Chapter 67: Unwelcome Chaperon
Despite her mother's warning about this being a diplomatic trip and not a regular outing, Naomi was excused from most of the official meetings. She found herself with hours of free time and a city to explore.
At first, she was worried that she had somehow insulted the queen of Korsa and this was a punishment, but she quickly forgot her concerns as she wandered the vibrant winding streets of Korsa's capital.
The festival was in full swing. The crowded marketplace was crammed with people of all kinds, their colorful clothing giving them the appearance of a coral reef, bobbing and swaying with the movement of the people. The Corvi had a sort of inherent grace to them that Naomi envied. She wasn't sure if it was biological or cultural, but it was something that she sorely lacked.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Prince Jorna asked. "Perhaps a hairpin or a new dress?"
Naomi kept her annoyance off her face. Prince Jorna had volunteered to show her around the city, and unfortunately, Naomi had no polite way to decline. He was dreadfully dull, and his tense demeanor made her wonder if he was scared of commoners or of getting his boots dirty.
Naomi had met his type in other countries on Ember. Places where the nobility were regarded highly and given more authority over the people. They looked down on the people they were set to govern and it always left Naomi with a bad taste in her mouth.
"I'm just exploring," she said with a polite smile that didn't meet her eyes. "Unless you have something specific that you wanted to show me…?"
She wasn't opposed to getting to know the prince better. She wasn't so self-assured that she assumed her impression of him was the absolute truth, but he didn't seem interested in talking about himself either. It was like he was doing this against his will and he just wanted to return to the palace as soon as possible.
Prince Jorna shook his head. "Whatever makes you happy. Our city is one of the finest in all of Ashen."
Naomi sighed inwardly. So much for getting to know each other. Maybe she should ask questions. He responded when she talked. It could facilitate at least some sort of conversation.
"What is your favorite part of the city?" Naomi asked.
Prince Jorna blinked. "My favorite—look out!"
Naomi ducked out of the way as a woman nearly collided with her. The basket balanced on the woman's head tilted precariously but she recovered before the contents spilled, apologizing profusely.
"It's all right," Naomi assured her. "I—"
"You should watch where you're going!" Prince Jorna snapped. "Princess Naomi, is your bubble intact?"
Naomi frowned. "Yes, of course, it's—"
Prince Jorna sighed in relief. "Good. Perhaps we should move somewhere less crowded."
Naomi frowned. Was that what it was? Prince Jorna was concerned for her safety? It was far more positive than 'stuck up noble doesn't like getting his shoes dirty', but it was still a little insulting.
She let it go for now. He would get used to having her there, and maybe in time, he would be less of a stick in the mud.
Naomi decided to change the subject.
"I'm not seeing many people in their natural forms," she commented with genuine curiosity.
Corvi were shapeshifters. She had seen them imitate several species—including animals—but she had also seen them in their wispy semi-corporeal form. They floated about on the wind, headed to their next destination with the carefree air of a gentle breeze.
At least, that's what it looked like to Naomi.
"Queen Hemma thought it might make you more comfortable," Prince Jorna explained. "We spent time in the dungeons, learning to properly replicate your people, then passed on the information to the citizens. Do we meet with your approval?"
Naomi frowned. Shape-shifting was a painful process, from what she'd been told. This wasn't something she would ever ask them to do.
Especially since she would prefer they all act naturally.
She didn't say as much however, not wanting to offend the people of Korsa. Instead, she changed the subject once again.
"That place looks interesting!" she said, pointing at a blacksmith's shop.
Prince Jorna smiled. "You have a good eye! The blacksmith Gersan is renowned across Ashen. His items are quality work and enhanced to last for centuries with the proper care."
Naomi's ears twitched, expecting to hear the gentle hum of magic radiating out from the shop. Then she remembered that Miasmic spells wouldn't make sound for her. The whole of Korsa was quieter than any place Naomi had ever been.
The inside of the shop was crowded, not only with people, but also with every sort of weapon that Naomi could imagine. She admired several rows of ornate daggers, their curling runes etched across handles and blades alike.
"Do you have money?" Naomi asked. "I'll pay you back.
Prince Jorna frowned. "What would you do with a Miasmic dagger? You can't even touch it."
Naomi's shoulders sagged. They were beautiful and no doubt deadly, but she couldn't even hold them, let alone fight with them. Her skin would burn on contact.
"That's true, I suppose," Naomi said.
Still, she debated for several minutes about whether or not to buy one. She would love to just hold one of them at least. She could just heal the damage away, couldn't she?
An excited murmur buzzed through the shop as a tall man in work leathers entered.
"I'm here to work, not answer questions," he said grumpily as he made his way to the back. "If you need information, speak to one of my journeyman, if you have a money-related inquiry, speak to an apprentice."
At first, Naomi thought the blacksmith was angry at his customers, but upon further inspection, she was fairly sure that he was just busy. No one objected to his terms, nor did they show any signs of disgruntlement at his dismissive words.
"If you're not interested in buying anything, perhaps we should leave and give the other customers a chance to view the daggers," Prince Jorna suggested.
Naomi's cheeks burned as several sets of eyes turned to her, including the blacksmith. With one last longing glance at the daggers, she followed the prince out of the shop.
"Well," he said. "Should we go find something to eat?"
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Naomi shook her head. "I can't eat anything in Ashen. Not without cleansing it first, and I don't know how to do that."
"Right…" Prince Jorna looked uncertainly back at the castle. "Perhaps we should return to your rooms. You've been out in the Miasma for a long time; I would hate to see you fall ill."
Naomi bit back her irritation at his apparent lack of faith in her ability to protect herself.
"I'm fine," she said. "My Essence pool is almost untouched, and my Mana levels are holding steady." Her bubble would last indefinitely with it being the only thing she had to maintain.
A slight crease formed between Prince Jorna's brows, but he didn't comment. Did he think she was lying?
"Miss!" someone called, hurrying out of the blacksmith's shop.
Naomi turned her frown on the apprentice who approached them with an unmarked package.
The apprentice faltered when he noticed the look on her face.
Naomi sighed inwardly, smoothing her features into a politely pleasant mask. "Was there something you needed?" she asked in a calm voice.
The apprentice swallowed nervously. "Master Gersan asked me to give this to you." He held out the brown linen bundle.
Prince Jorna accepted it on Naomi's behalf, which only deepened her annoyance toward him. She was perfectly capable of touching the object long enough to put it in her Soul Realm. Did he think she was going to burst into flames the moment her bubble popped?
"Umm… inside is a gift for Princess Naomi," the apprentice said, looking uncertain. "Master Gersan said he was intending to bring it to the castle, but with the lady here, he saw no reason to make her wait."
Naomi almost slapped the package out of his hand when Prince Jorna actually began to open her gift. She managed to contain herself, but she was beginning to thoroughly dislike the prince.
Inside was an ornate dagger, its beautiful swirling runes decorating the blade and handle. The familiar hum of magic emanated from the weapon.
"Wait!" Naomi snapped, but she was too late.
Prince Jorna grabbed the handle, hissing in pain as the skin on his hands sizzled and burned. He dropped the weapon, and Naomi snatched it out of the air, letting the cloth packaging fall to the ground.
Prince Jorna grimaced, closing his eyes as he whispered something in a foreign language that even Naomi's telepathic translation couldn't make out.
His hands healed themselves, leaving no trace of the injury, but Prince Jorna turned on the apprentice. "Are you trying to kill me? Why didn't you say that the gift was an Essence dagger?!"
"I didn't—Master Gersan didn't—I mean—" the apprentice stammered.
"Go back inside, Marsh."
Naomi's gaze snapped to the blacksmith. Somehow she hadn't seen the large man approaching, but now that he was here, his presence was impossible to miss.
His lean and tall frame didn't look strong enough to be a blacksmith, but looks could be deceiving when magic was involved. More interestingly, he had the appearance of a Southern Lerian, rather than the dark-skinned Northerners like Naomi. His almost cream-colored skin sported a slight tan, and his dark brown hair hung loose, falling all the way to his waist.
Naomi inclined her head politely. "It was a very thoughtful gift," she said, holding up the dagger. "Did you make it?"
Naomi's cheeks flushed as she realized how stupid that question was, but Master Gersan didn't comment on it.
He nodded. "With the help of a Lerian, yes. We meet every few months in the dungeons to collaborate. When I got word that you would be in the city, I tried to think of what a young lady would like as a gift."
Prince Jorna smoothed his features, greeting the blacksmith with a respectful nod. "The gift is appreciated, but a warning would have ensured the safety of everyone involved. Is the queen aware that you brought Emberian weapons into Ashen."
"Queen Hemma doesn't interfere with my practice," the blacksmith said. "If you had allowed Princess Naomi to open her own gift, you wouldn't have been burned. The linen has a filtering effect."
Naomi glanced down, noticing the runes etched on the inside of the packaging. "How did you make Miasmic runes channel Essence?" she asked, tracing the runes on the blade with her finger. "I thought it was impossible to mix the two."
"It's dangerous, not impossible," the blacksmith said with a note of pride in his voice. "It requires a lot of effort and safety measures, but well worth the risk, I would say."
Naomi couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "I would agree."
Prince Jorna cleared his throat. "I believe we should be getting back. If you have any future gifts for Princess Naomi, please inform the carrier of the contents so as to avoid such accidents in the future."
He turned and started walking away.
Naomi stared in disbelief. He was insufferable! She thanked the blacksmith one more time for his thoughtful gift and hurried after the fuming prince.
* * *
Naomi tried not to look upset by the fact that she was placed next to Prince Jorna for dinner. They carried on a pleasant but shallow conversation about the city, forcing Naomi to pay attention to him though she would much rather study the plates she used at dinner. Everything in Korsa was covered in swirling runes, making them seem more like decoration than magical tools.
Naomi knew that the spells on her dishes were mostly related to purification and removing the Miasma from the food she ate. It got Naomi thinking about possibilities for the future. They couldn't just purge all energy from the area to help the two peoples come together. Not only would that render most magical spells inert, it would also lead to the death of all creatures on both planets.
Neither side could live without their respective energies, it was a part of them, in the very air they breathed, but what if they could create a portable magic container similar to a water skin. They could make common areas between the worlds in which Lerians and Corvi could interact and learn about each other. At the moment, the dungeons fulfilled this purpose, but only those strong enough to already withstand the opposite energy could spend any length of time in the dungeons. Even those people would eventually fall sick and die if they weren't careful.
Prince Jorna cleared his throat, watching Naomi expectantly. She realized with a start that she had gotten lost in her musing and missed what he said.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked.
"I asked if you were interested in attending a play with me tomorrow evening," he repeated. "There's a theater troupe in town for the festival."
Naomi searched for a way to politely refuse, but no matter how much she wished to, she couldn't come up with a satisfactory excuse.
It wasn't as if she didn't like plays, but she was beginning to feel like Prince Jorna was there to keep an eye on her.
"I would be happy to," she said with little enthusiasm.
"Can I come?" someone asked from the other side of Prince Jorna.
The two of them moved so the young man could enter the conversation. He was only slightly younger than them, his short curly hair contrasting with Prince Jorna's, which was long and straight.
Did they pick what their hair looked like when they shape-shifted, Naomi wondered.
"No," Prince Jorna said firmly. "Princess Naomi and I—"
"I would love to have you along," Naomi said cheerfully. "I've met so few people since coming here. I am Princess Naomi, daughter of Queen Nina, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The man nodded. "I'm Yolan."
He offered her no more details than that.
Naomi guessed that he was likely a noble, given the fact that he was eating in the royal banquet hall during a celebration, but the system of nobility in Ashen—or at least in Korsa—was far more complicated than the nobility in Ellis. There was a hierarchy amongst the lords and ladies that Naomi hadn't managed to decode yet.
Whatever Naomi's position in that hierarchy was as a visiting dignitary, her opinion seemed to rank higher than Prince Jorna, at least.
"Meet us at the city center at last bell," Prince Jorna said through gritted teeth. "Don't be late or we'll leave without you."
They would not be leaving without him, Naomi decided. She needed someone to act as a buffer between her and the overbearing prince. She would apologize to Yolan later when she could do so without insulting anyone.
Queen Hemma stood, raising her hand to get the attention of the hall. Conversations quieted, the whole room waiting for the queen to speak.
"As you all know, Queen Nina and Princess Naomi have graciously come to Ashen to learn more about our people and to partake in our culture. We hope this will be the beginning of a long and fruitful alliance, connecting not only the people of Korsa with the people of Ellis, but Ashen with Ember, in a new age of peace and prosperity for both our peoples."
Murmurs rushed through the crowd, excitement filling the air, but with an underlying strain of tension.
"To this end, we have an announcement to make."
Prince Jorna straightened in his chair.
"Next week, Prince Jorna, along with a small delegation, will visit Ellis and learn more about their way of life." She raised her glass in a toast. "May this be the first step on the path to peace, and may our people find a way to connect across the boundary."
Prince Jorna stiffened, his hands gripping the arms of his chair.
With the toast completed, Queen Hemma sat back down and struck up a conversation with Naomi's mother next to her.
Conversation slowly returned to the room, and Naomi could hear snippets of sentences nearby. The announcement had come as a shock to many, though it seemed to Naomi that this was a logical next step.
Prince Jorna excused himself, leaving his plate mostly untouched. Was something bothering him?
Naomi pushed the thought away. It was none of her business, and she didn't really care, either.
She returned to her food, basking in the momentary peace that came with her lack of dinner partner.
She had a week left in Ashen, it seemed. She would have to make a list of things she wanted to do before they left. The trip was much shorter than she was anticipating.
A smile spread across her face. If an alliance could be struck between Ellis and Korsa, then there would be future visits—maybe even a permanent portal set up between the two countries. Naomi would have all the time in the world to explore.