Chapter two

Khaln

The day for Prince Michael to arrive in the capital city came fast. Seven days after the engagement was announced in Cairia. Tula had brought her details about the banquet to take place that night, a banquet to welcome prince Michael, Khaln's marriage.

Khaln was not planning to attend, but she wanted to make sure everything would go well. Passed that, she just had to wait for Aurora to bring the other news she asked for.

Yet done, the plump girl of sixteen did not leave, but looked at her, biting her lower lip, fidgeting. "Any problem?" Khaln asked, as it was unusual for Tula to be that way.

The girl hung her head. "It is just my lady..." She trailed off.

"What?" Khaln asked.

"It is... people are talking," the girl replied, nervously. "They said you will leave for Fortwall after the marriage... And...wallers are cruel."

Khaln did not have an answer for that. "You can go..." She said. But right after found it too unkind for someone that fears for her, she gave a toothless smile. "I will be alright."

Tula bowed. "Yes my lady." The chamber maid replied, departing, closing the door behind her.

Alone, Khaln went to her desk, beside her bed, sat and picked a book,easily tracing the page she left.

Her room was a grey, black old one, with black square marbles as flooring, well furnished, and cleaned. A little book shelf at the left wall,  while the right wall had the bathroom door, the drawer and wardrobe. An old lamp sat on her desk to help with the sight in the setting sun. And the marbles meant the floor felt cold to her feet as she read.

Reading the history of Fortwall, about king William the first king. The man that rose the first walls of Fortwall, and sent attacks at passing Cairian traders. That was far before the empire was united, before the great wall, before Sirius and the Queenwitch, before the human-wrath war, and the war deemed the witches' might. King Williams is dated one thousand years ago. When the war between Fortwall and Cairia started, a war Khaln arrogantly dreams to stop, if she admits herself.

She was engrossed in the book, but not far gone that she hadn't heard the windows creaked faintly, felt someone behind her that thinks they are silent navigating the room. And in all truth Aurora is silent, but her body heat betrayed her as it always does. "I see you are back." Khaln said.

"Yes." Aurora admitted. The bitterness in her voice. Khaln smiled, suspecting if her tricks work on every person but one, it wouldn't make her happy either. She closed the book, turned to her friend.

Aurora was laying on the two sitter couch beside the red centre table. Her right knee bent, with her foot on the couch while her other leg lay stretched. Her head rested on the arm rest,with her glossy black hair falling past her shoulders, partly on her chest and partly behind her. She wore a black trouser and an equally black hooded shirt that made a fair contrast to her fair skin. "I saw the prince," she claimed, frowning, sitting up, stretching her hands and aching her back. "he wasn't too bad."

Aurora, never tired of resting.

Khaln went to the window looking at the city below. Five floors cramped buildings with flat roofs,spider web alleyways and streets, well built roads and bridges, the capital city of Cairia in its beauty under the reddish evening sun.

She loves her room as it gives her a good view of the city. The only room higher than it in the castle is her father's,and the only building higher than that in Cairia is the temple. That way she sees the city from the window and anyone approaching the castle. But as she looked past the rampart and the golden armors on it, past and around the castle gates, she saw no sign of a party riding in.

"You can't see him," Aurora told her, as if reading her mind. "He's too far from here. And would not be here quick.... Gard is making sure of that. I saw him blocking the road,waiting for the prince."

The Fortwall prince was not what stunned Khaln, she turned. "Gard my brother?" She asked making sure to keep the surprise from her voice. It had been a year since she saw him, her twin. He used to visit at least once in three months, then once in five. But since he left the last time he hadn't visited. Perhaps their father was right, Gard is getting too used to war, she thought.

"Yes your brother." Aurora replied, smirking. "Are you sad because he didn't come to see you first, but went looking for a fight?"

The woman was right on mark with her words but Khaln would not give her the satisfaction of an expression. She shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with a good fight."

Aurora shrugged in return. "I don't care." She said. Then picked an apple from the bowl on the table, making sure to choose the best she could find, and started eating.

It was Khaln's apples, usually no one takes her things. But the woman does her biddings, and in return Khaln forgives her little faults. Like how Aurora wears her cloths when ever she sees fit, eats her meals and sometimes sleep on her bed, the worst is stealing. But they have come a long way, she and her now street-thief friend.

Khaln looked back at the city in thought. Immediately, something caught her eyes, a moving orange dot in the reddish sky. It made her curious, she watched, when it came closer she got a better look at it, it was a phoenix.

A red big bird with long wings flapping, its body burning with orange-red flame. She felt a mind connection with it as it came, it was using it to find her. A true divine beast, a mystical Phoenix swarm in the sky. Towards her she knew, and she loathed the visit.

People about the castle or the city she could see stopped, looking up, pointing. The sentries at the rampart were trying to stop its entrance. Shooting arrows, diving away as it swept down for them, throwing spears at it, but it flew past anyway.

Aurora came up beside her. "A Phoenix." The woman rasped, totally taking by the sight.

The bird neared.

Khaln turned away from the window, ran out of her room, went through the dim quiet corridor, into the room beside,through its back door. Stopping only outside, on the bridge connecting her tower to the king's. Aurora ran out after her. "Why are you stopping." She shrieked. Eyes wide in fear, looking up at the phoenix that was drifting above the doom roof of Khaln's tower. From its flame signature Khaln could tell it was male.

The bird noticed them there, turned, dived down. Aurora drew back immediately, till her back met the railings. "Khaln don't just freeze." She shouted.

The phoenix kept coming till it was before them in mid air, flapping its each five feet wings in a steady rhythm to keep it afloat. The wind blowing from its wings rose dust from the narrow bridge, making Khaln squint, and wafted Aurora's hair about.

The phoenix set its flaming eyes on Khaln. "I traveled a long journey to meet you my queen." It said.

It was no real words it spoke. It was the flame words: a way of speaking by moving flames. No normal human can understand it, only few sorcerers, or in Khaln's case a queen phoenix; she, qualified a being of fire as any they is.

Fire burned in her hands for a reply. "It sounds adventures." She admitted. Not needing to speak with her mouth, but did anyway, out of habit. "I hope it does you good to come here."

Aurora was catching. "You can speak to it?" She squeaked. "I...is it a friend?"

The bird cast its eyes on the fair skinned woman. She yelped. "It's looking at me... So beautiful."

Khaln sighed, shook her head, just interested in getting rid of the burning bird. "Who are you?" She asked coldly.

"Soar." The phoenix answered.

"Soar," she echoed, "and what brings you here?"

"Hearth is in dire." Soar told her. "The elder sees doom ahead without your presence...."

Khaln could not let it go on "Your elder is wrong...." She replied. Turning to the door she came out through, as she felt about a dozen body heat,and footsteps approach. Her father burst out with two men behind him, no room for the others to make it out, brandishing a short axe, the big man had a scowl on him.

"Khaln draw away from it." He called, ready to throw the axe. Soar gazed at the man warily, its flames flickering wildly.

Khaln held a hand to stop her father. "He can't hurt me father." She called back.

"Barbarian..." Aurora muttered.

"Don't be deceived daughter," her father insisted. "These things are predators."

Khaln turned to Soar. "Go." She said.

"No." The bird replied. Anger stirred in her, she just wants to be left alone.

Since she started the castle fire she never wants anything to do with fire. "Go." She yelled this time. The phoenix looked hurt, it hesitated, but turned going, looked her once over its shoulder, and soared up, piercing the sky leaving Cairia.

Suddenly a heavy head ache hit her, she stumbled, every word from the others distant. She closed her eyes and held the bridge's railing.

Sending the bird away hurt more than she thought it would.

When she opened her eyes she saw Gard at the castle gates riding in, in a rush. Cairia also needs her, she told herself.

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