Estuary of Silver

Liel let out a heavy breath, the springtime air cold on her skin. It stung her throat, and her countless sighs were evident in the clouds of condensation that hung about her.

She stood at the edge of the city built around the Seminary of Silver, aside a craggy dirt road that stretched into the distant emerald hills still blanketed with snow. Winter had been kind to them, and now Liel was ready to confront the spring on her own.

A man approached her during her silence, tapping her on the shoulder.

“Young miss, you need a carriage, right?”

She turned around to greet the cracked, weary voice. The man bore an aged, haggard appearance. The coat he wore was torn and stained with countless colours, and his cloud-white beard enveloped his entire chest. His eyes, black as iron, supported large eyebrows that resembled caterpillars. Liel glanced up and down at this old man before smiling. “Yes, Sir. Is it possible for me to employ you? I need to travel to the nearest Estuary, and then to wherever I’m told to go after that. You’ll be imbursed for all expenses by the Estuary’s attendant…” Liel paused for a moment, seeing the old man lean forward.

The elderly man took a deeper look at Liel, moving in closer. Despite his appearance, he smelled of spring, of flowers and snow-melt. When he saw the silvery-glowing mark on the other side of her face, his eyes widened, and he immediately took a step back, bowing his head. “Of course, my Lady. It would be an honour to assist a Paladin of the Templar in their duties.”

Liel shook her head. “There aren’t any Paladins here, Sir. Only a Crusader.”

The old man adopted a shocked expression, looking at Liel for a moment before laughing. “Ah, I must be losing my temperament. My apologies, my Lady. My old age has left me a bit clumsy in thought.”

“I worry not, Sir. Pay no mind to it.” She bowed her head in response. “In the matter regarding travel, how soon can we depart?”

“If it pleases you, immediately, my Lady.”

“Then, let’s not waste any more time. Horror doesn’t wait for any of us either.” Liel nodded her head.

The old man nodded towards her in response, walking down the side of the road, Liel trailing behind him. After a few minutes, they arrived beside the old man’s carriage. It was led by one gorgeous horse, its hair the colour of coal. The carriage had no roof, and resembled much more a cart, while the seating was rough and hard, not fit for long travel. Still, Liel was no noble lady, and she needed no comfortable accommodation. She was a soldier— a gaudy one— but a soldier.

“My apologies, Lady. It wasn’t always this decrepit. I had kept it well all my life, but I was attacked by a Red a couple of months back…”

As Liel nestled into one of the seats, her head perked up. “A Red? Did you report this incident to an Estuary, or an official?”

The old man nodded his head, grasping hold of the reigns. As the carriage started down the road, he turned his head slightly to respond. “Yes, my Lady. I gave an official the man’s description, but he said he had never seen such a lad before. Just in case, you should watch out for him too. He had a head of short, curly brown hair, and bright-blue eyes, alike to yours, albeit dimmer. He was quite handsome, not the type of person you would stop to look at for too long, but a face that would definitely draw your attention away from other things for just a moment.”

“I’ll keep this man in mind. Thank you, Sir.”

As the two continued down the road, Liel couldn’t help but get lost in the scenery of Sechille. It was a country that had been formed by conquest of old, Godless factions, and so most majour cities were split away from each other by tall mountain peaks in the distance, snowcapped and crowned by roaming clouds. Of course, there was no divide, not any longer. The Paladin’s Templar had made sure of that.

All that Liel saw in her broad view was a land united. Mountains, plains, swamplands and stretches of crags, they were all places free of war. At least, not the type of war that drew blood in large quantities.

She leaned her head on her hand, leaning back against the edge of the rickety carriage. This was a perfect time for such an introspective girl to become lost in her thoughts.

‘I left Alice behind without saying goodbye… will she be saddened by this, or angry? I’ve never seen her get mad at anything but herself, but this… I thought if I stopped to say goodbye, I wouldn’t feel like leaving...’ At the thought of this, Liel blushed slightly, smiling. ‘That girl… she never hid her feelings well. I hope her heart isn’t broken by this… but then again, I’ve already accepted that I can’t rely on others. Does this mean that I shouldn’t let my actions be swayed by the feelings of others as well?’

Liel let out a sigh, bowing her head as she closed her eyes. ‘Lord Ciseus, what is the true meaning of your will? Can I find courage if I take a path of loneliness, and a life of ease if I don’t seek glory or victory? I hope this choice I’ve made isn’t a mistake…’

They traveled for half a day by carriage on the same bumpy road until they reached a vast forest of bright-purple canopies and sprawling emerald brush. Countless insects, butterflies and beetles, zipped about the edge of the forest, chased down by various multi-coloured species of birds and pitch-black ravens. She could see countless sets of crimson eyes hidden in the brush, staring back at her as she stepped out of the carriage. It was a forest filled to the brim with life, both passive and aggressive, but as she stepped down the path at the edge of the forest, those sets of aggressive eyes shrunk back into the shadows, fearful of her arrival. This was because of her own gaze, which stared discriminatingly back at them.

Past the forest’s edge, shrouded in wisteria, was a building nestled under the roots of a massive gnarled tree. Thousands of massive tufts of multi-coloured flowers bloomed around this building, and streams of clear, cold water rushed around it, flowing deep underneath the soil, likely into caverns far beneath the ground. This was one of the many Estuaries of Sechille, built underneath the highest flowering roots of the World Tree, of which were many in each World.

She looked back towards the old man, who had dismounted his seat in the carriage, standing not far away, as if waiting for his next instruction like a good servant should. This embarrassed Liel a little, who was not accustomed to being waited on so endearingly. But this was a commonality of Paladin’s interactions. It was just something she would have to get used to.

“Please wait outside, Sir. I’ll be back shortly.”

After accepting her bidding, the old man nodded his head. Liel then walked up the short path to the Estuary’s door, placing her hand on the ornate iron handle and turning it with a creak. Warmth flooded around her as she stepped inside, her skin which had turned pink under the chill regaining its former colour. Hundreds of pale, crystalline butterflies flew about within the Estuary’s interior, settling on the creeping vines of wisteria that settled on the walls, making their way through the cracks in the ceiling.

The thatched roof was supported by many beams of polished logs, from which dozens of lanterns hung, casting the large room in a pale orange glow, and there was a massive round post in the center of the room. A large circular desk rotated around this pillar, two attendants going about their business from behind it. A bell rung as Liel opened the door fully, drawing the attention of the attendants to her arrival.

The first attendant at the front of the room, with a head of braided golden hair and bright emerald eyes, beamed with excitement after seeing Liel. “Dearest Miss, are you here on business?” The attendant’s head shot backward to look at the other. “Celline, we have a guest! A real guest!”

The other attendant, nearly identical in appearance, and yet bit more serious in expression, pushed up the spectacles on her face as she nodded her head. “Yes, so don’t act like a fool, Maria.”

This caused the first attendant’s face to pale, realising her foolishness, before returning to a more amiable stance as she faced Liel, bowing her head. “Ah, good evening, my Lady. Is there something in particular we can assist you with today?”

Liel nodded her head. “I’ve just graduated from the Seminary not a day prior. I’ll need a vial of Siltte, and any mission you see fit to give me. I’ll also need imbursement for travel expenses. And please, don’t trouble yourself to act differently on my account.”

Hearing this, the attendant named Maria raised her head, smiling brightly. “Of course, my Lady.”

“We don’t choose for you, my Lady. That entitlement is left to yourself.” The other attendant in the background named Celline chimed in, her voice soft and hollow, like the mask of a doll Liel often wore. “Shall we bring you a list of current commissions? You can pick any one of them, or several if you feel yourself capable.”

“I’ll just take the one. Something easy to start off with. I don’t seek to make a name for myself.” This was partly to ascribe to her wishes to live an easy life, but also in order to align with Lord Ciseus’s will. This God that sought to play an ancillary role did not seek glory. Liel thought that ascribing to his teachings would best be suited to taking missions that weren’t too lofty in nature.

“If that’s the case, my Lady, there’s a town nearby that has recently sent in a commission. They wish for their harvest to be blessed. I think this might be a good fit for you, if you feel up for it.”

Liel nodded her head. “Then, let’s go with that.”

‘A harvest blessing? How perfect. Isn’t this one of the things I told Meister Sif I would wish to spend my life doing? How did he put it in his parallel- a heroic endeavour to feed the people?’ Liel humoured herself in her thoughts, watching as the two attendants whisked about, pulling papers and vials from shelves underneath the circular desk.

Celline turned her head towards the wall, seemingly staring at nothing at all. “Hands, please draw some blood for the Lady.”

Liel looked at this same wall, eyeing its details. Besides the skittering bugs and hung carpet of flower blossoms, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Hands?”

Maria returned to the front of the circular desk, setting a rolled parchment held closed with a crimson seal before Liel. “The Hands are our helpers. Every Estuary has them. Can you not see them, my Lady? All attendants have the eyes that can see them. I thought Paladins would have just the same. My apologies, I should not have assumed so carelessly.”

Liel stared at Maria’s gaze with curiosity. ‘Eyes? Hands? Are the attendants of the Estuaries special too? Meister Sif didn’t teach me of this, and neither did any of the textbooks I’ve read regarding the Estuaries. Is this a certain secret of the Paladin’s Templar? Are attendants chosen on a special basis? How interesting…’

As she stared without worry of how the attendants perceived her, Maria raised a hand casually into the air, a vial of writhing silver liquid appearing between her fingertips, whisked along through the air. Seeing this, Liel traced its path of origin, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. However, when her gaze settled on the wall that Celline had been staring at, she saw something truly shocking- a print in the shape of a human hand settled into the carpet of wisteria blossoms, pressing itself against the flowers.

A shiver ran down her spine, but she tried her best not to show it on her expression. Maria handed the parchment and the vial of Siltte— the blood of the World Tree— to Liel, who accepted it graciously. Celline followed behind her, offering her a cloth sack tied tightly, surely filled with coins, being the imbursement for the old carriage driver.

“Safe travels, my Lady. May the Gods watch over your mission, that you might return without harm.” Maria and Celline both offered this expression in unison, a hand against their chest as they bowed to Liel. Once again, this caused Liel to blush, embarrassed by the sudden show of respect.

“Ah, thank you.” She helplessly responded, unable to gather her thoughts, before bowing to the two attendants and leaving the Estuary with the items she had received.

The cold spring wind bit at her cheeks once again, so she pulled her cloak up to her neck to ease the frost.

Returning to the carriage, she sat down in her seat, handing the old man the parcel of coins. The old man accepted it graciously, bowing his head as he thanked her profusely. Liel ignored this, however, unraveling the rolled parchment, which the old man could understand. The matters of a Paladin were surely more important.

“Where to, my Lady?”

Liel sighed, placing the parchment in her pocket after procuring the necessary information. “To a town named Estelle, a short way South of here. Prepare for warmer weather, Sir.”

“I thank the Gods for it. My old body cannot handle this frost any longer.” The old man joked, laughing.

—

[The Seminary of Silver in Sechille.]

Alice sat awake in her room, glancing out of the upper-floor window at the rising moon in the distance. It hung over the beautiful snowcapped mountains, which burst through their crown of clouds to rest in the sky. She had always enjoyed this sight, and it had always helped her get to sleep, seeing such things.

But now, it all seemed bittersweet. Her eyes were sleepy, yet saddened, and her heart felt in turmoil. Not a goodbye, not even a letter… how could her Instructor leave her behind so quickly? It wasn’t like the graduates were forced to leave immediately. Most chose to stay as they awaited the carriages of the Paladin’s Templar that would bring them to the capital.

“Instructor… what are you thinking? I can never tell…” Her eyes fluttered as she continued staring out the window, unaware of Liel’s intentions.

The woman she had known wouldn’t leave so suddenly, it was illogical. She had never truly known her Instructor, she thought.