Chaos and Entropy

|Chapter 3: The Kingdom|

The rest of the drive was peaceful. Mia and Damien shared laughs and they saw many beautiful fields filled with flowers. It had been two hours now and Mia had to admit... She was bored.

"When are we gonna be there?" She groaned.

"Soon."

"How do you know?"

"Look ahead and see for yourself."

Mia raised a brow and looked forward... Her eyes widened. A village came into view, a giant stone castle behind, forestry decorated all around... It was beautiful. Damien parked the truck right outside the village, and they got out to grab their stuff. Mia threw her backpack over her shoulder and began walking forward with Damien following close behind. He wore a smirk. She was just adorable this way, awestruck by the kingdom's beauty, curious as to what was entailed to happen next. You see, this was Mia's first time in a kingdom, her parents have never allowed her to leave to go anywhere else besides the nearby town. Children ran around giggling and Mia smiled. People called out all around, trying to sell their goods. Damien walked up to one man and bought two strawberry Calesh (it's like a milkshake but sweeter with some bits of cookies in it. Yes I made it up just now) He handed one to Mia. She was curious as to what it was at first, but then took a sip. Her face instantly lit up.

"Oh my stars this is delicious!!!" She gasped. Damien chuckled.

"Thought you would like it." He stated as he took a sip out of his. They kept walking and sight seeing around.

"This place is amazing!!" Mia skipped around.

"Hey, soon you'll be coming here a lot more often when you become a Huntress." Damien assured. Mia's smile grew even more. As if on cue, a child ran up to Mia and tugged on her sweater. She looked down at him and knelt so they were eye level.

"Are you a Huntress, Miss?" He asked.

"Not yet, but I will be soon."

"That's so cool!! I want to be a Hunter when I grow up!!" The child amazed. Mia giggled and ruffled his hair.

"I'll be looking forward to that day, young sir!" Mia stated and the child gasped and ran off.

"Mommy!!! I got to talk to a Huntress!!!!" You could hear him yell off in the distance. Damien smiled at the kid's excitement and motioned for Mia to continue walking. The violinists on the street played beautiful music; everything was so cheery. They continued to their destination as best they could, but all the kids kept stopping them so they can talk for some reason. Damien even got tackled by five kids once!

"The kids love you." Mia told him.

"I don't blame them, I mean, I would tackle the most good looking guy too!" He joked. Mia playfully rolled her eyes and continued walking along. Finally, they made it to the castle gates.

"State your business." One guard said until he saw Damien. "Oh hey! Damien! So good to see you again!"

"Likewise, Jonathan!" Damien stated as they shook hands. The guard looked over to Mia.

"And who might this be?" He asked. Damien took a step back and motioned for Mia to step forward.

"This is my apprentice, Mia. Mia, this is my friend, Jonathan, we've known each other since we were kids."

"Yeah, we were close. I tried convincing him to become a soldier like me, but he wanted to do his own thing and became a Hunter." Jonathan stated. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, sounds like Damien." She commented. Damien cleared his throat.

"Well, we best be going. The king requested to see us and we shouldn't keep him waiting."

"Probably shouldn't. Well, it was nice seeing you again! And it was nice to meet you, Mia." He said. Mia smiled.

"You too."

Damien then took Mia by the hand and led her straight through the castle doors. The interior was beautiful. Huge paintings and flowers decorated the halls with long crimson red carpet on the ground. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and various armor sets were displayed around the place.

"C'mon! Throne room's this way!" Damien pulled her out of her daze and led her to the throne room, where the king was. As they walked by, many soldiers and people wearing black coats walked around.

Hunters.

Some shared laughs with each other, others had their nose in a book, and some were even sharpening their knives and such. Mia grew excited. Other Hunters and Huntresses were here, and soon, she'll be among them. Eventually they made it to the doors of the throne room; there were two guards in front of it.

"We're here for the King." Damien told them, and they nodded. They opened the door and one led them inside. There, the King was seen sitting on his throne, with his Queen sitting next to him. They knelt before him.

"Rise, Mr. Blackbarrow." The King commanded, to which Damien obeyed. Mia stayed kneeling, however. "You too, M'lady." He told her and she arose.

"What is it that you need, my King?" Damien asked. The king stepped down from his throne and walked over to them. He was an older fellow, his white beard was trimmed, but nonetheless, he looked alright for his age, and he was well respected. He stood in front of Mia and tilted her chin to look up at him. She stared into his eyes as he examined her.

"You're a beautiful young lady, Miss. Confident, as well."

"Thank you, sir."

"You have a strong accent."

"My family are direct descendents of this planets ancestors, and we chose to take pride in the history of this place." She explained. Yes, all Zarians have an accent, though some were stronger and more recognizable than others. It kinda sounded like a mix of Arabian and British. (I know, weird sorry.)

"I see, and, what's your name?"

"Mia, sir."

"Pretty name." He stepped back. "I've heard you're training to be a Huntress?"

"That's correct."

"And, Damien here, is your mentor?"

"Yet again correct."

"So, Damien," he looked over to Damien, "how do you believe she has been doing?"

"Excellent, sir. She knows everything there is to know about this planet, it's inhabitants, and all the fighting techniques. She... just needs a little more training."

"Anyone could use a little more training, even you Damien."

Damien nodded. The king whispered something to the guard standing next to him and nodded. The guard walked away and a few minutes later, he came back with a sword in hand. He handed it to the king and stepped away. He pointed to Mia.

"Kneel, please." He asked and she obliged. He walked up to her. He spoke words in the Zarian language as he motioned the sword to tap her shoulders and the top of her head. "I hereby nominate, Miss. Mia, to be a Huntress, with Damien Blackbarrow to continue training her to the best of his abilities. Rise, young lady, and it shall be upon your duties to protect the planet of Zareon, and to bring justice." Mia stood up. On the inside, she was screaming hallelujah, but on the outside, she looked serious. "You may stay in the castle for as long as you will, and from this day forward, you'll protect Zareon the best you can." Mia nodded. "Damien, show her around the castle please... You are dismissed." While,yes, being a Hunter was a voluntary service, you still had to be nominated by the king.

Damien and Mia walked out into the hallway, and as soon as the throne room doors closed, Mia rapped her arms around Damien's neck.

"I'm a Huntress!!!!" She squealed. Damien hugged back.

"Indeed you are." He smiled. "Now come on, I need to show you where we are staying." He stated as he began walking a different direction.

Today was a good day.