Mila gathers her things in her room, stuffing them into a bag in the middle of the room. As she packs, her grandmother walks in watching her.

“Do you have everything, Mila?”

Mila nods as she picks up a large bag. “I have everything Granny.”

The old woman smiles as she walks ahead, hugging Mila. “Oh, my dear. I never thought the day would come. For you to go off as a bride.”

“Granny, I’m not becoming a bride. I’m just working with Glyn to win the King’s War.” Mila clenches her fist and smiles. “I’m going to do my best!”

“That’s my girl,” She squeezes Mila. “Oh, I’ll miss our talks.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stop by and come see you. I love you, Granny.”

“I love you too, my dear.”

Mila leaves the room and walks out of the hut with Miller standing at the door. He waves at his grandmother, who smiles waving back. Mila runs to his side and the pair walk down the road together with their bags in hand.

“Are they both gone?” The old man comes out from behind the hut, covering his eyes. “Those two. They making a big deal out of this.”

“Do you need a tissue, honey?” She asks, walking to his side.

“Why would I need a tissue?”

“You cried the last time when our son left the house, too.”

He turns his head away. “I refuse to cry. Besides, I know they’ll be fine. They have our spirit and his as well.”

“Of course. They’re our precious grandchildren.”

The two walk up to the manor as Glyn stands in front of the gate, opening it for them. He flashes them a smile as they walk in and he rushes in front of them.

“Welcome to Mattox Manor!”

“Mattox Manor?” Miller asks.

“It’s Glyn’s last name. Glyn Mattox.” Mila explains.

“Well, since you’re my allies officially, then I can tell you something, my entire name.”

“Entire name?” Mila asks.

Miller nods. “Your Elvan name?”

“Yup.”

“Elvan name?”

“Elves have names that are said in their language. But for Half-elves they’ll have names from their human side and their elf side. Normally, they’ll take their original family name.”

Glyn nods. “Right. In my case, I was told to only tell my Elvan name to people I trust.”

“Why is it special?” Miller asks.

“I don’t know.”

Mila runs to his side, unable to contain her excitement runs to his side. “So, what is it?”

“Luvon. Glyn Luvon Mattox is my entire name.” Glyn says, staring at Mila. “Remember it, okay. Oh, but don’t go telling it to anyone outside of us. And especially be careful of other elves.”

“Right!”

“So what do we do now?” Miller asks.

Glyn smirks as he holds out his book. “Let’s get to clearing the cursed grounds. And let me see that list of people who might join us.”

“I’ve brought it up to them. Some of them agreed to the idea and I’ve put them here and listed their abilities.” Miller pulls a scrape of paper out of his bag and hands it to Glyn. “There weren’t many who considered it.”

“No matter. We have three more weeks until the fights start. We have a lot of work to do but I...”

Glyn stops turning to see a robbed figure standing in the middle of the courtyard. Miller grabs his sword as Mila’s tail sparks with flames. Glyn holds out his hand and the two pause as he faces the figure.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“What does the capital want with me now? I’m already here and I’m working on establishing my foothold.”

“I am sorry, young master.” The figure bows, speaking in a distorted voice. “There was a spike of demonic activity on this island the other night and a massive surge in mana. We’ve been sent to investigate.”

“I have already handled it. We’ve killed the Lesser Demon and that surge of power was my ally over here.” Glyn points to Mila as she bows.

The figure nods. “Understood. While it might not be my place, I would be cautious from here on out.”

“Why?”

“The other candidates sensed that surge of power. You best be careful while you have three more weeks to prepare. Once that time is up, there could be those going straight for you.” They say before fading away into thin air. “Best of luck, young Lord.”

“What was that?” Miller asks.

“The inquisition. They show up to enforce the rules and watch us candidates like hawks. Their primary job is stomping out Demons.”

“Then they would’ve dealt with the Lesser Demon?”

“Yes and no. They would’ve wiped out the island to get rid of it and any chance another could spawn.” Glyn explains.

“Intense.”

“Right. And their ways, identities, and everything about them are wrapped in mystery. No one wants to be involved with them if they can help it.” Glyn says.

Miller nods. “But they not only sensed the Demon. But also Mila’s power.”

“I mean, how could you not sense it? It was pouring out of her like a faucet.” Glyn says. “Wait…. If they could sense it from so far away, then….”

He screams, collapsing to the ground as Mila and Miller look down at him. “What’s wrong!?” Mila asks.

“We just put a massive target on our backs, that’s what!”

Miller’s eyes widen. “The other candidates. Do you think they would come here for Mila?”

“Of course. Those assholes would want to take her power for themselves and they might take out the island to do it.”

Mila holds down her head as her eyes well up. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. But we’ve lost the element of surprise on that one. We’ll have to prepare just to be safe. Miller, I’m going to look through that list of yours as soon as I have the chance. But first, let’s have you two settle in.”

“Where are the rooms?” Miller asks.

“I’m glad you asked.”

Glyn takes the pair to a large hall in the manor. Glyn walks down the hall and opens the doors, each one containing an empty room with nothing inside. The pair look at each of the rooms as Glyn walks to the end of the hall.

“I’ve been thinking of using this hallway as a sort of dorm. I’ll turn each of these rooms into a bedroom and we’ll all live here.”

“there’s nothing in these rooms?” Mila asks.

“What about the beds? We already had rooms with beds in them?”

Glyn nods. “I’ve already gone to move my bed. Although there are only the two and they're falling to pieces, so we’ll need to get beds and lodging.”

“How much money do you have?” Mila asks.

“Not a lot.” Glyn turns his head away. “I went out on my own and all the money I had was on the boat that burned up.”

Mila turns away. “It’s a shame that happened.”

“Well, we might extort some money from the village heads or the Elder.”

“I don’t like the sound of extort,” Miller says.

“I only use it as a term. Besides, we’ll need money to buy equipment and….”

As Glyn opens his door, he finds an odd sack in the middle of the room and a letter. Miller walks to the bag in front of the pair and opens it. He shows Glyn revealing a sack of coins and hands him the letter.

“Who’s it from?”

Glyn stares at the letter and notices the wax seal on the back. He throws it away and looks at the sack of money.

“I know who it’s from. But for them to go this far is a bit much.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

Mila picks up the letter. “If it’s from family, then….”

“I already told him I cut ties before I came here.”

“Why? Will you have to do something like that if you become king?” Miller asks.

Glyn shakes his head. “If I should fail, then our house will suffer. That’s why I publicly cut ties with my father so he and everyone else would not have to suffer should I fail in my task.”

“To beat this person?” Mila asks.

“Yes. Although if I win, there might still be consequences either way. I don’t care. I have to do what I can. I can’t leave this path either way.”

Mila and Miller stare at him.

“Alright, I won’t ask questions,” Miller says, handing Glyn the bag. “But if you ever need to tell us something, then we’re here to listen.”

Mila grabs his hand. “Of course! You helped me and I want to help you too!”

“Fine. Maybe when it’s time, I’ll tell you. But right now, we can’t afford distractions. We need to get to finish the cursed grounds. And I guess with this money we can afford to buy some lodging and fix up the manor a bit.” Glyn says as part of the roof crashes to the floor behind him.

“Yes!” Mila yells with a wide grin on her face.

“We’re with you Glyn,” Miller says.

Glyn nods, taking the sack and throwing it over his back. “Alright, everyone. Let’s go to the market and let’s get ourselves some beds!”

“Yeah!”

Outside of the manor, on top of a large tree, looking over the area. The robbed figure watches standing at the top of it.

“The son of house Mattox. The clash between those two houses is unavoidable.” They say as they turn their heads to the distance. “I wonder just how the Count will respond to this?”