Semblance
↣↣↠◇↞↢↢
The sunlight pierced through the velvet curtains of Avalon's lavish room at the crack of dawn. Her piercing golden eyes fluttered open just as she heard a series of urgent, rapid knocks on her door. She hastily stood up from her bed and closed the distance between herself and the grand, wooden door. Avalon swung the door open to find Lani, her human caretaker, waiting impatiently. "Good morning, Your Highness," she greeted respectfully. "King Eros and Queen Venus request your presence in their chambers immediately," she told her.
Avalon nodded, wondering what was so urgent the day before their departure for the National Summit. "Thank you, Lani. I'll be there soon," she replied, turning back into her room and closing the door behind her. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and ran a brush through her light red-brown hair several times until it flowed elegantly down her back. Lining her lips with dark red lipstick, she exited her bedroom and made her way down the corridor towards her parents' chambers.
She knocked on the extravagant, golden doors and the door swung open almost immediately. Prince Atticus smiled when he saw her and motioned for her to come in. Avalon saw her father and mother sitting on the maroon, velvet couches in their room with parchments spread out all over the ebony table. "What's going on?" she asked, taking a seat next to her brother on the couch across from their parents. Her piercing gaze skimmed over the papers spread out on the table before them, as well as the worried looks on her parents' faces.
King Eros leaned back against the couch and looked into his children's eyes. "I received news from the Scouts this morning," he began. "There have been reports of a band of Incubi mercenaries wrecking havoc amongst the weaker villages in the outer regions of Western Aizen. The death count is increasing by the day," he explained, the crease in his eyebrows growing more distinct.
"What is the reason for this?" her brother immediately asked, his similar golden eyes wide with dread.
"A concrete explanation has yet to be formed," Queen Venus answered, concern in her voice. "I have decided to personally make the trip to the outer regions to investigate this matter myself," she continued. "Your father offered to go himself, but with the National Summit coming up, we cannot appear weak. The King of Aizen must be present," she said, turning to look at her husband.
"Mother..." Avalon spoke up. "Are you sure you want to go yourself? Why can't you send another patrol to take care of it?" she asked. Although she knew that her mother was one of the best Succubi warriors in the land, Avalon was still worried for her safety.
"You will understand one day when you become a Ruler yourself--" she started to say, only to be cut off by Avalon.
"I don't want to become Queen, Mother," she interrupted for the hundredth time.
"If you become a Ruler yourself," the Queen corrected herself with a sigh. "A good Queen needs to have a presence in her Kingdom. And she can't do that without personally carrying out important tasks once in a while, especially ones that involve meeting with the masses. Just like how a brave commander does not hide behind his soldiers on the battlefield, but rather he is in the frontline, leading the charge himself. Likewise, a fit Queen should not hide in her castle whenever a problem arises and resort to her soldiers to handle any issues. You will gain the respect of your people much more productively if you have the decency to be where they are," she concluded her speech.
"That was quite insightful," Atticus replied politely.
Avalon had zoned out halfway through another one of her mother's lectures but snapped back to reality when her brother spoke up. "Going back to the task at hand, who's going with you? Surely you're not going alone," she asked, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.
"Of course not. Our most formidable warriors in the Aizen Army will be accompanying me," her mother immediately replied. Queen Venus redirected her attention on the Prince and smiled at her son. "Your father and I ask that you accompany me on this mission. We feel that this will be great exposure for you to the less known parts of this Kingdom and the perfect way for you to finally apply your battle training," she requested.
"Yes, I would be honored to accompany you, Mother," Prince Atticus responded, excitement in his voice at the prospect of a possible battle. "What about the National Conference?" he asked.
"Avalon and I will attend," King Eros spoke up, looking at his daughter. "Because your mother will not be present, this means that you will replace her and accompany me in the meeting with the other leaders. It is a great honor to be able to sit at the table with the Rulers of the other Kingdoms. You should feel lucky to have this opportunity at such a young age. It is of the utmost importance that we present ourselves with grace and strength," he told the Princess, a warning look in his eyes that told her not to stir up any trouble.
A wide smile immediately appeared on Avalon's face. Although she had never had any interest in politics or diplomacy, the prospect of finally being able to experience the species and cultures of the other races intrigued her. And to be able to interact with the leaders of these very Kingdoms was even more exciting. "Don't worry, Father. You won't regret this," she promised him, energy filling her eyes.
"We will present to Queen Kaenirin the mystical golden amulet as a gift. And hopefully, the beginnings of strong relations with our Elven neighbors," the King said. "The golden amulet gives the wearer the power to seduce and mentally control any being for a brief amount of time. Of course, it doesn't work on Incubi or Succubi, since our similar abilities will nullify its power," he explained.
Avalon nodded, listening to her father intently. "What a valuable treasure," she muttered softly to her brother with disdain in her voice. Why they were giving away such a precious artifact to another race was beyond her comprehension, but she kept her mouth shut.
"We will all depart tomorrow at sunrise," King Eros concluded. "The journey to Sanctum City will take three to four days, so pack accordingly," he told Avalon.
Time: Three Sunsets Later
Location: Southwestern Aizen, Along the Border of Sinifact
The silver moonlight washed the forest path a luminous white as a wolf howled in the distance and an owl hooted in the darkness. Avalon's piercing golden eyes gazed out of the carriage window into the ominous trees. Her demonic, sharp night vision allowed her to at least make out the distinct shapes of the trees and the various small animals that inhabited the woods. She could hear the constant, incessant footsteps of the horses that were pulling their carriage. Behind the royal carriage followed three more mundane carriages, each filled with five royal advisors that were accompanying the King and the Princess to the National Conference.
Suddenly, she felt the carriage jolt to an abrupt stop, almost flinging Avalon off of her seat. She looked over at her father who was sitting next to her, but he had a similar confused look on his face. King Eros immediately opened the carriage door and stepped out, followed by a curious Avalon. "Why are we stopping?" he demanded, glaring at the coachman. "We're on a tight time schedule."
"Yes, Your Highness," the coachman replied, his hands practically shaking in nervousness. "But Sir... Look," he said, a shaking finger pointing along the path they were following. Not too far up the path was a small cluster of traveling... humans? King Eros narrowed his piercing golden eyes, his night vision naturally activating. Avalon turned her head in the direction of the coachman's finger and saw a young woman with fiery red hair, accompanied by five other men.
"That's Lady Hollidae," her father immediately recognized the woman, and Avalon recognized her name as the Ruler of the High Court.
"She must be traveling to Sanctum City for the National Conference as well," Avalon stated, not taking her piercing gaze off the small group.
"I don't recall giving her permission to cross through our lands," King Eros said with annoyance. "And now she is blocking our path." With one careful hand placed on his sheathed sword, which he wore on his hip, the Aizen King walked swiftly towards the small group of humans.
"Lady Hollidae! What a pleasant surprise," he called out merrily, feigning friendliness. "What brings you to our land? I suppose you're on your way to the National Summit as well," he asked, only to answer his own question in order to bring himself to his main point. "I don't remember granting you permission to travel through our Kingdom," he said accusingly, his sharp golden eyes piercing hers. Avalon followed closely behind with narrowed eyes, ready to use the hidden knives in her boots or her abilities if needed. Although her power for manipulating desire and emotion rarely caused any physical injuries, it certainly would be useful for encounters such as this one.
@DraeDC
Last edited by a moderator:
