The Night of Judgement

[Titania]

Keeping as silent as possible, a figure flitted from shadow to shadow, pressing up against the wall. Almost knocking over an expensive vase, a shadowy claw reached out, grabbed the vase split seconds before it hit the ground, and placed it back.

"That was close..." a soft, female voice whispered as the door she wanted to arrive at got closer and closer. Finally, the shadows surrounding Titania dissapated and there she stood before the locked door to Prince Eros' room. Examining the lock that held the door shut, Titania was about to mutter a spell to open it when she thought of something better. Taking a step back, the necromancer held her staff with both hands, taking a deep breath.

"Phasma obscurum, tribuo mihi vestri vox," the young girl whispered in the ancient necromancer language. Suddenly, a dark shape engulfed her, and she turned invisible. Slowly walking forward, Titania gulped before passing through the door. As soon as she was on the other side, she allowed the shadow to drop and there she was on the other side. Breathing heavily, Titania laughed weakly. "That was the first time I ever tried that..."

[Prince Eros]

Eros jumped from his bed as soon as Titania entered. It had certainly startled him the way Titania had chosen to enter, but that was quickly washed away with a smile as he remembered just what she was here for. We're leaving! About three nights ago, Eros had told Titania he was leaving and had asked her to come with him. As a higher ranking official of Osirus' army, Eros was impressed that Titania could've actually escaped battle in order to come with him. But when Eros' father focused on something he wanted, all else around him became invisible. The war he was about to wage on Amblethorn was all that consumed him. No one was more important than his mission right now. But, this also meant security at the castle was lax and Eros could pretty much get away with walking right in the hallways. All he had to worry about was his mother and Princess Naahra. But they had seemed absent to his presence ever since the night King Osirus had slaughtered so many merchants right in his own dining hall.

"Titania! We're actually going to leave!" He said. For a moment, he whirled around and grabbed two very large white fur coats. Why he had these things tucked away in his room was a mystery enough, but who he stole them from was another mystery. He held the overly large coats out in front of him.

"We'll need these going into the mountains! And the cooks below said they would provide me with provisions...whatever those are. I think they're food...I hope so...because I didn't get a chance to steal any of that..." Eros muttered. He then dropped the coats and looked at Titania again. Even though he had just met Titania a fortnight ago, he was excited to see her again. In all of his long years of confinement, never had he befriended someone closer to his age. It was the first time in his life he felt freed of the shackles his mother and father placed on him. He was excited, but also scared of what this trip would entail.

[Titania]

Titania smiled softly, like a mother would to a child who was excited over getting a new toy. "That's right, Eros..." the necromancer said softly, walking toward the prince. "We're going to be leaving, on a journey that will bring us to the highest and deepest points in Alyssus..." The young necromancer leaned forward, hugging her friend. "It will be an amazing journey..." Seeing the huge fur coats, she was about to question Eros on where he got them, but wasn't going to bother. "As for provisions, I have sent Oberon down to get them, as well as to fetch some magic tomes for me... After all, you realize I do not need to eat like other humans..."

The young necromancer's eyes gazed out of the window to the night sky. "So... your father is fighting in the deserts... Let's just hope that we aren't too late..." As she spoke, she reached out with a gaunt hand and began toying with Eros' braid, stroking it like she would Ralphina or Ranulf. "Let's hope that we arrive while there is still hope for those we wish to live..."

[Prince Eros]

As Titania reached forward and caressed his braid, Eros felt an odd sensation in his face had not felt before. A bright red blush lit up his face as he looked at her with a wary look. He had not experienced such a feeling before, but it was not completely foreign to him. After all, his mother loved to play with the braid. But something about Titania fiddling with it made his heart race faster and a tight squeezing sensation fill his stomach. After a moment, he took her hand and held it in his.

"There will always be hope if he believe in our friends, right? We should leave before Mother or Naahra comes!" Eros said as he dropped her hand and ran to his over sized bed, leaping onto it only to dive into a small crevasse between his bed and a small table right next it. He reached for something with great difficulty, then sat up, holding a small bag in his hand. Slipping it into a small pocket on the inside of the long white cape his mother's maidens had dressed him in, he clambered off the bed and came back to Titania.

"Titania, are you ready? I can guide the way out...Oh! I almost forgot something!" Racing to the other end of his room where a small dresser covered in dust hid away in a corner, he pushed the dresser aside and grabbed the worn hilt of a sword. Smiling, he held up the hilt and drew the heavy blade carefully, barely able to hold up the heavy sword.

"See this? This was General Laties' sword! He gave it to me before he left. He taught me how to use it so I'll be able to fight enemies for you!" He said as he sheathed the sword, taking the strap hanging off the sword and wrapped it around his shoulders so the sword was secure against his back. Smiling bravely, Eros nodded.

"Let's go!" Without waiting for another word from Titania, he walked to a corner just adjacent to the door. Tapping the stones several times with his knuckles, he found a hollow spot and pushed. Several stones moved away to reveal a hole, much like a door. He glanced back at Titania and smirked before he ducked into the crawl space.

[Titania]

Titania nodded when in a flash of black sparks, Oberon appeared, a stack of about five books in one paw, and a pair of overstuffed haversacks in the other. "I got the books and provisions you wanted, Lady Titania," the beast spoke, cerulean eyes blinking.

"Excellent. Thank you, Oberon," the necromancer said softly. "Keep hold of them for me..." The great beast nodded and disappeared in a shower of sparks. Seeing her beloved Oberon disappear, Titania noticed Eros had disappeared into what seemed like a secret passageway... "I hope I can fit..." the blue-haired female whispered, getting down on her hands and knees and crawling in. Besides the occasional mouse or spiderweb that brushed past her, it wasn't THAT terribly bad...

"So...Eros..." the necromancer whispered, trying to keep her voice down just in case they could be heard...wherever they were... "Where exactly are we going? Outside?"

There was a long pause, and then the necromancer realized something else. If they tried walking through Du Aurella, someone might notice them!

"And...another question..." she spoke again, this time a tad louder. "Have you ever flown on the back of a dragon?"

Was she crazy?! Asking the prince of Alyssus to ride on the back of a reckless dragon?! Well, that was Titania for you. Anything to keep the prince from harm.

[Prince Eros]

"Outside! Yup, yup! This will lead us to a laundry chute. From there, we can escape through the kitchens. The cooks won't mind us," Eros said, his voice light and unrestrained, as if he were just playing a game. He scuffled on ahead of her on his hands and knees.
The crawl space must've been used many times before, for someone had created small holes where there was wood. From those holes, a few strands of light were allowed into the otherwise pitch black crevasse behind the wall. And even though Eros tried not to scuffle too much, the heavy stench of dust was being kicked up behind him. It was then Titania had asked him about traveling on a dragon. Eros chuckled with delight.

"No, never! Are we going to fly on a dragon, Titania?" Eros crawled, the sword scraping the top of the crawl space and the fur coats dragging under Eros. Had he half a brain, he might have chosen to bundle the coats up for easier transport. But he did not. Instead, they crawled a few more feet before the stench of oil and meat could be smelled. An arch of light was ahead, although all Titania could see was the outline of Eros' body against the light. Eros looked directly below him, spotting the collection bin used for the wash. Unfortunately, it was empty. But Eros merely chuckled and tossed the coats into the bin first.

"Alright, I'll go first," Eros said; as if Titania could have gone. Eros placed himself on his stomach, then leaned over the hole and in an instant, Eros was gone. A heavy thump told Titania Eros had landed in the bin, on top of the coats. Looking up the shoot at Titania's illuminated face, he smiled and beckoned her down.

[Titania]

Seeing Eros disappear down the chute, Titania scrambled to the end, staring down at the smiling face that looked up at her. "Alright, here I--" she had leaned forward too quickly and slid down, letting out a distressed cry. Down she fell, landing on top of Eros. Realizing she hadn't landed on the coats, but on the prince instead, a bright blush appeared on the necromancer's face, and she immediately scrambled out of the bin, brushing herself off. "I'm so sorry, Eros!" the necromancer cried, then realized something. Her glasses had fallen off in the fall.

"Oh dear..." Titania whispered, beginning to fumble through the fur coats, trying to grab hold of her glasses. "Dammit... this isn't good... I can't see without them! Eros..." the necromancer raised her eyes to see what she thought was the prince; everything was so blurry in her eyes, she was unknowingly staring at one of the coats in the bin. "Could you help me find my glasses?"

[Prince Eros]

Eros chuckled lightly as he reached above him, still on his back in the coats. He touched Titania's shoulder lightly as he handed her the glasses.

"You know you look really pretty without glasses, right? Or did I already say that?" Eros asked as he got to his feet. After getting her glasses on, Eros helped Titania to her feet.

"Why, Eros! There you are! I was worried about you!" The burly voice came from a huge woman standing in the middle of the kitchen. The castle's kitchen was huge. Made of stone and mortar, the castle's kitchen was quite cold, which came to be part of an advantage when food needed to be chilled. In the middle of the huge kitchen were three tables lined up together supported many platters of foods and heavy dishes laden with mini feasts. On the wall closest to the chute were shelves filled with salted meats and paper wrapped goods. Heavy tin buckets were filled with what could have been either cream or cheese, since the heavy smell was the same. At the far end the kitchen, opposite of the chute were three clay ovens, all burning brightly with a cooking fire. Two cauldrons bubbled heavily with soups that smelled distinctly like fish.

The huge woman looked more like a balloon than a woman. Her huge round belly bounced up and down with each word, her round face bright red with a flush. Her brown hair was tightly done up atop her head. She had a distinct gentle face with small blue eyes that gave Eros a questioning, but expectant look. Her dirty apron barely fit around her midsection, creating rolls on her sides. Her large arms resembled those of a man who chopped wood everyday for his life. The humble brown dress came to her shins, her feet covered in small black slippers. Around here were smaller, thinner girls, but all resembling her.

Eros smiled and ran to her, hugging the large woman.
"Bella!" He smiled as she patted his head affectionately. She looked at him for a moment and shook her head, making a sharp noise with her tongue.
"Tsk tsk. Your mother ain't know'n that boys need a good amount 'o food to grow...the evil thang. Just cuz she and her prized daughter are bean poles doesn't mean she can torture her son too..." Bella shook her head. It was then she noticed Titania. Bella raised a brow at her.

"Hmph...one of Osirus' soldiers? You be'er not tell him what I said about the queen or I'll box yer ears, you hear me?" Eros looked up at Bella for a moment and walked back to Titania.

"No, Bella! She's the friend I told you about! This Titania!" Eros chimed. Bella scanned Titania up and down for a moment.

"Hmm...you're a skinny little thang, aren't you?"

[Titania]

"Skinny?" Titania asked, placing one hand on her chest. She could distinctly feel each and every rib, being able to run her fingers down them, almost like a washboard. "Oh...that's because I do not have to eat food like most humans... I'm a necromancer, you see, so I get my nourishment from magic..." Laughing, she shrugged. "But the bread and butter is extremely good... I do like to eat that on occasion..." Smiling sheepishly, the necromancer adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and shrugged. "There are those who get their nourishment from food and drink, and there are those who do not... It's not that I say that the food is not good, on the contrary, actually..." Turning her head to stare at the kitchens, she released a heavy breath. "I've never been down here before... It's so... It's bigger than I thought..." Laughing softly, the young girl shrugged. "But, I believe I'm starting to ramble now... Apologies..."

"Oh and...Bella, is it?" the young girl asked. "If you could...go up to my room every so often and...feed my two kitties, Ralphina and Ranulf, I'd appreciate it... They're going to be lonely while I'm gone, so..."

[Prince Eros]

Bella looked at Titania for a moment, then snorted and waved her hand dismissively at the girl.
"Yeah, hun, I'll pertend I unda' stood that one. Listen, I may not unda stand that whole gibber jabber about eat'n from magic 'n stuff, but I could out cook anyone in the entire land of Alyssus! Milly, you heard the girl about her cats. You'll do that. Anyway, Eros, I've got a few things you can bring with ya!" Turning, the large woman took a large heavy sack from the table and held it up. She examined Eros for a moment, then the sack, then Eros, and finally the sack again. Her cheery face fell for a moment.

"Bloody hell...Its far too big for ya ta carry..." She grumbled, placing it on the table again. Eros glanced at Titania and gave her a small smile, a hand covering his mouth as he leaned over to whisper to Titania.

"She probably packed way too much food..." Eros whispered. As it was, Bella pulled out at least ten loaves of bread, eight wheels of cheese, and an unumbered amount of smaller packages wrapped in paper. The smell coming from some of them told Titania it was fish and other meats wrapped in salt and oil to preserve them. After a moment of fussing with the bag, Bella turned around and sized the slightly lighter bag against Eros. After a brief examination, Bella smirked and handed Eros the bag.

"It may be heavy, but you'll need all of that as a growing boy and a...magic...eat'n girl..." Bella chuckled lightly and turned back to the table once more as she handed Eros another, smaller cloth satchel.

"It has some hot meat pies for tonight. Now, both of you listen carefully..." Bella pulled Titania and Eros close to her, nearly suffocating both with her large bosom. She looked down at them with a serious look. Holding up one pudgy finger, she raised an eyebrow.

"If ya find yerself in a bind, don't hesitate ta head into dat der desert where the Order'll be. They'll take care of ya. I got a nincompoop of a nephew work'n in the Order. His name is Adrian, or Dulcimer, or some sort of thang. He'll take right good care of ya. Now...we need you to get on yer way. I've summoned up a milk man who'll drive you to the edges of the town all under cover like. Now, let's get you going..." Bella said. Eros paused for a moment, however. A sad look crossed his face as Bella opened a kitchen door leading to the outside as a tall, wiry tired looking man knocked. The smell that came from him told you he was indeed the milk man. However, Eros stayed in place. After grabbing the food satchel from Eros and handing it to the milk man, Bella turned to where Eros still stood.

"Why...whats wrong, Eros?" Bella asked. She walked up to Eros, her large form swaying from side to side. Eros slowly looked up at her, his face stricken sadness.

"Bella...will I ever see you again?" Eros asked. Bella looked at him for a moment, then pulled him into a tight hug, caressing his hair. In an instant, Bella turned from a burly cook with a rough look to a calm, mother-like figure. She held Eros for a moment, laying her head against his.

"Of course we will, hun. You're a sweet good boy. What yer plann'n to do will not only rescue yer sister and Laties, but yer taking the first step to a greater future...You will one day become the type of King Alyssus will need. You will become a gentle King, a King who will appreciate his people. But in order for dis vision to come true...you need ta escape from this horrible castle....Of course we'll see each other again, love." Bella kissed the top of the Prince's head, then held him out at arm's length.

"Now, chin up boy! Its time you become a man! You gotta pertect dis girl here, right?" Eros glanced at Titania for a moment, then smiled and nodded, looking back at Bella.

"Your right!" Bella smiled proudly and patted Eros' cheek, then gave him a gentle shove towards the milk man. The man took Eros outside to the milk wagon and helped him in. Bella turned to Titania, looking at her with a serious look.

"You've got the most important cargo to take care of...if he's to grow up and become a righteous King, you gotta take care of him. Promise me you'll do this?" Bella asked. She then beckoned Titania to follow the wary milkman.

"C'mon! We must hurry!"

[Titania]

Titania listened to everything Bella told them, nodding occasionally. When the large woman pulled her in for a hug, the necromancer sincerely thought that she would be crushed to powder in the woman's grip. As she was released, she was told to keep Eros safe. "You have no idea, Bella... I'll protect Eros unconditionally, even if it means I'm giving my own life to save his..." Smiling, the necromancer ran outside to where the milk man was waiting. As she was on the run, she had summoned up a dragon to pick her up and place her in the wagon. As soon as her feet touched the floor of the milk wagon, the dragon disappeared. "Eros..." Titania whispered, sitting down beside the prince and draping one side of her cloak over him. "This is amazing, isn't it? A real adventure..." The necromancer smiled, staring up at the sky, immediately locating numerous ancient constellations. The three that stuck out in the sky to her, though, were Love, depicted by a pair of humans dancing, Darkness, a young, beautiful woman with a staff with a raven perched on the top, and Light, an old man with a flowing beard with a chalice of fire in one hand and a lion with a mane as radiant as the sun at his side.

/Love, Light, and Darkness.../ Titania thought, immediately troubled by them. /Light could mean Eros, or it could mean the Order of Lumen, or Lumen herself... Darkness could be me, or Osirus, or Nocens Atrum... And love.../ Unknowingly, a blush formed on the necromancer's cheeks. /I'm not so sure about that one just yet, but.../

[Prince Eros]

Eros smiled as Titania threw the blanket over them. They were snuggly placed at the end of the wagon, huge ceramic mugs tinkling heavily next to them. They could hear as the milk man boarded his wagon, the horse up front neighing loudly.
"Hi'up!" There was a slight jerk and then the wagon began to pull away from the kitchen, the wheels running over the stone roads inside the castle walls. Eros watched as Bella and a few of her hand maids wave them good bye. He let out a small sigh as he watched the kitchen workers grow smaller and smaller as the pulled away from the castle.

"I'm really going to miss them..." Eros whispered to Titania. He looked at her for a moment, then wrapped his arms around his knees as the wagon swayed and lurched back and forth.

It didn't take long for the wagon to reach the castle gates leading out to the city. As they approached the main gate, they could hear the voices of several guards. The crackling of their torches could be heard along with something that was out of place. As the wagon came to a halt in front of the huge iron gates, Eros peered out from under the blanket at the guards who stood watch. There was a small fire burning next to a large wooden table where more than four men sat. There were two pitchers on the table of what had to be beer, mead, or wine, for the men's faces were all red with merry. With the King gone and all of his main officers, the guards felt safe enough to drink and relax. They were playing dice and gambling, laughing loudly and telling jokes. It was an odd sight indeed, for Osirus never allowed such things to be done under his watch.

"Hey there Ronnie! Delivering milk, eh?"
"Th-that's right Dauld. Say, you think you should be drinking? After all, the Queen Marcelle is still here, ain't she?"
"Pft! Who cares about that old hag?"
"Hey, hey there Dauld, you better not speak ill will of the Queen! I hear she's got the ears of a demon and the eyes of the devil! She'll hear you if you don't keep your big mouth shut!"
"Shaddup, Franz! Anyway, Ronnie, we still got a duty to do, you know? I gotta check that wagon..."
"U-uh...o-of course Dauld..." There was a brief moment of silence between Dauld and the milkman Ronnie.
"Say Ronnie...what'cha so uptight about?"
"U-uh...n-nothing at all! I just...y-you know...wanna get going so I can get home to Mary."
"Say, how is the old girl?"
"F-fine, thank you."
"Good, good."
Heavy footsteps neared the wagon and Eros grew tense. They could hear the guardsman shifting through the bottles as he got closer and closer to Eros and Titania. Titania could practically feel Eros' heart beating out of his chest as he drew tighter to her, trying not to make a sound. Suddenly, Eros' ankle shifted loudly, his white boots sure to get them caught.

"Say...what's going on here?" They could hear Ronnie shift in his seat in alarm. Dauld came within a breadth's hair of Titania and Eros, reaching close to Eros' foot. Suddenly, a sharp squeak was heard and Dauld pulled back.
"Hey Ronnie, you better be careful. These mice can sure cause a right mess in your barn. Its a good thing I caught it," Dauld said as he walked back to the gate. Eros let out a breath of relief. Ronnie sat back in his seat and breathed a heavy breath as well.
"Well, let's open these gates!" Dauld hollered. The loud creaking of the gates being opened could be heard and soon, the wagon was in motion again. Ronnie waved to the guards as they passed, the gate being swung back into place after the wagon cleared it. After a couple of minutes, Eros relaxed and glanced at Titania.

"That was close..." He muttered.

It only took Ronnie a few more minutes to find a secluded street just past Du Aurella's entrance into the city.
"Whoa girl..." The wagon came to a shaky stop and they could hear Ronnie stand up in the wagon, looking to see if anyone was around.

"Its clear."

[Titania]

((Like you may have heard, I was sick witht the flu, and still am, so I'm managing to drag myself out of bed to write this. So sorry if it's not very good...))

"Excellent!" Titania said softly, throwing the blanket off of herself and Eros. Standing up, she allowed a soft night breeze to ruffle through her cerulean hair. "It's so quiet..." she whispered. With a flick of one hand, her staff appeared in the other, and, slightly angling it toward the left side of the cart, a shower of black sparks formed and left a large creature. "Come, Eros... We can ride on this..."

The creature, called a Qilin to necromancers, was a small demon used much like horses are to humans, for riding on, either for travel, battle, or leisure. They were slightly larger than a horse with the same stature, but had the build and look of a dragon, minus the wings. Instead of having a pair of horns, however, a Qilin has one horn that resembles a deer's antler with all the points sawed off. A long, deep red mane flowed from between its eyes all the way down its neck, resembling a river of blood. It had cloven hooves, much like a deer, and a long tail that much resembled a lion's. A strange combination, yes, but a Qilin was actually one of the fastest creatures ever known to necromancers.

Titania leaped out of the cart, coming to stand beside the beautiful, majestic creature. The Qilin, upon seeing his creator approach him, laid down, now eye-level with the necromancer.

"Lady Titania..." a soft, delicate, almost feminine voice spoke, though the Qilin's mouth did not move. "I, your humble servant, Xiang, come to you and offer myself to you wholly."

Titania smiled and patted the side of Xiang's face. "Thank you, my dear Xiang..." Turning, the girl came to face the prince. "So, your majesty..." she whispered, a soft, shy smile on her lips. "Shall we?"

[Prince Eros]

While the milkman gazed at the Qilin in absolute fear, Eros seemed fascinated with the creature as he leaped from the wagon, immediately coming up to Titania as he stared at the beast. Eros smiled brightly as he admired it.
"Wow...I've never seen anything like it Titania!" Eros said as he left Titania's side to walk around the animal, looking it up an down in admiration. After a moment of realizing the Qilin was under Titania's command, Ronnie nodded at the two.

"A-alright then. I'll be going. Good luck to you two," he muttered. As Eros quickly turned to him to wave him good bye, Ronnie flicked his reins and the horse drawn cart began to canter away quickly. It was clear Ronnie did not want to stay around to see them off. He was sure he would have been caught if so. Turning back to Titania, he smiled again, holding the fur coats and the heavy supplies Bella had given to them.

"Let's go!"

[Titania]

Xiang stared in obvious confusion at the white-haired human that stood before him, but then turned his head to nuzzle Eros affectionately. "He is a fair one, lady Titania...your beloved?"

The Qilin's comment startled the necromancer, making her step back and blush fiercely with shock. "I--" she was cut off by a calm laughing and a gentle nuzzle from the dragonlike creature. "Calm down, milady... I was joking with you..." As soon as he saw Titania regain her cool, he turned to Eros once more and smiled as best as he could. "Allow me to take those, young one..." With that, his eyes glowed a pale blue. The sack and coats began glowing faintly as well, and were slowly tugged from Eros' grasp. Xiang directed them with his mind to rest on his back, the coats draped across so his two passengers didn't have to sit on his scaly back. As for the sack, he held it in his mouth.

"Well, come along, you two... We don't have much time..."