Raiding the Kitchen

And so it shall be that the One shall depart from his first throne and journey west to face his Third Trial. In concurrence, the heir of the star graced mountain and the thrice forged crown shall journey south to the land of her forefather to face the First Trial that stands before her.

— prophecy of Fagand Asemon, 310 3E

Temple of Eternal Remembrance
Angvard City
Angvardi Empire
October 25

Ansee Endarn had always loved travelling. It was so exciting and allowed him to see new places and meet new people that he could help minister to their souls and guide them along the Way. One of the very few regrets he had about becoming Princess Raella's personal priest and spiritual guide was that he had to give up his circuit and the villages that he so loved visiting. A large part of his current duties now centered upon remaining in the capital and making himself constantly available to her should she need any counseling on matters of the soul. He had few other duties to tend to, though that singular one kept him in one place most of the time.

Though, on second thought, if he hadn't become her priest, he would never have been able to travel to Terula. Even though Unification demanded a blending of all peoples and nations, the truth was that the priests were more loath to do so than others, even soldiers. Ansee couldn't understand why, but even when presented with the ability to mingle with Terulan priests, his fellow Angvardi made every excuse to beg off. He supposed part of that came because both held to different Tetrands and were not too eager to place themselves under the jurisdiction of the foreign High Priests. Ansee didn't much mind being under the authority of a Terulan archpriest because, ultimately, they were all seeking the same thing.

He started this day early because there was so much to do. Even before the sun peaked over the horizon, he was up at his daily prayers. When those were finished, he put on his blue robes of Mewela and went to the public altar to his patron goddess to offer up incense and perform at least a few blessings in her name upon those who would gather at this early hour.

He was lighting the last of the incense when he felt a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder. Turning calmly, his eyes widened at the sight of High Priest Hassell, the mortal voice of Mewela the Former. Ansee quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, "How may I serve Your Holiness?"

Hassell spent a few seconds appraising him. Though the High Priest was only a few years older than Ansee, he had risen through the ranks and been selected by the Tetrand to fill the position of High Priest thirteen years ago after the death of High Priest Grazam. In truth, Ansee was the oddity. At his age and with his reputation and experience, many thought he should be at least a head priest if not an archpriest. Ansee had been offered Elevation before and while the thought of overseeing several temples was appealing, he had turned down the offer and insisted on remaining a regular priest. His superiors had wondered why that was and were not exactly happy with his decision, but nobody could force a priest to accept greater responsibility than what they felt they could take. Ansee was careful who he told the reason he was happy where he was. If he had become a head priest, he would have been forced to leave Raella and he couldn't do that, not after serving her since her birth.

"Priest Ansee," Hassell said when he was ready, "I came to ensure that you were properly prepared for your journey."

Ansee remained bowing as he replied, "I have said my prayers and burned my incense. I seek only the blessing of Archpriest Onath before going to the Princess."

Hassell gave him a small nod. "There is no need to seek the archpriest. I will give you blessings for your journey."

"Thank you, Holiness." He kept his head bowed as the High Priest went through the sequence of ritual blessings in the name of the Tetrarchy and the goddess Mewela. It was rare that one as high as Hassell would give a blessing to any as low as a humble priest, but Ansee would not turn down such an honor even if he had a choice.

When the blessing was complete, he felt a hand beneath his chin raising his head. He did not resist and soon found himself staring into warm brown eyes remarkably similar to his own. Hassell's face was etched with worry as he said, "Take care on your journey, my son."

"I will," assured Ansee.

"These are dark times, dark times indeed. The prophets believe they have uncovered a dire warning and threat against the throne of Angvard. The guard has been doubled, but I fear that there is no way to escape prophecy."

Ansee hadn't heard of this before. His heart quickened and his eyes widened. He didn't know what to say to that, so he murmured, "I see."

The High Priest's eyes hardened and his voice took on an edge. "The princess is important to us. There are privileges that my office enjoys, privileges that allow me to know things others do not. I am forbidden to speak of them, but I can say that I believe Princess Raella is absolutely crucial to our victory in the Coming Darkness."

His grip on Ansee's jaw tightened almost to the point of causing pain. "Listen to me, my son. The princess' life will be threatened and you must not hesitate to protect her. There are many things that I wish would not be, but I have no power over the will of the Tetrarchy."

He released Ansee from his grip and pulled out two objects from beneath his ornate blue vestments. The first was a letter sealed with the High Priest's Seal. "I am loathe to give this to you, but the time for hesitation is past. This is an official Writ of Absolution signed and sealed by myself. There may be a time when you must do things that may not be in accordance to what you have been taught. You must be willing to do anything to protect the princess, even killing. If you must lie, cheat, steal, deceive, or kill, so be it. As long as it is with the purpose of protecting the life of the princess, I have absolved you of all sins. No man who adheres to the Way may lay hands upon you with that in your hand, not even Terulans. Take it, my son."

Ansee's hand was trembling when he hesitantly reached out to take the letter. All of this talk about killing and danger was almost more than he could handle. By the gods, he was not a young man, why was the High Priest laying this burden upon him? He loved Raella as the daughter he had never had, but this was something utterly unexpected. He didn't know if he could do what the High Priest was asking him to do.

But Hassell was not finished. He held something else in his hands, a pendant. It was shaped like an odd, eight sided star attached to a gold chain. The shape was divided into four quarters, each with a different color: red, blue, green, and white. He recognized the colors of the Tetrarchy, but not the pendant itself.

"This has been handed down from one High Priest to another for generations untold," Hassell explained. "When I ascended, I found it in my new desk, locked in a drawer that had not been opened in many years. There was a small letter with it, but you do not need to know such things. I believe that I am to give it to you for a purpose that I pray will be made known to you in the future. Keep this close, and tell nobody  that you have it. I don't know what it is, but I know that it is ancient and important."

He placed the pendant in Ansee's hand with regret etching his wrinkled face. "I am sorry, my son, to place such a burden upon you. It was not my choice, but the will of the gods. Remember, not all threats come in the form of a knife in the dark or an ill spell, sometimes words are just as deadly as steel or magic. Don't let a smile and warm words lull you into complacency. Go now in peace but expecting war, and protect the princess at all costs."

With nothing else to do but comply, Ansee scrambled to his feet and hastened out of the small chapel. The letter and pendant were clutched in his hands, though he wished he could throw them away. He wasn't an adventurer, nor was he particularly versed in combat or politics. He was just a simple priest who wanted to help as many people as possible. The High Priest's words terrified him more than he had been before.

* * * * *

Raella had spent the day scampering from one room to the next, running up and down the halls of the Palace in a most undignified manner. Few in the Palace commented because they were too busy preparing for the trip to Terula for a year. Some of the younger servants and guards even smiled at the overly enthusiastic princess and saw no reason to dampen her spirits. It was like this nearly every year when she would go to see her father and spend the colder months in a more comfortable environment.

This was one of the few times when things were so chaotic that she was able to get away with almost anything. There were no lessons, no petitioners, no practicing, and no expectations for her to make appearances or go to fancy dinners with nobles who needed placating. She had taken extra care to prepare all of her things and made sure that her retinue was assembled and ready. Whatever wasn't already packed and waiting in the courtyard ready to leave was being handled by her servants. She was free and intended on making good use of that freedom.

If her mother had caught her, though, she would be in for a rather uncomfortable "conversation" that would likely leave her sitting tenderly for the next couple of days. Empress Celienna took a very dim view of outward expressions of joy or "immaturity." For her, the only appropriate emotions a ruler could openly display were anger, reserved benevolence, or satisfaction when her plans succeeded. Even being of age and a lady in her own right was not enough to spare the princess if her mother felt she needed correction.

That didn't bother her, though. Her mother was constantly surrounded by guards and attendants that gave her plenty of notice whenever she approached. There were a few of the nobles and officers that might report her, but even they hesitated to earn the enmity of the woman who would eventually have absolute control over their lives and fates.

"Come on, Ellie," urged Raella as she began her raid on the kitchens. It was a time honored tradition of hers started when she was seven and had far more free time and fewer obligations. Every year, during the chaos resulting from the preparations to travel to Terula, she would sneak into the kitchens and make off with whatever sweets she could find. It infuriated her mother whenever she was caught doing such things, but the sheer pleasure of being able to act like a normal child, even for a few minutes, was well worth whatever punishment she received. Now, eleven years later, she was off once more to pillage the pantry when the stakes were even higher. In her mind, just because she was now eighteen and supposedly a proper lady didn't mean that she shouldn't continue the tradition. In truth, the added risk only made it more enjoyable.

"Please, Princess," pleaded a huffing Ellie as she scrambled around the corner in pursuit of her exuberant ward. "You are too old to be doing this. It isn't proper!"

"Posh," retorted Raella with a sly smile. "I may never get a chance to do this again, so I am going to enjoy it one last time." She stopped outside the kitchen doors and waited impatiently for Ellie to catch up. When the maid finally caught up, Raella put her finger over her lips to command silence.

"Now," she whispered, "you go in and provide a distraction while I make off with the sweets."

"But this is too dangerous."

Raella grinned mischievously. "Of course it is, and that is what makes it so much fun, right?" As the heir, she was most certainly prohibited from doing anything that might be considered dangerous. She understood the importance of remaining safe, but that didn't mean she had no urge for adventure and fun. These raids, in the kitchens and in other places, were about the most dangerous activity she was allowed to experience. That meant that each moment, each rapid heartbeat, and each whispered word were to be savored.

Sweat dripped down Ellie's forehead as she shook her head violently. "No, that is what makes this insanity."

"Shhh, do you want them to hear us? Now, do as I say and it will all be okay. It isn't like we haven't done this before, right?"

"But—"

"No 'buts' today, Ellie. You are my maidservant, so you do as I tell you, right?" Well, it wasn't exactly that way, but Raella could be persuasive if she needed to be and she believed that Ellie truly did love her as her own. After all, Ellie was the same age as Raella's mother and she had been taking care of her since she was born.

Throwing her hands up in surrender, Ellie rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, we are doomed!"

Raella's smile only grew. "Okay, dry your forehead and provide that distraction."

Muttering something about doom and being cast out onto the streets—as if Raella would ever let that happen—Ellie wiped her brow, straitened her skirts, and took a deep breath. When she was ready, she entered the kitchen and began playing her part as a distraction so Raella could slip in and make off with the goods.

"You there!" Raella heard Ellie say in her most patronizing voice. "Where is it?"

She had to envision the confused look on the nearest cook's face, but hearing the confusion and hesitation on the poor man's face was fun enough. "Where is what, mistress?"

Ellie let out an indignant huff, "What do you mean, 'where is what?' Are you completely incompetent or do you have cheese stuffed in your ears?"

The cook's voice grew slightly more strained, "No, I—um."

"Oh stop standing there like a lout and get on with it!" snapped Ellie. "I don't have all day. There is a journey to prepare for, you know, and we will be leaving shortly."

"But what, er, what did you need?"

There was the sound of something clanging to the ground and Raella almost giggled at the thought of Ellie flailing her arms around in exasperation and knocking something off a counter. The woman did have a habit of doing that when she was angry or flustered or, more importantly, wanted people to think she was either of those. "Of all the…" the maid moaned. "The Princess' lunch, of course. Do you expect the one and only heir of the Unified Kingdoms to go hungry just before traveling thousands of miles to see her most beloved father?"

"Um, no, mistress, we don't—But there was no request…I don't, I mean," the poor cook was now beyond hopeless. For a moment, Raella felt a pang of sympathy for the man, but she always did find a way to make it up to all of the victims of her raids one way or another. Even as a mere princess, she had a good deal of influence in certain matters and it wasn't all too hard to get scullions, stable boys, or even armorers a little time off or a few extra coins. After all, it was only proper to reward them for providing her some much needed amusement and relief.

"Well, get to it!" Ellie almost shrieked. She and Raella had spent years carefully crafting her image into that of a fearsome and demanding woman to the point that most of the palace staff feared her. Ellie might be as mild mannered and pleasant as any woman could be when with her ward, but she didn't let others know that. It spared them both a great deal of heartache and toil if everyone believed the rumors of her tyrannical rule and violent temper.

There was a mass scramble as numerous bodies snapped into motion all at once. They might not know what the Princess had wanted, but it didn't matter. In their panic, they were all eager to do anything so as to avoid the wrath of Ellis Dantorum. After a minute or two of her poking and prodding and generally creating mass confusion, the entire kitchen was in an uproar from the Mistress of the Kitchens down to the lowest scullion.

When the time was right, Ellie gave the prearranged signal by saying, "Well, it is about time someone started doing things right."

Trusting her partner in crime's timing was right, Raella ducked into the kitchen and all but raced for the pantry. She had to be careful to avoid the pan that had been knocked over in Ellie's storming, but all of the kitchen workers were busy inside and none caused a scene when seeing her. Normally, if she ever did actually go into the kitchens, each and every person there would stop what they were doing and all but beg to do her bidding. It was great when she wanted food, but the added attention made actually making off with the sweets rather hard to do. Ordering them to look away took all the fun away.

She sometimes did suspect, on some years, that her mad scramble was sometimes intentionally ignored by the cooks and assorted help. Three years ago, she had jumped in too early and ran smack into the back of one of the cooks. She had let out a startled gasp when she saw the princess and Raella thought the entire raid was done for. To her surprise, the cook gave her a single bow and hurried across the kitchen and hollered at the attendants to work faster. Two days later, she encountered that same cook who gave her a very purposeful wink with a smile on her face.

Even if they did suspect what was going on, at least they had the grace to let her have her fun. There was so little of her life that was actually hers to do with as she pleased and they kitchen staff seemed to sense that. She was always nice to them and they seemed willing to indulge her on occasion as result.

This year, though, she didn't think anyone saw her during the four seconds it took to dash into the pantry. Since there were so many coming and going from it, the door was open. That wasn't so bad because the pantry twisted around a corner allowing her to hide quite well as long as nobody entered the pantry. It was Ellie's job to make sure nobody did and she had to trust her partner once again.

Behind her, Ellie's indignant voice provided even further cover. "Did you—did you actually mean for the Princess to eat that?" That resulted in even more scrambling and clanging of spoons against pots and bread pans scraping against the stone ovens.

Once safely inside the pantry, it was only a matter of grabbing everything that looked like it was covered in honey or cinnamon. She did and quickly filled both a large basket and her mouth with the tasty treats. There were so many goodies that she wanted to take, but the basket was only so large and if she wasn't careful, she would leave a trail of dropped sweetrolls along her escape route and that would certainly get her caught.

"Did I say you could stop!" Ellie's imperious voice rang out above the din of the kitchen. "Get moving or you will be sent to cook for the dungeons!"

She had the loot, now it was time to make her escape. Risking a quick peek outside the pantry doors, she saw that that coast was clear. Despite the extra baggage of the freshly stolen loot, she raced to the escape offered by the kitchen door. Desperately trying to suppress a squeal of sheer exhilaration, Raella rounded the threshold to freedom at a full out run.

And ran straight into the imposing wall of metal and flesh that made up her mother's personal guard.

Raella's joy turned into sheer terror in the space of a heartbeat as she bounced off of the burly man and fell on her backside. The overfull basket flew from her hands and sent the incriminating bounty of her raid rolling down the hallway. The soft grunt of surprise from the guardsman was masked by Raella's quite audible gasp of horror.

Standing behind the quartet of guardsmen was Empress Celienna II who was not looking very pleased at all. In truth, Raella thought she had looked less angry when ordering a traitor's head lopped off. There was no denying what she had done, not with the evidence still tumbling down the hallway. She was doomed.

Her mother did not explode. No, that would be inappropriate even in front of her own guards. Instead, her face went as red as a fresh ripened beet and her eyes grew as hard as carbonized steel. Raella could see the vein on the left side of her neck pulsing and wondered just how long it would be before she could sit without discomfort. Maybe if she were lucky, she could get one of their mages or a wizard to heal her, but that wasn't likely. Nobody wanted to interfere in the empress' discipline.

One of the guards offered her a hand to help her up and Raella had no choice but to accept it. Her own face was probably as red as her mother's, though for a very different reason. She stood up and brushed herself off with as much dignity as she could for one in her situation.

"I believe," Celienna said with frost in her voice, "that you and I need to spend some time in your chambers…discussing what is proper."

Raella gulped and dearly hoped that Ellie would hear what happened and avoid stepping into the trap. "Yes, Mother," she murmured while studying her feet. It was not going to be a pleasant conversation and she doubted there would be too many words exchanged.

"A lady has no need to be traipsing around the kitchens making off with sweets." If she was going to start in now with this many witnesses, it was going to be bad when they got to the privacy of her chambers. "I might tolerate this from a little girl, but you are a grown woman now and you should know better."

Again, there was nothing else to say but a dejected, "Yes, Mother."

The empress snapped once and Raella jumped into action. She knew exactly what she needed to do and didn't hesitate. Making an about face, she started off for her chambers with as much proper grace as she could manage, all the while knowing that her mother and guards would follow. Every step was agony, and not just because her cheeks were still enflamed and sweat was trickling down her spine. It was humiliating, true, but more than that, she had been caught. She had never been caught in one of her raids by her mother. True, some had been less successful than others, but never in front of the Empress herself.

They continued through the circuitous grand hallways that her mother always said were meant for proper ladies. Raella knew them all by heart, even if they did take longer to get anywhere than the servant's pathways. It was rarely acceptable for a servant to be seen going about their business, so they tended to stay to the shadows and the maze of smaller hallways that ran through the palace so that proper nobles and guards would not be hampered in the richly decorated grand hallways.

"Princess Raella," a strained voice called out from one of the servant's halls as her procession marched onward.

She briefly considered continuing on, but that may earn her even more stripes for being rude. She came to a stop and turned to see who had called her name. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the familiar and friendly features of Father Ansee. Things could hardly get worse. Now, even her personal spiritual mentor would see her shame.

Father Ansee scrambled up and waved away the curtsey she was preparing to offer. Angvardi priests of the Way never bowed to any but their own superiors within the priesthood, not after the War of Lost Prophecy. Still, that didn't allow him to ignore her mother. "My Empress," he said respectfully, "if I may address the Princess?"

None of the earlier frost had faded from her curt reply, "You may, Father."

"Thank you, Your Grace." He turned to Raella and said quickly, "Princess, there is something of great urgency I must discuss with you."

This was a truly rotten time. "My apologies, Father Ansee, but I—"

"I wish it could wait," the priest interrupted gently, "but I fear that there is no time for delay. The will of the gods waits for nobody, not even the Imperial Household."

"But—" Raella started, but already Father Ansee had turned to address her mother.

"My deepest apologies, my Empress, but it is imperative that I speak to the Princess alone. It is a matter of grave concern."

Celienna was clearly not pleased, not one bit. However, if she turned even one as lowly as a priest away, it would not be well received by Archpriest Onath or worse. The Tetrand had been increasingly touchy over the last couple of years, but it had grown far worse when the Sei malcontents massacred so many priests in Kubei. Even an incident as minor as this could turn into quite the headache for her in the future. It was the last thing she needed right before leaving the city for several months.

"Very well," the empress said after a few moments of thought. "Will this take long?"

Regret poured into Father Ansee's expression. "I am afraid that it could take a good deal of time. Fear not, Your Grace, I will ensure that she is ready in time to depart."

Celienna's jaw clenched in consternation, but she had already consented. "See that you do." To her daughter, "Do not think your actions will be forgotten."

Raella gulped once more as her mother continued down the hallway with her head held high. It didn't take long for her to be left alone with Father Ansee. "Come along, my child," he said as he gestured for her to march back the way she had just come from. She did so willingly, knowing that each step was one step away from her own chambers and fuming mother.

She meekly followed the priest for a few minutes, barely acknowledging anyone else as they went by. It wasn't long before she could guess at their destination as being one of the small chapels held for private ceremonies or worship by someone in the palace who didn't have time to go to the Temple. Father Ansee had seemed rather insistent about whatever it was that he was so eager to speak to her about, but it must be serious if he wasn't willing to address it as they walked.

They arrived at last, though they weren't alone when he opened the doors. At first, she wondered if he was going to try to go to another chapel in hopes that one would be empty. Then, she saw who the other person was.

"Ellie," she squeaked breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"

"Exactly as I told her to," Father Ansee answered.

Raella frowned despite herself. "I don't understand."

"It isn't too difficult to understand once you know that Mistress Ellis ran into me shortly after you…mishap outside the kitchens. She pleaded with me to do something to rescue you and I felt obliged to grant the dear woman's prayers."

Tears of gratitude blurred Raella's vision as she ran to hug her maid. "Thank you, Ellie," she sobbed. It didn't bother her to behave like a child in front of Father Ansee. After all, it was hard to maintain propriety around a man who knew each and every one of her sins and failings. She had nothing to hide from either of them, and she couldn't say that about anyone else in all of Teladia.

"I couldn't just let you take the fall for that, dear," Ellie murmured soothingly. "I know what waited for you if you and the Empress got to your chambers, so I sent Father Ansee through the quickest of the servant's hallways so he could catch you in time."

Raella pulled back to arms length and asked, "But, how did you find him so quickly?"

"I was looking for you," the priest said. "It wasn't too hard to figure out where you would be, not with it being lunchtime on the day you depart for Terula."

Sometimes it wasn't a bad thing to have someone know of all your sins. "Thank you, Father Ansee." She let Ellie go and took a couple of steps back toward her priest.

"Now, what have I told you about when we are in private?" Father Ansee said with a mock scowl.

"I am sorry, Ansee," Raella said with lowered eyes. He hated it when she called added "Father" to his name. It was a necessity in public, but when they were in private, he wanted only to be called by his first name. He gave her the same courtesy, too. He said, after all, that it wasn't fair for him to ask to be addressed informally if he was going to keep calling her "child."

"You are forgiven, Raella."

"So you came to save me?" She could hardly believe it.

"Yes, from what I know of your mother, you were headed for a most unpleasant experience. It won't do for you to be unable to sit right when we are about to head out on a long journey."

Raella's cheeks burned again at the mere thought of the embarrassment she would have experienced if that news got out. Yes, it was a good thing that Ansee was sworn to secrecy concerning all things they discussed. Even then…

"You lied to Mother," Raella gaped.

Ansee shrugged, "Not entirely. I do have some rather important things to tell you and I don't think it would be wise to delay. I also suspect that it will take a good deal of time to explain, too, and I fully intend on having you ready before it is time to go on your journey. In fact, I think that I just might have to hold you until just before it is time to depart."

Raella couldn't help herself but to throw her arms around his thin frame in a tight hug. "Thank you, Ansee. I cannot tell you what that means to me." With his plan, there was no way for her mother to have the time to discipline her. Even more importantly, there was not enough privacy on the road for her to be properly disciplined and her mother wouldn't risk doing it in the presence of others. Sure, she was going to suffer for this, but at least it wouldn't be as severe.

"I cannot tell you how much you mean to me," Ansee replied.

"To us both," added Ellie. "I'd take the stripes for you if I could."

Raella knew that Ellie wasn't merely saying words just as Ansee wasn't exaggerating, but it felt good to hear them say that. She let Ansee go and took a few steps back to try to compose herself. "Look at me," she said while wiping her nose on her kerchief, "how foolish I am."

Compassion colored the priest's voice when he answered quietly, "Not foolish, not at all. You get all too few times to be yourself. Each time you can is precious indeed. Your mother is harsh, true, but I believe she truly means well. She wants to shape you and prepare you for your destiny, and that won't be easy. Fear not, you never need to worry about hiding things or being stiff and proper around the two of us."

"I know, but, well, it is just hard. Everything is building up and getting worse and worse. I fear that everything is going to come crashing down on us all."

Ansee looked somber almost to the point of being stricken. "Raella, my sweet child, I wish that I could comfort you, but I have some rather disturbing news to tell you. Perhaps we had better sit down, it could take a while."

When he had finished relaying the events of his meeting with High Priest Hassell, he sat back and let out a sigh of relief. Raella could tell that carrying the burden of those dark words had not been pleasant. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it herself, but danger was nothing new to her. Every few months, there was some sort of threat against her person and assassins were a constant problem. Even then, having some petty noble angry with her was nothing like having prophecy warn of impending danger.

She took a deep breath of her own and let it out slowly. "Well then," she said, the first words she had spoken since Ansee began. She was surprised at how calm her voice was. "I guess things have indeed come crashing down upon us."

"Yes dear, it appears so," muttered Ellie.

Cautiously, Ansee asked, "What do you want to do?"

Raella held her chin up defiantly and said, "Exactly what I am supposed to do. We go to Terula and meet with my father. My life has always been in the hands of the merciful Tetrarchy, so why should I fear any more now than before? If the gods wish me dead, then there is nowhere I can hide, nobody I can run to, and nothing I can do to escape that. If it is not my fate to die, then the gods will protect me from all threats."

Ansee smiled warmly and inclined his head toward her. She glowed at his pleasure and the rare sign of respect. "This," he said, "is why I believe you will be a truly great Empress. Not twenty minutes ago, you were being marched off to a rather stern strapping as meek as a lamb. Now, when you face death, you embrace the gods and show yourself a strong and mature woman."

The glow quickly turned into a blush. She wasn't exactly sure he would say the same thing if he knew her thoughts, but she didn't dare argue with him. "Thank you," she managed. This was more than enough to distract her from her narrowly avoided doom and she was grateful for it. The very thought of danger, secret meetings with High Priests, mysterious pendants and letters, and the promise of excitement nearly overwhelmed her. She always looked forward to travelling, but this was going to be something else altogether and it thrilled her to her core.

"Let us see this pendant of yours," she said.

Ansee started and looked a bit bashful as he reached into his robes to pull it out. "I am sorry, I should have showed it to you long ago." Both Raella and Ellie gasped when they saw the eight sided figure. He frowned and asked, "What is wrong?"

"That…that is just like my amulet," answered Raella incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

Raella carefully took it from his hands and inspected it. "It is the same size, though I think yours is a little heavier. Every angle is the same. Mine doesn't have these pretty colors, it is just pure white. Other than those two things, I think they are identical."

"Where did you get such a thing?" demanded Ansee.

Ellie whispered, "She has always had it. I am not sure where it came from, but I noticed it just a few days after she was born. I guessed it was a gift from some noble and never thought about it since."

Raella was in shock. She had always liked the little pure white amulet and thought it was a sort of good luck charm. Her mother tolerated it because it appeared to be made of the finest ivory and such things were expensive this far north. "It cannot be a coincidence," she whispered, though she wasn't quite sure why. There was nobody nearby and the doors had been built specifically to ensure privacy. It just seemed the right thing to do.

Ansee let out another deep breath, though instead of being full of relief, it was consumed in worry. "I agree. I don't know how High Priest Hassell got this, but he certainly believed it to be important. I have no idea what it means, but it must mean something that there are two of them."

"It seems that we have a mystery to uncover," declared Raella. The initial surprise upon seeing the pendant had now been replaced with excitement over even more intrigue. "They could be magical, you know, something enchanted."

Ansee frowned again and scratched his chin absently. "I had thought of that, but it is not a comforting one. Magic can be dangerous, especially to those who don't know how to use it."

Raella laughed, "That won't be a problem. Mother has been after me for years to spend some time learning about magic. This would be a good time for me to take her up on that and go to the Wizard's College." It was true, but she would have to be careful. Since her mother was a mage and her father a wizard, they had always wanted her to learn more about magic. She had resisted because, when they were not careful, they sometimes let it show how disappointed they were that she was only a mere clairvoyant and not able to wield "proper magic." Because of that, she had grown to resent magic and resisted all of their attempts to study it. If she were to suddenly show interest, they may grow suspicious. She would have to be careful and make it seem that she didn't want to go even if she really did. More intrigue to make everything even more delightful.

"That seems like a good idea, as long as you are careful," cautioned Ellie. She knew about Raella's opposition to magic, though she wisely kept that knowledge to herself around others.

Ansee didn't seem entirely convinced, so Raella added, "It will be okay. The wizards in the College are the best there is and their library is extensive. I am not going to outright show them what I am after, but I think I can manage to get alone long enough to do some studying. Maybe they know what the shape means or maybe there is a way to detect what sort of magic may be inside them, if any."

The discomfort diminished, but it didn't entirely leave his body. He did relax a little, though. "Now," he said as he took back the pendant from Raella, "we have a few more hours before it is safe to leave. I think we should lay some plans and perhaps make some preparations. I can search among the Temple there while you do that. Ellie, you will need to watch out for anyone that might be suspicious of us. Servants can go places and see things without notice that the two of us could not."

"I think that is an excellent idea," replied Raella as her mind raced. "Here is what we can do…"



By the time the Imperial entourage left the gates of Angvard, Raella felt far more confident in her future. She had managed to avert disaster at the hands of her mother and, despite learning of danger to her life, make some plans with the two people in the world she trusted the most. Her mother still glared at her from time to time, but there was only so much she could do when surrounded by the First Battalion of the First Legion consisting of almost fifty-two hundred men, six hundred servants and camp followers, and a hundred minor nobles and courtiers. She was safe for now and they had plenty of time before arriving in Terula City to allow her mother's temper to cool off.

It was going to be a long trip. They would be able to make the eighteen hundred mile journey in two months if they were moving quickly. Normally, it took four months to make the journey since it was only considered polite to spend at least one night in the multitude of manor houses and noble's estates that dotted the road. It was all part of the seemingly endless cycle that the Royal/Imperial family had adopted. She was almost constantly travelling between the two great capitals and only rarely was able to see both of her parents together. Though they were married and did deeply love each other, her parents were constantly under great pressure from their positions so it was hard for them to leave their capitals. This trip was a rare occurrence for her mother because Celienna wanted to see her husband and hoped to present a show of unification in these dark times with the two of them together.

With the Unity Campaign and the signs of the approaching Coming Darkness, they might not take so long. They would have left sooner excepting there were many issues that required the Empress to remain in her crown city. If Raella had any say, they wouldn't spend so long in estates, even if it meant more nights in tents instead of warm guest rooms. There were answers in Terula to questions she desperately wanted to know about and that made it worth the extra hardship.

She was off to a grand adventure, that much she was sure of. When she was younger, she loved it when Ellie told her stories of heroes from the past and the marvelous times they had. To think that she could be facing one of her very own was exciting. There would be danger and there would be fear, but she was in the god's hands, now and always. She had yearned for excitement and adventure when she was girl and dreaded the thought of being stuck in a palace all of her life. This time, she just knew that things were going to be different. Life was taking a turn and things were growing so very interesting. She only hoped that on she would be able to remember all the exciting things that were bound to happen for the rest of her life.