He drank in the sight of her.

Without putting much thought into it Navihm raised his fingers to his lips and let out a short whistle, the same one he’d taught her as children. At the time, Kaia was worried that Navihm would tire of hanging out with a younger girl. She’d noticed how all the boys seemed to want to go out on their own and she didn’t want him to leave her behind. Navihm had told her that they would always be best friends and taught her that whistle. He’d said that all she had to do was whistle and he would come for her.

Kaia stopped short at the sound of that whistle, her vibrant eyes flew straight to the centre of the group where Navihm stood. She gaped at him, mouth hanging slightly open, one foot still in the air hovering above the last step.

“Come here, child,” the Rei said. “We have guests”.

The King’s daughter made her way to his side as he gestured for her to do, her eyes never leaving Navihm’s and his never leaving her’s. She pressed one hand against her mouth, it seemed to be the only way she could stop gaping at the other boy.

“Meu Rei,” Navihm addressed the King without breaking eye contact with the girl. “May I have your permission to greet Regina Kaia?”

The Rei nodded formally.

“You may.”

Navihm surged forward just and Kaia’s face crumpled with an emotion that Rose could not quite discern. Rose looked on as Navihm wrapped his arms around this stranger intimately and murmured softly in her ears. He pressed his forehead against hers as one of her hands reached up to grasp firmly onto his lapel, fisting around the soft fabric, the other pressed even more firmly to her mouth as if to stop a great rush of emotion from spilling out.

They stayed locked in an embrace for a few minutes as Rei Amias called for more chairs to be brought in. The other man, Mishka took his leave, excusing himself while eyeing the embracing couple with a grin, going even pinker. It was only when the rest of the group took their seats, that Kaia pulled away, wiping a tear discreetly off her cheek.

Navihm took control of the situation, explaining why they were in Genticus and what they had been up to. Rose tuned him out and took the opportunity to get a good look at the other girl.

Kaia’s face was tattooed with a thin line that divided her lower lip down the centre and continued most of the way down her chin. She also sported three small dots arranged in a triangle directly under each eye. Her nose was pierced on the left side and adorned with a golden chain that hung across her face and connected with another piercing on her ear. The chain glittered with tiny blue-green stones that brightened her eyes and matched the ribbon weaving through her Ib braid.

Rose’s attention snapped back to the conversation the others were having when the Rei started to talk.

“Your mother warned us of the attack.” Navihm must have asked him about the attack on Kaia when Rose wasn't paying attention. “We had guards posted at her door but it was unclear where the attack was coming from. The assassin sent a sand viper through her window knowing it would be attracted to the warmth of the bed.”

“The assassins obviously didn’t have any knowledge about my empathy skills,” Kaia chimed in. She unwound a sand coloured snake, just longer than her forearm from where it curled, unnoticed, around her waist.

Navihm laughed. “You made the snake sent to kill you your pet?”

“Yes, her name in Saeva.” Kaia stroked the snake and allowed it to wind itself around her forearm.

“Isn’t it poisonous?” asked Rose apprehensively.

“Yes, but Saeva won't bite anyone unless I ask her to,” said Kaia. “Besides, we milk her every day, so she isn’t dangerous. Her venom can be used in several medicines and is usually very expensive. She was sent to kill me but is instead saving many lives.”

She’s the perfect princess. The thought struck Rose, against her will. The girl was beautiful and regal and sat attentively. She’d graciously welcomed them as she took her seat and apparently had great magical talent. Rose speculated that would retain her perfect, princess manners, no matter the situation. Rose scowled in Kaia’s direction, bothered by her apparent faultlessness. No one could be as perfect as she seemed.

“Your mother was attacked on her way home from the markets,” said Kaia to Navihm, unaware of Rose’s jealousy. “Luckily Mishka’s son was nearby and was able to fight off her attackers. It turns out that the boy has a touch of the sight. Healani has taken him under her wing. One assassin was killed, the other was captured and questioned. That is how we came to know that they were hired because of your contribution at the Ninth.”

“I thought your mother was Healani, Prophet of the First?” the Professor directed his question to Navihm. “Why did she foresee the attack on Regina Kaia but not the one on herself?”

“The sight doesn't work that way,” answered Navihm. “Our gifts are only able to be used on others. One cannot heal themselves or see their own future or past.” Navihm turned to Rei Amias. “Were Kaia’s attackers caught?”

“No,” he answered gravely. “But the attacks were several hours apart, it is possible that it was the same two assailants that assaulted Healani the next day. Our prisoner self-administered poison before we were able to get this information off him, so it is impossible to know.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” said Navihm, sending a worried glance towards Kaia.

The plot thickens!

What do you think of Kaia? Does she live up to the hype ive been giving her?

Also, I've submitted a new story. Pending approval.

If you have a chance, check it out, it should be approved in the next day or so. It's called 'My beauty' and it's a short story (only about 15,000 words, rather than 57,000 like this one)

It's very different from this story, I wrote it for a bit of fun. It will be updated less frequently as I am posting as I write it. Unlike Invasion of the North, I have no clue how it's going to end; suggestions are very welcome.