Sa'haria turned, surprised, and then smiled and patted him on the head. "Well, if it isn't the Kitchen King himself. Wonderful timing, my Liege!" She laughed, a loud, sweet laugh, that brought a smile to everyone who heard it, which in this case was the entire kitchen staff.

Sh'haria had taken to calling him the 'Kitchen King' when he had started helping out here. She had never meant any offense by it, and never called him it when with anyone but the kitchen staff. "Avariss needs his tea, and we're also providing his new assistant lunch. Bring it to them, would you? We're pretty busy making lunch for your father. I could spare a maid, but you asked." She smiled at him as a maid brought over a teapot, two teacups, some sandwiches, and a little sugar pot on a tray.

"Well, if it isn't the Kitchen King himself. Wonderful timing, my Liege!" Her laugh and following smile always had the effect of a well timed hot cocoa, warmed Bel'isse up from the inside out. It made him wish the Court was a bit more like her; he'd have less fear of the future. "Avariss needs his tea, and we're also providing his new assistant lunch. Bring it to them, would you? We're pretty busy making lunch for your father. I could spare a maid, but you asked." Placing the cloak on the rack back the door, he took hold of the tray and balanced it on one hand.

"I would love to help." He looked a bit enviously at the sandwiches and tea, remembering faintly he hadn't even bothered eating breakfast. That was something he'd have to remedy later. Holding the tray properly, he mused on her comment. Avariss had a new assistant? Why didn't he mention him before? "I assume the two are in Avariss's wing? I don't want to wander and have the tea grow cold."

Sa'haria nodded. "Yes, they are. You know the way, then, so off with you. Will you be joining your father for lunch, then?" She smiled, having noticed his hungry glance at the sandwiches. "I'll have something prepped for you."

Bel'isse nodded joyously, nodding his head. "Thank you so much Sa'haria, I'll be sure to eat every crumb." With a wink toward the maids giggling behind their hands, the prince stepped out of the kitchens. He took a deep breath and began the ardous task of wandering the maze-like hallways.

His boots were a clatter on the stone walkways, and the sunlight reflecting off the snow was blinding; Bel'isse walked awkwardly sideways to avoid the rays. Getting fed up with the distance, he quickly manuevered to one of the many 'secret' pathways and made his way to Avariss's wing.

Emerging from behind an oversized painting of his grandfather, Bel'isse slid the painting over the door and stepped inside Avariss's official chambers. "Avariss? I bring you lunch."

The first of his set of rooms was large, and spacious. Many beds and chairs were spread around the room, and several books were stacked on a desk at the far side. The door to his bedroom was closed, and no lights showed from it, but the door to his study was open, and the sound of voices trailed out.

Hearing the faint sound of conversation, Bel'isse gingerly placed the tray on a nearby table, creeping over to the door to listen. The curiosity inside was just too great to ignore. Reverting to childish habits, he pressed himself against the wall, sliding his head to peek around the corner.

The voice speaking was low, and sounded feminine, but the speaker was nowhere to be seen. "... should we test it?" Avariss spoke up. "Soon. First, though, we must deal with the Young Prince!" He cackled for a moment, and the other voice spoke up. "What.... what do you mean, deal with him?" He paused, then turned towards the door. "Why, invite him in, of course. He's listening to us right now." There was movement, and then a girl, wearing a cloak, opened the door. She stopped, her mouth open wide in surprise, looking at him. Her Orange Eyes locked with his, and the tips of her ears, pointer then a normal humans, twitched slightly at the sight of him. Her unnaturally blue hair almost seemed to sparkle.

Bel'isse threw himself away from the wall ungracefully, acting nothing like the honorable prince he was supposed to be. Taking in her form, he realized he was staring. Eyes widening, he gave a quick bow. "I am sorry for disturbing you!" The prince motioned to the tea and sandwiches on the counter nearby. "Sa'haria asked me to bring those to you and--" Catching himself rambling, he abruptly cut himself off, straightened, and assumed his 'Royal Highness' facade.

She stared at him, a smile slowly coming across her lips as she watched him. Avariss's voice snapped her out of it, and she looked back with widened eyes as he spoke. "Well, don't just stand there, Pyara, invite your prince inside."

She looked back at him, blushing, then bowed, twice as deeply as he had to her. "I am sorry, my Prince. Please, come in." She stepped to the side, and Avariss smiled at him. "I've been expecting you boy. Ah, and you brought drinks... and Lunch! Excellent! Come in, sit, join us, won't you?" The girl straightened up, still watching him as she walked past him, taking the tray from the counter and bringing it over to Avariss.

Bel'isse gave a tiny smile, stepping into the room Avariss sat in. He could remember the multiple times he'd play hide and seek with the maids and use Avariss's rooms as his favorite spots; there was always something moved or new item he could use as a distraction. The prince sat beside the elderly man, taking a deep breath. "I assume Pyara is your new assistant? Sa'haria mentioned her..." He shifted in his seat.

The room didn't lack for hiding spots, stacked high with books and beakers, and everything from spices to Gems from all parts of the world.

Avariss nodded as Pyara set the tray down and started to pour the tea. "Yes, this is Pyaratha Thocalvin. She's an elf, if you can believe that, and probably one of the last of them." She cleared her throat, her voice soft but firm. "I am half elf, Master Avariss. There are no more pureblooded Elves left, and most of my kind's feature have been breed out of the rest of us." She set the tea in front of him and Bel'isse, pulling out a personal Tea Cup, Jade in color with small white flower designs. "Yes, well, details. She is still raised with the teachings of the Elves, which is what I needed her for."

Bel'isse took the tea cup in hand, sipping a bit before placing it back on the table. Elves, partial blood or not, were alive. It was opposite than his teachings. How amazing. He leaned forward slightly in his chair, unable to hold back the faint smile. Avariss somehow managed to be amusing. "And why exactly do you need the teachings of the elves? It seems like you know everything, Avariss."

Pyara responded for him. "By teachings, he means Elven Combat styles. I am also talented in the Arcane, but not nearly as much as Master Avariss." Avariss nodded, frowning. "Quite right. I may know a lot, but all the knowledge in the Kingdom won't stop a sword in motion." He looked at him grimly. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Strange disappearances recently around the castle. I need young Pyara's help to put an end to this problem." Pyara nodded, sipping at her tea.

He bit the bottom of his lip, staring at the tea. Was the situation truly that bad that Avariss would ask for assistance from an elf? Not that it was a bad thing to ask for help but... The prince took a deep breath. Maybe the whole thing was much worse than he figured. Elvish Combat styles, that was some intense backup plan.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Bel'isse continued to knaw on his lip; undoubtedly there'd be a sore tomorrow. "I've already asked my father if I may assist the guard from now on, but I need more information. I barely know anything about what's going on." He slumped in his seat. "I feel like I'll be worthless unless I can do something." He immediately snapped his attention to Pyara, eyes slightly wide, "Not meaning you're no help or anything, because that is completely opposite of what I meant."

Avariss smiled at him. "Not to worry, My Prince, once Pyara has finished her work with this," He drew a small amulet, with several different small, brightly colored jewels set inside, "we can talk all about your guard duty. If I had any more information other then what I already know, I would be happy to send you, too, but I believe Pyara is all I will need to finish the task at hand." He turned to her as she finished her tea, and nodded. "Lets get this over with quickly, so that I can get you to work on some other things around here. You are my new apprentice, after all." She nodded, setting down the tea cup. "Of course, Master Avariss." She nodded to Bel'isse, then took the Amulet from him. "see you in a few, Prince Bel'isse." She bowed slightly, and put it on. Avariss began to mutter to himself.

Bel'isse watched calmly as Pyara put on the amulet, nodding in response to her "see you in a few". Avariss's muttering filled his ears, and Bel'isse was lost in thought. So Avariss was using Pyara's help to do something with the amulet that required her elvish training. And it had something to do with the constant attacks on the border. He rubbed his temples and clenched his eyes shut as a headache began.

Glancing at one of Avariss's numerous time telling devices, the prince realized what time it was. The day was surely halfway over, and lunch would have begun a while before. Holding back the wave of anxiety, he took another drink from his tea before standing and giving Avariss a quick bow. "If you'll pardon me, Avariss, Pyara. Sa'haria is expecting my to dine with His Majesty; if I don't leave now I'll be late." Bel'isse gave a small smile, slowly backing up and toward the door, ready to bolt towards the secret passage and the kitchens.

((I should correct you really quick, for future reference, that his room is deep in the castle. There are no windows in here, so it wouldn't be the way he knew the time. However, Avariss does have a clock-like device in his room, which Bel'isse would be familiar with. It has a line that moves along the 13 hours in the normal day, with a sun emblem. At 13, the sun flips into the middle bar, and a moon flips out of the middle bar onto the 11 hours of nighttime in the region, starting at 1, and moving backwards (If that makes sense. If not, I can try to draw it out to make it clearer). Also, the rumor he was referring to would be the one about the disappearances within the Castle, which I mentioned on the first page, not the Border War, which is more of a side plot then the focus.))

Avariss nodded, not even really listening to Bel'isse as he worked on his muttering. Suddenly, the Amulet began to glow, each of the jewels within it glowing one at a time. As they did, a circle of light appeared around her feet, and what looked like gold lightning began to arc from the floor, vanishing above her. Her hair rose, spreading out as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and sneezed, and just as she did, Avariss opened his eyes. The last they saw of her, there was a flash as she leaned forward, the Amulet swinging forward with the momentum of the sneeze, and then she was gone, and the Amulet clattered to the ground. Avariss's jaw dropped in surprise, and he leapt to his feet, hobbling over to where the Amulet lay. "Oh no, by the Gods, how could this have happened."

{{went ahead and corrected that in my previous post}}

Bel'isse's eyes widened in shock. Pyara just completely disappeared. Didn't the castle wards prevent teleport spells? Or something? He returned to Avariss's side, tempted to grab the amulet. "Oh no, by the Gods, how could this have happened." He raised an eyebrow. Didn't Avariss see Pyara sneeze? If that wasn't a good indicator, nothing really was. "Would you like me to grab the amulet?" Years of growing up around the man taught Bel'isse to never grab anything Avariss has touched or meddled with unless he was given permission.

Avariss glanced back at the prince, surprised, then down at the Amulet. He took it himself, and turned quickly to the prince, speaking fast. "I need your help, Bel'isse. If your father was to find out what happened her, he'd have my head. The Amulet was supposed to go with Pyara, you see, but since it wasn't resting on her when she left, it stayed behind. You must go and find her. She can handle the task she was sent to do, but she will now need you to return." He held the amulet out to him. "Can I trust this to you, boy?"

Bel'isse felt his eyebrows knit together in confusion. Pyara's disappearence would incite his father's rage, there were numerous disappearances in the castle, a border war was beginning; He shook his head, trying to unjumble his thoughts. Even if he was to go after Pyara, he'd have no idea where to start. Where was she trying to go? Did she even make it all the way there without the amulet?

"Can I trust this to you, boy?" The prince was unsure, could Avariss? Was he really up for something he truly had no idea on what was occurring? Licking his suddenly dry lips, the prince impulsively took the amulet. "Do you know where I can find her? Any place I can start?" He'd more than likely have to hide the stone from everyone's eyes, if it was strong enough that Avariss needed Pyara's (an elf!) help to work with it, someone else was bound to want it.

"I'll need you to cover for me while I look for her. My father is bound to notice my disappearance at least."

Avariss smiled at him. "I can stall your father. If she's smart, she'll be right where I sent her. You should appear near her, at least. Now, I'll tell you what I told her." He motioned for him to put on the necklace. "I don't know what's on the other side, but whatever it is had taken people from the castle. I know about how powerful it is, and I know Pyara can beat it. No matter whet, you are to do as she tells you. Prince or not, she is there to do a job, and understands more then you at this point." He turned, retaking his casting position. "Once you find her, have her complete the mission. She'll know how to get back, once you get her the Amulet. She can use it to send you back too, once she has it." He waited to see if the Prince was ready, or if he had any more questions.

Bel'isse slipped the chain around his neck, tucking the amulet underneath his tunic. Follow all Pyara's directions, okay, he could do that. No problem, as long as he didn't have to make any split second decisions he figured he'd be alright. He offered Avariss a nod, feeling slightly uncomfortable being sent into unfamiliar territory without anything to protect himself. But he refused to let Avariss down; he was helping Bel'isse help people, so it only made sense...right? "I'm ready."

He nodded, closing his eyes, and started muttering to himself, same as before. After a few moments, the circle appeared under his feet, like it had for Pyara. He opened his eyes, finishing his muttering, and then, with a flash, Bel'isse was gone. He was now falling upwards, through a tunnel that defied knowledge, colors that had no names swirling in patterns within patterns. Then, he was falling down again, and things became clear for a moment, before he appeared in an empty snowy field, five feet above Pyara's head, falling towards her as she looked around the area. She looked up, surprised, but was unable to dodge.

Bel'isse felt his stomach churn, defying gravity and surrounded by multiple colors swirled and twisted around him. Finally the colors changed to landscape and gravity took affect once more. His eyes widened; falling onto something or someone. "ow..." He whimpered slightly. All the different feelings and such that passed through during the spell made him feel almost nauseous.

He quickly realized he landed on someone, and quickly rolled off the form. Praying to whomever would listen, he felt his nerves relax some when he noticed it was Pyara. "You okay?" he questioned, sitting up and crawling toward her.

Pyara had attempted to jump, but instead got pinned to the snow. As he sat up, she groaned, and stood up to stretch as he got off her. "Yeah, I am fine. Thank you, Prince Bel'isse." Her eyes widened, and she looked at him again. "What are you doing here?!" She looked at his neck, at the amulet, and then closed her eyes. "Oh no, I have exposed you to danger because of my own folly." She fell to her knees, and buried her face into the snow in a full body bow, way more of a gesture of servitude then most gave, even to his father. "Please, forgive me, my prince."