Brilliant bursts of vibrant colors filled the streets and storefronts of the elven city. Thousands of floral wreath lattice arches were arranged all over Umbraedomis giving the city an energy I'd never seen before.
I recalled what Consular Gracci has said to me a week ago, "Shortly after the Tribunal calls a recess our city will celebrate a five day festival in honor of our bestower, the Celestial God, Sagittarius. We call it Floralia, and I would be honored if you would allow me to show you around, Your Majesty."
His offer to accompany us around the city during the festival was welcomed at the time, but once again I'd severely misjudged the elves' scale of things—An enterprise of this scale could never have happened back in Axio.
The divide of Vanixian culture between Renaultian and Maarin was far too wide for the city to celebrate anything of the sort.
The 'autocratic encroachment', as they called it, of the Church of the Consecrated Light's beliefs made both Republics wary of allowing any foreign customs take root in their districts.
So to see an entire city come together to celebrate something was a beautiful sight.
The Consular himself had come to collect us early in the morning, along with a procession of honor guardsmen and one surprising addition—Lady Sara. The raven-haired noble woman had a strange bag with her and motioned for me to follow her back into the inn where she unveiled a trio of glamorous scarlet gowns.
Each one had minor differences in appearance, but they were obviously made to be displayed together in triad. Golden embroidery gave each dress a regal feel, but they weren't overly gaudy
"I've had these sized to yourself, Lady Brooks, and the young miss Akari." She raised up the last one, tailored quite smaller than the other two, and lifted up the generously sized sleeves and revealed a large cowl. "The little one should be fine to wander the city safely without fear of her wings or horns showing."
I took the garments from the former Archmagus and clutched them tight against my chest.
"Thank you, Lady Sara. These are lovely, and I truly appreciate your efforts for Akari."
"Of course, Empress. If you'd like, I can have my attendants assist you and the other ladies into the dresses."
I waved my hands to decline her offer and rallied upstairs with Hailey and Akari.
Akari was enveloped by the big sleeves and enormous hood of her ensemble, but she jumped excitedly around the room with a big smile on her face.
Hailey grinned at me from across the room, clutching the dress that had been marked down with my name, and motioned for me.
"Come're, I'll help you into yours first. Strip down to your skivvies while I get all of this laid out."
I did as instructed and unbuttoned my blouse. As I slipped it off my shoulders, Akari skipped over and wrapped herself around my waist and stared at my bare stomach.
"Whoooa! You've got ki-lines just like momma!"
She traced the crimson-orange stripes that ran under my skin with her tiny fingers.
Akari's mother has these too, huh. I guess it really does have something to do with chaos magick then…
Back in Tolin, I had started to develop these faint markings all over my body, most prominently around my eyes, after stopping the bandit attack with my CHAOS BOLT spell. After a night's rest, they'd faded away and I assumed it was a just side effect from using the magic.
However, lately the markings had been manifesting more frequently. Even without me having cast any chaotic spells.
I looked down at the odd lines under my skin, and Akari looked up at me. I poked her cheeks and she tried to hide her face.
"Ki lines? You've seen something like this before, Akari?" Hailey asked from across the room.
"Uh huh! Sometimes mine get really bright too, but momma says she doesn't think it's dangerous."
I ruffled Akari's hair with my hand, "I hope someday soon I get to meet your mother, I have a lot of questions she might know the answers to—eeeii!" My shoulders tensed up as a warm hand brushed against my skin. Hailey giggled behind me and pressed up against my back.
"I not very happy that your new magick is leaving permanent marks on your body. But they're kinda cute, I guess. If we painted some black stripes on your tummy, you'd be like a little tiger."
I raised my arm back and bonked her forehead with my hand, "Last thing I need is for the soldiers to start calling me 'The Tiger Empress'. I've already got more than enough monikers."
"Of course, your Crimson Bladedness."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"
"I'm just teasing," Hailey smirked and ruffled my hair, "Anyways, lets get you in this fancy dress already. Akari, my dear helper, away with her pants!"
"Wait, wha—"
Akari moved her hands away from my stomach and gripped my trousers, and in one fluid motion dropped them to the floor.
"I've been betrayed by my sweet Akari. This world is so cruel!"
We joined back up with our companions, including the Aestori escorts, and started out towards the city-center.
The festival decorations started to get more elaborate as we approached, and more stalls selling various foods and knick-knacks appeared. Amongst the floral accents that filled the city streets, there were large idols that depicted a half-humanoid half-horse figure.
I asked the Consular about them, and he explained that they were effigies in the image of Sagittarius. Our group shared a knowing look—the depictions of the Celestial God Sagittarius in Axio had his likeness more generically angelic, the same as Virgo and Capricorn.
If there was anything I knew about the Gods, it's that I knew basically nothing about them.
The odd form of the God wasn't something we had an issue with acknowledging. Akari had a particularly hard time saying the name, Sagittarius, though.
At the central plaza, the heart of Floralia, there was a giant figure woven of twiggy branches.
This was an offering filled with all sorts of fruits, flowers, and other precious things found within the forests the Aestori called home.
A loud horn blew from somewhere high up, amplified by the acoustics of the stone-walled city buildings, and the scene changed before us.
The sounds of music filled the streets and all over men and women crowded the square to dance. Most of them were wearing one of two forms of cultural dress, one which covered very little and the other that looked like what Lady Sara had provided for us, though not quite as intricately designed.
I asked Consular Gracci if there was a meaning between the two types of styles, and his face turned varying shades of red as he tried to explain that the more scantily-clad dancers were courtesans.
Apparently one of the key observances of the festival was that of embracing pleasure and celebrating fertility.
A tingle ran down my neck and down my legs, as thoughts of one particular Goddess came to mind. Perhaps it wasn't just Capricorn in particular who had a degenerate side to her, but rather it was in the nature of all Celestials.
My thoughts of the Celestials were interrupted when an outstretched hand appeared before me.
Hailey's rosy eyes glimmered in the festival lights, her beaming smile and beauty drew my vision in so that all I could see was her beckoning to me.
"Let's dance, Airis."
I bowed in a stereotypical way that haughty noblemen would at a ball, "I would be delighted to accept your offer, My Lady."
"I am delicate, do not step on my feet." She warned with a joking tone.
I took her hand and replied in earnest, "I can make no promises."
We tried to imitate the dance moves of those around us, but found it a tad too sensual and ended up just doing our own thing in a corner further away from the main commotion.
The music ramped up and the casual dancers were all that remained—It seemed that the city's night workers had all found clients and dispersed.
A smell of smoke and fire filled the plaza, as the festival workers lit the wickerman in the square. The aroma was pleasant, like meat cooking over a campfire.
Around the plaza, the smoke began to stir as a wind started to pick up. Hailey's ruby hair whipped around suddenly, and she turned to me with a look of surprise.
"Airis, what's happening? It's like I can see through you…"
Hailey's voice trailed off as the wind continued to intensify, and all sorts of sounds seemed to be deafen under the roar of the wind. To me, Hailey—and everyone else around—were the ones who were becoming transparent.
I tried to call out to her, but the wind was so loud I couldn't hear my own words.
All at once, the wind stopped and everyone that had been around me vanished completely.
"Well this is certainly going to be a problem."
A silvery voice interrupted the silence and the unmistakable scent of cinnamon stung my nose.
An alabaster-white fox strode within my view, looking up at me with a concerned expression.
"I was just thinking about you earlier. Is this your doing?"
"What reason would I have to whisk you away from your beloved. No, this has nothing to do with me. But I imagine we'll meet the perpetrator in just a moment."
Capricorn's cheeky response was exactly what I'd expected.
"Ah, here we go. You probably want to hold your breath, or tighten your stomach. I honestly don't know what will help, but you're gonna experience some discomfort—"
True to her words, my whole body started to feel ill. My stomach churned and my vision blurred. Our surroundings changed suddenly and I nearly fell over, my legs lost their balance as if I'd been forcefully shifted at a high speed.
Overgrowth and a dense forest were all around us. It reminded me of the groves I'd walked through in Virgo's domain, but more wild. More primal.
A rumbling from the ground emanated up my legs and the trees ahead of us began to part, revealing a massive figure approaching.
Capricorn had shifted out of her foxen form and into her real self, and positioned herself in front of me.
A giant centaur emerged from the treeline, glaring down at us.
Capricorn crossed her arms, and hissed up at the dominating presence. "It's been awhile cousin."
"I am neither your cousin or friend. Part time allegiances of the past don't define my attitude towards trespassers in my realm."
The centaur's voice boomed through the clearing, stirring the trees and shaking their boughs.
"Oh come now, Great Guardian of the Grove, those children of yours that you plucked us from left honor emblems of red and gold the same as my champion. Let us do away with this combative behavior. There must be a pressing matter on your mind to call the two of us here—I know just how excessive the magicka cost is to manifest a mortal through the Aetherial Plane."
The centaur's gaze drifted over Capricorn's shoulders and fell to me. Brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed in deep suspicion.
"Hrmmm." He grumbled. "I had only meant to pull the annoying snake from my garden. Not one of that harpy's little creatures."
He walked towards me, but stopped short in recoil.
His nostrils flared, "This one reeks of your abhorrent magick. You mean to tell me this one is a mortal of the earthen realm? I'd be more likely to believe she was one of your Alaetüs."
I sensed Capricorn tense up just the slightest bit and her body drifted to block me from his view.
"Tch. Have a little shame. You summoned the girl here, whether knowingly or not, so do try not to offend her lest you wish to offend me as well."
"…"
Sagittarius took a few steps back raised his head as a strong gust of wind blew through the grove.
"Just remain silent and patient, little empress. You were not meant to be part of this negotiation. But since you've not been cast out, perhaps he sees something in you worthwhile—try to ignore his poor attitude as best you can."
Capricorn's voice seeped into my ears and I nodded my head, though she wasn't looking at me I was sure she noticed my acknowledgment because she moved away.
"Your stubbornness hasn't mellowed at all. Are you still fighting proxy wars with your brother?"
"My resolve is as strong as ever. The conceited offspring of my brother have ceased their onslaught since the V'alen turned the land underneath their armies into sodden wastelands."