Part 1
A silent scream escaped my lips the moment I opened my eyes. Flashes of the colossal tidal wave of blood and deformed corpses mixed with the familiar light brown of my tent. I clutched my chest, clawed at it really, as bolts of pain began to fly around my flesh like fireworks. I was breathless. Of course I was, I was not breathing. The scream that was choking me was still stuck in my throat. I had to force myself to calm down with the aid of some very rough meditation before my heart slowed down and my breathing resumed as normal.
I took a moment, a sequence of slow breaths, to focus my mind on my surroundings rather than the images flashing in my mind like a rave’s lights. Voices came from beyond my tent’s flaps. Some were feminine, some clearly masculine. My ears still weren’t working properly enough for me to discern who those voices belonged to and when in doubt between a potential enemy or ally…my belief was to swing first, talk later. My sword was nowhere to be seen but in a corner of the small tent stood my backpack among some of my clothes, those that needed drying. Big mistake. With the two knives I usually kept on my belt and thigh, I prepared to step out.
Without giving it a second thought, I dashed out of my tent, feeling the cuts burn against the bandages. Ragged breath escaped my lips, informing me of how poor my condition was. I knew well that I neither had the time nor energy for a full-blown fight. I dashed toward the closest opponent, my soon-to-be hostage. He was naught more than a tall, blurry silhouette of a man. Nonetheless, I knew roughly the location of his neck. By either surprise or sheer luck, my assault succeded. The man was slightly taller than me but he was sitting so I had no trouble reaching for his neck with one blade while I snaked my arm under his armpit and pointed my other knife at the other people sitting around what seemed like a fire.
Someone shouted and screamed. I felt the shift of mana around me as if natural mana making way for its counterpart. Someone stood up between me and my hostage and another blurry figure on the other side of the campfire. I could vaguely hear my name but I wasn’t sure. It all reached me like the buzz of an old, broken-down radio.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!-” I shouted loud enough for the words to echo through my own skull and press heavily against the inner flesh of my temples “- If I see one of you fuckers moving, I’m slitting this guy’s throat! Clear?! Now, where the fuck is my sister?”
“He’s crazy!-” Shouted in response the man I was keeping in my grasp. He moved and wiggled as if to escape. Alas, his only achievement was my blade silently tracing a red line under his Adam’s apple. He grew still right after, ceasing all resistance “- I told you we shouldn’t have helped him! I TOLD YOU”
“Shut up! SHUT UP I SAID! I can’t fucking hear them!” I answered.
“Who? WHO, ASSHOLE? No one’s speaking!” The hostage replied with exasperation, anger and a hint of pain in his voice.
“What?-” I asked confused, then shook my head and pressed the blade threateningly “- Hust shut up! I don’t care! Where’s my sister?”
“Raphael, you…you don’t see us, do you?” Asked a second, calmer voice.
“Naah, don’t know what you’re talking about-” I lied as normally as I breathed “- I see you perfectly”
“Then you should see her perfectly too-” Continued the man with concern in his voice “- your sister, that is. She’s here too, don’t you- HEY! What’s happ-”
His words did not reach me in time. My consciousness slipped away from me. Fatigue and pain catching up and pressing on my skin like hot rods. My hands became jelly and the knives fell from them. My knees hit the ground first, then my head followed. All became black. Sounds mixed, colors died down and thoughts became a muddy swamp of oblivion. Once more, I slipped away from the present.
The darkening sky and the weak light of the first stars greeted me as I opened my eyes again. My body was hurting. Arms, legs, head, and chest, all felt as if iron spikes were plunged into my flesh. I grunted my discomfort as I tried to stand up. I could not. My legs were bound by ropes at the height of my knees and ankles. So were my wrists, tied with a rope behind a large pole or tree. The post-sleep haziness left my mind hurriedly and lucidity took its place. Shaking and turning in place I tried to free myself from those bounds while looking out of my captors.
“Oh, you are finally awake” Said the easily recognizable voice of the stern man wielding a dagger and a rapier.
In an attempt to curse him, I tried to speak and noticed the impossibility of the task. My mouth was gagged with a thick cloth tied on the back of my head. I could tell from the look on the man’s face, my eyes were speaking loud enough. My thoughts were clear to him.
“Forgive us for our rudeness but we would rather not experience something like this morning’s scene-” The man said as he sat down on a rock with one elbow on his knee and his hand tapping on the other “- Let me explain so that there may not be any further misunderstanding. Your sister is safe, free and alive. She is not our captive and has not been so for the past three days. After our fight you collapsed, as I’m sure you remember, and she begged us to help you. Our lady, for a reason she deemed not worth our attention, agreed to help you. We’ve been tending to your wounds while you were unconscious. Do you remember what happened this morning?”
It took a bit of effort to fix the event running wild in my mind onto a strict timeline. Once I was sure he was talking about me threatening one of them with a knife while shouting for my sister, I nodded.
“Good, then I’m sure you’ll understand why we were forced to act this way-” He said pointing at my bound legs “- Now, I repeat, your sister is alive, safe and free. She is not our prisoner nor our hostage. Knowing this, do you promise not to act rashly again if I were to free you?”
Not seeing much choice in the matter, I nodded.
The following two hours, after being freed from my bounds and brought back to camp, went by in silence. I was sitting on a small log in front of the campfire with the mage of the group staring daggers into my skull. Not once did he avert his gaze or utter a word. No doubt he hated my guts. The other taller and broader man, who seemed to be the oldest of the group, did not speak either. His focus was firstly on fixing the camp and later preparing some vegetables and a strange-smelling mix of spices. Thus, in silence, the three of us waited for the two girls and the warhammer-wielding man, apparently the one I threatened, to return from fishing at the nearby river.
“Raph!” Julie shouted as soon as she saw me at the camp. In her joy, surprise or both, the basket with fish she was carrying went flying, causing the man, clearly pissed to notice my presence, to jump and try to catch it.
Only a loud “oof” was able to escape my lips as the young girl smashed my ribs with her forehead. What followed was an awkward mix of tears and curses as she blamed me for making her worry. For the most part, the two of us were ignored, except for the mage who seemed eager not to let me out of his sight, while the others got busy with preparations for dinner. It was only after the fish was cleaned, stuck on sticks and placed around the fire while a hearty soup of mushrooms and vegetables boiled over it that the four people first sat around the fire with their eyes fixed on me. The time for questions had come. The woman, the so-called “lady”, was the first to speak.
“So, who are you?” She said as she took on an air of grandeur with one knee crossed over the other and her white-gloved fingers intertwined in front of them.
“Raphael” I answered knowing that there was no way for me to escape the incoming questioning since this strange and masked group took on the burden of tending to my wounds.
“No surname?” She questioned.
“Not one you would recognize and not one that brings recognition” I plainly answered causing the warhammer-wielding guy to twitch with anger.
“I see…Are you following us?” She asked, causing me to raise an eyebrow wondering if she had seriously asked that question. Her indomitable red gaze told me she was that serious.
“*Sigh* I could ask you the same thing-” I replied as I stroked my still-clinging sister’s head “- I seem to recall we were the first to leave Hespera. Aren’t you the ones following us?”
“I thought so, sorry but I had to ask and, no, we are not following you. Our second meeting seems to have been dictated by fate” The woman said with a sigh between relieved and exasperated.
“Fate you say?” I asked, recalling with suspicion the words of the Man of Doors.
“It matters not-” The woman replied as she shook her head, most likely in an attempt to chase away some stray thoughts “- What were you doing both in Hespera and here?”
“...After the labyrinth, our family got separated. We appeared near Blackwall and traveled through the elven lands to reach Migur, our homeland, in hopes of finding our father. He wasn’t there” I replied, feeling as if sand had been poured down my throat the moment those very words escaped my lips.
“You are a survivor of the labyrinth?!” Shouted the mage as he jumped out of his seat, over the fire almost knocking down the boiling soup and stopped in front of me with his face too close to mine,
“Yes, we are, now can you make space?” I replied as I tried to push the mage’s face away futilely.
The lady sighed as she moved one of her gloved hands to massage her eyelids. The mage, careless of both my words and his lady’s sounds of displeasure, kept bombarding me with questions. Where did I leave? How did I leave? How did I survive? Was I alone or in a group? along with countless others seemingly all asked within the span of a single breath. It was only after the black-haired woman clicked her tongue and gestured with a nod of her head that one of her companions, the stern-looking man, dragged the mage away from me.
“I’m sorry for his behavior-” Said the woman after shooing away the mage and the rapier-wielder with a movement of her fingers “- The opening of the labyrinth was tightly related to the use of magic and what little information the survivors shared was groundbreaking. I’m sure you can understand his eagerness”
“I can’t-” I replied bluntly, causing the woman to jump, just slightly, in place “- nor do I care to. Now, can we resume the questions?”
“...I believe we have shown you courtesy enough, especially after that stunt you pulled as soon as you woke up. Have we not? We had all the rights and justification to simply leave you lying on the ground yet we did not. We tended to your wounds, fed you and your sister, and escorted you along our path. Why the hostility, then?” She asked with a glimmer of fire burning in her eyes.
“I have the tendency to kill those that point their blades at me…especially if they point it at my sister-” I replied plainly as I shifted my position from relaxed to ‘ready-to-jump’ and hastened my circulation of mana causing all four strangers to jump to attention “- The fact that I have not and I am peacefully answering your questions is proof that I’m repaying the debt I owe you”
“Oh my-” Mockingly said the woman in a fake haughty tone “- We all feel oh-so-very blessed by your grace in answering our questions. How could I have possibly thought of it as a simple courtesy between civilized people? Ohh, I really am such an uncultured fool! Please, bestow upon me the teaching of your ways, oh great Raphael”
“...Are you done?” I replied with the most plain and bored face I could pull off. That ticked her off and slowly, as a heavy silence filled the small camp, the slight smile curling her lips turned into a grimace tainted with anger.
“Listen here, you little shit-” The woman began to say before a shout-like growl that escaped my lips shut her off.
“NO! You listen here-” I growled as I darted my eyes between all my, probably, soon-to-be opponents as threateningly as I could “- It would be easy to kill you all right now. Your mediocre mage over there didn’t even realize I had been preparing a spell this whole time-” I explained as thunder began crackling in the fist I had clenched in front of my face. The spell was so small that it was almost harmless. I did not need for it to be dangerous, I only needed it to look dangerous. The spark of panic flashing in their eyes spoke volumes of the results of my stunt. Even Julie was now looking at me with frightened eyes “- The one and only reason why I have refrained from killing you was because I owed you for treating me. Which is why I decided to forget our enmity and answer your questions…Do not expect me to do so with a dumb smile on my face as we hold hands and dance around a fire!”
The mood, rightfully so, became tense enough that the faintest of sparks would light the camp aflame. Everyone, except Julie, was starting to reach for their weapon. Taking advantage of this one tense moment of silence, I began to analyze the four who stood before me. Firstly, the mage. He was scrawny and weak-looking, donning a long robe and a wide-sleeved cloak in dark colors. The staff with the blade-like tip was perfect for his height, most likely built for him. His magic, even though I described him as mediocre, was nothing to scoff at. At least from what I could gather with my broken senses.
The warhammer guy seemed young, probably in his late twenties. His broad shoulders and developed muscles, especially in his arms and neck, gave me an insight into his training. Those were not the muscles of a swordsman but someone who specializes only in heavy weapons. He had squarish facial features that made him look stockier than he was. The cloak he wore covered any possible armor that he hid beneath. A smart trick.
The oldest of the group was the stern-looking one. He was in his late forties by the look of it, though his graying hair seemed to suggest he had far more years than I gave him credit for. Sharp facial features with a strong jaw, cold predator’s eyes, and skin scarred by sun and blades gave him the look of a strong, seasoned warrior. Slicked-back hair, wide shoulders, lean body, and an impeccable posture helped settle in the idea of a loyal soldier. Perhaps a decorated knight.
The last one, the only woman in that strange group and seemingly the youngest was also the leader. She was as tall as me and looked roughly the same age. She wore her black hair in a high ponytail with tufts going wild all over. Her soft, almost lady-like, facial features were in stark contrast with her sharp eyes. Her body was lean yet, even though mostly covered by the same cloak as the other three, had curves where it counted, turning her into quite the eye candy. Her body language, unlike her rough and boyish mannerisms, was gracious, almost courteous. That strange dichotomy further confirmed my inkling of her noble heritage. Yet I could not find an explanation for that sword style so similar to mine. It intrigued me.
“*Sigh* Then why the need to show hostility?” Asked the stern man, breaking that stalemate-like silence that seemed to grow heavier by the second.
“I don’t like questions-” I replied bluntly as I eased my grip on mana, feeling that the tense mood had lost its edge “- especially if they are about me and especially if they are coming from strangers who I crossed blades with”
“That is…actually very understandable” Replied quite stunned the woman as her confused eyes darted between me and the older man.
“Nonetheless I’ll answer your questions, or I’ll try to I suppose, since that was the reason why you helped us in the first place. Right?” I probed feeling genuine curiosity regarding that woman’s intentions.
“Correct-” Replied the woman with regained confidence “- I find the fact that we met and fought twice on two different continents quite curious. So, will you answer any questions I ask?”
“So long as it does not interfere with my current goal” I explained with practiced bluntness.
“How come you fight with a sword yet know and use magic?” She asked as soon as I finished talking as if the question had been running around her brain for quite a while.
“I’m a mage though it does not look like-” I explained as I pointed at my current attire “- I studied at the academy in Alamara which is also where I learned the sword as per my father’s orders. Due to an…illness, let’s call it that, resulted from a mistake in the labyrinth, my use of mana is limited and comes at a heavy cost. Thus I tend to use the sword”
“Where did you learn swordplay?” Pressed the woman once more.
“As I said, Alamara…from a nameless dojo” I answered.
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“What style were you taught in?”
“North sword”
“Bullshit! What you used was nothing like North sword!” She shouted with a dumbfounded look on her face along with clear distrust.
“I never said that’s the style I use-” I replied with the tiniest hint of a cocky grin “- I was taught in the North sword style, yes, but it was too strict for me. All too focused on rules and grace so I never really excelled much. When I was forced to use the sword rather than magic, I had to change my style a bit. I thought it was something only I did, something I came up with but apparently I was wrong. Our styles share one too many similarities”
“No doubt they do-” She replied sighing “- What you’re doing is a very crude and raw version of the Demon sword style”
“Demon sword style, you say?” I asked raising an eyebrow. I could not be certain of it but demon sword style was not much practiced by humans and elves, dwarves even less. That left beastmen and demons. The four strangers in front of it most likely belonged to either of those. The rapier-wielding man seemed to have realized my discovery since he sighed in defeat the moment I asked my question and was answered by the lady.
“Yes. The Demon sword is based on speed and usefulness rather than beauty and grace. It relies on swift movements that aim to render the opponent unable to fight or straight-up dead. What you do is like a bad copy of the Demon sword” She explained proudly.
“I see…-” I replied thoughtfully, trying to recall the similarities between that woman’s sword and mine “- It does sound a lot like what I do. Anyway, do you have any other questions?”
“No, not for the time being” She replied haughtily…this time it was genuine.
“...What do you mean?” I asked, fixing my gaze on her.
“Well, what I mean is that we are traveling to Alamara and so are you. Your sister has been kind enough to accept our offer to travel together. You know, might in numbers” The woman smirked victoriously as she said those words.
Upon hearing that, I turned my attention to my still-clinging sister. She was looking downward and trying to appear as little as possible. Clearly, she was attempting to stave my anger by making herself small, cute even. It reminded me of a dog with its ears low and begging eyes. Grinding my teeth I showed the group a smile that was nothing but kind.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me-” I said grabbing my slowly-wiggling-way sister by the collar, causing her to whimper like a wounded dog “- I have to share a few words with my DEAR sister”
“But of course-” Replied the woman as she covered her mouth with a hand and stifled a laugh “- though try and go easy on her, will you?”
Needless to say, Julie was not happy to be left alone with me for once.
Part 2
- SORA EVERGARD’S POV -
Voices were loud all around me. A concert of a hundred people singing a hundred different songs. The sun was starting to set and the bright yellow light made room for that dark orange hue to bathe the busy streets of Alamara. Shadows began to lengthen and some of the many crystal-powered lamposts twinkled awake. Some shops were starting to close, those that had no more clients like butchers and florists, while the first few barmaids and owners began to scribble the daily menùs on blackboards on the street.
I walked mindlessly as my thoughts raced from window to window of the many little shops that littered the merchant side of town. One sold knives too blunt and too adorned to be of any use in battle. One sold garments way too flashy and risque for any student to wear. Another sold hats, from comically large ones to the classic stylish gentleman-like hats. Like so, my mind wandered through my reflection on the glass, at times wearing a fancy leather doublet at others wielding a way-too-large bow of wood and vines. My cloudly and wandering mind suddenly came to a halt once my feet stopped in front of a chaotic-looking display belonging to an even more chaotic shop.
A small thing the shop was. Really small. It was as wide as a large window and a door, maybe double that in length but most likely less. The chaos of the window attracted my attention. It was such a stark difference from the neat and tidy displays of the other shops. It was almost funny. Not only it was a mess in terms of tidiness but also regarding the very things it displayed. On a corner was a large box containing expensive silks with tapestry designs. Behind it was the wood mannequin of an arm adorned with way too many bracelets of all sorts. Canes and umbrellas were lying all over the place while hats and scarves seemed to hang directly from the ceiling. Finally, two large stag’s horns were used as a display for tens of rings and necklaces.
The gold of some rings shone a faint yellow hue across the surface of the silver necklaces and the dark black leather of some chokers. Some of the stuff displayed was clearly junk but others, especially some rings and necklaces, were of the finest quality. The abundance of gems and precious metals almost made me doubt the authenticity of the shop. However, even amidst my doubt, one necklace stuck out from the rest.
It was a fairly simple necklace. Large enough to swing a bit when hung from the neck but short so that it may only reach slightly past the collarbone. Or at least that was so in my case. The heart of it was a red gem with a whitish core that seemed to glow with light. The bright red ruby was held onto a silver plate by many small leaf-like designs that kept it in place. The plate onto which the ruby was set had the shape of a rounded rhombus with a little three-pointed crown at the top and on the bottom. A simple silver-like chain with a little hook on each end completed the necklace. I was so mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the jewel that I failed to notice the presence stalking by my side until he spoke.
“Seeing anything you like?” He asked in that bland yet warm tone of his that betrayed the curiosity in his eyes and the little curling of his lips.
“No-” I replied feigning a little cough “- just a bit of girlish curiosity, Raph”
“Want to check inside? We still have some time before meeting the others” Raphael offered as he gestured toward the door knowing damn well that I would say yes.
Meekly I nodded and entered the shop before him. The next half an hour went by with me running from shelf to shelf, discovering all sorts of bits and bobs and pieces of jewelry that were worth the coin. That shop was a true treasure trove of wonders. Soo many precious pieces sold for half their worth. It was quite the bewitching experience. Raphael, through it all, only opened his mouth when I asked his opinion and even then he would only utter a few words and nothing else. I was used to it, alas. He would rather listen than talk. In the end, we left the shop without purchasing anything, much to the displeasure of the small old woman sitting in the corner.
“Do you mind waiting for me here?” Asked my date just before the entrance of the tavern where we were supposed to meet the others.
“Sure. What’s the matter?” I replied as I sat down on a bench beside the stairs.
“I just remembered I’ve got one last errand to run. It shouldn’t take me more than five minutes” He answered as he fished his pockets for coins, counting them in his hands without taking anything out.
“No problem-” I chirped, thinking it was something Lucas asked of him that morning “- I doubt the others will be here on time…like always!”
Without another word, Raphael turned heel and walked back the way we came, leaving me to ponder on what kind of errand he was going on this late. True to his word, my loneliness only lasted for a few minutes. Alone and holding in his hands a small red box the size of his palm, my fianceè sat next to me and sighed knowing that it was now time to wait.
“What is that?-” I asked curious as to why would the stoic and silent Raphael buy something so odd, even if it was just his brother’s request “- Is that a gift?”
“Yep-” He said as he basically shoved the small box in front of my nose “- it’s yours”
“Mine?!” I asked surprised, feeling the surprise and confusion warm the blood below my cheeks.
“It’s what I just said. Did I not?” He mocked as he curled his lips in that impish smile he showed whenever he was making fun of someone, usually his brother.
“Can I open it?” I asked giddily like a birthday kid.
“Go on” He replied with a gesture of his hand.
Quickly, I unwrapped the tiny threads of silver-colored material that held the box shut. Inside, resting atop a soft, deep blue cushion was the very necklace that hypnotized me. The red ruby with the white core, the silver chain, the leaves motif…it was the very same. So beautiful that holding it in my hands robbed me of my breath for a second. Snapping out of that, my eyes began to dart between the boy with the cocky smirk and the necklaces in my hands. It didn’t feel real. I couldn’t understand why. That was the behavior of a boyfriend! The very opposite of what Raphael’s character was…though on paper he was my fianceè.
“W-what? Why?” I managed to ask after several shifts of my eyes between the boy and the necklace.
“Can’t I make you a gift?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No- I mean, yes, but…it’s not like you!” I replied confused.
“Ouch, if I was anyone else I’d be offended, you know” He said smirking. This was all a fun game to him.
“Stop playing, you oaf! You know what I mean!” I replied, or rather, demanded as I sunk my nails into his thigh causing him to yelp and recoil.
“All right, all right…go easy with the nails, Sora. It’s your last year here at the academy. Your final exams are coming and you seemed a bit off lately, like your mind was neither here nor there. You see-” He explained “- I have made a bit of cash with work at the guild lately so I thought I could splurge a little. Think of it as a good luck charm, an incentive, a little trinket to encourage you to do good during your exams. What do you think? Did I pick the right one?”
“You know damn well you picked the right one, asshole! Stop smirking!” I replied as I tried to sink my nails into his thigh once more. Alas, he predicted my move. What he did not anticipate was me leaning into him and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. His stunned and half-bashful expression was worth all the curious stares from the onlooking strangers.
Suddenly I was stirred awake. The carriage had just bounced over something, perhaps a rock, perhaps a hole. The last vestiges of that dreamy memory left me as my tired eyes rapidly accustomed to the sun. I bit on my teeth twice, stretching the muscles that had grown stiff from the dumb grin I had on my face. One hand was still clutched around the red jewel hanging over my chest. One of the carriage shutters opened, causing light to sneak its way into my carriage even more roughly than before. The “clop-clop” sounds of hooves on the ground bathed my ears in the same melody I was forced to grow accustomed to for the past week.
“Is everything okay, my lady?” Said the rough and loud voice of the knight assigned to me for the duration of my mission.
“Yes…thank you for the concern, Sir Leonard” I replied courteously.
“There is a small stream a couple of hours from here, not far from the main road. If you wish, we could take a small break. I’m sure the troops wouldn’t mind” The knight explained from beneath the helmet.
“No, no, it’s fine-” I reassured the knight, showcasing the best smile I had in my studied arsenal “- It’s rare for me to travel this much under such short notice so perhaps I have been a little stressed. However, there is no reason to stop the whole group for my sake. But thank you”
“My pleasure, my lady…-” Leonard replied with a slight bow of his head “- You seem more radiant, my lady, did something good happen?”
“I had a nice dream, Sir Leonard…or rather, I saw a nice memory from my time at the academy. Maybe the prospect of going back to Alamara has taken me back?” I said as I envisioned the last seconds of that warm dream.
“Aah yes, academy years. That takes me back” Replied Sir Leonard with a dreamy tone followed by a loud chuckle.
“Have you been to the academy Sir?” I asked curious, feeling no mana pushback from the middle-aged knight.
“Haha, surely not the one you think, my lady. No, I did not study magic. Never had the talent for it-” The knight explained as he moved his horse closer to the carriage “- There is a fort near Eris, the name’s not important so it’s widely known as Knight’s school. Which doesn’t do it justice. See, less than a third of those who go there actually become knights since everyone who enters is either the son of a noble sent there to learn the sword in self-defense and make connections or that same noble bastard son sent there to become a knight for the family. Not a very welcoming place but I have fond memories of my time there”
“It doesn’t sound welcoming at all, Sir Leonard. Rather, I dare not imagine the animosity between nobles. Do you really have fond memories? I will not judge you” I replied as I courtesly covered my mouth and chuckled.
“I do, truly. Though I doubt my teachers could say the same!” He said with a loud and genuine laugh.
“Bad grades?” I asked genuinely curious. For once, gossiping the time away didn’t feel like a burden I was forced to bear during balls.
“Oh no. My marks were more than fine, else the duke wouldn’t have taken notice of me. No, I was…mhh, how to put it? Mischievous, I supposed?” He said as he scratched his bead from beneath his helmet.
“Uuhh, was the great and righteous Sir Leonard a bad boy? A prankster? Or, pardon my vocabulary, a pain in the ass?” I replied with a smirk.
“Hahaha! All those three and more, my lady. I was a real troublemaker!-” He replied with a dreamy sigh, clearly recalling those times “- Always sneaking out of the dorms and into the nearby village’s broth- ehm, bars, pulling pranks on the other students, going way too hard during sparring. Haha! I doubt any of the teachers remember me fondly! But what about you, my lady, forgive me for prying but I’m quite curious, what were you like during your time at the academy?”
“Can dumb be used as a term for description?” I asked with a stifled laugh.
“Weren’t we all dumb kids once?” He countered with a laugh of his own.
“Oh, trust me, Sir Leonard, I know at least one kid that was everything BUT dumb!” I replied, clutching the pendant in my hands.
“By the look in your eyes, this person seems important. Do tell, my lady, the road to Alamara is long and the scenery becomes boring after the first couple of days. Plus, it is always good to know about the master one has to serve” He said as he took off his helmet and let his wild blonde hair flow freely down his shoulders.
“It seems that serving the duke’s wife caused you to develop a taste for gossip” I chuckled as I scooted closer to the window to facilitate the conversation.
“It is an acquired taste, my lady” He replied as he sent one gauntlet-clad hand through his blonde mane.
“Very well. The one I’m speaking about is a man named Raphael. We studied at the academy together but knew each other from way back. Our families have a deep connection from the time my father traveled the world in search of adventure. Even before he was recognized as an adult, he behaved like one. Sometimes even better than some! Yet trouble seemed to follow him everywhere. In that, the two of you seem quite similar” I replied as I began to draw his face in my mind. Kind of like writing one’s name on the sand with a stick.
“Seems someone difficult to be around” Noted the knight.
“Yes, he was…hard to deal with-” I explained as a little pang of pain ran through my chest “- He spoke little and smiled even less but he listened. He was attentive and smart yet chose to appear mediocre to avoid unnecessary attention. He could have been the top of his year, perhaps even of the decade. He had that much ability. Yet the only reason he joined the academy was so that he could further his knowledge of magic. That was all he cared about. He did not care about much else”
“I take it you were among those ‘else’” Knowingly replied the knight as he eyed me curiously.
“Am I that easy to read?” I asked stifling a chuckle that expressed everything but happiness.
“I know a wounded heart when I see one. Did he not reciprocate your feelings?”
“Not quite. As I said, he was hard to read…He…well, he wasn’t really interested in women in general. Though I know for a fact that more than one student hoped to catch his fancy!” I replied with a tinge of envy in my voice.
“Oh, was he from the other side?” Asked the knight cautiously.
“What?” I asked confused.
“I mean…did he swing the other way?” Leonard asked as he desperately tried to avoid eye contact.
“Sorry?”
“Did he like men?” The knight finally sighed in defeat.
“Eh? OH! No, no, no! I meant that he only cared about books, magic, and his studies! No, no. I would know if that was the case. I am his fianceè” I explained as I laughed hard. I laughed so hard that my chest hurt and tears were clouding my vision.
“Oh! My lady, I thought it was but a rumor! It’s the truth? You are engaged?” Sir Leonard asked surprised so loud that the nearby knights all began to murmur and chuckle like schoolgirls.
“Hehe, indeed I am!-” I answered proudly as I showed the knight the jewel around my neck “- Ever since we were kids. Funnily enough, the same night or engagement was announced, he awakened his mana circuits! He was only four!”
“No! Impossible, my lady! You must be mistaken. Even I know that it does not happen until the age of eight, at best” The knight replied incredulously.
“It’s true, Sir Leonard, I saw it with my own two eyes. He wrecked an entire room too. Even my father was there and struggled to believe it. At first, our engagement was supposed to only be a shield to discourage other nobles from approaching me, but after seeing him awaken so young my father really pushed for it to be as formal as possible!”
“I can’t believe this. It sounds like such a far-fetched from a village tavern. The all-too-common boy wonder. Are you sure, my lady? Was he really four?” The knight pressed. The curiosity and wonder seeped like a flood from his tone.
“I am, I am. No wonder he became a ‘spell-create’. He even killed a fiend all on his own. If I recall he even kept the horns as I trophy” I replied, sticking my chest out and feeling proud of my fianceè’s achievements as if they were my own.
“How come I never heard of him? I thought I was well aware of the pressing gossip at court, and you, my lady, are one of the hot topics of the moment” He asked and answered as he scratched his beard immersed in his thoughts and confusion.
“I doubt you would-” I replied with a long sigh “- He’s not from Hadoc. He’s from the War Lands. Migur West to be precise”
“And where is he now? A talent like his would be paid his weight in gold during this time of war!” The knight asked not knowing how deep his words cut into my heart.
“He…he disappeared after the labyrinth struck…My father has been searching for him, for his brother, for his family…We have yet to receive word” I answered. Every word pronounced, every breath taken, every thought sending knives down my neck and into my heart and lungs.
“...Forgive me, my lady-” Said the knight as he bowed his head deeply “- In my curiosity, I spoke out of turn and caused you harm. It pains me to know you suffer”
“...Don’t worry, Sir Leonard, I know you had no ill intention. You couldn’t have possibly known” I replied almost thoughtlessly, feeling the need to cease this conversation as soon as possible.
“My lady-” Replied the knight as he began to make some distance between him and my carriage “- A word, if you will. It may mean little to you but it has helped me greatly when I dreaded to dream of my loved ones well being. ‘No news is better than bad news’ or so the duke once said” The knight said as he bowed once more, donned his hamlet and rode side by side with the carriage.
[No news is better than bad news…-] I repeated in my mind, letting the meaning sink into the wounds that had just opened [- I truly wish I could believe that] I said in my head as my eyes began to wonder in the distance where the open scenery mixed with the first line of tall, green trees.