Midday was approaching, and the children were steadily making their way toward the human settlement. They filled the journey with playful banter, lapsing into silence intermittently. This was one of those conversations...

"So, Arjana...you like snakes and don't like rats?"

"No! They're gross and they bite."

"Snakes bite, they aren't gross?", he teases, helping across a log., "Not to mention, they eat rats."

"Remember, rat's carry fleas, that's why they're gross.", she corrects.

"Don't blame the rats, fleas are hard to get rid of."

"Really?", Arjana stops in front of him, "And what's stopping rats from taking a bath?"

"Large fish also eat rats." Izzimar states, gesturing with his walking stick to a small pond nearby. Over the pond, dragonflies dance over the surface looking to feed on the mosquito larvae skittering below the surface. When one of the dragonflies dart too close to the water's surface, a fish leaps out and gulps the dragonfly whole.

"Fish...eats rats...? You sure..?"

"Yes, I spoke to a rat."

"Really!?", Arjana is skeptical as Izzimar grabs ahold of her hand and moves them along the trail once more.

"Yes, as an elf, I can speak to animals. All of us can."

Arjana nearly stumbles in his admission. Speaking to animals was considered taboo at home. She's not one for superstition, but back home, those claiming to have special 'gifts' are often looked at with skepticism and madness. There's no possible way a group of people can converse with nature, Arjana had to see for herself.

"Well then....what do wasps say when they sting you?"

"...Leave...?", Izzimar answers matter of factly. But this answer would not do for her, so she tries her luck again. Spotting a drooling fox observing them as they pass, she points to it.

"Well, what is that fox saying?"

"He didn't say anything, Arjana."

"Well then, speak to him!", she presses eargerly. Izzimar sighs in slight annoyance, but he entertains his friend, nonetheless.

"Hey fox...why are you staring at us?"

The fox doesn't trill or make a sound. Instead, it began to hobble it's way towards them slowly. Izzimar stills before yanking Arjana away.

"Move. Move!"

"Huh—"

"It has rabies! MOVE!"

Izzimar yanks Arjana along as the sick fox hobbles after them. Arjana looks back at the fox, and notices it's disoriented walk, the drool, and its strange demeanor. Back home, animals did get sick in the wild, but rabies? She had never heard of such a thing. But whatever it was, it terrified Izzimar enough that he no longer used his stick to feel for obstacles in front of them. His main focus was to get as far away from this fox as possible. It isn't long before they get some distance between themselves and the animal. Only then, does Izzimar catch his breath.

"Izzimar...what is rabies..?"

"The deadliest disease known to this realm., Birger told me about it."

"Can it...infect humans..?"

"Yes...It's a horrifying disease....and fatal.."

Arjana pauses to look behind them as Izzimar continues taking them along the path. He whispers an apology as he jerks her along to keep her moving, the encounter clearly made him a bit more jumpier than normal.

"...Izzimar...how..could you tell..?", she asks, stunned by the danger they were almost in.,"You...you couldn't even see the fox..."

"...Animals with rabies...I sense death radiating from them."

"How..?"

Izzimar pauses, but continues moving to keep the distance, his mind is still clearly on the fox.

"Arjana...my kind, Umbran elves...we can...sense how many people someone has killed.", he tries to explain, "The more you kill...death becomes a presence..."

"But foxes kill rabbits and chickens all the time...?"

"This is different, death is the natural order of things. But rabies, among other things, is not."

"How? isn't disease a natural part of life, or something...?"

"Disease is natural, but only when it serves to spread and not eradicate."

Arjana still didn't understand. Diseases are a natural apart of life, without them, some populations would breed out of control. Unless, there was something else she didn't know about.

"But...diseases cull some numbers, how is this different...?"

Izzimar pauses before sniffing the air, sensing hormones that lead him facing the direction of an anthill.

"Arjana, you see those ants?"

"Yes!"

"Humans are like ants....small, slightly destructive, but also apart of nature.—"

"Is that what you think of humans...?"

"No, that's just the truth, Arjana. Just because you humans can be destructive doesn't diminish your role in nature."

"...Go on.."

"Diseases can kill ants, but some ants can survive.", Izzimar explains as a worker ant drops off the dead body of a fellow ant away from a colony. "Diseases are designed to be overcome before species are eradicted."

"Izzimar...",, Arjana groans, "Out with it....please..?"

"...If you take two-hundred people with the stomach flu, at least you may have an estimate of twenty deaths.", he states, "But if you had a room with two-hundred people with rabies, all of them will die."

"!?! No survivors...?"

"No, and even if you did, you wish you didn't... People who survive aren't able to live on their own."

"Oh...."

With that, Arjana doesn't press the conversation any further. She knew Izzimar seemed to be capable, but..there are times where it frightens her. It had just occured to Arjana that Izzimar had to navigate the world in complete darkness with dangers like this roaming about. And yet here she is, her eyes wide open and still somewhat clueless about the dangers the world had to offer. She didn't learn about this disease from her father, a decorated king, or her teachers, scholars of their fields. No, she learned this from a blind elf she met just a few days ago. As Izzimar navigates a particularly thick brush, Arjana clutches his arm even tighter.

-----------------

An hour had passed, but fortunately, the children arrived at the settlement. The sight of smoke on the horizon signaled the presence of civilization.

"I smell food; we must be close," Izzimar said.

"Down there?"

"Yes, look," Izzimar replied, positioning Arjana so she could see the settlement.

After pushing aside a low-hanging branch, Arjana gasps upon seeing a familiar flag soaring above the settlement. It's adorned with golden accents and a lush green backdrop, featuring a hawk as its emblem—the flag of her kingdom, Paria...

"Do you see it?" Izzimar asks, alert.

"Yes... Yes, I see it... It's my flag," she whispers, her voice trembling.

"What?"

"Hold on, I need to get a closer look," she insists, rushing toward the settlement. "It can't be my people... it just can't be..." Her thoughts race as she nears the settlement's boundary. Approaching closer, a woman appears and shouts to someone nearby. Reacting swiftly, the woman seizes a spear and points it at Arjana, halting her in her tracks.

"Stop! Who goes there?" she snarls, pointing the spear at her.

"Wait! Are you a Parian?" Arjana gasps, out of breath.

"Who wants to know? If you're the child of a barbarian, I'll—"

"No, I'm not! I'm Arjana Talarius... the king's daughter," Arjana replies, tears in her eyes.

Unconvinced, the woman swats Arjana with the butt of her spear, knocking her to the ground.

"Lying brat!" the woman spits before raising her spear, but a shout stops her.

"Wait! Don't kill her! She's not a barbarian," another woman yells, running towards them. The lady above Arjana stays her weapon as the newcomer scoops Arjana up in an embrace.

“.... The crown jewel of Paria has returned…”, the woman holding her whispers.

Tears welled in Arjana's eyes as the voice was familiar to her. A voice of warmth that had brought her safety since she was an infant... her dearest maid, Trakka.

“Miss Trakka…”

“I thought I'd never see you again!” the older woman shouted between sobs. Gently, she set Arjana down to look her in the face. "Thank the light you are safe! I couldn't lose you too, I just couldn't!", she wails as she holds her tightly as if her life depended on it.

"Oh my... your hair... your neck..." she whispered, her hands motioning towards Arjana's altered appearance.

"What are you saying... my hair...?"

"Your hair was long the last time I saw you. What happened...?"

Bewildered, Arjana attempted to recall whether she had trimmed her hair when suddenly, a sharp headache hit her. Her memory briefly flashed to the woman holding the bottle.

“Why doesn't he want me…?” the woman asks before downing the bottle."

That fleeting recollection was from after her stroll with Birger... Arjana hadn't encountered the woman in her dreams since then... but then, a hazy memory started to resurface...

The woman... the one with the bottle, was cutting her hair. Arjana wept as the woman snipped away her tresses, discarding them into a bin beside her.

Before more memories could surface, Arjana gagged and vomited. Clutching her head, her breath stopped short, and she fell to the ground.

"Oh no, Arjana! Someone bring her medicine, quick!" Trakka exclaimed, as several women and children rushed to assist Arjana into a tent.

After slipping into a state of unconsciousness, Arjana finds herself in the void once more.

"Oh no... why am I here again?" she says to herself, scanning her surroundings. As she looks around, she spots the goddess again, but this time the deity is turned away from her.

"Ma'am?... Do we... have to explore my memories again?" Arjana whispers, cautiously approaching the goddess. "Please, wake me up, its urgent. I can't be asleep for days at a time like this.", she pleads. With a mere snap of her fingers, the goddess transforms the void's darkness into the interior of a lavish carriage. Arjana is seated, adorned in an unfamiliar dress, her hair cascading down longer than she recalls. The wagon comes to a halt and the door swings open. The woman from her early memory steps out to greet her. She has brown hair pinned up and a blue hat adorned with feathers. Her skin was fare and her lipstick a subtly red accompanied by a beauty mark on her cheek.

"Hello, my little princess! My name is Tabitha Bouchure, and from now on, you'll be serving my family."

The mere sight of the woman sends a shiver through Arjana's heart, culminating in a scream that chills the blood.

—

Arjana awoke abruptly, thrashing and screaming until a hand gently held her down.

"Shh, calm down, princess. You're safe with us now," the nurse whispered soothingly.

Gasping for breath, Arjana surveyed the tent she was in before settling back down. Trakka had been sleeping in a nearby chair, but she was jolted awake by the noise.

"Princess... I'm so relieved you're awake..."

"How long... was I out?" Arjana asked, exhaling deeply.

"Just twenty minutes..."

Arjana tries to rise, but Trakka and the nurse urge her to remain seated.

"Princess, you must rest," the nurse implores.

"I need answers! Why are you all here? Is Paria still standing?" she demands.

"We will give you answers, but you must sit," Trakka insists firmly. Reluctantly, Arjana sits back down on the cot. "Please, what happened to the kingdom?" Arjana pleads softly. Trakka exhales deeply before sitting beside her.

"...Paria... is no more," she reveals.

Despair grips Arjana, tears welling in her eyes. No...No this can't be... Not her home.. Not the beautiful Kingdom of Paria.

"The barbarians... They swarmed us with muskets. Initially, we held our ground... but then they were joined by ruthless mercenaries fighting like demons... They overwhelmed us swiftly. In a desperate attempt to preserve the kingdom's future, the king decreed that all women and children should flee to the Brymshire empire. You were staying with the emperor, meanwhile, us commoners were placed in an encampment in the city. At first, they received us warmly... but then the barbarians struck there too... Out of fear that Brymshire would succumb, some women fled to neighboring lands.", Trakka did her best to explain to the slightly disoriented girl.

The reality hits Arjana hard; her home is gone, her kingdom fallen to barbarians. The land will wither, and her people will endure hardships... Yet, one question lingers.

"What of my father...? And my brother?" she asks, voice trembling.

Trakka lowers her head with a heavy sigh.

"Monoko was taken... and the king... he disappeared," she confesses.

"So... he might still be alive?" Arjana clings to hope.

“We don't know that, Arjana… we never recovered a body…”

A silence befalls the tent before Arjana asks.

“How did you all get here?

“We attempted to take refuge in the Thygian kingdom, but the people there intended to use us as sex slaves.”,Arjana gasps as Trakka unveils the truth. Recognizing her bluntness, she pauses mid-sentence.

“S-sorry…. But yes… They intended to use us in such a manner….not surprising…after what happened the last time the king visited." Trakka continued, "So...we took a boat here...but no settlement will take us. We've been..surviving out here since."

Arjana remained seated, overwhelmed by the reality before her. Her heart ached persistently with the pain of truth. Her home had been seized by barbarians, her family was nowhere to be found. She was at a loss...what could possibly be done? The monarchy had fallen, and her people were scattered... In her heart, she yearned for her father's wisdom, yet the thought that he might be gone brought an indescribable sorrow. Tears began to well up slowly, then she let out a scream, succumbing to a torrent of sobs and gasps. Trakka and the nurse knelt beside Arjana, holding her as she wept, while the sun dipped below the horizon. Meanwhile, outside the settlement, Izzimar stood, his concern growing as the cool evening air brushed against his skin.