Reunion at Sea

Nuru

Rapunzel had seen the Cliffs of Koto from above before, but they hadn't actually gone close enough to see the actual buildings. The Cliffs of Koto actually expanded further than what she had seen before, with the giant statues actually marking the border of the Kingdom of Koto. She watched from above as people in caravans were put on transports that carried them from the low ground of the valley below to the high ground of the Capital, Celeste, which they were approaching by air.

Truth be told, Rapunzel was feeling apprehensive about coming without any notice, but they needed to be there before any messenger bird would arrive. They saw guards alerting to their arrival and then more guards came out and surrounded them as they lowered to the ground.

One of them lowered their weapon, though, when they saw who was in the basket. "Queen Arianna? Princess Rapunzel? What is going on?"

"Uh, actually, I'm Queen now." Rapunzel said nervously. "Uhm, it's a long story, but we had to come here for an urgent matter."

"Of course." The man nodded, stepping forward to offer them a hand out. "Stand down, men. I am Ajit, Captain of the Royal Guard of Koto."

"I remember meeting you before." Arianna smiled as she took his hand when getting out. "But, as I recall, your father Akbar was the Captain then."

"You recall correctly." He nodded. "My father passed away one year ago and I was put in his position." He explained.

"Oh! Well, they may be belated, but you have my condolences." She said, placing her hand on her chest.

"I do not weep, for he died a peaceful death in his sleep and has moved on to start a new life somewhere else." He assured her. "But, you said you came on an urgent matter?"

"Yes." Rapunzel nodded, glad that the conversation was back to what she could understand. "We need to talk to Princess Nuru."

Ajit looked disconcerted. "...You will have to talk to the Queen about that." He turned to go. "Follow me, please."

"Thank you." Arianna nodded.

They headed inside, escorted by the guards. "What was he talking about, 'start a new life'?" Rapunzel asked as they walked.

"The people of Koto believe that when their loved ones die, they move on to be born into a new life shortly after." Arianna explained. "Well, some of them do. Others believe that their loved ones rise to a higher realm to wait for their families to join them in death. Koto is a bi-cultural Kingdom, with some of them being Christian and the others being Hindu. They coexist well enough, but it has led to some interesting conversations."

"I imagine so." Rapunzel said, looking around as they passed through the city.

They entered the castle and were led into the throne room, where the King and Queen of Koto sat on their thrones.

"Arianna!" Queen Natalie said, rising from her throne and hurrying to hug her. "I heard that there was a revolution in Corona! I'm so glad to hear you're not hurt!"

Arianna smiled. "Yes, I am alright, Natalie. I actually helped the revolution." She admitted, then pulled away slightly. "There's so much I must tell you, but what you need to know is that my husband is not who I thought he was, and now he has allied with demons under some sick delusion that we are being manipulated by a child with the powers of the Moon." She sighed. "On that note, Varian was taken away by the demons. I was told that your daughter, Nuru, may be able to help us find him?"

Rapunzel let her mother do the talking and instead looked around curiously at the décor. Of the throne room. The windows were large and open to let in the sunlight and the room was decorated with colorful sashes. The Queen herself was wearing a vibrant outfit quite unlike what she wore in Corona.