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Althea's mind reeled. An upcoming meeting between the kingdoms? This was an event she had to attend. She would ask for the details later - there was no need to pump the other young queen for information now. Emra was not likely to leave the Lady behind.

'Thank you,' she said aloud. 'If you will excuse me, I must bid my divers farewell.' Nodding towards Emra, she slipped out and walked down to the shore. As she strolled down the beach, she continued to admire the bright, lush greenery around her. Living in Zircon seemed to be a terrible ordeal to return to eventually. Here there was everything she could ever want - beautiful scenery, good food and sunlight.

If I could live here always, she toyed with the thought, and never return, how wonderful that would be. In fact ... I could just not go back. She shook herself suddenly and crimsoned in deep shame. How could she even think about abandoning her people? She had just imagined abandoning her people to the mercies of the ocean and forget her duty to them. She might as well have murdered them.

But the prospect of living without the worries of Zircon and an inevitable shortened lifespan was too wonderful to give up all at once even though Althea felt terribly guilty.

Well, I'm not going to go back for a year yet. I just need a holiday. After that, I'll probably want to go back, she tried to convince herself that it was reasonable to think this way.

Someone shouted out and waved, stunning her out of her thoughts. Althea quickly composed herself as she waved back to her divers. She put a smile on her face and came swiftly towards them. As she approached, though, her smile faded.

'Devlin, why are you not wearing your suit?' the Lady demanded. Five divers shifted uncomfortably and Dev stared stubbornly at the ground, mute and immovable as a donkey. He was dressed in light brown Sapphire clothing and did not look as if he was about to return down to the Island. Unable to get a response out of him, Althea turned towards the other divers for help.

'H-he wants to stay here,' the head diver ventured uncomfortably.

'Stay here?' the Lady cried out, astounded. 'Devlin Keith, do you mean that you wish to leave Zircon and become a- a member of the Sapphire Kingdom?' She faltered near the end, remembering all too well that this was similar to what she had only just imagined doing herself. Reddening in shame yet again, she stopped speaking. The divers looked fearfully from her to Dev and then at each other, believing the Lady to be absolutely infuriated. Dev glanced up at this accusation, surprised, and staring at her. He thought idly that the weather here was good for the Lady.

Althea, however, was not infuriated nor was she pondering over the weather. Instead, she was thinking unhappily. What right did she have to accuse him as if it were a crime? She was committing the worst crime by even thinking she could forget about her thousand subjects. Dev had every right to want to stay, but she didn't. In fact, Dev had already done his duty and been loyal to Zircon. He had come up before and never abandoned the kingdom then when he could have. He had every right to be rewarded. The flush from her cheeks disappeared and she sighed.

'I will ask the Queen if she will accept you into the kingdom,' she began at last.

'No!' Dev interrupted. 'That's not what I want. I just want to stay here,' - he cut off the 'with you' he had been about to add and said instead, 'as your bodyguard. I'll go back when you do.'

Althea stared at him. 'Devlin, you are not at all equipped to be a bodyguard.'

'Neither are you, Princess,' he retorted. 'And it's better for someone to stay with you than leave you on your own. Someone may try to assassinate you since you're our Lady. We can't lose you. Besides, I know how to wield a weapon even if you don't.'

'He has a point there, my Lady,' Thoral commented.

'But you're so young!' she protested.

'Older than you, Princess,' he said. 'Who else can be your bodyguard? Everyone else' - he waved a hand at the other divers - 'have family waiting for them. There's no one to miss me in Zircon.' He said this matter-of-factly, without any invitation for self-pity but that was precisely why Althea's heart melted with compassion for him. How lonely he must be sometimes, she thought in a moment of insight.

'If you stay now you may never return to Zircon,' she said more gently.

'I will,' he said confidently and looking her straight in the eye. 'You'll find a way home, Princess.' Her sorrowful eyes dropped, unable to accept the faith and respect he evidently had in her. Here she was, wanting to stay in Sapphire forever and ignore her people - she had thought if there was no way to go back to Zircon, it wouldn't matter anyway because she had done her duty by coming up - and here this boy, only a year older than her, had reminded her of all the hopes of Zircon. She wanted to slap herself.

'Very well,' she said quietly. 'You may stay.' Turning to the other divers, she kissed their cheeks tearfully. 'Good luck getting back to Zircon,' she whispered, pressing their hands. They nodded and wished her good luck on her quest. 'Come back soon, my Lady,' they repeated over and over. She nodded. There and then she made a resolution that she would go back.

In a moment the dark and light heads of the divers alike had disappeared under the ocean surface, leaving the two young Zirconians standing to watch them go. Both were looking hard at where they had vanished as if they were trying to watch over them all and the girl's hands were clasped together in prayer.

Queen Emra breathed in deeply. All of her select courtiers starting trickling back into the throne room. She sat back into her throne, feeling empty. All this news and events washed over her like the sea, dunking her and then leaving her shocked and hollow.

"Lord Ty, will you please show me the latest scribed reports of the treasury?" she asked to the nearest noble. He nodded and returned so swifty, she become worried.

"Alls in order." He reassured quickly, handing over a blue and white tinted parchment bit.

She tried to bite down smugness, for the reports were all in order. The treasury was thriving, for such a young queen. She looked over it swiftly, yes, she would help the Zircon Kingdom with money- but she would try to help even more than that. She stood by her words, if one kingdom falls- all kingdoms will fall.

[Phew, thanks for the tip, Discordant. Also, I have decided my secondary character should be from Opal, to give Ash some room to maneuver.]

Secondary Character

[Edited out. I can't simply change her kingdom from Opal - the next best thing is Pearl, which isn't available either, and in any case, her background revolves around the Pledge.]

Molan

And so Molan had convened the council. He'd thought that surely, the finest people in Peridot could come up with a better idea than he for the emergency. Eventually, Lady Farmer Norua, of the orchards, decided that they read the minds of everyone they chanced to meet, which they all heartily agreed to, except for the irritatingly disengaged Councillor Mashu.

The council then moved on to matters less serious - the plague, which had stopped spreading very abruptly, but the damage was simply too great; the Festival of Music, on which they followed Dela's lead to continue with as was normal; and a trade alliance with Aquamarine, which had entirely slipped Molan's mind.

And yet, it was this trade alliance, as he mused after the council, that caught his eye the most. This was no fool's "alliance," the way his idiot cousin would have had it with Zircon. Aquamarine needed the produce; Peridot had use for their textiles, and certainly their avian life. Moreover, wasn't it true that this "Induisha" was to subvert all the Stones in Ouhta? Molan needed to warn as many people as he could, and this trade alliance - well, it was a start, and pigeons would be accessible there.

Mashu was the usual ambassador, but circumstances being what they were -

"Dela? Tila? I must make for Boat Hamlet, to sail for Aquamarine. Assure the people that it will solve the poultry depletion, Dela, and assure the other Councillors that it may help the more urgent matter. Tila, you look after Mother, won't you?" He kissed them goodbye, and he was off to the harbor to take the most manned ship available.

A day had passed and the ship was already adrift when he realized he had forgotten to tell Dela how to manage the Festival of Music, but after all, there were more urgent matters.

((Had some inspiration on the bus this afternoon. Not very long, but oh well.))

Pearl

“This is the second one!” Aelas screeched throwing the letter from her as if it had bitten her. It spun through the air before hitting the wall and falling to the floor with a barely heard thud. “I don’t care who this ‘Serenity’ thinks she is, because I think she’s an annoying brat!” Aelas shrieked and stomped once on the floor. “Hasn’t she even considered for a moment that some kingdoms might not want to be ‘saved’ and that we… just… want… to… be… left… alone!!!!” Each word was accompanied by a stomp until Aelas’s whole face had turned red from anger.

“Oh calm down,” Gilval hissed, rolling her pale eyes in annoyance, “You’ve gotten so worked up over these letters you haven’t realised how much they’re going to help us!” Aelas turned to face her mother, her large eyes narrowed in anger, “Help us?!! How are they supposed to help us?!!” Gilval sighed with impatience, “Haven’t you remembered that some of the kingdom still does want to be saved?”

Aelas raised her eyebrows, “You mean those Niveus Losers?” Gilval rolled her eyes again, how childish could Aelas be? “Yes, of course I mean the rebels. Just think about it for a minute, if you send them these letters then they’ll leave, off on their wild goose chase for the help they desire. You won’t have to waste our resources in searching for them and destroying them, and you won’t have to worry about those silly letters anymore.”

Aelas frowned for a moment, then pouted, “You’re right, of course. Have the letters sent out to them then.” Gilval nodded, using her powers to lift the two letters and bring them over to her. “Right away.”

[Where is the meeting going to be held? Methinks it would be reasonable for it to be in a kingdom that is more or less open to the other kingdoms.]

Althea strolled along the shore with Dev by her side. Neither of them said anything and Althea was lost deep in thought to notice what Dev was doing. She was mentally constructing a plan of action. There was time yet before the annual meeting and Althea meant to spend her time wisely.

The first step, she decided, was to familiarise herself with the way the different kingdoms worked - their ways of living, their clothes, their food, their agriculture - anything and everything that might provide new ideas for how Zircon might be able to survive. She would also delve into the extensive libraries of Sapphire, of which she had heard a great deal about, and look for something that might explain the strange phenomenon of the sinking island. After all, who was to say it would not happen to the other kingdoms?

She suddenly realised what that meant. The Lady could bully the other kingdoms into helping them if they would not do it of their own good will. She would mention how another kingdom might start sinking if they did not help her find the cause of Zircon's catastrophe. They would help her only if they had to prevent themselves entering the same situation, she thought grimly.

As of yet, the Lady could not imagine any way of making the Island rise up again. She often worried over what would happen if the people ran out of oxygen and idly wondered how long air pockets lasted.

'Is something the matter, Princess?' Dev asked. Althea glanced up to find him looking at her in concern and she realised that she had sighed aloud.

'Nothing important,' she replied absent-mindedly, her eyes beginning to glaze over again.

'That's a lie,' he said quietly. She looked at him sharply. He looked steadily at her. 'Everyone knows that you worry all the time. You wouldn't be thinking of nothing and sigh.' Althea stared at him and then laughed ruefully.

'You are right,' she said. 'I did not really want to explain it but I was wondering how Zircon is going to continue surviving.' Her face took on the old worried strain and a pang of pity went through Dev's heart for the young and worried queen. He thought resentfully that no other queen - not even Emra - had as many troubles as Althea did. The girl in question did not notice his look, her eyes focused on one of the winding stairs that went straight into the ocean.

'You see, I don't know how to stop the Island sinking or even why it is doing that. I can try and find new foods we can grow down under in Zircon but that won't help the lack of sunlight problem. If water enters the caves eventually - I don't know when - there will be no air to breathe. That's the worst part of it all, I think. After all, you nearly drowned going back down.'

Dev followed her eyes onto the stairs and they walked together in quiet silence for a while. He watched a noble enter the ocean with ease. Then he abruptly said, 'If we could breathe underwater like the Sapphirean people can, would that help?' Althea stopped dead in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at Dev. Her mouth was slightly apart in amazement. Why had she never even thought of that?

'Devlin!' she cried, gathering his hands impulsively. She began to speak in exclamations. 'You are a genius! Of course! The Sapphireans can breathe underwater! That's exactly what we need! Excuse me while I go find Emra.' With that, the girl fled up the beach towards the palace, leaving one startled young man staring after her.

((I'm not sure which kingdom the meeting is to be held at... I'll have to ask Rachel, however I do believe that she has used up all her internet for this month, and her parents have banned her until next month T_T She'll only be able to get on when at school... But I'll relay what's going on to her... ))

[The meeting is at Topaz, isn't it? Or at least, Merle sent all the kindgoms letters calling a meeting... Ah well, if Rachel's off, I'll have to delay introducing Eila. Pity.]

"Chancellor Thisa!"

The next day, Thisa decided to exit her tower for a breath of air. Plus, it was warm outside, while her keep had gradually been getting colder the past few days. She was pondering the meaning of the recent events...letters from Diamond, demons, the Aquamarine itself. Just now, a messenger from the senate was trying to get her attention. She blinked a few times, and then turned to greet him.

"Greetings. I suspect that since you forgot to be polite, that there's something urgent you have to tell me."

The messenger bowed. "I apoligize, but we did recieve some news. Peridot has recieved our letters, and their Governor Molan is heading here as we speak. He's coming by boat, so we should expect him in a day or two along the shores of the western lake."

Thisa smiled. It was grand news to hear, especially after a supposedly vanished kingdom sending them warnings about demons. "What else?"

"The land of Topaz is inviting us to join a festival of theirs in a few weeks, along with the other realms. It doesn't sound like it is the Ouhta council, but we will be discussing the matters put forth by Diamond there either way."

"Good, good. Be sure peridot is notified that we are aware that their governor is coming, and tell Topaz that we'll be coming to their holiday."

After a quick nod and bow, the messenger left, leaving Thisa alone once more. Her thoughts became less serious. After all, the situation seemed to be brightening.

[Please tell me I’m not powergaming here by describing aspects of Aquamarine.]

Molan

Molan docked at Aquamarine the following evening, having had a pleasant view of its famous peaks for quite some time. His guilt about the Festival of Music was steadily increasing, although, as he kept saying to himself, Dela had already had a hand in the Festival once. She should have the general idea.

But only a general idea – through the Festival and the two Harvests she had participated in, he had never told the location of the Peridot or the accommodations for the various Councilmen - and Peridot needed a lift of the spirits before the bird infusion.

But that shouldn’t be a concern, he reminded himself yet again. Not compared to everything else.

As he left for the port town of Western Lake, which made Boat Hamlet look like a thriving metropolis, he glanced back, realizing that Pol, his escort, wasn’t with him.

Oh, yes. Aquamarinians didn’t believe in servants. As a visitor, Molan had to respect their wishes, however little he might like it. Now to ascend the long underground stairway which, without servants, was no doubt poorly maintained, slippery in places, and scantly lit – though as the stairway was the only way to reach the cities from the harbor, it would have to be lit in some capacity.

Above that stairway and all the others, though, there was no need to go underground to breathe the air. Above, the Aquamarine provided its people with life, just as the Peridot made the farms fertile. Chancellor Thisa had as much at stake as he did concerning this “Induisha,” and discussion – he certainly hoped – would be more productive here.

Resigned to the stairway, Molan plodded on, but someone addressed him from behind.

“Eh?” he said, turning around.

“Oh, excellent,” said the small and slender young man, who had a dove perched on his shoulder. “I’ll inform the Chancellor of your arrival, then, and she should be seeing you shortly.”

“Thank you kindly,” said Molan briskly. “Also tell her that – ah –“ – he took a deep breath – “there is a threat to the Aquamarine from someone calling himself ‘Induisha,’ and –“

“She certainly knows about that,” said the man kindly. “She has already corresponded with Diamond on the subject.”

Molan smiled in relief. The discussion would be productive indeed.

((Even if that is a bit of 'powergaming', I agree with most of that, the exception being that the stairs don't go underground. The cities are on top of the mountains, so you'll have to go up. WAY up.

I'll add my part later. I'm in a bit of a bind for time right now.))

((Terribly sorry, I bumped into major writers block, didn't felt like it at all. And yes, I forgot to add that the letters were send to all the kingdoms from Merle. So the meeting is held in Topaz.))

(( I'm back! I managed to convince my parents to give the internet back.
Ria and I had a talk. We decided to not hold the meeting in one of the cities. We put it on a small island named Returana.
Here's some information about it:
Returana is a small island that is cloaked in dense forest. It is situated near Topaz but is uninhabited by law. The law is that the island is so holy that people may not approach it until a week before the annual Outah meeting and they must leave it at least a week after the meeting. The meetings sometimes go for days, even weeks.
The meeting is held in a large temple, that was said to have been built by the first rulers of each city. On one wall of the temple are twelve stones that represent each country eg:a ruby, a sapphire, a pearl etc.
Legend says that if each ruler of each city puts their hands to the stones the wall will open and reveal the secret that the first rulers used to build their countries and keep them from harm. But as not all of the rulers from all of the cities attend the council, this has never been proved.
The temple is made out of marble and is decorated with crystal. All the furniture: chairs, tables etc are made of crystal.
There are twelve castles surrounding the temple, one for each ruler. The castles are locked with a special magic, only the ruler of their kingdom can open the castle. The rulers of each kingdoms are meant to stay in the castles with their servants, during the duriation of the meeting.

Thats a bit about it. Hope you all like it. I plan to get a post up soon. I'm so happy to be back!))

((I have a wonderful new post, really get involved with Pearl. It's really a reflection of what's been going on. But I promise I'll delve more into the Pearl Kingdom at a later date.))

Vann stared out across the snow covered mountains of the Pearl Kingdom, the wind tossed her hair out in a frenzy of dark silver and bronze before dying down to a gentle breeze. She would miss this place very much and didn’t really want to go at all. But she knew what was best for her beloved kingdom.

Pearl needed to be represented at the Ouhta council and if their “leader” wasn’t going to go then she’d have to go instead. In fact, Vann was glad that she’d be able to go instead of the current leader of Pearl. After all, she knew what was best for her kingdom. She knew that it needed to be free from Aelas’s grasp and she knew that she needed help to do this.

Vann grimaced at the thought of leaving the kingdom with Aelas as its leader, that spoilt brat would no doubt rejoice when the Niveus Lupus left. But Vann would have the last laugh, she’d come back with help and take back Pearl from that ice queen.

Vann turned when she heard footsteps approach, it was the young traveller, and what a strange girl she was. She was upbeat, positive and spoke way too much in Vann’s opinion. Never the less, Isabella was the only one who offered a way to the council and was the only person Vann knew who had been off Pearl. Not that she knew Isabella very well.

* * * *

Isabella grinned as she approached the rebel leader, it was quite a strong image Vann projected. Blades held behind her as she stood on the edge of an icy precipice, wind blowing her hair so that her whole face was hidden.

Isabella had been quite impressed when she first met Vanniel Lurion, leader of the Niveus Lupus, the rebels who were fighting a losing battle against the icey dictator of Pearl.

They’d been very wary of her at first, the bright bubbly girl who claimed to be offering help to them, and who wouldn’t be suspicious of her? She could be a demon, or a mercenary hired to wipe them out, or even a spy from Aelas.

But when they found those letters from Diamond…

She couldn’t believe how fast they asked her to help them after that.

Giggling at that thought she waved a hand back towards the camp, she knew Vann could see her, “It’s time to go Vann. We can’t stand here all day, we gotta get moving.”

((I will change this then in my letter post from Merle. Sounds great. For your convincience, the letter again.))

The letter turned up again and again in Merles dreams. He didn't knew why he remembered those words so well. But, now being deeply in fever, his mind repeated them.

I have received a letter from the legendary kingdom, Diamond.
My best historians have looked upon the seal, carried by this letter
and said it to be real.

Thus, I have decided to contact you all, and would suggest to meet
at the isle Returana. I will take the necessary safety measures, to see upon your safety.

I will give you all my oath, that no harm will befall you, during your
stay here.

King Merle Dahra,
Topaz.

A few days had passed and the king had lapsed into a fever, carried by home in a carriage from his expedition to the Southern border.

He only knew one thing, that he had to wake up.. wake up to get to the meeting. But somehow, the darkness kept him imprisoned.

((kuroro, sorry about that. Thanks for changing the letter. I put Returana right next to Topaz incase you wanted to do anything with the council or something.))