Palace Playdate Pandemonium

[Akiv Orlouge]

The castle was buzzing. New recruits had been plentiful in the days before the Eiskalt war. Since the bloodshed began fewer and fewer found their way to the gates. Of those who had, certainly none had the recognition of Karuka O'Sheean. It was the boon the Ixians needed in the aftermath of the latest attack on the castle walls and the sudden silence from the new leadership.

It was a sign of hope.

Then, there was the daughter. When a talented warrior felt the need to find a stable home, often a child was involved. The castle was filled with the children of powerful men and women who needed to know their little one would be safe and sound as they fought against the evils of the world.

Akiv understood the loneliness of having a warrior parent better than anyone. Kyla had been in and out his entire childhood, more out than in if he were honest.

His life had been good though, teachers who cared about his future, weapons training from some of the best there were, every comfort a kid could ask for.

His job was to make sure that Taische found her place in the mix. A happy kid makes for a happy soldier. It was typically easy enough, the Ixian children never had trouble finding their niche.

The boy glanced in the mirror just long enough to make sure his hair wasn't standing on end, and left his chambers. He took the stairs two at a time as he whistled a tune that echoed against the white marble walls. Sei's 'voice' filled his mind just as he reached the landing.

"Ms. O'Sheean and her daughter have arrived.

It was show time.

[Taische]

Concordia stretched out beneath the pale blue sky. Its brooks babbled, its shadows shifted, its trees whispered, but the vast forest was mostly quiet beneath Taische's feet. She could tell that it was far, far more vast than the jungles of Jalaan, but its song was almost sleepy. Sure, there were ominous parts, and she didn't understand much in the way of this new kind of environment, but it didn't talk to the little tenalach like home had. If she ever had any doubts or concerns, she just had to look up at the confident woman walking beside her. If there was anything to worry about, her mom would take care of it, just like she always had.

Taische felt Ixian Castle before she saw it, a man-made void that stretched further than she'd yet learned to hear. It loomed larger and larger in the sense that connected her to the world, terribly large and almost frightening. At length, it erupted from the greenery, white and bright in the afternoon sun. Its towers stretched up and up and up into the sky, and with each step its massive walls gobbled up more of the horizon. Little bare toes gripped the dirt road and big blue eyes looked at the dark red braid in front of her. “Mom? Do we have to put on our shoes inside the palace?”

“No, love.” Karuka looked down at the raven-haired girl traveling at her side. “Th’ castle will be home fer a wee bit. Y’ can wander around as y’ see fit, unless it’s int’ someone’s room or int’ somewhere dangerous. An’ there are other kids that live there. Sei Orlouge has a wee lass about yer age, an’ a grandson a little older. Y’ll be able t’ make lots of new friends.”

Taische scowled at that, looking up at the sky for Tadoine’s familiar silhouette. The phoenix flew high above them, enjoying the warm spring air. While the phoenix was happy wherever his people were, and her mother’s visions told her it was time to leave their old home, Taische’s whole life had been ripped up. “I miss my old friends, and my old uncles. I liked Uncle Tav, but can’t I just keep the other uncles and not get new ones? Can’t we go home, mom?”

Karuka sighed, staring at the building ahead of them. For a long moment, only the busy sound of birdsong filtered between them. “Perhaps, someday, if dharma takes us back that way again. But y’know that we’ve got responsibilities as we grow up. We can’t just do th’ things we want.”

“Because we see the future?”

“No, wee bit. Because th’ future can see us.”


~*~*~

Ixian Castle was just as big inside as it was outside; even the Archduke’s palace in Jalaan wasn’t even half as big. Its stone floors were cold on Taische’s dirty feet, and its vaulted halls let jumbled echoes of conversations drift to her ears. It almost sounded like the voices were playing froggies, bouncing around and over each other like kids sometimes did. Its halls twisted and turned, going on seemingly forever. How would she find her room? How would she find the kitchen when she was hungry or the way outside when she just couldn’t stand to be inside anymore? What if they had outhouses or the toilets were very far from the rooms? How would she make it if she really needed to pee and it was very far away?

They were barely beyond the entrance when a boy approached them. He was taller than she was, and a little older. His eyes were as blue as hers, and his neat hair was the same yellow-brown as yew wood. His clothes were very carefully adjusted and he stood almost stiffly. “Welcome to Ixian Castle,” he said very formally. “I am Akiv Orlouge.”

He paused, unnaturally still for a second, though his hands were tense at his side. He reminded Taische of the Archduke’s eldest son, who wasn’t allowed to fidget when meeting new people. He went stiff when he was nervous, too. A gentle nudge on her shoulder told her that she got to introduce her family.

“My name is Taische O’Sheean, and this is my mom and this is Taodoine.” She motioned to the red and gold bird who rode on her mother’s shoulder.

“It’s very good to meet you. Miss O’Sheean,” Akiv addressed Karuka, “may I give Taische a tour of the castle until dinner time?”

Karuka’s blue eyes looked between the young boy and the little girl. “What d’ you want t’ do, Taische? D’ ya want t’ come t’ th’ room, unpack and get a nap, or would y’ rather go play?”

The girl shook a dark curl out of her face. “I’m not tired, mom. I want to go play.”

The redhead broke into a grin. “Off with th’ both of y’, then. Be good,” she admonished as they hurried off. Karuka shook her head. Apparently Taische wasn’t pouting too much to make a new friend. So far, so good.

She could only hope Taische would adjust quickly.

[Akiv Orlouge]

If at first the boy was caught off guard by the barefoot and dusty Taische, he recovered quickly. She had kind eyes that shone against her tanned skin. She was certainly more rugged than some of the other girls in the castle, but matched any of them in beauty. With Miss O'sheean's blessing he gave a quick nod and led the girl toward the gardens.

They were his favorite place on the grounds. His mother had designed each section, but he tried not to let that ruin it for him. She had seamlessly blended orange tulips into goldenrods. The roses near the castle walls seemed to frame the bright yellow daisies that led you to the armory. It was a work of art, and when the wind blew through, you could almost lose yourself in the scents.

He shook his head to clear all the memories that threatened. "These are the gardens. Most of the kids play out here on nicer days, especially when the men are training. If you continue down the path you'll reach the training fields."

He pointed as he spoke, but it would have been difficult to miss the sounds of sword against sword in the distance. He continued, following the gray brick walkway.

"Take a left and you'll find the sitting area. Trust me, if a boy asks you to go there you should tell him no. And, to the right is the path that takes you to the lunchroom."

Was he talking too much? "Forgive me if I ramble away. I certainly didn't inherit my grandfather's quietness." It was a long running joke within the castle. Akiv took after Silence Sei in nearly every aspect, but he had a voice. If that was a blessing or a curse was hotly debated.

"We still have a bit before anything will be ready for lunch, but we can probably taste test a few things if your hungry?"

[Taische]

Taische could feel the love and care that Akiv’s mother had put into her garden. She could also feel the underlying frustration and pain; the earth accepted what it was given without judgment. It cradled, comforted, listened, and spoke softly and gently. That was why so many people kept gardens when they didn’t have to. They were beautiful, natural, and getting dirt under their fingernails helped people keep their own internal balance.

She listened to the boy tell her about the places in his home. “Adults are silly, making rooms just to sit in,” she commented, then lifted her nose to smell what was cooking. It didn’t smell like the corn flour and bean-heavy food she was used to, there was no bite of hot peppers in the air. There was fish, she thought, and chicken. She could taste the crispness of fresh greens on the back of her tongue - a salad? And the fluffy bread that people in this part of the world favored, instead of the round flatbreads she knew.

Westerners ate weird.

“I’m not hungry right now,” she told her host-guide. “We had breakfast this morning.” Bright blue eyes picked out a corridor he hadn’t told her about. That meant a place to explore! “What’s that way?”

She was off before he could answer; it hadn’t been a question so much as a stated intent to discover. Huge double-doors at the end of the hall slowed her down only long enough to push one of them open a crack. That was all her slender body needed to squeeze through and into a massive library.

"Wow! Look at all of this. If I hid in here, my mom would never find me!"