Sabrina felt almost forced to accept the dinner invitation at that point, once again for Evia. On the way out, she had seen the tall Ser Helies again and the two chatted for a little bit. He always seemed happy to see her whenever she was in the building for Evia business and she would be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate it. There were very few men outside her own family and businesses she was ‘allowed’ to interact as the Lady of the estate. Maybe it’s because he happened to be in the same squadron, Ser Owain’s immediate inferior, even, but it was pure chance that the two had grown up in similar houses.

From what she had learned from him, his family had always been in the Shields, his parents even met each other as high ranking officers and because they were very strict about his training - they never wanted him to stray from the path of being a Shield. It didn’t make Sabrina appreciate her status but it did make her feel a bit better - she wasn’t alone. Even someone like Ser Helies was trapped in such a strict family, and a bigger coincidence yet, they’re the same age.

Did she think about getting with Ser Helies behind her parents, behind the Shields’ backs? Of course, she did, but she was wiser to not act on it. One night of freedom would inevitably lock her away further from it. She didn’t dare to risk it. So instead, she enjoys his company for as much time as possible by talking to him about various subjects. And most nights, like tonight, she would shake her head internally and felt silly for possibly taking advantage of Ser Helis’s kindness towards her.

They had to wait for Ser Owain and Lady Roesia to make sure that their duties were done for the night. Ser Helies had very little tasks for some reason that wasn’t all that obvious to Sabrina but regardless, she enjoyed his company.

“Are you excited to see Lady Evia, Lady… Sabrina?” he hesitantly asked. Thankfully, no grunt or anyone of status heard him.

A rule was in place for the two of them - they would address them without titles if they weren’t in others’ sights. All they did was talked anyway, but it’s still such a social taboo to both of their establishments that it was better not to risk it outside their conversations. For they may be lost in each other’s words, but that world ends when they say good-bye.

“Ugh, not really. She said in my letter that I’m to be there for her usual celebration but I’d rather be here in Fayglen. At least I could spend the day by myself while you and everyone else deal with that boring show.” Sabrina couldn’t help but release a sigh. “I don’t want to go, honestly. I can’t even imagine why she wants me there.” She shrugged to elevate her point further. “I’m just her little secretary. And that won’t change when she goes off to fulfill her destiny.”

The tall Shield nodded in understanding. “I’m sure Lady Evia appreciates all that you’ve done for her. Plus, you never know what it could be, right? I’ve never met her since Ser Owain always seemed to talk to her and take control, but I’m sure she speaks highly of you.” Pretty words to comfort and alleviate both sides. Sabrina had heard it all too much too often - and it pierced her gut every time. She didn’t show it on her face which was an important skill she forced herself to learn.

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring that up but he did ask her a question. Unlike Sabrina, Ser Helies always spoke so highly of his siblings - his eldest brother, Jasion, is a top witch in the Shields; Serafine, his older sister, is the Captain of the Shields, and Eiran was known as a decorated commander. Sabrina always wondered why Ser Helies himself is so low on the totem pole compared to his siblings but usually, most of their conversations end there. He doesn’t like talking about their current status.

“Are you two ready to eat?” a different voice spoke. The two turned to face a smiling Ser Owain and Lady Roesia, but she wore a fur cloak over her uniform and had a pleased look on her face. For as stoic as she pretended to be, Sabrina found it cute that Roesia wasn’t aware of what face she put to the outside world. From what she learned from Ser Helies, Lady Roesia came from a small village from Snowy Rise Mountain - the mountain her family’s estate faced opposite of Fayglen. While it’s the tallest snow-covered mountain in Covania, there are many villages that surround it and it’s a month’s trip away due to the sudden drop in climate and terrain. And because Lady Roesia is from one of those villages, Sabrina was told that she preferred the cold weather more than anything and had quite the time adjusting to the weather in Fayglen.

“Ah, yes, Ser Owain,” Sabrina answered. She gave him what she thought was a sweet smile but Lady Roeseia looked surprised for just a moment while Ser Owain continued to smile as though nothing has changed. It wasn’t a bad smile, per se, it was just more awkward as Sabrina wasn’t used to smiling without an insincere smirk.

Without any more discussions, the group left the building and headed out to one of Ser Owain’s favorite restaurants - The Fiery Crown. Sabrina had eaten there before with them and she groaned inwardly only because it’s not really to her tastes - she would rather eat her brother’s home cooking than eating more finger sandwiches but this was her life as a Bellerose and as a dinner guest with Ser Owain.

.x.

As they walked around the emptying town of Fayglen, only a few late-night taverns, inns, and restaurants were open. Sabrina had known she wasn’t in the building for that long but instead, Fayglen had quite the early curfew so store owners and merchants and others could go enjoy some ale and mead with whatever story they wanted to share with one another. Unlike most towns and villages Estax had told her while he traveled to the estate, Fayglen was much safer than them. But Fayglen was all she knew even though she knew she yearned to leave even that.

However, Sabrina dining with Ser Owain and the others had its perks. The people of Fayglen were extremely grateful to the Shields for always protecting them from monsters - from Sabrina learned, there’s an outpost outside of Fayglen called Summer’s Wall where most the other troops stationed over there were. It had gotten its name from a Shield who gave her life by placing summer flowers against the wall that never withered in winter’s harshest. The monsters, demons, and maybe bandits would have to meet them first before coming to the town of Fayglen. The villagers didn’t think twice about their safety as they would never get passed the Summer’s Wall. They truly believed that wizard’s magic still protected them and was always grateful for them.

They always commented on how brave and strong they were. They always wanted the Shields, especially Ser Owain and the other two simply because of their higher ranks. They would always try to avoid taking advantage of the perks, save for Ser Helies who always took them on their offer for free food. Ser Owain, especially, was welcomed with admiration and adoration and the townspeople spoke to them with a certain reverence. Even as someone who grew up with wealth, Sabrina never had ever received that sort of respect and while she did still dream of joining the Shields herself, she completely understood why they felt the way they did.

The Shields protected them and even though the Bellerose estate was a half-day’s trip away, they were still considered members of the Fayglen village. Their town may be small and it may be generally safer than most other places, but that’s only because of the sacrifices the Shields provide for them.

The dinner itself was uneventful as it usually involved the villagers, once again, trying to get the Shields to look their way. Women fawned over Ser Owain, especially more so, and Ser Helies while men spoke of how demure and dainty Lady Roesia was. The three never paid them any attention and, especially Ser Helies and Lady Roesia, didn’t like the attention they constantly received from the villagers - sometimes, Sabrina remembered a conversation she had with Ser Helies, it made the job harder because all they wanted were the same stories over and over again. And especially since he’s born and bred to be a Shield, it’s even worse.

Sabrina didn’t have any difficulty eating her meal but she just hated how small it was compared to the feast Jacques would give her. Soon, ale and mead were brought out for free for the Shields and song and dance started to echo. Every day the three came to The Fiery Crown, the townspeople wanted to show their appreciation for another night of peace and tranquility by singing a song that Sabrina could never understand under the slurring of drunk men and others shouting out more orders for the wait staff to barely keep up with.

It sure was exciting and Sabrina could never truly eat her fill. The villagers ignored her in favor of the Shields who graced their restaurant as a trio and ignored the fourth. Any business that could’ve been discussed at the dinner table that night was completely drowned out and forgotten by the time they all left. The moon was high and full and the sky was clear enough for the stars to join in the festivities. The villagers talked among themselves about how grand and amazing it was to be ‘blessed’ to have the Shields protect their village.

At the entrance of The Fiery Crown, Sabrina was drunk with the songs in the restaurant earlier and the reactions Ser Helies had. And the whole time, Ser Owain had a smile on his face. Lady Roesia was thankful to be out of there - she was the most uncomfortable of all four of them. She hated it when others gawked at her and even worse so when men try to pretend that she was dainty and demure even with the Shield cloth around her body. Lady Roesia was never one for talking but Sabrina understood that much. When they were out, she could see how relieved Lady Roesia was to be out of there and clung to her cloak.

“Lady Bellerose, are you sure you’re full? I saw that you could barely eat tonight.”

“Oh, no, trust me I am,” a lie but she worried any other attempt to go out to eat would result in the same reaction. She patted her belly to emphasize her point further. “Although, I think I may have eaten a bit too much…”

“Where are you staying tonight?” Lady Roesia finally spoke. Her voice would initially sound cold and stoic but Sabrina knew she was being cautious. After all, she is the younger sister of Lady Evia Bellerose - the one who’s going to save Covania. If something happened to her, who would be Evia’s liaison to the Shields? What would her mother do without her? That’s the only reason, Sabrina figured, she would ask.

“I’m staying with my younger brother, Jacques. It’s not too far from here.”

“Allow me to walk you home then, Lady Bellerose,” Ser Helies said finally. It surprised everyone because it was safe. Fayglen was safe. As long as Summer’s Wall stood, they were safe.

“Uh, are you sure, Ser Helies? I’m perfectly okay! I could walk with one hundred gold pieces in my hand here - toss it up in the air even - and no one would come after me. Unless there’s suddenly secret bandit underground community, I doubt anything is going to happen to me.” Sabrina eventually figured Ser Helies wanted to talk to her, probably, but even this was odd.

Ser Owain was silent but finally, he spoke. “No, no, we are sure. It’s probably safer for him to escort you to your dear brother’s place. The air from the Snowy Point is coming in a bit early this year, wouldn’t you agree, Lady Roesia?”

The Lady nodded. She quickly understood what he meant and clicked her heels against one another which gave a harsh sound.

Sabrina sighed and grabbed her hat, which never left her head even as they walked around Fayglen. “If you insist, then we shall go. I promise he will come back tonight, Ser Owain.” She turned her body to face Ser Helies and stared up at him with her big green eyes. He tried to avoid her gaze suddenly but looked back at her with a calmer face.

Ser Owain laughed at the quip and Ser Helies’s reactions. Whatever was going on, Sabrina didn’t want to pry. This wasn’t her business. Her business was only Evia’s. She tried to push the dire mood away from her heart - she had a very light dinner and she knew how she got if she was allowed to let her heart darken further.

“Shall we, Ser Helies?” Sabrina said with a teasing voice. She didn’t mind talking to the Sers and Lady in such a way - they had been close to each other for five years, whether they wanted to or not.

“We shall meet back at our quarters. Have a good night, Lady Bellerose. Please let us know when you are traveling home so that we can travel with you.”

Sabrina turned back to Ser Owain and gave him a nod and the couple left. Ser Helies adjusted his outfit as Ser Owain and Lady Roesia left the couple there.

And soon it was the two of them.

.x.

The whole time the two walked through the darkened houses, she carried a tiny flame in between her fingers. It was small but it lit up a lot of the way. The lanterns on the side paths were lit but they didn’t do well to see. They were only limited in range - they both could tell that it was lit by a weaker wizard whose magic was still developing. Sabrina wouldn’t tell Ser Helies even about her secret dream of her training but it’s known that her elemental magic was fire - it would’ve been hard to conceal it. She didn’t want to have magical buildup after all.

The couple walked in awkward silence and Sabrina wondered why Ser Helies even asked her to walk with her in the first place.

But then he finally spoke.

“Sabrina,” he said, as he was sure there wasn’t anyone around them, “I think something is about to happen.” They continued to walk and it almost caused Sabrina to misstep at the sudden shift in tone. From casual conversation to the happy and grateful villagers singing in their honor, Sabrina was taken aback from the comment. However, it was just a misstep. She managed to get back her usual pace, even without disturbing the flame in her fingers.

“What do you mean? Of course, it is. We’re going to travel back together with Ser Owain and Lady Roesia to my estate and celebrate Evia’s return. Yay, yay, yay, she is here! Yay, yay, yay, she’s going to save Covania!”

“I mean… well, you probably didn’t notice them, but there were some other Shields in there. They were glaring at us while we ate.”

“Hm, my, my, Ser Helies, I never pegged you for the self-conscious type! Could it be you’re shy around other Shield grunts?”

Then his facial expression changed. Usually and most of the time, his face was very soft and gentle, mostly happy, but his face suddenly became sharp and mean. Angered, even, at her teasing.

“What? No! Be serious! I was trying to get you alone to talk to you about this!”

That’s what made Sabrina stop in her tracks which Ser Helies stopped as well. She placed a hand on her cheek as she spoke. “Huh? I thought you just wanted to spend more time with little ol’ me! I know I haven’t visited Fayglen for a while but that’s no reason to snap at me.” She wasn’t mad, just surprised. “But fine, I’ll listen. Go on. I’m sorry.” She even put out her flame so they wouldn’t be seen and lowered her hand to give him her undivided attention.

He was silent for a moment until he seemed to realize that Sabrina was being serious and listening to him intently.

He took in a deep breath. “I think there’s a conspiracy going on in the Shields. I… thought I’d talk to someone outside the Shields. Owai--er, Ser Owain wouldn’t take me seriously and Lady Roesia… well, she’s completely loyal so I wouldn’t count on her to believe a word I say, much less listen to me.

“It’s odd because lately, I keep seeing boxes being moved in and out of the building. At first, I thought it was another officer coming to Fayglen but then I started to realize they were actually moving them out and replacing them. What makes it worse is that one night, I actually followed them one night.

“I followed them to a warehouse that’s a transport house for Summer’s Wall and I managed to sneak in. When I went in, I took a peek at the boxes that were in there… they were our stuff, Sabrina. I mean, mine, Ser Owain… and even Lady Roesia. I’ve been missing some stuff too lately and I found it in that transport house.

“It sounds farfetched, I realize. After all, why would they try to move out our own stuff behind our backs? Wouldn’t we have realized it? But then after I followed them, I started digging through my things and realized that they’re not just taking our things - but replacing them with generic shit that anyone else would use. As though… they’re trying to replace us. Replace me. Replace Lady Roesia. Replace Ser Owain.”

“Helies… you have to admit, this sounds a bit weird.” Sabrina couldn’t help but agree with that assessment but she didn’t know anything about the Shields and their procedures. What if he was lying to her in a trick? But he looked so serious about it. He would never have snapped at her quite like that before - maybe if he was sleep deprived or hungry, but not like this. “I don’t understand why they would replace you three. As far as I know, you’re celebrated here. People of Fayglen love you. I… well, I certainly appreciate your company.

“But what I don’t understand is why they would try to replace you? I mean, maybe you’re overly paranoid. Maybe you’re anxious about leaving Fayglen, huh? You heard Ser Owain - that Thomas guy said that you were to travel with my sister so maybe that’s what’s going on.”

Helies got annoyed. “I don’t think so. If it were just that, then they wouldn’t glare at us like that.”

“Maybe it’s because you get to travel and they don’t?”

He shook his head. “No. Grunts do most of the traveling. Typically, officers and their lackeys - me and Lady Roesia - would stay cushioned in the town they’re stationed at to make sure things are going well and the citizens are safe. Because your sister is one to fulfill the prophecy to save Covania and bring back the monarchy, I would’ve thought they would have started a whole army just for her. A whole troop to protect her on her journey - but the news from Ser Thumas confirmed it for me even more so.

“Why would a squadron leader and his two inferiors go with someone as important as Evia? Sabrina, something is happening and I don’t think it’s a coincidence those grunts glared at us when they did.”

Sabrina felt herself gasp. Chills started to tickle her spine as he explained further.

“Look, I...I’m sorry.” He let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I’m sorry for unloading this shit on you.” He put his hands on his eyes and leaned back. The reach of the lantern still didn’t even touch their shadow and even more so as he did so. He stood upright and placed his hands on her shoulders. Sabrina didn’t flinch and looked up at him. He looked into her green eyes with his deep brown ones. “I know there’s not much you can do, even though you’re also trapped in your family’s estate. I just wanted --”

“Let’s go to the transport house. Jacques can wait.”

.x.

“Why are you wearing your hat, Sabrina? We could get caught easier this way.” Helies whispered as the two snuck towards the transport house. There was a familiar noise of crickets echoing in the foliage that surrounded the village and the transport house. From the directions Helies gave her, they had to skirt almost out of Fayglen to reach it. Then again, it was almost in between the two places.

There was a lone Shield grunt who apparently needed the use of a sword as well but he was asleep. His snores indicated that he was in a deep sleep indeed and Sabrina merely ignored Helies’s request to once again take off her hat.

Their footsteps were quiet - Helies from his Shield training and Sabrina with her own years of practice sneaking around her family’s mansion to train - as they found a window that’s not just wide enough but didn’t have anything blocking its path.

Once they entered the transport house Sabrina ignited a small flame in her fingers in between the darkness. It illuminated her face only and she brought it closer to Helies who seemed to be crouched down to meet her eyes. He stared at her with a shocked expression on his face and Sabrina smirked as she whispered a spell to illuminate the transport house bright enough not to attract attention but so she could move around freely without burning everything in sight.

But there was a pop when it illuminated it. Sabrina winced but hoped that it wasn’t enough to wake up the guard.

Helies seemed to be amazed by her magic - probably because she never used this much magic around him before. She felt a little too happy about his reactions. She didn’t realize when she touched her forehead because of the sudden rush her body got when her large hat fell to the ground. But they were on a mission. She had to focus on the spell.

Once the spell was completed, Helies started to guide her to the boxes he referred to earlier and even noted that there were new boxes. They had opened the box with his name on it closest to them to find Helies’s sleeping clothes and he felt a bit embarrassed. They were just plain clothes so Sabrina didn’t understand why he would be embarrassed but she eventually came to believe him.

Maybe there was a conspiracy.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” cried out an unfamiliar voice.

She turned around and saw that the grunt had woken up and she was annoyed at the fact that her spell did wake him up.

“Ser Helies! What are you doing here with that? And who are you? You two are not supposed to be here! This is a classified Shields Transport House, how do you know about this?”

Almost immediately, Sabrina stood up and got in her stance. Suddenly, the grunt was in midair and then Sabrina unleashed a bright, but harmless, fire in front of the grunt’s face. He exclaimed as Helies suddenly dropped him, grabbed Sabrina’s hand, and ran out the door. The grunt landed on the floor, along with possibly his cheaply made sword, with groans and mutters but the couple didn't hear anything about it and ran as fast as they could.

They didn’t know how long they ran but soon they saw Fayglen coming and once they were in the confines of the town, they stopped and tried to catch their breath.

Helies only spoke when he managed to catch his breath. “How… how were you able to do such a spell? I thought you’re just a witch?”

Oh, great! I just revealed myself!! Sabrina tried to catch up with her own breath but with his question, she could feel her heartbeat against her chest. But before she could answer, she was even more confused and worried.

“That… that was amazing! Have you been training?”

“A… a little bit…”

“Wow!” He stood up and dusted himself off. He offered a hand to Sabrina who took in his and then he gave her a surprised look. “Oh, your hat is gone!”

Sabrina reached up and touched her head and indeed, it was completely bare. “Oh no… oh, no…”

“We can’t go back! Fuck! I told you not to wear that!”

“How was I supposed to know my little spell would wake up the guard!”

“I don’t know, it’s your spell!”

“Crap, I can’t go back to Jacques… I have to go back to get it… Fuck. Dammit!”

“Wait, why? I knew that hat was your signature look, but I figured it was a customized hat.”

The hat was comically large, indeed, and quite the stereotype but it was red and it was Sabrina’s to always wear as long as she was in the town of Fayglen. There were jewels in there that were forgotten decades ago that dangled from it and, quite often, made Sabrina easier to find within a crowd.

“No… that was my Grandmother Elenor’s hat… she was a witch when she was alive and she passed it down to me when I became a witch. Fuck… what do I do? I can’t go back and get it… but I can’t face my brother. He’ll tell Mother for sure…!”

“Ugh,” He groaned, and that’s when Sabrina realized that Helies really didn’t move around that often. “I hate to say this but I may have to put you up in a hotel.”

“Helies! I don’t think you realize these things! I may be a sheltered wealthy witch, but if they see me, a LADY, and you, a SHIELD, they’ll think we’re having an illicit affair or something!”

He glared at her. “Do you want to go back to the transport house? Do you want to go to your brother’s place? I sincerely doubt it’s going to look any better if we go together back to my quarters.”

Sabrina then got a jolt of an idea. “Then we’ll do that! You can say that we ended up at a tavern or something and I got drunk and I lost my hat! You can say that my brother wasn’t home and you didn’t want me, especially since I’m Lady Evia’s dearest sister, out in the cold summer night!”

“That’s not going to work.”

.x.

Helies had to leave his own quarters and change in the bathroom while Sabrina changed into an extra pair of pajamas.

“I can’t believe it worked.”

Luckily, there wasn’t anyone at the door when the two came and it wasn’t exactly uncommon for grunts or others to bring partners home for the evening, especially after a bout of drunken fun. However, he had to still his beating heart. His feelings for Sabrina seemed to grow even more that night. They did something incredibly stupid and dangerous but he learned something about Sabrina that he didn’t think he would.

As he walked down to the commune bathroom, he replayed the events in his head. He knew he was going to get reprimanded either from Owain or even someone higher. Oh, he was going to hear it from Lady Roesia for sure and he started to mentally prepare himself for that.

Normally, he would be sleeping and thanking the stars for being able to talk to Sabrina again after some time apart. It’s a not-so-secret love he had for the witch but she didn’t seem to realize it. He knew Owain and Roesia wanted to give him space to maybe finally confess but it wasn’t the right time. The conspiracy of someone on the higher food chain telling them, ordering even, to start moving things out and replacing them with new items fit for someone else.

Roesia had already accused him of stealing her books and other things and now that he confirmed it, especially with her of all people, he felt angry that no one else believed him. They know he wouldn’t lie about something as serious as something fishy going on.

Once he changed, he started to make his way back to his quarters. He hoped that Sabrina didn’t do anything stupid again and left his room in his pajamas. Then rumors really would start flying and a lot of people would get the wrong idea… and if he bedded the sister of the one who would save Covania right before he would leave, it didn’t give him a good taste in his mouth. Or the rest of his body as he was sure her parents would probably do something to him - and the Shields would allow it.

He had always told himself that if he were to bed Sabrina, it would be at a point in their lives where titles didn’t matter anymore - where her sister’s title didn’t matter anymore and where Sabrina wasn’t Lady Bellerose as he was forced to call her. He wasn’t sure when they became close in such a way - it just happened and he loved every second of it.

When he finally returned to his room, he was relieved to see Sabrina already asleep. His sleeping clothes were obviously way too big on her and she didn’t seem to favor blankets on top of her body. He had given up his bed to her so she could be more comfortable and he would take it upon himself to sleep on the small couch that was provided in his quarters.

She insisted that the bed was big enough for the two of them but he insisted. He had a long history of the couch and that night wouldn’t be any other exception. In a rare occurrence, he didn’t think he would be able to sleep anyway.

Although to say he could refuse to kiss her forehead as he covered her up was a lie. Her forehead was soft and he could hear her soft breaths as he got closer to her. Oh, how he longed her could casually slip in next to her and sleep knowing her warm body was next to his. Safe in his arms and he would be safe in her heart. And yet, he was impressed with her in the short time they spent together.

He didn’t know she, a witch, could fight or even had an offensive spell like that. She always seemed to surprise him, for better or for worse.

He wanted to say those words to her but knew he couldn’t. Would she accept them? Probably not. She would probably have to marry a rich witch merchant, or someone in a higher status, to make sure her family’s wealth went on. Regardless, in this moment and time, a beautiful witch named Sabrina Bellerose lay in his bed and sleeping in a peaceful slumber.

Helies let out a sigh as he moved himself to the couch and lied down on it. He looked out the window and saw that the moon was indeed full. He frowned - he hoped he didn’t hurt the guard too much.

Eventually, sleep overtook him and it was this night that he probably dreamt about scratching noises outside his window. Only in nightmares, demons came to Fayglen.

To Be Continued…