Oh My, I Messed Up the Story

Attending Jae and Kirienne's wedding was nothing short of painful for Blaise. It was a traditional ceremony in Shibatsu but the groom didn't seem to mind being underrepresented one bit. He only had eyes for his bride.

Admittedly, she was lovely. Her violet eyes sparkled as much as the borrowed tiara did. Wearing diamonds on your brow was a bridal tradition in their country to symbolize prosperity in their lives together.

There was a mutual understanding between jewelers and the less wealthy citizens to offer affordable rentals for weddings. The tradition was that important.

Blaise couldn't help but wonder what Abby would look like in a bridal tiara before instantly shutting that thought down. No. He had work to do. There were so many places on this continent to see before returning to Annalaias in the spring.

Marcy's proposal had been successful—thank goodness—and now she, Edmund, and Jae split their time between the capital to continue discussing future diplomatic relations and various Warrior camps to find people willing to be a part of the exchange program.

He had no doubt they would find plenty of willing candidates. He wasn't the only one who dreamed of adventure. There were also those who had no family left and joined the Warriors as a chance to be a part of something.

If he had to guess, those would be the men who would want to settle down in the Kanta region permanently. Everyone else would likely want to return home once the assignment was over.

Annalaias shared a continent with Rowenhilde and the Independent Nation of Kanta. The first two were large, powerful countries while the third consisted of two simple settlements and a people with a shared ideology in a mountain range largely considered uninhabitable.

Shibatsu had its share of neighbors as well. It occupied the southeastern side of the continent with Stanarussi to north, Nyria in the middle, and the nations of Ganla and Lancri on the western coast.

The Ruby Islands weren't technically affiliated but they were closer to Shibatsu than they were any other nation so they traded regularly and were included in maps of the continent. Blaise had heard they were beautiful but wouldn't get the chance to visit them because of the dangerous winter storms on the ocean.

He could always visit them later. For now he was sent on a variety of protection missions for merchants and casual travelers both within Shibatsu's borders and to neighboring countries.

Stanarussi was a nation of intellectuals, producing more historians and scientists than any other in the known world. Their people were small and thin but they were not to be underestimated. Their weapons were so terrifying that no one had dared attack them in the past two hundred years.

Preferring to be left alone, they didn't involve themselves much in international affairs. Even so, their current queen had been a princess of Annalaias. That political marriage had likely been put into effect in the hopes that Stanarussi wouldn't turn their weapons on them.

They only allowed trade with Shibatsu and Nyria because they needed materials found more easily in their territories to continue their experiments. Blaise found them fascinating. Their technology was beyond his comprehension but he was certain Abby would find it primitive.

The things she had talked about with her sister such as traveling through the sky and being able to call people from thousands of miles away were impossible even by Stanarussi's standards. Still, he was impressed.

"You look like a seasoned traveler," one of the Stanarussi merchants his party was trading with addressed him.

"…I suppose," Blaise said guardedly.

This man was definitely trying to sell him something. He wouldn't fall for it. After working with merchants for so many months he realized that this was a standard trick; flatter the customer first so you can distract them and make them pay more than the item is worth.

"Do you have a woman waiting for your return?" he asked, gesturing to the ribbon that was still wrapped around Blaise's wrist.

He said yes, for lack of a better explanation, and the merchant's eyes lit up. "I have the perfect thing. Are you aware that music can be captured in a box?"

Despite himself, Blaise was curious. How could music be captured in a box? The merchant pulled out a beautifully carved mahogany box with a hinged lid that had an oval mirror laid into it. When the lid was opened music began to play. When it closed, the music stopped.

He tried the lid multiple times to see how this seemingly magical device worked and couldn't figure it out. "How does this work?" he demanded.

The merchant smiled. "Simple mechanics. So. Do you think she will like it?"

Abby did like music…Blaise had heard her humming melodies he didn't recognize to herself frequently on their journey to Annalaias. She would probably enjoy this strange box.

"How much is it?" he asked reluctantly.

"A bargain at merely fifteen silver pieces."

Fifteen silver pieces?! He could nearly pay for two people to travel to Annalaias with that much money! He knew this was a swindle but couldn't stop himself from buying it as he imagined the look on Abby's face at receiving a present on top of her safely returned ribbon.

"You have yourself a deal."

Blaise took the music box and exchanged the money; taking extra care to be sure it wasn't jostled too much in his knapsack. These people were smart and they knew how to get money out of people. He supposed scientific advancement couldn't be cheap.

Nyria was much less interesting since their customs were fairly similar to Shibatsu's. The primary difference was that their society was matriarchal. Their ruler was a queen instead of a king and she had many male consorts and concubines.

Their warriors were all female as well and the men were left to farm, hunt, create, and raise the children. But they shared similar clothing, music, and food with their neighbors for the most part.

Ganla and Lancri were sister nations who had been one before a civil war split them apart roughly fifty years ago. As such, their customs were nearly identical to each other's. The split occurred because two political factions disagreed about how to use resources along the coastline.

Out of everywhere he had been, he found their food the most unique. They ate a lot of seafood and the way they spiced it was like nothing he had ever tasted.

Blaise found his travels fascinating but they didn't fulfill him the way he had hoped they would. He had been all over the continent and back and still had an Abby-shaped hole in his heart that no amount of seeing the world could fill.