LOGINShare
The Scientist Problem
Last Updated:
2022-04-26 04:59:31"My servants tell me that Renat has found his way to the infirmary," Aurora commented as she walked down the hall with Brinn, Mairwen and Zan.
"Is he sick?" Mairwen was worried.
"Did you hurt him, Your Majesty?" Brinn was quickly returning to her plucky self.
The Empress looked at her friend sidelong. "Not yet. Renat seems to have taken up well with the doctor. Great minds must gravitate towards one another."
Mairwen only heard the threat at the beginning of her mother's words. "Please do not hurt him! Remember that he saved my life and yours too with those special glasses. Renat is one of your most loyal subjects. Anyway, he is just a friend so there is no need for alarm." The last part was more to herself than to the others.
"I will reserve my judgement until after I have met him," the Empress responded, suppressing a smile. It was nice to have the tables turned after days of fretting over her daughter. 'Let her sweat a little,' Aurora thought. A
Related chapters
Empress of the World Answers and Questions
Mairwen tensed and backed away humbly. In her heart, she hoped that her mother had forgotten to punish her. Of course, the Empress never forgot anything. The princess answered quickly, "I should have been honest with you about my intentions to follow father. I should not have gone alone. I put myself and possibly the Empire in peril by my reckless actions. I submit myself to your judgement.""Not that you have a choice," Aurora reminded her. "But appreciate your graciousness. I know you have already suffered unspeakable horrors because of your choices. So I will make this brief. You will complete menial labor for the next month. You will assist in the building of the rest of those unique orange glasses and any other things that the scientist thinks will be useful in the defense of the Castle Valiant…"Mairwen nodded dutifully until the words sank in. "Wait, you will let me work with Renat?!"The Empress held up her finger. "You must always have at least T
Last Updated : 2022-04-26Empress of the World Home of the Gnomes
Cafer came above ground with Alaron in a cloud of dirt. Their stops were frequent as the gnome kept having to surface to communicate with Xander via leprechaun. The messages were increasingly expensive, and Cafer was running out of coin. His frustration and greed made him decide that continuing to use magic to travel underground was his best option. The gnome had been making record time even with the extra strain from the teenage boy.Alaron stepped away from the gnome and brushed himself off. "It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic," he grumbled. "But I will admit it is fast. How much further do we have to go?""A day or two if we keep up this pace.""Will we have to go underground the rest of the way?" Alaron was obviously not fond of the idea."The other option is traveling via eagle." Cafer suggested. He was also tired of using his magic.The prince scrunched his face. "An eagle? The small bird?""No, an eagle big enough to carry bot
Last Updated : 2022-04-27Empress of the World Meeting the Gnome King
Cafer and Alaron descended into the strange grayish light of the cavern. Although this was not the same set of tunnels as Gandr had destroyed ten years prior, it had a similar structure. The spaces were wide and tall. It seemed the gnomes either had not learned or were too prideful to adapt."The ceiling is so high! It is almost like being outside," the prince observed."Minus the sun, flowers, and open air," Cafer replied bitterly. He was already unhappy to be home. Four soldier gnomes came to meet them as they reached the end of the first hall."We are here to escort the prisoner to the king," one of them said in human-speak.Alaron took a step back. He had not expected that kind of welcome. Cafer bristled, "You are mistaken. Prince Alaron has come to meet King Baak to talk of an alliance. You will treat him as an esteemed guest not some lowly prisoner. Now apologize!" he boomed.The guard was taken aback. "Sorry, Prince Alaron. May I...escort...
Last Updated : 2022-04-28Empress of the World Meeting the Gnome King II
"Kill them!" Baak commanded.Alaron froze. Had he heard correctly? The prince moved his hand to his sword as he continued to bow. He heard the ringing of steel as the gnome soldiers drew their weapons. The boy had no idea if he could defeat them all, but he would not go down without a fight.Cafer, on the other hand, pretended to be amused. "You are quite humorous, my king. You are far too wise to go around killing your faithful subjects like this." The crafty gnome straightened his back and gave the Baak a warm smile.Alaron picked up on the game. He also lifted his head and beamed a grin on the gnome king. "You had not told me that the King enjoyed jokes, Cafer. I would have come prepared with my own riddles."Baak raised his hand and the guards sheathed their swords. He gave a booming laugh. "You have a lot of nerve, Cafer. I will give you that. I would have much preferred to have you beg."Cafer dipped his head again. "I may yet have to do just that, my king. May I introduce Princ
Last Updated : 2022-04-29Empress of the World Eavesdropping
Finding the throne room was not as easy as Alaron had thought. The Castle Valiant was an intricate pattern of rooms, but the prince had grown up knowing how to navigate it. These caverns were a mix of natural and gnome-made. They were unpredictable. Add to this the fact that he had no bearings because he was underground, and Alaron was utterly lost.His nose caught the scent of food, and his stomach growled. If the prince was lost anyway, he may as well not starve. But then Alaron remembered that the real Lukoss was heading to the royal kitchen. If this were the same place, that could be a problem. "If it happens, I will deal with it," the boy muttered.Quietly, Alaron crept into the large cavernous kitchen. There were trays of food on the counters that a dozen beautiful ladies were preparing and plating. Alaron stuffed some of the contents of one of the plates in his mouth. They were so delicious that the boy groaned. One of the ladies looked his way, but seeing that he appeared to b
Last Updated : 2022-04-30Empress of the World Seeds of Doubt
The ground pushed and prodded Alaron. He was being pulled at a rapid pace. Before when he had been traveling with Cafer underground, he had not been afraid. But by himself in the ever-shifting darkness, he was terrified. Add to that the fact that his back still felt raw from earlier, and Alaron was screaming at the top of his lungs. After a steep descent, the earth around him began to push the prince upwards.Without warning, Alaron was thrust into a cavern. A hand slapped across the boy's mouth to silence him as another grabbed at his wrist to remove the Semblance Stone. The force used on him was great. It was only when Alaron realized that Cafer was the one holding him that he finally relaxed. The prince wriggled from the firm grip."You!" Alaron yelled. Like lightning, Cafer's hand flew back to the prince's mouth."You fool!" he hissed. There was a fire in his eyes that made the boy unconsciously shiver. Cafer hoisted the boy up by one arm and brought him back to the gnome's privat
Last Updated : 2022-05-01Empress of the World The Seeker
Zan walked into the Empress's personal garden. "There you are, Your Majesty!" he said with a deep bow. "The entire Palace is looking for you."Aurora, Brinn and Mairwen were surprised by his sudden entry. His skills as a Guardian made him unnervingly undetectable. "Is something wrong?" The Empress asked with her brow furrowed.Zan did not answer right away. He ghosted away to call off the search. The three ladies exchanged glances. They had told Nurlan and Eira that they did not want to be found. It seemed that the two had done too good a job of 'losing' them. "My apologies," Zan said as he materialized once more. "It occurs to me that I am disturbing you."Aurora waved her hand to call him near. "You are most welcome, Cheif Zan. What have you come to say?""Two things, Your Majesty. The first being that we have rounded up the last of the names that Duchess Ravenna was persuaded to give us." The Chief shifted uncomfortably."Unfortunately for every traitor we catch, two more seem to s
Last Updated : 2022-05-02Empress of the World Back to the Boatman
Devrim, Junayd and Gandr crested the final hill and caught sight of the large lake. "I really did not think I would see this place again," the Emperor whispered with a sigh.The group had had few hiccups since their run-in with Ravenna's troops, but now they were approaching the real test. Gandr had tried using his earth magic to speed them along, but it had startled the horses. One of the steeds actually bolted, costing them precious time. In the end, Gandr's wind magic proved the best solution to give them the extra push they needed to get to this point."Do we cross or go around?" Gandr asked, indicating the large body of water. This had been the great debate for the last day and a half."You said yourself that going around will take at least an extra day. That is time we cannot afford to lose," Devrim stated."But we will also need the horses to go back home. They will not be able to cross the lake and we cannot just leave them and hope we find them later," Junayd pointed out."Th
Last Updated : 2022-05-02
Latest chapter
Empress of the World Be Better
Alaron told the Empress his story. She was amazed by his words. However, it made his altered appearance make sense. His white hair had been gained by meeting the Maker while visiting the Mystic Spires, and his now silver eyes were earned in answer to his call."A Guardian," the Empress mused. "It is a high honor."The young man lowered his head humbly. "Not an honor I deserve, but one I will try to be worthy of.""But…it has been a year since all this happened." Aurora looked at him with a thousand questions in her eyes.Alaron nodded. "The Fates thought it best if I remained gone for a time. Let the world begin to heal. I spent the last year among the Fates in the Mystic Spires and got to know some of them quite well. But I knew that my time there had come to an end, and before I could return to take my place as a Guardian to help mend the world, I needed to mend our family first. That is, if you will forgive me." He bowed low again. "Will you?"There was a king painful silence. So l
Empress of the World What Happened?
The voice of the figure was one etched deep in Aurora's memory. It was almost as familiar to her as her own. It was the voice of a ghost now, yet the figure before her she was sure was flesh and bone."Clear the throne room," the Empress ordered.Nurlan stood behind her close to the throne with his hand resting lightly on his sword. "Your Majesty?" he asked, uncomprehending."Everyone out except him," she motioned to the cloaked man. "You may stay, Nurlan, if it eases your mind. And see if someone can find Hanna."The general quickly went to work. With the help of the other attending soldiers, every soul was removed from the room except the Empress, Nurlan and the mysterious figure. The man waited patiently, seemingly unconcerned with the flurry of activity his few words had caused.Aurora took a deep breath. While the figure had allowed them to be alone, she was still slightly scared that he might disappear at any time. "What forgiveness do you seek?""I seek the forgiveness of the
Empress of the World That Voice
"Wake up! Rise and shine, Your Majesty!" Hanna said cheerily as she threw back the thick curtain that blocked the balcony. Light streamed into Aurora's bedchamber, but the woman pulled the covers over her head like a child. "You're back," the Empress groaned in a muffled voice. "I think it is sweet that you think I actually ever leave these days. Now get up!" Hanna yanked the covers back, but Aurora held on tightly. "Go away!" The stubborn woman wouldn't even open her eyes. She would not let the Fate win. "Where are my ladies-in-waiting?" "Anna, Bella and Candela are busy." Hanna answered unapologetically. "And my husband?" "He took over your very important duties and told everyone to let you sleep. It is a good thing I do not answer to him." Hanna fluttered her eyelashes innocently, but of course, Aurora did not see. Sensing the Fate would not give up her chipper attitude, Aurora pulled the only card she had left. It was, in the end, what made her unwilling to get out of bed "
Empress of the World One Final Song
With slow progress, the prisoners and the victorious army headed for Valiant. Since the city was still empty of human citizens, there was no fanfare or grand welcome for them. That was fine; they were all just happy to be one step closer to being home.Only a small skirmish awaited the Imperial Army from those left behind. The palace was easily reclaimed without the catastrophic results of the last battle fought there. The sight of the large human force in the wrong shade of blue made the gnomes flee immediately, and those left of the ill-named New Emperor's Army only put up minimal resistance.The servants on the inside of the palace, seeing their rescuers in sight, freed those in the dungeon and set off a myriad of traps and clever devices that had been left behind by the scientist but never deployed.One such device covered the unlucky recipient in a slimy goo that made them slip and slide, never able to stand in that area again. Renat was thoroughly chastened for it later and force
Empress of the World Together
Brinn hurried to Ithel and her father in the corner of the tent. Out of respect for the king, Zoltan had a curtain hung around him, so it was only natural that Aurora had not spotted him and Ithel earlier."Father, I thought you were dead!" Brinn said a she rounded the partition. Her face went from hopeful to grim."I may yet be," Zoltan answered with a gentle smile. "However, the unicorns think I shall live, even if I am not exactly whole."Zoltan's body from the waist up seemed normal enough, but his lower half and legs looked horribly wrong. His legs and feet twisted awkwardly, and his pelvis was much flatter than it should be. The boulder from the giant had done irreparable damage."Oh Father!" Brinn eyes were wide with fear."It is not as bad as it looks. Well, maybe it is, but I do not feel any pain." The king received a cup of water from a servant. With Ithel's help, he sat up slightly to drink. The elven princess just stared, not knowing what to say or how to comfort her fathe
Empress of the World Alive!
Brinn used her keen hearing to listen for her husband as she scanned the carnage of the battlefield. Alvar was many things, but quiet was not one of them. She was sure that with enough patience, she would hear the elf she was searching for.Along the ground, some fairies were popping in and gathering up the wounded and taking them to the healers. Other fairies had the more difficult task of collecting the dead. Separately she passed by elves who were still gathering the gnomes in groups to hold them until the peace talks were complete.It was amazing how quickly things had been organized. Brinn realized that these plans must have been made before the battle began because neither the fairies nor elves seemed to need direction or supervision.Even more amazing was the new King of the Gnomes. The timid, mousey gnome that Brinn had witnessed at the palace when she was pretending to be Mairwen was gone. The difference was night and day.Lukoss was walking around and ordering his new subjec
Empress of the World More Time
Justum considered her words. "I cannot control how you feel," he answered at last. "But the victory is yours. It is over. We will leave you to your tasks."Aurora stared past him with empty eyes. He was right about one thing. It was over.Turning to his fellow Fate, Justum held out his hand. "Your mission is complete, I assume," he said with an arched brow. "Either way, your banishment is over. Will you be coming back with us?"Hanna smiled demurely, "As welcoming that invitation was…" Her face changed to be one of concern as she looked at Aurora. "Now that I am permitted to see the Empress, I shall stay a while to make sure things run smoothly."Expecting an argument, Aurora was surprised when Justum simply nodded. "I understand."He turned to the fiery-haired woman and bowed respectfully. "Farewell, Your Majesty. May the rest of your reign be a peaceful one.""Thank you," Aurora curtsied, her years of training taking over. She then moved forward toward the Fate holding her son.Just
Empress of the World The Seal is Broken
The entire company of the Fates exited through the celestial portal and filled the sky with their terrifying presence. Their light magic emanating from them was oppressive even to the other magical creatures.As soon as Hanna grabbed the Empress's arm, Aurora blinked and was instantly across the field beside the slowly waking Cafer. The Fate slapped the magic blocking cuffs on the gnome and stepped back as he came to his senses.Cafer grabbed his head, unsure of what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being blasted by a light before everything went dark.He had seen, but been unable to process, the source of the light on the other side of the battlefield. Whatever it was had power beyond anything he had ever seen.As he opened his eyes, he was greeted with a reproachful look from his least favorite Fate. He instinctively tried to use his earth magic to repel Hanna. That is when he noticed the cuffs on his wrists. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as he stood to hi
Empress of the World Deliverance
Mairwen and Nurlan had finished dispensing with the leprechauns and were monitoring the capture of the dark blue troops. Minor skirmishes were going on here and there, but overall the New Emperor's army had surrendered."I want to know how Mother and Father are doing," the princess told the general. They both glanced behind them and toward the sea. They could see neither of the battles clearly. However, they could hear the sounds of war wafting over the Beachy plains and see that at least some of the ships were still floating in the sea. The Emperor and Empress still had work to do."A fairy will come and get you once it is safe," Nurlan assured her. "Until then, we will stay put."Mairwen sighed and bit the inside of her cheek. "The waiting is harder than the battling."Not wanting to contradict the princess, Nurlan shrugged. "The time certainly seems to go slower when nothing is happening," he mused.Listening quietly, Eira was glad for the moment of peace. There were far too few of
