Glyn sat in his study looking over random books he pilfered from his recent conquest. Most, if not all, of the materials he’d brought with him to Jubert Island were torched alongside his boat. Taking what he could from Fenwick’s manor was a surprise reward after everything that happened. Another surprise was how quickly his own manor’s repairs were coming along. Only two weeks had passed and the manor had returned to its previously shabby state. And while more reconstruction needed to be done, Glyn put an immediate pause to any further work for now.

“Let’s see. If I do this, then maybe….” The book that occupied his mind was a book on magical glyphs. Glyn practiced making modified glyphs on sheets of paper, one of many ways he thought up to overcome his ever-present curse. “But this would still need someone else’s mana to work. And I can’t bring an entire roll of paper into battle so easily. But maybe I could use it to make a barrier or something.”

As he sat around looking through his books, a knock comes from his door. Without waiting for an answer, the door swings open with Tisha entering the room. She looks around and then stares down at Glyn with disdain in her eyes.

“What is it now, Tisha?”

“How long are we just going to sit here!?”

“We’re not done with repairs and restocking. We can’t go running into a fight if we’re not prepared for it. Besides, are you even sure your correspondence was right?”

Tisha scowls. In the aftermath of Fenwick’s defeat, she reported to the Elvan Elders that she avenged one of her fellow Rangers, who died at Fenwick’s hands. They sent her group of twelve Elvan Rangers to the Alook Islands to curry favor with the potential King Candidates.

Like her fellow scouts, they assigned her a competitor and sought to join their inner circle. However, she learned one of her fellow Rangers had been tortured and nearly killed at the hands of the young Count Fenwick and swore revenge. Joining Glyn’s team to aid in his mission while seeking her revenge.

“I hate this.” She paces around the room in a huff.

“I know it’s bad but….”

“Do you!? What could a Half-Elf know about….” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Bad habits?”

“Shut up.” She turns away and stares at the door. “I know you’re right but….”

Upon giving the news of her revenge mission, she was given further bad news. Nearly half of the Rangers failed to report upon their arrival to the Alook Islands. The number of reasons could be numerous, but for Tisha, this was an emergency. She wanted to take to the sea and search the islands to confirm the whereabouts of her fellow Rangers. But before anything, she had her role as Glyn’s Rook she needed to consider.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“We don’t even know where to look for the other candidates. Trust me, I know and….”

“And what?”

“Nothing. We’ll look into this when we get the chance. But before then, we have to shore up our defenses. Can’t have another Fenwick rolling up to the island and challenging us to a random fight.”

She shakes her head. “Your right. If we lose the island, we’re screwed, especially because we can’t train or resupply from the dungeon.”

“Exactly. Now I’m working on a concept for a kind of barrier to keep the manor safe, just in case. If it works, I might see if I can convince the elder to implement it in the village.”

“Always working so hard.”

“Well, I have to consider what’ll happen when we’re away. We were lucky that Fenwick was a predictable opponent. Whoever we take on next won’t be as easy.”

Tisha pauses for a moment. “Are you sure you want to keep going?”

“What?”

“You said before you don’t want to be the next king. So, what do you want to do now? Why stay in this fight?”

“I….” Glyn struggles to find the words as Tisha looks down at him.

Before he can open his mouth, a panicked Mila bursts through the doors, rushing to Glyn’s desk. She struggles to speak as she slams her hands down on the desk with Glyn staring at her, confused.

“Take a breath and then try to speak. Whatever’s going on, don’t panic. You don’t do great when you’re panicking.”

She nods and breathes. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Glyn smiles and stands up, walking to her side. “So, tell me what’s got you so panicked.”

“A girl.”

Tisha stares at her. “A girl? I thought you……”

“It’s not like that. I was in the village with Brother when some little girl appeared. She started yelling about finding the island’s boss. She said for them to come to the village and see her now before she gets tired. Brother stayed behind to watch her while I came back here.”

“A King Candidate? To think another one would wash up here so quickly.”

“That’s unlikely. There were specific age requirements. Everyone had to be at least sixteen to take up the position. So, I doubt Mila would mistake them for a child unless they’re a dwarf.”

“I’ve never seen a dwarf before.”

Tisha rolls her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Let’s get to the village and check this person out. They're pretty haughty to just run up and demand someone come find them.”

“True. But we best not keep them waiting.”

The three leave the manor and make their way to the village, where a small crowd gathered around the square. The three make their way through the crowd as Glyn stops. Standing under a large tree with her arms crossed, a young girl in a grey dress, with long red hair pouts as Miller tries to talk to her. She glares at him before turning to the crowd and pauses. She and Glyn make eye contact, and her expression changes into a wide smile and a beaming face.

“Brother!” She yells out at the top of her lungs.

Before saying anything, she kicks off and sprints at Glyn, tackling him and wrapping her arms around him. “Elina!?”

“Brother, I was so worried about you. I….” She pauses for a moment and leaps up, turning away from Glyn. “I…. I couldn’t be helped, but be worried about my hapless half-brother.”

Glyn smiles and pats her head. “I’m happy to see you two, Elina.”

She smiles, failing to hide her softened expression as Glyn pats her head.

“So that’s…” Mila approaches cautiously.

Glyn smiles. “This is my little sister….”

“Half-Sister!” She interrupts, stepping in front of Glyn and bows. “I am Eliana Mattox, the proper heir to house Mattox. Thank you for watching after my incompetent half-brother.”