When Mercy Refused To Kneel

Penny left the Arcane Cathedral with Sun, her heart pounding. She was in a very risky situation and she knew it. Lettinganybodyknow she was the princess of Nytheris carried extreme issues. It seemed like Sun was pretty settled here, but there was no real way of knowing. Would he go back to Uln Dareth at some point? He didn't seem to be happy to have been removed from his post as a Vaelis priestal demoted to a bakery worker. The Silver Veilwing had told her to trust him, but she didn't want to. He was a stranger and a commoner.a foreigner at that. He could do all sorts of things to her should she trust him... But Selyra wouldn't steer her wrong, right? “This place looks good." Sun found an alley way which left Penny unnerved. It felt like following somebody to her doom. This went against everything her parents had taught her. But the Arcanum Lords were also notoriously distant. Why would Selyra send a messenger to her to tell her to trust Sun? There was no reason to not put her trust in the goddess she worshiped, but by the same token, her parents had warned her about how people would only want to manipulate and abuse her if she left the castle and told them who she was. She swallowed hand and followed Sun down the alleyway. It was quiet since most people were at the Arcane Cathedral and not at home. Her heart continued to pound until they came to what looked like a small, forgotten Cathedral. "I think this is dedicated to one of Nytheris' ascended mages. As far as I've seen, nobody comes here anymore, so it's a perfect place to talk.” He led her inside. It was a quaint lit the Cathedral, though the wooden pews had long rotted away. But the stone roof and the rest of the building were in place. It would keep them sheltered from the storm while they talked. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding. This would be a perfect spot to isolate and kidnap her. If he wasn't trustworthy like the Silver Veilwing Said, Nytheris would be cut its oldest princess. She knew her parents would already be worried about her as was So when they learned she had told somebody, she would probably be put on full lock down... It sucked, but there were consequences to actions. Especially ones as dramatic as she'd done. He led her over to the choir corner where a stone wall encircled decrepit old pews. They hopped upon the wall and he looked at her. " So what's all of this about; Mari?" His tone was soft and warm. He pulled his hood down, though it was hard to make out too much in the gloom caused by the storm clouds. “My name actually isn't Marigold; it's Penny. Penny Polendina. I'm heir apparent to Nytheris. I hope you can understand my lie. The Silver Veilwing told me to trust you, so I'm doing that." Her voice shook a bit and she kept her gaze downcust. She didn't like to lie, but it was necessary on this occasion. If too many people know who she was, the worst could happen. She really didn't want to upset people but she felt like it was justified in this particular occurrence. She just wanted to be among the crowds and not listen to the divine liturgy for what felt like the thousandth time. Silence greeted her for a few minutes, but it ,thick. It was quiet, contemplative. "Yeah, makes sense why you lied in this case. I won't try to use or abuse this knowledge; I'll keep it close in my heart. Not even sure if I'll ever see you again anyway." She looked up at him and saw a smile on his face. "I can take ya back to the castle. But, hopefully, we'll see each other again someday. " "I doubt it." She sighed. "I had to sneak out. It's the only time I've been down to the city on my own. My parents keep me in the castle all the time. It's for my own safety." She truly believed it. They had told her about the dangers of the world countless times. She knew how dangerous the world outside of the castle's walls were for a princess. People would want to kidnap, rape, and manipulate her for her position at the very least. It wasn't safe for her and she knew it. She was lucky Sun wasn't one of those types. Sun frowned. "The worldcanbe a dangerous place, won't deny it. My flight from Uln Dareth to Nytheris was fraught with danger. But as long as you're in the right part of the city, it usually isn'tthatdangerous. And if you had an escourt, you'd be relatively safe. Keeping you cooped up like they are isn't going to benefit the kingdom. If you don't know how people live, how can you effectively govern?" He sighed. " Then again being disconnected seems to be normal for the mobility regardless of kingdom…” “The Nytheri nobility isn't disconnected." She couldn't help her offense. How often have you heard of the nobility helping commoners? Do they doanythingto help those less fortunate than themselves ? Have you heard ofanythinglike that before?" Sun seemed to be losing his patience a bit, so she fell silent. He signed again. "Sorry. You don't deserve my anger. It sounds like you're a victim of your parents. But if you rule with limited experience, you'll be like every other noble in every other Kingdom. You seem very sweet, Penny. I just hope you don't end up like Uln Dareth. " He shook his head. "How about we get you back to the castle?" She nodded. "Okay." She still couldn't help but feel a bit oft pat by his tirade, He had a point, but taking it out on her wouldn't accomplish anything. She had done nothing wrong. This was her first time meeting commoners outside of the ones that served them in the castle . The ones out here so far had been pretty nice but that was probably because they didn't know who she was . It really seemed like commoners had no love for nobles. She couldn't understand it. He stood up and hopped of the stone wall and she did the same. They fell silent as they walked through the driving rain . It grew even darker and her heart started to pound again. Illuminators lit the city, bat the long shadows didn't comfort her. She had never been outside the castle after dark before. She heard more crime tended to happen after dark. The lonely alleys and lack of people left her feeling exposed especially after Sun's little speech. They reached a certain point and Sun stopped. He gave her some directions. "That should get you back. I don't wanna be on the king or queen's bad side when you show up. I doubt I'll see you again, Penny. It was nice to meet you, though " She could hear the grin in his voice. She managed a small smile. "See you, Sun." She turned and went into the stormy night. Penny followed Sun's directions to a T until she found her way back to the area around the castle. It was probably prudent to come back in the way she came . She knew the castle inside and out and had discovered a secret passage years ago. She had never used it until today, though. She had never gained the courage until today. It would be theonlytime she got to see the city and she knew it. Her parents kept her in the castle for her own safety, but it didn't hunt any less to know this would be her only foray down among the people. She found where she had come out and started up the hidden stair case. It was along narrow climb and she had to be careful. She didn't want to slip. The staircase was dry, but her boots were soaked from the day out in the storm. They weren't water repellent like her cloak was. It was enchanted to repel water which was great for the Stormcall Festival. She found her way to the bottom of the staircase and pushed open the false bookcase. Dust swirled about, making her sneeze . This was a long-disused wing of the castle that she'd gotten lost in as a kid at one point . She'd discovered the hidden passage by complete accident. She was expected to be in lessons now more than anything, but she had spent many hours as a kid exploring these forgotten parts of the castle. She had so much of it mentally mapped even though it's been years since she'd last been allowed to wander freely. She missed those bygone days. She picked up the illuminator she'd left down here and turned it on. The warm, gentle light made her smile. Even if her parents were restrictive, she truly did love them and they loved her She really hoped they would understand her choice and not punish her too severely. She wanted to see Sun again and spend more time with him, but she knew the chances of that were pretty much none. She made her way back to the main area of the castle. Servants went about their business but it was…quiet. Too quiet. Why weren't her parents making a fuss about her being missing? She had truly expected the Duskmane Sentinels to 1 be sent after her. A missing princess wasn't something that should be sat on, right? Why weren't there guards searching every corner and city of her? All of this was incredibly strange to her. It seemed to be business as usual here. She almost made it back to her bedroom before a guard stopped her. " Your Highness, please follow me! His and Her Excellence wish to speak to you!" She signed internally and followed him. He took her to her parents’ room, her heart sinking. This would be her punishment; she just knew it. She was usually a good kid that followed all of her parents' orders and suggestions. But now, she'd no doubt broken her parents' trust in her and she would probably never see the light of day again. She would no doubt be supervised constantly now. What little bit of freedom she had was no doubt gone now… It hurt, but she would accept the consequences of her actions. She followed the guard to her parents' room. They both sat in chains near the fireplace. She signed internally and sat down. She was prepared for the worst. Her mother's large, pregnant belly extended in front of her. "Mother Father, I—” “Before you start, let us speak." Martim's deep, booming voice stopped her dead in her tracks. She flinched and lowered her head. “Yes Father." There was no point in trying to stop them. They were the rulers, after all. "We have deeply wronged you and, for that, we apologise." Penny blinked and looked up. What? What were they talking about? Martim go tap and wrapped his arms around her. "We have kept you looked up in the castle your whole life and not allowed you the freedom you deserve. You've missed many age- appropriate milestones but it truly didn't sink in until today when we found you gone. You rebelled, but only because we didn't allow you enough freedom." Therese nodded. "We're sorry, Penny. We've been so focused on keeping you safe that we didn't see the harm we caused you until today." She offered a soft smile. All Penny could do was stare. "W-Where did this come from?” She had prepared herself for the worst, so to get apologies and hugs instead... She couldn't make sense of it. What had caused this? Why were they doing and saying the opposite of what they had for so long? “I don't understand. Why are you saying this? It's the opposite of what you've sand for so long." “I've noticed in the past few months how other noble mothers were worrying about things like where they'd send their children for Apprenticeship Bonding and other things. We haven't done those things for you or your siblings. And then you sneaking out today… It only solidified we haven't given you enough freedom " Penny hesitated before speaking again. This was sensitive territory most likely, so she had to be careful. “Why did you act like that then…?" If they know they had wronged her and her siblings, there had to be a reason. Right? This couldn't have been borne out of nothing, right? Therese sighed. "It was because of what happened during my Apprenticeship Bonding. I won't go into detail, but the head of the family I studied under did all sorts of awful things to me. It is made me not want that for my own children. I wanted to keep them safe. In that, though, I became overzealous and became too restrictive. You sneaking out only opened my eyes to the fact we've treated you too poorly. You won't have freedom to do whatever you want, Penny, but you can go down to the city as long as you have an escort. You will need protection, but what we've done is wrong. We're sorry." Martim hugged her again. She i really didn't know how to take it. Her parents were good parents; they treated her with love and respect. Their love for her and her siblings overflowed like a fountain. She could feel their warmth even now. They did only want what was best for their children. It was just so hard to accept they were doing a complete turn around in attitude, though… It almost didn't feel like her parents. "What do you think, Penny?" Martim asked. “I…don't knowwhat to think It feels like you're different people." She managed a small smile. “I think I did meet a friend today." Her parents looked interested, so she told them about her day . She told them about Sun, the duels, the hearthknots, and everything else "And the Silver Veilwing told me to read the threads." "On aholiday?"Therese asked. Penny nodded. "It was a message from Selyra Herself. I don't think we should disobey." "All right" Therese struggled to get up, so Martim had her stay down and got her threads as well as a lap board for her. She went through the entire ritual, Penny watching. Her heart pounded in her chest. Only a highly qualified Moonweaver Priestess could run through the ritual so gracefully and quickly. Penny still thought her mother maintained a quiet dignity despite being so heavily pregnant. She could scarcely remember a time when her motherdidn'thave a large belly on her. “I wasn't expecting this…" Therese looked down at her threads. "What does it say?" Penny couldn't read her mother's threads yet. Threadcasting was an incredibly complex thing and she was only at an intermediate level. Her mother had been doing it for decades, so her threads were finer and more numerous than the ones penny read She couldn't help but wonder who her mother had seen. For Therese to be so shocked... It spoke volumes. "It says the sun shall shine light on the moon to fully illuminate the world." Penny frowned."What does that mean?" Threadcasting could be cryptic, but that felt unusual even for the art. Normally the wording wouldn't be so obtuse, but the Arcanum Lords often were quite obtuse. It was frustrating to hear something so vague. All she wanted was information on what the Silver Veilwing had said . "Well, the boy you met today is named Sun and You're a Moonweaver Priestess." Therese fell silent. “I think maybe you should spend more time with him. Maybe it means he can teach you better than we can." She could see the hurt in her mother's eyes. Considering how restrictive they'd been until this moment, it made sense. She'd been shielded and sheltered from the world. People who had done that to their daughter wouldn't know where best to start some body from the outside might know better. “That does make some level of sense.” The hurt only clouded her mother's eyes more. She looked down at her hands. She did love her parents, but with how they'd sheltered her, it made sense other people would teach her better. She didn't want to hurt them; however, they had hurt her irrevocably by keeping her so locked up . "What about my lessons?" Best to get off what was hurting her mother. “We'll get different teachers for you we haven't exactly allowed you to learn to rule either." Martim rubbed his chin."That will take time, though. Until then...go live. Please just take at least two or three guards with you, okay?" He hugged her and she nodded. "Okay ." She yawned. "I want to go to sleep." It'd been along day for her and she'll walked more than she ever had before. Her parents bade her good night and she headed to her room. She could hardly believe what had happened but she also wouldn't complain. She would be able to see Sun again which made her smile. She enjoyed his company and wouldn't complain about it. Once in her room, she changed into her pajamas then climbed into bed. She drifted off into the Reverie Isles, dreams dancing on her island as she slept.