Status: This is an old one, but I finally got the inspiration to write it.

Royal Blood

Chapter Two: Protection of the Highest Power

It was so warm. Heat washed over me. It was almost uncomfortable, like I was sitting next to a bonfire on a warm day. I turned over and the heat felt even closer. My eyes popped open and I sat up. Sweat dripped down my forehead and orange and red heat invaded my vision. The grass and vegetation around me was charring and the flames were smoldering. The seams of my shawl sparked into small embers, but with a few brushes of my hand, they were out.
My stomach churned and flipped as I stumbled to my feet. My heart thundered hard in my chest and my hands shook. The entire garden was in flames. Even the house behind it smoldered like a giant funeral pyre.
I stumbled forward, avoiding the glowing red maze of burning bushes. Smoke hung low like fog, scratching my lungs as I choked down breaths. After a few painful huffs, a cough ripped its way out of my throat. The flames around me hissed viciously, and I suddenly realized the only thing saving me was the dirt and stone path I was walking on.
Everything around me was falling to pieces. The statues were scorched and crumbling, the faces of my mother mauled beyond recognition. All of the beautiful flowers were black, not the once vibrant colors. An ache settled her into my heart. This garden was my mother's pride and joy. It was the last thing I had left that was hers and hers alone. Now, I had nothing but her distant voice as a reminder.
A shadow swooped over me, clearing the smoke around me. My hair whipped around me and I squinted my eyes as I looked up. A metal, hover jet wavered over me, whipping the crimson flowers around my head. The roar of the craft's engine smothered the sound of the sizzle around me. A girl with burgundy hair flowing around her face lowered on a ladder, her hand outstretched for mine.
"Grab my hand." She shouted over the loud hum. My pulse pounded in my ears as I glanced hesitantly at the crackling summer home.
"Just grab my hand!" She shouted again. My teeth worried my bottom lip. She grumbled something under her breath and reached for me. With a tight grip on my hand, she pulled me onto the ladder. I let out a whimper of panic when my feet almost slipped off of the bottom wrung.
"Hold on tight, we're going to be reeled up." My mind didn't register her words as the panic consumed me again. A sigh rattled the air near me as she pulled me closer. My stomach fell to my feet as we began to rise high into the air, and soon, I was completely blocked from the smoke strangling my already tight throat.
"Gageus, get us out of here." The girl with burgundy hair called out. She was right next to me, but it felt like everything was muffled. My head pounded and my vision blurred. The surface that I laid down on was hard. It sort of hurt a little. Cold and uncomfortable, my body wouldn't respond. My head hurt, a dull thudding radiating through my skull.
"Is she concussed?" A pleasant male voice asked.
"No, or...I don't know. I think she's in shock." Both of them sounded so far away. My vision shook, blurring into a shady hue.
"Do we need to take her to the hospital?"
"No, we have plenty of medicinal care available on the ship. We need to get her out of here before something else happens." Everything faded into a numb nothingness then...

Kora turned away from Gageus just in time to see her head loll to the side, "Hey!" She felt her forehead, no fever.
"What is it? What's happened!?" The lanky man glanced over his shoulder.
"Nothing..." Kora sighed as she did the few tests that she knew to do, "She's just unconscious. I'm taking her to her chambers, so step on it. We need to clear out of here."
"Roger that." He said. The gentle hum of the engine's acceleration filled the cabin and the craft's shaky idle could no longer be felt.
Kora's eyes were back on the girl again. She couldn't be any older than fourteen, maybe fifteen. Her creamy skin was covered in soot and her rosy lips were paled. A streak or two dribbled through the dirt, telling her that she must be crying in her sleep. A wave of emotion and sympathy rolled over her. This poor child.
She scooped her arms underneath the child and carried her out of the cabin and into the narrow ship corridor. Her chambers were close to the heart of the ship—one of the most protected places. They were small, just like all of the others, but she would just have to adjust. She placed her on the bed, stepping into the on suite lavatory to grab a rag and dip it in water.
After wringing it out, she wiped the dirt, smoke, and soot off of her face and visible body. She unfastened her boots and slipped them off of her feet and legs, removed her shawl, pulled the blanket from beneath her, and covered her up to her shoulders. She placed the shawl on the bedside table, and walked out of the room. Careful to let the door shut gently, she walked back to the cockpit.
"How is she?" Gageus's mellow voice floated over to her once she sealed them in.
"Rough, but she'll survive." Kora sighed slipping into the co-pilot's chair.
"I guess it was a good thing that Commander Victor had the sense to tell us to stick around." He muttered.
"Yeah." She glared out the windshield of the air ship, "Now if we could have caught the bastard that started the fire, we would be in better shape."
Gageus said nothing, but she could feel the silent mutual agreement between them. Both of them wished they could hunt down the culprit, but she was their priority.

Once William had ended the line, he was already frustrated. No, beyond that. He was irritable and on the verge of angered. Alexander was a fool. A fool who was letting his daughter be exiled on the whims of his paranoia—paranoia that carried him away often. This same paranoia had almost lost him his family once before. William had to step in then too. He always had to. Now, he didn't know if what Alexander had done was repairable.
Now William's resolve had strengthened. He was going to arrive sooner than she was expecting. He needed to surprise her—only Terra knew how much she needed to be cheered up. He stood, grabbing his coat and his travel suitcase. He packed only the scarce things he would need to get him through the train ride—a change of clothing, an extra full, hidden pouch of money, and a few books to busy his mind—then he was out the door. It was a ten minute drive to the train station, and if he made good time, he could catch the early train to Hugo—the station a few miles out from Galenon.
He stepped out of his semi-detached town house, and locked the door, "William! Hello, my boy." William glanced up. A plump man by the name of Quincy Barton hobbled toward him.
"Hello, Quincy." He took a glance at his pocket watch. "I'm afraid that I can't chat; I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Where are you off to in such a rush?"
William gave him a pleasant half-smile, "I have business to attend to in Galenon, so if you'll excuse me, I must go."
"Ah," His plump, grey-mustached face dropped, "You've heard then haven't you?"
"I haven't a clue what you're talking about, but I really must go." William rushed off without bothering to ask for an explanation. He didn't need one. Quincy was always blathering on about something, whether it was relevant or not.
When he reached his antique automobile, he was still making good time, despite being slightly slowed by the ridiculous amount of greetings—even some odd condolences. Why anyone would be offering him condolences confused him. Possibly even more than Quincy's rambling.
He drove rather quickly, disobeying a few traffic laws in the process. By the time he reached the train station, he had to shake his head. What had gotten into him? He felt odd. There was a part of him that had latched onto his peers' sympathies and the plump man's rambling. Why, he couldn't imagine. He had made excellent time, reaching the train station within five or so minutes. He had made it plenty early enough to get good seats.
He already had the necessary money in his hand when he reached the ticket counter, "One round trip to Galenon, please." The older woman examined the money he placed on the counter before glancing up at him.
"Oh, Willie," Her thin lips lifted in a weak, consoling smile, "I see you've heard the news. I'm so sorry." William gave her an odd look as her slightly wrinkled hand held out the beige colored, thin slip of paper.
"Heard what news?"
"Oh–" The sound of the train's whistle drown her out, so he hadn't a clue if she had answered him.
He let out a sigh and shook his head, "Never mind." he called out to her. He turned and ambled toward the train.
His shoulder bumped into a man about the same height as he was, "Sorry, friend." He said.
The man's long silver hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck and his body was covered in a handsome suit of black, "No problem." His voice—though smooth and pleasant—sent a shiver down his spine.
His black eyes seemed to assess him as they scanned him over, stopping briefly on the ticket in his hand. It wasn't long before a deep distrust of this man—or whatever he was—settled into William's stomach. There was a darkness in him and as he walked around that man, William silently hoped that he never had the displeasure of meeting him again.

I shifted slightly, my body feeling as though it was weighed down. I forced my heavy eyelids to open and lifted my heavy head. A rather thick blanket was draped over me and the bed that my body lie on. My shawl sat on the bedside table and my boots beside that. I pulled my body up straight, forcing my lead-heavy legs over the edge of the bed.
With some forced effort on my part, I managed to stumble across the tiny room and close my hand around the door knob. The smooth, metal alloy was freezing beneath my thin, knee-high socks. I suppressed a shiver, mostly because I was already across the room and my shawl was near the bed.
I pushed the door open, glancing out into the metal interior of of the ship's corridors. That's right...I was in an airship. It must be an older model. Newer models were much more plush on the inside. But why was I on an airship? Oh...right...my father's summer home was burned to the ground. My stomach flopped and my chest ached, but all I could hope is that no one was harmed. If they were...no, I couldn't think like that.
I stumbled out into the hall, trying to force my stiff legs to work properly. I took in my surroundings. When the realization hit, I sighed. I had no clue where to go or what to do. The interior of this ship was unknown to me, but it couldn't be that different from the others that I'd been in.
At a sudden whim to guess, I decided to go left. If I did anything, I would just try to find the cockpit. If I could, I'd be alright. Maybe there would be signs... My feet felt along the floor, my hands and fingertips trailing the walls. I kept on a straight path, refusing to turn for the fear that I could get lost. Eventually, I stumbled upon a sign that read: "Cockpit—Forward. Kitchen—Left. Engine—Right."
I followed the sign's instructions and continued forward. The walls stayed the same metal alloy that was cool to the touch, but after about three or four stair steps, I was face to face with a rounded door. I gripped with the door tightly and with some effort, I pulled it open. The girl with burgundy hair whipped around to face me from the copilot's chair. She brushed her bangs off of her tanned brow before she spoke.
"Oh! You're awake." She said. I nodded, not daring to speak until I closed the door, "I guess that's a good thing." I glanced at some of the porthole windows around the cabin. The land beneath us wasn't land I completely recognized through the fog that still filled my brain and memory.
"Where are we?" I glanced up at her, "First, who are you?"
"I am Kora of house Madden." She answered stiffly, "I have been assigned to protect and watch over you."
"We," A pleasant male voice ammended. A lanky, ivory skinned young man glanced back at me with eyes the color of melted honey, "Hello, my name is Gageus of house Doxin, and we have been assigned to act as your guardian angels of sorts."
"Is that why you pulled me out of my estate?" I muttered.
"Yes." Kora said, shooting a warning glance of acid at the man. He didn't seem phazed by her coldness, in fact, it seemed to just roll off as if it never happened.
"We're just glad that you're alright." Gageus sent a soft smile in my direction.
"So I am I..." I glanced out the porthole of a window again, "Why am I being protected?"
"Your father has requested it." The girl answered cooly.
"And why would he do that?" I didn't stop the bitterness from leaking into my words before they were already out.
"I don't know, maybe because he loves you and it's clear to him that you're in danger...?" No matter how she tried, she didn't keep the sarcasm from leaking into her words.
"Kora." Gageus warned softly, "Go easy on her; It couldn't have been easy to go through what she just did."
"I wasn't insinuating that it was, Gageus." She stated, "I was answering her question."
"If I'm in so much danger, how exactly are you going to keep me safe?" The question was snapped, but it was too late to take it back. The way they were talking about me as if I wasn't here was getting under my skin.
"We are considered protection of the highest power, Rosenne." He said in his mellow voice.
"You know my name...?" My brows knit together. How...
"Of course," Kora sighed, "Do you really think that they would us to take on your assignment if they hadn't briefed us on it?"
"I don't know. I don't know who or what you are, or why I'm here. I don't know what this 'danger' is that I'm in, and I sure as heck don't know why I would be in that danger in the first place." I threw my hands in the air.
"Did you honestly think that the fire at the estate was an accident?" Kora spun around to face me, a flame lighting in her deep azure eyes.
"I don't know what it was." I snapped, "For all I know it could have been a grease fire in the kitchens, or maybe the fireplace in my father's study stayed lit or...I don't know. Anything!"
"Your father has enemies, Rosenne." Gageus said soothingly, obviously trying to stem the argument that was close to erupting.
"Not that I–" I cut myself off. My father had way too many enemies to count on three hands. Maybe more. Vaden Aro wasn't just his competition either, but why on earth would he target me? What did he get out of it? He'd just piss my father off and my father would destroy him. That wouldn't be a very smart thing to do on his part. Right?
"Exactly." Kora said, "Your father has enemies. The burning of your estate was only one of many actions that will probably ensue; therefore, you're stuck with us."
♠ ♠ ♠
It took me a little bit to finally complete this chapter, but it is done.