Before I could process that Silva was right in front of me. I found myself walking right to her. My hand sought her shoulder. For a moment, I feared my fingers would pass through her like mist, that she was merely a vision summoned by my desire to see her again. But no, my hand felt the rough cloth of her tunic; the sinew and bone beneath that made up her shoulder. She was real! She was here in the flesh!

“Silva!” I cried. My voice quivered with excitement. “It really is you!”

She jumped and turned her head enough that her eyes met mine, which then nearly bulged out of their sockets.

A deep and guttural “Gck!” was all she managed to say before she vanished before me. My hand dropped as her solid shoulder was replaced by air.

I blinked several times as the image of Silva’s startled face slowly faded from my vision.

Gck? That was all she had to say after being apart all this time? I realized our reunion may be somewhat awkward after so long, but she looked more mortified than anything. I looked to my left and right, she was nowhere in sight.

Unless I was having some horrid hallucination––which was more than possible, I realized–– Silva had just been in front of me. I suspected that she, too, possessed a telestone, just like her previous companions, but for what reason did she have to teleport from me?

As I prepared to run forward to search for Silva, I heard her voice from behind.

“That was close! Just my luck that I had to run into Anno of all people. Thank Iliana, I managed to get away from him. Man, I’m good!”

I slowly turned to face her. Silva had her back to me, pumping her arms in excitement––the way she always did. I could not help but smirk as I said, “Um, hello, I’m still here.”

Silva stiffened and shoved her arms to her side. She said nothing as she turned her head just enough to see me out of the corner of her eye then snapped forward again. As quick as her glance was, I could tell her face had reddened as her ears were scarlet.

Without another word, Silva began to march forward, arms pressed to her sides as if they were bound. Her boots clacked against the cobblestone with each deliberate footfall.

I stared at her in bemusement as I began to follow. All thoughts of leaving Justice behind vanished from my mind as I heard an embarrassed Silva grumbling to herself. “Shoot! I’m still having trouble with the teleportation. Just pretend he’s not there––pretend he’s not there. Maybe he’ll go away.”

I shrugged with my hands, “Why would I go away? You’re the one who appeared in front of me!”

Silva did not so much as look my way but fell silent and quickened her pace in response. I kept up easily, though exasperated at her cold shoulder.

“Silva?”

She said nothing. She did not so much as look at me. The only sound was her sharp footsteps.

“Silva,” I said again.

“I’m trying my best to ignore you,” said Silva.

“So I can tell,” I said, “Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it.” I tried not to crack a smile. It was good to see that a little of the Silva I knew was in her.

“Well, it would be easier to do if you stopped pestering me.”

I could not see her face, but I could imagine Silva pursing her lips, something she always did when irritated.

“Pestering you? I just want to talk. It’s been months since I’ve seen you! You left without a word. And what’s worse, you followed that worm!”

I wanted some sort of reaction from her, a flash of anger at insulting her new master, a justification or an explanation for why she disappeared all those months ago, but all she said was, “So? What’s it to you?”

My smile was gone. “What’s it to m––What? Silva? What do you mean? I was worried about you!”

“Were you?” she said, coldly, “Then why did you wait months to bother to follow?”

I blinked at that. “You know how my father is; a prince can’t simply abandon his duty. It took much convincing for him to even consider––and…I also had faith that you would come back. But then days passed and then weeks.” A hint of desperation crept into my voice.

“Excuses.” Despite the iciness of her words, Silva’s hands clenched into fists. She looked as if she were about to hit me in the face. A part of me wanted her to, just so that she would look at me!

“I know they are, but they’re also the truth! Are you telling me you wanted me to follow you?”

Silva was silent, then said, “No.” She began to walk away again.

“Silva, wait!”

But Silva said nothing as she thumbed the handle of one of her blades, then vanished again, only to appear several feet ahead. And then she vanished and reappeared again several more feet away.

I remembered what she said about being bad at teleporting, so when I saw her vanish. I ran to meet her so that by the time she disappeared a second time, I was ahead of her.

I heard startled cries from many of the citizens who saw Silva popping in and out of existence, but I paid little mind. I wanted to laugh at such a poor attempt at an escape, but I felt any mirth vanish as I laid my eyes upon Silva’s face, which I was seeing for the first time since she had left.

Her green eyes were coldly determined as she stared straight ahead of her. Her lips were tight and her jaw was clenched. For the first time, I felt dread creep into my chest. I did not like that look in her eye, not because it wasn’t familiar to me, but because it was very much Silva.

Something was not right. I had expected manic glee like Gertrude, or fits of anger like Heide, some sign of the poisonous influence of the False Hero. Not this.

“Have I done something to upset you? If I have, I’m sorry. If you wanted me to follow, you should have said something. Please, stop, Silva. Let’s talk about this.”

But Silva was ignoring me again. Instead of vanishing again, she walked, passing me without so much as a twitch in my direction. She was no longer teleporting, that was a good sign. She had probably given up since she was so bad with it.

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I did not follow her this time, but watched her as she continued on her way. “Stop, Silva. Please!”

She did not. I found a touch of annoyance bubbling up from within me. How dare she defy me. My retainer should know better! “As your prince, I order you to stop!”

To my surprise, she obeyed. Although, I could tell it was with reluctance even from behind. “As my prince, you say?” Her head turned ever-so slightly to her left. I could see the muscles in her well-defined arms tighten as her fists curled inward. But I would not be intimidated! Not by her!

“That’s right! If you don’t want to talk to me like an equal, then you will do so as my subject!” I was more than a little annoyed now. She was acting like a petulant child expecting me to know what she was thinking!

Silva’s fists unclenched as her shoulders relaxed, “In the end, that’s all we are, aren’t we? A prince and his retainer––actually, it’s less than that. We’re a prince and his maid playing pretend.”

A knot was beginning to rise into my throat, “I don’t understand. I’ve told you before, you are my retainer, no matter what anybody tells you. Please, Silva, look at me, you know I mean what I say.”

Silva’s yellow hair swayed as she shook her head, “‘Look at me, Silva;’ ‘talk to me, Silva;’ ‘Wait, Silva;’ “Silva, stop.’ No matter what you say, an order is never far from your lips, is it, Prince Anno?” Her head turned a little more toward me. “Well, I’m tired of it.”

I found myself robbed of speech. How could she say something like that? After all we had done together. All the years of training? I had advocated for her! Left the comfort of my kingdom for her! I somehow summoned the power of speech again, “B-but…you wanted me to follow you.”

“I told you I didn’t.”

“You were upset that I didn’t bother to go after you, didn’t you say that?”

“I already said no.” she was eerily calm, “But that might have been too subtle for you. What I meant was that you shouldn’t have bothered to come after me in the first place.” She paused. When she next spoke, her words were quieter, deadlier, "You know why I’m here, don’t you, Anno?”

I was far too stunned to say anything except, “Yes.”

“Then you’d better stay out of my way if you know what’s good for you. Heide and Lina are coming with me. You don’t have the strength to even hope to take on the Hero. If I were you, I’d go home; back to your cushy lifestyle. This is the kind of world that a prince like you doesn’t belong in.”

And with that, she resumed walking.

A part of me knew she was right. A pampered prince like me did not fit in a world of commoners, of dirt and grime, and of suffering. Or, at least, I used to not. Sure, I still preferred a comfortable bed and at least a three-course meal, who wouldn’t? But I was not so pampered as to turn a blind eye to those in need.

I was not about to let my retainer insult me and walk away like this! I was Prince Anno Wolfskreuz! I had faced fire and ash; magical music; powers beyond my comprehension; and yet, in spite of overwhelming odds, I overcame all of them in the name of upholding my duty as a prince! And if I had to stand against my retainer, then I would do so until she saw sense once again!

“Silva Schafer! I challenge you to a duel!”

At my words, Silva stopped again.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” If there was one thing I knew about Silva, she would never refuse a challenge. Our tie would be broken today.

Silva looked heavenward, her fists clenching once more. “I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this, Anno. It’s too early.” She sighed, her head becoming level, “And you won’t back down, will you?”

“Never,” said I.

“Figured. You’ve always been stubborn like that.” At last, she turned to face me. The same determination shone in her eyes, but for a moment, she looked quite downtrodden. But it was replaced immediately by a hardened scowl. “Then I accept your challenge.”

She glanced at my waist, at the empty scabbard that hung from my belt. “It’s going to be difficult, though. Fighting without a sword. Unless, you’ve become more adept with that flute than you have a real weapon.”

I had forgotten I was still holding Heide’s flute.

“Trade you,” said Silva, pulling one of the blades from her sash belt and proffering the handle.

My response was to slip the flute into the pocket of my vest and smirk at her, “I think I’ll manage without it, thank you.” Somehow. The sword I was previously using to hunt slimes had snapped yesterday when it hit against a rock in frustration. I did not have the heart to ask for another.

She smirked back and tossed me the blade. “Here. Take it anyway. You and I both know that you would whine about losing if it wasn’t as fair as possible. And even then, you would still whine.”

“You know me, too well, Silva,” I said as I began to pull the blade from its sheath.

My eyes were on Silva as I did this. I expected her to pull out her own blade, but I found myself distracted.

There was something off about the blade in my hand. Or, rather, it was the opposite. The weight was absolutely perfect, and the grip fit into my hand like an old glove.

I could feel ice creeping up my spine as I looked down at the blade. The silver steel of Silbermond glittered up at me like an old friend. The head of the Wolfskreuz crest decorated the guard, its eyes set with twin rubies.

I was holding my blade.

The one which had been stolen from me at the start of my journey.

My eyes returned to Silva as this revelation washed over my like water in an icy river. The woman’s head was lowered enough that her bangs obscured her eyes. Her sword was drawn. The blade of her single-edged Falchion, Reynard, had an air of menace that I had never felt before as she held it at her side. My grip on Silbermond tightened.

“Where did you get this…?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from her.

Silva was silent, then she said, “I told you I didn’t want you following behind me, didn’t I? But you’ve alway been a stubborn one. Haven’t you, Anno?”

I shook my head in disbelief, “Did that False Hero put you up to this?!” Surely it was his influence that had spurred such an action. It had to be.

Silva smirked again, “Are you kidding? As if the Hero would care about you. I doubt he even remembers you exist. Not that I would tell him.” She raised her head so that her eyes were visible again. They were curled in amusement, “It was all me. Your supplies, your father’s horse, I took them all while you were sleeping. ‘Course, I was just giving back what was already stolen. Your father was happy to get it all back. He’s very upset with—”

But I barely registered what she was saying. Silva was the thief? Silva was the thief? My head was spinning. I found trouble breathing. I could not even begin to process what was happening.

What’s more, Silva had acted without the Hero’s knowledge? And in a way that would in no way benefit him. The only reason I was of any concern now was because of Lina. But I had lost my possessions days before I met her, so that factor was irrelevant.

Only one question pervaded the tangled mess that was my thoughts. Only one word. “Why?!”

She fell silent with a scowl,“Enough with the questions. You wanted a duel. So, stop gawking like an idiot and fight!”

Silva clasped the grip of her sword with both hands and pointed the blade behind her and pressed it to her hip. It was a stance I’d seen countless times: Foxtail.

She was being serious. The dark determination in her eyes confirmed that this was no mere spar. Silva was out for blood.

I opened my mouth to make an appeal to reason. I needed more time to wrap my mind around this rapidly escalating situation. But before I could say anything, Silva charged forward with a cry of, “I said, fight!”