Cur-Kel's Visit (Lost Druid)

Kira walked through the castle's long, sunlit hallway. She passed the stained glass windows of heroes from eras and centuries before her, until she stopped in front of one.

It had a half-orc male lead the charge against the undead, elemental sorcerers, and even other half-orcs. It was Kamos Longsword, her stepfather. The 3 Deaths War ended nearly 11 years ago, with Kamos leading Kamo's forces to victory, albeit a costly one. The country of Kamo was brought to its knees as it nearly went bankrupt, almost starved to death, leaving the government unable to reclaim its position at the top. That honor was now given to the Yellow Meadows. They offered resources to both sides and became incredibly wealthy as a result. Even though Kamo had won, they could not punish the Yellow Meadows since they gave the same deal to them as they gave to all the participants of the war. Thus, a wedge was forming between Kamo and the Yellow Meadows. The Green Swamps and Silver Mountains had to pay in reparations to Kamo for breaking their alliance with Kamo. However, no country was as harshly punished as the White Valleys, as they started the war by trying to invade Kamo. Not only had they had to pay tribute in reparations, but also. King Riter (one of the few surviving lich lords) had to parade around Kamo City and retell the details of the war so that no one would forget the horrors the war inflicted upon both sides.

Kira stared at the window, the sun shining through the glass. She was only 5 years old when it ended, leaving her no memories of the trauma it left. Yet she could feel the effects as if she were a reliable witness herself.

"Kira. Your mother wants you in the throne room," said Kamos. His voice was rough yet gentle.

"Coming," replied Kira as she slowly walked passed the stained glass and began walking beside Kamos.

"You know I've been wanting to ask you for some time now. Why do you like staring at that window?" asked Kamos.

"Because I still find it hard to believe you fought your own people and birth country. In fact, you had the smallest at stake yet fought the hardest. Why?" asked Kira.

"Because to a half-orc, family is always worth fighting for. When I married your mother, Kamo began my new home, and its royal family was mine. Now, as for why I fought my country, I did so because Queen Zephren betrayed Kamo and misled my birth nation. She needed to be stopped. Luckily, most people agreed to the overthrow. However, it took time for their minds to come to that conclusion." Kamos said in a tired tone.

"Why were people so easily convinced?" Kira asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Kamos asked.

"Why were people convinced by Zephren in the first place, and why were they easily convinced by you, Uncle Shelo, and Shan?"

"Well, to put it bluntly, Zephren lied about King Shreo but didn't lie about your mother. My reaction to your mother killing your stepbrother confirmed to them that Kamo had betrayed us. Now, the way Shelo, Shan, and I managed to convince the people was by using our connections to add context. By telling the whole truth, they realized they were being misled and supported the overthrow. Because no matter how powerful someone is, if they don't have the truth on their side, they will always lose in the end," answered Kamos. The way he said the last sentence was like he was an old, wise wizard.

Kira and Kamos reached the throne room, and in it were some foreigners standing in front of Queen Zera, who was sitting on the throne, bearing the crown of Kamo on her head. A once strong and mighty symbol. Now, a trinket with little respect.

"Ah, Kamos, thank you for getting Kira. Kira, this is Chief Cur-Po and her son Cur-Kel. They are the mermaid tribal leaders who control the North Copper Seas. Chief Cur-Po wishes to give her son to you as a husband. Now what I want you to do is to give a tour and get to know the boy. Give him a chance," said Zera in a stern, formal tone.

"Yes, my queen," said Kira as she bowed. She looked at the boy, who looked malnourished, unlike his mother, who looked buff and could definitely kill a human man easily. The boy walked toward her, and all he had was a simple white tunic that barely covered his knees. He had a backpack on that looked like it weighed more than him. His fish-scale legs were purple with yellow spots. The same pattern as his mother.

"Princess Kira. It's an honor to finally be in your presence," said Cur-kel in such a formal tone that it made Kira feel like she was being too informal.

"It would be a joy to give you a tour of the castle," said Kira as she bowed to him. Kamos then elbowed her and whispered, "You're the host. You bow to no one except the queen," said Kamos. Kira blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I thought this was a formal thing," she whispered back. "It is, but your mother and her court are all watching. How you act now dictates whether the peasants will respect you or not care about your authority at all in the future. Just be respectful," whispered Kamos. Kira took a deep breath. "Follow me," said Kira as she led the tour. Cur-kel followed her.

Kira went from the throne room to the hallway of stained-glass windows where she was standing earlier. "I remember when these windows were being placed here. The glassmakers took up the whole hallway, and everyone had to find another route. My stepdad wasn't allowed to see it until the anniversary of the war ended. I remember looking at him as he felt uncomfortable the entire time. He kept saying he was unworthy. My mother thought he was more than worthy," said Kira as she stared in admiration. Cur-kel just stared as if he had never seen stained glass before.

The next stop was the dining hall. It had tables stretched from one end of the room to the other. Chandeliers hung like giant metal flowers high above the tables. "This is the dining room. Everyone in the castle eats here. First, the royals and nobles, then the servants. Only on holidays do both eat together. The food is always well-cooked, and chefs here spend years perfecting all their recipes. They'll sometimes experiment and after several successes, they'll have my mother try it, and if she likes it. It'll begin to show up more often. I remember this one time, one of the chefs baked bread, poked a hole, and filled it with layers of meat from various animals. My mother nearly vomited it up. At the time, it was scary, but now it's a funny memory." Cur-kel just nodded happily. The lack of any other emotion began to make Kira feel worried and a bit uncomfortable.

Next was the courtyard. "This is where we have the stables, blacksmith, and flechers, among other servants, who help set up for travels and training. I remember when I was younger and would run around playing games with some of the other kids," said Kira. She smiled as those memories began to flood her mind. Both good and bad. "I see that males and females seem to coexist. As a male mermaid, I don't have much say, even as a royal. If I'm told by a female to do something, I'm forced to do so or I get punished. Do you live like that, or do all the males here listen to the females too? " asked Cur-kel. "Um...it depends on the situation and who holds the higher title," answered Kira. "What do you mean by that?" asked Cur-kel. "Well, let's say the castle is under attack. I have to listen to the guards regardless of their rank because it's their job to keep me safe. However, if I have a special request right now, I give it to a soldier, and they have to obey," said Kira. "So it's based on class and responsibility?" asked Cur-kel. "To simplify, yes," answered Kira.

Next was the library. Tall shelves filled with books, scrolls, and ancient artifacts are scattered in a semi-organized manner. "So this is what a book is," said Cur-kel as he picked up a dusty book from one of the shelves. He opened to pages filled with text, pictures, and symbols. "The Sea prevents ink from staying, so we usually chisel everything in stone. We also layer multiple strips of kelp and poke holes in them. The problem is that the process is long and the kelp is very delicate. It's one of the reasons we still hold to oral traditions for most of our knowledge. Which means we don't learn from the mistakes of the past. It's why we can't ever break our cycles of self-destruction. At least that's my theory," said Cur-kel as he flipped through the pages. "I remember when I was 12, my stepfather gave me a diary. It was from a man who used to be respected and feared. Until he kidnapped my mom. Reading page after page, not knowing that I was reading the words of a man who was being corrupted by lust. He wrote such good wisdom. He gave insight about the inner workings of the castle, himself, and the country. I don't know how the paper gets made, but I do know it's valuable because of the knowledge written on it. Whether the source was good or bad, their wisdom was. Their words are worth more than any treasure," said Kira as she brushed her hand across the spines of the books. "A lot of this knowledge is just legal documentation for businesses and homeowners. Stuff that won't really matter in a hundred years," said Kira, who seemed to be bored and tired. "Interesting, is there any knowledge that is forbidden or closed off?" said Cur-kel. "I don't know. Usually, if a document or piece of history is very important, it gets stored in "The Crypt," where it stays in the best condition possible so that it can be copied for future scribes and monks," said Kira. Cur-kel nodded as he finally put the book back where he found it. "Are you hungry?" asked Kira in an informal tone as her stomach started to growl. "For food or more sightseeing?" asked Cur-kel. "How about both? We can go back to the courtyard and get some food as we make our way to the gardens," said Kira. "That sounds lovely," said Cur-kel as he smiled. It was the first time Kira noticed his fangs. They seemed very dull. Probably because he was starved. "Can I ask you something?" Kira asked in a mix of formal and informal. "Sure," answered Cur-kel in a pure, informal tone. "How much do you eat in a day?" asked Kira. "I...I don't think I can say. Mostly because I might get in trouble, but I don't keep track anyway. I just eat when I can, no matter how little," said Cur-kel. The question seemed a little too personal on a first meeting basis.

After getting bread and fruit from the courtyard, the 2 royals made their way to the castle gardens. They found a bench and sat on it. It overlooked a hedge maze, a fountain, and a river that flowed in the far horizon. The wall blocked the rest of the view from being seen. "This is beautiful and peaceful," said Cur-kel as he took in all the sights. "I remember when I was in the hedge maze. My stepfather played a game where I would hide, and he would try to find me. During one round, he spooked me so much that I screamed in horror. I felt such fear that my druid magic was finally unleashed and shielded me. A fire sorcerer had to be called and burned my thorny shield. From that day on, Kamos pushed me to be a strong magician. He and my step-uncle would take turns sparring with me. I also began training with my step-cousins. Those weren't fun until they ended," said Kira as she stared at the hedge maze. "So you're a druid? Well, I happen to be a warlock for my people's god. My legs have yellow spots to signify my role as a prophet," said Cur-kel as he lifted one of his legs and pointed to the yellow scales that made up circles that were surrounded by the purple scales.

After more walking and talking, the 2 went back to the throne room. There, Queen Zera was standing, talking to some nobles. Chief Cur-Po was standing with her guards and servants, talking to them. It appeared that something caused the 2 monarchs to council with their courts. Kira walked to Kamos, who was standing next to Queen Zera. "What did we miss?" asked Kira. "Your mother and the chief argued over gender roles, cultural differences, and other stupid stuff. The chief is a stubborn fool, I'll tell you that much. She also tried making a dumb deal. Your mother made a counteroffer. Now they're talking to their people to find a compromise. Anyway, I'm guessing the tour was good?" asked Kamos. The question sideswiped Kira, but Cur-kel answered for himself, "It was nice. Your daughter was a good guide and answered all my questions," said Cur-kel in a formal tone. "Good to hear. Now you two just stand off to the side," ordered Kamos. The 2 did as told and stood. Cur-kel slowly grabbed Kira's hand and held it gently. Kira felt the coldness of the ocean but didn't back away. "Do you think this might have to do with our marriage?" asked Cur-kel. "Marriage? Perhaps. I would think marriage would be further down the road," responded Kira.

After some time, Queen Zera and Chief Cur-po met once more and spoke in such low voices that Kira and Cur-kel couldn't figure out what they were saying. Then the 2 monarchs walked to the monarchs in training. "It has been agreed that you two will get married. The wedding will happen in about a month. Every six to 9 months, you will move between each castle and live there. Until one of us dies. In which case, you stay and rule over the home country. Once both of us die. It will be up to you to figure out how you want to rule both areas," said Queen Zera. "Don't think you have a choice. Don't think that once you start ruling that it will be easier to move back and forth. Both regions are in no position to make mistakes. Don't think about neglecting one because the other is in crisis. Do you understand?" asked Chief Cur-Po very sternly. The 2 nodded. Their fates were forcibly intertwined, and it would seem that both their mothers were not happy with this particular arrangement.

The mermaids left a day later, with the next time Cur-kel coming back as Kira's husband.