Hearth of ice

Wikiss: to Jukli

I Stood there by the gates in my silver armor, the silver surfaces cascading in waves of plates along my back and tail. A toxic symbol emblazoned upon my chest plate signifying my poisonousness stands out from the silver by its bright green coloring. Snow lazily drifts from the sky coating the Hypoklissk driven carriage. My father enters the carnage wearing his Titanium armor, with the same symbol as mine. The chill in the air went mostly unnoticed as I anticipated the departure. I watched as my sister and her guard came out from the castle, feeling my heart drop as they then passed us and entered a very different carriage. On our dark wooden carriage were red crystals lining the doors and windows. The seats were padded with rabbit skins. Overall it was a cozy and welcoming way to travel. My sisters carriage was made of dark metals and had no windows at all. We shared a look of panic when she was lead through the doors and I into my carriage. Sitting in silence next to my guard and across from my father I taped the seat nervously with my claws. I watched as the castle slowly shrank in the distance and with it my confidence.

The journey to Jukli was deathly silent as my father watched me with a stern gaze. The guards also shared the same gaze but looked out the windows instead. I also gaze outside in despair slumping onto the wall with my head hanging out the window. The cold bits of ice whisked by tearing across my face in streaks. My breath came out in small clouds as I huffed in frustration. I watched as the snow whipped into a flurry. The road was a barren one, past our protective barrier. Due to its deadly nature the road had been abandoned by any other race, so we used it as our secret passage to our neighboring kingdom. Occasionally I looked back at the armored carriage behind us. Wondering how my sister was and what was going on in there. Father decided that that was enough silence so he spoke up.

"Don't stick you head out the window. You'll get it cut off if we get into an accident." He grunted. Crossing his arms in front of his chest.

I turned around and laid against the side. I glared to my father but before I could ask he snapped.

"Your sister is fine! She's well guarded and much safer than need be!"

"How do you know that? We can't even see in there."

"That would be because it's a weapons carriage, I don't want anyone thinking we're bringing the princes, so she's hiding."

My brows furrowed together as my jaw tightened. "Why?"

His eyes slit as his temper flared. I could tell he was holding back by his clenched fist and contracting tail. "Because. . . You. . . Revealed her magic! She. . . Is. . . In danger!" He bared his teeth and fangs clenched in anger.

I knew that I went too far, so I backed down. I picked at my claws for a while before he spoke up again.

"She's grown quite a bit."

"Uh huh. . ."

"She's like what three feet?"

"Two feet high torso four feet tail."

"She grew fast."

"More like you didn't show up enough."

"Son. . ."

"She doesn't even know you."

". . . I was busy."

"Right!"

I had enough with the idle chat so I decided to take a nap.

When I woke up we were in the Jukli castle grounds. The first thing I noticed was how humid it was, steam was pouring out of my armor. I could tell that the others felt the same. The ground was covered in mossy granite and coated with leaves from outside. The cloudy grey sky was blocked by the dark cave ceiling, small stalactites would occasionally pierce through the dark veil and into the lights of the bioluminescent crystals. The Archis guards helped us out while simultaneously greeting us. They look very intimidating. The Archis are a rather fury species, their segments looked like fuzzy armor. They had wide jaw lines and smaller fangs than us. Their eyes were almost solid black with just a small rim of a iris. Their hair was a darker extension of their fur. They wore small belts that separated their torso from their canine like bodies. Which were also segmented. They smelled like dirt and sweat from the heat. Two brown fur guards escorted us to the castle while two black fur guards guided my sister and her two guards. As we entered the castle we were greeted by the King, TuceSeeil and his two sons. ParvSeeil, and CoulSeel. TuceSeeil Was a blonde with red eyes, white stripes circled around his joints and his broad stature loomed overhead. The two princes somewhat followed suit except the fact that ParvSeeil was about at my father's height and darker than his father, while Coulseel was a brighter blonde and a bit shorter than my height. His eyes were strangely pink as we locked on to each other.

The castle was so different from ours, it was made of a polished wooden material and covered in different silks. Mostly the three colors of their flag, grassy green, lagoon blue, and coffee brown. The floors were lined with blue strips of silk, and hanging from the walls were green silk banners. Small intricate lacy patterns were carved into the door frames and at the end of the main room we were in were the four thrones and flags. The vertical striped flags wavered between each seat. The castle was warm from the heat the Archis gave off. The floors were smooth and soft to the touch, slippery and harder to navigate as well. Sounds of the claws clicked on the ground as the Archis moved about.

In the corner of my eyes I saw my sister escorted nearby. Looking back I saw CoulSeeil look to AnnKah as she stood at attention. ParvSeeil only briefly glanced before he stared at me. He smiled at me while my father went up to speak with TuceSeeil.

"My most trusted friend, it is good of you to join us."

"We do have some unfinished business do we not?"

"And these must be your darling children, they look beautiful."

"So do your sons. . . This is your youngest CoulSeeil?"

"Yes!" He motioned for his son to come closer, his claws clicked as he approached them. He looked down as he bowed to my father. "And that would be the fabled princes?"

Father motioned the guards to bring AnnKah forward, she stood next to him as she bowed to their king, not having met their gazes. A sick feeling pitted in my stomach as the four stood close.

"It's so nice of you all to come, please do enjoy your stay my lady."

"I. . . Will." AnnKah softly spoke before she was escorted away.

When she left CoulSeeil was escorted in the other direction, the jester left me with a relief. ParvSeeil did not share my sentiments as he held himself together.

"It's been a long day, and I am sure that the two of you must be tired, please let us discuss things in the morning.

With that, we were escorted into our room far from the throne room, and far from AnnKah.