Part 2 - An Odd Friend

Marē walked through the camp her army set up, her helmet hanging from a rope tied around her waist. Her eyes scanned the campsite, her normal blank expression more of a frown. From across the camp, a couple of knights watched their Commander while playing a game of cards, resting in what little shade the tent they were sitting next to provided them. Granted, the weather isn't actually harsh and is rather quite pleasant but, shade is still shade.

"Is it just me or does the Commander look a bit different, like her eyes are less dull than usual?" One, named Grace, asked.

The other two looked at Grace and Petie, the small short brown-haired knight, studied her Commander again before shaking her head.

"Nope. She still looks the same to me," Petie said, failing to see what Grace was talking about.

"No...Grace may be right," Kandy, the knight with half black and half white hair and grey eyes. Out of the three friends, she isn't human. On the left side of her head was a white horn, standing out on the black side of her hair.

She was an oni, a type of demon. Normally, around the place where the Kingdom Of Alsmar, demons aren't treated kindly due to the brutal war they had with them not so long ago, but the Dark Knights don't discriminate.

"She seems much more alive. Like she is eager for something...even more eager than how she normally is for battles."

Petie let out a sigh and took another look at her Commander who was currently checking inside a barrel that holds potatoes, goods from a good deal away from the Kingdoms Faction.

"I guess I can see it...but why is she checking the potatoes? Normally, if she is bored she would go do some training. Besides, it's not like anyone is going to steal those things anyway. They taste horrible."

Grace and Kandy nodded, recalling the taste of the food with disgust. Everyone in the Dark Knights had tasted the potatoes and not a single one liked them. Aga had said that it must be a thing only people in the West like. Although Grace didn't believe in different culture can result in different taste buds, mostly because her grandmother had drilled that into her head, she does agree with Aga. The only reason why they were bringing back potatoes in the first place was because, apparently, they lasted a long time. Because of this, they are useful as rations for armies.

"Hopefully we won't be the ones using those rations. Then again, we have three whole caskets full of em," Kandy muttered, causing Grace to let out a groan.

"Barrels! Those are barrels, Kandy," Grace snapped at the oni, who scowled in response.

"Yeah well, from where I come from, they're called caskets!" Kandy snapped back.

The two started arguing much to Petie's annoyance, though she kinda expected it to happen. The smart yet uptight Grace and the lazy and stubborn Kandy always find something to argue about. Across the camp, Marē watched them, her head slightly cocked to the side. After a bit of watching them, she turned and started walking towards the northern entrance to the camp they set up. Once she got there, she looked at the big wooden fort in the distance. There next destination is there. Once they arrive, they will drop off their payload and return home which, from that fort, is a short walk.

Marē reached up in her hair and took out a little white flower, seemingly out of place on such a grim figure. She played around with it for a bit, her eyes closed.

For some reason, Marē had suddenly found herself wanting to return home ever since she left, and she doesn't know why. Though, now that she thinks about it, it probably had something to do with that little girl who gave her this flower. Years have passed since then and Marē knows full well that the little girl probably isn't so little anymore, and probably isn't the same either. She was certain that she wouldn't recognize her either. While Marē's figure sure does stand out, that girl met her once and gave her a flower. It wouldn't be anything special to the girl but, to Marē, it was.

Even knowing this, Marē still wants to see that girl again, even if it is just for a moment. She wants to see if the person who somehow gave her light was doing well. Now that they were so close, Marē found herself feeling something she hasn't felt like in such a long time.

....

....

....She felt like a child.

........

Nearby, a Dark Knight watched her master stare off into the distance, her hands absentmindedly yet gently playing with the flower. She had never known that her master could make such a face. Well, not anymore at least. She had seen Marē make a different expression from her normal blank and expressionless one once, and that was years ago, back when she, Rōma, first joined the Dark Knights. For some reason, she and Marē got along. However, after the past couple decades, Marē started treating her with what can almost be called indifference, like the rest of the Dark Knights.

Rōma's smile grew a little and she felt her heart start to beat faster. She had hope that maybe, just maybe, whoever that little girl is may be able to make Marē smile again.

Marē watched the young princess walk into her room with her friend, who she introduced her as Ruby Costella. Marē had heard of the last name, Costella before, and she was sure she even fought with someone going by that name once. However, it was quite a long time ago so Marē had forgotten it.

When she arrived with the princess, the young Costella looked at her with a mixture of awe and fear, emotions Marē is very familiar with.

On the other side of the door, the two girls were sitting on the bed, talking in a hushed manner even thought the doors are soundproof. Their topic is, to no one's surprise, about Marē, or as Ruby calls her, the-

"The tall crazy-eyed woman. Care to tell me about her?" Ruby asked her friend. Sventlina let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I don't think she looks old enough to be called a woman," Sventlina pointed out, not sure if she meant it as a joke or she said it seriously.

"Well, the giant crazy-eyed person. Who is she?" Ruby asked again, changing her question slightly.

"I honestly don't know," Sventlina admitted, shrugging, "but my father wants me to be her friend."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that Sventlina's father has some...tendencies.

"Not even her name?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I know that much. Her name is Marē, like the horse, though I don't think her name is actually spelled that way."

"Oh! She also has to be some kind of warrior in training since she takes orders from my father like a soldier would," Sventlina explained, recalling how Marē wouldn't stand up until her father gave the order.

"...Isn't her name pronounced with a reh at the end instead of the horse name'?" Ruby suddenly asked.

"I wouldn't know. Why do you think that?" Sventlina asked.

"Well, I did some study on language and I think the name may be Japanese or Latvian. I don't know what it means though but, it is said in Latvian as Mar-reh."

Sventlina blinked before stiffening a giggle.

"Thanks for the lesson, teacher," Sventlina teased, causing Ruby to scoff her arms, "but both my father and Marē pronounced the name like the horse."

"Yuck, you're beginning to sound like my mom," Ruby complained.

Ruby's mother has been pushing her to start training as a teacher instead of trying to marry Ruby to some other house like most noble parents do. Since her mother has been so pushy about it, Ruby started to hate anything relating to teachers, even studying. That's also why she has been spending more time with Sventlina as of lately instead of staying at home and studying.

Still, as the saying goes, once a bookworm, always a bookworm.

"Well, she probably isn't from Senshi but she doesn't look like she doesn't have Zhenshi and Senshi blood. Still, her name and bloodline doesn't tell me where she is from. Is she from another Kingdom?"

Ruby shrugged this time.

"How would I know? Your best bet is to either ask your father or ask her herself," Ruby pointed out before adding, "and your father is kinda out of the question."

Sventlina looked at the door where she had a strong feeling Marē was waiting behind.

"Yeah but, won't that sound rude?" Sventlina asked.

"I mean, it can be but that's not true most of the time," Ruby explained, "Besides, asking that is the most reasonable thing to do in this situation."

'She's not wrong.' Sventlina thought, looking back at the doors to her room.

Sventlina was silent for a while before she shook her head, a sudden determined glint in her eyes.

"You know what!? You're right. Let's just go and ask her," Sventlina said, getting off her bed.

"That's the spirit!" Ruby said, getting off the bed with Sventlina.

The two made their way to the bedroom doors and, after a brief four second hesitation, opened it and-

....

....

"Is she eating a chicken leg?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Why are the bones stacked up in a tower?" Sventlina asked, her expression mirroring Ruby's.

In the middle of the hallway was Marē. She was on the floor eating a large drumstick in her left hand while playing with a small tower made of chicken bones, taking out one piece and putting it on top of the tower. All around her were bones and on a dark grey plate was what had to be twenty other untouched drumsticks. Nearby, a maid was watching this scene with an expression half in disgust and half in bewilderment.

Marē, after hearing the two girls talk, looked up from what she is doing and, completely oblivious to the situation she is in, waved at the two girls with her right hand before taking another big bite of the drumstick in her right hand. She swallowed quickly and stood up, dusting herself off and putting the mostly eaten drumstick on the plate. Once she did that, her hands flashed a light blue color. Sventlina recognized the spell as a basic cleaning one.

"Hello! I was thinking if there was a game you two would like so I started setting up Bone Tower!" Marē cheerfully explained, pointing at the bone tower she had set up.

"...Um, how do you play it?" Sventlina asked, surprising herself that she wanted to know.

"Well, you take out a bone from the tower, not on the top, and try to make the tower not fall down. I played this with my comrades all the time," Marē explained.

"Comrades? Is she Rolan?" Ruby asked herself under her breath.

"But she doesn't look like a harpy...but then again, not everyone there is from the harpy family."

Sventlina ignored her friend's muttering and focused on the beaming expression on Marē's face.

'She really does look like a puppy dog.' Sventlina thought before catching herself and shaking her head.

"Um...is there a way to play without bones?" Sventlina asked, not wanting to touch bones that are...well, bones, but have also been close to if not in Marē's mouth.

Marē cocked her head, reminded Sventlina of a child, and put a finger on her chin. After a couple of seconds of silence, Marē finally answered.

"I don't know."

Ruby and Sventlina raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know?" Sventlina asked.

"Nope!" Marē confirmed, leaning forward like how she did when Sventlina met her in the throne room, "We've only ever played with bones. Swords and other such weapons is a waste of tools and can cause some injury if not handled with care."

"And those can't?" Ruby asked, pointing towards the bone tower.

Sventlina and Marē were confused by what she meant and looked at the bone tower again. After looking it over, Sventlina realized with a jolt that the end of the bones were gone, giving the bones a sharp point on both ends.

"No, they won't," Marē said, looking up at Ruby with a perplexed look on her face, "Human skin can naturally withstand a full swing from a dull steel blade that's under one hundred and eighty pounds. Chicken bones won't pierce your skin."

Ruby took a step back, flustered from how Marē explained something to her in such a "you should know this" way.

"What happened to the ends of the bones?" Sventlina suddenly asked, giving Ruby a much needed distraction.

"Why I ate them," Marē simply said, smiling once again.

"...."

"...."

"...."

"...You ate them?" Sventlina asked, raising an eyebrow yet again.

"Yep! Shame I couldn't eat the marrow or the rest of the bones."

....

....

....

....

The silence that came after what Marē said was broken when Marē opened her mouth again, another perplexed look on her face. Realizing that she was about to give them another fact about human biology, Ruby ran forward and put a hand on Marē's mouth, a feat she was able to do because Marē was still leaning forward.

"Hey, Sventlina! Why don't we go find some wooden blocks or something to use as replacements for the bones?" Ruby asked Sventlina, hoping she got the hint.

"Oh! Y-yeah, sure," Sventlina quickly agreed.

Ruby took her hand off Marē's mouth and walked past Marē.

"Follow me! I know where we can get some."

Sventlina walked past Marē and after her friend. Marē didn't join right away, instead standing upright. She doesn't really know what is happening but, seeing as they want to play and aren't unhappy, Marē was happy. So, with a tiny giggle, Marē walked after them...

....a smile on her face.

Rolan: A somewhat large Faction that is the home of the harpies. They are known for calling their friends in battle comrades and having a somewhat strange accent. They used to be a Faction that loved war but, ever since their allies, the Demons, were defeated in battle, the Rolan Faction has been less frequent with their attacks. While some may call them cowards, one must take into account that the Rolan Faction were previously nearly wiped out by a disease and are still recovering, making them a rather weak Faction.