Qaplurg and Flayria

Dani sits cross-legged on Tyler's bed. She has a pile of purple crackers and three different varieties of strange jellies. Dipping one cracker into all three bowls of goo, she offers it to Tyler.

"I'm alright..." he sighs. "Tell me about this war."

Dani waits until she is finished chewing, then launches into her tale:

"Fifty years ago Qaplurg and Flayria, our neighbors to the north, lived peacefully together. Open boarders, free trade agreements, it was like we were equal halves to one large country. Together, we had the two largest economies and territories in the entire five-realm alliance."

"I'm told that the war started suddenly and violently. My grandmother and the Flayrian queen of that time had arranged a diplomatic meeting in a small neutral country to the East. Two queens entered the private conference room, and only one exited. Our queen and her entourage were left in the room, dead. Before anyone realized what had happened, the Flayrians left."

"That same day they launched a large scale attack. Our border wasn't guarded, there was no need in those days, and they conquered 25% of our northern province or 5% of our land. It was devastating."

"No one is sure why they betrayed us, but we retaliated immediately. With my mother taking over the country as a young princess, we drove the Flayrians out of our lands within the week. That was the bloodiest time in our military history."

"After several large-scale battles, two walls were built between the our countries, one by each of us. Most of the fighting takes place on or between these walls these days; no major battles have made it beyond a wall in decades. Still, we lose thousands of men on both sides in the area between the two walls that they call the killing zone."

"Global trade is a nightmare. No one wants to upset either Major nation, unless they can make an exclusive alliance for protection. Although we aren't hurting in the capitol city, our whole world is chaotic. More and more countries get dragged into the fighting over time. Some products are unavailable in one country or the other, if control over the supplier changes hands."

"That is why my mom married a prince of Owhela. Their trade is essential to our economy, even if they are spineless. Political marriages have become very common. There were even talks at one point about arranging a marriage to end the war."

"Wait," Tyler interrupts. "Why are you telling people we are engaged if marriages are mostly political?"

"Can't a girl dream about marrying for love?" Dani sighs. "Besides, your magic is rare enough to help us win this war. You even can help us rid ourselves of the Serpents, who often ally with Flayria at strategic times. It seems like you would make a great king."

Tyler blushes and chokes on a cracker. "Thanks, but I'm not really cut out to be a king..."

"Why not?"

"I... It... I'm just not the guy you want for that job."

"Well, I think you are." Dani giggles and yawns.

"So are the Serpents and Flayrians allies.

"No, we think that they just want to prolong the fighting—" A dinging noise alerts Dani that her phone is ringing. She grabs the purple case and holds it to her ear. "What is it, Moko?"

Dani listens for a moment, her face cycles from annoyance to nervousness, then delight. "Perfect, you are the best Moko!" She clicks off the phone. "Sorry, where were we, love?"

"What was that about?"

"Oh, since we came here for a sleepover, I had to blow off the council meeting."

"Umm... isn't that bad?"

"Not really, Mom postponed it anyway."

"Why?"

"Moko reported the Serpent attack. Putting together a task force to make sure there aren't other Serpents in The Capitol is more important. We can go to the council meeting tomorrow when they make it up!"

"No, no, no. I'm not going back; my life here is enough for me."

"Don't worry, everyone will love you." Dani yawns and sets the snacks aside to lay down.

"Why do you want me to go anyway?"

"To announce our engagement, of course."

"We are not engaged!"

"No, not until tomorrow."

"That's not what I mean; why are you pushing this so hard?"

"Sleep first, come cuddle..." Dani yawns. She stretches and sprawls across the bed.

Tyler walks over to his bed, but she is asleep before he can cross the room. "Must not have slept long earlier..." Tyler mutters before looking for more food.

Without many options, he tries another purple cracker and the green, pink, and yellow jellies. To his surprise, they taste like peanut butter, hummus, and grape jam respectively.

He jumps as his phone buzzes, but rushes to check the notification when he remembers his encounter with Carla. There are no texts; however, one notification pops up from Destiny Dating.

Glancing at Dani, who is snoring in his bed, he opens the app. Bold letters at the top of the screen read, "you have one new match! Click to view profile." Tyler does as he is instructed and opens the profile:

Name- Marci Eldergrove

Nickname- Marci Eldergrove

Age- 19

Hair Color- Blonde

Eye Color- Blue

Title- Princess

Location- Flayria

Hobbies- Fencing, Historical Studies, Reading, Poetry

Magical Affinity- Weapon Enchanting, Telepathy

A picture of a tall, slender fair-skinned blonde pops up. Her hair is long and wavy, eyes sparkling like sapphires, staring at the camera with a bored expression. Tyler flips back to the profile; one word stands out above the others, Flayria.

Tyler stares at the screen. A message appears that reads, "Hey, Tyler, we need to talk."

His trembling hands fumble the phone, which vibrates again. "You aren't safe," the next message from Marci reads.