Empire of Lies and Death

2, Brandy

"Ugh, I hate land. Remind me why I'm here?" Brandy Typhoon complained. She was land sick, homesick, and dirt sick. Was dirtsick a thing? It was now.

"My lady, you've been summoned by the Empress to her council." Perhea said evenly. She was used to Brandy's antics.

Brandy glowered outside of her wagon's window. Her aquamarine eyes searching the flat prairie for a droplet of water. It was in vain.

She'd heard stories of all the kingdoms of Araloa. But out of all the stories Gaeko had been her least favorite. It was a vast swath of flat, flat, flat grass. It was about as exciting at watching...well, Brandy couldn't compare this distasteful land to anything back home. Home was always exciting.

Unless you were subjected to scurvy. That was less than fun.

Gaeko: a couple of trees, a river there, a ravine here. Oh look! A bird in a tree three miles west. A pack of walok deer fifteen miles south. Yippee.

The only thing that had caught her attention was the huge, gigantic herds of huge wooly animals Perhea said were called Buffacs. She watched in mild fascination as they cut down the tall grass. It was like they were giving the prairie a haircut.

"Are we almost there yet?" Brandy fell backwards onto the floor, staring at the white fabric suspended over metal supports that made the roof of the wagon.

"Yes, my lady. I can see the castle on the horizon." Perhea said, forcing her voice to be chipper.

Brandy got excited but fell back onto the floor with a huff. "We could see the castle on the horizon a week ago."

"We hadn't started our trip a week ago my lady."

"My point exactly." Brandy sat up, her legs crossed and she swiveled to see out the front. Perhea sat at the helm, controlling the donkeys (Brandy had refused horses. She didn't trust those creatures) as they rode on the well travelled dusty road.Though all the roads seemed to be dusty.

The castle of Gáeko, home to their beloved Empress (note the sarcasm), did look closer. Much closer in fact.

Brandy hauled herself up over the divider and sat with Perhea. Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the sun she was pretty sure she could see the castle gates.

Brandy bounced her legs, her boots tip-tapped on the wood. She was getting antsy. To get to the castle, see why the Empress wanted to talk with her, the daughter of the Pirate Lord, and not her father. And to get back home. She missed the water.

Overcome with homesickness she rolled limply (and very dramatically) into the wagon. She thought about swinging down ropes and feeling the salty wind against her cheeks. She missed her crew. The rowdy laughter at dinner. She missed standing on the side of the ship, a rope tied to her waist as she let her hand touch the water and she played with rinfins.

Rinfins were a playful bunch, until you told them incest was gross then they tried to eat you for the next week.

Good times.

She missed standing at the wheel with her father, Ripper Typhoon. She even found herself missing her strategy lessons.

"My lady, we're here." Perhea's voice cut through her memories and Brandy shot up.

Indeed, they had come to a halt inside the courtyards. The giant sandstone and topaz castle loomed like a mountain. It wasn't the most elegant castle out there. It was rather blocky but she'd been told that the structure had been built like this because tornados and sandstorms hit with bloody vengeance out here.

Brandy hopped out of the wagon. Her legs flexed as she stood and stretched. Her legs were cramping and Brandy bent to ease her muscles. She wasn't used to sitting or lying still for days on end.