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Feyrahl, FurAffinity Edition

The Kingdom of Feyrahl, Ch 1.1

Kenzie's head was still spinning when she was led out of the throne room by the Ferret guard assigned to her by the Empress. Everything had happened so quickly and the vast majority of it was in a language she couldn't understand; she had some processing to do. The young woman found herself walking the halls, following after the long, bottle-brush tail of a Ferret man who was assigned to be her body guard; Kenzie was able to observe him from behind as they walked without feeling rude since he couldn't see her eyes on him.

She had no real luck guessing his age since he was a humanoid animal, not that she had much luck estimating a Human's age either. While most of the beast folk were significantly taller than she (Victor being an exception), Cecil was shorter than even the Raccoon, standing perhaps only two or three inches taller her own height. Like most of the guards, the Ferret moved with at a practiced pace with an efficient stride, but there was something else to him that set him apart from the others that consisted of more than his height.

As she continued to explore the Ferret with her eyes she focused on the back of his neck and the several areas where his fur was sparse, almost as if it had been plucked out in a few spots, or perhaps like he'd been suffering from mange. Further, while a few of the guards she'd seen had obvious signs of healed wounds, Cecil was the first she saw who looked like his ears had actually been chewed up; he had a few tears in either ear, giving him something of a rugged visage if not for his calm and almost meek demeanor.

She stopped as Cecil came to a halt, and turned in place to regard her. He gestured to the right (his left) and said a few words, followed by "Roona Fuller". She had come to understand through context in the discussion involving Gregor that 'Roona' meant 'Lady'. Every time Cecil spoke to her, he was certain to add in that form of address; it made him come across as very polite... perhaps TOO polite? Nodding to him in return, she responded simply with "Roon Cecil."

The Ferret quickly about-faced and took the turn, heading down the hall at his swift-but-not-excessive speed. She was thankful that he was moving with purpose, but doubly-so that it wasn't as fast as Victor and Silas had moved on their way back to the castle. Even after napping on the ride from what looked like an inn, Kenzie realized that she was still highly fatigued and that thought caused her to slow; she was surprised when, rather than start pulling away from her, Cecil effortlessly slowed his own gait, allowing her to keep pace without even the faintest deviation of space between them. She was honestly astounded as to how he managed that without so much as looking back at her.

Fortunately, they didn't have much further to go and, before long, the Ferret came to a stop, stepping beside a door, and gesturing to it before stating simply "Roona Fuller."

He stood against the wall facing her, arm extended to the closed door beside himself and so Kenzie also stood there, facing him, awkwardly trying to figure out her next steps. It seemed like he was suggesting that she should go through, but she wasn't about to make a faux pas, and so she waited for further guidance. Fortunately, the Ferret offered it. He reached to the handle, rotated it, and opened the door, repeating his earlier statement as he remained there with it open for her. "Roona Fuller."

The Human woman understood that her first inclination was right and, feeling better about that, stepped into the chamber beyond. Her accommodations were easily the size of a small house and included a large living area, a sitting room, a bedroom, and a wash chamber. She was still standing just inside the threshold when she heard the sound of the door closing behind her. About-facing, she quickly stepped in the way; it stopped right away. Cecil peeked around it, round ears up, quizzical expression on his muzzle. "Roona Fuller?"

It seemed strange to Kenzie to leave the Ferret outside in the hallway, and she knew she didn't really have many ways to convey that to him, so she decided to resolve the issue by inviting him inside. She gestured to him, then herself, then him, and the room, saying as she did so "If YOU are supposed to be guarding ME then YOU should be in HERE, right?"

He continued to look at her questioningly, offering a few words of his own, followed by the ever-present "Roona Fuller."

Kenzie shook her head. "No... YOU should be in HERE to protect me, shouldn't you? Besides, it seems weird leaving you alone in the hallway. How are you supposed to be my bodyguard if you're on the other side of the d--"

She fell silent as Cecil stepped fully into the doorway, glancing quickly down the hallway to the left then the right before looking right back at her, causing the young woman to pause; until that moment she hadn't realized that Cecil had different colored eyes: one was slate gray while the other was a rich, deep burgundy. She was so focused on his eyes that she hadn't really been paying attention to what he was saying, not that it mattered much since Kenzie didn't understand his language. What DID catch her attention, however, was when he held out a paw, palm up, and began chanting.

She stared in rapt attention as a single point in his palm began to glow with a pale blue light. Cecil held his other paw above it, palm facing down, and she watched intently as a small stream of water cascaded down from his higher paw to the speck of light and, as she observed, the water began to form a perfect sphere, floating just above the Ferret's paw pads. Eventually he ceased his chanting and the ball of water ceased growing, continuing to hover right where it was.

Cecil said a few words, motioning to the ball of water with his head, concluding his statement with "Roona Fuller".

She looked at him blankly, shrugging. "I... don't understand."

The Ferret kept his lower paw where it was, somehow maintaining the ball of water in place as well. He withdrew his upper paw, maintaining eye contact with her as he pointed at her, then pointed at the sphere of water. When she shrugged, Cecil's muzzle creased in thought and he gestured to her, then slid his pointer finger into the ball, causing it to quiver slightly yet it maintained its perfect shape. He pulled his wet digits out and, motioning to her, stuck it into his muzzle. He then added "Roona Fuller."

It took some doing, but she figured out that her bodyguard apparently wanted her to do the same thing. Still uncertain as to how he'd managed to summon and control the water, Kenzie decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; she honestly didn't know what it would accomplish, but he'd given her no reason to think that he meant her harm, and his calm demeanor was a nice relief from Victor's constant flirting or Silas' detached indifference. The young woman held out her index finger, slowly pressing it against the surface of the ball of water, and she gasped as it gave way without any resistance whatsoever.

The water, she realized, was warm-- cooler than hot but hotter than tepid. Drawing her finger out of it, Cecil, who remained looking at her, nodded, and repeated the motion of putting his finger into his muzzle. Resolving to at least humor him, Kenzie did just that, and she was astounded at the slightly sweet taste of the fluid, surprised when it tingled on her tongue, not unlike a slightly sweet mixed cocktail. "That's... so strange."

Cecil let out a relieved sigh. "Thank the moons! I can understand you."

Kenzie jumped in surprise at hearing him speak in English and she stared as the Ferret closed his paw, the strange sphere of water fading out into nothing as if it had evaporated in a split second. "H-how did you DO that?"

Her challenging words caused Cecil to step back; he appeared suddenly self-conscious. "You mean Water Magic, Lady Fuller? I've been able to do it for as long as--"

She waved away his statement. "We can understand each other?!"

The Ferret's ears reddened slightly and he let out a faint squeak, then jumped, covering his muzzle with his paws as he blushed even more. Clearing his throat, he quickly regained his composure and stood at attention. "It is a complex illusion spell, Lady Fuller. Please forgive me if I stepped out of bounds in my service, but I... thought it would be easier for us to communicate if we could understand one another."

The explanation didn't make sense. "Aren't illusions... visual?"

Cecil reached up to rub at one of the sections of his neck where his fur was sparse. "Ah... well... illusion magic can use almost any sense. I just used the magic to trick me into thinking you were speaking Feyrahlian and make you think that I am speaking your language, Lady Fuller."

She was doubtful. "I don't think that's how illusions work."

Cecil lowered his head respectfully. "Oh... my apologies, Lady Fuller."

Rather than press the issue, Kenzie simply stood there for several seconds, assessing what she was observing. She hadn't been able to understand the Ferret and, suddenly, after he did 'that thing' with the ball of water and he convinced her to taste it, she could! And, she noted, he sounded a little like a Hobbit from that J.R.R Tolkien movie she saw in middle school. With that sudden realization, Kenzie had to keep herself from giggling. In the end, she choose to focus on the whole reason she didn't let him close the door in the first place. "Are you just going to stand out there all day?"

Cecil bowed his head again. "For as long as you are in your room, Lady Fuller. I am your assigned bodyguard, and so it is my duty to keep you safe."

She blinked. "...from the OUTSIDE of my room?"

He struck his chest with his paw twice. "It is my honor to serve, Lady Fuller. None shall pass while I am on guard."

Keeping anyone from entering made sense, but it seemed odd to leave her alone. "Not from the INSIDE of the room? What happens if someone finds another way in?"

Cecil's ears reddened again and his whiskers twitched. "Lady Fuller, teleportation does not work within the castle and there are guards on the castle walls so anyone attempting to climb up to your window would be spotted. I do not understand... is there a problem?"

Kenzie shrugged. "I don't know. I just... feel bad having you standing out there alone in the hallway."

He offered what looked like it was meant to be a reassuring smile, but, to the young woman, it came across as a self-conscious and uncomfortable expression. "It... would not be proper for a male to be in your room with you alone, Lady Fuller... I daren't do something like that as it would be an affront to your honor."

She had to check her initial eye-roll response; she was in some kind of fantasy world so it'd only made sense that there'd be a degree of patriarchal approach to 'the fairer sex'. Letting out a sigh, she accepted that some things were worth fighting over and some things just needed to be set aside. Considering she was still exhausted she didn't have all morning to wax philosophical anyway.