Divided Nation

The Journey Begins

"Ready to go Hayden?" Alexia asks as she packs up the last bits of supplies onto the Water Dancer.

     The journey ahead was going to belong, and perilous. We were first going to take an armed escort down to the Sands once again. Then, accompanied by a small escort team, we were going to make our way undercover throughout the central Gala. A long and tiring process, but necessary. With the Regime and Bay fleet docked at Port Royale, it would be impossible to attempt the journey by sea.

     "Why do we have to go undercover?" Kyxio complained for about the hundredth time.

     "It's not safe if we don't," Alexia answered for the hundredth time, "even though we're traveling through allied kingdoms, there are still assassins and enemy spies lurking around. They won't hesitate to kill someone of royal blood."

     "An official armed escort would draw too much attention," I elaborated, "Louis has plenty of agents, even as far as the Yellow Kingdom. They'll find a way to intercept us if they know we're coming."

     With that said, we packed the last bits of materials onto the boat and said our goodbyes to the Sea States.

     "Please don't get yourselves killed," Leon said grimly, "That would suck."

     "Yes please don't die," Meikal added, "This mission is of utmost importance to the States and Gala. Remember, don't go anywhere that looks dangerous. Don't get into any trouble out there. And most importantly, never, ever, reveal you're true identities until your inside the gates of Titian's Landfall."

     "Keep me updated," I reminded them, "And tell me when Harold gets better. He's going to be needed."

     "I'll keep you updated," Leon assured me, "Just try not to lose the orb. I doubt anything interesting will happen during this time of the year anyways."

    Alexia had given both of us an orb that we could communicate with. It was round, fragile and white, still tucked away inside a silk pouch in my bag.

      "Enough chitchat," Meikal hushed us off, "Hayden needs to be on his way and we have preparations to make. Good luck, Hayden and off with you!"

     I stared at him in disbelief. Was he that anxious to get rid off me? I watched as he turned around and walked up the rickety steps of the docks, up to the giant looming building up above.

      "Don't judge him too much," Leon said, taking in my expression, "He's loyal to the States, I assure you that. But maybe in a different way than us."

      "Anyways," Leon finished, "He was right about one thing. You have to get going. It's bad weather right now. It'll only get worse. Come on, let's get you on the ship."

     I climbed onto the Water Dancer as she dipped her oars into the clear water. In the horizon, a thick storm cloud was gathering, getting ready for a large storm. Our sails unraveled, picking up the evening wind and extended, pushing the ship off the Center Island.

     "Good luck Hayden," Leon waved from the docks, "Hope you get back in one piece!"

     A strong gust of wind caught the sails and our ship lurched forwards gracefully. Although the Water Dancer was Leon's ship, he had to stay on the Center Island, as he was now part of the council that formed the government. There was a new captain appointed to the Water Dancer.

     "Full speed ahead boys," the captain shouted as he wrestled with the steering wheel in the growing choppy waters.

    Suddenly, a flash of lightning caught my eye and rain started to pour down heavily. Our oars repeatedly dipped in and out of the water, trying to outrun the storm, but it was catching up. Our sails were being strained to their full length, being pulled by the strong storm wind.