End War

Chapter 13 : Once Happy Family

After a week in Tallin, Jeanne went back to Cardia, the Capital City of Ivra. She was guarded by Julius and his army. Cardia was much wider than Tallin. The building grew high to the sky. Unlike Tallin, which has colorful buildings, Cardia has ancient white architecture, a legacy of its ancestors. At the center of Cardia, there was huge castle where the royal family lived. It was called The White Palace because of its colour.

Cardia was surrounded by greenland. Before entering the main gate, Jeanne cross a big bridge. A clear river flew below it. The river was deep enough to prevent enemies approached the city. The main gate was guarded by many men. Any passenger will be checked tightly by them.

After entering the main gate, they passed the main road. People were gathering at the road side to see their princess. Jeanne was inside a cart pulled by horses. Her gaze lowered, she did not greet them because what of they whisper. They whisper about how poor she was since she was child and now she had been missing for a few weeks, made her looked like the poorest princess in the world.

After passing the main road, they entered The White Palace. It is located in a hill at the center of the city. They need to pass uphill road. Once they reached the castle, they headed straight for the throne room. Jeanne was sit on her disable chair, driven by Julius. In front of them was a big white and gold door of the throne room. Jeanne was nervous because of her accident that troubled them. Then the door was opened.

Shine came through the door. When it begone, Jeanne saw blue carpet stretching towards the king's throne. She entered the room slowly. On the throne, she saw her father, mother, and two brothers.

"Jeanne, my sweet little daughter!" Queen Alice shouted and ran towards Jeanne. She was a lovely mother. She couldn't hold the longing of her little sweet daughter.

"It must be tough for you, sweety. Thanks god you were safe. I miss you so much. Every night was a nightmare without news of your condition," the Queen hugged her, crying on her shoulder.

"I'm happy to see you, Mother. I miss your warmth," Jeanne cried with joy because she could be reunited with her mother who loved her so much.

One of her brother approached Jeanne. He wore a white robe. His hair was short and yellow. His eyes were blue, just like his mother. He had a calm yet sweet face.

"It's a bless for me that you are safe, my tiny girl," he held Jeanne's hand while holding back his tears so they wouldn't fall.

"Brother Johan, I miss you too!", Jeanne said. Johan V Ivor was her second brother. He was very close with her. They used to play together from child. As a Gifted, he can manipulate rock. Using his Gift, he used to make a figure from rock for Jeanne. He also taught her about many things outside the world. He was the one who taught Jeanne about creatures in Ygdrassil. He was never mad at Jeanne's childish action. He always supported Jeanne to become a great woman regarding her dissability.

The first brother approached them too. His yellow hair grew below his shoulders. He had brown eyes just like his father. His face was firm. He had a sharp gaze, making anyone who saw him shrink back. He said a short sentence, "It's good you're alive".

He turned around and faced the King, "Excuse me, my King. There are bussineses need to be done".

The first brother left the room.

"Brother Julian was worried about you too, Jeanne. Forgive him, he was quite busy lately," the Queen said.

"I know, Mother," Jeanne said. Julian V Ivor was heir to the throne. He was trained hard to be the next king since he was child. He didn't have time to spend with his brother and sister so he didn't close with them. Everybody knew that he was ambitious for the throne. He had the ability to manipulate temperature of a thing he touched, making him resistant to iron just like his father.

Suddenly the King stood up. He really wanted to hug his little daughter but he needed to maintain his charisma in front of the guardmen. He said, "Jeanne, I'm glad you're safe. Your mission to observe the Ygdrassil was failed. But, your safety as a princess of Ivra is more important than your mission. Now, take a rest from your long journey. Julius, take her to her room!"

Days had passed since then. Jeanne had nothing to do but rest. During her rest, she made handkerchiefs. She was quite skilled at sewing. She couldn't play and run around like the other child so she used to spend time for sewing whem she was child. She made four handkerchiefs for her family.

A handkerchief with small eagle motive on it was made for his father. Eagle was symbol of Ivra. It matched her father as a King of Ivra. A handkerchief with small rabbit motive on it was made for her mother as symbol of love. It matched Queen Alice's character as lovely mother. A handkerchief with small tiger motive on it was made for her first brother. It symbolized the Prince Julian's firm. Last, a handkerchief with small deer motive on it was made for her second brother. It matched Prince Johan's character as someone who care with his family.

Jeanne gave all the handkerchiefs. The King thanked and patted her head. The Queen hugged her like a child. Prince Julian just said a single word of thanks. Prince Johan gave her a rock statue of her as a return.

It was a lovely activity for her. Sometimes she remembered her journey with her new friend, a boy with white hair and black eyes. She wonder with his condition. Did he return to his bandit gank, did he still wander around, did he continue his journey to find his answer, was he alive or not. She missed him in some nights. Thankfully, her happy family filled her loneliness. But, that won't take long until a tragedy happened that night.

To be continued...