15 CH14:R: Morning Hours

"The Regalia Kingdom was founded by a man named Revon, at a young age the man created an army to rebel against the Triumvirate of the Ghal Empire. Because of Revon's pivotal rebellion, the Ghal Empire fragmented into three separate countries. Thus born the country before you, Regalia, the Kingdom, of what was the Centre of the Ghal Empire." Lesson Notes From Tutor Tonselwift.

An hour after sunrise, Reanna woke up to a child's laughter and a tantalizing aroma. Blinking her eyes open, she sat up from the patchwork cloak she was lying upon. She ganders her surroundings, she glimpses her brother and Siger conversing and guffawing. They sat near the center of the pedestal where there is a modest brimming bonfire that has been recently reignited from last night before.

Reanna still feeling tired, got up and stretch out her leather training vest. Unlike her brother, who wore his embroidered cloth tunic with casual pants for dinner two nights ago, she wore her riding attire with a leather dueling vest, more fit for the circumstances at this time. Her stomach grumbles at the aroma of cooked meat.

She wearily walks forward towards her brother and Siger.

"And then what happened?" Regulus excitedly ask.

"Well, what happened was that Revon tripped up the men that were chasing him by kicking a deluge of rocks down the stony ridge that the men were climbing up upon. The men just, tumble back down to the bottom of the ridge, cursing his name." Siger says with mirth with eyes.

Reanna huddles down crouching, staring tantalizingly at the sizzling meat that was stake over the fire. Reanna thank Siger internally for hunting the rabbits that were rustling around the ruins early this morning. Regulus, took the stake rabbit meat and cheerfully handed it towards Reanna's eager hands. Reanna drooling with expectations take a huge bite on the rabbit's leg she was given.

"Hawtssh!" she howls with a slightly heated tongue. Her brother chuckles at the newfound speech impediment she attained for being too eager to feast on that roasted succulent rabbit leg. Siger also chortles out a laugh from the cleverly devised prank her brother tricked her into.

"Youssh did dish on puporish!" Reanna spat out to her chortling little brother.

"Oh Big Sis, you should have seen your face, you were so eager!"

Reanna face began to glow beat red from her little brother's interpretation on what transpired. She was about to smack her brother with the roasted rabbit on a stake when Siger--

"Hey don't waste it, it'll be your breakfast and lunch for today."

Reanna caught her actions, embarrassed at what she was about to do and waste. Her face still beet red, sat down beside her dastardly brother with a red face and a blistering tongue.

"I'm sorry Big sis, I just couldn't help it!" Regulus trying to hold his snickers as he too tries to concentrate finishing the rest of his roasted rabbit.

Reanna bothered with Regulus nonchalant attitude realized something that hit her in the gut, this was the first time she saw Regulus smile after that night. Relief struck her unpleasant mood into melancholy silence. She gingerly blew on her roasted rabbit meat, to warm it up for her burnt and ravenous mouth.

"Oh yeah, where was I with Revon? Ah Yeah... he escaped the pursuit of the Ghal men who were ordered to take him back to the Cradle Citadel."

"When did he founded Regalia and destroyed the dastardly Ghal Empire."

"He did not destroy the Ghal Empire alone...What the historians did not tell you that the Empire was just too large for the three of the Triumvirate bickered over the leadership of their rulership."

"So they fought one another?"

"Yes and no, you see the three were blessed by the sky. All of their children envy their gift, but could not know the secret of how they attain such blessing."

"So the empire stagnated over political power struggle and enviable drama?" Reanna inputs, interested by the story Siger was telling.

"Yes, you could say that."

"And Revon was the catalyst that collapses the Triumvirate and Ghal Empire." Reanna surmises.

"Catalyst, an interesting name to call Revon." Siger staring at the flame swivels his head and nods to Reanna's choice of words.

"Time to get moving." Siger wearily gets up from crouching form. He gathers the coat that the children were laying upon, and wore it comfortably around his person. "Nice and warm." The man chortles out a smirk.

Regulus also gets up, finished with his breakfast, he threw the empty wooden small stake into the sizzling fire.

"I'm gonna go a take a wizz."

"Manners!" Reanna scolded her brother.

"Mother and father ain't here so…" Regulus once merry face went dejectedly by the loss of their parents.

"I'm sorry, Reggie, I didn't mean." Reanna tries to apologize to Regulus standing and hunching form.

"It's fine sister." Regulus turns around heading out of the temple, to a place where he could be alone.

Reanna staring at his back as he exits pass the stone pillars of the temple, sighs internally. 'I should not have said that.' She scolds herself for bringing back depressing memories.

Siger dust dirt and grime of his patch leather cloak. Reanna did glimpse the small daggers he kept around his waist and chest glimmering the morning light. She always wanted to ask him this, when she first saw the old man in action. He was so good at throwing his daggers, they felt unreal to her inexperienced eyes.

"How are you so good at throwing daggers?" Reanna hesitantly asks the old man.

"Oh? You wish to know aye, little miss?" Siger with mirth says with a tone of jubilance in his old gruff voice.

"I'm not a little miss, look at what I am wearing, I am no ordinary noble princess." Reanna retort at Siger's nonchalance.

"Ah right, now that I reflect back, you did not yet complain about the long hike we took. Very un-lady-like, I suppose." A worried expression is plastered on Siger's face while he dolefully looks down upon Reanna.

Reanna finished with her meal stood up, embarrassed at Siger's worried expression.

"Not all ladies have to act ladylike!" Reanna argues her point. She only took this point of view for a few years now, after first discovering her love for dueling.

"I suppose your right. You remind me of someone I used to cherish." Siger smiles wistfully.

"Who was she?" Reanna inquires, interested more of the mystery man who saves her and Regulus from a fate worse than death.

"You would not know her, little miss." The old man turns an about face, to avoid her probe about his past.

"Time we should get ready to depart this sacred temple, it has gifted us a haven of reprieve." Siger nodded himself as he exit pass the pillars holding the stone roof of this temple to the land.

"He should not have mentioned her," Reanna mutters to herself as she follows Siger out.

They both met Regulus waiting in front of the Regis temple for them. He was oddly chipper from the last time she saw him.

"Let's continue our adventure!" Regulus calls out. Reanna face distorts to disbelief and somewhat relief. 'He probably thinks this is some heroic adventure we are in.' She surmises as she glances the back of her brother moving onwards past the ruins. She thought about her journey so far, family betrayed by their allies, escaping pursuit through a dark forest, and finding old ruins of the past. I guess it was sort of an adventure she reasoned out. 'I wonder how it would end?"

"We will cross down the valley ruins, there. There will a crevasse, near the ridges there will be a stony path."

"Please don't tell me, beside the path there is a ridge with said crevasse below," Regulus says in dismay. Reanna chortles are Regulus concern about heights, though she did have that moment a day back. But in all her challenges she is overcoming, falling off a cliff seems rather trifling.

"Yes, same as before. Don't worry there won't be a stony bridge this time."

"Oh yay, no more stony bridge." Reanna sarcastically mocks, swaying red hair back. Her hair was frazzling her face this morning, she really needs to find a string to tie back into a ponytail. She sighs missing all her anesthetic sets for her person back in the manor.

Regulus halted back behind them, waiting for them to overlap him so he does not face the path they are taking any sooner. Reanna smiles pass him while Siger worriedly looks back at him.

"Don't worry, the path will go downhill all the way. Besides this is an adventure, what is an adventure if there are no challenges afoot."

Reanna ganders back to her little brother, Regulus clutching his nerves with face resolute continues it courageous march to his fears. Reanna faces forward, smiles at her brother resolute demeanor. 'Mother would be so proud…'

"Once we are past the valley, we will head to a northerly direction. There is a town nearby where we could get provisions." Siger nods to himself, as he strides beside Reanna.

"Then we head to my brother's army camp and tell him what has happened to mother and father," Reanna confirms with Siger.

"Yeah, our big brother will take care of those men, especially that big man. He will cut him down." Regulus boast of his older brother prowess.

Reanna remembers clearly how Balic avoided Siger's dagger throw when Balic was injured. She is unconfident of her brother's skills, she knew he was an amazing duellist, but she had the feeling Balic does not duel.

"Yes, when we get to the village, I'll haggle for some horses we can ride. And if we are lucky and avoid our pursuers, we will be able to make it to your brother safely." Siger brimming with confidence says out to inspire the party to move onwards.

"Why are you helping us Siger?" Reanna curiously asks again, she can't believe someone would help them so much in the risk of their own lives falling into Rhaodian swords.

"I've been a loyal friend to your family for a very long time, and I can't, I won't stand by while people I care about get killed." Siger determinedly said.

"Thank you for everything you're doing for us..." Reanna thank.