Letters to the Archpriestess
The Spirit King’s sanctum was, as its name implied, the temple wherein the Spirit King was enshrined. In its deepest recesses, priestesses-in-training labored night and day to become worthy of the rank of knight-priestess. Forbidden to men, some called it a garden of the feminine; others called it the closest thing to paradise in this misbegotten world.
The archpriestess, speaker for the sanctum, was accompanied at all times by an armed escort whose diligence ensured that she came to no harm. Two such guards attended her today as she visited to encourage the trainees.
The woman heaved a troubled sigh as she watched the squires train. Her two guards glanced at one another. While she normally attended to her duties with diligence and grace, for the past two days she had been taken by a strange mood.
“What’s that all about?” the more fiery of the guards asked.
“Haven’t you noticed?” the more reserved one replied. “Recently, Her Holiness has thought of nothing but the Black Prince.”
“Lord Hiro, you mean? That boy who stayed here once?”
“The very same. They have been exchanging letters ever since. It seems his most recent response has been delayed, hence her distress.”
The fiery knight-priestess massaged her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “To the point that it interferes with her duties? So even Her Holiness has a maiden’s heart...”
“Imagine having the luxury of neglecting letters that the whole continent would kill for the chance to send.”
“You can say that again. So? How long’s he kept her waiting?”
If memory served, the Black Prince was stationed at Berg Fortress to the south. A courier could reach him in two days. Even if he had been at a loss for what to write, a response should only have taken three or four days, certainly no more than a week.
“Six days, I hear. I wouldn’t be surprised if his reply came before today was out.”
“How long do they usually take?”
“No more than four. You can tell when they come—Her Holiness spends the day positively glowing. I don’t know how you could have missed it.”
“Should we send a messenger? Order him to hurry up?”
The reserved knight-priestess grimaced at the thought. “Only if you want to invite Her Holiness’s fury. Besides, those of our station cannot make demands of imperial royalty. We’d lose our heads.”
The fiery knight-priestess cocked her head. “You think so? The Black Prince didn’t strike me as the sort. I think he’d let us off with a slap on the wrist and a grin.”
“Or we could keep our mouths shut and let this resolve itself. I think that’s wiser, don’t you?”
The fiery knight-priestess sighed. “Sits ill with me knowing her troubles and doing nothing to help, that’s all.”
At that moment, another knight-priestess came running from the entrance to the training ground. “Your Holiness!” she cried. “Lord Hiro’s letter has arrived!”
As the two guards turned to see the archpriestess’s reaction, a great gust of wind sent their hair flying.
“What the—!”
“Wah!”
They scrambled to secure the archpriestess’s safety, but she had vanished.
“Curse it! Where’s she gone?!”
“Could that have been a monster? But what could snatch her up so quickly?”
They scanned their surroundings frantically. Eventually, both of them spotted the same thing, and both of their mouths fell open as one.
“Eeek! When did you get there?!”
A scream rose from the newly arrived knight-priestess as she noticed the archpriestess standing directly behind her. The archpriestess all but snatched the letter from her grasp and laid her other hand on it tenderly, a smile spreading across her face. Then, abruptly, she turned on her heel and set off briskly toward the entrance.
“Your Holiness?! Where are you going?!”
“Come back, Your Holiness! You are supposed to be under our supervision!”
The archpriestess stopped and looked back as her two wardens shouted after her.
“But I must send Lord Hiro my reply!”
“Is it urgent?” the fiery knight-priestess asked.
“Oh, yes. Very much so.”
“What did he say?”
“He inquired as to my favorite food. With so many options, however shall I decide?”
“Pardon?”
The fiery knight-priestess stopped in her tracks, blinking dumbly. The archpriestess was already dashing away down the corridor, her duties forgotten.
“Your Holiness, wait! What of the trainees?!”
Shouts followed her, but she paid them no heed. When it came to love, even the bearer of the Far Sight was blind.
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