“Lady Liliana, look at this,” a guard, Rebecka, called out over sounds of the common room of the inn they were staying in. Liliana looked up and saw the woman produce sparkling butterflies made of air and ice. They fluttered around the room, the flames of the hearth fire casting light through their icy bodies. It reflected prettily off the faces watching them, and a small smile tugged at Liliana’s mouth.

It had been some days now since the assassin's attack. Liliana had spent several hours out in the woods. Jason had found her eventually and brought her back. She’d slept in the carriage that night, surrounded by guards. She hadn’t seen Alistair or Emyr until the next morning, when she’d awoken from another horrible nightmare.

This one, she could remember. As she had remembered all the ones she’d had since the assassin. She was running through the halls of the manor, running to her brother or Emyr. Who it was changed. Yet what they did stayed the same. Whoever she ran to for help would raise a dagger to strike her.

She knew she had bags under her eyes, could feel them tugging her eyes down. Each morning, she woke up with less and less sleep. The guards had been gentle with her, assuming it was simply the stress of being targeted by an assassin that had her so unsettled. And it was, to a degree. It was also the knowledge of who had sent the assassin that was troubling her.

Emyr and Alistair seemed almost as stressed as she. Both of them sported their own dark circles, and she knew Alistair patrolled around her tent, or room, at night. Lelantos had told her Emyr did as well. They hadn’t been out to hunt since the assassin. Liliana simply hadn’t felt up to it. Hadn’t felt up to pretending everything was fine when it so very much was not. Hadn’t wanted to test herself and see if she truly did still trust Emyr or her brother still. She didn’t know what she’d do if all her trust in them had been demolished, or if it hadn’t.

Alistair had interrogated Jason and Amelia for the first couple of days after the assassin, before questioning every guard who had a hand in the assassin’s capture. The information they’d gathered from the man dead was more than they’d gotten from him alive, but it was still so little. A tattoo of a viper on his back apparently marked him as part of a known assassin syndicate. The Death Adders.

The poison on his person was expensive, far too expensive for most assassins to carry, and a poison of the degree that would have Liliana dead before she could take a breath. Strong enough to kill Lelantos, too. The man had come prepared, even disregarding his level. He’d been high level enough to take on any one of their guards, but not all of them at once. As was common for assassins, he’d killed himself rather than be captured and risk the name of his employer be found.

Not that it mattered, Liliana knew. Though no one else did. She knew Alistair was still trying to figure out who it was. She heard him whispering to Jason and Emyr. Though he never spoke of the assassin to her, which she didn’t know if she should be grateful for or not. His actions at least absolved him of the guilt she had held him to originally. She didn’t think he’d be driving himself so hard if he’d had a hand in it. Didn’t think he’d lose sleep over her if he had wanted her dead.

It mattered little though, because she knew she couldn’t trust him with the truth. No matter the pain she saw in his eyes whenever he looked at her, or whenever she scrambled out of the carriage each evening to surround herself with the guards, far from him and Emyr.

Her heart still ached in her chest, like an infected wound she refused to treat. She tried to ignore it, accept the pain as her new normal. But it was hard, hard when she woke up every night at the guard shift. Hard when she was stuck in a carriage with Emyr and Alistair every day and had to see them both getting as wan and exhausted as her. Had to deny every attempt they made to draw her out of her shell.

It hurt so much to pull away from them. But she didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t know how to trust them when the secrets she held would tear their newfound friendship apart at the seams. Didn’t want to see if Alistair would pick his mother or her. Didn’t want to see if Emyr would choose his oldest friend over her. She couldn’t ask him to. She didn’t want to face the heartbreak that would ensue, so instead she took the slow death of her heart over the full breaking of it.

The guards at least seemed to welcome her company. Many of them trying to draw out smiles or a laugh from her with various stories, jokes or antics. Her willingness to listen seemed to further fuel it, and every night now she could guarantee some story or new magic trick to experience. Yet it all felt so hollow.

“We should be in Ariowood tomorrow. We’ll be staying with Earl Wilde tomorrow night and likely the night afterwards,” Jason informed her as he handed her food.

He’d tested it, as he had every night since the attempt. Liliana didn’t know how to feel about the extra precautions. Didn’t know how she’d feel if her food was poisoned and Jason died for it. Her hand tightened on the spoon in her grip, hatred flaring to life in her chest. Imogen had done more than simply try to kill her. She’d ruined the first bit of peace Liliana had known since she’d come to this world. She was actively threatening people Liliana cared for.

Liliana’s other hand reached up to touch the pendant that hung from her neck.

She’d taken the pendant out of storage one night to examine it when the nightmares wouldn’t let her sleep. She’d ignored the odd pendant during their travels, her mind already too taken up with other matters to bother with a mysterious pendant. When she’d taken it out, it had seemed to call to her. Seemed to offer her comfort, protection. Power. Things she craved now more than ever, when her own weakness had been laid out to her.

Power to keep herself safe. She felt like it offered that. If only she knew how to unlock it. For now, she wore it for whatever protection it might give her. Lelantos still didn’t like the pendant, but hadn’t protested too much. He too was still shaken by the events, the knowledge that had they confronted the assassin, he wouldn’t have been able to protect her. He felt weak, and Liliana knew he hated it as much as she did.

At least the pendant offered her some feeling of comfort. Some minute bit of safety, and she hadn’t felt that in so long. Her own flimsy illusions of safety had been shredded before her eyes when an assassin snuck by their guards and into her tent. Where she would’ve died, had she not disobeyed the very guards meant to protect her and snuck out.

“I suppose I’ll have to dress properly then,” Liliana commented as she loosened the death grip she had on her spoon and took a sip of the stew.

“Well, we were talking,” Jason motioned at the other guards that were crowded around therm, “and thought maybe you’d enjoy a chance to explore the city a bit.” Jason offered her, sounding almost hopeful.

I wanted to get a monopoly game board, and pieces made. That feels like a lifetime ago, Liliana remembered as she looked down at her stew. She had wanted to get the game to play with Alistair and Emyr during their travels. Now she wasn’t sure if she should. She was trying to distance herself from them, distance the poisonous secret she held from them. Liliana looked back up, a refusal on her lips, but the hope in the eyes of the guards, Jason especially, changed the words on her tongue.

“That would be nice,” Liliana said, giving them a tired smile. Jason grinned back at her and several guards chatted excitedly about what they would do in the city. Liliana watched on, eating her food quietly as they talked.

I suppose I could see if they have any new bestiaries, or perhaps a better appraiser for this pendant, Liliana thought, letting a bit of the excitement floating around infect her. She couldn’t sell any of the monster parts she had. It would raise questions. But she perhaps could offload some of the alchemical plants she had found and couldn’t use.

“Look, Lady Liliana, you can see the city,” Jason pointed out, and Liliana looked up from the bestiary she was reading from. Ahead of them, above the trees, she could see the city. She leaned closer to the window in curiosity. Ariowood hadn’t been a city one could visit in the game, so she had never seen it before. She hadn’t entirely understood the name until now, but the city seemed to be made of mostly wood. From the walls to the buildings, she couldn’t see any stone other than the road they were on.

“Why is it all wood? Isn’t there a concern for fire?” Liliana asked, turning to Jason, her one man encyclopedia for this world. He knew an absurd amount of information, but perhaps it wasn’t too surprising as he was a lieutenant, even if sometimes it was easy to forget.

“It’s enchanted wood, courtesy of Earl Wilde’s Nature and Earth affinity. His family has long held those affinities and helped build Ariowood. The wood here is as strong as the stone used in Ravencross.” Jason explained, and Liliana’s eyes widened as she looked back at the city. It truly was amazing what magic could do in this world. It felt like the possibilities really were endless.

“Because of the Wilde family’s affinities this city also attracts many carpenters and woodworkers, most people here usually get at least an Earth affinity, if they can afford it,” Jason continued to explain and Liliana nodded, she knew that much at least. She knew the Wilde family’s biggest export was wood and wood crafts. She hadn’t truly realized what that meant for the area they controlled, though, and it made her wonder at what other areas looked like. Families that specialized in metal. Would they have cities or homes made of the material? She knew it wouldn’t be too fantastical. She didn’t live in a mansion made of water or ice. It would be impractical, even if rather beautiful.

Despite her original reservations regarding exploring the city, she found herself excited as they approached and entered the gates. Jason had told her someone had already been sent to the Wildes to inform them to expect their group in the evening. Which was anxiety inducing on its own, but she tried not to think on it. She had dresses, packed for just such events, at Astrid’s insistence. She was glad she’d listened to her maid, otherwise she’d be forced to confront her father’s vassals in combat gear that would see her laughed out of court.

Her heart ached at the reminder of her maid. She missed Astrid terribly. Now more than ever, when she felt so horrifically alone. At the very least Astrid could offer her a shoulder to cry on, or maybe someone to turn to for advice. Astrid had always had a way of looking at her problems and transforming the mountains of worries into molehills.

As they passed the gate, the carriage drove down roads Liliana saw were still stone, though it was the only stone she could see in the city. Eventually, the carriage stopped and Liliana nearly flung herself out. Alistair and Emyr had been quiet since the city came into view, Alistair glaring broodingly at it the entire time. Part of her wanted to ask what was on his mind, but she held her tongue.

“Lady Liliana, we will accompany you,” Jason informed her, following her out of the carriage. Five other guards were with him, all fairly high leveled. It was obvious that they were all still nervous after the assassination attempt. Liliana was thankful for them this time, though. She wasn’t sure if her stepmother had hired additional assassins or not, and it was best to be cautious than to be dead.

“We’ll be accompanying you Lord Alistair, Lord Emyr,” another guard informed the boys, and Liliana turned to see the boys had eight guards of their own with them. The rest of the guards were likely going to explore the city.

“Lady Liliana, I thought you might like to see one of the best wood crafters Ariowood has to offer,” Jason pulled her attention from the boys and she nodded along. She truly had little she wanted to do in the city and was happy to let Jason play tour-guide. Anything to distract her mind from what had been plaguing it.

Jason led them to a rather interesting shop front. Liliana looked at it, convinced it was some kind of joke. It looked as if someone had used an enlargement spell on an old cuckoo clock. There were intricately carved wooden sculptures all around it. They even moved and waved as if alive. Liliana stepped closer to one, a wooden unicorn, that seemed to huff and bow its head to her.

“I thought they had Nature and Earth affinities?” Liliana asked Jason, who stood beaming next to her, apparently proud of what he’d showed her.

“Well, there's no limit on what affinities one can unlock. Just a matter of money and time. The craft master here picked up a Soul affinity too, and then the Animation affinity,” Jason explained as Liliana’s eyes trailed over the other moving wooden beings. Animation, a subclass of Earth and Soul magic.

It meant the man had five affinities, three main ones. It would’ve been expensive to say the least to unlock that many, let alone to raise them to high enough levels to unlock the combined subclasses, and then to raise those high enough to be of use. Crafting classes got experience from doing their crafts, but not as much as martial classes got for killing things. To get the experience necessary, the man either had to be a monster who crafted every moment of every day, or have enough money to pay adventurers to run him through dungeons to raise his affinities and levels that way.

“How do you know so much?” Liliana asked Jason, who flushed and opened his mouth only for the door to burst open.

“Little Jay! You’ve come home!” A woman cried out, wrapping Jason in a tight hug. The man flushed a darker red and patted the woman on the back.

“Hello ma,” Jason said, his voice low and embarrassed as he looked at the watching guards and Liliana.

Well, that explains that, but then how did he go from here to the Rosengarde manor? I always assumed the guards at the manor were from Ravencross or the village near it, Pinemere. I suppose I never did spend much time getting to know the guards other than Silas and Jason. And… I don’t even know where Silas is from. Liliana thought, as Jason tried to regain some of his composure and extricate himself from his mother. Liliana felt guilty. These people who guarded her, who risked their lives for her, and she barely knew them. Was she truly that self absorbed?

“Oh, I’m sorry to embarrass you in front of your little friends,” Jason’s mother spoke up, seeming to finally notice the rest of them. The other guards were trying to hold back laughter, and Liliana felt bad for Jason. As one of the lower leveled guards with them, she knew he struggled to hold respect with the other guards, even with his status as a lieutenant. She knew he’d been sent with them because of his familiarity with her. She assumed Silas thought someone who knew her well would be more dedicated to her protection, level be damned.

Liliana remembered Jason’s face when they’d caught the assassin, the burning rage and hate twisting his features and thought it was accurate. She knew Jason would protect her with his life, and he had saved her before. Liliana did trust him, more so than she trusted the other guards whom she didn’t even know. She knew Alistair and Emyr did, too.

“Hello Mrs. Fletcher,” Liliana stepped up and gave a curtsy to the woman. She’d dressed in proper noblewoman’s attire today in anticipation of meeting the Wilde’s later on.

“Oh! Oh my! Lady Liliana! I apologise for my rudeness!” The woman hastily dipped a deep curtsy to Liliana. Liliana smiled kindly at her and held out a hand to her.

“It’s alright, who am I to begrudge a mother showing love for her son? And I must thank you. Your son is one of my most trusted guards, and I owe him my life several times over,” Liliana continued, smiling at the woman. She heard a few choked off laughs behind her from the other guards. Liliana had just raised Jason’s status among them with her statement. Being a favored guard of a noble was a high honor for a guard. It was an almost promised promotion, or so Silas had told her. It was how he’d been raised so much, even at his level. He’d been a favored guard of her father, though Liliana could hardly imagine the kindly Silas getting along with her cold snake of a father.

Liliana looked over and saw Jason looking at her with wide, wonder filled eyes. She even thought she detected a few tears in his eyes and she flushed, biting her lip. Had she truly been so cold to him, he didn’t realize how much she valued him? Silently, Liliana vowed to treat him better, and to perhaps get to know the other guards better as well. It wouldn’t do for her to know nothing about the people charged with protecting her, after all.

“Come in! Come in! All of you! I can’t have you all sitting out in the cold like this! I can get some tea ready for you all and me and my little Jay can catch up!” Mrs. Fletcher said, the woman suddenly a flurry of movement as she ushered them all into the store.