《Ren and Era. Existara Series》 1. The Boy and the Cat Prologue ¡°Crile. I saw my Father¡­¡± I whisper quietly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I think they were memories¡­¡± I feel Crile turn in the bed next to me. I see him looking at me. ¡°Breeze, your Father died before you were born.¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°I think you do. I¡¯m just worried that being an iceberg for as long as you have, did something to you that Percival and Laira weren¡¯t able to fix?¡± ¡°I know how it sounds¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s sounds crazy.¡± ¡°Ya think?¡± I turn away from him. He snuggles up against me. ¡°Sweetheart¡­ They probably were dreams¡­¡± ¡°I think they were Emerald¡¯s memories¡­¡± Crile doesn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. ¡°Tell me¡­ What did you see?¡± I hesitate. ¡°It was dark and cold at first¡­ It felt like I was coming to from losing consciousness¡­ I felt weak. My head rang¡­ I couldn¡¯t walk straight¡­¡± The Boy and the Cat It was cold and dark when I came to¡­ I feel weak and can''t even stand straight¡­ My body feels heavy¡­ Huh? What¡¯s this? Are these¡­Wait. What¡¯s going on!? This doesn¡¯t seem right¡­ I hear a rumbling sound¡­ Was that me? Did I make that noise? No. It can¡¯t be. It sounds too beast like¡­ Why am I crouching? I try standing up again and stumble back down to my knees¡­ Great¡­I feel a light breeze in front of me¡­ The outside! I walk towards it¡­ The light dazes me for a moment¡­ I look around¡­ I was in cave¡­ Something brushes against me. A tail! I jump back. Wait¡­ I touch my face¡­ What the? Oh no¡­ Are those...paws? I look again. THAT tail is attached to ME! What is going on here! I scream out and a roar comes out from deep within my throat¡­ I run¡­ I don''t know where I am running to or what from, but I run anyways¡­ The more I run the more I realize¡­ Those paws¡­ That growl¡­ That tail¡­ This body covered in fur is me. I am a beast. I want to scream out, but only another roar echoes through the woods¡­ I jump over a fallen tree, but my hind legs don''t make it over it, I fall to the ground and roll downhill¡­ I splash straight into a lake¡­ I lay there for a moment¡­ Maybe longer? Who knows. I get up and shake the water off me. I look down and see the distorted image of a beast staring at me¡­ The water goes still and I see it clearly¡­ A beastly muzzle with deep, green eyes¡­ What have I done? I look myself over¡­ Dark fur with white streaks on each side¡­ Like a fallen star in the dark of night¡­ Ha! Serves me right¡­ I shake again and slowly walk back toward the woods. I drag myself, each step is pure agony¡­ I have no idea where I am going¡­ Or what I should do next¡­ I lay down¡­ Something feels weird. I look down to my stomach¡­ Something is stuck in it¡­ I paw at it¡­ It breaks¡­ I roar. That hurts! What is that? It goes deeper inside me¡­ Argh! That hurts even more! I feel something wet drip along my fur¡­ It''s dark and warm¡­ Tastes weird¡­ I stop clawing at the thing and just leave it there¡­ I keep walking¡­ The woods are full of sounds and smells¡­ I don''t know what any of them mean, so I just keep walking¡­ I walk past a big tree¡­ Something catches my eye¡­ I look back¡­ There''s an opening in the tree¡­ I look closer at it¡­ It seems strangely big¡­ I walk closer to it, my paw slips and I fall, again¡­ That thing inside me hurts, again¡­ I roar and flop to my side¡­ I just lay there, in the dirt and sleep¡­ Every now and again I will climb back out and look for food¡­ I knew what I should do as a beast, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to kill anything¡­ I scavenge for whatever dead thing I can find that something else left behind¡­ Soon I realize that I like the fish the best¡­ Catching them is a bit tricky, but I manage to learn¡­ That thing that has been stuck inside me would hurt sometimes, but I learned to ignore it¡­ I realized that other animals avoid me¡­ Maybe because they know I¡¯m not a true beast¡­ I try exploring the woods sometimes, but I never wander off too far¡­ That tree is my home¡­ Somehow it keeps dry when it rains and I like it¡­ It''s my sanctuary¡­ A few seasons go by¡­ I grow stronger as my new beastly personality¡­ During the winter the lake freezes over and I am forced to hunt¡­ Those are the only times I have to wander further away from the lair¡­ First few times it really bothered me¡­ Soon enough I realized I wasn¡¯t able to sleep like some of the other animals and if I was going to live through it, I had to kill¡­ So I did¡­ Not too often¡­ Only when I couldn¡¯t handle the pain anymore¡­ It wasn¡¯t easy like that¡­ I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it¡­ Then, one time, something happened¡­ I heard a sound outside my tree. I didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it¡­ Till that sound was right next to me¡­ A voice¡­ ¡°Ouch. That hurt.¡± I lay in the dirt under the giant tree. I try standing up, but fall back on my ass. I check my left ankle¡­ It feels weird¡­ Probably not a good sign¡­ ¡°How am I suppose get back up there¡­¡± What was that? I turn around¡­ I listen¡­ I hear breathing¡­ If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I reach out and touch something soft¡­ Fur¡­ Oh no¡­ I¡¯m a dead man¡­ I freeze¡­ Two green dots light up in the darkness¡­ They are getting closer¡­ The two dots have a muzzle attached to them and it''s staring at me¡­ ¡°Emerald¡­¡± I whisper. I put my hand over the muzzle¡­ I don''t lose my hand the same second, so I take it as a good sign¡­ Beautiful¡­ The muzzle sniffs me over. The fur and the whiskers tickle me¡­ I try my best not to laugh¡­ Something wet touches my broken ankle¡­ ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not supposed to look like that.¡± I say quietly. ¡°Can you help me out?¡± The muzzle looks at me and lowers itself to the ground. I hesitate, but I have nothing to lose. Besides my life, maybe? I stagger in the dirt toward the back of the muzzle and climb on the beast¡¯s back¡­ It''s so soft and warm it makes me want to sleep right away¡­ The beast moves. It climbs up and, in a few moments, we are outside again¡­ I slide off the animal. ¡°Now then. Let me look at you¡­¡± I fumble a few steps back¡­ It''s a tiger? A huge one¡­ Dark fur with a white streak running across the side... Like a falling star¡­ ¡°Turn around for me, please¡­¡± The tiger seems to understand me and moves slowly¡­ Oh! Same mark is on the other side too! Oh! I laugh. ¡°So you¡¯re a girl!¡± The tiger sits down in front of me. ¡°That¡¯s good. Emerald suits you¡­¡± I reach for her and she lays her giant head down on my lap¡­ ¡°You¡¯re very pretty.¡± I pet her¡­ A low growl comes from deep within her throat¡­ ¡°You like that, huh?¡± I smile and scratch her ear. ¡°How about that?¡± She turns her head more to me. I laugh. ¡°Guess you like that too¡­ What are you doing here, though?¡± Emerald looks up at the sky¡­ ¡°What is it?¡± I look up. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there. It¡¯s a beautiful day though¡­¡± I try to move, and my ankle tells me no. Emerald looks up. Her eyes seem worried. ¡°Not the first time. Don¡¯t worry. But I have to try and get home anyways¡­¡± I point to the direction of the village. Emerald lays down again. ¡°Oh, really? Thank you!¡± I climb on her back and flatten myself again. So soft. I feel her move under me. Surprisingly, she takes her time. I figured she would dash off through the woods like a runaway rabbit, but no, not at all. She¡¯s in no hurry. Maybe she''s worried that jumping and running would harm me? Or maybe she just enjoys my company? Oh what I¡¯m I saying? That can¡¯t be it¡­ Can it? ¡°You can stop now.¡± I pat her head. The tiger listens to me and lays down gently again. I clumsily climb off her back. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± I nod to her. ¡°By the way, the name''s Wykren.¡± I grin silly. She blinks at me. ¡°Can I come around to visit you sometimes?¡± I have difficulty balancing on one leg. She blinks at me again and wanders back into the deep woods. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes!¡± I call out to her and jump away. Such a strange encounter... I''m a girl he says, huh? Not that I had any power over that... Guess it''s for the better. I didn''t detect a single trace of hostility from him either... I seem to be able to understand him easily as well... How many centuries has it been now since I''ve shut myself inside that tree? I stroll back to it and into it... Dad keeps yelling at me while fixing my leg. ¡°I said I was sorry! It''s not like I did it on purpose!¡± I explain myself again. ¡°I don''t want to hear it! There! Stand up.¡± He says. I get off the chair. ¡°If you can walk then get back to work. That''s what you get for goofing off!¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Work is exactly why I wandered off in the first place!¡± I go back to the workshop and continue to chisel the gem stones... Emerald green... Those eyes captured my soul... I''ve never seen anything like that before... How can she be living there? How come I haven''t seen her before? What is she anyways! I hammer my thumb in with the tiny mallet. I shake it off. I have to see her again... It takes my ankle days to heal up. I get restless with each passing hour. How boring! All I ever do is play with stones! Crafting isn''t as exciting as Dad makes it sound. You just sit there, hunched over, without moving, for days! Like a statue! Ugh! I don''t even get to work with Lector stones cause I have no magic! Argh! I slump back in my chair and close my eyes. I get a smack on the head. ¡°Quit slacking off.¡± ¡°Oh please! All I ever do are trinkets for the girls! We have plenty of them laying around as is!¡± ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡± Mom says to me. ¡°Ladies love this stuff. The Festival of Life is coming up too, we''ll be selling plenty of everything at Astri.¡± ¡°Coming up¡±, she says¡­ It¡¯s a month away! Well, two weeks¡­ They will be leaving early, as always¡­ ¡°Doesn''t mean it''s not boring!¡± I keep pouting, polishing the gem. ¡°It pays. That''s all you need to worry about.¡± Dad tells me. ¡°If it''s an issue of gold then there are plenty of other things, I can do for it!¡± I keep going still. ¡°Like what?¡± Dad mocks me. I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I could always be a warrior, or something.¡± ¡°Or something. Exactly. You got your ankle hurt on a stroll around the woods. A warrior he says!¡± Dad yells out of the other room. Mom comes over to me and puts her arms on me from behind the chair. ¡°If it''s bothering you so much then bear with it a little longer. You can stop and choose your path later, once you''re old enough, alright?¡± She kisses the top of my head. I sigh... ¡°Sooo two more years?¡± I grin. She smiles back at me. ¡°It''s because of you that he gets weird ideas like that.¡± Dad disapproves with Mom. ¡°No harm done.¡± She shrugs her shoulders. ¡°He is his own person, after all.¡± ¡°Sure sure.¡± Dad puts his hand around Mom''s hips. ¡°What?¡± He glares at me. I smile. ¡°Nothin''.¡± I go back to my stone. I need to finish this up quick. I''m worried about Emerald... 2. Two of a Kind A noise outside captures my attention. A vaguely familiar sound reaches my ears. ¡°Emerald? You in there! Damn it, it''s so dark.¡± More rustling. ¡°Come out, please, if you''re there!¡± Hm. I climb out. ¡°There you at!¡± Wykren smiles at me. ¡°How you been?¡± I growl at him for a second. He laughs at it. ¡°Right. Sorry. Here. I wasn''t sure what you liked best so I brought a bunch of things.¡± He lays a basket next to my feet. I take a whiff. He opens it for me and hands me something that resembles meat? He takes a bite of it. I stare at him. ¡°It''s ok. See.¡± He hands me a bite too. I lick it and shake my head. He laughs at me again. ¡°Sorry, guess you don''t like salt. My bad. I''ll remember that for later. Here. Fish. Fried.¡± He hands me a shrunken piece. I lick it once and gulp it down. ¡°Fish. Ok. Now we''re getting somewhere.¡± He hands me things he calls fruit or vegetables... I try some, but not much stick with me... The boy seems to be enjoying himself, though. I feel strangely calm around him. I wonder why? ¡°So anyways, I have a few weeks to myself, my Parents went away to sell our crafts all the way to Astri, oh, that''s a bit up north from here, it''ll take them some time to return, so I''ll be coming around a little more. Is that ok?¡± I ask Emerald. She blinks at me. I smile. ¡°Mind if I pet you?¡± I reach out. She puts her head closer to me. My hand sinks into the fur again. I scratch her ear and move to her neck. I stroke her back and her side. I feel the side of her stomach. Maybe that wasn¡¯t my imagination, after all? She seems to be friendly¡­ As far as beasts of that size should be? ¡°Are you purring?¡± I ask and scratch her side a bit harder. She lays down on her side, exposing her soft belly. I laugh and continue petting her. Something hard brushes against my hand. I dig for the thing in the fur. ¡°What''s this?¡± I stare at the piece of wood, sticking out from Emerald''s belly... I touch it and she growls at me. ¡°Sorry...¡± I move my hand away... How long has it been there? The wound is completely healed around it... This is bad. If it were fresh, I could pull it out no problem, but now... I''d need to cut it open... Who knows what is going on inside in there... How is she alive? Because of her size? It¡¯s not reaching deep enough? Who cares! I gotta do something! I try to examine the spot as carefully as I can... This is bad... I have to do something... Like what! I have no clue about these things! I''ve never been so disappointed with myself for knowing so little... ¡°It''s getting late. I''ll go back now, ok?¡± I pat Emerald one more time. ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow! Promise!¡± I pick my basket up and leave. What do I do now? I walk back... ¡°Oi! Wykren! What ya find! Oi! OI!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, hello there.¡± I snap out of it and wave. ¡°What ya find? Bring anything good?¡± The old man asks me, pointing to the basket. ¡°Huh? Ah, nah.¡± I smile. It clicks to me! ¡°Have you seen the healer around?¡± ¡°Oh, aah, hmm...¡± He takes his time. ¡°Ya know, you may not look that old, but you sure play the part well.¡± I glare at him. The man laughs. ¡°Can''t help it!¡± ¡°The healer! Seen her?¡± I try again. ¡°Yeah, I think she''s home. Not that I seen her out today?¡± ¡°Thanks! See ya!¡± I run off to the old woman. Although Noxians don''t really age, rather, not that anyone can tell, but when you''re a normal age teenager - everyone is old. Especially because they see you as a child no matter how old you get. I knock on the door. No answer. I try louder. ¡°It''s open!¡± A muffled sound comes in from the inside. I push the door open. ¡°Pardon the intrusion!¡± ¡°Come in, come in! Oh, hello.¡± The woman nods to me. ¡°Well? What can I get ya?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± I nod too. ¡°I, I have a question?¡± ¡°Of course, you do, you wouldn''t have come over otherwise.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°Yeah, right.¡± I smile. ¡°Well? What is it? Girl trouble?¡± She smirks at me. I feel my face blush. I shake my head. Not that kind of girl... She laughs at me. ¡°Well? What is it then?¡± The healer tries again. ¡°How do you remove an old stab wound?¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Her gaze changes. ¡°Define old?¡± ¡°A piece of wood stuck inside the flesh long enough for the wound around it to have healed up, leaving the wood inside...¡± I die down. This was a bad idea... I shouldn''t have come... ¡°Is there someone injured like that?¡± ¡°No!¡± I lie. ¡°I had just had my ankle hurt and as I was walking around with the splint around it, and um, I had this thought like what if I would just use the wood to jab it inside, to help it stay put? Ya know?¡± That''s the worse lie in history of lies... The healer leans in closer. ¡°You''re a weird one, aren''t ya?¡± I nod and she laughs again. ¡°Well, Ravos do something similar, except that you can''t really use just any piece of wood for healing. You''d get a nasty infection and could end up losing the limb completely. But, I can''t say it hasn''t happened before... Especially on the battle field. Although, in those cases the object in question is small enough, say like a splinter, making it easily overlooked when treated in a rush. How big of an object are we talking about here?¡± She continues to rustle between some of the bottles on the shelves, behind the counter. ¡°It''s in theory only. I''m just curious how it''s treated?¡± ¡°Oh well, standard foreign object removal. If it can''t be pulled out, you''ll need to cut it, either around it or some other angle, depending on the situation. Next, you''re gonna wanna remove the thing and clean the wound. Boiling water would do the trick if you don''t have the right herbs or solutions. Booze works too.¡± She waves a bottle at me. ¡°But only the hard stuff.¡± She winks at me, taking a sip. ¡°Oh and depending on how big the wound is - you may gonna wanna stitch it up. For flesh wounds I recommended a fishing hook.¡± She bends a finger to show me. ¡°Then just patch it up and make sure the wound does not open or catch an infection. Watch out for fever and heavy sweats.¡± She turns back to me. ¡°How''d I do?¡± I nod. ¡°Very informative. Thank you.¡± It was nothing like I imagined. I smile. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Well what?¡± I ask, a bit confused. ¡°What do you need? Herbs? Tools? Gauze? All of the above?¡± ¡°None.¡± I smile again. "Thank you for your time." I bow and leave. Most of that we should have back at the house. It''ll be too suspicious if I start buying all that stuff... I come back home and gather up anything useful I can find... I''m not sure it''s a good idea to bring her back here... I''ll need to do the best I can myself... How will I pull that off is beyond me... I stop by the workshop. Her fur is too thick... I take a few knives, gauze, a fishing hook, some leather thread... I have a feeling this would work better... The only problem - will she let me? I pack the things up, along with some fish and go to sleep... I leave at the first sign of dawn. I have no idea how long it could take. Rather, it''s just an excuse, since I barely managed to sleep at all... I trip a few times on my way there. I get to her tree-lair and quietly call out. Emerald shows herself to me. ¡°Hi, gorgeous.¡± That¡¯s what Dad always calls Mom. Does this count as stealing? I grin. I pat her nose. ¡°I got some more fish for ya.¡± I show her one. She takes it and gobbles it up in no time. I smile. She sniffs the basket for more. Her fur and whiskers tickle me and I giggle. ¡°Yes, yes I have more, wait, it''s for later. No! Stop!¡± She knocks me down on my ass. ¡°I''ll let you have them all with ONE CONDITION!¡± I try to hold her back. She stops and stares at me. I clear my throat. ¡°Alright, here''s the deal. I know you have something stuck inside of you. It must have been hurting for long. I want to help you get rid of it.¡± I speak to her, without having a single clue whether or not she understands me. I continue. ¡°It will hurt. But I want to help. Will you let me?¡± I hold her gaze. She whips her tail a few times and lays down on her stomach. ¡°I need you to turn on your side.¡± I tell her taking the items out. She turns, lazily. ¡°Good girl.¡± I get the fire started and kneel down next to her. ¡°I''m sorry, but please.¡± I look at her, waiting for a sign. Nothing happens. ¡°Ok then.¡± I look for the stick again. A rumble tells me I found it. I carefully shave the fur around it. Poor girl... I take the other knife and hold it inside the flame for a bit. Hope that does the trick. I hold it over the flesh. My hands tremble. ¡°This will hurt.¡± I whisper and cut into the skin. Emerald growls a little. ¡°Sorry girl, hang in there.¡± I cut deeper. Blood flows out. I have no idea if this will be enough... I try the stick. Not a budge. Damn it. I make another cut, on the other side of the stick. Emerald growls again, whipping her tail. ¡°Almost done! Promise!¡± I try the wood again, it moves! A little, but moves! Come on! I gently pull it. No use. I glance over at Emerald. ¡°Forgive me.¡± I tell her and pull on the stick as hard as I can. Emerald roars loud, scaring the birds in the trees and jumps back at me. I lay flat on my back on the ground with her jaws a whisker away from my neck. I swallow hard and close my eyes... I feel her breath on my skin... The stench of it... I hold my breath and wait. Yet I feel calm, even with her jaws as close to my life as they are... Such a strange feeling this is?.. She growls one more time and steps back. I look at the damned stick in my left hand... Emerald licks the cut. ¡°Ah! No! Wait!¡± I jump over. She growls at me again. I step back. ¡°Let me.¡± I tell her. ¡°Please.¡± I stare back at her. Somehow, she understands me and lays down again. I scramble for the ¡°needle¡± and the "thread." I turn to the fire and it''s out... Damn. I start it up again and use the water from my pouch to clean the blood of a little bit. I stick the needle into the flame and tie the thread. I exhale quick. ¡°Bear with me.¡± I tell Emerald again. I pinch the flesh and stab through it. It goes in rough. Emerald''s body rumbles. Her tail whips to the sides. ¡°It hurts. I know. Bear it. Please.¡± Another stab. Another growl. Another stab. Another rumble. Another stab. Another painful writhe... ¡°Almost done. Just a bit longer.¡± I tell her. Almost there... I tie the thread off. ¡°There.¡± I put the hook down. I use some of my water to wash my hands off. I dry them off and take the rest of the fish out and lay it in front of Emerald. ¡°You did great.¡± I pat her and she growls at me, but eats the fish still. I chuckle and gather up my things. Ok. One last problem... How do I tell if she has a fever in case...? I should have asked that... I mean, how do cats even sweat? I sigh. ¡°How did you like them?¡± I ask Emerald. She gives me a weird look and goes back to snoozing. I laugh a little. ¡°I''ll bring something else tomorrow, ok?¡± I lay down next to her on the ground. ¡°Hey, do me another favor. Lay on your side till it heals, ok?¡± I pat her. She rumbles at me again, but turns still. I giggle. ¡°Good girl...¡± He didn¡¯t get scared when I jumped him¡­ Nothing was stopping me from ripping his throat out¡­ He called it ¡°help,¡± but it hurts more now than with that stick inside my body¡­ Yet I did as told¡­ Why? 3. Wishful Thinking Wykren comes back the next day. The day after that. And after that. Each day he spends with me. Checking on the wound. I sleep on my side as asked. I hear him call for me again. I try to stand and stumble... I feel a little weak and warm... ¡°It''s too dark in here.¡± A nudge. ¡°Hey, you ok?¡± Another nudge. I let out a weak growl. I feel a tap on my muzzle. ¡°It''s dry. That can''t be good...¡± He struggles around me. ¡°You didn''t touch it, did you?¡± I feel him wander around my fur. I kick him off me. ¡°Ouch. Ok ok, I get it. Wait here. I''ll make something for you...¡± He struggles to climb out. I stand up and give him a nudge. ¡°Oh, thanks, gorgeous.¡± He crawls out and I lay down again. ¡°Here. Drink this.¡± Wykren puts something next to my nose. I open my jaws and he pours the warm water inside my throat. It tastes horrible... I let out a growl. ¡°There there.¡± I feel him pat me again. ¡°I''m sorry. I''ll take care of you. Don''t worry, girl, I''ll make it better, promise...¡± His voice drowns out and I pass out again... ¡°Emerald! Emerald!¡± Something touches me. ¡°Emerald! Wake up! Please!¡± Oh. Wykren... I open my eyes. ¡°There you are! Don''t scare me like that! Here. You need to drink this again. I think it''s helping... But you need to eat something too...¡± I let him pour the bitter water down my throat again. I try to get up, but can''t. I growl in the dark. ¡°I''m sorry. The wound is pussing a little... I feel it...¡± A sharp pain flashes where he touches. I growl again. ¡°It hurts? I''m sorry. I''m trying to clean it a bit. Bear with me... This is all my fault... I just wanted to help...¡± I feel his light touches on my flesh... I''m hungry... I struggle in the darkness to clean her up... I should have stayed with her... I should have kept an eye on her... If only Mom were here... No. I got her into this mess, I''ll get her out of it too. Her skin doesn''t feel as hot anymore, but she''s breathing a bit heavy and she hasn''t eaten in a few days... ¡°Rest up, ok? I''ll go catch something...¡± I climb back out with the help of the rope that I tied around the tree roots. Catch something... I sure like to talk big... I sigh. I''m not even that good of a hunter... Dad always does it... I sigh again. I take my little bow and go deeper into the woods... She needs meat. Fish isn''t enough... Anything would do... A bird... A mouse... A deer... A rabbit... Anything! No! No time to feel discourage. I got her into this mess, it''s my job to make sure she gets better. If she wants to eat me later - fine. I deserve it. I lay in the bushes, waiting... I''ll be here till morning... Focus! I keep waiting... And waiting... And waiting... I feel my body get numb. Bugs are crawling all over me... Ugh! I hate this! It''s more boring than polishing gems!!! A rustle. Huh! What was that! Where was that! Ah damn it! I try to trace that something that made the sound... There! I fire. A squeak and a thud. Alright! I quickly get up and run over to my catch! I sigh... Catch... More like a snack... I pick up the poor and dead baby rabbit... It''ll have to do, for now. I bring it back with me to Emerald''s tree. ¡°Does she eat these whole?¡± I ask myself. No. I shake my head. I''ll have to skin it. She''s weak, so no bones either. I give my thanks to the rabbit and get to it... I never liked this part... Not having the right tools with me right now isn''t making this any easier... Maybe I should cook it? No. I''ll just cut it into smaller pieces. She should be fine this way... I wrap the meat pieces up in some cloth and slide down the rope. ¡°Hey, girl. Look. Food. Please eat...¡± I nudge her a little. ¡°Please?¡± I hold a piece next to her nose. It twitches and her warm tongue licks it off my hand. I wait a moment to make sure she doesn''t choke and hand her another piece. She takes it. ¡°Good girl. Good girl...¡± I feed her the rabbit a slice at a time. ¡°There we go...¡± I pat her. ¡°Let me bury the rest of the poor thing and I''ll be down back with you in a sec.¡± I climb out and gather up whatever remains of the rabbit. I take it a little bit further away, dig a hole and bury the bones. I thank the nature for taking her creation back and return to Emerald. I slide back down the rope and snuggle up against her. I was too childish to believe I could pull it off at first try like that... Idiot. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± I tell her fur... I wake up from a strange, suffocating feeling. So... Heavy... So... Hot... I feel the thing on top of me. Fur... Oh! I let out the last of my breath. I can''t... Breath... In... ¡°Eme...rald...¡± I tap her... ¡°Get... Off...¡± She squirms a little, but doesn''t move. ¡°Please... Move...¡± I try to wiggle myself from under her. No go. I squirm and writhe for an eternity till I manage to slip out. I crawl over to her in the dark. ¡°Hey, hey, you ok? Hey?¡± I nudge her. A low growl. ¡°Ok, wait here.¡± I tell her and climb out. It''s barely day break... I yawn and shake my head. Gotta catch her something else... A low growl comes from my own body... Me too, I guess. I start my quest for meat, again... I spend the next few days curled up with Emerald... Nothing I do works... I need help... But I can''t... I notice my dirty clothes... It won''t do her any good if I too, starve myself here... I go back home to wash up. I gather up whatever I can find that she might eat. I need meds too... I have no clue if any of the ones that we have here would help... I gather up whatever coins I have and go to the local healer again. I open the door. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Hello?¡± "One moment!¡± A voice answers me. ¡°You again! What''s up?¡± ¡°I need something that would help with puss?¡± ¡°Hurt yourself?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I lie again. ¡°It was nothing at first, but now it kinda hurts...¡± ¡°Show me.¡± The healer comes from around the counter. I step back. ¡°No! I can''t!¡± ¡°Why not? I need to see to know better.¡± ¡°It''s not something I can show you...¡± I mumble... ¡°I fell on my ass and a dirty tool poked through my pants...¡± I blush. No, this is definitely the worst lie... I hear a muffled giggle... ¡°I see. Well. Here. This should help.¡± She gives me a bottle. ¡°Use gauze to soak it with the solution and gently dab around the area... Apply it a few times a day and you should get better soon enough.¡± I put the coins down. ¡°Will this do?¡± She slides the silver back and takes five copper ones. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you! Have a good day.¡± I tell her. ¡°You too!¡± The healer waves to me. I come back home and pack a bag. I put in meds, gauze, knives, arrows, rope, a candle and some Spark stones. I take it with me, back to Era. I climb down the rope and tumble around the wall of the lair till I find a tree root to hang the bag off. I take the candle out and light it. ¡°Lemme see.¡± I shine the light on her belly. Oh, ew. Puss... I liked it better when I couldn''t see it... I messed up big time... I stick the candle into the ground and scramble for the bottle and the gauze. I pour the liquid on it and press on the wound. Era twitches with a rough growl. ¡°I''m sorry! I''m sorry!¡± I quickly take my hand of her. ¡°I didn''t mean to!¡± I wait. ¡°I need to do this. Please, Era. Let me...¡± I try to clean the wound again. Her body rumbles again. I pat it down with quick dabs. ¡°There there, that''s all.¡± I put the gauze and the bottle away. I drag myself back home early morning. I ran out of water... I step inside the house. It''s a mess... I sigh. I''ve barely even been here... I start cleaning the place up. Dusting, mopping, airing... I bring in water and start the fire too... It would be easier if I could bring Era back here... I yawn, crawl out of my clothes and curl up in the bed... A few hours should do the trick... ¡°It''s past noon! Look at him!¡± Who''s there? ¡°Well, the place is spotless, though.¡± Mom? ¡°Makes you wonder what the hell did he do.¡± Dad? What a weird dream... ¡°We''re back.¡± A kiss. Huh! My eyes snap open and my body sits up in the bed. ¡°HUUUUH!!¡± I stare at my parents. ¡°You guys... Why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh? What a strange thing to ask. We do live here, you know.¡± Dad gives me a look. ¡°Disappointed?¡± Mom adds to Dad''s look. ¡°What! No! I mean! You''re early...¡± I get up. What time is it? How long have I been out? ¡°Early for you, maybe.¡± ¡°We rushed home, we have a lot of work to do.¡± Mom says. Huh? ¡°Come on, we need to get started. You won''t believe the requests this year!¡± Dad shouts from the workshop. I shake my head. This is bad... ¡°Hungry?¡± Mom asks from the kitchen. ¡°Ah, yeah, sure!¡± I answer... Now what will I do? I get dressed and go see Dad. A bunch of weird-ish things lay on his worktop. ¡°What is all this?¡± ¡°Women.¡± He says. ¡°Each one asked to remake their favorite hair accessories or other items. They even gave us the descriptions and the gems to work with.¡± I take a piece of paper next to two hair pins. Twist the two together. Add a gem flower at the top, colors for the flower... ¡°You have to be kidding me...¡± Dad laughs. ¡°Blame your clever mother for it. It was her idea.¡± ¡°Mo-oom!!¡± ¡°Hey, I said it as a joke! I did not know they would eat it up like candy!¡± She yells to us. ¡°What did she say, exactly?¡± I look over some of the other "requests"... ¡°Custom orders on the go. Bring your items and requests. Have them delivered back in two months.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± I stare at her as she brings in two cups. ¡°Hey, competition this year was rough¡­¡± ¡°Most of these are a waste of time!¡± I pout. ¡°Well lucky you that we have all of these.¡± Dad set a box down. ¡°You can''t be serious...¡± ¡°What? It''s a good way to save money and sell the left overs. We''ll be able to get some good gems after this.¡± Dad tells me as I stare at my "practice"... All of the little things I did while honing my skills... ¡°This is also a good opportunity to expand.¡± Mom adds. ¡°Expand to what? There''s only three of us?¡± I pout more. ¡°We can always hire someone.¡± Dad says. ¡°Oh no! You''ll just be ripping me off!¡± I drink the tea and get to work. The faster we do this, the faster I can get back to Era... ¡°Hey girl, sorry it took me so long. My parents came back early and we have a ton of work to do.¡± Wykren''s voice reaches me from the darkness. A stinging feeling runs through me again... ¡°You''re breathing easier now... Hope that means you''re getting better...¡± I feel his light touches on my fur... ¡°Listen, I might not be able to come see you for a little while. I hope I am wrong, but... I''m sorry... If anything I''ll come around at night, ok?¡± It''s dangerous here at night... ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll make sure to fix this... I''m not leaving you...¡± He whispers and leaves... 4. The Legend and the Saber I get cooped up in the workshop for days... I can''t find a single moment when to go see Emerald. So, I do the only natural thing. I sneak out at night. It makes it a little more difficult to tend for her. I can only manage to clean the wound up a little and feed her a fish or two... She hasn''t eaten meat in about a week now... I don''t think she even moved from her lair ever since... We never had so many custom orders come in... Why now! I crawl back to the house and crash in my bed. ¡°Era!¡± I call into the tree. ¡°Are you here?¡± I listen. A rumble. ¡°I''m coming down!¡± I tell her. I take the candle out of the bag and light it. She''s on her side. ¡°Ok, let''s take a look.¡± I take the meds and the gauze out. It''s getting better... A little red still... ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t have used the thick leather thread...¡± I pour the solution on the gauze and gently pat the wound. Era growls at me. ¡°Bear with me, just a little longer... Sorry that I can''t stay longer... But I''ll be back as soon as I can! I promise I''ll make you better!¡± The pussing has stopped, but... ¡°I''ll make it all ok...¡± It''s all my fault anyways... I feel stranded¡­ I¡¯m suffocating at this desk¡­ I barely get to leave for quick errands. Like gathering wood or something... Never long enough for me to check on Era while it¡¯s still light out¡­ I leave the woods with my bundle of sticks. I notice the hunched over Gramps, struggling with his haul. I quickly run up to him. ¡°Here! Let me!¡± I take the wood from the old man. ¡°Oh, Wykren. Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°I hear you''ve been plenty busy these days, something about striking big in Astri?¡± The elder laughs. ¡°Tell me about it! It''s so boring!¡± Wait a sec. It dawns on me! ¡°Hey, Gramps, got any interesting stories for me? Something to entertain me while I work?¡± ¡°Ooh? Think that''s a good idea? Won''t it distract you?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Hmm... Is there a story left that I haven''t told you, I wonder?¡± ¡°Oh like you could ever run out of stories! You''re the only actually old person here!¡± I tell the shrunken Noxian. Once a Noxian goes past a certain age, they age... The hair goes grey, the face wrinkles. Even their posture changes... It rarely happens, but there are some others like Gramps here. Or so I¡¯m told¡­ ¡°Ha! Very funny...¡± He thinks it over again. ¡°Have something special in mind?¡± He looks up at me. ¡°Hmmm... Something magical and legendary!¡± Hope that does the trick... I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to ask about a cat or a tiger... I''d rather not lie to Gramps... ¡°Magical... Magical... Legendary... Oooh! Legendary, huh. Well. Do you know about the Sabers?¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± He laughs. ¡°That''s a no.¡± He chuckles. ¡°Sabers are an old legend around these parts... They are tiger like creatures, but bigger, stronger, magical...¡± Bullseye!! Thank you, Gramps!!! ¡°Sabers, huh?¡± I play along¡­ ¡°Yes. It is said that they used to live in our land long, long, looooong ago...¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°How long ago?¡± ¡°Who knows. Some believe long before our race even came raining down from the sky¡­ Others believe that it was our magic that made them.¡± He says, in his groggy voice. ¡°Which side do you believe in?¡± He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Either one works. Since it''s a story only.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No one has seen a Saber in ages.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Who knows... Maybe they all got killed? Or their home has been destroyed because our people expanded their villages and fields?¡± ¡°But, Noxians are so close to nature... We are able to live in harmony with it? We don''t even abuse it that much?¡± I try to argue, but then again, what do I know? I¡¯ve been here all my life¡­ ¡°True, little one, true... However... The bigger the beast, the more it needs... Mice can live in tiniest spots, but a tiger...¡± Right... But... Era''s been living in that tree? I''m worried... Just how long she''s been there, exactly? ¡°So? What happened to the Sabers?¡± Another shrug. ¡°They could have simply retreated to more remote areas. Somewhere the hand of man hasn¡¯t touched, yet. Nobody knows... Ah! But! There is one thing!¡± He says in an earie tone... I lean in. ¡°What?¡± I whisper. ¡°They say that a spirit of one still roams these parts... You can see the pawprints in the dead of winter...¡± Oh no. I give the gramps a look. ¡°If that were true, then someone would have seen a Saber by now.¡± I hold my breath... He laughs again. ¡°Whether the Saber is real or not, is not the issue.¡± ¡°Then what is?¡± I hold my gaze. ¡°Sabers are sacred. They are not to harmed.¡± Good to know... ¡°Why?¡± Another shrug. Ugh! ¡°No idea. Maybe because they are just a legend. Or maybe they are a legend because they lived here once and became sacred?¡± Useless. I shake my head. Gramps laughs loud. ¡°That''s what you get for magical and legendary!¡± He laughs some more. I put his bundle of wood down, next to his feet. ¡°You''ll manage now, right?¡± ¡°Sure sure.¡± Sorry for the trouble. ¡°No problem. Just have a better story next time.¡± I tell him. He laughs again. ¡°You got it! Say hi to your parents for me!¡± ¡°Will do!¡± I nod and return with our wood back home. Pawprints in the winter? A spirit? That''s definitely Era... Lucky us, Noxians respect all things of Nature... Legend or not, sacred is sacred... Perhaps that''s why she was able to live here for so long? Sure her lair is deep in the woods, but... I wish she could talk... ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Mom''s voice reaches me. ¡°Elder says hi. I helped him carry some wood.¡± ¡°Oh, how nice of you.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°It''s nothing. I enjoy his stories.¡± ¡°Which one he tell ya this time?¡± Dad asks. ¡°The one about the sacred Sabers?¡± I wait for a reaction. ¡°Oh! Yeah. Nobody knows if those beasts ever even existed in the first place.¡± He says. ¡°Wait, you knew?¡± I stare at him. ¡°Everyone in the village has heard the same stories.¡± Mom adds. ¡°Gramps enjoys telling them and kids love hearing them.¡± Right... ¡°So? What do you think?¡± I test the waters, carefully... Dad shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Would be interesting to meet one? Maybe?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Mom? What about you?¡± She blushes. ¡°I''d love to pet one...¡± Both, Dad and I burst out laughing. ¡°Mom''s such a girl!¡± I laugh. ¡°Well PARDON ME!¡± She blushes again and leaves the room. ¡°I''m sorry! I''m sorry!¡± I run after her, but Dad stops me. ¡°Alright, you had your fun, time to work.¡± He sits me back down. ¡°Oh, come oooon!!¡± There goes my good mood... I pout.. 5. The Stones and the Eyes ¡°Hey, Dad?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you using these for anything?¡± I point to the Emerald green stones on his desk... He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Not that I can think of right now, no, why?¡± He goes back to work. ¡°Can I have them?¡± He looks back at me. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I want to make them into Lector stones, like so.¡± I show him the black and white sketch... He looks it over. ¡°Sure. But it will take your mother three years to infuse mana in them.¡± ¡°I''ll wait.¡± Dad glances me over a few times. ¡°You won''t tell me what they are for, will you?¡± ¡°No.¡± I answer blunt. ¡°But. I will tell you this much. I''ll wait three years for the Stones and I will leave after that.¡± Dad sighs. ¡°You really hate doing this, huh?¡± I squirm. ¡°It''s really boring...¡± ¡°Oh well. It can''t be helped...¡± Mom comes in too. ¡°Lemme see ''em.¡± She takes the stones and the draft. ¡°Alright. I''ll do it.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°Thanks!¡± I hug her. ¡°I''ve finished everything for today, I left it all on my desk. I''ll see later!¡± I call out, leaving the house. FOR ONCE I rush over to Era in daylight. Haven''t been around in a few days... I hope she''s ok. My night time routine continues on right after that one lucky day break... I got full of myself¡­ I can''t keep going like this much longer¡­ ¡°Hey girl, sorry I''m late. I had to finish one thing.¡± I tell Era sliding down the rope. A muzzle touches me. ¡°Oh? Hey now. Are you sitting up?¡± I touch her. ¡°That''s great? How are you feeling?¡± I pet her. A low growl. A gentle one. ¡°Good, good, I''m glad. Finally. Here.¡± I hand her a fish. ¡°Sorry I couldn''t get anything more...¡± She eats it whole and lays down. ¡°Feeling better then, huh?¡± I pat her and yawn. ¡°Sorry...¡± She looks up at me and nudges me. ¡°Huh? You want me to leave? I''m hurt...¡± I pout. She nudges me again. ¡°Alright, alright. I get the hint.¡± I pat her one last time and climb out with some help. ¡°See ya later.¡± I tell Era and drag myself back. I come back to the house as quietly as I can. ¡°Where are you sneaking off to each night?¡± Uh-oh. I freeze. Guess I wasn''t as quiet as I figured... A light shines in on me. Mom stands in the doorway with a candle. I slowly turn around. ¡°I''m in trouble, aren''t I?¡± ¡°That depends on your answer.¡± Dad shows himself too. ¡°Nowhere?¡± I play dumb. ¡°If that''s the best you can come up with, then prepare yourself. You''ll be chained to your desk for the rest of time.¡± Dad says. Yeah, that was too stupid of me... ¡°Wykren, we did not raise you with all the love and care we have for you just so you would not trust us.¡± Mom''s face is sad... ¡°But if lying to us is the best you can come up...¡± Dad hasn''t looked at me yet... ¡°I can see how you''d think that...¡± I admit... Now what? ¡°This night time routine of yours has been going on long enough.¡± Dad finally turns to face me. ¡°We tried waiting it out, but there are limits to everything.¡± Mom sighs. ¡°We live in the middle of nowhere, I find it hard to imagine you managed to get yourself into some kind of trouble?¡± I don''t answer. ¡°Did something happen while we were gone? Is that it?¡± Mom persists. She''s worried. Can''t blame her... I''d be too... This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Your silence isn''t doing you a favor.¡± Dad says. ¡°Come on. I''ll show you.¡± I step forward. Both of them glance at each other and make way for me. ¡°You''ll need something bigger than that.¡± I point to the candle. Dad takes a torch of the wall. Mom gets the Spark stones. We leave the house with me leading the way. None of us say anything. ¡°Wait here a moment.¡± I ask them. I go over to the tree. ¡°Hey girl, you awake? I need a favor... Can you come out?¡± I hear movement. I wait a little bit. A rumble. I step back and stand halfway between my Parents and the tree, with my back to them. Emerald shows herself. She looks me over. I spread my arms to the sides. ¡°It''s ok. They are my Parents. You know? Mom and Dad. I got caught.¡± I smile at her. Her eyes change for a quick moment. I swear she''s saying "told ya". ¡°Come here, I want you to say hi.¡± I gesture to her. She comes over and we walk a few steps closer to the couple. ¡°This is¨C¡° ¡°Emerald.¡± Mom says. I smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± I keep petting Era. Mom steps forward and Dad holds her back. ¡°Hyra.¡± ¡°It''s ok.¡± Mom takes his hand of her shoulder and walks over to us. She reaches for Era. Era waits for me. I nod. She leans in and touches Mom''s hand with her muzzle. ¡°She''s beautiful.¡± Mom whispers. ¡°She the one you need the stones for?¡± Dad asks coming closer too. ¡°Evening.¡± He nods. ¡°Yeah.¡± I admit. ¡°There hasn''t been a Saber seen in ages... She could possibly be the last of her kind...¡± Mom speaks, stroking Era. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°That''s some responsibility you''ve taken upon yourself.¡± Dad says. ¡°I can''t leave her alone anymore...¡± ¡°Well. If that is what you decided, then we''ll do whatever we can to help.¡± Mom smiles at me. ¡°Had a feeling you''ll say that.¡± Dad admits. ¡°Thanks. It''s ok now, you can go back. Thank you.¡± I tell Era. She looks at me for a good moment more and returns to her lair. ¡°How''d you find her?¡± Dad asks me, going back. ¡°I feel into her lair, the same time I got back home with the hurt ankle.¡± ¡°You fell right on her head and she didn''t eat you?¡± Mom looks at me. I nod. Both of them laugh. ¡°I see. Well. Lucky you.¡± Mom ruffs my hair up. ¡°You know, the stones might not even work with her.¡± Dad tells me. ¡°I know...¡± ¡°No harm in trying.¡± Mom says. ¡°Hey girl, you awake? I need a favor... Can you come out?¡± I hear Wykren in my sleep. I move around a little. I feel his scent. I climb up. I emerge from the tree. Wykren stands a few steps away. A pair of others like him stand a bit further off too. I look the boy over. He spreads his arms to the sides. ¡°It''s ok. They are my Parents. You know? Mom and Dad. I got caught.¡± He smiles at me. Told ya. I stare at him. ¡°Come here, I want you to say hi.¡± He waves to me. I walk over and we take a few steps closer to the Parents. ¡°This is¨C¡° ¡°Emerald.¡± The woman says. ¡°Yeah.¡± Wykren keeps touching my fur. The woman steps forward, but the man holds her back. ¡°Hyra.¡± ¡°It''s ok.¡± She takes the man''s hand of her shoulder and walks over to us. She reaches for me. I look at Wykren. A nod. I lower my head and touch her hand with my nose. ¡°She''s beautiful.¡± The mother whispers. ¡°Look after him¡­¡± She says quietly into my ear. I gaze at her confused¡­ Her eyes¡­ I blink once. She smiles. ¡°She the one you need the stones for?¡± The father says, coming closer too. ¡°Evening.¡± He nods to me. I blink once. ¡°Yeah.¡± Wykren says. ¡°There hasn''t been a saber seen in ages...¡± She could possibly be the last of her kind... The woman says as she strokes me. More like the only... I¡¯ve never seen another me¡­ ¡°I know.¡± The boy admits. He has his father''s eyes, but his mother''s face and hair color. ¡°That''s some responsibility you''ve taken upon yourself.¡± The father tells the boy. Huh? ¡°I can''t leave her alone anymore...¡± I didn''t ask you to stay with me. ¡°Well. If that is what you decided, then we''ll do whatever we can to help.¡± The mother smiles at her son. ¡°Had a feeling you''ll say that.¡± The father keeps staring at me. ¡°Thanks. It''s ok now, you can go back. Thank you.¡± Wykren tells me. I keep my eyes on him for a bit longer and return to my tree. I''ve been fine on my own all this time. No need to guard me now... I curl up and sleep. Ever since their meeting with Era, my Parents have been giving me more time off. I spend all of my evenings with Emerald. Mom even makes sure to pack us lunch. Meat for Era, bread for me. I''m glad it''s working out... Maybe I was scared for nothing? 6. The Lessons and the Lectures ¡°Ok, for today¡¯s lesson we''ll talk about our neighbors! Ok. So. Here''s the thing. We are called Noxians, remember? We''re a little different from other races. We live longer, for one. We also are the only ones who have Druids. I''m not sure how it works, but I''m told that they are Nature Spirits, able to connect to animals and plants. Don''t ask for details. I''m not good with this stuff.¡± I smile silly. ¡°Next up are the Balli. We kinda resemble them, but they are vicious warriors. They live here.¡± I mark a circle next to ours in the ground. ¡°They say their land is covered in sand and there aren¡¯t any forests...¡± I pick some of the dirt up. ¡°It''s not like the earth here... Wish I could see it one day...¡± I dust my hands off. ¡°Ok. Next are the Primerians. Very clever, very fragile. Like, they don''t fight with anyone! But, according to the legends, they were the ones that taught our people everything we know... So, I guess they aren''t that bad? Their land is similar to ours? But more rocky? I''m told... They live in these stone houses?¡± I shrug my shoulder. ¡°All I know is from the Gramps, so I can''t say for sure. They live here.¡± I circle above Noxanda''s bubble. ¡°Next are the Cornutese. They look exactly like Primerians, but have horns.¡± I draw two curved lines in the mud and connect them with a third curve. ¡°They say the horns are their punishment for using Dark Magic. I really wanna know what kind of magic did they use. Aand they live here.¡± I draw the last circle to the left of Noxanda. ¡°Getting all that?¡± I look at Era. I can''t tell if she''s even listening... I sigh. I wish the Stones would be ready sooner... Three years is such a long time... ¡°Well. I''ll be sure to test you on this later! Moving on! Next we have an island somewhere here?¡± I draw a rigged bubble. ¡°It''s called Crepitus. Gramps said that the island was a failed experiment of Primerians. That long ago, that land was part of Primerias, but then it exploded and drifted off into the sea?¡± I smudge half the circle of my mud-map and add a spiky curve. ¡°Do I believe it?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Do I think it could be possible?¡± I shrug again. ¡°I mean, they are crazy smart so... Oh! Now this is something that''s funny too.¡± I scramble a bunch of smaller bubbles all over the empty space around Crepitus. ¡°Now, if we follow the same idea for Crepitus than all of these;¡± I wiggle the stick above the newly added circles; ¡°are said to be all failed Primerian experiments from ages ago too. Like the Nightmare Island is supposed to be where monsters live? What kind - I have no clue. It''s just what Gramps said... Oh! Maybe that''s where you come from?¡± A tail whip smacks me. I giggle. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t mean to say you are a monster. Just thinking maybe there''s more Sabers there?¡± I pet her. ¡°Ok. Next we have? Thousand Vine Jungle. Apparently, it''s like a thick forest, but the trees and animals are different. Oh! We might find Sabers there too! I mean tigers live there soo... Ok, never mind that now, what else? Oh! There''s this island that is called the Scarlet Sapphire Woods. It has red ground and blue trees. I don''t know what the crazy Primerians were trying to achieve there, but I''d love to see how it looks...¡± I laugh a little at myself. Era looks at me. ¡°Emerald. Scarlet. Sapphire. Maybe it''s just the jeweler in me talking.¡± I look back down on my map. ¡°There''s also Snake Port. Land of Exile. Such a sad name, huh?¡± Exile... I wonder if that''s what Era feels like? Being all alone here? I shake those thoughts away. ¡°We also have... Um... Magma Pits, that''s apparently where something hotter than fire, like thick red liquid that burns everything? Don''t give me that look, I have no clue what magma or lava is... Oh! Speaking of which! They say that the Balli people used to live in the depths of earth, surrounded by lava? That''s why their land is covered in sand? And why their skin color is all shades of red? I said not to give me that look I only know what I was told!¡± I blush lightly as Emerald persists to stare at me, mocking me. I feel it. ¡°Anyways, there''s also an island called Sand Twister, cause its sand and wind all year round... Oh! Opposite to sand is something known as Ice Clouds! The forever frozen island! Sounds comfy, you know? Like the fluffy snow!¡± I look at Era again. She has her eyes closed. ¡°With the coat you have on, it would be a breeze!¡± She opens one eye and waves her tail at me. I giggle. ¡°What else? Stone Peaks sound kind boring... There are a bunch of others too, but I don''t know them all... Oh! The Garden of the Green! Gramps said that it''s an island where Mana Fruits grow. Always and only! I''ve never seen one... We barely manage to get regular fruit... I wonder if Mana Fruits taste better? Gramps said that there are places around that grow them especially, but... Mana...¡± I sigh... I feel a wet nudge. ¡°I have no Mana... Mom has some. She knows all kinds of Chants and Spells. She always makes me feel better when I''m sick or hurt... But Dad doesn''t have any Mana. See. Mana is something that you use to make Magic. Magic is? How do I explain this? It like makes things move. It spits fire, ice, it makes the wind move! It can make anything!" I gesture with my hands all over the place. "But. Both Parents need to have Mana for their kids to have it too... If only one of them has it then, it''s a fifty-fifty chance... I got the less lucky fifty... Oh! In these situations, Mana can take up to five years to manifest... So, I was very hopeful till my eleventh birthday, cause it usually shows itself from the age of five... Something about the body being too fragile to handle it till then? I''m not good at following the confusing stuff... Oh! Wait. Do you know what a birthday is?¡± I stop and look at Era again. No reaction. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°A birthday is when you celebrate the day you were born on. You know? Probably not...¡± I think about it. ¡°Um... Ok. How about this. Why don''t we make your birthday the day we met? The 29th of the 6th month. A month before the Festival of Life!¡± I grin at Era. It clicks to me. ¡°You probably don''t know what that is either, huh? ARGH THIS IS ALL SO CONFUSING ME TOO!!!¡± I throw a quick fit and calm down... ¡°Ugh. Ok. Well, no worries. I can tell you about that later. So, back to birthdays. Mine is on the 19th day of the 9th month. It''s actually coming... Never mind! Anyways, Mom''s is on the 21st day of the 11th month and Dad''s is the easiest to remember! The 4th day of the 4th month! Oh. Right. Days and months. Ok.¡± I pull my sleeves up again. ¡°So.¡± I draw in the mud again. ¡°1 year has 12 months. 1 month has 30days. You count them from 1 to 30." I scratch the ground up again, naming the numbers. "Oh. Can''t forget that there are 4 weeks in 1 month. 7 days in a week. Each week starts with the same name. Ah. Right.¡± I move to the side a little and draw again. ¡°The days of the week are called by a letter and a number from the 1st-L to the 7th-L. Gramps said that over the years the names of the week have been changed a lot. Apparently at first, they used to be called by the phases of the Moon. Like the New-1st-day, the Young-2nd-day, the Grinning or the Crescent-3rd -day, the Quarter-4th -day, kinda fitting since it''s the 4th day of the week, then there''s the Full-5th-day, the Bitten-6th and the Swallowed-7th. Well, that''s how it used to be some time loooong ago. Ya know, if you want my honest opinion, I think that Primerians are too busy fidgeting with their experiments and just forget the things they have already made... Probably because they don''t live as along...¡± I stretch. ¡°Ok so, since then the days of the week have been changed to Ls. Lunar is another word for Moon. So, they made it "simplier" by making it 1st-L, 2nd-L, 3rd-L, 4th-L, 5th-L and well, you get the picture... Maybe the forever busy Primerians think it''s easier this way, but I prefer the old names. That''s why sometimes people in villages like ours still use the old names. Mom and Dad use both ¡®cause they do business in Astri. That''s our main city. Remember?¡± I look at Era again. ¡°You asleep?¡± I nudge her and she licks my face so fast that I almost fall flat on my back. I laugh loud. ¡°Guess no.¡± I wipe the drool off myself and into her fur. She growls at me. I laugh again. ¡°Serves you right. Ok. What else? Days? Time? Hmm. Ok. Here.¡± I draw the face of the clock. ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about days, we need to cover hours too. A day starts and ends at 12. See these.¡± I draw the clock hands. ¡°These show time. Short is for the hours. Long is for the minutes. A day has... What was it again? 20? No! 24hrs, and 1 hour has.... 60? Yeah, 60 minutes. Don''t ask me who or why or how anyone came up with all of this. I just know this is how it works. So here.¡± I draw another clock. ¡°We usually get up at this hour;¡± I scribble another clock; ¡°and go to bed at this hour. Are you getting any of this?¡± I elbow Era a little. Her body rumbles. ¡°I will test you on this. I swear!¡± I warn her. She exhales. I chuckle. ¡°Oh. It''s getting late... I probably should get going now. They let me off for the rest of the day, so I''d rather not push my luck.¡± I get up and dust myself off. I wipe our lessons away with my foot. ¡°See ya, girl. Sweet dreams.¡± I hug her. She blinks at me and returns back inside her tree. I come back to the house. ¡°You''re late tonight. Dinner''s on the table.¡± Mom says. ¡°Thanks! I was teaching Era about time!¡± I thank for the food and dig in. Mmm... Soo good, the roasted vegetables... ¡°Oh? Funny. Did you lose track of time before or after your lesson?¡± Dad pokes fun of me. I glare at him with a bite in my mouth. He laughs it off. ¡°Can''t help it!¡± I call out. ¡°I start explaining one thing and then realize I have to explain other parts just to explain it all! I get lost myself!¡± Roaring laughter reaches me from inside the workshop. ¡°It''s so like you.¡± Mom says stepping into the kitchen. ¡°You''ve always had such an inquisitive mind.¡± ¡°Are you saying that usually Noxians are dumb?¡± I take another bite of the bird. ¡°Not at all. I mean, here;¡± she shows me one of my creations; ¡°I still can''t figure this one out. Every time I look at it, I see something different.¡± I take the strange jewelry piece from her. I twirl it around a little. ¡°Yeah, I totally forgot where I was going with this.¡± ¡°But that''s what makes it fun!¡± She takes it back. ¡°Thanks Ma.¡± I smile and clear my dishes. I make a quick stop by the workshop. ¡°What ya got for me?¡± I ask Dad. He points to a tray. I look it over. ¡°These are mine?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do with them?¡± ¡°Dismantle. Whatever you''re not proud off.¡± Hooo. Well, that''ll be easy. I''m not too fond of either one. Plus, I can do better now. 7. The Festivals and the Carnivals "Knock knock!" I call out into the tree. Era shows herself the next moment. I pet her and lay out her dinner. She digs in right away. I sit down in my usual spot, right next to her, and lean back into her. ¡°How was it?¡± I ask once she lifts her head back up. She licks her muzzle off and curls up, surrounding me. ¡°Guess that''s a yes.¡± I pet her and pick my stick back up. ¡°Ok, so it clicked to me last night that you probably don¡¯t know what letters are?¡± I look at her. She has one eye open. ¡°You might wanna use both of them for this.¡± I smile and scribble the letters in the mud. ¡°So. These are what we use for written words.¡± I read each letter. ¡°You take the letters and combine them into groups to make words. Like so.¡± I write my name. ¡°See?¡± I look at Era again. She seems to be focused? I continue. ¡°Now;¡± I scratch her name down too; ¡°this is your name.¡± She lifts her head up. Guess she is interested? I read it. "Emerald. That''s you. Wanna see something cool?¡± I circle the middle part of her name. ¡°Era. This is also your name. It''s called a nickname. That''s what I call you sometimes.¡± I grin at her. ¡°Oh, a nickname is something like a way to express how dear someone is to you... That''s what''s cool about letters and names. Like so.¡± I write my Parents¡¯ names. ¡°So, Mom is Hyra and Dad is Wolken. They combined the letters of their names and made Wykren. Cool, right? It never lets me forget them.¡± I smile. Era puts her paw down on her circle of letters and nudges me. ¡°Huh? What?¡± I ask her. She taps the Era and keeps staring at me. OH! ¡°MY nickname?¡± I blush. I bite my lip and shut my eyes. ¡°They used to call me Kyrry... I never liked it... It always sounded like they are making fun of me on purpose!!¡± I throw a fit. I feel a rumble. ¡°Don''t laugh!! It''s embarrassing!!¡± I feel my face get hotter and turn away from her. ¡°But ya know, I still like it... It''s special, because nobody else calls me that...¡± I turn back to Era. She stares at me. Strange. The look in her eyes is different? She turns away from me and brushes over my name with the back of her paw, smudging the letters. I take a better look at it. Only the last part of my name remains... ¡°Ren? Is that my nickname? Ren? Are you giving me this?¡± I ask Emerald. She puts her paw on my head. I laugh. ¡°I like it.¡± I take her paw of me with both of my hands and shake it. ¡°Hi, Era, I''m Ren, pleased to meet ya.¡± I smile. She blinks at me once. ¡°Ok! Moving on. Today I will tell you about festivals! Now. I already mentioned Festival of Life. It happens every year on the 29th day of the 7th month. Now. This festival is meant to celebrate new life. Basically, it is for kids. Well, not like that only the kids are allowed to have fun, but more like? How do I put this? Hmm... Ok. I got it! Life is sacred. And new life that is born is seen as the future, get it? So, what I mean is that we celebrate the future that that life represents, ya know?¡± I look at Era again. She has her eyes closed now again. I sigh. ¡°I''ll assume you''re paying attention. Anyways. Because new life is considered precious our people really try to put in the best effort into raising it.¡± I stop. ¡°To be honest, our people don''t have that many children. I mean, compared to other races... One reason is because we live longer than average... Other... I mean, I only asked my Parents that once... There aren''t a lot of children here... So, I didn''t have any friends, till now... I asked them about it and they said because bringing in a new life into this world and raising it is difficult. One must have a lot of resolve and strength to devote all of their being to the child. Letting go of their own interests and wants... Not many are able to discard their selfishness for the sake of another... I never really understood that before... Anyways.¡± I pick up the stick again and divide the ground into four. ¡°So. Festival of Life. It happens in Summer. Which is what we have now.¡± I draw a sun one corner. ¡°Next, we have the Festival of the Fallen Leaves. It happens in the Fall. It''s the season when, well, leaves fall, but that''s not what the festival is about.¡± I laugh clumsily. ¡°This festival is meant to pay our respect for the dead people. Combat or not, this is the day when we show our loved ones and friends who have gone ahead of us and returned to the stars, that we are living here still. That even during hardships, we appreciate their sacrifices and what they have done for us, so that we could continue enjoying this world in their stead too. You can say that with this Festival we celebrate the present. We show them that we live for them as well.¡± Era gives me a strange look. Is she worried? I pet her. ¡°Oh, I get it. Don''t worry. It''s not as sad as it sounds. It''s actually quite the opposite! It''s loud and colorful and tons of fun! See. We prepare for it during the day, gathering up a ton of leaves. We set up a giant fire place too. Once the sun begins to set, we dance around the fire, throwing the leaves into the air and into the fire. We do this till it gets dark. Then we sit around the fire telling the Dead all of the things that have happened since their passing. The good and the bad. Oh!¡± It dawns on me. "I should mention that our people plant trees to represent the graves. We''re told that others have tomb stones? With the names and days engraved on them? I''ve never actually seen one. But, Gramps said that we use trees because when battles began we couldn''t always bring back the bodies of the fallen warriors, so our people chose to plant trees in their memory, so that their families could have someone to talk to... Later on, the festival was born because of that.¡± I pause. ¡°See. Life is born and life dies. It''s the circle of all living things. All things of Nature are born from it and return to it. The trees, represent that. See. The Fall is when they "lose" their "life" that is the leaves. During Winter they ¡°sleep.¡± Gathering strength for when they will need to "grow new life" in the Spring. That is when trees bring new leaves back into this world. The leaves "live" during Summer and "die" again in the Fall. Do you know why trees have roots?¡± I point to a tree. ¡°Because they gather strength and food from the ground. Even the trees need to eat to grow. That''s why we bury animals, people and even food into the ground. That is why when someone dies now, we wrap them up in cloth and bury them, before planting the tree. That is why we thank the Dead for letting us live. It is because they become part of Nature again, that same Nature that feeds and shelters us.¡± I stretch a little. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°All life is precious. That is why our people respect it so much. We don''t have a festival for that because we already live everyday appreciating it. I say our people, because we are foreigners here. The Nature allowed us to stay here, so our relationship with it is more like borrowing. We borrow what we need and try to give back as much as we can. Because all life is precious. Life is needed to create life and life is needed to sustain it. That is why we hunt. It''s less about killing and not getting killed yourself and more about? How do I say this? Taking the life of another and making it part of yours. That is why if we kill a mother deer, we leave the little ones be. They are the next generation. They need to grow up and make new life. Once they bring new life into this world, we can take theirs. Understand?¡± I gaze at Era. She has a softer look now? I pet her again. ¡°I have to say, sometimes we have to live without eating meat and I don''t like it. Even if I eat my grains and veggies, I have to eat twice or thrice as much to feel full, ya know! I don''t like that. I''d rather eat less, but have some meat. I mean, just think about it. If nobody would eat animals, then all of this would be turned into a field. Just so we could grow more stuff! If that happened then where would the animals go? Nowhere! Exactly! They''d vanish! Because we would take over their home to feed ourselves! It gets me angry... That would be too selfish and cruel!¡± I pout. ¡°That''s why our people live in small villages like ours. Only Astri, and maybe a few other towns are bigger, cause, well I don''t know why. But most of our land - yeah. We also try to grow as much produce as we can ourselves, each house has a back garden. Of course, whatever we can¡¯t grow we buy in other towns or from the traveling merchants¡­ Oh yeah, you can let me know if you''re hungry. I''ll bring more.¡± She whips me with her tail. I chuckle. ¡°Ok, guess you''re alright then, huh?¡± I scratch her ear. ¡°Oh! I forgot. The Festival of the Fallen Leaves, it happens on the 30th of the 9th and continues into the night of the 1st of the 10th. Mom and Dad even gave me some leaves to draw on one year and another time we used fabric dye to color them.¡± I smile at the silly memories. ¡°I liked that. Ok. So, moving along! Oh.¡± I quickly draw a leave on another corner. Next to the sun. ¡°Next, we have a Winter Festival. The Night of the Stars. That is when we pay respects to our origins and thank our ancestors for being so brave as to come down here, into the unknown and live here. If it weren''t for them, we wouldn''t be here today.¡± I scribble a snowflake in the third corner. ¡°It happens on the night of the 30th of the 12th into the 1st of the 1st. If the sky is clear, you can really enjoy the stars. More so than any other season. Oh! I keep forgetting. A week before this festival we pray and give our thanks to our predecessors and to Primerians. That week is also called the Primerian Appreciation week, because they taught us everything we know. Remember? So yeah, then the Night of the Stars comes around and we celebrate! Giant fires and dancing in the snow, making Snow Prints! I love that part the most! You get to lie down in the snow to make a print of your body. We make all kinds of silly shapes.¡± I smile. ¡°It lets the Stars be with us too.¡± ¡°Oh! The last Festival we have is in the Spring. The 1st of the 3rd. The Day of the Priestess.¡± I draw a flower on the last corner of the four. ¡°That is when our new leader is announced. Actually. It started as a day when the First Priestess was named. Later they decided to use that same day for the new Priestesses too, because this Festival represents a new beginning. Do you know what a Priestess is?¡± I glance at Era. She has her head on the side. ¡°I''ll take it as a no. Ok. So. Gramps said that other nations have things called Gods. I''m not too familiar with that, but from what I understand Gods are supposedly beings of higher power that make things happen? Like there''s a good for rain, sun, water, fire and other things. Noxians don''t have those. If you want, you can think of Nature as being our God. But anyways. So, in other countries, they have Gods and Priests. Priests are supposed to be messengers of Gods? Or something? I have no clue about it. Gramps said that our people chose a Priestess, that is a woman, to represent life. To represent Nature. See. You need a man and a woman to make life. Like I have my Parents. Without them, there wouldn''t be me. Just don''t ask me how they made me! That''s way too embarrassing to talk about!¡± I feel my face flush with red again. I clear my throat and continue. ¡°So, that''s why we have a Priestess.¡± Wait. Now that I think about it, if you need both for new life, then why do we only have one? Never mind. I put that thought aside. For now. ¡°Anyways, we might not have Gods, but our people have picked up a phrase that other nations use, Gramps said that in Ancient times people used to pray to them, asking for help with all kinds of things, like: Oh Gods, please bless our land with a good harvest¡­ Or something. So, that first part of it has remained to this day ¡°Oh Gods¡±, as an expression for feelings that cannot be otherwise explained? Like when you¡¯re really afraid of something. That¡¯s all I know about that¡­¡± I shrug my shoulders again. ¡°Ok. So, these are the four festivals of Noxanda. For all of the times and seasons!¡± I grin silly again. ¡°Sadly, I''m don''t know many of the other ones... I think the Cornutese people have a Day of the Hunter? No clue when that happens or what they do on it. But if I had to guess, I think they pay respect to hunters?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Next are the Balli people. Gramps said they have at least two festivals. Day of the King and the Day of Air. This one is apparently meant as a tribute to their ancestors that crawled out of the depths of earth. Ya know? Like when you go outside to get fresh air.¡± I grin silly, scratching my head. ¡°What else? Gramps never said anything about Primerians... Guess they are too busy working to have fun.¡± I giggle and continue. ¡°Oh yeah. So, we have festivals, but there are also things called carnivals. Gramps said that Existara has those. It''s when people dress up as creatures and other people and they have things called games and performances and a ton of food and drinks and all kinds of things! I''ve never seen one. Our celebrations are different. Smaller. But apparently carnivals happen in big cities, like Araneum. That''s right! I forgot to tell you what that is!¡± I slap myself on the forehead. Idiot. I notice the sky and sigh. ¡°Ok. Guess that will be it for today.¡± I try to stand up, but my legs won''t let me. I pound them gently with my fists. Era looks at me, concerned. ¡°Oh, this happens. They fell asleep while I wasn''t moving.¡± I stretch the legs out again and get up. I gather up my basket and hug Era. ¡°Goodnight, gorgeous. That''s a nickname too.¡± I wink at her. ¡°It''s used for beautiful women only. Or so Dad told me.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°See ya tomorrow!¡± I wave to her, backing away. I watch Wykren disappear into the woods. He seems to enjoy his lectures. Sometimes his heart will beat faster, like he''s scared, but then his voice sounds all cheery, like a little bird, chirping in the early morning. Other times his tone will die down. Like there''s something he''s not telling me. It makes me feel uneasy when that happens. I wonder why. See you tomorrow, Ren. I curl up and sleep, again. 8. The Old Land and the New Wykren comes back each day on the same time. His visits have been more frequent ever since I met with his Parents. Sometimes he''ll tell me that they said hello to me? I assume it is one of their customs as well? Ren has been teaching me plenty of those lately. I''m not sure why, but I don''t seem to mind his company. I let him speak his soul out. It''s not like I have anything better to do with my time. Time is all I have, after all. ¡°Ok. So. I had to refresh a few things on the New Continent. Neither Mom or Dad have been there. So, they couldn''t tell me much. Maybe one day we can go there together? Would you like that?¡± I ask Era as she munches on today¡¯s haul. ¡°I went fishing early morning and got lucky!¡± She gazes at me with her greens. They stop my heart each time... Era goes back to her fishes. I chuckle. ¡°Think it over, no rush. Ok. So, apparently, Existara was discovered. Probably by some restless Primerians. But since they are feather-lovers they weren''t strong enough to properly explore the new land, so they asked for help. Balli and Noxians, and Cornutese worked together to achieve that and because of that, little by little people from here started to go to live over there. Lucky them...¡± I pout for a quick moment. ¡°But, the new land has its own troubles. There was where the people encountered creatures known as Dragons for the first time ever! They are like these huuuuuge lizards that have wings and can fly and they breathe fire! I only ever saw one of them in Astri on my last trip there.... That was? Two? Three years ago? Doesn''t matter. Apparently, Existara is where they live... No wonder nobody never saw one before. Oh, how can we have one then, you ask?¡± I smirk at Era. She has her eyes closed, as per usual. ¡°Ya know, that really takes the fun out of it.¡± I get a tail smack. ¡°Ouch.¡± I smile. ¡°Well. Apparently, Dragons lay eggs. Those eggs contain a baby dragon. So, people take an egg and transport it from the new land over to here. Mom said that it wasn''t easy to achieve, because the egg needs to be kept warm to survive... So that''s also why we don''t have many dragons here... Anyways. The New Continent was named Existara. Probably one of the Primerian shenanigans, as usual. Oh. Our land is known as the Land of Race. Cause this is where all four races live. So. Existara has festivals and carnivals too, remember? One is the Day of Discovery. That''s when they first landed there. Another is the Founding of Araneum. That''s like the capital of Existara, like Astri for Noxanda. It''s like their main city. Oh. Right. I forgot, ¡®cause Gramps told me this long ago. But for the longest time Existara was simply called the New Land, so, apparently, the naming of it has a festival too. Now don''t ask me the days for them. I have no idea. Nobody pays attention to Existara around these parts.¡± I shake my head with disappointment. ¡°As I was told, Existara doesn''t really seem to be all that different from the land here. Except maybe for two things.¡± I hold two fingers up. ¡°One would be the Rebellion. That is something of a group? I don''t know how else to call it. Of people who wanna live different than how we live here. See. There are things known as laws here. They are like rules that people have to follow. Like if you steal, meaning that if you take something that belongs to someone else, you would get punished for it. Rebellion is where people go to, who don''t like our rules. So, they can live however they please... We actually had one person leave from here... He was angry with something. I was only a kid, so I don''t remember well.¡± I think back to it for a moment¡­ ¡°Another thing is what they call the Rebirth and the Castle of Despair. Scary sounding, right?¡± I look at Era. She has angry eyes? ¡°They say that it''s something like a curse that keeps happening every 50 years, threatening all life on Existara... One time something happened that let the darkness spread across the land. People call that the 200 Years of Darkness. Apparently, that''s how long it took for the Darkness to disappear. It destroyed everything... Araneum, Rebellion... Everything... Or so I''m told. Sounds kinda like a lot of trouble, right? Hope we don''t have to deal with something like that...¡± I hug my knees. ¡°Anyways.¡± I stretch out again. ¡°Because of that, they have another festival for the 2nd Founding of the Royal City. Oh and because of the Rebirth, the Day for the Fallen was created too.¡± I catch Era''s gaze and shake my head. ¡°It''s nothing like our Festival. They light a lot of candles and pray. It''s kinda sad and gloomy. I''ve never seen it, but I don''t even like the sound of it.¡± I shiver. ¡°But you know, as scary as Existara sounds. It''s a place where our people from our nations can live together. That sounds like a lot of fun! I wish the people here could live like that too... The battles are still going on, you know... Sometimes more, sometimes less, but still...¡± Era nudges me. ¡°OH! Speaking of battle! Gramps said that in Existara there are things called dungeons? The only dungeon I know of is the one in Astri where they put the bad people away. But Gramps said that over there, in the New Continent, they are different. Like an underground maze with all kinds of creatures there and treasure! Oh, right. A maze is¡­ How do I explain it¡­¡± I look for the stick again and draw some lines in the mud. ¡°A maze is something like these woods, for instance! It¡¯s something that is made of tunnels and paths that make you wander around, looking for an exit. Kinda like you do when you get lost in the woods.¡± I grin silly. Hope she gets the idea cause that¡¯s the best I can come up with right now. ¡°Gramps said, that people used to enter them to find the treasure. Oh! Treasure is like these very valuable things. Kinda like what we do with our gems and such! Remember? I showed you some before. Anyways, that was a long time ago too. Gramps said that not many dungeons remain these days and I never heard of us having any here¡­ Maybe in other nations?¡± I shrug my shoulders and sigh¡­ ¡°Ya know. I really wanna travel the world.¡± I pet her. ¡°I wanna see what else does it have. Meet other people. Go to different places. Do different things... I don''t know why my Parents chose to stay here... Maybe they had their reasons. Maybe not. I have no clue...¡± Not that I ever asked them either... I keep petting Era. ¡°Hey, if I leave here? Will you tag along?¡± I smile. Era puts her head into my lap. Guess that''s a yes... Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hey, I have an idea. Here.¡± I pick the stick back up again and scribble a few things. ¡°Ok. Which is Astri.¡± I ask and wait. Era sits up and stares into the ground. She puts her paw down on a word. I lift it up. ¡°Yes! That''s right! Good girl! Ok, next. Which is Dad?¡± I wait again. She looks for the word. She finds it. ¡°That''s cool! So, you can read!" Ok. Trick question. "Which is me!¡± I ask. I didn''t write my name. She puts her paw on my head. I laugh loud. ¡°Clever girl! Ok. How about this.¡± I scratch the ground again. I don''t tell her anything. I watch. Era takes her time. She paws the ground with her claw, twice. Then leaves four pawprints on the next line and three paws for the last one. ¡°No way. You can count too!¡± I jump up and crash into her fur. ¡°That''s so cool! You''re very smart! I wonder what else can you do? Oh! Maybe I can bring you a book or something? To keep you busy while I''m gone? I figured you might be bored here... We''ll try that next time!¡± I crash back down. I lean back into Era and stare into the sky. ¡°Smells delicious!¡± I tell Mom, stepping into the kitchen. ¡°Why thank you, I try.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°How was today?¡± ¡°Oh, great. Hey, do we have any books?¡± I ask, cleaning myself up. ¡°Only the ones you had as a kid, why?¡± ¡°I wanna give them to Emerald. Figured she must be bored in that tree.¡± I tell Ma, returning to the kitchen with the towel around my shoulders. ¡°Emerald?¡± She stares at me from the stove. ¡°Yes. She can read! Count too! Can you believe it!¡± I sit down. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How do you know.¡± Dad comes over and sits down too. ¡°Cause I wrote some words on the ground and asked her to point to the word I want. She caught on real quick. So, I wrote down some simple math and she did that right too.¡± I grin proudly. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Dad stares at me. Mom laughs a little. ¡°Well aren''t you a lucky devil.¡± She says, smiling at me. ¡°Not only did you get to make friends with a Saber, but she''s crazy smart too!¡± ¡°I know!¡± I jump up and smash my hands on the table. ¡°I think the stones might just work with her, after all! Hey hey, are they done yet?¡± ¡°No, you silly, I said three years.¡± She waves the ladle at me. ¡°Listen, can ya teach her how to craft too? That be a big help.¡± Dad mocks me. I glare at him. ¡°Ha, ha. Very funny.¡± ¡°I''m serious!¡± He says grinning. ¡°Dig in.¡± Mom sets the bowls down. ¡°Thank you for the food!¡± Wykren comes back the next day, as usual. I crawl out and wait to see what he has planned for us today. He sets the food out. Whatever little they manage to spare for me. I always enjoy it. I stopped scavenging. It''s enough. I finish the last bite and lay down. Ren sits down as usual, with his back to me. He takes out something weird looking from his other bag. ¡°This is a book. See.¡± He tells me. ¡°These are pages that the words are written on. See.¡± He shows me them. ¡°Ok. Pay attention now. Wait. Ah.. Hmm..¡± He seems to be stuck a little. This happens sometimes. I wait quietly. ¡°Here.¡± He scribbles something on the ground. Yes and No. Hm? I lift my head up. ¡°Ok. Lets test this out first. I need to make sure. Ok. I am Wykren.¡± He says to me. Of course, you are. ¡°You need to tell me if you understand me.¡± He says. Of course, I do. ¡°Point to one of those.¡± He shows me the two words. I paw at Yes. He nods. ¡°You are Era.¡± He says again. I see. I paw at Yes. He smiles. ¡°You are a bird.¡± A what? I paw No. He laughs. ¡°I knew it. Ok. Here.¡± He shows me the book, again. ¡°Read from here. To here." I lower my gaze and stare at the words... Once..upon..a..time... I look at Ren. ¡°Did ya get that?¡± I paw Yes. ¡°Ok. Continue.¡± He points again to the page. A star...fell...from...the...sky... I stare at Ren again. ¡°And?¡± I paw Yes. He smiles brighter. ¡°Ok. Seems you can read. I''ll leave this for you, so you can read, when you''re bored. Try turning a page.¡± He slides the book to me. I stare at the frail thing. I try a claw and the leaf tears. ¡°Had a feeling that might be the case... Ok, one sec.¡± Ren stands up and starts picking up sticks of the ground. He comes back with a bunch of them and lays them out next to us. He takes out some other things from his bag and fidgets with them. I watch him. He shortens the sticks to be about the same size as the page. He then takes something like a hair and a pine spike. He calls it needle and thread. He takes them and pokes the page through, wrapping the thread around the stick. He does that a few times along the stick. He does that with each page. ¡°Good thing this is a kids¡¯ book. It doesn''t have that many pages.¡± He tells me. ¡°Ok. Paw, please.¡± He holds his hands out. I lay a paw into them. He presses on my finger and a claw comes out. He points it down to the page and hooks the stick to it. ¡°Ok. Gently now....and retract!¡± He pulls my claw away. ¡°See. Now you can turn the pages without tearing them. Try.¡± He lets my paw go. Gently, huh? I repeat the move. The leaf does not tear. I see. Ren smiles big again. He seems to be very happy with this. I turn the pages back to the start. ¡°Hope you like reading. It''s not much, but maybe it can help keep you company? That doesn''t mean I won''t be coming back!!¡± He waves his hands at me. I don''t doubt that. After that day I read as I wait for Ren to visit me. He brings me different books, even though he has only few of them. Good thing I can read them more than once... 9. The Precious Years ¡°Hey, Era! You in there!¡± She shows herself to me. ¡°Listen, I have a problem. I''m stuck. I can''t decide. Red or blue?¡± I lay the drawings down for her. ¡°This is for Mom, for her birthday. Blue would match her hair, but I think the red would pop more!¡± I "pop" my fingers out. ¡°What ya think? I have some leftover gems from my old creations that we used, I figured I could do something with them?¡± I fidget. ¡°Era?¡± I look up. She stares at me with a weird look... I smack myself on the forehead. ¡°My bad my bad, I forgot. Here.¡± I open the basket. I keep staring at my sketches while Era eats. She cleans her face with the back of her paw. Slowly... ¡°Somehow it feels like you¡¯re stalling...¡± I squint at her. She paws the two drawings and lays down. I lift the giant paw off them. The sketches got a bit wrinkled, but they lay on top of each other now... I stare at them... ¡°Both? Is that what you are trying to tell me?¡± I look at Era again. She blinks at me once. ¡°Ooohhh you clever girl! That''s a nice idea. Ok, wait, gimme a second...¡± I rustle for a pencil, flip a sketch over and quickly make new design. ¡°How¡¯s this? Red for the outside and blue for the inside?¡± No response... ¡°Ok, try this. Blue, red, blue, red...?¡± I wait. She opens one eye. ¡°Still no? Both? Yeah. Both is good. I can make it even bigger that way! No wait. I shouldn''t. It would stand out too much... I know! I can make a set. I''ll make the hair ornament this year and use the rest for something else, a necklace maybe?... Yeah! That''s what I''ll do! Oh, if you''re wondering about Dad''s present. Here.¡± I take the thing out and unwrap it. ¡°It''s a bit old and dull now, but I think I can restore it, in time for his birthday. We have a habit of keeping things like this. Just in case, ya know?¡± I stare at the knife. ¡°All it needs is a good polish and a nice sharpening! I''ll leave it with you, so he doesn''t find it. I want it to be a surprise.¡± I smile. ¡°I''ll go down for a bit. Pardon the intrusion!¡± I slide down the rope and put the blade in the other bag, that hangs in Era''s lair. I come back out. ¡°They''ll be going back to Astri soon again. To deliver the goods. I''ll have to try and make Mom''s gift in that time... I''ll be coming over still, you won''t get rid of me that easily!¡± I grin and pet Era again. I watch the boy work hard for these presents, as he calls it. Something that one gives to their loved ones on their birthday... It seems this custom is quite important for the people... I wake up. Why''s it so cold in here? Why''s it so bright? I lift my head up and look out the window... White... White! Snow! Yay! No! Era! I jump out of the bed and flopped down on my stomach... My feet got tangled with the blankets... ¡°You alive?¡± Dad''s voice asks me. I groan. Shoes stand next to my nose. A hand reaches for me. I take it, get up and kick the bedding off me. ¡°So? Where''s the fire, first thing in the morning?¡± I yawn. ¡°Era must be cold with all this snow.¡± ¡°She has a pretty good coat on her, I think she''ll live. Besides. She has been living before you too. I''m sure it''s not her first Winter.¡± ¡°I don''t care! I know her now and I''m worried!¡± I get dressed. ¡°Even if she is what she is, it doesn''t mean she doesn''t get hurt or cold or hungry!¡± I rustle for some Winter shoes. Quick anger runs through me and I dump the chest out on the floor. ¡°What''s going on?¡± I hear Mom behind me too now. My shirt picks me up in the air. Can''t. Breathe. Dad sets me down on the bed. ¡°Knock it off or I''ll throw you into the fluff to cool you off.¡± He stares me down. I rub my neck. He sighs and walks out the room. He comes back with the fur rug from their bedroom. ¡°You can give her this. If you lay some branches under neath it, it''ll have a layer between the ground, so it should help make it less freezing. Lay it down on the leather. If she sleeps on top of it, she''ll trap her own body heat from her belly, it''ll keep her warm.¡± He rolls the thing up. Mom hands him some rope, and helps Dad tie it up. ¡°If you leave with this now, everyone will see you. Wait till it gets dark, ok?¡± Mom tells me. ¡°I''ll help ya carry it over to her.¡± Dad stands up and leans the fur against the wall. ¡°It''s not wool, but.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I bow. ¡°I''m sorry for making a fuss...¡± ¡°It''s ok. I''m kinda worried about her too.¡± Mom admits. I look up. ¡°You can take this to her too. We have an extra one.¡± She folds one of my blankets. ¡°Thanks.¡± I tidy up my things. ¡°I''m kinda jealous.¡± She says. ¡°About what?¡± I stare at Mom. ¡°Just think about how warm it must be to cuddle up with Emerald...¡± Mom mumbles and hides behind the folded blanket. It clicks to me and I laugh. ¡°I''m hurt. I''m not enough for you?¡± Dad says from the other room. I laugh even louder. ¡°Oh shush!¡± Mom walks out, blushing still. I pull myself back together and get back to cleaning. Work has been put on hold for today, as the sudden snow, makes us take care of other things. Meaning, the window frames get covered up, the heavy gear gets dragged out. Food supply is counted. Just to be sure, and so on... At the end of the day Dad and I take a few things to Era''s lair. I climb down the rope and lay the rug out. It''s dark, so I''ll look for branches tomorrow. I come back up. Dad and Era have a staring contest in the light of the torch. ¡°Am I interrupting?¡± I grin. Dad glares at me. ¡°Well?¡± I fidget. ¡°I wanna stay.¡± He sighs. ¡°I knew it. Here.¡± He tosses me a pouch. ¡°Something to chew on.¡± ¡°I figured you would be happier to have some privacy, again?¡± I tease him. Dad smacks me on the head. ¡°Don''t underestimate us. We know how to be quiet too.¡± ¡°Daaaad!¡± I blush. He laughs. ¡°You started this.¡± He smiles. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Sweet dreams!¡± I tell him. ¡°I''ll be back for breakfast!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He nods and leaves us. Era and I crawl back into the tree. ¡°It''s a good thing I have these on.¡± I dangle my shoes in the dark, as I take them off. ¡°Mom made them for me. We turn the skin inside out, then the fur keeps the feet warm. So, as long as they don''t get too soaked, it''s kinda nice. They got a little wet now, but they''ll dry off in no time.¡± I change into the older pair and hang the wet one of the roots. This one probably won''t hold out much longer... I sigh and I huddle up with Era again. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Knock knock!¡± Ren''s voice calls to me. I come out. He has his goofy smile all over his face. He''s up to something. I sit down. He clears his throat. I smell blood... ¡°You may not know this, but today is the day when we first met! As such, I had decided that it would be your birthday! It''s been a year since then so, Happy Birthday!¡± Ren walks over to me and puts flowers on my head? ¡°That''s from Mom and this;¡± he takes something out of the bag; ¡°is from Dad.¡± He puts the blood-soaked cloth on the ground and unwraps it. A juicy piece of meat lays in front of me. ¡°I helped, but he caught it.¡± Ren says to me. I stare at the boy. ¡°Oh, don''t worry. This is your half. We kept the other half. Dad''s a better hunter then me, he caught a whole deer! Anyways;¡± he shakes his head; ¡°dig in!¡± He sits down and I tear into the meat. ¡°How is it?¡± He asks. I lick my face clean, whip my tail to the sides and carry on. The boy laughs. ¡°They''ll be glad to know! That flower crown is from Mom''s garden. She picked the best ones just for you.¡± Ren smiles. I stop my meal and nod to him. ¡°Gotchya, I''ll tell her ya liked it!¡± He grins wider. ¡°Oh yeah! Mom said she''ll make me a new pair of shoes for me from the skin! So, thank you!¡± Me? For what? I''m the one who is grateful for everything... Another year goes by, and another. I never paid attention to time before Wykren. But ever since then, time spent with him has become special... Even if our days look exactly the same. I enjoy them. Letting myself drown in his peacefulness... Ren''s late today. I can see the sky from down here. A feint rustle. A scent. I climb out. ¡°Hey, Gorgeous, how are ya?¡± He says, sitting down, with his back to the tree. I look at his face. I lean in. He has his eyes closed. ¡°Stop staring, that''s rude.¡± He says. ¡°I asked Dad to teach me some moves... We used to do that sometimes when I was little... I got cocky...¡± He tells me, keeping his eyes closed still. Half of his face is puffy and red? ¡°Mom already yelled at him, that was fun to watch.¡± He grins. ¡°Even though it was all my fault anyways...¡± I lick the boy and put my head in his lap. His hands ruff my fur. ¡°Thanks, girl.¡± His legs have gotten longer now... ¡°Hey, Gorgeous!¡± I call for Era. She climbs out for me, as usual. ¡°Close your eyes!¡± I tell her as she sits down. She waits a moment and does as told. I stretch my hands out. ¡°Open them.¡± Emerald looks at me. ¡°Happy 3rd Birthday!¡± I tell her. ¡°Sorry it took so long, hope this makes up for it.¡± I show her the present. ¡°These are Lector Stones. They have Mana in them already. So, to use them, you only need to touch them. Mom made these for us.¡± I hold each of the two Stones in my palms. ¡°We use them to talk to each other without being near or using words. I mean, we don''t have to use sound. Yeah, that''s better. So. The Stones can be a little tricky to use if you don''t know how. I never used one before, so this is new to me too.¡± I smile. ¡°Lector Stones send your thoughts out to the other person. Now, when you only have one Stone, it''s no problem. But some have five or ten, or more. So, it can get really confusing. The way this works is - you think of the person you want to talk to and then talk to them. Even when there are more people connected to the same Stone you can still pick out only one or two, the ones you want to talk to. The reason why we can do that is because we use Mana and Chants. There are special spells for that. Four total. One for Mana infusion. One for calling out. One for receiving in and one for locking the Mana in. That''s why even someone like me can use them...¡± I smile... ¡°You chant them as you use your Mana making them. It takes three years to make a Lector Stone. I mean, a high quality one. There are others, but they can break if overused. Dad said that three years is the best amount.¡± I shake my head. ¡°Not the point now! Anyways, I learned the Chants when I was little, but because I have no Mana, I can''t make them.¡± I clench the Stones for a quick moment. ¡°So. Does it make sense? Maybe it''ll be easier if we just try doing it instead.¡± I hold one Stone and place the other one on Era''s paw. I take a step back and concentrate. ¡°Oh. I should mention. You need to be careful not to let your thoughts leak out. This is why Lector Stones are not given to kids. They lack focus to have control over them.¡± I smile. ¡°Anyways. Lets try this, ok?¡± I try to concentrate again. ¡°Era.¡± I reach for her inside my mind. ¡°Ren.¡± A deep growl rings inside my head. I flop down on my ass from the sheer impact of it... ¡°No way...¡± ¡°No? Do you not hear me?¡± She turns her head a little... ¡°Oh I hear you... I hear you! Era! I can hear you!¡± I scramble back to my feet and tackle her neck. ¡°Such a child, you are.¡± I let go and step back. ¡°Well pardon me for loving you so much! I waited for this moment for three years! I can¡¯t help it if I''m happy!¡± ¡°Your lips moved. Yet I heard you in my head?¡± She tils her head to the other side. ¡°Oh. That''s ¡®cause you can talk out loud too and the Stone will send your thoughts out still, as long as you continue to think about the one you wish to talk to. Or.¡± I shut my mouth. ¡°You can talk in silence. Like so.¡± I smile. ¡°I see. This world is full of strange things...¡± Era says. That makes me laugh. You got that right... I stare at her¡­ ¡°Why does your Stone have a string on it?¡± ¡°That''s cause I couldn''t decide where I wanted to have it. I figured I''d hang it around my neck and you would have one around yours, but then, as I was coming over, I thought the string might break and if you''ll lose the Stone... Then I figured I could braid it into my hair, but the Stone is too big... AAARGGHHH!! I REALLY DIDN''T THINK THIS THROUGH!!¡± I pant for a quick second. ¡°Anyways. For Lector Stones to work you need to have exact same ones, so I''ll leave it as it is. Besides. I can always do this.¡± I fidget with the string for a few moments and hook on the other corner. Turn it upside down and tie it around my neck. ¡°See! It touches the skin better this way! Gramps said that people used to place the Stones inside their bodies, not to lose them, like across their arms or necks¡­¡± I trace a finger here and there. ¡°Later they came up with necklaces and bracers that you can place the Stones in and it will hold it for you, because the hole in the bracer lets the Stone touch the skin. Any contact with the living body is enough. That''s why these days they make the Stones tinier. But I had these so I wanted to use them and well, make them special...¡± ¡°So I only need to touch it to use it?¡± She asks. I nod. ¡°Then, here.¡± Era lays her neck down. ¡°If it is inside my body, I won''t lose it, will I?¡± I stare at her. ¡°No way! I''m not cutting you up!¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± I hesitate. ¡°No. I won''t do it! You had a terrible time the last time!¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°I''ll ask Mom to help. She can heal the cut faster... We''ll come back tomorrow.¡± I tell her sitting down and change the subject. Ren comes back with Hyra the next day, as promised. The mother of the boy handles me slowly and with care. The same as Ren that time. She asks me a few times if I am sure about this. She cuts my neck and puts the Stone inside. I was told she has the power to heal. It holds true. I don''t feel any pain and the cut heals on the spot. Ren lets her touch the Stone on his neck. I thank her. She stares at me for a long moment, then bows and leaves the two of us alone again. ¡°Really! Wait! For real!! You can talk to animals!¡± My jaw drops. ¡°Not really. I simply understand the sounds they make. It took me years to learn how to distinguish between the different sounds.¡± ¡°So what do they say?¡± ¡°Not much. Mostly food or danger. Not all animals have the wide mind to talk.¡± ¡°Wide mind? Oh, you mean like they aren''t as smart?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± ¡°I wonder if you could talk to Dragons?¡± ¡°Perhaps. They too are mythical creatures?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°So I understand. But anyways. This is so awesome! Wow. You''re awesome Era.¡± Suddenly my days spent with Era become more vibrant... Talking has become a new sensation for me. I am able to keep Ren company even when he''s not here with me. Sometimes he''ll forget to shut his mind down and his thoughts flood my mind. Usually, it happens when he gets stranded in his workshop. It''s fun to see him get nervous and embarrassed about it later. However. I don''t abuse that power. It''s his life, after all. 10. The Options and the Choices ¡°I''ve decided. I''m joining the Army.¡± A thud and a splash. Mom dropped the bucket of water, she just brought in from the well. ¡°No! WHY!¡± She comes over to me. ¡°I heard the situation has worsened. I wanna help.¡± ¡°There are plenty others!!¡± She clings to me. ¡°There isn''t... Astri is recruiting now more than ever. That''s what the merchants said.¡± ¡°Who cares!¡± ¡°I care! Mom, please. You raised with so much love and care... Let me protect you now.¡± I hug Mom to me. She cries on my shoulder. ¡°SAY SOMETHING TO HIM!!¡± She screams out. I turn. Dad stands in the doorway. ¡°Is there anything we can say or do to change your mind?¡± He asks me. I smile. He sighs. He comes over to Mom and me and puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Survive. Come back alive. We''ll be waiting.¡± He tells me and Mom''s cries pick up louder. I fight back the tears too. Dad takes Mom from me. She fights him. She punches her fists into his chest. He holds her still. ¡°Not my baby!!!¡± She cries out again. I wanna reach for her, but I hold back. ¡°I''ll leave tomorrow. The merchs will give me a lift. They are going back to Astri.¡± I tell them. Dad nods. Mom persists with her fit. ¡°Hyra.¡± Dad lifts her face to him. ¡°It''s time.¡± She shakes her head to him. He keeps smiling to her. She buries her face into his chest again. ¡°I''ll handle her. Go pack or something.¡± He tells me. I don''t say anything back. Just nod. I get up before dawn the next morning. Mom and Dad wait for me in the kitchen. They spent the entire night there. I heard them... It''s not like I could sleep... I feel like I sentenced them to death... I place my bag next to the door. Dad shows himself. ¡°I''ll go say bye to Era.¡± I tell him. He nods. I leave. This isn''t how I wanted this to be... I stand next to the tree. ¡°Something the matter?¡± Era''s deep, yet gentle growl, echoes through my mind. She shows herself to me from the woods. ¡°Hey, Gorgeous.¡± I smile at her. She sits down next to me. My eyes are finally at her level. I hug her. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°I''m leaving. I know I said I''d take you with me, but... I''m joining the Army.¡± ¡°Why.¡± I don¡¯t answer. ¡°Is it because of the recent trouble you told me about?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°You can die out there.¡± She says. I shake my head into her fur. The fresh smell of the rain... I''ll miss it... ¡°I won''t. They might not even send me out.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t go if that were true.¡± She sees right through me. I giggle nervously. ¡°I''ll stay in touch. They''ll train me for at least two years. I''ll visit. I''ll write. I''ll see you again. I promise.¡± I look at Era. ¡°I must stay here?¡± She says. I nod. ¡°It''s too dangerous for you.¡± ¡°But not for you?¡± I laugh under my breath again. She keeps her stern gaze on me. ¡°You''re too precious. You need to stay safe.¡± ¡°What do you think I have been doing all this time?¡± ¡°I know. I''m selfish.¡± I pet her. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°If you wish so.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± I smile. ¡°Tell ya what, I''ll come get you once it gets better?¡± ¡°If you wish so.¡± She tells me again. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For this.¡± I pet her one last time. ¡°I''ll reach for ya.¡± I let go. ¡°I''ll be waiting.¡± Her voice tells me, as I turn around and walk away. ¡°May the stars shine upon you.¡± I freeze. Yeah. I smile, with a tear and return home. Mom and Dad wait for me outside. I walk up to them. Mom hands me a tiny pouch with her best sad smile. Her grey eyes are red. She cried all night... I open it and a square shaped, dark red stone falls into my palm. Dad shows me the same one in his hand. ¡°We got these to keep in touch. Now don''t worry, I won''t pester you. This is totally up to you when you want to reach out. The training and the rest will keep you plenty busy. But try not to forget us...¡± She breaks up, tearing up again. I hug her. ¡°How could I ever...¡± I let her go. ¡°Thank you.¡± I hug Dad next. ¡°For everything.¡± He nods to me, taking Mom into his embrace again. I put the Lector Stone back into its pouch and hook it onto the same string that I have Era''s Stone on. I take my bag and stand there. Resisting. ¡°I love you two.¡± I tell them. ¡°We love you too.¡± Mom manages to answer. I smile at them and walk away. The merchs wait for me by the road out of the village. I hop on the carriage and watch everything I ever knew get left behind... This is more painful than I thought... We arrive at Astri. The merchs let me off by their guild and give me directions. I thank them and move along. I find the sign-up location in no time. Difficult to miss, really. Plenty of signs and people... Name. Next of kin. Location on map. I sigh. Not exactly the mood I imagined it''d start with... I quickly fill the form out, marking the fastest route too and give the paper back. I get redirected to the training grounds. Easy to follow. Everyone is going there... We stand in a bunch in the middle of the yard. Noxians all ages and colors. Men and women alike. By the looks of things, it''s safe to assume I''m not the only rookie here. I feel nervous. It''s difficult for me to pay attention. I try to focus. ¡°Take one and pass it along.¡± A whisper reaches me. A box lands in my hands. Huh? I stare at the things. I pick one up. Oh. A necklace with the Army crest? I take one and pass the box to another Noxian. ¡°Why are the arrows pointing down?¡± ¡°Cause the Military was established only because of the never-ending attacks on our people. We fight to defend. The arrows are a sign of that.¡± A voice answers my escaped thought. I turn to the right. Male. About my age? Who knows. ¡°Makes sense.¡± I agree. ¡°How can you join the Army without knowing that much?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I''m a country bumpkin. There''s lots I don''t know.¡± I put the necklace on. ¡°Then why be here?¡± Another shrug. ¡°Wanna help? If I can?¡± ¡°Great. Clueless and naive. Best combo ever...¡± The man says. I catch a giggle. ¡°Wykren.¡± I offer a hand. The guy stares at it for a long moment. ¡°Ira.¡± He shakes it. ¡°So why are you here?¡± ¡°Killing is all I know. There''s only so many options what I can do with that. Seemed like a natural choice.¡± ¡°That''s deep.¡± I stare at him. Now he shrugs his shoulders. ¡°What are you?¡± He asks. ¡°Jeweler.¡± I catch Ira turn and stare at me. ¡°Wrong answer?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°I meant as in combat class...¡± I smile. ¡°Sorry sorry, my one and only friend ever is a cat, so I''m a little awkward.¡± ¡°You don''t say...¡± ¡°I learn quick though!¡± I whisper. ¡°What are you then?¡± ¡°Assassin.¡± ¡°Cool. You use the shadows, then, huh?¡± I glance over. A nod. ¡°I''m manaless, so I guess I''ll go for the Close Combat.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Another horrified stare. ¡°You''ll get yourself killed right out the gate with that way of thinking. I guess, he says...¡± I chuckle silently again. ¡°Like I said. I learn quick.¡± ¡°A jeweler in the Military... You get lost on the way here?¡± I catch another laugh and kill it. ¡°There''s only so many options to choose from...¡± I whisper. The Instructors tell us to line up. Men and women separated. ¡°Barrack time.¡± Ira says. ¡°Aw, too bad...¡± I glance over the women as all of us scramble to make order. Ira throws me another stare. ¡°They¡¯d kill you before you¡¯d even step into the hallway. Don¡¯t underestimate Army women. Nobody weak join this.¡± ¡°You gotta admit that¡¯s hot. Strong and capable women like that... But in any case, will you be roommate, then?¡± I grin. ¡°Correction. I''ll kill you myself.¡± He growls quietly. ¡°It''s only fun to mess with you, cause you''re so cold. But I was serious though?¡± I follow him to the back of the line. He doesn''t say anything and I end up parking myself next to him. Everyone here has a bag each. Only the essentials... Or something to remind you of your humanity... I touch the Stone and the pouch on my neck. ¡°Worried?¡± ¡°Era!¡± I gasp and quickly shut my mouth. A few heads turn to me to stare. So does Ira. I pretend not to notice. ¡°You startled me...¡± ¡°Your uneasiness picked up again a moment ago.¡± ¡°Oh? How long have I been this way?¡± ¡°Before saying goodbye...¡± So, over a week at least... I sigh... ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I''m not bothered. But Hyra would be.¡± ¡°Right... Maybe I should keep their Stone pouched just to save her the trouble... The mood here is too heavy. Something tells me I''m in over my head...¡± ¡°Did it occur to you only now?¡± Her deep, mockingly growl makes me giggle to myself. Miss you already. ¡°I''ll go now, I''ll try to control myself more, so not to worry you.¡± ¡°Worry about yourself first. Be well.¡± ¡°I will...¡± I whisper with a smile. ¡°Someone important?¡± Ira asks, as we get shown to our room. ¡°More than life.¡± I answer, bowing to the Instructors, as they leave us. ¡°It''s a little tight, don''t you think?¡± I tell Ira, sizing up the room. ¡°Then don''t get fat.¡± He answers without turning around and I laugh. ¡°So what''s next?¡± ¡°Meet back out in the yard in 10 minutes for a full tour of the grounds. Dinner after that and all today¡¯s newbies will start their training tomorrow at 5 in the morning.¡± ¡°Good memory.¡± ¡°Habit.¡± ¡°Is that a you thing or an assassin one?¡± I ask carefully. ¡°Both. Let''s move.¡± Ira walks out first. I follow him, closing the door. 201. Got it. ¡°What''s the tag for?¡± ¡°Names.¡± Ira answers sharp and cold. Makes sense. Everyone meets up again and stays in the same two lines. Nobody asks questions or says anything. We''re here to observe and learn. I try my best to pay attention. My mind is busy running wild. Somehow my anxiety turns into eagerness. I itch to start. ¡°What''s with you?¡± Ira breaks the long silence. ¡°Your smile is creeping me out.¡± ¡°Can''t help it. I wanna train already.¡± ¡°A trigger-happy moron too, apparently.¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± They announce. ¡°This way.¡± Ira answers me, before I ask. I follow him to the dining hall. Oh. Rookies and vets, all together, huh? I wonder if any of them would be willing to chat with me? I stay close to Ira, despite my eyes and mind darting around with excitement. We end up in the line for dinner. Wonder what they serve here? Probably some kind of slob? I try to see in front. Oh. That''s a nice surprise. ¡°They have everything here...¡± ¡°Is that really that surprising?¡± Ira whispers to me. ¡°Well, yeah. I''ve never seen such a variety all at once...¡± I greet the older Noxian behind the counter. He asks me for any preferences. I shake my head. ¡°I''ll have whatever you serve me!¡± I answer like an idiot. The man laughs. ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± He takes my tray from me and arranges a nice balance between meat, vegetables, grains, even fruit! What a feast! ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m good.¡± The guy behind me says. I glance over. He''s passing up on the steak! And it''s a nice piece too... A nice, lean cut... ¡°Give him my share.¡± The guy nods, making the older Noxian laugh again. ¡°It''s your lucky day, son!!¡± He gives me the steak. ¡°Wait. What! No!¡± I fight it. ¡°It''s ok. My treat.¡± The guy behind me says and walks away. ¡°Just take it already, you''re drooling all over.¡± Ira growls at me from over his shoulder. I take the extra meat and thank the man. I look for the other Noxian in the crowd. ¡°Come on. Over there.¡± I tell Ira and lead the way now. ¡°This free?¡± I stand next to generous fella. ¡°Help yourself.¡± He points down. ¡°Thank you.¡± I sit down. Ira joins me. ¡°Enjoy.¡± He says. The guy nods. ¡°Why pass up on the steak? And you don''t even know me.¡± The guy stares at me. He looks to Ira. ¡°He always like this?¡± ¡°As far as I gather - yes.¡± Ira doesn''t even raise his eyes off his meal. Whereas, I keep mine on the guy. He smiles. ¡°Where you from?¡± ¡°Down south. Small village.¡± ¡°How small?¡± ¡°60 people, ish?¡± I shrug my shoulders. He laughs. ¡°I see. Well, to answer your question. I''m a Beast. I already had meat yesterday.¡± ¡°A Beast?¡± I''m dumbfounded. ¡°He means Druid.¡± Ira adds. ¡°OH! That''s awesome! I''ve never met a Druid before! I''m Wykren.¡± I extend my hand. ¡°Blain.¡± The Druid shakes it and looks to my friend. ¡°Ira.¡± He nods. Blain answers with a nod too. ¡°Is this no meat rule something you Druids live by then?¡± I circle back. ¡°No. It''s not a rule. A preference.¡± He waits a moment. ¡°How much do you know about Druids?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Barely anything.¡± ¡°Well, the basic idea is that Druids, especially Beasts, are animal reincarnates. We merge with the animal spirits and bring them back to life. In exchange, we are able to use their abilities.¡± ¡°So what are you?¡± ¡°A deer and a crow.¡± ¡°Two!!¡± ¡°Keep it down.¡± Ira growls again. ¡°Sorry.¡± I take a bite. Blain smiles. ¡°It''s nothing special. Druids are supposed to have five forms total.¡± ¡°No way...¡± ¡°It happens. But it takes serious skill to manage...¡± ¡°What are they? The forms I mean.¡± I take a drink too. ¡°One for each: land, air and water. As well as an attack form and a defender.¡± ¡°What''s the difference?¡± ¡°Well. Let''s say you are a deer like me. That''s my land form. Or, in other words, my runner. Deer is prey. It doesn''t have claws or fangs. The horns help, but it''s not flexible in a fight...¡± ¡°So if your runner was a cat or something?¡± ¡°It would double for a land and attack form.¡± ¡°What about the defender, then?¡± My mind can''t stop now... ¡°The idea is that it should be something that can withstand blows... Say like a bull. Its job would be to hold out till others escape, acting as a shield, and or, to let someone else attack instead, keeping the enemy focused on themselves.¡± Blain explains. ¡°Makes sense... There are all kinds of animals...¡± I mumble to myself. ¡°So, then is it because of your runner that you skip out on meals?¡± ¡°Kind of. It hits different when you turn into what you eat.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I put my bite down. ¡°Oh no. Don''t worry. It''s not like that. I mean I eat it plenty. Especially when out in the field. Gotta keep the strength up. It''s just that sometimes, if I can help it, I''ll pass.¡± Blain says. ¡°Some Beasts find it easier to hunt and enjoy it even more than before. So it really is a personal choice.¡± ¡°I can respect that. Thank you for that. That was quite informative. Sorry to be a bother.¡± I nod. ¡°Not at all.¡± Blain smiles. ¡°You''re not a rookie, are you?¡± Ira finally joins into the conversation. Wait. Huh? ¡°No. I''m not.¡± ¡°You''re not?¡± I stare again. ¡°Four years I''ve been here. Transportation.¡± Blain tells us. Oooh. A deer and a crow would be helpful with that... ¡°That said.¡± He glares at Ira now. ¡°Neither are you, are you?¡± Ira looks up too. Blain waves his index and middle fingers over his own neck. I look back at Ira. Feint scars... ¡°You''re the infamous Shadowkill.¡± A what now! ¡°Champion of the Underground Arena...¡± HUUUUH!! ¡°Your last name is Shadowkill!¡± ¡°NICKNAME! I never asked for it!¡± Ira growls at me, smashing his fork down. ¡°Sorry.¡± I lean back a little. ¡°But you know... It does have a nice ring to it. Ira Shadowkill.¡± I grin. He glares at me again. ¡°Nobody wants a bodyguard with the word kill in the name.¡± ¡°Why not? I''d like it.¡± Both men gaze at me like I''m deranged. I shrug my shoulders. ¡°To me it means that you''re always keeping watch over me. Protecting me. Taking out any threats nice and quiet, before I even notice. It''s quite reassuring. What?¡± I look at the guys again. Their faces are emotionless. ¡°Lunatic.¡± Ira hisses at me. Blain laughs loud. ¡°You two are really good friends, I see.¡± He says, chuckling. ¡°Met him today only.¡± Ira answers first. Blain''s gaze freezes on us again. ¡°True.¡± I smile clumsily. Another roaring burst. ¡°Well, I''ll see you round. Thanks for the chat.¡± Blain gets up first. ¡°Thank you for the meal!¡± I nod. ¡°Catchya later!¡± Ira does not respond. I fidget for a good minute. Another. Another... ¡°Sooo...¡± ¡°Told you that killing is all I know.¡± Ira gets up and leaves. I grab my tray and run after him, almost knocking into a girl. I smile sorrily and catch up to my friend. ¡°Hey hey, teach me some moves! I''d love to learn from the Champ himself!¡± Ira turns to me. ¡°You''re just asking for trouble, you know that?¡± 11. Here and There For some time now, Wolken has been bringing me food. He usually doesn''t say anything and keeps his distance. Can''t blame the man. I am a beast... Although, that did not seem to stop Ren... Funny how family works... ¡°What the HELL WAS THAT!!!¡± I get up after the flop on my ass. ¡°Damn, you''re loud.¡± ¡°Quit dodging.¡± I walk together with Ira back to the barracks. ¡°What the hell did I just see?¡± ¡°Partial shadow control.¡± He says. I wait. Nothing. ¡°And?¡± I urge him. He sighs heavily. Like. Too heavily. ¡°It means that I can control at least two shadows at the same time, without going under all the way. It doesn''t last very long, but as long as a body part of mine is touching a shadow, I can grab hold of another one and use it as a somewhat of a portal.¡± ¡°That''s...¡± I''m speechless... ¡°INSANE!!¡± ¡°Too loud.¡± Ira glares at me again. ¡°Is it hard on you? To hold the shadows this way?¡± My friend stares at me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re different...¡± He says. ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± We grab our things from our room and go shower. ¡°You haven''t answered me yet.¡± I persist. ¡°Yes. It''s difficult. It takes a lot of focus and Mana. If I overdo it, I can pass out from exhaustion.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°What for?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Just am.¡± Guess Magic and Mana have their downsides too... ¡°Everything is fine here. The food is great. The room is nice. The chores are a pain, but nothing I haven''t done at home, so it''s bearable...ish... My roommate is a lot of fun too! Even though his personality is a bit spiky, he''s a good person. I can tell. Anyways. I''m learning a lot! I''m glad Dad showed me some moves! Least I know the basics! How is everyone? I miss you guys. Love you lots. Sign - Wykren. That''s more or less it.¡± Hyra puts the letter down. ¡°He has the Stone and sends a letter still¡­¡± She smiles, through her tiny tears. ¡°Well. Least his ok.¡± She wipes her face. ¡°Enjoy your meal?¡± She gets up. I nod. ¡°That''s good.¡± She picks up the basket. ¡°Sorry to bother you. Wolken... He... Doesn''t talk much... I...¡± She grips the handle. ¡°I just needed...¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Sorry. It''s nothing. You probably know more about how he is, anyways. Well, I''ll go back now. See you next time.¡± She smiles at me. I nod and watch her walk away. I crawl back into my tree. She seems to be hurting, yet I smell no blood on her? ¡°Era?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hey! How is everything?¡± ¡°The same. Hyra was just here. She brought me my meal. Wolken stopped showing himself.¡± ¡°Oh? How was it?¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°How''s Mom?¡± ¡°Hurting. Her smile seems painful... Yet her scent is the same.¡± A long silence. ¡°I see...¡± ¡°She read me your letter.¡± ¡°Oh! So it got there! That''s good to know!¡± ¡°Why not use the Stone?¡± ¡°I can''t... Yet...¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''m afraid that if I''ll hear them I''ll go home...¡± ¡°They would like that, though.¡± A giggle. ¡°Yeah, I bet. Oh, sorry. Gotta go! Later!¡± ¡°Be well.¡± I head back to put the axe away and notice a crowd gathered a bit to the side. I change course and head over there instead. I barge my way through. What the? Ira''s down on the ground with a bleeding lip. There''s a guy, yelling something, with a few others hold him back. A sword lays on the ground... ¡°Murderer! Someone like you shouldn''t even be allowed within the Army Ranks!!¡± I crouch down by Ira. ¡°You ok?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He hisses. ¡°For the fifth time!¡± Ira stands back up, slowly. ¡°He was alive when he left the ring! It''s not my fault he had a lousy healer!!¡± ¡°That changes nothing!! Let go of me!!!¡± ¡°Cool it! You''ll get thrown out!¡± Someone tells him. ¡°Bastard! How dare you live and breathe!!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± I stand between Ira and the man. ¡°If you wanna hate someone, hate your brother for being too weak!¡± ¡°What did you say...¡± The glares aimed at me... ¡°You heard me!¡± I stand firm. ¡°If he was any stronger, he would have won the fight! You wanna blame someone, blame yourself for not stopping him in the first place! Go punch the piss-poor healer that couldn''t hack it! Don''t go throwing your anger out on whoever gets in your way!¡± ¡°Son of a... How dare you!! You DARE defend scum like him!!¡± ¡°WRONG!!¡± I grip the axe handle tighter. ¡°I''m looking out for my friend! The same way you are for your brother! The only difference is - you''re lashing out at the wrong people here!¡± The other two men, holding the yeller, step aside a little. ¡°If you have a problem with my friend, you''ll have to go through me first!¡± I stand my ground. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I stay strong. ¡°I''ll take you, or anyone else on!¡± Laughter. The crowd picks up a little. ¡°Oh yeah? You and what Army?¡± Someone calls out. I grin. I flip the sword off the ground with my foot and up into the air, I catch it and take up a stance. Sword straight up front. Axe over my head. ¡°I am the Army.¡± I hold the glares. ¡°What is going on here! Let us through! What is this!¡± A couple of Instructors show up. I lower the weapons. ¡°Who started this!¡± No answer. ¡°If nobody takes responsibility for the ruckus caused here, then everyone present will get 20 laps around the training grounds!!¡± The male says. ¡°It was me.¡± I step forward. ¡°He''s lying. It''s my fault.¡± Ira stands next to me. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Anyone else?¡± The Instructors look around. ¡°No.¡± I answer. ¡°Fine. You two. 20 laps. Get going.¡± The older Woman tells us. Ira and I nod. The male instructor walks up to me and takes the weapons away. Ira and I get to running. We take up a slow pace. Both of us are tired enough. This will take forever... ¡°I didn''t ask for your help.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Why interfere?¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°My friend looked like he was in trouble, so I stepped in. I wasn''t thinking too much about it. My body moves on its own sometimes.¡± ¡°Well tell it to stop doing that. In fact. Quit calling me your friend.¡± Ira growls at me. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''ll become a target too.¡± Ira says, clearly irritated. ¡°I''m not afraid. Besides. It would be pointless right now, after that statement¡­¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± I laugh a little. ¡°Sorry, can''t help it.¡± We run side by side a little more. ¡°Do things like that happen often?¡± I try asking... ¡°Often enough.¡± ¡°I see. Well, no worries. I gotchya.¡± I tell him and a fist lands into the side of my face. I tumble down. ¡°The hell!¡± ¡°You are annoying the hell out of me!! Mind your own damn business and stay out of mine!!¡± Ira yells at me. I stand up. ¡°Sorry. I didn''t realize I was out of bounds.¡± Blood drips down. The blow cut my brow... I wipe it away and continue to run. Ira grabs me by the shoulder. ¡°Wait! The hell! You''re not gonna return that!¡± I shake my head. ¡°No reason. I annoyed you enough to make you punch me. I deserve it. I''ll try to control myself more.¡± I tell him. His face is lost and confused. ¡°Keep running! You two are far from finished!!¡± The same Instructor calls to us. We get back on track, with Ira up front and me a few steps behind him. We finish the laps in silence. ¡°This time he says that the lectures are harder than the training itself!¡± Hyra laughs, a little bit forced. I''ve become rather fond of her. She reminds me of Ren... ¡°Well. He was always the type to learn better through doing something, rather than memorizing it... Hope he can keep up... He''s smart! No doubt about that! He just... Gets bored easily...¡± She says. I agree. ¡°It''ll do him good. Learning more about the world. Meeting people. Maybe he''ll even meet a girl! Oh, but I guess he wouldn''t want to return here, if that were to happen... He''d probably wanna stay in Astri and raise his family there... I''d take that over him battling, any day... Even if he never visits us again...¡± Hyra''s smile is sad still... She clutches onto her dress. ¡°Thank you for keeping me company. Oh. We''ll be leaving soon for a little bit, will you be alright?¡± I sit up and nod. ¡°Good. See you next time.¡± Hyra bows and leaves me. Meeting a girl? Raising his family? Well. If that were to pass, I wouldn''t have any more meaning in his life either... ¡°Yo! Blain! Long time no see!¡± I run up to the Druid. ¡°Wykren! Been a while, huh? How are things?¡± ¡°Good, good, trainings though, the lectures ¨C even more so.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Ira walks up to us too. ¡°Hello.¡± Blain nods. ¡°You off some place?¡± I ask, pointing to his bag. ¡°No, actually, I just got back. Had a few days off.¡± ¡°That must be nice! Wait, a few days only?¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m a local. Born and raised here in Astri.¡± Blain says. ¡°That''s convenient.¡± Ira mutters. ¡°Did ya visit your girl then?¡± I try to tease. Blain smiles and shakes his head. ¡°I''m gay.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± I''m lost... ¡°It means he sleeps with men, not women.¡± Ira says. ¡°Huh? What? Wait? Are you gay too?¡± I stare at Ira. ¡°NO!¡± He snaps. ¡°No offense.¡± He adds quickly. ¡°None taken.¡± Blain smiles again. ¡°Wait, is it because you wanna sleep with me that you gave me your steak last time?¡± I look back at the Druid. ¡°Oh for the love of...¡± Ira puts his hand over his face. Blain laughs loud. ¡°Ha! Good one!¡± He says, chuckling. ¡°No, that''s not why...¡± His shoulders stop twitching. ¡°Buuuut, since you brought it. Wanna do it?¡± He gazes at me the same way Dad looks at Mom sometimes... I swallow... ¡°Aaaaahhh I haven''t even been with a lady yet...¡± I whisper... ¡°I''m not sure I''m adventurous enough for a man... Yet...¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ira stares at me. I shake my head, blushing. ¡°Small village. Only child. Literally.¡± I mumble. Blain laughs again. ¡°Sorry. I was joking.¡± ¡°It''s fine! Really! I''m honored! I mean! I never had an offer like that!¡± I struggle with my gestures¡­ ¡°Cool it already, you''re rambling.¡± Ira tells me. ¡°Well. If you ever do find your spirit of adventure, let me know.¡± Blain winks at me. ¡°Gentlemen.¡± He nods to us and walks away. ¡°See ya round!¡± I call out to him. ¡°Serious? You never?¡± Ira keeps staring. I nod... He sighs and walks away too. I catch up with him in a few steps. ¡°Sooo, what''s it like?¡± I whisper... ¡°What is?¡± ¡°To be with a woman?¡± I blush again... ¡°Oh hell no! You can''t pay me enough gold to talk about that with you!¡± ¡°Knock knock!¡± I call out stepping through the door. A gasp. ¡°Wykren!!¡± Mom tackles me. I hug her. ¡°Well now.¡± Dad shows himself from the workshop. ¡°Hey.¡± I smile to him. ¡°They kick you out?¡± He teases me, coming over for a hug too. Mom lets me go. ¡°Ha ha. Very funny.¡± We hug. ¡°They gave us some time off to visit home. I can only stay for two days though. It''s a long way here... Sorry.¡± I add quickly. ¡°Oh well, can''t be helped. Least they are nice enough to do that much!¡± ¡°Pardon the intrusion...¡± Ira speaks from behind me. ¡°Oh! You must be Ira!¡± Mom grabs his hand into hers. ¡°Thank you for being such a good friend to him! I know he can be a handful.¡± She smiles. ¡°That''s an understatement.¡± Dad adds. ¡°Welcome.¡± He extends his hand. ¡°Thank you for having me.¡± Ira shakes it. ¡°Are you gonna visit Era now? Dinner''s not ready yet.¡± Mom tells us going back into the kitchen. She tries hard to keep it together. ¡°Sure. How is she?¡± ¡°Healthy.¡± Dad answers, going into the kitchen too. ¡°Then we''ll be back shortly.¡± I smile. ¡°Come on. There''s someone you need to meet.¡± ¡°Your girlfriend?¡± Ira mocks me. Dad roars in the kitchen. Even Mom chuckles. I roll my eyes. ¡°No, dummy.¡± I throw our bags into my room. ¡°Come on.¡± We leave. A few fellow villagers stop and chat us up. Everyone seems to be quite proud of us. ¡°Is everyone here like this?¡± Ira asks. ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°Where are we going, exactly?¡± ¡°You''ll see.¡± We walk for a bit longer. I stop by the tree and wait. Era steps into the view. ¡°Hey, Gorgeous!¡± I hug her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°How rude! I came to visit!¡± I pout. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°That''s my friend, Ira. You know.¡± I stand next to her and clear my throat. ¡°Ira, meet my cat, Emerald.¡± He stares at her, frozen stiff. Kinda makes me laugh. ¡°That''s one big kitty...¡± He says and I crack. Era growls. Ira steps back. ¡°Easy easy. It''s ok.¡± I pet her. ¡°Here. Say hello.¡± I undo the string and place the Stone in Ira''s hand. He stares at me again, completely dumbfounded. I smile. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Evening.¡± Ira nods. ¡°Holy!¡± He steps back again. ¡°Wow... That''s... Insane...¡± He clutches the Stone. I laugh again, a little. He hands me the Stone back. I tie it back on. ¡°What ya tell him?¡± ¡°That''ll tear him in two if anything happens to you.¡± Era lies down next to me. I laugh and sit down too. ¡°I''m sorry for what she said.¡± I tell him. ¡°Uh-huh, sure.¡± Ira continues to stand for a moment longer. ¡°So how did you...?¡± He doesn''t finish the sentence, but sits down instead, slowly. I smile and tell him everything about Era and I. ¡°Well? How was it?¡± Mom asks Ira, as soon as we return. ¡°It was... Something else...¡± He hasn''t snapped out of it yet, still. I grin. So does Dad. ¡°By the way, Kyrry, you sure have become selfish lately! Do you really think it was a good idea to drag Ira back here! Did it not occur to you that he might¡¯ve wanted to visit his own family?¡± Mom tells me off... I notice Ira''s vengeful grin... I''ll never hear the end of it later... ¡°Don''t worry, Ma''am, I have no family.¡± Ira says. Both of my parents freeze for a flash and get back to serving dinner. ¡°I''m sorry, it was rude of me.¡± Mom gets a bit embarrassed. ¡°It''s fine. I figured Wykren told you.¡± ¡°It not my place to say anything...¡± I mumble. ¡°Dig in, before it gets cold.¡± Dad quickly shuts the topic down. ¡°Thank you for the food!¡± 12. Setting Out ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± I stare in the dark. ¡°For bringing me with you. Your parents are... quite warm... I think I understand you a little more now... At least why you want to fight...¡± Ira''s whisper reaches me. I hesitate. ¡°You never did say what happened to...¡± I stop. ¡°My mother died early on. I don''t even remember her anymore.¡± A pause. "Father couldn''t handle it. He loved her too much and blamed me for her death. He beat me for it. I left home when I was ten and never looked back.¡± I sit up in my bed and glare across the room, to the side. He continues. ¡°I stole. I fought. I worked. I did anything I could to survive... I don''t even know why.¡± I keep staring and listening... ¡°I saw my father once. Years ago. When working at a blacksmith''s... They found his body the next day...¡± ¡°Tell me you''re joking.¡± ¡°Sorry, pal, not this time.¡± I don''t say anything. There is nothing I can say to that... ¡°Tell anyone and I''ll slit your throat.¡± Ira says and turns away, on his side. My shoulders twitch silently... ¡°You know, I was sure he''d bring you with him...¡± Hyra says. So was I... She''s been less pained looking ever since Ren''s visit. ¡°I''m sorry for being selfish... I''m a mother... I can''t help, but worry about our boy no matter how big or strong I watch him become... I hope all will be alright and he''ll come home soon enough...¡± She says, bowing goodbye as usual... Is that what they call a mother''s love? Is this what a parent does? Worry all the time? Can''t say I have been feeling easy myself, ever since he left... ¡°They can''t be serious...¡± I whisper. ¡°I was afraid of this...¡± Ira admits. ¡°Wait, you knew?¡± I look at him. He shakes his head. ¡°Had a hunch. The way they were recruiting...¡± ¡°We barely had a year of training and most of it had been chores! The ratio of training and knowledge gained...¡± I bite my tongue... ¡°What did you expect. They are getting desperate...¡± ¡°This is not going to end well...¡± ¡°You can say that again...¡± ¡°We move out in three days! Get ready!¡± The Captain gives the order... How will I tell Mom about this? She''ll freak out... I sigh to the thought of hurting her again... ¡°So this is the North, huh?¡± I gaze up into the mountains. Technically, a little bit North-east as the mountain range curves. ¡°Not what you expected?¡± Ira mocks me, as per usual. ¡°No. They are much more.¡± I grin. ¡°Hey! We arrived at the Northern mountains! I''ll need to set up camp now, but just wanted to let you know how beautiful it is!¡± I try to reach out. But they keep us plenty busy. I cut off and get to work. "Good luck!" Mom? I stop for a moment only. Thanks. I smile and carry on. It''s been a while since I slept outside. I thought I would handle it, but sleeping next to Era spoiled me... I miss her warmth and snuggly fur... ¡°What''s the plan here exactly?¡± I ask. ¡°Kill on sight.¡± ¡°Would it kill you to phrase it a little bit less gruesome?¡± Ira stops and stares for a moment. ¡°Minimize the enemy forces as much as possible. There. Happy now?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± We continue on with the tent. Using the woods as a cover was a good idea. I did except to be digging holes in the ground to sleep in, rather than this, but, I don''t really know much about war or battle... ¡°The scouts are back.¡± Ira''s voice snaps me back to reality. I look to the side. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Shall we?¡± We drop the tent and go over to get a better idea of the situation. ¡°They are advancing steadily. They should be here in a few days.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t it be better to stop them within the mountains?¡± ¡°Too dangerous. We might end up losing more people.¡± Ira''s quick to answer me. I admire his quick-witted thinking. He''s clearly more in the know-how than I am. ¡°Be alert. Rest for now, but stay sharp.¡± Our Captain tells us. ¡°They are sure we will be enough?¡± I ask again. Ira shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Scouts said it''s a small number of them. So, we should be able to handle them. Considering that the main forces have been rotating between the boarder and the Capital... They really haven''t got much of a choice other than to send the best out of the worst...¡± ¡°Gee, thanks for the confidence...¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°It''s not like this land is being used by us... I fail to see how we can''t give them some, if land is all they want?¡± ¡°After the deal with Cornutora the Geezers in charge felt like taking a hit below the belt. Especially because it doesn''t stop them from launching the occasional attack on us still. Hence the aggressive resistance now. Although, Cornutora''s politics have always been internally divided...¡± ¡°Ok, how the hell do you know all that!!¡± I crack. ¡°I''m a Shadow, remember?¡± Ira gives me a stupid grin. ¡°It''s times like these that I hate you.¡± I tell him and pick up my axe and sword. ¡°You''ll wear yourself out.¡± ¡°It''s not like I can sit still either. It''ll be good warm up.¡± I wink at my friend. He slips inside the tent instead. I walk a little bit further off the camp and do a couple of simple exercises. Rotations. Stretches. Swings. Jabs. Hacks. I try to focus on switching between the sword and the axe with each hand. It needs some work still... The height and the elongated Noxian limbs give an advantage for dual wielding. Especially with the smaller sized weapons. Instead of a long sword I have a slightly shorter, wider, double-edge. Great for quick, powerful thrusts. The double-sided, widely curved axe, Primerian-sized, works nicely for wider range, circular attacks. No need for a shield if they can''t get close enough. The smaller sizes make for greater speed, even if lacking in power. The thing with power - the heavier the blow, the slower it is. If you can slash through it faster, chances are - you''ll live... Of course, one major drawback for smaller weapons is their durability. They can break when countering a powerful blow... Those should be avoided, at best, but... Anything can happen... I''m not as fast Ira... He uses daggers, because he needs the speed and agility to go in and out of the shadows... Big weapons like mine would slow him down... His focus is close range precision... Mine... Mine? Mine is... Tearing through with brute force... My job is to keep them focused elsewhere, so that the Shadow can do what it knows best... I grip the handles of both weapons. They called me a natural... Instinct... I''ve been practicing with these blades for a few months only... Then why? Why does it feel so comfortable holding them? Almost as if I have been doing this for years...? I look up at the sky... Yet, at the same time still¡­ I don''t want to be here... I walk back. Everyone, who isn''t on watch, is resting. I step inside the tent, put the weapons down and try to snooze... A loud noise and yelling wakes me up. ¡°It''s an ambush! We''re on!¡± Ira tells me, running out. I grab my blades and step out too. ¡°The hell?¡± ¡°Earth Shamans. They are pulling us underground. Watch out!¡± Ira pushes me. I jump back, so does he. The ground opens up where we were a moment ago. ¡°BLIND THEM!! KILL THE FIRE SHAMANS!!¡± An order is given. ¡°I''m up.¡± Ira says. ¡°Where there¡¯s Fire, there''s a Shadow.¡± He dives in and disappears. I feel the ground rumble underneath me. I jump back a few steps. A scream and a thud. My axe blocks it. I can barely see anything, yet my body moves on its own. Slash after slash. Spell after spell. I dodge and block them all. I barge my way through. Blades swinging. Blood spilling... The fighting has been going on for days now... We have no idea how many of them there are or how many of us we lost already... The silence between the battles is the worst. We never know when the noise will pick up again. Resting is out of the question. Back up is on the way, but can they make it? How do we know they aren''t waiting for it too? Worse part, I have no clue where the heck Ira is, right now. We got separated... Scouts reported a small amount... Yeah, right... We manage to drive the enemy back a little, but now we are out of the woods and in the open¡­ We try to keep the pressure steady and for that we made ourselves vulnerable too¡­ The sky darkens. The wind picks up. I have a bad feeling about this... It has been getting colder the last few days too... Blood freezing chill smashes through me. Raging white waves hurl at us. Snow. A mad blizzard howls around us. Swallowing everyone whole... I can''t see my own hand in front of me... ¡°DAMN IT!!¡± I scream out. Can''t even hear my own voice... I stumble around. I try to listen... Nothing... It feels like I just got buried alive... Hyra calls for me in the dark. I get up and climb out. It''s cold and dark. She stands with a torch in hand. Her face frozen... Something is not right. ¡°Have you heard from him?¡± She asks. Voice weakened... I shake my head. Her eyes water... ¡°They say there was a sudden mission to go fight up in the North... Wykren was chosen...¡± Her body trembles like a leaf in the wind... ¡°There hasn''t been any word from him since...¡± She clutches the Stone in her hand... ¡°It''s been days...¡± She speaks quietly¡­ ¡°The Winter is early. The amount of snow here... The North is probably...¡± Hyra fails to speak clearly... I wait... ¡°Please.¡± She holds my gaze... ¡°Find my baby...¡± She points a direction. North, huh? As long as the sun raises on your right and sets on your left, you can find North! Ren''s words echo inside my mind... I watch her. The watering eyes. The shaking body. The pained expression... She is hurting. She doesn''t know if Ren is well or even alive. I get up and step closer to her. I lower my head. She touches my fur. ¡°Please...¡± A single whisper. I take one more look at Hyra and run off into the woods... 13. Out in the Cold I drag myself ragged. It''s been days? Weeks? Hell if I know¡­ It could be merely hours¡­ Time is nothing, but a blur now... Everyone scattered... I don''t even know if Ira made it out? Or anyone... The wind stopped, but the snow keeps falling. I''m probably walking around in circles... I don''t even know if it''s night or day... It all looks the same... Not even the trees help lessen the raging blizzard... I trip and fall face down into the fluff... I stand up on all fours. I notice something in the snow. A paw. Oh shi.... I quickly crawl away. It clicks to me. Wait. I know that paw... I crawl back to it. I dust the snow of it. Oh no. ¡°No no no NO NO NO NOOO PLEASE DON¡¯T!!!!¡± I dig through the thick layer of snow. That muzzle!! ¡°ERAAAAAA!!! NOOOOOOO!! PLEASE!!! What have I done!!!¡± I look for a pulse or a breath... My heart pounds so loud I don''t hear anything besides my own panting... ¡°ANYTHING!!¡± I dig under her and shove my head into her chest... I can''t hear her!!! Horror takes over. I pant, my heart beats faster. I sit down next to her and put her head in my lap. I throw my half-gloves off, take a knife out with my frozen fingertips and cut my palm. I hold my hand next to Era''s nose. Come on! Come on! I watch her... ¡°COME ON!!¡± A twitch! Her whiskers twitch!! ¡°Thank the stars...¡± I rummage for a potion... Last one. Screw it! I open her jaws, pull the cork out of the vial with my teeth and pour the liquid into her throat... ¡°What have I done! Era¡­¡± I hold her to me... I feel her bones... What have I done... ¡°Stay with me! Era!¡± Pathetic... Miserable fool! How could I have let this happen... Era... I hold her tighter... Please... I wake up. Huh? What''s this? A tent? ¡°Oh, you''re awake.¡± A voice. I sit up. Pain runs through my body... ¡°Don''t rush. You''re out of the woods, but please, don''t try your luck.¡± A woman? ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Camp. The Temple sent out reinforcements to round up the injured. The back up got caught up in the snow too. Nobody was prepared for the Winter. If it weren''t for this.¡± She points to the necklace on my chest. The army crest? ¡°You would have probably been left there to die. But then again, that''s not really my style...¡± ¡°Thank you... Wait. Era! Where''s!¡± I try to get up and get smacked on the head. ¡°I said don''t move! Era? If you mean the Saber, she''s right over there.¡± A hand points to my left. I crawl over to her. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°Stable. For now. A bit more and she would have died... It might take weeks for her to recover... You should be ashamed of yourself. That creature is sacred...¡± ¡°I KNOW! I know...¡± I choke up. ¡°Nobody knows that better than me...¡± I will never forgive myself... Nobody can hate me more than I hate myself right now... I want to touch her, but I can''t bring myself to do it... It''s all my fault... She lost so much weight... Her fur lost its shine too... ¡°I don''t deserve to live...¡± ¡°Good.¡± Huh? I turn my head to where the voice comes from. The woman kneels next to me. ¡°If you hate yourself that much, then use that hate to do right by your friend, here. You owe her that much.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°You''re no good to her dead. So. Get back in there and be a good boy.¡± She points to my "bed." I do as told. ¡°Much better. Now, I have others to tend to. We''re keeping her on a tight watch. Someone else will be checking in on you two soon enough.¡± She says and leaves the tent. I wait a moment and crawl back to Era with my blankets. I put them on her. I look around for the rest of my clothes, but I don''t see them. A fresh set lays next to the metal water pitcher. I slip those on and lay down next to Era again. Gorgeous... I fall asleep next to her... A gentle kick to my side wakes me up again. That same girl stands over me. ¡°That''s not exactly what I meant.¡± She sighs at me. ¡°How is she?¡± I ask, sitting up. ¡°Stable. All I can do now is to keep her that way. It''s up to her to wake up. Problem is. She clearly has lost too much weight. That is getting in the way for her. She''s too weak.¡± ¡°What I can do to help?¡± ¡°Feed her these.¡± She hands me a few potions. ¡°Mana?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She looks at me rather surprised. ¡°What? You didn''t know? She has Mana within her.¡± ¡°No, I didn''t...¡± I doubt even Era knew... The Cleanser shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Well, it''s none of my business. As I said. You can give her one of each, every twelve hours. It should help Era regain her consciousness.¡± ¡°Emerald. Her name is Emerald. Only I can call her Era.¡± I stare at the bottles. A moment passes. Another. ¡°My apologies. I''ve given Emerald a few potions already. The next one should be at midnight. Here.¡± She sets a pocket watch down. ¡°Give her one of each. As long as she''s breathing, she''ll recover.¡± The Cleanser stands up again. ¡°Your dinner will be here shortly too.¡± She walks out and stops by the entrance to the tent. ¡°It''s a beautiful name, Emerald.¡± She leaves us again. My body shivers and I curl up next to Era and a corner of a blanket. Midnight. Got it. I hold on to the watch and the potions. Mana, huh? Interesting... Damn it''s cold... I stay awake long enough to have my dinner delivered to me by another Cleanser. The girl carefully lays the tray down by the hole in the fabric and leaves, without much formality. I crawl over and bring it back with me, next to Era. The soup sends warmth across my body. I burn my tongue a few times as my hunger kicks in. I gobble up the bread in two bites. I set the tray outside of the tent and cuddle up with Era again. I hear noise outside, but nothing clear enough to understand. So this is a camp? For the injured... Guess it didn''t go so well... I hope Ira is ok. Hour after hour I stare at the watch. ¡°Oh. I didn''t think you''d be up.¡± The same Cleanser comes back. ¡°I only have an hour left. I can sleep after that.¡± I tell her. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Same. I wanted to check on Emerald before calling it a night.¡± She kneels next to us. ¡°May I?¡± I move away. She puts her hands on Era. A light blue light emanates from the girl¡¯s palms. She traces her hands around Era for a few minutes. ¡°She''s stable.¡± ¡°Thank you... I''m Wykren, by the way.¡± I extend my hand. The Cleanser hesitates. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Devona.¡± She shakes it for a heartbeat only. ¡°Thank you, Devona. This means a lot to me.¡± ¡°I can only imagine.¡± She stands up again. ¡°Take care, you two, now.¡± ¡°Rest well.¡± I tell her as she leaves the tent again. Vona, huh? I smile. She''s pretty. Long, silver hair, pale blue skin, dark blue eyes¡­ I smile and continue to stare into the arrows... Time has never felt so painful before. Midnight rolls around and I give Era the potions. I stick the vial into her mouth, as far as I can, pouring it out. I check to see if it all went down. Doesn''t seem like I missed any. I give her the Mana one too. Two more bottles left. So, midday tomorrow. I carefully put the potions further away from us, just in case and try to sleep... A couple of days go by. I don''t leave Era¡¯s side. ¡°You should really go take a walk. Just to stretch. The snowfall has stopped. It''s a nice day out.¡± Vona tells me. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡± She rolls her eyes to me. ¡°Such a brat. Get out there!¡± She kicks me a little. ¡°It''ll do you some good.¡± Vona says. I stroke my butt a little and leave the tent... I wander around the camp. This is stupid¡­ I pout¡­ A noise catches my attention. I look for it. I''m getting closer. I step around another tent. ¡°Ira?¡± A man turns to me. ¡°Ira!¡± I jump over and hug my friend! ¡°Wykren! Finally! You idiot! The hell!¡± He pushes himself off me. ¡°That''s my line! What''s that?¡± I notice the leg. ¡°I got hurt and tried to fix it myself. It got worse. The temple Cleansers are punishing me for it and are taking the long way around to heal it...¡± He mumbles and I roar. He glares at me. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± I chuckle. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°No clue. I fought as much as I could when the blizzard roared down on it all. I tumbled around the woods till...¡± ¡°Till?¡± ¡°Till I found myself here.¡± I tell him. ¡°Which is yours?¡± I ask, pointing to the tents. ¡°That one.¡± He nods to one, little bit further away. ¡°Got anything of yours?¡± ¡°Nope. Lost it all back then. You?¡± ¡°Same. Most valuables are on me.¡± I pat my chest. I made sure to secure the Stones before we left. I replaced the leather string with a metal chain. The chain mail chest piece has done me good too. ¡°Come on. You can move in with me.¡± ¡°Oh? The bastard has a private tent?¡± Ira teases me. I grin and help him stand. ¡°I can walk by myself.¡± He struggles to keep his balance and push me away, all at the same time. I give him a moment and hold him up again later. He gives up the next minute. We return to our tent. I hold the tarp for Ira. He steps inside and freezes. Again. ¡°You can''t be serious... Why is SHE HERE!!¡± He stares at me. ¡°Probably went out to look for me...¡± Ira sways and falls to his knees, the crutch falls with a soft thud too. I crouch down and get shooed off. ¡°She alive?¡± ¡°Stable. I''m told...¡± I confess... Ira turns to me again. ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°I know...¡± ¡°Not you. Her.¡± Ira sits down. ¡°Both of you...¡± ¡°I know...¡± I sit down too... ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Devona steps into the tent. ¡°Passing time...¡± ¡°Keeping watch...¡± I answer. ¡°You were proclaimed dead an hour ago.¡± Vona tells Ira. He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Not the first time that mistake happens...¡± ¡°What are these?¡± She takes a card. ¡°These are hand made from the parchment? Serious?¡± She glares at us. ¡°Nobody had real ones...¡± I say. ¡°We make do with what we have.¡± Ira answers. ¡°Row.¡± He shows me his cards. ¡°Damn it! Again!¡± I say, taking his cards and mixing them all up again. Shuffling them isn''t that easy... ¡°Why so tiny?¡± She asks again. ¡°Didn¡¯t have enough material.¡± I answer. Devona''s sighs tells us she gave up on arguing... ¡°What''s the game then?¡± ¡°Four of a kind. You take six cards each. Lay four down in front and try to gather four in a row by replacing the cards in your hands.¡± Ira explains. ¡°I don''t see any 3s and such.¡± ¡°We decided to skip those. The smallest is the 6.¡± I add. Changing a card and laying out four new ones to choose from. Ira doesn¡¯t need any this turn. ¡°We tried to make them small enough to fit least that much.¡± Ira takes over again. ¡°Hence why numbers and letters only too.¡± I throw my Diamond Red Queen out and pick up a Spade Black 8 in her place. ¡°Row.¡± Ira says, showing me his Queens. I throw my cards into the air. ¡°How the hell!¡± I scratch my head. Vona laughs a little. ¡°Such children.¡± She says. ¡°Not like we can do much else...¡± Ira nods to Era. ¡°Yes... Good luck with that.¡± Our pretty Cleanser nods to the pile and leaves us. We take up six cards each again. ¡°You like her.¡± Ira says. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The Cleanser woman.¡± I stare at him. ¡°Hard not to...¡± I admit... ¡°She did save both of us...¡± Ira looks at me. ¡°I''m touched by your concern.¡± He mocks me. I smile. ¡°Sorry sorry. Didn''t mean it like that...¡± A growl freezes me. Era''s body throws itself to the sides. Her eyes glazed over and darting... I jump her neck and hold her to me. ¡°ERA! ERA! IT''S OK! IT''S ME! EASY NOW!¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Her voice weak... ¡°It''s ok now...¡± I whisper, stroking her... She lays back down again... ¡°It''s ok now...¡± I keep petting her... ¡°Food...¡± She says. I look around. ¡°What is it? Do you need a potion?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Food. She needs something else...¡± Ira scrambles to his feet. ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Thanks...¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°It''s a camp. They are taking care of the injured here... Why...¡± ¡°Hyra...¡± Mom? ¡°Was worried...¡± I shut my eyes... I should have known... Idiot... ¡°I reached for them, but there was no answer... I keep letting them know I''m fine...¡± I touch the scar on my chest, underneath the shirt. I placed their Stone under my skin... I was worried I couldn''t control it well, so I hesitated before, but after setting out... I have been waiting for a sound to come through all this time... I even tried writing a letter, but... ¡°This is all I could get.¡± Ira returns with a bowl of porridge. I sigh. Better than nothing... ¡°Thank you... Era. Food. You need to eat now...¡± I nudge her. She turns her head sideways and opens her jaws a little... I pour a spoonful in at a time... ¡°Disgusting...¡± She says. I giggle. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°She doesn''t like the taste of it. It has no meat in it.¡± I answer Ira. ¡°Can''t blame her...¡± He says. I smile some more. ¡°I''m so sorry...¡± 14. The Chill and the Heat Era has been recovering nicely. She mostly sleeps and eats and we only step out at night, so she can do her business. Due to the fast and clearly unexpected recovery that Era is making, Ira got lucky and Vona fixed his leg for him, the right way. I can''t help Era move around by myself... Of course, the lack of meat and fish is getting to her... She''s getting grumpier with each passing day. ¡°Why don''t we go hunt ourselves? I doubt the hunts here can provide for everyone, let alone her.¡± I say. ¡°It''s not a bad idea. That would help us.¡± Vona admits. ¡°More than that, it would help her, above all.¡± ¡°Got any bows we can borrow?¡± Ira asks. ¡°You''ll need to check with the Providers for that.¡± She answers and that''s all he needs. Ira leaves the tent. I fidget... ¡°Sooooo, do you have anyone special...¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Vona stares at me. ¡°I mean, does the Temple allow...¡± Idiot... ¡°Yes. Relationships are allowed. Except for the Priestess. Least for her designated ruling period. Afterwards, she is set free.¡± ¡°Doesn''t sound like you''re looking forward to getting chosen?¡± ¡°I''m simply doing as I''m told.¡± She says, eyes gloomed up a bit... ¡°Does that mean you hate doing this?¡± A headshake. ¡°No. For this, I actually volunteered.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What''s with all the questions?¡± Vona glares at me suddenly. ¡°Wanna know more about you. Is there something wrong with that?¡± I hold her stare. She shrugs. ¡°You''re the first one to try.¡± ¡°Really? Then how about I be the last one too?¡± I grin. She glares at me again. ¡°So what do you think of this fighting?¡± I quickly change the subject and my expression into something more fitting. Vona takes her time... ¡°I believe all of this fighting is senseless and pointless. But someone who''s been sheltered within the Temple walls all her life, I lack the reality to comprehend the meaning for this. I figured that stepping onto the front lines will enlighten me and I will be able to fight too...¡± ¡°But?¡± I whisper. ¡°So far I haven''t found a single reason to justify the lives lost.¡± She firms back up again. ¡°Why do you fight?¡± Vona asks, without looking at me. ¡°I''m not sure. When I first heard about the fighting getting intense again, after so long, I felt an urge to help. My parents raised me with so much care, that I wanted to return that...¡± I hesitate... ¡°By getting yourself killed?¡± She gives me a different look now. I smile like a moron that I am... ¡°Yeah, I didn''t think this through, did I?¡± She gets up to leave. ¡°Ah, wait a sec!¡± I grab hold of her robe. Another glare. I quickly let go. ¡°I wanted to ask something... About the Temple.¡± I add quickly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why is there a Priestess only?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± She stares at me confused. ¡°I mean, it takes both, a woman and a man to make new life, so why we only have a woman to represent Nature? Shouldn''t there be a pair?¡± ¡°I... It never occurred to me...¡± She blinks fast. ¡°I don''t know. All we are thought that a Priestess is selected every fifty years or so. During that time, she needs to stay pure. Before and after don''t matter. Once she''s replaced, she can choose whether to go back to the Temple or not.¡± ¡°But, if a child is born to a ruling couple, wouldn''t that make it easier? To have an heir? There wouldn''t need to be gaps in between selections. We don''t have a Priestess now, do we?¡± ¡°No. The last one stepped down early. Her time is still ongoing.¡± Vona answers. ¡°But even if. Say there was a child right now. What good it would do to have something like a seven-year-old rule us?¡± I laugh a little. ¡°Well, none, when you put it like that.¡± I smile at her. ¡°I was only wondering, a little bit. That''s all. Sorry to bother you.¡± I bow my head a little. ¡°Right. Sure.¡± She walks out. ¡°It''s not even Spring yet and you''re already in heat.¡± Era growls inside my mind. I roar with laughter. ¡°What''s with you?¡± Ira comes back. ¡°Era''s making fun of me.¡± I tell him, smiling. ¡°Of course, she is. You make yourself an easy target for that.¡± He sits down. ¡°Not that you need our help to embarrass you, though.¡± ¡°Ok ok, what''s with all the love?¡± I throw him a look of my own. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°Bad. Even with half of the hunts out of commission they have no weapons to spare.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Cause the bows get broken when the hunts get injured...¡± Ira sighs. ¡°Wait. Shouldn''t hunts be accustomed to these conditions?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Not the rookies, apparently.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Word is, Cornutora is trying to push their luck and take some more land, hoping we won''t notice, while being busy with the Balli. The main forces have been busy with Ballista''s border, but now they are splitting between West and East...¡± ¡°Where does that leave us?¡± ¡°With leftovers, obviously. With the weather conditions this season as they are, the rookies are told of this as nothing more than a training camp...¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± I stare at Ira. ¡°Ask your pretty Cleanser. She should know more about what''s really going on...¡± ¡°Speak of the Devil.¡± Era says. Huh? The tent opens and Vona shows herself again. ¡°I need your assistance. Follow me.¡± She says and leaves. Ira and I look at each other and get out the tent. We follow Vona to the other side of the camp where the heavily wounded are treated. There haven''t been any fighting in weeks, though... ¡°I need you two to bring in as much snow as you can. We don''t have enough water.¡± Vona tells us. ¡°That''s a pain... Melting snow always gives less water than its amount...¡± Ira mumbles. ¡°We have no choice.¡± She answers him. ¡°Use these or whatever else you can find.¡± She points to some wooden buckets and metal pitchers... I sigh too. This will be a pain. We can only use the pitchers to melt it, a soup kettle at best... Vona disappears into one of the tents. Ira and I get to work. We use a shield to place the buckets on, least that way the wood won''t burn, but it should allow us to make this easier... We try to work fast. As soon as the snow in the bucket melts, we add more into it and stir to speed it up. Once the water boils, we time it for a good five minutes and switch it out. Some others have copied our system and pitched in. Another Cleanser asks me to bring some water to Vona. I take a boiling bucket and take it to tent shown. I step inside and freeze. Balli soldiers lay wrapped up with Vona tending to them... ¡°Thank you for that.¡± She takes the water from me and begins mixing medicine on the spot. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Balli reinforcements that got caught up in the last blizzard.¡± ¡°That''s not what I am asking...¡± I tell her. Vona ignores me. Another girl comes inside. She changes the bandages for one of the men. I continue to loom over the scene, unable to move or speak... ¡°Thank you...¡± The Balli speaks. ¡°If there''s anything we can do to repay you...¡± ¡°Go and die!¡± The girl snaps, throwing the gauze away. ¡°Why should we help them! They are the reason we die! They are the enemy! Why should we show them mercy!¡± She screams the words out frustrated. No. Grieving? ¡°Get her out of here.¡± Vona says. I snap to it and take the girl out. She struggles. I hold her by the elbow, not sure what to do next. Vona steps out the next moment. ¡°Traitor!¡± The girl screams. ¡°How dare you help those who bring nothing, but death into our land! We should just kill them and be done with it!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Vona stands in front of the girl. I let her go and step aside. ¡°My orders are to help and heal. Not to kill.¡± ¡°Coward! Hiding behind orders!¡± The girl persists. ¡°WRONG! I choose to heal because killing is too easy. I know more than enough ways how take a life. Slicing throats and breaking bones does not require much skill or brains. Putting the body back together - does.¡± Oooh... Well now... Vona continues. ¡°I choose to heal because that is exactly I what I worked so hard for all these years. Don''t get me wrong. If the order is given to me tomorrow to go fight on the front lines, then I will be more than happy to do so. But until that happens, I will save lives instead of taking them.¡± She steps closer to the other Cleanser. The girl instinctively takes a step back. I grin. ¡°I don''t know about you, but I will not let all of my hard work to go to waste. If you have a problem with how I do things here then leave. But If I find those men dead tomorrow, I will have your head.¡± She hisses and pauses again. An exciting chill runs down my spine... ¡°Did you even bother asking them if they wish to fight? Did you ask them how many dear friends have they lost to this already?¡± The girl looks away. Vona keeps going. ¡°What is more important, your effort and hard work or your childish principles? Killing only brings more killing. No amount of dead bodies will change the world. Only the living have the power to do that. If you lack the brains to understand that much then get out.¡± Devona stands her ground strong and tall. The girl struggles to answer. Not that Vona needs an answer... The girl runs off. ¡°Bring more firewood. They almost froze to death. I need to keep them warm.¡± She tells me and goes back inside the tent. I quickly go get Ira to help me. We gather up two good bundles and bring them back to Vona. She has a few people working on something by the tent. They take the wood from us. A Mage juggles stones in and out of the fire, putting them inside fabric pouches. Another one keeps the fire from blowing out. The third girl takes the pouches back into the tent. Ira and I step inside. They use the pouches to keep the Balli men warm. ¡°Anything else you need help with?¡± Ira asks. ¡°That''s all. Thank you.¡± Vona answers without looking. I crouch down by one of the soldiers. ¡°What orders were you given?¡± ¡°To scout the area. We didn''t even know there was a party sent out before us...¡± ¡°How many of them have we already encountered?¡± ¡°This is the third one.¡± Vona answers Ira. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What?¡± The Balli''s face freezes over... ¡°What scouting were you supposed to be doing?¡± I ask again. Considering the season... ¡°If the land was fertile enough to start the planting in the Spring...¡± Another Balli says. ¡°What gave you the impression that you can use this land?¡± Ira says. ¡°Nothing. Those were the orders given... That''s all...¡± They admit. ¡°Didn''t you find it strange with the weather as it is?¡± I ask again. Silence. ¡°We have no right to refuse...¡± ¡°Meaning what?¡± Ira pushes. ¡°The gold we get for serving is the only thing that keeps us and our families alive...¡± One says. I look back at Ira. His face is unreadable... ¡°Has there been word about any other disturbances?¡± Ira asks Vona. She shakes her head. ¡°Your thoughts?¡± I ask him. ¡°Hard to say. But something has been bothering me ever since the first fight when we got here. We got attacked before the party from the mountains came down...¡± He takes a moment. ¡°I think the mountain-range-troops were a decoy. The real hitmen were the Shamans, traveling underground. I''m inclined to believe that not even the mountain-range-troops were aware of them.¡± ¡°Based on?¡± Vona finally speaks again. ¡°On what they said a second ago.¡± Yeah... That could possibly be the case... ¡°What for though?¡± I wonder out loud. ¡°To invade from a different location. Most likely - the South.¡± Ira says and my blood freezes. "There haven''t been any reports of such.¡± Vona cuts in. ¡°Or they haven''t told you.¡± ¡°I have my own connections.¡± Vona stands up. So do I. I rush out of the tent. ¡°Hey! Wait a second! Wykren!¡± A voice reaches for me as my body moves on its own. ¡°HEY!¡± A face comes into my view. ¡°Outta my way!!¡± I growl. ¡°Where do you think you''re going!¡± Ira stops me. ¡°Where else! Home!¡± ¡°In this freak of a Winter!¡± ¡°What choice do I have!¡± I try to push him away. ¡°None! Sit tight and wait for orders to come through!¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°You signed up for the Military! This is the reality of that! You leave here now and you''ll be labelled a traitor! You can''t leave unless they send you back or relocate you!¡± ¡°The hell with that!¡± Ira and I struggle and fall into the snow. ¡°Then what the hell did you sign up for in the first place! HUH!¡± Ira yells at me over our brawl. ¡°You think you can just come and go as you please! This ain''t a free-range-get-together for you! You leave here now you won''t ever be allowed to come back into the ranks!¡± ¡°He''s right. You can''t leave on your own.¡± Vona''s feet come into my range. I look up. ¡°There hasn''t been word about anything besides Cornutora''s attempt to sneak in. Even if we could move around freely. We wouldn''t make it anywhere far in this weather. It would take you twice as long to get anywhere. If a blizzard hits - even longer. Your best option is to stay put and wait. No matter how hard that might be.¡± She quiets down. So does my sudden rage... I lower my fist and get off Ira. He helps me stand up and we go back to our tent... The both of us end up with a cold the next morning... I shut my thoughts down... For now... ¡°I was thinking.¡± Ira says. ¡°Is Emerald able to use Magic, since she has Mana?¡± Oh. I had forgotten about that. ¡°Mana?¡± She says inside my mind. ¡°Yeah, Vona said you had some in you, that''s why we were giving you Mana potions too, when you were unconscious.¡± Era doesn''t answer that. ¡°You didn''t know? Did you?¡± I ask. Silence. ¡°Well. Would you like to learn some?¡± Era looks at me again. ¡°Hey, know anything she can learn?¡± I look back at Ira. ¡°Mana control? Maybe a detection spell?¡± He thinks about it. ¡°As a beast, she already has good detection skills, but she''s not able to sense Mana. A Mana Detection spell is a pain in the ass, but it could work for her.¡± He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Why is it a pain?¡± I ask trough my coughs. ¡°Cause the caster needs to be standing still and it only works with a certain range. Varying dependent on the skill and Mana control ability of the user. It''s similar to the Shadow Walk, since you need to make Mana float outwards. The trick is to make it stop and sustain it.¡± Somehow, I envy Ira''s resistance to colds. He''s getting better while I''m getting nowhere... ¡°If that''s too difficult then she could try pouring more Mana into her ears and nose, enhancing her innate abilities. That could work nicely to widen her natural range, since she could focus on a specific part of her own body instead of thin air.¡± ¡°What do you say? Wanna try?¡± I ask her. ¡°Worth a shot. So. How do I focus Mana?¡± ¡°She wants to know how to focus her Mana.¡± Ira coughs a bit. Ha! I knew it! All that talking was too smooth to be true. ¡°What''s with the grin.¡± He glares at me. ¡°Nothin''. Well?¡± I wait. ¡°She needs to envision the part where she wants the Mana to flow to and direct it there. Usually, we are thought to think of Mana the same as blood, flowing around inside us. Maybe that will help. Oh.¡± He sneezes. ¡°There''s also Meditation.¡± ¡°I know that! It helps to regain your Mana faster!¡± I answer. ¡°Correct. So maybe she should start there.¡± Ira explains the basics of that to Era and she begins her training. With nothing else much to do, it seems like the perfect thing to focus on. Vona comes around less and less now that nobody in our trio needs healing. Ira and I help out around the camp as much as we can. I already went and made a bow for us to hunt with. The only problem left are the arrows. We managed to get some broken ones and been making new ones ourselves. The metal heads and feathers are all we need. I try to gather materials to make Era''s reins too, but that proves to be a difficult task... I run into Vona on my way back to our tent after working my shift with the "kitchen.¡± ¡°May I accompany you to where you¡¯re going?¡± I ask her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why not? I have time. Am I bothering you?¡± She doesn''t answer. ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± I smile. She looks at me a bit annoyed. ¡°I was wondering. Why did you choose to serve the Temple?¡± ¡°I didn''t. I was given away to it.¡± I stop and stare at her. ¡°Meaning what?¡± ¡°Meaning that someone gave me to the Temple when I was an infant. It doubles as an orphanage. For girls mostly though...¡± ¡°I''m sorry... I had no clue...¡± ¡°Now you do.¡± She answers me sharp. ¡°I didn''t mean to offend you. I''m sorry if I have.¡± I bow. ¡°It''s fine.¡± Vona speaks again after a long moment. ¡°Are you not allowed to leave?¡± I ask again, carefully. ¡°I didn''t think about that. The Temple has been the only home I ever knew. Even though there''s not much to do...¡± ¡°Is that why you worked so hard on your Cleanser skills?¡± I recall the incident by the Balli tent... ¡°Part of it. I had nothing, but time, anyways. Seemed like a good idea at the time...¡± ¡°What about now?¡± She shrugs her shoulders. ¡°What''s your dream?¡± I ask, gazing at her. ¡°My dream?¡± She whispers. ¡°Templeattes don''t have dreams.¡± ¡°Everyone has a dream.¡± ¡°Then what''s yours?¡± She scowls at me. The sight makes me giggle. ¡°Travel. See places. Do things. Taste the world. Spread my wings and fly!¡± I stretch my arms out. ¡°And one day, settle down and have a huge family with my beloved.¡± I grin. ¡°Huh?¡± Vona stares at me a bit confused. ¡°I grew up an only child, I was kind of lonely. Till I met Era. So when I have my family, I want a big one. I never really thought much about it, but I realize not everyone are fortune enough to experience a loving home...¡± My smile saddens up a bit... ¡°You''re taking too long. Ira¡¯s getting annoyed¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry sorry. I''m on my way.¡± I grin again. ¡°Anyways. It seems I need to get back. See you round.¡± I bow and quickly return to Era and Ira. The long Winter nights are getting to me. It never bothered me before, but being stuck in a tent like this is becoming a pain. Especially when a blizzard rages outside. Lucky us that we have Era. Least it''s warmer with her around... Era comes back inside the tent, covered in snow. She lays down in her usual spot. "Something on your mind?" Era opens one eye. "Whether it''s rain or snow it always makes your fur glisten... You look otherworldly. It''s captivating... As if a patch of the starry night sky decided to take walk... I don''t tire gazing at it..." "Ever the child, I see..." Era closes her eye again. I laugh. "That was a compliment. That''s something you say to someone when you want to tell them that they are special to you." "What should be my response then?" "Thank you. You say thank you, Ren, I love you too." I grin silly. "I believe you just answered yourself." Era''s soft yet mockingly growl makes me roar with laughter again. "What''s going on?" Ira comes back with our dinner. "Emerald''s being a smartass. I can''t tell if she means it or it just happens with her." "Uh-huh..." Ira hands me my bowl. "Anyhow... Word is the Camp will get dissolved soon.¡± I thank him and take my bowl. ¡°Meaning?¡± I burn my tongue. ¡°Half will be sent out as a traveling aid. The rest will go back to base.¡± ¡°Is this something the Military does?¡± ¡°Not likely. My guess is. the Temple has something to do with it.¡± ¡°How so?¡± I ask. ¡°This is the first time the Sky Temple has mobilized and joined the front lines. Give or take. It could be used to boost the people''s morale or something like that...¡± ¡°Why so sudden though?¡± Ira gives me a shrug. ¡°Maybe because the Spring is coming. It''s not like we can stay up here forever.¡± ¡°Wait, what will happen to the Balli?¡± ¡°They will get sent back as if nothing ever happened.¡± Ira answers. Maybe that¡¯s for the best¡­ It clicks to me. ¡°Can we chose which half we end up as?¡± ¡°I think they are looking for volunteers for the aid. Why?¡± Ira sets his bite down and stares at me. ¡°Don''t tell me.¡± ¡°Come on! Let''s join them!¡± I grin. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Why not! What possible training you can get by going back? You''re already a pro! Plus! You can train me on the road! It''ll be fun!¡± ¡°It''s not supposed to be fun.¡± Ira growls at me. ¡°Doesn''t mean we can''t make it be.¡± I keep grinning. I bet Vona is going with the aid. ¡°You just want an excuse to stay close to her.¡± Ira hits the nail on the head. ¡°So?¡± I admit. ¡°She ain¡¯t the only one out there.¡± ¡°I like this one though. What''s wrong with that.¡± ¡°Nothing. Do as you please and leave me out of it.¡± He mumbles. ¡°Oh come on! I don''t trust anyone else around Era!¡± I pout. ¡°Wait. You''re taking her with you?¡± Ira stares at me. I nod. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''m not letting her out of my sight again. She''ll be safer with me.¡± I hold his gaze. ¡°Idiot. Fine. Sign us up.¡± Ira sighs and hands me his bowl. "Is it alright with you?" I ask Era. "If that''s your wish then so be it." ¡°Thanks!¡± I return our dishes to the kitchen tent. I ask about the aid and get sent to Vona. I knew it! She will be taking part! I find her in her tent. ¡°Knock knock!¡± I say loud enough. ¡°Yes?¡± A voice answers me. I step inside. ¡°I was told to speak with you about the traveling aid thing.¡± I sit down. ¡°Oh? You wish to join?¡± She asks, measuring out herbs with the tiniest scale I''ve ever seen. ¡°Yeah. Me, Era and Ira.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You will be going, won''t you?¡± She looks at me. ¡°What''s it to you?¡± ¡°I wanna come with you.¡± I tell her flat out. ¡°We''ll probably be traveling all over the nation.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What about your training?¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Isn''t it important?¡± ¡°You''re more important.¡± She looks at me again. Blushing lightly. I grin. She turns away from me again and knocks the scales over. She scrambles around, gathering up the miniature jars into a basket. ¡°I need to take these to the others.¡± She tries to stand up. I stop her. ¡°You didn''t answer me.¡± ¡°You''re free to join.¡± She answers and stands up. I block her exit, towering over her... This feeling... ¡°I wanna know what you taste like...¡± My fingertips lift her face up for me... ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You heard me...¡± I lean in closer and get stabbed in the throat. ¡°Do not. Toy. With me.¡± ¡°I''m dead serious.¡± I keep pressing into the tip of the blade. A red drop rolls down the metal... ¡°We move out in three days. Make sure that you and your cat are not a burden on us.¡± Vona sheaths her dagger back into its place on her hip and leaves me standing there in a storm of my own confusion... I''ve never felt this kind of hunger before... My heart races. Body trembles. My lips don''t stop smiling... 15. The Letter and the Tree Our Traveling Aid Caravan begins its journey across the land. The Winter was harsh this year. Leaving us with both, good and bad news... Good news is, the fighting had died down. The bad news is. It took its price. Because the Temple had already mobilized Vona and her party for us, the new orders are to check the damage done... Apparently, there have been some reports about soldiers going rogue and attacking settlements. I find it hard to believe. No Noxian would be that stupid. Then again... I can''t shake the nasty feeling about what Ira said... We zig zag across, bouncing from place to place, helping people along the way... I crumple up the letter again. I can''t find the words... It''s been too long... I curl up again and try to sleep some. ¡°Where are we now?¡± I ask Ira again. ¡°Somewhere in the South...¡± He answers. South? For the first time in days I take a good look around. I know these parts! ¡°Era, forward please. I need to talk to her.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Emerald catches up with the front of the carriage in a few easy steps. ¡°What is it?¡± Vona¡¯s quick, as always. ¡°I¡¯d like permission to take a detour by myself. We¡¯re close to my village. I¡¯d like to check in on my people. If you¡¯d allow it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with him.¡± Ira parks himself next to Era and me. ¡°Do as you please.¡± Vona doesn¡¯t even look at us. She¡¯s been stand-offish ever since that night¡­ Can''t blame her, I was out of line... Not that I planned it... ¡°Thank you.¡± I nod and we take off. Era¡¯s quick to navigate the woods. To my surprise Ira¡¯s Celodian isn¡¯t slowing down either. It doesn''t take us long to reach the outskirts of my village. ¡°I''ll leave Era here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, nobody besides my Parents really seen her, you know, I''d rather not scare the villagers.¡± I say and jump of Era. ¡°Wait here, ok?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She growls inside my head. ¡°Good girl.¡± I pat her. ¡°Shall I leave my mount here too?¡± ¡°Nah, you''re good.¡± I wave to Ira and his Celodian, but he gets off and walks still. I get a little bit anxious as I make my way toward my home. I knock on the door. No answer. I open it. We walk inside. ¡°Looks like nobody has been here in quite some time.¡± ¡°Well shoot. Maybe they are out selling?¡± I look around. Something feels off. Why''s the workshop locked? I step back outside. I hear a gasp and turn around. ¡°Wykren? It''s you, isn''t it?¡± The Healer-lady comes over closer to me. ¡°Oh, hello there.¡± I nod. ¡°Say, have my Parents been gone for long now? The place looks awful.¡± I turn back to her. She takes me by the hand and leads me behind the house. Ira notices us just in time and follows us. ¡°What''s going on?¡± I ask the lady as she drags me. She stops and I stare at a tree in our back yard... ¡°No.¡± I crash to my knees. ¡°No. No. Don''t... Don''t... Why! HOW!¡± ¡°There was a raid... It was the dead of winter... Our whole village got ravaged... Your Parents... Hyra and Wolken, they... They fought back. They... We tried... There were too many of them... By the time it had ended, half of us were dead, the rest too injured... We... We barely survived the rest of...¡± ¡°The first snow set in too early. Our forces, as well as the enemy''s, had scattered because of it... Wykren and I were among the few that were lucky enough to survive.¡± I hear Ira speak behind me... ¡°They were too deep inland. The Balli are not used to the cold... It set them off... We''re sorry we failed to protect the people here...¡± ¡°We understand... Our losses are nothing compared to what you go through...¡± The voices behind me drown out... I knew it... I knew it all along that something happened... I just... I didn''t want to... "I found this when cleaning the house..." A letter comes into my eye sight. I stare at it. My hands take it and open it. ¡°Our Dearest Boy, If you are reading this, then it must mean that we failed to protect you from our faith... It also means that we failed to remaster ourselves as well. The truth is, we tried long and hard to ignore our nature. Well, it was easy at first, especially with you along the way. You were the most adorable thing we''ve seen!¡± A tear drop ??soaks into the paper... I breathe in and continue reading... ¡°We were overjoyed to welcome you into this world! Seeing the tiny and weak you made us reconsider our way of life. Oh, but don''t fret! We are plenty happy! To have you and ??each other. The thing is, we, too, were fighters once. We too battled. But. We stopped. We put our weapons down and picked up the crafting tools instead. After everything that ??we''ve experienced, we wanted nothing more than a plain and a boring life. So, we cut our wings off... Of course, that did not mean that you were born flightless...¡± My body ?? quivers¡­ I force myself to continue reading. ¡°Watching you grow and fidget with our routine lives, made us realize that one day soon, we''ll have to let you fly... This life was our dream. Not yours. It''s ok. You have nothing to ??be ashamed of, Dear. To be honest, we too found it to be too boring, but we fought against it to the best of our abilities... I''m sad to say that we failed miserably.¡± I can hear Mom¡¯s ??sigh as she says it... A breath with a smile escapes me for a heartbeat¡­ The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Wolken always complained about your curiosity, he kept saying that you got it from me¡­ I always nagged him about your painfully obvious skills for combat that you got from ??him... He never admitted, but it made him outrageously happy. You are our son after all.¡± Somehow a smile breaks through me¡­ ¡°There is no changing your nature. No matter how much one tries¡­ There was no way to ignore it any longer... Our wings grew back. There is no such a thing as a former fighter ??either. Once a warrior, always a warrior. It becomes part of you. It runs in your blood. Once you learn them, there is no un-learning those patterns... You just end up putting all ??those skills and knowledge on the side till you need them once again. Oh, but don''t worry, sweet child, we knew that sooner or later, this will come to pass. Perhaps our luck will ??have it so that you, won¡¯t have to witness it¡­ We¡­¡± I can¡¯t bear the pain¡­ ¡°We hope that you will never know what kind of a burden it is. If we can wish for something, then it would be for you to live your life so you would stay true to yourself, and would ??never have to poison yourself with lies that one tells oneself. If you need to trick yourself into living a certain way, then it probably is not it. We wanted what¡¯s best for you ??? because we believed it was our responsibility to shield you¡­ In the end it only backfired¡­ We have no-one, but ourselves to blame, hoping you¡¯ll find it in your heart, to ???? forgive us one day, for lying to you¡­¡± I hold my breath¡­ ¡°We leave this letter with heavy hearts, hoping wishfully that you won''t ever have to see it. Yet at the same time we are filled with pride and joy to have known you as our son and ??to have you inherit our spirit. Even if we wished a different path for you, we can''t help, but feel proud. Always remember that, honey. No matter where you are or what you do. Children are not supposed to live out their parents¡¯ dreams, their purpose in life is to find their own dreams. So fly, our little one, let your wings take you into the tomorrow. May the stars shine upon you... Until we meet again... Love you deeply, Mom and Dad.¡± I finish reading the letter... My tears have soaked through the paper and the ink... Smudging half of the words... It hurts... It hurts sooo much... Their Lector stone hangs of a branch. I reach for it and my fingertip brushes against the smooth surface. ¡°They were holding on to that when they died...¡± I hear the woman tell me... I... Tears stream down my face. My chest aches. I gasp for air. My head pounds. Blood rushes through me, drowning out the sound of the world around me. I scream out. The pain floods me. It spills out of my body like a raging river. I scream. I clench my fists and scream. How... How am I... What can I... Sorry is not... My screams stop. I stare into nothing in front of me... I will never see them again... I will never hold them again... They will never call my name again... What punishment is this? What have I done... I clench the paper and stand up. ¡°Where are you going? Hey! Wykren!¡± Ira grabs me by the shoulder. I shake him off. He tries again. We grab each other by the collars. ¡°Don''t get in my way!¡± I growl at him. ¡°What way is that, exactly!¡± He holds my glare. ¡°What do you think you''ll be doing! Where will you go!¡± ¡°To kill the bastards!¡± ¡°Which ones! Like you have any idea where to find them! Or who they are!¡± ¡°Doesn''t matter!¡± ¡°Of course it does!¡± Ira shouts in my face. ¡°You can''t go off killing people at random!¡± ¡°Easy for you to say! You were never loved in the first place!¡± ¡°Nobody knows that better than me! But it doesn''t mean that I''ll let you get yourself killed!¡± Ira persists to hold on to me. I snap and we struggle. We fight each other. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± I yell at him as I hammer in my punches. Ira guards himself well. I throw a kick. He catches my leg and throws me down. I scramble to my feet and get tackled. ¡°You FOOL!¡± A loud growl echoes inside my mind. ¡°Have you no respect for the dead! Let their spirits rest in peace!¡± Era growls in my face. ¡°Get off me!!¡± I scream back. ¡°NO! Your mother asked me to look after you and that''s exactly what I''ll do!! You will not insult her wishes!! I will not let you!! Boy, you will stay put or I will rip your throat out!!¡± Emerald presses her claws down harder into my arms. Her eyes are roaring with fiery anger. I try to move, but her clutches only tighten more. ¡°I already let you run off alone once! I won''t let you do it again!!¡± I turn away from her and stare into the tree that marks my Parents¡¯ grave... ¡°It hurts too much...¡± I whisper. ¡°Embrace the pain. Use it to walk forward. Killing only lets you move backward...¡± Era''s grip softens. She steps back. I feel another wave flood me and cover my eyes with my arm. I scream out into the sky... We stay at the village for a few days. The Cleanser and the rest of the party have joined up with us. Not much could have been done to aid the villagers at this point. Only a handful have survived¡­ They were offered to come along, to leave this place, but they refused. In the honor of Wolken and Hyra, who died protecting this place, they chose to stay. I cannot help, but feel bitterness at the bottom of my stomach¡­ If had stayed? Could I have stopped their deaths? Was it the right choice? To go after Ren? If I had ignored Hyra that night¡­ I lay by their Tree. Do I have the right to stay by his side? Would they wish for that? If I said I was sorry for leaving them behind, would they forgive me? But if I had stayed¡­ If I had turned away from Hyra? Would she have gone after Ren herself? Would Wolken have gone with her? Probably so¡­ Then¡­ Everyone here would have been killed¡­ I gaze upon the tiny Tree¡­ There is no right answer, is there, Hyra? I stake Devona out a few days after we leave my village¡­ I wait for my chance, hiding amongst the trees and the night¡¯s darkness. The pain hasn¡¯t subsided yet, I know I¡¯m not exactly thinking straight¡­ But¡­ I need to know¡­ I grab her and pin her to the tree. ¡°Get of me!¡± ¡°Did you lie to me.¡± I growl. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did. You. Lie. To me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Devona struggles. I don¡¯t let up. ¡°I¡¯m talking about what happened to my village and my Parents!¡± I growl again. ¡°DID YOU KNOW AND LIE TO ME! YOU WERE THE ONE TO TELL ME THERE WERE NO REPORTS!!¡± ¡°I DIDN¡¯T LIE!! I DIDN¡¯T KNOW!! THERE WERE NO REPORTS!! I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED EVER SINCE IRA BROUGHT US THERE!!¡± She breaks free of my grip. ¡°I have no reason to lie to you.¡± She walks away from me¡­ I punch the tree. ¡°Damn it! Ira was right¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± A voice tells me from the side. I swing into the night. ¡°Over here.¡± Ira steps out from the shadows. ¡°How long you¡¯ve been there.¡± I sit down by the tree. ¡°Long enough to witness you almost, assaulting a Templeatte¡­¡± He sits down on the side of the same tree. ¡°We can¡¯t say for certain that a separate attack was launch here at the same time while we were busy up North.¡± ¡°Then what else could it have been?¡± ¡°Troops from the border? Reinforcements that got lost? With the Winter as it was¡­ I mean. It snowed just last night too and it¡¯s been a month of Spring already¡­¡± ¡°I knew it¡­ I knew something was wrong¡­ Last I spoke with them was right before we got attacked¡­ I barely got to hear her voice¡­ Wishing me luck¡­ Worrying about something you can''t touch won''t do you any favors... That''s what they always told me... I¡­ It¡­ I can''t even tell when it... I didn''t want to dwell on it...¡± I break apart again¡­ I hate myself so much... ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Is everything that Ira manages to whisper back¡­ 16. The Sway and the Heart Ren hasn''t been himself ever since... He tries his best to hide it around others... Only Ira and I know how he feels... The woman as well. I continue to watch over the boy, not able to help his pain... Why does it feel like there''s a bleeding wound inside my heart? ¡°When will you apologize to her?¡± ¡°Would you forgive me for pulling a lousy stunt like that?¡± Ira shrugs his shoulders. ¡°I''m not her and you won''t know until you try. Be a man and own up to your mistake.¡± ¡°I hate it when you''re right...¡± I mutter. ¡°Aren''t I always?¡± ¡°When did you become so annoying?¡± I glare at him. ¡°I learn from the best.¡± Ira grins. ¡°Go on. You drag this out any longer and you won''t ever be able to say you''re sorry.¡± ¡°Speaking from experience?¡± I mock him. ¡°Yes.¡± Ira counters my eye roll with a straight glare. I stare at him for a moment longer and get off my ass. I stand in front of Vona''s tent. Frozen stiff. Coward. I inhale and hold my breath. I hear noise coming from inside the tent. I take a peek. Vona has a bunch of stuff laid out, trying to stuff all of it into a bag. I open the entrance more. ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± She turns around to me, startled. ¡°Wykren! No. It''s fine. What is it?¡± She turns around again and continues on. I step inside and sit down behind her. ¡°I wanted to apologize to you for how I was last time we spoke... No, I mean, I wanted to ask for forgiveness for my actions towards you.¡± I bow my head. A flop makes me look up. Vona''s curled up on her knees in front of me. ¡°I am the one in need to beg for your forgiveness...¡± She speaks in a trembling voice and body. Say what now? I stare at her silently, waiting... ¡°Your village... Because it''s so far South... It wasn''t properly looked after by the Military... The nearest post was too far away and with the Winter as it was... There were no reports because nobody was there to report... I am ashamed to know how irresponsible our Military is... I know this won''t bring much comfort to you, but due to the increased fighting... No, even before that... The post stationed to look after your village was removed long ago... Your village is the only one left in these parts...¡± Now it makes sense... That''s why... I wonder why we never moved? Was it because of that reason why my parents chose to live there? Far away from it all? I shake my head. That doesn''t matter now. I look at the shaking woman on the ground... ¡°I am soo sorry...¡± She cries quietly. I reach out. ¡°It''s not your fault.¡± I tell her, lifting her face off the ground. ¡°It''s ok.¡± I smile. ¡°Then why are you crying?¡± She says. Huh? Am I now? I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I hurts, seeing you like this.¡± Vona straightens out and wipes her face. I quickly brush my eyes away too. ¡°What''s with the mess?¡± I ask, trying to joke. ¡°I''m going to the front lines.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I cannot allow any more tragedies like your villages¡¯ to happen again. I''m going to fight.¡± Vona tells me with a grim expression and continues to pack. ¡°You can''t. You''re a healer. You don''t know combat...¡± A short sword lands in my hand. ¡°Feel free to teach me.¡± Vona holds my gaze. I put the sword down and take her both hands into mine. ¡°No. Your hands are too precious to be tainted with the burden of blood.¡± I kiss her fingers. ¡°I''ll fight. So watch over me and heal me. I''ll kill enough for the both of us, as long as I''ll have you to put me back together...¡± I kiss her hands again. ¡°Alright...¡± Vona whispers... I look up at her. ¡°When are you leaving?¡± ¡°Tonight.¡± ¡°We''ll go together.¡± I kiss her hands one more time and return to the others. ¡°How did it go?¡± Ira asks. ¡°Good. Pack up, we''re leaving.¡± I grab my things and start stuffing them into the bags. ¡°I thought you said it went well?¡± ¡°Yes. That''s why we''re leaving. Tonight.¡± ¡°Wykren, what happened?¡± Ira grabs my hand. ¡°Vona''s going to fight on the front lines. We are going with her.¡± ¡°We?¡± Ira stares at me. ¡°Yeah. You''re coming with us.¡± ¡°Who decided that, exactly?¡± He mocks me. ¡°I did.¡± I hold his stare. Ira backs up a little. He sighs after a long moment of silence. ¡°Guess I have no choice, then, huh?¡± He starts packing too. ¡°Boy, I don''t believe it''s wise, considering your condition...¡± Era''s gentle growl rings inside my mind. ¡°I never said I was a wise man.¡± I crawl over to her. ¡°Please...¡± I press my forehead to hers. ¡°If you wish...¡± ¡°Thank you...¡± I stand up again. ¡°I''ll go see what I can grab from the Providers.¡± ¡°I''ll finish up here.¡± Ira says. ¡°Is it just me or do their side seem bigger today?¡± I ask someone. ¡°Yeah, it''s not just you. Their forces have been steadily increasing every few weeks or so.¡± Ira answers, as usual. Something does not feel right with that. ¡°No kidding...¡± Vona? I look back at her. She sighs heavily. ¡°I didn''t want to believe it...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ira pressures her. ¡°The Balli made up an excuse that it was the Noxians who used the cover of Winter to invade Ballista, bringing the fight closer to them. Since our, so called "advantage" has now melted, they are using it as an excuse to "take revenge".¡± ¡°You''re kidding." ¡°I wish I was.¡± She sighs again. "That was months ago! Who in the world would believe that?¡± ¡°Can''t be helped. That''s what happens when your lifespan is battle short...¡± Ira answers. ¡°They needed a reason to reel in more fighters and they have one now...¡± ¡°A made up reason.¡± I mumble. ¡°Doesn''t matter.¡± ¡°Apparently so.¡± I agree with my friend. ¡°Heads up.¡± Vona warns us. Here we go again... I can''t bear to watch Ren as he is now... The three of them have been fighting the front lines for weeks now... My heart aches with each wound Ren gets... Maybe it''s for the best that Hyra isn''t here to witness this... I keep watch over him as they try to rest... It''s the least I can do... ¡°Hey, Gorgeous, can''t sleep?¡± I feel the boy pet me. ¡°I''m fine. No need to worry.¡± ¡°Liar.¡± He smiles. ¡°Is the wind keeping you awake? It''s that lousy time of the year again...¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Something on your mind?¡± He pets me again. ¡°Perhaps...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren sits up. ¡°I do not believe it is a good idea for you to continue fighting.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Do not play games with me, Boy.¡± Ren giggles. ¡°Sorry...¡± ¡°You''re a mess and a wreck. You''re growing weaker by the day. Last time you ate was over a day and a half ago.¡± ¡°I know...¡± He admits. ¡°Then why?¡± I ask. Ren does not answer me. ¡°Wasn''t your dream to travel and see more of the world?¡± He lowers his head. ¡°How can I possibly be enjoying myself with all of this unjust madness happening? How can I possibly bring children into this broken world!? How...¡± Ren''s guilt is eating him up right in front of my eyes... ¡°It''s not your responsibility to make this right by giving your life away...¡± ¡°It is now...¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ll end the senseless fighting NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES!!¡± Ren flares up. I sigh... ¡°If that is your wish, then so be it. I shall assist you with it.¡± I sit up. The boy stares at me and breaks down again, hiding in my fur... I curl up around him once more... How long will you last, this way... ¡°Ren! The woman!¡± Era''s roar echoes inside my mind. I look around. Vona is fighting a Balli warrior. ¡°How the hell did that happen!¡± I yell at Ira. ¡°One slipped past! Go! I''ll cover you!¡± ¡°We''re too far! I won''t make it in time!¡± ¡°Then fly!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°How!¡± I kick off another block of ice and throw my axe into the soldier. ¡°You go!¡± ¡°I can''t! We''re in an open field! THERE ARE NO SHADOWS HERE!!¡± He yells back. The sky is grey too. With little to no light... Damn it! "Even if there were any - I''m at my limit! I pass out in there I''ll never come back up!" "Useless!" I answer and instantly regret it blocking a series of slashes from another fighter. "Watch it!" Ira glares at me... I''ll have to apologize to him later... But right now... I keep watch on Vona. She''s feisty. She holds her own against the brute. Our training is paying off. For now. I hate to admit it, but Ira was right to insist on it. I''m too naive... Wait. Where there''s a body, there''s always a shadow! He doesn''t need to see it, just feel it! Hope it works... I grab hold of the enemy''s blade and run my sword straight through the body. Rest in peace. "IRA! PULL!" I call out, running over to Vona. The Balli strikes her down. He kneels down and starts ripping her robe open. OH HELL NO! The man stops for a second. He looks down. Something''s getting in his way. He struggles as he sinks into the shadow. I rush over to Vona. The shadow with the Balli shrinks and the fighter gets stuck half way above the ground. I grab a broken arrow and jam it right into the man''s throat. ¡°Hey! Wake up! WAKE UP! VONAAA!¡± I crash to my knees and shake her. She opens her eyes with a gasp for air. ¡°There you are... It''s ok now.¡± I hold her to me. ¡°Are you hurt? Bleeding? Anything?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, if you can move then get going. Something tells me a storm is about to hit.¡± I nod up into the blackened clouds. A rushing water sound reaches us. The downpour is coming in strong. ¡°Right on time.¡± I hold Vona to me. ¡°Fall back! Fall back!¡± The order is given. Ira returns to us. ¡°About time.¡± He hisses. ¡°You ok?¡± That stunt cost him... I see it in his strained face... ¡°Fine. Thank you.¡± Vona nods. ¡°Good. Let''s get the hell outta here.¡± Vona and I and support Ira by the shoulders. Era shows herself from the trees, further away. I wave to her to stay put. We slowly return back to the camp. I leave Vona in the care of another Cleanser. Ira, Era and I drag ourselves back to our tent. The two of us drop dead to the ground, with Era curled up by our feet. ¡°Everything hurts...¡± I groan... ¡°Tell me about it...¡± Ira agrees. I chuckle. Painfully. ¡°Say.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How did you...?¡± He doesn''t finish. I open my eyes. ¡°I had faith." "In what?" Ira stares at me, displeased. "In your skills, knowledge and intelligence.¡± I answer calmly. "Above all - in our trust for each other." ¡°You gambled on her life! If I had hesitated, not caught on or failed, Devona would be dead right now!¡± ¡°But she''s not. It worked. Everything''s fine.¡± ¡°I hate that part of you.¡± Ira sits up. ¡°The forever optimistic idiot. Just cause everything went well doesn''t make it right.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why did you do it!¡± Ira punches the ground. I sit up too, slowly, painfully. ¡°Because. I had faith in you. I remembered how you were teaching Era Mana Control and Detection. A shadow does not have a physical form, yet you are able to grab hold of it and use it. You said that you don''t necessarily need to see the shadow, as long you can see exactly where it is inside your mind. A body is a solid object. Even in the faint light, there''s always a shadow...¡± ¡°He could have been an Assassin too. Not all of us use puny daggers..." "I know. I was worried that might be the case. I knew that if that were true - he would use the shadow to go after you..." "Because between me and her - I''m expendable ." Ira mocks me. "No. All I wanted was to get the man away from Vona. If he had dived in as soon as he saw the shadow open, I would have turned back to help you finish him off real quick and then would have gone to her. Instead he struggled to get out. That bought me time to close the distance and take care of it." I answer. "I want to apologize for calling you useless back there. You may be a lot of things, but that''s not one of them." Ira doesn''t answer me for a good few minutes. He doesn''t even look at me, nor try to punch me. ¡°Moron. That''s what you are. I''ll go stand watch once the rain ends.¡± He turns away from me and sleeps. ¡°I know... Thank you.¡± I smile at his back and turn away to sleep myself... I stare at the tent. Ira''s on watch duty. Era''s sleeping outside, despite the heavy rain earlier... And I''m left alone to my lonesome, wide awake. I sigh. What am I doing, exactly? They didn''t wish for this... I''m disrespecting their wishes... But... I throw my arm over my eyes. I''m thorn... Lost and confused... I can''t even remember my reason for living... Or fighting... A light breeze brushes against my skin. I take a peek. ¡°Vona!¡± I sit up. ¡°What is it?¡± She looks terrible. ¡°I''m scared.¡± Vona curls up next to me. ¡°Today was the first time I was so close to death... I...¡± I wait a moment and another. I stroke her back as she weeps quietly. ¡°I wish I could tell you it gets easier...¡± I whisper. ¡°I''m sorry...¡± ¡°I''m scared...¡± She says again... ¡°Go back. Leave here. You''ve done enough...¡± I tell her. Her body trembles under my arm. ¡°No.¡± She cries. ¡°That''s not it.¡± Vona clutches onto me. ¡°I''m scared of losing you.¡± She presses herself against my side. Huh? ¡°Vona?¡± ¡°I don''t want you to die! I... I can''t imagine a life without you in it!¡± She cries into my shirt. I hug her and hold her to me... I''m thorn... It makes me happy, having her with me here... Yet at the same time I wish she was far away from all of this... ¡°I''m afraid to lose you too...¡± I whisper... Her silent cries pick up a little... ¡°Give it back... Give my heart back to me...¡± Vona cries out a little. I smile. ¡°How about I give you mine instead?¡± ¡°Mh.¡± She says and I pull her closer to me... I watch over the Noxian Trio from, what Ren keeps calling - a safe distance. Because of that the woman almost died once before... How frustrating. All I ever do is watch... But if I wasn''t, I wouldn''t have noticed the change in Ren. He''s been spending more of his nights with the woman. His eyes seem to have livened up again. His smile has been slowly returning to his lips too. He stopped lashing out... He calls it love... Whatever that means... I never truly understood the meaning of it... I know Hyra loved Ren and Wolken. As did Wolken... As does Ren... I know that this is the kind of love that family feels for each other. A parent for a child. A child for their parent. A family is born when a man and a woman love each other. It''s a different kind of love... So far Ren hasn''t discarded me. I was certain that he would as soon as he found himself a girl... He told me once before he loved me too... I never really thought much of it before... Does that mean that I am part of his family? ¡°Wykren! Behind you!¡± Vona screams out. I turn around and get sent flying a few feet by a block of dirt. Great. A caster. I land on my ass. Something breaks somewhere inside my body. I try to get up again and notice a large shadow hovering over me. I look up. Oh no. A giant block of dirt is aimed right at me. I try to run and fall down face first into the bloody mud. My knee gave out. I can''t get up. I try to crawl, but the wet ground is getting in my way. No way this ends this way! ¡°WYKREEEEEEEN!!!!!¡± I hear the scream and close my eyes... ¡°The hell you''re doing! Move!¡± Ira emerges next to me. ¡°Why am I alive?¡± I ask him as he drags me away. ¡°Her.¡± He nods into the direction I went flying from a few minutes ago. ¡°Era! NO! GET OUT OF HERE!!!¡± ¡°BOY, I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THE SIDELINES! IF ME BEING HERE CAN HELP END THIS FATSER THAN SO BE IT!¡± She stomps on a skull and crushes it, spilling the blood. Era roars and dives into the fray. Vona runs over to us. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The knee. I think.¡± Ira holds me up while Vona tries to heal me. ¡°I can''t fix it. I need a Ravo.¡± ¡°Great. Here. You take him.¡± Ira hands me over to Vona and jumps a few shadows to help a fighter out. ¡°ERA! RETURN TO ME NOW!¡± I call for her. To my surprise she appears out of thin air right next to me. ¡°Take him away.¡± Vona helps me up. ¡°Now!¡± She yells. I grab her hand. ¡°You too.¡± I glare at her. ¡°IRA!¡± I shout out. ¡°What! I''m busy!¡± He answers me. ¡°Hop on!¡± I pull Vona up. Ira grabs a few spare weapons off the ground and throws us them, before climbing on Era too. ¡°Bear with me, please. Charge! We''re ending this!¡± I call out and Era takes off as if slicing through air while the three of us slice through the bodies... ¡°Why don''t you have someone look at it for you?¡± ¡°Cause I have some dignity left.¡± Ira groans. ¡°Right, cause pissing razors screams dignity.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Get off my case.¡± ¡°Gladly! As soon as you go see someone. It doesn''t even need to be a girl. There are male healers too. I doubt you risk getting raped in your condition.¡± A dagger sticks into the side of my throat. Well, almost, anyways. ¡°Leave. Me. Alone.¡± Ira hisses. ¡°No. As someone who has pissed himself plenty already, for obvious reasons.¡± I gesture to the battlefield. ¡°I sympathize with your condition. There''s no reason for you to deal with that pain on top of it all.¡± ¡°I said no. ¡°Ira growls. ¡°Stubborn idiot.¡± ¡°Says the biggest one here.¡± He counters my comment. ¡°Ugh!¡± I get up. ¡°Watch him.¡± I ask Era. ¡°Sure.¡± She answers. I walk around our camp all pissed. I notice Vona talking to another Cleanser. She notices me too and waves. I wait. She comes over to me. ¡°Something the matter?¡± I hesitate. ¡°Yes. Ira needs medical attention.¡± I explain the situation to her. She puts her hand over her face. ¡°The moron!¡± ¡°That''s what I said...¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± She asks. ¡°Behind the first biggest tree... Probably...¡± I point with my thumb over my shoulder. Vona doesn''t even hesitate. She marches over to look for Ira. I follow her, but keep my distance still. Era''s alone. Called it. We walk around a few trees. Vona finds Ira first. I hide behind a tree and listen. ¡°What the hell woman!¡± ¡°Pants down, hands up and don''t move.¡± ¡°The hell¨C¡° ¡°NOW!¡± She growls and I giggle. ¡°Considering the size of your balls, I''d imagine you would have least that much brains to match them.¡± Vona says and my cover gets blown. I almost roll on the ground, laughing my ass off. ¡°Wykren, you bastard, you''re dead!¡± Ira yells to me. ¡°Yeah yeah, heard that one before.¡± I keep chuckling. ¡°You may think of this as a minor inconvenience that you can deal with, but the pain can easily distract you at a crucial moment when it hits. Honestly, do you even realize what you''re doing? Putting everyone around you in danger just because you can''t take a proper piss and are too full of yourself to ask for help.¡± Vona tells Ira off. I find it difficult to restrain myself... Ira mumbles something... ¡°There. All fixed. Now then. Tell me immediately when the pain comes back. Is that understood?¡± Vona tells Ira. ¡°The hell with you. I''m not risking another humiliation.¡± He mumbles. ¡°Oh relax, I don''t need to touch it to make you feel better.¡± She waves him off. ¡°Then what the hell was that just now!¡± He flares up again. ¡°Punishment. For being a dumbass.¡± She answers and I roar again. ¡°I only did it cause you asked.¡± She whispers, walking over to me. ¡°I know.¡± I kiss her on the forehead. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For the record, be glad it''s only a minor infection. If it were anything more serious, I would have had you on all fours.¡± Vona tells Ira. ¡°Do I even want to know why?¡± He asks carefully. ¡°Guess you''re not that well versed in male anatomy.¡± She grins mockingly to him, smiles softly at me and walks away. Ira comes over to me. Furious. I keep grinning. ¡°Some friend you are.¡± He hisses at me. ¡°Hey, that could have been solved easier if you hadn''t been pissing around so much...¡± I crack up again. Ira tries to kill me with his glare alone. ¡°I''m sorry, I''m sorry, really, I couldn''t help it.¡± I keep laughing. ¡°To hell with you.¡± ¡°Oh please. We''ve known each other a few years now. Ish? I can tell when you don''t mean it.¡± I catch up with my friend. The Noxian Trio continues to fight the horrors of bloodshed. I fail to understand their reasons for it... The only thing I understand is that Ren has found his reason to live and fight again. It''s evident in his moves as he fights... As long as it keeps him alive - I won''t complain. Be it peace or a woman that he''s fighting for... I''ll protect him. I won''t fail you again, Hyra... ¡°Didn''t you say that your dream was to travel and to have a family later on?¡± ¡°I did. It is. But...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I''m conflicted. Now that I know that my parents were warriors too, I want to see my own children learning the ropes and on top of it all, I want to be the one to teach them... I want to tell them that they too come from a proud fighter blood... When I began my training within the Army I couldn''t understand why holding my weapons felt so natural, same as breathing...¡± I gaze at the stars for a moment more and continue. ¡°When I found out why I felt proud and enraged at the same time... If only they didn''t hide it from me... Perhaps I would have stayed behind and agreed to their boring routine life... Then again...¡± I pause... ¡°Then again what?¡± Vona whispers. ¡°I wouldn''t have met you.¡± I look down at her, laying on my chest. She opens her eyes to me. ¡°I think I would enjoy teaching my children all kinds of things. I can just see it know how all of us charge into battle on Era.¡± I smile for a heartbeat. ¡°Yet, at the same time, I don''t want them to suffer... I now understand why my parents hid their past... It hurts, but I can''t blame them... But I don''t wish to lie to my children either... I''m too conflicted about it all right now...¡± ¡°Take it a step at a time then. Figure it out as you go along...¡± ¡°Oh, well that''s easy enough. I know exactly what I want now.¡± I grin. ¡°Oh? ¡°Vona lifts her head up to me again. ¡°You.¡± I kiss her and roll over her again. 17. The Break and the Bonds ¡°Why don''t we make some cover, then?¡± I ask our Commander during our usual briefing. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Ravos and Mages. They can easily level the playing field to our advantage. It''s been bothering me for a while now. How is it that we fight in open areas only?¡± ¡°Because anything that we conjure up, the enemy can use to their advantage as well.¡± Ira answers. ¡°Yes. Like stones and earth, but they already are doing that even without our help. I''m talking about creating something they can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± The Commander stares me down. ¡°Why don''t we hide the Fighters into the trees that Ravos can conjure up? Or something? If that''s too much to ask then we can use the terrain itself. All we need to is guide them to where we need them to be. The Balli have no Druids. We can set up traps that they can''t manipulate.¡± ¡°Ravos are healers, not fighters.¡± Someone else answers. ¡°Nobody said they can''t be both. Noxian Druids are the one natural advantage that we have - why not use it?¡± I stick with it. ¡°What? What''s with the looks?¡± ¡°We... Never thought of that?¡± Someone else says. ¡°Well? We have nothing to lose.¡± I turn to the Commander. ¡°I hate to admit it, but that''s true. Alright. We''ll give it a go.¡± ¡°Another thing.¡± I start again. ¡°Why aren''t we using Lector Stones? It would make the communication that much easier.¡± ¡°Because they are expensive.¡± Commander says. ¡°Oh please. I''m sure the craftsmen could lend us some. Nobody wants to see our country fall. There''s no reason not to ask help from the people that we are trying our damnedest to protect. We are not alone in this.¡± ¡°It''s not a bad idea.¡± Vona agrees. ¡°So far the Military has only been recruiting people to fight, but there are other ways the people can help.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ira pitches in too. ¡°At this rate we are no different from the Balli, who have turned their Military strength into a slaughter house for their people.¡± Ouch. ¡°But he is right though.¡± I continue. ¡°Our longevity is backfiring in this situation... In that sense the Balli have the greater advantage in their numbers...¡± ¡°I see I''m not the only one who shares that view...¡± The Commander caves. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s brainstorm. We have a battle to get ready for.¡± Wykren''s efforts have paid off. The ones called the Balli have been getting more desperate and more vicious. The losses have blinded them. They have been making more mistakes with each encounter. More and more Noxians have become friends with Ren as well. Their Noxian Trio has become the center of each battle, bringing one victory after another. How long has it been since then, already? Is this enough for him to not hurt anymore? I wonder, does seeing him like this make them happy? Everything was looking to be going well till suddenly the smile disappeared of Ren''s face again... He doesn''t talk about it nor do I push him to. All I know is that the woman is the cause for it... I notice Vona between the tent rows. She sees me to. I begin to walk towards her. She bails on me. I sprint after her. ¡°Vona! Wait!¡± I call after her. She ignores me and dives behind a tent. I run around it and catch her by the hand. ¡°Wait. Please.¡± ¡°Let go.¡± She doesn''t even look at me... ¡°You''ve been avoiding me.¡± ¡°Let go.¡± She struggles. I squeeze her and just a little. ¡°No. I need to know what''s going on with us.¡± ¡°I don''t have time for this!¡± ¡°Then make some!¡± I pull her closer. She resists. I stop. ¡°Let go. What will the people think?¡± ¡°What people?¡± ¡°There are others around you, Wykren. You aren''t alone in the world. Think of how your actions make you look!¡± Vona says, glaring at me. ¡°I don''t care about the world. You are my world and I care about you. You have been avoiding me. I want to know why.¡± She doesn''t answer. Just stares at me. Something clearly is not right... ¡°Did I do something to upset you without realizing it?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Is there someone else?¡± I ask. Another shake. ¡°Do you not want to be with me anymore?¡± I ask again. Another shake. ¡°Is there something troubling you?¡± Another shake. I sigh. We won''t get anywhere at this rate... ¡°Vona. I can''t do anything if I don''t know what is going on. I need you to talk to me. If there is something I can do to help you with something, let me know. If I did something to upset you, say so, so I can apologize. If you don''t want me anymore, tell me to back off, so I can leave you be. Don''t run from me because I will chase after you to the end of time. You are my world now. You are my life. I was under the impression that I was the same for you too...¡± No response... ¡°If that has changed and you don''t want to share a life with me anymore then please, say it clearly so that I understand. If it''s time you need to think about something, if it''s space you want to sort yourself out then say so. I''ll wait. As long as it takes.¡± ¡°Why...¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why would you waste your time on me?¡± Vona whispers with her eyes away from me still. I smile. ¡°Why waste? Nothing is a waste when it comes to you.¡± She bites her lip. I take a step closer to her. ¡°Talk to me, Gorgeous. What''s keeping you away from me?¡± More silence... ¡°Vona...¡± ¡°I need to go. Let go.¡± ¡°I''m not holding you.¡± I whisper. ¡°I let go of you long ago...¡± Her gaze glides down to our hands. My fingers barely brush against her skin. ¡°Do you not love me anymore?¡± I whisper again. Nothing... I sigh. ¡°Fine. I understand. I''ll leave you be.¡± I move my hand away from hers. ¡°So look me in the eyes and tell me that you want me out of your life. Say it.¡± ¡°I want you gone.¡± She finally looks at me. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She straightens out. ¡°I don''t want to see you. Ever. Again.¡± She bites her lip again. Her body trembles. It hurts, seeing her like this... ¡°Then why the pain on your lips and the tears in your eyes?¡± I ask her softly. Vona looks away from me again. Enough... ¡°I''ll wait for you. I want you to tell me that again later. I want you to be as cold as ice when you do. Till then - I''ll wait for you.¡± I bow and walk away from her. We return to Astri to rest. Having nothing better to do we stay at the barracks. Rather, I have nothing better to do... I check in on Era at the stables, but that¡¯s it. I sigh¡­ I always ask too much of her¡­ Vona''s pained expression hasn''t left my mind... It''s been a week now... ¡°Get off your ass.¡± Ira comes back to the room. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°The new Priestess is being announced today. We''re already here, so why not check it out.¡± ¡°I was under the impression that the previous Priestess'' time was ongoing still?¡± ¡°Yeah, well not having a leader makes our nation vulnerable too. Guess the geezers had enough. About time, if you ask me. This should help stabilize the political situation, somewhat. I think.¡± Ira explains. ¡°Uh-huh...¡± I continue to stare into the ceiling. A towel lands on my face. ¡°Move already.¡± Ira nags me. Ugh. I slowly get up and walk over to the basin. Ew. The reflection of me tells me more than Ira''s silence all this time... I exhale and wash up a little. I follow Ira''s back to the Marble Palace. ¡°First time?¡± He looks back at me. I nod. ¡°Quite the crowd.¡± ¡°It''s a huge event. Everyone wants to take a look at the most powerful woman this nation has to offer.¡± ¡°That what you call sarcasm?¡± I roll my eyes at him. ¡°More or less.¡± He answers. We park ourselves amongst the other spectators. Everyone starts cheering, as soon as a geezer in white robes appears on the balcony. Why am I even here? I have no reason to... My heart sinks... The cheers around me drown... Vona... ¡°Well now, this is a surprise...¡± A voice speaks to me... ¡°Can''t say it''s too surprising, considering...¡± Right... They used her activities on the front lines as an excuse to speed up the selection... It was the first time a Templeatte fought back-to-back with the Army... Her medical skills and knowledge alone would have been enough for this... I exhale painfully. She knew... She knew... That''s why... Yet again my body moves for me... ¡°Hey, hold up, where are you going?¡± Ira rushes after me. ¡°Aren''t you going to congratulate her?¡± ¡°No.¡± I barge my way through the people. It''s not like she wished for this... ¡°Yo! Where are you going!¡± ¡°Back.¡± ¡°Back where?¡± ¡°To the front.¡± ¡°Serious? We just got back! Hey! Wykren!¡± Ira grabs me by the shoulder. He lets go the next instant. ¡°Alright. Guess we''re going back then.¡± ¡°I said I''m going.¡± He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°I got nothing better to do anyways.¡± ¡°Steady men... Steady...¡± Our commander tells us... Too bad my body doesn''t listen. I jump out and charge in. ¡°IDIOT! AFTER HIM!!¡± A voice I know, I know, calls after me. ¡°Do me a favor and commit suicide elsewhere, will ya!¡± Ira appears next to me. ¡°This habit of yours is really testing my patience!!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Save it. Wanna tell me what''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± I lie. ¡°Liar.¡± Ira sees right through me. I smile. ¡°Duck!¡± I slash over his head sending the spear sideways. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Don''t mention it.¡± We continue fighting back-to-back. ¡°So? When was the last time you spoke with her?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Wykren. Enough.¡± ¡°Not you too.¡± I glare at Era. ¡°Ugh.¡± I pout. ¡°Since before the ceremony...¡± ¡°Don''t you guys have a Stone?¡± Ira asks. I shake my head. ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°I know! Geez...¡± ¡°And? She didn''t tell you about it?¡± I shake my head again. ¡°She never really wished to be chosen...¡± ¡°That''s why you didn''t congratulate her?¡± I nod. ¡°Just cause she''s the Priestess now doesn''t mean you can''t at least talk to her.¡± ¡°What''s there to talk about?¡± I ask. ¡°She''s the Priestess now. That''s like royalty in our nation. I''m just...¡± ¡°Just what?¡± ¡°Just a tool... Nothing more...¡± A punch lands into my jaw. ¡°Would you quit with the moping! It''s not like you at all!¡± Ira snaps. ¡°Just a tool... Idiot!¡± He walks away from us. I sit back up. ¡°Ouch...¡± I rub the jaw... ¡°The man is right. You haven''t been yourself at all. It''s different from when...¡± Era doesn''t finish her thought. Yeah. I know... ¡°It''s not like I''m not proud of her for being selected. I''m actually quite happy because it means that all her hard work and effort has been recognized and hasn''t gone to waste...¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°But now everyone will know just how great she is... I''m happy about it too, but I can''t shake this feeling that I want her to be mine... All mine...¡± ¡°Is that what you people call being selfish?¡± ¡°I would think so, yes...¡± ¡°Is it really something so terrible to be?¡± Era''s eyes peer into my soul. ¡°I don''t know...¡± I curl up into my knees. ¡°Is there a reason she cannot be both? Yours and theirs?¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± I freeze mid strike. Vona... No. It can''t be. ¡°I''m dreaming...¡± I whisper, lowering the axe in my right and the sword in my left. ¡°You''re not. I''m here for you.¡± Vona says. ¡°I want you to be by my side as the Ruler of Noxanda.¡± She tells me. ¡°Now?¡± I ask her. I mean, I''m not surprised she''s proposing... It''s just the timing of it all... Wait. Ruler? But I thought? Never mind, now''s not the time. ¡°Can¡¯t this wait?¡± I ask again. ¡°No.¡± She doesn''t hold back. I hesitate... ¡°Really?¡± I try again. Vona keeps her gaze locked with mine, without as much batting a single one of those beautiful eyelashes of hers. So willful... My desire for her stirs again... I grin. ¡°Alright, fine. Yes. Now can you please get out of here before you get hurt?¡± I tell her. Vona smiles and kisses me. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you back home.¡± She says and walks away. The Balli Chief roars with laughter, dropping his weapon. ¡°Well now that''s a rare sight!¡± He growls. ¡°Never have I!¡± His laughter fit is getting to the rest of his men. ¡°Ay, boy, you don''t get any luckier than that!¡± He keeps laughing. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I smile and he roars more. ¡°What just happened?¡± Ira appears from my shadow. ¡°Vona just proposed to me.¡± I grin. ¡°She what?¡± His jaw drops and the Balli roars again. ¡°It''s even funnier the second time around!¡± The Chief says. ¡°Some lady you have there.¡± ¡°Not just any lady.¡± I start. ¡°That''s the Priestess of Noxanda.¡± Ira finishes. ¡°Hooooo.¡± The Chief stares at me. ¡°I never heard of the Priestess herself joining the chaos.¡± ¡°That''s cause they don''t.¡± Ira says. ¡°She''s the first one.¡± I add. ¡°Well now. Interesting.¡± The old man finally calms down. ¡°Then that makes you somewhat even more impressive in your own way. To make a Priestess chase after you!" The Balli roars again. I blush. "HOOOO!!! THAT means I have been fighting Noxanda''s first King!¡± His gurgling roar picks up again. ¡°Are you giggling?¡± I look at Ira. ¡°Well, he does have a point. Kind of.¡± ¡°Ay, boy, sit down. Let''s talk.¡± The Balli Chief crashes down on the ground, cross-legged. Ira and I follow his lead. ¡°I have to say. I''m impressed. That Priestess of yours really is something...¡± He says. ¡°She is.¡± I admit proudly. ¡°Tell ya what. I''ll give you two time to make it official.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I blink fast. ¡°It would be an honor to fight Noxanda''s first official King on the battlefield!¡± He smacks me on the back and roars again. ¡°Fight and kill you mean?¡± Ira catches on fast. ¡°Well.¡± The old man grins. ¡°Question. What if I become King and give you the land, free of blood? Isn''t that what you''re after?¡± I hold the Chief''s stare. ¡°Ho?¡± ¡°If, you promise not to use any more of your ridiculous excuses to invade us.¡± Ira adds. ¡°Ay, boy, I only do as I am told. The higher ups are the ones behind it all.¡± ¡°Even if. It''s not a bad deal. If you think about it.¡± I circle back. ¡°I''ll even let you to choose how much you want. As long as you leave enough for us, that is.¡± I grin. ¡°Ha! Clever bastard.¡± The Chief smiles, stroking his burning red beard. ¡°It would be in Ballista''s best interest to open trading routes with and through Noxanda. So far, you''ve only been able to do it by water, leaving you vulnerable to Rebellion attacks. Going by land is safer.¡± Oooh good one. I can never stop admiring Ira''s intelligence. ¡°Well. The lad does make a good point.¡± The Chief¡¯s smile disappears. ¡°However. You do know, it''s not my call to make.¡± ¡°Take your time. We''ll need to prepare as well.¡± I answer. ¡°Think you''ll pull it off?¡± He squints at me. I grin and throw my hands out. ¡°I''m the King!¡± I say and the Chief roars again. ¡°Very well. I''ll be waiting for my wedding invitation.¡± He stands up. So do we. ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± I offer my hand. ¡°No fighting till then?¡± ¡°Ay. The old man shakes it. Too many lives have been lost already. I''ll do what I can. But.¡± He squeezes my hand. ¡°You better be there when the time comes. Or else.¡± The Chief gives me a quick glare. I grin. ¡°You have my word.¡± I squeeze his hand too. He laughs again and let¡¯s go. ¡°We''ll send word.¡± Ira adds. ¡°Have someone from this battle camp out here. We¡¯ll do the same. It¡¯ll be our communication link.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Good. Alright men! We''re going home!¡± The Chief roars. The Balli men slowly retreat. ¡°Well. That was something...¡± Ira says, as we watch the red-ish sea weave its way out of our land. ¡°Yeah...¡± ¡°Think you can pull it off?¡± ¡°I have no choice now.¡± I tell him. ¡°We''re gonna have to... Or else not even the Gods will save us from their wrath...¡± 18. The Power and the Will I walk through the front entrance into the Marble Palace. Nobody''s here. Some security. I easily end up in the main hall: a circular room, surrounded by pillars and a stage-ish with a few steps to climb. The entire space is illuminated by the evening sun, shining through the huge arch windows, casting almost a snowflake of shadows on the marble floor from the pillar circle. Fancy, I guess? I stand there, looking around... ¡°Halt! Who are you!¡± A boy approaches me. ¡°Finally! It''s not wise to leave this place guardless, you know.¡± ¡°Don''t be fooled. We are always watching.¡± The boy gestures to the side. Hunts. With arrows aimed from behind each pillar. Oh please. Assassins within the shadows would be much more impressive... ¡°Pardon me.¡± I bow. ¡°I wish to see the Priestess. May I pass?¡± ¡°What purpose do you serve?¡± A geezer in white robes shows himself from the side entrance. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± I answer. ¡°Insolence!¡± The geezer flares up. I barely said anything and he''s already annoyed? Someone needs a vacation... ¡°I wish to see the Priestess. Let me pass.¡± I repeat. ¡°No. Leave.¡± The geezer points to the exit. ¡°I refuse.¡± I answer. The boy draws his daggers. The bows around me tighten too, I hear it. Oh for the love of... ¡°The Priestess herself has summoned me, now let me pass!¡± Now I''m getting annoyed. ¡°Dispose of him.¡± The Robe gives the order. Say what now? Arrows rain down on me. ¡°When did you?¡± ¡°I''m a shadow, remember?¡± Ira pulls me under just in time. ¡°Told ya it was a bad idea to go through the front.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, I hear ya. Well? Are we seriously doing this?¡± Fur touches me. Era? ¡°You pulled her in too?¡± ¡°Had no choice. She''s the only back up we have.¡± Ira uses his shadows to bring us back up. Era roars. Loud. Everyone freezes. ¡°As I was saying. I wish to see the Priestess.¡± I hold my ground. ¡°Magnificent!¡± Another Robed Geezer appears from the right. ¡°Breathtaking!¡± He approaches us in complete awe. ¡°Say what now?¡± Ira whispers. Era growls. The Geezer stops in his tracks. ¡°Where did you find this sacred creature!¡± ¡°I think he means her.¡± Ira jokes. ¡°Gee, and here I thought he meant me...¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Where is Devona. Bring her to me!¡± I''m done playing games. ¡°Oh? Getting into the whole King role already?¡± Ira keeps teasing me. ¡°Figured I need to practice.¡± I answer. ¡°Nonsense! Get rid of them!¡± Geezer #1 roars again. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Geezer #2 yells. ¡°Have you gone senile! Do you not see what stands in front of you! We have been blessed with a messenger of God!¡± ¡°You wanna fill me in, there?¡± ¡°Don''t look at me, I have no clue what''s happening.¡± I answer Ira again. ¡°How do we know it''s not a Beast Druid in disguise!¡± ¡°There are no runes! The creature is clearly bigger than your average Beast!¡± ¡°Is it just me or do those two not agree on something here?¡± ¡°Yeah, seems so.¡± Ira answers me now. ¡°I don''t like either one of them.¡± Era joins in. I laugh. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Era said she doesn''t like them both.¡± ¡°I''m with her.¡± Ira agrees. ¡°Wykren!!!¡± Vona''s voice echoes through the Palace. She runs into the hall. ¡°Stand down you imbeciles! This is the future King you have your bows aimed at!¡± She rushes over to me and right into my arms. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± I ask her. She shakes her head. ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°We''re fine.¡± I tell her. ¡°For now.¡± Ira adds. ¡°Yeah...¡± ¡°Future King?¡± The boy guard stares at us. Clearly confused. ¡°Gather the Council at once!¡± Vona barks out the order. The boy nods and quickly rushes out. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Geezer #1 steps forward. ¡°Exactly as I told you. I am making Wykren the King.¡± Vona stands tall next to me. ¡°Want us to leave?¡± Ira cuts in. ¡°Not yet.¡± Vona answers. We wait. It takes some time for the Council of Advisors to gather. Each one takes their place on a designated step, with the Head Advisor at the top-center. ¡°Talk about intimidating.¡± ¡°I''ll say.¡± I agree with Ira. ¡°You have some nerve, Priestess.¡± The Head Advisor begins. ¡°You brought this on yourselves when you blocked his path.¡± Vona holds her ground. ¡°Don''t forget the part where they tried to kill him too.¡± Ira adds. ¡°That as well.¡± Vona agrees. ¡°Our business it with the Priestess and her Consort.¡± Some Geezer says. ¡°The rest can leave.¡± The Hunts bow and do as told. ¡°Cowards.¡± Era growls. I giggle. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ira stands his ground now. ¡°It''s ok. There were plenty of witnesses. They can''t kill us now.¡± Vona says. Ira and I steal quick glances. I nod. ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Era growls. ¡°Era, please.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I nod to Ira again. The two of them dive under again. ¡°Well now, shall we get started?¡± I mock the Council. ¡°Know your place!¡± A different Robe growls. Tch. ¡°Now then. I believe you wished to speak with us, Priestess?¡± The Head Advisor begins. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I wish for the Council to bless our union and have us stand at the top as Noxanda''s first King and Queen.¡± Vona goes straight for it. ¡°Based on?¡± Another Geezer asks. ¡°I believe that Noxanda is need of a change. It would be in our best interest to have a couple rule.¡± ¡°Having a single Priestess is the one thing that separates us from the rest of the nations.¡± Someone says. ¡°Exactly. Why should we relinquish our unique trait?¡± Someone else adds. ¡°Because our ways are getting us nowhere. In case you missed it, our casualties are higher than ever. The fighting needs to end or else, soon enough, there won''t be a nation to protect!¡± Vona keeps at it. ¡°And you think that you two are the answer to that?¡± Someone mocks us. I move, but Vona stops me. ¡°I think we have a once in a life time opportunity to achieve peace that will last.¡± She says. ¡°And you believe this will be achieved by you? Playing house with your toy?¡± ¡°Are insults the only thing this Council is capable of?¡± I snap as politely as I can. ¡°Watch it.¡± Someone hisses at me. ¡°I believe you are under a false impression here.¡± Some Robe begins. ¡°Neither we, nor our nation has any obligation to humor the two of you.¡± Someone takes over. ¡°Nothing is stopping us from removing her.¡± The nerve. ¡°The only reason this nonsense is being considered in the first place is because you, of all people, are in a possession of a sacred beast that hasn''t been seen in centuries!¡± The Head Advisor roars down on me. ¡°We could be inclined to agree to this, if you use the Saber for Noxnda''s sake, as a sign of power¨C¡° ¡°EMERALD IS NOT A TOY TO BE USED FOR YOUR SELFISH GAIN!!!¡± My blood boils. The hell with this! A light touch on my trembling body... ¡°I thought that something was up when you lot agreed to this as soon as you saw Emerald¡­¡± Vona steps forward, next to me. ¡°However. I refuse to use something as sacred as the-last-of-her-kind Saber to be used by you lot.¡± She glares Council down. I let her strength flow through me and calm me a little... Vona continues. ¡°I was selected due to my efforts on the front lines. It seems to me that, you lot, have failed to acknowledge one simple thing. I was not alone. If anything, Wykren''s efforts alone are enough to consider having him stand at the top. If it weren''t for his bravery¨C¡° ¡°Recklessness, you mean.¡± A geezer cuts in. ¡°As I was saying;¡± Vona doesn''t let it stop her; "We never would have managed to force our soldiers to advance further if it weren''t for Wykren''s ingenuity. Nor would have we been able to win battle, after battle. I also believe that because our nation has a weak woman, as it''s representative to the outside world, is half of the reason why we keep getting attacked. Not that I am trying to belittle the strong females that our land takes pride in, but it does send a certain message.¡± She pauses again. ¡°Which, brings me to my next point.¡± Vona continues. ¡°Despite having so many capable warriors to choose from, you lot, have never, not even once, proposed one of them to lead this nation.¡± Devona glares the Council over again. ¡°It wouldn''t be because you find our female fighters to be too dirty, for your taste, would it?¡± Oooohhh she''s brutal. ¡°I find it your naiveness to be quite hilarious. Hoping to marry your pretty Priestesses off, despite there being a no-marital-unions treaty signed by both of the continents.¡± The what now? I notice the geezers getting uncomfortable. Well now... ¡°It took me sometime to figure out why, but now I understand. You lot think of yourselves as beings of higher power. Descendants of the Heavens, was it? You geezers have diluted yourselves into thinking that that gives you the right to rule over this world. Wrong.¡± Vona''s incredible. ¡°Whether you admit it or not is not the issue. Fact is, our race is foreign to this world and that is that. We are fortunate enough to have been allowed to live here, together in harmony with the land. Its people are a different story. However, my point now is: you keep putting up pretty Priestesses up for display, hoping that one of them will fall victim to love with another ruler, giving you the perfect excuse to make amends toward the outside by abolishing the Priestess position and taking over as the official rulers all together. Even though, your actions and influence are quite well known throughout our lands as is.¡± Is that what this is all about? Is that what she meant by ¡°pure¡± back then? The old farts have turned into stone statues. My Vona carries on. ¡°The Balli had withdrawn for the moment, only due to their War Chief witnessing our proposal. If we fail to ascend the throne, they might take it as a personal insult, since, as you are aware, the Balli people have a very strong sense of family. If we do not marry, and make it public as the first King and Queen of Noxanda, there is no telling what the outraged Balli Shamans would do to our land. Our proposal would be perceived as pure mockery of their values and traditions.¡± Ruthless. I grin wider. She''s good. I feel my desire for her get stronger... ¡°I do believe, you lot, are the ones here who are missing the point here. If we establish piece with Cobalus, Venatus won''t have a choice, but to cease their relentless attacks on us. Repperi, as we know, is not interested in battle, nor do they have anything worth taking besides their knowledge, which they are gracious enough to share with us anyways. It is their only way to make a profit and survive, in the first place, after all. However.¡± Vona pauses for a moment. ¡°If we manage to get on Ballista''s good side - Cornutora will be forced into silent submission. There is no chance they would ever consider asking the Primerians for help. Given their History, that is.¡± She nails it in like a pro. Nobody argues there. Figures. ¡°Everyone here knows that we have been lucky, so far, for whatever the reasons may be, to have avoided a united front by the Balli and the Cornutese. Should those two decide to join forces, it would mean complete extinction for our people and I do believe nobody wants that.¡± Silence. Ha! She''s awesome... My grin keeps on getting bigger and bigger. ¡°We would need to be complete fools not to take this golden opportunity to unite with the Balli.¡± Aaaaand She takes the opportunity by the horns right on target. ¡°We, unlike you lot, are trying to find ways to end this without more bloodshed. As far as we are concerned, you do not lose anything by approving of this.¡± She wraps her arms around my elbow and we both stand tall, facing the Council. A long moment of silence passes by till the Head Advisor speaks again. ¡°Have it your way. However. Do not be fooled into thinking that you are free from our clutches. There will be trials to face. You will need to prove yourselves to us and to the world that you are serious about leading a nation and securing relationships that will lead us to peace. You can play house once you''re well established as the King and Queen. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, your honor.¡± Vona curtsies. ¡°As you wish, Sir.¡± I bow too. ¡°One more thing, if I may, your honors?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The Head Advisor hisses at me. ¡°I do believe you are familiar with the name Ira Shadowkill.¡± I wait a moment. Their glares change. ¡°Vaguely, what about it?¡± One of the Robes answers now. ¡°I''d appreciate it if you would announce him as the new Chief of Security for the Royal Couple. An exclusive guard, in charge of our safety.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Another Geezer steps forward. ¡°I do not recommend approaching Emerald carelessly. Shadowkill has earned her respect. I do believe it is in your best interest to agree. Especially, if, you lot, wish to flaunt my Saber around for the sake of your interests. That''s not a suggestion, mind you.¡± ¡°Have it your way.¡± The Head Advisor waves. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I answer. ¡°Then go. You two have a wedding to plan.¡± He waves us off. We bow again and leave. ¡°That was amazing. I think I fell in love with you all over again just now.¡± I whisper. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh? For what?¡± ¡°I didn''t think they would use Emerald as an excuse...¡± ¡°That, well, it doesn''t matter anymore. I''m pretty sure you destroyed their ace in the hole with that speech. If Era was the best that they could come up with then they are the least qualified people to lead this nation.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± I tell her. She shakes her head. ¡°Thank you for agreeing to do this.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± I stop. ¡°If it means we can be together.¡± I kiss her deeply. ¡°Ira''s gonna kill you.¡± Vona smiles at me. I giggle. ¡°Yeah... Guess my reign will be short.¡± I try to joke and get punched in the shoulder. ¡°Not funny.¡± ¡°Sorry, Gorgeous.¡± "You did WHAT!" Ira hammers in a one hell of a mean roundhouse... I think I cracked something... "I''m sorry..." I exhale. "NOT YET YOU''RE NOT!" He rages. "But you will be once I''m through with you!" "JUST HEAR ME OUT!" I cross my arms in front of my face and chest just in time to block another kick. "WHY SHOULD I!!" "CAUSE!!" I grab his foot. "Cause we''re friends. I don''t trust anyone else with our lives." I hold his raging glare. He pulls his leg and I let go of his foot. "Devona agree to this as well?" "Yes." I stand up. Ira sighs. "Besides, I''m a moron. I need your knowledge to help me. I can''t do this alone." "Enough with the complements. Flattery will get you nowhere." I laugh. "It''s true." I smile. Ira scratches his head. "Damn you! I hate it when you''re like this!!" He sits down. "Well? What other glorious news do you have for me?" "That''s about it for now." I sit down next to him. Era comes over and lays down behind the bench too. "Did you tell them about the possible deal with Cobalus?" "Them - no. I did tell Vona about it." "And?" Ira looks at me. "She smiled and said that''s very like me." I blush. "Idiot." I laugh. "I know. I''m sorry." I turn to Ira with my torso and bow. "I apologize for the trouble! I''ll be in your care! Thank you very much!" "You need to wait for the other person to agree to that before thanking them..." I straighten out. "I''ll keep that in mind for the next time." Ira sighs again. "You''re a pain, you know that?" "Yes, yes I do. You never miss a chance to remind me of it." I grin again. "Ugh." 19. The Feelings and the Fighting ¡°This is the first time we are hearing of this.¡± The Head Advisor says. ¡°Of course.¡± I agree. ¡°This is the first time I am telling you about this.¡± Could''ve told you sooner if you weren''t playing hide and seek with me for the past month. The wedding is two days... ¡°Do NOT mock us, brat!¡± Another Geezer growls. I sigh. This is barely the beginning and I''m already exhausted... Something tells me this whole King business will only get harder... ¡°Listen, if you think I am lying then go ahead and contact the Balli War Chief. He agreed to this and gave us his word to convince their higher ups to end the fighting peacefully.¡± I repeat myself again¡­ ¡°What makes you so sure that he is alive still?¡± Someone asks. Ugh. I wish Vona and Ira were here with me... ¡°Because it is in their best interest as well as ours.¡± ¡°We tried going the peace route with Venatus. It didn''t do us much good.¡± Again with the same old excuse! I fight the urge to lash out... Its proving to be quite difficult... ¡°That''s because the Cornutese are too full...prideful to trust anyone besides themselves. It all circles back to their roots. There''s not much we can do about that. But. If we open up trading routes from Cobalus to Astri and all the way to Venatus, the Cornutese won''t have a choice, but to agree to peaceful terms. They are sustaining the same loses as the Balli! The waters are not safe. Especially so that the Old Continent does not have a united front. Leaving us even more vulnerable to Rebellion attacks.¡± I lost count on how many times I¡¯ve stated this already¡­ ¡°Proof of that?¡± What proof! UGH! I¡¯m well aware I don¡¯t have much to back this up except for a handshake, but they don¡¯t have anything solid to deny this either! All they are being is old and stubborn¡­ I clench my fits and grind my teeth. Easy now. ¡°None.¡± I answer. ¡°I don''t need to know the numbers to realize that this is for the best for everyone.¡± I take another small breath. ¡°I''ll learn. For the sake of my people. I''ll learn everything I need to, to make this work. That much. I promise.¡± ¡°Baseless spiel as usual. I do wonder how our nation will ever survive left in the hands of such a clueless child...¡± Alright that does it! I take a step forward. ¡°Listen here, you fossils! I have been patient with you plenty! I''m not asking for permission here! I am telling you how it''s going to be done! All you lot need to do is to sit back and watch me prove you wrong!¡± ¡°Ha! What makes you think you''ll manage alone?¡± ¡°Simple. The deal won''t go through if I''m not part of it. I was the one to shake hands with the War Chief. He won''t work with anyone else besides me. Nor will I. You can''t kill me. You can''t replace me. Not yet. You need me more than I need you right now. However. This is only the beginning. After I settle with the Balli I''ll keep on working till I''ll sweat blood. I''ll change this nation and its people to the kind of extend that nobody will need you, ever again. That too is a promise.¡± ¡°Such foolish arrogance.¡± ¡°On that - we agree.¡± I hold my glare and my ground. ¡°You never learned not to taunt a wild beast and for that I''ll make you regret it. All we ask of you is a little bit of faith for the sake of the future. But you are so high up your horse that you can''t even see down here anymore. Every single decision you made has only made our people suffer. None of this needs to be a pissing contest between you and us, but you chose to turn this into one. So fine. I accept the challenge and I will succeed. Watch me.¡± Nobody says anything. I take the chance to hammer it in. ¡°We''re done here. Get lost.¡± I stand tall and stare. Slowly, one by one, the geezers step down. Only the Head Advisor is left. He''s the only one to hold my glare this entire time. He waits for the last Robe to exit the room. He steps down and stops a step away from me. ¡°Do as you please.¡± He begins. I know that look. He''s about to issue a warning. Good. ¡°I''ll take great pleasure in taking your head personally, once you fail, brat.¡± He growls the words at me. I step forward, closing the gap. ¡°Looking forward to you on one knee, your honor.¡± I feel my face rearrange itself into something new. The expression in the man''s eyes says it all. Deranged. That''s what he''s thinking. Fine. Be that way. If that what it takes. He nods and leaves the hall. I take a few moments to let go of the bitterness. I look around. Nobody''s here. I sigh. Ira needs to get a move on. I open the main doors. A boy stands in the hallway. I''ve seen him before. He notices me and straightens out. I wave to him. ¡°Come ''er.¡± He stares at me, confused. ¡°Yes you, come on.¡± He hesitates. ¡°Now.¡± I growl. He finally rushes over. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°My name?¡± He stares at me again. Oh boy... ¡°Yes. Your name. You do have one, don''t you?¡± ¡°Yes! Lyma, sir.¡± ¡°Lyma. I''m Wykren.¡± I extend my hand. ¡°Looking forward to working with you.¡± His body responds on reflex. He shakes my hand. ¡°Likewise.¡± He says. ¡°Do me a favor. Find a table and two chairs and bring them up in here. Place ''em up right there.¡± I point to the stupid stage. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± He nods. I smack him on the back. ¡°Thanks a bunch!¡± I smile and walk away. Era waits for me by the entrance. That''s why there ain''t a soul around. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°Like a pain. How are you?¡± ¡°Worry about yourself.¡± She gets up. I pet her. ¡°Seen Ira anywhere?¡± ¡°No. He left me here and went off on his own. Said he wanted to look into some things.¡± ¡°I''m sure he''s working hard in his own way. Well. No biggie. This will be a good opportunity to take a better look at this place from the outside.¡± I''ve already memorized the inside. Era and I wonder around the Palace grounds looking for Ira. It''s been a few weeks now since his new tittle has been officially announced. Along with our wedding as the King and Queen. You would think that he''d be somewhere close by, considering that our safety is his #1 job... We find him in the Armory. Finally! ¡°Hey, got a minute?¡± I ask Ira. ¡°For the future King? Why of course.¡± He bows, overly dramatically. ¡°Hilarious. I need a favor.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± He quickly loses the jokes. ¡°Vona and I want you to marry us in secret before the public ceremony takes place.¡± ¡°Say what now?¡± ¡°You heard me.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That''s the one thing I refuse to do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I ask again. Ira doesn''t answer me. ¡°I don''t think it''s a good idea to have an Assassin marrying the Royal Couple.¡± ¡°Bullshit. If you''re gonna come up with an excuse you can do better than that. In case you forgot - Vona and I have killed people too.¡± ¡°Was this your idea to begin with?¡± ¡°No. Believe it or not, but Vona was the one. She only asked me to ask you.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Why not ask me herself?¡± He mocks us. ¡°She said she doesn''t feel like you like her enough to agree to her selfish request.¡± Silence. ¡°But that''s not exactly the case, is it?¡± I keep my gaze on him. ¡°Meaning what?¡± Ira finally looks at me. ¡°You love her. Have so for some time now. I know you have. I''m not blind or stupid.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You''re delirious. Find yourself someone else.¡± He tries to walk past me. I grab him by the arm. ¡°Ira. Don''t lie to me. We''ve known each other for years. I deserve better than that.¡± Ira slips out of my grip. ¡°I said that''s not it.¡± ¡°Why must you be so stubborn!¡± ¡°HA!! Look who''s talking!!¡± ¡°Quit being a brat!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ira throws me a look. ¡°If you''re gonna refuse than at least give me a solid reason! You owe me that much!¡± ¡°I don''t owe you anything!¡± ¡°Then how about her?!¡± ¡°Even more so!!¡± Ira and I get into a shouting match. This is getting under my skin... ¡°Just admit it.¡± I try to speak calmly... ¡°I don''t love her.¡± ¡°LIES!¡± I snap. ¡°BE A MAN AND OWN UP TO IT!¡± ¡°DON''T YOU DARE USE MY WORDS AGAINST ME!!¡± ¡°I wouldn''t have to if you weren''t being the idiot right now!! For ONCE IN YOUR LIFE BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!!¡± I roar at Ira again. ¡°STOP INSULTING THE BOTH OF US AND JUST ADMIT IT ALREADY!!!¡± ¡°ALRIGHT FINE!! I''M IN LOVE WITH HER!! I HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS NOW!! THERE!! HAPPY!!¡± I rush over to him and hug him. ¡°Yes. Thank you. Now I''m sure you''ll look out for her...¡± ¡°What in the? Get off me!¡± He struggles, but I hold him still. ¡°What''s wrong with you! Another man just admitted to have feelings for your woman and you thank him!!¡± Ira keeps struggling. ¡°You should kill me for that!!¡± I push Ira off me and hold him by the shoulders. ¡°Why should I? You''re my friend. Why should I kill off the one person I trust my life with?¡± ¡°You''re insane. Aren''t you worried?¡± He shrugs me off. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That I''ll take her from you?¡± ¡°If that were to happen, I wouldn''t have anyone, but myself to blame.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It would only mean that I was not able to fully make her happy. I would have no say in the matter if she expressed a desire to be with you instead of me. I''d be crushed, but.¡± ¡°You are insane.¡± Ira continues to stare at me. ¡°Yeah, well, that we both knew long ago.¡± I smile silly again. ¡°But jokes aside. I''m seriously relieved.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Like I said. Now I''m sure you''ll look out for her no matter what.¡± ¡°I''m not obligated to. I can always be replaced by another Chief of Security.¡± ¡°True. But your feelings won''t let you.¡± I tease him. He blushes lightly. First time since I''ve known him. I try my best to restrain the laughter. I offer him my hand. ¡°Will you marry us, my friend?¡± ¡°Doesn''t look like I have a choice.¡± He shakes it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There you two are!¡± Vona comes around to us. ¡°Well? Did you ask him?¡± ¡°Yes I did.¡± I put my arm around her waist. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Ira admits, averting his gaze. Vona jumps over to him, hanging herself off his neck. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!¡± She weeps lightly. ¡°It''s so frustrating to be surrounded by people you can''t trust...¡± Ira stares at me, begging for help. I let Vona do her. He hasn''t put his hands on her still. ¡°Thank you! Truly! We''ll be in your care.¡± She lets go and smiles at him. ¡°Sure... Don''t mention it.¡± He puts his arms down. ¡°Then how about we do it tonight?¡± I offer. ¡°Wonderful. We''ll have the private wedding just the four of us.¡± Vona smiles again. ¡°Where should we do it?¡± ¡°How about the Star Garden? It will be empty at night.¡± Era echoes inside my mind. ¡°Emerald suggests the Star Garden.¡± I announce. ¡°Brilliant idea!¡± Vona brightens up instantly. ¡°I''ll go get ready.¡± ¡°Take him with you. You''re not the only one getting married here.¡± Ira mocks me. ¡°Right. Good point.¡± Vona nods. ¡°Then I''ll go secure the place.¡± Era gets up. ¡°Thanks. Era will be the vanguard and keep everyone away.¡± ¡°Good idea. I''ll come get you once I scout the place too. We can use the shadows. Less attention that way. Meet at your place?¡± Ira suggests. ¡°Sure. Sounds like a plan.¡± I smile. I lay in the middle of the Star Garden. Not a single Noxian approached me the entire evening. Pays off to be a beast sometimes. I''m told it was the first Priestess who created this garden as her private sanctuary. Watching the Noxian Trio this past month I can see how one would need a quiet place to hide from the world. The entire thing resembles the main hall. Except that there are no windows here. The biggest trees are planted in a circle. With smaller ones in between them. There''s only one straight path going from the doors to the middle. Despite its name there are no stars here either. The entire thing is engulfed in walls. The different sized lanterns hanging randomly of the branches, hiding between the leaves create the illusion of stars. Nothing more. How childish. Luckily, the faint light from the lanterns is enough to cast a shadow from my body. It should be big enough for the Assassin and them to pass through. I wait patiently. The shadow ripples and the children appear. I sit up too. The woman is wearing a dress, a shade darker than her skin with her hair flowing down her back and shoulders. Ren stands in a silky gear, the same blue shade as his hair. I see even Ira changed his usual attire into a light grey light gear. I heard of this before. The idea is to have the couple stand out with the colorful clothing. I feel a little out of place with my dark colors... ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± Ren smiles. ¡°Not at all. She looks nice.¡± I nod. Ren grins proudly again. ¡°Era said you look beautiful.¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you!¡± The girl nods, blushing. The Assassin continues to catch his breath. That must have been quite the jump he made... Ren crouches down next to Ira. ¡°You ok? Can I help?¡± ¡°Fine... Just...¡± He''s not fine. The woman hands a vial to him. A potion. Ira gulps it down and straightens out. ¡°Figured you''d need it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The boy nods. ¡°Shall we get to it then?¡± ¡°I''m nervous.¡± Ren finally admits it. ¡°Me too.¡± The woman squeezes his arm. ¡°Me three.¡± Ira adds. The three of them laugh a little. I move to the side and wait. ¡°Ok then. Let''s do this.¡± Ren says, putting his hand on the woman''s fingers. ¡°The ribbon?¡± Ira asks. The girl gives him a silver ribbon. The couple face each other with their fingers laced together. Ira takes his place next to them and clears his throat lightly. He wraps the ribbon around their hands as he recites the vow. ¡°Dearly beloved. We are gathered here tonight to witness two hearts become one. May the road ahead be full of feeling and emotion. Anger and affection. Silence and chatter. Passion and calm. Let them, be your guides, as you walk through life. Let each other, be your strength in times of need. Let the love you share, be your salvation from despair. May the stars shine upon you for the rest of eternity. You may now kiss each other.¡± Ira lets go of their hands and the two of them lean in for a kiss. Ren looks happy. I''ve never seen such a smile before... Ira appears to be restless... No wonder... The woman is smiling through tears... I wonder, what would their expressions be right now... ¡°Here.¡± Ira hands a pouch to Ren. ¡°What is this?¡± He opens it up and two, deep blue Stones land in his palm. ¡°I don''t think it''s a good idea for you two to keep using the Army issued ones.¡± ¡°They''re huge!¡± It must have cost a fortune!¡± The girl gasps. ¡°Think of it as a wedding present.¡± Ren hugs Ira. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The Assassin pats his friends back. ¡°Get off me now.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± The man caves. ¡°Me next!¡± The girl embraces the boy as soon as Ren lets the poor thing go. ¡°Thank you. For everything.¡± She lets go. ¡°Don''t mention it. Oh. I forgot. May the stars shine upon you.¡± Ira says. Oh. I see. ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl smiles. I step closer. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren smiles. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Era wants to say something.¡± The girl quickly lines up next to Ren. I nod to them both. ¡°May the stars shine upon you for the rest of eternity.¡± ¡°May the stars shine upon you for the rest of eternity. She says.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl curtsies for me. ¡°Your Mother would be shedding the same tears right now in the arms of your Father.¡± Ren stares at me. A single drop falls from the corner of his eye. He bites his lip and nods. A smile shines in his eyes. Two days later, on the 1st of the 4th month, Ren and Vona are announced Noxanda''s first King and Queen, as the Temple Elder marries them in the Palace Balcony above the Main Square with the entire land as their witness. 20. The First Steps Vona and I stand in the, what''s now been named the Throne Hall, with our newly installed workplace right behind us, accepting everyone¡¯s greetings and blessings. Most of them are Noxians anyways. The Primerians never replied to their invitation. Being ever busy, I imagine. The Cornutese figured this a bluff so they only managed to send a scout that Ira caught in no time. ¡°Well boy, I gotta say, I''m impressed.¡± The Balli War Chief is the last one to approach us. ¡°Thank you. I try.¡± I grin and the man roars again. Vona bows to him. ¡°Oooh now that I take a closer look at her she''s even prettier than before!¡± He says and roars again with laughter. ¡°Thank you, Chief, you flatter me.¡± Vona nods, modestly. ¡°Please. Ludgen''s the name.¡± He kisses her hand. Vona smiles. Tch. ¡°And? How''s it looking?¡± I skip the formalities. ¡°Not good.¡± The Chief''s face darkens instantly. ¡°Same here.¡± I admit. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°This is barely the first step. We have blades aimed at us at all times. One mistake and the both of us are dead.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He exhales with doubt. I take out a letter from the inside pocket of my shirt. ¡°Hope this will ease your mind.¡± ¡°What''s this?¡± The man stares at the seal. ¡°The Royal Seal. Freshly made.¡± Vona smiles. ¡°Ooooh. Ya don''t say.¡± The Chief grins wider. ¡°You don''t think that I spend all this time picking out my dress only.¡± I wink. The man stares at us for a quick moment and bursts into a roar once again. Phew. Somehow hearing that laughter makes me feel better. ¡°We hope this will prove that we do intend on keeping our promise of Peace.¡± Vona bows lightly. ¡°Well. We''ll see. For now, I was only humored to attend to see if you manage to pull this off. Nobody said anything about anything else.¡± Ludgen says, staring at the seal. ¡°We figured that might be the case, hence why.¡± I tap the envelope. ¡°We hope to learn a great deal from our friendship.¡± Vona hints. The old man is quick to catch on. He winks. ¡°I''m sure.¡± ¡°Well. Enough of that. This is a celebration, after all.¡± Vona ends the talks. ¡°Oh, right right.¡± The Chief quickly places the letter into the inside pocket of his gear, clears his throat, and takes up an official stance. ¡°Allow me to be the first of our people to take upon this honor as to congratulate the first ever King and Queen of Noxanda! Let the fire of life burn bright!¡± He says and the three guards that are accompanying the Chief thunder down into the ground with the ends of their spears. I guess it''s how the Balli express their blessings. Vona and I bow together. ¡°A thousand thank yous, your greatness.¡± She says. ¡°Please. Enjoy your stay here.¡± I nod. ¡°LYMA!¡± I call out and the boy guard appears next to us. ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± ¡°Congratulations, you''ve been selected to be the guard and the guide for the Balli party. Make sure they have a good time.¡± I tell the kid. ¡°The future of Peace rests in your hands now.¡± I tease the boy a little. His face dies with a gulp of air stuck in his mouth. The Chief roars again. ¡°Ay, don''t worry, just give us booze and we''ll be fine!¡± The old man smacks down on the boy''s back with his paw of a hand. ¡°Yess, ssir...¡± Lyma nods and gets escorted himself. ¡°Well that went well...¡± Vona whispers. ¡°This is only the beginning.¡± Ira answers. I flinch. ¡°Geez you scared me!¡± ¡°How long you''ve been here?¡± Vona asks. ¡°Since this morning. I''m your shadow, remember?¡± ¡°Someone''s taking his job seriously.¡± I mock him. ¡°No thanks to you.¡± He answers. ¡°Anyways. Best case you''ll get summoned.¡± ¡°I''m hoping for it. Either way I was thinking it would be a good idea to tour the Capitals, introducing ourselves instead of waiting around for them to come to us.¡± ¡°When did you come up with that idea?¡± Vona looks at me. ¡°Right now. Especially because only the old man showed up.¡± ¡°You forgot the one spy.¡± Ira corrects me. ¡°Be sure to let him go in good condition. Hopefully his report will make it easier for us to get an audience with Venatus.¡± ¡°Roger that, my King.¡± Ira mocks me. ¡°Yeah no. Don''t.¡± I tell him. ¡°It sounds creepy when you do it.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± He nods and disappears again. ¡°He''s really getting into the whole shadow role, huh?¡± Vona leans her head on my shoulder. ¡°It''s a shame to be good at something and hate doing it. As long as he sees it as something good - I''ll be happy. What?¡± I notice Vona''s gaze. ¡°It''s so like you.¡± ¡°What is?¡± She takes a minute. ¡°With all of my knowledge and healing I never once actually saved someone. Yet you managed to save at least two souls from circling in everyday despair. If that weren''t enough, you''re about to save a lot more of us with your words alone. It''s the kind of a power that I''ve never witnessed before. It''s the same reason why I want you to be King.¡± ¡°What''s this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It''s not sudden. I noticed your ability to draw people to you some time ago. The battles only solidified my suspicions.¡± ¡°How so?¡± I ask a bit confused. ¡°Your unconventional solutions drew the curiosity of others, but I do believe it''s your kind and warm personality that really makes people trust you. You only ever emanate violence when fighting for someone you care about. That is your greatest strength. Your only weakness is that you are not able to hold back your emotions. You don''t cater your personality to the outside world. You stay true to your feelings. I think that if the land and our people were part of that world then nobody would ever feel lifeless again. The problem with our longevity is that we are quick to settle into a routine because we feel that we have all the time in the world. It blinds us. We forget the variety of emotions out there. We become dull and dazed. For years I was only surviving on the skills and the knowledge needed to survive. Nothing more. Your childish emotions have awakened a will to live in me. I realized that perhaps it is exactly what our people need right now as well. A reminder what it truly means to live... I decided that I wish to share that feeling with the rest of them. As childish as it is of me to do so.¡± Vona gazes upon the people gathered here. I stay quiet. ¡°I believe Ira stays close to you because of the same reason. All he ever knew was how to kill. He never once saw it as a good thing, yet it took you barely a moment to take the burden of having himself written off as useless off of him. As much as he says he hates doing something he does it still. I figured you already realized that not everyone in the world are fortunate enough to have had parents like yours.¡± Vona turns to face me. ¡°That is why I think that, if I can be a little bit more selfish, I''d like to ask you to be a parent to our nation and our people, and share that love for life with them, my King.¡± She bows her head to me. My body moves by itself. I take her into my arms and hold her tight. ¡°Silly woman... No need to lower your head to me.¡± I lift her face to mine. ¡°If that is your wish, then I''ll be more than happy to make it a reality.¡± I smile and kiss her. Cheers fill the Hall again. ¡°I forgot we''re not alone.¡± Vona blushes lightly. I giggle. ¡°Who cares.¡± I kiss her again. ¡°You''ve been King for like 15 minutes and you already look like a geezer with one foot in the grave.¡± ¡°Oh ha ha. Very funny.¡± I rustle amongst the books and the scrolls. ¡°What''s the word?¡± I ask Ira. ¡°No news so far.¡± ¡°They are sure taking their sweet time. Think the old man''s ok?¡± ¡°Hope so. In any case, not much we can do now, but wait, anyways.¡± ¡°Sadly.¡± I sigh. ¡°On another note. I ran into Blain on my way back just now.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± I raise my head out of the papers and parchments. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him in ages! Why didn''t you bring him over?¡± ¡°About that. He''s not doing too great.¡± Ira doesn''t look at me. He only ever does this when things are bad. ¡°How bad are we talking?¡± ¡°He lost a leg during one of his missions and was discharged. He looks like hell. Even though he didn''t complain. I''m guessing he has trouble finding work like that too. The Military ain''t much help either with a few coins each month as a gratitude for his service... Where are you going?¡± ¡°To see Blain.¡± ¡°You have no clue where he lives!¡± Ira runs after me. ¡°Then you take me there!¡± ¡°I don''t know either!¡± ¡°The Military will know.¡± I storm out. ¡°Era!¡± ¡°What''s the fuss now?¡± She greets me by the entrance. ¡°The new saddle looks good on you.¡± ¡°Save it.¡± She glares at me as I hop on. ¡°We have business in town.¡± ¡°You don''t say.¡± She jumps off. ¡°Idiot! WAIT!¡± Ira yells to me. He catches up with us in a few minutes. ¡°This habit of yours is getting on my last nerves.¡± I ignore him. I steer Era as we gently ride through the crowds. ¡°It''s not safe for you to be wondering around like that.¡± Ira says. ¡°That''s what I have you for.¡± We arrive at the barracks. ¡°Where to?¡± I ask him. Ira shows me the way to the office. A single Noxian girl stands behind the counter. ¡°Hello. I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find a friend of mine? I failed to ask for directions last we met.¡± I try to sound as harmless as possible. ¡°I am not... authorized to give out... such information...¡± The girl trembles. I take out the necklace. ¡°Perhaps you''ve heard of the meaning for this symbol?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°The Royal Crest!¡± She gasps. ¡°Then you must be...¡± ¡°The King.¡± Ira finishes. ¡°I suggest you reconsider your policy and fast.¡± ¡°How can I help?¡± She quickly gathers herself again. ¡°Blain. Beast Druid. Discharged. Comes in here once a month for a petty hand-out. One leg only. Ring a bell?¡± I glare. The girl bows and disappears among the shelves. ¡°You really need to work on your people skills. You''re the King now. You can''t be throwing tantrums like this.¡± ¡°Save it. This is important.¡± Ira sighs. The girl comes back with a piece of paper and hands it to me with shaking hands. I take it and smile. ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± I bow and leave. ¡°A King does not bow.¡± Ira hisses. ¡°Yeah well, but I do. Know the place?¡± I hand him the directions. ¡°Sure. I''ll take you.¡± He gets on his Celodian. ¡°Where to?¡± Era asks. ¡°Follow Ira.¡± I grip the reins. Wait. The Military wasn''t founded yesterday... Where are the other injured fighters? I don''t think Blain is the only one like this... There must be more who can''t fight anymore... I have a bad feeling about this... ¡°We''re here.¡± A voice snaps me back to reality. I jump off Era. A man walks out the house. That''s not Blain. He does resemble him. Brother? ¡°Good day, sir.¡± I bow. ¡°I''m looking for my friend Blain. Is he here?¡± ¡°What business does the King have with my idiot son?¡± Oh. Well now. ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡± Ira bows. ¡°We simply wish to speak to him for a moment.¡± ¡°Whatever the reason - he ain''t here.¡± The man scowls. ¡°Mind re-directing us then?¡± I ask again. ¡°Father!¡± A girl runs out the house. ¡°Idiot! Show some respect!¡± She smacks him on the back of the head and bows to us. ¡°My apologies, my Lord, he''s a bitter geezer, but a good person.¡± I fight the sudden laugh. ¡°No worries. I understand. We did show up uninvited.¡± ¡°Oh no no! It''s an honor! Truly!¡± The girl keeps bowing. ¡°What can we do for you?¡± ¡°I''m looking for Blain. Do you know where I can find him?¡± I ask again. ¡°I''d be honored to show you the way!¡± She quickly wipes her hands into her apron and tosses it to her father. ¡°This way please.¡± Ira and I bow again to the man. ¡°Pardon the disturbance.¡± I tell him and take Era by the reins. We walk through the narrow streets between rows of one-room houses? ¡°Ira?¡± I turn to him. ¡°The slums. Perhaps this is a good chance for your highness to witness the cruel reality of those who cannot serve anymore.¡± ¡°Wait. You knew?¡± ¡°I grew up in places like these.¡± The wind picks up and the stench hits me. ¡°I''m sorry, my Lord, it must be unbecoming for you to be in a place like this...¡± The girl glances over her shoulder. I shake my head. ¡°Not at all. I''m a country child myself.¡± I smile. The surprise on her face puzzles me. What do the people think I am? ¡°Here.¡± She stands next to a sliding door. ¡°I''m coming in.¡± I announce and open it. Blain lays curled up on the floor with a dozen of empty bottles around him... His sister gasps and looks away. It''s not an easy sight to bear... Ira checks on our friend. ¡°He''s alive. Somehow.¡± He tries to wake Blain up. I look around outside. ¡°That way.¡± Era nods. ¡°There''s a well behind the corner.¡± ¡°Thanks, Gorgeous.¡± I walk around the corner and fill up a bucket with cold water. I bring it back to the others. ¡°Move.¡± I tell Ira and splash the entire thing on drunk Blain. ¡°What in the!¡± He gasps and coughs. ¡°Welcome back.¡± I crouch down by him. ¡°Huh? Who? Ooooohhh.¡± He wipes one eye open. ¡°Well now. The King himself has graced me with a visit! I''m honored! Pardon the mess, my Lord. I''m not in the best of spirits, as you see.¡± He gestures to his missing leg. Everything below a few inches of the right thigh is gone... Somehow, I''m bothered by his eerie and mockingly tone more than anything. ¡°How long you''ve been like this?¡± I ask. ¡°What''s it to you?¡± ¡°A few years.¡± His sister answers. ¡°He tried to kill himself a few times too...¡± She breaks up... ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The HELL you mean WHY!¡± Blain snaps. ¡°LOOK AT ME! I''m useless! What do you think happens to those that can''t work for the sake of the land and the people!¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t know.¡± ¡°As if THAT MAKES ANYTHING BETTER!!!¡± ¡°I''ll fix this. Let me help.¡± I keep my eyes down. ¡°Fix this? Help? What makes you think I WANT YOUR PITTY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!¡± ¡°I said help! Not¨C¡± ¡°Same SHIT!¡± ¡°It''s not¨C¡± I try again and get cut off again. ¡°OF COURSE IT IS!!¡± ¡°I SAID IT''S NOT THE SAME!!¡± I snap back. ¡°HOW! HOW IS IT DIFFERENT!! HUH!!! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOUR ACTIONS WILL BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THE GUILT WRITTEN MILITARY IS DOING!!! HUH!!!¡± Blain makes a good point... I can''t argue with that... But... ¡°OOOOH RIIIIGHT!! YOU''RE THE KING NOW! Trying to win over sympathy points?¡± Blain bursts into a hysterical cackle... ¡°Childish brat! What do you know about anything!¡± ¡°I don''t! I admit it! I don''t! But I will fix this! I''ll learn and find a way!¡± ¡°BULLSHIT!!!¡± Blain throws a bottle into the wall. It breaks with a short scream from his sister. ¡°You can''t fix this! This ain''t something you can fix with wishful thinking!¡± ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± ¡°Let''s leave. He clearly isn''t in the right mind to be around.¡± Ira taps my shoulder. ¡°Not yet.¡± I look at Blain. I bend down on my knees, plastering my forehead into the floormat. ¡°I beg for your forgiveness as a friend and as a King. I failed you and every other discharged fighter with severe injuries such as yours. I was not aware how grave the situation was before, but now that I am, I will do whatever humanly possible to make this right. By you and everyone else. Watch me.¡± I get up. ¡°If you change your mind - come to the Palace.¡± I bow again. ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡± I walk out and bow to the sister too. Ira follows me out. ¡°Satisfied?¡± ¡°As if.¡± I get on Era and the four of us make our way back to the Palace. Slowly. Painfully. I take in the cruel reality of things. ¡°Tell me. How many are there like him?¡± Ira shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Not many, probably. Most of them kill themselves. They can''t stand the idea of being a burden to those around them. If they have anyone left, of course.¡± ¡°What about those who don''t?¡± Ira gives a look. Right. They kill themselves. Of course. I clench the reins tighter. ¡°Do me a favor.¡± ¡°Yet another annoying habit of yours.¡± Ira rolls his eyes at me. ¡°Go back to the Registrar and get me a list of all discharges of the current and past fighters due to injuries. Or next of kin.¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°I''m about to reshape the system.¡± ¡°Bad idea. You barely made it through with the wedding and the Balli deal, which, in case you forget - hasn''t shown any sign of life since we saw the Chief getting himself black-out drunk. The Geezer Council will never allow it.¡± Ira makes a decent point¡­ But. ¡°Good. It''ll be the perfect opportunity for me to prove myself to them and the people. I''ll take initiative. I''ll show them that I don''t need to sit around waiting for orders to come through. As long as my actions will have a positive effect the Robes won''t dare to intervene.¡± ¡°Ever the naive dreamer...¡± Ira sighs with a smile. ¡°Alright. I''ll get you the information, after, I escort you back safely.¡± I smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''m asking for the same thing only bigger! It''s that simple!¡± In a fit of rage I throw the damn doll into the wall. It smashes apart. I stare at the broken pieces on the floor. Moron. I kneel down and kiss the wood with my forehead. ¡°My apologies. My frustrations are my own to deal with. I understand you are experts in your craft. I have no right to be telling you how to do your jobs. I simply ask if you can use the same skills and knowledge slightly differently. If it is impossible to achieve my request, please, do not hesitate to inform me clearly, in great detail why it is so, so that the clueless me can learn and understand. Thank you.¡± I stand up again. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± I don''t wait for an answer and walk out the doll maker shop. ¡°Careful now, your true temper is starting to show.¡± Ira mocks me. ¡°I can''t help it.¡± ¡°I know. You never learned how to hold back. I''d advise you learn now and fast. These apologies won''t mean much soon enough.¡± ¡°I KNOW!¡± I snap and bite my lip. ¡°I know... It''s just... Metal parts don''t work cause they are expensive to obtain and make.¡± ¡°Plus they rust.¡± Ira adds. ¡°That too. Wooden ones aren''t as durable. Conjuring the limbs up from something doesn¡¯t help those who are Manaless like me, cause sustaining them will cost more than making them! ARGH!¡± I throw my arms into the air. ¡°I want to help and I''m totally useless...¡± A hand lands on my shoulder. ¡°Don''t look now, but for what''s it worth - your fan base is growing, regardless of your tantrums.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I look around. ¡°What''s with the crowd?¡± ¡°Seeing someone as the King himself be so upset for the sake of the common people makes for good popularity points.¡± Ira explains in a whisper. ¡°I''m not faking it, if that''s what you''re getting at.¡± ¡°No and I know, and so do they. That''s why you''re likeable...ish.¡± I glare at Ira. ¡°Never mind. How are the preparations going?¡± ¡°Slow. You need funds to be able to create something like a care home? Was it? Right now, all of the gold is under the Robe control. The only positive thing so far is that people are volunteering to help.¡± ¡°But if there''s nothing to help with...¡± ¡°They won''t wait long. Yeah.¡± Ira and I return to the Palace. Vona and Era greet us at the entrance. My wife kisses me with a smile. ¡°I take it, it didn''t go well?¡± ¡°What gave me away?¡± I smile briefly. ¡°Your face. It''s written all over you.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Vona shakes her head. ¡°Not at all. Perhaps I can lighten the mood.¡± ¡°Temple give you an answer?¡± Ira asks, walking behind us, with Era following us along. I decided to keep her off duty. Last time we went into the city she attracted too much attention. Somehow I didn''t like it. ¡°Yes. The Elder agreed to let the Templeattes visit the former fighters for a confession.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± I''m lost. ¡°Apparently, other Religions have these private conversations between a person and a priest that are protected by utmost secrecy. Whatever is said during that time is to remain private.¡± Vona explains. ¡°I heard of these. The priests are able to forgive ones¡¯ sins?¡± Ira adds. ¡°Something of the sort.¡± Vona agrees. ¡°Common people practice them as well.¡± ¡°Sounds fishy to me. Besides. Fighters don''t have sins. Killing to protect is not a sin.¡± ¡°No. But there are other crimes...¡± Ira reminds me. ¡°Those cannot be forgiven.¡± I answer, sitting down behind our desk again. ¡°I agree.¡± Vona nods, joining me. Era lays down a step below and Ira continues to hover over me. ¡°That''s why I''d like to instruct the women to have a conversation, talking about painful experiences in general can help deal with them. If possible, I''d prefer for these conversations to happen regularly. Kinda like physical rehabilitation, but for the mind and the soul. I''m not sure if the people will be interested in them, but we can start with the fighters and see how it goes.¡± ¡°As long as the Temple women won''t pass judgement on them - it might not be a bad idea.¡± Ira joins in again. ¡°I''ll try to make a few guidelines about that.¡± Vona agrees. ¡°Priestess. A word.¡± A Robe stands by the side entrance. ¡°Whatever it is you wish to speak about, you are welcome to speak to us all.¡± She doesn''t even glance over at the man. He mumbles something and stands in the middle of the Hall. ¡°The Council;¡± he pours all of his contempt into the word; ¡°believes that the King''s actions are unfitting for someone of his title. He may not be if noble blood by birth, but ¨C¡° ¡°What?¡± I stand up. ¡°Easy now.¡± Ira cuts in. Vona stands up as well. ¡°I suggest you think of your next words very carefully.¡± Vona begins. I take over. ¡°Tell me. What is it that the Council have done, exactly, to aid the unjust situation? Do not pretend that this knowledge was not in your possession.¡± ¡°Of course, we were aware...¡± ¡°Yet you did nothing. I don''t think you people have the right to talk about whether or not the King''s actions are fitting.¡± And Ira finishes it. ¡°If any of the people have any complaints toward me - they are more than welcome to tell me that themselves. I''ll hear all of it out.¡± I sit back down and continue studying the scrolls. ¡°Will that be all?¡± Vona asks, sitting down too. The Robe stands for a short moment, bows and leaves. ¡°Well that went well.¡± Ira mutters. ¡°All that talk about trials and whatnot and they haven''t made a single move besides complain.¡± I answer. ¡°They are watching us.¡± Vona adds. ¡°Clearly...¡± ¡°In any case I''m issuing the law anyways. I''ll deal with the aftermath later.¡± I dare to declare. ¡°The one to prioritize housing, healing as well jobs for Former Fighters?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe they are plenty capable with the right assistance. Some can easily become Instructors or Lecturers. I was thinking about that back in our training. We had plenty of abled fighters just sitting around. Most were content with carrying out spoken instructions only. Even Blain with his missing leg can handle that much. Plus, those War-Vets have first-hand battle experience. No need to sugarcoat the reality of things for the fresh meat. Besides.¡± ¡°Oh he''s on a roll today.¡± Ira cuts in. Vona giggles. ¡°Laugh it up, go on. I''ll wait.¡± I stare at him. ¡°Oh no, please, do carry on, your highness.¡± Ira bows. I wave a paper in front of his face. ¡°Smartass. As I was saying: if we include seasoned fighters in the healing-conversations as someone people can talk to about their troubles, for the fighters, I mean, especially the hatchlings, it would help them immensely.¡± I finish my thought. ¡°This wouldn''t have anything to do with your personal experience with it all? Your parents and such?¡± I feel Ira stare at me. I clench the paper. ¡°It has everything to do with this.¡± ¡°I think it''s a great idea. With each life lost we lose valuable knowledge and insights. Former Fighters, no, the War-Vets, more than half the time chose to kill themselves after their service because they lose all purpose in life. I think it''s a great idea to give them a new reason to fight.¡± Vona smiles at me. I lean in and kiss her on the forehead. ¡°Thank you, Gorgeous.¡± 21. The Struggles and the Pressure ¡°Nobody said this would be done in an hour!¡± I roar down on the Geezer Council. ¡°Give it some time!¡± ¡°It''s been six months now! There hasn''t been any word from the Balli since we saw the War Chief drinking himself to death!¡± ¡°ONLY! ONLY SIX MONTHS!¡± I barely contain myself... ¡°There hasn''t been any signs of fighting either, in case you lot failed to notice it.¡± Vona speaks calm, but sharp. ¡°That does not mean anything!¡± ¡°It means plenty.¡± Ira steps in too. ¡°We are monitoring the border. Even if they do change their minds and make a move - we''ll know. Don''t think that we''re not prepared for the worst.¡± ¡°And who exactly put you in charge of the Militray, may I ask?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ira answers. As the Chief of Security that is in charge of the safety of the Royal Couple I make it a priority to keep an eye on possible threats, inside of the Palace and out.¡± Nice one! I grin. I was right about him. The Geezers take their time. Meanwhile Vona doesn''t give them the chance. ¡°Has the Council prepared their list of trials for us? No? If you lot are not here to complain about us not meeting your yet-to-be-voiced expectations then I suggest you stop wasting our time. We have work to do as is. Dismissed, gentlemen.¡± Vona sits down and I join her. The Advisors slowly make their retreat. A heavy sigh escapes Ira. ¡°You don''t pay me enough for this...¡± ¡°Wait. What do we pay you? I look at him.¡± He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Nothing. We never discussed the terms of my "employment." ¡°That can''t be right?¡± Vona looks at him too. Another shrug. ¡°Considering that I sleep and eat here - we''ll call it even for now. I''ll take a loooong vacation once everything settles. Anyways. I''ll leave you to it.¡± He bows and leaves. ¡°I''m worried about him.¡± Vona sighs. ¡°Hope he''s not pushing himself too much for our sake... Maybe we should think of something that would make him happy?¡± I giggle silently. If she only knew... ¡°Sure. Sounds like a good idea. I think he''d love a party of wild women, know anyone?¡± An elbow lands in my ribs. I chuckle. ¡°Be serious.¡± ¡°I am!¡± I grin silly. Vona gives me a warm disappointed look. The sound of a clearing throat captures my attention. Lyma stands in the middle of the room. ¡°Yes?¡± I try to look serious, but Vona''s twitching shoulders tell me I''m probably failing. ¡°There''s someone here to see you.¡± The boy announces. ¡°I don''t see anyone.¡± ¡°We are keeping them waiting by the entrance. For security measures.¡± Lyma adds quickly there. I sigh. ¡°Bring them in.¡± I wave. ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± Vona asks. ¡°Who knows. It''s clearly not the Balli. He wouldn''t have waited for an opening. What?¡± I notice her gaze. ¡°Such a Warrior thing to say.¡± She smiles. Silent thuds echo through the hallway. Two figures walk behind Lyma. I freeze for a moment. Blain and his sister stand before us. I get off the chair and wait. The man gives his sister the crutches and falls to his knee, bowing on the marble floor. ¡°My Lord.¡± Blain speaks. His tone different from the last time. ¡°Pass down your judgement. I am prepared to give my life for the audacity and the despicable behavior I have shown you last we met. I beg you.¡± Loud thuds now ring through the Hall, as his sister drops to her knees next to her brother, dropping the crutches. ¡°Liar! You said you''ll ask for forgiveness and a chance!¡± She grips his shirt and tries to shake Blain. ¡°You said you wanted to live now!¡± She cries out. I slowly walk down the steps. Era steals a glance at me with one eye, as I walk past her. I hear Vona get up from her seat behind me. The sister throws herself in front of her brother, with arms spread wide. ¡°Please, my Lord! Spare the fool! Please!¡± ¡°Stay out of this, Dahla!¡± Blain roars. Like that will work... The girl bends down and continues to beg. ¡°Please, my Lord! Please!¡± I kneel down by the siblings. I put my hand on the girls back. ¡°Now now, no need for that. I''m not about to kill a person just because they were in a foul mood.¡± The sister lifts her face to me. I smile at her and turn to Blain. ¡°Lift your head up and look me in the eye.¡± I tell his back. Carefully, the man looks up to me. The confusion is strong... I smile again. ¡°Idiot. If you want to die - do it elsewhere.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Blain stares at me. ¡°Listen. If you truly want to die - then I''ll grant you your wish. But. You need to tell me that standing tall, with your head held high and complete determination in your eyes. After you stay sober for the next six months and try your damnedest to live. If, after all that you still wish to die then I will personally take your life. Consider this your punishment. Fair enough?¡± I get up. ¡°Huh? Wait? How is that punishment!¡± Blain struggles to get up. His sister helps him. ¡°Simple. Dying is too easy. Continuing to live for someone who wants to disappear is true punishment. Let me tell you a little secret. Death is not punishment - it''s salvation.¡± I wink at my old friend. ¡°Feel free to ask for our help with anything.¡± I tell them, returning back to my seat next to Vona. ¡°I''m not sure if you''re aware, but we are doing our best to help War-Vets adapt back into the society.¡± I sit down. ¡°Yes, we heard. That''s why...¡± ¡°That''s why we''re here.¡± Dahla finishes. ¡°Well then, that makes it easier. Feel free to stay at the Palace for the moment, while we look for suitable housing.¡± Vona tells them. ¡°No need. I have a home, after all.¡± Blain finally manages a smile. ¡°Great. Then once you''re good and ready I have a job proposition for you.¡± I grin. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°I''d like you to be our Expert on Beast Druids, here at the Palace. I consider your experience to be irreplaceable. Something that the current battle-less Masters here are lacking in.¡± ¡°That comment was not necessary.¡± Vona''s voice echoes inside my mind. I see Era flicking her tail too. ¡°Yeah well, if the Geezers have the luxury for insults - then two can play that game.¡± ¡°You can do better.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I speak to Blain again. ¡°Let me know if you are interested.¡± I hold my gaze on the siblings. ¡°Bear in mind - the pay might not be much at first.¡± ¡°Why tell him that?¡± Era breaks silence this time. ¡°I''m not about to lie to a friend or my people.¡± ¡°Such a child.¡± ¡°Sorry, Gorgeous.¡± I smile quickly. ¡°Yes! He is! Thank you, my Lord! Thank you!¡± Dahla tries to bow, while supporting her brother. ¡°Hey, don''t decide for me!¡± ¡°Shut it! We''ll take our leave now, my Lords. May the stars shine upon you!¡± The girl bends again. ¡°Thank you, Wykren.¡± Blain nods. I smile again. ¡°I''m not interrupting, am I?¡± Ira''s voice asks from behind the bed-screen. Vona gasps and pulls more of the blanket on her. ¡°How long have you been here!¡± She pouts. ¡°A second only. I knocked. You didn''t answer.¡± ¡°Well knock louder next time! Stop laughing!¡± A pillow lands on my face. ¡°Sorry, sweetness. Well? What''s so important?¡± I ask, sitting up. ¡°Congratulations. You''ve been summoned.¡± ¡°Say what now?¡± ¡°The Balli King wishes to see you two at Cobalus a week from today.¡± Vona and I stare at each other. ¡°When did they?¡± ¡°Just now. A scout by the border informed me.¡± ¡°You work fast.¡± ¡°We clearly don''t pay him enough...¡± Vona adds. Agreed. ¡°How long will it take to get there?¡± I ask. ¡°Wait, why now? What happened.¡± ¡°One. If traveling non-stop - a few days. I''d personally prefer not to take risks camping out with you two. We can be there early, to give you two time to freshen up. You are Royalty now, after all. I''ll send word back to request accommodation. They are the ones to summon you, they can cough up at least that much. I''ll have an Escort Team ready by the end of the day, we can leave first thing tomorrow. Two.¡± Ira pauses. ¡°This is pure speculation. But I do believe the Balli were observing you two as well. It''s been about a month now since the Blain episode, apparently it made an impression on more than the Noxians here. Plus, they are quite intrigued by your War-Vet policy too.¡± ¡°Really? Well.¡± I grin. Vona rolls her eyes at me. ¡°Then it''s settled. We leave for Cobalus tomorrow.¡± ¡°Question. What about Emerald?¡± Ira says. ¡°What about her?¡± I ask. ¡°You wanna leave her here or?¡± ¡°She''s coming with. She has the crest on her anyways. I purposely made one for her too.¡± We made it a point that only the members of the Royal Family could wear them as to not have the status abused. ¡°I figured as much.¡± Ira sighs. ¡°Too bad this is such short notice. For true display of ¡°power¡±, I would prefer to have her in full armor. Once you manage to get some gold, sometime in this life;¡± he whispers loud enough, Vona chuckles; ¡°you should consider having Anchors made for her.¡± ¡°Anchors?¡± ¡°I heard of them.¡± Vona says. ¡°They are special armor made with the users blood and or Mana if they have any, but the blood is usually enough as the Mana infused within the armor binds to the life force of the user, keeping them alive in worst case scenarios.¡± ¡°Correct, hence why they are called Anchors.¡± Ira adds. ¡°Right and because of the unique way they are made, they are unusable to anyone else besides the person they are bound to.¡± Vona finishes. ¡°Sounds good to me. I''ll keep it in mind. Anything else?¡± ¡°Pack up.¡± ¡°Right after breakfast!¡± I stretch. ¡°Wanna join us?¡± ¡°Pass. I have work to do. My Lords.¡± Ira''s shadow bows to us and disappears. ¡°Hope he doesn''t make this into a habit...¡± Vona pouts, getting up. I pull her back to me by the hand. ¡°I''ll let him know that the Queen was not pleased.¡± I whisper. ¡°Isn''t that supposed to be your job?¡± ¡°It is.¡± I kiss her, caressing her naked breasts. ¡°I''m damn proud of it too.¡± I kiss her neck, sliding inside of her with my fingers. A quiet moan. I grin, biting the nipple. Another rub. Another moan. I pull her under me and dive down. The wetness rouses my hunger. I tease her and feel myself grow too. I can''t resist. I pull myself up. Vona strokes it for me and guides it in. The warmth of her stirs my desire even more. I gaze into her eyes... Ah damn... I can''t hold back... The look... The moans... The sweat... The lips... I kiss her rough, pounding the last few hard thrusts... I quickly pull out and stick my hand in again. Vona''s hand grips me tight and strokes me crazy. She gasps hard, shaking under me. I explode all over us the next moment too, panting for air. I feel her fingertips brush against my stomach and chest. She licks me off her fingers. ¡°Delicious.¡± I grin wider and slowly pull my hand out of her and put the fingers inside my mouth too. ¡°It is.¡± I lick them clean. ¡°Very much so.¡± I grin again. My wife leans in and kisses me. A mix of Noxians and Balli escort our carriage from the border to Ballista''s Capital. I recognize some of the faces that were there when Ludgen and I shook hands. Hope that''s a good sign. We barely make a few stops on the way to Cobalus. Those too being a few hours only, to let the mounts rest. Can''t say that the rest of us don''t like the chance to freshen up, but with Ira''s paranoia we don''t linger for too long. With Vona asleep in my lap, I stare out the window. Sand and more sand... No wonder they want our soil. But is killing really the way to do it? It''s strange how different the scenery is with a few days of travel... ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Vona''s soft whisper snaps me out of my thoughts. ¡°Nervous a little.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± She snuggles up against me. I hug her too me. There''s no way we wouldn''t be... The carriage stops and Ira steps out the door first and holds them open for us. I step down first, with Vona right behind me. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°My...¡± Vona adds to my sigh. Two rows of Balli warriors lead from our carriage to the Castle entrance. ¡°Stay sharp.¡± Ira says behind us. We bow lightly to show our respect and proceed to walk. A Robe greets us at the entrance. ¡°Welcome to Cobalus, we are honored to have you.¡± He bows. His tone says otherwise. We, and our guard, bow again. ¡°Honored to be here.¡± I answer. We decided that I would be the one to take the lead. Not sure how much that''s a good idea, though... ¡°Please, follow me. I shall take you to your quarters. You must be exhausted from your journey.¡± We follow the Robe inside the Sand Castle. To my surprise the sand feels nothing less than stone as we walk through. ¡°Balli Shamans. Only a true Earth Shaman is able to manipulate sand to achieve this density.¡± Ira''s voice rings inside my mind. ¡°Nothing short of impressive.¡± Vona agrees. ¡°Exactly why I want this to work even more.¡± I add. ¡°So do I.¡± Vona agrees again. ¡°Me too.¡± Ira adds. ¡°We''ve arrived.¡± The Geezer gesture to three doors. ¡°One for each of us? Vona and I, Ira and Era?¡± ¡°Sorry ,but I ain''t leaving you two out of my sight till we get back. You''re gonna have to make it without your leisurely activities.¡± Ira answers. ¡°We''ll try to survive the horror.¡± Vona mocks him. I giggle silently. ¡°What about our guard?¡± I ask the man. ¡°The guard will be shown to the barracks next.¡± ¡°We prefer to stay near our Lords.¡± Someone says. It kinda makes me blush hearing that. ¡°We shall comply with the host''s request.¡± Ira bows. ¡°That''s an order.¡± He tells his men. Nobody argues. ¡°Then I shall leave you to it.¡± The Robe nods lightly. ¡°You shall meet with the King tomorrow after breakfast as planned. We will deliver your meals to your rooms.¡± ¡°We appreciate the trouble.¡± Vona nods. ¡°You''ll wait for us by the gate tomorrow.¡± Ira announces to the guards. The Geezer gives him a weird look. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°We prefer not to be away for too long.¡± I smile. ¡°Right.¡± The Robe persists with the hardened stare. ¡°If you''ll excuse me.¡± He bows for a mere second. ¡°Follow me.¡± He tells our guard. We watch them leave for a long moment before trying one of the rooms. Ira goes in first. Of course. ¡°All clear.¡± He says, taking our bags again. I roll my eyes. ¡°Of course, it would be. I doubt they would kill us before even speaking to us.¡± I walk Vona inside the room. A tad small... ¡°I see now why they offered three rooms.¡± Era says by the door. With her on the floor - there''s not much space left to walk around. ¡°About that. I''m not convinced the League of Geezers aren''t collaborating to do just that.¡± ¡°The Balli have everything to gain from this.¡± I sit down on the bed while Vona looks around the room. ¡°I meant our Geezers included.¡± Oh. ¡°Could be possible.¡± Era growls. ¡°When did you become an expert in Politics?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ira looks at me. ¡°Nothing. Era agrees with your Geezer theory...¡± I mumble. He turns to her. ¡°Glad someone''s one my side.¡± ¡°We all are. You just have a tendency to scare me, with that cold blooded assassin way of thinking, that''s all...¡± I pout. ¡°Least there''s a bath and a restroom.¡± Vona lets us know from the door on the side. ¡°But that tiny nightstand for two can''t possibly be called a dinner table.¡± ¡°Probably the reason why we all got a separate room.¡± Ira makes camp on the floor, next to Era. Somehow I wanna pout more now... ¡°I hope we don''t come off as rude for cramming up in here.¡± Vona sits down next to me. ¡°I''m not really worried about that. There are plenty of risks involved as is. I just hope every one of us makes it back in one piece.¡± ¡°Hope the fellas don''t get provoked...¡± I pile on top of Ira''s valid concerns... This is too nerve-wrecking for my taste... ¡°Perhaps you two should use the chance to change before dinner.¡± Ira points to the washroom. ¡°Then I''ll go first.¡± Vona takes her bag and leaves us three. ¡°Anything?¡± I ask Era. ¡°Not that I can tell. Yet.¡± ¡°That yet of yours is not helping...¡± Era opens one eye at me. I sigh again. ¡°Something the matter?¡± Ira asks. ¡°You mean besides the faith of not one, but two nations resting on us? No.¡± ¡°Asshole much?¡± He looks at me. ¡°Sorry. I was never good at waiting.¡± ¡°Deal with it. Can''t be helped.¡± Ira sees my expression and sighs too. ¡°For what''s it worth - you can relax. Emerald and I will keep watch. You need to look presentable so try and get some rest.¡± ¡°When did the two of you become so buddy-buddy?¡± My friend shrugs his shoulders and smiles. Ugh. I crash down on the bed. ¡°Who''s next?¡± Vona asks. ¡°Ira?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He gets up and grabs his things. ¡°Well?¡± Vona lays down next to me. ¡°What?¡± I play dumb. She bites my ear. ¡°Wrong answer.¡± She whispers. ¡°Sorry.¡± I put my arm around her. ¡°I hate waiting.¡± I confess. ¡°That''s cause you act, not think. Which can be your gift and a curse sometimes.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°Try not to overthink it. We''ll deal with it all a step at a time.¡± Vona kisses me. ¡°Thanks, Gorgeous.¡± ¡°Your turn.¡± Ira steps out again. ¡°That was fast.¡± I get up and switch with him to use the washroom. Nothing special there. Copper pipes and lukewarm water. Probably because it''s evening now. If it was morning or noon the sun from the window would hit the metal directly - heating the water inside. No wonder Ira didn''t stay long... I take a mug? Definitely not an item meant for bathing and I get in the clearly, too small, tub, crouch down and wash up... The non-leather pants sure make a great difference when wearing them for longer periods of time, but still. Sweat is sweat. Oh? The soap''s hard and fragrant? Different from our foamy oils and lotions. I wonder if they consume less of the soap this way? I pour a few mug-fulls of water down on myself. Yeah. That didn''t do anything... I get out, take a towel and pat myself dry. I slip into some less fancy looking clothes and take one last look in the mirror... I manage a sigh and return to the rest of them. Oh. Wait. I look back and plug up the metal basin. I fill it up with water and leave the door open. ¡°It''s not much, but if you want something to drink.¡± I tell Era, placing my things down. She gets up and barely fits through the washroom door. ¡°You sure you''re ok there?¡± Vona asks Ira. ¡°Peachy.¡± He answers without looking. She pouts to me, complaining. I smile and sit down next to her on the bed, we huddle up and just sit there... Nobody says anything... ¡°People approaching.¡± Era warns me. ¡°Someone''s coming.¡± I let Ira know. ¡°I smell food.¡± ¡°Dinner''s here.¡± I announce. Ira readies himself by the door. A knock. Ira opens it. ¡°Evening.¡± The same Robe nods. ¡°Your dinner, honored guests.¡± He stands sideways in the door with the rest of the party clearly confused outside. ¡°Were the accommodations not to your liking?¡± ¡°Pardon us if we''re a little cautious of our Royal Couple.¡± Ira bows. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He steps outside and returns a moment later with a tray. The Robe does not answer anything to that comment. Ira gives the tray to me and goes back out, returning with another tray. He sets that down on the nightstand and goes out again. This time he brings two bottles and some glasses. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And Era?¡± I stare. ¡°On it.¡± He says, but Vona beats him to it. She walks over closer to the Robe. ¡°It appears to me you have forgotten about one more guest in our party.¡± The Robe looks down at Era. He''s clearly fighting something... ¡°My apologies.¡± He nods. ¡°Any preferences?¡± ¡°His head.¡± Era tells me. I giggle. ¡°Well?¡± Vona reaches for me in my mind. ¡°None.¡± I answer quick. ¡°A steak from your finest meat will be acceptable.¡± She bows lightly. ¡°Raw.¡± She adds. Ira throws me a concerned look. I can''t help, but smile proudly. ¡°How bold of her.¡± Era says. I smile more. ¡°Will be here shortly.¡± The Robe nods and leaves, closing the door. ¡°What?¡± Vona looks us over. ¡°Try not to provoke them too early.¡± Ira says. ¡°Sure. Cause disrespecting a sacred creature is high honor.¡± Vona sits back down on the bed. ¡°Our sacred creature is none of their concern.¡± Ira answers. ¡°Who''s side are you on!¡± ¡°He has a point.¡± I take her by the hand. ¡°It''s probably unheard of for them to have a pet treated as a person.¡± ¡°Watch it.¡± Era growls. I smile. ¡°Thank you, though.¡± I kiss Vona''s hand. She looks away from me. ¡°Shall we?¡± She takes the lid off the tray. ¡°Not yet.¡± Ira says. ¡°Why?¡± Vona''s pouting intensifies... Cute. ¡°If you would - please.¡± Ira gestures and Era gets up. She takes a good whiff of the food. ¡°Don''t tell me...¡± I put a hand over my face. ¡°What?¡± Vona asks. ¡°Poison check.¡± I mutter. It clicks to me. ¡°When did you teach her?¡± ¡°At night. She sleeps in the Throne Hall. Have you seen her nest? The girls there make it for her every night and clear it out each morning.¡± Ira smiles weird. Is he mocking her? ¡°You never said a word of this to me...¡± ¡°You never asked me how I spend my nights.¡± Oh the smartass! ¡°Well?¡± I ask pouting now too. Era goes back to her spot. ¡°All clear. Enjoy.¡± Ira opens the bottle and lets Era sniff that too. No reaction. ¡°What if they use some new poison that you two don''t know?¡± Vona asks and I set my bite down. ¡°It''s not about the poison itself. It''s more about the smell that''s not food. Anything weak won''t have much of an effect besides a light fever or a stomach ache. Anything strong will have a scent that Emerald will be able to pick up on. Slow-acting poison would be useless too. The Balli wouldn''t gain anything from that. Our Geezers - perhaps, but that''s a topic for later.¡± Ira hands me the wine. "Even animals in the wild know how to avoid toxic things. We''re simply applying the basic principles of Nature here too. Nothing more." ¡°Your intellect truly frightens me at times.¡± I take the glass. ¡°The lack of yours - me.¡± He grins. ¡°Oh ha ha.¡± I pass the glass to Vona and take the next one myself. ¡°My dinner''s here.¡± Era tells me. I point to the door. A knock. Ira sets the bottle down and opens the door again. A Balli girl stands there. ¡°For the...¡± She hesitates. ¡°Saber.¡± Ira smiles. ¡°Appreciate the trouble.¡± He nods. ¡°Thank you.¡± I tell her too. The girl quickly curtsies and runs off. Ira sets the tray down for Era. No reaction there either. We enjoy our dinner and manage to finish only one bottle. A bit more than a glass each between the three of us. Can''t be helped. Ira checks the other rooms, hauling in some pillows and blankets for himself. As much as I hate seeing him on the floor while we take the bed, I do feel easier with all of us in the same room. Having our escorts separated from us is plenty worrying... Hope everyone''s ok. We turn in for the night. Vona cuddles up with me. Reminds me of our camping during battles... Not that it''s been so long since... I smile. I stare into the night a bit longer before finally falling asleep. We are early to rise the next morning. Well. Ira is. He goes in to use the washroom first. I go next. Leaving Vona the last. Neither one of us needs any of that make up stuff anyways... She takes her time to get ready before breakfast is served. The same Robe comes this time around too. He gives us an hour before returning to lead us to the King. One of their guards takes our bags from us and carries them to our carriage. Or so I hope... The Geezer guides us through the Castle. It doesn''t take us too long before we find ourselves standing in front of a giant stone? No. Same sand still, door, open wide. This is it. The future will be made today. One way or another... The Geezer turns to us. ¡°The animal is not allowed further, I''m afraid.¡± The Robe glares at Era. ¡°Well then, the entire meeting is off, I guess.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°We are all animals here, in our own ways.¡± I smile. ¡°Apologies for the trouble.¡± The three of us bow. ¡°Enough with the dramatics, get in here already.¡± The Chief shows himself from around the corner. ¡°But.¡± The Robe tries to argue, but the glare he gets shuts him up. ¡°Do me a favor and try not to cause too much trouble.¡± The Chief whispers to me. ¡°Of course. As long as you people behave.¡± I answer. Ludgen gives me a quick disappointed look and bows to his King. ¡°Your highness, I present to you the King and Queen of Noxanda.¡± He side-steps and we bow. ¡°We thank your highness for this rare opportunity.¡± I say. ¡°An honor, truly.¡± Vona adds. ¡°Likewise.¡± The King steps down. Not a single female anywhere. Is that what they call Patriarchy? ¡°Now what?¡± I ask Ira. ¡°Wait for them to make a move first. We''ll improvise from there.¡± ¡°Not helping.¡± ¡°Deal with it.¡± He answers. Fine. The King comes in closer to us. Somehow I''m getting a weird feeling... ¡°I have to say, the rumors do not do the Priestess justice.¡± He takes her hand. ¡°You flatter me.¡± Vona curtsies. ¡°I understand you wish for Peace. Perhaps because you lack experience, you offered land to us, but if you truly wish to seal the deal there are better ways...¡± The Balli King pulls Vona in to his arms. I wrap my arm around her hips and take his hand of hers. ¡°I''d appreciate it if you didn''t put your hands all over my wife.¡± I tell him, pulling my Queen back to me. The Chief roars. ¡°Told you it wouldn''t work, Terrack.¡± ¡°That you did.¡± The King smiles. ¡°Not sure if I''m pleased or upset.¡± Another roar from Ludgen. ¡°It would be unbecoming of you to start a War only because I didn''t let you slobber all over another country''s Queen.¡± I keep my glare. The nerve. ¡°Not the most ridiculous excuse they''ve used so far.¡± Ira makes use of the opportunity. ¡°They have a point.¡± The Chief smiles. ¡°I do believe, your highness, has enough experience to know that Marriages for Power are forbidden between nations by the mutual agreement between the Land of Race and Existara.¡± Vona trembles lightly in my arms. ¡°But this is Marriage for Peace.¡± Terrack grins. As if. ¡°I doubt that it would be enough to please your hunger, your highness.¡± Ira joins in. The Balli have a very unique definition of family. The women and children are to be protected by the men at all costs. Reason why only men fight. Contrary to our fighters that are both - men and women. I can see how they would look unfavorably at us for it... However. The Balli employ the so called Harem system, where one man is able to have multiple wives. The more wives - the more offsprings... Explaining how they are able to produce so many fighters. But. Giving off a single woman to a single man does not guarantee anything. We need to bridge the gap between nations, not single individuals. Our land offering appeals to the people more for a reason. Not that I realized it when making the offer... ¡°Ha! Three for three.¡± The Chief grins. I''m glad to see him here. ¡°Right. Well, can''t blame me for trying.¡± The King says. Watch me. ¡°Easy now.¡± Vona strokes my arm lightly. Right. ¡°Shall we get back to business then?¡± I ask. ¡°About that. I fail to understand how your people will ever be able to accept such terms for Peace. We are not the ones that live forever.¡± Terrack begins. ¡°Yes, well fortunately for you - you won''t have to deal with that. It will be our problem to solve.¡± Ira says. ¡°That does not sound too promising.¡± The King squints at us. I smile. ¡°Tell me, are you aware of the meaning behind the Noxian festivals?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± A Robe questions us. ¡°We pay our respects to the sacrifices that our people made before us.¡± Vona takes over. ¡°We celebrate new life that represents the future.¡± Ira continues. ¡°We live on. No matter the hardship endured.¡± I add painfully. This is stirring up memories for me... I try to keep my focus. ¡°We pay our respects to the past, thank the present and pray for the future.¡± Vona circles back on purpose. ¡°We don''t deny our past. Nor do we forget it.¡± Ira takes over again. It''s as if we rehearsed the whole thing! I love you guys! ¡°The bitterness of the grudges of the past only poison the future.¡± Vona says. ¡°There isn''t a single Noxian that wishes for the next generation to experience the same horrors as the current one.¡± I finish the hint. My Parents made a crucial mistake there. They kept their past from me. I do not want to make the same mistake. ¡°Everything will fall into place naturally.¡± Vona begins again. ¡°Our people are not fond of fighting. Just because we are good at it, does not mean we enjoy it.¡± She speaks calm, but firm. Our tiny lecture side tracks the conversation a little. ¡°You are referring to Cornutora''s quiet submission, are you not?¡± Ludgen asks. Nicely done, Chief. We''re back on point. ¡°Yes. Or rather - the united trading routes that will open up new possibilities, as well as invite profit.¡± I answer. ¡°How noble of you. Sacrificing your own lands for the sake of our profit?¡± Another Robe mocks me. Oh please. I''m used to these games by now. ¡°I can understand why you''d see it that way. However. That''s merely a front.¡± I keep my voice calm and relaxed. ¡°Is it now?¡± Another Geezer stares me down. ¡°Tell me. How long can you keep up with this charade, before your own people will raise against you?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°For a nation that values family above all else - tell me, how much longer do you think the women of this land will continue to watch their sons go off and die in another land before they''ve had enough? Once the current youth runs out and no new one is born - will you turn to drastic measures?¡± ¡°Wykren!¡± Ira. ¡°Dear...¡± Vona. ¡°Ren.¡± Era. Three for three. The faces of every single Balli here darken with disgust yet nobody says anything. I continue. ¡°Word travels fast. You can''t possibly keep your people from knowing about the deal offered to you. Do you honestly and wholeheartedly believe that your people will chose to continue to starve and die?¡± ¡°Enough!¡± ¡°Honey, please!¡± ¡°No!¡± I answer them both. ¡°Hooooo, well now. You''re more vicious than you look, boy.¡± The Chief grins. ¡°You flatter me.¡± I nod. ¡°I do believe that our losses are minor, compared to the risks you face should the deal fall through.¡± ¡°Is that a threat?¡± A Robe steps forward. ¡°A prediction. Of the grim future that awaits you.¡± I grin with my deranged smile. ¡°The lad makes a point. Can''t deny that.¡± Ludgen admits, stroking his beard. ¡°Silence, you!¡± Another Robe yells at the Chief. ¡°Oy. Listen here.¡± The Chief''s tone sounds hard. ¡°Enough.¡± The King cuts in. The old men settle down. ¡°I see. You are a force to be reckoned with. Regardless of making a decent point, I cannot say that as a fellow comrade-in-tittle I appreciate the underhanded tactics of yours.¡± Terrack glares at me again. I shrug my shoulders with a smile. Like him trying to grope Vona was any less underhanded... The King continues. ¡°You shall have your answer in a few weeks.¡± The four of us bow. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± I begin. ¡°We hope to repay the favor one day.¡± Vona adds. ¡°Looking forward to working with you again in the near future.¡± Ira finishes it. We leave the room in silence. Our guard meets us outside of the Castle. Everyone is looking well and unharmed. Good. Wait. I notice a few stares aimed at us. A soldier steps forward. Ira and Era ready themselves. "Easy." I tell them. The man approaches us and bows. "Your highness may not remember us, but..." He begins and breaks. Vona smiles. "I remember. You were among the ones we rescued back then in the Winter." OOOOOHHHH that time! The man straightens out and smiles with tears in his eyes. "YES!" He answers a bit too excited. "We wanted to use this opportunity to thank you again for what you''ve done for us... We would have died if it weren''t for your kindness, your highness..." Well now... Our guards smile warmly at us too. "We are glad to see you alive and well." I join in. Ira clears his throat behind us. Right. "Pardon us for cutting this short, but we must be on our way." Vona bows to the man and he returns it with a bow of his own. "Yes, of course, allow us to escort you." He says and returns in line, giving us way to our carriage. "Well now. That was a surprise." Ira says. "A lovely one at that." Vona smiles. "Unlike the earlier one..." Ira glares at me as he holds the carriage door open for us. ¡°That was a risky move.¡± He hisses at me. The three of us get into the carriage, leaving Era to run next to it. ¡°Sorry about that, Gorgeous.¡± ¡°I''ll live.¡± ¡°Reckless is not the word...¡± Vona too... I sigh. ¡°More like stupid.¡± Era agrees quickly before running off. ¡°I didn''t mean for that. I just...¡± ¡°Couldn''t hold back. Yes. We know.¡± Vona leans her head on my shoulder. ¡°Sadly.¡± Ira sounds pissed... ¡°Sorry sorry, my bad.¡± I pout. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vona seals a kiss on my neck. ¡°I have to admit, I was afraid back there for a moment when the King tried to make a move on me. If you hadn''t pulled me back, I probably would have slapped him.¡± She says and I giggle. ¡°I''m pretty sure the slap would have impressed them too.¡± Ira says. ¡°Everything was designed to test you.¡± He adds. ¡°Think we passed?¡± I ask carefully. He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Hard to say. We''ll know in a few weeks. We are the ones offering to give them what they want, going by that logic - we shouldn''t have to have a reason to start a War again.¡± ¡°In other words - they would be complete idiots not to take us up on the offer.¡± Vona says. ¡°Let''s hope so.¡± I gaze upon the distancing Sand Castle array. Let''s hope so... 22. Strengths and Weaknesses ¡°A messenger from the Balli.¡± Lyma presents the man. Ira pops out of the shadows next to us. I brace myself. Even Era whips her tail. Vona nods. Lyma stands aside and the man behind him clears his throat, as he takes an envelope out. He tries to approach us, but stops and stares. Probably because of Era''s glare. Ira steps down and takes the letter from him. The man nods only. Ira returns to us and hands me the letter. I guess the messenger was supposed to give a greeting or a speech, but he seems to have forgotten it. I break the seal and read: ¡°To the King and Queen of Noxanda. We accept your offer for the sake of Peace. If you can manage to have the other two nations agree to it as well.¡± You have to be... I crumple the corners of the paper... ¡°We eagerly await to hear from you soon. The King and the People of Ballista.¡± ¡°What people?¡± I put the letter down and look at the messenger. ¡°Is there more to your task?¡± I ask. ¡°Confirm the letter received and read, sir.¡± ¡°Received and read.¡± Ira answers. ¡°Then, that is all.¡± The man nods and leaves by himself. ¡°Somehow the Geezer Conspiracy theory seems more than plausible...¡± I cross my fingers in front of my mouth. ¡°The only thing about it that is puzzling me - why. Neither one Geezer side, nor the other, have anything to gain by losing lives...¡± Vona adds to it. ¡°Common lives. Not theirs...¡± Ira says. I hate it when he says these things so casually. ¡°Well?¡± Era sits up. ¡°They are testing us. Again.¡± I answer her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Agreement from other nations.¡± Era stares at the three of us for a short moment and lies down again. Right. Nothing she can help with here anyways. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Well what.¡± I stand up. ¡°Get us an audience with Venatus ASAP. Get through to the Primerians no matter what too! We started this and we will be the ones to finish it. There''s no turning back from this now.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± Ira nods and disappears. ¡°Damn it!¡± I smash my fists down. ¡°Dear...¡± Vona hugs my arm. I knew this wouldn''t be easy and yet... Why is this so infuriating still... They are toying with us... Why! There''s nothing to gain here by doing so and only everything to lose! Wait. This is it, isn''t it? The Geezers are in on this. This is their trial. They won''t acknowledge us till the world does. Fine. Bring it on. I exhale. ¡°We need to prepare.¡± I sit back down. ¡°Yes.¡± Vona sits down again too and we dive into our studies again. The Noxian Trio work hard toward their goal of Peace. I''ve never seen Ren so focused before. Or exhausted. Not even during the fighting. All the three of them have is a wish and each other. And those who believe in them. I now understand why Ren asked for a table to be placed here. The sight of them hard at work for the sake of their land is inspiring their people to work harder as well. More and more people accept Ren as their King. Or so I hear, as the whispers carry round the Palace. The Balli have proven themselves to be only the first obstacle. The so called Cornutese are dodging every attempt to speak that Ren throws at them. The Primerians remain silent as well. With each passing day I get more and more restless... I am completely useless to him now. All I can do is lay here on the cold marble and keep watch over them... ¡°SCREW THIS! WE ARE GOING OVER THERE! NOW!¡± I get off my chair. This is the 7th request denied. ¡°Wykren, you know you can''t do that.¡± Ira''s quick to remind me. ¡°I. Don''t. Care. It''s been weeks since the Balli issued their threat and those hard-horned morons are getting on my last nerve! If this keeps up there''s a good chance that the Balli and the Cornutese will end up joining forces!¡± ¡°Perhaps, if we were to show up there, they would at least hear us out?¡± Vona tries to back me up, but she doesn''t sound too thrilled about the idea... ¡°Or they could just use that as an excuse for an attempted invasion and kill you off. No.¡± Ira puts his foot down. ¡°Then how the hell are we supposed to make anyone agree to anything if nobody is willing to listen!¡± I slump back down into the chair. ¡°I don''t know. I''m working on it. Give it some time.¡± Ira says. ¡°Time is something we don''t have...¡± I mumble. ¡°The Balli didn''t really give us a deadline...¡± Vona tries again, carefully. ¡°That''s exactly what worries me. They can decide any moment that we failed and launch an attack...¡± I mutter again... ¡°There''s been no movement from them on that front. And before you say anything ¨C yes, we are monitoring the underground too.¡± Ira adds quickly. I put my hand over my face and just sit there. Pouting... ¡°Send me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ren. Send me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about.¡± I stare at Era''s deep gaze locked on me. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ira''s eyes dart between me and her. I hold up a hand. ¡°The Cornutese - they have a fascination with beasts, do they not?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Send me as the messenger. Their curiosity won''t be able to resist.¡± ¡°Absolutely not! You''ll get killed!¡± I smash my hands down on the table again. ¡°No way in hell am I losing you...¡± ¡°Wykren?¡± Vona''s whisper reaches me. ¡°Emerald is volunteering to go, isn''t she?¡± Ira says and I grab him by his collar. ¡°This your doing again? You put this in her mind?¡± I growl into his face. ¡°REN! LET THE MAN GO!¡± ¡°No. I never once thought of that.¡± Ira holds my glare, but doesn''t struggle or try to fight back. Somehow that pisses me off. ¡°Even if I were to think of it as a possibility, I would never allow it. Emerald is not a toy or a tool.¡± My grip slowly loosens. ¡°Let me help.¡± Era echoes again inside my mind. ¡°No.¡± I sit back down. I try my best to ignore Vona''s concerned gaze... ¡°You stubborn...¡± Era growls at me. ¡°We''ll all go.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± Ira leans into my sight. ¡°The four of us will go. We''ll go to the border. The guards won''t have a choice, but to let us through.¡± ¡°What makes you say that.¡± Ira questions me. ¡°They.¡± I point outside. ¡°We''ll take our Army with us. Your only worry is that they will kill us. They won''t do that if we threaten them first. There ain''t a lot of them by the border. Reinforcements would take time to get there too. If they dare lay hands on us - our fighters will wreak havoc. Any soldier understands that much. They won''t have a choice, but to let us through and escort us to the Capital.¡± I explain. ¡°You''re full of yourself, you know that?¡± Ira tells me. I grin. ¡°Exactly. The Cornutese greatest weakness is that they are too full of themselves. They consider their pride to be their greatest asset, but it''s not. If we display the same level of audacity their curiosity might just get peaked enough to see us. They can''t deny their Primerian roots no matter how much they try.¡± I explain some more. ¡°This is nothing more than picking a fight with them.¡± Vona says. ¡°Wrong. I''m simply speaking their language. We aren''t getting anywhere because we think we need to be careful and polite about it. When was the last time they were anything like that themselves?¡± ¡°Can''t argue there.¡± Ira admits. ¡°Exactly why we are doing this.¡± I stand up again. ¡°Where do you come up with this nonsense?¡± Ira smiles at me. ¡°Her.¡± I nod to Era. ¡°I got it from her.¡± I grin. ¡°Reckless as ever, I see.¡± Vona shakes her head. ¡°Send a message to the Balli. We''ll hold a conference here in Astri in one month from today. Leaders of the Nations are summoned for the signing of the Peace Treaty. Or at least their respectable representatives, which have that power.¡± ¡°Say again?¡± Ira stares at me. ¡°Dear?¡± Vona joins his stare with her own. Era too. ¡°I''m tired of playing by their rules.¡± ¡°I can understand that much, but what do you think will happen once nobody shows up?¡± Ira makes a good point. I smile. ¡°Oh, they''ll show. The Balli are interested already. We make this trip to Venatus happen - the Cornutese will be too. The Primerians will show up by themselves just out of curiosity. All we have to do is provide a piece of paper and some ink.¡± ¡°You''re insane.¡± Ira shakes his head. Vona simply sighs. ¡°So then? When do we leave?¡± She asks. ¡°Give me three days.¡± Ira says. ¡°I''ll have your escort ready by then. Pack warm.¡± He adds and slips away. Right. Even without the snow it''s Winter still. We''re nearing the end of the Year... We and half of our entire Army, set out to the West border. We made sure to leave enough capable fighters in case the Balli make a move, but I doubt they will do anything. They want to see what we are capable of, so they''ll wait. Something I can''t say about our Geezers... I hate leaving Astri for too long. Can never know what the damn fools will pull. But with Lyma and Blain there I have faith they will manage to hold the fort down. The Robes might just be curios enough to enjoy the show as well... Least I hope so... It takes us a bit longer than usual to reach the border. Can''t be helped with the amount of soldiers gathered. The order is given to make camp and be on standby. Only our carriage, with Ira by the reins and Era as the only escort - approach the Cornutese men. We stop and I step out, with Vona right behind me. Ira jumps off too and stands next to us. One of the older soldiers from their side walks over closer as well. ¡°What''s the meaning of this?¡± He calls out to us. ¡°Our escort.¡± I answer. ¡°We seem to have been having some technical issues with our communications. We have been trying to go see King Carniran, but every request of ours have failed. After the 7th one we got worried. Perhaps, the land of the Great Hunters is too dangerous? Considering your greatest pride and joy the Man-eaters...¡± I pause for a moment. ¡°If it''s shortage of man power that is the main issue...¡± ¡°Seeing as how the safety of Noxanda''s Royalty is at stake.¡± Ira takes over smoothly. ¡°We don''t mean to be a burden, so we brought our own protection.¡± Vona hammers it in nicely. One would need to be brain dead to miss those hints... The man stares at us. ¡°We never received any word of this.¡± Typical. ¡°Oh no! I knew something like this was going to happen... I was right to worry...¡± Vona plays dumb beautifully. ¡°Well, no worries. How about you let us through anyways. Since we are all here already.¡± Ira takes a jab. ¡°Not happening.¡± The man answers. ¡°Try again. We''ll wait.¡± I smile. The Cornutese fighter steps back a little. Some others surround him. ¡°Think it''ll work?¡± Ira whispers. ¡°Think they can risk having a King and a Queen freeze to death out here?¡± I whisper back. ¡°Does not matter how long we''ve been them. Fact remains. Word travels fast. Whether or not we end up looking like fools in this situation is beyond the matter. Truth is - they can''t afford bad publicity. It''s bad for business. Even if it pisses them off - they will comply.¡± Vona explains. ¡°Damn hope so.¡± Ira glances over his shoulder. ¡°Because if they won''t kill us - they will.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to those conclusions just yet.¡± I try to laugh a little and end up sounding like a squeaking door... ¡°Heads up.¡± Era says. I nod to Ira. The man approaches the border again. ¡°You may enter. But. Your escort stays. We''ll take you to the King.¡± ¡°How wonderful!¡± Vona claps her hands. She has a knack for teasing, I''ll admit, but seeing her act dumb is pleasing in another way. Vona gets back into the carriage with me right behind her. Ira gets back to his driver''s seat too and we take off. Luckily for us, the Cornutese lands aren''t as vast as Ballista''s. It shouldn''t take long for us to reach Venatus. To think that all of this used to be Noxanda''s territory... It was the only reason how we were able to procure our Celodians. In exchange for land, the Cornutese used their magic to provide us with our Tiger-horses. If only that friendship would have lasted... Their Earth Cave terrain is such a contrast from Ballista''s Sea of Sand. The ground resembles an array of blankets, with only one side picked up, like one would before sliding under it, when going to bed. Some smaller, some bigger, but that signature curve is everywhere. Even at the top of the now, wooden houses. The Cornutese Royal Palace is neither a Castle, nor a Palace. It''s a combination of a few larger houses, surrounded by smaller ones. Wood and earth alike. So, this is Venatus. The City of Hunters... The carriage stops and we step outside. Ira and Era are quick to line themselves up behind us. A handful of Cornutese fighters approach us from the front entrance. Nobody bows or says anything. They surround us and escort us in. Can''t say it doesn''t feel ominous... We enter, what seems to be the Throne Room? I think? Judging from the single oversized chair, decorated with animal bones and fur... ¡°That''s some level of audacity you have there.¡± King Carniran grins at us, sitting down in the Bone-Throne... Least I hope that''s him... ¡°We try not to disappoint.¡± I grin back. ¡°Your highness.¡± Vona curtsies. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°King.¡± Ira bows too. Guess that¡¯s him then. Ira has scouts everywhere now. Really making a difference with research¡­ ¡°I can tell.¡± He looks us over, extra carefully. I feel his piercing gaze. He''s evaluating us like one of their merchandise. Somehow that bothers me... I feel a light squeeze on my arm. Vona. Right. Focus. ¡°So then, mind if we skip the small talk?¡± I give it a shot. ¡°Why the rush?¡± The King grins. ¡°Rather not waste your precious time, your highness.¡± Vona answers. ¡°We wouldn''t want to keep our escort waiting.¡± Ira begins the onslaught. ¡°Ah, yes, I heard. Rather large escort you brought with you. You''d be wise to keep it small. It might send the wrong message.¡± King Carniran smiles wider. A muffled chuckle surrounds us. ¡°Thank you. We''ll keep it in mind the next time.¡± Vona nods. ¡°Considering that seven of our requests had failed to reach you...¡± Ira implies. ¡°Oh no. I have them all right here.¡± The King reaches his hand out and a bundle of letters is handed to him by a woman. Bastard. ¡°Then I believe we weren''t wrong to keep the bigger escort.¡± I smile again. The look in the man''s eyes changes. ¡°There are easier ways to grab someone''s attention.¡± He says. ¡°Clearly not.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I believe, your highness is holding the proof.¡± Vona gestures lightly to the papers. Nice. The bitterness flashes on the man''s face for barely an instant. He hands the letters back and smiles. ¡°Well then. Mind indulging us as to why you are here?¡± Double bastard. I swear these games are getting on my last nerves... I inhale and begin. ¡°We''d like to discuss the possibility of Peace.¡± ¡°And what it would take to sustain it.¡± Vona adds. ¡°What makes you think we need or want Peace?¡± He glares at us with a smile still. Ok, I''m done. Let¡¯s get to it. ¡°Do you know why the Rebellion is called what it is?¡± I answer. ¡°What does this have to do with anything?¡± I carry on. ¡°Everything. See, thanks to the Primerian research and their experiments, we have a bunch of interesting and entertaining islands all over the map between the two continents that cannot be claimed due to their strange origin. I mean, even the Primerians themselves deserted their precious research.¡± ¡°And?¡± Vona takes over. ¡°And. While the respectful and lawful nations such as we have agreed to leave certain land as neutral areas - the same does not apply to the Rebellion.¡± ¡°So?¡± The man is hard please... ¡°The main reason why nobody''s business is successfully expanding outward is because we, the four nations, do not have a united front. Well, us three at least. The Primerian defenses are quite impeccable, despite their lack of fighters. Their gadgets do all of the work for them anyways. But. Their crucial weakness is water. Everything outside of their land is currently unreachable for them. Same as us. The Rebellion has been on the rise due to our inner fighting. Despite the Primerians barely making any moves themselves, they are interested in Peace just as much as we are, still.¡± I put some pressure on the wound there. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Someone asks. ¡°Those shut-ins don''t even know what year it is.¡± Another voice from the side says and laughter follows. ¡°True. But. Even if they don''t participate, they do keep track of current events. After all - knowledge is power.¡± Ira says. ¡°If the word gets out that their research and trading expansion is blocked by you, of all people...¡± Vona cuts the sentence off at the perfect part, adding more pressure to the sore subject... I continue on. ¡°If we should help each other instead of attacking one another, we could easily drive the Rebellion back to their playground and away from their hunting grounds that are the neutral islands.¡± ¡°I fail to see how that affects our business in the slightest.¡± The Cornutese King grins mockingly. I sigh. ¡°Simple. Your pets, pardon, I mean, your animal creations are transported by ships, correct?¡± ¡°Only idiots would attack a ship filled with Man-eaters.¡± Someone says and the rest burst into a roar again. ¡°The Odions, unfortunately, are exactly that. Because they are a bunch that have a zero law and order tolerance - they are not able to properly secure the bare necessities required to survive. Their boundaryless life style are plunging them deeper into savagery that makes them suicidal to a whole new level.¡± Vona explains. ¡°The Odions do not care who or what they kill. Their biggest difference from your regular Death Bringers.¡± I fall silent again. ¡°Your creations are in need of food to be able to last the trip from point A to point B. The further you try to go - the more food you need to keep your merchandise alive.¡± Ira speaks short and sharp, as usual. ¡°Making you the perfect targets. Unlike us, the Odions do not even mourn their comrades or anything. They will do whatever they have to, to survive. Of course, it wouldn''t be a problem if we could simply outlast them and wait for them to die out...¡± Vona''s calm and sweet tone makes the words exceptionally morbid. ¡°Problem is that people defect to their side each day. So, you see, there is no way of outlasting them.¡± She adds in the second of silence. ¡°Well. For you that is.¡± Ira piles on fast. ¡°For us - it''s doable.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± I take over again. ¡°How long do you think you can last without expanding your income? How long has it been since your last visit to Crepitus?¡± The contempt quickly flares up on their faces. ¡°The Balli understand the situation clearly. That is why they are in favor of Peace.¡± Vona says. ¡°Are they now?¡± The mockery is strong. ¡°What exactly is stopping us to unite against you and expend this way, instead?¡± ¡°Called it.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Ira answers me. ¡°Simple. We are the only ones who have eyes in the sky.¡± Ooooh the priceless looks... Yeah. Druids. Our greatest strength. Peace broadens the horizon real fast there, huh? ¡°Here I thought that Noxians are nothing more than peace loving green leaves.¡± King Carniran mocks us. ¡°We are. That''s exactly why we defend it with fangs and all.¡± I grin with my new deranged smile. Silence. Deafening silence. ¡°You''ll have your answer in a month.¡± ¡°Make it a week. I''m not a patient person.¡± I stare the King down one last time. ¡°Oh and before I forget.¡± I reach inside my shirt and instantly weapons get aimed at us. I smile and take out the letter. ¡°An invitation, to a Peace Treaty signing that will take place in 20days from today.¡± A younger Cornutese boy approaches me, I give the letter to him. King Carniran rips it open on the spot. ¡°You won''t be disappointed.¡± Vona mentions casually. He throws us a quick glare, yet hesitates still. ¡°Fine. Now get lost.¡± He waves us off. We bow. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Vona says. ¡°What hospitality.¡± Era growls. I smile and we leave. ¡°Cornutese sure don''t care about appearances.¡± I speak after we return to our carriage. ¡°That''s their Primerian origin. They value function over fashion. Completely different from the prideful Balli who love to flaunt their colors.¡± Vona answers me. ¡°As if their skin is not enough proof.¡± Ira adds jokingly. ¡°Then where does that leave us?¡± I ask, staring out the window... Snow... ¡°We mind our own business.¡± Vona answers, putting her hand on mine. I look at her. ¡°But Stars have mercy on the fools who dare to disturb us and our boring way of life.¡± Ira says with a smile. ¡°So true.¡± I smile too. Ren, his woman and Ira spend the next thirteen days preparing for the so-called conference. Unlike the wedding, this ceremony does not seem to be focused on food. Instead, the three of them focus on paperwork. Nothing I can be of use to them¡­ Again... ¡°Well?¡± I ask Vona. ¡°That should be everything.¡± She nods. ¡°I pray to the universe this stunt works.¡± Ira sighs. ¡°Us too.¡± Vona answers for me. I smile. ¡°Yes?¡± I notice Lyma staring at us all. ¡°The Balli are here.¡± He answers in a trembling voice. ¡°How many?¡± Ira quickly enters his battle mode. ¡°Five. Just five.¡± Lyma holds a hand up. ¡°My Lords!¡± Another soldier runs in. ¡°What is it?¡± Vona asks. ¡°Primerians spotted closing in on the border.¡± The boy pants. ¡°Three horsemen.¡± He says quickly. ¡°Well now.¡± Ira smiles. For the first time in days. ¡°Keep the Balli waiting till the rest of them arrive. No exceptions.¡± I give the order. Lyma and the boy nod and disappear. ¡°Show time.¡± I smile. ¡°Ira?¡± Vona asks. I look at my friend. His expression''s changed. ¡°Cornutese spotted. Twenty. If not more.¡± He tells us. ¡°Ha! Least it''s not two hundred or something.¡± I laugh. ¡°Least.¡± Vona exhales too. ¡°Can''t believe this is happening.¡± She looks at me with eyes filled with nothing, but doubt and worry. I take her hands into mine and kiss them. A light smile moves the corners of her lips. ¡°It''ll all be fine.¡± I whisper. ¡°Ever the optimist.¡± Ira sighs again. ¡°Nope. I know it.¡± I stand up. ¡°How so?¡± He mocks me. ¡°I''ll make it so.¡± I stare into the middle of the room. ¡°How long before everyone is here?¡± ¡°A few hours.¡± Ira answers. ¡°Good. Keep them all in check. We can afford to taunt them a little.¡± ¡°Dear, I don''t think it''s wise...¡± Vona tries to carefully disagree. ¡°It''s fine. I''m young. So wise isn''t my thing, yet.¡± I wink at her. Not that it eases her mind in the slightest. We take our time looking over a few last things, while we wait for everyone to arrive. A couple of hours later, Lyma informs us of the arrival of King Carniran and company. We give the order and 28 people get escorted inside our Throne Hall. 20 Cornutese with Carniran in the middle. 5 Balli, led by Chief Ludgen and 3 Primerians that nobody bothered getting to know. The only thing that is proof of their status, or rather, importance, is our letter. I, Vona, Ira and Era by our feet, greet everyone. The smirk on Ludgen''s face, the scowling look of Carniran and the total confusion and curiosity of the Primerian party pleases me immensely. ¡°Welcome to Astri.¡± Vona begins. ¡°We thank you all for gathering here today for such a noble cause.¡± ¡°As you all may know, the reason for which we are here is Peace.¡± Ira speaks rather softly, by his standards, that is. ¡°Seeing as how all of you are here - we understand that the Land of Race is in favor of it.¡± I take my time too. Nobody really says anything. ¡°We took the liberty of drafting several copies of the Treaty.¡± ¡°We also went ahead and made suggestions, on how we could make this cooperation work.¡± Vona speaks casually too. Our guards hand the scrolls out and retreat back to their places, between the columns. ¡°In these scrolls you''ll find maps with routes, estimates, and well, see for yourselves.¡± ¡°Why would any of us agree to something that you decided for us?¡± Carniran goes for it first. ¡°Simple. None of you made the effort to make this happen.¡± I answer with a smile. ¡°Of course, should anyone wish to speak their minds now - they are more than welcome to.¡± Vona adds. ¡°No? Shame.¡± Only Ludgen keeps grinning. ¡°Are we to take these as suggestions only or are these terms and conditions? The Primerian woman asks. ¡°Excellent question.¡± Vona answers first. ¡°Would expect no less from Primerians.¡± I add. ¡°Yes. For now, these are suggestions. However. Once signed - they will become Terms and Conditions. As mentioned a moment ago, we took the liberty of drafting these, based on all of our needs. So, you should find them fairly accommodating. Of course, we''ll give you time;¡± I point to the hour glass on the side; ¡°we figured a minute, would be enough, for you to add or omit anything should you see it necessary?¡± Oh the looks. Not so fun playing by someone else''s rules, huh? ¡°What''s this about a discount for trading? To other nations?¡± Someone from the Cornutese party asks. Seems that our scroll has been traveling around over there. ¡°Say what now?¡± Carniran glares at us. ¡°A little motivation and reward for working together.¡± Vona smiles. ¡°We have to admit - we need each other. Even with battles and fighting - we continue to do business. It''s rather absurd for us to be fighting between ourselves in the first place. This would increase our chances of subduing the Rebellion immensely, as well as ease expansion for our businesses. We use land for indoor trading, so to speak, and use the seas to move further to Crepitus and Existara. Even Snake Port. As long as we all stand united, of course.¡± ¡°We can let Existara deal with the fools.¡± Ira says. ¡°Those who travel to the New Continent are well aware and ready of the challenges there. Rebellion - being one of them.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Someone asks. ¡°They wouldn''t leave here otherwise.¡± Ira answers sharp. ¡°Besides. I do believe that once the living conditions improve here, people would stop defecting over to the "dark side" too. Can''t have a Rebellion without any rebels.¡± I grin again. ¡°I see you thought this through quite nicely.¡± Ludgen finally cracks. ¡°Why thank you, Chief. We studied the situation and made the calculations as Primerians would. We''re putting our foot down as the Balli would and we take pride in being the ones to orchestrate the whole thing as the Cornutese would.¡± I grin wider, so does Ludgen. The Primerians seem to be getting fond of the ideas laid out as well. The scowling looks on the Cornutese speak for themselves. ¡°So you say...¡± Carniran says, reading the scroll again. ¡°I fail to see how any of our gains profit you, though.¡± ¡°Oh, but they do.¡± I answer. ¡°We want Peace. This - is designed to achieve that.¡± ¡°But of course, if you''re not convinced of our goal;¡± Ira takes over from me; ¡°then we ask for a 1% of your total yearly income for our services. I believe numbers are something that all of us understand.¡± ¡°Services?¡± Carniran keeps staring at us, pawning the scroll over to someone else again. ¡°Yes. We will be providing you with something that neither of you have or can fabricate. For a fee. Of course.¡± Ira says. ¡°What might that be?¡± Another Primerian, a man this time, asks us. ¡°Druids.¡± Vona says. ¡°Beast Druids, to be precise. We are the only ones who can provide scouts from the Air and Water.¡± ¡°This says that the percentage would increase after three years.¡± Someone asks from the crowd. ¡°Correct.¡± I take that one. ¡°Our fee will not cross 5%. We estimate that if all of us work together, then within 5 years¡¯ time - the Rebellion should be driven back to their territories, leaving us sailing peacefully across our waters.¡± ¡°Why five years only?¡± ¡°Do not take this the wrong way, but considering the life span of Non-Noxian races...¡± Ira falls silent there. ¡°We figured that would be enough.¡± Vona quickly glosses over the silence. ¡°Cheeky bastard.¡± Ludgen mumbles loud enough. ¡°Thank you. Appreciate noticing our effort.¡± I answer. The Balli Chief breaks into a roar. ¡°Any other questions? Concerns?¡± Vona asks our guests. Nothing. ¡°Then your minute to make changes starts now.¡± She slices the air with her hand and the medium sized hour glass gets turned. It''s roughly two minutes, but nobody besides us know that. It''s used in sparring matches during training. I wait for half of the sand to fall through. ¡°Well. If everyone is ok with everything, shall we move this along then?¡± Our party of four splits open. Ira and Era on the right with Vona and I on the left, leaving a clear path to the marble desk. To no surprise, Ludgen is the first one to approach us. ¡°What happened to letting us chose the land?¡± He mutters, leaning over to sign. ¡°That was before your King kindly send as your conditions.¡± I stick the letter under the man''s nose. He quickly looks it over as he signs the papers. ¡°Kiddo, I had no clue of it.¡± The Chief''s eyes tell me he''s not lying. ¡°Well, no matter. What''s done is done. I believe the amount offered to you now works?¡± I keep his gaze. ¡°Ay.¡± He nods and offers a hand. I shake it. The Primerian party steps up next. The woman signs the copies quickly and the three of them nod to us. Vona and I respond with a light bow. Carniran slowly walks up to us. He glares at me for a good moment. I keep my expression the same - dull and emotionless. He clicks his tongue at me and signs the papers. As soon as the Cornutese King returns to his men, Ira gathers the copies and hands them out to the others. ¡°Perfect.¡± I smile with our copy of the Treaty and the Terms and Conditions in hand. ¡°Question.¡± Carniran speaks again. ¡°Yes?¡± Vona says. ¡°What happens in case someone breaks the Treaty?¡± He asks with a grin. I knew it. ¡°It is mentioned at the end of the Terms and Conditions.¡± The other Primerian man speaks for us. ¡°Should it happen so that a party from this conference, meaning a Nation, decides to break the Treaty signed here today, on the 5th day of the 1st month, the other parties, Nations, are obligated to subdue the threat, for the sake of Peace, with the possibility of total annihilation, should it be deemed necessary and unavoidable.¡± The Primerian woman cites the conditions. ¡°Should there be a need expressed to end the Treaty by the parties, Nations, gathered here, another Conference will be held in Astri. The Treaty can be only broken by a unanimous vote and with all four Nations present. Till then - any and all cooperation from the Nations for the sake of Peace, without hostile intentions or ulterior motives, is mandatory. Any interference with the Cooperation will be seen as a threat to the Treaty and shall be dealt with accordingly. Once signed the Treaty becomes indefinite till made otherwise by another Conference...¡± Some Cornutese reads the last part of the scroll. ¡°Should have read the whole thing.¡± I whisper loud enough, looking at Carniran. His grin turns into utter disgust in less than a heartbeat. Good. ¡°The Cooperation will officially begin a week from today. We''ll give you some time to prepare, of course.¡± Vona says. ¡°If there are no further questions?¡± Silence. ¡°Now then.¡± I clear my throat. ¡°With all due respect - get out. You toyed with us enough, so pardon us if we decided to skip the festivities at the moment.¡± ¡°We do plan on an Anniversary celebration a year from now. Anyone is welcome to join us.¡± Vona smooths it out for me. Ludgen chuckles a little. Nobody else says anything. ¡°Well, if that''s all then. May the Stars shine upon you.¡± I bow. Vona, Ira and Era, as well as our guard - follow my lead. The Balli Chief takes the lead and takes his party out first. The Cornutese follow, with the Primerians right behind them. We wait a long moment for their footsteps to quiet down. Cheers fill our Throne Hall. I finally smile for real too. ¡°Son of a... You did it.¡± Ira pats me on the shoulder. ¡°Hope so.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Vona leans her head on my shoulder. ¡°Don''t mention it.¡± I kiss her on the forehead. 23. The One and The Last ¡°It ain¡¯t easy keeping the Peace, huh?¡± Ira mocks me. ¡°Tell me about it... I think I preferred fighting over this.¡± I point to the scrolls and the books. ¡°Come on, you can afford to take a break.¡± Ira shows me a bottle. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I grin, locking my grip on Ira''s forearm and let the assassin do his work. We emerge on the roof of the Palace. We sit down and open up the wine. Ira pulls out two mugs from his pouch and pours me a drink. ¡°Your highness.¡± He says. I just roll my eyes and take the mug. ¡°What royalty drinks wine from wooden mugs.¡± I mumble into the wine, taking a sip. ¡°The kind that don''t care about wine in a wooden mug.¡± Ira takes a drink too. ¡°Makes it easier to tolerate you.¡± He mocks me again. ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± I stretch out and stare into the evening sky. We sit in silence for a little while. ¡°How long has it been now?¡± I ask, sitting back up. ¡°15 years? Ish? I lost track.¡± ¡°You mean us being friends or.¡± ¡°I mean you as the King.¡± Ira says short and sharp. ¡°All these years and I still don''t feel like the king...¡± I take another drink. ¡°Maybe that''s cause you don''t act as a typical king.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Or maybe it''s because I doubt I deserve to be king...¡± ¡°15 years is a little bit too late to be questioning that, don''t you think?¡± Ira throws me a smile and a look to boot. I shrug my shoulders again. He sighs. ¡°Let''s recap then.¡± Ira starts. ¡°You successfully managed to unite the four nations and bring Peace to the Land of Race.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± I nod, sipping my drink. ¡°Your initiative played the biggest part in subduing the Rebellion.¡± He holds up two fingers. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Because of that - every nation has gained profit and will, probably, continue to. Not to mention that Noxanda''s been flourishing like never before because of it.¡± He opens up a third finger. ¡°Right.¡± I nod again. ¡°Because of that the fights have stopped and the people are happy.¡± Four. ¡°True.¡± ¡°With less deaths and more births, we had to reconfigure our agricultures and right now are successfully maintaining the improvements. Of course, they somewhat, contradict our original Noxian beliefs, but we manage.¡± Five. ¡°Right. Bigger fields for growing produce. But as long as we rotate the crops - it should be fine. I hope.¡± I add. ¡°Hope so. Next is what? Oh. Of course. The newly reinstated exchanges of work force. Trading secrets and whatnot.¡± He closes his hand and holds up his index finger again. Six. ¡°Not secrets per seeee.¡± I sway to the sides a little, even though I only had one drink. ¡°Sure. Need I say more?¡± He looks at me. I don''t say anything, just stare into the distance. ¡°If you ask me, you did more than plenty to earn the King''s tittle. More than the Geezers ever managed.¡± ¡°Even so...¡± I ask for a refill. Ira silently obligates. Another moment of silence follows suit. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Well what?¡± I finally look at my friend again. ¡°I know that look.¡± He points to my face. ¡°Something''s on your mind.¡± My shoulders twitch a little. ¡°What gave me away?¡± ¡°Maybe I just know you well enough. Being stuck with you for almost twenty years...¡± Ira takes another sip. I laugh a little. ¡°So you do keep track.¡± I try to mock him. He glares at me with his bored expression. I grin silly for a short moment only. My gaze redirects itself into the blushing blue sky again. ¡°You know. I''ve been thinking...¡± ¡°You? Thinking? No way.¡± Ira mocks me with a giggle. ¡°Ha ha. Laugh it up. I''ll wait.¡± I tell him. ¡°Ok ok, what is it, your highness?¡± ¡°Did you have to?¡± I look at him. He nods, sipping his drink. I sigh. ¡°Fine. Whatever.¡± ¡°Well? Are you gonna tell me what''s on your mind or not?¡± He asks again. ¡°The Rebellion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about? Is this the one thing that keeps you awake at night?¡± Rebellion?¡± Ira glares at me. I keep my expression the same¡­ He sighs. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bite. What about it?¡± ¡°It''s been 15 years now. Yet barely anyone returned from there...¡± I answer. ¡°So?¡± ¡°What if the people there don''t know that things have changed here?¡± ¡°What people?¡± ¡°Our people, I mean. The ones who left the Land of Race because they weren''t happy here.¡± ¡°Ok. I''ll ask again. What about it?¡± Ira pushes for answers. ¡°That''s just it. Maybe...¡± ¡°Maybe what?¡± Ira''s tone gets cold and sharp. His battle mode. Instantly I feel like a child getting scolded and bite my tongue. ¡°Wykren.¡± He tries again. I sigh. ¡°I figured maybe we could go there and...¡± ¡°And what?¡± ¡°And talk to them...¡± I brace myself. ¡°Who would be going over there, exactly?¡± ¡°I...could...¡± ¡°Absolutely not. You can''t go.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°What do you mean I can''t go? I''m the King! I can do as I please!¡± I pout. ¡°Not on my watch. As the King, your only job now is to sight tight and safe. I''ll go.¡± Ira tells me. ¡°Huh? Wait. You can''t! You''re my bodyguard and Chief of Security!¡± ¡°I''ll put Lyma in charge. He''s proven himself capable through the years.¡± ¡°But... Why can you go and not me? It''s my stupid idea.¡± I stare at him. ¡°Exactly. Because it''s your stupid idea, you won''t let go of it so easily. Which could and probably will, lead you to doing something stupid too. The only way to prevent that is for me to take care of it, so you won¡¯t have to.¡± Ira explains. Hate it when he''s right... ¡°Besides.¡± He adds. ¡°I have to leave here anyways.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ira turns to me. Oh. ¡°You can''t stand being around us anymore, can you?¡± He turns away again. ¡°I see. I''m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For torturing you. Since you agreed to help us, I didn''t consider how painful it must be for you.¡± ¡°Don''t. I chose to do this. I said I''d go on vacation once everything settles. 15 years of Peace seems like the right time.¡± ¡°Excuses...¡± I mumble. ¡°Will you come back?¡± Ira shrugs his shoulders. ¡°We''ll see.¡± Doubt it... ¡°Don''t give me that look.¡± He nudges me on the shoulder. ¡°It won''t change anything. We''ll still be friends.¡± ¡°Riiiight.¡± I roll my eyes at him. ¡°Quit sounding like a pouty girl.¡± ¡°My best friend is leaving and you want me to be happy about it!¡± ¡°One best friend. You still have another one. She''ll keep you in check. Has the claws for it.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Era or Vona?¡± I stare at him confused. He throws me a mean look and it triggers a roar out of me. ¡°On second thought, I am breaking up with you.¡± Ira says. ¡°Nope. You can''t. King''s orders.¡± I tell him through the laughter. ¡°Some king you are, drinking wine out of a wooden mug...¡± I roar again. ¡°That reminds me!¡± I hand him my empty mug. Now Ira rolls his eyes at me, but fills up the mug still. ¡°Well. Here''s to us. Staying friends, then.¡± I hold the mug up with a smile. ¡°To us. My friend.¡± Ira says and we clang the mugs a bit too much, spilling some of the wine. It''s been a few years now since Ira and I shared our last drink together... I wonder what he''s up to? He''s probably enjoying himself, while I''m stuck here, working myself to death with all of the reports and everything... Being King isn''t as glorified as people make it sound... I stretch in the chair. ¡°Perhaps you should call it a night.¡± Era growls softly inside my mind. ¡°Perhaps...¡± I yawn again. ¡°Ok. I feel like I''ll pass out any moment now...¡± I get up and go over to Era. ¡°Rest well.¡± I pet her. ¡°You too.¡± She blinks at me. I smile and make my way toward the bedroom. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Era? I stop and turn around. ¡°Sorry I can''t help you anymore.¡± I smile. ¡°It''s fine. I''m happy having you near. It helps me plenty.¡± ¡°How? I barely move.¡± ¡°When I look at you, I remember our days spent together and my life with my parents. It feels nice to get lost in those memories sometimes. I like it.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± I smile. ¡°Night, Era.¡± ¡°Night, Ren.¡± Her deep growl soothes my soul. I slip through the door and into the bed, next to Vona. ¡°Another long day?¡± A whisper. I murmur something into the pillow. A light brush on the side of my neck. ¡°Sorry I can''t help...¡± I feel like I heard this, already? ¡°Don''t. Worry about getting better.¡± ¡°About that...¡± I feel Vona shift her weight... ¡°I''m pregnant.¡± ¡°That''s great, dear...¡± I mumble with a mouthful of pillow, dozing off... Wait. What! ¡°WHEN! HOW!¡± I spring up, holding myself up on the straight and locked arms. ¡°How? Really? Don''t you think we are a bit too late for that talk.¡± Vona smiles at me. ¡°Well?¡± I ask her. ¡°Well what?¡± ¡°Are you keeping it?¡± ¡°Wykren, why would you?¡± ¡°Vona, I love you. I''m not about to force you to do something you don''t want to. We talked about this before. You said you weren''t ready. We didn''t plan for this to happen either, so if you don''t feel comfortable with this, there are ways¡­ What? What is it?¡± I wipe her tears away. ¡°Is it too late for that?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°I didn''t even think about that...¡± She says quietly. ¡°Wykren, we talked about this like 18 years ago.¡± ¡°So?¡± I rearrange myself and sit cross-legged on the bed. ¡°So.¡± Vona sits up a bit more too. ¡°We haven''t talked about it since then.¡± ¡°True.¡± I nod. ¡°Do you want to talk about it now?¡± She doesn''t answer me. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± ¡°No. I''m afraid still. Plenty afraid... I don''t believe I am suited for this... I never had parents myself, so I''m not sure how it feels or what am I supposed to do... But.¡± She takes a moment. ¡°But. I don''t think if it were up to me to decide - I''d ever be ready.¡± She wraps her hands around her stomach. ¡°But.¡± That''s a lot of ¡°buts¡±... ¡°After everything you''ve done for me, for our people... I think that I''ll be ok. If it''s you I''m doing this with.¡± She looks up at me. I take her hand into mine. ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡± ¡°Are you saying you don''t want this?¡± She pulls her hand out and I grab it again, pulling all of her into my arms. ¡°Like Hell! Of course, I want it! And you! Both of you!¡± I sit her down into my lap and wrap myself around her. Vona giggles lightly. She brushes her fingertips along my jaw. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting, but if it''s not too late yet, may I please be the one to make your dream a reality now, and gift you with a child?¡± She whispers. ¡°Yes.¡± I kiss her. ¡°Yes, please.¡± I kiss her again. ¡°A thousand.¡± Kiss. ¡°Times.¡± Kiss. ¡°Yes.¡± Kiss. ¡°I want you.¡± Kiss. ¡°This child.¡± Kiss. ¡°And Us.¡± A long kiss. I cradle my wife in my arms. Her shoulders twitch lightly. ¡°We need to pick a name!¡± I break the silence suddenly. ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Why not! No time like the present, right?¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Vona sighs. ¡°Fine. Any ideas?¡± ¡°Gazarria! My greatest treasure!¡± ¡°And if it''s a boy?¡± Vona looks up at me, teasingly. ¡°Hmm... Gazarrian? See. Works both ways! Zarri. I''ll call her Zarri. Or Zarrian.¡± I grin proudly. ¡°She¡¯ll be a beauty like no other, just like her mother.¡± ¡°How are you so convinced it''s a girl? Vona stares at me in the dark. ¡°Father''s intuition?¡± ¡°You''ve been a "father" for less than five minutes...¡± ¡°Instinct?¡± I try again. ¡°Ever the animal, I see.¡± Vona covers her face with her hand. I chuckle a bit. A heavy sigh slips out of me. ¡°Something the matter?¡± I feel a gentle touch on my skin. I hesitate. ¡°This about Ira?¡± ¡°Can''t hide anything from you, can I?¡± I nuzzle my nose into her neck. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Something exciting and life changing is about to happen to me and I can''t even tell my best friend about it...¡± Vona shifts around a little. ¡°Can''t you reach him?¡± I shake my head. ¡°It''s not about that. Because of my selfishness, I always ended up asking too much of him. I owe him his freedom.¡± ¡°Dear. Ira chose to stay. You can''t be responsible for his decisions.¡± ¡°I know. But still. I feel like I never really gave him a choice to begin with... I just kinda, pulled him along...¡± Made him suffer in silence too... ¡°Well. He''ll be back one day. The child will be a nice surprise for him, once he returns.¡± Vona tries to smile. I kiss her. ¡°You mean child-ren, right?¡± I tighten my grip around her. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Well, I mean why not?¡± ¡°Not that I am saying no, but how about we start with this one first, and see how it goes? Before you make me sprout an army out of my body¡­¡± I can¡¯t help but laugh at the wit of my wife. ¡°Deal.¡± I kiss her again. ¡°You should sleep. You need to rest now.¡± I pick her up and squirm her under the covers again. ¡°Look who''s talking.¡± She answers. I slip out of my clothes and cuddle up with her. ¡°Good night, Gorgeous.¡± ¡°Good night, Wykren.¡± I feel Vona''s breathing drift into sleep. Maybe it''s for the best that Ira isn''t here to see this... 24. Everlasting Regrets ¡°ARGH!! I CAN''T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! Is it time yet? Well?¡± I pace around the room again. ¡°Would you relax already. The baby''s not due for a few more weeks.¡± ¡°How can I possibly relax! This is so nerve wrecking it''s driving me insane!¡± ¡°I do believe you are overreacting.¡± Vona smiles at me. Somehow that ticks me off even more... ¡°Or maybe you''re just not reacting enough!¡± I pout. My wife throws me a quick glare. ¡°Sorry.¡± I mumble. ¡°Go take a walk or something. Your pacing is burning a hole through the marble.¡± ¡°Fine! Not that it will help!¡± I mumble some more. ¡°You better tell me the moment you feel something!¡± I kneel down by her belly and kiss it. ¡°The moment.¡± I whisper... ¡°Sure sure, now shoo.¡± Vona waves me off. I wish Ira was here. I can''t handle this pressure by myself... I find Era napping in her usual spot, by the desk. ¡°Wanna go for a walk?¡± ¡°Is that supposed to help you calm yourself?¡± She gets up, stretching slowly. ¡°It''d better!¡± ¡°Very well.¡± She steps down and joins me by my side. ¡°You look like hell.¡± ¡°Haven''t been able to sleep much...¡± ¡°You needn''t be so antsy. The child hasn''t even been born yet. Save your worries for later.¡± ¡°You sure make it sound like it''s nothing!¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Era''s calm and low growl eases my mind every time. I exhale. ¡°I''ll try.¡± We wonder around the Palace grounds... Everyone we meet bows to us... It''s been years now and I still can''t get used to it... ¡°Sounds like there''s trouble.¡± Era stares to the side. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Something about bandits?¡± ¡°What''s this about bandits? I will not have any bastards causing trouble here with my child on the way!¡± I walk over to the whispering men. ¡°My Lord!¡± They bow quickly and nervously. ¡°Bandits? What bandits?¡± None of the five even try to look me in the eye. I notice one hiding something behind his back. I stretch my arm out. The soldier steps back. I step forward. ¡°Give. It. Here.¡± I growl. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Lyma runs over to us and takes the paper from the scout. ¡°My Lord. I highly recommend that you remain off duty till your child reaches a respectable age to be married.¡± ¡°That... That will be decades!¡± I pout. The men giggle at me. ¡°Precisely.¡± Lyma nods. ¡°You''re not serious.¡± ¡°I am. We''ll handle any trouble that may or may not be happening. Excuse us.¡± He bows. The men follow his lead and scramble away from us. ¡°Those damned...¡± I growl. Another growl reaches me from behind me. ¡°Are you laughing?¡± I stare at Era. ¡°It seems you have been served? I believe?¡± ¡°Really? You too?¡± ¡°I agree with them. It''s good for you to hang your weapons. You''re a father now, after all.¡± ¡°I just need something to keep my mind off things and a fight sounds just right!¡± ¡°If it''s a fight you want - I''ll be happy to obligate.¡± Era walks next to me again. ¡°No. You are the last person I wish to fight.¡± ¡°Ren. I am a beast.¡± ¡°I said no.¡± I stop and stare at Era. ¡°I won''t be the one to hurt you.¡± ¡°Very well. Shall we look for a different sparring partner for you then?¡± ¡°Nah. Think I wanna see Vona now again.¡± ¡°You''re thinking about the bandits, aren''t you.¡± I laugh and pet her. ¡°Can''t hide anything from you, either, huh?¡± I return to our bedroom with Vona''s lunch. ¡°Something the matter?¡± She asks. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Liar. It''s written all over your face.¡± She takes the plate from me. "You''ve been on edge for the last two-three days? And it isn''t the baby." ¡°Seems I can''t hide anything from anyone...¡± I sigh with a smile. ¡°Well? What is it?¡± She asks between her bites. ¡°The Balli have sent word about some trouble that''s headed our way... Lyma''s handling it but...¡± ¡°You feel like it''s your responsibility to handle it. Especially because you don''t want your child to be born with fighting going round. Not again, after all this time. You wouldn''t be able to calmly raise your baby at home if you knew that others are in trouble...¡± A laugh bursts out of me. ¡°That''s my clever wife alright.¡± Vona lets out a sigh. "If it will ease your mind then go. But make it quick.¡± She points a finger at me. I take her hand into mine and kiss it. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in time to see our child take in their first breath." ¡°You''d better.¡± Vona pulls me in. We kiss and I hurry out. ¡°Era! We''re going!¡± ¡°I advise against it. But. That look in your eyes tells me everything I need to know.¡± She gets up. We make a quick stop by the stable and the armory. ¡°We can catch up with them if we hurry.¡± ¡°My Lord! STOP!¡± Lyma''s voice chases after us. ¡°Run!¡± I jump on Era and she takes off. ¡°Such a child.¡± She growls. If I remember right... I steer Era South from the city. With Era going full speed non-stop - it takes us only a day to catch up with the rest of the soldiers. ¡°My Lord! Why!¡± ¡°Easy now. Think of me as just another fighter. Nothing more!¡± ¡°The Vice-Chief will have our heads...¡± Another man sighs. Yeah. Lyma will be pissed. Better him than Ira. He''d have my head... ¡°Ira would kill you for this...¡± Era growls. ¡°Lets take care of this quick so he can''t complain!¡± I answer and ask. ¡°How much further?¡± ¡°We should be crossing their path in a few hours. According to Balli, the bandits only target small towns and villages, avoiding crowded areas.¡± Right. Most Noxian settlements are small in comparison. With exceptions of Astri and Ravenna. With the mountains surrounding the North and the South they are most likely to take a straight line across the land toward Cornutora. South is scares. That''s mostly where the produce is grown now anyways. If we can cut them off here - we win. The Balli lands are too vast and their settlements are kept far apart from each other, due to their landscape and lack of suitable soil. Making them the perfect targets with low risk of getting caught. No matter. Our people areplenty capable of fending for themselves, but it would be too arrogant of us not to intervene... A painful groan breaks the silence. One of the men falls of his Celodian. ¡°It''s an ambush!¡± ¡°Protect the King!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I know!¡± I jump of Era and grab an arrow, an inch away from my face. ¡°How many!¡± ¡°I count over a dozen so far. Probably more...¡± Damn it! Did they figure it out? Were we spotted? Was there a leak! ¡°REN! FOCUS! NOW''S NOT THE TIME TO GET DISTRACTED!¡± Era roars, dodging arrows. ¡°Are the woods safe?¡± ¡°A few behind us.¡± ¡°Right. Cover me!¡± I charge the trees, with Era jumping in front of me, smashing down a tree with her paw. The men follow my lead, struggling to protect their fallen comrades. I slash through a body and parry another attack. This won''t save us much, but we can at least be clear from the arrows... Where the hell are they raining down from anyways? I ram my sword through another body. ¡°Shamans. Probably.¡± Someone says. ¡°How are they?¡± I ask. ¡°Not good. We already gave them potions.¡± ¡°Healer?¡± ¡°He is the healer...¡± Damn it... There''s only a handful of us¡­ ¡°There''s over 30 of them.¡± Era tells me. Damn it! ¡°This isn''t what the report said!¡± Another soldier screams out. ¡°They lied to us!¡± ¡°We don''t know that!¡± Another says. ¡°They could have recruited on their way here!¡± Another says. ¡°Doesn''t matter!¡± I cut them off. ¡°We need to get at least one of you out of here to get help. Anything will do. Where''s the nearest settlement?¡± ¡°Too far. Because the land has been developing so much, most of the villages moved to Astri''s or Ravenna''s territories. Only a few remain around the borders for security reasons. And for working the fields¡­¡± ¡°I''m glad we''re well off, but sadly that does not help us right now! Have you contacted anyone yet?¡± I ask again. ¡°I''m trying! No answer yet!¡± The girl screams out. ¡°Even if they''ll answer - it''ll take a day if not longer for them to get here!¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It''s not like we can just sit here!¡± Agreed... Think! Think! To hell with this! Fine! ¡°Who''s the fastest here!¡± ¡°Her!¡± A finger points to Era. ¡°Besides her!¡± ¡°Me.¡± A girl raises her hand. ¡°Good. Then you will make a break for it. The rest of us will hold them off as best as we can. If we sent a flare or something then perhaps a scout will see it.¡± ¡°Then I''ll go! I''m a Fire Mage.¡± A different girl says. ¡°REN! INCOMING!¡± ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± I throw myself in front of the blade, blocking it with my axe. ¡°NOW! GO!¡± Era bites the head off. ¡°But. My Lord! You!¡± ¡°I SAID GO! GETTING HELP ARE YOUR ORDERS!¡± I roar. Another roar captures my attention. A spear sticks out of Era''s side. No. No. NOOOOO! ¡°ERAAAAAA!!!¡± I kick the grinning bastard and hack him in half. I take out a potion and drop it. ¡°NO!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± I turn around and get a foot to the face. ¡°REN!¡± Era jumps over and gets a blade to the foot. ¡°ERA!¡± I throw my axe, but the tree catches it instead. Damn it! Our cover is getting in the way. The others are struggling to keep up too. We''re clearly outnumbered... Screams fill the woods. Branches begin slithering around. The wounded soldier! A Ravo! The branches on the ground spear the bandits, either killing them or maiming them just enough. ¡°Get in there!¡± Era roars to me, swiping at another bastard. ¡°Right! Don''t let up!¡± I rush over to the Ravo and get thrown away by a block of dirt. I hate casters... I hurry back to my feet and pick up whatever''s throwable off the ground. I hurl it at the caster''s back. Next time make sure I''m dead. The broken spear lands in the Balli''s neck. The caster drops dead. Hope the girls can manage... I throw my sword next and miss. Damn it! I dodge behind a tree. Era''s down... No... Gorgeous... I scramble for another potion and run over to Era again. ¡°Here.¡± I pour it into her mouth. ¡°Hold on.¡± I grab the spear and pull it out. She roars. I pour another vial directly on the wound. The slash on her foot looks bad... ¡°Behind you!¡± Era kicks me to the side and takes in another attack that was meant for me. ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°20... 19...¡± Huh? The numbers. Their numbers are going down! Another scream. But so are ours... The Ravo lays on the ground with an axe in his back... ¡°Protect... The... King...¡± The last words the boy can manage are meant for my sake... ¡°The King? Who?¡± The Balli bandit stares at me. I reach for a weapon... Any weapon... ¡°Hoooooo. So you''re the King? Well now. You''re supposed to be quite the big deal. I bet your head will make me famous!¡± He roars with laughter. Tch. ¡°Try and take it from me.¡± I grin. ¡°18...17...¡± Era''s voice dies down. NO! I hold my hand on her. She''s breathing. Good. ¡°Oh? You''ve got balls, King. Or maybe you''re simply not that bright?¡± The man stares me down. ¡°What? Scared? Tell you what. I''ll fight you with one hand. That should make things fair.¡± I grin again, hiding one hand behind my back. My fingertips brush against a blade. The man roars again. ¡°Don''t! He''s mine.¡± The man glares behind me. Another Balli lowers his axe. Too close. I pick up the sword. A long one. Not my style... It''ll do. ¡°Shall we take this outside then?¡± I gotta lure them away from Era. ¡°Sure. We''ll fight one-on-one.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t have it any other way.¡± That must be their leader or something. I slowly stand up. The man and I lock eyes and leave the woods. A dozen men stand around in the open. No. More. Sounds about right... ¡°Surround us!¡± Damn it! Nobody moves. Hope they behave... ¡°It''s never too late to beg for your life, you know.¡± The boss says and the men roar. ¡°That''s my line.¡± I ready myself. ¡°Try and make it somewhat entertaining for me.¡± I grin again. ¡°Cheeky bastard.¡± The man grins back and we lock blades with sparks flying. I grip the handle tight with both hands. This will be a pain¡­ The Balli is strong. I fought plenty of them back in the day. Still. I can¡¯t help, but feel uneasy¡­ I block another swing. I kick the man off myself and charge in with a barrage of slashes diagonally and from above. I turn around, picking up momentum and switch out the blade for another kick. A hit. The Balli lands on his back. I jump over and kick the axe out of his hand, stepping on the wrist. I jab the tip of the sword into his throat. ¡°Call off your men. Leave now and I¡¯ll spare your life.¡± The man grins with a bloody lip. "Fat chance." I sigh. The man grabs the tip of the sword and tries to jab it into my foot. I jump back, dropping the blade. The big boss tosses the sword to the side. I take up a fighting stance. So does he. We circle each other. Screw this. I close the distance in one leap and batter in a hail of punches. The oversized limbs do a good job holding up the block. I get a leg up and hammer it down into the man¡¯s skull. The heel connects, but so do the arms of the Balli. He begins to spin himself around, together with me, but the height difference does it¡¯s thing. He loses balance soon enough and lets go of me. I stagger a little. My foot touches something on the ground. The axe! I quickly grab it and spin it in my hands. I take a step at a time, nearing the man again. He scrambles for the sword, a few steps away. I grab the handle firm again and hack the arm. Blood. Screams. ¡°Back off. This is your last warning.¡± I tell the kneeling man again. He roars at me again with his gurgling laughter. ¡°Go for it.¡± He holds his head up high. ¡°As you wish.¡± I slash his head off in one fluid hack. I pick up the sword and begin turning the blades in my hands. ¡°WHO¡¯S NEXT!¡± I call out to the rest 16. The blades in my hands pick up speed. The slashes get louder with each swing. One man charges in, screaming. I swing the axe above my head once, letting the sword join it half way and hack the man in three with both blades in a single strike. I open my eyes. My ears twitch to the sound of metal clanging. I look around. Everyone''s dead... I try to move put my front paw caves. The wounds hurt... I feel dizzy... Few spots on my body feel wet... I''m losing blood... ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°ERA! THANK THE STARS! I''m glad you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°So are you...¡± I force my body to listen. ¡°Barely...¡± Huh? Only now I notice him. Beat up and bloody, with dead bodies around him... ¡°REN! ¡°STAY DOWN!¡± ¡°DON''T DO THIS!¡± ¡°I SAID DON''T!¡± My body freezes again. Ren lets the chain wrap around his arm and reels the man to him. ¡°GET OVER HERE!¡± He snaps the neck in one quick turn. ¡°WHO''S NEXT! COME ON!¡± Ren taunts the bastards. Their whispers reach me. ¡°It''s been over a day now...¡± ¡°Monster...¡± ¡°WELL!¡± Ren does not let up. ¡°IDIOT! GET BACK HERE!¡± I try to move and fail. ¡°It''s ok, Gorgeous. Stay put till help arrives. You''ll be fine. Just don''t move.¡± ¡°WHAT HELP! YOU DON''T KNOW! IDIOT!¡± ¡°I KNOW! I KNOW! I know... I made the stupid choice to be here and now I''m paying the price.¡± ¡°NOW¡¯S NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR RIGTHEOUS BULLSHIT!!!¡± I hear Ren laugh softly inside my mind. ¡°That''s the first time ever I heard you use that word.¡± ¡°Why!¡± My heart aches... ¡°Don''t worry. Everything will be ok. They got smarter, but that works for me too. See? They are taking a break. I can catch my breath too... It''s ok.¡± ¡°WHAT PART ABOUT THIS IS OK, EXACTLY! There''s 10 of them and only ONE OF YOU!! Another giggle. ¡°There were 17 when you passed out... I''d say I did a pretty good job... Considering...¡± ¡°The bastards are healing themselves while you only exhaust yourself even more!!¡± Every muscle inside my body hurts¡­ I can¡¯t move¡­ ¡°I have my potions. Plus. I get a bite out of them too. Some even have booze on them. It''s ok. We''ll get through this. I promised Vona I''d be there for our child. I intend to keep it.¡± ¡°THEN BE THERE! RUN!¡± I try to raise my head. It drops back down like a stone. ¡°No.¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°I SAID NO!¡± He sounds angry. ¡°I''M NOT ABOUT TO LEAVE YOU!!¡± One of the bastards¡¯ charge Ren with their axe. Ren throws the chain and it wraps itself around the handle. Ren easily pulls the axe out of the man¡¯s hands and tosses it to the side. He uses the other end of the chain to capture the man. Ren pulls him in close, grabs the hilt of the knife, sticking out from behind the man and slashes the neck. A red stream bursts onto Ren. The body drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Another two charge Ren again. ¡°I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!! FORGET ME AND GET OUT OF HERE!!¡± ¡°I WILL NOT USE YOU TO SAVE MY OWN SKIN!! Sacrificing people isn''t my style.¡± ¡°YOUR STYLE IS ABOUT TO GET YOU KILLED!!¡± I watch him fend off the other two bandits. ¡°THEN SO BE IT!! I''D RATHER DIE THAN BETRAY YOU!!¡± ¡°What about her then, huh! Aren''t you betraying her by dying here! And the Child! What about it! Think here for a second!!¡± My body refuses to move still. ¡°I AM THINKING!! What kind of a father would I be if I used my best friend as a shield!! What kind of an example would that make me for the Child!!¡± He says, letting a dagger go straight through his right palm and punches the scum right in the nose with his left hook. ¡°YOU KEEP THIS UP AND YOU WON''T GET TO BE ANY KIND OF A FATHER!!! WHY MUST YOU BE SO STUBBORN!!¡± My head sinks to the ground again. ¡°BECAUSE I''M A MORON!!! ALRIGHT!! I''m an idiot... I know that... I should have stayed behind... I should have never brought you out here... I should have... EVEN SO!! If I run, I''ll run from myself for the rest of my life. I can''t do that. I can''t live a happy life knowing that you cost me it...¡± Ren staggers to stand up¡­ ¡°ANY LIFE IS BETTER THAN DEATH!!! LET ME HELP!!¡± ¡°I SAID STAY DOWN!! THAT''S AN ORDER!! DO NOT MOVE!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!¡± Ren''s voice roars inside my mind... He drops flat on the ground. ¡°You''ll regret doing this!!!¡± ¡°I regret this plenty already...¡± A few men surround him, one of them picks Ren up by the hair¡­ ¡°WYKREEEEEEEN!!!!!¡± My soul roars in pain... His head falls to the ground. Something snaps inside of me. Rage surges through me. It burns me. My body moves by itself. ¡°What in the...¡± ¡°MONSTER!!!¡± ¡°RUN!!¡± ¡°HELP!!¡± ¡°IT BURNS!!!¡± The voices scream in agony under my claws. Silver flames engulf the rotten bastards. The flesh burns. The blood sizzles. The stench fills the air. I stomp on the bodies, splattering the scum all over. I notice a few of them try to make a run for it. I try to go after them, but my body sinks down after a single jump. I push my useless body off the ground and with the last bits of my strength, I drag myself back to Ren¡¯s side¡­ ¡°How could you have let yourself get killed by the likes of trash such as this...¡± The fires around Ren''s body continue to burn. The rage within me slowly subsides... I nudge him... Gone... I curl up around him... My heart bleeds... Forgive me... Hyra... Forgive me... I hear voices... ¡°What in the...¡± ¡°No...¡± ¡°The King...¡± ¡°Oh Gods...¡± ¡°There''s more over here!¡± ¡°Look at those scorch marks...¡± ¡°Just what happened here...¡± ¡°WHO CARES! THE KING IS DEAD! WE FUCKED UP!!¡± ¡°Hoof prints! That way!¡± ¡°WE CAN STILL TRACK THEM!!¡± ¡°Let''s go!¡± ¡°DON''T!! OUR PRIORITY IS TO RETURN THEM! Especially the... Mistress...¡± A touch. I snap my eyes open and hover over Ren, growling. ¡°Nobody touches him!" ¡°Milady, please...¡± I swipe. ¡°Watch out!¡± I swipe again. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± ¡°We want to help!¡± ¡°I don''t care! Get lost!¡± I growl again and collapse to my side. ¡°Lady Emerald!¡± I sway to the sides and crash down again. I lay my head on Ren and roar. ¡°Leave them. For now. There are others.¡± I know that voice... I pass out again... I come in and out of my daze a few more times before I finally recognize the face in front of me. Lyma... ¡°Please. He''s the last one. Let us take him home...¡± Home... I force myself to stand. I manage half a step and crash back to the ground. ¡°Tend to her now!¡± ¡°Milady!¡± A gentle touch reaches me. I don''t have the strength to fight it anymore... I watch the soldiers pick Ren up and wrap him up with something... His severed head all wrapped up is the last thing I remember before passing out again... More reinforcements show up the next day. More like extra transportation... They load the bodies onto the wagons. They offer me one, but I chose to walk. I walk next to Ren all the way back... The city does not make a single sound as we pass by. We arrive at the Palace. Lyma stops the wagon in front of the entrance. Six men take Ren off the wagon and carefully lay him down on the cold marble... We wait... People gather around us... ¡°Out of my way! MOVE!¡± She''s here... His woman shows herself by the entrance... She falls straight to her knees and crawls to Ren... The woman crawls over his body. She takes Ren''s head and cradles it in her embrace, with her pregnant stomach pressing against his body... A sudden scream breaks out of her. The woman takes in more air and screams again. And again. And again. And again... Devona''s cries echo through the entire Palace... The city... The land... She screams his name out over and over, and over again... Her hysteria shatters my soul completely... Devona continues to shed tears with Ren''s head in her arms till there''s no more air left in her lungs... Her strength abandons her and she collapses, causing another hysteria amongst her people. Somebody takes her away. Some of the others take Ren away too... I drag myself to the stables and rot there... I will regret not being able to disobey Ren that day till the end of time... Epilogue ¡°Emerald?¡± A distant sound breaks the silence inside my mind. Such a fragile voice... ¡°Hello, Child, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡± That was the first time I saw her: the deep blue hair, the skin that''s neither white nor grey, but something in between, and the eyes, as blue as the sky... A tiny copy of Wykren... No. A vision appears inside my heart. The smiling face of Hyra and the quiet gaze of Wolken, with Ren in the middle... Now I understand what Ira meant... She is everything that we have left of him... The little Ren stands there, frozen. Small, round-ish, in a word - cute. The light fright coming off her makes me smile... Yet there is courage in her eyes. Same as her Father, when we first met...