The group just stepped off the gateway into the Drinking Bear Tavern. The room was in order and perfectly cleaned. The sound downstairs was loud, there were certainly many patrons, the city was returning to its livelihood very quickly.

As they went downstairs, Syldis immediately noticed them and went to greet them.

“Riou! You finally came back!”

Syldis hugged him tightly and looked at Eileen close by, she reached out for the princess and pulled her in into the hug as well.

“Thank you for all you’ve done to the city, if it weren't for you both, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“Syldis… wait up…” heavy breathing from the hug of the big woman Explain it please” asked Riou.

“Explain? You think you can fool me, don’t you? A caravan of supplies, food, and medicine came into town! Not to mention a cure for the plague! And that had your fingers all over it, don’t even try to deny it. You cured me, remember? So I know for a fact that you knew how to do it! Oh, and damn Victor was leading the defense of it! I still can’t believe it, the King and queen of Allard were riding alongside it with Bhalrom and a few soldiers! They secured the area, fought some Yellow banner soldiers so the population could receive the supplies. The battle was nasty but Victor pulled through.”

“Ohh, really, Victor must have been happy.”

“He was so happy, they managed to push the yellow army back to the castle in a single day, taking the castle in the next one. All the soldiers supporting the usurper Rodrick were either captured or fled to Iris!”

“Really? The king must have been impressed by his feat.”

“King Elrik was mostly pleased indeed. Well, you can ask Victor himself what happened next” she points to the end of the room, where Victor is sitting down with a mug in hand smirking at Riou from a distance.

“Wait a second” Riou looked at him more properly, he was now wearing the knight’s general outfit of the yellow color. “Did he become the knight general of the yellow banner?”

“Who’d thought right? He will help the king to retake control over the city of Siscia and his mercenaries will act as soldiers now, Longart is in dire need of them.”

“Woah! Really? I didn’t expect that from Victor! I will have to ask him for the details.” “Go there, he is waiting for you. You want to eat anything, drink? I can fetch something for you and your friends.”

“I will talk to you about it a bit… Let me see Victor first.” Riou walked towards the big man with a surprised expression.

“I knew I’d see you here sooner or later,” said Victor going to Riou’s encounter.

“So… knight General, someone got a new job!”

“What can I say, the king was impressed and agreed to recruit my men to my army and he also agreed to pay me a large amount to take care of the city in the south. And you know me, I won’t refuse easy money and a bit of challenge!”

“Well, I fear for the poor bastards of Siscia that dare to cross the mighty Victor then, they have no idea what’s about to come their way.” joked Riou.

“Damn right they don’t, hahaha! Listen, boy, if you find yourself on those lands, come say hi will ya? Levi made me promise to tell you that! So you better come, she and Judeau seem to miss you for some reason.”

“Sure, how can I deny an invite like this. Whenever I find myself on those lands, I’m sure to stop by.”

Vince suddenly became serious “But the real reason I wanted to see you, was to tell you this. I caught your two friends talking about Iris on the way here, they are planning to stir a big hornet’s nest in there, and I don’t think they are being smart about it.”

“Don’t tell me...”

“Yeah, the trader and the knight captain seems to have a very particular view of Iris, and it consists of it burning to the ground. It’s not my place to tell them what to do, they are both grown men. But I thought you should know, after all, I don’t think the merchant can be a spy and Bhalrom is definitely not a man for Iris politics, they will certainly set the city ablaze.”

“I see, can you give me your view on the Allardian situation?”

“I don’t know how much you heard, you may have saved the city from a plague. But that was just one of the problems. From what my sources gathered from the neighboring cities, the fact that the king was absent for a year and a tyrant was in his place pissed a lot of people off. So even if the king is back now, he is in a weak position. For the nobles in all cities, the power balance has shifted to Iris. Your friends know it but they don’t seem to understand the consequences reckless actions can bring right now.”

“I understand, can I get a name? Who is the top dog in Iris?”

“Lord Tullius Partridge” Eileen’s eyes widened when she heard it, Riou noticed her reaction but kept his attention at Victor that continued “He is the one that bought off the Green army early on, the soldiers are loyal to him even before Rottcher went missing. Then he bought a few soldiers of the First right when Rodrick disbanded it and imprisoned Bhalrom. Despite their honor and vows, their families still needed to eat. Many had to turn to Iris for survival. And now, with Rodrick’s fall, he managed to gather the remainder of the Yellow army as well, promising pardon and coins. Do you understand where I’m getting at?”

Eileen shook her head “The first will never ally with that man! As soon as they hear my father and Bhalrom returned, I’m sure they will return as well!”

Victor smiled brightly “A year has passed, dear princess, who knows what they might have done under that lord’s influence in that time. And a guilty consciousness can be the worst of shackles.”

“They could redeem their honor by returning”

“You’ve never been to Iris, have you, princess?” Victor smirked with his usual smug face.

Suddenly a voice came from behind, “So Iris is planning to take the throne from the king? What are they waiting for if they have 3 armies already?”

“Who is this?” asked Victor, quite curious about the man that interrupted their conversation.

Riou sighed just recognizing the voice “The mighty hunter Galan” said Riou quite annoyed by the interruption.

“A pleasure to meet the great Victor! I heard many stories of your feats!”

“Is that so?” Victor smirked at Riou trying to figure out what that strange talkative man was doing amidst the group of someone like him.

“In any case, all this Tullius needs is a good reason to do so. He can’t just assault the throne. He needs the people's support to get to the crown.” added Riou, trying to prevent other questions from the hunter.

Victor nodded “And he knows king Elrik will have to do something, he has to get his men back immediately to secure the region once again. And who else can he rely on but the good old Knight captain? The problem is that his image is already in a bad shape in the eyes of Allard. You know, since the plague incident… So, what do you think will happen when the knight captain starts to kick on doors and lock up nobles, soldiers, and whoever helps them with treason accusations?”

Eileen quickly realized the uproar such a thing would cause all over the land “Why would my father do that? He knows Bhalrom hates Iris, he won’t stop until all guilty people are under arrest, in this case, Bhalrom is the worst person to put in charge of this!”

A voice came from the back “The king appointed him as knight general of the green banner precisely because of that hatred princess. Someone that cannot be bought and, for good or bad, will see through the mission. And knowing Erik, he must be furious on the men that easily went to Iris side, he probably want the culprits in prison right away.” said Max coming from the stairs

“Oh? Look who is here as well! I’m honored to see you again Great Magus!” Victor promptly greeted the old man.

“It’s good to see you took upon the yellow cloak, perhaps now, we will have proper support from Siscia.”

“I will put the city in shape in no time, but the real concern now is Iris”

“Victor is right, and Bhalrom will most definitely hunt down the insurgents, even if he has to burn the city itself” added Max approaching with a serious face, moving around Umbra with a certain distance and care as she watched the tables and the food being served there. But she also had a wide ears on the conversation they were having.

Riou nodded “What about Bronach, what information can he gather?”

“The merchant discovered new ways to use bad supplies. He became filthy rich this past year with Brigantium, Siscia, and Longart alone. He will probably use his fame to try to enter the restricted Iris market. Once there, he can poke around, and you know, relay any findings to the good ol’ captain.

“Thanks Victor, I appreciate the information, it will be useful.”

“Now, for this little treat, I’d like to ask something of you as well.” he winked and tapped Riou’s shoulder “Be sure to come visit Siscia, and when you do, bring some of those equips of your village, will ya? I could use them on my new work, my men certainly would appreciate it! Especially, if we will be the only ones left defending Longart in an upcoming dispute.”

“What a surprise, you're taking your job seriously for once?”

“It’s an easy job and from Siscia I can go wherever I want! I have full control of my army as they are my men. And free reign on the waters of the bay, that was my demand to accept the job.”

“You sound like a pirate now instead of a mercenary. You wanted the harbor and the boats to smuggle things don’t you?” Riou just smiled “You know me, I can’t stand still for too long”

“Very well, as long as you help Longart and not bring more damage to it, I will arrange something for you”

“Of course, of course. I will expect your visit then, see you soon boy!” Victor walks away giving his farewell to Syldis and then leaving.

“So that’s the great mercenary Victor? I heard many stories about him, you are very well known for a trader” Said Galan.

Riou noticed Umbra eyeballing the food and smiled “Hey Umbra, why don’t you have a sit and ask for something? Syldis will give you everything you want. I will call you later once we are set within the castle.”

“That’s a good idea, come on servant, get the food for me.” she promptly sat down and ordered Galan.

“Let’s go to the castle” Said Riou to Max, Eileen, and the two lionesses. On his way out he went to Syldis “Give that woman everything she needs, ok? And send someone to restock your provisions right now, she will eat it all if you let her.” Riou dropped a pouch of coins on the big woman’s hand.

“Sure… but how much a woman that size can eat?”

“Think about a party of 400 hungry men, hear my advice, and already prepare in advance..”

“Very well, I will do as you say. Take care of the castle” the big woman looked at Eileen and smiled at the princess.

“It’s good to see everything is going back to normal isn’t it?” said the princess approaching Syldis.

“It’s good to see you healthy, princess, and thank you for taking care of him. He looks much happier now that things have settled down between you two. I heard he took upon the warrior's path for you! Congratulations!”

The princess smiled and nodded, “Thank you Syldis, it means a lot coming from you” glancing at Riou that was already moving to the exit.

“I gotta go, I don’t like to let him out of my sight in here.”

“Then go darling, see you both when you come back, the room will be ready for you as always!”

Eileen was excited to enter the castle once more. As they approached the gates, the situation was even worse than what Victor had said. Just a couple of badly equipped soldiers taking care of the gates. It seems the only ones still around were the first army men that were with the rebels and remained loyal to Bhalrom to the end.

They promptly opened the gates when they saw Eileen and Riou on the Carriage.

“Good to see you both back! We really could use some help here! If you have some men to spare, the patrols desperately need them, the criminality is at an all-time high on the streets now the plague is gone.”

“Thanks, Vran, we will see what we can do,” Said the princess with a smile recognizing the soldier from the first that helped defend the kingdom against Rodrick.

Riou turned to Attia and Bellica “Send word back to the village, tell them to resume patrolling the region as usual, and request some parties of green cloaks to be at the ready. One to guard the castle, two to patrol the city. We can’t have the crime rates going up because of the lack of soldiers.”

Bellica pulled an orange crystal from her bag and contacted the village.

Eileen looked at them both “Thank you, this will really help.” He just smiled and nodded.

The carriage stopped and Max was the first to go down “Let’s go, Elrik must be dying to see his daughter.”

The king was in his studies room, sitting down looking at the window with a concerned expression.

“Father?” Said Eileen entering the room and rushing to his encounter.

“My child!” Elrik quickly stood up to receive her. “It’s so good to see you home! Let me look at you properly!”

“She is a fine young lady, Elrik, you have much to be proud of” Said Max coming in after her.

The king smiled once again “It’s good to see you back and good humor my friend. We could really use your wisdom at a time like this.”

“I heard, there is much to discuss. But before any of that…” Max looked at the door with his hand extended. “There is someone else that came to visit”

Riou entered the room and smiled at the king, “You look well, King Elrik. Long time no see.”

Elrik looked at Eileen and then to Riou “You… I don’t have words to express my gratitude for everything you’ve done for us, for this family, and for this city. Anything in my kingdom, ask and it shall be yours!”

Riou smiled and looked at Eileen. “Then allow me to formally ask you this” Riou approached him and looked him in the eyes “Would you give me the honor to have your daughter’s hand?”

Elrik wasn’t expecting such a request so suddenly, but nonetheless, he wasn’t surprised. He looked at Eileen blushing at his side and smiled happily.

“If that’s what my daughter wishes, then it’s granted!” he hugged Eileen tightly, “I heard the rumors of the north, but it seems they were not just rumors after all. Someone, please, call Hanna here! This is a moment to celebrate! Tell the maids to prepare a feast! My daughter is getting married!”

Max laughed “That was unexpected, I thought you’d make Elrik work for it.”

“No, we lost too much time already and I wanted to do this right, properly as tradition demands. With this, everything is settled properly.”

“How considerate… Are you really that same boy I knew? Hahaha! What do you say Elrik? Let's open the wine and spirits! This is a moment to remember!” said Max in a happy mood.

Hanna rushes from the door and immediately goes to Eileen, hugging her tightly.

“I missed you so much, I was so worried!”

“Mom… It’s so good to see you in good health again.”

“Hanna, hear this, we have a marriage to plan!”

Hanna looked at Elrik with a surprised expression and then turned at the man beside him.

“It’s him? I knew it! He became such a handsome man after all! I was right all along! The moment I saw you both that day in the arena...” Hanna started to cry and hug Eileen even more “My baby… I can’t believe this day has finally come!”

Max swallowed hard and pressed his fingers on his eyes for a moment “Stop it, Hanna, or you gonna make an old man cry. And this is a moment to celebrate!”

Riou smiled and watched the happy family reunited.

After many drinks and a lot of joyful conversations, Riou and Max asked for a moment with the king, and Eileen and her mother went to her old bedroom. Curious, Hanna invited Attia and Bellica to join them there.

The lioness kept looking at the closets full of dresses while the two talked by the bed. Hanna noticed their great interest in them.

“Now, tell me everything! I wanna know that happened since you left with Therese that day!”

The princess explained everything that happened, about her training, her trip with Riou to the north, the encounter with her grandfather, and the Maiden rites changing to Riou’s warrior’s path.

“I can’t believe it, I heard some rumors about it, but did my father really recognize the boy? He was a boy back then, right? How did he get so old so fast?”

Eileen nodded “I will get to that, but after Lord Brahm accepted him in his house, even grandfather became very open to him.”

“What!? So he is really a Brahm? I heard rumors but I couldn’t believe them. This is unheard of! So you are engaged to a Brahm? Hahaha! I wish I could see the face of those smug nobles when they hear about it!”

Eileen smiled “Did I mention that he also won the summer tournament in the north? All the families were participating, and he did it very easily. I mean, before we were attacked by those mages no one held a candle to his skill. Even the main Kalle family had to admit defeat.”

“By the elements! Those old fools must have been kicking themselves over it! Knowing how prideful they are, for a stranger to come and beat them up must have been quite a shock!”

“You asked how he got older right? After the tournament, we were attacked and one of the mages was so powerful that in his dying breath he managed to banish Riou from this realm to the spirit realm.”

“Oh my! Is this true? It sounds like one of the old stories! Then what happened?”

“He met a few friends and found a way back after a while, it seems time goes different in that realm, that's why he got older when he returned.” she glanced at the two lionesses touching a few dresses and murmuring about the colors and details.

“I see… so he found these two there? They do look quite strong”

“Even Therese would have a very hard time trying to fight one of those two.”

“Really?”

“Yes. in a matter of sheer strength, those two can’t be beaten.”

Hanna was really impressed, those stories were beyond belief. And now, having Riou’s support set her heart at ease, they would be able to fight off Iris if it came to that.

The queen smiled and looked at her “I still can’t believe my baby is getting married… we need to set a date, prepare the castle! I want all nobles to see my daughter getting married to a proper man!”

“Calm down mom, when everything is settled and the kingdom is back to normal, then we can think about it.”

“My dear, that can take a while… shouldn’t we make it quicker? Maybe a smaller ceremony for friends, family, and a few nobles? Here in the castle, it could be good, it would send a proper message to everyone that we are thinking about the future! Besides that, you are not getting any younger Eileen.”

“Mom!”

“I’m serious, you already past the age of marriage, what if he gives up on you? What if he finds someone younger? Have you thought about that? What would you do then?”

“He is not like that mom!”

“I know, I know… but we should take the opportunity as it knocks on our door, you know? It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“He is not like the others, you will see it when you get to know him better. He is very special.”

Hanna nodded “He seems the type that could be king, isn’t he, honey?”

“He is so much more than that, mom. I can’t even begin to explain it…” Hanna could see the happy expression on her daughter and it filled her heart with joy.

“My dear, you really love that boy, don’t you?”

She smiled “When we have the time, I want to show you our house! You will love it! There is so much I want to show you.”

“Our house? You two are living together!?”

“Well, since we were engaged, I thought it wouldn’t have any problem.”

The queen squinted her eyes and looked at her sideways, raising her eyebrows and smirking. “So that means I can expect a grandson soon? That’s another reason to rush the ceremony!”

“No! Mom! We didn’t… I mean, not yet! After all, we had so many things to be concerned about!”

Hanna was a bit surprised “Well, it’s not unheard of for a maiden to share a bed with her warrior before their vows. But here in Allard, that’s another story, that’s not very well seen. Maybe you should avoid discussing that with your father.”

Eileen sighed “I won’t.”

“So, you two don’t spend much time together do you? I mean alone time,” she glanced at the lionesses.

“It’s been quite busy these past few days. We’ve gone from one thing to the other without much rest.”

“I can imagine…” The queen pondered for a moment in silence and then smiled “What about Therese? How is she?”

“She is in the village now, we helped her with an issue in the Beastmen plains and she also found herself a mate, Arthas, Riou’s right hand on the village.”

“Really? I heard a lot about the lioness's ability on getting a mate, they say once they chose a mate the male just can’t resist them. Is that true?”

“By what I saw, I think it's very true.”

Hanna leaned forward and whispered “Didn’t Therese taught you anything? I’d like to know some of these seduction techniques to surprise your father”

Eileen blushed a bit “Mom! Well, she… she did teach me a few. And I’ve learned a few more techniques from some classes during my time at the Lion’s clan villa.”

“Wait a second, they let you see these secret classes? I thought they were forbidden to strangers, especially humans! Only lionesses could participate in them, isn’t that the case?”

“Well, so much happened there… but I’ve been recognized as a Lioness by the Lion’s Matriarch Diata, didn’t I tell you?” Eileen smirked playfully, trying to impress her mother.

Hanna blinked a few times perplexed by the news “My goodness, my baby is a Lioness? That’s unheard of! Does your father know about it?”

“I don’t think so, maybe if Riou told him already”

Hanna looked at Eileen with new eyes, “By the elements, you’ve grown so much in these 2 years. You’ve a woman now.”

“It was because of him and Therese. I wouldn’t have come so far if not for them.”

Hanna nodded with a smile, the queen expression then turned to a more playful one as she asked “So, have you tried any of them yet?”

“Tried what?”

“These techniques of course!”

“Mom! I told you we didn’t do anything yet.”

“Oh come on, you are big enough, you don’t need to go all the way right? Maybe some flirting here, some seduction there. Just to keep him on his toes and interested. You should try it, men go crazy when we do that”

“No... I never got the opportunity yet.” Said Eileen hiding a smile.

“Well, you should try sometime, I bet you will have him in the palm of your hand!”

“Can we change the subject? Have you heard who was the one supporting Rodrick and Rottcher from the shadows?”

“No, who was it?”

“Lord Griffith from Iris, and he is dead, he was the one that brought the plague to Rodrick so he could release it in Longart.”

“Wait, wait, Lord Griffith? But he was such a supporter or your father too!”

Suddenly Elise rushes into the room “You are here!? Why didn’t you come to tell me you came? I had to hear it from the maids as I was entering the carriage to Siscia!” She moved towards Eileen furiously “Why was I sent here? You wanted me out of the Village, didn’t you? You asked them to take me away! And now you are sending me away again, aren’t you? I knew it, I knew you feared my femininity! I’m a threat to you aren’t I?”

“Hello to you too Elise, sorry, I forgot you were here” Eileen’s mood quickly dropped.

“I want to go back!! I want to be in the village!”

Hanna, noticing the conflict, tried to intervene “I’m afraid your father is already on its way to Siscia, you should be on your way there to meet him. They wish to see you immediately and then I believe they will be set sailing to the North right away since it’s been so long they’ve been out. Your father and grandfather must be wanting to get home.”

“But I want to go back! I won’t leave her alone with him, I still have a chance! I know it!”

Hanna widened her eyes while looking at Eileen grasping some of what might be going on “Now, now, I’m sure your father wants to see you, Elise, you must go and talk to him. That’s the right thing to do now, You have to set his heart at ease before anything else is decided.”

“You don’t understand aunt Hanna, they have a village full of amazing things! Each one of their inhabitants worth more than 100 soldiers. They are as powerful as a kingdom and I was learning their training methods! Imagine how the north can benefit from it!”

“Elise, there will be plenty of time for that once he is married to Eileen. I’m sure their training methods can be arranged to reach the north as well.”

“Marry her? But why does it have to be her aunt Hanna? I’m just as pretty! We are the same age! Why can’t I marry him instead? We should give him the option, right? Maybe he prefers me!”

“But Elise, did something happen between the two of you?” she glanced at Eileen that shook her head, denying any interest Riou could have on her.

“Then, do you even like him?” asked the queen.

“What does that have to do with anything? He is the best option of all, there is no other man like him. He is young, powerful, rich, and… he is not ugly. What is there not to like?”

“Oh, dear Elise…” Hanna looked at Eileen with open eyes and raised eyebrows taking a deep breath.

“Where is he? Is he here too?”

Before Eileen could answer, Hanna interrupted “He is not… Eileen came to visit but he and Bhalrom are on the move to Iris already.”

“Good, this way I don’t need to worry about her trying to seduce him even further, I bet she had many opportunities while I was away, now is my turn!”

“Elise, your cousin Eileen is the one engaged to him. I’m sure you will find a good man for you too. What you are trying to do is not right.”

“But aunt Hanna! I want it!”

“Now, be a good girl and go to the carriage and wait for your father at Siscia, he shouldn’t take long to arrive.”

“But let’s focus on the present for now,” said Max. “We heard some news that Bhalrom has been assigned as the knight General of Iris. Knowing you and the good knight captain, it’s fair to say that he will step on many toes over there.”

Elrik nodded “And that’s precisely why he has been sent there. Rodrick only managed to get where he was because of Rottcher and Iris's support. Now both are missing and certainly, there must be someone helping them hide. I want Bhalrom to stir the rats' nest so we can catch them, I want their heads on a pike!”

“Well, Lord Griffith is already taken care of,” said Max with a smile.

The king nodded “I heard from Eileen that you’ve been helping from the shadows. But to think Lord Griffith was a traitor… I wouldn’t have imagined, how did you discover his treason?”

“He was a member of the Twilight Council, the ones that attacked the castle here and then the north, after Eileen.”

“Them!? How much more will we suffer on these people? At least one of these snakes have been dealt with. How many others must we face?”

“They have suffered a considerable blow, they lost a couple of key members already, all thanks to Riou here. But they are far from gone. While we don’t take out their leader, we can’t rest and must press on their pursuit.”

“Agreed, so you are investigating them now? Is that it?”

Max nodded “We will be going to Iris, we believe there might be some clues there. But for that, Bhalrom mustn’t fluster too many feathers just yet. Especially when we do not hold the loyalty of the army or the people there. We also cannot dismiss the fact that they might be waiting on the good captain to do something that would justify a march on Longart.”

“They wouldn’t dare!”

“Rottcher and Rodrick's men still might be fearing what you will do for their treason, after all, they followed their orders and even failed with the prince that is still missing.”

“And they are right to fear… if they are to blame for the disappearance of my son, there will be blood to pay.”

“Elrik, think carefully. Right now Iris sees you as a weak monarch. They think all the military might of Allard is on their side. You just have a few men that can’t even patrol the city properly, much less go to battle. They are looking for a fight, you can’t give them one or many will die unnecessarily..”

The king nodded “I know the situation we are in, if a battle were to break out and the soldiers do go against their king, we’d be overrun in no time. Don’t you think I know the odds here? That’s why we must act as harshly as possible, bluff our way into the soldiers, and convince them to return.”

Max laughed “Oh, you haven’t heard about it yet, have you!? Then let me enlighten you Elrik, sit down and have a drink. Let me explain why it’s the other way around.”

Elrik looked curious to the old mage.

“Even if the Iris nobles had the whole Allardian Army in its full former glory. They wouldn’t stand a chance against you and your new son in law.”

The king glanced at Riou and back to look at Max “I know he is strong, but we are talking about thousands of soldiers, there is no way we can fight that alone.”

“Well, you should tell that to the Argonians then.”

“What do you mean? Why are you bringing up the Argonians?”

“Eileen didn’t tell you, did she? But your son-in-law and your daughter were on the Beastmen plains a couple of days ago,” said Max with a smile.

“Yes?” the king was suspicious of where that story was going.

“And the Argonians made the mistake of capturing Eileen.”

“WHAT!?” The king looked at Riou with a mixture of surprise, horror, and anxiety.

“She is fine, you saw her, right?”

“Yes! How is that possible!?”

“Well, they took her to capital Skaralt Acre, Harmon himself imprisoned her.”

“By the elements…” Elrik drank the whole cup in one go.

“And that was the last mistake Argos made.”

“Why? What happened? How come she is safe and sound here?”

“Your future son-in-law led an immediate retaliation on the Argonians, they ended up defeated and those who survived were expelled from the plains. The whole Argonian threat and the century-old war has ended. Argos was pushed back, all the way down the Desert of Kaant.”

The king swallowed hard and looked at Riou who was quietly sipping on his drink. “You have an army?” asked the king.

Max laughed “And it was done in a single day Elrik! A single day! Imagine that! Ask him how many people he lost in the process… ask him!”

“How many?” asked the king curious.

“None,” said Riou to the surprised king.

“Where is this army stationed, where did they come from?”

“It’s not an army, it's about 70 people give or take. I have established a small village between Longart and Brigantium with a few friends that I rescued from the spirit world.”

“70? And you made a village? So they are Villagers? Not soldiers? And it's located on Lord Cornelius land?” The king was not following it, he looked at Max perplexed, but the magus just smiled and nodded.

“Oh right, Lord Cornelius, I need to pay him a visit soon. After all, he happily conceded the lands to me when I explained our just cause, I asked him to keep it a secret as well. So very few merchants and hunters know about it.”

“Really? Lord Cornelius gave you the land? I always had it to myself that he was a stingy man.” He looked at Max with unbelieving eyes “70?”

Max nodded.

The king shook his head “Well, Bhalrom is still preparing to leave, we will talk to him and review our plan then. If we have the advantage, there is no point in rushing anything...” the king was trying to make sense of what he just heard. It seemed such an impossible feat, but Max would not joke like that.

“Good, because we fear that the nobles will try to pin something on him to excuse their march on Longart to take the crown, if that happens, many Allardian may die unnecessarily.”

Elrik nodded “Argos is gone… this will change many things.” Said Elrik sitting down on his chair quite shocked.

“You better believe it,” Max said with a smirk and a glass in his hand. “The problem is, doing that might have brought us an even stronger opponent. We discovered that their god of death is not a god, but a real man, old as their kingdom itself”

“Kror Moth? Is it a man? Didn’t he help Argos in the fight then?”

“No, that's what's more strange. But if he is really on the Argonian side, my bet is that he is not going to be friendly for too long. Once he reapers, things can get complicated. We must be prepared.”

The king nodded to the great Magus and turned to Riou, “What do you think of this?”

“He seems way too powerful. Enough to not care what happened to Argos on the plains.”

The king nodded “Speaking of which,” he turned to Max “Now that we are alone here, can we speak openly about him?” He turned to Riou “I always suspected Arthur came from the Spirit Realm… that’s why he was so different from all of us, and you, you are just like Arthur, aren’t you?”

Riou smirked “Since when do you think that?”

“When you left after Max, I had my suspicions since back then. But when you returned with the cure, I was certain of it then.”

Riou nodded “Well, it’s something like that, I’m from another world, and I was tossed into the spirit world for a while. That’s why it took me some time to return.”

“I see… so it is true. My ancestor was indeed from another realm! To think it happened again!”

“I’m satisfied now, servant! Show me around the city, I wish to see more of it” Umbra raises from her table and walks out while Syldis looks at her with conflicted emotions, glad she could stop cooking, but concerned to let Riou’s friend out on the city.

Galan notices Umbra leaving, he pulls something from a deep pocket on his shirt for a moment, but then quickly puts it back and ran after her outside.

“Argh, what a vile stench in these streets!”

Galan sniffs the air, I don’t sense it, what is it, my lady?”

“Burnt festered flesh, it lingers in the air here.”

“Oh, I heard this city was closed by a plague not too long ago. They probably had to burn the infected corpses on the streets”

“Humans and their weak flames. A proper fire would have erased even the smell of it.”

“So, you wish to go back to the tavern?”

“No, I came to experience the city as a human, a walk on the streets after a meal is a normal thing isn’t it?.”

“Not in a city like this, it can be quite dangerous my lady, with so little soldiers patrolling and so many empty houses. There might be thieves and thugs roaming all over the place.”

“Interesting, once I thought all humans were thieves, let’s see if we can find them, I’m curious to meet one again.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea”

The city was still recovering but a large part of its population left the place or perished during the plague. Many houses remained barricaded.

“What a strange concept, the houses are hardly the same. Their disposition is quite erratic but do follow a similar pattern. Are these houses the same as the ones at the Village?”

“Oh no my lady, these here don’t have any of those luxuries or the same material, these ones are much more simplistic.”

“I see” they continued walking and Galan noticed the interest in the eyes of some of the people there.

“We should go back now my lady, we are attracting too much attention, I see some thugs following us from the shadows on the side street.”

“I heard this from Riou, that there are different kinds of humans, I wish to find them.”

“They are gathering up on that alley. I think they are moving forward to try to ambush us”

“Marvelous, then let’s move there at once.”

“Are you sure my lady? I’m an archer, I’m not very good at close range battles… I may not be able to protect you properly against a large group of enemies. We should return while we can!”

“Nonsense, I will meet these thugs and thieves even if they don’t want to.”

“My lady! Please reconsider! I vowed to protect you and I intend to fulfill my obligation! Please let’s return.”

But at that moment, bad-looking men began to appear from the shadows of the alleys all around them. All dirty looking and smelling badly. One of them had a leather band wrapped around his arm and seemed to be the leader.

“Look what we caught boys, by the looks of her fancy dress, we won’t go hungry tonight! We just caught a big fish!”

“Fish? What fish? What is he talking about?” asked Umbra covering her nose “And what is this foul smell coming from these humans? I thought humans smelled, but this is beyond bearable!”

“He’s talking about you, you are the fish… and the smell, well, look at them, they are filthy,” said Gallan slowly preparing his bow.

“But I’m no fish.” she turns to the man “Human, are you suffering from some illness? I heard it was common in lowly forms of life like you. Even for a human, you look hideous, dirty, and with weeks of dry sweat attached to your clothes.” The mere whiff of wind that blew towards Umbra greatly affected her nose.

“I will show you who is the lowly form of life! This will be fun boys, we will have ourselves a party tonight! Get this dumb woman!”

“Dumb?” The dragon was quickly angry by the disrespectful way they were talking, and especially the smell of them.

“Hey Archer, drop the bow and run. Do so and we won’t bother with you, it’s been a while since we got fresh meat like this on these streets. We intend to take good care of her, all night long. Maybe we will let her live and ask for ransom if she behaves of course. What do you think of it, mister archer? Is she worth the trouble?”

Umbra squinted her eyes, noticing the malice and lust in the man’s tone “Oh, I see… so that’s what this is about. Finally! Humans that I recognize, these are the ones I remember. It’s good to see the likes of you still exist in this world, my hatred can still exist and even be excused.”

“Hohoho, a feisty one… and so relaxed. I bet you will be even more relaxed in a little bit. Or do you really think you are in control of this situation? Are you a mage perhaps? Is that what gives you that confidence? But there is always a way of dealing with them” the man quickly threw a hidden blade at Umbra. “A mage that can’t use their hands properly can’t cast spells as fast!”

Umbra didn’t even move, the blade hit her in hand and bounced off. Not a drop of blood appeared from the impact.

“What? That’s impossible!” He looked to the others that also watched confused “Attack her you morons!”

“Shit!” Galan readied his bow and moved away from the approaching men, shooting three of them on the shoulder as they approached Umbra.

“Why are you shooting them? Riou said that I couldn’t attack humans!”

He promptly readied another arrow “Well, he said nothing to me!” but it was too late, one of them had reached her by the side and thrust a dagger on the side of her torso.

The dagger slipped through her skin, moving by her clothes as beneath them was a solid rock. Leaving no mark whatsoever.

Umbra nodded understanding “Is that so? But I believe his conditions apply to you as well. After all, Riou told me to not kill them under any circumstance. And since you are with me, that should imply you too.”

“Nope, I definitely can attack them! Especially if they are attacking us!” He shot an arrow at the one that just tried to stab Umbra.

Another thug goes for her and strikes with a wooden club at her back. The wood breaks to no effect, she didn’t even feel it. “Well, if you say so, very well, carry on and kill all of them now.” Said Umbra with a satisfied smile, standing still watching them struggle.

Sword attacks had no effect on Umbra as well, not even her dress could be cut down by the thugs

Galan elegantly shot a few more down before they could reach him, and as their numbers dwindled they took a defensive stance against the archer. Just five of them remained untouched.

“Well, this is getting boring now, you take too long and most of them are not even dead. Let’s return to the tavern and wait there, the humans there are much more civilized. Not to mention the food and drinks, of course, I could use some by now to try to wash this stench off me.”

Galan watched as confused as the thugs as she began to move away. Their weapons were broken or lost their edge by hitting the strange woman. The thugs moved into a defensive position as they watched Umbra move away.

“Umbra… can you hear?” suddenly a voice reached the dragon through the shadows.

“Is it time, Riou?”

“Yes, Can you come right now? We have to talk, and it’s about time you teach me that spell””

“Servant! I’m leaving for the castle right now, you are free for the night, do as you please and meet me tomorrow once again.” Umbra simply vanishes amidst the shadows, leaving Galan and the Thugs baffled, both groups looking at each other in utter confusion.

“Hey! What? Where did you go? Did you just vanish? Oh, fuck.” Galan quickly turn to the thugs, he didn’t take any chances and quickly pointed at them while moving back, he was still on the advantage “Well, you heard my lady, I shall go now… I expect you to do the same. So can we stop this fight?”

He could see in the thugs’ eyes they were thinking about what to do next, they clearly wanted revenge from being shot with arrows. Galan could tell their thoughts precisely as they were measuring him up, maybe they could turn the fight around somehow.

Suddenly his arrow lit up with a lightning bolt and he released it at the leader. The arrow stuck to his leg and zapped him with lightning making the man fall down.

“Oops, my fingers are getting tired from all this action... I suggest you run!” he once again pointed his arrow and lit it with a lightning spell.

But too many thugs still remained untouched and were ready to exact revenge on the archer.

But from the top of the buildings nearby, three figures wearing a green cloak appeared and surrounded the thugs.

The group of thugs looked up, uncertain to what these cloaked ones were, but when Galan saw them, he breathed easier and put the bow down.

“Nice timing! I was really in need of some reinforcements.”

The thugs hearing that, glanced at their leader on the ground and quickly turned their backs to dashed away and into the alleys abandoning their friends that were wounded or down.

“Serve them right! Thanks guys, I will take my leave now.” Galan left the green cloaks that went down to gather the injured people.

Galan made his way back to the Tavern, but before he entered it, he pulled once again something from his deep pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at it quickly while squeezing it in his hand. A small round orange crystal “Still no response huh?” And puts it back in his pocket.

“Bhalrom! I heard you’ve been assigned to a new city” Riou walked into the knight’s captain room followed by Max.

“Haha! You are finally back! You lost all the action, my boy! And you’ve brought the great Magus with you! What a pleasant surprise! I suppose I must thank you for that mercenary’s help? He didn’t want to tell me who hired him, but I had a hunch when he asked if a young boy called Riou was really accepted by the first about two years ago.”

“That’s Victor for you. And imagine my surprise was when I heard you were put in charge of Iris.”

“Temporarily, yes, just until we put that city back on track, we live in dire times, it’s finally the moment to do something against that damn city.”

“I heard that you also were employing mister Bronach to help on that.”

“You are well informed, yes, we discussed quite a lot of our travel here. He is well known enough now to enter the high noble society from the inside and arrange trades in the city. His goods are in high demand after a few nobles from Brigantium brought a few samples to Iris. Not to mention that he knows a lot of the Black Rose, he will be a valuable asset.”

Riou glanced at Max that nodded, both seemed already expecting that answer. So the knight continued.

“But what brings you here my boy? What do you wish of this old captain? Have you finally come to enlist in our ranks?”

“Not quite, we came because we also are heading to Iris. There are a few things we wish to uncover there and we might help each other while in there.”

“Let me guess… Rodrick and Rottcher whereabouts? If that's the case, you are not the only one searching for those two, I hope I find them quickly and deliver their heads on a silver plate to king Elrik.”

“Well... that too, but we are more concerned with the twilight council. We believe there might be something in Iris that can point their location to us, so we wish to go there and investigate.”

“I see… well, how can I help you?”

“If you could ease up your arrival in the city, it would be great, it would be better for us if the nobles are not riled up and let us do our search in peace.”

Bhalrom looked at Max not quite understanding the request.

The mage took the hint, “The Traitors in Iris are expecting you, and we suspect they will use your relentlessness as an excuse to turn the population support and then justify attacking the king directly.”

“For the elementals… they wouldn't dare! Such a treason would get them a blade to their necks!”

“I know, now, where is Bronach?”

“On the guest wing, since we had a lot to discuss I asked him to stay in the castle.”

“Good call him in. We might need the princess and… that thing here as well, they will be helping us in this,” said Max to Riou.

“The princess? But Isn’t it too dangerous to involve her in this?”

Riou smirked “Knowing her, I doubt she will sit this one out. Umbra too, won’t stay quiet if we don’t take her to Iris.”

“Who is this Umbra?”

“His sister in law,” added Max, not too pleased with it.

“What?”

“I’m a Brahm now, remember? Which means I’m a noble from the north… and I had a hidden sister that came visiting me.”

“Wait, wait...” the knight sat down trying to put his thoughts in order.

“Don’t worry, she can take care of herself. No one in Allard can make a dent on her dress” added Max.

Bhalrom looked surprised “Is that so?”

“Yeah, she’s a tough one. Also, we will have Attia and Bellica as bodyguards. So there are no issues.

“Let me get Bronach here then”

Eileen enters the room and sees Umbra already there, Bronach and Bhalrom are approaching in the corridor.

“I thought she was at the tavern,” said the Princess, looking at Umbra.

“I went for a walk and then I was summoned here. I hope this conversation will be entertaining.”

As Bronach entered the room and saw Riou he opened up a smile “My goodness! For the elementals, you’re a man now? How many years have passed since we last met?”

“It’s good to see you too Bronach, please sit down. Let’s talk about Iris.”

The Merchant went silent and sat down followed by Bhalrom.

“I know you have a good knowledge of the city, use that to identify targets for us”

“Targets?”

“I want to know who is behind the Black Rose. Your job is to find a lead, be it a member of the black rose or someone with information. We will make it talk once you give us a name and a location.”

“What about the nobles?” asked Bhalrom. “There are many that are plotting treason as well, how do we get them?”

“I will be the one talking to them. I will use the Bhram name to get in the inner circle, it must have some weight in Iris, am I right?” he glanced at Bronach. The merchant nodded “The nobles will lick your boots if you ask them to, they know all too well the wealth of the Bhrams, it's the envy of Allard. To not have a noble as rich and powerful as he is.”

“Then I also want to participate!” said Umbra excitedly. “I’m a Bhram too, right?”

“I know, but I must be sure that you can handle this.”

“Just tell me what to do and it will be done, how hard could it be dealing with a few humans?”

“You will see, it's not that easy.”

“What about the soldiers?” asked Eileen. “Someone must try to bring them back to my father’s side”

“I will find a way to talk to them as well,” said Riou.

“Please, let me do it, it makes more sense if I’m the one doing this request. There is less chance for you to get into their bad side that way, after all, nobody in Allard knows about you yet, right?” said the princess.

“That’s true… but are you sure Eileen? They know I’m your fiance by now because of what happened in the north. They will be wary of me already as I’m supporting your father because of you. So not sure if it changes anything.”

“It may be, but I’m a princess of Allard, and with my brother missing, I’m the only one that can go and take the responsibility to gather the army once again. It makes more sense for me to go than you, a noble from the north. Also, they might know your name and that we are engaged, but that’s all they know. If you show no interest in helping my father they might look at you differently.”

“Hmm, what do you suggest we do then?”

Eileen pondered for a moment “Something like we did on the Beastmen plains would be good. It seemed to work quite well, don’t you think? You gather the information on the lords and I will go try to get the soldiers back. In the meanwhile, we are engaged because of what happened in the north, and that’s it.”

Max nodded “I see, the nobles know the princess is engaged to a Bhram, but they certainly don’t know the relationship between you two, much less where the young Bhram stands with Allard politics, the princess is right, we could use that to our advantage.”

Riou nodded “I get it, knowing the old Eileen, they must be certain that she is not happy about having a suitor. So if we show we don’t quite see eye to eye… I might be able to open them up and discover who the traitors are.”

“Knowing your abilities, that’s a good plan” added the mage.

“And what do I do?” asked Bhalrom quite eager to participate.

Max smiled “You too master knight, you will go there and start doing your thing as expected, but do it slowly. And more importantly, you need to show them you don’t like our young man here. Knowing the drill sergeant, I think that will be an easy task for you Bhalrom.”

The knight nodded “Very well, this is quite an unorthodox plan, but I will trust you, Great Magus, if you say this is how we should do it, that’s how it shall be done!”

“Good, in the meanwhile, Bronach will spread news about the Bhram in the city and all his shady business, tell them he is a ruthless man. I believe you understand what the goal is, right Bronach?”

“A big fish entering a new pound. It will cause the other fishes to agitate. We might get a glimpse of some good things doing this.”

“Again with the fishes… why do you humans like to talk about fish so much?” asked Umbra, getting confused looks from all over the room.

“It’s an expression, I will explain it to you later,” said Eileen to her.

“Well, let’s prepare for it, me and Bronach will be leaving tonight for Iris so we can arrive tomorrow morning. I can expect your arrival the following day?”

“Yes, be mindful until then, ok?”

“I will tend to bureaucratic work until you come, don’t worry.”

“Bronach, before you go, as a recently arrived noble in Iris, there must be a place where the bigger players go, right? Where should I go first?”

“The Tulip, that’s where you will have to go.”

“The tulip?”

“The Velvet Tulip, the most luxurious house of entertainment in all the lands, nobles from all regions go there to make deals… among other things. Some even stay there for days when visiting the city.”

“I see, and what about Lord Tullius Partridge, what do you know about him?”

“Well, he is one of the richest and most influential people of Iris, very well known to have supported King Elrik for a long time and for owning half the city.”

“I heard he is the one gathering the soldiers now.”

“What?” said Bhalrom surprised.

Max nodded “I suggest caution when dealing with this man from now on”

Eileen turned her head and eyes away from the conversation right after hearing that name, Riou glanced at her and restrained himself from asking anything.

Bhalrom and Bronach were gone, Max, Eileen, Riou, and Umbra remained in the room.

“Now, dear sister. Care to teach me something about that spell? I’d like to start it, you never know when it can come in handy.”

“Very well.” She looked at Eileen and then Max in expectation.

The princess understood her gaze “I will see my parents, and prepare for the night that is coming. I see you later Riou?”

“Thank you, Eileen, I will take my old room in the guest area, come see me later ok? There is something I want to talk to you about.”

Eileen nodded and went out.

Max on the other hand kept staring back at Umbra. “I can’t teach two humans about this secret, this is not part of our agreement” she looked at Riou.

“Max, can we meet in the bathhouse in a while? We can talk there for a bit while we rest on the waters.”

“If you insist… I shall take my leave, but will see you soon.”

After the mage left, Umbra then stood up and walked toward the corner with the most shadows.

“Now that we are alone… I can show it to you” She pushed her hand towards the shadows, her arm transformed into pure shadows and disappeared amongst the darkness. “The darker the shadow the easier it is. But to do that you need to understand what the shadows truly are.”

“What are they?” pondered Riou. “Shadow is absence of light… no that’s wrong. There are no shadows without light. They are opposites and need each other to exist, right?.”

“Good, if you don’t have light, you don’t have shadow. Only the void exists in that space. And you can’t use the void to travel. But why can you travel the shadows and not the light?”

Riou shook his head. “If you can use one you should be able to use the other.”

“Affinity, we are beings of shadow, much more than beings of light. Dragons and humans alike, of course, that dragons have much more affinity to it, that’s why.”

“Ok that’s new to me, so what should I do?”

“Learn to feel the shadows, use your mana to reach them, sense it and let it become a part of you, once you do that, we can start to search for the path to where you wish to go, now try it!”

As Eileen leaves the room she sees her mother talking to Attia and Bellica as if she was waiting for her. “Eileen! Come!”

“What are you doing with Attia and Bellica, mother?”

“I was about to ask them to return to your room to choose some dresses, I want to make some as a gift for them for helping you so much!”

“Really?” Both lionesses were excited.

“You don’t need me for that, do you?”

“Of course I need it! Come, I will ask the servants to bring us something to eat and drink, that way we can talk a bit more while they choose their dresses!” the queen said to all three.

“But we must stay with the master, we are his bodyguards right now, we shouldn’t leave.”

The queen glanced at Eileen and then to the two, her mind was clearly working on something.

“Nonsense, we are inside the castle, and I’ve seen him in action, he is an outstanding fighter! So he can definitely take care of himself in a place like this, there is no one but us in the whole castle! So please, do come! I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Maybe we should ask him first?” asked Bellica to Attia.

Hanna smiled “He must be busy right now, come on, we can go through Eileen’s hat collection too, would you also like a hat?”

“I’d love a hat!” said Bellica to Attia that nodded.

Hanna noticed the spark of interest in both lionesses eyes. “Then let’s go!”

“Mother, there will be plenty of time for that, right now we should...”

“No, no, I know you, the moment I turn my back you will be gone. Let me enjoy this moment with my daughter and her friends. Let's go! I will show them your jewelry as well! The ones you never use! Maybe we can give them some as a gift too?”

“Jewelry?” Attia and Bellica’s eyes glistened in curiosity. “Well, we could go, right?”

“It’s about the time that the master send us to our rooms anyway” Attia smiled.

“Perfect, let's go then! You too Eileen! Come!”

As they passed by a maid the queen promptly called her “Please, Matilda, bring that what I asked to Eileen's room, for all of us! And be prepared for the other thing...”

“Of course my queen!”

Hanna stepped forward and whispered something else to the maid’s ear, Eileen could not hear what it was. But the Maid just nodded once and moved out on her way.

After a couple hours, Eileen was bored she picked up a glass with a sweet liquor while Attia and Bellica were ecstatic looking at the many dresses she had with Hanna that they put at Eileen’s bed.”

“It’s late and I will be going now mother, I need to talk to Riou before we go to sleep.”

“Just a moment more my dear… Tell them about this ring!”

A few more minutes went by, Eileen was pouring another small glass of liquor for herself when her mother slyly pulled the glass away from her.

“My dear, don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

Eileen shook her head “This is my second one. Do you think I will get drunk?”

“Perhaps, you know how the bride's liquor is strong and we wouldn’t want to spoil the night, would we? Now, why don’t you go fetch your hat collection to show the girls?” Eileen sighed and went to her wardrobe to pick them.

Hanna immediately turned to Attia and Bellica, refilling their cups with a lot of the sweet liquor.

“So, how is the master treating my daughter? Is he good to her?”

“Oh yes, master is the perfect male. He even allowed her to live in his house, he never let anyone even sleep in the same tent as him. That’s a great honor!” said Attia.

“And shows how much he likes the queen!” added Bellica

“I heard it from Eileen, but I’d like to hear what you think, after all, you two are always with them, aren’t you? Why don’t you try that one… it will match greatly with your blond hair.”

Attia picked up the dress and started removing the armor to try it.

Bellica responded “As personal guards, we are always with them especially when we are outside the village. And I think she is very lucky. Are you concerned with something Queen mother?”

“Please, call me Hanna. Try that color, it suits your skin tone” the queen smiled as the lioness went for the dress. “And no, I’m not concerned. I think I have a good idea of what’s going on in that village now.”

Hanna smiled and glanced at Eileen in the corner of the room. “I bet you haven’t stopped a single moment since you returned from that horrible place. Am I right? You kept jumping from one problem to the other and barely had any time to sit down and relax.”

“Now that you mentioned, it seems we are more active on this side than the other. But here the issues seem to be much simpler and less dangerous, so it’s not as tiring I believe. Not to mention all these cities full of people are very fun to go to. We can sell and buy products instead of making all of them. It’s much better now”

“I can only imagine… And what about other women? I believe there are others interested in him as well, after all, he is such a good male...”

“If the queen hadn’t imposed herself, the master would have hundreds of mates lining up on his door every night. But the Master never allowed it and now with the queen beside him, she also doesn't like it.”

“She doesn’t seem eager to share him,” added Attia looking at herself with the dress on a mirror nearby.

“That does sound like Eileen, she is not fond of sharing things that she really likes. She has been like that since a young age. But, if that’s the case, then the villagers must not like her very much, do they? And Eileen said they are much more powerful than her.”

“On the contrary, the queen is very liked. Even the kids love her. And she might be still growing as a warrior, but as a female, she is very strong.” said Bellica

Attia nodded “Once she even managed to make a female from the Cat tribe step down from her attempt on master, just by releasing a huge murderous presence at her. She can be really scary sometimes.”

Hanna smiled brightly “Really? That’s so good to hear. So there is a woman in there after all… my baby has grown so much.”

Eileen returned with a pile of her things to show to the two. Both Attia and Bellica were amazed by the different fabrics and designs.

A maid sneakily appeared on the door and nodded to Hanna. The queen smiled and nodded back. The maid then entered the room and stopped by the door.

“Well, how are you feeling Eileen, your cheeks are a bit red, I told you to not drink too much, didn’t I?” said Hanna.

“I’m fine, I just had one glass mother.”

“Maybe you should go to the bathhouse to clear your mind, some relaxing time on the hot waters can make wonders to a fatigued body, not to mention the skin!”

“Bathhouse? So it was finished?”

“Yes! It's a marvelous invention. A shame it got completed only after you two departed. But you definitely should try it out.”

“But a bathhouse just for me? I don’t think that’s necessary, I can take a shower when...”

“But I insist my dear!” She clapped her hand and the maid walked forward.

“I have asked them to have it prepared especially for you. Please follow Matilda here and have a good time there. Clear your mind and relax properly.”

“What about Attia and Bellica? They could join me, Elise, too. Speaking of her, where is she? I thought she wouldn’t go to Siscia”

The queen smiled “Elise realized she had to go. Her father would kill her if she is not there when he arrives. And about these two, look at them. They are having so much fun, let them keep at it and let them choose their things, I will ask the tailors to make them especially for them, so don’t worry and go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Matilda knows what to do and will help you. Right, Matilda?”

“Everything is prepared my queen!”

“Good, just remember to not return too late to your room, your father is having trouble sleeping and has the bad habit of walking the royal wing all night.”

“Well, It’s been a long day after all. I can go talk to Riou after it.”

“Sure, sure, just be wise and do what you think is right while in there.” Hanna smiled at Eileen “just remember our conversation from earlier ok?” Eileen nodded but was a bit confused, glancing at her mother while moving towards the door. Her mother was acting a bit suspiciously.

“Now, I just need to find Elrik and make sure he stays in his office with the Magus…” she turns to Attia and Bellica “My dears, need to go see the king for a moment, you continue what you are doing as I will be right back...”

Eileen wraps herself in a towel and enters the large bathhouse. There is a small fog in the first closed room due to the hot water pouring from a copper pipe, the fog extends to the whole place keeping it warm and nice. The water was falling into a wooden floor and running down the gaps between the floors.

She puts her towel to the side and goes under the hot pipe water as instructed by the maids. And then she went to the next room. The bath looked like a lake to her, it was bigger than her anticipated and even deeper. But its warmth was very relaxing indeed.

Eileen walks through the water, taking a good look at the walls of the bath and the details on the stones that made the floor. Only Riou would do something like that, she thought to herself as she sat down on a step that goes all around the walls of the bath.

Suddenly she hears the entrance door opening, startling the Princess that immediately goes with her chest under the water.

“Who is there!” She shouts with only her head out of the water.

“Eileen?” a very known voice reaches her, in a mixture of confusion and surprise. Riou appears by the next door with a towel wrapped around his waist. “What a surprise, was it you that… I mean, the maids were relentless on getting me here. Was it you?”

“I see now! That’s why! My mother might be the culprit for this.”

“I must thank her properly then, this is an unexpected pleasant surprise.” he began to walk forward with a smile on his face, clearly teasing Eileen.

“Are you coming in?” She asked, a bit surprised.

“Can’t I?” he smirked, noticing the princess’s distress. “I mean, I can come another time if you wish.” clearly enjoying her embarrassment. He knew she was very conscious of her body. And as his goal was accomplished, he smiled normally and began to step back.

“Wait!” suddenly he heard, to his complete surprise.

“You can come in.” her voice was calm, very different than the surprised tone she used earlier.

Riou was very confused, he turned and looked at her suspiciously, slowly entering the bath with a towel and everything.

“Are you ok?” he asked, approaching her head above the water, her eyes were looking at his every move.

“Come closer,” she says calmly once again to his astonishment.

Riou blinked a few times and continued moving towards her, only his chest and arms were out of the water while he walked in the middle of the bath.

As he approached, Eileen could see his nude chest more clearly, her eyes were fixed on it. And Riou noticed a change in her expression, concern and even fear appeared in her eyes.

“It’s not a pretty sight, isn’t it?” he said as she stared silently at him without moving a muscle for a moment.

She looked at the deep scars on his body, many on vital spots, organs, and even his heart. Claw-like lines from one end to the other of his belly. Large round puncture wounds on the side of his torso. Signs of mana burns and other magical effects on his skin, not to mention a few large beast bite marks.

As she remains silent, he finally moves to her side and sits down just a bit away from her. He put his arms on the borders of the bath and closed his eyes leaning his head back to relax on the warm waters.

She then turned at him again and approached his closest arm from the waters, putting her hand on the bite marks near his shoulder. Trying to imagine what kind of being could possibly have done that. “I… I didn’t know something could hurt you this much. I thought nothing could harm you. I mean, you so strong, right? Aren't you supposed to be stronger than Arthas, Attia, and Bellica, together?"

He smiled "And I am."

"Then why are you so hurt?” she said looking and touching some of his scars.

“It was my fault, it took me a long time to fully adapt to that place and recognize most dangers. So I took more damage than I’d like to admit”

"You were reckless, weren't you?"

"Sometimes"

She puts her hand on his chest, right where a large puncture scar was.

“You told me it was a dangerous place, but it seems it was far worse than that...” she moves her hand a bit down to another puncture wound even bigger than that one.

She put her hand on it and got terrified when she realized it covered her whole palm.

“My first encounter with a Tormentor, I’m afraid I have a few more marks like these on my legs as well. I’m a bit of a mess… Sorry if it’s not too pretty.”

Eileen remained silent.

“I wanted to talk to you, but I don’t think this is the moment for it now… So, it’s ok if you want me to go back.”

The princess put her hand on her stomach, where the immortal had stabbed her, but the healing spell had completely recovered her wound, not a single mark could be felt by her fingers.

“Why do I have no marks from my wounds? You used the same healing on me, right?”

He shook his head “No, nemesis used only the best healing on you, something I developed after, well, after these… It doesn't work now the wound is closed.” he points to his scars “That’s why”

Eileen nodded. Once again silence between the two.

Then suddenly, he hears “Turn around, face the other way”

“There? why?” Riou turned towards it and immediately felt her arms coming from around him, wrapping his chest tightly and pulling his back against her chest. Two soft and very distinct sensation could be felt.

“Eileen…?” He turned his head a bit to try to see her face.

“You went through so many things… You could’ve died so many times, why didn’t you tell me it was that horrible?”

“It looks worse than it really was. I wasn’t in real danger...”

“Then why do these scars look so deadly? Why do I think that anyone else would have died if they took such wounds… what about the pain? Didn’t you feel pain as well? Tell me, would I survive if I took that damage?”

Riou went silent.

“I won't ask you to never do anything reckless like these again… but I want you to promise that if you do, you will take me with you so I can help!”

“Eileen… Is this about what Nemesis told you?”

“I know you only got these because you were desperate to return… so promise me!”

Riou could smell a sweet scent coming from her breath. Her voice was filled with resolve.

He nodded “I promise.”

She remains silent for a moment and began to slowly release him. “You can lean against the bath wall again.” her voice was different, commanding, and full of intent.

Riou feels the water moving close by, she was moving. Eileen was acting strange, Riou was trying to understand what was going on and just tried to look at him instead of moving back.

But in doing so he immediately feels her hand grabbing his shoulder and forcing him back into the step, slowly pushing him against the bath seat and against the wall as he were before.

"Now, do not move."

He looked at her in a complete mix of awe and surprise. She was close, staring right into his eyes, like a predator ready to attack its prey. She slowly began to stand up, revealing her nude body while keeping her eyes on him.

Bewitched by her, he is unable to move or look away.

Eileen moves forward, even closer to him, very slowly while continually staring deep at his eyes. He notices a small seductive smile on her face, filled with desire that sent shivers down his spine.

He swallows hard as she touches his leg and continues moving forward. He watches as she slowly moves into his lap, putting her legs to his sides and looking at him from above.

Riou lost his breath and his mind was consumed by the feeling of her body touching his. The deep stare Eileen was giving him was filled with desire and intent, he just couldn’t resist her.

He lost his restraint and embraced her, pulling her even closer to kiss her passionately before moving to other parts of her body...

Outside the bathhouse, Max arrives with a towel in hand followed by kind Elrik.

“Are you sure Max? Maybe he wishes to discuss something in private with you”

“Nonsense, you could use a bit of rest, Hanna told me you haven’t been sleeping well lately. Getting to know your son in law will give you a lot of peace of spirit. Trust me, it will be good for everyone”

They find Matilda standing at the door with the keys to the bath in hand.

She seems surprised to see the king and the great Magus there and quickly addresses them “I’m sorry great magus, but the bath is closed for cleaning today, can I ask you to return tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? That’s strange… I was sure Riou said he’d be here by this hour”

“Nonsense, they can clean this another time. Let us in Matilda.”

Matilda forced a smile “I don’t think that's a good idea my lord, maybe we should come a bit later?”

“No need, a bit of dirty never killed anyone. Now open up! I wish to have a nice warm bath with my good friend here and enjoy a good spirit. Riou shall join us shortly.”

“But my lord…”

“Matilda, open the damn door already.”

The maid reluctantly opened the door for the king and the magus to enter.