can no longer feel the softness of the rug anymore. Now that she was on heels, she was forced to walk much slower than she wanted or risk falling face first.
Considering her destination, she picks her mother's garden to be a good spot to visit. She can watch the flowers be tended up until it is time for the ceremony. Thinking further ahead, she stands to make a mental list of items she should pick up for herself.
First and foremost is a good sword. The knights' are too heavy for her. She easily tires herself from practicing with them and they strain her arms, making it difficult for the next session. Forcing her to take a day off. She can barely see any improvements.
Whatever it is she needs to fix this problem, she will more than likely find it in the city. Perhaps she will even find an expert that can lead her in the right direction. Another thing she needs to find is some decent clothes. Something that she can wear casually in his secret spots instead of just being in her undergarments. Definitely, better footwear.
"A sword, some clothes, and what else?" She says to herself out loud. Her subconscious answers back. "Ah, right. I should find an appraiser. See if they can see if I have any talent in magic skills."
Skills aren't exclusive to just physical combat skills. They branch into various other family trees of skills as well. One such family would be the magic skills. The standard "Fireball" magic attack is a magic skill. And while Yasuline's experience of her constantly calling forth a fireball to 'accidentally' burn her dresses, except for the most comfortable ones, is proof enough she has no affinity toward fire magic skills, she can still try other ones.
Her mother had an affinity to nature magic, allowing herself to have great power over the plant life. It's what aided her greatly in tending to the flowers at the summit of Azure Mountain. Her father, meanwhile, had the affinity to fire magic. Which he used greatly in combat during his adventuring days. Normally, children inherit either of the two affinities their parents had. some had both. But Yasu had neither. She had an affinity for Light magic. But, it is the church that basically has a monopoly on Light magic and if Yasu was going to be taught that kind of magic, she would have to join the church who'd be more than happy to exploit her to their benefit. Least that is what her mother and Caliber have spoken of in the matter.
"No combat lessons, no magic skills, no equipment, and no party members." She muttered. Indeed, she had nothing really to jumpstart the kind of adventures she dreams of having like her father. She had placed all her hopes on this one chance to explore the capitol after her public appearance to gain at the very least something that would give a spark of hope.
She had arrived at the Garden. It was another courtyard of the castle that the Queen had transformed into her own private garden area. Yasuline's mother adored flowers, a well-known fact. Much to her delight, whenever she receives a gift from either nobles or royals, they give her new plants for her to tend to.
Yasuline too, loves the Garden as much as her own mother. It was the closest thing she had to experience the outside world of the castle. All the different species of flowers and plants that grow together were truly one of a kind. The only competition this kind of wonder has is Garden Hill that rests at the summit of Azure Mountain.
"Well, hello again Yasuline."
She turns her head back to find her mother standing behind her.
"Oh, hey mom. Thought you were going to be at the ceremony with dad by now."
"And why did you think that? You weren't going to be disturbing my hard work so you can pretend to be lost in a jungle again. I believe you still are not finished restoring the soil from your excavation yet."
"No no, I just assumed you'd be there to make sure he doesn't mess anything up."
"He isn't that unreliable, plus he has Caliber with him."
"Really? I just saw him at the training ground, how'd he move that fast?"
"Because he doesn't get easily distracted like you dear." Her mother teases as she begins to sit down on one of the decorative benches and sets the plant she had in her hands to one of the maids accompanying her. Even the queen had to have retainers by her side. Yasuline had more than just one but they couldn't handle the constant hunting for the princess.
“I don’t get distracted. I just get easily bored. That kinda happens when I’m never allowed to leave the castle, ya know.”
“I know dear, but you also know why it is that we keep you here. It is for your safety.”
“Is it really? How does keeping me here have anything to do with my safety.”
“Because we’re scared of losing you, dear. We almost did once.”
“But that was a long time ago. And it only happened when I was born.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Huh?”
“When you were a child, we nearly lost you to some thieves that broke into the castle.”
“Wait, really? Dad never told me that.”
“Of course not. We want to forget that night, but we also don’t want to experience it again.”
Yasuline wanted to ask for more information, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She just watches as her mother’s expression grows more depressed. Her eyes looked at the ground, but that was not what she was seeing. Whatever happened that night still haunted her and Yasuline’s father.
Things went quiet for a minute. Finally, Yasuline snapped her mother back to reality by laying on the bench and resting her head on her mother’s lap.
Looking up at her, she reassures her, “Don’t worry about it, mom. I am still here with you and dad.”
Her mother simply smiled, “Yeah, you’re right dear.” She gently stroked her hair, which was quite soothing to Yasuline that just a few minutes was enough to get her to fall asleep.
Yasuline begins to feel someone tapping her shoulder, but calling to her with a soothing voice. As she comes back from her dreams, she recognizes it to her mother again.
“Hmm?” She calls back to indicate she was waking up.
“Dear, you need to get going. The ceremony is beginning right now.”
“Ceremony?” Yasuline repeats, confused on the word and why it sounded familiar. Immediately everything comes back to her and she jumps off the bench.
“What time is it!?” She says, raising her voice as she forgot to control it.
“Like I said dear, the ceremony is starting. You need to get going.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner!?” She says shouting as she starts to run out of the garden and back to the castle.
She couldn’t exactly hear what she said in return, but it sounded like her mother was saying she wanted to baby her one more time. Whatever that meant.
Once Yasuline enters the hall, she starts hopping on one foot as she struggles to get the heels off her feet. She halts when she sees that that familiar maid was heading her way.
[Assassin Class Skill: Swift Hand, has been activated]
Yasuline felt the heels disappear from her grasp. Immediately, she starts to bolt past the maid, but can hear her running behind her. As the two continued their rush, muffled words began to echo into her ear through the hall. It quickly became more and more clearer that it was her father who was likely addressing the public.
----------------------------------------
Finally, she made it. She partly leans forward as she forces her upper body weight against the corridor wall. The special balcony was an opening from the hall itself. Normally, the doors are closed, but for the speech, they were wide open. This allowed the public audience from the streets to catch a small glimpse of the inside of the castle. It also makes for a good backdrop.
[Hunter Class Skill: Eagle Eyes, has been activated.]
[Description: A skill that largely enhances the distance the user can see. Can be classified as a Boost Skill.]
Yasu fixes herself just a bit with the help of her maid. She smiles as she looks on ahead. The balcony was blocking her view of the public below. As she carefully took a few steps forward, she thought she felt the wind brush her face for a moment like it was also comforting her for this moment. Everyone around her suddenly had a shocked and horrified expression on their face. Yasuline pauses.
She stared blankly at them. "Huh?" Their gazes didn't seem to land on hers, more so, they looked slightly off course, like something next to her. She trailed where their eyes stared. And she now shared their shock.
There, on the wall. Piercing the marble wall of the castle. An arrow. Bits of the feathery end had been cut off from the harsh wind it was blowing past as it was shot.
Almost as if everyone was recovering from a Deafening Curse, noise began to fill the air. Murmurs, gasps, and screams would pile on each other as people began to understand the revelation of the situation. Someone nearly killed the princess.
"Assassin! Scout out the assassin!" Caliber shouted to all the castle guards and soldiers in the premises. Immediate action began to take place. Armored guards ran about to get into positions. Shouting of more orders and attempts of communication only confused and worried the crowds further as they shouted to each other about various things.
"We gotta get out of here!"
"Where are my children!?"
"Out of my way, I ain't dying!"
"Where did the arrow come from!?"
"From the rooftops, look at the roofs!"
Even the area in the balcony wasn't safe from the pandemonium. Caliber grabbed the royal family and was trying to push them back to the castle.
"It's not safe for you all out here, come back inside."
The queen was the first to head back inside, but the King hesitated. He was scanning the horizon. "...there." He lifts his hands and points yonder. It was the direction of where the arrow came from. But there was no one there. Caliber also looked in that direction. Two guards that had come from inside the castle grabbed onto Yasuline's shoulder and attempted to pull her back to safety. Yasuline was too dazed to move on her own, everything was happening too fast for her body to react to what they wanted.
Suddenly, another shout shifted the situation.
"Over there! Someone is running on the rooftops!" Someone shouted and pointed from the crowd. Heads turn toward the direction and many others begin pointing out the suspect. As too did the princess', the king's, and the champion's.
Indeed, someone can be seen running about on the rooftops of the various buildings near the castle gate. Their movement was graceful and swift. It was hard to make a good impression on them, but it was indeed someone. Someone dressed in white.
Caliber's keen eye proved to be valuable as he was capable of recognizing that person. "It's him." He utters. His fists tighten and his teeth start gritting into each other. Yasuline has never seen someone both so angry and yet terrified.
Nothing less than a minute did it take for the king to click on who Caliber was referring to. The color on her father's face drained and a mix of emotions were shown on his face. It scared her greatly to see her strong father to be this emotionally confused.
The crowds were getting stirred up again. It seemed the person in white was on the move again as knights from the city have managed to scale the rooftops and have now begun chasing him about. But the person was too swift to be simply caught. What was astounding was just how many knights were called in. The amount of knights going after him was on par with the city population that had been present for the king's speech. Castle guards also cooperated in the manhunt.
"Don't let them get away!" One of the armored men shouted loudly. Few of them shouted back to show their desire to accomplish the mission. Some drew their swords out and began to try to land a swing at the man in white. But he was still more than capable of dodging the attacks. He continued to dance around the swarming law enforcement.
Caliber looked reluctant to step up and attack as he constantly turned his attention to Yasuline who was still struggling to move.
"Just shoot at him!" Someone from the crowds shouted.
"Men, ready your arrows!" An order is shouted afterwards. Knights then began drawing out their assigned bow and readied their arrows. Their heads constantly locked onto the man in white.
Caliber rushes to the balcony, partly leaning over it as he shouts back at them. "You idiots! Don't you dare fire! You're going to hit civilians!" But his words were muted by the continued panic.
Still, the knights continued preparing for the ranged attack. The man in white moved to draw a big distance between him and the knights. But the direction he was going toward was to the castle, the balcony to be more precise. As he lands on the top of the gate that was opened for the ceremony, the bowmen get into their stance.
"Fire when he is in the air! There's no way for him to dodge the arrows!" Another voice shouted.
"Don't you dare fire! You'll hit the King and Princess!" Caliber shouted even more. Panic was now apparent in the champion's face as he got on the railing and pulled out his shield. Ready to protect them.
The man in white leaps into the air, and following his lead, arrows begin to shoot into the air. The sky was flooded with shadowed lines. At that moment, it felt like time was slowing down.
Yasuline felt something bump into her, it was the guards who were trying to escort her. They too panicked and in their struggle to save themselves from the approaching rain of arrows, they retreated into the castle themselves. The bump made her lose her balance and caused her to stumble on her heels. As she begins to fall, her head strikes against the wall itself, causing her mind to blur completely. She was beginning to black out.
It was extremely hard to keep herself from fading away, but it was also difficult to make out her vision as everything was all blurred.
The man in white was still visible. But the strange thing was that the arrows were also there. Least for a moment, then they weren't. She could also hear the panic, but it gradually got muddy. But Caliber and the King could still be heard as they spoke.
"So that's him." Her father said.
"I knew you would one day lay your murderous eyes on this crown, you devil." Caliber seemed to be addressing the man in white as he spoke, Caliber moved away from the railing and in his place, the man in white stood there. But just for a moment, as he disappeared once more.
[A Class Skill has been activated.]
"Find him!" Caliber shouted at the knights and guards. "Find the White Reaper now!" That was the last thing she heard before she completely blacked out.