Natalia glared out at the mob in front of her. Not a single set of eyes had stayed on Alice. It wasn’t a feeling she ever thought she’d get used to. Lewin did tell her she needed to use what tools she had. She wished that made it easier. Getting to ditch that irritating cloak wasn’t the worst thing in the world though. She channeled her energy up and into her hair, causing it to glisten like fine strands of gold. Judging by the way the mob’s eyes widened, it had the desired effect.
“There’s no way…”
“Is this real?”
“An angel…”
She had to hide a wince at their whispers of reverence. None of them dared to raise their voices past a whisper. That’s how it always was. Everyone except for Lewin and the Stowaways saw her like that. She was some unapproachable, otherworldly being that they needed to get down on their knees and pray to like she’d answer them. It was nothing but an annoyance.
She took a deep breath. “None of you will lay a single hand upon the dark elf. Should any of you find issue with this, then I implore you. Step forward and make your complaints known!” she commanded, her feathers fluffing up. The silence continued to pervade the crowd. She squinted, trying to see better. She could make out a few people in the front row who narrowed their eyes, gritting their teeth. Of course they had complaints. None of them had the spine to actually voice them. They were nothing more than fools driven by hate that they had been taught to see as fact. The only reason they didn’t act on it was because she was watching. They’d go right back to a bloodthirsty mob in a moment if she turned her back and left. It never failed to disgust her.
Natalia scoffed, turning her gaze to the guard that had stopped Alice. She was clutching her spear with white knuckles, staring up at Natalia with a mix of terror and awe. Despite her shaking, she froze up when the illian turned to her. “You.”
The woman made a sort of distressed yelp. “M-M-Me?” she stammered, looking around and likely hoping that she wasn’t the one being spoken to.
“Yes, you,” Natalia took a step forward. “You caught this one stealing. If your law dictates that she will be arrested for that, then so be it. She will not argue anymore,” she glared at Alice. The statement was more for her than the guard. The dark elf gave a weak thumbs up and an awkward smile. “To ensure that no harm comes to her. I will be accompanying you on the journey there. The humans will be as well,” she explained, gesturing a wing towards Malori and Kallen, who had just managed to pierce through the crowd. Malori looked like she was about to faint when she saw what Natalia was doing. Religious folk were always significantly more irritating with their reverence of her.
The guard took another moment to process what was said, before she gave a very hasty nod. “Y-Yes ma’am! R-Right away ma’am!” She cried, turning to the crowd, “Clear the way! W-We are escorting the criminal to the guardhouse!” her voice cracked as she commanded the crowd. No one moved.
“Have you all got dirt in your ears? Do as she says!” Natalia shouted. She gave a silent thanks that no one could tell she was rolling her eyes as the crowd immediately responded. The guard gave a small nod of thanks before approaching Alice. They made sure to give Natalia a wide berth.
“Come this way,” she said shakily, taking Alice by the arm. There wasn’t a doubt in Natalia’s mind that Alice could simply run if she wanted to, or find a different way out. She felt a bit of relief when she did neither of those things, opting to listen to the guard and follow along. It made the situation much easier. Natalia looked to Kallen and Malori, then beckoned them to follow with one of her wings. There was no need to do the same for Ingrid. The lovesick fool was already hurrying after Alice like a lost puppy.
The walk to the guardhouse was agonizing. The walk to a level transfer station was only about five minutes, but the entire path was filled with people who instantly dropped what they were doing to stare at the image of a dark elf and an ‘angel’ marching through their streets. They met with their fair share of people who seemed like they were going to attack or throw something at Alice, but an angry look from Natalia and a burning radiance in her hands quickly stopped any attempt.
The guard seemed to notice this and returned the illusion mask to Alice, who put it on without a word. Natalia was almost annoyed by it. What few eyes weren’t on her were now firmly in her direction. She could feel herself forcing a perfect posture, making every step with assurance, struggling to make sure she lived up to that image of an immaculate angel gracing these people with her presence. It was strangely easier here than the impression her mothers gave. Maybe that was because when she was practicing it wasn’t with someone’s life on the line.
The group was quickly beckoned onto the back of a large wyvern that was chewing on a piece of meat the size of Malori once they arrived at the transfer station. The guard froze as Natalia approached. She quickly saw why. The seats along the beast’s back were already full. As it were, she was going to have to sit with the driver.
Just my damn luck, she scowled as she thought to herself. The guard turned to Natalia, opening her mouth to say something, but was cut off as she gave a powerful flap of her wings, launching herself into the air. The woman stared up at her, dumbfounded.
“Well? Are we going or not,” Natalia all but growled. The woman yelped again and rushed to the saddle with the driver. The wyvern took to the air, heading up to one of the middle levels as Natalia followed. Even more eyes pierced into her as everyone in the chasm bore witness to the surreal sight of a winged woman following a wyvern to its destination. She gritted her teeth. All she had to do was bear it. They were likely going to be inside soon.
It was difficult to keep her eyes straight ahead. She waited for the wyvern to pass so she at least had something to focus on and help ignore that urge to look around. The only thing worse than their stares was having to actually meet their gaze. Somehow, staring at a wyvern’s ass was better, despite having to fight off a wince any time Malori looked back at her.
They flew up another two, three, then four levels before finally turning to another large stone platform for the wyvern to land on. Despite her irritation with Malori, she was likely going to require her healing on her teeth considering how hard she grit them in response to the gasps of shock that came from her landing on the platform and folding back her wings. She scanned the new crowd, their already blurry faces plastered with surprise as they backed further away, making it even harder to make them out. At least this group seemed significantly smaller than the previous.
The guard hurried off the wyvern, encouraging the rest of Natalia’s group to follow suit. Another silver lining was that these people didn’t need to be shouted at to clear a path, making the walk much faster. From as close as they were, Natalia could make out the finer details of jewelry, fine robes, and haughty faces interspersed far more frequently than there had been in the crowd of what seemed to be predominantly lower and middle class individuals on the prior levels. Did this city arrange its wealth via how high up in the mountain its people were? The thought baffled her. She had had her eyes closed in the lower levels, but the smell of disease and the sounds of begging and poverty were more than apparent.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the guard stopped before a polished stone structure that extended back into the side of the mountain. Above the door was an insignia of an axe, a spear, and a sword crossed in front of a shield. Three newly terrified guards in chainmail and cloth armor stood rigid in front of the double doors, staring directly at Natalia.
“W-We’re here,” their guide said nervously, looking back.
“Again, are we going to go inside or not? I haven’t got all day,” she growled.
The guards all quickly nodded, two of them opening the doors as the third, another human man, joined their escort inside. The five outsiders were paraded through an entryway with four statues of people Natalia didn’t recognize or care about in the corners of the room. Another four guards inside almost fell over as she had to tuck her wings in further to get through the door.
The woman who had led them in looked to the other guards, clearing her throat. “Um, please stay here with them. I need to get the captain. Is he in?”
None of the guards said anything, too focused on staring at Natalia. One did manage to point further inside. The woman rushed off, leaving the quintet alone with the five guards. Natalia crossed her arms, looking over at Kallen. She didn’t seem all that disturbed by any of the events that happened, simply standing there humming to herself as she fiddled with her bandages. No one had even moved to confiscate the glaive strapped to her back. Ever since they had met, Natalia had been trying to see if anything could entice any sort of reaction other than unsettling positivity from the human, but to no avail.
It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. She had no idea why Alice hated her so much, but Natalia felt neutral towards her company. She was incredibly handy in a fight, and that was when she was heavily injured. There was no doubt in Natalia’s mind that she’d be able to make good use of the woman provided Alice didn’t push her away, but she didn’t think Kallen even noticed the dark elf’s attempts. It was ever so slightly amusing.
She glanced back at the guards. Still staring at her. “Do none of you have anything better to do?” she snapped, allowing just a tiny bit of her annoyance to come out. They practically jumped at her voice before scrambling to find something to do, the surprise making them forget that they had been asked to watch them. Natalia rolled her eyes.
Not long after, the guard that had caught them returned to the room. The other guards breathed the sigh of relief that Natalia desperately wanted to upon seeing the end of the awkward silence. Her attention was drawn to the man following the guard. He had short black hair, and skin roughly the same shade as hers. He wore expensive looking plate armor with the symbol from above the door emblazoned on the chest. His eyes went wide as they met Natalia’s, like he hadn’t expected her to actually be there. She crossed her arms in annoyance and looked away.
The man cautiously approached the group, looking them over one by one. He broke the silence after what felt like far too long for Natalia’s liking. “My name is Captain Theo,” he said hesitantly, like he wasn’t sure how to speak to them, “It has come to my attention that one of your group was caught stealing near the entrance of the city?”
Natalia scoffed. What kind of stupid opening was that? Shouldn't he have demanded to know what they had done, rather than asking like when one of her siblings told her mothers that she had stolen a cookie without asking?
Theo seemed to notice her displeasure, clearing his throat. “Ahem, Soldier, have a letter drafted and sent to the capital. I’m sure the King would like to know about a celestial being in our midst as soon as possible,” one of the guards nodded, giving a sharp salute before rushing off. “And you. You said that there was another matter you wanted to bring to my attention about them?”
The woman who had led them there nodded, stepping forward. “You there, Ponytail. Take off the mask,” she commanded. It would have been more assertive were she not periodically casting sideways glances at Natalia.
Alice rolled her eyes, reaching up to her face. Theo seemed confused, but didn’t say anything. Gripping her cheeks, Alice pulled her hand away, her form and skin rippling as the illusion faded. Almost immediately, the other guards present drew their weapons and pointed them directly at her. She tossed Ingrid the mask and held her hands up.
“Look I’m not armed or anything,” she lied. Any one of their group could tell them that she kept at least three knives on her at all times. “I needed money for a gods damned inn. I don’t even mind gettin arrested, I’m pissed at the gaggle of assholes out there that tried to throw me off the bridge.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Theo managed to have a much more subdued reaction than his subordinates, but if Natalia could catch the way his hand had shot towards his mace before stopping, Alice had definitely noticed it. He waved the guards in closer, making sure they kept the group surrounded.
“I must say, I find it hard to put my finger on which is more surprising to find in my city; the angel, or the subterranean elf,” his previously silvery tone had lowered into a much more authoritative one. Even if he was going to be a piece of trash, at least he was a piece of trash that could act the part. Once he was reminded, of course. “Tell me, why are you this far west? Why are you on the surface at all?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was the food and the stunning view?” she asked sarcastically.
His eyes narrowed. “I will not be having any of your jokes. Answer my questions and I might just put you in a cell rather than throwing you back outside for the citizens to deal with.”
“Is that how your little gathering of morons dispenses justice in this city? Take anyone who gives you a little sass and toss them to their death?” Natalia spat. Another wave of disappointment shot through her as the man almost jumped. She wondered if he had somehow forgotten she was there. “You’re awfully well dressed for normal city guards. Deciding to flaunt that power around are we?”
As the guards began to shy away, Ingrid rushed forward and stood in front of Natalia. “Allow me to apologize for my rude companions. We were pressed for options and my friend here attempted to take money from those who looked like they had it,” she said quickly. Natalia stared down at her, bewildered. Nevertheless, she continued. “This is merely an explanation, not an excuse. I am afraid I am unaware of the specific laws and customs of this city, but I believe it is important that threats or intimidation are not used by either side. Natalia, apologize for your rudeness. Alice, dear, please cooperate with them.”
Everyone present was too dumbfounded to speak. Ingrid hadn’t said a word thus far, but it was undeniable that the guards seemed to ease up a little bit at her statement. Natalia looked away, slightly embarrassed that she had to be reigned in like that. She could see Alice blushing and rubbing the back of her neck as well.
“I apologize for my comments,” Natalia grumbled. She didn’t want to say anything else lest she embarrass herself further.
“Uh, yeah, me too,” Alice admitted, “Actual answer, we’re travelers. We’re low on supplies and money, and… I might have been trying to use some talents that I shoulda left behind. I dunno what happens now aside from the usual, I’ve never been to this city, but I really would like to keep my feet on the ground.”
Theo nodded. There was still surprise apparent on his face from everything that had happened, but he seemed much more calm. He cleared his throat once more. “Well, Anastasia here fetched me because this was an irregular case. Normally, she would have simply tossed you in a holding cell and been done with it. I still must ask, why have you come to the surface? You seem different to other subterraneans, and this one seems to keep you in check.”
Alice winced at the statement. It was easy to tell she was using all of her self control to keep from making another less than friendly remark. Natalia wished she had actually talked to the group about a cover story for if Alice was caught. The knowledge that dark elves in Amalthea had been forced underground was far from common in Cordelia. It was hard to tell if Alice had known that prior, or was just trying her best to play off her lack of information. Her poker face was admirable. Ingrid and Malori certainly seemed caught off guard by it. It wasn’t all that surprising, those two were beyond sheltered.
“I’m from Undertow. Didn’t like it there, so I dipped. Came to the surface and lived a fake life for a while, met a girl, we started traveling,” she said plainly. “I’m not lookin for any trouble. I had that mask on for a reason.”
Natalia raised an eyebrow. Knowing about the underground was one thing, but directly stating the name of a settlement was a step further. She made a mental note to question the woman about that later. For now there were more important things to deal with.
“Your presence above ground is in direct violation of the Karolos Accords,” Theo stated. “I take it you know what that means?”
Alice stared at the ground. “I was never the one who signed that stupid treaty. I wasn’t even involved in any of that,” she murmured.
Ingrid furrowed her brow, taking Alice’s hand in both of hers. There was that look again that she’d been making at the dark elf since she met the two of them. She rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time. Maybe it was a habit built on the fact that people couldn’t tell she was doing it. Regardless, those two were so head over heels for each other it reminded her of her mothers. Being reminded of what she had lost irritated her.
“Your ancestors did, after slaughtering mine,” he growled, “You people did this to yourselves. Don’t complain about your own consequences. By the terms of the treaty, any subterraneans that infiltrate the surface forfeit their life–”
“No!” Ingrid cried, silencing the room. Even Theo looked a bit surprised at the shriek of dismay. The druid quickly froze up, pressing herself close to Alice. “P-Please, she hasn’t done anything wrong! Other than the pickpocketing, but that’s a minor offense! Isn’t execution too much for this? I’ve been with her for years, and she’s been nothing but a blessing in my life!”
A small blush formed on Alice’s cheeks as she stared down at Ingrid. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her, pressing her mouth to the top of her head in a kiss.
Theo raised an eyebrow as the realization dawned on him. “You did not let me finish, but I understand why you would assume execution. The common folk tend not to concern themselves with the specifics of the Accords I suppose,” he sighed in irritation. “She forfeits her life for the crown to do as they see fit. They may be put to labor, or in the rarest of cases, set free with a writ of pseudo-citizenship. You are right in a sense, however. By far the most common is that they are simply executed. Even those with the writ are often hermits if they want to live any modicum of a peaceful life. I would like to keep it that way. My city will not be stained by her kind.”
Natalia’s grip on her own crossed arms tightened, her teeth gritting behind closed lips. It would be so easy for her to kill every guard in this room. Theo likely didn’t have nearly the ability to take a hit as Berith did. In nothing more than a few seconds, they could be nothing more than blast shadows. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a breath. Doing that would endanger her allies, and as much as she hated it, they were exceedingly useful. She doubted they’d be willing to work with her after that either.
Ingrid’s desperate eyes continued to scan the face of Theo, clearly hoping that this was some horribly insensitive joke. Such hopes were dashed almost as soon as they arose. “What’s going to happen to her…”
“That is for the crown to decide,” he stated. “You will be held here until a royal escort arrives, wherein the dark elf and the angel will be taken to the King so that she may determine what to do with one, while questioning the latter of her purpose in our country. Do I make myself clear?”
“...Yes,” Ingrid muttered quietly.
“Good. Guards, show those two to their cell. The humans and the angel will be held under watch, but take them to an inn on one of the upper levels. A guest from Celestia will be treated with the utmost respect. Anything they request, provide it, but keep it within reason. If they ask for something clearly suspicious then you have permission to deny it.”
The guards saluted, two of them marching forward to grab Ingrid and Alice. The pair were grabbed and torn apart, Ingrid yelping from the force as Alice reached out to her.
“Oi! Don’t fuckin touch her like that!” Alice shouted, struggling against the guard even as a second one came to restrain her.
Natalia gritted her teeth as one more guard approached her, Malori, and Kallen. The way he gave a polite bow and gestured to follow him even as the other two were struggling hit her like that kick from Berith. Enough was enough. She spread her wings out and raised them up, their shadows catching the attention of the guards as her eyes blazed with a radiant fire.
“Get your hands off of them!” she boomed. Even Theo took a step back at the volume of the command. “Did you forget that they’re also members of my group?”
Theo caught himself before he completely faltered, but the group noticed his hesitation. “I-I’m sorry, your grace, but we do have customs and laws for dealing with her kind–”
“Are you going to challenge the word of an angel?” she growled, looking down at him. “Shall I return to Celestia and inform my superiors that your customs include separating the envoy of an angel with her lover to be thrown in a cell? Tell me, boy,” she leaned in close enough that she could see the sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes wide with poorly hidden fear. “What god do you pray to? Do you think that they will help you?”
Theo stumbled over his words for a moment, trying and failing to not show his trepidation. Clearing his throat, he turned to the guards grappling Alice. “They… Will go with the angel,” he relented, grimacing. “However, double the guards, and make sure that they do not leave their rooms. Should something force you to remove them, make sure that one wears her mask. I will not be starting a panic with her presence,” he looked back at Natalia, a mix of anxiety and irritation on his face. “Does this arrangement suffice, your grace?”
Natalia allowed herself a small smile as she withdrew her wings. “Yes, I believe it does. Thank you for your cooperation, Captain.”
He grimaced, then motioned for the guards to escort the group out of the building. Natalia managed to pick up a few mumbled comments as Theo and one of the guards left.
“How in the world did a subterranean worm her way into an angel’s retinue?”
“I don’t have a clue. I do know that it makes her the luckiest of her kind. I’m more disgusted by that elf. Taking one as a lover…”
Their already quiet voices trailed off as the two groups moved away from each other. Natalia gritted her teeth. Just who did they think they were making comments like that without even knowing who Alice was? Her mind screamed at her to go back and reprimand them, but she had already been pushing her luck. She didn’t need to blow everything at the last moment. All she had to do was keep quiet and play the part. Repeating that phrase in her head would probably be the only thing keeping her sane for the walk that felt far too long.
Alice didn’t even know where to begin processing everything. She was used to things being fast, but there was a limit to that. The past forty minutes were completely absurd. She was pickpocketing, then she was caught, then was furious at Ingrid for getting her caught, then she tried to talk out of it, then her mask came off, people tried to kill her, Natalia stepped up, okay too much.
She walked over to the bed and face planted down on it, finding the lack of oxygen a little relaxing. She needed relaxing. Everything about this place was so gaudy it made her want to puke. Apparently the city wanted ‘nothing but the best’ for their supposed celestial guest, and they were taken even further up the mountain until they were surrounded by people so rich even Ingrid seemed out of place. They were escorted to a suite where everyone had their own room, complete with windows overlooking the chasm. The suite had a fine mahogany table and velvet furniture, with hand-spun rugs that probably cost more than she did. Being in a place like this for a reason other than to kill someone she had a contract on felt unnatural to her.
She rolled over, groaning as she stared up at the ceiling. There were questions that needed to be asked, and who knew how long she was going to be cooped up in this stupid suite. Making mental notes of everything it looked like she could probably steal at some point to trade for Amalthean coin, she exited the room. The suite’s rooms were all lined up along a hallway to give them all a nice view, while the hallway itself led to a bathroom that Ingrid and Malori were currently exploring. At least Ingrid was getting excited at the idea of a hot bath. Even if the stunt with the pickpocketing was annoying, she deserved something good. It’s not like she knew better after all.
The room closest to the small common area was the one she was looking for. After all, it was the one Natalia immediately stomped towards and slammed the door shut. She cast a quick glance over to the common area where Kallen was sifting through an icebox, excitedly looking for food. At least that meant she could have this talk alone. She knocked on the door. At first, there was no answer, but after thirty seconds or so there was a long groan.
“What do you want?” grumbled Natalia from inside. It seemed she had a similar reaction to events that Alice did.
Alice opened the door, making sure no one was near as she entered. Natalia was laying on her side on the bed, her wings extended out on the bed behind her. She pushed herself up at the sound of the door closing, one of her wings twitching as she tucked them back in. Alice raised an eyebrow. She never considered how much of a hassle trying to maneuver wings around would be.
“Well?”
She was pulled out of her thoughts. Maybe Ingrid was rubbing off on her. “Mind if I ask another question?”
Natalia was silent for a moment, like she was weighing the options. “What is it?”
“Oh? Not gonna ask for anything in exchange this time?”
“I’m tired. Ask your damn question,” she growled.
Now that she was here, Alice was beginning to realize how much harder of a question to ask it was than what she had initially thought. A part of her wondered if she should be down on her knees thanking the woman. She had saved her life, kept her out of a cell, and more importantly, kept Ingrid out of a cell.
“Why’d you go and do that?”
“Do what.”
“You know damn well what I’m talkin about,” Alice rolled her eyes.
Natalia didn’t look at her, instead opting to stare at the ground between her feet.
“I guess I can understand trying to keep me from getting murdered, but why step up to the Captain? Why waste that tryin to keep Ingrid and I together?”
Natalia visibly tensed. Alice furrowed her brow, trying to get a gauge on her reaction. She hadn’t really known the illian long enough to know her mannerisms all that well. The way she bit her lip did indicate that there was a lot going on behind those eyes.
“Tools are of no use to me broken or dead,” she said quietly, looking away. “Now get out. That’s what I want in return.”
Alice sighed. It was a fair trade. She looked back at the woman one more time before finally leaving. Maybe she didn’t know her mannerisms, but she’d told enough lies to know when she heard one. She wondered if she’d ever get an actual answer.