The Arakiba Home

Happier circumstances? Diane wishes for that too. Nothing she’s seen so far has prepared her for the sinister atmosphere here. Armed men are patrolling the surroundings, marching in military formations. Giving polite nods whenever they meet on the way. Some of them stop to touch their fists to their chests in a more formal greeting. A greeting meant for Aster and his imposing mother. Diane is feeling smaller and more insignificant the closer to their home they get.

When they finally break out of the woods and she can see the building, it’s anything but welcoming. Nothing like the fairy-tale castle she had imagined, the Arakiba home is a fortress. Huge, dark, and foreboding. Gray rocks shaped into a structure sturdy enough to withstand anything, including the onslaught of time. It looks ancient, as if it sprouted from the rocks millennia ago, and will be standing strong, unchanged, until the end of time. There are towers in each corner, topped with bright banners that do very little to break the menacing look.

When they’re about to pass the massive wooden gate, someone darts toward them, coming to an abrupt halt just before he crashes into Aster. Though almost equal in height, the newcomer is leaner, gangly, all long limbs in that typical teenage growth spurt way. The resemblance between them is striking.

Aster pulls him into a rough embrace, then holds him at arm's length.

“Huh, look at you. I think you grew while I was away. You might get your wish and grow taller than me one day.”

“Oh, I will,” the younger man laughs. “You can count on it.” He gives Diane a curious look. “And who’re you?”

“This is Diane, the one I was sent to find,” Aster says before she has a chance to answer.

“Really? That’s so exciting.” The teen looks her up and down, and then blurts out the inevitable, “You’re not what I was expecting.”

Diane shrinks even more, but he smiles and enthusiastically grabs her hand. “I’m so happy to meet you. You’re very pretty. I hope my brother has treated you well. He can be a little rough around the edges.”

“Perfectly fine,” Diane assures him, and Aster seems oddly relieved. He clears his throat and looks pointedly at their hands, prompting the younger brother to blush and let go of her hand as if it’d gotten red-hot.

“As you may have guessed, this is my little brother. Alder.” He gives her a wink. “Often a pain in the ass, but mostly a good kid.”

“Hey, I’m not a kid!”

“Sure you are. My baby brother. Or, did you transform while I was away?” Aster suddenly looks worried. “I’d hate to have missed your initiation.”

“I was waiting for you, so it’ll happen any day now.”

“Hah, sure you were.”

The brothers keep up their banter as they cross the large courtyard, providing an odd contrast to the sound of steel on steel that echoes between the high stone walls. Several young men and women are honing their skills in archery and swordsmanship under the watchful eyes of some gnarly-looking veterans.

Once inside, Aster and Alder’s banter turns into an impromptu wrestling match until their mother steps in.

“Boys! That’s enough.”

The ‘boys’ break apart, laughing, but the exasperated but loving tone to her voice made Diane’s throat tighten.

“Hey, you okay? We’re just messing around.” Aster is suddenly by her side.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… seeing you with your family made me think of mine.” A pang of guilt shoots through her. She hadn’t given them a thought since she came here. “My parents must be so worried. My sister too.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Aster looks uncomfortable. “Sorry. I should’ve asked… I didn’t think…”

“No, it’s fine. We’re not very close, but still…” Yeah, she hadn’t spoken to them in months, and then it had been about some trivial practical thing. What did they think had happened? Could they visit her comatose body in a hospital, or had she just disappeared? A fate not too uncommon for young women walking the streets alone at ungodly hours.

“You’re not on good terms with them?”

“Oh, we're on… decent terms, I'd say. No fights, hard feelings, or such. Just estrangement from time and distance.”

They had been disappointed when she chose to ‘just’ become a nurse, not a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or anything else with a higher status. She’d moved to a new city for her studies shortly after and then remained there when offered a job in the hospital where she did her internship. The visits and phone calls had just become more… sparse as the months turned into years.

“It happens,” Aster says. “But hey, you’re a grown woman, destined for great things. They must be proud.”

“Thank you. I hope so. I hope I’ll get the chance to tell them about all of this. One day.”

He smiles a bit sadly.

“I hope you’ll get that opportunity too, I really…”

“There you are, darling. You took so long, I was starting to worry.”

Aster winces and Diane turns to see the most stunningly beautiful woman she’s ever seen heading toward them. In her wake follows a younger girl in a maid’s dress and… Diane groans… the obnoxious cousin, Hector, looking disgustingly pleased about something.

“My apologies, Princess Aurelia.” Aster bows, just slightly theatrically. “My mission took longer than expected.”

“And yet you took your time once back in our realm.” Her huge green eyes narrow. “Travelling alone with a young woman. Sharing rooms.” She gives Diane a scrutinizing, scornful look. “Unacceptable.”

Next to her, Hector isn't even trying to hide his grin.

“It was for safety,” Aster says calmly. “Nothing inappropriate happened.”

The princess somehow finds this offensive, but before she can retort, an older woman steps between them. Her hair is streaked with silver, and her skin is tanned from years in the sun.

“This is hardly a proper welcome for the Champion and the Chosen, is it?” The woman points out, making the princess purse her pretty pink lips in annoyance.

“Whatever you say, master Tenna.” She gives Aster a look that clearly states that this isn't the end of the discussion. Turning dramatically on her heel, she regally strides away, long golden hair flowing behind her. Her little entourage trotting along behind.

Diane stares after her. Speechless. This is who Aster is marrying? She turns to him, her disbelief written all over her face, and he attempts a grin.

“Like I said. It's complicated.”

“But why? She doesn’t seem to be…” she hesitates, “...very nice.” No, not nice at all, and not his type. Not that Diane knows what his type is or even if he has one, but this shouldn’t be it. That much she knows. This is wrong. 

“The princess can be a bit, shall we say… demanding."

Demanding? That seems to be the understatement of the year, but feeling as if she might have pushed it too far, she adds, “She’s very beautiful though.”

“And she knows it.” Aster smiles wearily and Diane’s heart breaks a bit.

“That's one way to put it. Something major is going on and she can’t deal with the fact that she’s not in the center of it,” Tenna scoffs. “Except for this part, that is, so she’s trying to make the most of it. Making a fool of herself in the process.”

“What part?”

“Our marriage,” Aster says. “Which brings me to your second question. The why? It’s my duty. Plain and simple.”

“An arranged marriage? But that's barbaric.” Anger is taking over the melancholy that’s been gnawing at her. “Is that common here?”

“No, but you don't argue with prophecy.”

“Prophecy?”

“Aster Arakiba,” the older woman, Tenna, says sternly. “Have you not told her?”

“I’ve told her some,” he mumbles in defense. “Helped her discover her mana too.”

“So you’re telling me you went to another world, found the Chosen and brought her home, but didn’t tell her why?”

“He mentioned the disease spreading through the wildlife,” Diane says. “The one you call a curse. That you need to find some medicine, or perhaps a vaccine…”

Tenna gives Aster a look, scorching enough to make him wince.

“He did, did he? But he didn’t tell you the source of the curse? Of the enemy we’re facing? Your destiny? The prophecy?”

“He explained some, but I wouldn’t have believed him if he had mentioned prophecies,” Diane says honestly. “I thought he had a head injury when he started talking about magic.”

“We had other, more pressing concerns,” Aster says smoothly, but Tenna just hums at him. Unimpressed.

“I don’t believe in prophecy," Diane pauses thoughtfully, smiling a bit sheepishly. “But then I didn’t believe in magic either. What does it say?”

“Oh, it’s a long one. I won’t recite the whole thing for you now. But the essence is,” she places a weathered hand on each of their shoulders. “The essence is that the Champion will transcend the worlds to find the Chosen, and together they will defend our land against those that seek to destroy it. To destroy us.”

“But, I’m not…” Diane can see where she’s going with this and all her insecurities and doubts curl up in her gut. Tightly.

“The Champion is this guy here. Believe it or not.” She taps Aster’s shoulder and he gives Diane an apologetic smile as she braces herself for Tenna’s next words. “And the Chosen is you, of course. Child of another world.” She gives Diane a warm smile, eyes glittering with confidence. “You have our trust. Our future and our lives are in your hands.”

Somehow her words make the knot in Diane's belly even harder. She’s not a powerful warrior or mage. Not ready for these responsibilities. Imposter, the voice in her mind whispers. Tenna doesn’t seem to notice, but takes her arm to lead her away.

“Come, let me show you to your room. You’ll be next to me, over at the healer’s wing. I can’t wait to see what you can do, and these days we always have plenty of wounded to care for. Having another healer around is going to be a big help, I won’t lie.”

A hospital wing? At least that’s something familiar. She looks at the older woman, hoping against hope that her trust is well-founded.

“And you’ll help me train my magic? Aster mentioned…”

“Of course, child. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been some time since I had an apprentice.” She gives Diane a warm smile. “First lesson is tonight, right after dinner.”

Diane straightens herself, trying to look taller. More confident. Like a proper Chosen.

“I’ll do my very best.”