A Proclamation of Ruin

Information, Information, Information. Not enough of it.

I woke up restless. The same nightmare of my attempted murder. Soaked in sweat and a hitched breath The coffin suddenly felt more comfortable than this bed for I felt as if it held me hostage. Prisoned in its tenderness and scent. It reminds me of the hospital. The scent. The ambience. The lack of understanding in every turn.

Too much for a young mind to handle. Too painful for a grown one to remember.

Too busy catching my breath, late did I notice the girl standing at the edge of the bed. The only reason I even noticed her is because the light bounced off the earrings she wore. Crystal clear tear drops held in gold.

"Hello?" Why do I sound unsure? Should I reply goodbye then? She's just standing there.

"Hello. My name is Uma under Princess Arianne's wing. I am here to prepare you today, as you have an audience with Princess Adrianne. The Princess placed emphasis on the notion that we must make haste. Nests are being formed in every part of Gemmas and we must exterminate them before they house or awaken offspring of ruin." She said a lot of things. But I barely understood a thing. Nests. What about nests? Do they have that big of a bird problem?

Am I part of the problem?

"Oh... Okay. That's..." What should I say? "Thank you?" That is not enough gratitude dumbass. "What exactly are we going to do today?"

"The princess, the priest, the scholars and the heroes will orient you on your purpose and how to survive in the world. Your training comes first, to see how adequate you are in swordsmanship, defence, toxophilite, or healing. It is public knowledge but the thorny princess will teach you better." The thorny princess?

"Who's the Thorny Princess?"

"Princess Adrianne Adelie Ember. Thorny as she is sharp witted. A very intelligent woman with a..." she mutters something under her breath and avoids my gaze. She lightly shakes her head and turns back to me. "Shall we get you set, sir hero?" Sir hero... Oh yeah, I'm supposed to save something.

"Yeah. Can't keep a royal waiting."

Fairly quick preparation. A very uncomfortable one too as they all laid hands on me. I thought teardrop Uma was the only one who'll be assisting me but a troop of maids came marching into the designated bathroom and started scrubbing, soaping and rinsing me. Even in parts I insisted I can handle on my own, but no.

I hated every moment of it.

They all dressed me, fed me and lightly pushed me forward whenever I hesitated my way. I don't even know where we're supposed to be going so I'm sorry that I don't know where to go. But somehow we ended up in a small office, I was pushed in with a; "Good luck." The most remarkable thing about it aside from the numerous books on the tiny shelf was the string of glistening stones decorating each wall like Christmas lights from back home.

The thorny princess had her usual scowl on her face. The expression that scares me out of my wits end.

"Punctual, not in the slightest." she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"I did not know there was a schedule." It's true. I knew the agenda but not when or where everything was going to happen. They should plan these things better. Better yet they should have a clock.

"Was Uma with you?"

"She was but-" She scoffs, effectively cutting me off. Rude. I think the Thorny princess is not just an homage to her intellect. She seems like a bitch. And I've only met her yesterday. I shouldn't judge her quickly. That's rude.