Tristyn let out a small yelp as the slap knocked him to the ground, lying limp for a second before pushing himself back up to a sitting position and gingerly covering the stinging cheek. "Ah-ah! That smarts..." He could feel his eyes slightly watery just from the force of the strike, though he did agree that it had helped return his focus. Still, he couldn't help flinching slightly when she objected to the mention of kidnapping again. "What else can I call it? 'Accidentally illegally transported' is a bit long to use every time."

As she explained the system of the kingdom somewhat and assured him that there would not be an entire army marching across the land specifically to locate him, he calmed down somewhat and blushed slightly at the jest after. "Oh...good. You had me worried for a minute. Not so much about being found as the whole political crisis thing and the army wandering around, b-but we can discuss that part later."

Accepting her hand and standing up, the young man took a moment to brush off his robes before he answered again. "Well...I knew that you were a noble, but I was kind of under the impression that you were still a princess and not the ruler yet...I guess I didn't hear that you had become Queen. I...don't really keep up with outside affairs that easily, you see. It's not that often that I go out, and even when I get supplies, it's a very quick trip if I can manage it."

"Your name, though...I never confirmed it. I have a guess, but that's all."

It seemed Tristyn was not an outside person and thus not updated about current events. Not entirely his fault. This place looks quite the distance from the nearest town or village even without the magic forest maze. Plus, outlying villages aren't really the most reliable sources of information regarding other nations.

"Your name, though...I never confirmed it. I have a guess, but that's all."

"Oh?" I raise an amused eyebrow. "Care sharing that guess with me?" Let's see how accurate Tristyn's guess is. I could only wonder what it was though. My name is very common after all and I'm pretty sure I share my name with at least a quarter of my kingdom.

"By the way, mind taking this conversation to somewhere more comfortable?" I asked. "Your garden's pretty but I'd like to see what's inside your humble abode." Glancing at the bench I threw Tristyn off earlier. "But if not, I guess this'll do."

"Oh? Care sharing that guess with me?"

"Um..." Tristyn felt a little unsure all of a sudden, the request making him want to second-guess himself out of the fear of getting it wrong after all and sounding ridiculous. No! Stop that, that's just you psyching yourself out again. It's not like it's a trick question, honestly! At least there was some part of his brain that was still reasonable, it seemed.

"It...is Elizabeth, isn't it? Did I remember it correctly?" He had only heard it a few times, and it had popped up in his research before he planned to go to the castle, but he had always wanted to hear her say it herself for some reason. Like the name itself wouldn't be real until she herself had said it.

...Maybe he was going crazy in this place.

"By the way, mind taking this conversation to somewhere more comfortable?"

"Oh! Of course!" The young man started to turn back to the garden entrance again before he remembered leaving the sandwiches on the bench. He was still hungry, after all. "We never ate...we can take this to the parlour or something, I suppose." After going back to the bench and picking up the tray, he started back inside once more.

"It...is Elizabeth, isn't it? Did I remember it correctly?"

It wasn't my complete name but otherwise, he was spot on. "Correct. I'm Queen Elizabeth Vinderion of the Moon Kingdom. Daughter of Alexander Vinderion, its previous ruler." I clarified my identity to Tristyn.

As we walked back inside, I continued to reveal some more information regarding my position. "After the Usurper Crisis which resulted in the deaths of all the known members of the original royal family, the Lot Knights, the sworn protectors of the kingdom, decided to have an election on whom the next king should be. They decided to have my father as king." Then the mood turned a bit dark. "Then he died of an illness. Two years ago. Leaving me as his heir and... I guess the rest is history."

"So far, no one's complaining." I decided to add before moving the topic. "How about you, Tristyn? Do you mind sharing the history of this place? I hope it's not anything boring, being shut outside of civilization and all."

"After the Usurper Crisis which resulted in the deaths of all the known members of the original royal family, the Lot Knights, the sworn protectors of the kingdom, decided to have an election on whom the next king should be. They decided to have my father as king. Then he died of an illness. Two years ago. Leaving me as his heir and... I guess the rest is history. So far, no one's complaining. How about you, Tristyn? Do you mind sharing the history of this place? I hope it's not anything boring, being shut outside of civilization and all."

"O-oh, I'm sorry. Losing a family member to illness...I'm really sorry." Tristyn wanted to say something more comforting, but found himself at a bit of a loss. Sure, he lost family members as well, but still... At least she didn't sound too terribly upset now, but who knew? On the bright side, ruling the kingdom seemed to be going well.

"Um...the history of th-this place? Well..."

The young man bit his lip, trying to decide how was best to proceed with his answer. It certainly wasn't that boring of a history, but his family...hadn't exactly become well-known for good reasons. "...It's not...not really, but it's a little long. A-and I'd much rather read it than relay it, to be honest. It would take quite some time, and I'm sure that I'd mess it up somehow in the retelling."

He trailed off into silence as he turned a corner, a little worried that the excuse wasn't very good after all and that she would press for details. She was in a strange place with someone she hardly knew, after all, and she at least deserved a few answers after being forced to stay here. He couldn't stop feeling guilty about that. "I guess...an overview wouldn't be too much, though. For the most part, this place has always been...kind of a hideaway for...um...very, very advanced magic users. It was built a few hundred years ago, according to the records, and hasn't been found by very many people outside of the family since then. It wasn't really safe, with how many people wanted access to various magic-related secrets hidden here and...maybe held a bit of a grudge or two against some of them for a couple of likely trivial things. Sometimes people just start to feel threatened easily, I suppose..."

He did his best to leave out the bigger details, such as exactly what would cause people to keep a grudge against his family and what kinds of secrets they kept hidden. He thanked his stars that he hadn't been so flustered as to give his full name earlier, though he was certain that he wouldn't even be standing now if he had done so while the queen still held that sword in her hand.

"Anyway," he continued as he turned into another hallway, "my family has been living here since it was built, researching old magic, coming up with new magics, and sometimes dealing with some interesting creatures. Eventually I came along to continue the tradition of magical research and practice. Sorry, I guess that version did make it a little boring. It's better worded in the records, I assure you." He stopped in front of one of the doors as he finished his very short explanation, pushing it open with his side to reveal a room very much like a parlour in a large house. The wide windows overlooking a small part of the forest under one of the overhanging cliffs let in plenty of sunlight, making the room much brighter than the hallway they had just been in. The furniture was rather comfortable as well, mostly consisting of a few light blue-cushioned chairs around a small table and a few small shelves carrying books or decorations near a couple of the walls. "I almost forgot what it looked like in here. Please, take a seat anywhere."

"O-oh, I'm sorry. Losing a family member to illness...I'm really sorry."

I smiled at him. "It's alright. He told me not to grieve for him that much and gave me much happiness as a child could want. So you can say I didn't have a terrible childhood." I miss him though, along with Mom.

Tristyn then shared his history as well as his home while we walked. He descended from a family of mages that lived here a couple of hundred years ago. The place was sort of like a hideout or hideaway for his family from those who would like a shred of the knowledge or those who wished to get even with them for some trivial reason. Though one thing is for sure, this was definitely a place of magical research in, probably, all branches. Tristyn lead me into a room that looked like a parlour and offered me a seat.

I took a seat in one of the light blue-cushioned chairs and turned to him. "Since you said you're alone here, where's your family?" I asked. Then it had dawned on me that I may be bringing up a not-so-comfortable topic. "Ahh... You... You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. Ehehe..." Now I feel bad for probably bringing up some sad memories. Dammit Lizzie! Quick, ask something else!

"S-so, you said there's somebody else here that isn't human. Care to elaborate?"

"Since you said you're alone here, where's your family? Ahh... You... You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. Ehehe..."

"S-so, you said there's somebody else here that isn't human. Care to elaborate?"

"Ah...I...don't exactly..." The young man scratched his head as he started to answer, but trailed off when the topic was soon changed. It was a bit confusing, but he shrugged it off quickly. There would be time to explain that later, anyway, and it wasn't that important at the moment.

Besides, he wasn't even sure himself, really.

"Oh, did I say there was only one? That was a mistake on my part, I apologize. There are several non-human entities currently residing here. Granted, I suppose some of them used to be human." He smiled a bit as he remembered some of the stories that the resident spirits would tell him. Some of them had lived some pretty interesting lives before they had met their ends. "In any case, they're mostly harmless. Quite a few ghosts here and there, Sir Raziel kinda nests in one of the older towers, there are birds around somewhere..." He thought for another moment before sitting down himself. "That's a start, anyway. I'm sure you'll see a few other animals and the like from time to time. I'll introduce you to the visitors if they come around while you're here, too."

"Ghosts huh? So this place is sort of haunted or something?" I wasn't sure what to think of that. There were non-humans in my kingdom though ghosts aren't one of them. Still, Tristyn said they were mostly harmless so it should be fine I suppose. There were also animals that have apparently taken residence here. Not sure how that goes. Then Tristyn said he gets visitors from time to time. That one was kind of interesting.

"And you get visitors? I thought this place was hard to reach." I asked. "Are they also not human?"

--MEANWHILE--

"What do you see, Oracle?"

"I see... I see... a young royal. Trapped. Trapped in the mountainous north." An olden, female voice responded.

"A royal? Do you know who?"

"Blue. Blue is her clothes. Her eyes. Her weapon."

"...Not sure who that is but it's enough to return us to the good old days."

"Y-yes to both. Ghosts tend to hang around for a variety of reasons. And, yes, it is hard, but there are entities that find their way here now and then. It's not too hard for animals either, really. They aren't so much of a problem, so there's no real reason to block most of them. It's usually ones that live in the forest, anyway, so they'll probably find a way in sooner or later."

Taking a sandwich from the tray, he took a small bite and swallowed before motioning to the rest. "Feel free to have some. I really don't think I can eat them all."

"Feel free to have some. I really don't think I can eat them all."

"Sure." I take one of the sandwiches and began munching with Tristyn. They were decent. Really good to have when you needed to process the thoughts in your mind. "They're good." I smiled at him.

I wonder what would happen now. Heck, I wonder what's happening back in the kingdom right now. I know they'll be fine but I bet my knights are panicking about my disappearance, probably trying to figure out who took me and where I have been taken. Unfortunately this place is located nations away from my kingdom so I'll bet it'll take them several or more days to find a good idea on my whereabouts and even more time to pinpoint where exactly I am.

But that's assuming I just sit here and wait. However, going down from these mountains and into the multitude of nations could prove dangerous. An unprotected royal roaming around is a chest of opportunities waiting to be seized. And the nations down below could use some opportunities. Still, seizing the Queen of the Moon Kingdom is to risk literally losing one's head. A risk Tristyn accidentally took but hopefully I'll erase that.

"So, what now?"

The young man smiled a bit at the compliment, trying hard not too seem too excited about it. Still, it made him pretty happy to know that she liked them. When the young queen asked what was to be done next, however, his expression shifted as he stopped to consider the question carefully.

"I...don't rightly know, honestly. After all this that's happened, I'm starting to doubt my capability to plan anything." He let out a nervous chuckle before looking a bit more serious again. "I suppose...ultimately, you want to get back home, correct? So we'll have to focus on that if we want to get anywhere."

Tristyn frowned slightly, already not fond of the thought of losing his newfound company. Still, this hadn't been a particularly ideal situation as it was, and he knew that the issue with the kingdom missing its queen, whatever powers she might actually hold and whatever effect that may have, was still in need of being solved. "Of course, then there's the slight issue I mentioned earlier, what with the werewolf problem at the moment. If we want to get you back home, we need to plan around that first and find the safest time to go out. Until that time comes, though, there's not too much to be done, I think."

"Of course, then there's the slight issue I mentioned earlier, what with the werewolf problem at the moment. If we want to get you back home, we need to plan around that first and find the safest time to go out. Until that time comes, though, there's not too much to be done, I think."

"Wait, werewolves?" I didn't hear about that earlier. Only ghosts. At least, I don't think I did. "We have to deal with werewolves?" I'm pretty sure 'werewolves' are men who can transform into more wolf-like forms but that's the definition in my kingdom. Thinks told me the word could mean something different somewhere else.

"Well, how many are there?" I asked. "Maybe you and I can take them on." That sounded rash and I had only realized it once the words came out of my mouth. "Or maybe that was a bad idea and we should probably just stay put until then." I could wait but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting impatient. Though then again, this place looked nice and comfy to temporarily stay in. Maybe I should just relax and hope for the best?

<Snipped quote by YamiCuoreLaroux>

"Wait, werewolves? Well, how many are there? Maybe you and I can take them on."

"Or maybe that was a bad idea and we should probably just stay put until then."

"Y-yes. They live in certain parts of the forest...they're not normally a problem, but they've been oddly aggressive lately." The young man sighed a bit, trying to remember exactly how long they had been like this. While what he had said about them not being any trouble was usually true, even to the point where he had met with a couple of them on occasion, he hadn't dared to go anywhere near where they often appeared for some time now. How long had it been, anyway? A couple of months?

"Um...not that I've really counted...but I'd guess a lot. There are at least two packs, though the possibility of running into both would be highly unlikely..." Tristyn shuddered a bit, not exactly fancying the thought of somehow getting between them both. He had been guessing at a territory dispute for a while, though he had yet to confirm it. "A-at the very least, I would wait until after the full moon in a couple of days. I have some items that can be used to defend against them, but I'd really rather not end up in the middle of their issues. Not with so many of them out at once. If we go directly after then, though, we'll probably stand a good chance of avoiding them altogether. They're usually not as active for the first few days after the full moon. They tire themselves out or something, I think."

"It would be easier if Raziel were here, but I'm not sure when he'll return. He was gone by the time you got here, I think."

"Oh well." I sighed. "Can't be helped, can it?" I would not wanna deal with two packs of werewolves at full moon too so I guess I'm stuck with Tristyn for the time being.

"Well then!" I stood up. "Guess I'll be staying here until post-full moon." I remarked. "So what do you do around here? You know, besides reading books and trying out new magic." What are you talking about Lizzie? Magic's awesome! "No wait! Do you know how to do some cool magic stuff? I mean, surely your family's discovered some cool tricks and techniques right?"

Little did I know that I had walked up to him and staring him down.