-The Sixth Year-
"Hey, hey! Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"They caught the one responsible for all those murders."
"No way! I didn't think they'd ever catch them!"
"I heard they have him on trial in the throne room right now."
The tips of Angela's ears wiggled up and down behind one of her books, protruding like fins on the surface of water. Her gaze was buried intently into the parchment, doing her best to shut out the irritating sound of the female students who had taken it upon themselves to start gossiping inside the palace library, ruining any chance she had of fully concentrating on her studies.
"Oh, who was it?" One of the girls asked.
Angela could feel a vein in her forehead pulsing, with her rising frustration. She hadn't had cause to unleash her ire on anyone today, but now her focus was drifting away from the words and diagrams in front of her to weighing the pros and cons of yelling at her unwelcome neighbours to get out.
"I don't know. Victor said there was a blonde man in a thick red cloak being taken to see the queen." The second girl responded to her friend.
It took a little while for the words to fully sink in through the barrier of malicious intent growing on Angela's tongue, but when it finally got through she dropped the book and stood up suddenly, sending the chair below her toppling to the floor.
"P-Princess?" The two girls looked at Angela and spoke in unison.
Angela stared flabbergasted at the two of them for a moment, as if they'd said something so inappropriate and beyond logical reasoning she was about to explode into a tirade of disgust and disbelief. Without a further word to the two of them, Angela took off running, careering by her attendant who flinched backwards with a yelp.
The walls and archways of the castle hurtled by as Angela raced to her mother's throne with all the power her slim frame could muster. She couldn't believe it, not even for a second, it had to be someone else because the Guren she knew, the Guren she had fallen in love with in that moment, couldn't possibly have done those terrible things.
Angela emerged from the castle hallway into the light of day, squinting as the sun caught her eyes. She hopped over the banister leading down to the courtyard rather than take the time to use the stairs. The guard standing at the nearest entrance to the main tower was taken aback by the princess' sudden descent from the stairs to the ground below, and barely recovered her senses by the time the princess had reached the steps leading to the doorway.
"Princess! I-I'm sorry, I can't let you in right now!" The guard stammered, but Angela kept on coming.
"Out of my way!" Angela declared and ducked low under the guard's steady legs, hurling herself forward through the door.
The guard stared with her mouth agape, but dared not follow the princess inside. Angela recovered quickly from her sudden display of athletics, not wanting to give the guard the chance to follow her inside. Springing to her feet, Angela ran straight for the assembled nobles and captains forming a crowd at the far end of the throne room, stopping just short of revealing herself to her mother and peering around the corner at the people standing before her.
The Queen of Reason, flanked by two of her most trusted commanders, was considering an old man held to his knees by two of the captains in the centre of the room. Angela closed her eyes tight and heaved a sigh of relief, grasping at the heart which was beating so furiously in her chest.
"...And it was only after returning to Altena did he show himself to me. He thought he'd gotten rid of me but as I knew the four of them had conspired to steal funds from the treasury he had no choice but to come after me when he spotted me coming through the city gates. My only regret is that I had not been able to return to inform you of their treason sooner, your majesty. And to think he would murder all three of his accomplices to keep the gains for himself is..."
Angela's eyes fluttered open wide, the elation written plainly on her face. It was him, even though she could only see the back of his red cloak and the untidy mess of golden hair, she knew it was him. It was all she could manage not to call out to him right at that moment, interrupting the speech he was delivering to her mother.
"Enough." The Queen of Reason held up her hand to halt Guren in mid sentence. "And the two of you can attest to this statement?"
"Y-yes, your majesty!" One of a pair of guards stammered, when the queen addressed them. "We had no idea at the time, as we were called to deal with an assault, but I remember Sir Guren stating that 'It was them! They did it all!'"
"And instead of bringing this child before me for trial, you and the nobles in question conspired to exile him to the wastes at the height of winter?" The queen raised her head to peer down at the quivering soldiers that now found themselves unintentionally trapped in serious trouble.
"Y-Yes, your majesty, we beg your forgiveness." Both guards dropped to one knee and prostrated themselves before the queen.
"Both of you are relieved of your duties, henceforth to be dishonourably discharged from the Altenian royal guard. Your places in the barracks must be vacated, and you must return to the city within the day."
"Y-yes, your majesty." Both guards bowed their heads low, feeling fortunate that at least they still had heads to bow.
Another military commander and two of his adjutants entered the room, carrying a dry, rotting wine barrel. They placed it before the queen, prying it open with their swords to reveal it was full to the brim with glittering gold coins.
"There are at least two more like this in the location he gave us, your majesty." The commander bowed to his sovereign, holding up a handful of the coins and dropping them back into the barrel. "We also discovered plans had been made to secretly move the money outside the city walls without inspection during the summer, with a private ship to Byzel chartered from Elrand to remove the money from the country. We have sent a contingent of soldiers to detain the ship and its crew, but we believe we have uncovered the full extent of this theft."
The Queen of Reason turned her cold gaze back on the old man still being held on his knees. "You served our family well for so many years, I still cannot understand why you would do such a thing. I am willing to give you one final chance to explain yourself."
The old man said nothing, and didn't move a muscle as if he were incapable of moving his body on his own. Angela recognized him as the palace's head butler, she knew him well, and also found it unbelievable to think he was responsible for stealing the money of the people of Altena.
"It is all true my queen..." The old man finally spoke, in a dry, weak voice. "I cannot lie to you any longer. Everything that has been said is true."
"Then I have no choice." The Queen of Reason stood to address the old man one final time. "All the charges brought against you have been reviewed. Three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and gross theft from the palace and the people of Altena. You are guilty of all these charges, and in accordance with the law of our country you will be imprisoned for the remainder of your life."
With that, the former butler of Altena's royal family was hauled to his feet, and removed from the queen's sight, never to be seen again. The queen herself returned to her throne, and addressed the only out of place person remaining in the room.
"Guren, was it?" She said, allowing Guren the time to move to the centre of the room and assume a kneeling position. "Your efforts in revealing the culprit of these crimes will not go unrewarded."
"Your majesty," Began Guren, suddenly and presumptively, much to the chagrin of the watching nobles, "If I may, the only reward I desire would be the chance to serve your majesty and the kingdom of Altena. I beg that I be granted the opportunity to prove myself worthy of joining the ranks of the wizard army."
"If that is all you desire, then that is what you shall be given." The Queen nodded to him. "A servant will see to your needs, and you will be indoctrinated into the ranks of the court wizards for your services to the kingdom of Altena."
There was an outraged murmur from the crowd gathered in the hall. For a commoner to be granted a place among the court wizards so frivolously, even if the title were merely decoration, was unheard of.
"Your majesty, I am honoured." Guren bowed his head low.
With that, the Queen rose from her throne and departed the room with her commanders and attendants. Shortly after the gathered nobles and commanders also departed, leaving Guren standing alone in the centre of the room.
"Princess." Guren said out loud, causing Angela to jump behind the wall, unnerved at being discovered so easily.
Angela steeled herself to meet Guren's eyes for the first time in just over two years, stepping tentatively onto the carpeted centre of the throne room. Guren turned almost too fast for her to see, and dropped to one knee, quickly reaching out to firmly grasp one of her hands.
Angela had to choke down a cry of surprise, as for the first time since she had known him, he had taken the initiative to touch her. Guren drew her hand to his lips and pressed them gently against one another, causing Angela's body to visibly quiver.
Angela found herself wondering if this was really the same Guren, this confidence and charm lacked the inhibition of the boy she had kissed in the town square all those years ago. Guren stood, still grasping her hand tightly, even bringing his free hand over to form a shell around her trembling fingers.
"Princess, I've been waiting to see you for so long." Guren's face was beaming with pride, and he drew closer still to Angela, who was visibly flustered by the change in Guren's personality.
"St-Stop that..." She stammered nervously, trying to inch away from Guren as he grew nearer. "Give me a little room to breathe."
"Princess, you have only grown more beautiful since I last saw you in the ballroom. These years past I have only thought of you. Everything I have done, I have done to see you again. The magic I have learned, the places I have been, everything was for your sake. For the sake of my love for you."
"L-Love?" Angela couldn't believe he had really said it, and so suddenly after all this time they had been apart. She felt the same way but for him to be this forward, it didn't feel like it was still him any more. "Who- Who do you think you are?!" Angela yelled, pushing him away.
Guren staggered back a little, honestly surprised at the resistance Angela was putting up to his confession. He renewed his advances and grasped Angela's upper arms, bringing her eyes completely level with his.
"Princess... Angela." Guren said staring deep into her frightened green eyes, digging his fingers into her skin.
Angela was truly frightened now, this wasn't the same person she had known. That smile seemed inhuman, and those blue eyes were no longer shining and innocent, they were dark, narrow... and dead.
"Stop it... It hurts..." She squirmed against him.
"Angela, I want to make you mine."
Angela couldn't take another word, this wasn't the same person. She felt like all the feelings she had grown up with had suddenly been snatched away, and that she had been lied to for five long years. She heaved the red wizard away from her again, and struck him hard across the face.
The sound of Angela's hand connecting with Guren's cheek echoed throughout the room. And the two of them stood silent for a moment, Guren's cheek reddening from the force of the blow.
"Who are you?!" Angela asked, holding her head low.
Guren didn't respond, but touched the stinging spot on his cheek where he had just been struck, the same cheek her lips had touched. Now it seemed that the pleasure of that fond moment had been washed away with a single swipe of her hand.
Angela stifled the feeling of regret that was welling up inside her, turning on her heel and running as far away from Guren as she could. Leaving the red wizard standing alone in the empty throne room, largely unaware that she had sown the first seeds of a resentment that would shatter their lives apart.