[September 27, 2042]

Cal was on the hunt for a weed whacker. Luckily, maintenance of the vast lawn of the property upon which Otter Manor was situated was not included in his duties as caretaker, but he still wished to clear the numerous dead weeds that had grown under the house’s portico in the summertime. Thus, for the first time since he had arrived, Cal ventured behind the manor, towards the large wooden shed where he assumed were kept various tools needed for upkeep of the premises’ natural beauty. What he did not expect to see in the shed as pushed open the heavy wooden door was the forms of two enormous sheep standing within, covered in impossibly lush golden wool, staring at him with distrustful dark eyes.

“Thouest intrude upon our hearth, iconoclast.” said the sheep on the left.

“Thy figure and thy dark shadow behind taint the air.” said the sheep on the right.

“Oh,” said Cal uncertainty, pausing in the doorway with one foot in the air, “I’m sorry, I didn’t you know… lived here.”

“We are never far from our daughter,” said the sheep on the left.

“We serve her, and we guide her, and thus we must ne’er be apart from her,” said the sheep on the right.

Cal frowned, edging forward and closing the door behind him, in order to shut out the cold air that was beginning to flow into the shed. “Wait, I’ve met you before,” he said, remembering. “The first day Aina came to live in Otter Manor, the two of you were pulling her carriage, isn’t that right? She told me your names.”

Cal nodded at the sheep on the left. “Ezekiel.”

He nodded at the sheep on the right. “And Sean. Do I have that correct?”

The pair of sheep exhaled a deep breath of air, watching him silently for a short time.

“Admittedly, thy memory is well-tuned, in contrast to your character,” Ezekiel said at last, bending his head forward as some sort of gesture of acknowledgment. “Yes iconoclast, I am known as Ezekiel du Garbhold ni Houliram.”

“And I am Sean,” said Sean.

“Together, we are her royal majesty’s guardians, the golden-fleeced servants of House Cormac, honor-bound to nurture her spirit and protect her from those who would seek to do her harm.” Ezekiel continued, his deep voice resounding through the small shed. “You would do well to remember our names.”

Cal scanned his eyes around the shed, searching for a weed whacker. “Yes, that’s why I did.”

Ezekiel grunted in assent.

Cal turned back to face Ezekiel. “I didn't know you could talk. You didn’t the day we met. Can all sheep talk in your world?”

“Tis’ a secret, held in confidence,” interjected Sean, “one you shall not impart onto our daughter. She knows that we watch over her, thus there is no need for us to have verbal communion with her. To reveal that would be a betrayal of our sacred covenant that our kind made with Hephestus, ten thousand years ago this solstice.”

Cal shook his head, getting annoyed at the vague words of the sheep and the meanings that lay behind them, but trying to keep polite. “I don’t think I understand what you’re talking about, and I don’t really care that much either. You’re with the princess, I get that, but what I want to know is this: why are you here in the shed?”

“Dost thou think sheep are such simple creatures that they can be satisfied with a field of grass and a wide open shard of sky?” retorted Ezekial. “We are here for warmth, for comfort, to stay out of the sight of our daughter until she requests our aid. There is also enough sunlight available for our photosynthesis.”

“I see,” said Cal, not getting it. From what he knew about sheep they neither underwent photosynthesis nor disliked staying in open fields for long periods of time. “If I knew you two were in here, I would’ve checked up on you. Does Aina know?”

The two sheep regarded Cal with a look of suspicion for a long moment, before Ezekiel’s deep voice responded. “Thou’st use the princess’ given name with far too much ease, iconoclast. No, our daughter does not know we are here, and she needn’t, for then she would invite us into the manor itself, perhaps even her room. It is her current understanding that we are currently being held on the royal grounds of the castle, as that is where we have always been present in her short memory. She does not understand that she cannot summon us across worlds, regardless of the blessing of the Goddess of Light. Thus, in order to serve her, we must stay in this world. This shed was a readily available option to set up a permanent residence as any other.”

Cal sighed, attempting to parse together the overall meaning behind the sheep’s words rather than getting lost attempting to decipher every sentence. “What’s the problem with being invited within the manor? If you two promise not to make a mess, I’d allow it. Then you can be close to… your daughter, and don’t have to stay out here all the time, by yourselves.”

“Don’t presume to make allowances on the princess’ behalf!” Ezekiel's dark eyes flashed momentarily with anger, but then it quickly subsided. He cast a look at Sean, and some sort of mutual understanding passed between the two animals. “Besides… it is not a matter of practicality. If we appeared before the princess and asked for residence within the manor, she would grant it gladly, with a wide smile upon her face. She is much too kind, and too oft forgets her station. We are her servants, above all else, and living under the same roof as her would not do.”

Cal now saw the truth of the situation. “I see. So you’re hiding in here.”

“We are not hiding, iconoclast!” Sean said with heavy and vaguely threatening breaths.

“You shouldn’t bother. I think you both have a slightly inflated opinion of Aina.” Cal sneered to himself. “From my experience, she has little interest in being nice or humble. And don’t get me started on what her family has done-”

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Ezekiel took a step forward, and Cal instinctively flinched. He had forgotten for a moment the size of the animals. Ezekiel leaned forward, his eyes dark and intense, his large head hovering a few inches above the crown of Cal’s skull.

“If that is your true opinion, Pascal Clermont,” he said with a quiet, dangerous voice, “then you know nothing of the princess, and nothing about this world that you claim to be heir to. We have been watching you, as we watch all those who interact with our daughter. Your words have only reiterated what we have come to understand about you. Thou art a fool, pretending to be wise. One day, that shadow leaning over your shoulder will consume you.”

Cal’s mouth felt dry. The evocation of his real name had disturbed a number of painful emotions within his chest, but he managed to steady himself. “That seems like a harsh thing to say.” His voice was hurt — and sounded lame even to himself. “I was just here looking for a tool. I didn’t mean offense or to make you angry.”

Ezekiel sighed, almost regretfully, and drew his large head back so it no longer violated Cal’s personal space. “Harsh, yes. But not untruthful. The item you seek is not here, iconoclast. Now leave us be. That shadow you have makes us nauseous.”

Cal turned, opened the door and shed, and slipped out. Before he closed the door completely, he looked back at the two golden sheep, both of whom were so large that when they extended their necks the tops of their heads almost touched the high roof. “Is there anything you need? A blanket, maybe?” he said at last. “I can tell Aina that you’re here.”

Sean shook his head. “Do you not listen at all, iconoclast? We have no wish to alarm our daughter.” A pause, then: “Furthermore, we have no need of blankets. Now leave us.”

Cal left.

He returned to Otter Manor, crossing over the weeds under the portico, and pushing open the oak door to enter the large entry hall. To his surprise, it wasn’t empty. Lounging ungracefully in one of the leather chairs, her nose pressed into a large book bound in red leather, was Aina. She was dressed more simply today, in a dark blue dress that seemed more designed more for comfort than her more elaborate attire, though it did little to detract from the beauty of her face and red hair. When Aina saw Cal enter the hall, she pressed her face further into the book to make a purposeful show of ignoring him, though she did straighten her posture in the chair in an attempt to look more dignified. It seemed she had just started, as only a handful of the book’s leaves were turned.

Standing in the hall, Cal considered returning the favor and passing by her without a word. However, the conversation he had had with the sheep was still fresh in his mind, and despite himself, he opened his mouth.

“It’s rare to see you alone. Is Bridget not here?”

Aina’s green eyes widened in surprise, and she peeked at Cal from over the spine of the book. She was clearly suspicious of his casual attempt to make conversation. “I have given her the afternoon off. Bridget is a very scrupulous person and has a tendency to overwork herself even when there are no pressing concerns. Unfortunately, she still tends to hover by me even when she is not working, so I have sent her into the city with instructions to not come back until she has found a nice café where she can enjoy herself.”

“I see.” There was an awkward pause where Cal stepped forward closer to Aina but couldn’t think of how to continue the conversation. “The first day you came here, there were two golden sheep pushing your carriage. I wondered whatever happened to them.”

With a smile larger than he had ever seen before, Aina put down the book she was holding onto the table before the chair, and leaned her body towards Cal enthusiastically. “Oh, you mean Ezekiel and Sean! I can see why they remain in your memory. They are wonderful and beautiful creatures, are they not?”

Cal, not expecting this amount of joviality from Aina, leaned away from her slightly. “Erm, yes. I thought they suited the concept of royalty very well.”

Aina beamed approvingly at his assessment. “I see, so even a bumbling peasant like yourself has a small amount of good taste! Ezekiel and Sean are not just considered royal property, but also divine property. They are holy sheep of the Goddess of Light that were assigned to me at birth to love and be loved by — a tradition for every member of House Cormac. When I was a child, I played with their golden fur. As a young woman in the prime of my beauty, they pull my royal carriage. With a note from my flute, I can summon them to me, even across worlds.”

She beamed even more brightly. “And they are wonderful, aren’t they?”

Cal barely managed to suppress a smile. Her fondness for the sheep had suddenly humanized her to him, in a way that he hadn’t been able to rationalize before. It was like when she spoke about the sleep, he was seeing her as a girl, not as a princess.

“You called them divine sheep,” he said, wanting to continue this conversation that was going so well. “Does that mean they have any special properties? Can they talk, for instance?”

Aina laughed condescendingly. “What imagination those of the lower classes have!” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Do sheep talk in your world, peasant? No, besides their appearance and their ability to come to the call of my flute, Ezekai and Sean are perfectly normal animals. They are not divine because of innate characteristics, but because all sheep are considered sacred by the Goddess of Light and my family. To harm a sheep is punishable by death in my kingdom.”

“That’s quite harsh.”

Aina brushed a strand of her red hair over her ear. “What an interesting perspective. But I suppose the gods of your world are neither as powerful nor loved by the people as the Goddess of Light, so retribution against sacrilege is generally less feared. I can’t say I have strong feelings on the matter. Execution is a harsh punishment, that’s true, but on the other hand, if a person were to harm either Ezekiel or Sean, there are no words for the agonies I would inflict on them.”

Cal sat down on the chair across from Aina. “You talk of them as though they are members of your family.”

You seem to care about them more than you do Bridget, Cal thought, though he didn’t express this out loud.

“That’s because they are, ostensibly, if not legally. The Goddess’ sheep are granted the same protections that a member of the royalty would receive.” Aina tapped her finger on the armrest of the leather chair. “Oh, this talk of them is making me miss their lovely faces! Perhaps I shall call upon them soon, just to see them.”

She smiled to herself, as if picturing the sheep in her mind and fingered the necklace that hung around her pale neck. Her posture has become relaxed again. Her legs were crossed underneath the smooth material of the dress, and she was no longer sitting at a perfectly straight angle.

Cal was silent for a while. He wondered what was the harm in doing something nice for this spoiled princess, and why he had felt so resistant to doing it before. “Aina,” he said, and the girl lifted her head upon hearing him say her name aloud. “Since both of us are currently unoccupied, do you want to play a game of chess?”

For a moment, Aina stared at him in shock. Then her green eyes seemed to inflate with happiness. “Peasant!” She said, her voice uncharacteristically high and affectionate to him. “You are receiving full marks today, well done! Have you finally decided to concede to my majesty, and serve to my pleasure? I knew you would come around, as all do! I suppose my beauty and elegance are simply impossible to resist!”

“Don’t push it, rich girl,” Cal said flatly.

“Ahem,” Aina coughed once. “What I mean to say is that I accept your challenge! We shall engage in a battle of wits! When I defeat you, you shall finally understand that no matter how they struggle, the peasants shall never be able to overthrow the power of the ruling class!”

“That’s a quite dark thing you just said.”

Aina ignored his comment, and mischief flashed in her green eyes. “If you deem to challenge me, prepare to be destroyed.”

Cal tilted his head, almost smiling. “I didn’t know you had such a competitive streak.”

“Indeed!” Aina grinned. “And furthermore, the skills to back it up. Steal yourself, Cal! For I, Princess Aina of House Cormac, have never lost a game of chess!”