Chapter 1

Reyna was shocked out of her daydream when she heard a voice calling for her right outside of her bedroom door. She groaned, and got off of her bed to open the door and see Garett-- a child of some servants who's in training to be a knight. They used to be quite close friends but they've been distant for a good few years. Garett was there to ask her to finally meet with Miss Faye, her private tutor after she put the meeting off three times already. Reyna wanted to keep daydreaming but she agreed to go see her when Garett bribed her with her favorite cookies-- that she's happy that he remembered.

When walking through the peaceful castle halls, she internally panics about what Miss Faye will have to say. She beats herself up for not being like Calypso-- she would know how to confront an irritated teacher-- and she wouldn't feel like crumbling into dust at the very idea of being scolded. Hell, she wouldn't even do anything worth scolding in the first place. Reyna certainly has a love-hate relationship with her. She loves imagining herself as her, but she hates that she'll never be able to be her. She imagines Keith-- her imaginary boyfriend and deurotagonist in her daydreams-- giving her some words of encouragement which at least manages to stop her trembling before she opens the door to Miss Faye's office.

She sees Miss Faye sitting at her desk, stuffing her face with a pie infront of her. She hastily wipes her mouth with a napkin, reprimanding Reyna for forgetting to knock once again before setting the pie behind her. Miss Faye proceeds to get right into the issue-- that Reyna has been slacking off in her classes even more than usual the past few weeks. She stresses that these lessons-- about the Pyrian language-- are of utmost importance, since as the crown princess she needs to learn each of the three major languages of Eugaria. Reyna repeats her usual "yeah yeah, my bad, I'll do better" before Miss Faye asks "you're so absentminded because you're not over his suicide, aren't you?"

Reyna was quick to insist it wasn't a suicide, her usually tired voice erupting with passion. Miss Faye told her to stop stressing over it since playing detective won't get her anywhere and that even if there was more to it she wouldn't be able to figure anything out. She just didn't have the skills for this sort of thing. Reyna got angry-- saying that she didn't have the skills to be a queen either but everyone still expected her to do that. For the millionth time Miss Faye explained to her that she had a very important job to do that she needed to focus on. As the last descendent of the Goddess Zarie, it was up to her to rule the kingdom one day. The people are very devout. Replacing those with a God's blood is akin to replacing the Goddess herself. So she needs to fulfill her duty for the sake of everyone in the kingdom instead of focusing on the mysterious death of some thief--

"His name was Cain" Reyna interrupted, fed up with Miss Elva's lack of compassion. Miss Faye tried telling her to focus on the greater good but Reyna wasn't in the mood to keep talking. Reyna just went back to their original topic and said that she'd brush up on her Pyrian and take a retest of the last test she bombed. Miss Faye agreed with the plan and Reyna left her office.

On her way back to her room to get back to daydreaming, a girl named Lailah approached her and offered to tutor her in Pyrian-- since Miss Faye told her that Reyna was struggling and thought she could help. Reyna grumpily refused. She actively disliked Lailah-- she was an old friend who was immensely talented and just being around her made Reyna burn with jealousy. When puberty hit and Lailah's magic manifested and Reyna's didn't, Lailah spent more and more time away from her, going off with her other friends on little adventures. Reyna felt like Lailah was abandoning her so she felt it was only appropriate to give her the same treatment. And Lailah had the audacity to be the sweetest girl on the planet, so her animosity seemed totally unjustified. Oh yeah, she's also a fairy. They're like humans but they're shorter, have translucient skin, gradient hair, a lack of pupils, and are often described as odd-looking-- but Reyna finds her beautiful. Annoyingly so.

The two walked together and eventually got to Reyna's room and sat down at a table. On their way there, Reyna accepted Lailah's offer, if only to convince Mrs. Faye that she's actually trying. Reyna asks if a certain time tomorrow is ok but Lailah says that she had some quest preparations that time-- and was visibly upset as she said it. Reyna asks if something was wrong and Lailah was about to say something about "last time" when Reyna remembered-- the last quest they went on, one of Lailah's friends had died. Reyna mentally beat herself to death for forgetting something like that.

Reyna said that if she was upset, she should take a break from quests. Lailah insisted that if she sat this one out, she'd be putting her friends at risk again, since their squad would be lacking considerable power without her there. Reyna then suggested that they all sit out for a while. Lailah thought about it, and said she'd bring it up with the others when she got the chance. Then Lailah got emotional and said that Reyna was lucky to be a typic-- she wouldn't be expected to put her life on the line like she was. Internally, Reyna got angry. Reyna thought that Lailah was in a privileged position to be able to say that. She didn't know what it was like to be a weakling without magic so it was easy for her to say that. But Reyna kept her feelings inside, not wanting to cause an argument with someone who was grieving. She simply said that there were things she wished she could do and feels that she would be able to do them with magic.

Lailah asked what those things were. Reyna hesitated and just talked about being able to go travel on her own, and maybe help people in need. Lailah pressed and asked where exactly she wanted to go, and who exactly she wanted to help, thinking that she had something in mind. Reyna then admitted that Cain's death was troubling her, and that she wanted to find out the truth behind it. Lailah was confused and asked how her lack of magic stopped her from figuring it out, and Reyna said that she might have a lead but doesn't think she can follow it without magic. Lailah is intruged and asks about it. Reyna's scared that she's going to try and stop her from following it, or talk to others about it. Lailah said no and that she just wanted to help. With no other way to follow the lead otherwise, Reyna explained.

It happened a couple weeks ago. It was early in the morning and Reyna was in the castle's jewlery vault. It was connected to the underground tunnels. Reyna was trying on a pretty necklace and looking at her reflection in a little ornate mirror. She was down here pretty often, taking notes of the jewelery and using them as inspiration for her daydreams. This pendant was blue... perhaps it would have water powers? Or the soul of a naiad in it? She always came down here at ungodly hours in the morning, though. Because she knew that no one would want anything from her.

But against all odds, the door had opened. Reyna jumped back-- not afraid of getting in trouble, because her father had given her the key and permission to be here, but because, well she had the key. It was in her dress pocket at that moment. How did someone else get in? Her question was soon answered when a young man dressed as a merchant came in holding what appeared to be a lockpick. He seemed just as surprised to see her. He asked what the hell she was doing there so early in the morning. She was too shocked to answer, so he spoke up-- saying that he only wanted one thing: Zarie's ring. It belonged to Zarie and is said to be blessed by her, giving any pure mage that puts it on a great boost to their magical power. He was hired to steal it.

Reyna refused, saying that it was one of Hecadia's great treasures, and that as the descendant of Zarie, it was her job to protect it. She knew where it was on the shelf so she stood in-between them. Cain grew irritated, and looked like he was about to pull out a knife, but he changed his mind. He simply used his words-- saying that he and his brother were poor and struggling and that the money they'd get from giving his client that ring would be enough to turn their lives around and that it would just be sitting there collecting dust anyways. Reyna hesitated, but felt bad for him. He had a point. As pretty as it was, it wasn't of any use to her. But still. Wouldn't she get in trouble? Her people were disappointed in her already. Letting a thief get away with a relic from the Goddess Herself would cement her as nothing but a fuck-up.

Cain grit his teeth and urged her to hurry up. Reyna stood there, paralyzed. Then time ran up-- a knight came in and saw the scene. He hurried to apprehend Cain. Reyna recognized him as Brom, a purple-haired carefree knight in his mid-20s. He recently took up guard duty at the castle in order to spend time with his girlfriend who works here as a servant. That must be why he's up so early-- he has a nocturnal schedule, guarding all night. He must be on his way to bed. Brom asked Reyna if she was alright. She could only say "yes". Then he asked Reyna if the thief had threatened her-- or if maybe she was co-operating with him. Cain answered for her saying "I threatened her". Reyna was surprised-- but it didn't show on her face. Not out of a conscious decision to hide it but because that's one of the many emotions that she doesn't express automatically. People have called her strange for that. Cain gave her A Look and Reyna said he was right and that he had threatened her. She didn't know why on earth he would say that but in tense situations she was the type to follow, not lead and make her own decisions. So Cain was taken away.

That night, Reyna had gone to visit Cain in prison. Separate from the castle was building that led to an underground collection of cells. All she did was ask the guard-- currently Brom, as it was almost midnight. He allowed her in unsupervised. It wasn't strange, considering that there was nothing the prisoners could do to hurt her from behind bars. They were made of aluminum-- a material that instantly absorbs any magic that comes within an inch of it and then immediately disperses it into the air in particles so small they fade into the air, like someone's breath in the winter.

So she met Cain, who was sitting in his cell, and asked why he said he threatened her. He said it was for two reasons: one, so she'd get curious and visit him here. Two, because now she owes him a favor. He made it quick: he had a little brother that was staying in Kauntio, a small town to the west. He was 15 years old and had short, teal hair and glasses. Cain had tried to steal that ring in order to get money and secure his future. He asked Reyna to go to Kauntio and visit him and inform him of Cain's capture. He needed to know that his big brother wouldn't be coming back. But she couldn't bring knights with her or anything-- he was also a thief and would definitely run to another town if a knight was asking for him. And ideally, she'd go visit him sometime this week. Reyna agreed to help him and that she'd even try and find a way to reunite them, since it was kind of her fault that he got arrested in the first place.

It was too bad that in a couple nights, Cain was found dead in his cell, bleeding out of a bite mark in an artery in his wrist. It was concluded that he had committed suicide by biting himself and then bleeding out. Reyna insisted that it couldn't be the case-- because he had family that he needed to go back to. She denied knowing any details about that, of course, and simply said that he mentioned it in her visit to him. They said that maybe he didn't want to be a burden to his family and that's why he killed himself. Reyna kept trying to argue but any argument she had was brushed off with an explanation. Besides-- Brom hadn't seen anyone enter the prison.

Reyna had been agonizing over this situation every second she wasn't daydreaming as Calypso. A week had passed. She hadn't gone to visit Cain's brother immediately simply because she was procrastinating. She had a week to do it so she'd do it on day 6. That's how she always did it-- not the "do date" until the "due date", as she'd said. And now she had no idea how to explain to him that his brother was dead. And since she wasn't allowed out on her own, she had no idea who to ask to accompany her-- would they actually escort her, or would they insist on going themselves because it was too dangerous? She couldn't accept that. She needed to look Cain's brother in the eyes and tell him herself that he had been murdered-- not committed suicide like everyone else insisted. And would they get Cain's brother in trouble? He was a thief too, after all. Maybe in Kauntio, while waiting for Cain's return, he'd been stealing. If she went with a knight and asked the locals "hey, have you seen a teal-haired boy with glasses" and they answered "yeah I have! That little rat pick-pocketed me!" then the poor kid would end up on a wanted list. So a knight was out of the question. But who could she ask? Who could she trust? Who would be willing to let a thief go instead of wanting him arrested?

"Umm... me?" Lailah asked, answering her question. Reyna expressed that they weren't exactly close and that she was always busy with her *other friends*. Reyna realized too late how bitter she sounded. Lailah said that she wouldn't be busy, not for a while. She had enough 0f the "adventures" she once loved. But she was the type of person that always had to be doing *something*. She couldn't stand around and twiddle her thumbs until her will to fight had returned. So she'd help Reyna, because "That's what friends do".