The Gryphon Chronicles- Book 1: The Corrupt King

Ch. 16: The Ambassadors Depart

Both queen and king were indeed waiting in the main hall of the Masters' Study. They looked about the same as Zephyr had seen before, although she noticed that the gold jewelry was slightly different. The other notable difference was that Zerrin was dressed up as well, wearing a silky purple robe with gold embroidery along the hem and sleeves to match the heavy jewelry.

Zerrin turned around when he heard them come in. "Ah, good. You're both here. Where did you find her, Simon?"

"They were both in Zephyr's room," said Simon.

Cyra cleared her throat. "We had a talk. Everything's good now."

The king nodded. "That's good. Now, we will be going to the fae kingdom of Noralia on a diplomatic mission. Queen Harath has suggested that the two of you join us."

"Um- us?" Zephyr glanced at her sister. "May I ask why?"

"The gryphon fae are a controversial issue," explained the queen. "You will be acting as an example to how the gryphon fae are not a danger if they are trained properly. Ambassadors of sorts"

"Oh."

Cyra was excited, and although Zephyr was a bit more cautious, she was excited too. They hadn't left the city since Aeon had dropped them off a couple weeks prior. They also had never been anywhere outside their home until the king's men had come. Queen Harath sent them to pack their things, and they soon met at the gate with Kalahari. Two horses stood at Simon's side, with pack saddles and full tack.

"We will be moving at a faster pace than most fae normally go, so we have some horses you can use. We had them imported for Simon a while back, so that he and Zerrin could explore together," the queen explained.

"How do the horse centaurs feel about these?" Cyra asked, which earned her an elbow jab from Zephyr.

"They prefer not to interact with them, as it gives them a strange feeling. Which is why we keep them on the other side of the kingdom than their land."

Cyra still had some questions, but the Queen beat her to it by promising to explain what she could on the journey. Alita seemed ready to roll, but Zerrin managed to convince her to stay behind. Once the girls mounted, Zerrin and Simon said their goodbyes, and they headed for the Fae kingdoms.

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They rode on for a while, before coming to a pit stop in Lost. After double checking their supplies, they headed out as the sun began to set. Queen Harath explained that by traveling in the dark, they would be less noticeable from the sky. Cyra, however, pointed out that Zephyr's hair was a lighter blonde, which would ruin the effect. After some messing around, they got a cloak hood to cover most of the hair.

"Andaxia is split into many different parts, to suit all the different races. The rhinos, wildebeests, and savanna animals, share one part, while horses and other grassland animals share another.

"At the center is the capital. We have all kinds of different races here, if they chose to be. Sometimes the capital can be absolutely barren, except for the royal family and any guards." The queen began.

"We try and provide for everyone's needs, but there are some issues we have yet to fix. Simon is actually a huge help with architecture, as well as job assignments and overall happiness in the kingdom."

"Not to say that we don't still have many issues." interjected King Terian. "We still need some more people employed, and there is still quite a bit of crime in the outer circle of the city, but I'd say we are further along than most would think." A sour look crossed the queen's face.