Legend of the Holy Sentinels: Night Hunters

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - the ARRIVAL

Loud trumpets roared fiercely, practicing their joyous revel, bringing forth notes that travel amazingly fast in the air as they wake all that might be sleeping around the capital of Nagozul. Garlands and banners that the people haven't seen ever before are heavily decorated on street posts, trees, and almost all houses that are in the line of sight from the main road leading to the Palace.

Generally, putting ornaments in tune for a celebration aren't a part of the Nagozulian customs, and certainly not a part of their tribe brothers the Yagisivians and the Daomagarians, making this kind of setting generally new to them. Putting brightly colored triangular-shaped papers they called banderitas doesn't really seem that sensible to them, especially after hearing that it would all be discarded after the welcoming affairs. Being keepers of the Holy Lands, such waste of time, effort, and resources are unfamiliar to them giving them the dreaded assumption that this tradition is foreign and not one of Prodea's whimsical antics. It's hard enough making them and putting them in their perfect place in the first place, the people of Nagozul thought, but that's what Prodea wants and what she wants, she always gets, and whoever stands in her way usually ends up assigned to the farthest regions of Nagozul, or worse, in prison.

Much busyness can be seen at the Palace as they all move about with both haste and fear in order to perfect Prodea's plans for a grandiose welcome for the Easterners. They have been doing this day and night for the past two months nonstop. Planning the arrival party tends to be harder for them as each day passes for the Grand Princess seems to have the tendency to change her mind as soon as she realizes something more extraordinary than the previous plan - the previous plan that they work so hard to accomplish only to hear that it would go down the bottom of the sea on her whim generating another arduous task to accomplish to appease her. If she had just received her grand epiphany before they have accomplished a very laborious task, they wouldn't have to experience the kind of worry they are currently facing. Not to mention adding the fact that she has a very keen eye for detail, her very specific and very personal detail. No one could be blamed if they all would go flipping mad at her complicated and impossible orders. This trouble that disturbed many a Daomagarian help strengthened their faith leaving for them to pray with much intensity to Bathala, beseeching him to end their misery and let the foreigners just arrive magically. 'A miracle!' They all thought thankful as one of the sentry shouted.

"I can see their flags, Your highness! They are coming!"

"What! So soon!?" complained Prodea which revealed a lot of frowned faces surrounding her as she rushed near the gates to compose herself.

"Now, now 'Dea," whispered the Queen, "Getting nervous means being..."

"Unprepared," she filled, "Yes mother! We are unprepared!"

"Come now, you are being overly dramatic."

Before Prodea was about to give a witty retort being lured in to her mother's banter she was stopped by the loud horn before them.

The huge doors opened wide to receive the eastern envoy followed by the teeming soldiers that marched lining evenly before them.

"Blessed morning to you my liege," he kneeled down bowing with a smiling face and stood right away, "I am Duke Tabarius from the house of Wolfe, envoy to the Great and Mighty Eastern Empire of Leonus and we are your most humble servants."

"Oh, why the soldiers?" asked the Queen, "I thought you'd be bringing workers?"

"Yes, benevolent Queen, but I believe a good soldier is more reliable than a good worker. They are stronger, more agile, and basically can endure more. Wouldn't you agree?"

The Queen smiled seeing his charming gestures and whispered to Prodea.

"Polite, smart, and handsome."