Oracle, Visions of Wings

- QUARIA, ROYAL PALACE -

The mortals in the city were buzzing with enthusiasm, the Princess smirked with a proud grin seeing that everything was going according to her plan.

'Who would have thought that the missing piece these last few years would have been him?'

The Princess felt like jumping with glee, however, she managed to hold down her excitement, she may have been alone in her chamber, but she knew that there were unseen eyes and ears all over the palace, regardless if some of them were her own, it would be unwise to frustrate her enemies further.

'I'm sure father has left some of his minions out and about the city.'

Only a foolish ruler would dare leave his kingdom unattended regardless of how loyal his most trusted advisor was, it would be utterly uncanny to leave them in absolute control.

The King of Quaria had gone on his annual pilgrimage where he visited the twin temple fortresses of the divines Tazuriyari and his counterpart Mayurinari.

The trip was done regularly in order to thank the divines who had saved their ancestors from impeding peril by giving Gherial safe passage to Morland.

This happened in the first era when the Princess' great grandfather Lazuriel and great grand uncle Gherial first landed on the shores of Morland from the old land.

A steady knock interrupted the Princess' musings of the past and snapped her back to reality.

The knock at the door repeated once more and this time slightly louder than before, the Princess could tell the impatience of the person behind it.

'This time again.'

One day of rest was all that the Princess had requested after her exciting day, but with her father out of the city, she was the only one that could approve of the council's decisions.

"You may enter." The Princess approved grudgingly.

The Migiter swiftly walked in and bowed deeply to the Princess, then he drew closer to the Princess. He was garbed in a violet royal guard's mantle fit for his station, the clothing had gold trims around the edges, a crimson belt and a cloak that flowed across the marble floor.

"Princess." The Migiter raised his head and continued his addressing. "I was sent to remind you that his Majesty the King will be arriving shortly."

'So soon? Did something happen on this journey perhaps?'

The Princes wondered.

"You need not worry Princess, nothing unfortunate has happened to his highness." The Migiter uttered with a blank expression.

"Did you just..."

"Not at all, your expression Princess was all it took."

"You are not allowed to do that! Nor are you allowed to interrupt me."

The Migiter looked at the Princess worriedly and then bowed and apologized to her without raising his head.

"My humblest apologies your majesty, I did not mean to offend you."

The Princess's face had turned pink with rage, but she understood this was only natural for the Migiter and he was the only person the royals could fully trust with their every thought and so the Princess deplored her anger.

"You need not apologize, it's my fault for worrying you." The Princess responded with more compassion.

After a time in seclusion, the Princess could tell that her recent activities outside of the royal palace have made her rather...

"Cautious?"

The Migiter completed her thoughts once more, the Princess rolled her eyes at him but ignored his immediate query.

"Yes, cautious."

The Princess confirmed the Migiter's subtle query, it was true that he could not help but read every mortal's mind in the room. This was a useful boon, especially in the absence of the King when the Migiter would be in charge of the Kingdom.

The Princess' only concern was the MIgiter's weak attitude towards her, perhaps this was borne from the burden of reporting back to the Princess despite being granted a King's boon.

"That is all Princess."

The Migiter bowed to the Princess and then exited her chambers, it was rare for the Migiter to present himself as a mere mortal, this only occurred when the King was not around and the Migiter's physical presence was required.

'I thought he'd just teleport away like he usually does.'

Unlike other mortals, the Migiter belonged to a race of beings called Magites, these were half-mortals with extraordinary supernatural abilities and were rumored to hail from the realm of the divines themselves.

This was one reason why their bodies were made of pure mana and only took on a temporary form to serve a purpose.

'I shouldn't be this edgy.'

The Princess felt her forehead with the back of her hand as she wondered if this was because of her recent public appearances or a looming fear.

'No.'

The Kingdom of Quaria was guarded by a group of powerful elites that rivaled the Thirteen, together with the Migiter who was a sentinel from the divinic realm, the Princess believed Quaria could not be trifled with, not even by Moriandia.

'Why then can't I whisk away this feeling?'

The Princess felt the same presence that had filled her chamber a few days ago, it was not close to her this time, but she could feel it within the city, slowly making its way towards the heart of Quaria.

'Was that the reason why father was returning so quickly? No there has to be another reason.'

Her father had a duty to uphold at the shrines, and his throne had to come second no matter the outcome.

- ??? -

As her thoughts circled her mind, the Princess suddenly felt her consciousness slip away and she immediately found herself transported to a battlefield.

"A battlefield..?"

The clouds had turned red like blood and massive flaming rocks fell from the sky, flashes of crimson lighting and burning explosions filled the atmosphere.

The Princess felt the heat with her ethereal body and she that nothing could escape the fire, she witnessed people's skin turn dark as the fire seared through their bodies, mountains melted from the explosion, and the lakes boiled from the heat.

From all this peril.

A lone mortal stood against the devouring flames and bellowed at the heavens with a loud voice, the Princess saw the mortal's tears evaporate before leaving his eyes, his lips had dried up and his body appeared like that of a desiccated corpse, but he clung to life as he cried to the heavens.

'This pain...'

The Princess felt the mortal's pain and felt faint for a moment, and if it had not been for her spiritual body, she too would have been beyond tears.

As the mortal wept to the heavens, a torrent of light descended upon him from the sky and the Princess was shaken in horror.

For a moment she thought that the mortal would be consumed by this light, but suddenly his flesh wounds started to heal, the fire around him rescinded, and his body was restored. Then from the heavens came a still voice that spoke to the mortal.

"I have made a new home for you, and I will give you my wings to protect you and your loved ones."

The Princess watched in awe as the light filled the land and a field of lush green overtook the scorched landscape, and when he looked at the mortal once more, a young girl stood before the mortal and he patted her on the head as they both grinned.

"Go to your new home, my wings will protect you both."

The words resounded in the Princess's mind, and she knew that whoever had spoken to them promised told them that she would protect them.

'The both of them.'

The Princess suddenly woke up from her vision, she was on the floor and barely dressed to welcome her father.

- QUARIA, THRONE ROOM -

She quickly made her way to the throne room followed by her attendees, when she reached the throne room the Princess saw that it was filled with many nobles. Her presence immediately drew the attention of several young and unmarried nobles, the Princess quickly raised her royal fan to cover a part of her face.

"Her majesty the first Princess of Morland, and the first Princess of Quaria, blessed by the boon of the deities, and heir to the throne of Quaria." The royal announcer ecstatically proclaimed at the sight of the Princess. "Princess Zeuriel!"

The Princess made her way to the throne where her father sat, she wondered if he would be displeased by her unpunctuality but to her surprise, the King was smiling earnestly.

"Father." Princess Zeuriel curtsied before the King.

She may have been the heir to the throne but she made sure to show the utmost respect to her father lest she incite a disrespectful generation to grow in the royal court.

"Zeuriel, arise my child."

The King walked over to her and took her hand, then proceeded to lead her towards her late mother's throne beside his own. Murmurs filled the throne room and most of the noblemen seemed to be perplexed about the situation, for it was a rare sight for them to witness the Princess in the throne room.

Unsurprised Princess Zeuriel allowed her father to seat her on her mother's throne, then he walked back to the edge of the steps.

"Most of you are wondering why I called you here so suddenly, even you of the opposing faction." He paused for a moment, the Princess could see his father's scepter shake in his hands. "When I was in Tazur I conferred with the divines, and after many hours I got an answer."

'Is he shaking?'

The court seemed to draw closer to the throne, they were all eager to learn of the knowledge that the King had acquired on his pilgrim.

"...that by the authority vested in me by our Lady Moria, and the twin divines Tazuriyari and Mayurinari, and as a descendant of Lord Lazuriel and Lord Gherial."

'What was happening? Was this another vision?'

The Princess seemed shaken by what was happening, and she could feel the intensity of her father's words in the room.

"...that when I am unable to rule anymore, my daughter Zeuriel, the First Princess of Morland..."

This was exactly what the Princess feared, the words that her father was about to utter were the very words she had been waiting for most of her life but he had never said them.

"Father?" The Princess whispered.

'I am sorry my daughter, but we have run out of time.'

The Princess heard her father's thoughts for the first time in her life, not because she had never tried, but because her boon never seemed to work on him before.

"...will ascend to the throne and become the first Queen of Quaria, and the first Queen of Morland!"

The nobles began to clap slowly, they seemed as stunned as the Princess, but as they processed this occurrence they understood what the King had truly done, and immediately the noble's cheers filled the throne room and the sounds could be heard even in the upper section of Quaria.

Princess Zeurial would no longer be marrying Prince Vedial.