{-Seldir-}

Lyrei might have every fairytale in the Archives memorized and be able to list dozens of facts about math, science, history, and literature, but there was one thing she lacked: the practical knowledge one gained from life’s struggles, of having to live out in inhospitable places. That, of course, was where Seldir came in.

Despite how much Rennyn seemed to want to, Seldir was the one that took the lead. He didn’t need a map to know where he was going, and more subtle differences kept him aware of their location. Periodically Rennyn would mumble something about needing to hurry, speed up, then slow back down when he realized he didn’t know where they were going. Eventually he settled on walking just behind the rest of them, either his eyes darting and a hand on his sword or mumbling something.

Seldir tried not to let himself consider what might happen in truly life-or-death matter, if this was how “Songbird” acted to what seemed to be a medium-level threat.

It wasn’t just their supposed leader’s mumbling, though, to keep the silence away. Noa appeared the most unfazed, countering Rennyn’s darker mutters with his own lighter conversation.

“You know, if we’re going to be traveling across the nations, we’re going to go a lot of places,” Noa remarked casually. “If you were a mercenary, Seldir, does that mean you ever traveled outside of Kositeia?”

“A little, but I don’t consider it that significant…” Seldir mumbled. “There’s already a lot of work in one nation—the rest can be someone else’s business.”

“Which I think is boring,” Lyrei added. “I liked the stories you had to tell me. Not only do you not have anything interesting to tell me, but I kinda feel bad that you’ve never really left Zaitha…”

He let out a chuckle. “You know, I’m not just watching over you because your parents are paying me. I could leave if I wanted to—but I don’t. I want to stay with you.”

Noa perked up at the opportunity for something else to ask after. “How’d the two of you meet?”

Lyrei smiled at the thought. “It was three years ago. I honestly don’t know what brought Seldir to Zaitha—you mentioned it was a part of a job, didn’t you?—but… he helped me and my parents when we needed it.”

“My parents were mercenaries, too,” Seldir explained. “We traveled together with a smaller group, never really having a place to call home. That’s just what that life is like—after a while, you spend so long traveling, you can’t imagine yourself staying in one spot. Most of the others were interested in another commission in Zaitha, but I somehow ended up drawn to Lyrei instead.”

Surprisingly, Kaylin was listening, too. Earlier she’d seemed too concerned over something of her own to contribute to anything. “Was it just chance, then, that brought you together?”

Seldir, personally, didn’t want to say anything on the matter. It didn’t feel like something he should tell… or something that really needed to be said at all, for that matter. He glanced at Lyrei, though, as a way of showing that she was ultimately the one to decide.

And she did, beginning it with a half-hearted chuckle. “I’ve already mentioned how I’ve barely left the Archives and it… wasn’t always just because my parents both worked there. Up until three years ago, going out like this wasn’t the kind of thing I actually thought I could do—my only hope of adventure was through tales of knights and princesses. When Seldir first came to us, my parents hired him to look after me while they tried to do what they could to help. We got close then, even when things got bad. Eventually, a… spirit came. She gave me the strength I couldn’t muster myself. I started to get better and, realizing we got along, my parents kept hiring Seldir to keep an eye on me.”

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“After a little while, I officially broke off from my parents and their group,” Seldir continued quietly. “I still keep in touch with them, but I usually don’t travel with them anymore. Since then, it’s all just been about watching Lyrei.”

“What about all of you?” Lyrei then prompted. “I don’t think you’ve told us how you met Kaylin and Rennyn, Noa. Or, Kaylin, how you met Rennyn.” He knew that look—she was hoping for something similar to that story, more proof they were meant to be together.

Noa, the more excited of the two, was willing to share his story first. “I just ran into them while I was delivering letters for Lord Aymer and they were trying to find him. They helped me deliver the letters, I showed them to Lord Aymer, then I asked about how I felt towards them and I was able to join them. It isn’t… anything too amazing, actually…”

Lyrei’s next question practically confirmed Seldir’s suspicions. “Did you run away?” It was almost amusing how casually she asked it.

“Of course not!” Noa said quickly, fervently shaking his head. “Do you know what Lord Aymer would do if I did that? Probably nothing, because he’d end up worrying himself to death the moment he realized I was out there!” He paused and got quieter. “Thinking about it, though, I hope he understands that I’m okay…”

“Well, we’re all together now,” Seldir pointed out in his attempt of reassurance. “When we get back to Zaitha, we can get someone to give him a letter—make sure he knows that you’re in capable hands.”

Noa smiled again. “Yeah. I think he’d like the assurance…”

With that settled, Lyrei glanced back over at Kaylin. “You and Rennyn are the only two left! According to my story—well, my memory—of us, you’d met him when he stopped by your hometown. Is that right?”

“I… don’t think either of us remember the beginning,” Kaylin mumbled, glancing over at Rennyn. “A sense of familiarity around the three of you, yes, but… I know I, at least, can’t recall anything more than that…”

That didn’t faze Lyrei. “Well, what about the first time you remember meeting each other?”

“It was the first life of the cycle,” Kaylin said slowly. On one hand, it looked like she wanted to recall it fondly—on the other, the reality of their situation tainted it to only be mournful. “I was the daughter of a nobleman. When things came down to it, I had to join the fight to protect his land. Rennyn was also one of the new recruits. I suppose… even then, as a stranger, I felt drawn to him. I felt safe in his presence. In all the lives that followed, if we could, we were together. Sometimes we had to get separated, but… I still never gave up hope. I knew he’d come around and save the day eventually.”

They all glanced at Rennyn. By now, his previously agitated state was replaced with complete stillness—he did nothing but walk forward, hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, with his eyes only interested in the ground ahead of him.

Seldir had a feeling they all thought, Let’s hope ‘eventually’ doesn’t come too late.

After a moment of silence, Lyrei asked another, surprisingly more cautious question. “What about this life?”

“If… you’re looking for something familiar, you’re not going to find anything,” Kaylin remarked. “I came to Rennyn. I knew it was time. If I hadn’t, he probably wouldn’t have realized on his own until it got… much harder to do anything about it.” She paused. “And if you’re trying to get information out of our lives before, you’re not going to get anything out of me. All I know is that Rennyn was living with his parents and older sister—they were all merchants. I don’t think there’s anything worth noting about what I came from.”

“Rennyn has a sister?”

Even Seldir sighed at the question. “You know, Lyrei, this isn’t the same as that story. There’s going to be differences.”

She shook her head. “But as far as I can tell, everything that story said is related to our pasts here—up until our meeting, anyway. The story never included a sister, even before I wrote it all down.”

“Couldn’t she’d just been included in the family mentioned in the beginning..?” he asked.

Kaylin answered that question, seeming to understand both of their points. “Allyna was with us until Noa joined. She’s currently trying to see if, as an outsider to the ordeal, she can learn more about Dhymos’s plan. Ultimately, maybe she isn’t tied into this like the rest of us are, thus not important enough to mention.”

Lyrei considered it and, though she didn’t seem convinced, shrugged. “I guess that could make sense.”