Empires of Saturn, Part One

Chapter 6, Feathered Wings

Chpt. 6 Feathered Wings

Birana was smiling happily as she walked out the front door of the capital prison, seeing as she'd just personally executed the Torhindrin scum who had had the audacity to kidnap her son- and Courus- and then ask for her forgiveness. Beside her, with his hands cuffed behind him, was Narin Pyor, the other Torhindrin, not scum, that her daughter had apparently had in there for a week or so.

"Did you know him, by chance?" Birana asked curiously as she went, making sure he kept pace with the invisible flows of air she kept pushing against him if he lagged behind or otherwise strayed too far.

He looked up at her in surprise, previously having left his gaze on the ground to avoid all the hateful or simply displeased looks from every other titanite he got. "I... I'm sorry?"

"The man who kidnapped my son and his friend that I just executed via instantaneous vaporization. Did you know him?" Birana repeated, since he'd clearly not been paying attention, probably because his head was spinning with fear or the like. It wasn't hard to tell, considering he was sweating, trembling, and walking pretty unsteadily. He'd fallen twice now.

"N-No. I did not." Narin said, glancing at someone who caught his eya as the two of them walked down the street. Everyone who passed looked at him with open dislike, but since he was right beside the queen, nobody tried to stupidly do something to him. Narin turned his hands in his cuffs once, warily looking at the street a moment before lowering his gaze again. "I really don't want to be doing this." He said nervously.

"Would you rather stay in prison?" Birana asked, refusing to let his fearful, nervous mood spoil her good one. She'd instantly turned a man who had terrorized her son into scattering ashes and dust particles with a searing flame of death, so she was quite happy he did not exist anymore.

"Yes... Yes I would." Narin replied quietly, not looking up as he followed beside her, only staying on track because he could see her feet.

"Pish posh. You don't know what you're talking about, You'll be fine." Birana told him, carrying on, turning a corner, her sweep of air turning him as well when he at first kept going, making him tense up. "Pay more attention man." She told him, setting him back down beside her.

"Y-Yes... Queen Birana." He said, struggling to call her that. He was lucky he did though. She didn't dislike him for any reason at all really, not personally, but she would've set a Torhindrin straight for not using her title after stepping foot on her moon, whether he came of his own accord or not. "So... is... this a... science experiment?" He asked uncomfortably.

She stopped dead, turning to face him with a confused expression. "...What? Seriously?"

He stepped back a little, looking at her face worriedly. "Did I make a mistake...?"

She facepalmed, and kept going, waving him on, which he hesitantly followed, having to speed up as she blew him along with gusts of air. "No, Narin. We aren't going to do science experiments on you. I don't know where you got that idea, but if you think that is who we are, then you have some rethinking to do."

After a moment of silence, he asked her, "What would you... do with the Prince... if you won?"

"Jeonon?" She asked absently as she searched the signs along the street as she moved, looking for the right one, people making a bubble around her and Narin. "Yes... What would you do with Prince Jeonon if you won?"

"I would kill him if he made me, and I would spare him if he surrendered..." She replied, still focused on the signs. "...That isn't what your royals would do with our prince, is it?"