Banished Pt. 03

"That wasn't a bad idea, but the poor girl was so terrified; you need to remember that they see us as Gods," I warned, and Cameron shrugged.

"So, did you 'examine' her?" she asked, eager for details, and I shook my head.

"She took off her clothes, but I didn't touch her. She was really scared."

I shot Cameron a look, and she quickly realized what I meant, so she looked away.

We didn't talk as much after that, but the princess arrived soon after anyway.

"Herr Götze!" she called, hurrying to my side.

She wore another elegant dress; different from the previous day's outfit, but similarly grandiose, and she tiptoed to kiss me on the cheek as I rose from my seat to greet her.

Her eyes darted between me and Cameron; a knowing smile on her face.

She spoke, saying something quickly, but Gisela seemed to have zoned out a bit, and as the princess shot her a sharp look, the girl quickly apologized before translating.

"The princess congratulates you on your successful union."

The princess spoke again, this time, more to Cameron, and she shot me a questioning look as Gisela translated.

"The princess says your godling was conceived with unparalleled affections. Surely, the child will grow strong and reliant."

Cameron's eyes went wide, and as she looked at me, I shrugged.

There was no way they could know if we conceived a child last night.

Maybe this was just a customary exchange, after their 'ceremony' took place.

The princess spoke to me now, and Gisela seemed a bit worried by whatever she said.

She seemed to ask the princess something, and as the princess clarified, she still seemed a bit worried as she relayed the message.

"The princess will walk with Herr Götze. Alone," she clarified, and while the princess seemed enthusiastic about the prospect, linking her arm in mine, Gisela looked worriedly after us as we walked towards the exit, and away from the tree where we'd stayed.

She spoke as we walked, though I could tell from her mannerisms that she did not expect me to respond to anything that she said, but as we walked, I could tell her mood was buoyant.

Eventually, we came to a tree which visibly appeared to be of a different species altogether from the others; perhaps a special tree that only those of royal blood used?

As we entered, I noted there were many Kobalt inside, but their reaction quickly raised my suspicions that my initial guess was incorrect, as our intrusion was treated as anything but ordinary.

The princess spoke to several Kobalt, who reacted with confused expressions and responded to her in tones that suggested to me that she was doing something quite out of the ordinary.

At first, I thought that perhaps the reaction may have had something to do with me, but the Kobalt appeared to not even really take notice of my presence.

Eventually, a Kobalt girl left the entrance hall in a hurry, which seemed to greatly annoy the princess, and after carrying on a bit more conversation, she stomped her foot on the floor angrily, prompting the Kobalt with which she was engaged to acquiesce to whatever her demands were.

She smiled, taking my hand again in hers, and leading me past what appeared to be a kind of reception desk, to a door which led to some stairs, that I noted with interest, wound downwards, and into the earth.

The wooden look to the walls eventually gave way to earth, until finally, we came to a grand doorway, which the princess ushered me through, and as I stepped into the room my jaw dropped.

"Holy shit," I breathed, as I took in the room's contents.

There were suits of armor placed upon wooden replicas of a human who I seemed to resemble quite a bit. I counted about fourteen suits, and as I examined the one closest to me, I tried to confirm whether or not these armors were of the type from the guild hall catalog.

I withdrew my knife, and gestured to the princess, and she nodded, so I pressed the blade into one of the suits, and the blade didn't cut.

There was no way for me to confirm the tier or quality of the armor, but this was easily several hundred credits worth of gear, and enough to outfit our entire team.

Wait... was the princess even allowed access to this?

The reactions of the Kobalt upstairs quickly put me on alert...

Maybe these armors were the possession of her people collectively...

And maybe she was violating their own customs by bringing me here.

This was bad.

My hope was that we could integrate into their society without causing trouble... but maybe the princess had other plans.

I stowed my knife, then looked to the princess' lead, and she took my hand, leading me past the suit of armors, to a line of podiums which seemed to display various glowing orbs.

Eventually she came to one, which she picked up, and she looked at me, then pointed to her heart, and then her lips.

I wasn't sure what she was trying to tell me, but she held the object to her chest, then placed my hand over it, and I gasped as she began to speak in English.

"With this, I can speak your tongue; but only from the heart."

She smiled excitedly as she observed my reaction to her voice, then held the object out, offering it to me.

I gulped, placing the object over my chest, and she placed a hand on it.

"I hope we can understand each other," I thought, and the princess smiled.

"I understand you from looking at your eyes. You are powerful, here," she said, placing a hand to my temple. "But in here, much longing."

She indicated to my chest, and I tilted a head in confusion.

"You want much, because you feel little... You search for the feeling. Wanting."

I pulled away, and the princess smiled.

"Do not fear, my Götze. I will make you filled. I do not fear the loose thoughts in your head."

The princess seemed so self-assured.

Maybe I should test that resolve?

I took the orb, then placed it against my chest.

"You are just a tool to me," I thought, and I watched with interest, as she took the orb from me, her smile not wavering in the least.

"For you, my Götze. I will be the most useful tool you need."

She took my hand, and placed it onto the orb held against her chest, and she placed her hands on either side of my face.

"You will be my immortal, love," and standing on tiptoe, she reached up to press our faces together, and she softly kissed my lips.

"I knew your name as soon as I laid eyes on you, mine Götze. Now I have shown you glimpses into my depths. Bestow on me, your humble tool, a name."

With our faces close together, her eyes locked onto mine, I stared back into hers, thinking.

Have I ever named anything in my life?

Suddenly, I thought about the orb in my hand, and withdrawing it from her chest, I placed it against my own, before returning her gaze with conviction.

"Miriam."

The words confused even me, but the princess smiled, taking the orb and placing it against her chest.

"Beautiful. I am your Miriam. This name is for your lips only, mine Götze."

I nodded, and she smiled, before taking my hand and placing it against her chest.

"Say it," she said.

"Miriam," I said again, and I gasped as a blue light emanated from the princess as waves of energy seemed to pulse from her heart.

She took a deep breath, and as I lifted my hand, a blue glow momentarily surrounding it, I gasped, as I suddenly saw in my mind an image of the princess just as she stood before me, except shrouded in shadow.

Wherever you go; you will see me in your heart.

I gasped, as the words seemed to be spoken directly into my mind.

Yes, my love. Even my thoughts I can now share to you, as well," the princess explained.

Interesting...

So powerful weapons and armor aren't the extent of our implant's capabilities.

Garbung says that you must leave; that your important kin await you? she asked, and I nodded, as she took my hand, and led me back to the armor displays.

He also says that evil Gods may threaten you, should you leave.

I nodded again.

Then you will wear this, she said, indicating to a suit of blue, gleaming armor.

I placed a hand on her shoulder, as I held the orb to my heart.

"Your people, my Maryam. I do not wish to anger them," I responded, and she scoffed.

They will not contradict me. You must return to me, mine Götze. They will not dare get in my way. It is my will, and one day, the way of all!

Even as I protested, the princess was adamant, and eventually I acquiesced.

She took my hand and placed it, palm facing outward, against the chest piece, and as a blue light pulsed outwards from the item, I gasped as the armor seemingly split in two, and fell to the floor.

The princess regarded my concern with some amusement, as she retrieved the pieces, and after placing the first half of it against my chest, and ordering me to hold it there in place, she fitted the back plate into place, then secured the piece together with straps.

I examined the process with some interest, as while I had no previous experience with armor, I was fairly certain that this wasn't the way armor was typically constructed.

Yet, as she secured the final straps, the armor emitted another blue pulse, and this time, I felt a kind of energy flowing between it and my own body, and I gasped as the metal plates on the armor began to fold, readjusting and reshaping the body of the piece itself with a quick series of metallic clinks, eventually fitting the piece quite snugly onto my body.

I examined the final outcome when it was done, and to my surprise, not only was the armor exceptionally light, but it was also quite easy to move in; and the two halves seemed to have bonded into place in the process of its transformation.

Evidently, I appeared to be quite impressed with the armor, and Maryam seemed quite pleased with the reaction.

With my help, she removed the armor from its resting place, and I knelt before her as piece by piece, she outfitted the armor onto my body; the pieces adjusted themselves into the perfect fit every time.

I rose as she finally placed the helmet onto my head; and she led me now to a rack, stacked with various weapons.

"You will wield this," she said, retrieving what appeared to be a spear, with an axe shaped blade at the head, and a sharp point on each end.

The weapon was light, and I didn't need to guess that the blade was like that of my knife.

This is too much, I thought, and the princess smiled.

"I am your tool; but you are my everything. Come back to me," she said, and I bowed, before leaning in to kiss her again, to her delight.

The princess replaced the translation orb, and we headed out of the room and back up to the upper levels where the entrance lay; but as we exited the building, a crowd was gathered outside, at the head of which stood the angry Kobalt man from the council meeting.

He shouted at me, but as the princess moved to my front, he quickly bowed, his head practically touching the floor.

She began speaking to him, and to my relief, Gisela quickly rushed to my side.

"What's going on?" I asked, and she shot me a quick glance.

She seemed to be trying to figure out whether or not it was okay to explain, when I noted a curious look in her eye, and she leaned closer to me, to speak in a low voice.

"Councilor Danebe opposes the princess' assertion of her divine right," she explained.

"He doesn't look like he's opposing," I responded, and she shook her head.

"The princess is demanding that he remove himself; he's bowing in defiance to her demands."

"Interesting," I muttered under my breath. "What do we do?"

"I called for Garbung and the Kobalt matron before getting here; hopefully they will be able to resolve the dispute."

People were now gathering around us, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Garbung finally arrived.

He bowed beside the man, and the two began to speak as they remained prostrate before the princess, whose hands were on her hip as she studied them with a look of sheer indignation.

The two seemed to be speaking amicably, when suddenly, the man, or Danebe, as Gisela referred to him, swung something at Garbung, and the old man rolled over, clutching his side, and the crowd broke into a throe of hisses and boos.

I stepped toward Garbung, as I realized that the thing Danebe had swung at the old Kobalt man was a small, curved blade, but the old man raised his hand to stop me.

He said something to Danebe, and as the crowd continued to hiss, the younger man stared around, an angry look on his face, before he turned and stormed away.

The princess came over to us, and was speaking quite rapidly in angry tones.

When she was finished speaking, Garbung nodded, then spoke to me in German.

"If your friends are in danger, then it would be best if you depart as soon as possible, Auslander. Danebe is stubborn, so it will take some but we will resolve this matter by the time you return."

I shot Gisela a questioning look, and she nodded.

I was about to leave when the princess spoke, and Gisela seemed unsettled.

They continued for a bit, before Garbung interjected, and Gisela finally nodded, though somewhat reluctantly.

"I will accompany you on your trip," Gisela announced, and as I studied her carefully, the princess placed a hand on my wrist.

Götze, she said. Protect her as if she were your own princess; and I nodded, as she turned to leave.

Gisela directed me to where I could meet up with Gunter, where she would join me after making some quick preparations of her own, but as she left, I made the quick decision to head back, instead, to the tree where I'd left Cameron, and to my relief, she was in the entry hall where I'd left her, a worried expression on her face.

"Holy shit, is that armor? Like, legit armor?" she asked, and I nodded.

"It even deflects our weapons," I explained, and she whistled appreciatively.

"What's going on? Everyone seemed to be running around like the place was on fire... for a second, I thought it was trouble related to us."

"It might be," I answered. I quickly explained what had happened, and she bit her lip nervously.

"What do we do?" she asked, and I sighed.

"I'm not sure. If it's not safe here, I don't wanna leave you, but..."

Cameron shook her head, patting me on my shoulder plate.

"I think it's best if I stay. It'll leave a better impression on our part. Besides, I'm pretty sure we've got most of the most important people on our side. Garbung, the matron. Your princess."

I sighed.

"Ooh, worried about me, are we?" she teased, and I bit my lip.

"I'd just rather not get separated," I said, and she shook her head.

"Relax... there's no riot outside; just a cranky noble at best. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Take this, then," I said, as I unclasped the belt that held my hunting knife from my hip.

As I offered the weapon to her, she hesitated.

"Are you sure? That thing looks big and unwieldly," she responded, indicating to my new weapon.

"Honestly; I prefer the knife for its short reach and easy use, but this thing isn't bad either. It's lighter than it looks, and the pointy tip makes it useful even in tight spaces. Besides, you can hide the knife easy enough, and it's best if you have a way to protect yourself."

I still felt a bit anxious as Cameron saw me off, and as I got to where I was to meet up with Gunter, I found Gisela waiting for me already.

She was wearing sandals, and a more practical set of robes which were a bit more tightly fitted, and fastened with belts around her waist and arms to keep them from flowing about her.

The robes only reached as far as her thighs, and I glanced with silent appreciation at the bare expanses of flesh along her legs.

"Is the dispute with Danebe settled?" I asked, and Gisela gulped.

"It will be some time before he will appear before the elders to speak."

I nodded, and Gunter excitedly led us out of the city, to where a small group of Kobalt outfitted for travel awaited us.

There were four of them, and Gisela introduced the group to me, before we set out with Gunter in the lead.

"Does Danebe often behave like that?" I asked as we walked, and Gisela sighed.

"He stands with the customs; whether it is for good, or bad."

"And the princess?" I asked.

Gisela gulped, then leaned closer to me, making me wonder if there was another English speaker amongst the group.

"The princess will one day decide the future of our customs."

"And when will that be?"

"When she gives birth to her own princess; she will become matron," Gisela answered. "A fate she has entrusted to you."

"So, Matron Lucilla... she's the princess' mother?" I asked.

"She is mother to all Kobalt," Gisela answered, a bit confused.

"No- I mean, did she give birth to the princess?"

Gisela shook her head.

"Lucilla Mater gave birth to three sons, before selecting the princess as her inheritor."

"How was she selected?" I asked.

"When the matron first becomes pregnant, all women who are pregnant become matron-adjacent, and the girls who are birthed; princess candidates. The princess was selected by Lucilla Mater herself from that group."

"I see... and what happens to the rest of the candidates when the princess is chosen?" I pressed.

"Some sit on the council, and become lifelong companion-servants to the princess."

I studied Gisela as she spoke.

She and the princess were close, weren't they? Or else the princess wouldn't have asked me to protect her like that...

I silently wondered if she was, herself, a candidate.

"So, can a princess candidate ever become princess?"

Gisela shook her head.

"Once a princess is chosen, the other girls become companion-servants for life."

"Then what do you do if something happens to the princess before she can produce an inheritor?"

Gisela eyed me carefully.

"A ritual is performed to reveal the new princess."

I processed the information as Gisela studied me.

Their system seemed to inherently prevent potential inheritors from gaining control of the tribe through murder; but something about Danebe's behavior still bothered me.

"You said Danebe stands with the customs, right?"

Gisela nodded.

"Then would he attack the princess if he believed she would one day change the customs significantly?"

Gisela's eyes widened a bit, and she shook her head.

"No one would attack the princess. Not from amongst our people."

"Even if he believes I will corrupt your princess? Or threaten all of your kind?"

Gisela considered my argument, then shook her head.

"Danebe is the Matron's first prince. He would have to strike at the one who birthed him to do this. No Kobalt would act with such treachery."

I rubbed my chin, thoughtfully.

Danebe would be a problem later on... but for now, I hoped that Gisela was right about him.

I tried thinking about the princess, as she'd demonstrated earlier, and sure enough, I could see the shadow of her form, sitting it seemed, quite comfortably.

I also felt a bit of a pull in a particular direction, and I was certain that it was the direction in which I would find her.

That's pretty handy, I thought.

As we walked on, proper daylight began to stream through the trees above us, and after about another half-hour, we encountered another Kobalt group.

They were outfitted similarly to the four we travelled with, and as they spoke, I noticed a look of concern on Gisela's face.

"The scouts say that a god approached the sanctuary you came from just now. He entered, and left after a few minutes."

Fuck!

"What did he look like?" I asked, and Gisela relayed the question, nodding as the scout responded.

"He wore a hand-bracer, and carried a battle axe," Gisela translated.