"My king, my queen, please have a seat. We have some urgent things to discuss." Head priest Nizem beckoned for the king and queen to take a seat at the vish round table as he had already found his seat.
"Mhm" the king just nodded and slowly walked towards the other side. His wife the queen, still sour because she had to leave her darling daughter with the guardian, slowly followed behind her husband and took the seat right next to him.
Nizem slowly nodded; he understood that even though their whole kingdom were devoted followers of the great goddess Velisandra, no parent would easily leave their newborn with one of the goddess's children—they were still dangerous as much as they were worshiped.
"My king, it is the most glorious day for our kingdom and for the little princess to be chosen as one of the great goddess's children. Also, please forgive the guardian for his threatening stance earlier; he is but a devoted servant that moved to protect the little princess when he felt the danger approaching." Nizem bowed his head slightly towards the royal pair as he spoke.
"Head priest, please raise your head. Even though this whole situation is strange, what matters the most is that Verine, our little darling, is safe, but I am curious if I remember correctly, wasn't the guardian just an old statue that stood watch over the temple?" The king beckoned to Nizem to raise his head as he spoke to him.
"Ah, about that, it was a surprise to us at the temple as well. I knew that the guardian was a sacred beast that turned itself to stone a long time ago, but it was passed down for generations that the guardian will only awaken if the devoted kingdom of the goddess is threatened with annihition or... if the true child of the goddess is born, the one bearing her great blessing," Nizem spoke slowly as he stroked his aged grey beard.
"Blessing... of the goddess?" The one who spoke was the king's wife, E, who had stayed quiet until now. She was still processing the whole thing in her head: the assassin, the blessing, and the great guardian, a giant scorpion that was currently in her darling little daughter's room.
"Yes, my queen, it is truly the most joyous of days. There were only a handful of people that bore the blessing of the great goddess herself throughout the history of our nation; in fact, only two of them: the first king that founded our great nation, Darmaz the First, and a century ter, Queen Kana the Great."
"Nizem, I know that story, but the one thing those two had in common was that it was always a great age of strife that came to our kingdom both of those times," Varl spoke with a hint of unease in his voice, which made E flinch and, with a slightly pale face, turn towards him without saying anything.
"Hmm, indeed it is the truth; the goddess does not choose without a purpose. It was always a great threat towards her followers and her children that inhabit our great kingdom that urged her to send her chosen". Nizem also had a slight grim face as he spoke; he, better than anyone, knew what it meant to have a blessed individual.
"We must prepare for anything, Your Highness, but first we must ensure the safety and happiness of the little princess. Even though she is chosen, we must not pce such a heavy burden upon her shoulders; she is but a little child." Nizem smiled lightly as he spoke. He knew that the little princess Verine would have to bear a heavy burden in the future, but he still hoped for her to grow up without needing to burden herself too much, as all the children deserve to grow up with happiness.
"You are right, head priest, and don't worry, we, more than anyone else, will make sure of that!" Varl nodded heavily as he excimed his utmost intentions to protect their new jewel.
"I am with you, Varl. Also, I will have my shadows look into that...mess that was left in Verine's room. If those damned bugs managed to sneak into the pace so easily, that means there was a leak somewhere." E spoke with a serious face and a cold voice. E was not just a typical queen that sat around all day pnning royal parties and such; she was also one of the elite warriors of her kingdom and a commander of their secret corps, Shadow Stinger.
"I believe you will root out the bugs, my dear wife. In the meantime, I don't believe Verine will be in any danger with the great guardian beside her." Varl smiled towards E as he embraced her and pnted a kiss on her forehead.
"Umm, is this for real... should...should we do something?" Guard 1 spoke
"Are... you insane? Look at the size of that thing; it would snap us in two within seconds, and the stinger? What do you want to do about that!?" Guard 2
"But I mean...is the princess okay? Look, even the little ones are coming from who knows where!" Guard 1
"I... don't know... leave me alone!" Guard 2 just gave up and stopped talking about the bizarre situation.
I mean, I know to them it must be bizarre that a newborn baby is being cradled by a giant-ass scorpion in its cws while the little ones happily dance on top of the newborn's head, face, and body all over, that newborn being me, Verine.
"Ahhh, this is bliss, to be surrounded by my little ones... and, well, my new big friend," I thought as I giggled to myself. This was truly all I wanted.
I was so sad when so many little ones vanished trying to protect me from the assassin. I could still feel the pain in my heart and the tightness in my chest over their deaths. It was truly horrible, so much so that I never wanted to feel it again.
Perhaps sensing my sad and sour mood, it was the giant friend that moved first. It gently picked me up and started cradling me in its cws, and soon after, the old ones (what was left of them) and the new little ones came and nuzzled all over my body. I could feel their intentions and will to make me feel better, as if they were telling me not to worry.
"Look, the princess is giggling, so it's alright," Guard 2 spoke.
"Yeah... it is still so strange," Guard 1 answered.
The two guards in my room continued to speak to each other in hushed voices, probably trying not to upset me or my new friends. Either way, I didn't mind them much. I just continued to watch the green around me. It made me feel so safe and protected that I started to slowly close my eyes. Ah, being a baby sucked. I needed so much sleep.
"Creak!" But before I nodded off, I could hear the door to my room open slightly. I reflexively turned my head towards the sound, and what I saw was a tiny little green aura surrounding a ball-like shape—a head? Someone was peeking their head and watched me.
"Ah!? We greet the first princess, Ana Ortan!" The two guards saluted towards the new arrival. So she was the first princess, which means she was my older sister, right?
I pondered for a moment I think I heard my mother and father speak. I have an older sister. What was she, twelve years old, if I remember correctly?
"I...wanted to see if my little sister was okay..." I could hear a soft voice from the direction of the door. My sister Ana sounded so gentle it was hard to believe my father's stories about how Ana was already besting some of the strongest warriors in the kingdom. I mean, she sounded so gentle and sweet.
I unconsciously raise my hand towards the door as if beckoning her to come closer. "Princess Ana, I think the youngest princess wants you to come closer," Guard 1, the one who always sounded like a newbie when he spoke to the other guard, gently spoke to the first princess now.
"I... don't know if she would like me, and besides... I am kind of scared of them... but for her, I will try." Ana spoke with a timid voice as she opened the door more and entered my room. She slowly made her way towards me and my friends.
So she was afraid of them, huh? I mean, I understand not everyone was a fan, but they are so cute and cuddly. How do I make people see?
As I was seriously pondering, Ana was already beside me; the green around her shape was shivering slightly. I unconsciously raised my hand, and she extended hers. I grabbed one of her fingers and "ehehe" giggled like the baby I am...damn body.
"!!!!" Ah, the green that was around her now enveloped her whole.
AN: Let's get the show on the road!
