The Princess and The Bandit

FORTY FOUR

* * *

Lauren opens the Arcadian book of life. It was pitch black inside that old mine but the subtle bluish glow of the book was enough to see its contents clearly and illuminate her path as well.

On the first few pages, there were detailed maps of the first kingdoms of the empire. Greenscott, Oakridge and Aspen. Maps of all the smaller territories including Clifden. Lauren wasn't surprised to see that these northern regions were the first of Arcadia's empire, since it's here up north where her ancestor's story began.

One would have thought its Arcade city but it's not.

Prior to the first Jauregui's reign, Arcade city was the worst land of them all. The largest city in the world with no sense of order. People do whatever they want whenever they want. Each for themselves. Chaotic and only self serving. Only the temple survived through the madness.

From the kingdoms of the north, all the way to the south, it seems like the book of life tells Lauren that her ancestor circled around Arcade city as he claimed nine other kingdoms and the surrounding counties that warred against one another. With Astoria being the last one to submit, all twelve kingdoms united under one rule, the first Jauregui demolished the riotous anarchy in Arcade city. As a celebration of his victory, all twelve kingdoms and seventy two counties has become what is now known as the great empire of Arcadia, in honor of the newly reformed Arcade city.

It was fascinating to look at these very old but very detailed maps of Arcadia. But before Lauren can get distracted any further, skipping on the pages that tells her about the seven islands of Atlas that was her ancestor's final conquest, she traces the map that will show her the path that will lead her to the tree of life.

Following it deep inside that mountain, she took a while with several turns, trekking up and down a lot of times. Until she was finally led to one archway. There was no other turn anywhere else but the map on the book shows that she was on the right track. There was only the archway and it was filled with intertwined vines and roots and russet colored leaves.

There was no such thing in the book yet here it is in front of her.

For a moment she doubts herself. Perhaps she has done something wrong or misunderstood something. She flips several pages on the book looking for a reference about an archway. But there was none.

As she searched the book, in her mind she's already considering to go trace back her steps and figure out where she went wrong, a harsh wind blows. Startling her. She stands her ground defensively, tucks the book in the safety of her armor and draws her blade out.

The harsh wind kept blowing. It came out of nowhere and being deep inside a mountain, in an unfamiliar terrain, no one can really tell where the wind actually comes from.

It was so harsh, it almost knocked Lauren off her balance. She starts to get nervous standing there in the dark.

But then, just as it suddenly came, the harsh wind stops. What replaced it though caught Lauren in a state of utter surprise, with a little bit of trepidation.

Thick white smoke started rolling on the ground. It rose into ghostly figures of the past, all materializing right before her eyes, the only illumination inside that mountain other than the subtle glow of the book seeping out of her armor. Each and every fog-like forms were reenacting the events of the past in a blurry yet still distinguishable vision.

From the first Jauregui to her father; she can see them, she can hear them all. It was as fascinating as it was spooky. She can see them gliding against the dark rocky surface of that old mine; see the struggles they have been through, the triumphs they have celebrated, the people that became part of their lives.