"No, I came to the Continent about a year after my father died. My mother got us a job at the Castle a little while after we had arrived. I've been there ever since I was a wee child. The Castle, Leona, and the other servants there have given me so much to be thankful for that I feel like I could never repay them for their kindness to me," she said, her tone dropping melancholically, as her arms squeezed me a little more.
If only I could look at her, I thought, putting my hand on hers without realizing it.
I looked down at the tiny hands that fidgeted beneath mine. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "It might be a little much to say right now," she said hesitantly. "You've likely been through a lot already, so don't feel bad about getting it off your chest," I said as comfortingly as possible, feeling her take a small, shuddering breath.
"It's alright. I have to get it off my chest at some point," she said, balling her tiny hand into a fist. "I killed a man who wanted to kill me just before we fled the castle, and I don't know how to deal with it," she said shakily.
I could almost hear the tears running down her cheeks.
For a moment, I thought about what she said. I'd never killed another human before, only monsters, so while I could relate to what she was going through, it wasn't by much. "Well, what I'm about to say might not be of any consolation, but I hope it helps put things into perspective," I began, feeling her crying lessen momentarily.
"I've been training all my life to kill monsters. Terrifying creatures who wished nothing more than to see me dead on the floor, even though I have done nothing to them to bring that upon myself. However, until a few weeks ago, I had never actually killed anything," I paused, doing my best to choose my following words carefully.
"I had to kill them to protect myself and the others around me, and the bloodshed I've seen has since stuck with me. The man you killed was no different from the monsters I've had to kill. He wanted to see you dead, to destroy an innocent life, making him no different than any monster out there. You did what you had to do to survive, and you should not feel sorry for ridding the world of such an evil person," I said calmly.
Meliss sobbed behind me and tightened her grip around my waist. "Thank you," she said softly between her sobs. I looked down at the tiny hands and more intently placed one of mine on hers. They responded by gripping my calloused ones tightly, hearing her sob just a little harder.
"I don't know what to say to make you feel better. The most I can say is that you did the right thing, at the right moment. If you hadn't, you wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't have seen you again. That would have been an immense tragedy," I said, hoping my words were as reassuring as I thought they were. Her sobbing slowed down a little, as though my words had actually worked their intended magic.
"I'm glad to be here, and I'm even happier that I'm here with you," she said quietly, turning her face to lean her cheek on my back. "Me, too," I smiled, but said nothing else, hoping not to ruin the moment as we rode on in silence.
I watched the conversation between my brother and the queen, which seemed to be going quite smoothly, and I wished I could do the same with the one riding with me at some point.
I wonder if I'll ever be as happy as those two seem to be with each other, I thought idly.
I looked up at the canopy, seeing the sun's rays scattered throughout our surroundings. I could hear birds calling their mates off in the distant ceiling of branches above me, and wildlife on the ground shuffled the leaves around the trees, scurrying to find their breakfast of beetles and other such grubs to munch on. A weak breeze cut through the dense forest, making everything seem much more peaceful than it really was.
This place makes me want to believe that there is no evil looming just around every corner. It's almost as if this were an entire world that has been separated and secluded from centuries of destruction by those damn monsters, I thought, taking in as many little details as possible.
The Master still spoke with Thorsen ahead of him, and I strained my hearing to listen to what they were discussing. "Master, do you think he'll be ready?" he asked. "He's stronger than he looks. He may not look like it physically, but that boy has a willpower I don't think I've seen in a long time," the Master replied with a supportive nod from Anwill, who'd ridden silently the entire time.
"I pray you're right, Master," Thorsen said. "As do I," the Master said pensively.
What was that all about? I thought, confused by their conversation.
I knew they were talking about me, but what they meant precisely was far beyond my comprehension of the short conversation.
We rode until dusk and stopped along the side of the road where we made camp beneath the trees. The rising moon's light cast little light through the canopy beneath it. The silver rays licked the ground they could find through the canopy, while our centralized campfire filled the remaining dark spaces around us.
Meliss and I were separated for that night, having been given a tent for her and Leona to share until better lodging could be acquired. They didn't complain, but I knew it couldn't have been easy on them. Nevertheless, we slept blissfully, as the forest that teemed with life around us also slept.
Just before dawn, we geared up for another day of riding down the beaten paths towards Fangsdalr. Meliss appeared from her tent, as a few seniors helped her and Leona pack their things. She seemed to have recovered from her minor breakdown the previous day, and greeted me with a warm smile.
She could melt ice with that smile, I thought, feeling the winged creatures in my stomach doing consecutive backflips.
"Good morning," she said brightly. "It's much better now that I've seen you smiling," I replied warmly. I saw Meliss feel the blood rush to her face, as her eyes widened and she turned her face away momentarily. "Ready to go?" I asked, trying not to call her out on her reddened features. She didn't verbally reply, only giving me a curt nod, before taking my extended hand to help her onto Celer's back.
She sat behind me as she had the day before, making me a little nervous. However, I do remember that I could almost feel the warmth from her smile as she wrapped her arms around my waist again. It brought a subtle smile to my face that, unfortunately for me, was spotted by my brother and Leona.
They, too, had just finished packing up and were mounting their respective horses. He smiled at Leona, who blushed ever so slightly, prompting a quiet, subtle chuckle from him.
Role reversal since yesterday? Huh, who would've thought? I almost said aloud, but bit my tongue not to ruin their little moment.
Within a few moments, the entire group was off, heading north-east down the path, with the Master at the helm. Batch and Irun had stuck together for most of the journey, avoiding Ed's and my attempts to get them to join the conversation. My best guess was that the presence of both Leona and Meliss made them uncomfortable, but I had no real way of being sure.
We rode for a few more hours, observing the terrain change from grassy and forested plains to steep hills and mountains off in the distance. As we crossed the bridge built long ago over the Elv Avliv, everyone watched as the strong current flowed quickly beneath. The water was perfectly clear with all forms of aquatic life, both in the water and on the banks, taking in the early morning rays of sunlight.
"I've heard tales of great, winged creatures that live deep in the mountains," Meliss said idly as she observed the world around her. "You mean to say that there are wyrms and wyverns living in this portion of the Continent?" Ed asked, having finally mustered the courage to get near us. "Well, I didn't say that, specifically, but I've heard it said that one of the greatest ones of… whatever those names were, fell from a ball of flame from the sky," she said. "I'm no expert in wyvern births, but I'm not sure that's how that happens," he scratched his cheek.
"Let's just hope none decide to drop in on us during our time here," I said playfully. "Don't know what we would do if one did," Edryd. "Fight it with our fists? Hell of a way to go, if you ask me," I said sarcastically. Meliss and Edryd chuckled at the thought, terrifying as it was. "What's it like being a Synner?" she asked.
"Well, you wake up in the morning, eat some unidentifiable goop that looks like something that came out of a troll's nostrils, then practice your sword fighting and casting abilities for most of the day," I replied, keeping it as short as I could. "Then you fall asleep, hoping that the few bruises on your hands will heal the next day, only to find out your roommate has lit the room on fire with a mana-flame, and stupidly used a piss-filled bucket to try and douse it," Edryd chimed in.
"That happened once, Ed! For fuck's sake, I'm never living that down, am I?" I asked, my cheeks flushed with color. Meliss was giggling at the thought of the situation. "Once was enough to traumatize me for life, so thanks for that!" Ed continued mockingly. "But it's true. I always hope my bruises will heal the next day, and I tend to get a lot of them," he continued, gingerly rubbing his knuckles.
"Only time that ever happened to you was when you failed to pay attention, dipshit," Bernar said, butting in on our conversation. "Have you ever gotten hit in that way since I told you that?" he asked. "Not as often as I used to, I suppose," Edryd shook his head. "Heh, guess I'm not a horrible teacher after all," Bernar said with a chuckle as Leona slowed her horse to ride beside us.
"I don't know much about mana," Meliss said shyly. "Well, it's not that hard to understand. All you have to know is that there are other realms outside of the one we currently live in, and each one holds its own power. Right now, we can only tap into two of them, one light, the Ethereal, and one dark. However, we generally avoid the dark one," he tried to keep his explanation simple, but the look of utter confusion on her face told the rest of us it hadn't been simple. "What happens if you use dark mana?" she asked, and as soon as she did, I noticed the Master slightly turn his head toward us.
"Well, you could become what's known as an outcast. Generally speaking, dark mana users only wield it for nefarious purposes. In the words of the Master, one must always strive to do good unto others. Unless, of course, that bastard has done something worthy of your wrath. Lean not into the temptation of the Underworld's power, but instead, rely on your own judgment, lest you find yourself counted among the most vile of the world," he said in a near-perfect imitation, making the rest of us chuckle.
I think I was the only one who noticed the Master's subtle grin, but I don't know for sure.
The four of us continued to talk about our day to day lives, and Meliss shared what little experience she had had during her time as a servant to the queen. Bernar, of course, was particularly interested in that part, but did his best to hide it. Leona was deep in conversation with Thorsen, who'd also slowed his horse to join us, and smiled after learning all she had done for the young girl.
It still took Ed, Batch, and I some time to get used to the fact that she treated us like regular people, as we'd always believed royalty to be just a bunch of snub-nosed asshats with assholes for mouths, but we did our best.
As it turned out, she was more like a goddess than royalty, at least that's how my brother saw her, anyway.
The sun began to set, and the rocks and trees around us reflected the bright orange rays, making everything look like it was coated in a thin sheet of gold. We could see the Elv Avliv beneath them shimmering in the golden sunlight, flowing as swiftly and surely as ever.
"I never thought I would live to see a sight like that. In all of my years going from room to room, servants or guards trailing closely behind me, an adventure such as this was something I thought could only ever happen in books," she said blissfully. "I think I speak for everyone, especially my brother, when I say that we're honored to be able to show you this, even if it's not in the most perfect of conditions," I said, mustering any and all formal training I'd had during our week or so at the palace.
Leona looked at the others, who nodded in agreement, and smiled warmly. "It makes me glad to be in the company of such honorable and fine people," she replied, her pale-blue eyes aimed right into mine. I blushed as I felt Meliss pull closer than before.
I could get used to this, I thought, rubbing my thumb against her forearm gently.
"We've arrived," the Master called out. Anwill, who had been silent the whole way, breathed a sigh of relief, likely contemplating what needed to be done, among other matters like mortality and the fragility of life itself. "About damn time," he said to Bernar who laughed a little. "An old man like you must hate traveling this far in one go," he said with a grin. "Elf, and that's bullshit. I rather like traveling, it's just that I hate not knowing where I'm going," he said with a shrug. "Can't say I disagree with you," Bernar grinned.
The Master rode ahead with Thorsen and Garett to the top of the path, looking out over a few wooden houses and a small solid stone fortress. A single man stood atop the wooden palisade, wearing a black leather jerkin with green scales sewn into it. His white, shoulder-length hair flowed in the breeze, and his glowing yellow eyes watched the oncoming party.
"Master Pyle Rumia," the Master called out. "The Master of Codrean," Pyle shouted back. "What brings you here to my humble abode?" he asked with his arms spread wide. "We have traveled long and hard to find you. Thorsen has told us of Grundvollr's demise, and so we have come to you seeking aid," the Master replied.
"Magnar Thorsen is with you?" Pyle asked. "Hallo, my old friend," Thorsen shouted in his thick accent with a wave. "It is you! It has been too long," Pyle laughed heartily. "Indeed, it has been! It's good to see you're alive and well, friend!" Thorsen shouted up at him. "Please, come in!" Pyle shouted, motioning for the gates to the wooden palisade to be opened.
We rode inside, noticing many more houses inside than outside than they could have imagined. Pyle came down from the top of the palisade to greet us. Thorsen was the first one off his horse and ran over to greet him. They were about the same height, and to the shorter synners, it seemed that two gods were greeting each other.