The Arid Sanctuary And The Nautilus Prince 5 Chapter 4

The forgotten lands surrounding the Glittering Cave have given way to nature in a wonderful way. The thick vines covering the trees and the breaks of sunlight through the leaves was a mystical feeling.

"This forest is bigger than I expected. It must run along the coast for a couple of miles." Triton speculated.

"I have only ventured in the forest once before I gave up and took refuge in the cave. I don't really have any idea what would be in here." Naga meekly said, trailing behind both Triton and Ciriri.

"Well, your people live in the forest right? We're bound to run into someone." Ciriri said offering her best smile.

The sounds of the cras.h.i.+ng waves mixed well with the crunching of stray, dead leaves on the ground. Everything seemed to meld into each other, sound wise as the trio continued to search.

Looking into empty tree stumps, under small caves by rocks, and near shallow streams leading out to sea; their search yielded nothing but the occasional basic forest animal.

"I told you, I've never found anything in these forests before. I doubt my people are anywhere near here…" Naga said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"We can't give up yet." Ciriri egged on.

"We haven't told you but Ciriri is very proficient at finding things! A G.o.d given gift if I may be so bold!" Triton boomed from a little bit away. His large size looked comical popping up out of the tall gra.s.s.

Ciriri only offered a shy laugh as she turned back to Naga. Naga, on the other hand, was giving a look of surprise towards the now fl.u.s.tered Ciriri.

"Amazing! So you could possibly find my people sooner than I thought! You are truly kind if you're offering your services for free!"

"Eh? No, it's nothing like that! Honestly, I think I find things better when I'm not looking for them but…"

"Still! Thank you, truly. This is my responsibility but after being out here for so long, I didn't think we would find anyone." Naga held both of Ciriri's hands in her own, a beaming smile on her face.

"You both already look like lifelong friends." Triton gushed from the tall gra.s.s.

"Yeah? Well, how about you keep looking for people over there, Prince!" Ciriri casually hollered back to him.

With a wide grin and casual salute, Triton's head disappeared under the gra.s.s again. His large sh.e.l.l of a head the only thing visible from the top.

"Are you two getting along on your travels? You seem to fight a lot…"

Ciriri waved off Naga's worry with a smile.

"We're getting along fine but he gave me the impression that he only wanted to travel with me because of my item finding skills, not because we were compatible to travel together."

"I told you that wasn't true!" Triton had very quickly come out of the tall gra.s.s to plant himself right next to Ciriri. The look of betrayal on his face.

In hindsight, his puffed out cheeks and flared tendrils made him look comical and cute.

"Yeah? Then what was that nonsense before we even went in the cave?" Ciriri interjected, her hands on her hips.

"I told you already! I completely and wholeheartedly appreciate your companions.h.i.+p! I was practically wors.h.i.+ping you when you found those jewels!"

"But they were my jewels." Naga shyly added.

"Yes I am aware of that now but, at the time…" Triton defended.

"You know I hurt my hand pretty bad back there uncovering them and all you could do was gawk." Ciriri was just being smug to be smug now.

Defeated, Triton dropped his hands and gave a sad look to the ground.

"H-hey! Let's stop for lunch, ok?" Naga offered, clasping her hands together.

Her mood seemed to have lifted since meeting the pair. She looked around carefully before letting out a sigh.

"I know it's silly but usually wild chickens would venture out of the forest to the plains from time to time. They are my primary source of food. I was hoping we'd run into some by now."

"Chicken? I'd be happy to help you hunt!" Triton suddenly peeked up to Naga's offer.

Running off into the gra.s.s once again, Ciriri turned to Naga with a smile.

"His favorite food is chicken. Only natural he would run off to help with that I guess."

"Really? I prefer the eggs but when push came to shove, I just decided to eat the chickens outright. I hope I don't cause a local extinction."

"I think one girl can't eat a forest of chickens. Plus, they repopulate pretty quickly." Ciriri patted the top of Naga's head to ease her stress.

"I'll help out by getting some apples off the trees. I saw some over here. I'll leave the chicken hunting to the carnivores."

Going their separate ways, Ciriri found a small orchard of apple trees. She didn't have a bushel or large ap.r.o.n to carry them back but, she had a feeling the other two wouldn't eat the fruit anyways.

The natural s.h.i.+ne on the red peel was enticing. Grabbing one off the branch, Ciriri decided to take a huge bite. It was incredibly juicy.

"THERE'S ONE!!"

"Quick Triton! Don't let it get away!"

"Help me Princess!"

Ciriri looked towards the commotion with a mouthful of apple. Idly chewing with a wide eyed look as the two Animal Royals ran and slithered towards a quickly retreating chicken.

There was something a bit silly seeing the large beings chase after the small animal like children.

"Triton, you have to corner it! Not that way!"

"Princess, I'm trying my best!"

Stifling a laugh to keep the apple in her mouth, Ciriri enjoyed watching the two catch the chicken.

Naga quickly pounced on it and rid it of its misery.

"Amazing! Good work Princess! You are quite the huntress!"

"It's easy once you properly corner it. Do you hunt at all?"

"W-well I used to…"

Ciriri listened to Triton talk to Naga before she noticed something wedged between two trees. A large bundle of pulled sticks and gra.s.s with a handful of white orbs inside.

Ciriri dropped her apple at the realization of what she had found. A trove of eggs bundled in a nest.

"Eggs! I can't believe it!" The apples were quickly tossed away in favor for the small white eggs.

She gathered as many as she could in her arms before she was at her limit. A proud smile was plastered across her face; the thought of Naga and Triton's happiness and praise dancing in the back of her head.

"I'd say it was when I became older and began aiding in social affairs, I stopped joining my brethren in the usual hunt. I have to admit my skills are rather rusty…"

Triton's voice in the distance caught Ciriri's attention. He sounded so solemn about his lack of hunting skill next to Naga's.

"Please don't get me wrong, your skills are admirable and I look forward to such a capable woman taking the throne but…"

"But what?"

Naga truly sounded worried as she tried to pry the rest from Triton.

It was quiet for sometime before Triton sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He breathed out a laugh before straightening back up.

"But I worry if I can keep Ciriri safe when I can barely hunt for myself."

Ciriri stopped in her tracks. Hiding behind a tree out of sight, she listened in to Triton's woes.

"You know, I have only known her for two days and she had had such an impact on me. This girl that has such a great skill and was unappreciated by her fellow villagers. I can't explain it and it furiates me sometimes but, Ciriri is worth it."

"You sound like you're in love!"

"Eh? E-eh…"

Triton's giggle was soft but there was a bit of embarra.s.sment behind it. Not in a bad way but it still sent gooseb.u.mps up Ciriri's arms.

"I can't do anything about it except protect her. Before we met, I was struggling to fend for myself and jumped at the chance to accept her offer of staying with her for a night. Even in the cave last night, I struggled to catch a good couple of fish from the bottom of the pond and only returned with one."

The thought of Triton struggling with hunting was completely new to Ciriri. She didn't even think about how he struggled to hunt for food just for himself.

Looking down to the armful of eggs she had found, she felt sad for Triton. How he was trying to keep in the best of spirits despite constantly worrying about how he was going to support her.

"Maybe… maybe because I…"

'No!' Ciriri thought harshly in her mind. 'Not now!'

In a graceful leap, Ciriri bounded out from behind the tree and ran towards the group.

"Look! Look guys! I found some eggs!" Ciriri cheered a bit forcefully.

Both Naga and Triton looked surprised to see her so soon but as soon as they laid their eyes on the eggs, Naga almost dropped the slain chicken.

"You found some eggs! Ciriri, how did you do that?!"

"I told you, Princess; she is a natural talent! Great job, Ciriri!"

Triton's sad looking face changed to his normal beaming one in an instant. Naga wore a face of surprise with drool practically flowing from her mouth. The thought of her getting ahold of even one egg was tantalizing enough.

"With the chicken you both caught and these eggs, I'm sure we can make something decent." Ciriri said as she looked over her egg trove. She couldn't help but blush at remembering the words said only moments ago.

And the word that weren't said.

If only eggs warded off whimsy…



"Do you think this fire is right? Wide enough? I think I could throw in more wood."

Triton was tending mercilessly to the fire as the chicken rotated on the crude spit-roast.

Even though Ciriri made off with about six eggs, three of them were given to Naga as a token of good will. Feeling that three would be more than enough to share between them cooked, Naga all but feasted on the remaining raw eggs.

"Ahhh~ I can't believe these delicacies were just lying around here! I feel like I've wasted my whole life here giving up on the sweet nectar offered to me!"

She was splayed out on a nearby rock after her post egg pig-out. The sh.e.l.ls and all ingested in lightning fast speed the likes Ciriri had never seen.

"Well I don't know how much nourishment we can get out of only eggs and chicken but I'm glad we can eat a nice lunch anyways." Ciriri cheerfully said.

"I already ate yesterday so I'll give you a large helping." Triton said as he rotated the chicken. The glaze on the skin looked divine.

"You're not going to eat?"

"It's not that but, I'm a nautilus. When I eat something, it stays in my stomach for a long time. Well, there are a few more stages before food reaches my stomach but…"

Ciriri blinked a couple of times at Triton's vague explanation.

"So you just eat and sit on it for a long time?"

"More or less. Plus, I'm happy to be able to feed you. I know humans need to eat everyday."

Ciriri looked away quickly at Triton's kind words but Naga caught her blush from the corner of her eye. Silently, she moved her eyes from Ciriri to Triton as they silently tended to the food.

'These two are so in love and they don't even know!!'



"Ahh! That was so good! Wild onion really does make every dish better!" Ciriri clambered out after finis.h.i.+ng a hearty drum stick.

"Right? And those eggs were boiled to perfection! Enjoying everything a chicken has to offer is divine!" Naga gushed as she rubbed her cheeks. It was as if she was trying to cement the taste into her mouth forever.

"You seem to have lightened up to us, Princess."

Naga looked up quickly at Triton, who was enjoying a long sip from his canteen.

Feeling suddenly bashful, she dropped her hands in between her folded snake body in embarra.s.sment.

"Well, you both have done so much for me in such a short amount of time and… I'm really grateful! Plus, you both are very kind and funny!"

"Funny? Surely you jest." Triton said with a smug look.

"It's true!" Naga retaliated with a smile.

The wind picked up as the trio laughed into the afternoon. Nearly every part of the chicken was picked clean and the fire dwindled.

Ciriri laid on the ground, full from the hearty lunch and good company.

"We'll have to bury the bones so we don't leave too much waste around." Triton said as he helped Naga gather up the various sc.r.a.ps.

Sitting up, Ciriri dusted the dirt off of herself before extending her hands to the pair.

"Hand them to me and I'll go bury them!"

"No, Ciriri this is really disgusting. I'll deal with them." Triton protested as he moved his handful of bones away from her.

Naga, however, gladly slithered up to Ciriri and dumped her pile of bones into her open hands.

Both of the girls looked at Triton with unimpressed eyes. Triton, however, held his steadfast glare of what he thought was chivalry.

"C-ciriri…"

"Thank you for helping out, Ciriri." Naga said in a flat tone, her eyes never leaving Triton's.

"No problem, Naga. It is my pleasure to help out my friends." Ciriri's tone matched Naga's.

After a couple of seconds, Triton finally let loose a defeated sigh. Slowly dumping the bones in Ciriri's hands.

"Thank you!" Ciriri's mood s.h.i.+fted instantly. "It's good when everyone helps out, right?"

"Y-yeah… thank you. I…"

Ciriri held up a hand to silence him quickly.

"Don't treat me like a fragile flower, okay? I can do something as simple as this."

Triton could only stare with his mouth a bit agape. The slight tinge of a blush was creeping up by his eyes.

"Thank you truly, Ciriri! We'll be here when you get back!" Naga said cheerfully.

Ciriri thought it would be a better idea to bury the bones in a pretty secluded place. Eventually, they would turn into soil and benefit the Earth in the long run.

The shuffling of the dirt and gra.s.s under her hands was melodic. Mixed with the sounds of the sea, she felt as if she was finally laying the poor animals soul the rest.

"Thank you for letting us eat, even though you got the poor end of the stick here…" she whispered to the covered dirt.

The rustling in the gra.s.s did not cease after Ciriri patted the dirt. Confused but looking up anyways, Ciriri came face to face with three forms.

One of which was wearing a modified suit up of leather armor and a crude sword-like weapon fastened to it's hip. The other two forms were dressed in dirty s.h.i.+rts and bandanas.

Connected to their lower halves, were thick snake tails.

"A human? All the way out here?" The snake person in front stammered out.

"Who is it Balthier?" A timid snake person in the back asked. They looked like a girl with long wavy hair that hadn't been washed in days.

"A human?! Really?" The last snake person, with a short boyish haircut but feminine face leaned forward to see.

"U-uhhh oh my G.o.d…." Ciriri stammered over her words as she scrambled to get up off the ground.

The trio of snake people lined up to look at Ciriri, not sensing any hostility from her.

Placing their hands on their hips, the male snake person with leather armor offered her a smile.

"The name's Balthier. I'm a nomad from the Snake Kingdom. I got word that the Good Princess Naga would be coming to these lands but…"

He trailed off looking left to right, as if to reiterate his lost cause.

"I'm Kodibi. Nice to meet you." The long haired snake girl introduced. She offered a deep bow. "I'm also a nomad and planned to move to Princess Naga's new kingdom to open a shop. We've been searching for her for months now."

Ciriri was sweating at this point. She had been with Naga this whole time and knew of her predicament. One one hand, she could introduce these snakes to Naga and help out or…

"Heya! I'm Tobo! I'm aspiring to be a mapmaker! If I could get a place to lay my head, I'd start mapping the land right away!" The girlish, yet boyish snake person introduced.

"N-nice to meet you all. I'm Ciriri Mayer, a shopkeeper in Western Village."

Ciriri offered a bow despite internally freaking out. Standing back up, she looked over the trio once more before looking behind herself.

"Uh, I'm sorry that you've been stranded for so long but, I have Naga with me."

Kodibi gasped as Balthier dropped his arms in surprise.

"No way! You know where the Princess is?!" Tobo yelled out, cutting in front of Balthier.

"Yeah, we found her yesterday in Glittering Cave. She was…" She didn't know how they would react if they knew she was avoiding her duty due to stress. "Preparing her new…kingdom and…policies." Ciriri fibbed.

"Ah, that's our Princess! I will gladly enroll as a Knight for her newfound Kingdom!" Balthier cheered.

"I want my first chart to be hung in her Castle!" Tobo pined as they clasped their hands together longingly.

"Could you take us to her? We would love to introduce ourselves!" Kodibi asked, her eyes were sparkling with hope.

"U-uhh…"

"Please, Lady Ciriri! We must reunite with our Princess!" Balthier egged on.

It was beyond her.

She either led the troupe to Naga and hoped for the best or booked it.

However, she knew that wouldn't work either. Snakes could slither much faster than she could run and they would just follow her anyways.

Even worse, if she decided to run, they would a.s.sume that Ciriri had kidnapped Naga.



"So we'll continue looking towards the North then. I have to say, I didn't think this forest was as big as it is." Triton instructed as Naga listened.

"I haven't even been past the large tree to the west, I don't know if any of my people are in the forest." Naga protested.

"It's still worth a try. Once we find them, we can get the beginnings of your Kingdom underway."

"Triton, I'm so worried that I will disappoint everyone. I've been in hiding for so long…" Naga began, her mood starting to dwindle after bringing up her responsibilities.

Triton huffed a sigh before giving Naga a stern look. She had her hands fumbling one over the other with her gaze locked to the ground. She was having a great time eating and chatting but it seemed beyond her to focus on her duties.

"Princess…"

Placing a firm hand on her bare shoulder, Naga jumped at the touch and looked away further. Too embarra.s.sed to show her face.

"Princess, look at me."

She still wouldn't look up.

Taking his hand off her shoulder, he curled a finger under her chin to lead her gaze to his.

She was already crying.

"I know it's scary. It's okay to be scared. Something like this doesn't happen to everyone. And not everyone is willing to step up to something this huge." Triton softly said.

Naga's breath hitched from Triton's kind words.

"But, I implore you… you have to be strong. It's not easy but you must be. Making alliances and friends.h.i.+ps with other Kingdoms will make things easier on you. I promise you our full support once I take the throne. Does this make you feel better?"

Sniffling but nodding her head anyways, Naga let a few tears fall from her eyes. Large orbs drifting down her cheeks.

"I'll try… I'll try my best…" Naga whimpered.

Rustling through the gra.s.s brought Triton and Naga's attention towards the moving trees.

Ciriri's figure was seen from the distance, waving with a less than enthused look on her face.

"Ah, Ciriri's back. Is that…" Triton's eyes widened at the sight before him.

Three snake people were trailed behind her with hope pouring out of their faces.

"PRINCESS!! PRINCESS NAGA!" Balthier hollered out as her face came into view.

"It's you! It's really you! Princess!" Kodibi cried, holding her hands out as she slithered quickly towards her Princess.

"Eh?" Naga was frozen on the spot.

Quickly, she was surrounded by the three snake people. They were crying and smiling from finally finding Naga after all this time.

"Princess! Princess Naga, we found you!" Tobo sobbed into their arm.

"Where have you been, fair Princess!? We were so worried when we couldn't find your settlement for months!" Balthier asked, the look of urgency in his eyes. "We're you hurt on your pilgrimage to Happote?"

"Princess, I'm ready to help build the Kingdom! Can we go soon?" Kodibi begged.

"Eh? Eh? What?" Naga's puffy red cheeks from crying mixed with her stunned expression was a sight to behold.

Tobo dug in a hip bag and pulled out an already yellowing patch of paper.

"Princess Naga, I've drawn a whole map of this forest! You can pick any spot and we can expand!"

This was about the time Ciriri had walked up behind the cheering and sobbing trio surrounding poor Naga. Triton had to look at her in a blast of amazement.

"Ciriri… you found them?" Mouth agape as he witnessed the reunion.

"More like they found me. As I was burying the bones they just sort of popped out of the trees. I didn't know what else to do but to bring them here."

As Ciriri explained the situation, Naga finally snapped. Yelling as loud as she could, she sunk to the floor and s.h.i.+elded her head under her arms.

The three snake people stopped talking long enough to watch Naga sob loudly into the ground.

"IM SORRY! IM SO SORRY I CAN'T DO THIS!!"

It was heartbreaking.

The wailing sounded almost desperate as her fingers dug into her jet black hair.

"I TIRED BUT I JUST CANT! I CANT LEAD A KINGDOM ALL BY MYSELF!"

Triton and Ciriri were astounded. Almost in pure shock from Naga's breakdown.

Kodibi looked up to the pair in shock before looking back down to Naga, clearly unsure of what to do.

Balthier's face could only be described as broken. Not knowing how to help the sobbing Princess at his tail.

"P-princess… please don't cry!" Tobo begged. The map they pulled out clutched tightly in their hands. A few tears welled up in their eyes from the sight of their strong leader so broken.

"Yeah, Princess Naga! Let's help you, okay?" Kodibi joined in. Her fists balled in a show of unity.

Balthier lowered his body to be level with Naga before placing a firm hand on her shoulder. It was clear he was hesitating at first because of her stature but, eventually he managed to jostle her shoulder a bit.

Naga looked up into Balthier's eyes. Her own being completely bloodshot and practically drowning in tears pooled at the edges.

Giving the best smile he could, Balthier flashed a thumbs up.

"My Princess, were here to help you. Whatever you need, we can do it for you. We believe in you with all of our hearts."

Kodibi and Tobo were agreeing together in unison while edging down to comfort her as well. Covered in hugs and head pats, Naga looked upon her already small but prosperous kingdom before her.

"We trust you, Princess Naga!"

"Princess Naga, we love you so much!"

It was too much for Ciriri as she could no longer hold back the tear she didn't know she was holding.

"Brings a smile to your face, doesn't it?"

Looking up at Triton, Ciriri could only smile at his words. Nodding gingerly, she smiled as big as she could.

"It does! It really does!"