I calmed down and nodded, “I didn’t say anything weird right?” I asked “No, you didn’t, you just slept calmly but like I said we arrived” he opened the door of the carriage and helped me out, “Wow, no way…” I was looking at everything, plants, flowers, all things we don’t see naturally in the underground “Wait is that…” I pointed up, “You mean the sun?” Higen asked, I nodded “I have never seen it like for real in my life” he grabbed my hand “Come on you shouldn’t be looking at it directly, this way” I let him walk me to wherever I needed to be going, everywhere I look amazing masonry work meet my eyes, more and more thing I would only dream of seeing, this was the land of the gods Elysium.

“Okey, okay, Higen the charm passed you can let go of my hand” he opened his hand and laughed a little, “Sorry I didn’t want you to wonder around or keep seeing the sun directly, we are almost there” I keep following him “where exactly are we going?” “Well, you are going to need to shower and get new clothes my household has already prepared for it in the east hall” In no time we arrived at a busy room filled with butlers and maids moving fabrics and accessories around when a short woman in glasses saw Higen, she called for everyone to stop.

“Attention personnel of the house Banna line up!” she called everyone stopped and stood in line in front of us “Welcome home Master Banna,” they all said in unison, the woman in glasses came walking to where we were standing she was holding a roll of black fabric, she let it fall on my hands and addressed Higen “it’s so good to see those barbarians didn’t harm you my lord, and you the new one make yourself useful and put that on the seamstress station while we wait for the bride of our lord” barbarians?, been useful? If I weren’t a seamstress myself, I would throw the fabric to the ground but is good satin, “hurry up you are keeping everyone waiting newbie, so anyways Lord Banna where is your beautiful bride?”

She started to walk with Higen “Listen lady” I gently placed the roll of fabric on a table “I don’t know who do you think you are but two things, if the “bride” is supposed to have a staff that’s me, hi, second, this satin with that design I wouldn’t give that to my worst enemy and I live with him” she stopped look straight at me, then back at Higen, I saw the color draining form her face and the faces of a lot of the other people in the room “a guy? That’s a guy!” she pointed at me; I cracked my knuckles “all right I’m about to introduce your jaw to the floor lady.”

Higen put himself in front of the maid and urged me to wait “Ozwald please, she didn’t mean to be rude she is just in shock and a tiny bit perjurious” “She is about to be contused if she keeps it up” I narrowed my eyes at the maid the other people started to apologize and in a moment the main maid did so too “my apologies like my lord said I was in shock… you five tell the seamstress to start over and make male clothes, I presume you don’t want a dress” I negated “Sorry I didn’t shave my legs for that” she put a smile on her face and a group of people dragged me to another room, Higen followed us, “hey wait, hands above the waist, Higen help!!!”

I was dragged to a room with a bathtub the people tried to take my clothes off me but I had to fight them off “What do you think you are doing? stop!” they kept trying I heard the back of my shirt reap from the fighting and felt a small cut on my shoulder, the staff came out again, I didn’t want to be there anymore I didn’t want to be seen without my shirt not now not ever. “OUT!!!” a green hue covered the people and one by one they were sent flying off the bathroom and the door closed, I rushed and locked it I was breathing heavily and lightly subbing I looked at the mirror in the room and saw the burn marks of the day I knew I was less than my family.

I tried to stop the people in the room, but I was delayed by the others “Hey wait don’t do that!” I called them but they didn’t stop, I heard a long reaping sound and caught a glimpse of the face Ozwald was making he looked so scared and anxious the staff appeared and he held it “OUT!!!” he yelled, and the members of the workforce were sent flying out of the bathroom, “that barbarian use the staff!” “We were just doing our job who does he think he is?” “Is just a bath what a baby…” I smacked the wall next to me to get the attention of all the people in the room, they all stood up and stopped talking “That “barbarian” as you called him is our guest” I started to walk in front of all of them “more than that he is my friend” a few of them swallowed hard when I said that, ever so often I stopped to address the ones that were making comments “we at this household treat our guest with the out must respect” I stopped in front of the butler that called him a baby “are we clear or should I remove your ability to make babies to make it clear?” he started to hyperventilate “ye… yes Sir… I’m sorry Sir.” I dismissed them and walked to the door.

I knocked softly “Ozwald are you okay?” I asked but I could hear sobbing coming from the other side of the door “Listen I dismiss the people that put you in this very uncomfortable condition, I want you to know that if you want to talk about it or if you need anything I won’t leave your side and if anyone dears to say anything else to you I will punch them through the roof” I started to walk away from the door when I heard a faint “thank you Higen”

After Higen left the other side of the door I managed to calm down I took off what was left of my clothes and submerged myself in the bath, the water was heated to the perfect temperature, and there was a light scent of roses and lavender it helped me calm down, but my mind flashed back to when I was ten, like Malika and Talo it was going to be the first day I entered the Furnes at first everything was normal, but in a moment my back was burning I ran out with fire on my back I fall to the ground I was crying, everything hurt and dad had to put the fire out, I was rushed to the office of Doctor´s Retches I was on intense care for a few days and my back was burned in several places, I was forbidden from going to the furnace after that day.

I finished cleaning myself I grabbed a towel and dried myself, what am I going to wear? I hate not having a shirt, I covered myself with the towel and opened the door I found a neatly folded white shirt with the crest of the guards and a note “I heard your shirt been reap apart, you can have this one it might be a bit big on you but is better than nothing, Higen” I smiled, he is very kind, no wonder he is a knight, but, it was too big I grabbed the fabric from my thorned shirt and fashioned a sash to make it adjust it a little to my body I didn’t have a pin so I tighten it by making a bow and stepped out of the bathroom.

Higen was waiting for me, he seemed quite uneasy I waved at him, and he got really happy to see me “Ozwald you look” I had made what I could with what I had at hand “Like my shirt is supposed to fit someone with three times my chest size?” “n…no, you look great, I like the bow it looks awesome” I smiled a little I like it when I’m praised for my quick wit, he handed me a full change of clothes in a hanger “The seamstress finished your suit do you need help putting it on?” I checked the fit a black overcoat with gold embroidery alongside the edges a more fitting shirt with a blue tie, sharp and form-fitting pants, and… “considering there’s underwear here I will have to say no” he nervously laughed “Sorry I didn’t mean it like that I didn’t saw them, if you excuse me I’m going to bury my head into the ground out of shame” “come on I´m just teasing you it´s what friends do, you know?” his eyes shined at the declaration of friendship “Awesome! I don’t really have friends well now I do… that sounded sadder than I had imagined” “Yeah while you figure that out, I’m going to change and then we can see the queen.”

“Higen help!!!” Ozwald screamed from the bathroom, I promptly kicked the door open “What? Is someone offending you a...?” Ozwald´s hands were bound in front of his neck, and his tie was coiled around them, I tried to maintain composure, but I just couldn’t I started to laugh and point at him, he blushed for all the laughing, I had to grab the door frame to not fall to the ground “Not funny! Quit laughing and help me get this thing off!” “I´m so ha-ha I´m sorry let me help you with that” I started to work on the binds, “how on Elysium did you get yourself in this situation?” “I have never worn one of these things and while I was figuring it out it got out of hand, now hurry I can’t breathe.”

“Hey Ozwald,” I said as I was doing his tie, he looked at me, I grabbed his hand and asked “did you paint your nails? I don’t remember you having them in this color” he looked at me confused “No… what are you talking about?” he looked at his other hand, his nails were painted in an obsidian shade of black I recalled Ekaterina leaving some nail polishes when she started to prepare this room but I didn’t tough Ozwald would paint his nails, “I, I didn’t, look is also on my fingertips” he was right the color was not only on his nails it was extending to his fingertips, he went to the sink and scrubbed his hands very hard but the color didn’t came off.

“Maybe is because you use the staff,” I said “Possibly, I mean, before it merged with me, I wasn’t able to use that weird magic, do people that use it get this color on their hands?” he asked me trying to maintain his cool “I… I don’t know I’m not a divine word user myself but I’m sure you can ask the queen, she is ready to see you now, listen, I know I said I was always going to be there but I have to go to the barracks of the knights” he smiled weakly “is okay I guess I can manage to be by myself for a while” I nodded “I´ll accompany you to her majesty’s quarters and then I´ll take my leave when I’m done I´ll go and get you and we can go have dinner” “sounds great, I´ll be waiting” and we started the way to see the queen.

Higen walked me to a very big garden, all sorts of flowers were growing and glowing, after all of the ordeals the sun had set and the moon was rising I walked the path that Higen indicated until I arrived at a gazebo where the most beautiful woman I had ever seen was waiting, lang black hair that shined in the light of the lap, her skin was so alabaster and fair that I don’t think she could have any imperfection, for a moment I thought she was made of porcelain, her rose leaps were forming a kind smile when she saw me her dress probably had at least seven layers of fabrics and the pearl embroilment was so good I could only dream of making, “you must be the person the staff of Eon chose, please have a seat child” she motion for me to take the chair in front of her I walked slowly to the chair, so this is what it feels like to be in the presence of royalty.

“tea dear?” an older gentleman served her a cup of steaming tea, “ye.. yes please” I didn’t make eye contact with anyone as the man purred my tea, “You don’t have to be so coy, I know I can be intimidating to any Jutanny but we are in confidence here” I reach for my cup and took a little sip “so please tell me your name” “my… my name is Ozwald Voloro, it is an honor to meet you her highness” “oh are you perhaps one of the children of Primavera and Callaghan?” she said her eyes locked on mine.

“you… you know my parents?” she nodded “Well of course my order of Knights have their weapons and armor custom-made from Callaghan, the best materials and hand work in all of the underground, and as for Primavera” she shook her head “That woman was so skilled I swear that she could sew the most delicate and intricate pattern in a grain of rice she made my wedding dress you know” I had no idea about that, probably I wasn’t borne I wonder why dad hadn’t told us “it was such a shame to see her go so soon, but, enough of the past I want to talk with you about your future Ozwald”