Queen Shana had had a very grueling day and given how little sleep she'd had the previous night, she just wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep.
She had to deal with this whole mess of marriage proposal from the Zithilite King. She'd received word that the emissary had arrived and had requested an audience with her the following day. How shameless and brash, she thought.
She also had to deal with the fact that someone had broken into the palace. She did not disclose of her meeting with the stranger, and instead played dumb as the senior guards investigated the intrusion.
They even went as far as investigating the kitchen staff, suspecting someone of dosing the guards to make them fall asleep. There was even talk of replacing the guards since they dared sleep on the job. Shana felt bad, but she couldn't do much to help them. If she did, she'd be letting the cat out of the bag.
After all this, she was pretty exhausted. Hence, once she had had her dinner, she went to her bed chamber and sent away her servants.
She noticed that one of her windows was wide open, something that irked her. Shouldn't her maidservants already lock it by now? Instead of standing in the cold, she went and tried to lock it but realized that the locks were broken. Has someone broken in using the window?
With a shock, she turned around and did a once over. That was when she noticed it. On the desk by the bed, the was a wooden chest. Not too big, just slightly larger than a palm. Curious, she approached it.
In the back of her mind, there could only be one person responsible for such a feat, the mysterious stranger from the previous night. Thoughts of him consumed her, and she blushed, wondering what gift he sent her. She wondered if the soldiers she sent had arrived, and what was his plan.
All these thoughts ran through her mind, and even though she knew better, she decided to open the chest. In it, there was a note, and a funny looking brick. Its surface was so smooth it looked as though it was carved by a master sculptor. She'd never seen anything like it before. Lastly, there was a small booklet.
She decided to read the note first:
Your Majesty,
I know you have a lot of questions, but unfortunately, I could not stay for long. In this chest, you will find a way for us to communicate. Follow the instructions on the guide on how to use the chest. I look forward to hearing from you.
"How thoughtful," she thought, curious on the method of communication he referred to. How could a mere brick assist her in communication? She'd heard of magic, but she never believed it to be real. Could this man be using magic.
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced. This man could somehow send objects to her sealed room, and he even showed up himself, after incapacitating the guards.
Surprisingly, the booklet told her to long press (and explained what that is) a button on one side. When she tried it, she was shocked it was pressable, and the feeling was quite unique. She then tried long pressing it.
Suddenly, the screen lit up, and she could see writing on it. A funny looking icon appeared, and soon afterwards, another screen flipped in. Shana was so shocked she almost dropped the communicator. How could such a miraculous thing exist?
After the shock had washed over, she quickly grabbed the booklet to read on what to do next. She quickly registered herself, by now getting accustomed to the device. Her young and agile mind quickly adapting to technology.
In one of the sections of the guide, she saw a place to send and receive mail. It was a communicating app Jim had created similar to the contemporaries of the day. He had also set up several drones which acted as a mini-internet, allowing communication.
When Shana opened it, she noticed a notification:
You have one message. Open now?
She replied by clicking on it, an idea that she found so novel.
Upon opening, she saw the handsome face of the mysterious intruder and a circle around it. A hand icon was hovering over it and motioning the action of clicking. There was the notification:
Click to view.
When she did, the handsome face filled the entire face, and to her shock, he began talking. She even flipped the communicator to ensure she was not dreaming.
"Your Majesty, my apologies on how we met. Matters were pressing and I had to act. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is James Caarson, my friends call me Jim ..."
"How dare you call yourself the son of Mother Caar?" she demanded. However, she noticed the man continued on, as if she had not spoken. No matter how much she interrupted, she noticed he didn't even notice it. Finally, the clip ended, and it went back to the initial state.
She was infuriated, so she clicked on it again, only to see the same message repeat. That was when she understood, this was a recorded message, not someone on the other end talking.
After it was over, she decided to replay it again, this time, actually pay attention.
"Your Majesty, my apologies on how we met. Matters were pressing and I had to act. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is James Caarson, my friends call me Jim. I wish to inform you; thus, the shame and outcry of our people have reached the heavens, and mother is displeased. She sent me with one task, remind the people of her power. She has equipped me with special knowledge and abilities to see this done, but I need the support of the people. Only by marrying you can I see this done."
"I know I have nothing to convince you other than my victory over the hordes that will descend upon our people. I pledge that I shall exterminate every barbarian that dares step on our Holy Mother's sacred ground!"
"When this is done, I invite you to seriously consider my proposal. Thank you for your trust and sending the one hundred. We will be the first of many to teach the barbarians what happens when they mess with us."
Shana replayed the message over and over again, mostly just to stare at the man. His handsome face, how serious and passionate he got when he spoke about his purpose and mission. Even the love in his eyes as he spoke of the Holy Mother.
She was greatly moved and wondered within herself, could all this be real? Could this man be a gift to her and the people from the goddess. Such a thought brought her endless joy, and even getting hitched to such a man did not phase her. Instead, she even fantasized about it, letting her thoughts go wild.
Once her emotions had calmed down, she saw the option to reply. When she did, she suddenly saw herself within the brick (communicator), looking back. Then, she saw the option to record, and the same hand emoji appeared, with the prompt:
Click to record.
Shana wanted to start recording right away, but once she clicked on the record button, she realized something: she did not know what to say. She caught her breath as she thought about speaking to the man. She had a thousand questions, but none formed.
She quickly ended the recording, and when she got the prompt, she discarded the message. After several tries, she finally got her stuff right, and this is what she had to say.
"Jim, (She couldn't bring herself to say the word Caarson, as it meant acknowledging his boast) it is my sincere wish and prayer that all that you have said to be true. May the mother quicken your feet into action and bring you fortune in your endeavors."
All these were words she had heard her speak, especially when performing a blessing. She decided to be as non-committal as possible, hoping to see results. She was satisfied with this message, and sent it, but then she remembered, she should have asked about the plan.
She somehow managed to add another message:
"The emissary from Zithile has arrived and will be meeting me tomorrow. What do you think I should do?"
After a few retries, she decided to keep it short, and sent it. All this really excited her, and she felt like she'd been recruited in a secret mission by the Goddess to save her people. She was so excited that by the time she fell asleep, it was already approaching dawn.