"Get back here you little brat!" A wealthy foreign lord screamed as Dala ran through the streets.

The child was holding a beautiful chalice in her hands and wove between the crowded groups of people. Dala was faster and smaller, making herself harder to catch. She'd been visiting this place called Graylhope where she found this fat ugly noble from some other country about to break a beautiful chalice because it was the wrong color. Dala snatched it from his hands and now was bolting down the streets. The wealthy lord was unable to chase after her but some of the guards were. Dala put the chalice in her infinite purple bag then continued to run.

She turned into an alleyway and hid in one of the crates. The guards entered the alleyway and ran right past her, believing she had gone further ahead. With a smug look, she left the alleyway with her prize safe in the purple bag. A hand reached out and grabbed her. It was the wealthy merchant form earlier, he'd finally caught up! His grip was strong and he held his fist in the air like he was going to hit her. She chomped down on his hand, biting it as hard as she could. He howled with pain and dropped her to see what damage she'd done.

"The little bitch bit me!" The wealthy noble whined.

"I'm about to do a lot worse than that you ugly piece of shit." She declared before jumping on his back and crawling up to his head.

At this point she didn't care if she got caught. The child just wanted to take her wrath out on the idiot who was going to destroy a priceless chalice for nothing! She reached up and began yanking out his hair. The man freaked out and desperately tried to shake her off but her grip was strong. About half the man's hair was gone before he managed to throw her off. Itching for a fight, she drew her dagger and stabbed him in the leg. Nothing fatal but she wanted him to regret being such a douche! Then one of the guards finally caught her and held her high enough to where she couldn't touch the ground.

"That child is a wild beast!" The foreign noble declared.

"You wanna see wild? Come and fight me coward!" Dala shouted back waving a second dagger in his direction, "I bet even a blind deaf homeless man could beat you to a pulp!"

Zora had been in a particularly good mood since she and Tidus decided it was time to give House Amadei and thus Graylhope an heir. As trying to conceive took a great deal of being around each other, she had temporarily moved some of her things from the Bastion to the manor here. She wanted the comforts of home without have to spend nights away from the Lord of Graylhope.

Tidus has given her one more important thing. It was a beautiful shapeshifting large elemental that’s current form was of a magnificent stallion. When she had more time to work with him, he could be taught to transform to anything, even mythic beasts. Zora could imagine herself slicing through the air atop a terrible shadow dragon…

She took in a deep breath of cold, her horse Amirha winding the streets from the church to the manor, when a violent commotion caught her attention. The horse with his streaks of shadows trailing his hooves and his moving smoky mane and tail balked at the scene. Zora gave him a reassuring pat and pulled him up.

She slipped off the horse’s back, her laced up black leather boots hitting the ground. Zora wore equally black leather pants. A black and studded leather cuirass protected her top, the fold of the crimson silk laying beautifully on her sleeves. A thick belt held a dagger and falchion on one side and a whip curled at the other. An ornate medallion of the Amadei house hung around her neck. 

The people around her seemed to take pause and each offered a respectful bow or curtsy. “Speaker of Shadows,” one of them offered, removing his hat. 

“What did she do?”

The startled merchant leapt into response. “She took this chalice, m’lady. She stole it!” A few of the guards mumbled in agreement. 

Zora’s red eyes gleamed with amusement. These idiots had something taken from them by a child and they expected her to blame it solely on the child? No, they were clueless imbeciles to have gotten it stolen in the first play. She sighed. 

“As far as things go in Graylhope, this girl is under my protection.” She tossed a few gold pieces at the merchant. “Now get out of my sight.” She waved him off. 

Finally she turned to the child, a hand running through gleaming red hair. “Who are you? I’m Zora, Speaker of Shadows and Fear and companion to the Lord of Graylhope. What brings you to this humble city? 

When the girl was caught, she believed she'd have to go to jail or worse. Not that it was the first time she'd been caught but this was a different place than Vilpamolan. In that place, they just beat you to a pulp until you managed to escape. But with guards, they could go the beating route or they could just take her stuff, which was significantly worse. Suddenly, a woman showed up and everyone quickly gave her a bow or a curtsy. Still being held up by a guard, Dala couldn't quite do either. So she gave the lady a nod of respect to show she was being respectful. For some reason, Zora declared she was under her protection. The child didn't mind, especially when it helped her get out of trouble and let her still keep the chalice. But…

"I'm Dala, future princess of awesomeness! Nice to meet cha!" Dala declared with confidence, "I'm here to get money and stop idiots like him from throwing precious items away."

The child was wearing a simple tunic and pair of trousers. She hardly looked like any princess but she seemed certain about being a future princess. Hopping onto a low crate so she could be the same height, she looked at the lady closely. This wasn't somebody she was familiar with. Perhaps they met and Dala had forgotten? Nope. Nothing was coming in mind for the kid.

"Why did you help me out back there?" Dala asked eyeing the woman with a hint of suspicion.

She wondered what the lady wanted in exchange. Nothing came for free on the streets and she didn't have that saintly look to be playing the part of kind savior. Maybe she wanted the chalice? Dala clutched her bag carefully.

"I'm not sorry for stealing it." She said, "That merchant can probably afford a thousand of these anyway."

Then again, she probably would have stolen it either way.  Anyone who threw out precious items clearly don't want them.

Ever since Zora and Tidus had begun trying to conceive to start their own family and leave a healthy line of heirs of Tidus’ house, she had an unavoidable and inexplicable soft spot for children. When the girl accounced herself as a future princess, the corners of Zora’s mouth twitched as she tried not to smile too much. “Your highness,” she nodded in respect, choosing to believe the child for now. “You must tell me about what you are destined to rule over.” She stepped forward and placed a gentle guiding hand on her shoulder before realizing guards and people still stood there, watching. “There is nothing to see here, now go back to work.”

People started dispersing but one guard remained. “Lady Zora, Lord Amadei worries for your safety we are merely trying to-” All at once shadows from around them leapt to her fingertips and lashed out as a whip across his face. She had practiced careful restraint and it only left a red mark. “I can take care of myself, I said go.” After a moment of standing there in shock and tenderly touching his face, the guard turned and walked off. No doubt he was a bit embarrassed being disciplined publicly. He would live. 

Zora’s attention turned back to the girl who was suspicious of such generous help. Clearly she wasn’t stupid. “It is not ordinarily in my nature, but you see I am trying to have a baby of my own and it makes me very curious and a bit protective over children.” She shrugged as if it was the best explanation she could give. Her hand rested on her stomach for a moment which as far as she knew was still empty. “I suppose I think that if you were my daughter I wouldn’t want someone imprisoning you or cutting off your hand for a chalice.”

Dala was right, the merchant could afford many of those. He likely already had them. Graylhope was a mining district and thus the merchants were heavily endowed with wealth. “I don’t expect you to be sorry nor would I want you to be. It would make you far less interesting.” She smiled down at her and guided her around to several market booths as she picked a few things. Amirah followed them, his hooves practically soundless as he was made of shadow. 

“Do you need help getting what you came here for? I would be happy to help you. And what do you do about protecting yourself?” Zora absently fiddled with a pointed dagger, dancing it around and flipping it in her hands. “And who are you parents? Why do you wander?” 

When she cracked her whip across the man's face, Dala didn't flinch or even looked alarmed. She just glanced at the weapon for a few moments before continuing her conversation with the stranger. If she wanted to be afraid, then she aught to have done it when she was much younger. Violence was familiar to her as she'd been both a cause and receiver.

"I guess that makes sense." Dala commented at Zora's explanation.

The child wasn't sure she was entirely convinced but she understood one thing, if the woman wanted to hurt her she would have. Deciding to trust this Lady Zora, she followed the woman through the market place. Zora was one of the few adults who didn't attempt to scold her behavior. Perhaps on some level, the lady understood. Or maybe she was just bored? Dala took out the chalice and had a good look at it. The chalice was made of white marbel and had a magical aura surrounding it. The front of the chalice had an emblem of scales etched into it.

"The chalice is special. See the scales and magical aura? Anyone who drinks from it has to tell the truth." Dala explained as she showed Zora her treasure before quickly putting it away, "It'll be useful for the future."

The market was filled with life. People bargaining for items, the sounds of shop sellers shouting their prices, and the distinct scent of caramel apples lingered in the air. Dala's serious expression changed to a confident smile.

"I've been practicing with my daggers." She said, "Still working on stabbing things but I think I'm getting better. The dagger doesn't slip out of my hand when I strike anymore."

She took a caramel apple from one of the stalls without the merchant knowing but she did leave behind a couple of silver coins. He was busy dealing with an angry customer who wanted their money back for a broken apple. Taking off the wrapping, she took a big bite.

"Mah pawen?" She asked before swallowing her food, "My mom's name is Ria and my dad is Raith. They're at the temple. And I wander to get some money. Kingdoms not gonna build itself you know? Can't do that if I'm locked inside."

Her face was covered in caramel and her hands were sticky. But she looked happy, despite being on her own. Dala wasn't too worried about mentioning her parents' names. There were billions of people in the world so she doubted Zora's first thought was going to jump to a god and his wife. Besides, the child didn't exactly look the part of anybody important, which was part of the reason she wore simple clothes when on her own.

"What about you? You mentioned you were the consort of shadows and fear speaker to Graylhope?" Dala asked, trying to remember to official title.

Graylhope’s market while much smaller than the bigger city ones still held quite a bit of trade and business. Zora had watched it grow from nearly nothing when she first came here to the boning and bustling place of business it now was after trade had been established with the church of shadows and fear. They were given much better prices for their loyal briskness and paid extra for not supplying the Gods enemies. It also brought it more workers and their families which helped build up not only the town itself but its economy. For a moment Zora was lost in the pride of her work. 

Her attention was brought back to Dala when she realized the girl was speaking to her. Zora eyed the chalice’s details and could sense some form of magic seeping from it, though it was very subtle. “That will be a handy item to have in the future. Take care of it and I wouldn’t advise flashing it around any towns. Scavenging thieves have slit throats for far less than a chalice of this nature. It’s power could be very useful in the right hands and used in the right way.” She had half a mind to take it herself to keep the girl out of trouble but decided it was better made a learning opportunity. 

Zora had noticed the girl slip an apple and leave some silver pieces. The girl was clearly clever and knew how to take advantage of the circumstances she was dealt. “Do you have anyone teaching you or are you waving a blade around and hoping for the best?” She smirked at the girl, the tips of her fangs gleaming from behind her lips. “If you are indeed the princess of something you really need a proper teacher. You will need to learn geography and the various territories and the important things about them.” 

The vaewolf was just wondering what king and queen her parents could be that the child seemed to have no appropriate tutors when the girl answered that her parents Raith and Risa. While the mother’s name was lost on her the father’s was not. Zora had been set to establish relationships for Nemesis with the other Gods and Raith had been one of the first, though she had only yet dealt with Syn. “You are the daughter to Wrath and Heavens? That makes it even more puzzling…”

She thought for a moment, a finger tapping absently along the line of her jaw. “I would be more than happy to teach you several martial art forms with blades. I also have skill in magic if you too are gifted in the arts.” It was an exciting prospect. Admittedly she was not totally doing it for the girls benefit or out of the kindness of her heart. Raith was notoriously hard to get close to. Perhaps if she were training his daughter, she would have better chances. “And of course I am open to teach you ways of nobility and land and kingdoms of need be.”

Zora sheathed the dagger back in its place at her side. “How do you go about acquiring money?” They took a brief stop at a place selling spirits and she got herself what appeared to be a normal glass of red wine. Most people wouldn’t know or suspect that there was a healthy amount of blood mixed in it. It was a treat for people like her. She took a sip and let out a quiet sigh of satisfaction. She would need to hunt and feed sometime soon. 

“I am the consort of Tidus Amadei, Lord of Graylhope. I also am the champion of the God of Darkness and Fear.” She clarified. “In fact ensnaring and building up Graylhope was my first and quite likely my favorite and most successful venture yet.” She smiled. If it hadn’t been for his work, she wouldn’t be in the thick of it with Tidus, trying to fall pregnant with an heir for his family line. She wouldn’t be in love and deeply adored in turn. 

Amirah snorted and bucked his head, letting Zora know he was hungry. “Come. The manor isn’t far from here. Amirah is hungry and we can discuss what you need to learn.”

She froze when Syn stated that she was the daughter to Wrath and Heavens.

"Was it that obvious? I hoped dropping his title would've been enough." Dala let out a sigh before relaxing, "Well it's only natural you'd know them! Both my mom and my dad are super cool! As for teachers, I do have some for learning about leadership and etiquette. My dad sometimes teaches me a bit on fighting but he's usually busy. A court doesn't rule itself ya know!"

The child had a loving pride of her father and her mother, always looking up to them as examples. Her father was strong and dependable while her mother was kind and thoughtful. They were her foundation and her closest friends. Suddenly, Syn offered up to teach her how to fight with her daggers and offered her a magic lesson. She paused for a moment, thinking before smiling.

"You mean it! That would be so cool! I'd be like an assassin." She said performing pose that looked like she was about to strike, "Or a ninja! A NINJA PRINCESS!"

She then jumped into a pose that was supposed to mimic a ninja. It was just her crossing her arms and holding up her hands in a way. Zora then asked about how she acquired money.

"I deliver stuff, hunt for alchemy ingredients, or sometimes its just selling stolen stuff." Dala explained.

The child listened as Zora clarified, trying to remember all the details of her long title. The fact that the town was bustling with action proved she was a worthy teacher. But even so, leaving to go to someone's manor wasn't the smartest decision. Yet Dala was eager to learn and had a secret ace up her sleeve in case things turned sour. Turning to the woman, she gave her a big thumbs up.

"Well lets not keep the poor thing starving!" She exclaimed, "To the manor!"

She began walking off in a direction then paused, realizing she didn't know where she was going, then walked back to Zora.

"I'll let you lead! Its polite!" Dala declared, trying to cover her little error.

Raith was, unfortunately for the girl, very recognizable even without the title tacked on. Or perhaps it was fortunate. Not many would cross the God of Wrath unless it was for really good reason. She may not have realized it yet, but Dala could have found herself the perfect shield from any danger. While yes she wandered on her own, Gods’ powers were limitless. Zora had no doubt that if the situation with the chalice had escalated that Raith would have made himself known. Lucky for him Zora had been there so he could save himself the trip. 

“Yes I doubt you could find anyone who wouldn’t recognize the name. Though it is more likely to come to someone’s mind when they find themselves working for a God.” She shrugged and patted Amirah’s surprisingly solid body for his smoky appearance. 

The girl was much more floored by the offer for blade training than even Zora had anticipated. This would prove interesting as she was obviously not a girl with completely ordinary interests. Of course it would have been boring if she had been ordinary. “Something like a ninja princess, yes,” she cracked a smile. “We will think of a better title though.” If she was going to make the girl into something to be feared, she would need a proper fear inducing title. 

Zora tried to imagine herself letting her future child run around throughout Revaliir with no guard and no companion. While she didn’t think badly of Raith and aria for it, as there were many ways to raise a child, she didn’t think she would be that type of parent. The vaewolf would be far too fearful of something happening to her child. She and Tidus were not gods and thus were not quite as feared, no matter their relation to one of them. 

The redhead chuckled when Dala started heading in the direction opposite the manor before the girl realized she had no idea where she was going. Stifling a laugh, Zora nodded her head in the opposite direction and they set off down the main road before turning up a long drive.

The house was large and multistory with beautiful and dark architecture. Two large iron doors marked the main entrance. They bypassed them and walked around back where she passed Amirah off to a stable hand. They had been skittish of the elemental at first but the more he continued to behave like a normal horse the more they grew accustomed to caring for him. 

Zora lead them through a much smaller wooden door in the back which opened into a large and mostly quiet kitchen. The vaewolf hunter her own prey and Tidus has blood letters so cooking only occurred when there were guests.

She brought them downstairs to a spacious stone walled room with weapons hanging from the walls and lining wooden racks. “Take your pick then and let’s see what you’ve got.” With a flick of her hand, her dress melted into shadows and was replaced by leather breeches and boots and deep wine tunic. Zora took a dagger in her left hand and a falchion in her right and set her feet into a defensive stance, her weight shifting slowly from the ball of one foot to another. 

The manor was large and had beautiful architecture, something Dala paid a lot of attention to. Her princess lessons over city building led her to realize how important architecture was for not only the citizens but for any strangers who came to town. Two large iron doors opened and they stopped at a stable hand who took care of the beautiful Amirah. After going through a much smaller door, they entered a large kitchen. The cauldrons were clean and the tools showed no cracks nor age, indicating the kitchen wasn't used often. They went downstairs where a stone wall was decorated in a manner of weapons from the walls. There were so many fancy items to use. But instead of selecting any of them, she reached into her purple bag and put on a ring on her finger. A safety net of sorts, in case something went wrong.

The child then unsheathed her own daggers, choosing to use them instead. The weapons on the wall were cool looking but the child wanted to use something she had available at all times. No point in getting used to a weapon she didn't use everyday. When Dala looked back, Zora was already dressed for the battle and had gotten into a defensive stance. The child was unfamiliar with attacking, as she normally was on the defensive. But she knew beginner basics. How to stand was one of them. She kept her weight on the balls of her feet, never staying stationary. Her eyes met Zora's, not looking anywhere else.

Her first attack was basic. Just a simple left to right strike with her daggers, but her form was excellent. She'd clearly practiced the basics, she just lacked any information beyond the first lessons. Her grip on the daggers weren't too tight and weren't too relaxed. Her feet were quick, ready to dash back to avoid a counter attack. But she stepped back quickly, not really knowing what to do next. Normally she just ran from fights or attacked when the opponent wasn't prepared. Or her movements were defensive.

"So um….now what am I supposed to do as an attacker?" She asked.