Knights of the Olde Speech - User contributions [en]

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2022-08-17T11:25:10Z

Haroldosaur: Haroldosaur uploaded a new version of File:Badge-luckyedit.png

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2022-08-17T11:23:28Z

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Board Thread:Ideas and Concepts/@comment-28534258-20160603145151/@comment-28534258-20200605183602

2020-06-05T18:36:02Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "<div class="quote">Wiz Ardon, the Peculiar Enchanter wrote: Remember when we were using this place? Fun times. Lots of talk about alchemy with Harold.</div> Good times :P"

<div class="quote">Wiz Ardon, the Peculiar Enchanter wrote: Remember when we were using this place? Fun times. Lots of talk about alchemy with Harold.</div>
Good times :P

Talk:On July the 4th/@comment-28545852-20200523142753/@comment-28534258-20200523165141

2020-05-23T16:51:41Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "as a European I approve"

as a European I approve

Talk:Memes/@comment-28534258-20190624103430

2019-06-24T10:34:30Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "This is my new favourite wiki page"

This is my new favourite wiki page

Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-31417650-20170628020234/@comment-28534258-20190521170342

2019-05-21T17:03:42Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "<div class="quote">Jonna Friesian wrote: That moment when you realize you have free time to go read Savants. So you log onto the KOTOS wikia because you realize you don't..."

Haroldosaur: Adding categories

Britay is an island nation to the West of the largest Militiregnum continent (just off the coast of Ankoria). It is a kingdom, divided into thirty-one separate counties.
[[File:Bits of Britay.jpg|thumb|631x631px|The counties of Britay. The colours represent which Dukedom controls the counties - Yellow for Walton, Red for Sutland, Blue for Ceoland, Bronze for Kingston, and Purple for lands owned by the crown.]]
There is a hierarchy of nobility to be found within the country - King -> Duke -> Marquis -> Earl -> Viscount -> Baron. It is a pyramid-esque structure, with the king sitting at the very top. Much like other kingdoms, the king's word is very much the law.
[[Category:Locations]]

Britay

2018-02-22T16:16:40Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "Britay is an island nation to the West of the largest Militiregnum continent (just off the coast of Ankoria). It is a kingdom, divided into thirty-one separate counties. [[Fil..."

File:Bits of Britay.jpg

2018-02-22T15:42:53Z

Haroldosaur:

== Licensing ==
{{Self}}

Loden Adalwin

2018-02-07T20:36:21Z

Haroldosaur: /* TRIVIA: */

<blockquote>"''I never joke around, Lav. Especially when it comes to a cool pair of sunglasses.''"</blockquote><nowiki>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</nowiki>{{CHARACTER_STATS|title1 = Loden Adalwin|image1 = Loden (c. Full Spectrum) (colourized).jpg|nickname(s) = *Lode-stone (by Iamos)|allegiance = The crew of the Origin (Foes and Heirs)

TheDude (Full Spectrum)|race = Human|gender = Male|age = 18-19 (Foes and Heirs)

29 (To Defy Doom)

30 (Full Spectrum)|height = An inch over 6 feet|weapon(s) = *Broadsword
*Axe
*Pistol
*Rifle|special_ablilities = *Combat skills|complexion = Fair, slightly tanned|hair_colour = Dirty blonde, reminiscant of wet sand|eye_colour = Amber|outfit_colour(s) = *Grey
*Green
*Brown|accessories = *Scabbard|status = Active|occupation = Special Agent|relative(s) = None|music_theme = Circa Foes and Heirs - Rap Is A Man's Soul (Gurren Lagann OST) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqUsHmtZygg)

Circa Full Spectrum - Rap Is A Man's Soul (Gurren Lagann OST) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmztjxN5ZFg)}}
Loden Adalwin is a trained knight-turned-revolutionary who was originally born in [[Morcia]], grew up in the Cheinir Empire, and returned to his homeland as an adult. As such, he wields various knightly weapons into battle, though he prefers anything that can pack a punch.

== APPEARANCE: ==
Loden typically wears casual clothing, with his signature item of clothing being a grey jacket (that has a bunch of useful pockets, and can be easily cast off in a duel), complete with small smiley-face badge, worn over a shirt - generally loose articles of clothing that hide his muscles. However, he is also known to wear more militaristic clothing because, after all, everyone loves a man in uniform. The muscles themselves are fairly significant - his physique can be summed up with "tall and broad-shouldered", and he's quite physically strong. His hair is dirty blonde, and unkempt - though he always ensures that it's short enough to fit inside a helmet with no difficulty. Despite the seemingly casual nature of his appearance, he always takes great pains to ensure that (at least to a certain extent) he can be considered presentable. His eyes are amber.

== PERSONALITY: ==
Loden is the joker of the pack. His humour is mostly dry and witty, with a hint of sarcasm, and he often winds up the people around him. His lax attitude is detrimental when he is confronted by danger, but he has the strength - both physical and mental - to power through the dire situations that he seems to find himself in. His vanity (a trait he possesses in spades) often acts as an off-putting front, helping his opponents to underestimate him - and the flirting often distracts people as well.

== HISTORY: ==
<nowiki>*</nowiki>tba*

== ABILITIES AND POWERS: ==
Loden has no powers, and few special abilities. He is very good with people and knowledgeable in social areas, and is skilled with a multitude of different weapons. He is also in good physical shape due to the harsh training one goes through to enter any sort of militaristic profession, and is surprisingly muscular despite appearances. In later life, his knowledge of psychology, as well as his experiences with several revolutionary groups, provide him with a wily cunning that helps him to come up with solutions to problems and make deductions.

== QUOTES: ==
"''You're feeling guilty. It's not a nice feeling. Being a regular mortal, I can relate to such feelings.''"- Loden, talking to Iamos.

"''Pssh. They should make me captain of the guard and be done with it already.''"- Loden.

"''Well, that explains why you don't see too many alchemists about. They all killed themselves trying to impersonate Zeus."''- Loden, after being told about the risks of transmutation.

â''You know, I remember a friend of mine whoâd just fill this room that he had with, like, creatures. Like, heâd pick up an insect or something and bring it back with him. And he could sit there for hours, surrounded by stuff I personally found just gross, not caring about anything. Kinda made me realise that everyone has a different definition of peace.''â- Loden, proving a point.

== APPEARANCES: ==
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|Foes and Heirs]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]

== TRIVIA: ==
* Loden was born a day and a year before his best friend, [[Iamos Wilder|Iamos]].
* Loden is bisexual.
* As with all the other main characters of Foes and Heirs, Loden's name alludes to a colour - green.
* Loden's surname, Adalwin, is Germanic in origin and means "noble friend".
* The yellow smiley-face badge sewn onto Loden's jacket is a reference to [http://watchmen.wikia.com/wiki/Watchmen_Wiki Watchmen], where the most recognisable emblem of the series is [http://watchmen.wikia.com/wiki/Eddie_Blake The Comedian's] yellow smiley-face pin.
* Loden is ambidextrous, having been obsessed enough with the concept of dual-wielding when younger that he taught himself how to handle objects equally efficiently in both hands.
** I didn't even realise earlier, but apparently dual-wielding is a euphemism for bisexuality, with a Japanese word for dual-wielding doubling as one for a bisexual man, so... appropriate? :P
[[File:Loden Adalwin-0.jpg|left|thumb|298x298px]]
[[File:Loden Adalwin FINISHED UNCOLOURED FINALLY DEAR LORD.jpg|thumb|317x317px|Loden Adwalwin, poised for action. (''Uncoloured, drawn by Haroldosaur.'')]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:The Crew of the Origin]]

Talk:Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life/@comment-28549248-20180205175239/@comment-28534258-20180205185556

2018-02-05T18:55:56Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "Someone from the Corvid server who has experience with anxiety-based panic attacks beta'd it for me. :P"

Someone from the Corvid server who has experience with anxiety-based panic attacks beta'd it for me. :P

Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life

2018-02-05T11:27:49Z

Haroldosaur: Given what's happened recently, a narrative of fear and sadness came to me, uh, relatively easily. On the plus side: more Foes and Heirs, yay!

Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life

2018-02-03T18:42:56Z

Haroldosaur:

Written by Haroldosaur... like, I'm not 100% sure. 2017.

'''SEGMENT 2 â THE NEW LIFE'''

â''You will never understand the true meaning of your life, until you travel and experience how others are living theirs.''â

'''5: Flight Of The Origin'''

âAaaandâ¦ touchdown!â Cheered Azura Wilder
as her brother guided the Origin onto the ground, setting the ship down as
gently as he could, given that it was his first time piloting the thing. âYou
did it!â

âDid I?â Her brother looked out of it as he
leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. âWhat, uhâ¦ what time is it?â

âIamos, itâs, like, past seven!â Azura
blurted. âYouâve been flying for ten hours?â

At her words, Iamos exhaled and laughed
softly to himself.

âNo wonder I feel so tired.â He muttered.

âYeah, no duh!â Rolling her eyes, Azura leant
forward and ruffled her brotherâs hair. He groaned in response.

âDonât do that.â

For her part, Azura simply flashed him a
coy smile before turning on her heel and practically skipping away, listening
to the clank of her feet on the shipâs metal floor. She had to admit, she was
growing to love the sky boat. Something about the hum of the engines and
grinding of the mechanics was soothing, and she had found herself falling
asleep the previous night faster than she could remember. It didnât help that
she had the unfortunate habit of having bad dreams, so she would often wake up
early and have to wait for her brother to come and calm her down. Though, that
seemed to have not happened this time. Which was good, because her brother had
been busy driving the ship and he wouldnât have had the time to stay with her â
which was fine. She understood.

â''Weâd
all be dead if big brother had stopped flying during the night.''â Azura
mentally reminded herself as she walked happily up the rusting set of stairs
that led to the largest room, at the top of the ship. It was something like ten
meters by ten meters wide, and there was a big round table in the middle of it,
made of wood and with some chairs beside it. A perfect meeting place.

Already sat around it were Loden and Daiyu,
who looked pretty tired themselves (though not as tired as her brother), as
they had spent a portion of time scouring the ship to see how big it was and
how many rooms there were.

âWe landed?â Loden asked, as Azura wandered
into the room.

âWe landed.â Confirmed Azura. Loden clapped
his hands, making Daiyu jump.

âGreat.â He declared. âNow we can discuss
what happens next.â

âWhy do we need to discuss?â Whined Azura
as she plonked herself down on a chair. âWhy canât we just goâ¦ wherever we want
to go?â

âWe have to decide where that is first.â
Loden told her, to which she frowned and folded her arms. Sure, she guessed it
made sense, but she didnât like how everyone had to meet and talk about it.

âCouldnât we just put some places in a
hat?â She protested.

âDo you have a hat?â Asked Loden back.

Azuraâs face fell. âNo, I forgot mine.â

âWell we canât very well put place names in
a hat if we donât have a hat.â Loden informed her, like she didnât already
know. âLook, we need to focus on this.â

He pulled a battered bit of paper out of
his pocket.

âWhatâ¦ what is that?â Daiyu asked, saying something for the first time
since Azura had entered the room.

âItâs a map.â Loden told her, as he
unrolled it and began to peer at it again. âIt looks like it encompasses the
entire continent.â

âLet me see!â Azura sprang forward to have
a look for herself. When she saw, she glared in disappointment. âIt doesnât
look special.â

âWell, I donât know. Iâm not an expert.â
Loden shrugged. âIamos seemed to think it was-â

âRainer.â Iamos interrupted, entering the
room. Azura considered flinging herself at her brother but stopped herself when
she saw how tired he looked â honestly, he seemed to be about to fall over even
without her help â so she settled for waving vigorously.

âMaster was the one who emphasised its
importance.â He continued, plodding forward before collapsing into a chair. âI
donâtâ¦ know why. But Iâ¦ I trust him.â

âYeah, could we have some background info?â
Loden pressed his friend. âI mean, why was our house on fire?â

âI donât know.â Confessed Iamos. âI meanâ¦
there was a man. Another alchemist. And heâ¦ he fought Master, they duelled with
alchemy. And Master told me to get the map, and get the Origin-â

âThe what?â Azura spoke up. âWhatâs an Origin?â

âThatâs the name of the ship, Azura.â
Explained Iamos.

âWhat kind of name is âOriginâ? Or âThe
Originâ, or whatever itâs called? We need a proper name for our ship.â

âAnd what do you have in mind, o authority
on naming flying ships?â Loden asked her.

âUhâ¦â Azura was forced to ponder the
question. ââBig Metal Floaty Thingy-Thingâ?â

âYeah, weâre sticking with the Origin.â
Declared Iamos, sinking back in his chair and letting breath slip through his
lips. âLook, feel free to make a plan without me. Iâm going to go to sleep,
because I feel like I could slumber in this bony wooden chair if I tried, so
just tell me what you have in mind when I wake up.â Having said his piece, he
rose onto shaky legs and plodded down the stairs.

âSee you later bro!â Azura called after
him. He raised a hand in acknowledgement before vanishing.

âSoâ¦â Loden said once Azuraâs brother had
vanished. âWhere even are we going, anyway?â

âWe need to sort out a list of priorities!â
Azura stated. âWhat do we need?â

âI didnât find any food on board.â
Contributed Daiyu. âWeâll need some.â

âGot it!â Chirped Azura. âWhat else?â

âWe have no idea what these engines run on,
do we?â Loden thought, an unusually pensive expression on his face as he spoke.
âSomeone needs to look into that.â

âI can do that!â Azura volunteered,
remembering the nice noises of the engine. âAND I can check and see if theyâre
broken or not!â

âUhâ¦ okay, Azura.â Loden nodded, letting
her see his smile. âSo weâll need food, and we might need fuel. Whereâs the
nearest place we could get some?â

âCan I see the map?â Asked Daiyu. âI know
the country pretty well.â

âRight, of course, âcus of yourâ¦â Loden
trailed off as he gave the scrap of paper over to Daiyu, who peered at it
before nodding in a confirming sort of manner.

âYes, Iâ¦ look.â She turned the map around
and pointed at a dot on it. âThis is the nearest city that I remember.â

ââPhek-kaiâ.â Recited Loden. âWhatâs that
city like?â

âActually, thatâs the capital of our
Empire.â Daiyu revealed. âI think. In any case, itâs, uhâ¦ itâs a big city.
Supposedly the Emperor and his family live thereâ¦â

âWell, that looks like a good place to
head. How long dâyou think itâll take using this ship?â

âWell, i-it would help if we knew exactly
whereâ¦ where we are.â

âI could always go for a bit of a wander?â
Loden suggested.

âIâ¦ okay. Youâll need to look for a sign or
something.â Daiyu advised him. âAll we need is our location, so once you find
something, come back.â

âAs you wish, maâam.â Loden shot her a grin
and a mock salute, before sauntering down the stairs. Daiyu then turned to
Azura.

âDo, umâ¦ do you want to go downâ¦ toâ¦ to the
engines?â

âYou got it!â Azura declared, almost
tripping over her own feet in her hurry to descend to the engine room.

Her feet were once again echoing through
the shipâs corridors, and once again Azura slowed down to appreciate the sound.
It wasnât like he had walked on pure metal before, after all. Heck, being
surrounded by so much was a new experience in itself. If this was her new life,
she was okay with it and then some.

The engines themselves, she remembered as
she found the engine room, looked like giant eggs from the outside. But inside
was a mess of wiring and cogs and so many other cool mechanical things. Azura
peered into the dimly lit room. There were a few gauges on the sides of
different machines, so she looked for the one marked fuel (as anyone else would
logically do when looking for a way to check how much fuel the engines had).
Eventually, she saw one marked âfuel levelsâ. Luckily, the indicator thingy was
still in the green section of the colour-coded ticker â so unless whoever built
the engines was colour blind, they still had plenty of fuel left.

âGood.â She said out loud. Without fuel,
they wouldnât be able to get anywhere, and that would be a disaster. A
travesty. An utter catastrophe, even. She wanted, some might even say desperately,
to go somewhere.

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

A significant amount of time had passed
before Loden had returned. Azura herself couldnât possibly say how long,
because she had spent the whole time examining the engines, but it was long
enough that when she heard Lodenâs voice and tried to stand up, her leg cramped
and she had to give it a bit of a hasty massage before rising and hobbling
after him.

She saw him in the corridor, and called
after him. âLoden!â

He turned around where he stood. âOh,
Azura!â

âSo where are we?â

âWeâre outside a village called âZutarosâ.â

âIâ¦ haveâ¦ absolutely no idea where that
is.â

âWell, with any luck, Daiyu will. Or at
least, itâll be on the map.â

âGoodie!â

With no more words required, the two
hurried up to the meeting room, where they saw Daiyu asleep and leaning across
the chair.

âDaiyu!â Azura bellowed as she entered,
causing the ravenette jerk awake with a shriek. Whoops. She had never been one
for gradual awakenings.

âI-I-I â what â where?!â Daiyu sputtered
before seemingly regaining her senses.

âThe nearest village is called Zutaros. Is
that on the map?â Loden asked her.

âL-let me check.â Daiyuâs hands shook as
she brought the map closer to her face. âY-yeah, itâs o-on here.â

âHow far away is it from Phek-kai?â He
pressed.

âNot too far, by the look of it.â Daiyu
informed him. âMaybe another few hours? Iâ¦ I guess it depends how fast the ship
is.â

âLetâs hope itâs nothing longer.â Azura
looked down at her stomach as it growled a rather unpleasant growl. âMy
stomachâs beginning to realise that breakfast hasnât arrived yet.â

âIt might be longer, Az. Iamos needs to
sleep, remember?â Loden pointed out.

âShoot, youâre right.â Said Azura. âCan I
wake him up?â

There was a brief silence. Eventually,
Daiyu turned to Loden.

âH-how long has it been?â

âAt least a couple âa hours.â

âAnd how much sleep canâ¦ can Iamos function
on?â

âHeâs a deep sleeper, and he doesnât get
much. If we wake him now, heâll be cranky, but he should still function until
we get to Phek-kai.â

âThen Iâll go wake him!â Volunteered Azura,
thundering down the stairs before either of the others could stop her. âBig
brother! Big brother! We need you!â

There was no reply. Azura, on her quest to
find her brother, began to poke her head through every door she came across,
calling his name each time she did so. She had gone through almost every door
of the ship before automatically sticking her head through the cockpit door and
seeing Iamos curled up on the three seats, which he had dragged into a line for
him to lie on.

âBig brother!â She cooed, marching forwards
and leaning over him. âWe need you to fly us to Phek-kai!â

âTo where?â He groaned, turning over so his
face was pressed against the back of a seat.

âTo a city!â She emphasised. âWe can only
get there by flying!â

âOkay, can I justâ¦â He groaned and shifted
himself into a sitting position. âRight. Flyingâ¦ ok, Iâm going to need someone
to be here with me.â

Azura raised an eyebrow. âWhy?â

âTwo reasons.â Her brother held up two
fingers, scratching as his few-days old beard as he did so. âSo that they can
guide me, because I have literally no idea where fleck kai or whatever is. And
so that they can stop me from falling asleep in the chair. Because this chair
is comfy.â

âFair enough.â Azura conceded. âIâll get
Daiyu, is that ok?â

âFine.â He waved her off. âSheâll be quiet,
at least.â

âGood luck, bro!â She called over her
shoulder as she headed back to the meeting room for a third time. Poking her
head above the floor of the higher room, her eyes met Daiyuâs lilac irises for
a brief moment before the other girl looked away.

âIamos needs you to show him where to go and
keep him awake.â She explained.

âIâ¦ uhâ¦ okay.â Daiyu nodded, and Azura
hopped up the last few steps before motioning to her, who in turn travelled
down them on her way to the cockpit. Once the sound of her footsteps stopped,
she turned to Loden, who was looking at her with an inquisitive grin on his
face.

âWhat do you think?â He asked. It was
Azuraâs turn to smile.

âOh my gosh theyâre, like, perfect
together.â

âThink so?â

âYep.â

âOkay, well donât try and interfere. Most
of the time this stuff doesnât work out because ofâ¦ uhâ¦ external interference.â

âOk.â

âAnd you have to not be sad if it doesnât
happen, because sometimesâ¦â Lodenâs smile faded away. âSometimes these things
just donât work out, you know?â

âI know.â Azura nodded, trying to act as
sagely as her brother but probably failing because she was still grinning like
a maniac. When Lodenâs smile returned, it looked more tired than she remembered
it.

âNow,â he said with what struck her as
forced enthusiasm, âletâs get to Fekky!â

âIs that what weâre calling it?â

âYep.â

âFine by me.â

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

The hours passed slowly.

Azura passed her time by either gossiping
with Loden, meandering around the ship (and getting to know where everything
was because she wasnât really good with directions) and lying in the engine
room, listening to the hum â no, it was more like a purr, like there was a big
cat beside her â of the engines. She had decided that it was her new favourite
sound. Something about it was just soâ¦. soothing. She couldnât quite put her
finger on it. It was like how her brother liked the smell of old books, but
didnât really know why. It was just one of those things, she supposed.

She had found a nice space to lie, just
underneath a jutting metal box with a bunch of wires sticking out of it. It was
about as high as a table, so there was enough room for her to turn over and
stuff. A couple of cables draped over her as she lay, which was a bit annoying
and probably unsafe, but aside from that it was really nice, with the heat
emitted by the machinery stopping her from getting cold and fan she had
positioned her face under stopping too much dust from getting up her nose.

A way she had found to not die of boredom
was to look at all of the different symbols and diagrams decorating the various
metallic components of the engines, and try to figure out what each one stood
for. Some were obvious, like a symbol that looked like a flame was probably a
warning against fire. But some, like that one that looked like a circle with a
line through it, were more difficult. No ball games? Not to be left out in the
sun? Ah well.

It was after not only her leg but her
entire body began to cramp up that Azura decided to cut her losses and emerge
from her shelter, brushing grime from her long hair as she stood up and began
to tramp back up to the meeting room, where Loden was sat.

âIâM BORED!â She announced as she entered
the room, before taking a seat opposite him and peering in his general
direction. âEntertain me.â

âThere is literally nothing to do on this
ship.â Complained Loden, in response. âThereâs nothing I can really help you
with there, short stack.â

âThis is serious business, Loden.â Azura
complained right back. âWhatâs the point of going on awesome magical adventures
if weâre just gonna be bored the whole frikinâ time?â

âHeck if I know.â Shrugged Loden. âI donât
even know why Iamos wants to go through with this anyway.â

âGood point.â Mused Azura. âWhy couldnât we
just stay in the village until whatever was happening there had stopped. What
even was happening, anyway?â

âDidnât you hear?â Loden leaned back in his
chair. âSomeone attacked Rainer and burned the house down.â

âYeah, I know that.â Azura found herself
shuddering. She hoped Rainer was alright. âBut I want to know WHY. Like, just
why?â

âYour guess is as good as mine.â Said
Loden. âBut whatever. Maybe after Iamos rests we can convince him to take us
ba-â

âDonât even finish that!â Growled Azura.
âDonât you even want to go anywhere!?â

âNot really. I kinda just want to head back
once weâve made our Phek-kai pit stop.â

âYou havenât even considered that something
important slash awesome might be happening?â

âOf course Iâve considered it.â Snapped
Loden. âOur frikkinâ house burned down! But, Iâ¦ I dunno. I guess I just thought
we could sort it out within a couple of days, or something.â He glowered at the
table below him. âI didnât sign on for anything longer than that.â

âWell, feel free to get off when we reach
Pekky!â Azura told him.

âNo way in anything.â

âWell I- wait, what?â Azura found herself
understandably surprised at Lodenâs statement. It was a bit of a contradiction,
to say the least. âI thought youâ¦?â

âI may not like whatâs going on, but Iâm
not abandoning Iamos for anything.â He said.

âIâ¦ uhâ¦ ok.â Azura nodded, ever so slightly
dazed, before heading back down the stairs where she tried to process Lodenâs
actions, which really were quite inconsistent. As her brother would have saidâ¦

âThis requires ponderage.â Azura stated out
load, before stalking back to the engine room. For another lie down.

However, before she could get there, she
felt the ship lurch again.

And it didnât righten itself.

Worried, she ran to the cockpit, where she
saw Iamos and Daiyu staring as the ground rushed towards them.

âWhat are you two doing?â She almost
shrieked. âAre we crashing? Why are we crashing?!â

âRelax!â Ordered Iamos, irritation evident
in his sleep-deprived voice. âItâs called a landing, Azura. Just let meâ¦â

He tugged on the wheel, and the ship
stabilised with a jolt, hovering just above the ground.

âDaiyu!â He said. âButton!â

Nodding, Daiyu pressed a button to her
left. Azura heard a faint sliding noise, and Iamos brought the ship down onto
the ground with a final tiny jolt.

âWell, weâre here.â He showcased with a
wave of his hand towards the glass. âPhek-kai.â

Peering through, Azura saw buildings higher
than she had ever seen in her life. Below the hill they had landed on stretched
out a sprawling landscape of houses and roads, slums and palaces. She made to
ask her brother more, but saw with little surprise that she had already fallen
asleep in his chair, the bags under his eyes more prominent than she had ever
seen them. Sighing, she ruffled his hair once again.

âThanks, bro.â She muttered.

'''6:'''

The city of Phek-kai was awesome until the
fight.

Loden had initially been reluctant to
venture outside the walls of the Origin, still not willing to accept the idea
of a long-term trip, until Azura (with the help of a wrench she had found in
the engine room) convinced him to at least take the opportunity to visit the
capital of his country while he had the chance. And that was why, roughly
thirty-six hours after the Origin had first taken off, he found himself side by
side with Iamos, scouring the capital for supplies.

âWhat can we afford?â Loden inquired,
leading Iamos along the bustling road they had found themselves on. They were
exploring a section of the city that seemed to consist entirely of stalls
selling things. There were mementos, there were weapons, there was stuff Loden
was pretty sure was illegal. Iamos had stopped for longer than he would have
liked to peer at a bunch of dusty old tomes, and he himself had almost been
distracted on more than one occasion by some particularly fancy weapons he had
seen for sale for what seemed like an amazing deal.

But the only thing they were looking for
was food. It was the only thing they needed, Loden kept reminding himself. More
to the point, it was the only thing they could afford. They had left their
village in a hurry, only taking what was on them at the time, and as a result
really had nothing packed for any quest, epic or otherwise. There hadnât been
any supplies aside from a small amount of fuel on board the ship, and even now
the nagging question of what they were going to do once the money ran out ate
at Loden as he walked.

âAssuming nobody gets greedy, enough to
last us a couple of days.â Responded Iamos, rummaging through the small cloth
pouch containing their pooled finances. âAnd thenâ¦ I donât know. Maybe youâll
have to get a job.â

âNo way.â Said Loden firmly. âUh-uh. Nope.
Zip. Nay. Why canât someone else do that?â

âAzuraâs too young, and Iâmâ¦ well, Iâm me.â
Iamos admitted. âI guess Daiyu could, but you struck me as more able.â

âFlattered, old friend, but Iâd rather
not.â Loden sighed. âTruth of the matter is Iâm not a fan of, I guess, work. I
like a good fight, sure. Hence the guard training, and all that. But manual
labour wouldnât be something Iâd enjoy, and Iâm not really cut out for anything
that isnât physical..â

âThere, there.â Iamos awkwardly patted his
friend on the back. âIâm sure weâll find a job that takes your fancy.â

âHave you even been listening?!â

Loden was so embroiled in conversation, he
didnât initially notice the silence around them. After a few moments, however,
his ears picked up the difference in noise level, and he nudged Iamos
mid-sentence. âHey, ssh.â

All around them, the people had stopped
whatever they might have been doing and had split up, emptying the center of
the path to make room for a group of figures on horses, who were riding down
the weather-beaten track. Even as Loden watched, the parted citizens knelt
down, bowing their torsos as the procession passed them by.

âGet down.â He hissed to Iamos, before
sinking to his knees and bowing his head. He had heard stories about life in
the bigger cities, told to him by his friends, about how you would be killed if
you didnât show proper respect for someone above you. Though at the time the
tales had been kind of laughable, Loden took his personal safety quite
seriously, and didnât fancy testing anything for himself. The clacking sound of
horseshoe on weathered stone grew nearer and nearer, until it suddenly and
ominously stopped.

âYou!â A voice thundered in Lodenâs
direction. âWhy are you not kneeling?â

Instantly Loden knew what was happening,
and screamed internally as Iamos asked âWhy do I have to?â with all the passion
of someone who had just been told the most boring thing ever.

He was met with dead silence â scratch
that, he was met with the grinding of metal. Someone nearby was unsheathing a
weapon.

Loden inwardly cursed as Iamos continued to
speak. That dense fool had never liked doing anything without a good reason,
and had no idea how disrespectful he was being.

âWhy do I even have to kneel?â His best
friend demanded. âIt doesnât make any sense.â

Still no reply.

âI mean,â continued Iamos, woefully ignorant
of the danger he was now in, âI can tell that youâre important, or at least
under the impression you are, because most of these people do what you say. And
I get why they should move, because being trampled by a horse is an unpleasant
experience, I am sure. I have no problem with the concept of moving as you
pass. But I donât understand why everyone has to physically kneel-â

âOkay, Iamos, thatâs enough.â Loden
mentally berated himself as he too stood up and placed a hand on Iamosâ shoulder.
âYou canât just say stuff like that to people.â

âBut-â

âNo, Iâll explain later. Right now,
youâreâ¦â He trailed off upon noticing the speaker beginning to approach them. A
tall man clad in full body armour dismounted their horse, having previously
been leading a procession of what had to be at least twenty other men, all
similarly armed â and a couple of whom were holding weapons. The leader
purposefully strode towards the duo, eyes filled with rage. âAnd here we go.
Look.â He held his hands up in a placating gesture, raising his voice. âIâm
sorry about my friend. He can be a bit tactless, but weâre not looking for
troubleâ¦â

For a moment, the horseman stood still,
eyeing Iamos and Loden, the latter of whom dared to hope that perhaps peace was
still an option.

The attack was almost too quick for Loden
to process.

In one fluid movement, the horseman stabbed
out with his sword arm and, had Loden not hastily shoved his friend to the
side, would have impaled Iamos through the chest. Time seemed to slow to a
crawl, as Loden could almost feel the adrenaline begin to course through his
body.

âAn insult to me is an insult to the
Cheinise Emperor.â Spat the horseman, speaking for the first time. âNow accept
your punishment!â

Loden was hardly aware of his own actions
as he cupped his fists together and brought them round, slamming them against
the manâs head. There was a clang and the horseman reeled, clutching his helmet
as it vibrated from the blow. Loden, however, gave him no time to recover,
lashing out with his right arm and catching the horseman in the stomach. The
horseman, for his part, seemed to be unfazed by the second attack and rose,
forcing Loden to duck as the sword flew centimetres away from his head.

âAlright, fine.â Loden twisted his body
before the blade could come back around and tackled the horseman from the side,
knocking him to the ground. There was a rattle of metal on gravel as the blade
slid across the pathway. Loden would have celebrated a successful attack, but the
punch he received to the chest stopped him from feeling too chipper about the
situation.

Coughing, he stumbled backwards and
massaged his chest, as the horseman rose and crouched low, before bounding
forward towards him. Loden twisted his torso to the side, so that only one of
the horsemanâs outstretched arms proceeded to catch him instead of two. With
less of a force to work against, he was able to wretch himself free from his
assailantâs grip, and continued his spin as he moved his legs around to kick
the horseman in the back, sending the armoured man sprawling to the ground in
what Iamos would have described as âa most ungainly fashionâ.

Before he could strike again, however, he
felt the point of a metal blade prick at the back of his neck. Freezing in
position, he reluctantly raised his hands; he wasnât suicidal.

However, the feeling vanished as soon as it
had appeared, and at the same time Loden heard a rather loud crashing noise.
Craning his neck, he saw not another soldier, but rather a large hunk of earth
directly behind him. Beyond that stood Iamos, sending the comatose soldier an
Iamos-type icy stare.

It didnât take a genius to figure out what
had happened.

The streets had already been silent as the
fight had actually been happening, but now Loden could hear the silence. He
could actually feel it crawling down his back in a really creepy way. Whilst
eighty percent or so of him was freaking out about attacking â and being
attacked by â a royal guard, out on patrol, the remainder of him was wondering
why nobody else was doing anything.

âAlchemist.â A voice broke the silence.
Loden caught sight of the lead soldier rising from the ground, clearly doing
his best to not lose any more face after getting his butt kicked by a teenager.

âI am one, though Iâd prefer it if you
didnât define me as such.â Iamos haughtily replied, folding his arms as if
daring anybody else to challenge him. The horseman ignored his friendâs speech
and extended an arm, indicating the remainder of the men, still on horses with
drawn swords.

âCome with us.â He continued, before doing
something most peculiar. He bowed his head, in a sign ofâ¦ respect? Not the
biggest honour to bestow on someone, but still pretty weird considering the
circumstances. âOur master would like to meet you, Iâm sure.â

âYou masâ¦â Lodenâs speech, thoughts out
loud, trailed off as he realised who was being talked about. âWait, the Cheinise
Emperor? As in, like, the Emperor of this country?â He turned his head back and
forth between Iamos and the lead horseman. â''Really?''â

âYes.â The horseman confirmed, neck still
bent down.

Loden wasted no time in sidling up to
Iamos, who was wearing a typical thinking face. âHey, check this out! People
are being nice to you! I mean, that doesnât mean you should trust them, but
still!â

âIt doesnât mean anything.â Responded Iamos,
indicating with a finger. âCanât you see? Heâs shaking. I donât believe heâs
doing this of his own free will, but rather because he is under orders.â

The horseman neither confirmed nor denied
Iamosâ words.

âUhâ¦â Loden wasnât sure what to say for a
moment. âYou think so?â

âIf thereâs one thing I can recognise, itâs
hostility.â Iamos confirmed. âStill, Iâm intrigued. What would an Emperor want
with the likes of me?â

âHuh? Iamos, you canât be serious.â Loden
scolded. âThese guys just attacked us!â

âWell, you donât have to come it you donât
want to.â Deadpanned Iamos. âBut Iâm meeting the Emperor. If only because Iâll
probably be taken by force if I donât agree to go. Besidesâ¦â Here he turned to
Loden, who was shocked to see a wiry grin on his friendâs face. âItâs not
something that happens every day, now is it?â

âYouâre damn right, it isnât.â Agreed
Loden, before sighing. âWell, I always said you should try something new every
once in a while, but this is pushing it.â

âI believe the phrase is âgo big or go
homeâ.â

âIf youâre sure.â

âDo you want to end up in another fight?â

âOh, shut up.â

Iamos approached the lead soldier and bowed
in return.

âI accept your masterâs invitation.â He
recited, voice clear as he spoke. âWe will meet with the Emperor.â

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

The journey to the palace was silent. Loden
and Iamos each found themselves hauled roughly onto a horse behind a rider, and
as the convoy made an about turn and headed back to the palace, each could only
wonder what was in for them once they reached their destination. Loden,
personally, was quite concerned as to what an emperor may want with Iamos â an
alchemist, to be specific.

During the ride, he wracked his brains,
trying to think of an answer to his own question. Was it to do with prejudice?
Had an order been given to round up all alchemists? But then, why would the
Emperor want to see Iamos in person? Surely, if he were rounding up all
alchemists, Iamos would be taken straight to a prison. It didnât make sense.
And, of course, Iamos had never actually met the Emperor. It couldnât have been
anything personalâ¦ could it? No, it couldnât have. The horseman had addressed
him as âalchemistââ¦

Loden was so lost in thought that he
neglected the sights of the city until hearing the sound of a gate opening, and
focused his attention back on his whereabouts.

They were outside the royal palace.

The gates, mighty steel bars interlocked
with one another, were swinging open to allow access to an enormous grey
building, layered with spires and topped with a great crimson flag that looked
less like a flag and more like a door that swung back and forth as the wind enveloped
it. The next highest points were the highest spires, branching out from the
tops of towers and ending with golden points. From there, the metalwork
spiralled down into stone, forming winding and skewwhiff patterns reminiscent of
vines as iron and bronze metâ¦ whatever type of stone the palace was even made
of. Heck if Loden knew, it wasnât like stonemasonry was his thing.

The clatter of hooves on rock echoed
throughout the courtyard as the procession advanced, the lifelessness of the
environment putting Loden on edge. He was pretty sure that a palace was
supposed to have a load of people in and around it, but he wasnât seeing anyone
except his friend and some grumpy soldiers. He anxiously tapped his fingers against
his leg as the horses came to the stop, the guards dismounting and dispersing,
leaving behind their leader and a couple of others.

âWe shall escort you to the emperor.â The
head guard declared, before turning on his heel and marching off before either
Loden or Iamos could say anything. A light blow to Lodenâs back propelled him
into a walk, and he watched as Iamos shrugged off an attempt at physical
contact by one of the soldiers and strode forward, head held high despite the
uncertain circumstances. Loden chuckled as he followed, flanked by an armoured
escort.

The small procession pushed open a door and
began to meander down corridor after corridor, the rooms and spaces gradually
become more and more extravagant. Incense and scented candles slowly burned,
the aroma circling around Lodenâs head and making him feel sleepy. Crimson and
gold dÃ©cor was practically everywhere, with carpets lining every floor and the
sprawling, rich patterns painted onto the walls were obscured by furniture and
weaponry.

Attached to one wall was a tapestry that
extended for a good twenty meters, with crude figures enacting what Loden could
only guess were historical scenes, and text narrating the happenings below the
images. Peering closer, Loden could see vaguely familiar phrases such as âQiang
Huangdâ, âcity of Rabusâ, âBritayâ and âAquilaâ, but he paid them little mind,
not considering his history knowledge to be very detailed. The tapestry looked
really pretty, though. Heâd admit that.

The weapons, though! He was so enthralled,
he stopped walking once or twice, and it took another prod to get him going
again. But who could blame him? There were meteor hammers, butterfly swords,
andâ¦ maybe even wind-and-fire wheels? It was awesome, and he had to admit, he
liked the idea that the Emperor was as into weapons as he was. Common ground
was always a good place to start when getting to know someone.

It was as he was letting his gaze meander
that he saw someone in front of them, standing stock-still as the group moved
passed. And that someone â oh.

Was really pretty.

Like, ''dang''.

A collection of snow-coloured garments hung
from her curved figure, forming an outfit that resembled a dress, he guessed,
but the way she wore it just made it seem so much more refined and beautiful
than any old dress. The cloth folds rippled like water plummeting from the top
of a waterfall as she shifted to the side to let them pass, cascading around
her form.

The girlâs hair was the colour of the
blackest midnight, a striking contrast to her porcelain skin. One of her thin
eyes, the left, was a brilliant, almost glowing silver, as if her pupil had
been replaced with a star plucked from the night sky. The opposite eye was
slightly darker, closer to slate grey, but no less captivating. Both looked
almost inhumane, with the skin around them too clear and the eyelashes too long
and full to be entirely real, but the idea didnât really take away from her
beauty.

Lodenâs cheeks grew warm, and he realised
that he was blushing.

Well, he certainly wasnât going to let that
shame him. He made sure to catch the girlâs eye as he walked past, letting the
corners of his mouth curl upwards in a grin before quickly winking as he was
carted away. For a fleeting moment, he could have sworn he had seen a ghost of
a smile on the girlâs lips before he, or she, or both of them, turned their
heads away. The corridor took a sharp turn, and the encounter was over within
moments of its beginning.

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

The great elm doors towered far above the
heads of the assembled figures, metal bolts half the size of a fist hammered
into the thick planks and hinges that creaked as the structures swung open into
a room so large, Loden reckoned he had seen whole houses that wouldnât have
been able to fit inside.

The most noticeable thing about the room
was how plain it was. Well, perhaps plain was too strong a word. It was still
pretty impressive to look at, with intricately carved and painted designs
creeping across the walls, and a balcony on an upper level leading off from
doorways placed up the walls, providing onlookers with a view of the whole
place. But compared to the other rooms Loden had been able to catch glimpses
of, there was very little colour â aside from minute details on the
decorations. There was none of the slew of crimson and golden he had observed
earlier, and no sign of weapons or books or anything that could be considered
interesting.

Instead, there was a single rectangular
table that stretched across the floor of the great room, covered in designs and
what looked like small pieces of stone. As he was led closer, Loden realised
that the decorations on the dark table were actually quite reminiscent of a
map, with what looked like the borders of territories drawn onto the smooth
stone. The pieces, now that he was closer to them, had different sizes and
areas, and there was a different symbol drawn onto each one.

He was shoved out of his observant state by
the sight of a gnarled hand shifting several of the pieces across the surface.
Looking up, he observed for the first time the trio of men that sat by the
table. The man who had moved the pieces sat on the left, glowering at the board.
A steel chestplate hung from his lanky frame, and dull white robes were visible
underneath, swaying slightly as he moved his arms to adjust stone positions. His
face was as lean as his frame, cheeks defined and chin triangular, and sunken
into is face were a pair of stone grey eyes that glinted with intensity as he
stroked the thin beard on his jawline. All in all, he had a ârugged warriorâ
look about him that was quite come-hither, and once again Loden found himself a
little flustered.

On the other side sat a figure who was
almost completely unidentifiable. A mask covered the majority of their face,
and the only features Loden could pick out were black hair and brown eyes. He
was staring just as intently at the board as the man on the left, focusing
intently on what Loden was realising must have been some kind of map.

In the middle of the three sat a portlier
man, brown eyes squinting at the pieces on the board. Crimson robes hung off
him, scattered with gaudy golden highlights, and a black undershirt was visible
beneath the cloak he was draped in. He too had a beard, longer and more
well-groomed than his fellowâs, and his beady black eyes were focused on the
demonstrations of the armoured man. The three together were an odd group, and
Loden couldnât help but wonder what their purposes were in the emperorâs
palace.

âYour highness!â Barked the head guard, for
the trio had ignored their entry. Three heads turned upwards to stare at the
group.

Loden blanched. One of ''them'' was the emperor? None of them looked much like an emperor to
him â though, to be fair, he had never met one before. Maybe nobody really knew
what an Emperor looked like.

âI have brought before you an alchemist!â
The horseman continued, indicating Iamos, flanked by two guards, who surveyed
the room and deliberately avoided eye contact with anybody, instead wearing a
slightly bored facial expression and acting natural. Loden, however, could tell
that his friend was on edge â the arms folded over the chest were a sign of
defensiveness, and if he strained his ears, he could hear Iamos breathing
heavier than normal.

He was scared.

âWell, which oneâs the alchemist?â The man
in the middle, who Loden assumed was the emperor, spoke. His thick brows
furrowed as they focused on both boys. âYouâve brought two of them, officer.â

The officer opened his mouth, most likely
to gripe about how he hadnât wanted to. Loden decided it might be better heard
from a less peeved mouth.

âThat would be my fault, sir.â He spoke
loudly and clearly, trying to ignore his friendâs nervousness and the fact that
his legs were shaking. âMy buddy and I are from out of town, and when he
received his summons â well, one for all and all for one, and all that. Iâd
prefer it if he didnât have to come here on his own.â

âCalm your nerves, boy.â The grey-eyed man
spoke now, mouth curling upwards into a wry smile. âThereâs no shame in supporting
a friend.â

âIâ¦â Loden bowed his head. âThank you.â

The middle man waved a pudgy hand.

âGuards, leave us.â He droned, sounding
somewhat bored with the whole affair. Bowing, the guards turned on their heels
and marched out of the room. The great doors slammed shut behind them, leaving
Loden and Iamos alone in the room. There was an unsung question on Lodenâs
lips, but he decided to trust the emperorâs judgement.

âWhy would you order your guards to leave?
What if we werenât to be trusted?â

Shame Iamos didnât have the same sort of hesitation.

To Lodenâs surprise, the Emperor didnât
react with outrage or surprise â instead, he began to laugh. Iamos glanced at
Loden on confusion as the portly man chuckled, eventually settling down as the
men on either side of him seemed to grin at one another.

âWell, I daresay you might have
underestimated the level of security still present.â He finally declared. âFear
not, if the two of you are truly a threat to me, you wonât leave this palace alive.â

âWell, thatâs not exactly encouraging.â
Voiced Loden. The Emperor nodded.

âQuite. That is why I hope, for your sakes,
that you arenât here to kill me.â

âFor our sakes. How considerate.â Loden
folded his arms. âWhat do you want with Iamos, anyway?â

âThatâs something I suggest we and him
discuss in private.â The grey-eyed man declared, gaze shifting from Loden to
Iamos and back. The Emperor stroked his straggly beard as the trio all
eventually fixed their gazes onto Lodenâs brunette friend. Iamos, on his part,
met each of their gazes in turn. His fingertips clenched the sleeves of his
shirt even tighter as he stood his ground in the face of the intimidation.

âNo way.â Loden voiced his thoughts before
he could second-guess himself. âIâm not leaving him.â

âI wouldnât say itâs a matter of choice.â
The Emperor declared, as the grey-eyed man signalled to the third of their
party, who obediently rose to his full towering height before purposefully
striding towards Loden. A scarred hand latched itself onto Lodenâs arm, and he
found himself being dragged towards the doorway.

âOkay, fine, you make a valid argument.â
Loden struggled to keep his voice even as the distance between him and Iamos
increased. âCanât I justâ¦ actually, never mind. Hey, Iamos?â He held a shaking
hand in the air, clenching his fist and extending the thumb skywards. âDonât
take this literally, but, uh, knock âem dead.â

'''7:'''

âQuite the friend you have there.â

The first words to be spoken after the
slamming shut of the brass-tipped, looming doors was by the man formerly in the
center of the trio sitting at the table. Iamos turned back to him, trying to
focus on the manâs face out of courtesy and getting consistently distracted by
his surroundings, particularly the odd simulation that seemed to have been set
up on the table in front of them. Three-dimensional lines of battle, with
mobile pieces to represent the movement of troops. Very efficient for a ruler.

âIâm lucky to have him.â Iamos found
himself saying, his mouth acting instinctually as his brain found interest in
other aspects of his environment. âI suppose youâre lucky too sir, having
people willing to lay down their lives for you.â He turned to look at the
second man, in the armour. âOr does that just come with the job?â

The second man raised an eyebrow, ever so
slightly. âYou knew I was the Emperor?â

âWas I not supposed to?â This was certainly
news to Iamos. If he had to guess, he would say that he had surprised them in
some way. But why were they shocked at his having guessed right? Surely most
people would have known that the man to the side wasâ¦ ah.

He
remembered now.

A hazy memory resurfaced within his psyche
of Loden talking to him about social conventions. Conversations he typically
tried to pay attention to, but dreaded due to the difficulty he had
comprehending them. He would always ask âwhyâ, and thoroughly annoy his friend
with his lack of ability to âget a clueâ, as Loden phrased it one time.

In any case, the memory revolved around
seating conventions â because, for some reason, those in charge of society had
deemed even the act of sitting down to be a formality. As he understood it,
those with most power sat in the center, as a symbol of their strength and
responsibility. Yet the Emperor saw fit to seat himself to the side of another
man?

âPreferably not.â The Emperor admitted, cutting
through Iamosâ train of thought with his gravelly voice. âAs you might have
guessed, itâs a ruse to throw potential assailants off the scent.â He exhaled
quickly, and placed his hand on his knee. âI suppose you saw through the whole thing?â

âActually, Iâm not very knowledgeable when
it comes to social convention.â Admitted Iamos. âI had forgotten that the
person of influence sits in the middle, so that wasnât where I was looking to
being with. And you lookedâ¦ I donât know, imposing? You were the one moving the
pieces, and I just made an assumption.â Not knowing what else to do, he bowed
and clasped his arms to the side of him, the steel pendant around his neck
suspended in mid-air below his chest. âMy apologies.â

The Emperor chuckled. âWhen considering the
possibilities, introversion was an oversight on my behalf. Think nothing of
it.â Standing up, the lean man leaned over the table and offered his hand to
Iamos. âGood to meet you, alchemist. Or would you prefer âIamosâ?â

âEither is fine with you, your highness.â
Rising himself, Iamos accepted the handshake.

âIamos it is then. And please, donât be too
concerned â or proud â of seeing through that particular deception. You can be
sure I have many more tricks up my sleeve.â

âAs to be expected of the leader of a
country.â Shrugged Iamos, before pulling a chair out from under the table and
sitting down, folding one leg over the other. If the Emperor was perturbed by
his actions, he didnât show it and took a seat himself.

âSo, what do you want with me?â Iamos
continued.

âI was hoping to ask you some questions,
relating to your art.â The Emperor explained, the decoy beside him remaining
silent as their conversation progressed. âTruth be told, this is the first time
Iâve been able to talk to an alchemist, despite putting out an executive order
almost half a year ago.â

âWell, weâre not exactly common.â Iamos
inhaled and exhaled slowly, controlling his breathing, before raising his head
and staring the Emperor dead in the eyes. A most uncomfortable feeling overtook
him, as it always did when he made eye contact with someone. It felt as though
he was revealing more than he wished to give away, as well as learning more than
he wanted to know. It was invasive, and unpleasant. But, for the sake of making
a good impression and getting the interaction over with, it had to be endured.
âWe arenât liked by a lot of people. Our art is considered unnatural.â

âSo Iâve heard.â The Emperor folded his
arms. âBut sometimes putting aside prejudice is necessary for the greater
good.â

A fresh perspective. Iamos had to admit, he
hadnât predicted such a thing. And from the Emperor, of all people? He
swallowed, trying to buoy his confidence.

âWell, I, uhâ¦ much appreciated.â Stuttered
Iamos. âWhat do you want to know?â

âA great deal.â Declared the Emperor. âHow
much would you say you know in regards to alchemy being used in combat? What of
a Philosopherâs Stone? How about-â

Iamos must have visibly winced from the
barrage, as the Emperor silenced himself and rubbed the back of his head
awkwardly.

âForgive me, I let myself get carried
away.â His hawkâs eyes, sharp and harsh like steel, met Iamosâ once again.
âThis must be aâ¦ sensitive subject for you.â

âSome information I would consider private,
yes.â Agreed Iamos, glad to be given an excuse for his discomfort.

âWell, if thatâs the case, would you feel
more comfortable if I answered any questions you might have?â The Emperor
spread his arms out, as if preparing for an embrace. âYou believe in equivalent
exchange, after all. It seems right, does it not?â

âI supposeâ¦â Iamos hesitated, before
grasping the opportunity. âWe couldâ¦ take turns?â

The Emperor nodded his approval of the
idea, stroking his chin with thin fingers as his brow furrowed, brain seemingly
at work and calculating for the new development. This was unsurprising â the
Emperor struck even Iamos as a shrewd sort of character.

âVery well. Iâll go first.â He settled into
his seat before placing both arms on the table, sliding his fingers together
and creating a bridge that he proceeded to rest his head on. His eyes narrowed
as he stared Iamos down, and the alchemist felt as though he had suddenly been
placed in front of some sort of tribunal. His throat was dry. How long had it
been dry? How long until he made a mistake, said the wrong thing? What would
happenâ

âHow easy is it to create a homunculus?â
The Emperorâs voice cut through Iamosâ jumbled thoughts like a knife through
air. The mental chaos became white noise as the boy was presented with a point
of focus. Everything became still. The younger man stiffened. A question. An
answer. Doable. Butâ¦

âI donât know.â Iamos admitted, hands
trembling as he continued to stare into the other manâs eyes. âI was never told
anything about that particular branch of alchemy, and thereâs a reason for it.â
He drew in a deep breath as the gravity of the question began to hit him.
âItâsâ¦ Iâ¦â He paused. Exhaled. Inhaled. Started again. âA-as far as Iâm aware,
thereâs a lot of taboo surrounding alchemy in general.â Every end of a sentence
was a change to catch his breath. âAs far as alchemists themselves go, the most
sinister part of our art is the transmutation of mental substance. I â should I
explain?â

The Emperor nodded.

âRight, o-okay.â Iamos desperately thought
back to the lessons he had received on the subject. âSo, one of the philosophies
alchemy is based in is dualism â that is, that there are two substances the
universe is made up of. These are, uh, physical matter and mental substance.â

âSounds familiar.â Acknowledged the
Emperor. âIâm an idealist, myself, but I know that others might believe in
dualism and physicalism.â

Iamos nodded. âWell, manipulating physical
substance is what we normally do. But, supposedly, we can also manipulate
mental substance â that being, what, uhâ¦ what our psyches are made up of.â His
whole body was trembling by this point, and he furiously dug his fingertips
into his thighs. âThe trouble isâ¦ I like to think that the judgement isâ¦ is
situational, but the truth is manipulating mental substance is frowned upon.
Itâs uhâ¦ I mean, itâs justâ¦ itâs like, the alchemical equivalent of dark magic.
There are some things in every art that are regarded as unlawful, because
theyâre unnatural andâ¦â He trailed off, the words weighing his tongue down as
his hypocrisy became more and more apparent. Werenât those the same reasons why
a lot of people disliked alchemy in general?

âAnyway, the point is, the creation of
homunculiâ¦ it, uh, has something to do with that, and my master never explained
any of the details and Iâm very sorry!â Iamos bowed his head apologetically,
rambling cut to a halt by self-awareness.

Several long, uncomfortable seconds passed
by before the Emperor spoke.

âOh well. I suppose it canât be helped. At
least I learnt something.â

Iamos remained silent, not entirely sure if
he was being addressed.

âI believe itâs your turn to ask a
question, Iamos.â The Emperor prompted. Iamos gave a small start. A question?
Him, a question? What to ask? There wasnât anything he needed to know, was
there? Thereâ¦ there was.

âYes. My question.â Iamos reached into his
trouser pocket and withdrew the map that his master had ordered him to take,
the map that his master had insisted would guide him. Itâs dirty green cord
held the page within a roll, the parchment feeling dreadfully dry and fragile,
as if his grip alone could shred it. âDo you know the significance of this
map?â

âThis map?â The Emperor took the roll from
Iamos and pulled off the cord in a single clean move, letting the paper fall
open to reveal the map of Militiregneum that had been visible previously.

âMyâ¦ my master said that it was, uh,
important.â Explained Iamos.

âWhere did your master get this?â The
Emperor did not lift his eyes, and continued to study the map very intently.

âIâ¦ I donât know.â Iamos admitted.

âI see.â The Emperor nodded some more,
before lifting his thin head and fixing his gaze back on the boy in front of
him. âWell, I have a theory or two.â He cleared his throat. âMap, where am I at
this very moment?â

It seemed an inane question to Iamos â an
opinion that was, apparently, shared by the map. Even as Iamos watched, the
detailed inking of Militiregneum shone with bold red lettering that declared â''In your palace â open your damn eyes!''â.

âIâ¦ uhâ¦â Iamos found himself with nothing
to say. The Emperor sagely nodded, as if he hadnât just been insulted by a
scrap of parchment.

âAs I suspected.â He turned his head
upwards to face Iamos once again. âYoung man, it appears you have found
yourself in possession of the map of the Grey Wizard.â

âI- who?â Iamos blurted out, only for the
emperor to hold his hand out towards Iamos, palm upright.

âOne question each.â He reminded the
mortified alchemist.

âIâ¦â Iamos breathed in and out once again.
âRight. Sorry. Did you want to ask something else?â

âYes, I did, as a matter of fact.â The
Emperor slowly handed the map back to Iamos â though something about the look
on the manâs face sent an inexplicable amount of concern through him. âWhat can
you tell me about the use of alchemy in combat?â

âCombat?â Iamos echoed, as he tried to
search for a suitable response.

âYes, combat.â Reaffirmed the Emperor. âYou
see, this Empire â my Empire â has been at war with the neighbouring Jepuni
Empire for some time. You know this already, I presume?â

As a matter of fact, Iamos had. Mostly
through Loden, the aspiring guard who knew full well the enemies he might have
faced one day. There had been a couple of times wherein Loden had gone as far
as to lecture him about the dangers of trusting someone from the Jepuni Empire,
but those conversations had never sat right with Iamos. Why would he go out of
his way to dislike a people he had never before met?

âYes.â Iamos nodded. The Emperor nodded
too, in acknowledgement.

âWell, as leader of this Empire, it has
been, and will continue to be, my duty to find ways to defend my borders. This
is why Iâm curious as to the offensive and defensive capabilities of alchemy.
What can you tell me?â

Now that Iamosâ initial fear was fading, he
realised that there was a warm, almost melodic lilt to the Emperorâs voice. It
was almost hypnotic, and another shock of adrenaline hit Iamos as he realised
that there was, more than likely, some sort of manipulation taking place. Maybe
not manipulationâ¦ but the man almost seemed TOO openâ¦ too trustworthyâ¦ as much
as comforting a scared child might have fitted the idealised image of a ruler,
Iamos figured that it was far more likely for the man to have some ulterior
motive.

âWellâ¦ I was told that alchemy is like a
knife.â He admitted. âItâs, uhâ¦ its first and foremost, a tool, butâ¦ it can
easily be a weaponâ¦ I guess that means itâ¦ I mean, Iâve used it in fights, soâ¦â
He trailed off again. âI donât think it was created with combat in mind, but as
such, Iâm sure it would be, uhâ¦ would be very useful to fight with.â

The Emperor smiled. âThank you.â

âUhâ¦â Iamos faltered. âYouâre welcome.â

At this point, their
conversation was interrupted. The great doors that Iamos had been escorted
through began to groan once again, parting to reveal a girl wearing a white
dress-thing. Her lengthy, jet-black hair swayed as she strode purposefully
towards the conversing pair, and she struck Iamos â ill-versed as he was â as
someone with a large amount of determination.

âFather.â She said, her stern voice echoing
through the chamber. âI need to talk with you.â

âAh, Miyuki!â The Emperor smiled in
greeting. âSuch good timing. I was hoping that you could show our guest to a
room?â

âRoom?â Echoed Iamos, attention breaking
between the girl and the Emperor, but neither paid him any attention as they
continued to talk.

âThe war of attrition that youâre waging on
our southern border will not hold the Jepuni for much longer.â Miyuki declared.
âGeneral Hitoshi confirmed it when I asked. Our forces are weakening. You
sacrifice our men, sending them to their slaughter every day, and for what? To
prove a point? To spite me?â

âMiyuki.â There was no longer a smile on
the Emperorâs face. âIf you so insist on contradicting my moves, yet neither
explain your full motivations nor approach me with a better solution, then it
is abundantly clear that you are still a child, unready for war.â

âBut I do have a solution!â She powerwalked
round the table, eventually stopping and indicating a finger to a part of the
map. âFather, they wonât expect an attack through the fire desert, why not send
our troops around there?â

âAs
soon as they sense any sort of troop movement, they will be on guard, and the
combative edge that you imply will be lost.â The Emperor sighed. âFor now, it
is best to hold the line whilst we try and implement a new strategy.â

âFather, please!â The girlâs expression
softened. âThis is my country. Can I not even attempt to defend it?â

âYou are too young, and inexperienced.â
Replied the Emperor, bluntly. âAnd until this war is over, we canât risk the
necessary educational trips to the outer sectors. What would happen if you were
to be kidnapped by Jepuni forces? They could use you as a hostage!â

Miyuki stubbornly folded her arms,
muttering something under her breath. Iamos didnât quite hear them, and her
father gave her no indication of having heard, instead turning back to Iamos.

âI am sorry, alchemist, but the duties of
an Emperor call. As much as I might wish it, I cannot afford to spend any more
time conversing with you.â

Iamos glanced around, but there were no
windows for him to tell the time out of. Though he himself was feeling a tad
tired â but that could have easily been the effect of piloting the Origin for
so long.

âI-I understand.â He managed to say. âYou,
ahâ¦ mentioned a room?â

âAh, yes.â The Emperor smiled in what Iamos
assumed â hoped â was an apologetic fashion. âIâm afraid that there is still
more I would like to talk to you about, and would enjoy the opportunity to
speak to you another day. I would hope that you find yourself able to spend
this coming night here, in the palace?â

âIâ¦â Iamos hesitated, knowing full well
that Azura and Daiyu would have no way of knowing what had happened to him and
Loden. âI-Iâm not sure, sir, Iâ¦â He sighed, keeping his head bowed down low.

âIs there anyone you would like me to take
a message to?â The Emperor offered. âFamily? Parents, perhaps?â

Iamos was on the brink of agreeing, and
explaining the situation he had found himself in. But as he was about to speak,
some strange feeling kept from revealing anything else. Perhaps it was unease
in a new place, or perhaps he was just rattled from being forced into
conversing with a stranger for so long. But the truth was, there was something
about the Emperor that he did not quite trust, and a gut feeling informing him
that it would be a bad idea to reveal, if nothing else, the existence of the
Origin â which was a full-blown anomaly in its own right â to the man.

âThereâsâ¦â Iamos inhaled. Exhaled. âThereâs
no-one.â

The lie, and it's forgone consequences, made him feel sick.

âVery well.â The Emperor smiled again.
âMiyuki will take you to a guest room. It should be habitable â I do like to be
prepared for these situations. Miyuki.â He fixed his gaze on the girl again.
âAfter youâve done that, find Hizomu. He should be still guarding this boyâs
companion. Get the other one somewhere to rest, too. It is clear that he does
not intend to leave without his friend.â

âI-â Miyuki looked as though she might have
liked to protest further, but paused mid-speech, before bowing. âAs you wish,
father.â She said in a voice that seemed a lot more disaffected than she had
sounded previously, before turning and walking to the door. After a moment of
bemusalment, Iamos rose and followed her, not looking back as the great doors
closed behind them.

A brief, uncomfortable silence followed.

After a moment or two, Iamos turned to look
at the Emperorâs daughter. She appeared to be frozen where she stood, fists
clenched and trembling. A low sigh slipped out from between her lips. Suddenly,
Iamos felt as though he was intruding on something private, and all but
stumbled backwards â the noise of his shoes scuffing against the marble floor
finally roused the girl, however, who turned a stern gaze unto him, brows
furrowing as she inspected him. For his part, Iamos remained motionless as he
felt the pressure of her gaze upon him. The stand-off continued for a few
seconds, before she suddenly moved, all but throwing her hands up into the air
in exasperation.

âYou can tell my father that Iâm not
marrying you!â She proclaimed.

Thatâ¦ hadnât been what Iamos had been
expecting.

âWhat?â He blurted out, still trying to make
sense of her words.

âMy father.â She repeated, rolling her
eyes. âHe makes a habit of organising regular suitors for me â thoughâ¦â She
fixed him with a gaze unbearably familiar â somewhat disdainful â ânormally,
they come better dressed.â

Iamosâ eyes flicked down to his jeans and
shirt, before rising again. His gaze landed somewhere near the girlsâ shoulder,
just as it occurred to him that they were several inches apart in height, in
his favour. âYou do know that it was, uh, no plan of mine toâ¦ marry you?â

Her gaze softened slightly. âWas it not?â
She folded her arms. âThen what is your business here?â

âIâm an alchemist.â Explained Iamos. âThe
Emperor requested anâ¦ an audience with me.â

At this, the disdain on her face vanished
completely. âHe finally found one, then?â She scrutinised him again, presumably
from a different viewpoint â though Iamos couldnât consider himself much more
comfortable with the attention. âYou look veryâ¦ unassuming.â

âYouâ¦. expected something else?â

âFrom all the rumours Iâve heard, I
expected either a mighty warrior, or some sort of heinous criminal. You donât
exactly look like either.â She straightened herself out, before bowing once
again. âWell, alchemist, my name is Miyuki, and I am the daughter of the Cheinise
Emperor. It isâ¦ good to make your acquaintance.â

ââ¦My name is Iamos.â He paused a moment
before attempting a bow of his own. Unused to the movement, he felt
uncomfortably clunky and gangly. âAnd the feeling is mutualâ¦ princess?â

âMiyuki is fine, thank you.â She insisted
as he rose. âNow, letâs go. I know where the guest wings are.â

âAh. Right. Thoseâ¦â Iamos tapped his
fingers together. âLook, Iâm terribly sorry, but I canât stay. My friends will
be worried, and we-â

He haltered as Miyuki turned back towards
him, this time with a strange expression on her face â he might have seen it on
Loden before, but no-one else.

âIâm sorry, Iamos.â She said, just as Iamos
recognized the expression for pity. âBut I donât think you have a choice.â

'''8: The Emperorâs Daughter'''

Loden had often thought about spending a
great deal of time in someoneâs arms. An apparently traditional romantic
gesture, how it felt in real life was something that he had yet to determine.
However, when had thought about it, he hadnât imagined it as being restrained
by the same person for upwards of fifteen, maybe even twenty minutes. The
masked lug that was STILL holding onto him hadnât even said anything, meaning
that Lodenâs exterior monologue and questioning was wasted â always a tragedy,
as he considered himself a rather witty person. In any case, Loden was glad
enough for help when it finally arrived. The fact that it came in the form of
the girl he had seen earlier was just one heck of a bonus.

âHizomu.â She ordered, sternly. âRelease
him, and leave us.â

Loden felt the death grip on his arms
finally relax, and he instantly pulled away, rubbing his upper arms as he did
so. The clumping of heavy footsteps told him that the man was now lumbering
away.

âYou know, as efficient a guard as that guy
is, maybe you should let him loosen up a bit.â He recommended, knowing that the
guard was not yet out of earshot, but not particularly caring. The girl turned
to watch him with an ever-so-slightly quizzical look on her face as he leant
backwards and stretched, groaning as he did so. The popping sounds that
accompanied his movements made him inwardly wince, but he continued to talk
nonetheless. âI had to have used up most of my best jokes, and he didnât so
much as snigger.â

âSniggering at jokes isnât part of his job
description.â The girl explained, still all but expressionless as she continued
toâ¦ observe him? Yeah, she was definitely checking him out. (One way or
another.)

âItâs rarely part of anyoneâs job
description.â Pointed out Loden. âThe real question is whether his job
description is all there is too him.â He subtly began to observe the girl in
turn. He had already seen the surface-area details, during their brief
encounter on their way to see the Emperor, but it was now time for a keener
observation â whilst, of course, holding a conversation at the same time. A bit
tricky, but far from impossible. âDoes he have some sort of tragic backstory I
should be aware of?â

âNo.â The girl replied, though Loden
couldnât help but wonder which part of his question she was answering. He
waited for a little while, eying her closely. Whoever she was, she wasnât a
servant. Her clothes were too expensive, and she carried herself too
confidently. In most other people, a lack of height like hers would be comical,
or result in that person being less intimidating. In this girlâs case, however,
her presence seemed to fill the space, creating the impression that she was
bigger than she actually was. She was obviously used to holding her ground.

After a few moments, the silence began to
eat at Loden, and he spoke again.

âAlrighty then. Letâs try a different vein
of conversation. You seem ''very'' sure
that Iâm not some sort of dastardly intruder, whoâs going to kidnap or murder
you. Not that I donât appreciate it, because getting hauled off to a jail cell
would really ruin my day, but is it okay if I ask where that confidence comes
from?â

âItâs perfectly acceptable.â That tiny,
barely-noticeable, actually-kind-of-cute smile was back, and Loden let his own
grin arc a little wider across his face. He shuffled his position as the girl
spoke, boots scuffing the crimson carpet as he shoved his hands into his
pockets and laxly crossed one of his lower legs over the other, supporting his
weight on the straight limb. ââThat confidenceâ, as you put it, comes from the
fact that youâre not going to hurt me. I know that.â

âYeah, but how?â Pressed Loden. âHow do you
know Iâm not a threat?â

âAre you suggesting that I retreat on my
stance?â The girl raised an eyebrow, lifting her arms from her sides and
crossing them. âAllow me to remind you that me changing my mind on the matter
would result in your incarceration.â

âNothing but curiosity on my part.â Loden
gave a small shrug. âItâs not like I havenât gotten into trouble because of it
before.â

âI see.â The girlâs shoulders moved
backwards ever so slightly. Her version of a shrug, presumably. One thing was
for sure â Loden was dealing with someone who kept their cards close to their
chest. Cute as it was, there was an air of a threat to that smile. Only a
madman such as him would risk tangling with her.

âWell,â she kept talking, either oblivious
of Lodenâs musings, or uncaring. âif you must know, itâs not that I donât
consider you unthreatening. But it is my belief that you, at least for now,
have no intention of harming me.â

âSound about right.â Confirmed Loden. âAnd
you picked up on thatâ¦ how?â

âIf thereâs one thing I know about menâ¦â
The girl rotated around, and began to glide down the hallway. ââ¦they arenât
likely to harm someone theyâve been so ''blatantly''
making eyes at whenever possible.â

Damn. Caught out by hormones? That was a
new low. Loden could feel himself beginning to flush crimson.

âFollow along, boy of proven masculinity.â
Though her voice gave nothing away, the words were playful enough that Loden
allowed himself another smile â a smaller, more genuine one â before striding
after her, catching up before too long.

The palace hallways remained as objectively
majestic and as subjectively ''meh'' as
they had been in the past (except for, of course, any display featuring exotic
weaponry), but this was less of a concern to Loden, now. After all, he now had
this girl to think about. In Lodenâs opinion, people were a lot more
interesting than things. They had minds, and personalities, and opinions! They
were all so wonderfully different. Yes, there was a coolness to weapons. But
each and every weapon that he admired had been designed by someone â and he
admired those people a great deal more.

In
any case, his attention that wasnât focused on scanning the general environment
for anything of note was fixed firmly on the girl walking in front of him. A
fascinating individual, to be sure. Her confidence was a breath of fresh air
after being cooped up in a ship with both Iamos and Daiyu for hours on end, and
she was more quick-witted and socially competent than most of the people he
knew. Her posture, also, was impeccable, and gave an observer the impression
that she was taller than she actually was.

If Loden had been in her shoes, he would
have used that height â or lack of â to make people underestimate her, so that
they would be less on edge in their presence. It was why he wore clothing that
covered as much of his muscles as possible â so he could get the drop on anyone
who might turn out to be an enemy later on. But, he conceded, perhaps things
worked differently on this other plane of personal fortune. Maybe, in a royal
court, it was important to constantly emit a sense of strength, so that trouble
could be avoided altogether? It wasnât like Loden would knowâ¦

The point was, it was nice to find someone
that he could actually play off. Someone on whom his skills would not go to
waste. Though, judging by his earlier slip-up (to be fair, she had looked
gorgeous), he still had some work of his own to do.

âHere we are.â The girlâs voice cut through
his thoughts once again. Looking up, Loden saw a paper-thin sliding door,
decorated by an exquisitely painted image, depictingâ¦ some sort of battle?
Maybe a historical scene, or something. What caught Lodenâs attention was the
thickness of the door â or, rather, how ''thin''
it was. Not only would it be easy to damage, but it looked as though someone
outside the room would be able to hear everything happening inside. Loden could
also see the silhouettes of objects inside the room because of how little
material the door was made out of.

âDoesnât seem all thatâ¦ private.â He mused
out loud, as the girl dug her fingers into a wooden grove near the far side of
the door, prying it open with a quiet grating sound.

âThese rooms arenât designed for privacy,
theyâre designed for safety.â The girl explained. Loden appreciated the
neutrality of her voice â he had half-expected her to be exasperated. âItâs a
lot harder for someone to sneak around when just passing by a room might give
the game away. There are also nightingale floors everywhere â not to mention
the amount of guards.â

Loden whistled. âDunno what I expected.
Itâs not like this is a palace or anythingâ¦ wait, why are we here?â

âThis is where youâll be staying.â The girl
explained, still giving nothing away. Damn it, why was she so hard to read?

âSâthat so?â Loden peered around, going
into ânonchalantâ mode as he began to panic. Nifty as it all was, he hadnât had
any intention of staying in the palace, of all places. In an ideal world, he
and Iamos would have already bought supplies and have made it back to the
Origin, ready to head off to who-knew-where. On that matter, where was Iamos? Was
he still talking to the Emperor? âNice place and all, but I donât remember
making a reservation.â

âThe choice is yours.â The girl revealed,
surprising him. âMy father, though, figured that you wouldnât want to leave
without your friend.â

âIamos?â Loden turned to her. âKnow where
he is, by chance?â

She nodded. âThereâs an adjoining room. You
see that?â She pointed to what appeared to be the wall facing the pair, now
that they were inside the roomâs doorway. It was made out of the same skinny material
as the other door (paper, Loden had decided, daft as it sounded), and also was
covered in depictions of ancient warlords decapitating one another. Cheerful
stuff. But there was another wooden groove in the side â did that mean it was
another door?

âIs that hand bit-â Loden made a grabbing
motion with his hand to demonstrate what he meant. â-the only way of knowing
whether itâs a door or a wall?â

âIâm afraid so.â The girl informed him.
âItâs a bit of a pain, to be honest.â

âYouâre telling me.â Loden muttered,
striding forward without pause, head almost hitting the low-hanging ceiling
lantern as he passed. Upon reaching the door, he squinted, attempting to peer
through it. Behind him, he could hear the girl about to ask what he was doing.

âNot that I donât trust you, I just want to
make sure that I donât open the door on the wrong person.â

âIâm fairly certain that thatâs what it
means to not trust someone.â The girl replied. Loden turned to look back at
her. Her arms were folded again, and she seemed to be pushing herself forward
as she spoke. That, combined with the edge that her words suddenly had (where
had that even come from?), gave Loden the sudden impression that he was
cornered. A wild animal, trapped by a hunter and staring down the tip of a
spear. He flinched, despite himself.

ââ¦Okay, fine, I donât trust you. To be
fair, though, we just met.â He placed his hands on his hips, and stared her
down. This cornered animal wasnât going down without a fight. âJust because I
was making eyes at you doesnât mean that Iâd get so carried away. A manâs got
other things to than chase after the ladies.â His eyes wandered away from hers,
and his head tilted until he found himself glancing back at the door-of-sorts.
âLike looking out for his friends.â

There was a short silence. The girl
remained expressionless, the pretty face becoming more and more mask-like to
Lodenâs eyes â a tool to throw people off, to never reveal the true feelings of
the wearer. Did any emotions ever get through, he wondered? Was this really how
someone privy to the Empireâs courts had to act? Day in, day out, never letting
their guard down? Was that the price to pay for never having to worry about the
weather, or where your next meal was coming from?

Despite often bitterly wondering about the
differences in class, at that very moment, Loden Adalwin was happy with being
born to a pair of immigrants.

The girl looked as though she was about to
speak, and the sight focused Loden on the situation at hand. However, a voice
spoke up before she could.

âLoden?â

It was quiet. Very subdued. Very
tired-sounding. But it was undoubtedly the voice of his best friend.

âIamos!â Loden called back, turning to face
the door. A humanoid shape was visible on the other side, slowly moving towards
the door. âThat you, buddy?â

âYeah. Yeah.â Iamos sounded like he was
talking in his sleep as he stopped in front of the door. âLet me just-â

He stopped talking as a ripping sound rang
out, echoing into the silence of Lodenâs room in an almost ominous fashion.
Loden looked down, and saw that Iamosâ hand had missed the fiddly little wooden
groove on the edge of the door. Instead, it had gone right through the
paper-thin wall. Iamosâ extended fingers still lingered on the other side of
the door, quivering slightly.

âOh.â Loden muttered, torn between laughing
out loud and curling into a ball from second-hand embarrassment. The hand
stayed where it was for a moment longer before slowly, awkwardly retreating
through the hole it had created, a couple of smaller ripping sounds
accompanying it. The girl remained silent, and Loden couldnât help but wonder
what she might have been thinking.

After a couple more seconds, the door
finally slid open to reveal Iamos, head hanging low. His limbs were drooping,
and he was grabbing onto a wooden frame (rather than leaning on a flimsy wall)
for support. He looked like he had run for miles â but Loden knew better.

âThat bad?â He asked, softening his voice.
Though he wanted to reach out a hand and comfort him, he figured that physical
contact may not have been a good idea.

âYeah.â Iamos breathed, the words little
more than a whisper on the non-existent breeze.

âWhatâ¦â The words made Loden jump a little.
Upon seeing Iamos, all of his other thoughts had dived out of his head â he had
almost forgotten that the girl was still there, watching everything. His gaze
flicked back between her and Iamos as she paused, furrowed her brow, and spoke
again. âWhat happened?â

âMy guess? That conversation she had with
that Emperor of yours stressed him out.â Normally, Loden would be better â far
better â at keeping emotion out of his voice. But a combination of the stress
of being dragged into a palace and seeing his friend reeling from the pressure
of such a conversation left him caring little about putting up a confident
front. The girl gave a small start, but Loden didnât care. It wasnât like he
really owed the Emperor any respect, anyway.

âNot just that.â Iamos spoke again, before
wandering over to a chair that was in Lodenâs room and sitting down in it. As
he walked, his legs trembled like a new-born lamb. âLodenâ¦ I have to stay.â

âWhy?â Loden blurted out, as a sinking
feeling overtook him.

âThe Emperor wants me to.â Despite the
implied honour, Iamos looked as though heâd rather be anywhere except inside a
palace. âIâ¦ I couldnât tell him about the Origin. I couldnât. So now I canât
even get a message to Azura and Daiyuâ¦â He leaned forward in the chair,
clenching his hands together, staring at the ground.

âShoot.â Loden muttered, hesitantly
beginning to walk towards Iamos before stopping dead. âHow many spoons do you
have left, buddy?â

The girl shot a hint of a quizzical look at
Loden, clearly surprised by the question. Now that Loden thought about it, it
was becoming ever-so-slightly easier to read her. It helped to keep in mind
that even when she did emote, the effect was often still minute. Jeez, she was
going to give him a headache.

âNot many.â Responded Iamos. âThat, or
theyâre made ofâ¦ paper, or something. I donât know. I justâ¦â His head lowered
even further, his back arching over like a collapsing bridge. âI just need some
time.â

âI hear you.â Loden would have leaned back
against the wall, but he was afraid of doing an Iamos and tearing right through
the material. He settled for running his hands through his greasy hair, the
feeling soothing him somewhat. It was a nervous tic of his.

âSpoons?â He was brought out of his
brooding by the girlâs voice. Iamos looked up again, as though seeing her for
the first time.

âHi Miyuki.â He managed to say.

âOh, so the two of you have met?â Lodenâs
eyebrow raised as his gaze shifted from one to the other. Though, if he thought
about it, it made sense for the same person to escort both Iamos and Loden to
their rooms. âAlsoâ¦ Miyuki. Nice name, that.â

âMuch appreciated.â The girl replied.
âLoden, too, has an appealing ring to it, donât you agree?â

âWould you believe me if I said that I was
biased on the matter?â

âI would consider that a realistic
opinion.â

âGlad to hear it.â Lodenâs rising mood
plummeted back down to earth when he turned his attention towards Iamos once
again. âSoâ¦ youâre stuck here?â

âMm.â Iamos nodded. His face slowly
contorted into one of a boy in thought. âYou know, he only asked for me. You
donât hav-â

âIamos, do me a favour and allow what
youâre about to say to perish and die.â Loden was tempted to walk forward a
couple of steps for emphasis, as he normally would have done, but he did not
dare to invade Iamosâ personal space during recovery time. âIf you think Iâm
willing to leave without you, you must be ''really''
shaken up.â

âButâ¦â Iamos was still struggling with the
words. Still breathing heavily. Still shaking ever so slightly. How long had it
been, Loden wondered, since that cool and collected faÃ§ade had dropped like
this? âThe others willâ¦ theyâllâ¦ theyâll wonder where we are.â

âNope.â Loden grinned and arched his back
lower in an attempt to meet Iamosâ eyes â wait, no, that wouldnât be a good
idea. He stopped trying to make eye contact, and settled for trying to stare at
the forehead area. âThey arenât going to be wondering anything. Iâve got a
plan-â He stopped talking as he realised something rather inconvenient.

Miyukiâs eyes remained glued to him as he
awkwardly rose and turned to face her.

âUuhâ¦â He hesitated, unable to think of any
kind of excuse on such short notice, and even more unable to think of a way to
prevent her from ratting them out the second he said anything that might be
considered out of turn in the Emperorâs domainâ¦ or whatever. âFeel free to
cover your ears?â

Chaffing moron. That wasnât exactly subtle.

In response, Miyuki folded her arms and
stared the pair down. âNo, keep going.â She urged, and Loden could have sworn
he could see her smirking. âIâm interested.â

Loden sighed. âCan you at least promise to
not repeat a word of what Iâm about to say toâ¦ well, anyone?â When all else
failed, bank on human decency and make sure to do your business before they
change their mind.

âI make no promises.â She replied, much to
Lodenâs dismay. If he looked at the situation realistically, perhaps he would
have seen the inevitable disaster, but Loden Adalwin had never been one for
realism. Everything that happened could be worked into his favour. He just had
to beâ¦ creative about it. And, on the plus side, a hot girl was interested in
what he had to say, which was something.

âI mean,â Loden explained as he decided to
throw caution to the wind (it had never really done him much good anyway), âIâd
expect you to report the escape I have planned.â

âEscape?â She raised an eyebrow, now.
âContinue.â

âWell, itâs quite simple.â Loden raised a
hand and continued to feign confidence. âI shall fight my way through whatever
guards might be stationed, and, once Iamos recovers, he shall use his alchemy
to make a nice hole in the wall, through which we can escape. Itâll be easy.â
That was it, he just had to keep projecting that confidence. The bluster behind
his words might have been slightly apparent, but few people were ever willing
to question someone who sounded as sure of their words as he did. No, he wasnât
''projecting'' confidence. He ''was'' confidence. He was-

ââ¦an utter idiot.â Her voice interrupted
his thoughts.

âCome again?â

âI said, youâre an utter idiot. Do you
really think it would be so easy to âescapeâ, as you put it, the royal palace?â

Loden stroked his chin, trying not to lose
his temper or panic. âI mean, I did until you said thatâ¦â

âThe security isnât exactly lax.â Miyuki
glowered at him. âThe guards stationed in here are on the lookout for any
suspicious activities â that includes breakouts as well as break-ins. If you
intend to literally break out with alchemy, youâre going to trigger a city-wide
search.â

âThenâ¦ then weâll sneak out!â Loden
protested, struggling more and more to regain control over the situation,
though he knew deep down that he was already in over his head.

âHave you even ''heard'' of a nightingale floor?â Miyuki responded. âYou donât know
your way around, or anything about the guardsâ shifts. Youâd be caught within
minutes.â

âFine.â Snarled Loden. âBut anythingâs
better than sitting around here and doing nothing.â

âAnything?â Miyuki echoed, folding her
arms. âWhat about being moved to less comfortable lodgings? Being separated?
Maybe even executed?â She narrowed her eyes, and Loden was struck by how
suddenly emotive she seemed to have become. âYou have more to lose than you
might believe.â

There was a brief silence. Loden inhaled
and exhaled, heavily. In all honesty, he was angry. Angry at himself, and his naivetÃ©,
because ''of course'' it wasnât going to
be that easy to get out of a palace, but having it pointed out to him still
stung. He needed to focus on something else. Anything elseâ¦

âI have to admit, Iâm surprised that weâre
having this conversation, as opposed to you running off and telling someone
about my intentions.â

The words were out of his mouth before he
had time to consider their folly.

Miyuki remained silent for a moment, before
shrugging.

âIâm a higher authority than you might
realise.â She revealed. âThereâs not a lot of people I could leave it in the
hands of. Besidesâ¦â She smirked at him, and holy spades, it was an actual smirk
instead of some suppressed hint of emotion. That was new.

âI have an idea of my own.â She finished,
leaving Loden â for the first time since meeting her â truly uneasy as a result
of her words. It was obvious enough that she was a secretive and scheming sort
of person. Whatever idea she had, Loden doubted that it would be good for him.

âLetâs hear it.â He challenged, staring her
down. She began walking closer, each step slow and small. Physically putting
pressure on him. Damn, she was good.

âHow about... I donât tell anyone about
what youâre planning.â Step. âThat instead of reporting you, I help you.â Step.
âGuard positions.â Step. âTrapped areas.â Step. âQuick exits.â Step. âI can be
your guide through this maze of a palace.â

She was standing almost directly in front
of Loden now â he had to look down to see into her eyes, which remained
deceptively beautiful and dazzling. Her gazeâ¦ he figured he now had a new
understanding of why raccoon traps were so effective.

âSounds helpful.â Loden admitted, keeping
his voice low and measured as he stared her down. âBut if thereâs one thing I
know about an offer like that, itâs that itâll come with some strings attached.
Soâ¦ whatâs your game?â

âIâm very glad you asked.â She was almost
smiling now, her face reminiscent of something grateful and dangerous and
conflicted all at once. He couldnât get a lock on her true feelingsâ¦ and that
bothered him.

âIâll be leaving with you.â

'''9: Liberation'''

The blonde man â Loden â did not
immediately reply to her declaration. Though a running theme of their
conversation thus far appeared to be his trying and failing to mask his
emotions, she was struck by how particularly taken aback he was. Brows raised
high above his eyes, and mouth slightly open as he stared at her. His face
shifted from shock to incredulity, and he eventually said, with a surprisingly
calm voice â âWhat?â

Whether it was disbelief or
thick-headedness that warranted a repetition, she wasnât entirely sure, but
chose to retain faith in him and assume the former.

âI said that I shall be leaving with you.â
She repeated, making sure to draw the words out slightly, to ensure that they
could be understood. Honestly. Stepping back, her gaze flitted from one to the
other, as she began to collect her thoughts and feelings in regards to the two
strange visitors she had decided to throw her lot in with. Part of her regarded
them with disdain. The man seemed a pale imitation of many members of her court,
with his faÃ§ade at times flawless and at times flimsy. Not to mention, the
undercurrent of physical attraction was one that she had seen enough times in
various young men to make her eyes roll. As for the boy, a single conversation
had left him drained of energy and in a hopeless state. If that was how he
handled himself in stressful situations, how on earth was he meant to function
within society?

And yetâ¦ there was something about them.
Something new, that she had never seen before. True, Lodenâs displays of raw
emotion were somewhat aggravating; but they were somewhat endearing, as well,
and he seemed to be socially competent enough to, at the very least, make
interesting conversation with. As for the flirtation? It was crass, certainly,
but there was a certain bluntness to it that seemed a breath of fresh air after
the countless suitors who had written haiku, spoken in riddles, and carried
themselves so far above her that they might have well have been residing atop a
mountain, looking down on her with all the amusement that one might possess
whilst observing a pet. What was the term? âDown to earthâ? That seemed to
summarise him well enough.

And â what was the otherâs name? Iamos? â there
was also a charm in the way the boy had attempted respect, even whilst at his
nerveâs end, and had kept his composure long enough to be escorted to his room
(a place of rest, she realised) before falling apart. And, of course, the fact
that he had, despite his fear, managed to hold a semblance of conversation with
her father â a man who could have sentenced him to death with a glance if he
had so desired.

Loden frowned. âSoâ¦ I wasnât hearing
things, then?â

âNo. I daresay you werenât.â She replied
coolly. âI shall help you escape, if that is what you desire, but my price is
that you allow me to join you.â Her eyes flicked to the closed doorway. No
silhouettes to be seen. They were alone.

ââKay, hereâs the thing.â Loden folded his
arms. âOur situation is kind of complicated at the moment. Weâre not native to
the city, and our actual home went up in smoke, like, two days ago. Weâre
basically here because we have no idea where the hell else to go, and because
thereâs this really vague situation involving a map that Iamos-â he flicked a
thumb in the direction of the boy âhas pretty much got himself fixated on. Soâ¦
donât think that youâre going anywhere special or specific.â

Well, that wasâ¦ mostly expected. She had
already assumed that the two were not inhabitants of Phek-Kai, as her father
would have brought in the alchemist long ago if that were the case. And, in all
honesty, they hadnât struck her as the type of people to be meticulously
planning ahead. And, tragic as it was, a house burning down was commonplace
within an Empire at war. The oddity was the strange map that the man had
mentioned.

âIâmâ¦ sorry about your home.â She found
herself saying. Not that it should have been a surprise. Condolences were an
appropriate response to such a revelation.

âThanks.â Loden grunted, folding his arms.
A heavy weight seemed to land on his shoulders, and he hunched over for but a
moment before rising higher and grinning. There it was. The grin that, as she
was fast learning, was the manâs trademark. She couldnât recall meeting anyone
who smiled so often and so brightly. But she had noticed that some smiles were
less forced than others. âDonât worry about it, though. Weâll sort it out.â He
continued.

âYou sound very sure.â She observed.

âNow, where have I heard that one before?â
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes meeting her own, once again. A part of her
tensed, awaiting the challenge â but in his eyes held no hostility. Instead,
she saw a carefree playfulness. Very different to what she was used to, yes,
but also very welcome.

âI daresay you heard it just a moment ago,
mister Loden.â She replied coolly. âSurely your memory is better than that.â

He gave nothing away, instead standing up
and laughing slightly. âI guess I walked right into that one.â

âLodenâ¦â The boyâs voice interrupted their
conversation. They turned to look at him as he rose, brow furrowed in thought.
She observed his facial expression â as open as the man was, Iamos was more
readable still. His lips were pursed, and his hands were running in and out of
each otherâs grip â fingers dancing across knuckle and palm. His eyes, which
had previously been all but blank, a void of colourless blue, were now alight
with a world of ideas and thoughts. His irises stared at his hands so
intensely, as if he were holding all the secrets of the world in his writhing
fists.

âLetâs do it.â He continued, lifting his
head to properly view the two for the first time. His knees were shaking. He
swallowed. The fire in his eyes flared. âLetâs let her come with us.â

âWell, Iâ¦ are you sure?â Lodenâs own brow
drew closer to his eyeline as he stroked his chin in thought. âItâd be easier
to get out of here with two people than with three, right?â

âI guess your memory is that bad.â She
snarked at him. âLike I said, I can be your guide through the palace. Youâd be
lost otherwise.â

âThatâs not all.â Iamos added, now tapping
his fingers together. His shoulder remained hunched, like a defeated tree, but
his head rose in spite, a fresh sapling sprouting from the aged bark. âYouâre
the Emperorâs daughter, correct?â

âYes.â She confirmed, ignoring the
exclamation of surprise from Loden.

âWhat the hell?â

âIf weâre stopped in the hallway, just us,
weâll probably be restrained. Imprisoned. Killed.â Iamos, too, continued to
speak, ignoring his friend as he did so. âIt doesnât matter. The point is, they
wonât ask questions. But if youâre thereâ¦â

At this, he looked directly at her for what
might have been the first time, and she was ever so slightly taken aback as a
result.

âIf youâre there, theyâll have to let us
pass.â He reasoned. âYou could use your authority, and stuff...â

âI see your point.â She confirmed,
pondering the idea. Yes. Yes, it could work. The only trouble wasâ¦

âIf it goes wrong, who knows what might
happen?â Loden butted in. âOverestimate her authority, and weâd just be in a
whole heap of trouble. That, and sheâd probably be reported as missing or
something if we actually succeed, seeing as how this is unauthorized.â His eyes
wandered to hers. âNot that Iâm, like, saying that you canât come, but we
should probably think this through.â

âThere is, of course,â she decided to
interject, âthe fact that if you donât let me come along, Iâll just tell the
guards what you have planned, and youâll end up imprisoned anyway.â

Her
statement was met with a brief silence, before Loden rolled his amber eyes.

âOkay, Iâll bite. Thatâs kind of hard to
argue with. Iamos?â

Iamos thought for a moment, but eventually
shook his head. âWe have to take this one step at a time.â He decided. âWe can
worry about the bigger picture after we get out of here. Besidesâ¦â his gaze
drifted to her again. âit wouldnât feel right, leaving you here after you asked
to leave.â

For a moment, she wasnât quite sure what to
say. It was interesting, she reasoned, that she had met people who acted
primarily according to their hearts instead of their heads. (Another stark
contrast to court life.) But there was somethingâ¦ oddly touching about such a
motivation. Something noble.

âAnd people say chivalry is dead.â She
allowed herself to smile, before turning back to Loden, who was wearing a
decidedly nonplussed look. âDo you wish to dispute further?â

âNah.â Loden shrugged, before holding out
his hand. âWelcome aboard.â

Hesitantly, she reached out in turn, only
for Loden to take hold of her hand and rotate it downwards, before bowing and
planting a kiss on her knuckles. When he rose, there was a sparkle in his eyes
and his grin was firmly on his lips.

âLetâs just hope we can stay free long enough
to get to know each other, eh?â

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

âYou really think youâre going to need all
of this crap?â

Once again choosing to ignore Lodenâs
crassness, she gave a quick nod in response, before choosing to elaborate.

âFrom the sound of it, you have a limited
fund.â She turned to Iamos, raising an eyebrow. âAm I wrong?â

He shook his head.

âThusly,â she continued, delicately folding
another jewel-inlaid kimono and placing it in the open bag, amongst its
fellows, âIâll take with me as many of my valuables as possible, in order that
we might sell them later on. Consider them an investment.â

âOh, I get it.â Loden made a fist, which he
then tapped against the palm of his other hand. âIf thatâs the case, why donât
you just take all of your jewellery with you? Wouldnât that be a lot easier to
carry?â

âI already have.â She declared, pointing to
a large pouch sitting on her bed. Loden wandered over, pulling the top open and
inspecting the contents.

âVery nice.â He said, appraisingly, after a
brief moment.

âDonât get too attached.â She warned,
harkening back to her plan.

Loden turned back to her, arms folded.
âThatâs what I could say to you. You telling me you donât like any of them? Iâd
figure that thereâs at least one thing in here you like wearing or looking at.â

She shrugged. âThere are a couple.â

âAre we done?â Iamos interrupted. Both
parties turned to him, and she noted his visible agitation. The listlessness
from before was being replaced with a nervous energy, and the boy was becoming
antsy. His leg jumped up and down as he sat on her chair, staring at no-one.

âAlmost.â She assured him, adding the final
possible garment to the bag and tying it shut. She handed the bag to Loden.

âEh?â

âYouâre carrying it.â She explained
patiently, before grabbing the pouch of jewellery and striding across the room
to hand it to Iamos. He took it wordlessly, fingers gripping the fabric like a
lifeline. Ignoring Lodenâs complaining, she straightened her posture and turned
to the window of her room. The bustling city of Phek-Kai greeted her, streets
full of citizens heading about their daily lives. The entire sight was coloured
brown and beige by the slated and angled roofs that had been placed upon every
house in the city. She inwardly sighed. She would miss the view, if nothing
else. But now, at least, she had been given the chance to see her country in
person, rather than through a window, or the illustration of a book. And she
would take that chance, whatever the cost.

âOkay.â
She sighed. âWait outside.â

âHuh?â Loden exclaimed, and she folded her
arms as she faced him. A moment of silence, and she waved her arms up and down
her person, indicating the long, flowing, and horribly impractical dress she
was wearing.

âI
need to get changed.â She explained.

Loden took another moment to process before
grinning once again, and bowing with a flourish.

âI understand.â He sauntered towards her
door, pulling Iamos after him. âTell us when youâre done, alright?â

âI will.â She assured the pair as they left
her alone.

She wandered over to her wardrobe, and
began to search for clothing more practical as she began to think. Her most
significant concern was what her father might do upon realising that she was
gone. He would surely send troops after them, attempting to reclaim her â he
certainly wasnât above using his militia to track down family members, after
all. Theyâd have to move to the outskirts of the empire, as quickly as
possible. Whether she could or not, she wasnât sure, but it was a necessary
struggle. To see her country â no, to see the world, and how its inhabitants
chose to live. Their circumstances. Their trials and tribulations. This was all
information that she needed to understand, almost desperately. How could she be
a ruler if she had never interacted with anybody outside her capital city? How
could she truly understand them, if she had never seen them for herself?

Her movements were automatic, and she
dressed herself quickly. A mid-calf skirt, flat-soled shoes, a long shirt â all
coloured grey and white. Still elegant enough to show her status, but
infinitely more practical than her previous outfit.

âYou done?â Lodenâs voice, muffled through
the door, reached her ears. He sounded as upbeat as ever.

âJust about.â She responded. Moving
quickly, she hastened to her desk and grabbed the case to be found on top. Its
contents softly rattled as she stalked across the room and opened the door to
find her new companions waiting outside, hands in pockets.

âAh,â Loden said, âGood.â

âPeople kept walking past us and giving us
looks.â Iamos noted.

âYou not in the mood?â Loden immediately
queried, hefting the bag she had given him over his shoulder.

âNo.â Iamos said simply, his grip around
the smaller bag he had been given tightening. He turned in her general
direction, eyes roving and eventually fixing their gaze somewhere around her
feet. âI see what you mean.â He confessed, after a momentâs silence. âThere are
too many people to just evade.â

âMm.â She agreed with the noise, adjusting
her grip on her case, and began to stride off. âFollow me.â

Wordlessly, the boy and the man began to
follow in her wake. Lodenâs posture straightened itself out, his height
increasing until he cut a most imposing figure â acting almost as a guard for
their party. Iamos, on the other hand, hunched over as he walked. His shoulders
a decrepit arch, his hands remained firmly in his pockets as he stalked
forwards. It was as if he was trying to make himself smaller, less noticeable.
Parts of her attention were torn between one and the other, observing their
strength and aerodynamic walking respectively. Most of her concentration,
however, was spent on adjusting her own image. Back straight. Eyes dead center.
Her face, a mask. Cold and emotionless. Sparing no glance for the servants and
guards they came across, she strode past them, making it very clear that she
had business and was not to be questioned. The pair followed close behind her.
Loden was grinning and winking, acting the flirt. Iamosâ gaze didnât rise once.
Truly, they were a contradictory duo.

The corridors had always been somewhat
maze-like in their build, an inconsistent floor layout being a further security
measure that the palace had been designed with. (Under normal circumstances,
she would have been able to recall whichever ancestor of hers had built the
royal palace. Given her current situation, however, it was fair to say that she
had better things to worry about.) She navigated the hallways automatically,
leaving herself on a form of autopilot as she walked, and focused on keeping
her head steady. Focused on not showing any sort of emotion.

The unlikely trio continued to progress,
walking down a carpet-covered flight of stairs. Though the various people
wandering around the palace did nothing to stop them, she detected a number of
odd looks, especially from the lords. They must have looked at least somewhat
suspicious â all of them in casual clothing (comparatively casual, in her case),
and carrying supplies. What worried her was the fact that the lords all
remained in the palace for the express purpose of impressing her father. Would
one of them run to him, tell him that his daughter acting suspiciously? She
focused, slowing her breathing and her pace. Nobody would question someone of
her status who moved with such purpose. Someone with something to hide would be
acting suspiciously. Cautious and wary. Though her boldness worried her, she
also knew that it was her best chance of an easy escape.

Every step felt too slow. Though she knew
differently, she could not completely suppress her paranoia. Thoughts of her
father arriving out of nowhere, intending to stop her in her tracks and bring
down her plan before she could even properly enact it, almost enticed her to
move faster. Only the self-control that she had honed through a life in the
royal courts, where every move was calculated and every expression could be a
sign of either strength of weakness, kept her from panic. The daring nature of
her plan struck her. She had never done something so bold before. It felt soâ¦
sudden. Was it too sudden? Had she foolishly made the decision on the spur of
the moment? More importantly, would she come to regret her hastiness?

âYour highness.â The voice snapped her out
of her thoughts. One of the guards of the palace was standing in front of her â
not blocking her way outright, but positioned so that he could at a momentâs
notice. His armour glittered and shimmered as he moved, the light from the
hallwayâs windows reflecting off it and shining it in many different
directions. Behind the guard, she could see the doors of solid metal that
sealed the palace shut â all that stood between her and the expanse of the
city. A further pair of guards were watching over the doors, one on either
side. Their hands clenched the hilts of their swords. Constant vigilance.

âI wasnât aware that you had been given
permission to leave.â The tone of the guardâs voice was level, but it rung with
an unspoken warning. ''You are not allowed to be here''. Behind her, Loden bristled. She could almost imagine his
hackles raising, like a dog, as she began to feel the impatience roll off him.
There was also a hint of anger within his aura, as though he was indignant for
her sake.

âI see.â She replied, coolly. âPerhaps
there has been a miscommunication. If you like, we can discuss this with my
father?â

âIâ¦ okay.â The guard, obviously flustered,
agreed. She felt Loden calm down somewhat, though his energy still simmered under
the surface. Turning on her heel, she began to stalk back the way she came. A
moment passed â then three sets of footsteps began to follow her. Due to nobody
else being in sight, she allowed herself a minute smile of satisfaction.
Â Â Â <nowiki> </nowiki>She turned a corner and continued on,
noting that there was nobody else present either. It was only her, the guard,
the boys, and the red floors and white walls. After continuing for a few more
seconds, she suddenly noticed that the steps behind her had stopped, and had been
replaced by a choking noise. Turning back around, she could only stare at the
sight of Loden with his arm wrapped around the guardâs neck. His other hand was
occupied covering the guardâs mouth, and the man was definitely growing weaker
as his air supply was cut off. Behind the struggling pair, Iamos held both bags
and stared down the space behind them, watching their backs for any sign of
someone approaching them.

âWhat are you doing?â She eventually hissed
as loud as she dared. Loden stared at her quizzically.

âIs this not what you were planning?â He
asked dumbly, even as he continued to restrain the other man.

âNo! I was going to send himâ¦â She closed
her eyes. âYou know what? It doesnât matter. Weâll have to go from here.â She
glared at Loden. âJust make sure you donât kill him.â

âI wonât.â Loden assured her as the guard
stopped struggling. âAaaandâ¦ there we go.â He gently laid the man on the
ground. âNighty-night, buddy.â He looked up at her. âWant me to hide him?â

âThat would be appreciated, yes.â She stared
at the door nearest to her, confirming that there was nobody inside, and then
opened it. âJust put him in here. Quickly, a patrol could pass by any moment.â

Wasting no time, Loden unceremoniously
deposited the body underneath the roomâs table, ensuring that the cloth on top
of it concealed sight of it. Once that was done, she closed the door and paused
to take stock of the situation.

âWhat now?â Loden asked, echoing her own
thoughts.

âNow we need to get past the two guards in
front of the door.â She murmured, neglecting to mention the potentially short
timeframe he had cursed them with. Who knew when the guard might wake up? If
she had been able to go through with her initial plan, she knew for a fact that
it would have taken him upwards of hours to navigate the entire palace in
search of her father, and some time more to talk to actually the man. Whereas
now, he could awaken in minutes. All of this, however, remained unsaid â there
was no sense in causing divisions or doubt at this point. âThe fact that there
are two of them makes this more difficult. You can restrain one, but the other
will still be able to either attack you or run for backup.â She turned to
Iamos, who looked back at her after sensing her gaze upon him. âIs there
anything your alchemy can do?â

âAnything to take them both out at once?â
Loden added.

âThere might be.â The boy said, after a
brief hesitation. âGive me a moment.â He paused again. âActually, could you
distract the guards? This might take a while.â

âWhat are you going to do?â Loden
interjected.

âYouâll see.â Iamos shrugged. âBut itâll
look weird if I just stand there.â

âWe just moved away though. Itâll look
weird if we come back.â She pointed out.

âWeâll come up with something!â Loden
encouraged.

Iamos nodded agreement. âI donât call you
âthe prince of nonsenseâ for nothing.â

Loden pouted. âWas that necessary?â

She hid her smile as she began to walk
towards the corner. âWell, Iâm sure that, between the two of us, we can think
of something.â She turned to Loden. âAre you coming, prince of nonsense?â

âRight behind you, ''literal'' princess ofâ¦ uhâ¦ bunk?â

âWe can decide on a title later.â She
assured him. He nodded, grinning, as the trio turned back around the corner to
confront the remaining two guards. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see
Iamos standing motionless behind them, hands in pockets, eyes staring straight
ahead. The sudden focus was unnerving, but there was no time to focus on it.
They had to buy some time.

âAlright, gents.â Loden spoke as they
stopped two feet or so in front of the guards. âHowâs it hanging?â

The two men exchanged looks.

âShouldnât you be talking to your father
right now, your highness?â One of them ventured.

âOh, my father and your companion are
talking right now.â She explained, as Loden flicked a thumb behind him to
illustrate her point. âRest assured, my words will be confirmed soon enough.â

âIf youâre sure.â The man on the right
said. âBut we canât let you out until then.â

She smiled without humour. âDonât worry, I
understand.â

After this, there was no talking for a
moment. She noticed that the air suddenly seemed heavier, and she began to take
slower and deeper breaths. It was an uncomfortable, unearthly feeling. Was it the
alchemistâs doing?

âSoâ¦â Loden eventually blurted out. âGot
any pets?â

Truth be told, she wasnât quite sure where
the conversation would have gone if either of the guards had answered Lodenâs
question. However, they were saved by Iamosâ voice:

âLoden! Miyuki! Can I talk to you for a
second?â

âSure!â Loden called back, and the two
began to trek back to him before either man could question them.

ââGot any pets?ââ She echoed. âWhy?â

âIf you want to avoid awkward small talk,
just ask someone about pets.â Loden explained. âTrust me.â

âIâll take your word for it.â She managed
to say, coughing as less air than she had expected managed to reach her lungs.
She was feeling light-headed by the time she and him reached Iamos.

âGet behind me.â He ordered, putting the
bags down, and she was startled by how easily she was able to breathe behind
him.

âWhat did you do?â Loden, who had
apparently been experiencing something similar to her, asked.

âIncreased the air pressure and density in
that area.â Iamos explained. âItâll be a lot harder to breathe in there than
out here â in fact, the air pressure is lighter than normal outside my
immediate area of influence, so take it easy.â

âNow what?â Pressed Loden.

âWell, we could wait for them to pass out,
but weâd have to wait in this high-pressure area for that to happen, and weâre
on a time limit.â He turned to look at her. âRight?â

She nodded. The alchemist furrowed his
brow, and turned back to the guards.

âOkay.â

Suddenly, in a lightning-fast movement, he
raised his arms out past either side of his torso, like a pair of crippled
wings, before bringing them back together in a clap. The startling part,
however, was that both of the guards bowed low with yells, covering their ears.
One even fell to his knees.

âLoden!â Iamos exclaimed, and Loden
sprinted forward. Taking advantage of the guardsâ paralysis, he doffed their
helmets and slammed his palm into the back of their neck. They were unconscious
within moments. Loden flashed them a thumbs up, before pulling a lever on the
wall. The gates began to open.

âWhat happened?â She couldnât help but ask.

âA localised sonic attack.â Explained
Iamos. âItâd take too long to explain, but the gist of it is that sounds are
louder in denser environments.â

âI seeâ¦â She trailed off, marching forward
as Iamosâ brow unfurrowed and he began to follow her, picking up their supplies
as he went. The air, she noticed, had returned to normal.

âNice job, buddy.â Loden smirked as the
other two joined him. In a quick movement, he took the larger bag from Iamosâ
hands and slung it over his shoulder. âSo, what now?â

âNow, we just have toâ¦ ahâ¦ keep our cool.â
She declared. âThe guards outside will figure that weâre allowed to be here, because
the guards on the inside wouldnât have let us out otherwise.â

âI see the logic.â Loden admitted, stroking
his chin. âBut how are we going to get to the edge of the city?â

âPersuasion if weâre lucky. Theft if weâre
not.â She strode down the steps and turned to the right, beginning to walk
towards the horses and men that were loitering outside the palace.

âMan, did they not move these guys?â Loden
wondered out loud. She chose to ignore him, and made her way to the highest-ranking
soldier she could see.

âWeâll need three of these.â She declared
loudly.

âTwo.â Interjected Iamos. When all eyes
turned to him, he shrunk inward. âIâ¦ I canât ride a horse.â

âAnd why would I let you ride off to who
knows where?â The soldier questioned, placing his hands on his hips and
glowering at the trio, towering over her in particular.

âBecause my father authorised their usage.â
She replied, remaining passive. âAnd you wouldnât want to incite his
displeasure by going against his orders.â

âDid he really?â The soldier growled.

Loden growled back.

âWould we be here if he hadnât?â She
emphasised each word, pressing her case. The bluff would work. It had too.

Another moment passed.

âFine.â Spat the soldier. âBut youâd better
come back.â

âI will.â She declared, before striding
towards one of the horses and mounting it in one fluid movement. A moment
later, Loden mounted a steed himself, pulling Iamos up behind him, and handing
the boy their supplies.

âSeeya later, asshole.â Loden declared far
too jauntily as they cantered away. The metal gates swung open, leaving the
road in front of them finally â ''finally''
â accessible. She was free. Almost.

âLetâs go.â She muttered, pulling on the
reigns of her horse, and spurring the animal into a gallop. The darkening sky
harkened the day drawing to a close, and the streets were almost completely
devoid of life as they rushed down the street. As they ran, she observed the buildings
that they passed by. The more distance they placed between themselves and the palace,
the more derelict the housing became. It was almost like watching the city
itself decay before her eyes. The changes were slight, and subtle â an effect
of the city being so large.

âYouâre a good liar.â Iamos said, abruptly.
She almost thanked him, then thought better of it. There was a difference
between a compliment and an observation, after all. Instead, she settled on the
truth.

âIt wasnât a lie.â She stated. âOne day, I
shall return.â

âSeriously?â Loden sounded incredulous. She
couldnât blame him. As a matter of fact, she could hear the undertone of his
exclamation perfectly. ''All that effort spent on getting you out, and youâre planning on going back?'' Strange that,
despite knowing him for such a short amount of time, she could already imagine
his complaint word for word, complete with mannerisms. He obviously wasnât as
subtle as he tried to be.

âWhere are we headed?â She asked instead,
changing the topic of conversation.

âWe parked The Origin on a hill overlooking
the city.â Loden explained, seemingly willing to let go of her previous
confession. âIt shouldnât be too far away.â

âAnd you know exactly where?â

âI can figure it out!â Loden assured her,
casually waving one hand despite holding onto the reigns of his steed. âIâm
good with directions! Well, I say âdirectionsâ, itâs more like dÃ©jÃ vu, I guessâ¦â

She rolled her eyes. âAs long as it works.â

âIt will!â Loden tried to assure her, going
as far as to turn around in the saddle to look her in the eye, which prompted
Iamos (whoâs arms were wrapped around Lodenâs midriff) to shout:

âEyes
on the road!â

âYouâd better not lead us wrong!â She
snapped.

âRelax, princess.â Loden assured her,
sounding more placated â seemingly picking up on the anxiety that was, she
realised, beginning to leak through by this point. âIâve got this.â

The rest of their journey seemed to pass by
very quickly. The sun continued to sink into the horizon, with the shadows
being cast getting longer and longer. The few citizens still out and about were
quick to move for the galloping horses, and no further words were spoken
amongst the trio. Loden took the lead, guiding them towards salvation. Once or
twice, she heard what sounded like muttering from him, but chose to trust him. Just
one more strange thing that had happened that day â the fact that she had put
her trust into two complete strangers.

It was rash, and foolish, and her father
would have never approved, even if they hadnât been going against his wishes.
Perhaps that was why she had been willing to go through with her insane,
half-thought-out plan to begin with. Or perhaps it was just desperation, the
knowledge that she had been imprisoned for her whole life driving her forward.
What person wouldnât go to drastic lengths to escape, after being trapped for
so long?

Eventually, the horses tore through the
city entrance, and began the final push towards what Loden had called the âOriginâ.
As their steeds, guided by Loden, turned towards the aforementioned hill, she
peered at it. There was a strange metallic structure on top â was that what he
had been referring to?

âAlmost there, princess!â As if reading her
thoughts, Loden called out to her. âThatâs our ship.â

She turned her gaze back to it, puzzled.
That thing was a ship? How on Militiregnum did it work? It certainly didnât
look like any ship see had seen before. (Though, to be fair, she had never
before seen a ship in person.)

Yanking the reigns, Loden drew his horse to
a halt feet away from the structure, which was a steel-grey in the dim light.

âDaiyu!â He called. âWeâre back! Open up!â

A brief moment of silence. Loden shrugged,
then sauntered up to the structure and slammed his fist against the metal
violently.

âItâs us!â He called, louder this time. She
winced, before noticing the footsteps that were increasing in volume, muffled
but noticeable, coming from inside the structure. A portion of the metal slid
open, and out stepped a tall teenage girl. She would have been taller, had it
not been for the stooped way she stood, as though she was consigned to a life
of being talked down to. She was even easier to read than Iamos, an open book
of elation and relief pasted over a consistent inner core of tension.

âYouâre back!â She exclaimed, and her
identity suddenly became clear. A travelling companion, of sorts. âIâ¦â she
trailed off upon noticing the extra member of the party. âWhoâ¦ whoâs that?â

âMiyuki.â Stated Loden, dismounting his
horse and helping Iamos step down as well. âIâll explain later. Right now, we
need to get out of here.â

âHuh?â Flustered, Daiyu stood aside as the
trio entered the apparent ship. âWhy?â

âYou might not want to know.â She declared,
even as another voice added to the cacophony already present within the structure.

âIamos! Loden! Why can I hear another
voice!â

Turning, she saw another girl emerge from
one of the shipâs rooms. She was younger than the rest of the party members,
most likely an early teen. The newcomer carried herself more energetically than
perhaps anyone else she had ever seen, and could only be described as bombastic
as she planted one hand on her waist and pointed the other directly at the boys.

âWhat the hell did you guys do?â

âLike I said, weâll explain later!â Loden
snapped as he shoved Iamos into another room. Stepping in after them, she saw a
lot of coloured buttons and flashing lights. Glass covered pieces of metal and
plastic that flashed varieties of strange images, and the whole scene gave her
the beginnings of a headache.

âYou might want to find yourself a room,
princess.â Loden advised her as Iamos sat in the roomâs centremost chair. âTake-off
can be rough.â

âTake-off?â She echoed, before stumbling
forward as the ship gave a lurch and began to move. Loden moved fast, arms
wrapping around her waist as he caught her and held her to his chest. Embarrassingly
enough, she couldnât fault him â she probably would have taken a nasty fall,
otherwise. He looked down at her, and smiled like a Cheshire cat.

âDid you just fall for me?â

She chose not to grace his obvious
flirtation with a reply, instead grabbing her supplies from where they had been
dumped on the floor and dragging them out of the strange room, veering right
and all but launching herself into the first room she saw. It was plain and
empty, with metallic surfaces encasing a bed, a desk and a chair. A single,
circular window was in the corner of the room. Through it, she could see a
startling amount of movement. The ship lurched again, and she saw â to her
utmost surprise â the ground began to move further away from the ship. At the
same time, she noticed how the ground felt different under her feet. Angled,
somehow. Was thisâ¦ flight? Were they flying?

So enthralled was she with the experience,
she almost didnât notice the mysterious figure a little ways below them, by the
walls of the city. Even as they drew away, she was able to observe the long
coat that they were wearing. Though she consciously thought nothing of it, her
subjective and observant subconscious stored the observation away, just in
case.

<nowiki>**********</nowiki>

An hour or two later, she
felt another jolt as the ship lowered itself to the ground. No â as Iamos lowered
the ship to the ground. It seemed that the boy was their pilot, as well as
their alchemist. How quizzical. Venturing out of her room, she caught sight of
Loden supporting Iamos as the two walked into a room near the front one. A brief
moment passed â then Loden reappeared, shrugging his shoulders, before walking
down the shipâs main corridor and out of sight. A few moments passed. She
struggled with her feelings for those few moments â fatigue, elation, shock â
before giving in to pure curiosity and following the man.

She saw him outside. The door had once
again been opened, providing her with the perfect sight of his moonlight form.
His stance was casual, with hands in pockets and legs crossed over one another,
yet she could see that he was alert, on watch. The field that they had landed
in was empty, with nothing but colourless grass to be seen for as far as the
eye could see. Perhaps it was an abandoned plantation, or somebodyâs private
property. As she strode towards him, she realised that she didnât particularly
care.

âI didnât expect to see you out here.â He said,
without looking back. She smiled.

âI could say the same to you.â She informed
him, continuing to stride until she was by his side. She stared up at the moon.
It was full, and looked like a silver coin that someone had dropped into a pool
of ink. The stars splashed around it were freckles on the face of infinity,
lighting up the sky with promises of endless possibility. âI would have thought
that you would have taken the opportunity to get some rest.â She looked
pointedly at him. âItâs been nothing if not a hectic day.â

âRight back at you.â Loden shrugged. âBesides,
I figured we could do with an advance warning in case anyone comes looking for
us. I think we got far away enough from Phek-kai that weâre clear for the
night, but I donât know for sure. Youâre dadâ¦â He trailed off. âHeâs probably
noticed youâve gone by now.â

She laughed bitterly, in spite of herself. âYouâd
be surprised.â

For once, she could hear him say nothing.
Surprised, she looked up at him, at his face, and immediately recognized her
folly. Not for the first time, his expression told her everything she could
have wanted to know.

âDonât.â She sighed. âDonât say anything.â

A moment of quiet.

âI doubt anyoneâs said anything to you
before.â He eventually said, voice startlingly soft compared to his earlier
tones. She was surprised to hear him sound so gentle. âSoâ¦ for what itâs worth,
Iâm sorry.â

She sighed. âThank you.â

The silence was longer after that, with
nothing for her to observe but her own heartbeat. Eventually, the man spoke
again.

âWe still need to decide on a title for
you.â His declaration was so out of the blue, she was forced to stifle a most
unladylike chuckle.

âWhat?â She eventually managed.

âDonât you remember?â He pressed. âIâm the
prince of nonsense, and youâre the princess ofâ¦â

âOh, right.â She grinned at him. âI was
thinking that princess of fatuity had a nice ring to it.â

âAh, yes. Fatuity.â He spat the word out
messily. âAnd that meansâ¦â

âItâs synonymous with nonsense.â She
revealed.

âAh, yes. Synonymous.â Lodenâs response was
the final straw, and she laughed. It was short, and clumsy â she was so unused
to the action â and very, very awkward. But it was a genuine laugh,
nonetheless, and she had to admit how good it felt. This time, the void between
them was less of a void. The silence was more comfortable. However, Loden
(being Loden) felt the need to break it once again. Not that she minded, this
time.

âYou know, you should probably head back
inside.â He told her, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb â the same
expression he had used earlier â back to the shipâs insides. âIt isnât safe out
here. Especially not for a princess.â He patted the sword at his waist. Had
that always been there? Perhaps he had picked it up from the ship before
venturing outside. Perhapsâ¦ perhaps it didnât matter.

âYou say youâre a guard?â She ventured. He
nodded, unsure as to what she was implying.

âIf youâre a guardâ¦ and Iâm a princessâ¦â
She smiled at him, and was sure to include as much genuine warmth as she could
muster in this particular expression. Loden, she had observed, was quite
partial to smiles. ââ¦logic dictates that the safest place for me is by your
side.â

Loden was immobile for a moment, before
smiling back. His smile was reminiscent of the sun, and it seemed to shine with
a warm glow. It was admittedly fanciful of her to think such a thing, but he
definitely gave off a synonymous impression.

âGood point.â He conceded, turning his gaze
back to the horizon.

Allowing herself another smile, for she was
beginning to get used to the expression, she looked upwards at the moon once
again.

Survival had always been her primary focus,
for as long as she could remember. Survival against foreign enemies, and
survival against hostile nobles and suitors alike. But, for possibly the first
time, Miyuki couldnât help but appreciate the fact that she had not only
survived the dayâs trials, but the fact that she felt so damn alive.

'''END OF SEGMENT TWO. :D'''

[[Category:The Additional Manuscripts]]
[[Category:Stories by Haroldosaur]]
[[Category:Stories]]

Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28549248-20170304122637/@comment-28534258-20180202142904

2018-02-02T14:29:05Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with ""you actually is the formal, originally plural version (ye/you/your) andthouÂ was theÂ informalÂ version (thou/thee/thy/thine). Over time,Â thouÂ became impolitelyÂ informalÂ ..."

"you actually is the formal, originally plural version (ye/you/your) andthouÂ was theÂ informalÂ version (thou/thee/thy/thine). Over time,Â thouÂ became impolitelyÂ informalÂ and is now no longer used, though interestingly enough nowadays it might even be perceived as more formal than you"

That's what I heard, at least. :P

The Britayan Royal Line

2018-02-02T14:22:23Z

Haroldosaur: What can I say? I wanted to expand on a royal family like we have Matthias and Jonna, I'm biased towards Britay, and I'm study the Wars of the Roses, as part of my medieval history A-Level. I was inspired.

In the years before TheDude's conquest of Militiregnum, the nation of Britay experienced a turbulent political period, as the royal family split into two over a battle for the crown.
[[File:Britayan Family Tree.jpg|thumb|680x680px|A family tree]]
'''Edward VII:'''

Good king. Lad. Had, maybe, less children than everyone
would have liked, but no-one was going to complain about two healthy sons,
right?

'''Edward VIII:'''

The son everyone complained about. Not outrageously evil or
anything, but just kind of incompetent. He was eventually deposed by his
brother, Richard of Norgrove, who became Richard IV.

'''Richard IV:'''

Decent king. More suited to a life of warring than a life of
ruling, but his experience with military command and his keen negotiating
prowess meant that a large amount of people â and, eventually, he himself â
considered him a better candidate for king than his brother Edward. And, to be
fair, he was. After deposing his brother, he ruled the country efficiently
enough. Further uprisings were prevented by his competency, as well as the fact
that he was as much of a son to Edward VII as Edward VIII had been.

'''Anne of Nichester:'''

Also a keen negotiator. Helped to mediate the situation
between the brothers when things came to a head. Acted as an advisor to both of
them during their respective reigns.

Â '''Matilda of Calibus:'''

Edward VIIIâs marriage (as part of an alliance with Morcia).
A ferociously tough woman, she fought far harder for her husbandâs right to
keep the throne than he did.

'''Henry IV:'''

Son of Richard IV, and a very good king. Spent time staving
off his rival for the throne, Roger of Blackwood â even if their rivalry was
more amicable than most.

'''Roger Blackwood:'''

The son of Matilda of Calibus and the former Edward VIII. Raised
in exile, his mother raised him on the idea that the throne was rightfully his.
He was tenacious in his attempts to take back the throne, but he was also a
noble warrior as many members of his family had been previously. Despite king
Henry IV being the representative of a family line, the two men must have
gotten along to some degree, because Roger ended up naming his firstborn son âHenryâ, presumably after the king.

'''Lionel I:'''

Lionel was the firstborn son of king Henry IV. Taking after
his grandfather, he fancied the life of a warrior more than the life of a king,
and spent so much time fighting
abroad that it was eventually decided to crown his brother, Henry, king
instead. (Which he was honestly fine with.) However, he was forced to return to
the country by the murder of his brother, and the claiming of the throne by
Henry Blackwood (Henry VI). He rose up in rebellion, taking the throne. After a
successful rebellion, he fought to ''retain ''said throne from the Blackwoods. He avenged his brother, and protected what was
left of his family, but he also married a woman from a lesser family and
struggled to efficiently rule the kingdom. In the end, he was dethroned for
good when TheDude took control of Britay.

'''Henry V:'''

The younger son of king Henry IV. Despite coming to power at
a young age (as a result of the premature death of his father, and his brotherâs
disinterest in ruling), he showed promise and potential as a strong king of the
future. However, this was cut short by his murder by Henry Blackwood, who then
took the throne for himself.

'''Anne of Worath:'''

Elder sister to Henry V, she blamed herself for his death
and joined their brother Lionel in efforts to take the throne back. A marriage
alliance was eventually arranged between her and a prominent Aquilan lord, in
order to provide Lionel with the army and funds necessary to return to Britay
in force.

'''Henry VI:'''

The son of Roger Blackwood, Henry had inherited all of the
cunning and intelligence of his father, but far less of the honour. It was his
determination to take the throne back, returning it to the splintered Blackwood
family line. He initially tried to weasel the throne out from under Henry V,
but the young kingâs intelligence and boldness forced Henry to take drastic
measures (i.e. murder). Being forced off the throne by Lionelâs return only
angered him further, and the two fought until his eventual death in combat with
Lionel himself.

'''Richard Blackwood:'''

Younger brother to Henry VI, and steadfastly loyal to him
throughout his attempts to take the throne. He acted as something of an advisor
to his brother, but â seeing as Henry was wise enough on his own â acted as
more of a partner, someone for the man to bounce ideas off of. After Henry VI
lost the throne, he retreated from the limelight, working from the shadows. He seemed
unperturbed by his brotherâs death, but faded into obscurity when the land was
overrun by TheDude.

'''Ama Barrister:'''

Born to a low-down noble family, Ama eventually found
herself embroiled in a relationship with king Lionel himself. Her family
suddenly found itself very much involved in court politics. Though she loved
the king, and he her, their relationship suffered scrutiny from not only those
who thought that a foreign marriage might have been more advantageous to the
king, but those who were jealous of her family. After TheDude successfully
conquered Britay, she went missing.

File:Britayan Family Tree.jpg

2018-02-02T14:17:40Z

Haroldosaur:

== Licensing ==
{{Self}}

Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28549248-20170304122637/@comment-28534258-20180202090946

2018-02-02T09:09:46Z

Haroldosaur: Created page with "Apparently "you" used to be the formal version, and "thou" was the informal version. Thou was the medieval equivalent of y'all, in a plural context."

Apparently "you" used to be the formal version, and "thou" was the informal version. Thou was the medieval equivalent of y'all, in a plural context.

2018-01-25T14:06:44Z

Haroldosaur:

Manuscripts and Stories

2018-01-25T14:05:24Z

Haroldosaur: /* The Additional Manuscripts */

[[File:Manuscripts and Stories BannerW.jpg|centre|thumb|802x802px|A Minifigure sits at his desk, writing the next Epic.]]

The stories or animations that take place in or relate to the Knights of the Old Speech universe are divided into many categories:

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Stories Stories]<nowiki/> ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Perpetual_Doom:_Being_the_First_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series '''Perpetual Doom''']''' - by the Knights of the Olde Speech'''
[[File:Perpetual Doom Cover.JPG|none|thumb|310x310px]]

The Knights of the Olde Speech are low on finance, and accept the first job that comes their way - save a kingdom from a criminal called TheDude whilst simultaneously finding the King's runaway daughter.

[[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|'''Scattered Ashes''']]''' - by thingguy2'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
Fifteen years have passed since the events chronicled in Perpetual Doom. Sacul, an aging innkeeper, and Talmid, a captured Knight of the Olde Speech, both receive a visit from an old friend...

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Scattered_Ashes,_Volume_Two_-_Being_the_Second_Installment_in_the_MMOS_KOTOS_Series Scattered Ashes, Volume Two] - by the Knights of the Olde Speech (ongoing)'''
[[File:SA Cover-by Haroldosaur-Colored by Jonna.jpg|none|thumb|285x285px]]
The three (four?) founders of the Knights of the Olde Speech, now reunited, face the daunting task of gathering their forces and bringing down the reign of TheDude once and for all.

[[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|'''The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth''']]''' - by thingguy2 and talmid'''

A pair of ninja, whilst on a space exploration mission, stumble across TheDude's greatest weapon: The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth. (Also known as the Rad Washing Machine).

[[Song of the Swans Chapter 30|'''Song of the Swans Chapter 30''']]''' - by Talmid'''

An excerpt from the Stromling Saga sequel, Song of the Swans, in which Aiden Talmid encounters a most forbidding planet.

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The_Additional_Manuscripts The Additional Manuscripts] ==
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Rise_of_thedude '''Rise of thedude''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''
[[File:Ride of thedude.jpg|none|thumb|293x293px]]
The full, tragic backstory of TheDude is finally brought to light.

[[The Fall of the Gemini|'''The Fall of the Gemini''']]''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Sirs Shard and Blaze find themselves cornered in Elepharian waters - and must use the skyfalls to their advantage.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Truth_Behind_the_Bots,_or_Major's_Most_Unfortunate_Venture '''The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture''']''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Major is the unwitting victim of the first Barney Bots to be brought to Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Complete_Encyclopedia%2C_Survival_Guide%2C_and_Dictionary_all_in_one?venotify=created '''The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

An (incomplete) summary of all the notable events and sights of Morcia.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/File_%285736-A7-32%29?venotify=created '''File (5736-A7-32)''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The Nexus Force's criminal file on TheDude.

[[Hallowe'en Carol|'''Hallowe'en Carol''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Jonna Moracol, former princess of Morcia, tells the story of why TheDude has outlawed Halloween.

'''The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter - by fffffplayer1 (ongoing):'''
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|'''The Beginning''']] - Young Wiz Ardon realises that his emerging magical abilities could be a danger to those around him, and seeks apprenticeship from Geidrich the Azure.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Inside the Mirror Halls|'''Inside the Mirror Halls''']]''' '''- Nuncius the Messenger provides his perspective on the demise of the Peculiar Enchanter.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|'''In the Nexus Force''']] - Strange Odd Shadow, Rank Three Assembly Engineer, hunts a being known as the "Dark Shadow".
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|'''Paths to Redemption''']] - Wiz Ardon meets Bob, a member of the Nexus Force, and makes a life-changing decision...
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|'''Enchanting Encounters''']] - After a temporal dislocation, Strange Odd Shadow seeks a reunion with the Witch of Kingston.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|'''The Ten Heroes of Malidor''']] - A magical prophecy comes into fruition, and Strange Odd Shadow once again finds himself in the thick of it.
* '''[[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]] '''- Wiz Ardon receives a strange letter inviting him to seek the details into his temporal dislocation. However, curiosity killed the cat and Wiz finds himself lost in time.
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|'''No Path''']]
[[thedude doesn't like snow|'''thedude doesn't like snow''']]''' - by talmid'''

TheDude finds the falling Morcian snow to be an inconvenience - in more ways than one...

[[The Fall of the Baron|'''The Fall of the Baron''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Baron Typhonus remembers how his alter ego, The Darkitecht, came into being.

'''[[Nexus File P-99D]] - by m579'''

Michael Peterson and Tanner Carrington, members of the Nexus Force, are participating in a training exercise when they receive a strange new assignment.

[[Live to fight another day|'''Live to fight another day''']]''' - by thingguy2 (incomplete)'''

Sir Legoboy flees from the forces of TheDude with help of Larry, an idle and otherwise useless man.

'''[[Charcoal and Embers]] - by talmid (ongoing)'''

Having narrowly escaped from TheDude's captivity, Sir Killian Talmid can only rely on his two new apprentices, Ember and Tom, to help him survive.

'''[[To Return Home]] - by JamesAT13'''

[[Rise of the Traitor|'''Rise of the Traitor''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Young King Mattias is determined to defend his kingdom from the threats that plague it, unaware that the greatest danger to his rule is closer than he may dare to imagine...

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Lord_Barney%27s_Inauguration_Speech '''Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

Now that Barney the Dinosaur is in charge of Morcia's law department, the citizens can expect some drastic changes to the way they live their lives.

[[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|'''Militiregnum Map Description''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

An extensive look at the locations and nations of the planet Militiregnum.

[[Lady Jonna's Quest|'''Lady Jonna's Quest''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''
[[File:LJQ cover.jpg|none|thumb|564x564px]]
The king's daughter finds herself allied with a group of dimension-travelers as she seeks to free Morcia once and for all.

[[Prelude to a Story|'''Prelude to a Story''']]''' - by talmid'''

An old Britayan man dedicates himself to researching for an unknown cause.

[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lady_of_Calibus%3B_The_Search_and_the_Hunt%3B_To_Return_Home:_Act_4:_Journeys '''The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys''']''' - by Samlooploop, fffffplayer1, and JamesAT13'''

Stories collide as a group of hunted Knights of the Olde Speech, the duo of Peragrine and Stirling and Lady Charlotte Calibus are all threatened by TheDude's iron fist.

[[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|'''The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia''']]''' - by JamesAT13'''

Before Peragrine and Stirling can set off on their journey, they are accosted by none other than the Noodle Brothers.

[[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|'''Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

Log entries made by Lord Enfwar, who oversaw the construction of the Rhoddwr Marwolaeth.

[[Wish Upon A Star|'''Wish Upon a Star''']]''' - by fffffplayer1'''

A young boy and his astronomer father discuss the crimson stars that surround Militiregnum.

[[Exile Musings|'''Exile Musings''']]''' - by talmid (incomplete)'''

An opportunistic Talmid manages to escape from TheDude's clutches when the wagon he's imprisoned in is raided by a pair of thieves.

'''[[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]] - by fffffplayer1 and talmid'''

An article about Aquila.

'''[[When We Were Six]] - by talmid'''

The original six members of the Knights of the Olde Speech undertake the task to attack the Paradox Rogues' base in the Athelas Mountains. Or is it Fire Hills?

'''Foes and Heirs - by Haroldosaur (ongoing):'''

The World of Militiregnum is filled with arts and abilities - is it so surprising that one would be singledÂ out and shunned, it's wielders viewed with nought but disdain? Iamos Wilder, a socially inept young alchemist, struggles with the day-to-day life that consists of being hated by all but a few members of his village. But the arrival of another alchemist uproots his life and forces him into action, lest his world fall to sinister forces. Accompanied by his charismatic best friend, his hyperactive sister, and the mysterious Daiyu Abernathy, Iamos finds himself burdened with the daunting responsibilities of uncovering the mysteries surrounding his art, safeguarding an ancient relic, and defending the few individuals precious to him.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|'''Prologue: Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment''']]''' '''- Iamos Wilder's slumber is disturbed by an unlikely visitor.
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|'''Segment 1: The Easy Life''']] - Now the reluctant host, Iamos tries to adjust to the way his life has changed following Daiyu Abernathy's arrival - but danger is lurking on the horizon.
* '''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Foes_and_Heirs%3A_Segment_Two%3A_The_New_Life Segment 2: The New Life]''' - Having lost their home, the crew of the Origin is faced with deciding on a destination as Iamos' identity continues to get him into trouble.
* '''[[Foes and Heirs: Segment Three: The Dangerous Life|Segment 3: The Dangerous Life]] (ongoing)''' - In order to keep their newest arrival safe, the crew head north, to the Icy Wastes; unfortunately, the north isn't a particularly hospitable place.
* '''Segment 4: The Challenging Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 5: The Monotonous Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 6: The Hard Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 7: The Charmed Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 8: The Responsible Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 9: The Vengeful Life (not started)'''
* '''Segment 10: The Only Life (not started)'''
[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/A_Series_of_Questions_by_One_Inquisitive_Young_Blubberstein#comm-1526 '''A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein''']''' - by Ninjago_Builders'''

A young Elepharian man finds himself to not be as taken with TheDude as those around him.

[[Ironsides|'''Ironsides''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Talia Rayne finds herself undercover in the heart of TheDude's empire, and at Lord Vladek's mercy.

[[Cannon Fodder|'''Cannon Fodder''']]''' - by Haroldosaur'''

Every person has their own story, and one Richard Able is no exception.

[[Into the Storm and out of Darkness|'''Into the Storm and out of Darkness''']]''' - fffffplayer1'''

Four ancient warriors make a final attempt to seal away the greatest destructive force in the universe.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Speeling_Manuscript The Speeling Manuscript] - by Samlooploop'''
[[File:The final Scene of Speeling.jpg|none|thumb|308x308px]]
There's not a lot of recreational activities available when you're guarding a top secret space station that has the power to destroy entire planets, so if you want to be entertained, you'd better get creative.

'''[[To Defy Doom]]''' '''-''' '''by JamesAT13'''

Bitter is the Doom of being a prisoner in Thunderclap Keep and it can be hard for some to cope. Less so for Jean who finds it rather more comfortable than the average inmate. Soon though, he, Perry and others will have to face their Doom and attempt to defy it.

'''[[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']] - by fffffplayer1'''

War has broken out in Morcia again and Princess Jonna finds herself oppressed by her overprotective father. Meanwhile, strange rumours concerning the new enemy reach the city of Orlan. A story that enlightens us further on some aspects of Perpetual Doom that are left vague.

'''[[Rise of the Gemini]] (ongoing) - by Ninjago_Builders'''

The origin story of the twin ninja/knights, Shard and Blaze, comes to light.

'''[[Rise of the Messenger]] - by fffffplayer1'''

As Nuncius embarks on yet another adventure he reminisces his past.

'''[[Legend of the Rogue Square]] - by fffffplayer1'''

Nuncius is saved by a stranger wearing Paradox Gear. While they're on the run, he tries to find out more about him, bringing up painful memories for the Rogue Square.

[[The Most Exotic of Rugs|'''The Most Exotic of Rugs''']] '''- by Ninjago_Builders'''

The apparent origins of the renowned Persian Rug.

'''[[Full Spectrum]] - by Haroldosaur (ongoing)'''
[[File:Full Spectrum Cover.jpg|none|thumb|286x286px]]
After being caught once again by TheDude's forces, Loden Adalwin strike a deal with TheDude's Special Agents: he helps them solve cases and apprehend revolutionaries, and they don't send him back to prison.

'''[http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Return_To_Calibus Return to Calibus] - by JamesAT13'''[[File:Return To Calibus.jpg|none|thumb|220x220px]]After finding no answers to his questions at Silverstine Keep, Stirling returns to Calibus Tower, only to find even more questions... And enemies.
 
[[A Kindling Flame|'''A Kindling Flame''']]''' - by RedFireDog6 (ongoing)'''[[File:Cal Kover.jpg|thumb|220x220px|none]]With King thedude7500 upon the throne, many have forgotten aboutÂ the king's dangerous advisor,Â LordÂ Vladek. But his goal is just the same as it was under King Matthias. Only this time, he must be more... creative.

'''[[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]] - by Ninjago_Builders'''
[[File:Bunny.jpg|left|thumb|264x264px]] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another of Lady Jonna's stories - a cautionary tale of why you should never eat sweets that you find lying around in the forest, featuring Ember and a trio of young adventurers.

'''[[Perspective]] - by The theta AI'''

After an injury acquired during fighting terrorist forces, Thomas begins to dig a little deeper into his country's history, and is forced to rethink where his loyalties lie.

== Talmid Show ==
-by Talmid and crew

=== [[Talmid Show|Season 1]] ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_1_The_Battle_that_Changed_EVERYTHING Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_2_Return_of_the_Friends Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_3_The_Not-so-final-End&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_4_The_Mystery_Bad_Guy Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Episode_5_The_Crash&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Episode_6_The_Conclusion Episode 6]

=== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie] ===

=== Season 2 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_1 Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_2&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_3 Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_4&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_5 Episode 5]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_2_Episode_6&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 6]

=== Season 3 ===
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Intro]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_1&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 1]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_2 Episode 2]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_3&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 3]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_4 Episode 4]
* [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Season_3_Episode_5&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Episode 5]

== [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_the_KotOS_Universe Introduction to the KotOS Universe] ==
If you are new to all of this and don't know some of the things we're talking about here in this wiki, this link might be useful.

== Suggested Order of Reading/Watching ==
by fffffplayer1
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show Season 1]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume I, by thingguy2]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&file=Star_Trek_Talmidon_The_Movie Star Trek Talmidon: The Movie]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[The Fall of the Gemini|Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture|The Truth Behind the Bots or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
# [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Inside the Mirror Halls]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_2)&sort=recent&msg=wva-success&msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro Talmid Show Season 2]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]]
# [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro_(Season_3) Talmid Show Season 3]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Rise of the Gemini]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
# [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Return To Calibus]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[A Kindling Flame]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]

== Alternative Order of Reading/Watching ==
It is a chronological order, suggested for after the first read of everything.
# [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning]]
# [[The Fall of the Baron]]
# [[Rise of the Traitor]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
# [[Rise of thedude]]
# [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises']]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Prologue, Chapters 1-6
# [[When We Were Six]]
# [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]], Chapters 7-42, Epilogue
# [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
# [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
# [[Exile Musings]]
# [[Live to fight another day]]
# [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
# [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]
# [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years Ago than the Opening Segment]]
# [[To Return Home]]
# [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life]]
# [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Inside the Mirror Halls]]
# [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lady_of_Calibus%3B_The_Search_and_the_Hunt%3B_To_Return_Home:_Act_4:_Journeys The Fall of Calibus Tower: The union of The Lady of Calibus, The Search and the Hunt, and To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys]
# [[Return To Calibus|Return to Calibus]]
# [[Rise of the Messenger]]
# [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
# [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
# [[Charcoal and Embers]]
# [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
# [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
# [[Wish Upon A Star]]
# [[Hallowe'en Carol]]
# [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]
# [[Cannon Fodder]]
# [[Nexus File P-99D]]
# [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
# [[Prelude to a Story]]
# [http://kotos.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Videos?msgTitle=File:Talmid+Show+Intro&msg=wva-success&sort=recent&file=Talmid_Show_Intro Talmid Show]
# [[To Defy Doom]]
# [[Full Spectrum]]
# [[Ironsides]]
# [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes]]
# [[The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth (AKA: The Rad Washing Machine)|The Rhoddwr Marwolaeth]]

=== Stories that cannot be placed in the order ===
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one|The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival's Guide ans Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Aquila|Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
These stories should be read after Perpetual Doom, but they do not belong somewhere chronologically speaking.

== AM Thematic Categories ==
In which the Additional Manuscripts are based on tone, time-frame and some other, probably inconsistent, criteria. They may be viewed as collections, and if the stories were to be put in print, they would be printed within these different categories (each being it's own book). '''Also, each category should probably have it's own cover, but whatever. I'm tired enough after sorting all of this out. If you want to draw a cover for a specific collection, or have a bone to pick about how I've ordered everything, just fix it yourselves.'''''-Harold''

=== The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: ===
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Beginning|The Beginning]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Inside the Mirror Halls|Inside the Mirror Halls]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: In the Nexus Force|In the Nexus Force]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Paths to Redemption|Paths to Redemption]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: Enchanting Encounters|Enchanting Encounters]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: The Ten Heroes of Malidor|The Ten Heroes of Malidor]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: A History Lesson|A History Lesson]]
* [[The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter: No Path|No Path]]

=== Pre-Perpetual Doom: ===
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]

* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|"Harold didn't want any more Rises"]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 1: ===
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 2: ===
* [[Prelude to a Story]]

* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]

=== The Years of Terror, Part 3: ===
* [[Live to fight another day]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]

=== Foes and Heirs: ===
* [[Foes and Heirs: Prologue: Fewer Years ago than the Opening Segment|Fewer Years Ago Than The Opening Segment]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment One: The Easy Life|The Easy Life]]
* [[Foes and Heirs: Segment Two: The New Life|The New Life]]
* The Dangerous Life
* The Challenging Life
* The Monotonous Life
* The Hard Life
* The Charmed Life
* The Responsible Life
* The Vengeful Life
* The Only Life

=== Gathering Ashes: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]
* [[Ironsides]]

=== Additional Additional Manuscripts: ===
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia]]
* [[Aquila |Aquila ~-~-~ Geography, History, and Important Figures]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]

== Stories Sorted By Author ==
Where you can find all the manuscripts by an author of your preference.

=== Stories by the Knights of the Olde Speech: ===
* [[Perpetual Doom: Being the First Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Perpetual Doom]]
* [[Scattered Ashes, Volume Two - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes, Volume II]]

=== Stories by fffffplayer1: ===
* [[Rise of thedude]]
* [[The Truth Behind the Bots, or Major's Most Unfortunate Venture]]
* [[Hallowe'en Carol]]
* The Adventures of the Peculiar Enchanter, Parts 1-8
* [[The Fall of the Baron]]
* [[Rise of the Traitor]]
* [[Militiregnum Map, by fffffplayer1|Militiregnum Map Description]]
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Search and the Hunt]]
* [[Concerning the Construction of a certain Rad Washing Machine|Concerning the Construction of a Certain Rad Washing Machine]]
* [[Wish Upon A Star|Wish Upon a Star]]
* [[Into the Storm and out of Darkness]]
* [[This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'|Harold didn't want any more Rises]]
* [[Rise of the Messenger]]
* [[Legend of the Rogue Square]]

=== Stories by JamesAT13: ===
* [[To Return Home]]
* [[The Insane Blatherings, (Purposefully) Forgotten Tales of the land of Morcia|The Insane Blatherings]]
* [[To Defy Doom]]
* [[Return To Calibus]]

=== Stories by RedFireDog6 ===
* [[A Kindling Flame]]

=== Stories by talmid: ===
* [[thedude doesn't like snow]]
* [[Charcoal and Embers]]
* [[Prelude to a Story]]
* [[Exile Musings]]
* [[When We Were Six]]
* [[Song of the Swans Chapter 30]]

=== Stories by Haroldosaur: ===
* [[Lady Jonna's Quest]]
* Foes and Heirs, Prologue and Segments 1-10
* [[Ironsides]]
* [[Cannon Fodder]]
* [[Full Spectrum]]

=== Stories by Samlooploop: ===
* [[The Fall of Calibus Tower: a union of The Lady of Calibus; The Search and the Hunt; To Return Home: Act 4: Journeys|The Lady of Calibus]]
* [[The Speeling Manuscript]]

=== Stories by Ninjago_Builders: ===
* [[The Fall of the Gemini]]
* [[The Complete Encyclopedia, Survival Guide, and Dictionary all in one]]
* [[File (5736-A7-32)]]
* [[Lord Barney's Inauguration Speech]]
* [[A Series of Questions by One Inquisitive Young Blubberstein]]
* [[Rise of the Gemini]]
* [[The Most Exotic of Rugs]]
* [[The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox.|The Uneggsplainable Events on the Night Before the First Sunday Following the First Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox]]

=== Stories by m579: ===
* [[Nexus File P-99D]]

=== Stories by thingguy2: ===
* [[Scattered Ashes - Being the Second Installment in the MMOS KOTOS Series|Scattered Ashes (part 1)]]
* [[Live to fight another day]]
[[Category:Stories]]

File:Full Spectrum Cover.jpg

2018-01-25T14:05:01Z

Haroldosaur:

== Licensing ==
{{Self}}