The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

'Of all the things in two worlds....'

It simply wasn't fair! 

Noble would have preferred a horrendous Nightmare Creature over what she was witnessing. 

Though there did seem to be creatures among the commotion that she saw. 

Was the Spell trying to give her a mental breakdown? 

Well, it was working! 

The sight before her put more fear into her soul than any mind attack could. 

People. Hundreds of them were heading her way. Loaded carts pulled by beasts of burden mingled with the crowd. All of them were heading her way through the dense brush. 

It was a caravan.

Noble suddenly felt very small and insecure. Memories of her first Nightmare flooded back after years of being suppressed. 

Everyone in that long trek had died. Everyone but her. 

'No. It...it's not the same caravan.' 

Noble was sure of this fact. There were no children in this group. And her first Nightmare had not been in a forest as memorable as this. 

Still, the floating woman remained behind the tree. 

They were coming this way, sure. 

But that didn't mean that she needed to meet them. Her goal was not to make friends here. It was to find the other members of her cohort and figure out how to beat the Nightmare. 

Noble could let them pass without interacting. 

However, meeting them could provide a great opportunity to collect information on the area. These people were natives and nomadic. Who would know the place better than them?

'That's assuming that they are friendly.' 

"Stop here!" a voice boomed. 

The forward progress came to a halt.

Using her second sight, Noble saw a woman in flowing robes climb down from the front cart and kneel to inspect the ground. 

"What do you think?" She asked the man closest to her. 

He seemed surprised to be addressed. He coughed. 

"Well, I do not see a fallen star." 

"It could have been made of ice!" someone else suggested. 

"Then where is the water from where it melted?"

The crowd, which had been watching in awe, suddenly erupted in theories about the hole in the middle of the forest. 

"I think a creature drank the water." 

"All of it? Before we got here? That's absurd." 

"I told you the sky is actually falling this time! What else would not leave a trace when it crashes into the ground?" 

"I can think of at least a dozen options..." 

"You don't think it's related to those...other things, do you?" 

"I hope not!" 

Noble listened to them, her mind a mix of confusion and amusement. 

No matter which world she was in, people were still curious creatures who liked to puzzle out a mystery. 

And they could be hilariously wrong, especially in groups. 

'But how did they see me fall?' 

The Nightmare should have started when she hit the ground. No one had ever mentioned people being aware of the challengers descending from the air. 

'That means...' 

The person she had replaced had also plummeted to the earth!

That explained why she was sent tipsy turvy by the Spell before the crash landing.

Had the person been thrown to that height, or had they fallen from somewhere? Maybe they had launched themselves in some haphazard attempt at flight?

'What kind of crazy person would do that?'

Whoever it had been originally, her journey had ended in epic failure and attracted these nomads to investigate.

As a few began to talk about how the hole was punishment from the war, the first woman held up her hand.

"Enough."

The pressure of her words was felt by everyone, including Noble. It was not a command easily disobeyed.

Then the woman laughed so musically that Noble could hardly believe it came from the same person.

"You should see all of your faces just now. While I appreciate all the theories, there is no need to guess."

"Why?" The man to her left furrowed his brow.

"Because.." Noble took a deep breath. "I'm right here." Removing her helmet, Child of Promise stepped into the clearing.

The people on the other side of the crater gasped, backing up closer to the wagons. Some gripped the weapons at their side while others held up their hands defensively.

Only the woman in the flowing robes and the man closest to her remained unperturbed by her appearance.

"Huh, that wasn't my solution, but it works." The peach-clad woman smiled as she drew up to her full height. The bangs of her mossy hair framed her face as she glanced curiously at the newcomer. 

"What are your orders, My Lady?" The man beside her bent his knees slightly as his right palm twitched.

"I say we try something novel," the lady nodded, "And try talking to her." 

The man did not relax. "Understood." 

Ignoring her tense companion, the grey-eyed lady waved gently across the hole. 

"Greetings, traveler. From whence do you hail?" 

"From whence do I hail?" Noble hesitated. A truthful answer would cause confusion, and blindly pointing to a location could cause unforeseen trouble. 

The strange woman pushed back her silky hair with a frown.

"Poor thing. The crash must have affected her intelligence! I shall try again. I. am. Lady. Syrce." She spoke slowly, crisply cutting each syllable to avoid confusion. "Are you from here?"

"No, My Lady," Noble dipped her head in a small bow. "I come from afar."

The answer caused Syrce's smile to falter. The people behind her grew more weary of the newcomer's presence.

"Afar?" The powerful leader asked carefully. "Are you a Remnant of the War?"

Child of Promise shook her head. "I am not a remnant of any war. I am a lowly traveler looking for some people I have lost."

"Ooooh, I like this one. You may relax, everyone. She is not a Remnant or an Imperialist. She's just a little slow-witted," Syrce motioned to the caravan before addressing the newcomer. "We, too, are searching. We are on a quest. A most urgent mission!"

"My lady?" The man coughed lightly. "Now that you have determined there is no threat, we should keep moving. We cannot rest until we are beyond the Wonder Woods."

"You'll have to excuse him. He does not like to dawdle. Syrce touched the man's shoulder gently. "Patience, Orrin. This will only take a moment."

Picking up the hem of her robes, Syrce sped around the human-sized hole in the blink of an eye.

She took Noble's hand and turned to face the crowd.

"We have received a most glorious boon. My dearest friend…" The lady's grey eyes turned toward her companion expectantly.

"Bel."

"Lady Bel, my dearest friend," she repeated with fervor, "will be joining us on our mission. She is a brave hero, and with her by our side, victory is all but assured! Everyone, welcome our newest champion!"

'Dearest friend?…Champion?'

She had gone from stranger to closest companion in the blink of an eye.

'What in two worlds is happening?'

"Wait, wait, wait. I never said…"

"Join me on my carriage, Lady Bel." Syrce's aura leaked from her pleasant facade, causing Noble to feel its pressure a second time.

The leader of the caravan was at least a Saint, possibly more if she was trying to contain her power.

"But the ones I lost. I need to find them," Noble tried.

"I cannot leave you out here witless and alone. What kind of best friend would I be if I did that?! Don't worry. I will help you in any way I can. That includes helping you find whoever you are looking for." The Saint laid her hand on her heart.

"My ladies," Orrin dipped his head.

"Come on," Syrce pulled on her companion's arm. "Our quest waits for no one!"

"Our quest?" Noble rubbed her head. Suddenly, she preferred the nausea of spinning and pain of falling over the frustration this effervescent Saint was causing.

Seeing Noble's confusion, the Saint sighed. "You really did hit your head very hard."

There was no use arguing. So Noble moved to the more pressing question. "Tell me, Lady Syrce. What exactly is this quest?"

The Saint tilted her head. "What else? To save humanity from total destruction!"