The Nexus

Y'dyne was excited. It was the first time in months that Queen Amalthea had agreed to meet with him. This time he had note cards and he was prepared to make his case. He desperately wanted to go to the other world. He spent most of his free time with the luxucolis that had been to Ianua and he loved hearing their stories of adventure. The other world seemed so much more dangerous and exciting than the Crystal Forest.

His tail swished behind him and he clip clopped down the long pathway towards the queen's chambers. He stopped for a moment to admire the artwork on the walls, enormous paintings of all the royals who had protected the world bridge before Queen Amalthea. He didn't spend too long though because he didn't want to keep the queen waiting, and soon he was trotting down the hall again.

The luxumeri guards at the door recognized him and one of them grinned, "Trying to make your case again Y'dyne?" He grinned at the guard and flicked his tail, "You know it." The other guard smirked at him, "I think you're in for a surprise today Y'dyne." Before he could ask what that meant the guards were pushing open the large double doors and he was being announced to the queen.

His eyes went straight to Queen Amalthea first, she was looking radiant as ever from her throne. He trotted forward and that was when he noticed the luxucolis standing in front of the throne. He was big, even for a luxucolis and he had large brown wings and reddish hair, though his legs were a brown grey color. He didn't look pleased to see Y'dyne at all and large, muscular, arms were crossed in front of his chest. It was unusual for him not to know one of the luxucolis, which meant that this man was probably from the queens personal guard. He had on a belt which held a longsword, and wore no other clothing.

When Y'dyne got within speaking distance, he bowed to the queen. "Your majesty. I was told you sent for me and that I was to come right away." His eyes drifted to the winged man, "Was I wrong?" Amalthea smiled at him, "Rise Y'dyne. You were not wrong." She stood up and walked down from her throne, which caused her personal guards to shift and their wings to ruffle. "I have a special mission for you." She held out a letter. "You have been so eager to see the world bridge, so I have decided to grant your request." Y'dyne took the letter, his eyes wide.

Amalthea continued, "You are to take this across the bridge, and deliver this letter to the king of the othersiders." She motioned to the burly luxucolis, "I am sending my best guard with you. This letter is of great importance. Do you accept this task?" Y'dyne almost forgot to speak he was so excited. "Yes, of course I do your majesty." The queen's tail swished, and she looked to the winged man, "Then I place my faith in you both. Go now." She stepped out of the way and gestured to the doorway that was behind her throne.

Y'dyne eagerly trotted up and made it to the door before the other man. He went in and was surprised when he saw the gateway. He'd expected an actual door, instead it was just a very bright light. He almost darted through it when someone grabbed his arm. "I will go first." He frowned at Y'dyne, "You may call me N'vayonien." He didn't say anything else, just went through the light.

Y'dyne didn't waste any time in following him. He was surprised that the light led to an actual bridge. He trotted to catch up with N'vay, who was walking forward quickly and with purpose. "Wow! This is so amazing!" He was distracted by the scenery around him. The bridge looked to be in some sort of shielded bubble, but outside the bubble there was a strange and overly colorful forest. Odd creatures flitted about in the trees and Y'dyne stopped to look at them, which made his companion grab his arm and drag him along. "Don't doddle. We have an important task."

Y'dyne frowned at the man, "Don't be so grumpy. This is going to be fun!" He tossed his hands in the air and almost lost the letter off the edge of the bridge. N'vayonien glared at him and Y'dyne shrank, "Oopsies?" It wasn't too much longer before they were walking through the glowing light at the other side and Y'dyne couldn't wait for his first glimpse of the other world!

The crackling of light, coupled with the sound of static startled the guards posted on the rift. The vörn took their position very seriously, but had been caught unawares nonetheless by the sudden spark of life at the bottom of the structure that housed the portal. It was not often anything came through and the guards took to the air to descend the long spiral that housed the bridge opening.

The pit had been designed to give the guards time to react should anything unsavory find its way through the rift as the many unsavory things of this world made them somewhat paranoid. Stairs were built into the stone hewn circular walls, but he vörn made use of their wings in order to save time. As the crackling died and two forms made their way from the light, the guards trained their weapons on the figures, cautiously.

When Y'dyne and N'vayonien made it through the light, they would be met with the points of lances and spears and the thick, muscular guards. One stocky brown man stepped forward, the end of his bardiche moving before him. "State your business," he said in a somewhat demanding tone. N'vayonien or Y'dye were given time to answer and if they were paying attention, a face peaked over the side of the pit's opening. Before the guards could speak again, a figure leaped over the side and descended. Umardi used her wings to steady her descent until her hooves clopped on the stone ground. She folded her wings behind her and crossed the distance to the visitors.

"Falyanard. Do you not recognize our brethren from across the bridge?" Her voice cut through the guards and they backed away from the newcomers, ducking their heads and fanning their wings in a bow as they did. Falyanard backed away as well, turning to his commander; a woman who came out from the shadows of the pit.

She was shorter than Y'dyne by at least a foot, but she carried herself with importance. She wore a sort of fitted gold filigreed breastplate which only covered the length of her ribcage and a studded leather skirt under her sword belt. Her strawberry hair was half pulled back into a ponytail atop her head and the rest left loose to trail behind her. Her dark eyes flashed from Y'dyne to N'vayonien, her expression business like and after a beat, she bowed to them.

"Welcome, othersiders." She straightened and gestured to the stairs. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

Y'dyne had been all set to run ahead of N'vayonien, but the cold greeting they received from the othersiders had him half crouching to hide behind the burly luxucolis. N'vay fanned his wings and reached for his sword, "We are here on urgent business of Queen Amalthea, Third of her name." His tail swished and he was ready to take on the guards should they cause trouble.

It was a good thing Umardi appeared, and Y'dyne peeked out from behind the giant luxucolis, "I have a letter for the king!" He held it up for the woman to see. "It's from Queen Amalthea!" He was soon distracted though, and he skittered out from behind N'vayonien and stood beside him, "Wow, you guys looks so different! Look at their horse ears!" He nudge N'vay with his elbow, and the man just scowled at him.

Umi blinked once, her face a mask as the mention of the king. She had been paying attention to N'vay since he'd started talking and she hadn't really seen Y'dyne behind him. She stared at the man with his dyed hair and exuberance and very delicately arched a brow. "I can show you to her majesty, Queen Yadira, first of her name, if you please."

At the mention of her ears, Umi's dropped back as if offended. She did not let the rest of her expression slip, however and gestured to the stairs leading out of the pit. "If you would, gentlemen." With merely a look from Umardi, the guards took off to regain their posts. "I apologize for the rudeness of my patrol, but you must understand we rarely receive happy visitors." With that, she took to the stairs, one arm folded behind her, the other on the hilt of her sword. Her tail trailed out from her back and she shuffled her wings to a more comfortable position.

Y'dyne frowned, "...not the king?" Even N'vay seemed a bit off put by this news, "The letter is for the King's eyes only Miss." They both trotted after the woman, though N'vay made Y'dyne go between the two of them.

Y'dyne tail swished, and he looked all around as if he'd never been out of his house before, "I didn't mean anything bad about your ears." He touched his own sharply pointed ones, "I think they're cute!" N'vay also kept his hand on his sword, and he was on high alert for any sort of threat.

Umi was silent a moment, choosing how she wanted to phrase her words. "I regret to inform you the king, Khamar, third of his name has not be in attendance at the castle for some time." She reached the top of the pit and walked through the line of guards who had returned to their posts. "You may speak with the Queen on the matter." She meant to lead them to the throne room where she had left her mother with other attendants. This side of the rift was much different than the other, they would notice. The buildings of the city were all made of cut and hewn stone, but there was vegetation growing on and around them.

Umi flicked her tail at Y'dyne's words and flared her nostrils. Cute was not a look she strove for, no that was reserved for her fairer siblings. Nevertheless, the man was here with a mission and she would not let his silly words stop her from bringing the pair to the throne room. The castle was built of lighter, close to white pearly stones and it was a bit of a walk through the halls until they reached the chamber in which the queen sat.

Y'dyne couldn't tell that he'd upset Umi, "I really want to touch them. Can I touch them? Your nose is different too, I wonder why we look so di--" He was cut off and yelped quietly when N'vay pinched him. "Stop your rambling. She's just informed you that the king is missing. This is not a good thing."

His tail flicked and he glared at Y'dyne. "Conduct yourself correctly or I will make sure Queen Amalthea hears of it." Y'dyne wilted, he'd only been trying to be friendly. He stopped talking to Umi, but that didn't stop him from taking in his surroundings. Even N'vay was impressed, it was very different from where they lived. If they were presented to the queen, they would both bow to her, much the same way they would have bowed to their own Queen.

Y'dyne's rambling had brought a barely noticeable flush to Umi's cheeks. If he even tried to touch her should would have spun around and socked him one. But N'vay had it handled and a small smile came to her lips. "We are in fact very different in looks. You are right, othersider. We grew in different worlds." She said in way of explaining why.

Soon the halls brought them to two large stone doors with very realistic carvings of the first luxumeri to cross the portal; Yadira's ancestors. Umi stood at the door a moment before they were pulled open, showing the party into a large chamber decorated with carved stone much the same as the doorway. The statues and carvings around the room seemed to tell the story of the first party to cross over. On a dias across the room was the queen. She was sitting on the stairs leading up to her throne with another silvery white verndari. Umi stopped the newcomers near the door and crossed the room to speak with her mother before presently them.

The queen seemed to have to be reminded to sit on the throne like a queen should and not on the stairs with her son. Yadi got up and placed herself in the throne. She was a beautiful and delicate creature and sat with perfect posture as the pair was allowed to approach. The othersiders bowed and Umi spoke under her breath. "I did not ask your names, and for that I apologize. You are in the presence of queen Yadira and her son, the prince Yewelyn." The vörn stepped back having already given her mother an idea of what she had coming. The queen sat statue still and smiled on Y'dyne and N/vay, waiting for them to speak. The male verndari she had been sitting with finished braiding his hair and stood, looking at the pair with much interest.

Y'dyne came out of the bow and smiled at the Queen, "Greetings your Majesty. I am Y'dyne and this is my guard N'vayonien. We come from the world bridge to bring a message to the king, from our Queen Amalthea, third of her name." His tail swished and he smiled at Yew, before his attention turned back to the queen. "Your guard has informed us that isn't...possible though?" He frowned faintly, he didn't know what to do if he couldn't give the letter to the king. The queen had made sure to tell him it was for the king's eyes only.

N'vay stood behind Y'dyne and a bit off to the side, still on alert for anything. It was his job to make sure that Y'dyne delivered the letter and made it safely back home.

"Greetings to you, Y'dyne and to your guard as well." She inclined her head ever so, her white curls tumbling over her shoulder. Yewlyn's grin grew wider when Y'dyne looked his way and he dropped his head to the side, eying the luxumeri up and down. Yadira looked as young as her children most times, but at the mention that they could not speak with the king a frown wrinkled her face.

"I am afraid not. My daughter did not tell you the king is... presumed to have passed some time ago." Her tone was sad and it pained her to say the words. Umi lifted her chin a fraction higher as if expecting to be judged once she was outed as a princess.

Y'dyne was surprised to hear that the vorn guard was a princess. N'vay look startled but he didn't judge, and Y'dyne spoke. "We did not realize she was your daughter, your highness." He hoped that Umi wouldn't tell her mother that they had been rude.

The looks from Yew didn't go unnoticed, and his tail wagged momentarily, but then drooped when the Queen said the king had passed. "I am very sorry to hear that your majesty. You....you are quite sure?" His eyes traveled between the three royals and he struggled with a decision on what to do with the letter.

Yadira laughed lightly. "She probably wishes I hadn't told you at all. Very silly my daughter is." Her eyes moved to Umi who was trying to ignore that the topic was on her. She looked at N'vay through her lashes and then back to the wall ahead of her.

"I am sorry to say our father has been missing some time. It pains my mother to think of him as being captured somewhere. It is easier for her to think of him in the heavens." Yew ascended the stairs to put his hand on his mother's shoulder. Yadi covered them with hers, her gaze drifting down.

Y'dyne didn't want to bring pain to the Queen or her children. He looked at N'vay with a questioning expression. N'vay gave a small nod, and he turned to face the royals again. "I don't wish to make you sad. But if he is out there..." He shifted on his feet, Queen Amalthea was so much easier to speak to. "N'vayonien and I will find him and bring him back." Of course, Y'dyne had no idea how dangerous the world was or what he and N'vay were getting into.

"I cannot disobey my Queen...she made it very clear that the letter was for the king's eyes only." Of course, the Queen hadn't expected the king to be missing.

Yew arched a brow with interest. Y'dyne was offering to go look for his father and that intrigued him. He looked down at his mother and waited to see if Yadi would answer.

The queen looked lost a moment and then looked between Yew and Umi. "I am of the royal line, blood shared with your Queen Amalthea. Will you not let me attend to this affair in my husband's place?"

Y'dyne shifted backwards and bumped against N'vay, who put a hand out to steady him. He wasn't royal, he wasn't anything really. It was hard to stand up to a Queen and he looked at the ground instead of at her. "I cannot disobey my Queen. She wanted this message given to the king, and so I shall deliver it."

He took a deep breath, "N'vayonien and I will find our own way." It was his way of telling her they wouldn't ask for help or supplies. His tail twitched and he looked to the much bigger man for backup. This meeting made him nervous and he would be glad when he was out of the presences of the royals.

"Very well. It is decided then. I can show these gentlemen where to go, Yadi. Do not fret." Yewlyn was speaking to his mother woth a sly grin on his lips. The queen's delicate brows came together causing a wrinkle.

"You may... but in Vanname's absence, I insist you take your sister for protection." Umi stepped forward looking somewhat annoyed.

"Mother, I should not stray so fa---" The queen silenced her with a hand.

"You will do as I ask my sweet. The rest of the guard is sufficient enough to watch me sit upon my throne." Umardi grit her teeth but said no more. Yew looked positively delighted. He gave his mother a kiss and lightly skipped down the stairs, seeking to hook his arm with Y'dyne's.

"Come, let me show you around before we depart."

Y'dyne was surprised that Yewlyn so readily volunteered. Before he could argue he was having an arm looped with Yew's and he had no choice but to follow. "Ah...but..." He felt a bit weird to be touching a prince!

N'vay bowed to the Queen, "I too, will watch over your son." He knew better than to include Umi in that, because she was like him and he felt she could take care of herself. With that he followed behind Y'dyne and Yew.

Y'dyne held his breath until they were out of the throne room and then he relaxed a little bit. "You don't have to go with us your highness. I'm sure N'vayonien will be all the protection I need."

Yadira waved them off watching her son flounce away. She shook her head and her eyes slid to Umi. She raised her brows ever so slightly and the vörn huffed. She stomped her hoof and stormed off after them.

Yew flapped a hand at Y'dyne. "Don't call me that. You can call me Yewlyn. Your name was Y'dyne, right?" He smiled widely as he sauntered along.

"Ah...but...that isn't proper..." He glanced back at N'vay who just shrugged at him. He wasn't used to royals being so forward but these othersiders were different.

"But yes, my name is Y'dyne." He looked at the letter in his hand, "I apologize if this upsets you but...where was your father last seen?" His tail swished lightly back and forth; with the tip of it likely hitting the back of Yew's leg.

"Who cares about proper?" Obviously the prince did not. He had a light hold on Y'dyne as he steered him down the halls, a grin still on his face. Yew would have answered, but Umi chimed in from somewhere behind N'vay.

"He was out on a diplomatic mission to the elves of Solenti. We cannot be sure, but it was thought that party went missing in the Great Forest." The vörn girl fell silent after giving the information, still sullen for being forced away. Yew's attention had drifted very much to Y'dyne's tail hitting his leg as they walked. The prince had chosen to wear clothing this day and part of his wished he had not. His own tail switched behind him and brushed against the luxumeri.