The Night of The Necros: The Rise of The Queen

Chapter Four Part One

They had been walking for days now and he had seen Arabella changing slowly. When they stopped at villages that had been attacked by the Council guard Arabella was the first one to lend them a hand. During this time Arabella soaked up what information she could about the people that lived in the villages they passed. She was beginning to make connections with them that would later prove beneficial for the Vosat and the villages in time. He was proud to say that she had made great strides towards being able to assume the throne.

Each day was like watching her shed another wall to reveal another layer to her personality that had remained frozen for so long. Lately their days had passed uneventfully and they filled their evenings with hunting and training. He was pleasantly surprised when Arabella began to teach him more about what she had learned in the library.

However, it wasn't until they came to a village at the edge of one of the districts that he realized the true extent to her knowledge. When they arrived at the village Genova was worried that they would have trouble communicating but Arabella approached a stall and fluently spoke their language. Genova's jaw dropped in awe.

"When did you have time to learn different languages?" He asked.

"I made time." She said . "I told you that no matter how much I learned I always wanted to learn more."

She smiled at the vendor and asked them about a particular item. They nodded and eagerly began to show her the item in question. Genova stood to the side and watched as she easily conversed with the vendor.

While the vendor showed the item to Arabella she noticed something that caught her eye. She turned to get a better look but the vendor stopped her.

"Stop. You must not look." He said.

"Why not?" Arabella asked.

"Because it is forbidden that you look up the village elder." He said averting his eyes.

Genova noticed this strange interaction taking place between Arabella and the vendor. Before Arabella could stop him from looking Genova was looking at something like a royal procession. The guards made the procession stop and approached Genova.

In a language that he didn't understand they began to question him. He looked around helplessly but before Arabella could step in one of the guards drew his sword. Arabella drew her swords and blocked the guard's attack. The guards stepped back in surprise. Arabella stared them down with a look that could freeze anyone who bothered to get in her way. Arabella put her swords away and bowed her head speaking fluently in their language.

"I apologize for my friend's insolence. He does not speak the language nor does he know your customs." She said softly.

"Ignorance is no excuse." One of the guards barked.

"Have you never been to a foreign land before?" She asked sarcastically.

"No." He said embarrassed.

"Then do not expect people who are obviously not from your village to know your rules." She said haughtily.

A loud laugh caught the guards attention. Before Genova could look Arabella reached up and pushed his head down. Everyone quieted down as the village leader came to stand before the newcomers.

"Keep your head down until I say otherwise." She ordered.

"Yes." Genova said simply.

"Young woman, raise your head." He said in their language. Arabella raised her head and was surprised to see such a beautiful young man standing before her. "Your friend may raise his head too." He said.

"Thank you." Genova said lifting his head.

"I thought that was you." He said with hearty laugh.

"Michael, it has been a long time." Genova said with a laugh. The village leader ordered his men to stand down and Arabella stared at them in shock.

"You two know each other?" She asked.

"Indeed. I even know who you are." He said. "Arabella, the last time we saw each other was before your village was destroyed, right?" He asked. Arabella looked at him with a confused expression.

"I am sorry but it would seem that I do not remember you." She said.

"Ah, that breaks my heart." He said feigning sadness. "And here I was thinking that you recognized me. Oh well, nothing we can do about that now. Come. We have much to discuss." He said heading back to join the procession.

"I can't believe that you became your village leader." Genova said.

"Indeed. I was surprised too." He said laughing. "Still it seems that things are happening." He said knowingly.

"Like what?" Arabella asked.

"The Council has been here asking about two people traveling together. A man and a young woman." He said with a wink. "I figured that they have to be pretty important to have the Council Guard looking for them. So what did the two of you do aside from being Vosat." He asked.

"We stopped a culling." Genova said.

"A culling?" He asked.

"The Council had worked out a deal with some villages. They would select people that they felt would become a problem in the future and would remove them before they became a problem." Arabella said.

"When we got to the village it was on fire and they were hanging children." Genova said. Arabella shuddered at the memory.

"Let me guess you charged in and took 'em out." Michael said looking at Genova.

"Actually the person that charged in was Arabella." He said.

"You?" Michael asked. "I don't know why I am surprised. You charged my guards when they were going to attack Genova." He said. "Of course I think that you have always been the take charge kind of person when it comes to situations like that." He said rubbing the stubble on his chin. They continued to talk as they made their way around the village. Arabella excused herself to go look at the stalls while the two men talked.

"So what brings you to out here?" He asked. "I haven't seen you since the village was attacked."

"Yeah about that. Don't address Arabella as a princess. She has forgotten about everything after that night." He said.

"Really." Michael mumbled.

"I assume that it's not a coincidence that we met like this." Genova said.

"No for some reason I have been instructed that someone of importance was coming to the village. Seems that it wasn't a lie but I didn't expect it to be the two of you. After the village was attacked no one had seen or heard from you and we heard that the Vosat princess and queen had been lost in the attack."

"Yeah that's the story." Genova said.

"So what happened?" He asked.

"Its true. We lost our queen but as you can see the Princess doesn't remember who she is." Genova sighed. "We were sent out to find a tree from Vosat lore but there is more to the mission."

"Like what?" Michael asked.

"Discovery." Genova said.

"Cryptic." Michael said.

"Yeah. From what I gathered there are parts of her that have been truly lost since that night. This isn't just about getting to the tree its about finding and piecing back together the parts that she lost."

"Talk about a grueling experience." Michael whispered. "And here I was trying to reject leading the village."

"Yeah. She doesn't even know how important she is to all of us but she has made progress." Genova said.

"I guess that she still has some growing to do or else you wouldn't have told me to be quiet about it."

"Yeah." Genova said. "Sorry to ask you not to address her as a princess. I know that it was your favorite thing to tease her about." Michael laughed as he remembered her challenging him to a fight.

"Do you remember that time?" He asked. "She challenged me to a fight and I told her that as a princess and a girl she was at a disadvantage." He said laughing.

"If I remember correctly she whipped your ass all over the sparing arena." Genova laughed.

"Yeah. She was both wild and elegant. Seems that much is still the same." He said.

"You got that right." Genova laughed. "I think I might age by ten years by the time we're done with this mission."

"Good luck with that one. I definitely don't envy you. I wouldn't want to look after that." He said laughing. "By the way how is Tamaki?"

"I don't see him that often anymore. We were separated after the attack for her protection."

"He must be going crazy knowing that you get to hog all of her time for yourself." Michael said laughing.

"What do you mean?" Genova asked.

"He has loved her since they were children." Michael said. "I didn't even grow up with you guys but even I could see it."

"No. He is just eager for the return of the queen." Genova said.

"Sure."

Arabella rejoined the group after having satisfied her curiosity. The two men ceased their conversation and turned to another topic. Arabella joined in here and there.

"You and Arabella, please stay at my estate for the night. As I said earlier, we have things that we need to discuss and cannot be spoken of outside." He said. "I have sent a messenger ahead to prepare rooms for you." He said.

"Thank you, Michael." Arabella said bowing her head.

"Thanks." Genova said. Arabella elbowed him in the stomach.

"Bow your head properly." She ordered him.

"There is no need for such formality." Michael said. "I told you earlier. I knew you since you were a child. We are friends." He said smiling.

"Really?" Arabella asked with tears in her eyes.

"Uh yeah. What's with the tears?" Michael asked.

"Because I don't have any friends aside from Genova." She said. Michael laughed heartily and patted her on the head like a child.

"Hey!" Arabella said pushing his hand away. "I am not a child."

The sun had risen high in the sky and the heat was beginning to wear her out.

By the time they had returned to village leader's estate Arabella looked exhausted. The Village Leader's estate was a large building that had survived the great calamity. The exterior was covered in large vines. The inside of the estate had been fixed up and many of the plants that had over run the old building had been moved to be replanted and add to the beauty of the structure. Warm comfortable beds waited for them in large rooms.

A maid escorted Arabella to a large and luxurious bathroom that had been prepared for her. The maid began to help her undress but Arabella shied away from her. The maid could read the distress on her face so she turned her back to her.

"Thank you." Arabella said quietly. She quickly changed her clothes and slipped into the wooden bathtub.

"Please let us know if you need anything else." She said gathering her clothes and stepping out of the bathroom. Arabella hummed happily as she sunk into the water.

"Miss," A maid called before she entered the bathroom. "I have some clean clothes for you." She said setting them on a beautiful wood bench.

Arabella nodded her head and looked around at the bathroom. It was unlike anything that she had ever seen before. She was surprised that such a bathroom existed. When she was done she toweled off and inspected the clothes that were sent to her. When she looked at the top she frowned. Her fingers involuntarily traced the scar. She wasn't sure that she could wear something like this. While Arabella debated a knock sounded at the door.

"Miss, do you need some assistance?" A maid asked.

"Actually, do you think that I could have a different top?" She asked frowning at the white sleeveless number that showed the midsection.

"May I ask what is wrong with it?" She asked sounding annoyed.

"It's just... I don't think that I can wear this." She said weakly.

"Miss, it is traditional wear for the village." She said.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to frown on the clothes that had been selected for me." She said trying not to sound too distressed over the clothing. "I will try to wear it."

Arabella slipped the top on over her head. After adjusting the top to hide as much of her scar as possible she opened the door. She tried to cover the scar that was visible on her stomach but it proved to be too difficult to cover. When the maid saw the scar she gasped.

"I am so sorry, Miss. I didn't know. I will-"

"It's fine." Arabella said holding up her hand to stop her.

She didn't know when she would have to wear something like this again. She knew that she would have to try to become accustom to such clothes without complaint. The maid blushed furiously in embarrassment.