The Aftermath

     But although her life had improved drastically after the death of King Razul, it was hard to ignore how things had gotten rather... boring. There would always be a part of her that would crave that rush of adrenaline that stealing brought forth; crouching in dark alleys, maneuvering through the shadows to pounce on unsuspecting victims—then calculating the worth of all the jewels and antiques after the deed was done.

     With her new position, stealing valuables would reflect poorly on her husband... not to mention taking items when she could easily attain them with a simple order was pointless. Yes, it was safe to say that the reputation of the infamous Nabile of the Desert Scarabs was no more.

     Of course by the time the news of Faerieland came about, it wasn't surprising that she would want to tag along. An evil villain powerful enough to take over Faerieland? Beats coming across buried treasure by a long shot!

     ***

     "No."

     "Just think about it!" Nabile insisted, trailing after her husband. "The more help you guys have, the faster it'll be to crack the villain behind the Faerieland madness."

     Jazan continued to ignore her, choosing instead to dig through his box of scrolls for nothing in particular. After he had informed Nabile that he would be gone for a few days, the former thief refused to leave him alone. She also went as far as interrogating him every chance she got until his answers satisfied her...

     If only it had stopped there.

     "Jazan!"

     "I said no," he repeated, sighing. "There will be no more repeats of what happened with my father. And I can't focus on the task and protect you at the same time."

     "You forget who I was before I met you," Nabile shot back, crossing her arms rather childishly. "Or maybe it's because I'm a girl? Brynn is a girl! And yet you guys let her in on the action!"

     "Brynn," Jazan started, eyeing the pink Ixi, "is a girl, yes. But that's her job, and she has a lot more experience in the battlefield than you do."

     "Hey! I am just as good—"

     "Impulsively jumping in front of the nearest deadly attack doesn't count. And it wasn't even smart, for that matter," he commented dryly, leaving Nabile momentarily dumbfounded.

     But that was all it took, and the silence between them signaled the end of the conversation.

     And knowing Jazan, there was no room for further arguments.

     ***

     "Stupid, stupid husband," muttered Nabile, pacing the room for what seemed like the hundredth time. "And the villain is even MORE idiotic for attacking Faerieland after I got married!"

     "Er, Queen Nabile?"

     Nabile paused her ranting, looking up momentarily only to spot her husband's trusted servant—Ahuel. There were only a few selected times when Ahuel's presence was required, all of which revolved around Jazan being gone... she suddenly had an inkling as to why the young Techo was present at the moment.

     Ahuel dug through his pockets, revealing a crumpled scroll which he unraveled while clearing his throat.

     "As an advisor to King Jazan, I have been instru—"

     "Must you do this every single time Jazan leaves?" Nabile asked, exasperated.

     "But I'm the..."

     "Yes, and you're a good one, too."

     "King Jazan—"

     "Won't punish you," she finished, relieved when the Techo shoved the scroll back into his pocket. "Now, why are you really here?"

     "Originally I was ordered to keep an eye on you," Ahuel paused, then added, "in case you decided to go rogue like that one time King Jazan went on a diplomatic meeting."

     "But?"

     "But the Lord knew you couldn't stay put to save your life, so..." Ahuel dug through his pockets once more. This time, however, he brought out a stack of blank paper along with colored pens.

     Nabile looked at him questioningly.

     "You know," he coughed, smiling sheepishly. "To confess your undying love?"

     "Fantastic."

     ***

     "Confess my undying love? HA!" Nabile glared at the sheets of paper on the desk in front of her. "My love may be immortal, but I know a certain Kyrii that'll wish he still was when I'm through with him."

     Nabile fumed silently, continuing to glare daggers at the blasted pens and paper - it was mocking her, she just knew it. She eventually sighed, releasing the tension in her face as she made her way towards the large bed in the middle of the room, flopping down onto her stomach. Grabbing the pillow nearest to her, Nabile used it to support her head as she stared out the window longingly.

     "What does he expect me to do this whole time?" she grumbled, freezing momentarily before a smirk made its way onto her lips.

     "That's it!"

     ***

     "Queen Nabile," the Techo called out, smiling. "I'm glad that you've been diligently writing these past few days that King Jazan has been away."

     Noticing the carefully concealed relief in his eyes, Nabile (almost) felt guilty for causing so much trouble for the poor advisor with just her presence alone. Her unwillingness to create a rift between her and Jazan forced her to take out her frustrations on the innocent Ahuel who only wished to please his king.

     "Of course," Nabile agreed whole-heartedly, folding up her latest letter and hiding it under her arm. "You're looking well, Ahuel. Been sleeping soundly?"

     "As a matter of fact, yes," he answered, chuckling lightly. "Now that you're not - er, that is, now that things have gotten less... hectic around here, I can rest properly."

     "Well," she said suddenly, slipping the paper inside the box behind her, proceeding to stretch to divert his attention. "It's been a rather long day, and I want to look my best for Jazan's arrival tomorrow morning."

     "Y-Yes! Shall I escort you to your sleeping chamber?"

     "Thank you, Ahuel."

     ***

     It was late in the afternoon when Jazan finally returned.

     It had been a long journey, and the Kyrii hoped that this would be the first and last time he had to endure the psychotic deeds of a sorceress. A part of him was secretly relieved that Xandra had been bent on destroying Faerieland rather than his home, Qasalan. Seeing his love almost die by the hands of his own father was enough to keep him on high alert when it came to the safety of his lovely wife.

     Nabile had been thoroughly upset when he'd refuse to let her join him, but if anything, he knew of her love of frivolous items and jewelry - which prompted him to take the ancient artifact from the thief, Hanso. Thinking back to that conniving blue Ixi... Jazan really hoped that he and Nabile never become fortunate enough to meet one another.

     It would be a torturous day, indeed; the havoc the two would definitely cause.

     "Jazan!"

     Ah, speaking of the devil.

     "Nabile," he greeted warmly, locking her in a warm embrace which she returned with full vigor. "Have you been well?"

     "Well enough," she replied, observing her carefully. "You're not hurt, are you?"

     "Stiff muscles," Jazan answered, cringing a bit. "If I knew being transformed into stone was a possibility, I would have better prepared myself for it."

     "Piece of cake," she grumbled. "I still say it was a poor decision on your part when you refused to let me tag along."

     "Your safety will always come first," he responded gently.

     "So I almost died once!" Nabile whined, exasperated. "Big deal!"

     "And I'm sorry that you had to stay locked up at home and torture poor Ahuel," Jazan said, digging in his pocket. "But I did bring back a souvenir."

     Her ears perked up. "Really?"

     "Really."

     When he brought out the artifact, Jazan inwardly smiled in pleasure when he saw the look of absolute adoration on her face. Nabile tossed it from one hand to the other, watching it carefully and taking in each detail.

     Finally, she asked. "This saved Faerieland?"

     He nodded.

     "Explosions?"

     "Lots of it."

     "Did anyone die?"

     "Not necessarily." Jazan paused. "Crazy Acara sorceress was frozen for all of eternity."

     "Close enough," Nabile commented, squealing in delight. "You're the best! I love this!"

     "I'm glad," he said, finally relaxing. "Now, I have a box of letters to go through from the city, so if you will excuse me..."

     "Ah, wait!" Nabile said, panicked. Jazan raised a brow. "Actually... never mind."

     For the past few days, she had been waiting impatiently for his return, intent on unleashing her fury on her husband for leaving her behind. What she hadn't expected was for Jazan to come home - gift in tow - and managing to successfully rid of all ill feelings she had of their discussion. It made her feel a tad bit guilty for what she'd done, but...

     Maybe letting him suffer a bit wouldn't be too bad; after all, she did have a lot of time on her hands.

     ***

     Dear Self-Righteous Leader Jazan,

     Instead of investing all of your precious time improving the city, maybe you should rethink your goals and invest in a new color of eye-liner instead. Black is definitely not your color.

     Sincerely,

     Maybe You Should Try Red, Instead

     Dear Oh-Wonderful-Jazan,

     Remember that odd odor that contaminated the city for weeks? Perhaps you should initiate another evaluation, except maybe this time, on yourself. The only thing that's beginning to stink around the city of Qasalan is the abandonment of your poor wife.

     Sincerely,

     A Female Citizen That Is Not Nabile

     Dear Leader-Who-Likes-To-Abandon-Wife...

The End