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. Both were aware of the risks, especially since Arjana's collapse a few weeks prior, yet they understood that reward comes with risk. 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.