Azure tapped her fingers against each other as she stared at Aqua, her gaze slowly wandered down to the Phoenix that was being petted by Aqua. She averted her eyes as a way to hide her slight blush.
"What is it? You can ask me almost anything." Aqua's lips curled into a smile as her fingers moved through the fiery feathers. Azure gulped, then she looked around to get Sheira's support.
However, her friend left her alone. While being alone with Aqua was rather fortunate, she still felt embarrassed. Despite traveling together before, it was different; they were bound by necessity then, and now they were traveling back home.
It allowed her mind to settle and think just how attractive her companion was. She blankly stared at Aqua, who started to look at her with worry. "Azure? Are you feeling sick? I can reduce the ship's speed."
The elven girl reeled back, "N…No!" She brought her hands in front of her before sitting down with her legs crossed. She leaned forward, "I kinda just wished to chat with you. I want to get to know you better… of course, if you do not mind?"
Aqua raised her brow as she placed her hand on Sun God's head. He stretched his avian form and walked off with only a small crackle. Aqua couldn't help but smile at him as he tried to behave as someone prim and proper.
Her gaze then locked with Azure's.
"Of course, I do not mind, ask whatever you are curious about. But I would like to know more about you and my kin in this world." Aqua leaned back against the wooden wall behind her as she looked at the eager white-haired elf.
Azure stretched her legs before she brought them to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees and placed her chin on them. "Hmmmm… where do I even start?"
Aqua hummed for a moment, "What about your life story? I am rather curious." Her smile did not hide any malice or hidden meanings; she truly wished to learn everything about her kin in this world.
She wanted to know about the gods, about elven lives, and most importantly, about Azure herself. To her, knowledge was power, and she had precious little when it came to anything in this new world. Despite all the power in the world, she possessed, she still felt powerless without knowing anything.
But most of all, she needed to know about her companion; the general information could come after.
Azure blinked slowly as she tapped her cheek, "Well, I mentioned I am Guard Captain for Princess Sheira. However, I am also a martial champion for the Elven kingdom."
Aqua nodded along as her ears perked up. They twitched slightly as she keenly listened.
"Until the ambush, I was undefeated; nobody could even touch me in combat." She sighed as she looked at Aqua. "The attack put me in my place, and then there you are. You seem like the ultimate existence compared to me. I could never hope to even scratch you."
Aqua's lips stretched into a thin line.
"Of course, it's not like I would ever wish to hurt you even if I could. You are a wonderful person." Azure's face reddened slightly as she rocked back and forth."But I digress, I just wished to get in that I really appreciate you."
"Thank you…" Aqua did not know how to respond to such words of appreciation, but she felt it truly was right to thank the girl.
Azure cracked a smile as she continued, "I was born in the noble family of Hallowshield. We were sworn protectors of the royal family for millennials at this point."
"I was always obsessed with learning how to fight. So the moment I could hold a stick, I swung it wildly… I was not very good." Azure chuckled as she reminisced about the old times.
"My family didn't spare any expense training me, for the next 150 years, I trained under my Father. Those 150 years were full of pain, after which I had to attend the academy, but I do not blame them. You cannot grow without some pain after all."
Aqua nodded.
"While my brother and sister were assigned to King and Queen, respectively. Once Sheira was born, I was assigned to her. Relatively safer position, but no less important. I served as her nanny and the guardian."
Azure stopped for a moment, her eyes scanning to see if Aqua listened, and much to her delight, the red-haired girl keenly listened as proven by her ears twitching slightly. Azure smiled before she continued. "The girl was quickly discovered as incapable of any kind of casting, nor did she have a divine blessing. So she was treated as a mere liability that could be used as a bargaining chip."
She sighed, "But she was always a sweet girl, and thus we quickly became really good friends despite our servant-liege relationship."
Aqua raised her hand, "So not even the upper echelon knows about Aether?"
Azure merely shook her head, "No, I never saw anyone who used magic in the way you do it, Lady Aqua."
Aqua nodded.
"Well… Sheira was shunned by her siblings. While her mother did like her, it did not change the opinions of everyone else around her. She was seen as someone so defenseless that she would merely make the holy blood fall into the wrong hands."
She widened her eyes, "And they were right… The Red Dawn got their hands on it… We will be in so much trouble. I could get executed for this…" Her head slumped.
Aqua squinted, her lips curled down and brows furrowed, "Not gonna allow that, you do know that, right?"
Azure chuckled, "Please don't destroy our kingdom. I am not sure what will happen just yet. After all, I did fail. Do not hold it against them."
Aqua placed her right hand on her mouth and chuckled slightly, "I will not go around destroying kingdoms because they made decisions I do not like, especially when it's the home of my kin. However, I will not allow you or Sheira to die."
She looked up and inhaled sharply, "I would be damned If I lost the first 2 people that I actually like in this world."
Azure blushed slightly and her ears slumped down, "Thank you… You truly are a good person."
"I wouldn't go that far… I have done things I am not proud of."
Azure shook her head, "It does not matter, in my eyes, you are a hero who saved both me and Sheira. I will make it worth your while, even if I get executed in the end. However, let me not bore you with such a grim topic."
Azure forced a grin, "I taught Sheira everything I knew. I even taught her some basics of combat, but it did not increase her standing. She truly is a lovely girl… even if she betrayed me now."
She released her legs and sat in a cross-legged position while she continued her story, "Now that she turned 170, she was supposed to attend the academy to learn about magic and rulership." She then looked up and down at Aqua.
"I doubt they would be able to match what you can teach her, tho…"
Aqua scratched her chin, "Academy… How influenced is it by religious authority?"
Azure blinked in surprise, "I… don't think any religion has any influence. They prided themselves on being secular."
"Doubtful, I sensed how annoying these gods were when establishing dominance over mortals, but despite that, I still would recommend her attending the academy. Knowledge is power, even if it's primitive, while I will teach her magic, she needs to learn other aspects of life. After all, she is a princess."
"Primitive…" Azure muttered.
Aqua raised her hand to interrupt Azure, "To me, your way of using magic is primitive. That is why I will teach her. She is a goddess now, and I am the only one who can teach her; I do consider her my daughter after all."
"And you say you aren't the kindest person I have ever met. You might pretend you don't care, but I see what you really are." Azure smiled as she stared at Aqua's slightly blushed face.
Aqua's lip curled into a slight smile, "Thank you…"
"Well, let me finish up my story, and then you can tell me everything about you. After all, you are an enigma for me."
"Go ahead." Aqua gestured for Azure to continue.
"I mentioned the Academy, and I did attend… for a while, the moment Sheira was born, I was forced to drop out and prioritize my attendant duties. While I was teaching Sheira, I was also in charge of training the soldiers. Frankly, most of them never were meant to be in an actual fight with how weak they were." Azure shook her head slowly.
"That routine continued until a week ago when I was supposed to guard Sheira as she went into the Red Dawn… and that's when we met, the rest is already known to you."
Aqua nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you for sharing your story with me. There are still things about elves, in general, I want to ask about, but that can wait once I return the favor and share my own story…"
"It's an honor, I really wanted an opportunity to learn about you. Now… tell me everything about yourself!" Azure grinned as she brought her knees to her chest once again.