Muriel
"We're here!" My eyes fluttered open as I stretched myself and yawned. Ahhh, what a nice nap. I smiled to myself before excitedly rushing out of the door of the carriage.
The others were already out and also stretching their stiff limbs and I was the last one out. Excitement filled me as I looked around and fed my eyes on the beautiful scenery.
We were standing in front of the footsteps of a large castle. I shivered though when I felt the freezing cold biting at my skin as I looked.
Oh right, we were in Idris, home of frost and snow. Everything was covered in snow, I couldn't even see the ground and little specks of white kept falling from the sky. It even felt like Christmas had come.
The palace in front of us had many guards situated around. It was as big as Wingardium Academy but I was awed at the designs of the palace walls.
They were entirely made of ice, snow flakes served as white glowing designs. But even so, it doesn't mean at all that you can see the inside. No, you can't and that's what made it more enchanting.
It's towers rose to the sky like skyscrapers against the misty sky. The guards around were wearing cool all blue uniforms with linings the color of white and swords hung on their sides in their sheaths.
"You'll catch a cold stupid girl." The first ranker's stoic voice brought me back to reality and I looked behind me when I felt something warm envelope my body.
I could feel soft fur brushing against my skin as the coat warmed me up. It was a thick fur jacket, all the rest were brown but the linings by the neck was lined with white fur so soft akin to a cloud.
I sheepishly smiled as I wore it properly, Leirum pocketing his hands inside a pure white jacket as he looked up at the main entrance.
"Thanks devil prince." I retorted back as he gave me a brief glance and scowled at me. We were then supposed to have another round of taunting when...
"Welcome my dear friends." a familiar voice interrupted us and I quickly looked at the large palace doors that I didn't notice to open.
And I was right... It was Prince Janus.
"Prince Janus, are you fine getting up already?" Antoinette asked with worry as we all walked to meet the Prince who chuckled.
"I'm fine Lady Antoinette." Prince Janus answered in a genuine voice as he smiled warmly. Just like Leirum, he wore a jacket made out of white fur as we all exchanged greetings to him.
"It's a pleasure to meet the powerful circle of twelve, along with the heirs of the other kingdoms and of the imperial kingdom, and of the Leader of the Highest Court Lord Azrael, what an honor." Prince Narsus chuckled as the others scratched their napes.
"Don't flatter us too much Prince Narsus, our heads might grow big." Leo kidded around and all of us laughed, of course, except the expressionless first, silent Cyan, poker faced second ranker and Shingu who didn't have a care about anything.
just what is wrong with this people?
"You are so stiff as always, I see." Prince Narsus then turned to the first ranker and wrapped an arm around Leirum's shoulder who just rolled his eyes.
"Well lady's and lords, please do come." The prince graciously said as he steered Leirum towards the entrance of the palace and entered the doors as we followed quietly, little did we know that Lord Azrael walked off towards somewhere and when we noticed, Prince Narsus just shook his head and said that the Lord has probably headed straight for the king.
Even though Leirum answered Prince Narsus' questions with short words, it still showed how much they were close since the first ranker seemed to have just a calm but serious aura around him when normally, a sinister aura was always around him. Also, he doesn't talk that much to us like how he does to Prince Narsus.
If the outside looked so amazing, it was even more inside. Frozen pretty different flowers as if frozen in time were inside the walls as decorations. There were servants inside, no, not the kind of servant who looked like Cinderella with all that rugs for clothes, they were more like presentable maids of rich people which was the case.
Portraits hung from the walls and showed different paintings of some people who seemed to be the previous rulers of this kingdom since all of them bear the same crown and had some similar features.
The floor was made of white marble tiles and chandeliers hung above.
The place was simply beautifully elegant and amazing. I wonder how the other palaces of the other kingdom looks like. I bet they're all pretty in their own ways though, they're palaces after all, nothing compared to the past palaces I saw in pictures of the late kingdoms of England.
Leirum and the prince kept talking to themselves so we started conversations of our own. We were just having a good time together when we came across something.
In front of a huge door stood maids that were holding trays of food and kept on knocking.
"Prince Narsus. You have to eat, please your highness, you haven't eaten for a few days now!" one of the maids called out in a worried tone as she knocked on the door.
We stopped on our tracks as a normal reaction while Prince Janus sighed and walked towards the door as we followed and the maids gave a bow of curtsy as they backed away and gave him way.
"Lord Brother, nothing will happen if you just mope around. Come out and eat, you can at least do that to stop us for worrying." Prince Janus said in a soft but pleading tone as he softly knocked on the door and we silently watched behind him.
"Go away big brother. Just... leave me alone." came the reply from inside as Prince Janus' expression was that of worry, well, all of us were worried.
Prince Narsus' gave a defeated sigh as he turned to go away when we heard a loud bang, we saw the door thrown away in splinters and chunks of ice, Leirum, walking inside casually.
From my line of sight, I saw Rex face palm as the maids scurried away in shock while we opted to just join the first ranker inside.
"C'mon you brat, I didn't go to that damned human world for nothing, now do me a favor and get your ass up at once." the first ranker's voice resonated inside the room.
For some reason, I only noticed just now that even if we were inside this building made of ice and frost, it wasn't that cold at all, if anything, the place has a normal room temperature.
Looking inside, everything was grand with the only source of light coming from above. A beautiful chandelier was hung from the ceiling, blue light as the source of light.
A somewhat persian like carpet with intricate designs were at the floor, a small table at the very center of the room.
On the left corner was a furnace with a couch a few good meter back but there was no fire. At one side were bookshelves that bore many books on them which all looked ancient.
The walls had many flowers frozen in them but all were the color of white and blue, other than that, the theme of the room was blue, white and gray.
At one corner of the room stood a king sized bed that was all too grand compared to my bed. White transparent but glittering silk was draped from the four long posters of the bed which formed a roof above it.
And under the white soft looking covers which seemed to be made of fur was a large bump, like that someone under was curled up in a ball. Prince Narsus slowly removed the cover over his head and his golden eyes peered at us.
"Lord Leirum?" his soft voice spoke up as his eyes drifted from each one of us to the other while the first ranker clicked his tongue and walked closer to the prince's bed.
"Get up. That's an order, not a request." the idiot said and I cringed at his harsh tone. That is no way to speak to a child.
"I'm not in the mood, just go away." The prince said, repeating his words from earlier and threw the covers back over his head as he turned his back on us, Prince Janus, giving yet another sigh.
I thought Leirum was finally stopping then but I was proved wrong as he pulled the covers away from the prince and threw the boy over his shoulders like a sack of rice.
"What I say goes." the first ranker declared before he passed us and walked out of the door with the prince pounding at his back and yelling at him to let him down but as expected, the first lord just gave him a deaf ear and vanished from our sight, heading towards who knows where.
"He hasn't changed has he?" Prince Narsus said with a shake of his head as Rex and Cyan grimaced.
"That guy is impossible to contradict. Narsus should've known better." The second ranker said with a wave of his hand and started walking out of the room and we all followed after as Cyan curtly apologized about the first ranker breaking down Prince Narsus' doors earlier.
"Please, stop apologizing, that matter is nothing hard to fix." The older prince of Idris waved off. From behind, we heard something that sounded like a rumble and that made us all turn and look at Ryouta in shock.
"Was that guttural sound from your stomach?" Mikael said with a frown as if it wasn't already obvious while the rest of us bit back our laughs and watched a pink hue make it's way on Ryouta's face who was clutching his stomach.
"I'm hungry." The latter said with a pout while all of us finally laughed out loud, making him blush more furiously. Awww, what an adorable guy!
"You are a disgrace." Rex said bluntly and Ryouta scowled at the second ranker. Look's like he found another one to argue with besides Mikael and Alfreed.
"Sorry but I haven't eaten much this past few days you damn brat." Ryouta hotly responded and I frowned. He sounded just like Leirum. Has the first ranker rubbed his rudeness on the adorable glutton? I hope not.
"Do not fight you two." Violet sighed as the two glared daggers at each other before looking at opposite directions. Tsk. Kids.
"Ah, where are my manners. Come, we'll have a dinner with my lord father." Prince Janus said with a laugh and guided us through the halls of mazes to join the king of Idris for dinner.
Finally, we reached the dining hall and someone welcomed us as we all bowed low as a sign of respect. It was none other than Prince Janus' and Narsus' father, the king of Idris. Lord Azrael who was beside him was just quietly seeping his coffee and looked thoughtful with his far away gaze.
"Please, raise your heads and join me my dear ladies and lords." The king graciously welcomed as we slowly stood up.
He sat at the far end of the table, the usual one that the highest person in the house takes, Lord Azrael by his side.
I was surprised by the king's looks though. He didn't look as old as I expected. His silver hair was tied back in a low pony tail as his violet eyes warmly looked at us. He could pass as Prince Janus' older brother with a few years gap.
He was dressed in a long white fur coat that he resembles an ice king. An aura of authority surrounded him, fit like how a king should possess as he gestured for us to sit down and we did just that.
"What an honor to meet all of you. Anyway, before we talk, we need to eat and before we dine, may I ask where Lord Leirum is?" the king asked us and Rex took it up to speak.
"I believe he is with the royal prince, my king." He said in an impressive curt manner as a smile made it's way on the kings lips.
"I knew that Lord Leirum can be the only one who can do that. Ahhh, I didn't want to disturb him as to call him for my son but I am more than grateful for your visit." The king said gracefully as Prince Narsus chuckled.
"I believe that Lord Leirum will be able to put Lord Brother back into shape if I were asked."
"Well, speak of the devil and the devil shall come." Alfreed said with a grin and we turned to the door as the two entered.
The first ranker wore as always his cold mask as he dragged Prince Narsus' behind him by the collar that I coughed.
"That is no way to treat the royal prince, Leirum." Shingu said while giving an amused smile but the first ranker only shrugged and forcefully made the unhappy looking prince sit by his side.
"Royal Prince? He's still a damn pampered brat who needs to learn his lesson all over again." The first ranker retorted and Violet frowned.
"Your words, my lord." Violet cautioned while she gave an apologetic look to the king and the two prince's but the first ranker didn't give any sign of hearing what she had said or he just simply chose not to respond.
"It's fine." The king assured while giving a warm smile to his son, Prince Narsus who refused to meet his gaze and that made the King sigh.
"Anyway, please give me the honor of dining with you." the King announced to Ryouta's joy and the feast began.
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"I see that the circle of twelve is now complete, but I see two unfamiliar faces, could this be Lady Muriel and Lord Kevin who has come from the human world?"
We were now finished with dinner and the maids of the palace took the plates away and left us for the conversation.
"Muriel and Kevin is fine my king." I said with a smile as he looked at me.
"Hmmmm. I sense the potential of blue flames and telekinesis in you dear lady but it seems that those aren't your only potentials." The king said thoughtfully and meaningfully as we looked at him in confusion.
He seemed to have no plans of explaining it further to us though so we just dropped the subject while he turned his attention to my brother, a look of amazement in his eyes as he examined him.
"Blue flames, wind, earth, water, ice and lightning. I'm clearly impressed of how much power is within you. This is simply...impossible." The king said and we didn't know how to react at all as he rested his chin over his hand.
"Are you sure you aren't of royal blood?" The king asked and Kevin turned to look at me for help, making me sigh.
"I'm sorry your highness but as of now, I only know him as my brother, well it seems to be..." I said apologetically but unsurely. I don't even know what the heck I was spouting about!
"Hmmmm?" he nodded at me inquiringly as if urging me to go on further.
"I have no childhood memories actually. All I know is that I was a seven year old kid when I found myself in front of an orphanage, a place where abandoned kids or whatsoever are left to. I remembered nothing beyond that and Kevin was just a baby by then." I truthfully answered as the king nodded his head in understanding.
"I see." he quietly said and once again, his eyes drifted off to Mikael who was silent all the while and blankly staring at his hands. the king immediately understood what it was all about as he gave a defeated sigh.
"My dear son, you aren't Hamash's real son, but he took you and treated you as one when he stumbled upon the humans Drew and Marian. You felt his love for you didn't you? He loved you as his real son but it was hard for him to tell you the painful truth. He didn't want you hurt." The king said in a soft and genuine tone as we all kept quiet.
At this particular issue, I glanced at Ryouta but he acted calm and didn't show any suspecting actions at all that amazed me and at the same time saddened me.
"I know..." Mikael answered in a weak tone as his fists clenched.
"The human that killed him had already payed with his death and so were those others that inflicted pain to all of you. You of all people should know then that not all humans are evil. Take Drew and Marian as proper examples of real humans."
"Every human has darkness within them, but that doesn't mean that all of them choose to succumb to that darkness, there are still good in some humans so I hope you won't bring yourself as to search for revenge." The king advised cautiously and in my line of vision I saw Ryouta look up hopefully.
"Is Marian and Drew fine?" He asked hopefully as he stared at the king of Idris.
"Indeed they are young one. However, humans age to quickly so expect it that they're not the same as they were when you two had left. They are now settled in New Jersey but you both are still welcome to visit them." The king kindly said and the two whom Leirum and I watched to have a deep connection with the two said humans, smiled gratefully.
"Thank you for looking after them." Mikael thanked sincerely and the king just waved his hand with a smile.
"It was forbidden to have contact with the human world if not on a mission but when my brother, Hamash met Mikael and them, we talked it out with Lord Azrael who talked to the imperial king myself." The king said and nodded to the silent high leader beside him.
"The imperial king is just." Lord Azrael said shortly and we frowned. What is wrong with him?
"Anyway, King Lushne, Prince Janus and Prince Narsus, Lord Father seeks your presence in the imperial kingdom as with the other royal families of the different continents tomorrow night." Shingu finally stated and I was getting dizzy at the formalities but I tried my best to be just the same as them though I was used to calling the other rankers just by their first names.
The king's expression turned serious while for once, Prince Narsus looked up in interest and exchanged a glance with the king and his brother, Prince Janus.
"And what may it be about that the royal families are summoned in a gathering with the imperial king?" The king asked curiously, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Well, a summoning usually means that something is up so I'm not the least bit surprised.
"The prophecy about Azeroth's and Earth's fate has been retrieved and the high kingdoms will have to join once again."
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