It is a strange feeling to hear someone speak so bluntly to me. Cheripha... that reddish-brown-haired beauty... had been the first person ever to tell me that she was staying with me no matter what. I could not exactly put my finger on it, but I suppose it's because she lost her father after such a short time of them reuniting. The life of an assassin must've taken its toll on the young woman, but if it did, she hid it well underneath that smug grin of hers. Her willingness to charge straight into the heat of battle is admirable, yet I have ha to tell her multiple times she's acting rashly.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're as lily-livered as the next maiden! You could not move forward without my help, Wyl," Cheripha smiled pompously before moving forward into the middle of the battle, leaving me relatively speechless. The only words that ever left my lips after those declarations was "Godspeed." If she heard me, she's turn around and smile brightly, if she didn't, she'd just continue on her way to defeat the enemy. I was convinced that her spirit would save her from anything. Even that blackness...

"Whew! That was close... We just made it! How do you like THAT, you brainless toads?!" Cheripha exclaimed brightly, nudging a corpse with her foot roughly. I decided then that she'd spent too much time around Gwendal. Breathing the same oxygen as he did seemed to be enough to allow someone to catch his foul personality. The only up-side to the older male was his will to live. I could never bring myself to use him for Mistress Hel's benefit. Rolling my blue eyes, I allowed my attention back to the excitable lass to my right, who was flailing an arrow around in jest at Gwendal. I smiled gently and stated quietly,

"Careful lass, you'll poke someone's eye out if you continue to do that," I offered Cheripha one of my increasingly rarer smiles before sheathing my sword.

"Let the girl have her fun," Lieselotte commented coolly, her staff laid out across her lap as she sat upon a rock. "There is nothing sweeter than the taste of victory." Liese licked her lips in jest before turning cold yet fiery eyes back to the scene of Cheripha and Gwendal.

"Aye, ye lily-livered mongrel, the lass just wants to have herself a grand ol' time before we hit the road again."

I stared at Gwendal before sighing lightly. I remembered how kind Gwendal had been when Ancel and I trained with him and Heugoe. Of course he had still been harsh, but his comments had made everyone chuckle, and helped lighten the mood as we went through our very first lesson. But come to think of it, that was the reason for the pain I suffer in silence now. And how I lost my best friend, and I'll never know if there is any possibility that I could ever see him again. And poor Tilte, obviously in love with that redhead... and it took me so long to be able to tell her the real reason why Ancel never traveled home with me. What had happened because of that first training had turned my life upside-down. And now a ghostly "maid" of sorts follows me around. Admittedly I'd much rather deal with Ailyth as opposed to the queen of the underworld, Mistress Hel. And her dog, which she threatened me with when we first made our covenant. I clenched my fists and turned away from the group of four, feeling the eyes of Cheripha and the strangely girlish Darius on my back. My footsteps fell lightly against the grass that was just beginning to show signs of frost, signaling to the world that winter was going to make its rounds again. However, I didn't care; besides the fact that my father had been taken on the first snowfall of that yet, winter's chill did not faze me like it did to most other people. I stopped my miniature plight when I reached the edge of a small cliff, peering over it and eyeing the peaceful flow of the river just underneath it.

"Wyl?"

I turned my head, looking over my shoulder to see who has followed me; but the sound of her voice had already given away her identity. "Cheripha," I breathed softly, turning my head to look in front of me once again, "Why did you follow me?"

"...You held that look in your eyes again. You seem so vacant when you stare at Gwendal nowadays. He has noticed it himself. What did he do?"

I remained quiet for a moment, contemplating my reply, before continuing, "Did he send you to get this information from me? If so, leave and tell him he is a coward for not speaking to my face."

"Yes and no," Cheripha said, her voice less sure of herself than it usually was, and I turned to look at her when she continued, "I myself am curious. What happened to you that you place blame on Gwendal for? Sure, he could watch his tongue a bit more, but he isn't a bad man, Wyl..."

I shrugged softly, my father's sword clinking softly against its sheath that rested against my shoulder, bringing back yet more memories of people I could not save... People I failed to save. And I had failed miserably, too. I had accepted Mistress Hel's covenant on the grounds that I would spill the blood of those who are close to me. I sacrificed Ancel. I sacrificed Lockswell. Was it not only fitting that I shed his daughter's blood? Gwendal's? Lieselotte's? My silence must have concerned the light-brown haired young woman more, for she pulled me back to reality with a gentle touch to my shoulder.

"Wyl, what happened?" her voice was unusually soft, concerned...much lovelier than when she shouted vulgar insults to her enemies on the battlefield. How could one woman have two incredibly different sides? She's only a year younger than myself, yet both of her personalities were so mature. Surely being an assassin matured her too quickly.

"I didn't do it," I whispered, repeating the words I'd said to Heugoe, "I didn't kill him!"

Cheripha looked confused; I didn't have to turn blue orbs to her to tell. "Wyl I did not accuse you of killing anyone..."

I chuckled grimly, a saddened smile plastering itself to my lips, "I didn't do it... It wasn't me. If I hadn't gone to training with Gwendal and Heugoe, Ancel would still be alive. But I did NOT kill him!"

"You're speaking like a madman, Wyl... Please explain to me: who is Ancel? Who is Heugoe? What hap-"

"Enough."

I turned watery eyes to see the newest arrival, grimacing when I saw who it was. Though Gwendal did not meet my gaze, nor show any signs that he intended to. His stare was intently fixed on the young lady at my side.

"Cheripha, let him alone. Come back with me and let us begin to pack up with Lieselotte for our upcoming travels."

My gaze stayed on Gwendal, even when I felt Cheripha search for my attention, before the young woman turned and left. Gwendal turned, finally giving me one look. And I didn't like what it said.

Another iPhone story! Only this time it ain't a oneshot! :P Stay in tune for the next chapter!