BRIARLAINE (per aspera ad astra, Dilectus)

At a village near the dukedom of Asterlayna resided a community named Nyxia, who were known for their mysteriousness. They were a peaceful community but they did not mingle with the other people residing in villages nearby.Their village was named after the mysterious forest which guarded them from the rest of the kingdom. The name of the village was Veil of Mists. It was heard that they were the original worshippers of the Goddess of the kingdom of Astra, Astraea. She protected the people of Astra from any harm. Thus the kingdom became very powerful overtime and the tale of its glory spread across the continent. Asterlayna, situated in the southern part of the kingdom was its most powerful dukedom. The trade of valuable gems which contributed to the prosperity of the kingdom of Astra, were exclusively dominated by the duke's family of Asterlayna. They were not only one of the wealthiest families out there in the kingdom but also their family history was filled with glory. ||The Present Day : Veil of Mists|| The village that day was extremely busy. It was heard that the knights from Asterlayna is supposed to arrive to collect tax soon. The village did not produce much stuff to begin with so one might think what could they possibly give as tax, did they give money? But Nyxias were not wealthy enough to do that too. But they possessed a rare ability that no one in the kingdom had. They were extremely good practitioners of traditional medicine. They forest in Veil of Mists is said to be full of extremely rare medicinal herbs which could not be found anywhere in the kingdom. So in exchange for taxes Nyxias used to trade their medicinal herbs albeit in small quantities but as those were extremely valuable, the Duke of Asterlayna accepted those with gratitude. When Astra was not so powerful, war was a regular thing for the countrymen. Every year thousands of people died or got injured during the war. It was said during those eventful years, the Nyxias shared their medical skills to help a lot of soldiers and noblemen in need. It was heard that one day when the grandfather of the present duke of Asterlayna his majesty Arthur got heavily injured, one mysterious family saved him. After recovering when he asked them their names, they told him they were Nyxias and refused to share their name. When he went back to the dukedom, the official doctors were shocked and told the duke that there was very little chance for his survival, examining his injuries, and that, it was a miracle that he was saved. After that incident his respect for the Nyxias increased manifolds. After that he went to the Veil of Mists several times but couldn't find the particular family that saved his life. Although he couldn't find them, as a gesture of gratitude he started to collect taxes there in form of medicinal herbs that too in smaller quantity. The people was so moved by his majesty Arthur's kindheartedness that they started to respect the duke's family even more. " hurry Imogen, we have very little time left until they arrive" " yes Grandma, stop nagging, everything will be ready in no time , come here, sit... here , take these wild strawberries and just rest for a bit" , "you are panicking from yesterday and soon you will fall ill, try to take care of your health please" "okay okay I understand your highness, please spare me this time, I will be careful from the next time, so don't scold me anymore please" "Grandma stop with your sweet words, I will not fall for it. Don't you know I have no one except you?" "okay my dear ,look I am eating these strawberries now and taking rest...could you please forgive this old woman for once please?...pretty please?" hihi...hihi...both started giggling. Imogen and her grandmother lived near the forest in Veil of Mists. Normally they kept a low profile and did not interact with other villagers other than when it was necessary. But even though they did not heavily involve themselves in the day to day village affairs, everyone knew Imogen and her grandmother Zola and loved them very much. Imogen set aside all the medicinal herbs they were supposed to give to the knights and went to tell her grandma that she was going to the forest. " Grandma, I am going to the forest, I have arranged all the herbs that we were supposed to give in this box take this and keep it aside. They will probably arrive by tomorrow noon,so we have plenty of time before that." but Zola was not very willing to let her only grandchild go to the forest. She usually was not this nagging but whenever the knights are there to collect taxes, she became wary of Eoghan. But Imogen was determined that day "Grandma I promised Lulu that I will come today, so please let me go, I will be back before evening ...muaahh..." She kissed her gradma on the cheek and smiled innocently. What could possible a kindhearted old woman do to resist such a plea from her granddaughter? She reluctantly let her go. "go ...but ...be sure to be back by evening ,otherwise I will not eat today's dinner" "okay grandma, love you so much,I'll come back soon" Imogen went towards the forest...