14

Sion wakes up and does light exercises, then walks out of the room. He sits at the dining table alone until Weald and Anima join him. Weald comes down first and begins talking.

“Are you leaving today, Sion?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“Good.”

Anima then comes down, already dressed to begin her travels. Weald looks at her warmly.

“Good morning, Anima.” She responds somewhat awkwardly, not knowing when to tell him that she wishes to leave with Sion and the others.

“Good morning.”

“You’re all dressed up. Do you have big plans for the day?”

“Uhh… Well… Dad… I want to leave with Sion and his friends.” Weald stands up silently and pulls Anima aside.

“Anima, are you sure?”

“Yes.” Weald thinks for a moment.

“Fine. But promise me you’ll stay on guard around Sion. I don’t trust him.”

“Be on my guard for what?” Weald seems somehow embarrassed to answer.

“Well, you know, I think he might be trying to deceive you and take advantage of you somehow.”

“I really don’t think that’s true.”

“You know, that’s how they get ya.” Anima resigns herself.

“I’ll watch out.”

Weald and Anima rejoin Sion. Weald looks at the two of them, but mostly Anima.

“Are you leaving right away?” Sion looks out a nearby window then answers.

“Yes, I think that would be best.”

“Give me a second then.” Weald rushes upstairs then back down. He carries a silver necklace with a bright blue gem, then puts it on Anima. “I always meant to give this to you when you became an adult.” Anima touches the chain longingly and gingerly, her face not betraying any strong emotion she might be feeling.

“Thank you.” She says it somewhat solemnly.

Weald hugs his daughter tightly once more, then releases her slowly. Sion and Anima leave the house and begin to set off for the gate. They walk there in silence.

When Sion and Anima arrive at the gate, Scima, Eva, and Regn are already waiting there. Scima looks straight at Sion.

“Well, it took you long enough. Oversleep for once?”

“No, I needed to wait for Anima.” Anima looks somewhat worried.

“You woke up early? Did you get enough sleep? We were out pretty late.” There’s a glint in Scima’s eyes.

“”My, what were you two doing together so late at night? Sion answers directly.

“We took a walk.” Scima clicks his tongue.

“Let’s just get moving.”

Scima helps Eva into the carriage, then lifts himself to the driver’s seat in front. Sion helps Anima up then climbs atop Regn’s back. They depart Ecg, moving forward towards Messis and Sagax across the plains.

Eva and Anima sit together in the carriage. Anima jitters around uncomfortably.

“Umm… Ev— Lady— Your High—” Eva interrupts her politely.

“Just Eva is fine, Anima. I consider you a friend, so it really is alright.” Anima is relieved.

“Then, Eva, umm… Wouldn’t this hurt your image, or something like that?”

“If anyone were to question my ability to choose my friends and allies for something as foolish as that, then their respect was not worth much in the first place. All we must do is prove ourselves beyond reproach and force them to respect us.” Anima looks somewhat concerned.

“Like, with violence?” Eva giggles.

“I’m sure that’s what Scima plans to do, but it is not the only way. Any virtue in which you can sufficiently assert your superiority will do. If you do not lose then nobody will dare to question your place beside me.”

“I see. I wonder if I’ll be able to.”

“Weren’t you especially chosen for your excellence?”

“I guess I was, but that doesn’t mean I’m any better than the people getting sent by nations.”

“Take more pride in yourself. You can certainly match up to us three, and I have no doubt in our abilities.”

“Are you sure? You three seem so much more impressive, honestly.”

“Don’t confuse spectacle with real strength. Although both Scima and Sion use a showy magic, at the core of their strength is a strong foundation in their basic skills.” Anima nods slowly.

“I’ll try.”

They continue on for several more days. As Messis comes into view, Sion urges Regn forward past the carriage. Scima watches him, confused by his sudden increase in speed. Sion drops himself off of Regn’s back and begins to jog beside the carriage. He jumps up near the door and pulls it open. He enters the carriage and sits beside Anima.

Scima bursts out laughing, completely incapable of containing himself after what he witnessed. His laughter is so loud that it stops Sion from beginning whatever conversation he had intended to. He looks at Eva and begins when Scima calms down.

“Eva, what are we supposed to do in the city?”

“Oh, I suppose we never told you. We’re well ahead of schedule right now, so we’ll have to wait about two weeks or so. After that, we’ll just follow the instructions of Sagax.”

“Do we not need to visit the leader like we did in Ecg?”

“I likely should, but I only need to bring along Scima for that.” Sion has a curious look on his face.

“Why is that?”

“Minister Feoh is an official of Dracabana, so it would make sense for him to meet you, but the governor of Messis is from Saturgranum. At least for the time being, we would like to keep you out of the spotlight. It’s the least we can do after dragging you along here.” Now Anima looks confused.

“But you told me that we need to show everyone our strength?”

“That’s that and this is this. These are separate matters. I have to imagine that Sion will end up standing out regardless of what we do.” Scima continues, keeping his head turned away from them.

“Yeah, it’s not about keeping Sion under wraps as much as it’s about keeping him away from foreign nobles. Sion will serve our purpose fine just being himself, so there’s no need to get him involved in all these nobles’ petty games.”

They soon reach Messis. The walls that should be protecting the city are sunk beneath the ground, the tops level with the road. The carriage stops before a small group of soldiers. The emblem of Saturgranum is emblazoned on their chest. The center soldier wears a more dignified helm, a cape attached to his shoulders. The soldiers all kneel before the carriage as it comes to a stop. The center soldier calls up to them.

“Welcome to Messis, Your Highness Evangelina of Dracabana!”

The soldiers take position on both sides of the carriage. They walk alongside it, the caped soldier leading the way. The soldier’s procession cuts through the city quickly. The people make way without a fuss when they see the soldiers.

Eventually the carriage reaches a small mansion enclosed by a metal fence. The caped soldier opens the gate and leads the carriage inside. Scima disembarks and moves to the door of the carriage to help Eva out. Eva stands in front of the caped soldier. The caped soldier bows deeply.

“Your Highness, My Lord has offered this manor to you while you study in Sagax. He hopes you find it to your liking.”

“Yes, it is a very fine gesture, and I shall humbly accept. I will be sure to express my gratitude to the lord soon.”

“I shall tell him so, Your Highness. Farewell.”

The caped soldier walks away, the other soldiers following him. Sion and Anima approach Scima and Eva. Sion and Anima look at the manor. Anima is shocked, but Sion is more confused than anything.

“Why is this house so big?” Eva answers him.

“I imagine that it would typically have live-in staff, much like the castle had. Though I doubt that the lord of Messis’ generosity would go that far.”

Scima goes ahead and opens the door to the manor. The interior is dark for a moment, but as the door opens, it illuminates. Eva, Sion, and Anima follow Scima into the manor. The manor is lightly furnished. The floor is covered by dark blue carpet, giving a plush feel where they step. In a room adjoining the entrance hall, they find a sofa and a few chairs near an empty fireplace. They continue searching the ground floor until they find the dining room. The dining table is long, far more than they would require, ready to serve more guests than would be likely to come with the current tenants. They pass through a door in the far corner and find the kitchen. It’s stocked with only basic ingredients with long shelf lives, showing the lord’s uncertainty as to when they would arrive.

They return to the entrance hall and look towards the large staircase. They go up to the second floor. The landing at the top of the staircase branches off into one long hallway. Down either side of the hall is a repeating series of doors. Scima starts walking up and down the hall, opening the doors. Inside each are nearly identical rooms with a large bed and simple dresser. Scima returns to the others.

“Well, it looks like we could sleep anywhere. All the rooms seem the same. But what was the lord thinking? This is way too much. Is he really so desperate to get in Dracabana’s good graces?” Sion looks confused.

“You don’t think it’s kindness?”

“Not at all. He wouldn’t need all this if it were just kindness. The more we don’t use, the more extravagant it seems. Of course he’d have some ulterior motive.” Eva chides him.

“Scima, don’t be so quick to doubt his character. A certain level of suspicion is perfectly fine, but don’t let it cloud your good judgement. Especially when we’ve yet to even meet him, which we soon will.”

“I’ll try, Lady Eva.” Scima turns around and enters the door nearest to the staircase. “Anyway, I’m claiming this room.” Scima shuts the door behind him.

Sion, Eva, and Anima separate. Eva quickly enters a room near Scima’s. Sion and Anima go deeper towards the other end of the hall. Sion enters a room and places his few belongings inside.

Sion pulls back the curtain and looks out towards the setting sun. He closes the curtain and leaves the room. He goes down the stairs and goes out into the yard of the manor. Regn bounds into him and brings Sion to the ground. Sion rubs Regn’s head for a while, then gently pushes Regn off him. Sion stands back up. He returns to patting Regn.

“Well, Regn, it seems like we’ve ended up far from home.” Regn yips loudly. “Regn, if you want to go back home to the forest, you can.” Regn yips sadly. “It’s not that I want you gone, but I’d be fine if you left.” Regn yips excitedly. “I’m happy. Let’s play a little, and tire ourselves out then?” Regn yips loudly.

Sion finds a round, flat stone hidden in the grass. He begins to toss it, and Regn begins to return it in whatever way he happens to choose. Regn yips each time the stone is thrown and each time he returns it to Sion. From above, Scima, Eva, and Anima watch them play from their rooms. As the sky turns dark, they watch the joyful play between Sion and Regn from their windows, their hearts lightening.