Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ VIII. KUMARI ❆ ❆

It's cold.

That's the first thing Kumari notices when she wakes up.

And that's impossible. It's never cold in Cevalon, unless she's taking a shower or drinking something. That's it — only water is ever cool...

Cevalon is the kingdom of sunset and sunrise. It's always hot, all year round, no matter what. They're famed for it!

So then, why is Kumari shivering as soon as she's awake...?

She throws the covers off and immediately regrets it, gripping her shoulders to calm her shaking body down.

Uh-oh.

This can't be good.

She gets up, throwing on an extra robe to hopefully preserve some warmth.

She goes to the window of her room to see what's going on...

And gasps.

The Kingdom is covered in crystal.

Crystal everywhere, a smooth thin layer over the ground, swirling pattern of translucent rock creeping up the side of the castle, lush trees now pure white from the way the sun glitters off their new glass shells.

"How..." She breathes, shaking her head, rushing out to the hall.

The hall is covered in the same crystal as well, and as her bare feet touch she yelps in shock at the sudden cold sensation, a shudder runs through her.

"Ay Allah!" She whines. "It's so strange."

She bumps into a knight — the one with silver eyes, who'd stopped her from leaving the other day. In a moment she remembers her frustration with him and gives him the worst glare she can muster.

He blinks calmly back. Of course.

"What's going on?" She demands.

"Go back to your room," is his smooth reply. "Keep warm. We'll handle this."

She pokes him in the middle of his breastplate, "Listen to me, little soldier boy. You will tell me this instant or I will have your—"

"Your parents have ordered me to make sure you stay put. If you'd like, I can escort you to the library, but otherwise you can make no threat against me."

She glares at him, lifting her chin up to seem taller, more menacing.

It doesn't seem to make any difference.

"Can't I talk to my parents at least?" She asks.

"I'll ask as soon as they're less busy."

She sighs, "At ease then. On your way."

"You're going where, then?"

"My room," she spits, returning to where she'd come from, and promptly slams the pink door in his face.

There is the sound of a distressed honk.

"Goldy!" She picks up the poor creature who's been shivering. Kumari keeps forgetting she has a goose now, but to be fair, it's only been three days that she's had her.

Kumari finds a nearby kelaghayi and wraps Goldy in it to keep her warm.

She debates going to the library, maybe doing research to find out what was happening... A crystal curse? A secret spell?

Maybe something Chiro did went horribly wrong...

She shakes her head. No no — Chiro's magic is closely connected to fire and light. It's too cold for it to be his work.

Suddenly, there are footsteps. Somebody is running outside of her hallway.

Is it a knight rushing to his duties? A servant who's late?

Or perhaps, an intruder...

Thanks to Jae and various bazaar accidents — a run-in with the very same and very angry knife merchant, plus a surprisingly malicious snake charmer — Kumari's starting to become more and more suspicious, more paranoid.

"Things are never as they seem," Jae said, when showing her a card trick.

"Magic?" Chiro had asked.

"Sleight of hand," Jae shrugs. "It's amazing what you pick up off the street."

"So you can convince people you're a magician, too?" Kumari asks in amazement.

"Only if they don't look too close," and he pokes Kumari's nose, then Chiro's. "Always look close."

Kumari doesn't like it.

There's the scuffling of shoes outside her door. The twist of metal... Somebody's turning the doorknob, about to enter her room.

Kumari puts Goldy down.

She looks through her shoes, picking up a boot.

"Here goes," she mutters, and as soon as the door opens she brings it down onto the intruder's head.

But it doesn't land, intruder grabs her wrist and stops her in time.

"Hey, what gives! What a welcome, geez..."

She smiles, dropping the boot and spreading her arms wide, "Jae!"

"Hello Princess," he quickly hugs her. Kumari was very starved for physical affection, and she was happy both Jae and Chiro had picked up on that. Quick hugs and back pats and high fives meant the world to her.

"Jae," and when she breathes his name she lets out a little yelp at the puff of what looks like smoke leaving her lips. "Goodness, I'm breathing fire!"

Jae laughs as she stares at the air leaving his lips too, "Yeah, me too."

"Anyways," she shakes her head, forcing herself to focus. "What's going on?"

"Kingdom's frozen over," Jae explains, but it doesn't feel like much of an explanation.

"I don't understand."

"It's covered in ice, Kumari."

"Like... The stuff Ruisea's made of?"

"Exactly!"

She puts out her hands to grab Jae by his vest collar, "But then why is there no snow...!"

"Bad luck is about what I can make of it. Just ice, no snow."

"Unfairrr," Kumari whines. "Being cold is no fun! Not if there's no snow."

"Absolutely agreed," and Jae shivers, rubbing his hands up and down his bare arms.

"Do you have any idea why?"

"The fortune teller's forecast said it'd be warm and sunny, sooo..."

"It's always sunny in Cevalon."

"Except today."

"Yep."

They pause. Goldy honks from underneath the layers of the kelaghayi she's swathed in.

"You got a plan right?"

Jae clicks his fingers, "You know I do."

"Am I in on it?"

"You sure are. First, put on those boots. They're for keeping your feet cozy, not for hitting innocent conpiracists on the head with."

Kumari does as instructed.

"Now," Jae rubs his hands devilishly, but Kumari knows he's just trying to stay warm. "Time for a little espionage."