2Chapter 2: Bets and Bonding
Windham was a very large capitol, the stronghold of the Nohrian kingdom, surrounded by a large mountain range and enormous walls built into the mountainside to shield against landslides and invaders. For most of her life, Persephone had been held in the Northern portion of the citadel, separated from the rest of her family. Unless she was summoned by her Father or a high ranking official, she had never left. She'd tried a couple times before, but the walls were enforced with magic for protection against outsiders and a deterrent for those within, so for her to be venturing out of the north castle now, it felt like an absolute dream. She could barely contain herself.
"Hurry up, you slowpokes," Persephone urged as she eased Belfyre into a faster gate, her Percheron stallion also feeling a bit eager to stretch his legs beyond the confines of the north tower's corral.
"Calm down, Percy. The castle isn't going anywhere," said Leon.
"I can't help it. I'm just... so excited! I want to get there as soon as possible!"
"If you wanted to get there fast, you can ride with me and my Marzia, Percy," Camilla suggested, patting the mount of her large black wyvern.
"I would, but the last time I tried to ride Marzia, I nearly fell off, and besides, you know I'm afraid of heights," Persephone lied.
"Well, if that is the case, I'll hold onto you very tightly so you won't be afraid anymore," Camilla offered, spreading her arms out.
"It's alright, Camilla. Belfyre never gets out much, so I thought he was deserving of a long ride," she shrugged, not wanting to admit that the real reason she didn't want to mount Marzia was because the wyvern scared her.
Marzia had always been really temperamental around her ever since she could remember, though the lizard would grudgingly behave herself when she was riding with Camilla in the driver's seat, but you could sense the tension and disgust in the way she glided. Though she did not understand why Marzia was territorial around the white-haired princess, since the male wyverns liked her well enough, she didn't want to tell Camilla that because, knowing her, she would give Marzia up in a heartbeat if the wyvern had caused Persephone any pain or discomfort, and she couldn't do that to her sister. She absolutely doted on her wyvern almost as much as she had on her little sister.
She didn't like to lie to her big sister, but in order to keep her happy, she swallowed her pride and tuned into her younger brother yammering, "You really shouldn't have brought him then. He's slower than a snail."
"He is a bit older than some of the other horses. He's almost as old as you, Persephone," Marx admitted.
"He is not! He's just... experienced at life. Besides, I bet you my entire gemstone collection that he can beat Kole AND Gaspar," she defended, challenging her brothers' steeds.
"No way. I've never seen you ride him above a trot," Leon sneered.
"So then there's no way you two can lose then, right?" He held her confident stare for a moment before he scoffed at her bet.
"I won't do it. You're being childish."
"Cowardly Leo, always shooting down a challenge," she sighed knowingly, egging him on with his nickname because she loved to see her brother's ears turn red in embarrassment. Messing with him was a bit of a hobby of hers.
"Only because it is pointless to accept a challenge I know I will always win. When I beat you, you'll be short a gem collection," he challenged nonchalantly, regaining his composure. A mischievous glint sparkled in Persephone's eye, her plan coming to light.
"Oh yeah? Loser has to help Lilith clean out the stables."
"You're on."
"Race you to the castle gates!" And with a click of her tongue and a squeeze of her heels, she and her dapple grey horse shot down the street like the wind.
"Oh dear..." Lilith sighed, left behind with two stunned wards.
"I want to race too!" Elise cheered, nudging her pony forward.
"H-Hold on, Lady Elise-!" Gunter began before Camilla mounted Marzia.
"I'll fly ahead to wait for you all at the finish line," she smiled before the flyer pulled ahead of everyone. Persephone grinned, feeling as free and confident as the wind blew through as her hair, her royal blue cape falling back behind her like bird wings stretching out for the very first time. In her haste to win, she had forgotten Marx was also competing until she saw the tossing of Gaspar's mane near her flank.
"Come on, Marx. Don't make me have to tell Father that I beat you twice in one day," she taunted.
"We shall see who's beating who, little princess," Marx countered with a confident smirk, the paladin gradually beginning to catch up with her until they both found their path blocked by a large heap of rock and dirt.
"What the-?" she started, pulling Belfyre to a sharp stop.
"Looks like there was another landslide last night," Marx observed, cautiously looking down at the slanted gravel. "We'll have to go around just to get by."
"Or..." Persephone drew out before she snapped back the reins and lead her horse down the muddy debris. "Shortcut!"
"Lady Persephone, be careful!" Gunter warned, trying to catch up with his ward.
"Don't be foolish, sister. The ground is too unsteady for anyone to be walking on it," Leon advised.
"Come on, little brother, that's loser talk, or are you scared?" she teased, causing for Leon to pull his face into a distinct frown.
"So childish..." he grumbled, but he soon took off after her because he was very much a sore loser. His horse was a lighter draft horse, a bit smaller than his older siblings, but that made it faster on its feet, so it wasn't long before he passed Gunter and closed in on Persephone.
"My lady, perhaps it would be best not to run at this speed, lest you mess your hair up," Joker urged, his horse slipping a bit on the uneven terrain.
"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of me winning!" she called back before turning forward to focus on her mission.
"Stop, you two!" Marx shouted in vain, the pair already a couple paces ahead of him before he let out a resigned sigh. "Well, I certainly don't want to get stuck with stable duty." With some caution, he lead Gaspar forward onto the dirt heap. Belfyre was in the lead, but Kole was not too far behind.
"Come on, boy. Just a little bit farther!" Persephone urged her stallion before she heard the sound of gravel and water. "Oh boy..." Suddenly the ground beneath them began to give away, sending both Leon and herself down the hill.
"Whooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" they both yelled as they slid down the hill, the horses somehow managing to stay on their feet as they gradually began turning in the dirt like a boat with one paddle.
"Persephone! Leon!" Elise yelled before she was stopped by the elder knight.
"Stay back, Lady Elise!" Gunter warned, trying to keep the youngest princess from jumping into the gorge after them.
"Master Leon! Lady Persephone!" Lilith cried out as the riders tried to regain control of their horses.
"Whoohoo! HA-HA-HA-HA! YEAH!" Persephone laughed, loving the mad thrill of slide while Leon just looked extremely uncomfortable and almost motion sick. It continued onward for about a couple more meters before Marx felt a familiar pulse and raised up his right hand, beginning to chant a sacred hymn:
"I call upon the powers of Hydra and invoke our sacred contract!
Awaken, sleeping god of the earth, so that we may be granted safe passage,
And wield the power to defeat our enemies, and bring honor and glory to our dark lands!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them flashed with a blueish green light as it became more flat and held together than it did before, the mud now solid terrain that their horses could get steadier footing on. Gradually, they managed to steer the horses towards more solid ground, their race now about two hundred meters off-course from where they were supposed to be as all came to a stop. The two riders looked up in awe at the top of the hill at the power that had just been witnessed. What on earth was that?
"Are you both alright?" Marx asked the duo.
"That was INCREDIBLE!" cheered Persephone from down in the ditch, her brother letting out an annoyed groan.
"I should have never gotten out of bed this morning..." Leon sighed, wiping off some of the mud on his face.
"They're alright..." Marx shook his head in disbelief. Those two and their competitions would put him in an early grave. Speaking of which... "Then I'll meet you two at the castle." He gave them a cocky glance before continuing onto the castle grounds, the two younger siblings staring at him slack-jawed.
"Ah man, no fair! Betrayal!" She shook her fist in mock-hatred at her brother's head start. "Marx will beat us at this rate."
"Then we'll both be stuck with stable duty," Leon admitted with a frown, his older sister turning her head to look back at him.
"You mean you'll be stuck with stable duty," Persephone corrected before she took off once again, her horse managing to accidentally kick up some mud into Leon's face.
Judging from how far away Marx was from the gates and how many paces she was from the more stable mountainside, it would take a couple meters before she would be able to catch up with him on more stable footing. He may had been the most experienced horseman, but she had spent her entire life living down at the stables. She knew the horses on a much deeper level than the others, and she wanted to win more than anything. Her horse could sense it. Channeling the last bit of his rider's energy, Belfyre managed to pull ahead at the last hundred yards to the castle gates before he crossed the threshold of Castle Krakenstein, a neck past Gaspar.
Persephone let out a happy victory cry before slowing down her steed, who was sweating and frothing a bit from the hard ride over. "Good boy, Belfyre!" She patted her horse neck.
"I told you you could be a knight," Marx reminded her. "You underestimate your ability. That horsemanship was astounding."
"That's only because I wasn't wielding a weapon. Skilled at horseback riding, yes, but wielding a sword in battle while you're riding is a strength and challenge all on its own, though I'm sure I don't need to be telling you this," she shook her head. "That mudslide was intense, though now that I think about it, what was that power you used, Marx? I never pegged you as a dark mage."
"It's called the Dragon's Vein." She turned to see her mud-covered brother behind her. "It's a power bestowed upon royalty who are descendant from the blood of the First Dragons, the dark dragon god, Hydra. Only those skilled enough to control its power are capable of wielding it."
"You mean I could use it?" Persephone interjected.
"Technically, yes, but I said skilled, not incompetent," Leon reiterated and shook his head, still trying to recover from the ordeal from earlier. "It takes a lot of effort and concentration, not to mention it's a huge responsibility to shape nature to one's will. One wrong move in battle, and your advantage could quickly become your downfall. Only Camilla and Marx have used it in battle. Even I am still trying to learn how to channel its powers."
"Well, knowing how big your brain is, I'm sure you'll have mastered it by the end of the week," Persephone shrugged, but not before adding, "Then again, it could just be hot air."
"Better than having everything handed to me from sheer luck," he retorted. "Honestly, you have the devil's luck, Persephone."
"That wasn't luck, it was skill!" she huffed crossing her arms. "It's not like Marx just let me win." She looked over at Marx, who kept silent as he dismounted. "Marx?" She called over, the tall blonde still not looking her in the eye. "You... you didn't let me win, did you?"
"Hmmm?" He looked up before leading his horse towards the hitching post. "Oh, of course not. You won this fight, fair and square."
"Liar! You did, didn't you!?"
"No, I can honestly say I didn't. My horse was tired from our last battle and the way you handled Belfyre during poor terrain conditions was admirable, to say the least," he defended coolly. "However, if circumstances were changed, I'm sure the outcome would've been different." Persephone basically took that confession as him admitting that if he didn't care about his siblings welfare and safety, he could have won if he wanted to by leaving them both down in the ditch with no way to catch up.
"Bring it on! I'll take you on any day of the week," Persephone challenged, the race with Leon bringing out her more competitive side.
"I'll be looking forward to it," Marx smiled as Leon dismounted with a disgruntled expression on his face. "Guess you're cleaning out the stables tonight."
"Whatever," Leon grumbled. "You lost too. Why am I the only one who has to get punished for it? I nearly died because of your stupid race, Percy!"
"Don't be so melodramatic, brother. It was just a little mudslide."
"Don't worry, big brother. I lost too, so I'll help you out," cheered Elise, who with the rest of the company, had finally caught up to them.
"Geez, you're such a pain..." Leon sighed as he pushed past her.
"Whaaat? Leon, you can be such a meanie! Marx, tell Leon to stop being mean to me!"
"Don't worry, Elise. Little boys who don't behave around little girls always get punished," grinned Camilla as she came up behind Leon, though her smile seemed to hold a distinct darkness to it.
"My lady, are you alright?!" Joker inquired, grasping his mistress' shoulders.
"I-I'm fine, Joker. You worry too much," Persephone tried to calm down her butler, who was now listing all the worries he had over her and faults in his own skill as a butler in preventing her from being so rambunctious.
"That was extremely reckless, milady," Gunter scolded. His voice did not even having to be raised for her to feel the full force of shame from the knight. Still, she tried to wave it off.
"Aww, come on, Gunter, lighten up and have a little fun."
"And now you've completely messed up your attire," he observed, her armor and hair covered in dirt and water. "Your father will not be pleased with your delay, now that you are unfit to meet with him."
"Oh..." Realization came too quickly in her eyes, her mind now reeling towards the fact that she might have blown her chances at leaving, all over a stupid race. "Please, Gunter! Don't tell him! I'll clean up, I promise!"
"See what happens when you get too reckless, Percy?" Leon added his two cents, tying up his horse.
"You are just as guilty, Leo. Don't pretend you're not," Persephone fired back.
"Enough, you two!" Marx commanded with sibling authority, silencing them both. "We have to straighten up and get ready to meet with Father. Joker, see to Persephone. Try and see if you can make her a little more presentable. Lilith will oversee the horses."
"Yes, sir," they replied with a bow. The middle princess was already trying to brush the mud out of her hair, the dirt now turning her white hair a weird shade of tan. The annoying thing about mudslides was that it was basically just a wave of water filled with dirt, and when it came down on you, nothing was safe. Particles of dirt that had become lodged inside the crevices of her armor were starting to dry and become itchy. While she was pondering on how to clean herself, a sudden torrent of water poured all over her from above, effectively getting all the mud off but leaving her soaking wet.
"That's payback for the mud earlier," Leon smirked, closing a water tome before straightening up his attire.
"That's enough out of you," Camilla warned, grabbing his ear and pulling him away with enough strength that he was worried it was going to be pierced or ripped off by the end of it.
"You're not hurt, are you? From the mudslide?" Lilith inquired Leon as he managed to shake off Camilla's death grip on his ear.
"No, only my pride," he sighed irritably, rubbing his ear slightly before handing her the reins and storming off. "Make sure Kole's armor hasn't been damaged..." The stable-hand looked at his retreating back in concern. He never was a very good loser.
After drying off with one of Joker's handkerchiefs and a stable blanket, Persephone resigned to having her hair pulled into a messy bun until it dried. The rest of her siblings were socializing outside in the courtyard, but she was somewhat reluctant to greet them, having spent more time alone and sometimes liking to sit back, away from all the noise in solace. The traveler's stables wasn't the nicest barn she had ever stayed in, but it was doable. She ordered Lilith to leave the unsaddling to her, since she always found it was a good time to bond with her horse. She began unstrapping the bonds around his bridle until the bit fell away, his halter and lead the only thing remaining to tie him to the hitching post.
"Good boy," she praised, patting his neck as he drank from the rain trough kept strictly for horses, since wyvern saliva proved to be toxic to the beasts. "There's a sugar cube with your name written on it when we get back home."
"That would be nice if we actually had any," Marx chimed in, walking over towards the iron hitching post with his own horse. He must have waited with Gaspar outside until after she had situated herself. "We're kind of in the middle of the war, Persephone. All the extra amenities and rations go towards the soldiers."
"Oh, that's right..." she pondered thoughtfully. "Well, if we can't get any extras, then I'll just give him mine. I have all those sugar squares for my tea. I'll can drink black tea without sugar for a few days." She stroked Belfyre's muzzle a bit before she noticed that Marx was staring at her. "...What?"
"Nothing... Your kindness just seems to know no bounds." She pulled out an old block of concrete and climbed on top of it so she could reach her horse's saddle.
"Well, I don't want to put some poor soldier out just because I wanted to spoil my horse," she admitted, undoing the breast plate clasp.
"Have you ever had tea without any sugar before?" the elder prince inquired.
"No, but how bitter could it really be?" She began loosening the bonds on the saddle and lifted the heavy piece of leather off her horse's back with some difficulty before she suddenly felt a steadying hand on her back and the saddle.
"You know, you don't have to remove all of Belfyre's armor. Lilith can do that for you," Marx offered hastily, not wanting her to fall, but Persephone quickly shrugged him off.
"I know, but I told her I'd like to do it myself. I don't mind doing it all that much anyways," she huffed, lifting the saddle onto one of the empty stall doors before her gaze found her brother's staring at her in disbelief. "It's fine, really. I actually like taking off Belfyre's tack. It gives me more time to bond with him."
"I see... well, do you mind if I join you? Or at least give you some assistance so that you don't have to reach so high? I wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with you and Gaspar. We don't seem to socialize much outside of our usual training." She had not expected that. Mostly everyone would have just let her be and go on with their usual activities, but never did she expect him of all people to actually want to join her in her solace.
"O-Oh... w-well, sure, I guess. I don't mind, but, uh... do you actually know how to untack a horse?" Her curious expression caused Marx to laugh.
"I'm sure you'd be surprised to know that I have occasionally had to saddle and unsaddle my horse from time to time."
"Oh no, our country MUST be in trouble if the first prince Marx, heir to the throne of Nohr, has to saddle his own horse," she mock-gasped dramatically, earning a small chuckle from her companion.
"So, little princess, what are you planning to do with this newfound freedom of yours?" Marx questioned as he lifted off the attachments to his saddle.
"Well, I don't know. Gosh, where to start?" She paused slightly in her brushing before she continued, deep in thought. "I guess, first, I'd love a tour of the kingdom. I'd like to officially see what I am fighting for."
"I think that could be arranged," he complied as he set down and unclasped his horse's saddle, being tall enough to not need the concrete block. "We could try that some time tomorrow. I'm sure Camilla would love a day out, now that she can officially go shopping with you."
"Oh gods, I best prepare myself now, then," she deadpanned before she felt him lift off the saddle blanket and hand it to her. "Thanks," she nodded, doing a double take at his progress. "Wow, you really have done this before. You've already got all the tack off."
"You have to work fast and efficient when you're on the battlefield," Marx advised, taking a dirt comb she offered him. "Thank you. So after the tour tomorrow, what else did you have in mind?"
"After that, when this war is over... I would like to travel. Maybe be an ambassador. That way I could see new places, meet new people, expand my horizons a bit, you know? I want to see it all! From the Nohrian shores, all the way to the edge of the world!"
"I don't know. The edge of the world is pretty far and is told to be wrought with danger. Are you sure you'll be able to make it?" Marx humored her.
"Sure," she shrugged without a doubt in her mind. "Besides, I'll have Joker with me, right?" She looked towards her servant, who was currently polishing Belfyre's armor.
"It would be my pleasure, milady," Joker bowed. "It is a honor to even be considered as your traveling companion."
"Oooh! I would like to go with Big Sis too!" Elise added, after having ease-dropped on her siblings' conversation.
"What on earth is taking so long?" Leon asked. "Where did everybody go?"
"Hey Leon, just cleaning up Belfyre before I set out to travel the world," Persephone swiped a few stubborn bits of dirt and mud with her sweat brush before Elise ran up to her.
"Can I come too, Sephie? Pretty pleeeease?" Elise pleaded with her big doe eyes.
"The more the merrier." Persephone shared a smile with her baby sister, causing Leon to roll his eyes at the moment.
"Geez, let's actually receive permission for you to leave before you go off adventuring," he pointed out. "We are in the middle of a war right now."
"Of course I know that, Leon. I'm not that naïve," Persephone countered with an eye roll. "I was planning to do all that after the war ends. That's why I've been training so hard. I want to be able to help end the conflict."
"I think it's cute that she's excited about leaving," Camilla gushed fondly, completing the sibling gathering. "It's refreshing to see that after having to deal with this terrible war for so long."
"It is admirable to see that in someone so young," Marx observed. "It gives me satisfaction to see that a bright future will be in store if the people are as positive as you, Persephone."
"Gosh, Marx, you make me feel like I'm talking to a ninety year old man," she muttered. "I'm only nine years younger than you. It's not that much of an age gap."
"Age comes with experience. When you finally go out and experience the world, you'll understand." He was right. For the most part, she knew nothing beyond her stone walls. She wanted to change that, though she didn't want to lose who she was. She still would've liked to have a little innocence left for herself. "Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, a certain someone's birthday is some time this week."
"You remembered! Oooohhh what'd you get me?" Persephone gasped, eager and curious as a newborn pup.
"Now now, it wouldn't be a surprise if I just told you."
"Awww," she resigned, knowing that her doe eyes weren't as effective as her baby sister's.
"Alright, you two, make yourself decent. We're entering the stronghold now. We'll talk of birthday parties later," Camilla advised.
"There's going to be a party!?" Persephone gaped. "Oooh sounds exciting! I can hardly wait!"
"Shhh, Percy, I love your enthusiasm, but we must be respectful inside the castle walls," Camilla hushed.
"Right," Persephone nodded before stiffening into good posture. "Time to be serious."
Behind the castle gates, she didn't know what lied ahead. All that she knew was that she was eager for an adventure and that it would change her life forever.
