"How are you, kiddo?" Elise asked the twenty-one-year-old girl as she sat next to her on a large bed in a very comfortable room at the inn they had stopped at for the night in the capital city.of Arpuria which was best known as Vycspear.

"I'll be fine," Annabelle replied while she stared out the inn's window as the rain poured outside. It had been only a day since they had left Daeyl Brook, and she already missed it dearly. It was not so much the place; Annabelle missed her mother, and even as she broached the thought of her she would want to cry. Most of all, the memories and happy times she had shared with her mother now weighed down on her chest.

Elise wrapped an arm around Annabelle's shoulders to comfort her, "I didn't ask if you would be fine; I asked how you were, Annie."

Annabelle sighed, "I really miss her."

"I know, kiddo. I know," Elise said as she continued to hold Annabelle close. "It will get easier with time, I promise."

"I don't want it to get easier, Aunt Elise. I just want my mother back. I want to go back to the way things were," Annabelle said with a pained expression, her voice cracked as she fought back the tears.

"I know, Annie," Elise said as she stroked Annabelle's hair. "But sometimes we must move forward even when we don't want to."

Annabelle sniffed as she nodded her head as she understood. Elise was right; Annabelle knew she had to be resilient for her mother's memory.

"Besides," Elise said with a smile. "You've got me now. I won’t ever leave you."

Annabelle smiled slightly, then leaned into her Aunt's embrace, "Thank you, Aunt Elise."

"Of course. Now, how about we get some sleep? We've got a big day tomorrow."

"I think I’ll read a bit before bed if that's alright with you, Aunt Elise."

The older woman nodded approval but added, "Please, Annie...stop. Don’t call me 'Aunt Elise.' Just 'Elise' is fine."

Annabelle grinned as she dipped her head, "Of course, Elise."

"And Annie?"

Annabelle tilted her head to look at her Aunt, who, despite the fact she was in her early forties, could not have looked older than if she was in her late twenties.

"You've got this."

With a single nod before she turned her attention back to the rain, Annabelle replied, "Thank you."

Elise left Annabelle to herself, who had pulled out one of the journals she had found in her mother's chest and began to read. It did not take long for her to feel immersed in the story of Myra and Erida. It started with how Erida had dropped out of school in her tenth year to work at a nearby estate. She had not left school due to capability; instead, Erida was extremely intelligent. Erida's parents had decided that she should work to help finance Myra's education so she could later take care of the family with a higher-income job. Erida never resented Myra for their parent's expectations of her or their arbitrary choices. In fact, she did all she could to ensure Myra was taken care of and had the best opportunities possible. She worked hard at her job so the family could afford to send Myra to a private school in another county.

However, in the end, Erida's generosity would cost her dearly. While Myra studied biology and astronomy, Erida toiled away as she fell further and further behind in life. Erida's job as a nanny and a housekeeper was a forty-minute walk from home, one she made six days a week. It was there that Erida befriended the owners, who were wealthy landowners known well in the area. Erida's employers liked her and offered her a promotion to be their assistant, one she was extremely grateful for, which allowed her to work to save up money for Myra's education.

The day after the sisters had their last lunch together, Erida decided to steal from the estate owners; money, gems, and precious metals were all hers to take. She had planned to leave with Myra that night with enough money to support them for the rest of their lives. However, as Erida was on her way home, the estate owners realized what she had done and dispatched two local Seekers after her.

About three-quarters of the way home, the Seekers had caught up to Erida near another farm. They demanded she hand over what she had stolen, but Erida refused, she denied what she had done despite the obvious large black canvas kit bag over her shoulder which contained the valuables.

The Seekers attempted to block her with their horses, but Erida persisted; she was exhausted and just wanted to get home. "Leave me alone, I’m innocent," Erida exclaimed.

The Seekers galloped ahead then dismounted; Erida panicked, and ran towards home, 'Stay away!' she cried out. She could hear their boots pounded on the ground as they ran after her. Erida screamed as loud as she could at the top of her lungs then ran off the road towards a nearby farm.

The Seekers moved closer and closer, but she could hear the animals from inside a barn and believed that she might hide there. She ran inside which caused the animals to stir and attract the attention of a Seeker..

A Squire from the Commonwealth Knights who by chance was in the area heard Erida's scream and then sprung into action, he moved to intercept what he believed were two thugs. The Squire ran in the direction of the cry to rescue the girl, and yelled for the men to stop their pursuit. One Seeke broke off his pursuit of Erida and moved to meet the Squire; the other headed inside the barn to search for Erida.

Erida could hear the Seeker come closer, so she hid against some hay. When the Seeker entered the barn, they were met only with golden straw amongst the darkness. After a minute, the Seeker left to search somewhere else, not knowing how close they were to their quarry. While her heart still pounded Erida would wait another moment before she left herself.

As Erida exited the barn, she spotted the Seeker who spoke to the Squire not far away. She tried to sneak off in the other direction quietly, however the other Seeker spotted her and quietly closed within a grasp of Erida. He launched forward and took her to the ground, they fumbled and grappled one another in the dirt. He managed to get a firm grip on her arm and held her in place as he looked up at his partner.

Meanwhile, Erida cried out, "Get off me!"

The Squire rushed past the Seeker to help Erida while the other bound her wrists behind her which caused Erida to shout, "Myra! Somebody! Help!"

The Squire leapt over a nearby stack of crates, then crashed his bodyweight into the Seeker who held Erida, who slipped from her bonds and moved away. But the man was focused on Erida's escape as the more significant issue. He lunged at Erida to stop her escape. She quickly dodged his grasp and continued to run, but the Knight was relentless in his pursuit.

Erida had no choice but to face her attacker, so she turned and drew her boot knife. "I don't want to hurt you," she said, as she tried to appear more confident than she actually felt. Unfortunately for her, the Seeker was not alone, and his partner had managed to sneak up behind Erida. He spun her around, unaware she was armed, and the boot knife slit his throat as Erida spun.

As the Seeker dropped to his knees he clutched his throat while he gurgled and choked on his own blood. The blood-covered Erida turned to face the other Seeker who charged at her with a look of anger in his eyes.

Without much thought, she leapt to the side effortlessly as the Seeker flew past her then collided with a nearby support beam with a terrible crunch.

As the Seeker lay on the ground, completely still, Erida looked down at her bloody hands which trembled uncontrollably. She had never killed anyone before, and the reality of what she had just done sank in. The Squire, who still did not know the men were Seekers, walked up to Erida to console her while he took her blade away.

Erida, now in shock, began to walk home once more. The Squire followed her, while he asked her what had happened and why the men had attacked her. Quick on her feet, Erida called them bandits or rapists but knew their identities eventually would be figured out by the authorities.

The Squire stayed behind as they crossed the path towards Erida’s family home, to give her space. He would be able to see Myra as she approached Erida from their farmhouse in the distance. The Squire watched as Myra slowly came, her face etched with worry at the sight of the blood-covered Erida. As she got closer, it became clear to Erida and the Squire that Myra was in tears about something. They spoke quietly as the Squire slowly approached; panicked whispers between sisters as they quickly drew straws then hugged one another.

"Is everything alright, miss?" the Squire asked as he crossed his arms and tried to keep his voice gentle.

Myra looked at the Squire with derision; this was not a matter for the Commonwealth Knights. With a frigid voice, she replied, "This is a family matter."

Squire nodded in acknowledgement and took a step back to give them space. Meanwhile, the sisters continued to speak with hushed whispers until Erida blurted out, "I have to go.' She sobbed for a few moments as tears streamed down her face. 'I'm sorry, Myra, but I have to go.'"

While the Squire attempted to discover what was wrong with Myra, Erida ran inside the small farmhouse before she emerged with another sizable black canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Myra then ran to her sister, and they hugged each other tightly for a few moments as their faces covered in tears.

"I'm sorry," Erida whispered. "But I have to go. But listen, kiddo, you've got this."

With that, she turned and ran towards the family barn then emerged moments later on the family horse while the Squire called out after her to stop.

Erida rode off towards the capital of Hisperidia known as Lium, unaware of what the future held for her. She had killed someone and was now a fugitive – she could never go back.

Myra watched her sister go until she faded over the horizon. Erida was gone, and Myra was now alone. As Erida was now on the run from the Commonwealth, she felt she had no choice but to set out for one place the young woman never imagined she would end up -- the Kirral Empire. Erida knew it was a dangerous place, but there was no choice. Erida was scared and alone, but she had no doubt Myra would endure, survive, and live.

Annabelle had barely finished the journal entry when her tired eyes gave in. Not long after, Elise found her niece in a deep sleep, as she clutched the journal tightly. A wide smile crossed Elise's face as she took the journal from Annabelle and placed it in the canvas bag with the others. "Good night, Annie," Elise whispered as she shut the lamp which illuminated Annabelle's room.

"You've got this."