“So this is where you got born, huh?” asked Phantasia.

“That is correct,” said Faye.

“Guess its nice knowing where you came from…”

A statement, not a question. Nobody knew of the Princess’s origin, least alone the Princess herself. Faye did not understand why this caused her such distress. Knowing that she herself had once been born an elemental in this place did nothing to affect her current situation or mindset.

“What is your earliest memory?” she asked. It was a question many would have asked her before, but Faye was curious herself as to the answer.

“It were those four kings,” she said, “There’d been some massive battle or something. Then I got to meet Queen Thetis and she looked after me,”

“You speak of the war against the Apostle, Nagendra,” said Faye. The Princess would know all this and Faye would have no new insights to give her. That she was engaging in such conversation was illogical. “I do apologise,” she said, “I do not know why I have carried out this line of questioning. I am ashamed at my inability to contain my curiosity.”

“Don’t be silly,” said the Princess, cheering up, “You gotta know this stuff if we’re gonna be friends! And I gotta know all about you, too!”

“My name is Faye Delphinus. I am of the second-instar. I serve Lady Eudore,”

“C’mon, tell me more!”

“I do not comprehend.”

“Why’re you Water-types so boring?” sighed the Princess, “You’ve gotta lighten up, like Dionysus and the Queen!”

“I do not agree with such a statement,” said Faye, recalling the politics of the Royal Court she was still too unevolved to comprehend, “It is my understanding that both Queen Thetis and Prince Dionysus gained their unusual personality traits from their interaction with humans. It is debatable as to whether this is an advantage or a weakness.”

The Princess sighed again and cast her eyes across the nebulous aether. “Yeah, figured. Guess we ain’t gonna agree on everything,”

The distance between the two faeries and the sanctuary staggered closer, as if their steps were leading nowhere and it was the island itself deciding when to approach them.

“I ain’t ever gonna get to do this thing myself, ya know?” said the Princess, “They don’t have an element for me, so there probably ain’t a sanctuary with my name on it either. ”

“That is understandable,” said Faye, “It is not unreasonable to suggest you are not even a faerie at all.”

“Thanks,” grumbled the Princess, “I ain’t a demon, you know,”

“I do not think you are,” said Faye, “Your ethereal makeup does not suggest it. I am in fact intrigued as to what your true nature is.”

Faye realised her curiosity explained why she had been chosen as the Princess’s handmaiden. Other candidates may have had greater power than her, but they may also have lacked the understanding necessary to serve this unique princess.

“Perhaps the Guardian can provide us with an answer,” she said, “The Four Guardians are second only to the Goddess in their power and wisdom. It is unfortunate that the Guardians of the Old World were destroyed, as their knowledge stretched back millennia. As it is, the current Guardian is still young and inexperienced compared to its predecessor.”

Chapter 38
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