Fiona was once again standing in the yard trying hard to hold the sword up for a few minutes when a familiar voice rang out, "Hey, Fiona! It's me! Dad said I could come visit!"

Fiona lowered the blade, a smile filling her face as she made out the small, but energetic, figure of Liberty running towards her. The girl barreled into her with a big hug and then immediately tried to snatch the sword but Fiona held it out of her reach.

"Oh cool, is that a sword! Is Fenrin teaching you? Can I see?"

Taking a step back, Fiona held the sword protectively. However, faced with the contagious energy of her first friend in the valley, she handed it over.

"Yes, be careful. Uncle Fenrin made it for me."

Libby took a few practice swings but the sword was plucked from her hand by her father. "Woah there. Your mother would have our heads if I brought you back with one less eye."

Tryst ruffled his daughter's hair as Libby pouted. Fiona looked down shyly.

"You best put that away before temptation gets the better of her." Fiona looked up and took the sword from Tryst who gave her a wink.

"T-thank you. I will."

"Hey!" Fenrin scowled from where he was working on the new room, "I didn't say she was done, Tryst. You and your gremlin will have to wait until she's finished. Matter of fact, get your ass over here and help me with this."

Fenrin gestured to the huge planks he was lining up. Libby ducked behind her father, a look of fear and awe on her face and she watched Fenrin carefully.

Tryst sighed but shouted, "Aye, aye captain." He leaned down to Libby. "Stay outta trouble or this will be your last trip, ya hear?"

Libby gave a mock salute. "Aye, aye!"

Her father flicked her nose and sauntered off to help Fenrin. Libby immediately spun around. "I can't believe he's teaching you! He never teaches anybody, I've asked 'bout a million times!"

Fiona rubbed the sword hilt. She wanted to impress her friend but wasn't feeling the enthusiasm to match. In truth, it'd been a frustratingly boring number of days doing her basic training. "Yes, well it hasn't exactly been exciting."

Libby tilted her head. "Whatcha mean"

Fiona sighed and returned to her stance, holding the sword up. "This is all I'm allowed to do."

For a moment Libby watched her stand here and when Fiona began to grimace she shrugged. "Doesn't seem too hard."

Fiona flushed. "Easy for you to say. You try holding this up for five minutes!"

"Okay!"

Libby took advantage of Fiona's shock to take the sword again. She mimicked Fiona's stance and held the sword straight as an arrow.

Fiona smirked but her smirk fell into embarrassment as Libby held the sword and the seconds ticked by. She hardly faltered and Fiona counted two minutes before the sword began to waver. A bit longer than Fiona had managed at all.

Bitter, Fiona forced out a playful voice, "This is boring, let's do something more fun."

Libby lowered the sword, handing it over and seemingly oblivious of Fiona's discomfort.

"Okay!" She lowered her voice conspiratorially and held a hand to her lips. "Hey, do you know where Fenrin's sword is? I bet it's massive."

Fiona shifted uncomfortably. "I only know where his wooden sword is. I did see the real one once, though, when...when he rescued me and Vai."

Libby shook her arm. "Really?! What was it like?"

Not really wanting to talk about the incident, real or fake, Fiona pulled her arm away. "Scary," she said honestly and as she turned away Libby shifted from one foot to the other and bit her lip.

Holding the sword back up, Fiona resumed her assigned shuffle back and forth. Libby copied her for a few steps but grew bored and moved to the side.

"Hey Fiona, watch this!"

Fiona glanced over and Libby stuck her hands in the air and launched herself into a cartwheel. She finished with a flourish and Fiona couldn't help but laugh as Libby blew a chunk of her wild black hair out of her face.

To hide the fact that her arm was drooping, Fiona spun around and switched arms, she stepped back and forth purposefully and said, "When I'm done, let's go inside and Vai can braid your hair."

"Really?"

"Sure, like I said, he's really good." Her voice was starting to sound strained, her offhand even more tired.

"Did he do Fenrin's hair too?"

"Yup." She was panting.

Libby giggled and Fiona shifted self consciously. "What?"

Libby laughed. "Oh I just pictured Fenrin with his hair all plaited like yours."

Fiona blinked and then started to laugh too. She couldn't stop and soon was clutching her side, eyes watering.

Libby joined her and the two men paused their work to look over. At Fenrin's glance both girls redoubled their laughter, the image in their minds too funny to resist. Fenrin sighed, muttered something to Tryst and shouted, "Alight you two, go play or something. Fiona put your sword away first."

"Yes, Uncle!" Fiona called out, trying to catch her breath.

She ran to the wooden pegs Fenrin had put up to hold their practice swords and hung her blade. Once her sword was safely stowed, she gestured for Libby to follow and they dashed inside.

Vai was sitting at the table neatly folding laundry. He raised an eyebrow at Libby who collected herself and did a little bob of a curtsy. "I'm Libby, nice to meetcha."

The Aryi's eyes flicked to the door, but he simply nodded and looked back down at his task. Fiona sidled up to him.

"Hey Vai, could you do Libby's hair like mine? She's never had braids before."

Fiona knew he was annoyed, although he didn't sigh and merely said, "As you wish," and got up to get the comb.

Fiona pulled Libby over to her bed and sat her on the end where she usually sat when Vai did her hair.

Fetching Fiona's brush, Vai began gently working it through Libby's mane. Fiona watched fascinated as her rambunctious friend fidgeted nervously under Vai's steady hand. It was funny to watch Libby look almost scared doing something she did every morning—it made her feel better about the sword.

Vai's fingers were quick and efficient and soon Libby's black locks were woven into an intricate braid which he then coiled on the back of her head and pinned in place. Fiona jumped up and grabbed her small mirror and handed it to Libby. The girl's jaw dropped as she moved the mirror examining her new hairstyle. Vai went back to his folding.

"Wow," Libby breathed, "I look..."

"Cute!" Fiona said and it was true. Her hair out of the way, Libby's round face wasn't shadowed and her dimples showed as she smiled. Her hair combed was a silky black and, no longer subject to static, it looked like shiny obsidian.

Libby grinned, her gap tooth showing. "Wait until Anwen sees me."

Fiona jumped onto the bed and rolled next to her friend. "That's your sister, right?"

"Yeah, she's really pretty. Dad says the boys are all over her but he's not worried because she's got sense like mom. Mom says it's because she doesn't have his wild side." Libby leaned against the bed post, trying not to touch her hair on anything. "Oh, yeah. My mom had Anwen before she met my dad which is probably why she's so perfect and I'm...well me."

Fiona lay on her back. "I like you. Other girls I've met sound like your sister, proper ladies. I've never met someone as fun as you."

Libby nudged Fiona with her toe. "Flatterer," she said in a tone reminiscent of her father before she too rolled back and carefully laid down. "I'm sorry I made you think of when Fenrin rescued you earlier."

Fiona started, she hadn't realized Libby'd noticed. The girl was much more observant than she thought. "It's okay. I don't mind."

They were quiet for a moment then Libby whispered, "Did you have any siblings?"

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

"No, it was just me."

Fiona's heart felt heavy. She wanted to tell Libby about her father and mother, about being alone in the castle for months, not having anyone but Vai for company. But that was too dangerous so instead she turned and asked, "Hey Libby, why are you so interested in Uncle Fenrin?"

"Well, he's the Wolf you know?"

Fiona frowned. She'd heard that before. Vai and her mother had both used that epitaph. "What do you mean?"

The other girl's eyes widened, "You don't know?" She shifted closer whispering conspiratorially, "Fenrin used to be a terrible bandit. He was called Fenrin the Wolf because he'd hunt people down and tear them apart without mercy. Rumor is that the mayor rescued him from a demon and now he protects all of us in the valley to thank her."

Fiona wondered how much of that was true. Her uncle could be ruthless, she'd seen that, but she wasn't sure about the whole demon story. Still, something had happened to her uncle. Something that made him cry or scream in pain at night.

"The mayor, that's the lady Jayln, right?"

"Yeah, most of the people in the valley are her family. They came here after it was safe to escape from the Empire and the Iron Queen of Valhym."

Fiona shifted uncomfortably. "So are you related to Jayln?"

"No. My mom and dad came to the valley with Jayln and Fenrin, before they made the village. Fenrin used to be the captain of the pirate ship my dad worked on, that's why he calls him captain all the time."

"Your dad was a pirate?!"

Grinning with pride, Libby nodded excitedly, her braid rubbing against the bed and a few black hairs sticking out of place. "Yeah! He became first mate when Fenrin took over the ship, that's also when he met my mom. Though, mom won't let him tell me much about it. Says the past doesn't need to be idolized, whatever that means."

"What about Matius, was he a pirate too?"

Libby snorted. "Does he look like he could be a pirate?"

"There are mages on pirate ships sometimes," Fiona pointed out indignantly.

"True," Libby relented, "but not ones like Matius. He's one of the Arch Mage's apprentices. I can't remember which number. Apparently it's a big deal, but he doesn't seem to do much honestly."

Fiona processed this and then her jaw dropped. "Wait the Arch Mage. Like the Arch Mage of Aziron?"

Libby propped her head up. "Yeah, but like I said he doesn't do much. But he does like to mention the Arch Mage a lot."

"Libby, do you know who the Arch Mage is?" Fiona pressed, taken aback by Libby's nonchalant attitude towards Valhym's greatest enemy.

Seeing the answer on Libby's face, Fiona jumped up and rummaged through her stock of books for her geography primer. She opened it up to a map and pointed.

"That's Aziron," Libby nodded and Fiona gestured to the expanded borders of Valhym, "and all that's Valhym."

Libby took the book, fascinated. "Really, all of it?"

"Yes. See how small Aziron is compared to Valhym."

"Yeah..."

"Well the only reason Aziron hasn't been annexed into Valhym is because of the Arch Mage. He's a super powerful mage who doesn't let anyone who isn't Azir anywhere near him. Because of that, the borders are closed."

Fiona slipped into the tone she used when answering a question from Vai, feeling quite proud of remembering the word 'annex' and teaching her new friend some geography.

Libby, however, was not in awe, rather she looked at the map skeptically. "I don't know. That doesn't make sense. I heard that the Arch Mage only attacks evil things and Matius isn't Azir and he's the Arch Mage's apprentice."

Fiona sniffed, not appreciating her words doubted. She studied this stuff every day and she doubted Libby had the same level of education. But at the same time she did have a point about Matius...Fiona put the book down.

"Well, maybe Matius isn't as close to the Arch Mage as it sounds. You did say he didn't do much."

"Maybe..." Libby, sensing the tension, changed topics, grabbing a different book from the pile. "What's this one about?"

"Botany."

Libby flipped through it. "So, plants. What are you studying plants for?"

"Plants are useful." Fiona pulled the book over flipping to a page. "Like this one. This one can make you throw up, so if you ate something bad you can get rid of it. Or this one, it's sticky sap makes burns feel better."

"I've never seen those before."

"That's 'cause they don't grow here. Herbalists travel all over the world and gather useful plants. My mother had a huge collection. Her desk had all these tiny drawers for dried plants and leaves and stuff."

Fiona's heart lurched with homesickness. The day her mother had brought her in to show her that herbs collection was one of the few times they'd spent happy times together.

"Was your mom an herbalist?"

Fiona flinched. "Oh, um, yeah."

"Cool! You probably travelled all over then." Libby grabbed the geography book and flipped back to the map. "Where have you been? Show me."

Fiona scrambled to find a story. "Er, I didn't travel with my mother. I stayed home with my father, a nobleman, but she'd show me the stuff she brought back."

Libby seemed to accept the story, focusing instead on running her fingers over the map. "I want to travel the world when I grow up. Maybe even become a pirate like my dad was!" Libby frowned. "Hey, Fiona, where are we on this map?"

Fiona inched closer and pointed, trying to remember where Matius had noted the valley the other day/ "About here I think. We've got to be somewhere in this clump of mountains because I don't remember going over any other mountains coming from Valhym."

"You're from Valhym then?"

"Yeah."

"When we grow up, you can show me around. Then we can travel around En from the bottom up." She traced her finger up the coast. "We can see the Arch Mage in Aziron, take a ship to the island of Aryus, cross the Soli desert, make our way through the Maran jungles and turn at Literatus and make our way back down the west coast."

Fiona looked at the map with new eyes. Before it had been a paper to track political systems or agricultural facts, she's never thought of actually going to those places before. She'd never even left the capital until she came to the valley. She felt a bit dizzy with the revelation and to ground herself she pointed at the small island off the east coast.

"Vai is from Aryus. Maybe he can come with us and show us around," Fiona whispered and Libby looked up and across the house where the man in question was examining all of Fenrin's cookingware under the guise of polishing.

"Really? Is that what all Aryi look like? It must be a pretty country."

Fiona frowned, she had never seen any Aryi besides Vai. Though she had seen a painting of an Aryi woman once. She had been very pretty, with the same golden skin Vai had.

"An island of golden people," she whispered. It did sound exciting.

Libby nudged her and whispered even softer, "Hey, Fiona. Does Fenrin get along with Vai?"

Starting. Fiona glanced nervously at Vai who didn't look over. "What? Why?"

"I overheard my dad talking to Matius. They were talking about Vai, said something about Fenrin having a hard time having him around." Libby furrowed her eyebrows. "So when I convinced my dad to let me come with him to visit, I thought Vai would be...well different."

Fiona closed the book and set it carefully back on the pile. "Let's talk somewhere else." She jumped off the bed and Vai looked up. "We're going to play outside, I want to show Libby around a bit."

Vai nodded and Fiona pulled Libby out the door. Libby held her back for a second, listening but then nodded and they dashed toward the chicken coop, past Tryst and Fenrin who were preoccupied lifting a beam into place.

The girls sat panting behind the clucking structure and giggled. Libby sat down cross legged. "Alright, spill."

Fiona knew she shouldn't say anything, knew that she should keep distant and mind her studies, but the thrill of having someone to talk to about her worries was too tempting. Besides, her mother wanted her to learn about Matius and Jayln, and Libby did seem to always have the answers.

"They don't really like each other. I'm not sure why, but Uncle Fenrin can get really angry sometimes and Vai...well he doesn't put up a fight."

"Did Fenrin beat him up?" Libby asked with a touch of enthusiasm.

"What? No! I mean, I didn't see it, but I do think Fenrin hit him once. They didn't say anything but for a day or two, Vai had a bit of a bruise right here." She pointed to her cheek. "And right after I heard someone getting hit, Fenrin ran out and was gone the rest of the day. When he came back, he apologized to Vai and agreed to teach me swords."

"Huh." Libby cocked her head. "From what Matius and my dad were saying, I thought Vai was picking fights with Fenrin."

Fiona laughed. "Oh no, I don't think Vai is capable of making anyone upset on purpose."

Libby glanced back towards the house. "Yeah, he's weird. Oh no, he's coming out and walking towards my dad."

Fiona glanced around too. Sure enough Vai was talking to the two men who glanced about. "Shoot,” she said, “We probably only have a few minutes before they either find us or call us over."

"They really like to keep an eye on you don't they. That'd drive me crazy."

"I'm used to it," Fiona shrugged, "but I wanted to ask you more about Fenrin. Something's odd about him. He screams and yells almost every night."

"Really?" Libby's eyes lit up with interest. "What about?"

Fiona shuddered. "Different things. Usually it's just frightening. Sounds like someone's killing him. Other times he says things, like asking someone to stop. One time he was threatening someone. I don’t hear a lot because Vai covers my ears."

"Woah." Libby digested the information. "Fenrin has always been a bit of a mystery. Maybe he has a horrible dark past or something. It would explain a lot."

"What do you mean?"

Libby glanced at the approaching adults, speaking quickly, "Well, he's the only person who lives outside the town and he hardly talks to anyone but my dad and Jayln's family. Most folks are afraid of him and he always looks...well a bit of a wreck. Until you showed up anyway."

"Really?"

Fiona wondered if Fenrin was afraid of anyone finding out he was her mom's brother, but wouldn't being the queen's brother be a good thing? Besides that, how come her parents had almost never mentioned her having an uncle?

She wanted to lay it all out for Libby, her friend might have been able to put the pieces together, but there was no way she was disobeying a direct order from Fenrin or her mother.

"Fiona! Libby! Get over here!" Fenrin shouted.

Libby shrugged and stood up. "Times up, I guess."

The two walked out nonchalantly and Fenrin eyed them suspiciously. "What are you two up to?"

Fiona smoothed her dress. "I was just showing Libby around. Can we play over in the trees?"

Ignoring the anxiety oozing off Vai, Fenrin nodded but stuck a finger out. "Don't go farther than the stream, got it? And stay close enough you can hear me calling."

Fiona smiled. "We will!"

Tryst gave his daughter a look. "Don't try anything today, young lady, or this will be—"

"—my last time." Libby finished and then traced an 'X' on her chest. "Cross my heart, dad."

Her father grinned and waved his hand. "Off with you."

The two ran off and Fenrin glanced at Vai. "They'll be fine. Libby may be a little goblin but she knows her way around a forest and won't let Fiona get hurt."

Tryst laughed, adding, "and Fiona may be a sheltered princess but she knows where the lines are. They'll be good for each other."

Although it was clear he disapproved, Vai nodded and headed back inside. Tryst nudged Fenrin. "Anxious guy, ain't he?"

Fenrin sighed. "You have no idea."

"Well, let me use this as an opportunity to find out." He patted Fenrin on the shoulder and turned to follow Vai.

"Don't give the poor man a heart attack!" Fenrin called out and Tryst gave him a nonreassuring wink.