Once Upon A Time: Chapter Two - New Moon Society

"Any idea what time it is?"

"Somewhat after noon, I believe"

Makoto sighed. She and Ami were sitting on a comfortable bench outside the throne room where the king and queen of Kala'i were holding court. A few hours previous, they had rescued said king and queen's daughter from an assassination attempt. After a minor misunderstanding with the palace guards who arrived moments after the battle was over, the princess had been rushed back to the palace, as had they. After they were attended to by royal physicians, who found no injuries thanks to Ami's healing magic, one of the palace scribes had come to record their side of things. After that, they had been escorted here, to await the summons before the royal court. And wait they did...

Makoto stood and paced back and forth across the white stone hallway. The tapestries and statuary along the hall had kept her interest for a good half-hour, but after that, boredom had quickly set in. "Agh! Why are we having to wait? There've been a score of people going in and out of there since we got here!"

Ami smiled and leaned back, laying her arms along the back of the bench. "Because this is the one day of the week when the king and queen hold a true 'people's court'. Anyone with a dispute can bring it before them, but their decisions are absolute. So it's a court of last resort for some people, and for others it is the one place where they believe they can get a fair decision."

Makoto paused in her pacing and looked at Ami. "Can they?"

Ami thought on that. "Everything I've heard and read about Kala'i says 'yes'. The rulers have a long history of being fair. Harsh at times, but fair. 'Tough love', I guess you'd call it."

Makoto nodded. "I can handle that."

Ami grinned. "Just be glad they don't allow normal petitions today, or we might be out here till the sun sets."

Makoto threw her arms up and dropped beside Ami on the bench again. Ami moved closer and put her arm around the taller girls shoulder. Makoto gave her a small smile. "I'm all right, Ami. Just...tired, I guess. I don't know..."

Ami stroked Makoto's hair, pushing a stray lock behind her ear. "Physically, you're fine. But what about mentally?" Makoto shot her a look and she grinned. "Not that way, silly. I mean, you don't know how you survived the lightning, do you?"

Makoto looked down at the floor and slowly shook her head. "I didn't even feel him using magic till it was too late. When it struck me, I thought I was dead, Ami. When it struck...it's like it went straight to the core of my being." She looked down at her hands. "My every vein was an arc of lightning." Her hands clenched into fists. "It hurt! It took everything I had to force it out into my blade and back at him."

Ami covered Makoto's fists with her hands, giving them a squeeze. "But it worked, Makoto. You did control it and send it back at him." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You've always been able to sense magic being used around you. That's a rare gift, Makoto. I know of only a handful of mages who can do that. But when you were tested for magical ability, you showed not a whit. I'm wondering if they were looking in the wrong place."

Makoto looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "You've lost me, Ami..."

The blue-haired sorceress smiled. "Most mages use their will, their minds, to control their magic. But some..." She placed a hand on Makoto's chest. "Some use their hearts. Their magic is instinctive, not learned. And I think that's where yours lies."

Makoto covered Ami's hand on her chest with her own, a shocked look on her face. "My magic?!"

Ami smiled more as she took Makoto's hand in hers. "I may be wrong, but I truly believe that you will be able to call the lightning once again." The look Makoto gave her was one that parents everywhere saw on the faces of their children when they got that one gift they wanted more than any other. Ami leaned up and kissed her, and they were both lost for a moment before Ami pulled back slightly and whispered, "You see? There's always hope, my love." The smile on Makoto's face was one Ami had not seen in a long time...

"Ahem..."

Both of them started at the interruption, glancing up to see an older gentleman in what seemed to be the standard palace garb of white and gold looking down at them with an upraised eyebrow and a slightly disapproving look. Makoto and Ami both blushed and looked at each other with matching grins before standing up. "They're ready for us?" Makoto asked.

With a slight roll of the eyes, the gentleman nodded and escorted them to the still-closed doors. As they approached, he spoke in low tones, "They have said that you are to retain your weapons. I do not suggest you draw them. Normally only palace guards are allowed weapons inside the throne room. When you enter, walk up the carpet, but approach no closer than the gold weaving. If They wish you to come closer, They will tell you. As you are not Their subjects, you are not required to bow," he said in a tone that left no doubt that he felt they should anyway. "Regardless of which one speaks to you, reply to Them as 'Your Majesties'." With that, he nodded to the guards before the doorway, who turned and pushed open the large double doors...

The white stone Kala'i used for building material was very much in evidence in the throne room. Everything gleamed with a bright white light. The only touches of color were the courtiers themselves. The room itself was a rectangle with the doors at one end and the thrones at the other, with a long white carpet stretching between the two. The arched ceiling was two or three 'floors' above them, and stretching from the second 'floor' upwards were numerous thin vertical windows down either side of the room. Wide enough to allow the sunlight in, but not wide enough to weaken the defense of the palace wall.

Here, as in most royal courts, the closer someone was to the thrones, the higher their social standing. Standing nearest the doors were the common folk. The ones who either had a petition before the court or who had come to see how their rulers ruled. About half-way down the room 'standing room only' gave way to three levels of raised seats on either side of the room. These 'bleachers' were also made of white stone. They were not very high, just enough for those sitting to see over the heads of those before them. But in these seats were the true nobility of Kala'i, the landowners and trading houses.

Ami and Makoto took all this in in a glance as they walked up the white carpet. They caught snippets of conversation as they walked, mostly wondering who they were and why they still had their weapons. As they got closer to the thrones, they got their first look at King Kameio and Queen Hina of Kala'i. Their hair was pitch black, in stark contrast to their daughter's blond locks. The queen's flowed down over her white shoulders and was held back by her thin gold crown, while the king's was gathered back into a low ponytail. Their clothing matched the room, being all in white, with their hair and gold crowns being the only color on them. The king wore a long padded, brocaded shirt that gave the impression of armor, with his pants tucked into knee-high white boots. The queen's bodice, while similarly brocaded, was unpadded, and left her pale shoulders and neck bare. Her plain, white skirt came down just over the tops of her low boots. The thrones they sat on were actually carved from a single piece of stone. Two seats had been carved into it with a single 'arm' between them. If they both rested their arm on it, one would have to rest on the other. In this way did the Kala'ians show that the King and Queen ruled together.

As they reached the far end of the seating area, they saw the aforementioned gold weaving forming a ribbon-type pattern on the carpet. They both stopped just before it and bowed deeply.

Queen Hina smiled at this and shook her head. "No, please. Do not bow. Stand tall before us," she said as she motioned upward with her hand

Ami and Makoto both blinked at this and with a quick glance at each other did as they were bid. They noticed that those few words silenced the court, and yet left behind an air of tension, letting them know that this was an unusual occurrence.

Queen Hina looked at her king and nodded, placing her hand over his on the arm of the throne. King Kameio took a deep breath and began to speak, "We have one last item before we call an end to the court today. This morning, our daughter, Princess Meyna...was attacked and almost killed by unknown assailants." A collective gasp went up from the court, and questions began to fly between the courtiers before it was quickly silenced as the king continued to speak, "Both of her bodyguards, one who was a mage of the Vermilion Order, were slain as they attempted to defend her. Their sacrifice did give her final rescuers--" he motioned to Makoto and Ami with his free hand. "--time to come to her aid. Because of their loyalty, even at the expense of their lives, the Princess's bodyguards will be enshrined in the Vaults of the Fallen, and be forevermore honored." Turning his attention from the court, he glanced at his queen, who smiled and they both focused their sky-blue eyes on the two young women before them.

"Makoto Kino. Ami Mizuno," Queen Hina said as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Though you are not our subjects, on this day, we owe you a debt we can never repay. You have returned our daughter to us safe and sound. As you are Haaloan, we cannot give you the true knighthoods that should be yours, but from this day forward you will be accorded all the rights and honors of Kala'ian knights." She turned her attention back to the court. "All hail Kaihe* Makoto Kino and Kaihe Ami Mizuno! Knights of Kala'i!" Ami and Makoto could just stare in shock as the entire court rose and bowed to them.

(* lit. 'spear', traditional title of Kala'ian knights)

oOoOoOo

After the declaration, the king and queen had called an end to the days court and retired from the room. Still somewhat in shock, Makoto and Ami had been escorted from the throne room by a guard who informed them that Their Majesties wished to speak with them in private. After following the guard for what felt like a quarter hour as he led them through the winding halls of the palace, they finally stopped before a plain-looking door with two guards before it. Their escort turned to them as one of the guards opened the door. "Please wait inside. Their Majesties will join you shortly." And with that, he turned and walked away. Makoto motioned for Ami to precede her into the room and followed her with the guard shutting the door behind them. They both paused a few steps inside to take in the room before them. As with the rest of the palace, the room was all white stone, but most of the walls here were covered...

With books.

Hundreds of them. Perhaps a thousand.

Every wall of the room was a bookcase. A close look showed Ami that the bookcases themselves were stone and looked to be carved directly from the stone of the walls, showing that this room was no afterthought. The floor was covered by a deep red rug on which sat several comfortable-looking 'easy chairs', along with a dark wooden table surrounded by a handful of straight-back chairs. On the table was a tray with a pot and several cups. Light came from a thin window running just above the bookcases on one side of the room and was supplemented by several hanging lamps and a fireplace against the far wall.

"Wow... Ami? I don't think you had this many books back in our world."

Ami shook her head as she checked some of the titles. "I don't think I did either. I'm impressed. These aren't just for show. If the spines are any indication, these have been well read. Many times."

"That they have, Kaihe Mizuno."

Both Makoto and Ami turned at the voice. King Kameio and Queen Hina had come in a side door the two women had overlooked while distracted by the books. The two monarchs had changed to less formal attire that was more in line with everyday wear, including exchanging their crowns for matching gold circlets. The king smiled at them as he continued speaking, "I have read all 828 books in this library. Most of them more than once. And my wife and daughter are not too far behind me either," he added with a grin at his queen who returned it.

"If only most of them weren't treatise on war and conflict, we would have read them all. Meyna and I prefer less death in our books."

The king rolled his eyes as he went over to the table and poured himself a cup of trali. "I did get you those two volumes by that Firlian author you like so much."

"And I haven't read them yet. Meyna got to them before I did. I think she still has them in her rooms," said the queen as she walked toward Makoto and Ami. "My dears..." she said as she hugged a surprised Makoto before turning to Ami and giving her one as well. They both saw tears in the edges of her blue eyes. "My dear knights. What was said and done in the throne room is but a fraction of the truth and what we owe you. Meyna is our only child, and I can have no more children. You saved not only our child, but our kingdom." She motioned them to sit at the table as she poured cups for them and herself. As they all settled at the table, the two newborn knights took the offered cups, both of them feeling very strange at having a queen serving them.

Before she drank, Makoto spoke, "Your Majesties... We only did what anyone would have. What the Princess's guards tried to do had they not been ambushed and surprised. It was pure chance that I saw it happen. I could have just as easily been inside the apothecary with Ami and not known anything until it was all over."

The king set his cup down as Makoto sipped hers. "Well, you two seem to have a knack for being where you're needed when you're needed."

Makoto and Ami looked at each other with furrowed brows before Ami turned back to the king, "What do you mean by that?"

King Kameio smiled and looked at Makoto, "Kaihe Kino. Two years ago you were riding with a training patrol when you came across a caravan being attacked. With your timely assistance, the caravan guard were able to beat back the attackers and proceed on their way. What you didn't know at the time was that riding in that caravan were two of the Haaloan royal family on a journey here to begin secret talks."

Makoto just stared in shock at the king. "How--"

He held up his hand to forestall her questions and turned to Ami. "Kaihe Mizuno. Last year you and your companion were with a group of healers when you came across a village that was being ravaged by disease, which is something no magic can cure. The healers could not help and were calling for the village to be sealed and left to its fate. They felt the loss of a single village was a small price to stop the pestilence from spreading across the kingdom. And yet you were able to not only find a cure for it, but devised a way to make others immune to it!"

Now it was Ami's turn to stare. The disease had been something she'd remembered from her medical training back in their world. It was simple enough to cure and prevent if you knew what was causing it. "But...your Majesties...how could you know about that? That happened on the other side of Haalo from here."

"That...would be my doing," replied a very deep, cultured voice. Everyone turned toward the door. The gentleman closing the door was dressed in a variation of what Ami and Makoto had come to recognize as the standard palace garb of white and gold. Though instead of a simple tunic, he wore something resembling a Chinese martial arts top that had ties on the right side of the chest. The white of his clothing made his dark chocolate skin stand out even more, and like the king, his long, kinky gray/black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

The king stood and stepped over to take the man's hand with a smile. "Glad you could join us, Rola." Releasing the handshake, he turned to the table, "I'm sure you know them already, but indulge your king. Allow me to introduce Kaihe Makoto Kino and Kaihe Ami Mizuno of Haalo. These are the young ladies who saved Meyna this morning." The two girls, both with slight blushes on their cheeks, stood and bowed to the newcomer as they were introduced. "Kaihe, allow me to introduce Rola Ashwarden. While I protect the kingdom from overt threats, he protects it from covert ones."

Rola chuckled deeply as he returned the bows. "Oh, call me what I am, Sire: Head Spy." He moved beside the queen, bowed, and kissed her hand. "Your Majesty, I apologise for this morning," he said to her with sorrow in his voice. "We had heard rumblings that they were up to something, but we never expected something like this."

The queen gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it. "Apology accepted, Rola. Do not dwell on it."

"I must for a while, Your Majesty. To determine how we missed it."

She shook her head. "You're not a god, Rola. You can't know everything."

Rola snorted as he settled into the chair beside the queen. "Would that I were. Their jobs are easier." He turned to Makoto and Ami, who had sat back down. "As I was saying when I came in, I was the one who informed Their Majesties about your activities." He looked at Ami. "Particularly yours, Kaihe. For you see, in that village you saved was a visitor from the country of Yolan. The border of which is barely a league from that village. As you may know, Yolan is fairly insular. They prefer to keep to themselves and deal with their own problems. But the disease you cured was one that had been ravaging their lands for many months. Once the visitor recovered, she went back home and passed along the knowledge of the cure. You see, Yolan is my homeland, and that visitor was my cousin. The information she brought back home saved her village and many others in Yolan. I owe you the lives of my family, Kaihe Mizuno."

As Rola spoke, Ami's eyes slowly went wide, until by the end of his tale they were like saucers. She looked down at the table, not really seeing it as her mind worked. So many little things fell into place now. She had spoken to Makoto this morning about changing the world...little did she realise that they had already been doing so for years now...

When she had helped save that village, she had of course gotten thanked by the people living there. That was to be expected. But the fact that she'd possibly saved an entire country was something else entirely. She had a sudden flash of memory, from their lives before they arrived here...

She and her friends had saved their entire world, and yet, they had never seen it like that. They had each fought to save and protect their friends. The fact that, in doing so, they had saved the world entire was purely secondary. Such a small thing to save something so large...

"'For want of a nail'," Ami murmured. She felt a hand on hers and snapped back to the present, giving Makoto's hand a squeeze and shooting a quick smile at her friend. "Sorry," she said to the others around the table. "Just...remembering some things."

The king looked at her carefully. "What was that you said? Something about a nail?"

Ami nodded. "It's a tale from where we come from. 'For want of a nail, a horseshoe was lost. For want of a shoe, a horse was lost. For want of a horse, a king was lost. For want of a king, a kingdom was lost.' It's about how for want of a small, inconsequential item--a nail--something large and important--a kingdom--was lost." She looked at Rola. "What you said made me realise that everything we do affects those around us. The smallest actions can have the largest consequences." She turned to the king. "And what you said, makes me wonder if, in some small way, Makoto and I aren't nails. Small, inconsequential things that protect larger, more important things."

"My dear Kaihe... True heroes are far from 'small, inconsequential things'."

Makoto snorted, then realised who she was speaking to. "Your pardon, Your Majesties, but... We're not heroes. We just try to do the right thing."

Rola paused before taking a drink. "We have a saying here: 'Being a hero is doing the right thing when no one is around.' You could have just as easily turned and gone back inside the store. This is not your country. These are not your friends." Ami started at that. "You had no obligation to help, yet you did so without a second thought."

The girls turned thoughtful as they looked at each other. Ami gave a small smile and squeezed Makoto's hand. "He's right, you know? Ever since we came here, we've been helping people. Sometimes without even realising it." Out of the corner of her eye, Ami saw the other three passing looks between themselves. The queen gave a small nod, and the king sighed and nodded as well, with Rola giving them both a very slight bow in acknowledgment.

Makoto, her hand still holding Ami's, looked at the two royals and the spymaster with narrowed eyes. "I saw that... What is it?"

Rola sipped from his cup before putting it on the table. "Their Majesties feel you should know some of the things we know. For instance--" he sighed. "We know about the ritual that brought you here, though we don't know the details of it." Both Makoto and Ami straightened up at that, casting glances at each other before turning their attention back to Rola. "We just know that you are heroes from another world brought here to help this one. King Willom of Haalo summoned you to help his country--which you have done--but as you've noticed, your good deeds are not restricted to just that country. You help those who deserve it, regardless of who they are or where they are from."

Ami sighed, releasing Makoto's hand and sitting back in her chair. "I'm not surprised that you know about it. Not really. It seems that it's a 'public secret' in Haalo. Known, but not spoken about."

Rola nodded. "Indeed. Their Majesties also wanted to let you know who it was you fought this morning."

Makoto leaned forward at that. "Now that, I want to know! I owe them some bruises and shock therapy."

The king chuckled dryly as he refilled his cup. "You are not alone in that, Kaihe. The entire kingdom owes them. They call themselves the 'New Moon Society'. We're not sure exactly what their aims are, aside from bringing down the kingdom, that is. This is the first time they've struck openly. Before today, they'd limited themselves to bribes and, we suspect, assassinations."

Ami raised an eyebrow. "You suspect? You don't know?"

Rola shook his head. "We cannot prove anything. But there have been several timely 'accidents' that have either killed or severely injured those who are intensely loyal to the kingdom. And those who replaced them are...less so, and we believe them to be members of the Society, but with no proof, we cannot remove them. Their Majesties do rule Kala'i, but with the support of the nobles. Accusing some of them without proof would lead the others to feel their Majesties were just trying to remove those nobles they didn't like."

Queen Hina stood and began to pace the floor with a dark expression. "As much as I hate thinking about it like this, when they attacked my baby today, they gave us an opening. Something we can show to those idiot nobles!" King Kameio stood and moved to his queen's side, putting an arm around her shoulders. At this she seemed to collapse inward and turned to bury her face against his chest as he held her. He stroked her hair and looked back at the table.

"What about the people who attacked her?"

Rola sighed. "We captured two Society members today. The one whose knee Kaihe Kino cut through, and the one Kaihe Mizuno struck with her water magic."

Makoto stood suddenly. "Wait! What about the one who attacked me with lightning?! He should have been out for hours!"

Rola held his hands up. "While you and the princess were escorted to the palace, the guard hunted for that man and the woman, but could find no sign of them. We must assume that either another Society member helped him escape, or he was able to shake off the attack you sent back at him, and escaped on his own."

Makoto slammed her fist on the table, causing the pot and cups to jump. "Dammit!" Ami slipped her hand over Makoto's fist and, with a look at the sorceress, all the anger seemed to leave the taller girl. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped back down in the chair. "Dammit..."

Rola nodded at Makoto. "Believe me, we understand your frustration, Kaihe. The man you injured is still unconscious and may never wake up. He lost a lot of blood before the healers got to him. The other man was battered and bruised, but otherwise unhurt. We have been unable to get any useful information from him though. According to him, everyone wore masks when they met, and everyone was given a 'Society name' to be used rather than their real ones. His was 'Dela', the one you fought was 'Orek', and the woman's was 'Tisme'."

The queen watched Rola as he spoke, and her eyes narrowed. "You're not telling us something, Rola. What is it?"

Rola looked down at the table, took a deep breath, and looked up again. "Your Majesties...the palace is not the haven we thought it was. The man Kaihe Kino slew, his name was Dorc Tinin. He worked in the palace as an assistant in the kitchens." The king released his queen and spun toward the chamber doors. "Sire! Wait!" He turned back to Rola and the look in his eyes made Makoto's hand twitch unconsciously toward her sword before she forced it flat on the table. "Sire, I have put my most trustworthy men on this. Every single guard still in the palace has been investigated and have been found to be the most loyal subjects you have." He looked at the queen. "My men are guarding Meyna. No one else will be allowed near her. You need not fear for her safety, Your Majesties. Dorc was hired in the last year, and the person who hired him is currently being questioned in the dungeons. Everyone who was hired in the past two years have been relieved of their duties and are being confined to the servants wing until they can be investigated and cleared."

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "How do we know you can be trusted?"

Rola laughed loudly. "Because if I were not trustworthy, you all would have been dead before I even entered the room." That merited shocked expressions all around and Rola just pointed to the pot of trali."The pot and cups were in here before any of you entered, correct?" Makoto and Ami nodded slowly. "And you had all taken a drink from it before I came in, correct?" More nods. "The trali itself could have been poisoned or the inside of the cups laced with it. I would have walked into the room to find you all dead, and with the guards certain I never came near you." They all just stared at him. "It may shock you to hear this, but it is my jobto think of things like that and prevent them." He stood and went down on one knee before the king and queen. "Your Majesties, I have been by your sides since before Meyna was born. I could never betray the trust you have given me. You took me in when--" he glanced at Makoto and Ami and gave a small grin before bowing his head. "--when others would not. Kala'i is my home and you are my family."

Queen Hina gave a small smile. "And you are part of ours, Rola. We do trust you." The king and queen both reached down to help him to his feet. "Just...going after my baby like that..."

"I know, Your Majesties. We are not fighting an honorable enemy. We cannot expect honorable tactics..."

Makoto slumped in her chair and pushed her cup away with a finger as Rola continued speaking with the king and queen. She was used to dealing with direct threats in a direct manner. Now they seemed to be in the middle of a conflict with shadows. Nothing to fight, just corners to watch. Suddenly, Ami leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Makoto started. "What was that for?" she asked in a low voice.

Ami smiled at her, her blue eyes shining. "Thanks for escorting me today. Without you with me, they probably would have succeeded, and I...I might have been killed as well when I tried to stop them."

Makoto reached for her hand, holding it tight. "You're stronger than that, Ami. I may protect you, but that doesn't mean you are weak."

Ami leaned closer and whispered with a grin, "Only for you, love."

Makoto swallowed as she felt her temperature go up several degrees.

Ami gave her hand a squeeze before letting go, and stood up. "Be right back. Nature's calling." Ami nodded to the queen before leaving the room. The king and Rola were talking in low tones on the far side of the fireplace, and seemed to have tuned out the rest of the room. Makoto watched Ami leave and half-wished the sorceress wasn't wearing her cloak...

"You love her, don't you?"

Makoto waited until the door closed behind Ami before turning to the queen who had taken the seat beside her. Truthfully, she was unsure how to answer. In Haalo, homosexual relationships were tolerated, if not joyously welcomed, but here? She had no idea of people's thoughts on it. The functionary who had escorted them to the throne room hadn't seemed to care for the affection they'd shown, but were those his feelings or the attitude of the country in general? These thoughts flashed through Makoto's head in the time it took her to turn to the queen, and she smiled, because there was really only one answer.

"Yes, I do. Very much."

The queen wore a thoughtful expression as she looked at the door that Ami had left by, before turning back to Makoto, whose smile began to waver. "Does she love you back?"

"Yes."

The queen smiled a bit at that. "It was slightly obvious, you know. When you two weren't touching each other, you were hovering close together." Makoto blushed at that, and the queen patted her hand. "Relax. You're young. You're allowed."

After a few moments, Makoto got her blush under control and the queen withdrew her hand. "I wanted to ask...um...how do people here view relationships like ours?"

The queen put her hand on her breast. "Our relationship?" she asked with a mock shocked expression, causing Makoto to blush again and turn her head away with a grin.

"No! Geez... Mine and Ami's!" She covered her face in embarrassment, trying not to giggle.

The queen let out a laugh that reminded Makoto of crystal. Clear and pure. "I'm sorry, my dear. I couldn't help it. To answer your question, such relationships are not uncommon here. Both male and female. Most people understand that love is a powerful force and treat it with the respect it deserves. In fact, Kala'i had two female rulers for a time. The king fell prey to disease, and afterwards, while his son grew to adulthood, the queen took another woman as her concubine. As the years went on, the concubine became as loved and respected as the queen herself, and they ruled together." She motioned toward the king, who was still speaking with the spymaster. They had retired to two of the 'easy chairs' and were both smoking long-stemmed pipes. "As you've noticed, we rule together equally. We each have our own special areas of expertise of course. I don't care much for war and tactics and such, and he doesn't care for the logistics of keeping the palace running. But otherwise, we act together to make decisions. It's been like that since the first Kala'i rulers."

Makoto smiled at that. "Sounds nice. Makes me wish we'd been summoned here rather than Haalo. Even if some of the natives here aren't quite friendly," she added with a wry look. "Haalo's a nice place, don't doubt that, but...well, when we arrived there they were rather upset that their grand, hero-summoning ritual had gotten them a couple of teenage girls." She shook her head as the queen giggled. "They were a little more impressed when I took out a couple of guards bare-handed before they could explain where we were and why."

"That's my Makoto."

The queen and Makoto looked up to see Ami walking toward the table with a smile. "Welcome back," Makoto said. "I was just asking Her Majesty how our relationship, " she motioned between Ami and herself, "was accepted here."

Ami glanced at the queen, then looked at Makoto. "And?"

The queen smiled. "As I told her, most here realise that love is a very powerful force, and that the feelings it evokes should be treated with respect." She shook her head. "Do not worry, just...be yourselves.

The girls smiled at each other. "We can do that," Ami said before her expression became serious. "Would we be able to see the princess before we leave? We didn't get a chance to say more than a few words before the guards escorted her away."

The queen nodded. "I was wondering if you would ask that. I'm sure Meyna would like to see you as well. I believe she is in her chambers at the moment. She usually teaches reading in the afternoon to some of the younger children in the palace."

Both Ami and Makoto looked surprised at that, and the queen asked them why. Makoto grinned sheepishly. "Well, she remind us a lot of someone we knew in our world. The girl we knew didn't care for reading much more than, well...children's picture books."

"Ahh... I see. Well, Meyna has always loved reading, and tries to pass that love along to everyone she teaches." She motioned to the two men sitting in front of the fire. "Since Rola's men are guarding her, you'll need to speak to him before you go to her. I'll get someone to escort you." She stood and headed to the door Makoto and Ami had come in, while they went over to speak with Rola.

"I see no problem with you visiting the princess," Rola said, glancing at the king who nodded his agreement. The spymaster then reached into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a coin which he handed to Ami. "Just give that to the men guarding her door and they'll let you in."

Ami looked the coin over and saw that it appeared to be an ordinary Kala'ian coin. Rola grinned. "The guards know what to look for. Just don't get it mixed up with other coins." Ami nodded and decided to just hold onto it rather than stick it in a pouch.

The queen soon returned with a young brown-haired girl, in a plain dress, who was probably no more than ten years-old, and whose eyes got wide as saucers when she walked into the room and saw all the books. "Wow..." she said as she looked around. The queen just smiled.

"This is Nisa, one of the girls Meyna teaches. As she was on her way to Meyna, I thought she'd be perfect to lead you there." She looked down at the girl. "Nisa? This is Makoto and Ami. Could you lead them to Meyna's rooms? They want to talk to her."

The girl looked up at Ami, and then up some more at Makoto. "Wow...you're tall..."

Makoto chuckled. "Yes. I am. And in a few years you might be as tall as me."

"Wow..."

It was the queens turn to laugh. "Nisa? Would you take them to Meyna?"

The little girl blinked and looked at the queen. "Oh! Yeah! Follow me!" she said before heading out the door.

The queen shook her head with a grin. "You'd better do as she says before she's out of sight, Kaihe. She's not one to slow down often." The girls bowed deeply to the queen before hurrying after their 'escort'.

End Chapter Two

Next Chapter: Mirrors