Anemone sat at his desk, letter in hand. He had received a messenger's report that Leacus had sent a letter to the palace.
The advisor couldn't wait any longer as he ripped the letter open, anxiously reading its contents. It had been almost a month since King Ceremus' departure from the country, and Anemone hadn't heard a single word from the man since then. He couldn't help thinking the worst of their voyage when he didn't hear anything for the past three weeks.
He hoped that everything was going well, and that the king was not out there creating any more enemies.
The letter was straight to the point. "We've arrived at Leacus, defeated the Sphinx and received the shield of righteousness and the sword of justice. We should be back in Trojas in a month's time. Try not to burn the country to the ground until my arrival. Signed, Ceremus."
Anemone stared at the letter blankly for a moment. "…Wait, that's it?!" He exclaimed.
Zazel, the official who had received the letter from the messenger, nodded his head. "That's all I received from Lord Anemone." He said.
The advisor scoffed. "Ha, why am I not surprised?" He said, shaking his head.
The official shared the same sentiments but said nothing. "Alright then, be on the lookout for any more letters." He told him before dismissing him.
Anemone sat there in deep contemplation as the words from the letter resonated in his mind. Since they hadn't received anything more than it meant that the king had caused no trouble, which was good.
"But I'm surprised we received the shield and sword." He said to himself.
People throughout the continent knew the weapon, as it was reputed to belong to a famous hero from the past.
Its golden shield and gladius were used during the battle against the giants and were said to cut through anything, it could even pierce through the skin of a god. Other legends say that the weapon was actually a gift given to the hero by the gods for contributing to the war. Regardless of the version, people always described the weapon as powerful and divine.
No one knew how the Leacus Kingdom acquired the shield and sword, but it was a highly coveted item, and Anemone was surprised that King Aeson, known for his greed, willingly relinquished it. And hand it over to Ceremus no less.
"Just how good of a job did he do?"
Whatever the reason, the advisor was grateful things went well, and that they were on their way back.
"Since the journey was a success, we will have to prepare a big celebration upon their return." He thought to himself.
He didn't waste any time, as he called the head servant and made sure to start the preparations for the celebration, making sure to invite as many people as possible to welcome their king's return.
At the same time, Anthanasia had also received a letter from Hael and was excited to read what was inside.
Dear Anthanasia,
I hope this letter finds you well. As promised, I've written a letter narrating the events that have occurred over the past three weeks. As you may already know, it was my first time getting to be on a boat, sailing along the beautiful waters of Trojas as well as the Leacus' sea. It was a fascinating experience in the beginning, but I quickly realized that sea travel is not for me. I much prefer traveling on land than I do by water.
Besides the ship—which is a magnificent vessel, by the way, we got to stop by a few islands along the way. We anchored onto an island that only had women, a big surprise but an interesting find, nonetheless. We got to fight some giants, and the Village Head was gracious enough to provide lodging for us.
After that, we visited an island owned by a kind but frail blind man where we found out that he has been unable to have a proper meal for years now. Harpies have been snatching away his food, and the old man has been unable to do anything about his cruel fate. So, of course, I put it upon myself to destroy those accursed beings who were targeting an innocent man.
We got to enjoy a lovely feast after that, and I got to find out that Loki is able to grow five times his original size! You cannot even imagine how shocked I was to see it. We got to ride on his back!
After that, we sailed once more, stopping by a few more small islands before finally arriving in Leacus. It was unlike anything I expected. Trojas boasted beautiful green forests, in contrast to Leacus's endless beige sands and sea. It had vast bodies of sky blue waters and a warm climate. The people there were all pleasant, kind, cultured, and friendly-looking.
Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to rest much as we had to fight the Sphinx—a creature unlike anything I had ever seen. But I was not worried about whether we could defeat it since I had His Majesty by my side. Together we slayed the monster and saved the people of Leacus. As a reward, we received the shield of righteousness and the sword of justice.
Things have been a little more peaceful since then, touring the wonderful city and getting to taste all the delicious food that was available to us. But of course, since our objective has been completed, His Majesty wished to leave the country as soon as possible. As I'm writing this, we are back on the ship, on our way to Trojas.
We should be back within a month's time. I hope things are going well back home, that you are taking care of yourselves and patiently awaiting my arrival back. Until then.
Anthanasia couldn't help smiling as she read Hael's carefully written words and also found herself frowning when she read about the battles Hael had fought during their journey. They had to deal with so many obstacles along the way; it was no surprise it was taking them so long to come back.
She knew the guard acted first and thought later, so she wasn't surprised to hear about Hael chasing after the Harpies. Though he omitted battle details against the Sphinx, she was glad to know they'd defeated it and were returning to Trojas.
Anthanasia re-read the letter once more and realized that Hael hadn't mentioned anything about Loki, but he did mention His Majesty more than once. Normally this wouldn't be an odd thing to notice, but she couldn't help finding it a little strange, especially considering who their king was. At least she believed that he was being treated well and wasn't the only one putting in the work. If there was one thing she and the citizens of Trojas could say positively about their king was that he wasn't one to back away from fights. He was notoriously known for fighting his own battles, which everyone admired.
"Let's just hope he gets her in one piece at least," she thought to herself. "I wonder how Loki is going…well, there's no need to worry about him; I'm sure he's doing just fine wherever he is."
But unfortunately said bird was not doing fine—in fact he was the opposite of fine at the moment.
He had to watch as his friend paced the entire corridor a hundred and twenty times (yes; he counted), and muttered to himself anxiously as he wondered how Ceremus was faring.
Hael always seemed to turn into a blubbering fool whenever the king was involved, his ability to think rationally all but vanished. It truly was a fascinating sight for the bird to witness, but also one that caused him great annoyance. Just as he was about to scold the guard, a sudden shift erupted in the air, causing the pair to stop what they were doing and stare into the distance.
A flicker of light appeared out of thin air, followed by a crackling sound before the person Hael had been longing to see showed up in front of him, bruised and clearly depleted from the long fight he had just undergone. Hael forgetting all sense and reason leaped into the man's arms, taking his warm and rosy scent with a mix of sweat in. He then pulled away when he heard a low grunt coming from Ceremus and frowned, worry flooding his ocean blue eyes.
That's when a swarm of questions escaped from his lips to which the king responded, "One thing at a time."