After touring the Throne Hall, Astoria and Keya took a stroll outside. At first, the green-haired elf was hesitant to let her go out. Still, with Astoria's persuasive skills, which she learned at the police academy, Keya agreed. As they walked outside, Astoria's eyes were darting everywhere, taking in every detail of the palace. She turned to face the castle in front of her.
'Woah, it's gigantic!'
Stylish windows were placed here and there across the walls in an asymmetric pattern, along with asymmetric crenellations for archers and artillery. Statues of kings were lined up outside the palace gates, serving as a reminder of the past. The palace did not show any signs of decay, although it had been around for ages.
A grand entrance with colossal metal doors, a draw bridge, and hot oil pots offered a warm haven within this lukewarm Kingdom. The draw bridge seemed like it was the only easy way in. Still, one would be surprised by the difficulty one would experience to enter the palace as the security was tight.
'Is it being held up by magic?'
Trees and well-kept bushes grew close to the castle gates, which provide valuable wood for various purposes. The castle had really stood the test of time with its twenty slim, round towers linked to small bridges and connected by giant, narrow walls made of bluestone.
The palace had well-kept gardens with fragrant flowers, trimmed bushes, and various fountains with sculptures of magical creatures. One could see buildings, houses, and other structures of varying colours and sizes populating the grounds outside the palace walls. Some houses looked better than others, while other houses looked like they belonged to the poorest of the poor.
"Do all the creatures live in harmony?" she asked Keya.
"Yes, Princess Nexi. There was a war between the different creatures more than two thousand years ago. It was a horrible war, the worst of its kind. Species turned against each other. Some were almost wiped out."
They walked to the garden and sat on a silver bench. The palace garden had a well-kept plot of grass which was enclosed by huge flower bushes. A lone, heavy boulder sat to the left, and on top of it stood a gold ornament. The rows of flowers were really well looked after but still allowed plenty of space to grow; they were buzzing with various insects.
The flower bushes reached 1.3m high but never usually grew this tall. A path of stepping stones curved around each bend of the garden, directing visitors around naturally. A large decorative golden fountain with the statue of the Goddess was the pride and joy of the garden.
"That was until Lumina, the Goddess of the Silver Ocean, showed up."
The elf pointed at the golden fountain.
"That's the Goddess?"
Keya nodded.
"She met with the Water Folk and bestowed the king, King Leararts, the power to wield the Silver Ocean. Thanks to that, the kingdom was saved, and so were the lives of the people."
Keya had continued, staring off into space.
"King Leararts? Oh, I'm guessing that's why the academy is called Leararts."
Astoria realised. The elf nodded.
"But what is this Silver Ocean, exactly? Can I control the ocean with it?" she asked.
"Not exactly. It is the power that comes from the Goddess herself. Like a heart, it pulses magical energies into the world. It can restore what has been lost, turned evil, or broken. To put it in simpler terms, it is one of the most powerful and pure magic powers anyone could possess. Before, many creatures had this power, but as the years passed, they began to find it difficult to control and bend this energy to their will. They also used the power for evil. The Goddess saw this and took the power away from them. That is why only someone strong and pure of heart can wield it and why the Goddess bestows the power herself. Your father, the king, was given that power from her."
"Why is it called the 'Silver Ocean' if it has nothing to do with controlling the ocean?"
Astoria asked the elf. A light, gentle wind blew, causing the elf to tuck her green hair behind her ear.
"Since the power can only be given to a Water Folk, a creature belonging to the ocean, according to the Goddess, it was named that. The 'Silver' is for the colour the power emits when in use."
"I see," Astoria mumbled.
"Although you are the youngest, born out of wedlock and not from the queen, the Goddess chose you as the next wielder. This infuriated your siblings."
The king had met Princess Nexi's mother on his journey to Nurn Farum, a city only inhabited by humans. The king saw her at her weapons shop and instantly fell her. It was love at first sight. A passionate night occurred during his short stay, and Nexi was born months later.
"When you were born, the people of Nurn Farum were not so welcoming. They said they couldn't allow a child of the Water Folk to live in the city, especially since the city was only for humans. Although your mother pleaded to stay in the city, she was banished. That's when you came here to Ashen."
Keya looked at Astoria.
"Your father had no idea of your existence, and although the queen had protested on your mother's stay in the palace, there was no denying that you were the king's daughter. The queen and your mother got into an accident five years later. This left your siblings, the king, and you very heartbroken. You and your siblings have never gotten along ever since you came to this kingdom, especially your sister."
"I see."
Again, Astoria was overwhelmed at the information she was being told. However, she was grateful that the elf was responding to her questions. She came to a hypothesis.
'So, these siblings may dislike Princess Nexi because she was given the power of the Silver Ocean, although she was born an illegitimate child and a mixed breed. Then is it possible that whatever led to the Nexi having amnesia was planned? I mean, that's usually the case with most of the novels I have read. Was the princess maybe attacked? No, that can't be. Her body shows no signs of wounds, but then again, maybe she got healed by a healer or something.'
Whatever the case may be, she told herself that she had to find out what had happened to Nexi. It was no use asking the elf because she seemed like she was trying to hide the incident.
She also doubted that the king would say anything about it. Someone may be trying to kill Nexi. Out of spite? Anger? Maybe jealousy? She did not know. Either way, she has to find out what happened, figure out how to get her body back and leave this magical world.