Chapter 5.5. Deliberations

Summary: Zael and Calista ponder and deliberate about whether Zael should be a knight.


"Are you sure about this, Zael?"

"About being a knight?" Zael looked up at Calista, frowning lightly. "I think it would be good to accept. I mean," He cleared his throat, "It's what I've been going after this whole time. We've talked about this, back on Asthar's ship."

"Right." Calista inhaled slowly as she thought back to everything that just happened. She trusted that her uncle knew what he was doing, offering Dagran and Zael a chance at knighthood with his offer, but she also wondered if it was because of the power that Zael held. Then again, she supposed that if she knew of someone powerful that could aid them, she'd want them to help them out as well. "It's just…I didn't expect my uncle to offer you knighthood so soon, the way he did."

"I mean, it's a win-win situation." Zael scratched the back of his head. "He has more knights to aid Lazulis in this war, and I get the chance of being a knight. Right?"

"True. But…" She took a deep breath, looking him in the eye. Being in the castle might be easy for her to survive, thanks to all the help her uncle gave her in asserting her own position as the next to rule after him, but Zael was a mercenary. He had little political experience if any at all! "Promise me that you'll take your time thinking about this before you make your final decision, okay?"

"Yeah. I will." He nodded a few times, taking her hands in his and squeezing them briefly. "I promise."

"I won't keep you any longer – you should head back to your friends." Calista took a deep breath, about to let go, when Zael spoke up, eyes widening.

"Calista, wait." The moment she heard his words, she stilled herself a bit, pausing where she stood as he managed, "I have a question about something."

Calista raised a brow, kept holding his hands as she asked, "What is it?"

"While you were getting changed when the Gurak first invaded – your uncle already noticed that I had the power of the Outsider and he mentioned it to me." Zael swallowed lightly. "Do you think..he was trying to tell me about it? That he knew well about it before I came?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to know." Calista knew she had her own questions, but she also knew that her uncle was very busy trying to manage a war that only just started, and she had to do all she could to help him and the rest of Lazulis get through it all. "I noticed that he's done a lot of consulting with General Asthar lately, too…"

"Doesn't that make sense, though?" Zael frowned, tilting his head to the side. "After all, Asthar is a General…"

A sigh left Calista at that. Of course – she didn't expect Zael to know of Asthar's history. "Zael, General Asthar used to be the Imperial Supreme Commander, one of the highest ranks you can get as a knight in the entire Empire. There has to be a reason why he's here!"

"Other than being invited to your ball earlier?"

"Yes!" She dared to look him in the eye. "I'm sure he's up to something. And I'm sure my uncle knows more things about the Outsider, too. Or if not, that's something he's probably investigating for your sake and the rest of Lazulis." She glanced down at his right hand and then up at Zael. She knew, based on the magical tomes that the Gurak had initially stolen and placed on the ship where she, Zael, and the others were on that there was a legend involving the Outsider, but…it wasn't like she knew everything about the Outsider. And even if her uncle had been investigating this as well, or starting to, she was sure he meant well with it all.

"I don't know what my uncle is fully planning Zael," She admitted, "but I do trust that he's trying to do the right thing. But for your sake, I hope that you learn more about your powers sooner than later."

"I'll definitely be looking into it," Zael breathed, before lowering his voice. "Speaking of investigating, though, I…overheard Mirania mention, earlier, that she might use the access to the library to try to find more information, but I don't know how far she'll get."

"I don't think she'll get too far on her own." Calista frowned. The library was generally open to the public, but there were restricted sections meant for the castle mages and archivists only. But someone like Asthar or her uncle, meanwhile, would have full access… "Either way, whatever you and your friends plan to do–be careful. I don't want you or any of them to get hurt because of me or because of the powers you have. If you swear fealty to my uncle and this castle, you could be taking a bigger risk to your own lives."

"I'll think about it." Zael offered her a soft smile. "I promise."

Zael had to leave her then, to go to the tavern and reunite with his friends. He always tried to be confident with the decisions he made – no matter how sudden they were presented. Calista admired his way of trying to think quickly, and she supposed it was part of his upbringing as a mercenary at this point.

She just hoped, as she watched him go, that he would make the right decision.


Author note: I hope you enjoyed reading this little bonus chapter! I'll have several of these bonus chapters posted at various times as the fic continues having new chapters, and my plan is to have these bonus chapters (the .5 chapters) appear on Fridays whenever they happen. I hope you enjoy reading these fun tidbits on top of the main story so far!