The Korali Castle seemed brighter than it ever had. The dark gray stone didn't seem so dark anymore, and for the first time in a long time all the colors in the castle stood out. No color more so to the eyes of the emperor then the bright pink hair of his daughter Connie.
Connie, the pink-headed five-year-old, turned one of the many corners in the maze of castle corridors. She ran down the hall laughing as she brandished a bright blue ribbon over her head in taunting victory. Connie disappeared around another corner, just as Zhora slid around the one Connie had just came from. Zhora was a beautiful half elf with long blond hair. She looked around nineteen. Zhora caught her balance and slid around the next corner in her haste to catch the little thief..
"Give me back my ribbon!"
After a few brief seconds, a couple of young men around Zhora's age stepped around the same corner Connie and Zhora had come from just moments before. They stopped and looked down the corridor before them and then to their left, down the one the girls ran down.
"To bad we're not drow." Bo remarked casually to Lance. "Because then we could pick up the heat traces of their tracks."
Lance laughed lightly, looking at his friend from the corner of his eye. He didn't respond but turned to his left and started down the corridor.
"How do you know they went that way?" Bo looked to Lance, down the corridor in front of himself, and then to Lance again.
"That way dead ends, this way leads to the gardens. Princess Connie loves the gardens."
Bo stood still for a second, thinking about all that Lance had just said. With a little laugh he ran to catch up with Lance. "Wonder if we missed the fight?"
"I hope so, otherwise they'll make us team up with them and fight too."
Both boys laughed as they turned the next corner in their quest to find the girls.
Matt Shikara sat on a bench under an old oak in the garden. He thought it strange for a ruthless warlord like Kayos to have had these gardens built. Rumor had it Kayos made them for Connie. The gardens were in the inner most bailey, surrounded by the castle keep. If ever there was an invading army, the gardens would have had to be torn down to allow use of the bailey. For now, they were full of fall colors.
Matt was laughing at lark, who was sitting on the ground in the awkward manner of someone who had fallen on her butt. Lark and Matt had been having a rather painful talk about their good friend, Nick, who died from the Silencing Disease when Connie ran by. Lark had been taken off guard and moved a bit too quickly, loosing her balance, causing her to fall with a startled gasp.
Matt didn't start laughing then, at that time he was only concerned for Lark. He had offered her help and she had been quick to inform him she didn't need any. Lark started to get up when Zhora ran by and knocked Lark down again.
Lark was sitting there glaring at the laughing Matt Shikara when Bo and Lance walked by. Upon seeing Lark they decided they're on the right track.
"Which way did they go?"
Matt was too busy laughing to respond to Bo, but Lark lifted her hand and pointed the way. Bo thanked Lark, and they continued on their way, only Lance had been laughing since he'd seen Lark on her butt as well.
Cythia walked to the open window facing the garden and shook the dust from a rug.
"Don't they ever clean this place?"
"I was told on one has stayed in this room for awhile." Ramina informed the reporter as she stuffed a pillow behind the protesting Millie, who was sitting in a large comfortable chair with a swollen belly.
"Oh I can clean it." Millie chimed. She was not used to all the help and would like to be taking care of someone, not have them taking care of her.
"No you will not." Cythia hung the rug over the windowsill and turned to give Millie a stern look.
Millie opened her mouth to protest about how much care she was getting when Connie ran through one open door and out the other, Zhora not too far behind her. The three women watched each girl in turn and then looked to each other. The women were laughing when Bo and Lance came through. This time they didn't bother asking which way, and continued on through the room.
Connie ran down another corridor being chased by Zhora, but this time one of the people they passed didn't even seem to notice, Zhora's father Emilio. Emilio Rugmen wss sitting on a bench having a conversation with Lora Grimm. He had believed she had a dear friend of his tortured and killed. He had just recently found out it was an impostor trying to disgrace Lola before her late father Drake Darkskies.
"And that's how I knew it wasn't you." Emilio said having just explaining to Lola that his informants told him what was going on before she could.
Lola did not respond to Emilio. She was still blinking in surprise when Bo and Lance causally strolled by.
"Lucky for us they don't run very fast." Bo stated as they passed Lola and his Uncle Emilio.
"Yeah, I know, or we'd have to pick up the pace." Lance glanced over at Emilio and Lola only to get a strange look on his face. Emilio was waving his hand in front of Lola, who seemed to be in a stunned daze.
Connie led her trio of followers into the throne room where her older brother was talking to Kayos. Tucker looked and fell out of place in Korali because he was so used to tech. He had come to visit Connie.
Both girls stop before Kayos' throne. Zhora looked to Kayos with a slightly angry and exasperated sigh.
"Tell her to give me back my ribbon."
"Tell her to call me Aunt Connie." Connie's little voice shot back.
Bo and Lance entered the throne room. Bo moved to stand at Zhora's side and Lance bowed to one knee before the throne.
"But you're not my aunt. You're my," Zhora looked paused to think about it before going on, "father's father's sister."
"Which makes her your Great Aunt Connie." Kayos informed Zhora with an amused smile.
"Yeah!" Connie yelled to Zhora. "Call me great!"
"I will not you, little brat."
Connie stuck her tongue out at Zhora and then took off running again.
"Hey, my ribbon!"
Bo laughed as Zhora ran off after Connie once more. He tapped Lance on the shoulder as he passed the slave, wanting Lance to join him again. Lance lifted his eyes to Kayos to see if he would have permission. Kayos waved Lance off with a light laugh, glade the kids were having fun. He'd almost lost Connie, Zhora, and Bo to the Silencing Disease. He watches them go before looking to Tucker once again.
"I hate slavery." Tucker stated flatly, not having liked the way Lance had to stayed lowered until Kayos said he could do otherwise.
Kayos shrugged, not letting the Space Ranger's views drag him down. His whole world almost got ripped apart by a disease that killed those with magic in their blood. He could have lost everyone dear to him.
"Yep, life is good." Kayos leaned back and relaxed into his throne.
the characters and storyline on this page are � by Kehle Shandley, Lisa Steward, and Sunet Realmz. No part of this story or it's characters can be reproduced in anyway without premission.