"It seems like we got lost."
(Forest on the Imperial grounds, five years before the coronation)
Iyan looked around, there were only trees surrounding them and they all looked the same.
"I told you not to go that way!" Neftali shouted at him while stomping her feet on the ground.
Eleven year old Iyan and his ten year old sister decided to go on a mission that morning. Sir Leo had told them a story about an underground cave with a giant snake living in it. He told them that story with intentions that it will keep the two of them away from the forests. He was stupid enough to think that will keep them from going into the forest alone.
Mather the fact, they were even geared up. Iyan was carrying a kitchen knife tucked into his belt like a sword and another one in his boot while Neftali carried a bag with bread and cheese tied at the end of a stick. She packed it like they did in the books about adventures.
In reality there was no lake and no snake. There were probably some snakes, which was concerning for their safety, but they didn't even come close to Sir Leo's description.
In the end he got them, and himself, in more trouble then needed.
He went searching for them, when Iyan didn't show up to the practice that morning it was clear to him where both of them went. He even had to lie about taking them to the forests with him for training just so he could go and find the two of them.
So while Sir Leo's was searching for the children, the children were searching for a monster snake.
"Well if you have a better idea, lead the way!" Iyan shouted back.
"We just have to go north, the wall is in the south, so if we go north we will find the exit."
"And how do you know where the north is?"
"Don't you have a compass?"
They exchanged a long look.
"No?"
"Why?"
"Am I supposed to have one?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"How do you go on an adventure without a compass?"
"Why didn't you bring it then?"
"Because you are a boy! The boys always bring a compass!"
"Who said that?"
"The books!"
They exchanged a look again.
"Well I don't have a compass."
Neftali thought for a moment. "I know, we will just follow the north star!"
"I don't think you can see the stars during the day." Said Iyan.
"We wait for the night then."
They both looked up, the trees tops were so condensed that barely any sunlight got through.
"I don't think we can see the sky from here."
"Then climb a tree."
"Climb a tree?"
"You are a boy, climb a tree and see where we are. You can probably see the palace from up there."
"How many assumptions about boys do you have exactly?"
"You don't have a compass and you can't climb a tree, what kind of a boy are you?"
"Stop reading so many books."
"Yeah I will give them to you instead."
They went silent, perhaps the realization finally came to them. They were lost in the forest. Now the forest on the Imperial grounds wasn't grand, nor was it unexplored, there were regular guard patrols walking through it every few hours. There were many soldiers in training probably running around right now. Somebody will bump into them in no time.
But they didn't know that. For two of them the forest was much bigger, they didn't know the way, and their mother never allowed them to go into the forest before. It is only natural they would get lost.
Neftali looked around, she gave up on the idea of finding the snake.
"Let's go this way." She pointed after a few minutes, towards, well, she did not know.
"Why that way?" Iyan asked, his neck started to hurt from staring at tree tops.
"Well, do you have a better idea?"
"No."
"Then shut up and listen."
"You sound like Leonard."
"I will tell him that you said that if you don't listen to me!"
Sir Leo dislikes being called by his full name, he always gets fussy if they call him Leonard instead of Leo.
Iyan suddenly turned his head in the direction his sister was just pointing at. He frowned. "Shut up."
"Did you really just tell me to shut up?"
"Yes, listen." He got quiet, searching for the mysterious sound he had just heard.
He heard it again, for a moment.
"There! Did you hear that?" He asked his sister. Neftali looked confused, to be honest, she didn't really try to listen.
She shrugged, her brother rolled his eyes.
"Listen carefully now."
They waited for a few moments before it went off again.
"Again!" Iyan shouted.
Neftali heard it this time. "What is that?"
"Let's go see." Iyan said without hesitation, right now it was too far away for them to be able to tell what it was exactly. Now, usually you don't go looking for strange sounds you hear in the distance because the chances of it being something dangerous are high, but given that these two went into the woods looking for a snake monster, it was no surprise they would go and explore.
After some time they heard it again, this time louder and clearer, a huge bang that sounded like a drum. Why would there be drums in the middle of the forests? Forest of the imperial palace.
They froze in place. Neftali spoke first. "Music?"
"Music?" Iyan repeated.
"It sounds like music."
"Who is playing music in the forest?"
"Perhaps that weird priest."
The weird priest Neftali is referring to is the High priest, for some reason she never liked him much, he was a really weird old man to her.
"Be serious for a moment." Iyan sighed and continued walking towards the sound, that was now constant, it was really music played on drums.
Neftali followed him a step behind. She kept quiet for a while, then she remembered. "Lord of Gayrem is in the palace! Mother said he brought some instruments to show us!"
Gayrem was a territory at the ocean side. Its people were shipmakers, the best in the entire empire, every warship was crafted there. "They are probably doing a performance…" Neftali got quiet all of a sudden. Siblings exchanged looks.
"So that way is the palace." Iyan pointed straight ahead.
"Yes."
"Weren't we supposed to be there?"
"Yes."
Mother told them yesterday about this. They were all supposed to go and watch them perform.
Iyan asked. "What do we do now?"
"Let's go see!" Neftali went on ahead, "I can see the palace between the trees!"
"What do you mean "Let's go!". Are you crazy?" She walked so fast that he had to run after her.
"I want to see them! They are returning home tonight!"
"What if someone sees us?"
They were so close that the sound was completely clear. Iyan could see them too, the gardens of the imperial palace, the forest was surrounded by bushes from that side. They were at the east side, Iyan recognized the plato where the drummers played.
He and Neftali hid behind a bush, they were whispering.
"Look, father is there!" She pointed at their father, sitting next to his wife, clearly displeased to be there and incredibly uncomfortable. They were both surprised to see him. But next to him they also saw two empty chairs, in which they were supposed to be sitting now.
They are in big trouble when they get back.
"Who are they?" Deciding to ignore the obvious, Iyan pointed at four people sitting next to their mother.
Neftali named them in order. "Lord Falic of Gayrem, next to him is, I don't know his name, but apparently he is the best carpenter in the empire, two women are his wife and daughter, they are both very skilled in sails making." Lord of Gayrem was an old man with a top hat, dressed in dark purple, a very thin and very bearded man. He carried a long walking stick and had very long feet. The man next to him appeared much different, he was obviously of the working class, dressed in his best clothes that he wears only for special occasions, his skin is dark from the sun, his expression hard, he was old but still had a full head of dark black hair. The same applied to his wife and daughter. Compared to him she was a tiny, chubby woman dressed in green, she was holding her daughter's hand in her lap, her eyes almost teary.
"Ah, they have two children!" Neftali added. "A son and a daughter. Son is the first born, I believe he is the one playing the drums."
They were three men playing drums, all dressed in traditional attire, playing the large instruments with only their hands.
Iyan assumed that the youngest one of them was the carpenter's son. A man with the same dark hair as his father, with a similar expression on his face.
The woman sitting at the end was young, perhaps close in age to his mother and father, her hair was long and dark, her eyes vibrant green, matching with the color of her mother's dress. She, herself, wore a simple blue gown.
Suddenly shivers went down both of their spines. They both refused to turn around and finally look in the eyes what were hunting them the whole time. Trouble, they were in big, big trouble.
Two large hands grabbed them by the head.
"Now, should I push you in front of your mother, or would you like to come back with me?" Sir Leo asked with a quiet angry whisper.
Two trouble makers didn't need time to think what to choose. The safest choice was obvious.
Instead of answering they just nodded their heads yes.
"Good! Now follow me!"
Neftali got up first, she will just blame it all on him, Iyan assumed. But he stayed hidden behind the bush just for a moment longer. He took a good look at the scene in front of him. The terrible hidden sad look on his mother's face and an uncomfortable glance in his father's eyes. Something was weird about it all, he just could not point out what it was.
"Iyan!" Sir Leo yelled at him.
"Coming!"