《My Sister is Destined to Be a Warlock! Volume One: Family》


 Prologue

    <h1>Terminology</h1>


    Here are the terms that you might see in the course of the story.


    <ul>


    <li>Warlock - Usually a wizard, they usually have a great deal of (taught) magic and training. They would have to form a pact with a demon, usually a lower level one, in order to ¡°elevate¡± their magic. It is believed that a warlock¡¯s soul is ¡°tainted¡± by the demon¡¯s magic and the pact they have with them. They are susceptible to the ¡°demon¡¯s madness¡± and it¡¯s pretty uncommon - but it does happen.</li>


    <li>Wizard - Most magic wielders are wizards if they are able to afford the fees and boarding. They learn more towards proper technique and require rules to follow rather than use their magic ¡°out of bounds¡±. They have to follow certain rules, and there are a lot of them, but for many of them, they study more than put their magic to practical use. Although, they use magic for more every day uses to prevent magical buildup. Usually, wizards become professors in schools, politicians, and more; but very rarely, protectors of the city/town/villages. Because of the huge number of trained wizards, there are often schools popping up in different areas - mostly to continue their own studies.</li>


    <li>Witches - Usually women but it is not terribly uncommon for men to be witches. There are a lot more witches in poorer cities/towns/villages due to the simple fact they cannot afford the wizard boarding schools. They are more focused on the earth and focus more on healing spells and tricks along with defensive spells. They have extensive knowledge about herbs and they are passed down from generation to the next via grimoires. If a witch manages to inherit elemental magic, they are taught very few offensive spells to prevent both magical build-ups and to prevent a night witch creation.</li>


    <li>Monsters - The general term for animals that became corrupted by a certain warlock¡¯s demon madness. Through the years, they have improvised, adapted, and overcame the troubles as their new forms and created their own lineage and generations. They feast on other animals and humans. They are very susceptible to demons¡¯ manipulation and are not afraid of them. They get irritated easily with lower-level demons but are completely obedient towards elite demons. It is unsure how monsters showed up and exactly when, but they are forever part of the world as demons continue to use their control over certain warlocks to feed their existence.</li>


    <li>Demons - Creatures from the underworld who are said to be thousands of years old. Young demons are said to be hundreds of years old. The more elite demons tend to be characterized by their horns, red eyes, large wings, and their unnaturally pale skin. The only real trait that lower-level demons share is their red eyes and wings that appear at will. Beauty, they can choose to have it or not. They can try to blend into society, and it¡¯s easier for lower-level demons, fairly easily if they want to but they mostly revel in the terror and pain they cause.</li>


    <li>Magical Buildup - Magical buildup can occur when magic has not been used for longer than a week. Because different classes have different consequences, for magical buildup, they vary on the consequences but the initial effects remain pretty consistent with one another. When magical buildup occurs, it tends to affect the extremities and appears as a large wart or pimple. Before things get too bad, the affected goes to a local healing witch - who would make a cut to the wart to start leaking the additional magic. The witch will help leak as much as possible before it would be ¡°safe¡± for the patient to use magic. Once enough has leaked, the witch will bandage it up and give them instructions to heal it. Eventually, while they are in recovery, the patient will learn additional spells to help better control it.</li>


    </ul>


    <h1>Prologue</h1>


    Once upon a time, there were two sisters. Euna and Dala were twins who would study under the Goddess of Stars, Dratella. They were told they had the potential to be great Goddesses but that potential became boredom. In order to help guide the young deities around the Pantheon, they were assigned with angels to protect them from slipping to the mortal realm. However, Euna and Dala were very mischievous.


    One was named Troggia, an angel who took care of Euna, was a masculine-presenting angel who took care of their charge without question. The other was the feminine-presenting angel named Morzania who took care of Dala without question. The two angels obeyed the Elder Deity¡¯s whims and wish to take care of the twins without hesitance as angels were created to do. They followed every whim and wish the twins had, even when it twisted to pranks and games.


    When the twins realized how unwavering their angels were, they almost immediately started to pull pranks on them and played games instead of listening to their sterner lecturer. Anytime the angels get caught in a prank of theirs, at first, they would wave it off. Every time they would lose a game, they smiled and sighed. They would laugh along with the two daughters of the Creator and admit defeat in a prank.


    But that quickly grew over time in both frequency and level of maliciousness.


    When any of the Gods are born, they had to have lived a human¡¯s life to its fullest. They would¡¯ve experienced everything a human would have to endure and suffer through. If the spirit remained true to itself in life, they were in line to become a Deity among the mortals. They would have to study the ways of the Elder Gods and study how humans operate, how they operated, and how they will operate. They would have to learn the rules of being a Deity - but the twins spent their time playing around and pranking their angels.


    Eventually, as angels were created to worship their Deity, one of them broke their creed. In a moment of despair, Troggia had caught Morzania weeping after a particularly cruel prank. He had comforted her to the best of his abilities and Morzania confessed her disagreeable feelings towards the twins. While these feelings sprouted as the first signs of Falling, Troggia decided to ignore that. Instead, he tended to her emotional wounds and tried his best to heal her with his own power - another forbidden act - after he also confessed his own feelings.


    And so, a strange and secret alliance was formed between the two angels. Whenever the twins would prank the other, one would immediately tend to them. Whenever one would lose to a rigged game, the other would comfort them right away. These meetings were always done in secret and away from the Deities'' eyes. They did their best to avoid the gazes of other angels who started to suspect an illicit affair between the two - angels were created to serve their Deities. Why would these two angels become so secretive? Were they allowed to do that? They were surprised angels were capable of even having secrets¡­ And then the murmurs began.


    Troggia and Morzania continued to hide from the other angels. They started to hide other secrets from each other - signs of Falling started to appear on their bodies. At first, they claimed they were results of the twins¡¯ games and pranks - but over time, it became harder and harder to explain them away. In this secrecy, other feelings started to emerge - feelings of longing for each other as they only had each other¡¯s comfort from the pranks and games.


    Forbidden, they knew these feelings were. They only had each other in the Pantheon and soon all they had were feelings for each other. They didn¡¯t know what to do with these overwhelming feelings. Were angels capable of feeling these things? Why could they feel these things if it was supposed to be forbidden? Why did it feel so good when Morzania was around? Why were there tears of happiness when Troggia was around? Why was it comforting to be alone with each other? Oh, but they¡¯re not supposed to be this way! They were supposed to only focus on the twins!


    And then, the twins caught them.


    They had started to grow suspicious of their angels - they weren¡¯t reacting how they usually did. They started to disagree with them. At first, the twins thought that maybe it was still part of the prank. Maybe it was an act and part of the game. Maybe¡­ Maybe their pranks and games had gone too far.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    But that couldn¡¯t be it. They were just trying to satiate their boredom. They were young, after all, and all the young wanted to do was to explore different things and their pranks were harmless, weren¡¯t they? Well, angels were supposed to just deal with whatever their Deities handed to them. They didn¡¯t have feelings, did they? That¡¯s what the twins were told.


    So why did their angels ignore their orders? Why did they meet in secret? Why do they smile when they see each other? Why do they give the twins such a disdainful look any time they issue an order? Not everything they did and said were pranks, wasn¡¯t it? They had fun together, didn¡¯t they?


    At first, the twins tried to deny it - there was just no rhyme or reason that Troggia and Morzania would have a special alliance when angels were not supposed to have that concept in their heads. Maybe they were just overreacting. Maybe they were just stupid¡­ but eventually, when they tried to prank another angel, they realized how frequent their pranks and games were.


    Oh, no. Their first thought was to try to get rid of the alliance. They didn¡¯t mean to let it get that far. They didn¡¯t mean to let it get cruel! Oh, no, but they were in an alliance and they were doomed to be punished, or worse if the word had got out about it!


    However, even while knowing this¡­ they decided one last prank. One last prank to remind the angels of their place in the Pantheon. They should never have been allowed to meet. They should never have been allowed to be alone together. This was their mess and they had to clean it up. But even knowing this¡­ they couldn¡¯t resist the urge for one more prank.


    It was supposed to be simple - they had recently learned how to shape-shift into other beings. Euna would be Troggia while Dala would be Morzania - oh, it would be fun! They¡¯re so enamored with each other, they would be able to tell right away! But this would be the last prank¡­ After that, no more games. No more pranks. They would tell Dratella - maybe She could help set the angels back to how they¡¯re supposed to be. No more alliances. No more games. No more pranks. The two would become serious about their studies and become two of the best Goddesses the Pantheon has ever seen.


    But just let them have this last fun¡­


    And the plan failed so spectacularly. They saw right through them! Troggia wouldn¡¯t say that! Morzania wouldn¡¯t do that! But they were found out¡­! Oh, they screamed! Oh, they hurt! Oh, they had anger! And they were also caught by Her, Dratella, on top of it! The two daughters of humans once cried to Dratella and claimed the angels clamored and had that strange emotional outburst for no other reason! Oh, but they were so innocent!


    However, they were close to getting away with it had it not for their arrogance. They started to giggle and laugh at the high they got for getting away with it. With the screams and anguish of both angels echoing, they didn¡¯t feel any remorse until maybe the fifth scream echoed in the halls. The other angels feared for their lives - the couple¡¯s secrets were out.


    They were in love. They were in fear of the twins.


    The truth was how much the twins pranked and played with them to a point where they were unable to take it anymore! It could¡¯ve been decades or even hundreds of years this torment went on! The angels had no way to tell! They only had one job - take care of their Deity but they¡¯ve failed because the twins were so merciless! They kept pranking! They kept hurting! I¡¯m sorry! But I love him! I love her!!


    No one would listen to the cries of two angels who once were pure but had spots and hints of Falling soon.


    The twins would finally realize what they had done. But it was too late.


    One strike too many landed on Morzania¡¯s back, after they dewinged her, and she finally had been swallowed by her darkness. She Fell hard and Troggia soon followed after her. He didn¡¯t get dewinged as she Fell to the world below them. The angels had always been aware of the mortals below but they were unconcerned. Their wings protected them. Their wings were meant to give Deities flight. They weren¡¯t supposed to be near the mortals.


    The mortals could never understand the full power of an angel, never mind a Deity. But still, Trogia wouldn¡¯t let them take his wings as he tried, and failed, to save her.


    All this did was accelerate his Falling. They were separated. They would never see each other again.


    Morzania¡¯s despair and Troggia¡¯s anger led them to become demons - something very unheard of! Could angels really become demons? Is this how they became demons? Dewinging them was a cruel punishment on its own but¡­ they had markings of the Fallen. Were they always destined to Fall? These questions and more echoed in the halls of the Pantheon.


    Some whispered hope and prayed for Troggia and Morzania¡¯s names that they would enter the heavens again one day. Others cursed them and wished they wouldn¡¯t try - there was no way they could enter once they leave the Heavens. The mortals were sinful enough - something as pure as angels couldn¡¯t fathom of their temptations. They weren¡¯t designed for that.


    And yet when Etmos, the God of Law, enacted a law to allow angels to feel emotions freely, that didn¡¯t stop Him from investigating what actually happened. Why did these two angels react this way? Did they say the twins, Euna and Dala, hurt them while they wailed? Were those just cries of pleading angels?


    To His surprise, the twins confessed their crimes. They were distraught. They were scared. They were only playing games! It was just a prank! How could something so horrible come of something that was meant to be in good fun?


    Immediately, Etmos shared His findings with Dratella. Dratella was, unfortunately, not surprised. Very rarely, Deities were hardly punished for their crimes by being assigned to something so early. In fact, they would be stripped of their status and doomed to never reincarnate but Dala and Euna interested her. She didn¡¯t want to lay waste¡­ instead, she decided to give the two away to watch both the Heavens and the mortals. A punishment fit for the twins who tried their best to separate a couple that was never meant to be harmed.


    For eons, no one at the Pantheon wanted to be near the sun and moon - they would have no access to the Heavens and no access to the mortals. They would forever see them from a distance and never touch them. She didn¡¯t know what to do with the sun and moon. To Her, they were just two floating orbs around that precious world. And yet, She realized that it would be the perfect punishment for the twins. After all, they tried so desperately to separate their angels. They tried desperately to separate themselves from their studies.


    Yes, this was a suitable punishment.


    Euna would go to the sun and Dala would go to the moon. Forevermore.


    Hundreds of years went by until they decided to pull one more game. One more game to fix this massive mistake they have made. An effort to help mend Troggia and Morzania¡¯s despair and to bring them together. Even if they are Fallen, they could probably still heal the world with their love, even if it¡¯s a little bit. Maybe their love could change the world¡­ that¡¯s what they thought. That¡¯s what they believed in.


    At first, they wanted to accept their punishment but as time went by, they saw the fruits of their games. From what little the twins knew about demons, they knew they roamed the earth and there¡¯s nothing they could do about it. They knew their energy and aura corrupted the ecology of the world below them and monsters became a constant danger to the mortals. The Deities granted the humans and humanoids magic to protect themselves from these creatures but it¡¯s up to them how they used the magic - but Euna and Dala felt guilty for what they have done.


    While no one paid attention to the sun and moon after they were sentenced there, they managed to fix the course of their respective realms and meet two to four times a year - the mortals would call these events an eclipse - but it was a meeting of the twins trying to right a wrong they¡¯ve committed eons ago.


    And then, they realized the power of oracles and prophecies. Mortals could barely handle the image of an angel before them, much less a Deity; but the twins could shape-shift. They could give them a prophecy that could save Troggia and Morzania. And so they did.


    When they had an eclipse one year, they snuck off to the world to deliver false prophecies. If caught, they would most likely be stripped of their ranks and be sent to the Under Pantheon or worse¡­ They couldn¡¯t think of anything worse and they didn¡¯t want to. But they did it. One delivered to a ¡°lion king¡± with a surprise and the other to a family who became wealthy recently through smart investments.


    There was nothing special about this family but they must have their first-born daughter become a warlock in order to defeat this king - for he¡¯s rumored to be the cause of the degradation of this country. The prophet given to this family was simply this: ¡°It shall be then when the lion is king no longer, the graceful woman shall usher forth an era of harmony and age of renaissance.¡±


    And dear Euna made a startling discovery about her message - but it only made their resolve stronger. When the lion king discovered who she was, she only left behind the body of her mortal disguise and these warning words: ¡°It shall be, on the day that ice rains from the sky, a woman clad in blue shall user forth the end of peace.¡±


    Our story begins when such a woman is born and ready to take on a task that was never meant to be hers.

 Episode One

    <h1 style="text-align: center">Episode One</h1>


    ¡°Again! I missed it again!¡± shouted a woman. She dug her brown boot-covered heel into the ground. However, a soft chuckle followed her words.


    ¡°Sabrina, you¡¯re getting too anxious. Evia¡¯s not coming back for another few weeks.¡± The voice belonged to a man with a white robe wrapped around him. He sat on top of the small garden wall the family had once placed to prevent smaller animals from getting into it. He had a very gentle face with short brown hair and a shaggy short beard. He didn¡¯t have a mustache on his face but the beard made him look older than what he really was. He chuckled at the brunette before him who was getting in position to attack the dummy target again.


    However, upon hearing the name ¡®Evia¡¯ made the woman get angrier, and she seemed to ignore him. She positioned her hands where her left was in front of her right. Her feet were staggered and placed slightly wider than her hips. Her green eyes were narrowed with concentration - or it could¡¯ve been focused anger - and muttered an incantation of her own creation. From what Ezax had taught her, incantations are a wizard¡¯s own creation. Once the incantation had been uttered, a fireball formed in the palm of her left hand and shot out to the target.


    This time, it successfully hit. A smile crept on her lips that developed to almost a scowl but she knew she was happy. When she faced Estax, the man sitting, she gave him a bigger smile with her eyes closed. She placed her hands on her hips. The dummy was set ablaze for a short moment before it put itself off. The dummy seemed to be enchanted somehow.


    Estax clapped softly and chuckled more. ¡°All I ever have to mention is your sister, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Sabrina¡¯s smile dropped and the wind blew through her medium-brown hair. She slowly opened her eyes but kept her hands on her hips. She seemed to twist her painted lips into an angry look and glowered towards Estax.


    ¡°Estax, do you have to bring her up every time? Do you not value your life? You know I¡¯m sick of hearing about her - do you think I don¡¯t recall she¡¯s supposed to do this very important prophecy? I¡¯ve only heard about it my entire life, you know!¡±


    If Estax didn¡¯t know Sabrina for as long as he did, he probably would''ve been worried about his position. However, being her older cousin and her trainer, all he did in response was laugh a bit more heartily. He knew she wasn¡¯t going to do anything - she would expose her secret training for the rest of their family and that¡¯s a conversation Sabrina made it clear she was never ready to do.


    ¡°Hey, stop laughing! I¡¯m serious!¡± But Estax knew she wasn¡¯t so he kept laughing. She growled slightly and fell to the grassy ground. Her outfit was some old clothes she had that still fit her. Old robes that had burned holes in them and other torn places. She knew that on top of her forbidden battle magic, she would also be reprimanded for wearing such torn clothes ¡®for a lady of her status¡¯. However, she only got angrier.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Estax finally stopped laughing and actually stood up from his place. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day for now. We actually may need to cut down the time from now on since everyone is preparing for Evia¡¯s return as it is. It¡¯s getting a bit risky.¡±


    Sabrina looked up and changed her angry face to a more sorrowful face. ¡°Do you know if she¡¯s visiting this time or if she¡¯s staying? Is Zekon returning with her?¡± Supposedly, Evia had finished her training with someone she had grown up to believe was a cousin. Her sorrowful expression turned back to anger. There was no one reason to feel betrayed - Zekon being a demon didn¡¯t sit well with her. And apparently, her older family knew about it - and never bothered to let Sabrina in.


    ¡°Hm, supposedly, the two are coming back for a celebration and then they¡¯re heading out for the capital. I think they have to get clearance with the Shields of the Orbs first in Fayglen first but most likely, Evia wants to come home first. It has been quite a while since she¡¯s seen us, you know. Oh, we also received a letter from her actually with your name on it.¡±


    Envy, that familiar feeling, crept up through Sabrina¡¯s heart as Estax explained her sister''s itinerary. Betrayal from an early age from her own parents, Sabrina was forced to be a witch instead of the wizard she was supposed to be. Evia had to spend more time at that academy of hers for longer than most people were supposed to - and it cost them a pretty penny for the extra board and fees. She knew it wasn¡¯t Evia¡¯s fault she was destined to be the one to save this country but did Sabrina had to be born in the same era as her? Or even if she had to be born in the same era, couldn¡¯t she have been born into a different family? Maybe they would have their destinies cross after all but¡­


    ¡°Sabrina, here, read the letter.¡± Estax was suddenly close to her and handed her the sealed envelope. Sabrina looked up and then took the letter. She inspected it and, sure enough, her name was written in the familiar script and had Evia¡¯s own seal on the back. Every time she saw that seal, she couldn¡¯t help but flinch angrily at it. She opened it quickly to discard it as quickly as she could.


    Once the letter was out, she opened it up and read it.


    Dearest Sabrina,This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    By the time you receive this letter, I will be on my way back home from training. I¡¯m sure Mother and Father already told you, but I am now an officiated Warlock. I know that finding out Zekon is a demon was a big shock to you - I understand it¡¯s frustrating to have all these secrets kept from you but I want you to know that it was a shock to me too! Oh, but it¡¯s still our dear Zekon that we grew and love! Don¡¯t worry, dear sister! I¡¯m in good hands! Please trust Zekon!


    I am excited to see your bright face when I come home! I have a special announcement to make at the celebration so it would mean a lot to me if you attended this time. I know every time I come home, Mother and Father spare no expense on celebrating my arrival and I know you always disappear. I want you there this time. It¡¯s very important to me that you are.


    I want you to be there for me when I come home.


    Evia


    Every line, every dotted i¡¯s and crossed t¡¯s only made Sabrina angry and more envious. What announcement could Evia even make that she didn¡¯t already know? And how come she¡¯s a warlock? Did the prophecy even call for her to be a warlock? Was trusting Zekon really the issue? No, it was the fact that Zekon lied about who they were. That¡¯s what hurt Sabrina but, as usual, Evia didn¡¯t see that. She just heard, probably from Mother, about how upset she was. Sabrina never wrote a letter to Evia, even once, not since they were children at least.


    However, the line, ¡°I want you to be there for me when I come home,¡± caught her by surprise. It was rare enough that her older sister ever asked her of anything. She always wanted Sabrina to follow her dreams of being the ¡®best healing witch¡¯ she could but that¡¯s something their Mother lied about as well. Sabrina never wanted to be a healing witch. She wanted to be a wizard. Maybe go as far as becoming a Shield of the Orb, even, but just being able to destroy the monsters that plagued this country with her own magic¡­ instead of being behind the sidelines.


    She sighed as she stood up from her place. She wiped off the excess grass - her older cousin waited for her and never said anything more as he understood the situation a bit more - and started to walk to the house. She crumpled up the letter but, instead of throwing it aside as she would usually do, she kept it in her hand as she made haste to her room. Even though Estax had done his best to cover up the fact they were always together in secret, she didn''t want to slip up now and get caught by a maid or butler of the house.


    She would always resent the fact that her parents could pay for maids and butlers but couldn¡¯t afford to send her to wizarding school and that¡¯s something she could never hide.


    .x.


    After she had washed up and changed into her usual outfit - a light red smock that she bought with her own earnings as a healing witch, she made sure to hide her previous outfit. She slipped on a comfortable pair of flat shoes in case she needed to do some more herb collecting. Her traditional witch¡¯s hat was on a rack by the entrance of the foyer.


    She was fairly decent as a witch for as much she hated the trade itself. Her mother had personally trained her from a young age and while her true passion lies in the art of fighting, it was something for her to earn money from.


    From what she had learned, she had quite an advantage - most witches her age would already have a storefront and would start thinking about marriage and settling down but, while her parents wanted her to settle down with someone, she always had the excuse of her craft - if she were to leave, how would anyone help out around the Bellerose estate? Her mother was aging and she was the only other Bellerose in the estate in name.


    Her younger brothers had found work, as they were non-magical humans themselves, around town as laborers and working in a tavern. She hardly saw them at home as they decided to stay in Fayglen instead of having to commute a half-day¡¯s trip from the estate but they did make an effort to come home on their days off and spend their vacations there. In other words, Sabrina was the only child in the Bellerose main family branch that still lived with her parents.


    In this part of the country, it might have been the best bet as the Bellerose estate was quite far away from Fayglen and with her parents aging, they need someone to be able to withstand the travel to and from town with ease. Sabrina would go with the servants that were somehow still employed and sold both hers and her mother¡¯s wares. Her father couldn¡¯t do much in the way of business anymore as he recently retired and planned to live off of his earnings but it was her mother¡¯s insistence that she continue the witch tradition.


    However, on this day, she would usually hunt for herbs but because her sister is coming back in a few weeks, she would probably have to talk to her parents about anything specific before she went out.


    While she made her way to her mother¡¯s library, she looked at the dummy that was transformed into a strange plant - where she was earlier. Estax¡¯s specialty was illusion magic so for the fact that he could turn that dummy to a plant, however strange it was, and Sabrina could finally find some solace. Even though Estax had only come to the Bellerose estate after his parents were murdered by bandits, he never once judged her for wanting to be a battlemage, rather battle witch, and even taught her quite a few spells.


    Her still wet hair blew in the cool summer air and she felt a bit strange relief. She had placed her sister¡¯s letter away for the first time that wasn¡¯t the trash can. It was placed on her desk where she usually kept her own stationery. She had no intention to answer the letter but she started to reflect on the letter even more so.


    She was more curious about what she wanted to announce. Sabrina knew it wouldn¡¯t be a lover or anything of the sort. She was loyal to their parents¡¯ advice. She had a prophecy to fulfill after all, and Evia had always been the more dutiful one while Sabrina had always been the more rebellious one of the two. Sabrina wished she had a chance to carve her own destiny instead of falling in line with the destiny her parents, especially her mother, forced onto her.


    But before Sabrina could consider her destiny and the letter further, she heard her mother call for her. Thinking of the demon, Sabrina thought to herself as she answered the call and started to jog down the hallway to her, I need to find a way to get out of here¡­ There¡¯s just no way am I meant to be an errand girl who calls herself a witch! There¡¯s just no way!


    To Be Continued¡­

 Episode Two

    Sabrina sighed out loud when she was finally alone as she traveled to Fayglen in the carriage by herself. Typically, a maid or butler would go with her but, depending on the weather and time of year, they would sit with the driver. Maybe there were some rumors that the servants got together but Sabrina never focused on that. Sabrina tried to push the letter out of her mind and tried to focus on the fast traveling world outside.


    But Sabrina was the type to fret about it. For as much as she says she doesn¡¯t like her sister, Sabrina focused on her a lot and that brought a lot of irritation to her. She waved her finger, and eventually, her wrist moved with it. Soon, magic started to form at the tips of her fingers. As an elemental witch, she had always been used to creating ¡®sparks¡¯ of magic such as this. She usually would create her favorite image - an image of herself as a battlemage fighting an unknown enemy. It was translucent and it was akin to a doodle on a piece of paper but nevertheless the image appeared before her.


    Her mother had requested to pick up some early supplies for Evia¡¯s arrival and subsequent celebration and from the list that Sabrina received; it seemed that they were trying to make something for her. It¡¯s hard to push anything regarding Evia out of any private space she had. From birth, she knew, she understood, and more than anything she accepted from a young age even that her big sister had quite the weight on her shoulders. So she would always be favored by her parents, especially.


    The witch looked outside the window and saw a family of monsters who rested in between the trees. Maybe they saw the carriage go by, maybe they didn¡¯t, but Sabrina understood how corrupted the country of Covania has become for over one thousand years. She tried to imagine what that family of monsters was once before they became corrupted.


    Rumors had it, according to Estax, that Covania had a king once. A monarch to look up to but he had been held hostage by a demon and because the demon was cruel, it kept the king alive on purpose to show how the country wouldn¡¯t survive without him - how the demon could corrupt the animals to ignore their divine light and listen to the divine darkness that was the essence of demons.


    But that demon was wrong. Once the king was imprisoned, the Royal Wizard had taken upon himself, and his descendants thus, to enact the High Wizard Era - wizards who were those deemed enlightened enough to temporarily rule over Covania until the king is free - and whoever freed the king would be granted the crown.


    Sabrina had no wishes or desires to bear the crown - that role would always go to Evia. All she wanted to do was to travel the world - see what the world was like outside of Covania, even outside the town of Fayglen. Even though witches weren¡¯t barred from joining the Shields of the Orb, wizards and witches who protect those weaker from monsters attacking those who require protection, Sabrina Bellerose was. As long as she¡¯s a Bellerose, she would not dare leave the estate.


    When the carriage stopped for a small lunch, a small break, Sabrina opted to eat outside although she kept to herself, as she usually did. Whatever the discussion the driver had with the assigned maid, it didn¡¯t apply to her. They gossiped about their lives and what they did on their off time. Sabrina used to be curious but she wasn¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°Oh, Mistress Sabrina,¡± the maid suddenly cried out to her. The woman had just swallowed some food when she heard her name being called. She answered her with a grunt and a glance towards the maid¡¯s direction.


    The maid, Sabrina couldn¡¯t remember all of their names, seemed very kind with her big eyes hidden behind equally big glasses. Her brown was neatly tied up in a bun under the maid¡¯s cap. She wore a coat appropriate for a maid traveling with her mistress. They, including the driver she was talking to until just a moment ago, sat on a blanket - though, if Sabrina¡¯s mother saw such a ¡®cheap¡¯ garment, they would¡¯ve gotten in trouble for sure.


    Sabrina turned to give the maid proper eye contact.


    ¡°I almost forgot! When we get to Fayglen, we need to check with Ser Owain about Evia announcing her return! Your mother sent me to make sure you remember!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the maid¡¯s fault. If she wouldn¡¯t have come along, surely another servant would. However, Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but get annoyed. She remembered, all right. She had the specified instructions in her small pouch that went across her shoulder and never leaves her side when she does travel. A great flash of irritation filled Sabrina very quickly and she could already hear the maid apologize.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ not your fault. I know Mother is trying to make sure I remember something very important!¡±


    She let out a sigh. She would have to train extra hard when she was back home to get rid of this irritation towards her mother. They tried to enjoy the rest of their lunch even while Sabrina wanted nothing more than to set things ablaze around her. She remembered how her hand hurt after copying the letter she had to copy from her mother about coming back on a certain date.


    Because she is destined to save Covania, Sabrina remembered her parents had to ¡®register¡¯ the prophecy with the Shields of the Orbs when Evia was finally born. But, she remembered her mother telling her, they wouldn¡¯t accept it for the simple fact it came from an oracle that wasn¡¯t registered with them. So they rejected them, something no one thought it was even possible.


    However, when Ser Owain Aboret suddenly produced a letter five years ago from Evia and their school days, suddenly, they rushed to register her. Maybe it¡¯s because it was around the time when Zekon revealed themselves to be a demon - a demon that had been indebted to her family for generations. Whenever Evia even thought about coming back, her mother would make her copy the letter and turn it into the Shields to make sure that everything is ¡®okay¡¯, whatever that meant. Ser Owain would try to be gentle and understanding but it¡¯s hard for Sabrina to accept that it took until his letter that got her properly registered.


    Every time she came home, Ser Owain and his inferiors would follow Sabrina back and stay with them until Evia returned. Everything about this situation frustrated her but the only thing she can do is watch from the sidelines.


    .x.


    By the time they finally arrived in Fayglen, it was already in the early afternoon. The maid and the driver wanted to do their errands while Sabrina had to meet with the Shields. Instead of wasting her time with picking up the necessary supplies, she decided to give them her list. She really didn¡¯t want to travel at night if that family of monsters was close enough for her to see. She didn¡¯t want to risk it.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the money for it and leave without me. I¡¯m going to stay with Jacques tonight. All this traveling is getting to me and I¡¯d like to be alone for a while longer. Tell Mother the usual - I¡¯m selling wares, or whatever. And here¡¯s a little extra should you decide to stay in a hotel.¡±


    Unsure, the maid nodded once Sabrina handed half of her gold. Whether or not the maid would actually keep the gold and run away, or if she¡¯s one of the few loyal servants, Sabrina really didn¡¯t care. She knew deep inside that she probably should at least get the things on her list to ensure things were bought but from how the maid acted, she knew she was in good hands.


    However, Sabrina had another reason why she gave the maid her usual task - to visit the Shields meant another long visit with them. It was just easier to stay the night in Fayglen with her brother after a night of the Shields talking and trying to convince her to leave. She was the wrong person to convince; who they should talk to was her mother. Soon, they disappeared with the townspeople who started to hustle for their last sales for the day.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    As Sabrina wandered around the town, taking in the usual sights and sounds, she couldn¡¯t miss what she was looking for - the giant Shields building had beautifully decorated shields on each side that bore the flag for the Shields - blue trimmed with gold and silver braided to create the insignia of swords surrounding a cross in the middle. She had learned from the Shields she¡¯s about to meet that the gold and silver represented the wizards and witches who banded together to protect the people in Covania - at least until there¡¯s a new monarch.


    Every time Sabrina saw those billowing flags, she was always touched by them. She knew that if it wasn¡¯t for Evia, she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to even think about going in. But if it wasn¡¯t for Evia, where would they be? She brushed the thought inside as she made her way inside.


    .x.


    Though they had this grand building, there were more grunts than necessary although Sabrina had guessed a long time ago that they were more administrative than those who actually saw action. She approached the receptionist, who was a pretty girl who was more interested in the outside world than her job.


    ¡°Hi, my name is Sabrina Bellerose. I¡¯m here to see Ser Owain Aboret.¡±


    The girl looked up and finally focused on Sabrina and smiled and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s down the hallway. You know where to go.¡± She pointed towards the back area. Even though this seemed like a building more meant for administrative purposes, Sabrina never took the time to learn that girl¡¯s name - but then, they always changed workers at least a few times a month¡­ it wouldn¡¯t have mattered anyway.


    Had Sabrina been anyone else, she would be nervous to meet a squadron leader from the Shields but she kept her posture straight and her attitude low. She knew that the Shields were just doing their jobs and it is her duty to inform them about Evia¡¯s eventual return.


    However, she was surprised to see that the door opened before she could even knock. She had to back up a little bit when she recognized the tall man as Ser Helies Nogas, one of Ser Owain¡¯s inferiors, or as he would call him, his left hand. He was extremely tall and surprisingly paler than most people she had seen around Fayglen - but that wasn¡¯t what surprised her. He seemed to have been in a heated argument about something since his face was scrunched up in his own anger.


    His long black hair was tied halfway through with the rest of his hair flowing freely. He wore his usual knight outfit - covered in blue with an obnoxious cravat in the middle of his uniform top. He didn¡¯t seem to carry a weapon on his person, but that¡¯s to be expected after all. Sabrina was briefly close enough to him where she noticed a beauty mark underneath his left eye, where his right eye would normally be covered by his bangs.


    Once he recognized Sabrina, his expression softened up quickly. It wasn¡¯t so much the look of irritation that surprised her - it was more of the fact he seemed more energetic than usual. In the few times she had interacted with him, Ser Helies had always been sleeping or at least had some type of food in his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, Lady Bellerose,¡± he suddenly said. If the two didn¡¯t watch where they were going, then they would¡¯ve definitely hit each other. Sabrina could¡¯ve sworn she saw a soft smile on his face but maybe she was just tired. Usually, she would eat before she visited the Shields on Evia business, but this seemed quite urgent this time around. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were dropping by this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Ser Helies,¡± Sabrina said as her own rendition of a smile appeared. ¡°Didn¡¯t my mother sent a dove to Ser Owain or is he still not sharing important news with you?¡±


    The man looked a bit flushed so he avoided his gaze for a moment but looked back at her. ¡°Er, no, I mean, yeah, we received the dove this morning. I apologize. L-let me get out of the way.¡± He emphasized the point further as he stepped aside to let her in. Sabrina had always appreciated Ser Helies¡¯s gentleness with her. She thanked him and she entered the room.


    Without having to ask, Ser Helies closed the door behind her and she could hear his footsteps walk away although she went to focus in the room before her.


    As it was the afternoon, she could see that Ser Owain had a small candlelit as he wrote something with a quill and paper. There was a familiar, but much shorter, figure next to the man at the desk. If it wasn¡¯t for the usual knight¡¯s outfit, she would¡¯ve thought Lady Roesia Havenblossom was a statue. However, she already recognized her as such - her mid-tone black skin with her long white hair tied up with the same uniform Ser Helies wore. Unlike Ser Helies, she had a sword by her side. She stood firmly and as Sabrina got closer, Sabrina waved hello to her. As expected, Lady Roesia did not wave back.


    The squadron leader kept writing something and eventually found a place to stop. Sabrina could hear him chuckle softly and turned his gaze to her.


    Ser Owain Aboret was quite the handsome fellow - his blue hair looked almost very uncharacteristic for both the title and uniform he wore as it was still somewhat disheveled. His big purple eyes watched her very carefully but his smile remained big as ever. While Lady Roesia and Ser Helies wore a deep blue for their uniforms, Ser Owain wore an even deeper blue uniform and had more decor on it than the two of them. The grunts outside would probably wish to wear such a grand uniform but they wore simple blue uniforms made for a grunt.


    Sabrina was out of place with her red smock dress and witch¡¯s hat. However, she was used to that feeling - she stopped questioning it years ago.


    She curtsied in front of the Ser and gave him eye contact when she meets him. ¡°A pleasure, Ser Owain.¡±


    Ser Owain did not change his position but instead nodded his head as he acknowledged the etiquette before him. He smiled a bit wider. ¡°Always a pleasure, Lady Bellerose. I have received your mother¡¯s dove about Lady Evia¡¯s return. Do you have the letter copy written?¡±


    Another bow. ¡°I do. May I reach into my pouch to retrieve it?¡±


    ¡°You may.¡±


    She tried to hold back a sigh but with swift movements, she retrieved the copied letter and stepped forward to place the folded letter on his desk, on top of whatever paperwork he was previously working on. On the folded paper, there was a seal of the Camilla flower - which indicated it was sealed using Evia¡¯s spare. Ser Owain reached over and broke the seal.


    In it, he read the letter:


    Dearest Mother,


    I am happy to tell you that I have completed my training. I am an officiated warlock now that I have made my pact with Zekon. The training was tough as it was invigorating. I look forward to being home with everyone in a few weeks'' time. Would I have to register Zekon with the Shields? Oh, I don¡¯t expect an answer right away! I¡¯m just curious.


    Best,


    Evia


    Even though Ser Owain could clearly tell that it had been copy-written by Sabrina, he could see the seal of the white hyacinth next to what would¡¯ve been Evia¡¯s signature. This would let his superiors know it was Sabrina who copywrote it.


    After he read the letter, Ser Owain let out a soft chuckle. He folded the letter back to how it was originally folded and set it aside.


    ¡°Well, to answer Lady Evia¡¯s question, she wouldn¡¯t have to register Zekon. She¡¯s an official warlock after all and, as you know, that warlocks are not permitted to join the Shields. I will have to inform Ser Helies or Lady Roesia here to strike that from the letter officially. They don¡¯t care about that sort of thing, you see. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±


    Sabrina made no movements but listen to the man speak about what to do.


    ¡°And now since we know that she¡¯s coming back,¡± he said as he finally stood up from his desk, ¡°I would have to let my superiors know about this. Are you staying in Fayglen tonight or are you heading back to your estate immediately, Lady Bellerose?¡± He walked over by the fireplace that had yet to be lit for the evening and leaned slightly on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to my brother¡¯s place this evening. I¡­ may stay in town for a little longer though so if you have anything urgent for my mother, you¡¯ll probably have to send a dove.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Which brother?¡±


    ¡°Hm, is this pertinent to Lady Evia? She¡¯s the only one you¡¯re concerned about, right? She¡¯s staying wherever she¡¯s staying. I¡¯m staying where I¡¯m staying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lady Bellerose, I¡¯m just trying to make conversation.¡± He closed his big purple eyes and smiled wider. Finally, Lady Roesia moved to face him. She looked like she had something to add to the conversation but eventually deemed it inappropriate. Sabrina always admired Lady Roesia¡¯s discipline. ¡°Plus, I was wondering if you would like to join Lady Roesia, Ser Helies, and myself tonight for dinner. Most likely, whenever you¡¯re ready to leave, we¡¯ll have to go along with you.¡±


    Again, Lady Roesia moved slightly and Sabrina could even hear her sword move with her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear, Lady Roesia? Oh, my, I must be holding back information again! I got a dove from Ser Thumas along with Lady Bellerose¡¯s dove that the decision has been made for us to escort Evia to Madhollow to fulfill the prophecy.¡±


    This guy is really annoying¡­ Sabrina thought as she could feel the mood shift in the room. She felt sympathy for the two Shields under him.


    However, Lady Roesia still didn¡¯t say anything but gave him an annoyed look. She dug her heels into the ground and decided to leave the two alone. She didn¡¯t slam the door but soon it was only Sabrina and Ser Owain. The Ser didn¡¯t move and instead chuckled at the very small tantrum they had just witnessed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really bad habit of mine, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is, Ser Owain. You better start telling them these things are they¡¯re going to request to leave.¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ but I suppose even great squadron leaders like me can make mistakes. So, would you join us for dinner?¡±


    To Be Continued¡­

 Episode Three

    Sabrina felt almost forced to accept the dinner invitation at that point, once again for Evia. On the way out, she had seen the tall Ser Helies again and the two chatted for a little bit. He always seemed happy to see her whenever she was in the building for Evia business and she would be lying if she said she didn¡¯t appreciate it. There were very few men outside her own family and businesses she was ¡®allowed¡¯ to interact as the Lady of the estate. Maybe it¡¯s because he happened to be in the same squadron, Ser Owain¡¯s immediate inferior, even, but it was pure chance that the two had grown up in similar houses.


    From what she had learned from him, his family had always been in the Shields, his parents even met each other as high ranking officers and because they were very strict about his training - they never wanted him to stray from the path of being a Shield. It didn¡¯t make Sabrina appreciate her status but it did make her feel a bit better - she wasn¡¯t alone. Even someone like Ser Helies was trapped in such a strict family, and a bigger coincidence yet, they¡¯re the same age.


    Did she think about getting with Ser Helies behind her parents, behind the Shields¡¯ backs? Of course, she did, but she was wiser to not act on it. One night of freedom would inevitably lock her away further from it. She didn¡¯t dare to risk it. So instead, she enjoys his company for as much time as possible by talking to him about various subjects. And most nights, like tonight, she would shake her head internally and felt silly for possibly taking advantage of Ser Helis¡¯s kindness towards her.


    They had to wait for Ser Owain and Lady Roesia to make sure that their duties were done for the night. Ser Helies had very little tasks for some reason that wasn¡¯t all that obvious to Sabrina but regardless, she enjoyed his company.


    ¡°Are you excited to see Lady Evia, Lady¡­ Sabrina?¡± he hesitantly asked. Thankfully, no grunt or anyone of status heard him.


    A rule was in place for the two of them - they would address them without titles if they weren¡¯t in others¡¯ sights. All they did was talked anyway, but it¡¯s still such a social taboo to both of their establishments that it was better not to risk it outside their conversations. For they may be lost in each other¡¯s words, but that world ends when they say good-bye.


    ¡°Ugh, not really. She said in my letter that I¡¯m to be there for her usual celebration but I¡¯d rather be here in Fayglen. At least I could spend the day by myself while you and everyone else deal with that boring show.¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but release a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go, honestly. I can¡¯t even imagine why she wants me there.¡± She shrugged to elevate her point further. ¡°I¡¯m just her little secretary. And that won¡¯t change when she goes off to fulfill her destiny.¡±


    The tall Shield nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lady Evia appreciates all that you¡¯ve done for her. Plus, you never know what it could be, right? I¡¯ve never met her since Ser Owain always seemed to talk to her and take control, but I¡¯m sure she speaks highly of you.¡± Pretty words to comfort and alleviate both sides. Sabrina had heard it all too much too often - and it pierced her gut every time. She didn¡¯t show it on her face which was an important skill she forced herself to learn.


    Maybe it was a bad idea to bring that up but he did ask her a question. Unlike Sabrina, Ser Helies always spoke so highly of his siblings - his eldest brother, Jasion, is a top witch in the Shields; Serafine, his older sister, is the Captain of the Shields, and Eiran was known as a decorated commander. Sabrina always wondered why Ser Helies himself is so low on the totem pole compared to his siblings but usually, most of their conversations end there. He doesn¡¯t like talking about their current status.


    ¡°Are you two ready to eat?¡± a different voice spoke. The two turned to face a smiling Ser Owain and Lady Roesia, but she wore a fur cloak over her uniform and had a pleased look on her face. For as stoic as she pretended to be, Sabrina found it cute that Roesia wasn¡¯t aware of what face she put to the outside world. From what she learned from Ser Helies, Lady Roesia came from a small village from Snowy Rise Mountain - the mountain her family¡¯s estate faced opposite of Fayglen. While it¡¯s the tallest snow-covered mountain in Covania, there are many villages that surround it and it¡¯s a month¡¯s trip away due to the sudden drop in climate and terrain. And because Lady Roesia is from one of those villages, Sabrina was told that she preferred the cold weather more than anything and had quite the time adjusting to the weather in Fayglen.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Ser Owain,¡± Sabrina answered. She gave him what she thought was a sweet smile but Lady Roeseia looked surprised for just a moment while Ser Owain continued to smile as though nothing has changed. It wasn¡¯t a bad smile, per se, it was just more awkward as Sabrina wasn¡¯t used to smiling without an insincere smirk.


    Without any more discussions, the group left the building and headed out to one of Ser Owain¡¯s favorite restaurants -  The Fiery Crown. Sabrina had eaten there before with them and she groaned inwardly only because it¡¯s not really to her tastes - she would rather eat her brother¡¯s home cooking than eating more finger sandwiches but this was her life as a Bellerose and as a dinner guest with Ser Owain.


    .x.


    As they walked around the emptying town of Fayglen, only a few late-night taverns, inns, and restaurants were open. Sabrina had known she wasn¡¯t in the building for that long but instead, Fayglen had quite the early curfew so store owners and merchants and others could go enjoy some ale and mead with whatever story they wanted to share with one another. Unlike most towns and villages Estax had told her while he traveled to the estate, Fayglen was much safer than them. But Fayglen was all she knew even though she knew she yearned to leave even that.


    However, Sabrina dining with Ser Owain and the others had its perks. The people of Fayglen were extremely grateful to the Shields for always protecting them from monsters - from Sabrina learned, there¡¯s an outpost outside of Fayglen called Summer¡¯s Wall where most the other troops stationed over there were. It had gotten its name from a Shield who gave her life by placing summer flowers against the wall that never withered in winter¡¯s harshest. The monsters, demons, and maybe bandits would have to meet them first before coming to the town of Fayglen. The villagers didn¡¯t think twice about their safety as they would never get passed the Summer¡¯s Wall. They truly believed that wizard¡¯s magic still protected them and was always grateful for them.


    They always commented on how brave and strong they were. They always wanted the Shields, especially Ser Owain and the other two simply because of their higher ranks. They would always try to avoid taking advantage of the perks, save for Ser Helies who always took them on their offer for free food. Ser Owain, especially, was welcomed with admiration and adoration and the townspeople spoke to them with a certain reverence. Even as someone who grew up with wealth, Sabrina never had ever received that sort of respect and while she did still dream of joining the Shields herself, she completely understood why they felt the way they did.


    The Shields protected them and even though the Bellerose estate was a half-day¡¯s trip away, they were still considered members of the Fayglen village. Their town may be small and it may be generally safer than most other places, but that¡¯s only because of the sacrifices the Shields provide for them.


    The dinner itself was uneventful as it usually involved the villagers, once again, trying to get the Shields to look their way. Women fawned over Ser Owain, especially more so, and Ser Helies while men spoke of how demure and dainty Lady Roesia was. The three never paid them any attention and, especially Ser Helies and Lady Roesia, didn¡¯t like the attention they constantly received from the villagers - sometimes, Sabrina remembered a conversation she had with Ser Helies, it made the job harder because all they wanted were the same stories over and over again. And especially since he¡¯s born and bred to be a Shield, it¡¯s even worse.


    Sabrina didn¡¯t have any difficulty eating her meal but she just hated how small it was compared to the feast Jacques would give her. Soon, ale and mead were brought out for free for the Shields and song and dance started to echo. Every day the three came to The Fiery Crown, the townspeople wanted to show their appreciation for another night of peace and tranquility by singing a song that Sabrina could never understand under the slurring of drunk men and others shouting out more orders for the wait staff to barely keep up with.


    It sure was exciting and Sabrina could never truly eat her fill. The villagers ignored her in favor of the Shields who graced their restaurant as a trio and ignored the fourth. Any business that could¡¯ve been discussed at the dinner table that night was completely drowned out and forgotten by the time they all left. The moon was high and full and the sky was clear enough for the stars to join in the festivities. The villagers talked among themselves about how grand and amazing it was to be ¡®blessed¡¯ to have the Shields protect their village.


    At the entrance of The Fiery Crown, Sabrina was drunk with the songs in the restaurant earlier and the reactions Ser Helies had. And the whole time, Ser Owain had a smile on his face. Lady Roesia was thankful to be out of there - she was the most uncomfortable of all four of them. She hated it when others gawked at her and even worse so when men try to pretend that she was dainty and demure even with the Shield cloth around her body. Lady Roesia was never one for talking but Sabrina understood that much. When they were out, she could see how relieved Lady Roesia was to be out of there and clung to her cloak.


    ¡°Lady Bellerose, are you sure you¡¯re full? I saw that you could barely eat tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, trust me I am,¡± a lie but she worried any other attempt to go out to eat would result in the same reaction. She patted her belly to emphasize her point further. ¡°Although, I think I may have eaten a bit too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are you staying tonight?¡± Lady Roesia finally spoke. Her voice would initially sound cold and stoic but Sabrina knew she was being cautious. After all, she is the younger sister of Lady Evia Bellerose - the one who¡¯s going to save Covania. If something happened to her, who would be Evia¡¯s liaison to the Shields? What would her mother do without her? That¡¯s the only reason, Sabrina figured, she would ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying with my younger brother, Jacques. It¡¯s not too far from here.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to walk you home then, Lady Bellerose,¡± Ser Helies said finally. It surprised everyone because it was safe. Fayglen was safe. As long as Summer¡¯s Wall stood, they were safe.


    ¡°Uh, are you sure, Ser Helies? I¡¯m perfectly okay! I could walk with one hundred gold pieces in my hand here - toss it up in the air even - and no one would come after me. Unless there¡¯s suddenly secret bandit underground community, I doubt anything is going to happen to me.¡± Sabrina eventually figured Ser Helies wanted to talk to her, probably, but even this was odd.


    Ser Owain was silent but finally, he spoke. ¡°No, no, we are sure. It¡¯s probably safer for him to escort you to your dear brother¡¯s place. The air from the Snowy Point is coming in a bit early this year, wouldn¡¯t you agree, Lady Roesia?¡±


    The Lady nodded. She quickly understood what he meant and clicked her heels against one another which gave a harsh sound.


    Sabrina sighed and grabbed her hat, which never left her head even as they walked around Fayglen. ¡°If you insist, then we shall go. I promise he will come back tonight, Ser Owain.¡± She turned her body to face Ser Helies and stared up at him with her big green eyes. He tried to avoid her gaze suddenly but looked back at her with a calmer face.


    Ser Owain laughed at the quip and Ser Helies¡¯s reactions. Whatever was going on, Sabrina didn¡¯t want to pry. This wasn¡¯t her business. Her business was only Evia¡¯s. She tried to push the dire mood away from her heart - she had a very light dinner and she knew how she got if she was allowed to let her heart darken further.


    ¡°Shall we, Ser Helies?¡± Sabrina said with a teasing voice. She didn¡¯t mind talking to the Sers and Lady in such a way - they had been close to each other for five years, whether they wanted to or not.


    ¡°We shall meet back at our quarters. Have a good night, Lady Bellerose. Please let us know when you are traveling home so that we can travel with you.¡±


    Sabrina turned back to Ser Owain and gave him a nod and the couple left. Ser Helies adjusted his outfit as Ser Owain and Lady Roesia left the couple there.


    And soon it was the two of them.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    .x.


    The whole time the two walked through the darkened houses, she carried a tiny flame in between her fingers. It was small but it lit up a lot of the way. The lanterns on the side paths were lit but they didn¡¯t do well to see. They were only limited in range - they both could tell that it was lit by a weaker wizard whose magic was still developing. Sabrina wouldn¡¯t tell Ser Helies even about her secret dream of her training but it¡¯s known that her elemental magic was fire - it would¡¯ve been hard to conceal it. She didn¡¯t want to have magical buildup after all.


    The couple walked in awkward silence and Sabrina wondered why Ser Helies even asked her to walk with her in the first place.


    But then he finally spoke.


    ¡°Sabrina,¡± he said, as he was sure there wasn¡¯t anyone around them, ¡°I think something is about to happen.¡± They continued to walk and it almost caused Sabrina to misstep at the sudden shift in tone. From casual conversation to the happy and grateful villagers singing in their honor, Sabrina was taken aback from the comment. However, it was just a misstep. She managed to get back her usual pace, even without disturbing the flame in her fingers.


    ¡°What do you mean? Of course, it is. We¡¯re going to travel back together with Ser Owain and Lady Roesia to my estate and celebrate Evia¡¯s return. Yay, yay, yay, she is here! Yay, yay, yay, she¡¯s going to save Covania!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ well, you probably didn¡¯t notice them, but there were some other Shields in there. They were glaring at us while we ate.¡±


    ¡°Hm, my, my, Ser Helies, I never pegged you for the self-conscious type! Could it be you¡¯re shy around other Shield grunts?¡±


    Then his facial expression changed. Usually and most of the time, his face was very soft and gentle, mostly happy, but his face suddenly became sharp and mean. Angered, even, at her teasing.


    ¡°What? No! Be serious! I was trying to get you alone to talk to you about this!¡±


    That¡¯s what made Sabrina stop in her tracks which Ser Helies stopped as well. She placed a hand on her cheek as she spoke. ¡°Huh? I thought you just wanted to spend more time with little ol¡¯ me! I know I haven¡¯t visited Fayglen for a while but that¡¯s no reason to snap at me.¡± She wasn¡¯t mad, just surprised. ¡°But fine, I¡¯ll listen. Go on. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She even put out her flame so they wouldn¡¯t be seen and lowered her hand to give him her undivided attention.


    He was silent for a moment until he seemed to realize that Sabrina was being serious and listening to him intently.


    He took in a deep breath. ¡°I think there¡¯s a conspiracy going on in the Shields. I¡­ thought I¡¯d talk to someone outside the Shields. Owai--er, Ser Owain wouldn¡¯t take me seriously and Lady Roesia¡­ well, she¡¯s completely loyal so I wouldn¡¯t count on her to believe a word I say, much less listen to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd because lately, I keep seeing boxes being moved in and out of the building. At first, I thought it was another officer coming to Fayglen but then I started to realize they were actually moving them out and replacing them. What makes it worse is that one night, I actually followed them one night.


    ¡°I followed them to a warehouse that¡¯s a transport house for Summer¡¯s Wall and I managed to sneak in. When I went in, I took a peek at the boxes that were in there¡­ they were our stuff, Sabrina. I mean, mine, Ser Owain¡­ and even Lady Roesia. I¡¯ve been missing some stuff too lately and I found it in that transport house.


    ¡°It sounds farfetched, I realize. After all, why would they try to move out our own stuff behind our backs? Wouldn¡¯t we have realized it? But then after I followed them, I started digging through my things and realized that they¡¯re not just taking our things - but replacing them with generic shit that anyone else would use. As though¡­ they¡¯re trying to replace us. Replace me. Replace Lady Roesia. Replace Ser Owain.¡±


    ¡°Helies¡­ you have to admit, this sounds a bit weird.¡± Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but agree with that assessment but she didn¡¯t know anything about the Shields and their procedures. What if he was lying to her in a trick? But he looked so serious about it. He would never have snapped at her quite like that before - maybe if he was sleep deprived or hungry, but not like this. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why they would replace you three. As far as I know, you¡¯re celebrated here. People of Fayglen love you. I¡­ well, I certainly appreciate your company.


    ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is why they would try to replace you? I mean, maybe you¡¯re overly paranoid. Maybe you¡¯re anxious about leaving Fayglen, huh? You heard Ser Owain - that Thomas guy said that you were to travel with my sister so maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Helies got annoyed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If it were just that, then they wouldn¡¯t glare at us like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you get to travel and they don¡¯t?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No. Grunts do most of the traveling. Typically, officers and their lackeys - me and Lady Roesia - would stay cushioned in the town they¡¯re stationed at to make sure things are going well and the citizens are safe. Because your sister is one to fulfill the prophecy to save Covania and bring back the monarchy, I would¡¯ve thought they would have started a whole army just for her. A whole troop to protect her on her journey - but the news from Ser Thumas confirmed it for me even more so.


    ¡°Why would a squadron leader and his two inferiors go with someone as important as Evia? Sabrina, something is happening and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence those grunts glared at us when they did.¡±


    Sabrina felt herself gasp. Chills started to tickle her spine as he explained further.


    ¡°Look, I...I¡¯m sorry.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I¡¯m sorry for unloading this shit on you.¡± He put his hands on his eyes and leaned back. The reach of the lantern still didn¡¯t even touch their shadow and even more so as he did so. He stood upright and placed his hands on her shoulders. Sabrina didn¡¯t flinch and looked up at him. He looked into her green eyes with his deep brown ones. ¡°I know there¡¯s not much you can do, even though you¡¯re also trapped in your family¡¯s estate. I just wanted --¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the transport house. Jacques can wait.¡±


    .x.


    ¡°Why are you wearing your hat, Sabrina? We could get caught easier this way.¡± Helies whispered as the two snuck towards the transport house. There was a familiar noise of crickets echoing in the foliage that surrounded the village and the transport house. From the directions Helies gave her, they had to skirt almost out of Fayglen to reach it. Then again, it was almost in between the two places.


    There was a lone Shield grunt who apparently needed the use of a sword as well but he was asleep. His snores indicated that he was in a deep sleep indeed and Sabrina merely ignored Helies¡¯s request to once again take off her hat.


    Their footsteps were quiet - Helies from his Shield training and Sabrina with her own years of practice sneaking around her family¡¯s mansion to train - as they found a window that¡¯s not just wide enough but didn¡¯t have anything blocking its path.


    Once they entered the transport house Sabrina ignited a small flame in her fingers in between the darkness. It illuminated her face only and she brought it closer to Helies who seemed to be crouched down to meet her eyes. He stared at her with a shocked expression on his face and Sabrina smirked as she whispered a spell to illuminate the transport house bright enough not to attract attention but so she could move around freely without burning everything in sight.


    But there was a pop when it illuminated it. Sabrina winced but hoped that it wasn¡¯t enough to wake up the guard.


    Helies seemed to be amazed by her magic - probably because she never used this much magic around him before. She felt a little too happy about his reactions. She didn¡¯t realize when she touched her forehead because of the sudden rush her body got when her large hat fell to the ground. But they were on a mission. She had to focus on the spell.


    Once the spell was completed, Helies started to guide her to the boxes he referred to earlier and even noted that there were new boxes. They had opened the box with his name on it closest to them to find Helies¡¯s sleeping clothes and he felt a bit embarrassed. They were just plain clothes so Sabrina didn¡¯t understand why he would be embarrassed but she eventually came to believe him.


    Maybe there was a conspiracy.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡± cried out an unfamiliar voice.


    She turned around and saw that the grunt had woken up and she was annoyed at the fact that her spell did wake him up.


    ¡°Ser Helies! What are you doing here with that? And who are you? You two are not supposed to be here! This is a classified Shields Transport House, how do you know about this?¡±


    Almost immediately, Sabrina stood up and got in her stance. Suddenly, the grunt was in midair and then Sabrina unleashed a bright, but harmless, fire in front of the grunt¡¯s face. He exclaimed as Helies suddenly dropped him, grabbed Sabrina¡¯s hand, and ran out the door. The grunt landed on the floor, along with possibly his cheaply made sword, with groans and mutters but the couple didn''t hear anything about it and ran as fast as they could.


    They didn¡¯t know how long they ran but soon they saw Fayglen coming and once they were in the confines of the town, they stopped and tried to catch their breath.


    Helies only spoke when he managed to catch his breath. ¡°How¡­ how were you able to do such a spell? I thought you¡¯re just a witch?¡±


    Oh, great! I just revealed myself!! Sabrina tried to catch up with her own breath but with his question, she could feel her heartbeat against her chest. But before she could answer, she was even more confused and worried.


    ¡°That¡­ that was amazing! Have you been training?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± He stood up and dusted himself off. He offered a hand to Sabrina who took in his and then he gave her a surprised look. ¡°Oh, your hat is gone!¡±


    Sabrina reached up and touched her head and indeed, it was completely bare. ¡°Oh no¡­ oh, no¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go back! Fuck! I told you not to wear that!¡±


    ¡°How was I supposed to know my little spell would wake up the guard!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s your spell!¡±


    ¡°Crap, I can¡¯t go back to Jacques¡­ I have to go back to get it¡­ Fuck. Dammit!¡±


    ¡°Wait, why? I knew that hat was your signature look, but I figured it was a customized hat.¡±


    The hat was comically large, indeed, and quite the stereotype but it was red and it was Sabrina¡¯s to always wear as long as she was in the town of Fayglen. There were jewels in there that were forgotten decades ago that dangled from it and, quite often, made Sabrina easier to find within a crowd.


    ¡°No¡­ that was my Grandmother Elenor¡¯s hat¡­ she was a witch when she was alive and she passed it down to me when I became a witch. Fuck¡­ what do I do? I can¡¯t go back and get it¡­ but I can¡¯t face my brother. He¡¯ll tell Mother for sure¡­!¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± He groaned, and that¡¯s when Sabrina realized that Helies really didn¡¯t move around that often. ¡°I hate to say this but I may have to put you up in a hotel.¡±


    ¡°Helies! I don¡¯t think you realize these things! I may be a sheltered wealthy witch, but if they see me, a LADY, and you, a SHIELD, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re having an illicit affair or something!¡±


    He glared at her. ¡°Do you want to go back to the transport house? Do you want to go to your brother¡¯s place? I sincerely doubt it¡¯s going to look any better if we go together back to my quarters.¡±


    Sabrina then got a jolt of an idea. ¡°Then we¡¯ll do that! You can say that we ended up at a tavern or something and I got drunk and I lost my hat! You can say that my brother wasn¡¯t home and you didn¡¯t want me, especially since I¡¯m Lady Evia¡¯s dearest sister, out in the cold summer night!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    .x.


    Helies had to leave his own quarters and change in the bathroom while Sabrina changed into an extra pair of pajamas.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it worked.¡±


    Luckily, there wasn¡¯t anyone at the door when the two came and it wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon for grunts or others to bring partners home for the evening, especially after a bout of drunken fun. However, he had to still his beating heart. His feelings for Sabrina seemed to grow even more that night. They did something incredibly stupid and dangerous but he learned something about Sabrina that he didn¡¯t think he would.


    As he walked down to the commune bathroom, he replayed the events in his head. He knew he was going to get reprimanded either from Owain or even someone higher. Oh, he was going to hear it from Lady Roesia for sure and he started to mentally prepare himself for that.


    Normally, he would be sleeping and thanking the stars for being able to talk to Sabrina again after some time apart. It¡¯s a not-so-secret love he had for the witch but she didn¡¯t seem to realize it. He knew Owain and Roesia wanted to give him space to maybe finally confess but it wasn¡¯t the right time. The conspiracy of someone on the higher food chain telling them, ordering even, to start moving things out and replacing them with new items fit for someone else.


    Roesia had already accused him of stealing her books and other things and now that he confirmed it, especially with her of all people, he felt angry that no one else believed him. They know he wouldn¡¯t lie about something as serious as something fishy going on.


    Once he changed, he started to make his way back to his quarters. He hoped that Sabrina didn¡¯t do anything stupid again and left his room in his pajamas. Then rumors really would start flying and a lot of people would get the wrong idea¡­ and if he bedded the sister of the one who would save Covania right before he would leave, it didn¡¯t give him a good taste in his mouth. Or the rest of his body as he was sure her parents would probably do something to him - and the Shields would allow it.


    He had always told himself that if he were to bed Sabrina, it would be at a point in their lives where titles didn¡¯t matter anymore - where her sister¡¯s title didn¡¯t matter anymore and where Sabrina wasn¡¯t Lady Bellerose as he was forced to call her. He wasn¡¯t sure when they became close in such a way - it just happened and he loved every second of it.


    When he finally returned to his room, he was relieved to see Sabrina already asleep. His sleeping clothes were obviously way too big on her and she didn¡¯t seem to favor blankets on top of her body. He had given up his bed to her so she could be more comfortable and he would take it upon himself to sleep on the small couch that was provided in his quarters.


    She insisted that the bed was big enough for the two of them but he insisted. He had a long history of the couch and that night wouldn¡¯t be any other exception. In a rare occurrence, he didn¡¯t think he would be able to sleep anyway.


    Although to say he could refuse to kiss her forehead as he covered her up was a lie. Her forehead was soft and he could hear her soft breaths as he got closer to her. Oh, how he longed her could casually slip in next to her and sleep knowing her warm body was next to his. Safe in his arms and he would be safe in her heart. And yet, he was impressed with her in the short time they spent together.


    He didn¡¯t know she, a witch, could fight or even had an offensive spell like that. She always seemed to surprise him, for better or for worse.


    He wanted to say those words to her but knew he couldn¡¯t. Would she accept them? Probably not. She would probably have to marry a rich witch merchant, or someone in a higher status, to make sure her family¡¯s wealth went on. Regardless, in this moment and time, a beautiful witch named Sabrina Bellerose lay in his bed and sleeping in a peaceful slumber.


    Helies let out a sigh as he moved himself to the couch and lied down on it. He looked out the window and saw that the moon was indeed full. He frowned - he hoped he didn¡¯t hurt the guard too much.


    Eventually, sleep overtook him and it was this night that he probably dreamt about scratching noises outside his window. Only in nightmares, demons came to Fayglen.


    To Be Continued¡­

 Episode Four

    ¡°I absolutely cannot believe you pulled such a stupid stunt, Ser Helies! Not only is she the daughter of the Belleroses, but she is the sister of Lady Evia Bellerose. What in the world is wrong with you?¡±


    Sabrina didn¡¯t want to move from her position when she heard a strange voice. Her brother, Jacques, may be young but he didn¡¯t exactly have the taste for such proper women much to their parents¡¯ annoyance. The voice itself didn¡¯t sound very familiar to her much at all but the one responding did.


    ¡°Roesia, it really isn¡¯t what it looks like! I mean, I was here on the couch the whole time!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where you are now - what matters is what you had done!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything - that¡¯s my point!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that! You could be lying to me!¡±


    Sabrina couldn¡¯t take their arguments much longer. They started to get progressively louder or their whispers became too harsh for her ears to deal with while trying to sleep. She sat up and saw a very angry Lady Roesia who had her hand at the base of her sword, about to attack a freshly woke up Helies. Her hair didn¡¯t seem to be in its usual ponytail and she wore what seemed to be her civilian outfit. It took her a while for Sabrina to piece together where she was and once she did, she immediately understood the situation.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± she yelled out. ¡°H-he didn¡¯t do anything to me, alright?¡± She hoped that her loud voice could grab Lady Roesia¡¯s attention and the black woman did manage to turn around and gave her a surprised look.


    She could feel the oversized shirt fall off her shoulder and she knew her hair was a mess. It really didn¡¯t look good for either her or Helies in any way she could look at - but her hat. She lost her family hat and she absolutely could not see Jacques without it unless she had a good reason - but she had to address the situation in front of her.


    It took a while before Lady Roesia even reacted to her statement - with her deep, cold, green eyes, it was though she searched for any lies buried between Sabrina¡¯s words and her soul - it was the truth. And it was her idea. It was all her idea. And because of that, Helies was probably going to get punished for it.


    Once the other woman realized she was telling the truth, she withdrew and Sabrina just realized how cold it was before she did so. She knew that Lady Roesia was a wizard of ice magic but she didn¡¯t even see frost on her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ser Helies, Lady Bellerose.¡± She said as she faced both of them one by one to give them what seemed to be a proper apology. ¡°I had jumped to conclusions. It should have been more obvious that Ser Helies was sleeping on his usual couch instead of, you know, together.¡± She even bowed to illustrate her point further. Once she stood up straight again, she took a small deep breath and exhaled. For another quick moment, the room became chilly once again and it was a long enough moment for Sabrina to grab the bed covers around her shoulder. ¡°So why are you here? This is the officers¡¯ quarters after all. It¡¯s very unusual for you to stay with us longer than you usually do, much less being here.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Sabrina had to remember her original plan - maybe there was a way to get out of this awkward situation yet! ¡°Uh, we ended up at one of the bars and I probably had one too many drinks. You know, the usual troubles. Ser Helies was kind enough to offer me his bed for the night! That¡¯s all! Really!¡±


    Another moment of staring into Lady Roesia¡¯s green eyes and then the room became room temperature once again. Sabrina hoped she didn¡¯t actually make the room this cold every time she would try to catch either Helies or the other Shield in a lie.


    ¡°I see; my apologies for using my level zero Icy Truth magic here. I wanted to make sure that Ser Helies really isn¡¯t the lecherous fool I believed he was.¡± So that¡¯s what that was for - to make sure that the truth was told. Sabrina imagined it must¡¯ve been very useful when interrogating criminals and demons. But she scoffed at the idea that these officers probably hadn¡¯t had the chance to fight demons either here in Fayglen or Summer¡¯s Wall. ¡°In any case, you better get dressed, Ser Helies,¡± she turned to Helies who seemed relieved and surprised that Sabrina¡¯s half-lie worked on someone like her. ¡°Ser Owain awaits us at the morning meeting.¡± She clicked her heels, somehow, with her flat shoes.


    Finally, Helies spoke. ¡°Why? It¡¯s our day off. If it¡¯s important, he can send a bird.¡± He shrugged as he leaned back into the couch. He placed his long arms around his head and he crossed his legs. Sabrina felt awkward being there but she couldn¡¯t help but stay silent during the conversation. She tried to search for her own clothes and, sure enough, she must¡¯ve just strewn them wherever.


    ¡°Someone broke into the transport house in between Fayglen and Summer¡¯s Wall. They¡­¡± Lady Roesia seemed to try to pick her words carefully in the presence of Sabrina, ¡°found something.¡±


    Could it be my hat? Sabrina stopped as she managed to place her feet to the cold ground after she gathered her clothes. She hoped it was her hat, but if it was, wouldn¡¯t they question her too? Shouldn¡¯t she go along with it? But then, she didn¡¯t want to admit that they both snuck into the transport house at night to her. Just for the fact she was there when she really supposed wasn¡¯t nearly got Ser Helies frozen over and she definitely did not want to admit something like that.


    ¡°What did they find? Oh, don¡¯t tell me, boxes! They found boxes!¡± Ser Helies smiled his usual teasing smile - the smile that Sabrina had gotten used to. It seems that he¡¯s sticking to her story as well and, for that, she was relieved. However, she couldn¡¯t help but eavesdrop.


    ¡°Ser Helies, I¡¯m not in the mood to joke around. Weren¡¯t you just talking some nonsense earlier about our fellow Shields taking our stuff? I¡¯m sure you were tempted to check out that transport house anyway so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you checked. But no, that¡¯s not what they found.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I should¡¯ve? Because even mentioning my theory about our things being replaced, that means I¡¯m right. Are you saying they found our things?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it in front of her.¡± She pointed to Sabrina who sat down on the bed and jumped at the sudden shift to her.


    ¡°Lady Bellerose, are you embarrassed to hear that they found Lady Roesia¡¯s teddy bear in the transport house? Because, Roesia, my dear comrade,¡± Lady Roesia could be seen getting more irritated with Helies and even more so at the dropped honorific once again, ¡°there is absolutely no shame in sleeping with such personal treasures! I understand that Lullian is quite closer to us than our homes but--¡±


    ¡°They found a body! Ser Helies, I hope you¡¯re happy that I¡¯ve sullied this Lady¡¯s ears!¡± She pointed to Sabrina once again who, albeit shocked at the revelation, was more surprised how easy Helies teased the lady Shield before them. ¡°Someone, or something, came to the transport house and killed a guard! And yes, your stupid theory was right! They found our things among other treasures that were assumed to be stolen!¡±


    Sabrina didn¡¯t remember opening other boxes - just the boxes that Helies thought to be his and the others.


    Lady Roesia turned to Sabrina and even kneeled to her. She placed a hand over her heart and apologized. ¡°I am so sorry to have your ears disgraced by such horrifying news! My lady, please forgive me. Please do not tell my superiors about this, but if you must, please make sure my punishment is swift.¡±


    ¡°W-wait, I have no power here. I¡¯m just Evia¡¯s sister! What¡¯s this about a body? No, please ignore that I¡¯m here! Please go on!¡±


    Lady Roesia stayed in her position. ¡°No, I cannot go into further detail with you. You are more than just Lady Evia¡¯s sister, you are Lady Bellerose - one of the wealthiest residents in Fayglen. I have committed a crime, a small one, but a crime nevertheless.¡±


    Even though that Sabrina hadn¡¯t heard Lady Roesia talk outside of this room, much at all, she was shocked at how much she could talk now. Maybe it was because of where she was that made her feel a bit comfortable - she wished she understood why Lady Roesia didn¡¯t speak too much outside of this room but Sabrina imagined the Lady had her reasons why.


    Sabrina had no other choice but to respond in kind. ¡°Stand, Lady Roesia,¡± she stood up again on the ground to elaborate her point. Her tone was that of the usual voice she had whenever she commanded a servant at the estate. The scene itself seemed strange, considering Sabrina was still in Helies¡¯s pajamas. It would¡¯ve been more humorous even to Helies if Lady Roesia didn¡¯t just mention someone¡¯s body was found in the transport house they were in the night before.


    When they left, surely, that guard was alive¡­ wasn¡¯t he? Did Helies use too much of his telekinesis?


    ¡°If there is a murderer in the vicinity of Fayglen, and the news happened to land my own ears, it¡¯s important that I know so I may warn my family who live here.¡±


    Lady Roesia didn¡¯t stand. She sounded fearful when she responded, however. ¡°I-I understand but upon certain news, I did not want any rumors in town! Especially about murder! Oh, the citizens of Fayglen speak very quickly and things get muddled up just as fast! You must understand me, Lady Bellerose! Demons simply just don¡¯t come to Fayglen!¡± Upon her mistake, she gasped and covered her mouth. She was even more fearful of the consequences.


    This took Sabrina aback. ¡°Did you say demons? There are demons in Fayglen?¡±


    At this point, Helies stood up and slowly made the gasping and shocked Shield stand up in her horrific mistake. ¡°N-no, there¡¯s no way she said demons. Perhaps she had meant to say that there are demon-like murderers out there, right? There are those nasty rumors anyway that violent criminals become low-level demons themselves if they commit crimes, correct?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Lady Roesia was more shocked at her mistake. She had tears coming out of her eyes, not for fear of what¡¯s going on, but of what might happen to her.


    ¡°Roesia, what¡¯s going on?¡± Helies was more concerned and the woman still didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Are there truly demons?¡± Then he turned to Sabrina who had long since dropped her clothes again on the floor in shock. Horrified and terrified, Sabrina couldn¡¯t even believe at her own reaction to the news.


    ¡°Leave. Sabrina, please leave. I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on later! A dove might be too obvious so for now, just get out of here! Get changed and go! Don¡¯t worry about my pajamas, just go!¡± Lady Roesia was shocked at the honorific drop towards Sabrina now and couldn¡¯t be more terrified. Her eyes were widened as though she witnessed a demonic act before her eyes. Helies was trying to quiet down the weeping Shield.


    Sabrina had no other choice but to move. She would have to move - or the words of a weeping Shield would drag her down too.


    .x.


    Once Sabrina was finally gone, Helies did his best comfort Roesia. He was truly surprised that someone like Roesia would burst out with such a thing. She wept and cried and shook. Her own ice magic truth started to freeze up his hand and he had to pull it away.


    ¡°Roesia! Don¡¯t do that!¡± He said as he shook off the cold. The temperature went back to how it was. However, his other hand still gripped her. He gently let go of Roesia and she doubled over to catch her tears and breath. ¡°Look,¡± he sighed. ¡°Surely, truly, you didn¡¯t mean to say demons, did you? Was it a ploy to get Sabrina out of the room?¡± His tone was near pleading - there¡¯s just absolutely no way that there could be demons in Fayglen!


    She let out of some coughs and wiped off any remaining tears from her eyes. Helies hoped and prayed she was more afraid of some old and stupid rule about rich people punishing officers of the Shield than the fact there were demons in Fayglen - he would have to tell Sabrina all about that rule later.


    ¡°N-no¡­ No. Sh-she shouldn¡¯t have been here in the first place! Drunk or not, you have a responsibility! And on top of that, you¡¯re familiar with her?! How close are you two? When did this start? Is there anything else you need to tell me about her, Helies?!¡± Now that Sabrina was out of the room, Roesia was more open to dropping the honorifics, especially since they were of the same rank anyway.


    ¡°I will tell you more about it when you tell me about demons in Fayglen! I think that¡¯s a little more important than how close I am to some wealthy noblewoman! Who died? What happened?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not telling you! You¡¯re coming with me to the morning meeting but only after you tell me your true relationship with Lady Bellerose! If you¡¯re trying to pursue a romantic or otherwise relationship with her, you know that¡¯s extremely forbidden! You should know that! You should know that it¡¯s not meant to be...¡±


    Helies was taken aback at Roesia¡¯s response. He was surprised at the levity of her last statement, especially. She was right - it wouldn¡¯t have worked out anyway. Owain, Roesia, and he were assigned to escort the warlock, Lady Evia Bellerose, to Madhollow, the long-abandoned capital and home to the king that once was. And they were assigned to die for her.


    ¡°We¡¯re lonely people, Roesia. Ever since that happened, it¡¯s really hard to find solace here in this town. Would you rather me sleep with random women or at least make friends with our charge¡¯s family - so that I could at least be remembered by someone? And she might lose her sister forever. We don¡¯t know if this prophecy is even going to work out. I know you never really cared for prophecies and magical words but,¡± he sighed as he tried to fight the loneliness from echoing in his voice, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to be forgotten when I die at Madhollow. I don¡¯t want to die in vain.¡±


    Roesia wiped her face once again. Some tears still flowed but a lot less than earlier.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be forgotten. You won¡¯t die in vain. But it¡¯ll hurt her more when she realizes you¡¯re not coming home - this is what we signed up for, Helies.¡±


    Now she stood up and straightened her back. ¡°You should end your relationship with her immediately, especially now that Lady Evia is on her way back.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how awkward it would be when we¡¯re planning to stay at her family¡¯s estate until then?¡±


    She was silent for a moment and looked away. ¡°We all have to make sacrifices, Helies. I know who your family is. And I imagine they would never forget you either. You should worry more about them than Lady Bellerose. She¡¯s a noblewoman after all like you said. She¡¯s just as forbidden to have a relationship outside of her station, friendship or otherwise. She¡¯s only supposed to be friends with those inside her station. She¡¯s going to be married in kind. I know it¡¯s hard being here in a quiet town like Fayglen and it¡¯s for the best - a bit of respite before we go out and fight demons.


    ¡°But we have to make sacrifices. I had to. Owain had to. And you do too. Now get ready. I¡¯ll be outside the door and we can go to the meeting.¡±


    .x.


    In her smock dress and flat shoes, the same ones she traveled with and the same ones she snuck in the transport house with, Sabrina had to keep everything in her heart.


    The possibility that a demon could be in Fayglen¡­ when she looked around at the busy folk, unaware of the possible danger they¡¯re in, almost comforted Sabrina. They didn¡¯t know a murder occurred. She heard something she shouldn¡¯t have but she was also at a place where she shouldn¡¯t have been.


    Jacque would be wondering where she was. She had to hurry and get to his home before noon. And as she traveled around Fayglen, she could feel the vibrations of her mother¡¯s magic surround her in anger. She knew if her mother knew that not only did she lose her family heirloom, but she stayed with an officer of the Shields - and one assigned to Evia even - she would probably never be allowed to leave the estate again.


    There was something in the air the night before. Was it because she was happy to see Helies again? Was it because of the conspiracy he told her? Did she really need so little to say, ¡°let¡¯s go¡±? She was so desperate for an adventure of some kind that she broke so many rules and just realized that she was acting like a teenager again. Back in her youth, she used to be worse in the sense she snuck in places she wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    But she was past that age. She should¡¯ve been married off by now, at least by other wealthy families¡¯ standards, but instead, she¡¯s waiting on Evia. For everything. For the prophecy. She probably will get hauled off the second Evia¡¯s carriage disappears from the gates to a merchant¡¯s son for an alliance or even a political move. Even worse yet, she might get hauled off to a stuffy prince in order to allow better trade.


    Oh, but that didn¡¯t make her stop in her tracks. It was the morning sun that beat on her head.


    She had lost her grandmother¡¯s hat. She had lost the only thing she was actually allowed to keep. And as a civilian, and especially with a murder, there was absolutely no way that she could go back. Not only would they suspect her, but she might have to implicate Helies and that¡¯s something she absolutely could not do. However, it was possible that they already found her hat and probably thought her to be a suspect anyway - they had some dogs and other magic that could lay the culprit - but she¡¯s not the culprit! She didn¡¯t know the entire situation about it and she knew she would have to talk to Helies about it when they¡¯d meet up again.


    Even though the next time they might meet was when she would go home, it would be impossible for her to get a private word in with him. But it¡¯s her home - she knew the invisible nooks and crannies her family long since forgot about. And not only that, everyone would be distracted by the festivities of Evia¡¯s arrival.


    Maybe she can ask about her grandmother¡¯s hat then. She forced herself to walk home. None of the villagers knew the wiser that she wore the same clothes as before, or if they did notice, they didn¡¯t pass her a judgmental glance. That would¡¯ve been reserved for her brother.


    And soon enough, she had arrived at Jacques¡¯s home. She slowly reached up and before she could knock on the door, it opened. Inside, her younger brother Jacques gave her his usual face that was only a fraction, if that, of what her mother would give her if she knew what her less destined daughter was up to.


    .x.


    Once Helies was dressed in his usual loose clothes as he always hated how tight his uniform was, he and Roesia made their way to Owain¡¯s usual meeting room. Usually, if there were any important news, they were sent a sparrow or some other bird depending on its importance, on anything that went on in the day. However, knowing that it was a murder, with a demon as a supposed culprit, Helies finally understood the reasoning for Roesia¡¯s emotions.


    True, she was scared about the old punishment that hardly applied anymore, but she was more shocked at the audacity of the murder. It was one shock after another but he couldn¡¯t help but feel melancholy in his heart when she mentioned that he had to make sacrifices - he had already done so. It¡¯s why he was in this position in the first place.


    But maybe Roesia didn¡¯t know that. She said she knew about his family, but did she? She only knew what she read in whatever available books she got a hold of but Helies wasn''t going to confirm or deny anything. No one outside the family and certain officers needed to know what they know. He was foolish to think they would tell Owain and at least he was thankful they didn¡¯t.


    However, she didn¡¯t understand his emotions. Helies wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Sabrina so very dearly but he knew his position as a meat shield and the night before was exciting enough. His heart still beat from the excitement of it all and it only beat still because he was at least going to see her again when they travel back to her estate. He wanted to be with her more than anything and maybe she had figured it all out, but he had planned to confess to her before they would leave anyway. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered if she had rejected him or accepted him anyway.


    But he must take care of business first before they would leave. They had to figure out who killed the guard at the transport house. It had to have been right after they left and he wanted to know if they were planning to accuse Sabrina of murder. She did leave her hat there, after all.


    The walk to Owain¡¯s meeting was silent. They both still seemed to recover from earlier - Roesia was quite the chatterbox once she was back in her comfort zone. And that usually meant it was inside the officer¡¯s quarters. However, she refused to look at him in the eye. She had refused to say anything more to Helies after stating how they had to make sacrifices. She didn¡¯t seem angry but she just chose to close communication with him further unless it was necessary.


    That was fine with him. He wanted to be alone in his thoughts but he wouldn¡¯t be able to for long. Soon, they had arrived. As it was in an area where grunts, much less civilians, weren¡¯t allowed to go, the door was unguarded. It had always been strange that for officers¡¯ quarters, it was quite guarded at first but lately, rooms such as these have been empty. Roesia didn¡¯t dare question it and Owain shrugged it off.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said a familiar voice.


    Then they both entered. When they entered, they saw Owain with his usual smile and, instead of the highly decorated uniform he would wear, he wore his two-layered shirt with pants and shoes. He had his legs crossed and he had paperwork everywhere.


    ¡°Good morning you two. I imagine you slept well?¡±


    Roesia saluted him. ¡°I slept rather well! Did you, Helies?¡± She clicked her heels and turned to Helies but still somehow avoiding his eyes. A rather rude gesture, Helies thought. He raised his eyebrow. He didn¡¯t want Owain to think anything was off.


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s unusual of you to ask me, Roesia. Hmm, don¡¯t you find it strange, Owain?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Call him Ser Owain!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our day off. I can call him whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°I swear, you have no respect for the rules!¡±


    Owain laughed softly. ¡°Alright, you two. Not so early now. Let¡¯s get this meeting started. They want us to stay in the quarters for our safety - at least until the demon is caught.¡±


    ¡°So, there is a demon in Fayglen¡­¡± muttered Helies.


    To Be Continued¡­

 Episode Five

    ¡°One of the guards had been murdered by what appears to be a demon. He seemed to be out of position and seemed to have distracted by something else. Then, well, he was struck in the back by what we could only assume to be a demon.¡±


    The two stood in silence. Owain continued as he looked for a particular piece of paperwork.


    ¡°Claw marks, I should say, so it is assumed that we¡¯re dealing with a possibly low-level demon. As for what they¡¯re searching for within Fayglen, we can¡¯t be too sure of. But unfortunately, we¡¯re not allowed to leave the quarters for our safety.¡±


    Even through his usual smile, Helies could see that Owain didn¡¯t like the order. It wasn¡¯t that unusual for Owain to show his disdain for certain things but he only showed this between the three of them. Helies marveled briefly that within five years of being in Fayglen with them, they were already this close. But Owain continued. He eventually found the paperwork he had searched for and held it in his hands. From whatever it was on the actual paper, Owain¡¯s smile completely dropped.


    He placed a dark smile on his face. He didn¡¯t seem to realize how surprising it was for both of them, even when they both took a step back.


    ¡°For now, we must be patient and if we have any particular requests from the outside, we will have to send out a grunt to do so. Do you have any requests? Because I have to make a small list of things before we start packing for our journey.¡±


    The statement was much more ominous than he seemed to have intended but the two were still silent but now they were curious about what was on the paper that Owain slammed down. He wanted to know what made Owain¡¯s mood sour so quickly - and it would¡¯ve been a lot. He finally opened his eyes to show off his large purple eyes and he seemed to immediately calm down.


    ¡°N-no, sir¡­¡± Roesia responded finally once they finally got a glance at his eyes. It was clear he wasn¡¯t mad at them but more for them - maybe for himself too. Whatever that paper said, it really riled him up and Helies could feel himself get riled up a little bit. He looked to Roesia, who was significantly shorter than him. Anytime she showed her fear around them, he could really see how small she was compared to whatever it was in front of her.


    ¡°Helies, do you have anything that you need or want? I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯re stuck in here. I suppose we would have to wait for a dove or bird for any word on that.¡±


    Helies shook his head. He was usually content to stay in the quarters when he was able to leave, but now that he was restricted, he didn¡¯t like the idea of staying inside and doing what he usually did. However, he really didn¡¯t need anything bad - that wasn¡¯t already stolen from his room that he wouldn¡¯t exactly miss. Based on his tone alone, it probably would¡¯ve been more unwise to ask anything.


    ¡°No, sir,¡± Helies decided to go with a polite tone. Owain tends to be unpredictable whenever he¡¯s angry like this. Whatever was on the paper, it seemed to have completely darkened his mood.


    ¡°Our meals will be delivered to us in our rooms. You two are dismissed.¡±


    Owain remained seated and had his attention brought back to the piece of paper that angered him earlier and had him start scribbling down. He seemed to ignore the other two¡¯s existence from then on. Both Roesia and Helies immediately turned around and started to leave the room.


    Crestfallen, he didn¡¯t meet Roesia¡¯s gaze at all - she seemed to avoid giving him eye contact. She seemed less scared and more worried about Owain while Helies was more surprised. The two didn¡¯t say anything else in the office - it might¡¯ve made the mood within the office worse than it already was. Once they left, they seemed to be going a similar way until she looked up at him and he had trouble discerning an emotion from her features.


    ¡°Meet me out here after breakfast.¡± Roesia finally said before she walked away from him.


    .x.


    Her brother did not say a word when he saw her. She was supposed to have been there the night before, sure, but she wasn¡¯t. Apparently, the servants came to Jacques after they had finished their errands for the night, and mentioned that Lady Sabrina would be dining with the Shields - which was a correct assumption. Sabrina was already irritated they did that - she gave them enough gold coins to stay at any hotel or inn of their choosing but they chose to stay at his place.


    And then, her missing hat. Jacques never questioned it and kept every word to himself - which made Sabrina feel even more guilty. She used the excuse that she was drunk to him, but he still didn¡¯t say anything. He continued to act like that - as nothing happened and it was another day or so where Sabrina and the servants visited for something or other. She had washed up and each moment of silence only sink further into her guilt. She really had nothing to feel guilty about; but, especially since she¡¯s a woman of status, maybe staying the night at the officers¡¯ quarters wasn¡¯t such a good idea. If she had been the witch without status, maybe it wouldn¡¯t have been so scandalous.


    She knew Jacques wouldn¡¯t send a bird behind her back. As they grew up together, he was used to Sabrina¡¯s constant rebellious streak and was often the audience of her punishment. He wouldn¡¯t do or say anything against their authority but what Sabrina once mistook as silenced sympathy was actually silenced judgment from him. He and her other younger brother Pierre did their best not to associate themselves with her outside of their name.


    Honestly, it was a reason why she didn¡¯t want to come here. As Lady Bellerose, as Evia¡¯s sister, as her personal assistant, she had no right to deviate from her role. And she still did. Anger quickly bubbled over her guilt but there was a battle within her heart because of her younger brother¡¯s quiet judgment.


    When Sabrina had finished getting dressed after her bath, she went down to the dining room to find the maid from the day before. Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but be bitter towards her. Maybe she truly didn¡¯t understand the situation between the family, truly, because she had an innocent glint about her. Or maybe not, it¡¯s hard to discern in her servants if they knew and understood or not. It is possible that she just didn¡¯t know. However, it didn¡¯t stop her feelings from bubbling more towards anger. If she had just stayed at the hotel as she told her to¡­


    ¡°Lady Sabrina,¡± the maid said as she stood up to make room for her even though there was plenty of room for her to sit. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t tell Master Jacques about you going with the Shields last night¡­¡± It seemed the maid had read her mind but Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but shrug it off. It didn¡¯t matter - even if it wasn¡¯t the maid who told him, he probably would¡¯ve figured it out anyway due to the fact she came to his house after the maid and, she assumed, the driver.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sabrina waved it off and the maid seemed to be apologetic and rushed out to the kitchen. Without Sabrina having to wait too long, the maid came out with a small breakfast that¡¯s unlike her brother¡¯s - while his usual meal would include mostly meats, this maid¡¯s meal was more vegetables and fruits and eggs. Even though she didn¡¯t have a hangover, she did appreciate the kind gesture.


    This helped settle Sabrina¡¯s emotions a tiny bit but it would never completely clear out for as long as she¡¯s in the house.


    She gave the maid a small smile, ¡°Thank you. Ah, sorry, I never quite got your name.¡±


    The maid seemed surprised that a woman of status like Sabrina acknowledged her that she stuttered her name and through it, Sabrina picked up her name as ¡°Mireabelle¡± which isn¡¯t as unusual as hers and her other family¡¯s names.  However, it¡¯s apparent to her that Mireabelle was a Hollow, that is, those without magic like her brothers.


    ¡°You may sit down here. Don¡¯t tell Jacques this either but in this house, in this town, we are equals.¡±


    Mireabelle continued to stutter and sat down across from Sabrina and still avoided her gaze. Sabrina gave up and ate, which wasn¡¯t too surprising her breakfast was delicious. The two sat in silence when Sabrina started to wonder where her brother was. Most likely, he had left early for his work, and that Pierre might¡¯ve been traveling, so at least she could leave the house if she wanted to.


    But it was best not to. For now, she was trapped and she was relieved that Pierre wasn¡¯t around either. If he had stayed around and had seen her that morning, he would¡¯ve definitely sent a bird to Mother about a supposed tryst the night before. That¡¯s the only solace that she received.


    After they had finished the meal, Sabrina retired to her room while Mireabelle told her that she was around the house, cleaning up. She made a joke about two bachelors living together without a woman¡¯s touch and Sabrina just politely laughed.


    Then she decided to send a sparrow. She knew she had just seen them merely hours before but she still felt bad about him getting into trouble with Lady Roesia. And then, there was the matter of the dead guard. A demon in Fayglen was something that Sabrina couldn¡¯t just think about.


    .x.


    The breakfast was as tasteless as any meal out on the field. He had to force it down because he had gotten so used to the tasty meals around Fayglen. It reminded him of what happened the last time he was out and he didn¡¯t want anyone to worry about him.


    However, he knew that if he didn¡¯t finish it, it would probably bring unwanted attention to him. The death of the guard the night before didn¡¯t help either. He tried to piece together from any unusual shadows he saw with Sabrina but came up empty. The only thing unusual was how the guard died after they had left. Did the demon follow them? Did they unintentionally leave the door open or something to allow that?


    But then, the demon would¡¯ve come through Summer¡¯s Wall somehow and with the majority of the grunts, and possibly more than enough skilled wizards there, how could it have gotten through? These thoughts plagued him, especially when he tried to wolf down the bland food. There had to have been a reason why the guard died after they were there rather than before. Then again, it would¡¯ve been really hard to explain why he, an officer of the Shields, had brought the sister of the future country¡¯s savior there as well.


    He could feel himself shaking from fear - why would he be so fearful? They had done nothing wrong, technically, but being at the wrong place and the wrong time made him feel even worse.


    Eventually, he realized that it was almost time to meet Roesia so he decided to try to meet her earlier. Even though it was quite a challenge, he had just enough left over that most people would be satisfied to take back instead of questioning him.


    He hated it when he was nervous like this. Helies could barely eat but there were a lot of questions that distracted him from everything but maybe Roesia could help her.


    Once he made it to the hallway, and soon to the meeting spot, he saw that Roesia had already beat him to the punch. She always had a straight posture but she also seemed a bit scared herself. Even though she had proven not just to the higher-ups, but to Helies and Owain as well, that she could handle her own, there was something different about her fear that he couldn¡¯t shake.


    ¡°Roesia,¡± Helies breathed out when he reached closer to her. She turned around and it seemed that she was a lot calmer than he thought her to be. He then felt a bit silly for feeling what he did.


    ¡°Finally. I¡¯m surprised it took you this long to eat. Usually, you inhale your food.¡± She tried to put a light spin on it but her face was just as serious as it usually was. Helies couldn¡¯t respond to it so Roesia changed the subject. ¡°You need to tell me all that you know about last night. What happened last night with Lady Sabrina?¡±


    Helies sighed. He explained to her that they wanted to go to the transport house in order to find the truth about the missing items - that was it. It was true that they saw the guard but he was absolutely alive when they left in a hurry. As a matter of fact, Helies even showed Roesia the exact magic that he uses and tried his best to explain that Sabrina used a flash spell to distract him - which, again, left him alive.


    ¡°Lady Sabrina knows a flash spell? I¡¯m¡­ surprised her mother allowed that.¡±


    Helies shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe they know. I wouldn¡¯t dare repeat this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m insulted that you would think I would.¡±


    Helies sighed and leaned against the doorframe. ¡°Is that all you wanted to talk to me about? Because we could¡¯ve met somewhere else, somewhere more comfortable, to talk about this.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m worried about Ser Owain¡­ I want to know what¡¯s going on with the investigation.¡±


    Helies let out a surprised chuckle. ¡°Lady Roesia? Wanting to break protocol? Are you a demon? Because the Roesia I know wouldn¡¯t even dare to even consider breaking any rules!¡±


    Roesia crossed her arms as well. ¡°There has to be a reason why we were ordered to stay in the quarters. Maybe if we talk to Ser Owain now, he would tell us why.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t, you know that.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t tried.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think it¡¯ll work this time? He wouldn¡¯t tell us about the fact that Sabrin--¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Lady Sabrina.¡± Helies waved it off and continued.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t even tell us that Sabrina was even arriving yesterday. It¡¯s a really bad habit of his. Maybe you¡¯re right, maybe we should just sneak in. Fuck the rules, right?¡±


    Roesia¡¯s face became flushed at the comments he made in his short statement but visibly tried to calm herself down and responded.


    ¡°N-NO. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying! I¡¯m saying we need to talk to Ser Owain about this! This is something he would definitely talk to us! Plus you need to tell him about what happened last night! Clear up your name! If that paper had said they knew that you were there, you could at least give him your side of the story so he can protect you! Helies, you don¡¯t think, do you?¡±


    She tried not to get too excited as the two saw some shadows of the grunts come and go - most likely, doing their rounds. Helies did think about telling Owain about it, and Roesia could be right about it, but he really didn¡¯t want to bring Sabrina into it. Or at least, bring her in further in this investigation.


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about bringing in Lady Sabrina further into it, you don¡¯t have to worry about it because I¡¯m sure Ser Owain would understand but you need to communicate to him! Helies, I don¡¯t like this any more than you do and we may have to fight a demon here in Fayglen, even if they are a low leveled one, we have to trust one another!


    ¡°Ser Owain will protect you, I promise you that. If you want to protect Lady Sabrina too, you must tell him. It¡¯s really obvious how you feel about her to us so you really need to help her by helping yourself. I know we had that conversation this morning about our roles but... ¡°


    ¡°Okay, okay, I will talk to him.¡±


    ¡°And let me join in the conversation. We¡¯re all in this together.¡±


    ¡°What conversation? Of course, we¡¯re in this together; we¡¯re the chosen ones to protect Lady Evia when she arrives back at her estate, after all.¡±


    The additional voice surprised both of them and they turned around to see Owain with his usual smile, but unusually calmer than he was earlier.


    To Be Continued...