The sudden sound of chirping birds causes me to jerk awake. My eyes open to the orange light of the rising sun. I would estimate that it’s about six in the morning. I glance over at Sidney only to find her staring back at me. Even though she’s completely filthy, there is something spotless and unjaded about her cerulean blue eyes. “Good morning Sidney. How are you feeling?”

Sidney nods but she doesn’t speak. “Are you hungry or maybe thirsty?”

Her eyes remain glued to me, but she still doesn’t speak. I find the pitcher of water that Katherine brought us for lunch. Carefully, I tilt its tip into Sidney’s mouth to pour in a small amount of water. After I give her enough water, I take the pitcher away expecting her to speak, but she doesn’t. I guess she has nothing to say. So I simply go back to sitting down next to her gallows leaning my head by her right hand. To my surprise she places her fingers on the top of my head and churns them in my hair. I imply that I don’t mind by not reacting at all.

We continue the same way for roughly ten minutes. Then I see the Chief Inquisitor approaching from the distance. He’s up bright and early, fully equipped for battle with his heavy armor and oversized sword. I think by this point I have a pretty good idea what sort of man Rupert des Chevaliers is. And frankly, I don’t like him.

He comes within a few feet of us and then pauses. Looking down at me he asks, “You’re still here? Do you feel some sort of obligation to this girl or perhaps some sort of misbegotten delusion of love?”

I rise to my feet. “Sidney is my friend.”

“Pfft.”

He walks past me and unlocks Sidney’s gallows with a key off of his clanking iron key ring. From being forced to stand in an awkward position all night, Sidney is barely able to stand up straight much less walk on her own. So to be practical, the Chief Inquisitor sweeps her up into his arms. Without a further word to me, he takes Sidney and heads for the castle. I walk alongside him, knowing full well that he would never bother stopping to answer a few questions. “Now what awful thing are you planning to do to Sidney?” I ask him.

He answers, “The girl’s rehabilitation will begin today. She’ll be forced to learn Life Magic to prevent her from being able to take up Death Magic again. After that, she’ll be detained for three months while we determine whether or not she’s fit to reenter society.”

I warn the Chief Inquisitor, “If you do anything else to harm her, then I swear I’ll–”

“You’ll do what?” he says, finishing my sentence.

We stand still and grimace at each other intensely. After a brief moment, he turns away from me and says, “Your friend shall not be harmed. You’ve done your part for her, now I shall do mine. So you can rest easy Souladonis.”

With that, he continues on to the castle while I remain behind in town. There’s nothing further that I can do for Sidney. Now I just want to take a bath and lie down in a bed for a while. To that end, I slowly trudge through the city back to the Armbear Lodge. It’s now Saturday and my reservation with the inn has expired. I drag my legs to the counter with the weasel behind it. “I want to reserve the room for another day,” I tell him.

“Sure no problem. Just don’t put those clothes on the carpet. I don’t want your smell to get stuck in the room.”

“I won’t,” I assure him. I then summon one of my moneybags. “How much?”

“It’s on the house. I know what you did.”

His sudden generosity surprises me. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

I start to head towards the stairs, but he stops me. “I almost forgot. You got a package.”

He reaches below his counter and pulls up a gray satchel. He hands it to me and I read the note on the top:

Souladonis darling,

I saw what you did for that poor girl. It was the most noble and selfless thing that I’ve ever seen. My little handsome prince has grown into a fine young man! I’m so proud of you darling. And don’t worry; I know that your clothes were ruined by that nasty trial, so I made you some new ones free of charge.

Love,

Wilmette

P.S. – I added a Flaming prefix stamp to your coat. It should give some extra kick to your fire magic spells. If you like it, then stop being a minimalist and buy some enchanted clothes next time!

I accept Wilmette’s gift gratefully. I wasn’t sure what I was going to wear, but now I know. With one final exertion, I mount the stairs and step in front of the door. I carefully unlock it trying to be quiet so as not to wake up Katherine. Sliding through the narrowly open door, I gently press it shut, and creep over to the beds. Katherine is asleep in the lopsided bed. It seems she left the good bed open for me in case I returned in the middle of the night. It was a sweet gesture of her.

Remaining as quiet as possible, I enter the bathroom, throw my soiled clothes on the floor, and take a long hot bath. When I finish my bath, I exit the bathroom and silently skate over to the good bed. It’s now around eight in the morning or so. I’m sure Katherine will be up soon, but I’m determined to get at least a few hours of quality sleep.