“Dralarag can be traversed rather quickly in its entirety; it takes less than two weeks of riding by horse-drawn carriage. However, since the local wildlife (and occasionally livestock and furnishing) has found horses edible (and apparently quite appetizing as well), their use is incredibly limited in these lands. The local Demons use the native Firemanes as primary sources of transport, but those can pose serious threat when ridden, as their names would imply. While Firemanes are used in carriages, riders prefer reptilian alternatives, such as drakes on land and wyverns in the air, of which there are several discerned species. The most common riding drake is the Triforce, aptly named for the three horns on the top of its head. Its speed cannot match that of a horse, but it is much more maneuverable on rough terrain in return.”
̶ Fauna of Dralarag, Demonlord Serentia Kreshorok, 890 AS
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My morning training routine with Sephor ends with me drenched in sweat, bruised all over my body, and severely fatigued from the lack of nourishment, all of the points which I intend to improve upon shortly.
Receiving a small word of praise from my training instructor, and several… suggestive looks from the guards as I stand in the grounds panting for air, I return to the interiors of the castle. I am slowly getting used to living here, the daunting halls no longer looking so grim, the barren walls now decorated with torches in a livelier manner, the rooms getting more furniture by the week. The entrance hall to the castle is now adorned by a couple of banners, apparently showing the sigil of my husband’s family: A black flame inside the orange Sun. Do I belong to my husband’s family now? I was actually never informed of that. Has my name changed now that I’m married? Am I still Sophia Leonia, the Second Princess of the Leonia Kingdom? Or do I add Kreshorok to the end? There’s so much I do not know, and so much new things to learn.
From my language studies with Tiana, I’ve come to learn that Kreshorok means ‘from Kreshor’ in Dral, showing the connection, if there actually is any, between the family and Kreshor, God of Fire, to which most of the Demons here show their devotion. I haven’t learned much about the Gods over the years, mostly focusing on Light Goddess Selina while I was in the Palace, so most of my knowledge is superficial and limited to what I’ve read in the Book of Origins.
Their interpretation of the Origins is that Kreshor resides in the Sun, providing the World with warmth and fire of life, allowing all of us to bask in its flames. It’s interesting to hear the story, and how it contradicts with what I’ve learned at my home, which is the Goddess Selina creating the Sun to light our path during the day. Perhaps only one of those is true, but the clergy would never agree upon that. Maybe both are true in some alternative versions of the story I may learn in the future. Or maybe neither of them holds any ground, simply being explanations to what we can’t perceive. Heck, maybe it’s all magic anyway.
My after training routine of bathing, dressing and going to get breakfast lasts too little as I stay focused on my thoughts, my slight daze cut short as Cerolus starts talking to me at the dining table.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Well, we have some great news, and you will finally get to leave the castle.”
I slowly stop gorging on the food in front of me to try and focus on the words leaving his mouth, or rather on the words my necklace is bringing to my mind, since they do not seem to match. He’s speaking Dral, the words spoken by him too fast for Lyndarian.
“Our dear Demonlord has received a child, and I, as a member of the Royal family, am required to attend the bestowal ceremony. Since you are my wife, we will be going together. This is a great opportunity for my family to meet you and for you to see more of Dralarag.
The ceremony is in five days, so we leave tomorrow morning, otherwise we would be hard pressed for time. Your luggage will be sorted by the servants, and you will not attend tomorrow’s training.
My family is also most likely expecting you, so I’d rather not disappoint them, they can get quite rowdy when things don’t go their way, but luckily you are MY wife, so no problems should occur.”
That last part was spoken with a tone that signaled I am apparently now rather important, or at least married to someone that is. The letters I had gone through before the wedding mentioned he is the tenth in line to the throne, but I have no clue what his actual position to the family is. Sephor mentioned that Cerolus is quite old, even by their ridiculous standards, so it is possible that age and eligibility to inherit aren’t completely related. If nothing, it seems I will learn of everything shortly. Being thrust in the middle of his family without any foreword will at least lead to some new discoveries if anything.
“What exactly is that bestowal ceremony you mentioned? How should I behave? I know basically nothing about your family other than the name.” My mind is racing for thoughts as I start listing things that could go wrong, from insulting someone’s mother to being sentenced to death by the leader of the country. I have learned etiquette regarding royal summons and attendings, but they didn’t cover Demons, unsurprisingly.
Cerolus is calm while my head is starting to hurt imagining the possibilities. “Relax, nobody expects you to know everything, especially not after mere three weeks you’ve been here. I’ll tell you everything when the situation requires it, have no worries about that. Everybody will know you’re my wife, you’d be the only Human there, so you’d be treated well, I assure you.
Anyway, the bestowal ceremony should be a simple gifting of the child, done by either someone of great power or by someone of high enough rank in the family. The parents will usually name the child, and the bestower will pray for the child to stay healthy and live long. It’s a simple ceremony, really, and you don’t have to do anything but attend, I’ll do all the work required.
If you have a gift for the child, you may also present it there, but it is certainly not expected of you.
With that said, relax for today, no magic lessons either, I’ll be busy dealing with everything around the castle for our absence, and will be seeing you for lunch. Don’t worry about anything. Consider this some sort of an adventure, without all the fighting. Well, some fighting may be present, but it can only be good right? What is life without good combat?”
What was that about fighting and adventures now? Now I’m definitely worried.