Arpeggio walked along the quickest road going back to Harmony, passing through a forest more ancient than the elves, and now at night, when the moon was at its highest in the sky, it was so much darker where the moonlight couldn’t pierce the forest’s canopy.
Although it was well into the night and it would have been better to make camp, she was already on the last leg of her return journey, and so she’d decided to push on ahead. She chose to take it slow, taking in the majesty and creeping silence of nature on a serene night.
Dramatic it may have been, the truth behind her actions was a lot simpler: if she’d stopped walking for even just a second, her mind would race and she’d go dizzy thinking about how Kalender was now technically more powerful than her father.
She began to see why logging in this forest was an offense that would end in a swift death. It was a sanctuary for the disturbed, and right now, she was thoroughly disturbed; those who attacked sanctuaries ought to forfeit their lives.
A militia presence to patrol these woods enforced such laws, and that was why she didn’t find the checkpoint at the forest’s exit odd in any way. The rolling plains ahead were bathed in moonlight, making her realize just how dark the forest behind her had been this whole time.
Finally, was her first thought. Harmony was just going to be an easy ten-mile hike past here.
“Halt!” the guard at the checkpoint called, surprising Arpeggio. She was about to remonstrate the guard for being rude towards royalty, but as she got closer, she saw the gleam of knight’s armor under the guard’s cloak. Knights did have such a right to halt royalty, though more as a matter of martial ceremony.
She stopped five paces from the knight. After a quick Appraise, she saw that the knight was actually a Soldier—a knight of commoner origin.
The Soldier, however, didn’t seem to be nervous about eyeing royalty. How strange, Arpeggio thought as she measured the Soldier’s disposition. There were certainly people like Page who didn’t feel the need to be uneasy, even when confronted by royalty—or a goddess, evidently—but nothing about this Soldier suggested anything special about their character.
There was also another knight beside the Soldier, and even more knights camped further away, moving things around and making stew for dinner, while roving pairs of knights circled the perimeter of the camp. It was just as an isolated checkpoint would look like: more lax than usual, but not necessarily unguarded.
“My apologies, Your Highness, but the road ahead has been closed,” the Soldier said.
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How strange, Arpeggio thought. The next words should be ‘Identify yourself,’ and then we’ll all launch into a charade where the knight apologizes for her rudeness after I say who I am and then I go on my merry way.
“I’m supposed to be here, Soldier,” Arpeggio said sternly. She recalled something about several regiments being stationed here. Perhaps these knights were detached from one of those units to guard the forest exit. “What regiment are you from?” she prodded.
“Regiment Quaternius, Your Highness,” the Soldier replied. “I beg your mercy, Your Highness, but Captain Fargone has given us strict orders not to allow you through here.”
Arpeggio nodded, thankful for being given the name of the idiot who just got a free ticket for a solo tour of the Monster Wall. No, well, they could also just be framing the good captain. “I see. Well, then, I’ll be passing through, now.”
She took one step forwards, and the Soldier’s and the other knight’s eyes widened. They looked at each other, then back at Arpeggio.
She wasn’t there.
They spun around, searching the area for any signs of a Princess Knight. Said Princess Knight watched them panic from the top of a nearby hill.
As someone who had no shortage of power, the length of “one step” was pretty relative to her mood and needs.
She watched the Soldier run back to her camp and tell her buddies. Soon, a messenger on horseback galloped away, but not towards Harmony.
Before Arpeggio could follow, a hand gripped her shoulder.
It was a pretty strong grip, too. She couldn’t move.
“Arpie,” a concerned mother said, “I feel happy that you felt that walking away from a fight was an option, but can you leave this one to your dear mother?”
Fear, recognition, understanding, acceptance—such emotions did a speedrun through Arpeggio’s mind within a solid 2.201 seconds.
The moment Arpeggio’s shoulders relaxed, Amelia released them. The daughter turned to face the mother, but the mother did not face the daughter. Amelia kept her eyes trained on the messenger.
“What’s going on, mother?” Arpeggio asked.
“Let me take care of the regiments,” Amelia replied, “and you take care of Harmony. Inform Shal-yen to discreetly raise an alert and prepare for a siege. Do not trust the regiments.”
“Mother?” Arpeggio asked, stepping forward with more concern.
Seeing her daughter show heartfelt concern made Amelia feel absolutely elated. She pushed those feelings down, however, because if she started grinning like a psychopath now, her image as a cool mom would quickly crumble away.
“Don’t worry, dear,” she said, raising her arm and showing off half a dozen anti-charm bracelets. “I’m quite loyal to our family.”
Arpeggio nodded. There was nothing to stop her mother now, and based on the things she’d said, treason was afoot—based on the anti-charm equipment, the source of that treason was much too dangerous for Arpeggio herself to handle.
Amelia kissed her on the forehead and disappeared into the night. Arpeggio sped off towards Harmony, an uneasy feeling welling from her chest.
Kalender was just the first of her new friends. She had a feeling she’d befriend Page soon, and maybe even Jyn—but that future had to be protected with steel.
***
Lord Shal-yen shuffled towards his windowside bed with a yawn. The window curtains fluttered, however, and he bloody well screamed at the sight of the marauding silhouette of the Princess Knight, crouched and balancing on the window sill, and gazing straight into his soul.