Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast the Lord of Hosts had created.

And he said to the woman, “Has the Lord indeed said, ‘You shall sing for Krall, for all of your days’?”

And the woman replied, “The Lord has said, ‘You shall sing, and you must remain, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For the Lord knows that in the day you depart, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Him, knowing good and evil.”

So when the woman saw the seas and the lands beyond, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a voyage desirable to make one wise, she arose from Krall and departed.

And Krall was afraid.

- Andanian Chronicles

“Bleah… where the Krall am I?” Laura groaned painfully. She forced her salt-caked eyelids open and winced as the blinding noonday sun baked against her fair exposed skin. “My pendant!” Laura screamed suddenly as she fumbled desperately to locate the precious gem, then she let out a loud sigh of relief as she realized that her ruby had not been accidently dislodged into the ocean. Laura shaded her eyes from the sun as she glanced groggily around her. She sat on a long sandy beach, but there were no other signs of life besides the occasional crab and seagull.

“Lily, Father, Andania… I’ve lost everyone. I’m all alone now. Why? How could it turn out like this?” Laura wept bitterly as the waves lapped gently over her feet. Just as the forlorn princess was about to continue bawling her eyes out, an unmistakably colorful swirl of cloth was washed onto the beach next to her.

“Aryan!” Laura cried out as she recognized the tattered remains of his cloak. The princess shot to her feet and gazed searchingly at the crystal-clear ocean. Almost instantly, she spied the limp unconscious form of a flamboyantly dressed boy, drifting gradually from the shore.

“Magic, I need a talisman…” Laura muttered as she fumbled at the folds of her dress, but the scraps of paper she managed to recover were soaked through and fell apart at her touch. The princess groaned as she glanced alternatingly between the distant prince and the useless shreds in her hands. “This better be super worth it.” Laura sighed as she shrugged off her heavy soaked garments and waded into the waves.

Laura’s limbs burned as she swam sluggishly, “Why is mundane swimming such a freaking chore?” she grumbled when she finally reached Aryan’s side. “Oie… are you alive?” Laura prodded at the prince doubtfully but failed to provoke any response from the cold pallid boy. “Shit!” Laura swore as she swam to Aryan’s back and slid her slender arms under his before clamping her hands tightly around his shoulders to ensure his head was tilted out of the water. Having secured the unconscious prince, the determined princess began her arduous swim back to land.

“No breathing, no pulse, dilated pupils. Oh gods, how am I supposed to fix this idiot?” Laura wailed as she stared helplessly at the cold unresponsive prince resting peacefully in the sand. “Maybe a shock spell?” the princess muttered hesitantly as her hand traced down instinctively to her naked thigh, “Shit no talismans!” Laura groaned as her eyes darted around desperately for something to write on, but the pristine beach was filled with only the finest powdery white sand.

Just as the panicking princess was about extend her search by dashing further inland, her eyes glistened with unpleasant inspiration. Laura’s narrowed her eyes as she stared at Aryan, “You better be super worth your weight in Vaishyan gold!” she muttered as she retrieved her ruby pendant. Then Laura winced as she jabbed the sharp edge of her jewel into her arm, before soaking her finger in the red that gushed forth and tracing out a complex runic design on her bare skin.

“Shock!” Laura commanded for the third time and a blue crackling steam of lightning arched from her blood-soaked fingers and into Aryan’s exposed chest. The prince jerked from the impact as the bolt struck him and water trickled from his nostrils, but he remained unconscious. “What do I do now? This isn’t working!” Laura groaned.

“Air!” Laura exclaimed suddenly, “I need to get air into this idiot. But there’s no spell for…” Laura frowned as her eyes flickered to his pale bloodless lips. “Arrgh, why am I even hesitating after all this!” Laura sighed as she breathed in deeply before fusing her lips tightly against his. When Aryan’s lungs were finally filled, she turned and immediately began tracing a fresh rune on her arm to repeat the procedure.

Several long minutes passed before Laura fell numbly to her knees as her head throbbed painfully from a combination of blood loss and exhaustion. “Please don’t die…” she begged, “I don’t want to be alone. I don’t have anyone else…”

Aryan coughed weakly and groaned before edging his eyes open slowly, “Laura? Anyone else…” he mumbled in confusion. Then his eyes widened with shock as he beheld the weeping princess, her arms were red with blood and her drenched silken chemise clung tightly against her small trembling body. “Laura, you’re hurt! We must…”

“Idiot,” Laura muttered as she wiped the tears from her eyes and her lips curled with a small triumphant smile. “Wait… Whatever did you hear just now?” she questioned anxiously while turning away to hide her reddening cheeks.

“You mean the part about you being alone and not having anyone else?” Aryan added helpfully.

“Yes! Urp… No! I mean…” Laura stammered with embarrassment, “I’m out of talismans and I don't have anyone else to chop the firewood!”

...

“Your Majesty. Dreadnought Spiraea has been sunk! The fourth defense fleet has suffered catastrophic losses!”

“We have lost all communications with Battleship Halstarr, the third fleet has broken formation and is drifting from its original course!”

“Our defenses won’t hold! Hostiles inbound from four o’clock!”

“Bloody Krall!” Xerxes cursed, “Why won’t that beast just leave us alone?”

“Your Majesty, the fleet is doomed. We must break away from the damaged vessels before they get to us!” A multitude of advisors prostrated before Xerxes and implored desperately.

“Have all of you no spine? And you are supposed to be the pride of the Saadian navy! It is just a single oversized octopus!” Xerxes raged.

“We can’t defeat that monster. No man in the world can!” The advisors wailed in despair.

“I’ve had enough of running away. Signal the fleet, turn the Yggdrasil around, and prepare for the Blood Ritual.” Xerxes commanded grimly. The advisors muttered uncertainly among themselves, but none of them were foolhardy enough to defy their emperor. A thousand mages chanted in union and the mighty flagship groaned as it turned on a dime to face the Krall. A knight knelt before Xerxes and the impatient emperor snatched up the long bone-white scepter he offered. Then the guards dragged a horrified gibbering slave before Xerxes.

“High gods of Saadian! Answer my call!” Xerxes demanded as he channeled his mana into the scepter and thrust the sharp end through the slave’s heart. The slave’s dying scream rent the air as tendrils of red crept up the bone white staff. “Another!” Xerxes commanded and the next terrified slave in the long snaking line was instantly presented to the emperor.

Xerxes faced the Krall defiantly from the bow of his ship and stretched his blood red scepter over the sea. The waters were divided, and a Krall twice the size of the Yggdrasil was lifted into the sky before the mighty emperor. “Fire!” Xerxes commanded as he trembled from the strain of maintaining the spell, the Saadian fleet roared as one and hundreds of cannonballs and spells tore into the immobilized Krall. The Krall let out a mournful wail and flailed about wildly, Xerxes staggered and fell to his knees before coughing out a mouthful of blood, “Keep firing!” he yelled desperately. The cannons roared again and again, and finally the hole riddled Krall fell limply back into the churning ocean.

“Xerxes! Xerxes! Xerxes!” The Saadians cheered with a loud victorious roar that spread through the fleet as the emperor thrust his arm triumphantly into the air. But their success was short lived, and the seas roared as an enraged wail shook the heavens. Then on the far horizon, a massive dark tentacle stretched high and blotted out the sun before slamming forcefully back into the ocean. The resulting tsunami that swamped over the ragged Saadian fleet instantly sank half of the surviving vessels, and the ships that remained were thrown into utter disarray.

Xerxes felt fear for the first time in his life as Krall approached.

“Strategic retreat?”

“Temporary withdrawal?”

“Bait and switch?”

The most enterprising advisors sidled up to the emperor and suggested hopefully.

“Krall.” Lily whispered with awed reverence as she strode up to the ship’s bow and gazed into the distance. The ocean was filled with a mass of writhing tentacles that circumvented the horizon from end to end.

“There’s no escaping that!” Xerxes muttered with barely masked horror, “That thing must be large enough to stretch across half the ocean!”

“Krall is just afraid. I can calm him.” Lily replied softly.

“Prepare to abandon ship, fly for the highest mountain, wounded and women first…” the world’s mightiest warrior blinked suddenly and gawked disbelievingly at the slender Andanian princess beside him, “You can what!?” he exclaimed.

“I can calm Krall. Just bring me a zither.” Lily replied patiently.

A resourceful advisor delivered an elegantly decorated zither to the Andanian princess, then all of Saadian watched with bated breath. Lily sighed as she sat at Yggdrasil’s bow and began tuning the instrument while humming to compose a fitting melody.

'Elder sister might be more Talented at magic, but she has always been second best in singing. If only she was here with me to see my performance!' Lily thought as a faint wistful smile etched on her lips. Then she breathed deeply and straightened up to face Krall.

“ Little Krall what are you fearing?

Little Krall why are you wailing?

Little Krall who are you seeking?

Let me tuck you in warm ocean’s fleece,

To soothe your woes and bring you peace,

And seal your sleep with a royal kiss.”

The radiant Andanian princess sang with the voice of an angel and stole the hearts of Krall and Xerxes. The Yggdrasil listed dangerously as Krall’s curled tentacle circled lovingly around the singing princess. Xerxes frowned possessively as he stepped instinctively towards Lily, and Krall glared balefully at the approaching man. Xerxes the Immortal froze instantly as a chill shivered down his spine.

“Krall.” Lily rose and curtseyed gracefully.

Krall blinked.

“I have to go for now. But I’ll sing again for you some day.” Lily continued evenly.

Krall let out a long hissing sigh. Then Krall departed, and the sea was calm.