The Phoenix's Maiden

Royal Feast (Part One)

The sun is about to set and the moon will soon rise to give light in the darkness of the night. They left the town and thanks to Arthur’s carriage they did not take too long to leave the vicinity. The color of the carriage is light blue with a hint of whitish color on the sides. It has a rounded shape with a window on the right side and the door of left side. It has some designs that is really fitted to be owned by a royal.

“Hey Kamandag,” Amber called onto the striped snake hinding behind her reddish hair. Kamandag hissed besides her ear which made Amber feel uncomfortable. She is not yet used to this kind of thing a venomous snake casually sitting in her shoulder.

“What’s up?” Kamandag responded to her call with sass while the young knight watches them quietly.

“It’s just I wanna know more about you,” she said timidly. Even the expression is not that obvious in Kamandag’s face, she is confused towards the maiden’s sudden request.

“Sure babe,” Kamandag said hesitantly. “Ask me anything you wanted to know about your new pet snake,” she humoured the awkward situation. She brushed her hair which exposed the striped snake.

“Since from now on we are together, I know more about you,” she started. “Your care, your abilities, and even your diet,” she said and pointed her gaze towards Kamandag and the snake slightly backs off.

“Okaaaay? I guess that will do,” the snake said. “Ask anything,” she added.

“Hmmm,” she puts her hands under her chin and thinks carefully what she is about to ask the mystical snake. “Then tell me your abilities,” she finally asks after some minutes of thinking.

“I’m glad you came up with that,” the snake gladly said. “You see I am a snake and venom is just a natural order for my characteristics as a snake, get it?” she said and Amber nodded at her while staring at the window. “Well my venom is pretty powerful and can paralyze the greatest of monster but not deadly enough to kill them, so with the help of alchemy my venom can be used as a substance to empower any enchantments because my venom has some chain reaction to magic,” she explained.

“I see,” Amber said. “It is like what Amaya did earlier with my silakbo right?” she remarked.

“Yes!” the snake actively said. “I am glad that you remembered that,” Kamandag added. “Also, I can transform myself into a fairy,” she added and Amber’s excitement suddenly showed up.

“Wait you can turn into one?” she tried to confirm what Kamandag said and the striped snake nodded at her. “Then turn into one,” she ordered the snake.

“Meh I don’t want to,” the snake denied the maiden’s order.

“Why?!” Amber protested like a child towards Kamandag. “Please let me see,” she begged while making puppy eyes to make herself irresistible. Arthur the one who is quietly watching the two find it uncomforting seeing Amber’s adorable face. He felt something inside his chest, like a butterfly fluttering its wings inside his heart.

“No can do babe,” Kamandag insisted her denial towards Amber and the maiden made herself to look cuter but the striped snake was unfazed, instead Arthur was the one affected by her make face and when he realized that he was staring to Amber, he shook his head over and over again.

“Why?” she protested again insisting that Kamandag would transform into a fairy.

“As you can see,” the snake started to reason herself out towards the disappointed maiden. “I like this form much more as I can escape too much attention from others and besides we will not get separated which is good right?” the snake said and Amber continue still tried to convince the snake by giving her cute faces which normally works, to Arthur not the new snake companion. “Instead of transforming into a fairy, I will show you what I can do in this form,” Kamandag proposed.

“Hmmm,” Amber thought about it.

“We cool?” the snake asked.

“Okay but you will still transform into a fairy,” she still insisted about the transformation and Kamandag started to regret that she said those words to Amber. The snake has no idea that this lady can be this stubborn.

“I will tell you my capabilities and I will NOT transform into a fairy and that is final,” the snake told Amber and emphasized that she will not do the transformation that caused the maiden to pout. Arthur seeing these expressions made his cheeks grew warmer and reddish. He turned his attention outside the carriage by looking at the window beside him.

“What are you doing?” Amber questioned the snake’s actions.

“Just watch,” the snake said. The snake crawled out of her shoulder and went to the window. “See that tree over there?” she told Amber to look at the tree and when she saw it, she nodded. “Observe,” the snake said and she made herself taller by raising her curled up body into the air then Kamandag started to chant unknown words. Suddenly by observing the tree Amber noticed that it dried up and the leaves fall onto the ground.

“Hey!” she called out to the snake which made her to stop the chanting and saving the tree’s remaining life force. “That is how I feed myself,” she said.

“What?!” she exclaimed confusely. “By killing that tree?” she asked and can’t believe what she just heard.

“Yes babe,” she confirmed Amber’s suspicions. “Other’s life force is my food and if I do not feed myself, then I will be the one who’s dying because of starvation,” the snake explained her side and she has a point.

“Is there no other way?” she asked and the snake shook her head.

“That is how life works babe. Killed or be killed,” she said. “And don’t worry I only suck the life out of any plants I saw and sometimes creatures that I hate hehehe,” the snake said trying to make her voice creepy enough to scare Amber. “Just kidding,” she quickly takes her words back.

“What else you can do?” she asked leaving behind what happened earlier.

“Ready yourselves,” Arthur cuts off their conversation and both of them looked at him. “We are here,” he announced and the two looked outside the window seeing the towering castle outside of the carriage. The snake was captivated and petrified by the view that she is seeing.

“It’s my first time here,” Kamandag shared her thoughts to the two. “I don’t that it is this beautiful up close," she remarked. After some time of sight seeing the snake crawled up back again towards Amber’s shoulder and hid behind her long red hair.

“So Arthur,” she called for the young knight that is blankly staring at the window. The young knigh was shocked and he looks at Amber awkwardly.

“What is it?” he asked.

“So what will really happen that we left the town in such a hurry,” she curiously asked. “And what is this royal ceremony all about?” she added another question while the other remains unanswered.

“This is a ceremony that happen every full moon and tonight is one of those nights and fortunately both of us are required to attend there,” he answered both of her questions quickly and clearly. Amber realized that it will be like that banquet gathering which means she will see more unknown faces. She began to tremble due to her fear of crowd. Kamandag felt it and was bothered by her shaking.

“What’s wrong babe?” the striped snaked asked the maiden.

“Don’t mind me,” Amber assured her.

“She is having social anxiety,” Arthur answered Kamandag’s question in place of her.

“You are kidding me right?” the snake said in disbelief.

“You are not hearing it wrong,” the young knight confirmed while the maiden is ignoring their conversation. Her mind is clouded by the terror of those unknown creatures that she will meet later. It does not matter if they are mystics or not, as long as it is more than three.

“Hey,” the snake called to her and Amber was taken aback to her senses. She looked at her companion snake but fear can still be traced into those eyes. “I thought you are a socially active person in the first place but I have really no idea that you have anxiety when it comes to situation like this,” she said. “As your new friend, I will take care of everything later and all you will do is you just got to stay strong and if you can do that I will show you my fairy form,” she made an offer to encourage the nervous maiden. “Is that a deal between us two?” she asked and Amber stared at her hesitantly. “This is a rare chance to offer my uneasiness to others,” she added trying to lure Amber in her bait so that everything will be fine.

“D-deal,” Amber hesitantly agreed to the snake’s temptation. She is afraid of the crowd but at the same time she cannot pass onto this offer. She will do anything just to see her fairy form. That would be so much awesome. All she got to do is be strong at the gathering later and let Kamandag take the lead and everything will be fine. That is what she thought. Everything will be fine. Just let the flow of the situation take her and try not to lose consciousness in front of the crowd like what happened last time in the banquet. Also she thought that she will avoid rude mystics like the three fairies that she encountered to loosen her tension.

“Then you are going to do your best to achieve the reward that I offered to you,” she reminded her deal that they made. The snake has 60/40 chance in this deal and she takes the risk this time to help this maiden that will soon save the whole kingdom, and before she do that Amber must fortify her mental strength and boost her confidence. The snake thought that this is the job that Amaya, her twin, entrusted to her since until now crowds seems to spook her.

“Y-yeah,” she answered hesitantly. If only they know what the crowd reminded her from her past. If only they knew this problem will be solved quickly but they don’t. This is a puzzle for them to solve and to beat this game; they must connect with each other. They must recognize each other’s strength and weaknesses, especially their worth. Seems simple but in reality many people are failing in doing so.

The carriage stopped when they reached the river that surrounds the whole castle. The scouts give signal to the guards to lower the bridge so that they can pass through the river. They carefully lower down the bridge and after some time they are successful in doing it. The carriage began to move upon its completion to enter the vicinity of the castle. Upon entering the area the guards there started to greet them.

“That one is hot,” the snake commented pointing out one of the guards the greeted them.

“Chill,” Amber giggled, finding the snake’s reaction funny. The carriage continues its way inside and other guards lead the unicorns where it supposed to go by handling the rope beside its body.

After some time they finally reached their destination and one of the guards notified them so that they can get inside. Arthur gives credit to their hard work and proceeds to get inside the castle.

“Go to your room and make yourself presentable to the guests,” he said before walking away so that he can change his clothes too. She waves her hand to say her goodbye to the young knight and started to walk inside this big castle so that she can ready herself for the royal gathering later. This will be a long climb she thought to herself and the snake just observed the whole place.

To be continued...

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-