The Kingdom

[❖Amani❖]

"... Something like that."

Vesper felt himself slowly giving into instincts that were growling, Kill, kill, kill. But a slight movement to his left drew his attention away from the man and to Sparks. His eyes were still black but the thunder was calming down a bit. He started backing away, Sparks slowly following him, and making his way to the horse. With a little show of his fangs and a few sparks the man stayed put. Vesper however, pushed Sparks along to the horse and helped her up still eyeing the man. A voice broke through Sparks' vehement protests and his blind anger, though he didn't fully comprehend it wasn't supposed to be there.

"That's interesting. It's glowing."

Vesper hissed at Rajus' voice and tuned it out as he clambered onto the horse behind Sparks. With a little effort he'd managed to get the stallion moving and running off down the beach further. Neither of them spoke as they rode along the curved snake of sand by the water and continued on until the trees beside them became very thin. A long stretch of grassy plains took the place of that and up ahead of them rose a great rock fixture, a statue of a man holding his arm outstretched atop it. Vesper pulled the horse to a slow stop and slipped down from his perch, holding out his hand to Sparks to help her down. The sky had begun clearing enough to let feeble rays of light through and Vesper's eyes were faded back to a dull gray.

"Let the stallion rest and then you can go back to the castle. Just let the horse guide you."

Vesper turned to the rock momnument leaving Sparks with the horse, and began walking. He ignored the voice that kept chiding at him, stopping only when the figure jumped in front of him. He jerked to a stop and his face paled.

"Vesper you're not just going to leave the girl are you? She's a keeper you know. A perfect angel..."

Rajus crossed his arms and frowned at Vesper, the scar on his right cheek moving with the action. Vesper grabbed a handful of hair and shook his head, turning around and ignoring Sparks staring at him.

"Don't walk away from me boy! I'm trying to help you here!"

[crimson92]

Sparks watched Vesper walk away from her, feeling irritated with how confusing things were getting and that feeling wasn't getting any better when the prince suddenly stopped and turned away from the monument, grasping at his hair and shaking his head, as if trying to ignore something. He suddenly jumped, as if a loud noise had startled him and Sparks couldn't take being in the dark anymore.

"Since no one is telling me anything, I'll just find out for myself," she muttered, petting the stallion's mane before her eyes began to glow again.

Thin tendrils of electricity began to leave her body and travel along the ground and through the air, searching for anything that seemed out of place. She looked around her, searching for that peculiar thing when her light tendrils began to do an odd thing. Up ahead, next to Vesper, they began to outline a shape, a form, a body. They glowed brightly around this shape, Sparks just able to make out the form of a tall man with broad shoulders. She kept her eyes on the shape as she slowly approached it, keeping a bit of distance between herself and Vesper, but stopping just in front of the shape. The light tendrils continued to dance around the figure and Sparks reached out to touch it, a sudden spark flitting through her body and up to her eyes, allowing her to see, clearly, what was there, and she was quite surprised. Looking at the statue, she shook her head before looking back at the figure.

"King Rajus? But I...I thought you were dead."

She turned to Vesper, "What's going on? You said he was dead!"

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper's head jerked up and the whites of his eyes were showing. He looked over to Sparks, just catching an outlined figure of Rajus before he disappeared from that spot. Vesper shook his head and squeezed his yellow eyes shut pointing at Sparks.

"He- he doesn't. It's my imagination running wild on me. That's all."

He sighed and opened his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

"Things have been crazy lately... Today especially-"

"We need to talk. I'm not just made up-"

"AND, I apologize for acting strangely. King Rajus is dead and I need some rest."

Vesper smiled at Sparks and shook his head to rid himself of the voice behind his shoulder.

"Why would you say that anyway?"

He forced a chuckle.

"Once you're dead you're dead!"

Vesper sank down into the sand and crossed his legs, tapping his fingers on his knees and suddenly looking very unsure and nervous.

"Right?"

[crimson92]

Sparks shook her head as she stared at Vesper, irritation still growing, "Vesper...you can say that to yourself, that he's not real and just a figment of your imagination, but I know what I saw, I'm not an idiot."

She narrowed her eyes a little, "And I wouldn't have been able to see that man unless he was actually there in some way, shape, or form. I can do a lot of things, Vesper, but making things from someone's imagination isn't one of them. He was there, King Rajus was there and he may be dead, physically, but there's something else of him that's alive and that's why you see him, why I can see him too; he was there, I know he was...so why are you pretending that he wasn't?"

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper looked up into her eyes and slowly shook his head. His eyes were growing white and his hands were shaking. He put his hands to his head and rubbed his temples slowly, voice quiet and squeaky.

"Because when people die, they die. I refuse to believe I'm going insane!"

Vesper stopped massaging his head and pushed himself up from the sandy ground. He had just gained his balance when Rajus appeared beside Sparks.

"Quit being stupid Vesper. I'm really here. I've been trying to get you to realize that. But those stupid mystics you used along the way made it hard to get through for a while."

He shook his head, eyes glinting with frustration. Vesper simply hissed through his teeth and took a deep breath. Within a moment he pointed, un-steadily at Rajus and spoke to Sparks.

"I trust you, Sparks. Is he really there?"

Vesper swallowed and Rajus shook his head in exasperation.

[crimson92]

Sparks stared at Vesper for a moment before turning around slowly, her eyes staring at the figure outlined by her electric tendrils. She reached out and touched the drawn figure, another shock running through her body and she, once again, saw the man clearly this time, her eyes glowing green.

"Yes," she answered softly, nodding her head as she made eye contact with King Rajus, "I see a man with a scar over his eye and eyes as blue as yours get...that's him, Vesper, he's really there."

She turned to look at the prince, becoming a little alarmed when he paled and looked about ready to collapse. She quickly rushed over and put her arms around him, whispering soothingly to him to make him calm down. Electricity flowed out of her and into him, hitting his nerves and making his muscles loosen up so he wasn't so tense.

"Here, just sit down," she said, guiding him back until he was sitting on a rock a few feet away, "And try to breathe."

[❖Amani❖]

"Why?"

Vesper gave a shaky sigh and shook his head slowly, leaning into Sparks. He looked up and made eye contact with Rajus, eyes white with light blue stripes in them.

"How are you not..."

Rajus displayed a set of pearly whites and walked closer to Vesper, blue eyes showing a hurt in them.

"That doesn't matter Vesper. What matters is that I'm here now. I just want to help you. There's something coming that you'll need to be prepared for."

He frowned and eyed the sea behind Vesper and Sparks.

"Angel there- She's not from around here. What's coming is going to need a lot of preparation. Otherwise she wouldn't be here. I see things now that you don't in the land of the living. Just trust me. I would never hurt you. You know that."

Vesper bit his lip and shook his head, the wind picking up slightly into a breeze. He heaved a sigh and looked at Sparks, eyes turning a deep violet.

"He says he knows why you're here. Or at least things we're unaware of yet... Do you think you're going to stay Sparks?"

Vesper absentmindedly reached for the ring on his finger and began twisting it around and playing with it.

[crimson92]

"You people and calling me angel, I don't understand it," Sparks murmured to herself while scratching her cheek before Vesper's question drew her attention.

She smiled down at him and nodded, "I don't much of a choice but to stay. I'm pretty sure that until I do what I was brought her to do, I won't be able to go back to my own time. By the way, I can hear him, you know?"

She indicated to King Rajus with a grin and a laugh, "He's just as real to me as he is to you. Once I was able to get in tune with his form, he was as clear as day."

She turned back to the ocean, watching the waves crash against the sandy shore as the rays of sunlight continued to shine off of the water; "We'll figure out what's going on and why he was trying to get in touch with you so bad, but don't think that just because I'm a girl, I need to be protected all the time, okay? I can already see you're the type of guy who thinks he needs to save the damsel in distress," she teased, her eyes glinting playfully, "If I were really a damsel that needed saving all the time, I doubt I would have been brought her to do any fighting, hehehe."

\

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper straightened and smiled at Sparks, relief coloring his features. He looked back to where Rajus had been kneeling and opened his mouth only to find Rajus not even there. He huffed and frowned but smirked when he looked back at Sparks.

"Wanna start heading back? It's getting late."

Vesper glanced up into the sky and bit his lip.

"We probably won't make it back to the castle but we could make it into town. And I have an old friend who's let me stay with them before. Really nice."

Vesper stood up and brushed himself off, holding his hand out to Sparks and helping her up. He took a look around and spotted Rajus a ways off, standing by the stallion and looking bored. Vesper rolled his blue eyes.

"He's really going to annoy me with that."

They began walking over to the horse Vesper slowly and unsure as he approached Rajus. But they both got up onto the horse, Sparks after Vesper, and started off the way they came.

It took nearly an hour to get halfway into the town at a slow trot but by then the stars were already peeking through the clear skies. The moon was raking its way up the black velvet when they veered onto a side road and headed off down the dusty path. They let the bright moonlight guide them down the dusty road, going over hills and occasionally eyeing the thin grove of trees or the wild deer taking off at the noise of the stallions hooves. Finally they came to a slightly tall hill that, once crested, gave view to a small farm house with a barn a bout a half a mile down from it. Vesper nudged Sparks with his elbow and woke her up to point and nod.

As the horse got close enough to the house to be seen Vesper let out a two-tone whistle and the door opened enough for a man to come out wielding a long gun. Once he saw Vesper though, he lowered it and yelled something in the door. A boy a little older than Vesper came out and took the reins to the horse as Vesper eased himself and a drowsy Sparks off it. He put his arm around Sparks waist and held her up as they walked to the door and slowly entered. The man motioned to a chair before the fire, the only cushioned one in the room, and Vesper helped Sparks into it. He took a seat on the ground just in front of her chair and crossed his legs, cozy in the fire. He smiled as the man put his gun away and took the other chair.

"I'm sorry Gunther. But we had a little delay when we went out for some fresh air. We didn't have time to make it back to the castle."

Vesper's eyes were a hazy light gray with little snakes of caramel them and his demeanor was rather docile.


(I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! Sucky summer storms every night! -headwall- Plus I've been helping a lot with the play I'm in. I promise I'll keep going as much as possible! I know you hate it when people don't post regularly and I can't stand it either! )

[crimson92]

Sparks gazed around at the little abode, smiling to herself as a sense of omfort washed over her; it's been so long since she's been in an actual house with a warm fire. Settling back, she began unbraiding her hair, letting the pink and blue tendrils fall around her head and shoulders in gentle waves.

"Thank you for letting us in, though," she spoke up, smiling at the man next to them, "It is pretty laye, from what I could tell. I really hope we didn't wake you up too...or scare you. Do you normally walk outside with a gun like that?"

She stopped talking for a moment before she blushed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I think I forgot my manners. My name is Sparks, it's nice to meet you!"

(Hey, it's okay! XD Hahaha! I kind of figured you were busy with your own things and didn't want to bug you. I hope everything is well. By the way! I have a friend of mine who I also met through The Muse Bunny and she was wondering if it would be okay to jump into this rp? I wasn't sure so I told her I would run it through you as well since it's not just my rp, hehehe. And don't be afraid to say no if you don't want anyone else involved in this rp. She'll understand.)

[❖Amani❖]

Gunther smiled at Sparks and shook his head, hands out.

"It's quite alright Ms. Sparks! And My name's Gunther. It's a pleasure to meet you too."

He looked over his shoulder when the door swung open and a young man, with curly blonde hair and immense freckles covering his nose, came bustling in. He nodded to Gunther and exchanged a look with Vesper too quickly for anyone else to notice the disguised distaste. But when he looked to Sparks he immediately brightened and grinned. He walked over to her and took her hand, kissing it.

"And who is this lovely lady who's visitin' so lately at night? With such company too."

He straightened up and blushed slightly, ignoring Vespers slight scowl..

"I'm Elead by the way. Gunther's son. Pleasure to meet you."

Vesper saw the way Sparks looked at him and he knew he was probably over thinking things, but he could have sworn she was blushing as well. He hissed quietly and looked into the fire. He'd never liked Elead. But Sparks seemed to. She was flirting and giggling with him, so Vesper just decided to grin and bear it. After all, they were only staying the night.

Gunther spoke up and startled Vesper. He told Elead to go finish taking care of the horse and to make sure it was properly housed for the night. Reluctantly the boy left and Vesper was left to sit at Sparks feet and quietly sulk.

"Sparks, I apologize for my boy. He's a little brainless if you ask me. Ha ha!"

Gunther wheezed when he laughed and slapped his thigh before regaining some sense of normalcy.

"And uh, I'm sorry if I startled you. I do tend to carry a gun with me lately. It's become a necessity for protection around here. Just out of that grove of trees on down there where the road ends, right up on the beach. It's a thick grove of trees though. Anyways, we get a lot of trouble off those seas and I'm one of the first they strike on their way into town. Got to have a way to protect myself, don't I? Lucky for me there haven't been that many."

Gunther shook his head, staring at the floor and frowning. Vesper narrowed his eyes and leaned forward a bit.

"But isn't the Annaleian Navy keeping the pirates away from our coasts? And I thought the King's Men were at peace with us right now?"

Vesper's eyes began clouding with brown.



(Thank you for understanding!-cuddleglomp-And tell your friend she's more than welcome to jump in! The more the merrier!-woot-)

[crimson92]

Sparks laughed nervously at the tension that suddenly filled the room, said atmosphere created by Vesper and Gunther's son, Elead. She waved at the young man as he left, resisting the sigh that threatened to make her relief known for fear of offending Elead and Gunther. Once the young man was gone, she relaxed and looked down at Vesper, a little confused at his sudden bad mood, watching as he sulked next to her on the floor. Just before she could say anything to him or even touch him to reassure that everything was alright, Gunther spoke up to her.

"Sparks, I apologize for my boy. He's a little brainless if you ask me. Ha ha!"

The young girl with the dark skin and strangely colored hair just smiled and waved it off, "It's okay, Mr. G, really. He seems like a nice enough guy...hehehe, I kind of wish my friend Max were here."

When she received strange looks from Gunther and Vesper, she smiled before saying, "She's someone I met on one of my travels and yes, she is female. Max is an...extraordinary person with an extraordinary friend that she travels with. She's feisty and stubborn and playful and just all around a good person...I think she would have fun with Elead, haha."

She nudged Vesper a little and grinned, "You would like her too, she's really cool."

Sparks soon quieted down as Gunther started talking again, listening to the sound of the crackling fire and resting her eyes for a bit when the old man's explanation of why he was carrying a gun with him caught her attention. Opening her eyes again, she straightened up and studied him, glancing at Vesper to gauge his reactions as well; his eyes were clouding over.

"How long have these...pirates been invading the shores?" she asked, her green eyes starting to glow again as a chill ran down her spine; something didn't feel right in the air.

(Awesome! I'll let her know! -glomp-)

[❖Amani❖]

Gunther looked at her with a determined stubbornness and sighed.

"They've been at it for a few months now. But Aurdor Pass ain't the only one getting a lot of action from them. They've been getting restless..."

Vesper frowned in puzzlement holding his hand out.

"Wait but we have a truce with them!"

Gunther pulled his face up as if suddenly very uncomfortable. He scratched his head and cleared his throat before replying.

"We do but... I don't think they really care? You know they don't have a king right now. They haven't for years... Not since King Rajus. Perhaps the men of the Court are trying to honor but they need a king who can control them. A strong hand..."

Vesper bit his lip and turned to the fire, eyes pale silver and his skin snowy looking in color. He wrapped his arms around his knees and quietly sighed. Rajus materialized in beside him, looking down on Vesper's hunched shoulders with worry and concern. He spoke lowly and quietly.

"I did not mean for this to happen... Not to you Vesper. I'm so sorry. I expected more from them..."

Rajus turned to Sparks with a helpless look on his face and lowered his voice for only her to hear.

"Help him. He cannot fulfill his destiny alone. And I can only do so much."

Vesper ran his hands through his slightly greasy hair and squeezed his eyes shut, softly talking with an aged tiredness in his voice.

"They've gone wild and I can't do anything about it. I'm bound to Annalei until I'm crowned her king! We can't have a war! They have the power and resources to destroy us!"

Vesper growled in frustration and Gunther looked helplessly on for a few minutes before standing and helping the Prince up.

"Why don't you go ahead and retire to bed for the night? You look exhausted, young Prince."

Gunther helped an un-protesting Vesper up and turned to Sparks.

"We have a bed and a chair in the guest room-"

Vesper drowsily pushed himself slightly away from Gunther and yawned.

"I know my way Gunther. Thank you. I'll take the chair."

Vesper disappeared into the small hallway without a word and left behind a drowned aura.

[crimson92]

Sparks watched Vesper turn and leave, the air heavy with a sense of disappointment and sadness. She glanced at King Rajus for a mere moment before sighing and looking towards Gunther with a sad smile.

"Go and make sure he takes the bed," she told the old man, shaking her head when he began to protest, "I'm not tired, not anymore, and a prince should always be as comfortable as possible. Please, just make sure he gets a good nights rest. He's going to need it cuz we have a lot of work to do...but we don't have to do it alone."

Her eyes suddenly grew wide as an idea popped into her head and she suddenly turned towards the door, beckoning for King Rajus to follow her as she walked out into the night. She continued walking into the forest, moving towards somewhere that was quiet and left them alone as she talked to the man.

"I can help him, King Rajus, but not on my own...Vesper is very special and, I want to say you know this, seems to have some kind of magical abilities. It could even be said that I have them too, however... I'm not the only one."

They finally broke out into a small clearing where the moon was shining down, bathing everything in a soft glow. Sparks smiled up at the gentle light before grabbing a thick, solid stick and began creating shapes in the soft grass.

"If you were listening before, then you heard me talk about my friend, Max, the extraordinary girl that I met on my travels. Well, Max isn't normal either...some call her a witch for what she can do, controlling elements and the darkness and shadow beasts and the like. I can only control the light element like electricity and lightening, so I don't think I can be of much help to Vesper, not the kind that he truly needs. But Max, Max might be the better teacher for him. Whatever abilities he has, she can most likely shape and help him control."

When Sparks was done drawing the shapes in the ground, you could see a triangle inside a pentagon marked with strange symbols. Sparks stood in the middle of it and pressed her hands together, concentrating her energy firmly as she chanted a mantra. The air began to buzz with electricity as the power spiked around her. Four bolts of lightening fell from the sky suddenly, charring the ground and increasing the energy. There was a flash and a large, black and red hole opened up in the sky, something that looked like a flaming bullet falling towards the Earth right in front of Sparks. It landed with a crash and everything seemed to quiet down as the lightening bolts left and the hole closed up. Sparks waited until the dust had cleared when she opened her eyes again, the emerald orbs brightening when she saw a familiar figure stagger to her feet, groaning a bit. A young girl with skin the same color as freshly upturned Earth was seen then with long ink black curls that fell to mid-back, a few straighter strands falling into her golden-green eyes.

"Oh, my head," she groaned, something on her shoulder shifting and the color of ruby red becoming visible.

"Max, are you alright?" a deep, male voice asked that seemed to come, surprisingly, from a small dragon that was perched on the young girl's shoulders.

"I...I hope so," the one named Max replied, shaking her head a little, "I hope I'm alive is what I'm hoping for right now."

"Max! Eli!" Sparks suddenly cried as she rushed towards the two now confused individuals, throwing her arms around the girls neck and hugging her tightly.

"Wha...Sparks?" Max questioned, pulling away from the girl with the pink and blue hair to stare at her in confusion, "What are you doing here? Where are we?!"

"I'll explain all that later, but right now, I'm just so relieved that the spell worked!" the other girl exclaimed in excitement before she turned to King Rajus.

"Spell? She used a spell on us?" Max questioned as she turned to her dragon friend Eli, her inquiries going unnoticed by Sparks.

"I was thinking," she started, "that Max and I can help Vesper control his powers, help him to become more confident as a person, as a future king, and he will be able to take the throne of those wild pirates and put them back under control. He's just scared, right now. Scared and confused and probably lonely without you...this can work, can't it?"

[❖Amani❖]

Rajus looked at Sparks in a mixture of awe and caution.

"My Angel, I thank you so much for your help. And I do agree that you and Max both could help him. I wonder if I didn't put too much on him too soon with my death so early. I had planned to be able to stay around for a while and teach him about how the King's Men works... But-"

He sighed and stepped closer to Sparks, his being aglow with a soft silver. His eyes were holding something back.

"I don't know if you heard Vesper in that room or not. He said that he could not take the Throne for the King's Men until he had been crowned upon the Annaleian Throne. His father is a very healthy man, God forbid he should become ill, but that means Vesper's crowning is a very long way off. And these outlaws, the pirates especially, were never very fond of the idea of a peace between this two peoples. We'd bitterly been at war with them a little bit before I died and Anthony, Vesper's father, was the only thing that calmed the war. And to be honest, I don't think they truly believe that I made the choice of Vesper. He's got so much on him..."

Rajus heaved a sigh and looked up into the sky. He noticed the stars shining very brightly and the moon hiding behind some clouds.

"Can your friend see me as well? It seems only the magical ones have so far... None of mine, nor Anthony's people seem to see me..."