CHAPTER 7 - FALLING INTO YOUR EYES

"Arle! We're going too fast! I knew we shouldn't have done this I'm so bad at magic what was I thinking aaaaaaaaagh!"

Despite her Fairy Fair bringing both of them high into the night sky, Amitie's mix of screaming, crying, and fear could be heard all throughout Trerid District, albeit only as a high-pitched sound. Soon, they would not be heard at all at the rate they were going; if they didn't crash into the harbor, they would most certainly crash into the sea and suffer injury from impact. She didn't know if Arle knew how to swim, but Amitie herself definitely didn't know how. The two girls quite literally were falling out of the sky, their dresses trailing behind them like a flag in the wind, and the feather-haired girl felt her tears running along the sides of her face.

Raffina would be so, so mad. Like, beyond her usual level of anger.

"No, you're doing great!" Arle reassured her, gripping onto her small hand as they fell at a breakneck pace towards the ocean. "A little more and I've got this… Right! Ice Storm!"

A frigid wind carried the two down into the sea, the lapping of the waves coming to a complete halt as the water stopped its movement for the two of them, a translucent blue-ish white coat freezing it in time. The shouts of people in the harbor rang louder as the ice-coated ships in their place and Arle, leading Amitie out of the air, dived towards the mound of flat ice before them. Knowing her, Arle probably had a plan in her head and currently in motion, but Amitie could not help but imagine the impact of her body crashing against the ice, and what might happen if-

"Speed Down!"

Trust Arle! Trust Arle! Trust her with your talentless life that sucks at magic, because really, she's more than capable of fixing the problem for you!

With the hand she wasn't holding Amitie with, faint sparkles fell and dissolved into the sky as Arle motioned her fingers in the air. Suddenly, Amitie felt as if she was swimming in the sky; her dress fell slowly, and so did the other girl with her, and their feet landed softly on the ice below. It was cold, made colder by the spring sea below, and the blonde felt a twinge of hesitation being led to the shore on thin ice–literally–in heels. She couldn't imagine how Arle must feel, walking around in socks, though considering her, it was probably just the average day. Carbuncle's yellow, rabbit-like body in turn bounced onto the ice, implying he was somewhat flexible, and also reminding Amitie she did not know much about Carbuncle at all and seeing him jogged some kind of random thought.

"Miss, are you alright?" called a high-pitched voice. "You took quite a fall now, didn't you?" Amitie looked up to see a blonde girl a little shorter than Arle but taller than she–an unfamiliar face, for sure–dressed all in blacks, purples, and reds. She shivered at the sight of it–after she had learned anything from being in House Hallieu's employ, it was that you should always fear people who wear purple, except Lord Klug.

"Yeah, I am! Thanks for your concern," Arle replied, cheerily, turning to the younger girl trailing behind her. "Amitie, you alright? You were screaming the entire time, so…" Carbuncle turned to Amitie as well, a concerned "gugu?" to add to the questions.

Amitie fervently nodded her head, except her eyes told a different story. "Uh-huh! I wasn't scared, I was just scared we'd crash into rocks in the sea! Okay, I was scared," she admitted, chuckling with a half-smile. "But I feel fine now! Whew, it's over… My heart was racing, Arle! You're such a great magician! You could even compete with Ms. Accord!"

Arle scratched the back of her head in a nervous giggle, and the two looked over to the mischievously smiling girl–ominous, she was, but not that it really mattered much. "You two are both rather splendid," the girl mumbled quietly, giggling between phrases. "Intriguing, even. I like you both, fantastic mages as you are. I'm glad you're both alright." Her voice lacked any energy, not in a deadpan sense, but almost as if she was plotting against them…

Oh, not that it was a reason for concern!

"Thanks, Miss! Strangers worrying about you, that's not something you see every day," Amitie said without thinking. "Mental note: thank the new girl in town in some way, shape, or form! Adding that to my diary today. What's your name, again?" Amitie's smile shone amidst the darkness of night, and Arle trembled from behind her, raising an eyebrow and stepping forward, eyeing the other blonde.

"It's Marle. It's very nice to meet you, Miss Amitie," she replied, giggling to herself. "I hope we can talk like this some more some other times, maybe." Marle's thin smile curved upwards, which was really pretty! If only it wasn't a little… scary?

"Marle… maaaarrrrllllllleeeee," Amitie said, tracing her name on her palm before coming to a realization. "Oh! Marle! The same as the goddess? One of the Six? Your parents must've wanted you to be a very fun kind of girl, and you are! You're super-duper interesting! Also, don't be afraid to just call me Amitie! Everyone does that, except the really real rich people and Lidelle." She reached to violently shake the other girl's hand in her own, eliciting some kind of surprise.

"As are you, Miss A- Um, Amitie," Marle corrected herself and forced her hand out of the handshake. "Well, I will be going on my merry way now. I just wanted to check if you two were alright. See you later, hehe." Marle flashed a last wide smile, and skipped past them, down to the harbor, and a right behind them, her dress and hairpiece floating along with her.

Amitie sighed, happily, and finally took Arle's hand in hers. "What a cute girl! I wish I could be as cute as her, or Raffina, or Lidelle! People are so nice in this town, ehehe! Don't you think so too, Arle? … Arle?" Amitie turned behind her, as the usually-spunky adventurer went uncharacteristically silent, her face betraying some kind of deep thought. "That being said, you didn't talk as much as you usually did… Is something wrong? Am I being too loud and too curious like Silv says I am? If so I'm really-really-really-really sorry! I just-"

"Something's not right with that Marle girl, I think. You think so too, right, Carby?"

"Gugu…"

Amitie tilted her head. It seems Arle and Carbuncle caught on, too.

"Yeah… She seemed a little creepy, didn't she? A little like Raffina; cold, polite, and has the young lady energy, like that. But I wanna give her the benefit of the doubt. She might be a really nice, caring person underneath the cold and creepy exterior! You get what I mean, right?"

"You could be right, but… Let's just say I've met a lot of creepy people in my 16 years. I know exactly how to read people. And Marle did not seem quite right in the head. Not genuine, which could be good, but also not. All I'm saying is we should be careful!"

"But she must be new! Confused! Eria's a big kingdom, and the central districts are even bigger, filled with people! It can't hurt to be nice, right?"

"It can't, you're right! Being nice to others is a good thing, but, well, not everyone on the streets is nice, Amitie. We're lucky that the folks in Trerid are mostly nice people! The kids in Islen District got it rough, and you can see it in their eyes…" Arle shivered at the thought, something Amitie had no hope of relating to.

That being said, Amitie only had faint glimpses of the poorer part of the central districts, such as when she ran errands for Raffina. They looked impoverished, but most looked like they had a lot of fun! Then again, Amitie only took "the nicest route outside" as Arle had put it, so her opinion was skewed.

She should plan a trip to visit Islen District.

"By the way, where's Ringo and that Ecolo guy?" the feather-haired girl asked, not seeing either in sight. "You'd think because they stand out, someone would've noticed by now?"

Arle turned back to the harbor, Amitie following, and the two scanned the area for two strange-looking teenagers to find nothing. "I didn't hear them, 'cause the wind was blowing into my ears," the ginger-haired girl finally spoke. "They could've drowned. Or, if someone saved them, they might be resting somewhere."

"Drowned!? Get real, Arle!" Amitie shouted, and focused her vision on everything and anything in sight: strange buildings, strange people, the rush of waters beyond the horizon.

What if they had drowned? That was a terrifying thought.

"Gu! Gugu gu! Gugu gugu!" Carbuncle's shouting alerted the two girls to a neat little shop with cream-colored walls nearby the harbor, with a funny word Amitie didn't know on the sign above the doorframe. "'Sickhouse and Apo- Apoca- Apostle?" she stuttered, trying to make out the third word on the small sign. "Well, it's a sickhouse! That's where they keep injured people! We can start our search there!"

"Apothecary?" Arle's eyes widened, and her indifferent lips grew into the usual smile. "That's a great idea, Amitie! That's the most likely spot, anyway; Carby's got really great senses to pick that out from everything! Let's go!" The two girls ran towards the building, their steps matching each other, and Amitie slammed open the wooden door, much to the horror of Arle and the others in the vicinity.

"Excuse me, Sirs or Madams! We're looking for a-"

"Indoor voices, please. May I have your name? Are you visiting someone?"

The girls fell silent to a low voice, and a blonde man walked out from a corridor in the back. He held some kind of pitcher and sprinkled something–likely oil–on a candle, in which it burned brighter and outlined the features of everyone present. "Lots of blonde people we're meeting today, huh?" Amitie said out of turn and off-topic. "What funny coincidences!"

Arle coughed to direct attention to herself, closed the door, and stepped forward. "Um, this is Amitie, I'm Arle, and this here is my friend, Carbuncle!" she started. "We're looking for a girl with red hair in curly pigtails, and her friend with green hair in a messy low ponytail. Have you seen them?"

The man raised both eyebrows. "Arle, is it? Never thought I'd see you here. Well, the good news is, I have. That girl you described is here right now. But she's currently asleep, so I'd recommend you come back in the morning to visit. I'll let her know she has visitors."

"And what about the other one? The guy who was with her?"

"That's the bad news. He was here a while ago too. But you know, his energy is impeccable; full recovery in seconds, and I doubt that the fever medicine was even necessary. That child bolted out the door a few minutes ago to the Six know where. You won't find him here anymore."

Amitie sighed happily a second time, this time with relief. "Ah, so they're 100% perfecto! That's really great!" she cheered and quickly shut herself up. "Oh, right, people are asleep here. Then, if we come back in the morning, we can visit Ringo and ask if she's alright, maybe get her home all nice and cleanly, and call this operation an absolute win!"

Arle nodded happily and gave a thumbs up to both her and the man on the other side. "Thanks, sir! We'll be back tomorrow morning," she called out, and the two girls left the building to be met with slightly less noisy streets than when they first walked in. It was then the idea popped into Amitie's head, and she poked Arle's shoulder.

"So, um, Arle, do you think Ringo would appreciate get-well flowers?" the blonde asked nervously, shuffling around. "I mean… Unless the sickhouse has a pot of tea, I'm not great at anything really. But I'm good at picking party flowers! So, maybe if I picked flowers for her, would she think of them as cool or something?"

"Get-well flowers? Well, why wouldn't she?" Arle asked back, grinning. "You're using your talents to help her feel better, right? I'm sure she'll appreciate it!"

"Would she? I feel like flowers are pretty useless compared to like, medicine or tea, but if you say so! I just wonder what flowers she might like…"

"What about lilies of the valley, or hyacinths? Those are pretty flowers found easily in the Wilds."

"The Wilds… Flowers in the Wilds… Oh my gosh, you're right! I just came up with this really boppin', wicked idea! I have a friend who knows lots about flowers and goes out into the Wilds! Thanks for reminding me, Arle!"

Arle cocked her head to the side. "I was going to ask if it was that Lidelle girl you sometimes hang out with, but I'm pretty sure you mentioned she doesn't leave the city," she mumbled and sighed happily. "But, well, I'm glad that I got you to come up with a plan! Otherwise, you would've mulled over it for years!"

"Hey, stop! That sounds nothing like me!" Amitie countered, laughing heartily after her little outburst. "Hmm… Well, we know she and Ecolo are safe. I'll go bright and early to the Wilds tomorrow and come back with lots of pretty flowers!" She beamed, a smile as bright as the sun, and the two went on their merry way. Flowers for Ringo, what a wonderful idea! Going outside to get flowers were so much prettier than at the florist's, and she would be so happy!

On top of that, it meant another chance to see that boy again… Thinking about him at a time like this? It must be true love!

So Amitie told herself, her thoughts clouded with a fluffy morning and sunshiny ideas.

The halls were much darker than they were a few hours ago.

"You're sure this is poisoning? Looks like any old sickness to me." The minotaur and the flute-playing elf towered over a familiar horned boy, who was squirming and breathing strangely in a cot–it looked half like he was hacking out spit, and half like he was wheezing–it was quite the sight, and not in a good way.

"'Course it is! You said he was constantly puking earlier, right? I've seen that stuff happen out wild. Nasty stuff," the elf replied. "I'm no doctor, but going outside and, ahem, touching grass teaches you a lot. Besides, why else would he get sick? Just this rando? And no one else? You wouldn't think this is targeted?"

The minotaur shook his head nervously and set down his axe. Demiserf was perfectly fine a moment ago; only recently was his body acting up strangely, after he had tea with the rest of the guard. For an elf who did nothing but play his flute in taverns and in fields, Panotty did make a good point: how did Minotaur himself, or Schezo, or Sig not get poisoned? Or, was he just too stupid to come up with another idea? He simply nodded and sat down languidly on a wooden chair.

"So weird, like, where would you find poisonous plants in this city? Do they keep weird plants in the castle or somethin'?" Panotty asked, looking around and playing a short tune. "Why would they, if at all?"

"That's the thing, we don't. Why would we?" Minotaur responded, tired from every and all things. "Not that I know of, at least. Anyway, how long do you think that'll last?"

"It doesn't look serious, but also I can't say it's mild, either… Give him a couple hours. Like the whole night. Watch over him, check his heart rate, and if it gets worse yell for a doctor. If you get bored, I'm always here! They do say flute-playing and having fun makes time go faster-"

"Nah, I'd rather not you wake up the entire castle. I'll be good on my own, thanks."

"Hmph! Fine, be like that, you axe-wielding dummy! No braincells for talent, huh? I'll go play somewhere that actually appreciates my work, hmm!?"

"Uhm, actually, it's more of a question of if you'll be decapitated by Lady Rulue…"

Minotaur sighed as the petite elf stomped away with his flute. It was true, though. If any trouble happened 'round these parts, Lady Rulue would personally see to a beheading… Not really. But the threat was there.

The guard's quarters were as quiet as they come; Minotaur had isolated himself and Demiserf in the east ward on the first floor, with half-rusted cots lining the cold stone walls. Clangs of metal and wood he'd usually hear in the mornings and afternoons disappeared with the shadows creeping up on and moving alongside the floor, and even scarier, Demiserf had stopped coughing–terrifying, as Minotaur couldn't tell if he was asleep or dead.

Maybe Panotty was right. He should call for a doctor. Didn't that witch doctor Rozatte work and live close by? Hastily, the bulky soldier got up and-

"Stop moving. Don't make a sound. "

He couldn't do either.

A thin, gloved hand slid across his face from behind, and two nails dug into the edges of his cheeks. From the bottom of his eyes, the shine of a blade—given the size, presumably a large knife—flashed at his throat, and he didn't dare move. It all happened so fast, and if he had reacted, things would've turned out poorly.

On a normal day, Minotaur would instantly turn around and land a solid right cross to his attacker, but something today was off. A feeling similar to compressed air bound his limbs to the chair in which he sat, leaving naught but pressure and pain. It was strange; an otherworldly force, a sensation similar to when Sig was in his presence.

"Not like I can. Who are you?" he growled, trying to see even details of the person behind him. "How did you get here? There's loads of security-"

"The windows, you dummy," the high-pitched, somewhat feminine voice called out, no life and no tone but the hiss of a whisper behind him. "Don't make any sounds, and if you even move or scream I'll sli- hmm. Actually, maybe not, but you definitely won't like it."

Minotaur sat frozen, thinking as to whom they might be. It was definitely not anyone he'd even heard before; actually, the voice was similar to Sig after all, but not as high-pitched or drowsy. It was something like Klug, maybe? There was no way. The energy contained in their presence, though, was very similar.

"I won't, but why are you here?" Minotaur growled. "There's a vulnerable soldier here, and I'm watching over him, so it'd be nice if you could don't and not cause any further problems. And if you even come close to harming Lady Rulue, I'll send you six feet under!"

The voice scoffed and laughed dryly. "Rulue? Who's that? I don't know and I don't care, 'cause I'm here for you."

"Me? Who even are you? You didn't answer my first question from before."

"I'm a friend. Not yours, but a friend of the princess. You hurt her. You took her away from her friends. From me. Isn't that right?"

"I would never! Milady is the most important person in the world to me. Even though I'm just a lowly guard, I would protect her with all my heart!"

"Kind words, but considering you kidnapped her and your friend over there knocked her out cold–or so I've heard–I don't get it. Well, lucky you. I'm definitely not going to do the same to you as I did the Horned Weirdo over there. Maybe if you apologize, I'll leave you with a couple of mild injuries."

The same?

"Go on. Apologize."

The blade edged closer to Minotaur's neck, and in that moment he shifted his weight backward to fall on his attacker with an audible snort, who shrieked loudly. A kerchunk and a swish fell into the silence, and joining the cacophony came silence, as his attacker slid out from behind him.

Then a loud howl.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Minotaur screamed, before instinctively moving to punch his attacker only to hit air. Their figure moved smoothly in the darkness, too well without form, rhyme, or reason, and a pair of bright blue eyes met his.

"Eep! Yikes, close! Guess soldiers have braincells after all," they commented yanking their knife out from the stomach between dodges. "Well, I guess I lost control there. Really didn't mean to, but also, you deserved that. You're such a dummy, you know that? I hate you, like, people like you should really stop existing! Having the audacity to take MY beloved from me? Please!" Footsteps shuffled from the hallways in the distance soundscape, and the attacker flicked away Minotaur's head with a thin finger.

Their beloved? Rulue? Or more likely the girl in red from before?

"Bye-bye, Cow Guard! I just came to visit is all, ahahaha." They quickly dashed to jump out the window, long hair following them. As much as Minotaur wanted to pursue them–likely a female, but he couldn't tell based on voice and silhouette alone–the stinging, intense pain of open flesh on oxygen burned into his head, and he groaned loudly in pain.

The wheeze and heavy breathing of Demiserf, the indistinct words of his comrades, and the echo of that voice…

Then, everything went dark.