Aqua crossed her arms as she made her way down the long, winding halls of the palace. She had no particular destination in mind; however, she needed to know the exact layout, and more selfishly, she just wished to take a stroll.
She met with Azure and Sheira just before departing, while they wished to come and show her around, but Aqua liked being alone occasionally.
Yet she was not truly alone; the Sun God was nestled on her shoulder in his smaller form. He had stuck close to her ever since she had the nightmare as a way of consoling her.
Thank you so much…
The queen and Sheira had apparently kept her promise, as other maids and servants merely moved past her without bothering to assign her any duties. They merely bowed to her and went on their way.
After all, she was officially under the direct service of Sheira and supported by the Queen. She had, by default, outranked the vast majority of servants. While some envious glares were sent her way, she did not care.
Envy was a rather common emotion when dealing with anyone who believed that they did not get as much as they deserved.
However, for Aqua, nobody would get what they deserve unless they grip it with their own two hands.
She moved toward the gardens she once had seen in Sheira's memories. She wished to see how they looked in reality and not distorted by the temporal storms that once ravaged the poor girl's mind.
She placed her hands in a V shape as she proceeded to what she assumed was the exit. In front of it was a singular guard; however, she expected him to merely stand still and let her pass.
He was fully armored, with his helmet covering his face completely with the exception of a slit meant for the eyes, he wore a green cloak with the Elven Kingdom's insignia, and in his hand he carried a spear.
He looked at her with suspicion for a moment as he looked her over.
"Ah, Miss Aqua, I presume?" The guard respectfully bowed. "The Queen ordered that we should not stop you, so please go ahead."
She gave a slight curtsey before she made her way inside the garden.
Her senses were immediately assaulted by the flower's exotic fragrances.
She took a deep breath as she smiled, "This is nice." Her eyes wandered to the fountain as she approached. However, her attention was quickly taken by the Queen's voice.
"Lady Lira, I cannot fulfill the council's request, and you should know why." Soleah let out a sigh, "Requesting it time after time will not work."
"I understand, but if we do not punish the failure of the champion, the image of the royalty will be ruined!" Aqua's ears perked up as she keenly listened.
"I know it well. However, she is the most powerful fighter we have access to. If we execute her or put her in dungeons, what would the warriors she had personally trained do? She is responsible for training our entire military at this point." The queen's face contorted in disgust as she spoke to the woman.
"At best we would weaken ourselves and, at worst, those trained by her would rebel. And you should know that they are all elite warriors in their own right." The queen kneeled in front of a flower as the woman above her glared at her.
The woman had long black hair, deep green eyes, her ears were long, and she wore a long black dress and black thigh-high leather boots.
"Aqua…" The Sun God's whisper reached her ear.
Yet Aqua knew what he wanted to tell her; the woman had the same black haze that elven slaves in Razul did.
She gritted her teeth as she attempted to convince Soleah to execute Azure. She did not expect such a conversation to pierce her heart, but it did. It took all her restraint not to burn the woman where she stood.
I promised, Azure, nobody will harm even a hair on your head.
She slowly followed the woman as the mana gathered around her. No, you don't.
Just as she was about to cast a spell on Soleah, Aqua made her presence known. "Your majesty." Aqua bowed deeply.
Soleah's frown turned into a smile as she stood up, "Ah, Aqua. Forgive me, Lady Lira; while your query is important, Aqua has important business with me. Let us discuss this at a later date."
"Tch… Fine. We will meet later." Lira glared at Aqua as she made her way back into the palace.
"Aqua, such fortunate timing. Lira was about to do something drastic." Soleah smiled as she cracked her shoulders.
"I know, she was about to mind control you."
Soleah sighed, "I know, however, I noticed you entering the garden, so I gambled that you would step in. And look at it, it paid off."
"You expected me to save you?"
"Not saved. If I fought her here, it would ruin a plan to denounce the council. I am not defenseless after all…Maybe against you, but against almost everyone else, I could at least run." She eyed Aqua with curiosity.
"That maid uniform fits you so well!" Soleah nodded. "So what brings you to my garden?"
Aqua crossed her arms as she tilted her head slightly, "I was just exploring."
"Such plain reason, dear. Yet I will not dig in too much." She closed her eyes. "I have a small request to make."
"A request?"
"Nothing major, I promise."
"Speak." The temperature slowly became hotter.
"Come on, Dear. Don't destroy my garden because of it. I would merely like you to ensure I don't get killed tonight. While I am powerful, I can tell it's nowhere near you. Lira is getting anxious; she wants to get rid of me as soon as possible." She raised her hands defensively.
"Protect you?"
"Mhm. I just need you to make sure no assassin comes to my room and attempts to end me. I am trying to maintain my image of someone who is clueless about the council's dealings."
Aqua's ears twitched as she hummed, "I guess I can do it."
Great, Aqua, you got yourself into a guard duty. She couldn't help but laugh at herself in her mind.
"Excellent! That puts my mind at ease. Also, if someone does make an attempt, please capture them alive or extract information before killing them." Soleah's lips widened into a smile as she clasped her hands together.
"I can do that, however, why do you trust me that much? For all you know, I could be an assassin just waiting for an opportunity." Aqua sighed. She and Sheira are definitely related.
"Hah! If you wanted me dead, I would have been dead before I could beg for my life."
Aqua pouted slightly, "I promised Sheira and Azure I wouldn't kill needlessly."
"Oho~" The Queen placed her hand before her mouth. "So you are pretty close to my daughter, I gather?"
"Yes, we are friends. And I kind of adopted her after helping her."
"Oh?" Soleah tilted her head, "So she got two mothers now?"
"You could say so. When I had rescued her, something happened that required it."
"Hah, that is fine. I do not mind, so Aqua, when do you plan on holding lessons for Sheira?"
"Tomorrow morning, why?"
"I wish to ask. May I watch? I really want to see my Shei cast spells! She always struggled with it."
"I don't see why not." Aqua relaxed her posture.
Soleah nodded with excitement, "I should probably go and meet with my husband and the rest of the council. Please take care of yourself." Soleah tapped her on the shoulder before she made her way out of the garden.
Aqua sighed, "Soleah, wait."
She turned, "What is it, dear?"
Aqua stretched her hand toward Soleah. "I don't want you to get killed accidentally. [Heart of the Phoenix]" Soleah's body glowed for a brief moment before a small scar appeared on her palm.
"Oh? What is this?" She brought her palm before her eyes.
"In case you are killed, this spell will revive you. It is a precaution." Aqua blushed slightly as her ears slumped down.
Soleah chuckled, "Resurrection, I see. I was right that you are a terrifying entity." She muttered under her breath, "Thanks."
With a wave, Soleah disappeared.
"She is a very interesting woman…" Aqua smiled.
The Sun God's form shifted slightly as the flame crackled aggressively. "Agreed, she is similar to Sheira… I will remember her name."
Aqua crossed her arms. "So… you remembered the names of 5 people now… Mine, Umbra's, Azure's, Sheira's, and Soleah's?"
"I suppose." The Sun God changed color to deep red.
Aqua giggled, "You are adorable."
"I am terrifying!" Sun God squealed as He found himself in Aqua's crushing embrace.
"Sure… let's continue with our exploration." Aqua gently placed the fiery Avian on her shoulder as she slowly strided to the garden's exit.