A Tamia's Tale

Chapter 14: The Will of Albius Sora

A knock resonated in the hallway. The young princess had brought flowers, freshly handpicked from the garden. That was all she could do in this situation. Ever since her bodyguard failed, that was all her mind wandered to. There was no life besides her dear, sickly father.

Taking a deep breath, with a smile ready to be shown to him, she pushed the knob down. The door creaked slowly, letting a fresh breeze lift her shriveled hair up. Spring had come, the beautiful sun was out more often and she purposefully picked up the first daffodils and orchids that bloomed early. They were delicate and bright, perfect for his weak eyes that were barely seeing her face.

"Father," she called out softly, stepping inside. The room still smelled of herbs and incense, in the hope of pushing away the curse of the king. She approached the bedside, placed the bouquet on the table by the window, and then sat down near him.

Humming a simple song he used to sing her when she was little, she arranged the flowers neatly, so that he could see them without moving. "I brought you some flowers, I know you love to walk in the garden, so..."

Something was off. She didn't finish her sentence, instead, she looked at him intently. Was he sleeping? His chest wasn't going up and down as usual, and while he never moved, there was still some air coming out of his mouth once in a while.

But this time, there was nothing. Only the complete silence.

"Dad?" her voice trembled, a lump in her throat forming slowly.

There was no answer. Even Morgann had stopped breathing. She had become so still in the hope of hearing the faintest sound coming out of his body, but nothing. Not even the slow brush of the sheets as his chest heaved up and down. Not even the faint sound of his halting breath. No, she was hallucinating. It wasn't real, it couldn't be.

"You left... Didn't you..." The words slipped from her lips as she found herself drained of all energy. Her limbs felt powerless, all that was left was silence. Her mouth was glued as her jaw clenched instinctively, her own chest felt like it was going to explode.

But nothing happened.

She didn't cry, her body wasn't shaking. There was nothing, but silence.

A knock on the door resonated through the room, and a person entered with a plate full of food.

But nothing happened.

The woman was talking to her but she wasn't listening, the plate fell down on the floor as cries resonated through the castle.

Yet, she heard nothing.

All that was left, was a deafening silence.

The bustling market of Sora. A jewel of this country that was once the epicenter of all trades happening in the Inner Tamia. Jewels, exotic perfumes, medicine, everything could be found there, and even more since the country was now reopened to the world.

Though the priority of the available places on the market place was given to the people of Sora, there were still occasionally some merchants coming from Fyr or Ryuuji, to trade goods and make some profit. While the market had almost died down after the events that transpired two years ago, the amazing communication skills of Safaran Sora allowed the free passing in the city of all merchants from all horizons, giving a breath of fresh air much needed for the economy.

Tapestries of the north, swords from the south, even religious figures from the holy city, the market was now brimming with new products that the richer population of Soraians were eager to buy every week.