The sun was rising and starting to illuminate everything around the four rangers riding towards the horizon, having gone through the most of the road leading to the chateau for the White Ball.
"We're getting closer!" Glade said in glee.
"That would be relieving if you didn't repeat it every few seconds." Merlin replied under his breath.
"I hope we will arrive on time... No, we need to go even earlier." Darc mumbled to himself. "We need to prepare clothes and even if we get that done, Clyde still has very little chance to make it to the ball."
"He'll manage." Merlin shrugged. "It's a simple mission, anyway. We're just gonna investigate so he may as well stay away from it."
"I'll try to make it there somehow!" Clyde said with an enthusiastic voice. "Er, even if I don't, I'll make sure to investigate elsewhere." He added uncertainly.
"Don't worry, after dealing with those Scourger folks, the ball will be as easy as scoring a bullseye!" Glade smiled triumphantly. "I'm sure Jacob and Bryce will be proud of us when we're back. Maybe Ernest, too..." He crossed his arms, nodding.
"Hey now, don't take it for granted. There might be some surprises." Darc intervened.
"Sure, but a ranger should be on guard all the time, anyway." Glade said as he swept his hair off his forehead. The town was slowly entering their slowly growing field of vision in the dawn.
"Rangers should know when to stay quiet as well, so keep your mouth shut. We're arriving soon." Merlin silenced the others as he pointed to the buildings appearing in the horizon.
The town looked much more refined and clean than the previous one, with wooden houses supported with stone around everywhere along with shops, bakeries and taverns that seemed to be larger than the common houses. The chateau was very easy to spot with its large size and luxurious look, bit of a walk away from the town. People, mostly nobles, were running around the streets in hurry, babbling about the ball as their eyes searched for a tailor's shop. Silently watching them, Clyde jumped off Gale and immediately looked for a place to leave the horses.
"You think we could convince them to keep our horses in their stables?" Glade asked. "It sounds painful to leave Pegasus to a small barn while we're going to a chateau, not fair for a ranger horse."
"Sure. Let's try." Merlin was about to say, but Darc cut his sentence.
"Wait, Merlin, shouldn't we find some good clothing first? Also, even before then, how will we even get inside? We haven't found a woman to go with us, we'll stick out like Clyde's weird wiggly antenna hair." He started to list the inconveniences one by one.
"Hey!" Clyde yelled as he took offense to the last sentence. "But yeah, we never found a solution to that, now that Darc mentioned it..." He added deep in thought.
"We don't need to." Merlin said curtly.
"Huh? Do you know someone we could tag along with? An acquaintance of a ranger, perhaps?" Glade started talking excitedly.
Darc's face went a slightly lighter colour. "Merlin, a-are you..." He anxiously held his scarf to his face, locking his gazes into the deep blue eyes of the tetchy ranger. Merlin gazed back at him triumphantly.
"We don't need to, because, after all..." Merlin showed a sly smile.
"Darc isn't a guy."
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As the morning breeze went through the mane of Pfeil, the horse lifted its face from the grass and gazed into the abyss for a moment. Hearing a slight sound, both Pfeil and Thunder's ears perked up. It was from the cliff side, the tumbling sound of small rocks, heard as a single arm appeared in the surface.
Pfeil ran straight towards the familiar hand and pulled it through with some effort. Bryce, finally above ground, pet the smoky cream coat of the horse briefly before he went back to help a struggling Jacob out of the cliff.
"Haah, I thought for a second that we were dead meat." Jacob wheezed as he finally stepped on the trusty surface of the world above. After being in there for several days, the fresh sunlight hitting his face and the breeze sweeping through his hair made him want to kiss the ground. Bryce was feeling the same, as the two of them smiled as their eyes met each other. That smile soon left its place to loud, hearty laughter, startling the horses a little.
"Now all there's left is to report all this back to the Corps." Bryce slowly adjusted his legs to ride Pfeil. He was feeling quite tired, but he could surely go for a while on horseback.
"That's the easy part." Jacob snickered as he got on his horse as well. "I'm still surprised that I have both my legs in one piece."
"That paralyzing monster... That is, the Kalkara. We should let them know as soon as possible." Bryce tilted his head down as he thought to himself.
"Can't forget to mention they burn like fresh firewood." Jacob added.
"Seems like we missed a lot. Wasn't it hard without us?" Thunder mocked the rangers.
"Nah, I think we're better off not bringing any horses next time round." Jacob scoffed.
"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." The golden horse suddenly felt desperate.
"Yeah, no way we're going down that hell of a place again. Not me."
"You're pretty silent, Pfeil. Aren't you feeling chatty like Thunder?" Bryce asked as he gazed through the map he had just took out.
"I'm worried about the younger ones." The horse shook its mane.
"Meh, they should be fine." Jacob rolled his eyes. "Though, if I know a bit about Glade, that runt should be chasing Merlin through Gallica by now."
"Could you imagine that they actually did that?" Bryce chuckled as he read the map again. "Clyde's probably missing his mentor now." He thought about home for a moment.
"He better get used to stuff like this, things are boiling up everywhere nowadays." Jacob mentioned as he exhaled with frustration.
Bryce could only nod as he fixed his eyes on the road. Both of them just wanted to make it back home safely. However, in their hearts, they wanted to see their apprentices again, first and foremost.
"Hey, did you miss Glade back then?" Bryce shifted his gaze to his friend for a second.
"Oh, shut up..." Jacob looked the opposite way as they stood silent. "Fine, just a little."
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"W-what!?" Clyde almost yelled in shock.
"Oh, okay." Glade said, unsurprised.
"Merlin! You... You..." Darc, ignoring the reaction of the apprentices, walked straight up to Merlin in a furious manner.
"I thought you respected me at least this much! I guess I was wrong, weren't I? You're every bit of selfish and rude as your old self!" Poking the ranger's chest with each sentence, Darc pushed him into a corner.
"H-hey now, don't fight... Er..." Clyde tried to dissolve the tension with a weak, shaky voice, but he was completely ignored.
"What? You knew that there wasn't any other way, right? We would have gone with this plan anyway." Merlin shrugged.
"You didn't even ask me! And here I was, wanting to be your friend again, after all these years... I wish I just never spoke to you in the first place!" Darc burst out in fury.
"Jane, come on. Cool it already." Merlin uttered, annoyed. "We're going to go to the ball, yeah? We can't do it without you."
"Well, you'll have to find another way then, Merlin Atwood!" Darc slapped Merlin's face with a hand shaking in anger and bolted off mumbling as Clyde and Glade watched with their mouths wide open.
"Merlin, just what was that?" Clyde asked with a worried face.
"It's what you heard. We can go now that the problem is solved." Merlin replied. He wasn't looking at the apprentice's face.
"But didn't Darc run off? Also, who is Jane? What's going o-" Clyde was bombarding him with questions, but Merlin didn't stop to listen, walking away.
"She'll calm down after a while. You guys just prepare yourselves for the mission." He said as he disappeared from clear view.
"Merlin, wait!" Clyde dashed after him, leaving Glade alone. The blond apprentice sighed loudly.
"So, where do we go for a servant's clothes?"
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Running after the elusive ranger, Clyde turned around countless streets, panting as he forced himself to keep his eye on the movements of Merlin's cloak. Finally, he was able to corner him in a dead end in the empty street covered by the wooden houses.
"You aren't looking for a tailor, aren't you?" Clyde looked at Merlin as he breathed heavily, frustrated and exhausted. "You're just avoiding us."
"It's because you're being extra annoying today." Merlin countered Clyde's stare with his own.
"What's going on between you two?" Clyde asked with a sorrowful face.
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Merlin replied as his stare got more intense.
"No, but-"
"No 'but's. All that matters for you is that we will be able to go on with the mission. That's it."
"But I don't want you two to be angry at each other!"
"There's nothing you can do about it! What do you think you are, a wish granting fairy? A diplomat? Stay out of it and go manage your stuff!" Merlin burst with anger. Clyde backed down by a few steps in fear, but then he moved forward as his eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm your friend! Isn't that enough for you?"
"First of all, you're only my friend's apprentice." Merlin exhaled in fury as he crossed is arms. "And no, that's not enough."
"Ugh, why are you being so difficult?"
"Which of us is being difficult here?"
"Y-you know what?" Clyde stomped his foot as he closed his eyes and started yelling. "You are! It's you! It's you who brought that up out of nowhere and now it's you who's dragging this on and on!"
"I did it for the mission!" Merlin fought back.
"You could have asked Darc!"
"She'd say no."
"Then why did you do this!? I don't get it, what is so hard about asking Darc before revealing that secret? Aren't you guys friends? She probably trusted you with that secret for heaven knows how long and you shattered her trust with one sentence! What kind of ranger are you!?" Clyde cornered Merlin in the wall as he walked towards him, screaming his words at his face, while his own face went almost completely red from sheer anger.
"What kind of ranger am I?" Merlin's irises seemed like they were turned into black, hollow holes as he locked his eyes on Clyde's. "What do you know about being a ranger? You're just an apprentice. A pathetic one, at that."
"I-" Clyde tried to speak, but couldn't.
"You're having trouble speaking in your first year, got abducted on your next, even now you're barely able to make a proper shot and now you're telling me what kind of ranger I am? Who are you to speak?"
Clyde couldn't say anything. He felt his spirit break.
"Just a kid. That's who you are. I bet Bryce took you in just because he pitied you."
"No he didn't! What do you know about Bryce!?" That was the last straw for Clyde.
"He said so himself, that's why I know." Merlin smirked. He knew that he said the last word of the argument.
Clyde didn't say anything back. As he stepped back, he looked at Merlin and left, disappointed.
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"A servant's clothes? What do you mean, young man?" The woman working at the tailor shop looked at the glittering brown eyes of the boy in front of her, confused.
"What do servants wear around here? Isn't there an uniform or something like that?" Glade asked again. He looked just as confused as the person in front of him.
The tailor shop was full of other people, some trying to pick a dress, others trying them on, tailors sprinting from one customer to other, all making the shop quite a mess. Glade felt hot and tired just from experiencing this atmosphere. As he opened his mouth to answer the woman, a customer that was just trying on a frilled white dress approached the two of them and turned her head to Glade. As his eyes locked onto hers, the young ranger recognized Darc in her new attire. Now without the large scarf, he could see what Merlin was talking about. Darc was, without a doubt, a woman.
"Could I help the young man a little?" She turned to the tailor as the woman nodded.
"Please go on, dear. I have to help another customer for now." The tailor walked away as Glade scratched his head, his eyes searching for an outfit in the busy, mixed up shop.
"Darc, that's good timing, just fitting of a ranger!" Glade smiled cheerfully.
"Ah, I couldn't watch you wander around clueless." She giggled. "And I won't mind you guys calling me Jane now. It's my given name, after all."
"I'd rather use Darc, I'm used to it. I don't want to think of you as a stranger." Glade said with a blank stare.
"What's with those eyes, are you down or something?" Darc asked, concerned.
"No. I was thinking you would be down, but you seem to be fine." Glade explained. "Unless you're acting like you're fine."
"You're too sharp for your own good, Glade." Darc gave him a bitter smile. "Let's pick your clothes for now."
As Darc suggested basic, yet comfortable looking tunics to Glade, he kept talking to her, only stopping momentarily to nod or shake his head to the clothes she showed to him.
"What's going on between you two?" He asked in between his words.
"We used to be close friends back then... Erm... When we were still in training." Darc uttered as she shoved a green tunic to Glade's face on accident. "Sorry! Er... but that's it, really. We met again after we became rangers, but..."
"Hang on, what's this training you're talking about? If you met after you became rangers, wouldn't you have already finished the trials?" Glade questioned.
"I mean... You know... Nothing really escapes your hearing." Darc sighed. "Before that, we were still with... That... Organization. Ever since we were small children." She admitted.
"I knew it, so you two were childhood friends." Glade smirked in triumph.
"You could say that." Darc shrugged.
"Are you still mad at him?" He asked as he struggled to try on the gray clothes that were a bit too small for him.
"Yes, very much... I just want him to stop ignoring me, you know... My feelings, my existence... I wonder how much of it matters to him." Darc looked away as she let out a big sigh. "I used to look up to him, you know. Follow him anywhere."
"I see. I didn't know that you thought like that." Glade said as he nodded. "So, will you go through with the plan?"
"Of course. I can't let my feelings get in the way of the mission. I'll just make sure to let off some steam later." Darc nodded back. "It doesn't fit a ranger to abandon a mission, does it?" She smiled.
"No, not at all!" Glade smiled back.
"I'll have to talk to him sooner or later... But until then, you guys just don't bother with it. It's between Merlin and I, after all." Darc looked away once more.
"Say..." Glade started to talk as he felt the black tunic Darc gave him fit perfectly on. "What is being a ranger to you?"
"Ah... I..." Darc started thinking as she signaled a tailor to come and take Glade's measurements.
"No answer?" Glade chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Darc was confused.
"Nothing, it's just that... That reminded me of someone else." Glade smiled.
"What did they say to that question, then? Also nothing?" Darc asked mischievously.
"Yes, he couldn't answer either. But now I know the answer, whether he knows it or not." Glade looked at the distance, as if someone else was there. "For him, it's family. For me, it's sacrifice. Such different worlds, don't you think?"
"What are you even talking about?" Darc asked, even more confused.
"Ahaha, just rambling. Don't mind me." Glade laughed awkwardly. "The greatest sacrifice I take might be more than just my life, but I'm ready." He said silently, but Darc was already talking to the tailor about the price of the clothes. He sighed and turned his face away once more.
"Hey Glade! I bought your clothes, come take them!" Darc yelled at him from afar as he realized that he spaced out for a moment.
"I'm coming!"
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The sun slowly lost its intensity as time went on. Looking around, Clyde strolled through the streets, lifting his head and feeling the gentle breeze go through his hair as he desperately thought about how he could make it to the ball. Could he sneak in or disguise himself? Or maybe he should just give up and start investigating the town?
With his head full of thoughts, the boy stumbled upon a tavern that released a catchy tune from inside.
"Maybe I should have a cup of coffee first..." He entered the building with hesitant steps.
Inside the tavern, he was first met with a moist, hot wave of air that he was used to, but still didn't like. There was too much noise coming from all directions, so he decided to shut off his head to his surroundings and just enjoy the coffee he had just ordered.
Just as if anything could go worse, the coffee didn't taste quite right either. Drinking the watered down liquid, he found himself wishing for a cup of Bryce's milk coffee. However, even thinking about Bryce couldn't make him feel happy at that point, as all it could do was remind him of Merlin's words. 'I bet Bryce took you in just because he pitied you.'
It wasn't the words that hurt him, it was the accuracy of the words. Just one sentence, reminding him of everything he could hate about himself. Was this Merlin's doing, or his own? He didn't know nor wanted to think about it, so he just gave his focus to the bard's song instead.
Although he couldn't make out the lyrics, it felt a bit better listening to the soft voice of the girl sitting far away in the tavern. It felt familiar. In fact, a bit too familiar.
"Barbara!?" Clyde lifted his face, he hadn't noticed that he buried it in his arms as he laid on the counter. He looked in the direction the song came from and quickly got up, moving towards her. He felt the questioning eyes of the other customers on him, but he ignored them.
"Barbara!" Just as he arrived, the song had come to an end. The crowd surrounding the brown, wavy haired young woman cheered in excitement.
"Thank you, thank you! Be right back after a break, folks!" Barbara waved her hand and stepped away from where she was seated. As she moved, her eyes met with the blue eyes of the apprentice.
She tapped his hand as she signalled him to follow behind. Having nothing else to do, Clyde decided to go with her.
After a few minutes' walk, they made it to a silent, calm spot with soft, green grass they could rest on.
"So... Uh... Long time no see." Clyde fiddled around with his fingers as he spoke.
"Yeah. I've missed talking to you."
"What were you... Uh... How did you get here?" Clyde asked nervously.
"What? I'm a travelling bard, silly!" Barbara let out a hearty laugh. "Kingdoms and cities don't matter to me. I'm here to sing and play." She smiled gently. "We've got a lot to catch up on, don't we?"
"Yes, w-we do..." Clyde took a deep breath. "What have you been up to?"
"Oh, you know. Playing a song here and there. Usual bard stuff. I can't say I've had any colorful adventures ever since that time we first met." Barbara said as she played with her hair. "What about you?"
"Uhm... Nothing much. Usual ranger stuff." Clyde replied shyly.
"Pray tell, what about 'ranger stuff' is usual?" Barbara laughed. "Come on, aren't you here for a mission or something?"
"Well... I don't want to get you involved." Clyde admitted. "We want to attend the White Ball, but I don't have a partner to go with."
"Oh, that's unfortunate." Barbara crossed her arms. "I'd like to go there, it's the dream of a young woman like myself to enjoy the noble life, even if it's just one night." She sighed in exaggerated disappointment.
"Really? I didn't know... Well, I guess we're both blocked out of this." Clyde laid his back to the grass as he exhaled the breath that he didn't notice he was holding.
"Actually, we don't have to be." The bard laughed mischievously.
"Huh?" Clyde turned his face to her in confusion.
"Ugh, just go with me, silly!" Barbara blurted out.
"What!?" Clyde almost choked on his own spit. "Wait, r-really?"
"Yes, really. Let's be the best couple in the ball room!" Barbara giggled but as she saw Clyde speechless, she wanted to try harder.
"I know a lot about fashion, you know. I can make you fit in with the crowd just fine. I'm good with people too!"
"Y-yeah, but..."
"But what?"
"I mean... Is it okay to go with me?"
"Why not? You're talking like you're a leftover dish in a plate." She looked at Clyde with a disappointed face.
"I... I don't know... I never... This is..." Clyde diverted his gaze from the girl in front of him. She suddenly held his head from the sides and gently turned it to face hers.
"Clyde, you're so silly. I want to go with you, because I like you." She smiled as she released his face. Clyde was stunned.
"I... That's nice..." His face was getting more pink by second. "Because... Er... I want to go with you, too... Yeah, I want to!"
"There! That's the smile I'm looking for!" The bard laughed. "Meet up with me to buy some clothes tomorrow. Don't make me wait, alright?" She winked at the boy as she rose from her place and walked back towards her stage as he watched silently.
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Just as she waved goodbye to a tired Glade as he slowly walked back to the inn for a drink, Darc decided to take a small stroll on the streets. Perhaps that would help put her thoughts aside for a moment, maybe even fetch some affordable jewellery for the big event.
As her eyes traced the empty side of the road, she saw a familiar figure, his face cupped in one hand, playing with his ginger hair with the other. He didn't seem to notice her presence until Darc decided to sit next to him.
"Hey Clyde, what's the matter?" She tried to ask as gently as possible.
"Ah, it's nothing, nothing at all. I'm just... Watching the streets... Yeah." Clyde said nervously. Though, he seemed to understand that his act didn't cut it, so he sighed loudly afterwards.
"Did you talk with Merlin?" Darc asked a question she knew the answer to. Clyde nodded without saying anything.
"You know... About the two of us..." Darc planned to tell some of her story to calm him down a little, but Clyde cut her off just as she was about to speak.
"Can I ask... Oh, is... was there something you..." He became flustered.
"It's okay, go on." Darc smiled softly. Now that she didn't have a scarf on, Clyde noticed that this was the first geniune smile he saw from her. It felt like a caring soul, like an older sister he never had.
"Come on, don't be shy!" Darc chuckled as she playfully poked Clyde on the sides. There was an oddly melancholic feeling in her movements, or so Clyde thought.
"Okay, okay... I was just going to ask... Well... What was your relationship with your mentor like?" Clyde asked as he turned his face away in a shy way.
"Ah, my mentor... He's... A nice guy, alright. Why did you ask?" Darc's face changed from gentle to uncomfortable almost instantly.
"Nothing... Just... I was thinking about Bryce and myself. That, and about being a ranger." Clyde talked silently. He couldn't put half the confidence he had in his words.
"Bryce... He's a caring person, isn't he? He's gentle, takes pity on others easily." Darc remembered her old memories as she spoke.
"Y-yes, he takes... pity... For sure. Yes." Clyde replied as his gaze shifted even further away from Darc.
"Did I say something wrong?" Darc touched Clyde's shoulder.
"No, not at all, don't... don't worry." The curly haired apprentice seemed to give all his focus on playing with his hair, as if he was not listening to Darc, but himself.
A few minutes of uncomfortable silence went past.
"Darc, do you think Bryce just accepted me because I'm pitiful?" Clyde burst out suddenly, turning towards her at the verge of tears.
"What do you mean? Of course not. I mean, who takes an apprentice out of pity?" Darc chuckled awkwardly.
"Bryce could! You said it yourself!"
"But I didn't mean that, an apprentice is serious business! Besides, aren't you good with medicine? How is that pitiful?"
"But just look at my archery! Then look at Glade's! It's little wonder Merlin picked him over me." Clyde pushed his fingers together and stared at the cobblestone road beneath his feet.
"Aren't you going a bit too overboard?" Darc said as she slowly slid next to the boy. "Merlin's just going to be Merlin. He says mean things sometimes, especially when he's angry. Then he just blurts out whatever." She breathed from her nose as she mentioned the tetchy ranger.
"You shouldn't let other people define you. Don't you already know who you are yourself?" She put her arm around his shoulder and ruffled the curly hair that was already messy.
"You think so?" Clyde sniffed as he looked at Darc with a guilty expression. "Thank you, Darc. I... I needed that."
"Now, let's put your head away from those bad thoughts. Let me take you to a barber!" Darc smiled as she got up and lent her hand to the boy, who took it to rise himself.
"Huh? What does that have to do with..." Clyde looked surprised.
"A new haircut should make a small change in your life, right? Perfect for these times." Darc said as she started walking towards a direction. "Besides, you have that weird antenna-like strands wiggling as you move. It's so distracting!"
"What? It doesn't disturb me." Clyde said in retaliation.
"Eheheh, you'll notice once we're done." Darc laughed as she lead him through the path. Clyde smiled back. Perhaps it was best to leave the gloomy thoughts for after the fun.