'Clarine is missing?' Klein and Thea follow an attendant to the stables where only Clarine's and Thea's beasts stand. Shanna's Pegasus is gone, 'and she has gone to the arena?!'

'I-I was just repairing some riding equipment at the back,' the attendant shrivels in his baggy, mud-stained shirt, 'I assumed Lady Clarine was simply taking her horse out to calm herself down before returning home. But then the two girls started talking about the arena and whoosh! This huge Pegasus took off before I could say "Holy Saint Elimine"!'

Klein's hair becomes a bird nest as he presses his hand through it, 'she must not go there! What if...?'

'I'm so sorry,' Thea's knees turn knobbly, 'this would never have happened if Shanna hadn't come. This is all my fault.'

'Don't take responsibility, Thea,' Klein rests his forehead against the stables. A wood print impression lingers on his skin when he looks at her, 'Clarine can be very forceful. She'll use whatever means possible to get what she wants: tears, screaming— I wish she'd use her skills in persuasion to become self-sufficient.'

'They couldn't have gone far,' Thea unlatches the stable door to release her Pegasus, 'at least not too far for my Pegasus to chase them down. Klein, jump on behind me.' Her heart rate rises as Klein holds on from behind, 'are you ready?'

'I trust you, Thea.' His grip tightens as they ascend. They soar through tiny, clumped trees and lakes which resemble the charming models of the Etrurian landscape in Reglay House's hall. Klein's palms feel slippery against Thea, 'just past that heart-shaped lake there. I hope we'll make it before Clarine does anything foolish.'

'Don't worry, Klein,' Thea grips onto the reins, digging her heels into the Pegasus' sides, 'Shanna can't leave me behind. We'll catch up.'

'Shanna left already?' Dieck is a mismatched action figurine in the afternoon tea set up where Lord Pent and Lady Louise had been having guests. Only grey hairs betray his age but the mercenary's muscular form is as sturdy as any young fighter's, 'what a shame.'

'She and Clarine have just gone to play,' Lady Louise pours earl grey tea for Rutger who sits stiffly on the cushioned chair where Thea had been, 'you're very handsome, Rutger. Do you have a special lady in your life yet?'

'You're embarrassing him, Lady Louise!' Dieck's biceps bulge as he throws his arm around Rutger's shoulders, 'he's redder than those tomatoes on your vine.'

'I'm happily married to Lord Pent, don't worry,' Lady Louise sits with the two swordsmen, fiddling with the wavy ends of her blonde hair, 'you must relax though. We're all comrades from the Lycian army, in one form or another.'

'Anyway, not only has this young man got a pretty face but his sword swing is quite something too.' Dieck slaps Rutger's back. Rutger stares at the lacy tablecloth, noticing how his tanned and rough his hands are against the white threads.

'If Dieck is vouching for you, he must be good,' Lord Pent and Rutger exchange piercing stares, though Lord Pent's is filled with discernment and Rutger's paranoia, 'still, I'd like to see it for myself.'

'But Lord Pent, Rutger once saved Clar—.'

Before Dieck can finish, Rutger stands up and reaches for his sword handle, 'bring me any opponent and I will cut him down.'

Lord Pent smirks, taking an El Fire tome from under his cloak, 'then let us go to the training fields. We'll see who cuts who.'

'Be careful, gentlemen,' Lady Louise waves as her husband and Rutger trudge through the grass, 'I do hope those two play nicely with each other.'

'Sometimes, men just need to duke it out,' Dieck picks up a scone and bites of half of it. He loads the remainder with jam and whipped cream, 'you could probably snipe them with a good killer bow though, couldn't you?'

'I suppose,' Lady Louise laughs, 'but I promised to use my combat skills to protect Lord Pent. Not kill him.'

'You married young though. Fourteen when you auditioned to be Lord Pent's wife, was it?' Dieck spies a tiny figure flying in the distance, 'times were different then. I can't imagine anyone in the Lycian army being ready for marriage at that age. Still, Lord Pent made a good choice.'

'Now, I'm much better at cooking, sewing and other ladylike endeavours,' Lady Louise notices a mistake in the tablecloth's embroidery, 'but back then, all I had to compete for Lord Pent's hand was my skill with the bow.'

'An honest woman with mettle is far more appealing than a doll who wastes her days at home,' Dieck salutes to an elderly gardener picking apples from the orchard, 'in fact, your daughter could take a few cues from you.'

'I suppose her brother and I indulged her too much,' Lady Louise sighs, taking a spongy custard cake with sliced apricots in the middle, 'she does have motivation though, at least enough to run away in search of Klein when he left. Perhaps something else will move her so.'

Sweat sprinkles through the air from the brows and bald heads of unruly spectators at the arena. Most of them are bandit leaders in ripped peasant shirts that show their rocky biceps and gashed bodies. Thea and Klein swim through the crowd, searching for a hint of Clarine's blonde hair or Shanna's pixie cut.

'Anything?' Thea spots Klein's noble clothing among the brawling labourers who have come to try their hand at combat.

'No sign of Clarine,' Klein's cheeks are streaked wet. The stench of armpits and rusty weapons blankets them, 'I didn't see Shanna or her Pegasus around the stables either.'

'M-Maybe we didn't look hard enough,' Thea stammers, trying to swat away a dreadful realisation: Clarine and Shanna may be in the preparation cells ready to step into the ring, 'we can't lose hope! She couldn't have entered herself for a match. It's no place for a woman of the Reglay family. Or man, for that matter.'

Thea notices the scuffed ends of her boots. Klein and Clarine look out of place in this rowdy arena. But not her in a plain, practical rider's uniform, 'yes... We'll get Clarine out. She doesn't belong here at all.'

'And Shanna,' Klein's voice steadies itself. His velvet glove wraps around her bare hand, 'Shanna's your precious sister— which makes her mine too.'

'Thank you, Klein,' Thea squeezes past two swordsmen to keep up with him. She catches a few porcelain-faced women giggling at the front row.

Klein turns to her, 'they're noblewoman. You'd be surprised how many enjoy watching arena fights. Perhaps they tire of the noble classes' effeminacy.'

'I... See...' Thea listens to them squeal at a mercenary with bulky muscles. He winks at them from the pit, heightening their excited cries. What a showy bastard, Thea thinks: she's seen too many men like him try to win her over like it was a sport. The girls' cheering reaches an ear-piercing pitch when the umpire announces the fighter's name. Thea misses it but catches that he is a contracted mercenary for the Ostian Palace.

'He must be quite famous in the arena if his name is known in these parts.' For some reason, Klein also stops to stare at the dirt pit with Thea. The announcer calls out the mercenary's competitor, 'aaaand, Lady Clarine, daughter of Lord Pent of Reglay House and former troubadour for the Lycian army!' Sure enough, Clarine rides out in front of the crowd. Her glossy ponytail swings like the tail of her black horse.

Klein leans over the edge of the stadium, 'Clarine! Forfeit!'

'I can do this brother!' Clarine grins, 'watch me beat him!'

'You don't even have your usual horse!' Klein yells, 'that creature won't listen to you!'

'Wait,' Thea pulls Klein back from the edge, noticing the perfect harmony with which Clarine and the horse move, 'most Pegasus riders take months before they reach that level of coordination. But Clarine seems to have a way with horses. Even her regular horse started as a wild creature from the Lycian Plains.'

'You're right,' Klein watches his sister assume complete control of the horse, 'perhaps what Clarine lacks in people skills she makes up for with animals.' The mercenary takes a zig-zag path for Clarine but her horse leaps out of the way.

'She's good!' Nearby spectators grunt. The mercenary blocks Clarine's first fire spell. She follows up with another that singes his arm. He keeps brandishing his sword but she manoeuvres the horse around him to get a clear shot. He collapses he collapses in the heat of her spells.

'She did it!' Thea cheers.

'What's that next competitor?' Klein peers past the bars under the stadium. A huge shadow with a whip-like tail waits behind.

The umpire bangs a cowbell signalling Clarine's victory, 'well done, Lady Clarine of Reglay House. But how will she face this next enemy?!' The bars lift to reveal a huge lion twice the size of Clarine's horse.

'Um, excuse me?! I thought I was only fighting unrefined brutes!' Clarine's face quivers in front of the lion, 'what's the meaning of this?!'

'Clarine!' Klein eyes become those of a frightened child's, 'finish it!'

'The lion didn't do anything wrong!' Clarine cries, 'I'll save him!'

'Don't be a fool!' Klein winces as the lion pounces straight for Clarine. She casts a meek fire spell to its backside, trying to drive it back. The lion only becomes more agitated.

'It's probably been drugged,' Thea observes the constricted pupils and tense paws.

The lion claws out part of the horse's rump. Blood sprays all over the pit like a fountain. Clarine flies off, hitting the ground. Her magic tome skids out of her arms.

'Clarine!' Klein tries to jump over the barrier but Thea restrains him.

'Klein, you don't have a weapon!' Thea's heart drops at the sight of Klein's anguished face, 'we—!'

'Brother!' Clarine screeches as the lion prowls closers. Its teeth are rows of swords ready to mince her. Her skin is white and smooth like oyster meat dressed in purple and white frills, 'help—! KYAAAH!'

Suddenly, Shanna's Pegasus swoops in, 'Claarrrriinnnee! We're coming!'

'Shanna! Help!' Clarine scrambles to retrieve her tome.

Rutger leaps from Shanna's Pegasus. He descends like a brown-haired angel in a red cloak, standing between Clarine and the lion just as it pounces towards her. He slits the throat just as it boulders him over. The crowd falls silent, holding its breath as the lion falls like a puppet.

Finally, Rutger hauls himself out from underneath. Blood drips from the points where its claws pierced his abdomen. He turns to Clarine, 'great, you just forfeited the earnings from your previous victories. Don't you know how it works here?'

'Y-You stupid Rutger!' Clarine runs towards him, 'you almost killed yourself!'

'Clarine!' Klein and Thea jump down to join Clarine and Rutger who begin exiting the pit. Klein glares at his sister, 'I have a lot of questions for you, young lady.'

'Brother...' She clasps her tome in both hands. Her tears are murky as they mix with the sand and dirt stuck to her skin.

'Clarine, you're OK!' Shanna's Pegasus displaces a dust cloud. She dismounts, shrinking when she makes eye contact with Thea, 'um… Hey, sis…'

'Shanna, I thought I could trust you to come along to Reglay House.' The edge of Thea's voice is a killer blade, 'you've made a mess of our visit.'

'I... I'm sorry, Thea.' Shanna's blue eyes well up, 'Juno was right. I shouldn't have begged to come with you... I let you down.'

'Wait, don't blame Shanna. It's my fault!' Clarine steps in front of Shanna, 'I asked her to take me to the arena! I was so bored of being stuck in the mansion!'

'Clarine— Are you thinking about someone else for a change?' Klein exclaims before exchanging looks with Thea, 'well...' He turns to Rutger, 'Mother mentioned that a mercenary would be coming for an interview with Dieck's recommendation. I remember your face.'

'Yes, Master Klein,' Rutger gives the Etrurian general a respectful nod, 'my name is Rutger.'

'Thank you for saving my sister. As you know, Dieck once saved me from a lion at this very arena,' Klein offers his hand for Rutger to shake. Tentatively, Rutger accepts it, 'I would be happy for you to work at Reglay House. I am sure that after this incident, my parents would approve too.'

'With some luck,' Shanna leans in and whispers to Clarine, 'they'll approve of a bit more than that!'

'We should pack our things and head back home,' Thea places her hand on Shanna's head, 'we've caused enough trouble here.'

'Hey!' Clarine yaps, 'who gave you permission to go?!'

'We've really taken up a lot of the Reglay family's time,' Thea looks down at the noble girl's puffed cheeks, immediately reminded of Shanna's rage upon hearing of Thea's plan to visit Reglay House alone, 'I'm sure Lord Pent and Lady Louise have business to attend to.'

'But then Shanna will have to leave!' Clarine grabs Shanna's wrist, 'I want to go on more Pegasus rides. That feeling of soaring through the sky— I demand to go again!'

Klein clears his throat, 'Clarine, that's no way for a lady to talk. What did Mother and I tell you?'

'Fine... Please, Shanna— can you take me for a ride on your Pegasus again?' Clarine's forelocks stick to her cheeks as she mumbles to the floor, 'please…?'

'Sure!' Shanna grins, 'I'll take you back home on my Pegasus!'

As the two girls run for Shanna's Pegasus, Rutger unsheathes his sword, 'Master Klein, I trust you will return with Captain Thea. I'll catch up with you all after some training.'

'Are you sure?' Thea asks. Though Rutger had seemed distant during their days in the Lycian army, her feelings towards him are warmer now. After all, they are both common mercenaries with inconvenient affections for the Reglay family, 'I could take you back too.'

'Focus on Master Klein,' Rutger's gaze shifts to Clarine who whines for Shanna to help her up onto the Pegasus, 'I have a target to aim at too.'

'Alright, Rutger,' Thea and Rutger salute to one another before he returns to the arena, 'I'll see you at Reglay House in the evening. Good luck— with everything.'

Shanna and Clarine clamber onto the Pegasus, 'hurry up, Thea! Last one back's a loser!' Thea's arm nestles into Klein's. She listens to Shanna and Clarine's laughter rise in the sky, fading as Pegasus wings carry them into the clouds.

'Clarine's usually so sulky and irritable,' Klein's chin scrapes Thea's hair when he leans closer, 'I'm glad you brought Shanna.'

'Yes,' Thea rests her head against his shoulder, 'so am I.'

AUTHOR NOTE: I hope you enjoyed this two-chapter adventure about Thea and Shanna's visit to Reglay House and the unexpected turn it took. Thank you for following along and providing helpful, supportive comments. ~ kafkascharm