⩩ A FEW MONTHS BACK
As the sun began to pack away for the day and hide behind distant trees, it casted long shadows across the training grounds, making the bustling space look like a battleground of overlapping shadows fighting against each other for victory.
The sound of clashing swords and shouting voices inebriate the atmosphere, mingled along with the distant chirping of birds, crickets and the rustling of leaves with the cool evening breeze.
The sky took on a warm orange hue, with streaks of pink and purple slowly spreading across the horizon. The fading light casted over the wooden dummies, archery targets, and training weapons strewn about the grounds.
The first time Sirius had seen Ori was when she had dressed up as man and sneaked her way inside the training grounds of his estate.
Her lush brown mane was tied up and forced into a knitted cap, her womanly figure was hidden beneath a god-awful piece of coarse, dirt ridden, shirt and patched baggy pants. Whilst standing at-ease, her feet parted more comfortably than of those around her.
It did not take Sirius' guards long to catch the impostor amongst them.
"Please! Sire! I WANT to be a Knight!" Her first words to him were a shout as she was being forced on her knees, both hands detained by a guard on either side. Her dark brows wilted with passion and her blue eyes stared into his with much persistence.
To say Sirius was surprised would be an understatement. His amythest eyes held curiosity when he scrutinized all of her.
"I must say, I am impressed that you made it here, but rather disappointed that you got caught," Sirius gave her a small smile, leaning back into his cushioned chair as he crossed his legs by the knees.
Her head jerked with exasperation, pupils blown out. "I won't get caught again! I promise! If you only make me a Knight —"
Her desperate pleas were cut off by his hand in the air.
"What is the first clause of the Nobelai Empire? Words of the Oracle." He questioned, with a raised brown.
His cold amythest eyes were disappointed to see her face hang down in silence. Her proud head which was maintaining eye-contact with him, turned to face the dusty ground. Her blue orbs shifted left and right, as if trying to form sentences.
"Um, well- the Rulers-"
"I want it word by word," Sirius declared. Her balance on her knees faltered just by a bit. Though, in the next second, she looked him in the eye again.
"I don't know the golden rules but I can fight!"
"So can the savages of the outskirts, miss. To be a Knight is not only knowing how to fight."
Her tone was hopeful and enthusiastic, eyes almost challenging him to give in and watch her fight. But Sirius was no easy man. He would not let just any passerby be a Knight under the Empire. It was one of the most esteemed professions amongst commoners and thousands of better people were just waiting to get a chance.
"But, if you tell me, I can learn—"
"Take her away," Sirius gestured to his guards and they did pull her up to drag her away. Her heels dug a trail into the dusty grounds, her passionate blue eyes stared into his and in her promising voice she merely called out:
"I will be a Knight one day! Just you see!!"
She did not protest much while being dragged away, which came as a surprise to Sirius.
Which also came as a surprise to him because...why was he having sudden expectations from a person he just met?!
⩩
The sky was laden with shinning stars, streaming a mystical path in the universe.
The horse's breath created a misty fog as it patiently waited for its owner to arrive. The carriage attached to its bejeweled reins was ornate, decorated with intricate carvings and symbols of the Nobelai.
In the air, emanated the scent of damp earth and distant woodsmoke travelling from the countryside, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
The second time Duke Sirius had seen Ori was when he opened his carriage door, deep in the dead of the night, and she burst out with a sudden shout that had him clutching his young heart for dear life.
"God, in fashioning those of you who are fitted to hold rule, mingled Gold in their generation, for which reason they are the most precious— but in the Nobels, the helpers of the fittest, he poured Silver and Brass in the brave Warriors and Iron in the Workers. Doing so, he birthed the magical empire of Nobelai for us."
She chanted like a woman possessed, sparkling eyes and tone devoid of any remorse, of having broken into the Duke's Carriage, as she recited all three Nobel rules of the Empire.
"I know them now! All of them! You MUST make me a Knight now!" She persuaded, head craning to meet Sirius in the eye, whilst the Duke collected himself from his miniheart-attack. Had this girl no sense of calm?!
"You do realise this is considered breaking into private property? You can go to Jail for this!" The bitter in his tone showed and caught her off guard. He had had a long day and he would be having a long night, but the last thing he expected was for her to break in and make it...
"Yes, I do know, but there was no other way I could meet you! They wouldn't let me go inside!" Ori raised an accusatory finger at the Butler, standing in the shadow of the Duke. "He kept saying mean things to me!" Ori complained as Sirius turned to look a guilty Albert in the eye.
"I'm disappointed in you, Jenkins," Sirius tsked. "Take her away, we need to make haste," he gestured his guards, who charged at her. Like before, she made no extra lunges to defend herself or protest her early departure and it left Sirius a tad disappointed again.
"Until we meet again! I'll make you make me a Knight!"
She called out into the dead of the night as his guards dragged her out of the Estate. Oddly, it brought a small smile on Sirius' tired face.
"I apologise to have disappointed you, Your Grace, but this is the second time that girl has broken into the estate. Do you think we should do something about it?" Albert questioned whilst rechecking the carriage for any planted traps.
"No, Jenkins. She is harmless."
⩩
Prince of Eldoria, Aldric Liam the fifth, was one of the four wheels of success in the Nobelai Empire and a potential successor, if anything were to happen, to Nobelai's heavenly Empress.
He was devastatingly handsome as proposed by commonfolk and an acquaintance of Sirius. Though, they were more than acquaintances in Aldric's perspective, but Sirius maintained the boundaries in their relationship.
Monthly brunch was mandatory also because they happened to be cousins. An honourable relation on Prince Aldric's part and a detestable relation on Duke Sirius'.
Prince Aldric enjoyed the smell of fresh flowers and the warm sunlight streaming inside Sirius' personally curated Greenhouse. Using his title, Aldric would often force his cousin to meet in places personal to him so he could feel closer to his Sirius. So he could force them to bond.
Though, all Duke Sirius did was sip on his tea and occasionally nod at Aldric's words.
"This place is utterly beautiful, isn't it? I am forever fascinated by your curation skills, brother dearest, I must confess, I love spending time here." Aldric complimented warmly, with the eloquence of a Prince, as his hands moved timidly, trying to make his own tea because Sirius only got himself a cup. Rude brat.
The Duke merely grunted in response, barely acknowledging his cousin's presence. Though, all of his being was desperately wanting to shout out loud, 'I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER DEAREST.'
Aldric sighed inwardly. It seemed that no matter what he did, Sirius always kept him at arm's length. He had hoped that a quiet brunch in a serene setting might be an opportunity to bridge the divide between them, but as usual, Sirius was a frigid, impenetrable wall of monosyllabic answers.
"Making tea is tough, eh? Ever since Humerah went away. I don't think they teach us guys how to make t—"
"I can make tea! I make excellent tea! I'll make you a tea if you make me a Knight!"
Ori's head popped out of the circular table cloth, from under their round table, and stared up at Sirius. The Duke, caught off guard, kicked his chair away from the sudden presence. In consequence, the chair tipped backwards, with the Duke still on it, and in a moment's notice he was about to hit the floor when Ori grabbed a hold of his hands and pulled him in the opposite direction.
Prince Aldric could only stand and stare at Ori the Duke pressed against her, both a flustered shade of crimson.
"Good reflexes," the brunette coughed, looking around the marvellous tiled ground. Sirius was quick to twist her hands away from his wrists and cough awkwardly.
"Thank you," he mumbled under his breath, locking his hands behind his back.
"Good thing I was here, eh?" Ori joked, trying to reduce the awkwardness, but all she did was remind Sirius of more pressing matters at hand.
"Excuse me?! How did you even reach here?! What is wrong with you?!" Sirius groaned, exasperated, as the girl sheepishly rubbed her palms against her arms and scratched her head.
"I just want to be a Knight!"
"Knighthood is not handed out on whims, Miss. It takes years of hardwork and dedication. It takes education and morals, which you clearly lack!"
Aldric was caught off guard by his brother's speech. This was most he had seen him speak, all throughout his life. With amused eyes, he settled himself back on the chair and observed away.
"But, I have been trying! I have been training my whole life for this! When I turned twenty-one this was all I could dream of! I want a better life for my family! Do you know that we live in underground dungeons because land revenue is so high in Evermire?! I want a better place and standing in life and I WILL get it!"
The fire in her eyes propelled daggers at the Duke. This was new.
"I refuse to acknowledge that. Evermire has pension plans for every old, sick or unemployed person. Don't bring your silly little dream to undermine my Dukedom. Every registered citizen has the right to live on land and demand an audience with— wait...are you a registered citizen?"
He had caught her off guard again. The fire condensed into a mere push of her lips against her cheeks. A forced smile.
"My dream is not silly or little! It might be a moment in the passing for you, but to me, it is my life! And well, so what if we might not be registered—"
"How can you even dream of being a Knight when you are not even a registered citizen under the Empire?" Sirius' tone was so low, his hand was so close to face palming himself, his eyes were so close to rolling back, but he maintained a strict persona in Aldric's face.
Now the reasons of her shabby state and constant sneaking around were all blatantly obvious.
Her whole existence was illegal, quite literally.
"I, uh, my- I will be registered soon enough!" She proudly declared, clearly bluffing as her chin jutted out too much and eyes blinked too much. To be registered under Nobelai was to belong in one of the four main classes of the land and clearly, this girl had no standing.
Sirius couldn't help but scoff in her face.
"Do you know that you are in the presence of not only the Duke of Evermire but also the Prince of Eldoria?" His silver brows raised in a condescending manner as the brunette instantly dropped to her feet. Horror laced her face.
"I-uh, I am sorry! I did not know - I—" she was about to turn and greet the Prince but Sirius caught her before that. With a finger tipping her chin, he urged her to keep her eyes strained on him instead.
"You will be detained," he whispered and as if on some magical cue, his guards ran inside and clutched her hands again. She hung between the two as they dragged her away, head bent and no cries or words of protest to show.
She did not resist, yet again.
Why did she never resist? Why would she give up so easily just to comeback again? Could she not do it all in one day and end it soon?!
Sirius would get grey hairs at twenty-five just because of her sudden appearances!
This was already their third meeting and her first jail time.
As night drifted closer and Sirius was done with all his schedules of the day, he headed to his bedchamber to relax and rest in peace. Though, his mind was still burdened by her words.
As if on cue, Albert caught up to him and informed with a curtsy, "Your Grace, she broke out of the prison!"
Sirius raised a proud brow and nodded to himself in acknowledgement of her skills. "She found the tunnel faster than I expected," he mumbled as he settled himself on his sofa and rested his eyes.
Sirius had her detained only to keep her off Aldric's notorious radius. His cousin brother had a bad reputation for stringing along pretty girls with not-so-ladylike personalities and a penchant for ruthless heartbreaking.
The last thing Sirius wanted for an ambitious and naive stranger was to be a puppet in the hands of his manipulative cousin brother.
"Don't you think we should do something about her, Your Grace?! After today, this is turning—"
"How are your letters of repentance doing, Jenkins? I only recieved seventy-five of the hundred I asked you to write." Sirius opened an eye to watch Albert gulp.
"I thought you forgot about it, Sire," Albert coughed, wandering eyes not meeting his master in guilt and embarrassment.
"Make it two hundred," Sirius smiled a sweet smile as Albert dropped to his knees. In a mess of apologies.
The Duke shrugged him away.
"Say, did Father not provide for all those who suffered in the war? Why are people still living in those underground dungeons?" He asked, closing his eyes again. From what he knew of his father's reign over the Duchy, every commoner was compensated for the war caused amongst Royalty. They were given new homes and provided pension plans until they would regain a certain amount of financial stability.
There was no way a handful of people would have denied all of those privileges and chose to remain underground. Heck, there was no-way many modern people would even know the location of the dungeons. Unless, they were on the opposing side of the war. Unless, they were the ones hiding away. Unless, they were revolters.
Who was that girl? Why was her family hiding away? Why was she so desperate to be a Knight if her family was in hiding? Wouldn't it be self sabotage? Or did she want to betray the Empire?
But the sparkling intensity in her eyes said otherwise.
Albert was quick to fetch the files from the officechamber and hand them to Sirius. "Yes, Your Grace, the late Duke, may his soul rest in peace, made sure to provide for all suffering families and even the immigrants. Every Durus and Aeris was provided extra funds. The empirewide Crysomancy to make sure all deserving people got the funds," Albert explained, wiping the sweat off his forehead as Sirius sat back straight and took a hold of the file.
It was funny how history was remembered in the papers.
Crysomancy was the crystal goblet test to determine the blood of Nobelai's inhabitants. Every ruler had Gold in their blood, every Nobel had Silver in their blood, every Warrior and Businessman had Brass in their blood, and every Worker such as Farmers, Craftsmen, Teachers and all Subjects had Iron in their blood.
Every citizen was important to Nobelai, as long as they remained in their class, laid low and did their part.
So why was Ori's family escaping the Crysomancy? What were they hiding?