Kura remembered now. It was all coming back to her.
"You have not changed one bit," the king straightened his back, "Elegant. Poised. And most of all, quiet."
Kura stared back at him, keeping her mouth shut and emotions in check. She was sure that if she hated this place so much, she would have destroyed it. But there must be a reason why she did not.
"What is all the ruckus about?" came a voice.
That was it. That was the reason why Kura kept herself composed.
From the door to the right, out came an old woman with a kind smile on her wrinkly face. Her clothes were not as fancy as the king's, but they were still elegant.
"Acting Queen Arianne," the king addressed and welcomed her.
"A gracious day to you too, King Leon," the old lady replied before looking at Kura and her friends. "I see we have some guests."
"And Kura," King Leon added, "Perhaps you would like to catch up with her while I prepare the things needed?"
Acting Queen Arianne nodded. "We can talk in my quarters," she announced before turning around and walking through the door she came from.
The leader gestured for Kura and her friends to follow him and the acting queen. Kura was curious about her relationship with the acting queen was, but for some reason, she was even more curious about whatever King Leon meant by preparations. There was a nagging feeling that told Kura she didn't like it.
At Queen Arianne's quarters, Kura and her friends were offered to sit on comfy, dark purple and pink couches around a wooden table where a tea set was.
"Thank you, General Noah," Queen Arianne thanked the leader before he excused himself and shut the door.
Kura eyed the old lady who smiled at everyone as they sat down.
"Who are you?" Cold inquired.
"The Acting Queen, Arianne Lan," the old lady replied.
"What did that cocky king mean about 'catching up?" Kristen asked.
"What do you think, Kura?" Queen Arianne turned to face Kura who eyed the queen suspiciously.
What does she think? Kura does not know. What role did this woman play in her life? What did Kura do with her?
Then the word appeared in her head. That old hair, that kind smile, that elegant demeanor. Yes, it could make sense.
"Grandmother," Kura muttered in disbelief.
"Right you are, my child," the old woman smiled at Kristen with her eyebrows raised as though she was saying, "See?"
"Do you know anything about the 'Kingdom of Lumina'?" Mel immediately got down to business. But instead of the expected informative answer from Queen Arianne, the acting queen just eyed Mel.
"Why do you want to know about this place?" Queen Arianne asked.
Cold explained what had happened. As Queen Arianne listened, she sipped her tea and rubbed her teacup as though she was reminiscing.
"And we ended up here," Cold concluded.
"Child," Queen Arianne placed her cup back on the table, "I would love to help if I could. But unfortunately, the name 'Kingdom of Lumina' sounds foreign to me."
"Grandmother," Kura started, "what about King Leon? And...what did I do?"
"You simply ran away, Kura. And as for the king, I do not mean to speak badly about him, but you have always disliked his Majesty," Queen Arianne smiled at Kura, "And for good reason."
"What did he do?" Kristen asked.
"For starters, requested to be wedded to Kura but treats her like a servant."
The words hit Kura hard. No wonder she left this place.
"What's 'wedded'?" Mel asked.
"You wouldn't wanna know," Solla replied, "It's not something..." she bit one side of her lip as she frowned. Though, from the look on Mel's face, she still seemed curious to know.
"Well then, do you know anything new about the war between Cadleigh and Wintershold?" Rayn asked, eager to change the subject.
"You six are some of the most updated people on this matter. But yes, I do have some new news," Queen Arianne explained, "Bleidin has succumbed to Wintershold's request."
"Wait...what does that mean?" Solla asked.
"All the warriors of Bleidin are summoned to fight for Wintershold. If not, they are to be marked on Cadleigh's side and either captured or executed," Queen Arianne's face darkened with sadness.
"Is that not a war crime? There are innocent civilians at Bleidin," Kura asked.
"As the infamous ruler of Deiaste once said, 'there are no war crimes if everyone is dead and no one can report it. Wintershold has always been one to take bold and daring moves. They are confident that they will win this war," Queen Arianne chuckled, "And for good reason as well."
"What do you mean?" Cold inquired.
"Nophos is separated by the cold and warm regions. And usually, kingdoms in the same region are more close to each other than from the other region," Queen Arianne started, "Wintershold has Bleidin and Antrinita to back it up. Freushia is staying out of the way because they are a strictly neutral party with nothing much to give other than wisdom and serenity. Whereas Cadleigh..."
"That's why they issued the Call of Cadleigh?" Solla asked.
"Indeed, child."
"What's the Call of Cadleigh?" Cold asked again.
"A month ago, Cadleigh issued a calling for warriors all over the world to come to join their force," Solla explained.
"Cadleigh cannot request assistance from neighboring kingdoms for various reasons. Liatrez is a tribal kingdom with its own problems about unity. Claudatya is the secluded kingdom where the Dragons live and wish to stay that way. Whereas Newtrew is the kingdom of trade with no real government."
"Sounds like Cadleigh will lose then," Rayn said sadly.
"Fear not, children. Cadleigh has withstood Wintershold's attacks for a while now and many brave warriors are aiding their cause," Queen Arianne sipped her tea.
"Aren't you on Wintershold's side?" Kristen asked.
"Even though everyone sees it that way, I am but a neutral party. I am something of Freushia myself, simply existing for guidance and assistance," the acting queen replied.
"Grandmother," Kura started, "Why is this place the way it is?"
Queen Arianne chuckled. "Antrinita is not the way it was in the past. Back in the day, Antrinita was the one who brought a pause to the war between Wintershold and Cadleigh. I was the one who brought the pause to the war."
She sipped her tea as Kura and her friends took the time to let that sink in.
"But like Winterhold, Antrinita became corrupted. The royal family became crafty and arrogant, and as a result, so did most of the nobles," Queen Arianne explained as someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal a young girl with short dark brown hair and gentle brown eyes. She was in a simple dress, but the quality of the few layers told Kura that she was not just a random person.
"Your Highness," she bowed before entering.
"Haily, come join us," Queen Arianne ushered her to the seat next to her.
The girl obliged and gracefully sat on the purple cushion.
"Everyone, this is Haily Lan. Your cousin," Queen Arianne looked at Kura.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Hailey smiled, "Apologies for the interruption."
"No, no, you are just in time. I was about to tell them the tale of how I single-handedly prevented the climax of the war all those years ago."
Haily's eyes lit up. "Would you like me to tell them the story, Your Highness?"
"That would be lovely, dear."
"A long time ago, at the climax of the war between the Kingdom of Strength and the Kingdom of Compassion, Queen Arianne stepped up and intercepted the battle. With the power of the Guardian's artifact, she created a giant wall to separate the troops from engaging."
Guardian's artifact?
"Then she told them, "Do you not see this patch of water? The fishes that live in this waterbody? They inhabit the two different temperatures this waterbody holds, yet they never fight. They live peacefully together along with all the other creatures who inhabit this area. Think of the waterbody as Nophos and look all around you. Do you not see the suffering of your people as the result of your actions? How have you doomed Nophos so dastardly with no care?"
Haily was glowing at this point. She told them how Queen Arianne got the rulers of both kingdoms to swear an oath to themselves and Nophos. Thus, no war raged on.
"But times change," Queen Arianne continued, "Wintershold filled the lake in their region, and rulers were replaced by their descendants."
"And then Wintershold broke their oath?" Kristen asked.
"Their next ruler, King Warren, did. When I first met him, he was a sweet child. He had always loved to play with the animals and cared for them greatly. But only the Goddess knows what happened to that child."
"Maybe we can end this war completely," Cold said and everyone looked at him.
"Before we woke up in Freushia, I had some kind of dream," Cold described his dream and the things that the lady had mentioned.
"I'm guessing she meant that eight days are right now," Mel commented, "someone reported to the Wintershold king that his 'grand attack' will take place in seven days."
"Wait, seven days to get the key or...?" Kristen asked.
"I think sixteen for keys, from what Cold said. But what's for sure is seven before Wintershold's attack," Rayn argued.
"Seven days?" Solla asked, "Hasn't it been three since you guys woke up?"
"Then there is not a moment to waste," Kristen got up from her seat.
"If you do manage to obtain more artifacts, they can assist you in their journey," Queen Arianne continued, "Each artifact possesses a specific power to help you."
"What are they?" Kristen asked as there was a knock at the door.
"Our time is up. I wish you all safe travels," Queen Arianne smiled as she got up from her seat.
The door opened and King Leon came in.
"Kura Nolan," he turned to face Kura, "it is time to continue where we last left off."