Woo, almost back to a canon place. I promise, there will be some action happening in this story XD. I just take a while to build up the background. Just hang in there.

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For two weeks they marched across the plains of Serdio, the feet of men and horses trampling the grasses into the dusty ground. It was all new territory to Niira; she had never been traveled this far south when she was a child. In fact, she had probably never been more than fifty miles from Bale. Her father had been reluctant to allow his daughter too far from the relative safety of the capital city, especially when the tensions between Sandora and Basil had increased. She was, after all, the only child of a very important individual in Basil--a perfect target for anyone who wanted to cause trouble.

That hadn't stopped her from yearning to wander. She envied the soldiers and merchants who traveled to Bale from afar, and had often listened enthralled to their stories of distant lands. She longed to to be out exploring, to encounter action and excitement and emerge from such trials triumphant. Instead, she could only stay in Bale and play pretend-games of such adventures with Coen. Never was she the damsel in distress, though, and Coen her heroic knight. Instead, they battled imaginary beasts and imagined perils together, partners in the endeavor. Much to the dismay of her father. His little girl never wanted to act like a girl.

Niira had since encountered her fair share of trials, although whether or not she overcame them, she couldn't tell. Coming home had been one of the hardest things she had ever attempted. And she could still feel the panic in her, telling her to turn around, go back into hiding. It was an old fear that had plagued her ever since...

She narrowed her eyes.

Yet here she was, once again on an adventure, this time once again joined with her old friend. But I feel very much the maiden in distress now. And Coen, well, he is a knight in shining armor. Heh.

"You've been rather quiet today."

The sudden proximity of the voice made her jump. Usually, Alakyl was nearby to warn her of approaching people when she went off into her own thoughts like that. But the wolf was chasing bugs through the tall grass, nowhere near Niira. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

The young knight grinned. "I'd hardly call that 'sneaking.' You're just too high-strung."

"I am not."

"Well, you are half cat or whatever..."

"Coen." She said it with a mix of annoyance and amusement. Blaming various traits of Niira's personality on her non-human parentage had been used and reused and worn out during her childhood. She had always shrugged it off in public, although among friends she had been more than eager to show off the extent of her feline attributes, the favorite always being to see how high she could climb in the tree this time. Which was all in fun, until her father found out where she was, which would promptly land her in a scolding.

"We should reach Bale tomorrow," Coen was saying.

That soon? The thought came unbidden to Niira's mind, and immediately she felt a panic within. I'm not ready for this.

"Something wrong?"

"No. What would be wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know." He said it in an off-handed manner.

"Don't mock me, Coen. It was hard enough just coming back to Endiness."

"I'm not mocking you. Not really."

"You're such a...a...egotistical little boy sometimes. How'd you end up in charge of a knighthood anyhow? I mean, I didn't think your father would be retiring for quite a while yet. I'd like an answer."

"Fine." For the briefest of moments, he hesitated. "My father was wounded by some Sandoran bandits after the war, so I had to take his place for a while. And then the wound never healed right, so I'm stuck here to this day."

"Why didn't...what's his name...Radulf take charge?"

Again Coen paused.

I know he's usually a quiet person, but he's not telling me something important here, I can tell.

"It was King Albert's decision."

"Ah." That still didn't quite make sense to Niira. Sure, Albert had always had a hand in the affairs of the knights, and had the power to deploy them where he saw fit, but she remembered that most of the internal affairs of the knighthoods had been left to their leaders. Her own father had spent quite a bit of time dealing with the problems of the First Knighthood, and with those of other companies. So for Albert to be the one who assigned Coen to the rank of Third Knight...there is definitely something Coen's not telling me.

As much as her curiosity told her to pursue the matter, she resisted. "So it was a sort of battlefield commission thing, huh?"

"You can say that." He glanced at her. "So what is it you're worried about."

"I think you know very well." Niira pointedly looked at the ground, at the green grasses flattened against the ground. "I'm not the same person I was back then."

"I'm sure things'll work out."

"This isn't the same situation as between you and me. He's going to be meeting a person whose entire childhood he's missed. Someone he won't even recognize. How do you relate to someone you don't know? How am I supposed to..." She cut herself off, afraid she has said too much.

"It'll work out," Coen said again. His voice was low, as if he was stating a fact.

"I don't know." She tried to ignore his gaze. "I don't think..."

"Think what?"

"Nothing."

With that simple word, she could feel Coen's reaction of shock and irritation. They may have been separated for many years, but he obviously had not forgotten the closeness they had once shared. In the past, they would tell each other everything, even things they were afraid to tell their own families. That Niira had cut the conversation short, refused to share her thoughts, was like a slap in the face.

Niira realized all this immediately after she spoke, of course. Guilt made her cringe inside.

"Tell me some time." It was a command, angry, frustrated, and worried. A command that expected to be obeyed.

...He's changed too. Her memories of Coen were of a soft-spoken boy who had a hard enough time standing up for himself, much less ordering others around. They did not include the commanding officer of a group of warriors, the man who now stood beside her.

He's right. I've been quiet for too long.

But still...I'm so scared.

"Niira?"

"I...maybe..." No. I can't. But I have to. "Maybe."