Two
Trapped in a Web
"Sophia, what did you see?"
The moment the vision appeared in her mind, she had immediately gone to one of the elders to share it. She is, after all, the only person in Arcadia who possesses the power to see into the future, albeit unclearly. She doesn't know how she came to be born with them—and sometimes she thinks it was just baggage that came along with being a half-dragon—but she does know that the elders will value her insight.
Especially now, when it concerns that of a certain someone who had slipped away from the village the night when the guardians were most distracted. The barriers hiding Arcadia deep in the Nabata Desert had been disturbed, but whether it had been tampered with by the escapee herself—as distraction—or Arcadia had truly come dangerously close to being discovered, she does not know. In fact, nobody does.
"I cannot completely see, but…" Sophia begins in a soft voice. She has always spoken slowly, demonstrating how shy she usually was. "I see light… it surrounds her. She is in good hands… And… she remains unsuspected."
Sophia could not properly see who accompanies her friend, but she feels nothing negative, either.
"I see. She has always been a curious one. Never one to sit still, that dragon…" the Elder chuckles slightly at the thought of Nia. "Smart, as well. But reckless. Always reckless. Has her stone been hidden in a safe location? She had the sense to leave it behind, but apparently, not the sense to keep it concealed."
She nods slowly, her eyes solemn as always. "Yes, Elder. I… have hidden it myself. I know her best hiding place… She has shared to me many of them."
"Good. And what of Arcadia?" The Elder proceeds to ask.
"As for Arcadia… I… could see no darkness looming over us. I believe we are safe, Elder. For now..."
"Then for now, all is well. Nia's… departure, sets the whole of Arcadia in unease, and understandably so. But her letter dictates that she promises to return eventually, claiming that she is aware of the consequences of her actions and will always be cautious as a result. Nia has proven thus far that she is a dragon of her word, so I shall have no choice but to wish her the best. For the meantime."
"But…?" She quietly prompts, knowing that the Elder isn't finished.
"But, we may have to send out someone willing to bring her back. I have no wish to have anyone make contact with the outside, but this must be done if we are to keep Arcadia's secrets close to our chest."
"Yes. That is… for the best. Nia is… kind-hearted, but she risks so much…"
"Indeed. We can only hope that no trouble befalls her while she is outside."
Sophia nods before politely asking to leave. At the Elder's sound of assent, she departs. She makes her way down the temple's stone steps, her long, lavender hair trailing behind along with her dark cloak.
She has, at the end, failed to mention that whatever path Nia had now taken, there was no straying from it now. Sophia doesn't know if the future is truly set in stone, but so far, her visions have yet to go wrong. If only Nia was at least a half-dragon like she, then no one would be able to tell her apart from a normal human…
What had made Sophia hold her tongue, however, was the fact that whatever the manakete was walking into, it was also filled with shadows.
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"So, Nia, are you ready to depart?" Lyn questioned the manakete who emerged from ger, carrying a bulging backpack by the straps—wait a minute. When the Sacaean noticed the oddity, blinking, she added in a dry tone, "I'm hoping you didn't bring half of my ger in there."
To be fair, Lyn's satchel did look ridiculously small when compared to Nia's pack. It was like… a tiny mouse to an oversized cat, the manakete decided. But then, did her pack really seem that big? She thought it wasn't. It hadn't bothered her in the slightest when she carried it around.
(Or perhaps that was just the dragon in her speaking? Since… well… her true form was as big as a house, if not bigger. It depended upon the architecture, really.)
"Nope! Just one-fourths of it. Or, perhaps, one-fifths." Nia merrily replied, slipping her arm through one strap, and the other to another. She beamed at Lyn's incredulous face. "Oh, don't look at me like that. It's just extra clothes, my bedroll, and a book or two. Let it be known to the world that I am the absolute worst in the art of neatly folding clothes."
Lyn shook her head disbelievingly and found herself chuckling. Nia wasn't far from assuming that the Sacaean might take her more seriously in the future and offer to fold her clothes for her. When she found out about the horrifyingly creased states of the manakete's clothes. "I never did pay much attention to your pack's contents when I put it aside."
"I can't blame you. We do have the unspoken law of never touching someone else's belongings." Nia lightly said. The manakete waggled a finger. "It could mean your death, after all. You'll never know when a snake pops out and bites the unwary thief's hand. A scorpion, even! Be constantly vigilant."
"And, of course, I'd do well to heed my tactician friend's advice," Lyn bantered back. And then she reminded Nia, "You still haven't answered my first question, by the way,"
"Oh, now that you mentioned it, maybe I do need to bring the rest of your ger with us. What say you to portable homes?" Nia joked again. Before Lyn could open her mouth to speak, Nia raised a hand. "Alright, I know, that's quite enough of that. I'm ready as ever, Lyn. Although, I just remembered something from a couple days ago, and I probably should not have cared, but: what did you decide to do with the bandits' carcasses? I don't smell anything odd in the air."
At this, a flash of anger appeared on Lyn's face. Nia blinked and thought, Uh-oh, wrong question.
But when Lyn looked her way and realized that Nia's smile threatened to form into a guilty frown, the Sacaean took a deep breath and calmed down. "If you're asking because of the tale I shared with you the other day, then consider yourself curious no longer: I buried them, even though I believe that they deserved to rot where they had fallen."
"Well, that's good. The grass, trees, and flowers did nothing to deserve being witness to their decomposing bodies." Whew, Lyn wasn't about to be cross with her, after all. Nia practically sagged in relief. "No one appreciates the stink of decay. And besides, isn't it bad for the health to end up sniffing any of that?"
"You do have a point... But let's not talk about that any longer, alright? Those bandits don't deserve even the minutest of moments to be thought about. So come on, let's just head to Bulgar."
"Bulgar?"
"It is Sacae's commercial city, located southeast from here. We ought to stock up on supplies for the journey." Lyn explained. Nia felt her excitement bubbling at the word city; she'd never been to one before. All she'd visited so far were small towns—and even those were a marvel already. "You said that you wanted to go to Bern, yes? That's to the south of Sacae, across the mountain range. And even if we have no business in Bulgar, we'll be passing along it, anyway."
Nia clapped her hands, grinning widely. "Then Bulgar it is! I, for one, can't wait to get moving."
Lyn found Nia's sunny expression absolutely contagious, immediately forgetting her ire towards bandits. "Then let's go. Since it's early in the morning, we'll most likely be there by noon."
Several hours' worth of walking was in store for the both of them, then. That dimmed her excitement a bit. In all honesty, Nia wasn't completely sure what to think about that; she'd often take breaks when she'd been traveling by herself. She was by no means unfit, but her exercises had never been intense, either.
Hmm, an unhealthy dragon, plump like a chicken, she then thought idly. Now there's an odd image. Come to think of it, why do most Divine Dragons look like gigantic chickens? And why am I not exempted?
But, perhaps it wasn't as bad as she'll think with Lyn along. Having someone to chat with during the long walk would be a good distraction for her future achy feet. And, not to mention, there was also the fact that the manakete would very much enjoy seeing how far the grass stretched out before her. That never got tiring. It reminded her that the world was a million times larger than she'd imagined.
"Although…"
"Hm? What is it, Nia?"
Nia chuckled awkwardly.
"…I don't really have any money on me."
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The good news: the both of them reached Bulgar without any incident. Granted, Nia had asked for a moment or two to rest her feet ("They were crying in despair, Lyn. Have a heart.") and Lyn kindly let her, along with deciding to shoulder all the money they'd use for food, but one could still say that the journey, overall, was as smooth as marble.
The bad news: Bulgar was teeming with people. And it wasn't just the Sacaeans—distinguished by their colorful, patterned attires—that were currently visiting the city and doing business. There were also the Etrurians, whose attires were mostly in light colors with a design that made their wearers look particularly graceful (and noble); the Bernese, who seemed more like the kind of folks who wouldn't be caught dead without some sort of armor on; and lastly, the Ilians, who were clothed lightly yet still bothered by the afternoon sun in this part of Elibe; they were much more used to the cold up north. Not to mention more used to dressing in several layers of clothing.
Bulgar was, after all, the center of commerce between the aforementioned nations. Some people from Lycia might go there occasionally to do some trading, but that nation was geographically too far from Sacae to be worth the effort.
But why was a city filled to the brim with humans so bad, you ask?
Because Nia had been so awed and distracted by the sights (so many buildings!) that she didn't realize she'd lost sight of Lyn. One moment, she was with the Sacaean as they entered through the gates. And then on another, the manakete was all alone. It was quite baffling, really.
It didn't help that Nia was quite small in stature; it meant that not only would she have difficulty finding Lyn, Lyn would also have difficulty finding her.
"What a wonderful predicament you've landed yourself into, dear Nia…" Nia murmured to herself as she walked down the street, hungrily eyeing a stall or two. The colorful fruits those women were selling were making her drool, especially when mangoes were involved, but… She shook her head.
Focus. She must focus.
Dragon girl loses her human within the big city. That's the sort of news a carrier pigeon would be eager to spread throughout the land. Nia sighed.
Somehow she ended up walking towards the central area of the city, which happened to be the marketplace and was thus filled with even more stalls selling things ranging from jewelries to meat. She politely declined the merchants' invitations to check out their wares.
"I beg your pardon, milady," a voice asked from behind her. Curious, Nia paused from her search to face the man.
For it was a man who had gained her attention. Nia couldn't help but notice how red his chest plate was. Like shiny apples. And his hair… it was orange. Yes, definitely orange, just like the fruit itself—and she was most certainly craving for some fruit now. What was up with today and fruits?
"Yeeees? Something I can help you with?" Nia clasped her hands behind her back. She realized that the man was accompanied by another, one with the same kind of armor—except it was green—and with a head of sandy brown hair. He could easily be mistaken as her brother, if not for the difference in eye color.
"There is this person my companion and I are in search of. Have you, by any chance, heard of a woman named Lyndis?" The man politely asked. "She is said to reside here in Sacae."
Nia blinked, tapping her cheek. "I daresay I haven't met anyone of that name. I'm not a local. But I do have this friend called Lyn. She's a Sacaean, too." Then she grinned. "And a very nice one at that."
"Oh?" The other man—Green, Nia dubbed—interjected before Red could speak. "Does the beautiful lady before me know, then, where to find this Lyn? I would be most appreciative of your help in locating her."
"Sain, don't you even start again—"
"What? Kent, I'm just asking if she could take us to her." Green said. Well, perhaps she ought to call him Sain, now that she had a name to go by. But referring to people as colors was always a good source of entertainment… "After all, the sooner this is done, the more time I'll have for spending time with the lovely women on here, don't you think? I've never seen so much breathtaking beauty in one place!"
The man, Kent, appeared to be willing himself not to hit his companion at the back of his head. Nia saw the way his hand twitched. And the way he scowled.
"You dolt. We're here on a mission. Not to find women to flirt with." Kent said in a clipped tone. With an apologetic expression, he returned his gaze to Nia. "My apologies for having you witness my friend's… oddity. Might you take us to this Lyn, then? There may be a chance she is who we're looking for."
And that was when Nia awkwardly chuckled. "Well… you see… I'm, ah, looking for her, too. I lost her in the crowd. Well, more like she lost me, as I've ended up wandering without her supervision."
"What a shame." Sain then said. "Would you like me—us—to keep you company, for the meantime? It would be unbecoming of me to leave a delicate flower such as yourself unattended. And it must be said: you have a mesmerizing pair of eyes."
Nia was painfully oblivious to whatever advances Sain was making, much to Kent's visible relief. "Really? They remind me of flowers when I look at the mirro—oh! Never mind that, I see my friend!"
She did. Past the two chatting elderly women, a ponytailed head of dark green hair could be seen looking here and there, brows knitted together in worry. Nia stretched her hand out and waved, calling her name and bouncing up and down with the eagerness of a child. In fact, she might have acted too excited; the chatting women looked towards her with scandalized expressions before moving to a location with lesser disturbances.
Lyn, thankfully, noticed her. Nia would be surprised if she still didn't. A relieved smile stretched across the plainswoman's face as she bounded towards her companion with a satchel that appeared much fatter than before.
"I've been looking all over for you! What happened?" Lyn asked. And after realizing that Nia wasn't alone, "And who are these men you're with?" Her eyes narrowed at them. "They're not accosting you, are they?"
"Ooh, three questions at once. Alright, in order: I ended up enjoying Bulgar too much that I forgot I wasn't alone—sorry!—and these are Kent and Sain. They're looking for someone named Lyndis and they wondered if I knew anyone of that name." Nia explained, gesturing to the two behind her. "And nope, I'm fine. I could sense that they mean well, so I didn't leave them."
Lyn appeared to calm down as she confirmed that her friend was, indeed, right as rain. But then…
"Lyndis?" Lyn echoed and blinked, a peculiar expression on her face as she regarded the two knights with renewed wariness.
"You are Lyn, then?" There was a certain intensity in Kent's eyes as he examined Lyn, who boldly stared back. "Yes, I believe I see the resemblance…"
The Sacaean did not appreciate the way he looked at her, in the end. Her eyes narrowed once more. But before Lyn could even speak up, Sain stepped past Kent, almost pushing him back, and approached her with a silly smile on his face.
"Why, you are such a dazzling vision of loveliness, milady! I sincerely believe that no portrait shall ever be able to hold such beauty."
Lyn looked… more disturbed, to say the least. In fact… did Nia just notice the Sacaean's hand creeping closer to the hilt of her sword? Was she about to see some slicey-dicey action before her? Was she even ready for that kind of commotion?
"And where are you and your companion from, sir knight, to so freely address strangers?"
"Ah, a question I'll be proud to answer! We hail from Caelin, milady, home to men of passion and fire!"
"…I may have to remind myself not to visit Caelin, if that is the case."
"Is your friend always like this? He's so weird." Nia decided to question Kent, watching Sain toss one flowery word after another to her continually bothered friend. No matter how cruel Lyn's retorts were, the green knight remained undeterred. "And… oh, hey, that's interesting. You're both from Lycia, then? That's the nation consisting of various territories, each ruled by a marquess, correct? How far you both have come!"
"Indeed. And unfortunately, this is one of the moments when I question my friendship with that lout." Kent muttered, palming his forehead and shaking his head.
"Nia!" Lyn finally shouted in irritation, making Nia and Kent glance over her in surprise. The Sacaean took ahold of her arm. "We're leaving. I have nothing more to say to this callow oaf whose tongue is far too loose for anyone's comfort."
"Wait, but—" Kent blurted out in an attempt to stop the plainswoman. He became the recipient of one of Lyn's glares, the rest of his words dying in his mouth.
"But nothing. My apologies, sir. You seem more respectable than your friend here, but my patience is at its end. We still have a long journey ahead of us." Lyn curtly said before pulling Nia away with her.
"Good bye, you two." Nia managed to say over her shoulder as she kept pace with Lyn. "May you find your Lyndis soon!"
Human interaction, Nia decided then, was as colorful as a portrait.
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"You would do well to be more wary of those who talk to you, you know," Lyn told her as they departed through Bulgar's southern gate. Nia politely smiled at the guards stationed there, as if to silently apologize for her friend's current mood. The guards nodded at her in acknowledgement before she turned away to face the road.
"But I wasn't speaking for them when I claimed that they had not a single drop of maliciousness in them." Nia insisted, hardly offended.
It was true, though Lyn wouldn't understand what she really meant, and would thus dismiss the manakete's opinion as something rooted from intuition—and naivety, to a degree. Nia hadn't the faintest idea how, but she had this… power, if one could call it that, to detect whether someone had ill intentions or not. It was probably a dragon thing, since, well, each dragon (or half-dragon) had their own powers, ranging from seeing the future to detecting danger before it happened.
In fact, her power was the reason why she immediately fled the bandits from several days ago, long before they could completely brandish their weapons.
Not that she got away unscathed, anyway.
"Still, I'd exercise caution. You were lucky that it's two knights—though of questionable character—who have found you, not an outlaw." Lyn told her. "You don't even know how to defend yourself."
Nia wanted to wince at that. Honestly, it was a miracle that she was still alive thus far.
"Well, I'm not about to argue with a friend, despite my personal opinion," Nia amended. "And you could teach me how to wield a sword, you know! So I can be your partner-in-crime in the battlefield. Bandits shall quake in fear as they become witness to our peerless swordplay."
"Peerless might be a stretch, but I'd say teaching you a good idea." Lyn replied, smiling. She gave Nia a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Tell you what, we can go over some exercises tonight when we stop for camp."
Nia turned her head towards the Sacaean with a bright smile—that immediately transformed into a surprised frown as she felt her stomach flip uncomfortably. Her eyes widened, and without pausing to think, she knocked herself and Lyn down to the ground.
There was no mistaking the whooshing sound above the two as Nia heard something embed itself in a nearby tree with a loud thunk.
"What on earth—" Lyn said as she pulled herself up. When she looked at what had hit the tree, she made a sharp intake of breath. "A hand axe?"
"I think I may have saved your life just then…" Nia murmured as she untangled herself from her cloak, standing up slower than Lyn. Her hair, much to her relief, was undisturbed from the action and still hid her ears. "That was meant to decapitate you, I think."
"That's right, little lass." Someone said, making the two turn whirl towards the source of the voice. "It's just too bad you had to ruin my fun."
Another bandit, it seemed, judging from the tattered clothes, the unkempt hair, and the obviously devious expression on his face. He also had a backup weapon, seeing as the other one was meant for throwing and would require the owner retaking it before using it the second time.
He wasn't alone, either. The man whistled, and from their hiding places up on the thick branches of the trees, three more bandits jumped out. Each had varying degrees of dirt on their faces. Nia, for this moment, was finding it hard to appreciate the existence of forests.
The low branches and the thick foliage could make combat difficult for either side, after all…
"Lyn," Nia began, stepping back and eyeing the man's accomplices. No, there was too many. Lyn was skilled, but even with Nia's guidance, they'd be hard-pressed for a victory. "I would very much like to say that now is a good time to retreat."
The Sacaean stubbornly shook her head, eyes glinting in challenge. "We can't give up. Not now. I refuse to be felled by one of them."
"Bold words, Lyndis. It's just too bad you're gonna die anyway. What a damned shame to kill a pretty wench like you, but a man's gonna do whatever it takes to earn his gold." The man responded mockingly before pointing his finger at her. "Get her!"
"Scold me later. We're going back to the city—we get the guards' attention, they fight the bandits, and then you join in on the melee!" Nia exclaimed and managed to pull Lyn along with her effortlessly. The Sacaean must've realized the futility of her decision at the last minute and cooperated. Grudgingly. That was the only reason Nia could think of.
So run they had, with several bandits pursuing them. Their surroundings was a blur as they sprinted like their lives depended on it. But then, they did.
Fortunately for them, what met them down the grassy path was a pair of familiar-looking knights whom Nia realized were actually following them, pulling their horses with them by the reigns. Thank the deities (or whoever). Or St. Elimine, as most humans would put it.
"Bandits… behind us… help." Nia stumbled towards Sain, her legs finally giving in. The man gallantly helped her up as she gasped for breath. At least Lyn's faring better when it comes to stamina, she thought, gazing at the Sacaean who finally pulled out her sword and whirled around to bravely face the incoming group.
"They're out for blood. My blood, as it turns out." Lyn said angrily. "I don't know who they are, but they will regret attempting on my life."
"We'll help you," Kent responded, mounting himself atop his steed. His sword slid out of its scabbard, glinting under the afternoon sun. "I have an idea as to why they'd want you dead."
"But we'll tell them later, won't we, my friend?" Sain asked, mirroring Kent's movements as soon as Nia finally detached herself with a grateful smile. "I can see them coming. Those cads dare attack two girls with such numbers? What cowards!" He directed a confident grin at Nia and Lyn. "Don't worry, we'll see this through. They'll find themselves speared before they make a move!"
"This is my fight, but Nia's convinced me that I'll never win this one by myself. So yes, I appreciate the help." Lyn replied.
Nia finally managed a sheepish grin. "And, may I suggest something, Sain? You said 'spear'. I say, you're better off stabbing with a sword. Because they use axes, and they're just going to end up cutting your spearhead into two. We wouldn't want that."
"Really, now? Well, speaking of swords… I might have a problem here." Sain guiltily admitted before brandishing his spear. "I haven't been able to purchase a sword back in the city. So… I'll make do with a lance—it's more heroic, anyway!"
Before Kent could object, Sain had snapped his horse's reigns and charged forward. The red knight frowned disapprovingly and muttered something incomprehensible (about his companion, no doubt) before following suit. Soon, the two knights were locked in combat, though Kent was obviously having an easier time than Sain, who immediately missed his first blow and suffered for his mistake.
"I see only three—the boss is out of sight." Nia said as Lyn stood protectively in front of her. She blew at her fringes. "Ooh, typical. Leave the fighting to the grunts, and then swoop in for the kill when everyone's tired from all the fighting."
"Coward, indeed. If you have any advice for me right now, you best say it." Lyn readjusted her grip on her sword and kept her eye at the bandit running towards her. Apparently, he was too intimidated by the two knights and opted for an easier target.
"Oh, that's easy. Don't die." Nia said simply, beginning to take several steps back and eyeing a nearby, climbable tree in interest. "And use your surroundings to your advantage. There are many trees around us; the low branches could interfere with the attacks from either you or the bandit. The trunk could buy you some free hits when your enemy accidentally hits it with his axe and he's distracted with pulling it out. Tell Kent and Sain the same thing, please; I'll be right behind you as soon as these men are dealt with."
"I'm glad you're trying to be more careful this time." Lyn said before running forward and engaging the third bandit.
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The leader of the group, Zugu, apparently thought he was going to be walking away with Lyndis' head in a sack and a thousand Gold richer. But then he soon found himself at the mercy of two knights and two girls. What an embarrassment to bandits everywhere.
Despite the odds not being in his favor, the man charged forward, anyway, throwing an insulting comment towards the interfering knights as he picked his target. He'd set his sights on Nia, the only person in the group that was weaponless and as harmless as a newborn kitten. And Nia, in turn, had stared at him in a deceptively innocent way, unmoving.
Lyn had, predictably, stepped in his way and blocked his axe. Nia nodded at Kent, who stepped right behind Zugu and finished the man with a clean stab through the heart. Sain made an idle comment about the knight in red being able to impress the ladies a lot better than he could, much to Kent's exasperation and Nia's amusement.
"With that done, why don't you two explain to me what this whole thing was all about?" Lyn asked, sheathing her sword and standing beside Nia. "What is your business here with this... Lyndis?"
Sain moved in to explain for Kent, who was busily dabbing at his bloody sword with a cloth, and said, "Well, you see, Kent and I originally intended to relay a message to Lady Madelyn, the marquess of Caelin's daughter, whom had eloped to the Sacae plains with the man who was now her husband. I'm not sure of the specifics, but it's been said that Lady Madelyn might have done that to avoid a political marriage to another man. The marquess was understandably heartbroken to find out his daughter would abandon him so."
Kent nodded, his task completed. "And this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn herself. When she'd stated that she, her husband, and her daughter were living happily in Sacae, her father the marquess had been overjoyed to find out that he had been a grandfather for eighteen years and counting. He'd stopped pretending that his daughter didn't exist."
"And that the granddaughter's name is Lyndis." Lyn said, and the two knights nodded yes.
"In fact, the marquess became twice as happy after realizing that Madelyn had named her daughter after his wife, whom had passed away at an early age." Sain explained. "Now, the marquess of Caelin's only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. But unfortunately, it seems that we were too late; we've only just found out that Lady Madelyn perished, along with her husband, from a bandit attack six months ago."
"So… that's why it's so important for you two to locate Lyndis." Nia cut in, reminding everyone that, yes, she hadn't sneaked away from the group while they were busy conversing. She looked at the Sacaean beside her knowingly. "Congratulations are in order, then—you still have a family after all, Lyn!"
"Wait, how did you—" Lyn asked in surprise, only to be cut off with a raised hand.
Nia grinned widely. "I may say the strangest things at times, but I am not blind! I've seen the way you react whenever the name came up. Kent here also mentioned how he could see the resemblance between you and your mother. I put two and two together, now that I've heard their tale."
"Yes. I am sorry to say that I've never met your mother directly, Lady Lyndis, but I've seen her portraits back in castle Caelin." Kent said.
"I—I see." Lyn was having difficulty forming her next words. In fact, her voice shook a little. "Never have I imagined that I'll hear that name again… usually, it's only my parents who called me that. Never the rest of the tribe."
"There remains the question of why someone wants Lyn dead, though." Nia pointed out. "Is it something of a political nature, then? I've read that that isn't new when it came to nobles wanting a bigger slice of that nice, large cake."
A stormy expression formed in the two knights' face. And Sain, for the first time since Nia met him, was as close as he could to being angry.
"Lungdren's doing, no doubt." He answered, a hand forming into a fist.
"Yep, I knew it." Nia sighed. "Assassinations are power-hungry nobles' favorite pastime, it seems."
No one decided to comment at that.
"To explain, Lungdren is your grandfather's brother, milady. Lady Madelyn was supposed to be the next in line as Caelin's ruler, but seeing as she had left for the plains and wasn't heard of until recently, Lord Lungdren was supposed to inherit the title. But it seems that he found out about your existence first. Bluntly put, milady, you are an obstacle to his plans, and he will do whatever it takes to eliminate you." Kent explained.
"But," Lyn was visibly having trouble digesting all this information. She helplessly looked at Kent and Sain. "I've no intentions to inherit a title. Any title, for that matter. What shall I do, then? Lungdren will only keep attempting to have me killed—and Nia, as well, simply for the crime of being with me."
And, Nia thought then. That would be one kind of web that I probably wouldn't want to be trapped in.
"I believe I have a suggestion for that," Kent answered readily. "You'll have to accompany us to Caelin. For both of your protection."
"I'm sorry, Nia," Lyn quietly said to the manakete, turning to her. "I've no choice but to say yes. So indeed, Kent. Sain. I agree to join you."
On second thought, perhaps she'd been long trapped in a web. And she'd knowingly stuck herself into one the moment she left Arcadia.
What should she do now, though? If anything, this was her opportunity to part ways because Lyn was now left in the good hands of Kent and Sain. She could forget about going to Bern, and maybe to Lycia, too, and simply return to the monotony of spending one lazy day after another in Arcadia. No more pretending to be a human when she was actually a dragon in every way. No longer would she have to keep her hair carefully arranged in a way that her ears were hidden. Her village's secrets would remain a secret to the world for the millenniums to come, and, sure, she was certain to be punished for running away. But that one she could deal with.
On the other hand… did she really want to give up her freedom right now? It's barely been a month since she'd left. There was so much of the world she had yet to see. And there were far more excitements in living a life outside her village. In her own color analogy, Arcadia would be a dreary gray; the rest of the world would be a rainbow.
So what else could she say but yes, once more?
"That's alright, Lyn! I'm with you every step of the way." Nia beamed, even though, right now, she'd very much want to scream for being unable to say no again. Such a nasty flaw. "After today, we're no stranger to danger, aren't we? So yes. Yes, I'll come with you. And maybe I'll get to gain more experience as a tactician this way, hm?"
"So, is that why you cannot fight, Lady Nia? I did appreciate the advice that Lady Lyndis passed to me, however." Kent decided to say. At Nia's (falsely) happy nod, he added, "I do believe we have teachers in Lycia who may help you in your chosen career path. If not, we can help you enroll at an academy in Bern or Etruria once this whole mess is settled. It's the best way to repay your kindness."
"I thank you for the offer, Kent." Nia replied cordially. Actually, she planned to slip away and return to home once this was over, but a half-truth would work best right now. "But let's just see where this leads for the meantime, alright? I'd rather not stick to a goal just yet, save getting Lyn to Caelin and fixing this dispute."
"Then, wonderful!" Sain finally said, grinning from ear to ear. He wrapped his arm around Kent's shoulders, much to the other knight's annoyance. "I wouldn't mind escorting two lovely ladies back to Caelin. And hey, I bet there's more women to meet along the way!"
"Sain, you are impossible."
"So where to next, then?" Nia cut in before Kent could erupt like a volcano.
Lyn was the first to answer. "I'd very much like to visit this temple located in Bulgar's outskirts first. For us Sacaeans, it has been an age-old custom of ours to pray there for safety. It's not far from here, so it shouldn't take long."
Nia clapped her hands for the second time this day. "Then onwards, to the sacred temple that Lyn wants to visit!"
Thus ends chapter two of Flutter. I really enjoyed writing this one. There's just something about Nia's character that's so fun to write.
Much thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter! Y'all are awesome for motivating me to continue (because low self-esteem sucks like a lollipop). I hope you guys didn't mind the liberties I've made for this chapter; I thought a bit of some fresh air would do us all nicely.
