Tales of Zestiria The X: Calamity's End

Chapter 1: A New Threat

Pendragon Castle, The Era of Chaos

Alisha Diphda, the Hyland Empire princess, was sitting on a bench in her garden, waiting impatiently for Shepherd Sorey and his friends to come back from Rolance. Alisha set down the book of her ancestry and leaned her head against her arm, smiling a little to herself as sunlight warmed her face through the leaves.

"Princess!"

Alisha raised her head and saw her friend, Sirel, putting down a cup of hot coffee in front of her. Sirel brushed a hand over her short black hair, and her blue eyes glanced amusingly over Alisha, "What has gotten into you today, princess? You're so spacy!"

Alisha shook her head slightly and closed the book, "Sorry, I was just... lost in thought."

Sirel leaned forward, squinting at the old leather-bound journal that Alisha was reading, "Is it the Diphda ancestry records that lady Maltran gave you?"

"Yes."

"How far back do these records go?", Sirel asked.

"Not much. The rest goes into legends way before our time, but then it is not enough for me."

A moment of silence passed between them. Alisha took a sip from her cup.

"I have received Sorey's message... and I really want to know my family's connection to the Shepherds." Alisha put a hand on her warm cheeks as she blushed, lost in her daydream. "Thinking that my ancestors were Shepherds and heroes. It's exciting, isn't it?"

Sirel locked her hands behind her head, pursing her lips, "You certainly let these things go to your head..."

Alisha shook her head, and her dreamy face reverted, "No, I don't! I'm just admiring them...Whoever they were." Alisha recalled no traces of them in her family records, and gloom flitted behind her eyes. Alisha sighed and turned to Sirel, "Any news of Lady Maltran?"

"No, I couldn't find her. She's probably doing her daily inspection of the barracks.", Sirel suggested, "Today's going to be a breeze through as usual, so no sweat. Even without Lady Maltran around."

Sirel grinned before turning her attention toward someone approaching as Alisha took another sip of her coffee and relaxed. "Oh, god, would you look at that?"

Alisha turned to look at the direction Sirel was talking about. She recognized the red-headed Ian, one of her guards and a close friend of Sirel, pacing to their side from the castle. "Look at that hair. Fashion tragedy at twelve o'clock.", Sirel mockingly said.

Alisha groaned to herself, narrowing her eyes at Sirel. "If you can't say something nice..."

"Princess... be fair! Look at those bangs! Who could say something nice about that?"

Alisha crossed her arms and leveled a scolding glare with Sirel, "You could if you tried."

Sirel rolled her eyes, "Ugh. Okay. At least her uniform is neat, I guess."

Ian noticed Sirel's up-to-no-good gaze as she joined them, "Was she bad mouthing me again?"

Sirel grumbled to herself, her brow furrowed. It made Alisha smile.

"No, it was nothing. Sirel is just having some adjustment issues on her view of others."

Ian sighed, eyeing Sirel suspiciously, "Shepherd Sorey has arrived. They're in the castle, waiting for you."

Alisha scrambled from her seat, "Really?!" She beamed and rushed towards the palace. Sirel and Ian trailed behind her.

"Slow down, princess!", Ian pleaded.