"Mom! Valeria! Come, look at this!" The Princess was standing by what appeared to be a fortune teller stand.

  All sorts of colorful stones and gems filled the table. Some of them were turned into bracelets and neckces, others were etched into figurines made out of cy and wood. There was no shortage of talismans repelling evil and good luck charms.

  There were even a few bottles of a supposed love elixir.

  Two things could be said about the trinkets offered by the stand.

  They were ridiculously overpriced and, obviously, didn’t work.

  "Greetings, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to welcome your magnificence by my humble stand. I am afraid I don’t have much to offer, as those old hands aren’t as capable as they used to be. However, for a humble price of a gold piece I can tell you your fortune." The woman behind the counter caressed the worn out cards she was holding in her shaky hands.

  "A whole gold piece?! That’s absurd." Valeria had come to Oriana’s side just in time to hear the price with her own ears. Otherwise she wouldn’t believe the audacity of the old woman hunched over the stall.

  Her frail frame was barely visible under the yers of worn out robes, marked with countless patches and stitches.

  A wide dark shawl was draped over her head, covering the gray hair, deprived of the luster by time.

  Her face lined with countless creases gave off the warm, motherly gentleness.

  One look at the woman was enough to move more sensitive hearts and incline them to show at least a small amount of generosity for the elder.

  However, there was something about her that made Valeria immediately wary of her. Something that made her feel on edge and cause her hand to instinctively rest on the handle of her saber.

  It was the woman's eyes. The deep purple irises shone with an intensity and vigor, a stark contrast to the rest of her appearance. The swiftness with which they jumped from Oriana to Valeria the moment she approached.

  The unsettling strength in them, unfitting of someone whose time was almost up.

  "Your Highness, let's just…" The Commander tried to lead the Princess away.

  "Yes! Tell me what exciting things await me!" Oriana, however, had no intention of going anywhere. A grin bloomed at the woman’s face. She reached out her worn hand.

  "A gold piece." She urged.

  The Princess turned to Valeria and looked at her with the best impression of a pleading puppy she could muster.

  The Commander rolled her eyes. Her inability to resist Oriana was starting to become problematic, considering all the brazen and unreasonable ideas the Princess Menace could come up with daily.

  She took a gold coin from her pocket and handed it to the elderly woman.

  Her old twisted fingers wrapped around her prize with a surprising agility, before her hand stored them safely in the pouch attached to her belt.

  She briefly shuffled the deck and pced the first card before Oriana.

  "Two of Swords." The Fortune Teller rasped pointing at the illustration of a blindfolded woman holding two swords. "You have a decision to make, Your Highness. You’re standing torn between two paths and you’re uncertain what to choose. Two loyalties are cshing and you are at the center of it. But the correct course of action is right in front of you. You’re just refusing to see it."

  In a fluid motion she reached to the deck once more. This time the card showed a wolf howling at the moon accompanied by a fox.

  "The Moon." The purple eyes flickered cunningly. "You should listen to your dreams, Your Highness. There’s truth hidden in them. Something that could prove to be helpful in the things you’ll have to face. Learn to trust your intuition."

  "This is nonsense" Valeria scoffed at the obvious ruse.

  "Lovers." The Fortune Teller didn’t miss a beat.

  She pced the card depicting a couple locked in a passionate embrace between the Commander and the Princess. "It would appear that you have found your soulmate, Your Highness. Someone brought to you by destiny as your fates are irreversibly connected. The two of you will be forced to face a great trial, that will put your feelings to the test. But as long as you stay loyal to the love you two share, there won’t be anything strong enough to break you apart."

  Valeria and Oriana exchanged coy gnces, each immediately looking away the moment their eyes met.

  The Fortune Teller pulled out yet another card and pced it in front of the Commander.

  "Strength. There is an untapped potential deep within you, Commander. A raw, boundless power. But you’re too afraid to reach inside and grasp it, don’t you?" The mysterious intensity of her purple gaze met the silver of Valeria’s eyes with a provocative shimmer. "You will be always held back as long as you refuse to overcome your fears and anxieties. True strength comes from accepting yourself and understanding that even the darkness can be tamed."

  "Some things are better left dormant." Valeria answered dryly. The card before her showing a woman taming a powerful beast.

  The Fortune Teller didn’t answer. She smiled then her attention shifted to Lin Xuen, who had joined them with Kyra.

  "Oh? A card reading? How exciting!" The Dragon Princess csped her hands and handed the woman the gold piece. "My turn. Tell me my fortune, I’m curious what exciting things await me."

  Like before the woman pced the coin in her pouch and shuffled the deck.

  "Nine of Wands. You have been fighting an ongoing battle, Your Imperial Highness. One that you’ve been facing for so long that it made you believe it will never end. But you need to stay strong as the end is nigh." The Fortune Teller said, then reached for another card. "Ah… Two of Cups, it seems that you too found someone dear to your heart."

  "Huh! What gave it away?" The mischievous sparkle danced in Xuen’s eyes as she gnced at Kyra standing next to her and blushing furiously.

  The woman pretended not to notice the vague note of sarcasm woven into the Dragon Princess’ voice, as she continued.

  "Your retionship will be very harmonious and supportive. She will help you become whole" the st card was pced on the table "and after all the trials and hardships. All the struggle and uncertainty, you will be able to achieve the success. You will have The World at your feet" she pointed at the st card.

  "It appears that I will have a happy and fulfilling life. How splendid! Fortune this good was definitely worth a whole gold piece." It had become apparent to everyone around that Lin Xuen was exceptionally apt at delivering the taunting jabs with a voice sweet as honey.

  Nevertheless, the Fortune Teller remained unbothered, just like the st time. Instead, her piercing eyes moved to Kyra.

  She drew a card and pced it in front of the girl.

  A quiet gasp escaped Oriana’s lips upon seeing what it depicted.

  Valeria’s hand tightened around the handle of the bde by her back, ready to be drawn at any moment.

  Previously full of quippy remarks, Lin Xuen fell silent and instinctively moved closer to her companion.

  Kyra, on the other hand, simply stood there. Her eyes locked on the card before her.

  "Death." The Fortune Teller rasped with a tinge of satisfaction in her voice.

  "If it’s a joke then it’s not funny." Harsh voice of the Dragon Princess broke through the silence first. She wrapped her arm around Kyra protectively and shot daggers at the crone.

  "Ah, yes. People never believe in what the cards tell them, but the moment Death makes an appearance everyone suddenly becomes so serious." The Fortune Teller let out a grating ughter.

  "You can rex, Your Imperial Highness. Contrary to popur belief, the cards don’t have the habit of announcing anyone’s demise. Death is simply a symbol of change. It means that there will come the time, when you, young dy, will have to let go of the past that’s haunting you.

  "What happened cannot be undone. But it shouldn’t prevent us from reaching our true potential." The woman told Kyra.

  "That might be enough excitement for one day" Queen Hester said coming closer to the stall. "We should go back to the Pace."

  "You Majesty, how about you? Would you be interested to get a glimpse of what fate has in store for you?" The Fortune Teller pced an uncovered card in front of the Queen.

  "No, thank you. I trust in whatever my Gods prepared for me."

  "Then, perhaps, you should at least take this" the crone held out a crude bracelet made out of pin white stones. "It wards off evil intentions."

  "No, thank you."

  "I insist. It’s free of charge" The Fortune Teller didn’t give up. Eventually, the Queen took the trinket from the woman and briefly thanked her for the gift, before they left.

  Once left alone, the crone's eyes fshed with purple light, as she muttered to herself.

  "Everyone fears Death, but it is you who they should be really weary of, isn’t it." She smirked, flipping the card she drew for Her Majesty.

  "The Tower."

  DannyTheDaikon