It is an old custom that royal families name their members after a single theme. For Yutis it is the Light element all of them share, for Gohar the gemstones that are the cornerstone of their economy, and for Calanthe and their elven ancestry, flowers.

Excerpt from A primer on the world's nations vol 2.

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Cythrel looked deep in Aidan's eyes.

"Milord, where is the real princess Lumina?"

If any otherworlders were around, they would say that both Aidan and Dawn suffered from a BSOD. They froze. At the same time. Cold sweat ran down both of them. Aidan slowly recovered his faculties and decided to get Dawn and the potential eavesdroppers out of the equation.

The girl rose from where she was sitting at and wobbled. Pearl rushed to support her fellow princess and shouted.

"Lumina, what is wrong?"

"I got winded all of a sudden. I think I need to lay down."

The commotion drew the attention of the maids and Gurf. They took Dawn into the cabin and placed her in Lola's bed.

"Rest, Lumina. We need to wait for Lady Sora's return anyway."

"Stay here with me, Pearl." Dawn looked at the maids, "Could you make tea for me?"

"Your Highness, we don't have any tea with us."

"Gurf, is there any medicinal herb good for brewing tea around?"

The recently-knighted paladin pondered for a while and answered. "I guess there is, but it will be hard to find it in the snow. I can go search for it."

"Take Deb and Lola with you. Please make haste." Dawn was feeling awful inside. Ditching them on a gathering quest just so he could talk to Cythrel without anyone eavesdropping.

"It shall be done, your Highness. Let's go." Gurf took the maids away.

"Pearl, can you stay here with me?"

"Yes, of course."

Dawn pulled Pearl in and made her a hug pillow. And now he could talk to Cythrel.

However, she should've really looked at Pearl's face. It was reaching a boiling point out of sheer embarrassment.

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"Is something wrong, milord? Forgive me for my impudence." Cythrel gently shook Aidan.

"Cythrel, can I trust you?"

The elf cupped her hands over her chest and moved them forward as if she took off her heart to offer him.

"Milord, this person here is yours to do as you please. You rescued me, you pardoned me, you freed me, and gave me sanctuary." Aidan couldn't help but gaze at those eerie, glimmering ethereal eyes of the elf girl. They were mesmerizing and held an ageless depth.

She continued, bashful. "If you want to take my..."

Aidan hurriedly placed a hand in front of her mouth.

"Never again speak like that. You should not offer yourself as a bargaining chip ever."

"Fair enough, milord. I'll keep that in mind."

"If you are willing to follow me, I'll give you just one order. You will never give up your life and remain always true to your heart. Never betray me or yourself. Do as you please otherwise."

Her eyes became just a little bit moist. It made them glimmer in the afternoon sun. "Thank you and excuse me."

"Huh?"

Cythrel lunged with uncanny agility and stole a peck on Aidan's lips. She retreated, a mischievous smile on her whole face. "There, I fulfilled your orders, milord."

Aidan moved his mouth, but no voice came.

"Pay no mind to my whims, milord. If you tell one of the fair folk to do as she pleases, mischief will surely follow. And no taking back your orders. You gave me three instead of one, but I'll let that slip." Long gone was the little girl act. "But yes, milord. You can trust me." She curtsied.

"Well played. Can I look at your soul?"

"Of course. I was going to say something most inappropriate, but I'll hold it in for now. Look away, milord."

Aidan tapped Cythrel solar plexus and used his magic.

"Soul Reveal."

The white effigy of the elf appeared in front of her, a small figurine of her body. There was no damage to her soul but no affinities. Aidan let his shoulders slump.

"I'm sorry, Cythrel."

"Please, be suspicious. This world has enough assassins to make suspicion a healthy habit. And I am afraid you know that better than me."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 "Indeed. I'll tell you the whole story of my current predicament."

"I'm all ears, milord." She giggled.

"Cythrel, address me properly in a formal situation but call me Aidan otherwise."

"Yes, Aidan. Please go on."

And then he told her about the assassination attempt, his year-long recovery, and their escape. And also about the current situation of the real princess of Yutis.

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Cythrel renewed her vows, Dawn drank her bitter herbal tea, Pearl blushed at being used as a body pillow and Deb ran Lola through a crash course on court maid manners. Gurf just watched and smiled like a grandfather whose ever-quiet house was suddenly flooded with lively children.

And the scouting party returned with dire news.

"The goblins took over the cavern and the smuggler tunnel. They found our clothes and looted them." Sora reported.

Dawn took the lead.

"We will have to fight them if we want to go through. Losing our luggage will hurt a little. We needed our clothes to ease our way in Yutis, but we can work around it. How big is this goblin tribe?"

"From fifty to less than a hundred."

"We are going to assault the cave next morning. We cannot delay or risk of a search party from town finding us. Lord Aidan, you will lead."

"As you wish, your Highness. But there is no need to wait for the morning. Skippy!"

"Keek!"

Aidan took his staff and made sure his longsword was safely strapped in his waist. The little dragon flew and perched on his shoulder.

"Sora, you will cover me from ranged enemies. Gurf, protect the women in the cabin."

"Darkvision."

"Darkvision."

"Cavern sense."

He enchanted both his and Sora's eyes and left for the cave.

"Sora, shoot any goblins with bows or thrown weapons. Leave the rest for us. Skippy, use small balls of fire, single target. Only on those goblins that come within less than meters of us. The rest is mine."

Aidan prepared his staff. It could hold three spells. He set the stone wall, explosive fireball and ash suppression spells. These spells would be cast almost instantly through the staff.

They walked for a couple of hours under the setting sun until they reached the cave, already dark.

Some goblins were gathered outside the cavern around a fire pit, boiling something in a big cauldron.

Sora climbed a rock formation and set her quivers on the ground. Aidan broke into a dash, Skippy holding onto his leather helmet.

"Ash suppression"

"Explosive fireball."

With two waves of the staff, the spells were cast, a gout of fire flew from the gem at its tip and straight into the fire pit. Aidan skidded to a halt and looked away as it was about to hit. It erupted in a blast of fire followed by a shockwave, burning the closest goblins and knocking away the others. The smoke from the fire pit and the ashes generated by the fireball were sucked down into the firepit and smothered.

"Rakanishu!"

"Bishbosh!"

The surviving goblins started to shout angry insults and rushed to attack the mage with their crude weapons. Old, rusted weapons discarded or looted long ago or makeshift stone ones.

Two of them raised javelins and right before throwing they were shot by arrows to the head.

Aidan turned around and ran back. The goblins gave chase and were joined by others coming out of the cave mouth. He glanced over his shoulder and released another spell.

"Explosive fireball"

Straight at the cavern mouth. Goblins flew over the scorched fire pit in several directions. But slowing down to toss a spell allowed the ones pursuing to close in.

"Boosh!"

As the first goblins were about to catch up, the little breathed a stream of fire at them, twisting his neck left and right to cover the entire pass between two rocks. Half dozen goblins stumbled into the sudden wall of fire or were pushed across it by the others coming from behind. They were covered by Dragonfire and scattered around, screaming in pain.

Aidan shifted his staff to the left hand and drew his sword. Turning around once again he charged the burning goblins. Their deaths were assured as long as Skippy willed them to burn. But Aidan slashed them, the flames stopping before reaching him and quenching completely once the goblin stopped moving.

"Rakanishu!"

The goblins on the other side of the Dragonfire wall taunted and one of them lifted a machete to throw. An arrow flew past Aidan and lodged itself in the machete goblin's eye. More goblins were running in their direction.

Aidan lifted his staff with the left hand and channeled mana through the gold lines. The feeling of moving and fighting was exhilarating.

"Explosive Fireball."

"Stone Wall."

He crouched behind his stone wall right after he released the fireball and braced himself.

"Skippy cut the fire now."

The dragon nodded and right after the shockwave of the blast burst past the sides of the stone wall.

Ears slightly ringing, Aidan smiled with confidence and ran and turned around the stone wall, pointing the staff at the cavern mouth a hundred meters away. Several goblins were there,

"Explosive Fireball."

It was the limit of his range. The fireball went up in an arc and descended on the rocks above the cavern mouth. The blast dislodged a pile of rocks and knocked all the goblins down. The small avalanche that followed created a meter high barricade of loose rocks on the cavern entrance.

"Above you!"

Aidan was with his hearing impaired and too far away from Sora to hear her warning. Three goblins climbed a rock and were waiting in ambush. When the young mage passed beneath them they jumped, rusted shortswords ready. His cavern sense spell did not work under the open sky.

An arrow took one in the gut and he crashed on the ground. The other two were poised to stab Aidan.

Skippy noticed the goblins above and shot a small ball of fire straight at the face of one. The other one stabbed Aidan near the neck at the right side, piercing the leather pauldron and cutting his left shoulder. He was actually aiming at the neck but missed by little.

Aidan screamed and dropped his sword, the arm going limp at his side. The stab burned and he knew there was poison in the weapon. he turned his staff and bashed the goblin with the shaft.

"Incinerate"

The close range spell ignited the goblin and singed it instantly. Aidan kicked it away.

"Ash suppression"

The smoke and embers around Aidan congealed into a small ball of cinders. It also held back the scent of burnt flesh.

Something stirred in him. Aidan retreated to find cover and looked up. Sora was worried but vigilant.

He panted. The pain in his chest was growing bigger than the one in his wounded and poisoned shoulder. He felt like throwing up.

'Overconfident Idiot. Proceed with more caution, this is not a drill at the academy. Those critters are trying to end OUR life.' Not words, but concepts, ideas, thoughts. He felt more than he listened or understood.

Excellent timing for an episode, Lumina. Aidan wondered how he could do better.

'Use these. If we are together, you should be able to.'

Two diagrams floated in his head and it was as if he knew them all along. He proceeded to cast the spells.

"Detoxify Wound."

A ball of water formed over his wounded shoulder and dove into his wound. It burned from the pressure but after a few moments, the water came out, filled with dark blood and the greenish poison. It then flung itself away and splashed on the ground.

"MInor Heal."

Golden light surrounded his wound and the flesh mended itself. It itched and stung, but a few moments later, it was healed. A small scar would be left where the skin was cut.

"How can I use this magic?"

'Go forth and if any goblins defiled my clothes, slaughter them all.'

"Fine, but please be quiet. I cannot focus with you active, Lumina."

The pressure in his chest simmered down. He felt alone in his mind again.

"Time to clean the caverns, Skippy."

Aidan waved at Sora, and she climbed down while he retrieved his sword.

"Aidan, are you wounded?"

"Not anymore. It seems I can use healing magic now. A little boon from our princess-in-hiding." He tapped his chest.

"Should we go back and return in the morning?"

"No. She gave me a quest. We are going in. The four of us."

Sora looked around. She could see only Aidan and Skippy. She realized what he meant and nodded.

"Lead the way then."