2404 Rab 18, Jyda

Nelnifa paced in front of the Marshal office, her teeth crunching against her nails. Sweat beaded from the side of her face and it wasn't from the long walk she spent coming here. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, shivers rolling up and down her back and arms. She could do this. She could do this. It's just a talk with the Marshals. Nothing more.

"It's just a talk," Nelnifa whispered to herself aloud. It did nothing to calm her heart aiming to escape from her chest. She blew a heavy breath—one she had been holding back and failing. "It's just a talk."

It's also not like Marshal Laie was a stranger. She might have dropped by the house quite a few times in the past ten years. Nelnifa squealed in frustration, jabbing her wrists against her temples. Ten years? Seriously, Nelnifa was deluding herself at this point. She didn't know Marshal Laie. She didn't know anyone in the Marshal office to begin with.

Maybe that's what set her nerves on edge. Or maybe because of the fact she was here because of something she started without her being aware of it. Her stomach turned from just thinking about it. Of course, she hasn't gotten any sleep since the night before. Her schedule's all messed up too.

Earlier this morning, she caught her father on his way to work and insisted she go with him to the manor. She could never forget the worried expression that contorted her father's face when she told him she would do everything she could to fix her mess.

Then, her father pointed her to the Marshal office in the manor's third floor while he went off to do other, more pressing things. That left Nelnifa on her own.

She stared after the direction her father had gone. Her teeth sank on her lower lip. No, don't go after him and ask him to introduce her to the Marshals. She already made him deal with the crowd the other day. It wasn't her place to burden him with more just because she's too weak to do things on her own.

For once, Nelnifa was tired of being helpless.

So, she took a deep breath, doing nothing to soothe her frantic heart, and rapped her knuckles against the glass-paned sliding door separating her and the Marshals. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, a garbled "Come in." rang through the glass.

Nelnifa gulped, her throat bobbing with the motion. It was somehow painful to swallow the bile rising from her gut. With shaking fingers, she gripped the small, etched ridge at the side of the door and pulled. A whiff of cold air washed over her as the door slid back to reveal the bright room beyond it. She had to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun shining from unveiled windows carved straight through the wall.

"Princess?" a feminine voice bled into Nelnifa's ears. Furniture legs gritted against the wooden floor, armor clinked, and clothes rustled towards her. "It's too early for your reports. We're not expecting anything until next week."

Nelnifa lowered her hand from her face as soon as her eyes had blinked enough times to adjust to the room's ambience. "N-no," she cleared her throat to get rid of the growing lump in it. Then, she did it again before saying, "I came here for something else."

Her voice sounded docile and not stern in her ears. It's a miracle she was getting people to listen to her. Not only was it gentle, it lacked the deepness in it to make it sound like it had some authority.

Marshal Laie stood in front of Nelnifa with her arms held in caution as if Nelnifa was a cornered animal. It wasn't a detail that would get past Nelnifa, at least. "Then what did you come here for?"

Nelnifa eyed the room instead of having to look at the Marshal in the face or in the eyes. Cubical and wide enough to not suffocate her. It was clearly better than the shack she had grown up in, with its patched walls made up of dried leaves stitched together and strung against salvia poles buried quarter deep into the soil. Tables and lounge chairs were scattered around the room, each one occupied by either clutter of parchment work or a Marshal who was asleep or occupied with something.

A particular table caught her eye as soon as she saw the familiar cards scattered on top of it. Maybe that's where Marshal Laie was and Nelnifa had disturbed their game. Judging from the impatient faces of two male Marshals she didn't even know the name of, she's probably right.

"You should finish your game first," Nelnifa jerked her chin at the table and at the two Marshals whose faces suddenly schooled themselves into passive stares. "I'll wait."

Marshal Laie snorted and shook her head, her cropped, light green hair barely moving along with the motion. Nelnifa spied a long braid reaching the Marshal's waist swaying behind her. That's...an interesting hairstyle, certainly.

"Who are we to make the princess wait?" the Marshal said. "What is it that you've come to say? Do you need our help?"

Yes. How easy was it to say that single word? Instead, Nelnifa turned back to the discarded game and raised an eyebrow at the Marshal. "What's your hand?" she said.

Marshal Laie blinked. "Sorry?" she blurted. When she realized what Nelnifa was talking about, she flinched and snapped to attention. "Oh, my hand."

With a set of strides, the Marshal sauntered to her place in the table and swiped her hand over the three cards lying face-down on her home-court. Then, she narrowed her eyes on the other players. "You didn't sneak a look now, did you?"

The other Marshals shook their heads almost simultaneously. "No, ma'am," they said as one.

Marshal Laie bobbed her head and pressed her cards to her chest as she drew away from the table and back to where Nelnifa stood. With careful grace, she peeled the cards away from her breastplate to give Nelnifa a look of her hand. Nelnifa raised an eyebrow. Two Priestesses from the Houses of Sun and Crozal? That's a strong hand.

"How many chimes did you already do?" Nelnifa tapped her chin, her mind already whirring with the possible moves the Marshal could do to get the highest hand possible.

Marshal Laie knitted her eyebrows. "About four?"

Four? That meant at least twelve cards had been discarded from the deck, just from Laie. How about the others?

"History?" Nelnifa asked.

"What are you getting on with this, Princess?" Marshal Laie said. "It's really alright for you to bother us. We can start anew after we hear you out."

Nelnifa dared to let a smile peek from her lips. "It's fine, Marshal," she said. "I quite enjoy a little downtime."

Marshal relented with a sigh. "Urden chimed twice and Roasan thrice," she said. Nelnifa raised her eyebrows. And yet Laie chimed four times? It's either she didn't know how this game worked or she was hoping for stronger houses because she's uncertain about the houses the others were holding.

Nelnifa studied Urden and Roasan. Marshal Urden scratched the side of his boots underneath the table, his leg propped against one knee. Impatient. He was impatient to be done with this game. Marshal Roasan, with his eyes trained on the set of discarded cards, wasn't moving. His lips moved along with the whispers he kept to himself. Strategizing, more like. It's most likely he was seeing what Laie would do for him to predict her hand. By the looks of it, he already figured out Marshal Urden's.

So...Laie was throwing Roasan off her trail? It's a good feint in a game such as poserne. Nelnifa strode towards the table and Marshal Laie followed promptly, settling back to her seat. She pointed to the discarded pile where a Jeweler from the House of Samiri was visible. So that card's been played as well, huh? Whoever thought it was a waste was clearly an idiot.

"Whose turn was it?" Nelnifa asked, for once, her tongue working to her favor.

Marshal Urden jerked his chin towards Laie. Nelnifa nudged the woman with her hip as she laid her arm flat against the backrest of the Marshal's chair. "Draw a card," she said. Laie looked at her like she had gone crazy but followed. "Next turn, chime."

The round came and went. When it was Laie's turn, the marshal laid her cards facedown on the table. "Chime," she said. The other two Marshals laid theirs too. Then, they each took a card from the leftmost side and passed it to the next player to the right. Laie's new hand was revealed not too long later.

"Next turn," Nelnifa said to the Marshal. "Shoot."

When it did come, Marshal Laie did shoot. As customary, the other two players laid their hands on the table, for all to see. A strangled gasp of shock rang from Marshal Laie as she threw hers on top of them. High Queen from House of Crozal, Priestess from the House of Crozal, and finally, Jeweler from the House of Crozal. A current of Houses. Nelnifa smiled as Marshal Laie screamed in victory, throwing her arms up.

"Yeeeeees!" the Marshal got into her opponents' faces. "Eat that, filter feeders!"

Nelnifa winced. It wasn't a good idea to use Umtir's creatures for insults but perhaps the god would let it go just this once.

Then, the Marshal whirled to Nelnifa. "How did you predict Roasan had the High Queen from Crozal?"

Nelnifa winked. Thankfully, the game had reduced her heartbeat into a light droll in her ears. "A gambler does not reveal her secrets," she said. "What's the loot?"

Marshal Laie shrugged, her shoulder pads clinking against the straps of her breastplate. "Nothing much, really," she said. "These two owe me lunch."

"Free lunch is the best," Nelnifa chuckled.

Then, Marshal Laie's amusement faded from her face and her expression turned serious. "But you didn't come here to play poserne with us, right?"

Nelnifa could feel her ease dry up like a well during summer. "R-right," she said. "Can we talk with the rest of the Marshals? If that's possible, that is."

Marshal Laie nodded. "Sit on the meeting table," she said. "I'll gather everyone."

Nelnifa followed the Marshal to a long table in the middle of the room with at least thirteen seats in it. On the center lay the crest of the Corledia family carved into the wood. It brought an unpleasant knot in Nelnifa's stomach. Soon, footsteps increased in quantity as well as the chatter as more and more armored people flooded into the room. All of them Marshals and in charge of at least a unit of the Spritean Guard for Desara. It wasn't nearly enough but Nelnifa didn't have any other options.

She cleared her throat to get the twelve's attention when they've all settled on their seats. It didn't help her nerves when she realized Marshal Laie had sat her at the head of the table. Oh, dear. With a dozen pairs of eyes trained on her, waiting for her to say something, Nelnifa had just dug her grave right then and there.

"So, um," she said, cupping her hand to her mouth and coughing once more. "I, uh...have come up with a problem regarding our people."

"What do you mean, 'our people'?" a Marshal with gray spectacles sliding down her nose said. "Could you elaborate so we would know if this issue is in our jurisdiction."

Nelnifa flinched. Her head was light, already filled with air. "I-I, yes," she bobbed her head, her purple hair sliding forward and covering her chest. It took a lot in her to prevent her hand from playing with the ends of her locks. "Th-the concern is the water sprites. I guess it falls under your jurisdiction."

She cleared her throat a third time, pressing a hand against it to dislodge the tightness growing in it. "I have come up with an issue," she said again. "Because they're now planning a protest in Lanteglos."

Silence. Had...had she not said it clearly enough? "I-I mean, the water sprites are now mounting a protest in—"

"We heard you the first time, Princess," Marshal Ilphas said, raising his hand as if to silence her. "Do you know what gave them the final push? We've been monitoring freedom groups for a long time now. Their activity increased in recent days so I wonder what gave them the last straw?"

"I-it's me," Nelnifa blurted. The silence that followed was the most oppressing one she had to live under. "I spoke out of turn and now I'm reaping the consequences."

She heaved a sigh. "I need the Marshals' help in keeping the water sprites inside the borders," she said. "They can't march to Lanteglos. They'd be caught, imprisoned, or worse, killed on sight. We must tackle this wisely and not...rush into it."

"I'd still rather see Desara free from Lantegian control," Marshal Laie said from the other end of the table. Nelnifa knitted her eyebrows, the fear of Laie swaying the entire assembly to her sentiment no doubt showing in her face. Marshal Laie mussed the cropped strands atop her head. "But we'll follow your order and patrol the borders. We don't want to induce a massacre against our people."

Nelnifa bowed. "Thank you."

"How long are we to do this?" Marshal Urden said.

Nelnifa opened her mouth but her mind had already emptied. "For as long as necessary?"

"That wouldn't do, Princess," Marshal Ilphas said again. His slicked-back beige hair was beginning to irk as much as terrify Nelnifa. "We need to have a solid timeline or else we risk the people getting listless and start rebelling against our control too."

Nelnifa's fingers started twiddling each other. "I-I will look into it. Um...I'll get back t-to you in two weeks," she said. Her foot started tapping against the wooden floor. "I hope that's not too long of a wait. I'm...working on it."

Before anyone could stop her or even process what she said, she pushed her chair away from the table in a jarring screech and fled. Her eyes blurred and refocused; her breathing ragged. Nothing was on her mind other than the fact that she had to think of something to pacify the Marshals and the water sprites.

How was she supposed to stop a race with pent-up anger, people who have had enough? They've found hope for the first time and Nelnifa was about to squash it. But it was necessary. She didn't want her people charging into chaos because of her. It was too much to bear on her conscience.

She exhaled through her nose, closing her eyes to calm her shaking knees. At least the talk went well...or not. She should have been more articulate and not...what she did inside the office. Whatever that disgrace was called. She inhaled and exhaled once more. Focus on good thoughts. One. Two. Her father's smiling face. Her brothers. Playing poserne with the Marshals.

Poserne...

Nelnifa's eyes snapped open. That's it. Have a good feint to drive attention away from one's hand or at least confuse the enemy. A plan slowly formed in her mind as she strode out of the manor and down the mountain, her footsteps and the scenery barely registering. She didn't even know someone was calling her name and that she was standing in front of her house until the final piece clicked into place.

"So, that's it," Nelnifa breathed.

"What's 'it'?" Ketha's voice bled into Nelnifa's ears. She whirled to find her pink-haired friend waving a basket of cloresh in front of her face. What was she doing in Zoriago? Shouldn't she be out in Orayta, weaving her days away? "Why do you look like a cata-cata snapped off your toe?"

Nelnifa winced as the image popped into her mind. It's not fun. "What's wrong with you?" she pushed past Ketha and was about to enter the house when she whirled back to her friend. "What are you doing here?"

Ketha knitted her eyebrows. For once, her expression didn't involve a smile or a guffaw. "What, I can't visit my friend?" she challenged. "I came to see how you're doing after I heard of the protest in front of your house. I figured you'd be so surprised by what happened."

A breathy laugh tore from Nelnifa's lips. "Oh, you bet I was surprised," she huffed and crossed her arms. "I am not in the best mood today since I've got a coup to dismantle. Thanks for the cloresh."

Then, she snorted. "I don't even know how it spread like an oil spill when it's only you, Alsen, and Yensar who heard it," she narrowed her eyes on her friend. "What did you do, Ketha?"

Ketha's eyes widened. "I can't believe you," she shoved her fingers into her hair and mussed it violently. "Okay, fine. It's my fault. I told a friend from the neighboring circle and they told their friend. So what? It's true, isn't it? We shouldn't be under the Imperial palace's ass. We can fripping stand on our own, for Shirope's sake!"

"That's not my point, Ketha," Nelnifa massaged the bridge of her nose. "My point is, I have to now clean up this mess and stop the movements because it's not right. We shouldn't subject ourselves to possible violence. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Ketha scoffed. "So you're determined to destroy everything our people worked for?" she said. "These people have been wanting to see everyone be free. What kind of a traitor are you to rob them of that chance? Shouldn't you, as the Potentate's family, be the head of this? Wouldn't you want the best for your people? For us?"

"I don't want anyone to die," Nelnifa said. "And this whole thing will most likely result in people doing exactly just that. Please, we shouldn't go against Lanteglos and the High Queen."

It was the first time Nelnifa saw Ketha's red pupils darken. They looked almost sinister without their brightness. "Change wouldn't happen without someone dying," Ketha said. "Keep that in mind, Nel. And you'd have to choose between your people and your precious honor very, very soon. Which will it be, Princess?"

Nelnifa's heels slammed against the door shut behind her. "I..."

Ketha's eyes bore into every fiber of her soul. Nelnifa wanted none of it. With her hands shaking, she twisted the knob to the door of her house and swung it open. She threw herself inside, not bothering to even glance at Ketha from her periphery in fear of the judgment she would meet in her friend's stance.

The door shut all the outside light with a loud click. Nelnifa slid down against it and tucked her legs to her chest. Pathetic. If Nelnifa had worded her thoughts with care, she wouldn't have to fight with Ketha. Not like this. She didn't envision her life to be like this.

Never in a million lifetimes did she think she would be the cause for everything in her life to fall apart. And it didn't feel good to only find out about it now.