• Pompeii by Bastille •

Her red hair shone in the sunlight streaming through the window, the occasional specks of blonde glittered like gold. Jade sat at the wooden table in her bedroom, plucking the skin of her lips with her teeth. It was the season of falling leaves, yet she was sweating like midsummer. There was a fancy deck of Tarot cards in front of her, but she had no idea who it belonged to, or where the chief of her army had procured it from.

Outside, a bite-sized portion of her army prepared for war. Or, the illusion of one.

The soldiers Jade was taking on this mission were recommended by the commander of her army, Sillia, and handpicked by herself. And the reason for their selection was ulterior - they had served in Laz's army before they joined Jade's and knew the Eiran territory like the backs of their hands.

Jade felt a tightening around her body and stretched her neck and back to pop some joints. She had been waiting for too long, in a room that she'd never call hers.

The easternmost room in the palace that Jade was now growing used to call home, was the only place she could call home. And that was only because of how her brother Jasper, and their childhood friend Peri had decorated it. They had brought in her old table and chairs from her study. The books she read growing up were placed on the shelves over the mammoth, "king-sized" bed that was last slept on by the previous Jahiman governor, Verda.

When Jade and her brother were mere months old, their realm got turned upside down by the advent of who would soon be known as Emperor Laz II. The realm had prepared for it, for the news of Laz advancing towards them had reached them long before himself.

But no amount of preparation could have protected them from his wrath. He had swooped in with an army, increasing in size with every realm he conquered on his way, and within hours, Jahima was his.

Jade shuddered but shrugged the thought as she heard the rolling wheels of her friend's newly-made chair, and the chatter of people she counted as her kin. Peri entered first, behind her was Jasper, pushing her chair. And just behind him was the woman she trusted the most, Sillia.

Anybody could tell Sillia was born into royalty. Nothing was ever out of place with her - her pants and vest were always pressed, and never did a day go by when her handmaidens were excused from the vexing ordeal of putting a corset on her. She had an exquisite, wine-colored stole draped over her shoulders, and pinning it to her vest was her Commander's badge - a wooden button in the shape of an ironwood tree.

"Sisko," Jasper greeted her with a broad smile on his face. "Who braided your hair up like that? It's looking beautiful."

"One of her concubines, I'm sure," Peri joked.

Jade turned red, with shame. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it.

"Well, actually I did it," Sillia smirked at her before taking a seat at the table. The chair squeaked under her weight, making her giggle and squirm. "Oh, we need new chairs, don't we?" She said, a little out of breath.

"I'm not getting rid of it," Jade stated plainly. "It was my mother's chair."

"Of course." Sillia scrunched her nose, as if with adoration, and proceeded to pick up the tarot deck from between them. The redhead sighed.

"Do I really have to do this?"

Sillia didn't answer, only smirked as she shuffled the deck. Peri simply hummed, and Jasper put a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder.

"You'll be fine," he said. "While I'd never recommend this to you, or anyone, in the first place. But, I think that if there's anybody that can do this, it's you."

"He's right," Sillia added, presenting her queen with a fanned-out deck. "And it will be as easy as falling asleep. You pick a card, and you think about that Arcana with your eyes closed. And you'll wake up on the other side, and see what happens. It'll be fine, Jade. Trust me."

"You know I do."

The Queen of Jahima took a slow, deep breath, and proceeded. "I hope it's somebody Major," her Commander said, crossing her mother and brother fingers.

Not letting the pressure cave her, Jade picked a card she thought she chose randomly. Flipping it probably made Sillia giddier than she already was.

On the card's face was the image of a mighty lion, all golden eyes, sharp teeth bared, mane ablaze in holy fire. And at the bottom of the card, the name read The Sun.

"Okay," Jade squirmed in her chair, like a nervous yet eager child. "Tell me again, why are we doing this?"

In a flash, Sillia was in front of her. The table in between them had now been pushed back and she stood with Jade's face in the cup of her palms. "We're doing this for your mother," she said, softly.

"We're doing this to avenge your mother, darling. And all those people who fell prey to Laz's selfishness. We're not doing this for power, or... fame. We're doing this for people, both dead and living. Now go, do what you have to do."

Sillia moved back and assumed a stance beside Peri's chair. Jade looked between the two of them, their faces reminding her of someone else. This excursion might bring her face to face with them, but she'd never know unless she took the first step.

She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Within moments, she was pulled through the different layers of her consciousness to "the other side".

A dull white light shone on her face when she came back to her senses. The exposed skin of her hands felt tiny granules of sand underneath her. Grabbing onto the slippery sand with all fingers, she sat up and looked around. The sand spread for miles, emerging into dunes in the far distance, and disappearing behind them.

A large presence loomed behind Jade - larger than life, a deity perchance, a strong presence that demanded respect with every hot breath coming out of its nostrils. "I'm working," it said. Jade had no courage, nor any intention to turn around until provoked.

"But I'm glad you're here. Do you want to talk about what you're here for?"

The voice was stoic; there was no doubt in Jade's mind that she had come to the right realm. The entity that stood behind her was none other than The Sun, Sol.

"I think it's rude to not reply, or even look at the host of the realm you're visiting," she heard him say again. "Don't you think so too?"

Sighing, Jade stood up and dusted the sand off her skin and clothes. When she turned around to the voice that was speaking to her for so long, she had to take a step back to properly register the whole size of the beast.

Sol was the same lion as the one on the card, only mightier and scarier. His fur was golden, and his mane halo-like around his face. He looked righteous. When he pawed his way towards her, Jade was compelled by some unseen force to sit back down, with her hands neatly folded on one knee while the other sunk to the sand.

"Now, tell me, Queen Jade, what is it that you're here for?"

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Translations:

• Sisko - sister

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