The princess glanced at her mother before running up to me. She stopped her momentum by slamming into the bench with her little hands.

“So pretty!”, she squealed.

One hand reached up for my feathers.

“Your highness, please refrain from touching”, Gregor said, “This is a dangerous beast.”

“I’m right here, buddy”, I said.

“Can talk?”, the girl tilted her head.

“Yes, I can talk. I’m Fio. What’s your name?”

“Medea. I’m the princess!”

I bowed my head.

“A pleasure to meet you, your highness. I’m an owl and I live with the dwarves when I don’t travel.”

“Dwarves?”

The queen stepped up behind her. A hand fell onto the princess’ head.

“Your majesty”, Gregor inclined his head.

“Gregor. How curious to meet you here. Is that a friend of yours?”

“Indeed. This is Fio Catori. No last name. She has been a great help.”

“A pleasure to meet you”, I inclined my head.

“Likewise. I am Morrigan Eterios, [Queen] of Eterios.”

“Mama, the bird can talk!”

“Yes, dear, I hear it.”

“How?”

“I do not know. Maybe you can ask her?”

The princess nodded and turned back to me.

“How do you talk?”

“See that amulet on my chest? It’s an artefact. It turns my thoughts into a voice.”

“Ohh!”

“So you are a [Thaumaturge]?”, the [Queen] asked.

“No. I know the craft but I don’t have the Class.”

“Now you have awakened my curiosity as well.”

“Can you fly?”, the princess asked.

I blinked. Then I spread my wings. For bigger effect, I even activated my darkness wings.

“Yes. I’m very fast.”

“Miss Fio, would you please?”, Gregor said.

I retracted my magic but kept a few shadows swirling around my body.

“Is something the matter, Gregor? You seem stressed?”

The man sighed.

“Yes, your majesty. I want to send you back inside right now along with your daughter. Or make this ‘bird’ leave. She is dangerous.”

“More dangerous than you are?”

“In this very moment, yes.”

“I mean, technically, maybe?”, I said, “I have some good Skills but I don’t know what you have.”

“I am not made for combat, let alone your speciality.”

The [Queen] raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled.

“Mama, can I play with the bird?”

She glanced at Gregor who sighed.

“You may, but keep close.”

“Yay!”

The princess once again stretched out her hands. It almost looked like she wanted to pick me up. I extended a tendril of shadow to my back and disappeared from reality just before the tiny fingers reached my plumage. Instead, the princess grabbed onto murky darkness. She blinked, then looked at the after-image of my body.

“No grabbing”, I said from the backrest.

“Aww!”

“What would you like to play?”

“Hide and seek!”

“Your highness…”, Gregor began.

“Oh, let her”, the [Queen] interrupted, “You would not let someone inside that would be a real threat.”

I smirked my facial feathers.

“He did ask me to think of ways to bypass the security to hit the royal family.”

“Is that your Class?”

“I’m an [Assassin].”

The [Queen] blinked.

“I hide first!”, Medea said and ran off into the courtyard.

“I’m counting to thirty, then I’ll look for you”, I said as I closed my eyes.

“One. Two. Three…”

The Queen shifted her feet.

“Is this a smart idea?”, she asked.

“No. It’s not”, Gregor said, “But she’s a dwarven citizen. So it might be.”

“Oh. Very well. It will be fine, then.”

“Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty. I’m coming.”

I opened my eyes and jumped off the bench. My wings caught the drop and I started walking down the gravel pathway. I already knew where the princess was hiding. My loud counting and the small talk next to me had not been enough to hide her position from my ears. Even now, I could hear her breathing and shifting. Nonetheless, I made sure to take it slow as I walked through the garden. There were plenty of cleanly cut bushes I could carefully stalk around. I made sure to keep [Sneak] deactivated so my steps could be heard as long as I stayed on the gravel.

There were a few quiet squeals as I chased the princess through the garden. Whenever I got somewhat close she would wait for an opportune moment to run to the next cover. I ended up taking nearly 15 minutes before I could finally corner her. When she saw I had spotted her, I spread my wings and jumped the last few steps, a tendril of darkness bopping her nose. I heard one of the guards nearby shift, ready to run, but he calmed down quickly when my shadows retreated.

“Found you!”, I said.

The princess giggled.

“You’re good. Now you hide!”

I nodded and we returned to the bench.

“Make sure your eyes are closed!”, I said.

She nodded and put her hands up to her face.

“One. Two. Three…”

As the numbers dropped, I activated [Sneak] and spread my wings. There were two trees in the garden, one of which I picked and flew towards. I found a low branch and landed, making myself inconspicuous with [Mingling]. The [Queen] and Gregor were talking again, this time about how well I played with the princess. Until the [Spymaster] noticed he had lost track of me.

“Excuse me, your majesty. Do you see Fio anywhere?”

The [Queen] looked around the park.

“Now that you say it, where did she go?”

“Twenty-nine! Thirty! I’m coming!”

The princess dropped her hands and started running into the garden.

“Medea!”, the [Queen] called out.

A guard reacted by stepping up to the girl and following her closely. She looked up at him, then gave him a nod and continued her search.

“Where did this bird go…”, Gregor mumbled.

I activated my [Telepathy] and connected to him.

“I’m not that well hidden…”, I sent.

He jumped.

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“What is it, Gregor?”, the [Queen] asked.

“A… Fio’s voice is in my head.”

“It’s called [Telepathy]. A very useful Skill.”

“Where are you?”

“Stop worrying, Gregor. The princess is already on a good track.”

The girl was walking around the tree I was not sitting on and looking into the branches. That prompted Gregor to do the same. It took him nearly a minute to spot me.

“Is… that you? But…”

I waved a wing.

“I am using Skills”, I sent, “It’s more fun that way.”

The princess had concluded I was not sitting in the tree she was looking at and walked directly to my hiding spot.

“She will never find you”, Gregor said.

Then the princess squealed.

“Found you, birdy!”, she shouted, “But I can’t get up to tag you!”

I jumped down quietly and drew a tight circle around her and the guard. The man seemed a little uncomfortable until I landed and pulled my wings back in. The princess patted my side.

“Yay! I’m the winner!”

“Well done, your highness”, I said.

“Medea! We’re friends!”

I nodded.

“Then call me Fio, Medea.”

“Yay!”

She threw both her arms around me, the guard flinching to pull her back but he was too late. I endured the hug for a moment and she quickly retreated.

“You’re soft, Fio.”

“Thank you. Let’s get back to your mother. She seems a little worried.”

“But why? You’re super nice!”

I nodded.

“Adults worry about a lot of things.”

“Mhm. That makes sense.”

We walked back together, the guard returning to his spot in the garden with a sigh. I had already terminated the telepathic connection.

“Mama, I found her!”, Medea beamed as we walked up.

“How?”, Gregor shook his head.

“Birds live in trees!”, she said.

I nodded.

“That’s often true. Sometimes they live in caves or attics as well.”

“Always up!”

She leaned her head on mine. She was only a few centimetres taller than I was so it was quite comfortable.

“Medea, please be more careful”, the [Queen] said, “You can not just run out to play with beasts.”

I clicked my tongue.

“That’s true. If you’re out in the wilderness. In a city, beasts don’t exist. I’m a sapient animal, just like any human.”

Medea nodded.

“And we’re friends!”

“Is that so? Well, I’m glad. Miss Fio, was it? Thank you for playing with my daughter.”

“Just Fio is fine, your majesty. Or Catori.”

“Very well. I believe we should return inside. You still have lessons, dear.”

“But Mama! I want to play more!”

“Medea, do not complain.”

“Yes, Mama.”

The girl turned to me.

“Will you come back tomorrow?”

I blinked.

“I don’t think so… I just accompanied my friends who wanted to see the castle.”

Tears were forming in her eyes.

“But I want to play more!”

I turned to the [Queen].

“What kind of lessons are scheduled?”

“For this afternoon, it will be etiquette and mathematics.”

“Mama, I don’t want!”, Medea shouted.

“I can help with maths”, I said, “And maybe we can play for the rest of the afternoon. I won’t be able to visit often, after all.”

“You can do math?”

“Yes. I’m pretty good at it.”

“I do not think that’s a wise idea”, Gregor said, “We would have to let her into the royal quarters.”

I tilted my head.

“So?”

The [Queen] sighed.

“Fine. Go play.”

“Yay!”, Medea shouted, “Come, Fio!”

The girl ran off with the energy only children could muster.

“Fio. Do make sure my daughter is safe.”

I nodded.

“Of course.”

I followed the girl into the trees where she asked me to pull out my shadows again. I created a few tendrils that lazily swayed through the air, making sure they were as solid as possible. That still made them quite soft to the touch.

I heard the [Queen] send a runner to tell the teacher about the change in plans. Then I tuned out the adults’ conversation.

Medea was holding onto a tendril and trying to hang off it. I made sure to raise it and put a few more shadows close to her body. She grabbed a second tendril and pulled herself up.

“I’m flying!”, she squealed.

“Almost”, I said.

Then I slowly began walking. I formed a proper platform underneath her and she held onto it, looking around at the guards and servants. She was high enough to meet their eyes. Most of them were smiling and waving when the princess looked at them but as soon as she turned away, their expressions turned to worry.

“To the trees!”, Medea commanded.

I accelerated and soon we reached our goal.

“Up!”, she said.

“Make sure you hold on tight”, I said.

“Alright!”

I raised the platform until she could climb on top of the branch where she sat down and petted my shadows.

“Thanks, blackies!”

“The shadows are part of me”, I said in a mock-deep voice.

That made the princess laugh.

I jumped up to the branch and we started talking. Medea told me all about her daily lessons and the teachers she liked. About her parents and siblings. About the food, tasty and repugnant. I nodded along and asked appropriate questions. Even the [Queen] and Gregor seemed to have calmed down. A guard was standing just below us, probably to catch the princess should she fall. We had a very pleasant afternoon in the royal courtyard.