A/N: Rosym is under a dark regime. The Princess of Reinhart is in the mad king's grasp. Beckett and what's left of his men are being set up for a slaughter. And it looks like our only hope lies in a servant girl turned would-be warrior and her disenfranchised witch sister.

sorry this chapter is a little short. I have been experiencing burnout this past week. But things are certainly going to pick up from this point.

Victoria finished loading her satchel with some bread and berries. She then flung the modest piece of luggage made from a goat's hide over her shoulder. Picking up her canteen, she shook it and decided it was about half full.

"I still believe that we ought to bring more rations than this," Trina said as she tied her cloak.

"It needn't last for too long" Victoria assured her. "Moken-Laut is not far."

"What is it?"

"A maritime town just south of these lands. It has been a trading post for Reinhart for as long as I can remember. I have heard that they trade with Rosym as well. With any luck we can get ourselves a boat. It is faster and they will not be expecting it."

Trina was honestly impressed.

"That is very clever of you, little sister."

Victoria was about to raise the hood on her own cloak when Trina stopped her.

"No, keep it down. If it gets cold, fine. But wear your hood down if you can because it obscures your vision. Makes it easier for enemies to sneak up on you."

Victoria nodded at Trina's logic and let her hood drop to the base of her neck.

"We should be off."

The pair set foot out of the modest cottage into the forest. Trina raised her arm and a hawk landed. She locked eyes with the bird of prey and then sent it flying.

"Follow him," Trina instructed as she walked with Victoria following behind.

"What was that you were just doing?" she asked her older sister.

Trina pointed up to the bird that was now gliding smoothly, making a point to stay visible to the humans below him.

"I asked him to lead us out of the forest; who has a better lay of the land than our feathered friends?"

"You can...talk to birds?"

"Not just birds," said Trina looking back.

Victoria chuckled, "Do you talk to horses as well?"

"I will let you know when I see one. But I would not say what we do is speak to one another."

"Then what would you call it?"

Trina shrugged, "We...understand, I suppose."

"I am thrilled that somebody around here understands."

Trina laughed wholeheartedly. She had done such a thing in many a moon. It felt inexplicably freeing and wonderful.

It was morning when they first left and it was on the verge of afternoon when Victoria and Trina began to see beyond the thick trees. Victoria noticed as they left the forest behind them and walked along the plains, that Trina was shielding her eyes. She figured that her long lost sibling must have never left those woods to the point that she was used to a certain amount of daylight. Now out in the open with nowhere for the sun to hide behind, it was doing its job unfettered.

In Victoria's eyes, the forest was beautiful but too chilly for her liking. She preferred the warmth.

Trina noticed her flying friend was still overhead and she shook her head. Stopping, she fished through her satchel.

"Why are we stopping?" Victoria asked.

"I almost forgot," Trina replied. She pulled out a sizable piece of bread and waved it upward. In a flash, the hawk flew down and snatched the food. She waved as it flew back into the direction of the woods out of sight. "Thank you!"

A short while ago, Victoria never knew that she had a sister. And now that she does, Trina has not begun to cease amazing her.

Twilight began to take heed. On the edge of a cliff overlooking a great cape that jutted out from the mainland, the sisters could make out street lanterns being lit.

"There it is," Victoria sighed.

"Amazing," Trina commented. "I have never seen anything like it."

"Never expected to show you anything that rendered you of all people speechless."

"Oh?" Trina asked, incredulously.

Victoria cleared her throat. "I only meant that you must have seen many astounding things in your time."

Trina shrugged, "I am not as interesting as you may think. I am not like the witches you read about in stories."

It was dark by the time they made it all the way down to the town of Moken-Laut. What struck one upon entering the village were the smells. First was a saltiness of the water and second, the stench of freshly-caught fish. To a couple of outsiders, the aromatics were a little much to bear. Trina took a small jar from her cloak and dipped a finger inside. Scooping up a small drop of the balm inside, Trina applied it to her upper lip, right underneath her nose.

"What are you doing with the ointment?" Victoria asked.

Trina sighed and smiled, "Just something I thought of just now." She sniffed. "It works; it dulls the oppressive odors."

Victoria gave a look and tried it herself.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed. "That is brilliant."

"I sometimes have a decent idea now and then," Trina smirked.

"Well I hope you have a decent idea where the artisan workshop might be."

Trina looked around. "There are certainly a lot of them. Stonemason, hatter, locksmith..."

"Tailor!"

"Tailor?" Trina mused.

Before she full turned around, Victoria was already off in the direction of a shop with a wooden hanging sign painted green.

The shop was pretty dim, only a couple of oil lamps here and there.

"Hello?" Victoria called out. "Is anybody here?"

Trina emerged behind her.

"I trust you to not make running off without me a habit."

Victoria winced, "Sorry."

"Where is...?" Trina turned around and was suddenly face to face with a tall man. "Oh! Excuse me," blurted out the older sister. He had a slightly unusual face but the low key lighting was not doing him any favors.

"S-s-sorry if I s-s-startled you," the man stammered. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you the tailor?" Victoria asked.

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "In a way. The master passed away. I am his assistant."

"Sinjin!" called out a young woman's voice.

Victoria and Trina saw a short girl with crimson hair appear, carrying a bunch of fabrics in her hands.

"Oh, hello" the redhead smiled brightly.

The man, apparently named Sinjin, indicated to the girl.

"Ladies, this is Catherine; my cousin. She has been helping me a little."

Catherine shot him a glare.

"Alright, she has been my saving grace."

"What have you come for?" Catherine asked, as chipper as any person could be.

Victoria stepped toward Catherine and Sinjin who were standing side by side.

"We were hoping that you may know where the blacksmith might be. See, we are looking for some body armor."

The two young proprietors looked at one another.

"We...do that here" Catherine said.

"In a way," Sinjin added.

"With all due respect," Trina interjected. "But this is not going to be for decoration. We are seeking actual protection against real dangers."

Catherine's sunny expression vanished for an instant and her eyes were ablaze with indignation.

"What does some brute with a hammer know about clothing?" she snapped back. "I have seen men in such...garments. Clanking mountains of junk on horseback then lot of them!"

Even her cousin was flabbergasted at her outburst.

"My apologies," breathed Catherine as she stroked her hair back. "I did not mean to unfurl my frustration upon you."

"It is alright," Trina said.

"What kind of armor do you make, Catherine?" asked Victoria.

"Let me show you."

Sinjin cleared one of the larger tables as Catherine laid out a thick brown fabric.

"What is this?" Victoria asked as she felt the fabric.

"Leather," replied Catherine. "Tougher than cloth. This ought to work against an arrow."

"What about something...bigger?"

"Like a sword?" Trina added.

"I can help with that one," Sinjin smiled. With jingling sounds, he unfurled a most unusual thing. "Made this myself."

Victoria had not seen anything like this before. It was completely made of metal and it was strewn together like a chain. However, the links were incredibly small. The whole sheet moved as freely as a blanket made from wool.

Sinjin picked up the sample and wrapped it around his torso to demonstrate. "It breathes like any other fabric but it protects like a solid metal plate."

"It is quite remarkable," Trina had to admit.

"It is indeed," Sinjin conferred. "I wish it was my own invention but it has been seen elsewhere. I have seen the occasional traveler wearing it for protection. They are most uncommon because they are deathly to make. The first successful one I made let my fingertips raw for weeks."

"And I thought crochet was intricate," Catherine said. "But I have been practicing."

"I must say," Victoria remarked. "You have impressed me with the quality of your materials."

"That is nothing compared to my technique," the spiteful redhead pointed. "Wait until it is finished."

"How long do you think it will take, Catherine?"

Sinjin shrugged, "I would wager a day if we work on it consistently."

Trina dropped her satchel and untied her cloak.

"I suppose we will be here for a while."