Riley
The dress made me feel so pretty that I just had to twirl a few times, or as Ru Paul would say it, I was giving nymph, fairy, ice princess realness.
I left Edna and Agnes to do the packing and went downstairs. Today, the entire party was being taken deeper into the Von Esterheim property, the whole party of about seventy people were going to be driven in carriages to the hunting grounds just at the edge of the forest, and everyone would take part in shooting and hunting. Then later there was meant to be a little magic display. Since the party would only end late that night everyone had the option of either sleeping over and then leaving the following morning, or just leaving late at night when the party was over. I was really starting to feel homesick, and I was itching to go and cuddle Sophie, so I decided that I would leave after the party was done.
I walked down the white marble corridors and passed by the massive rooms on my way down to the front entrance of the Manor. When I got outside there were lines and lines of white-painted carriages accompanied by huge and gallant looking horses. Their hooves knocked the ground and they neighed loudly, they seemed excited for the journey, almost itching to take off into a gallop but the sharply dressed butlers beside them were having none of it and settled them by pulling on their reins.
Some of the guests were already getting into their carriages, I stood their awkwardly for a moment not sure if I could just step into one of the carriages myself, but then I saw Arcadia popping her head out of one of the carriages and waving me over. I happily skipped over to her and was helped into her carriage by one of the butlers.
"Good morning!" I chimed at her as I took a seat beside her.
"Morning." She said back brightly. "Thank you for riding with me, if it wasn't for you I would have to go alone." She said cheerfully.
"Alone? Aren't your parents here with you?" I asked, knowing that all the nobles had come in families, and only I had come alone.
"No, unfortunately, my mother and father are attending a conference in Astonia and could not attend, so I came by myself."
I recognised the name 'Astonia' as the name of one of the other four Great Kingdoms, it was meant to be the most intellectual of all the kingdoms
"Wow, what kind of conference are they attending?" I asked curiously wondering what Girannon nobles were doing in Astonia.
"My parents are scholars and thus study and read a lot of literature as well as more academic magical studies. Our family business is one of printing. We make and sell books and we own most of the libraries and bookstores in Gismead..." She explained.
I was already pretty impressed by the massive business conglomerate she was describing to me. "Apparently some alchemists in Astonia have created a new kind of paper that is much lighter and much finer than what is currently on the market, so my parents have gone to review it and see if it is worth investing in and importing into Gismead."
"That's quite the business." I said, feeling quite taken back. Her family must be very wealthy.
"It's not really that great. I mean, many people in Gismead cannot read, let alone understand entire novels, so we sadly really only cater to the nobles and wealthier commoners."
I nodded solemnly, that was another problem I would have to try and fix, If I could increase the literacy rate of Gismead, I'm sure I would be able to improve the quality of lives of some people. But how could I do that? perhaps volunteering... No that wouldn't work, I couldn't see the nobles that I had met last night volunteering to go and teach the poorer sects of Gismead how to read. In fact, a lot of the nobles I talked to last night seemed pretty ignorant of the situation of the common sect in Gismead. They either didn't know about poverty or simply didn't care about it.
"Does your family have any libraries in the common sect?" I asked.
"Yes, just one, but my father will probably close it down soon since very few people actually use it..." She sighed as she looked out the window. "I wish everyone could read. However, I expect not many commoners can afford the price of schooling. I wish I could help hem somehow."
Arcadia wasn't one of those nobles who didn't care about the hardships this kingdom and its people were going through, she is one of the few who are conscious of the actual situation, yet she didn't know what to do to make a difference. She was someone who would be willing to help, she just needed some direction as to where/how to put her powers to good use. Once we got a bit closer, and I knew her a bit better, I would be really willing to include her in my plans of reformation.
I turned to her and I could see that she was getting a little down, as thinking about the bad things often did to people, so I decided to change the subject.
"I really like your hair." I complimented as I took in her awesome locks of bright greeny-blue. She looked like a mermaid. Her cheeks immediately got a bit redder.
"Thank you. I like your hair too." She chuckled. "Your black hair is very striking."
"Thanks," I said, even though I thought that her hair was a thousand times cooler than mine. "So are you very scholarly like your parents?" I asked.
She sighed dramatically, "Much to their despair, I am not. I prefer poetry and prose to magical studies or alchemy." she admitted. I laughed at that, it seemed that Girannon parents were the same as Earth parents. I distinctly remember my mom lecturing me about the benefits of becoming a doctor, after my eight years old self-announced to her that I wanted to be a ballerina.
for the next hour or two, we chatted while the green lush hills passed us by, one by one until we finally arrived at the forest's edge.
I was totally in awe of the beautiful set up that was there waiting for us: Fabric tents that were predominantly white by where lined with bright reds and oranges, also candles lined the ground on varnished planks so we could clearly see that walkways, there was also a tent for the cooks who were already starting to prepare a feast for us (probably more stew), but I wasn't put off by the idea of stew because the whole site looked so beautiful.
Everyone was helped out of their carriages by more butlers, we were then lead to one of the larger tents where we found the entire Von Esterheim family and the Royal family posed and waiting for us.
The cold silver hair and eyes of the Von Esterheim's placed next to the radiant Golden hair and eyes of the Ambrose's really made them a spectacular sight to behold.
Sinjin and Alucard stood proudly on either side of their mother and father who were seated on grand throne-like silver chairs. Sinjin's glistening silver hair was tied up in a long regal tail that reached down his back, his elfin features made him look beyond human, a heavenly mingle between elf prince and fierce warrior. Alucard who looked a bit more mature than his brother had his long hair loose around his shoulders, it had waves in it unlike Sinjin's straight hair, and where Sinjin's face was more ethereal, his features were rougher, more rogue and his eyes had a lethal gaze. Lady Ferelith Von Esterheim and Lord Zanthius Von Esterheim were the pinnacles of Girannonian nobility. Lady Ferelith's silver hair was done up in an intricate updo with countless jewels decorating her noble head, Lord Zanthius was the picture of a mighty silver-haired warrior, his gaze was stern and unyielding, and he wore a coat of animal fur that only added to his intimidating demeanour. There were also two younger children who I had never seen before, but I knew their names through gossip. Silvana Mordred Von Esterheim and Perseus Ezlyn Von Esterheim, the twins. They too had inherited the family traits of beauty and sharp eyes, they seemed like perfect porcelain dolls sitting there, so still and quiet.
The Royal family, the Ambrose's, were gathered around two golden thrones that Queen Mirabelle and King leofrick sat on.
The three princes stood around them, with perfect posture and they exuded perfect regality. Prince Kristopher had his long golden hair tied up at the nape of his neck, the gold of his hair somewhat melted away into his golden attire. The youngest prince, Third prince Alfonse stood right next to the king's side and his curly golden locks framed his young face perfectly, his eyes were so vibrant and full of energy, they told of his age that I suspected was no older than thirteen. Then there was Geoffrey. His golden hair was short, but still long enough so that some silky strands dangled down the sides of his face. His gleaming eyes always seemed to make me suck in a breath, even now when rows and rows of people stood between us, I still felt nervous in his company, it was those eyes of his, those powerful ferocious eyes.
We all immediately bowed and curtseyed to the Royal family, then an hour of socialising and casual drinking took place until everybody went outside to begin the hunting party.
There stood the announcer, dressed in white robes, on top of the forest log. He began to explain the rules of the hunting to us.
"Lords and ladies, may I please have your attention." He boomed out. I was beginning to think that being an announcer was an actual profession in Gismead, because all of them seemed to be trained in voice projection and amplification. "Each Lord and Lady will receive a unique set of twelve arrows. The Lords and Ladies will then set out into the forest to hunt some pheasants or birds or any wildlife they wish. The lords and Ladies may also team up to collectively hunt game. After two hours of hunting a bell shall be rung, signalling the end of the game. The Lords and Ladies will then make their way back to the main tent and the winner or winning group will be named based on who caught the rarest and most valuable game. The Lords and Ladies are at liberty to catch however many animals they want to, however, the judges will only be looking at five game from each person, and if you hunt in a group, the groups will only submit five pieces of the game."
I heard excited chatter from all around me, it seemed people were eager to go and hunt. I wasn't though. I had only ever held a bow and arrow at a summer camp I had gone to during junior school. So shooting arrows and hunting for animals really didn't excite me much. On top of that, the thought of killing some cute little bunnies or birdies kind of made my gut twitch.
I turned to see Alice grinning like a cat and I wondered if she was good at hunting.
"Alice..." I called.
"Yes, Riley." She replied back, still brimming with excitement.
"Are you any good at hunting?" I asked hopefully. She nodded vigorously as a response. "Could I join you?" I asked pouting, to show that I was in need. She snorted at me and nodded her head. Yay! I was in a group! Then I looked to my other side and saw Arcadia looking very lost and a bit confused, her bright blue eyes awkwardly looking around. I turned to Alice again.
"May I invite Arcadia to join our group?"
"Yes of course!" She said nodding eagerly, "The more people, the more fun we will have."
"Yeah, 'the more the merrier' is the saying..." I said, wondering why she had missed the chance to say such an obvious phrase. She blinked at me for a moment and then smiled brightly.
"That's a brilliant saying Riley! How did you come up with that?" She asked. I frowned. Oh yes, that saying is from the earth.
"Oh, it just popped out!" I chuckled. I was going to end up taking credit for a lot of other Earth sayings while I was in Gismead.
I reached out and tapped Arcadia on the shoulder, "Arcadia, would you mind joining a group with Lady Alice and me?" I asked, trying not to make it seem like I was pitying her.
"No, I would love to join your group." She said seeming a bit relieved that I had asked her too.
"I think it'll be just us three since it looks like everybody has already gotten into their groups." Alice said as she looked around. I turned to see that Sinjin, Cornelius, Lucian, Braxton and Second Prince Kristopher had made a group. Then I saw that Gawain, Alucard and Prince Geoffrey had formed a group. I could feel that there would be quite a lot of competition between those two groups.
Then we all went to go and fetch our personalised arrows from the main tent. When I found my quiver, I saw that it was labelled with my name written on it, and each arrow inside the quiver was also labelled with my name. I did a quick count of my arrows and realised that I only had eleven arrows, even though the announcer had clearly said that everybody was supposed to get twelve arrows...
"Is anything bothering you Lady Riley?" I heard Alucard's low sultry voice from next to me, I small shiver went up to my spine at the sound of his voice. I turned to face him.
"Well, I'm missing an arrow..." I said pointing inside my quiver. Alucard looked inside my quiver and did a quick count.
"Indeed you are." He said cooly, "Here. I will gift you one of my arrows." He said as he held out one of his silver arrows that looked so dainty and small between his long fingers.
"But then you will be short of an arrow..." I said reluctantly to disadvantage him in the hunt.
"A single arrow will not disadvantage me, my skills are far greater than just an arrow." It may have sounded self-absorbed, but I could tell that there was a lot of truth to what he was saying. I'm sure his abilities were far greater than just some silver arrow, after all, he was part of the Knights Order, and I'm sure he had the famous Ice magic of the Von Esterheim family. Those two skills alone made him quite lethal. I looked forward to seeing him in action one day.
"Thank you," I said sincerely. He nodded his head and then walked away. Now I was all set with twelve arrows, so I met back up with Alice and Arcadia and then we headed into the woods.
We walked a little way into the woods, trying not to get too close to any of the other groups. The woods were lush and green and the forest floor was lined with a thin layer of moss and mist that gave the place a distinctly eerie feel. Arcadia and I followed Alice to a parched of long soft grass where she stopped and turned around to us.
"Listen to me Ladies!" She said loudly, which snapped my focus back to her from the eerie forest, her voice seemed so loud and out of place in this quiet and serene environment. "Every year since I was fifteen years old I have participated in this game, here in this very forest, and every year my brother's team has managed to beat my team. I have had enough! This year I will win!" She announced, her copper eyes glowing determinedly and her pale cheeks beginning to redden. "Therefore we are going to need to put our best foot forward because I absolutely refuse to lose to Cornelius again!" She said as she raised her fist in the air and squeezed it fiercely. "Therefore Riley, we will be using your mapping and appraising skills to find the best game and hunt it." She commanded rather than asked. "And Arcadia, we will require your family merge magic to set traps for the animals!" Alice said.
I got excited at the thought of merge magic. "What kind of merge magic do you have?" I asked excitedly as I turned to Arcadia.
"Well, we have the ability to manipulate wood." She said shyly.
"Ooh, that must come in handy for making paper and making books for your family business." I commented.
"Yes, it does." She smiles a small smile.
"Enough chatter!" Snapped Alice. I turned back to her immediately.
"You are so bossy when it comes to competitions, Alice!" I complained.
"Suck it up!" She countered. I snorted as I heard her repeat the phrase I had taught her. "Riley, use your mapping skill and appraiser skill simultaneously to see what quality of game there is in the surrounding area."
"I'll try." I said, even though I had never used them at the same time before.
"Mapping!" I called out. "Appraiser!" I called out. Once again my eyes were taken over by the super cool X-ray vision and I could see the forest from a birds eyes view. I scanned the area around us and zoomed on and animal that I could see hiding in a tree. As I got closer I saw that the creature was really cute and furry and had ginormous eyes that pleaded with me not to kill it. So I gave into weakness and moved into the next animal. Then a few meters from us stood a giant blue-furred boar-like creature, as I zoomed in on it the appraiser skill seemed to kick in. The name of the animal was displayed as "Blue Blooded Boar."
"A few meters South I can see a Blue Blooded Boar."
"A Blue-blooded Boar!" Exclaimed Alice Excitedly. "Come let's make haste!" She said as she dashed off ahead of Arcadia and me, we struggled to keep up with her as she ran ahead of us. Before I knew what was happening she had strung the arrow in the bow and had fired the arrow at the Boar. She literally hit the bullseye and pierced the blue animal right through its eyes. We walked over to it and stood over its corpse for a second. I didn't know whether to be in awe of Alice or to be scared of her.
"Impressed..." she asked as she raised her pink eyebrow at me.
"Uhh..." I was still speechless.
"Well done Lady Riley!" Congratulated Arcadia who seemed completely impressed.
"Come help me put it into the storage bag." Said Alice as she took out what looked like a potato sack out of her skirt.
"I don't think the Boar will fit into that." I said seeing the obvious difference in size, the board was a lot bigger than the sack.
"Don't worry Riley it will." She said confidently. I watched curiously as she and Arcadia manoeuvred the boar's head into the sack. Suddenly the entire body of the Boar twisted and was instantly sucked inside the sack. The sack, on the other hand, looked as empty as it had, when it had had nothing in it.
"Huh! What? How..." I said shocked.
"It's a storage sack, Riley. It acts as a kind of portal so an unlimited amount of things can fit into the bag. Big or small!" She said cheerfully as she folded the sack into a small square and place it inside her pocket then picked up her bow and slung it over her shoulder.
"It's a kind of dark magic." Arcadia added.
"You should really study some more, Riley." Said Alice teasingly. I groaned, I knew she was right, it seemed I was falling behind with my knowledge of conventional spells, but visualization magic was just much easier for me rather than learning all those wordy spells.
"Well come on, what else can you see on the map?" Alice asked eager to go and hunt some more. I groaned but then activated the skills again. I wondered how many animals I would end up slaughtering in the next two hours...
<----------------------<<
Lavinia grinned evilly as she watched Alice, Arcadia and Riley head into the forest. This time her plan would be perfect, there would be no faults this time around. She snickered as she twirled the black arrow, marked with Lady Riley's name, around her dainty slender fingers, that she had stolen for Riley's quiver before he hunting had started. Her plan this time was foolproof, she would discredit Lady Riley, Lady Alice and Arcadia in front of everyone. They would become outcasts and hated by everyone, while she would play the role of the victim and win everybody's sympathy and soon Sinjin Von Esterheim's hand in marriage.
Lavinia then walked to a comfortable looking tree where she could wait for two hours comfortably and safely while everybody was hunting. She found such a perch and then sat down in the soft grass that grew next to the tree. She then lifted the arrow high into the air, then plunged it back down into her leg, the sharp metal head easily pierced her skin. She cried out at the pain, but had no regrets, the pain would be worth it in a few hours.