Break of Autumn, Week 2, Day 4
The Village Head’s house was moderately sized. It was the only house I’d seen that was two stories, and as the elderly Head showed me around, I saw that there was a total of four small bedrooms, a single bathroom, a living and dining area, and a kitchen.
It matched my idea of life in Ugar. Simple, yet cared for. The man was kind and treated me well, but every interaction felt like a minefield. A single misstep and I’d be called back to the Dawns and forced to answer for my ruining of their reputation. I didn’t want to make waves —I just wanted to fill my role until I was strong enough to leave on my own two feet.
“Lady Eunora, my home is humble, but it is our pleasure to host you while you’re here.”
I smiled in response but gripped Noir for emotional support, “Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality.”
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It was that night that the Village Head showed his true reason for such amicable hospitality. At dinner, he called for Sir Rellar to join, and he made his request.
“I would like to formally ask the Dusk Knighthood to fulfill their duty to the citizens of the Duchy of Dawn,” the Village Head began, “We are in dire straits due to the increase in blight attacks. I would ask you eradicate the three nests surrounding Ugar. One to the west, one to the south, and the final to the north.”
Sir Rellar and Dame Arella looked at each other intensely before nodding.
“What is the highest level blight you’ve seen?” Sir Rellar turned back to the Village Head.
“A Tier 2 Level 19 blight was spotted roaming to the west, and a Tier 3 is expected to be somewhere to the north.” The man said, his deep voice grave.
I blinked. Suddenly, this seemed like a different conversation than the peaceful chat over the roast we’d been having.
Sir Rellar looked to me, uncertainty clear on his face, before he started speaking, “My Lady, the Oath of the Dusk Knighthood, under the grace of the name of Dawn, has been enacted. As the Captain of the contingent, I must defer to the Dawn in attendance. What would you like us to do?”
I paused. Everyone was looking at me.
“Why do I have to decide?” I tried to speak with decorum, but it came out as little more than a whisper.
“You are the ranking member of this contingent,” Dame Arella explained, her voice gentle but firm, letting me know this was a fact and not to be terrified of it, “It is the same reason you decide if we break for lunch, or if you stick to your own schedule. We make decisions for your safety, but for everything else, you are our guidance.”
I swallowed.
“Why would you not uphold the Oath?”
“Usually, invoking the Oath isn’t necessary,” Dame Arella began, “But we are not a patrol unit. We are escorting a member of our liege lord’s family. This is a request for you to perform your duty as a noble. It’s not unusual for one in a hurry to simply call for the next nearest contingent. That also satisfies the Oath.”
I nodded.
“All right.” At my word, everyone tensed. I looked around the table, at the Village Head and his wife, at the two teenagers who’d stayed silent during the exchange, and at the two knights who clearly wanted me to decide.
“I would like to uphold the Oath. The Village of Ugar has been good to me, and I would like it to continue to prosper.”
Everyone at the table seemed to take a breath, and Sir Rellar and Dame Arella were looking at me intensely. Whatever they were thinking was lost in translation, and I shifted in my seat, trying to escape their gazes.
Instead of immediately bolting away, I finished my food and excused myself to my temporary lodging. It was progress. I’d stayed and chatted and done the bare minimum of a noble daughter. Now I was free.
Being behind town walls —even the town walls of Ugar— meant I could do whatever I wanted with my Skills. So, I pulled out the growing sheet of cloth that was quickly becoming a bolt and got to using [Shadow Manipulation] and [Weaving].
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The morning found me with Dame Arella, walking through the dirt road toward the only tavern in the town. Supposedly, they had a better breakfast than the Village Head could whip up —and really, I knew he and Sir Rellar would just be speaking logistics, so I wasn’t put out. Behind us, Arlen and Klein followed. Ahead of us, Sir Limrick led the way.
My own personal knights, I thought privately to myself, a smile on my face.
Sure, Sir Neil, Dame Siobhan, and Dame Undein had been accommodating—as had the other knights— but there was something different about how Dame Arella and Sir Limrick spent their time with me.
As we walked, I peered around and took in the town. There was one of each shop, it seemed.
Dame Arella stopped in her tracks and whipped her hand out to stop me, “Lady Nora.”
Her voice had that tone —the one that meant I wasn’t going to like what she said. Cautiously, I looked up at her.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Yes?”
“An apothecary—“ Dame Arella jerked her head to the building we were passing, “For your hand.”
I groaned. This had been an ongoing fight since Wig, “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Dame Arella said for what felt like the hundredth time, “What will the Countess say when she finds out that instead of protecting you, we let you get a scar?”
“It’s not even visible,” I rebutted, taking a step forward, expecting Dame Arella to move her hand.
I should have known she wouldn’t. Her hand nearly hit my face before I decided to crouch down and go under it.
“It is to anyone who grabs your hand, my Lady,” Sir Limrick chimed in, turning back and blocking my way.
“Well, who—“
“Anyone who escorts you, hands you something, offers you a dance—“
I shot a look at Klein’s unwanted interruption. Then, Arlen opened his mouth.
“Well, it’s okay,” he said, a wicked grin on his face, “It makes her look rugged.”
I made another face, muttering under my breath, “Not helpful.”
“Exactly,” Dame Arella insisted, heading up to the door, “Come on, there’s no fighting this.”
“I thought I was the highest ranking one here,” I griped as I made my way to the apothecary, “Seems conveniently ignored now.”
Sir Limrick snorted as he took his spot guarding the door with Arlen, Klein following behind me and Dame Arella.
As we entered the shop, I took in the neatly arranged tonics, potions, and powders. It wasn’t as fancy as the shop in Juvel, but that didn’t mean it was any less put together. Everything was organized and was in its place —the only time this wasn’t true was when I looked to where the shopkeeper was working at the back, and there was a lab set up.
He was bouncing between piles of treated plant fibers, beakers boiling, and ice baths. He had a shock of black hair and looked young. Like younger-than-twenty young. It took him a moment to notice us browsing the shop, but once he did, he straightened his apron and smiled.
“Howdy, friends,” he shouted, “Looking for anything specific?”
Dame Arella turned, a pleased look on her face as she held a tonic in her hands, “Yes, and I think I just found it. Is this your best scar remover?”
The man lowered the glasses from the top of his head and came up to us, taking the tonic from Dame Arella.
“Hmmm,” he put it back on the shelf and ran his fingers across the vials searchingly, “Actually, no. Ah, here we go!”
He plucked a red tonic from the stand and handed it to Dame Arella, “This is best for fresh wounds, within two weeks, but should work partially on anything up to 6 months. Strongest elixir I’ve got.”
Dame Arella eyed it –then me.
“Is it safe for children?” She asked, and the man suddenly straightened and looked down at me.
His eyes narrowed and flared with a soft blue light, “For this one, yes. Not any others.”
I felt a shiver run up my spine at the thought that he’d seen something of my Status. As if sensing my unease, Dame Arella stepped between the shopkeeper and myself to block his view and continued jovially chatting as she followed him to the back, where she promptly paid and ushered Klein and me out.
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The tavern was half full of locals, and it took a minute before someone came up to us, but when the waitress arrived, she gave a brilliant smile.
“Welcome, travelers!” She half-shouted and turned the heads of a few locals who were now looking at us curiously, “A breakfast for each?”
At Sir Limrick’s confirmation, the young woman bolted back to the kitchen and brought us all glasses of water.
I hesitated before taking mine.
“What’s the matter, little miss?” The waitress leaned over and smiled at me, “Would you rather have some juice?”
I resent being called little miss, I thought to myself. But yes, I did want juice instead.
“Yes, please,” I said gently, and the woman’s face lit up again.
“Oh, so polite! Ya’ll have raised her right!” At the amused looks on SIr Limrick and Dame Arella’s faces, I felt a blush creep up.
I tucked myself further into my seat, grabbing Noir tightly and half covering myself with him.
This is so embarrassing! I screamed in my head.
>At least we agree on that.< A snort came from Eunora, and I grit my teeth. I’d been doing so good at ignoring her. But every time she agreed with me, it was always something insulting. And whenever I wondered why she took it upon herself to torture me, I got –
>Because you’re an interloper! Do what I say and give me back my life!<
I groaned again.
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Walking back through town meant we were heading back to the Village Head’s house, but since we would be here a few more days according to Sir Rellar, I’d rather spend my time outside.
It was over halfway through Autumn now, and so the days were crisp. Yet the suns were still strong enough to warm you up if you laid out for a while. That’s what I chose to do.
“Let’s grab a blanket, a book, and a good spot to nap,” I declared as we approached the carriage.
Klein gave a snort, and Arlen grinned, “Sounds like a good way to spend the day.”
“Not you two. You’ll be running until you can’t breathe.” Sir Limrick commanded.
I snapped up, “I want to do that too!”
Sir Limrick blinked, “Why?”
I grinned, “Because I’ve been stuck in a carriage for two weeks, and I think my muscles are atrophying.”
“How do you even know that word?” Sir Limrick muttered, “Fine. But you’re still young. You’ll run next to Dame Arella while I run with Klein and Arlen.”
I smiled, tucking a workbook in my bag with a soft blanket for when I inevitably would want a break.
“Can one of you grab some water and a teapot? I want to finally use these Cloudgazers.” I held up the three vials of blue powder before tucking them in with Noir.
Dame Arella nodded, “I’ll also grab some rations for lunch.”
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I was pacing Dame Arella, but I wasn’t used to running in this body. All of my muscles were screaming, and I wondered what good high attributes were if they couldn’t give me superhuman capabilities.
Well, they did give me superhuman capabilities. I just wasn’t 100% sure how they applied. In fact, the book I’d grabbed for the day was on the intricacies of the System and what it could do. So, after I likely wound up throwing up my breakfast, I’d relax and read about why I couldn’t run one thousand miles in a single go.