Yoho, Yoho: A Truly Harrowing Tale of Adventure and Jackassery

[Raelyse]

Thinking back to those starry days on frost ridden Myrusia as a young naive boy, Raelyse remembered that he had always been the most popular among all the children, and later the teens. He didn't seem to care that it was probably because he was the crown prince and heir to the throne of Myrusia that the girls threw themselves at his feet and the boys worshiped him as if he were one of the gods. Why would he? He had always enjoyed attention.

That phase continued all the way into adulthood, where the prince now resided. He had long since departed Myrusia and had been to almost every corner of Althanas in that time. Still, he had not managed to shake his habit or even dent his addiction. He still loved attention. It was hard for him at first. Myrusia was hardly the most prominent land in Althanas and establishing himself required hard work. Now that he had done said work and committed heroic and demonic deeds on different continents, it finally appeared as if the people of Althanas were beginning to recognize the name of Raelyse Salidan.

He wasn't often fond of carriage rides, the frequent bumps and the lack of mobility made him feel like a caged animal. His driver, Stem Ventreas hated it more though, for there existed few beings that despised Raelyse more than the gnome. A short trip to Istien had held more adventure and closer exposure to the prince than the little one wanted for a lifetime. Still, he enjoyed being in the Grander's Order and someone had to do the dirty work.

This time though, he found the prince considerably more bearable for he talked less, only occasionally to tell him to hurry up, to which the gnome would reply,

"Sorry sir, but the road's too bumpy. If I go any faster, the wheels might break off and my little back can't support your elegant legs in all their... elegantness."

"I'll let you admire them all you want, but for now, try to speed up. People expect me, gnome," the prince replied every time. "And I intend to keep them waiting, but surely you are stretching the leeway of being fashionably late."

In truth though, Raelyse was a bit too eager to arrive in Etheria Port. Like in his younger years, the prince had always wanted to be popular if only so that he could be invited to the parties. It always filled him with a sense of pride and narcissism whenever he opened that letter. Seeing his name, written beautifully in some exotic font with expensive ink, inviting him for whatever gala or shindig, always lifted his heart. As a twenty year old, that feeling never faded. In his hand, he held not only one, but two rolls of parchment with his name written in said ink in even prettier font.

So it was with contentment that the prince of Myrusia rested his head on the comfortable cushion and slowly dozed off to sleep. Usual dreams of conquest and women were expected, but Raelyse was pleasantly surprised to learn that instead, he got dreams of acceptance and love from peers and strangers alike.

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When he awoke, it was to the sounds of Etheria Port. The carriage was now moving noticeably slower and when it finally cracked to a halt, Raelyse knew that soon, he would be loved. For the smell of salt and the sea filled his nostrils, making him all the more excited. Stem opened the door for his leader and was surprised that he was acknowledged.

"Take the carriage back to Erebus, I'll send a falcon or something to tell you when to come pick me up," the prince said, almost cheerfully. Stem didn't ride his luck, knowing that soon the prince's mood could change and he quickly shut the door and mounted the driver's seat and drove off as quickly as the wheels would allow him.

Not that Raelyse noticed for docked well within eyesight was one of the most impressive ships that he had ever seen. It was enormous and luxurious and it seemed that Etheria Port had stretched to accept it in. Its name was clearly etched on its hull in almost every language that Raelyse had ever seen. All said plainly, Wave Breaker.

The prince of Myrusia was impressed and after a short while, he leaned on his cane, fastened his rapier to waist and walked off to find his supposed welcoming party.

[Christina Bredith]

There was a first time for everything – Christina was in Etheria Port to help escort a prince into a war zone! The man had apparently been invited to some meeting or call for aid or other such gathering – she didn’t know the specifics, she was just a pretty face with a shiny sword along for the ride – and a group of Coronian Rangers were sent to see to it that he arrived safely. It certainly couldn’t hurt, Christina knew; in a time of crisis such as Corone was going through, any ally was a sight for sore eyes.

Any ally – even a tiny, reclusive island-nation like Myrusia. Christina had indeed never even heard of the place before accepting this mission, but this Raelyse as he was called – Prince Raelyse – was quite a lure either way. How could she pass up the opportunity? Besides, being holed up in Concordia for fear of the new Corone Empire lopping off her head at first sight was getting a little old. When there’s time for staring at nothing but trees, there’s a lot of time.

The Wave Breaker gave her no cause for regret; as soon as she laid eyes on its luxuries Christina thought she should never need to set foot on dry land again. It may as well have been a cruise ship; even the cooking was not the dusty, stale food one gets used to on voyages across the sea. It was almost on par with some of the food her chefs cooked when she was still at home, and that, in her mind, was saying something. In fact, the ship may well have been a cruise ship for all she knew – they had commandeered its use because its captain was sympathetic to the Corone Republic, the old government that was transformed overnight into its oppressive new mask. It was all very hush-hush, but convenient nevertheless.

The huge ship spanned several decks, and although Christina was never a great judge of size, she noted while waiting for Raelyse that it took her several minutes to move from one end of the ship to the other at a brisk pace. Of course, her sense of time may have been slightly skewed by her occasional pauses to ogle the ship’s burly crew or its luxurious facilities, but the point stood nevertheless: the Wave Breaker was massive.

Now Christina was standing with the rest of her group, ten Rangers in total, or nine Rangers and a lovely but unrelated swordswoman if you so prefer – all that could be spared from Underwood at the time. It would be more than enough to guard Raelyse, anyway. Rumour had it the prince was a capable young man himself, learned even in the song-magics of Raiaera. Besides, it was a simple trip across the sea to Corone. The nation was in a state of civil war – it could hardly afford to turn its eyes to its shores.

Raelyse’s carriage finally arrived, and the silver-haired youth stepped out. He clacked along the path with his cane as he approached, and Christina thought he looked just the part of a young noble. There was no doubt that a man like him was quite the heart breaker, the type to leave a trail of woe behind him wherever he went. It was an unappealing thought to Christina; she had suffered enough woe in her lifetime to wilfully subject herself to any more. Luckily, that was not her purpose here. The only heart she needed to worry about getting broken was Raelyse’s, in a much more literal sense.

“Prince Raelyse,” the leader of the Ranger group called in a respectful tone as he moved down from the ship towards the dock. “I’m Marshal James Marron of the Corone Rangers. Welcome to the Wave Breaker.” James gestured vaguely at the impressive ship, and offered his hand to the prince. “The captain is preparing for our immediate departure. I trust you’re ready to leave?”

Christina found herself glad she didn’t have to do any of the talking here. Dealing with nobles – and this was something on which she had first-hand experience – was an extreme bother. Though she missed her family and sometimes her old life in Laricia, the freedom she had now was refreshing. No more curtseying eight dozen times at a single party, no more practising every aspect of her movement right down to her gait, no more needless formalities. There was no way she was about to let Marshal Marron miss out on that fun.

[Raelyse]

The customary greeting from the leader of the group was something the prince enjoyed. Though he had experienced the entire ship's crew lined up for his inspection, with the captain even ordering a 21 gun salute, this one surely did not slip below his standards. For in front of him stood the Coronian Rangers, who he had heard good things about. If his first impression of them was anything to go by, those things had come from a source that Raelyse could call reliable in days to come. He glanced around and for a moment, he wondered why he had even bothered to bring any of his swords at all. Each of the rangers carried one with them and despite the uniformity about where they were located, each had a personal touch that made the sword unique. He had to convince his eyes to leave the swords for a moment, turning Marron.

"Then tell the captain to leave now. Corone is across this vast ocean and I am a man with little patience for waiting," the prince said with a smile. He moved forward, making sure to stand upright and glance at each and every ranger in the eye. He stopped after about the third one, to speak to their leader again.

"Tell your man to stand at ease, Marron," he said, chuckling. Perhaps, he should play the part of the charming prince this time around. He had not made his mark on Corone yet and this group of soldiers would be a good place to start. "They are not foot soldiers, they are Coronian Rangers and though I'm sure it degrades them to be on such a pitiful mission, I assure each and every one of your men that their effort will be rewarded once I help your fine country."

The prince nearly shocked himself with the rate at which he produced that, as well as the quality for he even saw Marron break a smile before he shouted the command for them to stand at ease. Raelyse tossed the leader a smile before moving off, stopping emphatically before one of the rangers. Her long blonde hair stole his gaze immediately, though a second glance at the weapon fastened to her waist indicated that it was her finely decorated sword that stole his attention first.

"I apologize, M'lady," the prince said, flashing that charming smile. "I was not aware that I was in your presence. A detail that your Marshal forgot to tell me, I'm sure."

Raelyse turned to the Marshal, smiling before glancing across the ship's deck. "I feel bad that I do not know your Rangers well, yet they will apparently put their lives on the line for me. I wish this young Ranger," he turned his head slightly to indicate the lone female member. "To show me to my quarters. I wish to interview or at least talk to each of your Rangers, Marron, at least to get to know them better."

The prince smiled softly to himself, his eyes slowly dropping to glance at the sword fastened to his own waist.

Once you show me your sword, I'll show you mine.

[Christina Bredith]

Christina was certainly the type to catch an eye or two when standing alongside these dignified comrades of hers. The Rangers may not have had the uniform coordination that the Coronian army had, but there was order and politeness present in no small amounts in their ranks. Christina, while not disorderly or impolite in and of herself, lacked the military graces that both the Rangers and the army possessed. While she and her eight companions stood in two rows as the Marshal greeted the prince, the blonde couldn’t help fidgeting. Occasionally she’d peek around them to see what was taking the men so long; at others, she would impatiently tap the high heel of her boot against the ship’s deck; and the rest of the time she looked some strange combination of vibrant and bored out of her mind.

Christina had gotten herself trapped within a daydream to pass the time while the two men talked, and that was exactly where she was, twirling a strand of golden hair around her finger, when Raelyse finally stepped onto the deck. It was the thump-thump-clonk that snapped her out of it, for it couldn’t have belonged to anyone but a man walking with a cane. She blinked hard and then glanced down the deck to find Raelyse approaching her, surveying the rest of his temporary guard.

She was only a little surprised to find that the prince stopped directly in front of her, and whatever doubts she may have had were likely due to how little she knew him. When he spoke oh so charmingly, Christina looked up at him and raised a brow. She smirked slightly when he apologized. “Well, that would make you the first.” Such casual spunk from a woman who possessed no rank! Apparently she was still in the mind-set of a beautiful socialite, bantering at will. The mistake, if indeed it was one, did not appear as such to her and didn’t faze her in the slightest.

When Raelyse returned to Marron’s side to speak with him a moment longer, Christina let out a long but quiet sigh and stepped away, since the rest of the Rangers were doing so. She wanted to get underway already. There was so much to explore aboard the Wave Breaker! She was pretty hungry, for one thing, and she had it on good authority that there was a rather luxurious hot tub somewhere on board, the search for which would be almost as much fun as the finding.

But those hopes were dashed when the Marshal stepped up and informed her of Raelyse’s wishes. Christina furrowed her brow and pouted out her lips, looking much like a child whose father had just told her it was bed time. “Kyaa… what am I, a tour guide?” The woman heaved her shoulders and nodded. She responded as though she had just been scolded “Alright, I know, make a good impression.” Gourmet meals and hot tubs would have to wait – apparently the lady-turned-soldier couldn’t escape her roots just yet.

Gracefully, Christina stepped around Marron and approached Raelyse, fixing a smile on him. It was forced to a large degree, but at the same time it was nothing personal; she had just gotten herself too worked up about the luxuries on board the ship and forgotten the fact that she was a soldier. On the bright side, he was quite the dashing little prince, wasn’t he? Spending some time in his company wouldn’t be a total loss. “Your quarters, I understand?” Christina gestured behind Raelyse and stepped around him to begin leading him that way. “If you please.”

In relative silence only broken by whatever small talk the prince saw fit to interject, and which the young soldier would brightly engage in, Christina led the man through a series of corridors in the main central complex of the steam ship. Each floor had fewer rooms than the last as they got progressively bigger, until she reached the top, with a handful of suites reserved for only the finest of passengers. And since there was only one fine passenger on board, the most luxurious of these was without issue given to Raelyse himself.

When they reached the suite, Christina looked back at him with a smile and a nod, and threw the double doors open with strength unbecoming a woman of her stature. “These will be your quarters,” she announced as she stepped off the ship’s hard floor and onto the plush carpet that lined the suite. The room was so big, she noted, that she could probably walk to one end and not be able to find her way back. It almost seemed a sin to refer to the room as "quarters," as if it cheapened the whole place. A few feet in, the blonde turned around and waited, allowing Raelyse to take his fill.

Now came the moment she dreaded most – the near inevitable display of the ‘You call this a suite?’ attitude that half the nobles she’d ever met had possessed. It was hard to tell whether Raelyse was such a man, but she wasn’t going to get her hopes up. But if he wasn’t pleased, Christina thought, that was just fine too – Hell, in that case he can trade with me!