Clouds and Currents - VoK & HW 2021 Event Prompts

   The gates to the sea kingdom's capital were just as Tamaya remembered them. Namely, they were massive, and guarded by a finned creature whose species she still couldn't determine. It snarled and made to lunge at them as they approached, but stopped partway through its charge, staring directly at her. She gazed hollowly up at it in return, and, after a moment, it swam awkwardly to the side, leaving them free to pass.
   "Huh," Nahia said. "I know you mentioned it before, but that was still mildly horrifying."
   "Mm," she responded flatly. She supposed she could see where Nahia would get that feeling from, never having seen the gatekeeper before. But more horrifying, to her - Or it would have been, were she in any sort of state to process emotions at the time - was the fact that she was returning to this place with no progress to show for anything. They were counting on her, and she had nothing to show for it but a shiny pair of battle claws and few smashed rocklings. As if that were even close to enough.
   Nahia, at least, seemed excited to be here. She could hardly seem to stay still, so excited by this underwater world that she could hardly decide where to look next. Tamaya, for her part, couldn't help but gaze towards the trenches to the west of the gate. Perhaps, if she went down there, she would find something that could help her fight back against the titan. Or perhaps the creatures lurking below would simply end her the moment she dove within and get it over with already. She blinked wearily at the thought and pushed it aside. No, not now. Whatever little difference it might make, she was here on a mission. Any such action, if she took it, would have to wait.
   "The castle is in the center of the city," Tamaya said. "The one with the stained glass."
   Nahia's bright demeanor seemed only to grow more luminescent when she picked out the building. "Whoa, the colors on those windows are beautiful! I bet Edgar'd go crazy for em," she exclaimed, grinning... though when she turned back to see the bleak look on her friend's face, her smile shifted into a soft frown. "Right, we should... go deliver this, then," she said, gesturing to the scroll. Tamaya just nodded and pressed forward.
   Despite the numerous guards, it was easy to get into the castle... rather too easy. The king was no doubt still setting his soldiers to nonsensical, panic-driven tasks as always, and those who were on guard duty were simply so unimpressed with his constant fear to care much if their guests were welcome or not - More likely than anything, they were harmless, after all, and he was simply worried over nothing as usual. And... They recognized her, most likely.
   Tamaya stepped into the room first. "Your majesty, King Tamesis. Your royal highness, Princess Arvia," she addressed with a bow. Always so polite, always just what was expected of her, except where it counted. She ignored the jumpy king's exclamations of surprise and fear at their intrusion and focused on the latter of her address. "My apologies for entering unannounced. My companion and I come bearing a scroll written in the texts of old, and a request for aid in its translation, on behalf of Queen Elvira Walstrand of the sky kingdom."
   Nahia chimed in as well, now. "She sends her regards!" She paused as the princess flushed, though not out of respect for the royal's response. "Also, your guards didn't really seem to care that we were, you know. Just walking in and all? You might wanna hire some new ones."
   She shook her head quickly, as though trying to rid herself of a pesky fly, rather than merely regain her composure. "It's to be expected. You have the hero with you, after all," she said, and turned to address Tamaya. "You've changed a lot since you left for the land, but it would be hard to forget one such as yourself, naturally. You've been well, yes?"
   Tamaya nodded weakly. Even the princess regarded her as though she was someone worthwhile. "Thank you," she said, and presented the scroll. "I... have. I've been well," she lied. Right. As though she could just come right out and say to the ruler of the kingdom that she was incapable, and they were all going to perish unless they came up with some other solution, and fast.
   The princess met her eyes as she accepted the long-lost texts and stifled a frown.
   It was that obvious, was it?
   That was just as well, then. The less time she had to spend here, telling everyone who was looking to her for support, looking to her as a savior, that it was something she couldn't offer them, the better. She didn't want to be here in the first place.
   Some homes the kingdoms had turned out to be.