Iniabi and Cynthia had come together for another playdate together. Sumia had taken her daughter to Ylisstol and had decided to leave her at the palace, while she went around town and did some shopping. In the palace, Iniabi and Cynthia had decided to play some Justice Cabal together. While playing a mock scenario in which Iniabi was trying to "save" some "villagers", which were really some of Cynthia's dolls that she kept in their Justice Cabal headquarters, from Cynthia, who had taken on the role of a pirate leader, Cynthia had suggested they'd go outside of Ylisstol and play in the forest. She had also suggested that they take the same transformation tome they had played with before, and that Cynthia could become a harpy again for their playtime. Iniabi had at first been quite against the idea, as Morgan and Amber didn't want Iniabi leaving the castle without adult supervision, as well as the fact that he and Cynthia weren't supposed to be interacting with magic yet at their ages and that they had really almost blown it before with the harpy incident not even a month earlier, but Cynthia had claimed that she had secretly been teaching herself magic, so she'd be able to easily transform herself back into a human, and that they could only go out into the beginning of the forest outside of Ylisstol, so they could easily come back before anyone noticed them gone. Iniabi had agreed, and after the dark blue haired 9 year old grabbed the transformation tome from it's hiding spot in the courtyard, the two children snuck out of Ylisstol and headed into the forest.
Once there, Cynthia took the tome from her best friend and used it on herself to take on her harpy form she had gotten stuck in a month earlier. Iniabi had worried that Cynthia would be unable to walk and would constantly fall, but the girl explained she had used the transformation spell a few times before and had strengthened her legs so she could walk and run, as well as even her wings so she could hover a few feet off the ground. The two children had then ran around the forest, having fun with each other, until running across a group of bandits. The bandits recognized Iniabi as the Crown Prince of Ylisse and announced they were going to take him and hold him for ransom, as well as take Cynthia and sell her, claiming that people would pay a handsome amount of money for a harpy slave child. The two children immediately fled to get away from them, with Iniabi even holding onto Cynthia's back as the white haired girl used her wings to propel herself away from the bandits at a high speed, only for the two to run into a fallen tree and thick underbrush too tight for them to get through. They almost immediately got cornered by their pursuers afterwards and hope seemed to become lost. The bandits grabbed Cynthia roughly by her wings and pulled out a large sack, pushing her towards it. Cynthia struggled and attempted to pull out her tome, only for a heavily-scarred bandit woman to seize it roughly from her hands and impale a dagger through the item, making sure to tear up the pages, destroying the object and any hope of Cynthia returning to human form. Cynthia had then been thrown into the sack and she started squirming around inside, trying to claw her way out as the flaps were tied shut tightly and she was loaded onto a caged wagon. Iniabi had tried to help her, but he was pushed down onto his belly, and tears stung in the corners of his eyes as his arms and legs were bound behind his back, before a blindfold was wrapped around his eyes and a cloth was wrapped around his mouth, cutting off his sight, speech, and mobility. He had then been loaded onto the cart as well and the bandits took off through the forest.
The bandits traveled nonstop for most of the day, not resting until sundown, where they made camp and started to eat. They were a considerable distance away from Ylisstol, so much so they were now in the plains miles south of Ylisstol. Iniabi and Cynthia had been left alone for the bumpy ride, but when the bandits made camp, both children were roughly pulled from the cart and forced to sit bound by the campfire while their captors ate. As they did, the bandits decided to have Cynthia "entertain" them. They pulled Cynthia over to the group, the 12 year old kicking and screaming as they handled her roughly, and put their hands on her chest, intending to remove her top. Iniabi started crying and begging for Cynthia's life, though his cries were muffled by his cloth. However, just as one of the bandits cut off Cynthia's top and pulled it away from her torso, revealing her bare chest, chaos enrupted as Ylissean knights ascended upon the camp. Iniabi was freed from his bonds and brought before his father, who was busy telling the knights what to do and was currently talking with Henry, who looked unusually frightened. Morgan had been incredibly relieved to find his son safe and had entrusted him to a dozen knights to be guarded, before he and Henry went out into the camp, wielding Falchion and aggressively cutting down anyone that got in his way with the blade of his father and ancestors. All of the bandits had either been killed or rounded up, except one. This bandit had a tight hold on Cynthia's waist and tugged her against his body harshly as he pulled her back, an axe held against her neck. They attempted to hold her hostage and gloated triumphantly, until they were silenced as they crumped to the ground, courtesy from a death curse from Henry, who's eyes seemed to glow an unworldy red at the thought of the bandit hurting his little girl. Afterwards, Cynthia had freed herself from the corpse and ran to her father's side, burying her face into his body and sobbing her eyes out. Henry knelt down and pulled his daughter into a hug, rubbing her bare back effectionately as she cried. He was disappointed in how she had used magic against his wishes, which he knew she and Iniabi had done due to the fact that transformation magic was an extremely ancient form of magic and there were very few people that could use it, but he was just glad his eldest child was safe.
Later that day, long after nightfall, Iniabi and Cynthia were walking in a shamed manner behind Henry and Morgan. Cynthia was still in her harpy form, as the transformation tome had been destroyed and both Henry and Morgan didn't have one on them at the moment, but her top had been repaired and was back on her chest, covering it once more. They approached the entrance to Ylisstol, where they found Robin waiting for them by the city gate. The older woman sighed as she noticed her son, grandson, and friend and his daughter approach.
"You found the kids?" Robin asked.
Morgan sighed.
"Yes. They were fortunately not too far. We could have really lost them today." Morgan replied.
Robin sighed and nodded. She pulled Iniabi close to her and put a hand on the child's shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. The boy reached out and hugged his grandmother tightly, tears coursing down his face. Henry frowned at Cynthia, who just stared shamefully at the ground, and turned to Morgan and Robin.
"Morgan, Robin, take Iniabi home. I've got to teach my daughter a lesson." Henry ordered.
Morgan nodded and turned to his son.
"Come, Iniabi." Morgan ordered.
He put a hand on Iniabi's back and gently pushed him forward. The two and Robin walked away, heading towards Ylisstol Palace, though had to take it slowly, due to Robin's old chest scar acting up and causing her chest pain. Cynthia continued to stare at the ground in shame.
"Cynthia!" Henry called very sternly, the word reverberating in the night air
Cynthia slowly turned and walked towards her father. Henry didn't turn to the girl or even look at her as she approached him. He continued to stare out into the plains of Ylisstol silently for a few moments, not looking at his daughter. Then, finally, he turned to her.
"Cynthia, I'm very disappointed in you." Henry said lowly.
"I know." Cynthia said very quietly and sadly.
"You could have been enslaved or killed! You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put the Crown Prince in danger!" Henry said angrily.
"I... I was just trying to be brave like you." Cynthia said, bordering on crying, her voice cracking.
"I'm only brave when I have to be. Cyntha... being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." Henry said disappointingly.
"But you're not scared of anything." Cynthia said sadly.
"I was today." Henry said lowly.
"You were?" Cynthia asked in disbelief.
Henry bent down close to Cynthia.
"Yes... I thought I might lose you." Henry replied.
"Oh." Cynthia muttered.
She giggled slightly.
"I guess even daddies get scared too, huh?" Cynthia asked.
"Mm-hmm." Henry replied with a smile.
"But you know what?" Cynthia whispered conspiratorially.
"What?" Henry whispered back.
"I think those bandits were even scareder." Cynthia whispered.
Henry gave a gentle laugh.
"'Cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here, you." Henry ordered.
He bent down, picked Cynthia up, and started giving her a noogie.
"Oh no, no... aaagh! Errrggh!" Cynthia cried happily.
She giggled madly as she was spoiled by her father. The two tussled playfully in the grass for a brief while, before Henry got up and ran away.
"Oh, come here!" Cynthia ordered, giggling.
She pounced on her father's back, knocking into the adult man.
"Hah! Gotcha!" Cynthia shouted triumphantly.
They ended up with Henry on his back in the grass and Cynthia laying on his belly. The two laughed and calmed down gradually.
"Dad?" Cynthia asked.
"Hmm?" Henry asked.
"We're pals, right?" Cynthia asked.
Henry laughed gently.
"Right." Henry replied.
"And we'll always be together, right?" Cynthia asked.
Henry sat up, with Cynthia sitting in his lap
"Cynthia... let me tell you something that your grandmother once told your mother. Look at the stars. Our family and ancestors look down on us from those stars." Henry replied.
"Really?" Cynthia asked in awe.
"Yes... so whenever you feel alone, just remember that your family will always be there to guide you ... and so will I." Henry replied.
Cynthia smiled and cuddled contently against her father's chest.