I gathered my thoughts quickly, the urgency of the situation lending me a temporary strength. "Can we go now to see the Iron Princess?" I asked, my voice firm despite the turmoil inside.
Elyria nodded, standing up gracefully. "Yes, we should go immediately. Time could be important."
We made our way out of the bunk area, the sounds of the arena fading as Elyria made a beeline towards the heart of the administration - the guard headquarters. I had never been in this part of the arena before. I honestly did not even know it existed, how big was this place anyways? My mind raced with questions.
"Who is the Iron Princess?" I ventured, breaking the silence.
"The young ruler of the Iron Hegemony," Elyria replied without looking back. "They sponsor this tournament and oversee its operations. She's quite influential and, given the circumstances, potentially very helpful."
I mulled over her words, remembering a fragment from the past. "Korrok mentioned the princess at the start of the tournament," I said slowly. "He said she was taken with me, do you think the Iron Princess knows her?”
Elyria's stride hesitated for a split second before she continued. Her tone sharpened. "I’m sure he meant the Iron Princess, she has no sisters that I am aware of, no surviving sisters that is. And if she has taken an interest in you, that's... complicated."
I felt a hint of concern at her tone. "What else can you tell me about this Iron Hegemony and the princess?”
She glanced at me as we walked. "They are Iron Orcs, they are a very powerful faction of Orcs known for valuing both strength and beauty over well… anything else. They are unusual; most Orcs factions care about size, strength and to a lesser extent cunning, but not them. An Orc cannot rise to power among them without possessing both traits, and it’s been like that for a while. They have even gone as far as to use magic to try to enhance the beauty of their children in the womb.”
“They are trying to do that where I’m from too.” I said with a snort.
“Oh really.” She said and stopped to look at me. “I thought your world had no magic.”
“Um, well not with magic, science, which is basically magic if you don’t know any better.” I said quickly.
“Ah, that makes sense.” She began walking again after her response. “You should try and remember that the Iron Princess is thought to be quite cunning. She is a very successful warlord for them despite her young age.”
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“How do you know so much about her.” I questioned.
“When I signed on they gave us an information document that had a lot about her. Some of it may be exaggerated but I’d prefer to assume it is not.” She said matter of factly.
I had the beginning of another question on my lips when she held up a hand and pointed at a door coming up. We had arrived at the guard station.
Elyria stepped forward and knocked on the heavy door, which opened just enough to allow a muted exchange. I watched her closely, trying to glean something, anything, from her body language. Her gestures grew more animated, her face tightening with concern.
The door shut abruptly, leaving us in the dim corridor. She turned to me, her shrug doing little to ease the knot of anxiety in my stomach.
After what seemed like an excruciatingly long wait, the door swung open once more. "Follow me," boomed a voice from what must be an Orc, it was huge, it filled the doorway. The Orc was broad and armored, very imposing, and it’s voice carried an unmistakable authority.
I opened my mouth, a flurry of questions ready to spill out, but Elyria's quick, quiet "shh" cut them off before they could break the heavy silence between us.
The guard led us through a series of twisting corridors. I tried to memorize the turns, counting steps, but it was no use. The layout was designed to confuse, to keep those not of this place lost in its depths.
Finally, we reached a set of doors grander than any we had passed. The guard didn't hesitate, pushing them open and stepping inside. Elyria gave me a nod gathered herself for a moment, and entered.
Elyria stepped into the room with the confidence of one accustomed to the presence of royalty, and I followed a step behind. The vastness of the room was almost overwhelming, the high ceiling lost in shadows, the walls adorned with paintings that depicted scenes of battle and triumph. The artistic detail was exquisite, each brushstroke telling a story of power and prestige but there was more to some of them. A few of the paintings included pitched battles that were more than fantasy, they had formations and battlements, heraldry, they looked more like historical records than your typical battle paintings. Other than the paintings, the space was sparsely furnished, save for a throne that seemed as much a piece of art as the canvases on the walls, and a few silent guards stationed like statues at its base.
My gaze drifted across the room, taking in the sparse but powerful decor, until it landed once again on the throne. There, the figure that must be the Iron Princess sat, an aura of authority around her. Her hair, dark purple, almost black, was long and hung loose about her shoulders and her skin was a shade of purple so light it seemed almost ethereal.
Her voice, unexpectedly clear and commanding, cut through the silence, "Everyone but our guests must leave." Her command seemed to hang in the air for a moment before the guards bowed their heads in unison and departed, their footsteps echoing until the room fell into silence again.
Now it was just Elyria, myself, and the Iron Princess. I could feel her gaze on us, even from this distance, and I stood there, not quite sure of the protocol, waiting for Elyria's cue or the princess to speak further.