“This is a simple ask,” Iris pleaded with Sentarus with a warm smile.

Sentarus continued examining Eir with stern eyes before letting out a sigh. “Come on,” he voiced while turning to the staircase. Iris followed closely behind while Eir trailed, feeling her heart pounding in her ears. She wanted to run, to tell Iris to run, and yet she found no strength to.

Eir felt concern and fear, following the two Kaiyumae to the upper level and Sentarus guided them into a windowless room with dark stained wooden chairs and doors lit by soft candlelight. Eir and Iris took seats at the long table while Sentarus closed the door behind them and locked it.

“If this is so simple, then drop the pretence,” Sentarus ordered, his tone less cordial and more stern. “This has something to do with that girl with you who is too nervous to say her own name.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Iris commented while laughing nervously.

“Cut the crap,” Sentarus ordered, his tone getting darker while walking over to the table, keeping an eye on Eir while remaining standing. “I already know what’s going on, so I’ll give you just this once to tell me the truth.”

Iris’s laughter slowly faded before she cleared her throat and collected herself. “This is Eir, a valkyrie from Templarius.”

“The valkyrie that destroyed Nageki,” Sentarus growled while his hands reached for an ornate, golden sword resting on one of the bookshelves. “Thank you for bringing the criminal to me, Iris.”

Iris felt a gasp escape her lips. “Wait! I want to help her, that’s all!”

Sentarus’s eyes narrowed as he gripped the sword tight in his hand. “Oh, I’ll help her alright,” he growled as his stare grew more intense.

Eir swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to gather the confidence to speak. “Moviron, plea–”

“That’s enough from you!” Sentarus’s voice rang out like a war trumpet.

Iris caught on and channelled her strength as she watched time around her freeze as grey lightning filled her vision. As she got up, she saw that despite everything else, Sentarus was still moving, slowly drawing his sword despite the frozen time around her.

Iris gritted her teeth and ran forward as the frozen Eir watched and the slow Sentarus fully unsheathed his sword. Iris reached out and grabbed the sword by the hilt and the king’s forearm, pushing it to the side. Confident, Iris released her power and time resumed as thunder filled the room and she fell to the floor. Iris felt a cut on her arm as Sentarus’s sword came down and struck the table, cleaving a chunk out of it.

Sentarus looked towards Iris with anger in his eyes as he gritted his teeth, looking towards the traitorous Iris. “What the hell are you thinking?” he growled while lifting his sword back up and squaring up against Iris. “She destroyed your home and you want to protect her? Just how much did Arylos mess with your head?”

“She’s unarmed and mortal!” Iris called out, quickly jumping back up to her feet. “She’s powerless now, not a threat.”

“She still must pay for what she has done,” Sentarus growled while turning his glare back to Eir. “Mortal or not, she killed hundreds of my people without provocation.”

“They were my people too!” Iris shouted, gathering white and blue flames around her. “Just hear me out, okay? It doesn’t have to end this way.”

“There is only one way this ends,” Sentarus returned while lifting his sword.

“Eir, run!” Iris shouted while jumping in front of Sentarus, gathering lightning and flames around her.

Eir felt her legs gain strength once more as she leapt up and made for the door. Sentarus turned his gaze to her before she could get too far and reached into his robe and took out a set of small engraved stones and crushed them in his hand. Before Iris could react, the crushed stones released a sphere of purple and blue lightning that Sentarus threw towards Eir and bathed her body in purple lightning, sending her to the floor groaning in pain.

“You bastard!” Iris called out, channelling her flames into her fist and lunging herself towards Sentarus and prepared to strike him in the face, but was blocked by the back of his sword and he sent a punch into her stomach. The pain sent Iris to the floor, clutching at her abdomen as her flames faded away.

Sentarus growled and Iris could see a silver light flash in his eyes as he turned away and walked towards the paralyzed valkyrie, turning his sword over and preparing to finish the job.

Iris felt anger come over her; a putrid anger that made her more sick to her stomach than Sentarus’s punch. She didn’t want to defend Eir, but killing her like this was not what she wanted. Iris took a deep breath as she slowly rose to her feet, trying to get her stomach to stop convulsing.

“You’re not Kaiyumian,” she whispered in disgust.

Sentarus froze in his step, his blood boiling from Iris’s statement. “What did you just say?” he growled as he slowly turned towards Iris.

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“You heard me,” Iris returned while gritting her teeth.

Sentarus let out a deep and inhuman growl as he quickly turned back towards Iris, sword raised and ready. The silver light in his eyes grew brighter as he approached Iris.

“You’re not Kaiyumian,” Iris repeated, warranting another inhuman growl from Sentarus. “You’re a monster who doesn’t care about us. You say we are your first priority, but you don’t care if that means killing innocent people like Arylos.”

Sentarus growled deeper, letting out an inhuman roar as he reached into his robe and pulled out more engraved stones, crushing them in his hand and bathing his hand in a silver light that ran along his blade. The sword hummed, welcoming the power running through it as Sentarus walked closer.

Iris welcomed the challenge, summoning her white and blue flames to bathe her. “How could someone like Arylos be a monster to me when you’re here? You’re not human, and if I have to kill you to prove my point, I will.”

Sentarus howled in a high-pitched screech as the cloak of his robe rose up and took the shape of two beautiful blue and gold feathered wings lined with scrolls and tattoos of foreign runes in glowing gold ink. The irises of his eyes were replaced entirely by solid disks of glowing silver that nearly blinded Iris as she watched the king lift his sword high.

Iris took a breath, preparing for Sentarus to strike. “You don’t belong here you monster!” she howled, embracing her fate as her flames burned hot and bright and her hair ran silver and her eyes shone with a brilliant cerulean glow.

Sentarus’s high-pitched roar deafened Iris as he brought his sword down, the blade’s edge casting out lightning as it sliced through the air. Iris prepared herself to move out of the way at the last moment to strike Sentarus. Yet his sword missed her, cutting off strands of her hair and the ribbon in her hair as the sword struck the floor in a loud thud. The force of the strike worked up a gust that knocked the books off of their shelves.

Sentarus watched the girl with her loose and flowing silver hair, blinded by the blue glow in her eyes. He felt his breath and strength fade as he recognised the girl standing before him. A bloodline long thought dead; a family he had only heard about in rumour.

Helion’s incarnate still lives.

Iris watched the gasping king as his wings faded away and returned to the cloak on his back and the silver in his eyes fading away. Iris didn’t know what to make of the situation as her instincts told her that something was wrong, but she just couldn’t place what.

Sentarus lifted his sword and returned it to his sheath while taking a deep breath. He slowly turned and went to the injured Eir and knelt down next to her. Iris felt her anger return and she drew on her flames.

“Enough,” Sentarus spoke in a clear and soft voice. “I will not injure her; I am treating her wounds.”

“And why would you do that?” Iris asked accusingly.

Sentarus reached into his robe and pulled out two small stones and crushed them as a green light poured from his hand. “Because you were right,” Sentarus answered as he rested his glowing hand on Eir, bathing her in the same green light. Iris watched in confusion and anticipation as the light intensified and faded away, leaving Eir gasping for air in relieved breaths.

“You’re injured too; let me help you,” Sentarus said calmly, rising to his feet and turning towards Iris.

“I’ll be fine,” Iris scoffed, releasing her flames from her control and her hair and eyes returned to their normal brown.

“I insist,” Sentarus whispered as he approached her while taking out two similar stones. “You are injured on my account.”

Iris felt a familiarity in his voice as he crushed the stones, releasing the familiar green light. He rested his glowing hand on Iris’s shoulder and she could feel relief come to her; fresh and cool like spearmint that was rushing through her body and her bruised stomach. Within a few seconds, the light faded and she felt refreshed.

“Why are you doing this?” Eir asked as she slowly rose to her feet.

“Because I was wrong,” Sentarus returned while turning to the side of the room so he could look at both women. “I’m sorry for how I acted; that was not fair of me and I should have not let my personal emotions get in the way of my responsibilities.”

“And what responsibilities are those?” Iris asked in an accusing voice once more.

Sentarus turned and set the sword back on the shelf he got it from. “The safety and protection of my people,” he answered in a soft voice. “Eir is no longer a Templarian, but a refugee of a Templarian conflict trapped on my world. As of now, Odin has declared her dead and so Templarius will not recognise her anymore. That makes you a refugee here, or a prisoner of war if Iris wants to believe it her way.”

“So I can’t go home?” Eir asked softly.

Sentarus shook his head before turning to face her. “Doing so would only make things worse right now. At best, you’ll be a refugee there too. At worse, you’ll be homeless and unable to find refuge in any of the High Houses.”

“Then let her stay here,” Iris cut in. “I’ll vouch for her to do work and find a place to live.”

“You and Arylos already strain my relationship with Templarius,” Sentarus responded in a stern tone to correct Iris. “To maintain your refugee status, I cannot extend help to Eir.”

Iris thought about the situation for the moment. “And why is it so difficult for you?”

Sentarus sighed while shaking his head. “Because my allegiances are conflicted, Iris.”

Iris crossed her arms, tired of the half truths. “Then what can you do?”

Sentarus cast his gaze over to Eir, coming to a decision in his head. “Eir Hlangrior, Templarian of the house of Asgard. I cannot grant you refugee status within my walls, but I can grant you residency as a citizen. Should you accept it, Sentoraya will remain your city to live in as one of her citizens.”

“And why would you do that after attacking her?” Iris scoffed.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Sentarus returned while clenching his fist.

Eir rubbed her arms, trying to contain her wild emotions. “I have nowhere to go,” she confessed softly. “I’ve been homeless for the time I’ve been here and only stayed with Arylos and Iris since last night when they helped me.”

“I want to recommend her to my line of work,” Iris cut in, trying to take charge of the situation.

Sentarus shook his head. “If you believe so, she will need permission from Bellona. If Bellona decides that Eir can serve the watch, then so be it.”

Iris felt a weight off of her shoulders, even if it meant another doubt clouded her mind. She did agree though; Bellona is in a similar condition and is likely the best to help Eir at this point.

It was a hard won and scary victory, even if small and only leads to more confusion.