“Hey, Umbra!”

The lady’s hand was being held by Galan that looked at her with seductive eyes.

“Master Brahm, where have you been hiding this charming woman? Lady Umbra I suppose, for such elegance and beauty, you must be the daughter of a baron or a duchess perhaps?”

Umbra smiled, very entertained.

“She is the daughter of lord Brahm,” said Riou trying to scare him off.

Galan widened his eyes, “My goodness, I never heard that a beautiful flower had sprouted in that barren and rocky field of the Brahms. Well, it was bound to happen I suppose. My lady, I’m here to serve you, whatever your need, whatever you wish or desire, anything at all, I will be there for you! And aside from gazing upon your beauty, all I require is a small compensation, just to maintain myself while I’m not on your most gracious presence… a token of your appreciation if possible”

*Sigh *“Galan, please, she doesn’t need…”

“I beg to differ, all could benefit from my service and experience. I know all about the trade routes from the hot beastman plains to the cold north. I have been to all inns, taverns, and know all the good souls that live in between them. Not to mention that I’m an experienced Hunter, bodyguard and now servant of this beautiful lady”

“Self-proclaimed on all of them, I assume” replied Riou. “But I don’t think that will be necessary”

Umbra quickly intervened “I liked this human, he is a funny one. Let him serve me so I will have some entertainment while you are not around.”

“You won’t regret this decision, my lady! You will like me so much you will never let me go”

“We shall see, just be available whenever I ask for you” she then began to walk once again towards the houses, looking around the village and the people with some curiosity.

Galan smiled brightly at Riou.

In a defeated tone “Go talk to Arthas, I’m sure you two will reach an understanding.”

“I will! Oh, before I go, just let me tell you that your sister is a really fine lady and I have the utmost respect for her. So, you wouldn’t mind if… well, you know, if I try to know her better, right?”

Riou suddenly smiled wickedly at him “By all means, I see no problem with it, just beware she can get quite hungry”

Galan was taken by surprise by his response and a bit confused, nodded “You don’t? Well, then I shall seek Arthas to talk about my payment.” he then quickly left after Arthas.

“Now this…” Riou shook his head as Eilleen joined his side.

“You said you had a deal with Umbra… can you tell me more about it?” asked the princess.

“It’s nothing much, she will teach me a spell in exchange for some experience in the cities here, then I shall take her to see Lord Brahm.”

“A spell? She is also a mage? And a mage good enough to teach you?” The princess was surprised.

“Yeah, she is that good. She might not like it, but she is crazy strong too”

“But how? I heard that not even Max could teach you, right?”

“Yeah, but she is from a different school of magic.” Eileen was even more surprised to hear that.

“What? Really?” she pondered for a moment, “I never heard of a school of magic before”

“So I need some guidance on how to do the spell, shouldn’t be too difficult, I think”

Eileen nodded, Riou seemed very calm around Umbra, which must mean that he must be confident that she is really a friend.

Suddenly something caught Eileen’s attention, someone in a white dress seemed to be standing beside one of the trees, far away from them, looking at her with blond hair blown by the wind covering its face partially. She turned to have a better look, but the person vanished behind the trees.

“Did you see that?”

“What?” Riou looked around.

“Someone was standing on those trees in the back,” Eileen pointed to the place.

“Could it be one of the villagers”

“It seemed to be wearing a white dress… similar to the one Nemesis used, I don’t think a villager here would wear that”

“That’s very odd, nobody would wear dresses here. And there is always someone watching them for intruders”

“You are right, I might just be seeing things, maybe it’s just one of the villagers as you said doing something with the kids. It’s not an issue, just curious since it seems so different.”

“I see, well, what about Umbra? Are you really ok with keeping an eye on her, there won’t be much time to train before we go to the cities, so if you could help her out if she needs it would be great.”

“There is no problem… I bet she knows all of them already, just need a refresher”

“Oh no, on the contrary, she has not the slightest clue”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, and she may be hard to deal with sometimes, but she means well, so don’t worry and be tough on her.”

“I will keep that in mind. And speaking about hard people to deal with… what do you say if I take my things to your house? I mean, Elise is not here anymore and Leona would enjoy the time alone. And you have spare rooms right?”

Riou smiled “That sounds good, I’d like the company,” Both smile at one another and Riou is the first to leave “Well, I will check the village and exchange a couple words with Arthas about Galan, we meet in a few for the party, is that alright?” She agrees and he leaves towards the village center.

*Eileen* the wind whispers in an eerie tone to Eileen’s ears. She turns around, but there is nobody there.

She then goes to the house to get her things and see how Leona was doing. And while she moved through the village, she kept searching for someone that could be wearing that white dress.

She enters the place and picks her things and starts to make her way to Riou’s place when some kids come to greet her “Queen! Queen! You came back! When will you come to see us train again?”

“Soon, very soon” she replies with a smile. When she raises her head again, she sees just the tip of a white dress blowing in the breeze behind the gap between the houses nearby.

She blinks and looks again, but she was gone, there was no trace of her ever being there.

“Ahhhh! Let’s play something queen?! Let’s play catch the invader!”

“Yes, yes! Let’s play catch the invader! The Queen will be the gray cloaks and we are the invaders!” The kids were excited and ready to play.

But Eileen had other things in mind “I’m sorry, I can’t right now. But I will see you all soon ok? Then we can play all you want”

“Awww” they all make the sound in unison, one of the elders that were listening to them comes by to gather the children.

“Come on now, our queen has more to do than to play with you.”

“It’s no bother, but I really can’t today.” she waves them goodbye as they leave.

The princess continues on her way and makes it to Riou’s place, she looks at the main room where Riou sleeps and then to the spare room. Deciding where she should put her things. With a moment’s decision, she goes to the spare room and puts her things there before leaving the house.

The moment she steps outside, her attention is caught. She sees once again the lady in white dress, far in the distance, standing near some other trees towards the back of the village, almost by the walls.

Eileen looks around and sees no one close by. It was a strange sight, the woman just stood there for a few moments and then walked behind the trees as if inviting Eileen to join her.

The princess rushed towards her, curious as to who it was. Eileen was far away from everyone, the busy sounds of the village suddenly quieted down as she arrived at the trees. The afternoon was ending and the sun was becoming weaker by the moment, the darkness began to cover the skies and increase the shadows of the trees.

“Hello? Is someone here? Are you looking for me? Why don’t you just come talk to me like the others?”

She walks forward and steps on something on the ground. She looks at it and sees it was her necklace locket.

The princess immediately picks it up and puts her hand on her chest, inside her armor, but only the chain remains there, the locket is gone.

“How did you end up here?” she says to the necklace locket in her hand.

“That’s a very good question, it was not easy, mind you” suddenly a feminine voice came from the front.

“Who is there? Show yourself!”

Stepping from behind the trees around Eileen and surprising her, was Elise, Therese, Leona, Attia, and Bellica. All wearing the same light white dress she kept seeing, they walked around and surrounded the princess.

“What is going on here?” she asked, finding their movements and silent stares very strange. Once they were in position one more person appeared, from behind in front, she stepped out of the shadows and walked slowly towards Eileen.

It was a woman that looked just like Eileen, she was wearing a revealing red dress and walked with exacerbated sensuality.

She approached the princess very closely and touched her face with her fingertips. It felt cold as ice. “It’s good to finally meet you,” she said.

This Eileen in red dress was constantly smiling, wickedly so, while moving and looking at the princess. And in every movement of her head, eyes, and hand, Eileen could feel some strange desire coming from the woman. Instinctively, Eileen moved back and away from her.

The red one then stopped, striking a pose, making sure that Eileen saw her provoking red dress perfectly fitting her body in its entirety. “Do you like it?”

But Eileen had no reaction, the red one then sighed and made a bored expression. “Don’t you like what you see?”

“Who are you? Why do you look like me?” Eileen steps back, getting more space. She looked around but her friends were still there, surrounding her and starting with blank expressions preventing her from moving too far away from the stranger.

“I like this body, I like to look like this, that’s why.” she quickly switched between the other girls there to show off her ability to perfectly replicate other persons.

“And won’t you tell me who you are?”

“Maybe later, what you really should be asking is what I can do for you”

Eileen squinted her eyes, suspicious of the stranger that looked like her.

“I’ve been watching you Eileen and I liked what I saw.” she approached the princess and walked around her touching her shoulders with her very cold fingers.

“Tell me, have you ever regretted any of your choices? Have you ever looked back and wished for something to have gone differently?”

The moment she says that all the nobles that challenged Eileen for the maiden rites began to appear behind the circle of the girls.

They all stared at Eileen with vivid eyes, some with anger and hatred while some others with deep desire.

“You do, don’t you? Maybe somewhere along the way, you thought you shouldn’t have to go through all this” She looks around at the nobles. “You must have wondered, many times, if you made the right choices, didn’t you?”

“No,” said Eileen with conviction. “I couldn’t accept that my future would be chosen for me. Who would willingly accept such fate? I should be the only one to make those choices, so I don’t regret anything” Eileen spoke back.

The red one smiled at her “Still, I see that something still bothers you regarding it. Perhaps that’s something you wish you could change?”

Eileen shook her head, she didn’t feel like talking but the words just kept coming out of her mouth “I was just fighting for the ability to choose my own destiny! My father and my mother gladly supported my claim! I had the right to deny all these people around us and fight them to keep myself away from them. And the rites allowed me to do so. There is nothing to change about that.”

“Really? But didn’t daddy and my mommy already had it all planned for you? I mean, before you took that unexpected turn and messed their plans.”

Eileen didn’t want to speak but she seemed unable to control herself properly “They always supported me… there were parties and celebrations each time I won. They were happy”

The red one sighed disappointed “Dear, dear, if it depended on our dear daddy you’d be fucking a pig of a man since you were a child! Or do you forget what really started this crusade of yours? That lord from Iris that came to visit your father the very day of your come of age. Your father was ready to give you off, don’t you remember?”

Eileen’s head was strange, she could feel she was not herself “No he wouldn’t”

“He would and he was about to sign the contracts when you took upon the rites that very same day. You could have been married to an old man for all these years now, who knows how many children you’d have with him” she chuckles before continuing “After all, he did look the type that liked children the most. Can you imagine? You, ordering maids around and to chase your smelly children at that lord's house in Iris! Doesn't that sound nicer and better than all the pain and suffering you went through so far?”

“Of course not! I would never allow that to happen!”

“At least you’d live in comfort, all you’d have to put up with was the marital duties.”

“Never!”

The red one smiled wickedly at her “And what if you couldn’t have taken the rites? What then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you telling me the king would just bow his head to his young daughter? The mighty King Elrik? Confess, the rites where your only escape. Precisely because you knew the king was about to accept that proposal! It was just too good of a political marriage for him to pass on. That fat, smelly man would ensure the kingdom’s prosperity and support to the royal family for another generation! That useless brother of yours would have it easy during his period asking. Now look me in the eye and tell me that I’m wrong!”

Eileen wanted to talk and go against her, but she couldn’t find her reasoning, she couldn’t find words to refute her, so she just remained silent.

“And what about your dear mother? Well, you know the queen better than the king don’t you? The proud north blood may have given her some joy. But when the joke kept ongoing... I mean, it was fun to see a young girl beating up older men, but as you got older, as your time to marry started to pass by, dear mother wasn’t happy with it anymore, wasn’t she?”

“It was not like that!”

“Admit it! You know it to be true. The Ice Princess had no heart, not because she didn’t care for nobody, but because nobody really cared for her. Not even her own parents that were ready to sell her off to the best bidder!”

“Shut up!”

“You were just a prize to be taken, a commodity for trade! But then you rebelled and grew too old! Caused too much trouble! Even now, you are just a piece of meat to be used, tossed around, and then discarded!”

“It was not like that! I’m not a prize to be taken!” shouted in anger at the princess.

The red one smiled and nodded while moving towards Eileen, resting her cold hand on her shoulder and leaning into her ear.

“My dear, I know all your fears and desires. And I’m here to help you with them” she waved her arm and everyone around her disappeared.

“You always wanted to be the strongest one. But now, amongst these people, you feel out of place. The weakest link, the one that can’t take care of herself.” She looks at Eileen and puts her cold hands to her face “You don’t deserve to be here, isn’t that what you’ve been feeling?” she let go of Eileen and moved back a few steps.

She lifts her arm and by it, the image of Riou appears, in full armor and fully armed, his hood was up covering some of his face, similar to when she saw him for the first time after his return. He seemed menacing-looking forward into the darkness, very different from the kind man she knew.

“I can even make you better than him! I can give you more power than he will ever have! You will never need him again. With my help, he will be the one to come for you for support”

Eileen listens to her silently, she knew such an offer was impossible and seemed very sketchy but on the other side of her mind, she was strangely interested.

The red-dressed Eileen approaches the princess once more “He won’t keep you around for long, you know that, don’t you? After all, he is just a man, just like any other of them” she moved her arm point at the challengers Eileen faced.

“You know what he really desires” She grabs her own breast with intent and slowly slides her hands through her slim body towards her hips and then slowly pulls the dress up with her fingers, a tiny bit at a time while biting on her lips, staring down Eileen.

The princess remained silent and just looked at her with an angered expression. The red one seemed disappointed, clearly expecting a bigger reaction, and just stopped completely the teasing act.

She then snaps her fingers, making everyone there disappear. “But I can change it all! For a small price, I can help you achieve what you always wanted. Say yes to me and you won’t have any need of using him anymore. You will be the one with the strength to carve your own path, whatever you want to do and nobody will be able to judge you for it.”

The red one moves forward and hugs Eileen in a cold embrace. “Just tell me and it will be done”

Eileen feels more and more her mind escaping her. But she gathers herself in a moment of clarity and pushes the red one away with force.

The red one falls to the ground as Eileen speaks very angered “You are wrong, I never used him!”

The hair covered the red one's face as she slowly turned back to face Eileen with a wicked looked.

“You? You didn't use him?”

“No, I never…”

The red one slowly stands up “The first attack on the Longart caste, if you hadn’t befriended him and invited him for training, he wouldn’t be there when the attack happened. And even not knowing him well at the time, you let him go, alone fighting those powerful mages while you remained protected and hidden. You used him to save your own skin.”

“That was a coincidence. Nobody knew of the attack and I tried to stop him!”

“Oh, really? Then when you asked him to be your suitor in the North? You wanted to use him as a shield to escape the nobles there and continue to travel free. Was that also a coincidence?”

“I didn’t want to put him in that position, I knew I would be forcing him into it, but Therese seemed to be the best option and” The red one quickly interrupted.

“Was it Therese or was it you that asked him? Huh? It was you wasn’t it? And what about when he returned from that other realm? What was the first thing you did? You put him to use the same instant!”

“I can’t think of myself when Allard needed help, the plague was consuming everything, the people needed his help! And he knew it, he understood it! He is a good person!”

“Silly girl, someone like him could care less for the people, he did all that for you and you alone. I don’t know if it was blind love or if he just had his eyes on the prize.” she looked at Eileen’s body.

“He must be expecting something really great in return from all he did.” She smiled devilishly at Eileen “I see now why you keep denying him. That way you can keep asking more and more of him, isn’t that it?”

“That’s not how it is”

“How can you even think that you weren’t using him? When it was all you did since the moment you knew he was strong”

“That was never my intention, it was to help everyone else! I have a responsibility as a princess!”

“So, when you wanted to save your teacher? You asked him for help at that time too, didn’t you? Was that request also for the people of Allard? Or was it for someone else this time?”

“Therese was his friend too, he wanted to help her as well”

“Dear, dear, you know better than that by now. Therese was always an inconvenience for him.” She approached Eileen and touched her chin with her cold hands

“And let’s not forget all the wonderful gifts he gave you too.”

The image of the armors, enchantments, and weapons he crafted for her were displayed in front of her, they were many and very impressive.

“I didn’t need any of this, I didn’t even ask for it”

“But you gladly took it and used it. So tell me, dear Princess, tell me how exactly you aren’t using him for your own gain?”

“It’s not like that, I never meant it like that”

“I don’t know why you are making such a fuss about it, you don’t even like him.”

“I do like him!”

“Really?” the red one then immediately grabs Eileen’s shoulders tightly with her ice-cold hands.

“No, not him, you like his power, don’t you?” She looked intensely at Eileen before continuing.

“What if he was weak? What if I sealed his powers right now? What if you were the one doing all the saving and the protection? Would you still keep him around like he did to you? Would you still be interested in him?”

“Of course…” The red-dressed Eileen approached her even closer, speaking with cold breath to her ear.

“What if I turned back time? What if I made you all-powerful before you two even met. Tell me then, princess, would a bland, lost, commoner boy spark any interest in you? If he couldn’t even hold a sword in his hand? Would you even have looked at him?”

The cold on Eileen’s body was increasing to the point of all her body becoming numb.

“Say yes to me and I can make it all happen, the way you want it to be. And all I demand in return is a single year of your life”

“A year?”

“Yes, a small price to pay don’t you think? For a year, your body will be mine, when I return it, you will have everything you ever wanted. Power and freedom!”

Something was very wrong and Eileen knew it. Her mind felt like drifting away amidst a dense fog. It was getting harder and harder to put her thoughts together. Her mouth was about to say yes on its own when she grabbed herself in an outburst of focus, fury and resolved “I told you to get away from me!” she pushes the red one that was clinging on to her and she falls to the ground once again.

“You know nothing about him or me!” says Eileen breathing heavily trying to focus her mind.

The red one gathers her strength back and looks up to Eileen from the ground.

“For a single year of your life I can make you everything you ever wanted, I can break the shackles to your fate completely, your destiny will be finally yours and yours alone! Isn’t that what you always wanted? And all you have to do is say yes”

“Go away,” said the princess.

The red one smiled “Think about my proposal, I will visit you again tonight for your final answer” everything goes black and Eileen wakes up finding herself laying down in the ground in the middle of the trees she was just searching. Confused as to what happened, she couldn’t make sense of what happened. Questions about what just happened popped into her mind.

“Was it a dream? I don’t remember falling here” She just couldn’t understand what happened. She stood up and looked around searching for clues, but there was nothing around her. No signs of anything that she just experienced.

She was alone amidst the trees. Eileen stands up and puts her hand on her chest, sensing the chain beneath her armor. It was very light, she reached for it, and as she feared, the necklace was not attached to it anymore but it wasn’t on the ground either.

“Did I lose it somewhere? But I didn’t take it off since we returned…” She kept looking but couldn’t find it, it was just not there.

The light was getting dimmer and the sound of the village was getting louder, the feast seemed to have started, it was time to go back.

She pulled herself together, “It was just a bad dream, I must have passed out somehow,” she told herself before leaving the trees and moving towards the festivities.

As she arrives, she sees Umbra sat down on the table waiting for the others while Galan talks beside her, filling her with stories and hunting feats. The other villagers were getting there as well. She noticed that even when Riou was approaching, he smiled and waved at her, clearly unaware of anything.

Eileen forces a smile and walks slowly towards him, the words of her dreams were still vivid in her mind so she wasn’t too sure how to behave around him at that moment.

“Are you okay? You seem that you’ve seen a ghost” he said as she approached.

“I just have something on my mind, that’s all”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked as he prepared her chair to sit down.

She shook her head. “Maybe later, once I make sense of it”

Riou nodded, he found it strange but respected her wishes.

The feast went on, the food started to come in. Umbra was getting all the attention, she was eating more than her weight in food, plate after plate she kept going while complimenting the taste and variety offered to her.

The Villagers were amazed and gladly prepared more and more for her to taste.

Eileen on the other hand, barely ate or drank anything. Therese and Leona observed her closely through the event and both knew something was off with the princess.

“Eileen? What happened? You seem distressed” asked Therese in a whisper to her.

“I’ve had a bad dream, it's still in my mind. Nothing to worry about”

“That wouldn’t change the color on your face. She looks pale, doesn’t she?” Asked Therese to Leona that nodded. “Could be a hidden bleeding. Maybe she got hurt earlier today and it's worsening now? Maybe she should lay down.”

“That makes sense, let’s go to one of the houses nearby and get you examined,” said Therese ready to leave.

“I’m fine. No need to worry like that, I’m not injured.”

“Queen!” Suddenly Attia and Bellica arrived, they seemed returning from some errand and went to talk to her immediately “I’m so sorry!” said Attia while Bellica quickly added “I knew we should have stayed, we are sorry to not be there for you when you needed! Earlier today”

Eileen remembered the words of the one in her dream once again and a sense of inadequacy and inferiority afflicted the princess as her mind dwelled in those feelings more and more. She looked around at those faces once again. Just like before, they all stared at her silently.

“There is nothing to apologize, it wasn’t your fault, I was just not able to prevent it from happening”

“I heard the mage that attacked you was very strong! One of the top mages of the Argonians, I think even we would have problems dealing with him” said Bellica. “But at least we would help the queen escape at all costs,” added Attia.

Eileen forced a smile, she knew Attia and Bellica would never get captured like she did.

“I’m sure you would. But I’m a bit tired today, can we continue this talk tomorrow? I was thinking about getting some rest now” She stands up.

“Sure queen…” Attia looked at Bellica and the others a bit confused, unsure if she had said something she shouldn’t have.

“I will take my leave then” she forced a smile and left the table in a hurry.

Riou was listening in while Max and were discussing some Argonian tactics. He quickly noticed Eileen leaving. He frowned and glanced at Arthas and Max that also noticed her strange behavior. Both seemed equally puzzled; Riou then stood up, glanced at Eileen that was walking away, and then looked at Therese for answers.

The lioness nodded at him and flicked her head towards Eileen with a concerned expression.

Riou then quickly left everyone and went after her.

Umbra that was still eating, didn’t pay much attention to what was happening around her.

“My lady sure can eat,” said Galan beside her, quite shocked by the amount of food she consumed so far.

“Is this kind of food normal amongst humans? In the cities too? This is just too good!”

He nodded “Yes, this is unexpectedly better than most places I’ve gone to, but yes, there is always lots of food in the cities, especially in the inns and taverns“

“I’m eager to visit such places, very good. Coming here was not a bad decision after all” she notices Riou leaving after Eileen. “And what is going on with those two? Why did they leave?”

“Probably some lover’s quarrel, it's very normal between couples,” said Galan, watching very concerned as Umbra put aside yet another clean plate while looking for the elders to ask for more.

“I see, very interesting behavior, in my place we just shoot fire on whoever is being a bother to put them on their place”

“Shoot fire?” Galan imagined a mage casting a fireball at another without notice and swallowed hard, he made a mental note to not get Umbra angry.

Eileen moved quickly through the village, voices were speaking in her head at each step. “She is as strong as the kids. Why is she here?”, “Master’s tastes sure are uncommon, to pick such a frail mate”, “Who she thinks she is to monopolize him like that? He should just put her in her place”, “I heard she is not even mating with him, so why does he keep her around? She is useless”, “She reeks of weakness”, “Well, once he gets tired of her we will have our turn. It couldn’t take too long now.”

“Eileen? What’s wrong? Where are you going?” Riou’s voice snapped her back, making her stop.

She looked around and noticed she was going towards the main gates of the village. “I… I don’t know, it’s been a long day. I was just walking”

He nodded “Come, let’s go to my house. I want to take a look at you, just to be sure”

Riou helped her walking towards his place “Are you really ok?”

“Yes, I’m just tired.”

Most of the walk continued in silence until they arrived. He sat her down on a couch in the main room to examine her body. But he could find nothing wrong, physically and magically she was completely fine there were no traces of any residual mana.

“You seem in good health, I don’t see any magic either.” he looks at her very concerned “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I already said it, I’m just tired… it’s nothing.” Eileen was getting angered.

Riou got surprised, it was not like her to get so flustered like that, Eileen was always so calm “Try to relax, take a good shower, put on some comfortable clothes. I will be right here if you need me ok?” She nodded and forced a smile.

He watched as she moved “You can use the bathroom in my room, it’s bigger and has a bath” he said.

“It’s fine, there is no need”

She took off her armor and weapons, the enchantments wore off and she felt all the accumulated fatigue on her body being released. She stared at the enchanted items for a moment at the ground.

“Didn’t I accomplish anything on my own? Was it all borrowed power?”

“What was it? Did you say something, Eileen?” Riou asked from the main room.

“No, nothing. Just thinking out loud”

------------------

She left the bathroom wearing a comfortable negligee that the elders made for her. It was perfectly designed and confectioned for her. Detailed and laced like no other piece of cloth she has ever worn. Perfection, not even the tailors in Iris could replicate such craftsmanship

Eileen walked from the bathroom towards the spare room and looked deep down into the darkness inside of it. A feminine hand appeared in the darkness of the room, inviting her in.

Eileen shivered and immediately turned back, quickly moving towards Riou’s room where he was already laid down in his bed.

He noticed her by the door and sat down. Something was bothering her deeply. Her eyes were down and her shoulders seemed heavy. She was holding her arm with one of her hands, close to her body as she stood by the door, as if gathering the courage to speak her next words.

“Can I stay here? With you?” he could sense great uneasiness in her voice, he could tell she feared something.

“Sure,” he says smiling at her but with serious eyes watching her, Eileen gets in the bed and moves close to him.

“Are you comfortable?” he asks, but she just nods.

Both became silent for a long time until Eileen finally spoke.

“It’s ok for me to be here, right?”

Surprised by her strange question, he frowns confused “What do you mean, of course, it is”

“I’m not like the others, I can’t do anything, I’m the weakest here, I just make trouble for you. I shouldn’t be trying to keep up. I should just stay put so I don’t cause any problems.”

Riou laughed a bit more relaxed “Are you serious? This is what You’ve been concerned about today? Is this because you were captured?”

“I’m serious”

Riou sighed “I won’t deny, I almost had a heart attack when you got kidnapped. But it’s not like you are weak. You survived didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I could have easily not have to, all the enemies there were way stronger than me”

“Where is this coming from? The last thing I thought I’d hear from you is that you think you are weak”

“You can’t deny I’m not as strong as the others here, I’m the weakest of them all aren’t I?”

Riou took a deep breath and got closer to her “There are different kinds of strengths, you know that. Take Attia and Bellica for instance, by sheer power, they are very strong. But they don’t study as hard as Arthas nor are as experienced as Therese or as intelligent as you are. So who really has the advantage?”

Eileen remains silent thinking of his words.

“Arthas for instance is not good with politics. He is more of a straightforward person. If we compare him to you and Max, well, Max is an old fox and I’ve seen you winning arguments against a king and 2 general knights.”

A small smile appears on her face as she nods understanding.

“Firepower is easily achieved, with a bit of time you can get as good as Attia and Bellica but the other stuff that can’t be taught so easily. And you have plenty of good traits in all other areas.”

“Even so, I don’t see how, I can’t stop thinking I’m not supposed to be here, that I’m not good enough and that I will never be on par with anyone here.”

“Eileen, you have fought grown men twice your size since you were a kid, you studied at the magical academy and became a mage that even the fire girl and Max recognized your talent. He always spoke highly of you, not to mention that your father and mother, the king and queen of Allard, trusted your judgment enough to let you go on a journey with someone like Therese that accepted you as a disciple, a human.”

She pondered for a moment, Riou continued.

“Did you also forget that you managed to keep a rebellion going against Rodrick when the city and kingdom was a complete chaos? You held them together and gave hope to everyone for a long time. If it weren't for you things would have been much worse.”

“But we were being manipulated”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you managed to hold on, and the hope and goodness you did were not for nothing. It helped countless people. You know it, that’s why you did it.”

She nodded, not too convinced. Riou turned to her and looked at her eyes with a serious expression.

“You were the first human to be recognized as a Lioness. Do you really think Diata took such a thing lightly? She saw in you the strength of her clan, the values and virtues they are so proud of. I didn’t have anything to do with any of these things, these accomplishments were all you. Who else can say they did half of these things?”

Eileen smiled a bit. Riou hugged her.

“Therese and Leona see you as family, Attia and Bellica respect you like a big sister, not because you are more powerful, but because they recognize you are strong. Everyone in the village loves you already, you are kind and caring to the elder and pay attention to the children. Nobody has anything to say but to praise you everywhere I go.”

She burrows her face on his chest and chuckles, he can tell she is smiling.

“Should I keep going? I can go on, I didn’t even mention the Warrior Princess or the Evil princess yet,” he said with a smile.

She shook her head and held him even tighter.

“Then put these bad thoughts aside and relax. They have no reason to be bothering you”

She nodded, snuggling her face on his chest.

Riou could feel the wetness of her tears through his clothes as they touched his skin. He sighed and put his chin on her head, caressing her hair with one of his hands.

“Remember when we first met? I mean, when we first talked, to this day I still wonder why you appeared on that balcony that night”

She shakes her head, buried it even more on his chest. “You should have told me then, I would have understood,” she says as her voice is muffled.

He laughs “Yeah, right. Poor boy tells his deepest secrets to the pretty princess and she likes him instantly. It wouldn’t work”

“I would have understood, you should have told me everything from the start! I would have liked you the same way...”

Riou smiled “Maybe you are right, maybe I should have. I didn’t want to admit it, but after that night I couldn’t take my eyes off you and often found myself thinking about talking to you again… it wasn’t enough to be a young boy, you had to make me feel like one too”

Eileen remains silent, Riou looks down and notices she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. Riou moved a bit and put her head delicately on the pillow. Leaving her comfortable to sleep and rest.

----------------------

“Time for a proper answer!”

The red Eileen pulls the sheets of the bed with force making Eileen fall on the ground. The princess immediately stands up, finding herself in an empty room with her own red image once more.

“So, you ran to his arms? After all, we talked about? I feel betrayed. But I should have expected it, you can’t do anything on your own, can you?”

Eileen looked at her with intent “Who are you? Why do you keep coming after me?”

“I told you, I have a gift to give you! Look at me, I’m everything you could be and more! I can make your wishes come true! And all I want from you is a single word… say yes to me and you will see the world with all new eyes!”

“No, I don’t need any of this”

“No? But we had such a nice talk last time. I turn my back for a moment and you change your mind? What lies did you hear from him now?”

“You should leave, I don’t want to see you anymore, I don’t want any gifts from you. I won’t give you anything either.”

The red Eileen closes her eyes and forces a smile clearly getting angered.

“Darling, be mindful of your words, you are not talking to your peasants here”

Eileen looked around, she was again in that empty space, darkness covered the distance and the bed that was behind her was now gone, Riou was nowhere to be seen as well.

“What are you looking for? What are you thinking? Oh, I see, you thought I wouldn’t come if you were close to him? Perhaps you thought I’d be scared of him? Did you forget what I told you? I’m much stronger than he will ever be.”

Eileen looked around and at herself trying to understand what was happening “This is not a hallucination, this is a dream, no, a nightmare. I need to wake up and get Riou’s help”

The red one smiled “Almost correct, but you can’t escape from me! Come on princess, admit it, I can feel it, deep down I know you want it too! You can be just like me!”

“How do I get rid of you?”

“Give me what I want and I will be gone… well, technically, you will be gone to be more precise, for a year.”

“You want my body to do what? Why do you even need it if you are that powerful?”

The red Eileen moved closer and smiled “Just step aside like the good girl you are and give me the control of it. Say yes and let me show you how you could be, a better version of you. I promise I will give him the night of his life before leaving! And then I will take you to Iris, where I will show you the better side of life”

“You are out of your mind if you think that’s what I want”

“Believe it or not, I know what you really want, deep down you always wanted to escape. You want power so you can tell everyone else to fuck off! And I’m here to make that possible, I can give you all that and more!”

Eileen squinted her eyes at her. “And who are you to be able to do such a thing?”

The red one smiled and began to float upwards opening her arms. A strong Aura in the form of mana pressure began to emanate from her, like a strong wind blowing against Eileen and pushing her back.

With an eerie voice, the red one continued “You heard about me from him, didn’t you? I'm an almighty being that can grant your desires with a flick of my finger! I’m a goddess with power beyond your comprehension!”

“But why chose me?”

“Because I’ve taken a liking to you, this body is worthy of my presence! Give me your body for a year and I will leave all this power behind for you to use once I’m gone!”

“What happens to me in the meanwhile?”

“It’s a small price for a power beyond your comprehension, beyond anyone’s comprehension! But don’t worry, you won’t vanish, I will let you stay with me, like a passenger in a carriage. I will show you things you will not believe, I will let you feel everything through me! It will be just like now, but I will be the one in control, you will just enjoy the ride.”

“No, I don’t trust you. There are no gods in my world besides the Elementals!”

“Bah, those things can barely call themselves gods. Think about it, think about this power, it can be yours! A year it’s a cheap price to pay for such a gift”

Eileen was not liking the proposition one bit this time around, the red one squinted her eyes and forced a smile “I know what you are thinking about. You are concerned with him, well, I can promise to stay a bit and satisfy him for a while if that will make you happy”

Eileen frowned at her “You are always so sure of what he wants and what he needs. He is not like you paint him to be.”

“Oh, but he is, if you only knew his thoughts. He is a man and as such he has many needs, physical needs. While you wouldn’t know where to begin with, I could easily satisfy every single one of his desires. And you would gain all the credit for it. Isn’t it a wonderful trade?”

Eileen shook her head at her, the princess was clearly paying more attention to her words now and realized that the way she was speaking has drastically changed. She was much more aggressive the first time around. “If you are a goddess and know everything about me, why do you talk about him like that? You should know that it bothers me and you should know that I wouldn’t want to be a year apart from him. So why do you push it?”

“A year of life experiences would do you good, I would show you things you’d never imagine, you’d be free beyond your wildest dreams, we’d do everything we can and just enjoy the whole thing to the maximum, isn’t that perfect? ”

Eileen smiled “You should know better than that, goddess. You make it sound like a good thing, but it is not is it? I would have to let go of myself for a whole year, you’d be able to do whatever you wanted with my body and when I returned, a year later, I would be the one to deal with the consequences of all your actions. You think I’m a fool that does not see what your plan is.”

“But you’d be as powerful as me! Doesn’t that compensate for it all? Any consequences are insignificant as you’d crush them instantly”

“Maybe, but maybe not. All I have is your word and maybe you are lying. Maybe you’d never intend to leave. Not to mention you would destroy everything I built during these many years, wouldn’t you?”

The red Eileen got angered, her aura of mana turned dark red and became even more powerful “You are the one mistaking things, foolish girl! Accept my proposal before I judge you unworthy of my attention and punish you for your insolence!”

“Why does everything you say feel so wrong this time around? Something is different now, isn’t it?” Eileen could think with clarity, her mind was nowhere clouded as it was the first time around.

The red one stayed silent for a moment and floated down, stopping all her power and mana at once while forcing a smile.

“Poor girl, you are so confused… you have an opportunity that was only given to heroes of old. Many would kill to be in your place, if only you knew.”The red one spoke as she approached Eileen with caution, raising her hands towards her.

“I see… I can’t imagine what it's like to be a goddess” Eileen observed the red one every move as she approached.

“We are an entity beyond everything you know, the elementals that your kind worship are mere servants when compared to us” she makes a sorry expression “Poor child, you should know better by now. What I’m offering is a power beyond belief, it is a knowledge built through eons. I’m offering you immortality!” she extends her arm to Eileen to touch her face, but the princess immediately steps back staring at the red goddess very seriously.

The red one frowned and got angered by her movement. She then stepped forward, desperately trying to grab the princess by force now.

Eileen dodges her every attempt to touch her by moving back and to the sides, always maintaining the distance.

“You are such a powerful being, but you can’t catch me?” Eileen mocked. “And if you can’t touch me, you can’t cloud my mind, can you?”

“Be a good girl and stay still! You know I’m right! Give in to me!”

“To think I almost believed your poisonous words. You may have spoken half-truths, but now that I can clearly think about it, you intentionally missed out on the most important parts of your speeches. My parents never set me aside, I always knew conversations about arranged marriages were happening but none of them were pushed forward nor imposed on me as he could have done. And my mother's concern was for my well being and happiness, the moment Riou appeared she instantly changed regarding that, as if she knew he was the one…”

Eileen stopped and smiled brightly at her realization “I can’t believe it, she already knew, didn’t she? That’s why she said those things, that’s why she was on his side so quickly. But how did she know? How could she know?”

“Shut up! You will be mine by force if I have to!”

The princess looked at the red Eileen “Thank you, if it weren’t for you I would never have seen things from this perspective.”

“Shut up! You know nothing of anything! You are a failure, so accept my help!”

Eileen smiled at her “No, I don’t need it”

The red one then suddenly gets furious and floats in the air with her hair fluttering and waving in the air. Her voice became menacing and echoed throughout the whole place.

“You dare to deny me? You mortal, know thy place and kneel before me, or I will erase you and everyone you hold dear from this pathetic existence on this broken realm!”

“No! I’ve seen through your power, you can’t cloud my mind with your words anymore!”

“Fool! I’m the best hope of your survival, I am your freedom, I’m your fate! I’m inescapable!”

“Your words are filled with half-truths and misdirection! You offer not freedom but slavery! You do not wish to free me but to destroy everything that I stand for!”

“Accept me, or this will be your fate!”

Eileen suddenly appears on a barren scorched field, flames still burn the ground and even the skies seem strange, as if a fire was consuming it, half abode was already gone. There is not a single living thing that could be seen by her.

She walks by and sees herself kneeled down with someone on her arms, she was crying desperately. Eileen approaches it and looks at the body on her arms. It was him, a shiver runs down her spine when Eileen realizes it. Her image was holding his body tightly against her chest amidst a desperate cry.

He, like the environment, was mostly burnt, on some parts of his body lacked the armor and the skin was black with pulsing red embers beneath it. His face was pale and there was no breathing, no pulse that Eileen could tell.

She rushed to her image and tried to grab Riou from her, but her hands just went through the images as if she was a ghost.

Suddenly her own self turns to her and amongst the tears she asks in full hate “Why! You could have avoided this! All of this is your fault!”

Eileen stepped back and shook her head “No, this cannot be true!” She looks around searching for the red-dressed Eileen, and she finds her right behind her.

“You are wrong, this is your fate,” she tells Eileen.

The princess looks down for a moment, desperation starts to sink in on her heart. She then look at Riou’s face one more time and shooks her head, regaining some confidence “Then I will change it!”

“Finally! Then say yes to me and let’s be done with this!”

“No! I will change it myself! I don’t need you”

“What? You? A mere mortal human? What can you do against fate?”

She glances at his body and her image crying once more. She speaks slowly and very seriously to the goddess “I may be weak in your eyes, but I will never let this happen.”

“Oh no? How can you even prevent it without my help?”

“I don’t know yet, but I know this is not my fate!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Even if there is a fight which we cannot win, then at the very least I’d be lying beside him and not crying over his body! I’m not that weak that I wouldn’t even fight! So you can get your promises, your gifts, and your powers and get out of my head! Goddess or not, I won’t give you a second more of my attention, I’m done with you!”

The red Eileen suddenly smiled. The world around Eileen shatters like a broken mirror and she returns to the emptiness.

“Very well said.” Eileen hears another voice coming from behind. She sees a tall woman, dressed in a long gleaming white-silver dress, her eyes completely covered by a similar cloth of her dress. Her hair was of a golden color with gray lines, neatly tied and styled on her head like she was just going to some fancy party on some castle.

The red-dressed Eileen walked and stood beside the woman, the red dress turned white and began to alter itself into a common light dress. Her expression and hair changed as well, turning into someone Eileen knew well. The princes’ eyes widened when she realized who that was.

“Nemesis? Was that you all along?”

She smiled at Eileen and walked to her “I’m sorry to put you through this torment, but I had to be sure, I couldn’t leave otherwise.”

“Be sure? Leave? What are you talking about? Wait... Are you talking!?

She smile at the princess “I can do many things now”

“I still can’t believe you are alive! So you were behind all this?”

“Not me alone” she glances back at the woman.

“I don’t understand, I thought you were dead””

“I’m not dead, but I’m not the same one you knew, not anymore. Unfortunately I don’t have time to answer all your questions. I’m afraid we spent most of our time on your test.”

“You can’t stay?”

“This is a forbidden land for my kind.”

“Your kind? So...” Eileen glances at the woman.

She nods and calmly speaks to them “She has already sensed us and is on her way, you don’t have much time now, Nemesis.”

Nemesis nodded to her “I’ve done what I needed to do, we can go.” She smiled at Eileen once again and moved back towards the woman.

“Wait, Nemesis… I don’t understand why, what was this test all about? Was that really our fate”

“It could be,” she says smiling.

“Please tell me! What do I do to avoid it!?”

Nemesis stood beside the woman once again “Stay close to him Eileen, he gets lonely very easily.”

“Give her the gifts and let's go, she is near now, it’s not our fate to be caught by her, we must go,” said the woman.

Nemesis smiles and takes off her necklace and puts it on top of a nightstand that suddenly appeared. It looked like the same one that was in Riou’s room, “This is from both of us, it will help you on the path ahead.” She then moves away with the strange woman “Goodbye Eileen, we will be watching you from now on” said Nemesis as both begin to vanish into the distance.

“Stay true to your convictions Eileen and don’t let anyone deviate you from your path, and especially, don’t let my gift go to waste,” said the woman before she disappeared completely.

The princess opened her eyes. She was alone in Riou’s bed and he was nowhere to be seen.

“Riou?” but there was no response.

“Riou!?” she shouted frightened, getting up from the bed.

“What?” he rushes from the kitchen into the room. “What happened?”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of relief, “Nothing, I thought you were gone for a moment”

“I was just making breakfast. You can sleep a bit more, it will take a few more minutes”

“No need, I will join you in a moment”

Riou nodded and returned to the kitchen while Eileen prepared herself. Suddenly she sees something on the nightstand, her body freezes instantly. She looked at the nightstand for a few moments in complete silence.

The necklace Nemesis set down in her dream was there, exactly how she put it.

Slowly, Eileen approached it and picked it up. The necklace was different, it’s color changed to a lighter gold and it looked brand new.

As she opened the locket, all the runes and intricate mechanisms Riou had created were gone. But Still, there was something magical residing there, something powerful. Even she could tell there was mana flowing within that metal.

Inside the lock, there was a long white-golden thread, so delicate and intricate that she couldn’t believe it could be possible to be created. She picked it up and looked closely. Despite being so malleable, the thread was actually made of a silverish-white metal that reflected a golden gleam every now and then.

------------------------------------

“My king!” The beastmen soldier rushed inside the great hall.

“Speak!”

“The scouts sent word. They are gone, my lord… Argos is nowhere to be seen. Their city is laid to waste, charred bodies all over the place. There are no survivors that we could find.”

“What? Are you sure of it?”

“Yes, the scouts were inspected the city thoroughly my lord”

“Hahaha! This is a great day for us! But tell me, have they found Arthas? And the Trader? They must be returning from the front at any moment now”

“Sir… There were no signs or sightings of them. We have no idea where they are”

The king nodded still too happy by the news that Argos was gone from his land “It’s fine! He and that human probably returned to his land through one of those gateways. Someone like Arthas can clearly use them easily” the king pondered for a moment, but the big smile wouldn’t leave his face.

“Tell everyone of what happened, and send the troops to secure the city. Bury the bodies and capture all Argonian artifacts and technology. I want that place torn down, piece by piece so the Argonians do not have a place to return to here.”

“As you wish my lord”

“Hahaha! I can’t believe that bastard pulled it through! I need to find that lion. But to do that I need the human… hum, where could be his home at?”

“My lord, to find a human, you may need a human from his land. Right?” said the soldier.

The king smiled and nodded “Prepare my cognitive and send word to the Allardian King. Tell him that with the Argonian threat gone, I’m finally going to accept his invitation to visit. Knowing Elrik, he will certainly know where I can find that trader.”

“Are you sure my lord? When do you wish to leave?”

“Immediately, send word to my captains and prepare everything! I want to depart today!”

----------------------------------------

Riou looked at the necklace and picked up the thin golden thread. “She said it was a gift and left?”

Eileen nodded.

“What do you think, Max?” Riou showed him the thread.

“I don’t know what to think, this is too new to me, I thought the elementals were our gods. To discover there are more of them and that they look like us it's a bit overwhelming” he looked at the thread with care “And this, I never seen anything like this. It’s so delicate and well crafted, I doubt any artisan in this world could replicate something at this level”

“I’m more concerned about the reason that made them leave this place, by the queen's story it seemed they were in a hurry to leave so to avoid some kind of pursuer ” Added Arthas.

Riou nodded and looked at Eileen “Would you say they were afraid of this entity that was coming for them?”

“I wouldn’t say afraid, but they definitely didn’t want to meet it. It’s more like they knew they would be able to escape in time” answered the princess.

Riou nodded “Makes sense, if she was a deity related to fate and destiny, she likely knows her own fate as well. But to think she would rescue Nemesis. Why would she do that?”

They remained in silence.

“In any case, does anyone know what this is or what’s for?” Riou pointed to the golden thread but nobody knew anything.

Max gave it back to Eileen with the necklace “Well, another thing for us to investigate further, don’t you agree?”

Riou nodded “Yeah, let’s keep on what we planned, if the goddess of fate is real, we will find our answer eventually, right Eileen?”

The princess stored it on the necklace and put it on her neck. “Yes. I wanna go see Longart as soon as possible”

“Very well, who will be coming with us?”

“I have things to do here, we had an unexpected consumption of food last night,” said Arthas.

“Me and Leona want to learn the training methods of Arthas, if you don’t mind, we will remain here as well,” said Therese.

Attia and Bellica quickly stepped in looking at Riou with pleading eyes “Fine… you two can come too, I need help to keep an eye on Umbra anyway”

“Speaking of your friend, whose daughter did you say she was? I don’t recall any important noble having a daughter this old” asked Max rather curiously.

“Can we talk about this at another time? It’s a delicate subject” said Riou, smiling and nodding.

Max glanced at Eileen, but the princess just smiled, clearly knowing something. Having his mind at Ease as Eilleen was informed, he nodded “Very well, we shall discuss this at another time. I will prepare for our departure tomorrow”

“We have a jump point on the Drinking Bear, right Arthas?”

“Yes master, just as you requested.”

“Good, take the day to rest and prepare, we go for Longart tomorrow morning”

----------------------

The night came and Max came to visit Riou before their departure the next morning.

“How is she?” asked the Magus as he looked around searching for Eileen.

“Sleeping like a log, she spent the day with Therese and Leona training with the teachers. When you put those three together they go all out on their training”

“Yes, I recall from the time we traveled together when you were gone. They truly like each other's company.”

Riou pulled a glass and invited Max to sit down.

“I believe you know why I came here”

“Eileen’s vision”

Max nodded and sat down “Now that is just the two of us, what do you really think of what happened?”

“It’s hard to say. But to have actual gods appearing in dreams now, something is definitely not right.”

“What about the future that was shown to her… your death”

“The thing is, does me knowing about it changes anything? Or the fact that now that I know it is what pulls me towards it?”

“That’s quite a conundrum indeed”

“That’s why I can't give it too much thought, at least for now.”

“Have you considered it could be an Argonian plot? A curse or delayed mind control? She was their prisoner for a while, he could’ve planted something on her mind”

“I don’t know… that seems a bit too much. It’s true they know methods to do things to the mind that can’t be tracked easily, but why would they bring up other gods' existence to someone like Eileen? And Nemesis, they couldn’t have much information on her… so how did they use her image for that?”

Max nods agreeing “You are right, but then why talk to her now? Why here?”

“That’s a hard one to answer as well”

“Well, this might explain why the Elves never worshipped the Elementals. Maybe they know something”

Riou nodded “Maybe we should pay them a visit and ask”

“I’d like to go visit them very much, I can only imagine the books they have there, we’d be the first humans to step on the elven city!”

“I see you got excited with the idea”

“You know I’m half-elf, I’d be lying if I said I’m not curious to see their city, their ways”

“If we go there, you will be the first to hear about it old friend, don’t worry”

Riou poured him a drink and sat down on a chair.

“Where is Arthas? I thought he’d be here talking with you by now”

Riou laughed a bit “I believe our friend Arthas is a bit busy. We won’t be seeing much of him at this hour anymore”

“Hum, some special task?”

“I’d say so, didn’t you know? Therese is living with him.”

“Really? I saw Leona alone in one of the houses, so that's why… oooooh” Max smiled and laughed realizing it “So that’s why he is busy! I see, I see, it’s good to be young, isn’t it? Good for them”

“Young? Arthas is an old man and Therese, well who knows how old she is”

“Both are younger than me, now pour another one. I like this liquor!”

Riou gave him another drink “How’s Eleonor? I didn’t see her here yet”

“Ahh her… I’m afraid that you won’t be seeing her here anytime soon. She’s returning to her house on the Drakar. Now that things quieted down, she doesn't see a reason to be away from her place.”

Riou found it strange “What about you?”

“I’ll be doing my things as I always have been.”

Riou nodded “So, it didn’t work out in the end old man?”

“It’s better this way, she has her reasons and I have mine… we are just too old and too stubborn to change our ways.”

Riou nodded “I won’t pry… but I’m here if you want to talk about it”

“Some other day my friend, now, pour me another” Max looked at Riou and smirked at him. “Elrik might ask when the marriage will be held. Aren’t you concerned about that?”

“Not at all, I’m fine with it”

“Who’d thought you would grow up, what a shame, I can’t say you are the dumbest man I’ve ever met anymore.” he raised his glass at Riou “Despite everything, this time away done you good”

Riou smiled and shrugged “This is my home now, I can't turn a blind eye if I can help, right?”

“Very well said, the king will like you even more now”

Galan knocks on the door and quickly enters the room without reservation “Excuse me, I’ve been searching all around and…” he sees a few bottles on a cabinet and smiles, quickly moving at them “Yes! You saved me! I will be taking these to my lady!” He opens the cabinet and hugs as many bottles as he can.

“She has quite a thirst, I never seen anyone drink as much as her. To be honest I don’t know how she maintains her figure given how much she eats and drinks.” he smiles at a confused Riou and Max “I thank you in my lady’s stead! Can you prepare more of these for her in the upcoming days? Thank you for your patronage!”

And Galan quickly moves out, carefully holding more bottles than one should be able to carry.

Max looked at the damage at Riou’s cabinet and then at the bottle on the table “Well, at least we still have half a bottle. So, care to tell me now, what’s the deal with that boy and that lady?”

Riou just sighed “We have a deal, she promised to teach me a spell after I showed her some cities.”

“Spell? What spell?”

“It’s like a shadow step, you enter the shadows and appear somewhere else of your choosing. I need to understand how it works.”

Max was very surprised “And she knows such an advanced spell? So she is a mage?”

“Well, she can manipulate mana. That makes her a mage right?”

“Riou… what are you not telling me?”

“Please don’t be mad”

“I won’t be mad if you tell me what’s going on”

“Then take a deep breath, and calm down”

“Riou?”

“Well, remember when I told you Lord Brahm was a dragon?”

Max leaned back on the chair and held on to another one nearby with strength on his hand “You don’t mean that…”

“Yeah, she is a dragon too”

Max closed his eyes and took a very deep breath while holding on tight to the chair that started to shake a bit. “Is she really related to Brahm?”

“Yeah, she is his daughter.”

He releases his grip and lets out a deep breath “At least she is a younger dragon then”

“Well, she is younger than her father, yes. That’s a given right?”

“I mean she’s probably not that powerful yet, It’s not like she is an elder dragon.” he looks at Riou with intent “You sure she can be trusted in a city? Even if she is young, a dragon is a dragon.”

“Yes, Brahm himself scolded her to behave, there is nothing to worry about, she won’t go against her father”

“He did?” Max seemed surprised “Huh, that’s surprising. I always thought all dragons didn’t care about anything, even their offspring, much less about them attacking humans”

“I told you you shouldn’t be concerned about him, right? And she is just curious, she wants to know why her father decided to live amongst humans”

“Interesting… but in any case, let’s pay close attention while she is on Longart with us, a dragon is a dragon after all”

---------------------------------------------------------