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Millie and Ivor were drawing near to Angel Falls again. They had run into a few slimes and a cruelcumber on the way back, but it was nothing that Millie couldn't handle. Ivor had surprised her by taking out just as many slimes as she had.

"I fight them a lot," Ivor explained as they walked along the dirt path. "Those and the sacksquatches, but only because they'll occasionally chase you down. They're pretty weak otherwise."

"What about the batterflies?" Millie asked as one swooped down at them aggressively.

"Only when I need their wings. I give them to the shopkeeper. That's how I paid off my sword." He showed off his steel weapon with pride. "Batterflies are the kind of monster that don't really bother people. They're a menace to crops and we don't have those, so they aren't a big deal."

Millie nodded, seeing his logic. "It's nice to know that you actually worked hard for once." Ivor let out a huff, making Millie laugh.

"What about you?" he asked. Millie looked at him blankly. Ivor rolled his eyes. "What did you train against?" he asked. Millie let out a sigh.

"My Master trained me against monsters. And some of the other Masters helped out," Millie said. Ivor looked at her and scoffed. "What?"

"Nothing. Well, actually, it's weird, the whole 'Master' thing," Ivor said.

"Haven't you heard of a Master blacksmith? Or Master archers? Or Master scholars?" Millie asked. Ivor nodded.

"Well, yeah. But what did you Master, uh... master?" he asked.

"Just our way of life, I guess," Millie said thoughtfully. "The Masters train the apprentices to be fighters, observers and, most importantly, guardians."

"Guardians?" Ivor shook his head with a chuckle. "First you share your name with our Guardian, and then you go and say something like that! Tell me, what is your Master's name?"

"Aquila," Millie said simply. She bit down her grin as Ivor's head whipped around to face her.

"That's not possible!" Ivor yelled, scaring a timid slime out of the tall grass and into the river. It landed with a loud splash. Millie immediately shushed him, worried about attracting the attention of other monsters.

"Why not? I know it's a weird name, but-"

"That was the old Guardians name!" he didn't shout this time, but he was still loud.

"I thought 'Millie' was the Guardian's name!"

"No! Well, yes! But it wasn't always! It used to be Aquila!"

"But Erinn said that it has always been Millie, and her grandpa agrees! Everyone agrees."

Ivor stopped her, pointing a finger at her. "Why is it that I am the only one who remembers?"

"Maybe you're wrong," Millie said, but Ivor did not look convinced.

"Just don't let Erinn hear you talking about being a 'guardian' and having a 'Master Aquila'. She'd have a field day!" Ivor said.

"Speaking of Erinn..." Millie started, a smile stretching across her face. "A birdie told me that you like her."

"That bird is a liar," Ivor said immediately, his face turning red. They came to a complete stop now in the middle of the path, a few hundred yards away from the town gate.

"I don't know about that," she continued, the smirk taking up her entire face now. "The birdie was well informed." Ivor groaned and walked faster, turning his face away from her.

"Come on, Millie! I get enough of this from Hugo," Ivor complained.

"Hey! That was the birdie who told me you liked her!" Millie exclaimed, catching up with him easily. "But then again, it's as plain as the nose on your face."

"My nose is unique, thank you very much. There is nothing plain about it!" Ivor said, making Millie laugh. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What about you? Got any boys back home that you're thinking about?"

"Nope!" Millie said easily.

"You sure? No other apprentices?" Ivor prodded, waggling his eyebrows. "Any super buff guys, like me?"

"None at all. They're all weaker than I am," Millie said with a snort. Ivor gave her a disbelieving look. "It's true," Millie said, putting her hands up.

"What about your Master then?" Ivor asked. Millie stared at him for a solid ten seconds before she burst out laughing.

"Oh no, Praise the Almighty, no! He's raised me since I was six!" she said, doubling over. "He's like my father and he has no hair! He's bald!" She wished that she could explain to Ivor that she and Master Aquila were almost a thousand years apart in age, but she couldn't.

"I don't know. Some girls are into that kind of thing," Ivor said. Millie straightened up, finally overcoming her giggles.

"That is so weird," she muttered.

"What about Hugo?" Ivor asked. "He seems to like you."

"I don't think so," Millie said, shaking her head. "He must like some other girl in Angel Falls."

"Nope. He sees Erinn like a sister, and then there is Maya, but she's got a boyfriend who's a knight in Stornway, just don't tell her parents because they don't know. And then there's Helen, but she's two years younger and likes hanging out with horses more than people, so no. There isn't really any girl here he likes," Ivor said. "But he seems to like you."

"No..."

"And you don't seem to mind his company all that much," Ivor said.

"Well, he's a breath of fresh air compared to you," Millie shot at him.

"Ouch. That hurt. And yet, you still went on this adventure with me."

"Because if I didn't, you would have gotten yourself killed."

"That is not true!" Ivor said, letting out an offended gasp. "I would have been fine!"

"You were almost skewered by a cruelcumber," Millie reminded him. "They like hiding behind rocks to ambush people. You would have taken a spear through the chest if I hadn't been there."

"Yeah, alright. And thanks for that, by the way," Ivor muttered. His eyes flicked up again. "But still! He likes you!" he sang.

"No, he doesn't. He's just likes talking to me because I am a breath of fresh air to him," Millie said. She felt her cheeks starting to turn red from embarrassment.

"You like him!" Ivor continued, ignoring her comments. "He likes you and you like him!"

"I don't really do that sort of thing!" Millie exclaimed, cutting through the chant.

"What?" Ivor asked.

"The whole 'liking people' sort of thing! My people don't do that!" Millie said.

"What does that mean?" he asked. Millie was grateful that he was going to ask the questions one at a time instead of shouting them all at once.

"When we are born, our elder takes care of us, teaching us how to read and write and do all those normal kid things. Then, when we are ready, a ceremony is held and a Master or Mistress steps forward and picks an apprentice. That's how it works. In my lifetime, I have never seen anyone act in a 'couple' sort of way," Millie said. Her mind flashed to how Master Aquila interacted with Mistress Columba, but she shook it off. It was a lot different.

"You don't have families? That's not a good way to be raised," Ivor said.

"Well, we kind of have families," Millie said, trying to figure out how to explain it to him without confusing him even more. "Master's take care of their apprentices like a parent would a child. Often times, they'll work together. You know, swap out apprentices so they get a wider variety of training."

"Why aren't you allowed to stay with your parents?" Ivor asked.

"At the end of the day, our job is the most important thing, so everything else comes second. Even family," Millie said. "I actually don't know who my parents are."

"That's sad," Ivor muttered.

"It's just how it is," Millie said as they resumed walking. They came into sight of the gate and Hugo caught sight of them and started to wave frantically.

"You guys aren't dead!" he exclaimed, looking at them happily. "Not even injured!"

"Yeah, weird right?" Millie said. "We had no problem with any of the monsters."

"We make a pretty good team," Ivor said, high-fiving Millie.

"Uh, Ivor?" Hugo said quietly. Ivor turned to look at his friend, who had a strained look on his face. That could only mean two things: either Hugo had to go to the bathroom, or he had told the Mayor something that Ivor had done.

"Let me guess. My dad's looking for me," Ivor said. Hugo nodded, but didn't say anything. "I'm going to assume that you told him something about it."

"Yeah, and Erinn, too. She was looking for Millie," Hugo said. Millie cringed, not realizing that she must have worried Erinn. She and Ivor had taken their time getting back from the landslide, so it was now almost sundown.

"We better get going then," Ivor said, grabbing Millie's arm and dragging her along. She tried to turn at the church to head over the bridge, but found that Ivor wouldn't let go.

"What are you doing?" Millie asked, worrying slightly.

"What? Oh. I'm bringing you with to talk to my dad," Ivor said.

"Why?"

"Because he won't yell at me as much if there is a guest in the house," Ivor said. "I think. I'm not sure, though. He doesn't consider most people to be guests."

"I'm not really a guest-"

"Come on, Millie. It'll be fine," Ivor reassured her as he pulled her through the door. He let go of her arm and made a beeline for the dining room, where Mayor Litlun was sitting, clearly waiting for his son.

"You better have a good story for this," he warned Ivor, gesturing for them to sit down.

...

"So, the soldiers are going to clear the landslide?" the Mayor asked.

"Yup, that's what they said," Ivor said, with Millie nodding her head next to him. Things had gone surprisingly smooth. Ivor's face broke into a grin. "Pretty brave of me, eh? Ivor is the town hero now!"

"No, you idiot!" Mayor Litlun shouted, making Millie jump. "You two were utterly foolish to go out there on your own!"

"But we brought news that the landslide was being cleared-"

"So? I would have found out as soon as the guards finished clearing it!" Mayor Litlun yelled, cutting his son off. Ivor hung his head, but he looked far from sorry. He looked up again.

"And the guards were telling us about some woman named Patty from Stornway," Ivor said. He heard the front door creak open. "Apparently she went missing on her way here."

"What?" a voice shouted. Erinn came skidding into view.

"Erinn? What are you doing here?" Ivor asked, feeling his cheeks tingle with color. He didn't want her to see his dad yelling at him.

"Hugo told me that you took Millie on some silly adventure the second you left," Erinn said. "And he got me the second you got back." Sure enough, Hugo appeared in the doorway behind the enraged purple-haired girl. "But anyway, what happened to Patty?"

"She went missing," Ivor said. "That's what the guards told us."

"Erinn, do you know the woman?" Mayor Litlun asked. "Did your father ever mention her from his time in Stornway?"

"Yes. She was his friend, I think. Or a business partner of some sort," Erinn said before gasping, "Do you think that she was coming to visit him without knowing that he died?"

"Maybe," Ivor said with an insensitive shrug. "I don't see why we are so worried..." he trailed off once he caught sight of his dad's disapproving glare.

"It's not like we can send a search party out for Miss Patty. We don't even know where she is," Mayor Litlun said.

"Actually, the guards said that she was traveling through the Hexagon," Millie spoke up.

"Then we definitely cannot send out a search party. The Hexagon is far too dangerous," Mayor Litlun said. Both Ivor and Erinn looked like they were about to argue, but he silenced them with a wave. "This is my final decision."

"Alright, Mayor."

"Yes, Dad."

Mayor Litlun gave both of them warning looks. "Erinn, perhaps you should take Millie home. She must be exhausted from her adventure."

"Of course," Erinn said. Millie stood up and walked over to her. Ivor's eyes were fixed on the floor.

"And you go too, Hugo. I need some privacy to talk some sense into this moron," Mayor Litlun said. Hugo cast a sad look at his friend before leaving, with Erinn and Millie following him out. The door had barely swung shut behind them before they heard muffled shouting. Millie couldn't help but feel sorry for Ivor.

They walked away from the house, with Hugo splitting off with a wave once they reached the church. Erinn and Millie finished the walk home in a comfortable silence. Erinn seemed to be deep in thought, and Millie was more than content to let her be. They got home just as the sun was just below the horizon.

"Grandpa is asleep upstairs," Erinn said, keeping her voice down. Millie nodded and sat down at the table with Erinn. It was too early to start dinner, so Millie figured that they were just going to talk.

"Are you okay?" Erinn asked after a few moments. "No injuries?"

"No, I'm fine," Millie said, twisting so Erinn could see.

"I was so worried when I heard that you had left with Ivor," Erinn said. "Clearly I had nothing to stress over," she said with a laugh. It sounded a bit forced, though.

"Sorry for worrying you," Millie apologized.

"It's fine. You came back safe. You're clearly stronger than you look..." she trailed off. Millie fixed her gold eyes on her friend, imploring her to say whatever it is that she was holding back. Erinn hesitated for another moment before saying, "I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."

"Of course, Erinn. Anything," Millie said. She wouldn't hesitate to help her. Erinn smiled, seeming a bit more comfortable with what she was saying.

"I'm really worried about Patty," Erinn admitted. "She was a good friend of my fathers, so I was wondering if you..." she trailed off again, looking at Millie before shaking her head. "Never mind."

"What is it?" Millie asked.

"No. I couldn't ask that of you. It's far too dangerous," Erinn said, turning away and getting up, moving over to the kitchen counter.

"You want me to look for Patty in the Hexagon," Millie guessed. Erinn immediately shook her head and began to clean dishes

"It's too dangerous for you to go in there. It's crumbling apart and practically crawling with dangerous monsters," Erinn said. "It was silly of me to mention." She looked up to see that Millie had gotten out of her seat and started edging silently towards the front door. Her hand was just touching the knob. She grinned as Erinn's face turned stern. "No. Millie, absolutely not. Sit down," Erinn ordered, pointing at her with a wet spoon.

"I'm just going for a walk," Millie said, turning the knob and opening the door slowly. Erinn watched her with narrowed eyes, seeing through her deception.

"Millie..." she warned.

"I'll be back later," she exclaimed, darting out the door and shutting it behind her. She ran across the bridge, looking back when she heard Erinn open the door. She could hear her shouting something, but couldn't make out what it was. She turned forward again and ran straight into Hugo.

"Oof!" he exclaimed, falling backwards. Millie landed on her face next to him. She looked back and could see Erinn hurrying towards them.

"Quick, Hugo. Where's the Hexagon?" Millie asked.

"You can't go there! It's too dangerous!" Hugo yelled. Millie grabbed him and pulled him up.

"Tell me, or I'll spend hours wandering around trying to find it," she said, dragging him along towards the gate.

"Fine! You go south right before the steps. You'll find a path a little ways into the forest. Stay left on it, and then you'll find the entrance," Hugo said quickly. They had just reached the gate and Millie released his arm.

"Thanks!" she said, running along the path. "I'll be back later." Hugo just watched as she disappeared around a bend, into the darkening night.

Eye!

Chapter done!