Graham, finding he had somehow managed to make himself look more a clown than he had just a few moments ago, tried to explain himself.

"No. That's not...I'm...uhm", he muttered.

"Yes, dear. I heard you the first time," she replied, then began to walk towards the road. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm rather late for--"

"THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!!!" Graham bluntly shouted at her, head humbly bowed down. He dared not look at her again, lest he make a fool of himself a third time.

Silence. Only the wind and chirping of the forest birds could be heard. For a brief moment, Graham wondered if she'd already walked away.

Finally, the Lady Luna broke the silence. "And?"

Without hesitation, Graham continued. "And I'm sorry for staring at you like that. It wasn't proper and no way to treat you after what you did."

Silence once again. With his head still down, the head of the golden staff came into view. The staff rested on Graham's chin and pushed his head up to meet Luna's gaze.

"Alright now," she said. "No need to hang your head so low. All is forgiven."

Graham let out a sigh. "Thank you, ma'am. And again, I really am sorry."

"Oh, come now. I've said you're forgiven, " she said, waving a hand signaling to dismiss his concerns. "Although I am curious what it was about me that kept you so captivated."

"Did you truly find me so desirable," she asked with a warm tone. "The beautiful, silver haired maiden who'd come to your rescue?"

"No ma'am," Graham instinctively replied, his face feeling hot from the reminder of his shame. "Not like that."

"Then you found me so repulsive," she asked with a more accusatory tone. "The rotund, silver haired freak who dared to grace your sight?"

"N-no ma'am," Graham said again, now lowering his gaze once more.

"Well, what was it then", she asked, her voice carrying a musical quality to it.

"Uhm, I-I...uh," Graham sputtered out, his mind incapable of considering what answer could possibly make him look less like an imbecile. As he stood with his head once again bowed down, he heard a slight chuckle and curiously looked up.

The Lady Luna stood with a hand held up to her face, the back of which she used to cover the wide smirk currently on her face. Upon meeting his gaze, she finally burst into a laughter which shook her whole body.

"C'mon now," Graham grumbled. "I said I was sorry."

"I'm sorry, dear," Luna said through small chuckles. "But if you could only see how amusing you look right now."

Graham tried his hardest not to show his annoyance at being humiliated once again. "Well, anyhow, I don't mean to keep you from your business, ma'am."

"Oh, call me Luna, dear," she said. "'Ma'am' makes me feel so old. My business will be resolved at my pace and not a second sooner. Right now, I'm hoping to learn why my little friend felt you were so important."

"RRRREAAAAARRRWWRRR"

Upon mention of them, the pig squealed once more and began walking back and forth between the two of them.

"Yes, Winston," said Luna. "I'm referring to you."

The pig, apparently named Winston, changed his look after hearing Luna's voice. Soon, he began squealing and beaming brightly, almost dancing. For some reason, Graham found its almost human behavior...disturbing. The Lady Luna spoke, once again chuckling to herself.

"Is it true what he says," asked Luna with a wide grin on her face. "That his voice frightened you so, you simply fell over?"

"No!" Graham shouted, a bit upset at her phrasing of his terrifying experience. "Not frightened, just...startled is all."

"I see," she said, clearing her throat in an attempt to regain her composure.

Still beaming, Winston began pushing at Graham's feet, forcing him to step forward. On and on, the pig pushed until Graham was no more than two steps away from the Lady Luna.

Winston stepped to Graham's side and began squealing excitedly at Luna, clomping his front hooves on the ground. He seems to be...proud? Graham thought. Luna seemed somewhat confused and began to look Graham up and down. As she did, Graham became aware of his disheveled state.

His tunic was torn and tattered, ripped apart by the daemon's toothy membrane and the dirt road's friction. What parts of it were not coated in thick layers of ooze and dirt were now stained brown and looked ready to tear. His entire wardrobe was soaked down to the bottom of his boots. His trousers, now heavy with viscous fluid, clung to his legs, as if they were trying to suffocate them. He began to shake as the last of the adrenaline he'd gained from the chase vanished and he felt the freezing cold creep along his body.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

After a final look, the Lady Luna bent down to look the pig square in the eye.

"Now, Winston," she began. "You can't possibly expect me to believe this is right."

The pig squealed again, now sounding upset and defensive. He even began stomping his feet in what appeared to be protest.

"But it couldn't be--" she started, then cut herself off. "This higher altitude must be affecting your skills."

Winston squealed somewhat sadly now, head hanging low as he sat on the dirt road. Graham almost began to feel sorry for the poor animal. Almost.

"Oh, come now," the Lady Luna protested. "No need to mope." As she spoke, she began to search inside her robe. "While you may not have succeeded, It's the effort that counts. So if it will end your little tantrum..."

Luna pulled from her robe a small, circular biscuit of some sort. Upon seeing it, the pig began loudly squawking and...barking? Whatever sounds it was making was unlike anything Graham had heard come from a pig before. The Lady Luna tossed the odd biscuit into the air and, almost instantly, the pig leaped into the air to catch it. As it did, Graham heard Luna speak again, an odd language he'd never heard before.

"TENE!!"

The pig, still high in the air, froze in its place, biscuit caught in between his mouth. He hung there, barely a head or two above Graham, with an odd red aura surrounding him.

"Would you take a few steps back, dear," the Lady Luna asked. Graham, stupefied by what he was seeing, simply obeyed. As he stepped back, Luna placed her golden staff forward as the ruby within began to glow brightly.

"PORTIS!!"

The ruby shattered into pieces, letting out a frightening sound. Each piece surrounded the suspended pig. The pieces then began to grow and surround the pig, until it appeared to be crystalized within it. Then, the ruby shrank back down to its original size, the pig within shrinking along with it. A low hum began as the ruby returned to Luna's staff, the glow fading away.

"Apologies, dear," spoke Luna, "but he would have been insufferable on the trip back otherwise."

Graham, still trying to comprehend what he'd just seen, stood silent.

Luna continued. "Now, seeing as how your current state is somewhat my fault..." She spoke in that odd language once again.

"VAPIS ET SUMERIS!!"

Looking at his own body, he could see he was surrounded by some odd aura. The aura held a golden hue and appeared somewhat translucent.

At the farther edges of it, the aura dissipated like mist. What is this? He felt a warm sensation all across his body. Looking at himself, he could see the dirt and grime on him begin to melt away. Steam rose from his clothing as the weight of the slime soaked within vanished. The chilling cold he'd felt before gone. The tears in his clothing began to close. He felt at his back where he was sure he'd been cut by the stone road. Gone. There was nothing, not even a speck of blood left on his fingertips. Then, the aura dissipated.

"There we are. If I haven't already, I do sincerely apologize for the trouble I've caused you, young man," Luna said, as she lowered her staff.

Graham looked over his newly repaired outfit. Pulling his tunic somewhat, he could see it was now whiter than when he'd first bought it, with no sign of any seamed tears. It was as if it were brand new. His boots were dried and shone with a polish Graham would need hours to manage. He couldn't believe it.

He tried to speak. "That was...you...what?"

"Magick, dear," replied Luna, seemingly able to decipher Graham's butchered question. "A rather simple heat and healing magick, to be precise."

Then, Graham came to a realization. Magick, the crest, her clothing.

"It's you," Graham said excitedly. "You're here from the Capital! You're the Emperor's Herald."

At this, Luna took on a rather dissatisfied look. "I'm a Herald of the Emperor, yes."

"Forgive me ma'am," Graham started, "but isn't that what I said?"

Luna replied, "not at all, dear. Words and their order have meaning and there is quite a bit of difference between the two phrases." Her face then changed to a light smile. "Much like, say...the difference between 'frightened' and 'startled'."

"Ah," Graham said, sheepishly. "I understand."

"Good. Now, since you seem to have some idea of why I'm here, would you mind escorting me to meet this hero I've been sent for?"

"Oh, of cour--" Graham cut himself off, the differences in their station finally dawning on him. A highborn Capital woman walking with a lowborn woodcutter wouldn't make for a proper appearance and might even be seen as disrespectful should anyone from the capital learn of it.

"Uh, I wouldn't presume to take up any more of your time, ma'am." He gestured towards the road. "Just follow along the road. It should take you straight to the town square."

The Lady Luna spoke with a dour look. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. Here, I assumed that we were getting along rather well, but it appears that I've upset you."

"No, ma'am, " Graham tried to explain. But Luna continued.

"Oh, and after spending so long alone on this journey, to find someone with whom I feel a connection with, only to be cast away like common rubbish."

She then performed a rather dramatic turn, holding a hand up to her forehead, her back to Graham. "Oh, am I forever cursed," she continued, "to be alone? To never know love or companionship? Must I forever walk this world on my own, to never--"

"Alright, alright," Graham interjected, walking around to face her, a slight smile on his face. "I'll take you, ma'am."

Luna spoke, wiping away an absent tear. "Are you sure, dear?"

"Yes, yes. I apologize."

"Good," said Luna, who began walking towards the road, her performance finished. "Then, let's get going." Graham followed along with her to the road.

Upon reaching the road, the Lady Luna came to a halt. She stuck out her left arm in front of Graham, pointing somewhat downward. Is she telling me to wait?, he thought. After a brief pause, she spoke. "Well?"

Confused, Graham attempted to mimic the arm movement with his right arm. As he did, she then wrapped her hanging arm around his, hooking the two together. She then pulled herself closer to him, leaning against his arm, her right hand resting just above where the two arms were connected. Even through the sleeve of his tunic, he could feel the warmth of her body against his arm. With her closer now, he began to detect a faint scent coming from the Lady Luna. Foreign to him, yet so sweet and alluring. At this moment, Graham cursed himself for lacking the proper intellect to describe this enchanting scent. Were he able to, perhaps it would not haunt him so much once she was gone.

"Thank you dear," said the Lady Luna. "I've found some in these lands would think it inappropriate to walk alongside a man otherwise." She turned to look him in the eye, but he quickly looked away. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Fine," Graham quickly replied, the heat he felt on his cheeks warning him that he must not let her see the red blush upon his face.

Luna let out a knowing laugh, then continued. "Alright, then. Lead the way."