[March 2] [Magic Knight Rayearth] Song of the Wind: Arrival

[candy--chan.livejournal.com]

Title: Song of the Wind: Arrival
Day/Theme: March 2: ”Running up the tracks for a head on collision.”
Series: Magic Knight Rayearth
Character/Pairing: Umi, Hikaru, Fuu, various Cephireans
Rating: PG



Clef’s flying ship was wonderful; they were nearing the borders of Aldarba in what felt like far less time than the journey should have taken. They could have gone by magical means, but ultimately the Magic Knights argued that they wanted to see the world they had already given so much to protect.

The males—Lantis, Ferio, and Ascot—sat quietly and watched the girls with some amusement as they gazed out the window at the expanse of landscape spread beneath them. Mokona puu-ed quietly from its perch on Lantis’ shoulder. It was sweet to watch the three girls gasp and sigh over the green fields and emerald forests stretching out as far as the eye could see beneath them.

Aldarba was a beautiful place.

After a while, they settled back into their seats, and Ferio reminded them of what to expect immediately upon their arrival. “When we get there, I’m assuming there will be a welcoming party waiting for us. That’ll probably be some of the Guard and some sort of noble. They’ll greet us and escort us…probably to the throne room for our audience with the King and Queen. We’ll be presented and officially welcomed to Aldarba.”

“Do the King and Queen have names?” Fuu asked.

“King Haider and Queen Morowa of Aldarba,” Lantis spoke up.

“Man…Caliana’s parents. That’ll be cool,” Hikaru said cheerily.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing a great deal of them,” Ferio said with a sigh. “Chances are that I’ll be spending a fair amount of time handling all the necessary political matters. After all, I am acting as the diplomatic representative in this envoy.”

“You worry about the politics, we’ll worry about the magic,” Umi said firmly, crossing her arms.

There would have been more, but Hikaru spoke up again, pointing out the window. “Look!”

All heads turned obediently to see, and smiles broke on most of their faces; Lantis was his normal reserved self. But their exuberance was well-founded: there was a city on the horizon, with a tall turreted structure visibly rising from the center of it. It could be safely assumed that the castle was the Palace, thus making this the Capitol. They’d arrived at last.

As they flew over the city, they got a much better look at it. The place was huge, and when the craft swept lower as it began its descent to land beyond the walls of the Palace, they could see that there were a lot of people out milling on the streets. In some ways, it reminded the three girls from Earth of the city they hailed from, Tokyo.

There wasn’t much time to gawk, though—the flying ship picked up speed, and they flew over the walls that ran around the perimeter of the Palace grounds before it stopped moving forward in favor of losing altitude. In a moment, they were coming to rest on the grass outside the massive castle.

As they gathered their things, Fuu glanced out the window and noticed a few people standing outside their ship. It seemed things were just as Ferio said, and there was a welcome wagon waiting for them. So their next stop would probably be presentation to the King and Queen. As the door to the craft opened, she remembered that Ferio had also said that there would probably be someone of the nobility to welcome them as honored guests. She wondered who it would be—

There were perhaps half a dozen armed guards standing in a vague semi-circle around a young woman in rich garb. When she saw the head of their welcoming committee, Fuu’s eyes widened in surprise and no little delight. “Caliana!”

The Princess of Aldarba was wearing clothing not unlike her attire when they had first met her upon her initial arrival in Cephiro. Her robes were of blue and gold, and very elaborate as befitting her status. Her dark hair was twisted up into an ornate bun on top of her head; it was not adorned by any fine jewels, but rather a single pink flower. She looked much as they remembered her, and every inch a Princess. She was smiling, with her hands tucked into the sleeves of her robe.

As they all climbed from the flying craft that had brought them and assembled into a haphazard line in front of her, she took a step towards them. “Honored guests and envoys of Cephiro, I bid you welcome to our kingdom,” she said; it was probably a prepared speech, but she seemed to take great delight in being the one to say it. “I am Caliana, the Princess of Aldarba.” As she said that last, she bowed.

It seemed this was a custom in both their worlds, and the six envoys bowed in turn. Mokona chose that moment to bounce from Lantis’ shoulder and bound right up to Caliana, landing squarely in her arms.

The soldiers around her gasped, but Caliana smiled fondly at the little white creature currently snuggling up to her. “It has been a while, my friends,” she said, shifting Mokona to rest in the crook of one arm while gesturing with the other. “Please follow me. My parents are waiting, and they are very eager to meet all of you.”

The Guard fell into step behind them as they passed through the great arched gateway and entered the Palace. It made Umi feel a bit nervous, really, to have six armed men following them like that. But the chances of this being a trap were almost nonexistent, and even if it was, all of them were fighters.

“I trust you had a safe journey?” Caliana asked over her shoulder.

“We did,” Ferio replied.

Fuu spoke up then as well. “Aldarba is a beautiful country.”

Caliana smiled. “Thank you. I also think that, but I might be a bit partial to our land for obvious reasons.” This earned a laugh from the others as they walked down a corridor decorated with vast tapestries and mirrors. It was all quite lovely.

In a moment they passed through another large doorway, this one with a guard posted on either side, and entered a massive domed room, filled with people in fancy clothes. It was obviously the throne room—a man and a woman were seated at the far end in large chairs.

Caliana did not even pause; she began walking down towards the thrones. It seemed a clear sign for the others to follow, and so they walked slowly after her. The guards that had accompanied them this far stopped by the door, leaving them to make the trek alone. There was a rush of whispers from the assembly as they moved past; it stood to reason that this was the court.

When they drew near, Caliana stopped and they stopped with her. The King and Queen rose. Caliana was still a moment before she walked forward another two steps and turned to face them. Mokona was still nestled comfortably in her arms. “I present the ambassadors and envoys of Cephiro,” she said, raising her voice to carry through the whole of the great hall. “Prince Ferio, Cail Lantis, Summoner Ascot, and the Magic Knights, the ladies Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu.”

A murmur ran through the crowd at the mention of the three girls, and they all realized that their legend ran a great deal further than they’d thought. Caliana had undoubtedly brought back stories of their exploits on her return to her own country. Even here, far from Cephiro, they were revered.

King Haider stepped towards them. “Welcome, friends, to our fair kingdom.” He bowed, as Caliana had, and they bowed in return. “We thank you for coming to our aide, and hope that with this visit we will be able to lay to rest the troubles plaguing our land.” He shot a glance at the Magic Knights then.

Ferio stepped forward. “We are always happy to come to the assistance of our allies, and we hope that we can find and remove the cause of the disturbances.”

It was strange to see him in this element, so refined and well-spoken, and realize that it was the same roughshod young man they had first encountered in the Forest of Silence, the one who Fuu had more or less tricked into escorting them safely to the Forest’s edge.

Fuu herself couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“I am sure you are tired from your journey,” Queen Morowa spoke now; she seemed to stand as an equal to her husband. “Rest, and we will begin discussions shortly.”

“Thank you,” Ferio smiled.

“If you will follow me, I will show you to your rooms,” Caliana stepped forward again, and they bowed one final time to the rulers before they followed her back through the large doorway and into the corridor. She led them through the hallways before finally pushing open a set of heavy wooden doors and passing into a new wing. “We have housed all of you in the same wing,” she explained. “I do hope you will find it to your liking.”

“We’re just happy to be here,” Fuu smiled.

Umi piped up. “I gotta say that I never, ever dreamed I would be greeted by royalty. Wow…”

“There’s a lot of ceremony to this,” Fuu added.

“Well, remember when Caliana arrived in Cephiro?” Ascot pointed out; he had been fairly quiet through much of the pomp and circumstance. Now that they were away from the crowds and the guards, he was relaxing a bit. “There was a lot of fuss then as well.”

Caliana paused and gestured towards the doors on either side of the corridor. “These six rooms have been set aside for your use during your stay. You may choose whichever you like.” She produced a ring of keys. “To ensure your peace of mind, you may lock your chambers.”

Umi opened one of the doors—and found herself staring at a small suite with a sitting room, bathing room, and bedroom, all decorated lavishly in blue and white. It reminded her for a moment of her short imprisonment in Xander’s domain, but she shook that off. Unlike her time under his roof, she did not feel that she would be in danger here.

Rooms were quickly chosen: the three girls took the rooms on the right side, and the men went to the left. Mokona opted to take up residence with Hikaru. But all three of the girls went into Fuu’s room and sat down. “Whew,” Hikaru said, stretching. “What a day, huh?”

Before any of them could respond, there was a knock on the partially-open door. Caliana’s head popped in. “I beg your pardon for the intrusion,” she said politely. “May I come in?”

“By all means,” Fuu grinned, getting to her feet.

Caliana stepped in and carefully closed the door behind her. She turned back to the girls…and finally, a massive smile crossed her face as she all but dove across the room, colliding with Fuu in a tight hug. Fuu had been waiting for this and was ready to return the embrace. “I thought so!” she laughed.

The mask had fallen away. It had been so strange and so wonderful to see Caliana in her true element as she met them, greeted them, and presented them to her parents and to the assembly of the court. This was what she had been raised to do—to be a ruler and a leader of her people. In their presence, in relation to a matter of state, she was the very picture of propriety, tradition, and nobility.

But now that they were alone, away from the eyes of the people…she could truly greet them as the friends they had become. “It is so wonderful to see you again!” she said with a smile, reaching down to extend an embrace to Hikaru and Umi as well.

They all sat, and Umi grinned. “Caliana, that was amazing! The way you acted through all of that…wow.”

The Princess blushed slightly. “I actually was not to be the one who met you. But I insisted, and Father relented.” She beamed. “I wanted to be the first to see you and welcome you here. And I am glad you have come, not just because you are my friends.” Her expression sobered. “There have been troubles as of late, things that defy explanations…I do hope you’ll be able to help us.”

“We’ll do whatever we can,” Hikaru said, then brightened. “So what’ve you been up to all this time?”

The conversation drifted pleasantly, recounting tales of things that had transpired in the time since the battle against Xander’s forces. It was nice to be able to simply sit and enjoy each other’s company for a time, knowing that things could turn all too soon.

Caliana was very concerned when they told her of Kagura’s abduction and the subsequent attack on their lives before their abrupt journey to Cephiro. She wondered if it could perhaps be related to the strange things occurring within Aldarba. The idea was logical, but chilling.

After a great deal of time, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and Fuu piped up. “Come in.” It was only then that she noticed how far the sun had moved across the sky. It was into the late afternoon now.

They expected it to be one of their comrades from Cephiro, but the young man who entered wore the uniform of a Palace Guard. The only difference between him and the men who had met them upon their arrival (aside from age, as this man didn’t seem to be much older than Caliana herself) was a red cloth band around the sleeve of his dark blue uniform.

All three of the Magic Knights were about to question, though the young man did seem familiar, when Caliana spoke. “Ah, Kannon!” she said with a smile. “I was wondering where you had gone.” She turned back to them. “I believe you met Kannon after the battle in Cephiro?”

That was it. That was why he seemed familiar.

He bowed. “Ladies.”

“That is why he wears that band,” Caliana said, pointing to the bright red strip on his uniform sleeve. “It means that he is a Captain in the Guard, and as such carries great authority. He is, in fact, the Captain of my personal Guard.” She turned to him. “What is it?”

“Your parents have requested the presence of the diplomat in the chambers,” he said.

“And mine as well?”

“Yes.”

“That would be Ferio’s job,” Hikaru said.

Caliana rose. “While we are otherwise engaged,” she said, moving towards the door, “feel free to explore the Palace. Oh, and Fuu? Would you mind coming with me?” When Fuu nodded, a bit surprised, the Princess addressed the young man. “Kannon, I leave Hikaru and Umi in your most capable hands. Perhaps a tour?”

He bowed. “As you wish.”


PS. ”Haider” is an Arabic name meaning “king,” and “Morowa” is an African name that means “queen.” I thought it kept well with Caliana meaning “princess,” ya know? Like to line up the names as best I can.