Laura looked at Thera, confused. “But I- you-didn’t you want-?” Laura had spent a whole year keeping Thera's secret-a hard thing for any seven year old to do. She had been cajoled, bribed, threatened, and hidden away for an entire year just for holding back the words: "Thera is the real genius of geniuses."
For Thera to just go ahead and say such a thing, Laura felt quite bewildered.
Thera smiled at Laura. "It must have been hard, right?" At those words, Laura's eyes began to tear up and she nodded, wiping the tears that wouldn't seem to stop away her eyes.
"It was hard! I couldn't meet mama or papa. I couldn't walk outside without having my head covered. I even had to give up sleeping in a bed for a long time. Bu-but...after all my hard work...why did you go ahead and say it now, after all my hard work!?" Laura complained, distraught.
“Rather than force you to betray my trust, it’s better that I reveal the fact, myself, isn’t it?” Thera said. “I can tell that Master Thales isn’t a bad man, and he treats you well, despite the complaints I read in your letters.”
Master Thales raised an eyebrow glancing at Laura. "Complaints?" Laura laughed sheepishly as she looked away, guiltily.
"...I see. It looks like I need to increase the amount of training every day." Master Thales smiled. Laura cried out "No way!" Falling to her knees in despair.
Thera smiled. From what she learned from Laura, Master Thales only ever increased the amount of work she had to do. But she failed to see that it was done incrementally and regularly. Even if Laura had been a perfect gem, the training would have increased. It was Laura's fault that he almost always had something to find fault for with her, though.
"Also, didn't you hear Master Thales? There are large groups of super strong people interested in me. If they should even flick a finger, they can kill me like that. They only want me for my potential. They couldn't care less about what I want to do or become. To live a life as a tool of such a person, do you think I could ever be happy?"
Laura shook her head. "No, but couldn't the king send some of his guards to protect you?"
"Then who would the king have to protect him?" Thera asked. "I may be a genius, but I'm still just a lesser noble. Even if they send all the guards to surround me, it might still not be enough. If all of the strong people co-operate against the king's guards, they'd be destroyed alongside me being kidnapped or killed. Even if--even if Papa were to fight all of them at once, can an Orange class beat a whole group of Black class martial practitioners?"
Thera's face wrinkled up as she fought the urge to cry. She didn't want her family to live like that, always on the run, or defending themselves. But how can you run from someone who is much faster than you? How can you defend from those who are much stronger than you. That could only be a losing battle.
She didn't want to reveal her identity, but she didn't want to lose the people she had come to love even more than that. Given the short amount of time left to make a decision, she didn't have any other choices.
"I'm sorry Thera! It's all my fault! I was the one who said that last year at the ceremony." Laura apologized, a bitter taste in her mouth.
Thera smiled wryly. "No, Laura. If you hadn't done so, then they'd have probably gone after you to kill you, instead. If you had been the only genius, then they would have had a straight line to just killing you outright. It seems my existence has saved you on more than one occasion now. I doubt that even Master Thales could hold his own against an entire group of Black Class martial Practitioners AND keep you safe."
"...Is that...so?" Laura turned to Master Thales, who nodded absentmindedly in acknowledgement at Thera's wisdom that seemed far beyond her years.
Thera turned towards Master Thales, who was surprised when he saw such a depth of understanding, but he did his best to hide it. “So, I’ll say it again: I am the prodigy that she speaks of.”
Thales sighed. “I had suspected as much. Do you mind if I confirm it?” He asked as he drew out a testing plate. This was not the testing plate for children, but for Martial Practitioners, and therefore could handle testing all up to Orange Class.
Thera nodded and placed her hand on the plate. It shone a brilliant blue, which caused him to be very surprised, and Laura to stare openmouthed.
“Fourth-rank Blue class!” He exclaimed. “WHAT?” Laura squeaked. Thera sighed. “Yep. I had another breakthrough last week. And here I was hoping to catch up to the corresponding ranking in magic…”
Master Thales dropped his jaw, and the testing plate, and grabbed her shoulders with both hands. “ WHAT!? You know magic too?! What rank?” He almost shook her in his excitement.
“Second rank, Apprentice class.” Thera responded. She was much calmer than Master Thales was, but her face wore a frustrated expression when she added “The darned thing is taking forever to break through!”
Thales stepped back and put his hand over his face, moaning. Then he began chuckling, which then changed to laughter.
“A martial practitioner AND a magician? Prodigy among prodigies indeed! I should have known.”
He looked down at Thera, a bemused expression on his face. “You were lucky enough to get so far into the Apprentice class. Most magicians are stuck at the first level unless they find a master willing to give them guidance. Why didn’t you ask your mother about this?”
Thera glanced over at Laura, who shook her head.
“Well, the thing is…no one except Laura knew that I was practicing. Mother and Father don’t have a clue right now. Papa was away for five years, and mama was always busy, and even if I told her, she didn't really believe me, because of my age and all…I just never found the right time to show them…”
“And so you kept it from them.” He finished. “Very well, then. Let’s go tell them now.”
“What?!” Thera asked, fidgeting. “Why so soon? Isn’t everyone still asleep?”
“Not since you place your hands on this plate, no. They’re all standing out in the garden.” He said. “And looking very confused, I might add.”
Thera realized what had happened immediately and narrowed her eyes, examining his face. “You planned for this to happen.” She finally stated.
He inclined his head. “Well, I expected no less from the household of Rose Manor is all. Sir Maverick is an old friend of mine.”
Thera sighed. There was no time left to waste at this point. It was time to reveal her secret. Otherwise, when would she ever find the time to come out and tell them the truth?
----------------
As she came out of the structure, she waved awkwardly at everyone.
"H-hello everyone. Did you have a nice sleep?" Thera asked, then mentally kicked herself for asking a stupid question. If they were having a nice sleep, they would still be sleeping at this point, not standing outside in the garden.
“Thera? Master Thales what is this?” Sir Maverick finally asked, looking confused. "I don't think we had any night training scheduled for the time being?"
Thales shrugged.“It was nothing much. I simply gave her her birthday present. Perhaps you would like to tell them?” He asked Thera pointedly.
She laughed nervously. “Um---, for my birthday present, Master Thales measured my martial spirit capacity and, well…It seems I’m fourth rank Blue class…” She said sheepishly.
Everyone froze still as statues.
“Fourth rank, Blue class?” Sir Maverick mouthed. “FOURTH RANK BLUE CLASS?!” he then exclaimed, as if he had awoken to find everyone walking on their hands instead of their feet.
“And, Mother, sorry for keeping this from you, but I’ve also been studying magic…I’m stuck at second rank apprentice class, though.” She hurriedly added on at the end.
“WHAT!?” She almost fell over with the news. Thera was talented in both magic and martial arts? Shocked though she was, she recovered three times quicker than Sir Maverick. “Then, am I to assume that you’re the Prodigy of prodigies that Laura was boasting about?”
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“Aheheheh…it does seem to be the case.” Thera answered.
Master Thales then bowed his head to Thera’s parents. “Please excuse me, I am sure this is all very sudden. But, as I’m sure you know, there are many powerful people interested in acquiring your talented daughter’s power for themselves, or in killing her before she becomes a threat to them. I am here on orders from the king to take her away to a safe place, until she becomes strong enough to hold her own against such people.”
Sir Maverick trembled, jolted out of his reverie, as he rushed over and grabbed Thera, lifting her off the ground possessively.
"NO! You don't have to go anywhere, Thera! I'll protect you from all of them! They won't lay a single finger on you!"
Helen put a hand on Sir Maverick's shoulder. "Dear..."
"Papa-" Thera began, but was immediately cut off by Sir Maverick's frenzied possessive rant.
"No matter if we're surrounded in a sea of practitioners, they won't be able to touch a hair on your head!"
"Dear." Helen repeated.
Papa-" Thera tried again, but was again cut off.
"You're my daughter! You can't leave! You just can't!"
"DEAR!" Helen shouted in his ear.
"What is it? You agree too, right Helen?" Sir Maverick looked at her for confirmation, ignoring the ringing sound in his ears.
"Papa." A small voice came from the child that his strong arms were squishing uncomfortably close to him. He looked at her, listening to what she would say.
I've decided to go with Master Thales." Thera stated.
"WHAT! NO! WHY!? Do you hate me? Is it because he's got Laura? Is it because he's stronger than I am?" Sir Maverick strongly disagreed. "NO, you're staying here with me! I'm your Papa. I make the rules!" He hugged her tighter.
While Thera appreciated his affection, it was getting harder and harder to breath. Thera steeled herself, and slapped his face with both her hands. "Get a grip, papa! Listen to what I have to say!" She declared loudly.
Sir Maverick stared at her, shocked that she would strike at him.
"I don't want to leave! But, if I'm selfish here, if I stay here, everyone will be in danger! Even if I'm apart from you, I will always be your daughter. But I don't want my first time leaving here to happen over your dead body. I don't want to see papa being beat up and killed by people stronger than you because of me. If I leave, then I'll be sad. But you'll still be alive, which means I can see you when I get back! But if I don't go. If I stay...then Mama...and Papa...and Martha, and Rachel, and James...you'll all die!" Thera's chin quivered, as tears finally began to fall.
"T-then! We'll all go with you!" Sir Maverick stammered. "There's no need for you to go alone!"
Thera shook her head. "If we all disappear at once, then they'll know something is up. And if there are more people, then we'll be found much quicker. If you stay behind, then at least you can misdirect them away from me...*sniff*"
She wiped away the tears that had made her sight blurry before continuing.
"I need to go far away from where they might reach me, possibly even outside the kingdom. Can you leave your country? Can you abandon your duty to the king? My super cool, amazing papa is a wonderful knight that will defend the king against all his foes! A knight that would abandon his duty...IS NOT MY PAPA!"
Sir Maverick's eyes opened wide. Then he gripped his hand into a fist, and punched himself in the face.
"You're right, Thera. Papa just wasn't himself right now..." Sir Maverick said, struggling with his words. "We will all miss you very much...but...Papa will miss you the most." He hugged her to himself, struggling not to cry.
"I know. Because I will miss you, and mama, and everyone here very much, as well." Thera replied allowing him to hug her tightly as long as he could.
Master Thales looked at the rising moon. "We'll need to leave now, while we still have the cover of darkness."
Sir Maverick drew in a sharp, painful breath of air. “So soon?”
Master Thales sighed and whispered something into Sir Maverick’s ear.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be perfectly safe where I am taking her.” Thales continued.
“Can we visit? When will we see her again?” Helen asked.
“I don’t know. It could be as few as five years, or as long as ten. It depends upon her talents, and also upon the persistence of her pursuers.” Thales answered.
“What I can tell you is this: you need to protect her from behind. Spread the story that you are sending her away to your sister, or some distant relatives for some reason: health, education, deepening family ties, I don’t know, pick something convincing and stick with it. We need to leave tonight before the advance parties arrive, or we won’t be able to leave at all.”
“Advance parties?” Thera asked, surprised. "Will Papa be all right?"
“Never you mind.” Sir Maverick said. " With Mama by my side, no matter where we are, I'll be okay. Papa won't die before you come back. This I promise." Right now he was serious, his face both tense and alert. “Martha, pack her things, quickly. We need to get her out as soon as possible.”
“Ah, *sniff* use this!” Thera gave Martha her bottomless bag. “Just stuff everything in there, I’ll sort it out later.”
With that, the household scattered: Ruth to the kitchen to prepare food rations for the journey, Martha to Thera’s bedroom to pack her belongings, Nessa Rebecca and Jean to the storerooms to grab survival essentials like rope and oiled waterproof tarps for tents, Mother to her bedroom to get some items with protective spells, Father to the weapons room to grab something that he had commissioned to be made for Thera.
Time was of the utmost importance, and so, instead of taking their turns, everything was placed inside the bag, and handed over to Thera, along with Yukikaze in her basket. By now, Thera had calmed down a bit, and stopped crying. She was well-wrapped in a warm traveling cloak against the night's chilling mists.
“Be safe, my child.” Helen caressed her face and hugged her tight. “Work hard and come back soon, all right?” Thera nodded, feeling her heart squeeze inside. This was all because of what she had done. “I’ll come back in five years.” She said.
Thales and Sir Maverick looked each other in the eyes.
"You better keep her safe. If you don't, then even if I have to come back from the grave, I will strike you down."
"You have my word." Master Thales nodded.
Sir Maverick's voice choked as he replied."I'll leave things to you then."
Master Thales said nothing more as he pulled up his hood, and swung up onto his horse, which was already saddled. Sir Maverick lifted Thera up on the saddle behind him. Laura was also on a horse, having prepared beforehand.
Thera turned around to look at her parents once more, before she left.
“You’d best hold tight.” Master Thales said. “We need to cover lots of ground tonight.”
Thera held on tightly as they broke into a gallop, riding like mad down the barely visible road.
Sir Maverick stood there, lost for several long minutes as he looked in their direction until even the sound of the horse's hooves could not be heard anymore. "Take care." He finally said.
Sir Maverick turned to the household. "Turn out all the lights, and get to your posts. Consider Rose Manor under attack until further notice."
Swiftly, all the lights were doused, and the house once more regained its former appearance of a house where everyone was still asleep.
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Later that night, many stealthy figures crept towards the manor house. Entering through Thera's still open window, they made their way inside.
They did not come out again.
That morning, James the Gardener sectioned out yet another spot to plant flowers, and thoroughly dug the spot up, dumping a cartload of fertilizer on top, before planting the rose bushes he had planned.
The last shovelful of fertilizer easily hid the pale hand that peeked out from under the bushes.