The Snake Princess (Magi Fanfiction)

Chapter forty three

Chapter forty three

Excitement filled the air, spreading through the country like wildfire and infecting nearly everyone who heard the news of the ship that had arrived in Askal. Adults, children, and nobles alike lined the already busy streets of Askal until the palace guards set off to meet the arriving royalties at the docks, shooing the crowds of people back into their homes as they went.

Kia -Askal's capital- was a moderately-populated area consisting of mostly nobles and those who worked in the palace, their houses vast and decently spread out. Nearly every house was a mansion, painted white and blue to honor their country with occasional gold trimmings.

The area outside of Kia grew less populated the farther from the capital you were, until you reached the shore which was lined with the homes of fishermen and crewmembers of ships. The houses there weren't nearly as fancy, made simply of wood and stone as opposed to the marble structures of the palace.

In the space between the capital and the shores, marketplaces lined the streets, constantly filled with anyone and everyone who lived in Askal. Though ranks were prominent, none distanced themselves from each other- besides the strictly raised royalties, that is. It was a rarity to see the royal family in the streets, or anywhere outside the palace grounds for that matter.

But by now, the royal guards had cleared the streets and on-shore deckhands had assisted in anchoring the large ship and preparing a walkway for those on board. No one besides said guards greeted the small group at the docks, and the foreigners of the country only grew more uneasy as they were escorted to the capital via horse and carriage with no king to be seen.

"Everything's so...different," Zaahira spoke as she peered out the carriage window, struggling to find the words she wanted to describe her surroundings.

The few citizens she did see were dressed in a dulled-down version of Alex and Leonidas' clothing, simple white collared shirts and dark pants for the men, and dark colored, ankle-length dresses for the women. But as they neared Kia the attire of the citizens began to change, the men dressed in fancier suits and the woman in large eternally-puffed-up dresses in a variety of colors.

"I thought this was a small country..." Sharrkan muttered as he looked out the same window as Zaahira, sitting across from her. "And doesn't King Alexandros' personality clash a bit with the way the country is?"

"There's no real way to tell," Amirah spoke, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she calmly peered over Zaahira's shoulder out the window. "Though I do agree, he doesn't carry the same air as his people. Then again, who does that remind you of?"

Ja'far chortled, crossing one leg over the other and adjusting his robes accordingly. Prince Alex and Cayden were in another carriage, leaving the four alone to speculate freely. "Be sure to show the king respect no matter how out of place he seems, you three. This is still serious business."

"Got it!" Zaahira chirped, retreating from the window to smile brightly at Ja'far and Amirah. How she was so upbeat was beyond the pair and even Sharrkan, who was more so bitterly observing the city rather than admiring it like she was.

It wasn't long before they reached the palace, Sharrkan and Zaahira gawking out the window at the gigantic marble towers that seemed to endlessly reach into the sky above them. The palace was surrounded with a large, lush, garden filled with roses of every color and size, while green hedges outlined the sides of the front entrance to the palace. Guards were positioned along the square hedges, all wielding swords and standing at attention. Finally, at the very end of the walkway to the palace entrance stood five people, two of which were much shorter than the others, suggesting they were children.

"Welcome to Askal!" King Alexandros greeted happily, raising his arms to gesture around him as he spoke. He wore clothing closely resembling Alex's, though it was primarily white with gold accents on the cuffs and collar. The king gave the group a large toothy grin, bowing momentarily to Amirah, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Princess Amirah." He stood straight again, quickly looking over the group again before saying, "I see King Sinbad is not with you, is there reason for that?"

Ja'far stepped forward, his hands folded within his robes, "He decided to remain in Sindria for safety precautions. Sharrkan and I are generals of Sindria and the representatives Sin chose to send with the princess; I hope we will suffice."

"Of course!" King Alexandros shook both Ja'far and Sharrkan's hands at the same time. When he pulled away he asked for Ja'far's name, as well as Zaahira's, and Ja'far introduced both of them. Meanwhile, Prince Alex had arrived, standing beside Amirah as he watched his father introduce his siblings.

"First," Alexandros spoke, "this is my lovely wife, Marianna Apostolos." He placed his hand on a dainty woman's shoulder, who gave the group a closed-eyed smile. She wore a floor-length, long-sleeved dark blue dress, the sleeves of which were nearly as long as the dress itself. Her hair was dirty blonde and tied into a formal bun, her eyes an emerald green; it was clear her children had inherited her traits.

Then King Alexandros moved onto another female around the same height as the queen, a blonde with long flowing hair loosely tied back out of her dark green eyes. She wore a dress similar to her mother's, which was dark blue at the top and faded into white towards the bottom with gold seams. "This is Annalena, the first princess of Askal and the older sister of Alex. I also have another son, the first prince, but he isn't here at the moment."

"Where is he?" Sharrkan asked out of curiosity.

"He went on a trip to a country east of here, for adventure purposes I believe," Alexandros informed. "He captured a dungeon not too long ago, I'm sure he's on the hunt for another one."

The king smiled again, then moved onto the last two siblings, a pair of girls with traits similar to the other females and matching pastel blue dresses, "This is Eva and Aura, the second and third princesses of Askal. They're twins, and the final additions to our family. Besides Alex, that is, but you already know him!" Alexandros laughed, lifting one of the girls into the air and twirling her around.

"I can show you around the palace if you'd like," Annalena offered as King Alexandros grew distracted by the twins. Annalena smiled sweetly at Amirah, who felt her heart rate increase dramatically.

"That'd be lovely," Amirah replied evenly, though her thoughts had gone haywire.

It's her.

~

Author's Note-

Ehehe~ things are getting interesting, yes? 

Also this story and Fate/Magi are entered in the 2016 Wattys! So far this story is #992 in Fanfiction :D