Chapter 79 Train The Children.
Flowers of yellows, reds, and pinks met Isaac and Lenna as they entered the duchess’s garden. They were all blooming despite them all being underground and far away from sunlight. The entire garden was bathed in a radiant, pleasant, soft, yellowish light as the decades old illusion magic maintained a fake sunlight to help the flowers grow. There was a small gazebo with a glass table, four chairs, and a tea set. A servant stood off to the side of the duchess who was perched pleasantly on one of the four chairs. The duchess was sipping from a small teacup and had been looking out over the garden until she heard the doors open. She turned to see Isaac and Lenna standing in the doorway and gave them a warm smile. The garden was walled off from the outside world by a ten foot high stone wall that left the garden an impressive forty foot by sixty foot rectangle. There were flowering trees close to the walls but they were all positioned in a way so they wouldn’t hide any of the flowers from the gazebo’s view.
“Sera.” Isaac greeted the duchess with a nod and a smile of his own. Lenna mirrored his action and the doors closed behind them.
“Isaac, Lenna, I am glad you could make it.” Sera replied and gestured towards the seats across from her. “I heard you have been quite busy as of late.”
Lenna sighed. Her exhale was full of weariness but also relief. “Yes, very.” She replied to the duchess.
The pair took their seats and then Isaac gestured towards the open seat. “Marie.” He greeted the servant. Marie’s violet eyes and sunlight colored hair cut a striking figure with her tanned skin.
Marie gave Isaac a polite smile. “No thank you.” She replied. “I am on duty.” She explained. A duty that was also her hobby.
“Marie, I am sure there is something Isaac wishes to speak with you about.” Sera cut in. “You may sit. No one who is capable of fighting through the three of you is going to want to kill little old me, even if you are all sitting down.”
Marie turned to Sera and bowed slightly. “As you say.” She told the duchess and took her own seat. She poured everyone’s tea and settled in for tea time with the other three. “Well, Lord Wexler, I am listening.” Marie said to Isaac in a perfectly polite tone that betrayed no emotion, positive or negative.
“I take it you are aware of the plan.” Isaac began to which Marie nodded. “What items will you be bringing along? What items should Shy and I make sure we have?” He questioned. Isaac was slowly getting better at asking for advice, from those that he knew without a shadow of a doubt could give him good advice, that was actually worth listening to.
Marie looked slightly surprised for a second before her face took on a contemplative look. “Oil,” She said eventually. “fire resistance potions, a fireproof cloak, a smoke screen of both the physical and magical varieties or at least something of that effect, spare knives, some way to make lightning, something to keep you quiet, poisons of both the necrotic and paralytic varieties, a way to make yourself invisible regardless of the duration or conditions, potions of water breathing and dark vision, a teleportation option if you have the funds for it,” She went silent in further thought. “and maybe armor?” She finished. The fact that she only added on armor as an afterthought let everyone know how much she seemed to value it.
Isaac was silent for a long moment. “Was that the list of what you have or what Shy and I should have?” Isaac requested clarification.
“Both.” Marie replied simply.
Isaac nodded slowly. “I will pass as much as I can along to Shy but I don’t know how much we’ll be able to get in time.” He said and glanced at Lenna. “Did you get all of that?” He asked. “It wasn’t exactly organized.”
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Lenna nodded. “I’ll make sure to pass it along when we meet up with the Flame Ravens for training this evening.” She assured him.
Isaac nodded once and gave Lenna a smile in thanks before turning back to Marie. “So I take it you are in?” He asked.
Marie nodded. “Of course.” She replied. “Was that all you needed?” She asked quizzically.
“That was most of it.” Isaac told her. “There was something I wanted to ask of you. If you can’t or simply don’t want to, I understand.” He prefaced his request. Marie nodded for him to continue. “Edward is currently training a rogue for me.” Isaac explained. “That rogue and Shy could both benefit greatly from your tutelage.” He continued. “I was wondering if you would be up for that from time to time.”
Marie creased her brows in thought. “I am kept quite busy.” She began.
“She would love to.” Sera cut in. “She has not left my side in twenty years and could use some friends.”
Marie looked mortified and the sudden outburst from Sera that got a look of surprise from Isaac and Lenna. “Sera, but who’ll-” Marie tried to argue.
“There are seventeen guards on the premises day and night.” Sera explained. “They can protect me, as is their job, for a few hours a day.”
“They are in their twenties, at least as far as I can tell.” Isaac explained. “One is a platinum grade adventurer and the other is a thief turned… operative, I think operative is the right word for him.”
Sera raised her eyebrows towards Marie and tilted her chin down slightly as she pressured the other woman. “Who knows, maybe they will have a handsome middle aged male family member to introduce you to since you cannot seem to work up the nerve to talk to my brother properly.”
“Edward and I aren’t like that.” Marie tried to protest.
“Like what? Hmm?” Sera demanded. “A man and a woman who have spent half of their lives together without falling for anyone else. A pair that works better together than icing and cake?”
“Sera, we are just old friends.” Marie continued her futile attempts at resistance.
“If you two are really just old friends than you wouldn’t mind me introducing him to the widow of Barron Telious’s little brother. She is a nice woman and could use someone who will actually care for her.” Sera prodded. Isaac and Lenna were starting to feel like the duchess and maid had completely forgotten they existed.
A look of sadness flashed across Marie’s face but it was gone in an instant. “He deserves to be happy so if that is what it ta-” Marie was cut off again by Sera.
“You would make him happy if you would just take the leap. I know for a fact that if that dunce realized how you felt about him he would have asked for your hand by now.” Sera continued to mercilessly beat down Marie’s figurative walls. She was utterly ruthless. “You have no excuses left, young lady.”
Marie balked. “I’m older than you.” She countered.
“That is entirely besides the point.” Sera cut Marie’s attempted counterattack off before it could even properly begin. “Either tell my brother how you feel or help train your juniors.” She ordered her guard.
Marie shrunk back, utterly crushed and defeated. “Fine.” She whispered.
“What was that?” Sera pressed.
“Fine, I’ll help train the children.” Marie said exasperatedly.
Sera looked taken aback. “But… but you hate people you do not know.”
Marie sighed. “Yes, I do.” She replied to her duchess.
Sera cupped her head in her hands. “Then just tell my brother how you feel.” She all but pleaded with her friend. “Do you want me to help you? Neither of you are getting any younger.” Her final comment struck like a hidden dagger and Marie visibly recoiled as if struck.
“I’m, we aren’t that old.” Marie tried to counter but it came out limp and weak.
“Can you even still have children?” Sera struck again. Isaac thought he heard the boxing bells ring as the match was called. He watched as Marie slumped onto the table, defeated.
“Probably.” Marie mumbled.
Sera shook her head before turning back to Isaac and Lenna and sighing. “She will help train them… I guess.” She told the duo.
Isaac shook his head and Lenna gave Sera a look of shock with a very slight amount of genuine fear. Sera had gone for the throat with Marie time and time again. Neither Isaac nor Lenna thought that they would survive an encounter like that with Sera. “Thanks.” Isaac eventually told her. “I think you killed Marie though, I hope she can be revived before the mission.”
“You do not have to worry about that.” Sera assured him. “She has come back from worse in less time.”
Isaac chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be glad or feel sorry for her.” He told the duchess honestly.
“Both.” Lenna replied for her. “I’m glad I’m not in her shoes.”
The group enjoyed their tea for a while before the duo left to continue on with their day. They still hadn’t caught up with Aria and Claus. Isaac hadn’t been informed on the status of the prisoners from Ben’s End or Outpost Charles. He was also wondering if the Windwalkers had come along or not. He hadn’t heard anything so he assumed that they hadn’t but he still had some hope that they would. Isaac had a bad feeling about Outpost Charles and he really didn’t want anyone he liked to be there if/when his bad feeling came to fruition.