*
The Auxiliary wove unflinchingly through the brutal clump of vicious thorn bushes that bit and tore sadistically at his ankles. He chuckled to himself for allowing Hina to follow through with an action as petty as setting the scene. ‘Cute,’ he thought whilst precariously slipping and sliding through the filth and stench of the marshland, narrowly avoiding stumbling over a large tree root. Eventually he caught a glimpse of the clearing ahead. He straightened his stance and cloak whilst quickening the pace. She must have seen him coming, or perhaps she just naturally stood stock still? He approached her, and from the moment their eyes locked a real sense of how serious the situation had become overcame both of them until they could no longer bear to maintain the gaze.
*
Hina had met The Auxiliary before of course, but under an occasion of less urgency. At the time she had been the impetuous age of three and therefore had very little responsibility in comparison to what she has now. The excitable little girl was to refrain from saying silly, childish things in front of her superiors and inferiors to maintain the family’s well kept reputation. She was to be seen and not heard and always had to look impeccably beautiful. Hina was to attend intensive princess lessons; which she hated with a passion!
It was the banquet after the informal renewing of the King and Queen’s wedding vows, which by the laws of the universe The Auxiliary was obliged to attend. The room was full of half slumber and quiet conversation, as the King’s right hand man droned through his pre-dinner speech. The Auxiliary was required to seat himself next to the King’s eldest child, which was Hina, and had busied himself watching the young Princess study her wine glass; she seemed to be perplexed by the mass of blood red liquid shining through the facets of the exquisite crystal. ‘’Is something wrong?’’ The Auxiliary had asked politely, expecting her to say ‘no thank you’ and put her glass down.
To his surprise she said ‘Yes. How come my drink doesn’t lie flat? It sticks up at the sides.’’ Absolutely astounded; The Auxiliary launched into an explanation, which he kept as simple as possible.
Once the Princess had decided that The Auxiliary wasn’t going to frown upon her curiosity, she fired questions at him most of the night, The Auxiliary was deeply intrigued by her intellect; she asked questions that you would expect a fifteen year old to ask. ‘Just because’ was not a suitable answer for young Hina. By the time of The Auxiliary’s parting, he felt at great ease with the intriguing young lady that would one day rule over Alkhazzard.
For The Auxiliary, life had gotten a lot more serious in the passing years. Conflicts between other kingdoms had caused great winds to blow and he had been called upon to help put things right. He kept a tab on Hina though; he was always curious to see how she was doing and sent someone to check on her annually. He was always gratified with the feedback he received, but was always told of her naivety. This could possibly cause problems later down the line. However, she was still as sharply minded and as beautiful as she had been twenty years ago and was still The Auxiliary’s main protégée.
Hina’s destinies were to one day rule over Alkhazzard and protect the sacred scriptures from any harm. The sacred scriptures didn’t physically protect Alkhazzard from the outside world but consisted of magically binding laws that protected it. Every living creature was to follow these laws or suffer dire and irreversible consequences. The scriptures were kept in an underground vault that was constantly guarded by armed soldiers. These scriptures have been the reason why Alkhazzard had existed harmoniously, until recently.
Soon after the King and Queens assassination the scriptures were stolen and the soldiers guarding them were brutally murdered. This drove the newly crowned queen to call upon The Auxiliary; the scriptures are still missing and the murderer is still at large…
