Joe had never met royalty. In fact, he never dreamed of ever meeting any kind of royalty in his lifetime, let along in person. If he did, though, he likely wouldn't have imagined being marched through the castle by the King's Guard to meet said King, while those who witnessed the spectacle stared.
It was rather unsettling for a simple Monk, though Bormas the Red seemed to be soaking in the attention, the feather in his bright red hat seeming to stand straighter as if he were some kind of peacock. Raldin the White looked stoic as he followed along, while Wicca the Black was unreadable, her hat concealing her facial features as it often did, though she did occasionally allow her eyes to glow with magical power. To show off or to keep people at a distance, Joe was unsure, either way it seemed to be working.
Upon entering the Throne Room, the four companions fell immediately to one knee in respect.
The King had a regal bearing to him, sitting upon his throne in the fancy robes of the nobility and the large golden crown upon his head. Just as Joe imagined a King to look to be honest. The Guard who lead them to the room moved to the King's side, whispering softly into the man's ear before a look of shock spread over the monarch's face. Schooling his features, the King gave the four a gentle smile. "Greetings, travelers. I am told you carry crystals. Is this true?"
"It is, your majesty." Said Bormas as he lifted the crystal pendant about his neck high for the King to see. Taking his cue, the rest of the quartet copied the motion. As they did, the four crystals gave off a brief glow, at which the King leaned back against his throne as if a great weight were removed from his shoulders.
"It's just as Lukahn's prophecy foretold: "When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.""
Joe frowned at this. The darkness had come for a while... hadn't it? Before he could ask anything, however, the man at the King's left side spoke up, dressed in the garb of nobility and robes of higher office.
"Your Majesty, we cannot be certain that these are the warriors foretold by the prophecy." Joe felt reassured by the man's common sense. After all, the fact that four random people happened to have glowing rocks was simple coincidence, right? While he didn't mind helping the greater good since no one else was willing, he didn't want to be taken as some prophesied Light Warrior.
The King seemed to nod at the Chancellor's words before looking over Joe and his allies once more. "Yet they stand before us with the crystals. I cannot dismiss this as mere coincidence." Taking another moment to think it over, the King nodded once to himself before speaking again. "Crystal bearers, there is a task I would ask of you. Will you not rescue my daughter, Sarah?"
Joe was shocked. They had been upgraded from mere travelers to Crystal bearers/possible Warriors of Light in the span of minutes, just from showing off some glowing rocks?! Was the world mad, or was he reading too much into things...?
The Chancellor cleared his throat to continue where the King left off. "Garland, a knight once in His Majesty's service, has abducted Princess Sarah. I ask for your aid in the name of His Majesty, the king of Cornelia. Garland has taken refuge in the Chaos Shrine, which lies to our north. Of course, we did attempt to save the princess ourselves... But Garland is the finest swordsman in the kingdom. We have none who can match him."
Joe sighed. Three mages and himself fighting against the finest swordsman in the land? Likely the Shrine was chosen because it gave the man an advantage over large numbers... Four unknowns who may or may not be heroes seemed perfect to throw against such a person logically.
It didn't mean he had to like it.
"If I may, your Majesty." Bormas spoke as he looked up at the King. "We wish to continue our journey to the Northern Continent. There is one of great Magical Power we have heard of there whom we believe may help us in our quest. From what I understand, the bridge between the two continents is broken... When we save the Princess, may we impose on you to aid us in getting to said continent?"
The King frowned slightly as he thought on this. "Well.. we lost the bridge a long time ago. It was destroyed by Ogres as they tried to invade our lands. So long as the bridge is broken, they cannot cross... but since then our forces have grown, not counting our losses against Garland. I suppose I can have it rebuilt in as a sign of my gratitude." Nodding again, the King stood from his throne. "Very well. It shall be done. Go now, Warriors of Light, do not fail me!"
Joe sighed as the four of them bowed their heads once more before standing to leave. On their way out, Joe glanced at his companions. "You do know that the King is sending us on what is likely a suicide mission, right? I mean, even is we rescue this Princess, how long do you think it takes to build a bridge? Why can't we just take a boat?"
Instead of Bormas, it was the enigmatic Wicca who spoke. "It's only suicide if we are unprepared. 2 months, give or take. Only boats that come here are from Pravoka to the north, and none have been seen in months. Pirates also roam the waters. Any other useless questions?"
Joe blinked and tried to work his mouth, but oddly enough, nothing came out.
"Good. Now shut up and get moving. Bormas may be armored and have a blade, but he is not a front line expert. You are our meat shield, so lead on."
Unable to make any form of comeback, Joe moved to the front of the group, leading the way out of the castle. It wasn't until the group found themselves camping out for the night, having waded through the surrounding forest that was once filled with goblins, that he wondered how he ended up leading the group...
He wasn't too sure why, but he had a feeling Wicca was smirking under her hat, even as she slept.
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