“Hello, Shaman.” Paige smiled slightly at the girl in front of her, though even she could feel that her smile was very, very insincere. She lifted her other hand to her mouth. “It’s a [[Silence]] bubble. Use your other hand to block your mouth. It’ll stop the others from hearing us, but they could still read our lips.”

The Shaman nodded slowly and brought up her own hand. “That’s mighty impressive, for a Warrior. Or should I call you Paige?”

“Call me what you will. So which one are you? Stella, Luna, or Shavie?” Paige asked quietly. They didn’t have much time. She could tell that they were already attracting attention.

“Shavie.”

“Bullshit. I’ve already met Shavie. And Bishner. And Zenith mentioned that the librarian’s name is Luna. So that leaves you as Stella. We’ll meet up after this, but let me just remind you of something. If you hurt Isabella, I will kill you all.”

“I can say the same about Markus.” Stella’s eyes turned sharp.

Releasing their handshake, Paige stepped forward and watched the crowd next to Stella. She could tell that Zenith and Glenn had seen her talking with someone, though both had very different expressions. Paige inwardly grimaced as a few Protectors moved in closer around them. The Healer Hall was watching over Stella. Had to watch over, Paige corrected herself. They couldn’t exactly let Isabella’s “mother” die under their protection.

She eyed her glove and noticed she had some time to kill before the magic circle would dissipate. “...you know. This is not exactly how I expected to meet your Party. Here, peacefully at a banquet,” Paige whispered.

Stella looked at her warily. “Oh? And how did you think it was going to happen?”

“Well, if I went with my initial plan, it would have ended with me standing over your dead bodies. But I can’t exactly do that now.”

Stella scoffed and whispered back. “You really expected it to go just like that? Waltz up and kill a few people, and then what, kidnap Isabella and successfully escape?”

“Well, ideally Isabella would remember who I am. I’ll admit, there were a few weak points in my plans. And while I’ve never had to kidnap a person before, today’s a new day to learn.” Or not, Paige thought to herself as she eyed the gathering Protectors. Having the Healer Hall involved was never part of her plan either. They wouldn’t be able to stop her, but they could slow her down. Especially Glenn.

Stella must have known that too, judging by how she looked around. Or rather… “Still, your group has shown an awful lot of restraint. Shavie and Bishner had me marked for well over two years now.”

Stella gave no response. That was fine with Paige though. She didn’t need someone to talk to. Rather, she just wanted to pass the time. And what better way to do it than with a potential enemy.

‘No, not an enemy. Diplomacy, Paige. Get it together! You’re not exactly warming yourself up to Stella. Remember, she is Isabella’s family now.’

Paige inhaled heavily and let go of her irritation. Isabella’s new family.

“Well, time heals all wounds and such. And since both of our groups have rather… unique situations, I see it only fair to let the water flow under the bridge and all that. Since you guys have Isabella, and we have Markus, how about we have a get-together and discuss what our relationship between our two parties will be moving forward?” Paige half-heartedly said.

That got Stella’s attention. Paige could see why it would, as it heavily favored their Party. Even if Stella was still a Shaman, Paige’s (forged) identity as an Imperial Servant would still grant her far more leverage than Stella could resist.

“Really?”

“Well, so long as you don’t try to kill us, we won’t either. You have my word as our Party Leader.”

Stella studied Paige and smiled.

“Well then, this is exactly why I said I should talk to you instead of the others. I’m sure that the others would have messed something up by now,” Stella took a look at the gloves and waved her hand, clearly feeling the ambient mana. “It looks like your spell will fully dissipate soon. We need to chat longer. Where?”

Paige shrugged. “Neutral location. Library or something works for us”

Stella shook her head. “My house. You’d have a legitimate reason to visit, with Markus joining their party and such.”

Stella gave a glance at Paige and walked forward to Kate, who was quickly moving towards them with Miranda in tow.

Paige blinked. What was…

“Kate. My favorite shopkeeper! Tell me, has my products been selling well?”

“Stella! It’s been selling well, actually. In fact-”

Paige watched their interaction from the behind and sighed in relief as she took a glance around. The Protectors were backing off, now that she wasn’t interacting one on one with Isabella’s parent figure. She knew that the Healer Hall would be hesitant to let a Scion talk with a Cleric’s family, especially an Apprentice’s family.

Still, it was hard to ignore Kate talking with her former enemy. Paige could feel her eyebrow twitching as they made small talk. Though, after a moment of thought, Paige realized that it wasn’t too weird for Kate to know Stella, especially if Stella and her group were also primarily Support Classes.

“Kate, what does she sell?”

“Potions. Really good ones too,” Kate answered. “Stella here is a natural at potion-making, and Tyler and Lily use her a lot to stock up on supplies. You wouldn’t believe the efficacy of potions for wound care!”

“I would, but I don’t believe in potions to heal wounds,” Paige said. She blinked as everyone looked at her skeptically. “I don’t! I would never trust my health to someone else. Especially for potions! I’ve nearly died every time I’ve taken a potion before. Besides, a few bandages and herbs will do the same with time. If you’re going to bleed out before that, then you’re doing something wrong.”

“... what potions were you taking at the time?” Stella asked skeptically.

Paige glanced away. She hadn’t really known what potions she had been drinking. She had so many random ones that she had taken in her initial escape, and none of them were labeled. “The healing type? Come to think of it, I think I got mana poisoning each time, no matter which potion I used. After the first initial time, I sorta just wrote off potions completely.”

“Huh? Your mana core must have been pretty small if you got mana poisoning from just taking a standard potion... You can tell by the glow how much mana has been infused into the creation of it. How much was it glowing?”

‘Well, that may have been the problem. I could use them as a torch if I needed too,’ Paige thought to herself. Clearing her throat, she continued. “Well, regardless, dependency on potions is dangerous. Miranda, have my other companions already arrived?”

Paige took a glance at her crystal and noted that it had started shining. Nick and Tyler should be nearby, she knew from experience. Miranda stepped forward to answer, though Paige spotted Kate’s wry grin. Kate knew her actual name, not the fake name she had called her. She made a mental note to ask Kate about it and focused.

“They have. Sir Nick is with Miss Zenith, and Sir Tyler is with Miss Shavie.”

“Ah. Well then. I’d love to stay and talk with the two of you; Kate; Stella; but I should probably see my companions. And Stella,” Paige added after a brief second, “I’d love to do dinner with you and your family. Kate, if you could ask Emilia about joining us as well, that would be great.”

“You don’t want to stay and talk?” Kate asked.

“While I would love to, Kate, I still have to talk to one other person. Could you do me a favor though? When you have the time, tell Tyler not to bug Shavie. The Healer Hall is already having a fit and I’d rather not make it worse.”

“Umm, sure Paige, bu-”

“Miranda, care to show me to the queen?”

“Most certainly, Miss Paige. I’ll see you around, Kate.”

As Paige walked off, she looked at Miranda with suspicion clear in her eyes. Miranda was a weird one, that much was certain. And the chains of coincidences that surrounded Miranda were odd as well. Paige smiled lightly at the gathering crowd around her, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes. The more astute bystanders quickly left, quietly dragging their slower companions away. “How secure is this room, Miranda? For private conversations.”

“Fairly secure. The queen filtered the guests list herself, and the Healer Hall had set their terms down for those entering. They will not tolerate eavesdropping Spells.”

“So, before we get to the Queen, tell me Miranda, who are you exactly?”

“Me? I’m just your average Scout,” Miranda whispered.

“Mhmm. A Scout who happens to have a child. I may be old, Miranda, but I know how Rebecca trains her Royal Scouts. And I specifically remember the rules of conduct for Royal Scouts.”

“And you’re oddly well versed in Alcudian affairs. For an Imperial Servant, I mean,” she paused. “You are right about that but the rules can be bent, especially if the Queen authorizes it.”

“True, but not this much. Having a potential weakness like that is far too risky. And that means something.”

“You’re hardly one to talk. You’ve bent more rules than I have,” Miranda muttered. “My husband takes care of her when I’m preoccupied with this job. His job is far more… stable than mine, so it works out nicely.”

“And your relationship to Kate is…”

“Sister in law. I married her older brother, Kevin Madson.”

“Huh, so that’s how Joanna plays into all of this. So I guess the two of them are not here then, since you are ‘Miranda’ right now.”

“My husband has time to spare. He’s an innkeeper, after all. He just has to hire extra help to watch Joanna and keep the business going.”

“And you come from up north?”

“Northeast. We live in Trulton.”

Paige nodded but was furiously thinking. A lot could change in eight years, but the innkeeping business didn’t change that often, Paige knew. Sure, an innkeeper could die, but the family would always pick it up and start anew. But she was sure there were no Madson’s who owned an inn eight years ago.

“So, umm, which inn does your husband own? It’s been some time since I’ve been over that way.”

“Singsong Inn. It’s in a nice spot in town. Not too close to the Guild Hall, but just enough so that we are favored by Adventurers and Mercenaries.”

“Hm? I thought the owner was a young girl?”

“Who’d let a girl run an inn by herself, especially one with Adventurers? No, she left the business long ago. Said something about following her heart. But that was years ago.”

Paige exhaled quietly. That was most definitely Maggie’s inn. Paige blinked as she thought about Maggie. The girl had left to do something else? ‘Following her heart’? She had a conversation about that once, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember exactly what it was about. She only knew that it happened when Maggie was really little, long before she had gotten her Apprentice Innkeeper Class.

‘Check on Maggie later… Maybe check on all my friends here, just to see how they are doing. But later.’

Paige cocked her head slightly as they approached the queen. Zenith was still talking to her? Nick was close behind her, so it wasn’t too strange. But did they even have enough topics to talk about? They were even talking right up to the point where Miranda stepped in.

“Your majesty, Imperial Servant Paige would like a word with you,” Miranda said, curtsying slightly to Zenith.

“After you are done talking. I didn’t realize you two had so much in common, Zenith,” said Paige.

Zenith tilted her head slightly. “No, we were about done anyway, Paige. I was just talking to Rebecca here about the invasion from Trent. Apparently Imperial Scion Maxwell is taking it more seriously now, ever since we set up our base in the forest.” She smiled slightly, though it hardly reached her eyes.

Paige smiled back and nodded. ‘A base set in a forest? Hah! They mistook the ritual for a large scale [[Fortification]] spell? … Actually, that would be a logical conclusion, since that spell discharges a mana wave that can be felt hundreds of miles away. But how would they know that?’

“Yes, the Imperial family has its ways to track illegal [[Fortification]] spells. Luckily, Peter had already set up everything in advance for us. Can’t be letting just anyone build a hidden fortress near the borderlands,” Paige said. Technically true, since someone was able to recognize a mana wave. And she did do a ritual, though it wasn’t the same as a fortress.

But she knew she was stalling. She looked over at her old friend and smiled, just a bit sadly.

“Your majesty, I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” Paige said, bowing deeply. It was the least Paige could do for Rebecca, not after she had failed her all these years.

Alexandra; Daniel; Beatrice; Isabella. Each one she said she would be there for, and yet each one she failed. Even being isolated in the woods, Paige could guess what was happening to Rebecca’s children.

Paige already knew the fate of Alexandra, that one was evident by Maxwell’s presence. She had far too little hope that she was in good health; as she knew the horrors of the Imperial Family all too well, even if she had escaped before she had to deal with it personally. Daniel was off playing a fool to Maxwell’s fiddle. She had little faith that he was pretending. No, power corrupted, and he had already severed the familiar bond between him and the rest of his family.

Beatrice had to be a prisoner, either for the Healer Hall or by proxy for the Scion. The Healer Hall would be the far better option for her. And then there was Isabella. The one person she promised to keep safe. It was just a simple scouting mission. In and out. But instead, she had gotten her killed.

Paige realized she lost track of time. Her friend was just standing there, waiting.

“I’m sorry. Repeat that again?”

“I said, I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance, Miss Paige.”

“Paige, your majesty. You can call me Paige.”

“Farmer Paige, Warrior Paige, or Imperial Servant Paige? Which would you like?”

“...if I said Farmer, would you believe me?”

“I would. I am fortunate to be privy to a few secrets, both from Glenn and Peter.”

“Hm. Good. Farmer Paige then.”

Paige stood there awkwardly, the words dying in her mouth before she could utter them. I’m sorry, Rebecca. I’m sorry your family had to go through this. Her regrets still lingered, even though the world had changed around her.

“I-”

“The children are about to arrive, your majesty.”

Paige started but Miranda interrupted her. Rebecca looked pensive.

“Already? I thought they weren’t supposed to be here until much later?”

“They are the stars of the banquet. We need to give them a chance to mingle as well. They are the future of Alcudia, after all. And the Healer Hall invited them over after they noticed where they were exploring.”

“Well, Paige, I am sorry to cut our time together short. We’ll have to catch up later.”

“Of course. May Alcudia’s light shine in the darkness.”

Paige smiled and backed away. It wasn’t a good time to talk anyway. Watching her friend go, she turned and almost ran straight into Zenith, who quickly grabbed her hand.

“Are you out of your mind, Paige!” Zenith said after the gloves had fully activated. “I mean, at least you could try to not be weird.”

“Sorry for getting reminiscent.”

“We need her to get us passage to Alduit Academy! We still don’t have a way to settle down there, not without help.”

“... yeah, about that. We might have some leeway with that, since the other party is willing to talk with us. It looks like our assumptions were right about them, they are being restricted somehow, just like us.”

“How badly? Do we have the upper hand, or not?”

Paige frowned. “Both of our situations are not ideal. It’s tough to say how much they are being restricted, but I can say that their classes have changed, just like ours had.”

Paige shifted to look behind Zenith and noted people were gathering around to the entrance. “It looks like the kids are here. We’ll have to pick this back up later.”

Paige gently pulled her hand away and started walking towards the entrance. She could already feel a headache coming.

‘Glenn; Stella; Miranda; Kate; Rebecca; Zenith. Gah, my list of conversations are getting even longer... I guess Miranda and Kate aren’t that important for now. So that leaves Zenith; Stella; Glenn; Rebecca.’

Paige already knew that she would personally have to talk with Glenn and Rebecca. Zenith was a good Diplomat, but she wouldn’t be able to navigate around someone of his stature. Rebecca too, though to a lesser degree.

‘Rebecca had some serious equipment on herself. Her armor was better, her gloves were fairly good and could doing something, and the scepter she was holding wasn’t normal either. Did the Healer Hall give it to her, or had Peter given her something? Rebecca would be the best person to ask about what Peter had been doing here in Alcudia.’

“-Alcudia’s next generation of leaders!”

Rebecca’s voice interrupted her train of thought. Peering over the crowd on her tiptoes, she could spot the kids fairly easily.

But it was Isabella who caught her eye. Her platinum hair reflected the light almost as much as her new robe. The silken sheen of the fabric playfully reflected the light as she stood there. Of course, Lily and the others were standing nearby as well, though she scoffed at Zenith’s choice for Lily. She was almost a mirror image of Zenith, except younger.

‘Good, at least the kids will be a welcome change,’ Paige thought.

“How much longer do we have to stand here?” Markus whispered to no one in particular.

“Markus, hush. The Queen has to do this,” Lily whispered.

They all listened halfheartedly to the queen’s speech. Markus grumbled as the queen started heavily embellishing Lily, Isabella, and Tyler’s accomplishments while they were at Nespe. Lily fought three wolf packs alone, and it was all thanks to her education at Nespe? Markus rolled his eyes as he heard that.

“Couldn’t she have done this before we got here then?!”

“Markus, at least show some courtesy to the queen. You know your aunt is going to be mad if you keep acting like that. At least pretend to smile,” Tyler said.

“Ugh. Fine.”

Markus scanned the crowd for his aunt and sighed in relief when he didn’t find her immediately. Still, he knew that Lily and Tyler were right. It was only natural to let the Queen toot her own horn about how Lily and Tyler had grown.

His eyes looked over to his last companion, who was searching the crowd of people for a familiar face as well. He shifted in place slightly as he leaned sideways toward Isabella. “Pst. Hey, who are you looking for?”

“My mother. She said she would be here, but I don’t see her.”

“I can’t find my family either. Still, after the queen is done we can go and look around. I’m sure Lily and Tyler will want to peruse the banquet hall as well.”

“Peruse?”

“Same thing as wander. I think?”

“Ah.”

Markus fidgeted. He knew that Isabella was still wary of him. ‘My whole family is really interested in Isabella though. I have to make a good impression!’

“-Alcudia’s next generation of leaders!”

The sound of polite clapping startled Markus slightly, though he was glad that he was finally able to wander freely about the hall.

“Aunt Shavie!” Isabella cried to his left.

Markus turned and saw an adult turn and smile. His brows raised in astonishment as he saw who was standing next to Isabella’s aunt. Uncle Tyler.

Isabella turned in shock as Markus stepped forward with her.

“Miss Shavie, Uncle,” Markus said politely. “Uncle, this is Isabella, who is part of Lily’s party. Isabella, meet my uncle, Tyler.”

“And Markus,” called a voice from behind. “Meet Shavie; Isabella’s aunt as well as a professional bodyguard.” Markus turned and saw his aunt standing right behind him. She tutted playfully. “Well, so far I’ve met Stella; Shavie; and Bishner. So where is the other one in your party?”

“Ah. Miss Farmer. I guess tilling wheat is a good way to move up in the world,” Shavie said.

“It is a fairly lucrative job, I’ll admit; though I want a refund for my message. You never did give it to Tyler or Lily.”

“You’ve met her before?” Lily asked from the side.

Paige smiled slightly, though Markus could tell she wasn’t really smiling. “Briefly. Small world we live in, eh?”

“Very,” Shavie said. “Isabella, meet Imperial Servants Paige and Tyler.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Isabella said.

“Hah! I knew you were more than a Farmer!” Lily cried.

“Just slightly more. Though, you have to admit my crops are delicious,” Paige said playfully. Turning to Isabella, his aunt dropped her playful attitude and took on a far more formal look. “It is a pleasure to meet you too, Apprentice Cleric Isabella Freal Platz. You and your family.”

“Where is my mentor at, Miss Paige?” Lily asked quickly.

Paige shooed her and Tlyer off in the right direction. “Go over and greet her. I’m pretty sure she’s over there. And make sure you mention you like your clothes.”

“Great, thank you!”

“umm... thank you for the clothes as well. Lily said you made it.” Isabella spoke up.

Markus watched everything from the side and noticed something peculiar. His uncle had quickly stepped away from Isabella’s aunt for some reason, while Miss Shavie stepped slightly forward to guard Isabella. And more telling, Paige had stepped and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m just glad you like it. Only a girl would realize how precious the material is. Markus would probably have ruined the cloth if I made anything for him with it.”

Markus could feel his face heating up.

“Aunt Paige!”

“It’s only the truth, Markus. Even your leather armor gets roughed up in the underbrush. I’d hate to see what would happen if you were wearing anything less sturdy than that.”

“Isabella, it’s time to go say hello to your mother,” Shavie said. “I would say it was a pleasure, but I don’t know how much I trust an Imperial Servant, not from what I’ve heard about Scions themselves.”

“Well, it is a good thing that we will be having dinner together then. It’ll be nice to work out our differences.”

“Tch. Let’s go, Isabella.”

“Bu-”

Markus frowned as he looked between his aunt and Isabella’s aunt, who was clearly avoiding them. But It was clear that they knew each other somehow. And it was strange how they were emphasizing certain parts of their discussion.

“Hey aunt, do you know them, personally?”

His aunt grabbed his hand and smiled sadly.

“... I guess it’s time to tell you a few things. Yes, there is some bad history between us; but, that happened long before you or Isabella were born. We were hoping that things would get be better now that the two of you are in the same Party.”

“Is it something to be wary of? Should I tell Lily and Tyler?” Markus asked with concern.

Paige paused. He could already tell she was trying to word her situation in a positive light.

“No, no. It’s just something we have to work out with Isabella’s parents. You’ll understand when you grow up. Certain things can be resolved peacefully, but only if both parties step back.”

“And what if Isabella’s family doesn’t step back?”

“Then I beat them until they do.”

“Aunt…”

“Either way Markus, it won’t affect your Party. We all agree on that much.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Nothing will stop the two of you from being in the same party,” Paige said resolutely. “Now, go and enjoy the banquet. Don’t talk to strangers, and smile politely to everyone. Good impressions are key, after all.”

Markus eyed his aunt and then Isabella’s aunt who disappeared within the crowd. He wasn’t sure that his aunt knew how to make a good impression.