--- Elise

The wooden spear crashed into the dummy, sending clumps of hay flying. Still, the girl didn't stop. Ever since her return in Cassidia, two days after the intrusion at the banquet, she hadn't done much else than training.

Take this. And this. And this!

Elise stabbed her silent sparring partner multiple times, without even catching her breath, despite her body's complaints. Why was she in that hall, to begin with? Was there a reason for ignoring the advice of Lady Annette, who insisted that she rested, to go through those rigorous sessions? The princess knew the answer very well.

"That... That liar," she panted, talking aloud even if she was the only one there. "He should be thankful that he's locked in a prison, or else... I'd be doing this!"

Her weapon went clean into the head of the dummy, almost knocking it down, and remained stuck in place. Elise let go of it, wiping the sweat from her hands and sitting on the floor.

Why. Why? Why did he have to keep it a secret from me? I thought we could say everything to each other. I thought he trusted me more than this!

During the trip back, her lady-in-waiting had tried to convince her that Roric wasn't to blame for what had happened. It was weird to hear those words coming from a person like Annette, who barely tolerated the presence of the boy at first. Moreover, she was at the party. She had seen it too.

I should have known there was something wrong with him. How could a normal person fight alone against those bandits in Fradot, that day? And yet, even after risking our lives together, he didn't tell me. He kept it all to himself!

The girl lay on her side, smashing her fist on the marble. Other than the pain and the cold feeling of the stone, that action didn't make the situation any better.

Cassidia was in danger. Her people were in danger. The ones she had been given the responsibility to protect. A cruel enemy, someone who had no trouble breaking into the palace of one of the most powerful noblemen in the entire Kingdom, had declared his will to conquer those lands.

Roric knew him. They had already met. Annette overheard the results of his questioning and there's no point in denying it now. He's the one who destroyed his mercenary company and... And he'd rather forget about it. I bet he would say it was for the sake of moving forward. Bullshit!

She was angry, very angry, because her friend had hidden his true nature to her for so long. The stories she had read about the Elementals told of an ancient civilization who enslaved the innocents and wreaked havoc on the world. If the boy was aware of that, Elise couldn't say. But that didn't change the fact he belonged to a vile, despicable race. Plus, a necromancer he knew about had appeared from thin air to attack the girl's home. Things between the two couldn't look worse.

Was our friendship a dream? Did he use me, just to earn a safe hiding spot?

No, that couldn't be. The girl didn't want to believe that Roric had planned all of that since the start. But now there was no way she could accept him at her side again.

I refuse to be protected by someone I'm unable to trust. Honour guard? Yeah... My father too was blinded by his skill. He saved my life three times, that's true... But he lied to me. That's what really bothers me.

After a couple of minutes, the princess decided it was time to stand up and resume what she was doing. Grabbing the spear with both hands and pulling it fiercely, she managed to free it from the hay of the dummy. The target's head was damaged in the process, and hanged to the left side pitifully.

"Sorry, dude," she said, trying to fix the injury. "I guess I went a little overboard with that last thrust."

Elise took two or three steps backwards and breathed deeply, in the effort of regaining her focus, but her mind didn't want to obey.

Come to think about it... I met Roric only a few months before Cremont came, telling me who I was. He couldn't say that he was an Elemental back then... Still! We've been through a lot together. If only he had...

She realized a little too late that a tear was falling from her left eye. The princess quickly checked if anyone had entered the room, despite her orders, then gained back her composure. It wasn't the time to be concerned about that boy, but in all due honesty she was starting to question herself if bringing him to Cassidia had actually been the best idea.

One thing is certain. I need to become strong for the sake of my Kingdom. For my people. I won't rely on someone like Roric for that. Even if he... Even if he's someone I would...

With a roar, the girl spun her weapon in circles above her head and struck the neck of the dummy, decapitating it.

"Crap, crap, crap!" she huffed, following the head as it rolled towards one of the corners. "I did it again."

***

--- Roric

Surprisingly, Roric didn't find it difficult to leave Norburg. That meant the orders from the King had been respected, and nobody dared to follow the young warrior in his short trip to the northern village.

Once outside the city, he simply asked a traveler for directions and went his way. What had happened at the banquet seemed to be unknown among the commoners, and the boy was very thankful, because at least it let him travel free from dangers. He feared Lord Isaac would put a bounty on his head right after he left, but for the moment things were going better than expected.

I'll reach Bluber soon. The man I met on the road told me it was an unimportant village, so I understand why King Sebastian chose it. He wants to keep our collaboration private, for now.

That being said, Roric wasn't so sure about Mary's role in that matter. The Mage girl had insisted to be the one delivering the final part of the message, but was she acting within the regulations of the Circle? She could be punished, or worse, lose the staff she had worked so hard to achieve. There must have been a pretty good reason why she was willing to go that distance just for him.

When the first buildings of Bluber appeared in the distance, the boy was immediately assailed by a nostalgic feeling. The village looked, smelled and felt different from the others he had seen in the kingdom of Cassidia and was more alike those in the Republic and Guhrien, much poorer and unremarkable. The northern border, after all, wasn't so far.

What would she consider a good meeting spot? A tavern, without a doubt. Let's see if there's something like that here.

With that thought in mind, Roric went through the place until he spotted a run-down sign hanging from a wall, indicating the presence of a inn. It definitely wasn't the prettiest place to hang around, nor the cleanest, but in the position he was he had no right to be picky. Sighing, the young warrior opened the creaky door and entered.

The inside was better than the outside, thankfully. There weren't many customers, since it was past lunch, but more than one eye turned to have a glance at the newcomer.

I sense curiosity more than hostility from these people. I'm glad. Life must be so uneventful, here, like in...

Everything in that wide room, again, reminded the boy about his home. The Strong Plough, the inn in Spjaldir where his father and the other farmers often drank together, used to be very similar to that place. For a moment, Roric wondered if the Duke of Guhrien had rebuilt the village like he intended to, but it was just a moment.

"Roric!" a female voice called for him, not aloud but in a half-whisper. "Roric! I'm here!"

He turned in that direction and found his friend, waiting for him. She was wearing a woolen, discolored cloak, that partially hid her Mage attire.

I see. Outside of the bigger towns, the members of the Circle must be careful as well... She said her colleagues weren't exactly popular to the public opinion. That, or her being here is nothing close to official business.

The boy took place at the table with Mary, who had an untouched cup of wine in front of her.

"Finally," she murmured. "The innkeeper gave me a scary glare when I asked for a drink. I thought it was normal, but then I remembered where... Let's not get out of track. Are you alright?"

"I am, don't worry."

"Thank goodness," said the young Mage. "I knew the King was letting you go, but that Isaac... I have the feeling he isn't simply going to forget that an... Well, that someone like you had dinner at his table."

"Lucky bastard," commented Roric. "If not for me, he would be dead for sure now. Rickhart had put everyone under some sort of spell. I still don't understand how I managed to snap out of it."

The girl crossed her arms, confidently. "I made some research, while you were locked up. I knew from my studies that necromancers have the ability to tool with minds, but there seem to be a general rule. The victim must be unprepared. And even after that, focusing strongly on a single thing can disrupt the effect of the domination."

It's my hatred for him. A hatred I didn't remember.

"Listen, Roric... You met him in the past, right?"

"Yes."

"What did he do to you?"

"He destroyed the company I worked with. Killed every single one of them. My mentor. My friends. I was left alone, and it hurt like hell. It... It still hurts, at times."

A glimpse of sadness crossed Mary's eyes. She was sincerely concerned about it.

"Mary, why did you ask the King to send you here? I'm sure he has many couriers and messengers at his service..."

"There's no reason in particular!" she replied, with a faint blush. "I... I just wanted to see you before you left, that's all."

Before I...

"Wait," said Roric. "What did you just say?"

The young Mage took a deep breath, like a teacher who was about to give her student a very long lecture on a complex topic.

"It happened the day after I visited you. I had borrowed a book on spirit magic from the library of the Circle, and had just returned to the villa, when I heard the King arguing with Lord Isaac."

"Arguing? On what?"

"For what I could get, the Lord wanted to hang you as soon as possible, especially after you said that you already knew the necromancer. He insisted that the princess herself had... Well, thrown you away, so nobody would have missed you. I thought you were done for."

That stung. But I've got to hear her out.

"His Majesty, on the other hand, was furious. Not at you, but at Isaac. Because an enemy had entered Norburg without anyone noticing. He's a strong, proud man... But he isn't stupid. Right after that, he called for a meeting in which I was invited, as a representative of the Circle. And in that meeting, those two discussed even more."

Mary took a quick break, pushing away a strand of fluffy hair and sipping the wine. The smirk on her face told a lot about how bad it was, compared to the one they usually served at the palace, and the young warrior thought about the few times he had shared a round with Frauli, Demios and the others back when they were still together. It was poor beverage indeed, but he remembered it fondly.

I wish she would have met them. And Elise too, before she became a princess...

Roric got lost in space for a moment. Had he really just wished that? Did he really think things would have been better, had Dominic's letter never reached Cassidia? For him, they certainly would. Elise felt caged in her valley, but if it was to protect her, like the farmer said-

"He-y!" sang Mary "Are you listening?"

"Sorry. I... I was thinking about Elise. I have to get used to the fact that she despises me now. She... She doesn't like what I am. I wonder if I should have told her..."

The young Mage gave him a warm smile.

"Don't torture yourself. She cares a lot for the Kingdom."

"Yeah, more than she cares about me."

There were some minutes of silence, in which the boy went through many of the memories of him with his friend, the princess of Cassidia. She was still honest and rough-edged, like she used to be, but her new role had built a wall between her and Roric. It didn't feel like it did in Fradot, when they had decided to face the future together.

Why couldn't she simply be the daughter of a farmer? And more importantly... Why couldn't I be a normal human being? It's like we were chosen to have huge responsibilities, no matter what our desires were...

He raised his head, noticing that Mary was looking at him intently. The girl averted her gaze, but suddenly went on.

"What if I told you..." she said, "That there's still a chance to help her? You could win her favor again. It's what the King planned, after-"

"Tell me!" exclaimed the young warrior, realizing that the tone of his voice was way too excited. "I... I mean, tell me."

"In the meeting, the King firmly opposed the idea of having you executed."

"And?"

"And he told Lord Isaac that he'd rather use you to fight that necromancer than cutting your head like a common criminal. Don't ask me how, but for some reason that man has put his trust in you."

He... He thinks that highly of me? I only...

Yes, it made sense. Roric had saved Elise's life three times. Even if the princess was angry at him now, that didn't change the past. King Sebastian admired bravery, not to mention he'd been able to see his daughter again just because of a young warrior randomly passing by and stopping to help. That clearly held some special meaning to him.

"What... What is His Majesty's will, then?" whispered the boy, timidly.

"He revealed this only to me and a few others in Norburg. Lord Isaac wasn't included, so that nobody could track you down," explained Mary. "You are to leave this Kingdom, until you are ready."

"Ready for what? I don't understand."

"There's a person you need to find. A master."