POV Amanda Brightcloud

It had been three weeks since the new bodyguards had arrived. Holding the replies to her messages in hand, Amanda stood at the window of her bedroom. Everything seemed to be fine. It looked like she had been too worried. Gregorious, her beloved, had placated her fears about Sephiroth. He had known the girl for quite some time, and he was sure about her good intentions. She had helped a lot during her time under his command and was completely trustworthy. Gregorious also told her about some connections he had made with the other commanders. They would lean on the marquess, ensuring that he would leave the barony alone.

Good, otherwise she would have had to personally visit the marquess. Amanda didn’t want to do that, she had renounced the martial way long ago. But if it had to be done, she wouldn’t hesitate for a second. Nobody was allowed to harm her beloved family.

Hopefully everything would be fine. She couldn’t always protect her children. It didn’t matter how strong she was if they were poisoned or attacked while they were out of her sight.

POV Sephiroth

Relaxing on her bed Sephiroth enjoyed the warmth below the bedsheets. She was on a roll lately. Everything that she had touched turned out well. First Aron found out about her not being human, but took it in straight. Now he got wind of an easy way to control her, but refused to use it. And even though he got more logical and calculative, he hadn’t lost the closeness to her. It felt even like they had gotten closer. A certain trust had been established.

Sephiroth reveled in her satisfaction over the youngest events and began to plan for the near future.

Mors was responsible for Aron’s safety until the evening. So she had some free time. What should she do? There were still potential dangerous books in the library, should she discreetly misplace them? No, better not. Aron had already caught her once. Better not push her luck. Maybe she should-

Knock knock

Following the sound, Sandra’s voice resounded through the door. “Sephiroth, Lady Brightcloud wants to have a word with you. Please join her at the front garden.”

“Thank you for the message Sandra, I will quickly dress and visit her.”

And there she had thought she had some time for herself…

Finished with equipping her armor and weapons, Sephiroth made her way to the front garden to join Aron’s mother.

The front garden dwarfed the back-garden with its wealth of flowers and decorations. Where the back-garden had been built for training and self-reflection the front garden’s purpose was to impress.

Amanda had made herself comfortable on a garden couch and was half laying on it, enjoying the afternoon sun.

As Sephiroth stepped closer, Aron’s mother seemed to become automatically aware of her and moved into a seated position.

Sephiroth felt Amanda’s gaze on her as she stepped closer.

“There you are, Sephiroth. Please have a seat, I want to talk with you.”

Had she done something wrong? Wrong question. Had some of her actions been discovered? No, that couldn’t be. Sephiroth had always payed rapt attention to hiding her tracks. So what did Amanda want?

“Sephiroth, you have now stayed with us for around three weeks. How do you feel? Have you settled in well?”

Having heard the question, Sephiroth relaxed internally.

“My lady, thank you for your concern. That is very kind of you. I have settled in nicely and have thoroughly enjoyed my work here. Aron behaves very well, it is a joy to be his bodyguard.”

“That is great to hear. Actually, Aron is the reason that I have called for you. Since the assassin attempt, he has changed. Where before he was open, he now has shut me out of his life. I don’t know what's going on in his head anymore. As his bodyguard you have spent the most time with him. Tell me, have you seen any signs that should make me feel worried? Should I try to be more invasive”

Naturally there were. Hell, her little Aron had long since been replaced by another person. But Sephiroth wouldn’t tell a word. Aron was hers.

“Milady, I can assure you that I have seen nothing that made me feel uncertain or worried for a second. You can trust me. Your husband has most likely saved my life in giving me shelter, I would do anything to help you, him and your children.

Aron is simply a young man who has survived an evil assassination attempt. Having been shown the fragility of ones own life so brutally would change anybody. What he needs now is space and the freedom to develop himself. Only when he feels capable and in control, will he come out of his self-imposed isolated state.

The best thing you can do is step back and let him be. I will protect him with all I have. But if you try to be a bigger part in his life, he will push you further away instead. Please trust me.”

Amanda mulled that over thoughtfully before replying. “You are right, I need to give him space. He needs to grow by himself. Thank you for all your efforts. Please take good care of him and guide him as well as you can. That is all for the time-being, you can go now.”

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“Your trust means everything to me, Milady. Naturally I will invest my all to take care of him and guide him to the best of my abilities.”

In her mind, Sephiroth grinned. Oh, how she would take care and guide Aron, she would incorporate all her knowledge and time into it. Naturally it was not exactly in the direction his mother had in mind, but she didn’t have to know that. Simply sit back and relax Amanda, everything will be fine…

Sephiroth stood up and bowed demurely before departing. Another influence dealt with. She had to concentrate to stop a smile from spreading on her innocent looking face. As she had thought before, she was on a roll lately.

Now that Amanda has taken a step back, she would be Aron’s only “real” ally. Mors had some connection to Aron, but not nearly as deep as his mother or her. Lea was still too young and his father too far away, defending the empire. That left him no “reliable” person to confide in. Sephiroth would be there, filling this spot nicely, open and willing to shoulder all his burdens and “help” him through all his future challenges.

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POV Aron Brightcloud

In the middle of my practice swing, I slipped and had problems catching my step. What was that?! A suddenly shudder had run down my spine, coupled with an awful premonition. Had Sephiroth done something fishy again? Damn, I had these feelings much too often lately…

______

POV Amrus Lightbearer

Four weeks after he had been saved by a ghost, Amrus arrived back in the capitol of Targos. During his return journey he had recovered completely. He now even surpassed his former strength. He had to talk with his father. It was obvious that such an ancient soulbeast hadn’t made its way into his body by chance. Someone had planned this and invested a lot of resources into it.

That meant Amrus’s family had made a mighty enemy. But it was not all bad. Now that he had survived and knew about the assassination attempt, they could use it to lure out the perpetrator. The saying really was true, hardship births opportunity.

Amrus had ordered his servant to keep his recovery a secret. He had to coordinate with his father. Together they could use this to their benefit.

Disguised as one of his closest bodyguards, wearing that bodyguard’s armor and plate helmet nobody recognized him. He easily circumvented the nobles at court and got closer and closer to his father's office. Let’s see how close he could get before his father’s retinue stopped him.

It looked like nobody was paying attention. Amrus would need to have a talk with-

“Thats close enough. Stop now if you want to live, please.” Accompanied by the friendly voice next to his ear, Amrus felt the cold steel of a dagger pressed against his throat.

“Who might you be, Friend? You are not one of the guards and I can’t feel your aura. Yet you seem familiar. Please take off your helmet, I want to see your face.”

Amrus knew that despite the friendliness, the guard would not hesitate for a second if he didn’t follow the order. The only possible option was to remove the helmet or it would be removed by the guard. But this time his head would be included. Amrus liked his head, so he quickly took off his helmet.

Amrus turned his head cautiously. The dagger still pressed against his flesh, he didn’t want to cut open his aorta.

Immediately the dagger vanished.

“My prince, it is nice to see you. Please don’t play such games with us lowly guards. I wouldn’t want to accidentally harm you, having misidentified you as a threat.”

“I am sorry Sunas, it was necessary to not be discovered. Is my father in his office?”

“Yes, he is. As usual, taking care of important matters until deep into the night.”

Finished speaking, Sunas stepped back, letting Amrus pass. The prince directly went through the door. He knew his father would forgive him for the breach of etiquette.

Artorius Lightbearer, the ruler of this part of the empire raised his head in alarm at the sudden entrance. Only to relax immediately when he recognized his own son.

“Amrus! My son! You are back and healthy! I am so happy to see you. The last report stated that you were terminally ill! But that must have been an overstatement. You are teeming with energy!”

Delighted, he quickly circumvented the office table and embraced his only son in a bone-crushing hug. Only after several seconds did he stop and stepped back to muster his beloved son in more detail.

“So, tell me about all you went through, I want to know everything.”

Not waiting any longer Amrus told his father the whole story. The subjugation-quest, his sudden loss of energy, how powerless he had felt in his bed, slowly vegetating away. And as last, the encounter with his Saviour and the exorcism of him after having rescued Amrus.

“Father, this was for sure no accident. An ancient soulbeast wouldn’t show up during a normal beast-attack. This was a planned assassination.”

“You are right, son. My spies have told me about renewed activities of our enemies. The darkmages are slowly rearing their heads again, and there are people that greed for my throne. I have ordered the spies to look into it, but they had surprising little success. Someone on our side is derailing them and muddying the waters.”

Amrus got worried at that. Enemies from outside were no problem, but enemies inside always spelled disaster.

“Don’t worry too much yet, my son. We can use this to our benefit. As you have suggested, we will hide your recovery and tell the public you are sick but stable. The perpetrator won’t be able to keep himself hidden too long. In his eyes you must be dead, as a normal healer could never have healed you. They will push me to reveal your real state.”

“Good, but what should I do now? It is all for nothing if they find me.”

“I have an idea. I know exactly the place for you. It will help perfect your skills. In addition you can check on the responsible people.” Having told his son more about the place, Artorius went into the exact details of his plan.

Amrus didn’t like it at first. He wanted to fight back and get revenge for his suffering. But after some thought he understood the benefits. Everywhere else certain resources would be needed to facilitate his life. These resources could be tracked. If that happened all their plans were for naught. He should see it as a respite to improve his basics, theory and mind. Patience was a virtue. There would be a time in the future when he would enact his revenge.

The king rose from his chair and went to an unremarkable-looking cabinet at the back of the office. He opened one of the drawers and took out a black marble box the size of a book. He removed it and brought the box with him back to the table. There he sat it down and seated himself again. Slowly he put his hand on top of the black stone. He concentrated and energy moved between his hand and the box. With a faint click, the box opened itself.

Fitting to the unremarkable box, a simple black steel amulet revealed itself.

“You will need this amulet to get into the place. Keep it save. It is an ancient heirloom of our times before we became kings. There is only one of them to my knowledge.”

Amrus nodded “I will, father.”

“Good, go now, my son. May the gods keep you safe.” After one last hug, Amrus departed from his father’s office. He wouldn’t see him for a long time.

Back at his hideout, namely a mediocre servant chamber, Amrus suddenly remembered his second objective. He had only told his father that the ghost had saved him, but had completely forgotten about it when they had started to discuss plans on how to counteract their enemies.

Well, his future home would also have many books about ghosts. Maybe he could find something on how to help him there. He owed that ghost a life-dept.