Rolling up the parchment he carried in his hands and tucking it back into his belt, Bryar glanced at his surroundings.  Everything around him seemed to be glittering, but he found himself unsure if that was actually what was taking place, or if it was due to his lack of hydration on his journey.  He had managed to make it to Sularia and past the gates - the two guards seemed to eye him like a starving man would eye a piece of meat.  After they had verified that the parchment he carried was indeed an invitation for him to enter the city, they had let him pass without incident, for which he was grateful.  He had travelled quite light on the journey, only bringing his bow with him.  The Harena Desert was not known for being overly hostile, therefore he did not feel the need to arm himself for his journey.

He had received a parchment by courier not long ago, requesting his presence at the Yellow Court in Sularia.  Other than knowing that the land was home to the Rosenites, he did not know much about the area.  He had mostly hung in and around Adeluna for the greater part of his life, escaping to the forest outside of the city to shift and hunt.  The message gave no word of what his presence was requested for other than for some sort of job - he assumed it was either an intel gathering operation, or mercenary work - protection, things like that.

Bryar paused, running a hand through his hair, and his beard.  If I’m going to stay here much longer, I’m going to have to shave this off, he thought to himself, and nearly laughed aloud.  Shifting into a bear, for some reason, made him quite apt to grow a beard - even if he were to be clean shaven, by the next time he were to shift, the beard would be back in full force.  

He glanced about the area, and found himself walking on a brightly colored path into what he assumed was the city’s marketplace.  He contented himself with the first stall he saw - a vendor selling scarves and flowers of matching colors, all the hues of the rainbow.  The woman - clearly a Rosenite - selling the wares, eyed him much in the same manner in which the guards had when he had first entered the city.  He gave her a smile, which he clearly noticed was the wrong reaction, as her demeanor became even more charge towards him.  Politely, he bowed away from the stall, instead walking slowly about and wandering the area while slowly making his way towards the city center, where he could make out a grand castle.  The message gave him no specific place to travel to, so he assumed the castle would be a good starting point.

As he walked, he came to one very obvious conclusion - male specimens were a rarity in this place, and it would explain why the women seemed to be looking at him in such a hungry fashion.  He pulled the parchment from his belt and eyed it again, to be sure the he was not missing any details - and it seemed that he was not.  I wonder if the castle is even where I should go, he thought to himself, stopping near a fountain with a statue of a mother and child to take a moment before venturing further in.

“She’s getting older and we can’t just keep her locked up.” Lily sat in her chair and looked towards her other sisters. “What I propose hat we hire someone who can look after her and show her the outside world. She may be a queen but she will only be as good as what she knows. We held her back in the shadows to protect her.” Standing up the blonde put her hands on the table. “I will find a good person to accompany here and invite him to the Oasis.”

Moving from the table with barely any objections from her sister she set forth to find the perfect partner for the young queen. She sent her scouts out and finally someone caught her eye. A werebear from Adeluna. She scrolled a letter and invited him to the oasis, he would be perfect and the Queen of the Black Court would be protected.

That day when he arrived she was working on washing the holy herbal water over her half demon daughter. Lily’s green eyes looked on with pity as she thought about what would become of her daughter Nymphaea. “My lady, he is here.” One of her manor helpers came to tell her and quickly she departed from the manor.

Her body was adorned in a vibrant yellow dress. It was craftsmanship of the royals certainly on her frame. Her long blonde hair went down her back towards her hips. She found her way to the bazaar and breathed deeply as her eyes laid on him. “Sir Bryar, I am glad to see that you have made it to our humble city.” Humble? Right, but he would learn soon enough. 

“We should move to the castle so we can talk about why you are here.” Quickly she grabbed him and navigated the streets quickly. “You do not breath a word about why you are here once we give you this mission. It is very important to our society and if you should take this job you would be responsible for the lives of many people all through one.” 

They made it to the tall castle walls and she took him to a meeting room. They were by themselves. Servants were quick to bring wine and snacks as they discussed just what was going on. “I’m sorry that I had to rush you here.”

When Bryar heard his name spoken, he abruptly turned around to face she who had addressed him.  He immediately lowered himself to one knee, as he could tell that the woman definitely held status within her society.  “M’lady, I presume you Queen Lily?” he asked, respectfully.  He could only assume that this was Lily, Queen of the Yellow Court, as the courier’s message had explained.  He stood back up, giving her a smile.  “I made it without incident, of course,” he said.  “And please, I am no Knight… Sir is not a title for me,” he said.  He was one for titles, as it were, but did not want to be called one that he had not earned.

When she grabbed him in an effort to get moving to the castle, he obliged quickly and followed her without rebellion.  “I understand,” he said, as she told him not to speak of the mission that he was going to be granted.  It certainly sounded important from the way that she made it sound.  He now understood why the message that had been delivered to him had been so vague.  “Your people are great and your history rich - I will do nothing to bring any sort of strain to Sularia,” he said, in a tone that indicated he was honest and truthful.

When the two finally reached the castle and entered a meeting room, he was glad to see that the servants brought snacks and wine, eagerly pouring himself a glass.  “Forgive my immodesty,” he said, as he filled his cup.  “The trip through Harena was very long, and dry, for me,” he said.  “I was a fool and did not count the amount of canteens of water to bring with me on my journey correctly, so I find myself quite thirsty.”  He took a long drink and glanced back to Lily.  “And please, no apology is needed.  Sometimes, secrecy is needed for many reasons - and I trust that you are not one to request secrecy when it is not absolutely necessary.”  He grew quiet for a moment, and took another drink of his wine.  “So, what is it that I, Bryar Oakenfell of Adeluna, can do for the beautiful Rosenites of Arri?” he asked, his subconscious charm working overtime.

“Aye, that I would be.” She quick to answer him as they made their introductions. “I’m afraid saying Sir is just apart of our Court training as nobles.” She offered him a kind smile. Before long they running in the streets of Arri getting to the castle so that they may talk more. She smiled at him and nodded. “Good, otherwise I would certainly be in much trouble with my sisters.”

Finally they got to the meeting room and she gave him a sigh and smile. “You are fine. We have fed and housed many that have come through the sands. You would not be the first man to drink much one he arrived.” She sat down across the table from him and took a sip of her wine. It was sweet but not as much as Angela’s wine tended to be. “You would be correct. Trying to keep a secret around here is like tossing an egg at a wall and wanting it not to crack.”

A sigh left her lips as she finished her glass at the mention of how unreliable some Rosenites could be. “I called you here today as a favor to my sisters and someone very important to us. I want to hire you full time as an escort.” She crossed her arms and thought about how best to go about it.

“As you know, we recently crowned a new Queen of the Black Court. Unfortunately due to circumstances we’ve been very private at who she is. When my sister was pregnant last we ripped the child from her arm s because we knew she would just kill the poor thing. Instead we raised her as the replacement. This has led to the poor thing being cooped up in this castle for the last twenty years. I would like you to show her the world and protect her from those who would kill her. She needs someone who can do those things for her.”

Refilling her glass she took another sip. “She doesn’t know the world or the horrors in it… She is purely innocent.”

Bryar listened intently to Lily as she spoke.  “If it is habit, then I suppose it is fine - I just did not want you to have the idea that I was something I was not,” he said, in response to her explanation as to why she referred to him as sir.  “And thank you for your understanding,” he said, grabbing a small piece of dried meat from one of the trays that the servants had brought in.  

He let out a chuckle at the analogy Lily offered of an egg and a wall.  “I would assume the consequences of such an action would be… less than favorable,” he said, smiling.  “I can assure you, I will practice the utmost precaution and silence whenever necessary,” he added.  

He took another long drink from his cup, and set it down on the table in front of him, listening carefully as she explained what she had requested his presence for.  It sounded simple enough - a simple protection job - but his eyes began to widen the more she explained.  A young girl, who had never been out in the world?  He would have his work cut out for him.  

After she finished explaining, he gave her a solemn nod.  “If this is the task you wish of me, then this is the task I will take on,” he said, his voice strong.  “Is the girl aware that you are seeking an escort for her, so she can leave the castle?” he asked.  He remembered how awful it had been to be cooped up when he had first begun to shift, and had needed to go into hiding to keep himself from harming others until he had learned to keep it under control.  “I can imagine it will be quite the change for her,” he added.

She is completely innocent.  Lily’s words echoed in Bryar’s mind.  He thought of himself as being a fairly good person, having never committed a crime intentionally, nor never planning on acts of violence unless absolutely necessary - but this girl would have none of these experiences, or even the thought of committing such an atrocity.  “When will I meet the girl?” he asked, hoping he would be allowed a chance to at least meet her before having to take her out into the world.

Thinking on it for a moment she chuckled before shaking her head. “It would be devastating. Most likely the one we are trying to protect would end up hurt.” Finally they entered the long explanation of just what his job would be. She was excited to hear that he would take on the job. The excitement was in her eyes as she stood up.

“This is the true reason that I have called you.” Thinking on Kirika once more she shook her head. “She is not, if she knew she would probably have screamed with so much joy that I would have to knock her out.” Lily laughed a bit more as she thought about the change in her life. 

“Now, you will meet her now. We had to have a special necklace crafted so demonic energies stay away from her.” Taking out the necklace she handed it to Bryar. It was a black rose necklace with a small red cross carved in it. “You’ll see the precautions we had to take to protect her just from the demonic curse that her mother incurred on their family.” 

Lily took Bryar’s arm and took him upstairs through the long hallway. There was a door with charms on it and a holy lantern lit up. Knocking on the door Lily stepped back. “Kirika are you there? I have someone I want you to meet.”

Some movement happened in the room and the door opened up a little. Blue eyes like ice stared out at them with pale skin. Her long black curls were about her hips as she opened the door fully. “Who is this?” Kirika had never been use to meeting new people.

“This is Bryar, and dear try not to get excited, he is here to help you. He will take you out into the world.” Kirika’s eyes lit up and she almost screamed. The girl was in an off shoulder white top and long black skirt. 

“You really mean it? I can leave?”

“Only if it’s safe and when Bryar says. It’s still very dangerous for you my dear.” Lily smiled up at Bryar. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I hope you both can get along.”

“Of course Aunt Lily!” She jumped onto her aunt for a hug and smiled at Bryar. “Can we please go outside? I have a bird I want to let out.” She ran into her room and back out with a bird who had it’s wing wrapped up. “I think he’s all better but I’m not sure.”

“I will not allow that to happen,” Bryar responded as Lily mentioned who would end up hurt in such a situation.  He was glad to see that his would-be employer seemed excited by the prospect of him accepting the job he was being offered.  “You have my honor as an Oakenfell - though I do not know how much weight those words hold,” he said, with a bit of a laugh.  “Let me rephrase - you have my honor as a man,” he added, his voice low and serious, but his eyes full of charm.  “I promise that I will do everything in my power not to fail you, or your people.”  It seemed that Bryar had a penchant for the dramatic, without being overbearing.

He chuckled as Lily described how Kirika was not familiar with the fact that she would be allowed to leave the castle.  “I suppose she will be thrilled,” he said.  “But that could also be dangerous.  I will have to make sure she does not overdo it,” he said, and there was a promise to his words that he would protect her.  He may not have met the girl yet, but Bryar was one to keep his word, no matter how small or how great the task.

Bryar reached out and took the intricately crafted necklace that Lily handed to him.  “I assume she is to wear this at all times?” he asked.  He pocketed the piece, planning on giving it to the girl before they exited the castle grounds.  He raised his eyebrows slightly at the term ‘demonic curse,’ and sighed.  “Sounds like this girl has a lot of baggage that comes with her,” he quipped, though it was clear that it did not actually bother him.  

He allowed himself to be led by Lily, until the two reached a door that seemed to be inscribed with some warding spells, as well as coupled by a lantern burning holy fire.  He stepped back, straightening up and running a hand through his longish, dark brown hair to smooth it down, attempting to look presentable to meet this girl.

When Kirika answered the door, Bryar gave her a respectful bow.  After Lily introduced him and Kirika made a bit of a scene about her excitement - as was to be expected - he could not help but chuckle a little bit.  He said nothing while the two finished their exchanges, instead taking a moment to process the girl who’s life he had just been entrusted with.  She looked young - not too much younger than he was - and beautiful, and he found himself realizing that demonic forces were not likely the only thing that would cause the two of them trouble in their travels.  

After Kirika had embraced her aunt, she questioned Bryar as to whether they could go immediately to let the bird out.  He shook his head, smiling still, and hoped that Kirka would understand.  “We can, soon,” he said.  “But I think that you and I should talk, for a bit, at least.  I can’t very well venture out into the world and protect a girl that I barely know, can I?” he asked.  He found himself feeling proud for how gentlemanly he was with the girl, as she was very beautiful - and it had been a long time since he had been in the company of a woman.  “I’m sure the bird can wait just a bit longer - but let us converse for a moment.  I have been told a bit about you, m’lady, but I would venture to guess you would like to know some things about me before we head out together.”  He paused for a moment, and continued speaking.  “Please - what would you like to know about me?  I will answer anything,” he said, smiling warmly at her.  

Lily tilted her head and nodded. “Very good, I’m glad to have someone we can count on that is outside of the family.” Watching the necklace she nodded. “Aye, it is enchanted by some very powerful magic to keep demons out of her head. I figured it would be best if you said it was a gift from yourself. It might just break the ice for the two of you.”

Thinking about Kirika’s baggage Lily frowned. “Poor thing never deserved this done to her. You’ll find out soon enough I suppose, but lets just say she was born into the baggage.” True enough if one were to have met Cyprus they would have understood everyone’s fears.

Finally the moment came when he was to meet Kirika and like Lily had hoped Kirika was excited for a chance of fresh air away from her balcony. Already Kirika had the small bird her hands, it was calm around her as her thumb softly stroked its body. A frown came to her lips as he said later but she understood that there was a time and place for everything. “Soon little one,” she whispered to the bird gently before returning it to the cage in her room. “You may come in.”

Her bedroom was a mess, but that did not surprise anyone. It had books all laid out with pages flipped to pictures of the world around her. Images of Egjora all the way to Abed were open and colorful. Canvas and paints were laid out and it appeared like she was trying to capture their life into the weave of the canvas without going there. “Sorry for the mess.” She closed some of the books and moved enough for them to sit.

Lily smiled and left them be now that she had done her part. “I do have questions! Lots! You are from outside of Sularia, I can tell.” Her blue eyes sparkled and she laughed. “What’s it like? Do you have a family? What are they like? What do you do outside of this place? What did you do before you came here? Do you know how to read? What is your favorite thing to read.” She spoke fast and suddenly blushed and put her hand to her lips.

“I’m sorry.. it’s just I’ve never met anyone outside of the castle before.”

Upon Kirika’s invitation, Bryar stepped into her room.  He smiled at her, glancing around and taking in his surroundings.  Her room was a disaster, but he could not blame the girl.  Having not been allowed to exit the castle must have meant that she spent the majority, if not all, of her time in her room.  He could see the various books and art supplies strewn about the room.  “Please, m’lady.  Do not apologize for the clutter.  It is clear that you have a creative mind and you must find ways to express that,” he said, sitting down when a place had been cleared for him.  “I can imagine being penned up for so long would make that very important,” he added.

Bryar audibly chuckled as Kirika began to question him so profusely.  “Please, m’lady, do slow down.  I will answer all of your questions, of course, but you must allow me time to answer them,” he said, the charm ever apparent in the smile that crossed his lips.  “I am not from Sularia,” he said.  “You are correct.  I am Bryar Oakenfell, and I hail from Adeluna,” he added.  “I do have a family, though I am not entirely close with them,” he added.  The tone of his voice gave way to the fact that this did not bother him - when his family had found out he had inherited the shifting gene of his ancestors, they had shunned him, locking him away to face his transition on his own.  “They… were not overly accepting of who I am,” he added.  “I work various jobs, such as what I will be doing with you… and yes, I know how to read - though I will not say that I have a favorite.  Perhaps you can recommend something for me,” he added, again with the charming smile.  He noticed the blush on her cheeks and reached out to place a hand on her arm and pull her hand away from her face.  “No need for embarrassment,” he said, with a grin.  “If I were about to venture out into the world for the first time, I would very much want to know everything I could about the fellow taking me,” he said, with an air of understanding.  He looked her over for a moment - she was very beautiful, but he immediately shook the thought from his mind, running a hand through his hair once more.  He was entrusted with protecting her - and looking at her in any standpoint other than that would be unprofessional, especially if it came unwarranted.  

“I can tell you one very interesting thing about myself,” he said.  “I am a shifter,” he said.  “A werebear, to be precise,” he said.  “I am in complete control of it, now, so there is no need for you to worry about it - but I feel that it is a piece of information you should be well apprised of.”  He gave her a warm smile, hoping that the information was not frightening to her.  He had no intentions of hiding anything from the girl he was entrusted with protecting.  “Are you familiar with shifters?” he asked, assuming that she would be since she seemed to be quite well read.

Kirika gave him a warm smile as he told her it was alright. “I want to leave this place someday. I want to leave and see the whole world. I’ve been taking lessons on the languages of Revaliir so I can! Every since I was young I’ve been studying the different cultures. I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave so long as there were threats.” There was a glimmer of sadness in her icy eyes.

Thinking on everything he said to her all she could do was give him a sad smile in return. “Your parents sound like my mother.” She reached out with a slight hesitation. “Let me show you my only memory.” Her soft pale fingertip touched his forehead as she engulfed the two of them in her decade old memory.

She was small and surprisingly outside. It was the courtyard and it looked just as vibrant as it had when Bryar was brought to the castle. A young Kirika with hair touching her bottom in ringlets was playing with a ball. It looked like it came from one of the kingdoms in Parvpora, with its colorful designs. Still she was alone as she played. She bounced it off the trees and the last time she bounced it… The ball flew away from her.

Her bare feet beat against the cobblestone walkway as she laughed and chased the ball like a kitten. Though her joy was taken from her as a woman, who was taller than Lily had been, with long dark hair and red eyes like blood picked up her ball. There was hatred and the look of murder in the woman’s eyes as she crushed the ball in her hands. The young Kirika tilted her head and stared at the woman before being picked up by a woman with white hair.

“You aren’t welcomed here.”

“That child isn’t welcomed in life but you didn’t follow that well at all.”

“Leave now.” There was venom dripping from the white haired woman’s lips as she cradled Kirika in her arms.

“Mama why do you hate me?” It shocked the two women as Kirika had never even knew who her mother was. She knew the stories though and she was smart for her age.

“Because you are a mistake.” The woman left and the white haired one set her down and stroked Kirika’s hair.

“Don’t you listen to her. She hates you because you are pure and everything she wants for herself.” Kirika listened to her as she peeked over the shoulder to see if her mother was still there.

“I just think she is sad and hurting… Can’t I make her better?”

The woman laughed and shook her head. “If everything was that simple child… Wars wouldn’t happen and everything would be right with the world.” Young Kirika frowned and nodded before being carried off to the castle for the last time.

–
The visioned ended and Kirika frowned a bit. “She was right. There is no way to fix a woman without a heart. Years later a war would break out and my aunt would rip her heart out. It’s one thing to hurt your own children but its another to start a war with a goddess. I have siblings but I don’t know much about them other than Eldora who comes to visit but she hates my mother as much as the next person.”

When it came to the part about the shifters she cheered up. “To answer your question, I’ve heard it’s a lot like being a werewolf. I have several cousins who are half werewolves. They come to visit from time to time if they are allowed to! I’ve not ever seen a werebear before though.” She gave him a smile. “Anything that you would like to know about me?”