Every journey begins with a step...

[Fionna Moir]

The town was buzzing...
Why did it have to be buzzing? Fionna shook her head, when wasn't a town buzzing? Really, every day and every night, in very month of every year, The streets was a buzz. She wasn't used to the life in a crowded city. No, she enjoyed simple things, like the nature, speaking to the trees, those things! Not being in the center of attention, not meting up with the guards she had been assigned after she had emptied her stomach over the reeling.

Now you may wonder why a young beautiful lady of the Helevtii just had ascended in the Amoreae empire? Easy, it was her job, and the base of her work was bringing peace. For you see, Fionna wasn't some ordinary young girl. No, she was the druidess. The helper and the guide. She laughed in silence when she stood up on her unstable legs. Oh why had she been picked for this mission? She had asked herself that question many times over the last couples of weeks now. And she knew the answer. Because of her knowledge and peaceful mind.

She looked around. Usually she would have been avoiding such a crowded space, but no...
Not today. This was important, she needed to see for her self, see where she and the other members of her party would gather. She needed to see where the best place were to mount their horses and where to say good bye to her tribesmen.

She entered the small squarish dock and froze. Trying to breath. The time stood still, but finally she took a big breath and crossed the big square with long steps, she needed to get to the middle, to feel some space, somewhere she could escape. As soon as she could, she stopped in the middle waiting.

[Alexander Decimus Felix]

A Cisalpine diplomat. Those are three words Alexander never thought would go together. In fact, he was quite certain that some of the Senators would even find it cute. The little barbarian tribes learned enough to start speaking the tongue of their superiors - and that was dangerous, and exceptionally so. They couldn't take down Hjallstaat in all of its vastness without massive losses by themselves, and they needed allies - especially allies that just happened to be at the flank of their greatest enemy. If they made enemies with the Cisalpine Region, then they would ally with the Norska and they would have a united front against the Amoraean border... And it would turn into a bloodbath a la Thornvale.


That couldn't happen, and the Senate knew that. This diplomat had to make it from here to Archenridge, and where-ever else they and their envoy had to go, and back to the Cisalpine Region, safely or things would get very hard diplomatically. Very hard. If you can't enforce the laws in your own land, then you are weak. The Cisal knew this as well as anybody else. They were not overly worried about the thought of danger against the diplomats, not violent anyway, but they wanted to be absolutely sure. That's why they sent an Arcani. That's why they sent Alex. The Seventh White Feather legionnaires in the area were on high alert to be there if anything were to happen - which wasn't expected - but one always planned for the worst.


So, there Alex stood, on the dock watching the foreign ship that just pulled up to a stop with mild interest. He didn't know who the diplomat was, or whether they came in a group or just alone on their mission, but whatever the case he had to be ready. Before long, a red haired woman dismounted from the boat, and Alexander couldn't help but let a smirk gross his features. The fall of the Empire had changed a lot of things indeed.


"Are you the Cisalpine diplomat?" he asked, clearly, crisply, completely ignoring the shaky legs and hesitation of the woman he was facing. His clear blue eyes taking another glance at the boat before returning back to the woman. He did not stand out from the crowd in the least, wearing civillian clothes - merely a tunic and trousers instead of any armor, only the sword belt with his xiphos and pugio betraying he was anything but a curious commoner at all.


She looked at the man in front of her. Even though he looked like a commoner, he did not move like one. No, he was the man the Senators had sent for her. But, shouldn't there be more? Wasn't a diplomat a treasured person? Or was it more to the man that she could not see? She steadied herself, forcing her legs to stand still and hold her upright.


"I am the one seek, yes. And you are?" She looked intensly on the mans face. There was something about him, something off. With a sigh she tugged at her blue dress, made of the finest cloth that Helevtii could produce -they wouldn't send their diplomat with out the proper clothing- and a beaded string wrapped around her waist. She thought of the journey she had already made, but also the journey that was ahead of her. The long hours of riding, the long hours of arguing with stubborn politicians and the hours she would spend in this mans company.


The sun beamed down on her, wrapping its rays around her, enveloping her in warmth. She had always trusted the sun, and was happy to have at least one friend with her on her - hopefully - successful travels. With her left hand she pulled away a long strand of red hair. She still felt the pressure from the people that surrounded her. But, now when she had found who she was looking for, she hoped that they soon would leave the city, entering the country and its wide open fields.


What was it with barbarians and beads? Alex would never know. For her credit, alone in a foreign country, she wasn't showing much nervousness, and was much more put together than he expected. He's seen people from the Cisalpine in particular go nuts the first time they were stuffed into a typical Amoraean city, and he was glad to know this diplomat wasn't going to do that.


Alexander then extended his hand towards the woman, with a slight polite smile. She nodded and grasped the hand offered to her.


"Nice to meet you. I'm Alex, and I'll be your companion until you get back upon home soil. Other legionnaires are waiting in the stables, but I'll be staying with you from here until the end of your boat ride back to make sure things go off without a hitch." he said, clearly, calmly, in a neutral tone. Might as well be up front with her now and try to be at least companionable, since they were essentially stuck together for the forseeable future.


She liked this man. He was polite and almost friendly towards her, and that something she had not expected from this country and its population. She looked up at him. He had not let go of her hand, so she gently pulled it back towards herself. It wasn't often she met men that respected her. Some did in her own clan, but never had she met an Amoraean that would shake her hand. Most of them really just looked down on women, saying they were far more superior to them. She had always hated them for that, but maybe not every single one of them was like the once she ahd met before the fall.


"I shall give you my name then, I am called many names, but my 'regular' is Fionna. I am also called the Druidess of the Wilds, and The Deer, but I hope, Alex, that during our time together you shall call me Fionna." She looked up at him, seeking an answer in his eyes, some way to know what he thought of calling her that.


Diplomats. Can't really fault them for being long winded, but still, it was going to take some getting used to, like most things. A religious leader and a diplomat are an odd combination, and Alexander sincerely hoped they didn't conflict with each other during her stay here. The last thing they needed was her coming back to her home country sprouting about how untrustworthy and hellish the Amoraeans had remained, and making an entire country an enemy. When she was done speaking, he merely dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement.


"Nice to meet you, Fionna. Now if you'll follow me I'll lead you to the stables, where there's a horse waiting for you. It's a bit of a ride to Archenridge, so I hope you like wilderness." He said the last bit with an ironic tilt, knowing full well that the people of her tribe and indeed her country found cities intolerable and the wilderness home, but he figured he'd say it anyway if only for his own amusement.

[Fionna Moir]

Fionna's quickly moved her eyes in the mans direction. Did he mock her for being a Cisalpine? For enjoying the nature. She certainly hoped not, because if he did, she knew they would not get along at all, and she failed in making him a friend, then how ever would she be able to bring peace to both Cisalpine and Amoraea? She turned around, putting her back towards he city for a final glimpse of the ocean. The waves softly crashed against the rocky beach, almost as if they wanted to cling to the safety of the rocks meanwhile the story winds once again grabbed them and pulled them out.

The sun shone one the rippling waves, it's golden shimmer spreading over the oceans surface. It was almost as if fire erupted where ever those rays danced. But, the breeze was not like the sun, it was cool and chilly, it hung in the air ever-present. With a sigh she turned around looking at him with her green eyes.

"Well... take me to the stables then!" She tried to ignore the little voice in her head, telling her that more city's would come, and she'd better get used to it.

There was a pause in which the woman glared at him - and Alexander didn't mind. It wasn't his job to get her to like him in any way, shape, or form. She could try and kill him for all he cared, all his job was - was to keep her safe. And that's what he planned to do.

Soon she was rearing and ready to get started, and he merely dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Alright. For your safety. A couple ground rules." he said so casually, conversational even.

"Tell me then" She tried to hide it, but her sarcasm still made it through her attempt to sound happy. She stared at him intensely, waiting for him to say the damn rules.

"First off, in the countryside, I don't really care too much, as you and your people know it better than we Amoraeans do. But, within city limits, such as this one, you will not go farther than one arms length away from me. This is for your own safety."

"Wait, what? You don't mean I shall follow that rule!"

Alexander rolled his eyes. "If you expect to be protected, you have to be close enough to protect. The Senate has an interest in peace or an alliance between our countries, and for that to happen you have to make it through this unharmed. This is the easiest way of ensuring that. I can't take a knife for you if you're too far away, simple as that." His tone never changing from the exceptionally calm, conversational tone - never even so much as raising his voice.

Take a knife for her, did he really expect her to crave such a thing from him? Who was this man that spoke of death so calmly? Was not death equally respected and fearsome here as it was in her homelands? She had attended many rites of passing back home, but never had she met a man that not even flinched when he said the things he had said to her.

"Is there any more rules that I must follow, like not practicing my rituals while I'm here?"

Alexander laughed at that, a momentary lapse, but a smirk remained on his face as he said, quite simply: "No, please continue to do that as long as none of them involve killing yourself - keeping you alive is kind of my job." allowing a bit of sarcasm to drip from his voice as he said this.

She laughed with him, yes a few rituals did end with her killing herself, but she did not see the use of them in a near future because they mainly involved protecting her home from dangers.

"No I do not see myself use any of those soon..."

He nodded his head. "Thank you for that. Second off, there will be people who will seek to do you harm, and there will be people who will attempt to lead you astray. I ask you to trust me - and only me when this happens - because there more than likely will be Amoraeans, some selfish Senators even who will try something. Just a trust thing, because, as I said, it is my job to make sure you come back to Cisalpine with every hair intact."

"Well... lead the way then." She turned towards the way she guessed was right. She looked up at him for approval to move, Whit just the tiniest bit of laughter in her eyes.

Alexander nodded, and started walking, his right hand on his sword belt, for easy access to the xiphos on that side. They had to make it out of the dock, and past the city - which had more than its fair share of winding paths and narrow places. He didn't think anybody hostile knew the diplomat was coming - but you never know what information might get leaked - or who might feel like stabbing their country in the back for gold.

She continued forward, thinking that while she now had to be in a city, she could at least enjoy the differences between her country and this. Fionna had always been one of those curious girls that often had gotten their hands dirty, or broken a leg while trying to see what was past the horizon by climbing a tree.

Men and women surrounded her, shouting how low their price was if you measured it with the others. Some women with big baskets on their hips walked towards the two of them, offering the young man to buy a flower to his women. Her whole face turned a bright red color, and she looked up at him feeling utterly awkward and clumsy.

"Ehm, were not... well, you see... Can't you help me Alexander?" She said with a voice gripped with panic.

Alexander couldn't help but smile widely at Fionna's obvious discomfort, it was absolutely hilarious. If a bunch of flower girls made her this scared, he wondered if a Senator would make her melt or something. He laughed, and reached his left arm around Fionna's shoulders with a grin. "Sorry, we're actually cousins. My uncle really liked Cisalpine, if you get what I'm meaning." he said calmly, manufacturing the lie easily - which caused the woman who asked start apologizing profusely. "It's fine, honest mistake." he said in response, taking his arm off of her shoulders abruptly and continuing onward through the crowd.

She followed him, feeling like a dog following it's master. How could he be so smart, she would have never thought of using a lie like that in front of the flower girl. Maybe that was why he was the guard, and she only the Diplomat. He had come far ahead of her now, much more than a armslenght. She hurried forward and passed a dark alleyway.

She shifted her body slightly to the right to avoid a barrel, smiling as if she had no trouble in the world. That small move saved her life. A man, dressed in dark clothes had just moments before she had moved aimed at her back with a knife, no bigger than a hand, but certainly deadly enough. With a gasp she fell forward with a small shriek. She tumbled into the barrel she had tried to avoid, closing her eyes as she saw the man raising the stiletto once more.

Alexander looked behind him to make sure Fionna was following, and to his surprise there was a cloaked figure behind her with a dagger in their damnable hand. He reflexively drew his pugio with his right hand, and started sprinting back toward where they were. Fionna fell forward to avoid the knife of the attacker, giving him a clear shot. He threw his pugio with all of his might as the other man raised his dagger - and it hit him in the wrist, slicing it down to the bone. Then the Arcani drew his xiphos and in one smooth, balanced motion sidestepped stepping on Fionna and thrusted his blade into the stomach of the foe, then headbutting the man off the blade - this scene causing a panic among the citizens of the city - as they were still in the middle of the street. "Damn foreigner can't even stab right backwater useless..." he muttered, growing more incoherent as he went as he first wiped the blood off of his xiphos with the tunic of the would-be assassin - who was still breathing, and did the same with his pugio before sheathing both. The assassin - now with his mask off - was clearly Yamatai in descent, his yellow skin and narrowed eyes hissing at him. Alexander spat down at the man, knowing he was bleeding out and he couldn't do much at this point, but grounded his heel into the bleeding wrist of the other man, enjoying for a moment the moment of sheer cruelty - and the rush it gave him.

Turning back, he asked in the same casual, calm tone he always used, "Any injuries?"

"What of the Almight Gods!" She turned surround facing him, sheer panic in her eyes. "I knew coming here was wrong. Haven't this thought you that open fields and nature is so much better!" She continued to scream at him for no other reason than to get the fear out of her body. "And what was that? The thing you did, there, just right now! How ever do you think we will leave this city now! You're going to be taken by the white lotus and I will be stuck in this... this city because of you" She spat as she spoke, unable to really stand on her own two feet. Leaning against another barrel - the first one was beyond repair after her fall into it- she looked up at him, waiting to hear a man call out to him an arrest him. And then, then she would be alone in a city she did not know. But at least after what she just had experienced she wouldn't be alive for long.

She took a big breath, and then a second, and a third. But still she couldn't catch her breath. She closed her eyes, focusing her mind to settle down, not to be drawn away with her animal instincts. She opened them, and everything was much clearer.
"Who was that man?"

Alexander cracked his neck, and grimaced when he looked down on his bloodstained clothing as Fionna promptly freaked out to a disproportionate degree. Did she honestly take a diplomatic job and not expect to be attacked? He looked to both sides of the street, and from one side - which they had almost reached the stable with, the six legionnaires who were waiting for them were out and moving down the street, hands on the hilts of their spathas, and on the other side the lone legionnaire watching this part of the street was moving toward them - panic coming across his features too as he saw the bloody form on the ground, still struggling weakly - and the massive amount of blood pooling up on the ground. Alexander removed his sword belt, and dropped it on the ground to show he wasn't a threat to the guard on duty - the wild card who didn't know he worked for the Senate. He answered Fionna's question as the legionnaires approached, calm as ever.

"Yamatai descent. Probably an agent of one of the more powerful warlords over there - or hired by the Norska since they're too stubborn, stupid, or scared to try crossing the border themselves with Fourth and Ninth guarding it. Don't worry. Like I said, I'll keep you safe."

The six cavalryman from the stables quickly talked down the town guard, as all were in hearing distance of what Alexander had said - and the cavalrymen knew that Fionna was the diplomat - and Alex her bodyguard. It was simply Alexander doing his job. In fact, they didn't even show too much concern, and like Alexander were relatively calm about the entire thing - much to the contrast of Fionna and the town guard.

She shouldn't have panicked like she had. That was not the behavior a diplomat from Cisalpine should express. But, she was still young. Never had she really left her homelands before now, and the world seamed endless. One thing she could not understand was how this man from Yamatai could have grudge against her... or why a land she soon would seek out would send an assasin after a peace bearer?

"Thank you... and I'm sorry that I panicked."

[Alexander Decimus Felix]

"It's natural. I doubt you've exactly had people waiting in line to kill you before you took up this job - and you look young enough to be new at it - sorry if that's considered an insult." he said, calm as ever, placing his hands in front of him, clasped and in plain view for the legionnaires on both sides to plainly see.


"Yes, I've never really left Cisalpine even..." She smiled up at him, shaking as if the air suddenly had turned cold.


On his left - toward the stables, five of the legionnaires, seeing the situation handled, took their hands off of their hilts and relaxed, and only the sixth - the leader, kept moving forward.


"Miles," the man barked, toward the guardsman - referring to the rank of the legionnaire who was most often assigned guard duty - "Get this cleaned. These two are under the protection of the Ninth."


At this, both the guardsman and Alexander both did a sort of double take towards the cavalryman - as the Ninth Legion was stationed at the border with Hjallstaat - and one of - if not the most elite legion in Amoraea. The Senate really was taking this seriously.


"Next rule." Alexander said lowly, not really trying to hide what he was saying, but a more stating the obvious thing for the foreigner here - Fionna - "Don't piss off someone from the Ninth. The Senate must really like you."


The legionnaire then waved his hand, his scale mail shining in the light, a motion for the duo to follow him back to the stables, and Alexander jerked his head, a motion to follow as well.


She nodded and began to take small steps, just to see if her legs still worked after she had fallen into that barell. The legionnaires was so tall, almost like the trees back home. She had never really been short, usually she was taller than most girls her age, but theese men. They must be taller than most back home.


Their helmets shone as they moved, trying to get the horses readdy for the first part of their journey. Now and then the bright light that was reflected from the helmets would hit her iris blinding her for a short moment. She raised her hand trying to cover her self from the rays.


She looked at the horses the legion had picked. Their coats looked so beautifull, all their color blended so well together. Some had a golden chestnutty color, and some others had a exraodrinary color she could only place as the color of a wolf, With a simle she took in the Equins, how the stepped backand forth, ready to get gooing, just like her.


"Wich one am I to have, and wich one is yours?"


Once they reached the stables, the leader - a decurion - reached into his pack and tossed Alexander a spare tunic to replace his bloodsoaked one wordlessly, and he quickly swapped them out without a word, nodding in thanks.


"Moving out." the Decurion said, almost in a bored tone, mounting his own horse, and the other legionnaires did likewise. Soon there were two left - a black and chestnut mare. Alexander shrugged, and then looked at Fionna. "Pick one, I'll take the other."


One of the Equins left was the wolf coated one. Her eyes met the animal and she nodded in it's direction. "That one." The animal danced from side to side, it's eyes gazing back and forth, as if it couldn't wait any longer, it needed to be in the nature, just like her. It was shady were they stood, a nice change from the hot streets.


She looked over to Alexander, watching him, trying to see what he thought about her pick. Would he be happy with the chestnut, it definitely was a bit more muscular that the mare she had picked. It's body standing still, not moving, she looked closer, at the horses eyes, they ahd the same look that Alexander usually had, or had had the short time she had known him.


Alexander wordlessly mounted the chestnut mare, fumbling considerably more than the well-trained cavalrymen. He didn't have the experience with horses that the others next to him had, not the expertise of a Cisal nor the experience of a cavalryman. He normally worked on foot, and it was uncommon for him to ride - and even then only from place to place.


"You ready, Fionna? It's a long ride to Archenridge." he said, with a shadow of a grin crossing his features. It would indeed be a while, and he was grinning more at his own discomfort at the thought of travelling so far and having to smell horse for the near future all day every day.


She walked up to the wolf coated mare, standing in front of it and reaching her left hand forward for the animal to smell her, get to know her scent. The mare slowly stretched out her head, putting it's mule against her palm, blowing a small dust of air over it. She reached around it, slowly stroking it. With a swift jump, she mounted the horse. Unlike Alexander she had gronw up with horses, they were an essential part of the lives on the plains.


She did not answer him, just took a steady grip with her legs around the mares back and followed the legionnaires that already had mounted and gotten their horses in a slow trott. She smiled as she passed the stables out into the open streets. She sighed, with the muscels working beneath her, how one muscle at a time tensed and then realesd it self when the hoof stomped the ground.


Alexander followed, spurring the horse into a trot, and quickly caught up. The legionnaires had actually molded wordlessly into a rough wedge around Fionna's horse, one in front and two on each side of her - a necessary precaution especially with one assassination attempt already thwarted. Alex took a spot in the back, slightly behind Fionna's horse, the rear guard - he didn't exactly know what he was supposed to do - but he figured it couldn't hurt, this formation made it to where an attack from any angle on the diplomat - Fionna - could be defended against readily, and Alexander looked back to make sure nobody was following them for a moment, then turned back a few moments later, satisfied for the moment.