Daughter of Water

Chapter 17

It seemed as if I had just laid my head on my pillow when there came a small knock on my door. I groaned and rolled over, too tired to function like a normal human.

"My lady? Please awaken. Grandpa Clarence wishes to speak to you," Arlo's little voice said. I sat up slowly, nodding at nothing as I rubbed my eyes. Too tired. Need sleep.

"I will need help with my clothes if he wants me in something more princess like. Just saying."

"I am sure that Grandpa wouldn't be too worried if you wore something comfortable. Actually, I think he would appreciate it more if you wore something more comforting." I stood and made my way over to my closet, noticing that they followed my orders about making my closet half girl's clothes, half men's clothes. Deciding I would be more comfortable in the men's, I slipped into a pair of blue themed clothes and I finished up brushing through my hair. When I opened my door, I let out a yelp in surprise when Arlo stood there dressed in similar clothes to what I seen him in the first time I set my eyes upon him.

"You scared me Arlo. I almost had to kung-fu you to the ground." I put my hand to my chest and steadied my heart and breathing.

"What is kung-fu? It doesn't sound nice." I put my hands to my temples and rubbed, trying to remind myself that they are not from the surface and know of things that they should from that place.

"Sorry. Forget what I said. Lets just go." I followed the child through the maze of the mansion and tried to figure out what had happened to his parents. Why was he living with his grandfather and not his own mother and father? Would he not be safer with them than in the middle of such a mess?

"Arlo, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you live with your mother and father?" He faltered in one of his little steps but continued on his lead.

"They no longer exist in this world." This fully awoke me. This boy was an orphan and was taken in by his grandfather.

"Oh," was all I could think of to say.

He led me to a large looking doorway that had two doors. They were both open and as we stepped through, they were promptly closed and locked. Rough looking old and young men littered the room, all eyes on me.

I tucked a bit of my hair behind an ear, the only sign I was nervous.

"Welcome lady Arina. Please, if you would," Clarence said and moved me a bit closer to a map of the city.

It was more elaborate than I would have thought. Some roads twisted and turned, and some ran to dead ends. Others led to nothing but space and some places were erased and redrawn.

"This is a map of the city my lady. It is up to date and we have lost many lives gathering information for these maps." I winced and tried to not take the arrow he just launched at my heart. He lifted the giant map of Arina and handed it to a greying man who was standing just off to the side. Underneath the map was another but this one looked a bit more elaborate and like it had more houses than roads. But I don't think towns have ballrooms.

It was a map of the castle.

"My lady, this is castle Arina. It has been under the control of the Liquis for hundreds of years but for the past fourteen, it has been under the rule of the Fiers. They have dried up the city and sent it to an age where the nobles get the rewards of the people's work. Under the house of Liquis, the people were well treated and had no issue of food. Those Fiers have drained this land dry and are just running on fumes to keep the power." I covered my mouth to hold in a sob.

The people were suffering so much from being down here. They don't have any way to communicate to others that they need help.

I needed to get them to the surface.

"What do we need to do to save the people?" A polite smile decorated his face as he began to point out different parts of the castle. When he came upon the royal wing, multiple thoughts flitted across my mind. Was that where I was raised? Had I ever been there? Was I born there? Was that... was that where Darren lives?

"My lady?" My eyes met with his as I realized I had receded into my mind and inner thoughts.

"S-sorry," I said quietly and he sighed, the rest of the room growing tense.

"As I was saying my lady, there is a party tonight at the castle and we were planning to allow you to go as long as you have a guard with you. That way you can grow accustomed to the layout of the castle and understand the tyranny of the Fiers." I nodded grimly and tried to understand just what I was going to wear and what I was going to do in relation to my guard. Who would it be?

"Actually, we have procured two guards for you my lady. Extra protection and better control with spacing around you. It will make you seem like a noble if you have one man as an escort and the other a guard." I glanced around the room and wondered who he was picking to take me to the ball. Surely not some of these old brutes?

"Who will be the guards?" I asked, my voice almost timid because of my exhaustion. Clarence motioned behind me towards someone and I turned, taking in the two people before me.

One looked elegant and lively, the other like death was his game and he plays well. Francis and Curtis. At least I knew they would be nice and not like stiff statues.

"Francis and Curtis will escort you to the ball. Francis as your escort and Curtis as the guard. Do keep in mind my lady that this is solely for you to understand the people. Do not to anything reckless and lose your life. Do not approach the Fiers unless they approach you. Avoid them. They will not hesitate to kill you." I looked down at my feet for a moment, the men's boots looking a bit too new for their own good. Then I remembered that they liked when I was assertive and less submissive.

I swallowed down my fear of being assertive and looked up at everyone, looking around as I did with a hard look on my face.

"For years, I have been safe from the tyranny of the Fiers as you, my father's followers, were harmed and even killed by the same brute that murdered my family." I looked behind Clarence to the Liquis sword that has been passed down for generations. I walked over to it and lifted it, the burden of the family on my shoulders weighing me down as I tried to steel my resolve.

As I took in a deep breath, I unsheathed the sword and lifted it high, the ceiling of the war room far too high to touch the blade. But it seemed as if the blade itself reached for it with all of its might.

"I, Arina de Liquis shall rid this world of the Fiers and have the banner of Liquis flying once more." The men around me unsheathed their swords and raised them as well. With loud shouts that were certain to awaken the rest of the mansion, they cheered,

"UNDER THE CREST OF LIQUIS! UNDER THE CREST OF LIQUIS!" Lifting my family's sword towards theirs, I responded to them.

"UNDER THE CREST OF LIQUIS!" I vowed as I answered them that I would be the hope they were wanting me to be. I would be Arina de Liquis, bringer of hope and peace.