Crown

Grēges Va Se Dōros-Fly On The Wall

As much as Astrid was excited about getting to know their guest, she was always known for her fickle nature when it came to things that caught her attention. As such, it wasn't long before she became bored with the festivities. She glanced across the table to see Tobi idly poking at what little food remained on his plate. Astrid excused herself, hooking her fingers on the back of Tobi's tunic and pulling him away with her. Confusion briefly crossed his face until he heard Astrid utter the words,

"We're running away."

The pair decided to venture out to the ruins of the old hanging gardens, just behind the mountain and out in the plains. It was a good opportunity for Tobi to test out his newest toy. They arrived within minutes. Tobi got off and marvelled at its speed. 

Tobi spotted Astrid walking up the stairs to the gardens and followed her. "So why are we here again?"

"Dunno. Just felt like coming here."

"...fair reasoning." 

Wooden platforms were strung up in the air among the plethora of flora. The two strolled leisurely for some time while Astrid excitedly spoke of the ruins.

"If you haven't noticed, Solaria is primarily made up of part volcanic land part ocean. So the large grasslands we drove through to get here were a pleasant surprise. It's a rare thing to have in this country. This place used to be the home of many woodland creatures. They would harness the magical energy of the surrounding plants and use it to keep the gardens afloat. They would also package and bring the magic to the mainland, back where all the volcanic land is. This exchange of energy let the land sustain a peaceful and harmonious life but when demon general overtook Solaria all those years ago, he began using the creatures here to farm magical energy and use it for himself.

Solaria never had a formal ruler before him, which made it easy for him to seize control. The way he stifled out the magic from everyone else caused the collapse of many small civilizations. Even the creatures here were worked to death. If that wasn't bad enough if any of them got sick or couldn't do their job anymore. He would have their magical energy extracted and would take it right then and there. Every last one of them died because of that tyrant. That's only in the history books now because one of his aids ratted on him when my mom busted in and started purging the place of his demons. Crazy...how people will turn on one another like that when they think their lives are in danger..."

Her voice trailed off in an uncharacteristically solemn tone.

"What did Illya do with the aid?"

Astrid flipped her hair nonchalantly. "Oh, she killed him."

Tobi mentally facepalmed. "Of course she did," he mumbled.

"Now this place is a ghost town. Everything's been worn down, there's not a sound to be heard. Not even animals will come here. It's eerie...but there's something beautiful to it don't you think?"

Tobi looked up at the canopy, the way the evening sun filtered through the dense leaves and reflected off the mist beneath them was oddly soothing. The cool breeze ghosted over his skin, leaving behind a refreshed feeling that perked him up. "It is...it seems like everywhere I go in this country there's some deep history to it."

Astrid hummed in agreement. "That's because there is. Everyone has their history but I think one of the reasons mom specifically chose this place to rule over was because it reminded her of her would-be home back in Aruma An. She could have chosen anywhere. There are many that would have just thrown their crowns at her feet and let her do whatever she wanted but she chose here. I think for only having two rulers in the course of this lands time, it was extremely well off. That probably caught her eye too. Anyone can just take over from someone and copy cat their way to a decent kingdom but it takes real skill to build one of the strongest empires known to the world all from scratch.

Mom was always kind of overshadowed by her more accomplished family members...she wasn't always the first pick when it came to power and worthiness. So when she took Solaria she probably wanted everyone to look at her and feel like crap haha!"

It was one of the more reflective moments between Astrid and Tobi since they first met. It was a good break from the lot of goofing off they had done. At some point during their stroll, Tobi and Astrid split up to explore the ruins. Astrid stopped to sit and just listen to the nothingness when the rustle of leaves overhead caught her off guard.

"I didn't think Solaria's Princess was a history buff."

Astrid shot up and whirled around. "Who—"

Astrid felt her heart sink and dread fill her stomach as she stumbled back to the edge of the bridge, losing her balance.  A scream ripped itself from her throat and she shut her eyes, bracing for impact. Before her weight could pull her off the edge a hand wrapped itself around her back and pulled her forward. She slowly pried her eyes open to find that she was flush against the chest of a stranger. She glanced up and peered into deep emerald eyes.   

"My My, it looks likes she's a clumsy one too."

She collected herself enough to push him away and reclaim solid footing. "Who are you! What are you doing here?"

The place had been uninhabited for years. When she saw the man she feared that good for nothing thugs were making it their base.

He sighed, throwing his hands up in surrender as he backed away. "Oh dear. I save the fair maiden from falling to her death and all she seeks is to interrogate me." He laughed. "I wasn't doing anything shady I promise. I was just painting the scenery. It's so quiet here that I could hear your voice from all the way across the ruins...that aside...don't you have something to say?"

She looked at him with confusion splayed across her face. He sighed again and put his hands on his hips. "A thank you perhaps? Y'know...for saving your life two minutes ago?"

Astrid sheepishly rubbed her arm and averted her eyes. "R-right...thanks. Sorry for disturbing you..."

"Astrid? Are you okay?"

Tobi's voice echoed in the distance as he approached them. The man turned towards his voice and then back to Astrid.

"Looks like that's your cue to run along Princess," he said with a grin as he made his way back onto his tree branch to resume his painting. 

Astrid slowly stumbled away. She ran into Tobi on her way back. She was standing at an angle from which Tobi was unable to see the man behind her.

"I'm fine, just lost my balance...we should get going. It's getting dark."

Tobi nodded and headed back the way they came. Astrid followed suit, but not before taking one last glance at the green-eyed stranger in the tree.