The Mystical Princess- Kaarmanet Series (Book 1)

Some Answers & A new friend

**Cahaya (POV)**

**[Kaarmanet, Warfaind Mystical Woods]**

I gasped at the beauty of what was in front of me. I noticed the sand on the shore wasn’t the same as the other side; it was powder blue there while here it was powder green with tiny sparkles here and there.

“Well, I am aware of that Miss Hot Mate! This, however, is the first birthday you are with us!” He retorted grabbing my attention; while he got out of the waters with a smirk plastered on his face. I got down with a smile at his comment, I could feel the blush that crept on my face. Rebh followed and joined us on the shore. He gave me a look and smirked but said nothing. Where was my protective big brother? Tani’s voice captured my attention from my musings.

“Princess, I’m afraid I can’t go further!” She said with head down. “I would have loved to but I’m very slow out of water unlike normal serpents and I’m a lot weaker as well. I’d only slow you down!” She explained her predicament, her tone combined with the fact she held her head down not meeting my eye, I knew what she felt; she feared I’d think this as betrayal or her reluctance. I quickly reached out and stroked her head. “I understand Tani, and I’m more than thankful for all your help!”

“It’s an honor to serve you, Princess! But please do remember, whenever you need my help or want to talk to me, all you need to do is call me and I’ll be there. However, I’d prefer it to be in the water as I’d be more useful then.” She responded and bowed her head but I could feel the smile and relief in her voice.

“Sure Tani, now go along and we’ll meet soon!” I chuckled, letting her go. For some reason, I knew this wasn’t the last we’d meet and that we’d be spending a lot more time together. I waved at her with a smile and she dove back into the ocean with a backflip.

And we ventured into the woods…

“Wow!” I exclaimed as I felt like I couldn’t get enough of the beauty around me. “It’s beautiful!” Taking a 360-degree turn with my arms spread wide open.

“Thanks!” Vann chuckled, “You are the one who’s beautiful here!” He said with a smirk, yet his eyes showed just how much he meant what he said.

“Of course, you’d say that! Especially when you are trying to woo her!” Rebh snorted. I flushed at that, was he really trying to woo me?

“We’ll what unique remarks you come up with when you find your mate Rebh!” Vann retorted glaring at him.

“You mean if I find my mate!” My brother retorted with just as much vigor.

“No man, I mean when you find her! If it is a her that is!” He smirked. “Dragons always have a mate, unlike mages, if you forgot!”

“Whatever!” Rebh muttered, “And it must be a her!”

“Says the guy, who spends every waking minute with Jay!” Vann chimed with a smirk I know all too well; you smirk like that when you know you got the opposite person. I had to bite my lower lip to hold the laughter that was threatening to let loose and I didn’t want to offend my big brother yet again; not to mention he was still in the leafy skirt Vann had made for him. The scene was hilarious to hold back, and I just couldn’t take it anymore and burst out laughing.

I turned the other way when Rebh glared at me ad tried to run; that’s when I tripped on the blue gown and fell face-first on the green sand. I lifted myself on my arms and looked around, only to find both men looking at me with surprise on their faces that soon turned into snorts and finally they rolled down laughing.

“What? I tripped over this thing!” I said pointing to my gown. “Who even wears these things!” I muttered as I got up the guys still laughing.

“What… are you… talking… about?” Big bro squeezed between his laughs.

“I mean, who wears something so uncomfortable and so not practical?” I rephrased hoping to be understood now.

“What would you like to wear instead?” Vann asked once he calmed down.

“Well, I was wearing a top and jeans this morning! Very practical and looks good too!” I explained sincerely.

“What’s that?” Vann asked with a confused frown that looked oh, so cute! Why was I acting like a teenager? Oh, yeah Because I was one!

“Well, a top is like a shirt but for girls and jeans is a pant made of sturdy cotton fabric that’s called jeans so the pants are called jean pants, in short jeans!” I explained with a smile.

“So, girls in your world wear pants and shirts like men?” Vann quired incredulously.

“You mean the world she grew up in, this is her world! She belongs here!” Rebh was quick to correct.

“You know what I mean!” He responded waving his hand off at my big bro.

“Yeah, well, in the middle-ages, women dressed like this.” I said pointing myself, “But nowadays we wear things that are comfortable in. So, moving around is easy and fast, also we can dress and ready ourselves faster. Running would also be much easier, with the lifestyle there it isn’t exactly gown-comfy!” I gave my argument.

“Hmm, that does sound sensible!” Vann mused with his fingers rubbing his chin.

“I don’t know!” Rebh sighed, “But comfortable clothes do sound tempting!”

“You didn’t think this through, did you?” Vann snorted.

“There was no time to think through!” Rebh huffed, “I got a word from the palace that Cahan had ordered to drown Cahaya in the Lospien and I jumped off the cliff to come to her!”

“Cahan wanted to drown me?” I yelled shocked, my frown.

“Yes, that’s why I came running, rather flying to you as fast as I could!” Rebh explained sadly.

“But, how’s that possible? I was back in the other world! I had spoken to my parents, the ones who raised me, they had explained how I wasn’t their biological child and I left furious. That was when the accident happened and I ended up here!” I explained my predicament.

“Chocopie, even if we believe you were in another world, how can you be here and there at the same time? I visited you this morning! I always visit you on your birthdays!” Rebh asked.

“But…” I was interrupted by a weird huff.

“Urgh, people! No brains at all! And they call themselves intelligent enough to tame us!” This voice I heard was masculine and wise yet a little squeaky. I turned in the direction I felt the voice come in from, it was coming from the woods. I tried to decipher who it was peeking trying to peer into the woods but it was of no use the last light of the sun was leaving and it was getting darker. I huffed as I found nothing and turned back to the guys who just looked at me with frowns, I just shook my head.

“So, how is it that Cahaya was present in two worlds at the same time?” Vann mused yet again.

“Ask the right questions and answers will present themselves, you mongrels!” The voice said yet again only this time furthermore irate. I turned towards the direction it was coming from only I almost tripped on my gown and stumbled a little.

“Love!” “Chocopie!” Both men shot up from where they were immediately. I balanced myself and put my finger to my lips gesturing them to keep quiet; they nodded in understanding. I hoisted the skirt of my gown up so it didn’t hinder me while I walked towards this voice.

I slowly took measured steps, into the woods not to scare this creature; I just knew it was one, call it instinct, but I just knew it as Rebh and Vann’s expressions told me they didn’t hear anything. If only I heard it, it has to be a creature but which one was it? I entered the woods; the smell of the lush green and freshly wet mud wafted my nose giving me a serene feeling, I saw tiny sparkling tiny fairy-like creatures that dotted the huge trees and space between, a few of them hovering over our heads in a myriad of colors. The beauty was so captivating that for a moment I almost forgot what I was looking for. “Mongrels and they want to tame us!” It said again getting my attention back to the task at hand.

A few minutes of walk and I was standing near a tree where I heard this creature still muttering under his breath, “These people took so many of them!”

I looked up and that’s when I saw it and it was so beautiful. A gorgeously large lavender-colored phoenix was sitting on a high branch of a tree just a few steps away. “Hey!” I shouted to get the huge bird’s attention and walked fast so it didn’t run away. Just as I took a step I tripped over my gown yet again, I was almost going to kiss the ground again when someone caught me.

“Love! Are you ok?” Vann was just behind me holding me by my waist. I felt a sparkly current pass through me where he touched me, it felt so amazing and so warm… wait warm? Didn’t he say, it was supposed to feel cold?

“How are you warm?” I asked turning to face him, our faces were so close our breath mixed but our faces held a frown, both thinking of the same question.

“Urgh! Don’t these creatures know anything? He was resurrected probably from his body remains!” The huge bird-like creature spoke again, “But why do I waste my energy, not like these mongrels would understand anyway!”

“But I can!” I responded, turning to face it as my cheek suddenly touched Vann’s lips and my eyes widened in shock, from the corner of my eye I saw Vann do the same. I gasp left me and Vann took a step back.

“I’m… I’m…” Vann stuttered.

“No, that’s…” I tried to brush it off.

“Oh, the soul-traveler is mates with the revived!” It cackled.

“Hey, how do you know?” I asked it.

“Huh?” It looked at me directly in the eye.

“I’m asking you; how do you know we are mate?” I asked it again.

“You can hear me?” It asked. I nodded in response

“And understand what I said, not just hear me squawk as normal birds do?” It confirmed. I chuckled nodding. “Oh, the gods! You are, her! You are the Princess!” He gasped his beak open and held his wings half-open bending towards me wiggling his tail in excitement.

I giggled, “I’d suppose so! That’s what Tani called me too! But how do you know?” I quired.

“We know it from the purple hue that glows from you, Princess!” He explained and opened his wings and dove towards me. I instinctively stretched my hand for it to land on, I don’t even know why, but I did! He flapped his wings before stilling them and glided gracefully towards my arm and tucked his wings back as he landed. I reached out my other hand and gently stroked his head. He wiggled his head in delight, “Umm!” he cooed.

“Now that you know who I am; would you be so kind as to tell us about you oh mighty one?” I quired pointedly.

“Hehehehehe!” I laughed, “The Princess is as funny as she is kind! I’m Sky, the mystique Phoenix of the lands!” I introduced himself, with a flair and spread one wing, and bowed.

I laughed at his theatrics. “What were you saying about the soul-traveler and the revived?”

“Oh well, that you are the soul-traveler Princess! Your soul traveled to the other world while your body remained here! In my understanding, someone gave you their body as a catalyst to survive, nurture and grow; they may also have held on to keep you safe. Well, all of this might not have been obvious, if your body here wasn’t in a coma for as long as you were there!” I explained in such detail and confidence that I was shocked, but something else caught my attention.

“How do you know about the coma?” I quired, that immediately caught Rebh’s attention. He moved closer to me with a frown knitting his eyebrows, that’s when I noticed Vann wasn’t here. I frowned confused as to where he could go but before I could ask he appeared out of thin air holding a satchel.

“Oh wow! What did I miss?” Vann asked with wide eyes as he gazed at Sky in amazement, “It’s so beautiful!” He almost whispered.

“I’m not beautiful, you, pea-brained revived mage! I’m handsome, that’s the proper word for a male!” Sky screeched at him. I laughed before I could stop myself.

“What did she say? Vann asked amused.

“Are you sure you wanna know the exact words used?” I confirmed still biting my lip.

“Word for word!” He responded enthused.

“He, said and I quote; I’m not beautiful, you, pea-brained revived mage! I’m handsome, that’s the proper word for a male!” I responded mimicking Sky’s tone the best I could, Rebh burst out laughing and I bit my lip holding back.

Vann first looked confused, then amused as a chuckle found its way on his gorgeous face but then shocked.

“Wait he said revived mage?” He confirmed to which I merely nodded.

“He said pea-brained revived ma…” Rebh started to tease him but stopped mid-sentence as some sort of realization hit him that left me confused.