King of Alacrya

Chapter 1: Entering Alacrya

NOTE: The cockatrice was chosen to be the national bird of Alacrya as in mythology the Basilisk and the Cockatrice are seen together often, with both species being cousins of one another in some instances.

Tessia kept her head on a swivel, taking in as much of the breathtaking sight as possible. On her left for miles beyond what she could even really see, a deep blue sea disappeared into the horizon. On the other side, a canopy of green trees reached higher than any forest she had ever seen, even higher than the trees in the forest of Elshire that seemed like they could touch the stars on a cloudless night. Small towns and bustling villages dotted the country and Tessia strived to catch a glimpse of all of them. The excitement buzzing through her body had made sleeping on the carriage ride almost impossible and had kept her leg bouncing nervously throughout.

This trip was a big deal.

And an even bigger opportunity.

Ever since slave traders had kidnapped her, her parents and grandfather coddled her, smothering her and not really letting her grow into her own person. This trip gave her the opportunity to show herself and the world at large who was Tessia Eralith.

She was strong. She was capable. She was ready.

"Tess, weigh in on this." Tessia dragged her gaze away from the surroundings to face the seats where her two best friends were sitting in front of her. Claire lifted her head over the back of her chair to get the daydreaming princess's attention.

"On what?" Tessia asked with a tilt of her head.

Clive's head suddenly popped up above the seat next to Claire and said with an exasperated tone, "That we are not in any danger on this trip."

Tessia sighed and shook her head, "Alacrya has been stable for almost two years now, we are perfectly safe."

"Sure, explain that to the heavily armed and dangerous soldiers waiting for us upon arrival." Claire replied with wide, almost manic eyes.

"Claire...", Tessia groaned out in frustration.

Tessia understood where Claire was coming from. Honestly, she really did.

However, she had the same conversation every day with her grandfather, sometimes multiple times a day if his duties on the Council were a bit more lax. The weeks before she was set to leave, Virion had even forced her to train in what could only be described as pure torture incarnate.

Tessia eventually put her foot down when her grandfather started to do sneak attacks in order to improve her senses and awareness. These surprise attacks had been very effective, much to the chagrin of the staff that worked in the palace at Zestier. The jumpiness had gotten so bad that she had accidentally broken two different maid's noses on the same day.

"Think about it like this...", Clive, ever the mediator, began soothingly, "at least with soldiers around someone might be able to protect you from Tess's fists of fury."

Tessia let out a despondent sigh, slumping down in her seat, whilst Claire's hands shot up protectively to cover her still slightly swollen nose. "How was I supposed to know she would react to a surprise hug like that?!" Claire whined pathetically.

"I told you multiple times!" Tessia argued back, her hand flapping wildly alongside her words causing Claire to duck down in fear.

"Also, Darvus had literally just been taken to an emitter...", Clive commented thoughtfully, shooting Tessia a small smile before dropping down to join Claire who he had successfully distracted from her original train of thought.

Tessia shook her head in amusement at Clive's tactics, reaching underneath the seat before her to pull out her copious notes. She intended to read them for probably the thousandth time, promising that she could look back out at the picturesque view after one more read-through of the economic background of the continent.