Some legends are told. Some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me, remember me for centuries, and just one mistake is all it will take. We'll go down in history. Remember me for centuries!
Prologue: Next to Your Heartbeat Where I Should Be
Maharajan was upon them, as was the night, and the festival was in full swing. Sinbad and his generals were on the roof of the palace, and soon enough Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana joined them.
There were serving girls and dancers, good food and better wine, and the best of company. Sinbad was smiling as he spoke with his generals, before his three guests appeared. Though it was easy to see that there was perhaps something weighing on the King.
“Hello there, you three,” Ja’far greeted them “are you enjoying yourselves?”
“We are!” Alibaba replied, grinning “but…. what’s up with King Sinbad?”
“Yeah, he seems sad.” Aladdin agreed.
“Oh, he’s just wondering when someone will show up, don’t worry,” the silver haired vizier reassured them “it’s nothing too serious.”
“Who is he waiting for?” Morgiana asked.
“Only the most important woman in Sindria!” Sharrkan declared. Before he was able to elaborate, he was pulled away to talk to one of the dancers.
The most important woman……neither Alibaba nor his friends knew what Sharrkan was talking about.
The night was young, though, and after everyone was well into the festivities, there was a song being played that was familiar to all the generals.
“Their song, and she’s not even here yet,” Aladdin heard Hinahoho tell Ja’far “do you think something happened?”
“No,” Ja’far shook his head “everything’s okay, I’m sure.”
Aladdin, thoroughly confused and a little bit worried, turned to look to Sinbad, and found the strangest of sights greeting him. A silver-haired woman, finely dressed, was floating on a staff behind Sinbad, and it seemed the King hadn’t noticed.
That is, until he turned around, and the sheer joy on the man and woman’s faces was evident to all around.
“There you are!” Sinbad cried, taking the woman into his arms, pulling her to the ground as he hugged her tight, and she hugged him in return.
“My apologies for my late arrival,” she laughed, looking up at him “I was held up upon my arrival at the docks~”
“Well, at least you’re back.” he declared, taking her left hand in his and kissing it. That’s when Aladdin and Alibaba noticed the simple yet lovely ring on her ring finger.
“The Queen of Sindria has returned!” Hinahoho called out, and all the Generals turned to the couple and raised a toast, greeting the couple.
“As much as I love what I do, it’s good to be back,” she declared, smiling as she took her staff in her free hand, holding Sinbad’s in the other, before looking to the children still watching her “ah, though it seems we have guests. You three must be Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana, yes?”
“Y-yeah,” Alibaba replied, stuttering in shock “sorry, but…. who are you? No one told us about you.”
“It’s quite alright,” she replied, walking over to sit with them, though Sinbad remained standing and put a hand on her shoulder “it’s a matter of security, you see. For protection. It’s a well-known tactic to hurt a king by going after his Queen.
“To answer your question, though,” she continued “my name is Samarah, and as you’ve heard, Sinbad is my husband.”
“Are you a magician?” Aladdin asked, seeing her staff and seeing the rukh around her. Samarah turned to the boy and smiled comfortingly.
“Yes, I am,” she nodded “though where Yamuraiha is a water magician, I’m a life magician. I’m a healer, though I’m also quite good with lightning magic.”
“You should see her and Sinbad fight together!” Sharrkan, already buzzed, interrupted, grinning “or her and Ja’far, her and Masrur. It’s awesome!”
“I do believe you’ve had enough to drink, Sharrkan,” Samarah sighed, shaking her head “go eat something before you regret it in the morning, okay?”
“Wait, how long have you and Sinbad been married?” Alibaba asked, curious “I mean, from what I know, no one outside of Sindria knows about this.”
“That would be because it happened a long time ago,” she answered, smiling up at Sinbad “we had just celebrated ten years before you went to Balbadd, right?”
“Ten years, indeed,” Sinbad nodded, smiling down at her “hard to believe it’s been so long, and I’m glad for every moment.”
“As am I,” Samarah declared, leaning back against him before turning to Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana “so there you have it.”
“How did you meet?” Aladdin asked, smiling at the sight of the pink rukh all around the couple in front of them. He didn’t quite know what they meant, but seeing the love between Sinbad and Samarah, he had an idea.
That question, though, gained sudden quiet from everyone around them. At that point, it was just the royal couple, the generals, and the three young ones on the roof.
“It’s a long story,” Samarah told the boy “though, given this night is for staying up and enjoying ourselves, I think a good story is as good a way to pass the time as any. That is, if everyone else is okay with it?”
The Generals were fine with it, many of them having heard the story before, though Spartos and Pisti didn’t know it to the same extent as Hinahoho and Ja’far did.
“Sinbad?” she turned to her husband, who had joined her in sitting down “shall we tell them?”
“I’m fine with it,” he replied “besides, it helps to explain more about Sindria, and you know I’m okay with talking about our country’s history.”
“Fair enough,” she nodded “let’s call for some drink, good food, and let everyone get settled, then we’ll tell the tale.”
Once all were settled, Samarah took a drink before giving a warning to the children.
“Though I know you three have gone through a great deal of hardship yourselves,” she told them “I should tell you now that, while this story has happy moments and a happy ending, it is not a completely happy tale. You will hear things you wouldn’t expect, things that are upsetting. Do you still want to hear it?”
Morgiana, Alibaba, and Aladdin all looked to each other, before looking back and nodding their consent.
“Very well,” Samarah nodded “so, it begins eleven years ago, far from here…”
Holy wow, I just....I never thought I’d see the day! Not only have I finished another fic, but I’ve finished an entire series! I feel so proud of myself!
I wanted to thank you guys, those who’ve stuck around as I worked on all of these, and those who have recently come to read all my works. I did all this for you guys, as well as myself, and I really hope you guys all liked them!
Now, to let you in on a little secret: I may or may not have a small sequel in the works, detailing Othila’s pregnancy, and all the ensuing shenanigans, including delivery of the twins and what their names will be!
I hope you guys stick around for it, and anything else that may come in the future!
“You can stop laughing now,” Muu muttered, watching as Loloh and Myron tried to contain their laughter “honestly, what’s so funny about what I asked?”
“Sorry, brother,” Myron replied, grinning “just thinking about how Razol and Yaqut owe us money, now. We knew this would happen.”
“You took bets,” Muu sighed “on when I would make it known that I wanted to ask Kira to marry me?”
“Not as though we couldn’t see it coming a mile away,” Loloh declared “did you send a letter to her family yet?”
“Yes,” Muu replied “but I’m also going to talk to her sister, when we get to Sindria. As wife of Heliohapt’s Ambassador, she’s definitely going to be there.”
“Do you have a ring?” Myron asked “that’s one of the most important parts of the actual proposal. Well, every part is, but the ring does matter.”
“I have one,” Muu nodded, before procuring the ring to show his sister and his friend “it’s rather simple, but…”
The ring was gold, with a small ruby at the center. The band was thin, and instead of meeting in the middle, the two points parted ways to start going up and down, not meeting, with the ruby in the center of the two parts.
“She’ll love it,” Myron assured her brother, smiling “it’s perfect for her.”
~
The trip to Sindria had the ship stopping in port halfway through, to drop off passengers and re-supply. Kira and Muu had disembarked, to look around, when they spotted familiar faces.
“Aladdin, Alibaba!” Kira called out, smiling “hello!”
“Miss Kira!” Alibaba called back, smiling “Muu!”
The two boys came over, and Kira recognized the young woman with them, the young Fanalis woman Morgiana.
“What are you three doing here?” Kira asked “are you on your way to Sindria, too?”
“We are!” Aladdin replied, smiling bright “wouldn’t miss the wedding!”
“Morgiana was asked to be part of it,” Alibaba added, putting a hand on the girls shoulder “she and Masrur are practically siblings, so he asked her to stand with him.”
“Seems we’re both in the wedding party, then,” Kira declared, smiling at the young woman “Othila asked me to stand with her.”
“Have you found a ship for your passage to Sindria?” Muu asked “if you haven’t, then you’re welcome to join us.”
“That would be super-helpful,” Alibaba declared, Aladdin nodding along as Morgiana gave a small bow “thanks so much.”
“The more the merrier,” Kira replied, grinning “come on, let’s get your things on board.”
~
The voyage was rather uneventful, though Kira found herself the center of attention from Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana more often than not. Alibaba would ask her about her fighting style, and Aladdin would talk to her about what it was like to be from Heliohapt.
Morgiana would silently sit in on the conversations, and the two of them didn’t talk too much, until the young fanalis asked Kira about her spear.
“There’s something about it,” Morgiana had said, quiet “it reminds me of my ankle bracelets.”
“Your household vessel?” Kira replied, smiling as Morgiana nodded “well, that’s because this beauty here is my own household vessel, part of Muu’s household.”
The declaration had earned a smile from the fanalis girl, and the two had a sort of sisterhood at the realization, talking together plenty as the voyage continued.
Soon enough, Sindria was in sight.
“Is that a Kou vessel?” Kira heard Muu wonder.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it is,” she replied, walking over to stand next to him “Mali and Kouen were invited as well.”
The two ships made port around the same time, and Kira saw that Othila was waiting at the docks for them, joined by Gabriel and a Heliohapti swordsman that could only be General Sharrkan. She watched as Kouen and Muu met them first, before she disembarked with Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana.
“Thank you all for coming,” Othila declared, smiling at all that were gathered “Please, allow me to introduce my companions.
“General Sharrkan, of Heliohapt,” she gestured to the familiar swordsman, who smirked and gave a small bow out of respect “and Gabriel, a magician, my advisor and one of my dearest friends.”
“Welcome to Sindria, Prince Kouen, Captain Muu, Princess Kougyoku.” Gabriel greeted them, giving a lower bow than his companion.
“I’m glad to see you here, Morgiana,” Othila told the young woman “Masrur was elated to get your reply, about being in the wedding.
“Now, if you all would please come with me?” she requested, smiling at them all “we can take you to the palace, where you can rest from your journey. There’s a special dinner planned for tonight, to celebrate your arrival.”
With a bright smile, Othila led the new arrivals through the streets of Sindria, engaging Kougyoku in conversation as they went. Kira looked around, just as Muu did, taking in the scenery.
“Truly a beautiful country,” she told her lover “I can see why people are so happy here.”
“You seem to have become quite popular with the people.” Kira heard Aladdin say. She saw that he was talking to Othila, and the young magician was smiling down at the Magi.
“I’ve made it an effort to make sure they know they’re important to me,” Othila replied, quickly looking up to wave at a passing group of children “this country and its people gave me a second chance, a new life. I intend to repay them every day for that kindness.”
“A second chance?” Aladdin repeated, curious. Othila nodded at that.
“Explaining that also tells the story of how I met Sinbad and Masrur, if you’re curious.” She told him, smile growing at his excited and curious expression. She launched into the story, earning an attentive audience from everyone else who didn’t know the tale, including Kira and Muu. Telling it took up the rest of the walk to the palace.
“They truly are admirable men,” Muu declared, once the story was through “you’re quite lucky to have them.”
“Actually,” came a new voice “I’d say we’re lucky to have her.”
Looking around to see where the voice came from, Kira spotted Sinbad and Masrur waiting.
“Still not sure what we did to deserve her,” Sinbad teased, smiling as he and Masrur walked over to Othila’s side “but I’m glad we did it, in any case. Welcome to Sindria, everyone.”
“It was certainly a warm welcome,” Muu replied, smiling as he nodded to Masrur “thank you, for the invitation.”
“Kira and Mali were invited to be part of the wedding party,” Sinbad told him, chuckling “seemed only fitting that you and Kouen also come, as both their companions and representatives of your respective countries.”
“We’re glad to have you,” Othila added, smiling “now if you’ll please excuse me? I’m afraid there’s much work to be done, with the ceremony less than a week away. Gabriel can show you all to your rooms, where you can rest and wash up, if you need to.”
“If you would please follow me?” Gabriel spoke up, once Othila and her fiancés were gone “I can lead you to the Sagittarius tower.”
The young magician bid farewell to Sharrkan, before leading the group of visitors away.
“Aladdin, Alibaba, Morgiana,” Gabriel started, turning his head to look at the three younger ones “I’ve been told to tell you that you can have the same rooms as last time, if you remember where they are?”
“It’d be helpful if you could remind us, Mister Gabriel.” Aladdin replied, smiling.
“Of course,” Gabriel nodded, smiling in return “you’re just as polite as Sharrkan said, aren’t you? Good to see my doof of a partner didn’t exaggerate that.”
“Partner?” Muu questioned “do you two work together? Magician and Swordsman is a rather unusual combination.”
“Not that unusual,” Mali spoke up “though not common, to be sure.”
“We do work together, yes,” Gabriel answered “but that’s not the only definition of the word, Captain.”
“You mean,” Alibaba paused, mind catching up “you and Sharrkan are lovers?”
“Is that so odd?” Gabriel asked, and Kira could easily tell the young magician was tense.
“It’s not uncommon,” Mali declared “but it’s not exactly commonplace. Though I’m sure everyone here doesn’t have a problem with it. I know that my companions and I don’t.”
“Why would we have a problem with it?” Aladdin asked, curious “if they’re in love, then what’s the issue?”
“Some people don’t think it’s…natural,” Mali explained “they think that the only type of relationship that’s proper is one between a man and a woman.”
“Which I’ve honestly never wholly understood,” Kougyoku declared “I understand the insistence on such a thing for those of our status, with the need to carry on a family line and dynasty, but there’s nothing unnatural about any sort of relationship.”
Kira smiled when she saw Gabriel relax, and the rest of the way was peaceful.
~
That night, dinner was an exciting occasion, with all eleven of them sitting at the table. Invited to join Sinbad, Masrur, and Othila at the table were Kouen, Mali, Kougyoku, Muu, Kira, Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana.
Muu was regaling Morgiana with stories of the Fanalis corps, Kira gladly keeping the young and enthusiastic Captain from embellishing too much. Kouen and Mali engaged in quiet conversation most of the evening, as Kougyoku talked to Alibaba and Aladdin. Othila went between all conversations, even doing her best to engage Kouen in conversation as well.
It went peacefully, for most of the night, until a certain conversation came up with Alibaba, Aladdin, and Kougyoku.
“That reminds me,” Kougyoku said “on the voyage here, we passed a rather strange island. It had a rock wall surrounding it much like the cliffs that protect Sindria.”
That earned Kira’s attention. Something about the mention of it shifted the energy in the whole room, and she was nervous as to what it meant.
“I remember that island,” Alibaba replied “it was where Hakuryuu, Morgiana and I went to rescue Aladdin from those pirates and their leader….though I can’t remember the woman’s name.”
“The one who was brainwashing children?” Morgiana offered, having heard their conversation, earning a nod from Alibaba.
“It was Umm Madaura.” Aladdin declared, remembering the situation quite well.
Kira could sense right away that the name was one Sinbad and Masrur were familiar with, watching as they tensed visibly at the sound of it.
“Is that so?” Sinbad asked Aladdin, and Kira could tell he was doing his best to keep calm for the boy’s sake “was she tall, long dark hair, with eyes that were black where another’s would be white?”
“Yeah, that was her,” Alibaba told the king “did you know her?”
“Haven’t seen her or heard her name in fourteen years,” Sinbad replied “but yes, I knew her. As did Masrur.”
“Madaura,” Muu hummed “that name sounds familiar. Head of the Mariadal Company, if I remember correctly, before it went bankrupt. Their business was in….” he trailed off, shocked once he remembered, and everything clicked in his mind.
“Slaves,” Sinbad finished, lifting a hand up to his neck, and a long red scar ringing his neck was revealed “child slaves. Two of whom were…Masrur and I, for a time.”
There was stunned silence at the revelation, Othila taking Sinbad’s hand as she watched him, concerned.
“It was always something people wondered,” Kouen declared, breaking the silence “just why slavery was illegal in Sindria.”
“It is a practice that most at this table personally find morally reprehensible,” Othila spoke up, venom in her voice surprising everyone “of the eleven at this table, Prince Kouen, you’ll find that six of us have suffered because of it. King Sinbad, Masrur, Morgiana, Mali, Kira, and myself. Though Mali, Kira, and I were the lucky ones, having narrowly escaped such a fate.”
“No person should be treated like they’re property.” Alibaba agreed, resolute.
“Even in Kou, where we do practice it,” Kougyoku declared “it’s required by law to treat slaves humanely, and they can earn their freedom after five years of service.”
Othila gave the princess a smile at that, and Kira was also glad to hear such a thing.
“The woman,” Masrur spoke up, looking to Alibaba and Aladdin “what happened to her? She was captured?”
“She was,” Alibaba replied “but she’s…dead.”
“You’re certain?” Masrur asked.
“Saw it happen,” Alibaba answered “I can’t imagine someone could live through getting their head cut off.”
Kira could sense Sinbad and Masrur relax at that, and she felt her heart go out to them. To be a freed slave, and to not know if the person you escaped from had lived or died, she knew how much it must have weighed on their hearts.
~
A few days later, in an effort to take a break from preparations for the wedding, Kira decided she wanted to take a look around, and Muu joined her.
“It’s our first time to Sindria,” he explained, grinning at the amused look on Kira’s face “I’m curious!”
“Come on, let’s go.” She laughed, taking his hand, and they started to walk around the palace. It was busy, absolutely buzzing, with the preparations for the wedding almost finished.
When they reached the front gates, where many people where, Kira was shocked to see a familiar face.
Tan skin, black hair, and the graceful stance of a swordswoman.
“Bara?” Kira wondered, eyes widening when the other fully turned to show her face.
It was her sister!
“Bara!” Kira called out, earning the others attention.
“Kira!” her sister cried out, and both Yael women immediately ran to hug one another.
“I haven’t seen you in years!” Kira declared, grinning as they pulled apart “by the Rukh, look at you!”
“I could say the same!” Bara replied “you look amazing! I see life in Reim agrees with you.”
“It does indeed,” the younger agreed “and I see married life suits you just as well.”
“It does,” Bara nodded, before looking to Muu, who had joined the women while they were talking “And this must be the Captain Muu Alexius I’ve read so much about in your letters.”
“Lady Bara,” Muu greeted, saluting and bowing his head in respect “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard much about you from Kira.”
“And I you, Captain,” Bara replied, smiling “as well as in letters from our mother. She even wrote to me about a certain something.”
At her tone, Muu knew that she was referring to the letter he’d sent, about seeking permission to marry Kira.
“As mother knew I would see you before she could,” Bara continued “she wanted me to pass on her answer: She couldn’t imagine anyone more worthy, and she wholeheartedly gives what you asked for.”
Kira looked between her sister and her lover during the exchange, confused.
Muu couldn’t have been happier at the news, and thanked Bara profusely for it, before the three parted ways.
“What was that about?” she asked her lover.
“You’ll find out,” Muu replied, smiling wide “later.”
~
To know that Kira’s mother had given her consent to marry her youngest, Muu knew it was time to finally ask. It seemed almost perfect, given where they were and the reason for them being there.
That didn’t mean that the captain wasn’t nervous, though. He’d asked Masrur for advice on the matter, having caught the other Fanalis in a rare moment of inactivity.
“Just tell her what’s in your heart,” Masrur had told Muu “that’s the easiest way to put it.”
So Muu planned the whole thing, and decided to just say what came to mind when the time came.
That night, he and Kira took a walk through the city, enjoying the atmosphere of the island. Soon enough, they found their way back to the docks, where it was decidedly much quieter.
“This place is beautiful,” Kira declared, turning to smile up at Muu “not as much as home is, but…can’t deny the allure of this country.”
“Definitely can’t,” he agreed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer “you must be happy for your friend.”
“I am,” she nodded, resting her head against his shoulder “she’s marrying the men she loves. After all she’d been through, she deserves that sort of happiness.”
Muu had heard the story, of how Othila had lost her memories, and was chased for months by slavers.
“As do you.” he declared, figuring it was now or never.
Kira turned to look up at him, confused, and Muu turned her so they were facing each other.
“Do you remember our first meeting?” he asked, earning a confused nod from her “I remember, even then, that I felt drawn to you. I wanted to help you, though I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know you.
“But as we got to know each other, I knew, whatever the reason that I was drawn to you was, it was for good,” he continued “and when I knew that I loved you, that’s when I knew that I truly couldn’t live without you. Seeing you with Marga essentially sealed the deal, as it were, and being here has given me the courage I needed.”
Taking her hand in both of his, Muu knelt down onto both knees, looking up at Kira.
“You’ve seen me at my darkest, yet you love me still,” he declared “you’ve given me the world, in being yourself, and I want to be able to spend the rest of my life making you just as happy as you’ve made me. Kira, will you honor me, and be my wife?”
Muu barely had time to process the fact he’d finished his proposal, when Kira nearly tackled him to the ground in a hug. From the frantic nods against his shoulder and neck, he had his answer.
~
The day of the wedding, Kira happily gathered all she needed and made her way to meet with Othila and Mali.
“Can’t wait to see how you look when everything’s all set,” Kira declared, smiling as she and Mali helped Othila into her dress “you’re going to look every inch a queen.”
“Let’s get me dressed and my hair done first, huh?” Othila laughed “before we start lauding compliments?”
“You’re sure you’re okay with going out there without your staff?” Mali asked, curious “it might not be the best idea.”
“With delegates from so many countries here, along with those people being so powerful,” Othila replied “if anyone tried anything, they’d honestly be the most stupid people in this world.
“Besides, I’m not going to be totally defenseless out there, remember?” she held up her wrists, where the rune cuff bracelets were.
“I keep forgetting those.” Mali muttered, causing the three women to giggle.
“Of course, if anyone did try something,” Gabriel spoke up from his spot near the door “I’d like to see them try to get through Masrur and King Sinbad, first. They’d get fried before they even knew what happened.”
“Fried?” Kira repeated, confused. What were the two magicians talking about?
“Ba’al, the military hero djinn, who uses lightning magic,” Othila explained “the djinn who gives power to Masrur’s household vessel, Bararaq kauza. And, as you know, my natural magical proficiency is for lightning magic.”
“So that explains why you’re being called the Lightning Queen of the Seven Seas.” Mali declared, finally understanding.
“Am I, really?” Othila hummed as she sat in her chair, lifting her pendant and putting it around her neck “I think I like that name.”
“Speaking of names,” Gabriel walked over “is there another title we need to add to the list of yours anytime soon?”
“What do you mean?” Othila asked, looking up at him in confusion. Kira was also confused, wondering what the other magician was getting at.
“You’re ‘friend’, ‘magician’, and soon to be ‘wife’ and ‘Queen’,” Gabriel replied “but should we be adding the title of ‘mother’ to that? Don’t bother trying to hide it, either. I can see it, thanks to those rune spells you taught me.”
“Guess I can’t hide it, then,” Othila sighed, smiling “you’re too clever, sometimes. Yes, I’m pregnant, but don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to scare their daddies so soon.”
“Their daddies?” Mali, Kira, and Gabriel repeated, shocked.
“It’s an incredibly rare occurrence,” Othila explained “but not an impossible one. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise, since one of my husbands-to-be is known as the son of miracles.”
“Two children, one fathered by each,” Kira wondered, smiling “truly a blessing.”
“You need to tell them soon, though,” Gabriel told his sitting friend “the Dagaz, Othila, and Berkana runes on your bracelets haven’t stopped faintly glowing since you put them on. Those will give it away at some point.”
“But the first one is most likely because I’m getting married.” Othila pointed out.
“How do those give it away?” Mali asked.
“Among other things, Dagaz stands for marriage, beginning, fortune, and change,” Othila explained “Othila stands for home, inheritance, and family, and Berkana stands for fertility, pregnancy, and children.”
“They’re glowing because sources of their natural magic are present today.” Gabriel added.
“That makes sense,” Kira nodded “so let’s get you all set, so we can get you to the ceremony, you can marry the men you love, and you can tell them of the newest members of your family.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Sharrkan poked his head in.
“Flower delivery for the bride,” the heliohapt prince called in “can I come in?”
“Pretty sure Masrur or Sinbad sent you.” Gabriel teased, earning a ‘shut up’ look from Sharrkan.
“Come in, Sharrkan,” Othila called back, smiling as she turned in her seat to face the door “can’t really finish up until we have my headpiece, now can we?”
“Suppose not.” the General laughed, walking in and quickly closing the door behind him, crown of white flowers and bouquet of tropical pink and blue flowers in his hands. He stopped, when he caught sight of Othila almost all ready for the day.
“Wow,” he muttered, smiling gently “to think it was a year ago that you arrived in Sindria, nameless and afraid, and now you’re here, preparing to become Queen.” He put the flowers down on a nearby table before walking over to hug Othila and kiss her forehead.
“Congratulations, my friend,” Sharrkan declared “you look amazing, and I wish you, Masrur, and Sinbad a lifetime of happiness.”
“Thank you, Sharrkan,” Othila smiled up at him, Mali watching as Gabriel affectionately called his partner a sap before stealing a quick kiss “tell me, how are my grooms?”
“Nervous as hell,” Sharrkan laughed “and looking decidedly different in those new clothes you gave them. Let me tell ya, seeing Sinbad in that outfit really took me back. Still pulls it off real well.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Othila giggled, sitting as still as possible as Kira worked to style her hair “and Masrur? His didn’t have too much red, did it?”
“There was enough gold to balance it,” Gabriel promised “especially since he’s wearing his armor as well. I saw him when I was on my way here.”
“Leave it to Masrur to insist on wearing his armor on his wedding day,” Kira sighed, having gotten to know the Fanalis General over the last few days “that’s the Fanalis in him, though.”
“You would know about that, wouldn’t you?” Othila teased “I’ve seen you and Captain Muu. You’re very close, aren’t you?”
“Of course we are,” Kira scoffed, blushing “just like Mali is with Kouen.”
“You mean he finally asked you to marry him?” Mali spoke up, grinning “drawing a comparison between you two, and me with my betrothed, kind of gives it away.”
Mali, Kira, and Othila had taken the opportunity to catch up over the days between their arrival and the ceremony, and was more than amused to learn about the relationship between the warrior and the fanalis Captain.
“He did so last night,” Kira nodded, smiling as she looked to the simple gold ring on her left hand “said that everything going on had helped him find the courage to do what he’d been wanting to do for weeks.”
“I see being a romantic is also a Fanalis trait,” Othila giggled “congratulations, my friend. How goes my hair?”
“You’re done,” Kira replied “take a look.”
Mali couldn’t help smiling as she took in her friends finished look. Othila’s hair was brushed back, gathered in a ponytail near the end of it, so it had the look of being loose but was held together. Strands hung down to frame her face, and the band of flowers sat on her hairline.
“Like I said,” Kira declared, smiling “every inch a queen.”
“I gotta go on ahead,” Sharrkan spoke up “since I’m standing with Masrur and all. I’ll see you all soon.”
“Ceremony’s gonna start soon,” Mali agreed, standing as Sharrkan left “Kira and I will go ahead to make sure the way is clear, then we can get into position.”
Othila nodded, standing and taking her bouquet as it was handed to her.
“Let’s do this.” She declared, gratefully taking Gabriel’s arm.
~
A line of steel drum players began the music as soon as the bride and her party came into view. White flowers in her hair, a dress that sparkled like jewels in the sun, and above all her smile. She smiled at those who called out to her, even on her wedding day acknowledging the people of the country.
When they reached the front, Mali and Kira turned to Othila, Kira taking her bouquet, before they joined the other standing with Sinbad and Masrur. Gabriel, who’d been given the role traditionally reserved for a member of the bride’s family, then walked with Othila up to Sinbad and Masrur, joining their hands together.
“Congratulations.” He whispered to the three, before walking to stand between Mali and Kira, completing the line.
There was silence as Yunan took his position between the line of the wedding party, and the trio standing before him.
Kira stood silent, expectant, as she watched the ceremony begin, truly glad to witness the love of three such people.
“Now that we’re all here,” the magi declared “let’s begin.”
“Honored guests from all corners of the world,” he started, using sound magic to make sure his voice reached all who were watching “we are gathered on this beautiful day, to witness the joining of a remarkable trinity of people. Guided by the rukh, they were brought together through strife and storms. Each had lost something dear to them in the past, yet in the moment of their first meeting, they gained something infinitely more precious. Each other.
“From the bonds of slavery, to the turmoil of building a country from the ground up, to losing the memory of who you once were, it’s safe to say that the three standing before us all have felt hurts unimaginable. Yet their paths were meant to cross, and we see now the result of that meeting.
“Othila,” Yunan smiled at the bride “you came to Sindria nameless, without memory of who you once were, and fearing for your life. In coming here, you’ve regained your sense of self, found a new name, and two men who love you more than they love themselves.
“Masrur,” he turned to look at the Fanalis “you lost your family long ago, but found a new one with King Sinbad, and now have two with whom you can start your own.
“Sinbad,” the magi smiled at the King “you set out to change the world all those years ago, and not only have done so for so many others, but also for yourself. You’ve found a new family, and two who will surely change your world in many ways in the years to come.”
“On the wings of love, we have all gathered,” Yunan spoke now to the crowd “to witness the love of these three wonderful people, known far and wide as ‘The Seven Seas Trinity’, which is quite a fitting name, if I may say.”
That comment earned a chuckle from most present, and smiles from Othila, Sinbad, and Masrur.
“As this is a most unique occasion,” Yunan continued “it is only fitting that the vows from those before me come from their heart. Lady Othila?”
The bride gave a nod to the Magi, taking a deep breath before beginning.
“When I came to this country, I had nothing, not even a name to call my own,” she started “and yet, I knew that there was something here waiting for me. In first meeting you both, I realized that what was waiting for me here, was both of you. We had a connection, one that none of us understood, but I knew in my heart that it would be what led to the best thing in my life.
“I earned the dearest friends I could ask for, in you two,” she smiled up at both men “yet I never thought that I would be worthy enough to find love with one of you, let alone with you both. I believed myself to be weak, useless to the ones who called me ‘friend’.
“Yet you two showed me how wrong I was,” Othila looked to Masrur “you showed me how strong I was, how I was capable of great things, when I learned what I could do.
“You showed me how important I was,” she continued, looking now to Sinbad “that there were so many people who cared, who wanted me to be happy.
“You both, through being yourselves, captured my heart, and I fell so deeply in love with you,” she declared as she squeezed their hands “I vow to stand side by side with you two through everything, and protect you both. I vow to love you with all that I have, for the rest of my days, however long that may be.”
Finished, a teary-eyed Othila gave a small nod to Yunan, who nodded in return before turning to Sinbad.
“Sinbad, I believe you and Masrur wish to give your vows together?” he asked the King, who nodded in reply.
“We do.” he answered, before he and Masrur moved so that they were both in Othila’s field of vision.
“Almost a year ago, I was convinced that I would never marry,” Sinbad started “but dreams of a young woman plagued me, and I knew that she would be important to me. Little did I know how important that woman would become.”
“I was given the same dreams,” Masrur continued “of the same woman. We knew that she would be important to us both, and she was.”
“That woman was you,” Sinbad added “we knew it when we first met, the day you arrived in this country. When the slavers who had chased you here tried to take you, your shouts sent fear shooting straight through our hearts. We knew, in that moment, that we needed to protect you until you could protect yourself.”
“You said on many occasions that you were a simple magician,” Masrur declared “that all you wanted out of your new life was a family to call your own, and to give back to the country that gave you a second chance.”
“Your determination, compassion, kindness, and sheer will made it almost inevitable, that Masrur and I would fall in love with you,” Sinbad continued “you took the hearts of two men, damaged by pasts haunted with pain and torment, and you helped us to see ourselves as more than that.”
“You helped us to see the light once more,” Masrur added, giving her hand a gentle squeeze “to see our experiences not as scars to worry over, but as trials overcome, making us into the people we are today.”
“We vow to stand side by side with you through everything, and protect you.” Sinbad declared.
“We vow to love you with all we have,” Masrur vowed “for the rest of our days.”
“However long that may be.” They finished together, earning smiles from most.
“And now, the rings for the men.” Yunan said, taking the rings from Morgiana and Yamraiha, before handing them to Othila. Smiling through her tears of joy, she put the rings on each man’s left hand.
“With the authority given to me by King Sinbad, it is an honor to pronounce you married,” Yunan declared, earning cheers from the crowd “gentlemen, you may kiss your bride.”
“With pleasure.” Sinbad joked, before leaning down to kiss Othila, letting the gentle kiss linger for a moment before pulling away, so that Masrur could have his turn to kiss her. That earned a few whooping cheers from the Fanalis in the crowd, causing the married three to laugh.
“Honored guests,” Yunan spoke up, his voice carried over the crowd to quiet it “it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you Queen Othila of Sindria, with her husbands: King Sinbad and General Masrur!”
The cheers that were raised by the crowd were louder than any before, and the feeling of love for the newly married three nearly overwhelming.
Kira grinned as she looked on, happier than she ever thought possible for her dear friend. She’d gotten the love and life she deserved, and Kira couldn’t help marveling at the fact that she and Mali had gotten the same.
~
“Amazing,” Othila declared, smiling, once Muu and Kira were finished telling their tale “you two really are meant for each other, aren’t you?”
“Seems that way,” Kira agreed, holding Muu’s hand tight “and we couldn’t be happier.”
“It’s amazing to see the way the rukh can work,” Aladdin declared, a small smile on the boy’s face “bringing together people who love each other so much; The Seven Seas Trinity, the Wind Master and the Fire Prince, and the Witch and the Lionheart.”
“Sure doesn’t say what the future holds,” Alibaba agreed “but it’s a good thing, definitely, to see it.”
“How is it a good thing?” Sinbad asked, amused and curious.
“Whatever the future of this world is,” Alibaba replied “there’s a united front to face it. At least, through the women here, there is.”
“Smart man!” Mali declared, earning laughter from Kira and Othila.
“Life is certainly going to be much more interesting, from here on out,” Othila agreed “but we’re facing it with the men we love, right girls?”
“Right,” Kira nodded, smiling “we’re no longer facing the world alone.”
“And when it comes down to it,” Mali agreed “at the end of the day, we still have the three of us.”
“A friendship like what we’ve got never dies,” Othila added “not really.”
“Whatever happens in the end, we’ll face it together.”
Chapter Ten: Keep Your Feet Ready and Your Heartbeat Steady
Kira stood next to Muu, with the forces from Reim, as they watched the confrontation. From her position at Sinbad’s side, Kira knew that her old friend had gained a position of power in the Seven Seas Alliance. Perhaps she was the lightning magician that Kira had heard about, the female member of the Seven Seas Trinity.
There was a woman near Kouen, that Kira didn’t recognize, mainly due to her being in djinn equip still. Silver scaled armor, skin darker than Kira’s, black hair streaked with silver, and silver wings protruding from her back.
Kira was wondering who the woman was, when she saw Aladdin push through the crowd, followed closely by Alibaba and a young Fanalis girl.
“No, wait a minute! Stop!” Aladdin called out “you did promise to pull back your soldiers, didn’t you Mister Kouen?”
Kira watched Kouen’s face, and from the lack of change, knew what his answer would be.
“No,” came his reply “this land was our original objective. Magnostadt. Our opponent might have gotten switched out, but our objective remains the same.”
“No way!” the young Magi countered “that’s not what I agreed to!”
“Huh,” Armakan huffed “I know that Kou still has a Magi and one more metal vessel user.”
“Are they hiding some kind of trump card from us, perhaps?” Artemina mused.
“Really?” Koumei drawled “we could ask the same about you. Well, King Sinbad?”
Sinbad remained silent, when he was suddenly hit over the head by Yunan.
“What are you doing?” the green-clad magi scolded as Sinbad rubbed his head in slight pain “after all the precautions we took to make sure you wouldn’t get in a big scuffle with Kou! Right, Morgiana?”
“Right.” The young fanalis girl nodded, shocking her two companions.
“The Seven Seas Alliance has officially become an ally of the Empire of Reim,” Sinbad declared for all to hear, clearly shocking everyone else. Those from Reim knew it well.
“He speaks the truth,” Muu declared, confirming what Sinbad had said “Lady Scheherazade decided to forge the brand new alliance just before she departed for the final battle.”
“There’s no one other than the Seven Seas Alliance that can match Reim and Kou,” Sinbad added “and yet we joined forces with Reim. Do you understand what that means?
“Moreover,” he continued “after partially destroying the country ruled by Yamraiha’s adoptive father, I can’t very well abandon it and leave it to you. The Alliance will spare no effort towards the rebuilding of Magnostadt.”
Kira could see the anger in the faces of almost all from Kou, except for Kouen and the woman near him.
“That bastard!” Prince Kouha cursed “he’s planning to plunder Magnostadt!”
“Now then,” Kouen spoke up, turning and reaching for Aladdin “I guess I’ll just be claiming this Magi!”
Kira watched as he put Aladdin under his arm, carrying him. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Of all the things they expected, that wasn’t one of them.
“If he was the kind of man who was only after territories and power,” she heard Kouen tell Koumei “we could just step on his throat right here. But, I’m sure that’s not the case.”
Sinbad gave a small huff of amusement.
“You’re more of a handful than I expected,” he told Kouen, before finally removing his djinn equip. The other leaders from the Seven Seas Alliance followed suit soon after, as did Kouen and the woman hear him. Kira couldn’t help her surprise as she saw who the woman was. Mali Isa.
It seemed that it wasn’t only Kira that had gained a djinns power, though Mali was much stronger than her.
The forces gathered start to talk among themselves, making preparations for what they needed to do, and Kira watched as Mali walked over to their old friend.
“Do you know those two?” Muu asked her, and Kira turned to him, smiling.
“Remember the stories of the two friends I traveled with, before the slavers came after me?” she replied “those two are the other women.”
“Fate is a strange thing,” Muu observed, smiling slightly “to have your friends become such powerful women.”
Kira nodded along, smiling as she watched Othila and Mali talk to Sinbad and Kouen.
“Aren’t you leaving someone out?” Kira called out, grinning when they looked to her.
“Kira!” they cried out in reply, smiling as she ran over, gold armor shining as she came to a stop in front of them.
“It’s been a long time, you two!” Kira grinned, leaning her spear against her shoulder.
“So you found a place in Reim, huh?” Mali asked smiling “with the Fanalis Corps?”
“I owed Muu for rescuing me from those slavers,” Kira explained “and we grew close over the time we spent together.”
“Sounds like an interesting story,” Othila declared “maybe you two can tell yours, when you come to Sindria for the wedding.”
“What wedding?” Kira asked, confused. Othila smiled, holding her left hand out so the other women could see the rings.
“My wedding to Sinbad and Masrur,” she explained, and Kira couldn’t help grinning at the news “I’m aware of the political tensions, so I ask only as one friend to two others: will you stand by my side as I marry the men I love?”
“Of course!” Kira and Mali replied.
“You’re getting married?” they heard Muu ask Sinbad, and all three turned to see Kouen, Muu, and Sinbad standing together as they watched the women.
“A kings wedding,” Kouen mused “that calls for representatives from other countries to be present.”
“Your women are coming,” Sinbad shrugged “you can let them fill those roles, or you can come as well. Knowing my betrothed, she will be fine either way.”
“Especially since it seems Othila will be marrying into the tribe, Muu,” Kira called out to the Captain, grinning “she’s marrying General Masrur, as well!”
“Marrying two men?” Muu questioned “that’s a strange concept.”
“There are countries where men can have more than one wife,” Kira turned to see the brown haired magician from before standing next to Othila “so who says that a woman can’t have more than one husband?”
“He has a point there.” Mali nodded in agreement.
“Let’s discuss that later,” Othila declared “we have work to do.”
Kira and the others nodded.
“We need to get to the wounded in the city,” Othila told them, before turning to the other rulers in the Alliance “Armakan, Artemina, Darius, Rametoto; if there are healers among your ranks, please send them with me. We need to help the people in the capitol city!”
“What about the Reim soldiers?” the male magician asked Kira.
“We have our own healers,” she replied “they’re on our ships, out of harm’s way and getting treatment.”
“Kou?” Othila turned to Mali.
“Our healers are working on them as we speak,” she told their friend “they’ll be fine.”
“Then we head for the city!” Othila declared, turning to see the few from the other countries that had come “come with us!”
Kira joined the other magician on his staff, and Mali with Kira, before the group prepared to leave.
“Captain Muu,” Othila turned to him, gaining the surprised Fanalis’ attention “please, send any who have enough strength to help remove the rubble. We can only do so much.”
“They’ll be close behind,” Muu replied, before turning to look at Kira “are you sure you want to do this?”
“Reim is allied with the Seven Seas Alliance,” she told him “and they’re to do everything in their power to rebuild this country. I’m sure.”
“Let’s go.” Othila told the group, and the small band of healers took to the skies, heading towards the city.
~
The work to rebuild the capitol city was long, hard, and sometimes heartbreaking. Mali flew through the air to spot wounded from above, Othila and Gabriel-the brown haired magician-worked to heal others, and Kira used her strength as well as her household vessel to move debris to rescue those who were trapped. Muu and others from the Fanalis Corps had come as well, helping her in the endeavor.
Soldiers from the Seven Seas Alliance, Reim, and even a select few from Kou came over the days that followed, helping in the effort. Kira had a feeling that the Kou soldiers were there purely to protect Mali, and helped because she was helping.
After a week, two generals from Sindria arrived. Sharrkan, of Heliohapt, and Masrur.
To see the Fanalis general was a surprise and a pleasure. Kira had wondered what the other man Othila was going to marry was like, and seeing him helped confirm or strike down suspicions. While quiet, he was a good man, gentle with children and strong. He was also very tall, even for a Fanalis.
In fact, he was even taller than Muu.
When the two Fanalis met, Kira knew that it would prove to be amusing. Masrur had approached Muu from behind, tapping the other man on the shoulder. Muu turned, blinking a few times when his vision was filled with golden chest plate. Kira watched as Muu angled his head upwards to be able to see Masrur’s face, and she couldn’t help her giggles at his expression.
“Well…” Muu trailed off “can’t say this is something I’m used to.”
Kira and Othila, who were there to see their men meet, both burst into fits of laughter at Muu’s comment, earning looks of amusement from both Fanalis men.
“Think that’s funny, do you?” Muu asked, grinning, as Kira walked over.
“Of course I do!” she replied, wrapping an arm around his waist “now you know how I feel!”
Work passed quicker with more people, and soon it was time for the gathered foreign forces to leave.
“So we’ll see you in a month or so,” Othila told Mali, Kira, and Muu, as they stood at the shore “and I’m sure the rest of the Fanalis Corps will want to be there to celebrate a brother’s happiness.”
“You can count on at least my sister and myself,” Muu nodded “perhaps a few others, as well.”
“Stay in touch, you two,” Othila told Kira and Mali, the three of them joining hands “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.” Mali replied, her and Kira smiling as they watched Othila, Masrur, and Sharrkan leave on the boat, for the ships further off shore.
Kira and Mali parted ways, with promises to stay in touch, and by midday Kira and Muu were back on the boats, returning to Reim.
~
When they returned to the capitol, and finally settled back in, Kira was surprised to have received a summons from the Palace. The new Magi wished to speak with her and Muu.
On the voyage home, Kira had learned that Titus had become the new Magi, and had been insistent on bringing Marga and his friend Sphintus with him, back to Reim.
Wondering what it was that Titus wanted, Kira dressed in her normal clothes, before grabbing her spear and making her way to the palace. Entering the audience chamber, she was surprised to see that Muu had arrived first.
Seeing Titus, smiling, with Marga and Sphintus, made Kira very happy.
“Ah, Kira, there you are,” Titus declared, having noticed her. Smiling, Kira moved her spear to her left hand before saluting.
“My lord Titus,” she replied, bowing her head in respect before looking back up at him “you wished to speak with me?”
“Yes, I did,” he nodded “please, come forward. And you don’t need to be quite so formal, after what happened when we first met.”
Kira remembered the moment, when she’d comforted the boy after everything Muu had said to him.
“That might take some getting used to.” She admitted, smiling sheepishly as she walked up to stand next to Muu.
“Which is more than fine,” Titus assured her, smiling “Muu tells me that you both were invited to Sindria, for the Royal Wedding.”
“We were,” Kira replied, nodding “Othila is an old friend of mine, and very dear. She asked me to be in her portion of the wedding party.”
“And one of the men she is marrying is the Fanalis General Masrur,” Muu added “seems right, to go support one of our family on one of the biggest days of his life.”
“Which I wholeheartedly agree with,” Titus nodded “I wished to ask you two if you would bring with you Reim’s gift to Sindria, for the wedding, making you official representatives of the Empire.”
“We’d be glad to,” Kira replied, smiling “shall we inform you when the invitation arrives?”
“Of course,” the Magi replied, before his attention was drawn to his side, where a slight tugging at his cloak could be seen “Marga?”
Kira looked down to the little girl as well, smiling to find her staring back.
“Ah, Lady Marga,” the warrior smiled, giving the girl a small curtsy “it’s an honor.”
“But, I’m not a lady.” Marga declared, quiet, though Kira could hear a small giggle.
“But you’re precious to Lord Titus,” Kira wondered, tilting her head to the side in mock curiosity “his family.”
“Um…Miss Kira, why do you carry a spear?” Marga asked, and Kira’s smile widened at the question.
“Because I’m a warrior,” she told the young girl “and I need something in order to help me fight by the side of those I love. You do something similar, from what I heard.
“You love and support Lord Titus,” Kira continued, grinning at the smile on Margas face “that’s just as important as what I do.”
“Just like you love Mr. Muu, right?” Marga wondered.
“You’re very observant, Miss Marga,” Kira declared, smiling “not in the same way as you love Lord Titus, no, but I do love Muu with all my heart. That’s why I fight by his side.”
~
Watching Kira interact with the young girl, Muu couldn’t help smiling. The way she was so gentle with Marga, warning her to be careful when the young girl wanted to see her spear up close, it only confirmed what Muu knew in his heart.
Kira would be an amazing mother, and he wanted to give her that.
He wanted them to have a family together, as a married couple.
He wondered if she wanted the same thing yet, though.
Once they were finished meeting with Titus, they started to make their way back towards home.
“Marga is a real sweetheart,” Kira declared, still smiling from the interaction “especially for all she’s been through. Growing up with Titus will do wonders for her, and she’ll be an amazing woman someday.”
“You were really good with her,” Muu observed, smiling “do you like being around children?”
“I love children,” she replied “teaching them, caring for them, everything. It’s always been a dream of mine, to be a mother, despite what I know they’d go through as a member of the Yael family. What about you? Do you want kids one day?”
“Have for a long time,” he answered “a family of my own to love and cherish, to carry on the family name and pride of the Fanalis.”
“Good to know we’re on the same page about that, then,” Kira declared, looping her arm through his “any children of ours would have the biggest and most loving extended family. Of course, biggest in both amount of people and said people’s sheer size.”
Muu laughed, knowing she was right. It was great to know they both wanted children someday.
Now, if only he had the courage to ask her what he really wanted to; if she would be his wife.
(SO sorry that this is late! When you read it, you’ll understand why. It totally got away from me, and is LONG)
Chapter Nine: We Are the Flame That Will Not Die Inside
“The Vanguard is ashore?” Kira asked, walking to stand next to Muu on the deck of the ship.
“We move out soon,” he nodded “you stay by my side, Kira.”
“Wouldn’t dream of anything else,” she replied “both of us need to lead the charge.”
Just then, they saw lightning strike the military, and Kira had to suppress a growl.
“Honestly, do they think that will stop us?” Muu questioned “their arrogance will be their downfall.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate them, my love,” Kira told him “magicians are magicians, after all. They’ll still put up a hell of a fight.”
On Muu’s orders, the Corps moved out, and soon joined the vanguard on the front lines. They had broken through the first barrier, but the cannon from afar had destroyed multitudes. Kira couldn’t help her fear, as she saw the cannon preparing to fire again.
“It’s preparing to fire!” She called out “Myron!”
“On it!” the Fanalis woman replied, quickly picking up a gigantic boulder and block the cannon fire.
“That was close.” Muu muttered, and only Kira heard it. He was right, it was a close one.
“This pebble is boring me already.” Myron complained, throwing the boulder away to join the rest of the dirt.
“Is that supposed to be one of their magic weapons over there?” Yaqut wondered as they caught sight of the cannon.
“Who cares?” Loloh asked, grinning “Magical or not, I say bring it!”
“Magnostadt has some shiny toys,” Muu declared, and Kira couldn’t help grinning alongside him “Let's go get them!”
At that, the Corps dispersed to handle the soldiers from Magnostadt. True to her word, Kira fought at Muu’s side, both watching each other’s backs. Both gave no quarter to the enemy, striking them down as quickly as possible. Sensing a presence, Kira turned to see a young man, a magician, with blonde hair and blue eyes. His face was instantly recognizable.
So, this was Titus.
“Oh?” Muu questioned, noticing the young man as well “How nice. So there you are.”
Kira could see that Titus wasn’t going to back down, so Muu engaged him in battle. Kira fought off the remaining enemy forces as they did so, but she was mostly watching Muu fight.
“It's time to head back to Reim, lady Scheherazade.” She heard Muu call out to Titus, and she couldn’t help wondering just what Muu was trying to do. He knew that Titus wasn’t Scheherazade!
“Just get out of here and leave me alone!” Titus shouted, casting more spells to fight against Muu, and he was doing a good job of putting up a fight, from what Kira could see.
“Enough games!” Muu declared, blocking and dodging the magic.
“I was once a clone,” Titus insisted “but even the small time I have lived has been more than sufficient to show me the truth! That I'm a living, breathing human being! And I won't go back...I'm a part of something! I've made dear friends who would do anything for me!”
Kira felt her heart go out to the boy. To finally find something you could be part of, friends who were more like family, she knew how that felt.
“Glad you made some friends,” Muu replied, and Kira found she didn’t like his tone “Adorable. You should know that doesn't mean anything!”
“You liar...” Titus muttered, and Kira found her thoughts echoing the boy’s words.
“You say you know the truth?” Muu continued, forcing rocks into the air and using them to get closer to Titus “Then stop denying it! It's there inside of you. Just look at yourself! You must possess courage to embrace where you're from. Those false friends of yours could never understand your fate!”
“That's not...” Titus countered, and Kira could hear his resolve wavering “you have no idea what you're talking about! We're like family...”
“You still don't get it, do you?” Muu demanded “You're not human. You're a monster. You're an abomination that should never have been born in the first place!”
Kira was absolutely terrified by Muu’s words and actions. Why was he saying such things to a boy?! She watched as Titus collapsed to the ground on his knees as Muu stood beside him, sheathing his sword.
“It’s okay,” Muu finished, tone quiet as though he was trying to reassure Titus “all those people who purport to be your friends feel exactly the same way.”
Kira pushed through the rest of the fanalis who had gathered, even between Titus and Muu, before she knelt at the boy’s side. Fighting for the other side or not, he was still precious to Lady Scheherazade, and didn’t deserve to be spoken to in such a way. Turning her head, Kira glared up at Muu, and all the venom she could muster was behind it. She would still fight by his side, but she detested his actions and words. From the way Muu’s eyes widened slightly, and his expression changing the slightest bit, she knew he got the message.
Suddenly, a young boy with blue hair dressed in the same robes as Titus appeared, and started walking towards them.
“He's wrong, Titus,” the boy declared “You're our friend, and that's how it'll always be. We're all here for you, no matter what, regardless of how different you may think you are from everybody else. Some people might even say it's your differences that make you a good friend. At least, that's what I would say.”
“Aladdin...” Titus muttered, staring up at his friend, and Kira stood to stand next to Muu.
“Huh, I wouldn't trust him any farther than I could throw him,” Myron grumbled “Which is pretty far, now that I think about it.”
“Everything's going to be okay, Titus,” Aladdin promised “We'll figure this out, I promise!”
“So,” Muu spoke up, earning the attention of both boys “enlighten me on what exactly you expected to accomplish by coming here, Aladdin.”
“I came here,” Aladdin replied, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a bandage on his arm “fully expecting to secure you commitment to ending this war.” Kira watched as he remvoed the bandage to reveal a gem embedded in his skin, and how he removed that as well. She wondered just what it was he was doing, before she noticed the sudden, strong influx of magoi towards the blue haired boy. Suddenly, there came a cry from above.
“Aladdin, Titus!” a magician with purple hair wearing a metal bikini.
“Backup has arrived!” a young heliohapti boy, with a yellow staff.
“These animals have threatened my homeland,” the purple haired magician declared, staring down Kira and the Corps “You're going to need our help to push the Fanalis Corps back. And then we'll send those soldiers all the way back to Reim!”
“It looks like they have us surrounded, Captain, Commander,” Loloh said, observing the magicians all around them “Poor guys.”
Muu sighed, before walking forward.
“I'm only going to say this once,” he declared “we're not just going to leave and let the Kou Empire take Magnostadt. This will be our first conquest to show the military might of Reim. The Eastern Continent is next. We're going to capture the capitol, and take Magnostadt with it.”
‘I never signed on for this,’ Kira thought ‘I just want to protect Muu and my new family. Why is he so adamant about this?’
‘His reasons are his own,’ a new voice rang out, and Kira noticed that the blade of her spear was glowing slightly ‘what’s important is that you protect him, as you told him days ago that you would do. He still has your loyalty, as his lover and second-in-command, yes?’
‘He does,’ Kira thought ‘but who….Barbatos?’
‘Close,’ the voice replied ‘I am Bard Sei, one of Barbatos’ household, and your vessel. You have the power to protect him, with me. Use me when you need to.’
“But I don't understand why Miss Scheherazade is doing all this.” Aladdin’s voice shook Kira from her daze, and she turned to the boy.
“What do you mean?” Muu asked, Kira wondering the same thing.
“I'm not saying that Magnostadt is doing the right thing, here,” Aladdin replied “As long as the people of Magnostadt are threatened by the Reim and Kou empires, the Director and his advanced magicians will never be able to change the way they see the world, or manage their country. So I'm asking you to stop pushing their backs against the wall! Please tell Miss Scheherazade so that she'll understand.”
“So you presume to tell Lady Scheherazade her business,” Muu muttered, before raising his voice for the Corps to hear “Listen up! This territory belongs to us! Take no prisoners!”
“Stop them!” the purple haired magician called out as fighting resumed “We can't let them reach the second protective barrier, no matter what!”
In the ensuing fight, Kira dodged the attacks from the magicians as the Corps chased them, the magicians floating and retreating in an effort to put space between themselves and the Corps. Kira had to admire the effort.
“I hate floating magic!” She heard Muu complain “It's such a cowardly way of fighting!”
“Doesn't matter to me!” Loloh called back “There's no style points in defeat!”
“I still haven't even broken a sweat against these fools,” Razol declared “This is almost too easy!”
“I bet we make it to the next barrier without taking a single hit!” Yaqut agreed.
“Don't underestimate them!” Kira shouted “Magicians are capable of doing things we could never dream of, and that makes them dangerous, even when they're floating and retreating!”
“Sounds like you're scared, commander!” Loloh replied, teasing.
“The day I underestimate an opponent is the day I die, Loloh!” Kira countered “and that sure as hell isn't today!”
Suddenly, the magicians started firing seemingly random shots, and the ground beneath the Fanalis collapsed.
“Looks like they've been reduced to just firing randomly,” Muu observed “I didn't think they would deteriorate so quickly!”
“No, they have a plan,” Kira replied “I'm sure of it.”
“Didn't they train these guys in magic school?” she heard Myron wonder.
“Nice try, kids!” Loloh declared, punching straight through a boulder as a rockslide started.
“A few loose rocks?” Myron questioned as they started to make their way up the wall “Is that really all you've got?”
Suddenly, there were cracks in the wall of the pit they were in, and Kira recognized the direction.
“Not good!” she shouted, just as the water broke through and swept them all up. The entire Corps struggled for a while, before they all broke through the surface of the water and started swimming.
“That was refreshing!” Myron called out to the magicians above “Did it ever occur to any of you jerks that we might actually know how to swim?”
“It did,” the same female magician from before replied “And this way we can watch you fry!”
Lightning struck the water, and Kira almost bit her tongue in half from the pain of the electricity coursing through her body.
“Our advantage isn't just our borg,” she heard the Magician comment, as she and the others got the rest of the Fanalis out of the water “We have allied ourselves with the Rukh that exists in all natural elements.”
Kira and some others got everyone out of the water, and she couldn’t help wondering why she wasn’t as wounded as others were. Muu, Loloh, and Myron all stood, and Kira wondered what they were going to do.
“Time to finish what we started,” she head Muu declare “However, we don't have unlimited Magoi to draw from.”
Muu turned to Loloh and Myron.
“Time for the big one.” He told them, and Kira knew what they were going to do. Weapon equips and household vessels.
“Let's do it.” Myron and Loloh replied, grinning.
“Go,” Kira told Muu “I’ll stay with the wounded for now.”
She knew that she should have told Muu about her household vessel, but she held back as she watched her lover and the rest of his household run off.
‘They can handle themselves,’ she thought, going from Fanalis to Fanalis to check on them ‘They don't need me right now.’
Suddenly, she saw a huge arm made of sand sweep Muu, Myron, and Loloh away from the barrier.
“What the hell?!” Kira wondered, watching as three large giants of sand appeared, and then as Rukh started flying around and down towards the ground in front of them. What the hell was going on?
“But this....” she muttered “is there a Magi? Razol, Yaqut!”
“Commander!” the two others replied.
“You’re with me!” she ordered “make sure the others are alright, then join me! Captain and the others are gonna need us!”
“Yes ma’am!” they saluted, and Kira took off running. If they were facing a magi, well, that could only mean that it was the Magi of the Kou Empire, Judar. There were only three Magi’s, weren’t there?
Yet, as she got closer, Kira saw that it was Aladdin that Muu was facing. What was this?
“I don't care who you are, so long as you're in my way!” she heard Muu declare, practically growling as he, Loloh, and Myron fought against the sand giants, but it did no good.
“They're tough with a Magi!” Myron cried out, frustration evident on her face. Suddenly, once Kira was closer, the three giants lifted their arms, fire gathering in their palms. Three large pillars of flame shot out from them, above the soldiers, all the way out to the sea. Kira groaned in an effort to stay upright, and the noise alerted Muu to her presence. She could see that he was surprised she was there, though she didn’t quite understand why.
“A true magi would be capable of more!” Muu cried out once the fire was gone “If you use all of that overwhelming power to destroy the Reim forces, then how are you any different than that Mogamet?! Tell me that, Aladdin! Answer me!”
‘You're underestimating your opponent, my love,’ Kira thought, watching Muu ‘I thought you were better than that.’
“You'll see,” Aladdin replied “I'm not sending anyone to the Rukh, but I'm bringing this war to an end.”
“You say you're going to end this war without killing a single person?” Muu countered, frustrated “You've got a lot to learn, little one! No victory was ever achieved like that!”
“I'll succeed,” Aladdin declared “It's what I have to do!”
Kira watched as Aladdin and his giants prepared to fire once more, and she couldn’t help wondering what it was he was planning. Would he really succeed in defeating them without killing them?
“He's playing with us!” Myron cried out, angry.
“What do we do?” the vanguard commander wondered.
“Do not cower before your enemy!” Muu called out. Myron, Loloh, and Kira joining him at the front line of the troops “Be a true soldier of Reim! We've already come this far. There's no turning back now! Not when we're so close! True soldiers of Reim, it's now or never!”
With that, Muu led the charge to fight once more, and Kira followed at his side. Concentrating, she focused her magoi into her spear, and watched as it started to glow blue-black, as Muu’s sword and Myron and Loloh’s arm guards did. Yet, before they could launch the attack, the sand giants collapsed into one giant wave, and all Reim forces were swept up in it. Kira struggled to keep her head and spear above the sand, reaching and grabbing onto Muu to not lose him.
Soon, the sand stopped, and Kira saw where they were.
Back at the shoreline. Back at the beginning.
“Take a hard look around you,” she heard Aladdin call out to the army “All of your efforts have sent you back to square one! If you want to conquer Magnostadt, you're going to have to start all over again! And then I'll use my power to push you back! And every time you try, I'll push you back again and again and again!”
Kira and Muu watched as the army essentially gave up, realizing that their efforts would be for nothing, and Kira could see how mad Muu was getting.
“How can this be?” Muu muttered, almost growling.
“You don't need to break a soldier’s body to keep him from fighting,” Kira replied, staring up at the young Magi “just his will to fight. A faithless army is the same as no army at all. That boy…he’s good.”
“And even if you ever got through me, you'd still have the magicians and soldiers of Magnostadt to deal with!” Aladdin continued “Because, for them, it's life or death. And if you push their backs to the wall, they'll fight to the bitter end. You can't take away their country. It's where they belong! Soldiers of Reim: I beg you, return to your home!”
‘That might just be what we do.’ Kira thought, when movement caught her eye. Muu was walking forward, and from her vantage point, she could see the circle on his sword start to glow.
“Spirit of Hunting and Nobility, I call upon you,” she heard Muu recite, and fear struck her heart “Find refuge within me and allow my vessel to envelop you. Transform my body into that of a great magus. Barbatos.”
“He'd rather die than retreat,” she muttered, walking to stand next to Myron and Loloh “How is the man I love such a stubborn fool?!”
“He's fighting for our country, Kira!” Myron replied.
“Not anymore,” Kira countered “He's fighting for his own ideals, and his ideals are going to get him killed!”
She watched as Muu’s djinn-equip form was revealed, and couldn’t help admiring it, since it was her first time seeing it. Tan skin, white hair, silver clawed feet and legs that looked insanely powerful. They were proven to be so, as Muu shot forward and broke through the barrier as though it were nothing.
“Get ready,” Loloh told the vanguard commander “Tell your men we're about to attack.”
“You can't be serious!” the commander replied, shocked.
“Barbatos is the Captain in his djinn-equip form,” Loloh explained “He'll be faster and tougher than anyone. No baby magi can stand in his way. He'll tear through those barriers like they weren't even there. And when he does, we're gonna charge full speed ahead. Because if we don't, the Captain will have risked his life for nothing.”
“Risked his life?” the commander asked, as Myron and Kira helped Loloh to his feet.
“My brother’s magoi is almost gone,” Myron told the commander “His djinn-equip won't last more than a minute. This isn't what we planned! He was supposed to save his transformation for when we took control of the capitol city. Now...it looks like we've got to change things a bit. Reim doesn't need to worry about Mogamet and his little magicians. The real threat before us is that magi!”
“I still have almost all of my magoi,” Kira told Myron, holding up her spear with her free hand, the blade of it starting to glow “I’m going ahead. Follow behind.”
She ran off before Myron or Loloh could say anything, pushing all her strength into her legs. She was terrified as she saw the magic circle appear over Muu as she got closer, wondering just what he was trying to do. Was he really trying to kill a child?
Yet suddenly, he was stopped, and his equip disappeared. Kira and Myron reached Muu’s side, just as he collapsed to his knees.
“Alibaba,” he muttered, and Kira turned to see the familiar blond that had come with them on the voyage “I can't believe I missed his metal vessel.”
“You idiot!” Myron shouted at Alibaba, jumping to her feet as Kira stayed down by Muu’s side “Do you have even the slightest idea of what you've done here?! We trusted you, and you repay us by becoming a traitor against the Reim Empire?!”
“I suppose,” the young man named Alibaba replied “Please know that this was never my intent. But I couldn't let him kill Aladdin. I betrayed no one! Aladdin is the person I've been searching for all this time! He's my friend, my best friend. Please forgive me!”
“You must take it easy,” Yaqut told Loloh, who had dropped to his knees once more “You're practically out of Magoi!”
“Neither of them can even stand up.” Razol observed. Suddenly, there was a new presence behind them.
“Fall back.” It was Scheherazade.
“Is that really you?” Kira heard Aladdin ask “Are you in the form of the true Miss Scheherazade?”
“You have me at a disadvantage,” Scheherazae replied “Aladdin, is it? Are you the Magi of Magnostadt?”
“I'm not,” Aladdin answered, shaking his head “But I can't stand by while you attempt to drive these people into the ground.
“There are many dark triggers that live here,” he continued “the hatred born by the magicians, the magoi accumulation furnace, deals with the secret organization. And the director of the academy, if pushed far enough, will have no choice but to unleash the most terrifying force. And if that happens, it'll mean the end of the world as we now know it. No matter what, we can't let that happen.”
Scheherazade stood in silence as she listened, before turning to Muu and Kira.
“Tell your forces to retreat immediately.” She ordered.
“Are you certain?” Muu asked.
“I am,” the Lady Magi replied “This young Aladdin may be sensing a vision similar to that of Yunan's.”
Kira saw the shock on Muu's face, and knew that, whatever Scheherazade was talking about, it wasn’t good.
“But even if not, our soldiers are severely wounded,” Scheherazade continued “We will retreat to our ships, so that they may receive medical attention. For now: Aladdin, Aladdin’s King Alibaba, and Titus as well, please join me. Let us speak in private.”
~
That night, the Fanalis Corps was gathered below deck, as they rested and received treatment. Kira, who still remembered her traditional medicine training from Heliohapt, helped those she could, comforting those that were still far gone. She’d been intentionally avoiding Muu, whenever she could. His words to Titus were still fresh in her mind.
You're not human. You're a monster. You're an abomination that should never have been born in the first place!
Gritting her teeth, Kira stood, and went to make her way above deck, when she was stopped by Myron.
“Kira, Muu wants to talk to you,” Myron told her friend “I’m sorry, but he said to make sure you went to him, even if that meant dragging you over there myself.”
“You won’t have to do that,” Kira sighed “I’ll go.”
Kira walked with Myron over to one of the rooms below deck, where she and Muu had stayed during the voyage over. When she opened the door, Kira saw Muu on the bed, out of his armor and sitting up at the edge of the bed.
He looked terrible.
Kira knew she was only seeing him that way because he didn’t have enough energy to put up an act.
“I’d ask how you feel,” she spoke up, earning his attention “but I think I already know the answer.”
“Thank you, Myron,” Muu told his sister “If I could speak to Kira in private?”
“She can stay,” Kira replied, grip tightening on her spear “anything you need to tell me, you can say in front of her. But if you could, Myron, could you close the door please?”
Not without some small complaining, Myron shut the door, remaining on the same side as them.
“What is it?” Kira asked, knowing that her tone sounded almost unfairly cold.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Muu answered.
“Yeah, no shit,” Kira scoffed “and you know exactly why.”
“What I said to Tius…” Muu trailed off, earning sarcastic applause from Kira.
“Give the man a prize!” she declared “he says such horrible things to a boy, and wonders why I don’t want to talk to him?”
“Kira,” Myron spoke up “Muu was in the middle of battle. If you think he took what he said seriously…”
“I don’t think it,” Kira snapped “I know it. You know as well as I do that you don’t lie on the battlefield, Myron. The truth comes out.”
“Titus was fighting for the enemy!” Myron countered.
“He’s still precious to Lady Scheherazade!” Kira replied, before turning to Muu “how do you think she’d react if she knew what you said to him? What you said to the boy that’s her own flesh and blood?
“But more importantly,” Kira’s voice lost most of its venom, the hurting intent replaced with sadness “would you want someone to say such things to our children, Muu, should we have them one day?”
“The fact you even feel the need to ask-” Muu started, before Kira cut him off.
“Shows just how concerned I am that you not only believe what you said is about Titus,” she declared “but also about yourself.”
Silence reigned, and Kira walked over to where Muu was sitting, leaning her spear against the wall before forcing Muu to look at her.
“Didn’t anything I said that night get through to you, my love?” she asked, quiet, as she leaned her forehead against his “you and Titus, neither of you are monsters, nor are you abominations. Both of you have fates that only you can fulfill, no one else, and if you think you shouldn’t have been born to find and live them, then that would be a sad world indeed.
“The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant,” she continued “it’s what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. You’re both fighting for your family, your friends, and the place where you feel you belong, defending all you hold dear. Tell me how that’s the life of someone who shouldn’t have been born.”
Muu was silent, and Kira could see the conflict in his eyes.
While she might have been mad at him, she still loved him with all her heart, and it hurt her to see him in such a way. Removing her hands from his face, she pulled him in for a hug, letting his head rest against her shoulder. When he wrapped his arms around her in return, she hugged him tighter.
“I’m sorry,” she heard Muu mutter “I’m sorry…”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” Kira replied, kissing the top of his head “I love you, Muu, and always will, even when we disagree.”
She turned her head to glance at Myron, and was glad to see the smile on her friends face.
Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of fear and hatred washed over Kira, and she gasped in shock.
“Kira?” Muu pulled away to look up at her “Kira, what is it?”
“Something horrible,” she muttered “something terrible is happening…”
~
In the morning, the ships left, just as Lady Scheherazade ordered. It seemed they were no longer fighting against Magnostadt.
Kira stood on the deck of the ship, watching the shoreline disappear. She still felt uneasy, wondering just what it was she had sensed the night before.
“You sensed it as well, Kira?” the helohapti woman turned to see Scheherazade behind her.
“The hatred and fear,” Kira muttered “what was it?”
“Something terrible,” the Magi replied, walking to stand next to her “that could destroy the world. However, it is not to that point yet.”
Kira was about to ask if she meant that it would soon reach that point, when suddenly dark black shapes started to come into view. It wasn’t long before she could see just what they were.
Dark djinns.
“I knew it was only a matter of time before they came for us.” Scheherazade muttered, and Shirah could have sworn the magi was growling.
“We must get you to safety now, Lady Scheherazade.” A soldier declared.
“No, thank you. I still have a little power,” Scheherazade replied “I mean to take out as many dark djinns as I can.”
“Those sound like fighting words to me.” Scheherazade and Shirah turned to see Muu and the rest of the Corps standing behind them. Kira smirked as she went to stand at Muu’s side.
“You're not able to fight,” Scheherazade argued “What about your injuries?”
“All set to go!” one of the Corps declared
“Don't tell me you forgot who we are, Lady Scheherazade?” Yaqut questioned, teasing.
“Brother, Loloh, you guys can't fight,” Myron pleaded “You're not even healed up yet!”
“We'll be fine, okay?” Loloh assured her, ruffling her hair. Myron grumbled under her breath.
“Where's that Titus now that we actually need him?” she complained “We need as many healthy warriors as possible right now and he's busy off who-knows-where doing who-knows-what!”
Djinns started to try and break down the barrier Scheherazade put up, and Kira could see how much it was taking a toll on the Magi, physically. One dark djinn got its foot through.
“Do not allow them entry!” Muu ordered “Protect the barrier until we can retreat!”
“Looks like there's no end to these guys!” Loloh declared, as more and more djinns showed up to assault the barrier, able to get through.
Growling, Kira took her spear in hand and ran to the nose of the ship, finding herself staring directly up at one of the dark djinn.
“Kira, you can’t jump up there like the rest!” Muu called out “what are you doing?!”
“I can’t do what you can,” she called back, holding her spear up in the position to throw it, starting to charge it with her magoi “but I can still reach them!
“Household vessel; bard sei!” she held onto her spear, but threw the energy that had materialized around it. Holding onto her spear with both hands, she directed the strength magic around the ankle of the dark djinn, and pulled to tighten it to the point that the foot was cut off from the body.
Kira turned to Muu, smirking in triumph, and saw him nod in response. They weren’t out of the woods, by any means, but Kira having her household vessel was a comfort to know.
“Titus still has the last reserves of power that Lady Scheherazade bestowed upon him,” she heard Myron declare “We need him here now! The power that he wields...the power he wields could be the thing we need to turn the tide here!”
“You mustn’t blame Titus, Myron,” “He hasn't had long enough to know what he wants. It takes time to determine what is truly important, to see what we would risk ourselves to protect. For you, Myron, that would be your family and friends. For me, the prosperity of the Reim Empire. Even Mogamet believes he's protecting the future of magicians everywhere. But Titus' life is doomed to be short, and tragically incomplete. It is only now that he is discovering the depths of the love for those that he truly holds most dear. I only hope the time he has left may be long enough for him to find a bit of peace.”
The fight continued, and Kira made sure to use her magoi as efficiently as possible. She was on the deck of the ship, regrouping for the next attack, when she hear Scheherazade.
“Oh, Titus.” The Magi gasped, sad.
“What is it, lady Scheherazade?” Kira asked, scared for the sadness crossing the other woman’s face “what’s wrong with Titus?”
“There's so much inside him,” Scheherazade replied “Over the past fourteen years, I've bestowed upon him vast amounts of Magoi for his reserves. He's now releasing it as the ultimate aberrant magic spell. But once he commits to that spell...his own life will be...”
Before she could finish her thought, the dark djinns started to float away as though dissolving in the wind. That’s when Kira knew. It was Titus that stopped them, and he’d given his life to do it.
“I’m so sorry...” she told Scheherazade “I hope…that he found what he was looking for, when you let him return to Magnostadt.”
Before a reply could be given, a bright blue light shot up from the horizon to the sky.
“As I feared,” Scheherazade sighed “it seems that the retreat will not go as planned.”
~
With final preparations made, informing all of the new alliance forged for Reim, they took off for the final battle. Ignatius and Nerva had joined them, and they arrived soon after the Seven Seas Alliance.
“Amazing, their power.” Kira observed, watching the household vessels of each leader as they fought.
“They are formidable,” Muu agreed, preparing to jump from the balloon “but don’t join them unless you have to.”
“I won’t,” she promised, giving him a quick kiss “stay safe, my love.”
Muu transformed as he jumped from the balloon, taking off like a streak of silver as he pierced through the borg of the Medium. Suddenly, there was an overwhelming presence.
Magoi. Lots of it.
“My role in all this finally ends here,” it was Scheherazade’s voice “I shall release all of the magoi accumulated inside my body at once. That is the final aberrant magic granted to me; the clone of Scheherazade! I release it to the world!”
With her words, there came an outpouring of Magoi, so strong that it reached all gathered in the battle, replenishing their magoi. Kira forced back her tears, knowing that the Magi who’d given her her freedom would want her to stay strong.
She watched as all the vessel users on the beach djinn-equipped, taking off to join the battle. She landed on the ground with the others, as all household members and non-vessel forces retreated to cover.
Kira watched as circle after extreme magic circle appeared, connecting together above the borg of the Medium.
“Extreme magic spells,” she muttered “fourteen at once!”
Roots as though from trees came up from the ground and wrapped around Kira’s ankles. Looking around, she saw it was the same for everyone around her, and that the source of them was the two magicians closest to the water. One was a man, tall with brown hair. The other was a woman clad in armor, with long lilac hair, and Kira recognized her immediately.
Her old friend had really grown in power.
“Bararaq Inqerad-Saiqa!” came the echoing cry of Sinbad’s extreme magic spell, massive blade of lightning appearing and piercing the body of the Medium.
The winds from the explosion were so strong that they all would have been knocked off their feet if they weren’t in cover or being held down. Kira forced her back against the rock she’d hidden behind,
As the light faded, smoke billowed as the fourteen djinn masters all landed back on the ground behind the barrier.
Almost all of them retained their djinn equip, except for the Kou family and Muu. Kira ran to his side, as Muu dropped to one knee, and listened as the others talked.
“There’s no way in hell anything could survive that!” Kouha declared. Kira wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t that easy.
The Medium broke through the smoke, roaring louder than ever.
“Damn!” Muu cursed as he punched the ground “so even the last of Lady Scheherazade’s magoi wasn’t enough?!”
“Her…last?” Alibaba asked, shocked.
“The only reason…we were able to launch our extreme magic again…is because of her final aberrant magic spell.” Muu explained, and Kira gently put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.
“So now what?” the brown haired magician asked, he and Kira’s old friend turning to look at the Medium once more “is there nothing we can do?”
“Wait,” the Magician muttered “there’s something odd about it….”
“It seems that the Medium is hesitating,” Yunan declared, earning everyone’s attention “or, to be more precise: the rukh of the person who’s become the Medium’s core is.
“Any idea who it could be, Aladdin?” Yunan asked the young Magi, and Kira wondered if the boy knew who it was.
“It must be…” Aladdin trailed off “I’m sure it’s Director Mogamet.”
“But why, all of a sudden, would he..?” Alibaba asked Yunan, shocked.
“Well, look at its chest,” Yunan explained “it’s thanks to that single speck of white light.
“It’s the rukh of someone who hasn’t fallen into Depravity,” he continued “because of everyone’s attack, he is suppressing the vessel already weakened by their power. Though I really don’t know who that could be.”
“I think I know who it is.” Kira heard Aladdin mutter, and she could tell that the knowledge hurt him.
“That’s it,” the young magi declared, walking forward with purpose “I’m going inside it, to see Director Mogamet’s rukh. And I’m gonna bring him back.
“Because his hesitation,” he continued “is the hesitation of the world itself. Magicians and ordinary people. War and Peace. White rukh, and black rukh. Everything is in conflict in this vortex of fate. And our future, as we stand here on this battlefield, the future of the world itself is at stake! That’s why…”
“Aladdin,” Sindria’s blue haired magician grabbed his hand as he walked forward “please, take me with you. The director is my adoptive father, after all. There’s something…that I want to tell him.”
“Okay.” Aladdin nodded, and all watched on as the circle appeared on his forehead.
“Solomon’s Wisdom!” Aladdin cried out, his and the other’s rukh starting to flow into the spark of white on the Medium’s chest.
“This power…what is it?” Kira muttered as they all looked on, rukh visible to all.
“Othila,” Sinbad turned to the Magician “pull down the barrier. Save your strength.”
The magician Kira had been friends with, whom she now knew went by the name Othila, nodded, her and the brown haired magician bringing down the spells they cast.
“Now what do we do?” the brown haired magician asked, watching as Othila went to kneel next to the sleeping bodies of Aladdin and his friend.
“We wait,” Alibaba replied “this might take a while.”
So they did, watching the still form of the Medium for any signs of change. Soon, the Medium cried out in what seemed to be pain, cracks of white light forming outward from that single speck they’d seen. Light began to shoot out of the cracks, before it finally broke apart and exploded in remnants of dark rukh.
The clouds began to clear, and the dark orb in the sky retreated back from whence it came.
“The black rukh is gone,” Alibaba declared, shocked “this time for sure. The Medium has been wiped out for good!”
Cheers rang out from almost everyone present, and Kira couldn’t help smiling as she turned to Muu.
“She’d be happy for us,” she told him, helping Muu to stand “that we were able to save the world.”
“She would be.” He agreed, before noticing the confrontation beginning between Kou and the Seven Seas Alliance.
Chapter Eight: How Did We Forget That We Don't Have to Hide?
A few months passed since the ritual, when Kira and Muu became one couple, and life was better than it had been before. Kira truly had a family of her own, with the Fanalis Corps, and she couldn’t have been happier. Even her mother and sister were happy for her, if their letters were anything to go by.
“So your sister is the wife of Narmes Titi, Heliohapt Ambassador to the Seven Seas Alliance?” Myron had asked, after Kira had told her about the letters “was it a political marriage?”
“Bara had met him in the palace one day,” Kira replied “after her victory in one of Heliohapts tournaments. While I fight with a spear, she fights with a sword. They got to talking, and the rest is history. She and Narmes couldn’t be happier together.”
“Huh, strange,” Myron muttered “that the Ambassador would be allowed to marry for love, that is.”
“While my betrothal to Armakan might have been political,” Kira countered “the king isn’t a completely heartless man. He knows how important it is to keep others happy.”
~
One of the down sides to finally being Muu’s lover, was that no one took her seriously during training after. It frustrated her to no end, and finally she had to corner Loloh and ask him.
“Seriously, what the hell?!” she growled “you all know I can handle myself against you just fine, so what is it with you taking it easy on me?!”
“Think about it, Kira,” Loloh replied “you’re our Captains girl. Think any of us wanna chance gettin’ him pissed off if you get hurt in training?”
“Seriously?” Kira blinked, silent for a moment before bursting out laughing “If I got seriously hurt in training, the only thing he’d do is sit back and let me handle it. He knows I can deal with it.”
“Alright, alright,” Loloh sighed, shaking his head in amusement “I’ll get word to the others.”
That night, Kira couldn’t help flopping down across Muu’s lap, as they enjoyed dinner together.
“Really?” Muu asked, chuckling “that’s what he said?”
“Yup,” she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder “apparently they didn’t want to chance your anger in case I got really hurt.”
“As though you couldn’t handle yourself?” he replied, smirking “I’d just sit back and let you handle it.”
“That’s what I told Loloh!” Kira laughed “I think he was a little more scared of that, than seeing you angry.”
“The only thing that would get me mad is them not respecting you,” he declared “and they all respect you, so there’s no fear there.”
~
Kira was more than happy with everything that had been happening in her life, but there was still one thing that had been weighing on her heart.
Over the months she’d told Muu about her family, she’d consistently referred to her family as ‘the Red Lions of the Desert’, yet she knew she’d never quite explained why. She wanted to talk about it, though, because of Muu. The legend, the source of the name, he reminded her so much of it. Determined, she decided that it was time that she told him about it, and would do so that night.
Yet, how would she bring it up? It was something she tried to figure out the rest of the day, but couldn’t seem to find the right opportunity. Soon enough, the day was over.
Kira sighed, snuggling up close to Muu as they lay in bed. She wanted to tell him the story, yet didn’t know where to begin.
“Muu,” she spoke up, leaning up to face him “there’s something that’s been bugging me. I know I’ve kept referring to my family as the ‘Red Lions of the Desert’…”
“I’d been wondering about that,” Muu replied, expression showing curiosity and concern “I wanted to wait for you to say something about it, though.”
“I want to tell you the story,” she declared, gently putting a hand on his cheek “but first, I want to show you something. It’s connected, I promise.”
Muu nodded, sitting up and watching as Kira got up from the bed and removed her night gown.
“What are you…” his question died on his lips, upon seeing her bare back and side. Red and black ink tattooed across her flesh, from the lower half of her back to her torso, lines joining together to show a familiar shape.
A red lion, ready to pounce.
“Every youngest daughter born into my family has this design tattooed onto their skin,” Kira explained, sitting straight so he could look closer, showing the tattoo going to her stomach as well, its mouth curled around her navel in a roar “to bring good fortune to their life, and help ensure they find their true happiness. The red lions are our patron protectors, spiritual soul mates that help lead us to our true happiness.”
Muu nodded along as she spoke, expression showing he was shocked to hear such a thing.
“Why are they so important to you?” he managed to ask, still taking in the image of the woman he loved sitting naked on his bed, image of the creature that was so intrinsically connected to his life part of her flesh forever.
“Centuries ago,” Kira explained, launching into the tale “the first ancestor of my family came to the village where I grew up, to settle and start a new life. The only thing that was odd about her was her companion; a red lion. It went with her wherever she went, protected her, provided companionship. Everyone could see his intelligence, and all showed respect to him. One day, though, he disappeared. My ancestor still wasn’t alone, though. In place of the lion was a man. Tall, strong, fast, with long red hair and piercing red eyes. He was smart, knew all to whom he spoke, and was later proclaimed to be my ancestors husband. They were the ones that created the craft my family practices to this day.”
~
Muu listened to the tale, shocked.
It explained everything.
So Kira had Fanalis blood after all.
“Muu?” he looked up at her, surprised to see the concern in her eyes “Muu, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he promised, leaning in to kiss her cheek as his hand caressed the bare skin where the ink lay “everything’s perfect. The story of your family…it makes all the sense in the world.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, curious.
“The man,” Muu replied “the one that appeared in place of the red lion? He was a Fanalis.”
“How do you know that?” Kira wondered, turning to fully face him.
So Muu launched into his own tale, telling her about his journey to find the other Fanalis, visiting the Great Rift, and finding what was on the other side. Living with the knowledge that he wasn’t truly human, not like her or any others in Reim.
“Fanalis aren’t human, not really,” he muttered, once he was finished with the tale “monsters like us can’t be.”
~
Kira listened, surprised, as she finally connected all the dots.
She had Fanalis blood. Her lover was a red lion, just like her.
Yet, why did he think of himself in such a way?
“Muu Alexius,” Kira moved so she was straddling his lap, grabbing his face gently with both hands and forcing him to look at her “you say you’re a monster. If that’s true, then what does that make Myron? Loloh? Me?”
At his silence, she knew that she needed to keep going.
“You listen to me, and you listen good and proper,” Kira continued, gently kissing Muu’s chin “you, sir, are not a monster. You are a talented and courageous commander, great big brother, loyal friend, and the most wonderful person I know.”
With each declaration, she kissed each cheek, his forehead, and then his nose.
“But most importantly, to me,” her lips hovered over his, staring deep into his eyes “you are the man I love, who is everything I said, and more.”
Leaning in, she gently kissed him, pulling back when he started to return it.
“If you’re a monster,” Kira whispered “then so am I, and we’ll be monsters together, my lion heart.”
“You certainly know how to catch someone’s attention, my love,” Muu finally declared, smiling slightly “thank you…for everything. Though…perhaps you should cover up?”
Blinking in confusion, she looked down at herself, before blushing profusely. Sure, showing her breasts wasn’t an issue for her, being from Heliohapt and all, but everything below them was a different story!
“Do you…not want to see me like this?” she muttered, looking up at Muu through her bangs. She was surprised to see his hands bunch into fists at his sides, and heard a low rumble in his chest.
“Of course I do,” he replied, and she could hear the restraint in his voice “but I fear I might not be able to control myself for too much longer…”
At his comment on control, Kira realized where she was sitting, and could feel just what he was talking about.
She knew that Muu wanted their first time together to be special, but…well, she’d consider this moment quite special.
Removing her hands from his face, she took his hands in hers, and gently placed them on her bare thighs, shivering at the feeling of his calloused hands there.
“Perhaps…” she trailed off, waiting for him to look her in the eye before continuing “perhaps this lioness wants her lion to lose control, and to lose her own with him.”
A moment of silence, both trembling in restraint as they gazed into one another’s eyes, before he kissed her with a hunger and passion she hadn’t felt from him before.
So two red lions were finally one, in all ways.
The next morning, Kira woke to find them in a tangle of sheets and limbs, and she couldn’t have been happier. Soreness for her, and a few bite marks on them both were evident, but she didn’t mind in the least.
It had been slow, long, and intense. Her lover knew exactly what to do, and neither of them held back in showing their ‘appreciation’ for one another.
A glance at Muu’s face had Kira dissolving into a fit of giggles. When he had warned her that he had horrible bed-head after a night of sex, he really wasn’t kidding.
Her laughter woke up Muu, who couldn’t help smiling as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.
“Good morning to you, too,” he greeted Kira, brushing hair from her shoulder “what’s so funny?”
“Just your hair’s intense need for a brush,” she joked, grinning when he started laughing as well “on my bedside table.”
“Well worth it,” he replied, leaning in to steal a kiss “especially after last night.”
“Definitely worth it,” she agreed, grinning as she moved to lay on top of him “you, my love, were amazing.”
Before Muu could respond, there was a knock at the door. As they were in Muu’s home, Kira knew that it was either Loloh or Myron.
“Yes?” Muu called out, waiting for Kira to roll off him and cover herself up before continuing “come in.”
In walked Loloh, who stood frozen for a moment before making a slightly amused face.
“Well damn,” he muttered “looks like Myron owes me thirty silver.”
“What is it, Loloh?” Kira demanded, slightly amused at hearing what the other man had to say.
“Captain, Commander,” Loloh answered, causing confusion for the couple in bed “the Corps has been summoned to the palace, in an hour. It’s Magnostadt.”
“So they’ve declared war?” Muu asked.
“They’re refusing to let Titus return, according to reports.” Loloh replied.
“We’ll be there,” Muu nodded “but Loloh…what was that about addressing Kira as ‘commander’?”
“Don’t look at me, I didn’t start it,” the other man shrugged “the others have been callin’ her that for weeks. She’s practically second-in-command.”
Kira couldn’t help laughing at the surprise on Muu’s face. She was surprised, too, but his expression was still rather funny.
“We’ll be there,” she told Loloh “make sure to gather the others.”
“Straight away.” Loloh replied, giving a salute before finally exiting the room.
“At least he didn’t make any more comments about seeing us like this,” Kira sighed “though I’m sure the rest of the Corps will know before we get there.”
“He’ll definitely want to spread the news,” Muu agreed, before flopping back down on the bed “still, it’s odd to think we haven’t heard anything about you being called commander until now.”
“Not like I mind the title,” she shrugged, looking down at him from where she was sitting “do you?”
“I don’t,” he replied, reaching up to gently brush a hand through her hair “but are you sure?”
“I’d decided long ago, Muu, that I’d follow you for the rest of my life,” Kira promised “you have my loyalty for forever. Why would I mind others knowing that?”
With her promise, both of them started to get ready to meet the others. While distracted, neither noticed the circle on his sword starting to glow, or the Rukh flying from it, to go into her spear.
~
Kira and Muu finally arrived at the palace, the rest of the Corps arriving soon afterwards.
“Commander,” Razol spoke up, approaching Kira and giving a salute “is it as we’ve heard?”
“Afraid so,” Kira replied, putting a hand on her friends shoulder “but we need to go in, speak to Lady Scheherazade first.”
The Heliohapti noted Nerva Caluades and Ignatius Alexius as they went inside before them. Muu led the way, and with Kira at his side, the Corps entered the palace, making their way to the audience chamber.
“Before you start,” they heard Scheherazade speak to Nerva and Ignatius “bring Titus to me. He is a citizen of Reim, too.”
“Right.” Both men responded, saluting the Magi.
“Leave it to us, my lady,” Muu declared, voice ringing through the large room as he and Kira saluted Scheherazade “We'll break through the enemy lines in style. We are the Fanalis Corps.”
There was laughter from the Corps, all confident in their abilities. Kira watched Scheherazade as she remained silent, and was worried for the Magi.
What had happened, between Scheherazade and Mogamet?
“Don't fail me Muu, Kira.” The magi told them, before leaving the room.
“Right!” Kira and Muu replied. Kira watched Nerva and Ignatius closely, wondering what both men would do.
“Those slaves from the Alexius family, huh?” Prince Nerva asked the Supreme Commander, chuckling disdainfully “Herm, repulsive.”
Kira watched as Loloh approached him from behind, waiting for the Prince to turn around, before leaning over the shorter man and growling, scaring him. Nerva fell onto his rear end, earning more laughter from the Corps. Kira couldn’t help frowning at his actions, though.
“What's the matter?” Loloh asked, mockingly “Did this repulsive ex-slave frighten you?"
“Look here, Loloh,” Myron growled, glaring up at the other “you had better stop trying to degrade my brother or else!”
“Is that right?” Loloh replied, before both of them leaned in and glared at each other, growling. Kira was worried they might start fighting, before Muu approached, throwing his arms around them both with a large smile as he put his hands on their heads.
“Alright, alright guys,” he chuckled, before his smile fell “What is it I've always said? You need to treat people with respect. All of you.”
Kira sighed in relief, as there was contrite muttering from the Corps.
“But Captain, all of us have pledged our loyalty to you,” Loloh declared as he saluted Muu “Not to lady Scheherazade, sir. If you hadn't found us scattered around the world, most of us would still be toiling away as slaves to this day.”
“Hey, you shouldn't just lump my brother and me in with you guys,” Myron countered “At least he and I have the blood of Alexius coursing through our veins.”
Kira wanted to make a comment on heritage, but bit her tongue. She and Muu would tell the others what they’d learned about each other later.
“The truth is,” Muu replied, looking to Loloh “if it wasn't for the Alexius name, I'd never would have gotten the chance to search in the first place. His Majesty, and Lady Scheherazade, are to thank.”
“Yeah, well, if you say so,” Loloh sighed, before lifting his right arm in front of him, palm upward and fingers curled like claws. All the Fanalis lifted their right hands the same way, and Kira joined them “Let’s fight, and force them all to kneel!”
“Before our great Emperor!” Myron agreed, doing the same as the rest, as Muu unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the sky.
“For the Reim Empire!” he cried out, circle on the blade starting to glow as cheers rang from the Corps. As they started to leave, to make preparations, Myron approached Kira.
“So I heard from Loloh I owe him thirty silver,” she told the Heliohapti “you seriously leave bite marks on my brother?”
“I knew he’d gossip,” Kira sighed “well, it’s not as though Muu didn’t leave his fair share on me.”
“Geez, that’s a bit more than I needed to know,” Myron muttered “Loloh also said something about seeing a tattoo on your torso?”
“Oh, but I’m gonna punch that bastard,” Kira grumbled “Muu is the only one who gets to see that!”
“I’m the only one that gets to see what?” Kira and Myron turned around to see Muu and Loloh standing not too far away.
“Certain red and black ink, my lion heart,” Kira sighed, shaking her head a bit “apparently, Loloh got a glimpse of it when he told us of the summons earlier.
“Only one who gets to see this lionesses ink is her lion, am I clear?” Kira growled, glaring up at Loloh.
“As crystal, commander.” He replied, before blinking in surprise “wait, did you just…”
“Call herself a lioness?” Muu finished, moving to stand next to Kira “she did, and for good reason.”
His declaration had earned everyone’s attention, and Muu launched into the tale of what they’d learned the night before.
“I knew there was something about you!” Myron declared, smirking “you really are one of us!”
“Right, right,” Kira waved it off, offering Myron a small smile, before she turned to the rest of the Corps “come on, there’s much to be done before we can rescue Titus. Let’s get to work!”
“You’ve certainly slipped into your role easily,” Muu declared as they finally left the palace “couldn’t expect anything less from the witch of my heart.”
“Witch of your heart?” she repeated, giving him an amused and confused look.
“You keep referring to me as your lion heart,” he explained “I’m not allowed to give you a nickname?”
“Never said that,” she chuckled “just didn’t quite expect it. ‘The Witch and the Lion Heart’. I like the sound of that.
“Now, we need to focus on the task at hand, my love, and that’s Magnostadt.”
Chapter Seven: No We Won't Let This World Fall Apart
Life was good.
Kira would agree wholeheartedly that life was good. Able to practice her craft without fear of losing her best friend, training with Muu and his comrades, and living her life in a way she never thought possible.
To be so free and comfortable, Kira counted her blessings that she’d earned such a life.
She’d earned a family in the Fanalis Corps, closest to Muu, Myron and Loloh. It was amazing, to have the respect of such accomplished warriors, ones who also had respect for her craft.
Kira and Muu were also closer than ever. The best of friends, truly, they spent every available moment they could in each other’s presence. They had their alone time, to be sure, but they still spent quite a bit of time together. Sometimes Loloh would even rib Kira, wondering why she’d moved out of the Captains house if they were together all the time anyway.
Those jokes usually ended with Kira hitting him upside the head with the butt of her spear.
Months passed in such a manner, and Kira couldn’t have been happier.
Well, that wasn’t the whole truth. She could have been happier, if a certain Fanalis Captain wasn’t so darn sweet and kind.
How else would she explain her realization that she’d always liked him, romantically?
Kira had thought it was simply friendship they had between them, and was fine with that, but she’d soon realized that feeling just friendship wasn’t the case at all.
When had she realized it? Possibly during one of the nights she and Muu had gone out drinking with the rest of the Corps, and one of the waitresses was practically throwing herself at Muu.
It took all that Kira had not to grab the woman and throw her away from the man.
“Kira, you might want to stop growling,” Myron told her “you’re scaring a few civilians.”
Kira straightened up, having not even realized she was growling.
“I wasn’t growling.” She replied, blatantly lying.
“Yeah…sure…” Myron drawled, side-eyeing her friend “I thought you were used to seeing women throw themselves at my brother.”
“I thought I was, too,” Kira sighed “I don’t know what’s going on, Myron.”
“What do you mean?” the Fanalis asked, curious.
“Your brother’s my friend!” the Heliohapti replied “I don’t get why I get so mad when there are women around him!”
“You get mad, but I think that’s not all, is it?” Myron wondered, earning Kira’s confusion “you get mad that it’s not you he’s giving attention to, don’t you?”
“What are you getting at?” Kira muttered, wondering just why she was blushing.
“You’re not mad at the women he’s giving attention to,” Myron declared “you’re jealous. I know how my brother is, Kira. He’s left his fair share of broken hearts behind.”
“What does that have to do with you thinking I’m jealous?” Kira asked, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.
“I know how a woman who’s enamored with him acts,” the other woman countered “and you’ve got all the reason in the world to be so. I mean, look how close the two of you are.”
“He’s my friend!” Kira defended, blushing even more “besides, it’s not like he would choose me, anyway. He only sees me as a friend.”
Normally, Myron would have argued with her friend, but she didn’t want to ruin the night.
~
“Come on, Captain,” Loloh sighed, watching as his friend and commander cast a glance over to Kira and Myron for the third time in twice as many minutes “when are you just gonna fess up that you’re ass over ankle for her?”
“What are you talking about?” Muu asked, looking to his friend in confusion.
“You and Kira,” Loloh answered “anyone with eyes could tell you fell for the girl ages ago.”
Muu stayed silent, deciding not to dignify that with an answer.
So he wasn’t as subtle as he thought he was, huh?
“Captain, the entire corps seems to know you’re in love with her,” Loloh continued, not even batting an eye when Muu almost spit out his wine in shock “seriously, there’s talk of a betting pool starting, for when you two finally get your heads out of your asses.”
“Since when was my personal life the topic of gossip among you all?” Muu muttered, giving his friend a slight glare.
“When it’s practically shoved in our faces every day,” the other countered, utterly calm “seriously, it’s like watching a schoolboy with a crush.”
Muu grumbled under his breath, but didn’t say anything either way. He knew what he felt for Kira, but didn’t want to jeopardize what the two of them already had. If that meant simply being her friend for the rest of their days, then he’d gladly do it.
‘When you’re in love with someone,’ he thought, eyes locked with his reflections’ in the wine cup ‘you want them to be happy no matter what.’
~
The months passed in such a manner, Kira and Muu pining for each other, yet thinking that the other didn’t want them in such a way. It was frustrating for everyone, since it seemed that the only two people who didn’t know about their feelings were Kira and Muu.
Soon enough, Kira heard that a festival was upon them, celebrating the coming of spring and the start of the planting season. Hearing such a thing had the witch happy. She had no idea that Reim also celebrated such a thing!
Her good mood was obvious to everyone, and rather infectious as well.
“Excited for the holiday coming up?” her boss, Tyson, asked “I know you celebrate something similar in Heliohapt.”
“I did,” Kira replied, grinning “it’ll be nice to celebrate it here, and finally solidify my place as a citizen of Reim. It’s a time of new beginnings, and this is the perfect holiday to celebrate it.”
“Do you have a special someone to celebrate it with, my girl?” Tyson questioned, smiling “this is a time for couples, after all. What about that military man I keep seeing you with? The one with the long red hair?”
“Muu?” Kira offered, tan cheeks darkening in a blush “I’m sure he’s got plenty of others he’d want to ask before me.”
“But do you want to ask him?” Tyson countered “I know a young woman in love, my dear girl, and that’s you.”
“Do you think I should?” she asked, suddenly shy “I mean…he’s my friend, above all else…”
“Would you rather ask and regret it,” he replied “or not ask, and regret it? Give it a chance, dear girl, you never know what might happen.”
~
The first day of the festival came around, and it seemed that everyone was out to celebrate. Kira smiled as she went about the market, getting everything that she might need. While she loved festivals, she really did, she planned on celebrating the holiday a different way. With a ritual, performed by her family every year, going far back to before she was born. Traditionally, it was performed by the male and female leaders of the family, but…well, she knew what she wanted to do.
Muu had always been curious about her magic, always asking questions when he came to her home and found her working on it. Even when it seemed like he didn’t really understand what she was going on about, he gave his full attention, nodding along and asking questions.
It was one of the things she loved about him. Yes, after long consideration and time, Kira knew that she loved Muu. Perhaps even felt something like it from the very beginning.
When she was finished gathering everything she needed for the ritual, Kira made her way home, smiling all the while. Everything was set, and she would make the last thing she needed soon before she left for the woods.
When she got back, she noticed Muu walking up the road towards her, and waved to him.
“Well hello there, Captain!” she greeted him, grinning “what can I do for you?”
“What makes you think I want something?” Muu replied, chuckling, as he got closer “maybe I just wanted to see you.”
“Never one to say no to you,” she laughed “come on in. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
They went inside, and Kira put her basket on the table as Muu went to sit on a stool nearby.
“What’s all that for?” he asked, curiously looking at everything. The basket had peaches, cherries, a bouquet of roses, and a singular arrow. It was an odd assortment of items, she knew, but they were what Kira needed.
“Items for tonight,” she replied “to celebrate the holiday.”
“You have a ritual for this holiday?” Muu wondered “I didn’t think Heliohapt celebrated the start of the planting season, being a desert country.”
“All the more reason to celebrate it,” Kira explained “to help bring good fortune to an already difficult process.”
“Makes sense,” he nodded “so, is it another solitary ritual?”
Kira hesitated when he asked, before taking a deep breath.
Now or never.
“No,” she replied, turning to face Muu “it’s always performed with two people, a man and a woman. Traditionally, my mother and father always led it.”
“So who’s going to help you?” Muu asked, and Kira wondered why he seemed uncomfortable.
“Well, you’ve said before that you’re interested in seeing how I do what I do up close,” she replied “so, if you want, you could.”
There was a small bit of silence, and Kira prepared herself for a rejection.
“I’d be honored,” Muu replied, smiling “shall I meet you here tonight?”
“Yeah,” Kira nodded, smiling bright “and be sure to wear something that you don’t have a chance of having burn in a fire, okay? We’ll be having our own personal bonfire.”
“You can count on it.” He agreed, laughing.
~
Spending the holiday with Kira was more than Muu could have asked for. At her suggestion, he was wearing his armor, it being both comfortable and non-flammable. Making his way through the crowds that evening, he finally arrived at Kira’s home. Before he could get to the door, it opened, and out stepped Kira.
Muu could have sworn his heart stopped, and that his face was on fire.
Her hair was down, with a daisy behind her ear. She was wearing a beautiful dress, pink and white, with what looked to be white fabric flowers around her waist. The skirt was made of a fabric that allowed him to see through it a bit, giving him a glimpse of her long tan legs, and the same sort of fabric was draped across her shoulders as a sort of shawl.
“..uu?” her voice shook him out of his daze “Muu, you okay?”
“I-I’m fine,” he nodded, smiling to show he was okay, though he was certain he was still blushing “Kira, you….you look stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in something like this.”
“I’m always in either training gear or normal clothes,” she agreed, smiling shyly “it’s nice to wear something nice like this.”
“Here, let me carry that,” Muu told her, taking the basket of things they needed, before offering her his arm “shall we go?”
“Well, should have remembered that a man of the Alexius family would be quite the gentleman,” Kira chuckled, linking her arm with his “let’s go. You remember the way?”
“I do.” he nodded, smiling bright, before they went off. They made their way through the crowds, towards the forest, talking all the while. They went over the basics of how to set up the circle, the lighting of the fire, and what would happen. She’d given Muu a copy of the words he was supposed to say, and he had memorized them easily.
~
The quiet of the forest was welcome, after the noise of the crowds from the festival, and soon they were at the clearing. Together, Kira and Muu set up the circle, starting from the east every time and going clockwise around. With the candles in the stones lit, and the wood starting to smoke and burn, they stood together for a little while, enjoying the quiet.
Once the fire was at a good size, Kira took a deep breath, before turning to Muu.
“Are you ready?” she asked, and she wouldn’t deny being nervous herself. It was the first time since she left home, that she was performing a ritual with another person.
“Lead the way.” Muu replied, nodding. Taking another deep breath, Kira took his hand, and they walked together towards the fire. Picking up the arrow from the ground, she held it out so it ran down the length of her arm, tip pointing to the fire.
“Long ago, our ancestors planted their fields at this time,” she started to recite, remembering what her mother taught her about using the cadence in her voice “The fields that lay fallow for months are now warm and waiting. The soil that was dormant for the winter now begs us to plant our seeds. The earth is awakening and ripe, and this is a season of love and passion. It is a season of fire.”
~
Muu watched and listened, entranced, as Kira spoke. She looked and sounded absolutely radiant.
“As our fires grow, lighting up the night sky, the fire within us grows stronger,” she continued, this time holding the arrow like a wand "It is the fire of lust and passion, knowing that like the earth, we too are fertile.
“Tonight, the God emerges from the forest,” she turned to Muu, arrow pointing at his heart “Tonight is the night he will chase and capture the maiden. She is the Goddess of fields and flowers, she is Mother Earth herself.”
At the mention of the Maiden, Kira pointed the arrow to herself, intensity of the moment holding them both.
“Bring fertility to the land!” she called out, grinning, as she tossed the arrow into the fire “Let the hunt begin!”
With that, and a cheeky wink, she took off around the fire towards the north, and Muu chased after her. The symbolism of courtship, the beginning of new life, as they ran together around the fire three times. Kira almost let him catch her a few times, before they finally came back to the eastern point of the circle, and Muu had her in his arms.
“Fire and passion, love and life,” they spoke together, cheeks red from the fire and thrill of the chase as they stared into each other’s eyes “brought together as one.”
“I am the earth, the womb of all creation,” Kira recited in a strong but hushed voice, hands placing themselves on Muu’s chest, fingers caressing the bare skin of his throat “within me, new life grows each year. Water is my blood, air my breath, and fire is my spirit. I give you honor, and shall create new life with you.”
“I am the rutting stag, the seed, the energy of life,” Muu recited, voice hushed, as his hands went to her hips, holding them firmly “I am the mighty oak that grows in the forest. I give you honor, and shall create new life with you.”
Caught in the moment, magic flowing all around them, Muu leaned in and kissed Kira, passion flowing into it as the fire jumped higher. Kira wrapped her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss, and they both pulled away after a moment.
“We shall be blessed with abundance this year…” Kira muttered, ending the ritual.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, unsure of what to do, but Muu knew what he didn’t want to do.
He didn’t want to let her go.
“Kira,” he muttered, holding her close “I…there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
“What is it?” she asked, eyebrows furrowing together in concern.
Leaning in, Muu kissed her once more, this time gently and with all the feeling he had behind it, hoping to show her what he was still too nervous to say.
He pulled back after a moment, and knew that he had to say it before he lost any more nerve.
“I love you, Kira,” he declared “I’m in love with you.”
~
The Heliohapti stared up at her best friend, the man who just confessed to being in love with her, and felt as though her heart would take flight.
“Can you die of happiness?” she questioned aloud, smile threatening to split her face in two “Muu, my dearest friend, I’m in love with you too. I love you too!”
Kira practically tackled him in a hug, Muu catching her with ease and spinning them around, making sure they were far enough away so her dress wouldn’t catch fire.
“How long have you known?” she asked, grinning when he set her back on her feet.
“A long time,” he replied, smiling fondly down at her “and that was just when I realized what I felt for you. I think…that I’ve loved you from the moment we met.”
Kira was certain her face matched Muu’s hair, and she couldn’t help tearing up a bit.
“I think it’s been the same for me,” she declared “what a pair we make, huh?”
They sat together, under the stars, just enjoying each other’s presence and the food that they brought, before finally putting out the fire and returning home. When they reached the door, Muu gave Kira a gentle kiss goodnight, before they parted ways.
Kira felt as though she was floating the whole time, happier than she had ever been, and she knew that Muu felt the same.
~
After the festival was over, it was time for all to return to work once more. Muu had made the first training day after the holiday a late start, and it was obviously a good idea. Kira couldn’t help grinning as she sat with Muu, watching as the others came to the training grounds, noting the slight sluggishness in their actions that spoke of hangovers.
It amused her to know that even Fanalis suffered from hangovers, and she was always counted on to provide something for them when it was needed.
The day before, Muu had stopped by with a gift for her; gold armor just like his, the only difference being that it was small enough to fit her. Myron had spotted her first, and the smile on her friends face told Kira she knew more than she’d let on before.
Sure, Kira was seen as one of them before, but the gold armor seemed to make it truly official.
With her connection to their Captain, as his lover, Kira was now truly one of the Fanalis Corps.
Kira was back in the room she was in before the fight, armor removed and starting to patch up her wounds. The swordsman she’d faced had put up a hell of a fight, and she was still riding the high from a fight well won.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up to the door to see three figures there. Having already gotten her cut of the money, Kira wondered who it could be.
When they came into the light, she saw Lady Scheherazade first. Kira hadn’t seen the Magi in a long time, and it made her glad to see the other woman again. The next person she saw was Muu, and her gladness faded to indifference. While she was still upset with what Muu had said, Kira was slowly getting over it. Friends had arguments all the time. The last person, tan and dressed in gold, was….
“Armakan?” Kira immediately shot up from her seat, shock coursing through her.
Why? Why was he here, of all places?!
“It’s been a while, Kira,” the monarch replied, casual tone irking her all the more “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I could say the same,” she muttered “why are you here?”
~
To say that Muu was shocked would be an understatement. He’d never thought that Kira would be so informal with someone of Armakan’s standing.
They obviously knew each other, but how?
“That’s quite a tone to take,” Armakan declared “for not having seen each other in years.”
“And you know exactly why I’m like this,” Kira growled “do you really expect me to be cordial to you, after what happened at court?”
“You know that the people there say things in order to get reactions,” Armakan countered “I had thought you would know better than to give them what they wanted.”
“And as your betrothed, I had thought you would defend me!” Kira shouted, face flush in anger and embarrassment.
‘Wait, what?!’ Muu thought, shocked. Kira was betrothed to King Armakan?!
“Yet clearly it was easy for you to break the engagement,” Armakan commented “yet it wasn’t as though it was arranged out of love.”
Kira paled considerably, and that had Muu incredibly worried.
“….what?” she muttered “you didn’t…?”
“Your sister was already promised to Narmes,” Armakan continued “and it was my intention to clear the grime from your family’s reputation as witches. Emotion had no part in it.”
It didn’t take long for Muu to understand. Armakan had only courted Kira for political reasons, yet she didn’t know that. She’d cared for Armakan.
How could someone who called themselves a king do such a thing?
“So you toyed with her emotions?” Muu growled, walking from his spot next to Scheherazade to stand between Armakan and Kira “used her?”
~
Still reeling from the shock of Armakans revelation, Kira almost didn’t notice Muu. She was honestly scared of his tone….she’d never heard him so mad.
"On the balcony, you called her a red lioness,” Muu started, angry “If you stand by that name for her, then you know she deserves more respect than what you're giving her. No matter what your station is, you should understand that!
“If you didn't love her, then you should at least have had the decency to tell her the marriage was purely political,” he continued, composure fading more “toying with her emotions like that isn't right! I might not understand her magic, but I've seen it, and it's a beautiful thing. I made the mistake of underestimating her strength, and I shouldn't have. You shouldn't, either.”
“Muu…” Kira muttered, hoping to stop him as she reached out.
“She's a child of Reim, now,” Muu finished, only staying still when Kira came over and grabbed hold of his arm “Whatever claim you think you have on her no longer exists!"
~
The only thing that kept Muu from challenging the other dungeon capturer was feeling Kira’s hands on his arm.
There was silence, tense silence.
“We should leave now, Armakan,” Scheherazade declared “we’ve much to discuss.”
The Magi and the Monarch both turned and started to leave, before Scheherazade turned back to Muu and Kira.
“I’m proud of you,” she told them “both of you.”
With that, Muu and Kira were left alone, and Muu realized just what he had done.
Oh, but he’ll never here the end of it from Myron, when she learned of it! Blushing bright with embarrassment, he turned to Kira, who was staring up at him.
Was that admiration in her eyes?
“I’m sorry,” he declared, before she could say anything “about everything. I should have known that you wouldn’t have signed up to do this if you didn’t think you could win. I shouldn’t have spied on you before, either. I was just-”
A gentle finger to his lips stopped him.
“You were worried about me,” Kira finished, smiling in amusement as she took her hand back “I understand that, now. Thank you, Muu.”
“For what?” he asked, blinking in confusion. Wasn’t she mad at him?
“Worrying about me,” she replied “defending me the way you did. I’ll always be thankful for you, Muu. You’re my best friend, after all.”
“And you’re not upset about me following you?” Muu wondered “I spied on you while you performed a ritual…”
“Honestly, I’m glad you did it,” Kira giggled “saves me the effort of bringing it up. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how, that’s all. I didn’t know how you’d react….thought you might hate me.”
“Why would I hate you?” he asked, concerned as he gently put a hand on her cheek “because you practice a craft that helps people?”
“I’ve faced discrimination for it before,” she muttered, leaning into his touch “it had me scared…”
“I understand,” he promised, pulling her close in a hug “I’m half fanalis, remember? I know what it’s like.”
“As though I could forget your heritage,” Kira mumbled “thank you for being my friend, Muu. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Muu hugged her tighter in response, staying quiet. What was it about Kira that brought all this out in him? He knew she could protect herself, he’d seen it first-hand, but he wanted to protect her. He wanted to make sure she was always happy.
Holding her the way he was just seemed….right. As though they were meant to be that way.
That was ridiculous, though. Kira was his best friend! Muu didn’t think of her that way…right?
“Hey,” he spoke up, earning her attention as their gazes locked “do you have to work tomorrow morning?”
“Got the whole day off to move into my new place,” she replied “but that’ll only be in the afternoon, so the morning is free. Why?”
“Well, after seeing you fight, I’m anxious to see your skills up close,” he declared, grinning “come with me to training tomorrow?”
His request had Kira grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh, I’d love to,” she agreed “that’d be awesome.”
“It’s a plan,” Muu nodded, smile growing even more so “do you have your own weapon?”
“I do,” Kira replied “bought her a few months back.”
“Good to hear,” he declared “so did you have anywhere else to go to, today?”
“Just to talk to the landlord,” she mused “get the deed and keys for my new place.”
“How about we go together?” Muu asked “I’m eager to know more about your training.”
“I’d like that.” Kira agreed, smiling. With that, they left the room arm in arm, talking and laughing.
~
The next morning, Myron went to the training grounds like always, ready to go through the daily routine of training, when she heard sounds of sparring and cheering. That wouldn’t have been all that strange, if it weren’t for the hour.
Making her way over to the crowd, she pushed her way through to Loloh, to see what was going on.
In the training yard were Muu and Kira, and they were really going hard in the spar.
“Whoa,” Myron muttered, watching as her brother and his best friend fought “okay, I knew she was good, but…”
“If I didn’t know any better,” Loloh huffed “I’d say that girl was one of us.”
Myron could understand where he was coming from. She could tell that her brother wasn’t holding back, and Kira was putting up a real good fight against him.
Kira and Muu stopped their spar, and Muu turned to the gathered crowd.
“Show’s over!” he called out to them “time to get to work!”
As everyone filed in and started getting ready, Myron watched Muu and Kira as they talked, and she couldn’t help noticing the way they acted together.
She’d seen her brother be affectionate with women, and knew that he’d left his fair share of broken hearts behind, but she’d never seen Muu quite like this. Myron could tell that her brother was truly smitten with Kira, maybe even well on his way to falling in love with the black haired woman. If Myron knew anything about her brother’s friend, then she could see that Kira might very well return her brothers feelings.
“This is going to be interesting.” Myron muttered.
Chapter Five: Who Are You to Tell Me That I'm less than What I Should Be?
In all honesty, the incident with Petra and Set completely slipped Muu and Kira’s minds after a while, and a month or two passed after that. Muu and Kira were as close as ever, and their routines were relatively set.
Muu had started to wonder about Kira, though. Over the months, he’d begun to notice a change in his dear friend. After consulting with Myron, who saw Kira almost as often as Muu did, the brother-sister duo had both agreed that there was something different about her.
She was doing a lot more on her own, and wouldn’t tell him what it was. She seemed to be getting stronger, and more independent. In fact, while on his way to the palace to see Lady Scheherazade, he’d seen Kira in a meeting with a landlord.
What was she up to?
Muu knew she would tell him when she felt the time was right, but that didn’t help curb his curiosity in the slightest. It was only practiced patience that had him stilling his tongue whenever she was around.
~
Kira couldn’t help wondering if she’d done something wrong, or had upset Muu in any way. He’d been acting strangely around her for the last couple of weeks, and not in a good way. It was almost as though he was avoiding talking to her! Whenever they were together, he was always really quiet, and she wondered what she’d done to upset him.
Well, it wasn’t as though they’d have to put up with it for much longer.
Kira was confident in her skills with a spear once more, having practiced and trained long and hard to get used to her new weapon. She had plenty of silver to get her own home, but there was something she wanted to do first.
Fight in the coliseum.
Back in Heliohapt, Kira was counted to be one of the best spear fighters in her village, in fact in the entire country. King Armakan Amun-Ra himself had declared her to be such.
So, she signed up to fight, getting all the information she needed. Kira would fight the next day, and any armor or weapons she needed would be provided for her.
She was brimming with nervous anticipation, and couldn’t help smiling for the rest of the day.
“What’s got you all excited?” Muu asked, as the two of them prepared dinner together.
“You’ll see tomorrow,” Kira replied, smiling so wide her eyes were closed “I’ll tell you everything then.”
Her best friend gave her an amused and curious look, but didn’t ask anything else. The rest of the night passed just as they did before, the two of them having fun and spending time together.
Kira was really going to miss it.
~
The next day, Myron and Muu were talking together as he ate breakfast, both waiting for Kira. Muu had filled his sister in on what his friend had told him, and both were curious as to what they’d noticed had been all about.
“Oh, good morning, Myron!” the siblings turned to see Kira standing in the doorway, dressed in a tunic and sandals, smiling “didn’t expect to see you here. Good morning, Muu.”
“Good morning.” Muu and his sister replied.
“You seem excited,” Muu observed, watching as Kira quickly got some breakfast and started eating “something happening today?”
“Indeed there is,” Kira nodded, smiling as she sat down across from them “I was finally able to talk to a landlord not too long ago.”
“Oh?” Myron questioned, noticing her brother go slightly pale “looking to get your own place to call home?”
“This will always feel like a home to me,” Kira declared, smiling kindly as she looked to Myron “but I’m finally able to afford my own place, yes.”
“That’s great! Congratulations Kira!” the woman congratulated her friend “it’s great. Right brother?”
“Of course,” Muu agreed, though Myron could see there was something off about his reaction “congratulations, my friend. I’m happy for you.”
~
Muu was most certainly not all that happy.
He honestly felt blindsided by the announcement, though part of him knew he should have seen it coming for a long time. Hadn’t Kira been insistent from the beginning that she would find her own place to live?
Though knowing she would always consider his house a home comforted him a bit, that didn’t lessen the sting a great deal by any means.
He’d miss her.
“That can’t be the only thing that has you excited,” Myron declared, earning Muu’s attention “you look like my brother right before he enters the arena for a sword fight.”
Muu looked up at that, curious, as he observed Kira. His friend was walking to clear her plate, and after a moment, Muu recognized what his sister saw. Kira was light on her feet, and had an energy about her that said she was ready for a fight.
“Kind of hit it on the nose, there,” Kira admitted, making Muu wonder what she was going on about “talking to the landlord isn’t the only thing going on today. I’m competing in the coliseum!”
“You’re what?!” Both Myron and Muu jumped up in surprise. Of all the things they’d expected to hear, hearing that she was going to fight hadn’t even made the list!
“Fighting at the coliseum today,” Kira repeated, confused “I know you two know I can fight, so what are you so worried about?”
“Only time we’ve ever seen you fight was when we first met,” Muu replied, heart racing as fast as a galloping horse “could you seriously consider that a display of skill?”
“I thought you had more faith in me than that, Muu.” She countered, expression hurt.
“I do have faith in you,” he declared “I just want to know how you plan on not getting yourself killed!”
Suddenly, Muu’s field of vision shifted, and his cheek was stinging horribly. It took him a moment to realize that Kira had slapped him, hard. He turned to look at her, and saw his best friend seething with anger and embarrassment.
"I've had a life of being underestimated and looked down on,” she shouted “but I never expected anything like that from you. You’re an Alexius of Reim, a Fanalis. I'm a Yael of Heliohapt! A red lion of the desert, a witch, and I won't let anything or anyone stand in the way me being who I am! If I want to fight, I'll fight! If I want to practice my family's magic, I'll practice it!
“I thought you were my friend, Muu Alexius! I thought....” Kira paused, voice losing its volume but none of its intensity “I thought we had a bond. But if this is the way you react to me doing what I was trained to do, then I guess I was wrong. Come to the coliseum or don't come. I don't care anymore."
With that, Kira turned on the spot and stormed off, and Muu felt absolutely HORRIBLE.
“You’re going to see her fight,” Myron spoke up after a little while “right?”
Ashamed that he’d acted the way he did-especially in front of his sister-Muu nodded in response.
“We’ll both go,” she declared, standing next to him “if she’s got enough confidence in her skills to compete, then I want to see what she’s got.”
~
To say that Kira felt horrible would be an understatement. She knew that Muu was only worrying about her, but she’d felt like he was doubting and underestimating her.
It hurt.
Reporting to the gathering place for Gladiators, she looked over the armor and weapons in the room, grateful that they had separate rooms for each fighter. She didn’t really want to deal with egotistical males.
Finding practical armor that fit, she strapped herself into it, before picking her spear and settling in to wait.
Whoever or whatever she was facing would be the recipient of her anger, and she slightly pitied them for it.
~
When they finally arrived at the coliseum, Muu was surprised to hear that Scheherazade was also there. Fights like that usually weren’t something that interested her. The last time she’d been there, it was about the young man who’d fought the ape Garda. If Muu remembered the lads name correctly, it was Alibaba.
“Maybe she heard about Kira,” Myron told her brother “and that’s why she’s here. Either way, going up to her wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“I’ll go,” Muu nodded “you go on.”
The two Alexius siblings parted ways, and Muu went to join the Magi up in her private box.
“I’m sure we’re here for the same reason, Lady Scheherazade?” the Fanalis greeted her, as he walked over to stand at her side.
“I heard that Kira was fighting,” she agreed, looking up at Muu “and wanted to see her skills.”
“She seemed confident before she left the house this morning.” Muu commented, still feeling ashamed for how he acted.
Time passed, fight after fight occurring, and still no sign of Kira.
“Lady Scheherazade…” he started, hesitation catching her attention “do you know the Yael family?”
“I have heard of them,” she replied “a strong line, from Heliohapt. Their women are known for practicing a form of witchcraft specific to their family. And Kira, one of the best spear fighters in the country.”
Hearing what Scheherazade said made Muu feel even worse. Why hadn’t he just trusted that Kira knew what she was doing? She wouldn’t have signed up to fight if she didn’t think she could win.
“And what of their being known as the Red Lions of the Desert?” he asked, wondering if she knew anything about that.
“All I know is that it is part of their family history,” Scheherazade explained “a well-kept story.”
Muu was about to ask if she knew what that story was, when the next fight was announced.
“Our next combatant, Kira Yael!” came the announcement, and cheers were heard as Kira walked out. Her black hair was up in a high ponytail, keeping everything away from her face, wearing the same kind of armor that he was wearing, and a long spear over her shoulder. Used to fighting with one because of his djinn equip, Muu couldn’t help admiring the choice of weapon Kira had made, noting that it was a bit longer than Kira was tall.
“It’s certainly been a while since I’ve seen my red lioness in a fight.” A new voice declared, and Muu turned to see who it was.
Armakan Amun-Ra; King of Heliohapt.
“Thank you for joining me, Armakan.” Scheherazade told the King, turning her attention to the man, as he approached to stand at her other side “I know watching this kind of event isn’t exactly to your liking.”
The mix of anger and sick-to-his-stomach Muu was feeling had him understanding why people would say someone was green with jealousy or envy. To hear the King call Kira ‘his’ red lioness had Muu supremely unhappy.
Despite both being dungeon capturers, Muu wasn’t in the position to say anything to Armakan, and had to bite his tongue.
Cheers from the crowd drew their attention back to the fight, and Muu couldn’t help watching in awe as he watched Kira fight her opponent, a swordsman. She was amazing, and fast. Her ferocity and skill were incredible, practically on par with his own or any other member of the Corps.
The fight didn’t last incredibly long, but it was most certainly entertaining, and Muu knew that Kira would get a hefty reward for her fight.
When most thought that she would kill her opponent, she let the other surrender, and that made Muu happier than before.
He knew how big a heart Kira had, and to see it extend to chivalry in combat assured him that she was indeed incredible.
Once the fight was over, Scheherazade stood from her seat.
“I believe we should go congratulate our friend, for a well-earned victory,” she declared, turning to look up at Muu “don’t you agree, Muu?”
“Indeed, Lady Scheherazade,” he nodded, before forcing himself to turn to Armakan “will you be joining us, your Grace?”
“I shall.” The monarch replied, and soon the three of them were headed down to where the fighters would be after a match.
Muu had the distinct feeling that it wouldn’t end well.
Chapter Four: A Cruel World Where Everybody Keeps Score
After breakfast, Kira went to clean up and get ready for the day, when she decided to take stock of her savings, see how she was doing. She figured that she would need at least 1,000 silver, for a good polearm weapon, and a dagger for protection.
Counting her silver after she was dressed, Kira resisted the urge to cheer when she found out she had more than enough. She wanted to save as much as she could to get her own place, and to see she could do that and be able to afford her weapons instantly energized her.
Thankfully, she worked an afternoon shift that day, so she could spend the morning at weapons shops!
Putting the money in a purse, and putting said purse in her bag, Kira practically skipped out of the house, waving goodbye to Muu as she went.
“I’m heading out for a bit!” she called to him from the street, grinning as she saw him wave back “I’ll see you tonight!”
The day was absolutely beautiful, and Kira would be damned if she wouldn’t make the best of it.
Enjoying the weather, she made her way through the shopping district towards the end that bordered on the military district, where the training grounds and barracks for many members of the military were. Weapons shops were smart to build in that part of the shopping district, knowing they’d get business from both civilians and the military. Looking around, she spotted one that looked to specialize in polearms, and went to enter.
As she’d expected, Kira was the only woman in the shop. It seemed that the only women in Reim who fought, were the ones in the Fanalis Corps. Of course, it was also rather slow, given the hour.
Looking at the wall, where many spears were, she was pleasantly surprised to see that weapon designs from all over seemed to be represented. Different kinds from Kou, Sindria, Parthevia, and even Heliohapt and Artemyra.
Stopping in front of the familiar spears from her home country, Kira lifted one from the wall to examine the craftsmanship. While the one she’d wielded back home had a staff body of a lighter wood, the one currently in her hands was made of a sturdier kind, making it a fair bit heftier than what she was used to. If she held it with the butt of the spear touching the floor, the tip of the blade reached a few inches above her head, which was definitely something that she was prepared to work with.
The tip of the spear was made of a much nicer metal, and the edge was certainly sharp. Not quite sharp enough for her tastes, but that wasn’t something she couldn’t take care of herself. The blade was the familiar leaf shape, stretched to have a sharp point at the end.
“Is the young miss interested in a weapon?” Kira turned to see the owner of the shop was talking to her “perhaps a dagger, or short sword, would be more to your taste.”
“Thank you,” she replied, already on edge from his tone “but I’ve trained with spears from a young age, and I would like to have one again.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” he nodded “those are my specialty! I see you picked up one from Heliohapt. They’re good, to be sure, though I would recommend an Artemyran spear for a woman, with how they’re designed to be wielded by women and all.”
“While what you say makes sense,” Kira agreed “I happen to be from Heliohapt, and trained with a spear much like one of these. It’s as familiar to me as my own arm.”
“We don’t get many heliohapti here in Reim,” the shop owner commented “let alone those with black hair. Wait….heliohapti woman with black hair…word has spread about you around here, miss.”
“What do you mean?” Kira asked, immediately ready to go on the defensive.
“People have seen you with Captian Alexius,” he explained “and word has spread of your ability, having put up a fight against a member of the fanalis corps!”
“Well, one tends to fight their hardest when their life is on the line,” Kira muttered, not wanting to talk about it “how much for the spear? And a sharpening stone?”
“Spear and stone, for you?” he thought it over “700 silver. Did you want to see anything else?”
“Do you know where I can find a good dagger, for protection?” she asked “you understand life in the city for a young woman…”
“Absolutely,” he nodded “I have a selection over here.”
So Kira followed, and was able to pay for all at the same time. The dagger was simple, with a curved guard to catch another knife if she was attacked. Kira went back to the house, and was quick to get everything put away. She had to get to work, and could start practicing later on.
Thinking on it, Kira didn’t know just when she’d tell Muu about her skill, or how she’d get practice in. It was hard enough, waking up before he did.
Well, it was like her mother said: if you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way to get it.
~
Over the next few months, Kira trained hard, and she and Muu grew closer than ever. Whenever they went somewhere together, Muu would always introduce Kira as ‘his dearest and best friend’. It made the young witch blush to no end, but she was still rather happy about it. Even if Muu laughed at her blushes.
“You just love teasing me.” She’d tell him, pouting.
“Only because of how adorable you look while blushing.” Muu would reply, arm around her shoulders.
That, of course, would cause Kira to blush even more, earning more laughter from Muu. Really, if he didn’t have a firm place in her heart and weren’t a Fanalis, she would have soundly smacked him long ago.
One night, as Kira returned home from work, she made her way to the kitchen to start dinner.
Or she would have, if a wall of white cloth and red hair weren’t blocking her way.
“Muu?” she looked up at him, confused “what are you doing? I need to get started.”
“Not tonight,” he replied, shaking his head as he physically turned her around “tonight we go out to eat, my treat. You’ve been doing all the cooking for weeks.”
“You know I don’t mind it!” Kira declared “I like cooking!”
“And maybe I just want to treat my best friend to a nice meal?” Muu countered, leaning down next to her shoulder to stare at her. Seeing the sheer stubbornness in his eyes, Kira couldn’t help sighing.
“Alright, alright,” she muttered, smiling at Muu’s triumphant grin “let’s go.”
Arm in arm with Muu, Kira walked with him out the door. It was a less than usual sight, to see Muu out of his armor, but it was one she enjoyed seeing all the same. It meant that her dear friend was relaxed.
Of course, he had his metal vessel on him at all times. She’d asked once, what it was like to go through the dungeon and become Barbatos’ master, and whoa boy, was it an interesting tale. Took a few hours to tell, as well.
When he’d finished telling it, Kira had freely admitted that she truly admired him for what he’d done. It took more courage and determination than she ever had, for what he did.
She noticed they were headed towards the forum, and that it was a rather nice night out. There were a few stalls and restaurants ringing the area, leaving Kira to wonder where it was he was taking her. Despite starting life out as Mr. Muu ‘I’m on my high horse’ Alexius, he was a rather down-to-earth sort, not thinking much of anything below his standard.
Making their way over, Kira noted they were at the open-air section of what seemed to be a pub-serving food and alcohol-and knew that Muu would certainly be enjoying himself that night. He drank like a fish, her dear friend.
She could clearly feel that there were people staring. Kira couldn’t blame them, really. A Fanalis and Heliohapti walked into the bar. Sounded like the beginning of a bad joke, if she was being honest.
They sat down, and a waitress immediately came over to fawn over Muu. Clearly, he was just trying to be nice, but Kira knew the way women were with him.
Oh, the warrior woman wasn’t blind, she knew Muu was attractive! How could he not be? Long red hair, piercing red eyes, incredibly well built, and just as wonderful a personality on top of it all.
“You just love the attention you get wherever we go, don’t you?” Kira teased, smirking at the slight blush on Muu’s cheeks once the waitress left “she was all over you.”
“It’s not like I asked her to be,” Muu countered, blushing more at the teasing “you know how it is.”
“Just can’t live with someone not being happy after meeting you,” she agreed, grinning as his cheeks started to match his hair “I do know how it is, indeed.”
Muu tried to keep up his pout, but couldn’t help laughing after a little while.
“Couldn’t stay mad at you if I tried.” He chuckled.
“Because I’m cute?” Kira laughed, propping her head in her hands and blinking, putting on her most innocent face.
“Among other things.” Muu agreed, laughing along.
“Is that what they call being a harlot here in Reim?” a new voice asked, loud, from not far behind Kira. She and Muu turned to see that it was two men from Heliohapt, both of whom were smirking, and obviously had been drinking.
“Funny to see a red lion with a famous gladiator,” the man’s companion declared, both of them starting to laugh “who thought she’d come all the way here to escape?”
“Petra, Set,” Kira sighed, recognizing the two from their numerous encounters back in Heliohapt “what are you two doing here?”
“If you must know, we’re here on business,” the first, Petra, replied “though we never expected to see a Yael here, of all places.”
“You red lions are best kept in your cages back home,” Set added “or was your gilded cage too much for you? Is that why you ran?”
“Would be lucky if any other man wanted to court her, let alone marry her!” Petra declared, both men laughing.
Kira was practically shaking, anger almost too much for her as her tongue was stilled by embarrassment. She couldn’t even turn away to hide the tears brimming in her eyes.
“Pardon me,” Muu spoke up, and shivers immediately ran down Kira’s spine when she heard his tone. Muu was MAD “I don’t think I got the chance to introduce myself here.”
Muu stood, walking over to Petra and Set, taking advantage of his height to loom over the other two men as they stood.
“Muu Alexius,” the Fanalis continued “Captain of the Fanalis Corps, and more importantly, Kira’s best friend. Now, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, interrupting us to say all those things to her, especially on a night like this. However, if you insist on continuing, I will have to ask you to leave. Keeping the peace is the duty of an Alexius, after all.”
Kira knew from his words that Muu was beyond mad, and completely serious. He never used his family name in such a way, ever. Petra and Set seemed to sense the danger, and were quick to pay their tab and leave.
“Looks like the lioness found herself a lion.” She heard Set mutter.
“He best watch himself,” Petra agreed as they walked away “no good ever came from loving a Yael woman.”
~
Muu watched as the two offenders left, reigning in his boiling temper. How dare they have the nerve to say such things!
When they’d said ‘red lion’…he’d had a small heart attack, wondering what it was they knew about the Fanalis. Strange, though, how they’d said it in reference to Kira.
What was that about a gilded cage, and escaping?
Turning back to Kira, Muu immediately sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Are you alright?” he asked, taking note that she was still trembling “do you want to talk about it?”
“Later,” Kira replied “let’s not ruin the night by talking about the past.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, needing to be certain.
“Absolutely,” Kira promised “now, I believe you said you wanted to treat me to a nice dinner, right? Can’t really do that if you’re sitting here worrying about me. Let’s talk about other things, yeah?”
Nodding, Muu got up from next to her, before moving to and sitting back down in his original seat. The night progressed, and Muu was glad to see her smiling once more.
Though something was bothering him, in the back of his mind; why was it that seeing her so sad hurt him so much? It hurt to see anyone he cared about sad, but Muu knew it was different with Kira. His need to defend her was different.
Muu didn’t know why he felt this way, but he knew he didn’t dislike it in the least.
Weeks passed, and it surprised Kira just how well she fit into life in Reim. It was almost as though she’d lived there, with Muu, her whole life. In an effort to be helpful, she’d started bringing food with her to the Fanalis Corps training grounds on her days off, since she knew that Muu sometimes had a habit of missing the midday meal during training. More often than not, he’d just gratefully take the food before returning to his comrades, in which case Kira would sit somewhere safely on the sidelines, enjoying her own meal as she watched the Corps train together.
Kira couldn’t help admiring them as they trained, in awe of their strength and skill. They had more skill in one finger than she did in her entire body! Of course, Muu was the best among them, which was evident by his rank as Captain.
Seeing them train made Kira itch to get her own weapon and jump in with them, but she was hesitant about it. Sure, there were women among the Corps, but would they really be willing to train with Kira?
‘No, I better not ask them,’ she thought as she watched, enjoying her day of work ‘I didn’t want them to know about my training in the first place, after all.’
Kira smiled and waved when she saw Muu waving at her, and laughed when she saw a few of Muu’s comrades rib him over it. Bloodline aside, they really were like a giant family.
Giant in more ways than one, of course. Kira was taller than the average woman, but even she had to look up at the others more often than not. It was a nice change of pace, if she was being honest with herself.
Getting up from her seat, she gathered her things and started to head back, determined to do shopping for the night’s dinner. In an effort to not feel like a burden to Muu, she’d started taking up doing household chores when she was able to, such as making food and keeping the place clean. It was relatively easy, since it was just Kira and Muu.
She had also started taking more shifts at the shop, to save more money. She was determined to get herself a well-crafted spear, and keep up with being able to afford the supplies for her craft. She wasn’t able to get a book for her grimoire, frustrated that such a thing was so expensive, but she was able to get papers and scrolls, along with writing implements, so that she could at least keep record of things. At least she’d be able to transfer things to the book later on.
Kira knew that Muu was worried about her possibly pushing herself too hard, and she appreciated it, making sure to assure him that she was made of stronger stuff than she seemed to be.
Seeing that Muu was watching her as she walked away, she turned to smile at him, arms full as she walked backwards for a moment, before finally leaving.
~
Muu watched as Kira disappeared around the corner, well aware of the teasing he would get from his companions later.
In the weeks that she’d been in Reim, living with him, Muu had grown quite fond of the woman. She’d become a sort of constant in his life. If Muu was being honest, he’d started to feel lonely at home, coming home to an empty house. Sure, he could have spent nights at the barracks with his comrades, but he knew that the loneliness he was feeling wasn’t just because of the lack of human companionship.
Kira saw him as just…Muu. Not the captain of the Corps, nor one of the Alexius family. She didn’t even care about his Fanalis heritage, except in the occasional teasing for his height and gratefulness for his strength. She just saw him, the person with a lot on his shoulders, who cared for his family and friends and wanted those around him to be happy.
If asked, he would admit that having Kira around made Muu happy. Very much. They fit well into each other’s lives, almost effortlessly so.
Yet, her behavior over the last week had started to concern him. She’d started working a lot more, on top of everything she did around the house and her own personal activities. It worried him, made him think that maybe she was pushing herself too hard. He knew she was stronger than she looked, but it was in his nature to worry.
Of course, he was teased almost mercilessly for it by his sister and their comrades. They all talked about how it seemed as though he was uncharacteristically happy whenever Kira was around, and that he seemed just as uncharacteristically sad whenever she left. Muu always brushed it off as teasing, but he secretly knew they were right. At least, partially so. He was happy whenever Kira was around, and seeing her leave always left him feeling melancholy. Yet, he knew he was able to go home and see her, so he always had that to look forward to.
Of all the teasing, though, the bit that always left Muu flustered was his male comrades teasing that he and Kira were practically married already. He could see where they were coming from, though. She cooked for them both, cleaned the house, made sure he ate. They were comfortable together and honestly cared about one another.
Really, Muu could understand why they said such a thing. Though, he didn’t feel that way about Kira.
Did he…?
At the end of the day, Muu went home, surprised to see Kira in the courtyard, with a few cats hanging around her. Not that seeing her with an animal wasn’t normal, they seemed to love her, but seeing them in his home wasn’t quite the usual sight.
“I see you made a few new friends,” he declared, smiling, as he leaned against a column, watching her “what brought them around this time?”
“I try cooking one chicken, and they come running like I’m their leader,” Kira replied, laughing, as she turned to smile at Muu “hey. How was training? Myron kick your ass again?”
“Oh, I’m hurt, Kira!” Muu cried out in mock pain, putting a hand over his heart “I thought you had more faith in my fighting skills than that!”
“I also know your sister!” Kira giggled, before deciding to play along “but how can I make up for my insult, o great captain?”
Muu couldn’t help laughing, unable to keep up the charade for very long, as he walked over to stand next to Kira, throwing his arm around her shoulders.
“Let me help cook dinner tonight,” he answered, knowing she wouldn’t like the idea very much “you’ve done so much already, on top of everything you’re doing for yourself. Let me help a little, since this is for the both of us?”
“Fine, fine,” Kira sighed, smiling all the while “you have a point, there. I ran out of onions for the chicken, but I can’t leave it alone with the ‘vultures’ hanging around. Can you run to the market and pick up a few?”
“Straight away.” Muu nodded, giving Kira a salute, winking to show he was playing around before heading off to do as she asked. He heard Kira laughing behind him as he went, and couldn’t help chuckling as well.
~
Kira had kept an eye on the moon all day, making sure she read the phase correctly. Last day of the week, and it was the first day of the full moon. Perfect for a protection spell, for herself and Muu.
Yet she knew she couldn’t tell Muu what she was doing. What if he didn’t trust her after learning it, and refused to be her friend afterwards?
No. For the time being, he was better off in the dark about it.
That night, after finishing dinner, Kira and Muu cleaned dishes together. Kira was of the mind that, if they cooked together, they could clean up together, too. Muu had agreed, and it was surprising to her just how eager he was to be helpful.
“Well, now that that’s done,” she sighed, watching him take the last of the dishes back inside “I need to head out for a few hours.”
“Where are you going?” Muu asked, curious expression gracing his features when he came back into view.
“Just need to do a few things, that’s all,” Kira promised, smiling as she walked over and kissed his cheek “I won’t be more than a few hours, so you don’t have to wait up for me or anything, okay?”
“Alright…” Muu replied, slightly hesitant, and Kira couldn’t tell if he was blushing because of the firelight.
“I’ll be back soon.” She promised once more, before going to the door, grabbing her bag and staff.
~
Muu watched Kira as she left, determined to know just what it was she was doing. There wasn’t much about her life that she hadn’t told him, but he knew she was hiding a few things.
Not that he didn’t blame her, she was allowed to have things that were her own, but he was concerned still that she might still be in trouble.
So he followed her.
Despite his size, and notable appearance, Muu was a stealthy person when he wanted to be, so he had no problem following Kira without her notice. It seemed to him that they were heading out of the city, to the forest beyond. Mostly, Kira stayed on her path, though sometimes she stopped to say hello to a person.
After about half an hour, they were in the forest, and Muu stopped in the woods when Kira entered a clearing, seeming to stop and contemplate. There was already a ring of stones for a fire, which had Muu thinking that she’d been there multiple times before.
Crouching next to a tree, he watched from the shadows as Kira set her bag and staff down, and pulled four large white stones out of her bag. Muu noted that they seemed to serve as markers, as he watched her place them at quarters around the fire pit in a circle formation. Four more joined them, making eight stones evenly placed in a circle.
Kira went to get firewood, and soon had a fire going. He watched as she took eight small candles out of her bag, and walked around the circle. He realized then, that the stones actually were candle holders, and soon there was light coming from each as she lit them.
‘Clever design.’ He couldn’t help thinking, watching the firelight now that it was fully dark. She sat down, thankfully facing in his direction so he could see what she was doing.
What she was doing seemed…odd, to him. At first, she sat in silence, as though meditating. Then, she started writing on some paper, while working with what seemed to be an amulet from the shop where she was employed.
Muu listened as she spoke, and found that her words sounded almost like a prayer. One for safety and protection.
All for him.
Things started to piece together in his mind, but it all finally clicked when he watched Kira put her papers and amulet away, before picking up her staff and start to practice what looked to be like defensive moves. The candle flames danced, though she was nowhere near them, and that was when Muu realized what was going on.
Kira was practicing a sort of magic, that seemed almost religious in nature compared to the magic he knew. Why was she hiding it from him? She must have had a good reason, but Muu was still curious.
Suddenly, it hit the Fanalis captain that he was watching something intensely private and personal. Quiet, he got to his feet and made his way back the way they came.
He’d wait for Kira to tell him, whenever she was ready.
~~
The next morning, Kira woke up feeling sluggish, but in a good way. She’d used much of her personal energy to charge the amulet she’d gotten for Muu, and it had also been a long time since she last performed a spell. Getting up, she slowly made her way to the courtyard to make breakfast, only to find that it was already made, and Muu was eating.
“Good morning,” Muu greeted her “You seemed tired when you got back, so I wanted to make breakfast for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Kira replied, smiling sleepily as she sat down next to him “thank you, Muu.”
“Are you sure that you want to go into work today?” he asked, smiling fondly as she slowly started to eat “you’ve been going in so often, I wouldn’t be surprised if he let you take a day to recover from whatever it was you did last night.”
“I’ll be okay,” she promised “just need to eat, and I’ll be back to my usual self.”
“If you’re sure.” Muu nodded, finishing up his own meal “training is late-start today, to give the Corps a bit of a break, so I can stay, if you want.”
“If you want,” Kira insisted “I’m probably far less good company than usual right now.”
“You’re fine,” He promised “in fact, you’re rather adorable when you’re sleepy.”
“Oi,” she pouted, leaning against his shoulder “you’re entitled to your opinion, I guess…”
Muu smiled, not saying anything as he just enjoyed the quiet morning with one of his favorite people. It was nice, knowing more about her, even if she hadn’t said anything to him about it.
Muu could keep a secret, and could wait for her to tell him.
Chapter Two: You Are Not Alone and No Longer on Your Own
For the first time in a long time, Kira felt at peace. She trusted Muu and his comrades.
As per the Captain’s plan, the three fanalis were escorting her to the audience chamber where they would meet with Lady Scheherazade. In an effort to keep from causing too much trouble, Muu led the way, with Myron and Loloh flanking Kira. Myron had a hold on Kira’s arm, but it was purely for show.
Sure, Kira was nervous, but she had faith in Muu and whatever plan he had. He’d seemed so determined to help her, so she wanted to let him try.
Whatever happened, she wouldn’t blame him.
~
If he was being honest with himself, Muu didn’t know for sure why he was helping the young woman named Kira. Perhaps it was her fighting spirit. Perhaps it was that she reminded him so much of his fellow tribesmen in the Corps.
Or maybe, perhaps it was the way she looked at him, when they first made eye contact. The look on her face…it was as though she knew him. Muu knew that the two of them had never met before, but there was something about how she looked at him that made him feel as though he knew her, as well.
Muu had to help Kira, and he knew it.
When they entered the audience chamber, the slavers who’d brought Kira to the palace were there, as was Lady Scheherazade.
The doors were barely closed behind them, when the arguments began.
“You’ll be hanged for this!” one shouted, a fresh bruise blooming black and blue on his face. The other couldn’t even stand, and was holding onto his ribs in pain.
“You do that?” Muu heard Loloh ask Kira. She must have nodded, if his chuckle was anything to go by.
Ignoring them, Muu walked forward to Lady Scheherazade, saluting and taking a knee before her.
“I see you’ve brought back the one who caused all the commotion.” The Magi observed.
“We have,” Muu replied, lifting his bowed head to look up at her “she put up a good fight against Loloh and Myron, before we were able to convince her to calm down.”
Something about the look on Scheherazade’s face told Muu she could see more than she let on. As he thought she would.
“Bring her forward, please.” Scheherazade told Myron and Loloh. Muu stood and moved out of the way, watching as his sister and comrade brought Kira up to her. For some reason, it lightened Muu’s heart when Kira immediately took a knee and bowed her head in respect to the Magi.
“It seems that the men who brought you here intended to give you to me as a sign of loyalty,” Scheherazade declared “now that I see you, I can understand why. Tell me; what is your name and where are you from?”
“Kira Yael, my Lady,” Kira replied, head still lowered “I come from Heliohapt.”
“As I thought,” the Magi nodded “please rise, Kira.”
Muu watched as Kira did as she was told, confusion clear on the tan woman’s face. A small glow emanated from the jewel on Scheherazade’s staff, and all of Kira’s bonds were cut. The cuffs and collar clattered to the ground, rope from her wrists following close behind.
“You were given to me, and as such I will do with you what I will,” Scheherazade declared “and what I want to do with you, is give you your freedom.”
A small smile graced Kira’s features, but Muu could see the greater joy behind it.
“Thank you, my lady.” The Heliohapti woman replied, saluting just as Muu had and bowing her head once more. Casting a glance to the men who’d taken Kira captive, Muu could see they wanted to protest, but were smartly keeping quiet.
~
Despite all of Muu’s reassurances, Kira would freely admit she was still surprised when Scheherazade freed her. The men who brought Kira to Reim were escorted out without much fuss, and soon it was just her, the Fanalis, and Lady Scheherazade with her guards in the audience chamber.
“What will you do now, Kira?” the Magi asked her.
“It was my intention to come to this city all along, my lady,” Kira replied “I suppose I’ll do what I planned on doing all along; find work, save up to find my own home, and see where my life takes me from there.
“Though I’m honestly not sure where I’ll stay in the meantime,” she continued “I don’t have any money, after what happened with those men. I’ll figure something out, though, don’t worry!”
Kira’s smile was wide, and truly sincere. After all the four with her had done for her, she honestly didn’t want them to worry about her at all.
“You can stay with me, if you wish.” Muu declared, surprising Kira. She turned to look at him, and tried to read his expression.
He was serious about his offer, though something told her that he didn’t know exactly why he’d done such a thing.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” she replied, wrapping her arms around herself “especially after all you’ve done for me, already.”
“It’s not an imposition if I offer it in the first place,” Muu insisted, closing the gap between them so he could put a hand on her shoulder “I have more than enough room.”
“But we hardly know each other…” Kira argued, half-hearted.
“Your name is Kira Yael. You come from Heliohapt. You’re clearly a skilled fighter, and have a good heart,” Muu countered “I know enough.”
‘But what will you do if you learn about my family?’ Kira couldn’t help thinking.
“I suppose I can’t argue with that,” she replied, smiling shyly “thank you, Captain Alexius.”
“Please, call me Muu,” he declared, smiling “can’t really be so formal when we’ll be living together, now can we?”
~
For the life of him, Muu couldn’t understand what drove him to want to help Kira, but he was glad for it, in any case. After she accepted his offer, Lady Scheherazade had given Kira a small sum of money as compensation for what she’d been through, to help her get on her feet.
Muu could see that it had bothered Kira, accepting it, perhaps seeing such a gift as charity. Though if her reaction to his own offer was anything to go by, he could tell it wasn’t because of her pride, but because she didn’t want to be a burden or bother to people.
Soon enough, Muu and Kira left the palace, Myron and Loloh off to do their own things.
They were quiet, as they walked, and it was a comfortable silence. Kira had a quiet grace about her that spoke of a long time traveling, and perhaps something more.
“Um,” Kira spoke up, and Muu looked down to her “if it’s alright, I’d like to do something to thank you, your sister, and your comrade, for what you did today. It wouldn’t be much, but I’d like to cook a dinner for you tonight.”
Muu was going to say that she didn’t have to do that, but the determination in her eyes made him stop. Giving a small sigh, he smiled fondly at her.
“I’ll be sure to tell them,” He replied, smile growing when Kira smiled “You don’t have to be nervous, Kira. Believe me when I say they already like you.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” she chuckled “I’ll have to visit the market and shops, once you’re done showing me where your home is, so I can get started, and start looking for work.”
“Already?” Muu asked, quirking an eyebrow “you just got here. Why not relax for at least one day?”
“I might as well inquire if anyone’s hiring while I shop for things for dinner,” Kira replied, shrugging “who knows? Something might be available today, but not tomorrow.”
“That’s a fair point,” he agreed “we’re going to pass through the shopping district on our way there, so you can get acquainted that way.”
Kira nodded in reply, smiling as she looked around, committing sights to memory as they walked together, before they finally arrived at Muu’s home.
Per his commission, and parentage as a member of the Alexius family, Muu lived in a rather nice place. It wasn’t big, but it was nicer than anything Kira had stayed in.
~
Muu felt his heart go out to Kira, recognizing the awe in her expression from his time when he brought his comrades to Reim, from their homes all over the world.
“You can call this place home for as long as you need to,” he told her, opening the door and allowing her to walk in first “let me show you around.”
~
With basket in arm, Kira made her way to the market to buy what she needed for dinner. A large piece of meat would take too long to cook through, so she settled on fish, deciding to pick that up last so it wouldn’t spoil in the sun. Forming a menu in her mind, she went to a clothing shop to find a few changes of clothes she could wear. She really couldn’t get by with what she had.
She was able to get two sleeveless tunics that went to just below the knee, white with one of each trimmed in green, and red. A pair of really good sandals finished the clothes shopping. It took a huge chunk out of her budget, but she’d expected that.
While walking from the cobblers to the food market, familiar colors caught Kira’s eye. Turning her head, she spotted a shop with familiar items displayed to entice customers.
She never expected to see a shop specializing in Heliohapt goods in Reim, of all places.
Walking over, she couldn’t help feeling at home the instant she walked through the doorway. So many sights and smells that reminded her of the capitol city, it was only the sight of shoppers dressed in Reim clothing that reminded Kira where she was.
Standing and looking over an herb chest that reminded her of her mothers, Kira glanced over to two women who were looking at talismans. One of them was holding one that was incredibly familiar.
“What’s this one for?” the woman asked her companion “there’s no name on the card, just a price.”
“That’s for protection,” Kira spoke up, earning the attention of the two women as she walked over, pointing at the pendant “see the eye here? It’s the same as the one on the face of the royal palace, which serves to protect all that live within it. The way the eye is here, though, shows that it’s specifically meant for a single person.”
“Oh, thank you,” the woman replied, smiling “must be nice to see something from home all the way out here, huh?”
Kira was pleasantly surprised that the woman recognized her heritage, since most people didn’t.
“Haven’t been back for a few years now, so I have to say it is rather nice,” Kira agreed “is the owner not heliohapti?”
“I’m afraid I’m not, no.” came a new voice, wizened and kind, from behind her. Kira turned around to see the man, clearly of Reim, standing not too far behind her. He seemed not too old, clearly able to keep a shop easily.
“Well, it might be a good idea to have clearer labels on everything,” Kira suggested, trying her best to keep her tone kind “especially the talismans, so someone doesn’t buy something they might regret buying.”
“That’s a helpful tip, miss,” the man replied “tell me, though, would you be looking for work, by any chance?”
“I am, actually,” Kira answered, surprised “I just recently came to the city.”
“Well, you see miss, I just had to let one of my workers go, because she got pregnant and wished to be a full time mother,” the man explained “and it would truly be a help here, to have someone who knows the merchandise as well as you do. Seeing you with these nice young women tells me you would be a natural, so what do you say?”
“You want me to work for you?” Kira asked, shocked, and just to be sure she understood him correctly.
“I do indeed,” he nodded “would you be able to start tomorrow?”
~
Kira nearly skipped through the streets on her way to the market, grinning from ear to ear. She found a job! The shopkeeper, Tyson, was a kind man who understood she was trying to get on her feet, and agreed to help train her so she could do her best for them both. He’d given her a dress from Heliohapt, as a sort of work uniform, and she would start the next day, around midmorning.
Kira went to each stall, gathering the vegetables and ingredients she needed before finally getting the two large fish she required. With access to the waterways from the ports a few miles south, they could count on fresh fish almost daily.
She quickly made her way back to the house, slightly sad to see that the place was empty, but glad that she was able to be a bit freer because of it. She quickly dropped her things off in her room, before making her way to the kitchen. She’d observed before was rather well stocked for the kitchen of a man living on his own. Kira set up her ingredients and began to cook, singing under her breath all the while.
Here in the spotlight this moment is ours
No one can stop us, we're one with the stars
I feel the waves begin to rise
Far across the ocean deep within your eyes
Silently watching as they fall
I can see the future locked within the crystal ball
Strike up the lightening, hear my prayer
Feel the light electric dancing through the air
Here by the ancient castle wall
Can you see the future locked within the crystal ball
Here in the spotlight this moment is ours
No one can stop us, we're one with the stars
It was a song her mother had taught her, to bring magick to whatever everyday task she was doing. Such was the life of a Yael woman, one of a long line of witches.
That was the reason she had to leave home, but Kira would never curse the line she’d been born to. She wasn’t like a normal magician, but had power still, in lessons passed down from mother to daughter. Spells, natural remedies, fortune telling, and all sorts of other things were taught to Kira and her elder sister Bara, though the family Grimoire could only go to one person. It was decided by their mother, Coppu, that Kira’s sister would inherit the Grimoire. Kira would start her own for her own branch of the family.
‘The Red Lions of the Desert’, they were called, and the legend was as familiar to Kira as her own family was. It was meticulously kept, written in the pages of the Grimoire, and she knew she’d have to write it in her own someday.
“Reminds me,” she muttered as she cooked “need to save up, to be able to get a proper book.”
She kept working, noting the setting sun, and continued singing.
Quiet by nature, standing tall
Old stone circles, they have seen it all
Caught like a ghost in yesterday, shadows down the hall
Are locked within the crystal ball
Fire and water, earth and sky
Mysteries surround us, legends never die
They live for the moment, lost in time, I can hear them call
They're locked within the crystal ball
I feel the waves begin to rise
Far across the ocean deep within your eyes
Silently watching as they fall
I can see the future locked within the crystal ball
Plating everything, Kira smiled when she heard commotion from down the hall, recognizing Muu’s voice almost instinctively. She was quick to get everything set up on a table in the courtyard, making sure to light a few lanterns as the sun finally set below the horizon.
“I knew I smelled something amazing.” Came Lolohs gruff voice, and Kira turned to see the three familiar Fanalis standing in the doorway.
“Come on and sit down,” Kira replied, smiling as she let her hair loose “I just finished putting everything out. I hope you enjoy it!”
The Heliohapti could tell that the men were obviously hungry, as they rushed to get to their seats and start eating. Myron was slower, and stopped once she reached Kira’s side.
“Thank you,” the Fanalis told her “you didn’t have to do this.”
“And you three didn’t have to help me,” Kira replied “this is my way of saying ‘thank you’ for that, as I’d hope your brother told you. Please, enjoy.”
Myron nodded, and the playful smirk on her face told Kira something was up.
“Of course,” Myron spoke up, louder to get the attention of her comrade and brother “you’d think some people would at least say thank you before starting to eat!”
Kira couldn’t help laughing at the sheepish looks on Muu and Loloh’s faces, linking her arm with Myron’s as they walked over to the table.
“I like you, Myron,” she told the Fanalis woman “I hope we can become friends.”
“I’m sure that wouldn’t be too hard,” Myron replied as they sat down “given the fact my brother hasn’t shut up about you since we met up with him this afternoon.”
“Oh really?” Kira chuckled, casting a side glance at Muu from across the table “what was he saying, if I may ask?”
“Oh, he was talking about how he hoped that the two of you would get to be good friends,” Loloh answered “that he admired your spirit and your drive.”
“Can’t forget how he kept going on about how beautiful he thinks you are,” Myron added, laughing at her brothers blushing face “kept saying he’d never seen a person from Heliohapt with black hair, and how he thinks it suits you perfectly.”
Kira couldn’t help grinning at what she heard. It had been a long time since she’d heard such things, most considering her black hair unusual, or even ugly. Reaching across the table, she put her hand over Muu’s, earning his attention.
“Thank you,” she told him, smiling “means a lot to hear someone say that. I’m sure we’ll be great friends.”
Dinner continued much the same way, fun and boisterous. Kira couldn’t help marveling at the whole thing, wondering how the circumstances led her to be in the company and future friendship of three incredibly unique people. Soon enough, the night ended, and Kira waited until Muu was out of sight escorting his companions to the door, before she started cleaning up. She had a feeling that he would insist on cleaning up, but the act actually helped to calm her, much like casting a banishing spell.
Scraping all scraps into a bin, Kira put the dishes into a tub of water to soak, before starting to clean them. As she did, she found herself starting to sing once more, a song that her mother said she used to sing with her father.
~
Muu came back to where Kira was, after telling his sister and comrade good night, to see her cleaning up in the dimly lit courtyard, and heard her soft voice singing a slow song.
Let this earth renew
We will see it through
It's my theory of everything
We will wars undo
Make the oceans blue
Paint the heavens with stars
And I won't let it out of my heart
No we won't let this world fall apart
Just what was it about this woman that had him mesmerized at every turn? From her determination, to her kindness, to her hidden talents. What was it that drew them together? The words passing her lips were utterly familiar, yet Muu knew for a fact he’d never heard them before.
“Let me finish with that,” Muu spoke up, once he was sure she’d stopped singing “you’ve done so much already. Besides, you have your first day of work tomorrow, don’t you?”
“I want to do this, it relaxes me,” Kira replied, looking over her shoulder to him as he approached “but I wouldn’t mind if you stacked the clean dishes on the table.”
“You have a lovely voice,” Muu declared, doing as she asked and taking the clean dishes to the table “singing wise. Have you thought of making a living doing that?”
“Once and a while,” she shrugged “but it’s not my calling. I enjoy it, and singing is part of my life, but it’s not what I know I’m meant to do.”
“And what is it you’re meant to do?” he asked, curious. It wasn’t often Muu heard someone speak with such conviction. He watched as Kira thought about it, before answering.
“What I was raised to do,” she replied, turning to smile up at him “my natural gift. As soon as I’m able to show you, you’ll know what it is.”
~
Kira knew it was an ambiguous answer, but she didn’t want to show him her magick just yet, or her training. Skilled with a spear, she was considered one of the best in her village, which was why she was a good enough fighter to put up a fight against Loloh back in the palace.
Witch and Warrior were two titles that Kira Yael claimed with pride.
“I look forward to seeing it, then.” Muu declared, smiling. Kira noticed that he seemed to smile a lot, and she couldn’t help finding it nice. He was obviously a hardened warrior, so to see him acting so cheerful when others in his position would be bitter or cruel, it made her admire Muu all the more.
“I’ll be sure you’re one of the first.” She promised, feeling that the two of them were truly starting to form a bond already.
Kira didn’t know what her future with Muu would bring, but she was more than eager to find out.
‘How the hell did I end up here?’ Kira thought, grunting as she was pulled along once more.
The iron collar around her neck burned in the hot sun, the ropes chaffed her wrists, and the chains…they felt as though they were the heaviest thing in the world.
How had she come to this, captured and brought to Reim as a slave? What was it about her life that left her so cursed?
“Keep moving!” the slaver growled “you’re to go to the Lady Scheherazade, and we won’t be late!”
Kira kept quiet, keeping up the charade of being the submissive one who’d accepted her fate. If she did, perhaps they would remove her leg chains, thinking she wouldn’t run.
It would be their mistake, if they did.
~
Kira Yael was from Heliohapt, though she’d been told many times that she didn’t really look the part. Her father had been a foreigner to the country, but her mother was a full-blooded Heliohapti. The only trait Kira shared with her father was that her hair was black, not white.
As though that were the only thing that set her apart from her village.
Traveling for a few years, Kira was heading southwest, for Reim, when she came in contact with two other women her age; Mali Isa, and a lavender haired magician without a name. They became friends right away, and decided to travel together as long as their journeys would allow. Though they knew that slavers would try to take advantage of three young women on their own, the three of them figured that greater numbers were better than being alone.
A day from the crossroads where they planned to split up, their worst fears were realized, and they were confronted by slavers. Falling back on the plan they had made with their original destinations in mind, the three of them split up. Mali went east, to the Kou Empire, and the Magician went south, to Sindria. Kira kept going west, using all tricks she knew to try and evade capture.
Yet it wasn’t enough.
Kira was caught, and the slavers were determined to take her to Reim.
“This one put up a fight,” one of them had declared, grinning “she’ll be a good gift for the Lady Scheherazade.”
“Hey, she looks like she’s from Heliohapt,” another observed “but her hair is black…”
“Wait, black haired and from Heliohapt?” the first replied “that must mean she’s one of the Yael family!”
“Ah man, she’ll be perfect to give to the Priestess, then!”
~
“Wait here,” a guard declared “you will meet with Lady Scheherazade shortly.”
Her hands and neck remained bound, Kira’s legs were free of the chains, though the cuffs still were there. Taller than average, she was forced to stoop between the two men who had her.
Her eyes observed the room, noting the guards concentrated near the entrance to what she assumed was the Magi’s rooms. If Kira attacked while most of the guards were focused on other things, she might be able to get away. As they were led to the meeting room, Kira was careful to note the route they were taken.
The picture of submission, she could sense they didn’t suspect a thing from her. Time slowly ticked by, and she watched the guards closely. She heard them talking, something about the Captain of the Fanalis Corps and his two household members being in the palace.
So the rumors Kira had heard were true. The Captain of the Corps was a dungeon capturer!
Wait, the guards were distracted discussing the Fanalis Corps. This was her chance!
Kira straightened to her full height, slowly, to gain the attention of her captors. When the one holding the rope attached to her collar moved to pull her down, she head-butted him, before turning and launching a kick into the others ribs.
‘If there’s more pain because of the cuffs,’ Kira thought, watching the one she kicked bend over ‘it’s your fault!’
As soon as she landed on her feet, Kira took off the way they had come. She kept low to the ground, agility making up for the cuffs and collar slowing her down. Black hair streaming out behind her, her bare feet left her almost perfect traction on the cold marble floors.
Even though she was slowed down, Kira was still able to outrun the armored guards that were chasing her.
‘A lioness doesn’t give up, even when it seems like hope is lost!’ she thought, quickly turning a corner into a room, in an effort to lose her pursuers. They were out of sight, but only just.
Kira was quick to school her breathing to be quiet and even, before holding it as she listened to the guards run by. She’d barely avoided them, and it sounded like they wanted her head!
‘Little wonder, really,’ Kira thought ‘price of a slave running, whether they want to be a slave or not, is death.’
“You must be the one causing all the commotion.” Kira whipped around at the sound of the new voice, shocked to see two Fanalis in gold armor standing in front of her. How had she not heard them?!
One was a tall man, with a scarred over wound on his left side of his face opening up the corner of his mouth. The other was a young woman, looking to be around Kira’s age, whose hair was a brighter red than that of her companion.
Shit.
“You know the penalty for a slave running is death, right?” the woman asked, Kira recognizing her voice as the one who spoke before.
“I’d rather die on my feet, than live life on my knees,” Kira growled “I don’t care how soon my life ends, so long as I stay free!”
She watched them closely, noting their shock, but saw they had no intention of leaving.
If that was the way they wanted it, then that was fine by her.
Slowly, Kira took a better stance, crouching slightly.
“Look, you need to calm down,” the young woman told her “before you hurt someone else.”
“I only hurt the people who try to stop me,” Kira replied, resisting the urge to snarl “so unless you want to be counted among them, stand back.”
From the corner of her eye, Kira saw the man moving to her side to try and grab her. Jumping, she launched a kick into his ribs, using her free foot to launch herself off his chest and through the air. Landing on the ground, she realized that the room they were in had no other exit, other than the one on the other side of her opponents.
So she’d have to fight two fanalis in order to gain her freedom?
“What’s going on, here?” a new voice demanded, confident and assertive. Kira froze in her position, terrified. Who would she be facing now? She waited, poised to run, jump even, as she waited for the newcomer to reveal themselves.
The two who had confronted Kira before stepped aside, to reveal another fanalis in gold gladiatorial armor. His hair was long, as bright red as the woman’s, and he had a sword at his side. She could sense the power emanating from the sword, and wondered just who he was.
“The escaped slave we heard about,” the woman told him, the newcomer’s eyes never leaving Kira “tried to get her subdued, so she wouldn’t hurt anyone else, but she’s put up a fight.”
“Why shouldn’t she, Myron?” the newcomer told the fanalis woman, whom Kira now knew to be called Myron “She fought Loloh, I take it?”
“Immediately went for the larger target,” the other man, Loloh, agreed “she got in a few good hits before you arrived. Used her shackles to her advantage.”
Kira had been avoiding looking the newcomer in the eyes, yet she could feel his on hers, so she finally looked up into them.
Sharp, red, calculating. Framed with long red hair.
It was like he was torn straight from her family legend.
Kira froze, staring into his eyes, as he slowly approached, before kneeling down to be able to be face to face.
“What’s your name?” he asked, voice surprisingly gentle.
“What does it matter?” she countered “if you’re a law-abiding citizen of Reim, you’ll turn me in, Fanalis or not.”
“I never said anything like that,” he replied “now tell me, please; what is your name?”
Kira was surprised to see his intent, how it was nothing but sincere. She straightened up, shoulders relaxing a slight bit.
“Kira,” she answered, deciding that he was just trustworthy enough to know her family name “my name is Kira Yael. What’s yours?”
“Muu Alexius,” he told her “you’ve met my sister Myron, and my comrade Loloh.”
The Captain of the Fanalis Corps and his two household members! That explained why Kira had sensed such power from them.
“My feet became well acquainted with them, yes,” Kira nodded, smirking a tiny bit when she earned a laugh from the three “what are you going to do with me?”
“Why are you here?” Myron asked in reply “who brought you here?” Kira hesitated for a moment, before realizing that the best thing to go with was the truth.
“Slavers caught me, as I was making my way here to Reim,” she explained “they decided to give me to Lady Scheherazade, maybe to gain her favor.”
“Clearly they don’t know her,” Muu declared “she only would accept you, in order to give you your freedom.”
Holding out an arm, Muu helped Kira to her feet, pleasantly surprised to see that she wasn’t that much shorter than him.
“I’ve known Lady Scheherazade since I was a child,” he told Kira, putting his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner “we’ll take you to her, and she can sort this out. You’ll have your freedom once more, I promise you.”
She could sense Muu’s sincerity, and Kira couldn’t help relaxing under his hands.
Let me tell ya, this wasn’t an easy one to write. Yet, I love Kouen as a character, and to write from his and Mali’s point of view was a great deal of fun!
Not easy in the least, but still fun!
Now, onto the last in the trilogy!
‘Paint the Heavens with Stars’!
As with ‘Stardust Leads the Way’, we go back in time to the beginning of our established timeline, yet now we follow Kira to Reim!
Kira Yael, a warrior woman from Heliohapt. Her family is known as the ‘Red Lions of the Desert’, and are renowned for their specific form of ritual magick.
What will happen when she is rescued from the slavers by Muu Alexius and his Fanalis Corps? How will she bring herself into the fold of the corps, and make them her family? How do she and Muu charm one another, and fall in love?
Just HOW is Kira connected to King Armakan Amun-Ra?
((yes, you will see repeat scenes from the last chapter of the first fic, but they’ll be from Mali’s point of view! Hope you enjoy!))
Chapter Eleven: The Heavens Reflect in Your Eyes
It was a few weeks after Kouen asked Mali to marry him, and the sight of the ring on her finger still made her grin.
She’d woken up, just as the sun was rising, and smiled as she remembered what had happened the night before.
As though the sight of Kouen with worse sex hair than her wasn’t a clue. Mali couldn’t help marveling at how small she was, compared to him. Wrapped up in blankets, body pressed against his as they laid in bed together, she reveled in the closeness, and how warm he was.
Practically on top of him, she just enjoyed the moment, tracing circles on his bare chest with her finger. Mali smiled as she watched Kouen sleep, glad to see him so peaceful. With all that was going on, even when they were alone together he seemed stressed.
“Everything will work out, my love,” she whispered “I know it will.”
Suddenly, she felt the presence of familiar magoi, and a magic circle began to shine on the bedside table. A letter appeared, and the circle faded. Sitting up, Mali ignored the sheets dropping to her waist and grabbed it, opening and starting to read the letter, smiling upon seeing the crest of Sindria.
“So the official invitation has finally arrived?” Mali looked up from the letter, looking to her side to see that Kouen had woken up.
“That it has,” she nodded, smiling as she handed it to him “seems the wedding is in just over two weeks. Plenty of time for us to get there if we leave in a few days.”
“Did a messenger arrive to bring this?” Kouen asked, sitting up next to her.
“Arrived by magic circle,” Mali replied, leaning her head on his shoulder “Othila’s design, from the looks of it. Seemed to be made only for communication.”
“Impressive work,” he commented “can you recreate it, to send a response?”
“I’m sure I can,” She nodded “I’ll pen our reply and send it.”
Brushing hair from his cheek, Mali leaned in and kissed Kouen’s cheek, before sliding out of bed to walk to her desk. She put her robe on, not bothering to tie it closed as she wrote it.
Kouen watched as she did so, and couldn’t help smiling. To think that they would be in such a situation together, it wasn’t something he imagined a year ago.
Yet here they were.
~
Mali smiled as she stood with Kougyoku on the deck of the ship, less than a day out from Sindria. Kougyoku had been invited to the wedding as a friend of Sinbad, and the princess had gladly accepted the invitation.
“You haven’t been to Sindria, have you?” the princess asked her friend “despite all your travels?”
“One of the few places I wasn’t able to go to,” Mali nodded “what’s it like there?”
“Oh, it’s a veritable tropical paradise,” Kougyoku declared, smiling “warm, but not too hot from the ocean breeze, and everyone’s so happy there. Sinbad truly is a great king, to have created such a prosperous nation.”
“And in such little time,” Mali agreed “to think that...hey, wait a minute. Is that a Reim ship?”
Kougyoku looked to where Mali was pointing, and saw the ship in question.
“Well, you did say that Kira and Captain Alexius were invited as well, right?” the princess asked the other “it makes sense that they would arrive around the same time.”
“Yeah, makes sense.” Mali agreed.
The ships soon entered port, and Mali was glad to see Othila and two friends waiting at the docks. Mali and Kougyoku both watched as Othila met with Kouen and Muu Alexius.
Both women disembarked the ship and went to Kouen’s side, smiling in acknowledgement of Kira, Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana.
“Thank you all for coming,” Othila declared, smiling at all that were gathered “Please, allow me to introduce my companions.
“General Sharrkan, of Heliohapt,” she gestured to the familiar swordsman, who smirked and gave a small bow out of respect “and Gabriel, a magician, my advisor and one of my dearest friends.”
“Welcome to Sindria, Prince Kouen, Captain Muu, Princess Kougyoku.” Gabriel greeted them, giving a lower bow than his companion.
“I’m glad to see you here, Morgiana,” Othila told the young woman “Masrur was elated to get your reply, about being in the wedding.
“Now, if you all would please come with me?” she requested, smiling at them all “we can take you to the palace, where you can rest from your journey. There’s a special dinner planned for tonight, to celebrate your arrival.”
With a bright smile, Othila led the new arrivals through the streets of Sindria, engaging Kougyoku in conversation as they went. Mali smiled as she looked around with Kouen, admiring the country as they walked.
“You seem to have become quite popular with the people.” Mali heard Aladdin declare, and turned to see he was talking to Othila, and the young magician was smiling down at the Magi.
“I’ve made it an effort to make sure they know they’re important to me,” Othila replied, quickly looking up to wave at a passing group of children “this country and its people gave me a second chance, a new life. I intend to repay them every day for that kindness.”
“A second chance?” Aladdin repeated, curious. Othila nodded at that.
“Explaining that also tells the story of how I met Sinbad and Masrur, if you’re curious.” She told him, smile growing at his excited and curious expression. She launched into the story, earning an attentive audience from everyone else who didn’t know the tale, including Mali and Kira. Telling it took up the rest of the walk to the palace.
“They truly are admirable men,” Muu declared, once the story was through “you’re quite lucky to have them.”
“Actually,” came a new voice “I’d say we’re lucky to have her.”
Looking to where it came from, Mali spotted Sinbad and Masrur waiting.
“Still not sure what we did to deserve her,” Sinbad teased, smiling as he and Masrur walked over to Othila’s side “but I’m glad we did it, in any case. Welcome to Sindria, everyone.”
“It was certainly a warm welcome,” Muu replied, smiling as he nodded to Masrur “thank you, for the invitation.”
“Kira and Mali were invited to be part of the wedding party,” Sinbad told him, chuckling “seemed only fitting that you and Kouen also come, as both their companions and representatives of your respective countries.”
“We’re glad to have you,” Othila added, smiling “now if you’ll please excuse me? I’m afraid there’s much work to be done, with the ceremony less than a week away. Gabriel can show you all to your rooms, where you can rest and wash up, if you need to.”
“If you would please follow me?” Gabriel spoke up, once Othila and her fiancés were gone “I can lead you to the Sagittarius tower.”
The young magician bid farewell to Sharrkan, before leading the group of visitors away.
“Aladdin, Alibaba, Morgiana,” Gabriel started, turning his head to look at the three younger ones “I’ve been told to tell you that you can have the same rooms as last time, if you remember where they are?”
“It’d be helpful if you could remind us, Mister Gabriel.” Aladdin replied, smiling.
“Of course,” Gabriel nodded, smiling in return “you’re just as polite as Sharrkan said, aren’t you? Good to see my doof of a partner didn’t exaggerate that.”
“Partner?” Muu questioned “do you two work together? Magician and Swordsman is a rather unusual combination.”
“Not that unusual,” Mali spoke up “though not common, to be sure.”
“We do work together, yes,” Gabriel answered “but that’s not the only definition of the word, Captain.”
“You mean,” Alibaba paused, mind catching up “you and Sharrkan are lovers?”
“Is that so odd?” Gabriel asked, and Mali could see the young magician was tense.
“It’s not uncommon,” she told him “but it’s not exactly commonplace. Though I’m sure everyone here doesn’t have a problem with it. I know that my companions and I don’t.”
“Why would we have a problem with it?” Aladdin asked, curious “if they’re in love, then what’s the issue?”
“Some people don’t think it’s…natural,” Mali explained “they think that the only type of relationship that’s proper is one between a man and a woman.”
“Which I’ve honestly never wholly understood,” Kougyoku declared “I understand the insistence on such a thing for those of our status, with the need to carry on a family line and dynasty, but there’s nothing unnatural about any sort of relationship.”
Mali smiled when she saw Gabriel relax, and the rest of the way was peaceful.
~
That night, dinner was an exciting occasion, with all eleven of them sitting at the table. Invited to join Sinbad, Masrur, and Othila at the table were Kouen, Mali, Kougyoku, Muu, Kira, Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana.
Muu was regaling Morgiana with stories of the Fanalis corps, Kira obviously keeping the young and enthusiastic Captain from embellishing too much. Kouen and Mali engaged in quiet conversation most of the evening, as Kougyoku talked to Alibaba and Aladdin. Othila went between all conversations, even doing her best to engage Kouen in conversation as well.
It went peacefully, for most of the night, until a certain conversation came up with Alibaba, Aladdin, and Kougyoku.
“That reminds me,” Kougyoku said “on the voyage here, we passed a rather strange island. It had a rock wall surrounding it much like the cliffs that protect Sindria.”
That earned Mali’s attention, as she remembered the same island.
“I remember that island,” Alibaba replied “it was where Hakuryuu, Morgiana and I went to rescue Aladdin from those pirates and their leader….though I can’t remember the woman’s name.”
“The one who was brainwashing children?” Morgiana offered, having heard their conversation, earning a nod from Alibaba.
“It was Umm Madaura.” Aladdin declared, remembering the situation quite well.
Mali could tell right away that the name was one Sinbad and Masrur were familiar with, as they tense visibly at the sound of it.
“Is that so?” Sinbad asked Aladdin, and Mali could see he was doing his best to keep calm for the boy’s sake “was she tall, long dark hair, with eyes that were black where another’s would be white?”
“Yeah, that was her,” Alibaba told the king “did you know her?”
“Haven’t seen her or heard her name in fourteen years,” Sinbad replied “but yes, I knew her. As did Masrur.”
“Madaura,” Muu hummed “that name sounds familiar. Head of the Mariadal Company, if I remember correctly, before it went bankrupt. Their business was in….” he trailed off, shocked once he remembered, and everything clicked in his mind.
“Slaves,” Sinbad finished, lifting a hand up to his neck, and a long red scar ringing his neck was revealed “child slaves. Two of whom were…Masrur and I, for a time.”
There was stunned silence at the revelation, Othila taking Sinbad’s hand as she watched him, concerned.
“It was always something people wondered,” Kouen declared, breaking the silence “just why slavery was illegal in Sindria.”
“It is a practice that most at this table personally find morally reprehensible,” Othila spoke up, venom in her voice surprising everyone “of the eleven at this table, Prince Kouen, you’ll find that six of us have suffered because of it. King Sinbad, Masrur, Morgiana, Mali, Kira, and myself. Though Mali, Kira, and I were the lucky ones, having narrowly escaped such a fate.”
“No person should be treated like they’re property.” Alibaba agreed, resolute.
“Even in Kou, where we do practice it,” Kougyoku declared “it’s required by law to treat slaves humanely, and they can earn their freedom after five years of service.”
Othila gave the princess a smile at that, and Mali smiled as well.
“The woman,” Masrur spoke up, looking to Alibaba and Aladdin “what happened to her? She was captured?”
“She was,” Alibaba replied “but she’s…dead.”
“You’re certain?” Masrur asked.
“Saw it happen,” Alibaba answered “I can’t imagine someone could live through getting their head cut off.”
Mali could see Sinbad and Masrur relax at that, and she felt her heart go out to them. To be a freed slave, and to not know if the person you escaped from had lived or died, it must have weighed on their hearts.
~
“This is a strange place, Sindria,” Kouen mused, as he and Mali got ready for bed that night “incredibly strange.”
“Amazing, though, what Sinbad has done,” Mali agreed, combing her fingers through Kouens hair as she knelt on the bed behind him “political tensions or not, he’s a man worthy of admiration, for all he’s done in the span of his lifetime.”
“Truly a worthy adversary,” Kouen nodded “all the more reason to hope that it doesn’t come to that.”
“Indeed,” Mali leaned forward, pressed against his back to be able to kiss his cheek “but let’s not talk about that while we’re here. We are here for a wedding, after all.”
“Making you think of our own yet to come, is it?” Kouen turned, small smile on his lips as he looked to her.
“Maybe,” she teased, arms wrapping around his neck “the love and excitement in the air is infectious, to be sure.”
“It certainly is.” Kouen agreed, smirking before quickly maneuvering, so Mali was on her back on the bed, and he was hovering over her.
“And got to more than just me, it seems,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck “was there something you needed, my love?”
His passionate kiss was all the answer Mali needed.
~
The morning of the ceremony, Mali gathered everything she needed before bidding her betrothed farewell.
“Can’t wait to see how you look when everything’s all set,” Kira declared, smiling as she and Mali helped Othila into her dress “you’re going to look every inch a queen.”
“Let’s get me dressed and my hair done first, huh?” Othila laughed “before we start lauding compliments?”
“You’re sure you’re okay with going out there without your staff?” Mali asked, curious “it might not be the best idea.”
“With delegates from so many countries here, along with those people being so powerful,” Othila replied “if anyone tried anything, they’d honestly be the most stupid people in this world.
“Besides, I’m not going to be totally defenseless out there, remember?” she held up her wrists, where the rune cuff bracelets were.
“I keep forgetting those.” Mali muttered, causing the three women to giggle.
“Of course, if anyone did try something,” Gabriel spoke up from his spot near the door “I’d like to see them try to get through Masrur and King Sinbad, first. They’d get fried before they even knew what happened.”
“Fried?” Kira repeated, confused. What were the two magicians talking about?
“Ba’al, the military hero djinn, who uses lightning magic,” Othila explained “the djinn who gives power to Masrur’s household vessel, Bararaq kauza. And, as you know, my natural magical proficiency is for lightning magic.”
“So that explains why you’re being called the Lightning Queen of the Seven Seas.” Mali declared, finally understanding.
“Am I, really?” Othila hummed as she sat in her chair, lifting her pendant and putting it around her neck “I think I like that name.”
“Speaking of names,” Gabriel walked over “is there another title we need to add to the list of yours anytime soon?”
“What do you mean?” Othila asked, looking up at him in confusion. Mali was confused as well, wondering just why the man Othila trusted so much was so cryptic.
“You’re ‘friend’, ‘magician’, and soon to be ‘wife’ and ‘Queen’,” Gabriel replied “but should we be adding the title of ‘mother’ to that? Don’t bother trying to hide it, either. I can see it, thanks to those rune spells you taught me.”
“Guess I can’t hide it, then,” Othila sighed, smiling “you’re too clever, sometimes. Yes, I’m pregnant, but don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to scare their daddies so soon.”
“Their daddies?” Mali, Kira, and Gabriel repeated, shocked.
“It’s an incredibly rare occurrence,” Othila explained “but not an impossible one. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise, since one of my husbands-to-be is known as the son of miracles.”
“Two children, one fathered by each,” Kira wondered, smiling “truly a blessing.”
“You need to tell them soon, though,” Gabriel told his sitting friend “the Dagaz, Othila, and Berkana runes on your bracelets haven’t stopped faintly glowing since you put them on. Those will give it away at some point.”
“But the first one is most likely because I’m getting married.” Othila pointed out.
“How do those give it away?” Mali asked. Seriously, what was with magicians and being cryptic?
“Among other things, Dagaz stands for marriage, beginning, fortune, and change,” Othila explained “Othila stands for home, inheritance, and family, and Berkana stands for fertility, pregnancy, and children.”
“They’re glowing because sources of their natural magic are present today.” Gabriel added.
“That makes sense.” Kira nodded “so let’s get you all set, so we can get you to the ceremony, you can marry the men you love, and you can tell them of the newest members of your family.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Sharrkan poked his head in.
“Flower delivery for the bride,” the heliohapt prince called in “can I come in?”
“Pretty sure Masrur or Sinbad sent you.” Gabriel teased, earning a ‘shut up’ look from Sharrkan.
“Come in, Sharrkan,” Othila called back, smiling as she turned in her seat to face the door “can’t really finish up until we have my headpiece, now can we?”
“Suppose not.” the General laughed, walking in and quickly closing the door behind him, crown of white flowers and bouquet of tropical pink and blue flowers in his hands. He stopped, when he caught sight of Othila almost all ready for the day.
“Wow,” he muttered, smiling gently “to think it was a year ago that you arrived in Sindria, nameless and afraid, and now you’re here, preparing to become Queen.” He put the flowers down on a nearby table before walking over to hug Othila and kiss her forehead.
“Congratulations, my friend,” Sharrkan declared “you look amazing, and I wish you, Masrur, and Sinbad a lifetime of happiness.”
“Thank you, Sharrkan,” Othila smiled up at him, Mali watching as Gabriel affectionately called his partner a sap before stealing a quick kiss “tell me, how are my grooms?”
“Nervous as hell,” Sharrkan laughed “and looking decidedly different in those new clothes you gave them. Let me tell ya, seeing Sinbad in that outfit really took me back. Still pulls it off real well.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Othila giggled, sitting as still as possible as Kira worked to style her hair “and Masrur? His didn’t have too much red, did it?”
“There was enough gold to balance it,” Gabriel promised “especially since he’s wearing his armor as well. I saw him when I was on my way here.”
“Leave it to Masrur to insist on wearing his armor on his wedding day,” Kira sighed, having gotten to know the Fanalis General over the last few days “that’s the Fanalis in him, though.”
“You would know about that, wouldn’t you?” Othila teased “I’ve seen you and Captain Muu. You’re very close, aren’t you?”
“Of course we are,” Kira scoffed, blushing “just like Mali is with Kouen.”
“You mean he finally asked you to marry him?” Mali spoke up, grinning “drawing a comparison between you two, and me with my betrothed, kind of gives it away.”
Mali, Kira, and Othila had taken the opportunity to catch up over the days between their arrival and the ceremony, and was more than amused to learn about the relationship between the warrior and the fanalis Captain.
“He did so last night,” Kira nodded, smiling as she looked to the simple gold ring on her left hand “said that everything going on had helped him find the courage to do what he’d been wanting to do for weeks.”
“I see being a romantic is also a Fanalis trait,” Othila giggled “congratulations, my friend. How goes my hair?”
“You’re done,” Kira replied “take a look.”
Mali couldn’t help smiling as she took in her friends finished look. Othila’s hair was brushed back, gathered in a ponytail near the end of it, so it had the look of being loose but was held together. Strands hung down to frame her face, and the band of flowers sat on her hairline.
“Like I said,” Kira declared, smiling “every inch a queen.”
“I gotta go on ahead,” Sharrkan spoke up “since I’m standing with Masrur and all. I’ll see you all soon.”
“Ceremony’s gonna start soon,” Mali agreed, standing as Sharrkan left “Kira and I will go ahead to make sure the way is clear, then we can get into position.”
Othila nodded, standing and taking her bouquet as it was handed to her.
“Let’s do this.” She declared, gratefully taking Gabriel’s arm.
~
A line of steel drum players began the music as soon as the bride and her party came into view. White flowers in her hair, a dress that sparkled like jewels in the sun, and above all her smile. She smiled at those who called out to her, even on her wedding day acknowledging the people of the country.
When they reached the front, Mali and Kira turned to Othila, Kira taking her bouquet, before they joined the other standing with Sinbad and Masrur. Gabriel, who’d been given the role traditionally reserved for a member of the bride’s family, then walked with Othila up to Sinbad and Masrur, joining their hands together.
“Congratulations.” He whispered to the three, before walking to stand between Mali and Kira, completing the line.
There was silence as Yunan took his position between the line of the wedding party, and the trio standing before him.
Mali stood silent, expectant, as she watched the ceremony begin, truly glad to witness the love of three such people.
“Now that we’re all here,” the magi declared “let’s begin.”
“Honored guests from all corners of the world,” he started, using sound magic to make sure his voice reached all who were watching “we are gathered on this beautiful day, to witness the joining of a remarkable trinity of people. Guided by the rukh, they were brought together through strife and storms. Each had lost something dear to them in the past, yet in the moment of their first meeting, they gained something infinitely more precious. Each other.
“From the bonds of slavery, to the turmoil of building a country from the ground up, to losing the memory of who you once were, it’s safe to say that the three standing before us all have felt hurts unimaginable. Yet their paths were meant to cross, and we see now the result of that meeting.
“Othila,” Yunan smiled at the bride “you came to Sindria nameless, without memory of who you once were, and fearing for your life. In coming here, you’ve regained your sense of self, found a new name, and two men who love you more than they love themselves.
“Masrur,” he turned to look at the Fanalis “you lost your family long ago, but found a new one with King Sinbad, and now have two with whom you can start your own.
“Sinbad,” the magi smiled at the King “you set out to change the world all those years ago, and not only have done so for so many others, but also for yourself. You’ve found a new family, and two who will surely change your world in many ways in the years to come.”
“On the wings of love, we have all gathered,” Yunan spoke now to the crowd “to witness the love of these three wonderful people, known far and wide as ‘The Seven Seas Trinity’, which is quite a fitting name, if I may say.”
That comment earned a chuckle from most present, and smiles from Othila, Sinbad, and Masrur.
“As this is a most unique occasion,” Yunan continued “it is only fitting that the vows from those before me come from their heart. Lady Othila?”
The bride gave a nod to the Magi, taking a deep breath before beginning.
“When I came to this country, I had nothing, not even a name to call my own,” she started “and yet, I knew that there was something here waiting for me. In first meeting you both, I realized that what was waiting for me here, was both of you. We had a connection, one that none of us understood, but I knew in my heart that it would be what led to the best thing in my life.
“I earned the dearest friends I could ask for, in you two,” she smiled up at both men “yet I never thought that I would be worthy enough to find love with one of you, let alone with you both. I believed myself to be weak, useless to the ones who called me ‘friend’.
“Yet you two showed me how wrong I was,” Othila looked to Masrur “you showed me how strong I was, how I was capable of great things, when I learned what I could do.
“You showed me how important I was,” she continued, looking now to Sinbad “that there were so many people who cared, who wanted me to be happy.
“You both, through being yourselves, captured my heart, and I fell so deeply in love with you,” she declared as she squeezed their hands “I vow to stand side by side with you two through everything, and protect you both. I vow to love you with all that I have, for the rest of my days, however long that may be.”
Finished, a teary-eyed Othila gave a small nod to Yunan, who nodded in return before turning to Sinbad.
“Sinbad, I believe you and Masrur wish to give your vows together?” he asked the King, who nodded in reply.
“We do.” he answered, before he and Masrur moved so that they were both in Othila’s field of vision.
“Almost a year ago, I was convinced that I would never marry,” Sinbad started “but dreams of a young woman plagued me, and I knew that she would be important to me. Little did I know how important that woman would become.”
“I was given the same dreams,” Masrur continued “of the same woman. We knew that she would be important to us both, and she was.”
“That woman was you,” Sinbad added “we knew it when we first met, the day you arrived in this country. When the slavers who had chased you here tried to take you, your shouts sent fear shooting straight through our hearts. We knew, in that moment, that we needed to protect you until you could protect yourself.”
“You said on many occasions that you were a simple magician,” Masrur declared “that all you wanted out of your new life was a family to call your own, and to give back to the country that gave you a second chance.”
“Your determination, compassion, kindness, and sheer will made it almost inevitable, that Masrur and I would fall in love with you,” Sinbad continued “you took the hearts of two men, damaged by pasts haunted with pain and torment, and you helped us to see ourselves as more than that.”
“You helped us to see the light once more,” Masrur added, giving her hand a gentle squeeze “to see our experiences not as scars to worry over, but as trials overcome, making us into the people we are today.”
“We vow to stand side by side with you through everything, and protect you.” Sinbad declared.
“We vow to love you with all we have,” Masrur vowed “for the rest of our days.”
“However long that may be.” They finished together, earning smiles from most.
“And now, the rings for the men.” Yunan said, taking the rings from Morgiana and Yamraiha, before handing them to Othila. Smiling through her tears of joy, she put the rings on each man’s left hand.
“With the authority given to me by King Sinbad, it is an honor to pronounce you married,” Yunan declared, earning cheers from the crowd “gentlemen, you may kiss your bride.”
“With pleasure.” Sinbad joked, before leaning down to kiss Othila, letting the gentle kiss linger for a moment before pulling away, so that Masrur could have his turn to kiss her. That earned a few whooping cheers from the Fanalis in the crowd, causing the married three to laugh.
“Honored guests,” Yunan spoke up, his voice carried over the crowd to quiet it “it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you Queen Othila of Sindria, with her husbands: King Sinbad and General Masrur!”
The cheers that were raised by the crowd were louder than any before, and the feeling of love for the newly married three nearly overwhelming.
Mali grinned as she watched, clapping along for her friend and her husbands. Through the crowd, she spotted Kouen, and couldn’t help smiling as she waved to him.
It truly was an amazing thing, to celebrate love after so long.
~
“You two have certainly been through a lot,” Othila declared, once Mali was finished with her story “I’m glad you found each other. Seems to me you were meant for one another.”
“You would know about soul mates, wouldn’t you?” Gabriel asked his friend, smirking.
“Soul mates?” Kouen repeated “do you really believe in such a thing?”
“When you’ve seen what I’ve seen, my lord,” Gabriel replied “you start to believe anything is possible. There’s a visible sign in the rukh, to spot soulmates.”
“You’re a magician,” Mali turned to Gabriel “so you can see the rukh. Just what sort of signs are there?”
“Your rukh act the same,” Gabriel explained “sometimes acting as though you are one person.”
“So that’s what I saw,” Othila muttered, smiling at the confused looks from Kouen and Mali “when I first saw you two together. A small flock of blue and silver-white rukh around you both. You’re definitely meant for one another.”
Mali smiled at the thought, looking to Kouen and holding his hand tight. To be together through so much, and to learn that they were meant to be? Truly reassuring.
“Kira, Muu?” Sinbad spoke up, turning to the Fanalis Captain and his black haired fiancée “what about you two? What’s your story?”
Two hours had passed in the reception, and the night was still young. All on the roof, the original eleven from the celebration dinner days before along with the rest of the generals, were seated for the feast. Sinbad and Masrur flanked Othila on either side.
Kira smiled as she leaned in close to Muu, the two obviously content with being free in their displays of affection.
“It’s a bit of a complicated story.” Muu replied.
“I’d say we have plenty of time,” Masrur declared, offering a small smile to his kinsman “and we all know how you enjoy telling a story.”
Mali, Kira, and some others couldn’t help laughing at that, amused at how Muu’s cheeks started to match his hair.
“It’s not as though he’s lying, my lion heart,” Kira giggled, gently poking Muu’s cheek “you do enjoy regaling others with your tales.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Muu sighed “now, shall we tell them?”
“Let’s,” Kira agreed “since we’re telling tales and all that.
Chapter Ten: With the Lights That Are Guiding Our Way
Mali stood by Kougyoku, just behind Kouen, tensely watching as they stared down Sinbad and his allies.
Her gut roiled at the thought of being on the opposite side of her old friend, but Mali respected Othila for standing by her allies and beliefs.
“No, wait a minute! Stop!” Aladdin called out “you did promise to pull back your soldiers, didn’t you Mister Kouen?”
Mali couldn’t see Kouen’s face from the angle she was at, but she knew what his answer would be.
“No,” came his reply “this land was our original objective. Magnostadt. Our opponent might have gotten switched out, but our objective remains the same.”
“No way!” the young Magi countered “that’s not what I agreed to!”
“Huh,” Armakan huffed “I know that Kou still has a Magi and one more metal vessel user.”
“Are they hiding some kind of trump card from us, perhaps?” Artemina mused.
“Really?” Koumei drawled “we could ask the same about you. Well, King Sinbad?”
Sinbad remained silent, when he was suddenly hit over the head by the blonde Magi that had arrived.
“What are you doing?” the magi scolded as Sinbad rubbed his head in slight pain “after all the precautions we took to make sure you wouldn’t get in a big scuffle with Kou! Right, Morgiana?”
“Right.” The young fanalis nodded, shocking her two companions.
“The Seven Seas Alliance has officially become an ally of the Empire of Reim,” Sinbad declared for all to hear, clearly shocking everyone else.
“He speaks the truth,” Muu declared, confirming what Sinbad had said “Lady Scheherazade decided to forge the brand new alliance just before she departed for the final battle.”
“There’s no one other than the Seven Seas Alliance that can match Reim and Kou,” Sinbad added “and yet we joined forces with Reim. Do you understand what that means?
“Moreover,” he continued “after partially destroying the country ruled by Yamraiha’s adoptive father, I can’t very well abandon it and leave it to you. The Alliance will spare no effort towards the rebuilding of Magnostadt.”
Mali could tangibly feel the anger from those around her, and saw Kouha practically shaking in anger.
“That bastard!” the Third Prince cursed “he’s planning to plunder Magnostadt!”
“Now then,” Kouen spoke up, turning and reaching for Aladdin “I guess I’ll just be claiming this Magi!”
Mali watched as he put Aladdin under his arm, carrying him. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
“We promised, right?” Kouen asked Aladdin, expression sending shivers down Aladdin’s spine, before Kouha tried to convince Kouen to put the boy down.
“If he was the kind of man who was only after territories and power,” she heard Kouen tell Koumei “we could just step on his throat right here. But, I’m sure that’s not the case.”
Sinbad gave a small huff of amusement.
“You’re more of a handful than I expected,” he told Kouen, before finally removing his djinn equip. Armakan, Darius, Rametoto, and Artemina followed suit soon after, as did Kouen and Mali. She couldn’t help watching, amused, as Alibaba literally stole Aladdin back from Kouha.
The forces gathered start to talk among themselves, making preparations for what they needed to do, and Mali walked over to her old friend. Othila, she remembered her name now was.
“I never thought those two would stop their stand-off.” Mali declared, grinning.
“Well, that’s Sinbad and Kouen for you.” Othila turned to Mali, smiling “you haven’t changed at all, old friend, except for that power you gained.”
“I could say the same to you,” Mali countered, smirking up at her old friend “you haven’t changed a bit, Othila.”
“Learned my new name, huh?” the purple haired magician laughed “well what about you? Last I knew, you just wanted to live in the Kou Empire, but here you are as a metal vessel user in the company of the imperial family!”
“That’s a long story,” Mali chuckled “and I think we’ve got an interested audience.”
The two women turned to see Sinbad and Kouen observing the two women, and Mali couldn’t help her fond frustration for her lover.
“You two may not like each other,” Othila told them “but that doesn’t mean we feel the same.”
“Othila is that old magician friend I told you about,” Mali explained to Kouen “I can promise that she won’t do anything unless provoked, and provoking her would take a lot.”
“Aren’t you leaving someone out?” came a new voice, from the direction of the forces from Reim. Mali and Othila turned, and were shocked to see the face of the woman who was standing next to Muu.
“Kira!” they called out, smiling as the black haired woman ran over, gold armor shining as she came to a stop in front of them.
“It’s been a long time, you two!” Kira grinned, leaning her spear against her shoulder.
“So you found a place in Reim, huh?” Mali asked smiling “with the Fanalis Corps?”
“I owed Muu for rescuing me from those slavers,” Kira explained “and we grew close over the time we spent together.”
“Sounds like an interesting story,” Othila declared “maybe you two can tell yours, when you come to Sindria for the wedding.”
“What wedding?” Kira asked, confused. Othila smiled, holding her left hand out so the other women could see the rings.
“My wedding to Sinbad and Masrur,” she explained, and Mali couldn’t help grinning in happiness “I’m aware of the political tensions, so I ask only as one friend to two others: will you stand by my side as I marry the men I love?”
“Of course!” Kira and Mali replied.
“You’re getting married?” they heard Muu ask Sinbad, and all three turned to see Kouen, Muu, and Sinbad standing together as they watched the women.
“A kings wedding,” Kouen mused “that calls for representatives from other countries to be present.”
“Your women are coming,” Sinbad shrugged “you can let them fill those roles, or you can come as well. Knowing my betrothed, she will be fine either way.”
“Especially since it seems Othila will be marrying into the tribe, Muu,” Kira called out to the Captain “she’s marrying General Masrur, as well!”
“Marrying two men?” Muu questioned “that’s a strange concept.”
“There are countries where men can have more than one wife,” Mali turned to see the brown haired magician from before standing next to Othila “so who says that a woman can’t have more than one husband?”
“He has a point there.” Mali nodded in agreement.
“Let’s discuss that later,” Othila declared “we have work to do.”
Mali and the others nodded.
“We need to get to the wounded in the city,” Othila told them, before turning to the other rulers in the Alliance “Armakan, Artemina, Darius, Rametoto; if there are healers among your ranks, please send them with me. We need to help the people in the capitol city!”
“What about the Reim soldiers?” the male magician asked Kira.
“We have our own healers,” she replied “they’re on our ships, out of harm’s way and getting treatment.”
“Kou?” Othila turned to Mali.
“Our healers are working on them as we speak,” she told her friend “they’ll be fine.”
“Then we head for the city!” Othila declared, turning to see the few from the other countries that had come “come with us!”
Mali joined Othila on her staff, and Kira with the other magician, before the group prepared to leave.
“Captain Muu,” Othila turned to him, gaining the surprised Fanalis’ attention “please, send any who have enough strength to help remove the rubble. We can only do so much.”
“They’ll be close behind,” Muu replied, before turning to look at Kira “are you sure you want to do this?”
“Reim is allied with the Seven Seas Alliance,” she told him “and they’re to do everything in their power to rebuild this country. I’m sure.”
“Let’s go.” Othila told the group, and the small band of healers took to the skies, heading towards the city.
Mali looked back to where the women had left their men, and saw only Kouen was watching them still. Wanting to set him at ease, and feeling a little cheeky, she winked and blew him a kiss.
Seeing his amused look, she considered it mission accomplished, before turning to focus on the task ahead.
~
The work was long, hard, and sometimes heartbreaking. So many dead, because of the malice of so few.
Kira worked to move the rubble, the brown haired magician-whom Othila introduced as her friend Gabriel-and Othila used their magic to heal the injured. Mali kept to the skies, once her magoi was replenished, using her djinn equip to see any injured hidden at ground level.
Days passed, with forces coming from Reim, Sindria, and a few from Kou, to help in the recovery efforts.
It had surprised her, to see the other man Othila was to marry. Masrur was younger than her, and much taller.
Yet, when she saw just how loving, gentle, and kind both Masrur and Sinbad were with Othila, Mali understood immediately just why she loved the two men.
She understood how it was, people not understanding the love between people. So many still had their questions about how and why Mali and Kouen had fallen in love.
Work passed quicker with more people, and soon it was time for the gathered foreign forces to leave.
“So we’ll see you in a month or so,” Othila told Mali, Kira, and Muu, as they stood at the shore “and I’m sure the rest of the Fanalis Corps will want to be there to celebrate a brother’s happiness.”
“You can count on at least my sister and myself,” Muu nodded “perhaps a few others, as well.”
“Stay in touch, you two,” Othila told Kira and Mali, the three of them joining hands “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.” Mali replied, smiling as she watched Othila, Masrur, and Sharrkan leave on the boat, for the ships further off shore.
Mali and Kira parted ways, with promises to stay in touch, and by midday Mali was leading the remaining forces back to Balbadd.
In an effort to keep the peace, Kouen had led the majority of the troops out and back to Balbadd, and she was eager to see him again.
~
The entire time that the two of them were separated, Kouen worried for Mali. He knew that it was silly, that the women she’d known wouldn’t hurt her, despite Othila and Kira’s loyalties.
Yet wasn’t it only natural for a man to worry about the woman he loved?
After everything that had happened in Magnostadt, Kouen had realize that there were things he didn’t want to leave undone.
Yes, learning everything he wanted from Aladdin had been a motivator in the fight against the Medium, but there was another.
Fear.
Fear for his family, his country.
His dreams.
His dream for the unification of the world under the Kou, and the more personal one, of having a family of his own.
Kouen had always been a family oriented individual, and even at a young age had dreams of having a wife and children. He’d thought that it would have only been when he became emperor that he would find the woman he would make his wife, perhaps through an advantageous political marriage.
That part of his expectations flew away on the wind, when Mali came into his life.
For the first time, outside the family, Kouen had found a woman who was his equal. Mali was strong, smart, and it was her destiny to be a ruler.
He knew that she’d be in his life forever, though he knew not the context at the time.
Not until the day of the battle in Magnostadt. Seeing her flying in to save him and his family, Kouen knew that he was well and truly doomed.
Mali was his best friend, the woman he loved.
He wanted her to be his wife. So when he returned to Balbadd, Kouen sought out one of the best jewelry makers in the region, and commissioned a ring. Wide, silver, with a purple gem in the middle that matched her eyes. The band was etched with swirling wind patterns, with a star on either side of the stone.
All that was left was to wait for her to return, to ask her.
~
Mali and the troops returned to Balbadd in less than a week, able to travel faster due to there being far less people. When she arrived, Mali noticed that Kougyoku, Kouha and Koumei were acting decidedly….strange.
“What’s going on?” she asked, smiling as she walked with Kougyoku “you and your brothers have been on edge ever since I got back. Is Kouen alright?”
“Oh, Kouen’s fine,” Kougyoku reassured Mali “while things didn’t exactly go as planned in Magnostadt, things aren’t bad here.”
“Okay, but really,” Mali insisted “Kouha’s been much more chipper than I’d expect, and Koumei is actually energetic.”
“Well, if something’s going on,” Kougyoku replied “then I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”
Of course, Kouen had included his siblings in his plans for the proposal, and the three younger Ren siblings were actually excited. They didn’t know what would happen, but they were happy their brother had found a woman he loved enough to ask to marry him. Kougyoku, Kouha, and Koumei all already considered Mali to be family, and hoped that it would soon enough become official.
~
That night, Mali had changed into a nicer outfit as she’d been advised to, and was on her way to meet Kouen for their evening meal. She wore her hair down, and a red and black dress, the neckline slightly deeper than her usual modest neckline, to show some cleavage and proudly showcase the necklace Kouen had given her. The dress had one slit on the side, all the way up to mid-thigh, and was sleeveless.
Mali finally arrived at their usual spot, the library, to find that the door to one of the balconies was open, and that a full meal for just two had been set out for them.
“Someone wants me to himself tonight.” she muttered, smiling as she walked inside. She hadn’t seen Kouen since she arrived back in Balbadd, and wondered where he was.
“As I do every moment,” came the familiar voice of her lover from behind her, arms wrapping around Mali’s waist as he hugged her from behind, pressing a kiss into her hair “welcome back, my love.”
“It’s good to be back,” she replied, leaning back into his chest and relaxing “miss me?”
“Every day,” Kouen answered, turning her in his arms so she was facing him “I’m sorry I didn’t see you when you came back.”
“You’re a busy man,” Mali assured him “it’s quite alright. At least we’ve got now, yeah?”
Kouen nodded, before taking her hand in his and leading her to the table, pulling her chair out for her before sitting himself.
The meal was relatively quiet, as all their meals together were. It was mostly spent with Mali recounting the events in Magnostadt after Kouen departed.
“Let me tell you, it was actually rather amusing,” Mali giggled “Muu Alexius, member of the esteemed Alexius family and Captain of the Fanalis Corps, having to look up at Masrur, a man eight years his junior. The look on his face was priceless!
“I was really glad to see Othila and Kira again,” she continued, smile turning sad and fond “we’d grown really close over the time we’d traveled together, and to learn just how happy they now are in their new lives, I couldn’t be happier for them.”
“And are you happy?” Kouen asked, concerned at the sadness in her expression. At his question, Mali was shocked.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” she replied “really, Kouen, how could I not be? I have a family, friends, and am in love with the most wonderful man. Honestly, when I picture life years from now, I want it to be just like this. I want to be with you, your brothers, and your sisters.”
A most perfect lead-in, and Kouen took advantage of it. Standing, he walked over to Mali’s seat, offering his hand to help her stand, before they both walked over to the balcony railing.
“Do you remember what I told you,” he started “about my dreams for this life?”
“For the world, or your own?” she replied “because I remember both.”
“I was referring to my dreams for my own life, this time,” Kouen declared “how it has always been my dream to have my own family, and how I had thought that it would have only been when I became emperor that I would find the woman I would make my wife, perhaps through a political marriage.
“That changed, when you arrived,” he continued, turning his head to look out over the city “you arrived as though on a tornado, and changed everything in the same way.”
Mali was quiet as she listened to Kouen, wondering just what it was he wanted to say. What was he getting at?
“These are perilous times, for Kou and the rest of the world,” Kouen turned back to look at her, fully turning his body to face her “yet when I imagine facing it, now, I do not just see my family with me. I see you, as well. When I picture my future, I see you in it.”
He paused, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out the ring. He took her left hand in his, before getting down on one knee.
Mali started shaking when she realized what was going on, tears in her eyes as she tried to keep her composure.
“In you, Mali, I found my equal, and the greatest love of my life,” Kouen declared, allowing the smallest of smiles as he looked up at her “all else aside, you have made me inexplicably happy. If you’d let me…I’d like to spend the rest of our lives trying to make you just has happy. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Mali nodded, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks as she cried out of happiness “by every star in the heavens, yes!”
She tackled Kouen in a hug, arms wrapped around his neck as they held one another tightly, as they just held one another for a while.
“Thank you,” Mali whispered, pulling back to stare him in the eye “for loving me, for making me the happiest woman in the world.”
He gave a small smile in return, quiet, as he helped them both to stand. He put the ring on her finger, both admiring it for a moment, before he kissed her.
With perilous times ahead, Mali and Kouen took comfort in knowing they would be together through it all.
~
From the dark of the garden below, Koumei, Kougyoku, and Kouha stood watching, glad for their brother and friend.
“This will be interesting to announce,” Kougyoku declared, quiet “when we go to Sindria.”
“Sinbad might be capable of many things,” Koumei nodded “but this is something we can trust him with.”
“That fiancée of his, too, is a good woman,” Kouha added “Othila, I think her name is. She’s an old friend of Mali’s.”
“She also healed us,” Kougyoku agreed “that earns her a measure of trust, in my opinion.”
“We can HEAR you, you know!” Came a voice from above them. The three younger Ren siblings looked up to see Mali leaning over the railing to look down at them, Kouen standing beside her “I assume you three know what happened. Get yourselves up here, yeah? So we can have a proper celebration with our family!”
