After what seemed like a century, Carysse finally woke up in a good bed with warm blankets, soft pillows, and a peace of mind.It was a distant feeling that she hadn’t felt in years while they were hiding. She never had a bed and decided not to have one because it would only be rendered useless as she was the guardian of Thalisse. She should never feel comfortable or else her senses will become dull.She had always to be in an environment that challenged and pushed her to always be on guard. Because of that, she forgot the feeling of having a straight sleep. A simple scurrying of the bushes or a random howl of a wolf or dog was enough to wake her up. This was why despite her small stature, no one regarded or recognized her as an eighteen-year old kid. They always thought she was older. They said it was because she had the tired face of an adult. Funny as that may be, others said that it must be saddening on her part to be young yet not feel young. But rising up from that unusual mor
Carysse had heard of castles only from the travelers that passed by Thalisse. They were described as gigantic and towering buildings that could house hundreds and even thousands of people inside, depending on the royalty residing in the castle. The travelers did a good job of describing them vividly that Carysse immediately knew when she saw one.As she and Liblei got out of the carriage, a stunning castle with a horizontal structure, ivory beams, bronze walls, and fluttering flags with different colors was placed on top. Carysse assumed the flags represented the eight provinces of Apharoth. On its walls were random giant holes filled with glass-like objects. The castle was literally sparkling. ’’This is the Adreic Castle, home to one of the highest families in Apharothia. It is where we will be having the first meeting for the Zeikontour,’’ Liblei said. She was wearing a proper attire fit for a noble already. Dressed in an emerald-colored long gown that swept the ground and her hair
Carysse took her seat along with the other female servants on the sides of the hall. The nobles carefully patted their seats and fixed the seams of their dresses before settling down to their pillowed seats.Looks like being a noble was a pain.She saw some of them eyeing the food in front of them like they wanted to gobble it in one go but due to the suffocating atmosphere of the rules of royalty, they only get to taste a little of everything. The sweets at the table were certainly mouth-watering. It had been a long time since Carysse had seen such an abundance of food.Living the life of a noble was certainly not for her.Carysse wanted to level up her own living but not in terms of money as these ladies in front of her were bragging about their clothes. Although it would be good to be rich, it would be better if she wasn’t pressured in any way and be judged solely by her outfit everyday. She would like to live the old Thalisse life once more.She had to fulfill this mission so that
The court panicked at the news of the messenger. “The women are being held hostage by the Mahan people. They trapped themselves in the inside of the castle and declared that they would kill anyone who would attempt to attack them. We didn’t see any sign of Lord Adreic and we have yet to hear from it though the people said that he was inside when the attack happened. He didn’t have his army with him and he is the only able man there who could wield a sword.”The ministers, especially those that were on Waharis’ side, were keeping up with their gasps and murmurings like women in heat. Dasran didn’t believe that they were feeling genuinely shocked. They were just putting on a show to pressure the king. “Chancellor Dasran, you seem to be relaxed despite hearing such news. Do you not care for the noble women who have come to Apharothia? Do you not fear for our city to be tarnished with questionable security?” Waharis was at it again but Dasran dared not to bite.Dasran was not shaken ove
By the time that Carysse had successfully broken the rope tying her hands, it was already dark. Good thing that she always kept her weapon ready at the secret pocket of her sleeves.The invaders had locked them all up in one of the upper rooms where it had a wide window. They said the room would perfectly serve as a display room, open for the people gathered outside to see what was happening. Some guards could be seen from a distance and the people had their torchlights, guarding them to make sure that the invaders won’t touch the hostages until the gold comes but no one was brave enough to come to their rescue at that moment.Although of course, that would be wise thinking. Why would they charge straightly into the hands of magic users? The enemy had declared their demands and Carysse wasn’t already surprised when they introduced themselves as the Mahan people that were going around. In her fear by just hearing of the name Mahan, one lady peed her dress, but no one among them was i
They trudged the dark empty hallway like the spiders and ants that kept on passing through them. They only had one torch which Qlisaira held. Carysse lost track of the time but she figured they had been cramping in the passageway for more than an hour.“Are you sure it's safe to use the torch? The enemy might see us from the outside,” Liblei whispered. Even if they were in front and Carysse was at the back to make sure no one was being left behind, she could hear their conversation because the others were awfully silent.“No, it’s fine. This hallway has no windows. We are walking through an abandoned section of the castle which only the Adreic family knows. Now I realize that father was right when he said that there will and always will be emergencies like now.” Qlisaira was calm-headed. “Is this your first time to experience such an emergency, then?” Liblei asked.“Yes, it is.”“You’re quite calm. Your father seems to have taught you.”They turned a corner and the passage was gettin
Chaos was bandaging and applying oil to Carysse’s bruises on her feet.The sun had fully risen and they were at a house of one of the civilians who was kind enough to lend his home to treat the wounded, especially Lord Adreic. He was in a critical state and they were preparing to transfer him to be brought to the royal doctors.The ointment stung and Carysse was doing her best to not groan in pain because she didn’t want Chaos to laugh at her. None of them spoke for a few minutes. Chaos stood and cleared all the blood-stained cloths that he used. Carysse saw the fresh stack of blue clothes at the table. Chaos saw her eyeing it and he said,”That’s yours. I will go outside while you change.”He was about to stand up when Carysse spoke. “Can you do me a favor while you're outside, then? I just want to speak with one of the noble ladies one more time.”“And who may that be?” It was rare for him to be curious. Or was that the Chaos she knew two years ago?“Liblei. Libeli Okkoa, a particip
“What is this madness?” Waharis was fuming mad for the first time in the history that he had been at the court.“Whatever do you mean by that, Chancellor?” Dasran asked innocently, like he didn’t know the reason why the supposed-to-be pristine and saintly man was not in the mood to be angelic today. “I believe we all heard the king say that we will resolve the hostage problem by paying ransom and not engaging the Mahan people in a fight. Everyone in the country knows that the Mahan people are magicians and we wouldn’t stand against them if they are triggered and declare war on us!” One of his close aides who was squatting at the floor along with the other lower ministers tugged at the hem of his ministerial robes, as if to remind him that he wasn’t supposed to raise his voice but Waharis didn’t care already. “Chancellor Dasran, you were the one in-charge of arranging the gold. Why did you make decisions on your own by answering violence with violence? What if we were found out and t
Carysse lied when she said that she already ate her midday meal.Truth was, her stomach was feeling queasy and she didn’t want to enter the tournament with an upset stomach so she opted not to eat.She was met by Master Saber at the gate.“Do not doubt yourself, Carysse. You are strong. Have faith in your own strength,” her master emphasized.“Of course,” Carysse affirmed. “But I will be lying if I said that I am not nervous right now.”Carysse was confident in her fighting skills. Other than that, she was useless. Yet in Zeikontour, those ‘other things’ were the core.“Tell me, master, will I do all right?”“It does not matter, young one. We are humans who are naturally flawed. We are strong in one area and lacking in another. But it is in those weaknesses that miracles happen only when we conquer them. So go, be overwhelmed, feel inferior, and be worried. Whether you will do well or not, it all boils down to the meaning of why you’re doing it.”‘So I should put my life on the line i
When Carysse received the letter from the council that was in-charge with Zeikontour, she had a flashback when Chaos also sent a letter to announce his comeback to the village.That was more than two weeks ago. So little time has passed yet much has happened. Never did Carysse imagine that two weeks was enough to change the direction of her life. But looking back, she was somehow glad of this turn of events. She was just a mere guard, fighting everyday for the survival of the village but thanks to Chaos’ chaotic appearance, they finally got a chance to end their misery.“What does it say?” Chaos asked as he appeared from the doorway to the battlements. Recently, it was where they always found each other deep in the night. It was not surprising though. Even when they were children, they shared favorite spots.Carysse carefully folded the letter in its original form.“It will be tomorrow after the midday meal. Miss Veina Sahazii even sent her greetings saying that she is looking forward
Carysse pulled Chaos inside the carriage. “You’re awfully burning,” she said as she quickly brought out the herbs and oil that she brought earlier. She stooped and grabbed hold of something below the cushions. It was a good thing she had a thoughtful master. “The one you’re guarding is not any noble. He is the royal and only prince of Apharoth. It’s expected that some might attempt to endanger his life. You have to be always prepared,” Master Saber advised her once. Carysse brought out the box that her master had gathered himself. Inside were rare medicinal herbs for different kinds of poison, bandages, blades, some silver and gold coins, a wooden pounder, spoons, and small bowls for mixing. In this case, it was nature that was attempting to weaken him. She grabbed the leather skin that was hanging and poured water on one of the bowls. She took three leaves of the different herbs. She didn’t know their names but she was familiar with what would work for fever. Even Master Saber wa
Chaos and Carysse were watching the last match of the morning. This time, it was between two young knights. No wonder why the arena was so crowded when it was such a spacious building.“The brown-haired one is from Rayrra, the Lone Island of Apharoth,” Chaos said.The man was a deadly tornado with the twin swords twirling in his hands. He kept on missing the vital parts but his opponent was already bleeding in many parts of his body. Despite being clothed in armor, the hook of his sword was able to squeeze some cuts in the place where the armor can’t cover. Even his fighting style was not that of a knight. It was more like a barbarian whose strikes had no sense of direction. He was just attacking to wound or kill.Although it would be expected since Rayrra was a remote island who has had few exposure to how the knights outside Rayrra behaved and fought. Rayrra wasn’t originally a part of Apharothia but because of the success of the First King of Apharoth, the island voluntarily associ
Because of Tersherri’s presence, Carysse had her senses up throughout the ride. But when they reached Saphiruss and saw the wooden coffin of Liblei inside, Carysse switched over to her vulnerable side. She immediately broke down at the hall, holding back her mouth as she sobbed and sat beside Azelle and the other servants. “Change into your mourning clothes later. We will be having a special ceremony in an hour. I am sorry. Although I said that we will mourn together, I cannot hold you long in this castle for your own safety. I’m sure her home awaits for her as well.” Carysse knew Chaos was tired. But for him to go such lengths for her sake, he was also showing his soft spot. Azelle and the other servants wouldn’t stop thanking him. It was just too good to be true for a royal prince to show them this much kindness. An hour after, they were instructed to form a circle in the castle garden. They placed Liblei in the center and formed a ring around her coffin. During the ceremony, e
The whole point of being excited for the Gairoshi was ruined.Carysse was just supposed to be by Chaos’ side watching his back. Already, she was relishing the fact that she would be called as the royal prince’s escort. She thought this might be her opportunity to build some connections, especially that she was in contact with the royal family. She thought that this was the day that she would start her dreams of being a diplomat one day, a desire of hers that was put in the dark because of the two years that they had been living in fear. Now that she was in a steady pace, slowly reconciling with Chaos bit by bit, living in a castle life, experiencing new training under a second master, and even meeting a friend that was old and affectionate enough to be her mother, she thought she was getting back the life that was stolen from her because of the Thalisse attack that shook her peaceful world.But yet again, the death of Liblei shattered her heart. If destiny was a person, he must be a
Carysse froze. “What..” “The name of the woman was Liblei, I think,” the lady turned to the other at her back. “Right, sis?” “Yeah. Poor lady. She must have been stressed with what Mahan did to the noble ladies last time and the Zeikontour itself. But the organizers have no choice. They have to continue with the tournament as stated in the rules. May her soul rest. I heard the woman has been through a lot in her past life–” Chaos pulled Carysse away. The conversation was getting out of hand. He had to calm her down. She could feel her trembling hands. “She just met with me earlier. That doesn’t make sense,” she stammered. Chaos, too, didn’t feel like someone like that would suddenly take her life. She was pretty cheerful for the Zeikontour. Chaos could smell it. There was something more to this. “I have to go,” Carysse said and was about to walk but Chaos pulled her back. “What?” Chaos could see that she was about to cry. It was refreshing to see that Carysse was concerned with
Because of her insolence to not sleep earlier, Carysse had barely three hours of rest when she heard the sound of Master Saber’s bell outside her room. She was high up but with her keen hearing, it was enough to wake her up.She threw her blankets to the floor and opened the window in a grogged state.“Have you already forgotten, young lady?” Master Saber shouted from below. “Today is the day that you have been waiting for–your first ever formal training.”“Can’t you give me a break? I have my duties today as Chaos’ escort to the Gairoshi as well,” she bargained.“Only the dead deserve rest,” the master said with a firm voice. With no other choice, Carysse put on the first tunic that her hand found at the chair. She grabbed her dagger and jumped out of the window. Her body was jolted awake when her feet made contact with the ground. She just hoped that she would not pass out later because of lack of sleep.“So, what will you teach me today, master?” Carysse asked.“Something interesti
Just as Chaos thought, Carysse was at the rooftop again.Her room was just beside him so when he didn't hear any sound of her door opening or closing when he already passed by Master Saber entering into his own room earlier, he assumed that she was still outside.''It's already past midnight,'' he said. Carysse was staring at the stars with her arms resting on the spikes of the battlement like she was taking a nap while standing.''I know,'' she answered.''Tomorrow is already the start of the Gairoshi. It will do you good if you can get enough sleep. We don't know what the enemy has in store for us. We can't show any sign of weakness, especially that the people already know that you are my escort.''Chaos expected her to retaliate at his words. Surprisingly, she was in a good mood. Chaos went near her. Could it be that she had already fulfilled her first task to Master Saber?''You're awfully calm,'' he said. Carysse chuckled.''Relax, I'm still irritated by the fact that you are he