Raven and I made it to her kingdom and I parked my van at the gates leading inside the main city. Getting out, I began to admire the beauty of the city in front of me. Raven made her way forward, guiding me into the gates and the front guards bowed toward her, expressing their undying loyalty toward her.
The Teal Tanzanite Kingdom, home to the Sagittarians, was a realm deeply connected to the art of archery, exploration, and celestial wisdom. Governed by a dynamic and free-spirited royal family, the kingdom places archery at the heart of both its military and cultural identity. The rare and radiant teal tanzanite stone, found in abundance in the kingdom's vast landscapes, served as a symbol of clarity, precision, and the unerring aim of the Sagittarian archers. Here, archery is more than just a skill—it is an art, a philosophy, and a way of life.
The Sagittarius Kingdom was a land of boundless adventure, with vast open plains, dense jungles, and towering mountain ranges. These varied landscapes offered countless opportunities for travel, exploration, and training in archery. The climate ranges from warm savannas and temperate forests to cold mountain heights, ensuring that the kingdom's archers are trained to adapt to any environment.
Archery was the defining art of the Sagittarians, who believe that the bow and arrow are extensions of the soul. Every citizen is taught to shoot from a young age, and mastery of the bow was seen as the highest form of self-discipline and focus. The bow was considered sacred, representing the balance between power and precision, the physical and the spiritual.
"Welcome to my Kingdom, August. Around you will see that everything is either related to the Tanzanite or the art of the Bow. It's a pretty modern city as well if I say so myself," Raven said, looking around and smiling as she glanced at her people going through with their day to day lifestyles.
"Mmm, everything is rather... peaceful, but St. Meishi as a whole is a rather peaceful district. Well now it is, a month ago when Vinson was one of the four Masters, this district was ran with just power and domination," I said, slipping my hands into the pockets of my long coat as I followed Raven.
Raven glanced back at me then turned back forward. "Vinson Vaughn? Ah yes I knew of him...he was also a Sagittarian and the old king of the Blue Topaz Dynasty. Ever since his death, that Dynasty has fallen, but not without taking away the Teal Flames of my home..."
"When his son, Archer, went to the Sagittarius Temple, he bonded with Mehira briefly, taking her away from me on the night of my coronation to become the Artemis of this generation. Since that day, I've been hunting for the Psychic Tanzanite and Archer. Do you know him?" Raven asked, falling back to walk beside me.
"Know him? Pfft...he's my archrival, I used to attend St. Meishi Academy with him and we've been clashing heads for a while now. He's with The Fallen now and has given into his Dark Impulse," I answered, a few memories flashing into my head. "I still have a score to settle with him...he's a Dark Zodiac and who knows how many more like him there are out there..."
Raven glanced at me, seeing the seriousness in my expression as I spoke about Archer. She looked ahead and walked closer to me, looking at the afternoon sky. "Were you two somewhat friends?"
"Hell no," I said with a soft chuckle, lowering my head. "That guy can burn in The Abyss for all I care.."
Raven couldn't help but to laugh softly at my response. "Whoa, you're planning to put him under the Underworld and beneath the Realm of Hell huh? Geez, I don't need to ask you if you hate the guy.."
The two of us continued forward reaching the capital city of the Teal Tanzanite Kingdom. The capital city, Zenthara, was a city of archers and stargazers, built upon a plateau with a clear view of the vast savannas and distant mountain ranges. Zenthara's skyline was punctuated by tall watchtowers and observatories, where archers practice their long-distance shots, and astrologers chart the movements of celestial bodies.
The Grand Observatory of Artemis was not only a center for stargazing within Zenthara but also for practicing celestial archery. Skilled Sagittarian archers train here to shoot arrows at incredible distances, using the stars to guide their aim. The observatory's open-air terraces serve as training grounds for the kingdom's most elite archers, who practice shooting at targets based on the positions of the stars, harnessing both physical skill and spiritual connection.
At the heart of Zenthara, perched on the highest plateau overlooking the sprawling plains and distant mountains, sat the Starshot Citadel, the grand palace of the Teal Tanzanite Kingdom. True to the Sagittarian spirit, the palace was not just a seat of power but a living symbol of the kingdom's connection to the stars, the bow, and the unending pursuit of knowledge and discovery.
"Welcome to my castle. It's the first I've brought anyone here who isn't a close friend of mine or a part of the Royal Bloodline of Archers," Raven said, stopping in front of the palace.
I gazed at the palace and halted my steps beside her, admiring the celestial beauty of the palace. "It's a very nice palace.."
Raven smiled at me and began to step forward. "Come inside, I'll show you around.."
I nodded and began to follow Raven inside the palace, the guards stepping aside to allow the two of us inside.
The interior of the Starshot Citadel was a blend of regal grandeur and practical design, created to reflect the kingdom's love of freedom, the stars, and archery. Unlike other royal palaces that may feel confining or overly ornate, the interior of the palace is filled with light, open spaces, and constant reminders of the Sagittarian devotion to exploration and archery.
"Big sister! You're back!~" A young girl's voice called out from behind, an excited giggle escaping her lips.
We turned around and noticed a young girl hurrying toward us, holding a robotic bunny in her arms. I glanced at Raven and chuckled softly at her soft blush of embarrassment, my gaze returning to the young girl in front of us.
"Little Dove," Raven said, walking toward the young girl and crouched down, fixing the hoood of her cloak and smiled at her. She looked up at me, a soft smile on her face. "August...meet my adoptive little sister, Hikari aka Little Dove."
Hikari was a young girl with a pale complexion. She had short lilac hair covering her left eye with a yellow smiley face clip on it and dull fuchsia eyes. Hikari wore a faded deep blue cape like coat with black, grey and white accents and black lace-up shoes. Her hands and arms were bandaged, almost as if they were recovering.
Hikari glanced up at me, growing a bit nervous and shy. She gently held Raven's sleeve, hiding herself from me. "Big sister...who...who is that? Is that your boyfriend?"
Raven's face heated up quickly, shooting into a bright red at her question. She looked at Hikari, shaking her head. "N-No, he's not my boyfriend..! W-We just met today. His name is August..."
"August?" Hikari asked, softly gasping and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Raven. "The Leo Zodiac Knight and leader of The Pride? That August?"
I chuckled softly and crossed my arms as I looked at Raven and Hikari. "Looks like I'm famous amongst the children as well, huh?"
Raven smiled and closed her eyes then stood up. She looked down at Hikari, holding her hand gently. "Hikari, meet August. He's a friend, an ally of us Sagittarians~ He helped save me from an assassin.."
"Wow! Really? You helped my Big Sister?" Hikari gasped, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at me.
I smiled at Hikari and nodded, tilting my head. "Your big sister was a piece of work at first, but we soon came around and settled our differences."
Raven grumbled at my comment, her blush returning to her cheeks. "Hey, I had a perfectly good reason to attack! It's not like I went for headshots or anything.."
I chuckled softly and rolled my eyes. "Might as well have. You tried to assassinate me for the Zodiac Crystal as if I stole it."
"You tried to kill August? Who won the fight?" Hikari asked, looking between me and Raven.
"No one truthfully. But if we were to fight right now, she would give me a bit of trouble," I answered.
"But would you lose against Raven?" Hikari asked, looking up at me.
I chuckled softly at her question, tilting my head and slipping my hands back into the pockets of my long coat. "Nah, I'd win."
"Alright, and that concludes our meeting. Little Dove, go play with the others. I'll meet you in the playroom in a bit. There's something big sister needs to take care of, alright?" Raven said, looking down at Hikari.
"Aww! Okay, big sister!~" Hikari giggled, hurrying off and hummed a tiny tune.
I smiled at Raven, raising an eyebrow. "What couldn't handle the truth?"
"Shut it now, or you're taking a Crow Stinger straight through your skull..." Raven muttered, a blush playing on her face.
I smiled at her and watched her walk forward, following behind her. As we traversed through the halls, Raven led me toward a hidden area within the Sagittarius Citadel. We traversed the dense woods, our steps careful to not step into any traps the Sagittarian Archers placed for their hunts for food and resources.
We arrived at the Sagittarius Temple and walked inside. I looked around the temple, seeing a generational line of bows upon the wall and statues of the previous Sagittarius Knights, Champions, and Deities. Looking ahead, I noticed an empty slot within the pedestal, where the Psychic Tanzanite was meant to be placed.
Raven placed her Zodiac Crystal into the slot of the pedestal, the crystal shining and Mehira appeared beside Raven to help her awaken the Temple. A light shone upon the floor in front of the pedestal, a platform rising from the floor.
"Every Artemis or Orion of each generation is able to obtain their own Zodiac Bow which resembles their own appearance and style. As you know, this opportunity was taken away from me during my coronation night but now I'm gonna take part in finally obtaining my own bow," Raven said, walking forward and stepping upon the platform.
I stepped to the side and watched Raven, seeing a celestial fiery energy flowing around her body. Mehira stood behind her, creating a true link with Raven and merging their energies together.
"Focus. Think about the way the stars point and stretch your arms out. It is your time...to awaken the Teal Flames within," Mehira said, gently guiding Raven's arms in a perfect position.
Raven closed one eye, focusing on the target in front of her. She held her hands in a position to resemble show she holds her bow, red lightning crackling in her hand and slowly forming into a bow slowly. Soon the red lightning began to transition into purple lightning then shifted into teal lightning, fully constructing into a bow.
Raven took a deep breath, forming an arrow out of the Teal Flames that spiralled around her, drawing the string back then released the arrow. The arrow flew forward, slamming into the target at full force, a teal light shining around the entire temple.
Outside, the top of each watchtower began to light up, Teal Flames forming and returning the soft warmth back to the kingdom as a hole. The children noticed the Teal Flames returning and their eyes sparkled, going outside to admire the loving flames.
"Congratulations, Raven...you are now a True Artemis and fully recognized as the Queen of the Teal Tanzanite Kingdom," Mehira said, smiling at Raven.
Raven looked at her bow, an ornate and intricately designed weapon with a Teal Tanzanite Zodiac Crystal within gifted to her by Mehira. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling a warmth around her and a weight finally lift from her shoulders.
"Finally...the Teal Flames are back where they belong. I'm never gonna let anyone or anything take these flames away again," Raven vowed silently, opening her eyes with a set resolve.
I watched as Raven walked off the platform, a soft smile playing on my lips. "Well, Queen Artemis. How does it feel rising up to power once again and reclaiming your territory?"
Raven glanced at me and smiled, making her bow disappear then looked at her hands. "It feels nice, I can't lie. Spending that month preparing to take Archer down and searching for the Psychic Tanzanite...it feels nice finally taking back what was mine. The children now have the warmth they need to live and guide them while I'm with you all.."
I smiled at Raven and let out a soft chuckle then turned my foot toward the exit. "Shall we head back to the kingdom?"
Raven nodded. "Yeah, let's head back to the kingdom.."
The two of us began to make our way back to the citadel, walking side by side together. We enjoyed the peaceful walk, a comfortable silence resting between us for a while as we walked.
We finally made it back to the palace, seeing the children and maids outside and enjoying the loving warmth of the Teal Flames outside. Hikari and her friends noticed me and Raven and began to make their way toward us, Hikari taking Raven's hand and pulling her to view the teal colored flames on the top of the watchtowers and the Grand Observatory.
"Did you do that, big sister?" Hikari asked, looking up at Raven with a bright smile.
Raven looked down at Hikari, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah...I brought the Teal Flames back. Now we can look at them together at night and enjoy the way they burn and cast a nice, sweet warmth for the people."
Hikari nodded and giggled softly, looking back at the watchtowers and the Observatory. "I wanna be an Artemis like you one day, big sister...be a hero like you and Mr. August!"
Raven felt a tug and a warm settle upon her heart at Hikari's words. She smiled and exhaled softly as she watched the Teal Flames. 'One day...one day you can be a hero, my Little Dove...' Raven thought, holding Hikari's hand with a gentle squeeze.
I glanced at Raven's expression, noticing a softer side of her that I appreciated. I looked back at the Teal Flames, a smile playing on my face.
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As the day went on and the evening arrived, Raven invited me to stay the night over at the kingdom and I accepted, wanting to get to know more about her as we had this time alone. We sat together in Raven's study, the two of us sitting in front of her fireplace on the floor after sharing a nice dinner.
I watched as Raven used her black feather knife to cut wood chippings into the fireplace, my gaze shifting to the fireplace. "Can I ask you something?"
Raven continued to cut pieces of wood into the fireplace. "Mhm?"
I looked at her once again, sitting with one knee up and rested my arm along my knee. "Hikari...you said earlier today that she was your adoptive sister right?"
"She isn't the only one I adopted. Her friends...I adopted each of them as well. They call me their big sister, but I'm more like a mother to each of them. I treat them and love them like one. They were all in an orphanage that was on the verge of shutting down. I took each of them under my wing.." Raven said, lowering her knife and looked at the flames within the fireplace.
I noticed her saddened expression as she talked about adopting each of them. I knew there was more to the story, but I didn't know if I wanted to press the topic further.
"Y'know...I care about those children more than my own life. I would literally put my life on the line for each of them. I love them so much and when they talk about being like me...it warms my heart as well as hurts it," Raven said softly, leaning her head against the cushion on the couch and looking at the ceiling.
"Why?" I asked, my gaze lingering upon her for a moment longer.
Raven rose her hand to look at it, clenching it into a fist. "I'm no perfect Princess. I'm not like Coral or Aria...I'm not like Melody or even VI and Mina. I've always gotten my hands dirty...I still have blood on their hands. I mean...I myself am also adopted. My biological parents were just mercenaries for the previous Sagittarian Royals.."
"I grew up a mercenary since I was ten, I've always had blood on my hands. I didn't become a Princess until I was 15, when the Queen took me under her wing since I was the new Artemis of today. Even as a Princess, I couldn't escape my life as a mercenary and it soon caught up...and I had to kill my old friends to save my Kingdom. I don't want that for Hikari or the others...to have them walk down my path," Raven continued, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
I stayed a bit silent, processing her words and looking at th fireplace. After a moment, I finally spoke up. "You can try to guide them down the right path. Teach them your past mistakes when they grow older. Bestow them with your wisdom.."
"Yeah, I suppose I can. I just...don't want to see them get hurt. They deserve to live peacefully which is why I will do everything in my power to make sure they can live in an Era of Peace by taking down The Fallen and Cetus..." Raven said, turning her head to look at me.
I smiled at her words then glanced at her, gently placing my hand on hers. "Don't worry...we will take them down together with The Pride and the Infinity Council. We will create an Era of Peace.."
Raven looked at me with a mix of admiration and determination. "Yeah... together.."
The two of us sat in comfortable silence for a moment longer, Raven's pinky gently wrapping around mine. As the night went on, Raven soon began to drift to a peaceful sleep, one she hasn't had in a long time it seems.
Her head gently landed against my shoulder and I sat still, allowing her to rest for the night. I moved her hair from her face, a soft smile playing on her face as she felt my gentle touch. I exhaled softly and closed my eyes, taking this time to also rest for the night.