"Where did you get all that experience?"

"I didn't. She was the one who kissed me."

"Uh-huh."

Bellavarn snapped.

"She kissed me. I meant it to be short, but she kept me there until she ran out of breath. It's almost as if..."

Kerv folded his arms, examining the girl lying unconscious on the bed. Bellavarn scratched the back of his head.

"You didn't see them either, did you?"

"See what, Bell?"

"Chains. I saw chains. Felt them, too."

Kerv shook his head.

"All I saw was you too smooching."

"Tch."

April slept sound on his bed. Former bed. The one he should be laying in right now. Instead, Bellavarn loitered next to Kerv, watching over April as the doctor examined her. Bell could have sworn April was smiling, but her face was blank. Asleep and unaware.

Simon, the doctor, shook his head.

"I don't know what you did, but it wasn't good."

If Ester were here, she'd have a witty comeback. Instead, only hard glares met the doctor. He sighed.

"She's in a coma. Don't know how. Don't know why. It isn't illness. No concoctions or poisons caused this. My specialty is cardiology, so there may be some sort of magical factor, but I'm unable to detect anything. As far as I can tell, she just doesn't want to wake up."

Bellavarn was convinced there was a magical origin, so he ordered Kerv to sense for any traces. He complied without quipping but was unable to detect anything. Bellavarn concluded that whatever those chain were, they were either extremely advanced forms of magic, or natural phenomena.

Watching over her, he whispered.

"What's keeping you?"

Simon craned an ear.

"What was that?"

"Can I ask you to check back regularly?"

"Sure. That is what I'm paid for. I seem to recall you being my patient, too."

He wagged a finger.

"Do your parents know you are up?"

Bellavarn twitched.

"I feel much better. I can walk. See? Besides, I need to get back to work quickly."

She deserves her gift before she wakes up.

Bellavarn held April's handkerchief in his palms. A smiling wizard. It meant something different to Bellavarn. Different, but carrying the same intensity.

Folding it, he placed it in his pants pocket. Confused, he felt something else familiar already residing there. Deciding to address it in a moment, he headed for the door.

"Kerv. Come with me."

Simon huffed and was about rant when Kerv answered boisterously.

"Where to?"

"Where else?"

They left hurriedly without fanfare.

Simon was all riled up, muttering to himself in an empty room.

Then he deflated. Realizing the horrible truth.

"Who's going to tell the Duke?"

=

Kerv sat on the couch, playing with his stick. A black stick. The baton.

Hehe.

A list of puns lay ready and waiting for his use. He only needed someone to talk to. It was unfortunate Bell was engrossed in work. He'd followed diligently, but Bell was back to booking. In fact, one hit Kerv in the square on the noggin.

Flinching, he looked over his shoulder to witness Bellavarn tearing books off the shelves and leaving them wherever they lay. It looks like he's gone bonkers.

Women tend to do that.

Right now, Kerv was wondering how to prepare for the future. Things seemed to be picking up, and Kerv had no idea what to do next. He could train more. But he was stuck in a library, without a sparring partner, and he'd run out of Misses Vale's soft pretzels. The world was cruel, indeed.

Putting his hands on his knees, he stood.

"If you don't need me, I'll be heading outside to train. You know, that thing I was doing before you called. And then you dragged me here, only to watch you make a mess. For an hour. Which is usually my job."

No response.

His insults missing their target, Kerv sagged. Heading for the door.

"I'll be going then. Don't stay up-"

"Where is your shield?"

One foot halted mid-step.

"My what?"

Bellavarn paged through a tome before tossing it aside.

"Your shield. You fight with a shield, but I've never seen it."

"How do you-"

"I've read the dossier Father keeps. Not all of it. But enough to know your fighting style."

"Isn't that stuff supposed to be private? I thought we were friends-"

His words were cut off a second time as he had to duck a flying book.

"Hey! What is up with you?"

Bellavarn picked up another, reeling back.

"Why did you dodge?"

Indignant.

"Maybe because I don't enjoy being domed by a fancy tree carcass."

Bellavarn threw two more. Kerv dodged the first and awkwardly swatted the second. Bellavarn taunted.

"If you had your shield, you could have blocked it!"

"I don't use it anymore!"

"Why not? You are most proficient with sword n' shield. Why only use a sword when you are better with both. I saw that you were second in your class."

Kerv swatted another heavy tome. It whacked the door directly next to a young maid's face. She yelped and quickly fled the debacle.

Blood started to rush to his head. Why was Bellavarn acting like such a rascal? So messy? So... So... belligerent! So what if his little girlfriend fell asleep? She would wake up. There was no reason to take it out on Kerv like this. Bellavarn knew what he was talking about and was deliberately trying to hurt Kerv by bringing up the past.

"You know why. I told you why! There's no way you've forgotten, so stop prodding me and deal with your own emotions."

Bellavarn huffed, about to throw another book before he realized it was the one he was looking for. Setting it down gently on the desk, Bellavarn continued his words.

"Just because you were one-upped does not give you the excuse to quit what you are good at."

Kerv fumed.

"I wasn't just one-upped."

"I remember. She is back in the capital, isn't she?"

He bit back an insulting remark. Furious and annoyed.

"Is this your coping mechanism? You can't focus on your own problems, so you latch onto mine instead?"

Bellavarn stopped his perusing and tilted his head. Thinking deeply.

"You know. Maybe you are right."

Kerv blinked. Not expecting to be right. Or for Bellavarn to admit it so easily.

"I am?"

"You are."

"Oh."

What did he say to that? Kerv rubbed a sweaty palm against his pants. Bellavarn sighed, flipping through his book and landing on a page. Gliding a finger along, he searched the text. Frowning, he didn't like what he saw.

"Honestly speaking... I somehow managed to get the girl and lose her at the same time. Hopefully, she wakes up, but I get the feeling she won't anytime soon. And that is a problem for me. Because by the time she wakes up, the world will be entirely different."

If she woke up, he would rush to her. However, he couldn't stay immobile and paralyzed, constantly waiting and worrying. Instead, Bellavarn would greet her with a smile after completing her gift.

Stepping around his desk, he continued.

"Trouble keeps coming our way. I can easily imagine you getting the chance to encounter Ash once again."

Kerv flinched at the name. Bellavarn questioned.

"Why do you think I was throwing those books at you?"

Thinking hard. Kerv answered.

"To get me to admit my faults and finally pick up my shield again?"

Bellavarn's face screwed up. Exasperated.

"No! I did it to test my aim. I'm pretty good at it."

Kerv felt like strangling Bell. But that would be manslaughter.

Warm light beamed through thin windows. The sun high in the sky and warming any remaining snow. Bellavarn felt oddly refreshed. Determined. Picking up his prototype, he spun it on a finger before it fumbled. Speaking as if Kerv didn't see...

"I am physically incapable of using a sword, so I need something else. Maybe I could make my own baton, but I have a better idea. I'm going to complete this device come the festival, and you are going to learn to wield that baton of yours if you insist on not using a shield."

"The fesitival is in 48 hours. There's no way you can complete the device in that time."

"You just set a flag. Thank you."

"Flag? What's that supposed to mean?"

Bellavarn grinned maliciously.

"It means... I am going to throw rocks at you until your black and blue."

A madman. His best friend and, ironically, his boss, was going to drive Kerv insane.

Bellavarn clapped twice, puffing out his chest.

"Off we go. There is a convenient mound of rocks and pebbles outside the workshop. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!"

If only there were a bell Kerv could ring to plead for mercy.