A Royal Disaster

It was in the early hours of the morning when a knock at my bedroom door stirred me from my sleep. A young woman entered, rushing over to open my curtains and window. Light filled the room as the sun’s rays bounced around until landing upon my grand silk-curtained bed.

“Lady Alice, the gods are up and so should you,” Zoe, my personal maid, said in her usual deadpan tone.

I groaned as she pulled away my covers, leaving me powerless against the cool morning air. I could feel myself shaking as the breeze wrapped itself around me, all my shivering caused my teeth to chatter.

“What gods would wish today upon such a loyal subject such as myself?” I moaned as Zoe pulled me up.

Why was I dreading the day? Well it's quite simple. Today would be my last day as a maiden. That's right, soon, after breakfast, a grand ceremony would be held at the Church. A union between the extended members of the royal family of the Saltus Kingdom and that of a Duke’s family from the neighboring Ignis Empire. That was the story being sold to people, a fairytale come to life.

In reality, I was not going to become a bride out of my volition. I was just a bargaining chip to be used by the nobility and for the nobility.

Today was to be the birth of a wedded couple, yes, but it would also serve as the death of the current me, Alice Wallace.

“It could be much worse my lady. You could have been betrothed to an ugly man,” Zoe said as she began to brush out the bedhair from my silver strands.

“Kenneth Thornewell may not have an ugly face, but the thoughts and feelings he harbors behind his smile are hideous." Kenneth had always been a terrible boy, even back when I attended the academy at the royal capital.

My fiance, Kenneth Thornewell, was the second son of a Duke from the Ignes Empire. A nation famous for creating some of the strongest warriors and generals from across the continent.

I hadn’t interacted much with him before, even when we were placed in the same class at the academy, I had always steered clear from him. The rumors surrounding him and all his wives served as enough of a warning for most of the girls in the class. It was only when my father had begun to garner interest in the Empire that I was forced to get closer to him. 

Kenneth had only cared about my swordsmanship and my control over magic; when I sheepishly admitted I was rather lacking in the former and only knew basic forms of Torius, he gave me the cold shoulder until marriage talks had been finalized by our fathers.

“Well, let's just hope you can grow to love him.” Zoe dragged me away towards the closet as she started the long and tedious process of dressing me up. 

I was first stuffed into a corset far too many sizes smaller than would fit comfortably, Zoe then draped me into a long, frilly red dress. It was customary for brides to be dressed in the colors of the nation they were to be married off to, and this cursed red happened to be the color of the Empire.

“It looks gorgeous on you my lady.”

I let out a low, “sure,” as she added the finishing touch, a silver tiara that would hold the veil once it was time for the ceremony.

Once the sun was fully overlooking the castle like the eyes of the gods, I was led towards the castle’s golden dining room. Lit candles adored the halls leading to the main entrance. As we entered we were greeted by the sight of my parents and siblings.

“Good morning Alice,” my younger sister, Kat, called out to me.

My older brother, Liam scoffed. Kat turned to him, her eyes widening as her warm smile faded from her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry-”

“That’s enough Liam, eat your breakfast,” bellowed my father.

I gracefully strode on over to the empty seat at the table between my mother and Kat, giving my little sister a hug and planting a small kiss on her head before taking my seat. “It's okay Kat.”

Her little eyes were now glossy, she buried her face into my shoulder to hide them before her tears could come out. I patted her back until she let go of my dress.

“Sorry sis,” she said, a forced smile on her face as she wiped her eyes dry. “I got your pretty dress all damp.”

Zoe offered me a clean cloth to dry myself as she served me a healthy amount of porridge. I took both from her with a grateful nod. “It's fine, it’ll dry off before too long.”

As I brought a spoonful to my lips and swallowed, I noticed my mother’s downcast face. Her gaze fluctuated between me and Kat, as if she wanted to say something. Though, for one reason or another, she kept her silence. Instead, it was my brother who spoke up.

“If it weren’t for the bloodthirsty Empire,” he said as he turned his gaze to me, “you wouldn’t have to go through with the wedding.”

“Silence,” my father yelled, his eyes wild with fury. “Do not speak ill of the Empire, we should be grateful that a Duke from Ignis wishes to grow close to us.”

“So you’re willing to sell off your own flesh and blood just to appease some noble?”

My father slammed his fist on the table. “Just as Alice is doing her duty with marriage, I am doing my duty to have our domain prosper. We need all the strength and connections we can muster if we’re to maintain our status as a noble house.” Father slumped slightly in his seat. “Especially after the southern caves are starting to dry up,” he muttered under his breath.”

The territory my family was in charge of had been rich with caves and caverns full of magic crystals, it was likely the reason the Duke from the Empire had even bothered engaging with us in the first place. Though the Empire was the frontrunner when it came to magic and technology, their further advancements would not be possible without a steady supply of magic crystals for their research and experiments. Having seen this as a chance for improving our family’s social standing and power, father did everything he could to bring himself to the table with the Empire.

“Uncle would sooner sacrifice his heritage before he’d give one of us up.”

Father got up from his seat, marching over to Liam. Before my brother could utter another word, my father smacked him across the face with the back of his hand.

Liam fell onto the carpet, a trickle of blood dripped from his nose staining the beautiful pattern.

“Your uncle isn’t the Duke of our domain, I am. One more word out of you and I’ll have you confined to your chambers for the rest of the day.”

A look of defiance flashed across Liam’s face.

“Liam,” I said, “Let’s enjoy breakfast as a family one last time. Please?” His face flinched. Though I asked with a smile on my face, my eyes must have appeared very cold, for when Liam looked at me he stayed frozen in place until father dragged him to his feet and threw him back to his seat.

“Why can’t you be more like Alice?” Father spat to Liam before taking his seat and stuffing himself with sausage. The rest of us continued with breakfast, though I found myself lacking the appetite to continue eating.

Eventually my father’s servants came for all of the used dishes, taking my half-eaten bowl with them. Zoe then led me back to my room for the finishing touches to my outfit and makeup.

It was following the ringing of the church bells that I was escorted out of the mansion and over to a waiting room inside the church where my father waited for me inside. He was in his ceremonial green robes, presumably, the same robes he had been in when he had married my mother.

He ushered me over with a wave of his hand. When I got close enough, he placed his hands on my shoulders giving them a slight squeeze.

“You are doing our family a great service.”

I shook my head. “I’m only doing what is required and expected of nobles, father.”

He patted my shoulders before letting go. “If only Liam could be more like you.”

“Did something happen?” I asked. The distant look in his eyes had made me feel uneasy.

My father sighed. “He ended up making a scene in front of Sir Kenneth. I ordered some of the guards to take him to his room and had to promise Sir Kenneth that Liam would apologize at a later time. He said not to worry about it but…” He sighed once again. “Either way, I’m sorry to say that your fool for a brother won't be attending the ceremony.”

Probably for the best, I wouldn’t want him to see me half-heartedly give my vows.

“I understand father.”

That’s my girl. You’ll be bringing Sir Kenneth much happiness.” Father pulled down the veil above my head, now attached to my crown, to cover my face.

“At the cost of my own,” I whispered under my breath.

My father stopped. “Hmh? Did you say something honey?”

“Nothing.”

After my face was fully cloaked, my father led me to the entrance to the church's main hall, all the while my arm stayed locked around his.

As we entered countless nobles that I’ve had encounters with over the years, to various degrees, were greeting us with their clapping as father dragged me towards the altar.

“She looks gorgeous, wish she was mine."

“A shame she’s being given to just a foreign Duke’s family.”

“A noble in the truest sense, can’t imagine having to leave the kingdom behind.”

These were only some of the whispers I heard as I passed the clapping crowd.

Their eyes were piercing through every aspect of my being, no matter how much I tried to block them out, their pressuring gazes were suffocating me.

As I got closer to the end, my mind wandered farther than ever.

What if Liam had a point? Would my uncle have put a stop to all this. Could I have spent more time with mother and Kat? All I wanted most in the world was to live a happy life, perhaps even travel across the lands, and maybe, just maybe, even find someone I could truly love with my whole heart.

My delusions of a future that would never come to pass escaped my mind as my eyes landed on Kenneth, who wore a terrible smirk on his face. His gaze crawling all over my body, his eyes refusing to meet my own.

I’d give anything not to marry this man.

These were the words I prayed with at the very depths of my heart.

I’m not sure how long I had been begging this desire internally, but by the time I let this final foolish hope go, Kenneth had taken my hand. He held a ring inches away from my ring finger.

Is that so? A soft, feminine voice echoed from behind.

“Huh?” I looked around in confusion, scanning around for the source of the voice. The only ones close enough to have whispered were the priest and Kenneth himself. Neither had a voice as soft as the one I heard.

The priest cleared his throat.

“Hmn, I ask you again Lady Alice. Do you take Sir Kenneth Thornewell to be your lawfully wedded Lord and Husband, lest the gods deem it necessary to keep you apart?”

He’s right, you know. You have the right to decide your future. The voice wasn’t louder, but it seemed to be much clearer, as if it was directly in my head.

Am I going insane?

A beautiful laugh bounced around my mind.

Heavens no, or, at the very least, I hope not. After all, you are in the running to be my chosen one. My dear Alice. My champion.

The priest cleared his throat once more.

“Lady Alice?”

I looked nervously at those in attendance. My sister and mother were visibly sweating while my father was fuming, his face turning red. I turned to Kenneth, though he was still smiling, it was no longer full of his arrogant smugness. Instead, it was a malevolent grin that was followed by his grip on my extended hand tightening.

Time is running out darling, what’s it going to be?

“I… I…” The words were being caught in my throat, my mouth was as dry as a desert.

Ignore everyone else Lady Alice, what is it that you want? Do you wish to accept my salvation or not? I can’t hold THEM in limbo much longer.

“I..” I want to live for myself.

The soft laughter from earlier was replaced with a gleeful cackle.

My body began shining a brilliant golden light as a gray gemstone formed on the back of my hand of my extended arm.

Gasps and shocks emerged from those in attendance, Kenneth smacked my hand away in fear.

A loud noise, something akin to the crashing waves of the ocean, permeated throughout the church followed by a dazzling bright gray light.

My hand, the one smacked away by Kenneth, now pointed towards the center aisle of the church; on the other end of my pointing fingers were now four individuals. 

Two of them were young, tall boys, one had light brown hair and tan skin while the other had black hair and porcelain-like skin with beauty marks all over his body. 

Behind them was a young girl, around my own height, looking like a foreign princess being protected by the two oddly dressed boys serving as her knights. She also had tan skin and had golden blond hair, the waviness of its form would have normally made me envious if I had the time or capacity to process my feelings on the matter at the moment. 

The last one to catch my eyes was another young man sprawled on the floor. His appearance was a mix of all the others, dark brown hair, a mix between the tan and porcelain complexion for skin, and he seemed to be around the girl’s height. 

It was when I was trying to gauge his height that he slowly lifted his head and began looking around the room before his grey eyes ended up on me.

May you guide my heroes well.

That was the last thing I heard from the voice in my head before my mind went quiet and the world around me erupted in chaos.

***

The last thing I remember before I opened my eyes was that my friends and I were going over our newest group photo, the world going dark, and then the world turning up the brightness to a level I didn't think was possible.

Wait, was that it? It feels like I’m forgetting something important.

As those final thoughts lingered around in my mind, I felt something else creeping around in my brain. It felt like memories were being tangled up, played with, and ultimately controlled by an otherworldly phenomenon all at the same time.

It was as if someone or something was telling me to let go.

My thought process was being playfully molded, spiritually, by a pair of very warm and gentle hands.

Whether it was because I couldn’t remember what I thought I was forgetting or the fact the warmth I was feeling was very much making me feel at peace, I allowed my trains of thoughts to disperse into the trainyard of the forgotten.

The void I had just been in was now replaced by the loud commotion of voices, yelling, and shrieking. I opened my eyes to Mira hiding behind Chris and Luke, who both held their hands up in defense as men in fantasy looking metal armor brandished swords in a tight formation around us. Dozens of well dressed people, though their attire looked just as odd as the knights, were cowering behind these armed individuals.

I gazed at all of these strangers’ faces, attempting to read all of their expressions, when my eyes lingered on one person in particular. It was a girl in a beautiful red dress. To be honest, it was probably the girl herself that made the dress look beautiful.

She had her arm stretched out, as if she was reaching out to me. Her mouth was agape in shock; her bright green eyes were the same, wide open with a mischievous glimmer to them. Her eyebrows, the same silver blond as her hair, twitched wildly as she kept looking between the others and me.

As I found myself enchanted by her gaze, a large man in green robes appeared, he positioned himself between us and the girl, his face full of rage as he pointed an accusatory finger at us.

“How dare you interrupt this holy ceremony, you will all be executed under my authority this instant if you do not surrender immediately."

Although his words were serious in nature and tone, I couldn’t help but laugh internally at this rather absurd situation.

He’s acting like he’s a king or somethi-

That was when I took a closer look at him. The man was wearing a rather large, jeweled, silver crown on top of his brown hair.

Is he actually a king? But I always thought kings wore a golden crown?

His hands were just as flashy as his crown, his fingers were full of jeweled rings, and his cuffs pinned with what seemed to be pieces of actual gold. His whole attire was made up of vibrant green silk, something I hadn’t ever seen before.

Honestly, the biggest clue that he wasn’t joking was the fact that the people dressed like knights raised their blades over their heads, as if they were ready to strike at the man’s orders.

Crap, he really isn’t doing cosplay or some bit.

As the crowned man was about to open his mouth, a man in pristine white robes got between us and the armed knights. He flapped his arms around like a baby bird as he tried to get the knights to stand down.

“Stop this at once, can’t you see these are people brought to us by the gods? We should be worshipping them as the apostles that they are, not staining this holy site with their equally holy blood.”

I had no idea what the man was talking about. Neither I nor my family had been very religious. Then again, I wasn’t about to utter anything foolish that would contradict him as he pleaded for our lives.

“You claim these people are chosen by the gods?” The crowned man shook his head, playing with his beard as he mumbled. “That's…that's preposterous. What is your proof for such claims?” The man took the blade from one of his men as he brought it inches away from the face of the man pleading for our lives.

“You saw the light Duke Uriel, that was the holy summoning of the gods, the ethereal grey light.”

The Duke hesitated, lowering his blade for a second before regaining his confidence, or rather ego, as he drew the blade even closer.

“All I know is that I saw magic erupt inside the church and these trespassers suddenly appeared, anything else would be pure conjecture. For all I know, these individuals are here to claim my daughter’s life, foiling the futures of both the Kingdom and the Empire.”

The robed man remained silent, his mind must have been racing to come up with an answer, but I guess even his version of events was too unbelievable to prove.

“But, isn’t that just conjecture as well.” All heads turned to the person who responded to the duke’s words. Chris stood with his arms crossed, bringing his hand to his chin as he formulated his thoughts. “Truth be told, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. All I know is that it seems we’re interrupting things with our presence, right?”

Chris turned to me, as if he wanted to get confirmation from me. I just shrugged at him. Though it wasn‘t much of a shrug, my body was terribly sore, to the point that I couldn’t really move in my current state. Which was why I was still currently one with the floor.

Chris turned back to the Duke. “So if me and my friends leave, no harm, no foul?”

Chris wasn’t one for thinking things out, especially when it came to things with nuances and caveats. So in his mind, this must have been a simple case of accidental trespass. Much like the strangers in the room, Luke, Mira, and I looked dumbfounded, especially compared to Chris’ absolutely resolute face.

The only person who had a different reaction was the Duke. He raised his sword, rushing past the robed man as he brought the blade down with all of his strength at Chris.

Luke tried reaching for Chris while Mira and I tried turning away. I had never felt as much fear as I did waiting for when I would hear the sound of Chris being split into two by the sword. I expected a sickening sound of flesh against metal, instead, I heard a sound I never thought I would hear.

The sound of metal being chipped as it banged against another hard material. It sounded as if the Duke had struck a boulder with the blade. I slowly opened my eyes.

Before me, which I could only assume was Chris’ arm, was a piece of grey stone attached to Chris’s shoulder, blocking the remaining half of the blade that had managed to stay attached to the hilt the Duke had wielded. The other half must have ricocheted for it now laid just a few feet away from me.

The reason why I had a hard time calling the thing that blocked the Duke’s sword Chris’ arm was because instead of there being any skin or limb, there was only stone.

“Dude, your arm,” yelled Luke.

“Hmn?” Chris stared at his arm. Turning his head slightly in amusement. With a flex of his arm, the stone disappeared. He flexed again, the stone returned. Once more, seemingly for fun, he flexed and the stone disappeared.

“Well that’s kind of freaky.”

“That’s it?,” asked Mira. “You can suddenly control rocks, and all you have to say is freaky?”

“You’re right I suppose,” a dumb grin flashed across his face, “This kind of ROCKS.”

A moment of silence passed before the Duke regained what little composure he had.

“Quickly men, strike thi-this demon down, before he takes us all to hell with him.”

Only a few of the armed men nodded in acknowledgement to the king’s order, most of them were either still staring at Chris’s arm or at the sword fragment on the floor.

“Oh, that lady did tell me I should make the most out of this, got to test these bad boys out.” Chris flexed both arms this time, his hands turning to stone, his fingers into jagged crystal as he readied himself to face the armed men.

Chris’ bodily augmentation caused even more of them to hesitate in raising their blades.

Those who managed to push through their fears readied themselves against Chris, who had started charging. As both sides were about to clash, a young girl’s voice rang out from behind the Duke and his men.

“That is enough,” yelled the girl wearing the red dress. Following her word, I felt a tightness around the center of my body, it felt as if someone was gripping my heart in their hand. I struggled to look up as I clenched my chest, only to find that the others had fallen to their knees, they too were clutching their chests.

“What is this?,” asked Luke.

“It feels like someone’s squeezing all the blood out of my heart,” said Mira.

Chris was the only one not to react in pain. “I’m way too damn young to get a heart attack,” he chuckled.

After confirming the others were, relatively, okay, I turned my attention to the one who had shouted out. The girl was glowing a radiant grey, though it was her hand that shined the brightest. The light coming from the gemstone embedded in her hand was shooting out even brighter sparkling rays of grey.

Chris attempted to get up, his stoney features grew in size and in sharpness as he screamed while he tried standing up.

“Please, I beg you, stop it.” The girl directed her hand towards Chris. The light from the gemstone shifted to a golden-brown. Soon, the stone bursting from Chris' body disintegrated into thin air, causing him to lose all of his strength and end up like me, sprawled all over the floor.

The girl stepped slowly toward the robed man. The man held his hands together as if he was praying to the girl.

“You… Lady Alice… you heard the voice of one of the gods, didn’t you?” The man crawled to her feet, tugging at the ends of her dress. “Was it Flumen, Vapos, Nubila, or Lapis?”

“I’m sorry Father Albert, I’m not quite sure myself.” The girl, Alice, surveyed the room, as if she was confirming all eyes were on her. “What I do know is that the gods have deemed these people to be important.”

“Not you to Alice,” the Duke groaned. “These are criminals plain and simple. They clearly wished to cause as much destruction as they could.” The Duke was trying to rally those around him, for the people hiding behind the knights to stop cowering and to stand with him.

“That’s right, they must be spies sent down from the Northern Empire.”

“These criminal scum are trying to save their own hides by using the authority of the gods, how blasphemous."

“They’re just trying to stop the Sultra Kingdom and the Ignes Empire from uniting against their Northern Emperor.”

The well dressed people in attendance weren’t thinking clearly, they were just being motivated by fear and panic.

“There you have it Alice, Father. We should immediately execute them before that one regains his powers,” the Duke said as he pointed the broken sword at Chris.

“The only blasphemy here is you not recognizing his powers as that of Lapis themselves.”

“How dare you.” The Duke pulled his sword back, ready to cut the robed man down. “If you stand with them then you shall die with them as well.”

As the Duke swung the blade, aiming for the man’s neck, Alice put herself in-between them. The Duke managed to pull Alice aside before continuing with his slash, only for a familiar scene to play out once more.

The piece of blade, that had still been attached to the Duke’s sword, fully broke off from its hilt as it struck a stone limb. Chris had caught the attack and placed himself between the robed man, Alice, and the king. Alice’s hand had once again glowed a golden-brown, as if she had summoned Chris to her side.

Soon the room went dark with only two sources of light, lights so vivid and bright that it almost seemed as if someone had brought the sun itself into the center of the church. One was the aforementioned glowing gemstone from Alice, the other source were Chris' eyes that had shifted in color. His normally soft hazelnut eyes had turned the same golden-brown as Alice’s gemstone.

Chris spoke, but it wasn’t his voice.

“Stand down Duke of the forest, lest you wish to face our hero’s destruction,” Chris spoke in an otherworldly voice, his tone resonating in absoluteness. This was not a suggestion, it was an order.

Chris turned to look at Alice. “We leave the rest to you, future Duchess of the forest, my oracle and champion. By our divine authority, we order you to lead these heroes into our domain.” Chris turned his attention to everyone else. "For they are to become your saviors against the future calamity that will come to plague this world." As the voice inside Chris uttered their final words, the building was dispelled from darkness by a sudden burst of light.

Once the light died down I was able to see the moment Chris fell to the floor, face down. He was now unconscious, his echoing snores serving as the ultimate proof of his current state.

I’m not sure why, but seeing Chris in that state caused the rest to feel drowsy. Luke and then Mira followed him in slumber, their breathing beginning to relax as they slept. It was only after they were also unconscious that I felt my eyelids truly getting heavy. I tried to reach out to them but, just like them, the sleepiness won in the end.

Alice’s worrying eyes were the last thing I saw before my consciousness fully washed away.