The Artist Travels for the First Time

Penelope and Yule had come to an accord.

They would not pry into the other’s private matters, the two children decided to rely on the other until they safely reached the next town. While Penelope took care of their shelter and food (with questioning looks from Yule), Yule supplied her specific knowledge about the world of Iraloné that Tulilith had not deigned to give her under the guise of being a foreigner who knew nothing of the local culture.

It's a good thing that Yule isn’t asking about what country I’m from, because I don’t know enough to make a plausible lie, she thought to herself that morning as they packed up.

“Here you go,” Yule said, handing over the folded tent.

“Thanks, Yule!” It had been too big for her to fold up on her own, so Yule did the job for her, though the job left something to be desired. The folding was too lumpy for her taste. Reminded her of a child’s work. Oh, wait, he is a kid, wasn’t he? And Penelope had hated the backhanded comments made by her mother unless she did anything perfectly, so she kept her mouth shut. Penelope simply just smoothed over the folded material before stuffing it into her bag.

It's lucky I put a lot of effort into drawing the tent so it didn’t disappear right away. It’s harder to explain than how my ‘healing’ works.

“So, tell me more about Birain, Yule! Is it a big country?”

“Yeah. It’s a monarchy ruled by the Raviseul family…”

Birain was the name of the country the goddess of Tulilith dropped her off at, and with good reason. In Birain they worshipped the merciful Goddess of Rebirth with a variety of temples located all over the country with some nobles even having a chapel of their own to the goddess in their homes. The royal family of Birain had the biggest temple located within the same city as their castle. It is said that the royal family was blessed by the goddess and that the rulers were reincarnations of previous ones, returning to continue their reigns.

“That’s interesting. So you think the current king might be one of his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfathers?” Penelope wondered aloud.

“Probably not. Our country wouldn’t be in such turmoil if that was the case.”

“…”

These were the kinds of things they discussed as they made their way to town, headed in the direction Yule had been travelling to before he passed out on the road. The boy had a slightly faster stride due to his longer legs and Penelope had a time keeping up, yet her spirits were not dampened.

Her whole body felt joy from the top of her head to the tips of her toes as she put one foot in front of the other. The sun was shining down on her, warming her skin and lighting her way. Her steps were so light she walked beside Yule, learning more and more and more about Birain. She was practically humming as she skipped along.

Yule looked at her like she had two heads, but didn’t mention her overtly cheerful demeanor.

Penelope wondered at this lovely, invigorating feeling. Hokusai Kasumi had lived in the dark and died in the dark. The sun had not yet rose when she left her home to head out to her next job, so she had forgotten what it was like to bask in the sun.

She spread her arms out and ran forward, feeling a boost of energy, laughing as she whirled around with her travelling companion watching her every move. Yule had tensed when he saw her rushed towards him, but calmed himself when he saw she was just playing around. His brows furrowed as she joyfully took in the sun.

“You seem to be having fun,” Yule stated levelly, breaking into Penelope’s revelry.

She grinned back at him, unperturbed. “Well, yeah. This is my first time travelling during the day. My first trip really!”

“Didn’t you say you were a foreigner? How did you get here, if not by travelling?”

“Urk--!”

Laughing that off, Penelope continued onward, pointedly ignoring that line of questioning. Yule simply sighed and continued the march forward.

“The town we are headed to is Ceralde. I was trying to head there since I have...people waiting. If we keep this pace up we can reach there by nightfall.”

“Really, that long? But…” She looked upwards. She was no expert, but by her estimation, then that would be several hours away. Did he really think she would keep up a march that long without a break? She may have (un)happily done that in her old life out of necessity, but in this life she would put her foot down!

“No, no, no,” Penelope began, “we should take a break!”

“No, we should keep walking, it’s not that far.”

“Not a chance, we will be exhausted when we get there.”

“Just keep walking, you.”

“Just for that I’m taking a break right here!”

“Huh?!”

And, just like that, Penelope stubbornly sat herself down.

Yule just stared at her incredulously.

Penelope crossed her arms and stared back defiantly.

Meanwhile, mentally.

What the Hell am I doing?! Why am I acting like some bratty kid?! This is the kind of move my sister would do! Oh, man he’s going to be so mad. Aaaaaargh! And things were going so well. What if he starts yelling at me—

As thoughts of doom and gloom swirled in her mind, Yule was considering his options silently. He could just leave the girl behind. She was an ignorant foreign girl who would most likely be nothing, but trouble for him. He had a feeling that this strange girl was not as she seemed (as if he was one to talk). And yet, he couldn’t quite abandon her at all. As bizarre as she was, Penelope did rescue him.

Turning around, he reached out to her, calling her name to draw her out of her spiraling thoughts.

“Penelope.”

“!!!”

She drew her eyes upwards, meeting his calm gaze.

“Are you tired?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, then. I’ll carry you.”

“Huh?!”

The older boy crouched down in front of her, his back wide open to her.

“Come on, don’t make me say it again. If you’re tired I’ll carry you.”

Penelope stared, mouth agape. Out of all the reactions to her little tantrum, this was highly unexpected! She expected him to get angry, yell, shout, maybe scold her a little not just…man, such an action made her feel very shy. Just what was he playing at. And the flustered feeling made her a little upset with him.

“Carry me?! You were knocking on death’s door not long ago.”

Instead of responding, he simply turned around and scooped the girl up into his arms, much to her surprise. Penelope was too shocked to struggle at first, not believing what just happened. And he was only a few years older – all right, sure, he was a bit taller, but how could someone barely in his teen years be strong enough to carry her after suffering so much like that?

“…Dummy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just settle down. We’ll take a proper break once we find some shade.”

“…All right.”

Just what else could she say when he was being so calm and mature?

Shade came in the form of a small grove of trees. There were some stumps and fallen logs, so there were plenty of places to sit. At that point, Penelope thought it would be a good idea to have lunch. Thankfully she still had more rice balls (and a bunch of raw olives, but she didn’t want to eat those if she could help it). As with breakfast, she shared some with Yule so he could keep up his strength.

Just like the other time, he stared at the food as Penelope happily munched away.

She couldn’t help, but to comment, “You know, it’s not going to bite you.”

“It’s just…I’ve never had anything like this before.”

“Whoa, really?! These are so common from my home land, though.”

“Wait, so you brought this all the way from the country you’re from and you’re sharing it so casually with me?”

“Huh? Why do you sound so mad about it?!”

“I’m not mad!”

“Yes, you are!”

Wow, did every conversation they had to have wind up in shouting?! And yet, Penelope didn’t feel the same heart wrenching shortness of breath she had sometimes, when someone would raise their voice. It was strange. Maybe it was because Yule was a child, so she didn’t feel as threatened. This didn’t feel like an argument, either, just…two people communicating (albeit badly) in their own way, facing each other as honestly as two strangers could.

It was funny, how she finally got to be childish again.

“So…why Ceralde? You said you had someone waiting for you there…is there any other reason, Yule?”

“Well, as far as things go, it’s the town farthest from the conflict in the capital.”

Penelope blinked at that. “Conflict in the capital?” she parroted.

Yule sighed deeply. “Wow, you really are a foreign girl. Exactly where did you come from originally?” His voice seemed half scolding, half laughing. “Well, since you don’t seem to know, there’s a bit of a royal upheaval right now in Birain, so I’m sorry you had to be visiting when things are so chaotic. But you should be safe in Ceralde, though. I promise.”

His words seem strangely sincere as he said that, staring straight at her with those periwinkle eyes until he couldn’t take it anymore, looking away to finish his rice ball. Penelope felt touched. Whatever circumstances had him running from the capital, it was kind of him to think about her safety in his homeland.

“So royal upheaval…did the king get overthrown or something?”

“Not…exactly. I don’t know all the details, but it’s a problem of succession.”

“Oh, so, like a queen having machinations against a concubine and her son or something like that?”

Yule shook his head. “If it were just that, it’d be a lot simpler…You know how in Birain we worship the Goddess of Rebirth? Well, it extends all the way to how we determine the right of rulers in our country.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“It is.”

“Can you tell me more?”

Yule turned his gaze skyward, considering things for a few moments before nodding solemnly.

“If you’re going to be in Birain for a while, you should learn as much as you can about it so you can stay out of trouble. Come on. I’ll tell you more as we walk.”

His hand was offered to her and Penelope took it, letting him help her to her feet. As if he had taken it into consideration, he did not let go of her hand and instead walked beside her, at her pace, so she wouldn’t need to run, skip and trot to keep up with him. At that rate there was no way they would reach town, but Yule seemed less agitated by the thought.

As they resumed their journey, he began telling her a story.

“So, let me tell you a bit about the founding history of Birain.”

A long, long, long time ago, the land of Birain had come under great crisis. The people had not yet been united under one ruler and were a collection of smaller villages scattered along the shorelines of the eastern continent with their own individual chiefs. When a calamity came down from the heavens, a great darkness overcame all of Birain. From that darkness came beasts and monsters, which ravaged the country and the people.

Hope came in the form of the goddess Tulilith, who saw the plight of humanity and came down to give them a message:

“One day, a great hero will be among your folk, one with powers unlike what you have ever seen and he will lead you to a brighter future.”

It was with this message, that the people searched far and wide, for ten whole years for their saviour that could save them from this pervasive darkness and the dangers that came with it. Far and wide did they search for this promised hero, until they found him, a simple hunter tending his bow in a place that would one day become the great capital of the kingdom of Birain.

His name was Ionian Laertes Raviseul and upon his defeat of the great darkness, he became king of Birain.

It was said that he was a strange man, with ideas and concepts many had never heard of before. Concepts which brought Birain much prosperity and growth. He was a peaceful man and led his people fairly and justly. The people adored him, their hero king.

But as with all good things do, they must end, and King Ionian Laertes Raviseul died, without ever having an heir.

Succession of the kingdom tore it apart, as many vied for the position that Ionian had left behind. Swords clashed within the halls of the castle where Ionian once lived. As blood continued to shed, the goddess Tulilith made an appearance once more, in order to quell the greedy hearts of men who coveted what was not theirs.

She declared that Ionian Laertes Raviseul would return as king. Not as himself, but as a new being. Reborn anew into this world; different, but no less strong than his previous incarnation. They must simply seek him out once more, for she would accept no other as king of Birain.

But how could it be proven that Ionian was truly himself and not an imposter? Surely many would step up claiming that their children only just born could be their king returned, in an effort to garner more power and prestige. For this, Tulilith had declared that to be a candidate one must fulfill one of two simple requirements:

“The one worthy of the throne of Birain will be a being reborn into this world. That can be proven by the colour of their eyes, as those who have been reborn will share the same colour as my own.”

With her first decree, anyone with clear blue eyes as blue as the goddess’, would be one with a reborn soul. A gem was gifted to those who would perform the tests, that matched the goddess’ eyes exactly. A gem that rested upon the scepter of the king to this very day.

Her other requirement became a second holy decree in which judgement was passed for a candidate of kinghood: Ionian’s old weapon, a bow, had been blessed by the three goddesses of fate. Rosileve, who weaved the future, made it so that only Ionian could string and draw the bow, or a member of his kin could, should his spirit not yet be ready to return. A failsafe, in case it was an age where Ionian did not return.

These were the simple requirements to become king and when the first reincarnation of Ionian was found, the people rejoice as peace would at last return to them. This cycle lasted for a few generations in which Ionian ruled in his new form, died and then would be found and crowned once more.

By the sixth iteration of Ionian, the bloodlines he left behind became jealous of each other. Being the sons and daughters of Ionian in his varied reborn existences, they all laid claim to the throne, stating that the way of seeking out Ionian’s new existence and placing him back on the throne was useless now.

Ionian’s bloodlines existed in six different houses now. Surely, one of them had more of a right to the throne than the others? So they all began to conspire each of them to take the throne for themselves.

First, the royal scepter was stolen when the search by the temple for the next king began. Each family blamed each other, calling the other unworthy until the scepter was found.

Next, the gem upon the scepter mysteriously changed one day. From the clearest blue, to the deepest green, a shade much closer to the second family’s bloodline. A ploy to sway favour towards their family. Of course, they were called cheats and scoundrels. Yet this time, the gem was not returned to its original form. Rather, every day for ten days, the gem of the royal scepter changed colour, making it impossible to judge by the goddess’ requirements. There was hope that it would return as members of the temple put pressure upon the great houses to return the stolen gem.

Yet the holy blue gem given unto them by the goddess was no longer anywhere to be found, lost.

And so began the civil war between the six great houses of Birain that lasted to this day. Of course, there were times of peace, where a ruler rose up and kept the others under control, but there were just as many times when war among the factions broke out. Birain was a land of unsteady treaties within itself…

“…Right now the only families still in power are those of the first family, and the sixth family. The first family, the Raviseuls had been the ones in charge as one of their ascended the throne about 40 years ago. The sixth family, backed up by the smaller, less powerful factions, ganged up on them and staged a coup and it’s been a mess ever since.”

“Wow, I see…”

That all seemed very complicated and a lot to take in, Penelope thought as she continued walking alongside Yule. Tulilith certainly put her in both the worst and best place. Tulilith trusted that a country that worshipped her couldn’t possibly be a bad place for Penelope to start her new life, but then again, she must have bene very out of touch to pick a place known for its inability to get along internally.

“Thanks for telling me, Yule.”

“Hn.”

As succinct as always, huh?

“Say, Yule? You seem to know a lot. Were you a scholar or something before you ran away from home?”

“…It’s not a big deal. Almost everyone from here knows this stuff.”

“Oh.”

His tone of voice told her that he didn’t want her going any further with that line of questioning. Too bad, she wanted to hear a bit more about him, but it seemed like he would remain guarded with her. Well, it was good to know a bit more about the land she was in.

Well, that settled it; there was no way that Penelope would think to get anywhere near any possible bloodshed. According to Yule, the infighting hadn’t spread far into the costal areas, which was where they were. The road they took was headed to Ceralde, a port town. If Penelope so chose, she could take a boat to head somewhere far away to escape the possibility of getting dragged into war. After all, she’d only been alive in this world for less than a week and she did not fancy dying so soon and meeting Tulilith again so quickly.

Thinking on how to avoid the conflict, her fingers squeezed Yule’s in unbidden anxiety. Yule took notice of it, but said nothing as they kept on walking.

More hours passed as they traveled, the daylit sky turning into dusk once more. Neither Penelope of Yule could see even the barest hint of civilization. Stopping for breaks and going at a pace more comfortable for Penelope’s younger body meant they hadn’t reached their goal.

Penelope apologized as they found a spot to set up camp again.

“I’m really sorry, Yule. It’s my fault we haven’t gotten to Ceralde yet.”

There was barely any emotion when he responded, “Don’t be. I’m sorry for not realizing you’re just a little girl.”

“I’m not that little!” Penelope protested with a pout. “I’m ten! I’m all grown up.”

“That’s not even close to being grown up.”

“W…well it’s grown up where I am.” A fib, but somehow she couldn’t really mentally connect with the fact that she was in a child’s body just yet. She’d been almost 40 only a few days ago. Mentally she was a middle-aged woman, so for her, she considered herself an adult.

“Your homeland must be a very sad place if ten years old is grown up. Girls in Birain aren’t allowed to be engaged until they’re sixteen and that’s only with the permission of that girl’s parents.”

Oh, that was surprising. Penelope had the impression she had fallen into a world similar to some kind of medieval/fantasy novel.

“Is…is that so? So what age is adulthood?”

Yule huffed at her, as if the answer would be obvious.

“Majority is eighteen years old. This was established by one of the former kings, King Roosevelt Laertes Raviseul, after he was sworn in as a king, and adopted by almost the whole world as a widespread law. Seriously, you weird girl, you really know nothing, huh?”

Penelope bit her tongue, holding back something scathing from coming out as she knew the boy couldn’t help the curt way in which he spoke. Teen boys really were the worst at communicating, after all. She just set up the lamp for their camp and got to serving them rice balls again for their dinner that day (with a few raw, but pitted, olives shoved into Yule’s share because she was a little mad at him).

As they laid in the tent together that night, him taking the blanket while she got the bedroll, the little girl hoped she could find a way to learn more about this world and that the next day would see them finally reach true safety.

Never had Yule met anyone so ignorant in all of his life. Or maybe, perhaps, the better description should be naïve? Sheltered? The world of Iraloné was not exactly the most peaceful world and he could not imagine any country out there that could be so peaceful as to create a child like Penelope. Even most sheltered of noble children had a bite to them, a cautiousness and suspicion. Everyone was out to gain.

Yet, Penelope did not have a single thought about gaining, other than to learn information that she lacked that practically everyone else should already know. Perhaps he shared a bit more information than was necessary, but whether it was the far-off country of Exund or their neighbour Ivaren, everyone knew the story of Birain’s rulers.

It often was presented as a fairy tale, a flight of fancy to explain the unusual way in which Birain chose its rulers and to explain away the bloody history that was born from the capriciousness of a goddess.

To Yule who felt the most bitter about his own situation, he envied Penelope who didn’t seem to have a care in the world. What kind of life did she lead, that she could walk so carelessly with a stranger? It had only been a few days, but the impression he had of her was a child who truly knew no hardship.

Yet, he could not find it in himself to be too unkind or cruel.

Her sudden tantrum surprised him, making his mind need to do a mental reset on how he interacted with her. Sure, she was a stranger, but for the moment, she was his benefactor (loathe as he was to rely on a girl younger than him) and companion; the journey actually felt more bearable with her by his side. Yule knew he could go alone, but it just felt more fun.

Yes, even with all the times they started shouting at each other, startling each other and generally being nuisances to one another, Yule was having fun.

His life as Ulysses Laertes Raviseul had never been so carefree.

For her sake, he should cut off all ties once they got to safety, because getting involved with him could lead to some very serious dangers for the girl in the future. He was to meet his contact in Ceralde and then be taken into custody of his family’s retainers, as the remaining heir of the first great family of Birain. As the only son of the former king, he would be targeted until he could safely reach adulthood when he could reclaim his birthright, no matter what some stupid trinket said. No matter the claims other may have.

It should never justify the death of others, yet that was the bloodied history of the rulers of Birain. Coup d’etats, political intrigue, backstabbing, betrayals and massacres. The people who vied for the throne were cruel, even if they ruled over the people fairly. But more often than not, they were cruel to the people, too. What person in their right mind would dispose of others so callously in order to secure their power? It all disgusted Ulysses.

Well, for the moment, he was Yule.

A simple boy who had run away from difficult circumstances, travelling beside Penelope, a strange girl from another land.

He wanted to do right by her, for the short time they would be together. His pride as a royal dictated he should repay her guileless kindness, so he made sure to keep pace with her, holding her hand to facilitate that more easily. He used to walk in front of others, leading the way, because that was always his position. Walking beside someone at such a sedate pace was foreign to him.

It wasn’t bad, though.

But she was very weird.

Her magic, for example, was unlike anything he had ever seen.

As a prince, he studied many subjects, magic being one of them. Magic was executed in one of two ways: incantations or magic circles. Never in his life had he ever seen someone just draw directly on skin and then mumble ‘please heal’ in order to cast any healing magic. He supposed, at its core, she did make a drawing and she did chant (plead) for it to work, but for it to actually work!? He was pretty sure the way magic worked in Birain should be true in other countries, too, so what was even going on?

One of the things he would need to explain to Penelope was to hide how she cast her magic. If not the method itself, but also in the fact that she healed him. Healing magic was considered a holy ability and was heavily monitored by the temples of the goddesses. Every child who showed potential was immediately seized without discrimination. Many families were torn apart whenever the potential for healing appeared in an individual, at least in Birain this was highly true.

More than once had a representative of the temples become a king of Birain, allowing the temple control over state affairs at times. Those were some of the most oppressive moments in Birain history, all because of what healing magic meant.

Those blessed by Tulilith, the goddess of rebirth, had the ability to heal. Without fail, those who had been reborn by her grace had that power, which made them easy candidates to become ruler, because they would naturally have the clear eyes similar to that of the goddess.

Penelope had such eyes, he mused. Something else she must learn to hide once they got close to town. Yes, he would need to have a word with her, before things got complicated for them. For her, he mentally corrected. Once he met his contact they would part ways and he would do this as one last kindness for his benefactor.

Penelope was an innocent girl. She did not deserve to get kidnapped and brainwashed to do the bidding of others or used for other nefarious deeds. There had been a rash of kidnappings of children to be sold into slavery, too.

Damn, but his kingdom was such a mess since the coup that ousted him from his childhood home. Truly, it was such a shame that the little girl had come at such a time. His homeland was always in a state of tension, but nowhere near as bad as it was right now. So much to fix, so little time.

At the moment, though, he would take things one step at a time. His current mission was to bring himself and Penelope safely to Ceralde.

Her hand squeezed his and he turned to meet her clear gaze. Such a soft colour. So these were the supposed eyes of the goddess. They were showing him concern. He made a little noise of reassurance, before looking away.

What lovely eyes, he thought to himself, as they continued on their way together.