High up, from a building on the Northwest side of the Kingdom, a man draped in a royal blue cloak elegantly made his way to his balcony overlooking the city.
The thick seams of his cloak were gold, and he wore a blue button-up on the inside with a white collar and gold embroidered seams within it, like that of a trail of flames. His pants, also blue, were baggy but were cuffed in gold at the end just above his ankles. His shoes were like black monk shoes.
His hair was white and long with a braid on his left side. The logo on the back of his cloak was that of a gold phoenix with its wings spread out.
"Reporting in, sir," a male voice said from behind him. His voice young but mature. He seemed disengaged and unfocused, yet continued regardless.
The man simply waved a hand full of gold rings, and the cuff on his wrist from his button-down shirt shone white with gold seams down the middle, much like his collar.
"It appears they will be attending tomorrow, sir." The male voice continued again.
The man, silent for a moment, finally spoke, "Spectacular. Initiate phase one of H.T.W." His voice was low and sophisticated but carried a deep heaviness within it like a calm storm.
The other male remained in a knelt position and said nothing, waiting for more orders before dismissing himself. Lastly, the male on the balcony said one last thing to him, "Oh, and Henza…" He turned slightly, revealing his eyes to be a deep red. Completely opposite of the colors he wore. "Make sure they make it there…"
The male behind him, Henza, nodded then disappeared swiftly as if teleporting. And the clouds parted, revealing a blue sky. The sun shone right at the man on the balcony, his silhouette forming. He appeared like a god as he stood there, looking down at the Kingdom.
"Soon… Soon you will all be saved."
***
After some sparring with the boys, we did some chores and cleaned up the castle.
I watered the small garden we had in the back and pruned some of the plants and trees for the new season. The garden extended to a cliff and stopped there with some fencing and a view of the vast green valley that seemed to go on forever.
The area our Den was situated on was surrounded by trees, and about a mile or so away from our home was the East Gate to the Kingdom. We lived outside Kingdom walls but were still considered its residents. We just preferred the seclusion. According to Asura, that is… Part of me also believed that the main reason was that it was cheaper to live on the outskirts rather than within Kingdom walls.
Regardless of the reason, I closed my eyes and took a whiff of the fresh air. My head was tilted upward, and when I opened them, all I could see was the sky, which was a deep blue as the clouds parted. The sun was high enough up, indicating the time of day. I couldn't help but think that what I was looking at was someone's eyes when I looked there. Eyes that belonged to someone beautiful. A girl. But her face was a blur.
I disregarded the thought as soon as it crept. It was about 0930ish in the morning at this time. It was time to assist with breakfast.
I went inside to our kitchen and helped Code prepare, slicing up some potatoes and whatever else he needed me to do.
We prepared everyone's meals and covered up food for those who didn't eat until later.
If there was anything Code loved that he never voiced, it was his love for cooking. You could tell just by how he planned and prepped each meal. He decorated each plate with the same care as the next. He even made Yuna's food from scratch and laid out a fancy meal for her.
Havoc and Brand were already at the dining area, bantering and diving into their plates.
Ophelia, fifteen minutes later, walked through a wall with only a cropped white tank top on and a purple thong, casually grabbed a plate she knew was hers, and picked at it. She then found a spot for herself on a couch near the dining area and relaxed.
Star, who had at last woken up from her deep slumber, trudged downstairs. Her hair was a mess, and she still wore my shirt, which looked oversized on her, the silhouette of her nude, slender body peeking through it with each step she took. Her eyes were only half open, but she sensed where I was in the kitchen. Without thinking, she threw a quick hug around me and Code, then found her plate. She made her way to Ophelia and sat on the floor at a table across from her, lazily eating.
The group casually bantered amongst themselves as they ate and enjoyed each other's company.
Around this time, while Code was washing dishes, I covered his food, placed it at the bar, and went upstairs with another covered plate of food—meant for someone else. I made my way to an area in the Den that seldom gets visited.
Somewhere down a long, dim hall, where only the rays from outside the windows lit was a room where our seventh semi-present member stayed.
Because of his ability, he required two weeks of mana recharge and only allowed himself two weeks of outer privilege once he was ready to step out, so we didn't see much of him from time to time.
I knocked on his door.
"Yo, Nash. Breakfast."
No response.
"Kay," I said acceptingly, placing his food by the door and picking up the empty plate and utensils from the night before.
As I walked away, the door cracked open, and a burly hand snatched the new plate. It was too quick to see more than a flash, but I smirked, closed my eyes, and walked away.
We finished up whatever chores we had left and took it easy at the Den for the remainder of the day, preparing for what tomorrow's "most important event" had in store for us.
***
At other castles and other parts of the Valley Kingdom, Guilds all over were preparing for the Kingdom's Guild meeting that was to commence in a day's time.
At the South Gate entrance, a group of golden warriors entered. Everyone in their way moved to the side.
Some wore armor and white sheer capes, and others were less reserved. There were about ten of them, and in the middle of their group, a mysterious girl led the ranks.
Unlike her group, she wore little to no armor at all. In fact, what she wore could hardly be considered clothing at all. She wore a sheer drape over her head that flowed to the ground, fluttering and dragging beautifully as she walked. And she also had a very thin rose gold tiara that was floating just a little over her head, not touching.
Her skin was fair and a soft rose. The surface of her skin appeared smooth through the sheer drapes. Underneath, her bustier was reminiscent of a breastplate—off-white cloth and rose gold plated the edges that covered her breast. And her thonged undergarment made it a matching set. No one opposed the way she dressed; it was just the way it was. To the people she was above them. She was their goddess.
The only thing covering her arms and thighs was jewelry, which she wore plenty of. Her jewelry was also rose gold and consisted of necklaces, rings, cuffs, and chains on and around parts of her arms and thighs. A single golden cuff sat above her right ankle, and a small, simple anklet on the other. Completely barefoot, her nails and toenails were the color of soft, sparkling pink. She was so decorated that one could not grasp all of her with one look, which is why most stared at her in admiration.
One could barely see them, but if you were lucky enough, under her wispy white eyelashes, her eyes glinted a deep blue like the sky… Because of the drape over her face, however, they were seldom for most to see.
She resembled, even, a princess. Blessing the Valley Kingdom's subjects with her presence alone as she and her group entered the city.
She glittered in the sunlight, chiming and clinking with each step. One golden knight each to a side, acting as a wall between her and the kingdom's people. They moved and paved a clear path for them, continuing to chatter amongst themselves all the while.
"It's her! The princess of the Valley!"
"She's so beautiful."
"It's the Golden Rose Knights!"
"Savior of the Valley!"
"Captain, are you tired? Would you like me to summon a ride or the Sun Ring for you?" the blond male on her left asked. His voice, like that of a young commander, embodied order. He was clad in golden armor, the only one of the knights who wasn't wearing a helmet. His ears were gauged with golden locks, and he wore a white cape with a symbol of a golden rose embroidered on it. His golden hair seemed short and slicked back but appeared like there was more hidden away within his thick armor.
"I prefer to walk. If that's okay with you," the girl replied. Not asking. A command. Her voice was sweet like honey, and though her tone was light, her words and everything that came out of her mouth carried immense weight that he was compelled to obey.
"Yes, ma'am," the blond male said, stepping back into place where they walked as if she had given him an order. He retracted just a little behind her within their wall of golden knights.
"We must ready for the coming day. Tomorrow's meeting is especially important," her sweet and commanding voice sounded as they continued into the Valley Kingdom.
Then, from under her breath, she whispered to herself, completing her thought, "Because he will be there."
After she said this, her eyes caught a bit of sunlight, and they sparkled at the mere mention of him…