The Underwater Kingdom~

4:38am...

Sachiel awoke to the sound of crying. It wasn't an instant reaction. It actually happened rather slowly, like the sound of a siren in the background of his dream. Eventually, his eyes opened, and surveyed his surroundings. By this point, the sound was more like a bellowing foghorn that forced headaches onto those who heard them. He turned to his left, finding A'Nailiah to still be fast asleep. Amazing how she could sleep through such a ruckus. It was no wonder that he was always the one to awaken this time of morning to care for the young Princess. He usually got help from the various servants in the Palace, but he could never stand the idea of someone raising his daughter for him. He made his way over to the crib and looked down at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was the spitting image of her mother. She had the same blue hair and olive skin. The only trait she seemed to have inherited from Sachiel was his grey colored eyes.

He picked the baby up and carried her out of the room, and down the hall, admiring her resemblance to A'Nailiah as he carried her to the kitchen and made her a bottle. As usual, however, she wouldn't accept it. The sound of the babies crying could be heard down the halls as Sachiel carried her to the courtyard, and sat in the small lake with her; The water instantly calming her.

Her name was Michaela; Named after the former Queen, and Naili's beloved fallen sister. Or so that's what all of Siram had been told. What a year it had been... Sachiel reflected on all of it as the now-pacified baby partook of the formula. Micah disappeared the night of the second ball. The one that was held in hopes of preventing war. The elders announced to the public that their Queen had most likely passed. Having been discovered as Micah's only living relative, A'Nailiah was to be named the next Queen of Siram, However, the Elders urged Sachiel to send a squad of Guardians in search of Micah. There was such urgency, as if their very fate relied on discovering Micah's location. Sachiel knew one thing for certain; Micah was alive. Where ever she was, she didn't want to be found. Either that, or someone didn't want her to be found. Sachiel didn't mention it to anyone else. He knew that if anyone could find Micah, it was the squad that he had appointed.

Sachiel personally threw A'Nailiah's coronation, while simultaneously working to build the relationship between the Guardians and the citizen's of Siram. At that corronation, Sachiel asked for A'Nailiah's hand. Sachiel and A'Nailiah were married soon after. Now, Sachiel sat in the courtyard with their three month old daughter, as the King of Siram! Or something like that... Who could have possibly imagined such a fate awaited him?

Of course, there were things that Sachiel still had to consider. Now that he held this new position, he had new responsibilities that left him unable to tend to the Guardians in the way that he desired. He would have to appoint a new Guardian Commander. He would still aid in their training, but they needed someone else to handle the organizational issues...

Sachiel popped out of his daze to find Xanther had arisen from the water, and was inspecting Michaela, who in turn pet his head. It had become something of a nightly ritual for the two. In the year since his birth, Xanther had reached adolescence, and seemed to have gained a protective streak over the Princess. That made Sachiel happy. But once Michaela finished her bottle, she drifted back off to sleep. After returning the water their clothes and hair had absorbed to the lake, Sachiel carried the baby back to her crib, lay her down once more, and took his position in the bed next to his wife. He could only imagine the things that the coming year would have in store...