Celeste Macavelia's Story

Celeste MacAvelia

The brilliant sun was just beginning to rise over the Eastern Mountains, spreading its light over the Valley of Quelling Squalls, and the city located at the valley's center. From the balcony on the highest floor of the Palace of Winds, a forest green haired woman smiled as she watched the celestial being cast it's light over the valley. The young woman, seemingly in her early twenties, inhaled the fresh morning air and exhaled deeply--book in hand--, yawning and stretching as she did so.

Celeste MacAvelia did not usually wake this early in the morning, she was never much of a "morning person". However, last night she had been unable to sleep very well and had been constantly tossing and turning in her bed. Out of exasperation, Celeste had gotten out of bed and checked around the entire Palace to make sure everything was in order--nights like the previous one usually took place when something was amiss or something bad was about to happen. But, nothing was wrong.

After an hour of quietly sneaking around the Palace, Celeste had given up in exasperation and returned to her room, decked out a mythological-historical tome--A Thousand and One Knights--, slipped into bed and read. That had been an hour ago.

The young woman stretched again and yawned as the sunlight reached her bare arms, slowly warming her pale skin. Celeste had always enjoyed basking in the warmth of the sun. But, today, she still felt cold. There was no cool breeze floating through the valley this morning. Something was wrong.

There was a knock on the door to Celeste's bedroom. Based on the sequence and intensity of knocks, the forest green haired woman already knew that it was Emrys, her butler. He was probably going on his morning cycles... though, he usually stayed away from her room this early in the morning--Kidd knew Celeste's morning wrath.

Curious as to why he was here so early, Celeste called out, "Enter!"

The door opened slowly and a young man slipped soundlessly in. His silvery white hair was smoothly brushed back and tied back in a sort of ponytail, as usual. Emrys was an enigma for Celeste, one of the few people who she actually didn't know much about--and he had been her servant for the last seven years. He spoke, with a faint accent--a hint of an ancient tongue layered in his voice; Celeste had always wondered what tongue it was--and his tone was urgent as he proceeded to quietly close the door behind him.

"Princess MacAvelia," Emrys said, turning to face her, "there has been a serious happening in the recent hours."

The young woman felt that eerie cold feeling creep up her arm again. "What is it?" Immediately, a list of possibilities flowed through her head. A select group of possibilities seemed to appeal more to her than usual. "What has happened to the other Kings?"

Emrys's response was short, but it held enough meaning on it's own. "The Water King is dead."

The Princess looked at the door, to make sure that it was closed tightly. "King Damien? Severus Damien? The Sea Demon?"

"Yes. That Water King."

"Where did you receive this information?"

"From your 'sources'."

Celeste chose to ignore her servant's tone at the last word, and continued, "His Protectors?"

"All killed."

The Princess nodded. The death of the Protectors would only make sense. "And the Water Orb?" The answer to this question was what most interested her, though, she was already pretty sure of the answer. There had been only a few instances in history where a king had been murdered and, naturally, the ultimate prize was their orbs.

"Missing."--Celeste could hear a slight hint of fear in Emrys' voice--"It was taken. Taken from his body."

Taking a seat in the couch by her bed, Celeste took a deep breath, clasping her hands together--in a way that one might associate with praying--and drawing them to her lips. she wasn't praying; she was thinking. This was certainly grave news. Emrys had fairly good reason to be afraid. If someone out there had the power to kill a King and his Protectors, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Assuming that the news was true, of course. Information could be altered in the most ridiculous ways--Kidd had once run into Celeste's room panicked that the Princess was dead.

"What of the other kings?"

The silver haired man shook his head. "There hasn't been any notable actions on the parts of the other Kings yet."

Celeste assessed all the new information. Despite the danger that was heavily implied, this might just be the opportunity she needed to accomplish her life dream: the establishment of a unified Republic of Lastra. The land had been divided for far too long and the people needed peace for once. With the Water King out of the way, there would be one less vote to deny the Republic. A curve crept onto the Princess' rosy lips. "Good." She got up and stepped over to her closet, opening the wooden doors in a single movement. "Emrys, please go and inform the Protectors of the information. Tell them to get ready to leave the city. Then, have the messengers send messages to the remaining Kings. Tell them, that we need to call a meeting together at the Shrine of Aridea--this evening, sharp."

"Yes, your majesty."

"I told you not to call me by titles."

"Sorry, Princess."

He left the room and shut the door just in time to avoid the shoe that she threw at him. Celeste sighed. Emrys was never going to change--he'd always be an enigma if he remained so business-like.

She turned and sifted through her closet. She quickly found what she was looking for: her red short dress. Then, she remembered her chessboard which was placed all the way at the bottom of the closet. She looked at it. The Black King had been knocked over--probably since last night. Oh, that was what was out of place since last night. The young woman set the piece upright and then proceeded to move the White Knight into position in front of the White line of Pawns. Celeste smiled. It's always nice to have the first move.

There was the faint noise of a brush rustling through air, the tip already wet with many molecules of water that clung tightly. The swishing of the object through air was almost melodic, a fountain of colors pouring forth every time it was moved. The hand that held such a brush was delicate but had a familiarity, radiating off a sense that these motions had been done for quite some time. Markings ran up the arm and over the graceful figure of the one who was making such images come to tangibility. Her wings fluttered a little in the breeze, though she did not give this any heed. No, she was so marvelously focused upon this singular being, this visage of perfection. The miraculous way in which this creature had concocted its' colors and merely radiated out its' sense of--

And just like that, Aeraki lost interest. So flippantly did she drop her pen-brush, the colors which before had been vibrantly creating an image now fell into dull hues of what they were. The half-finished picture was nowhere near complete and therefore, could not come to life as her finished paintings. It hung in the air for a few moments more before the color dissolved into the space around them. She turned from her previous position, green hair trailing after her movements as she guided her body downwards. She ceased in her floating, wings no longer fluttering to keep her sustained in the air. It actually just dawned on her she probably shouldn't waste her magic on bringing her paintings to life at this moment. It was always better to have much in reserves than little.

It seemed her landing was perfectly timed, for she saw the hurrying figure of a strange fellow adorned in the colors of royalty. A messenger would be the safest surmise at this point, though she barely had enough interest to want to debate anything further. The messenger approached her with almost an air of awe about him, well, she had always gotten that. For some reason, people always were so entranced by a fae, for what reason, she cared not for. It gave her wonderful, copious amounts of attention that she enjoyed for the short span of time it was actually on her mind to enjoy.

"T-There you are, Miss Aeraki," Huh? Her gaze clearly stated she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and he hurried on. "I work at the palace? You know, I've given you messages before?" She blinked and shrugged. He must've not been interesting enough to imprint on her mi--oh! There, in the sky was a magnificent winged creature, whose strong appendages beat in the breeze with such elegance and grace. Ah, if only she could depict such fluid movements within her paintings--ah, but she could! Already she was raising her pen-brush to mimic the winged-creature... before she was rudely forced to turn her attentions to the blathering man. What was he again?

"What is it, two-legged thing?" She asked with a bit of a pout upon her face at being forced to stay focused upon one spot all at once. She completely ignored the fact she also had two-legs in favor of making this title seem more diminishing. Though it would not seem like it, Aeraki was fully aware of what was transpiring. The man was entranced by her beauty, wished to make a strong enough impression upon her so perhaps he could gain her interests, for he dreamed of the day they would interact and she would speak with him earnestly. But that day would never come, despite his ridiculous hopes of the matter. He did not even register her insult, as she knew he wouldn't, and stuttered.

"Y-You are needed, at... the Queen needs you." Eyebrows now raised, interest now piqued. "The... The Water King... he is dead." Interest levels now at an all-time minimum. "His protectors were al... are you even paying attention?" He asked in a faltering tone, for already the fae was tending to some particles of dust on her wings. Where had those come from? They were ruining the beautiful, golden sheen of her pride and joy. She cleaned it off so that only perfection remained, yes, the dazzling designs that suited her so. Ah, wait, he had said something, it was all jibber jabber. She brushed him off casually.

"Of course not, you were being a bore. In fact so much so that I--" And in the blink of an eye, Aeraki suddenly fell in the middle of conversation, already fast asleep--sound as a baby. The man did not know what to do but he could not just leave her here, asleep and passed out on the ground. He hesitantly picked the fae up in his arms, sighing, beginning the walk back to the palace bearing a weight that didn't even faze him in the slightest.

Siya Ukomo

The door burst open and a red haired youth came stumbling in, his chest heaving as if he'd run miles to get to the council room. Siya recognized him as Aarynn, or Flynn as the young man liked to be called. The Fire King leaned forward and hid his smile by putting his hands up over his mouth in an interlocked fist. His burnt orange eyes shifted casually to Kaed who turned his deep red gaze toward Flynn in the most intimidating manner he could possibly possess.

"Ya know, where I come from, if you're late more than three times, ya get run through with a spear," Marsaili commented, her sweet voice belying her deadly intentions. She looked up then at them as silence filled the room. Siya had turned his gaze at her and frowned lightly. How he wished he could change her way of thinking sometimes.

"What? That's not the case round here? Weird..."

Siya sighed heavily and leaned his head down as he closed his eyes, "No Marsaili, that's not how we do things. It's alright, Flynn. We can fill you in on the events," he commented and shortly after Marsaili did just that, though her explanation was much less informative and dire than the messengers.

Once the little girl had left the room, Kaed turned to Siya and glowered, "Why do you keep her?"

"Kaed," Siya started softly and lifted his eyes towards the taller Protector, "She's a powerful protector, just like you two. Can't you just bear with her like always?"

Kaed's face softened as he gazed at the young King. Siya knew he'd gotten to him, he had a way of softening the strong protector, though he wasn't sure exactly how that was. Well, at least he'd saved Marsaili from Kaed's wrath... or maybe it was the other way around. Siya wasn't sure. In any case, Kaed turned to Flynn and frowned at him.

"Next time, pay attention to the messenger I send to you. You should hurry up and get ready, we're leaving to see King Telius within the next hour or so."

A pounding on the double doors filled the air and Siya looked up. His thin eyebrow rose and he glanced to Kaed before calling, "Enter."

The door opened and another messenger slipped in. He held a piece of paper in his hands and presented it to Siya, "We just received this not but twenty minutes ago."

The Fire King opened the envelope that bore the water seal of the Water King (or rather Queen as she preferred to be called). The note was short and to the point, just like Celeste.

Shrine of Aridea, this evening, sharp.

"As demanding as ever," Siya commented and folded the paper. He stood up and crossed the room towards the doors, "Change of plans. We're leaving for the Shrine of Aridea. By the time we get there it'll be evening and we wouldn't want to make Celeste wait for us."

"I'll go inform our little menace," Kaed said as he gently brushed passed Siya. The King felt a hitch in his throat as Kaed passed him, just barely touching him. Siya cleared his throat and moved down the hall on his own. He was heading for the front of the castle. From there he would go to the stables where he would prepare his horse.

"I'll meet you in the stables, Flynn," he told the other Protector, "Go get ready, and try to be quick," Siya said glancing over his shoulder and smiling brightly as the man. Siya pushed open the doors to his castle and strode down the cobblestone walkway to the stables near the entrance of the palace walls. Beyond that was his city where he reigned and watched over the citizens. He entered the stables and started working to get all of the gear ready for the long several hour ride they were about to embark on.

He was saddling the horse when a loud sound overhead caught his attention. Looking up, the young Fire King could hardly believe what he saw next. A gust of wind blew his hair and clothes about, and a solid body fell down towards him. He caught sight of the body quickly — it was a woman, no less — and he raised his arms in half an effort to catch her, the other half an effort to protect himself. The girl crashed into him, even through the roof she'd just blown through. Siya tumbled under her, falling onto his back with her right on top of him.

As soon as everything settled, he groaned and peeked one eye open to look at what the sky had thrown at him. Brushing off hay from the girl's face, he gazed at her carefully. Slowly, Siya sat up and pulled her close into his arms. She was unconscious, and her head was bleeding, no doubt from crashing into the stables' roof. She was bruised and cut in quite a few places, too. Just what happened to her? And are those... wings, wrapped around her?

Some more clattering got Siya's attention a second time, and a sword dropped inches away from his side. The girl's? Lucky enough, his horse hadn't done much more than rear and canter off to the side. At the moment the black steed eyed his rider carefully, almost... accusingly... as Siya sat there, with an injured, unconscious girl in his arms.

Carefully, Siya pulled the girl to his chest and stood up, dust and dirt falling off of him as he did so. With a sigh, he latched the girl's sword to his side and started back to the castle. He was going to have to take care of her before doing anything else. Hopefully it would be quick so that they could leave and meet with Celeste.

Kanan Thiyer

He was kneeling in the garden area of the palace, his eyes keenly examining the white buds of the flowers that were growing there. Kanan wasn't sure why but the smells of the flowers had a... calming effect on him. He often went to the garden to look at the flowers when he was irritated or otherwise 'out of place'. He wasn't quite sure how to act around the others and so found himself wandering the flower beds instead.

He reached out a heavily gloved hand and gently touched the flower bud, making it curl backwards under the slight pressure. Startled, he pulled back and watched the flower bounce back to it's original position. Kanan stood, a frown on his lips. He was used to seeing things break far too much than seeing things bend and still survive. In his left hand he held his sword and scabbard. The belt twisted around his hand as he gripped the weapon. Kanan hadn't thought to put the weapon on completely, but he never left it behind either.

He wore a simple white shirt that was opened in the front and baring much of his pale skin to the warm sunlight. The metal of the chains around his arms glinted in the light. Long black pants tucked into heavy boots made soft sounds as he moved slowly through the garden. The dangling chains and necklaces that he wore wrapped around his wrists and waist jingled around as well. Kanan wasn't one for stealth, so the noise didn't bother him in the least.

"Kanan!"

The call came from across the garden and the young Protector turned on his heel to see who it was. He looked with his right eye as the left was covered in a leather eye patch with a metal piece over the eye. His white hair fell over into his face as the wind picked up. The long strands of soft hair flipped about his features for a while before settling down. The man who'd called out to him rushed up to him and took a moment to catch his breath.

"Lady Celeste has called. She wishes for the protectors to get ready to leave."

"Where?"

"The Shrine of Aridea. That's all I know. You should go meet with her. She is in her room."

Kanan nodded slowly and backed away from the messenger. The air Protector moved towards the palace building that was built at the top of the hill. The large windows were mostly opened to let the breeze wash through the palace. It was a beautiful place to say the least, but Kanan was unsure as to how to act in such a place, especially when he was around the Air King. He was either overly protective, or too stiff, or too quiet... there was always something. He wasn't about to make Lady Celesete wait any longer for him though, even if his nerves were tied up once again.

So he quickly made his way through the halls and found himself at her door. Reaching up, he took a deep breath, and knocked gently, trying to keep his strength under wraps. Even so, the sound reverberated through the hall and the room beyond. He frowned at this and let his hand fall to his side.

Hebi Irikisha

“Why don’t we test that theory then? Hebi,” The sharp click of his tongue was the only warning that Hebi had before Eugene snapped at him. Even so, the intimidating presence of the man did nothing to make Hebi back down. No, instead it fueled him even further. Leaning off the pillar, Hebi moved his upper body forward in such a way as to entice Eugene further. His lips spread into an even crueler smile, deeper and colder than before. His brilliantly green eyes flashed dangerously as he eyed Eugene's burning blue ones.

However, his fun was spoiled as Telius jumped into the matter and shouted at them all. Hebi leaned back against the wall, a slight frown on his lips as he unwillingly tore his gaze from Eugene to their King. The young man was by far the youngest King to rule, barely even 19 the boy had much to learn. Even so, the three of them followed him. Well... maybe not all three of them. Hebi's smile returned to his face as he settled against the pillar, ever aware of Eugene's cold glare.

The snake-like Earth Protector hardly payed any heed to the exchange of words between Rosena and Telius. He didn't care much for the other King's anyway, or their protectors. He only had one to worry about and that was more than enough.

"My King, hadn't you noticed how odd the air outside had seemed. Something had shifted, a coolness sifted through the air, Lastra's balance is going to shift dramatically if nothing is done. Tsunami's will begin hover over cities, and droughts will begin in others. Water is no longer controllable," Rosena commented softly, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she addressed the King.

"I'm sure he's felt it, my dear," Hebi remarked coolly, "He is the Earth King after all. Unless, of course, he wasn't paying any attention to that, then maybe he hadn't felt it. But, my dear, you're over exaggerating things a bit don't you think?" Hebi asked as he pushed off the pillar and moved towards her and King Telius. He brought his arms up over his head and intertwined his fingers with his long, thick black hair.

"Tsunamis? Droughts? My dear, these things take time. It isn't like the orb has been lost for years, it's been lost for hours, maybe a day or so. That decrepit old Water King surely had some magic left over in the thing to keep things in balance for at least a few years. Of course, that would be the smart thing to do, but you know," Hebi heaved a sigh and flipped one hand about like he was waving off a fly as he turned his back to the King and the other two Protectors, "If he'd of thought of such things like that, maybe he wouldn't have gotten himself killed so easily. Just my opinion of course."

Hebi yawned loudly and stretched his body, his back popping effectively, "Now, if you've no need of me immediately, I'm going to retire to my quarters," he called as he started towards the double doors of the palace's throne room.

Aarynn Fletcher

"Ya know, where I come from, if you're late more than three times, ya get run through with a spear." Marsaili's tone of voice was threatening. Flynn wasn't sure if she was being completely serious or if she was just messing with him. Probably both.

In either case, Flynn wasn't worried at all. Siya had been perfectly fine when he arrived and even seemed to be smiling--that was what was important. The Ginger Samurai shrugged dismissively thinking to himself, Glad I don't live where you came from. Despite his sarcastic thought, Flynn smiled politely at Masaili--this was simply how the girl acted and, since they were fellow Protectors, he would simply have to deal with it.

The girl flashed back a demonic grin. Yup. I'll just have to deal with it. No matter how uncomfortable. Marsaili proceeded to relate the current situation with him, in her own odd way of course. Flynn had to take a moment to translate the information the girl had given him. So, we're heading to Mr. Roc's house (Whoever that is...) because the Water King was murdered. That, and apparently a messenger had been very lucky this day. Had Marsaili figured out that the messenger had been afraid of her--there probably would be a messenger anymore aside from a torn limb or two... The Samurai had been thinking this as the door shut behind Marsaili. Flynn snapped back into reality just in time to notice Kaed frown at him.

"Next time, pay attention to the messenger I send to you. You should hurry up and get ready, we're leaving to see King Telius within the next hour or so."

Oh, so they were going to see the Earth King.

Flynn had just been about to inquire as to Siya's reasoning for this when a pounding on the door distracted him. Siya had bid the knocker in; a messenger with a note. The young prince's eyes flickered over the paper and he muttered something that Flynn couldn't discern before folding the paper and crossing the room towards the doors, "Change of plans. We're leaving for the Shrine of Aridea. By the time we get there it'll be evening and we wouldn't want to make Celeste wait for us."

Celeste. Celeste MacAvelia, the Wind Princess. In some parts that Flynn had passed through, she had been known as the Demon of Mirages--told to fight in a manner that completely eluded her enemies. At the same time, the Kingdom of Wind was a prosperous one and so--Flynn was sure--she was no evil tyrant. He had never met her before, but, having also heard of her beauty, he found himself very interested in the prospect of getting to meet the Princess.

"I'll go inform our little menace," Kaed sighed. Flynn walked as the other Protector walked off. He felt a pang of pity for the dark haired man.

Siya also began walking off down the hall. He glanced back over his shoulder smiling brightly, "I'll meet you in the stables, Flynn. Go get ready, and try to be quick."

"Aye-aye, your Majesty." The crimson haired man saluted. Then, he too headed off--he was going to his room to pack a few things for the trip.

---

Celeste MacAvelia

Knowledge is power. That was something that Celeste had been told by her father who constantly reminded her. Quite frankly, she would be surprised if those had been his first words to her when she entered this world. These words had embedded themselves in her heart and mind. It wasn't simply a saying for Celeste anymore--it was her way of living. The epitome of this quality of the Princess came in the form of a book--her «Codex».

The «Codex» had started as a single piece of paper that six year old Celeste had--in boredom--written notes on in regards to the mannerisms of each of the Elemental Kings present at one of her father's diplomatic meetings. Almost immediately, the notes that she had taken proved useful in the diplomatic process. From that day forth, the Wind Princess added information from any reliable source to her «Codex» and what had initially begun out of boredom quickly grew into a massive encyclopedia--the stories it told and the information it held was practically endless. Naturally, there had came a time where the tome had simply grown too big. That was when Celeste had enchanted the book. The 10" x 15" tome could shrink and condense to a convenient 2" x 3". Of course, a specific phrase was needed to re-expand the book--no body, as far as Celeste knows, knew of the book and, just in case someone did, the Princess wanted to ensure that no one got a hold of her database without her consent. That would be bad. Very bad.

The knocking had caught Celeste just as she had been finishing a set of copies of information from her «Codex». Immediately, she muttered the words which magically compressed the tome before proceeding to slide it into the left pocket of her peach-colored shorts. Then, she finished her last notes. She already knew, from the sequence and sheer volume of the knock, that Kanan was on the other side. Kanan Thiyerwas one of her trusted Protectors but the Princess kept knowledge of her «Codex» secret even to those closest to her. It was a matter of safety. For everyone in the world.

Celeste gently picked up her papers and glided over to the door. She quickly inspected herself before opening it. Red knee-length boots trailed up her long legs; under the boots, she was wearing pink stockings which had straps attaching to her relatively short peach-colored shorts. A slightly tight fitting short, sleeveless red dress--matching her boots--wrapped around her upper body. She also wore a short pink cloak and red gloves on each hand. Wrapped around her wrists were her four Ribbons of Hathor and strapped to her right leg was Amalthea, her enchanted throwing-knife sheath--presently holding three knives. This was the Princess of the Winds' typical travel attire. She was smiling to herself as she opened the door.

"Ah, Kanan you're here." Celeste noted. She peeked down the hallway. They were empty. "I see Aeraki isn't here yet." Turning back to the Protector, she added, "You're always so punctual. Thank you."

She stepped out of the room--trailed by a waft of wind with an unnatural hint of peppermint--and motioned for Kanan to follow her, she had intended to meet all of the Protectors in the Debriefing Room on the first floor of the Palace before departing. It would be much more probable to find Aeraki on the first story.

---

Aarynn Fletcher

It hadn't taken the Samurai long to pack his things--he was a simple man of simple needs. All he needed was his sword, the clothes on his back (It was only going to be a day's trip anyways.), a small bag containing emergency supplies, and a bamboo sleeping mat (usually used as a pillow rather than a map.). After about five minutes, Flynn had collected everything that he needed and proceeded to run to the Royal Stables.

If a normal individual had seen the the Royal Stables they have been left speechless. They looked nothing like what one would associate with stables. The Royal Stables were kept amazingly tidy and the air inside was crisp, just as pure as the outdoor air. Flynn himself had been impressed the first time he had seen the stables--'till then, he had thought he had seen everything he had wanted to see in regards to horses. Forty-two visits hadn't changed anything. His forty-third visit was a bit different.

When the stables had come into his sight, Flynn knew something was wrong. A hole was torn in the roof. Crap! the Samurai thought as he made a full sprint towards the building. Late again!

"Prince Siya are you okay?!" Flynn called as he burst into the building. The stables were in a very unusual state. It wasn't usual to have a Prince holding a beautiful young girl in his arms--despite what legends and books may suggest--and it certainly wasn't usual to have the girl unconscious, bleeding, cut, and bruised all over. "What happened?" he wondered aloud.

The roof was a wreck. A hole, about human sized, was torn in the wood--probably where the girl had fallen in from. There had been a fight--of some sort--up on the roof. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but, whoever had been attacking was long gone.

The Samurai returned his attention to the Prince and the girl. The fiery haired man crouched beside them. "Are you okay, your majesty? And is she okay?"

Siya's response was short and concise. "Help me get her inside!"

Though it wasn't a direct answer to his two questions, the urgency in the young Prince's response was answer enough. "Yes, your majesty." Flynn nodded and proceeded to assist Siya in carrying the girl into the castle.

Celeste MacAvelia

The Palace of Aeolus was enormous. Its highest spire reached about fifty feet into the air and its width was that of a small mountain. The four floors of the castle were connected by three means. Two were spiraling staircases which were located on either side of the castle--the spiraling form was easy to defend in case of an attack. One was a floating platform which could only be activated by a high leveled Wind Sorcerer.

It was on the floating platform, on the third floor, that Celeste found Emrys. Her personal butler had dawned his thin red armor--it's color complimenting that of her dress--and armed himself with his two main weapons, a sword--which Celeste knew was enchanted--and a large cross-shaped tower shield. The silvery haired man bowed to her in a slight dip.

Even though she didn't have to, the Princess returned the bow. "Glad to see you are all ready to go. Though, Emrys, I don't exactly remember inviting you."

"I may not be a Protector..." the butler spoke calmly. "But it is my duty to make sure the Princess is safe all the same."

Celeste felt her lip curve. It was nice to have such devotion from a friend. The Princess stepped on the the platform and checked to make sure that her Protector was following--he seemed to be so quiet around her. She eyed the younger individual as he stepped up on the platform. Perhaps, he was intimidated by her. Many people were whether or not she had ever done anything to them.

Kanan was her new Protector. He had joined the ranks only a weeks ago--Celeste, who had been looking for a new Protector, had been impressed by the young man and quickly made sure that he was recruited as a Protector. He had seemed a bit shy, quite quiet, and was definitely a hard worker. She was hoping to get to know him but the past few weeks had been extremely busy.

She caught Kanan's gaze and smiled kindly at him. He flushed and she had to hold back a giggle. Aside from that, though, there was no discernible responce. She returned her gaze to the moving wall ahead.

This trip, she promised herself. Before this trip is over, I will get to know him.

---

Aarynn Fletcher
After helping Siya carry the girl inside, Flynn had sort of wandered off down the corridors. He still wasn't sure what exactly had happened to the girl and wanted to check to make sure that whatever did that wasn't also still wandering around. Plus, he didn't really have any skill with taking care of injured people.

Under normal circumstances, the Protector would have never left the King in a room alone with anyone. However, something seemed different about this girl. Something that Flynn couldn't quite pinpoint. In any case, the girl wasn't about to do anyone--much less the King--any harm in her condition. But, just in case, Flynn continued to linger on in the hallway.

...

A call snapped him back to reality. "Hello?" The voice sounded urgent.

Immediately, Flynn propped himself up from where he had been sitting in the middle of the hallway and walked briskly in the direction that the voice had come from. The Samurai was careful to avoid making any noise as to keep anyone from panicking, especially the girl. She has just been through an attack, who knows what she is going to do?

He entered the room just in time to hear Siya say the girl's name. "Mina? That's a pretty name."

"Oh, she's awake." Flynn noted, almost to himself. He hadn't expected the girl to recover so soon and had actually figured that they would leave her here while they went to the meeting at the Aridea. He looked at Siya, "Is she okay?"

From the side of the room, Kaed groaned irritably.

Was this jealousy from the ever-calm Kaed? The fiery-haired man glanced at his fellow Protector and a smirk spread over his face. That one glance had given him the answer: Yes. Yes it was. Of course, Flynn couldn't resist some pleasure at Kaed's expense. He indicated the dark haired man with his thumb, "What's wrong with him?"

The response came from Kaed in the form of a growl. "I'm fine."

Flynn grinned but said nothing more on the matter; he wasn't about to ask twice for a smack from his fellow Protector—Kaed knew how to make those hurt! He took several steps closer to the Prince and the girl.

Seeing her up close while she was awake and cleaned was a much different experience than seeing her up close while she was unconscious and bleeding. There was a certain hardness to her eyes which told the Samurai that she wasn't just a young girl--she was a fighter. The bleeding hadn't come from the fall and that fall was no accident. Her hair was light in color and long. Without blood covering her face, Mina was actually very pretty--just like her name--, Flynn could understand why Siya seemed to like her to the point of annoying Kaed.

Lowering himself, he smiled at the girl, "You know, it isn't safe playing around on a roof."

"Flynn..." His fellow Protector's voice was filled with irritation.

The red-haired man tried to ignore the tone. "You could really have gotten hurt if Siya wasn't—"

"Flynn," Kaed interrupted.

"What?"

"Shut up."

The red-haired Protector pouted. Tilting his head towards Kaed, he noted, "Look, the girl's been through a traumatic event. Couldn't you try to be nice for once?"

"Flynn."

For a moment, the air inside the room seemed to tighten and the Samurai smelled a faint scent of amber. Kaed was really ticked off. "I'll stop talking now."

---

Celeste MacAvelia
The platform came to a stop on the second floor of the Palace. Four hallways intersected at that spot, each one representing on of the cardinal directions--East, North, West, and South. At the end of each corridor was a distinct room from which one could see all things existing in that respective direction. None of them led to Anemoi, the room where the winds met--the meeting room. That was the trick. The winds didn't meet in the North or the West. The winds met at doldrums in-between the directions. The key to entering was stepping into the intersection with more than one person and waiting.

Celeste always had to grin when she stepped into the intersection. It reminded her of how clever her father had been--that man was always up to his riddles and puzzles. After standing seemingly idle for a minute, the Princess looked up as a second platform descended from the ceiling. Yes. Anemoi was actually a room on the third floor, but it was only accessible from the second floor.

She stepped on and turned to look at the other two people. Emrys was already following her--he had done this plenty of times before. Kanan was another story--this would be young Protector's first time. She beckoned him forward, "Com'on! You have to see this."

Freece, Wind Protector
Aeolus' Grand Library

"Oh, so beautiful.... Come here, you sweet thing... Yes, let me... You smell divine..."

These were the ramblings of the clueless protector as he was often called, Freece. He had yet again fallen asleep within the confinements of the Grand Library with piles of books on the table in front of him. There was even one on his face as he messily slouched on his chair with his foot on the table as well. It shows clearly of rudeness and lack of manners or in more refine terms, delicacy. That is why rumors of the damaging sort floated up and about. The fact he was chosen was still unbelievable in more ways than one. There was also the issue of his seemingly unmotivated demeanor in much of everything.

In any case, this is how some of the maids and servants found Freece. Those eyes of disbelief, disappointment, and embarrassment due to the string of words that left his mouth in such a flirtatious manner. One could wonder what he was dreaming about for certain, it was rather perverted because of the type of statements he was saying out of the blue. This continued on and even the names of the other protectors were dragged on as well.

"Aeraki, don't you touch my precious with your filthy brush! ....Ha Tién.... Ha Tién... give it to me... Don't be shy Kanan you know you want it..."

It is not unlikely for a crowd to form around the sleeping Freece. He was truly entertaining in more ways than one and it even counts more when he is asleep. The people could not help but wonder what kind of erotic dreams this particular protector was having. He appeared to be fully unaware that he was not alone anymore and his muttering were audible enough to be heard within the Library Halls. Most of the people were blushing and some were inwardly in confusion. Such a crude man, should have never been chosen to protect their beautiful princess. Yet, the fates were not in their hands after all.

"Is Sir Freece here!?"

A rather heavily panting soldier donned in such standard armor and regalia entered the Library. It would appear the soldier had been running around the Palace in panic more so, in such appearance. Well at very least, it would increase the man's stamina. The people who were there pointed all together to the sleeping Freece. It was like such an occurrence was an everyday activity. The said soldier could not believe it as he shook his head. His superior officer had bid him good luck upon being ordered to find the hapless protector. He took it with pride as he was new in the force. However, his hopes of meeting one of the wind protectors were shattered.

"Eh? Is that really him?"

The rather surprised query was answered by the crowd of people with an a silent nod. Once again, it was well-coordinated that it was beginning to irk the new soldier. Well, it was not like this lot of people would lie to him. As such, he slowly approached the seat where Freece remained asleep. The people made a path for him which unnerved the soldier even further. Soon, he reached his destination but not with a warning from one of the maids.

"You're new right? I must warn you, Sir Freece doesn't like being awaken."

Looking at the maid, the soldier had a determined look. The news he brings was very urgent not to be said. Plus, there was no assurance when Freece would wake up. Anyway, the protector could probably not be that mad once the news was delivered, right?

"This is urgent. Sir Fre---"

He was not able to continue as Freece suddenly lounged forward which surprised everyone.

"Curse you Celeste! Don't take my donuts!!!"

After declaring that, Freece's actions caused him to fall from his chair and for the table to topple down in domino effect. The books were scattered around the floor and an echoing thud filled the Grand Library. If it was possible for everyone to have a big sweat drop on their heads, it would have been there. All this time, the sleeping protector was dreaming of donuts and nothing else. Moreover, the honor of being a protector does not seem to amount much in Freece's case. As for the soldier, he was completely stupefied of what happened.

"Ow... That's going to mark."

Freece muttered from his fallen position as he stood up while rubbing his head and yawning at the same time. He was completely oblivious with the mess he had created or the chaos he inflicted to the others. The soldier took this opportunity to report.

"Sir Freece!" Green eyes lazily looked at the soldier. "What?" Taking a deep breath, the soldier continued on with his head bowed to avoid looking at the protector's face which would be considered rude.

"The Princess summons you to the Debriefing Room. It is imperative."

Stretching his limbs, Freece walked passed the soldier and was already at the exit when the one sent to inform him noticed this.

"Sir Freece! I am not done yet!"

The soldier clumsily followed but tumbled from the books that littered the ground. Some of the curious crowd were now laughing at the scene. As for Freece, he spared the soldier one final glance.

"It is always imperative. Interrupting my doughnut dreams... I'm going, so clean that up will you?"

After saying that, Freece disappeared into the adjoining hallways as he went to the Debriefing Room where he will be waiting for the others. As for the soldier, he was completely caught unaware of the events. He picked one of the books and read the title which sent him chills all over his body.

"The Doughnut Warrior's Adventure with the Glaze Princess and Chocolate-Covered Priest."

Celeste MacAvelia and Kanan Thiyer

"Com'on! You have to see this," Celeste said, her lips curled into a bright smile. Kanan was taken aback by her... bubbly personality. How the hell was he going to deal with that?! The platform they had been on brought them up to another level and then another had come down from above, thus the reasoning for Celeste beckoning to him.

He'd been standing in the middle of the room, his gaze sweeping its entirety as it was probably the most beautiful part of the castle that he'd seen yet. Her voice had startled him and he turned to look at her as she and Emrys climbed up on the second platform. Once again his face heated without warning and he fought his embarrassment. Why couldn't he even say anything to her? Kanan just didn't know how... He sighed inwardly and started towards her, his movements stiff as if he were nothing more than a mindless guard.

Slowly he stepped up onto the platform next to her, his chest tight as he stood beside her. It was rare that he ever stood so close to the Lady Celeste. The last ride up was just as painful as he'd been close to her then too. His eye flicked over to the back of her head, examining her bright green hair and then upwards to where they were heading next. He fidgeted slightly with the sword he still held in his other hand. Kanan was trying to drudge up the courage to say at least a couple of words to his Queen, after all he was her protector.

His eye turned downwards and he stared at the platform beneath his feet, his mouth opened and he uttered a few simple words, "Thank you, my Lady."

Celeste arced her eyebrows. This was the first time Kanan had spoke to her in the five minutes they had been together. Things were improving. "No problem."

The platform momentarily shook before beginning to float upwards.

Emrys grunted, but he did so as quietly as possible. The Princess still heard and proceeded to call her butler out. "What's the matter, Emrys?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Nothing." The butler immediately straightened himself out.

"You aren't still afraid of heights are you?"

"I'm working on it."

Kanan listened to the exchange in curiosity. He was interested to see exactly how high they had gone and so turned and peered down over the ledge. If only he'd known how much of a terrible mistake that was. He had a strong sense of invertigo and swayed on his feet as his eye took in the distance between the top third floor and second floor far down below.

Kanan stumbled slightly, falling backwards and bumping into Celeste on pure accident. His face flushed even redder than before and he quickly dropped down to one knee, with his fist down on the ground before him, the other holding tightly to his sword. He felt his heart racing at the stupidity of his last action.

"My Lady! Please, forgive me," he muttered quickly, his deep voice wavering slightly as he stiffened.

Celeste burst out laughing. The young Protector's reaction was so... innocent. Realizing that she probably wasn't making him feel any more comfortable, the Princess held in the remainder of her laugh. "It's alright Kanan. No need to be so formal all the time--we're all simply good friends. And, I hate titles, by the way."

"Isn't that right, Emrys?" She had noticed that the butler's hand was lightly gripping the sword sheathed in his shield. She cast him a sharp glance.

The butler's hand quickly flew away from the sword hilt and returned to it's position behind his back. "Yes, your Majesty."
The Princess had just been about to jab Emrys in the chink of his armor when the platform came to a stop. "Ah, we're here!"

Thirty years ago, Nicholas MacAvelia had decided that it was necessary to have a room where the King and all of his Protectors--as well as a few selected others--could meet in absolute privacy. It had taken fourteen months to build.

Though Lady Celeste had told him that it was alright, Kanan stayed kneeling all the way up until the platform stopped. Only when she'd stepped off, did he stand again. He kept his head down and didn't look up at her at all. His eye caught sight of the beautiful glass floor that they walked across. The stained glass was in four different colors, blue, red, green and silver. The colors would occasionally clash together, mixing to form new colors across the large floor.

Kanan, unable to keep his curiousity at bay, looked up from his boots and witnessed the large room that was Anemoi. At each corner of the compass, was an archway. The archways were each filled with windows--all tinted on the oppposite side--allowing the morning light to flow in and giving a gorgeous view of the outside world. Clouds lazily floated by as the sunlight was beginning it decent in the eastern horizon. Moutains in the eastern compass rose up, to the west, an empty exanse of nothing but blue/purple sky, the north and south held more mountain ranges, each just as different as the eastern one.

Between each of the archways, the wall was made entirely of shiny white stone. Kanan thought it to be marble at first, but the texture and color wasn't right for it to be so. He didn't know exactly what type of stone was used in the wall, but it looked glorious. Above him, as he raised his eye upwards, he spotted a huge dome. The dome was made also entirely of glass, just like the floor. The only difference was that it was clear glass and the sunlight shone through it easily, splaying the colors of the floor all across the room and walls.

Kanan stopped in mid stride, not making it to the center of the room and just gazed about. He was awe struck by the beauty of the fourth floor, amazed at the ingenuity of it and the pure power that he could feel rushing through the winds thats mixed together at the center of the Palace of Aeolus. He never knew such a place existed. It made him all the more intrigued by his queen, and even more desiring of protecting her.

Celeste beamed at her Protector's reaction. It had been a while since she had last introduced a person to Anemoi and watched awe fill their expression--most of the Protectors simply acknowledged it as another room and never regarded all the brilliant work that had come together to make Anemoi. Her gaze trailed around the room and rested by the eastern window.
There, an elderly man stood, looking out towards the mountains. He was dressed in simple green robes and an oriental leaf hat hung off of his back. His hands were clasped together in a very relaxed manner. A silvery beard wrapped around the sides of his face--aside from that, the man was virtually bald with only a few patches of silver here and there. Ocean blue eyes twinkled in the morning sunlight. He was smiling peaceful and showed no signs of noticing that the three had just entered the room.
Shifu Tien. The Princess smiled in recognition. The man who had taught her all of the basics of Wind Magic leading to her mastery of the element just two weeks later. It had been a long time since she had seen the elder Protector.

Kanan turned his eye back around the area, doing a full circle as he did so. As he came back across the eastern window, he caught sight of the elderly man that he hadn't seen the first time. Kanan cursed himself slightly for not noticing him until that moment. However, it didn't seem like the man was all that threatening so Kanan calmed himself, knowing full well that if there had been any threat to Celeste, he would have known immediately. It didn't seem as if the elder man had taken any notice to their entrance, so Kanan turned back around and faced his Queen.

"My Lady," Kanan uttered, his voice soft and heavy, deep as it was, "What is this room?"

He was answered by two voices; that of the Princess and another deeper and slower one. "Anemoi." The two continued, their voices sounding in union. "The place where the winds meet. Where, in times of necessity, those of Aeolus retreat."

"Basically, it's just another one of King Nicholas' secret rooms," the bearded man added with a light tone contrasting with the more poetic one of his last line. The old man turned around and smiled at Celeste, "It has been a long time, Princess of the Winds."

Celeste, Kanan, Emrys, and Tien

"It has been a long time, Uncle."
The Princess and the elderly man embraced. Celeste hadn't seen her uncle in nearly two years--since her father left seven years ago, Shifu Tien had periodically left and returned to the Kingdom of Wind. He never told anyone when or where he was going and she, out of pure respect, had never bothered to check. However, whenever he returned, it meant that something significant was happening--the last time Celeste had seen the man, the tyrant Earth King of the time was rebelled against and killed by his own wife. Even whilst hugging her uncle, the Princess' mind was racing. Why is he here? Is he simply late for the Water King's death or is something else coming?
"You're late Uncle!" She stated pulling away from the elderly man. "I already know the Water King is dead."
The old master looked confused. "Is he now?"
In turn, Celeste frowned. She had already anticipated an answer to that effect, but had been secretly hoping--against the odds apparently--that her uncle was actually late for once. Now what? She looked at the man with a grim expression. "So, what is about to happen?"
"I am not sure," he answered, looking out of the window and into the distance. "But, I do know that it will change the course of this land's history."
The Princess resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Her uncle was always ambigious and it was so annoying at times...
"I see." Celeste turned to the two Protectors beside her, keen to change the topic. She hated being in the dark and talks of the future always left one in the dark. "I guess we had best get to our part in changing history, then." Her gaze rested on Kanan. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "You have never met my uncle before! I'm sorry."
Kanan was startled by Lady Celeste's sudden jump in concentration to him. His eye bounced between her and her uncle, unsure of how to proceed. Luckily, it seemed that Celeste was way ahead of him and spared him the duty of trying to properly introduce himself without making out to be a fool.
She looked from the silver-haired Protector to the elderly master, "Kanan, this is Shifu Ha Tien Long. He is the senior Protector and has been so much longer than any other Protector." Then, looking from her uncle to Kanan, she began, "Uncle, this is--"
"I know." Tien interrupted. He gazed at the other Protector with a gleam of interest in his eyes, like a diviner reading a fortune. "Young Kanan Thiyer..."
Kanan was a bit nervous at having his name known so easily and without his even saying a word. The elder man gazed at him with a strange look that seemed like Tien was looking through him rather than at him. He squirmed inwardly at such a steady gaze. Trying to ignore it, Kanan simply dipped his head down and bowed forward slightly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tien Long."
Emrys, had--until now--been standing silently and respectfully beside the platform from which he had come. He had already met the princess' uncle on several occasions now and enjoyed his presence. He, however, had no taste for the elder's ambiguity and subconsciously tapped on the hilt of his sword. Once. Just once.
Celeste heard. She casted her butler a glare for his lack of respect towards the imperial uncle. But, Emrys was right. They had to get the meeting going. She glanced around the room, only two Protectors were present. Breaking the silence, she muttered, "Where are Freece and Aeraki?"

---

[/b]Aeraki, Celeste, Kanan, Freece, Emrys, and Tien[/b]

The fae in question was currently still immersed in the shifting world of her dreams--where much of the colorful landscape was oh-so-fantastic--wait a moment. There was a pause in the sequence of her thoughts; there was something not quite right about this passing whimsy. All at once, the surroundings that had enveloped her seemed rather dull and insignificant. This was most certainly not where she was meant to be. Not at all... There was something else tugging at her, as if pulling her from this world of washed over hues and jagged shapes. This realization was followed by a sudden jolt from her body and, unfortunately, also accompanied by a swift motion from her fist, which collided with something soft.

Aeraki was at a loss for precisely how it happened, suffice to say she was fairly confused to find herself on the ground and a twitching guard no more than a few feet from her. A frown unfurled on her face as she tilted her head. How very mysterious! She wasn't in the same location she had started out in. Clearly, she had mastered the art of teleporta... Oh. The guard was there. She released a disappointed sigh, wrinkling her nose. How borish, really, she had to do something about this habit of falling asleep in the middle of conversation. But, there was nothing the fae could do regarding the matter, things were just so mundane and didn't hold her interest in the slightest.

The girl blinked, the thing that had been prodding her while she slept still hanging around. There was something she was forgetting, something important, clearly, for it to still hold her focus minutes after she had awoken. Aeraki got to her feet, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"Oi, you." She said, ignoring the fact that the guard was laying face-down. She prodded him with her foot, though when she didn't receive a proper response, she proceeded to kick him in the shoulder. "I said, 'Oi you'! Get up!" She kicked him harder, the man groaning in the process and rolling over on to his side. Aeraki had actually just been about to stomp on his face so it was a good thing he opened his eyes, elsewise...

"M... Miss... Aeraki...?" He managed, his voice layered with grogginess. A rosiness found it's way on to her cheeks for her embarrassment heightened. She'd never punched anyone out-cold before.

"Who else would it b..." She trailed off, suddenly catching sight a cloud that looked like a dog with one leg. That was incredibly sad, that poor thing... There was some garbled nonsense in the background, probably coming from the guard, or an animal. She forced herself to look back to him, the man stuttering about as he gazed at her.

"... bringing you to see Lady Celeste." Ah! That caused her eyes to snap wide open, that was the thing that was lingering around! She nodded to herself somewhat proudly for actually having bothered to pay attention long enough to figure this one out. The girl blinked, frowning again as she regarded the man. So why was he still talking? He had already reminded her of what needed be done--now he was just irking her by forcing his presence upon her. "A-Actually, I can accompany you...? I will be needing to report to S-Sir Emrys of your arrival anyway..." Aeraki's wings fluttered slightly, the first sign of annoyance.
"I don't need to be led around as if a child." She said shortly, this was seriously grating on her nerves! The man didn't seem to take the hint as he smiled (creepily) at her.

"Well, you certainly do have the... ah... the... size to compliment one." This was enough to make her pause, and for Aeraki, that was a feat within itself. The girl never marveled upon any one detail for long enough to pause about it. She removed her gaze from him, now observing her surroundings as closely as she cared. She could just about make out the building he was aiming to take her to and scanned it over. There was a whisper of green hair in one of the windows up on the fourth floor. Despite her lack of proper interest, Aeraki was still a girl who took in details closely. She knew that green hair well, the locks could belong to none other than the Lady Celeste herself.

She didn't even bother with a response, wings spreading out and fluttering a bit as they moved to levitate her properly. The guard looked surprised, reaching out as if to stop her but she didn't even pay attention--she just wanted to be as far away from him as possible! Actually, considering that she wasn't even giving him her full attention, there was a chance she had probably misconstrued some of his dialogue but whatever, she was labeling him as a creep anyway! Her wings raised her into the air with practiced ease and without a look down, she left the guard behind her and glided up to the window.

The wind suddenly picked up as she neared her desination and the light-weighted fae was no match for the gust. She went tumbling through the open window, sprawling on to the ground. Perhaps she could've been a bit more elegant, but the window was open, and that gust of wind was pretty strong... Aeraki shook her head to clear the hair out of her vision, sitting up with wide eyes.

"Miiii?" Was all the girl said, a phrase that was artfully cute and in no way portrayed the abuse she had given the guard earlier. Then she spotted him. "Kanananan!" She squealed, launching herself upon the unsuspecting man and brushing her lips over his in a kiss. The motion was followed by a rather unbefitting faltering of her smile, her expression now painfully bored. She was over the excitement, time to move on to other things. And just like that, she plopped herself on the ground, tilting her head to the side.

Kanan froze. The moment he'd turned to the sound of a body hitting the floor he'd cringed slightly. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last he was sure. He didn't know what it was, but Aeraki seemed to always lunge at him whenever they met in the hall or were on duty together. It was the same greeting like always, and like always, he had no idea how to handle it.
The fae jumped at him with arms wide and a huge grin on her face. He should have been expecting it, but utterly failed to do so. Her voice sang out his name as if he were her favorite or something. Then she crashed into him, latching on with an iron grip. Her lips followed soon after and broke his attempt at responding.

"Aer-nnnn!!!" His heart jumped, skipping several times and he was sure his face was beat red. His pale blue eye widened as he stared at her. She released him and in seconds the small fae was bored once more, paying him no heed at all. One hand gripped his sword tightly, tighter than he had when he'd bumped into Celeste on accident, the other had risen half way in a half hearted attempt to push her away. Kanan seemed to be stuck in this position for some time before regaining his wits.

Slowly, his hand relaxed its grip on the large weapon, the other reached up and grabbed a thick handful of silver hair, pulling it back just enough to show the strap of his eyepatch. Kanan sighed heavily and closed his eye as he stood there. Was he ever going to get used to these kinds of interactions? Probably not...

Celeste cleared her throat. "Glad to have you here Aeraki, however... I believe the meeting will proceed much easier without you clamped onto Kanan's face."

There was a slight mutter of agreement from the butler standing beside her. The fae grinned slyly, as if suddenly finding interest in the topic of Kanan again before giving a bat of her eyelashes. "I didn't know you were that jea..." She trailed off instantly as just then, the floating platform glided back into the room with another man on board.

"-Yawnnnnn-..."

This was the timely yet crude greeting that the last Air Protector presented towards the Princess, the robotic butler and his fellow protectors. He greeted them all with a nonchalant wave. His eyes of deep green did not betray his emotions of disinterest and disappointment. It seemed that Freece was still caught up with his beautiful dreams about a world of doughnuts and would rather be there than here with everyone else. Well, no one could blame him since he treats this as an obligatory job more than an honor.

"Are we going... -yawnn-... to start... -yawnnn-... or what?"

Freece asked while still yawning in mid-sentences. He did not bother covering his mouth while his hand scratched his head in a gesture of boredom. Unlike Aeraki, the disenchanted protector could have the bearing to stay awake by hanging on his nonexistent will. At the very least, this would be considered his way of respect or proof manners.
"Now that we are all--finally--here," the Princess started, sarcasm layered in her words, "Yes."

After hearing the Princess' answer, Freece could feel his stomach speaking in rebellion. Thinking of which, he had yet to grab something to bite since his good old library sleep.

"I haven't eaten breakfast yet... We have snacks here grumps?"

Looking to his side, his gaze fell on Emrys who always reminded him to be proper especially in front of the Princess. Well, Freece did listen to the sermons but all the same it exited without resistance through the other ear.

The butler stared at the young Protector with an emotionless expression. "I'm afraid not, sir."

"Nope." Celeste agreed. "We've got to get to the Shrine of Aridea--preferably ahead of everyone else. Freece, you'll just have to eat on the fly there." From behind her back, the young woman produced a thick roll of paper and proceeded to pass a fifth of the stack to each of the people present. And then, she began, "Alright. If you haven't been told already, the Water King is dead--killed alongside his Protectors. This has certain significance in upcoming events." She smirked and spoke with an ominous tone, "However, this does not mean that the turn of events cannot be taken advantage of."

Listening to the princess, Emrys nodded. This was Celeste MacAvelia--the Sky Demoness--always ready to manipulate a change in the winds.

Freece remembered the dream where Celeste took all of his doughnuts. It was slowly coming true even more so when a thick roll of paper was handed to him instead a plate of his favorite food. Stretching his arms upwards, it was then he noticed the presence of the old-timer. No wonder he had that dream with that old geezer in it. Perhaps, his spiritual consciousness foretells of the future, that only means his doughnut fantasies were going to come true. With that notion, the uninterested protector had an immediate change in his demeanor. Ignoring the news about the death of the Water King and his protectors along with the roll of paper handed for his reading, he had a rather meaniful smirk across his face.

"Hey Princess! Let's get this show on the road!"

Had he still been looking at Emrys, the Protector would have noticed the large butler glaring at him coldly. The silver haired man couldn't understand why the princess kept him around. Personally, the butler found the way that Freece address the princess to be disrespectful and overly arrogant. Being in the presence of Celeste helped keep Emrys at bay. This was no time to start an argument.

Kanan looked up to Freece as he took the scroll of paper from Celeste. How could the other protector possibly speak in such a way to Celeste? His pale blue eye narrowed slightly and a frown worked its way on his lips. Kanan didn't say anything though as he rolled the paper opened and scanned the contents, trying to ignore Freece.

"All in good time, Freece," she responded simply. She stepped over to the window overlooking the city. "For the past millenium, Lastra has been in a constant state of war and pre-war. Peace is what the people most desire. I believe that now is the best time to make moves toward that peace."

The annoying hum of words, mother earth they were drowning her in boredoooooom. Aeraki had long since stopped looking at the Princess, who was blabbing on and on about some war and peace and the stupid people who lived in the land. Who cared? There were many more interesting things about, oh! Like Emrys, he looked like fun. She decided to stare at him for all of eight seconds before becoming bored again and then collapsing fully on the floor, puffing up her cheeks. Nevermind, that was a silly attempt to keep herself busy.

It was clear that Freece was more active than his earlier actions. Anyone who knew the lacklustered protector could conclude what was the reason behind this. Doughnuts. Walking ahead of the group, he gestured towards the others to hurry it up. There was no time to waste for his dreams could turn into reality any minute. Truthfully, he really didn't care about whatever the Sky Princess was plotting or what she was aspiring for. All those stuff did not matter to him anyway. He had lived far too long to even care about what he could only describe as mundane things. There was only one thing that mattered and that was...
"Get your butts going to the Shrine already, I don't have all day you know!"

The statement relighted her interests, oh! She hadn't played with Freece yet today! His name reminded her of sheep, and that reminded her of soft things, and that reminded her of fluffy things, and that reminded her of... Oh, the list was a long one--but he kept her mind busy so that was a good focus point! The fae jolted up, probably alarming the others with her quick motion and her wings fluttered with her. She hoped the others would move fast enough while she bothered to keep her attentions highlighted on issue at hand, because her mind was prone to scatter. Very. Quickly. Oh! She hadn't greeted him yet! She'd have to make a note to do that...

Celeste had already anticipated her Protectors' responses--they were so easily distracted and left bored. She quickly turned around and smiled, "Neither do I. That's why I recommend you read through the packets I've given you."

Emrys had already scanned the pages he had been given. Details of nine individuals had been contained in the ink, three of whom the butler recognized. The pages contained information regarding various details about the Kings of the Earth and Fire Kingdoms as well as volumnous amounts of information regarding their Protectors and the abilities of each. he looked up at Celeste with a questioning expression. "Princess Celeste, where did you get these?"

"There are ways of knowing."

That particular response didn't satisfy the butler, but he decided not to make any snarky comments.

Kanan raised an eyebrow as he finished looking through the scroll. All of this information... where in the world did she obtain it from? He wasn't sure he wanted to know though. However, Kanan was fairly sure that if the other Kings and Protectors found out that she'd gotten all of their information... well he figured that things weren't going to be quite a smooth.
"What do you plan to do with all of this, my Lady?" Kanan asked softly.

"It's always advantageous to be able to see multiple aspects of a situation before approaching it. It's best that you all know who you could be potentially up against." Then, she added, "Knowledge is power."

Kanan froze for a moment. Had he heard her right? He knew that he was a new protector and all, but this didn't sound like something that could be... right. He looked up from the scroll and straight to his Queen. Pulling a bit of his lip inbetween his teeth he flicked his gaze from her to the other protectors.

"Do you mean... to... fight them?" He asked slowly. He wasn't sure if he entirely liked that idea, however, he was now in her service and questioning wasn't usually something he did. He felt a tightness in his chest and he sealed his lips right after. Hopefully she didn't get angry with him. If she meant to fight them... well, he would do as he was ordered like he'd always done in the past.

It was a different voice that answered Kanan's question. "Hopefully not." Tien stepped closer to the group, "At best, we can avoid confrontation as a whole." He looked at the other Protectors, "But, it is always best to be ready."

Emrys grunted in agreement. He had been out on the battlefields long enough to know that knowing one's opponent beforehand could completely change the outcome of a confrontation. However, things could always go wrong--one could never know about random factors. He flipped through the packet. The Fire Prince only had three Protectors... Immediately, a question came to mind. How updated are these?

The princess nodded in agreement with the elderly man's statement. "No, Kanan. I have absolutely no intention of fighting. This mission is purely for peaceful reasons."

Kanan nodded in agreement, settled then -if only slightly- by her acknowledgement of not wanting to fight. Still... he couldn't shake the feeling that something could possibly go wrong. His eye glanced back down to the paper he held. He would go through them in more detail later on.

"Should we be going then?" He looked up to see his Queen grinning at him slightly before turning to one of the windows. She opened it and then proceeded to jump out into thin air. For a single moment, his heart clenched and he had the urge to lung forward, throwing his power towards her to catch her. However, he realized she was the Queen of Air and figured she would be just fine.

Kanan walked over to the same window and looked out to indeed see his Lady quite alright as she called the winds to her and hovered in the air easily. With a shake of his head he followed suite, also calling his own magic to carry him out towards her. From there they would fly most of the way to the Shrine and finish by walking the short distance there through the trees where the Shrine was located.

Kanan, Freece, Aeraki, Celeste, Tien, and Emrys

Kanan tensed as Aeraki suddenly burst into motion. He thought for a mere second of utter shock that she was about to latch onto him once more. He watched her carefully, only calming a little as he heard her say Freece's name much like she'd done his.

"Fleece~" She called out, mimicking her pattern from earlier and lacing delicate arms around his neck, though only brushing her lips across his cheek. "Give me a piggy-back ride, I'm suddenly too lazy to walk." And blatantly ignoring the fact of her wings, which she drooped to add effect.

Upon hearing the nickname that Freece hates, there could be a noticeable vein throbbing on the right upper portion of his forehead, It was intensified more as the fae attached herself on his back. He would never know why Aeraki liked to pester him most of the time.

"Oi you Airhead, let's get things straight. Don't call me that! I am not a sheep! And second you have wings to fly! So fly!"

With all of that said, Freece begrudgingly carried Aeraki despite his complaints. The fae after all was not that heavy to begin with. Even when he would be expressive in his dislikes and rude remarks, in the end, he would still do what is asked of him. Well, he still mumbled and occasionally jolted the fae by bumping her to the nearby trees or rocky walls.

Aeraki was used to this behavior by now, able to deftly avoid being jolted too much, though the motion was progressively becoming repetitive to her. She was sure that Freece regarded her as a child, a mistake a lot of people tended to make for her behavior. Oh well! It made her observations go that much smoother and it helped that he wasn't on guard about it, not that it'd make much different if he was. She shifted her gaze downwards as she flicked her brush around idly with a free hand, scattering the water on the tip all over the place. This was too long of a walk, she needed to be entertained...! Wait a minute, wasn't the knot of the tie of Kanan's eyepatch uneven? Huh... She stared at it, squinting to see if it was indeed parallel or uneven, fortunately distracting herself long enough to stop squirming and sit still for once.

"Hey Disco Wings... Stop waving that pen around!"

Freece shouted in irritation as he shook his head where some of the water nestled. After doing so, he stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. His deep green eyes were sligtly more richer in color due to the spark of annoyance present within. Furthermore, why is that this sad excuse for a fae can't pick on herself. She is a perfect candidate for her antics. Although, he noticed that Aeraki was looking at something or more specifically someone else. Following that line of sight, he noticed it was the new addition to the group of protectors, Kanan.

Kanan felt a stare at the back of his head and turned just enough to see what was going on. Aeraki was still for once, albeit on Freece's shoulders, but still non-the-less. He sighed inwardly, that girl was a lot of trouble... another thing he had trouble coping with. The silver-haired protector turned back around and continued forward as they were making their way to the Shrine.

He idly wondered who they were going to meet there. He hadn't seen any of the other protectors or the Kings before. Curiosity was working it's way into his system and before he knew it he was lost in thought, wondering what they were going to be like. To add to his curiosity he felt a pang of guilt run through him. What Lady Celeste had spoken of back at Anemoi. Were they really going to fight the other protectors? Kanan hoped they wouldn't have to. Kanan straightened, stiffening slightly and berated himself for having been lost to his thoughts. It wasn't like him to question things so much, or for so long either. He sighed inwardly and continued following the others towards the Shrine. They would be there very soon.

Emrys looked back at the trio of Protectors trailing behind him and let out an indignant sigh. Personally, he wasn't sure that they were qualified as the princess' Protectors. Kanan was a 'maybe'. The other two were simply insubordinate and, at worst, untrustworthy. Shifu Tien, though impassibly wise and knowledgeable, was simply no longer fit.

The group reached the Shrine within a few minutes. They were the first there, just as Lady Celeste liked to have things. Kanan was starting to get used to the way she planned stuff. It was only a matter of time before the other King's entered the area as well.

Siya and Kaed

"We'll have to leave the horses here, the woods are too thick for them to go through," Siya said as he slowly dismounted, careful of his injury. Perhaps if things went well, Lady Celeste would heal the wound for him. He could only hope that she would be in a good mood. On the other hand though, his thoughts had been filled with Kaed for the remainder of the trip. The tall protector had looked so worried when Siya had been injured.

There had been a look in his eyes that had shocked Siya and stirred something else inside him as well. He wasn't sure what the feeling was yet, but he could still feel it, swirling around at the back of his mind and causing chills to run their course across his body. The young King took a quick look to his protector. The tall man was quite pleasing to look at, his long black hair always flowing around his face, his dark red eyes were the most alluring. He was warm, comforting and Siya's closest friend among his protectors.

Kaed turned his eyes down, catching the King staring at him. Siya flushed and before he turned he caught Kaed's taunting smile. His heart beat had picked up erratically, his throat tight as he quickly went around to the front of his horse and took the reigns. He tied the beast to the nearest tree and tried hard not to look in Kaed's direction.

"Just beyond here is the Shrine. We should hurry through, I'm sure Lady Celeste is waiting for us as it is nearing the time to be there," the young King announced, looking up through a break in the canopy above him. The stars were getting brighter as night settled in further. Siya took the lead, bringing his companions through the thick brush and trees. It was a lushes forest, beautiful in more than one way and far enough from any prying eyes or well traveled roads.

This place was where the Kings held most of their meetings should they ever all need to be contacted for one reason or another. Siya, naturally, knew the exact way to get to the small clearing where the Shrine was. As he broke through the thick greenery, his eyes were met by Lady Celeste and her troupe already there, just as he suspected. Off in the distance, he could hear another group rummaging through the forest as well and could only assume that is was Lord Byre and his protectors.

Siya offered her a smile and bowed to her. Kaed followed suite and offered quick, sharp, glances to the other protectors as a silent order for them to do the same. Siya straightened and looked up at the Shrine nestled in the far side of the clearing. The woods were slowly beginning to take it over, vines wrapping up the large pillars of the small structure. The stone was dark with years of elemental wear against it. However, it still kept its alluring beauty and power. Siya could feel it eminating from the center of the Shrine, a small square hole where offerings were usually burnt.

"My Lady," Siya offered to her as he stepped in closer to the shrine and the King of Air, or rather, Queen as she prefered, "I assume you know of the Water Kings death. Once Lord Byre is here, I would like to propose a means of finding a new King," he stated simply, trying to keep it short and too the point as to not waste time, but also to assert that he had plans of his own as well.

Hebi

The woods were cool, dark and inviting for a being such as himself. They'd left the Earth Kingdom and had made their way to the meeting place, only stopping once. Hebi, all the while, kept his smile to himself. Of course, he didn't have much to be smiling about as he had only heard portions of what his King and Eugene had talked about, but it was still amusing none-the-less.

The trees were getting thicker as they moved and Hebi knew then that they were much closer to the Shrine then. It would only be a matter of minutes before they were at the meeting. The meeting. How dull, Hebi thought to himself, loosing the amused smile for just a moment. He had better things to do and more interesting ideas to say the least.

No matter. As long as he didn't have to do much, then it wasn't a problem. He followed his King as they broke through the brush, entering the Shrine.

Celeste, Emrys, and Tien

The Shrine of Aridea stood at the center of Lastra and had stood there for—by scholars’ estimates—at least four millennia. What made the Shrine unique in comparison to the other objects from three millennia ago was the fact that it still held all the glamour that it had back when it had first been built—personally, Celeste believed it was as old as the continent itself. A ring of glistening marble pillars stood about thirteen feet high forming a large ring around a circular area. Pairs of pillars were topped by granite creating what appeared as eight gateways leading to the area at the center which was tiled with reflective obsidian. At the center of the shrine was a circular table.

When she was a child, Nicholas MacAvelia had often taken his daughter to the Shrine. He would detail to her wondrous tales of the eldritch lore and ancient civilizations associated with the Shrine—it had always served as an important meeting place, whether it was peaceful meetings or combative ones varied from time to time. The Shrine of Aridea was, actually, one of Celeste’s favorite places in Aridea and she visited on a regular basis.

Today, however, the Shrine wasn’t the first thing on the Princess’ mind. Today was the day when the realization of her dream and her father’s dream would finally begin. At this meeting, Celeste would begin part of an elaborate plan to unite the four elements.

“Princess Celeste?”

“Emrys, how many times have I told you not to call me by titles?”

“Sorry, Princess Celeste,”—she flashed him a glare, which he seemingly ignored—,“I have just received news about the approaching party from the Fire Kingdom and it seems that—”

“Yes, they have another person with them. The Exelves have returned.”

Emrys nodded. He was completely used to the Princess knowing information before he told her—she always seemed to have her ‘sources’. “My lady, perhaps you should reconsider meeting like this.”

“This is the perfect opportunity, Emrys.” She looked at him with a defiant grin, “How could I miss this?”
Freece released another yawn while still giving Aeraki a piggyback ride. His eyes were bordering between the realm of dreams and the realm of darkness. In short, he was quite sleepy and bored out of his mind. The grandeur of the Shrine did not help to invigorate his senses. Instead, he was getting impatient from all the waiting since the other Royalties seemed to take the scenic route.

She turned to the other Protectors, “Guys, we have a guest of the Fire King coming; she is one of the Exelves. I would like you all to behave in her presence—I won’t have you terrorizing Prince Siya’s guest, no matter what your instincts tell you. Is that clear—Aeraki and Freece?”

"What do I care about some Exelves or whatever it is called? If it's not a dougnut, I don't care."

As if to emphasize his point, Freece finally released his support on Aeraki letting her fall or fly on her own whatever flies her boat. After doing that, he stretched his arms upwards and could feel the rumble of his stomach.
"Anyway, where can I find some breakfast here?"

"If you wait patiently," Shifu Tien suggested, "You will be in for a pleasant surprise. The Shrine of Aridea is an excellent place to meet and, also, to eat!"

Celeste smiled in agreement. The Shrine of Aridea did provide fine cuisine--through some sort of magic. Whenever a meeting convened, a variety of dishes--selected seemingly to the tastes of those present--would shimmer into existence on the center table. It was another one of the wonders of the Shrine.

There was a rustling of branches in the forest. From the corner of her eye, Celeste could see Emry's hand floating to the handle of his sword. She raised a hand to stop him just as the Fire King and his troupe of fire Protectors broke into the clearing. A group of five characters, the King was walking in the lead, a long and dark haired Protector was strutting right beside him--Kaed Kuhti. Trailing close behind the King was a small girl, with wings--the Exelve. There was a young looking girl--a odd aura seemed to emanate from her--Marsali, the demon child. And last was, perhaps, the most ordinary looking Protector the Princess had ever laid eyes on--Aarynn Fletcher.

The Wind Princess studied the group for a moment and took in numerous details.

First of all, there was the odd arrangment which the group traveled in. It seemed as though everyone, aside from the King, was trying to distance themselves from the Exelve. Clearly, she was a new addition to the group and, perhaps, had incurred the jealousy and or hatred of the other Protectors.

They manner in which they walked, with an odd posture, indicated that they had come on horseback--the horses were no where in sight. They must have been left behind when the forest became too thick.

Then, there was the way in which the group carried themselves--they seemed rather exhausted, as if they had recently expended a significant amount of mana. There were several light patches of dirt on his clothes as well as on the clothes of his Protectors--perhaps there had been a skirmish on the way here. And then, Celeste noticed it--a slight hesitation in the King's shoulder. A wound.

Siya offered her a smile and bowed to her. Kaed and Aarynn quickly followed suit, the former casting a glance at the other two Protectors.

The Princess returned the smile and bowed as well.

"My Lady," Siya offered to her as he stepped in closer to the shrine, "I assume you know of the Water King's death. Once Lord Byre is here, I would like to propose a means of finding a new King."

"You assume correctly, Prince Siya. Yes, I have called you here to discuss our next course of action in regards to the Water King." She reached out and, with a bit of magic, blew a leaf off of the Fire King's shoulder--it had been Forest Nymphs that had attacked the Fire troupe. A slight hint of mint filled the air. "But, first, let me tend to your wound."

She reached into Amalthea, the enchanted pouch strapped to her right thigh and produced a small vial containing a brownish liquid. "This is Amrita--sometimes called Ambrosia," she explained, uncapping the vial. "It will heal you very quickly, though, it may sting a bit at first." She put several drops onto her index finger and indicated his wound, silently asking if he would let her apply the medicine.

Another group broke into the forest--Earth King Byre's men.

Celeste smiled. "I believe it's about time to get our meeting started."

The rest of the journey was more to say a humdrum. Assassinations, attacks, common thievery and the such never occurred or loomed over Byre even once. Somehow, it was a bit of disappointing in his opinion. After all, it was not too often that he manages to leave the domains of his kingdom. Yet, there had been little inputs along the way as he traveled with his chosen Protectors. The twisting conversations with Eugene, the fleeting observations towards Hebi, and his last protector who entertains him through silence. It was a conundrum of eccentricities that he appreciated in different ways.

"Master, they have already arrived."

Radiating within his consciousness, Telius' conjecture brought the Young King to the reason for this sudden walk out of his realm. The odd familiar was still lounging on top of Byre's shoulder as if it was a charming nest of softness. It seemed that the Wind and Fire Rulers had arrived at the Shrine of Aridea. As such, there was no need for him to linger around in such a relaxing pace. He had only done so in respect to the pride of the Wind Princess who always desired being on time. Adding to that, he did like the idea of being waited upon. It is one of the many luxuries of being late and awareness of the time.

"And so did we."

After stating that, Byre walked through the bushes that had gratefully parted to give way to the Earth King. His clothes reflected his status and rather militaristic qualities of his dominion. He wore white collared shirt with a blue necktie overlapped with a black vest which was covered by an opened military jacket with gold stripes at the end of its sleeves matched by a pair of black pants, half gloves on his hands, and combat boots on his feet. Upon the jacket, there were respective medals and badges some connected intricately by lithe silver chains. It fitted his form perfectly and not a speck of dust or leaf could be seen on his person. He was a vision and without a doubt inherited his father's intimidating yet good looks.

"Greetings Lady Celeste." Byre offered accompanied by a cordial bow to the female King who would without a doubt take another step in this three-way game of chess or even perhaps there were more players than he could conclude.

"I extend them also to you Lord Siya." In this regard, Byre only offered a courteous nod of the head. He had took notice the brief scent of magic that pilfered the winds, the touch of cinnamon and the allure of the forest nymphs.

"You seemed to have trouble on the way Fire King. It is good to know you are still here with us."

The string of words that Byre spoke had no specific tone of sympathy or concern. One could say it was rather empty and dull as if spoken only through the lore of politeness. This was only evident more to his rather apathetic expression as he slightly observed Siya's condition. His eyes also transferred to the Fire King's chosen Protectors.

"It is a pleasing thought that you have reliable protectors with you. Keep them well."

There was a seemingly underlying meaning to those word that its depth has yet to be seen. After saying that, Byre's eyes made a passing glance to a specific guest in the Fire Crew. The sense of a tainted being emitted from the frail form of a girl. He had read about such a creature once in a passing whim. It seemed that the world still have many secrets to be revealed to him. Knowing such concoction, the Earth King only spared a second worth glance to his protectors. He expected them to behave or his temperament would not only be limited to mere chaining them to the wall. It was delivered with the subtle serious intent within those greenish-blue eyes of his that seemed to glow.

As if to emphasize this, Telius who was still on Byre's shoulder delivered his words through the mind of the Earth Protectors in complete secrecy to the others present.

"Bad servants shall be punished. Will you be able to be good little protectors? I highly doubt it."

While the mental charade was going on, Byre once more looked at the Wind Princess and her retinue once she was done healing the wounded Fire King.

"Shall we begin then? The matters to be discussed are of great concern after all. The Balance and The Future are on the agenda as they always have."

Without further ado, Byre lead the way knowing full well his protectors would follow to where the Center Table laid. However, the Earth King stopped before the entrance and gestured for the Wind Princess to enter first. After all, he still have his trained and innate manner to consider in such instances.

"After you, Lady Celeste."

Siya and Kaed

"You assume correctly, Prince Siya. Yes, I have called you here to discuss our next course of action in regards to the Water King. But, first, let me tend to your wound."

Siya watched her as she blew at him, a leaf left over from the fight earlier fluttered passed his ear and fell into the grass behind them. He looked down at his shoulder, the blood from earlier still stained his dark black clothing. The form fitting dress wear stretched across his chest and lithe frame, extending out down passed his waist. Once the black cloth reached his waist it broke open into four solid pieces, forming a robe like piece of clothing, but easily movable should he need it to be. He grimaced at the reminder of the arrow wound that Kaed had cauterized for him, but not fully healed.

"This is Amrita--sometimes called Ambrosia," she explained, uncapping the vial. "It will heal you very quickly, though, it may sting a bit at first."

He watched her pull the vial from her pack and then put a few drops of the dark liquid onto her fingertip. Near his right shoulder, Kaed stiffened slightly, a little uneasy about the woman giving something to his King. Siya turned and smiled at him warmly.

"Go ahead," he told her.

"Greetings Lady Celeste. I extend them also to you Lord Siya," it was Byre who spoke as he came through the brush to join in on the meeting. Siya turned to him as he'd been in the middle of undoing the wrapping that Kaed had put around his shoulder.

"Greetings, Lord Byre," Siya replied in kind, nodding his head as well to the other.

"You seemed to have trouble on the way Fire King. It is good to know you are still here with us," Lord Byre continued, his gaze sweeping off to the side to criticize the wound that Siya had received.

The young King offered a small smile in return as he completely unraveled the wrappings for Celeste to apply her medicine, "Nothing that we couldn't handle, but thank you for your concern."

Kaed huffed in reply to Siya's words and leaned forward, "That was not kindness he showed you, my Lord."

"Hush, Kaed," Siya replied and felt Celeste's warm fingertip touch his shoulder and rub in the Ambrosia. It indeed, did sting and Siya winced at it but didn't allow any other discomfort to show on his face. He bit his tongue to keep quiet as well and stood straight as he allowed her to deal with the wound.

"It's not polite to be whispering to your king, Protector," the cruel, cold words filtered through the air and Kaed slowly looked over from Siya's shoulder. The young King turned his own gaze to see who had spoken and spotted the grinning face of a dark haired, pale faced protector standing on Byre's left side. His long locks of black hair resembled Kaed's, but they were straighter, thicker than the fire protector. If memory served well, Siya knew this one to be Hebi. The man reached up and pulled his hair into his hands behind his head, giving him a darker look than before.

"You should hold your tongue, Hebi," Kaed replied with a hiss.

"Stop," Siya ordered his voice laced with the discomfort he was feeling from Celeste's Ambrosia. He threw his hand out in front of Kaed who had reached for his sword. It hurt to move, but he did so anyway, his eyes narrowing as he winced.

"It is a pleasing thought that you have reliable protectors with you. Keep them well."

"Yes... I do... value them," Siya replied slowly, giving Kaed a disappointed look. The stinging subsided finally and he chanced a quick look to his shoulder. The skin was healing and soon nothing was left to say that he'd been wounded at all. He smiled warmly at Celeste, "Thank you," he turned to Kaed and sent him a look that said 'See? I'm alright.' Of course, Kaed only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms instead.

"I believe it's about time to get our meeting started," Celeste announced.

"Shall we begin then? The matters to be discussed are of great concern after all. The Balance and The Future are on the agenda as they always have," Byre concluded and turned to where the center table was. He stopped before taking a seat and offered for Lady Celeste to go first.

Siya followed right after and took his seat as soon as Celeste was seated first. It was with a great deal of inner conflict before he decided that he should throw his opinion out there for all to consider before things got under way, he hoped sincerely that they would take his side, but he also had a feeling that there was going to be much conflict as well. A hand on his shoulder caught his attention and he looked up to see Kaed standing right by his side. The tall, dark haired protector offered him a genuine smile of comfort. Siya dazzled at the look, the dark red eyes seemingly to enchant him before he finally returned his attention to the others.

"Before we undergo anything, I suggest that we look for the King of Water first. Once he is found, than we can concentrate our efforts on finding the water orb. We can pool our own power to look for the King, we all know how a King's power is and so it shouldn't be to hard for us to find the new King. If we were to try to find the orb first, we would never get anywhere. The sooner we get started, the faster we can gain balance again."

Hebi Irikisha

"Bad servants shall be punished. Will you be able to be good little protectors? I highly doubt it."

Hebi's lips upturned into a cruel smile as the words reverberated through his mind. He knew it was coming from the pitiful excuse for a bird that was perched on his King's shoulder. As they made their entrance, Hebi had looked all around them, noting who was there. All of the protectors were present and he noted also that the Fire King seemed to be injured. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his deep, sickly green eyes narrowing in on the young King. A smile of satisfaction crossed his lips as he watched the taller protector, Kaed was it? Lean in to speak to his King after Lord Byre had gone through his greetings.

What proceeded afterwards was uncontrollable on Hebi's side and as he watched Kaed reaching for his sword, he felt an adrenaline rush course through him. He didn't move, only stood there, hoping, wishing, that Siya would let his protector off the leash. However, it seemed that the young King had some semblance of order among his ranks. With a dissatisfied frown, he turned away and watched as the King's moved into the center of the Shrine to sit at the table.

Hebi didn't move from his spot, of course he could already feel his King's anger at what had transpired before hand. He was sure to be punished later, but it didn't bother Hebi all that much. He let his hands fall down to his chest where he crossed them, his long, thick hair followed and framed his face. Turning slightly, he offered a wicked grin to Eugene. His thoughts turned from antagonizing the fire protector, Kaed, to how he could possibly irritate Eugene this time?

Celeste

The forest haired Princess of the Winds observed the others present at the table with a look of curiosity.

The King of Earth, solemn and much more tactful than his father was still very much like his predecessor—he didn’t to be very close in relation to his Protectors and it was clear that neither he nor his Protectors truly trusted or cared much for the other. A dangerous relationship to have with one’s Protectors.

On the other hand, the King of Fire was fairly young and acted as such. He seemed to be on such close terms with his Protectors. Close enough that, at times, it almost seemed as if he needed their approval before acting—especially the approval of the dark haired Protector, Kaed. Such trust rendered one vulnerable to manipulation. An equally dangerous sort relationship to have.

Personally, Celeste wasn’t too close to her Protectors but she wasn’t distant from them either—or, at least, she tried not to be. It was faulty to place oneself in a situation that would cause one to depend on another. It was also faulty not to trust anyone.

She watched as the Fire King and his Protector exchanged meaningful glances. The two clearly meant a lot to each other.

Siya turned. "Before we undergo anything, I suggest that we look for the King of Water first. Once he is found, than we can concentrate our efforts on finding the water orb. We can pool our own power to look for the King, we all know how a King's power is and so it shouldn't be too hard for us to find the new King. If we were to try to find the orb first, we would never get anywhere. The sooner we get started, the faster we can gain balance again."

Celeste’s eyebrows arched. “Has it occurred to you that, at this exact moment, it is entirely possible that we are being observed—our every movement taken note of? Whoever is behind the death of the Water King probably has eyes on us and our orbs.” She looked deeply into the Fire King’s light red eyes. “The worst thing we could do is lead our shadows to the next Water King. Without the Orb of Water, they’ll easily kill him.”

“It’s possible,” she continued, looking around the room, looking at all the faces around her and stopping on Byre, “that we are being watched right now. That is why I propose a different plan of action.”

"But first..." She produced two small cards—thin and black with tiny red words scrawled across them—, placed them on the table, and slid them to the other two seated persons. "Do what you will."

Emrys

Since the moment that the other two troupes had broken into the enclave, Emrys had kept his eyes on two individuals.

The man who called himself Aarynn Fletcher acted a little too normal. He had been trailing behind the other of the Fire King’s Protectors—right after a skirmish. Following a dangerous situation, it would only be natural for a King’s Protectors to be crowding around them. That left two options: Fletcher was an inept Protector who simply had no idea what he was doing or… he knew exactly what he was doing—it is we who have no idea what he is doing.

Then, there was the snaky one—Hebi Irikisha. There was something about how the dark haired Protector moved—something about how he seemed to drift closer to the King of Fire when one wasn’t looking; something about the way he stared at Siya’s wound before it had been healed.

Emrys made sure that his right hand was ready to unsheathe his blade should it be necessary.

She woke up again, not having remembered falling asleep in the first place. Huh? What was.. going on? Aeraki shot up, wings fluttering behind her in slight disarray as she tried to figure out precisely where she was and why the hell the cracks in the walls were partially disjointed and not even straight! Terra and earth combined, that was really annoying, look at all those jagged shapes and--oh, wait, something smelled funny. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet as she gazed around, sniffing her hands. What was that scent? HMMMM. The confusion. It increased. And then it hit her, much like many of the things that she forgot only to recall later--she had been on Fleece's back! That was why she smelled kind of like furry sheep. Well, not really but it was better to assume that she did than know what he actually smelled like. Wait, where was Fleece anyway? Had he gone bah-bah-sheep and realized his true place among the flock of said animal?!

She had to save him--he wasn't ready to join his kin--oh hey, what were all those people doing over there?

Concern for Fleece vanished on the spot as she took a few steps forward, easily growing bored of walking and letting her wings flutter a bit faster to allow her to levitate off the ground. Whoa. Where had they all come from...? She was pretty sure she wasn't sniffing the water off her pen brush... She had made that mistake some years back and had been delirious for days. (In other words, very attentive and incredibly focused) That was terrible! So much vivid detaaaaaail... Okay, so they weren't some phantoms of her mind. That had to mean they were real. Not that she'd think of such retarded looking people anyway--seriously, that dude with the red hair and stupid look on his face wasn't anything she'd ever deign to imagine. And that other dude with the eyepat--OH THAT WAS KANANANAN. Ahem, she knew that!

She was only looking at all these people because there was really nothing else to do--oh whoa, that little chick with the stuffed animals, was she ripping them to shreds? That was pretty cool. Like, really cool. Aeraki was already making plans to hang out with this girl after the meeting, clearly she knew what was up when it came to having fun. She paused, was that speaking going on? Ohhhhh, this was a meeting... How. Terribly. Boring. That edge of her brush looked pretty sharp... or she could draw herself a knife... to end the suffering of such terrible--then something caught her eye. To be more specific, someone. Aeraki stopped her mental rambling and her orange orbs swiveled over to a man partially hidden by shadows and possessing a rather snake-like stare. It wasn't really his looks that caught her attentions or even his speech, for she kind of tuned out what everyone was saying anyway.

It was his scent. He carried it with him, the scent of that terrible mar upon the beauty of the earth. She wrinkled her nose in absolute disgust and tilted her chin upwards, crossing her arms over her chest. Aeraki proceeded to sit cross-legged mid-air, lashes falling over her eyes in a half-lidded fashion as she puffed up her cheeks in discontent. What was he doing carrying it's scent with him? And why would he be associating with it anyway? It had been some years since their last interaction, in fact, Aeraki didn't like to linger on the details of when. Suffice to say it hadn't been long enough since the last meeting and for sure she could wait at least a century more for the next one.

For once, she fell to a sort of posture regarding brooding, a rare mood to settle across one such as her. The fae was discontent to say the least but wasn't about to voice her suspicions or start throwing accusations around. Maybe she was mistaken. But then again, she rarely was. She had an artist's sense about these things after all. Pah. This meeting needed to be over really soon.

Without further ado, the meeting had finally commenced as the Three Remaining Ruler of Elements sat upon the center table. It goes without a doubt that these people vary in more ways than one. This difference does not end only with their chosen elements, it was also on how they view things especially on what must happen first. As such, they began discussing certain key issues which would be about the continuance of balance in Lastra . One to be noted was the suggestion of the Fire King, Siya.

"Before we undergo anything, I suggest that we look for the King of Water first. Once he is found, than we can concentrate our efforts on finding the water orb. We can pool our own power to look for the King, we all know how a King's power is and so it shouldn't be too hard for us to find the new King. If we were to try to find the orb first, we would never get anywhere. The sooner we get started, the faster we can gain balance again."

The young Lord of Earth leaned on his chair and looked at Siya who was still recovering from his early mishaps from the travels to the Shrine. He had concluded that the demise of the Water King would be one of the many concerns to be discussed. So, they should seek the Heir to the Water Orb. However, it would be a dangerous move to do so. The murder of an Element King was not an easy task. It showed that great care and patience was taken to ensure the success of such a heinous deed. A meticulous plan was conceived and without doubt, he can conclude that the mastermind behind all of these was waiting for another perfect chance to strike.

It was the turn of the Wind Princess to speak. Her words were well-founded and he had a feeling that the she liked taking the lead or even more so to make the first move. His greenish-blue eyes gazed at Celeste more so when she directed her attention him. Byre took the note as Telius, Earth King's familiar, who remained on his shoulder peeked to look at the card which was handed. He did not mind at all as he calmly read its contents. No expression or notable change could be seen across his face. As such, it was hard to tell whether he agreed to it or held objections.

"Utterly ridiculous."

These were the words that left Byre's lips. There were no signs of reprieve, hesitation, or apprehension even. He had delivered it in an indifferent manner although, his voice could be heard loud and clear. To emphasize his point further, he tore the card into pieces and with ease and then turned its fragments into dirt as he allowed it to fall on the ground from his hand. He then stood from his seat and then looked at the Fire King first.

"I will only speak of this once. So, do listen well."

Then the Earth King transferred his attention to the Wind Princess who spoke of the words of unison. In his childhood days, he had heard how much of a thorn was the old Wind King in the words of his fallen father. Perhaps, the apple does not truly fall from the tree.

"Severus Damien is dead and I have killed him."

After saying that, Byre's powers activated as the grounds outside the Shrine trembled at the issuance of the Earth King. His words did not drip with ridicule or humor. It was delivered with precised conviction and those eyes of green-blue did not betray any intentions that the Earth King might have.

"Now, you know your enemy. What will you do Fire King Siya, Wind Princess, Celeste? Shall we now play a game of war? I will take hold of the Water Orb and all of yours. Make this as the declaration of war."

After saying that, Byre turned his back from the two Rulers. Telius remained on his shoulder as it looked at the two Kings instead with those crystal red eyes that showed no change of expressions.

"Master, you are making such a bold move."

Without answering the noted commentary to him, Byre left the Shrine of Aridea with his protectors in tow. He grabbed hold of Hebi's hair on the way out and technically dragged the said protector to show that he was rather irritated at his arrogance. Furthermore, disobedience was something that young Lord of Earth did not take lightly. It also showed that his punishment was to come. He also noted that the Lare might finally catch on what the meaning of the light conversation they had on the way.

"Let us leave. It is time to prepare for a war."

After saying that, Byre disappeared from sight along with his protectors. The move he had done had made him a villain in everyone's eyes. However, the truth of those statements were not to be casually dissuaded. After all, the Earth King never makes light of the words he speaks. He was the kind to follow through and that made the King Byre frightening in the eyes of his dominion and fellow nations.

"Utterly ridiculous."

Icy blue eyes were kept trained on the speaker. Celeste had already known that the King of Earth would disagree. It may not have been written on his expression but it was written in his blood. This was the son of the man who had thwarted her father’s attempts at peaceful unity time and again. She watched the King tear her card into pieces and dissolved them. A hint of currant entered the air.

"I will only speak of this once. So, do listen well." Byre turned and looked at the Princess of the Winds. She matched his indifferent expression with one of her own. If a person would only state something once, that something was either powerful enough to etch itself in the memories of the audience for days to come or it was ridiculous to the point that the speaker would never want to bring it up again. It was usually the latter.

"Severus Damien is dead and I have killed him." His words did not drip with ridicule or humor. "Now, you know your enemy. What will you do Fire King Siya, Wind Princess, Celeste? Shall we now play a game of war? I will take hold of the Water Orb and all of yours. Make this as the declaration of war."

That hadn’t been the response that Celeste was anticipating. Either way it was looked at, the Earth King’s logic was flawed. Byre did not have the Water Orb—he was still playing on the same level as the other Kings. None of the Kings were in any position to wage war with the others—least of all the King of Earth. His kingdom was still recovering from the wrath of his father and, as “The Little Tyrant”; it was hardly likely that he commanded the hearts of his people. Internal rebellion was likely to start on its own and, if not, it could be easily sparked.

Furthermore, even if Byre had killed Damien, the victory was a worthless one—the King of Water hadn’t had his orb. Killing an orb-less king was equivalent to executing the beggar on one’s front porch.

That led straight to the main dilemma, whoever had stolen the Orb of Water was still out there doing who knows what. That was the main issue and Byre knew it. Or, at least, he should have. Declaring war on the remaining two stable kingdoms should have been the last thing on his mind and it certainly would be the largest mistake he could make. Mistakes were something that none of those present could afford.

Byre had turned his back on the other Kings and was now walking away, dragging his Protectors with him. He stepped out of the Shrine, into the shadows, and faded from sight.

Celeste wasn’t about to let the Earth King off lightly. The scent of mist took the air as the Princess spoke. Her gentle but firm voice resonated through the air, making sure that her words reached the King. “Earth King Byre DeLaCroiw—we have not the time for your game of war. Now, there are much larger things at stake. You may choose not to side with us but know this: The lone warrior may the bravest of them all, but there will be a time that he slips. He will turn and find no one to help him regain his stance.”

After having been dismissed by the Kings, well more like being kicked out by Celeste, they all had gathered outside of the Shrine area, in the woods of the surrounding forest. Hebi turned his cold green eyes towards each of the Protectors. His eyes went to the one he'd antagonized earlier.

"You're gaze towards your King speaks volumes, Kaed."

The fire Protector turned slowly to address Hebi. He ignored the comment, shook his head slightly and turned back to what he was doing. Kaed had one of the small knives in hand and was wiping the blade down with a bit of oil on a cloth.

Hebi smirked, "What do you think, dear former Lare of a non-existant country?"

Unfortunately for Hebi, Eugene disliked his fellow protector as much, if not probably more than he loathed the protectors of the other factions. Such scepticism would have surely been catastrophic amongst allies. Yet it seemed that Hebi Irikisha’s personality naturally bred animosity, like smoke after a fire. Without gracing the capricious protector with his attention, there was a sharp intake of breath as Eugene reluctantly spoke. “I think you should shut that worthless trap of yours,” he hissed under his own breath, “No, on second thoughts, why don’t you keep wailing on them. That way I’ll at least have something interesting to watch when they try to kill you.”

Bored emerald green eyes gazed at the interactions of the other protectors of the other High and Mighty Sad Excuse for Rulers. He really did not like iinteracting with the others. Although, he is quite feeling good since he had finally gotten his hands on a bowl of doughnuts with varying flavors. As a result, he continued munching one while seeing the rather clear hostility between the two Earth Protectors. Well, it was not much but quite entertaining. As such, he continued eating when one of the doughnuts fell in the ground as it rolled between the snakey-type of person and a Lare.

"Try is the key word there, ex-king of some country. Of course it would be entertaining," he continued. His gaze shifted downwards to watch the pastry like thing roll between himself and Eugene. He turned to look at Freece, but didn't say anything. Only a cruel smile curved his lips as he crossed his arms and searched for another target to antagonize.

"So, what is your relationship with your King, dear fire Protector?"

Kaed sighed heavily and looked over, "I protect him, like you're supposed to do with your King."

"Ah, protect, yes I've heard of that. However, with that gaze of yours... makes one think there's more going on then just.... protecting..."

Kaed sheathed the little knife and drew his sword then, turning to face Hebi full on. The Earth protector uncrossed his arms, a look of triumph spilling over his pale face, sickly green eyes widening as they watched with anticipation. Unfortunately, that anticipation was short lived as a hard grasp on the back of his head took hold of his hair and he was suddenly dragged along side his King who growled at all of his Protectors that they were leaving.

Siya Ukomo

The note slid over to him and Siya took it gently. Prior to such, the Protectors had moved a distance away from the three Kings, knowing that such meetings were only meant for King's to hear. It was... common knowledge between them all. Siya opened the envelope and read the contents. A faint blush rose over his cheeks as he realized the very true statement that she'd written down on the paper. Slowly he closed the note and looked up as Byre spoke and promptly tore his apart. A flash of anger and shock washed over the fire King.

"Severus Damien is dead and I have killed him. Now, you know your enemy. What will you do Fire King Siya, Wind Princess, Celeste? Shall we now play a game of war? I will take hold of the Water Orb and all of yours. Make this as the declaration of war."

His dark eyes bore into Siya as he spoke, shifting between him and Celeste. Siya felt his chest clench tightly, his heart pounded hard in his chest. It couldn't be... no... it didn't seem right? Was it even possible that Byre would think such things? Was it even true that he'd killed the Water King? Now he was after both him and Celeste as well? He couldn't... no, he wouldn't believe it. He slammed his hands on the table and stood up abruptly, determined to face Byre. However, the Earth King had already begun to take his leave, dragging Hebi and the other protectors with him.

Celeste's cool voice followed him right after, “Earth King Byre DeLaCroiw—we have not the time for your game of war. Now, there are much larger things at stake. You may choose not to side with us but know this: The lone warrior may the bravest of them all, but there will be a time that he slips. He will turn and find no one to help him regain his stance.”

Siya's head dropped forward. A heavy sigh left his lips and his shoulders sagged a bit. After a moment he looked to Celeste, "I don't think he's truly left us, Celeste. Let us try to believe that he is still our ally, no matter what he may say. Until he completely proves that he's declared war against us and comes after our lives... only then will we think him our enemy."

A loud sound stopped Siya from further expressing his thoughts. It was like the forest had suddenly come alive after Byre's departure. A deep growl filled the air and following it, the sound of breaking branches, crumbling bushes and finally a large rock-like beast broke into the clearing. Of course, it wasn't only one beast, it was a few beasts and not all of them were rocks, others were twisted up vines taking form like that of foxes or wolves, even twigs had bonded together to form tall like figures that limbered in and loomed over the group with deadly intentions.

Siya's eyes widened slightly as he whirled around to face the sounds. He exited the small Shrine where the table was and got out into the open. Drawing his sword, he prepared to face off with the first of the many creatures, all the while his thoughts going to Byre and his declaration of war. Had he spoken to soon?

Diavel Melchor

Shades covered the forest floor. A dark figure walked silently through the seemingly endless mass of trees. Spiky brown hair reached to a sharp jawline from under a black cap. A blank expression sat upon a tanned face.

Diavel Melchor stopped as he noticed the forest become significantly thicker. The hatted sorcerer looked up at the evening sky. This had better be the right place. He quickly added another thought, If not, I'm going to burn the whole forest down and find the destination the easy way.

The sorcerer reached out with his left arm. His left hand and half of his forearm were pure black--almost as if his skin had been eaten by the shadows themselves. A purplish aura flared around the darkened skin as Diavel lay his palm on the elk tree beside him. He blinked slowly. He opened his eyes to slightly different scenery.

The sun drifted high in the sky, no longer was it setting in the western horizon. It was midday, perhaps, or just a little later. The forest was an emerald shade of green. Birds were chirping and many woodland animals were trudging through the forest, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the trees in a symphonic sort of way.

A foreign sound drifted to Diavel's ears. It was the sound of wind blowing against ones ears. The tanned man turned his gaze skyward just in time to see a woman--her hair as green as the forest--fly overhead. Following her were four other people, an elderly man balancing on a walking stick, a younger fellow reluctantly carrying a winged girl on his back, and a tall man wearing a red suit of armor. A cruel grin crept to Diavel's lips. Emrys. He felt his left hand, still held against the tree, twitch in excitement. So, the knight had survived after all these years...

The group trudged out of sight and the scene shifted.

The sun was lower in the sky now. Another troupe of humans, led by a blue haired man marched through the forest. Diavel's eyes rested on a single person, ignoring the rest. A dark haired and pale-skinned slinked with the other members of the group--he moved differently than the others, almost in a snake-like fashion. Without warning, the man glanced in Diavel's direction as if he could sense the sorcerer's prensence. His lips curled in a cruel smile. Perhaps he could.

Diavel rolled his eyes at the thought, taking his hand off of the tree and returning his mind to the present time. It was an insignificant thought and Diavel had just seen all that he needed to see. They were in the right spot. A devilish grin turned the sorcerer's face ugly.

"Tarean!" He called. "It's time!" The darkly clothed man rubbed his hands together. Time to have some fun. He held out his left palm and a ball of purplish light flickered to life, hovering in the air above his hand. Diavel took a deep breath before proceeding to blow on the purple orb causing flashing sparks to fly off the orb and into the shadows of nighttime forest.

There was an inhuman growl as several bloodred circles appeared in the shadows. The eyes belonged to creatures that could not possibly fit in the area that they appeared to be present at...

Aarynn Fletcher

Flynn was in awe. Between the ancient air of the Shrine of Aridea—which he had only caught a glimpse of during his travels—and the sheer aura emitted by the gathering of some of the most powerful beings in all of Lastra, the Protector found it slightly hard to keep his mouth from being caught in a gape.

The first thing his eyes had caught sight of when the Fire Troupe had entered the clearing of the Shrine of Aridea was the red. A woman, probably around his age, with forest green hair and sky blue eyes, had been clad in a red mini-dress and had been observing the entire group as they entered. The Princess of the Winds was as pretty as rumors had said—though, the stare of her eyes was cold and distant.

Beside her stood a large man, suited up in full set of red armor matching the princess’ dress. The stare that he received from this man was much colder—this man clearly didn’t like him for some reason. Flynn thought about it for a moment. Had he ever done anything to upset this man? The samurai had never seen the man in his life. Then again, Flynn had a horrible memory. He just hoped that this wouldn’t end in some sort of confrontation.

While he had been busy contemplating his possible relations with the knight, the Earth King and his Protectors had marched into the clearing. The King betrayed little emotion as well as little word before going straight to business, convening the intended meeting. The Protectors were to wait outside while the Kings parleyed.

Very quickly, Flynn had found a soft spot of grass to lie on. None of the other Protectors had approached him and so, he found himself observing the evening sky. Small puffs of clouds drifted overhead forming ambiguous shapes. Hazel eyes caught what appeared to be a man running, running from something large. Two smaller figures formed behind the running man—the figures were also running. The reddening sky suggested a fire blazing all around the three forms, enclosing them in the same area as the larger cloud. The four clouds flew in close to each other, specks of moisture being exchanged. The larger cloud had just begun to consume the two smaller clouds when a voice snapped Flynn back to the present.

“Haunting memories?”

It was the knight from earlier. From up close, he seemed much larger and intimidating. Not that he needed the accentuation. He carried a large white shield and it appeared as if his sword, a typical straight sword, was sheathed into the shield. The man’s expression was grim and emotionless—there was no contempt at this time.

Flynn got up and brushed the grass of his armor and clothes. “Nah, I was just—”

“There is no need to lie, Master Fletcher.”

For a moment, Flynn was confused. How had this man, who he had never met before, learned his name? The moment passed over with a shrug. It didn’t really matter anyways. “You’re right. I’ve been cursed with recollections that trouble me.”

“Memories are not curses.”

He eyed the knight. The man wasn’t looking at him; he was staring off into the distance as if looking for something that wasn’t quite there. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s something you realize when you lose your memories.”

Celeste MacAvelia

The King of Earth hadn’t turned back—the Princess of the Winds’ hopes for a united Lastra had been delayed, again. Quite frankly, Celeste was a bit upset—she had been a fool to have hoped that the path to unity would be easy. On the other hand, she had made a gain. She wasn’t the only one who was upset.

The Fire King drooped in a sigh and he turned slowly to look at her. "I don't think he's truly left us, Celeste. Let us try to believe that he is still our ally, no matter what he may say. Until he completely proves that he's declared war against us and comes after our lives... only then will we think him our enemy."

Those are words of a benevolent king—a beloved ruler, Celeste thought. Benevolent and beloved but naïve and lacking in forethought… If one truly wanted to win, the first move was an essential step—a defense by reaction was difficult and a victory with only reactions was impossible.

Celeste’s thoughts were interrupted by a movement in the direction that the Earth King had left in. The princess looked on, inquisitively. There is no way he is coming back…

She was right. Unless Byre had taken on a couple hundred pounds and the complexion of a boulder—which Celeste supposed was possible—the creature that burst through the dense forest meant trouble. It was followed by several other beasts composed of various wilderness components. There was clearly some denomination of Earth magic involved. Byre…

Celeste was immediately out of her seat, her right hand flying to Amalthea. She pulled out two glistening black knives. A haze of green flickered to existence around the princess. “Siya, I’m going to need you to—”

The King of Fire had already exited the Shrine and was drawing his sword to face against the creatures.

Celeste cursed and launched herself into the air, currents of wind lifting her into the nighttime sky. This was more trouble than she had been willing to bargain for.

Celeste, Emrys and Flynn

The armored butler had been confused when the King of Earth stepped out of the Shrine without the other Kings. His confusion turned short of panic when he dragged the hateful Lare, Hebi, away stating, “Let us leave. It is time to prepare for war.”

“Well, that was really a jerk move,” the red-haired Protector beside the butler noted. “I think I’ve just decided that I don’t like him.”

Liking the Earth King was the last thing on Emry’s mind at the moment. Celeste. She hadn’t walked out of the Shrine. What had he done to Celeste? The butler’s heart only settled when he heard the Princess’ voice, layered in emotionless and foreboding warning, echoed out of the Shrine. The butler spoke grimly, “I’m not sure what exactly is happening, but it certainly isn’t anything good.”

Flynn shrugged. “Eh, it’s nothing big. Even if he is serious about leaving, there’s nothing that can touch us if we were to be in an alliance—The Earth King wouldn’t dare attack us.”

A firm hand grasped the samurai’s shoulder. “Be careful Master Fletcher. You speak to soon. Look!” Emrys pointed in the direction that the Earth king had exited the clearing. Trees shifted and moved as if they were reeds being brushed aside by animals. The first beast burst into the clearing, an earthen creature crawling on four legs. Red eyes blazed on a rock-like head. An assortment of other creatures, all formed of different things, stepped out of the forest depths.

“Now, that is just plain dirty,” Flynn commented. Then, he grinned, catching the pun that he hadn’t intended. “Literally!”

The remark had brought no smile to Emry’s face. The knight drew his sword and readied his shield just as the figure of the Princess of the Winds dropped to the ground beside him in a crouch, two knives unsheathed in her hands. “Are you all right, Milady?”

“I’m fine, Emrys,” came the cool reply. “I'm simply not liking the forest's excretions.”

"Excretions," Flynn reiterated, chuckling and unsheathing his katana. A red flame crept up the black blade. "Maybe, it's having indigestion—I doubt Byre and Hebi tasted good."

The forest haired woman eyed the samurai inquisitively. Such a strange Protector, joking at a time like this.

The butler stepped in front of Celeste. “Please stay back Milady, you need not deal with this rabble.”

Apparently, the beasts didn’t like being addressed as “rabble”. There was a collective roar from the creatures—one that caused the ground around the Shrine to rumble—immediately before the assortments of dirt, rock, and tree parts charged forward towards the Shrine, tearing up the ground as they ran. Several of the creatures, being formed of light-weight tree vines, were faster than the others. Within a matter of moments, this first wave of forestry was upon the Kings and their Protectors. Two creatures broke off from the main group and launched itself at the the trio, their hard rock claws flying through the air.

One set of claws were deflected by blur of red and white. The first creature lost it's balance and toppled over.

The second creature lashed out from the side and was met by Emry's tower shield. The sound of rock smashing against steel echoed through the clearing. The creature snarled in delight from under a mess of roots and tree-vines. It's second claw flew out from behind the knight's shield.

There was a scream. Not one of agony but one of combat.

A mass of forest landed on the ground beside Emrys. The creature's arm had been severed. Furthermore, the creature was now on fire. It howled in rage and agony as a red-haired samurai plunged a flaming sword into its side. The creature rolled to its feet and tried to shake the Protector off. Holding on tightly, Flynn took a deep breath and muttered an incantation. Then, he blew out, straight into an opening in the creature's side. At first, nothing happened. The creature roared and lashed out at the man on its side. Flynn had hardly the time necessary to extract his blade before being pummeled by a tree branch. The samurai landed on the ground beside Emrys with a grunt. He collected himself and had began to brush the dust off his clothes just as an explosion destroyed the forest creature. He looked at the knight with a grin. "Impressive, huh?"

He was answered by a swift movement and barely evaded the shield which flew over his head. There was growl as the first creature—which had earlier been deflected and knocked over—crashed into Emrys' shield. "You'll have your compliment after this is all over." The creature slid off the shield and ran off in a different direction. It was running towards where Celeste was fighting another creature. Emrys cursed and called out, "Celeste!"

The Princess of the Winds heard the call just as the mass of vines and stones pounced at her. Within two seconds she had impaled her daggers through the paws of the creature she had been fighting—anchoring it to the ground—and ducked, sliding straight under the attacking creature. The two creatures collided in a mass of forestry.

She turned to see her butler's horrified expression. The princess gave him a smile and mouthed a 'thank you' before launching herself back into the air. The two knives, glowing green shapes flew back to her hands. “Siya!” Celeste called out, “We are going to have to work together on this one if we are to avoid casualties! We need to stick together in a group, if we try to fight individually we’ll just end up being picked off one by one!”

Emrys turned to the man beside him, "Master Fletcher, I believe you should go and tend to your King."

The samurai nodded before running off.

The knight, in turn, ran after the Princess of the Winds, calling out to the other Wind Protectors as he did so. "Freece, Aeraki! Join forces with the Fire Protectors—take out those rock creatures! They pose the greatest threat!"

Marsaili pulled a face. Why was everyone so boring? Not even poking at Kaed's (obvious) attraction to Siya seemed like fun.


Well, not when the Herby guy was taking all the good jibes. That guy seemed to suck. Although it was rather fun. Marsaili groaned loudly and poked at Kaed's shoulder with the handle of her sword.


"Heeeeey. Heeeeeeeey, Kaaaaaaaaed. Pssst. Kaed. Hey. Hey Kaed. Psssssst." Marsaili mock whispered, her orange eyes bright and playful.


Kaed turned to the incessant pestering of the young child who poked him, "What is it! Marsaili!?" He nearly shouted at her, though his voice was clipped. Between her and Hebi, the normal Protector who always seemed to have a good hold on his anger, had just about lost it completely. Though he had to say, watching Lord Byre drag Hebi by the hair was almost satisfying, made better had Kaed done it himself.


Marsaili blinked and drew away from the yells. Demon she may be but being shouted at was never fun for any child.


"Sorry. I just wanted someone to talk to..." Marsaili looked down at her teddy and poked the loose stuffing a little before wriggling away from the other Protector. It wasn't her fault if she was bored! Demons get bored super easy! Like, she had once gotten so bored, she decided to sink this big ship. It was a super big one and was all "insinkable".

Hey, when anything had a few holes screwed out, it went down. And that wasn't easy stuff to drill out either.


Marsaili made a face as she thought about who else she could bother but realised only Kaed would tolerate her and he wasn't too forgiving right now. So she was stuck. The hellspawn sighed heavily, glaring a little at Kaed. She couldn't blame him though. He was being bullied about something really important to him. But still! It wasn't very nice.


Kaed sighed heavily immediately regretting losing his temper. Even though he'd scolded the girl plenty of times before, he'd never yelled at her like he did right then. Sheathing his sword which was originally intended to be sheathed in Hebi's chest, he turned and knelt down in front of Marsaili who was currently glaring at him. Yeah, he deserved that.


"I'm sorry Marsaili," he replied softly, he reached out and gently patted the top of her head, running his fingers through her hair slightly and smiled at her, "What did you wish to talk to me about?"


Marsaili squirmed under the Proctector's gaze. Nobody really asked her stuff like that. She was more of an interjecter than a conversation starter. Although, something had been preying on her mind.

"Who are all those guys and how come you know 'em?" The demon asked, her small face furrowing. She hadn't met any of these guys before. But she was a rather new Protector and had never really ventured around Lastra. She wasn't there to sight see after all. But still, it intruiged her to no end. Who were these people? And why did Kaed hate Mister Herby so much? Sure he was...frustrating (Marsaili didn't think so but Kaed was a little sensitive, obviously) but why all the hate?


Kaed smiled at her warmly and shifted his body to a better position in order to talk to her and maintain eye level. He sat down, one leg lifted up revealing the black pant beneath the long robe like dress that fit his frame. The split ends of the robe fell away, off to the side and he shifted again so that the other leg was underneath the risen one.


"I met them a long time ago. The only one's I don't know much about are the new ones. Hebi was a protector to Lord Byre's father, and his father before. Eugene was once a Lair to an old country some years ago, but he started serving as a Protector soon after Lord Byre took over from his fathers death.


"Freece, well... Freece has always been the same, a man who is easily distracted by things and has no real care for anything else." Marsaili giggled at this. This Freece guy sounded like a few demons she knew, Aza and Zale. The little mischeif makers where her partners in crime back home. She was obviously the brains of that operation. She had to say, she missed them. She missed hell. "Then there's Celeste's protectors, Aeraki has been with her since Celeste began her reign, a unique creature who posses a special skill over the winds. Watch her carefully some time Marsaili, I think you'll find what she does interesting.

"Then there's Kanan. I don't know much about him, he is very new, much like yourself. However, I get the feeling that he's worthy to be a Protector and will do everything in his power to protect Celeste. Finally there's us and you know all about that," he sighed heavily and looked up through the canopy of tree limbs over head, "I knew the Water King and his well too..." he muttered softly but didn't indulge in anything more.


Marsaili looked Kaed dead in the eye and frowned a little. She wondered what that meant if he knew that Watery guy. Was he sad? The hellspawn cautiously patted Kaed's knee and gave him a tiny shy smile. Well, that's what people did to make others feel better, right?


"Uh huh, I know you," Marsaili poked her fellow Protector's chest lightly and grinned, "and Flynn, the late samerai. He is always late. And I said before, where I come from, late means lava." The hellspawn shrugged. "And then there's me too." She grinned again before lifting her teddy.


"And Mister Smiles too! He's my Protector. My daddy gave me him. So he can be Siya's sub-protector, OK? Cos if he's protecting me and I'm protecting the King, it works!"


The girls touch on his knee was a surprise and he looked down at her, crimson gaze widened in shock at her action. She replied to him in a matter-of-factly tone and he smiled in return, a slight laugh coming from him as she poked his chest. His gaze shot over to Flynn as Marsaili continued on with how he'd been late early that morning to the meeting with Siya.


He turned to look down at the teddy bear that Marsaili always had with her, it was the first time he'd heard the name of the bear. Or maybe he had been told it, but he hadn't been paying attention. Mister Smiles, hu? Kaed reached out and gently touched one of the bears ears, the fluff around the stitching was coming out so he was careful not to desturb it too much.


"Yes, I think between you and Mister Smile's our dear Siya is in the best hands, don't you think Marsaili?" He started to stand then and that was when the ground rumbled under his feet. Immediately he turned, all thoughts of their conversation gone as a large rock like creature came bursting through the trees. Siya came into sight as well and Kaed's heart leapt as he watched his King jump out right in front of all of the creatures.

"Siya!" Kaed shouted and drew his sword, calling on his fire to leap forth and protect his King


Marsaili leapt to her feet before wincing a little. She still hurt from earlier but as the hell energy was still rather detatched, it would be easier to summon. She clenched her fists and a tall hell hound shaped animal took form in front of her.


"Easier...than I thought it would be!" She giggled quietly, her hand reaching out to grasp Kaed for support. It may have been a little easier bringing this piece of hell up but holding it here? Now that would be a different story. A handful of metal scraps in her pocket disappeared as the demon made her creature charge. The beast of pure darkness collided with the rock creature, causing a gasp to emit from Marsaili.


"Alright, dear, calm your tits. No need to go bashing into that thing, it hurts, ya know?" The hellspawn complained, clutching her side. Stupid hell essance, always so disregarding of the poor demon's health and wellbeing. The form flickered as Marsaili fought to stay alert and focused. Focus was hard to maintain when you had a big old drain on your mind.


A large being came forth from the earth, his form that of dark magic and the air was filled with a certain scent. Sharp sulfur and brimstone filled the area around Kaed immediately after the black dog was summoned. The tall Protector was about to lung into the fight as well, but a tug on his clothing took his attention.


Looking down, he spotted Marsaili's small hand gripping the side of his robe tightly. She leaned towards him, her lips moving as she said something that he didn't quite catch. She doubled over slightly, her other hand snaking over to grip her side and Kaed dropped down next to her. Wraping his arm around her, he pulled her against him and stayed there, covering her as she controlled her summoned creature.


Several of the twig like creatures limbered over to him and Kaed ground his teeth in irritation. The fire wall he'd sent to Siya moments ago had taken much of his energy so he needed another sacrifice. Reaching into his pocket with his hand that was around Marsaili he felt a couple of rings there. He invoked the power to change them into energy and he felt the power rushing through him.


Fire erupted from the tip of his blade and he allowed it to lung forward off the steel's tip and engulf each tall twig figure. The creatures went up in flames in a matter of seconds and waved their spindly arms around giving off a high pitched, inhuman shriek. A growling sound got his attention and he spun around to face the next opponent. It was a wolf like creature formed from vines. The wolf-thing bristled and arched forward it's back. From the back of the thing, it released a dozen sharp vines at them.

Kaed pulled his sword back around them, dragging Marsaili to the other side so he could better sheild her. His blade cut through the vines as they shot at him, a few getting through and cutting into his arms and exposed back, "Focus on the rock, Marsaili," he told her as he fought off the attack, "If you need more energy, there are more sacrifices in my pocket. Take the dagger if you need," he managed to get out as he struggled to free his sword from the vines wrapping around it. An eruption of fire did the trick, and he continued with slicing.


Marsaili exhaled deeply as she forced herself to focus. Her huge animal like thing reared up and roared. A sweat broke out over the little girl's forehead and she burrowed into Kaed for protection. The demon knew pretty well that if something went after her, she'd be doomed. The large demon threw itself at the rock creature, causing a tiny gasp to fall from Marsaili's lips. She clutched Kaed's side tightly and sighed harshly.


The beast snarled and its huge jaws snapped around the rocky beast. The hell hound jumped back and growled darkly. A few wolf-fox vine creatures launched themselves onto the hell animal. Marsaili let out a weak cry and started swatting at her back in desperation.


"Shhh, get away, get off me..." She whined as she fought to hold the huge beast of energy. The being seemed unconcerned of his demon's problems and slashed his claws through the vines. The flora shriveled up on contact with hell. Suddenly, Marsaili's concerntration broke and her beast faded into nothing. A quick slash across her back forced the little girl to her knees. She fell almost limp, her hands torn away from Kaed's robes. A shrill scream grabbed the other Protector's attention as the hellspawn was ripped away from his side by a gang of vine foxes. She wriggled, too tired to do any real damage. Marsaili's demonic qualities fell away and revealed a scared little girl underneath. She let out another scream as one of the monsters slashed across her stomach, slicing neatly through the skin.


"Kaed! Siya! DAD! Help me!" Marsaili cried out, trying to crawl against the things dragging her away. The vine creatures carried on their attack, biting and scratching at the hellspawn who had almost no strength left. She didn't have any magic anyway. She had used the last of her sacrifices earlier and was much too tired to gather up any form of protection from hell. She was completely at the mercy of the animals.


"Someone, please!"


Her scream caught Kaed's attention and he whirled around as he lost her from his grip. He lunged forward, desperate to get her back but missed entirely and instead failed to protect himself. The vine wolves lunged at him and several of the nasty things cut deep into Kaed's shoulder, back and legs. Unable to move, pinned as he was, he couldn't get to her. Twisting around he concentrated his efforts on freeing himself before he was further injured.


Siya whirled around as he heard the high pitched scream. He watched in horror as Marsaili was ripped from Kaed's grasp. The vine wolves tore into her without mercy and she was terrified. The Fire King wasted no time as he pulled away from his own fight and sprinted towards her. Already he was preparing his magic to burn away the vines that tore into her.


As he rushed to her, he spotted the Wind Princess' protector turning at the same time. It was the younger, newest protector who had turned. His one bright blue eye widened in shock at the sound of Marsaili's wails. Without a thought it seemed, Kanan brandished his sword and a rush of wind blades tore through the area, sending with it a calming smell of chamomile.


The wind blades cut through several of the vine wolves just as Siya's fire erupted over the group and burned them to ash. Kanan continued his attack, turning to where Kaed's form was being overwhelmed by vines. Wind blades slashed and cut into the thickests parts. Siya dropped next to Marsaili and pulled her close to him.


"Marsaili? Hey, hold on, ok? You'll be just fine," he told her as he looked over her wounds. Across from him Kaed was freed from his prison. A mixture of wind attacks and his own explosion of fire was what did the trick. Kaed slowly crawled from where he'd been trapped and looked over Siya's shoulder.


The large rock formation was going on a rampage and his current target seemed to be the bulk of the group. Kaed was too tired to continue fighting, and he also knew that Marsaili was in no shape to do much about it either. Siya caught Kaed's gaze and turned to look over his shoulder.


The young King gasped as the rock beast tore at the ground in preparation for a charge. Siya pulled Marsaili up into his grip and moved out of the way as quickly as he could. The beast tore through the area and hit a couple of trees before stopping. Turning to look over his shoulder Siya shouted to the others, "Help me kill this thing!" After calling out he starting building up on his power, the more fire he could produce, he thought that he could at least melt the beast down.


Marsaili's orange eyes widened and she let out a wail as the rock formation charged again. She was starting to get familiar with the thing's attack. Run, charge and go through anything in its path. In her panic, the demon burrowed into her King and cried out for the one person she knew would help.

"Daddy. Please!" She whimpered and almost instantly, a calming feeling of hell washed over her. The child's muscles relaxed as the comforting growls of pure hell hounds spitting fire filled her ears. Her daddy didn't seem too pleased and was giving her a bit of a helping hand in killing the thing that tried to hurt his baby girl. Combined with Siya's fire, she felt comfortable in the thing's demise. The blast of heat showering her back told her that the rock beast was slain. All the energy slipped away from her and her eyelids fell shut as she let the tiredness claim her. Before she fell unconcious, she mumbled to Siya quietly.


"What even were those things, Siya? And why did they wanna hurt us?"

Hebi Irikisha

His King dragged him some ways away from the meeting, Celeste's voice carried through the woods after them and despite his position, Hebi grinned maliciously. Soon enough, he was released from Lord Byre's grip and he stumbled, falling down to the earth on hands and knees. He stayed there, unwilling to get up and have his King take him back down to the ground again. Instead, he bowed his head to Byre and let his dark hair fall over his face, hiding his grin.

"Once, we returned to the Castle. I will have the armies mobilized to strike at the Fire and Wind Kingdom. Furthermore, we will seek the Water King. Eugene. Hebi. Nes. Your place is by my side. Do not ever forget this."

"My lord," Hebi said softly in reply.

“Yes sir. Get up you disgrace, we’re moving out,” the voice belonged to Eugene who kicked the earth Protector hard in his ribs. Hebi fell over from the attack and gripped his ribs with one hand. He looked up at the tall Lare through dark strands of hair. One eye was closed tightly from the burning in his side, but the other one stared steadily upwards at the man. Hebi responded with a cruel smile curving along his lips. Slowly he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Did that remind you of your time as a Lare? Wonder how your citizens dealt with such a vicious and cruel ruler. Perhaps you should take lessons from our Lord Byre. At least then the only thing you'd have to worry about is your enormously large ego!" Hebi snapped back, but made sure to keep a good distance from Eugene. Should they fight right then, not only would Lord Byre deal out harsh punishment to them, but they'd also lose their chance at getting a head start to find the water King. Ah, the Water King. Hebi's green eyes flickered with an odd light, his tongue snaked out to lick at his lips before he turned and followed obediently after Lord Byre.

Siya Ukomo

"What even were those things, Siya? And why did they wanna hurt us?" Marsaili's voice was soft as she slowly lost consciousness. Siya glanced down at her and pulled her close to his body. He cradled the small girl in his arms as he released his fire upon the charging rock creature. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as the fire exploded from him. In the split second before the flames engulfed the rock, he spotted one of Celeste's protectors lift into the air and launch a... dragon? at the rock creature. Never-the-less, the dragon creation tore the rock in half and helped to aid his flames in melting it down.

Once the dragon was finished, it went off and began destroying other creatures that had seemingly risen up from the forest. Siya sighed heavily, his breath short. He leaned over Marsaili's unconscious form and watched her sadly. She would need some healing very soon, the best that he could do was to stop the bleeding. Reaching down he ignited his hand and ran it over the worst of her wounds. Her being unconscious made things easier, though he still winced inwardly. The poor girl was going to be in so much pain later on.

"I don't know, Marsaili," he whispered to her though he knew she couldn't hear him at that point. He turned his head and caught sight of Kaed who was kneeling on one leg, his sword held tightly in one hand and his gaze flicking about the area for any stragglers. The Protector turned and looked upon his King, then got to his feet and made his way over to the young Fire Lord. Kaed dropped down next to Siya and looked at Marsaili with a frown.

"Will she be alright?"

"She will, I've stopped the bleeding, she just needs to be healed," Siya answered and closed his eyes tiredly. However, he forced himself to get some semblance of strength and energy. The fight was over with, short and quick as it was. Even so, he was tired after having expended so much energy to take out the bulk of the enemy and the large rock entity. He looked up at Kaed who wrapped an arm around Siya's shoulders and hugged him tightly.

"You're alright?"

"Fine, Kaed. You're in worse shape then me," Siya pointed out, eyeing the multiple places where Kaed was bleeding from. His Protector only offered him a smile and stood up slowly. Kaed sheathed his sword and offered his hands out to take Marsaili. Siya stood up and gave her over to him. Turning, Siya looked to the other Protectors and Lady Celeste.

"I don't know what you plan to do, Lady Celeste, but I still plan to find the King of Water. I have a feeling that no matter what enemies may be following us, they may already be several steps ahead of us in finding him. If we find him, we can protect him until he's given his orb. There's no way we can find the orb, we've not the power to do that. Only the Water King can. I'll be on my way once Marsaili has been healed in the village not far from here. If you wish to accompany me, I'll gladly welcome you and your protectors. I could use all the help I can get."

Siya looked to Flynn and Kaed before nodding his head in the direction that he wished to head in. The nearest village was a couple hours away and if they retrieved their horses, they could be there even sooner. Besides, their horses had more supplies than what Siya had right at that moment. Bandaging the wounded Marsaili was first on his mind.

Kanan Thiyer

He finished off the last of the walking twigs and a couple more of the wolf like vines that lunged at him. His blade swung continuously, sometimes sending out waves of wind blades, other times just cutting straight through by the swords edge. He twisted around and launched another pass of magic at the approaching enemy, tossing them backwards. Kanan wasted no time and finished them off with a final attack of wind blades, the sound of sharpened air cutting through branches filled his area of the fight.

Then it was all over. He glanced around, taking count of the bodies of the elemental's and who was injured if any on his side. He was happy to see that his Queen was just fine as she was hovering up in the air. Off a distance away, Siya stood with his Protectors. It seemed that the girl had taken quite a blow and even the tall one named Kaed seemed to be injured just as well. Siya, though, looked unharmed. Kanan felt relief at that notion, but felt bad for the Protectors, especially the unconscious girl in Kaed's arms.

He listened to the exchange of words from Siya to his Queen before sheathing his weapon and looking around once more. Siya began making his way to where they'd come into the forest earlier. It was obvious he was heading back to where they'd left their horses or whatever means of travel they'd used to get to the Shrine. Kanan spotted Aeraki and started making his way to her. She was inspecting one of the elemental's quite closely so he leaned over her shoulder, his single pale blue eye narrowing in on what she was looking at.

"Different kind of magic than I've seen before," he muttered to her. His eye flicked up to look at her, to see if she would confirm his suspicion, "I think it's safe to say that Byre and his group did not intend this fight. Which leaves the question of who did..." he pondered this on his own, leaving Aeraki's side to look to his Queen.

Dropping down to one knee, he placed one fist on the ground and bowed his head to her, "My Lady, forgive me, but I think that Lord Siya is correct in going after the Water King. We should find him first before Lord Byre or anyone else does. Offering him protection is, in my mind, the best course of action," he offered to her gently. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it just seemed that he should tell her about his agreement. Even if she disagreed, he would still follow her orders unquestioningly. However, it still felt right to go and try to find the Water King first.