Dax

A fly buzzed about, gradually annoying me more and more as Helios accompanied me to the center of the city just outside of my castle.

People crowded in the streets going about their daily routines, but as I walked by many stopped to stare or bow respectfully. My people regarded me as kind for the most part, they believed me to be fair and true to the throne. And I preferred to believe that they were correct.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a little boy pulling on his mother's dress, pointing in my direction excitedly. She smiled down at him and spoke, but I couldn't quite hear what she said.

"Helios," I spoke. "Wait for a moment."

I didn't bother to make sure that he had listened to my request, I simply left him side and walked to the mother and son.

"Hello," I said gently, squating down to speak to the boy. "You seem very excited to see me today."

He nodded quickly and looked up to his mother, silently asking if he could speak to me, afterall, I was still a stranger even if I was king.

"Go ahead." She encouraged.

"My name is Jule and my father is in your guard. He talks about you all the time and always tells us that you are very kind and lets him come home early some nights to be with us. He tells me that you are gonna lead us to prosperity." Jule stopped to breathe for a moment and looked at me sheepishly. "I'm not really sure what prosperity means, but I know it's good, and when I grow up I want to be on your guard too."

I smiled and laid my hand on his shoulder.

"With that attitude, you won't have a single problem getting there. But you can't be on my guard without a pin for your uniform. Do you have one already?" I asked him.

Jule's face dropped.

"No, I don't have one." He looked up in panic. "Mother do you have one?"

She shook her head helplessly.

"Your father has the only one we own, maybe he will give it to you when he grows old."

Jule looked at the ground sadly.

"Don't look so glum." I said, taking the small, gold pin that held my cape in place out from the cloth. "Take mine until you can get one of your own."

I dropped the pin in his hand, and his face lit up.

"Thank you, your majesty!" He exclaimed, hugging me tightly.

His mother reached to pull him away, but I waved her off.

"Take good care of that pin, alright Jule? So when you get old enough, you can wear it on your uniform just like your father." I said, as he pulled away from the embrace.

"Yes, your highness. I won't let you down." He promised.

I stood and faced his mother.

"What is your husband's name so that I may know who this young man's father is?" I asked her.

"Will, his father's name is Will."

I made a mental note to remember that name.

I said my goodbyes to Jule and his mother, leaving my cape with them as well. I had hundreds more just like it.

"You are a very kind king." Helios commented once I had returned to his side.

I laughed as we continued our walk to the tavern in the square.

"It is the best way for me to offer some semblance of pay in return for the war." I responded, meeting the glare of a group of men standing outside of the butcher shop. "I still have many subjects who resent me for it."

We quickly walked past the group of angry men and continued or the pleasant walk.

People bustled past and vendors yelled out into the crowds speaking of the goods they sold. The scent of different foods and spices wafted overhead, causing my stomach to grumble unhappily. But Helios and I continued to push through the crowds to join our comrade.

After for what seemed like forever, we reached the tavern where we were requested to meet at and wrestled our way inside.

Men crowded in the small downstairs portion of the building, shoving and pushing one another in a drunken stupor. I saw flashes of a Magi in the corner entertaining his friends with yellow tendrils of light that crept along the counter creating the shapes of men and women dancing. The smell of stale alcohol and the odor of men filled the space, immediatley making me regret agreeing to meet there.

Helios shoved stumbling men from our path to a table for 3 closer to the back corner, away from most of the commotion coming from the space.

We finally flopped our bodies down into the chairs, kindly refused drinks from the woman offering them, and patiently waited.

"Why hello there."

A woman slid into the chair in front of Helios and I, dressed in provocative clothes. Her black hair was pulled back into a delicate and complicated bun, but carefully curled strands fell into her face and sculpted her jaw. Her lips were stained red along with her cheeks and nose that were dusted with the color.

"Hello." I responded curtly, not wanting to draw attention to my presence.

She and I both glanced at Helios, awaiting some sort of greeting from him as well, but he sat speechless. I assumed he was thinking very impure thoughts and decided not to ask.

The woman seemed to come to this conclusion as well and turned back to me.

"My name is Eleanor, but you can call me whatever you'd like." She whispered seductively.

I cleared my throat and pleaded with Helios silently, but he was no help.

"It seems as if my friend would be more interested in your offer." I spoke calmly, gesturing to Helios.

She rolled her eyes, and met my gaze.

"Seeing the attention you raise when you walk in a room, I can tell that you're important. Your friend," she paused and took a good look at him. "Let's just say he doesn't evoke the same response."

Helios looked crestfallen at her response. Though he held a handsome man's name, he did not live up to it. His face always seemed just off in some shape or fashion, his nose being just a little too big for the rest of his face and his ears too small and uncentered. His dirty blonde hair stayed in a low ponytail and his fingernails almost always stayed grimy. What he lacked in appearance, though, he made up for in fierce loyalty.

"Miss, I appreciate the flattery, but I am not interested." I tried to decline her in the most polite way possible. I did not want any more attention brought to my presence than necessary.

Her face moved from a look of confusion to unfiltered anger.

"Is it because you think I'm ugly?!" She screeched, drawing her hand back to hit me. But just before her hand collided with my face, Helios leapt into action and caught her palm in his grasp. I didn't even flinch.

"Your king has refused you politely, so I suggest you find another man to drape yourself over before I arrest you for treason myself." He spoke threateningly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine." She said defiantly, and marched to the other side of the tavern.

Helios sat back into his chair.

"We should get out of here soon," I spoke just loud enough for Helios to hear. "It seems as if the men over there believe whatever lie she is telling over what happened in front of their own eyes."

"With those breasts, it's no surprise. They probably aren't even listening to her, just making eye contact with her chest." Helios said angrily.

We sat quietly for just a few moments more, earning glares from the men next to the provocative woman, until a commotion drew their attention.

"There is Jade." Helios said to me with a smile.

"Must she cause a ruckous everywhere she goes?"

A lean girl stormed into the tavern, her gaze telling those in front of her to move or she would make them. Her pale eyes bore into anyone in her path and her long brown braid fell behind her. No matter how small she looked, her atmosphere and the armor she wore with the Madean crest sent a message.

Needless to say, she had a clear path to the table Helios and I sat at.

Jade flung herself into the final open chair and kicked her legs onto the table in front of her.

"I cannot believe the audacity of some of the men in this city!" She exclaimed. "Some man had 'mistaken' me for one of your little tavern walking prostitutes and tried to touch me while I walked in, Helios!"

I let the two of them bicker back and forth, seeing as they did it every time they saw one another after long periods of time.

"Luckily, I saw him and buried my fist into his nose before he had the chance."

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Helios asked her quietly. "I mean, maybe it was an honest mistake?"

She gave him a glare that immediately created silence at the table.

"Anyway Dax," Jade brought her attention to me. "How have you been? It feels as if I haven't seen in you years."

"I've been well. Running a kingdom is easier than it looks most days." I replied, earning a laugh from her.

"I'm glad for you, I was worried that with me gone, you and Helios would fall apart."

Jade had always been the caretaker for Helios and I, almost like our big sister at times. So, when I became king, she became one of Madeo's first female commanders, and Helios became my advisor. We were a trio before I took the throne, after the loss of my best friend, and we matured together. So when we finally did see one another after long periods of time, we always enjoyed the time together immensely.

"How have the front lines been?" Helios asked her, leaning into the conversation.

"I have never been more stressed." She said with a huff. "The men are so agitated with the war that not a single one wants to fight. They just want it to be over, victory or no victory."

The war was always a tense subject, seeing as not many of my people approved of Madeo being involved in it.

Jade started to speak again, until our attention was drawn to a group of large men approaching our table. They all carried mismatched weapons, mainly consisting of swords and maces. They seemed to be soldiers in the Madean Army.

Helios immediatley gripped his sword and Jade did the same, her hands emitting a faint green glow, but I stood and held out my hand, telling them to stand down.

The men seemed to have a leader, seeing as once they stopped, a particularly large man moved to stand directly in front of me.

I suddenly became appreciative of my height.

"What can I do for you?" I asked cooly, hoping to get out of the situation without violence.

Many people that weren't part of the group were staring, waiting to see how the commotion would play out. Even the people working behind the bar wanted to see what would happen.

"I've come to show you and your privileged friends a lesson, your highness." The man sneered.

"And you felt so threatened by the three of us that you felt the need to bring half of the tavern to back you up?" I questioned, keeping calm and collected.

The larger man swung his fist, but his movements were slow and easy to dodge.

I leaned away from the strike, and Jade and Helios immediately jumped into action.

The pair stepped in front of me, shielding my body with their crossed swords.

Both groups stood still, waiting to see what would happen next.

That was, until one of the men jumped on Helios. Then, the tavern broke into chaos.

Helios grappled with a man on the ground, while Jade held off three others with her sword in one hand, and her other glowing, sending green tendrils shooting into the attackers, stunning them.

But the instigator of the men circled me like a cat waiting to pounce on its prey.

"Not so high and mighty now that your dogs are incapacitated, are you?" He taunted.

I didn't respond, I only followed his movements with my eyes, waiting for him to strike.

"What happened to all that talk from earlier?" He asked with a sneer.

I, again, did not respond.

He seemed to understand that he wouldn't be getting any answers from me and we silently circled one another while the rest of everyone else grappled next to us.

A sharp cry of pain rang out and I found myself scanning the choas to see if one of my friends were injured, and, in my distracted state, the large man charged towards me, landing a solid punch to the side of my face.

I stumbled backwards, thrown off balance by the sheer force.

He laughed and the world around me began to spin. Perhaps I was hit harder than I realized.

He began to charge towards me again, but I raised my arms up and caught his fist, letting my body heat up. My powers were not as strong as Jade's but the small shocks were effective nonetheless.

I released the tension in my body, focusing the energy in my palms, where I held his clinched fists.

He yanked away from me, dumbfounded by the shock I administered.

He gathered his senses and started to run after me again, but was stopped by Helios and Jade, who stood in his path, swords drawn.

"Stand down." I commanded, out of breath. "You've lost."

He looked to the side, where his group of men laid on the floor, clutching various parts of their bodies in which they had been injured.

He looked back at me, hate in his eyes, but I spoke again before he even had the chance.

"If you would prefer to be charged with treason, by all means, charge at me. But if you would rather stay free and help your men gather their confidence again, I suggest you stand. down."

He seemed to have gotten the message that time around, and turned away.

Jade and Helios immediately relaxed and turned to me. But as the three of us dropped our guard, the man turned for one final blow and spit in my face.

Jade reacted much quicker than Helios and I, charging the man and resting the blade of her sword against his neck.

"Spit on your king on more time," She whispered, pressing the sharp edge into his skin and drawing blood. "And you won't have a head attached to your body."

She released his shirt and took a step back.

"Go." She said simply.

And he ran out of tavern as if he was running for his life.

"Are you hurt, Dax?" They both asked in unison once Jade had returned to our side.

I touched my sore lip and my fingertips came back slightly red with blood. Helios handed me a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood from my hand and to wipe the warm saliva from my cheek.

"I'll be fine." I promised them. "Let's just get out of here."

They seemed to agree and led the way back to the castle, where we could talk, in private, this time.