Our Continuation

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-

A few years ago, there was a time when the winds of the Neo Empire would blow at their coldest, and the snow would rise so high your knees would be damp. That night, that particularly faithful night was said to have been the most frigid night of them all. The chilliest night the young petit women would ever remember, cold as though to mock her for her wrongdoings.

She plowed through the snow, too thick to stand, and forced her legs through with vigor. She huffed and gasped out of frustration, cheeks flushed from the chill and damp from the flakes. Her balance was ill as she swayed from side to side with only one arm free to keep her steady.

"For goodness sake!" she scowled to herself, teeth chatter and snot pooling down her nose. "None of this was worth any man, none of it at all!" She felt like crying, to just give up and lay there as the cold consumed her whole. But she had to keep going, she couldn't cry now, not when she had made it so far, not when her tears would only make her even colder.

She summoned the courage she had in her heart, her will, her efforts, and continued walking, even though she didn't know where she was going. She never lost pace, never slipped and tripped, and if she stumbled she'd simply got back up again. She needed to find someplace safe, someplace warm, someone-anyone for her little one.

The baby cooed in her grasp, still and docile, unmoving as though already dead.

"Come on little one," she encouraged softly, "mama isn't giving up now, and neither should you."

She'd continue, no matter how long it took her, no matter how much effort it stole, no matter if she'd wake up sick the next day or if the sun started to rise again and she'd still be lost. She'd keep going, for hours and hours, for every possible second and every last minute she could.

She'd keep going.

All the way up until she'd find herself standing just outside the small little village with dimly lit lights and a faint flush on her face.

And when she would stop, it would be the last time she'd ever see her little one ever again.

-

"Oh?" The Queen hummed, "What do we have here?"

Maya hesitated but stepped forward, fiddling with her clothes embarrassingly. She was never one to really care much for her appearance but for some reason, she couldn't keep from fussing over herself. How unkept her hair was, the loose strands in her clothes if she remembered to wash her face that day.

She did something close to a bow as an attempt of showing respect. "Muh-Maya," she stuttered, "I'm Maya." Her face burned brightly and she stared at the ground. She felt ashamed at her stutter and wished she could swallow her words, "S-sorry."

The Queen, a smile of amusement never leaving her face, closed her eyes softly. "Maya is it? That is a beautiful name, what does it mean?"

"Um," her throat felt dry, "just Maya." Receiving praises from the Queen reminded her of those stories from fairytales, where princesses of all ranges of looks would line up accordingly to receive their acknowledgment of fairness. She had always wondered what those moments felt like, to stand before the image of beauty and receive her judgment from her. If a mere compliment had made her feel this way she wonders how she would handle acceptance or rejection in those scenarios.

The Queen's gaze shifted to Maria, who too seemed to be just a dumbstruck as Maya, "And yours?"

Maria had a flush on her face as well, eyes glazed over and dazed, as though in a trance. She didn't notice she was being referred to until a few seconds of silence had passed before jumping sharply. "OH! Um, it's Maria...." she held her head down, "your powerful amazing excellent grace-hood."

At this, the Queen laughed ever so quietly, and-wow, even her laughs were as bubbly and precious as herself. "Daphne will do for now," she spoke humbly. "We are strangers after all so it is important we get to know each other behind all the formalities."

Both girls felt incredibly ashamed, "S-sorry."

Daphne gave them a mild smile, "You girls are ever so well behaved. It is nice to know what wonderful exemplars the children from the Southern District have to look up to."

The soldier from before tasked with bringing them here revealed himself from the shadows. "Forgive their intrusion, Your Majesty," he kneeled curtly to the women inside, "Because of our negligence two children were able to slip past our outside defenses. It was only by mere luck we were able to catch them before they made their way inside."

Daphne's eyebrows were risen in curiosity, "How were they able to get so far?"

The soldier flushed, ears red, "They hid inside the mailman's truck. They covered themselves with letters and packages so none could tell, but apparently the mailman overhead their conversation and was able to confront them directly."

"Ah, I see," she giggled, "and I can rest assured that their intrusion has nothing to do with the conflict outside?"

At the mentioning of this question, the soldier's head perked up, head spiraling. What if this was all ploy to locate the Queen and leak her whereabouts to the enemy? If these girls were sent in to infiltrate the Castle it could be they were tasked with the responsibility of creating a diversion. Not only that but he had led them straight into the safety chambers, putting effectively both the Queen and the young prince in danger.

Daphne laughed even louder at the distressed expression on his face, "Oh dear, do calm down, I was only joking. Judging by the color of their skin and the brandings of their clothes it is safe to say they are Neo-born children. Nothing to fear."

The soldier's face flushed even redder at that, ashamed he was jumping to conclusions once again without even realizing, "A-apologies Your Majesty, I should have known it was a joke. Quite a funny one indeed."

Realizing that his presence was no longer needed, or rather too embarrassed to remain in the room, he stood up and saluted. "Well then, " he coughed, "perhaps I shall take my leave outside and tend to the situation at hand. Unless there are other things you require me to do, I can- it might be best for me to go."

Daphne nodded, "You may go."

He accepted her authorization, waited for nothing more, and parted ways, heading back out the way he came.

The display of power was that similar to what Maya had seen when talking to the King, yet however, there was a different feel to it. When the King had issued commands he did so with such authority as though he expected others to grovel and would accept nothing less.

But when the Queen did it she did it gently, as if everything she asked for was nothing more than a request, something you could so easily deny if you chose to yet would never dare for fear of upsetting her.

Wrath and fear.

It seems as though the two go well together after all.

Maya preferred to fear the Queen than to feel the wrath of the King, and she wondered if Maria would feel the same way (or if she would even understand what she was referring to anyway).

The soft alluring voice snapped Maya out of her mental trance.

"Now that he's gone," she gestured her free arm to the floor around them, "come sit down, and let us have a talk."

Maria and Maya both shared a look of uncertainty, and it seemed as though Maria was about to offer she'd rather stand until she made her mind and followed her orders. Perhaps she did after all understand what it meant to fear the Queen.

She followed her friend and sat herself down next to her, knees folded since it seemed to be the only appropriate way she could position her legs. Once both girls got comfy Maria immediately spoke up.

"We're so sorry for intruding," she spoke, head bowed and Maya was in awe and how fast she had humbled herself. "Please do not punish us!"

"No worries at all," Daphne reassured. "I must say though, it's not every day children from the Southern District take the time to 'visit' the royal family. What brings you here?"

Maya straightened her back, face bright red, "M-magic."

"Magic?"

Her face seemed to have darkened by twenty shades, hands up in self-defense "I know it sounds ridiculous but you've got to believe us. You see, we were reading this book that we found and it mentioned something about there being a hidden source of magic inside the Castle."

"Hmm," she tilted her head, "could you possibly be referring to the story of the Majestic Five?"

"Well," Maya intervened sheepishly, "in our defense, we didn't know it was just a story until recently."

"But-!" Maria interjected. "The King confirmed that the story may be true. We found the book inside this hidden room underneath the library and everything! It had a statue of a man and evertyhing-let us explain!"

Maria and Maya briefly recounted their experience with Maya tipping over the bookshelf, falling into a secret hole, Maria following suit, the discovery of the chamber, their plan to sneak in, the intent behind their actions and so far pretty much everything that occurred to them up until the present.

As bizarre as their journey was the Queen's face didn't change as much as they expected it to. Rather a singular finger was placed at the bottom of her chin, holding up a look of curiosity as though they had just read her a bedtime story.

"I see," she spoke once they had finished, closing her eyes and nodding to herself, "very interesting indeed."

"Well...what do you think?" asked Maya.

She didn't respond right away, eyes still closed as though swallowing the information whole. After some time she tilted her head down to stare directly back at them. "Hmm, while it is true that what you were able to discover does support your investigation I still find it hard to believe all that in it of itself proves magic's existence."

"What!" Maria exclaimed, forgetting herself, "how does it not though?"

"If you don't believe us," Maya interjected, a hand on her chest, "we'd be happy to take you back to the room ourselves! That way you can all see it with your own eyes!"

Deborah dismissively held up her hand, "That won't' be necessary. Please, allow me to explain."

"You see," she started, "I grew up in the middle-class society and as a young girl, I was also very naive and gullible. I believed many things that I was told including fairytales or urban legends. One day, I came upon the story of the Majestic five, and was so fascinated by it that I decided to devote the rest of my life's work into proving it was true."

She looked around her, as if recalling the very day herself, "Looking at our world, how divided our Nations are, how no one seemingly knows of our origins. It only made sense that such a thing could exist." She turned back to the girls with a sigh. "However, other people saw the tale as nothing more than just a myth. A fallacy that little kids spent too much time believing in."

"I had wanted nothing more in the entire world than to prove those people wrong, so I devoted my free time to studying the origins of the story. The issue with stories such as that one is that when told once it is the truth, but when told multiple times the truth starts to change."

"So.." Maria interjected, "people kept changing the story?"

Deborah nodded, "Not on purpose though, but they still did. Humans, unconsciously or not, will always fabricate the truth behind stories to either make it sound more appealing or to benefit their side of an argument. We do it every day all the time, because although we can experience the same thing we all remember it differently."

"Other people like you were also interested in the story," Maya interpreted, "So they wrote their own versions of it as well."

"Exactly. The tale of the Majestic Five is a popular one at that, most common in superstitious places such as the Zephyr Dynasty. When presented with an origin story most people will altercate the original plotline to fit their religious beliefs or to make more common sense to the modern-day and time. This story is almost a hundred years old and has over eight million rewritten versions of it floating around our world today."

She sighed dejectedly, "It made my research impossible because the minute I grew closer to discovering the truth I was presented with another story just to decode it all together again. If I had made my own opinion about what happened with no research I would simply just be doing the exact same thing thousands of other authors before I had done. I would get nowhere."

"But what does this have to do with proving our discoveries were fake?" Maria asked.

"Simple," Daphne perked. "Think about it. If the story was so popular that eight million people rewrote their own versions of it who's to say someone wouldn't go as far as to create their own 'themed based' room about it as well? From your description of the room, there was a statue of a man meant to resemble the previous ruler of the Neo Empire, and the book mentioned that he was among one of the Majestic Five correct?"

They nodded.

"In all of the stories I read some say the Majestic Five were nothing but commoners who found magic due to fortune. Others say the Majestic Five are gods who gave magic to the people and took it away because of our greed. No one knows the idea of who the Majestic Five are, and there is nothing that proves that one of their members was a descendant of the Arillaga family."

"The person who made that room was most likely a bookworm who had wanted to create his own interpretation of the story and chiseled that statue out of deep admiration for the late King," she concluded.

"I-...I see what you mean," Maya muttered. "Looking back on it, anyone could have made that place, not just royalty."

Maria rose her hand, "But the book we found had a map of the interior of the castle! So it wasn't just some random commoner."

Daphne hummed, "True, but also consider that the King of that time could have also asked for the creation of that room himself, just to express his own fascination of the story in his own way. We do not know when the story was written nor when that room was created. And since you have lost the book we cannot check for a date."

Everything the Queen spoke of was...scaringly accurate. It had never occurred to the girls that the room's existence could simply be a sign of mortal presence, not immortal prowess. Sure they weren't aware that the story was popular among mankind, but even they should have realized from the minute the King informed them what the Queen was able to deduce within a matter of seconds.

"So, it really doesn't exist does it?" Maya spoke humbly, a dejected sound rumbling in her throat.

Daphne frowned at the girl's sad expressions, "Do not lose all faith just yet. While it is true that you are not able to prove that magic is real does not mean that others are able to prove that it is fake. There were times when I myself thought I was close enough to the truth, to discover the same thing you just did. I was so desperate that I even allowed myself to be wedded to the King just because I knew as Queen I'd have easier access to all the Royal families secrets."

"Then," Maya started, "why didn't you?"

At that same time she asked, the bundle in the blankets wrapped within the Queen's arms started to shift one more. Her face softened fondly as she stared down at the infant in her hold, as though everything worth living for was right there in front of her.

"Because," she spoke softly, rubbing gently the forehead of the child in her arm, "I fell in love. I found more important things in my life than stories written on a page or knowledge in my brain. I found a man, a man I knew I had wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

She looked back up at the girls, "And because of my sacrifice the Gods blessed me with something greater than any amount of magic could ever be worth-"

"-My son."

Love.

Love was something Maya believed she would never come to understand in her life. Love was the reason why her parents had taken her in. Love was the reason why her brother was born. Love was the reason why Maria's brother became a soldier, even though every day and night his life was always on the line.

Love made people do stupid things, act in stupid ways, and hurt themselves just for the sake of others. For a while, Maya never truly felt loved even though love was always surrounding her.

She knows what love is though, she knows it good and well. Her love for fictional stories, the love of characters from said fictional stories, all of it. She knew two things her whole life ever since she was born.

Want was what made people strong.

Love was what made people soft.

To want something you are willing to do anything for it.

To love something you are willing to do anything for it.

Both interpretations are similar and yet oh so different and even till today, she could never understand why. Saying it out loud just made sense, but explaining it was too difficult.

"Love is the reason why I sit here and wait patiently for my husband's return," Daphne continued. "Love is the reason why the King is out there fighting for his life rather than staying here with me. I'm also sure that it is either your love for this nation or for your families that you would go out in harm's way just to prove all of this."

She gave both girls a stern look, "However, the amount of danger you have put yourselves in, even if you do turn out to be right, is unquestionably insensible. By doing all of this, your actions alone are causing pain to not only yourselves but to others around you. As a Queen, I can punish you for your actions, but as a Mother, I must scold your behavior first."

Honestly, they couldn't even be upset. It was a miracle that the only consequences they had faced so far were a few seconds of jail time and a verbal slap on the wrist.

The scolding, as ironic as it sounds, felt somewhat...nice. Nothing like the heaps of embarrassment Maya would feel as the teacher's ruler collided with the back on her hand, or the burning eyes of judgment and pity as her peers watched on. It was a small thing, not too grand yet not too little. It didn't cause her to flush from head to toe but was still stern enough to fill her heart with a sense of regret and guilt. Only a tiny proportion though, it didn't wrap itself around her and suffocate her hole.

A small smile graced Maria's lips as she nodded her head in agreement, "We understand, your majesty. We won't let it happen again."

The Queen smiled in return, "Good. What I truly hope for both of you girls to take away from all of this is that even if at the end of the day your journey is to come to a premature end you do not leave this palace with a heavy heart. Whether magic does or doesn't exist, I want each of you to be grateful for the lives you have now and all the great things you can do without fictional strength. Be appreciative for what you have and what is to be given to you before you search and yearn for more. Otherwise..." Her eyes fell down, as though her own words filled her with a sense of worry, "Otherwise, you may just make a decision that causes you to lose it all, and you will regret the days you were never appreciative of what you had."

There is not much to appreciate though when you know the amount of trouble you will be in when you return, Maya briefly thought to herself.

She could only predict the outrage her house would be at the time she'd get home. How their fears would only worsen tenfold too if they were to discover that not only did the girls sneak out, but they also snuck into the royal palace. Oh and the heart attack her mother would surely have when she catches word of the literal ambush that occurred while they did their little rebellious act as well.

She let out a sigh of frustration, a slight pout on her cheek when she realized just how much she'd have to put up with when they'd get home.

But due to the intense heart-to-heart with the Queen, she knew that whatever decision her parents would come to in terms of what exactly would be a befitting punishment on her end would only be done out of care.

Her parents loved her.

Even if she didn't think that they did, even if she never felt it from them directly, even if they showed favoritism to her brother they most definitely loved her. They loved her when they'd shoved the scraps off of their plates to feed her. They loved her when they hand-knitted all her clothes because apparently, it was cheaper than buying her new ones. They loved her they'd take turns wishing her goodnight even when tending to her crying baby brother.

They loved her, and this time she knew it too.

"Now then," the Queen spoke up, "since we've gotten both the formalities and explanations out of our way let's move on to thorough introductions. Since it is likely we are to be here for some time I'd love to get to know more about each of you." Her eyes closed as she smiled, "it will be some time before my son fully wakes up, so could you please take care to entertain until then?"

The word 'entertain' had barely left her mouth before Maria's hand and voice rocketed to the sky.

"OOH! You will never believe this, your majesty, but my brother actually works here!"

Maya could only simply shake her head in disappointment, embarrassed at how quickly Maria had already forgotten her instruction to keep her brother's identity a secret for fear of his job, and soon along with the Queen was submerged in an endless timeless pool of her friend and her ability to infinitely gloat without pause.

As time passed stories upon stories stacked on top of each other, words freely leaving their mouths as though they weren't just strangers mere hours ago. Soon everyone was drowning in idle chitchat and the comfort of a social atmosphere, worries washed away till the sun came up.

-

A few hours had passed, and the sky was beginning to bleed from its bright crimson red to a dark and tranquil blue. The stars seemed to have fallen down and turned to crisp ashes, gathering in small piles on the floor.

Enemy boats had long since sailed away, dead bodies tossed into the ocean while those who were still standing frantically ran around to assist the injured.

It was the end scene of a battle and attempted massacre where the targeted had somehow still survived, yet it had cost them so many lives.

Off in the distance, Cyrus was being escorted away with spears pointed at his neck, the carcass of his younger brother still limp and lifeless on the ground, eyes shut and dried pools of blood no longer heaping from his open wounds.

Adrian stood in the center of the field, watching the aftermaths of death for the first time in his life. His robe weighed heavy on his shoulders, and sword tempted to slip from the weak grasp of his fingers.

He could still smell the stench of blood and sweat, of smoke pilling in the air and clogging his lunges. He could still feel the fire of his injuries, the ache between his limbs, the sounds of explosions erupting in his ear, the sight of pieces of the castle crumbling onto the ground.

Hours had passed yet the fight felt nothing more than just a mere minute ago.

He couldn't bring himself to look at the mess that had occurred, the mess he caused by allowing such transgressions to occur. He felt betrayal to a new degree, hatred swimming in his heart, brewing in the bottom of his stomach and erupting something strange inside of the man.

"Your Majesty."

He looked down.

It was a soldier, a young one at that. A fresh scar covered his eye, and a pitiful look fell on his face.

"Your Majesty," he repeated, "we have apprehended Cyrus and are taking him in for interrogation. There are several wounded and not enough medicine to go around. What are your orders?"

Without panic or rush, he simply turned his head away and threw his sights to the distance. A glazed look covered his eyes as though the most deadly frontal invasion to ever befall the Neo Empire hadn't occurred seconds ago. He took some time to watch the world move before mustering up his response, throat empty.

"Tell our interrogators they are wasting their time with that man," he spoke smoothly, "for he was as clueless to this as anyone else was."

"Are you certain Your Majesty?"

He ignored him and continued, "and when they are done teasing him, bring him to me."

He inhaled sharply, like he was in pain, and grabbed his sword tighter. His brows furrowed, his teeth clattered, and that icy fury he was hiding within himself showed on his face. With one deep breath, he let out a scream, a tortured and desperate scream, one loud enough to attract the attention of everyone outside.

His voice bellowed out into the sky, scared a small gathering of birds, and echoed all around the empire. He belched his heart out at that moment, tears of frustration gathering in his eyes. His body coiled and lurched and spit flew all around him.

When he was done he stared back at the soldier, snarl on his face, "When you see him you tell him this; that the King's tired of allowing scale hind mammals to continue to bully his nation. That he is tired of the abuse they continue to inflict onto us without any backlash or lecturing from the High council at all."

He spun in circles as a group of injured began to form around him. "We the people of the Neo Empire have always played the nice hand in our games. We kept to our morals and defended our land with pride! We made sure all our battles were on the sea and not once questioned the lack of remorse behind our 'founding father's'. Yet what did that ever give us?"

He pointed to a house maiden, "Little food to feed our young?"

Then to a soldier, "Small supplies of medicine that can barely mend a finger?"

Then to himself, "The denied opportunity to make something better of this Nation of War and turn it into a Nation of Eternity?"

Everyone stared at one another, quite voices of agreement flourishing between themselves. The discourse filed his anger, and so he continued.

"For far too long have we allowed ourselves to be the stepping stones for money for our High Council Twelve just for said money to be spent against us. Why is it that those you desperately need can never receive and yet those who already have always gain more?"

Yeah's and chants were yelled at from the crowd, fists rising into the air.

"I say we stop obeying orders, stop allowing ourselves to be trampled upon just to be ignored when we cry out for help. Stop following rules when others can break those rules as they please and we know nobody will stop them."

The crowd went wild.

"Give them hell!"

"Burn the Emberians!"

"Make them all suffer!"

"It's their fault, not ours, it's only fair."

The King drew his sword into the sky, the silver reflecting the light of the moon, as he looked back down onto the soldier before him. Surprisingly he was the only one who had a look of disapproval and regrets on his face.

"When you see Cryus, when you see that man you let him know-"

Everyone was staring.

Everyone was looking at him.

Everyone was screaming.

Anything he says at this point cannot be taken back.

Good, he thought, because he's tired of holding himself back.

"You let him know, you let them all know that it's time we wage war against the Emberians!"

On that night thousands of hands, some covered in cloth and others bare, some clean and others scarred, some with blood on their front and dirt on their back, rose in the air as high as they could. Chants and shouts and deep groans of agreement, as a thick cry for sovereignty rung throughout the sky.

The demand for freedom. The demand for peace. The demand for equality.

No more the days of following rules. No more the days of doing as they were told. It was time for a new era, a new era where their voices could finally be heard.

It was time for War.