Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother

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A/N:

Chapter Five: Right On Time

It was now 8:24 AM, and Jaeris finally had a good-sounding prayer written all over his left arm. "Lucky these adepts wear long sleeves," muttered Jaeris, rereading the prayer. "Sounds simple enough…"

"Heheh, sounds like you got it covered," muttered Jeffry, who was now flipping through a book. "Go out the back way, nobody will spot you."

"Thanks, man," sighed Jaeris. "This is a whole lot of trouble for you…"

"Nonsense, my friend. Go on now."

"Right…see you soon, Jeffry!" Jaeris placed the various language books away and hurried out the back door of the library. Now how do I explain my sudden absence? Thought Jaeris as he hurried towards the temple. I could try to climb back into my window…or I could-

"Oh! Jaeris, there you are!" a small group of adepts were outside the temple, and one of them stepped forward. "You suddenly disappeared! We were so worried! Where were you?"

"Er…um, you see, I…" Jaeris bit his lip guiltily. Man, a couple of them look like they're about to cry… I guess it would have been awful if Jaeris had disappeared again…and now, how can I lie to them? Should I tell them that I've…"forgotten" the language?

"You've found him?" Zintar stepped out of the temple. "Thank goodness. We were getting very worried. Did something happen?"

"Um…well…I…"

"I bet you needed a walk to clear your head," said the adept that woke him up earlier. "It's gotta be hard to suddenly jump back into your duties so soon!" the other adepts nodded.

"…y-yes, that's exactly it," laughed Jaeris nervously. "I needed…t-to clear my head."

"I see… Well, now that you have returned, Jaeris, let's not waste another moment." Zintar lead Jaeris and the other adepts inside the temple. "We're a little behind schedule, but the kingdom is sure to be fine during our prayer."

"Right then…right…" Jaeris cleared his throat and walked up to the main altar at the far end of the temple. "Right… Well, everyone, before we begin, I want you all to place your right hand over your heart. Go on."

The adepts looked between each other in confusion, but did as they were told.

"Yes…very good." As carefully and discreetly as he could, Jaeris raised his left arm up to the ceiling, checking his writing through a slit in the sleeves. "I shall speak this prayer in the ancient language. Ahem…

Aer plega solagen ta foair son luna demus sa. Est fair aeris setlre dor folus dresmu, ich adepta shrai, sahn luna demus, exsediv, lin libren est jiyu, est chosen cloairus.

"…thank you." Jaeris bowed his head.

…est chosen cloairus," echoed the adepts, bowing as well.

Man, I never thought the 'Pledge of Allegiance" would come in handy, thought Jaeris, feeling half-relieved, half-guilty. But at least I can get some sleep now…

"A…new prayer. But a very nice prayer," said Zintar. "I thank you, Jaeris."

"Of course…" Jaeris stepped off the altar as the other adepts returned to their duties. "Well, now that's done, I'd really like to get back to rest…"

"You do not wish to resume your daytime patrol?" Zintar glanced at Jaeris.

"Er…no, not right now…ehe…"

"Hmm…very well. You might be expected to be at the faire, so get as much rest as you can. I'll send someone to awaken you at sun-high."

"Ah…noon. Gotcha, I had to meet someone at noon anyway…" Jaeris checked his watch. "Eh, only 4…not even four hours from now…"

"Jaeris….what is that?" Zintar took a step closer to look at the watch.

"Oh…this." Jaeris lifted the watch up. "Er, it's called a watch. It keeps time…well, the position of the sun and moon, if you will."

"Does it now? Amazing… Where did you get this 'watch'?"

"Um…f-from America," admitted Jaeris nervously, remembering how the guards reacted to the word.

Indeed, Zintar looked mildly displeased. "It's strange that you would continue to wear something like this…did an American give it to you? I can only imagine a powerful wizard crafting something like this."

"I…honestly don't remember," said Jaeris with an uneasy chuckle. "Um, I'd love to talk about it more, but rest-I mean, I need rest now…"

"Of course. Rest well, Jaeris." Zintar nodded and returned to the map.

"…phew…man, this has been such a crazy run…" Jaeris shuffled upstairs sleepily. "But a night schedule doesn't sound too bad…even though it means being out of the sun." he entered his room and shut the door behind him with a sigh. "These guys worship a moon god, so it's not so surprising that the apparent best adept would take a night patrol. Maybe the 'Helia' girl Zintar mentioned a day or so ago follow another god. Would this Helia be a sun god then? Eh, I'll learn all about it later…"

He was about to fall right onto the bed, but remembered that it was made of rocks and very hard. "Mm." he carefully got onto it and pulled the blanket over himself. Grah, I hope I can keep this up and find a way to end it so I can return home…I can only imagine how frantic mom and dad will be…

Several moments passed by as Jaeris tried to return to sleep. But unfortunately, the crazy run had very much awakened him. As tired as he was, his body refused to go back to sleep.

"Grr…I hate when this happens…" Jaeris sat up irritably. "Darn it, mom's early-morning techniques won out yet again…" he sighed and checked the watch again. "Well, it's now 8:39. Maybe I can watch the faire preparations. Or go back to the library and continue studying the language…hell; I could even tour the rest of the kingdom! In fact, I'll do all three!"

Jaeris hopped out of bed and headed downstairs. "I guess I'm too awake to properly fall asleep," he announced as he came down the stairs. "So I wanted to walk around the kingdom. You know, get to memorizing it all again."

"Hmm…that isn't a bad idea," said Zintar. "All right, go on. Your new patrol schedule will now officially be in the evening and night."

"Gotcha…see ya, man." Jaeris nodded and walked outside the temple. "Well then…where do I go first? It's a big kingdom, but surely I won't get lost…"

Zintar looked to Jaeris. "The faire grounds are to straight down the path from the temple two leagues from the temple. You'll pass the meditation gardens on the way there, and there is the gazebo. Guard towers are all throughout the kingdom in a line, stretching to the North, South, East, and West. It is very hard to get lost in Majesty's Kingdom indeed, adept Jaeris."

"Oh, I guess I'll be on my way then. I'll be back in time for my duties…"

"May the Wind Lord be with you, adept Jaeris," said Zintar turning back to the adepts.

"Same to you… heh, let's go!" Jaeris took off in the direction of the castle. The entire town seem bustling with energy, even this early in the morning; the faire must mean a lot to the town. Peasants were bringing supplies from the castle to past the temple areas. I guess there will be a lot of celebrating, thought Jaeris as he watched a small group of the peasants fumble with folding a huge tent. It's been ages since I last saw a ren faire…I guess it'll be worth checking out after all!

After a while, he soon reached the castle and to the royal gardens. "Well, here are those meditation gardens that Zintar mentioned. Looks like someone's already sitting there, though…" Jaeris frowned and entered the gardens. Looks like a…what was it…monks? The monks from the game…

Indeed, a lone person was sitting at the center. He wasn't dressed very elaborately as other monks Jaeris had seen were; it was almost as if he were a lower ranking monk. He had long-ish black hair, held up by a ponytail, and his expression, while mildly relaxed, was also tinged with a worried frown.

Ooh, this guy must be meditating, thought Jaeris, his sleepiness allowing him to get away with stating the obvious. Eh, I suppose he won't mind if I hang out here, too… with that, he plopped down by some wildly colored flowers and heaved a huge sigh. "Maaan, I tell ya, relaxing in here for a bit is just what I need…"

"…" The monk opened one eye to stare at Jaeris curiously.

"I bet you know what I mean," continued Jaeris. "I mean, waking up at ungodly hours after getting little rest… Plus a pile of duties they expect you to suddenly pick up! It's not like everything will be slowed down if just one person takes a break! You agree, don't you?"

The monk loosened his meditation stance and shifted his position to face Jaeris. "….um…I-I…"

"…! Ah! Wait, don't answer!" said Jaeris frantically. "Whoa, I know being here with the 'great' Jaeris is a real honor, but I know for a fact that monks aren't supposed to talk in this ga- you know!"

"Yes, I know that-" started the monk.

"So shush, man! It's fine, you don't have to break off your vow just for little ol' me!" Jaeris shook his head. "Man, this is crazy, being a sudden celebrity like this!"

"…i-if you would allow me to finish, I-"

"No! Good monk, you are still young! Probably as young as I am! To break off your vows so early in your life, in your monkhood, ah! Positively tragic! Just shush, like I said!" yowled Jaeris, panic and drowsiness driving him to rambling.

"…aah…." The monk bit his lip, looking even more worried than before.

"Whew, that is so much better…aah…" Jaeris messed his hair some. "What did you want to say?"

"…" the monk flinched a little. "You…wo-won't yell?"

"Naah, go ahead, talk if you must," sighed Jaeris.

"Um…I…. I'm not a full monk yet. I'm still training…"

"What?" Jaeris looked up at him. "You're speaking too quietly."

"…I…" the monk stammered, then bit his lip and looked away again.

"What, cat got your tongue? What's wrong?" Jaeris frowned. "Don't be shy, just go on already. I won't interrupt you."

"A-all right then…" the monk cleared his throat and spoke a bit louder. "I was saying that I'm not a full monk, that I'm training to be one."

"Oh. A training monk?"

"Yes… I-I thought you would know me since you know Lady Algohra, b-but I guess she hasn't got around to telling you about me yet…"

"No…she hasn't. She training you or something?"

The monk nodded. "It is an honor to be trained by her. She only trains heroes of high class, or those with a powerful potential… I don't know w-what she sees in me…"

"I'll say. Dang, man, you stutter literally every sentence!" Jaeris sighed. "Um, what's your name?"

"I'm Muy. And of course, you're Jaeris," said Muy with a timid smile.

"Ehe…that I am," agreed Jaeris, with a twinge of guilt. How much longer before everyone learns I'm not really Jaeris…

"Algohra is training you, too," said Muy quietly, as though he were talking to himself. "You aren't of a high class, either, from what I heard, but you are the best of the adepts in Majesty's kingdom…"

"Say, Muy, do you know everyone Algohra is training at the moment?" asked Jaeris. That woman was training Jaeris, and she is training this Muy kid here. She's one busy woman if she has training and her regular duties to tend to!

"Um…" Muy looked down shyly. "There is a warrior named Arthur, and the healer Kim. She just finished training her own son, Tenchi…"

"Aha…w-what?" Jaeris blinked in surprise. "Wha… Tenchi the Giant! Tenchi, that crazy guy who isn't really crazy? He…?"

"Yes," said Muy. "How could you not know?"

"Oh…wow." Jaeris shook his head. "My hunch was right, he WAS related to Algohra… Yeesh, what a world…I don't know HOW I'll keep up…"

"I-I'm sure you'll do well," said Muy. "But I can understand why you feel so frustrated now. It's almost as if you've never done any of this before, t-that you're a fresh new recruit."

"You could say that, I suppose…"

"And then there's the fact you lost your memory," said Muy sadly. "Not remembering your past, your accomplishments…n-not even remembering the day you were accepted as the high-ranking adept for your god. Your past, your family…" he closed his eyes. "I d-don't even want to imagine what that is like, and yet you are forced to live with such feelings…it makes me sad…"

"…" Jaeris felt guiltier than ever. Wow, now this kid is worrying about me for my "memory loss". You'd think some terrible tragedy happened by the look on his face… "Um…Muy, really, it's fine."

"Huh?" Muy looked over at Jaeris.

"I'm-I'm pretty sure I'll remember everything soon," said Jaeris reassuringly. "I mean, if I'm gonna be training with you and Algohra and everyone else, I can't let it slow me down, right?"

"…yes, you're r-right…" Muy gave a small smile. "You've always been a brave type, even with your pacifistic nature. I wish I had half of that bravery, then I could be a full monk…"

"How long have you been in-training?" asked Jaeris curiously.

"For 3 years now," said Muy, hanging his head in shame. "I turn 18 in two full moons now, but most monks who train from childhood are monks by 15 years…around your age," he added, glancing at Jaeris.

Jaeris blinked in surprise. "Whoa, you know how old I am?"

"Of course." Muy frowned. "I learned all the ages of those I'm training with. Sir Arthur is 18, Kim is 17."

"That's…a peculiar habit," said Jaeris. "A bit unnerving, really…"

"It is a little odd, but it just happened after I failed the monkhood test two years ago…"

"Huh…" Jaeris nodded. "Well, I guess it would suck to know that monks younger than yourself have attainted full monkhood. Oh, but it's not a bad thing," he said hurriedly, catching a mildly hurt look. "It's like-like those stories of the flower that bloomed late!"

"The flower that bloomed late?" Muy glanced at Jaeris again in confusion.

Jaeris nodded. Time for one of mothers stories from childhood… "See, in a garden…like this one for instance…" he looked around, and spotted a small little bud besides the wildly colored plants. "Come here, look at this bud."

"Oh…" Muy stood and carefully walked over to the bud Jaeris was indicating. "This little blue bud here?"

"Yes. It's summer, all the flowers should be in bloom like these ones here. But this one is very late, much like you are. But I bet ya, when it finally blooms, it'll be the best and prettiest flower of them all!"

Muy poked the bud, allowing it to take in more sunlight. "I…I do hope you're right, adept Jaeris…" he gave another small smile. "Thank you."

"Heh, of course, man," said Jaeris, feeling a bit pleased with himself. He certainly looks more cheerful…

"Muy! There you are," called another voice. Muy and Jaeris looked up to see a tall young man with straw blonde hair, with light green eyes. Clad from head to toe in plate-mail armor, with a blue scarf as an accessory, he looked very impressive standing in the sunlight. "I was looking for you," said the young man.

"Oh…S-Sir Arthur!" Muy stood up. "I was meditating…"

"And chatting with adept Jaeris," finished Arthur, walking into the garden, frowning. "You promised you'd help me assemble the laundry at the warrior's guild!"

"Er, y-yes, I'm sorry…" Muy looked down.

"Whoa now, Arthur, don't sound so harsh," said Jaeris, hurriedly standing up as well. "I was trying to cheer Muy up."

"That may be so, Jaeris, but duty comes before anything else," said Arthur, turning to Jaeris. "But Muy knows how I always fumble with the laundry. His lack of confidence is equal to my lethal clumsiness." He crossed his arms, looking bitter.

"Lethal clumsiness?" repeated Jaeris. "A brave warrior like you?" Of course this guy's one of them warriors, he thought, remembering the game.

"I knocked over three baskets of finished laundry, straight onto some mud. Then another basket fell right into the soup, fresh clothes, mind you. Then against all odds, this man carrying a lit torch goes by. I bumped into him, he drops his torch, right onto the finished clothing!"

"Uh…wow…"

"That isn't the worst of it," said Arthur, looking at the sky with a sigh. "I tried to put the fire out with a huge blanket. Only the blanket caught fire, so I tried to get it away from the already-burning clothes. Except I tossed it into a barrel of apples. One barrel of apples, gone! In my struggle to get the apples safe, I knocked over another barrel of apples, which in turned bashed over a marketplace stand, and THAT toppled over and fell two tents that were set up for the faire today. The guild leader then told me to find you, Muy."

"A-At least it wasn't as bad as south-Valmorgen," said Muy quietly, looking up at Arthur with a small smile.

"Ah, Muy, south-Valmorgen was a festive compared to this disaster," sighed Arthur. "When Lady Algohra hears about this, she'll scold me again for sure…"

Jaeris stared between Muy and Arthur, completely bemused now. "That… that is…wow."

"You don't have to rub it in, adept Jaeris," sniffed Arthur, looking annoyed. "Even you moon boys are known for non-sneakiness."

"I wouldn't cause-cause all that damage!" said Jaeris, waving to a huge dark cloud of smoke in the distance.

"We best clean up the mess now," said Muy quietly before Arthur could respond. "Let's go right now, so it'll be done by the time the faire starts."

"Er…you're right," sighed Arthur. "Sorry to have to drag you into this again, Muy."

"No, don't apologize, I did promise," said Muy. He turned to Jaeris as well. "Er, t-thank you for earlier. I'll remember what you said."

"Yeah, sure thing…" Jaeris looked up at Arthur. Sheesh, he looked so impressive when I first saw him. Figured a guy taller than me would be clumsy…

"Anyway, I also ran into Kim on my way here. She said she'd be here soon to meet with you, adept Jaeris," said Arthur.

"What? Really…?" Jaeris checked his watch. "Man, we've been talking for a while! It's already almost noon!"

Predictably, both Muy and Arthur stared at the watch. "Hey, adept Jaeris, what is that?"

"This…oh, here I go again," sighed Jaeris, and he went to explaining the watch and what it does just as it turned noon on the dot.

End chapter.