The Arks

"She"s out with the Guardians, doing a bit of sweeping. Stop scaring the guest, Angry Man," scolded Raiyen, pointing at Baldwin.

"Can"t a chef be upset when the one eating is picking at her food?"

"Royal Ones..." complained Raiyen, giving another bite.

"I"m not being picky, I just don"t feel safe eating in another timeline. Won"t there be a paradox of some sort?"

"Someone"s going to destroy you either way if you don"t eat up, la.s.sy. Starve or try something new, that"s called survival," explained Baldwin, rather harshly.

"My name"s Nova Orlaith, not la.s.sy," said Nova.

She sighed and gave a few nibbles on the sourdough. Slowly, she devoured the whole thing.

"So, Raiyen, are you their son of sorts? Since Ysabeau mentioned family," asked Nova, wiping her mouth.

"You can say that. And I must warn you, princess, some of us aren"t human," said Baldwin, smiling dangerously.

"So it is true! Those tales from the past are real! There are others amongst the stars," said Nova, excitedly.

"But we"ve disguised ourselves to blend in with your kind. Imagine Mav in her true form."

The mere thought of that as a reality was enough to send shivers down the two guys" spine.

"She was a child back then, so she won"t be that ma.s.sive," a.s.sured Ysabeau.

"You mentioned that you were a Founder of the Arks as well, how have you contributed?" asked Nova.

Raiyen smiled when the rest laughed.

"Child, do you have any knowledge on how the Arks were formed?" asked Baldwin, gasping for air.

"I"ve heard stories from my elder sister about the Arks. A haven for Mages. A place to call home for those who are the last of their kind. From parallel universes to the stars above, their mission is to adopt those fallen from their usual home in the name of exile."

"That"s not that bad of a starting. Please continue," said Baldwin.

"Just because they wield Magecraft. Led by the most powerful couple, five separate branches bloomed to house all Mages that came from afar, or from the Lost Organisation. Is that correct?" asked Nova.

"Somewhat true. Out of the Five, I am in charge of the Vigilante. Something like spies" explained Raiyen.

"A Vigilante, huh?"

"You know, she can"t stay here for long. Time will convulse," warned Baldwin.

"I know, Baldwin. I"ve brought her back to keep her safe and away from the Corrupted Ones. One small trip around the next village and we would be heading off soon," explained Raiyen.

"What are we waiting for? Let"s go for a walk!" yelled the upbeat princess.

Ysabeau extended her wing, blocking Nova from her track. The young la.s.s was immediately entranced by the gleaming feathers of the wing in front of her.

"You are going not going anywhere in that gown of yours. Forward or backward, you have to dress appropriately. Come "ere, Ma"s gonna teach you how to dress for Time Frame Hopping," said Ysabeau, dragging the young princess away.

Raiyen looked confused as Baldwin got up to do the dishes.

"Where"s Z?" asked Raiyen.

"Out with Gillian. That girl, has no connection to us, right?" Baldwin looked at Raiyen, dead in the eyes.

"She"s just a princess that I saved. This was to fulfill a promise that I made a few hundred years into the future," answered Raiyen, looking away.

"Orlaith means golden princess in Irish. Your name means little Prince in the same language, just written wrong. You can fool Mav and Ysabeau, but you can"t deceive Gillian, Z and I. The truth will be unveiled soon. Be prepared for an explanation towards your partner."

"I know. It seems that she could not recognize me. The trip back might have jumbled her memories. She"s just a friend that I"ve met before. She"s important, but I"ve forgotten her ident.i.ty."

Just as Baldwin left the room, the Princess and the High Queen came back, with the young girl in a modern type of wear. A long coat and small, black, plain dress.

"Not too showy, Raiyen got this by accident, was thinking to let you try it. Never knew it would fit so perfectly."

"How can a teenage boy get hold of a dress by accident?" asked Nova.

Pin drop silence overwhelmed the room as she swayed around.

"Some things are left to one"s imagination, eh?" said Raiyen, uncomfortably.

"It"s quite comfy, I prefer this over the gleaming gown."

Raiyen looked amazed at Ysabeau"s handiwork. She managed to turn a royal princess to a modern street girl from the future.

"Come on! Let"s go sight-seeing!" cried the princess, for the umpteenth time.

The nearby village was a small settlement, with about a few hundred people living there. As such, it was quiet. But the people there were friendly.