Origin Story: Ritma

A basket sat quietly on the lone bed, within it an infant Zigoton whose wings were still soaked and vulnerable, wrapped securely in a blanket. The baby Zigoton had just done being calmed down from a series of wailing and currently slept soundly in the basket, but not by her own mother-- But rather, a hired caretaker. Unfortunately for little Ritma, the former Queen of the Zigotons had recently passed on, dulling the initial joy in the off-styled Butterfly Manor at the edge of a Karmen village into a crushing gloom. Entering the room was Ritma's father, Kasa, and a house guest, whom was none other than Gong the Hawkeye himself. The both of them had just returned from a rather personal burial of the former's late wife, previously accompanied by a small number of guests, mostly the local Karmen and Patapon residents. His particular servant later stood up and bowed in respect to her employer.

"Eri." Kasa began. "How's my daughter?"

"She's doing well, sir." The caretaker, Eri responded. "Would you like me to leave the room?"

"Yes, please. Lord Gong and I would like to have a chat here. Privately." Kasa then gestured a signal that his assistant is dismissed, after which the latter left the scene. It was now only this man, Gong and the still slumbering Zigoton baby.

"Thank you for taking your time to visit, my lord. You came here on such a short note once you heard of Kharma's... passing."

"You need not do that, Kasa." Gong shook his head. "It is my duty to aid my people with what I'm able to. My deepest condolences for the loss of Her Royal Majesty, even though I shouldn't call her that anymore considering she willingly stepped down from the Empire's throne, but you do know I held her in great respect despite what took place."  He looked to the two chairs near the cabinet table. "Shall we take a seat?"

"As you wish, my lord. Please, have a seat; I'll fetch Ritma." Kasa then went to the bed to take his daughter from the basket, gently lifting her to his side to not abruptly wake her up as Gong first took a seat on one of the chairs. He soon followed suit. "There... Is another reason I called you to attend Kharma's funeral. This regards Ritma's future." Solemn, sullied voice could be heard as Kasa uttered his sentences. "Poor girl is only a mere few days old and her mother is gone now."

"I see." Gong nodded before he took a glance towards Kasa and his daughter. "Say, has Her Majesty told you anything about herself? Her past, I mean."

This made Kasa ponder for a moment. If he recalled, the former Queen certainly did. "Yes, she did. Told me a lot from when she used to rule an island far off the seas from where we are now." The Zigoton paused for a while, then kept going. "I'm aware that the things she did during the Patapon-Zigoton War is difficult, if not impossible to forgive by her people. Now I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but desperate times calls for desperate measures and all that. Our race was so close to becoming one with the Underworld though..."

"And she was wise to step down when her people at that time knew the danger she put to them. Worse still, significant damage was done and a number of us became corrupted after they failed to do the demons' bidding." Saying that brought Gong back to the the more unpleasant memories of prior wars; How he had died in the Doyon Basin, how he later was informed that a former colleague was a part of the Dark Army upon revival. His thoughts were about to drift some more before he was interrupted by Kasa.

"Lord Gong, what's the matter?"

The Chief of the Imperial Council shook his head upon hearing Kasa's voice before focusing his sight to the other. "Oh, it's nothing. Just reminiscing the old days. Were you going to say something."

"I do." If Kasa were to have a visible mouth, he would have smiled. "Well, losing Kharma was a devastating thought I never expected would come true now, but at least I have my sweet little butterfly. I do worry about her future though..."

"What of it?" Gong insisted.

"For starters, she has to live with only me and several of my assistants now. They all originally worked for her mainly, and I'll never know if things will remain the same with only myself and Ritma around. I'm sure Kharma's past betrayal is still fresh in the Empire's memories." Kasa looked back at Ritma again as he was preparing to say his next words. "And I'm not quite fit to replace the throne as king either. I was but a knight originally serving her through the army, but we both ended up on the other side of fate and here we are today. I worry for the day Ritma finds out about her mother's actions... She might end up being averse to taking the Empire under her wings that way. I also worry for her safety."

Listening intently to Kasa's concerns and understanding them, Gong looked at him with that of both confidence and reassurance. "Your worries as a father are undoubtedly valid, but Ritma will need all she can learn from you; She cannot remain sheltered forever. Weak in diplomatic affairs you may be, but you have me and the Council to assist. I'm sure your servants will also try their best whenever we are not there to aid in your endeavors. Do not hesitate to seek help if you need anything, alright?"

Kasa nodded hearing what Gong had to say. "Thank you for the offer, my lord. I'll see what I can do. The main focus here though is to provide her the necessities for growth."

"Anytime." Gong stood up as he was finished responding to Kasa's words. "I have more matters to attend in the capital. If you'll excuse me."

"The pleasure is yours, Lord Gong. Until we meet again." Kasa bade the chief farewell as he left the bedroom. Once the door closed, his sight was once again towards Ritma. "My girl, do we have a lot to do..."