Her steps tremble and as she gets closer she begins to lose her courage, her mom’s voice roaring in her head. That’s when the guard catches sight of her. Her blood drains from her face. “Ah! Little Deacon! Can I help you?” She takes a shuddering breath and nods, rooted in place. She opens her mouth but can’t make a sound. He scratches his head. “Uhh, Priestess Tulip said something about your talkin’. Do you wanna go to the Guard House?”

She bites her lip, anxiety filling her body in a rush and her stomach turns. She nods anyway. She needs to know where her mama is.

The guard gives her a wide smile and turns away. It took a moment for her to realize she should follow.

She scrambles to catch up, holding the hems of her robes up. She constantly channels source magic into her daffodil so it doesn’t tear as she hastens to move quickly. Her smaller strides have her huffing and she looks enviously at the guard’s long legs.

The crowds part around them and she watches as the townsfolk give them curious looks. She hesitantly waves. They wave back.

“The Guard House is pretty close to the church, Little Deacon, so make sure to remember the way!” She glances up to see the guard beaming at her, his sunny disposition catching her off-guard. “Oh! I’m Vice-Captain Dooley by the way!”

She nodded. “Daffodil of Vita’s garden.”

“Nice to meet ya Deacon Daffodil!” He gave her a jaunty salute that was a little awkward since he was walking and he nearly tripped over his own feet while he did it. She smiled.

He caught himself and scratched the back of his head with his gauntlet. “Whoopsie daisy! Sorry, sorry, don’t tell Captain Fero that happened, yeah? He’ll make me do extra drills!” He shuddered dramatically and she raised a finger to her lips in response.

The crowd parted around another figure. “Don’t worry, Dooley, I saw everything.”

“Captain!” Dooley instinctively stopped and saluted, still looking a little sloppy.

A tall man stopped in front of them, his polished armor clanking with each step. “And you’re right. You can spar with your squadron and clean up your movement.”

“But Captain…” He whined, drooping and generally looking like a kicked puppy. He aimed widened watery green eyes at the taller man. The Captain faltered. “Ah, stop, don’t do that. Dooley. Seriously.” He floundered with his hands raised, trying to push the man away as he inched closer. He succeeded but the Vice Captain just stared into his eyes looking wronged. “Ah, fine, fine, but seriously, you need to get over this klutziness of yours!”

Dooley pumped his fist, immediately energetic, “Yes!”

The Captain pinched beneath his brows with a world weary sigh. “Now, what are you doing with the Little Deacon?”

Dooley gasped and his fist hit his palm. “Right! Deacon Daffodil wanted to go to the Guard House!” The Captain raised a brow and sent an assessing look her way. She met his gaze with rounded eyes. He looked like he was punched in the gut. “Ah, there’s another one.”

“Captain Jonathan Fero, at your service, Deacon Daffodil.” He gave her a crisp salute and she marveled at the difference it made as he radiated authority. Dooley grumbled from beside her. “Daffodil of Vita’s Garden.” He nodded and relaxed his posture. “Well met.”

He cleared his throat. “Well, then, I’ll walk with you, assuming you’ll need my authority.” She shrugged, then nodded. “Okay.”

The rest of the walk was short and filled with Dooley’s inane chatter. Captain Fero interjected with a few words now and again. Tulip listened and learned what she could. She now knew that Dooley used a longsword and the Captain used the same, along with most of the guardsmen, but there were a few outliers who used different weapons. She also learned that they needed a new cook, and that most of the guards ate at the local taverns because the food in the canteen was inedible. She also learned the Captain had a little daughter who showed up to the training grounds sometimes begging for her father to teach her swordsmanship.

She learned a lot.

They approached a large building arranged in a square. She could hear metal sliding against metal from within faintly. Most of the building was made out of gray stone outlined with runes. She looked on curiously. “Defensive runes. So that the stone won’t falter under assault and the building can work as an emergency shelter. The church has something similar.” Captain Fero took the initiative to explain when he noticed the direction of her gaze.

Her eyes sparkled and she squinted, trying to memorize the runes in the short span of time it took to walk into the building. The Captain had to avert his gaze, hand fisted over his heart.

They stepped through a heavy wood door.

Inside was a normal reception room. A long desk took up much of the space and multiple receptionists sat behind it. All of them were very burly men. Dooley leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Ah. They’re also guards! So don’t be scared of ‘em even though they look like bad guys.” One of the receptionists sent Dooley a scowl, his red eyes narrowing. “We can hear you, Vice-Captain.” He eep’d and attempted to hide behind Daffodil, which was rather comical due to his large frame.

The Captain continued without a glance spared and walked through a door behind the desk. “Follow me.” Daffodil abandoned Dooley so she wouldn’t lose sight of the captain, but was distracted by a wall of paper beside the desk. She noticed lifelike drawing of plants on some of them and slowed, but Dooley lightly grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

“Sorry Daffy! I’ll give you a tour later, promise!” She allowed herself to be brought along, suddenly puzzled over the butchering of her name. “...Daffy?”

Outside of the door was an open air walkway, Captain Fero had paused to allow them to catch up just ahead. The walkway surrounded a large square courtyard enclosed by the building, sunlight shining down on the guards training in less cumbersome clothing. When they noticed the Captain they all gave a brief salute before resuming what they were doing, and if they noticed the Vice Captain they did the same, if a little half-heartedly.

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An overhanging roof kept the walkway out of the sun, and she noticed plentiful foliage on the roof hid the tiles from sight. “The plants are put there to dampen the noise we make, otherwise the neighbors would kill us!” Dooley laughed. “In case you were wondering.

Her eyes widened and she nodded, needing to be dragged along again as she stared at the greenery wondering how they kept sound in the yard.

They entered a more opulent door gilded with gold to see an office filled with organized stacks of paper and a rack of swords on display. Her feet sank a little in the carpet as she stepped in.

Captain Fero sunk into the large leather chair behind the desk and steepled his fingers together. “Dooley, you’re dismissed.” The Vice Captain retreated from the room with a quick wink and a “see you later!” to Daffodil. She sat in the chair provided, sitting on the edge of the cushion, her feet dangling slightly off the ground.

“Now, what did you need from me?” Daffodil tilted her head. “Mama left.” His eyes narrowed and he grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. “I see.” He poised his pen over the paper before his blue eyes met hers again. “I presume you want to find her?” She nodded. He sighed.

“Then I’ll need to ask you a few questions, Deacon, and this might be difficult, both the questions and the actions we will need to take to find her. If you don’t want to answer a question then just shake your head no and I won’t pry any further, but the more information you can give me, the easier it will be to find your mother.” Her gaze was unwavering as she nodded.

“Alright. First, did she leave voluntarily?” Daffodil paused and furrowed her brows. He rephrased. “Did she leave on purpose? Of her own will?” Her eyes lowered and she thought back to that day. Her shoulders hunched. “She said ‘be right back’.” The Captain pursed his lips and noted something on his paper.

“I see. How long ago did she leave?”

“One week, one day.” He shifted in surprise. “The day before your naming ceremony?” She nodded.

The pen tapped on the table thrice before he wrote more. He leaned and rang a bell beside his desk. Brisk footsteps resounded outside and there was a knock at the door. “Enter.”

A tall woman leaned in, her braided hair hanging over her shoulder loosely. She looked towards her and nodded her head. “You had need of me, Captain?” He beckoned to the other free chair in the room and she sat, her posture relaxed.

“Yes, Wren, I may need you to take a sketch of a missing person.” She straightened, her eyebrows flying to her hairline. “Oh, alright, let me get my materials.” She stood without waiting for a dismissal and bustled out the door. Daffodil’s head spun at the pace things were happening.

“A few more questions while we wait.” He waited until her eyes were back to him. “Do you know why she left?” Daffodil’s nose scrunched and she felt her eyes become hot. “No.”

He stood from his chair and moved to her side before patting her on the head. “Don’t worry, Deacon, we’ll do our best to resolve this matter.” She clutched at his cape and sniffed, recomposing herself after finding comfort in the heavy cloth and warm hand on her head.

He walked back behind his desk, but scooted his chair so he was close enough for her to keep a hold of his cape. His pen wrote down a few conjectures. “Where did the both of you live?”

She shook her head slightly. “You don’t want to answer or you don’t know?” She paused. “Don’t know.” He hummed. “Do you know what it looked like or where it was in a general sense?” She nodded hesitantly. “Small. Lots of Brown. Long confusing walk church.”

His brows furrowed as he tried to parse through her sentence. “So… Your house was small.” He started hesitantly. She nodded. “There was lots of brown… Wood and dirt, maybe? Not a lot of plants?” She nodded again, sitting straighter and smiling at being understood. “And you had to walk a long time to get to the church, so the path was confusing and you don’t remember how to get back?” Her smile dimmed at the reminder, but she still nodded in confirmation.

He sighed. “You’ve done very well, Daffodil, you’re very brave.” She blushed and tightened her grip on his cape.

“But if I understand you correctly, that means you might be from the slums.” He paused. “That might make things more difficult.” She edged away from him slightly and her eyes narrowed. “It’s probably not for the reasons you’re thinking. Let me explain.” He rubbed a calloused hand over his face heavily. “The slums weren’t made by our village, but rather formed on their own as people escaped to our village from various places. The people who live there aren’t on the village register.” He stares deeply into her eyes. “They’re neglected, ignored, which make crime much higher in the area. He heaves a sigh. “We’re isolated as we are out here, and the people in the slums are a drain on resources, so there is a lot of hostility directed toward them…. Even if it’s undeserved.” His words drip with sincerity and she finds herself relaxing minutely. But she can’t let her guard down completely. She remembers the clanging of armor in the night as the guards did their rounds and yelled at the people to move away, pushing and bruising. But she stares at the man, at the cape still clutched in her fingers, and she decides she needs to learn more, and feels a bit blown away by her ignorance of the world. How could she trust anything she’d seen before, especially when she’s been treated so nicely all this time?

He went to write down what was said and the door opened, a slightly out of breath Wren didn’t bother to knock, her hair slightly windblown.

“I can start now.” The Captain nodded and turned to Daffodil. “Alright, Deacon Daffodil, Wren here is going to make a sketch of your mom so we can post it on the board so people know to keep an eye out for her. So, we’re going to ask you to describe her.” Wren got comfortable and faced her chair parallel to Daffodil’s so the drawing pad would be visible as she drew.

Wren took over from there and the Guard Captain stayed seated. Wren gave him an odd look, but ignored him when she saw how fiercely Daffodil held onto his cape. “Right, first, face shape. Did your mom have a face shaped like a circle, an oval, or a square?” She held up examples until Daffodil pointed at the heart shape and she began to sketch.

“Right now what did her eyes look like, pick one from this chart.” She picked the almond ones. “Her nose?” She picked one that was slightly sharp. “Her mouth?” A set of full lips was chosen.

Once the sketch was finished Daffodil shook her head. “Too soft.” Wren tilted her head before making the woman in the sketch a little harsher looking, with sharper cheekbones and hawkish eyebrows. Daffodil nodded.

Wren took a moment to admire the drawing and she hummed. “Don’t believe there’s anyone that would miss seeing her. She’s one pretty lady.” The Captain went to reprimand her for the somewhat inappropriate comment but stopped when he noticed Daffodil puffed up with pride. “Mama best.”

Wren chuckled and grabbed a few colored utensils. “Out of these, what would her hair and eye color be?” Daffodil easily chose the palest yellow for her hair, but hesitated on her eye color, glancing across the vibrant choices until she found a gray that bordered on black. Wren’s eyes blew open and the Captain stiffened. “Her eye color is… nearing black?” They exchanged a glance over her head. “Well, that should make it easier to find her. Dhysrya’s magic is rarely practiced.”

They finished the sketch and Wren patted her head before she left. “Don’t worry Little Deacon, we’ll do our best to find your mom!” Daffodil smiled shyly in return. “Thank you.”

Soon after she left the Captain rang another bell and Dooley burst into the room before it stopped ringing. “Finally! How about a tour Daffy?” Before she could answer her hand was grabbed and she was being pulled out the door. Captain Fero watched with amused eyes as his cape slipped out of her grip. “I’ll be here if you need anything, Deacon.” He called and the door shut behind them.