Stopping outside the trail’s entrance, I looked at the three and asked, “It’s fine to let you guys in, right?”

Stopping, they looked at me for a long moment until I shifted uneasily on my feet, and then Celine said softly, “Truth be told, we don’t know. The Academy… is strange.”

Stunned, I looked at her before a delighted smile broke free from my face.

“You can speak!” I exclaimed as I looked expectantly at Ares and Damon, whose faces twitched as though they had forgotten to smile.

Punching the two on their arms, I said, “You don’t have to be so stiff faced! The Academy couldn’t possibly have done such a number on you, right?”

A shadow passed over their eyes and they turned even more stiff.

Noticing it, I paused as I frowned, but then quickly; I threw my arms around their shoulders, even as they moved to avoid it, and pulled them to the end of the trail and toward our community while shooting a look at Sia.

Understanding, Sia reached out and pulled Celine along, who allowed herself to be led along.

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, I wondered what they had experienced to change so much for the nth time again.

Then we were in the community and proudly, the Maidens and I were standing cockily with our hands on our hips as we showed it off to our visitors, the first ones ever to come in apart from Sir Liam.

Gazing around, we saw their eyes narrow as they took in everything, and then their eyebrows shot up as they saw the watchtower’s base.

Pointing at it, Damon asked, “Watchtower?”

Nodding, I jerked my head at Urbano, who stepped forward limping as he grinned and launched into passionate speech interspersed with hand gestures that looked like he was trying to flap his way into the sky.

I didn’t understand anything, but the other three and Sia were nodding their heads along as awed expressions crossed their faces.

Puzzled, I thought, wasn’t it just a watchtower?

But as more spit flew from Urbano’s mouth as he got even more animated, I realized it wasn’t so simple after all.

After a few minutes, it was finally over, just about when I was about to yawn and keel over from boredom.

Catching Sia’s eye as she shook her head disapprovingly, I shrugged as if to say, “This is what you’re there for, shield girl.”

As she looked even more disapprovingly at me, I looked at her with melting eyes that said, “You’ll teach it to me, won’t you?”

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Snorting, Sia turned away, and I grinned as I resolved to take Urbano aside and understand in simple terms what he had just said.

“Or perhaps complex ones too,” I thought as my smile faded away, thinking of the loss that we just suffered.

Walking forward, I left them as they conversed amongst themselves, and made my way to the Maidens, who were now slumped on the ground in small groups.

Squeezing my way inside of the groups from underneath Celsus’s massive shoulder, I said, “Food’s going to be up in 30 minutes. Get those long faces out and let’s celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Celsus asked as he looked at me, puzzled.

“Aye! Celebrate. We have guests! Guests!” I said as I jerked my head toward Ares, Celine, and Damon.

The group stared at me for a moment before Apollo asked, “Faustus… are you sure you’re alright? We just lost the battle... and Celsus here… to those baling ‘guests’ of yours.”

Nodding as he spoke, I asked in turn, “And? What are we supposed to do? Cry? Mope? I know we’re called the Maidens, but we’re warrior Maidens. We get up, and we fight again, don’t we?”

As murmurs of assent rang out, I got up and went to the next group, leaving behind the words, “30 minutes. Get your behinds in gear. You don’t want to send Celsus and the others off while crying, do you?”

Then I staggered as Celsus softly said, “That’d be nice. I’d feel touched if you guys cried.”

Turning to glare at him fiercely, I said, “We’ll save the tears for the reunion!” and as Celsus laughed, I turned back and joined the next group.

Like that, I went around the entire community, and soon instead of morose faces; The Maidens had determined expressions on, and they were once again looking forward… instead of at the ground.

Then, grabbing a lot of meat and calling over my assistants, we got to work.

Meanwhile, the Maidens got up, and began assessing the damage caused after the battle as wounds were checked, combat readiness was assessed, and rosters were updated.

The tailoring team also went up to the trio who stood watching everything, and taking their measurements, they soon had the trio outfitted in new clean uniforms.

Looking significantly better than before, they stood as a bit of the tension left their bodies. More tension left their bodies when they were pulled to the main hall, where we had set up a table for all of us to eat together.

As sizzling meat was served along with fish, vegetables, greens, and sparkling clear water from the 10 fish pond; The trio finally began opening their mouths and talking.

Soon, the celebrations were in full swing, and it would have lasted for a long time… if not for the tiredness that permeated our bones.

The tiredness when the battle lust fades, and all your injuries cry out to attract your attention at the same time.

As the food vanished, people also began trickling out as their eyelids drooped.

Soon, it was only the trio, me, and Sia.

Sitting at the table, we regarded each other silently.

Barely 4 months had passed since I had seen them last, and counting when they had left for the Academy, 6 months had passed.

But the people in front of me had changed completely.

I could still see shadows of what they used to be under their stone faced expressions as cracks appeared now and then.

But for the most part, they were strangers to me at the moment.

Shrugging, I thought to myself that even if they had become strangers, so what?

We could become friends again.

For one thing will never change.

We are comrades in arms.