Elsprinc 13th, 799 – Afternoon

----------------------------------------

How can you let Sir Ezron be in pain?

You quickly leave the room. As soon as you see a soldier standing guard by the stairs you call out, “Call Master Harazi! Hurry up!”

The soldier is confused for a moment, but then immediately descends the stairs.

You go back into the room. Sir Ezron is still squeezing his chest, his face completely pale, and his mouth grimacing in pain. Jenn sit nearby holding her father but didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, soon Master Harazi comes. He is an old man with a bald head. The thin hair above his left and right ears has already turned white. He is followed by a girl behind him, Arini Raidan. Harazi is the Master Healer at Valerin Castle, and Arini is his assistant.

“Help me, lay him on the table,” said Master Harazi.

You quickly clear the table of all sorts of things. Jenn grabs both guns and puts them in her bag. You, Jenn, Arini, and Master Harazi carry Sir Ezron out of his chair and lay him on the table.

“Young Master, you and Jenn better wait outside,” Master Harazi says. "Let me and Arini check on Sir Ezron."

You nod. But Jenn still seems reluctant to leave her father, so you have to slowly pull her out.

You and Jenn wait outside the room without a word. Jenn can't hide her anxiety. You look at the soldiers who are still training in the field below and imagine. If in your exams you had chosen to fight Sir Ezron instead of Jenn, something fatal might have happened to that man.

You then thought of something else, when you see Tucker and Dallin talking on the sidelines. You call the two, and they rush up the stairs toward you.

"Are there any of your men who can deliver a message for Lady Winda at Ettarin?" you ask. “I need someone who can speak carefully.”

Tucker says, "I can do it."

“Tell Lady Winda, Sir Ezron has fallen ill, but now Master Harazi has taken care of him. She will come here soon, so you have to accompany her and calm her down, don't let her worry too much. Understand?"

"I understand. Young Masters. I'm going to Ettarin now."

Tucker then hurries off.

You turn to Dallin. “Have a soldier go tell Master Harlin at Valerin Castle to prepare a room for Sir Ezron. Ask the soldiers to prepare stretchers too. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but we better be prepared. And during Sir Ezron's absence, make sure all training and other tasks are going well."

"Sir Ezron usually only comes twice a week, and we always do everything well even though he's not around," Dallin says.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure," you reply.

"Of course. We will carry out all your orders."

After the two troop heads leave, you return to accompany Jenn.

After a while, the office door opens and Master Harazi comes out. You and Jenn rush over to him.

"His condition is stable," says the old man. "He's not in pain anymore, and is sleeping now."

"What happened?" you ask.

"Heart attack. I don't know how bad it is yet, but for the time being, he should rest completely in bed."

“Take him to the castle. You can take better care of him there.”

Cautiously the soldiers carry Sir Ezron to Valerin Castle on a stretcher. Along the way people come and watch with concern. At the castle, Sir Ezron is laid in the guest room and his condition continues to be monitored by Master Harazi.

Towards evening the Esterri family from Ettarin arrive with two carriages and several guards. The carriages stop at the castle grounds, and out of them comes Lady Winda, Baroness of Ettarin who is Sir Ezron's wife, followed by her two children, Hanna and Eamon.

Hanna, the beautiful girl with long brown hair is your best friend who is also your teammate who was supposed to have a match with you this morning. She's the same age as you. Eamon is two years younger than his sister.

They all look worried and walk in a hurry, but are also surprised to see Jenn beside you. They don't seem to know yet that the girl has returned to Ellandhar. They hug each other but don't talk much and only for a moment. Lady Winda and her two kids enter the room, while you and Jenn choose to wait outside the room.

“[Your Name], I need to talk,” Jenn says. "Important."

You nod in understanding. The two of you walk to the terrace and sit in front of the garden, which is quiet because it is far from where people pass by. On the eastern horizon, the sun is about to set.

“I have to get back to Brendberg as soon as possible,” Jenn says. "Tonight I have to go, even though I don't want to go yet."

"Your father will be fine," you say reassuringly. "I think he'll be up in a minute and laughing as usual."

"I want him to be able to see me when he wakes up."

"Your father loves you. He understands that you have an important task in the capital,” you said. "But … maybe you could postpone your departure."

“My arrival to Ellanor was unexpected. Having found what I was looking for in Atlos, I should have gone straight back to Brendberg. By midnight I should be in Arronetz, report my whereabouts, then leave for Brendberg tomorrow morning. If I can't report, I can be suspected. A lot of bad things can happen."

You're stunned. “Your job seems very dangerous.”

Jenn chuckles. "Are you interested in joining?"

You laugh back. “Do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to do dangerous things? No. But, if I can be with you, why not? I mean, … doing something with you. That must be interesting.”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Jenn looks at you with her blue eyes. “You are smart, have good reasoning, always ask questions, and can act quickly, as you showed earlier. This could be the right job for you. I'd be happy if you could help me. But I don't think you should."

"Why?"

“In this job, if you live long enough, you will find it difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. What matters is what is useful and what is not, what to take and what to get rid of, what to trust and what not to trust. You'll get to the point where you can believe in something, or you can't believe in anything anymore. It will be like that if you go too deep.”

"But haven't you just been doing this for a while?"

"It's only been a year. But it feels like it's been ten years."

“Then get out now, before it feels like a hundred years!”

Jenn smiles. “Not now. I still believe in something, and some people.”

"Who do you trust now?"

“I learned not to trust anyone easily, especially those I just met. In the end, the ones I can trust the most are still my father, your father, and you."

“Why am I on the list? I know nothing about the problems in the world. And I'm not sure I want to know."

"Because you are hope."

"Hope? Whose hope?” You’re confused.

"My hope, at least." Jenn laughs. "Don't ask me to explain. You have to get the answer yourself. I can only say, I hope you succeed in becoming the person I hope to be because if you don't, I might have to eliminate you later."

"Oh, you're terrible."

“But I can be a lot of fun too.”

"Yeah."

“Look, [Your Name],” Jenn holds her bag and says in a half-whisper. “The two weapons in here, I plan to leave one to King Altarrik, and the other to my father. One for the sake of my assignment, and the other to the person I trust the most, who I think understands what to do with this thing. Unfortunately, my father got sick, and your father wasn't around. So, I have to give it to you. You have to take good care of it, don't let anyone else find out. Later, when my father wakes up, or your father comes home, you can give it to them. Do you understand?"

“Will King Altarrik not be angry with you, if he finds out that one of these weapons was not given to him?”

“There are only three people who know about these weapons. You, me, and my father. The king won't know, if you don't talk about it or do stupid things, like bragging about it in front of people."

"I'm not that stupid! Damn it. You put an ember into my hand."

"This ember can turn into a diamond if you take good care of it."

"Can't you wait a little longer? Maybe your father will wake up tonight, and you can give him the weapon straight away.”

“Give it to him while he was recovering? You think I'm going to burden his mind right away?" Jenn's voice rose.

"Sorry," you answer quietly. After taking a breath, you reply, “I will keep the weapon. As soon as your father is well, or my father comes home, I will give it to them."

"Good." Jenn then opens her bag. She takes a firearm covered with clothes and gave it to you. "Keep it under your coat. Once you get to your room, hide it somewhere.”

You nod and hide the gun under your coat.

Jenn smiles again as she looks at you. "Now I have to go."

"I still wish you could stay here longer. Shouldn't you be the opponent for my exam tomorrow? If you're not around, and Sir Ezron is sick, does that mean I can pass?"

Jenn gave a short laugh. "In that case, let your father decide. After all, he's the one who wants to test you."

You nod, and you know your exam isn’t really important for you at the moment. It's just your excuse to keep Jenn from leaving right now, and you know it's not going to be enough to hold her back.

Jenn walks into the room where Sir Ezron was being cared for to say goodbye to Lady Winda and her two siblings, while you wait outside.

Soon the girl comes out again, this time accompanied by Hanna. The three of you walk towards the castle's front yard. The black carriage that will take Jenn to Brendberg is waiting there.

Jenn gets on the carriage. Before closing the door she says, “Hanna, when Father is awake please tell him it's time for him to spend more time at home."

"You know Father never listens to that kind of advice," Hanna says. "But I'll tell him. Hopefully, he understands now."

“And for you, Young Master, I have only one message. Please take care of Hanna."

"Huh? Why me?" Hanna asks.

"Because you’re dangerously beautiful. The older you get, the more you have to be taken care of." Jenn laughs, then smiles. "Love you, little sis."

“Love you too, big sis.”

Jenn turns her charming gaze to you. “Love you, [Your Name].”

"Love you too, Jenn," you reply.

“Goodbye,” Jenn says her last words and closes the door.

The coachman swings his whip slowly, and the two horses pulling the carriage begin to walk. Slowly the carriage moves away.

You and Hanna walk to the edge of the courtyard which is lined with thick bushes. From the top of the cliff, you can see the train running down the hill. At the foot of the hill, the town of Ellanor begins to be illuminated by the light of torches in various corners. Jenn's train will pass through the city along the main street before moving east towards the town of Arronetz.

“Jenn said her goodbyes like she was going far away,” Hanna says. "Or like not coming back."

You were silent for a moment. Given the kind of work Jenn does, there's a chance that the girl won't come back. That's bad. You know you shouldn't have thought that far.

"It was just a simple goodbye," you reply.

Hanna glances and watches you. "I know that Jenn loves me, but I didn't know that she actually loves you too."

"Huh? That was the greeting we used to say everywhere."

"Yes, and no. It was no ordinary greeting. I know there's something deeper." Hanna grabs your arm and pulls her body close to yours. "Come on, tell me. What happened to you two? You two have been talking for a long time this afternoon, haven't you? Have you told her how you feel?"

"What are you talking about?" you say a little annoyed. "Nothing happened, and I have nothing to say to her."

Hanna gives a short laugh. “I've been your closest friend since we were five. I know what's in your head, what other people don't. Jenn has been your crush ever since you were just a boy. How couldn’t you? At that time she was already the most beautiful girl in the country, and she was close to you. But then she got engaged to your brother, and you can't hide your jealousy."

"Hey, it's been a long time ago. I was a child at the time!”

Hanna ignores you. “Then two years ago your brother died. Everyone is sad. Including you, and Jenn. Jenn then went to Arronetz for work. So you're getting sadder, and I know it's because you still have feelings for her. Back then you didn't want to admit it, but now, why are you still denying it? Your brother is long gone, and you are an adult now. If you want Jenn, no one can hold you back. And you don't have to deny it."

“I don't have to deny it, because nothing happened! Jenn and I were just talking about work and my training. That’s all."

"Hmm." Hanna stares at you intently. "Yeah, you're not lying. Hence, it was disappointing. I thought you'd be brave enough to talk to her this time. Oh, I don't blame you. Talking to Jenn can be scary sometimes."

“There are many important issues to discuss this morning. How can Jenn and I talk about such unimportant things?”

“A-ha! That means you admit that you still love her, but you don't want to talk about it because you don't think it's important."

"I didn't say that."

"Well, I hope you still have a chance to talk to her. Because if you don't, at the end you'll have to marry me."

You grin. "Marrying you is not a bad thing."

Hanna chuckles. "Bad, if you don't love me."

"I love you."

"Not like you love Jenn."

“You don’t know that. Well, you don’t love me that much either.”

“How can you say that? You’re always my first.”

“No, I’m not. But if we have to marry, like your father or my father wants, then we’ll do it, right?”

Hanna shakes her head. “This talk is making me hungry. We'd better eat."

"You’re never that hungry, Hanna. Alright, what do you want?"

“Issa and Ruy invited me to dinner in town, and I thought you should come along. You can explain to them what happened today, why you didn't join the game. Mother and Eamon can take care of my father, so we can leave for a while, then come back here before 9 pm. But if you don't think it's necessary, we can have dinner here with my mother and brother. What do you think?"