2407 Iclis 7, Jyda

Canelis tightened the belt to her tunic, relishing the clink her sheathed sword made against her leg. It was always a comfort, knowing her trusty weapon was by her no matter what happened. Her reflection on the mirror stared back at her, familiar and, at the same time, not. She set her jaw in a passive scowl and urged her gaze away from her own face.

Instead, it landed on the opened tomes strewn around the mats covering the floor of her room. The hand-painted diagrams of succulents and other interesting plants all over Peltra waved at the ceiling. Orbs of captured light illuminated the expanse, showing Canelis enough of what she needed to perceive this morning. With a snap of her fingers, she recalled the conjured light back to her system, her veins flaring for a second before cooling down to match the cold wind flitting through the fortress. The natural sunlight streaming from the shutters she withdrew earlier filled its absence.

With a sigh, she crouched by the pile of tomes and picked up the first one. The leather-bound vault of knowledge gave a hearty thump as she clicked it shut with one hand. Slotting it above her lap, she did the same thing with the other tomes. By the time she picked up the last one, the pile on her lap reached her shoulders. Balancing them while remaining in her crouched position became hard. So, she straightened, bracing the stack at the bottom with her fingers.

The wooden table with interesting patterns of rings and lines creaked when she deposited the stack. Canelis ran a hand against the cover of the topmost tome, feeling the etches and grooves it contained. She might have to talk with its maker or the trader who handed this to her. Some of the contents required more explanations, especially in terms of their care and maintainance.

At the thought, her eyes flicked to the hidden door in her rooms where she stashed her indoor garden. It's not that much of a secret since maintenance people as well as the Riogener knew about it, but she had deluded herself to think that it was. It was a miracle, too, that the Riogener approved of it when she submitted the proposal for its construction. If she had to bet her versallis, it might be General Varkas' fault. The General, and also Canelis's combat instructor for so long, had expressed for the most part the importance of soldiers having other things to occupy their minds other than battle.

"The thoughts of fighting, violence, and war need not swallow a soldier's day in times of peace," General Varkas had said during one of their numerous sparring sessions. "Try to find something to take your mind off things. Paint. Sing. Play some music."

And now, six years later, Canelis had taken to raising succulents.

It wasn't even popular among the soldiers her age or in the ones beyond her. The entire species of thorny plants with bulbous and often water-filled bodies just had a different allure than say, running one's brush dipped with paint over a wall of thin parchment.

The sheets nailed on the stone walls bearing depictions of mountains, trees, rivers, and forest birds told her otherwise. Most of the pictures Canelis painted when she went and look for a hobby. Others bore words she had written when a particular day had, in the flower-children's language, sucked. Nevermind that, then. Painting was Canelis's hobby as much as it was cultivating ornamental plants.

A distinct thrum of a bell rang from the distance. Canelis rushed to her window and ducked her head outside. The hill spread out before her in a vast expanse, gently gliding over the mess of walls, watchtowers, trading squares, and bouts of fairies mingling in groups or moving through the crowd. A sense of calm flowed through her as she closed her eyes and breathed in the cold morning air. This was home. It was all she'd ever known.

Then, her eyes flew open upon remembering the meaning of the bell. The assembly! An important one, judging from the way the thrums consisted of four beats, making up a tone she had known to signal a fortress-wide gathering. They have important news.

Canelis looked down at herself, noting the beige socks covering her feet, the loose trousers she donned after she dunked herself in the bath, and the long-sleeved tunic she had crossed across her torso. That should do.

She dashed around the room, lunging for the twine she used to pin her long, dark hair into place. Once that was done, she made for the wooden, sliding door that would lead her into the corridor. Something thwanged and pain flashed on the tips of her toes. A teipe slithered away from view, earning a curse from her. She didn't kick a hole through its hull now, did she? Why did teipes even have hulls made of parchment anyway?

Still, she didn't have the luxury to think about that now. The door to her room slid open and thudded againt the frame as she leaped out, pumping her legs and throwing herself forward. It'd be like her morning runs before training, only this time, she had a bigger purpose and destination.

The corridors of the Royal villa whizzed by her in a mess of pillars, doors paned with parchment, and fairies dressed in a similar garb and set of weapons by their waists. Her footsteps thudded in her ears, her heartbeat pounding in her chest. If this was a fotress-wide assembly, there might be someone being promoted a rank or even three ranks higher.

It had always been a hidden joy for Canelis to see fellow soldiers who started from tje bottom as her rise through the ranks by their own accord. Perseverance. What a great trait to have, especially if one has to survive in Peltra.

Canelis cleared the Royal villa and came across the set of stairs leading down to the courtyard where the Royal assemblies were held. That's not where today's assembly would happen, though. They needed a larger space to accomodate everyone inside Yin-Alora. And by everyone, it really did mean everyone.

By the time the air had changed from an easy haze to a thick draft, the view of the bigger courtyard edged into her vision. Flanked by the thick, eastern wall lining the forests bordering Yin-Alora and the expansive trading square built to accomodate passing merchants on their way to Xai-Ren, the courtyard boasted a raised platform in the middle of the manicured floor. From Canelis's vantage point at the top of the sloping hill leading to it, she could already make out the shape of the Riogener, the Renagener, and the Generals of the Coucil. Oh, dear. She couldn't be late.

So, with newfound motivation, she sprinted down the hill, the bricks making up the eastern wall blurring in her periphery. The mass of pixies hurrying alongside her thickened with each leaping step she took, making the air harder to breathe in. When she reached the gates leading to the courtyard fifteen minutes later, the crowd was so thick she could barely see the raised platform even when she stood on her tip-toes. It was always a wonder how the Riogener was able to control crowds as large as this. Should these soldiers start an uprising, could they throw her entire family off the walls?

She shook her head and tamped down her silly fear. Insubordination alone could be punishable by death. How much more instigating a coup? Besides, one could simply challenge the Riogener in a duel and if they succeed in killing him, then they could take the title and have their family become royals. It's as simple as that. Having other people doing it with you sounded a lot like cheating. And pixies, being honorable creatures at heart, couldn't tolerate doing any kinds of it.

At least, that's how Canelis understood the nature of her people from what the scholarly tomes she had consumed as a child.

Despite the crowd, though, silence permeated throughout the expanse. Only the faint rustle of clothes, the scratches of soles against the floor upon shifting one's weight, and the distant braying of the dagrine being bred in the stables not far from here could be heard. Should one fairy cough, it would float above all the sound. What a way to draw attention to oneself.

A few more minutes passed in silence as more pixies flooded into the courtyard. The sun approached its peak, signalling it's almost lunch time. That's how long it took just to gather people. How long would it take to send them off?

Then, from the raised platform, a flash of light streaked towards the sky in a silent whizz. From the energy curling in and out of the pillar, Canelis assumed it was some kind of rysteme spell. What were the other components of it? She wasn't sure. Her tutors didn't pound her into the art of casting those certain kinds of spells.

As such, the light winked out of existence as quickly as it shone. Then, a booming voice belonging to none other than the Riogener rang throughout the gathered crowd. "You have my gratitude in coming here as soon as you can," he said in the deep, authoritative voice Canelis had known him to have. "All of you present today will have the pleasure of seeing the best soldiers who have caught our attention in terms of their incredible performance and service to Peltra. They will be awarded their new ranks before the whole assembly to solidify their commitment to serving our people, the Pixies."

Nobody cheered or clapped their hands. It was expected. Then, one of the Generals passed the Riogener a rolled sheet of parchment and he began rattling names before signifying their past position and the new rank they'd be accepting after this ceremony.

Canelis sucked in a breath, her fingers automatically reaching up and fiddling with the lieutenant pin stuck in her tunic. She had taken too long trying to get her commanding officers' attention during her trooper days and had only managed to climb up two steps after her initial drafting. It was average for a normal enlisted soldier but it was certainly not normal for a pixie belonging to the Royal household and bearing the Riogener's family name.

That's why Canelis was looking forward to today's assembly. She believed she'd done well with the recent assignment to her region. The stables had never been that clean since Umagi ascended to the heavens and blessed the land with her eternal light. Then again, was that the only reasons the Generals were promoting pixies now? Had they become that shallow?

Canelis wiped the sweat creeping from her hairline and running down the back of her neck. Umazure was peaceful during this time. There were no territorial disputes at the border, no external threats from the other continents. Certainly no threat of war from humans. They seemed to be happy in their little barren hole in Cardina doing gods-knew-what. She'd have to ask her tutors for their insight on that.

Her hand brushed the underside of her hair. It had fallen loose due to all the running she did. So, she undid the ties and started twisting her hair into a bun. That's when the Riogener's voice blared across the courtyard, saying, "Canelis Frachdal. Lieutenant. Crown General."

Canelis's fingers slipped from her hair, letting the straight locks tumble down past her shoulders in a hazy wave. They did what? Why? Crown General? Shouldn't she be moved up to Captain first or some other rank, say, Stablemaster?

Why in the world did the Riogener, her father, decided it was time for her to take up the mantle of the rank second only to the Renagener? Why wasn't she told of this beforehand?

What's going on?

Before she could appeal, however, the Riogener had closed his scroll and summoned his transparent wings. He didn't bother searching for Canelis in the crowd, but as she watched him take off to the skies followed by the Renagener and the Generals, she was certain of one thing: he's expecting her in his office tonight.

For whatever reason they had for promoting a lieutenant scrubbing the breeding stables to one of the highest ranks in Peltra, she'd be sure to find out before whatever moons that're going to be present tonight be replaced by the sun once more.