Chapter 17: First Glimpse of the Kaiyo

The next morning Bae was woken before the sun rose. Her Kitsune friend was livid to be woken so early and disappeared after glaring at Lei. Within the hour, the carriages were back on the road. The trees of Elivade forest were now far behind them, having been replaced by giant boulders that were protruding out of the sandy soil. Looking out the window of the carriage, Bae grimaced when all she could see for miles in each direction was the ugly reddish yellow ground. She was anxious to see the coast. She mumbled her complaint to Adelaide who simply said that she'd see it soon enough.

The carriage came to a stop.

"We've not arrived yet, surely," Adelaide was saying.

Bae barely heard her sister as she climbed out of the carriage. She instinctively knew why they had stopped. She could sense it, feel it. Magic was calling out to magic. She didn't need to see him to know he was there. A guard was waiting to help her from the carriage but her eyes were focused on someone she could see in the distance.

She was not the only one eager to join him, where he stood looking out over a cliff. The Kitsune had darted off towards him, leaving her to catch up. Bae hitched up her skirt and followed after the fox, ignoring the calls of her guards.

Upon reaching the spot where Prince Armel was waiting for her, Bae rested her hands on her knees as she tried to get her breath back.

"Hi," she said eventually.

"Hello Kumari," Armel replied as he picked up the fox that was currently twirling around his feet. Looking out towards Bae's fellow travellers, Armel dared to drop a kiss on the Kumari's cheek, causing her to blush softly as she glanced behind her, aware of the others watching them. She was pretty much guaranteed to receive another warning about not falling for him before the claiming from Adelaide. "I wanted to see your face when you first saw the ocean."

"The ocean?" Bae asked as she stroked the fox that he still held in his arms.

He moved so that he was no longer blocking her view of what was beyond the cliff's edge.

Bae gasped as she took in the sight before her. There in the distance was the bluest body of water Bae had ever seen. She almost laughed at herself for the thought. She had only ever seen one large body of water, the lake in which the castle was housed. But it was fair to say that that lake was nothing compared to the ocean Kaiyo.

"It's..." She couldn't quite find words to describe it.

Armel came up behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"You like it?"

"Like it?" Bae turned her head to look at him. "It's spectacular."

"I really hope you love my tribe land, Kumari."

She didn't respond except with a nod of her head. Armel spent the next twenty minutes pointing out where everything could be found. He told her where she would eventually see the Island of Seom and where his home was. She eagerly took it all in, anxious to see it for herself.

Their conversation died when Adelaide interrupted them.

"I'm sorry, Kumari but we're behind schedule and if we want to arrive by dusk we really must press on."

Bae nodded her head, giving the ocean one last regretful look.

"Will you travel with us?" Adelaide asked Armel haughtily.

"That really depends on whether our Queen wants me to."

"Of course," Bae told them. "You can tell me all about Canku."

"I could do that," Adelaide muttered.

"Yes, but you'll just tell me the boring things I have to know. I want to know everything."

Armel laughed good naturedly before escorting the Kumari back to the carriage. With Armel in the carriage with her, Bae enjoyed the last leg of their journey immensely. She was almost disappointed when they arrived. It wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to her visit to Canku. She simply didn't want to have to meet the other suitors. She wanted Armel but there was no guarantee that he was the one the magic would choose.

Climbing from the carriage, Bae was awestruck. The carriage had literally stopped right on the beach. Looking to the left and right all she saw was sand. In front of her was the ocean and behind her was a cliff. The Cankurian Ren had built their homes into the cliff face. The rows upon rows of cave homes were fascinating and Bae couldn't wait to explore within the caves.

The current Cankurian reigning prince, Prince Ojo, her mother's younger brother was there to greet her.

"Darling girl," he said as he pulled her into a bear hug. He wasn't a small man and his embrace was all encompassing. "It's so good to have you here, Kumari."

Her reign was only beginning but his was coming towards its end. In five years times he would relinquish his thrown to Bae's younger Cankurian brother and the Cankurian line would continue. In turn Bae's brother would hopefully if all went well hand over his role to Bae's own child.

"I'm excited to be here, Uncle."