Chapter Text
There was war.
Initially, Faria hadn’t thought much about it. It started as a pretty small conflict, with mercenaries invading from the coast. Nothing the cavalry or even the army couldn’t handle. But then somehow, the mercenaries made contact with the Star of Nagran; joining forces, brainwashing countless more people into following them and betraying La Orr Empire.
Now, fourteen months of war later, Faria scoffed at her past self’s thoughts. Big parts of the army were destroyed, the cavalry was overworked and at their limits. Faria tried to keep the Empire from falling apart to her best, while Kishiar, Keilusa and all the others fought at the front to survive.
… Faria sighed. This whole situation had stressed her entirely too much. Now, she was going to take a nice take, for example in the garden. Or the library. Yes, the library, with its smell of parchment and ink would be the ideal place.
The stressed empress strolled through the pathways between shelves, venturing farther and farther into the library. She realized she had never been in this section before. Looking around, the books’ titles intrigued her […Title…] And then, she saw it.
And almost iridescent tome, hidden away in a corner, with a title written in an unrecognizable language. Faria didn't know what it exactly was, but there was something quietly but surely pulling her towards it. Curious, she opened it.
The pages were filled with beautiful illustrations of the Airic mountains, plants growing there, and secret spots, describing a peaceful picture. On the very last page, it all turned. It showed a stone, the sky flaming red. Faria had seen that before, on the day the first people awakened. But how could a book show something like this, looking as if it had existed for a thousand years or more? At least judging by the incredibly thick layers of dust, nobody had come here for a long time.
The air seemed to vibrate with energy. Faria looked up in alarm, bracing herself, but there was nothing. At least not visible. She waited a bit more, and when still nothing happened, she relaxed. Shrugging, the empress took the book back to her living quarters, oblivious to the pair of dark violet eyes following her, glittering like (violet) sapphires in the dark.
-
When she arrived in her chambers, Faria went straight back to work. There were countless battlefield casualties, and reports to keep the empire intact. Then, she saw a cat on her desk. Right in front of her paperwork. Was she hallucinating from exhaustion?
Faria blinked. Once, twice, thrice. The cat was still there, unflinchingly staring at her. Its sleek black fur shone in the evening sun, like uncut onyx in a jewelry shop. Then it nudged a parchment towards her, one she was searching for HOURS now, even before her little trip to the library.
“Well little one? Where did you find this?” she asked gently. “Thank you for your help :)”
Yes, apparently she was indeed going insane, talking to a cat - a very cute cat but that's not the point - like a person. A human.
“It was under the shelf.” A male voice answered in a whisper. Faria whipped her head up. Where did that come from? She didn't see anyone near, except for the cat sitting in front of her. That was…apparently talking. “I saw you staring at your parchment for twenty minutes straight. So I thought you could use some help.” the cat answered (helpfully). That was the last thing Faria heard before passing out. Before it went dark, she thought to herself that the young man worriedly hurrying to her was pretty cute.
-
Yuder stared down on Faria worringly. She hit her head pretty hard on the table before he could catch her, and he could already see a bruise forming on her forehead.
It overshadowed his excitement at seeing her again, after almost 700 years…
When he was first called from the book, Yuder almost didn´t believe his eyes seeing Faria. Did that mean Keilusa and Katchian and the others were also out there? The cavalry?…Kishiar? He didn´t want to get his hopes up, just for them to be crushed again. Until Yuder confirmed anything, he would simply be content to watch.
Speaking of that, could he even trust his gut that she really was the same person? Besides appearance and name, of course. Yuder would have to observe, and learn for the next days if her personality was still the same.