15 a PRINCESS named EMILIANA YVONNE (1/2)

The light piercing through the majestic skies at the break of dawn in a midsummer's day can be regarded as one of the most beautiful and miraculous event one can be thankful for. But for Karus, this moment feels as if he has been targeted by the sun's spite, mocking him, blaming him on why he ever took his time sneaking to Yosh's window outside instead of just dashing inside the halls.

He leaped and jumped finding blind spots to hide his outline from the roving Nagozulian Sentinels. He was focused on his idea of having the thrill doing it from the high walls that he didn't had the time to calculate some variable events that led him to lose the precious moonlight he so desperately needed.

”Almost there,” he whispered in comfort talking to no one but his shaking body as he balanced his way to jump to the window. With heavy breaths, he summoned a big gasp then he dashed. Fifteen feet. From the four-inch embossed design in the wall to the veranda of Yosh's room.

He came rolling after the landing with a bit of smile coupled with a sharp sighing pain as he took his time, crouching for the aching muscles in his thighs to recover. Fifteen feet is a big deal, he thought. That's a new record for him and his brothers. To a Daomagar, this is an average Dash but to a Nagozulian, it is impossible. He sneaked almost dragging his feet to open the unlocked window. He grinned silently as he relished all the impossibilities, he's accomplished this year, hoping to find a new bar of impossibility to break tomorrow.

A few four-legged dolls with a horn at the forehead, and some weird chubby mannequins four feet tall, embroidered with laces and ornaments of gold and rare gems, are found scattered almost anywhere. 'What in Bathala's name is this!?' he asked, whining at the sight of the bright pink room that he stumbled upon. The bed post is filled with thin pink silks. The bed too is pink. All is pink. This is enough to blind a man, he thought. He took a peek outside the window, sticking half his head out, searching, looking, as though he had made a mistake landing on the wrong window. He pushed the window to shut convincing himself over and over that he is in the right room. The thick gold curtains that block the windows are the proof that the room is indeed Yosh's. But, he thought, why did they remodel the room? It can be easily deduced that the room has now been claimed by a girl. A kid girl. But who? Who's that girl? Who could possibly be more important than Yosh? Than them? The sons of the eldest Grand Prince Artemus.

Through some insinuations, he had thought that the South Wing of the Palace belongs to their father, Artemus, just like the North Wing belongs to Prodea, the East to Sarram and the West to the other nobles. It is where they stay. All of their personal items are in there. Doing something despicable like this means only one thing: they are not welcome in the Palace anymore.

He thought good riddance. They wouldn't want to be there anyway. But the thought of this being an unforgivable insult to them and their father, blatantly disregarding their lineage to the king, depressed him for a little while. He's not actually sorry for himself or his brothers even if their personal effects were, as he assumed, disposed of. He's feeling sorry for his father. It's a good thing their father doesn't know anything about this. It's as if they were evicted at the Palace without so much as a warning or even a word. This would be a very strong slap to his father's face. Only if he knew, he thought. But then again, he wouldn't because they are stuck doing something in the North.

He slapped to condition his thighs as he stood up jumping low for a few times to at least liven up his body. He tapped the walls to the east across the bed concentrating on some hollow trap door that Yosh created. At the far corner, the hollow space revealed a silent thud. Using his dagger, he cut and peeled off the wallpaper to reveal the tiled wall of marble that was once the room's original wall design. The wallpaper's texture felt like new, about two to three weeks old. He pondered for a little while tracing back the exact time when the room was remodeled but he snapped back and continued at the task at hand.

The tiles have the same square foot measurements but only the hollow one is different. He inspected the alleged safe before doing something rash, like opening it hastily. Yosh has been practicing the use of explosives and he wouldn't want to make a scene if ever he planted something inside with it. He first tried to smell the tile for other possible scents like adhesives, but he found none. It is quite dark at the corner, so he pulled his fingers and walked them on the tile. He noticed a tiny hole at the right most corner, so he pulled a pin and struck it leaving the tile to open a little bit. His mouth arched slowly upwards, impressed, thinking how Yosh turned out to be a genius in hidden contraptions at his age. He then pushed on using his dagger to again open the trap door entirely. He was shocked to see many articles hidden there at his deep personal treasure safe. He quickly grabbed the important ones that he needs to return to the History Room while mumbling about how stupid Yosh was to ever take so many rare things in just two years.

The rolling head of the wooden doll stopped him for a second. He picked it up and remembered their grueling attempt on snatching the heavy thing. He pulled the body out of the sack and saw the note saying: ”Please, bring me back to the Palace. Chopped Herbal Leaves inside. Many thanks.” Curiosity got a hold of him as he pulled his dagger and opened the back to reveal a hollow room containing three bags of herbal leaves. He smirked thinking he wouldn't need those as he shoved them to see what's inside. He was dumbfounded and shocked as he noticed more than a liter's worth of White Angel together with the rare, and naturally heavy, Black Demon Powder contained in six fist-sized brown pouches beside the White Angel. The Black Demon Powder is one of the rare ingredients in summoning Dark Magicks he thought, other than forging monstrous weapons with Dark Magicks that is. He stopped thinking why on earth would their grandfather needs this many powder. It's not as if he's a blacksmith or a conjurer. He hurriedly pulled one bag of it and closed the doll to stash it away in the depths of Yosh's safe.

”Where is it?” he mumbled trying to rifle the scrolls at the far back. He sat back trying to scratch his head in disappointment as he finishes on his task. ”No!” he murmured again talking to himself in protest, ”He didn't take it! He wouldn't dare!”

He contemplated for about a second of two if he would search further on the missing items in the sack but decided that time isn't a luxury he can afford. Besides, all of the missing articles that have been snatched in the history room are inside his sack. Their father would forgive Yosh misplacing Kyrin's Battlegear. He wore the Gauntlet of Deito to carry the now heavy sack as he returned the tile back to a click. He was about to leave the room when an idea struck him. He turned around as he pondered for a few seconds.

”If someone saw this peeled wallpaper,” he thought, ”someone might get suspicious and remove the conspicuous tile here. If that happens, Yosh will receive a summons from the Queen and that would be very troublesome.”

He dropped the heavy bulk and readied his right arm that has the gauntlet equipped. He smiled as he activated the iron claws from the gauntlets and started to dismantle the insulting pink wallpaper that is in front of him. He was filled with joy at the moment for he has found a use for the thousand blade dash he so secretly and painfully trained. Within only a few seconds, all of the pink wallpaper in the vast chambers has been scratched to peel as if a wild wolverine has rampaged into the room.

A loud shriek of a little girl came ringing at his back - the most irritating and disturbing shriek he has ever heard in his life, he thought. He initially assumed no one was around. Because of the room's mesmerizing effect, he completely forgot to search for a living soul at the room. This scenario, he immediately figured, would really take a very grim turn on his escape - considering that there is only one way out of the room: the door, but now the only option is the window. The window, he thought with glum as he pulled his scarf to cover his face and grabbed the bulging sack. He opened their wideopen arms revealing the warm bright yellow sun, still spiteful, took a short glance on how tall the fall would be and murmured some curses before jumping out.

”Who's there!? Ysa are you okay!?” shouted a young woman with her hands shaking and placed unevenly on the hilt of an unsheathed sword. She appears to be disturbed from her slumber with her frizzy hair sticking out of her head.

The sobbing little girl ran hurriedly to her sister hugging her ever so violently. Taking into account the ripped plaster walls, she immediately assumed that they are not safe and that she misinterpreted it to someone making a statement: that the Easterners are not welcome in the Holy Lands.

”Come, we should tell father about this fast,” she commanded angrily but with a glint of fear found between her eyes.

Ysa nodded. The assurance of her sister is the only thing she needs to calm herself down, so she followed as she was pulled gently to her father's quarters.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

”What's the meaning of this?” Prodea barked with the slightest touch of irritation.

She entered the conference room with a large round table at the middle. The teeming generals of Leonus are wearing their gold-plated battle armor standing at the back of their commander, the envoy, and his two daughters. Eryk Caden of the house of Shade is also present there sitting beside the Duke Tabarius who are now both standing to honor the presence of Prodea's arrival.

”My daughter Glaiza Ysabelle was attacked this morning by your people!” he claimed angrily but still with a very polite tone, ”Forgive us for waking you so early but you guaranteed that all of the people in the Holy Lands are in approval of our arrival and our stay here is not compromised by radical natives.”

Prodea scoffed at his derogatory term. Natives. It's as though he's insulting them branding them a race that is far less civilized than they are.

”What are you whimpering about?” she sneered contesting the truth behind his accusations. ”That's nonsense. The people here are unlike in yours. We do not do such things as to hurt anyone. We are not savaging.”

The duke was insulted but he remained calm and resolute to his point. ”Well if you please?” Tabarius stood up and pointed his hands to the direction of the door. ”Would you be so kind as to accompany us to the evidence and see for yourself?”

Prodea walked together with the Duke and Leonus's generals to the room silently. Prodea, together with her handmaids and Zeba, strode fast keeping mum.

Prodea believes that no one in their right mind would stir trouble to her guests like that to make her look bad. She believes that she inculcated enough fear amongst all of Nagozul, especially at the Palace, to get complete obedience, not forgetting to remind them not to cross her whenever she gets the chance.

She was surprised to see the room, wallpapers torn and shredded but, surprisingly, all of the other things surrounding the room are undisturbed. This gave her a hint of suspicion.

”See?” the Duke boasted. He would've continued to say another word but Prodea raised her hand interrupting him.

Prodea walked all over the scene, opening the windows, scratching the torn wallpaper that's still sticking in the wall, kneeling down to check the shredded remnants on the floor then she stood up smiling as she walks out of the room.

”There's nothing to fear,” she finally shouted, ”The thing or whatever it is that went inside that room took what it wanted and then left. There's nothing to worry, it won't be coming back.”

”But that's absurd,” shouted the Duke following Prodea wanting more than her mere guarantee. ”We want to see proof of your guarantee by placing...”

She stopped suddenly to face him, cutting him to say another word angrily. ”If they want to do harm they could have done so already. Remember that you are actually here on the Holy Lands where anyone you cross can kill you in a flick of a finger if they so desire. And besides, who told you to bring your family in this business affair anyway?”

Calling some nation savages cannot be recanted and seeing that he is right and that she is wrong clearly pulled a nerve on her. She was humiliated. Adding the fact that she was disturbed in her chambers so early in the morning, it's no wonder her angry side came springing out. But now, seeing the face of the Duke being appalled in her words plainly gave her a shock of her own for her to return to her normal self.

”Fine,” she added turning around returning to her pace to walk away, ”Karr will give you a sentinel or two to protect your daughters from this ghost.”

As Prodea disappeared to the halls Zeba went to the Duke. ”I'm sorry sir, the Grand Princess Prodea is not a morning person.”

”I can clearly see that now,” joked the Duke though in his eyes an angry fire is blazing.

”I will take care of the problem, don't worry,” Zeba assured and then she began to run to follow Prodea.

”Your highness!” shouted a voice behind Prodea as she was in her brisk pace to her quarters.

She stopped and turned to wait for her to come over and asked. ”What now Zeba?”

”Do you know who's responsible? Should we alert the queen?”

”Oh, Zeba,” laughed Prodea sarcastically while returning to walk to her room, ”Innocent Zeba. I thought by tagging with me for years your deductive skills would be elevated beyond ordinary by now.” Zeba just gave a weak smile with Prodea's insults walking beside her then she continued. ”Of course, I know who did that. It's obviously my disgusting and wretched nephew Yosh and his fiendish pack of wild beasts!”

”How did you know?”

”Yosh did that on purpose. He's hiding something there and he did that to create a diversion for us not to get suspicious, which obviously worked.”

”Well, we must find out what he hid? Shouldn't we?”

”Oh, Zeba. Being curious would lead to your demise somewhere in the future. We need not find out what trivial things he's been hiding there. For all we know it's his dead rat or something far more despicable. You should leave him be and continue on with our plan. His time would come for him to pay. And I, for one, would take great pleasure in giving him his just due.”

Zeba smiled nervously as Prodea uttered every single syllable with great weight. She too dislikes her nephew Yosh but at that moment, she felt a cold wind passing her making her shudder in fear, leaving her to feel sorry for Yosh and what he will be receiving from Prodea in the future.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

”Hmpf, what do they know!?” echoed a shout.

Luna scratched her master's legs to get his attention, but he clearly wouldn't stop.

”They should've been there for me!” he shouted again but this time it was followed with a throw of a rock to the river.

”Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaarr,” Luna shouted too trying to cope with his master's sadness as she saw tears now flowing in his cheeks.

He then curled up sitting still crying for a minute or two. He is beside a river that flows from the mountains of the north. He literally crossed the mountains just so he can get away with everything. If his geography lesson from Karus is correct, his legs led him at the plains located at the north of the forest of Kyrin, east of the shrine of Bakunawa and west of the north western regions of the Lakas Mountain range.

”Well,” he suddenly stood up surprising Luna while pushing away his tears, ”I heard Karus is learning some cool moves at Dal'Gur's and Kayzar is away practicing his skill sets at Kulog Pass. I won't lose to them.”

Luna made her smiling eyes to encourage Yosh still meowing some cheers and that made Yosh smile too for a little bit.

”Well Luna, if you're up for it we could race downstream,” he paused to keep a squinting eye trying finding Stella in the skies and then he gave a whistle. He made some hand gestures making Stella to circle around on top of them and then she flew straight south.

Luna gave her complaining meow seeing that she can't do the Great Dash like he does.

”Don't worry Luna, just follow Stella and you'll be with me in no time,” Yosh assured. And then he disappeared, dashing faster than ever before, as fast as he can muster, leaving Luna to move her fastest running pace.

It took Luna about two hours to catch up with Yosh who's about to finish his Lunch. She went near him panting, scratching his legs to gain his attention.

”Here you go,” Yosh smiled as he grabbed a little plate filled with fruits and filleted white meat. ”I'm sorry,” he apologized while petting her as she started on her lunch, ”I know its tradition for us to wait for you on lunch, but I remembered I forgot to eat my breakfast. That leaves the 'ol monster running amok, and we can't have him doing that can't we?”

Yosh busied himself stretching his bow and inspecting his arrows for a couple of minutes until Luna's done chomping. He stood up and whistled to Stella.

”We'll camp here tonight!” he shouted waving his hands to his flying friend, ”I'll be leaving to practice my new bow, you should get some rest or else you'll miss our night hunt!”

Stella circled two times giving Yosh the signal that he understood and then she flew further south to a curious dense forest. Yosh found this very convenient considering he needed something to hit with, a target to shoot with his arrows, and the plains that they were in is practically deserted. He waited for Luna to finish and then he grabbed his gear, pulled her to his chest pocket and went straight to the mysterious forest.

He was standing outside the white woods in no time, thanks to the Daomagarian Dash. He smiled as he savors the sight of the regal Elven Forest of Kyrin. Hundreds of white trunks as far as the eyes can see sprouts evenly with total symmetry from the ground, spreading their glittering golden five-pointed leaves that sway so smoothly with the breeze. He went near and touched the most perfect trunk around. He felt the smooth surface with his palm and came to appreciate the tough bark. He pulled a sharp paring knife in his pocket and pushed it gently on the surface. To his surprise, the knife came sliding by without scratching the surface and with this he personally witnessed how strong it really is. He felt the excitement pulsating through his veins. With his new bow that Dal'Gur created just for him, and a quiver of enchanted arrows, an idea springs up in his mind. Testing his superior skills on this fine tree will give him a challenge but he is willing to undertake this impossible task just so he can catch up with his brother's progress.

He has his insecurities with their improvements and he just won't be treated like a kid anymore. He wants to return home a changed man, he figured. By refining and amplifying his skills to another level, he's determined that he'll be worthy of true praises; Praises that are only given to older men; Praises he so secretly desires to hear from everyone, especially his father.

He went about thirty feet away sticking seven enchanted arrows on the ground around him. This enchanted arrow is no ordinary arrow. Being friends with Nemer has its benefits and these arrows are a proof of that. He doesn't know how enchantments are done but he learned, from his brothers, that this is the hardest thing a Nagozulian Elemental can do, and miraculously Dal'Gur can do it too by his science mumbo jumbo. Being Dal'Gur's apprentice for a long time, Nemer now have some sort of power to persuade and to ask favors from his powerful immortal master, who is a bowyer and a fletcher too. And being his friend, one can be entitled to ask favors too once in a while.

He pulled Luna off as he looks sharply to the most perfect trunk in front of him. He picked an arrow below without looking, placed it firmly on the bow, stretched it ever so slowly and aimed at the center of the trunk. With a sigh he released the tight string that is held by his three fingers. The arrow flew amazingly fast. He could hardly see the glowing yellow tip as it travelled from his point to the target. Surprisingly, it struck the tree with amazing precision. He was amazed to see this feat. An enchanted arrow can pierce even the toughest tree around, he thought, so he went on smiling to Luna.

”I bet I can put two arrows beside that, left and right, marking a horizontal line without looking at it directly.”

Luna gave a smiled meow as she lifted her palms to a deal. Yosh, seeing her dare, tapped her paws and looked at the tree for one last time. He turned around and smiled again to Luna.

”Watch and be impressed!”

He closed his eyes as he flipped around grabbing two arrows and placing them on the bow with great speed, then released the bow's stressed arch to strike the tree exactly on the previous arrow's sides.

He can truly be dubbed as a Master Archer to the likes of a Daomagarian Sentry based from his reflex with the bow and arrow. It only took him a second to accomplish this task, from the point where he was standing with his back turned to the moment when he released the arrows. And this skill, together with his precision, can be regarded as an impossibility that he can brag about from anyone, but he thinks it's not good enough. No one, not even his brothers, knows that he perfected his archery skills except Luna and Stella. When they think he's playing, he's actually training, harder than they could imagine. He believes then, and until now, that if he trains hard enough, his parents will think that he's worthy enough and will take him with them. Of course, that kind of thinking led him to another thought that he's not worthy of their love unless he got stronger like his brothers. But who could blame him? He doesn't even know why their parents left them at the Palace to train day and night secretly.

He grinned at the sight of its perfect shot forming a straight horizontal dot on the trees. He pulled a glove on his pocket and armed it on his right hand. ”Now!” he exclaimed laughing, ”Let's do three!”

Luna hissed complaining pulling his right paws pointing to Yosh's gloves which he noted and defended right away.

”You're being unreasonable! It's not cheating!” he smiled fixing it on his arm properly, ”I'm just using Dad's gloves because pulling three is really impossible. Besides, I don't have the required upper body strength to pull these at the same time. There are certain limitations to my skills you know.”

Luna gave another complaining meow which he understood.

”Alright, alright,” Yosh yielded, ”but I'm not going to remove these gloves, instead I'm going to do something different. Something harder so that you'd get off my back.”

Yosh stopped to ponder for a few seconds and then shouted to give Luna a jolt.

”I know! I'll dash retreating backwards, grabbing the arrows and then I'll release the arrows shooting the tree making three dots to perfect a triangle figure.”

Luna immediately yelped hissing blocking Yosh from his way.

”No Luna,” he shooed, ”I know you're concerned but I can do this.”

She shrieked again giving an angry meow still persistent in her stance.

”I know what went wrong last month. It won't happen again. Besides, who wants to break a rib or two? I know I don't.”

Luna won't step out of the way, so he pulled the three arrows and place it on the other side.

”Fine, if you won't trust me then I'll just have to show you to prove it!”

He stepped forward looking in the tree and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated. After a second or two, he opened it again and then he dashed backwards. He dashed grabbing the arrows, rotating back putting them on the bow in mid-air, pulling the tight string with all his might - drawing the bow, took a perfect aim, and then released it. He was thrown almost twenty feet rolling down. Luna ran to see if her master is alright shrieking again.

Yosh, lying on the ground, checked his body, panting with fear, looking if his body had taken its toll from his dangerous attempt to deviate from the Daomagarian Dash, a dash utilizing all of the body's jointed parts - the second level of dashing unbeknown to him. Luna came tapping him too to see if he's alright. He then sat up laughing petting Luna.

”You see!? Nothing to worry about. I think I see it now, how to move while dashing.” He squinted very hard to spot the tree as he slowly rises to stand. ”Yes! You see that Luna!” he shouted excitedly pointing to the tree, ”A perfect triangle!”

Luna looked but she wasn't convinced. She meowed in contradiction tapping his paws to the ground etching something.

”No,” Yosh disagreed, ”The top is placed where I want it to be. It's not uneven!”

Luna meowed firm to his idea.

”Well, if you wouldn't believe,” he said running to get the last arrow, ”I'll show you the center!”

He looked to the tree again finding the center of the triangle. But as he drew his bow to an aim, a silhouette appeared at the back of the tree. It is a girl, young and somewhere his age. She looks weak and distraught walking slowly to him, leaning her weight to the tree he's been training with.

He was troubled to the sight of the pitiful girl in front, almost asking for his help so he went dashing to see what's going on.