Crown

Hae Jēda Is Ondoso-The Passage Of Time

"Let me get this straight. An enemy spy tried to assassinate you so you beat him and sent him home? Why didn't you throw him in the dungeon! It's empty down there!" Tekina shook her head.

Illya sat across her, sipping her tea. "Toured the castle?"

"It wasn't one of my desired stops but yes. I was surprised to see that it was actually quite nice there. The kid would have been fine in a place like that."

"That isn't the dungeon they wanted to put him in." Illya placed her cup on the table and looked idly at the flowers in the garden." For my thirteenth birthday, my grandfather gave me a prison as a present."

Tekina stared slack jawed at the indifferent Queen. "....why did he give you a prison? That isn't an um...typical gift for a young girl."

"I prefer practical gifts...or books. Books are nice," said Illya.

"...how on earth is a prison practical for a thirteen year old?"

Illya sighed and propped her head up on her hand. "I've watched countless loved ones die. Before my thirteenth birthday, a person very dear to me was killed by someone I considered a friend. The boy who was killed was the only ray of sun in my otherwise pathetic existence. After that, I just took a nose dive straight into chaos.

When I was twelve I was tricked by a girl whom I also thought was a good friend. She ended up burying me alive because she was supposedly jealous. At the time I was in a rather...obstinate village. Despite my accomplishments as a medical apprentice, they always made a point to belittle me and hide things from me. The day I was tricked, I had found out that there was some plot to corner and capture me then send me back to my wretched cousins, the ones who abused me as a kid that is. Apparently, they were paying the village a bunch money for my "delivery" as they put it. That girl...I probably knew something had changed but I so desperately wanted a place to belong...I just ignored it. That proved to be fatal. Instead of following their plan in luring me out, she took me to the abandoned well near the outskirts of the village and pushed me in. Then she blew it up and I was buried alive. Of course, I revived.

It was about an hour later and everyone was looking for me. My instructor found me, they damn well knew what that wench did and they refused to even acknowledge it...so what does a depressed, angry, abused teenager do at a time like that? Well, I razed the village. Burnt it all to the ground...killed half the villagers. It was a big village too. The people who wanted to sell me off escaped...including her. My impromptu massacre got the attention of the old big bad downstairs.

I decided to prance around the flames and dead bodies as a little victory march to taunt them when I was whisked away and dragged right down to Hell. I was told that my impulsive slaughtering of all those innocent souls went against some laws that I'm not at liberty to talk about, but since I'm the big bad's great great granddaughter, I wasn't punished as severely. Instead, they made me a "civil servant" so to put it. I had to listen and carry out a certain number of request from people to make up for the number of lives I ruined...although...I suppose nothing could really make up for that...still, as punishment I had to bear witness to some of the most screwed up parts of the darkest corners of humanity...even contributed to it to an extent." a downcast expression briefly crossed Illya's features.

She let out a sigh before continuing. "Years prior to that Lucifer had given me a country in Hell as a birthday present, which is where my prison was built. Since my little rampage was the result of an intense desire for revenge, I basically went around finding people who want to take vengeance on whoever and make a deal with 'em. I exact revenge and drag their target to hell where they are thrown in my prison. Then when the client dies they get to come to hell and chill in my prison too."

"What? Why do they have to go to hell too?"

"Revenge is messy business. I've seen some truly horrendous shit go down. It's only fair that if someone wants to play god and condemn a soul to Hell, they pay the price as well. That's why I didn't want to send Mr.Spy there. That place is reserved only for souls that have made a pact with me. Screwed up people are there. Definitely not a place for people like him."

Tekina sighed, wondering how exactly she ended up befriending such an eccentric woman. "Do you even get rewarded for that job of yours?"

"It's less of a job and more of a 'whenever I feel like it' kind of thing now. I've already done my time so it's become more like a business I've got on the sidelines. I still have to make a yearly quota of souls and in return, the souls of the people I killed that day get to live out a happy afterlife in heaven but said quota is much much smaller now. I'm really picky about who I choose to exact revenge for. I usually go for the big guns. None of that 'ooh but she stole my boyfriend' type of bullshit. I've been doing it for so long, the same kind of clients get boring y'know."

"If you don't make the quota will you get punished as well?"

"No. I just...innocent people got caught up in my blind rage...this is the only way I can make it up to them. Besides, I don't mind this kind of work. It's interesting...the type of secrets a person's heart holds...oh but I do enjoy dragging out the process sometimes. The angels stand clear since they don't care as long as I don't bother them and everyone in Hell is too afraid to stop me since Satan basically raised me." She laughed to herself.

"....you're a real sadist you know that? So what I've learned today is that Heaven doesn't want you and Hell is afraid of you so they let you do what you want...what a charming woman. "

Illya chuckled, shrugging off Tekina's playful sarcasm."What can I say, just the perks of having folks from both ends!"

The fell into a comfortable silence. It lasted for a good while before Illya broke it. "It's strange isn't it...." she pondered aloud.

Tekina lifted her head from her cup of tea and observed Illya's features. It was clear something was eating at her mind. "What is?"

"Things become...so...distorted over time. People change so drastically, lives are either ruined or made, grudges fester and burn...can you imagine...what kind of hatred a grudge held for eons could hold..." Her voice became distant, as though she were recalling an old memory.

A long sigh left Tekina's lips."The boys should be coming back today...it's been five days since they've left...I heard it's their birthday."

"Yeah...I hope they come back safe."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Ea and Tah Min were well on their way back to Solaria. Ea stepped onto the deck, letting the morning sun warm his body. It was a carefree morning with clear weather and smooth sailing. The crew had decided to do something to entertain themselves so they brought out some instruments to play. Tah Min was on the lower deck dancing away to the chime of a tambourine. The crew looked on in adoration and Ea was doing the same until a faint red glimmer caught his eye. His eyes wandered just behind Tah Min to see a ship, just as big as theirs and a brief flash of a woman before a flaming arrow came hurdling towards Tah Min. She noticed his panicked gaze and stopped dancing.

"PRIESTESS LOOK OUT!"