The break of a new dawn arose from the East, its sunlight drifting lazily into Alorna's weary eyes. It had been three tiring days since the night of Alstices fall. The pair of maid and prince had continued fleeing relentlessly, only stopping for brief rests before continuing their escape. Although they had created a considerable distance between themselves and the capital, Orna knew that they couldn't stop here.
The Quvarian Empire was not to be underestimated, they would eventually find out about Luca's existence, and seek to end the royal bloodline to prevent any possible rebellions. The two of them must quickly flee to another land, the most suitable of which being the neighbouring kingdom of Iselnor. Iselnor is not a particularly strong kingdom, however, it is allied with another empire which rivals Quvari in strength, named Runiel. Although Quvari and Runiel are both empires, Runiel owns a greater fighting force, hence Quvari would not want to make enemies with them, therefore making Iselnor the most suitable choice for hiding in.
Alorna and Lucaris were resting atop a sturdy branch in the high treetops, in order to avoid the wild beasts from hunting them whilst they slept. The pair were clearly haggard and fatigued, neither of them having done anything so strenuous in a long time. It was much worse for Lucaris, who was often carried by Alorna, as he had been stuck in an underground room for many years. His skin was incredibly pale, and his body weak from lack of exercise. However, he was not useless during this journey. His knowledge of herbs, one of the sole things he had managed to develop whilst in that little room, had helped the pair find medical ingredients and edibles to sustain themselves on, without having to force Alorna to hunt every day.
Alorna's gaze softened as she looked towards the little figure cradled in her arms. She felt guilty at the fact that he had no time to properly appreciate the things he had missed for the last six years, like the fresh air, warm sunlight and blue sky. Instead, he was forced to constantly keep running without looking back. As she thought about this, her resolve to protect and nurture him strengthened. She would give him all the time in the world to experience the things that he had missed out on, no matter what it was. She wanted to teach him that the world, can be a truly beautiful place.
Luca stirred slowly in her arms, his dark eyes immediately greeted by the bright sunshine of a fresh new dawn. Noticing Alorna looking at him, he greeted her with a dazed little smile. "Rise and shine little Luca." Orna smiled, poking him playfully on the nose before hopping down with him carefully.
The faint sounds of human chatter and footsteps had appeared alongside the rise of the sun, from a nearby settlement that was only a short walk away. The pair tidied up their appearances as best they could, before Alorna casted a simple illusion spell onto Luca's eyes. Although it wasn't too noticeable in Luca, a specific shade of emerald eyes were a sign of Alstician royalty. To prevent drawing unwanted attention, it was best to change his eye colour to something else. Orna pondered yesterday on what colour to make them before they entered the city, but Luca insisted on turning them the same shade as hers. Not only would it be a completely different colour, it would also help fake a mother and son relationship between the two. It was much more believable to have a mother and son travelling around than a random woman and child afterall. Hence, Luca's eyes swiftly changed from a dark emerald to a soft golden colour, matching Alorna perfectly.
Even from afar, the livliness of the city could be seen with people hurrying to their respective workplaces and preparing for the day. Some children could be seen scuttling about, being ushered to class by their parents. Even though their rulers had recently changed, the daily life of the average citizen hadn't changed much in Alstice, particularly for those far away from the battlefields. Perhaps they were even more joyful than before, as it was well known that the previous king was a poor ruler, raising taxes and disregarding important issues as he pleased. The only reason he had lasted for so long on the throne was most likely due to the nobles fervant support, who exploited his deeds for their own benefit.
As the pair approached the bustling city with mixed thoughts, the citizens eyes who glanced upon them were filled with pity.
"Oh dear, they must be from one of the villages the Quvarian army passed through."
"Poor things, they look terrible."
Gossip filled their ears as they walked through the streets. Although they had brushed themselves off before entering, their fatigued eyebags and torn clothing instantly told everyone all they needed to know. A few of the kinder folk had offered them a place to stay for the night, and even some coins to help them on their way, which was incredible as anyone would want to save as much as possible during such an unstable period of the kingdom. Alorna was slightly hesitant at first, before accepting their little donations gratefully and politely declining the tempting offer of somewhere warm to sleep for the night. Their goal here was not to mingle and stay with the people, it was mainly to find and purchase a horse. Naturally a horses gallop could not be compared to a humans sprint, and would make their journey much quicker and easier.
After a short while of walking and asking passerbys where they could find mounts, alongside scrutinizingly purchasing some dry rations, warm clothing and other neccesary gear for their journey, the pair reached a large stable near the edge of town. As expected of a large city, there were not only horses available, but magic beasts as well. Magic beasts, like their name suggests, are creatures infused with magic since birth. With mana circulating throughout the entire world, magic beasts have become relatively common, with more than thousands of different species. However, it is difficult for the average citizen to tame one, as it requires locating their protected beast core and extracting it from the living beast. The beast will then be tamed, as its life is in the tamers hands, since once a beast core is broken the beast itself will die with it. Although magical beasts came in many different sizes and shapes, the ones sold at this stable were obviously for the purpose of travel, with all of them holding large sturdy bodies. Alorna noticed Lucas eyes twinkling as he eyed the creatures, most likely having never seen them before. "Do you like them Luca?" She inquired dotingly.
Lucaris was about to nod, before realizing they must be much more expensive than ordinary horses and shook his head. Alorna smiled warmly, able to see through him at a glance. "In the future I'll see if I can get you one."
Just as they were about to walk towards the section filled with more ordinary horses and steeds, the soft panting of a magical beast caught Luca's attention. A fearsome bear, covered primarily in silver fur was collapsed on the hay-covered ground. Its eyes shone like watery blue crystals, with similar coloured ridges protruding from its back and arms. Swirls of darker fur covered its back, reaching out and around the bears natural spikes.
As the old stablemaster followed the pair of potential customers, he sighed when he noticed them looking at the once ferocious magic beast. "I wish I knew what was wrong with it. I've been trying to hire doctors for the poor thing, but they were all called upon by Alstice during the war. Who knows how long it'll take for them to return here." He shook his head regretfully. He had spent a lot of money hiring adventurers to tame the beast for him, who knew all of his investments would turn into an absolute loss.
Noticing Luca staring at the beast intently, Alorna asked the stablemaster a sudden question.
"How much are you selling that magic bear?"
Dumbfounded, the stablemaster stared at the woman's soft eyes before shaking his head.
"I can't sell you a dying mount miss, everyone would think I'm a no-good scammer." He chuckled derisively. Despite being eager to make as much profit as he could, he still had a conscience.
"I know a doctor, he'll be able to cure the beast." Alorna replied reassuringly, glancing at Luca with a sly smile. Although momentarily surprised by his mothers actions, Luca enthusiastically nodded at her words.
Pleasantly surprised, the stablemaster kindly gave them the magic bear for half of what the price would be if it were healthy. He had seen their rough circumstances with just a glance, and felt pity for the mother and son similar to the other citizens. He was still making a profit too, it was a win-win situation for everyone involved!
The price was still quite steep, a little more than what an ordinary horse would be, but Alorna thought it would be worth it. She trusted her sons medical abilities, knowing full well how much enthusiasm and talent he had for the subject. Money might be a little tight on the rest of the journey though, as her savings were not particularly great as a mere maid.
The stablemaster informed them of the actual species of the magic bear and its other general living requirements before sending them on their way, not forgetting to hand Orna its light blue beast core. It turns out the magic beast was a Rystal-Ursa(Crystal Bear), which was usually found in mountainous regions and caverns. It was an omnivorous creature, but preferred meat. The bear trudged slowly behind them as they took the shortest path out of the city and into a small grove, trying its best to power through its ailment.
Immediately, once they were out of the local peoples sight, Lucaris got to work. Recalling everything he had learnt over the last six years, he quickly checked the creatures pulse using its fluffy paw. Frowning, he took out some common herbs and mushed them into a paste before feeding it to the bear. Understanding that the little human was trying to help it, and without much strength to resist anyway, he swallowed the paste slowly. Almost immediately afterwards, the creature retched onto the grassy floor. The pain within the bear seemed to subside slightly afterwards, as the bear blinked and eyed the little boy. Luca, still somewhat frowning as he stared at the bears mess, explained his thoughts out loud.
"The bear is infected with a parasite, namely Hexaflut, that eats away at the beast's gut and slows its metabolism so that its natural defence system doesn't find it until its too late. We don't have the right herbs to completely eradicate the parasite right now, but I can ease the pain and keep the parasite dormant for now." Luca's eyes twinkled at the fact that he had diagnosed a magic beast for the first time, which was a completely different experience to just aiding Alorna and his nanny. He didn't let himself get distracted for long, as he quickly set to work concocting a portion of medicine for the bear.
"Where can we find the other herbs we need?" Alorna pondered as she gently pat both Luca and the bears fluffy heads.
"In the book I read it says they mainly grows in mountainous regions with high altitudes..." Luca thought deeply as he stirred the mixture, his knowledge of everything other than medicine and herbs quite lacking.
"Oh, when we pass the border from Alstice to Iselnor we should find some then. Iselnor is seperated from Alstice by Waynor Peaks, which is known for its high mountains." Alorna smiled at the fact that they wouldn't have to detour too much on their journey.
Nodding his head, Luca fed their new companion the medicine before they set off once again. The Crystal Bear, finally freed from its torment, happily and gratefully escorted the pair on the neverending roads towards Iselnor.
