Chapter 11
To Dipan
"It is time to wake up."
Silmeria gently shook Alicia's shoulder. The princess slowly opened her puffy eyes. "Morning already?" She hardly felt rested. Alicia had cried herself into a restless sleep in which more memories returned to her.
"Yes. Please get dressed. We will eat breakfast quickly and then be on our way."
Alicia sleepily climbed out of bed. She frowned at her appearance in the mirror and grabbed a brush out of her bag. She ran the bristles through her soft tresses, processing the dreams that she had the previous night.
"I had a dream last night," she informed Silmeria. "It was a memory of when you insisted I return to Dipan after escaping the castle."
Silmeria nodded slightly as she inspected an arrow from the lot she had purchased the night before. "You changed much in our time together. I remember how scared you were then."
"Mmm," Alicia agreed. "I was so naive." She slipped out of her cotton nightgown into the outfit she had purchased in Villnore. Alicia took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. The clothing was similar to the traveling outfit she had worn during her journey through Midgard. Her shirt was slightly shorter, the even hem stopping just below her navel. The shirt was decorated with some simple golden embroidery. She had opted for a brown pair of pants designed for horse riders. The pants were slightly snug, but they would allow her to move without restriction during battle. Brown leather cords laced up the sides of her shirt and sleeves, holding them closed and allowing for her to be able to wear the attire at any size she may grow or shrink to. A simple golden ribbon decorated each sleeve, running from her shoulder to her wrist. The outfit slightly hugged her curves, just enough to highlight her feminine figure.
Silmeria was quite unaccustomed to pants, and refused to even try a pair on when Alicia had suggested it. The Valkyrie insisted that she had always fought in a skirt, and that having something squeeze her legs would only serve to distract her. The hem of Silmeria's skirt touched the bottom of her knees. Her shirt and sleeves were simple, decorated only with yellow ribbon trim. Both women preferred to be modest while traveling in case they encountered any suspicious characters.
The two gathered their bags and trudged down the stairs to the bar area on the first floor of the inn. Lezard was already waiting for them. He wore a red shirt trimmed with gold that came down to his hips. His pants were a simple brown. His beige cloak was draped over the chair behind him. Apparently his dramatic and flashy nature had carried over into this life.
"Morning," he said. "They have eggs and toast for breakfast today."
"That will suffice," Silmeria stated. The Valkyrie took her OTH to the counter and ordered for the trio. Lezard and Alicia sat quietly waiting for her to return. She walked back over to the table and sat with the wizard and the princess.
"I think we should head for Dipan," Silmeria broke the silence. "There is a wealth of knowledge about magic in the castle library. It may give us a lead on the magician who attacked Coriander. If we can find out what kind of spell it was, we will at least know what level of magic the user knows, and then we can gauge what we are up against."
Lezard's eyes lit up at the talk of Dipan. "Dipan's library has good records as well. Nearly all powerful magicians travel there at some point for training, so we may even be able to figure out exactly who it was."
The bar wench brought three plates to the table. Suddenly, Alicia realized that she was hungry and began digging into the eggs. Lezard buttered his toast while Silmeria continued speaking. "It's true, Dipan keeps good records. Both of you will have to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Some of the more elderly former citizens of Dipan have returned since the city has been rebuilt. They could recognize you."
"It is also easy to gain access to the castle library. As far as the citizens know, the royal family of Dipan died out, so there is no one living in the castle now except for a few caretakers." Lezard took a large bite out of his toast.
"It will be strange to go back," Alicia said.
"Then it is settled." Silmeria twirled her fork in her hand. "We will head for Dipan to see what we can discover about this dark presence in Midgard."
Rufus shouldered his arrow quiver. Practicing his archery skills had a way of calming his nerves and focusing his thoughts. He trudged out to the archery range outside of Valhalla dressed in his old traveling garb. He liked the ease in which he could move, and the old clothes helped him to remember what it was like to be in battle. It bore sentimental value as well as it was what he wore when he traveled with his friends.
He picked a suitable target and pulled out an arrow. The king of the gods knocked back and arrow and held his breath as he took aim. Not a single breath nor movement escaped from his body as he concentrated and focused on the center of the target. His fingers quickly released the string and the arrow, striking the target true. Rufus let out a sigh of relief at the bullseye hit.
A growing unease had filled Asgard ever since Silmeria had informed them of Lezard's memories returning. There were murmurs among the Einherjar that surely Lezard would come seeking revenge. Aesir that were gifted in the magic arts dedicated themselves to studying how a human could manage to break a memory seal. Other gods pondered the implications of mortals remembering their past and debated on how much it could affect Asgard. Even Freya exhibited a morose mood. She was frequently spotted in the meadow of Asgard, burying herself in her thoughts.
Rufus did not feel particularly threatened by Lezard, but that did not stop his stomach from turning when he thought about the possibility of Lezard seeking revenge. Would he take out his revenge on Alicia? Rufus' grip tightened on his bow at the thought and quickly knocked back another arrow, aiming it at the target imagining it to be Lezard's face. He hit the center dead on.
And what if he did not hurt her? What if he attempted to use her to exact his revenge? Rufus knew that it had been his decision to keep out of Alicia's new life, but now it left him with little knowledge about what she was like now. Would she be easy to toy with or would she see straight through Lezard's plot?
A thought tugged at the edges of the King's mind. If Lezard broke the seal on his own memories, would he break the seal on Alicia's too? A tiny smile came to Rufus' lips at the thought. To have her back would be a gift from fate.
He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind as he launched another arrow into the center of his target. Anger welled up inside of him. Are you stupid? he chastised himself. If she did remember, she would surely be angry with him. He should have tried harder to stop her from becoming the Valkyries' vessel. Maybe if he hadn't been so afraid, he could have told her how he felt about her. She needed Silmeria, but he needed her! If he would have just told her that, maybe she would have allowed Brahms to die instead of her. If Alicia remembered him now, she would remember his cowardice and his inability to stop her from dying.
A lump formed in his throat. "You idiot!" he shouted as he sent several arrows at the target in succession. Only one arrow hit the target, and it was far off center. "You're losing your focus," he whispered to himself.
Rufus wished Silmeria would return and give him some news of what was going on. Something. Anything. Knowing that Alicia's reincarnation was around that madman made him desperate for news that she was okay.
There is a way to find out, you know, he reminded himself. The Crystal Mirror... He avoided that device to prevent himself from being tempted to watch over Alicia. He feared that his duties would be sorely neglected if he fell prey to the mirror. However, considering the circumstances, perhaps one look wouldn't hurt...
