The bells went on and on but I just went back to sleep.
That was a really fast reply but it should be expected when they have agents dormant in the city.
I didn't wake up until well past afternoon. Ophelia was awake too. She looked at me weirdly, like she wanted to say something. I waited for it, but it didn't come.
I sat up.
"I take it you are now done sleeping?" I heard Eowyn say.
She was approaching me. I saw that her hands were empty. I was surprised she left the creature, but suddenly I became aware of a soft, cool feeling under the sheets.
I pulled the sheets away and saw the creature lying beside me. I collected it, and I thought I heard it purr.
"What a fascinating creature" said Eowyn.
She must have heard it too.
I climbed down from the bed and walked over to her.
"I will be going to a party this evening" I said, handing her the creature. "I would like you to drop me at Cremia"
That amused her, but she agreed.
The creature refused to let go of my hand. It clung tight—like wet glue that still manages to hold.
"Gently!" Eowyn scolded when I tried to yank more forcefully.
She brought out a crystal, and the creature accepted it, but hung on. She brought out two more, place them at the end of her palm and extended them close to it.
The creature stretched, part of it latching onto Eowyn's hand, reaching for the crystals without letting go of me. With a delicate pull, she freed it.
I walked off, catching a smell of myself. The scent was unpleasant but I was very hungry. So hungry that I felt dizzy and my hand trembled.
Sometimes I grow tired of the milk and fruits, but it is a bad time to eat from my kitchen. It's already past lunch so nobody would be eating. I can't have anybody bring me anything either, including the knights, because each day there are more and more people that can't be trusted in my castle.
I decided to go to the bath house, and hope that soaking myself would offer some relief.
It didn't.
Unexpectedly, while I was relaxing at the edge of the bath, Ophelia began training around the side. She started so suddenly that I thought she was fighting an invincible enemy. It was so unbecoming, but then again she got her ass handed to her earlier today. I don't know what she expected—it was a knight. The fight went exactly as I thought it would. Some might even say she performed better than she should've. But there are still many things I don't understand about this world.
Name : Daran Dragonhart]
[Class : King]
[Level : 11]
[Attack : 109 ⇧ 24]
[Defense : 122 ⇧ 24 ]
[Strength : 103 ⇧ 24]
[Agility : 103 ⇧ 24]
[Stamina : 111 ⇧ 24 ]
[Skills: Appraisal; Copy; Water arts; Grimoire ; Blood arts; Mana arrow; Presence; Resist;Flight; Soul Bind; Water sense ]
No surprise there. All the stat increases are from [Copy].
I tapped on Penelope's [Soul Bind].
[Temporarily binds a fighter's soul to her own, enhancing their strength or saving them from death]
I couldn't use it on Ophelia but it can still prove useful, depending on how much it can enhance strength. If it is relative to mine, then it is useless for now.
I relaxed back against the wall, with both arms stretched ontop it, head leaned back. My eyes were already glassy, but I knew all I have to do is wait. Thinking about forcing down milk makes me want to retch, and it's weird because I usually enjoy the milk.
Walking around the castle, and taking fruits from people's bowls is also not an option because I'm avoiding whatever the king of Montreal did. It would give me more leverage if I'm totally ignorant of it and its aftereffects when I meet with him. It probably will unsettle him if I'm totally unconcerned by his efforts, not sure but I sense an advantage.
That's why I need to stay inside my chambers until the evening but what can I do to keep myself busy?
┌─────── ♕ ───────┐
Lady Helene rode in through the thinning trees, the rhythm of hooves slowing as her massive home came into view. She dismounted with quiet ease and tied the reins to a low wooden post. The knot was loose—she wouldn't be long.
With a glance at the horse, she turned and strode into the small forest bordering her home, brushing past undergrowth until she reached the gnarled Cedar Spirit Tree.
She placed her palm on the trunk. Her lips barely moved as she began to chant, purple flame veins moved along the trunk, and then the earth behind the Cedar tree snapped open.
She left the tree and went to the opened earth. It showed a flight of stairs going deeper. She followed it. She came to a passage way with a simple door ahead. The four torches—two at each side—kept it bright enough.
She walked down the passageway and reached for the wooden door.
The wooden creaked open, and she stepped into the dawn. The bluff stretched before her, a natural window high above the world, framed by dropping vines and broad forest leaves.
The sun had just broken free of the horizon, casting its molten gold lights across a sea of green forest. Birds wheeled and dipped in the light. Far in the distance a waterfall fell like a silver thread into the shadows of the forest.
Amidst the sounds of the birds and the distant chatter of parrots, she could hear the joyous shouts and laughters of the children. Turning from the bluff, she took the narrow, root-tangled path downward, her hands brushing past ferns as tall as her shoulders. The forest closed around her in layers of shadow and light, beams of light breaking through to touch mossy trunks, and tangled creepers.
The sound of rushing water grew louder until the trees parted, and before her was a great cascade. Water plunged from the cliff in a white thundering curtain, crashing into a deep, rich blue pool. The children leapt from the rocks with wild laughter, their bodies splashing into the cool depths. Some just swam around, mostly with chase.
At the side, Grace sat on a low rock, weaving with patient hands, under a tree. Her eyes caught Helene's approach first, followed almost instantly by the children. Their shouts became even higher. They abandoned the water, rushing toward her, dripping and barefoot. She knelt and they enveloped her. For a moment, she simply held them, eyes closed.
She opened her eyes to see Grace approaching.
"Alright children, go pack your things we are leaving" she announced standing up.
Some cheered, some protested, but they all soon began running towards their settlement, probably a race of who will be the last to reach.
Lady Helene and Grace followed in slower pace. They were silent for a while.
"Are things better now?" Grace finally asked, as they were close to their destination.
"No," Helene answered. "They will only get worse."
Grace looked at her. She didn't know what to say.
The settlement came into view. A forested valley with a vibrant river winding through it, its waters transparent with hints of blue. Wooden cabins perched on elevated platforms clung to lush, forested cliffs, connected by wooden walkways. A tall waterfall flows down the steep cliff.
Helene watched the children who'd already returned, still splashing and playing in the river. She too had been overjoyed with magic spaces until her mind got corrupted by the fact that it wasn't real, and it also ruined her real life experience, taking the joy out of it because they can never compare.
Though that's not the reason she's taking them out. She must ensure that they are not within harm's reach. When it comes to these children she can't be too careful. Ordinarily no one can come here without her express permission, but with the king you can never tell. He has shown that ordinary rules don't apply to him, but she can still try.
Besides it's for her own good too. A sunset here cost her a moon of her life.
"There will be a ship arriving at Oestia tomorrow evening" Helene said, handing her a sealed letter. "Give that to the ship master. He will be taking you and the children to the north."
Grace's brows went up. "It is too cold this time of the year in the north" she said.
"It'll be safer," Helene said firmly.
Grace hesitated, her lips parting, but no words followed. They stepped onto a wooden walkway, pausing to face the valley's expanse, the river glinting below.
"How will I know the ship?" Grace asked.
"You'll know it when you see it," Helene replied.
"And when we arrive?"
"Someone will be waiting."
Her tone left no room for further questions. Grace fell silent, her gaze settling on the horizon. Helene stared out too, her thoughts heavy. She had known fear before, but never this gnawing hesitation. She prayed the king would see reason, though she knew he wouldn't. Whatever came next, she would do what must be done.