Caspian stood in front of the mirror, frowning. He was wearing civilian clothes—brown pants, brown boots, and an off-white collared shirt. His bandana was, as always, wrapped around his head, hiding his ears from view, and keeping the bangs of his messy red hair out of his face.

He felt naked. There was no sword strapped to his back. He didn't have any armor on, not even simple chainmail. The feeling of being bereft of any means to defend himself made him uncomfortable, especially when he considered what happened the first time he'd gone into Axium with Christo. The last thing he needed was for Julius to try something again.

It was well into the evening. Caspian could see the setting sun from outside his window. The festival would be starting soon. He had agreed to attend with Christo because the other boy wouldn't stop bugging him about it.

I was going to go anyway, and even if I told him to get lost, it's not like it would have done anything.

"Looking sharp, Caspian," Christo said as he walked into their room.

Much like Caspian, Christo had donned civilian wear—only his roommate's looked infinitely more expensive than his own. The black pants that he wore appeared to be silk, and his doublet was a deep velvet. Underneath the doublet he wore a white silk shirt with flared cuffs, and a small beret the same color as his doublet sat on his head.

"How do I look?" Christo asked with a grin.

"Like a pompous ass," Caspian said immediately.

Christo's shoulder's slumped. "Man... that is just... so harsh."

Caspian clicked his tongue as he and Christo left the room. His roommate recovered quickly and grinned at him.

"What are you smiling about so smugly?" Caspian asked.

"Nothing," Christo said, shaking his head. "I was just thinking about how awesome it is that you and I are gonna be going to the festival. You didn't go to the last one we had."

"I'm only going because Elincia is going to be in the Sorceress Parade."

The Sorceress Parade was where the five most powerful sorceresses stood upon a giant flotilla and waved at all of the pedestrians lining the street. Elincia, as the newest sorceress and the one this entire festival was being held in honor of, would also be on the float. It was basically a method of introducing the newest sorceress to the people.

I really wanted to enjoy the festival with her...

"Speaking of, just how do you feel about Elincia?" Christo asked.

Caspian grunted. "I'm not sure I understand what you're implying."

"I mean: what is she to you?" Christo waved a hand through the air to emphasize his question.

Caspian had an idea of what his stupid roommate was talking about, but he played ignorant for now. "Elincia is my best friend."

"But is that all she is?" Christo pressed.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Caspian. Don't give me that. You and Elincia have been practically melded at the hip ever since she arrived. There's no way I can believe you when you say that you and Elincia are just friends."

Caspian would have sighed, but he didn't want to give Christo even that much.

The truth was that Caspian did like Elincia as more than a best friend. She was the single most precious person in his life. If there was a center around which individual people revolved, then she would be his. His entire life, from the moment they'd first met up to now, had been lived for her.

I wouldn't have agreed to become her Knight and suffered through all this ridicule and hatred if I didn't love her.

But he wouldn't tell Christo that. It wasn't any of his business.

***

Elincia frowned as several of Lady Sylvia's maids dressed her in a gown that appeared as if it had been spun from gold. It was a beautiful dress, but it was also uncomfortable to wear. She never did like showy outfits. What's more, she wasn't going to be able to show it off to Caspian before everyone else saw it.

"Please hold still, My Lady," Sylvia's head maid, Lacy, ordered. Elincia did her best to comply, but all she really wanted to do was run out of that room and find Caspian.

I wish I could just enjoy the festival as a bystander.

"Sighs like that are unbefitting of a sorceress," Sylvia said as she walked into the room.

"Lady Sylvia," Lacy greeted. Elincia said nothing.

"You are displeased," Sylvia observed.

Elincia felt like pouting. "I was hoping to spend time at the festival with Caspian. How can I not be disappointed?"

"Yes, Caspian, the young man who you ran off on your own—without an escort I might add—to see." Elincia blushed under Lady Sylvia's scrutinizing gaze, but she didn't back down. Lady Sylvia's frown was almost unnoticeable. "In either event, there is little that we can do. Your presence is required here, as you are the entire reason we're having this parade. The people need to see you, to know who you are. We sorceresses need the approval of the people. Otherwise we cannot perform our duties."

"I know that," Elincia mumbled.

"If you know that, then you should stop complaining and do your duty. Now, please hurry up. The parade starts in fifteen minutes."

Elincia couldn't contain her sigh as Lady Sylvia left the room.

While she was grateful to Lady Sylvia for taking her in when she had nowhere to go, she wished that the sorceress would be a bit more personable. Even when she and Caspian were little, her guardian had acted distant and cold. The only time she ever remembered Lady Sylvia doing something with them was when she had them all stand around for a picture, which she knew was kept in Lady Sylvia's office.

"Lift your arms, Lady Elincia."

Doing as Lacy instructed, Elincia lifted her arms above her head, allowing some last minute adjustments to be made to her dress. As she brought her hands back down, she was gifted with a small tiara, whose leaf-like patterns resembled the trees found in her homeland. A single green gem was embedded into it, sparkling as light refracted off its multi-faceted surface.

"There," Lacy started, appearing most satisfied, "we're all done. Now, if you would please follow me."

Resisting the urge to pout, Elincia trailed after Lacy, her hard-to-walk-in heels clicking against the floor.

***

The festival had started by the time he and Christo had arrived.

Caspian walked through the crowds with Christo. Numerous stalls had been set up, each one offering a different game, each one bearing prizes. Caspian tried a few of the games, but he didn't like any of the prizes, so he gave most of them away.

"Think you've got what it takes to win a prize? Is your draw faster than your mouth? Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is and try your hand at our booth? Shoot down a target and you'll win a prize! The more targets you hit, the better the prize you get. Shoot down all the targets and you'll earn the grand prize! Come on, folks! Let's see if you have what it takes!"

Caspian stopped near one of the booths, where a large man with a bald head shouted like a teller. The man was standing behind a stall, a shooting booth, where one used a toy gun to shoot targets.

Guns were not a common weapon in Arcadia. Having only been created within the last five years, they were a highly advanced and costly item. They used an advanced form of dual-natured spirit crystals to fire earth projectiles, a combination of fire and earth. Due to the crystals rarity and the cost of making one, a single gun cost about the same as a MAFT, a magical automated four-wheeled transport, which only high-class nobles could possibly afford. Of course, toy guns were a different story.

"You gonna try your hand at that?" Christo asked.

Caspian didn't answer. He looked at the prizes being offered, and then nodded to himself and walked over to the booth.

"And he's ignoring me," Christo said with a sigh before following.

"I'd like to try a round," Caspian told the stall owner, holding out the necessary funds, which disappeared from his hand and magically reappeared in the booth owner's hand.

"Grab a gun and start shooting," the man said, counting the drachma. "Remember, the more targets you hit, the better the prize you get."

Caspian picked up the gun and frowned. It felt odd in his hand. The handle ran perpendicular to the barrel and was slightly curved. It was nothing at all like holding a sword. Swords also didn't have triggers.

"So, have you ever shot one of these before, Caspian?" Christo asked.

"No," Caspian admitted, holding the gun in one hand and pointing it at the targets—red gems about the size of his fist, which sat on the shelves. There were nine in all, three on each shelf.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there!" Christo barged up to him and snatched the gun from his hand. Caspian glared at him, but the young man ignored the look. "What are you thinking? You can't hold a gun with one hand like that."

"Oh? Then how am I supposed to hold it, oh wise expert of guns?"

"You're supposed to hold it like this. Place both hands on the gun like this, spread your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees, and there!" Christo made a stance, knees bent, feet spread, arms held in front of him with the gun in both hands. "See how I'm doing this? This is how you need to hold a gun. It offers a lot more stability and better aim than that amateurish way you were holding it."

"Whatever." Caspian rolled his eyes. "Just give me the gun."

Caspian retook his place in front of the targets. He paused, but only for a moment before adopting the stance that Christo showed him. It didn't feel right. He felt cock-kneed and awkward. Still, he maintained the stance and aimed the gun at the targets. He took a deep breath, lined up a gem in his reticle, and fired.

He missed.

"Bwahahahahaha!" Christo laughed. "Nice shot, Caspian! You were awesome!"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Caspian scowled. "Shut up!" he snapped before aiming the gun and shooting again. He missed. Again.

He tried several more times to shoot a target, but he eventually ran out of ammo. Scowling at the gun as if it was the reason that he had missed, Caspian tossed it back on the table. Christo was still laughing.

"Ah-ha... ahahahahahaha!"

Caspian could feel his cheeks burning with shame. Christo's laughing had drawn a crowd, and all of them were staring and pointing.

"Would you knock it off?" Caspian spat.

"S-sorry," Christo continued chuckling, tears of mirth streaming down his eyes. "I-it's just... you always excel at everything you do. Seeing you suck that badly at something is amusing."

"If you think I'm so bad, then let's see you try it!"

"Gladly."

A grinning Christo stepped up to the stall. After paying the man and grabbing the gun, he adopted the stance that he'd shown Caspian and took aim.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nine shots were fired off in quick succession. Each shot knocked over a target, which fell backwards with a thump. Caspian couldn't believe it.

I couldn't hit a single target!

"WHOA! We have a winner!" the owner said. "Here you are, sonny! It's this year's grand prize!"

The grand prize in question looked like one of those remote controlled dragonflies. The wings appeared to be made out of a translucent fiber, while the body gleamed with the sheen of metal. Caspian's keen eyesight allowed him to make out geers built into the legs and wings. Situated in the center of the mechanical creation was a small gray spirit crystal.

"Hey, this is pretty awesome," Christo said as they left the booth. Much like an impatient child, he'd already torn apart the box and started playing with the dragonfly, making it buzz around Caspian's head like an incessant flee.

"If you don't stop that right now, Christo, I'm gonna—whoa!"

Caspian reacted with lightning instincts when his danger senses screamed at him. Spinning around, he avoided running into someone who'd suddenly burst out of the crowd. It was a pale-skinned man wearing the strangest garb that he'd ever seen before.

A black one piece suit covered the person from head to toe. Only their eyes and some of their face was visible. Their shoes were also different. They didn't look like shoes at all, but rather, they appeared to be almost like socks with a separation between their big toe and little toes. Strapped to their back, crisscrossing, were two short swords in curved sheaths.

The person had also sensed him, apparently, as they leapt into the air, clear over him, and landed on the ground before rushing back into the crowd. Caspian didn't want to admit it, but he was impressed with how high that person could jump.

"Hey! D-dang it, Natsuo! Get back here!" a voice shouted.

Another figure emerged from the crowd, this one nowhere near as swift as the last. Unlike the last figure, this one wore unusual armor. Dozens of small iron scales connected by rivets and lace made from silk created a chestplate that was different from the cuirass often worn by warriors in Arcadia. Large rectangular shoulder pads gleamed red in the lamplight. Thigh guards composed of several iron plates clinked as he moved, and iron glove-like sleeves extended all the way to his shoulder. A slender but ridiculously long sword was attached to his back.

Several people complained as they were hit by the sheath of that large sword.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Owch!"

"Brat, what are you doing smacking people with something like—doof!"

"E-excuse me, sir! Pardon me, ma'am! I-I'm terribly sorry!" the young man apologized. Caspian silently watched as the strangely-armored boy disappeared back into the crowd.

"Were those foreigners?" Christo asked.

"Looks like it," Caspian said.

Caspian was about to continue walking, when a commotion started up. Everyone was being cleared off the streets by members of the Peacekeepers. It didn't take him long to realize what that meant.

"Oh! Looks like the parade is finally starting!" Christo said, sounding like a kid who'd just been told that everyday was going to be his birthday.

Ignoring Christo and moving closer to the street, Caspian pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing at the front. Looking down the street, he saw what could have only been the beginnings of the Sorceress Parade.

They marched in single file. The sound of their boots clamping against the cobblestone street was heard over the roar of the crowd. Breastplates gleamed bright bronze. They bore swords and shields. A bronze helmet sat on their heads, horns jutting from either side and curving around the front. Each figure was feminine, carrying themselves with the grace and strength befitting a woman whose dedicated their life to the warrior arts.

"Holy shit!" Christo shouted beside him. "Those are the Valkyries!"

Valkyries, an all-female group of the Peacekeepers. They were an elite group of warrior women who hailed from Helheim, a frigid land to the north that birthed a hardy breed of people. Blond hair descended from beneath their bronze helms, and blue eyes stared straight ahead from between cracks in their faceplates. The breastplates they wore were sturdy things, covering their entire frame yet built to show off their clearly female figure.

Caspian had never seen one of the Valkyrie up close before. He had to admit, they did not disappoint.

After the Valkyrie came another group. Muscular torsos were put on display, for these people wore no shirts. Dark skin gleamed within the light of many spirit crystals and fire that spewed from several of their mouths. A number of these figures darted between the fire spewers. Dual-wielding falchions, they swung the blades in an intricate and complicated dance, reflecting the lights from the fire off of the swords' polished edges to create flashes of silvery-orange.

"If I'm not mistaken, aren't those the Peacekeepers of Muksha?" Christo asked.

"I think so," Caspian answered.

"I heard they're another elite group. They've been gaining popularity with the women lately."

The men wielding falchions were known as the Warriors of Sinbad. Their leader, Sinbad, was known as the only man alive to have ever defeated a knight and sorceress pair. Caspian didn't know if that was true, but much like the Valkyries, this was a group of elite Peacekeepers. They were people who could have become a knight, but were unable to due to circumstances beyond their control.

Next came a variety of different floats. There was one that resembled a massive metal dragon, its metallic wings stretching out and moving as if they were real limbs. Another moved by, treading across the ground on four legs instead of wheels, with a body made of steel and lights shining along its surface like stars. More floats came and went, each one featuring numerous magical gadgets that breathed fire, shot lightning, or even created symbols in the air out of pure mana.

The people were ecstatic. They cheered and shouted. Children sat on the shoulders of adults, crying out with joy as they "oohed" and "awed" at the sight before them

"Oh, man! This is so awesome!" Christo practically squealed.

"Tch! What's so awesome about it?" asked a familiar voice.

"Erica," Caspian greeted as the succubus woman walked up to them. She was carrying Tiffania on her shoulders, and the little girl giggled in delight as the floats past by. Trailing behind her, Derek, Collafloore, and Cassidy all seemed to be engaged in watching the parade.

"Caspie," Erica grunted, "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"The parade is okay." Caspian shrugged. "You look disgruntled."

"Please do not mind her," Derek said. "My Lady Erica is merely upset that she was not allowed to take part in the Sorceress Parade."

Erica's smile was vicious. "Derek, dear, do you want me to invoke the 'no sex for a month' rule?"

"No! Please, My Lady Erica! Anything but that!" Derek's horrified eyes were almost comical as he begged and pleaded with his sorceress.

"Then shut up."

"Yes, My Lady!"

"By the way, Caspie, I would like to thank you for taking my maid around town the other day."

"You're welcome."

"As a token of my appreciation, you can have Cassidy for the night."

"What?" Caspian deadpanned.

"WHAT?!" Cassidy shrieked at the same time.

"Ufufufu, don't be so shy," Erica said, grabbing Cassidy by the arm and dragging her to stand beside Caspian. "Go on, you two. Have some fun at the parade together."

Caspian didn't know what was going on, but he felt it would be best to not question Erica's motives.

"I see that Erica is still being awfully pushy," he said to Cassidy, who looked like she might burst a blood vessel. The maid nodded. "Well, let's just try to enjoy the festival."

"R-right!"

More floats came and went. All of them were brilliantly crafted. One looked like a giant swan, another appeared as a massive platform with knights in ancient armor locked in combat, and still more were simply excuses to reveal the latest in magical technology. Finally, after nearly fifteen floats came and went, the one that everyone had been waiting for arrived.

Reminiscent to a small castle, this float had several gleaming white towers jutting from six different platforms. Surrounding the platforms were a cornucopia of flowers, each a different color. Purples mixed with reds, orange created a vibrant contrast next to blue. The numerous colors swirled together around the base of each tower, and standing atop those towers were women. Hailed as the strongest, the most powerful, they were the sorceresses whom everyone admired.

Caspian recognized the sorceresses on the float from his history books. There was Sylvia, of course, but there was also Karen Hildegarde, the twins Aakarshaka and Aakarshana Nueva, Cleopatra Alias, and Akane Minamotsu. At the head of all these women, on the front tower where everyone could see her, stood Elincia.

Since the moment they'd bumped into each other nearly two weeks ago, Caspian had thought that Elincia was beautiful. Standing up there, dressed in an outfit of white and purple, the light from hundreds of spirit crystals reflecting off of her golden hair, and her cheeks stained a near permanent pink, her beauty seemed to have become amplified beyond what any human woman could match. He felt like he was staring at some otherworldly being, a creature who was not of this world, but had come down to bless the humble people below with a glimpse of true beauty.

And yet...

I really do think she would look better if she didn't have to hide her ears.

Caspian had always liked Elincia's ears. Perhaps the elf part of him simply thought they looked better than the rounded human ears. Back when he was a kid, one of the things that he enjoyed doing was playing with Elincia's ears, which, come to think of it, was how he originally learned about their sensitivity. The round human ears that she showed off now didn't look right.

Elincia was turning her head, as if searching for something. Perhaps she sensed his eyes on her, but eventually, she turned and looked down.

Their eyes locked.

It was as if the world had somehow disappeared. Everything outside of Caspian's immediate field of vision slowly faded. Background noises became muted and indistinct, as if they were coming to him from across a vast distance. Tunnel vision caused even more of his surroundings to vanish, until the only thing he saw, the only thing that mattered, was his friend.

He raised his hand and smiled. Elincia looked startled for a moment, but then her eyes began to sparkle, and her lips curved in a delightful u-shape. She looked joyous as she raised her hand and waved back.

The moon's light was blocked out by thousands of spirit crystals floating in the sky.

***

Elincia didn't want to be here. She didn't want to stand on this tower and be paraded in front of thousands of people. She knew this was a part of her duty as a sorceress, but having lived inside of Sylvia's mansion, with only the maids and butlers for company, the idea of being put in front of so many individuals made her nervous.

She gazed at the many people standing below on either side of the street. Behind her, the other sorceresses appeared to be enjoying themselves. Well, Lady Aakarshaka and Lady Aakarshana looked like they were having fun. Lady Karen seemed more interested in tinkering with the remote control for the float, the child-like Lady Cleopatra was as inscrutable as ever, and it was hard to tell what Lady Akane was thinking. Lady Sylvia sat on a throne of glass, on the tallest tower, her expression unwavering in its calm apathy.

Lady Sylvia says I'm supposed to get in touch with the people, but she looks like she doesn't even care.

Then again, this was Lady Sylvia, the woman whose expression almost never changed. In the years that she'd known her, Elincia had only seen the woman smile three times.

She turned back to the people. They were smiling and cheering, waving and whistling. Everyone was so excited to see them. Several people pointed at her, and it made her insides squirm like someone was poking them, but she did her best to present them with a smile. As she gazed into the sea of indiscernible faces, she sought out the one face that she knew best.

She felt his eyes upon her before she saw him. Turning her head, she looked toward where she felt his gaze. It was almost too easy. She could always pick him out from the crowd. Even without his unusual shade of red hair, she could pick him apart from everyone else.

He was standing beside several people; Christo, Erica, and her entourage. Warmth spread through her chest as he gazed at her. When he waved and smiled, Elincia was sure that she would melt. She returned his smile and raised her hand to wave back.

Despite not wanting to be up there, Elincia could no longer find it in herself to complain.

***

Erica sighed as she looked at Cassidy's dejected face.

She'd already assumed that this would happen. It was clear to her that Caspian only had eyes for Elincia, but that didn't make seeing the results any easier. While she'd been hoping to help her maid reach Caspian's heart, she honestly didn't know if that was possible.

Cassidy stood next to Caspian as he gazed up at Elincia, almost as if the golden-haired girl were a princess and he was her gallant prince. The expression on Cassidy's face could have been likened to someone who'd just been stabbed through the chest with red-hot sword straight from the forge. She looked ready to burst into tears.

Erica didn't blame Caspian for her maid's distress. Cassidy should have known, deep down, that a relationship with someone like him wouldn't be so simple. Even if, on the off chance, Caspian did return Cassidy's feelings, the young man would never be able to give the girl his unwavering loyalty.

Knights swear fealty to their sorceress. Their dedication, their loyalty, their very being was given over wholly to the sorceress that they bind themselves to. It's not a bond that could be broken or intruded upon by another.

And Caspian had apparently sworn himself to Elincia. They were not a sorceress and knight pair yet, but that hardly mattered. Whatever promise they had made, whatever bonds they'd forged before now, it was quite apparent that they were ironclad. Caspian had eyes for no one but Elincia.

Erica looked at Caspian who, now that the sorceresses float had passed, was no longer gazing at Elincia. He seemed to be worrying over Cassidy, whose depression was so obvious it wasn't even funny. The poor boy didn't even seem to realize that he was the cause of her maid's sadness.

Just like any other boy, he's completely ignorant to the feelings of others.

She chuckled as Caspian tried to make her maid smile by telling stupid stories.

"And then Elincia and I were chased through the mansion by Sylvia's butler..."

Unfortunately, the only stories that he seemed to know involved Elincia, which only made Cassidy more depressed.

Well, nothing worth doing was ever easy, Erica thought to herself. I think I'm gonna have some fun with those two.

After all, she did so enjoy playing matchmaker.