STONE

The Upper Hand

"Great bother, what a tragic story! You poor boy, no wonder you're ragged looking." Avilyn exclaimed.

Tripp nodded a bit and sipped his tea.
On pure accident, Tripp came across the princess that he and the K-Force were looking for and she was quite bright and spirited, as Eeva had described.
After settling down with tea and cookies, the princess had asked him about his story. And although he was still a bit foggy on it, she wanted all the details.
Tripp tried not to grimace at the harsh parts, mostly because he didn't want to think about it, nor scare the princess in any way. But it just seem to enthrall her all the more so. Even so, he kept alot of it to himself.
The tea kept him calm, along with the shortbread cookies, since she beckoned him to have as many as he wanted. She was smart, she knew how big of an appetite Aronites have. Not to mention, the bodyguards was able to find Tripp some sweatpants, which he found very comfortable. There was no saving the slacks he ripped, not that he cared in the least bit. The guards could use the slacks as a fire starter for all Tripp cared. Kyle probably stole them anyway.

"This Sterile character must be stopped!" Avilyn went on. "He could be building an army if he didn't stop with you! That's the thing about inventors, or mad scientists. They never stop their work, no matter the failures. Quite inspiring, to be honest, but definitely not in support. My mother must be aware of this, she may even have clues, since she was around when the genocide happened. Ugh, how ghastly this is! More tea?"

Tripp bowed his head respectfully and offered his cup, "Thank you, Your Highness.. I just wish I could remember more. I mean, I do, I remember alot, but I can't seem to piece them together."

"That sounds normal when you have amnesia. It takes a long time to recover, and some people just don't." Avilyn shrugged, lightly tossing her hair out of the way. She looked over to the bodyguards, "Brutus, Clyde, more tea? There's plenty of crumpets and shortbreads left!"

Brutus just grunted, but Clyde hesitated then leaned over to delicately take a small crumpet off the plate from the princess' hand, as though not to appear rude.
Tripp actually took a moment to look at the guards, now that he knew they weren't a threat. Both were big, burly men, standing a little over six feet tall. Brutus had thick, jet black hair, while Clyde had soft, reddish hair. Both clean shaven, and their hair was neatly trimmed. Brutus had a nasty scar on his left cheek, but one would think he showed it off proudly.
They each carried a spear in their hand, a large round shield on their backs, and a plain, but large two-handed sword on their hips. Their armor shone bright of silver, with copper trim work all along the designs. The design itself  was what amazed Tripp. All the intricate details that were pin and chiseled in seemed to of taken someone days, if not weeks to complete. On the breastplate, was the face of a strong beast, almost lion like. But it's apparent mane spread out like branches of a tree. The face wasn't large, but it gave enough intimidation and strength for the wearer to hold on to for battle. It wasn't a thick armor, but it was as strong as its presence seemed to be.
"Are they Aronites too?" Tripp asked in a low voice, finally taking his eyes off the guards. "..Do they speak?"

"Oh yes, they are quite the chatter boxes!" giggled Avilyn. "No, they are not Aronites, but Airossian, from Aiross, that is. I left my Aronite guards back with my mother. They're getting up in age."

"So wait- There's actually more?" Tripp asked in marvel.

"More Aronites? Why, of course! Very few, but yes, there's a handful on Aiross. They'll be delighted to see you!"

"I'm delighted to see them as well! Eeva is the only one I've met since the war, as far as I know. I have so many questions." Tripp grinned with excitement, same as the princess. With her, he can finally go home and possibly fix this mess. "How long are you needed here, if I may ask?"