"What can I do for you?" Mytri Vol Makkalen said.
Luna looked at him as he leaned against the doorframe. At first glance, he had long, disheveled black hair tied in a bun at the back of his head. He was a tall and sturdy man in plain dark clothes, his sharp white eyes like the finest swords. But the more Luna looked, the more she noticed.
Strands of white hair ran from his temples towards the bun. Dark circles lingered under his eyes, a permanent reminder of tiredness.
His arms were a map of old scars, shriveled lines from cuts that left no part of his hands untouched—like leather gloves made of flesh. His beard, disheveled and streaked with white amidst the black, sharpened his jaw. To Luna, he looked the pinnacle of a knight: muscles huge but not exaggerated, practical, strong, and agile.
The commander of knights walked up and gave him a handshake. "Good morning, sir. We have been tasked to escort Lady Luna and Lady Theia into your care."
Mytri's voice was warm, but his eyes barely moved, like those of a man who had been tired for years. "Lady Theia? The letter only spoke of Lady Luna."
He gave a small nod. "A discrepancy, not a difficulty. I had only wondered why Reed specified training for his daughter, yet made no mention of her companion."
"If I may," the Commander said, "Lady Theia insisted on accompanying Lady Luna. It may be presumptuous of me to say, but Lady Theia is inseparable from her. She does not require training in swordsmanship—only Lady Luna does."
"As well," the Commander continued, "the letter was sent days before the plans changed. His Excellency the Duke said it would not matter much, that you, sir, would not be troubled, and that everything would be fine." He paused before adding, "The Lord wished to say this directly, but work kept him from coming. 'I hope you will not be mad,' he said."
"Haha, I see. This small matter would never make anyone mad… Then please, come in. I'll serve you some tea, if you'd like," Mytri said, walking into the house and gesturing them inside.
The commander gently shook his head. "No need, sir. We are to return as soon as possible. Matters with 'Them' have compelled our Lord to send the ladies swiftly and recall us immediately. It is said that no one knows what may happen."
Mytri exhaled softly. "Then may the Goddess protect you on your way back. My Lady Luna, Lady Theia, please come in. I have tea prepared to soothe the pains of travel."
Luna and Theia walked into the house. Luna said, "Thank you for accepting this unreasonable request. I am grateful to learn from someone as great as you."
Theia kept to herself gripping Luna's hand as they walked in.
Mytri closed the door as the knights retreated toward the duchy. Inside, he laughed. "Haha! Unreasonable? My Lady, please, how could it be? Your father and I are old friends. How could I possibly dare to refuse such a request?"
"All I thought upon reading it was what a pleasure it would be to train one of his daughters. I am not as great as you may think—people have likely exaggerated my accomplishments."
"Please, sit here at the table. I will prepare refreshments for you and your friend."
***
Luna looked around the room, taking in the comforting old walls of worn-out wooden planks, the bright brown wooden floor, and the light charcoal ceiling. The place was decorated with old-fashioned furniture—the kind that told you the space held a history deeper than what met the eye.
Greyish curtains softened the light spilling through them. At the polished wooden table where they sat on brown polished chairs, Luna felt a sense of comfort and calm—and whatever Luna felt, Theia felt, too.
Mytri walked out of the kitchen to Luna's left, holding two porcelain cups filled with hot tea, a trail of steam drifting behind him. For himself, he poured tea into a wooden cup.
"I'm sorry, my lady, I haven't thought about any accommodation for you. If I weren't so drunk every day, it would have occurred to me that I should've considered what life you had before coming here. You may find it uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a day or two."
Uncomfortable? Luna thought.
Right after, unknown voices sounded in her mind:
"Drunk every day? It would be easier for us to control him."
"We should pour some into Theia's cup tonight. She'll be easier to seduce, and control over her mind and body will belong to you."
"She will be interested only in you, no one else. She will never leave you."
Luna chose to ignore the voices—to her, it was stupid to listen to words coming out of her own head.
"Sir, it would never bother me. I'd be happy to drink tea from wooden cups with you. I don't mind, and please—you don't have to call me by a title. Just call me and Theia by our names. It'll be far easier for you, and here, I think you are higher in rank than I am," Luna said.
"Haha, I see. Then, Luna, do you know the basics of master-to-disciple relations?"
"I've read about them in books, so I probably understand most of it."
"Then that's good. I won't take much of your time. Please enjoy your tea, and after that, in my opinion, you should rest. From experience, traveling nonstop for a month or so brings a lot of pain," Mytri said.
Hearing his words, Luna rubbed her back. "You are right—my back does hurt. So, if I can rest in my room now, would that be rude to you? I'll introduce myself properly tomorrow, if you wouldn't mind. I feel like I might pass out right now."
"How would that be rude? My own joints ache from age, and I can promise you—your pain as a child is nowhere near what I feel in my joints."
Theia jolted in place at Luna's words and gripped her arm, afraid she might actually pass out.
Mytri noticed her reaction and chuckled to himself as he smoothed back his disheveled hair into its bun.
"Then I'll lead you and Theia to your rooms. Please come."
Luna slowly stood up alongside Theia. Both took their cups in hand and followed Mytri.
***
"This is the room you'll both be staying in. Please forgive me for not having it prepared for two, but only for one. I suppose the bed is big enough for you two, but it will be okay for a night or two…"
Luna walked into the room with Theia. It was humble: a single bed with a drawer near it, a table with one chair under a window, and to its right, a bookshelf filled with books. It was a small room, big enough for one person.
"No, it's okay. It's my fault for not informing you sooner about Theia," Luna said.
Just as Theia laid her eyes on the simple bed with its white sheet and pillow, she felt ecstatic at the thought of sharing it with Luna. She tugged at her dress and muttered, her face wholly beet red, "One bed is okay…"
Luna saw her expression and chuckled. "No, thinking it over, one bed for both of us is enough. We are happy that you provided for us at least a room. Thank you, we couldn't be complaining about only having one bed," Luna said, exhaling as if strength was leaving her body.
"Luna, please, your father would kill me if I had you sleep in the living room. But I suppose if you want to sleep with your companion together, then I won't separate you. I'll leave you both to rest for tonight."
Theia wanted to tell Mytri that she was not Luna's companion but her sister! But with Luna around, she couldn't possibly mutter a word and not die of embarrassment.
Luna saw Theia's complexion and immediately knew what she wanted to say. She cut in, saying, "Theia is my sister, sir."
Mytri jolted. "Sister? Please forgive me, I couldn't tell. You both look really different from each other."
"I know, sir. I know," Luna said, and internally added as her eyelids slowly fell under tiredness, Ugh, I feel like I'm going to pass out. "She was adopted into our family, so it's right of you to think that we look nothing alike."
"I see. Then please rest well. If you need anything from me, most of the time I rest alongside the stove in the corner on my sofa, so you'll find me there. And my room is the first door to the right in the kitchen, okay?"
"Thank you, sir. I really need to go to sleep," Luna said, her voice growing drowsy and slow.
"Then please, go. I won't hold you any longer. Rest well, Luna, Theia."
Theia nodded swiftly, disappearing into the room. Luna chuckled and nodded her head. "Good night."
Mytri nodded, exhaling. "Good night… or rather, good afternoon."
Luna walked into the room, closing the door right behind her. She collapsed onto the bed on top of Theia as fierce, unrecognizable voices began to flood into her head like whispers. Luna fell asleep immediately.
Theia was taken aback, her face fully flushed beet red as she shook from embarrassment and excitement. She closed her eyes and tried not to think too much of it, willing herself to go to sleep.