Well ladies and gents, I'm finally updating this story that I've put on the backburner for a few months now. Unfortunately, I did this instead of working on my NaNoWriMo story. :( In any case make sure you leave a review so I can improve my writing!

Chapter 2

"Crimson. Jade. Ebony. Ivory. Gold. Violet. Aqua. Together, the seven winged soldiers cut down the vile one and earned their place among gods. The Seven Almighty, the Dragoons," I recited to Eyie. "That's it. It's short, but I think that's what special about it. Leaves more to your imagination."

"I don't know. I kinda like stories with more substance than just two sentences and a bunch of colors," Eyie said as she walked beside me. I shook my head.

"Well, I would tell you the whole story, if I knew it," I began. "My grandmother never knew the whole tale. Just that little excerpt."

Eyie seemed to ignore this, attention shifted to a passing airship overhead. I shook my head at her and reached for my water flask. I brought it up to my lips only to realize it was completely dry. I cursed under my breath as I sealed it up and let it fall back to my side. The day was at its peak, the sun beating down unmercifully. Eyie seemed to brush it off as if nothing, without even the slightest indication of effect from the heat. I was sweating excessively and had removed my jacket long ago, now wishing for the cool air of the mountains.

"Don't you just love the weather here in Endiness? Winter is my favorite season!" she exclaimed happily.

Winter? I would hate to see summers here. I pretended I didn't hear Eyie, instead directing my attention to the horizon. A few rolling hills, what looked like the beginning of a forest, airships floating just above. Nothing too outstanding at a glance, but upon closer inspection, plumes of white smoke were rising up like little clouds in the distance. I gave a sigh of relief. Just a little while longer. We continued on our way, another flying machine humming above us as we went.

I had heard tales of the ivory town of Seles. A small town that radiated beauty and tranquility with its white buildings, fields of various flowers and crops, and the great marble statues in the town square. But no amount of stories could ever truly capture the true nature of this little gem. It was truly spectacular, and I wondered in awe at everything as we walked down its bustling streets. Eyie was probably more excited than I was. She was jumping from street vendor to street vendor in a flurry of gold coins and sweets and other assorted goodies. By the time we had reached town square, Eyie was complaining about her stomach while she munched on something on a stick. The square itself was not too large, but not terribly small. It comfortably accommodated what I estimated to be a little less than a hundred people with an odd vendor's cart here and there. I was busy surveying the crowds when Eyie piped up from behind me.

"I'm tired," Eyie began to slump around, a far different person than the energetic Wingly who I had walked into town with.

I began to notice my own fatigue and gave her a nod. The sun was already setting and we had spent all day walking. We started off in a random direction, maneuvering our way through the dying crowds in search of a place to rest for the night. It was not long before I spotted a sign marked in big bold letters "INN". When Eyie spotted the sign, she gave a squeal and suddenly surged forward in an unexpected burst of energy, knocking a few unfortunate passerby to the street. They cursed and shouted as I attempted to slip by inconspicuously. My companion had left the inn door wide open and was already signing something at the front desk as I walked in. She suddenly let the quill in her hand fall and ran to and up the stairs so fast that you probably would have missed her if you blinked. I shook my head and chuckled as I approached the front desk. There was a young woman on the other side, no older than eighteen, smiling brightly at me as I came near.

"Hello! Welcome to the Red-Eyed Inn!" she said cheerily. "Don't let the name fool you. You'll get plenty of rest here!"

I smiled at her and reached for the quill, but stopped short when I say Eyie had signed us both in on the ledger.

"It seems my companion signed me in already," I said to the attendant. I stepped back and fumbled to put my jacket back on as I felt the sudden chill in the air. The interior of the little hotel was quite cozy. The lobby in which I stood was bare save for a table with chairs in a corner of the room. From behind the attendant I could spot what seemed like a kitchen, where a few people were eating at a table before a great fireplace. It was your typical hometown inn, my personal favorite.

"Are you Zeig Viepel?"

I refocused on the girl behind the counter.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Why do you ask?" I sputtered out in surprise.

"You're the famous arena fighter!" she exclaimed. She searched for something excitedly beneath the desk.

"I didn't know my popularity extended this far," I struggled to keep my pride from showing, giving only a slight smile. The girl had taken out a small notepad and a shiny pen. She handed them to me.

"Autograph?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah, sure," I said as I fumbled with the pen. These pens were a fairly new invention, and I struggled to find out how to write with it.

"Click the top of it."

"Oh. Right," I responded, embarrassed. I brought the tip of the pen to the paper. "Who should I make it out to?"

"Sonia Feld," she said giddily. "That's me, by the way."

I finished signing the notepad and handed it back to her. I tossed the surname "Feld" in my head, trying to remember where I had heard that name before.

"Hmm. Feld. You wouldn't happen to have relative in the king's council?" I asked.

"That would be my father," she started. "Personal advisor and acquaintance to the king."

"I knew I had heard that name before." I crossed my arms, standing there silently for a second. I was trying to find out what to say next until Sonia finally broke the silence.

"Do you want to meet him? He's in the kitchen right now," she asked as she pointed to the room behind her.

"Sure," I replied. Not like I was going to do anything else tonight. Besides, Eyie was probably already asleep by now.

She smiled and waved me towards the kitchen. I followed her into the warm glowing room, greeted by the warm and sweet smells of home cooking. At the table, there were two people: a man and a woman who were happily conversing and tucking into dinner. The promptly stopped eating as they noticed my presence.

"Mom? Dad? Look who walked into our inn today!" Sonia said as she stepped to one side and presented me. "It's Zeig Viepel! The famous arena fighter!"

The couple at the table rose. The man was the first to step forward, and what a man he was. He towered over me, broad shouldered with thick arms. His face was lightly bearded, but you could clearly see his definite jawline. The man's eyes were light blue, contrasting greatly with his dark brown hair that was tightly bound in a ponytail. He extended his arm to greet me.

"I've heard about you," the man's voice rumbled. "It's great to finally meet you. I am Irving Feld."

I felt my hand being crushed as he shook it. I smiled meekly.

"I've also heard about you," I lied politely as I discreetly rubbed my hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"And this is my wife, Victoria," Irving said as he motioned towards the woman by the table.

Victoria was smaller than her husband, but still taller than me by a few inches. Her face was pretty and fair, bearing a strong resemblance to her daughter. She was an older woman, evident in a few wrinkles here and there, but overall still appeared young and fit. Her hair was colored the same as Irving's, yet her eyes were a light green as opposed to Irving's blue. She extended her hand and I took it into a pleasant shake. She smiled and spoke.

"I admire your exploits, young man," Victoria said pleasantly. "I assume that you are in Endiness for the Champion's Tournament in Bale?"

"Yes, actually. It's my first night here in Endiness," I replied. I shifted my weight to one leg, trying to shrug off some of my fatigue.

"You should probably get some rest then. You'll need all your energy for the preliminary rounds tomorrow," Irving chuckled

My heart stopped for a second. Did he just say tomorrow? I thought I still had a few days!

I must have shown my distress, as Irving quickly spoke up.

"Don't worry. I can give you a ride," he said as he crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg, mirroring me slightly. "You probably didn't hear about the reschedule."

"I didn't," I responded, relieved at Irving's offer. As I said this, Victoria went over to Irving and whispered something before walking out of the room, flashing me one last smile. Sonia followed suit, leaving only me and Irving in the kitchen.

"No worries. An airship is coming by tomorrow to escort me there. The king put me in charge of starting the tournament," Irving said with a touch of pride. "You can tag along."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't so generous!" I exclaimed, relieved. To think that if I had gone to any other inn, I probably would have never found out about this! Irving smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"Well, I think you should get some rest now. We leave early."

I nodded and turned to exit the kitchen, only to be stopped cold by a scream from the street outside.